Chapter Ten: Unity and Discord

"And you just ran into them on the street?" Matt repeated, staring at Hiccup with a worried expression. "The Chief of Thariin and Darien…"

Hiccup nodded, staring at the fire with a blank expression.

"It was stupid chance that they even met. I was surprised to see Zekir walking down the street." Heather spoke up. "I couldn't get close to the Keep because of how tight security was. It was obvious he was worried about his personal safety."

"…for good reason…" Ukiah whispered hoarsely, struggling to fletch an arrowhead onto a bolt.

"Regardless of how slim or stupid it was running into them, we have a pretty serious issue." Matt replied loudly, taking control of the conversation. "We know they have Fishlegs and Astrid. We know they're expecting an army to invade them. The question isn't what we should do, but who should do what."

"That…can you repeat that?" Lydia asked, scrunching an eye to exaggerate how painful it was to follow him.

"I'm saying that we can't ignore or leave Astrid and Fishlegs behind, yet we still need to tell your dad about what to expect. That's the entire reason why we were here! And why our friends were captured!"

Hiccup nodded in agreement. "You're right. We need someone to tell him."

"I want to stay. I need to help you." Ukiah announced, almost defiantly.

"No, I've been thinking about what we should do, and I need you and Lydia to go and tell Bruvos what we learned." Hiccup replied, standing up. "But I need you to tell me one thing, Lydia. Where were the dungeons in the Keep when they had you prisoner?"

Surprised at the question, Lydia thought for a second. "I'm…unsure. I know that it wasn't directly part of the Keep. My guards outside my door kept on talking about the arena though. Maybe I was near there?"

"You were." Ukiah confirmed, raising a few eyebrows from those in the cave. "Strogg used the arena as a form of entertainment. To pit prisoners and convicts against captured dragons." Looking down, he quietly added. "I know because I was one, remember?"

Hiccup again nodded with a sad understanding.

"They would have kept the dungeons close to the arena, so they wouldn't have to move a prisoner outside of the Keep."

"Then we know they're connected! The arena and the Keep!" Heather cried out, getting excited about something. "There's no way we can get through the Keep's doors without being spotted. But the arena wasn't that guarded when I checked it out!"

"Giving us an open shot to not only where they're probably holding Astrid and Fishlegs…but also an alternate way into the Keep." Matt added, seeing what she was saying.

Heather nodded excitedly at him. "Which means Darien and Zekir!"

"No. We're just going to get Astrid and Fishlegs back." Hiccup quickly interjected. "That's all. We won't fight until we have Bruvos and Auger at our backs."

"And jeopardize the one weakness they have?" Matt argued. "We have to commit all the way, or we don't until we have everyone behind us."

Hiccup went silent, torn between what he wanted to do, and that which made more sense.

Lydia quietly spoke up, seeing his anxious face. "My father should arrive here tomorrow. If we can coordinate the rescue of your friends with my father's forces…we should be able to use the arena to get our men inside."

"Or you can go in from behind and open the doors to the Keep for us anyways." Ukiah added. "Besides, we ride dragons. We can land atop the castle if we have to. I don't think infiltrating the Keep is going to be the challenge."

Hiccup began to nod. "My plan still needs you to go to Bruvos. Since Heather helped scout the village, I need her to come with me. Matt would be helpful since Wasatch has the ability to immobilize an army; at the very least stall guards and such until we get Astrid and Fishlegs. And we need to leave right now."

"Now? When we have no backing with Bruvos or Auger?" Matt questioned, caught off guard with the announcement. "We want to use the one shot we have with using the arena as an entrance?"

"Didn't we do the same to get Heather back from Viggo and Darien?" Hiccup quickly challenged. "I know what we're giving up, Matt. It's an easy way to get into the Keep. But I can't let them keep Astrid longer than they already have. Besides, there's more to my reasoning than to just get our friends back."

Understanding why Hiccup wanted to leave right then, Matt nodded in agreement. "More than a fair reason. I'm ready to help, Hiccup. Besides, I owe it to her and Fishlegs. They helped more times than not."

"Thank you, Matt…"

"Still, why are you leaving tonight?" Lydia argued, looking at him strangely. "My father will be here tomorrow! Why not wait?"

Hiccup simply gestured to where Toothless lay. "Because we have the cover of the dark with us. If I know Darien, and had to guess about Zekir, they're thinking that we're coming tomorrow for our friends. That we're still recovering from almost being captured. If we try to sneak in tomorrow, we'll be spotted before we can even get close enough to fire at them; let alone sneak in after them. Besides…if we wait until tomorrow, it might be too late to save-" He stopped before he could finish his thought.

