My fingers are red, knuckles split and throbbing. I've been pulling at the bars of our little window for some time, but they won't budge.
Looking over to Ingrid, I feel a wave of pride and sadness wash over me. She's been recovering from her wound just fine, which I think there's a different story behind. But, at the same time, I'm beginning to wonder. Is Hiccup ever going to come for me? Is he even alive?
I nearly choke at that thought, gagging on my own sorrows.
No. He wouldn't leave me like that. Hiccup wouldn't do that. And, with that thought safely tucked away in the back of my mind, I turn back to the bars.
If they would just pop out of the socket already..
Pop! I gasp, slowly taking the little bar in my hand. Did it really just come out? Really? It's that easy?! I giggle, suddenly giddy and euphoric as I begin to tug on the others. I drop the other on the floor, waking Ingrid up with the clattering.
"Astrid? Wha-"
"We're getting out!" I laugh, pulling even harder on the bar, another one popping out. They must have been replaced recently, and hadn't been settled in properly. I nearly scream in delight as the third bar slides out with a satisfying Ping!, making a hole just big enough for the two of us to climb through.
"What?" She's still confused, getting up from her position on the floor slowly.
"We're free!" I giggle, something I would usually never do, but I'm so excited, that I can't help myself. "Come on, I'll push you out with the bars, then climb out myself to put them back in." She nods, a smile spreading across her pale face as she begins to understand. I shove the three bars into her non injured arm, then push her out gently so that she makes her way out to the other side quietly.
"Do you need help?" She asks, but in the time I would have been answering, I swiftly slide through the hole, dropping down onto the soft grass just outside.
"No. Give me the bars." She hands them over one at a time, and I work them until they click back into place, making it look was if nothing had ever happened. Once the last one is done, I turn back to her, grinning.
"We're free." She whispers. And I whisper back,
"We're free!... We're free!" She laughs softly, and I join in, wrapping my arms around her, still unable to believe our amazing luck. "Good thing those bars were just replaced." I bite my lip, looking back to the little window. "If they hadn't, I don't think we would've gotten out." She looks curious and still in shock when she asks,
"I wonder why they replaced them."
"Yeah... I wonder."
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Hiccup flings the axe at the fir, yelling, as he's obviously very upset. I watch from behind a tree, concealed by the shadows.
"Why can't anything ever work out?!" He grabs another axe from the pile, throwing it at a nearby oak. He hits it, but barely. I frown. Breakfast was really awkward today.
That fish dude and Snotlout kept looking at each other and at me weird, and Hiccup just looked tired, but judging from what he's doing right now, he was probably upset then too. The two annoying twins just babbled about their pet chicken, and for once, they seemed to be the only people acting normal.
I had excused himself early, to go for another fly with Stormy. I just happened to spot him in this clearing and decided to watch for a few minutes. Minutes that turned into hours.
He throws another axe, hitting the tree so hard that it quivers, and loose leaves, branches, and pinecones fall from it. He mutters something, and grabs another axe, lifting his arm to swing, when he stops. He frowns, letting his arm fall as his eyes travel down the handle to rest at the bottom.
It's a pretty good looking axe, strong, but still light, wrapped with blue and red leather at the top. He sits down on the grass, running his fingers over some blue lettering at the bottom, blinking slowly as his anger seems to fade away.
He then stands up, pulls the other axes out of the victim trees, dropping them into his pile, and walks off towards Toothless and Nightwing, the special axe in hand.
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Ingrid peers out of the cave's entrance, which is concealed by a little turn before entering. A perfect place to stay until we have a plan to escape.
"Astrid?" I turn to look at her as she walks back over to the little fire we made, frowning.
"What is it?" She settles down next to me, leaning into my shoulder as I wrap my arm around her.
"What if we get caught?" Her eyes are wide, scared and in pain.
"They only checked once in the time we were there, so they won't notice for a few days. I'm hoping that's enough time to get out of here."
"But if it's not?"
"It will be."
"What are you going to do with me?"
"You're coming to dragon's edge with me. You have to meet Hiccup, remember?"
"But.. Are you sure?" She looks sad, and I'm glad to not be the person that says no.
"I'm sure." She sighs contently, burrowing into my shoulder and watching the fire, hues of orange and red flashing across her glossy eyes.
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THE NIGHT BEFORE
I drop the pile of treasure onto my desk, quickly lighting a torch as Meatlug saunters over to me, yawning.
"Hey girl." She peers over the edge of the desk, then lumbers back into the shadows to sleep. "Alright, let's see." I open one notebook, which is filled with little blurbs and recommendations for improvements on Berk, seeing as he's the chief.
I toss that one aside, moving on to the little slips of paper. All of them are sketches of dragon and notes. Next book. More improvements for Berk. A large folded up piece of paper. A map. As I look through everything, I'm beginning to lose hope. What if he never even made one? But I know Hiccup, he wouldn't not make a journal for it.
As I toss aside the last of the papers, I turn to look at the final sketchbook. It's the plainest one there, and might as well be empty. Hiccup's smart. As I flip it open, I'm greeted by what I've been looking for.
Finished and unfinished drawings plague the first half, bloody backs, closed doors, and enslaved, or even dead, dragons infest the pages, so realistic they could leap off the pages. They're beautiful, but also terrifying. Screaming, bleeding, death, and even a stench that I can't place seem to fill the pages, and just when I think I can't take the pain anymore, I flip to a blank page.
Crisp and clean, it's a beautiful relief from the horrifying images of before. I flip the page again.
There, I see a finished, and gorgeous painting of Astrid. Her hood is on, and a tiny Stormfly is resting on her fingertips.
The next page is the same, a finished painting of Astrid riding Stormfly, arms out as if embracing the sky.
For about five pages, there are all finished paintings of Astrid in different positions. As I turn the page on the last one, a slip of paper falls out. I bend over to pick it up, unfolding it to see the first few words.
Dear Astrid,
I won't intrude. I quickly fold it back up and slide it gently back into the book, making sure not to crease it. A letter to Astrid is for her eyes only, not some snoopy viking who's already seen enough. But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
I flip the page again, to see a blank canvas. Again, another blank page. I keep flipping through, about to lose hope, when finally, I come to the page I've been looking for.
A tiny sketch of what looks to be Astrid's silhouette is in the middle, surrounded by a surmountable amount of words. I won't read them, it seems rude, but I can't help but notice a few as I glance over to the little drawing.
Crazy
Pain
Help
I feel awful for Hiccup, and begin to wonder what else he had gone through. Maybe more had happened than just the whipping and the dragon enslavement. Nobody else knows what else happened there.
I sigh, and snatch up the ring that rests in the middle of the page.
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What do you guys think the ring is for?? 👀💍
I just wanted to let you guys know that I MIGHT not be able to upload for a bit, so I'm sorry if that happens, but I promise I'll try!! I'm also sorry if the chapters have been kinda laid back and boring, I'm having a lot of trouble writing them, so thanks if you're actually still reading
(Wouldn't that be embarrassing if I wrote this whole thing, but nobody was actually reading the story anymore??) Lol, love you guys!
~Emmathepug