Conquered and Divided

by Purple forests

Berk has been conquered, been divided. Half have escaped and seek refuge, half rot in cages. Two years has past and the one hope Berk has is their Cheif as he does everything he can to get his people back, to bring his wife back to him and their son. But is he ready for the aftermath of when his people come home, since a lot can happen in two years. Set after HTTYD 2 (SPOILERS)

4. The Aftermath

( 2 years earlier)

They threw her in her cell, she fell face first onto the rock floor which surprised her since she was sure out of her blurred vision they had brought her aboard a ship, but right now she didn't care less as her body fell after her face and immediately felt the blood trickling down her legs as her stitches came undone.

Hearing the cage door behind her close she could the the mumbling of others, their blurred figures she could make out in other cages that surrounded them, one imperticular right next door to her, for as the tall lean figure was shoved into the cage like she was only seconds ago, the figure mad a B line to the bars that separated them yelling her name.

" Ast... Astrid? Can ... Hear ...me? Ast ...? Okay...?" The words mumbling from the figure made no sense to her, but as her vision came clearer she could finally see who was next to her, her mother in law who had that very worried look she always carries.

Not answering the questions she was asked, Astrids eyes wandered around too see it was not only her and valka in the cages but others as well, she saw a woman from the bakery, a man from the docks, Mulch was in the cage with him two, moving her eyes again she saw the cage attached to the other side of valkas, and two very familiar faces, snotlout and ruffnut.

" Mrs H, Astrid I'm sorry I was supposed to bring you back, I'm sorry" his words came out heart breaking, and she saw the reaction in valkas face that he was not to blame.

" Not dear, it's not your fault, it's no ones fault" Astrid tried to speak, even attempted to open her mouth but no words came out, the guy that had brought her in, had wrapped his hands to tightly around her neck, she felt as if they were still their.

A loud bang of the large doors opening caught their attention, gasping at the sights, astrid could see the fear in her people's faces as who ever walked in stood by her cage. Before she knew it he was inside the cage with her crouching down to her weak for, it was only know she realised that their was tears streaming down her eyes, but not from fear, from pain. As the figures face came closer she finally realised who she was facing, the one man that made her blood boil, Drago.

He said nothing at first just took in her fragile form with a smirk on his face, then finally took her left had in his, thumb rubbing over her gold wedding band.

" Your Hiccup Haddocks litte bitch," moving the band around her thin finger, " your his Mrs!"

And she knew she had found hell.

xx

She awoke, sweating and breathing loudly, looking around she realised she was in a tent, and that the arms wrapped around her were in fact familiar arms of her husband. She looked up at his peaceful face, not wanting to disturb him, she knew she possibly couldn't fall asleep again, she crawled out of his arms and walked over to the desk that sat in the middle of the Chiefs tent. With the album book in her hand she slowly placed in on the desk, sat down and started flicking through, it got to back the drawing where he was three months old the the tears she was holding back started flowing out. But however they were not tears of seeing pictures of her little boy as much she wished they were, they were the tears of the memories that still turned her skin white.

xx

Getting up he let her hand fall to the floor, but before he left the cell, he had noticed the pool of blood the was beginning to form on the floor, turning to his captain of the ship, he pointed to the woman laying to his right like she was a piece of meat.

" Why is she bleeding?" The men fumbled together, looking at eachother, until the captain brought forward then men that had brought Val and Astrid in.

" Well, my Lord, I - err I think her stitches have broken" He mumbled.

" And why does she have broken stitches?" He spat out.

" Ask her she was stitching her up when we found them in the Chiefs bedroom" he pointed over to valka who sat at the bars that separated her and astrid. Drago looked over to the elderly woman and an instant smile came across his face. Walking out of astrids cage, he left the door open, not that it meant anything to astrid, she didn't have the energy to even move a finger.

He walked slow and heavy to valkas cage, and with the turn of the key his pace quickened as he picked up the woman by the neck and threw her against the wall at the back of her cage, causing the attention of the others around them.

" Val?"

" Mrs H?"

He threw her back, causing her to grasp at her neck as he choked her, pressing her further into the wall.

