Hiccup's POV
I dropped to my knees and used my hands to stop from falling completely flat on the ground. I could feel the blade pass through my body ever so slowly and it would only stop until the tip hit the ground, or the handle hit my back, meaning the whole blade had gone through. It was sickening, I could feel the cold, hard metal edge its way through my flesh and coming out the other side. I couldn't stand it. It wasn't painful but uncomfortable would be an understatement. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, trying to avoid seeing the blood drip out of my wound, down the blade and onto the ground.
That's when I felt the blade stop moving. I opened my eyes to see the tip of the sword had reached the ground and I officially had a sword right through me. I was too scared to breathe in even. Every time I did, I felt my body constrict around the blade, hugging it and letting it go.
"Oh Hiccup...why did you force this upon yourself?" I heard Drago say. I looked up and saw him walking around me. His hands holding each other behind his back, and a disappointed look on his face.
"You could have joined me. I could have shown you ways to tame dragons...dragons you didn't even know, taken you to places you could only dream of...you could have been one of my commanders as well" he lectured.
"S-sorry...but...I-I don't...l-listen to...lunatics" I breathed out.
"Don't breathe so fast Hiccup" he said. "If you breathe slowly, you will be slowing your blood flow, and that's what you want right now to prevent from bleeding out. But that's not going to be a problem since that sword is stopping you from bleeding profoundly" he said with a smile, walking up right in front of me and looking down at me.
"Why...n-not just...kill me now?"
"Oh, if you've noticed that sword was not meant to kill you, just to incapacitate you. You're not the first one to be in that position, there have been many other prisoners who've experienced what you're going through right now"
"I made sure I missed any vital organ in abdomen...well it might have gone through a portion of your liver, but nothing that won't do permanent damage...that is if it's not left in there where bacteria on the sword could start infecting you" he said as if it were just a thought. "But you have to wonder how many people I've cut up in the past to know where they're vital organs are and the exact place to injure them and not kill them huh?" he mocked me. He then walked behind and I felt him grab the handle of his sword.
"I wonder what would happen if I twisted this while it's still in you? Maybe cut up more flesh, make a bigger wound? The possibilities are endless" he said, and all of a sudden he pulled the sword out and I fell to the ground, clutching my wound which began to bleed even more.
"Don't worry...you'll live for another six hours if that wound isn't patched up" he said, taking out a cloth and wiping the blood off his sword.
"S-so what now...a-are you...going to...k-kill me?" I asked, increasing my grip on the wound.
"Maybe, but death would be such an easy way out for you now wouldn't it?" he asked. I couldn't stay on the ground and look weak, not with everyone watching. I lost half a leg, a through and through cut shouldn't stop me. With some effort, I raised myself up, my left hand holding across my abdomen over the wound, while I left my right arm to dangle in the air.
"Well, looks like you still have some fight left in you" he said. "That's good, because there two men here who would really love some payback...Dagur, Alvin!" he yelled, and said men walked to his side, both had smiles on their faces. Snoggletog and definitely come early for them.
"You two can have your fun with him" he said with a wave of his hand, and they came up and grabbed both my hands and started to drag me away.
"Nah ah" he called out, causing them to stop and turn around. "Do it here...in front of everyone" he said looking at the crowd. The smiles on Dagur's and Alvin's faces grew even more.
"Oh, got ya' commander" Alvin said, and pulled me with his left hand and gave one right hook to my face, on the burnt side. "I'm going to enjoy this boy!" he yelled.
I clutched my cheek, but then I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders and when I looked up I saw Dagur bring his face down and headbutted me, making me fall back onto the ground.
"Me too!" he said as he pulled me up and kicked me in the abdomen, right where my wound was and gave me a left hook.
"Let this be a lesson...to any one who dares defy, that they will meet the same fate as your hero over here" Drago yelled to the crowd.
I felt another right hook to my face and fell to my knees. I could feel blood bleeding into my mouth from a cut lip, and I was sure the burnt side of my face was also bleeding a bit. I looked up and my eyes met with Astrid's. I had never seen so much hurt in those eyes, and it hurt me more that I was causing the pain in her that she was witnessing now. I had clearly failed to notice the extent to which she loves me.
