Ah…Last chapter! It's a little longer than the others but like I said, this was going to be the last chapter no matter the length. It's been fun to write this and I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. Thanks for your reviews, your support, and being awesome! I'll see you in the next story!
X
Chapter 10
The wind whipped at his facemask. It protected most of his face but his eyes were still stinging. He'd find a way to protect his eyes, but later, because now he had more important things to worry about. Hiccup was already pressed to the saddle but he tried to push closer as Toothless flashed through the night with all the fury he was capable of.
The other's weren't far behind. Hiccup would go first, scout, and by the time they arrived he would have a better plan. At least, that was his plan so far. His brain was rampaging and he couldn't sit still. Clenching and unclenching his freezing hands on the handle bars, he searched the horizon, waiting for the Berserker fortress to rise out of the dark horizon.
His heart was hammering, like it did every time he flew this fast, but it was aided with the suspense of the quickly approaching future. His master plan wasn't coming together on the flight like he'd told the others. They would rescue Astrid. That was it. Just how they were going to do that was still a bit…cloudy. They could just starting blasting but there was no guarantee.
The blank rock that was the Berserker fortress gradually rose out of the steely waters. Unfriendly as its inhabitants, the gray and weather-worn rocks jutted up an unforgiving angles, the Berserker fort was built from the same rough stone. A mountain surpassed the fort and swallowed the majority of it. The Berserkers had built their fort into the mountain. Turrets and ledges wound up the rock and supported a number of catapults and stationary crows bows.
Hiccup urged Toothless higher, right underneath the low clouds, to ensure for a quick disappearance. They circled above the fortress. It was dark but Hiccup could see the standing Berserkers by the occasional torch. They meandered across the turrets and open doorways.
"Where are you…?" Hiccup whispered as he scanned the turrets.
Toothless glided and the low clouds brushed the top of the mask. His breath clung to the leather and bounced back onto his mouth. He didn't see any signs of Dagur or Astrid, or anything out or the ordinary, but he hadn't expected to. Dagur wouldn't be waiting outside in the dark with a brightly lit sign above his head. He'd be inside, waiting, with a trap most likely laid out.
Damn Dagur, Hiccup sighed. His knuckles had gone white on the handlebars but he hadn't noticed. Releasing his grip, he gave his hands a vigorous shake, and popped the knots in his neck. He would get Astrid back. It didn't matter what obstacles Dagur threw in his way. He would get ride of Dagur, too, if it came down to that. Hiccup preferred the outcome that let everyone live, however, he would do whatever he needed to. He would get Astrid back. He would make sure that Dagur wouldn't attempt this again.
How? He didn't know.
Hiccup had made several laps around the fort. There were several entrances into the inner fort but any one of them was a gamble. He wasn't sure where Astrid would be and as soon as a dragon was spotted stealth would be lost and the commotion would erupt into fireballs and shouts. The others would be there soon and he needed to think fast. They needed a plan.
They could storm the fort, or as Astrid would call it, axe first. But from the first fireball the chaos would make strategy impossible. The Berserkers greatly outnumbered them, regardless of firepower, especially with each dragon's limited shots. It would be a gamble.
Hiccup groaned at the possibilities. Maybe he should have waited for the Berk army to even the odds. He could turn around, stop the others before disaster struck, but he couldn't make himself turn around. He was here, Astrid was here, and he was leaving with her.
He heard the unintelligible shout just as Toothless warbled. He inhaled, reaching out his palm in a vain attempt to interrupt the disaster as it unfolded right underneath him. Snotlout and Hookfang streaked down onto the fort in a haze of red and orange. The liquid flame engulfed a wooden turret, sending in crumbling down onto the stone walkway below.
Berserkers scrambled with crossbows at the ready, fingers pointing toward the sky, shouts bringing the dark fort to life.
