I'm despicable I know I'm' sorry! I just got so caught up with school and stress for the longest time and since then I've just generally not been in a good place in my life. However I am now at a point where I have at least gained the will to keep writing this story and see it through! I always planned on finishing it but I just kept putting it off because I lacked the motivation to write. But it's back again so here you go and I'm so sorry for the long wait! I just want to make sure you're getting the best work I can do, not just some thrown together mess. Y'all rock!

Chapter 10

A small sliver of light inched it's way through the cracks of the cold, wooden doors. From inside looking out it would appear as if Heaven itself was on the other side. But from the outside looking in, the dark void of Hell itself could be seen.

Astrid was staring Hell in the face as she stood in front of those same wooden doors. A slight push and they slowly creaked open. Had anyone been inside this would be a salvation. Light poured in and darkness flushed out engulfing Astrid in a pool of death. The absence of light surrounded her and pulled her in, dragging her against her moral will and forcing her deeper and deeper into the abyss. The doors shut and all was at a standstill. The whispering of the stones was all Astrid could hear. They whispered words of warning, regret, and pity but their voices were silent. Astrid heard nothing.

The slight stir of a presence broke Astrid from her trance. She didn't remember getting to Outcast Island or finding the stone room. How long has it been? What exactly had she done that got her here? What time was it? Was it too late? Everything was a misty-eyed blur.

"'Ello," An all too familiar voice rang out from the shadows. "Back so soon, aren't we?"

"Yes." Was Astrid's weak, automatic reply. Her voice was failing her as if it had already been embedded in the silent stones.

"Just in time. Seems if ya threaten your scribes with death they write faster. I have a treaty." As if on command, a long piece of paper and writing utensil flew across the stone table. The devil himself seemed to conjure it out of the murky air.

"I don't give a dragon's-ass about who signs it as long as it gets signed." Alvin spat out. In response, Astrid walked toward this paper and without hesitation, signed it. Emotionless, she stared into the void until she began to make out the figure of Alvin looming over the tables other side.

"Huh," He scoffed. "Didn't even read it."

"I didn't need to," Astrid responded monotonously. "Because whatever loophole you put in there will never be as bad as what I'm going through now."

"Well, then I could 'ave squeaked in more."

"A deal's a deal, Alvin."

"Yes, lass. That's right. Good business, eh? Now, where's the 'appy bride?" Astrid didn't move a muscle. She stood there stone cold and weak but her eyes began their final adjustment to the darkness. She was beginning to see. She saw the treaty Alvin menacingly pushed forward and saw him looming over it. She saw her life and death flash before her eyes.

"What? Speak." Alvin spat out.

"I have the bride." Astrid blurted out mechanically.

"Good. Where's she?"

"Here."

"Where? She invisible? Some foolish Berkian dragon magic?"

"It's me." It was in this moment even the stones seemed to stop whispering. Everything was deathly quiet- too quiet. Not even the ringing in anyone's ears could be heard. Silence blanketed the great stone hall.

But almost as quickly as the silence fell, a great booming laugh ripped through it and restored all senses of sound. Alvin's maniacal chuckle shook the room to the core. Even the rocks seemed to quiver with fright. Tiny pebbles rolled away and sought shelter as the room echoed with the reverberating laugh.

"You're kidding!" Alvin exclaimed.

"'No." Astrid replied. She wasn't the least bit shaken up by his booming laughter. Unlike the stones, she remained still. She had no ability left in her to feel anything anymore. She was no longer human.

"You're married, lass. Or did ya forget that's the whole reason ya came 'ere!" Alvin yelled, suddenly bitter.

"I was married. Now I'm not."

"What, he kick the bucket already?"

"I got a divorce. I'm offering myself as the bride." Alvin began a slow walk toward Astrid all the while leaving his hand on the table. The sound of his metal rings and armor scrapped against the stone and pierced right into the soul.

"You? The bride?" He spoke while walking.

"Yes."

"Well, lass. Ya are a prize, eh? You're good. Too good. But you're damaged goods."

"I'm not damaged!" Astrid yelled back with sudden force. It was as if the word set off something inside her. A fuse was blown and if she had no self control, she would have taken her axe and beheaded Alvin right then and there. But she had no fight left in her. All she had now were her words but even those seemed to be failing her. She was the shell of the woman she used to be.

"Ya were married once," Alvin, unshaken by the yelling, pointed out. "Ya musta consummated the marriage did ya not?"

"Being the Chiefs son and all, and seeing how we changed laws with dragons, changing wedding tradition didn't seem like an issue."

"Ya never-"

"No." Astrid cut him off firmly and positively. Maybe her words weren't failing her after all. Such an eloquent lie escaped her lips and it was spoken in a too believable tone. Perhaps some hope was still left in her.

Alvin looked at Astrid for a while and sized her up. Even in the dark, Astrid could see Alvin's eyes scanning her entire body. She held her ground however, despite how uncomfortable it made her feel. If anything, she stood a little taller and flexed a little more. Anything to fool Alvin. Anything.

