Hiccup was beginning to lose all his hope. Despite his numerous attempts at trying to get an answer from the guards, they remained silent as a stone. The prince wanted to know where they had taken Astrid and what they were planning to do with her, but no matter how any times he hit the cell door with his foot or he called for the guards, he was the only one making any sound in the dungeons. Of course the guards didn't respond – Hiccup wouldn't have been surprised if Stoick had told them to speak upon the pain of death.
He felt useless, desperate and defeated all at the same time. He had no way out of the cell, all of Berk was suddenly against him and he was not used to being ignored by his people. He had no idea where Astrid was at the moment, neither did he know if she was still alive. It had been a maximum of three hours since the princess was taken by the guards, so it couldn't be close to afternoon which was when Astrid was to be executed.
The truth was Hiccup didn't have any sense of time down in the cell, for no daylight came into the dungeons and apart from the rare spots that the torches illuminated light on, it was totally dark. So it could've been past midday and the prince had no idea. He felt as though he had been banging his fists and foot against the cell door for hours on end, but when he thought about it rationally, he knew it couldn't have been more than a few hours.
Hiccup paced around the cell, his prosthetic leg making noise as it hit the stony floor. He was silently hoping that the clanking sound of it would eventually piss off the guards enough to speak to him, but they didn't seem to mind even when the prince was making sure he was being very loud.
Suddenly he heard somebody speak and he stopped dead in his tracks. He listened. The person was speaking quietly, most likely to the guards, and their voice sounded frightened and nervous. Then there was a sound of agreement from the two guards that appeared in front of Hiccup's cell door with the visitor. It was a maiden from the kitchens, holding a tray that had a loaf of bread, a few grapes and a water goblet on it. The guards unlocked the door and she took a few steps into the cell.
"Breakfast for the prisoner," the girl said timidly and stood close to the entrance. She was still holding the tray and she kept nervously glancing at the guards behind her back.
"I am not hungry," Hiccup stated and looked away. He couldn't even think about eating when the person he loved was in danger. "You can take the tray with you."
"You may become hungry later, My Lord. I will leave it in the corner," she replied in a quiet voice. She walked deeper into the cell and Hiccup saw her walk past him towards the farthest corner of the cell. After she put the tray down on the floor, she turned around to look at the prince. She seemed very nervous and she was twiddling the cuff of her dress' sleeve. "You might eventually find something that sparks your interest on that tray."
Huh. Hiccup found her choice of words very strange, but he decided not to comment on it. Instead, he just nodded at the maiden with a thank you, after which she disappeared out of sight and the cell door was slammed shut again.
The prince looked at the tray with a frown. Something about her words seemed measured and like they had some meaning to them. Why would he find anything interesting on that tray if he wasn't hungry? There had to be more to it, perhaps she knew about Astrid's whereabouts or what was about to happen to her and she had left a note for him?
Hiccup looked up to see whether the guards had already left the front of his cell before he silently walked to the silver tray and took a better look at the contents on it. At a quick glance it looked like there was nothing else but food, but the prince didn't leave it at that – he carefully examined every inch of the tray, putting the grapes and the water goblet aside. Nothing was revealed underneath them, so he moved onto the loaf of bread. The moment he lifted it up, he noted how unusually heavy it was for bread. He quickly glanced at the cell door to see it empty before examining the loaf in his hand further. It had been tampered with, that much was obvious from the way it looked. One side of it was torn apart almost completely, which meant that there was something inside. Something heavier than just a piece of paper.
He tore the loaf of bread in half, and he couldn't believe his eyes when the hidden contents were revealed. A key to the cell.
It was a copy. He had no idea how somebody had managed to create a mould of the real one and then had time to smith a bar of iron into a key. It looked nearly flawless and there was no doubt in Hiccup's mind that it would unlock the cell door.
He didn't even have time to think of ways to get out of the cell and past the guards unarmed before the answer came to him; the warning bell rang, loud and clear. They were deep beneath the ground but the sound could still be heard. When somebody sounded the warning bell, all knights and guards had to go to the courtyard where the nature of the alert was told and positions were divided, and that also involved the guards standing a few feet from Hiccup.