Shit! Hiccup watched from the saddle as Snotlout was joined by the twins. Green gas spilled from one mouth and smothered the outer wall of the fort, bubbling over the sides, and as twins drew upwards a single spark ignited the cloud. Flames ripped through the gas and the explosion blasted a bite-shaped chunk. Several Berserkers failed to escape the blast in time and crumbled with the stone, some screaming, some as silent as the burnt stone.
"We need to help!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless warbled, growling toward the rising action.
The signal horn blared. Snotlout made a second round as the twins drowned another section in gas. Berserkers were streaming in dozens from the fort with crossbows ready, loading catapults and net launchers, filling the air with war shouts.
"Come on, Toothless," Hiccup shouted as the commotion engulfed them.
He and Toothless sweep outward, away from the island, and twisted in the air to double back with speed on their side. Toothless folded in his wings and the wing whipped passed with a blinding sting. A bright blue plasma blast rocketed through a catapult and into another and the debris took out a third. The island flashed below and the flipped for the next strike.
They raced back toward the island, the commotion just beyond reach, as it all fell apart. A well-timed net sank the twins to the ground, gas streaming. Snotlout came to their rescue, flames ready, but a catapulted boulder sent them tumbling down. Meatlug and Fishlegs, encumbered with swallowing a boulder, failed to evade a net trap. They were strapped to the ground in a heap of yelps from both dragon and rider.
"Oh, no, no, no," Hiccup breathed into the mask. "Not good."
Maybe, he hurried, he could still save them. Berserkers were descending upon the downed dragons. There wasn't nothing he could do from up here. He'd have to go down there. He urged Toothless downward. He couldn't leave them like that.
"Hiccup!"
Astrid.
Astrid.
Astrid's call had penetrated the smoky air and the commotion below suddenly fell on deafened ears. Toothless warbled a complaint. Hiccup was scanning the fort below for Astrid. She'd called out to him. It had been her voice. She was here. She could see him but he couldn't see her. Where was she?
He saw her, standing on the turret, eyes pinning on him.
Toothless warbled. Hiccup had involuntarily pulled the handlebars back, steering Toothless backwards, slowing his speedy trek. A series of nets surged toward them but misses, barely. Hiccup gasped as Toothless jerked aside, sending a plasma blast into the nets.
If Astrid hadn't called out to him he would have been caught. Toothless sent another blast and destroyed the catapults, sending Berserkers running and splintered scattering. Hiccup jerked his head back to the fort's turret where Astrid had been standing.
She was gone.
He scanned the fort for her. She'd been right there.
A yelp from below signaled his attention.
"The nets, Toothless," Hiccup tugged on the bars. Toothless sent a blast toward the nets holding down Fishlegs and Meatlug. He watched them escape and left them to help the others.
Hiccup returned to the turret where he has seen Astrid. He slid from the saddle and searched the ground. There had to be something. He turned in circle but his eyes fell upon a nearby door, left ajar, still slightly swaying. Hiccup held his breath and dashed through it.
"Astrid?" Hiccup called, but the room on the other side was empty.
Toothless snarled and Hiccup turned just as a Berserker, previously hidden behind a stack of barrels, dashed at him with an axe poised to slice. He made it two steps before Toothless's tail swept into the backs of his knees. He thumped on the ground and Toothless was upon him, pinning him down his a tense foot, and freezing him with a dangerous growl.
Hiccup made no immediate notion to hold Toothless back. "Where is Astrid?"
"Who?"
"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, "The girl Dagur kidnapped!"
"Oh! Uh…" the Berserker gasped up at Toothless. He had dropped the axe and his large hands were shaking as he tried to push off Toothless's strong grip.
"Tell me where Dagur's taken her!"
"I-I…don't know."
"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked.
"Uh…"
"Tell me, unless you don't mind a plasma blast to the head." Hiccup clutched his fists. He didn't know if he could tell Toothless to kill this man, looking as terrified as he did, helpless and bound to the floor. But he was reminded of Astrid, helpless, bound, and who knows what else, and his sympathy shrunk. He reached over and laid a hand on Toothless's head. He parted his lips and he heard the tell-tale hissing, the beginning of a plasma blast, and the man truly began to panic.
