Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: Trigger warning for threats/mentions of and off-screen rape.

Chapter Nine – Breaking Point

Hiccup had been burned and scalded before. He worked in a forge, it wasn't uncommon to get the odd singe, and he'd spilled hot water on himself more than once. Usually, he just washed it off with cold water and winced through the pain until it faded. Only this time, it was a blast from a Scauldron he was dealing with, and the sensation was almost unbearable.

Hiccup felt as if red hot skewers had been jabbed all over his stomach; if this was an echo, how much more agonising must it have been for Toothless? "It's okay, bud. It's gonna be okay" he insisted, as he guided the dragon back to their cell. He hated that he had to leave him to be locked up again. When they reached the cage, he encouraged, "There you go. Can you lie on your side?"

Toothless moaned in pain, and squinted suspiciously at the hunter who had followed them down. "Don't worry, bud. I'm here" Hiccup declared, a promise to defend. He carefully helped the dragon lie on his side, exposing his raw, injured underbelly. "Oh, Toothless" he murmured sadly, pressing a hand against his own tummy in an attempt to alleviate the pain for both of them.

"I'm gonna fetch the surgeon" his warden announced, locking the cage before he went. Hiccup couldn't have cared less. Toothless' wound looked really bad, but if the surgeon came with bandages, (would they? For a dragon?) then he had to clean it first. "Toothless, listen. I need to get these loose scales off. It's gonna hurt, but they'll make things worse if we leave them. You gotta trust me."

Toothless panted, and whimpered. *Of course…I trust you* he replied. Hiccup stroked his head gratefully, and set about carefully picking off the loose, broken scales and bits of skin. Some of them came off easily. Others were embedded in Toothless' flesh, and hurt the most to ease out. When he'd gotten rid of them all, Hiccup wiped his hands on his tunic and asked Toothless to open his mouth.

Confused, the dragon did so. He pulled his fangs in when Hiccup's hands went right inside his mouth, wiping over his tongue. *What are you doing?* he asked, bewildered. In answer, Hiccup gingerly wiped his spit covered fingers over the edge of Toothless' wound. For a second it stung like fire; then it was replaced by coolness, the saliva trickling over the injury. They both sighed in relief.

"That helping, bud?" Hiccup murmured. "I know dragons lick their wounds, but you can't reach, so I thought…" He trailed off when he met Toothless' eyes. The dragon's pupils had been slit with pain, but now they were wide and full of love. *You are…the cleverest human in the world* he praised. Hiccup felt himself smiling, in spite of everything. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself."

As he covered the wound in Toothless' saliva, Hiccup found himself scowling. "I can't believe that stupid Scauldron! It just attacked you for no reason. I know they're aggressive, but you hadn't done anything, I don't care if we were in its territory. What was it thinking, swimming right up to a dragon hunter ship?"

Toothless listened to him rant for a few moments before responding. *He wasn't really attacking me. He was helping me. Sort of* he winced. Hiccup paused his ministrations and stared. "He…wait, what?"

*I asked him to get me back on deck. I thought he was just gonna pick me up, but I guess he didn't want to risk getting caught* Toothless explained. Hiccup took a few moments to digest this, before launching into a fresh tirade against selfish, idiot Scauldrons. "I swear, if that dragon shows up again, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

"Who the heck are you talking to?"

Hiccup jumped and whipped round to see the warden and the surgeon on the other side of the bars. He shifted to block Toothless' injury from view. "I was talking to my dragon, sir" he replied calmly. Well, it was the truth.

"Sure you were. C'mon, get out the way so he can bandage up the Night Fury" the hunter said impatiently, unlocking the cage door. Hiccup didn't move.

"I can bandage him."

"You've got chores to finish."

"Don't remind me" Hiccup grimaced. The hunter scowled and took a step into the cell, only to leap back and curse as a small fireball exploded near his feet.

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup cried out, much to the Night Fury's chagrin. "You're too hurt. It'll just make things worse" he insisted. Then he looked at the hunter. "I'll finish the chores. Sir. But Toothless won't let anyone near him. He just showed you what he'll do if you come any closer, and he was aiming to miss."

