Chapter 2: Hard as Stone
Hiccup saw her. He saw Astrid running in the familiar field where they had taken their first flight with Toothless. She was smiling, blonde hair swaying down her back and across her perfect pale face. Sunlight shone on her, making her shine with angelic beauty. Her blue eyes were sparkling, tickling him with happiness, love, and excitement. She turned to face Hiccup, who was jogging comfortably behind her. Quickly changing her course, she jumped into a small pond, spraying Hiccup with freezing water.
He jolted awake and became suddenly keen of his surroundings. A man was lowering a bucket to the ground, and Hiccup realized he was soaking wet. A breeze came through the tight walls of the cave, causing the young Viking to shiver. The cold soaked right into his skin. He took in the dingy surroundings of the cave with two cots on the dirt floor, a few candles, but nothing more. The room was almost inhospitable. In an attempt to move, he discovered his hands were bound behind him and to the chair the two had put him in. He struggled against the tight coils, but when it proved to have no avail, he miserably looked up into the eyes of his captors.
"Where's my dragon," he sputtered. It wasn't a question, more of an order. His voice was cold, brutal, and icy, full of determination.
The woman stepped forward just as the man stood back to give her respectful space. She was tall, and strongly built with long blonde hair tied carefully behind her head in a braid. She had a hardened look on her face that was smeared with dirt. She wore leather armor from head to toe, skillfully crafted and tailored specifically for her. She wore a heavy chest piece with extra protection on her shoulders that ran down her upper arm. She wore thick bracers, and a knee length plated skirt. Her boots ran high enough to touch the end of her skirt, and a large metal clasp held together the pieces and made the armor one. Her piercing green eyes dug into his soul. She held a small steel dagger in her left hand and approached the restrained Viking.
"What is your name, young man?" she asked. Her voice was stern, but with a smooth undertone.
"I'm not going to tell you anything until I know where my dragon is," he raised his voice in order to appear threatening, but with him bound to the chair and so obviously at their mercy, she didn't appear fazed. Yet, she complied to his request.
"Outside the cave, still in the net," she said, trying to earn his cooperation. "It put up a good fight. After we dragged you away from your beast it continued spewing purple fire into the air. We gave it a quick bite of a Cyrodilic Spadetail and it put it to sleep like a baby," she kept her voice calm as Hiccup grew more and more defensive and eager to escape. "But don't worry, it will be fine. For now."
To Hiccup, that sounded like a threat. He struggled more against the bindings with the same outcome. He hung his head again in defeat.
"Let me go, I am heir to a tribe that resides on the Northern island of Berk. I am a weary traveler looking for a woman." He looked up into their faces, but again neither were fazed. He grew more frustrated.
"I frankly don't care. What I want to know, young man, is how you became a dragon priest in training, and why," she said. Her tone became much more biting, as if she was losing her patience with the situation as well.
"A what?" But before he could continue, he was cut off.
"How did you begin a new rise of the dragons? Who are you working for? The Thalmor? I swear, boy, I will cut you to pieces," she threatened. She let rage slip onto her face, and got closer to Hiccup with the dagger. "I am simply a charming inn-keeper, but if you do not tell me what I want to know, the Grandmaster of the Blades will come out of me, and I promise you, she will ship out on the next wagon to the Helgen executioner."
Hiccup pushed his face into hers. "I am not who you think I am, lady! I have no idea where I am or who you are," he held his gaze with hers, not wanting to show her his fear. He shook in terror, hoping she would think it was the freezing water. She scooted away with a grin, picking up the fear that shone like lava in Hiccup's eyes. She could also see them glassed over with truth; nothing was giving her signs that he was lying.
"My boy, my name is Delphine, Grandmaster of the Blades. We are ancient dragon hunters, and have been called into action once more due to the sudden rise of dragons," she spoke. She began to pace in front of the captive, his eyes following her every move. He still looked confused, so she got broader in her explanation. "You are in the Province of Skyrim, in the woods outside of a large city known as Whiterun. I live in a city nearby, and was hoping to get lucky and gain some knowledge of dragon reemergence. To my surprise I find one of the creatures. The even bigger surprise is the young boy I find riding it with a saddle." She drilled her eyes into his head, but he didn't move. He spoke up, suddenly taking offence that his Night Fury was being called an "it."
"He has a name. And he is my best friend, so don't you dare hurt him." It had been so long since he had to defend Toothless from anything. His love for his dragon reemerged, pushing his blood hotter and faster in his veins. He remembered when his father had accused him of putting his village in danger, and all he could say was that Toothless was protecting him. He clenched his fists. "Like I said, I don't know anything about this place or your dragon problems. If anything, I can help you train them. In Berk, they were always misunderstood, and we killed them for it. You don't realize they can be tamed, and they aren't dangerous," he argued. He might as well make himself seem useful. The last thing he wanted was to die here; die here without finding Astrid.
Delphine shifted uncomfortably, as if taken back by this statement. The man behind her paled, and finally spoke up. "Words of a dragon priest. Delphine, he should be killed."
His argument did not work the way he intended. "I don't even know what that is, I swear to you. My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III of Berk, my father is Stoik the Vast, I am here looking for the love of my life. She went missing 4 years ago, please, let me go, I must find her," he almost pleaded. He was done playing games with these people.
Delphine spoke up. "As much as I'd like to oblige that charming reason to let you go, I can't. If you are working for the Thalmor, you are too much of a threat to our operation."
Hiccup struggled, losing hope.
"And we're not getting anything else out of you, are we?" She got close to his face again.
Hiccup was panting, eyes wide. "There is nothing to tell."
Something glazed over in Delphine's eyes. "You are hard as stone. Out of curiosity, who is this woman you claim to be looking for around these parts?" she questioned.
Hiccup was hesitant, but felt no harm in telling this woman who he was looking for. He sighed. "A woman my age, 21. Blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes. A fighter. Astrid Hofferson. She went missing years ago, I've spent all that time trying to find her." He left out the part where she had disappeared with a dragon, hoping to keep the pair as disinterested with her as possible. That didn't stop a flash from appearing in Delphine's eyes. She quickly smiled, trying to cover it up. "Pity. I don't know that name."
Hiccup's heart sunk, but he didn't miss the spark that appeared in her eyes when he mentioned Astrid's name. He held onto the idea that she knew her with all of his might. As quick as a flash, she sliced his lower left arm with her dagger. Suddenly, Hiccup felt himself losing consciousness. Blackness lined his vision, and he was soon seeing the man in front of him who had splashed him with water, in doubles. He heard the woman speak, as if distant.
"Paralysis poison. He'll be out soon. Esbern, kill the dragon after you collect as much information as you can from it. As for our Hiccup here, he is going to Helgen." Her voice slowly faded. He lost his grip on reality after he saw the man draw a sword and run to the opening of the cave. The blackness continued spreading. He was going to die, as was his beloved dragon, and there was nothing he could do. To top it all off, not a Viking knew where in Odin's name he was.