"P-please, wait!" the man squirmed.
"Hiccup?" Snotlout asked from the doorway. The other riders fanned into the room, eyes pinned on Hiccup and Toothless.
"Tell me!" Hiccup spat.
"Underground!" the Berserker gasped. "Probably into the catacombs! They run all underneath the fort, we use them for storage, it's too narrow for most dragons!"
"Where is that?" Hiccup asked.
He removed one of his hands to point, "Through there, second door on your left."
Hiccup seethed and let the man panic underneath the prospect of sudden death. He withdrew his hand from Toothless and his swallowed the unformed fireball. He stepped off the man but as he scrambled away, Tuffnut landed a hammer onto his helmeted head, and he fell back to the floor in an ungraceful lump.
"Ha," Tuffnut said as he poked the unconscious man.
"Go back to Berk. Tell my dad." Hiccup commanded. "I'm going after Dagur."
"Wait, that sounds like a bad idea," Fishlegs piped up.
"I don't care." Hiccup waved away his complaints.
The exchanged uncomfortable glances but Hiccup didn't wait around to hear their argument. He was through the door and counting, one, two doors down the left.
"Astrid?" Hiccup called as he thrust himself through the door.
Beyond was a narrow spiraling stairwell that had been carved into the natural cavern. It was narrow but Toothless could still fit. He warbled and nudged Hiccup's back.
"Right," Hiccup said as he mounted the saddle. Toothless bounded down the stairs, moving much faster than Hiccup could go on foot.
Down, down, down, the cavernous passage went, growing narrower with every step. As the stairs ended they opened up into a maze of stalagmites and stalagmites, sown together by rocky walls, lit by two torches on either side of the staircase. Toothless folded his wings against himself and warbled as he squeezed into the catacombs.
"Careful, Bud." Hiccup patted him. He wasn't the biggest fan of tight underground spaces, either. He reached for a torch and wiggled it loose from its bracket.
There were multiple ways to go. There was no telling how far or deep these tunnels went. Those two to the left seemed to fold into each other. Hiccup stepped into the tunnels and strained his eyes to the end. Nothing. Several more natural tunnels deviated from it, one of which was filled with stacked barrels. Mead, perhaps. Another was filled with drying meat strung across from wall to wall.
"Not now, Toothless," Hiccup put a flat palm on his snout as the dragon licked his lips. "Let's find Astrid and you can clean this room out."
He warbled, seemingly in understanding.
Hiccup took a few steps. There were too many ways to go for blind searching to be effective.
"Toothless," Hiccup said with a sudden burst, "Can you smell her out?"
He cocked his head.
"Astrid," Hiccup said slowly, hoping to see the glint of acknowledgement in those green eyes. "Find her."
Toothless blinked at him.
"Astrid." Hiccup said, sounding out her name.
Toothless put his nose to the air. He sniffed, this way, that way, and with his nose to the ground he returned to the base of the stairs. Hiccup watched with bated hope. Why didn't he bring Stormfly? She could have sniffed her rider out from the sky.
Toothless took a step toward a rightward passage and Hiccup held his breath. The still cavern air was pierced by a shrill pain-stricken cry that gripped his hammering heart and forced it into a freefall.
X
She fell down the last several stairs and landed in a gasping heap on the cold floor. Had she fallen or has she been pushed? It was hard to say for sure. Dagur was muttering incoherently to himself but she heard the occasional, Hiccup, dragon, night fury, and bitch slip through. She tried to regain her footing but his grip refastened on her arm and he pulled her through the darkened tunnels.
