Author's Note: Wow, it's been awhile since I updated this story. Sorry for the months-long wait.
Hiccup sat on his knees with his wrists tied to one of the sconces he had put up to hold torches. He was facing the wall of the cave, unable to turn and see what Johann was doing. He heard Johann ordering the men to leave and begin scouting the area.
Once Hiccup heard the sound of feet fade away, he figured he was alone with Johann. No one would be around to stop him. The chief decided to try talking his way out. Maybe, just maybe, he could stall. "So, Johann, you seem well. You haven't aged a day."
"Being frozen tends to do that," Johann stated.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Hiccup said. "But you were about to kill me, and the king of dragons can be very protective of those under their care."
"That dragon might have bought you some time, but that time is up," Johann replied.
"Why are we dragging this out then?" Hiccup asked. "Why don't you kill me already?"
Behind Hiccup, Johann picked up a whip and cracked it against the air, getting a feel for the device. "Oh, don't worry. You'll die, but not until after I've savoured my victory."
Hiccup gulped at the sound of the whip. "Starting off big, it sounds like."
Johann said nothing as he stepped toward Hiccup, grabbing his tunic and ripping it off. Strewn across Hiccup's back were a series of scars. Some looked like knife wounds, other whipping marks, and burns.
"Yeah, it's not a pretty sight," Hiccup stated. "Got into a few skirmishes with other tribes shortly after the dragons left. All of them demanding answers. Instead of sitting down and rationally discussing it with me, they all decided violence was the answer. Eventually, they stopped long enough for me to speak. We made peace and became allies. If you're willing, Johann, we can sit down and talk. I'll forget this ever happened."
It was an empty promise, but Hiccup had a sliver of hope that Johann would take his offer.
Johann, in a split second of clarity, considered Hiccup's offer. He quickly shook the thought out of his head and raised the whip above his head. "No. You will pay for what you did."
The whip came down, cracking the sound barrier as it connected with Hiccup's back. Hiccup bit his lip to keep from screaming as he felt warm liquid roll down his back. The whip had broken his skin on the first try.
"You can scream if you want," Johann said. "It's not like anyone who cares will hear you." He brought the whip down a second time. Hiccup didn't fight the urge to scream as more of his skin tore open.
Harek, Skarsgard, and Nygren stood together a ways away from the cave entrance so as not to be seen by their supposed boss. They all looked toward the cave when Hiccup screamed.
"How long do you think Haddock will last?" Nygren asked.
"He's tough like his father," Harek answered. "He'll hold out for a long while. Besides, Johann wants to enjoy this."
Another scream emanated from the cave.
Skarsgard shook his head. "I hate this. We had moved on and made better lives for ourselves. Now a crazy man has kidnapped and dragged us out here. All for revenge."
Harek nodded in agreement. "We were doing just fine without dragons. Dagur and Haddock helped us all move forward from our old careers. But it was either this or be killed in the tavern. At least this way, we have a slim chance of seeing our families again."
"Tell that to the rest of the crew," Nygren pointed out. "We're the only ones still alive. What do we tell their families?"
A third scream spilled out into the open air.
"The truth," Harek replied. "A madman showed up at the tavern and took us, hostage, because he wanted revenge. He killed them because they stood up to him."
"Dragons killed them," Skarsgard corrected.
"No, he did," Harek stated matter-of-factly. "The dragons were just his weapon of choice. But we can't tell them that. This place has to stay hidden. We tell the families where they died, and they'll come looking for this place and hunt the dragons."
"What's wrong with that?" Nygren wondered.
"This place is sacred to dragons," Harek said. "There's a reason Haddock sent the dragons away. We aren't ready to coexist with them. So many tried, and look what happened. It led to greed, war, and refusal to hear the other side. Without the dragons, the world is more peaceful. I just wish we had understood that before they left."
Hiccup had counted ten times Johann whipped him before the man stopped. He rested his chin on his chest, breathing heavily as pain coursed through his body. He could hear his blood dripping onto the floor.
"Well, I don't know about you," Johann said as he set the whip down. "But that was quite the workout. No time to rest, though. Time to move on to the next part."
Johann walked back over to Hiccup, untied him from the sconce, and dragged him over to the only chair in the cave. He shoved the chief into the chair and tied his wrists to the back of the chair. Hiccup groaned in pain but said nothing.
*The former trader picked up one of his daggers and used it to lift Hiccup's head up so that they could look each other in the eye. "How much do you think that daughter of yours will sell for on the open market? A few hundred gold pieces? Maybe a thousand?"
Hiccup spat, hitting Johann in the forehead. "Don't you dare talk about my daughter!"
Johann wiped the spit off with his sleeve. "What about your son, then? With a bit of encouragement, he would make an excellent slave. Quite scrawny, though. He'd have to bulk up in order to be worth something."
Hiccup fought against his bonds. "My family is not for sale. You leave them alone."
Johann laughed at his rage. It was the response he wanted. Hiccup knew he shouldn't be reacting to what Johann was saying, but the thought of anyone hurting his kids or wife made his blood boil. He would die to protect them, but he'd make sure to take the threat with him. He was going to kill Johann.*
Hiccup took a few deep breaths to calm down while Johann continued to laugh. He had to think. How was he going to get out of this? There was nothing sharp enough on the chair to cut his bonds. If he had his leg, maybe he'd be able to use that somehow, but it was broken. He was running out of time.
Johann stopped laughing and straightened himself out. "Well, that was a good laugh, but we're not done yet. Let's get back to it." The Dragon Hunter tightened his grip on the dagger, stepped forward, and in one swift motion, plunged it into Hiccup's leg.
Hiccup loudly groaned from the pain but didn't scream. Johann stepped away and picked up one of Hiccup's hammers off the table. It didn't take long for Hiccup to realize what the hammer was for. He did his best to brace himself, but it was hopeless to ready oneself for more pain.
The former tradesman raised the hammer high and brought it down, hitting the dagger's hilt and driving it deeper into Hiccup's leg. The Berkian couldn't stop the scream that escaped his lips. The pain vibrated up and down the entirety of his leg. He felt hot tears fall down his cheeks. It took all his willpower not to openly sob.
Johann ripped the knife out, letting the blood flow freely from the wound. He then took the hammer and slammed it into Hiccup's wounded shoulder, swearing he heard a crack following the connection.
Hiccup started to feel the pull of unconsciousness. He couldn't handle all the pain his body was radiating. As much as he wanted to kill the man before him, he was in no condition to do so. But, unfortunately, he had no help coming. As far as he knew, Toothless was either dead or too incapacitated to help him. It would be weeks before the ship arrived to pick him up. Johann had sent his men away to keep them from helping him.
Just as he was about to let reality slip away, he heard a familiar roar in the distance. He lifted his up and listened closely, allowing hope to slip back in. Johann had stopped as well, meaning he heard it as well. There was a second roar, much closer now.
"Toothless," Hiccup whispered.
Johann glared at him before dropping his hammer. The madman balled his hands up into fists and began punching Hiccup wherever he could. He was determined to inflict as much damage as possible before that wretched dragon showed up.
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has been reading this. I promise to try to update the next chapter soon. Please don't forget to review, follow and share