First off, I updated the summary of this story as a warning to viewers of the situations that this story contains. Yes, this is a very dark fic that deals with a very dark, controversial subject in which some view as unsuitable to be written or tampered with. I do completely understand where you are coming from, and I am sorry if you walked into something you were unsuspecting of when clicking on this story. I hope that will not happen again, and thank you to those of you who suggested those minute details of change; hopefully I was able to fix them accordingly.

But that aside-

Holy crap I can't even begin to really comprehend the support that this stupidly angsty one-shot got. Thank you. You all have made me a very happy writer, and the overwhelming positive feedback was just, crazy, really. I had multiple reviews on here and asks on my Tumblr requesting a part 2, and I couldn't pass it up, because dang do y'all deserve it, and for some odd reason unbeknownst to me, I adore things that can make me cry. Don't ask, because I don't know. But hey, this came from that want and you guys loved it!

Thus, I give you part 2.

Enjoy!

They sat together on the smooth wooden surface of his bed, both leaning back against the headboard. His left arm encircled her form, hand buried in the hair atop her head as he gently massaged her scalp with his fingers. With her head resting gently atop his chest, she carefully paid attention to his heart beat, memorizing it's rhythm by heart in case she ever had to go without it again. It was therapeutic for her, just to sit there and listen. Although reminding her mutilated brain that it was just him every few minutes was beginning to become irksome, the moments where she could finally just be at ease were bliss.

Her entire mid-section was wrapped in think white cloths, red specks of blood peeking through here and there. After her desperate request for him to not go into finite details, he reminded her of the state she had been in when he found her. A jagged knife protruding from her side, more patches of bruises and dirt visible on her body than her own natural skin. How impossibly thin she was. She was glad that her mind had been kind enough to block out those last few memories. She only wished it would have had more of a disposition to block out more.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her breath hitched in her throat, heart beginning to race once again. She knew he was going to have to ask about it at some point. How could he not? According to him, she had been gone for just over 3 months, and that alone had frightened her even more, that she had become so numb to the point that 3 months of her life had practically slipped through her fingers. A moment more in thought and she realized that her 20th birthday was just a few short weeks away.

She wasn't ready to let the memories that those 3 months housed out yet.

She didn't think she would ever be. Because just stuffing everything and living with it would be easier than having someone know, much less having to relive every detail that would plague her mind until she died in the event that she did vent to Hiccup. She loved him with every fiber of her being, but it terrified her to no end that he would never see her the same way if he knew the gruesome details those 3 months in hell held.

"Hiccup, I…" Her words failed her, and she scratched at an old stain on his shirt to distract herself. She felt him shift uneasily underneath her, moving his hips into a more comfortable position.

"I…You don't have to. I'm sorry." She felt the lingering 'but' of his sentence in the air as his hand continued its gentle ministrations atop her head, her eyes never leaving the dark spot that her finger encircled as she tried to focus on not breaking down into another fit of hysterics, or the pending panic attack she felt brewing deep in her chest.

Gods, she was so screwed up.

A complete and utter train-wreck of a human being.

"It's…I just want to help, and…and I feel like it might make you feel better if you just talked about it-"

"Hiccup, I can't." He voice was small, frail, and the complete opposite of what she knew he remembered of her. His hand stopped its gentle caresses of her head, his hand gingerly movie down to rest on her shoulder, his thumb brushing lightly back and forth.

"Astrid, I-"

"No, I can't." She sat up them, turning to face him as his hand slowly fell from her shoulder to the warm plank of wood her body had just been. She met those same worry-laced eyes once again. "Because if I talk about it, any of it, it'll just make it more real," She breathed out, the familiar sting of tears pushing against her eyes once again, and she couldn't find it in herself to make eye contact with him as she continued. "And I know that it was all real. Every bit of it was so real, but if I have to talk about it, it'll be like having to relive every single moments over again, and I-" She felt droplets of tears gracing the tops of her hands, and she wished she could just stop crying already. "I went through hell on that island. And it's-"

She took a shuddering breath in, arms coming to wrap around herself as she tried to calm herself. No point in stopping now.