The guards took one more look at the prince before they disappeared behind the corner and ascended the stairs. Hiccup waited patiently a short while until he put the key into the lock and turned it clockwise. While he waited, he wondered why the warning bell had gone off in the first place. If Berk was under attack, he could only hope that there was a spare dragon for him so he could defend his kingdom. If Astrid had managed to escape once again, which he hoped was the case, it'd mean he had a better chance to make it out of Berk alive himself.
The cell door opened, and the prince wasted no time getting out of the dungeon. His legs felt numb because of how cold it was down there, but he tried his best to ignore that and sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could. Once he was closer to the top of the stairs, he slowed down to avoid making noise. He had gotten very lucky with the timing of the warning bell, and he felt as though he used all his luck on that so he proceeded very cautiously – he couldn't afford to be seen by a single soul.
Since the stairs to the cells were located at the part of the castle nobody rarely used, Hiccup wasn't expecting to see anybody, so when he saw a dark figure at the top of the stairs, it took him all his might to not let out a yelp of surprise and fright. He quickly retreated to the shadows and leant against the stone wall that surrounded the stairs. His heart was beating fast, and he was sure it could've been heard by anybody within a mile if it weren't for the loud clanging noise of the warning bell.
"Hiccup, it's okay, it's just me," he heard a familiar voice coming from the figure.
"Fishlegs?" the prince asked mostly to himself. He didn't dare to believe it was his friend waiting for him, but the figure's voice had sounded unmistakably like Fishlegs'.
"Yes, come up."
He hesitantly stepped out of the shadows and after ascending a couple more steps, he could recognise Fishlegs. Relief washed over the prince and he couldn't believe he still hadn't used up his luck. "What are you doing here? Didn't you hear the warning bell? It's dangerous to be outside now."
"Helping you to save Astrid," his friend responded. "And it's not, we caused it to ring."
"We? Who are 'we'?"
"No time to explain, you need to get yourself to safety before they see you've broken out of the cell," Fishlegs said in a rush and had already taken several steps.
Hiccup let him lead the way. The prince trusted his friend to know what he was doing; he clearly had a plan in his mind, and Hiccup knew it all too well how frustrating it was when someone that wasn't part of the planning process tried to meddle with it, and the only thing they succeeded in was making everything more complicated.
He kept on repeating his friend's words in his mind. Helping you to save Astrid. That must've meant she was still alive and there was hope left. If they were successful, he might still see her. He might even be able to help her get away with him.
Gods, how could those five words mean so much to him? He felt like his life was dependent on them and he was hanging onto them with both of his hands.
The cries of the guards and knights could be heard all around them and navigating through the village was a challenging task. Hiccup still had no clue where they were going – he was too focused on not being seen to focus on where his friend was taking him.
True, he was used to sneaking out, but he had never been an escaped prisoner until this day. Moreover, he always did it when the sun had already set – now the sun had already risen so there were no dark places they could hide in. It turned out to be very difficult to become invisible in the morning light.
The prince wanted to ask where they were going, but fought the urge. Even though it was unlikely anybody was going to hear them whispering, it didn't mean it wasn't possible. Astrid's life was in his hands and he needed to act rationally. And it wasn't like he was not going to find that out eventually anyway – knowing it a few minutes beforehand wouldn't make any difference.
It took Hiccup but a moment of examining his surroundings to realise where they were headed to. They were in that part of the village where Fishlegs lived, and his house was just behind the corner. Both of them looked around them and at the sky for any signs of someone who they shouldn't be seen by before running towards Fishlegs' house. The lock on the door was broken so he yanked it open and almost pushed Hiccup inside. Fishlegs closed the door a bit too forcefully and its hinges let out a pained noise.
The prince instantly situated himself underneath the only window of the house so that no intruder could see him. He crouched down, not daring to sit in case he needed to act quickly. He watched Fishlegs as he nervously glanced out the window to make sure nobody had followed them.
