How To Break A Dragon's Hero

Chapter 12: Hiccup

I opened my eyes to the familiar darkness of my cell. There was a person standing over me. I couldn't see there face, but I guessed it was an Outcast. I tried to move away, but the person put there hand on my back. I let out a yelp and winced. "I'm trying to help you," the man said in a gruff voice. "If you bleed out anymore you might not see another day."

There was something wet on my back. I could smell herbs. I glanced behind the man. My cell door was open. Alvin was mocking me by doing that. So close to freedom, but something's in the way.

My arms where in an uncomfortable position, so I tried to fix them, but chains stopped me. Even if  I somehow managed to overpower the man fixing me, I still would be trapped here.

I lay there limp for a while, feeling the medicine the man was putting on my back sting every wound it touched. I knew what he was doing. He was fixing me up so Alvin could break me again. I closed my eyes. How long would this go on for? Until I said yes? Until he did something to me that I couldn't take? Either way, the odds weren't good.

Finally, the man stood and walked out of my cell. My cell door slammed shut forcefully. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the cool, hard ground. What's the point? I asked myself. Either get beaten to death or give in. Why don't I just make him a flight suit? Hey, maybe it won't even work, right? Well, if it doesn't work, he'll work me to death trying to make him a successful one.

"How's our little cheif doing?" Said a cold voice. I didn't open my eyes. Who cares if he hurts me? It'll happen even if I do cooperate.

I heard the cell door open. "There's someone here to see ye." I felt my chains fall away. Out of curiousity, I cracked my eyes open. A hand came out and grabbed me by the front of my shirt. I let out a cry of pain from the sudden movement. Alvin tugged me along, dragging me like a lifesized doll.

I was dropped on my hands and knees. I took a few deep breaths before looking up. When I did, I felt a harsh kick to my face. I turned my face away from the foot that came flying at me and let out a cry. I could feel blood starting to run from my nose. Surprisingly, it didn't feel broken.

"So," said a voice that made me freeze. "We meet again, Hiccup."

I swollowed and looked up into the face of an old enemy. "Dagur?"

"Hello, Hiccup," said the Cheif of the Beserker tribe, Dagur the Deranged. I got another kick, this time in the chest. I let out a grunt of pain. "Long time no see, eh?"

It was true. He looked older, taller, but that could just be that I was on the floor. Also his voice was a little deeper and more even. I guessed he was in his mid twenties now.

"You've grown," Dagur said. "But you're still that scrawny kid from all those years ago."

"And I'm guessing you haven't changed from the power hungry maniac from all those years years ago."

"Ha," Dagur said. "Still got that sarcastic scense of humor."

"What do you want?" I asked.

Dagur shrugged. "What Alvin here wants."

"Seriously?" I asked. "Not very original."

"So?" Dagur asked. "I want one of your fancy flight suits. Hey, could you also throw in one of those fancy fire swords too?"

"No," I said.

I saw Alvin, who was standing with his arms crossed to the left, glance at Dagur. "I told you," he said. "I told you he wouldn't do it without forcing him too."

"Don't worry," Dagur said. "That won't be a problem." He had a menicing look in his eyes.

I tried to hide my rising fear. "You couldn't do anything worse then Alvin'll do to me," I said.

"I see," Dagur said. "Whip, I'm guessing." He walked to my side to inspect the bloodstains on my shirt. "Worked him pretty bad, eh?" Suddenly, Dagur kicked my arms out from under me, so I was sprawled on the ground with my back straight. I felt Dagur's foot slightly push down on my back. At first, it was just a dull pain. Then he did it harder. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Harder. I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms. Even harder. I couldn't take it anymre. I let out a cry of pain, but that didn't stop Dagur. As he stepped harder, the worse the pain got. Tears sprung to my eyes and fell. "This is where you belong, Hiccup. Under me, in pain, crying over your father. When my dad died, I became cheif and it was the best day of my life."

"I'm not like you, Dagur," I said through gritted teeth. The thought sickened me of celebrating my dad's death. I felt a lump rising in my throat. I tried not to let my saddness show. I was the chief. A cheif sets aside his feelings to protect his people, my father's words rushed back to me. I swollowed and glared at Dagur through the pain. "And leave my dad out of this."

Dagur must have noticed he was poding a wound. "Ha," Dagur said. "You loss is your weakness. I, for one, have put personal feelings aside to become the man I am now. But you, your just a scared, little, orphan boy." With each hurtful word, he pressed down harder on my back I cried out in pain.

"I...am...not...an orphan!" I said through gritted teeth. "My mother...she's alive."

Alvin dropped his arms from where they where tightly crossed over his chest. "Valka's alive?" He asked. He pushed Dagur off me and grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me off the ground. "How?"

"Why would you care?" I asked. "It's not like..." A thought suddenly hit me. My mom... dad...Alvin...

No, I told myself. Don't jump to conclusions.

"Y-you didn't happen to have... a thing for my mom... did you?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"Maybe," Alvin said. "But that was a long time ago."

"She's my mom," I said. "I think I deserve to know."

Alvin didn't answer me right away. "Well, in our younger years, your mom was very beatiful and I wasn't too bad either."

"That's hard to imagine," I said quietly, but my quiet enough. That comment earned me a punch in the gut. I let out a grunt of pain, but Alvin ignored me.

"Well, you see, Stoick also had an eye for Valka. For a while, I tried to get rid of Stoick quietly, but since he was the cheif's son, it was difficut to get him alone. So, I decided to try to get rid of him during a dragon raid."

"When you didn't follow orders," I remember from a while ago.

Alvin nodded. "And it would've worked if that stupid thug Gobber hadn't gotten in the way and saved him. He may tell you that he lost his foot to a dragon, but that was only his hand. He lost his foot to the stones falling, but your father got out unscathered. Well, actually, now that I think about it, he may have been, but that's irrelivent. Valka suspected me to be the cause of it and when she told Stoick, I was heartbroken."

"You deseved it," I said.

"Maybe," Alvin said. "But I still didn't give up on Val. But when I tried to get her back, she promissed me, if Stoick died, she would never marry anyone else." He looked straight at me. "After that, your father became chief, married Valka and banished me. When I heard about you, I knew how I could hurt Stoick. You wouldn't believe how many times I tried to kill you."

I gulped. "What?"

"After you where born, Valka died trying to save you useless little runt. I decied you as well killed her yourself, so I thought of a million ways tl get back at you."

"But I was a baby!" I said. "Its not like I tried to kill her!"

"Oh, but you did," Alvin said. I felt a hand closing around my throat. My eyes widened. I tried to jerk away, but I felt another hand, probably Dagur's push my head forwards forcefully. I took a long breath.

"Now, I can finally get back at you."

"B-but she's alive!" I said. The hand closed tighter. "She's...alive!"

Alvin had the eyes of a killer, like a shark's. I struggled hopelessly for breath. I raked me nails across his hand, a useless attempt to get the hand off. The edge of my vision turned fuzzy. Then it started to go black. So this is the end, I thought. Vallhalla here I come.

Then the blackness took over and everything went dark.