There was a tense stand-off between Hiccup and the scowling hunter. It was broken by the surgeon, who announced "Oh, just let him stay. The sooner we get the Night Fury bandaged up, the sooner he can go back to doing whatever you want him to do." Much to Hiccup's relief, the hunter backed down, though he was clearly displeased. Good, Hiccup thought bitterly.

He crouched by Toothless and stroked him to keep him calm as the surgeon approached. The man looked nervous. "Ah…I've patched dragons up before, but they're usually, uh, knocked out or chained down first" he admitted. "I don't suppose we could…muzzle it, at least?"

Frowning deeply, Hiccup refused. "No. Look, he's not gonna attack you. He knows you're not here to hurt him…you're not going to hurt him, right?" he asked suspiciously. No matter how genial the surgeon acted, he still worked for Hauke, and thus Hiccup could not trust him. Not with Toothless' welfare.

"Well, pulling the loose scales off will probably hurt…oh, but you've already done that. Excellent. Means I won't be needing these" the surgeon remarked, setting aside a nasty looking pair of tweezers. "The tricky part will be getting the bandages around it with its wings in the way" he went on, unravelling a roll of off-white linen. Toothless is not an 'it', Hiccup wanted to protest.

"His saliva is really sticky" he commented, putting a slight stress on the pronoun. The surgeon remained oblivious, however.

"Yes, I've noticed. Ah! You think we can just stick the bandages on?"

Hiccup shrugged, feigning indifference. "It's worth a try. Um…did you bring anything for the pain?" he asked, grimacing as a particularly bad spasm went through them both. Toothless groaned. "It's okay, bud. Just hold on" Hiccup urged him, stroking his head comfortingly. He hated this; it reminded him of seeing his best friend poisoned with oleander, or with dragon root. Hiccup felt so frustrated, helpless to do anything to ease his friend's suffering.

The surgeon actually winced. "Ah…I would have, but there's only so much of that painkilling potion we have, and the Chief doesn't want it wasted on the dragons. It would take more for them, because they're bigger, you see" he explained. Hiccup frowned. So much for that. Then he had another idea.

"What if I drank the potion?" Hiccup asked Toothless hopefully, "Would you stop feeling the pain too?" As he spoke, the surgeon handed him a strip of bandages and he held it up for Toothless to lick. The dragon replied, *I don't know…but if this potion will stop you hurting, you should drink it.*

Hiccup frowned. "Not if it won't help you too. There'd be no point. Besides, I don't want you to go through this alone" he insisted.

*…Stubborn human.*

"Of course I'm stubborn, I'm a Viking."

The surgeon gave him an odd look. "You're not actually talking to it, are you?"

"He's not an it!" Hiccup snapped; but then he sighed, giving the argument up as a lost cause. "Oh, never mind. Let's just get these bandages on before he bleeds any more" he insisted, carefully draping the first one over Toothless' wound. Once it was covered, Hiccup crisscrossed the bandages over the dragon's back, so they could be secured without hindering his wings.

"Don't worry too much. Dragons shed their scales all the time; give it a few days and I'm sure the Night Fury will be good as new" the surgeon announced as he stepped out of the cage door. Hiccup was tempted to stay where he was, but that hunter was glaring impatiently, and he didn't want to risk the man's ire.

"I'm sorry, bud. I have to go. But I'll be back, I promise. You just get some rest" he urged Toothless, giving him one last stroke before reluctantly tearing himself away. He and Toothless watched each other through the bars as the warden locked the cage again; then he gripped Hiccup's arm and dragged him into the pulley-cage. "I can walk on my own" he snapped, twisting out of the man's grip.

The hunter immediately pinned him against the side of the cage with one arm, and drove a meaty fist into his sore stomach. Hiccup groaned; he could hear Toothless shrieking. "That's for being a smartass" the hunter snarled, "and that's for making me look like a fool, and that is for wasting my time" he went on, delivering two more blows to the younger man's abdomen. Then he released Hiccup, who doubled over, gasping for breath. "Wretched brat."