Astrid's POV
I watched Hiccup get beaten by Dagur and Alvin in front of the whole crowd. This day was not even what I was hoping for. I was hoping for some way that Hiccup would show up, which he did, and come up with a clever plan to save us...instead he challenged Drago for my hand, and this is where it brought him, and I'm watching him suffer.
I heard his pained screams and yelps every time Alvin and Dagur kicked him, punched him, threw him...it was torture to watch. Every scream he made was like a dagger to my heart. And if that wasn't enough, the stains of his blood on the ground was only salt to the already open and hurting wound.
He tried to fight back, trying to time his swings, and he did connect a few times, but that only made them fight harder. They yelled that he would pay for that...and he did.
I saw Alvin pull him up from the ground and threw him to Dagur, who got him in a death grip and held his left hand in a position I was begging it wasn't. "I don't think you've suffered enough Hiccup, let me see what happens when I do this!" he yelled and we all heard a popping sound followed by Hiccup's scream. I could do nothing but watch as he was literally being beaten to death. Dagur had just dislocated his shoulder and let him go soon after that, and we could see his left hand hanging unnaturally loose.
"Drago!" I called. His second in command was still holding me, keeping my hands behind my back and keeping me on my knees. I saw Drago turn and walk towards me, and stopped right in front of me.
"Please stop this..." I begged "...I'll let you do anything you want to me...ANYTHING! Just please stop his pain!" I begged, a new stream of tears flowing down my eyes. When I looked up to his eyes, I saw nothing but amusement at the situation.
"Oh...my dear Astrid...he has to pay for insolence...challenging me on my wedding day was his mistake and as future chief of this village and to show my power to the people and my wife-to-be...I have to do this" he said in a mocking tone. He then lifted my chin up, our faces were only inches apart. "And don't worry...I will have my fun with you in bed...with him watching" he said, turning my face to see Hiccup hit the ground with full force.
I shook my face from his grip, and looked at him just to see him smirk.
"You're a heartless monster with no conscience!" I yelled at him.
"Eh...I've been called worse" he said with a smile and turned back to the fight in front of him which he, his men, the Outcasts and the Berserkers were all enjoying.
I looked over to the Chief, who was being tied up and forced to watch his son's public beating and possible execution. I couldn't imagine how hard it is for him...or any parent for that matter to watch their child be beaten to death in front of an audience. Hiccup was the future heir of this tribe, and to have him being beaten and stabbed like a prisoner was something that no one was ever expecting...not in a million years.
I saw the Chief was trying so hard not to cry then and there. Hiccup had gone through so much emotional pain for over ten years, and I think the only thing that comes close is the pain he was receiving from the hands of those two. They were not holding back.
They had been thwarted by Hiccup and us too many times in the past, and they were making him pay dearly for it...and us by watching his pain.
If they hadn't captured our dragons and hidden them, I would have called Stormfly by now who would have skewered every single one of his men right now if she showed up. I could only wish though...not act.
Hiccup's POV
"Had enough Hiccup?" Alvin asked as he held my up by my neck with his left hand. I was too tired, beaten and battered to reply, but I still wasn't going to yield to him. I simply spat some blood in his face...blood that was filling my mouth now, and my leather armour has been soaked by the blood from my wound, and I was becoming light-headed by the moment...which was in no way a good sign.
"Be like that then" he said and punched me square in the gut, where the wound was, so hard that I heard everyone cringe at the impact. He then dropped me onto the ground, and it seemed for a moment that the beating had stopped.
"You've used your dragons against us Hiccup, now tell us what do you think of ours" Dagur said, and I felt two gusts of wing blow in opposite dragons. When I looked up, I was shocked to say the least. I wasn't surprised by Alvin's dragon which I had seen before, but it was the one behind Dagur. It was a...Skrill!
"W-Where...d-did you get...a...Skrill" I breathed out, coughing out blood at the same time.
"There are more than one Skrill Hiccup, and Drago knew where to find them! He gave me one as a means of friendship between our two tribes and I was more than happy to learn how to tame it!" he yelled, that craze look he always had in his eye became even more deranged.
"But we won't let our dragons kill ya' " Alvin said as he came up and grabbed me again by my neck with his left hand and held me up.
