A/N: I feel like it's easier to reply to your reviews in one text this time... Yes, Angrycup is awesome! I love him and it was about time to happen! But TheGoldenDragoness is right, violence and anger are not the best ways to solve a conflict. And I don't think that it would be very Hiccup anyway. He's not like that!

Aside from that, yes, Geir definitely deserves more than just losing a couple of teeth and a formal trial... But we're not there yet.

And to address the issue mentioned by Fireflights: You are right, the dragons' reaction should be stronger. And I think it actually is stronger than described in these last chapters (and I'm just not good at describing their actions...). Stormfly ran straight toward Astrid and I think she would first make sure she's alright and safe before she would attack anyone. She wasn't there after all so she doesn't even know who harmed her human. And Toothless learned to be a threatening shadow during the past days, I think. Not actively attacking but always around Hiccup to remind the Redthorns of his presence. Mind you, their time will come...

And to Ulcaasi: Haha, glad to have you back! ;) And thanks once more for all your efforts. (But shouldn't it generally be 'They had drunk...'?) And, well... being on your guard when it comes to stories is surely not the worst thing...

And finally: Thank you all again for your overwhelming feedback! Httyd. toothless, thanks especially for putting in so much effort and translate your review. That means a lot to me! :)

. o O o .

Chapter 14: Revenge (Part 2)

Even several minutes later, Hiccup was still shaking with rage. How dare he? How dare Geir mock him with that trick with the coin? His attacking and groping Astrid and boasting about it afterward had been bad enough already but those were things he could get him punished for. That trick though? It had been too much! Hiccup wanted to… He didn't know what exactly he wanted to do to Geir. Hurt him! Make him pay! How dare he lay hand on Astrid?

His thoughts went in circles while his feet did the same and he barely noticed how the Hall became more and more empty. The Redthorns were gone, led back to their hut where they would stay until they left the next morning. He'd thought about imprisoning them but aside from Geir, he had no solid reason to do so. And he'd rather have them all in one place than needing to guard two houses.

His men were gone, too, Eret and Dagur with them. His two friends were experienced enough, knew how to treat prisoners and knew what to heed when it came to their safekeeping. He wasn't able to do this himself. He should be! He was the Chief, he had to take care of matters like this. But he couldn't do it right now. He was too wrought up, too tightly wound to think clearly.

Astrid and the other women were gone as well. She'd thrown him an intense look when Legs and Helka had led her outside, something between an appreciative smile, concerned anxiety and still some shocked dizziness. She was okay! He had to keep that in mind. She wasn't injured. Geir surely had scared her and he hadn't forgotten the bruise on her breast. He surely had hurt her as well to leave a mark like this. He had marked her…

Hiccup took a deep, shuddery breath and sank down on a nearby bench. He'd heard of cultures where a woman would be shunned for being touched by another man but luckily, Berk was different. It surely didn't matter to him, it wasn't like she'd wanted this after all. But the fact remained, Geir had touched her and had left a visible mark that would remind her of what had happened. Astrid was strong, one of the strongest persons he knew but even she might not be able to get over this without struggles. But he would support her with everything he had! And at least Geir hadn't had the chance to rape her for real.

Once more he went through what she'd said, how Geir must have crept up on her. She'd been looking for him, Hiccup! If only he would have returned to her, would have kept his promise to her. Nothing would have happened, she would have been safe… but for how long? As bad as it sounded in his own head, they might have been lucky. Now he had a good reason to keep them locked up until their departure and nothing serious had happened. Sure, it must have been a shock to Astrid when he came at her, distracted by a contraction as she had b-

His eyes widened and for a moment, his heart stopped beating. She'd had a contraction, she'd said. Not a Braxton Hicks contraction, just a contraction. A real one! He gasped once, almost painful. The thought had come up earlier already but it had been just a faint idea, not enough to settle in his mind. I don't think so. That's what she'd said. Retrospectively, that didn't sound convincing!

A second later, Hiccup was on his feet and sprinted out of the Great Hall as fast as he could. If Astrid had had a contraction, if it was starting for real, if their baby was on its way… He all but flew down the stairs, too impatient even to wait for Toothless whose confused warbles he could hear from behind him. Still at full speed, he threw the door to their house open and burst into the main room. And froze as five pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise. Helka turned away immediately again as did Gothi, both leading Astrid back into their bedroom. Her expression changed to apologetic while her mother glared at him.

"Out!" She said in a voice that didn't tolerate any backtalk. Hiccup obeyed reflexively, turned and left the house a moment later again before he heard the bolt being pushed into place. And only then did he remember that he was the Chief and that this was his house!

Chuckling shakily, Hiccup leaned against the door, arms crossed in front of him and looked up into the sky. Brenna Hofferson had been right, he had no business in there while Astrid got examined. He would need to wait until they were finished. Toothless gave him a confused look and nudged his leg with a low rumbling noise. It was a clear invitation to a flight but he couldn't leave this spot, not until he knew for sure. Time seemed to stretch endlessly though. But he would be patient. He would be good, would wait, would not go in there where he wasn't welcome right now.

