Hiccup was usually one to be patient. Have a good head about things, even when they were at their worst. And this? This was most certainly the worst. But he was finding it increasingly difficult to remain calm, getting more and more irritated by the second.

Maybe it was the fact that the cell he was in smelled even worse than he himself did, even being covered in dragon piss. Maybe it was because of the constant yelling coming from somewhere nearby, and occasional roars of what sounded like an animal in distress. Maybe it was not knowing where Astrid was. No… it was definitely not knowing where Astrid was.

Maybe it was the jackass guard in front of his cell that wouldn't stop his Thor damned pacing!

Hiccup sat firmly against the stone wall, wanting to bang his head against it to block out the constant footsteps and rattling of keys.

"For the love of Valhalla above," Hiccup growled, "Will you stop pacing?!"

"Quiet you!" The guard boomed, a threatening glare peeking from the slit in his helmet.

Hiccup was most certainly not one to judge people on their size, but the guard before him was far from threatening. He was hardly as big as Hiccup, his armor almost comically oversized on his scrawny body.

The caged rider shook his head, "Look, maybe we can help each other. Tell me what Krogan wants with me, and I'll get you out once we escape."

The guard stopped, looking at the boy in anger. "Amusing. Do I look like a fool to you?"

Hiccup fought to hold in a witty remark.

The guard continued, "Krogan left me in charge of you. I'm not to leave you unattended, and I'm not to take any shit, is that clear?!"

Hiccup stood, walking to the cell door and grasping at the bars. "Look, you want to impress your commander, I get that. But I also know what he's capable of, and I have no doubt you do as well."

The guard looked angry, but surprisingly, let him speak.

"I'm the leader of Berk's dragon riders, we have a whole tribe of people who fight to protect those who do the right thing. We're safe there. You can't possibly feel safe under Krogan, let me help you."

Hiccup hoped he didn't sound too desperate, but the guardsman's features began to soften. He stepped closer to the bars, face inches from Hiccup's.

"Your people fight to protect what's right?"

Hiccup nodded, "With everything in our power."

"Is that so?" The guard's expression turned devilish. "And I'm to believe that slaying men in cold blood is what's right? Like your little girlfriend did to my fellow soldiers?"

Hiccup's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"I don't believe you for a second, laddie." The guard chuckled. "And, as for the girl, I'd give my left nut to watch what's gonna happen to a pretty thing like her. Krogan has no sympathy for little Viking sluts, especially murderous ones."

Hiccup shook with rage, hands grasping the metal bars going white from pressure. The guard laughed maniacally in his face.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion sounded from across the shipyard, followed by a symphony of yells and shouting from soldiers.

The guard halted his taunting, twisting his head to look in the direction of the commotion.

Big mistake.

In a split second, Hiccup had hooked his arm around the guard's neck, smashing him against the cell door in a choke hold. If he had been any bigger, Hiccup wouldn't have been able to keep his grip. But the soldier was small, and the dragon rider was fueled with a fiery rage.

The guard struggled, but ended up flailing his arms wildly, dropping his spear in the process and struggling to take breaths.

"Scream and I snap your neck. Tell me where she is." Hiccup demanded, trying to keep from being too loud. He loosened his grip just enough for the guard to choke out a short reply.

"Ack!.. D-Don't-! Don't know!"

Hiccup tightened his hold in rage, the guard's eyes bulged.

"I don't believe you for a second." Hiccup mocked, "You tell me where she is!"

The guard sounded like he was sobbing, though it was hard to tell through the coughs, "Krog-! Gah… A ship… T-Trading!"

Hiccup finally loosened his hold enough for the soldier to take a deep inhale, but kept him pinned against the bars.

"Ahgh! I-I don't know for sure, but there's a merchant that docks in the port sometimes!" He managed through deep breaths. "Krogan's taken girls there before, I don't know if she's there or not, I swear!"

"Why would he take her there?" Hiccup demanded.

For a few moments, the only sound came from the guard's labored wheezing.

"H-He… The merchant, he buys girls for…"

Hiccup's blood ran cold. His grip involuntarily tightening, the guard choked again.

