Astrid Hofferson was only twenty years old, but she had seen more crazy and terrible things than many people three times her years.

"Ease him down. That's it. Astrid, go grab those poultices. We'll need them after we clean him."

She knew she would see many more crazy and terrible things before she died.

"Poor lad. Poor, poor lad, such a beauty he was, and then for this to happen…"

But none of them would ever come close to being as mind-numbingly awful as the sight before her eyes now.

Hiccup. Her poor Hiccup, barely a gleam of his former self, so thin and small in that wooden tub they had placed him in. But Venka had the right of it; he was so filthy, covered in dark dirt, bruises and dried blood. And as the other woman held his lolling, unconscious head, Astrid could see that his lovely russet hair had become matted in places. Then her stomach turned when she saw a few lice and fleas leap from the mats onto the floor.

The healer, Venka, a woman not much older than Astrid herself, lifted her head from her patient to regard the girl.

"Could you help me?" Venka asked, "His bath will go faster if we both work on him."

Putting the poultices down on a table, Astrid moved to stand by her side. Venka handed her a bar of soap and told her to lather her hands. Astrid did so.

"Wash his hair," the healer instructed, "I'll wash everything else. It'll be easier to look at his injuries once he's clean, and he'll feel better for it."

Astrid nodded curtly, taking over Venka's job of holding Hiccup's head in her hands. As soon as Venka began to scrub his shoulders, Astrid prompted herself to move and began to run her fingers through his filthy hair. Soon, she was gently untangling small mats (the larger ones she would have to cut out), annihilating the fleas and lice with her hot, soapy fingers, and revealing the lovely, reddish locks she knew existed under all the thick grunge.

Astrid's body was here, cleansing Hiccup of the physical evidence of his ordeal. However, her mind was a million miles away over the land and across the sea.

Some four months ago, pirates had attacked one of their sailing longboats, and though they had all fought with the might and ferocity of Thor, there had simply been too many of them and too few Vikings to fend them off. Astrid and Hiccup's father had been among the Vikings on that ship. In order to keep the pirates from slaughtering them all, Hiccup had offered himself as a hostage. The pirate captain, a man who might have been handsome if he'd had more teeth, had looked him up and down, and then leered at him in a way that made Astrid feel naked. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he had made Hiccup feel.

"You sure?" the captain asked, "You'll never see any of these people again, you know. I'll make sure of it."

Hiccup had glanced back at the other Vikings, all being held at sword point or gun point. He had met Astrid's eyes, and she had seen the Adam's apple in his throat bob as he swallowed thickly. But his voice had come out steady when he answered, "I'm sure."

"Very well!" the pirate captain had laughed, and signaled to two of his men to shackle Hiccup's wrists in front of him before they began to shuffle him onto the gangplank that connected the two ships. As he was shoved none too gently along, Hiccup had craned his neck over his shoulder desperately for a last look at the people he loved. His eyes were huge with overwhelming terror, and soon he began to tremble with it as well. It was so visceral that Astrid could feel it clog her throat and sting her eyes. She lunged forward, only to have Stoick pull her back down, a tight mask of barely suppressed rage and grief on her chief's face. The pirates retreating with their captain across the gangplank still had their guns pointed at them, preventing them from following.

"Hiccup, please…!" she had begged, tears falling hard and fast down her cheeks, "Please don't do this…I'll kill you myself! I will, you idiot!"

"I love you," Hiccup had replied, a crooked grin gracing his white lips, "Just don't forget that. See you around, okay?"

And then he had reached the pirate's ship, the gangplank was pulled up, and they had sailed away, the Vikings unable to follow thanks to the holes in their sails.

But Astrid had let Hiccup's last words to her fuel on a four month long hunt that had led her all over the known world searching for him, from Sweden to Iceland, to Gaul, then Rome all the way to Briton. They had found Hiccup in a crude little cell on an island just off the coast. The prison had been abandoned; perhaps because those that had run it had gotten word that the Vikings were coming. They had been smart to flee then, but Astrid still wished her axe could have slurped up their blood and dug into their bones in vengeance for the agony they had put her through.