Logically, he knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. But when Astrid's mother finally unbarred the door and let him back in, he felt like hours must have passed. She gave him an appeasing nod but immediately scuttled away again without a word. He followed her cautiously and saw her and his own mother rearranging the furniture in his living room, instructed by Gothi's wild gestures. What a weird picture…

A little confused, he went past them and into their small bedroom. Astrid sat at the bed's edge and smiled up at him when he entered. She reached out to him and he went to help her up.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked, placing one hand on her cheek and the other on her bump but Astrid's unconcerned expression told him enough.

"I'm… We are alright," She said with a warm gleam in her eyes.

"It's all right, so far as I can say," Helka said matter-of-factly from the back of the room where she was cleaning her hands and arms methodically. "The baby is still moving as much as one can expect at this point and everything is as it should be. It shouldn't be long now anymore" She laid a reassuring hand on Astrid's shoulder who sighed in relief. "I'll go and check the front room," Helka announced a moment later, unsubtly leaving them alone for now.

For a minute, there as an almost awkward silence between them. Hiccup wasn't sure what to say, what to ask, where to start.

"What are they doing out there?" he finally brought forth, curious even though it wasn't what really bothered him, not what was important.

"They are preparing the room… You know, making space. Helka said it might be too small in here and then there's the fire in the other room. Better to have it warm enough and have hot water always in reach…" Astrid trailed off, swallowing and biting her lip. She was nervous, that much was obvious and Hiccup could understand her all too well. She'd had a contraction. A real one! It was starting for real now and he couldn't deny that he was nervous, too. Even though there wasn't much for him to do.

During the sometimes hourlong procedure of delivering a child, men were not allowed to be present if it could be helped. It was considered ill luck. Just a midwife, mother, aunts, and whichever other female companion was desired were allowed to help but no men. This wasn't new to Hiccup, the custom as old as Berk itself. All he would be able to do was waiting, supported by friends and hoping that it wouldn't take too long and nothing would go wrong. Often, a lot of mead was drunken on these occasions but Hiccup would forego that. He still didn't feel entirely sober after the night before. Although… He remembered well how he'd supported Snot a couple of months ago (Eret hadn't needed much of support, his overflowing confidence had been enough). He remembered those pained screams and how he'd gladly accepted the mead then and it had been only Ruffnut. Yes, those had been four endless hours!

Hiccup got torn out of his memories when Astrid stepped closer toward him and leaned against his chest. She didn't say anything but the fact that she was seeking his closeness was enough. "How are you?" He asked again in a low voice and when she answered with a careful "I'm fine?" he just shook his head. It was not what he meant and she knew that. She huddled even closer, hiding her face against his tunic as he noticed before she began to speak.

"I don't know," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "It's all so fuzzy and I try not to think about it. He… he startled me. He scared me! I thought…" She paused, cradling her bump and a slight shiver ran down her back. "I don't know. It's not too bad I think. Now that I know he didn't harm the baby, it's okay. Aside from this fear, the worst part wasn't even… what he did but feeling so… helpless!" An intense shiver ran through her body and Hiccup tightened his arms around her. It was so Astrid to see being helpless as the worst of what had happened.

"He will pay for what he did to you!" He whispered urgently and wished, not for the first time, Geir would choose a trial on Berk. It would be slow and agonizing and painful and –

Hiccup shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. They haunted him ever since he'd heard Tuff's gasped remark and they weren't him. Yes, he wanted Geir to suffer, suffer greatly, but he wasn't sure whether he could do it himself. He didn't enjoy pain in any way under normal circumstances and wouldn't even know where to start if he were to punish Geir.

"I know he will," she said in a lighter voice and even smiled cautiously up at him. "And I'm proud of you, you know? Giving him to the Chief's tribunal? It's the right thing to do, maybe will scare off others, too. Although…" she gave him an impish grin. "If I were in the mood I'd say watching you punch him in the face was damn sexy!"

Hiccup chuckled slightly and shook his head. His hand still throbbed from that punch but he wouldn't deny that it had been worth it, all things considered. "You're unbelievable," He murmured. "Have I told you that today already? Because if not I absolutely need to do so now!"

"Mmhh, no I think you haven't"

"You're unbelievable!" He leaned down to kiss her, one hand on her cheek to cup her face and the other on her back. "And I love you!" With a happy sigh, she returned the kiss, stretching for a better angle and only retreated when her tight expression and low gasp indicated another contraction.

She clung to his arms for stabilization, fingernails digging into his skin but he didn't care either way. He held her as best he could while she took a few labored breaths before relaxing again. "I wish I could help you!" He murmured some seconds later, this hands rubbing her arms. "I wish I could take the pain for you. I hate to see you like this!"

"Then it's a good thing you won't be seeing me," Astrid chuckled shakily. "And no, you don't want to take it, believe me! I thought I was used to pain but this is something different entirely. And yay, lucky me, it's only about to get worse" She smiled up at him but Hiccup could see the strain beneath that smile.