" Why were you stitching her up?" He snarled from his teeth as she tried to to push away. " I'm not telling you shit" she choked out her words, her little hands were no match for his bear paws the put more pressure on her neck.

" Your little wind pipes won't hold for much longer" pressing further, and she could feel her breath getting shorter, looking over to astrid her daughter in laws body still lay on the floor, but what she didn't see was her trying, praying to talk as all that her voice would let out was a croak.

" She had a baby!" Snotlout yelled grasping at the bars, he watched as Drago let go of his aunts neck, letting her limp body fall to the floor as she grasp her neck for air. He walked slowly to the bars that separated him from snotlout and ruffnut, snotlout had not moved from his post, but as Drago made his way in front of him the larger man seen quite intimidating.

" Say that again, I'm deaf in my left ear, all that dragon fire that your chief and his dragon set on me, left me deaf, so if you could, repeat that again" He towered over the small man, suddenly making him feel very weak and little.

" I - I said she had a baby" gulping loudly. The tall towering man did not show not emotion, no affection, no nothing, he just stood their motionless. Then with on swift motion he turned to the elderly woman who was still grasping for air.

" A baby, is this true?" His voice still stern.

The gasping women did not answer straight away, but after catching her breath she slowly nodded.

Looking down at the woman his attention was drawn to the younger woman who was groaning on the floor. Then bending down to valka whispering to her.

" How lovely it must be to have a grandson, I wonder what your stoick would have thought of this new family member" her blood boiled but no words nor actions a raised.

" I wonder what would happen if I got my hands on the little rat" she spat as he got up from where he was and stormed out of her cage bagging the cell door behind him, locking it shut. He then ordered his men to do the same with astrids.

" Listen up!" He yelled causing everyone in their cages look forward to where he stood.

" You have not rights, no say, you are our slaves from this point onwards, every morning at 4:30 you will be awoken, you will work till 12:30 have lunch the work till 1:00 till mid night, these men will tell you what each task is every day. You disobey, you get whipped. You slack, you get whipped. You even moan or groan, you get whipped. And interrogation starts tomorrow" his bellowed voice was heard by everyone, that's why the last comment caught much attention.

" What do you mean, interrogation?" Ruffnut piped up from the dark corner of her cage.

" You think I just wanted you here as my slaves, I wanted your chief, and now I have to find him again. So I will interrogate each and every one of you, until you tell us where to find him. You answer are questions rightly you get a tear of a free meal, you don't and..." Before he finished his sentence, snotlout intervened.

" Yeah yeah, we get it, we get whipped" but instead of his threatening voice bellowing back, all snotlout got in return was a sly smirk.

" Oh no. Something much worse" and he didn't say anything else on that matter, just left their minds to play trick on them, that was one way he was going to break them, by breaking their minds first.

He turned to the captain and his men," interrogation starts tomorrow" he then proceeded to point to the blonde young woman on the ground, " and SHE goes first!" The men nodded, but valka protested as she jumped to the bars, her voice pleading.

" No! Please. She has just had a baby, she is weak and can't even move, how do you expect her to answer any of your questions?"

He didn't answe immediately, just strode forward and brought his gaze to hers, the only thing keeping them from touching was the bars.

" Not my problem" and with nothing left to say, he walked out, heavy footsteps that could be heard as he walked out the dungeon, his men following close behind.

Valka sunk to the floor by the side of the bars as the large door closed and the locks engaged. The only thing the prisoners had on their minds was the blond at the end, who was still huddled up on the floor, bleeding slowing down, but she had her back to them all, no one could see if she was awake to hear all that had happened or if she had gone unconscious from the pain. They weren't sure which would be worst.

" But the blonde was awake and heard everything that had happened, but couldn't care less, as the streams of tears that fell from her eyes on to the cold hard floor. The pain from the birth was excruciating, but the pain from being stripped away from her husband and her little baby boy was a pain that was unforgettable.

Xx

He had shifted in his bed, and that's how he had realised that his new found wife was no longer in his protective arms. Waking up and searching his tent, his eyes was immediately draw to the light of a single candle in the middle of the desk, there astrid sat back facing him, flicking through the pages of his photo album.