Lydia just stared at him, knowing he was taking his friends capture really hard.

"Plus the fact that the Thariin army will be busy with us, they won't be anticipating a full on invasion. It'll be a good distraction for your dad and his forces if we do this before."

"Not if you get captured or killed yourselves." Ukiah added, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "I can stay here and let Lydia fly to her dad. Lasher trusts her, and she's confident enough that she could ride by herself."

Lydia gaped at him, paling slightly at the idea that she'd be riding a dragon by herself.

"Let me help you get her back, Hiccup. Please."

"I know you want to help. You always do, Ukiah. But I need you to help Bruvos with his side of the invasion. They need you and Lasher. We're only going to get Astrid and Fishlegs and then leave. When we get them to a safe place, we'll be able to help the fight."

"Especially with Darien…" Matt growled, standing up and walking over to his gear. "I'm ready when you are, Hiccup."

Heather also stood up. "As am I, Hiccup." At that, she walked over and began to pack the few supplies they had into a saddle bag.

Ukiah shook his head angrily. "Hiccup…the last time I wasn't able to defend someone I cared about, I ended up losing them. I'm not going to let you do this without me."

"Please, Ukiah. This isn't just about Astrid or Fishlegs. It's about us being able to stop Darien and Zekir from hurting us even more than what they've already done to us."

Ukiah could only glare at him. Wishing for anything to be able to go with him, he reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Fine. Only because you're asking me to help Bruvos. During the invasion though, I'm going to search for you and help you. That is my priority."

"Thank you, Ukiah. And if everything goes according to plan, you won't need to help us. We'll all be out and helping with the fight."

Ukiah reached up with his single arm, grabbing Hiccup by the shoulder. "Be careful, Hiccup. I don't want to be the only brother to Matt. Or to be the one to tell Stoick what happened. I know he'll kill me if I tell him"

"I will, Ukiah. We'll see each other again. I promise."

Nodding, he turned around while shouting "Lasher! Get ready to fly! Arrow! Where are ya'?"

Lydia glanced at the three with a worried expression. "Be careful you three. I want to be able to come back to Berk with all of you."

Hiccup nodded with a sheepish smile, acknowledging the order.

As Lydia and Ukiah disappeared into the darkness out of the cave's light, the only evidence that they had left was Arrow's tiny screech, followed by a roar from Lasher as he launched into the air.

Sighing, Hiccup turned to get his own gear ready, obviously still stewing over what had happened and what they were going to do. Finally, in the burning silence, he asked out loud. "How did you do it, Matt?"

Taken back by the question, he turned to Hiccup who was keeping himself busy by packing his saddle bag. "What do you mean?"

"When Heather was captured by Darien…how did you hold yourself together?"

"Whoo boy, that's kind of a loaded question." He grunted, zipping up his duffle bag that his dad had left for him a few months back in his cave. "You know how I acted. When I saw Darien take her away, and I was unable to do anything about it; I lost it. I was broken. Honestly, Hiccup, you're reacting a hundred times better than I ever did. I thought Heather was dead before I even had a chance to think of a rescue. I gave up on her."

"I need to correct you on something." Heather quickly cut in. "I gave up on you first. I got angry with you and made you feel that I didn't want to be with you. It wasn't emotionally your strongest time."

"Regardless, you're acting a lot better than I ever did." He continued to say, trying to comfort him. "You know me. I get rash. I don't think things through when I get angry. It took Ukiah smacking me in the head to get me to return normal. And I'm glad I was wrong. Heather would have been Zekir's slave if we hadn't attacked Viggo's auction if we waited any longer. Which is why I'm not fighting you with your decision to go now."

Hiccup sat there quietly, debating on asking the question that was burning him since they escaped Thariin. "You don't think Darien or Zekir will kill her, do you?"

Matt let out a long sigh. "Again, that's a loaded question. I don't want it to happen. Astrid is as close as a friend to me as she is you. Er, well I guess you two are closer now. But anything can happen. I'm not going to lie to you and say that she'll be fine when I don't know that."

Heather cast him an angry glare, knowing it wasn't helping Hiccup.

Ignoring her, he continued to explain himself. "But in my opinion, I don't think Darien will kill her. She wanted Heather dead and didn't try to kill Astrid when she had all the opportunity in the world to do so. It was obvious she wanted one of them alive. As to why? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. But I don't think she intends to kill her. She might be trying to think of a way to use her against us. Her and Fishlegs."

