Astrid woke first, slowly pulling her eyelids open. She could still feel rain beating down on her but every now and then, she felt something different. Like the spray of a wave. She was bound to an iron column, chains around her ankles and a shackle on her wrist. Her neck clasped tight by a band of iron.

Like a slave.

She was right about something, that was the spray of waves. She was on the rolling deck of an iron-clad ship, something she had never seen before but, at this point, she couldn't doubt that it existed. She was on one, bound aboard one. Around her, people teemed on the deck like insects in the heat of summer, all going about their duties. She could see soldiers in uniforms, all surrounding her and a large, raised platform in front of her. She gasped.

Chained on the platform, writhing and bucking, was Toothless. He was held down by a crisscross of numerous, heavy, thick chains. His maw was held tightly shut with more chains so that he couldn't char the entire crew of the ship with one wave of his head. He tried furiously to break free, beating his wings and trying to leap up, snapping his bound jaws in vain at nothing.

Someone approached her, their boots making loud sounds on the iron deck. A shadow blocked Astrid's field of view and she slowly craned her neck upwards. She was faced with a muscled yet thin and lithe form of a woman, her hands placed firmly on her hips. Astrid looked at her face and recognised her instantly, despite the newly appeared scars. The woman from the pictures.

"So, you're Hiccup's new plaything." She said, her voice cold and cruel as the salty sea spray, "He always liked blondes." Astrid felt a constricting hand wrap itself around her neck, making her look upwards even further, into the Camicaze's furious eyes. Astrid was instantly struck on one side of her face with a heavy fist, a burst of pain rocketing towards her brain. Astrid was tough though, more than capable of taking this. She spat on Camicaze's boot.

"Fuck you." Astrid said. Camicaze only looked pleased with herself.

"Of course she has fire. That's the only type of girl Hiccup can ever have." She said with a smile.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Did he ever love you?"

"Did he ever love me?" Camicaze snorted, "If only you knew."

Camicaze glanced to her left and said, "Hiccup's woken up." Camicaze pulled Astrid's head around to look at her new captive.

Hiccup was held aloft on massive metal rack, chains on every limb, naked for the world to see. There was another platform behind him and on there lay a cauldron of hot coals and several irons. He was struggling against his bonds, trying to break free like Toothless and succeeding in the same degree. Astrid could see every muscle in his body strain, every tendon pulling, trying to escape but to no avail. She saw numerous new scars and brands on his body and now saw the true extent of his tattoos, looping across his chest and back, on his stomach legs and arms and everywhere else.

"LET ME GO CAMICAZE!" Hiccup roared, his voice thundering and louder than any other sound on the ship. For a moment, everyone was thrown into silence by the sudden violence of Hiccup's outcry. There was only the sound of the waves and the clinking of his and Toothless' chains.

"Hello Hiccup, it's nice to see you remember me."

"What do you want you fucking whore." He spat looking down at her with barely veiled disgust. He could feel a rage unlike any other growing in his body and he strained once more agains the bindings but finding them frustratingly resilient. He wasn't that man anymore. He couldn't break through chains, not like before.

"Such harsh words, you don't love me anymore?" She teased, finding it amusing to see him so helpless, so vulnerable, "Y'know, you should really calm down. You might get your friends hurt." She said.

"I'm going to kill you, do you understand me?" He said, his voice quiet now but still audible over the sounds of the ship and breaking of the ship through the waves.

"I highly doubt that sweetheart. You'll find me full of surprises now. You may not be a champion anymore but I certainly am." Hiccup understood the full gravity of her words. He wouldn't be able to kill her, even at his best and her at her worst. Only a champion can defeat another and Death had long since terminated his contract.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" She said, her voice soft and gentle now, "I want you to see everything you love burn and die." She suddenly started walking away from him and towards Toothless.

"What are you doing Cami?"

"Cami?" She said, turning towards him and walking backwards up to the platform on which Toothless was bound, "That old nickname? We're not children anymore."

"What are you doing you ugly, shit-headed, cocksucking bitch." He yelled, still trying to break from his chains. C'mon you fucking bastard, I know you're there, I know you're watching. C'mon. C'mon! COME THE FUCK ON! WHERE ARE YOU!

"Oh Toothless! Do you remember me?" She said, hands on her knees and hunched over in front of chained Toothless. He snapped and growled at her through the muzzle, "I think you do!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE CAMICAZE!"

"I remember when you built him Hiccup." She said. Hiccup's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He struggled even harder, pulling agains the chains with all his might. He swore he could hear the metal groan against his strength but nothing gave, "I remember how you built him."

"DON'T DO IT! YOU BITCH! DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"

She approached even closer and her hand darted out, faster than the eye could see and Toothless suddenly stilled. None of his limbs responded to his commands. He was frozen. He could see hear and feel and smell and see but he couldn't move. His eyes darted around in a panic. For the first time, fear filled his body. His eyes sought out Hiccup's, his eyes pleading with him. Hiccup felt hot tears on his cold rain-soaked face.

"DON'T TAKE TOOTHLESS! DON'T TAKE HIM! TAKE ME INSTEAD! HE ISN'T A PART OF THIS! JUST KILL ME!" Hiccup screamed, body burning at the exertion of failed escape, "JUST KILL ME INSTEAD YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

He felt his insides being exposed, the protective panels and plates being torn out one by one as if they were made of paper and leaves. He felt cold, harsh hands wrap themselves around the heat of his Core. The connection rods were slowly pulled out and the wires leading into the Core were exposed and cut. The darkness was creeping in but he fought it off for as long as he could. He took one last look at Hiccup before the Core was torn out of his body and the darkness rushed into his mind and washed him into oblivion.

Hiccup roared in pain, anguish and sorrow. His voice was loud enough to be heard on all of the ships under Camicaze's command. Astrid felt as if her ears would explode. Hiccup continued to struggle, pulling at his chains, burning tears singing his cheeks as Toothless slumped to the ground with loud, resounding metallic clang. Astrid started to cry herself.

Camicaze held Toothless Core for all to see, a burning sphere of radiant blue light that shone out in the darkness of the night. She examined its runic outside and saw the mechanisms twist and turn inside the semi-transparent shell and called out to Hiccup, over the sound of his chains, "An unholy amalgamation of magyk and machinery. Truly, your best piece of work." She threw it to the ground and stomped on it with one swift movement, shattering the exterior and unloading a mess of cogs, gears and dust onto the metal deck.

With that, Hiccup knew that there was no hope for his friend now. Without that core, there was no Toothless. Only a hunk of worthless metal.

A body without a soul.