Breaking Point 18

Idle fingers ran along the black ear cuff that curved around Hiccup's ear. For a long time Dagur said nothing, his fingers tracing the metal as Hiccup leaned against his chest. This felt nice, like it did when they lay together on the rider's small cot but the cuff bothered him. "You complained when I put a collar on you," he grumbled, his cheek resting against the crown of the other boy's head. "You said you didn't want to be marked as anyone's slave. What do you consider this?"

"A token of affection," Hiccup answered after a moment of hesitation. His caught Dagur's hand and pull it away from his ear and onto his chest where their fingers entwined. "What are we doing, Dagur?" he whispered, staring at those large callused fingers. He felt good but guilt filled him and his mind was warring with itself again. Hiccup didn't want sex, not with anyone while Henryk…well Henryk took advantage of Dagur's infatuation him. It wasn't like before when Dagur forced himself on Hiccup. No, this time Henryk had been in control. He had seduced Dagur while all Hiccup wanted to know was the truth about Toothless. He hadn't meant to breakdown or let Henryk take charge of him again but he couldn't stop the other him, not when Dagur kissed him so deeply that it stole his breath and made his heart race.

"What we should have done years ago," Dagur answered, his gaze also on their joined hands. "What we would have done…" His voice trailed off, deciding against bringing up the Nightfury and simply caress Hiccup's arm in hopes of keeping his conscious at the forefront and not lose him to Henryk again. He would keep his promise and find Toothless and bring them back together if only to get back the Hiccup he had desired for so long. "We should find Heather and set up defenses. I doubt Viggo and Ryker will ever find us here but…"

"They'll find me," Hiccup murmured, staring at the falling water. They were hidden in the cave under the waterfall, neither one of them knowing how to explain what they had done to Heather. Normally Dagur wouldn't care what anyone thought about what he did or with whom but when it came to Heather he cared and so did Hiccup. Hiccup didn't know how to explain any of this to anyone. "Viggo isn't going to just let me go. He'll find me and then kill you."

Dagur tilted his head over Hiccup's shoulder and met his gaze. "Not if I kill him first. I'm not letting you, Hiccup. Never again."

Hiccup closed his eyes and leaned against him. He wanted to believe Dagur, he really did but there was one little problem the Berserker had forgotten all about; Henryk. And Henryk wanted to go back to Viggo and Ryker, desired them, needed them and Hiccup had come to need Viggo, even if the Hunter had lied. The very thought of him made his stomach twist and it took all his concentration and focus not to let his libido go out of control or let Henryk take control again. Taking a deep breath he pulled away from Dagur and stood. "We should check on those defenses," he agreed, reintegrating what Dagur had said moments earlier. He hesitated a moment before holding out a hand to Dagur and helping him to his feet. He avoided the Berserker's gaze as they left, feeling out of place and not himself but before they passed through the waterfall Dagur grabbed his arm and pulled him against him once more.

"Don't worry. I won't let them take you," he said firmly, making sure Hiccup looked him in the eye.

The youth only nodded and looked away. As much as Dagur claimed to want to protect him in the end no one could. Not from Henryk. Once they were out of the water and on shore, Hiccup dressed quickly. He was a little surprise when he realized the color of his trousers and tunic that was tighter than what he usually wore, as if seeing them for the first time. He stared at his reflection in the water, seeing himself for the first time in months. He barely remembered Viggo standing him in front of a mirror after his last haircut and shave, remarking on how beautiful he looked but Hiccup didn't see himself that way. He was okay looking in his opinion but the face looking back at him wasn't his own. It looked too thin, his cheekbones more pronounced and dark circles under his eyes. His hair was too short on the sides and back with only his bangs having any length and getting into his eyes now that they were wet. And that dragon earring cuff stood out against his pale freckled skin as if to tell the world of his status. He didn't recognize the face in the water. It wasn't his. He ran his finger over the cuff just as Dagur had moments earlier. Was it a slave mark?

