Chapter 5
Hi everyone! Sorry for the time it took to update, but I'm finally back! Enjoy!
It was a huge prison under the arena. No sunlight and no warm air...It was dark too, but it wasn't the kind of darkness she was used to, the gloominess of that place was one she could barely stand. When Astrid was pushed into a cell, she tried to bit the guard who manhandled her but he dodged and slapped her instead. She yelped and released a small growl. A bit and a growl…She didn't know if it was Hiccup's influence or Stormfly's. The other guard pulled him away, reminding they had no right to touch her.
"Don't try to escape, girl, it's nearly impossible to leave that prison" the man warned her while locking the door. "That would just bring you pain."
The man stepped away and suddenly hit the bars of another cell, close to Astrid's one. The sound made her cringe and she heard the guard threatening voice again: "You should remember that too, you pain in the ass!"
Astrid had no idea who they were talking to, but she had to discover it. They started to walk away and she heard a girly voice which sounded tired but determined: "It's nearly impossible to escape from here, but I didn't say my last word!"
The guards just laughed at this and continued to walk away. Another girl replied: "You should shut up, then, instead of saying it out loud for everyone to hear. No need to warn them."
"Shut up yourself, Rosta!"
"Who are you?" Asked Astrid
She couldn't see the prisoners from where she was, but the question was obviously a surprise. She shivered because of the cold and hugged herself to keep some warmth.
"Bog Burglars, we got captured two week ago, I'm Camicazi, Heiress of the Tribe. I heard you are the Dragon Princess, the one who made a pact with dragons and Loki himself!" She declared.
Camicazi! Wait, what did she say?! A pact with dragons and Loki?! "Well I don't know who say such shit but he should know it's hard to make a pact with dragons, because they can't speak. As for Loki, I never met him!"
"Yeah, sure! They say Stoick makes human sacrifice now, just to have his devil of a son back!" Growled a boy's voice somewhere at her right.
"What the hell does that mean?! No one does that on Berk! And we killed the Red Death! That's why your villages are in peace now! Some of her gigantic bones are still on Berk's beach, people saw those!"
A short silence followed, she knew she was right. Since they killed the Red Death, every tribe could celebrate a new peace, because dragon attacks became seldom events, rare even. And people had seen some of the bones which had landed on Berk indeed, proof that the gigantic dragon had been killed here.
"We tamed dragons," Astrid spat, "and that's all! They are animals, difficult animals, but animals still. And animals can be tamed. That's what Hiccup showed me."
"Hiccup?"
"That's the name of Stoick's son," the one named Rosta reminded them. "Some people indeed say he saved his entire island from the Red Death attack, and also from Night Furies, along with his dragon riding friends."
"Oh please! They must be fricking demons to do something like that," Cami sneered
"Camicazi, stop that!" The one named Rosta sighed. "She is prisoner here too."
"Prisoner or not, she is a demon! Hope you're gonna die!" The male voice said.
"We don't even know who you are," Rosta pointed out to the anonymous voice. "Why are you even talking to us?"
"Well I hope I'll have the occasion to kill you," Astrid spat to the voice, then spoke to the others, "and Bog-Burlgars know Stoick the Vast, they should know he wouldn't do anything like baby sacrifice! When he discovered I was friend with the Dragon Prince, he put me in jail and I escaped. He gave me and my friends a chance to prove ourselves only after we showed him the Red death and when we saved the island from Night Furies which attacked. Then we learned how to tame and ride them. That's all, and we don't need to be demons."
"Well, it's kinda a shame, right now we could use a demon's power to get outta here," Rosta sighed.
Astrid was a bit surprised at this and laughed, mimicked by the Rosta girl who spoke again: "What are you here for?"
"To serve as an entertainment, me and Hiccup and our dragons. They made us fight in the arena today. And you?"
"Pretty much the same. I think it's Heimal's goal."
"What do you mean?"
"Taking heirs and heiress of islands in order to keep them hostages and show it. I heard some guards say that he wants to conquer the archipelago. He captured heir and heiresses in order to have leverage and show the archipelago and other countries how powerful he is."
"The tribes will just unite and fight against him! That's a stupid plan!"