"I knew the little runt could never preform," Alvin let out a small laugh before continuing. "You're strong... strong... cunning... not half bad looking..." Alvin's eyes, fine-tuned to the dark, stopped on Astrid's midsection and lingered for a while. It's like he could see every detail of her in that stone cold room. Details he could never see outside in the light. He raised an eyebrow and smirked a little before moving his eyes down toward her legs.

"A little larger than I'd like but well-fed. Healthy." He continued to size her up and down over and over again. His eyes scanned and scanned looking for details no man had ever dared find. Details Astrid didn't even know where there. It seemed as if Alvin was doing this just to prolong the moment because Astrid had had enough of these games.

"When can I get married?" She asked, breaking away from his gaze and walking briskly toward him. Without even missing a beat, Alvin held out his hand to stop her.

"Wait a minute, lass. Ya want to marry my son?"

"I do."

"Ya divorced your husband, the man you're trying to save, for this?"

"Yes."

"Ya know this means-"

"I can never see Hiccup again. I know. But as long as he's alive and still there."

"This means ya can never go back. This island is your 'ome now."

"I'm aware of what I did to myself, now please-" Astrid made a b-line straight for Alvin despite his obvious sign of stop. Alvin matched her pace and met her in the middle. In response to her defiance, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and the treaty with the other.

"The wedding is tomorrow morning." He said sternly, locking eyes with her.

"But... He could be dead now for all I know."

"Tomorrow morning." Alvin repeated with deathly intimidation.

"Dawn." Astrid compromised. The last thing she wanted was a physical confrontation right now.

"I'll send a servant to ya to get ya settled. Enjoy ya new 'ome. You'll be 'ere forever," Alvin gripped Astrid's writ tighter than before and brought it up so it was between their eyes, breaking their gaze. "And if ya ever so much as think of leaving my son or this island, I'll see to it personally that ya and all ya stupid friends perish, okay... daughter?" Alvin threw down Astrid's wrist and she took a few steps backwards due to the force. She quickly regained her composure and turned her stance into a defiant one.

"Wouldn't dream of it... dad." She spat out. With that, Alvin sneered, turned around, and walked away into the darkness. The only sound heard after his heavy footsteps was the forceful slamming of a door. The whole room rattled with the aftershocks of the slam.

Now finally alone in the darkness, Astrid collapsed out of sheer exhaustion onto the cold floor below. Only, she was not alone. Hundreds of stone eyes cast their gaze down on her- staring, warning, pleading, watching. But these eyes were old and had long since lost their ability to truly feel. Astrid's eyes were the only eyes that cried.

Cloudy night blanketed Outcast Island quickly as it was late in the day when Astrid arrived. She had been given shelter in Alvin and Cory's home from now until their new one was built. Her new home to be exact. The one she would share with Cory and their eventual children. The thought of that sickened Astrid to the core and she did all she could to push it out of her mind. But despite her best efforts it still ate away at her. Each time she thought about it her stomach dropped and twisted and tried to kick its way out. Astrid had never felt this sick in her life. She wasn't sure that she would last any longer than Hiccup at this point.

Once this wedding was all said and done, maybe Astrid could find a way back home. Maybe, just maybe, Cory would have a little "accident" one day. Or maybe Berk's friendly neighborhood Dagur the Deranged would make a spontaneous and rather elaborate "kidnapping." The possibilities were endless. These were the thoughts Astrid thought about and mentally meticulously planned.

Astrid was sitting alone on a stiff wooden bed in a spare room within Alvin's spiraling stone palace. It was far more elaborate than any Viking home she's ever seen. Within the house was many separate rooms, one for cooking, three for sleeping, and one for just sitting and relaxing. How was it this beast of a man could live in a castle? Not to mention it was all made of stone. Maybe pillaging and slaughtering did have its perks.

Astrid sat upright on the stiff wooden bed with only a thin blanket draped over her knees. The blanket was nothing compared to the warm blankets of home. She sat with her arms tucked in front of her and her face buried in her hands, like a vertical fetal position. She had remained there like that ever since a servant showed her the quarters. No part of her dared move or explore what she haven't seen of the palace. She was exhausted from everything and ready to collapse. At this point, she was so emotionally drained she felt nothing anymore. Nothing phased her at all. She had seen the worst and been through the worst so nothing would ever measure up. She was completely shut down and now operated mechanically. Her lungs breathed, her heart pumped, her brain thought but they were all innate abilities.

"You promised me!" Hiccup's voice rang through her head. As if an electric shock ran through her body, Astrid jolted and shook off the blanket. Hiccup's voice spoke to her again and she thrashed. A few more times and her blanket was on the floor. A few times more and she was off the bed. She gripped her head tightly and groaned. Maybe if she countered the mental noise with verbal ones it would go away.

"Shut up," She shouted at nothing. "I don't want to hear it shut up! Ahh!" This scene played on for a few agonizing minutes. Astrid did everything in her power to rid her head of Hiccup. If all went as planned in the morning, she'd never see him again. It's best that she tried to forget now. Forget him, forget the pain, forget what true happiness and love feel like.