"I can remove it," Dagur offered, standing behind him. "No one will ever know you were marked. All that will be left is a little hole that will heal over."

Hiccup fingered the piece of metal as he stared at his reflection. It was a beautiful ornament and whoever had crafted it had gone into great detail. He opened his mouth to answer but it was another who did so for him. "No," Henryk said, in voice leaving no room for argument as he hand clasped over the cuff protectively. "I earned this. It's mine."

"Okay," Dagur mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Well while you're debating with yourself I'm going to check with Heather on how far our ships are." He turned to walk away but stopped. "Don't hurt yourself, okay?" He shook his head in bemusement as he left Hiccup to argue with his other self. "And they say I'm deranged." He didn't go far. He didn't want to leave Hiccup alone for more than a few minutes, fearful of what might happen if Henryk took control of him again and attacked Heather. He would do whatever it took to protect his sister even if it meant giving Hiccup a sound beating. It was something he hoped never to have to do but would for his sister. So he kept Hiccup in sight while he waved down Heather who was flying not far overhead. She seemed to ignore him at first. "Heather! Seriously, what does a guy have to do to get a little respect these days?" he grumbled as he waited for her but eventually she and Windshear came to him.

"What?" the raven haired girl snapped. She sat up straight on her dragon's back and glared down at him.

"What crawled up your skirt?" Dagur shot back, a little confused by her attitude.

She just glared at him.

"What?" he tried again, becoming annoyed.

For a few long seconds she simply glared at him before finally looking toward Hiccup. "You planning on telling me exactly what is going on with you two?" she asked, a sense of scorn and betrayal in her voice.

"Do I ask you for a list of men you're sleeping with?" he countered, guessing immediately what she was getting at.

Shock filled her face. "I was kind of expecting a list of excuses, including the 'I have no clue what you're talking about'," she said, a little perplex.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," he said with a straight face.

She rolled her eyes. "Dagur, what's going on? I thought we were on a rescue mission not stealing you a date."

"They stole him from me."

"And how did you get him in the first place?"

They stared at each other again in a battle of wills until Heather sighed and climbed off Windshear.

"Fine, then what's the deal with this Henryk?"

It was his turn to sigh. "I don't know. From what I managed to get out of Hiccup it was the new name Viggo gave him and Hiccup's 'death' was symbolic of the end of his old life as their slave to becoming one of them. It sort of took a life of its own. I guess Henryk began taking over to spare Hiccup the suffering he was going through. Ryker can be quite brutal when it comes to torturing people for information." He paused, the look he gave her meaningful, both thankful he had managed to get her away from the Hunters before Ryker had decided to interrogate her as he had Hiccup. Dagur couldn't even bear the thought of her screaming in agony as Hiccup had. He folded his arms across his chest and looked toward where Hiccup was still knelt by the river seeming to argue with himself. "Whatever the case, Viggo really messed with his head."

"Yeah, I noticed," she agreed. She placed a hand on his broad shoulder and caught his eye. "What aren't you telling me? What was your part in it?"

He frowned at her and pursed his lips in consideration. "Betraying my brother," he finally settled on. "Our brother."

"Brothers don't do what you two were doing in that waterfall," she pointed out, not letting him dismissed what she had witnessed.

"How else do you think I betrayed him?" He didn't wait for her to answer but dove right into what was their main concern at the moment. "Did you spot Savage?"

Hugging herself, Heather began rubbing her arms. "Yeah. The ships are about an hour out. Looks like they separated or something. Your flag ship is headed here but the other veered to the north. It looks damaged and may be heading to meet up with the rest of the armada."

"What about the Hunters?"

She shook her head. "I didn't see them. That doesn't mean they're not out there it just means either their ship was severely damaged or…"

"They're hiding," Dagur finished with a nod. He ran a hand through his hair and winced slightly as his shoulders flexed and where Hiccup had clawed his back suddenly stung. It was a painful sting that brought with it a pleasant memory. "Alright, all we can do is wait keep an eye out for them."

