*pic mine...again.*

*you'll understand the purpose of the video soon lol.*

Astrid's POV

We speed down the hallway, checking every cell. So far they're empty, or housing people I don't know. We're keeping a quick pace, and I keep looking behind us—expecting to see Gosta holding an axe or something. (Lmao I was gonna put chainsaw then was like...wait, no.)

We turn what must be the fifth corner in the last two minutes, and straight away I notice it's a dead end ahead, but cells line the sides. "They must be here," I mutter to Disa, who nods in agreement. There are no guards here, strangely.

"Guys!" I call, keeping my voice down as I move forward. "Guys! Randi! Britta! Lokus! Fishlegs! Tuffnut! Anders! Ruffnut! Erlend! Sanna! Snotlout!" I call out for them, looking in every cell. We get to the last one. "It's empty," I tell Disa, worried.

She shrugs.
"These are the only cells in the entire ship!" she tells me, eyes wide.
"Is there any other place they could be? Cabins? Dragon cages?" I ask hurriedly.

"Unless someone's hiding them in their cabins, we have no others. And word like that would have spread. As for cages...there's only one place we keep them..."
"Well, we have to go there then! Now!"
"But—!"
"Take me there, Disa! These are my friends. My people. I have to find them." I demand, impatient. She sighs, looking away.
If she doesn't help I'll find it myself.

It's a small movement, really tiny, but I catch it. She nods.

~~~Time Skip: 20 minutes later~~~~

"So this is what you meant?!" I shout over the wind, as I pull myself up.
"I don't even know why we keep them up here!" Disa replies, climbing up the mast after me, struggling slightly in her dress.

She passes me a knife, and I shove it in my mouth because I need both hands. I look above, and sure enough, near the tip, there are two silver cages, big enough to hold a deadly a deer in each, or six people each cage. One hangs loose, door open, so I know they must be in the other cage.

"Gosta and his father are crazy!" I exclaim, grabbing onto whatever I can to wrench myself up.

"Yeah, I know!" She replies. "It's not the brightest idea."

"Guys!" I call towards the cage, not getting a response. I raise my voice. "GUYS?"

"...Astrid?!" I can make out a head looking at me between the bars. So Gosta is actually crazy enough to keep people up here?! Why?!

With newfound energy, I hoist myself up quicker and quicker, eager to see a familiar face. The sword bangs against my leg as I climb, but I don't bitter removing it from my belt.

"Astrid!" I freeze, almost at the cage, and look down to see Gosta standing on the deck. "You can't go anywhere, Astrid!"
"Oh, no!" Disa mumbles, behind me. "Just keep climbing, Astrid. Ignore him. He's too much of a coward to..." she trails off as he starts climbing up the mast like a spider, limbs spread in a creepy way. (Lmao idk what you're imaging, but for me...it's gonna give me nightmares.)

I swallow nervously, but climb the last few meters to the cage, looking in urgently. Lokus, Snotlout, and Ruffnut look out at me, terrified.
"We thought you...we thought you died!" Ruffnut gasps.
"Hurry, Astrid!" Disa warns behind me. Immediately, I start working at the lock desperately with my knife.

"Where is everyone else?!" I ask them, not looking as I try to break open the cage.
"I don't know!" Snotlout replies.
"We thought they were with you or..." Lokus adds, straining against the door from the inside. The realisation hits me harshly.
"Or dead." I finish miserably.

"Astrid!" Disa cries, and I whip around to see Gosta rushing up towards me. Quick, panicked thinking urges me to climb up onto the cage's roof, just as Gosta reaches the side.
"Nowhere to run, little Astrid!" Gosta grins, "Nowhere to hide!"

desperately, I scan my surroundings. Seeing nothing but open sky, the cage, the ropes that hold it up, and... Wait a second!
I take the knife, viciously ripping away at a rope. "Astrid! What are you doing?!" Lokus yells.
"Are you trying to kill us?!" Ruffnut adds as I'm a second away from getting through.

"Just hold on," I instruct. The next movements are in slow motion. I break the rope and run up the cage as it goes verticle, hanging onto the other rope. Gosta catches on, and lepas heavily onto one side of the cage, causing it to swing violently.

"Whoooa!" Ruffnut cries as my world moves up to speed again. We sail through the air and I struggle to hang on, as Gosta climbs up the cage to my level, grinning in a creepy way. I hang on tight as I can, watching the mast get further away.

*cue video XD*

"Astrid!" Snotlout cries out in worry (I know, I'm shocked too!) as Gosta advances towards me.

I glance to see where we're headed and get an idea. My grip on the rope tightens, as I watch Gosta go towards me. I'm about to lash out at him, when Snotlout grabs him foot from within the bar and yanks it down, causing Gosta to fall, which is good because the cage is tilting to go vertical, so he nearly falls off, unfortunately managing to hang on at the last second.

as soon as the cage makes contact with the opposite mast, I grab on to the sturdiest thing I can see, while holding onto the rope. "Hang on!" I warn Snotlout, Ruff, and Lokus, before letting go of the rope. The cafe swings back the opposite way, and I smirk as Gosta nearly falls off.

I look around. I don't have long until he'll get to me again. I move off at a run, sliding partway down the mast, before crossing into a beam, and running along with my arms spread for balance. I can see the crew running about on deck but none are coming after me.

I jump from one beam to another, not pausing. I pull the sword I've had with me for a while now from my belt, turning towards a rope hanging in front of me.

I grab onto one end, after studying what the rope is connected to, and slice it in half. I can't help but whoop loudly as I fly through the air, and I time my jump off perfectly, latching onto another wooden beam.

"Astrid!" I look back to see Gosta running across beams and stuff towards me, and I turn and parry his sword swipe at the last second. "Astrid we don't have to do this!" He coos. "Just come back to the room and I'll forget—" I turn and land a punch to his face. He stumbles back, but I don't stop. I swipe at his legs with my feet.

"Leave me alone, you creep!" I exclaim as he falls over, barely managing to catch himself on the beam. I walk backwards, sword pointed at him. "and...and get some help." I add, before grabbing a rope and swinging the hell outa there.

———— ——-
Eh.
(That was not an enthusiastic greeting lol)
Anyway...

Hi.

I'm bored. Self-isolation does that to you.

But school's staring back up in a couple of days.

Not that I will be going anywhere.

I'm still trying to figure out the schedule.

Hope you're all staying safe ❤️

And eat some Anzac biscuits ✌️🇦🇺🇳🇿🍪

*virtual salute* Ilikehorsesandcake out.

❤️Lest. We. Forget❤️