Splitter- English Version

20. The Majestro

Hiccup woke from his sleep and found himself alone on the floor, curled up with broken chains on his wrists. He blinked and clutched his head, groaning. He propped himself up on his arm and groaned one more time as the pain jerked through his battered back. As his circulation recovered and the throbbing dull pain in his head subsided, he slowly straightened up, balancing unsteadily on one bare foot. He angled his stump and hopped across the hut in search of clothing or a piece of cloth. He moved towards Viggo's chamber and stroked the velvet sheets with a quick wit. He didn't know how long it had been since he had last slept in a bed. He had survived, that much was certain. Thanks to Toothless he had survived, he added in his head. He sighed his name and realised that his will to survive had been strengthened by Toothless's image and that he had only survived the night because of him. He was still out there somewhere, he could feel it. But where remained a well-kept secret. First he would have to escape from this island. But steering a ship alone was impossible, abusing the friendship of a dragon was terrible. On the other hand, the dragon would find a home on the dragon base, he thought further. Perhaps a Gronkel could be found to take him back the arduous journey. Wherever he happened to be. He wondered why Viggo hadn't come back long ago. If he found him like this, he would not be able to save himself from the man who was physically superior to him. He paused and listened. He didn't understand why Viggo hadn't just let him kill him anyway. Because Hiccup didn't trust him to have any mercy. It was generally unusually quiet, he noticed. If he remembered correctly, he always woke from his sleep when a guard in clattering armour checked his chains for tightness. Subconsciously, he rubbed his wrists and bumped into the cold metal, the buckles of which still adorned his wrists. The remaining chain links rattled accusingly as he moved. He realised at a stroke what dangers awaited him in the future and Hiccup didn't quite know whether it was wiser to stay here in the quiet camp or flee into the nearby forest. His hand was still resting on the sheets and he was startled when the wind loudly pushed the dragon skin curtain inwards and it hit the wooden wall with a bang. A mild breeze blew in, carrying with it the acrid odour of burnt wood. Hiccup hopped towards the curtain, pushed it aside slightly and peered through. Sunbeams briefly blinded his vision and then revealed a view of ruined earth. Hiccup ran his eyes over the destruction and scrutinised the plumes of smoke still rising from the burnt ships. None of the ships in the harbour had been spared from the fire. Hiccup mentally crossed the 'escape by ship' option off his list. He was about to turn away when a strong wind flattened the grass at his feet. He looked up in amazement and recognised the nut-yellow bellies of countless dragons. He did not recognise the shape of the dragons. But to his horror, riders were riding on their backs. When one of them landed gracefully, Hiccup could not recognise its face. It was covered with a piece of black cloth and curious glances stared out of the gap that had been left for the eyes. The rider dismounted from the dragon and scanned the camp. Hiccup mentally crossed the thought 'Stay here' off his list and realised that the rider was probably not well-disposed towards him if he found him here. He quietly retreated to the inside of the hut and hurriedly searched for provisions and clothing for his escape. The chains rattled treacherously loudly and he was sure that the unknown, masked riders would soon find him and then he would be lost. He hastily rummaged through the heavy leather chest next to Viggo's bed and found his tattered armour, with the dagger still embedded in the arm guard. He searched further and found a black linen shirt, which he pulled over his naked upper body. He put the arm guard with the dagger over his left arm, took out the second one and put it over his right forearm. He reached for a pair of black trousers and noticed that they were lined with sheep's wool on the inside, perfect for cold nights. He slipped his stump into them first and then lowered himself onto the bed to crawl into the trousers with his other leg. He sighed heavily. He would like to have two healthy legs, even if he really liked the construction he had built on Toothless's saddle. Without the prosthesis, he wouldn't have had nearly as much grip to steer with. But now his stump was more than a hindrance. Without the prosthesis, he could almost forget about escaping. He straightened up and pulled his trousers over his hips. He fastened the button and they immediately slid down again. Bollocks. He looked around for a rope that he could wrap around his hips. Sure enough, he spotted a worn, beige rope hanging carelessly over the back of an ivory chair. He stretched and, with great effort, reached the end of the rope, pulled it out and wrapped it around his hips. He cut the excess length of rope with his dagger, which he skilfully fished out of his arm guard. His gaze glanced around the room - now in search of a suitable prosthesis for his stump. His eyes wandered back to the chair made of ivory and weighed up how much time it would take him to saw off one of its legs, but decided against it. More and more voices were coming to Hiccup from outside and he knew that he wouldn't have much time before they found him. His gaze glanced around the room more hastily and his tension grew as he recognised footsteps outside the dragon hide curtain. Hiccup didn't hesitate for long, sheathed the dagger, threw the rope under the bed and crawled underneath. He carefully pulled at the fur that lay over the sheet, concealing the fact that a human was crouching on the floor. Not a second too soon, for at that moment the dragonskin curtain was pushed aside and a tall, slender figure wrapped in a sandy red tunic entered Viggo Grimborn's chamber. Hiccup flinched as he heard the rasping voice of the unknown man. His appearance was not a handsome one. A pale red scar stretched across his left eye, his cheekbones protruded hollowly, his lips were pressed tightly together and his pupils gleamed with malice and maliciousness. Hiccup feared he would hear his breaths and pressed his hand tightly over his mouth. 