He carried the torch haphazardly and more than a few times nearly whacked her with it. He ran through the maze-like catacombs. She tried to remember his steps but soon she was utterly lost. It didn't help that Dagur tossed her about like a child's wool doll. Her stomach ached where he'd kicked her and she knew that a terrible bruise would follow.
But by then she would be out of here and Dagur would either be incapacitated or dead all together. Personally, she preferred the latter.
Suddenly Dagur turned a sharp corner and threw her into the room ahead. She held her hands out to stop her fall and tumbled onto her hands and knees as Dagur let out an enraged shout and thrust his fists into the cavern wall and cracked a meaty whack.
"He was mine," Dagur whined with tight fists in the air. "He was right there! Right fucking there! Right in front of me! I saw him, the nets where there, the other riders were captured, he was walking right into the trap!"
Dagur grab hold of either side of his head as he paced and mumbled. Astrid had slowly drawn herself up and stepped away from him, inching toward the exit. She didn't care if she'd get lost. She'd run until she found the way out.
"I had him." Dagur threw his arms out. He turned on his heel, his face twisted in wild fury, "And you. You! If you hadn't interrupted everything would be going exactly as I wanted! It's your fault. Yours!"
Again his terrible rage was directed at her and she felt the same burning fear. But this time she was on her feet. She was ready. He ran toward her and aimed to strike her but she dodged. With a quick and fluid reaction she had sent him tumbling face first to the ground. He may be stronger than her but she was a better fighter.
"…you, bitch!" Dagur spat as he stood up.
"What?" Astrid taunted. "Are you afraid of getting beaten up my a girl?"
Dagur sneered and tried his attack again. He threw himself at her and Astrid countered him, but he didn't loose his footing as easily this time, and instead grabbed hold of her arm and knocked her into the wall. The air was pushed out of her chest. Thinking fast, she dropped onto the floor. Dagur's first pounded on the stone wall with a painful smack, right where her head had been.
He pulled back his fist but by the time he uncurled his fingers Astrid was at the chamber's door.
"No!" Dagur shouted, his feet hammering on the floor after her.
Astrid didn't have a clue where she was going. Her only goal was to lose Dagur. He probably knew these catacombs better than she did and it might be a fruitless endeavor, but she didn't care. Her bare feet pushed on the stone floor as fast as she could but Dagur's footsteps didn't fade.
"This is my island. There isn't anywhere you can go that I won't find you." Dagur called from behind. "I've played in this catacombs all my life. I know every turn, every corner, every shadow. You can't hide from me in here!"
Astrid ignored him and kept running. She'd get away.
Between breaths she could hear rushing water, smacking downward, like a waterfall. Water came from the outside and it had to eventually go back outside. That was her way out. It had to be. She turned her path toward the water and to her relief it grew closer and closer. She finally turned into a larger cavern and saw the waterfall spewing from a crack near the ceiling. It had smoothed the rock behind it and cascaded down into a pool. But the pool wasn't that big, not near enough to contain all the water that constantly drained into it. It had to go outside. There was no where else for it to go. It had to go outside.
Astrid had stopped at the sight of the water but only when she felt the death grip on her neck did she realize her mistake. Dagur laughed with victory as he pushed her down, hand tightening, to the ground. He climbed on top of her and straddled her hips and kept his hand around his neck. She could feel the blackening that slowly encroached on her vision but when she thought she was gone he loosened is grip. Gasping, she sucked as much air into her lungs as she could.
"No," Dagur whispered, more to himself than to her, "Not like this. Not like this."
The darkness in her vision faded and underneath the rushing of the water she could hear the distinct squawking of gulls. They were near the outside. This was her exit. But Dagur had to be dealt with first. With that thought she felt his hand squeeze her throat. He was looking down at her with maddened eyes and a crocked smile.
"No, I want him to find you." Dagur said. He reached to his belt and pulled out that damn dagger.
Astrid inhaled. He'd already hurt her. There was no doubt in her mind that he would hurt her more. She needed to worm her way out of his. What would Hiccup do? Hiccup.
