X
X
Dagur walked through the mist, calling for Hiccup. There was no damn way she could die. The damn girl would ever die before telling him off like the nagging wife he always feared shed be. But he'd take her nagging, her I-told-you-so's, her most burning sass, he would take any of it right now. He thought he had seen her dainty form engulfed by the fire. But he saw Toothless chase after her. There was a chance she was safe, she had to be safe, because if she wasn't, if she wasn't….
It would be his fault wouldn't it.
He had sworn on his wedding day to love and protect her. Usually such words would be meaningless to him. Vows like that meant nothing, but it did with Hiccup. Everything in his life had meaning with her. She gave him meaning. She was his wife, she was his partner, and without warning, the skinny little hiccup of Berk had suddenly become his most important thing. Without her, his life was madness, and he had been alright with that before, but he couldn't go back to it. No, there was no longer a life without Hiccup. There was no life without her sleepy smile in the morning, her nimble little fingers in his hair, her dainty little frame that needed protecting, the surprising power hidden beneath said dainty frame, her love. He had always though Love was an illusion for the weak minded who had nothing else to live for, or consumed by their own lusts. But love had changed him for the better, tempered and calmed him. His rage was there but controlled with her gentle touch and biting remarks. Desperation reached new levels and his calls turned to pleas.
"Hiccup!"
"Hiccup?"
"Hiccup!"
"Damn it where are you!"
"Hiccup!"
He called until his throat was raw and sore. His body felt weak, so very weak. His body wasn't, but his soul was. If Hiccup was dead, if she was really dead, Odin that wasn't a reality he was sure he could face. He was a chief, a chief was meant to be more than a man. He was a madman but he knew his responsibilities, his people were his to protect and lead to glory. But how could he do it without her. If he had listened, they wouldn't be here now. Hiccup was rarely wrong, infuriating but beneficial to the two of them as leaders. If she died, if she died, he would never move on. He didn't want a wife that wasn't her. He didn't want children that weren't carried by her. He didn't want a life that wasn't shared with her. If his self from a year ago saw this now, he would have slapped himself across the face for his sappiness, but with Hiccup it was genuine. But then in the mist, he made out a large dark shape. He found himself running, and running and running until he found Toothless lying prone on the ground. The tail was burned away and the saddle was empty. He collapsed to his knees. He was practically crawling until he was close enough to touch.
"Hiccup?" The weakness in his voice should have made him sick.
"No…." When Toothless heard him, he stirred shaking his head a bit to wake up. He and Dagur made eye contact and held it. Toothless took in his expression. Then slowly, slowly unfurled his wings, revealing Hiccup cradled in his legs against his belly. Dagur immediately starting reaching to her, he scrambled over himself going to grab her. He had to hold her; he had to know….. if she was dead.
"Hiccup!" Toothless relinquished his rider to her mate. Dagur scooped her up, looking at her prone form. She seemed mostly unharmed. He ran a fast hand over her face reverently. He felt for a pulse and didn't feel anything. He ripped off his helmet and tossed it aside, breaking one of the horns, putting his ear to her breast. Her heartbeat was faint, and suddenly it stopped, he panicked. Dagur laid her flat on her back, and he pumped her heart for her. He could hear his comrades come up behind him.
"Come on, love, come on. You can't die on me now damn it!" He kept pumping, praying to any god he could think of, which wasn't many, to resurrect her. Be it the god of chaos, thunder, smithing, love, the all-father, the all-mother, every desperate prayer was to them, begging the gods to spare her, his wife. But it wasn't showing signs of working, she wasn't breathing on her own, and she needed to, fast.
"Come on, come on Silver-tongue, I love you; I love you, now come back!" With a final, brutal strike, her heart jumpstarted, her eyes opened and she started coughing. Dagur had tears in his eyes as he watched his wife cough up black goo that she had inhaled. Dagur lifted her up against him again.
"Thank the gods." He cradled her head onto his shoulder.
"D-Dagur?" She whispered, her voice was raspy.
"I'm here, I'm here." He told her, petting her badly singed hair. He winced, it would have to be cut off. Too bad, she had beautiful hair.
"M-m-my leg, it hurts, it hurts so much." Dagur finally noticed. Her left boot was bloody and misshapen. He looked back at her.
