The Meeting

Astrid felt sweat pooling off her, as she was baked by the sun. The dragon hunters had retreated below deck, leaving her alone. Not that it did her much good. The meeting wasn't until tomorrow, and the ship was nowhere near shore. Any attempt at an escape would be futile. As of then, she had the beginnings of a plan. Whenever she was alone, she continued chipping away at the wood. Her hope was to eventually make it over to the curved post that held her chains. It was one pole, but bended so it went into the ship in two places. She was close to being able to start working the pole out of the woodwork. It was still mind suckingly boring. She had begun retreating into her head, becoming dull to the physical world. Of course when she was thinking it was usually about Hiccup and Elliot.

Lately, she had been trying to justify her feelings for Hiccup by coming up with Elliot's faults. If she had to be honest, it was pretty easy. Elliot was caring, but he tended to be overprotective and possessive. Hiccup cared about her, but allowed her to fend for herself. Hiccup was viking born. Elliot's backstory was a mystery. That's why he didn't even have a regular viking name. The name Elliot was an anomaly in their village. Totally unheard of until his mother named him Elliot. It was his father's wish, even though it wasn't a proper viking name. His mother died when he was 15, and after that he was on his own. Honestly, she didn't even really know about Elliot's history. Then of course, he said he didn't either. His mother had never wanted to talk about it, like her history was too painful for Elliot. Part of Astrid admired what Elliot had gone through, and part of her pitied him. She knew Elliot's experiences shaped him, just like Hiccup's shaped him. In a way, she felt unfair comparing the two boys. It was like comparing a yak to a sheep. Her thoughts were halted when she felt a change in her scraping. She had finally done. She glanced down, seeing the metal rod in front of her , she began chipping at the wood, trying to go underneath the rod. It was a very slow process, but eventually she began to make some progress. However she was forced to stop because a hunter came to give her lunch.

"Eat up," he said gruffly. Astrid quietly took the bowl of soup, eating it absently. She barely noticed the fact that the hunter waited for her to finish. When she finished, she was surprised to see the hunter was still there. She handed him the bowl, confused as to why he was still with her.

"Vigo wants to see you."

Hiccup paced Dragons Edge for the better part of the morning. He'd run the calculations dozens of times, knowing they had to leave for the meeting at about 10:00. He'd gotten up at 6:30, unable to sleep without worrying about Astrid. He still hadn't told the other dragon riders about his plan. They wouldn't understand why he would do it. They would try and stop him, and Hiccup wasn't about to be halted on is mission. Toothless kept shooting him worried glances, trying to get Hiccup to calm down. He knew Hiccup well enough to know that he wouldn't be the calm focused warrior he usually was if he worried too much. Yet every thought, every emotion that went through Hiccup's head was connected to Astrid. Feelings of love, hatred, guilt, and determination constantly pulsed through him. Having Astrid in danger forced his feelings to come out. They had been unleashed the other day with Elliot. What scared him was the absence of hesitation he had when he'd attacked. He was prepared to do some serious damage before Toothless stopped him. Guilt still weighed on him from the dragon hunter he killed. Yes the man was horrible, but feeling the blood on his skin. Seeing the lifeless gaze of the man as he fell to the forest floor. It was terrifying. Suddenly Hiccup had a vision of the same thing happening to Astrid. It was so real. He saw her lifeless body fall away from him. Felt her life drain from her body.

"Astrid!" he yelled, his voice heavy with grief. His eyes flew open, her limp body on his so real. He was panting now, going into a state of panic. He was shaking involuntarily, and sweat rolled down in beads on his face. Toothless was already nudging him towards the bed, forcing Hiccup to sit. He nudged his master, waiting until the panic attacks ceased. Hiccup gasped, his whole body shuddering with horror. Think of Astrid. Think of Astrid. He pictured her kind eyes, always glowing with fire. He pictured her amazing smile, the one that could melt his heart. Her soft golden hair, the beauty of it. The creamy expanse of skin around her chest. He blushed as his thoughts wandered to her chest. The soft curve of her breasts. Her slim figure. He stayed like that for a full 15 minutes, calming himself. By the time he had gained his senses, it was time to go. He pushed his damp hair away from his forehead, mounting Toothless, exiting the house, finding the other riders waiting for him.

"Let's do this," Hiccup said, a renewed purpose filling him.

Hiccup felt the cool breeze of the ocean blow over him as he landed on Fireworm Island. There was no sign of the dragon hunters. The entire island was calm, the fireworms in their nest right now. Judging from the sun's position, it was very close to noon. Vigo should be here already. He glanced down the shore, hoping to spot an incoming ship. He and the other riders went further down the beach, right down to the ocean. The waters were still and calm.

"Hello Hiccup glad to see you could make it." Hiccup whipped around, his anger almost immediately rising.

"Where's Astrid?" he demanded.

"Hmm, so grabby. And right to the point. I like that about you. It's a valuable trading skill. You might be good in the dragon hunter business."

"I would rather die than kill innocent dragons," Hiccup stated fiercely. His anger was beginning to blind him, controlling his actions.

"I don't care about your morals. I just want to officiate our deal. Take her now, and leave the dragons to me." Hiccup faltered, his decision suddenly becoming much harder. He was hit with the full blow of reality of the dragons' futures if Vigo was in charge. Every single one would be slaughtered. Hiccup shifted his weight, his original plan failing.

"I'm going to need a decision soon Hiccup. Otherwise I might have to do some more convincing." Hiccup's eyes darted to Astrid, words failing him at the time. Her eyes held pain and anger, but the message was clear. Save the dragons. Hiccup knew Astrid would never forgive him or herself if the dragons were sacrificed because of her.

"Times us Hiccup. You've forced me to take extreme measures. So either give me the archipelago or I will deflower your girlfriend.

Astrid's eyes widened in horror at Vigo's threat. Her own instincts told her to protect her innocence, especially from a man like Vigo. The leader of the dragon hunters began approaching her, his eyes dark with promise. Astrid shivered in terror. She could see Hiccup was in agony, the conflict clear on his face. Vigo approached her, smiling in triumph. She gasped as he roughly kissed her, slamming his body against hers. It was in no way pleasurable. Not like she'd dreamed of with Hiccup. Vigo's hands tugged at her hair, making her whimper with pain.

"Alright! Stop!" Hiccup yelled, unable to bear it. "Stop. Take me. Not her. Please. Without me, the riders don't have a leader. And without me Berk won't have a future chief. So take me instead." Vigo stopped kissing Astrid, looking at Hiccup instead.

"Okay Hiccup. Here's the deal. Astrid goes free, and in return, you belong to me. You try and run, I kill Astrid next time I see her." Hiccup nodded, stepping forward. Instantly, Vigo's men grabbed him, putting thumb cuffs on his hands. He was roughly shoved below deck, his last look at Astrid. It completely shattered her heart. She hopped on Stormfly, ready to fight.

"Don't Astrid," Elliot warned her. "That's just going to get Hiccup killed. Right now we have a shot at a rescue." Astrid reluctantly too to the sky, her heart tearing in two. She was so distraught, she didn't notice Elliot's smile of triumph.