"But do you know what keeps me going?" she asked somewhat lighter a minute later. Hiccup shook his head in confusion and she took his hand in hers. "This" Astrid laid his hand on her bump so he could feel the movement inside. "Because it's worth it!"

Smiling warmly, Hiccup took her into his arms again and placed a kiss on her forehead, mindful not to get carried away again. "I know," he mumbled against her skin. "I just wish I could do more!"

Astrid was quiet for a while but then murmured: "Maybe you can…" Confused, Hiccup drew back to throw her a quizzical look but she just gave him a tightlipped smile and pulled him along into the living room.

The room had changed a lot during the short minutes he'd been with Astrid. Safe from Helka who stood near the fire, it was empty. The heavy table and all chairs stood to the sides of the room, serving as storage shelves for countless buckets, piles of clean cloth and other useful looking things. In the middle of the room was now a relatively wide open space around the smaller bed that had served Astrid as a bench during the last weeks. It looked… practical.

Astrid tugged him along and approached Helka who seemed to prepare some sort of tea. When she saw the two of them, she paused and smiled. "What can I do for you?" She asked, looking from one to the other. "It's all prepared now, all we can do is waiting for your contractions to come more regularly and do their work"

Hiccup bit his lip. He knew how much Astrid hated to wait in general and especially in this situation it would be virtually maddening. But she seemed unaffected by her aunt's words and just nodded. Hiccup wanted to look at her face, to get an impression of how she felt but couldn't get a good glimpse. Almost as if-

"Hiccup wanted to know whether he can do something to help" She stated monotonously and now Hiccup was sure she hid her face on purpose.

Helka threw her an unreadable look, then crossed her arms and turned toward him. "Astrid needs to move! Take a walk or climb some stairs. And she needs some fresh air and distraction" She said all this while almost glaring at Hiccup and it gave him more than one painful sting.

So Astrid didn't dare to ask him herself anymore? She thought she would need Helka to support her request with logic and reason? And Helka, too, seemed to believe he wouldn't allow it easily? After what had happened the last time he'd tried to keep her safely inside?

With a bitter lump in his throat, he turned Astrid around to look at him. For a moment, he thought she would try to fight it, but when she finally did look up at him, he saw the same desperate plea in her eyes he'd seen there earlier, before –

Before!

None of that would have happened if he just would have gone for a short walk with her! Nothing would have happened if he had trusted that he and the dragons were enough protection. She would never have gone looking for him and Geir wouldn't have gotten her into his filthy hands.

Swallowing hard, he nodded and the radiant and grateful smile that appeared on Astrid's face stung even more than Helka's words before. "Of course, you can go outside," he mumbled guiltily. "I shouldn't have kept you from doing so anyway. It was stupid and – Gods, I'm so sorry!" He took her hand and brought it to his lips to press them fervidly against her skin. He would never be able to make it up to her! If he just hadn't been so paranoid, just…

Of course, the threat had been real! Geir's attack had proven that much. And he was still here on Berk, still way too close for his taste. But he and his father were safely detained. They were locked up in Spite's hut with several men and a small army of dragons keeping watch. They were no threat anymore. And yet…

"But don't go alone, okay?" He whispered, grimacing. "I would go with you, but I need to talk things through with Dagur and the others. Just don't go alone anyway. Please? These contractions… you could trip or… I don't know…"

"Don't worry. I don't intend to go alone!" She interrupted him. "Valka will be here again any minute to keep me company and distract me. And if we go outside, I doubt we could keep Stormfly and Cloudjumper away even if we tried. Would that be sufficient?"

Hiccup swallowed and nodded. "It is," he mumbled, squeezing her hand in further search for forgiveness. He would need to earn it though and today was not the day he could do it. Sometimes he hated being Chief and all the responsibility that came with it. He wanted to stay with her, distract and help her as long and as best he could. But he had no time! This might very well be the most important day of their lives, the birth of their child, and he had no time because he needed to discuss how to go about a trial.

Hiccup stayed as long as he could justify it. But when his mother appeared half an hour later, his time here was up.

"Don't look so grim," Astrid told him with a smile. "I'll see you later. And if it really should start before you're finished with your planning then I'll even have a gift for you" She winked and drew him down into a firm kiss while his mother kindly pretended to be busy.

Hiccup held her tightly and searched for words to say. Good luck? Have fun? Neither was appropriate. He retreated to look at her, maybe convey what he meant through their eyes and that seemed to work better. Astrid's expression softened further.

"Don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine!" She said and reached up to caress his cheek. Hiccup leaned into her touch, seeking her warmth and reassurance. How was it that suddenly she comforted him? Shouldn't it be the other way around? But that was how it always had been. Astrid was his strength and always would be.

On his way through the village and down toward the Ingerman's house where Dagur temporarily resided, Hiccup was intercepted by Eret. The ex-trapper had a grim expression on his face and at first, Hiccup feared further bad news. But there was none of that in Eret's eyes, his problem seemed to be of a more personal nature.

"Chief?" he started insecurely. "Do you have a moment?"

Hiccup ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath to buy some time to think. No, he didn't have time for anything else in addition right now but Eret seemed restless so Hiccup nodded.

