Chapter 43: A Curious Un-Expectation

Hiccup

Underneath the manacles I could start to see the forming of deep purple bruises make an appearance on my skin; I'd been tugging hard on the chains ever since the ship set sail and I got nowhere just like I suspected would happen but I never stopped trying. I desperately wanted to get out of here and I'd do whatever it took but at the moment everything I was doing was impossible so I figured what's the point in trying anymore. I tried reaching the door multiple times and kept shouting for them to let me out but I got no reply neither did they pay any attention to me and the strength I'd been showing soon exhausted me so I had to lie down on the wretched bed. I curled myself up in a small ball to keep myself warm but when I did it I had to uncurl myself as the whip lashes took the pain effect across my body. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep when I got myself relaxed but even when my eyes closed I couldn't sleep properly. Images of Toothless ran through my brain, how he'd been sold to a stranger, how I never got to say goodbye, how I failed him and wanted so deeply to apologise. If I wasn't thinking of Toothless, I was thinking of Astrid and how I failed her as well then my parent's started creeping in my mind and that's when I found I couldn't sleep at all. So instead I've been sat up against the wall hugging my knees because there wasn't anything else to do except just wait until the journey comes to an end. Yet even thinking of that it just brought forward thoughts of where I'd be heading. Was it back locked in that tower? Or was it somewhere else, probably somewhere dark and deserted for punishment. Probably no food for months followed by drink, maybe I'll have lovely torture sessions until they believe I've learnt my lesson. Just the thought of all that sent shivers down my spine and I didn't like the thought of going back there.

Now more determined than ever, I started tugging in the chain again hoping to at least make a crack in the wood to pull the latch away but still nothing; it felt as if everything had been reinforced really preventing me from going anywhere. I didn't give up this time I kept going and going, the more I did I finally felt something slip from the manacles. I looked down and noticed I squeezed my hand small enough to pull through the manacle slightly. A fire ignited within me so I pulled harder and squeezed my hand smaller, taking as much time needed, I finally let my hand slip through the gap. With a smile plastered across my face I tugged on the other manacle hard and sure enough my hand slipped through it as well, right now I had adrenaline pulsing through me and a plan was beginning to spark inside my mind. Sure enough dragons would be caged on this ship, there always is so I'll get out of this room find one of the dragons, help them to understand I'm not the enemy so I can ride one of them out of here. The only problem was I had to make sure I got out of this room. I crept over towards the door and peeked through the gap to see if anyone was inside the room; as I peeked through the gap I noticed Viggo was sat at his desk rummaging through pieces of paper but I couldn't see Ryker anywhere, okay this could be good or bad news but right now I'm going to take it as good because Viggo was the only one in the room next to me. If I was able to catch his attention, make him come in here I could sneak out and complete the rest of my plan...I'd just have to be really quick about it. I pushed myself back down away from the gap in the door and looked back around in the room to see what would be a great way to get his attention.

I figured if I tipped the bed over, it's metal so it will make enough noise to grab his attention and then I could possibly keep hitting against the wall and when the key makes a connection with the lock in the door, I'll hide behind it and sneak out through the door quickly when he's not looking, lock the door behind me and get straight to it. Okay it sounds like a stupid ridiculous plan but at the moment that's the only one I've got so I'm gonna have to take it and use it. I walked over towards the bed ready to pull it out from the wall, when I did so I found that the bed wasn't that heavy at all like I suspected it would be instead quite light instead. I stood round the other side of it and placed my hands underneath ready to lift and chuck it across the room. I counted down quietly in my head then when I was ready I flipped the bed upwards and let it tumble across the room to then immediately start banging on the walls after the bed after made its big clatter. Acting just like a child would is probably the best plan I've had yet because one, it was working and two it was actually quite fun. I soon heard footsteps come towards the door and the key made an attachment was the lock in the door. I ran away from the wall and hid behind the area where the door would open so he couldn't see me. Soon the door barged open and I had to contain my breath when it almost knocked me in the face. Viggo stormed inside the room but stopped in his tracks looking around the area trying to find me. He moved closer to the manacles on the floor and picked them up while I slipped out around the door and slammed it shut. It caught his attention and he stormed his way towards me ready to pull the door open but I quickly turned the key back around and removed it from the lock before he could do anything.

Viggo looked up through the gap shaking his head glaring at me, it seemed he was fuming at me and he started yelling something towards me but I was already gone out through his office and down the cages trying to find a dragon I could ride. It needed to be simple and easy to control so I could get out of here easily. But with all the energy running, my back started to scream at me so I had to take a knee. I looked up in front of me to see a slight blurry existence in front of me from my exhaustion. I shook it off and got back up to start going again but I kept stumbling around from time to time. I ended up outside of the cage of a Deadly Nadder; he was an adolescent with red colouring with hints of blue here and there. He came up to the bars to see me as I laid my hand out for him to touch, he sniffed it for a second before deciding to place his nose against it, I smiled brightly through the blur of exhaustion which now took over my body. I guess I never thought this through fully, from all the whip lashes it caused a considerable amount of blood lose from my back, and through all the screaming and yelling it tired me out, and from all the tugging against the manacles that took all the strength I had followed by my escape plan and worst out of all this, I couldn't rest beforehand so I hadn't recharged my batteries. So when I went to open the cage to the Nadder I leant my head against the bars instead gasping slightly for some air and when I pulled away to actually open the bars that time I couldn't do it. Instead I felt my weight drop down to the ground and lean against the wooden stand creating the barrier between the two cages. The Nadder cried out to me when I hit the floor lowering his head nudging me the best he could to tell me to get back up, find the energy and move but I couldn't do it; especially as the blur began to take full effect on my mind.

