Finding Balance 2

Hiccip kept slipping in and out of consciousness. He remembered seeing Dagur staring down at him with wide green eyes and telling him he was alright, everything was going to be okay. It seemed kind of odd coming from the guy who had vowed to hunt him down and take Toothless but Hiccip couldn't find the strength the argue the point. The second time he woke up he was lying on something flat but oddly soft, he was on his left side facing a wooden wall and his head stung as if a thousand bees had decided to sting him all at once. He recognized Dagur's hand clasping his own and the Berserker babbling away as someone else assured him he knew how to sew a head wound shut. It meant Hiccup had hit his head harder than he thought but didn't explain why Dagur was holding his hand or who was working on his head or if they had taken the time to clean the wound. He promptly passed out again after only a few seconds. The third time he woke up he was lying on his back, his head propped up on a strange circular type of pillow that put no pressure on the head wound. His right leg was also propped up and a strange man with dark hair was inspecting his hip. A long gash went from his hip down his right leg.

"I say we just amputate it," Ryker grumbled from somewhere to Hiccup's right, behind the man inspecting the injury.

It caused Hiccup to jerk fully awake in sudden fear. "No..." He moaned, trying to pull away.

The dark haired man placed a firm hand on his stomach and shot Ryker a glare. "The leg will be find. No one is taking it," he assured in a cool, soothing voice.

"I can make it match the left," Ryker offered only for Dagur to start yelling.

Hiccup winced and tried to cover his ears but his arms were weighed down, possibly tied to the bed, and it caused Hiccup to panic more. Where was He? Who was this man? Where was Toothless? Where were the others? He felt small and scared and alone. "Toothless..." he whimpered.

"Easy, Hiccup...easy. You're okay, brother," Dagur soothed, cupping his cheek. "Viggo's going to fix you right up then we're going to Berserk."

Hiccup shook his head. He didn't want to go to Berserk. He wanted to go home. He wanted Toothless and Astrid and all his friends, not his enemies. But no one was listening to him.

Dagur stepped out of his way as the dark haired man - Viggo, Hiccup assumed - stood over him. He had dark brown eyes and a calm demeanor and met Hiccup's gaze straight on.

"Your friends and dragons are safe," he said in a calm and gentle voice, completely unlike how Hiccip imagined him. "But your leg got tangled in the net and the wire bit into you hip and thigh. Ryker untangled you before any serious damage could occur but it still cut in deeply. I've already dealt with your head injury. Now I need to clean your leg and sew in shut."

"You're a Healer?" Hiccup asked in a harsh whisper.

A small smile lifted Viggo's lips. "It's amongst one of my many skill sets." He studied Hiccup's eyes for a moment before nodding to himself. "This will hurt."

The man wasn't lying, nor did he hold back. Alcohol, pure and strong, was poured over Hiccup's hip and thigh, dousing the wound fully and burning worse than Changewing acid. Hiccup howled in agony and tried jerking his leg away only for it to be held down by a grinning Ryker while Dagur wrapped himself protective around Hiccup's upper half.

Viggo stayed utterly calm through out the whole procedure. He cleaned off the alcohol and studied the wound then poured even more alcohol over it. He did this a total of four times until Hiccup passed out yet again.

When Hiccup returned to the whole of consciousness the wound wad sewn shut and wrapped in thick clean white linen. Hiccup stared at it, almost expecting to wake up missing yet another limb.

The room was dimly lit, a lone candle sitting on a table across the room. He seemed to be alone and for a moment Hiccup almost thought he was home in his own bed...if it were soft and not wooden planks. This bed was much nicer than his own, not that he really cared. His right leg was numb and left felt light which meant his prosthetic must have been removed. And this meant he was trapped wherever he was which certainly wasn't a prison because he'd been thrown in cells before and they were never this nice.

A small noise escaped him as he looked around at what little he could see. Wooden walls and ornate shields, dragons skulls - seriously who decorated a room with dragon skulls? - and a shelf with books, lots of books.

