Captain Fury: Pirate of Berk

42: The Deal

The Deal

They threw him back into the cage without any care and his legs buckled instantly under him, but his hands found the floor before his face-just. He was breathing hard but he looked up urgently to check that his son was safe. Arild's big green eyes looked up at him in worry, his skinny little body pressed into the far corner of the cage, hard by the scaly bulk of Stormy. Hiccup coughed, tasted blood and then pushed himself up to his knees.

"You okay, bud?" he asked, checking his son for more injuries-and then Arild scrambled straight to him, pressing himself into a hard hug.

"My head still hurts," he admitted, "but I'm okay. Stormy seems scared." Hiccup hugged him carefully, then crawled over to the Skrill. He sat in the corner with Arild in his lap, feeling the boy fidget but reach a hand up to touch the dragon. "Dad...does that man want Stormy to be his?"

"I think so."

"And if Stormy doesn't want to but wants to stay with me? What will happen?" There was fear in the soft voice. Hiccup sighed and squeezed the boy harder.

"Then we'll make sure he comes with us, son," he found himself saying, sighing inwardly. His crew had the twins, Sven, Bucket...how could a dragon make it any weirder? And at least the ship was named after a dragon, right?

"Oh, I doubt that!" Dagur announced from the doorway. "None of you are going anywhere-except you, Fury. You are slowly and painfully going to Hel." Taking a measured breath, the pirate stared up.

"Is that the one close to Freezing-To-Death or the Hel by Lava Lout Island?" he asked dryly. "I can tell you an old navigating tip about..."

"SILENCE!" Dagur raged, motioning his men to wrench the door open. They scrambled into the cage and hauled the pirate out-but not before he pushed his son against the Skrill, casting the dragon a pleading look to watch over his son. Wrestling furiously, Hiccup found himself facing the Governor and tried to pull away from the hand that grasped his face. "I am going to break you, Fury-and your son is going to watch. And if he doesn't hand that dragon over to me, I will torture him as well."

"I'm not afraid," Arild muttered, pressed against the warmth of the Skrill for comfort.

"Strip him!" Dagur snarled and the guards fumbled with Hiccup's leather armour until they were able to drag it off-and then they hauled his deep red tunic off, leaving his torso bare. He heard Arild gasp at the sight of his lashes, of the scars over his pale skin, of the sewn wound in his side where he had saved his son. Self-conscious, his lean, toned muscles were tense as he was turned back to face his son and pressed against the door of the cage. For a moment, there was raw fear in his eyes, realising what Dagur planned-and then he forced his expression to grow calmer. He didn't struggle as his wrists were tied to the bars, as the leather bit into his arms and he stared at his son's frightened expression. He heard a whip shaken out and cracked behind him.

"It's okay, bud," he murmured gently to the scared boy. "Just close your eyes. I'll be fine."

"I am disappointed, Fury," Dagur sneered. "You'll be considerably less than fine after I've finished with you!" Breathing fast and trying to keep the fear from his face, Hiccup smiled at his son.

"It's okay," he repeated, more to himself than his son, then groaned as the boy scrambled up and scampered over to his father. His small hands clutched desperately at Hiccup's and he curled his hand around them, feeling the human comfort as the first blow fell. He flinched, biting against cry and seeing his son's eyes well with tears. "Just close your eyes, Arild," he whispered hoarsely. "Trust me."

oOo

"A flag of truce?" Dagur scoffed, his eyes mocking Vorg, the Captain of the Guard.