A/N: This is one of the first scenes that I imagined when I came up with this AU, and I'm kinda nervous about it. Please tell me what you think of it :D

Also, be warned: lots of violence in this chapter.


"I'll ask one more time", Savage said. "Where is the Dragon Eye?"

"I don't… know", Hiccup panted. His breathing had long since been reduced to shallow gasps; it seemed like he couldn't get enough air inside his body, and any attempt to take a deep breath was immediately stopped by the agonising sensation in his chest, where the hot iron had already made a deep mark. Instead of burning him in different places, Savage had focused on that one spot on his skin, tearing his shirt off completely somewhere along the way. The rider was sure that if the other man went on just a little longer, he'd burn his bones.

Savage tsked again. He'd been doing that sound a lot. Under any other circumstances, it probably would've been quite irritating, but as it was, his brain couldn't focus on anything other than the excruciating pain close to his heart.

"Think harder, Hiccup. Or do you want me to make this thing go all the way through you?"

"You'll... do that... anyway." He hated the fact that his speech was so breathless, but it couldn't be helped. His sarcasm lost effect when it was used in such a way; even talking was painful, as it forced his lungs to move more than absolutely necessary. His wrists hurt as well, given that they were holding his dead weight; however, it was a minor discomfort compared to his chest.

"Hmm. You know, this would probably be a lot more effective if I were to threaten to torture your dragon instead of you." At that, Hiccup's eyes widened in terror. He could bear all this pain himself, but there was no way he could watch Toothless being subjected to it. "Yes, you'd certainly talk faster. But... I won't." Relief flooded through him, despite his situation. "This is so much more fun." Savage hesitated for a second, then, setting the iron down, reached for his injury and poked it with his finger. Hiccup clenched his teeth to stop himself from screaming, though he couldn't prevent the hiss that escaped his lips. "Yes. Very entertaining." He dug deeper, scratching at his bare flesh, and this time the scream couldn't be stopped. It felt as though he'd been set on fire.

There was a sudden series of bumps on the ceiling, as if a bunch of boxes had fallen over on deck (he didn't know how his brain noticed through the pain). Savage paid no mind to it, but after a few seconds the screech of a Speed Stinger could be heard, loud and clear, and Toothless' answering roars followed soon enough. The Berserker let go of him for a blissful moment.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Keep that thing under control up there! I need to hear this boy sing!"

There was no answer from above; only one or two grunts, the cracking of wood as something pierced the roof several times, and finally both dragons went silent. Somehow, in his state, his senses were heightened enough that he could hear every little thing perfectly.

"Eh", the demented man said, looking back at him. "Those creatures are very hard to keep under control. I don't know how you do it." A twisted smile crossed his features. "But I will." He kneeled next to the forge and began adding something to the flames. Hiccup couldn't see what it was, but he didn't need to; it was clearly meant to make his ordeal even worse.

The softest of noises made him raise his head. There on the ladder was a pair of boots he could tell weren't Berserker; they took careful steps down, making sure to be as quiet as possible. A pair of violet leggings followed, then a spiked skirt, and that was the moment he understood exactly who was there. He gasped in surprise and, immediately realising his mistake, looked at Savage, but he was focused in his task; obviously, he thought Hiccup's sharp intake of breath had been an effect of pain. He carefully peered back at the ladder and met Astrid Hofferson's blue eyes. They settled on him for an instant, before her gaze fell upon the Berserker captain and turned to ice, cold fury dominating her expression.

Silently, she finished descending the ladder and approached, holding an axe he hadn't noticed before. When she was a metre away from Savage, he looked up, but it was too late; the flat of her weapon hit the back of his head, knocking him to the floor. Then, strapping the axe to her back, she turned towards Hiccup, and her face transformed, concern radiating from her features.

Taking a small pin from her hair, she stepped closer to him and made quick work of the chain that locked his left arm in place. Once free, it dropped heavily to his side; it was apparent that the Speed Stinger venom was still coursing through him. She repeated the process with his other arm, but without anything to hold him, he fell forward. For a moment he thought he was going to hit the floor, but her hands caught him easily, although his injury was aggravated by the sudden movement. She carefully lowered him onto the floor, setting him so that his back was against the wall, then promptly went towards the cabinets at the far end.

While she rummaged through them, he wondered how she was even there. He'd known that Berk's prison wouldn't hold her for long, but he hadn't imagined she'd escape on her very first night. And why had she come anyway? She'd never denied it could be a trap, but she'd been adamant that he try to find Dagur. Why had she suddenly decided that he needed her help? He supposed that could signify that she hadn't meant for him to be captured, or she wouldn't have shown up to untie him. Even so, how had she arrived so quickly?

Apparently having found what she was looking for, she turned and went towards him, holding a rag and a bottle in her hands. As she did, he spotted a security cord tied to her belt, the kind that he wore to strap himself to Toothless' saddle. Drunk with pain as he was, it took a few seconds for his brain to connect that with the piercing sounds he'd heard before and come to the realisation that she'd managed to tame a Deadly Nadder enough to ride it there (probably the one she'd bonded with). It seemed incredibly unlikely that she'd do so in such a short time, and yet it was the only explanation that covered all the facts.

His train of thought was interrupted when she kneeled next to him and, wetting the rag inside the bottle, pressed it to his chest. For a moment, it felt like his flesh was screaming out, before he realised that whatever that rag was soaked in, it was cool and soothing, providing much-needed relief for his skin. Without meaning to, he sighed, which made her raise her head.

"Hi, Hiccup", she said softly. He looked up at her and saw she was giving him a smile that was small but genuine, so different from her trademark smirk. It lit up her features in a way that made it impossible to look away. "This should help with that burn, and the effects of the venom will dissipate soon. You're going to be fine." That tone, accompanied by her smile, made it seem like she cared.

