Darkling Island

Part Three: Dawn

Three: Dawn

Hiccup felt the blow cut across his scored shoulders, the chains on his ankles and wrists clinking as he was forced forward by the Berserker guards. His rags didn't hide the wounds on his body or offer any protection against the icy wind. He was forced to limp up the slope of the village, seeing houses burning and bodies sprawled outside their homes, eyes staring into the orange night. Berk was on fire and the Berserkers were in charge.

"Brother!" the crazed voice of Dagur called and he stiffened but a brutal clout across the head dropped him to his knees and he was bodily dragged up to face the escaped Berserker. "I see you finally arrived. Shame you've missed all the fun!" Hiccup was hauled to his feet and forced forward-to see bodies lying on the ground in the plaza. His breath hitched and he felt the bottom drop out of his world.

Sprawled, dead, were Gobber, Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs...and Astrid. He began to hyperventilate and blinked hard. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm so sorry. Astrid...I wasn't good enough...I couldn't stop him..."

"Don't you fret, brother," Dagur said, coming up, his double-headed axe bloody and face smeared with dirt and blood. He gave a vicious smile at Hiccup and grabbed the young Viking's face. "You'll get your reward." Hiccup frowned.

"W-what?" he gasped, his voice hoarse. Dagur smiled as a huge shape wrapped in chains was manhandled down the slope and forced to his knees. Stoick scowled at Dagur and lifted his chin proudly.

"I will never surrender!" he said proudly. Dagur leaned forward and laughed at him.

"Doesn't matter, Stoick!" he sneered. "There is nothing to surrender. The village is destroyed and everyone is dead-except you...and him." He gestured to the ragged, beaten shape of his son. "He is the reason why I have come. The reason why I gathered my allies, why I survived the tortures in Alvin's prison, why I am here today destroying every last Hooligan. I am going to kill you, Stoick-because your pathetic boy couldn't stop me. And then, he will spend the rest of his life as my slave, serving my every whim and spending every waking hour in the knowledge that his weakness, his naiveté, his stupidity killed you all!" And he lifted his axe.

"Son?" Stoick asked, his eyes confused.

"Dad-I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Hiccup whimpered. "Oh gods, please spare him-take me instead..."

But the axe fell and Stoick slumped, lifeless. Hiccup dropped to his knees sobbing. Dagur grabbed his hair and stared down into the eyes where something had broken, where the life had finally extinguished...

"Let me die," Hiccup whimpered.

"No," Dagur breathed. "I will never let you go..."

oOo

The twins almost tripped over Barf'n'Belch which was their first clue that they were in the clearing. The fog was still all-enclosing, the clammy grasp making them shiver. But they made enough noise to wake their very sleepy dragon and once he was moving, they started to rouse the others. They were very drowsy-almost as if they had been drugged-but none of them could resist concentrated Twins for very long and finally, the dragons were all upright-and very grumpy.

"It's like this," Tuffnut began, sitting securely on his saddle on Belch's neck. "The others are in trouble. And we can't find them. We though maybe you could find Hiccup, T..." Toothless made a grumbling noise and yawned.

"Yeah-we would if we could!" Ruff offered from Barf's neck. "But this fog is weird and everyone else is screaming so we thought we needed your help. We would say Hiccup's help-obviously-but he's missing so we need him." Toothless shook his head. He could sense something was wrong as well: he felt an almost overwhelming weariness that had come on as they had closed on the island. He had no idea how long they had been asleep but the bright sunny day had turned to this foggy gloom. And Toothless could smell a strange dragon...