Hello there. Happy Monday!

So, I'm just going to stop making promises on when I am going to post. Plan on over the weekend. Some weeks, I may even post twice. It all just depends on how far ahead I am on writing and how much I have to edit, but I can promise you that it will never be over two weeks.

Alright! Chapter 10! A whole lot is about to go down in this chapter. You're about to be introduced to Alvin's crew, along with three new characters. Yup, three! Camicazi and Thuggery, both of whom are in the books, and Julian. Julian does not belong to me either, though. In fact, he belongs to Megadracosaurus, who helped me create him along with one other character that you will meet later.

The second part of this chapter is pretty chaotic, just to warn you. There's a lot of talking, and Camicazi is... shall we say, hyperactive. She'll tone it down a little in the next chapter, but I really had to capture her character and personality in the introduction. Hope you guys like my portrayal of her. :)

Anyway, enough talk. Most of you guys probably don't read this anyways. On with the story!

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were thrown into a boat.

Hiccup, Ari, and Tuffnut were in one boat, the other three in another. There were several of them along the shoreline. The Pirates were piling into them, pushing out into the water and away from land. Hiccup watched as they started floating away, the smoke from their supplies and the bodies in their camp rising over the trees, their boat burning on shore, and Freyja's still corpse on the beach.

She was trying to force herself to calm down, to hold face, even though her heart was broken at what had just occurred. She couldn't let the Pirates, Alvin, see her was weak, couldn't let them ask questions on why they cared so much about Freyja. It might have been too late for that now, what with the things she was shouting at them when they were killing her. She prayed that Anna was the only one who had been listening.

It was a battle just to fight back the tears. She looked at Ari to find him in a similar state. His jaw hard, his eyes locked forward, every muscle tight. His eyes were wet, the tears showing despite his best efforts. It shocked her, and only broke her heart even further. She had never seen Ari cry before, hadn't even thought it possible. Yet, here he was, the Perfect Viking, water threatening to spill from his eyes.

Her heart ached for him. She couldn't even imagine, couldn't even bring herself to try, what he was feeling. He had just lost Freyja, his best friend, his dragon, the one he bonded with and flew with everyday. She was dead. She shuddered just at the thought of losing Toothless.

She wanted to reach out to him, wrap him up in her arms, bury his head in her shoulder, let him cry freely away from other eyes. But she couldn't. They were prisoners of Alvin the Treacherous, bound at the wrists and squished into a rowboat with a dozen Pirates. Here, they had to be strong. But there was one thing she could do.

Slowly, so as not to be noticed, she shifted next to Ari, turning slightly to the side. Then, as best she could, she reached her bound hands over and slipped them into his.

Ari reacted immediately. He blinked, a single stray tear falling down, and his hands clasped so quickly and so tightly around hers that it hurt. She squeezed back as hard as she could, not even noticing the pain, not that she would care.

They were on the boat for several minutes, the Pirates rowing away further and further from shore. Hiccup was so out of it, so overwhelmed, that she didn't even notice that they were nearing a ship until Tuffnut kicked her, making her look up.

Her breath caught in her throat. She stared, wide eyed, as a shadow began to cast over them. This ship, this Pirate ship, was nothing like she anything she had ever seen before. 'Big' wasn't a fair enough word to describe it. It was huge. Gigantic. Easily ten times, if not more, the size of one of their Viking Vessels. So large, it had three masts, each with three sails on it. And just how far it was out of the water… Hiccup didn't know how they were going to get in it.

"Ari," she whispered, trying to break through his haze. She squeezed his hand. "Ari, look."

He blinked. His eyes came back into focus. He looked up. He blinked again, and suddenly he was back. His eyes narrowed. He scowled. Ari was back, and he was angry.

They came up right alongside the ship, and a latter was thrown over the side. A few of the pirates went up first, then, instead of untying them and letting them climb like Hiccup thought they would, her original captor, the giant, instead threw her over his shoulder and climbed the latter.

Hiccup fell roughly on her side on the deck. When she looked up, she found herself surrounded by sickening grins and sharp swords. She tried to stand, scrambling to her feet to back up away from them, but she was grabbed roughly by two men behind her and forced back onto her knees. Ari was soon forced down next to her, Tuff on her other side, and then the others further down all in a line.

Looking about the deck, Hiccup could only see two women. One was Anna, standing off to the side, trying her best to avoid any sort of eye contact, so it seemed. The other one, a young girl with black hair and eyes, stood next to Anna leaning against the railing, looking bored and eating something Hiccup couldn't identify.

