A/N: To clarify: I will try to refer to Hiccup/Fury as 'Fury' when he's in his pirate 'persona' and as 'Hiccup' when he's in private/with Fishlegs.

Chapter Two: An argument with the Outcasts.

Lady Astrid Hofferson turned as her new husband spoke and offered a distracted smile. It had been her father's idea to match with a military man and he had arranged everything. All Astrid had to do was to travel to the Mainland to meet the man she would marry the next day.

Of course, there was no option. No matter how she felt about General Eretson, they were to be wed and she had worn the cream silk gown and veil her father had ordered made. She had said the words with control but no passion and she had accepted the chaste kiss on the cheek her new husband had offered her but nothing more. They had separate cabins in the ship on the voyage back but she had no doubt that at some point, back in Berk, she would have to do her wifely duty to him.

She turned her luminous blue eyes back to the misty horizon. Their Captain had been ordered to take them an unusual route, via Loki's needles and the ship was carefully steering through the restricted channel through the ominous columns of black volcanic rock that clustered round the jagged isle in the distance. Eret wasn't worried, poring over charts with the Captain and offering his own observations-whatever use they were from a man who had no experience of naval warfare. The man seemed to think he knew everything about everything and that annoyed Astrid. Her father always said a man should know his limitations.

Unconsciously, she raised a hand to the tiny silver chain that hung around her neck, threaded through a fine silver ring delicately worked by its creator, her childhood friend. She closed her eyes and not for the first time, she regretted her actions. She should have been stronger. She should have been braver. She shouldn't have been afraid.

The ship shuddered and she frowned. The Captain had been steering very cautiously through the narrow and unfamiliar channel and she doubted he would have run aground. She turned and walked purposefully to the General's side-she couldn't think of him with any affection or even by his given name-and sighed.

"Husband," she said to get his attention and was relieved it was a neutral term, a statement of fact rather than a judgement on her relationship. His dark eyes flicked up. His jet hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and his fawn and blue uniform was pressed. His small goatee was very different to the huge full beards the viking-descendants of Berk favoured and she felt it looked a little...odd. "What was that?" He offered a cocky smile: he had supreme confidence in himself.

"A little brush with an underwater rock, I guess," he said airily as the ship shuddered again. Astrid hitched up her eyebrow.

"And that was another?" she challenged him. His eyes glanced nervously in the direction of the Captain, who was frantically tugging on the wheel. The whole ship shuddered again and the look-out screamed form up on the mast.

"Vessel ahoy! We are under attack!" Astrid's eyes widened in shock.

"Pirates?" she asked Eret. He nodded dumbly.

"Um...Captain?" he asked.

"Outcast colours!" he shouted, waving to his crew.

"Second vessel sighted, off the port bow!" the look-out shouted. The unmistakeable sound of cannon fire echoed between the huge stone seastacks and everyone ducked as the cannon ball roared overhead and water exploded to to the stern of the ship, sending the whole vessel rocking. Eret looked at his new wife and pushed her back.

"Into the cabin, wife!" he commanded. "I will fight to protect you while you..."

"No!" she protested angrily. "I can fight. I was taught to fight. I will not cower like some worthless simpering female and..."

"You will obey me, wife!" the General snapped. She glared at him.

"I am Astrid Hofferson and..." she began.

"Eretson," he snapped. "You are now Astrid Eretson and you are my wife. You will obey me!" He turned to one of the crew. "Will you take my wife to her cabin? She seems overwrought!"

"You utter bastard!" she spat as her arm was grabbed and she was more or less dragged to her cabin. "I will..." And then the door slammed. Eret stabbed his finger towards the nearest vessel.

"Engage them!" he growled.

"But we are only lightly armed with a small complement of fighting men!" he protested.

"You have me now!" Eret snapped and ordered the crew to assume defensive positions. The Captain had long given up trying to remind the idiot General that the Captain was always master of his ship-and besides, they stood no chance of survival against two Outcast attack ships. They could only hope for a quick death or slavery. Cannons continued to thunder as the first Outcast boat pulled alongside and grapples bit into the wood of the hull. Men swung across the gap, roaring in excitement as they landed and attacked the defenders. The second boat was swinging around as the clash of sword on sword sounded across the deck.

oOo

The Night Fury came across the battle as the second Outcast ship unloaded four cannon shots into the Freya's Ghost hull around the waterline. Captain Fury was in full leather armour, his black scarf tied firmly across his lower face, just leaving his startling green eyes and messy auburn hair visible. He glanced across his crew, all armed and ready for battle. Their own cannons lined up and Tuffnut gave a wild grin.