"Sh...don't move," the same silky smooth voice from before commanded.

It was soft yet held power and Hiccup carefully turned his head enough to see the dark haired man who had treated his leg earlier, near the bed. The man sat on the edge of the bed and bladder of water that he carefully held to Hiccup's lips. It was only then Hiccup realized how thirsty he was. He drank down the water with greedy gulps until he had to come up for air. He nervously wiped at his lips, thankful his arms weren't tied down.

"Who are you?" he asked, eying the strange man.

The man put aside the bladder and studied Hiccup for a long time before answering. "Viggo Grimborn," he said by way of introduction. "And you are Hiccup Haddock. You and your friends have been causing my brother some trouble."

Hiccup shifted on the bed. Every inch of him hurt yet also felt oddly numb. It was a strange feeling. "You're welcome?" he said. It came out as a question instead of a statement.

Surprisingly Viggo chuckled and checked the bandage that was wrapped around Hiccup's head. "I heard of your wit. It's almost legendary."

"Really? That's an honor," Hiccup joked. He winced as pain shot through his head. Viggo had done nothing to cause it but that didn't stop the sudden pain.

Viggo made a small clucking sound with his tongue. "You should rest."

Hiccup completely agreed. His eyes already felt heavy but his mind wouldn't allow it. Toothless," he murmured, fighting to keep his eyes open. He blinked a few times, trying hard to focus. "My friends...where are they?"

A small smile tugged at Viggo's face. "Safe. All of them, including your dragons. They're spread out across my fleet, separated from one another. What my brother failed to comprehend is how well they work together. Separated they don't have the same support network."

A laugh escaped Hiccup. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. My friends are always together even when apart." His eyes fluttered for a moment before finally falling shut.

Viggo watched the youth for a long time. He still couldn't understand what the fuss was all about. Ryker had made it sound as if this boy and his friends were a true threat yet they had been relatively easy to capture. He could dispose of thwm all now but there had been enough interruptions to his business, he did not need a war with Berk, nor any of their allies. Gods only knew what the riders had told their chief. He had to put an head to this immediately. Still, he thought the riders would be more of a challenge than this.

He left Hiccup to sleep. It would be another day before the boy recovered enough from his injuries for interrogation. Viggo had a lot of questions for him but they could wait. He had already gotten what he wanted from the others. Snotlout had given him what he wanted in order to protect the others. He didn't seem to care about the Dragon Eye whatsoever. He was more concern about his little cousin and the other riders than some dumb trinket that worked only half the time and left them with more questions than actual answers. He gave up a number of locations of islands they visited without any fuss. At first Viggo that the young man was lying until he requested to see Hiccup. Viggo allowed it before sending the rider back to the ship he was being held on, but not before Snotlout took something out of Hiccup's pocket and handed it to Viggo.

"That's the key," he said curtly. "You better be taking us back to Berk or Stoick will destroy your entire tribe to get to him. And he's not the forgiving type."

With his shoulders squared, the rider gave his cousin one last worried look before setting his jaw, turning on his heel, and following Ryker.

It seemed Hiccup was the core weakness for all the riders and a certain set of Berserker siblings. Dagur was constantly checking on Hiccup, even sneaking into his Viggo's chamber when he was banned. Viggo would kill Dagur but that could lead to another war he didn't have the time or patience for. So he left Dagur to his own devices, making sure there were guards on either side of the room in case the Berserker tried anything foolhardy. Although with with the sudden mother hen-worried big brother attitude Dagur had taken on the most Viggo had to worry about wad the Berserker trying to commandeer his chambers, and Viggo was not about to allow that. He sent Dagur to command his own ship, one that did not contain any of the riders or their dragons.

When Hiccup awoke again he was much stronger and more coherent. He was sitting up on the bed, inspecting his right leg when Viggo entered. His head jerked up in surprise before frowning.

"I want to see my friends," he demanded, clearly feeling much better.