Hiccup slowly nodded at the answer, knowing there was at least some truth with what Matt said.

"Now, how about you fill us in on what you're thinking in regards to actually breaking them out." Matt whispered, flipping out his knife and spinning it in his hand to pass the time.

"Fair enough. Heather? Do you remember details of the arena at all?"

Heather nodded, mentally refreshing what she saw.

"Are you sure it wasn't heavily guarded?"

"Positive. They were putting men closer to the docks, and the others were either walking along the wall or guarding the Keep."

Hiccup nodded as he returned his attention to the fire in the middle of the cave.

"Why did you want to know?" She asked, curious as to the reason.

"If my plan works, they won't realize that we used the arena to get in and out. They'll be too focused on other things."

Seeing his idea, Matt let a smile grow on his face. "You wouldn't happen to need…say a distraction, would ya'? I mean, if you and Heather go through the arena to the dungeons during a lightning storm, who's going to see you?"

For the first time since they escaped Thariin, Hiccup let the slightest smile grow on his face. "We might need more than just a lightning storm, Matt. I think we're going to need an angry Skrill, a Dragon Boarder, and a Berserker to help us get Astrid and Fishlegs back; but after we actually get them back. I want to tear down the arena and make it look like it's not worth saving or defending..."

"I can't believe it…right on our own docks! In our own market!" Zekir growled, watching one of his healers continue to work on Banshee. The bolts were easily removed, and did relatively little damage to the hearty dragon. Even with that, Zekir was still in a sour mood. "What hope does Thariin have if my men simply let Dragon Riders roam my village without question?"

"We were about to go with our plan." Darien pointed out, polishing her new staff. "It wouldn't have made a difference if we spotted them or not."

"And now we're delayed…" Zekir growled, shaking his head angrily. Standing up, he walked over to the balcony and stared down at his village. "What do we do now? Leave? Stay? We have captives now."

"Captives don't win wars. We still need to go. The point of the plan was to prepare us to fight the Dragon Riders, whether they win or lose here. I just have some questions for those we captured." She replied, also standing up. "Like, when is Bruvos coming? Where are the rest of the Dragon Riders? The last thing I want to do is sail in a place where they're going to find us."

Zekir nodded in agreement, though he still remained tense about the whole situation.

"I also have…a more personal question for them."

Zekir whirled around, looking at her with a dark expression. "Personal? What do you mean?"

"Just something that will possibly help us when we leave this place. And to figure out why I saw Lydia with Ukiah."

Recoiling back in shock, he gasped out. "No…Lydia? She…she was free? And with him?"

"I'd say she's with the Riders entirely. She was probably saved by Ukiah; or anyone for that matter. It explains why Bruvos turned on you in the middle of the Battle of Berk. You no longer had control over them, and they somehow conveyed that message to him. I want to learn or confirm how they found her."

Zekir closed his eyes and looked up. "There's no point in figuring out how they found her…it's too late to help us. I should have just had her killed the second day of her voyage…what was I thinking?"

"It's easy to see what you should have done after the damage is done." She quietly counseled. "The question, is what do we do now?"

Turning to look down at his village, he narrowed his eyes as he whispered. "It's hopeless to stay here. Win or lose, you're right; we need to prepare ourselves personally. We need to meet the Dragon Riders when we're able to deal with them. Where is your ship and your men?"

"I sent them away after I gave Astrid to your men. They're up the coast so that we don't have to worry about breaking through a blockade if Bruvos sets one up. Banshee is strong enough to carry us to where we need to go to meet them."

Nodding in satisfaction, he whispered. "We're going to have a chat with our new friends. Then we will go ahead with your plan. Are they separated?"

"Of course, as you ordered. The boy is named Fishlegs. He has the most knowledge of dragons. He is very loyal to his friends, but also very soft hearted; he's the one that we should interrogate. The girl, named Astrid, would just sooner fight us before saying an insult. Trust me, I know that."

"Good. You said the boy is soft hearted?"

Darien simply nodded.

"I can make him tell us everything you need to know. I've broken a few people like him before; they're easy. And it'll let me be able to vent." He growled, turning to walk out of the room.

Darien smiled, knowing full well that it would be an eventful conversation. One that would make him talk and she'll be able to get back at Astrid; without even laying a finger on her. Following him out of her room, she gently stroked Banshee's head as she walked by. "Just rest for now, bud…I know you want to come, but its best that it's just me and Zekir."

