Hiccup was unconscious….again. He looked worse. Much worse. His shirt was in tatters, so the wound was fully visible. His wound had turned darker hue of green; the wound had deepened significantly. Astrid shivered at the thought of her own skin when she had had the Scourge of Odin.
At what cost? Astrid knew she couldn't protect both Hiccup and the Dragon Eye, but she had failed to protect either. She was fairly certain her arm was broken from the interrogation. She only hoped that the rest of the riders would be safe, hopefully away from the Edge when Viggo's men arrived.
Hiccup began to stir in Astrid's lap again. His grimace had faded slightly; he almost looked peaceful. Astrid couldn't help but feel her heart flutter.
Astrid looked down a felt a few mute tears escape her eyes again. Gods, since when did she cry? Since she met Hiccup. She had never cared so deeply for her friends before. Of course, she had met Stormfly and Heather, two of her closest friends. She even cared and respected the twins, Fishlegs, and even Snotlout.
Hiccup had shown her what it meant to really be there for others; she had never seen anyone as brave or as hard-headed as him, besides perhaps herself. More than that, he was one of the few people she felt comfortable opening up to. They talked about practically everything - their fascinations with the world, their petty annoyances, their deepest insecurities. He had always been there for her. And she had always been there for him.
They had had their fair share of dangerous encounters. Hiccup would get captured, or Astrid would, some near-death experiences. They had always had a fail safe.
But now? There was no fail safe, no backup plan. Viggo had fooled them when they were their most vulnerable on their weekly dates.
Of course, Astrid felt stronger alongside Hiccup, stronger than she ever could have been alone. But, they knew that they were also weaker, more vulnerable to their enemies. They could easily be taken advantage of; Viggo figured that out quickly. She had never felt weaker, more helpless when Hiccup was being tortured. She had felt so impossibly small.
"Oh, gods. Ast-" Hiccup awoke suddenly, jolting upwards. His eyes widened when he remembered. The interrogation. The Dragon Eye. He glanced up at Astrid. Her eyes were puffy, dried tear stains lining her cheeks. She had been crying. He only remembered seeing her cry once before, and she had jokingly-not-so-jokingly threatened him not to tell anyone. "Did you tell them?"
Astrid nodded, almost imperceptibly. Hiccup paused and his facial expression softened.
"I'm sorry, Hiccup. I didn't know what- I couldn't protect- I'm sorry." Astrid looked down and muttered some more apologies, crestfallen and on the verge of tears.
"It's not your fault, Astrid." Hiccup gritted his teeth as he sat up slowly, taking Astrid's hands in his.
"Yes, it is!" Astrid persisted. "I- I messed up. I should've told you the truth and just confessed. It would have saved you from the pain."
Astrid barely lifted her head up, expecting to see disappointment, but his eyes only resonated understanding and began to well up with tears. He hugged her warmly; she felt him wince when her arm brushed against his abdomen.
They stayed that way for a while, in each other's arms, until Hiccup broke the silence.
"I- I'm sorry, too….I shouldn't have held in the truth like that. I only made it harder on myself. On….you." Hiccup's voice sounded so small. He pulled back from the hug, looking down shamefully. "I'm sorry, Astrid. I'm so, so sorry." He tightened the hug. Astrid sighed, nodding imperceptibly.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, there was a break in the storm, the calm before the storm.
000
Viggo stood outside their cell when Astrid woke up in the morning. Hiccup was still fast asleep.
"Sleep well?" The man smirked at Astrid's scowl. "No matter, we have arrived at our destination. But before we proceed, I have a proposal for the two of you, one that I think you will be compelled to accept." He grinned.
He unveiled a map to Astrid. "I am not the evil supervillain you have been led to believe, Astrid. I am simply a businessman, a savvy one at that. I recognize that our petty fights are bad for business. So I am willing to give you an offer, one that will restore peace to your lives." He pointed to a horizontal line on the map. "North of this line, my men and I will be free to roam and do business. South of this line, no dragons will ever fall into one of our traps again. We will never have to fight again." Viggo signed the map, and offered her a pen.
Astrid bared her teeth. A few weeks ago, she would have been entirely opposed. She loved dragons and would fight to protect them. But in light of recent events, she wasn't so sure. The fighting had put Hiccup's life in danger. Putting herself in danger was a calculated risk. But Hiccup's life? Was it worth it?
"And if I deny your offer?" Astrid asked curiously.
"Well, let's just say that there will be a 0% chance for you two to escape this boat alive." Viggo smiled cruelly.
"And if I agree?"
"Then you have a chance to live to another day." Viggo was going to greatly enjoy the game he was about to force her to play. "Come now, are you really going to sacrifice all the years you have ahead of you? All the wonders that life has to offer?"
Astrid scowled. She hated to agree to the terms, but she was in no position to renegotiate. Even if she and Hiccup sacrificed themselves, Viggo would have the upper hand. It would be the same. At least by giving in she could have a chance to fight another day. She snatched the pen through the bars and signed the map.
"Excellent, I am grateful for your cooperation." Astrid glared at him.