After the disastrous failed escape attempt, and his insistence on staying with Toothless, he was forced to work even harder and longer to finish so much work. The one good thing…well, tolerable thing about having to do all these mind numbing chores was that it took Hiccup's mind off the pain, and his predicament. The soreness began to fade after a while; but the threat made by Hauke lingered like a malevolent shadow in the back of his mind all day.

By the time he was taken back to the cell, Hiccup was exhausted. He just wanted to curl up on that blanket under Toothless' wing and sleep, preferably for a week. Only…Do with you as they please, Hauke's voice echoed ominously in his head. Hiccup shuddered. He tried in vain to get comfortable on the hard planks and threadbare blanket, that shifted and rolled beneath them.

Tired as he was, Hiccup just couldn't rest. He was too stressed, too scared. His fidgeting soon caught Toothless' attention. The dragon crooned in concern. *Hiccup? Are you alright?* he asked. *Is your belly hurting?* he guessed, whining in sympathy. That was the one thing he didn't like about the heart bind; he couldn't regret saving Hiccup, but he wished they didn't have to share pain.

"No…I just can't sleep" Hiccup admitted in a small voice. "I'm so tired, but…I just can't stop thinking."

*What are you thinking about?*

"…I don't wanna talk about it" he murmured, not meeting Toothless' eyes. The dragon whined softly, tugging at his heartstrings. "Don't look at me like that."

*Hiccup, please, talk to me. You promised* insisted Toothless. Hiccup sighed; but he had indeed promised not to shut his other half out. "It's not you" he reassured Toothless, "I just…I don't know how to…I can't stop thinking about the threat Hauke made, up on deck. Him and that creep. If we try to escape, and we fail, they're gonna…" He shuddered again, skin crawling.

*We won't fail* Toothless insisted. *You'll come up with a plan, you always do. We just have to be patient. Then we'll make our move and get out of here. The monsters won't be able to hurt you, Hiccup* he assured his other half.

Hiccup wanted to believe him, he really did. "It's how they want to hurt me that I'm scared of" he admitted. When Toothless prompted him with a curious grunt, Hiccup took a deep breath to steel himself. "Toothless…do you know what…what rape is?" he asked, expecting the dragon to say no.

Toothless stiffened; his pupils turned to slits, and he snarled. "So, is that a yes?"

*Are you trying to tell me* Toothless growled, *That these monsters threatened to rape you?!*

Hiccup was more surprised by Toothless' understanding than his anger. "I didn't think you'd actually know what it was" he confessed, though he was secretly grateful. Trying to explain such a terrible thing would have been…awkward.

*Sometimes in mating seasons, drakes get impatient. They can't find a female who will accept them, so they just…* Toothless trailed off. It didn't need to be said. *It's rare, though. Most dragons won't ever risk it, even for mating.*

"…Why not?"

Toothless looked into his eyes and replied, deadly serious, *Because the dragons who try it either get exiled from their packs, or they get torn apart. Which is just what I'm going to do to those monsters if they try to hurt you like that. I promise, Hiccup, if they even think about raping you, I will kill them.*

The intensity in the Night Fury's gaze and the ferocity of his growl made Hiccup shiver. He wasn't afraid, though. Toothless' anger did not scare him, but made him feel safe. "Let's…let's hope it doesn't come to that" he whispered. Then he yawned, eyelids drooping. He was so tired. Maybe now he could get some rest… "Um, Toothless?" he asked shyly, "could you…maybe…sing that lullaby again?"

Toothless relaxed; his growl became a purr and his gaze softened. *How about I tell you a story?* he suggested. Hiccup mumbled agreement, so Toothless tucked his tail under Hiccup's head for a pillow, and began his tale. *You remember that time we were captured by Outcasts, or as I liked to call them, Huge Ugly Vikings…*

It would normally take about six days for new scales to grow back. However, because of their heart bind, a little of Hiccup's strength was given to Toothless, meaning his body would heal in half the time. Hiccup had three days to come up with a plan to escape. Easier said than done; the monsters watched him like hawks, and he constantly had at least one of them breathing down his neck.

He felt like they were stalking him, waiting for him to screw up again so they could pounce. Hiccup did everything he could to hide his intentions. He didn't speak to them unless he had to, but in his head he ranted and made as many sarcastic jabs as he liked. He put up with the chores, using the monotony to focus on coming up with a foolproof way to get out of this wretched place.