Banshee growled quietly, closing his eyes and ignoring the healer patching him up.

As the two walked down the labyrinth of halls, Zekir then asked "Where were you thinking we should go after we question our captives? Have you any thoughts on that?"

"Back to the archipelago. I need to prove to my men that we're still Dragon Hunters. Just Dragon Hunters with a new hate and passion. Besides, I need to rebuild our reputation, fleet, and merchandise; which Fishlegs will hopefully provide help in that regards."

Zekir nodded approvingly at the plan of action. It was a long term plan, and one that would indeed set up the Hunters for another war if needed. And disguise their whereabouts and purpose.

The two made it a quick trip to the dungeon, knowing full well they were going to get information that they both needed. And if not, at least they'd have fun before they left.

"How far do these tunnels go?" She asked, grabbing a torch from off a wall, since Banshee wasn't with her to light the way.

"All the way to the arena. My father designed them this way when the Keep was built. It was to ensure that no prisoner would escape. In the history of the arena and the fights we set up, only one person ever escaped from here. According to Ugo at least."

Darien looked at him with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him to explain.

"It was Ukiah. He and the dragon he was supposed to fight joined together and escaped. Granted, they had help from some of Berk's people, but it doesn't excuse the fact that they did indeed escape their fate. The only ones."

As they continued to walk down the eerie tunnel, they came up to two guards standing outside of a larger door from the usual cells.

"What room is this?" She asked, looking at it quizzically.

"It's the interrogation room. Not all prisoners are sentenced to a life in the arena. That's a softer punishment of the two. This is for those who deserve less than a chance to fight for their life."

Darien mentally prepared herself for what she would see, expecting only gore and sights that would bring nightmares for the rest of her life.

Zekir turned to the two guards standing outside the door. "Get the other prisoner, but wait out here until I summon her."

The two guards nodded in acknowledgement and left them alone.

With a deep breath, Zekir pushed the door open and walked in.

Following closely by, Darien was surprised to see the room was actually very clean. It rivaled most of the rooms in the Keep! Of course, devices and other torture tools were in the room; ranging from racks, chains with cuffs, shackles bolted into the stone walls, plyers, hooks, an array of certain knives and blades, X stands, and even a cross were all organized in various places in the large room. In the far end of the room though, was a small cell with a single boy sitting on a bench and looking at them nervously.

Smiling, she walked up to him with Zekir close by. "Hello, Fishlegs…fancy seeing you here. I was sure it was only Hiccup and Astrid, since it's such a risk to bring more of you Riders to a city that is actively looking for you. What a pleasant surprise."

Fishlegs simply glared at her. Folding his arms, he turned away to stare at nothing.

"Fishlegs, is it?" Zekir called out, moving in a position to make Fishlegs stare at him. "I'm told you're very knowledgeable about dragons. My council could use someone like you."

"I can use someone like you as well." Darien added with a wide, mischievous smile.

"I won't accept anything you offer me!" He replied back, challenging Darien with his eyes. "You hurt dragons for fun!"

"Aye, we do; but so does most of the world. As far as I'm aware, you Riders are the only ones that care for dragons like you do. Besides, I haven't even told you about the perks of being part of my council! All the books you can read, all the resources you want to discover new dragons, and of course…" He then gestured to a Monstrous Nightmare skull mounted as a trophy above them. "All the dragons you'd ever need to study."

Fishlegs simply scowled at him and folded his arms.

Darien smiled as she spoke up, stepping closer to Fishlegs. "You see, Fishlegs, it's more than that. We'll grant you your freedom if you simply tell me what you know about the Dragon Eye. Someone like you surely has notes or records. Or better yet, where is the Dragon Eye?"

Zekir looked at her, a little confused at the request.

"The Dragon Eye? It's destroyed! Gone! Hiccup made sure of it when Viggo died!"

"Then…how about your notes?" She followed up with.

"Why would I give them to you? Dragon Hunter!" He cried out angrily.

"Watch your tone…Rider. Your life might depend on it." Zekir growled, reaching to grab his longsword.

Darien stopped him, to which she kept on looking at Fishlegs. Keeping eye contact with him, she walked over to a table littered with Fishlegs' belongings. "I am a Dragon Hunter. It's not an insult. No matter how venomous you say it.

Fishlegs shifted uncomfortably at her explanation and as she approached the table.