"Just a moment though, I'm on my way to talk to Dagur. Although you might come, too, every head might be useful. We should go and wake Snot as well and we can talk on the way?" Eret nodded and they made their way down the stone steps.

"How is Astrid?" He asked after a while and Hiccup smiled faintly. There was real concern in the other man's voice even though it was obviously not what really bothered him.

"A bit shaken but alright. She's tough, tougher than anyone else I know" Hiccup threw Eret a curious glance but got no further comment.

"So… what is it?" Hiccup asked after a minute of silence and Eret flinched as if startled out of his thoughts by Hiccup's words.

"I…" he began hesitantly but soon started to talk faster. "It's… I need to apologize! It's all my fault! If I had been more observant Geir wouldn't have had the chance to get to Astrid. I'm sorry! It was my job to keep an eye on them and I failed you. This shouldn't have happened. I should have prevented it from happening! I-"

"Stop, right there!" Hiccup interrupted him and stopped walking as well. He had wanted to talk to Eret about what and how the attack had happened but not to put any blame on the ex-trapper. As things were with guilt however, logic was only rarely applicable. "Eret, I don't blame you for what happened. I simply should have kept my word and everything would have been fine" Eret threw him a confused look but Hiccup shook his head. "Nevermind! But since we're on that topic anyway, can you tell me what exactly happened? Astrid doesn't remember much"

"Alright," Eret started hesitantly. "But… I don't really know much either. I had no idea Astrid was in the Great Hall, I hadn't seen her come in or anything. Everything became a bit chaotic when Ruff and Lia came in and refused to stay at a table in the back again. Ruff said it would be too boring and that, surely, I could make sure nothing happened to her and Refflout and…" He scratched his neck, obviously embarrassed. "Well, I can't really deny her anything…" At this, Hiccup grimaced in faint amusement. He knew that feeling all too well.

"Anyway," Eret continued. "I was distracted, tried to stay between them, especially after those comments Geir and Magnus had made before. You know, about our relationship. I didn't want them to bother her with that, too. And I think Dagur felt similarly about Lia. She was a Berserker once, after all. I guess that feeling of responsibility never really goes away. So we were both busy and distracted and when Geir requested his escort when he needed the outhouse… Well, I just told him to go and shit on his own. I didn't know Astrid was back there, I swear, I didn't. I wouldn't have let him out of my sight if I had!" Hiccup nodded grimly. He didn't doubt Eret. "I don't know for how long he was gone… Magnus became a bit too physical, which is disgusting. Lia could be his daughter. Granddaughter even! Anyway, we exchanged some louder words and Tuff especially so we didn't notice…" He trailed off and his face darkened further. "Mind you, thinking about it now I believe Magnus did that on purpose. To distract us!" He balled his hands into angry fists. "We didn't notice and everyone's attention was on Magnus. We didn't hear anything except his loud complains, had no time to look around…

"It was actually Laif who caught my attention," Eret went on after a short pause. "The boy got a weird expression. Angry, as far as one can say that with his impassive behavior. And he stood up from his place, which he practically never does as you know. At first, I thought he was looking at me, angry that I wouldn't let his daddy grope a girl who's barely older than himself. But then I realized he was looking past me!" Eret's gaze wandered down to the ground, hands and lips pressed tight for a moment.

"We were on him only seconds later… Astrid was barely conscious anymore but he snarled at us to leave him be, he would just need another moment or two… When I saw him rutting against her, heard his disgusting grunts… I was so close to killing him on the spot! I just grabbed my sword and… And he just dropped her! Just like that. I… For a moment I thought she was dead…"

Hiccup's heart was racing as Eret's words became pictures in his mind. He'd successfully banished every thought of Geir during the last hour with Astrid but now… "I'm glad you didn't kill him…" he heard himself mutter and Eret grunted in agreement.

It would have been too quick.

. o O o .

It was as if she could still feel his hand on her breast.

Astrid sat on a chair near the hearth, sipping at a cup of tea and stared into the flames. She wore a new dress, the torn one burning to ashes right now. She could have mended the tear, that wouldn't even have been difficult. Or she could have used the fabric for something else, a shirt or baby clothes. But instead, she'd thrown it into the fire. She couldn't stand the thought of anything touching her or her child that had been touched by him before.

Once more, her hand ghosted over her chest, over the covered bruise there and gulped. It would be a while before it faded and probably even longer still before the memory did as well. What she'd told Hiccup earlier had been the truth, she was alright. She had more important things on her mind than fretting about how that creep had groped her. Nothing had happened, neither to her or her child. She was fine! She just needed a little time for the memory to go away…

"Okay!" came Valka's optimistic voice from the back door. "That should be enough wood to keep the fire burning for days! Are you up for a little stroll around the island now?" The tall woman winked at her and Astrid was on her feet a moment later. This was just what she needed. Some exercise and distraction!

She and Valka spent all afternoon walking around the island at a slow pace. They stayed close to the village and paused every now and then when Astrid needed a break or when a contraction made itself noticeable. Only once it was one of those real, painful ones though, and Astrid was close to losing her hope again. She wanted it to be over, dammit!