Hiccup actually felt safer in the chain-net tent than he did anywhere else on the ship from Helheim. The first part of his plan was to gain the trust of the other dragons. Fortunately, they understood that he was being forced to train them to fight each other. Hiccup used the 'training' as a way to show them how they could break out, if they worked together and combined their fire-power.

Slowly but surely, his plan came together. Except that when Toothless' scales had grown back, and they could put the plan into action, Hiccup didn't make a move. He wanted to. He had to. He couldn't deny the dragons this chance at freedom, and he needed to return home. But every time he tried to work up the courage, the fear of failure, and the consequences of that failure, held him back.

Do with you as they please Hauke threatened him, over and over, in his head. Got something else you can ride Creep leered at him. He tried to tell himself it was worth the risk. That the plan would work, that he'd go back to Berk and never have to think about this ordeal again. Still, the mere thought of what they might do to him, how they would humiliate him, made Hiccup reluctant to try.

They had been captured for two weeks; far longer than they'd ever been before. Hiccup longed to escape, but he kept picking holes in his own plans. What if they noticed him snatching the keys? What if the dragons couldn't break through the metal? What if the hunters managed to shoot them down? Toothless tried to reassure him, of course, but there was only so much the dragon could do or say to assuage Hiccup's fears.

He wished he could get to the modified tail-fin, but Hauke only brought it out when they wanted to force Toothless to tow the ship with three other dragons. They always chained Toothless up and muzzled him before they let Hiccup strap on the prosthetic, which meant they couldn't simply make a break for it right then and there. Hiccup couldn't risk getting caught trying to steal the fin either.

With every passing day, the petty cruelty and drudgery took their toll. Hiccup's self-confidence began to erode; if he couldn't bring himself to even try to escape, what was he good for? Toothless was being incredibly patient, all things considered, but the other dragons kept asking when they were going to escape. He was letting them all down; he was letting his father and friends down. He was a coward. He was selfish. He was a fool. He was useless.

Gods, why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this? He'd gotten himself and Toothless into this horrible mess, so it was up to him to get them out. He could understand why he was being punished by the universe, at least to some extent – but Toothless had been nothing but supportive and loving the whole time. He did not deserve to be enslaved.

In the end, that was what made Hiccup decide to take the risk, a month after their capture. He would do it for Toothless, because his other half had already done so much for him. The thought of failing still terrified him, but he shoved it aside. He had to do this. It was now or never. By the next morning, he would either be free or…Hiccup resisted even thinking about the 'or'.

As for Onarr…even though they didn't exactly get along (for the past few weeks, Onarr had been what one might call 'grudgingly civil' to Hiccup, which was better than outright hostility), Hiccup still felt sorry for him. His conscience wouldn't leave him alone. So on the morning of his planned escape day, whilst they were gutting fish, Hiccup whispered to him that he was breaking the dragons out, and if Onarr could get on deck that evening they could take him with them. He refused, and called Hiccup a fool for even thinking about it.

When his warden for the day took him back to the cell, Hiccup stepped inside and waited for the man to lock the cage door behind him. "Goodnight, Ugly" he said, loud enough for the hunter to hear.

"What did you just call me, thrall?"

"I called you Ugly" he retorted, turning to face the scowling hunter. "I figured if you lot keep calling me names, I ought to return the favour – Argh!" Hiccup cried out when Ugly shot a hand through the bars and dragged him closer, slamming him against them. Toothless shrieked and leapt up from his crouch, but he couldn't even try to attack, not with Hiccup in the way.

"You insolent little worm. What's it gonna take to teach you some respect?" Ugly demanded, moving his grip on Hiccup's tunic to his neck and squeezing. Hiccup struggled and gasped, clawing at the man's thick fingers.

"I…I'm…s-sorry, s-sir! P-please…!" he choked out. With one last glare, Ugly shoved him away. He staggered backwards and fell against Toothless, who moved to catch him and snarled at Ugly.