"It's always about Hiccup," Astrid gasped at him.
Dagur's anger twisted. He held the dagger firmly, his knuckles white, his interest in sex gone entirely and replaced with his fallback love of violence. She wasn't sure if that was terrifying or a relief.
"Of course it is," Dagur gapped at her, as if the very suggestion that it hadn't been was absurd. "I want him to find us. I want him to watch you die, piece at a time, each one thrown at him, extra points if it hits him. You will die to the sound of his pleading and the last thing he'll hear is your screams."
"You're forgetting his Night Fury," Astrid spat. "He'll kill you before you can lay a hand on Hiccup."
"Oh, that dragon won't fit through these tunnels. Why do you think I dragged you down here? Because I enjoy the fucking rocks? No! Because I want to level the playing field. Without that damn dragon Hiccup is useless. He won't be able to do anything."
Astrid scoffed. "You don't give him near enough credit."
Dagur laughed. "Oh, I heard you and him in the blacksmith that night. You didn't know? 'Oh, Hiccup, harder,'"
Dagur exploded into a wild fit of laughter.
"You were spying on us?" Astrid spat. "That's fucking sick!"
"Of course it is, but I don't care." Dagur looked down at her, laughter vanished, eyes wide. "And to think, I almost wanted to hear those words come out of your mouth, to me,"
Astrid's disgust was impossible to hide but Dagur's humored face didn't change. He lifted the dagger to his mouth and his teeth clicked on the metal as he bit down on the blade. His freed hand's fingertips drug down the front of the bloodied tunic and dipped below the hem. She briefly felt his fingers graze her before he thrust one onside of her. His wide eyes were watching her face and she was determined not to give him the reaction he wanted. He twisted his finger and added a second. As suddenly as he'd invaded her, he withdrew.
"But, thankfully, that impulse has passed. Now it's on to more important things." Dagur sighed, reached up with a deft hand and retrieved the dagger from his mouth.
Astrid glared at him as he slowly lowered his face to hers. His warm breath tickled her cheek and she tried to twist out of his grip. Dagur slid his lips across her cheekbone and she held in a gasp of horror as his hot tongue licked her earlobe. His teeth closed around it almost playfully.
"I just need you to scream," Dagur whispered.
Not on your life. Astrid tightened her lips.
"How is he going to find you if you don't scream for him?" Dagur laughed, waving his dagger, "Call him. Tell him where you are."
Astrid pulled her lips into her mouth and narrowed her glare. His smile twitched, a flare blazed in his wild eyes, and in a short moment he had brought the dagger up and thrust it down. The knife pierced through the flesh of her abdomen. Before she could stop it, a bloodied scream echoed off the cavern walls, and left her throat hoarse. Dagur was smiling as he withdrew the dagger and send another wave of pain through her.
Astrid waited on the floor, bleeding, with Dagur's hand closed around her throat, for what felt like an eternity. Her stomach was burning where he'd stabbed her. Hot blood was soaking into the surrounding fabric of the tunic and spread across the cold floor. She would die here, it seemed. She couldn't escape like this. Not far, at least.
There came a vicious roar and the mountain rattled. The entire cavern thundered and rocks crashed.
"Astrid!"
"Hiccup?" Astrid managed to gasp, barely more than a whisper.
She saw them, Hiccup and Toothless, bounding into the waterfall cavern, both looking more upset that she'd ever seen them. Suddenly she was yanked from the floor, blood stinging and running in rivets down her stomach and legs, and a sharp reddened blade was pressed against her throat.
"Don't move, Hiccup, unless you'd like a headless girlfriend." Dagur spat.
Hiccup glared, his chest heaving with stressed breaths, and his teeth gritted. Astrid had never seen anger so vibrant on his kind face. Likewise, Toothless was flared, teeth bared, eyes narrowed, and a low dangerous growl rumbled through the chamber, permeating the air with all the terror of a Night Fury. Behind his teeth a bright plasma blast was building.
