Dragon's Heart ~ Hiccstrid

Chapter 3

He grunted as they threw him down onto the cold floor, and didn't look back to watch as the door slammed. For a few moments, the young man lay there, helpless, with his arms tied behind his back and Toothless most likely halfway across the fort. 

From the blurry and messed up memories, he could faintly remember an island barge, built into the highest peak. Hiccup attempted to stand, but immediately came down, coughing up blood and lying on the ground for a bit longer. Outside, the voices of two guards could be heard. 

"I hear Bludvic has a night fury."

"A night fury? How in Thor did he get that?"

"The scrawny boy in 'ere. Apparently he was chief of some measly village, and rode a night fury."

"Chief? That little thing?" Hiccup watched, disgusted, as the shadows distorted from the guards bending over in laughter. The shadows soon faded off as the guards walked away to their next shift, and the light from a candle down the hallway went out with a puff from one of the guards.

Hiccup willed himself to move, and flipped himself up so he was lying on his back. Using his foot, he pushed himself against what he hoped was a wall, propping himself up so he could see a little better. Inside of the tiny cell, there was a small water tray in need of replacement, a tiny window with dragon proof bars overlooking the island and letting in slivers of moonlight, and a bucket in the corner, which Hiccup didn't intend to use anytime soon. He was getting out no matter what. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                     ONE HOUR LATER

He was finally up. Using the wall to brace himself, Hiccup pushed off towards the opposite wall and the window. Using the bucket to stand on, he poked his head over the edge just high enough so he could have a clear view of the island. Gripping the bars so he wouldn't crash down onto the freezing stone floor, he began to survey the island.

Along the shore there were multiple docks coming out from a thick forest, where workers silently loaded boats, using hand motions to communicate in the dead of the night. It must have been half an hour, maybe more, of watching them load ships, when he noticed something odd.

The large, covered boxes weren't supplies. Hiccup wasn't sure what they were, but to be sure, he pressed his face as close to the bars as he dared, without making noise. In shock, he pulled back at what he saw. A few guards were laughing and jeering at a certain box, and when they flipped the tarp up, he saw the unmistakeable shadow of his beloved dragon Toothless.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out, his voice ringing across the island, breaking the silence. Toothless perked up and began to thrash inside of the cage, blasting plasma at some of the guards, knocking them back, but unable to break the cage bars. He roared and clawed at the dragon prison, unsuccessfully searching for Hiccup.

Hiccup watched, horrified as they shot the dragon repeatedly, and when he fell, shoved something into with mouth, and continued to load him onto the ship. 

The next thing Hiccup knew, he had fallen back and let the guards who had come to shut him up drag him away. But he didn't care. He mindlessly walked along in rhythm with the guards, eyes on the floor, numb with shock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you know, why you are here?"

"No."

"Do you have an idea, why you are here?"

"No."

"Well then. Let me paint a picture for you. Little, scrawny chief of Berk has a night fury. A very prized and sought after dragon. You were very lucky to have him. He is quite possibly the last of his kind."

"Then why would you sell him?!" Hiccup cried out in dismay at the, surprisingly, well dressed figure that circled the chair he had been seated in.

"Why, to make money of course." In the dim light, Hiccup could slightly make out a grin. Enraged by the man's blindness to how horrible it was, Hiccup lunged for the Inferno, ready to slice open the man's throat. But it wasn't there. The man chuckled.

"Do you really think I would allow you to keep your weapons?" Hiccup then reached for his backup dagger, always kept in a small compartment of his metal leg. But that wasn't there either. The man gave a deep throaty laugh again as Hiccup bared his teeth.

"I'm much smarter than you might think, Hiccup. Don't try and outsmart me." The man tossed the Inferno on the table in front of Hiccup. 

"As soon as your little dragon friends pay for you, I'll send you back, and everything will be fine. All except for the night fury, of course. You'll have to be unconscious as we ship you to Berk, but that'll be fine. There is only one other person who knows where I am, and she would never reveal my location." 

"Why are you giving the sword back if you didn't want armed prisoners.." Hiccup eyed the Inferno warily.

"It can't help you. No normal sword can cut through the prison bars, and it looks pretty plain to me. Besides.." The man paused, grinning slyly. "You'll need it if you decide to give up." The man then gestured to the guards behind him, and they dragged Hiccup once again, to his prison cell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Astrid hummed softly as she spread yak butter on two slices of bread, no doubt both for herself, he thought with a chuckle. This had been a few months ago, when they both ended up stranded on a new island in a storm. They laughed, they screamed, they lost each other, but most importantly, they had made it back together. He walked up to her, as she laughed at him coming down from his lair, and talked about taking a flight together.

"Oh, but Hiccup, didn't you know? Toothless is gone!" 

"Wait, Astrid, what?"

"He's been sold by Bludvic!" She threw her head back in melodious laughter, which soon turned to shrieks that seemed to surround Hiccup, like the darkness closing in on him, eating him up from every corner, compressing him till he was just a speck of nothingness.

He awoke with a start. The pounding from the guards a cell over rang in his ears at the same rhythm of the shrieks from his dream. He laid his head back, down, panting and drenched in sweat. He then had an idea. Voices rang in his head as he snatched the Inferno from the ground, ignited it, and began to cut through the bars.

Hiccup, I love you | it looks pretty plain to me | chief? that little thing?  | HICCUP!

He would escape. Even if it meant puking more blood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEY GUYS! 😃 ~ Ok, this is my first time actually writing an author's note (other than yesterday's disclaimer,) but I really hope you guys like this book so far! It might not be very popular now, but I hope it lifts off later.. (probably in like 2 yrs or something lol) see ya later!

~Emmathepug