"'M I dead?" She stuttered. He shook his head, too stunned to answer. Her hands started gripping at him, looking for an anchor.
"It hurts, it hurts a lot Dagur."
"It'll be okay, I've got you, I've got you Silver-tongue."
"Dun' go, 'kay?"
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I lov' you, Dagur. So dun' go…" Her eyes closed, at first he thought she had died, but her breathing was strong. Then he even realized what she'd said. He started to laugh, tears running down his face. Dagur just sat there in half hysterics. They confessed their love when one of them was half-dying, figures. So he just cradled his comatose wife to his chest and half-laughed, half-cried.
X
"The leg's going to have to come off."
"Nothing you can do?"
"She's lucky she's not losing her knee too. She's going to lose her leg to about halfway up her shin."
"I see."
"We have to perform it as soon as possible. We're going to have to perform it on the ship."
"Is that safe?"
"If we don't act, she'll die sir." It didn't answer his question, but it was an answer that needed to be said.
"I understand."
"I'm going to have few men come in to help. It'll be better if you wait outside."
"No way in Hel."
"Sir, this isn't something you're going to want to see. She will be in a lot of pain."
"I'm going to be there."
"I assure you, she's not going to remember anything from after her impact. She doesn't' need you there."
"Bullshit. I don't care if you think she'll remember. I'm going to be there, she'll need me there. Understand?"
"I understand, if you're going to be there, you'll have to help hold her down. You have to know that no matter how much she cries or begs, you listen to me until the procedure is over, do you understand."
"I do."
X
The operation was worse than he had imagined. He had thought he could handle it without a hitch. It was far worse. She had remained unconscious during the prep-work. They didn't want to fasten her down or fear of causing more stress; it would be better if someone familiar was doing it and prevent her from hurting herself. Her jaw was pliable as they put a leather bite gag to protect her tongue and teeth. Dagur didn't think he'd have to use much strength to hold her steady. And while he didn't notice the initial cut through her swollen shin, when they brought in the saw, everything went to Hel.
The saw going through her muscle and bone woke her up, or seemed to. She screamed, Dagur had never heard her scream like that, ever. She arched her body, was trying to fight Dagur, and trying to get away from the pain. Her leg was the only part that was tied down. She didn't stop screaming for a moment, and it turned out to be a lot harder for him to handle than he thought. Once they finished cutting she dropped down, crying through the gag, her eyes wide but unseeing. She started screaming again when they tried to seal the stump with the leftover skin. Once everything was done, she passed out again. Dagur had to admit that perhaps the healer had been right about barring him from the operation.
X
Hiccup felt so heavy, her whole body ached and her face stung in small spots. Her eyelids felt like lead, but something was telling her it was time to wake up. Slowly, she struggled to consciousness. Hiccup managed to open her eyes. Dagur was asleep at her bedside, arms crossed, leaning back in his favorite fur covered chair. She initially wondered what he was doing there, but then the battle came back to her, the impact. Was she still alive?
"Dagur?" She wheezed, he immediately jerked awake.
"Hiccup?!"
"Yeah? Was' goin' on?"
"Oh, Odin, you're awake!" He grabbed her face and gave her a big kiss on the mouth. One he was done he tapped his forehead to hers, taking several deep breaths with her hands still on his face.
"Thanks the gods."
"Not that I'm complaining, but, um, what happened."
"I thought you weren't going to wake up. Odin, I'm glad you did." He muttered, nuzzling her neck slowly.
"Um, that's nice, but um, how long was I asleep."
"Week and a half." He mumbled into her jaw.
"That long? No wonder you were worried, wait, Toothless! Where's Toothless?!"
"He's over there, giving us space." Hiccup looked over and saw Toothless sitting up in the corner, clearly happy to see her too, but like Dagur said, gave them space. Dagur nodded and Toothless bounded over and up on the bed, nuzzling her face.
"Toothless, hey buddy, it's okay. I'm okay." Dagur sat back and waited for his turn again. When Toothless accidently stepped on her belly, he whacked the dragon, not enough to hurt him, but to tell him to stop. He jumped off the bed.
"It's okay, he just surprised me." Then she noticed something.