The rest of the Pirates were men, whom were currently having a lot of fun with the six of them. Calling various inappropriate comments towards her and Ruffnut, they would provoke threats and violent responses from Ruff herself, Snotlout, Tuff, and, surprisingly, one from Fishlegs as well. Ari was still, silent. He didn't even flinch as they poked and prodded at him, trying to provoke him to fight.

This continued for several minutes, the boys getting angrier and angrier. But just as Hiccup was sure that someone was going to snap, that blood was going to be spilled, all went silent as a pair of boots hit the deck.

Alvin straightened the cuff on his sleeve, 'tsking' as he made his way over to the young Vikings. "Now, now," he told his crew, "please do not unnecessarily damage the new merchandise. After all, they will be defending our lives in a few days. We want them all to be in tip-top shape."

Snotlout sneered at him. "What makes you think we'll ever fight for the likes of you?" This earned him a punch in the gut by one of his captors.

Alvin answered him. "Do not deny anything before you have seen it, my boy. You will see. Soon, you will all be fighting for me willingly." He smiled, then stepped directly in front of the boy. He made his way down the line slowly, examining each of them carefully. He nodded in approval, humming in delight.

"Ah, yes," he said. "The Northern Islanders grow the best warriors. Fresh, young, strong Vikings. Born to kill, bred to die." He shivered with pleasure."Gives me goosebumps." His crew around him laughed. "And here I have the best of the best. The Vikings of Berk, fresh from their right of passage. Yes, you will all work perfectly."

Hiccup's mind was going crazy. There they were, far off shore, held captive on the Pirate ship of Alvin the Treacherous, and she didn't have the slightest idea as to why. All she knew was that Alvin wanted the heir to the Haddock name, but not the reason. He had kept them all alive so far, and though she hated to think it, this was thanks to Anna. But why keep the rest of them alive at all when all he wanted was the heir? What did he and Anna mean when they said they would help them in the end? And why did they hesitate right before they killed Freyja? It could all be summed up in one simple question.

What did they want?

Alvin stopped suddenly in front of Tuffnut. He frowned, stepping up to the boy and grabbing his chin, turning his face side to side. "Anna," he scolded, turning to the girl. He gestured to Tuff's bruised face and broken nose. "What did I tell you about playing with my toys? You always break them!" Anna shrugged, doing her best to avoid Tuff's eyes. Alvin sighed, turning back to him. "Well, all your limbs are still intact. You'll do." Then he got to Hiccup.

He frowned again. "You, however, I do not understand at all. What are you, other than the interest of this young man?" He pointed at Ari. "Even that doesn't make sense to me."

Hiccup didn't know how to answer. Ari had taken her name and position, and she was a terrible liar. What was she to say? But she didn't have to. Anna answered for her.

"A Port hand, perhaps," she said, drawing the attention of Alvin. "Or the daughter of the Master Translator. Either way, she must spend a lot of time on the docks and around trade ships. She knows Spanish."

Hiccup wasn't sure which she was more surprised at, the fact that Anna was so quick to sell her out (which, based on recent events, shouldn't have been all that surprising), or the fact that she was so wrong. The closest thing Berk had to a Master Translator was Gobber, who helped her father oversee the trades that came in, but that was mostly just when it involved new metals and weapon designs. Spitelout, her uncle and Snotlout's father, knew several languages too. Between the three of them, they all knew all the languages they ever came across. Both her father and Gobber had been teaching her in the past half-year. And there was no way Hiccup could be a Port hand. She wouldn't be able to stand being on the docks all the time.

All of this only added to her confusion and made her look at Anna again, wondering if the young Spanish woman actually believed what she was saying or if she was making it up. If she was, why?

"Really?" Alvin turned back to her, eyebrows raised. He looked her over again. "Hm. You don't look worked enough to be a Port hand. But the daughter of a Master Translator… I can see how that would be useful." He started circling around her slowly. "But only in a situation such as the one you ran into with Anna. Other than that, what do you have to offer this group aside from somewhat decent archery?" He rounded her completely, coming back to face her. "Your small, weak, emotionally unstable, and you have a limp. Were you born infirm?"

Hiccup blinked at his having noticed. She waited for Anna to tell him about her prosthetic. But, once again, Anna surprised her. She kept silent.

Alvin sighed and continued pacing, not even waiting for Hiccup to answer. "If you were on my ship, I would have killed you a long time ago. Oh wait. You are on my ship!" The crew laughed once more. Hiccup felt Ari tense up beside her. "But sadly, Anna has forbade me to kill you. It seems that I'll have to keep you alive for now." He pointed his hook at Ari's throat, forcing him to look up. "That is, if I'm going to get what I want from the boy Haddock."