"Don't do it, Dagur." Hiccup warned.
"Hmm?"
"You'll regret it."
"Oh, will I?"
"The Berk fleet, on dragon-back, will be here before sunrise. You don't stand a chance."
"It's not the fort that I care about, Hiccup. It's you." Dagur whispered low, like a deranged lover. "And I don't care if I have to bring this entire place down to kill you. We can all live together at the bottom of the ocean."
Toothless's plasma blast began to glow bright blue at the back of his throat. Hiccup rested his hand on his head but didn't remove his stare from Dagur.
"Careful, Hiccup, one more blast might bring the place down. But, I'm alright with that. Likely we'll all die then." Dagur said smugly. He pressed the knife closer to her throat.
"Dagur, I don't want to kill you but if you harm her I won't hesitate." Hiccup warned, his stare burning through the cold air.
Dagur smirked, and slowly lowered the dagger from her neck, but firmly held her in place. The knife slid down the rough wool and came to rest above the wound he'd already inflicted. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Hiccup's fist were shaking. Astrid swallowed, her mouth dry, knowing Toothless wouldn't have a clear shot with her standing in front of him. If she could wiggle out of his grip she could give him the moment of clarity that he needed. But Dagur's grip was firm. She tried to pulled his arm from her shoulders but her attempts were met with a blade pressing into her skin.
She winced with the sting and saw Hiccup's reaction. Panic laced through his raw anger. She loved that side of him, to see that white-hot fury, but right now she would love to not be bleeding. She tried to scoot away from the blade but Dagur was at her back.
"Dagur," Hiccup took a step forward.
Toothless hissed, taking a step, and she felt the blade push through the tunic and into her flesh, hot beads of blood dribbled down the cold skin. She held her pain and confined it into a cringe.
"Dagur!" Hiccup shouted.
Dagur was laughing in her ear. His arm loosened and for a second she foolishly believed herself free. No sooner had his grip slackened than the blade rip into her. The pain knocked her knees out and she doubled over. She heard the sharp whistle of a plasma blast as she collapsed onto the bloody floor. Her arms failed to catch her and she collapsed into a heap. The cavern around her shook and bits of rocks bounced off the floor and splashed into the pool. Dagur, however, was silent.
"Astrid!" Hiccup was at her side. "Astrid, talk to me, come on, open your eyes!"
He lifted her into his lap, cradling her gently in his arms, and looking down at her with worry that seemed an impossible leap from the anger he'd shone.
"Hey," Astrid tried to smile despite the pain.
"I'm sorry," Hiccup said, "I'm sorry,"
"For what?"
"I…should have done something sooner. I knew something was wrong but I listened to my dad and I waited. If I would have gotten here sooner…"
"He still would have freaked out." Astrid said.
"But,"
"Hiccup, it doesn't matter now." Astrid sighed. "Come on, we should go." "Can you?"
"Of course," Astrid said. She tried to work her muscles and stand but pain pushed her back to the floor.
"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked again with a raised brow.
"Help me up." Astrid reached out to him and between the two of them Astrid regained unstable footing. Hiccup held onto her arms and refused to let go.
"You'll have to ride. You can't walk like this." Hiccup said.
Toothless marched over as if on cue. He bent down, almost belly-flat, to lessen the climb. Sitting was uncomfortable. Standing was uncomfortable. Everything was uncomfortable with two bleeding stab wounds.
"Can you find your way back?" Astrid asked as Hiccup climbed up behind her. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sitting here so I can catch you if you pass on out." Hiccup stated. "And…I don't think going back the way we came is going to work out."
"…why?"
"Because Toothless might have gotten upset when he heard you scream and…caused a cave-in."
"Toothless got upset?"
"He did."
Astrid smiled, and reached down as far as she could to pat the dragon's head. He warbled back to her.
