Chapter Twenty Nine

When Shadow wakes, panting and terrified from the throes of a pain-filled dream, the first thing he sees is the calming golden light that sifts through the cage bars; weak and pale, casting watery patterns in the dirt. From the quality of the light, and a distant trill of what must be strains of birdsong (a rare thing indeed on their island), Shadow surmises it's probably early morning.

Shadow rubs a weary hand over his eyes, and cricks his neck from side to side to relieve some of the tension in the muscles where it has built up over night from the odd angle he's been sleeping at.

Hiccup rests a small, warm weight, curled fast asleep against his arm; reaching through the prison bars that separate them. Shadow can't help the deep twinge of worry; should the boy even be asleep with a head wound? Last night it seemed like the best thing to do, letting Hiccup rest, but now he wasn't too sure. He shrugs the feeling off; a little restful sleep will hopefully do the young dragon tame… trainer more good than harm; Shadow has the feeling that the both of them might not get much chance to sleep in the near future.

Alvin would come for them today.

Carefully, so as not to wake the boy, he shifts and stretches him arms, wincing at the tug and stretch of the hefty bruising on his arms and torso. He can feel where the purple extends up his neck and across the side of his face. He'd dreamt about receiving them all over again last night, about Alvin, towering and menacing and the terrible choking pain he'd received over and over and... It was just the same as it had happened, only, in this dream, Hiccup… Hiccup hadn't survived.

A hard lump in his throat at the memory of the nightmare, Shadow reaches out and closes his hand over Hiccup's smaller left one; where his arm dangles unconsciously through the bars, just to reassure himself that his surrogate little brother is still here.

Still fighting.

Hiccup must have caught the movement, for, a moment later he groans weakly in his sleep and the boy stirs fitfully. Shadow stays as still and quiet as he can, hoping he doesn't wake just yet, doesn't have to face the cruel reality of consciousness, but it's too late and the boy wakes slowly, his eyelids fluttering heavily open to focus wearily on the young man in the cell next to him.

"Sha'dow?" the boy calls and the Ex-Outcast smiles and bids him good morning. Blinking slowly Hiccup reaches a hand up to his no-doubt pounding forehead and groans again before whispering. "It's morning?" and Shadow nods.

"Yeah, but pretty early."

The sleepy reply of;

"Mmm, ok…" is punctuated by a soft little smile, the he shifts suddenly, as if realising where he is. Shadow can't miss the curve of the upset frown that shapes the boy's lips or the way his eyes go glassy and distant with what could almost be longing.

"I drempt I was at home…" The boy chokes slightly on the hoarse words, before shaking his head and coming bravely back into himself with a deep inhalation of breath and a small shudder. Glancing around himself at the cage bars he brings his other hand up, pulling it out of Shadow's loose reassuring grip to run his fingers along the bandaging on his arm with a wince.

Shadow realises it must be paining him terribly along with his head.

"Come a bit closer and let me have a look."

Obediently, the boy shuffles closer, pressing himself even further against the bars and Shadow gently reaches out to sweep back the reddish brown stands of hair from Hiccup's forehead and presses his fingertips to the rough makeshift bandaging. The young Viking winces, his eyelids fluttering under the onslaught of sudden pain, and Shadow tries his best to stem the rush of guilt he feels.

"I don't think it needs changing urgently, so you should be fine for the day. It's not bleeding anymore…" Seeing Hiccup's eyes squeezed tightly shut in pain he adds seriously; "how badly does it hurt?" and "How's your vision doing?" in low monotone whispers, trying his best to keep his urgent worry from his voice.

"Well there's only one of you" the boy cracks on eye open to look at him as he bravely jokes, "So it must be doing ok."

"God forbid there were two of me" Shadow jokes along, the bravado bringing a small smile to the boy's lips. "That would obviously be unbearable." Privately though, Shadow thinks he wouldn't mind an extra pair of hands. There's a short moment of silence before Hiccup murmurs seriously;

"S' not as bad as yesterday, It's kind of duller, and my eyesight's all cleared up and gone back to normal." The boy rests his head wearily back against the stone back of their prison and focuses on just breathing.

Shadow lets out an audible sigh next to him. Thank God Alvin hadn't blinded the kid or anything. He'd once seen a man who'd taken a blow to the head in a dragon fight whose vision had never returned. Blind Biolan they'd called him.

Hiccup seems less relieved though, his brow crinkled with the weight of the situation pressing down heavily on his small shoulders.

Shadow reaches through the bars to adjust the makeshift sling as the boy sprawls loose limbed against the wall. He's worried at the lack of reaction as he shifts the broken limb in what must be an agonising way for Hiccup to bear; the only evidence of it hurting shows in the grit of the boys teeth and the crinkle of skin around his eyes as he screws them up in what must be agony. Hiccup doesn't make a sound though.

Shadow, carefully not to jostle the limb as much as possible, realises that where the limb was set has slipped out of place and Hiccup's arm has been re-broken by Alvin's brute strength. Shadow tries his best for it, but he can't properly re-set the bone again from the awkward angle through the bars; settling for just binding it as tightly as he can and worrying at how suddenly deathly pale Hiccup has gone.

