"Stultus factus est puer!" Ratri screamed in Finn's face. The boy flinched, eyes glancing down at the dreaded cane. The man continued to rant while Finn awaited his impending doom. "I send you to buy de simplest of things and you can't even do that! Es a elit!"

The evil man threw the bottle of wine at Finn, making him leap for cover. The bottle shattered on the ground, the deep purple liquid spattering the walls and soaking into the floor. Ratri wrenched the boy back to his feet by the hair, making him cry out and grapple with his master's hands.

"You bring dis? Dis is no good for me! And dis!" The man snatched the cheese from the wicker basket and shoved it into the boy's face. "You smell dis? Cheese should not be so strong for an old man. Do you want to kill me?"

Finn quickly clamped his mouth shut before he could candidly respond to the rhetorical question, but unfortunately for him, Ratri caught the flash of honesty in his eyes. Sometimes he could curse the sarcastic genes that ran so rampantly through his veins. "Why you filthy little-"

"No!" Finn yelped, twisting out of his grip when the cane was raised. He couldn't bear to be beaten again. He just couldn't. "Please, I'm sorry! I'll go back and get what you want! But you didn't..." Finn dodged the cane again, skidding across the wood on his stomach, vaguely aware of the glass shards underneath his bare skin. "You didn't specify what to buy! Please don't hurt me!" Finn begged, curling into a fetal position with his arms covering his head when Ratri swung down hard and fast.

Ratri swung his cane a merciful three times, but Finn didn't need a mirror to know his back was bleeding. The previous cuts had just scabbed over too... he bit back tears when Ratri dragged him up to face him. Finn was appalled when the ugly man spit in his face and shoved him on his bottom.

"You are piece of dirt and I am sorry I paid for you. Fix de roof while I find new place for you to work. Nequam, minus gratus debellare..." The door slammed behind Ratri, cutting off the rest of his abusive words. Worthless, ungrateful little imp.

Finn quickly wiped away the offensive spit from his cheekbone and eye with his wrist and quickly wiped it onto the floor. The last few minutes replayed in his mind; the abuse never ended. He bought the items needed as ordered and he still got beaten. Somehow being spat upon was worse than the physical beating. Ratri degraded him as lesser value than the dirt on his shoe, and for what? Because he didn't buy the right kind of cheese.

Emotion surged in his chest at the memory of his voice crying out, begging the man to stay his hand. He had actually begged. In such a situation it was understandable but for Finn, he hated the thought. He didn't want to be beaten but to bow at the feet at someone and literally beg for mercy... the thought and image replaying in his mind nearly made him vomit. He hated this place. He hated that man. He hated his prospective future.

But most of all he hated himself for getting into this mess in the first place.

Xxx

When Fishlegs awoke the next morning, he was relieved to find Hiccup curled up on the other end of the tent. Neither of them knew just how long ago he had arrived but the Hooligan chief had finally succumbed to his exhaustion. Fishlegs almost didn't want to wake him up. Sleeping Hiccup was preferable to surly Hiccup but it wasn't like he would sleep all day. And it was his son, after all, that necessitated the journey in the first place. It wasn't like either of them wanted to be there and they suspected that Finn probably shared their sentiments.

Fishlegs gently prodded Hiccup's relaxed form. He was slightly amused to note that his chief didn't snore, which was a definite rarity on Berk among the men. A low groan emanated from the exhausted man but he stirred and forced himself into an upright position, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely. Fishlegs prayed that both of them had gotten enough sleep because he would need all his energy to keep Hiccup from killing someone and Hiccup needed sleep to keep himself from attacking anyone he saw.

Not having ever lived in a house with Hiccup (and it being over two decades since they had spent the night together), Fishlegs wasn't sure if his friend's silence was an indicator of sleep deprivation. But he appreciated the silence all the same. Both men were completely quiet as they wandered around in search of a village or... really any fellow human being.

As a small village square came into view, Fishlegs began praying fervently that Hiccup would control his temper. He got out a Latin dictionary he'd brought and began flipping the pages. He needed to learn the words for son, slave, red haired, and, of course, a few apologies just in case Hiccup got violent. Those were more important than anything else.

The first person they happened upon was a young woman. Fishlegs took a quick moment to thank the gods for this because Hiccup, hot headed as he might be, would never strike her or slam her against the wall the way he had to some of the others they encountered.

The woman began to babble in her native tongue. Fishlegs put up a hand so he could flip through the book.

"Loquere paulatim." he said shakily. Speak slowly.

The woman obliged. From what Fishlegs could gather, she admired their dragons and their foreign clothes. She also recognized Hiccup thanks to his Night Fury, which they found odd. Hiccup's legacy had extended all the way to Maero? It seemed impossible.

"Ask her if she can tell us where the slave ships docked a few days ago." Hiccup hissed, already beginning to become impatient.