"Dagur, why can't I feel my leg?" He bit her lip and didn't answer. Hiccup didn't wait and ripped the blanket off. Where the lower half of her left leg supposed to be there was nothing, what was left was bandaged past the knee. She started breathing heavily.
"Where's my leg, Dagur where's my leg!"
"It was badly damaged; we had to remove it to save you."
"Where is it?"
"You gotta clam down."
"Calm down, half my leg is gone, how am I supposed to calm down!"
Hiccup kept breathing heavily, she looked about ready to pass out then she looked at Toothless who was swaying his own damaged tail. Suddenly she calmed down, taking a few deep breaths.
"You okay."
"I think I will be." Dagur smirked and kissed her again, this time much longer.
"Dagur! Remember what the healer said, no happy time until she's healed up. And you have some nerve not to tell my mistress woke up, honesty, were you raised in a pasture."
"Someone's feeling their oats."
"I'm in charge of looking after both of you and by the gods you two don't make it easy. Between you deciding to be uncurious for over a week and you lover there refusing to leave your side, I couldn't' decide if it was more sweet or annoying."
"My head feels lighter too, did I lose an ear or something.
"No, no, your hair was pretty badly singed; we had to cut most of it off." Hiccup felt her hair and found it indeed far shorter, it fell just past her shoulder rather than down to her waist as it did before. It was a small loss in comparison to her leg, but she knew exactly how much Dagur like her hair, but reminded herself that it would grow back.
"Oh, okay."
"Oh get over it it'll grow back."
"Is that any way to speak to your mistress?"
"Oh, thank the gods you're alright Hiccup, what would the village do without your copious snarking."
"Dunno, they would have to deal with yours instead."
"It's a miracle, she's feeling better already."
"Did the healer leave crutches for me or anything?"
"Like hell you're walking around. You are staying in bed until your wounds finish closing."
"good luck enforcing this."
X
True to Dagur's word. Vessa could barely get her to stay in bed for three days. By the fourth day she was on crutches trying to go into the forge. Vessa had to relent and held her out. Vessa ended up assisting Hiccup build a prosthetic leg for herself. Dagur unfortunately had to go back to his duties while Hiccup was simply working. She spent weeks designing, building, scrapping and starting again on her leg. She wished Gobber could help her, and thought of how her family had not even come to visit her.
Admittedly she was more than a little bitter over her father not coming to see her even now, though frankly, by the time he even received the news she could have recovered. And well, she wasn't even sue Dagur had told him. She had hoped anyone would have told her father but frankly, that would involve telling them about dragons and everything so overall it was bad idea. They would be visiting for the annual meeting in a few weeks and then she could explain everything in person. Besides, she wasn't too eager to see he father anyway. He had never been good at comforting her and Dagur had taken the position with relish.
It took nearly half a month after prosthetic was finished and the stitches had healed enough that she started practicing with it and making adjustments as she went along
X
One morning, Hiccup was lying down in bed, like she was actually supposed to be doing. Dagur was already getting ready for the day. There was something soothing about watching Dagur prepare for the harshness of the world. In this room, in this home, their world was loving. Dagur didn't need his armor, his hidden blades. The wooden walls were like a wall of stone, protecting them both from the harsher expectations of their duties as leaders. In this home, Dagur belonged to only her, here he was a man, out there he was a warrior and a leader. She was a leader too, an example to follow and symbol of hope to their people. But here, none of that was true. It was just them.
"Hey Silver-tongue, braid my hair will you?" Hiccup sat up, surprised by the request. Hair was very sacred in their culture, to be kept clean and tidy. To style the hair of the opposite gender was an intimate gesture, especially considering married women never wore their hair loose. Despite being married for months and Dagur's fascination with untying her hair, neither of them had performed that sacred bond. Only in her fantasies memories did Hiccup remember a woman braiding her father's hair and beard. Hiccup smiled, sitting up straight, only in a thin sleeping shift.
"Of course." Dagur sat on the edge of the bed, handing Hiccup a comb. Hiccup hummed a bit herself, as she combed out the tangles in Dagur's flaming hair. Oh did she envy his hair, so brilliant and bright like he was. She relished in the familiar braiding motion of her fingers, arranging the strands in a tightly woven braid. After she finished tying the leather length over the end she kissed him behind his ear. He grabbed her and swung her around until she was lying on his lap. She giggled as h nipped her ear.