"Your orders, boss?" he asked. The Captain clenched his fists.

"Take them out!" he snapped. "Mast and then below the waterline. I want them bailing, not fighting!" Tuff grinned at his sister and they lined up each cannon in turn. "FIRE!" Fury bellowed and the cannon roared. The first shot severed the mast and sent it crashing down to the deck. As they were still in shock, the second and third impacted viciously into the hull, punching through below the waterline and sending the ship listing. Tuff offered a cheery thumbs-up to his Captain.

"Board the Freya's Ghost!" Fury shouted and grapples whizzed across with the crew swinging over to vigorously join the fray. Fury led the way, his agile shape landed mid-deck, parrying an axe aimed at the Ghost's Captain. He winked at his stunned counterpart and launched at the Outcast attacking him, his sword in his left hand and two foot long curved knife in the other. The man facing Fury was a huge hairy man with an enormous black beard and a scarred face. Fury knew he was the leader of the Outcasts, Captain Alvin 'the Treacherous'. It was fabled that no one turned their back on him and lived so Fury battered him back with a relentless hail of blows and kicked him hard in the middle, unbalancing him. A second ruthless kick slammed the Outcast leader over the side and into the sea with a resounding splash.

"FURY!" Alvin bellowed, flapping and trying-without success-to get back on board. "I will hunt you down and torture you and I'll have you begging me to kill you!"

"Yeah, dream on!" Fury growled, carving his way through three more Outcasts as his own crew began to get on top. He slapped another two outcasts aside to get them from flanking a jet-haired man in a blood-splattered fawn and blue uniform. Swiftly, the pirate impaled the remaining outcast and inspected the man. He was breathing hard and his eyes were hostile.

"Bloody pirate!" he growled and lifted his sword to attack Fury. The pirate rolled his eyes.

"Gods-there's gratitude for you!" he muttered, parrying the attack, slapping the man's sword aside and punching the idiot-hard-across the face. Eret folded like paper and slumped down against the mast. Fury sighed and looked at the uniform. "Hmm...General..." he murmured. "Have a great honeymoon!" he added sarcastically. He scanned across the deck: his crew were winning and the outcasts were in retreat, despondent that their reinforcements never came and not willing to get killed for this prize. Fury began hacking the ropes from their grapples and cutting the Outcast ship free. He could see Alvin was finally being hauled from the sea and he grinned behind his scarf and waved at the big Outcast leader: if he was going to make an enemy of the man, he might as well do it properly. Finally, when the ship was free, they cornered the remaining outcasts and threw them overboard to swim back to their vessel.

Then Fury scanned the rest of the ship and realised it was listing. He walked swiftly over to the Captain, grabbed him by the tunic and glared into his eyes. "Any more passengers?" he growled. The man's eyes widened. He nodded and gestured to the cabins-where he could hear the sounds of screams and banging. He inclined his head. "What's in there-a harpy?" he asked. The Captain gulped and gestured to the unconscious Eret.

"His new wife," he groaned. "She wasn't happy being locked in for the battle!"

"Oh?"

"I think she wanted to fight," the other Captain sighed.

"Oh?"

"Personally, I think she could beat them without you...Captain Fury..." the Captain said. Fury hiked an eyebrow up quizzically. "Black sails. Every Captain knows the Night Fury."

"I think you should get her out," he said levelly. "Your ship is sinking and I doubt you want to swim to Berk. I will take you back to my ship...for a fee." The other Captain sagged.

"And that is...?"

"Strongbox. Now!" Fury's voice was sharp. The Captain nodded as Fury half-turned to Fishlegs, gesturing to the unconscious Eret. "Fish-get him and the rest onto the Night Fury. This lady isn't going to last much longer!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" the first mate called back as Fury gestured for the Captain to hurry. They swiftly grabbed the strongbox and, after a few moment, any and all documents. The Captain gave a small shrug: he was no longer bothered by anything except getting off the sinking ship. Fishlegs grabbed the strongbox, the documents and the Captain and took them across as Fury staggered across the listing deck. the screams were getting more desperate from the cabin.

