A/N: And I return for another nice long chapter :D Thanks for all the reviews so far, and those following this story! Let's see how Hiccup's doing, shall we?

This Time for Sure

Chapter 3: Losing Hope

"A funny thing happens when you remove an animal from the safety of its home. At first, it becomes disoriented and... aggressive. Then, finally, the creature accepts its fate. It loses interest in killing its adversaries and becomes more concerned with its own survival. Or at the very least, it becomes someone's expensive toy."

~Viggo Grimborn, Defenders of the Wing: Part 2

Hiccup watched sorrowfully as Berk seemed to float away from him for the third time. He felt exhausted. Truly and utterly tired and run-down. This was worse than the midnight sun. Staying hopeful was wearing him thin. It seemed impossible. He had just watched Fearless Astrid Hofferson walk onto Viggo's ship and surrender herself. To keep him safe. His heart ached as he watched the Hunters open up the cage and march her below deck, as he knew would soon happen to him. That was the routine now. He spent his days in a dragon-proof cell on a ship. They never bothered offloading him, even on the occasions when they had docked on a Hunter base.

But Astrid's facial expression seemed to haunt him in the minutes he had before he too was marched down to his cell. She was so worried. The word frightened could even be used to describe the look in her eyes. She was scared for him. But Hiccup was more worried about her than about himself. He knew that Viggo needed him alive. How else would he continue his masterplan to bring down Berk and the Riders? But Astrid? The Hunters didn't need her, they just needed her out of the way. They could easily kill her. And that thought alone tore at his heart, which was already being pulled to shreds. There was part of him that dreaded that Viggo really had outthought him this time.

He still remembered his initial capture six days ago. He dreamt about it every night. He and the other Riders had been flying back to Berk for a visit. Now that they had stolen Viggo's gold and the Dragon Eye within a matter of days, they finally had something to celebrate. Though by the time of the attack, the festive spirit had gone into hibernation. Snotlout had fallen asleep, the twins were trying to knock each other off their dragon and Fishlegs was engrossed in his dragon cards, improving them with Hiccup's newest tracings of the Dragon Eye. And so Hiccup and Astrid were enjoying the alone time.

At least, they had thought they were alone. How wrong they had been.

As they approached a set of sea stacks, Astrid had jumped as Stormfly's tail spikes stood on end all of a sudden. Toothless started growling too almost immediately and had anyone been looking at his eyes, they would have seen them narrow to slits. Hiccup looked at Astrid in confusion, but their relative peace was short-lived. From below them, dozens of dragon root arrows shot up towards them, waking Snotlout up suddenly enough to make him scream. But by the time everyone was alert and ready for battle, Toothless had already been shot. Hiccup yelped in surprise at the sudden descent the dragon root caused as the Night Fury fought a losing battle to stay awake.

"Hiccup!" Astrid had shouted, as Stormfly dove to try and catch him. "Fishlegs, get Toothless!"

"On it!" He shouted, quickly stowing his work away and flying Meatlug downwards. Stormfly managed to pluck Hiccup out of his saddle, just as bolas started to fly up as well. The Deadly Nadder dodged half a dozen successfully, but it was the ones they didn't that wrapped themselves around Hiccup's legs. The sudden extra weight caused Stormfly to squawk in surprise and, together with Hiccup and Astrid, she fell several metres through the sky before they had stabilised. But at that height, they were in reach of the Hunters. A dragon-proof chain flew up to them, wrapping around Hiccup's prosthetic leg.

"Astrid!" He shouted, feeling the tugs of the men below. His betrothed looked down, gasping as she saw what the Hunters were doing.

"Stormfly, up!" She shouted, not knowing what else she could do at that point. Hiccup groaned as both sides pulled on him, praying to the gods that Stormfly would be strong enough. He looked down to see his prosthetic being bent out of the shape by the chain's pull and exclaimed in pain as Stormfly's claw began to lose its grip, scratching his arms. "Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, but Hiccup could already hear the desperateness in her voice. They weren't going to make it.

And the moment that thought passed through his head, the Nadder's claws slipped and he started to plummet. A scream was pulled out of his lungs as the air whooshed past in a blur, but he could just about make out his unconscious dragon in Meatlug's grip as he fell past.

"No, Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted as Hiccup grew closer and closer to the enemy vessel, but he was going at such a speed that the sound was warped and then next thing he knew was his body meeting the water in a painful splash. The pull on the chain started again, and he felt his back bump into the outside of the ship as he was pulled up. From his upside-down perspective, he could see the other Riders looking helplessly at him. He spat out the water from his mouth.

"Go to Berk! Tell dad!" He shouted, hoping he had been loud enough for them to hear. Then he heard the dreaded sound of Ryker's dark chuckle and with a final tug, he was pulled onto deck. He sat up, relieved at being the right way up, and glared up at his captor through the wet hair that fell in his face.

"Look what we have here! Hiccup Haddock, soaking wet. Fitting surname," The Grimborn laughed along with the other Hunters, who apparently also found the joke amusing. Hiccup only held his glare. "Oh, don't look like that! You put up quite the fight up there. But don't worry, Viggo's come up with a wonderful plan for you. Your friends aren't coming to save you anymore," At this, he bent down over the dragon rider, sneering. But Hiccup only scoffed.

