A/N: I think this chapter may be one of my favourites, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it...

This Time for Sure

Chapter 6: Overconfidence

"Overconfidence can do wonders when it comes to clouding the mind."

~Viggo Grimborn, chapter 3 (Losing Hope)

Astrid wished she had something other than her fist that she could use to hit the wall. Preferably something that didn't cause her fingers to bleed, which they almost were at this point. Her axe, maybe, but it had been two days since that had been taken away along with her freedom. Gods, she was restless. She had hoped to be able to escape while the Hunters moved her from the ship to the dark underground tunnel she was in, or at least see a glimpse of Hiccup. But she had constantly been surrounded by careful Hunters and there was no sign of Hiccup. The cell she was stuck in now reminded her of the dragon cell she and the gang had been locked in after getting caught trying to sabotage Viggo's auction. At least then they'd managed to make it out in one piece. She just hoped they'd be as lucky this time around.

The two days with no human interaction besides the scumbag Hunters that brought her food and water had already driven her near the point of insanity. At least that's what it felt like for her. She couldn't imagine how Hiccup was feeling with only Viggo's taunting for company.

Viggo. Every time the name passed through her mind Astrid could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She was one hundred per cent done with that smug son of a half-troll. Back on Berk, she had been able to go to the woods and do target practice with Stormfly, taking all of her anger for Viggo out on the trees. She couldn't even do that anymore and now she had all this excess anger burning up inside of her with no way of letting it out. She needed to run, punch someone, kick something – anything. She wondered whether Viggo had gone back for more ransoms, whether Hiccup had been chained up even more, whether Ryker had hurt him even more than he already was. She wondered whether Stoick had thought of a better plan, whether he had realised his mistake, whether anyone was trying to get her and Hiccup out of this mess.

Hiccup. All of her thoughts ended up with him. No matter what she was doing: sleeping, eating, drinking, kicking the wall or pacing – like she did 12 hours a day it seemed. It was always Hiccup. She wanted to know if he was alright, if he still had that hopeful, determined glimmer in his eyes that inspired and motivated her no matter what, if he was still keeping it together. They'd never been apart for this long before.

But as she was thinking Astrid froze. Amongst the noise that her feet had made as she walked around the small perimeter of the cell, she had heard another noise. Normally that would mean one of two things: food or drink. And another possible opportunity to escape. In an instant, Astrid was at the cell gate, gripping the rusty dragon-proof bars with her fists as she peered out. But the Hunter wasn't holding anything that filled her with hope. There was no loaf of bread or jug of water. Just rope. Astrid didn't know whether to feel worried or relieved. What was going on?

The man didn't say anything as he unlocked the cell and opened it just enough to walk in and tie Astrid's wrists. The Dragon Rider resisted, pulling her wrists out of the man's grip until she got a hard slap across the face that left a painful sting behind. While she was distracted, the Hunter bound her wrists behind her back and pushed her out of the cell and into the dark tunnel outside.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded, her arms tensed up and ready to hit him at any opportunity.

"Viggo wants you," Was the simple reply. Great, Astrid grumbled to herself, just the person I want to see right now.

But before she could ponder for long, a shuffling noise made the Hunter stop to look around and out of the corner of her eye, Astrid swore she saw a flash of red. Barrels lined the tunnel walls for as far as she could see and the Hunter pulled her to a stop with a tug on her shoulder as he started to scrutinize them. She followed his gaze hopefully, wondering whether this may be a rescue attempt or anything that she could use to distract the guard. Then there was another flash of red and a little smile covered her face for a split second when she realised what – or rather, who – it was.

And so when a furious battle cry sounded and the Hunter let go of her shoulder to step back in surprise, she didn't hesitate for a second to turn around and kick the man in the crotch. He doubled over in pain and Astrid gave him a final kick over the head, watching his eyes roll to the backwards as he crumbled to the floor. She smiled, loving the refreshing feeling in the muscles she was finally able to use.

But her smile only grew when she felt the rope around her wrists get sliced off with a small dagger. She turned around to face Stoick, who couldn't look more relieved to see her.