Even more so when she first caught sight of Hiccup in his prison cell.

He had been completely naked and alone in the rank darkness. The only available light came from a lantern attached to her belt, and when the light touched him, his skin had gleamed as white and sickly as a corpse. His skin had clung to ribs, hipbones and spine, evidence of a body so starved it had been forced to cannibalize its own muscles in a last ditch effort to keep itself alive. Astrid had swiftly kneeled down beside him, and when she had touched him, his skin was clammy and too hot, strands of hair heavy with sweat sticking to his forehead. Astrid faintly noted that he smelled like vomit and excrement as he lifted his lifted his head slowly to regard her.

A second later he had jerked from her touch, eyes dilated and absolutely swollen with terror. Hiccup had scooted into a corner and mashed himself against the concrete wall so tightly it looked like he was trying to become one with the structure. He shook hard, his breath coming in rapid bursts that whistled sickeningly in and out of his lungs; he appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilation.

It was then that Astrid noticed the copious amount of blood coating his rear and thighs. Some of it was dried. Some of it was fresh, and it was leaking under him currently, the wound torn by his frantic movements. She was struck dumb and breathless for a moment as she tried to absorb what that could mean.

But thankfully, she was pulled out of her sick musings by Hiccup's voice. She suppressed a shudder when she heard how thin and raspy it sounded, the sound of someone who hadn't had a drop of water pass their lips for days.

"No more," Hiccup had moaned in a barely audible rasp, "Nomorenomorenomore, please please. Oh Astrid, where are you? It's dark and I'm so cold and tired and I hurt! Shh now, easy boy, I won't hurt you, trust me trust me…"

Astrid blinked hard as she watched him curl into a defensive ball rock back and forth, burying his head into his knees he had pulled up to his chest. He was muttering a soothing string of words she recognized as the words he used to calm wild dragons like it was the only thing he had in the world to cling onto, and she felt her heart crack in her chest.

Astrid shuffled across the filthy stone flood until she was crouched in front of him. "Hiccup, it's me. It's Astrid. I'm here, and I'm taking you home."

"No," Hiccup shook his head and lifted it, "Stop it! I'm not falling for it this time"-

"Hush." She touched his shoulder, and he flinched violently once more.

"Go away. Or, am I dead? Please tell me I am. I want to go home, I want to go home…"

Astrid touched his shoulder again, and this time he didn't react. So, she ran her fingers up his neck and into his hair, rubbing his scalp gently. He leaned into her touch with all the desperate energy of a freezing kitten finding a warmth hearth, or a person who hasn't felt a kind touch in months. His ribcage shuddered around a dry, painful sounding sob, the prominent bones pushing so hard against his thin skin she was sure they would break through.

"Astrid…?" he whimpered, and Astrid wanted to cry at how hopeful his voice sounded. It was the voice of a person shown sunshine after only knowing darkness, love after only knowing hate.

"Yeah," Astrid had answered, and then smiled. "I love you."

At those words, Hiccup had flung himself away from the wall and dove into her arms, pressing his face into her stomach. His back heaved and he released a guttural, screaming sob that pulled itself straight from his hollow gut. Astrid's arms had wrapped around him in return and she had folded herself over him, feeling his prominent ribs shudder and jerk as the tortured, delirious animal in his soul cried its release.

And after he had cried himself into exhaustion, Astrid had taken him home on the back of her dragon as she had promised. And now he was here, brought out of the womb of darkness and being reborn in clean sunlight and warm water in the loft of his home.

Astrid scrubbed through his hair slowly, her fingers digging in luxuriously as she massaged his scalp. She jumped when she heard a moan escape him, thinking perhaps she had hurt him. But his eyebrows were smooth and relaxed and his breathing was easy. It was a moan of pleasure, then. Smiling softly, she continued her ministrations, working along the base of his skull and running her fingers upwards. Another moan and a shiver rewarded her efforts, and a warm thrill danced around her heart.