"I was—"She stopped short, words almost failing her. "I was raped, and beaten, tortured till I couldn't walk more times than I can count, or even remember. They would tell me I would never see you again. Never see my parents or my friends again. They would tell me that I was nothing more than a worthless slut…" She clenched her eyes shut, lip quivering at its own accord, that horribly familiar ache in her chest returning in full force as the weight of her next words seemed to tear into her all over again. "That you would never love me again, and—and I believed every damn word, because how could it not be true?" She sniffed, bringing her hand up to wipe away the tears that were beginning to collect around her face. His hand had found hers at some point, and his palm encompassed it. She glanced up, finding his eyes trained to a spot somewhere past her, forest orbs glistening with unshed tears, seemingly in thought. She glanced back down before continuing. "Because how could you still love me when I was nothing but used up, broken, reduced to nothing. Nowhere near who I used to be."

She gulped down a sob she felt creeping its way up before continuing.

"They caused so much damage, Hiccup. I can't…I don't think I can give you the heir that you need, and with everything that's happened, you're probably better off marrying someone else who will actually be able to provide you with what you need, and be a suitable wife for you that hasn't been-"

"Stop"

Her lips gently sealed as she moved her gaze towards him, and she couldn't read the expression on his face; Anger? Hurt? She imagined it could be anything, and he had the right to feel whatever emotion he was feeling right down to the nub. Because she was the source of this pain, whether he wanted to admit it or not, she knew she was.

Now that she held his gaze, it seemed more along the fine lines of disbelief.

"I…You're not—"He fumbled with his words, and his brows knit together in thought, as if he was trying to choose his words carefully.

"Astrid I love you. So much more than you will ever imagine." His hands came up to gently grip at her shoulders, making sure he had her full attention.

"I can't even begin to imagine what they put you through on that island, but one thing you need to understand is that I'm not going anywhere, no matter what." Her eyesight fell to the side, and he bent his head down to catch her eyes again because by the gods she needed to hear and understand this. "What even made you think like that in the first place? What made you think that I could ever stop loving you?" His grip tightened ever so slightly on her shoulders, and her eyes sealed shut, another tear falling into oblivion.

"I…They talked me down every single day. It was so constant and soon enough I think it just became the truth. And it still is, Hiccup." She let out a frustrated sigh, throwing her hand up slightly in between them and shaking her head dishearteningly. "I'm nowhere near the same person you knew 3 months ago. I'm not fearless, or strong-willed, or willing to fight for myself because they took those things I valued in who I was and shoved them back down my throat whenever they could. And they were relentless in making sure I remembered every word they said. Using, doing whatever they damn well pleased to make sure I wouldn't get up when they shoved me back down." She should really stop talking. She was only worrying him more and she could see it written all across his face.

She caused that.

She tried to take a slow breath in to steady her fidgeting nerves, but it did little to help as another small sob found its way out of her burning lungs.

"And soon enough death didn't seem so bad, because then it would all be over. And I wouldn't have to feel anything anymore, and just the mere idea of that was so tempting. And I knew everyone would be sad if I was gone, but you would all be fine eventually. And—and I knew you would be better off without me, because the last this you need is this burden—"She was cut short as she was yanked into him, his arms coming fast around her. Her side protested, but she bit back the pain.

She felt him shudder around her, and she let her arms come up to return his embrace, if only to offer him what comfort she was able to give.

But his next words broke through her.

"I almost lost you."

Somehow his grip tightened, and her sore body protested again, but she said nothing for the sake of him, because by the gods he needs this. And she knew she did too, because it was true. He had almost lost her to not only the self-deprivation she was subjected to, but to her minds selfish thoughts that Hiccup would be able to get over her death.

He wouldn't, and she knew that now.

And he said those words like a prayer to the gods; a promise. Because her situation seemed impossible to come out of alive, much less somewhat functioning. And yet here she was, all odds against her.

He let out another shaky breath as the truth of the words took over his emotions.

"gods, I almost lost you."

Hope you enjoyed! It turned out shorter than I would have liked it to be, but writers block sucks, and so does being an adult and having responsibilities, so this is where we ended up. About 2,000 words and 2 in the morning. I have had worse.

Let me know what you think, and if a potential part 3 should be in order. More reviews are always welcomed! Trust me when I say I read them all and I adore doing so, and I'll do my best to go through and respond to them when I can!

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You guys are amazing!

Until next time, my friends.