Fishlegs had no idea what he was asking. He fumbled through several pages of translations, knowing he was horribly butchering the words he was saying. However, for some reason, the woman looked delighted.

"Etiam!" she exclaimed. "Et sponsabo te! Dicam igitur de cognatione mea!"

She hurried away before they could say another word. Fishlegs and Hiccup looked at each other.

"You clearly mistranslated." he said flatly before stomping away in search of someone else to interrogate.

Xxx

Finn heard the clicking of the cane long before Ratri appeared from the roadway. The sound vaguely reminded Finn of his father's prosthetic leg, the "step thunk" of his father's gait originally a sound of comfort. Over time it grew to be an irritation because it meant his father was home and it was time to begin the day's daily argument. Ergo, go upstairs and hide in his bedroom, or go find a friend to play with. Now the clicking instilled in him a sense of dread and fear, and what the boy wouldn't give to hear his father's footsteps again. He'd probably cry with relief.

But that wasn't going to happen and he wasn't going to dwell on it. No, he needed to get as many tiles nailed to the roof as possible, and do it as accurately as he could. This was a difficult feat as he'd never been on a roof before, let alone fixed one. His mom would be yelling at him to "come down this instant, Fearless Finn Haddock!" while his father would scramble around for a ladder and scream "don't panic, buddy, I'm coming!" He'd probably proceed to trip over his own feet in his hurry to save his son. And his little sister would be bouncing on the balls of her feet, looking terrified, until he came down safely.

Finn paused when he realized he was smiling at the thought. He slammed the hammer into the roof angrily, willing himself to stop thinking of home and family and hot meals and clothing...

"You better not put hole in my roof! I take my cane to your hide!"

Back facing the old man, Finn rolled his eyes. "Nothing I haven't received yet anyway," he muttered under his breath.

"What you say to me?"

Finn gave the man a genuine smile. "There was a bee!"

Ratri eyed him suspiciously. Finn thought he seemed to be debating on whether or not to throw his cane at the lad, but was figuring out with his very small, peanut-sized brain that he'd have to limp around to fetch it. Or rather Finn would have to retrieve it. The boy mentally sighed; he couldn't win no matter what his mind concocted.

The old man finally huffed. "Come down. Quickly!" Finn scrambled for the top of the ladder, thankful that he wasn't afraid of heights. He never really had been thanks to those early dragon rides with Poppy all those years ago. He was sure his namesake had something to do with it however.

When he stood in front of Ratri with a suspicious, yet submissive gaze, the man scrutinized him for a moment. Then he nodded. "Yes, I think you do just fine there. You learn respect quick or flogged. Understand?"

Finn bit his tongue hard and forced himself to nod and bow low. His mind screamed that he was basically already flogged in this awful place, but to speak so disrespectfully would only give Ratri the reason, and satisfaction, to beat him. However, the prospect of a new workplace gave him hope. If the consequences for mishaps were flogging then it couldn't be a great job, but anywhere other than here with this vile piece of scum was a blessing.

Ratri pulled a long thin chain off his belt and hooked it and a shackle around Finn's right wrist. He then turned toward the road without another word, tugging Finn after him. This was another thing about slavery that he despised: the humiliation of being chained like a common criminal and dragged off to who knows where to do who knows what, and he couldn't even use the outhouse of his own free will. It was degrading beyond comprehension.

He had seen other slaves: big, burly men in their thirties and forties. How long had they been in this madness? Since they were his age? He couldn't imagine being a slave for that long. The Hooligans' young people came of age at 17 and most were married and had a profession by age 25. Finn had been in line to be the next chief, so he only assumed he'd have to pick a wife by his early twenties, get married, have kids, and become chief when his father stepped down. It was tradition, but it was also his duty as heir to the chiefdom.

Now he didn't know what would happen. With only a loincloth on his young frame, a small rag to keep warm at night, and a small cup of water and a few crackers as a meager once-a-day meal, Finn couldn't honestly comprehend where he would be in ten years. Hel, he couldn't see himself in one year, let alone a decade. He still had a lot to learn and a lot to get used to, beatings aside. He had to learn his place in this new world, that much he agreed with Ratri. He had to learn some respect to an extent. It was going to be a challenge to respect those who didn't respect him. To be treated like an animal... less than an animal... gods, how could he ever learn to respect these people who didn't even allow him to preserve his own dignity?

These and other thoughts continued to plague Finn's mind as he was practically dragged through the village. He paid the people no heed, chose to completely ignore the few sympathetic glances he received. Those who pitied him didn't pity him enough to help him in his plight, let alone offer him food or water. They wouldn't step up, so he didn't bother with sad, pitiable looks to get sympathy with the hopes that someone would help. No one crossed a slave owner, especially Ratri. No discussion made, no questions asked. He had learned that one before he was even sold.