Shuffling through the contents of books and scattered papers, she smiled as she flipped open a folded paper. "Hmm, patrol schedules. Very detailed too. I'd say they're better than the ones we give our guards." Pausing for a second, she then turned to Fishlegs with an inquisitive smirk. "Tell me, Fishlegs…why did I ask you for information on the Dragon Eye instead of about the invasion? Or where Hiccup and the others are?"

Fishlegs only stared back at her.

"Because we know we're going to lose. Any half-wit can see that."

"Why do you want to know about the Dragon Eye if you're going to lose?" He quickly fired back.

"For intellectual reasons. I want to learn about dragons while I still draw breath." She explained, setting the paper down and continuing to go through his belongings. "Surely you can understand that."

Again, Fishlegs remained silent.

"Ooh, what's this?" She asked aloud, holding a book up. On the cover was the Stoker Class symbol on it. "The Dragon Manual? This looks important…"

Fishlegs let out a whimper, seeing her open it up to read it.

"Hmm…seems you've been editing it. This is your handwriting, yes?" She asked, flipping it over to show him and Zekir. "Interesting that Deadly Nadders have that specific weakness of rubbing under their chin; I'll have to remember that."

"Oh, th-that?" Fishlegs stuttered. "That's all…nonsense. A Viking named Bork wrote it, and it's all wrong and outdated information."

"Yet you still had it in your possession, so it still has some value." She commented, calling him out on his bluff. "I remember when I was searching for this originally. It was a while ago, remember? When you Riders captured me and held me prisoner for a week or so."

Fishlegs swallowed as he recalled the memory.

"Hmm, doesn't matter now I guess. I think I'll take this. But I still need to know if you have any more notes from the Dragon Eye." She continued to say, closing the book and tucking it under her arm. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what you and Hiccup have learned from it?"

Fishlegs swallowed again. Reluctantly, he shook his head.

"I see…" She whispered, turning to look at Zekir.

"How are you still alive?! You should be dead!" Fishlegs shouted, trying to make her think of something else. "Matt said he hit you with a lightning bolt directly!"

Darien slowly turned back to Fishlegs with a wicked smile. "He's right. He sure did hit me with a lightning bolt. I probably would have died, had I not had friends that spent a hefty amount of gold to help me recover. So yes, I should be dead, but…I am not."

Fishlegs swallowed, regretting the subject he brought up.

"Last chance. Tell me what you learned from the Dragon Eye."

Fidgeting, Fishlegs looked down and shook his head.

Darien sighed in disappointment. "Very well. I tried to be nice, but this is why I've been so mean to you Riders. Zekir, you ready?"

Zekir nodded, all while glaring at Fishlegs with black, lifeless eyes.

Fishlegs visibly swallowed as he stammered out. "D-do yo-your w-w-worst…"

"Oh, Fishy…" Darien laughed. "Being brave never really helped anyone. It was the reason why Matt almost killed me. But, regardless…we're not going to lay a single finger on you."

"Bring her in." Zekir called out loudly.

Fishlegs' face gaped as the door opened again, revealing Astrid being dragged in by two guards. "Astrid!" He cried out.

"Grrumph!" She grunted, fighting them as they pulled her by her arms. They were tied behind her, and she had a cleave gag tied around her head to keep her from shouting; as her guards found out soon after her paralysis wore off.

"Over there." Zekir pointed, sounding annoyed and tired at the effort they were putting in to get information.

The two guards wrestled Astrid to some hanging chains, which they untied her arms and fought to get them clasped in the cuffs.

"Gph mphf!" She shouted, unable to fight the guards' strength.

Finally locking the cuffs on her, one of the guards began to pull the chains' slack to raise her arms above her head. The other guard locked cuffs on her ankles, bolted to the ground to keep her from kicking and anchoring her down to the floor.

Astrid simply shook the chains, fruitlessly testing the bonds. Knowing it was pointless to try and shout anymore, she could only glare at Zekir and Darien.

"There, that's better." Zekir replied quietly, casually walking up to Astrid. "Now, to fill you in…uh…it's Astrid, correct?"

Astrid simply glared at him with her icy blue eyes, wishing she could spit in his face.

"Mister Fishlegs here, was refusing to tell Darien about something called the Dragon Eye. I personally want to know where Hiccup and the others are. And if Matt is in your company. But he's been very tight lipped. If this were a theatrical performance, you'd be proud of him I'm sure." Reaching forward, he pulled off her headband, letting her hair fall a little farther over her eyes. "Don't think you need this anymore. Now that we have that settled, Fishlegs…answer Darien's questions, and tell me what I want to know."