Spending so much time with Valka was weird at first. Astrid wasn't shy but wasn't so sure about what to talk with Hiccup's mom either. Usually, they would talk about dragon training or fighting techniques but neither was of any interest to Astrid right now. And when Valka had been around as her bodyguard, Astrid had been mostly asleep. So they walked quietly for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. That was okay. Astrid was just so glad to be outside, to finally see the sky and the trees again. But when they'd reached the top of a cliff, Valka broke the silence in a way Astrid hadn't exactly expected.

"Funny, how one remembers the strangest things sometimes," she mused out of the blue. "I thought I'd forgotten almost everything about my former life here but sometimes…" she shook her head and looked around at the wide field of grass surrounding them and at the low rock protruding from the ground on which Astrid sat now.

Astrid waited but Valka said no more. She didn't want to pry but surely Valka wouldn't have said anything if she didn't want to talk about it at all. "What did you remember?" she asked casually, her gaze lingering on the far horizon, her arms cradling her bump.

Valka chuckled lowly. "A weird kind of déjà vu. I've been here before, you know? Except…" she trailed off and when Astrid finally turned to look at her curiously, she found the other woman lost in memories and shaking her head, smiling. She was about to say something when Valka kept talking a little later after all.

"I remember sitting here, on this exact stone," she said in a low voice. "Accompanied by a heavily pregnant friend. Except I was pregnant, too. With all that happened back then I've almost forgotten this bit. It was a very long time ago…" She paused again and sat down beside Astrid on the stone. "We sat here, Brenna and I, and looked out over these exact sea stacks and rocks. She was supposed to deliver any day back then and so restless. Just like you now," she chuckled lightly and Astrid smiled to herself. To know her mother had been in this exact situation as well was soothing in a way. "We talked for hours, about how it would be to be mothers. It's something one can't comprehend until it is true but we tried anyway. I remember how we hoped our kids would get along well" She chuckled again and Astrid couldn't help but chime in. Yes, their kids got along excellently!

"And then, on our way back," Valka continued a bit more subdued. "my waters broke. Out of nowhere. I wasn't due for at least two more months, but…" She shrugged and shook her head. "I think Brenna was a little miffed that I would deliver before her when she waited so desperately for it to happen. And it all happened so fast! I was brought home and only a few hours later, Hiccup was born. He was so small! I think some envied me for the relatively easy delivery… but not for long. He was so frail and weak…Three months later, Brenna came to visit with her little girl in her arms. You were a sturdy little thing, already ready to battle the world while Hiccup was still so weak that we didn't know whether he would make it through the winter. I was so worried about him…" Her gaze drifted off into the far distance of the past, concern and worries resurfacing as if they were still real.

"That has changed, you know?" Astrid replied when Valka stayed quiet for a while. "He's not weak anymore!"

"Oh, I know that! And I didn't mean to imply otherwise! It's just… What I meant to say is, be glad that it takes this long. It might be harder for you now but for your child, it's better that way. Let it be born when it's ready"

Astrid ducked her head and sighed. Others had told her that before, she knew all this but it didn't help. Except…

Hiccup could so easily have died as a newborn baby. And how would her life be right now without him? She might be married to Snot or maybe someone from another tribe. Or she might be dead, killed in a dragon raid. All just because he'd been born two months early.

A small smile crept across her face as she caressed her belly. Right now, two months seemed like an eternity. Even the thought of having to wait two more days was more than she could bear! But Valka was right. It was nothing compared with the worries afterward.

With a relaxed sigh, she leaned back a bit, enjoying the last rays of the setting sun on her face. She could wait, however long it would take. It was worth it after all.

"But aside from that," Valka's voice sounded weirdly detached as she suddenly spoke again and her gaze had become dreamily. "When you finally hold your baby in your arms… When you hear its first scream, it's announcement into life. There's nothing that compares to that moment!"

With a smile, Astrid looked up into the colorful sky. She was looking forward to that moment!

It was already dark when Astrid and Valka finally made their way back to the village. There hadn't been any more contractions but Astrid felt at ease with that. It would happen sooner or later. When her baby was ready. There was no way to hurry it up anyway.

It was a warm night and the two women were in no rush. They ambled through the narrow alleys between the houses, talked and laughed. It was late, some houses already without any light as their inhabitants had already gone to bed. The Ingerman's house was one of the few still lit with several candles so Hiccup and the others were still discussing this trial. Weird, what was there to discuss? It had sounded like a pretty solid plan already when Hiccup had talked about it in the Hall earlier. Ah, well. He would tell her later all about i-

Astrid gasped in surprise when she ran into something solid. No, not solid. Valka had stopped in her tracks without any warning in front of her.

"Valka? What's the-"

"Shh!" Valka interrupted her and lifted one hand to indicate Astrid to be quiet. She frowned and was about to asked again a minute later when she finally heard the noises, too. Were those… "Dragon calls?" She asked in a low whisper and Valka nodded. The calls sounded angry as if the dragons were fighting.