Viggo gave an understanding nod but rather then answer immediately he pulled a chair up to the edge of the bed. "You will, once we reach Berk. I sent a Terror mail to your father, requesting a meeting." At Hiccup's surprise he sat back and steepled his fingers together. "I did not tell him about you capture or that of your friends. I gather he worries enough about the lot of you being so far from home."

Hiccup didn't need to answer. His look confirmed it.

"I gather he doesn't know the full extent of your dragon rescuing operations?"

Hiccup's jaw tightened, again confirming Viggo's thoughts.

Viggo tutted. "Oh my dear boy, do you not see how your actions could have such a negative effect?" He shook his head. "It's probably best he doesn't know."

A knock at the door interupted them. Standing, Viggo answered it. A moment later he returned with a tray of food that he placed on a low table close to the bed.

"You've slept most of the last two days. You must be famished. Don't worry, your friends and dragons are being well fed as well," Viggo assured as he sat back down. He took a metal pot and poured steaming water the smelled of herbs into two wooden cups then added honey to both. Sitting back, he sipped from his own cup.

Hiccup stared at the cup in confusion.

"It's tea, my dear Hiccup," Viggo explained when the youth didn't touch the food or drink. "There's no poison." When the youth gave a doubtful look Viggo shrugged. "Alright, pick anything on your plate and I will taste it for you."

Hiccup's brows raised in surprise. "Uh...okay." He cut into the fish on his plate and handed Viggo a piece from the center and the end.

"Clever," Viggo mused, taking the fish and happily eating eat. "Anything else?"

Hiccup bit his lower lip, a cute gesture that Viggo found enjoyable.

"I think I'm okay," the youth answered, seemingly embarrassed for suspecting the food to be poisoned. He began eating slowly, his gaze never leaving Viggo, obviously not trusting him.

Viggo hummed to himself and began eating his food. His gaze stayed on his young guest but while Hiccup seemed content to eat in silence, something Viggo could appreciate under the circumstances, but he had spent the better part of two days caring for the youth, a young man who had lead a ground of teenagers against his brother and freed countless dragons, costing them a large sum of gold. He was curious about just who this boy was and what possessed him to think dragons deserved such loyalty and respect. The last group who acted in such a way led to a lot of unpleasantness that Viggo would like to avoid.

"Your brother talks very highly of you," he began, grinning slightly at the surprise that crossed Hiccup's face.

"I don't have a brother," the youth responded.

A moment of confusion filled Viggo but he kept it from his face. "The way Dagur raves about you and sings your praises, and how Heather has been worrying about you...I honestly took them for your siblings. Same eyes, although yours doesn't hold the same madness as theirs." He waved a hand dismissively. "He is obsessive though. Doesn't stop talking about you, one moment raging the next praising. A very confusing young man."

"Tell me about it," Hiccup grumbled.

He didn't eat very much, despite his hunger. His stomach kept churning, the rocking of the boat making him nauseous. He never liked sailing let aline sleeping on a ship. It made him sick as a kid and hadn't changed much as he neared adulthood. But for now he had to bide his time until he could figure out how to escape. His friends were spread out over a vast amount of ships and dragons in separate locations which cut off their normal escape routes. His prosthetic was missing which meant he was a big enough threat for Viggo not to trust him walking about freely. And his right leg and back of his head still injured making standing or seeing straight a bit of a challenge. Taking his prosthetic had pretty much been overkill at this point. And if that didn't make his day bad enough the fact that he was only in an oversize shirt and his skivvies took what little pride Hiccup still had and crushed it.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence then Viggo excused himself to tend to his duties and Hiccup was left alone with only a guard at the door who refused to say a word no matter how much Hiccup tried to engage him. Eventually the guard decided to guard the other aide of the door. Not that it mattered. Hiccup couldn't even use the ever faithful hop on his tight foot to get a short distance to where he wanted. He was stuck in bed either sitting or lying down.

His life completely sucked at that moment.

