==I am so sorry everyone! I honestly was having a little trouble trying to figure out where to go for this chapter, and then I got distracted with life... so here it is. Finally. I thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Happy Reading!==

Chapter 21

Merida sat in her cage, her arms folded around her knees. Her arms were full of cuts and bruises, both from escape attempts and Dagur's dirty work. She wanted to cry. All she could think of was Hiccup probably getting ready to come rescue her, and now the other riders, but he didn't know he was riding to his demise.

The small amber stone glinted in the candlelight, taunting Merida. It was just out of reach- not that she could touch it anyway. Whatever it was, it was too powerful for her.

He planned to use the rock to control the dragons. Not just to control them… but kill the Vikings of Berk and to take over the entire Northern lands- Dunbroch included. Dagur was bend on world domination.

And she was helping him do it.

Merida's heart squeezed tight. She wanted out of her cage. Off the island. She wanted to go home and check on her family- be with her family. She didn't know why or how she was such a big part of Dagur's plan, but she knew that her family wasn't safe unless she followed his orders. But even so… she doubted he could be trusted with something so important.

"Mor'du was a much less frightening opponent." Merida muttered between shaky breaths. She was determined not to show weakness to her enemy.

"Who is Mor'du?"

Merida jumped slightly at the sound of Dagur's scratchy voice.

"You should really stop doing that." Merida said tightly. Her eyes hardened and anger swelled in her heart. She hated when he snuck up on her.

"I'll do what I want. And… I have a new task for you, princess."

"I want nothing more to do with you."

"Oh… so which on should I pick off first then?"

Merida glared at Dagur, panic rising in her stomach. She knew he was dangerous. She never knew what would push the wrong button.

"No preference? Maybe I'll go for the youngest brother… what was his name again? I'm so horrible with names…" Dagur let out a bumbling laugh that reverberated throughout the room and echoed down the hall.

"What do you want?" Merida whispered.

"You made a mistake my dear. A mistake that will cost you. Do you think you could hide what you did forever?"

Merida feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're on about."

"You let the two headed dragon escape- with a rider! On purpose. I noticed a piece of paper was missing from my book- a book… if I recall correctly, you had some interest in when I let you out last."

"It just had empty pages though. It wasn't that interesting."

"You took a piece of that parchment and used it as an S.O.S. right? And you planted it on the loose rider to return to your dear Hiccup."

Dagur was in hysterics. His voice was well beyond screaming now, and it took all Merida had to not cover her ears to block some of the hideous wailing coming from the man's mouth.

"You are trying to ruin my plan! My beautiful wonderful plan!"

Merida sighed. While it was true she had been caught, she could continue to feign innocence. There was no way he could prove any of it. Especially when she had taken more than one page.

"You want the page back?"

Dagur's eyes widened in confusion. "What did you say?"

"I took a page to mark time. I didn't think you would mind. I suppose I was wrong. You can have it back, but it's all marked up now."

Merida reached into the fold of her skirt and pulled out the folded piece of parchment. It did in fact have small smudges of dirt made to look like tally marks. Dagur's face fell.

"I was so sure…"

Merida could see his frustration. Her heart fluttered in satisfaction knowing she had at least managed to buy Hiccup some time.

"Not to worry. You still have to fix this."

"Fix what… now?"

"The problem still remains that you let some of the riders and dragons escape. Now whatever she saw can be told to Hiccup… who could potentially guess the plan. Which means I need to make an extra plan. Which causes more work more me."

Dagur pulled out a small book and wrote something in it before walking over to the amber stone in the wall. He pulled it out and reached into the hole it had left open. He pulled out a much smaller amber stone and replaced the large one.

"Please… no. I don't like what it does to me…" Merida instinctually pressed herself as far away from the small stone as possible.

Dagur placed the stone in a small metal container and opened Merida's cage. She let out a whimper as a chunk of her hair was pulled and she was dragged out of the small enclosure and pushed into the wall- her back completely exposed to Dagur.

He had his back pressed against her own with just enough force to pin her in place as he fashioned a sort of metal harness. "This should be just enough to make you uncomfortable, but still useful."

He was right. He fastened the metal container tightly to a series of metal straps; he turned around and ripped off the remaining top section of Merida's dress. He then forced her into the harness and clamped it tightly shut from behind. The only way out was to have it take off by someone else. There was a slight burning sensation where the box sat in the small of her back. She could reach it fine, but the box was closed and locked tight to the harness to ensure the stone not come loose.

Merida whimpered again in discomfort, her hands flying to the tattered bits of fabric that was left from her nightgown.

Dagur stepped away and pulled out a dark blue dress. "You can have it removed when the job is done. Put this on."

He threw the dress at Merida, who inspected it thoroughly. She realized it was one of her own dresses, stolen from the castle. "You still haven't told me what I'm supposed to be doing." She muttered as she dressed herself, the burning on her back spreading slowly through her body. Dagur let out a small laugh and fingered the stone in the wall admiringly.

"You are going to bring me that rider and that dragon."