Author's Note:
Hey guys. I know the last chapter was pushing it. I also knew it was a risk by the way I had written it. But, please understand that it had to be done as you all got a close-up take of what Cutthroat's personality is like. I did like all the feedback of the anger towards him. That's what I was trying to achieve. Also, please understand that this takes place during the Viking era; people will do anything to gain an edge over their enemy. I'm sorry to all the Astrid fans out there.
Alvin, Dagur, and Cutthroat all knew that wouldn't be able to get anything out of Hiccup so they needed to torture the one person he loved to get their message across, which was that he couldn't be the hero everyday. Anyway, this story is close to its end and I'll be starting on the sequel shortly after.
Also, sorry in advance to all the readers who did not wish the sequel to be dark. It won't be dark to the extreme extent, but it will involve death, sadness, grief and hopelessness. But if you all know me, you know I would NEVER write a hopeless ending for our hero and heroine. The sequel will somewhat link with the 2nd movie. Anyway, enough chat, let's get on with the show.
The only sign that told them it was daybreak, were the small streaks of light breaking through a few see-through cracks in the hull that were well above the water level. After their little conversation yesterday, Astrid concluded that they needed to get all the possible rest they could and so, got comfortable as best as they could. Hiccup pushed himself back to the wall, keeping his arms to his sides and rested his head against the hull. Astrid simply let her head fall forward a little as she settled in for the night. They hadn't known how long they were sleeping for when there were a few knocks, and the familiar sound of a key unlocking the door. The two tiredly opened their eyes to see a few guards with plates of bread and two mugs of water walk in, with Alvin behind them. One guard went to Hiccup's side, un-cuffed one of his hands before settling the plate and mug next to him on the ground.
The other guard untied Astrid's wrists from behind the chair, before handing her the plate and keeping the mug on the floor next to the chair. Both guards then stood close by, their hands at their weapons in case they tried anything.
"You two might wanna eat up, considering we hav' a long day ahead of ourselves" Alvin spoke as the two looked at their food. "If yer' wondering if it's poisoned, it's not. What good would come to me if two were dead?" The two looked at each other before, taking a bite of the bread. It was on the stale side, but it would do for the time being. "After yer' breakfast you'll be heading to convince that dragon of yer's to lead us to Dragon Island" Alvin continued.
"How far are we from Berk?" Hiccup asked.
"We're about fourteen hours west of Berk. Why do ye' ask?"
"We're heading in the right, general, direction of Dragon Island. Toothless should be able to find it when we get up on deck and he's able to focus" Hiccup explained, munching down the last remnants of his bread, before reaching for the mug of water.
"The lass will be coming with us as well."
"Why do I have to come?" she asked, downing her water in one go. The two hadn't been given anything to drink during their torture, or before they fell asleep. It felt as if they were drying up from the inside, and the cool refreshing water cured that.
"Ta' make sure Cutthroat and Dagur and don't try anything. Plus, I figure that dragon of his has taken a likin' to ya'. So I'm protecting ye' and using ye' as leverage."
"I feel so loved" she muttered with a roll of her eyes, placing her mug back down. "Shall we get this over with then?" she asked.
"Yeah" Hiccup agreed.
"Alright then. But no funny business" Alvin warned, before giving the signal to his men to release them. Hiccup's guard unlocked the cuff on his other wrist while Astrid's guard untied her legs from the chair. The two of them rose up, wobbling a bit, getting used to the rocking sensations of the ship. Being tied down and chained to the wall meant no time for standing. They didn't make any attempts to escape, and placing Astrid before himself, Hiccup walked out with her with Alvin and the two guards behind them.
"This way" Alvin beckoned them to follow. He was leading him down the corridor that led to the stairs which opened the inside of the ship to the cool, crisp air of the wind and sea on deck. The two had to temporarily shield their eyes from the morning sunlight. They were glad to be out of the hull that smelled of only fish guts, ale and blood - most likely from the fish. The deck was relatively quiet, with a few Berserker guards posted. There were some catcalls and shrewd comments directed in their way, specifically towards Astrid, due to her lack of clothing from the Berserker guards. She didn't pay any attention to them as she walked past them, giving a few of them a glare. Hiccup took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled in reply, looking at him. However, when they looked ahead, they saw a cage with a black mass in it, up near the captain's wheel.