The Gods must have been having a good laugh on his behalf. Hiccup was positive of it. He didn't fall asleep again but he was so bored that all he could do was lay on the bed and glare at the wooden beams above him as he tried to plot a way of escape. Viggo had the Dragon Eye. He hadn't said as much but Hiccup knew. It didn't mean as much to the others as it did him and considering Ryker had been hunting for it then one of the riders would have given it up in an attempt to save him, Toothless, Fishlegs, Heather, and Meatlug and Windshear. It didn't matter if he was their leader, on that account even Astrid would give it up if she thought it would save them. Hiccup wished he could be mad about it but at the moment it didn't matter. He'd steal back the first moment he could. What worried him now was that his friends were okay and Toothless was recovering. Viggo said they were all on separate ships. That was a little scary. They were a tight group and in situations like this usually able to rely on one another. None of them had really been alone for such a long period of time. Even when Alvin had captured him when he was a kid, Snotlout and Toothless had been able to save him in only a few hours. The longest he had ever been aline while captured was when Mildew betrayed Berk and handed him and Toothless over to Alvin. He had been locked up for days.

But this was different. He wasn't locked up. He was in a cozy room but without the ability to walk it was still a prison. Yes he was treated better and fed and Viggo seemed to talk to him as if they were old friends but he was still a prisoner. If he hadn't been injured He'd be locked up in a cell just like his friends. He worried about. The twins were almost always together. Being on separate ships unable to connect in their odd "twintuition" way would drive bother of them crazy, Tuffnut before Ruffnut most likely. Fishlegs and Meatlug were almost as tight as Hiccup was with Toothless and had probably already broken down twice by now. Fishlegs could handle not being with the other riders as ling as he was learning something new and knew for certain Meatlug was safe. Without that knowledge He'd drive himself crazy with worry. Snotlout had most likely shot his mouth off to the point that someone had threatened to throw him overboard. His cousin was not the keep quiet and bide his time type. Heather would be treated as a traitor for her rule as the riders spy. With luck her status as Dagur's sister would keep her from execution. And Astrid...he prayed she was able to keep her temper under check. The last any of them needed was her threatening the Hunters right now. As soon as they were free she could blow them out of the water.

The dragons were likely going through similar issues. None of them liked small spaces or being locked up. Most were used to being stabled at night but not for ling periods of time and would each act out in time. Toothless would take it the hardest. Unlike the other who had been captured and thrown in the Dragon Ring back when Berk fought the dragons, he had always been free and even slept with Hiccup rather than spending his nights with the other dragons. To be injured and locked up now...

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut at the thought of his best friend suffering. They needed to find a way to escape before they reached Berk. He had to free his friends and warned his father about the Hunters. Viggo may seem calm and friendly but that was all a ruse. He could very well attack Berk and take all their dragons before anyone knew better. Hiccup wasn't about to allow that. He just wished he knew how to stop it from happening.

A rustle caught his attention but he dismissed it as Viggo having returned, probably wanting to pry more information out of him. Not that Hiccup gave anything other than the fact he and Dagur were not brothers. Were their eyes really that similar? Sure they were green but surely they didn't look THAT much alike? He could live with Heather being his sister. He had almost hoped for that when he discovered his father's seal on her horn. But Dagur's brother? Never going to happen. Dagur started that just because he thought Hiccup had actually defeated Toothless. Okay, maybe he did shoot Toothless down long ago but Dagur didn't know that story or how they became friends. He might have if he didn't threaten war the day of the peace treaty signing. A lot of thing might not have happened had that day gone differently.

He took a deep breath as the footsteps neared. It was only a matter of time before Viggo went from a kind host to interrogator. Hiccup had to make his stand now and make sure Viggo understood that he was going to guve up any information in Berk or thwir dragons no matter what the man or his ape of a brother did to him.

He opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly stopped when a large hand covered his mouth. His eyes snapped open and hands went around a thick wrist. Surprise turned to fear as he met the same green eyes he had been thinking of moments ago.

"Hello, brother," Dagur greeted in a dark threatening voice.