"Yeah? You say that every time," He sassed, brushing his wet hair out of his face.

"Oh-ho-ho!" Ryker responded. "You're certainly confident. Trust me, that won't last." He stood up straight again and nodded to the other Hunters. "Take him to a cell below deck. Viggo will be with him soon enough."

And so, with his legs still weighed down by the bolas, he had been dragged to the cell that had been his home for the past week. And sure enough, Viggo had come. Ever the bringer of good news.

"So, we meet again, Hiccup!" He had said, interrupting Hiccup's attempt to cut through the bolas with his bent prosthetic.

"Is this your idea of revenge for the Dragon Eye and gold?" He snapped, not in the mood for flowery talk.

"You never were one for pleasantries, were you? That's unfortunate. But I guess you could see this as revenge for the gold you stole, not to mention the Dragon Eye. It's a shame really, you really were on a winning streak with those victories. How quickly it ended. Overconfidence can do wonders when it comes to clouding the mind. But I think you'll find this is much more than just revenge,"

"We stole your gold?" Hiccup laughed incredulously, ignoring the taunting on the Riders' short-lived triumph. "Only because you stole Berk's gold first!"

"If you remember correctly, you brought it to my auction with the purpose of sabotage. How are your actions any better than those of my men?"

"Maybe because we're using the gold to help Berk, not hunt dragons," Hiccup glared at Viggo through the green-tinted bars, but the man only smirked.

"You may not believe me when I tell you, and you have no way of finding out if I'm telling the truth from your cell, but I have actually stopped most of our operations in the archipelago,"

"Yeah? And why would you do that?" Hiccup asked. Viggo's gaze hardened, the faked friendliness of his composure falling away like a dragon's shed skin.

"Because this plan needs nearly all the men I have under my command. I am not letting you off this ship until both Berk and your Dragon Riders have been brought down to their knees." Hiccup snorted, amused by the haughtiness that seemed to have gotten into both Grimborn brothers.

"Yeah, that's not going to work," Viggo raised an eyebrow at his dismissiveness.

"Do you think so little of me? I've thought through every single possible path that this plan could take and have thought of multiple ways of stopping all possible rescue attempts. You aren't going anywhere. And what is Berk without its heir? What are the Dragon Riders without their leader? Who is Stoick without his son? You will soon see, Hiccup, that caring is not an advantage." Hiccup swallowed at the seriousness of Viggo's monologue, telling himself that this would turn out to be just like any other plan that he had managed to defeat.

"I have to disagree with you there," He replied.

"Well, then, let me show you, hm? Within a few days, you'll see. The sentiment of your village for you will be their downfall." And with that, he walked away, leaving Hiccup to his own thoughts. He's bluffing, he told himself, he's just trying to make me scared because scared prisoners don't escape. Well, he's got another thing coming.

Hiccup laughed wryly at himself at he shook the memories of that first day away. Truth be told, Viggo hadn't been lying when he said that he had thought through everything. The two rescue attempts he'd witnessed so far only ended up with more injuries and more secure restraints. Not only did the Grimborns insist on gagging him and chaining him to the cage, but even when in his cell on the ship he was left in manacles. He now had a bruise on his right cheek, a cut on his forehead and the shoulder that Viggo had so kindly stabbed.

And Viggo had clearly taken up the opportunity to gloat.

Twice a day he was brought a meal, water and a chamber pot, and it seemed that the two brothers took it in turns to bring it to him. He both dreaded and longed for those times. His stomach was always growing by the time they came, but depending on which brother was on duty, some form of torture would be waiting for him.

Ryker would exploit Hiccup's hunger, often taking a bite out of the bread and a drink of the water himself before passing it through the bars. The first time he had even punched him in the face for no reason other than his own enjoyment. Another time he had "accidentally" spilt the water all over the wooden floor, laughing at Hiccup when he tried to catch the jug only to have it spill over his trousers. Apparently, Ryker had told all of the Hunters that it had spilt onto his crotch, making it look like he had wet himself, because every time a guard passed his cell, laughter would echo through the tunnel even after the Hunter was well out of sight.

But the most horrid part of Ryker's visits was the usage of the chamber pot. The Hunter would pass it through the bars and then stare at Hiccup at he used it. The first time that had happened, he had refused to use it, but eventually, his bladder forced him into the awkward and humiliating act. At least Viggo was decent enough to turn his back to him.

But then again, while Viggo might not taunt him with his hunger and thirst, he didn't need to. His words were painful enough to listen to. As Hiccup ate, Viggo would question him or tell him stories, often violent accounts of the capture of many an injured dragon. Sometimes he would even explain part of his plan, every little detail that he had planned.

That was probably what worried Hiccup the most. Viggo never gave away his plan. Any time he had explained his intentions, it would be a trick. But this time, Hiccup would know everything that was going to happen and then had to watch it play out almost word for word in front of his eyes. He had known that Ryker would grab him when Snotlout tried to rescue him. He had known that Viggo would stab him, yet he had been too distracted to dodge it. He had known that Astrid would be the next victim of the deals. He had known all of it, but there was nothing he could do. Ryker had covered his mouth during the first ransom demand, and every time after that he had been gagged.