"My turn." Those words never failed to make Hiccup blush those words had been the turning point in their relationship. She tipped her head back and was surprised when she felt the comb going through her own hair. Having expected sex, she blinked rather owlishly at him as his blunt fingers started weaving her crown braids. It felt nice and she could really understand why it was considered so intimate. Vessa had been helping her with her hair since becoming her handmaid, but this felt very different. Dagur was efficient in his work and finished quickly. Hiccup suddenly wished that her hair was still long, so he could spend more time on it. The braids were a bit clumsy but she loved them more than any of Vessa's work, and would wear them with pride. She was drawn from her thoughts by his touch on her cheek. He tipped her head back, kissing her gently. He was in odd mood this morning, surprisingly romantic.
"I love you." Hiccup tensed for a moment and looked at him. Dagur was unstable, deranged, sadistic violent and cruel at times. But he was still a person; he loved his father and sister, unconventionally but none the less. He cared about his tribe and seeing them properly looked after. He had feelings, and a love for his wife. Hiccup felt the warmth fill her chest. She felt as though she already knew this, as if it was something that was a long held truth between them. So she smiled, cocking her head.
"I love you too." The tenderness disappeared a bemused expression took its place as he nuzzled her ear.
"Good, last time we did this, you delirious with an injury."
"What?" She asked, that confused puppy look coming back to her face.
"They told me you wouldn't remember, turns out they were right. When I found you after the battle your heart stopped. I told you to live, and that I loved you, I started your heart again, somehow. And when you woke up, you begged me not to leave because you loved me." There was vulnerable side of him again, the side that he was showing. His fingers rubbed her freckled cheek and her smile widened. It was like that one Snoggletogg when her mom and dad had been there and made her favorite meal, except it that feeling times a hundred.
"I guess my injury ridden self knew something my regular self didn't." She told him with a causal shrug and an impish grin. Dagur laughed, nudging her with his strong nose.
"I guess so." Then he opens the draw next to their bed, pulling out a small parcel.
"I was waiting for the right occasion to give this to you." He handed it to her. Hiccup carefully unwrapped it, wary of gifts from Dagur. But inside the parcel was what looked like a talon on a black cord.
"It's a Skrill talon, from the first Skrill my people harnessed. It's passed down through chief's wives. It's sign of our protection over our wives, especially if they're from another tribe. It belonged to my mother, and now it's yours." He pulled out the necklace and strung it around her neck. She never felt so touched. She kissed him shyly, fighting tears from her eyes. Dagur kissed back, but this time, more aggressively.
"Don't you have to be somewhere, and I have to help the Alvasons with their terror."
"I don't think you're going anywhere for a while." He replied.
X
Dagur's sister Brenna and the Hysteria tribe came to visit only a few days after she managed to get a hold of walking with her prosthetic. Hiccup had met Brenna once when she was little, Brenna was about six years older than Dagur which made her about twenty three, nearly ten years her senior, she'd been married for about four years now. Brenna was much like her brother, a great warrior and a healthy person. She was far more thoughtful than her brother which made her someone to be feared. Where her brother was impulsive, she was calculating. She had her husband wrapped around her finger, she was respected by the Hysteria tribe, much like Hiccup had come to be by the Berserkers.
Once Dagur and Brenna's husband, Norbert the Nutjob, left to discuss their latest terms of alliance, Hiccup found herself alone with her sister in law. Brenna was all curves and a voluptuous woman over all. She had the same green eyes and red hair f her brother, but her jaw was softer and her eyes sharper. Hiccup couldn't help but feel dissected, particularly when her eyes spotted the talon hanging from Hiccup's neck. Brenna walked around her like a circling Scauldron, watching her with her sharp eyes set above her equally sharp nose. She was dressed head to toe in a mix of armor, furs and fine clothing, making for a shield-maiden image, her long red hair pinned upon the back of her head. Hiccup stood beside her, the image of a trophy wife, a wife whose value lay in her blood. Her clothes were made up of the finest wool money could buy, a traditional green strapped dress over a white tunic and brown leggings, her short hair only sporting braids that ran along the side of her head, the rest draping over her shoulders. A heavy bear skin cloak pinned at her shoulders and nearly dragged along the ground.