He got up slowly and reached for his prosthetic that he had taken off before drifting to sleep last night, from what he could tell it was early hours in the morning. What was she doing awake? He got up, but not seeing she had not notice her was awake too. Walking up to her he placed a hand on her upper arm, and that's where she flipped.

It all happened so fast, she hadn't even expected to react so fast, nor did he expect her to do anything of the sort. As soon as she felt his hand on her skin, she immediately whipped around and with not looking who it was, with full force bashed her arms against his side, him falling to the ground instantly. Her battle cry sounded more frightened than anything, as she scrambled on the floor herself finding the corner of the tent and curling up in a protect ball.

When hiccup first hit the ground his mind first didn't know where to adjust, as it felt a bit of pain hitting the floor so fast, but as soon as he pushed himself up, his eyes focuses on his wife that was still in a ball in the corner of his tent.

He could see from the light lay from where she sat, old and new tear drops lay on the table near the book. And as he stepped closer to her,they still fell, every few seconds. He thought best to take it slow, getting down to eye level he made his was across the ground till he was a second from touching her. He tried reaching a hand out, but waited for her to make the move first.

Looking up to her concerned husband she had realised that it was him that had scared her, she moved closer to him and left him to meet her half way, as he instantly wrapped his arms around her and make it able for her to bury her head into his neck, her old and new tears soaking up his shirt.

" Shhh, shhh, shhh I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, shh, shh, it's okay, it's me, I'm sorry" he placed scattered kissed over her head, hugging her till her breathing and tears slowed down.

He knew the aftermath was going to be hard, he knew that the process was going to be long, but he doesn't know what his wife went through all these years and he can't begin to understand. How was he supposed to help her heal, if he was in the dark.

xx

Dawn broke, and the two still sat in the same position they had sat in for the past few hours. She had her eyes closed and her was still rocking her slightly, stroking her hair with his hand. It was perfect in hiccups mind, to be here holding his lost wife in his arms, felt amazing, if only they could have stayed like this forever, but of course his morning peace was interrupted by Eret, who had forgotten the chief was now sharing a tent with his wife.

" Chief I - oh shit, I forgot about astrid I'm -" he mumbled loudly causing astrid to wake in the arms of hiccup.

" Eret get out" hiccups said through his teeth. The man looked so awkward as he stumbled stumbled around the tent, causing astrid to wake up even more, and have just enough energy to speech up.

" Not its okay, I need to get up anyway," getting up and out of hiccups arms she made her way to the side of hiccups bed, grabbing the clothes he had got her, warmer since the winter weather was coming in.

" Are you okay?" He asked as she turned around to see he was now standing up too.

" I'm fine" giving him a warm smile she collected the clothes and took them behind the dressing wall, a temporary wall made out of wood a fabric that gave her privacy from the two men while she dressed.

" Nasty bruise" Erets comment brought hiccups attention back on him, as he looked confused at his best friend, who was his best man at his and astrids wedding.

" Your bruise looks nasty" pointing to the bruise that was doing darker by the minute on his right arm, it was from when he fell on hit early hours this morning.

" I fell, you know peg leg" gesturing to his missing leg he walked over to his bed too, changing into his armour as they spoke.

" Well your here at the break of dawn, what ever it is it better be good"

" I wanted to ask you, well no mila, the head healer here wanted to know if she could continue what we discuss the other week about the ex prisoners" knowing what Eret was talking about hiccup shook his head and whispered.

" Get mila to prepare immediately, but don't mention this to anyone, I want to bring them all together and discuss it with them myself" he put his boot on as Eret nodded.

" Will do chief, other than that, the rest of us will prepare to leave for tomorrow just after dawn" hiccup patted his mate on the back before he left, leaving hiccup to turn around to see his wife, dressed in her new clean clothes. She wore her blue leggings and fur boots, with her red tunic and hiccup had gotten her a brown coat with wool linen and a fur collar.

" Not what I usually wear," gesturing to her none armoured form.

" I know, I just wanted you to be warm and comfy, you can put on your armour on when we get home" walking up and putting his hands on her forearms.