He was truly helpless.

And watching Fearless Astrid Hofferson surrender without a fight had only put another dent in the little hope that remained in his heart.

It was with considerable effort that Hiccup held his head high as the Hunters attached his prosthetic, unchained his arms and took off the gag once Berk was but a dot on the horizon. He didn't put up a fight as they clicked manacles around his wrists – he had learnt not to after Ryker had given him a beating the time he had. Besides, every movement of his shoulder made him hiss in pain. And so, surrounded by guards, he was marched below deck and into his cell, where he waited for Viggo to show up, his stomach grumbling due to his half-eaten breakfast that morning.

And he finally did, twenty minutes later, the smirk on his face was bigger than it had ever been before. Hiccup's heart sunk as he swallowed, attempting to mentally prepare himself for whatever he had to say. But Viggo didn't say anything. He simply bent down to put the three items on the floor just inside the cell, pulled up a chair and watched him.

But his eyes said enough. They said I told you so. See? I'm winning. Hiccup picked up the bread and ate, looking at his prosthetic and wondering why it appeared more bent then it had when it was taken off. The Hunters attempt at being funny, he supposed. But that was beside the point. He had a question for his captor.

He looked up at him to see that his eyes had been on him the whole time.

"Yes, Hiccup?" Viggo lifted an eyebrow.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, reaching for the jug of water. Viggo laughed.

"Isn't it obvious? I did hope you were smarter than that,"

"No, I meant why are you demanding one thing at a time? If you're so confident that Berk will give you anything because you have me, then why spent a whole week on getting the Dragon Eye, the Book of Dragons and Astrid? You could've got them all in one go."

"You're right. I could've," Viggo smiled, clearly enjoying the talk. "But my plan isn't just to bargain my way to victory, it's also to bring down Berk,"

"How does that answer my question?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Ah, well, you see, Hiccup," was the response, "One of the reasons why so many times you have managed to keep fighting this war is that you stay hopeful. You Dragon Riders have remarkable faith in victory, as does your father. You, as an optimist, are probably the main factor in maintaining that hope. But what happens when something goes on for so long, with such repetition, that you start to doubt whether it is still possible to overcome your adversary? What then?" Viggo raised an eyebrow at him, obviously waiting for an answer. But Hiccup didn't want to answer. He knew fully well what Viggo was getting at.

"Each ransom I demand has a specific purpose, which I have yet to share with you. But that will become clear after the next ransom. That one is special, you know, you should look forward to it, Hiccup. I'm sure you've missed your only remaining family and your Night Fury."

Hiccup's heart stopped beating for several seconds. No. He's bluffing. It can't be. He can't mean… But Viggo hadn't bluffed with any of his ransoms thus far. Every time had told the truth. With the Dragon Eye, the Book of Dragons and Astrid. So why would he start now?

Berk without a chief. And Toothless in a cell at Ryker's mercy.

Viggo smiled confidently as he watched the disbelief and horror on Hiccup's face, knowing that no more words were needed. But before he went, he muttered the sentence that he had said every visit.

"I told you so,"

And Hiccup knew exactly what he meant.

Viggo got up and picked up the chair he had sat on, moving it aside and taking the plate, jug and chamber pot out of the cell. For a fleeting moment Hiccup had the mind to ask to use the chamber pot but he stopped himself. He didn't care about using that at the moment. He just wanted to be alone.

And so he watched Viggo smugly walk away and the minute he was gone, he let himself sink to the floor. His eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to stop the tears prickling them, but it didn't seem to work. His shoulder throbbed but his heart throbbed more.

Why hadn't the others tried to rescue him yet? Had they given up on him? Had seeing him helpless to Viggo's chains and ropes three times now made them lose hope?

He had to admit to himself that he couldn't really blame them. The fact that he was almost getting used to his routine as Viggo's prisoner was worrying. His usual defiance had worn down and it was then Hiccup realised that Viggo didn't need physical torture to break him. All he needed was the simple repetition of the small things: every time he stood humiliated in front of the people of Berk he swore to protect, the way Ryker would hold his arms when he was marched to his cage as if he couldn't believe that someone so skinny was still walking, the way Viggo would remind him that there was no point hoping as he ate his meal.

And he was so tired. He could feel sleep threaten to drag him into unconsciousness. But he didn't want to sleep. He needed to think. There had to be a way to stop Viggo.

What if there isn't? What if this is it? What if Viggo's right?

And he was dragged into the world of nightmares anyway.

A/N: Did I mention that things were going to get worse before they got better? I did, didn't I? Well, I rest my case!

Was that Viggo quote at the start a bit too cruel? I felt a bit mean putting it in but at the same time I thought it was too good to leave out...

Let me know what you think in the reviews, please. They make my day and put a smile on my face! :)

'Til Thursday (stay safe)!

~httydfangirl123

P.S.: Let me know if anyone of you noticed the Sherlock quote I threw in there. I'm curious...