Hostage AU

Memories

His wrists were raw. The unpadded metal rubbed sores into Hiccup's skin. Hiccup woke up back in the pit. He felt oddly at peace, even with the events of yesterday. It wasn't the drugged kind of peace, either. Savage lowered himself into the pit. He had a wooden cup with him, and some food.

Hiccup rasped out, "I won't drink that. I'm not going to be drugged again." Savage scowled at Hiccup's lack of cooperation. "You don't have a choice. Your parents want you to be present at negotiations, and Alvin won't let you be there unless you're sedated."

Hiccup hesitated. His parents WANTED to be around him? Why? He had to find out. Hiccup glared at Savage. "Fine." Savage grinned in triumph. "You used to be so much easier to deal with. Why do you now insist on doing everything the hard way?" Hiccup shot Savage a look of pure hatred. "I got a taste of freedom."

---

Hiccup was once again dragged, sluggish, into the Great Hall. The Berkians were already there. Astrid looked relieved, his mother looked concerned. Gobber was busy making sure Stoick didn't charge Alvin. Stoick looked angry. It was a different kind of anger than Alvin's, though. Alvin's anger is greedy, sinister. Stoick's anger is for the good of others. Hiccup had only ever seen Alvin's type of anger on Outcast Island. Astrid had looked like Stoick when she was angry. Maybe all Berkians were like that?

Alvin was speaking. "Hiccup, we won't have any more... incidents, will we? Savage, is he drugged properly this time?" Savage smiled. "Yes, this time he's not faking."

"Good. Now, where were we..." The negotiations were tedious. It was about things like food and supplies, and they kept going back and forth. If Alvin got frustrated, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and started sharpening it with a whetstone. He just looked pointedly at Hiccup, and Stoick would immediately become much more cooperative.

Hiccup hated feeling trapped inside himself. He wanted to move, to speak! He didn't want to have to kneel there in a drugged stupor. Savage kept his foot on the back of Hiccup's leg, forcing him to stay in a kneeling position. It wasn't as if Hiccup could move- or could he? The drug was wearing off again. Finally! Hiccup fluttered his fingers at his side, revelling in their mobility. Unfortunately, Savage noticed Hiccup's fingers. "Sir! The drug's wearing off! The boy can move!" No! Why was he so stupid? He should have stayed stock still! "Put him back in his cell. I'll have a session with him tomorrow, to discipline what happened yesterday. His mother looked panicked. "No! Please, let him stay!" Alvin whipped around at her and snarled, "shut up! He's going!"

Savage began dragging Hiccup away. Hiccup struggled as best he could, but was making no progress. "Help" was all he could manage to get past his dry, cracked lips. He looked pleadingly at his parents, begging them to do something, anything. He knew what Alvin meant by a session, and it wasn't good. Stoick got into a shouting match with Alvin, but accomplishing nothing. There was no use struggling. Escape was impossible. Hiccup was pulled back into the underground tunnels, back to his gods-forsaken cell.

---

That night, Hiccup sat there. He was thinking. What had happened to Toothless? Was his dragon (yes, Hiccup already knew he was meant to ride the night fury) okay? He hoped so. He liked Toothless. Toothless had agreed to help Hiccup, even though they had only known each other for a few hours.

Hiccup was broken out of his reverie by the sight of two people jumping down into the cell. Hiccup shrank back in fear. "W-who?" Was all he could croak out of his aching throat. "It's us... Son." Hiccup's eyes widened as the two shapes moved forward and began unshackling him. He recognized his father, along with Gobber. They helped him to his feet. "Do you need help?" Whispered Hiccup's father. "No, I'll be fine." A girl with an axe peeked over the rim of the pit. It was Astrid. "Come on! Hurry! We can talk when we get to the ship!"