"Where… where's the ship?!"

"Ackk! I don't... GAH! DON'T KNOW!.. Red sail! Ship-! Has a red sail! C-Can't miss it! Please don't hurt me!"

Hiccup loosened his hold for a mere second, before slamming the guard's head back into the metal bars, helmet rattling his skull and knocking him out cold. His limp body fell to the ground before the cell door.

The boy crouched, reaching through the bars to grab the keys. Rustling with them for a moment, he listened closely for approaching guards...

Nothing. Just the constant commotion from the far side of the base.

He hastily opened the door, pulling the scrawny guard inside. Getting an idea, he moved quickly as he swapped clothing with the unconscious soldier. They were virtually the same size, and... if he was being honest, he was happy to get out of his urine-soaked clothing. He had to rip the pant leg to accommodate his prosthetic, but other than that, it was too perfect.

After pulling on the armor, Hiccup dragged the guard to the back of the dark cell. If someone were to walk past, they would hardly be able to tell it wasn't actually him.

He donned the metallic helmet and exited the cell, shutting and locking the door behind him. Picking up the spear, he hesitated for a moment. Wondering exactly what fellow soldiers would think about an out of place, one-legged guard running around blindly. Anxiety began to creep up inside him.

Astrid. He told himself. I have to find Astrid.

He pushed the nervous thoughts away, and swiftly made his way out of the corridor of cells.

Hiccup's fears turned out to be entirely irrational, as it didn't seem that others on the base paid him much mind. But then again, there was so much chaos Hiccup could hardly keep focus.

Soldiers were running ship to ship in every direction, several knocking the poor dragon rider to the ground in the process. Though he was quick to get back on his feet, it was nearly impossible to navigate the maze of ships.

Red sail. Red sail. Red sail.

But he saw only beige, with the occasional black dotting the shipyard around him. Cursing himself, he continued with his trek. Occasionally, more BOOMS and yelling would echo through the cavern. Smoke was rising from one side of the base, and the animalistic rumbles rang out around the icy walls.

Astrid. Astrid. Astrid.

He turned the corner around some cargo on a cluttered deck, before gasping. Panic pulsating through his veins as he retreated, jumping backwards and hiding behind a large crate.

"You buffoons lose one of those coins, you lose your heads!"

Hiccup held his breath as Krogan passed by, behind him, two guardsmen dragging a wheeled cart filled with coin bags. Luckily, the man didn't notice him, clearly content on getting wherever he was going.

Unluckily, it was probably to check in on Hiccup. And the boy had a terrible suspicion he knew where those coins had come from. His chest filled with dread as he emerged from his hiding spot, running through the shipyard even faster than before.

After jumping aboard one of the larger ships in the fleet, a sudden rush of soldiers around him sent him tumbling to the ground again. He took this brief moment to catch his breath. Panting heavily, and though it was freezing in the icy cavern, the humid air in his helmet masked his face in sweat. He haphazardly got to his feet, stumbling briefly before looking around.

His breath caught in his throat. At the end of the fleet, just a few ships away, was a boat displaying a deep crimson sail.

That was it! It had to be!

He let himself breathe a sigh of relief. It was still there, he still had the chance to-

WWROOAAAR!

The sound was ear-splitting, and far closer than it had been before. Hiccup turned around, and though the onslaught of rushing soldiers and yells, he saw what was making so much commotion...

Dragons.

A whole ship-full, roughly fifty yards away. He could see the fiery orange scales of a captured Monstrous Nightmare, being dragged away in chains. The striking magnesium blast of a Deadly Nadder. And he could hear the distant cries of what he assumed were many, many more.

It made sense now. Why the soldiers were scurried about. Wherever he was. Whoever was in charge, they were trapping dragons. No wonder they'd tried to take Toothless. So many thoughts swarmed through Hiccup's head, but one stood out more than any others: An escape.

If he could get to just one of those dragons, it could be his ticket out of there. His and-

"...Astrid." He mumbled, voice muffled by the helmet, turning once again to look at the ship he'd been searching for.