More soft laughter from the crew. Ari took a few even breaths before he spoke. "And what is it that you want from us?" he asked through bared teeth.

A secretive smile grew on the man's face. "Oh, my boy," he said, leaning in close. "But that would ruin the surprise." He stepped back and addressed his crew. "Throw them in the Brig!"

Once again, everyone on the ship started moving all at once. Sails were being dropped, ropes pulled. An anchor rose from the water. They were dragged to their feet, then pulled towards stairs descending into the ship. And the last thing Hiccup saw before she was pushed down the stairs was her home, Berk, as it started to fade off into the distance, without even the slightest hope of ever seeing it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oof!"

They were brought down to a level of cells. Three lined each wall, with a large one in the back covered by a sheet. They were each put into one of the six cages. Hiccup was in the middle on one side, Ari and Fishlegs next to her on either side. Tuff was in the middle on the other end, his sister and Snotlout on either side of him. The thing was, not all of the cells were empty.

Hiccup was pushed roughly into hers, where her back collided into someones chest. Arms came up and caught her. Lips were pressed to her ear as the mystery person breathed, "Hello, Hiccup."

She tore away from him, stumbling back and turning around to face him. The tall, young man chuckled. "Long time no see," he said.

She squinted up at him, trying to make him out in the dim lighting with her eyes not having yet adjusted. "...Thuggery?" she asked in disbelief. She took him in. He was taller since the last time she saw him, his arms bigger, a nearly full beard starting to grow. Still, she would know that mess of dark hair and friendly smile anywhere.

He chuckled again and shrugged. "In the flesh." He nodded in Ari's direction in the cell next to them. "Hey, man." Ari gave him an uncertain nod, looking just as confused as Hiccup.

Thuggery, heir to the Meathead Tribe. The last time she saw him was over two years ago, when him and his father were visiting their island with some of the officials from their tribe. She hadn't seen him since, the visit having ended badly because of a 'disagreement' between their fathers over an arm wrestling competition.

What were the chances, of him being on Alvin's ship, being up in her cell? She was just about to ask him what he was doing there when a cry from Ruff caused them both to turn.

"Get your hands off me, creep!" she shouted at her cellmate.

The young man held his hands up in defence, a cocky smile on his face. "Whoa there, little darlin'," he said, pushing his brown locks out of his sea green eyes. "I'm one of the good guys."

"Obviously not. You're locked in a cell, moron!" she shot back.

"Pirates locked me in this cell, sweetheart," he deadpanned. "And believe me, my intentions were honorable. I was just trying to untie you."

She huffed in irritation and pulled a blade from her boot that the Pirates had missed, pushing him back against the bars and the blade to his throat. "Don't call me 'sweetheart'," she warned.

"Whoa there, hold on," came Thuggery. "Come on Ruff, I can vouch for Julian. He may be stupid, but he's harmless."

The green eyed boy, Julian apparently, looked hardly bothered by this comment. His cocky smile reappeared. "There, see?" he said, gently pushing the blade away from his throat. "Now why don't you put that knife away before you hurt yourself. Don't want to be cuttin' up those pretty little hands of yours."

"What he means to say," Thuggery interrupted before Ruff ran Julian through, "is that you should put the knife away before a guard comes in and find you with it."

"Wait," Ruff stopped, momentarily choosing to forget about Julian and stepping up to the bars, after pushing the boy to the ground, of course. She squinted at Thuggery through the bars across the aisle. "Thuggery?"

He smiled. "Yes, ma'am. Good to see you again, Ruff." He winked at her. Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, Ruff's cheeks took on a deep shade of red.

"Hang on," came Julian, righting himself and coming up next to Ruff, causing her to glare at him. "Thug, you know these Vikings?"

Thuggery chuckled again. "These aren't just any Vikings," he told Julian. "These are the Viking's of Berk, and the heir to the Haddock name." He gestured at Hiccup.

Julian's eyes went wide. "No way," he said. He pointed at Hiccup. "You're Hiccup the Dragon Conqueror?" He frowned. "You sure, Thug? She's kind of small."

"And she's standing right there, idiot," Tuff sneered, coming up to the bars connecting their cells.

In the next second, Ruff had him pinned to the ground, his arm pulled tightly behind his back. "And she's our friend," she spat.

Julian just chuckled weakly through the pain. "You have no idea how turned on I am right now."