Pity. He hated the looks and the hated the humiliation of being the center of attention when circumstances weren't favorable. He wanted to slap the people who managed to catch his eye just for the sake of giving him a single look that meant "I'm sorry for your current predicament; here, have a dash of pity for your trouble. I hope it helps your day shine brighter." Nobody had souls in this land.

At last they got through the village and Ratri led him through the nearby woods. Another ten minute walk and Finn could hear the clinking of metal against rock. Soon the base of the mountains came into view and the boy could see slaves of all shapes, sizes and colors milling about. Some carried heavy buckets full of rocks, some were panning water in a small creek nearby, others were sharpening blades. Almost all of them were male; the only women were panning in the water. Dust clouded the air by horses and donkeys pulling carts filled with capped barrels.

Finn jerked out of his reverie when Ratri yanked on the chain, dragging him forward so hard that he tripped and stumbled onto the ground. Ratri rested his cane on the base of his neck, making his spine tense. He wondered if his blood was caked on the crutch, but he didn't dare move. Moments later a pair of sandaled feet stood before him. Ratri began speaking to him in fast Latin. Finn couldn't understand a word, but he assumed they were talking about him and an agreement. Ratri tapped his back a few times with the cane and Finn heard bits about his uselessness and terrible work ethic at home. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The man standing in front of Finn chuckled deeply and dragged the boy to his feet. The man leered in his face, examining his muscles. He gave him a toothy grin and said something to Ratri, making Finn nearly gag. The stench of stale alcohol reeked on the man's breath and it was all he could do not to throw up on the man's shoes.

Ratri seemed to sigh with relief and, after removing the shackle from the boy's wrist, shoved him forward. "You work hard or they beat you and I beat you. I send Benen to get you at nightfall."

Finn could have sighed with relief; he liked Benen. He was the nicest, sweetest old man the boy had ever met, given his situation. He only wanted to learn more about the man's story; perhaps he could ask more questions if they were alone, away from their master. Finn knew Ratri had bought a new, young slave partially because of Benen's old age. The thought continued to sadden him. The old man worked so hard and so well, yet he was treated like garbage. Finn would have to ask him how he had survived all these years.

The new man grabbed his elbow and yanked him toward the cave entrances. Finn pulled against the hard grip but he only tightened his grip. Finn glanced up at him and decided to take a chance. He tried to bend low as far as he could, difficult while walking. "Sir? I promise I won't run away, as if I could go very far if I tried... could you lighten your grip?"

He was relieved for a split second when the man removed his arm completely, but shell shocked when the hardest slap he had ever experienced erupted across his face. He pulled a hand to his cheek and tried not to cry out at the stinging sensation. He vaguely heard laughing from the harsh workers and even a few fellow slaves. Why would they be laughing? Probably because this was their lot in life, no more. They were used to all this and it was normal; it was life. They had no hope.

The man pulled him close and seethed in his face, "Ye'll speak when spoken to, slave. Now get in dere." The man nearly threw Finn into the cave's entrance. Finn stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance, fingertips brushing the floor in case he fell. He didn't want massive scrapes on his chest and belly on top of everything else. Many men worked tirelessly along the walls of the cave. After staring into the darkness before him, he turned back toward the entrance.

The man stomped forward with a small pickaxe in hand and nearly threw it at Finn. "You will work with Holt here. He is de lead for de slaves in this part of de cave. You answer to him and if you mess up, he turn you in to me. If he does not, he is flogged. If you make mistake enough, you are flogged. If you try to escape-"

"I'll be flogged?" Finn asked boldly, yet sounded innocent.

The man raised a brow, recognizing Ratri's description of disrespect coming from the boy. But he was young and he would learn quickly; for a 7-year-old he was already strong and burly. He would be a good, hard worker. It wouldn't do to beat him senseless before he even started working.

Finn watched the man's mental contemplation with an innocent gaze. He visibly relaxed when the man continued to speak, "Holt will tell you what to do. I leave now." Finn watched the man leave before a rough hand grabbed his shoulder and nearly shoved his nose into a rocky corner. The boy's eyes widened when he saw the glistening rocks peeking out from the stone sediments. Diamonds. This was a mine.

Holt pointed at the pickaxe and at the rock wall, gesturing for him to begin picking. When Finn stared at it for another moment, wondering how he should begin, the man pushed his shoulder. Holt waved his arms at him in annoyance with a low grunt. Finn's brows furrowed and he began picking at the rock slowly. He had no idea what he was doing.

Luckily Holt huffed and pushed him aside. He picked at the rock surrounding the diamond with ease and careful hands. Finn quickly realized that the end goal wasn't just to get the diamond out of the rock, you had to get it out in one piece. Finn was a tough little guy, but he was known for breaking things. Oh boy.

He could only imagine the consequences for breaking expensive rock...