There were men aboard disconnecting ropes from the connecting vessels. The ship was leaving.

Time seemed to slow down as Hiccup stood there, frozen in indecision. He didn't know what was on that ship, he didn't even know for sure if Astrid was aboard. Even if she was, how could they escape?

The dragons. If he managed to get near one without being set ablaze, he would still have to bond with it, train it, all under the surveillance of other soldiers. And if he did by some miracle get out of this Thor-forsaken base on dragonback, there was nothing to track Astrid with. She'd be gone.

His pulse quickened as he weighed his options.

The dragons?

Or the ship?

The crimson-sailed boat began shifting, moving forward ever so slightly.

The dragons?

Or the ship?

Roars continued to erupt from the trapped beasts, wails of burning soldiers came along with it.

The dragons?

Or the ship?

The merchant. Hiccup thought of the scrawny soldier's words. He buys girls for...

That was it. Hiccup knew that, when it came down to a choice, there was no choice. If the soldier had been telling the truth, Astrid was in trouble. She needed him, and he wasn't about to let her go.

He threw the spear aside, glancing over his shoulder one last time at the dragons, then took off.

Determined to make it to the ship before it reached beyond the port's edge, but it was moving faster now. He could hear the sound of sailors yelling commands from on deck, the rippling, blood-red sail taunting him as he ran.

Closer, he was almost there. Ten more seconds, and the ship would be out of reach.

He evaded running into cursing soldiers, jumping over cluttered cargo as he approached the final connection. Legs burning as he ran, air so hot in his helmet he could hardly breathe. Panic set in as the ship began turning away from the port, the final stretch of the quarter deck skimmed along the neighboring boat.

He made it to the edge, jumping over the final ship's railing. For a brief moment, he saw the murky, black water turning below. Then, he was crashing onto the dark, wooden deck of the departing ship.

With no time to be grateful of his victory, he held his breath as he looked around. The particular area of deck was barren of guards, thank the gods, but Hiccup quickly heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

No where else to go, he dove for a narrow slot between cargo crates. Thank Odin for his small stature, or else he wouldn't have fit. Hidden from the rest of the deck, he tensed as the footsteps grew closer. Before they stopped just a mere few feet away.

"See? Nothing."

"Shut your mouth, will ya? I thought I heard something."

"Going crazy already? Hah, got a long trip ahead of us, better not lose it before the rest of us."

"Asshole…"

With that, the footsteps retreated, and Hiccup allowed himself a moment to finally, finally breathe.

Of course, the moment was drowned out by the sudden rush of anxiety that hit him like a tsunami. He was committed now, no getting off this ship. No dragons to help him. He was on his own…

Or so he thought.

Because after a short while wallowing in his own anxiousness, the sound of a heavenly familiar voice from across the deck speared through his senses.

"Just let me go!"

It was her… It was Astrid!

Hiccup nearly teared up from joy, his gamble hadn't been for nothing, she was here!

And apparently, just as scared as he was.

"NO!" Her scream echoed from across the deck, "We have to go back! I can't leave, I CAN'T!"

And just like that, his joy at hearing her lovely voice turned to stone cold pity. And as her screams turned to cries, and her cries grew distant, he felt his heart sink. She didn't know that he was there, that he hadn't abandoned her.

As they finally exited the cavernous, icy fortress, daylight greeted the ship. And as much as he wanted to slice the men who'd captured Astrid into a thousand shreds, he needed to be smart about this.

He settled into his hiding place, waiting for the opportunity, and taking the time to think it all through.

And time, is something he had plenty of.

"Krogan, please! I swear I didn't mean to-"

Krogan silenced the guard by pinning the tip of his sword firmly against his exposed throat. Not one for excuses, especially when it came down to this. Hiccup Haddock... escaped. On his watch.

"Listen to me very carefully." Krogan spoke quietly, but threatening, nonetheless. "Where did he go?"

The scrawny guard gulped, wincing as the act drove the steel further into his skin, drawing a drop of blood.

