How To Break A Dragon's Hero

Chapter 20: Astrid

I was packing up everything I needed to go look for Hiccup when Valka walked over to me. "What's all this?" She asked.

I sighed. "I have to go look for him again," I said. "What if you're right and he lost somewhere on an island, being hunted by wild dragons or worse?"

Valka sighed. "I guess you're an adult." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck."

I smiled. "Thanks, mom."

"You should probably dress as an outcast again. You have no idea who you'll bump into."

I nodded and ran into the house to get my outcast disguise together. It took me ten minutes to get it all on, then I smeared some mud on my face as I walked to Stormfly. "You ready, girl?" I asked her.

She squawked at me a yes and I jumped on. Valka walked over to me once again. "Being him home."

I smiled. "I will."

~

As I landed on the third island I'd checked today, I knew something wasn't right. I told Stormfly to hide. She obeyed and right after she hid, an outcast came out of nowhere. "Hey!" he shouted. "Who goes there?"

I decided to go for the ol' pretend to know what your doing routine. "I should ask you the same question," I said, crossing my arms. My ax was close enough in case I had to use it.

"I asked you first," the outcast called out.

"Fine," I said. "I'm just surprised you don't recognise me."

"And why would I?" the man asked.

"Because I'm in your tribe!" I said.

"There's hundreds of outcasts," the man said. "How am I suppose to know all of them?"

That was just the answer I needed. "I'm... Barb the Barbaric."

The man nodded. "I'm Bert the Fierce. I think you've heard of me."

"Of course," I said. I started to walk over to him. "Um, are you scouting this island today?" I asked.

The man, Bert, nodded. "Yes."

"And, um, what are you searching for exactly?" I asked.

"We heard that those Berk scum are trying to sneak in and steal there little chief back."

I laughed nervously. "Um, have you found them?"

The viking shook his head. "We haven't seen them actually, but a few nights ago we spotted some dragons that where confirmed they where there's. They had saddles and everything."

"Oh," I said quietly. So they did know we where there.

"Hey, what are you doing on this island anyway?" The man asked.

"Hmm?" I said. "Well... training."

"There's training on the island."

"Oh...well," I struggles to find an answer. "There's less distraction here."

The man nodded. "I guess so."

"Now if you'll excuse me," I said. "I've got some training to do."

The man nodded. "Okay," he turned to leave. "Oh! And give a holler if you see any of those pesky kids!"

"I will."

As soon as he was out of sight, I ran back to Stormfly. "I don't think Hiccup's escaped," I said to her, quietly. "We have to go bacl to outcast island and see if we can find him again."

~

I left Stormfly in a different cave then last time. "Now don't make a single noise, Stormfly," I told her. "You get discovered and were all dead. Got it?"

She squawked at me once then curled up into a ball. "Good girl." Then I walked ut if the cave.

Here goes nothing.
~

I didn't even try the prison. I knew that Hiccup wouldn't be there. Was there another place that outcasts kept prisoners?

I felt strange, standing out in the open when it was still light out. What if someone recognised me? I couldn't let that happen. My ax was just in reach incase anything happened.

I walked around for a few hours, not really getting anywhere. No clues, no nothing! If Hiccup had escaped, there would be talk about it.

I couldn't help hiding when I saw Alvin. There was a house that I slipped behind as he was coming. My hand immediately went to my ax, just incase.

"-think he's wearing down." I heard Alvin saying.

"You know he's just a boy," the man said that he was walking with. "You can't keep on torturing him like this-"

"He's stronger then he looks," Alvin said. "But right now I've worn him down to cooperating. He's making weapons for us as we speak."

"And he's not staying at the prison. Why?"

"I need to kept a close eye on him. If any of his little friends try to help, he'll slip through my fingers once again!"

"How long before you kill him?" the man asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Alvin said. "Either when he's broken or just thinking things are getting better. It depends how I'm feeling."

Their voices started to fade. "So how many lashes did he take before he cried for mercy, again?"

"About three," Alvin said with a laugh. "But he lasted through the minute..."

The voices faded all the way. I pressed my hand to my mouth. He's alive! But how dare Alvin use that terrible whip on Hiccup! All the more reason I had to find him. Where was he? Making weapons? I had to find the forge.

I looked around the island but nothing looked anything close to a forge to me. I randomly picked up a basket. The lid was on and it was empty, but I knew anyone else would take me as a young outcast woman doing the laundry.

I decided to try and find the forge.

It wasn't that hard. I found a building that was actually more like a cave. I heard the sound the metal being hammered and could smell the smoke. I peaked around the corner of the entrance to find three outcast guards with there weapons pointed and there backs to me. I leaned as far as I dared.

Sitting on a stool, a pencil in hand with a ton of scrap metal in front of him was Hiccup.

He'd never looked so handom. Well, despite the fact that his clothes where torn, I could see the bags under his eyes from here, I could see bruses and cuts everywhere and since his back was partialy turned to me, I saw it was all torn up. I suspected a whip. I put a hand to my mouth to keep from gasping out loud.

It took all my willpower not to draw my ax, cut down the guards and take that horrible chain off from around his neck and bring him home to Berk. But I couldn't. If I saved Hiccup, it would start a war between the two tribes. I could tell Hiccup knew that. Maybe that's why he hadn't escaped yet. I really wished Toothless was here. He'd be able to take down the outcasts with one flick of his tail. I mean, he was the alpha now. But ever since Hiccup went missing, he'd given up on his duties. And besides, he can't fly to Outcast island on his own. And the other dragons where still helping clean up after the raids.

Hiccup didn't seem to notice me. I saw a certain light flicker in his eyes. Like it did when he had an idea that would ruin everything. Or at least slow things down. He furiously sketched something down on his paper.

"Keep it up, Dragon Boy," I muttered.