"Julian, shut up," Thuggery warned him. He looked at Ruff. "Please excuse him. Like I said, he's not that bright, nor does he know how to talk to attractive young women." Ruff's face went red again. Fishlegs frowned. "But seriously, guys," Thug addressed the group. "We going to be stuck with each other for a while, so may as well get used to this." Suddenly, a distinct snore sounded through the air, silencing everyone.

"Uhm, guys?" came Snotlout. "There's one in my cell, too."

There was, in fact. Huddled in the corner under a blanket, a small figure snored loudly. Slowly, Snotlout approached the figure and reached out his hand.

"Um, I wouldn't-" Thuggery tried to warn, but it was too late.

As soon as Snotlout's hand came in contact with their shoulder, the figure shot upright and had a sword pointed directly at him.

"Stand still or die!" the girl cried.

"What the Hel?" Snotlout exclaimed, stepping back against the bars. "Relax, we're prisoners, just like you!"

"I don't believe you!" she said. "You're Roman spies! Draw your swords and fight like men, you cowards!"

"Viking's of Berk, Camicazi. Camicazi, Viking's of Berk," Thuggery introduced. "Now would you please put that sword away?"

She straightened up, suddenly calm. She even smiled. "Berkians, huh? Fancy meeting you lot here."

"Camicazi…" Hiccup mumbled thoughtfully, stepping up to the bars. She looked her over. She was small, just a few inches taller than Hiccup herself. Long blond hair, down her back. Deep brown eyes. She looked hauntingly familiar. "Don't I know you?"

"Camicazi," she introduced herself, sheathing her sword. "Heir to the Bog-Burgler Tribe." She gave a little bow.

"Great Odin's Ghost," Ruffnut shook her head. "This ship is full of royals."

"Way to immediately give yourself away," Julian scoffed. "No wonder Alvin caught you."

"Hey!" Camicazi burst out, springing forward and gripping the bars facing his cell. "Shut it, pretty boy! You have no room to talk! We were on this ship for three days, three days, and you got caught!"

"Three days?" Snotlout asked, frowning. "How long have you guys been on this ship? Are you undercover or something? And how did you get your sword back, anyway?"

Camicazi raised an eyebrow, approaching him slowly. "You're certainly curious. What's your name, muscles?"

Snotlout gulped uncertainly as she backed him against the bars. "Snotlout," he answered.

"Snotlout, huh?" She shrugged, then smiled. "I could dig it, hot stuff." He gulped again as she winked, then she stepped back. "To answer your question, we've been on this ship for almost two months. And, as you will learn, you can't keep a Bog-Burglar from her sword. I got it back the last time I broke out of here."

"You've been locked up in this cell for two months?" Ruff asked Julian in disbelief.

Julian shrugged. "Mostly." He smiled. "I get to scrub the deck on good behavior."

More conversation ensued, but Hiccup wasn't listening. Her eyes were still focused on Camicazi, trying to put the pieces together. "You're Martyr's sister?" She asked her. She clamped her mouth shut, immediately regretting having asked. If she was, which she was, then she would know about her 'engagement' to Martyr, and that was definitely not something she wanted brought up at the moment. She was suddenly very aware of Ari's presence just behind her.

The blond turned to her. "Yup, that's me!" She opened her mouth to say more, but was cut off, thankfully, by Tuffnut.

"So, wait a minute," he said. "Alvin has three heirs from three different tribes locked up on his ship? That can't be coincidence."

He was right, Hiccup thought, though it only made her more confused. It didn't make sense why Alvin wanted just the Haddock heir, let alone all three heirs from three of the most powerful Tribes in the Northern Sea.

"Ah, but it is!" Camicazi told him. "Thuggery and I are here by choice. In fact, the only reason we're still alive is because Alvin, sadly, isn't dumb enough to kill the Princess of the Bog-Burglars or the Prince of the Meatheads. No, the only person Alvin really wants here," she paused, then pointed right at Hiccup, "is you."

"Yeah, we got that," Ari spoke up for the first time. "But why?"

Camicazi didn't get to answer. The door to the cells opened and a very fat man walked in. "Light's out," he said, stomping up to the only two lit candles to blow them out."

"Really, Glen? Really?" Camicazi asked. "It's hours before sunset! Are you just naturally mean or is it because your fat? Does torturing us make you feel skinnier?"

The guard just rolled his eyes at her, though his face was flushed an angry red. "No," he said. "I just can't stand to see you're ugly face anymore." With that, he blew out the candles and started walking out.

"I swear to Thor, Glen!" Camicazi shouted after him, grabbing the bars and climbing up on them. "You'll regret this! You're the first person I kill when I take this ship, you fat bastard!"