"Do you know where Astrid is?" Hiccup began. The appearance of his voice caused Fishlegs to lower his eyes to look at the prince. "How could the maiden give me that key? How did you know to wait for me? And how did you trigger the warning bell? And who did you mean when you said 'we'?"
"If I explain it to you now, you wouldn't believe me. We need to wait for somebody," his friends responded quietly.
"I don't think there's time to wait, Fishlegs. Could you at least tell me if you know where Astrid is?" Hiccup pleaded. He so wished he could have just roamed around the kingdom grounds freely so he could have easily looked for Astrid. Now he had to waste time hiding in his friend's house and there was no telling whether it was already too late to do anything. The not knowing was slowly driving him insane.
Fishlegs was just about to open his mouth to reply, but he was disturbed by a sudden noise that was coming from the other side of his house. The door to the small backyard creaked open and a tall and slender man walked in. No candles were lit in Fishlegs' home so the person remained unknown to Hiccup. The prince looked up to his friend who didn't seem affected by the intruder in the slightest.
"Sorry I'm late, got a bit held up out there," the man said and Hiccup saw his hand move and point at something which apparently was the window. "Had to make sure no one could connect this house to me."
Hiccup could recognise that cheerful and carefree tone anywhere. He didn't believe his ears at first, but after the man had finished talking, there was no mistaking in who he was.
"Fairfax?!" he yelped in surprise and gaped at him. Momentarily the prince forgot the situation they were in and he stood up and rushed towards the former knight and hugged him. "Wha– what are you doing here? How long have you been back in Berk? I mean, you were banished, what made you come back?" the prince asked as he pulled himself away from the hug.
Fairfax smiled brightly and flashed his teeth. He was clearly enjoying Hiccup's reaction. "I never left, your friend has been kind enough to accommodate me all this time."
"It's been so hard to keep it from you, but I didn't want to risk him being caught," Fishlegs explained apologetically.
"It's been tough to be trapped within four walls, but I'd take this life over the other alternate I had any day. The thought of living in the woods didn't really appeal to me," Fairfax elaborated and moved towards the table and the stools that surrounded it. He sat on one of them and looked between Hiccup and Fishlegs.
"And it's great that he's still around – without him saving you from the prison wouldn't have been possible."
"What do you mean?" Hiccup finally found his voice.
Fishlegs and Fairfax shared a look between each other and the former nodded to encourage the latter to tell the entire story.
Fairfax looked back at Hiccup and he began: "Yesterday Fishlegs was in a hearing about you. The king asked him very specific questions about you, like if he knew the reason behind your sneak outs or if you had been telling him anything about Briral. He didn't tell anything, but it was obvious the king knows about your secret, and we knew it was only a matter of time that they capture you. When Fishlegs rushed to warn you, you were nowhere to be seen. He looked everywhere, but it appeared you had already gone.
"When Fishlegs saw Berk's spies and some knights leave almost right after you, we knew we had to act and quickly. We needed to do something in case they captured you, so Fishlegs went to your chambers and took several keys that might be useful to help you escape and he spoke with the blacksmith and said that you had ordered him to make a spare copy of those keys. We thought you wouldn't mind.
"The news about your capture reached us when you were already locked away in the cell with Astrid, so we had to proceed with our plan. There's this lady, Mildred, in the kitchens who knows I am here and she helps me out by sending food with Fishlegs. Wouldn't be alive without her. She agreed to help us sneak the key into your breakfast as she was the one preparing and delivering it to you.
"Fishlegs and I were waiting at the top of the staircase to hear what Mildred had told you. We all agreed you had understood the hidden message since you didn't ask for any explanation, so we instantly moved onto the next part of our plan. I took away the cloak I was wearing and made a quick appearance in front of some knights. Since I am banished and to be hanged if I return here, they sounded the warning bell, and all that was left for us to do was trust your brain. I also had to make sure I wasn't seen by anyone after that, which turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. And now we're here."
Hiccup was perplexed. Fairfax and Fishlegs had risked their lives for him once again. And this lady from the kitchens that the prince didn't even know had been ready to put her life at stake for him, too. Hiccup felt bad for finding out her name only now. He needed to thank her personally if he ever made it out of this situation alive.