She grabbed his hand and put it in place of her own, holding the rug. Letting go, she stood up and regarded him for another moment before deliberately reaching out and running the back of her hand down his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed of their own accord at the contact. (Later, he would reason it was because, after all the pain he'd just been through, any other kind of touch was extremely pleasant to his senses.) She lingered just an instant before pulling back and turning towards Savage, who was still unconscious.

Her expression turned once again into one of pure fury, reminding him of exactly who she was and what she was capable of. He watched as she dragged the man towards where he'd just been himself and chained him up. Once that was done, she slapped him twice, and he groggily opened his eyes, his face showing fear when he noticed his position.

"Hi", the girl said, a dangerous smile on her lips. "Remember me?"

Savage squinted at her, then gasped. "No. No way." Hiccup was confused as to how they knew each other until he recalled she was a very famous criminal.

"So you do remember me! Perfect. I can skip the introductions and get straight to the point." Her tone was dripping with venom. "Someone told you I was after Dagur. Who was it?"

Predictably, the man just glared at her. She shook her head in response.

"Wrong answer." Nonchalantly, she picked up the poker and dipped its tip into the forge. Savage's eyes bulged, and when she brought it close to his skin, he broke down immediately. Hiccup wondered how many times she'd done something like this before. Part of him was horrified, but after all he'd just been through, he couldn't help but feel that this was fair; an eye for an eye. He hated himself for it, but the thought wouldn't leave his mind.

"No, no, wait! I'll tell you everything!"

"Will you?" She moved the red-hot iron even closer.

"Yes! Just get that away from me!"

She smirked at him before dropping the instrument. "All right. Talk."

"I... I didn't actually see the source of the information. I just got a piece of parchment stating that you had come to Berk and that you'd probably ally with them to try to get to Dagur. We had to assume you knew what our next move was going to be, and prepare for that."

"And I presume that's how Dagur knew not to be present at Meathead island." Savage nodded. "Exactly how did you come by this message?"

"It was brought by someone in a boat. He said he was only a messenger, though."

"What did this messenger look like?"

"I don't quite remem-" The girl picked up the poker again and he quickly recoiled. "No, wait! Wait! Um... He wore dark clothes, and he came in a boat with a plain white sail."

She didn't drop the iron this time. "That's not very specific. I need more details."

"Let me think... Uh, dark hair, grey eyes... Oh! He had a tattoo in the shape of a sword in his wrist. I saw it when he gave me the parchment."

Obviously this information meant something to her, for her eyebrows raised and she threw the poker away. "Very well. Thank you for your time."

Savage was visibly relieved. "Can you let me go now?"

She snorted, and Hiccup saw something unpleasant take shape in her eyes. "I don't think so. You've caused me quite a lot of trouble in the past... and Dagur should know that his second-in-command has been telling secrets."

The man paled. "No, please, don't tell him. You know what he'll do to me if you do. Have mercy! I can be your informant! "

She gave a short laugh. "I'm afraid that position is already taken. But I appreciate the offer."

And in a lightning move, she took the axe from her back and hurled it into his head, splitting his head in half. Hiccup dropped the rug and looked away, shocked, trying to erase the image from his mind.

"Let's go." Her tone wasn't cold or cruel; it was perfectly normal, almost casual, as if this was everyday stuff for her, which was much worse. Like she was so used to killing, it didn't provoke any kind of emotion in her.

She picked up his discarded shirt, which she'd found somehow, and carefully put it on him, ignoring him when he said he could do that himself. She then helped him up, mindful of his burn; the Stinger venom was wearing off, but he was still a little stiff. With one arm around his waist, she stared at the ladder for a second, then shouted, "Toothless! A little help getting Hiccup up?"

There was the sound of a plasma blast, and the ceiling around the trap door collapsed, widening the hole a considerable amount. Toothless jumped down in front of them and sniffed him, warbling worriedly.

"I'm okay, bud." The Night Fury gave him a sceptical stare. "Well, I'll live."

"Can you ride him?" the girl asked. Hiccup tried to move his feet; he was a bit clumsy, but as long as they took it easy, they should be fine.

"Yes, I think so."

"Good." She helped him mount up, and as he adjusted his prosthetic to the tail fin, she climbed up the ladder. He could hear excited squawking and hushed words, which he assumed meant she was calming the Nadder to be able to ride her. As Toothless jumped on deck (the sudden move brought a twinge of pain), he looked around and was shocked to find a bunch of Berserker soldiers scattered on the floor, blue spines sticking out of their chests. Blood had spattered the wooden deck, and close to the edge he could see a small open cage where he guessed the Speed Stinger had been. He now understood the commotion that had taken place before her arrival.

"What did you do?" he asked, a note of horror in his voice. She just shrugged.

"What I had to. Don't worry, I set the dragon free."

"But you... killed them. All of them."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to tell on me, Hiccup?"

He didn't have the words to answer. The events that he'd witnessed had left him devoid of them.

"I thought so. Here." She handed him his shield, which he'd completely forgotten about after losing it in the fall. "I think this is yours."

Without further ado, she nudged her dragon and took off; Toothless followed suit while he strapped the shield to his back. As they ascended, Hiccup considered everything he'd seen in that ship. She'd been so concerned about him and his well-being... but she'd murdered all those soldiers without a second thought. What's more, she'd threatened to torture Savage (and Hiccup had no doubt she would've gone through with it had the man not cooperated) and then killed him in cold blood, heedless of his pleas for mercy.

Today, he'd found out that there were two sides to her. One of them was caring and considerate, while the other was manipulative and ruthless. And though he seemed to be on her good side (fortunately), he'd do well to remember she could switch from one to the other easily.