Hiccup was setting on the floor hugging her knees close to her chest. She was scared, tired and hurt … oh yeah she was hurt so soooooooo much that the throbs on her back prevented her from sleeping well. She was brought to her cage from the clothes changing cell by a guard after her Master left without another word leaving her their heaving on her breath.

The whip slices on her back weren't healed and she is afraid that they might be infected. She tried her best to clean them with her daily shared of water [one cup a day] but even so, the slight heat on her face is telling her that she might face a fever thanks to them.

"Oi are you awake!" she froze and slowly ever so slowly she lifted her head to peek a look at the one standing outside her cage. Well he was a man, she noticed but then again his deep voice and how her master told her that the ship is occupied by men only should tell her how her detection power is not that amazing.

He stood there bending with narrowed eyes as he kept looking in the darkness searching for her figure. Better remain still so he can leave her on her own, she thought but it seems that luck was not on her side as he slides to set in an Indian style on front of her cage looking blindly to the inside.

"Well I know that you are here and a wake. You breath pattern changed, I can hear it from my spot over here" he said with a goofy grin on his face. Hiccup frowned at that, there is no way that he could hear her breath unless he was a dragon but that he is not. She shook her head and decided to ignore him all together. She returned to rest her head on her knees and closed her eyes shut.

"You are a boring lad" he grumbled and started to chew on something. The sound of his grinding and swallowing his food was so loud that reminded her of how hungry she was. Ignore it hiccup, she repeated in her thought but her body betrayed her as her stomach growled loudly halting the soldier eating.

"So you are awake and hungry at that! Come now, you can have this" the man coaxes offering a pickles and eggs and glass of water. It was the first meal ever and she didn't care what it is as long as it will shut her hunger.

She slowly inched to the bars holding her arm in her awkward habit as she eyed the food nervously. She knelt to the bars and slowly reached with her arm to the bowl of food she was offered. She paused in the middle and connected her eyes with the man noticing the smile on his face and the encouraging twinkle of his hazel eyes.

Just as her hand touched the bowl, his hand instantly held her wrist and pulled her roughly against the bars. A grunt left her lips and she stared fearfully at his now cold eyes that inspected her.

"I wonder what our commander saw in you, you are week skinny lad and I fear that you won't survive a day in your work" he amused holding her chin with his other hand and titling it inspecting her fragile features.

"What is your name lad?" he asked and hiccup gulped slowly. "Hic…" "Wrong" he cut her pulling her aggressively yet again. "Let me give you few tips that will help you to survive young lad. You will always kneel and never look in the eyes of your master unless he commands you to but even so, you refuse until he says that it is an order. You will answer by 'yes master' every time. You will do as they ask; if he asked you to throw yourself off a cliff you will do it instantly. And more importantly, you don't have a name until your master gives you one. You are no one, your life before now is no more. Trust me lad, it is the only way to survive over here"

He released her slowly and handed her meal before he stood and turned to leave. He paused on his way and then said looking back at her "by the way, the name is Ætius, the right hand of Commander Duilius who happen to be your master… take care lad".

Hiccup took a relieved sigh before she turned her eyes to her humble meal. His advice rolled in her mind as she ate. If they want an obedient slave then they will have one, she thought finishing her food returning to her previous position. She will walk by their rules until they land. And then and only then, she will figure out her escape plan and run away back to barbaric archipelago. She will not rest until she meets toothless and then both of them will fly on their merit following no one rule. "Patience; all good things to those who wait" hiccup mumbled to herself before drifting to sleep.

Ætius is a strange man, Hiccup realized as he kept coming to her cage every day without a fault. He brought her meal with him and sat chattering her ears off until she finished eating. He repeated that even though she didn't hummer him or reply to his inquiries. She remained calm, yet he wasn't bother by that. Oh no, he kept talking and talking and talking about everything yet nothing at the same time.

He told her some stories about his glorious life, about his adventures and how he saved the day during their travel. From his chatter she realized that he along with her master crew were on a journey to map the barbaric archipelago by the order of their king. Why though he didn't tell. She wondered if their commander bought her to question her more about their land, but then she shook that idea away as really what could a fishbone girl could know about their archipelago seeing that she hadn't lift Berk even for once in her pitiful life.

Weeks had passed and she didn't take a glimpse of her master but she was relieved for that. If she could she would leave it to be like that for ever.

So far she had slight fever that gradually worsens from her injury. No one notice that seeing that the only one who came to her cave was Ætius whom she was grateful for his visits short they maybe but they draw her mind off the thought of her pain and her situation.

The ship suddenly halted which altered Hiccup of their arrival. She waited in her cage for what seems to be hours until finally she heard footsteps coming closer to her cage. "Oi, you have landed Slave. Get moving" and that she did.

To be continued…