That sent him back to reality. Acts of gratitude could wait, but Astrid couldn't. "Do you know anything about Astrid? Where is she?"
Both of them shook their heads no. "I haven't been able to be around anybody with such information," Fishlegs responded and looked at the prince sadly.
If there had been any hope left in Hiccup's mind, it was now extinguished. There were about one hundred possibilities as to where Astrid could be now. Without the slightest clue that would single out a handful of options, it was impossible to track her down.
"Have you seen Toothless?" Hiccup asked suddenly. "He got away when Astrid and I were captured."
"He came to me some hours ago. I think he was accompanied by Astrid's dragon," Fishlegs said. "He seemed very worried about you."
The prince sighed in relief. "Do you know where he is now?" he asked. If he had Toothless, he might still have some hope in finding Astrid before it was too late – covering the kingdom grounds on a dragon was much faster.
"Both of them are in the back," Fairfax said and pointed at the back door he had come in from.
The front door was slammed open and Hiccup's heart skipped a couple beats out of fright. He was prepared to see an army of knights and guards by the door and his mind was already planning to run to the back and hop on Toothless to fight them off, but what stood there instead was a scared-looking girl. The prince recognised her as the maiden who had visited him in the dungeons.
"Mildred," Fairfax breathed out and stood up from the stool. "What are you doing here?" his voice was soft when he spoke, but it sounded worrisome.
"They're looking for you, Fairfax," Mildred panted. She must have been running all the way from the castle to Fishlegs' hut to warn them. "They're inspecting every single building and they will be here soon!"
"Go out from the back door and hide!" Fishlegs exclaimed alarmed and looked at Hiccup and Fairfax. "They cannot see either of you!"
The two acted fast. They rushed out of the house with Fairfax showing the way. Hiccup closed the door behind him once they were outside, and he was immediately greeted by the sight of Toothless and Stormfly. The Night Fury was about to start bouncing in exhilaration, but the prince shushed at him and the dragon stopped moving in an instant. Hiccup didn't need to say anything; the exchanged look was enough for them to communicate with each other.
The warning bell was still clanging. Of course it was – they hadn't yet found Fairfax who was currently scanning their surroundings like a hawk. In Fishlegs' extremely small backyard there was an old and broken cart behind which Hiccup and Fairfax found shelter until the inspectors left.
It didn't take long for them to hear new voices talking inside the house; the planks with which the house was built had a few cracks and gaps between one another, so they could listen in on the conversation. Hiccup recognised most of the voices, it sounded as though they had delegated the most trusted knights for this mission. When they spoke, they spoke with so much authority and threat in their voices that the prince felt ashamed it was considered normal for noblemen to talk to the villagers in such manner.
"Can you recognise any of them?" Hiccup whispered to Fairfax.
The former knight looked at the prince and nodded. "Sir Shipley is there. Used to be very good pals with him. I wonder if his opinion on me has changed after everything that's happened."
"Thank you for risking so much for me. I don't feel like I deserve it," Hiccup said in a flash of guilt. After all, he was the reason the man next to him was no longer a knight of Berk. "I can't ever repay you for everything you've done and lost for me."
Fairfax laughed silently and pat the prince on his shoulder. "Just give me the softest pillows in all of Berk once you're the king and we're even," he said. After that he turned graver. "How will we figure out what the plan is for Astrid? Any ideas?"
Hiccup thought, but his mind was blank as a piece of fresh parchment. Whenever he thought about Astrid, and she was honestly the only thing on his mind, his brain jumped into panic mode and it was hard for him to form a proper thought in his head. There were fragments that didn't connect with each other.
He was interrupted by the loud noise that was coming from the knights and guards. They were planning to separate their ways so that they could visit all the houses faster.
"I'll go this way, there is only a handful of houses," one of them said.
"That's Sir Shipley," Fairfax stated in a tone of surprise.
Then it hit the prince. Shipley was one of the most trusted knights in Berk, which meant that he had all the information they needed regarding Astrid and her whereabouts. That knight was possibly their only chance.