"Yeah," she agreed before looking behind him. "Where's Hiccup?"

"What? Oh for Loki's sake. Hiccup! He's probably playing with dragons again. You keep an eye out for Savage while I deal with Hiccup or Henryk or whoever the hell is in charge right now," he told her but he hesitated before chasing after Hiccup again and gave her a tight hug. "Thank you…for…you know." He gave a tight smile as he pulled away. "Being the coolest sister ever?"

She rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Yeah, well do you job and protect him and no more…you know…" She made a face and gestured with her hand, unable to say the words and not wanting to picture what she had witnessed over again. "Maybe wait until he's back to himself or something."

He was going to snap but she was right. Hiccup was broken and while that made him easy to manipulate it wasn't HIS Hiccup and he wanted his Hiccup. Instead he gave a curt nod and went to find the dragon rider, wandering who he would encounter, his beloved Hiccup or Henryk. He didn't have to go far to find either of them. The Hooligan heir was chattering away with dragons again, this time a wild Nadder. Like before Dagur watched with interest, unable to understand how anyone could be so comfortable around such deadly creatures.

"If you're trying to catch a ride home, I'd hold off a day or two," he advised as he strolled toward Hiccup, worried that he might indeed try running off either to Berk or worse, back to Viggo. It all depended who was in charge.

Hiccup said nothing at first, his cheek pressed against the snout of the Nadder. He looked ready to bolt but he didn't. In fact what he said was near heartbreaking even for someone like Dagur. "I have no home to go back to," he said lowly before giving a snort. "I might as well make a home here like Heather.

"Or come back to Berserk with me," Dagur offered but even that seemed impossible. He hadn't been home in over three years and didn't even know if he had an island to go home to or if the Outcasts had taken complete control of it.

Hiccup didn't answer but hummed softly to the Nadder.

Dagur wanted to say more, maybe apologize for getting Hiccup mixed up with the Hunters or at least exposing him to the torture Ryker had administered or for getting so turned on by it that he had raped Hiccup in front of them. He didn't even know how much of that first time Hiccup remembered. He wanted to ask and say so much but a part of him feared the younger boy's reaction. Hiccup could lash out at him, which was to be expected and really the preferred reaction but with Henryk in his mind there was really no way to guess what he would do. He may very well jump on the back of the Nadder and return to Viggo for Thor only knew what reason.

"Are you hungry?" he asked instead, feeling the need to do something, anything but ponder what Hiccup might do. He hated this strange guilty feeling he was not used to. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced toward the river where there seemed to be a plentiful supply of fish. "I'll roost some fish," he said firmly. It was also one way to keep an eye on Hiccup as well.

Hiccup ignored him, lost in his own world, something Dagur surmised he might have to get used to for a while. He should have been checking defenses but he couldn't bring himself to go too far from Hiccup. He felt responsible and in many ways he was so for once he took the mantle of it and tried to focus on ways to fix what he had done. It was one of the few times he wished he had his uncle to discuss this with him. Harold would know what to do. He always did even if he rarely ever listened to the old man. Hell, at this point he'd even listen to Stoick the Vast if it meant fixing Hiccup.

There were many things about Hiccup that was endearing but being meek and fidgety was not one of them. When the food was ready, a simple dish of roosted fish and island fruit, he sat as far from Dagur and Heather as possible without trying to seem rude and picked at his food while mumbling thank you and apologies and often staring at the ground and refusing to meet either Dagur's or Heather's gaze for more than a few minutes. They tried talking with him. Heather told him about what she had been up to the last few months and apologized for taking off the way she did after Viggo managed to get the Dragon Eye from Hiccup. Dagur tried cracking a few jokes but they fell on deft ears…with the exception of being elbowed by his sister when he got a little too crude. Hiccup didn't even crack a smile, lost in his own world. He was beginning to have doubts that Toothless was really alive and it was obviously there was a running dialogue between the two personalities in his head that drew his attention from the two people in front of him.