Shadow can't seem to find his voice to ask if he's ok.

Eventually, the boy shuffles his position to sit rigidly with the pained tension all coiled up firmly in his limbs. Gradually Hiccup draws his stiff knees up to his chest; tucking his broken arm protectively against his chest and curling into himself. He tips his head forward, resting his chin on his knees and opening his eyes to stare distantly out beyond the bars. Shadow follows his gaze out to see the dirt arena-like space beyond. Right across the other side of the ring is another row of cells. The prisons must circle the whole area. The occupants of the other cells aren't visible at the distance, but Shadow, glancing back down at Hiccup, would bet his own left foot that this is where Alvin was keeping the few dragon's he's managed to capture.

They were locked up here to make Hiccup tame, no, train the beasts.

Shadow shudders almost unconsciously.

Hiccup must have come to the same realisation too because a thunderous look comes over his face and the boy beside him audibly grits his teeth in a scowl.

Shadow's not sure what to say to comfort him 'It'll be ok' seems kind of fake to him, but he murmurs it to the boy anyway, Hiccup gives no reaction to show he'd heard, but at this proximity, he must have.

Eventually though, the fight goes out of the boy's frame and he slumps back against the wall again.

"Shadow… what're we going to do…?" the kid's voice is small and hoarse and broken in a fragile, terrified way that Shadow's never heard from him before. Not like this. This is hopeless desperation. Fear. And it sounds so, so wrong coming from the small brave boy beside him. The boy who trains dragons and killed the Red Death itself! But the tiny, broken voice continues whispering hoarsely all the same; "Alvin's…" he swallows thickly, "going to make me train his dragons and he's going to use them to attack Berk and…" the boy's voice chokes up even further at the mention of him home and Shadow is shocked to see the raw anguished wetness of the boy's eyes. Snivelling, Hiccup wipes his face pitifully against the ragged sleeve of his borrowed tunic; missing the comfort of his own clothes.

"Hey…" tumbles creakily out of Shadow's throat almost unwittingly. He reaches out his long thin fingers to hook them under the boy's chin and bring their vision level. "It is going to be ok." Shadow reassures softly, his grey eyes focussed and steady, locked with Hiccup's own. "We'll think of something, ok?"

The desperate need to trust in those big green eyes is choking, almost overwhelming to the older Viking, and Shadow comes to realise just how much the boy is depending on him. Usually, Shadow supposes, Hiccup has his dragon, or his friends or his Father to depend on.

Now all he has is Shadow.

This thought fills him with a fierce determination, he'll do all he can to reassure and protect his surrogate little brother.

"I'm scared." Comes the tiny admission. So soft and timid it jolts Shadow with its unexpectedness. Hiccup's eyes are ringed with dark, weary circles and his brow is creased upwards in an expression so hopeful it pulls at something deep within Shadow's chest that not too long before now the Outcast had thought was frozen forever.

"Hiccup the hero, scared?" Shadow laughs softly. His tone isn't mocking, but encouraging, a small smile on his face as the boy looks up at him expectant and hopeful. "The young man who fought the red Death? Who trains dragons? Who won the trust and love of his whole tribe?" (And he's not at all bitter about that last one, he's not). There's a pause as Shadow shakes off the feeling and smiles softly, gently pressing his brow against Hiccup's as the boy chuckles; watery but stronger than before; Grey stormy eyes meet brilliant anxious green and Shadow can see every swirl and pattern of colour in their depths. "You can do this, Hic. I know you can." Shadow grips the boy's hand tightly with a determined grin.

The boy nods, eyes less wary and he sniffles, pulling his head and arm away to scrub fitfully at his eyes, a careful smile blossoming under his tears.

"Chin up, yeah?" Shadow taps the boy's chin to get him to straighten his head, chasing away the last little tear away with his thumb; swiping it over the soft skin as the young Outcast finds himself smiling; trying his best to be reassuring and calm. His heart sings as Hiccup gives him back a matching powerful grin that's crept its way across the boy's face with the determination that blooms once more in those green eyes.

"Yeah."

Then they sit, Shadow's arm though the bars and cradled protectively around Hiccup's shoulders, shoulder to shoulder for what feels like an age.

Awaiting their fate with their chins up, and their heads held high.

...

A.N: Hey everyone. Guess who's laptop screen has broken again. That's right. Me. *Sobs pitifully*

At the moment i'm relying on the University computer's and a friend's tablet for a week or so until I get back to Norfolk *sigh*

But yes, here's the next chapter all the same, might not be perfect due to the circumstances in which is was written distractedly in a lab full of people...

I had a reviewer mention Hiccup was of character, and seemed too wimpy; though I reckon if you'd gone through the same you'd be feeling pretty hopeless too... Or something... Yeah... I am planning for him to be more like his usual sassy self in later chapters but we'll see...

Anyway, a huge thanks to Mottleflower for input in this chapter and hugs to all reader's. I might not be able to get back to reviewer's this week, but I will read them and highly appreciate them all the same. It's always good to hear your thoughts, you wonderful people.

Thanks again, I'll update as soon as I can and try my best to write something good.

Lenle