" I know, thank you" she said so sincere, he placed a single warm kiss on her forehead.

" Anyway, was did Eret want?" She asked intriguing why she could hear the two talking.

To avoid the question he tried to bring another thing to light, " I'll tell you later, but first I think we need to get some food in you, proper food" grabbing her hand and excitingly dragging her to the opening of his tent.

" I'm not hungry," she protested pulling him back, " I just really want to shower"

" okay, we have public watering holes over there, one for men and one for women" pointing to the far corner on their camp.

" I don't really want to bathe with anyone else really, not even women, I just want to shower on my own really" he watched as an arm cover her body protectively, understand what she ment.

" Okay, I'll see what I can do, but first food" he dragged her protesting body out of their tent and to the main food tent.

xx

They saw their friends all huddled up on benches, as they ate their warm breakfast and wrapped blankets around their shoulders. The chief and his wife walking up to them caught their attention, the first to greet them was fishlegs.

" Astrid, how wonderful to see you again" he came to them wrapping his arms around her thin, fragile body.

" Hi fish," she stood so awkward, she had very little positive human contact over the last two years, all this hugging was new to her.

" We are so happy to have you back" giving her a reassuring smile he sat back with the others and made a space for the two to sit. Sh had noticed that when sitting down, snotlout and ruff had not much to say,they knew what she was going through, they could see it in her eyes, astrid only wished the others saw it too.

" So how was it like to sleep in a proper bed, these two said they slept great" heather said pointing to ruff and snot. She only smiled and nodded, wrapping the coat she wore around her middle more, as she shifted in her seat.

Her husband however did not ask any questions only tried to force her to eat, " here Ast, have some food,it's not amazing but its probably better than the shit you have been eating the last few years." He tried to hand her a plate of warm food, but the more she looked at it, the more it made her stomach churn.

" Not fucking kidding, the slop they fed us tasted like sick, it was shit. This, this is like a snoggletog dinner in my eyes" snotlout said as he ate his food from the plate, basically praising it.

Hiccup however tried to again hand her the plate, " I'm not hungry" but as she protested he only pushed further.

" Come on, you need to eat,"

" hiccup-"

" you need to build up your strength,"

" I'm not-"

" how can you do that if you don't eat"

" HICCUP, I SAID IM NOT HUNGRY!" The small outburst caused the attention of their friends and some others around them, for gobber and valka was only a few seconds away, since they too were getting some food.

Astrid looked around in horror as she realised that she had shouted it out loud, and without a single word she got up from where she sat and walked off to the furthest corner of the camp.

Hiccup said nothing, he was left speechless, he had not expected her to yell at him like that, it was like she just snapped. Letting her walk off, he turned to the others, who sat quietly in their seat, tuff, fish and heather had their heads down. But ruff and snot just looked at eachother, and it was something in their eyes that told hiccup they knew something he didn't.

" Is their something I don't know?" He said out loud to them.

Looking at eachother again ruff answered him, " you should talk to astrid"

" talk to her? she just snapped at me" he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see it was his mother who had that same look on her face.

" You should talk to her son" helping him up, he looked in the direction to where she walked away, she was not longer in his sight, which meant it was probably going to take twice as long to find her again.

Taking a sigh he started looking, walking away from the group, he had this pit feeling in his stomach, the others were getting on so well, the transition was easier for them than astrid, and he didn't know why.

However he didn't get far as he was suddenly stopped but Eret, " twice in one morning Eret, what can I do for you?"

" Well mate, it's what I can do your you, I heard your little spat and thought I might help" placing an arm around his shoulder.

" I don't know, the others seem to adjust fine, astrid taking longer. I just didn't think it would be hard reconnecting with my wife again" his eyes still wandering around to see if he could fine a certain blonde.

" Well that's where I step in mate, there is that water cove in the mountains behind this camp, the one tuff found all those weeks ago, very romantic place to take your lady, set up a picnic, have a dip in the hot springs, perfect place for you to 'reconnect' with your wife. And you won't have to worry about being interrupted." He gave his chief a wink, saying that their was no need to thank him.

