Oh my goodness, I'm exhausted. I hope that's not apparent in my writing today! We had a pretty big barbecue for Canada Day yesterday and I'm still trying to regain my energy from such a tiring evening. Today, I finally got Hulu Plus and binged on season 6 of Park and Recreation which made me even more sleepy but who cares! It was worth it for Chris Pratt and Leslie/Ben! Okay enough about me. Thank you for all the new favorites, follows, and reviews! I can't believe I'm over 100 on my follow count now! You guys are awesome! I hope you enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon!

The chains that bound Hiccup's hands were clattering across the stone floor, emitting an irritating noise that was driving everyone in the dungeon mad. He had been pacing for hours now, worried sick about Astrid's long absence since she had been taken away that afternoon. Night had fallen and the longer she had been gone, the further away she felt from him.

Today was a disaster. So much had happened that it felt like an eternity had gone by in the process. The morning had started out perfectly, with a nice awakening from Toothless who was eager for his first morning flight in weeks. They had excitedly practiced tricks for the Dragon Race that would be later that morning, and had spent the remainder of their time in the tranquil wind and limitless blue sky.

Now, he was here. A prisoner in his own land. The idea of freedom sounded far-fetched and impossible. After all, Hallerna had imposed the most powerful weapon you can upon conquered people. Fear.

Fear of death. Fear of loss. Fear of hope.

For Hiccup, it was fear of time. As the Moon rose, time ticked by and the uncertainty of Astrid's fate was becoming even more abstract.

What could possibly be keeping her this long?

The clank of a door opening, followed by deep murmurs and footsteps, answered his question. Two burly pirates, one in front and one behind, guided Astrid back to her cell. Hiccup hurried to the bars and examined Astrid's physique.

Nothing seemed wrong on the outside but Hiccup could tell she was shielding something behind her stoic expression. She was roughly tossed in the cell but was caught by a fast-moving Hiccup. She quickly steadied herself and sat down where they had been earlier.

"So, what was that all about?" he asked as he slumped down next to her.

"Well, you'll be happy to hear that I know how we're gonna get out of here!"

"How?!"

"Well... let's just say one of us might have to challenge Hallerna to a fight to the death."

"Please tell me you're joking," he said as he rubbed his face in exasperation.

"Trust me, this plan is foolproof!" she replied, scooting close to Hiccup and putting her mouth to his ear, "We need to whisper, she has ears listening everywhere. Now, as I was saying, if there is one thing Hallerna is afraid of, it's losing the fear that she's induced in the people. If you try and undermine her abilities, as you can tell from earlier, she's going to make sure you know your place-"

"Wait, what did she do to you?"

"Um, nothing. Don't worry. Anyway, while I was out there today, I checked the guard count for the dungeon entrance. There are only two of them, and they switch out everyday at sunset. The fresh set of guards take the cell key from the last set and place it in a pocket in their jacket. Better yet, they also bring our food for the day at that time! So one of us needs to pick-pocket the key from whoever brings us our food. And that's how all of us are gonna get out of the dungeon!"

"Astrid, I don't know if that's entirely foolproof-"

"I'm not done yet!" she said as she jabbed his arm impatiently, "Now, I understand that escaping the dungeon is only part of the plan. And probably the easiest part considering what comes next-"

"Wait, didn't you say one of us has to duel Hallern-"

"Did you develop this insistent desire to interrupt people while I was gone?"

"Oh right, sorry."

"Okay, so while one of us pick-pockets the key, the other has to be outside dueling Hallerna. They're gonna be the distraction this entire time. When we unlock the cell doors for everyone else in here, we'll have to detain the two guards and lock them up. They should be the only two on duty in this area because the rest of the pirates will be watching the fight."

"While they're watching the fight, we'll sneak around to the entrance of the stables where they're keeping the dragons. There'll be guards there as well but we'll outnumber them by at least ten. When we get to the dragons, one of us will grab Toothless while the other escapees fly the baby dragons to rescue the kids in the Cove. Toothless will help us save the person who's battling Hallerna, and then, we'll be out of there! We'll go search for the rest of the tribe and lead them back to Berk. Hallerna will have nothing to use against us and her surrender should come pretty soon after!"