The footsteps of Shipley got closer and closer to the backyard. Hiccup couldn't see him, but he could hear him stop dead in his tracks just a few feet from them.
"Toothless?" he asked in confusion. "What are you doing here fully equipped? And who's that dragon you have with you?"
Hiccup stood up but kept his back lowered so that he was still hidden behind the cart. Fairfax gasped next to him and tried to pull him back down from the hem of his shirt. "What are you doing? He'll kill you!" he whispered, fear evident in his voice.
The prince didn't answer. He jumped in front of the cart, grabbed the unsuspecting knight by the arm and dragged him to their hiding place. He drew out the sword from Shipley's scabbard and handed it to Fairfax who was still sitting on the ground. He took it, eyes wide from shock.
Sir Shipley looked just as confused. "What the–"
"Where is Princess Astrid?" Hiccup demanded, getting straight to the point.
"Prince Hiccup?" Shipley blurted out. "How did you get out of the cell?"
"Long story. Where is Princess Astrid?" he repeated.
"I can't tell."
"Hiccup, what are you doing?" Fairfax asked uncertainly. Shipley snapped his head to the side immediately, and the sight of the man on the ground didn't help erase the confusion on his face at all.
"Fairfax?! My Lord, why are you with the traitor?" Shipley asked and took turns in looking at Hiccup and Fairfax.
"Fairfax enjoys my complete trust," Hiccup answered impatiently. "Please, you need to tell me where Princess Astrid is," he continued.
"My lips are sealed," the knight said firmly. He clearly wasn't liking this moment.
Hiccup glanced at Toothless who was observing the moment in the background. The dragon seemed to realise what the prince was thinking, for he took a few steps towards them, growled in a low voice while keeping his eyes fixed on Sir Shipley and then opening his mouth with plasma blast glowing inside it.
The knight eyed the Night Fury suspiciously, and there was no mistaking in the clear fright on his face. Toothless kept on coming closer and the plasma blast in his throat grew bigger.
Sir Shipley finally gave in: "Alright, alright, My Lord, I'll tell you! She's currently in a hearing in the Throne Room, the king wants to get every ounce of information out of her before they take her away."
"Away? What do you mean by 'away'?" Hiccup demanded, not daring to blink.
"She'll be taken to the sea. I don't know what they're planning to do with her, but I guarantee it's nothing that will end prettily."
"So my father isn't going to execute her?" the prince asked disbelievingly and looked down at Fairfax who was still sitting on the ground, Shipley's sword in his hands. "What in the name of Thor is going on with him?"
"He hasn't been himself lately. Something has changed," Shipley responded darkly, giving nervous glances at Toothless every now and then.
Hiccup didn't comment on that. His father had become unpredictable, and that scared the living shit out of the prince. He didn't want others to know how he felt about the change, though. "Thank you for telling this to me, Shipley. I appreciate it," he said, concealing his true emotions impressively well.
The knight let out a very hollow laugh at that. "As if you left me with any other choice," he replied sharply and gave one more look at the Night Fury who looked very pleased with himself.
"He wasn't going to shoot you," Hiccup stated as he walked to his dragon. Fairfax followed him suit, leaving Shipley all alone behind that cart.
"What are you going to do now?" Fairfax asked.
"I'm going to the Throne Room," the prince replied instantly. There was no hesitation in his mind about that.
Fairfax didn't reply. He was still holding Sir Shipley's sword and he didn't seem to be willing to part his ways with it anytime soon. It had probably been a long time since he had held a sword in his hands.
Hiccup's attention was drawn to Stormfly who was pacing around nervously in the unfamiliar environment without her owner. She darted her head everywhere, looking for what Hiccup could only assume to be Astrid. The prince walked up to the Deadly Nadder and placed his hand on her snout.
"Don't worry, Stormfly. I will save her, even if it kills me."
Four chapters to go 0_0 who's ready to scream with me? 3...2...1... AAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The response to the previous chapter was mind-blowing, I wanna buy y'all a rose because you're such wonderful readers :3 I hope you liked this chapter! Comments and pretty much any kind of response are more than welcome :')