"It comes from the stables," Valka murmured, surprise clear in her voice. "Maybe a newcomer, they normally react a bit hostile to those. Horrible timing though…" She sighed and turned toward Astrid. "I need to check what's going on there. You'll be alright? Hold on to Stormfly if you get another contraction and I'll meet you at your house when I'm done. It shouldn't take too long" Astrid nodded and watched Valka climb on Cloudjumper's head in her usual dizzying way and a moment later they were gone.

"Alright, girl. Shall we?" Astrid petted her Nadder's neck lightly and Stormfly answered with a low trill. Slowly, they made their way through the quiet night and reached the Haddock house a few minutes later.

Reflexively, Astrid opened the door and felt in the dark for the bolt to lock up behind her immediately but then paused. There was no need to lock the door anymore. In fact, there was no need to go directly inside at all! She could stay with Stormfly instead, in her stable or on the cliff behind the house. Being inside now again, in that already prepared room and all on her own with nobody to distract her… No, that would just drive her insane again! Talking to Valka had served a great deal to calm her, she would not ruin that now.

Astrid led Stormfly around the house and to the cliff to watch the ocean below some more. The constant rising and falling of the water and the waves crashing against the sheer cliffside had something strangely soothing. For she didn't know how long, she sat on another low rock and simply gazed into the night while Stormfly lay behind her. Astrid thought the dragon might be resting but got put right when the scaly head suddenly perked up. Stormfly made a low chirping noise into the dark that sounded almost questioningly and Astrid tried to make out any movement in the shadows.

"What is it, girl?" Astrid asked, one hand calmingly on her dragon's back but Stormfly didn't react. Instead, she was on her feet a moment later and disappeared into the shadows between the house and the rock wall a few yards away.

"Stormfly, wait! Come back!" Astrid called after her but got no reaction. Chewing her lip, she waited for her dragon to reappear or at least to make any sound. But there was nothing, just the rumbling of the waves down below. For a minute or two, she just waited, anxious about what had upset Stormfly but then decided it would do her no good to simply sit there on her own. With more effort than she liked, Astrid got back up on her feet and followed Stormfly into the shadows.

"Stormfly, where are you?" she called out in a low whisper, an uneasy feeling creeping up her back. She shouldn't be here, all on her own. Stormfly should be with her, as should Valka and Cloudjumper. Ideally, she shouldn't even be here but in their house, behind a barred door. All these thoughts crossed her mind in an instant when a pair of broad arms reached out of the darkness and grabbed her.

Not again! was all she was able to think as she tried to scream but was silenced by a large hand over her mouth.

"Hello again!" came a low, menacing voice out of the shadows and an intense feeling of helplessness overcame Astrid. It wasn't even real, just a memory, a flashback but it was enough to render her immobile for a moment. Enough for her captor to adjust his hold on her.

Her arms got pulled behind her into an iron grip on her back and the hand on her mouth settled more firmly to muffle her every sound. She tried to twist and pull away but those hands were too strong and just like earlier in the Hall, her screams were muffled effectively so when Geir stepped in front of her, she could do nothing but stare at him. She couldn't see everything in the dim light but it was enough to get an idea of his menacing grin.

"That went surprisingly well," came a deep voice from behind her and Astrid realized that she wasn't alone with Geir. Of course, she wasn't. Geir wasn't even touching her. Yet… Someone else was behind her, holding and restraining her and that voice… Magnus?

"I told you it would!" scoffed Geir and let his eyes wander lecherously over her body. "These Berkians are all fools. Play into their expectations and they'll believe everything!" Then he made a step toward Astrid until he was close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. "You are overdressed, my dear!" he murmured almost lovingly before he grabbed the front of her dress with both fists and tore it open from top to bottom.

All the while, Astrid had been screaming and thrashing against her captor's hands but now that she was left in practically nothing but her underwear, she became still, eyes wide as realization dawned on her.

This was real!

When Geir had grabbed her up in the Great Hall, it had been horrible. His hands and his breath on her, his cock rubbing between her legs, it had been nauseating and humiliating. But this? This was worse! This time, there was nobody around to hold him back. On the contrary, he even had help! And even if someone were to come and look for her, how would they know where to look? Halfheartedly, she kept struggling and yelling but the helplessness that overcame her dampened her efforts noticeably. She wouldn't be able to escape them.

"Ah, look at this!" Geir's eyes were fixed on her breasts or, more precisely, on the bruise on her left one. "So pretty!" He placed his hand over the fitting shape, squeezed lightly and groaned covetingly. "But it's not yet finished now, is it?" He placed his other hand on her right breast as well, mirroring the first, and stepped even closer so that she could feel his bulge, twitching against her bump. Then he slowly tightened his hand around her, all the while looking intently into her eyes.

She didn't want to give in! She didn't want to let him see how much he got to her! She didn't want to give him what he wanted! But he kept squishing her breast and it hurt! When she thought it was more than she could bear, a pained whimper escaped her and she closed her eyes. Please, let him stop! Please! But he didn't stop. He kept squishing even harder until it was too much and she screamed into the hand over her mouth.