Holt stood back to give him a scrutinizing gaze before pointing at the rock again. After a moment of keeping eye contact with the man, Finn furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth and paused, hoping he wouldn't be hit for speaking. But he decided to take a chance, just be quieter this time around.

"I understand..." he whispered. "But why aren't you speaking? Do they beat you for speaking too?"

Without warning the man opened his jaw as wide as it would go and Finn jumped back with a squeak of fear. The man's tongue was completely gone, only a jagged scar filling the void where the muscle should have been. Finn felt the blood drain from his face. He would never speak out of turn again.

Holt closed his mouth with an audible snap, giving the boy a cold glare that spoke volumes. Don't talk. Do his job. Stay alive. That's all he could do. With another hard push toward the wall, Holt stood and retreated to his own work space without another glance. Finn quickly began picking at the stone with a fervor he hadn't had before, the image of Holt's roomy mouth flashing through his mind. He continually glanced over his shoulder as he worked as if waiting for someone to apprehend him and force his own jaw open. With a sharp shake of his head he attempted to clear his mind. He needed to do this job well in order to protect himself. There really was no telling what would happen to him if he screwed up. He couldn't afford to mouth off here; he couldn't afford to make mistakes here.

He began to wonder if working for Ratri wasn't so bad after all...

Finn chipped away until he finally managed to pull a fist-sized diamond out of the rock. He stared at it in wonder, curious as to how much money was in his hand. But he quickly plunked it into the bucket of other gems beside him. He wouldn't be beaten for thinking about stealing, not that he would anyway. He only wore a loincloth; where exactly would he hide it?

Finn looked toward the mouth of the cave when loud angry shouts could be heard. His jaw dropped when he saw it was nearly sunset. Had he really been in there that long? The angry shouts echoed when the bickering men walked inside, Latin words spewing a mile a minute. Finn tensed when he saw one charge toward him and grab his arm. Finn nearly had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from speaking; he didn't want to get slapped if he could help it.

"Dis one, dis boy es new, ya? He will look for my mine carts!"

"He is new worker! Needs to work!" the other man argued from the cave entrance.

"Excuses! I use him as worker and he continue when finished with me!"

"Argh! FINE! But if I get flogged, you will be flogged with me!" The man at the front stomped back into the sunset, the dust of the earth clouding at his every step. Finn had no time to think before his assailant yanked him toward the bowels of the cave.

"Now you listen to me, boy, there comes a time in a man's life when he needs his three mine carts back! And that time is now!"

Finn bit his lip as he was dragged into the darkness. "P-permission to speak, sir?"

The man growled in annoyance. "What!"

"Erm... Why are they missing?"

"Because people are fools!"

Well that certainly answered his question. Quite the intellectual, this one. "Where will I find them?"

"In the cave, of course! Stupid boy!" The man stopped to light a torch before nearly tossing it into his hands. "You have one hour to find it before we come in after you and you will be flogged for taking too much time. We will beat you until you won't even be recognizable. Yes, you must bring all three mine carts back in that hour. I need them and I will have them, or else! No more questions! GO!" The man romped away before Finn could ask any more questions.

Finn thought, as he stepped into the cave, that perhaps the man was exaggerating when he described his need for his mine carts as a bizarre time in his life... unless, of course, it was like his mother's grouchy weeks once a month. If that was the case, Finn hoped this phase would be one that he would never experience.

The boy wandered through the cave halls, following the tracks and raising the torch over his head so he could see better. A few rats chattered to each other at the offensive light, but scurried away at the human's presence. Finn's stomach rumbled in the darkness, echoing across the walls. It was eerie and cold and dirty inside the cave, the dust swirling from his ankles up toward his face to make him cough. His throat felt parched within minutes and the dust burned his eyes. This was no place for a boy; he sounded like he had been smoking a pipe for years already.

A fork in the cave emerged from the inky shadows before long and he paused. Turning toward the tunnel he was coming from, he chipped a large X to mark his path. He didn't know how big this cave was and didn't want to risk getting lost or depend on his footprints for his sole plan. Who knew if they would last? He wasn't taking any chances. Facing forward again, he chose the right tunnel. Finn huffed when he realized he'd probably been walking a good ten to fifteen minutes. How would he possibly get back to the front in time with three mine carts? If fate was feeling generous today, how would he know which three to grab if he just happened upon a tunnel full of mine carts?

Yes, he was sure to be flogged by nightfall. He didn't exactly know what "flogging" was, but he didn't need to ask questions to understand that it was not a pleasant experience. Or else people wouldn't threaten him so much.

Finn switched arms for holding the torch when he couldn't stand the ache any longer. He saw the curve in the tunnel ahead of him and that's when he saw the gentle hue of the sunset. His eyes spotted a random five-foot-tall space inside the wall a few feet to his left. It wasn't very deep or very tall, but the space stuck out in his mind for some reason. Yet he shrugged and walked faster into the curve. He was stunned to find an exit, the mine tracks continuing on into the lush greenery of the forest.