"Shut up, dragon! Let this be a lesson, thrall – keep your smart mouth shut, or you'll choke." With that threat made, Ugly spat at him through the bars and made his way to the prow pulley cage. Hiccup didn't move from his huddle against Toothless until the hunter had hauled himself up out of sight. Then he smirked, peeking down at the keys he'd filched from the man's belt.

*Well done* Toothless purred, nuzzling him encouragingly. Hiccup gave him a more genuine smile, and moved to unlock the cage. It was a bit tricky getting his wrist to turn the key in the lock from behind, but he managed it at last. Once they were out, Hiccup got to work releasing all the other dragons. Toothless urged them to be quiet; they crept as best as they could to the stern.

The pulley-cage was gone, and the empty space it moved in gaped dark and ominous. "Don't panic" Hiccup urged them in a loud whisper. "Blaze, can you give us some light?" he asked the young Fire-Scale, who obligingly flamed up. Hiccup looked into the empty space and saw… "There, in the corner. Those are the ropes they use for the pulley. So there must be a counterweight…"

He felt around and sure enough, there was a massive sandbag just within reach of his fingertips towards the side of the ship. No wonder hauling the pulley-cage up and down was such hard work. He traced the ropes, figuring out which one did what. "This is the one. If one of you bites or breaks through this, the pulley-cage will come crashing down. We can break through the top of it easier than the bottom, and there'll be nothing in the way after that."

*But won't the monsters hear it fall?* asked Topaz. Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, it'll be loud. So Toothless and I are gonna run back to the prow and burn the ropes for the other cage."

*No* growled Libon, *I'll go back. My kind are made for running. You and your other half need to get out of here* he insisted. When Hiccup looked reluctant, he grunted reassuringly and lowered his snout to the human's hand. *I'll be right behind you* he promised. Hiccup impulsively hugged him, and Toothless gave him a respectful nod.

"We'll wait for you to get there" Hiccup declared, causing Blaze – who was on the verge of burning the ropes – to pause. Libon hurried down the companionway to the prow of the ship…it was a straight route, but very long. Then Toothless' sharp hearing picked up a sound he dreaded hearing tonight. The rattling and scratching rope-against-rope noise the pulley-cages made.

*They're coming down, both of them!* he roared, loud enough to warn Libon, who skidded to a halt. By now, all the dragons could hear the nearest cage being lowered. They bristled and pulled back. "Blaze, the ropes! Burn them!" Hiccup ordered. If they couldn't sneak out, they would fight. Blaze torched the ropes indiscriminately. "Everyone, hold your ground. This ends, now."

On the inside his heart was hammering. They know. How do they know? Unless…Onarr! He betrayed me, that…that son of a snake! I should never have tried to help him. I can't trust anyone here but the dragons, when am I gonna learn that? Hiccup berated himself. Well, if Hauke thought he was going to give up because of this, he had another thing coming.

The pulley-cage came down with a resounding crash. In unison, the dragons breathed fire through the bars, and the Spike-Tails flicked, well, spikes with pinpoint accuracy over their heads. The screams Hiccup was braced to hear never came. Instead, whatever was in the cage exploded, sending a purple smoky gas spewing out. Stun gas. No, no, no, no, no!

The other dragons began to succumb almost straightaway, but Toothless recognised this gas too. With Hiccup on his shoulders, he backed away out of the cloud, flapping his wings to dispel it. Then he turned and ran from it to face down the hunters running towards them, roaring viciously. He would fight the monsters and win, and then he and Hiccup would charge through the ship.

He gathered his flames until he could hold it back no longer, and fired. At the same time, the two nearest hunters raised crossbows and fired. Hiccup expected the arrows to be obliterated by Toothless' blast. But the hunters hadn't fired arrows or bolts – they had shot a net with bolas, a dragon-proof net that was barely slowed down and draped itself over them.

Toothless-Hiccup immediately fought to get free of the net, but in their distraction they could not prepare for the second, far more damning strike. Toothless felt something bite into his foreleg. A dart. Not dipped in dragon root poison, but something else. Something…that was making him…sleepy…

"Toothless?! No! Toothless!" Hiccup cried desperately, as the Night Fury staggered and collapsed, knocked out in seconds. Terrified, he shoved and yelled at his friend in desperation. "Wake up! Get up, Toothless, please! You can't – you can't leave me!" he begged tearfully. The net covering them was ripped away, and he was torn from Toothless despite his struggles.