"That's what I thought too, I guess he has something planned in order to prevent that. Maybe he just hopes keeping us hostage will stop our tribes from doing anything like that."
"Our tribes would never sit and do nothing while that happens," Camicazi countered, "he is more likely counting on his huge army, and it's big because he has a much bigger island than most of us."
For the first time, Astrid agreed with what she just said. In fact, even though they just argued, they were in the same disaster, and maybe they could be allies. Plus, she had to free them, for their own sake and to stop Heimal's plan. No matter what he planned, it had to be stopped. Rosta didn't seem to dislike her that much, she had to convince Camicazi. They actually met, did she remember her? That was long ago.
"Bog-Burglar came to visit, I remember you, Camicazi, you came with your mother years ago. You were introduced to Snotlout and you beat him into a fight. Then we trained with our axes, you managed to stole some from Gobber's shop. We got grounded in my room but you managed to make both of us escape"
"Wait, you're that Astrid?"
She couldn't believe it, because she remember an Astrid on Berk, and she had befriended her quickly. The girl was a fighter, just like her. She was the Dragon princess?!
"Yes. So you do remember me."
"Yeah," she reluctantly admitted. "And you weren't the kind to befriend dragons back then. You were talking of becoming Berk's best dragon killer."
"Things changed. I realized I was wrong when a dragon saved my life."
"I never heard of a dragon saving someone," Rosta pointed out.
"You just did."
It wasn't exactly that, she had already realized her beliefs were wrong before Toothless and Hiccup came to help her during the battle against the Outcasts. But it made her point sound more legit that way.
"I never heard of that arena," Astrid said, not willing to speak endlessly of why she chose to tame dragons with a wild boy.
"Neither did we, but maybe it's because we're out of the Archipelago," Camicazi said. "There are people coming from other countries, like Celts and even some Romans."
"I don't think we really are on an island, actually," Rosta murmured.
Astrid was about to ask something else when they suddenly heard loud bangs on metal bars. Cami and Rosta both stepped back and Astrid did the same. The guards walking between the cells hit the bars loudly and yelled at them to shut up. He hit the bars especially hard when he came at the girl's level.
"No taking! We have to keep you for tomorrow, but I swear we'll beat you down if you continue your cackle."
"They spoke a lot," the boy from earlier mumbled.
Astrid could have killed him! The guard didn't speak to him and continued to hit the bars hard as a warning. He walked away, still making those loud and unbearable sounds. Tomorrow…The guy said he was keeping them for tomorrow…What was going to happen? Just another match like today? She could take that, and so could Hiccup, but she had a felling it would be otherwise. Oh, where was Hiccup? Where were their dragons? Stormfly…She looked at the lock, she wouldn't be able to undo it, she had to get it open another way. But even if she could get out, how would she get to her friends, free them and get away with a wounded Stormfly? No, she had to devise a plan, and she would have to do it with Hiccup. But she would have to do it in the fighting arena, and it wouldn't be easy…
O o O
Grandfather…His grandfather!
Hiccup was cramped in a cell, still shaken from what happened and from what he heard. The chief had left the boy there, stunned, confused and in pain. He was doing his best to nurse his wounds, but he could hardly do much in that cell. Questions by thousands ran through his head. Grandfather…It couldn't be true! Was it a lie? After all, Viggo, Ryker and Heather pretended to be castaways…But why would he lie? Those three had a motive; they wanted to get close to him and Astrid. Why would that man lie about being his grandfather? To obtain something from him? But what? It seemed so weird! His father told him some things about his mother, but he never spoke of his grandparents. Why didn't his father speak of him? Maybe he wanted to forget? The silence was deafening, after what he just heard, he didn't want silence, he wanted someone to talk, and he wanted dragon roars… He wanted Toothless! His grandfather…
He heard someone sighing. It was so silent he could hear someone sigh. He didn't know why but he remembered someone yelling at him when he was howling and hitting the bars to call his brother and friends. That person told him to shut up, sure, but at least he had spoke louder than the others who just mumbled. He needed someone to speak! Silence was driving him crazy, questions and his minds were making him crazier!
He breathed in deeply. He didn't only need someone to talk to just to push away all his thoughts: he needed a potential ally. If Astrid, Stormfly and Toothless were far away, he could use someone else's help to get away. Two were better than one most of times. Hiccup breathed in deeply and tried to call the person who yelled at him. Not that he left such a good impression, but no one else seemed willing to speak.