Finn paused in his tracks. The temptation was great and it was all he could do to not run headlong into the dense forest. He would be free, he would be alone with no more threats hanging over his head... but he wasn't stupid. Freedom like that wouldn't last long and running away surely had its consequences. He'd probably be flogged or have his tongue cut out... or maybe even killed on sight. These and other terrible potential repercussions flew rampantly through his mind until he twisted on his heel and walked resolutely back into the cave. He didn't want to die. Not so brutally at any rate. If Odin would take him, he wanted to go in his sleep. No pain involved. Ironically he used to joke with his friends the petty phrase, "no pain, no gain". He despised the meaning of that phrase now.

Finn found himself back at the fork and instantly walked into the left tunnel, now on his right. It wasn't five minutes before he spotted three mine carts sitting in the middle of the tunnel. He stared at them for a moment in surprise, wondering why in the world they would have been left there. With a shrug of indifference, he walked toward the furthest cart and gave it a hefty shove. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to push each cart back to the surface one by one. Fate was blessing him in that moment when the carts merely gave a rusty screech of indignation when the wheels turned, shooting high-pitch reverberations through the tunnel halls. Finn's arm hair stood on end at the noise, like nails on a chalkboard, yet was pleased to note that all three carts were moving. He set the torch in a notch on the mine cart and kept pushing. Within another five minutes he had pushed the trio of carts back toward the entrance, the owner already standing there awaiting his arrival with crossed arms.

Finn smiled at him triumphantly, yet the man merely pushed him aside. "Took you long enough. You barely made it on time." Finn quickly recovered from the scowl that jumped to his voice, but thankfully the man didn't notice. He looked down at him and waved him out toward the cave entrance. "Your fellow slave is waiting outside for you. Go before I change my mind and flog you anyway."

Finn nodded and bowed low before retreating toward the cave entrance. He purposefully avoided anyone big and strong, careful to protect himself from anyone who would hurt him on purpose. His face nearly lit up when he saw Benen standing with folded hands by the tree line. The elderly man waved him forward with quick movements and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder when he stood before him.

Benen gave him a patient smile and clicked his tongue. "Immunditiam." Dirty.

Finn sighed heavily. "Don't I know it."

Benen chuckled and pulled him into his side, arm draped over his shoulders as they walked back to Ratri's house. Benen didn't seem to be in any particular hurry, though they didn't dilly dally. Ratri would be furious if they took too long to get back, but the elderly man seemed to enjoy the evening stroll as he stared up at the twinkling stars. Finn also enjoyed the beautiful sight at the now purple sky, thinking of his sister and her love of the color. He even remembered the days when he would dream of flying above the clouds to touch the sky. But those dreams were only memories, and he couldn't take the silence for much longer.

"Do you speak Norse?" he blurted out.

Benen cast him a warning sidelong glance, but nodded. "Yes." his voice was a little hoarse and thin, but held some strength. "Mostly Latin."

"How long have you been..." Finn paused.

"A slave?" Benen finished quietly. "Nigh on forty years now."

"Forty?!" Finn exclaimed.

Benen grasped Finn's shoulder and pulled him closer. "Hush boy. Slaves are not supposed to speak. Best to remain silent." Finn nodded in apology. He listened to the crickets and frogs chirping in a nearby pond while waving away the irritating mosquitoes plaguing them. He really didn't want mosquito bites on top of his other injuries.

"My village was raided when I was eighteen." Benen interrupted the silence with a calm, collected voice. Finn listened to his story with interest. "The harvest would begin within a fortnight. I was to be married the following spring to my lovely Aida." Benen sighed. "I was brought here and bought by Ratri all those years ago. I never saw my bride or my home again."

"What..." Finn gasped, stopping in his tracks. Benen released his shoulders and faced him. "You've been here... Seriously, you have been here for forty years?" Benen nodded and anger boiled in Finn's chest. "But... that's not fair! Why haven't they let you go? After all this time, I've seen how hard you work! You should be free by now-"

"No, lad." Benen gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His blue eyes burned into his own, yet shown with kindness and compassion. "I understand your thoughts and feelings. Odin knows I have felt them my whole life. But I am alive. Why should I question or ask for more than I have?"

"Because you deserve better." Finn clenched his fist at his sides. "You were stripped from your home, I-" he faltered and looked at the dirt. "I ran away. I hated my home and my family, so I left. And now I can never go back." Finn looked him in the eye again. "I hate it here more than anything, but at least I put myself here so I have to cope with my screw ups. But you, you should be free! You don't deserve to be here, Benen!"

