Hiccup's head hurt.

His arms hurt too. Actually, everything hurt. He was against a painfully hard surface, and his hands were tied behind him.

He tried to think. Where was he? What had he been doing?

Why did thinking hurt?

He leaned over, closing his eyes as he threw up on the floor. His neck was throbbing and in his dazed state he noticed a purple syringe stuck in it firmly. The sight only served to make him more nauseous.

"Well, now you've gotten my ship dirty."

He looked up as a man, whose name was on the tip of his tongue, walked in, looking at disdain on the floor where he had puked. "I have half a mind to make you clean it up, but there are more important matters to discuss."

He leaned down in front of him and reached out. Hiccup pulled away with a fearful look until the man grabbed him from the back of his head and forced him to sit in a bowing position. Hiccup grunted, but he couldn't fight back.

"Well, you're clearly a lot dumber. But then, that's not really saying much."

The man grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. "They call you the Dragon Master, you know. If only the world could see you now."

The Dragon Master.

Dragons…

Toothless!

"Toothless!" he cried out, struggling for the first time against his bonds. "Where's Toothless, what have you done with him?"

Nothing else made sense - he still couldn't even remember the man's name, but he knew Toothless was somewhere in trouble and he had to save him.

"Let me go! Let me go! Toothless!"

The man smacked him hard across the cheek and Hiccup's head hit the wall will a dull thud. He might have started bleeding, but he couldn't tell with the throbbing pain.

"You care so much about the dragons. You even dress like one from what I've heard." He cupped his cheeks with one hand as Hiccup tried to pull away from him. "If you want to be with the dragons, then I won't stop you. I'm helping you here, Hiccup."

He whimpered as the man took out another syringe. "It seems that the venom has the same effect on you as it does on my Deathgrippers. Which means, you'll be under my control after this."

"Leave Toothless alone," Hiccup whispered harshly, "I don't...don't care what you do to me, just leave him alone, don't do anything to him!"

The man smirked. "Alright, but I'm warning you, if I don't...you will."

"What do you -"

The man stabbed the second syringe into his neck. Hiccup cried out, throwing his head back in pain and writhing on the floor.

"Sleep well, my new pet. You'll be mine when you wake up."


Valka knew that after twenty years, she wasn't to consider herself a mother. That wasn't anyone else's rule imposed on her - that was her own policy, because people who were mothers didn't leave their children for twenty years.

That being said, her motherly instinct wasn't entirely shot.

Maybe it was just the general panic, maybe it was what Eret had told them about Grimmel, or maybe something else entirely, but her gut told her that rescuing Hiccup wasn't going to be something they would do soon, or easily.

She wanted to shout in frustration. Her poor boy didn't deserve this.

She looked around at the other riders. For once, the twins weren't cracking jokes, Fishlegs wasn't cooing over Fishmeat, and Snotlout wasn't being...well, Snotlout.

They cared about her son as much as she did, if not more.

Eret flew next to her. They had been flying for about two hours.

"Are you sure Grimmel would be heading east, Eret?"

"Aye. That is where he comes from, so I'd imagine he has a base somewhere close to us."

Valka nodded slightly, her gaze falling down to Skullcrusher. Immediately, her thoughts flew to Stoick, and how he'd react if he knew she let their son get captured by some maniac. He would never have let something like this happen. He would have protected Hiccup - he had protected Hiccup. He had a greater capacity for love than she would ever know.

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She had no right to feel guilty.

"Look!" Tuff yelled, pointing. "See that?"

Valka squinted, and then she saw it. They were approaching an island that had tens, if not dozens, of ships surrounding its docks. She gasped, seeing hunters load cages onto ships.

She didn't think it was possible, but there was someone with enough cages for all their dragons, and that only made her dread what was happening to Hiccup even more.

"D'you think he's down there?" Snotlout glared at the island like he wanted to burn it. "Or on one of those ships?"

"I'd say there's a high chance." Fishlegs frowned as he hovered a little closer. "With the time spent, it's plausible he's made it this far, these guys are clearly hunters, and we know they must have come from this direction."

"Then let's get down there and attack!" Ruff tightened her grip on her saddle, but Valka held up a hand.

"Wait. There are a lot of weapons down there, and it wouldn't do to chance all of us getting captured. I'll go." She looked at Fishlegs. "But I'll need a smaller dragon to drop me off."

She expected him to whimper. While there was nothing wrong with being afraid in certain situations, including this one, she thought she'd have to convince him.

Instead, Fishlegs' eyes were set and he nodded, flying close to her and letting her get on behind him.

"If you don't come back within -" Eret began.

"An hour. That's all I should need.." She nodded shortly at him and Fishlegs flew her down.

As they got close to the base, her eyes narrowed. Dangerous or not, someone had taken her son and they were going to pay the price.

She just hoped she'd make it in time.