"He'd be very upset if something happened to you." Hiccup said in her ear as he scooted up behind her. He fastened his foot into the pedal and held onto her hips and sighed.
"What?"
"Well…this part of the plan wasn't entirely thought through." Hiccup said.
"Hiccup, that wall leads outside." Astrid said. "Straight ahead. The water has to go somewhere."
"And…you want me to blast through it and hope for the best?" Hiccup asked.
"Of course." Astrid nodded. "It's dangerous, it might kill us, or water might burst through and drown us. Let's do it."
Hiccup laughed. "Okay. Hold on and duck low. This might get messy."
She did as she was told and she heard the plasma blast building in the throat beneath her hands, warming and glowing between his teeth and tongue, and felt the motion of his wings spreading, preparing for a quick getaway. Hiccup's foot worked the pedal and at the moment the blast left his mouth the tail went out.
The wall crumbled and rock shards were scattered about the room, biting Toothless's wings and thundering on his two riders. The waterfall exploded as the ceiling cracked and for a moment the spray completely enveloped their exit. As the flow ebbed there was a dim light drifting through the new doorway. Cracks raced across the ceiling and the ground shook.
"GO!" Hiccup shouted, and Toothless shot off through the falling debris.
He weaved and twisted and avoided what he could. Smaller stones and rocks rained as they flew through a darkened lake-bottomed cavern. The cavern behind them crashed but Astrid didn't dare look back. She kept her eyes pinned ahead. She was amazed at how easily Toothless could maneuver in the darkness. She had heard of his special dark-sight but hadn't experienced it first hand.
They twisted upward at a sharp angle and she fell back into Hiccup's chest. He tightened his arms around her, careful to avoid her wounds, and said, "I've got you."
They burst through a narrow opening on the side of the Berserker's fort and the chilly sea breeze brushed their faces. The fresh air had never been so inviting.
"You alright?" Hiccup asked, a hand on Astrid's shoulder.
"Yeah," Astrid panted. Truly, she was not. The constant motion of the flight was wiggling the wounds and re-stirring the stinging pain. She knew by the sound of her voice that her lie was caught.
"Come on, Bud, back to Berk." Hiccup said with urgency. He rested a hand on her shoulder and held her against his chest. His shoulders seemed to fit into hers as he tried his best to shield her from the wind.
The water roared below them and clouds whisked passed. The darkness edged in on her vision and the pain slowly numbed. A ball in her stomach was pushing itself upward.
"Hiccup," Astrid gasped.
She felt his hands tighten just before it went dark.
X
Words and voices drifted above but she paid them no mind. Lights came and went but she ignored it. Everything hurt. Her bones were on fire but her skin was freezing and everything in between was throbbing aching. Was this it? Was this death?
X
Everything was blurry as she opened her eyes. The familiar wooden ceiling came slowly into view. With every breath consciousness dragged over her aching limbs. Her stomach hurt something terrible. What had happened? She lifted a stiff arm to examine it above her eyes. She couldn't hold it still. It swayed.
There was a curtain between her and the rest of the room. Where was she? Berk, it looked. She could hear the crackling of a hearth and feel the warmth. The air was slick with a stringent odor. She reached out for the curtain but it was too far. It had seemed closer than that. She tried to sit up but a shooting pain shot through her abdomen. She collapsed back onto the bed with a gasping cry.
At the sound, footsteps padded across the floor. The curtain was swished to the side. Gothi's small form stood over her with a kind smile on her wrinkled face.
"Wha-" Astrid began to say but Gothi put up a slender hand. She said nothing, she hardly ever did, which to Astrid was a shame. All those years of wisdom locked away behind a stilled tongue.
Gothi poked her limbs and prodded her stomach gently. Nodding, she reached for a cup on the bedside stand. She poised it against Astrid's lips and motioned for her involvement. Astrid took a short drink and almost spit it back into the cup. It was mead but it stung as it passed down her throat.