A loud screech not from Astrid or her subconscious broke through the sound barriers. Astrid recognized it immediately as the call of her dragon.

"Stormfly!" She shouted, lifting her hands away and running to the small stone window next to the bed. Before her eyes was her beloved Nadder, Stormfly. Her presence almost seemed to lift Astrid's worry and fear. If only she could just jump on her back, fly away, and forgot any of this ever happened. If she was never going to see Hiccup again why put herself through Hell? Why not let nature take its course and let her have a chance at finding happiness again? All it would take is a dragon ride and...

No. Astrid would never stoop so selfishly low. She was in too deep already anyway. Even if she wanted to leave it would violate the contact she just blindly signed and it would mean war for all of Berk. A war they wouldn't be prepared for with the Chief dead. And not to mention Astrid couldn't handle having that much blood on her hands. Her sanity was barely there to begin with.

"Stormfly," Astrid said smoothly. "I'm here girl. You must have heard me yelling. I'm okay... Just working some things out. But thank Odin you're here to-" Suddenly, as quickly as she appeared, Stormfly was gone. In the blink of an eye, before Astrid could process it to stop it, she was gone from the window.

"Stormfly!" Astrid yelled, leaning as far out of the small window as she could without falling. Looking down, she saw a horrific sight. Her dragon, her last hope and last hold on happiness, had been quickly chained down by rogue Outcasts. Two burly men were in the process of caging and muzzling her. Stormfly tried to call out but was meet only with pain.

"Remember Alvin's orders," the first man said. "Keep this dragon alive unless the feisty blonde goes back on her deal."

"That'll show her to sign a contact without reading it." The second man laughed. They proceed to lock the cage holding Stormfly and signal for other men to transport it elsewhere.

"No," Astrid whispered. "Not her," she spoke more fiercely, hauling herself in from the window. "It's time Alvin and I had a little renegotiation." Astrid grabbed her axe that was laid at the foot of her bed and angrily marched out the door. She was determined to find Alvin and wasn't going to hold back on her emotions this time. Mess with her dragon and you mess with Astrid. That's something no one should ever do.

It didn't take long to find the whereabouts of Outcast Island's Chief and ruler. If the strong smell of mead, loud and rowdy voices, and clanging of cups and silverware didn't give it away, the small sliver of light in the dark did. Alvin was in the room meant for relaxing, as if that was anything the Chief of the Outcasts did. But little known to Astrid, he wasn't alone. In fact, he wasn't even relaxing- he was celebrating.

Astrid had planned to go in axe blazing once she saw the light but she stopped when she heard the voices from outside the door. One was definitely Alvin's but the other was... Cory?

"Ya wouldn't believe the look on her face!" Alvin shouted and Cory laughed.

"Show me again, dad!" Cory roared. There was a slight pause and then the room erupted with boisterous cackling and cups clinking.

"Another round, eh boy?"

"You're the best, dad. Oh man, am I glad you're my father. Who else would get me the best and most desired bride in the entire archipelago? You, that's who. Man I love you, dad."

"I wasn't planning on her, son! She was a 'appy surprise! I was planning on the dumb-witted other blonde one and... I dunno, straightening her out but this? Who'd 'ave thought!"

"And she's still clean! This day couldn't have gone better. Man, dad I love you, dad."

"Just wait till tomorrow, son. Then you can 'ave all your fun."

"And to think I doubted you, dad. I mean, that ambush attack! Who'da thought it woulda worked! I thought the runt was gonna best you, I did."

"The 'ol 'diversion attack to secretly poison the Chief' bit always works, son. Remember that. Alls ya gotta do is place a little poison on tip of ya sword and-"

"And not just any poison! Ravenous poison that kills you slowly but gets worse every time you eat or drink so if it doesn't kill you first the starvation or dehydration will! Dad you're a genius!"

"And to top it off, poison only we 'ave the antidote to. I thought it'd take the lass longer to cave but I overestimated her."

"Oh, dad. Did I ever tell you I loved you."

"Don't drink too much, son. We need you at your wedding tomorrow or I'll 'ave to marry the broad myself."

"Poison the Chief. Why didn't I think of that? It's golden!"

"Quiet down, son! Unless ya want the entire archipelago to 'ear ya!"

"I love you, dad."

Astrid never went into the room that night. She only sat against the wall completely void of emotions until she heard the men starting to leave. But that wasn't until the late, late hours of the night.

I finally finished the chapter! Wow, go me! Small goals, small goals. Again, I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the earth like I always do. I just live a very stressful life haha but it's all good. I'm going to finish this story before the one year anniversary of it because even I'm sick of waiting so long. I can promise you in the next coming chapters there will be drama, last-second plot twists, and... deathhhhhh. Stay tuned to find out how this all goes down! I'll try to have the next chapter out within the next week or two but I'm not very good about keeping my promises. I will keep them though if you keep on reading and keep on supporting! You guys keep me going. :D