Chapter Twelve
A/N: Believe it or not, this is technically NOT the climax... XD
Toothless growls as Dagur steps out of the tree line. Or, at least, he tries to. With this muzzle on, it's hard to make any sound at all. At first, Hiccup doesn't notice him. It's once Astrid has been knocked out and Stormfly has been trapped, that Hiccup seems to hear his pursuer. There's a pained look on Toothless's face when his Rider turns and sees Dagur standing there, machete in hand.
It must seem like his worst nightmare come true...
"Aw, what's the matter Hiccup?" Dagur chuckles as he and his men begin to close in. "Did I scare you?" There are five of them in total. Clearly, Dagur hadn't thought it necessary to bring a large team to dispatch one, tiny boy.
Hiccup, however, doesn't seem to care how few of them there are. He's outnumbered and outmatched. Basically, he's doomed. And, by the look on his face, he knows it too.
Toothless's Rider stumbles backwards, his face paling at an alarming rate. If it wasn't for the sharp, terrified look in his eyes, Toothless would be worried he would simply faint. But no. Hiccup remains on his feet, trembling in terror as the object of his hallucinations and nightmares draws a bit closer.
"What's that look you're giving me, Hiccup?" Dagur snickers, reveling in the horrified look on his to-be victim's face. "Come now, no need to be afraid..." He can hardly contain the sadistic smile when he says, "I'm not gonna hurt you."
In Hiccup's defense, he does seem to sober up a little bit. He swallows and levels his gaze with Dagur's, determined not to let him see just how petrified he is. "Wh-what do you want, Dagur?!" He demands, slowly edging a bit closer to Toothless. Maybe if he can free him-
SLICE!
Hiccup yelps in pain as the knife cuts across his forearm, immediately spilling blood onto the grass. He grasps his arm, biting back a scream of agony when he touches the wound. Blood is already gushing between his fingers.
Dagur clicks his tongue and flips another throwing knife into the air, catching it with two fingers. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...why do you have to make everything so hard? I wasn't planning on hurting you..."
Hiccup forces a stiff laugh. "Or really? And here I thought you were out to get me." There's far less acidity in his voice than he would have liked. He just sounds scared when he wanted to sound bitter and angry. "Why do you even bother playing this game? Why not just kill me and get it over with?!" He's actually genuinely curious at this point. What is going through Dagur's head that makes him want to pull these sick tricks?
Dagur's smile melts, replaced by a fierce glint in his cold, green eyes. "Please, don't tempt me." He growls. "And it is tempting...I would love nothing more than to end your life right here and now."
Hiccup shrinks back, hearing that.
Dagur's smirk returns and he motions for his men to stay where they are as their leader casually strolls over to Hiccup, closing the comforting distance between them in seconds.
Hiccup whimpers quietly and steals a look at Toothless. He needs to free him. If Hiccup has to die...at least Toothless should be able to escape. Especially with his new tail, he doesn't need him anymore.
Toothless sees the desperation in his Riders eyes and mistakes it as a plead for help. He suddenly begins thrashing around, struggling his binds. He broken similar muzzles and bolas before. He can do it again!
"Men, secure the Night Fury!" Dagur shouts, jabbing a finger at the struggling dragon. "Make sure it doesn't escape!"
"No! Don't touch Toothle-" Hiccup is cut off when Dagur suddenly slams his fist into the boy's stomach. Immediately, he feels his wound tearing open and, this time, there's no suppressing his scream.
Toothless's eyes widen and his struggles increase. His whole body flops back and forth as he fights to free himself. The Berserkers close in, preparing to tighten his binds. However, Toothless uses his tail to swat them all away.
Dagur sighs in irritation at his men's incompetence. "Handle the beast!" He barks as he draws his arm away from Hiccup, allowing the boy to sink to his knees. But, of course, Dagur isn't quite done with him. He coils back his foot and kicks Hiccup square in the chest, knocking him to his side.
As Hiccup flops onto his back, all the breath is evacuated from his lungs. He gasps for air but it's been knocked out of him by Dagur's kick. He tries to sit up again but only ends up moaning in pain at his shredded wound.