" That's not the reconnecting I was thinking of, I just want her to talk to me again, but the picnic and the hot springs sounds amazing, if you could set that up while I find her, I will be in you debt." He asked his dear friend.

" No problem mate,one romantic date coming up" he went to jog off, " oh Eret" he stopped.

" Not too romantic if you get what I mean" getting the gist.

" You got it mate"

xx

He had found her curled up on his bed, flicking through the pictures again, he had came up slow and soft, not saying anything to her, not uttering a word. He didn't have to, all he had to say, had already been said through his body language and eye contact. She too didn't say anything, the tears that dropped one by one, told him how sorry she was, his only answer was taking the book from her grasp and bringing her form into his arms, whispering into her ear.

" Come with me"

He took her through the camp and then through the forest that was behind their camp, the forest lead to the mountains where he knew the exact spot to enter to reach the cave pool. He blind folded her half way, saying he wanted it to be a suprise and did not trust her too keep her eyes closed. It took a while to convince her, but soon enough he had her walking blind throughout the forest with only him guiding her.

They came to the opening in the mountains and the rocky uneven floor that lead to the cave pool, made astrid feel very unsafe, especially since she was walking blind.

" Hiccup I don't like this" she said as she kept slipping on the uneven path.

" I know I know just a few more steps" he giggled as she fell again into his arms.

" Okay hiccup, are you trying to kill me" he helped her up again, and just like he said, a few steps more they were out in the cave pool. The cave pool was in the centre with a rock lining around it. Around that was soft golden sand that went up to the rock wall that covered this massive oval room. The water was crystal blue, just like hiccup remembered it was when he first saw it, and the sand felt just as soft when he came here a second time with Stoick, and the two had spent the afternoon here, that was only when Stoick was one and half years old, 6 months ago.

In the corner of hiccups eye he could see the picnic area all set up by Eret, a few furs here and there, with a basket filled with food and drinks for the two. He had made the effort to light some candles around the fur and the pool, he had made a mental note to thank Eret for this later.

" Err hiccup?" Astrid asked as she still stood blind and could now no longer feel hiccup.

" Sorry" he took her in his arms so she could feel him next to her. " okay we are here, I'm going to the blind fold off now, and when I say open your eyes, open them." He took the blind fold off and her eyes still remained shut, he then came behind her wrapping his arms around the front of her body and resting his head on her shoulder so he too could see what she was about to see.

" Okay open" her bright blue eyes were met with the most beautiful sight, the candles and fur, the basket and food, the pool so blue, and the sand that felt so soft underneath ther boots.

" Oh wow" she looked around the oval shaped cave, what a beautiful place, her husband still had that romantic flare to him, he had all those years ago.

" How did you have time to do this?" She asked as she walked around taking in the beautiful sights.

" Err well I have to hand that one, he set this up for me while I looked for you" she stopped near the furs and looked back at him, she never stopped loving this man, never will.

" I love you" he smiled, it seemed like forever since he had heard them words last said.

" I love you to astrid" walking forward he took her in his arms once more, this time taking her lips with his as well. The two shared a passion kiss in front of the warm cave pool, which looks very appealing to get into.

" I'm sorry for snapping and for hitting you this morning, it's just I've woken up and all of a sudden, the adrenaline has calmed down and reality hit, and I don't like it" he held her close as he possibly could, stroking the back of her head with his hand.

" It's okay, I know this is going to be hard for you, all we can do, is do it together" he hugged her closer, but not for long as he didn't bring her here to cry, he brought her here to relax.

" Come on, we are here to bathe and eat" he pulled back and started stripping his armour off, not that astrid minded, but she didn't really want to bathe with him, not yet.

" I don't know, I just wanted to bathe of my own." She hugged her middle again, a sigh hiccup had gotten used to seeing in the past few hours.

" I've seen you naked before, I know it's been a while but your still my wife" he took his tunic odd to reveal his abdomen and chest, he too had changed over the years, he had become more lean, more defined, which astrid didn't mind at all. He had new scars as well, and not ones that look like they were from the forge, some, but not all.

However it was nothing compared to how her body had been abused, and for one she did not want to show the one person who had seen her body at its prime.