Astrid had had enough. "Okay Viggo, maybe you can answer this for me. What was in that poison on your blade?" She caught a glimpse of Hiccup's writhing body out of the corner of her eye.
Viggo smiled sinisterly. "Oh that? It's nothing really."
Astrid grew impatient. "Would so-called nothing cause excruciating pain?" She stood up clutching her arm and stood face-to-face with Viggo through the bars.
Viggo smirked. "Fine, if you must know, it is a disease that is actually quite rare in this archipelago. In fact, it is much more of a legend around here, although I assure you it is a very real disease indeed. It actually originates from a land far away in the East - quite a high price to acquire it from nearby traders." Astrid's heart began to sink. "You personally won't have to worry too much; it's not contagious unless it is injected directly to the bloodstream. And I sadly used all that I had on Hiccup, although he was not my intended target." Viggo's look was smug, reminiscing at how he had gutted Hiccup. "You might know it as the Jade Death?"
Astrid's glare dissolved to disbelief. The Jade Death. It was a thing of legend she had only heard about in bits and pieces, its pain claimed to be worse pain than Thor himself could cause a Viking. It seemed impossible to be real, as victims were claimed to take their own lives to escape the intense pain. Astrid could have been sure it was only a tall tale. But, if Hiccup were to take his own life... Oh, Thor...
"Is there a cure?" Astrid asked, trying to stay calm.
Viggo only laughed. "Oh, Astrid. I have no knowledge of a cure. Perhaps you will be able to let me know in the future." Viggo raised an eyebrow. Astrid felt her skin go pale.
He continued, "Anyhow, my hunters and I must be on our way."
Astrid was jolted back to reality and grabbed the bars of the cell. "And us?"
Viggo turned and smiled. "You'll be playing a game. The mission? Escape this burning ship. Use your wits and survive or die trying. The catch? You, Astrid Hofferson, must find a way without dear Hiccup's help." And with that, Viggo laughed and continued up the stairs to the deck. "Set it on fire!" Viggo yelled to his men, and Astrid watched as flames wrapped around the corners of the deck opening.
Astrid stepped back, panicking. What could she do? This was Hiccup's thing - playing with Viggo's mind games. She looked at Hiccup's limp form. His skin tone was beginning to fade to a ghoulish green. They had to get out of here, fast.
What could she use though? There were no blades, no knives, no picks, no explosives. Unless…. Astrid rushed to examine Hiccup's belt. Hiccup had recently devised a hidden tube of Monstrous Nightmare gel into his belt. She remembered the day he told her. He had been so giddy with excitement - such a dork. The corners of her lips tugged upwards.
Astrid slipped off the belt and poured the Nightmare gel carefully onto the cell's outer wall. She glanced at the flames, gradually growing closer. It was now or never. She grabbed a plank of wood and caught a small flame, promptly moving to set off the gel. A hole formed in the wall, offering a view of the open sea. Astrid delicately lifted Hiccup up with her good arm, nudging him to wake up.
"Hiccup? Wake up, please. W-we gotta go."
Hiccup opened his eyes in a daze, caught a glimpse of the raging fire, and was wide awake. "Oh gods, yeah, let's get out of here." He winced at the pain in his abdomen.
"You first." Astrid motioned to a floating plank of wood outside the hole in the wall.
Hiccup nodded. He moved as quickly as he could, albeit fairly slowly. Eventually, he was through and landed in the water with a splash.
Astrid followed behind. The cell was beginning to become engulfed in flames. She landed in the water with a grunt, grabbing another wood plank to float on. The ship was now sinking. She scanned the nearby area, noticing a ship racing away from them. She guessed that ship housed Viggo and his hunters. She looked to her left and was relieved to see an island. Hiccup followed her gaze and nodded in agreement. The pair began to swim toward the island, eagerly awaiting much needed rest.
000
Viggo was impressed. He watched as the young couple escaped the burning ship. Perhaps Astrid would also make a worthy adversary. Hiccup had evidently rubbed off on her. He intended to honor their agreement. For now…. Who knew if Hiccup lived long enough to see his takeover of the northern archipelago? Eventually, he would make his way south when the agreement became outdated. But for now, he was relieved. Finally, after years of fighting, there was a ceasefire. Now that, was good for business.
000
Taking their time and letting the waves do most of the work, Astrid and Hiccup finally waded ashore the small island. Astrid sighed in relief; they were finally free. She smiled and glanced at Hiccup, and her smile quickly faded. Hiccup looked exhausted. The swim had evidently weakened him.
"Hiccup? You need to rest. We can set up camp here."
"Y-yeah. I- I'll do that." Hiccup walked a little too quickly, losing his balance.
"Hiccup!" Astrid moved to offer support, which Hiccup gladly accepted. He was so tired. She slowly laid him down and sat next to him, letting him rest his head on her lap.
"Mm, comfy." Hiccup muttered.
"You get some rest. The others should get here soon." Stormfly had her scent; she would be able to lead the other riders to their location. But Hiccup's health was rapidly deteriorating. Please hurry, she thought. Once they got back to Berk, hopefully Gothi would know more. But for now, they really had no idea what they were up against.