"Chief, you made it!" She shout-whispered, trying to moderate her immense relief with the need to keep quiet and remain undetected.

"Aye, though maybe not the way you expected," Stoick replied, smiling. "I was brought here by Viggo too. I managed to sneak in a small dagger and some Changewing acid without the guards noticing," Astrid's mouth fell open.

"So that's how you escaped!" She realised, then gasped at the next realisation. "Wait, so Berk is without a chief?" But the burly man gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, lass. I knew this might happen and planned ahead. This is my son and his best partner-in-battle we're talking about," Stoick replied and any remaining frustration from the night before her ransom faded. "You might want to take his sword, though," He continued, nodding to the knocked out Hunter. "You're going to need it if we're getting Hiccup back." Astrid nodded, a determined smile growing on her face.

This time for sure.

Viggo had no idea what was coming for him.

Hiccup waited in anxious anticipation for the Hunter to return with Astrid. He couldn't decide whether he should be relieved to be able to see her again or terrified to see what Viggo had planned for them. He tried to ignore the feeling of the Grimborn's gaze on him as he looked up at the hook that his manacles were attached to, wondering how long it would take for him to jump to his feet, unhook the chain and run out of the cave. From what he could see, he was alone with Viggo for now. If he could just-

"You're not seriously considering unhooking that chain, are you?" Viggo's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Do you really think I'd make it that easy for you?"

"Overconfidence can do wonders when it comes to clouding the mind," Hiccup snapped back, turning to glare at the man behind the desk.

"You think I'm overconfident?" Viggo laughed, the use of his own words not going unnoticed. "Confident, maybe but considering the circumstances, I'd say it's justified,"

"Any confidence is overconfidence when you're wrong," Hiccup watched Viggo open his mouth to respond, only to close it again. For a moment he smirked in silent victory, only to realise what the real reason was for Viggo shutting up.

Footsteps. Quick, light footsteps. Considerably different from the sound any burly Hunter's would make. Hiccup frowned, glancing at Viggo's stricken face in both amusement and anxiousness. Whatever was going on, it hadn't been part of Viggo's plan. What if..? A little hopeful thought crossed his mind for a split second before he dismissed it. That's not possible... He told himself. Viggo had thought through every single possibility and loophole this time. While whatever was happening outside in that tunnel may be unexpected, it wouldn't be as big as a prisoner on the loose, would it? Or would it?

His own words seemed to echo in his head and he turned to watch the Grimborn brother's face morph from surprised to confused to worried to angry. Any confidence is overconfidence when you're wrong. Had he really been listening to Viggo's discouragement so much that he was overconfident in his own enemy? And then when Hiccup's eyes shifted back to the cave opening, he was suddenly certain that he was right. He had to be. It was the only logical explanation. No Hunter would be running so lightly and quickly, nor would any dragon.

The footsteps were getting closer. Viggo got out of the chair and strode towards the crate of weapons in four grand strides. But before he could even get a good grip of the sword he had picked up, a clang echoed through the room and the blade embedded itself in the gravelly floor. Hiccup had never been so happy to see Astrid as he was in the moment he watched her kick Viggo in the stomach. Wincing in pain and shock, the Hunter flew several feet across the room before landing on the floor, splayed out on his back.

"Astrid," Hiccup gasped, finding it hard to comprehend that she was in front of him. She was here, she was actually here, alive and safe and coming to drag him back to freedom. "You came," The words came out in breathless pants as if he had just run up the volcano on Dragon's Edge.

"Of course I came, muttonhead," She replied sternly, but the broad smile on her face gave away her mutual delight as her sword met Hiccup's manacles. The connecting metal shattered and the chain fell away, leaving only the two loops around each of his wrists. But at that moment Hiccup couldn't care less about them – he was free. He was finally free. He jumped to his feet as quickly as he could with an out-of-shape prosthetic and pulled his saviour into a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" Astrid whispered in his ear as his face nestled in her hair, letting her smell convince that this wasn't just a hopeful dream, that she was actually here after spending so long hoping.

"I'm fine," Hiccup replied quickly. But Astrid pulled out of the embrace to look at him reproachfully.