"Hey, are you here?"
No answer. He tried again: "Hey, the guy who yelled at me earlier, are you here."
"Well, did you see me flee from the prison? I don't think so, yes, I'm still HERE!"
Hiccup was quite taken aback, but at least there was a voice. His cell was next to Hiccup's, he couldn't see him but he could at least speak easily. Hiccup approached and put his head next to the bars. The guards were far enough.
"No need to speak so loudly."
"Oh, we're whispering, now?" Breathed the guy, kinda amused. "Okay, better than not doing anything, I swear I'm like crazy right now!"
"Did they make you go to the arena too?"
"Only a few times, I wish it was more often! I much prefer to beat the shit out of some guys instead of staying here, wondering what the heck they did to my sis'! I heard that guy say he was your grandfather?"
"Yeah, that's what he said. But it could be lies."
"How is it you don't know?"
Hiccup hesitated, should he tell? Well, if they escaped together, why not? Plus he would probably learn soon, the guards would say things and all: "I only found my father recently."
"Oh yeah, I almost skipped that: he said you are the son of Stoick, right? The Dragon Kid, the one who used to attack islands with dragons and was raised by them."
"Yep, that happens to be me!"
He heard a maniacal laugh: "You bloody little jerk! It's you! You know I almost got you once? Yeah! You and your dragons were attacking my island, and I almost sliced you in two! But you escaped like a frigging eel!"
That laugh was a bit familiar but he couldn't really remember. "Many people tried to kill me, you know, it doesn't really leave an impact anymore. Who are you?"
"Oh, yeah, formal introduction: Dagur the Deranged, son of Oswald the Agreeable, chief of Berserker Island," the man whispered. "You probably heard of me, right?"
"Hum…I don't think so…But I didn't hear of many things anyway."
"Well, obviously," Dagur said in a pouting tone, "but maybe…" His voice suddenly changed: "Did you hear of my sister? She is prisoner here too, but I don't know what happened to her."
"Your sister? Who?"
"Heather, her name is. Long black hair, green eyes, fourteen years old, pretty girl, even though I call her ugly to annoy her."
Hiccup blinked several times. Wait, something was weird, he did see a girl like that, but she couldn't be that guy's sister!
"There is a Heather like that, but she is Ryker's daughter, not your sister."
"Ryker's daughter?! He doesn't have any kids! Thank the gods, they would be as stupid as he! But…"
"How can you be so sure he doesn't?" Asked Hiccup in a hurry, still whispering.
"I'm pretty sure neither he nor Viggo have kids. They have been annoying Berserker Island for some times, so my father managed to collect as many infos he could about them. My sister and I have been captured some time ago and they said she could be useful for something. But I don't know what!"
Hiccup was speechless at this. Wait…That wasn't logical…He thought again of everything that happened since Viggo and his family arrived and remembered what his father told him about tricks and concealing. What the hell did it mean?! He remembered suddenly He whispered even lower to Dagur that a girl had been introduced to them as Heather, the daughter of Viggo and Ryker, castaway merchants, how she spent time with them and helped to capture them as well.
"Sometimes, the trapper can be the trapped."
"What?"
"She trapped you because she was trapped herself," Dagur whispered as lowly as possible. "Oh, those sons of bitches forced her to do that. I swear I'll murder them."
Suddenly a deafening sound followed. Hiccup was shaken and realized Dagur had hit the bars hard. What got into him?!
"Will you calm down?"
"I'm thinking of her."
Hiccup lowered his eyes. He could understand his feeling; he was so worried for his loved ones! He was thinking of his dad too; he was probably worried, and that chief here seemed to hate him. Stoick was big, he could defend himself, but he wasn't immortal. He thought of Thunder, his Night Fury father, who died during a fight. He was one of the strongest dragons he ever saw, and yet he died. He didn't want to lose another father.
"We'll find her. I'm pretty sure she is still alive."
He didn't know that, actually, but he felt the need to reassure that guy, he could relate to him.
"I have to find my brother too, and my love and her dragon."
"Your love? Oh yeah, so you do have some kind of princess."
