A/C - Alright, here is the first official chapter! Let me know what you think by review or message! I would truly appreciate the thoughts!

Chapter 1 - Across the Riochian Sea

Hiccup was laying sprawled and spent on the fur-lined bed in his room. The small chamber was being lit by the burning fire in the corner. Hiccup felt a warm flush over his body as small, yet capable, arms wrapped around his bare torso. Her name was Astrid, and she was everything he could have asked for in a woman. She was strong, fearless and honest. Astrid was well-built and proved to be a very determined lover. Hiccup was twenty-one and of age to inherit his father's legacy. Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Vikings, was pleased that Hiccup had such a fine made woman by his side.

This was their first time, and Hiccup had felt green. He felt a deep anxiety to want to please his lover in every way possible.

"Thirsty?" Astrid rolled over to sit up. Her straight back faced him, and her long golden hair had fallen out of its usual plait, trailing down her back. Hiccup ran a finger down her spine, delighted by the flicker of her muscles in response to his touch. He heard the pitcher of water clank as she poured from it.

"I am, thank you," he said as she turned with a golden goblet. He sat up, looking into her face. "And you? Are you - I tried to.."

She smiled. "I'm fine, Hiccup." Astrid lifted a similar goblet to her lips. "Drink."

He did, but he noticed the thick after taste of the liquid as it hit his the back of his throat. Choking, Hiccup pulled the vile tasting water from his lips and it sloshed on the bed. "What -"

Astrid had stood up, her motion was a blur of colors and the room suddenly felt off centre.

He heard her say, "I'm sorry Hiccup. I'm so sorry."

"What's..happening…" But Hiccup couldn't finish his thoughts. The dizziness that threatened to swallow him whole had flipped his world upside down.

Blackness consumed him.

^.^

He had been in and out of consciousness countless times. Hiccup was distantly aware that he was on a boat, from the swaying motion he felt. If he had to guess, he was currently in the lower deck portion.

There were noises from people talking, an indication that he wasn't alone.

"What's happening?" He found his voice was raw. Details slowly coming back to him. He was in a dark cabin and creaked from the swaying of the large waves. He was at sea, he realized.

A male answered him in Old Norse, "we are heading to Burgess."

Another said, "Do you think they will execute us?"

"Why are we going there?"

Hiccup didn't speak. If he knew anything about Aerians than they would be executed, just for being Vikings.

Burgess, it was the largest Northern continent across the Riochian sea. It was also the strongest fort-holder among the Northern nations. Their armies were large enough to keep even Hiccup's father at bay from raids. Although, the Vikings and Aerians have engaged in many feuds with one another, from such raids. If Vikings were going to Burgess, there was a good chance that it would only end with their heads on a block.

Hiccup tried to sit up, finding his arms lashed behind him and shackled to the ground with rope. He had noticed there was a hay pile to the corner where he had, at least, half the consciousness to use and relieve himself.

When he returned to his own flattened pallet of clothe, he thought about the events that lead him here. He remembered being with Astrid, their wondrous union that had taken him years of courtship. And, how she drugged the water before he drank it. It was BloodFang - a deadly neurotoxin found in the high mountains that causes hallucinations at best and death at worst. When Hiccup had been trained in the mountains, he was forced to drink many different mixes of poisons to build an immunity. Astrid must have been mad, or truly desperate, if she had drugged him with such a potent poison and for it to take effect on him.

He remembered her apologizing. Or maybe he had hallucinated that, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was on a ship right into his enemy's land. The moment they found out he was Haddock Horrendous the III he would be killed on sight. But, the one thing Hiccup struggled with lying - he was even worse at pretending.

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably at something that scratched the skin of his back. He shifted again when he noticed the incessant scratching was from something caught under his clothes. Hiccup, who's shackles only gave him so much leeway, moved around until his clothing became loose enough to unstick what was hiding beneath his shirts.

A piece of parchment fell to the ground. Hiccup opened it and recognized the neat writing was Astrid's.

Inside, the letter said:

Hiccup, I am sorry to have done this to you but what is coming to Berk may have been far worst.

I only hope that you can forgive me.

A.H

This was bad. If Astrid had thought shipping Hiccup to Burgess - the single most dangerous of the nations in the Northern continent, that hated Vikings - than whatever threat to Berk must have been great.

