Viggo's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Days

Part 11-Desperation

*this one is a little bit different, Ryker's perspective instead of Viggo's. Let me know if you like it!*

Ryker woke to darkness, wincing at the feeling of dust on his tongue. Had he slept with his mouth open? Oh, no, that wasn't right. He and Viggo had taken an expedition into a cave system to look for a new dragon species that Viggo had recently been obsessed with. Then the floor had started shaking, and Viggo had seized his arm...

Considering he was trapped underground, Ryker felt surprisingly okay. Nothing felt broken, and besides a multitude of bruises, the large viking was relatively unscathed. Until he tried to move his legs, that is.

The limbs in question were trapped beneath a huge boulder; resting so that while it trapped his legs, it was only enough pressure to bruise. Ryker tried to wiggle his way out, only to bump a large, soft lump beside him. In the dark he hadn't noticed it, but now it groaned- it was Viggo!

"Brother! Can you hear me?" Viggo groaned again in response, and Ryker used his hands to feel for injuries until Viggo batted him away. "I'm fine- my head is bleeding and I may have a few broken fingers, but nothing I cannot handle. Have you found a way out yet?"

No... my legs are pinned under this boulder. You need to find a way out and get help, I'll be alright until you return." A long silence followed, and Ryker wished he could see his brother's face. "No, you won't. You're on a bit of a higher bit so it hasn't reached you yet, but I'm sitting in a puddle of water. Can't you hear it rushing in? The cave is flooding."

Cold dread flooded Ryker's stomach and he found himself whispering, "Then leave."

"No."

"What?"

"I refuse to leave you to die. We are going to get this boulder off of you and walk out of this cave together." Shocked, Ryker felt as though his heart had stilled. He had expected Viggo to ditch him the first chance he had. "Why are you doing this? We've never pretended to care for each other much, and I have always understood that if you died, I was to carry on without so much as a funeral. Why are you choosing to die with me?"

Viggo had been shoving at the boulder, muscles straining, but all he succeeded in was scraping his hands raw. Now was not the time for a heart to heart. Ramming his shoulder into the rock, Viggo grunted, "You're one of my greatest assets, it would be silly to throw you away." Pain exploded in his shoulder, racing down into his back and arm.

The water had been steadily rising, and now it was up to their throats. The brothers had minutes left, if not seconds. Ryker's breaths became shallow and fast, and he tried to slow them. "Viggo, stop. You're only hurting yourself and I'm not worth it."

Viggo stopped, and Ryker found his brother's smaller hand slipping into one of his. The water was almost to their mouths. "You are worth it. I would rather die than live in a world without you." The water rose even higher, and the two vikings took a final gulp of air.

It was a strange experience, drowning. Ryker found himself relaxing, his aching body telling him to release his remaining oxygen, to give in to the fuzzy sleepiness crawling in... the pain exploded in his legs, snapping him out of his trance.

He could move! He could swim, he could get out of here! Viggo's hand was still clasped in his, but the grip was too relaxed. Ryker gripped his brother and kicked upward, hoping that it wasn't too late. When Viggo had almost drowned during a battle, Ryker had taken the time to teach him swimming; it was a start, but it wouldn't have helped with holding his breath, which Viggo couldn't do very well.

Ryker swam up, further up, farther and farther, until his lungs threatened to explode and black dots crawled across his vision. But there- just a bit further, there was light! With the last of his strength, Ryker burst through it.

It was warm, and dry, and someone had wrapped him in a blanket. Ryker opened his eyes to find himself back on board one of his ships, specifically in the medical bay judging by the beds everywhere. A burst of fear suddenly hit him- where was Viggo? He had seemed so limp and cold in his grasp-

Viggo was there, in the bed closest to Ryker. He looked so small and pale, his eyes closed, and a healer was pouring medicine into his mouth. Ryker didn't care; his brother was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The healer smiled when she saw Ryker was awake. "Viggo will be just fine sir. He will wake sometime tomorrow, I gave him a sleeping draught to help speed his recovery. You got him out of the water just in time- another minute and he would be past saving. The men carried you back here sure that you were both dead. Do you know how you escaped?"

Ryker shook his head, eyes fastened on the rise and fall of Viggo's chest. "Your brother has sustained extensive damage to his feet." She lifted the covers to show two heavily bandaged lumps where Viggo's legs ended. "It must have been agonizing, but he used himself as a lever to have enough force to free you from the debris. He's broken several bones and will not be walking for at least a few weeks. You should be grateful for such a stubborn brother."

Ryker nodded, still in shock over his ordeal. "Believe me, I am"

*Hey all! I hope you liked this, let me know if you'd like more Ryker perspective or no. Also, I think for any more parts that I do will be request ideas- I am just running out of ideas and I don't want to be repetitive- besides, I love your guys' comments/requests. Don't be shy to ask for stuff, I like writing these Viggo shots :D*

I might be coming out of hiatus on trollhunters too...