"Your dragon's been on good behaviour for some reason. I was expecting him to be thrashin' about and all ... but no" Alvin spoke.
"That's because he that beast is smarter than he appears." Both Astrid and Hiccup cringed inwardly at hearing that arrogant voice. Even Alvin sighed in annoyance, turning his head away from them to avoid looking at the mad Chief walking right in between the two Berkians.
"Hope you had a nice sleep, beautiful" he winked at her. Astrid simply smirked before elbowing him in the face, prompting his guards to advance on them.
"Stop!" Alvin yelled, and his men soon unsheathed their weapons and placed themselves between the young Vikings and Dagur's men. It also didn't help that Toothless began thrashing around in his cage, baring his teeth and snarling menacingly.
"What do you mean stop? She elbowed me in the face!" Dagur yelled, pointing at Astrid while holding his nose that began was bleeding slightly.
"And she had good reason to after you threatened to rape her! So as far as I'm concerned, she's settled the score. Now, calm your men down" Alvin commanded. Dagur didn't like his passive attitude towards the prisoners. It was as if he was favoring them over this alliance.
"Do as he says, cousin. We're on his ship. We have to follow his rules" Cutthroat spoke, placing a hand on Dagur's shoulder. Dagur turned to him, and saw that his cousin was serious. "Stand down" he called out, and his men obediently lowered their weapons, while the Outcasts stayed at the ready. Hiccup, who had placed himself in front of Astrid when things got dicey, turned back to look at her. She knew what would have happened if she did that. But she wanted oh so badly to hit him and make him pay for the portion of the torture he had caused her. She wasn't sure if Hiccup was mad at her, but was silently surprised when he smiled at her, and she couldn't help but return the smile.
"You're going to pay later for that" Dagur shot her a glare.
"Enough ... Hiccup, please get to work. I'll watch over her" Alvin said, moving to them while gesturing him to the dragon.
"Go on. I'll be fine. I'm not restrained unlike last time" she gave him a reassuring smile, bumping her shoulder with his. He nodded in reply, before walking to his friend who was caged up.
"Have they been treating you well enough?" he asked.
"Sort of ... as best as they can treat a dragon anyway. The same can't be said for you."
"Yeah well ... I've had worse. Aside from that, we need to help them find Dragon Island."
"I know. I kept hearing their guards talk about finding it by threatening to harm your mate."
"So you can see why we have to do this" he ignored the last comment. "If we don't help them find Dragon Island, they'll kill her."
"But that's the thing, Hiccup, I don't sense her" he replied. Hiccup's facial expression took one of surprise and curiosity.
"What do you mean you don't sense her? I thought she could communicate with all dragons?"
"She can, but for some reason I can't sense her. There are two possibilities: either she's dead, which is highly unlikely since no Viking could ever kill that monster, and the other is that she left Dragon Island, which is also very unlikely since she would never leave her home like that without good reason. The only reason I can think of is that a bigger dragon showed up, and even that is nearly impossible" Toothless explained. Hiccup turned around, facing his captors. How was he going to explain this? How was he going to say that their prize dragon might not even be at the Island. Actually, they might think that he's attempting to fool them and escape, or that he's trying to mislead them off their goal.
"But could you lead us to the Island?"
"Yeah. I know my way there. If they let me out of this cage, I can lead them there by pointing my head in the correct direction. And I won't try and escape."
"Alright, I'll ask them" Hiccup replied, turning his gaze to Alvin and the others. "My dragon said that he will be able to lead us to Dragon Island if he can come out of the cage. I swear on my life that he, or we, won't try anything once he does."
"You expect me to believe that?" Dagur asked, taking a few steps forward.
"Look, you're the one in control here. You know very well I wouldn't do anything to risk Astrid's safety. So even if Toothless and I did try and escape, we'd be endangering her in the process. I'm giving you a way to find Dragon Island. Just let my dragon come out" Hiccup tried to reason with them.