Hiccup wanted out of these chains and off this ship. He wanted to be back in Berk. He felt his blood thundering in his veins. Even though Hiccup couldn't stomach the idea of the Viking way, the thought of his homeland and his people in danger turned his blood cold.

The men continued talking amongst themselves and Hiccup felt helpless. Whatever Astrid had planned for Hiccup was on the border of impossible. He couldn't escape this situation. In the best case, he could pass off his identity. In the worst, he would be executed and have his head spiked on the front of an Aerian castle.

These men were Vikings, it was likely that they had recognized him, had at least set eyes on him at some point. Perhaps at his father's last raid. The last raid Hiccup had been apart of was when he was fifteen.

Hiccup had long since outgrew his fifteen year-old self. No longer was he the scrawny kid who couldn't keep up with drills. In order to impress his father, Hiccup reformed himself into the son his father could be proud of.

He even took part in the treacherous military training. Young Vikings, like himself, were sent deep into mountain camps. There, they were tested and pushed beyond their limits. The boys fought for their ranks, their food and their survival. Hiccup had spent his first couple months unable to keep up with the other Vikings and had to sleep outside, where, in the mountains, the weather is brutal. It was a miracle he had survived, when so many of his fellow Vikings had not. Not long after that, he was the top three of the troop.

Eighteen months in the mountains seemed like an eternity. But, when he came down from that mountain, he felt different. His body had been pushed to all its limits and there was hardly anyone that could keep up with him in a fight. He also had a highly capable mind, and could manipulate physical work, like wrestling, into a strategic mind game. It was all about how you approached the problem.

There was still something fundamentally wrong with Hiccup's training. Despite turning into the son his father wanted, Hiccup still could not stomach the idea of the Viking way. Even to this day, it felt barbaric and he understood why the other nations looked down on the Vikings. Vikings raided poor, defenceless towns. They killed dragons, and they often started wars and disputes between the nations.

To his father's dismay, Hiccup had only ever participated in the one raid when he was fifteen. It was across the Riochian sea, perhaps a days ride by ship, on small portion of Viking territory that still existed to the south. Stoick and his army arrived undetected and took out that small village. It contained a small union of Vikings who were banned from Berk and similar Aerian's who had been banned from Burgess - a small union of people who simply wanted to live peacefully.

Hiccup watched the raid happen, only half participating. He vowed that was the last raid he would ever take part of and found ways to keep himself busy enough that his father could not have him go to anymore. Enduring nearly two years in the mountains was worth it so he could never set foot in a raid, or dragon hunt again - another sport that Hiccup was not particularly fond of.

Hiccup was never a Viking at heart, but the thought of an unknown threat coming after his people had stirred at something within him. He was going to get back to Berk, he knew it, but it wasn't going to be easy.

When they arrived on land, Hiccup tasted the indifference of the Aerian men on the ship. They gave him and the other Vikings looks of distaste. Crude remarks were shouted at them behind their backs as Hiccup and the five others were tied together and walked off the ship.

Their guards pulled hard on the rope and Hiccup felt his wrists swell at the sensation. He reminded himself to remain utterly indifferent. If these people found out what bothered him, he was going to be in a world of trouble.

They were tied to the back of horses and walked to the large Burgess castle. Hiccup had heard that Burgess was an ancient structure, it was a surreal thing to see it in person. He thought he would never be here, at Burgess. The castle was made of grey stone with large, spiralling rooftops that appeared gothic and church-like.

Hiccup and the men were untied at the gates, this time they were shackled with iron. It felt heavy on Hiccup's already sore arms but he fought through the fatigue. It was clear that some of the other men did not, their heads were bowed and arms were slack. They were escorted inside and Hiccup catalogued every entrance, including how many guards he saw at each of them.

He noticed that once past the front gates, the guards were significantly less inside. Whether that was because the Aerian's thought they had superior parameter checks, or they were cocky, Hiccup wasn't sure. He remembered every turn they took, trying not to get lost in the massive, over furnished palace. It didn't surprise Hiccup that there were no expenses spared in the lavish decorations and architecture. Aerian's prided themselves in their wealth. However, Hiccup had to admit that Burgess was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Large marble arches and floors that were covered in deep red and gold carpets. The windows were wide and decorated with silk drapes. Nearly every wall had an elegant painting on it.