"Okay-I'll just get the trapped woman from her cabin, all I?" he grumbled and grabbed the door, smashing the lock with his sword and wrenching the door open. He ducked back just in time to avoid being hit in the face by a chair and grabbed a fist as it came flying at him. The owner cursed imaginatively as she was jerked from the room to face the pirate.

"Unhand me, you foul monster!" she spat. "Odin-cursed pirate!"

"Hmm. Hardly polite since I am in the process of saving your life," he protested sarcastically.

"You attacked us!" she spat, lunging at him with her other hand, her face twisted in a scowl of rage. He grabbed her other wrist and bodily hauled her across the very listing deck: it was like clambering a set of steps.

"Outcasts attacked you and I came to your rescue," he protested, hauling her towards the side of the ship. "I presume you are the wife of the General?" She scowled at him as they finally reached the deck.

"I am not coming with you!" she snarled.

"Then you can either drown or ask the Outcasts for a lift because this ship is going down, Milady," he told her severely. "Your choice!" She pulled her hands free, slapped his hand aside as he offered to help her across and grabbed the rope, swinging over to the Night Fury with surprising agility. He rolled his eyes and swung over after her, slicing the final holding line as he went, cutting the doomed Freya's Ghost free. The other pirates held the crew at bay and she folded her arms as Fury gestured and they tacked back from the sinking ship, heading away from the sinking Outcast ship and her comrade which was plucking the outcast crew from their sinking ship.

"Who are you?" Astrid asked him angrily. He fashioned a small and sarcastic bow.

"Captain Fury, pirate," he introduced himself. "And you, Milady?"

"Lady Astrid Hoffer...Eretson..." she replied coldly.

"Newly wed, eh?" he taunted her. "And not of your choice either." Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth. He could see her fists clench. "You didn't ask after your husband when I first mentioned him in the other vessel-so it wasn't a love match. You weren't bothered. And it is a new match because you still try to use your birth name." She turned away in fury that he already knew so much about her.

"And what about you?" she sneered. "A whore in every port?" He swallowed and his eyes darkened.

"No," he said gruffly. "Not every port. Women are faithless vain creatures that would stamp on your heart rather than swear any love or loyalty." She turned back to him with a smirk.

"Poor Captain Fury's heart was broken..." she sneered but she didn't get any further as he roughly grabbed her wrist and squeezed. She gasped in pain.

"None of your business, Milady," he growled, shoving her back into Bucket and Mulch's arms. "Take her to the small cabin. Lock the door but see she has basic rations and water."

"Get off me! I won't submit to your foul advances, you rancid bastard!" she shrieked. "You try to despoil me and I will rip it off! Keep your hands off me!" He gave a sigh, bowed his head forward and rubbed the bridge of his nose through the scarf.

"I should have left her to drown," he sighed, seeing a flash of sympathy from the other Captain. "You will be well treated, Milady."

"Pirate! Outlaw! Traitor! I'll see you hang for this!" she swore as she was dragged to the small cabin opposite his own.

"Really making a lot of friends on this trip," he said mirthlessly. "Boys-put the crew, Captain and General in the cages in the hold. She can stay in the small cabin..." He heard her still screaming and shouting abuse and threats. "Though I sincerely hope she'll shut up before tonight. I could really use my sleep," he murmured. He collected the papers from Fishlegs, inspected the contents of the strongbox-mainly coin-and waved the crew to have their share. He paused. "Full alert at all times they are on board," he warned the crew. "No one is to use my real name-on pain of keelhauling!"

"Erm, dude-how do you haul a keel? Won't you strain something?" Hiccup groaned at Tuff's voice.

"Duh! That's the point! You're meant to get a bad back or hernia or something as a punishment..." Ruff told him. Hiccup stared over to Fishlegs, both men's expressions equally despairing, and shook his head.

"I don't even think they'd notice if we did keelhaul them," he groaned. "And when we dragged 'em up, they'd probably still be arguing!" Fishlegs stared at him worriedly.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked his friend, who winced as he heard furniture being thrown in the small cabin and the twins still arguing.

"Honestly? I would've been better off rescuing Alvin," he sighed.