"He's right, Dagur" Alvin spoke, "He won't try anything. Let the beast out" Alvin ordered the guard who had the keys to the cage. The Outcast nodded and jogged to the cage, hands shaking nervously as he unlocked the door, unsure whether the dragon would try something. However, as he opened the door, making sure to stay behind it, Toothless simply walked up to Hiccup, not showing any intention of attempting to escape. Hiccup patted his head in thanks, before looking back at Alvin.
"You might want to head to the wheel, since he'll be directing you" he suggested. Alvin nodded and took his place at the wheel while Toothless reached the bow of the ship, and began tilting his head in the direction of the Island. He had been called to the island so many times, from many different paths that he knew the way to it by heart.
"If he's leading us anywhere else, Hiccup ... you know what happens" Cutthroat warned him, standing dangerously close to Astrid and a look of warning plastered on his face. Hiccup nodded slightly as he watched Toothless continue to give the directions.
000
"Any news of where they could have gone?" Stoick asked another group of people who had entered the Great Hall after searching their portion of the island. The leader shook his head sadly, along with explaining how they had searched every cave, tree and bush in their search zone but had come up empty. Stoick sighed gloomily. Astrid's parents were also with him. They had been anxious about the well-being of their daughter ever since the moment she never returned home. They had seen her walk out with Hiccup that night. They knew about the present she was going to give him. But what happened?
"Thank you everyone. Please take some rest. You've been out there all day" Stoick spoke. With appreciative nods from the group, they left to fill their stomachs up from half a day's search, knowing that they'll be heading out again once evening comes.
"Do you think they've left Berk all together?" Arnbjorn asked.
"Astrid wouldn't ever go anywhere without Stormfly these days. It's just not her" Ingrid replied.
"All I know is that Toothless is missing. So there is the possibility that they went flying on him" Stoick added.
"But, shouldn't they have been back by now?" Gobber asked. "I mean, I know they're young adults and they have their needs but it shouldn't take this.."
"Don't ... finish that sentence, Gobber" interrupted Stoick, grasping his forehead in annoyance and the time Gobber had to say that. The Hoffersons weren't looking entirely impressed with that idea either.
"Astrid would never allow that to happen in any case. No matter how ... tense, the situation is" Arnbjorn clarified.
"Getting back to matters at hand, is there any place Astrid has on Berk that she goes to be alone?" Stoick asked.
"No. She normally goes anywhere in the forest for training or the many streams and pools and to relax" said Ingrid.
"What are we going to do? Nearly all of Berk and the small, neighboring and isolated islands have been searched. Where could they have gone?" Arnbjorn asked.
000
Snotlout was not having fun. After nearly drowning his health in mead yesterday, and this was before reconciling with his friends, he had had a massive headache waking up at dawn. The reason for waking up at dawn? His mother calling him saying it was an emergency meeting in the Great Hall and that everyone had to be present. With a few large gulps of water to quell whatever pain he could, he lumbered to the Hall where most people were also in similar state. However, the horrible hangovers seemed to have had disappeared when Stoick announced that Hiccup and Astrid were missing and had never returned to their respective homes. He had issued an immediate search across the entire island and neighboring ones as well. Fishlegs, the Twins, Ripper, Heather and himself were in charge of searching the islands since they were the only ones who knew how to ride dragons.
He had just returned to Berk's forest after searching a tiny group of islands, nicknamed Valkyrie's Axe, as they were tiny pockets of sand and rock jutting out of the sea to form, what appeared like an axe from the sky. The blade section of the island held a twenty foot cliff-face that had a single cave in it that seemed big enough for dragons to enter. He did enter it but found no sign of them. With another quick flyover of the island he directed Hookfang back to the forests of Berk to continue his search.
"Honestly wouldn't surprise me if they did have sex" he talked to his dragon who walked slowly behind him. "I mean, from the way they were kissing in her bed and the kiss in front of everyone ... I do understand that they might want their privacy" he shrugged, kicking a stone in his path. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't envious of Hiccup. I mean, he is a guy after all, and what guy wouldn't want a girl like Astrid?
"I hate you Hiccup ... but in a good kind of way now" he said to himself, smiling. Hookfang rolled his eyes at his rider.