"So, you're Hiccup, the runt that has my baby brother chasing his tail." Brenna stated, still circling her.
"You've heard of me?"
"Dagur only talked about you in his letters. I remember you as a kid; you were hardly anything worth bragging about. But something about you, I can tell we're going to be friends." Then there was the grin, of course there was the grin. The grin that apparently was hereditary and scared the living hell out of Hiccup, because she didn't know what Brenna would do. Brenna looked her over once then smiled about something, something she couldn't see.
"By the way, you might want to adjust the fit on your gown; it's getting a little tight upstairs." With that she turned and followed the procession.
"Uh, okay, I'll take that under consideration." Now that Brenna mentioned it, her clothes were starting to get tight across the chest. She looked over at Vessa who was staring at her bust.
"Um, do you mind?"
"No." Hiccup sighed and walked away.
X
Hiccup sat next to Dagur at the head of the table. Dagur and his brother-in-law got along like a house on fire, though the older chief was far more cunning nature than Dagur's method of brute force. But they complemented each other. Though Hysteria and the Berserkers were always dancing on a line between friendship and war, usually keeping the mead flowing and the marriage between their chief and Brenna kept things from getting violent. Dagur would complain endlessly about his father, but Oswald knew the value of political match, so proved by the marriages of his two children. Hiccup played the role of Dagur's wife well, only because tradition only demanded that she interact with Brenna who had taken a shine to her as her little brother had.
Brenna was twenty three to Hiccup's thirteen-almost-fourteen; she had been playing this game much longer than Hiccup had. And among such brutal tribes, the power dynamic was much more different than what Hiccup was raised into. She received many warnings about watching where her husband's eyes lingered, making sure they respected her for herself and not because of Dagur's authority. Most of all, Brenna warned her that once people were more used to Dagur's way of doing things to keep ear open for rebels, because there always were. She claimed that was what got her father killed, but Hiccup knew that wasn't the truth. However, she didn't correct her good-sister. Hiccup idly wondered if her father's death even bothered her, or if she was simply shutting it away like her brother.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Norbert pulled Brenna up to dance. Most of the room's occupants were drunk off their asses; Hiccup and Brenna were among the exceptions. Hiccup had been told very sternly "you may imbibe but never enough so that you lose yourself." She had said this with a wink and smile. Dagur surprisingly came to dance with her as well. Dancing was nice, though he was far too drunk really be called dancing. But she enjoyed it none the less.
X
Hiccup's fourteenth birthday came about two weeks after the departure of the Hysteria tribe. It was then that Vessa started acting really weird around her. The whole tribe was readying to celebrate her birthday, and everyone was in a great mood. Hiccup was doing some work around the forge, just because it was her birthday didn't mean she wasn't going to work. When she had finished some basic tidying, Vessa saw her working and immediately pulled her away, chattering in Latin. Hiccup only knew a few words of the language, many of which were taught to her by Vessa. She kept chattering about her being a stupid girl. Vessa's odd behavior continued all day. Whenever she saw Hiccup working she would quickly pull her away and tell her to sit down. She even panicked when she saw Hiccup was riding Toothless, all but yanking her off, shouting vulgarities in Latin. Finally once they were in the house Hiccup confronted her.
"Hey, what's your problem! You've been weird all day!" Vessa cocked her head at her mistress, and then promptly cupped one of her breasts. Hiccup immediately slapped her away, crossing her arms over the offended bits.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, the hel are you doing?" Hiccup had tuned redder than ever, staring Vessa down with a glare her father would have been proud of.
"Haven't you noticed any changes recently, you know with your body?" Hiccup stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. Vessa took a deep breath, with an annoyed expression crossing her features.
"Alright, Hic, when's the last time you bled." Hiccup stared at her for a long while, the color drained from her face. Vessa stared, expecting more of a response.
"Hiccup?" Hiccup was staring into space.
"Hiccup, hun? You there." Then she saw the body began to sway. Then it began to collapse.
"Oh boy!" Vessa shouted, making a grab for her. She managed to catch her head so she didn't smack it into the ground.
"You alright there?" She eventually asked Hiccup seemed to come to her senses again. Hiccup stared forward, thinking everything over.