"Let go of me! Toothless!" Hiccup screamed, but it fell on deaf, unconscious ears. We're heart bound! He can feel my fear, he'll wake up! "Toothless!"

"He can't hear you" Hauke said coldly. "I'm disappointed, thrall. I was actually starting to think you'd finally learned your place, but apparently not."

Hiccup glared at him with utter loathing and disgust. "You're wrong. I do know my place, and it isn't here!"

"And yet, here you are. I did warn you, boy. I warned you what would happen if you tried to escape again. Take him away and…amuse yourselves" Hauke ordered the three hunters accompanying him. Hiccup's blood ran cold. He struggled even harder; there was nowhere to go, but he couldn't just give up and let them take him like that.

"What about the dragons, Chief?"

"We can always knock them out again. Leave them. By the time they wake up, you'll be through with him" Hauke declared. One of the hunters threw Hiccup over his shoulders, and they marched down the companionway. Hiccup kicked and beat his fists against the man's broad back and thrashed for all he was worth. One hunter grabbed his legs; the other grabbed his wrists.

They couldn't cover his mouth, though. "Toothless! Help me! HELP MEEEE!"

Fear. He couldn't move. Shame. He had to wake. Terror. Hiccup needed him.

PAIN.

Toothless' eyes snapped open. He lurched to his paws with a snarl, fangs bared, pupils slit. Those eel-eating monsters had knocked him out and Hiccup – Hiccup was gone. No! He had to save his other half, he promised. Toothless could feel echoes, strong imprints, of Hiccup's disgust, horror, humiliation…and pain, in places he didn't know it was possible to hurt. Toothless was blazing with rage.

Then he realised – he wasn't trapped in a cage. The monsters had just left him where he fell. That would be the last mistake they ever made. Toothless' anger coursed through him, fuelled by the echoes of his beloved's torment. If felt as if he'd set himself alight like a Fire-Scale. Out of the corner of his eye, Toothless thought he saw a mysterious, vivid blue glow appearing, but he dismissed it.

He couldn't fly, but he didn't need to. The pulley cage was not the only way up into the ship; there was a ladder and a hatch right there, and one fire-blast was all it took to reduce the closed hatch to splinters. He scrambled up the ladder, and sprinted to the next one, following the tug of the heart bind. Every obstacle in his path was blasted into oblivion, and he barely noticed, seeing only red.

Toothless heard shouting, the stamp of running boots. The monsters knew he was on the loose. They would fear him now. At last he reached the place where Hiccup was. As he charged towards the flimsy wooden doors, Toothless summoned his inner fire and prepared a blast, the biggest yet. It struck the final barrier between him and his other half, which exploded in a maelstrom of flames and charred splinters. Toothless let out an ear-splitting bellow.

The monsters never stood a chance. Consumed by rage, fear, disgust, the Night Fury leapt on the first and dug claws into its throat. As the monster choked on its own blood, the dragon lunged at another, tearing at the arm wielding a blade and gouging out the monster's heart with his already bloodied claws. The third monster tried to run – the Night Fury roared and leapt, pinning it down.

Deaf to the monster's screams for mercy, the raging dragon wrapped his jaws around its head and bit down with crushing strength. He shook his head violently from side to side until he heard a crack, and spat out the broken skull. The dragon spun around, fangs and claws soaked crimson, to defend himself and his other half from the monsters running towards them.

The first thing he saw was Hiccup, crouched naked and trembling on the floor, covered in sweat with tears streaking down his face. Reeking of blood and seed that ran in rivulets down his legs. Staring at the dragon with eyes wide in absolute horror and fear. Toothless' rage dissipated at once. His pupils widened once more, and he stretched his blood-stained snout towards Hiccup with a low croon, trying to comfort him. Hiccup flinched, curling in on himself.

What have I done? Toothless looked around at the bodies he'd torn into and felt sick. His rampage had terrified the one he loved most and worst of all, he had not protected Hiccup as he had sworn to do. They had violated his beloved one in the worst of ways. He felt no guilt for killing the monsters responsible; it was what they deserved. He felt guilty for doing the unthinkable – scaring Hiccup.