"Of all the people I could get stuck with..." his thoughts trailed off. However, Snotlout stopped suddenly and looked around, prompting his dragon to stop and stay silent as well.
"Did you hear that, Hookfang?" he asked again. The two stayed silent a few more seconds, before they began to hear voices ... and not just any voices. "Wait here" he instructed Hookfang before bounding into the bushes, following the direction of the voices.
"Maybe they found something" he said as he slowed down, but, out of curiosity, he hid behind a few trees and bushes to eavesdrop on their conversation. Some habits don't die easily.
"You know, it's a shame they'll never find them" he heard Snorre say.
What? Never find them? How?
"I know. That guy did say once Hiccup has played his part, he'll end his and Astrid's life" he heard Magnus' voice, and the laughter from the group.
"Well, he told me that he'd have a little fun with that walking beauty. Enough so that he said she'd begging him to end her life." Snorre's voice. He'd recognize it anywhere. 'Who is this guy?' he thought. He figured that the group knew what had happened to Hiccup and Astrid; he wasn't that dense. But he needed to find out who had them.
"What was his name, Cutthroat I think?" Knut put the question out there.
"Yeah, and all it took was two hundred gold for the each of us to spike his drink with those herbs. How he knew when the effects would act up is beyond me" Snorre commented. So that's what made him loose his focus during the fight. He knew something was happening to his cousin, but he didn't know what. And pumped with adrenaline and anger, he didn't care at the time. Now though...
"Must have done tests on his own men to make sure it affected Hiccup at the right time" said Ivar.
"I still can't believe how Snotlout lost. I mean, he has to be a shitty fighter if he couldn't win against Useless" Snorre laughed, joined by the rest of the group. Snotlout was fuming right now. Not only had they been behind Hiccup and Astrid's disappearance, they had called him a shitty fighter! He immediately turned tail and ran back to Hookfang, making sure he didn't make any noise as to not alert them of someone's presence.
"Come on Hookfang, we have some rotten yak meat to get rid of" he muttered as he took off for the Great Hall.
000
"We're nearly there" Hiccup relayed Toothless' call to everyone on the ship. There were a few sounds of 'This plan actually worked' and 'I can't wait to fly my own dragon' going around the ship, but Hiccup knew more than that. He was wondering if Alvin knew of the plan that Cutthroat had told him. He could attempt to tell Alvin right now and cause a crevice in the alliance, but with Cutthroat keeping Astrid within arm's length of himself, that bet was off the table.
They had exited the fog that they had entered over twenty minutes ago and Dragon Island was now in sight for them, except there was one anomaly. "What the Hel...?" Cutthroat muttered upon seeing the huge volcano rising out of the island. The side they were approaching, they bore witness to a huge hole in the side of the volcano.
"It can't be..." Toothless muttered, staring in awe at the destruction. Hiccup and Astrid were also speechless. She had never been to Dragon Island, but she certainly wasn't expecting this. Hiccup was thinking about something else though. The Red Death had to be the dragon that made that hole. She must have come out. But the question is why? Toothless told him that the Red Death would never leave its domain unless it felt threatened to. What a could a dragon of that size feel threatened of. Wait ... Hiccup face-palmed himself. No wonder there weren't any dragon raids since the night of his trial. The Queen of the Dragons was gone. But that still didn't answer the question ... What could drive away a dragon like the Red Death? If it was killed here, a body should be left behind but there's no rotting carcass, no revolting smell ... What happened to that dragon?
"Well, we're here. So Hiccup, how about some statistics on the Red Death?" Dagur asked, ecstatic at the idea that the Red Death was nearly under his command. He was clasping his hands in excitement, however as he began looking around he noticed Cutthroat's displeased and quickly angering face. "What's wrong cousin? We're about to have control of the Red Death. You should be more excited!"
"I would be if it was here!" Cutthroat jabbed his finger in Dagur's chest, pushing him back. "Take a look you idiot" he pointed to the gigantic hole in the side of the volcano, "Does it look like there's anything in there!?" he yelled. He then turned to Hiccup, eyes blazing. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"H-How should I know!? This is Dragon Island as you can plainly see! That hole in the volcano's side is not my doing" he defended himself. This was bad. The deal was to lead them to Dragon Island and lure the Red Death out, but if it wasn't even on the island anymore...