"I'm all ears, Fishlegs." Darien added, walking up to Fishlegs with an evil smirk.

Fishlegs simply stared at Astrid with fear in his eyes. Seeing him stare at her, she shook her head.

"So be it." Zekir snapped, grabbing a curved knife from a nearby stand. Swinging it up at Astrid, he slashed the leather strap holding her left shoulder guard.

"Mmph!" She grunted in pain. Looking down, she saw that he had purposely cut into her.

Fishlegs ran to the bars of his cell, staring at her in horror. "No! Leave her alone!"

Zekir slowly turned and glared at Fishlegs. "No. I won't." At that, he swung at her right shoulder armor, slicing the strap and digging the blade into her shoulder like the last one.

"MMmmmffff!" She tried to shout, feeling a certain warmth begin to run down her shirt. She knew what it was, and didn't bother to look.

"No please!"

"You had your chance, now it's my turn to show you what happens." Zekir growled. Walking around Astrid, he spun the knife in his hand, whispering to her. "If only you were Matt…I'd have a bit more to say to him before I started to remove his fingers."

"For what it's worth, Astrid has a special place in Matt's heart. You hurt her, you hurt him! And all the Riders for that matter." Darien spoke up, taking a seat on a table. Smiling at Astrid's glare, she then shrugged in an uncaring way. "This is fun! I finally get to watch someone torture you! It was always me who was interrogating."

"You know…" Zekir continued to say. Getting close to Astrid's ear, he whispered. "I know how to keep people alive, when they can only wish to die. Unfortunate that your friend had to play hero…"

Astrid simply glared at Zekir, wishing she could do anything to bloody him.

"I have no intentions to keep you alive though." He whispered coldly. At that, he drove the butt end of the knife across her face, splitting her cheek open.

"Astrid!" Fishlegs cried out, gripping the bars out of desperation.

"…mmmhhmm…" She groaned, trying to stand up on her own.

"Have you ever wondered what happened to those that try to play hero?" Zekir asked aloud to know one specifically. Walking behind Astrid, he made eye contact with Fishlegs. In a flash, he sliced the knife down her braided hair, jerking her head back and slicing the tie she had at the end; which unraveled the braid and let several strands of hair fall to the floor.

"Urmph!"

"Please stop!"

"I'll tell you how they end up." He continued to lecture, stopping in front of Astrid and glaring at her icy stare. "They end up like Ukiah with his missing arm, and his dead, pet dragon." He then swung the knife across her stomach, shallowly cutting her across. He didn't stop. He then slashed the knife down her leg clear to her boot.

"Hmmph!" She gasped out as she went limp. Hanging by her hands, she clenched her eyes shut to bear with the pain.

Zekir didn't stop. He punched her in the stomach, followed quickly by driving the butt end of the knife into her side.

"Grmph!" She gasped, opening her eyes wide to the hits. They were dilating wildly as her body registered the shock of the blows. She made no efforts to stand on her own, as she continued to hang there with her arms above her head.

Looking at his victim remain limp, Zekir scoffed. "I heard you were the toughest of all the Riders. A fighter at heart. I'm not impressed. Ukiah gave me more of a fight with a useless arm! At least, before I took it."

Astrid didn't try to look at him. She could only focus on breathing and staying awake.

"Did you know I can cut right here, and you'll never stop bleeding?" Zekir asked, resting the blade on the inside of Astrid's upper arm. "It's nothing like slitting your throat open though, or cutting your wrist. It's a much longer, painful process; and usually takes a day until your body finally gives up."

"I'll tell you! I'll talk!" Fishlegs shouted, seeing Zekir rest the blade against Astrid. "You touch her any more, and I won't say anything!"

"Nnnhhh…" Astrid tried to protest, looking at Fishlegs

Zekir didn't say anything. Resting the blade where he said he'd cut, he had an internal debate whether or not it was worth keeping her alive.

"Zekir…let's hear what he has to say first." Darien suggested, seeing him not withdraw the knife.

Almost reluctantly, as if he was having a fight inside of him, he slowly drew the knife away from her, leaving a small red line where the blade was resting.

"Matt is here! He was with us!" He quickly cried out. Grateful that he didn't cut Astrid anymore, he continued to shout. "He didn't come with us when we were here scouting your village! I'm guess that he and the others went back to Bruvos' fleet to report to him!"

"Unlikely." Darien interrupted. "I know you Riders. You wouldn't leave your friends behind without staging some kind of rescue."

"What better rescue than an invasion!" Fishlegs argued. "I'm telling you what I think Hiccup would do! Just stop hurting her!"