"Really though, Hiccup. It's been eight days. I missed you," Astrid sighed, placing a hand on his chest. Hiccup smiled and opened his mouth to reply when the sound of Viggo groaning made his eyes darken. The man had shakily got to his feet, just about recovered from Astrid's mighty blow. Hiccup imagined that the blow was probably even more painful than the punch to the stomach that Ryker had given him back on Sleipnir island. But at that moment, he didn't care. All he saw was the man who made him like a slave, shrouded with red.

So when Viggo picked up the sword lying on the floor and raised it above Hiccup's head, it was with fury and adrenaline that Hiccup grabbed his arm and held it there in mid-air, bringing his knee up to hit him in the groin. Viggo doubled over in pain and on any normal day, Hiccup would have backed off and taken the opportunity to run.

Unfortunately for Viggo, this was no normal day.

"That was for the ambush," Hiccup growled, watching the Hunter stumble backwards and drop his sword. He paused for a moment, letting his lungs bring in more air as his eyes trailed onto the weapon that had just clattered to the ground. And with an air of surprise, Astrid watched Hiccup pick it up and swing it at Viggo, the blade slicing open the skin on his left arm. The cut was relatively small and shallow but painful enough for Viggo to cry out in pain.

"That's for taking Astrid," Hiccup continued, no longer fuelled by any sense of reason but only by the pure urge for revenge. He swung the sword again, this time hitting Viggo's cheek.

"That's for taking Toothless," And again, this time on the shoulder.

"That's for taking my dad,"

Astrid watched, shocked at the sudden outburst from Hiccup. She completely understood every bit of it, but as she glanced between the cowering Dragon Hunter and Hiccup, who was seething with anger, she realised she had to stop him before he did something he'd regret later.

"Hiccup!" She said sharply, hoping that her voice was enough to shake him back to reality. In an instant, Hiccup's anger seemed to fall away as he looked down at Viggo, almost surprised to see the various cuts that had now started bleeding. The Dragon Hunter didn't move from where he lay on the floor, looking up in confusion and fear as the Rider dropped the sword and let it embed itself in the ground beneath them. Their gazes met and Hiccup's eyes darkened a little again. Eliciting a surprised grunt from Viggo, Hiccup grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet. The Grimborn looked just as surprised as Hiccup did at his adrenaline-fueled strength. But with their faces mere inches apart, Hiccup whispered, teeth bared.

"And this is for everything else this week," And with that, Hiccup drew back his left fist and punched Viggo in the jaw, letting go of his collar and watching as he crumbled to the floor.

Astrid watched as Hiccup stood still, not moving a single muscle as he stared down at his unconscious adversary. And then, shaking his head like a dragon shook to shed its skin, the dark look in his eyes fell away as if the trance had been broken. Hiccup's surprised eyes met Astrid's as if to ask her what he had just done.

"You hit him," Astrid replied simply, answering the unspoken question. "He deserved it though," She shrugged. Hiccup hesitated for a moment, as if he hasn't so sure about that, but quickly seemed to dismiss the thought. Instead, he smiled at Astrid and picked up Viggo's sword again.

"Let's go," He said, energized by the tantalising idea of freedom so close by. Astrid nodded, following him out of the hollowed-out room. But just as Hiccup had turned the corner onto the tunnel, she pinned him against the wall and pressed her lips against his for an ever so brief kiss.

"And that was for staying alive," She said, before turning tail and starting to jog down the tunnel. Hiccup smiled as he watched her go, chuckling to himself as he realised he'd finally managed to get the honey without the hatchet. Though to be fair, he'd received enough hatchet from the Dragon Hunters these past few days.

He shot one final glance at Viggo in the torch-lit room before following Astrid down the tunnel.

It was time to get out of here.

A/N: I never realised how much I enjoy writing angry Hiccup. I don't think I've ever done it before (though if I'm wrong then by all means correct me) but I think I'll need to find a way to do it again. That last scene was really fun to write, and that little Hiccstrid moment... (I know you can't see me but I'm grinning XD)

So, things are finally turning around, eh? Though their troubles are by no means over...

See you Monday!

~httydfangirl123