The sound of a bugle made all three jump in shock.

"They made it," Dagur laughed, getting to his feet. He had been having doubts that Savage would make it and that maybe the ship had been damaged and he would have to meet up with the rest of the armada to get repairs like several of the other ships had. Not that it mattered. Windshear could fly them anywhere. It was just the sense of responsibility created by what happened with Hiccup that made Dagur want Savage to meet them at the island so that he could get a verbal report that his men were safe. That and if Hiccup was in worse shape than he was or needed serious medical treatment it was easier on board a ship than the back of a dragon. He left Hiccup and Heather and jogged toward the edge of the island and up the slop to the cliff look out over the sea. Sure enough there was his flag ship slowly making its way toward the coral reef, the crew following Heather's instructions to a T. Never before had he been so excited to see Savage and he waved down to his second in command. The man must have spotted him because a moment later Savage was waving back. "Hurry up and get up here!" he yelled with a chuckle. Once the ship was moored behind the sea stacks and out of sight there will be no more worry about Viggo.

. . .

"Just keep waving and acting normal," Ryker snarled, dressed in Berserker armor and helmet as he stood slightly behind Savage with his sword pressed to the former Outcast's back. He grinned as he watched Dagur wave to them from the cliff, seemingly happy to see his ship. "Good job. I might just let you leave after I've jutted your chief."

"Provided you don't get in the way," Viggo added as he strolled across the deck also wearing Berserker armor. They had captured the two Berserkers ships shortly after Dagur and Heather had taken Henryk and in his rage Viggo had ordered every man on board slaughtered, armor stripped from the bodies and his Hunters to through the bodies overboard. Only Savage and captain Vog were spared because Dagur would be expecting to see them. So he sent the other ship to circle around the island as soon as Savage broke and told them where Dagur and his sister were taking Henryk. They would moor before the coral reef and take the long boats in while Viggo and Ryker allowed Savage and Vog to guide the flag ship around the corals and to the arranged spot.

The ship moved slowly, the men carefully maneuvering around the coral and sea stacks. Viggo's gaze stared skywards, watching in case Dagur decided to grab Henryk and his sister and run. If he did it would be near impossible to go after him right away.

"What are you planning?" Ryker asked once they were in the shadows and out of sight of Dagur.

Viggo's dark gaze swooped over the high sheer walls. "I want Dagur dead," he growled lowly before giving a distained laugh. "No, I want him to suffer. I want him to see who much he failed in this little attempt of his."

"And Heather?" Ryker questioned, a little suggestive grin tugging at his lips.

His brother said nothing for a long time before, "You said you wanted to give Henryk some toys."

Ryker's grin broadened. "A playmate?"

"Are you up to breaking another Dragon Rider?"

Ryker chuckled darkly. "I'll take great pleasure in breaking her." His grin grew as he followed Viggo's gaze up the rocky cliff of the dormant volcano. "Perhaps I'll even have Henryk help me."

Viggo nodded. What better way to ensure Henryk was one of them than to let him help tame someone like Heather? Someone Hiccup cared for and had been willing to give his life for? And maybe he'd let Dagur watch. What a twist of fate that would be, the boy Dagur desired and claimed to love, deflowering his little sister right in front of him. Not only would it destroy Dagur but whatever was left of Hiccup. A win-win situation. Then he would have two dragon riders under his command instead of just one. And what a beautiful pair they would be, two keen minds and beautiful bodies to keep him and Ryker warm at night and entertain them. Oh yes, they could make this work.

"Grab your grappling gear and prepare to climb," Ryker ordered the men, his grin growing with thoughts of the fun he would have once he had his hands on Henryk and Heather. He was going to make them scream, but before Dagur. Dagur was going to suffer a fate worse than death and make what had happened to Hiccup look like a day at the park before slitting his throat.