Zekir turned to Astrid, who was mumbling into her gag as if to stop Fishlegs. Frowning, he swung the butt end of the knife into the side of her head, knocking her unconscious. She simply hung there with her hair unraveled from the braid and covering the right side of her head.

"I said stop! I'm telling you everything I know!" Fishlegs cried out hysterically.

"She's still alive." He replied with an uncaring tone. "I just made sure she wouldn't affect what you're going to tell us. Now, you were saying?"

Fishlegs stared at Astrid's limp body with a fearful expression. "Just…let her live! Please!"

"Depends on the kind of answers you give us."

Swallowing, Fishlegs whispered while looking at Darien. "The Dragon Eye notes we have aren't here. We don't have many of them."

"Did you update your…Dragon Manual?" She asked, staring at him with hard eyes.

"A few dragons. Yes." He admitted, looking down in shame.

"Good enough for me." She huffed with an evil smirk.

"Where are the rest of the Riders?" Zekir followed up with.

"We were camped about twenty or so miles in a forest! That's where we hid our dragons!"

"Fallis woods…" Zekir commented.

"We were supposed to meet back there and then fly to Bruvos! That was the only reason why we came here!"

"And when is Bruvos supposed to get here?" Zekir asked.

"I don't know! If I had to guess, tomorrow or the day after!"

"And what of the other Riders? The twins and…Snotty? Were they with Matt?" Darien quickly followed up with.

Fishlegs swallowed, unsure of how to reply.

Zekir slowly raised the knife up to Astrid's limp head, resting the blade against her throat.

"His name is Snotlout! And they weren't with us! They went to defend Bruvos' kingdom!" He shouted, seeing the threat. "We thought you'd try to attack them!"

Zekir frowned at the explanation. "Hmph. I guess that's an answer I can accept."

"But still, I doubt they would have abandoned their friends so easily. With or without an invasion." Darien growled, walking up to Fishlegs with a scowl. Folding her arms, she simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Give me a good reason why would they abandon you?"

Fishlegs swallowed again. "B-because Hiccup looks at the bigger p-pic-picture! You know that, Darien! Especially with Matt working with him! They're going to do the thing that will help everyone!"

Darien turned to Zekir with a frown. "I don't know. It sounds like something they would do, but it's also something that they wouldn't do."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see." Zekir replied, lowering the knife. Using Astrid's leather skirt, he cleaned the blade and set it back where he pulled it from. "If we see any Dragon Rider come by, we'll kill you two. If we see an army at our gates, we'll use you two."

"Zekir! What abou-"

"Talk with me, Darien." He replied, grabbing her arm and walking her out. "Thank you, Fishlegs, for your help and information. I'll leave Astrid here to…keep you company. And to remind you of the fate all you Riders' will face."

Fishlegs simply watched them walk out of the room and slam the door shut. With a quivering lip, he turned to Astrid who continued to hang there unconscious. "Astrid…" He whispered, knowing it wouldn't do anything help. He could see parts of her now mangled hair was stained with blood, coming from her shoulders and cheek that added to the harrowing sight of what they did do to her. Shaking his head in self-disappointment, all he could do was wait and hope she was alright; and that Hiccup and the other could save them.

"What was that?! About us waiting to see if they would be rescued?!" Darien shouted, stopping in the middle of the tunnel. "We were going to leave! We need to leave! Especially now with what you did to Astrid! They'll be on a blood hunt for us!"

"Yes, we are leaving, and that was the reason why I didn't kill her or her friend! But we have an opportunity to hurt the Riders if they try to save their friends." He replied. "If they try to come before Bruvos' invasion, then not only do they not have back up, they'll be fighting an army by themselves. An opportunity that we can't afford to miss. You know I'm speaking the truth."

"And what if we're sitting here waiting for them to come, and they end up arriving with Bruvos' army?!" She barked back. "We'll be too late to do anything! The Riders will chase after us if we try to leave then!"

"I'm not saying we wait until Bruvos arrives. I'm saying we wait until late morning tomorrow, and then we leave. If they try to save their friends, we get them and kill them. If not, then no harm done."

"Zekir, listen to me…we've been delayed long enough already. The Riders can still chase a ship! And now that we know that Matt is here, he can use his damn Skrill to sink our ship at a distance where we can't shoot him down! And Banshee can't outfly the Skrill with two people on him! Let alone Hiccup and his Night Fury, who is arguably faster than Matt's Skrill when it's not in a storm!"