"Yes. We're not real prince or princess, but I have her."
"Well, it seems like we'll have to fight together. Funny, at a time, I dreamed to have your head and offer it to my father for my own glory, and today, I'll fight at your side!"
Hiccup was about to say something else when they heard someone walking. They got away from the bars, thinking it was the guards. But in spite of the darkness, Hiccup saw a familiar shape stopping before a cell, along with a guard. Viggo! He hissed as the guard opened the door and Viggo looked at him.
"Look like you got hurt. Can you walk?"
Hiccup didn't answer anything, just stared and shifted his position, ready to jump on the man.
"I don't want to hurt you; I want to speak with you, outside. I can let you see your brother, if you want."
Hiccup gaped slightly: was he telling the truth? Maybe it was a lie to get him up? But he didn't need a lie, he could have the guard do it. He could tell them to drag him outside, he didn't need to lie. Anyway, he had to take that risk, it was a chance to see Toothless, he had to seize it. He stood up and looked at him with wary. His back and sides made him suffer but he made the effort to stand still.
"Come."
He followed Viggo and tried to remember the way out. They finally found themselves in the arena, where animals were locked behind closed doors. It was like the arena of Berk when it used to cage dragons…Before Viggo could tell him which one his brother's cell was, Hiccup howled and heard moans from a cage. He ran to the metallic door and saw Toothless through the tiny hole which allowed the air to pass. He looked through it and saw Toothless chained and muzzled. At the sight of his human, Toothless tried to struggle and free himself but to no avail.
"Open that door!"
"I can't take that risk, Hiccup. He would kill me, and even if I managed to survive, I would be sentenced to death by your grandfather."
Hiccup glared at him at such a word. "He can't be my mother's father."
"But he is. Family is family, Hiccup, even if we don't like it. I didn't love my parents and they didn't love me either, but they were still the people who gave me life, I could never change that."
"Why you don't like your parents?" Asked he, wondering how children and parents could feel no love for one another.
"Well, I was scrawny as a child and Vikings don't really like that. They preferred my brother who was big and all. What I'm saying is that your grandfather is still your blood, and it could be a good thing for you."
"I don't care about him! Let me go inside and see my brother!"
"I can't do that. You saw he was alive, and that's all I can do. I'm not the chief. Now, come with me, you know disobedience have a cost."
Reluctantly, Hiccup did as he was doing, giving one last glance at Toothless, feeling heartbroken to leave him here, unable to do anything. The man led him in the bleachers, when they reached the top, they could see a big part of the village. Hiccup called that a village, but he could see it was much bigger than the one he had on Berk. A strong wind blew and the boy shivered. The sky was getting dark, he could hear the sea roar in the distance and see the mountains around. Freedom looked so close! Yet a part of him was fascinated by that place which was so huge…Viggo noticed that.
"See? That place, that entire place belongs to your grandfather and if you're smart enough, one day it could be yours."
Hiccup looked at him questioningly and the man went on: "He has no other descendant than you. Do you wanna know the real reason why you are here? Heimal doesn't want to use his last heir only to entertain the population. He wants to see what you're worth, he is testing you. And if you're good, he wants everyone to see you're worth the title of Heir."
"What?! That makes no sense! Why would he want to make me his heir? I hate him! What would be the point of making me the chief?"
"Oh, he won't make you the chief right now, certainly not," Viggo laughed. "He wants to break you down first. He wants to make you bend to his will, to break your spirit until you see things his way only. Then, you'll be his perfect heir. That's also why he put you in that arena; he hopes it will break you. And if he can break your princess as well, all for the best."
Hiccup was frozen at this. Break him…He knew what it meant, but he couldn't let that happen! No one would break him!
"Why are you telling me that? What's your point?"
"Believe it or not, but I wouldn't like to see you broken. You're one of a kind, just like me. Heimal is strong sure, but you could be stronger as you are. I can't force you to choose, but if you get tired of your grandfather's treatment, you can still turn to me."
Hiccup was speechless. Was this man really asking him to be his ally against Heimal? What was the catch? The wind blew again and the boy shivered again, but not because of the cold this time.
Here it goes! I know there wasn't action in this one, but at least they did discover some things and encounter potential friends. Hope you liked it!