Soon, they were brought through a large set of double doors. Inside was a circular room. On either side, there were five men stationed on a large platform. They were all clothed in similar dark red cloaks. Each of the men had badges on a golden sash that had laid crossed over their chest and shoulders - Hiccup thought they might have indicated their ranks.

They were lead in front of the empty dias with two thrones that sat in the middle of the room.

Hiccup was brought, forceably, to his knees. His bones shuddered at the hard impact of marble and his head was roughly pushed down so his forehead touched the cold floor. He resisted the urge to struggle, but unlike him one of the Vikings to his left tried to fight back.

Hiccup couldn't get a good look, but he heard the sickening sound of flesh being impacted with something hard - likely the hilt of a sword. The Viking made a guttural sound that even Hiccup couldn't understand.

A loud, deep voice said, in Aerian, "All Rise for the Regency and the Crown Prince."

Hiccup had spent a lot of his free time reading books and learning dialects from the Northern continents. He knew most of the Aerian tongue by now, and was proficient enough in the other languages to hold a polite conversation. He always thought it would be better to know than not. It also helped that Aerian was the easiest language to penetrate compared to the Coronian and Norwegian dialects.

After the ringing voice of the Herald, the room shifted. He felt a stir in the air as footsteps clicked across the room to the dias.

The Regent and the Crown Prince. Hiccup racked his brain for their names, never needing to commit them to memory. He came up blank.

"Sit," the Regent said. Everyone sat down, but Hiccup and his fellow Vikings were still forced to stay on their knees.

The Regent was a mountain of a man. Hiccup had noticed the deep and thickly accented voice of the nations home tongue. The Regent wore fine colours of dark blue and gold. The fabric was probably the best money could buy, especially by the looks of all the layers they were strapped down in.

Then, he let his eyes settle on the young man sitting to the Regents right.

Hiccup had heard that the Crown Prince was beautiful and was caught, superficially, by his fair looks and youthful appearance. He wasn't particularly prepared for him to be that handsome, though. The prince sat sprawled in the throne elegantly, with one lean leg drawn out. White hair, like his uncle, was light and short atop his head, with a simple gold circulate perched there. Jack's skin was pale and offset his bright blue eyes. He and his uncle wore similar colours of dark blue and gold, offsetting the deep red of the council cloaks and guard uniforms. The fabric and style were a sign of their wealth and power. On the prince, the harsh blue seemed at odds with his fair colouring.

"Why," the Regent said in a deeply accented voice, "are there six Vikings chained before me?"

One of the guards that had accompanied Hiccup on their journey answered him. "These Vikings are outlaws - criminals from Berk. They have been accused of the murder of the Chief's son, Haddock Horrendous III."

There was a collective intake of breath from the councilmen.

Hiccup thought he was going to get sick - right there, in front of all these people. Is that why Astrid sent him on that ship? To fake his death and smuggle him out of the nation. Did she expect the Vikings to take the blame, or had she hoped that Hiccup was able to escape before they got to the castle?

All of this was wrong - it was so wrong.

"We have an agreement with the Vikings," the Prince said. Hiccup found that the young princeling had a very clear voice. "May I remind you, uncle dearest, that it was you who had insisted we allow the leader of that barbaric heritage to surrender their criminals to us."

A deal? Hiccup had never heard of this kind of deal before. And, he knew Stoick was too proud to ever make deals with Burgess on negotiations of this kind. Especially when, in Berk, criminals were executed by the passage of the Old Rite. Who, then, was this leader they spoke of? It certainly wasn't his father.

Things were making less and less sense, though they were beginning to point to the signs of foul play, Hiccup concluded.

"Jack," The Regent looked across to the much smaller figure on his right. "This is not the time to execute personal matters on the subject. We all know how you feel about the western continent."

"You think so?" Jack said. His voice was on the verge of mischievousness. "Well, we certainly have dabbled with the brutes of the west and now we must make our choice. Council, all of those in favour of executing the criminals of Berk for their injustice, vote now."

The Council room stirred and Hiccup was mad enough to defend his nation from the spoiled assault of a princeling. In a clear voice, he said, "is Burgess so eager to spill Viking blood that we will not even have a fair trial? "

Jack's eyes lit up as he leaned forward. Clearly, he was amused that Hiccup had known their tongue. And, he didn't just know it - he spoke it fluently. "You Viking's are full of surprises."