"We want that pleasure for ourselves" Dagur commented and they both withdrew their swords. They were both going to skewer me, and I knew that would be it.
"Say goodbye Dragon Conqueror" Alvin said and they both raised their swords and I closed my eyes, waiting to feel two cold blades run through me.
"STOP!" I heard Drago yell, and the blades didn't come.
"Drop him" he said, and after some time, Alvin reluctantly agreed to. I fell back to the ground with a hard thud and lay face down, bleeding, with broken bones and incredibly sore muscles and bruises if this day is over...and if I live through it.
I then saw that Dagur had tossed his sword a few feet in front of me. I don't know for what purpose but I knew I needed something to defend myself with. I couldn't use my left hand at all, so I had to use my right hand to drag myself to the sword.
"My, my...persistent are we?" I heard Drago comment as he walked beside me. I heard the his men laugh at my predicament. I was in a sorry position, but I didn't want to die in that. When I was within grabbing distance of the sword, I reached out and it took all my strength. When my fingers were no more than a centimeter away, Drago stepped on my hand, causing me to yell.
I looked up at him, "Nuh uh uh" he said with a shake of his index finger and before I knew it I felt an incredible pain rock through my right arm, to see that he had driven his sword through it, and I couldn't help but scream in pain. There was no way I could move my hand now since he had it impaled.
However he didn't have it for long and withdrew his sword, and moved me belly-up with his foot.
"This is quite a sight...Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third at my mercy, at my feet, dying..." he said with a smile. However, I felt a slight movement beneath me, which meant something was underground, and it appeared he didn't notice.
"Did you really think you could beat me in a fight Hiccup...or did you at least think you would survive?" he asked.
"I-I...prob-probably...should...s-start...thinking those...p-plans...through" I wheezed.
" (Smirk) Start? What makes you think I'm going to keep you alive? Well other than witnessing your beloved Astrid be taken by another man" he said.
"W-Where's...R-Ripper?" I asked.
"Oh don't worry about him, my men will find him soon enough, and when they do, he'll follow you to the afterlife" he said kneeling down and speaking to my face.
"The...then you should...k-know...he didn't come...a-alone"
"Oh really, who did he bring with him?" he asked. "I think ahead of you Hiccup, my men will come back with Ripper from that forest in moments. I think three steps ahead of you. What makes you think you'll win?" he asks.
"B-Because...I-I think...f-four steps...ahead" I said, and at that moment, a Whispering Death burst out of the ground near us, knocking Drago off his feet.
That's when I looked up and saw two figures hop off Razorcut. "Razorcut...rapid fire!" I heard Ripper yell, and Razorcut let out four blasts of accurate fireballs at Drago's men, setting them on fire or blowing them off. I then saw four other dragons fly out of the hole in the ground and started attacking the Berserkers, Outcasts and Drago's men.
"Hookfang!"
"Stormfly!"
"Meatlug!"
"Barf-Belch!"
I heard the teens yell. Thats' when I heard a loud thunder sound, which could only mean "Thornado!" my dad yelled. All the dragons had showed up and were taking the fight to the enemy.
Normal POV
Ripper had started engaging the men while Heather had got off and started untying the ropes that had the teens bound. "You found Ripper?" Astrid asked.
"Sort of, we were working on freeing the dragons...sorry it took so long" she said as she freed the others. "Where's Hiccup?" she asked but soon saw his bosy sprawled out near the hole Razorcut had made. "Ripper!" Said man looked at her after slaying one of Drago's men. "We have to get Hiccup out of here!" she yelled. Ripper looked to see Hiccup on the ground, but before he could say anything Astrid made a dash for him.
In the confusion, Toothless had managed to knock Deathwing off of him and bounded up to where Hiccup lay.
"We can't stay here long...we have to leave...their army is right on the docks!" Ripper yelled. Everyone agreed with him. If they stayed, they would be captured again. They had to escape.
Drago had regained his senses and realized they were under attack, and he saw Toothless by Hiccup's side. He had had enough of that boy. He withdrew his sword and began making his way towards him but before he did, he heard a yell behind him and just managed to block it, but was knocked onto his back.
"Nobody hurts my son and gets away with it!" Stoick said and made another battle cry raising his hammer and engaging Drago.
