Sorry guys, it's WHUMP TIME. This is the aftermath, so there's not any infliction happening. But it's still…prretttyyyyy dark. Read at your own risk.
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Pre-Hiccstrid RTTE
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He had been taken two months ago. And every day, every hour since was spent trying to find him and come up with a plan to rescue him.
The hunters had come in the middle of the night. Quiet, unseen, silent. They snuck into Hiccup's hut on the Edge. Toothless hadn't even noticed. But the next morning, Hiccup was missing, and there was no sign of struggle.
Snotlout had brought up the idea, "Well, what if he just go overwhelmed with his responsibilities and flew the coop?"
That idea was quickly dismissed since Toothless remained.
A month and a half out, and they finally had the 'who' and 'where' as a rough dingy arrived on the Edge, with a ragged and beaten bloody Viggo on board. He looked like he was barely alive.
But Astrid took no chances. Acting in Hiccup's stead, she ordered Viggo's wounds to be checked, and then had him tied up in the clubhouse with constant surveillance.
As time went on, they found it completely baffling that he cooperated with their every demand, and only asked for water and rest in return. Finally, when he appeared well enough to speak, Astrid asked. "What are you doing here?"
He answered with a shuttering breath, and met her eyes with that steely confidence he always held, but it lacked threat. "I don't blame you for being cautious, after what happened to Hiccup, I'm sure you're on edge."
She crossed her arms and frowned at him, daring him to test her patience.
"We've both picked our sides, Astrid. And we both thought we were right. You choose the side of the dragon's and living in harmony with them. I chose the side of money, and told myself 'it's only business.'" He shifted in his bonds slightly, wincing all the while. "But I found out I was on the wrong side. I would rather come to you, my enemies, then to stay in the hands of my old cohorts. Especially after they did this to me."
Snotlout was sitting in a chair, not too far away. "What did you do to get beat up so badly?"
Viggo sighed. "In the dragon hunting business, it is well known that sometimes we have to do things unethically."
"Yeah, obviously." Said Fishlegs, with a bite.
"Please understand, Fishlegs," Viggo's voice was soft. "To us, the dragons are beasts, just like yaks and chickens. You've killed a yak or a chicken for food, right?"
Fishlegs shrugged, noncommittally.
"I was a leader, a captain of the Hunters in this region. Hiccup and you all were a nuisance, but amusing. I enjoyed the little games we played of cat and mouse. It was stimulating, and put the fun back into the hunt for me."
Astrid's nostrils flared. "So then, why take him from us?"
"I didn't." He assured. "I was…demoted. My boss found out how much revenue and resources I was loosing to you all, and stripped me of my rank. I was beaten within a inch of my life, and left to rot in prison. While I was there, Hiccup was brought in…not looking much better than I. Krogan, who had replaced me, had decided to take a more direct route."
Astrid tried to keep her imposing body language, but she bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "So he's in the prison now?"
"As of when I left two weeks ago, yes."
"How'd you manage to escape?" Pressed Snotlout.
"I didn't. Krogan said that I had paid for my crimes and let me go. But I had spent my whole life with the Hunters, so he knew I had no where to go."
"So you came crawling to us, expecting to get help?" Astrid hissed.
"…well, you did help me."
Astrid swore under her breath.
"It is your tribe's kindness that is powerful, you know. I often find it more advantageous to make friends instead of enemies."
Astrid seemed doubtful, but didn't press him.
"So…what do we do now?" Asked Ruff. "We can't just walk up to the prison and demand him back."
"You would be correct, Ruffnut." Viggo answered. "The prison is well guarded, and on an unmarked island to the Southeast. It is of high security. If you untie me, I'll point it out to you and we can get to work on a plan."
"And why would you want to help us? Why should we trust you?"
"This is a rescue mission for you, but it is a revenge mission for me. Krogan took everything from me, my home, my family, my livelihood…I want to cause as much collateral damage as possible."
The twins cracked their knuckles. "Collateral damage, you say?"
"And, as I said earlier," Viggo continued, "I enjoyed the games we played. I know I was an enemy to you, but you were friends to me."
"If we were your friends, I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies." Said Snotlout, with a frown.
And so, Viggo was released from his bonds and the planning stage begun. They sent for Heather and Dagur, and Stoick and Gobber. They would need help, but a small enough group to keep control of.
It took two weeks, but finally, everything was in place, and the plan fell into motion.
Astrid was rightfully concerned, since a large part of the plan actually revolved around Ruff and Tuff, and Dagur and Heather making as much chaos as possible. While the twins flew around on their Zippleback, and set fire to weapons and the ramparts, the Berserker siblings ran through the prison and released as many prisoners as possible, yelling 'vive la resistance!'
Meanwhile, Stoick and Gobber kept watch outside, prepared to be backup.