"Oh, yes, scream for me!" Geir groaned, a sound that echoed back from Magnus behind her as well. Astrid wanted to throw up. These two were disgusting and horrible and… and… and totally in control of her.

"Too bad we can't allow you to continue screaming, though!" Geir said abruptly and apparently completely calm again. He reached into his belt and suddenly had a knife in his hand. A moment later, Astrid felt the cool metal against her neck and her eyes went wide. He wouldn't kill her, would he?

"We will release your mouth now. Wouldn't want you to pass out again, right? But you won't scream, won't make a sound or you're dead. Understood?" Geir's eyes were as cold and menacing as the first time she'd seen him and she nodded mutely. How was it possible that they hadn't seen it directly? This man was completely insane! "Very good" When the hand over her mouth was gone, she gasped in a deep breath. And froze when she felt the blade's edge pressing against her throat. "Not a word!" he reminded her and she blinked, once, to signal that she'd understood.

She had no chance against these two. She wouldn't go down without a fight but she wouldn't throw away her life either. She needed the right moment, needed to buy time. Maybe she could give them a false sense of security and make a run at the right moment. Or maybe someone would come looking for her after all. She just needed more time! She would-

Astrid froze. Every thought of stalling for time and playing along until the right moment fled her mind in an instant when she felt Geir's hand, groping and probing between her legs.

"Take your hand off me!" She hissed and pressed her legs together to deny him any access.

But he just chuckled and pushed her legs apart again with his knee. "Or what?" he asked almost sweetly.

"Or I will scream!" she stated resolutely. "I'd rather be dead than let you touch me!" She wasn't sure how much truth this statement held, though. She didn't want to die! She wanted to live, to breathe and to fly and to be with Hiccup and with-

To her surprise, the pressure against her throat lessened noticeably and she began to hope.

"Yeah, you're one of those, are you not? Saints and martyrs…" He sounded disgusted and pulled the knife away from her throat. Astrid rejoiced inwardly and prepared herself to scream for help as soon as the knife was safely gone. But then she felt the cool blade against her skin once more. Not on her neck though but a bit deeper. Against her bump. "But what about your child? How about I ram this knife into your belly as soon as you make a sound?"

Astrid's breath caught in her throat and instead of the scream she'd prepared only a strangled sob escaped her. No! No, he wouldn't… But looking into his eyes, Astrid knew that he was deadly serious. He wouldn't kill her right away, that would spoil his fun. But he wouldn't refrain from hurting her baby. Behind her, she heard Magnus' low chuckle and knew, even he as a father wouldn't help her baby.

"Very good. I see we understand each other. You have two options now, my dear. You can keep fighting me but I'll take you anyway. I'll need to be rough with you though and I doubt your little brat would survive that. Or you're going to be good, let me have you and I'll be careful not to hurt you too much."

He left her no choice. Astrid felt a tear running down her cheek but there was nothing she could do. Stalling for time was her only option but how should she do that? She couldn't risk him harming her baby! When she felt his hand moving between her legs again, groping her through her underwear, she relaxed, let it happen, let him do. She tried to blend it out, tried to look up at the stars and not think about what would happen next.

No! She wouldn't give up! She would –

"Stop fooling around!" came suddenly Magnus unnerved voice from behind her. "I said I let you have her first because you've talked about nothing else for days but I want my share, too! And we don't have endless time"

Right… there were two of them! Maybe she could play them against each other. Maybe that was her chance! Instead of trying to pull away, Astrid leaned back and pressed her behind against Magnus' crotch. It made her sick how he twitched against her but it would make him even more impatient. Maybe she could get them to argue or even fight each other. She was able to rub against him a bit further before Geir pulled her back toward him, away from his panting father.

"So eager?" He asked, a devious glint in his eyes. "We could take you in both holes, that would save even more time!"

Astrid froze but tried not to let her fear show. That was not what she'd planned for! She needed a new tactic.

"Why play for time anyway?" She dared to ask, scoffing and putting more confidence in her voice than she really felt. Maybe she could get him to talk. He liked hearing himself talking, right? She hoped he did… "You won't be able to escape anyway. Whatever you do to me, you're both dead men walking! Hiccup will-"

"Your Hiccup will be too busy cleaning up the mess we left for him!" Geir snarled. "And we'll be long gone before he even knows what happened. He even kindly arranged for our ship to be ready! But we couldn't leave without having a bit fun before, right? I regret not being able to tell Hiccup properly good bye but you'll deliver our message, right?" He leaned forward, close enough to brush his lips along her jaw and over her mouth.

Astrid fought to keep herself from whimpering. Yes, getting him to talk might work but she still didn't want him near her. "You can't escape!" she taunted him further when he retreated. "Our dragons will find you anywhere! They will-" She stopped, startled when both men began to laugh simultaneously.

"Your dragons!" Geir scoffed. "You really believe they make you invincible, don't you? Well, I have news for you then. You're wrong!"

Astrid blinked in confusion. "But… but you are afraid of them…" she stammered but stopped when she saw Geir's dark grin.