"You really think that's what it is?" She said quietly, her voice barely hiding a slight tremble. Vessa shrugged. Hiccup's expression relaxed and she sat up. She was still looking forward, one hand rubbing into the flesh of her belly. Then a wry little smirk made is way on her face.
"Well that actually explains a few things." She whispered wearily.
"Really, what sort of things?"
"Things." Hiccup insisted.
"What sort-" Vessa stated before Hiccup held her hand in front of Vessa's face.
"So not discussing this with you."
X
"Dagur?"
"What's up Silver-tongue?"
"I have something to tell you." She sat on the bed, tucking her legs on top of the sheets. She had a silly smile on her face that made a total idiot of her. She alternated between biting her lip and flitting her gaze around.
"Oh yeah?" He asked distractedly.
"Mm-hmm." She confirmed, with her grin getting wider. He blinked at her, trying to make sense of her unexpected good mood.
"Well?"
"I think my place in the tribe has been sealed." She told him proudly.
"Silver-tongue, the people had loved you for months. I thought you knew that." He replied rolling his eyes. Hiccup blinked.
"No, I mean, our marriage is ironclad now." He attempted again.
"As if anyone could take you." Hiccup was losing patience and fast.
"Dagur, are you being serious right now?" Was subtlety really this lost on him?
"What?" Apparently it was.
"Oh Frigg."
"What?"
"Come here." He did as he was told.
"Do I look different?" He asked holding her arms out. She knew she looked different because apparently Brenna knew weeks before she did.
"Different?" He asked, cocking his head. Good Odin he looked like a stupid puppy.
"You know, bigger in some key places." He looked her over once. Hiccup crossed her as under her bosom.
"No."
"Really, nowhere?" Hiccup attempted but this was coming out all wrong. Was she really so flat?"
"What, are you asking me if you're fat? Cause you have put on some weight, but nothing I don't like. You could afford a little softness ya fishbone."
"I'm not fat, stupid, I'm pregnant!" Well, that hadn't gone as planned. They just stared at each other for a good five minutes; Toothless was starting to get concerned. Then she saw Dagur start to wobble and could only watch as the idiot fell backwards, his helmet clanging loudly in the ground. Hiccup sighed loudly, looking to Toothless.
"Well that could have gone better."
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Princess: Ugh this got long fast. And the baby everyone has been waiting for, here it is. Man ya'll wanted her knocked up. I planned to have Hiccup get pregnant early from the beginning. I feel it's implied Hiccup's parents had trouble having children because Hiccup's an only child and not an ideal one at that. But I decided not to extend it to Hiccup. And the leg scene, I could not write it for the life of me akdbsciwejnkqwdm. But Dagur's a sweetie, we meet Brenna and husband, and we'll be seeing Stoick next chapter. This story still has a long way to go.
Reviews
Wordsorcereress: Your compliments make me blush luv, and as I mentioned this story will continue on. I really work to give Hiccup a believable reaction to the situations which include irrational anger and resentment but Hiccup is smart and knows how to adapt to at least survive. As for Vessa, I know what you mean. But I wanted a companion for Hiccup to speak with. Too much would have been internal otherwise and Vessa serves as a catalyst of her marriage turning around. I do try to keep her companion and not really a major character because I often dislike Oc's too. And I also kind of hate reducing Toothless's role but it just kind of falls to the wayside unfortunately.
REBD: I really meant why the tree but rubber comes from trees, doesn't it. And you are correct.
Pony1997: Maybe I do.
Twistedsister-emogirl: Well they would be the offspring of two of the biggest troublemakers out there, so we'll see.
Anie6142: Well no one really questions Dagur's authority I imagine the berserkers as a people value power and what's more powerful than a dragon.
Viking Lady: We'll see next time won't we.
Kitty.0: Hiccup's influence only goes so far.
Yoaishipper4eva: Next time luv!
Night-Chan-DragonEyes: Calm it down sweetheart, LOL
xXXShadowedFateXxx: Yeah but the one I have in mind fits well.
TGirl15: The finale was amazing, and Hiccup will see her dad next chapter short a leg and a baby in her belly. We'll see how that goes. With Dagur I do try to keep it realistic, crazy but with Hiccup a little moe subdued, it's hard to write someone like that in love but I try!
ThankMyHyperMind: I actually did know that, but thank you, I always enjoy tidbits like that.