Hiccup didn't dignify that with a response. He only stared ahead at the young, pale-headed Prince. "We should be tried fairly, not executed for crimes we did not commit."

"So, it's not true that the Chief's son is dead?" Jack pushed.

Damnit - Hiccup couldn't lie, not when one of these Vikings could, so easily, point him out. Then, he would truly be dead.

"It is true he is dead, your Highness." One of the older Vikings on Hiccup's right said, in broken Aerian. Hiccup found his gaze swing to the older man. He was a Viking Hiccup had never seen before. Was he coached into saying this? Why would he confess to treason?

"This is nonsense," the Regent intervened. "I merely made a pact with the leader to lessen the amounts of raids on the continent. It was not a negotiation to have prisoners brought to my doorstep. Regardless of the crimes they have committed. Take them away until we receive further word from Berk."

The council muttered their agreements, that they did not want to dirty their hands with an execution of treason if it were not the case. Especially if it were to avoid any potential war with the Vikings. They agreed that the Vikings criminals were to be sent to the dungeons until they could get further word from the Western brutes. Then, when it was painfully clear they were done here, the Regent rose. He was a very big man, bigger than Hiccup's father was in height. The Regent gave the Vikings a final parting look, before he walked back towards a separate set of doors with a trail of large, heavily armoured Yeti guards behind him.

The Council also began their departure, only some stayed to discuss matters. Their voices were a little more than a whisper to Hiccup, who was still forced to stay on his knees. When the last of the council left, Hiccup was pulled up by the chains that shackled him.

Hiccup thought, once they were locked away he would speak to that older man. Perhaps he knew why they were here.

However, they were not dismissed just yet and Hiccup realized why. Jack had lingered on the throne, simply staring at the lot of Vikings in front of him. As if he hadn't just tried to have all of them executed only moments before. To Hiccup's dismay, their gazes met and Jack stood up in a fluid motion, making his way over to Hiccup.

"I want to speak to this one," Jack didn't look up from Hiccup. Jack said, "what's your name, sweetheart?"

Hiccup was not a very good liar - he was even worse at thinking of lies on the fly. It was his guard that answered for him. "The Berk Emissary insisted we call this one 'Hiccup'."

"It's in poor taste," another guard said. "To nickname a criminal as their late heir."

"Yes," Jack said. "They are a savage nation."

Hiccup may have had his qualms with the Viking way-of-life, but it made his blood thunder in his ears to hear his country-men talked about this way across the border. He forced himself not to react.

The Prince continued to regard Hiccup, who did not to stir from those cool blue eyes. He switched to the Old Norse Viking tongue, "you've been awfully quiet. Don't have anything left to say?"

Again, Hiccup did not answer and he tried to not be surprised at the clear way Jack could speak in his language.

"I want this one to serve for me, personally." Jack said to the guards, lifting his gaze. "You can throw the others in the dungeons, but I want this one."

"Your Highness," the guard said. "His Majesty the Regent will not agree to a prisoner with free rein in your household."

Jack didn't look phased at this. "I don't recall asking for your, or my uncles, permission. I want this one for myself, and North can take up the loose ends."

"Yes, your Highness."

Another long, cool gaze was sent Hiccup's way as Jack purred. "Besides, I think I would like to better know the man involved with killing the heir."

Jack drawled on Hiccup, stepping closer to him. If Hiccup dared, he could easily have had him in his grip. He played out the scenario in his head, take the Crown Prince as hostage and find a way back to Berk. However, each time he imagined it ended with him being tackled to the floor by his guards, who had, ever so slightly, tightened his chains.

"You and I are going to enjoy each other," Jack breathed.

Hiccup felt a hard pull on his chains at the same time his shackles were unlinked from the others. The other Vikings stirred, confused at what had just transpired between Hiccup and the Prince. Jack turned, not saying another word as he strolled out of the council room with an elegant grace.

Hiccup struggled against the pull as he was taken towards the opposite side of the room. Before they reached the doors, one of the guards stopped.

He gave Hiccup a vicious look. "This is for the raid that took my family."

Hiccup braced himself for impact as one of the guards held back his arms while the one who spoke threw a punch in his face. Hiccup's vision glittered with darkness. Another punch was thrown, then another and another.

The pain vanished as he was knocked into unconsciousness.

^.^