Blushing with embarrassment," I know but that was a long time ago, things change" she hugged her body more. And hiccup took it as a sign to try and get his wife back to normal. He walked towards her, his leather pants still on along with his peg leg.

" Ast, it okay" he took her hands from hugging her body and brought them towards him.

" No it's not" her eyes filled up again, but she was determined not to spill anymore tears today.

" yes it is, you don't have to be afraid of showing me your body, I'm husband, for better or for worse remember" she let him take off her coat, leaving only her tunic, leggings and boots left. He could see the previous scars and bruises of her exposed arms, but him staring at them, didn't make her insecurities any better.

" I don't know hiccup"

" do you trust me?"

That was the big question, trust, did she trust him. Of course she did, he was hiccup after all, but she didn't trust herself, if she felt threatened she lashed out, she had spent so long trying to protect herself how can she now learn to trust again, learn to let people in.

Slightly nodding, he took her in his arms and brought his finger tips to the hem of her red tunic, he could sense her tensing up under his hands, he immediately slowed down his actions.

" Do you trust me?" He asked again, this time grabbing the tunics hem and lifted it a little, emphasising what his intentions were. She looked at where his hands were then back at him again, she moved closer to give his more access.

" I trust you, hiccup" he lifted her tunic slowly, revealing she was in fact quite bare from the waist up, she had forgotten about not putting on her breast binds this morning, however it was too late since by the time he threw her tunic on the floor she was already back faced to him, and her arms covering her exposed chest.

From his view he could see the bruises and gash marks in her back, imprinted him her skin, never to fade. Smirking he could see the embarrassment in his wife's face, he didn't even have to look at her to know this, her body language told him loud and clear.

He moved closer, ignoring her scars she had and wrapped his arms around her middle, so his chest was pressed against her back, he could feel her spine shiver underneath him, and hear her let out the breath she was holding when he placed a hot kiss on her neck.

" I've see your breasts before astrid" he whispered slowly.

" I know but that was a long time ago" she still held her arms up around her chest as she whispered back.

" Too long" he placed another kiss on her skin, but this time kept planting more all around her neck and collarbone, making her sink back into his embrace. She remove one of her hands and let it fall till she was holding the one of his hands that was still wrapped around her middle. It was enough for him to flip her around so she was now facing him fully, his arms pulling her in as they wrapped around her lower back, her hands resting on his now broad shoulders.

" After all these years Haddock, you still suprise me" she gave him a warm smile, which he gladly returned, pulling her as close as humanly possible embracing her with a warm hug.

" I've missed you" he whispered into her hair, pulling her even closer, breathing in his wife's scent he had missed so much.

" I've missed you too, dragon boy" giggling she ran her fingers deep into his thick hair. Even when he pulled back a little to face her, her hand still stayed deep in his auburn hair.

" No you don't understand, I couldn't live without you. Your everything in my life Astrid, without you I couldn't function. Your my significant other, my partner, my other half, my wife." She pulled his forehead down to meet hers.

" What about Stoick?" At the mention on their sons name, hiccup opened his eyes, to meet hers.

" He's different, your my everything, he's - well he is everything, everything I breath, and live for. You may me purpose Astrid, but he is the purpose, he's what I live for, so I can give him a better life, even better than mine, which is going to be a hard task since I am married to you after all" his little statement earned him a smile.

" I love it when you talk about him"

" you will see when you meet him, he is amazing, he so perfect, so innocent, so intelligent" his smile grew as he continued to talk about his little boy.

" I guess he gets that from you then" she pulled him down further as she moved her hands from his hair to the back of his neck.

" Yeah but he gets many of his amazing qualities from you, like his passion of fighting, if he didn't ask once he asked a million times that he wanted a toy axe of his birthday, so I've had gobber make one like my dads. And his passion of winning, when we used to play fight he would always want to win, so of course I let him, I've learned from you, just to let the hoffersons win." She giggled as she brushed her lips across his, causing her to gain his full attention.

" When will I get to see him?" Her face was unreadable, but he knew she was dying to see her son, he could see that in her eyes.

" Tomorrow, I promise. By tomorrow night you will hold him in your arms" he saw her smile grow wide and large as her excitement grew.