Venka laughed softly. "There's a lot of nerve endings in your scalp," she explained, "That's why it feels so good when someone brushes your hair. It forces you to relax."

Astrid nodded in agreement. She recalled many evenings holding Hiccup's head in her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the way the silky strands clung to her fingers and released his wonderful scent into the air. More often than not after a few hours of her ministrations his head would grow heavier and heavier until he eventually drifted off, soft snores the only sound breaking the peaceful silence.

"He'll need all the relaxation he can get, I supposed, if he's going to get better," Astrid said quietly.

"Hmm," Venka affirmed. "If you're done on your end, I'm done on mine."

"Yeah." Venka didn't fail to notice that although Astrid's hands were no longer soapy, her fingers were working down his neck almost absently, bringing forth little sighs and twitches of awareness from him.

"Well, let's get him dried and under the furs, then we'll see what we can fix," the healer said, standing up. "Ready? Lift him up."

Astrid hooked her arms under Hiccup's armpits and hauled him up out of the tub and upright onto the floor with surprisingly little difficulty; he was no heavier than a puff of smoke anymore. She looked away respectfully as Venka began to dry his naked body with a large cloth, focusing instead on his detached metal leg propped up against the opposite wall. When the healer gave the assertion that she was finished, both women worked to lift the boy to his bed and deposit him among the many layers of furs that lay upon it. He immediately began shivering and continued even after Venka and Astrid had pulled several blankets on top of him. When Astrid began to look concerned, Venka explained to her what it meant.

"It's the fever," she assured her. "This shivering is only going to drive it up higher. We'll have to find the infection and drain it. Stay by his head unless I need you."

Astrid sat down on the bed and lifted his head into her lap while Venka began her examination by his shoulders. Judging by her lack of reaction as she skimmed down to his torso, she wasn't finding anything of significance that Astrid could see apart from some shallow cuts and large bruises.

Well, nothing of significance until the healer pulled down the furs and exposed the evidence of Hiccup's starvation.

A rush of air left Astrid's lungs without her consent. Hiccup had never been stout to being with, but now it appeared as if he would blow away if a strong wind came along, or break in half if he was held too tightly. His legs would mostly certainly snap if they tried to bear his weight now, all fat and muscle sucked away to feed his vital organs. He had become a shrunken, barely recognizable shadow of the boy she loved.

What had they done?

Venka felt along his sunken belly and ribs, mumbling, "That rib was broken at one point, but at least it knitted back together," before bending down and placing her ear over his abdomen. Astrid watched, unsure of what to make of her actions, before the she lifted her head and regarded Astrid gravely.

"I don't hear any gut noises," Venka sighed, "It's just another sign as to how long he's gone without food. He's so empty his guts don't have anything to move along inside them. Now, don't worry lass, we'll fix that soon enough."

Astrid shook herself. Yes, of course, she was being ridiculous. Hiccup was home now, where there was steady supply of hot food that would very soon make all of those sharp bones disappear under layers of healthy fat once more and a determined girl who would be pouring this food down his throat every time he asked for it.

Venka had moved down Hiccup's body a little further and was feeling along his kidney and bladder area. Astrid watched with dismay as Hiccup's brows drew together tightly and a small whine escaped his throat. Venka sighed. She had been afraid of that; it was a sign of severe dehydration, but hopefully nothing that a good supply of fresh water wouldn't fix. Astrid smoothed her fingers along his temples in reassurance, and Venka moved down to inspect his legs.

"You said there was blood on his thighs when you found him?" the healer asked, lifting his good leg slightly.

"Yeah. A lot of it."

"Maybe he got cut badly somewhere around there and it was left to go rancid. Could be the source of our infection."

However, after several minutes of looking and finding nothing but a few abrasions that weren't deep enough to cause the copious amount of bleeding Astrid had described, Venka had to refute her hypothesis. The older woman straightened up from the bed and sighed despairingly as she realized she only had one option left.

"Sorry love," she whispered to Hiccup. She looked up at Astrid. "I'm going to need you to come down here and hold one of his legs. I need to get a look at his behind."