"Ugh," Astrid rubbed her tongue along the top of her mouth to ride the bitter taste away. "No more, I'm good."
Gothi shook her head. Astrid sighed and took another sip. She forced down the rest of the cup and was relieved when Gothi set it back on the table. Astrid thought about asking what she was doing here but she knew Gothi wouldn't speak her answers. As if she understood his plight, Gothi reached down and gently patted Astrid's shoulder. Her bare shoulder. She withdrew her hand and with a whoosh the curtain was drawn.
She was on her own here. She reached to her shoulder with her woozy hand. Her shoulder and collarbone were both exposed but covered in a blanket. Her shirt and breast bindings were gone and bandages covered her abdomen. What the hell happened to her?
Remember, Astrid. She told herself. She was injured, obviously. She was weak and sore. She pressed a woozy hand to her forehead and stared into the remnants of light behind her eyes. She'd been stabbed. She could vaguely remembered she stinging of the blade as it dashed through her skin.
Dagur. It had been Dagur. He'd held her hostage in a cell, force fed her, let her nearly freeze to death, starved her, humiliated her, and tried to bed her. That son of a bitch. The memories flooded back much faster than she would have liked.
The door creaked open and before it closed she heard his voice.
"How is she?" Hiccup asked quietly.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked through the curtain.
His uneven footsteps rang against the floor and in a few paces the curtain was swept back. He was standing on the other side with a basket in hand. The fresh baked smell of warm bread waffled in after him. His face at first was one of worry and surprise but upon seeing her an expression of joy engulfed his entire body.
"You're awake!" Hiccup couldn't stop smiling. He knelt down by the edge of the bed. He reached for her hand and held it gently.
"How long has it been?" Astrid asked. She tried to sit up again, to sit beside him, but her body said no. "Damn it,"
"Don't try to move. You've been out for about a day and a half." Hiccup said with a strong hand on her shoulder. "You need to rest. You barely made it back, Astrid."
"I hate this lying around." Astrid sighed. "Like an invalid…too weak to stand and incapable of defending myself. I hate relying on other people."
"I know," Hiccup nodded. "But you'll have to for now."
She pouted.
Hiccup smiled, "You can rely on me, Astrid."
She knew she could. "Thank you,"
"But in return I'm going to rely on you."
"I expect you to." Astrid returned his smile. He was trying to be serious but was failing. But as other thoughts drifted through her mind, her smile faded, "So what happened?"
"Well…Dagur is no where to be found. Dead or alive." Hiccup shrugged. "His body might have gotten buried or washed out to sea or something. Toothless hit him straight in the chest and I doubt he survived. He's crazy, not invulnerable."
"I hope he lying at the bottom of the ocean." Astrid said. She meant it.
"Me too, actually." Hiccup sighed. He tapped his foot on the floor.
"So does that mean the Berserker reign of terror is done?" Astrid asked.
"For now. Without Dagur telling them what to do most of those Berserkers can't put on their own helmets." Hiccup smiled, but it soon faltered. "But, another Dagur will take his place. It's just how it happens. It's always going to be a struggle for power."
"But for right now everything is fine." Astrid reminded him. She knew that disheartened look that gloomed over his face from time to time. He worried over things too much and needed to be reminded that the future was the future.
"Yeah, right now you need to focus on getting better." Hiccup smiled. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered above her skin and hovered down to her lips. He kissed her. "I love you,"
She wanted to pull him down into the bed with her, snuggle against him, listen to him pant into her hear, but knew that sex was off limits in her current state. She settled for later. "I love you, too."
"I'll always be there for you, I promise." Hiccup whispered. "I-I'll protect you, no matter what, so this doesn't happen again."
"You know that I'll be there for you, Hiccup." Astrid smiled. "Always. And if anyone threatens you I'll beat them up."
Hiccup's bashful smile spread across his entire face. He kissed her again and sat back up.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
X