Benen smiled at the boy's maturity, knowing full well he didn't understand the implications of his own words. He was a good, strong lad. He had a fire and a passion inside that refused to die. He admired that. "Sometimes we don't understand why things happen the way they do. Things don't always make sense. If they did, where would be the adventure? The surprise? The redemption from mistakes made?"

Finn scowled at the scabs covering his body. "This isn't the adventure I originally hoped for..."

Benen chuckled. "Me neither. This wasn't the life I wanted, not by a long shot. Do I still dream of my beautiful fiancée, who surely moved on and married another man? Of course I do. But I still treasure every memory of her that I have. Every good time, every hard time, every single moment. Even though it has hurt over the years, I don't regret it. It isn't pleasant where I have been all my life and the things that have happened to me. But I cannot look at my life and say it was a waste. I have learned through many a trial to let go of the past and live for the moment as I only can." The elderly man raised Finn's chin to regain eye contact. "Laborandum, bene vivere." Work hard, live well.

Finn sighed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "It's so hard..."

"I know lad. I am sorry you are here. But while you still have me, learn from me. I've still got some time left in these old bones. Don't give up yet and don't despair. You will learn quickly." Benen smiled and pulled him back into their walk. "Now, we must walk quickly if we are to arrive home soon."

"Home," Finn scoffed. "Such a different look than what I'm used to."

Benen nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it."

Finn paused, unsure if he should indulge the thoughts. But Benen recognized that he was a chatty boy by nature with a fiery personality, just like his mother. He wouldn't be allowed to speak again for a very long time, so best get it all out now. Or as much as possible anyway. He was sure Benen wanted to know more about his new "co-worker" besides. He launched into a long tale of his old home; he told Benen of Berk and his father's work since he was a teenager with establishing dragons as equals and friends. He told him of his father's status as chief and how he was supposed to take over one day. He told Benen about his beautiful mother who he missed dearly. He even told Benen about his annoying twin sister, though he refrained from telling him all the annoying parts. He had to admit that he truly missed her too. He spoke of his parents' dragons and Gobber and some of his friends that he played with. He talked about the things he liked to do and the training he had been working on. He talked about anything and everything that came to mind.

He was sad when Ratri's house at last came into view. Finn finally grew silent as the memories faded and reality washed upon him. A small distance away from the house, Benen pulled Finn to a short stop and rested his hands on his shoulders. "Berk sounds like a lovely home. I pray you will see it again someday, and your family."

Finn shrugged. "I doubt it."

"Now don't go making assumptions. There is always hope."

"You've been here for forty years, Benen. Is there hope for you too?"

"If I have to wait fifty years to be free and I am going on year forty-two, wouldn't it be worth the wait?" Benen asked. Finn was speechless; how could the man honestly be so optimistic? He hoped one day he too could be like that.

Benen smiled and gave him a short hug. Finn appreciated the gesture very much and was thankful he had this time to talk. He did feel a little better after talking about home and knowing that Benen now knew his past. If there was one thing he could be thankful for, it was meeting Benen. Somehow he realized he wouldn't want give up this new friendship for the world.

If only he could see how truly thankful Benen was for this passionate little boy who had been so suddenly dropped into his lonely life.

Xxx

Adrianna returned to the village at dusk with a smile on her face. In simply one day, she had figured out how to read. It appeared that all the word lists and reading lessons had helped quite a bit more than she'd realized. But shooting at words was fun and she was getting much better the more she practiced. Gobber had told her, toward the end of the lesson, that she was almost ready for flaming arrows. This thought excited her immensely. She had never felt so accomplished.

As she said goodbye to Gobber and headed to the Larsons', she found her mother sitting on their front steps. She was accompanied by Ruffnut, who was holding on to a strap attached to Bosley's shirt to keep the toddler from staying too far. At first, Adrianna had been appalled that Ruffnut and Fishlegs used a leash for their young son but after the boy had run off and nearly gotten himself killed on multiple occasions, she was glad that they did. Bosley grinned when he saw her. He liked the blonde girl who sometimes gave him little sweets. She grinned back.

"Anna, I wanted to talk to you." Astrid said by way of a greeting. Adrianna stopped walking and gave her mother a suspicious gaze. "You're not in trouble. I just have some things I wanted to tell you. Can we take you to Poppy's old house to talk?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding. Ruffnut scooped up her little son and followed the mother and daughter from a distance. She wasn't interested in listening in on their conversation (seeing as it would probably be about feelings and she didn't like listening to people talk about those) but, as Horst had said, Astrid couldn't be trusted alone with her daughter. When the female Haddocks entered the house, she remained outside so she could work on mending some of her family's clothes. With five children, there was always a lot of mending to do.

Astrid beckoned to Stormfly and pointed to the fire pit, which still had some logs from the last fire a visitor had set. The dragon lit it and then lay down next to it, enjoying its warmth. She peered at the blonde humans as they sat in silence for a while, watching the fire rage on. Adrianna liked how people looked when a fire was the only source of light. It was a bit eerie but it was a good kind of eerie.