The last thing I noticed was a looming figure make their way towards me, bending down in front of me before I blacked out entirely. I was swirling inside the darkness, feeling my weight sway from side to side one benefit to be inside the darkness was that I didn't have to feel the pain I'd been feeling all day, it was washed away and I could feel peace for a long while. That was until I could feel reality seep back through and light started to creep through my eyes and I found myself led back down on the wretched bed, my hands back inside the manacles tighter than before where I couldn't pull my hands through at all, I looked down to see that my metal prosthetic leg was now missing and my other leg had been strapped down onto the bed so now I couldn't move at all. I guess another positive came out of this, I did get some sleep but no that isn't the point I was trying to get out of here but instead I just caught myself in more trouble. I heard the lock of the door open and in waltzed Viggo with his hands delicately placed behind his back as if no trouble happened, well that's what his body language spoke his expression was quite the opposite entirely. "Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup, what happened about learning your lesson? When are you going to accept the fact that this is where you belong and where you will always belong? You could have got out, it was a good plan but sadly for you, you didn't really think it all through. I thought treating you more kindly you'd accept your place here Hiccup but now we've had to take other measures to make sure that you don't think of escaping us once again," I turned my head away from him and stared facing the wall but I felt his hand grasp hold of my face so I was turned to face him instead "You will accept your place here Hiccup, you will do as I say and what my brother says you understand me? At the moment we've been taking it easy on you but one more toe out of line then things will get incredibly harder on you," he let go of me roughly and left me alone with my heart banging.

My heart was banging not out of fear but out of anger, I tugged hard on the chains which now connected me to the bed really hard pulling myself up to get out of the bed but I couldn't move an inch and all I could do was struggle in aggression. I had to give up, there was no point in carrying on when I knew I wouldn't get anywhere. Being led on my back didn't help the pain coursing through my body, I so badly wanted the pain to end but it wasn't going to anytime soon and because I knew I was going to be led here for another hour or two I decided to go back to sleep as I had nothing better to do. I still couldn't sleep easily because Toothless, Astrid and my parent's kept playing around in my mind, but it was more of Astrid now than ever. I couldn't get her sweet honey-blonde hair out of my head as it blew in the wind in that neat plait of hers, or the smooth shape of his lips and the sweet giggle she let off when she found something funny but then my mind landed on those amazing azure eyes of hers. They weren't the type that when you looked at them it gave you a shudder of fright that match her uncontrollable temper sometimes, but they were inviting and they sparkled against a million fireflies. I missed looking at it, I missed everything about her and I just wished I could see her one more time even if it were for just a second. If I saw her for that long my heart would explode into a fireworks. The same went for Toothless, I hated the thoughts that ran through my brain, wondering what could be possibly happening to him right now, it hurt me so much that the only thing which snapped me away from the terrible ideas was the loud bang which was coming from outside. The loud explosions which came from multiple directions sent adrenaline through my blood as I was now full of excitement knowing that the riders had come to help out.

It felt as if my wish had just come true and now I got to see Astrid one last time. I struggled back in the bed ignoring all the shouts and wells coming from up above I was only focusing on myself for this moment. I didn't care if there was no use I wanted to give the others an advantage in helping to reach me. I think Viggo must be a bit unintelligent as I ripped the myself away from the bed, true they were still caught around my wrists but I broke the chain they were connected to off from the bed. I did the same with the manacle around my foot and then hopped over towards the door. I banged furiously on it hoping that one of them was below deck looking for me. I kept banging and banging until I noticed a blast hit the bottom of the deck right inside my room, suddenly water started flood in through the room. It startled me as I was that good at swimming and I was missing a leg so I was at a little disadvantage here. I spun back round to the door and banged like I'd never banged before. I didn't care who came to the door now, whether it be Astrid, Viggo, Ryker or Snotlout, I'll even take Snotlout I just needed someone to open the damn door. Suddenly the water came up towards me and it filled the room at a quicker rate than I hoped it would. I kept banging as hard as I could until I couldn't do it no more. The water started to rise up against my neck and before I could even calculate I was doing it I took a gulp of breath and found myself under the water. I kept looking out the gap of the door hoping someone would come down but no one would and the water inside my room slowly seeped through into the room next door.

I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I was losing consciousness for the second time today but this time I knew it was the last time, this time I wouldn't wake back up. I felt my body go limb and I eventually I faded out into the darkness leaving with the fact I am never to wake again. That being, the only thing I can remember is my body falling down onto the ground and warm arms wrapping themselves around followed by a warm voice whispering down to me "It's okay...I've got you. You're safe now."