Chapter 7:
When Gothi arrived at Hiccup's hut, which was filled by Vikings, she didn't start treating Hiccup's wounds right away like Astrid expected. She stared at him for a long time.
"What's wrong? Gothi?" asked Gobber. Usually, Gobber was Gothi's translator when Gothi was treating patients.
Gothi quickly wrote something on the ground with her crutch.
"She wrote 'take off your shit'," translated Gobber. Then he turned to her, "Why would you write something like that?"
She hit his head with her crutch and pointed at her writing.
"Sorry, she wrote 'take off your shirt'. You should learn how to write then," corrected Gobber.
Gothi hit his head again.
"Fine, fine, fine."
Hiccup hesitated for a moment, but he still stood up from the bed and lifted his jacket off.
All Vikings in the room let out a loud gasp, and they looked at Hiccup's exposed body open-eyed.
"What happened to him?"
"Who did that?"
"Is he ok?"
People started murmuring while Astrid covered her mouth with her hand, and Stoick had unspeakable anger on his face, yet others were just shocked.
Hiccup's body was covered with scars and bruises, and they couldn't even find a piece of skin that was normal and undamaged. Some sharp tools left different marks and scratches on his skin. A six-inch long wound located from his neck to his stomach.
When he turned around, the crowd gave an even louder gasp. They could clearly see his dislocated backbones poking his skin and created more than four bumps along his skin.
Even though Vikings were already used to blood and fleshes, but still some Vikings left the hut with their eyes shut, hands on their forehead. Gothi walked slowly toward Hiccup, Astrid could tell from Gothi's face that she wasn't feeling pleasant as well. She ran her fingers along his scars and injuries, like identifying some sort of ancient Viking sword.
Then she pulled something out of his bag. It was an external-use medicine that she invented few weeks ago, and she didn't have time to test it. Astrid guess Gothi would use Hiccup as her field test patient. She put the medicine on Hiccup's wounds and spread it smoothly across Hiccup's skin.
Gothi wrote something on the ground, but apparently, Gobber wasn't paying attention to her. He was busy chatting with a group of Vikings.
Gothi hit his back with her crutch. Gobber jumped into the air with a painful yell.
"Ahhhh!" yelled Gobber, "Ok, ok, settle down, old lady. She wrote 'take some rest, don't do too much exercise, including flying. After one or two weeks and you'll be ok'."
"Thank you, Gothi," said Hiccup as he put his jacket back on and sat on his bed.
Astrid sat on his bed beside him as well, and she put her arm around his shoulder.
"Well, I guess we need to leave these lovebirds alone," Stoick said and he shepherded other Vikings out of Hiccup's hut, "Such a long day, right?"
After knowing Hiccup was fine, the Vikings didn't linger too long in his hut. Also, they didn't want to disturb a great romance between their future chief and possible future chiefess. They left the hut with a smile on their faces and some Vikings gestured toward Hiccup and sending Thor-knows-what 'information'. Usually these figures were a little bit inappropriate, but neither Hiccup nor Astrid cared. Snotlout was the only one who didn't want to leave at once, but Spitelout knocked on his helmet and pushed him out of the hut.
Toothless came near to Hiccup and licked his hands. Hiccup patted him gently. Then he lay down next to his bed and fell asleep.
When Astrid watched the last Viking to leave Hiccup's hut, she wiggled even closer to him, almost climbed onto him. She rested her jaw on his shoulder, and gently kissed the back of his ear, which sent him a small shiver through his body.
"Tell me what happened to you," she said.
"You don't want to know, and you don't have to know," he responded quietly.
"Oh, I want to know and I have to know," Astrid wouldn't give up.
Hiccup sighed. He knew that he didn't have a choice. Astrid gave him a command, not an option.
He lowered his head and stared at the floor blankly. Then he told her everything. Starting from how did the war against the Romans overwhelmed him, to his solo sea voyage without Toothless, and how Dagur kidnapped him, The Berserker Island, The Tartarus, how Dagur abused him for a month, and how Heather saved his life. Everything.
It was already midnight when Hiccup finished his story, and Toothless was sleeping soundly beside him. He didn't light a torch so the room was lighted only by the moonlight. Astrid lay on Hiccup's bed during the story, and Hiccup sat on the bed beside her, running his hand along her blonde hair.
"Did anything happen between you and Heather?" Astrid asked, and she turned to him, "Like… You know…"
"No, no, no," Hiccup said quickly, "After the bath, you guys showed up. I promise that nothing… inappropriate happened."
"I know you wouldn't do something like that."
Hiccup paused, "During some scenarios, girls are the most selfish creature in the world. Like…Like…"
"Like boyfriends?" Astrid replied.
"Yes, like boyfriends. You could've asked much more strategic questions like 'how many guards or soldiers did you see?' But you chose that one."
Astrid moved closer to him and putting her head on his laps. "Of course girls won't share their boyfriends with other girls," she reached her hand and put it on Hiccup's jaw, "You are mine. My boyfriend. Say it, say 'I'm yours'."
"You say it first," Hiccup looked down at her nattier blue eyes.
"Fine, fine," Astrid chuckled, "You know that I'm always yours."
"Then I will always be yours."
"Room service! Room service! Hey Mr. and Mrs. Haddock! GET UP!" someone shouted from the outside of Hiccup's hut, "Hope you two spent a pleasant night together."
Snotlout and Fishlegs were standing outside the wooden hut, and Snotlout was yelling as loud as possible so that he would wake those two "sleepies".
Astrid didn't go back to her hut last night. She spent her time in Hiccup's hut. After the death of Uncle Finn and her parents, she didn't really have a home anyway. Stoick and Gobber built a splendid hut for her in the community, but she usually had sleepovers in Hiccup's hut.
Fishlegs and Snotlout were sent by Stoick to summon Hiccup and Astrid to the Great Hall, and apparently, they had problems with waking those two up.
"You know what, Fish-face? Let's break in and drag them to the Great Hall. Otherwise, Stoick will beat us up." Snotlout suggested.
Fishlegs hesitated. He was Hiccup's most trustworthy friend, and he didn't want to draw Hiccup to some meetings when he was still recovering from his injuries. But this time every dignity of Berk had to attend this meeting in the Great Hall. Gobber, Gothi, Spitelout were already there, and they need Hiccup and Astrid as well.
Other Dragon Riders like Fishlegs and Snotlout were able to attend as well, but they got strict instruction that they couldn't say a word during the meeting unless someone tells them to do so.
Fishlegs knew what the meeting would be about. 99% they would start preparing for a long and bloody war against the Berserkers again. The Berkians defeated them years ago, in which they killed the previous chief of Berserker tribe, Oswald the Agreeable, in a sea battle.
"We'll be right there! Just give us five minutes." someone inside the hut said.
"Not later, not in five minutes, you two get your butts to the Great Hall right now! Or… Or…Or..." shouted Snotlout in response, "Or we'll force you two to marry someone else!"
Two figures appeared in front of them as soon as Snotlout finished his sentence. They pointed their weapons to Snotlout's head.
"You say that again, I promise I will not 'kill' you."
"You better keep your little piggy mouth shut!"
"That… That was fast…" watched Fishlegs with open-mouth.
"Take it easy, Hiccstrid."
Hope you guys had a great Christmas! I had this whole story planned out by now, so it's only the matter of time for me to finish the story. Escaping from The Island of Berserk is just a beginning. Thanks to everyone who took their time and read my story and please please please write a review below and tell me what you think about the story, thank you.