"Anna," Astrid began with a sigh. "I am so sorry."

Adrianna's head snapped up and she stared at her mother. Astrid gently placed an arm around the girl's shoulders and was deeply thankful that she didn't flinch.

"I was being stubborn. I shouldn't have made you read all those lists. I shouldn't have turned you away when you wanted to come with Finn and me." Astrid squeezed her daughter's shoulder. There was no way she could ever apologize for every way she had hurt her little girl but she was determined to try. "I should have tried to spend more time with you. And ask what you wanted to do instead of insisting on doing things my way. And Anna?" she waited until she was staring into a pair of piercing green eyes whose resemblance to Hiccup's just about broke her heart again. "I am so sorry that I slapped you."

Adrianna paused for a moment, allowing all of this to sink in. There was a question laying heavily on her mind, one that she never would have dared ask her mother before. But if Astrid was truly sorry, it was worth the risk.

"Why don't you love me as much as Finn?" she asked timidly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Astrid's heart broke for a completely different reason. She could feel her eyes begin to sting but several blinks pushed down the feeling.

"I don't love Finn more than you." she said, her voice steady but her arm shaking slightly. "But I wanted to spend more time with him because he's more like me. Kind of like you're more like your dad." Except now, Astrid thought, but she wasn't about to say that out loud. "In fact... I know you love your dad more than you love me."

Adrianna's eyes widened. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed, sounding quite adamant. "I love you very much. But you didn't want to spend time with me. And I didn't want to make you."

This had sufficiently weakened Astrid's defenses. She felt as if her broken heart squeezed a tidal wave of tears out of her eyes. And she wasn't about to stop them now. She heard a short gasp come from her daughter and moments later, she felt the girl's gentle touch as she tried to wipe away the offending tears.

"Please don't cry, mommy." she said, now sounding quite distraught. "I'm sorry I said that. I shouldn't have said that."

"No." Astrid sniffled a few more times, pulling her daughter in closer. "No, you were right. And you shouldn't apologize for telling me how you feel."

"So... why are you crying?"

Astrid took a deep breath before answering. "Because I love you. And I hurt you. And I didn't know how much I'd hurt you until now." she wiped her eyes. "I know what it feels like to want to be loved by someone and never getting it. I just never thought I was doing that to you."

"But you don't have to cry." Adrianna placed a hand on her mother's chin and turned her face so that they were looking at each other. The vivid green hue made Astrid's heart twinge once more. "I forgive you. Besides, I wasn't being very nice either."

Astrid breathed a laugh, helping her daughter wipe the tears off her face. "I think we both messed up. And we owe it to each other to try again."

"Okay." Adrianna nodded. "How?"

Thankfully, the tears finally stopped pouring out of Astrid's eyes so her mind was slightly clearer. "How does your dad make you feel special?" she hated talking about Hiccup but it was a legitimate query.

The girl shrugged. "He just does. But I don't want you to do the same things he does. Because that's daddy. And you're not daddy."

"No." Astrid said, pushing down the bitter feelings threatening to surface. "No, I'm not."

There was a long silence. Mother and daughter watched the fire for a while, occasionally glancing at Stormfly, who was lying on her back and thoroughly enjoying it.

"You don't call me something special." Adrianna said quietly, almost under her breath. "I like how daddy calls me something different from what other people call me. It's like how only Finn and me call you mommy. Because you're only mommy to us."

"Oh." Astrid sighed. "Your daddy's been calling you Addie since you were a baby."

"You don't have to call me something special." Adrianna shook her head. "Never mind."

"No." Astrid placed her head on top of her daughter's. "You're right... Adri."

She didn't see the glimmer of delight in her little girl's eyes but she didn't have to. She could tell that she had made some definite progress. And now that she said the nickname aloud, she liked it much better than Anna. How come she hadn't used it before?

"How about we do something tomorrow? Just you and me." Astrid suggested after some more silence.

"No word lists?" Adrianna asked.

At first, Astrid felt the familiar pang of guilt... but then she realized her daughter was making a joke. Adrianna was funny. She'd never even noticed but now that she thought about it, she could recall several incidents in which her little girl had made a quip and she'd told her to be quiet. And now she was thinking about it, was Adrianna the only person who had been able to make Hiccup laugh over the last few months? Her and Toothless must have been the only good things in his life at the time.

"No." Astrid smiled after a pause to collect her thoughts. "No word lists."

Xxx

Yet again, Fishlegs had the unfortunate job of yanking Hiccup off of the men he interrogated and apologize to them. It had taken them the entire day but they had finally been told that a little boy with red hair had, in fact, been bought. But no one would tell them by whom. So it was all Fishlegs could do to keep the villagers alive and Hiccup from killing another person. He'd be impossible to deal with if he did.