The guard just laughed at her. "Yeah, good luck with that, blondie." The door slammed shut. Camicazi fell into a sitting position, grumbling a few colorful words under her breath.

"He's right though," Thuggery addressed the Berkians. "You lot should get some rest."

"You're taking his side?!" Camicazi cried, gesturing toward the door.

Someone pounded on the door. "Hey, shut up!" Glen shouted at her.

"Oh yeah?" Camicazi called back. "Why don't you come in here and make me, you-" She was cut off, Snotlout being sensible yet stupid enough to clasp his hand over her mouth.

She kept shouting things into his palm, demanding to be let go. Snotlout didn't budge. "Are you insane?" he hissed. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"Oh, Glen won't kill her," Thuggery waved him off. "No one on this ship would dare. Besides," he said a bit louder, "I think fighting with Camicazi is the only joy he gets out of life."

Glen pounded on the door again. "Last warning!"

Thuggery shrugged, though he was smiling. "Sleep well, everyone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiccup woke to a soft sob.

She hadn't been sleeping long. She laid awake for hours, her mind racing over all that had occurred in just half a day. Anna worked for Alvin. Freyja was dead. When her father came looking for them, he would think they were dead. They were locked up in cells on Alvin the Treacherous' Pirate ship, heading Odin knows where. They were getting farther and farther away from home by the minute. Alvin wanted her, but he thought he wanted Ari. They didn't know why. Two more heirs to different tribes were on the ship, too. Thuggery and Camicazi, along with their friend Julian. But apparently, they had nothing to do with what Alvin wanted, though they knew what it was. She had tried to go over it again and again, trying to make sense of it. But, eventually, it was too much for her mind to handle and she fell into a fitful sleep. Until, that is, she was awoken by the sound of someone crying.

She opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that Ari wasn't in front of her. They had fallen asleep facing each other, on opposite sides of the bars, holding hands. Now, he was sitting in a crouched position a few feet away, his back pressed against the bars, facing away from her. Another soft sob. It took Hiccup a few seconds to realize it had come from him.

Ari was crying. In the dark of the night, when everyone else was asleep, Ari had granted himself this moment to grieve, away from prying eyes. Hiccup's heart broke for him. Of course. Freyja.

Hiccup's stomach hurt just at the thought of losing Toothless. She couldn't even bring herself to imagine. Ari had lost his dragon. His flying companion. His best friend. It was a bond that only the Vikings of Berk were even beginning to understand. The trust that was built between two once enemies, the trust not to kill each other, to fly with each other, to perform stunts no one previous had even imagined. It was a trust that ran a connection deep within the pair, straight to their core. A bond similar and almost as highly valued as that of a lover. And now, for Ari, that bond was broken.

Hiccup felt tears come to her eyes. Ari made another soft sound, like a whimper. She had a moment of worry, wondering if she was intruding on something very private. But she wouldn't, couldn't, let him bear the weight of this loss on his own. She wasn't afraid to cry in front of Ari. She cared about him enough, and knew that he cared about her enough, that she knew he wouldn't hold it against her. She hoped that he wouldn't be afraid to weep in her presence either.

Slowly, so as not to startle him, she lifted herself up into a sitting position and scooched over to him, facing his back. Then, carefully, gently, she reached her arms through the bars, under his arms and around his chest. He tensed up at first. Hiccup thought he might pull away, try to cover it up or say he was fine. But, after a few agonizing seconds, he did just the opposite. One of his hands came up, clasping tightly around hers over his heart, while his other covered his wet face. His shoulders shook violently.

"Shh…" she whispered in his ear, her free hand stroking him soothingly. The tears had already started falling down her face. She didn't bother telling him that everything was fine or that they were going to be okay. Everything was not fine, obviously, and she had no idea what the future held for them. So, instead, she settled with the truth. "I'm right here."

He shuddered, then nodded his head, another quiet sob escaping him. She hugged him tighter. They stayed like that, for how long neither knew nor cared, crying and comforting each other in the darkness of the ship until they both fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Requests? I take them all. :)

Seriously though, what did you guys think? Any predictions? Think I captured different voices and characters well enough? It was definitely a struggle, let me tell you.

Well, next chapter, we get into a little bit of why Camicazi and Thuggery are on board, why Alvin wants the heir on bored, and then a little bit of Stoick and Toothless point of view. Sound good? No worries. It's going to be great. :)

Last but not least, here's a quote from the upcoming story, "Through the Eyes of Children: The Warriors". This one is from... Spitelout!

"I am loyal to you to the death, just as I was your father."

I can't wait to start posting that. It's going to be amazing. :D

Until next time!

~StoriesOfAnInsomniac