Hostage AU

Close Only Counts in Axes

It was cold, and wet. The sea spray flew up from where the bow met the water and gently struck the faces of Chief Stoick the Vast and his wife, Valka of the White Arms. Valka leaned against Stoick, who had his arms wrapped around her. "Stoick, what do you think he's like? Is he big and strong, like you, or thin and willowy like me? Is he smart? What color is his hair? I-I just want to KNOW him!"

Stoick sighed softly. "I can't bring myself to care how he looks or acts. I missed his childhood. I never taught him to wield an axe, carry a shield, be a leader! I never saw him play Bashyball, play, make friends! He was deprived of everything! I want to know him." Valka smiled softly. "Well, it's unlikely Alvin let him do any of that. The fact is, we still have a chance. It's slim, but there's always hope! We could see him get married, become chief! We still have time! All we need to do is save him from Alvin, and we'll have our chance! We can be his parents!"

Stoick's eyes showed a tiny bit of hope. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out. They had to.

---

Hiccup's arms ached. They had been pulled tight and kept there. After Hiccup had found a pin and nearly picked the locks with his teeth, Savage had put the wooden ring back around his neck and chained it to the floor. The sun beat down on Hiccup, burning every exposed part of his body. Hiccup usually cursed the lack of sunshine, but now he blessed it. If the sun had been any hotter, Hiccup's fair skin would have been burned much worse.

Hiccup's throat burned and his stomach growled. Savage had given him water, but he had forced Hiccup to lick it out of a bucket, like an animal. After a few licks, Savage had thrown the rest of the water on Hiccup. Then the same exact procedure was repeated with a thin, tasteless soup. The water and soup had since dried, but the treatment was degrading. He could only hope that Astrid had made it back to Berk.

"Hey, boy, you've got a visitor! Your father's here!" It was Savage. Again. Wait- his FATHER?! "W-what?" Hiccup only managed to croak out one syllable before his voice gave out. Savage smiled evilly. "Give 'em the drugged water. It'll keep him calm and sedated. We wouldn't want any more escape attempts!" Hiccup had no choice but to drink the water. It had been two days without water. He would die soon without it, drugged or not.

As soon as Hiccup drained the cup of water that was shoved against his cracked lips, he felt sluggish, exhausted. He was barely able to stumble along where Savage shoved him. The chains weighed on him, impossibly heavy. Hiccup couldn't seem to force words past his lips, or move his heavy limbs much. His mind seemed to slow down. It bothered Hiccup. He had prided himself on his quick and clever mind, which had gotten him out of many scrapes. Not being able to think made him feel helpless, almost blind.

Hiccup was pushed down in front of Alvin's wooden throne. Hiccup recognized this place. It was the Great Hall. Hiccup used to serve Alvin here, until he nearly escaped when he was eight. Hiccup had been confined to Alvin's house after that.

As Hiccup knelt, chained beside Alvin's throne, his thoughts quickened. His limbs became less heavy, he could move. Hiccup stayed limp and still, hoping Alvin would be fooled into thinking the drug was still working. Hiccup tensed a bit, then forced himself to relax as he heard Alvin's voice come closer behind him. "Has the drug worn off? It works differently for each person. The boy is smart, he could have regained his mental faculties by now." It was Alvin. "No, sir. We're certain he's still drugged. He's completely at your mercy!" That's what you think! Hiccup smirked to himself. Fools. It wasn't as if Hiccup could move anyway, with all the restraints...

The huge double doors opened. In strode a huge, red haired man with a massive beard. He looked every inch a chief. That was most likely his father. On his father's right, a blonde man with a bristly mustache, a peg leg, and a hook for a hand hobbled beside him. That had to be Gobber, the village blacksmith and right hand man to the chief. On his father's left was... His Mother. She was beautiful, slim and tall, with long brown hair and piercing green eyes. Walking behind them was Astrid! Astrid! She was supposed to be safe on Berk!

Hiccup's thoughts were interrupted as Alvin stood up and said, "Hello, Stoick! Are you going to agree to my demands?" The man in the center glared angrily at Alvin. "Fine, but I want to see my son!"

Alvin smirked. This was the big moment! "Oh, Stoick, he's already here! A bit quieter than usual, but here!" He walked over to Hiccup and grabbed his chin, forcing his head up. Hiccup fought to keep his face neutral and his body limp. He was supposed to be drugged.

Stoick looked aghast. "What did you do to him, Alvin?" Hiccup supposed he looked a bit beat. Being kept imprisoned as he had did take its toll. "Oh, nothing. Your son's fine, but we've had a few... Discipline issues. He's also drugged because of the sheer amount of escaping he does! I tell ya, Stoick, it takes me almost as many resources to keep him as it does to fight you!" Alvin, quick as thought, reared back and slapped Hiccup. Hiccup forced himself with some difficulty to take the hit and slump sideways.

Alvin let him drop sideways to the ground. He turned to the delegation of Berkians. Valka looked ready to take an axe to Alvin's head. Astrid was fingering the spot on her back where her axe normally was.

As Alvin spoke heatedly with Stoick, Hiccup pushed himself up on his elbows. Only Astrid noticed, so Hiccup immediately put a finger to his lips, motioning for Astrid to be silent. Astrid clamped her mouth shut and pretended she was listening to Alvin while she kept an eye on Hiccup.

Hiccup took the pin he had tried to pick the locks with earlier and within a minute had unlocked himself. The adults were still arguing. Hiccup crouched and got ready. As Alvin took a small step forward, Hiccup ran. He shot past Alvin, towards his parents. So close...

Hiccup was grabbed from behind by Savage. How had he forgotten about Savage??? The man had a way of blending in with the shadows, like a malevolent bat. "Oh, Hiccup, you clever, clever boy! Now to teach you common sense!" Alvin said this as he walked towards where Savage held a struggling Hiccup. The Berkians surged forward, without weapons, desperate to save Hiccup. They skidded to a halt as Alvin almost delicately placed a knife at Hiccup's throat. "You really thought you could get away that easily?"

Hiccup shrugged as best he could in Savage's iron hold. "Well, it was worth a shot. I was close."

Alvin smirked. "Close is only good enough when you're wielding an axe, boy." Alvin's hand came back, and it exploded against the boy's temple, knocking him out instantly.

Hiccup's friends and family had no choice but to watch in horror. Their job just got a lot harder.

A/N: Whew! That was crazy hard to write! Took me an entire hour and twenty minutes! So, this story is officially the most viewed, after Twinsanity and King of the Wilderwest. Yay! I don't want to beg for followers or comments, but I love them, so... Yeah. Bye! DragonQueen3 out!