" But now, you wanted to bathe, and bathe we shall." He pulled her up and crashed his lips with hers, kissing her with as much passion as he can, pulling her half naked body towards the pool.

xx

They sat in the warm steamy pool, hiccup sat on the sandy floor on the cave pool, while astrid was straddled on his lap, her head in the crook of his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her now soaked body. He was dragging his finger up and down her back, letting the water droplets, drop down her back and hearing her moan into his skin.

They had sat there for hours, after a bit of fumbling around and washing eachothers bodies the two now sat there together hiccups still wearing his briefs and still wearing her underwear, well her panties anyway. Astrid could feel her body heating up and not just from the warm from the pool, but the fire burning inside as hiccups drew his finger up her back again, it felt as if her skin was being set a light where ever he touched, in good way.

She brought her head up from where it lay and looked him in the face fully, his hand that was once moving now rested on her lowere back, his thumb rubbing her hipbone. She brought her arms up and rested them on his broad shoulders, he had a smile on his face, she could quite tell which smile it was, his happy smile, his sad sympathetic smile or his dirty minded smile. Kind of a mixture of all three, he had become unreadable to her and she didn't like it.

" what you thinking about?" His smile became wider, but she still couldn't read it.

" How happy I am to be holding my wife in my arms again, after it got to a point where I thought I would never see you again." He drew her closer, the water between them just disappeared as her stomach pressed against his.

" But I am here, I'm here and your not getting rid of me that easily, not again" she pushed forward connecting their lips together, tenderly grasping onto eachothers lips, her tongue brushed past his lips buts she didn't do any further, not yet.

He continued to keep to the promise he had made himself yesterday, he would not go too far with her, he would let her lead, but he hadn't realised that when bring his hand up towards her neck, he brushed the side of her breast and she flinched pulling back and bringing her arms around her chest.

" Sorry, I didn't-" he tried to apologise, but he could find the words. She was his wife and he was falling back into the old habits they used to have, he didn't know how to restrain himself.

" It's fine -" she interrupted when she could tell he was struggling with his words, still same old hiccup. " you did nothing wrong, I just - they used to - my breasts - they used to hurt my bre-" now she was the one lost of words. But by the way he was looking at her, she knew he got what she was trying to say.

They, meaning the captain and his crew, they like her breasts out of all the other women, she can remember every touch, every bruise, every scar they put in them. She can remember who did it and when they did it, like it was mentally scarred in her mind as well. Since just like the rest of her body, her breasts were badly bruised and sore, her whole body just aches.

" Ast, I'm - I'm so so sorry" he brought his hand up slowly, resting it on her collarbone/neck and rubbing her jawline with his thumb.

" I'm so sorry" he brought her closer again, letting her fall into his warm, protective em race and held her close.

" Hey shh, it's not your fault" she returned the embrace herself.

" But it is, I'm your husband. This should have never happened to you and now-" she pulled back when her didn't finish, there was a pool of water forming in her hiccups eyes, just threatening to fall.

He looked at her, all of her. The bruises and scars that ran down her arms, her chest, her breasts, her ribs, her stomach. Everywhere. Even her legs look all battered and bruised.

She could see the conflict in her husbands eyes, whether or not to comfort her or blame himself. So she grabbed his hands and placed them on the side of her ribs, just below her breast, for if his thumb were to move slightly he would graze the bottom of them.

" I want you to touch them, eventually. I want to go back to the way we were, but first you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened, and then I just need to get over what they did to me and move on," he looked at her, determined to make their marriage work again.

" I love you, and I'm not letting go of you, so please don't let go of me, please" her drew his fingers around her back and pulled her in again, their foreheads touch and their eyes closed, her arms resting on his shoulder once more.

" Never" a few tears escaped from both parties as the two just sat their for a minute in what felt like their intimate embrace. But astrid was the one to pull apart first, wiping her own, as well as hiccups, tears away.

" Okay no more tears, I've done enough crying so far, I want break. Tell me something," he looked at her as she sat their on his lap chest exposed, she was not a shy now he had told her a million times when getting in the pool before that he loves her body, no matter what shape or form or state it's in, because it's hers.

