Greetings!

xFaerieValkyriex, your comment made me laugh in the middle of a sad part in a movie. I'm sure that my family thought that I was insane. And thank you to all of you who reviewed, because it really puts a smile on my face.

Chapter Six

His head throbbed.

His throat ached.

His body was shaking in slight convulsions.

Sweat streaked down Hiccup's body, mingling, with the blood from wounds that had re-opened. His head pounded, and every time he moved sent another wave of agony through him, and though Hiccup couldn't see it, he knew that he was extremely sunburned.

Footsteps sounded from behind Hiccup, and he murmured "Good morning, Cassius."

"To you as well." Hiccup knew what was coming-his being tied to post and left to die hadn't stopped his daily beatings.

Hs only consolation was that it was killing him faster.

The sound of the whip striking the ground reached his ears, and Hiccup closed his eyes. Maybe he would go to sleep instead of giving Cassius the satisfaction of his tormented cries.

If only, Hiccup thought bitterly as the whip fell.

~~~O~~~

Wrenlou lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. The house was quiet;it should, considering that the sun had not yet risen. It had been a week-a week since Hiccup had been arrested, and his inaction was beginning to grate on him. He had been by the prison a few more times, and every time, within a few minutes, he had been spotted by Roman guards, and weapons had begun flying.

His determination was beginning to wear thin. He hadn't been able to figure out how to get to Hiccup, or where his best friend even was. And yet, the need to find Hiccup, rescue Hiccup had been dancing through his mind in a mantra that had taken over every conscious thought.

Floorboards creaked behind him, and Wrenlou sat up sharply to see Marcus watching him.

"Did I wake you up?" The farmer asked regretfully, and Wrenlou shook his head.

"No. I couldn't sleep."

"Still worried about your friend?"

Wrenlou didn't answer. 'Worry' didn't quite cover the obsessive anxiety he had on the issue. Instead, he bit his lip, not meeting Marcus' gaze.

The older man placed a hand on his shoulder, and Wrenlou finally looked up at him. "If there's a problem, the best way to get it to stop bothering you is to fix it. That's what I've learned."

"But I can't just...fix it..."

"Really? Take a direct approach. I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to help you storm a prison, but from what I'e heard of the situation, you could do it."

Some of the less rational thoughts he had pushed to the back of his mind began coalescing into a coherent plan. A direct approach? That might be possible. He had been too scared to try simply 'storming the prison' as Marcus had so put, but maybe that was the solution all along.

"Thank you." Wrenlou said, and the farmer nodded, heading out to complete his morning duties.

Standing in the doorframe, Wrenlou examined the quickly brightening sky. No. He wouldn't put it off any longer. He narrowed his eyes. Today he would get Hiccup out. No matter what it took.

~~~O~~~

Although Snowflake was a bit more moderate when it came to speed flying-Toothless was the one who pushed the speed to its limits, practically creating sonic waves as he flew-she was still faster than nearly anything else as she and Wrenlou raced towards the prison.

He still couldn't believe that he was doing this. Charging in with no plan and no backup was probably one of the stupidest things that he could have done. But he didn't have any other options, so he might as well take this one.

The prison was beneath them within minutes, and Wrenlou scanned quickly for guards on the lookout for dragons. Strangely, there were none. Perhaps that was because he had only ever come at night before, and this early morning was too strange of an hour for them to think a watch worthwhile. Whatever the reason, he was grateful.

Something caught his attention-a figure strung up to a large metal pole in an empty courtyard. Could that be Hiccup? The person's build seemed the same, but he wasn't sure from the distance. Cautiously, he landed Snowflake in the courtyard. Wrenlou's eyes widened. It was Hiccup. The tangled auburn hair definitely belonged to his friend but...

Wrenlou inhaled sharply. Hiccup was...well, destroyed would probably be the best word for him. Lacerations and burns covered his sunburned skin, blood streaking down his arms and back and legs. The way he hung limply against the pole, Wrenlou wasn't even sure he was alive.

Cautiously approaching Hiccup, Wrenlou murmured his name softly. The other man's head shot up sharply, breathing heavily.

"Who's there?" He asked, in Norse, not the language of Dragoncity Wrenlou had taught him. Wrenlou's knowledge of the language allowed him to understand.

"Hiccup, it's me, Wrenlou."

His head turned, and he winced. "Wrenlou...really? I wasn't even sure if you were alive, if..." Seeming to lose his strength, Hiccup slumped again. Wrenlou leapt forward, untying his hands.

A sigh of mingling pain and relief escaped Hiccup's lips, and he sagged into Wrenlou's arms, wincing as he did so. A bit overwhelmed by how easily Wrenlou had managed to rescue Hiccup, he pulled his friend onto Snowflake, and they shot into the air. He was expecting a trap of some sort, perhaps guards waiting for them, weapons poised to shoot them out of the sky the moment they were airborne, but none came.

Hiccup groaned. "Remind me never to get sunburned again."

"What?" Wrenlou asked, somewhat incredulous.

"I'm sunburned, Wren." Looking over the sheer extent of Hiccup's injuries, Wrenlou couldn't help but giggle, which turned into full-scale laughter, and by the time Hiccup had fallen asleep in Wrenlou's arms, he was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face.