"Come on! Is that all you've got, Hiccup?" Dagur sighs and shrugs. "I don't know why I expected this to be more fun. Oh well." He steps over Hiccup, placing one foot on each side of him. Then, kneeling down overtop of the teen, he pulls out a small knife.
Hiccup stiffens at the sight of it, unable to stop himself from remembering how it felt to be stabbed... A cold feeling creeps through his veins. Oh gods...
Dagur smiles at him, lowering the knife so that its razor-sharp point is whispering across Hiccup's cheek, just below his right eye. "I won't lose to you..." He hisses. "Not Stoick's little embarrassment..."
What is THAT supposed to mean...? Hiccup wonders weakly. He glances sideways. Have the Berserkers caught Toothless...? No. The Night Fury is still struggling, his frantic eyes locked on Hiccup. There's a desperate plea in the dragon's eyes. He's silently begging Hiccup to stay alive until he escapes. Sorry, bud... Hiccup says in his mind, secure in the knowledge his dragon will understand what he's thinking. There isn't much I can do...
And Toothless does see it in his friend's eyes. He can't fight anymore. His arm and stomach are bleeding at a dangerous rate. At this rate, he might die before Dagur even has the chance to finish him off.
"But don't worry, Hiccup." Dagur continues in a syrupy sweet voice. "I'll make sure your dragon is put out of his misery this time around...I won't make the same mistake again."
Put out of his misery... Hiccup turns back to Dagur. And scowls. He glares at his worst nightmare, anger suddenly bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. He's going to kill Toothless...probably Astrid and Stormfly too... Biting his lip, he makes his resolve. Unless I do something.
Dagur smiles at the fury in the boy's eyes. It's a good look for him, he muses. Then, applying a bit of pressure to the knife on Hiccup's cheek, he enjoys the sight of a bit of red welling up and eventually spilling over. However, he's taken slightly aback when Hiccup doesn't whimper pathetically or even flinch. What's this about?
Suddenly, he feels Hiccup tense up below him. The teen draws up his legs and, rocking back onto his shoulders, kicks Dagur square in the chest!
It doesn't hurt much but Dagur is shocked enough to actually lose his balance. Did Hiccup just...fight back? When he regains his composure, he sees that Hiccup is back on his feet and sprinting toward his dragon.
"STOP HIM!" Dagur shouts, furiously.
One of the Berserkers, who had been laying on the ground after being smacked by Toothless's tail, grabs Hiccup's ankle and tugs it out from under him. The teen goes crashing back to the forest floor, landing right on his torn stomach. He sees stars for a moment, the amount of pain nearly paralyzing him.
In that time, Dagur scrambles back over to Hiccup and flips him onto his back. Gripping the boy's wrists over his head in one hand, he pulls out his knife again with the other hand.
There's a swimmy look in Hiccup's eyes, as if he might pass out from blood loss and pain. So Dagur waits, wanting to make sure his prey is awake before ending it. And, surely enough, Hiccup's gaze comes back into focus.
"That was a valiant effort, runt." Dagur growls. "But, obviously, it wasn't enough." He leans in close, smiling once again when he hisses, "I'm gonna kill you, Hiccup. And then I'm going to kill your dragon...and then your little girlfriend...and then her dragon." He cocks his head to the side. "How does that sound?"
Hiccup's eyes harden again. Dagur can see the wheels turning as he tries to figure out how to escape again, or maybe just some witty comeback. But, instead of either, Hiccup...smiles. It's a dark smile, one that doesn't look natural on Hiccup's innocent face.
Dagur cries out in fury as Hiccup spits in his face. "LITTLE BRAT!" He screams, wiping the spit from his eyes. "MEN! GRAB HIM!"
The other Berserkers reach down and grab Hiccup's arms, hauling him to his feet. Then, with one well-placed kick to the back of the leg, Hiccup collapses to his knees. One man grabs his hair, pulling until his head is tipped back and his neck is exposed...
Dagur jumps his feet and yanks out his machete. "Say goodnight, Hiccup." He purrs, glaring at the boy. "You're dead."
A/N: Ohh the cliffhangers again! Sorry, guys. XD