"I-I don't know, he knocked me out before he left. He was w-wanting to know where the girl was."

"And what did you tell him?"

The guard was silent for a brief moment, nearly sobbing. "N-Nothing, I didn't tell him anything."

"Hmm." Krogan hummed. "And I'm to believe that he left you incapacitated without any information?"

"It's the truth! I swear it!" He panted. "I-I didn't tell him about Milos, I swear to Odin himself!"

Glaring daggers into the guard's fearful eyes, Krogan lowered his sword. Allowing the boy a chance to breathe.

But only for a moment.

"Who said anything about Milos?" Krogan asked, genuinely intrigued.

The guard stared on, speechless. "K-Krogan, I-"

Krogan drove the tip of his sword deep into the guard's neck, silencing him in one swift move. Ignoring the horrific gurgles of the boy choking on his own blood, Krogan exited the cell.

"Search the base," He spoke to the two solders accompanying him. "We're finding that boy."

"Should we send a ship after Milos?" One of them asked. "In case he already escap-"

"If he made it onto that ship," Krogan shot back. "He's dead anyway. Do we have any use for a dead dragon rider?"

"No Krogan… W-We're on it, Krogan."

With that, the two guards scurried away. Krogan wiped his sword clean on his cloak, turning to glare at the now-deceased guard.

All of his work. Sending men after the Night Fury, capturing the riders, getting them back to Drago's base... After everything, that stupid girl had been of better use to him. Yet still, five thousand coins, for all of this?

He shook his head, his anger faltering for a single moment, and he allowed himself to smile at the thought of what would happen to the boy on that damned merchant's ship.

The idea alone was worth more than the gold.

Night had since fallen over the infinite ocean, and though Hiccup couldn't see much from his hiding spot, he was allowed a narrow view of the sea beyond.

They hadn't passed any landmarks since their departure, nothing besides the occasional sea stack and iceburg. Judging from the direction the sun had set, Hiccup concluded that they were headed northeast.

But with no knowledge of where Krogan had taken them, and no proper visual of the horizon…

It was safe to say he was absolutely, unavoidably lost.

But at the very least, all had been quiet on the deck. No footsteps, no distant sound of chattering guards he'd come to expect on a ship full of sailors. Nothing. It was almost peaceful.

Knowing that the cover of darkness was the best he was going to get, Hiccup decided it was time to survey the ship.

Upon leaving the array of cargo crates, he was indeed correct in his observations. The deck was barren, at least from what he could see. He was also, finally, given a proper view of the sea, and it was exactly as empty and endless as he expected. Complete with a silver half-moon shining above, illuminating the sparse waves and casting a bluish haze on the ship.

Hiccup moved slowly, making his way to the railing and studying the side of the ship. He took note of its size, somewhat surprised how small it was compared to the standard warships he saw back at the fleet. Though, it appeared to be deep; likely housing many chambers below deck.

Aside from that, he noticed a few small dinghies hanging along the sides. Such a small detail gave him a sliver of hope, and he began to form a plan. But first, he needed to find Astrid.

Slowly making his way to the lower decks, he monitored carefully, still surprised at the apparent lack of guards. Spotting a set of steps leading below deck, he picked up his pace.

His breaths were shallow as he descended into the depths of the ship, the corridor he'd found himself in was pitch black, aside from the distant torchlight emanating from a nearby opening. Once he'd turned the corner, he froze, finding himself face to face with a large, armored guard.

Who was… asleep.

Slumped back in his chair, torchlight sparsely illuminating his crimson armor. Hiccup could hear soft snores bellowing from his partially opened mouth.

Hiccup was in disbelief. What kind of ship was this? Sailors aboard, but no guards? And the one he did find was asleep? It was almost too good to be true. The monotony of the situation didn't do anything to diffuse the heavy tension the boy was feeling, if anything, it made it worse.

Looking down the next corridor, Hiccup was greeted to yet another cell-block. It was dark, torches dotting the walls every ten feet or so, but it would have to do.

Curled in a ball, huddled in the corner of her cell, Astrid had finally reached the point where she'd run out of tears.