Astrid had reached Hiccup's body to see he was not moving. "Hiccup" she said in quiet tone. Toothless nudged his head against his rider's, hoping for some response. Astrid was too overwhelmed with emotions that she didn't notice the Outcast soldier making her way behind her.
"Ugh" she heard, and when she turned, she saw her father holding a blood stained sword. "Nobody hurts my little girl" he said and immediately ran to his daughter and hugged her. They then heard a shrill from above, and Stormfly landed near them, glad that her rider was okay.
"Papa, he's not moving!" Astrid said, clearly panic-stricken.
"It's okay Astrid, he'll make it through...I promise you" he said and went to work on pressing down on Hiccup's chest, hoping air was going in. All of a sudden, there was a huge shadow that came over the battlefield, and when people looked up, they could only see a large dragon, flying towards them. This dragon used its wings and scooped up some of the enemies and deposited them in the ocean.
"Torch!" Tuff yelled.
"Right on time!" Ripper said, glad to see their old friend.
The Typhoomerang landed in the centre of the village, knocking away any more hostiles with its wings, or picking them in his mouth and tossing them in a random direction. "Ok, everyone on Torch!" Ripper yelled, and soon most of the women and children were on Torch's back, including Aaron, Ingrid and their son Riptide.
Ripper gave the order for Torch to take off and he did, with Snotlout, and Fishlegs providing support on their dragons.
"Astrid, take Hiccup on Stormfly and take off!" Ripper yelled. She didn't waste a second as Stormfly lowered her back for her rider to pull Hiccup on her and take off.
"Heather you're with me!" Ripper yelled as he and Heather quickly hopped on Toothless' back since he needed a rider, and luckily Ripper knew how to control the pedal.
"Chief!" Ripper called, only to see their chief in battle with Drago. Toothless fired a plasma blast knocking Drago into a few barrels, away from Stoick.
"Sir we need to leave now!" he spoke. They then saw a small group of soldiers heading for them, but only to be blown away by Thornado, who also landed near his rider.
"No Ripper, you need to leave" Stoick told him.
"Sir, what do you mean?"
"A Chief cannot abandon his men, and there are still some men and women left here, and I cannot leave them without a Chief" he said strongly, while resting his hand on Thornado's snout. His dragon was worried for him, he didn't want to leave without his rider.
"I'll be fine Ripper...make sure Hiccup is too" he said, and Ripper could have swore he saw a tear fall from the Chief's eye. "Take Thornado with you!" he said, and urged his dragon to take off, and follow Ripper. Thornado didn't want to go anywhere, but his rider was telling him so.
"COME ON THORNADO! GO!" Stoick yelled, and finally the blue dragon did just that, following Ripper on Toothless, while Razorcut and the Twins provided cover fire for the two to make their exit.
Drago had recovered from his hit and watched the dragons disappear into the sky. He had never been angry in a long time...except now. "Get those brats!" he yelled and five dragons flew above him, with riders, towards the group were making their escape.
Luckily Ripper was keeping an eye to see if they were being followed, and saw the five dragons coming after them. "Ruff, Tuff, move up ahead to the others, I need you out of Razorcut's range" he yelled.
"What for?" Ruff asked.
"Trust me. Razorcut...spine tornado!" he yelled, and Razorcut nodded and headed to face the five dragons. The others had disappeared over the clouds now, and Ripper presumed they were a safe distance away for his dragon to perform that attack. Soon he heard yells and screams, and saw five dragons falling down into the ocean below them. Razorcut caught up to them.
"Good dragon" he said, and the two rejoined the others in the clouds.
Astrid was not doing so good. She had Hiccup in her lap and he was barely breathing, the blood from his wounds were soaking his clothes and staining her dress, and by that amount, he had already lost a large amount of blood.
"Where to now?" Snotlout asked.
"I know where" Ripper replied.
"What about Hiccup...he'll die without medical attention!" Astrid said.
"Don't worry, I know someone who can help" Ripper replied, as the group of survivors flew to the one person who could help them and Hiccup.
A/N: Well I know you guys waited for this chapter and hear it is. Hope you liked it. And I've also updated my other story, The Past Defines the Future, in case you were wondering.
Take care everyone!