"And you really believed that, didn't you? Even called back your men and let those beasts guard us" He laughed again. "Let me tell you something, my dear. Vikings have battled dragons for over 300 years, we know how to deal with them! And thanks to you guys it even became a lot easier lately. How do you call this stuff? Dragon nip? And dragon root? So helpful to get rid of you watchdragons!"

So that's how they'd gotten away… Astrid swallowed and tried not to panic. She should have guessed it, should have called the bluff. Of course, why would they be so afraid of dragons? But she hadn't been thinking, hadn't paid attention to those things… Just like she wasn't paying attention now.

The rustling of fabric called her back into the present as Geir fumbled with his belt and trousers in front of her. Reflexively, she tensed up and tried to wriggle free again despite the blade still pressed against her skin. No, no, no! She didn't want this, didn't want him inside her, didn't want this to happen. She was Hiccup's and only his, always… A desperate and panicked whimper escaped her and it seemed to entertain and amuse the men immensely. They kept laughing and exchanging crude comments but Astrid didn't pay attention anymore. She just tried to distract herself, thought about how she couldn't fight them with their blade, how they would first kill her baby and then her if she did.

She wasn't even paying attention when Geir snarled something in annoyance and only perked up when his head whipped around and instead of finally tearing her undergarments off of her even retreated a bit.

"Silence that beast, you fool! We'll get found if it starts to call out!"

Slightly dazed, Astrid tried to comprehend what Geir's words were supposed to mean. Her gaze followed his into the deeper shadows to the left and it took her a moment before she understood what she was looking at. Stormfly lay on the ground, a shadowy heap of scales and muscles, unbound but unmoving nonetheless. Well, until a moment ago. Now, she was moving and the guard who apparently had watched over her until now had a hard time to keep her down.

"It woke up!" the man gasped. "It's… strong, I need help, it-"

"We're busy!" Geir replied harshly. "Give it more of that dragon nip, that should calm the beast until we can bring it to the ship"

"I already did! It's not taking any effect anymore, I don't know what's up with it!"

These words made Astrid frantic. No, not Stormfly, too! She could endure a lot and hopefully, her baby would still be alright at the end of the day but she wouldn't let them get their hands on Stormfly, too! "No, Stormfly!" She called out. "Fight it, you can do it!"

The words were out of her mouth before she was able to think. She realized that it hadn't been a good idea though, even before Geir turned toward her again, anger burning in his eyes. "Quiet, I said!" He hissed and, when Stormfly's piercing shriek thundered through the night, raised the arm that held the knife. She hadn't thought about what she was doing when she'd opened her mouth, hadn't thought about what it would mean.

Then the world seemed to slow down and everything happened at once. With wide eyes, Astrid stared at the knife's blade above her. It was over, with her calling out to Stormfly she'd sealed her fate and that of her baby as well. Her thoughts shot to Hiccup and the memory of that moment earlier today rose in her mind. How their intertwined hands had lain on her bump with their child nudging against them. Everything had been perfect then and now… Now it was all over. With a sob, she closed her eyes, waiting for the blade to sink into her – but it never came.

Instead, she heard Geir's pained scream and the clangor of metal falling on stone as the knife hit the ground. When she opened her eyes, still dazed and uncomprehending, Geir was clutching at his arm. A shallow cut ran from his shoulder to his elbow, not lethal but surely painful.

"Bah, just kill the beast!" snarled Magnus behind her, waking Astrid out of her stupor and she began to fight against him again. Maybe she had a chance to escape, now that he was distracted. She shifted and turned and was able to tear one arm free.

"Stormfly, help!" she screamed, now that the blade was lost in the darkness. She needed to get away as long as things were still chaotic enough. But Magnus was still holding her other arm and despite her vigorous and quick twists, she couldn't wrench it free. Somewhere in front of her, she heard Geir groaning and decided on a whim. She leaned more heavily into Magnus' grip, lifted her foot and kicked. Judging by Geir's howl, she'd hit him where she'd hoped to and couldn't help the satisfied grin that crossed her face. Served him right!

Now Magnus. She needed to get her arm free and fast before one of them got over their surprise. She turned halfway around as quick as her body allowed it, hoping to twist Magnus' arm in the process. He wasn't that young and agile anymore, maybe she could even disjoint his shoulder or –

"You cursed little wench!" growled Geir beside her. "You'll regret this, just like your precious husband. You'll regret this all your life!" Then he punched his fist into her belly and all air left her lungs in a huff. Everything became numb.

She dropped to her knees, only held upright by Magnus' hand still on her arm and waited for the pain. She couldn't feel it yet but knew it would hit her any moment now. She'd felt something snap inside her when Geir's fist had hit her, something tearing and breaking. But for a few seconds, nothing happened.

At the edges of her awareness, she noticed other things, though. She noticed a strange bluish lightning followed by a high whistle and a dull explosion and suddenly her arm was free after all. She sank to the ground completely, wondering about the warm liquid that pooled between her legs. Funny, had she peed herself? She hadn't even been that afraid.

The last image she saw before everything became dark were a familiar pair of big green eyes gleaming in the darkness.

. o O o .

Okay...

So...

I... erm... I'll just go and hide for a while...