Thirty Seven  [Contains scene sexual abuse]

He was taken back to his cell soon after and left there to recover from his encounter with the Berserker until the next morning. He couldn't walk after the rape and they had been forced to drag him along. Once he had hit the floor, he had covered his brutalised shape with the remains of his clothing and he had curled up into a fetal ball, his arms hugging his shivering body. Despite every determined promise he had made to himself, he was sobbing in pain and horror, his body almost slipping into shock at the unparalleled assault.

Savage came in the next morning, fed him bread and water and threw a stained, undyed tunic over his body before dragging the boy out to work. There was yak dung to tidy up-of course-as well as chopping up the foul smelling Loki trees, carrying rocks for the walls and catapults and cleaning the communal bathing facilities. Hiccup automatically stole a wash of his face and body while he was there before turning back to his work. They were driving him into the ground and he welcomed the exhaustion. It stopped him dreaming.

He woke when he was kicked awake and listlessly ate the dried fish provided for him. He swallowed the water as well, before walking where his guards directed him. Another day of relentless toil yawned ahead of him and he struggled, his brutalised shape flagging. The work was even harder and the scrawny boy stumbled and fell. He was met by kicks, lashes and slaps until he stumbled up. They withheld half his food in punishment for his weakness. He collapsed into an even more exhausted sleep that night.

The next morning, he was given no food at all, just enough water to keep him alive but his guards were laughing nastily at him. He stiffened, guessing what would happen. And he was right: he was taken back to Dagur, who inspected his slave with disappointed eyes. Hiccup's eyes were downcast and he responded wordlessly to the Chief's commands, kneeling submissively at his feet. Slowly, he undressed the Berserker, peeling the armour from his body and sliding down his leggings and tunic until the powerful body towered over him. Then he froze, knowing what the Berserker wanted and refusing it.

Dagur was enraged. Hiccup was even more passive and unresponsive than previously, his pallid skin coloured only with his freckles and the livid bruises Dagur had generously granted him. He dragged the young man's head up and roughly kissed him but he may as well have been embracing a statue. He tried slapping and punching the boy but he just took the abuse, hitting the floor with regularity and achingly clambering to his feet as ordered. Dagur forced the boy to take him in his mouth, slamming away and causing the boy to gag violently but he did nothing else and Dagur had to finish himself off, feeling even more frustrated. Finally, the Berserker had broken first, slamming the slave against the wall of the cabin, tearing his clothing off and brutally violating him. Rigid with pain, feeling his flesh tear at the assault and blood smear his skin, Hiccup had given a stifled groan and prayed to any god listening to let him die. But he remained stubbornly conscious of the hideous assault as his teeth latched onto his lips to stifle any legs buckled and he collapsed after Dagur was done, but there was nothing else to show for the assault. No delicious sobbing or whimpering or cringing in terror. It just wasn't fun any more.

"You disappoint in all levels,-you know that, Hiccup?" Dagur sneered. "Do you enjoy being raped?"

There was a long pause and the Berserker thought the boy wouldn't answer. He raised his fist to beat the answer out of him but finally Hiccup moaned a soft reply.

"No."

"But you have stopped resisting so you must enjoy it!" the Berserker sneered, snatching his hair and forcing the ashen face up to stare at him. There were tears streaking Hiccup's gaunt face and his captor have a slow smile. "You're hating this!"

"You can do what you want," Hiccup rasped. "I don't care any more."

"So if I give you to the men, to use you as they need?" Dagur threatened. Hiccup just stared ahead, blinking slowly.

"You'll do what you want anyway," Hiccup said flatly. "Your word means nothing." Dagur threw him back against the wall and he hit with a loud thud. He slid to the floor and huddled up, his skinny arms thrown across his despairing face. Dagur rose and kicked him viciously.

"SAVAGE!" he shouted. The man appeared instantly, oozing in and Dagur realised that he had been waiting outside, like as not listening. He gave a small smile. "BORED! The boy isn't fun any more. You and the men can have some fun. As much fun as you want, in fact. Just...don't kill him. I want him alive, suffering as a slave. If he dies or is permanently disfigured, I will have ten men executed-and you'll be the first!" Savage's fists tightened and he nodded.