'How many men and dragons have you already captured?' the stranger asked, addressing a masked young man. "The camp is as good as deserted, Majestro. The traces of fire are still fresh, most of the dragons and men have fled. A few injured dragons are still lying apathetically in their cages - unable to defend themselves or even flee." the young man finished his report. The man stroked his beard thoughtfully, nodded briefly and gestured the rider out. He looked around the room for a moment as he moved towards the bed and sat down on it. It creaked under his weight and Hiccup held his breath. By Odin, hadn't he suffered enough already? He propped his head silently in his hands and watched the stranger's feet, which were firmly planted on the floor. With difficulty, he thought about how he could escape this dicey situation and let his gaze wander around the room. And as if it had just appeared there, Hicks' prosthesis stole into his field of vision. It had been carelessly placed on a stool not far from the bed. It was the first step towards freedom. Hiccup took hope and lay patiently on the floor. But the stranger didn't even think about leaving his new quarters. At some point, he swung his legs onto the bed and stretched out on the sheets. As he moved, the bed creaked again and dust trickled down from the ceiling.Hiccup, who looked up at the sound, felt the dirt trickle into his eyes and nose, and with difficulty he forced himself not to groan or even sneeze. He pressed his nose into the crook of his elbow and prayed that the burning sensation in his nose wouldn't provoke a frighteningly loud sneeze. And with a jerk, his nose cleared of the dust that didn't belong there. Hiccup froze. But the stranger lying above him did not move. He remained in his state of shock for a moment until he slowly exhaled.His gaze wandered to his prosthesis and Hiccup took heart. He couldn't lie here forever and leave his dragon out there. Slowly he pushed himself forwards, careful not to make any more noise than was necessary. The voices of the riders drifted in from outside, shouting at each other about who had what to say after the Majestro. The Majestro wouldn't have entrusted anyone with a task like that. Hiccup just rolled his eyes, why would anyone join this creepy guy anyway, he asked himself. His hand was already peeking out from under the bed and he only had to stretch a little further to reach it. His fingertips touched the cold metal and the prosthesis wobbled back and forth menacingly. Hiccup flinched at the sound and it fell to the floor with a clatter.

And suddenly a rough, coarse hand grabbed his arm and pinned him to the ground. Hiccup froze. The figure jumped off the bed and pulled Hiccup, who weighed no more than a feather, out from under the bed. He stood over him menacingly and Hiccup writhed in panic under his grip like a snake. The stranger laughed mischievously and looked at the chains on his wrists. "I wonder what you've been doing here, laddie. I don't like boys eavesdropping on me and lingering in my quarters as if it were their own,' he said in an icy voice. His eyes travelled to Hiccup's stump and he seemed to understand. "Ah, I think you just wanted to escape from here, didn't you? I'm no monster, you know.' he mentioned smugly and with these words he forced Hiccup to the ground, grabbed the prosthesis and threw it into Hiccup's lap. 'Put these on.' he ordered imperiously and Hiccup obeyed, albeit surprised that an enemy was giving him an advantage. But perhaps he was also an enemy of Viggo and how did the saying go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Perhaps Hiccup was lucky for once. He took the rope and skilfully tied the prosthesis to his stump. He carefully stood up and put weight on his leg for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He didn't have time to get used to the pressure of the prosthesis before the stranger lunged at him and wrestled him to the ground again. "I love the fight!  And I haven't had a new opponent for a long time,' he said, panting. Hiccup had no desire to fight. He just wanted to get away. To escape this hell once and for all.

He tore himself away from the figure and pushed himself off the ground. He evaded the hands that were trying to grab him and push him to the ground, grabbed the stool that was within his reach and hurled it at the stranger, who hit the ground with a groan and remained there. Hiccup wasted no time, stumbled through the dragon skin curtain into the open and took off running. He didn't look back, didn't hear the roar of the men and didn't feel the arrow that grazed his upper right arm. He ran. Ran blindly towards the protective forest, which swallowed him like the darkness swallowed the shadows.

At some point, when he was sure he could no longer hear any voices or rapid footsteps, he collapsed in the damp, cold moss of the forest and began to cry. He was free, he thought, as the endless exhaustion caught up with him and forced his eyelids down.

2057 Words