More hunters appeared in the doorway. Toothless instinctively moved to stand over Hiccup, snarling a protective threat. They stared at the carnage, just as horrified as his dear one, but their opinion didn't matter to him at all. He gathered his flames to blast them away, but before he could fire, darts bit into him once more. He felt himself slipping into blackness. *No…Hiccup…*

What was happening? Hiccup wasn't sure. He remembered them touching him, forcing themselves on him, but the memory felt like it belonged to someone else. He couldn't seem to feel his own body; everything was numb, and yet everything hurt. He was being carried somewhere. He tried to speak, to ask them what they were going to do to him, but he couldn't move his lips.

They washed him with warm water, surprisingly gentle after the brutality he'd just suffered through. Hiccup thought he recognised the sound of their voices; the women from the galley. He was dimly aware that they were seeing him uncovered, and normally he'd be embarrassed about that. Right now he was drifting, lost in a thick fog inside his own mind. He felt tired right to the bone.

Hiccup remembered. Toothless. How the dragon had blasted down the door, ripped into the men who had raped him, snapping that one hunter's neck. It had been terrifying to behold. Hiccup thought he remembered seeing Toothless glowing with an eldritch blue light, but surely that was a figment of his imagination. The one thing he was sure of was that he didn't fear Toothless.

Perhaps he had, for a few moments there; but only a few. He had no doubt that Toothless would never hurt him. The only reason Hiccup had been afraid was because he wasn't used to seeing Toothless that violent and vicious. His best friend was always so gentle and affectionate with him, sometimes Hiccup lost sight of the reality that Toothless was a dragon, a fierce and powerful predator.

They dried off the water and wrapped a blanket around him and laid him on something hard. He wasn't sure where he was, his eyes were closed. He just wanted to sleep, but he couldn't until he was safe. "Toothless…" He would be safe with his other half. "Toothless…" Hiccup whispered his name like a prayer.

Then a voice he dreaded demanded his attention. "Look at me, thrall" ordered Hauke. Hiccup's eyelids felt heavier than stone, but he forced them open and tried to look at the man standing over him. He couldn't focus properly. Hauke was blurred, but Hiccup could hear him well enough. "I will send you back to the Night Fury's cell, on one condition" Hauke announced.

He gripped Hiccup's jaw and leaned down to stare into his bloodshot, prick-pupilled eyes. "That you swear you will never try to escape again." With his ultimatum made, Hauke straightened and waited for the response.

I can't do it. Toothless, these dragons, my dad, my friends…they're all counting on me Hiccup thought, at first. But I failed. I'll fail again, and I can't…he could not risk being raped again. At last he understood what Onarr really meant when he said some punishments leave scars you can't see. I can't believe he betrayed me. I should never have tried to help him. I can't even help myself.

His tribe thought he was dead. They would grieve, but they would be okay. He would earn the captive dragons forgiveness for failing them or die trying. He wished that he wasn't condemning Toothless to a life of slavery, but he couldn't bear to be without him, and he knew Toothless wouldn't leave him either.

This was all his fault. His reckless disobedience had led them into this living nightmare, and defiance had only caused them more suffering and pain. Better to submit, then. Hiccup's lips moved and he heard himself speaking. "Master…I swear…I won't try to escape." He could no longer fight the urge to sleep. He passed out, praying he would wake up in Toothless' arms.

*Hiccup!* cried Toothless as he jerked awake. He quickly realised three things; he was muzzled, he was back in the cage, and his other half was not there. I failed. The weight of it seemed to crush him, made it hard to breathe.

The rattling of the pulley-cage seized his attention. Toothless leapt to his feet, tensing and growling; even more so when the first person to emerge from the cage was Hauke. The monster's alpha stood in front of the bars and looked down at him. Toothless expected him to be angry, but instead Hauke seemed pleased, which was more unnerving still. If he was happy it could not be good.