"Yes, your derangedness!" he said and snatched at Hiccup, his meaty grasp latching onto the itchy tunic and dragging the scrawny shape across the floor. Hiccup just allowed himself to be hauled along, his good leg scraping painfully over the uneven floor. He braced his leg and struggled enough to stop Savage for as long as it took to allow him to stumble to his feet. The man was eyeing him dangerously and Hiccup took a slow breath. Again, he could guess what would happen next, a violent nightmare of unremitting toil, physical pain and sexual abuse until his body finally succumbed. The Outcast manhandled the boy back to his cell and roughly shoved him in. Hiccup allowed his trembling legs to collapse under him and he slumped to his knees.

"So...Dagur no longer finds you interesting," Savage sneered, closing the cell door. "Don't worry, Hiccup. I won't lose interest so quickly." The boy just bowed his head though his hands were trembling slightly. Savage kicked him hard in the side and he gave a low cry as he was tossed to the floor. The second kick was accompanied by a snap and Hiccup knew he had broken ribs. He clenched his teeth and felt wetness on his face as he struggled to breathe.

I'm sorry, bud. I'm sorry, Dad. I did what I could to protect you. But in the end, I was the failure you all knew I was. Astrid...

Savage threw him onto his face and knelt behind him. He pressed his eyes closed and pictured the beautiful face, the blue eyes bright with laughter as they flew together. Her golden hair whipped in the wind as they soared over Berk. He recalled her kiss on his lips, the warmth of her body against his, her strong arms around him. He wondered what loving her would have felt like: he would never know now

Please, remember me as I was, he pleaded silently as Savage began to undo his belt.

oOo

Stoick's eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. "HICCUP!" he shouted.

Gobber was instantly at his side, his hand on his powerful shoulder. The Chief tried to slow his breathing and stared around. He was in his bed, tucked in warmly with Gobber, Spitelout and Astrid watching him. He passed a huge hand over his face and frowned. He recalled falling, hitting the icy sea and the dragon hefting him up onto its back to get him out of the frigid water. They had swum for over a day until finally, the cold had drained their strength, within sight of Berk. And there had been screaming...

"Hiccup..." he groaned. And then he recalled who had saved his life. "Toothless?"

"He'll be fine, sir. He slept three days straight, like you, but he's just eaten enough fish for himself, Stormfly and Hookfang combined!" Astrid reported, her tone relieved. Stoick frowned.

"Good," he growled and then frowned. His eyes locked onto her.

"I've slept for three days?" he asked, incredulously.

"You almost froze to death," Gobber reported. "Thor only knows how you made it. You'd almost made it to the harbour. It was only a routine patrol that found you. You'd swum back from the Armada?" Stoick nodded.

"The dragon did," he admitted and his throat thickened.

"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid asked anxiously, her tone reminding him that others cared for the boy as well. He lifted his chin and stared at his son's new wife, his daughter in law.

"I was shot down by the Berserkers," he admitted. "I was in their power-and he flew down. He traded himself for me and insisted I took Toothless away. He said goodbye." He fumbled in his tunic and pulled out the small gold band. he handed it over. "He told me to tell you he loved you and always will." She grasped the ring, her eyes brimming.

"Traitor," Spitelout muttered. Stoick glanced sharply at his brother.

"No," he said softly. "He just knows that no one feels he is worth anything any more. He doesn't believe anyone here wants him. And he wanted me to be free. He said that Berk needed me more than him. And then he gave himself back to them, back into slavery."

Astrid's soft gasp of dismay was loud in the silent hut. Stoick stared at her. Astrid was a ferocious warrior and she loved the boy. They had only just married and Hiccup had done everything he could to secure her safety and her future: by saving Stoick, he had saved her as well. But it suddenly didn't matter because Hiccup was enslaved once more..being tormented once more.

"We have to get him back!" she said angrily. Stoick shook his head. "Sir- we can't leave him there! They'll kill him!"

"After Dagur shot Toothless and I down, I heard him screaming and screaming, like a wounded animal," he groaned. "And then...and then the scream just...stopped." Gobber bowed his head. "He's dead."

"No..." she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. "No!" she repeated, her fists clenching. "Dagur wouldn't go to all that effort to just kill him. He always wanted Hiccup to suffer. That's why he shot you down. They will have knocked him out. He has to be alive!" Stoick shook his head. He couldn't get the scream out of his head: it was the dying howl of a mortally wounded creature. He knew his son was gone. But...

"They tried to kill me," he said angrily. "Prepare the ships. Assemble the Academy. We sail to Outcast Island and we kill Dagur!"