"Calm down! We'll hop ashore, I'll send a few men in there and if they report back, we'll know that the dragon isn't here" Alvin butted in, making sure everything was in order for the moment. Within another twenty minutes, the whole crew of the ship, and the four other ships that accompanied them, had disembarked and a squad of ten men were had already left to confirm whether the Red Death was in fact still inside. Hiccup and Astrid had their wrists bound and were kept sitting on a flat rock near one of the ships while everyone else talked and explored. Toothless was put back inside his cage, much to his displeasure and was kept on the ship, away from the two Berkians.
"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Astrid finally asked him. She had a suspicion something was wrong the moment she saw the hole.
"The Red Death might not be in there" he whispered to her.
"What!?" she whispered in the same tone.
"The Red Death would never leave its home unless it felt threatened. And if it did, once it took care of the problem, it should return, but Toothless told me he never sensed her presence, and that's what worries me." Astrid understood where he was coming at. If Toothless, a dragon, was sure that the Red Death wasn't in there, then it probably wasn't within the distance of at least twenty miles. And if the Red Death wasn't there, the one creature that their captors wanted, their lives would be useless to them. Their fate would soon be decided as the squad of ten men who had ventured in returned unscathed.
"So, what news?" Dagur asked.
"They're all here. That's news enough that the Red Death isn't in there!" Cutthroat yelled at him, his eyes falling on Hiccup's.
"Apart from a few dragons, we didn't see a large one as big as a mountain as reports described" the leader of the group said. That was all convincing Cutthroat needed before he began marching up to the two of them, giving a swift punch to Hiccup's face, sending him toppling into the gravel face first.
"You tricked us!" he exclaimed, barely able to contain his anger. "Where is the Red Death!?"
"I-" Hiccup spat out a bit of dirt before continuing "I don't know. I've never been to Dragon Island for the past three years" he explained.
"I can't believe this" Dagur muttered. "All this trouble for nothing?"
"You definitely had something to do about this" Cutthroat continued. "Berk must know of this island's location. That's the only explanation."
"He refused to tell anyone on Berk about this place" Astrid spoke. "He knew we wouldn't be able to survive if we attempted to fight it, and judging by the size of that hole, clearly he was right about that."
"No. You know. You could have told Berk about the Red Death. In fact, who's to say they don't even have the dragon with them?" he accused.
"Do you even hear yourself? What would Berk gain from having a dragon like that?" She knew though. It would mean unlimited power in the entire Archipelago. Only possible if the dragon could be trained. "We don't have the Red Death and we don't know what the Hel happened to it" she tried to keep an even voice. It seemed that Cutthroat was after something more. No man would be this furious about a missing dragon that no one had control over.
"Oh no ... you know and you're going to tell me" he told her calmly while walking to Hiccup. Astrid put the puzzle together fast and knew what Cutthroat would do to him if she didn't comply with his demands. "Tell me where the Red Death is, or he suffers" he said in an emotionless tone as he yanked Hiccup onto his knees, unsheathed his sword and placed it at his neck.
"Cutthroat, calm down..." Alvin started. "Don't do anything rash. We'll simply ask the lad where the dragon is and continue on from there."
"Don't you see. Berk might have acted without Hiccup's knowledge, and considering she's high up in the ranks, she would know" Cutthroat countered.
"He's right, Alvin. I refuse to believe that the Red Death just upped and vanished with no reason. Either it was captured or killed, and we don't know any tribe in the entire Archipelago that is capable of something like that. The only tribe that could be is Berk because of golden boy over here" Dagur said, taking his place at Cutthroat's side. "Tell us where the Red Death is."
"I don't know. Even if Hiccup did tell me, I would never betray his trust like that! Please, believe me when I'm telling you that I don't know anything" she begged. Her fear for Hiccup was so high, that she couldn't hold back the tears forming.
But before she knew it, she saw Cutthroat push Hiccup onto the ground, followed by a sickening crunch of metal meeting bone and a blood-curdling scream.