"Your precious rider has submitted, dragon" he remarked, clearly taking great pleasure in revealing this. Toothless snarled at the wrongness of it. Hiccup would never submit! "He swore to never try and escape again, just to be taken back to you. I wonder, will you do the same?" Hauke beckoned someone out of the pulley-cage. Another monster approached – and they were carrying Hiccup.

Toothless took a step forwards impulsively. He could feel echoes of the pain his other half was in, but no other emotions. Now he knew why – Hiccup was unconscious. A longing whine escaped the dragon's throat. He just wanted to hold his dear one close and never let go. Hauke tapped the bars of the cage to get his attention. "If you want him back, dragon, and that muzzle off, then bow to me."

Toothless balked. He would not! The mere thought made him want to gag like he was coughing up bad food. Hiccup moaned in his sleep. Toothless wanted to comfort him, but if the only way to get that chance was to submit…then so be it. Hiccup was more important than his pride. *You're a Moon-damned, eel-eating son of a snake* he told Hauke, before forcing himself to bow before the man.

Moments later, he heard the click of the cage being unlocked. Toothless immediately shifted to lie on his side with one wing curved under him. Pushing aside his instinctive need to not show his belly to a threat, Toothless raised his other wing and pointed with his snout at the space between his forelegs, indicating that Hiccup should be laid there. He didn't take his eyes off Hiccup, even as the hunter gingerly placed his limp body in the dragon's grasp, and removed the muzzle with trembling fingers.

Toothless wrapped his wings around Hiccup, ducked his head to nuzzle and lick him, swept his tail around to cocoon them both in black scales. *I'm here, love. It's okay. I'll do better this time, I promise. I won't let them hurt you* he reassured his other half, who slept on regardless. Hauke and the other monster left, but Toothless kept watch, determined not to fall asleep a third time.

He was tired. He hurt, deep inside; his whole body throbbed with aching. Yet at the same time it was as if he wasn't in his body…everything felt distant, detached. He was floating, sinking into a fog. His eyes were closed, but when he opened them, everything was still pitch black. There was a large, warm, steadily breathing mass right beside him, a heartbeat pulsating with a familiar rhythm.

Hiccup stirred, and turned his face towards that heartbeat. His fingers twitched as he tried to reach out to touch it, but he was too weak. "…Toothless…" he breathed, recognising the feeling of scales beneath his cheek, the warmth of his dragon's heart fire. He was wrapped in Toothless' wings, and felt safe.

*I'm here* Toothless assured him, nuzzling his temple. *Hiccup, love…I'm so sorry* the dragon whimpered, and Hiccup felt a flash of his guilt.

"What for?" Hiccup asked. Or at least he tried to, but the best he could manage was a questioning noise. Toothless still understood. *I failed you* he moaned, *I promised I wouldn't let them rape you, but they did and I – I tried to save you, I was too late, and I scared you. I didn't want – I never meant to – I'm sorry!* Dragons did not cry, but Toothless' whimpers sounded like he was weeping.

"I'm not scared" Hiccup whispered. He knew Toothless could hear him. He tried to shift onto his side, to see his friend better, but it hurt too much. He groaned. Toothless nuzzled him again. Panting, Hiccup caught his breath and insisted, "I'm not…scared of you." Talking was difficult, but he needed to say that.

*…You're not?*

"I was, a bit" he admitted, stroking what little of Toothless he could reach. "Not anymore" Hiccup went on breathlessly. "You've been…here for me in…the worst time of my life…I love you" he murmured, basking in the warmth of Toothless' heart fire and the waves of love radiating through their bond. "It's not your fault. There's nothing…you could have done. I'm…the one who let you down."

Toothless held him close and purred, thrumming at just the right pitch to ease Hiccup's aching body. *You could never let me down* he declared firmly.

The fog in his mind had faded, and now Hiccup remembered more clearly what they had done to him. He shuddered, skin crawling; he didn't want to remember. The pain…the shame of it. He felt like anyone who saw him would know, they'd know as sure as they knew he was a thrall when they saw his…

He had denied it as much as possible, but he could escape it no longer. He was enslaved. He had submitted. He had lost. The thought constricted his chest, made his breath hitch. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his cheeks. His home, his father, his friends…he would never see them again. But I still have Toothless he told himself, and that…that's enough.