Astrid's eyes widened in disbelief, but she obeyed, gently setting Hiccup's head down on the pillow and making her way down to the end of the bed by Venka's side.

"Just hook his leg over your shoulder, Astrid," Venka instructed. She had to hold back a snort at the blush that adorned the younger girl's face as she did as she was told, lifting Hiccup's bad leg and letting it rest on her shoulder. The blanket barely covered his dignity as it slid away from the movement, and Astrid only blushed deeper when a slice of smooth, pale thigh was revealed. She averted her eyes and swallowed hard, again choosing to focus instead on Hiccup's metal prosthetic still propped innocently against the wall.

Venka meanwhile set Hiccup's other leg on her shoulder, removed the blankets entirely, and began her examination. It wasn't a moment before Astrid, still looking away, heard the healer announce, "Yep, here's the infection. Oh, the gods save this poor boy, what did he do to deserve this?"

"What is it?" Astrid asked, instantly alert, but not moving her eyes.

Venka gave another quiet noise of disbelief and sympathy. "Well, he has several tears in his back passage. The infection has set up in there because, not surprising, a lot of toxic stuff passes out of there."

Astrid couldn't suppress a sympathetic groan. She couldn't imagine how painful that act had to have been for him.

"But that's not the worst part," Venka continued.

"It's not?" Astrid whispered in horror.

"Some of the tears are already healing while some are fresh. I can only draw the conclusion based on the placement of the bruising on his thighs and groin that he was also raped several times over the course of his captivity."

Astrid's brain screeched halt. "What…?"

"I know. I know, love. But you can't think about that right now.

"I…Venka, how could you say something like"-

"The fact this happened to him means that he needs you now more than he's ever needed you in his life. Now you can stand there with your mouth open or you can grab me those poultices I had you mix before."

Afraid that if she opened her mouth, tears and obscenities would flow out of her, Astrid silently set Hiccup's leg back down on the bed and walked over to the shelf she had set the bowl of poultices on. After she grabbed them and went back to Venka's side, she was aware of the beat of her heart in her ears, the angry fire scorching in her veins, and the wind whistling through the new, gaping hole that had just been torn in her heart.

"Thank you," Venka murmured, and motioned for Astrid to hold his leg again. When she had done so and the younger girl had averted her eyes, Venka set to work cleaning the wounds.

"What am I going to tell his father?" Astrid mused with despair.

"Don't worry about that now," the healer replied, "Stoick is still out there hunting down those pirates that captured Hiccup. And you know he won't return until he has every single one of their heads mounted on a spear and their guts used to string his men's instruments."

"Right." Astrid nodded, and glanced out the window. "And once I let Toothless in, he's not going to leave Hiccup's side for anything in the world."

The dragon had nosed his rider and whimpered plaintively all the way from the docks when Astrid and the other Vikings arrived home with him until they reached the door to the Haddock household. He looked so heartbroken when Astrid had regretfully shut the door on him and told him he had to remain outside (because she knew out of worry and love that Toothless would constantly be underfoot) and told him that she would let him in as soon as she could. The dragon had simply groaned in misery and planted himself firmly on the ground by the door.

"And now comes the part he's going to hate the most." Venka's voice stuck itself in the middle of Astrid's musings, "I'm going to have to reopen the wound so we can drain it."

Venka picked up a small, clean knife, and Astrid heard the barely discernable but sickening sound of the knife cutting through flesh.

"Perfect." Venka murmured to herself, and just as she was about to grab a cloth to aid her in draining the wound, all Hel broke loose.

Hiccup began to twitch and whimper, and Astrid immediately began to croon to him, murmuring soft words of reassurance and rubbing the knee of his that she held. However, this only seemed to make matters worse. Hiccup made a feeble attempt at jerking his legs away, and when he failed to do so, this seemed to send him into a blind panic. His breathing began to grow rapid and erratic, and Astrid could feel beads of sweat prickling along his leg. The gazes of both women were drawn to the head of the bed just in time for them to see his eyes snap open and a scream filled with the terror of a hundred demons tear itself loose from him.