Finally, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Viggo all together snuck into the deeper part of the prison, where Viggo last saw Hiccup being held.
Astrid's head filled with fuzz as the adrenaline coursed through her, she was locked and loaded.
"Alright," Viggo stopped at an intersection. "Hiccup was in the pit, which is a cell in the floor at the end of this right hallway. Snotlout and I will stay here and watch your backs, alright?"
Astrid nodded, and she and Fishlegs delved deeper.
Two guards, one for each of them, stood at either side of the pit.
The two vikings stood behind the doorway to the room. "Which do you want, Fish?" She asked, quietly.
"Uuhh…"
"Just cover me." And she leapt from their hiding place and into action.
The first guard barely had time to put a second hand on his spear before she collided the flat of her axe against his skull.
But the other guard was ready to go, and had a smirk on his face. "You might had gotten in, but you're not gettin' out!"
"I didn't come to chat, worm!" And she incapacitated him without much effort.
"Astrid, you're so cool." Fishlegs praised, honestly.
She smirked briefly. "Thanks, now let's get Hiccup."
The entry to the pit was an iron grate on the floor, with a heavy lock on it.
"I've got this." Said Fishlegs as he heaved his hammer over his shoulder, and dropped it with a bang. The lock exploded.
"Nice work," Astrid returned.
They both lifted the grate carefully, not to cause too much extra noise and alert the other guards.
Below them was a hole. Dark, dank, and deep.
"Uh…ladies first?" Fishlegs asked sheepishly.
"Keep watch," she demanded, and then started down the rusty ladder on the edge. It grew dark quickly, and she withdrew Hiccup's fire knife he had made. It allowed just enough light to see the bottom.
Finally, she reached the end, and saw, with much horror, that the floor was covered with bones.
There was a body in the corner, laying on it's side. Inhumanly skinny, and naked, she could barely tell it it was breathing. Long gashes decorated it's back. "Hiccup?" She asked softly.
A choking sound came from the figure, as it rolled slightly to face her.
It was him, but gods he looked like death.
"Hiccup…" she whispered, dropping the light. She knelt at his side. "Hiccup! I'm here…we've come for you…"
His eyes were barely open as he studied her with confusion. It was like he didn't know who she was. His haggard breaths came from his agape mouth.
For a moment, she just held him. She was happy to see him again, alive. But not like this. Never like this.
"Can you stand?" She urged.
He took hold of her arm and pulled with all his strength. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and urged him to sit up. But once he got there, he was panting.
"Alright, I'm going to have to carry you." She announced. She found the fire knife on the ground and stuck the handle in her teeth. Then she wrapped her arms around him, under his arms and lifted him to stand on his one foot. He teetered with a moan, and she had to keep her arm around him.
"I gotcha, I gotcha." She assured. Then she turned around and tugged him against her back. "You're going to have to hold onto me, because I have to climb up."
He wrapped his arms around her neck as she started to climb, but a few steps up, and his strength gave out. She managed to grab him just in time.
"Astrid?" Fishlegs called from above. "Is everything okay?"
"Not really," she replied. "He can barely stand. Is there any rope up there?"
"Yeah, hold on!" The rope fell down while he held one end of it. "Is that long enough?"
"Can you give a little more slack?" She grabbed her end and made several loops, one around his waist, one under his legs, and one around his chest. "Okay Fishlegs, hold tight!"
Hiccup leaned back slowly until the rope tightened, and he was cradled in a swing. Astrid wrapped one arm around him and began to climb while Fishlegs pulled.
It took a lot of work, but they finally got him to the top.
Hiccup had barely done anything, but he laid on the ground panting.
"Uh, Astrid? That's not Hiccup."
"Look at his face." She urged, sitting the boy up.
His handsome face was bruised and bloody, as dirt and filth clung to his skin. His cheeks were hollow with hunger and his eyes were just barely open from exhaustion and the swelling. But his nose remained proud and prominent.
"Oh gods, I didn't even recognize him…" Fishlegs nearly sobbed.
"It's alright, let's just get him out of here."
Fishlegs shrugged off his vest and draped it on his shoulders. "We'll get you better covered in a minute, but this is the best I can do for now." Then he hoisted him up into his arms where he promptly fell asleep.
Snotlout and Viggo were waiting for them, and both stared when they approached.
"Is that…?" Snotlout whispered. "He looks awful…"
"The pit is designed for life sentences. Often, people are just thrown in there and forgotten. We are fortunate to have rescued him in time…I don't think he would have survived much longer."
"Let's get him out of here."
Fleeing the prison was the easy part, however, when they rendezvoused with Stoick and Gobber on the beach, it was another story.
Stoick saw the state of his son and flew into a rage. "I'm going to kill him! I'll chop him up into little pieces!"
But Gobber was quick to grab him. "We'll kill him later. Let's just get Hiccup home quickly."
