How To Break A Dragon's Hero

Chapter 14: Hiccup

I woke up to the dull pain in my back and a new one around my neck. Wait... I woke up? I opened my eyes. I was back in my cell. I bit my lip. Why did Alvin let me live. I guess he relised he still needed me.

Someone opened my cell door and pushed in a plate of food. I hadn't relised how hungry I was until now. My stomach grumbled and I grabbed the plate. I went for the bread first. It was stale, but it was better then nothing. It was gone sooner then I thought it'd be. Then I took the peice of meat. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was food. I took a bite and I knew it was undercooked and unseasoned. I swollowed it none the less. I needed this. Who knew when I'd be fed next. When the meat was gone, I leaned back, ignoring the pain from my back. It was almost back to normal now. Whatever the man had done to it was working.

I looked at the plate on the floor and got an idea. I picked up the plate, it was heavy enough. With just enough force, I may be able to knock out one of these guards.

I glanced at them. One was picking earwax out of his ear, and the other was using his spit to polish his ax. I hid the plate behind me. One of the guards saw me. "What are you hiding, ye little maggot?" He asked me.

I didn't answer. Hopefully he did what I planned him to. He sighed. He took a ring of keys out of his pocket. I tightened my grip on the plate. He opened the door, just as I planned him to. He stood over me. "Stand up and give me the plate," he said.

I balanced myself against the wall, gripping the plate in my hands. He held out one, giant hand, which still had a little ear wax on a couple fingers, then I looked down, like a kid who was caught stealing from his elder. I took the plate from behind my back and started to hand it to him.

Then, I looked up, and smacked the plate on his head. He was knocked against the bars, where he got snagged on one of the broken bars. I drew his sword, and pointed it at him. The tip started to go down, but I tried to keep it down. "The keys," I said.

The man laughed. "You really think you can escape that easily?" The guard asked. "Eh, Nut!" He called.

The other guard, I thought. I started to swing the sword in the direction of the other guard, but I almost lost my balance and had to use it as a crutch instead. The disadvantages of losing your spare foot.

The other guard lifted his ax to my throat. I gulped. Great...

"You shouldn't have tried that," the outcast said. "Alvin doesn't forgive easily."

Tell me about it, I thought.

"Drop the sword." I waited a few seconds, not wanting to, but the guard pressed the ax harder into my throat. I had the same feeling of when Alvin tried to choke me to death a few hours ago, and I dropped the sword.

The outcast that I'd hit in that head had loosened himself from the bars. He grabbed me by the coller and started to drag me while the other one was close by with his assortment of weapons. Whenever I tried to drag my foot in the dirt to stop them, I got a smack, a punch, or a kick. After the fifth time, I decided it was hopeless.

The two outcasts dragged me all the way to Alvin's house. What was I doing here?

We went straight to Alvin's door. The guard with the ax knocked three times and stepped back. An extreamly cross looking Alvin opened his door. "What do you-" he spotted me. "Oh."

"The prisoner tried to escape," the guard holding me said. "What do you want done with him?"

"I'll take care of him," Alvin said. The outcast dropped me, but before I could hit the ground, Alvin grabbed me. "You two run off to make sure none of the other prisoners escape."

Then other outcasts ran off, leaving me alone with Alvin. "I've got a new place for you to stay. My house."

He pulled me inside.

I don't know what I was expecting. Tourture devices, prison, dragon skeletons littering the floor. But it was more like a normal house. Well, exept for the couple, ah, intresing decorations. "You know, Alvin," I said "I have to say, I thought you'd decorate your house like, oh, I don't know, darker and more... outcasty."

"I think your loosing your sarcasm, boy," Alvin said.

I shrugged. "Maybe if you let up on me, I'd have some better ones."

"Ha," Alvin said. "I've got plans for you, boy."

"Still planning to beat me until I agree to help you?"

Alvin shrugged. "Oh, I know that you'll never give in, but I'm not letting you go just like that. I'm going to be honest with you."

I lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

"Well, I made a promise to Dagur that he could kill you when I was finished with you."

"Um, why doesn't that really surprise me?" I asked honestly. 

"But," Alvin said. "I've changed that deal. He want to kill you for some little thing you've done to him about four years ago, but I've got a twenty year grudge against you. And I will kill you."

"But if you kill me," I said. "You'll start a war between your two tribes."

"Not unless its an accedent."

I swollowed. "And I'm guessing you've got an extreamly painful way to do that, don't you."

Alvin laughed. "You know me well, boy. But, at least you'll see your father again, eh?"

Alvin dragged me into a room that looked like a bedroom. I looked around. No windows, a bed that was made out of a rock that wasn't made, a whip curled around the bed post. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

"I'm making sure you never leave my sight," Alvin said. He slammed the door shut. "It'll be an honor for you to sleep at my feet, won't it?"

"Uh, no," I said, trying to slip out of Alvin's grip. "I'd prefer the cell."

There were chains connected to the wall. Alvin dropped me by them and chained me to the wall. "Don't try anything funny, or you'll get a hit from this bad boy." He unraveled the whip from his bed post. Just to warn me, he hit me with it once. "I won't be so generous in the future."

I could move my arms only a little bit in front of me. I glanced at my shoulder. It stung and I saw crimson blood flow from the wound. I bit my lip to keep in a moan.

"Enjoy your stay, Hiccup," Alvin said. "I'll see you in about two hours." Then he left me alone.

I desperatly tugged on my chains. I had to get out of here. I knew what Alvin was planning, and he wouldn't be doing it anytime soon. If he wants to kill me, he'll wait until the perfect moment, my weakest moment. I leaned on the wall behind me and let out a sigh. That sigh turned into a sob. That sob turned into tears, flowing soundlessly down my cheeks. I thought Astrid would come for me. Maybe even Toothless, until I remembered that I'd made his tail espesially for my prostetic. I brought up my one good leg and just sobbed for a while. "Wait," I said. "Its gonna be alright. You'll get out of this one, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third. You always do. Don't let go of hope. Think of Astrid. You have to live for her. You'll be married as soon as you get back. And Toothless. He needs you so he can fly." I took a deep breath. "And Berk. You have to live for Berk. They need a cheif, and your the best that they're gonna get." I wiped my tears away. "This is not the end!"