However he did have one thing on his mind, one thing he had forgotten to bring up with the rest of them before. But maybe best he tell astrid first, alone, so she can decide from there.

" There is one thing I wish to discuss" he said, emphasising one with his finger.

" What?"

" I meant to bring it up before, when we sat down for breakfast, I wanted to tell the others as well. Mila our head healer here in camp wants to do a body scan of all the escapees, to check your injuries and see if their is any sort of infection or something wrong on the inside, look at past injuries too, see if we can fix what was broken in the past" he rubbed her back as he spoke, but it didn't help her situation as she narrowed her eyes as he spoke.

" What sorta body scan?" She was more afraid of the answer.

" Just a full body scan, look at your injuries and past ones too" she could feel her whole body tense up.

" Will she be able to find out everything they did to me?" She could already feel her body go on full lock down.

" More or less, mila is every talented she can do a body scan and look at injuries that were inflicted about five years ago, anything after that is a bit hazy but other than that she is amazing. She can help you heal." She had stopped listening after ' more or less' if she had found out what they did to her, if hiccup found out. She felt physically sick at the thought and her immediate though was to back out now.

" No, I don't - I - I don't want one - I " she felt the hot tears spill, and again she felt weak and exposed. Her husbands reaction was immediately to comfort her.

" Hey it's okay" he shushed her trying to calm her from her panic attach.

" No I don't want one" her breaths became unsteady.

" why? This will help you heal, help you move on" he shushed her again, but her panic attach had only been building up as she soon just snapped.

" NO! I DONT WANT ONE!" She climbed off his lap and jumped out the pool, running to picnic and furs, wrapping one around her now cold and exposed body, trying to get dry so she could change.

Hiccup wasn't far behind as she climbed out just behind confused on what was going on, he wrapped himself up too before he tried to speak. " Astrid don't you want to know if - if there is any sorta infection-"

" I don't want one" she interrupted.

" But what if there is something internal wrong -"

" I said no" again she interrupted.

" how are you supposed to heal if you don't-"

" NO! I DONT WANT ANYONE TOUCHING MY BODY AND TELLING ME WHAT THEM MEN DID TO ME, CAUSE I WAS THERE, I KNOW!" She stood up at this point, so the two were at eye level but still a few feet apart.

She yelled again which only made him yell too, " THEN HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON-"

" IF YOU KNEW WHAT THEY DID TO ME, YOU'D - YOU'D-" she could finish, for she did not know exactly how he would react, he could go either ways.

" I'D WHAT, YOU DONT KNOW HOW I WOULD REACT ASTRID, YOU DONT KNOW" he was angry at her, how could she know what he would think, he would had thought she would have given him a little more credit after all they have been through.

" I KNOW YOU WOULD HATE ME! SO WHY? WHY KEEP GOING ON ABOUT THAT FUCKING SCAN?" His blood boiled and her just let out what he was trying too keep in.

" BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU CAN HAVE MORE CHILDREN! I WANTED TO KNOW if - if you could have our children" the last bit came out all quite, as he was tired, tired of fighting with the women he loved.

As he brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing the side of his eyes, he had not yet heard a single word from astrid. " you don't know how I would react, because I've already gone through all the worst case scenarios, and I'd still love you" he looked up to see she was just staring back at him.

" You don't know what they did to me" she whispered back.

" I know, but it can't be worse than what I'm thinking in my head, and I still love you"

He looked back at her, in her eyes wanted some sorta response. And he got one.

" No matter how much they hurt, or tortured me, not matter how many days or weeks or months and even years that went by, at night when I couldn't sleep, I would think about coming home to you and Stoick, think about reconnecting our family, our marriage. And I would think about having more children, little brothers and sisters for Stoick, for no matter what they did to me I still wanted that"

" so if it means taking the scan to know if I can bare children, bare our children. Then I'll do it" her hot tears kept flowing, but it suddenly felt better when she felt him wrap around her, feeling his arms lock around her keeping her safe.

" Thank you" he kissed the top of her scalp.

She still cried into his shoulder and he let her, for a husband it was his job to be her pillow to cry on.