Astrid mounted Stormfly, and had her crouch so Fishlegs could ease him up onto her lap.
Once situated, Hiccup grasped at her shirt weakly and moaned.
"I know, babe. We're going home." The affectionate term came without thought, but Astrid couldn't find it in herself to care.
Astrid was accompanied off the island by Stoick and Gobber, while the others stayed behind to flag down the other half of the team.
It may have been selfish, but Astrid wasn't even thinking about the other riders at the moment. Not when Hiccup was barely hanging on to dear life in her arms.
"Where did you find him?" Stoick asked, coming up beside her.
"He was in a pit, total darkness, surrounded by bones. Viggo said it wasn't really a cell, because they don't take people out of it."
Stoick snarled, but forced back his anger. "One day…"
They returned to the Edge an hour later, and they quickly took Hiccup to his hut and laid him on his bed. Almost instantly, he was asleep. Toothless came bounding over, tongue rolled out, before he saw his dear friend. He then flattened himself to the floor and whined sadly.
"I'm going to make him some soup," declared Gobber. "I worked so hard to put meat on his bones, now I'm back to the beginning." He kept his tone light, but he was torn up inside.
Astrid appreciated his jest, because it helped her calm down. Hiccup was safe now, and he would never leave their sight again.
"Aye, then you and I should get to cleaning him up. He's a filthy, bloody mess." Stoick said to Astrid.
She agreed and hurried to collect water and bandages.
Long after the others had returned, Astrid and Stoick were still cleaning Hiccup's grievous wounds. He smelled awful, like infection and human waste. There didn't seem to be any part of him that wasn't bruised or cut, though most minor cuts had scabbed over. Hiccup continued to doze, though often woke up with a wince, only to fall back asleep again.
"Do you…think he'll make it?" Astrid asked in a whisper.
"Aye," said Stoick, with no hesitation. "He's a stubborn one he is. If he hasn't keeled over yet, he's not going to." Though the shakiness in his voice said otherwise.
Astrid stayed with him all night. Even as Stoick nodded off in his chair, even as her eyes burned with exhaustion, she remained ever vigilant. Every twenty minutes or so, she'd get up and straighten his blankets and feel his forehead. His temperature was okay, thankfully no fever.
Every hour, he jolted awake, panting and coughing. And before he fell back to sleep, she would help him sit up and feed him a little broth or water. Often times, he'd spit up whatever he tried to force down.
"I know this isn't sitting well on you," Astrid said, as she dabbed his lips with a cloth. "But you have to eat something."
He responded by dry heaving.
Astrid was quick to retrieve a bucket and set it on his lap. She doubted he'd throw up anything, considering he hadn't eaten in days. Patiently, she rubbed his back as the heaving continued and he continued to spit up into the bucket. Then, with a great tremble, he puked out red liquid, and Astrid rushed to wake up Stoick.
They could only watch as he got sick again and again, the bucket slowly being filled with what looked like wet red saw dust.
Finally it was over, and Hiccup cried in pain.
"Aw son," Stoick said softly. He took a cloth and wiped his face dry. "It'll be okay."
Hiccup reached for the water and Astrid was quick to give it to him. This time, he drank it down with trembling hands and didn't spit any of it up.
"Just had to get whatever that was out of your system, huh?"
He nodded sleepily, barely keeping his eyes open.
"Are you warm enough?" She asked, smoothing out the blanket.
He shook his head no.
She reached over to grab another blanket, but he took a hold of her wrist and tugged.
"Honey, I can't get you another blanket if you don't let me go."
He shook his head and tugged on her again. Then he let go and patted the bed next to him.
"Oh, I see…" She smiled softly. Astrid looked to the chief for permission, and he urged her on with a nod.
"It'll help," he assured.
She kicked off her boots and took off her armor, then lifted the blanket and slid in gingerly next to him. Hiccup wrapped one arm around her waist and snuggled into her chest.
He spoke, for the time. His voice was just a whisper, a croak of a sound. "I just want…to know you're real…"
"I'm real," she assured, cupping his face. "You're safe now." And she kissed the top of his head.
This time, he fell asleep and slept peacefully.
The next day, Gothi arrived, having been sent for by Fishlegs. Her examination lasted about an hour, as wounds were re-treated with salve, and wrapped again.
Finally, she tucked him into bed and delivered the news in the clubhouse.
"Multiple lacerations caused by a whip. Broken ribs and fractured wrist, possibly from a fall. Slight concussion, also probably from the fall. Burns on the palms and bottoms of the feet."
Astrid interrupted by bringing over the bucket he had vomited in last night. "Gothi, he got sick last night, and threw this up. It kind of looks like blood…"
The old woman stuck her finger in the liquid, examining it and then tasted it.
"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," cried Snotlout, squeamishly.