Hiccup nodded his head as he processed the information. The plan wasn't bad. It wasn't entirely to his liking though. One of them would have to battle Hallerna and that was a risky feat within itself. There were so many variables that were undetermined. Also, if something went wrong, they didn't have a back-up plan.

He peered at Astrid who was eagerly waiting for a reply. It was obvious that it was their only option at the moment, so he didn't see why not. While death was very likely out there, it was one hundred percent certain in here. Just delayed a little bit longer.

He smiled, feeling bold and audacious.

"Let's do it."

Astrid's face lit up as her hope returned. She swooped in and gave Hiccup a quick peck on the lips. He wanted more though and grabbed her waist, moving his hands up and across her back gently as he deepened the kiss. He suddenly felt her jolt from underneath his touch as she let out a shriek of pain and scooted away.

"Astrid, what's wrong?!"

"I-It's nothing. I'm fine."

"You obviously aren't," he said as he scooted closer and outstretched his hand.

She only turned her back and shooed him away.

"Astrid…"

The desperation was apparent in his voice. She knew that her absence had troubled him, especially under the circumstances that they were in. The last thing she wanted was for him to be more stressed than he already was. But she didn't want him to see. She didn't want him to know what she had been through.

She hesitantly turned her face to look back at his concerned expression. She took several deep breaths to calm herself before she raised her hand to take off her shoulder armor and hood. She slowly removed her red top and revealed the gash on her upper back. She heard Hiccup gasp and frantically scuttle close behind her.

"Who did this?!"

Astrid heard an unfamiliar ferocity in his tone. She felt his fingers gently skim her back but could feel an angry tension within each stroke.

"H-... Hallerna," she replied, putting her face in her hands, "She did it in front of the whole fleet. She made me stand there for hours as they laughed at me."

Hiccup felt a fuse switch off inside him. All the anger, stress and worry had finally reached it's breaking point and he was boiling with a rage he didn't think he was capable of.

"Does Hallerna expect me to just sit here while she tortures you and deprives my people of their home!? Aghh! Tomorrow, we're going to get out of here and I'm going to make sure she never steps foot on this island, or any other island, EVER again!"

"Hiccup-"

"I'll be the one to duel her tomorrow, and she is going to regret it the minute I step in! I'll make sure she feels the pain she put you through-"

"HICCUP!"

"What?!"

He now realized that he was standing up and yelling loudly. He focused back in and saw Astrid holding his face, trying to calm him down rather unsuccessfully.

"Just breathe, babe. I need you to calm down or they're gonna come in here. Breathe with me."

He felt foolish but did as she said. She slowly seated him and sat in his lap, putting her forehead to his as they respired together. He rested his hands on the exposed skin of her lower back and ran his hands up and down the smooth surface.

"Hiccup, you need to know that Hallerna's just trying to work you up. She wants you to consume yourself with fury and be the opposite of who you are. But you need to be the Hiccup that doesn't give into that anger. The Hiccup that uses his amazing brain to come up with ideas that bring joy into this world, rather than hate. Be the Hiccup that I love more than anything."

He sighed, letting out the pressure that was welled up inside him. He nodded his head, kissing her gently as a promise.

After a moment of comforting serenity, he turned her around in his lap and looked back at the mark Hallerna had left. He wished he could consume Astrid's pain and rid her of the memories that came along with it. That type of mending was impossible though. He would have to try a more traditional method.

Astrid heard a tear from behind and glanced back to see Hiccup ripping off a piece of his green undershirt. She felt him wrap the tattered cloth snugly over her wound. When he finished, he traced the bandage with gentle kisses and felt her shiver from each touch.

"I love you," he whispered against her neck.

"I love you too," she replied as she guided him to the ground to lay with her. She faced her back to the cell door while Hiccup spooned her from behind, acting as her blanket for the night.

She felt him kiss the back of her hair softly and tighten his grip around her. She put her hand over his and squeezed it gently before closing her eyes and drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

Today had been an eternity and their problems were piling up by the second. While there was hope on the horizon, there was uncertainty chasing them close behind. The unavoidable questions of fate that loomed over their heads would soon be faced. But for tonight, they would enjoy their short moment of calm before a whole new storm.

I think I'll do the same as Hiccup and Astrid, and catch some much needed shut eye! You all are amazing and I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will probably be pretty long so it might be a couple of days before I update. We'll see! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! :)