It took them most of the day to track down someone who knew the man who had bought Finn. Fishlegs thanked every god he could think of that the person who was providing this information was a woman.

"Name is Ratri." she said in a thick accent. "Live on other end of island. Down path next to house there. Is cruel man. Will not sell."

"I'll take my chances." Hiccup growled, turning on his heel and marching down the path to which the woman referred.

"Thank you." Fishlegs said kindly, keeping an eye on Hiccup's retreating back.

"He look like Zebah. He was good man. They family?" the woman asked.

Zebah... that name sounded vaguely familiar... "No." Fishlegs replied. "I've never heard of him."

"He was good man. If you find, send home." the woman said before turning and walking away.

Fishlegs didn't have time to ponder this information before hurrying after his friend. Thoughts of this mystery man would have to wait.

Xxx

Either Adrianna was a genius or she had learned to read long ago but refused to do so out of defiance. Whatever the reason, Astrid was happy that her daughter was reading now. She was still a bit behind her peers but at least now she stood a chance of catching up. The mother was thankful that she and her daughter had made amends. In fact, they were so affectionate that Ruffnut decided she was sick of them and went home. Astrid and Adrianna went home hand in hand. Their problems weren't quite over yet but they were certainly making progress.

Astrid quite glad she'd thought of picking up some books from the records building before meeting with her daughter. She'd found a story about dragons that looked promising and had been curious about a book on traveling performers. Adrianna chose the book on performers and was enthusiastic to read it out loud to her mother.

"And then," she read slowly, making sure she dictated each word clearly, "they were joined by the es... esc... es-ca..."

"Let me see." Astrid said, bending over and looking over her daughter's shoulder. "Escapologist."

The girl suddenly dropped the book. "Escapologist?" she repeated, her voice rising almost fearfully. Her eyes were wide with terror. Her hands were shaking. Her heart began to drum against her ribs. "I d-don't want to r-read this book."

"Adri-"

"NO!" the girl suddenly shrieked, lifting the book and throwing it across the room. "I won't read it! Don't make me read it!"

"What's the matter?" Astrid got on her knees in front of her daughter. "Adri, tell me what's the matter."

Adrianna shut her eyes tight and shook her head profusely. She hugged her knees in front of her body and buried her face into them. It was as if Astrid wasn't there at all.

Astrid's heart pounded so hard, it almost hurt to breathe. Her daughter was having an... an episode of sorts, the likes of which she hadn't seen in years. Adrianna acted a lot like this in the months after what happened with Trista but these little moments had stopped coming... hadn't they? What had brought it on now? What did the word 'escapologist' have to do with anything? The girl had never even seen an escapologist perform so how could she be reacting so strongly to the mere mention of the profession?

"Adri, please look at me. What's wrong?" Astrid grasped her daughter's shoulders, wishing more than ever that Hiccup was there. "Talk to me!"

Good gods, was this what Hiccup was referring to when he told her their daughter still had nightmares? Why hadn't she listened? Why had she ever ignored her little girl?

"ADRI!" she shouted, shaking her shoulders.

Adrianna's head slowly lifted, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Daddy?"

"It's me." Astrid whispered, gently brushing the girl's bangs from her face.

Adrianna looked around the room for a moment as she appeared to return to reality. She looked at her mother for a few seconds.

"I want to go to bed." she said in a dead sort of voice, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"But we were read-"

"I'm want to go to bed." the girl repeated, this time sounding slightly firmer.

Astrid opened her mouth but no sound came out. What could she say? Was she allowed to ask what had upset her daughter? Would something trigger another flashback? Hiccup would know. But he wasn't there, of course. Never was there when he was needed, it seemed. Astrid pushed down these angry feelings and focused on her daughter.

"Okay." she muttered, afraid of speaking at normal volume for fear that she would upset her child. "Do you need me to-"

"I want to be alone." Adrianna interrupted.

Astrid nodded and watched as her little girl climbed the staircase and disappeared from view. She turned back to the book, almost afraid of what she would find. But a quick read through left her just as confused as before. It was a simple story about a group of performers who decided to do their own thing until the big performance, when they realized they needed to rely on each other. A simple tale with a happy ending. Absolutely nothing frightening at all.

So why had Adrianna reacted the way she had? Astrid sighed deeply. She really hated to admit it but she needed her husband. Even the angry shell of her husband would do. Someone who had any insight whatsoever. She briefly thought of going to see Erick but she didn't want to leave her daughter alone. Her daughter who was still suffering. Her daughter whose pain could have been prevented if, perhaps, she'd had a more supportive mother...

Never in her life had Astrid had never felt like more of a failure. But now she knew where she had gone wrong, perhaps she could begin to turn things around. Perhaps she could still be the mother her daughter needed.

She looked up prayed to the gods that it wasn't too late.