But it hadn't started as sadness. When they'd finally brought her out of that psychopath's chamber, she realized that the ship had already departed. And she was left to watch as the large fleet of ships grew further and further away, before she was dragged below deck and tossed mercilessly into a cell.

She'd since gone through every troubled emotion possible, fear, anger, regret, then sadness. Though she couldn't say that she'd really accepted the fact that no one would ever find her, it was all she could think about. She didn't know where she was going, or if she'd ever make it home. She just knew that, despite all the abuse she'd faced today, she believed Milos when he'd said there was much more of it to come.

But her brain and body were exhausted, and quite frankly, she didn't want to sit there and think about it, or even think about escaping. It would only make her more upset, knowing that she was trapped, and there was no getting out of this. So instead, she just layed there. Accepting the silence and letting the faux peacefulness of the swaying ship lull her into a much needed slumber.

Which in turn, lasted longer than she expected. Until a soft, but noticeable tapping on the metal bars of the cell woke her.

Her eyes were hazy upon opening, being red and puffy from emotion didn't help either. But nonetheless, she saw a guard standing there. Dread filled her for a moment, until she realized, this guard looked different. Dressed in armor that was certainly not crimson, with a sturdy helmet covering his face.

Until he took it off, and she was suddenly convinced she was still asleep, stuck in a taunting dream.

"So, what are you in for?" He asked with his trademark crooked smile.

Nope. Definitely not dreaming.

"Hiccup!?" She gasped in disbelief, rushing to the cell entrance as fast as her wobbly legs would allow.

"Shh! Try to keep your voice low." He whispered, glancing over his shoulder.

"I… I-I don't-" She stuttered, unable to find the words.

"I know…" He said with a reassuring smile, placing his hand over hers. "It's okay now. Look, we don't have much time. There's a few small boats hanging off the hull, I'm thinking if we can get to one-"

"You…" She cut him off, eyes beaming as she stared into his. "You found me, you came back for me…"

"I told you I would, didn't I?" He asked with a sad smile.

"I just… I thought I'd never see you again."

He squeezed her hand, wanting desperately to ask if she was okay, if anyone had done anything to her. But he didn't. In part, because they had little time, but mostly because he feared the answer.

Then, her expression turned fearful. "Hiccup, you can't be seen. If they find you here…"

She didn't finish, and Hiccup assumed he already knew.

"We can't think that way. Now listen, the keys to the cell, do you know who has them?"

"Uhh… th-the guard, the one who put me here, I think he's stationed somewhere in the chambers. He has a key ring on his belt."

"I think I know where he is. I saw him sleeping on duty, if I have a chance to get those keys, it's now."

He began stepping away from the cell, but her tight grasp on his hand pulled him back.

"Hiccup, wait!" She started, he was surprised when he saw tears welling in her eyes. "I… I just…"

She was so... so happy to see him. But was unable to form words to express such, so instead, she leaned her head through the gap in the bars, and kissed him.

Needless to say, it took a moment for Hiccup to truly process what was happening. Blinking in surprise as her lips melted into his own, but after realizing he was finally being kissed by Astrid Hofferson, he was oh so eager to return the gesture.

No, it was probably not the time, nor place for such a thing. The fact alone was what eventually drew Astrid out of his trance, she steadily pulled away. And the look he gave her after, the torchlight dancing in his emerald eyes... gods.

Though, she did get a bit frightened after he remained silent. Wondering if he even reciprocated her feelings. Soon enough though, her fear was diminished.

"I… I-I," Hiccup stuttered, chuckling to himself as he was lost in his own words.

Astrid smiled, "Yeah?"

Face turning crimson, and heart burning with affection, he quickly spat out a half-cocked response.

"You… you smell terrible."

And immediately wanted to punch himself right in the mouth.

Thankfully though, she snorted at his comment.

"Well, so do you." She managed between giggles, before attempting to be serious again. "Now, go get those keys."

She squeezed his hand a final time before letting go, and he smiled, turning on his heel and making his way quietly down the dim corridor.