"Darien, please trust me. I'm not jeopardizing our chance to escape for the sake of revenge on Matt-"

"But you are!"

Pressing his finger on her mouth to quite her, he continued to explain his reason. "Even you said that you don't know if they'll come to rescue their friends before the actual invasion. It's an opportunity we need to take! Whether we kill them or not, I'm still going with you! I'm still following the plan!"

Frowning, Darien folded her arms and looked away from him.

"Please listen to me." He whispered, pulling her to him and kissing her on the head. "Trust me on this, like I trusted you with your idea."

Darien stared at him with hardened eyes, trying to find an argument against his plea. Letting out a long sigh, she finally looked down and shook her head. "You know what? You're just like Viggo."

Zekir was slightly taken back by the comparison, looking at her with an expression silently asking her to explain herself.

"You're both obsessed with stopping someone that you think wronged you. Viggo with Hiccup. You with Matt. Tell me, what did he do to you?"

"He almost killed you! If I'm obsessed with something, it's making sure I stay stronger than my enemies! And your enemies fall into that same category!" He growled. "I'm nothing like Viggo!"

"Viggo hated Hiccup. With really no reason other than he rivaled him in strategy." She continued to explain, ignoring his claim. Turning, she slowly resumed to walk down the tunnel, with him following closely by. "I'm not experienced with fighting, not even riding dragons. Not yet at least. But I can understand people. A lot more than I let on."

Still confused with why she was telling him this, he simply watched her with a raised eyebrow as he walked.

"It drove him. It changed him even. And now he's dead." She whispered, looking solemn as she talked. "You're obsessed with Matt, even more than I am. No one wants him or his friends dead more than me. It was my entire purpose of why I chose to live here. I left my home to ensure that I would make my family great again."

"And you're doing that! Look at what you've done! Look at what you're doing!"

"Because I'm not obsessed with killing Matt anymore." She growled. Stopping in front of him, she squared up and looked at him in the eye. "I'm a slow learner, I'll admit that. But I do learn. After Matt fried me a few months ago, I knew I had to change my priorities. Viggo didn't do the same. He kept seeking and pursuing Hiccup. And now he's not here. Or his brother. Or the men than followed them."

Zekir just stared at her, unsure of how to respond.

With a pleading in her eyes, she gently reached up and stroked his cheek, ruffling his short beard. "Don't make the same mistake. Don't chase the Riders like Viggo did. We will kill them, destroy their dragons, and burn their homes; but we can't do it right now. That's why we need to leave. That's why I need you to be with me. I can't do this alone."

Zekir stared back at her with wonder. "But what of Matt? With what he did to you, I need-"

"You need to be by my side. Nothing else. He's the one that hurt me, not you." She cut off, not taking her hand off his cheek. "He did what he did to me, because of what I did to him and his friends. I deserved being burnt. He was in the right. I need to be stronger if I want to face him again, and you're the only one that can teach me that. If you want to get revenge on Matt for what he did to me, then help me learn how to fight so I can beat him."

His face instantly softened. Reaching up, he grabbed her hand and held it there. "Darien…it's kills me to think how I, The Black Heart, was taken by someone. I didn't care about family, friends, or even about my subjects. I was a stone like my father. How you won me over is a mystery I'll never understand, but never question that it did happen."

Darien let a soft smile grow on her face in the torches' light.

"I'll help you. You know I will. But only if you pledge one thing to me."

Shocked at the request, she could only stare at him in wonder.

"Help me be like you. Someone unwavering in goals, but can adapt as life changes. Can you help me with that?"

Smiling, she reached and grabbed him in a hug. "Of course; but that means you have to be with me."

"Which means we leave now…" He whispered, holding her tight.

"Then let us go. We'll go inform Ugo and Gabor of what we learned from Fishlegs, and then we'll leave. Perhaps Ugo can do us a favor when we leave." She replied with a large smile.

"Agreed. And while we're at it, why don't you fill me in on what you plan on doing when we finally set our course to where we're going."

"It involves using this…" She answered, holding the book up in the light. "And reviewing a great deal of Viggo's old notes and maps."

At that, the two continued to walk down the tunnel, with Darien explaining what she was planning in the future, and exactly what they needed to do with the Dragon Book.

Chapter 10 is done and posted! Hope it was entertaining to read at the very least. I'm going to try and finish a chapter a week, which I think is possible now that things sort of simmered down at school. Hope it stays that way for a while. At least to the point it's manageable. Hope all of you are doing good and had a good weekend!