Gothi thought for a moment, and then wrote some more. "Mostly blood, but mixed with wool fibers."
"Wool fibers? In his stomach?" Asked Stoick.
"I understand." Said Viggo, thoughtfully. "When he was put in the pit, he probably wasn't naked."
"So…" Tuffnut prodded, trying to get him to say more.
"He ate his clothes." Astrid sighed. "If that's all he had…"
"I'm sure he ate other things down there as well."
Astrid closed her eyes as she felt sick to her stomach. The sight of the floor and the smell…
Gothi continued. "The blood he spit up was old. Whatever wound caused him internal bleeding is closed now. Rest, water, and light foods and he'll recover physically just fine."
"Just physically?" Astrid asked softly.
Viggo crossed his arms and spoke up. "My best guess is that he was beaten, burned, flogged and then pushed into the pit, where he's been ever since. Roughly two months in confined, silent darkness will do strange things to the mind."
"Well…" said Astrid with a clap. "We'll just have to help him. You said it yourself, our tribe's kindness is our power."
But her enthusiasm was not shared with the group.
Viggo shrugged. "It's worth the effort."
For days, Hiccup just slept. Slept like he hadn't in years. Astrid remained by his side, either sleeping next to him or sitting in a chair nearby. Always close enough to help when he woke. And he did wake, for only minutes at a time. But he was always ready and willing to force some water or broth down.
After a week, he started to eat the rest of the soup and bread.
"I'm glad to see you're getting better," Astrid commented as he ate on his own. He was still barely skin and bone, but he didn't shake as badly and he had some color to his cheeks.
"Thank you…" he whispered.
"Of course."
Once he was finished with his meal, Astrid tucked him back into bed. "I'm going to go take a bath real quick, okay? You just go back to sleep."
He nodded and closed his eyes.
Though when she returned, the sight startled her.
Hiccup was sitting at the edge of his bed, dressed. He had his eyes closed in exhaustion, and he didn't have his leg on. Toothless sat nearby, watching him.
"Hiccup, you shouldn't be up!"
He looked up at her with glossy eyes, and in the clearest tones yet, he said. "I want to see the sun."
She couldn't argue with that face. "Okay…" she sighed. "Let's take it slow." She got one of his spare legs and helped him put it on. "If you can't walk, I can carry you."
He shook his head, but held onto her arm. With a few grunts, he was up. With his leg, he was a bit more stable, but his gait was slow and wavering. Astrid kept near him all the while, ready to catch him if he fell.
Outside his hut, the sun was setting and he had to shield his eyes. But slowly, he adjusted and gazed out over the calm ocean and the fiery sky.
"It's beautiful…" he said with a long sigh. Tears ran down his face, and he did nothing to stop them.
"Are you okay? Any pain?" Astrid asked.
He shook his head. "I'm perfect." Then he glanced at her, "help me sit."
She did so, and took a seat up beside him. "It's been a week…and we've barely spoken. It's fine, you need your rest…I'm just worried."
He glanced over to the rest of the island.
"Do you want to talk about what happened? It might help."
Hiccup sighed and shifted closer to her. "They took me in the middle of the night. I was drugged and they carried me off. They beat me with metal rods and whipped me…they burned my hands and my foot." He upturned his palms which were still wrapped in bandages. "Beat me some more…dunked my head in water, hung me by my wrists, trapped me in a pool with a sea shocker…" He closed his eyes in thought, like he couldn't remember everything they did to him. "When they were done, they shoved me in a dark hole…I think I broke something on impact."
"Some ribs," Astrid answered. "That's what Gothi said."
He nodded in understanding. "Even with all that pain…I knew you guys would save me. Or I hoped you would. So I did what I could to survive. I licked the damp walls for water, and slowly ate my leather pants. Then my linens…I think I ate a raw rat too." He sighed and his shoulders hunched. "Some deplorable things happened there Astrid. Those were just the things I can say now. Other things I will take to my grave."
"I understand. I won't push you. Thank you for telling me, so I can help you."
Despite the burns on his palm, he took her hand and held it tightly. "In my darkest moments, I thought of you and Toothless and the gang…and I kept telling myself that whenever I got out of there I was going to tell you I love you."
Astrid gasped slightly at the sudden confession.
"I was waiting, before, for the perfect moment. But in the darkness, I realized how silly that was. I love you. I love you, I love you."
"Hiccup…" She breathed before enveloping him in a careful hug. "I love you too. I've missed you so much…"
"I missed you too." He pulled away slightly, just enough to meet her eyes. He leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away, but she didn't.
The kiss that came was gentle on her end, because she was still so afraid of hurting him. But from his side, he was desperately trying to convey all the love and affection he had been storing up.
"Astrid?" He muttered between caresses.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for saving me."
"You should thank the other's too."
"Sure, but you're the only one receiving my gratitude like this."
