TWENTY SEVEN: Leverage

The fourth Hunter base was as unrewarding as the first and as Hiccup soared up on Toothless over the burning ruins, the sunken ships fouling the harbour, he tried to crush his shame at the cries of the men who had fallen, repeating the mantra he had clung to through the fruitless and frustrating search.

This is all for Astrid.

But none of the men knew about the expedition to the island, meaning he still hadn't tracked down the correct group who had captured Astrid. And every day that passed brought Astrid closer to labour and exposed her to more and more chance of abuse and death. Already, dusk was fading into night, the flames casting uneven shadows over the wreckage.

The captain of the base had been uncooperative and the Dragon Rider had few qualms in lifting the man a hundred feet over a rocky death and threatening him until he talked. And the man had talked, explaining the all the hunters were allied to Viggo and were on the lookout for precious Hunter Tribe artefacts that had been stolen by the Dragon Riders-about the size of an eye, hexagonal and containing a glass centre...DragonEye lenses. Viggo was offering a very rich bounty for any man finding any and returning them to him...and though he was angry, a small portion of Hiccup admired the man's ingenuity. And he knew Hunters would do almost anything for money.

Except face down an angry Night Fury, he added with a grim smile.

He had relieved the man of the lens he had located on a remote island, abandoned by the Tribe but bearing the hallmarks of a Hunter ally and as he peered at it, he wondered how well the others were getting on. There was a crash as their Dragon-Root-shooting ballista collapsed into the sea and he glanced back over his shoulder, seeing a couple of men trying to put out the fires. They would pass the word on-that the Night Fury Rider was looking for the man who captured the Rider of the Blue Nadder-and Hiccup wanted them to be aware he was out there. His new reputation would be vital in persuading them he would go to any lengths to rescue Astrid.

Because he would. And though it was hard while all he was doing was facing Hunter subordinates, he knew that when he was faced with the person holding Astrid hostage, the choice would be easy.

His hand closed around the lens, the hard edges digging into the flesh of his palm and he smiled.

"Let's head back, bud, so we can have a look at this and see what else we can learn..."

oOo

For Frida Andersdottir, her life had completely spun on its axis and turned upside down. The beautiful girl of one of the best families in Granite Isle, promised to the Chief had been unceremoniously informed that the Chief was now obsessed by the blonde and admittedly pretty stranger who had crashed from the skies, pregnant and sick and apparently riding a dragon. Frida was acknowledged as beautiful, her long raven hair intricately braided down her back and grey eyes dominating a wide but regular face. She was slender with a small chest and rounded hips, always carried herself with grace and was witty, bright and discreet...but apparently all her accomplishments meant nothing against a golden-haired barbarian and heretic. Especially since that woman had rejected the Chief without hesitation.

She let herself into the Chief's house and the guards cast her the merest of glances as she headed up, carrying a plate of food for the prisoner and as she clambered up the stairs to the upper level, she paused. Astrid had thrown aside most of what she had been offered for the last two weeks, raging against her incarceration and refusing to marry the Chief who had broken his duty of hospitality to her. Her hands closed around the rim of the bowl of soup and then she approached the locked door, nodding for the guards to unbar the door and let her in.

She paused, waited for something to hit the wall just by the door and then entered.

"Go away," Astrid said grimly, her eyes fixed furiously on the intruder. She was seated on the hard bed with its single pillow and blanket, her fists clenched. She was wearing a simple undyed woollen shift dress that clung to the swell of her stomach, emphasising her pregnancy and her hair was braided over her shoulder in defiance of Torgeir's orders. In her time as jailer, Frida had already learned Astrid was incredibly stubborn, defiant and determined not to surrender, no matter the threats to her and her child. And that made Frida uncomfortable, because she had maintained her purity for the Chief, adhering strictly to Tribal requirements...while Astrid was most definitely not pure. In fact, that Torgeir had imprisoned a pregnant woman to take as his wife had offended Frida beyond all words-and spat upon all of her sacrifices.

But Frida had heard the threats levelled against the stranger, the threats to kill the dragon imprisoned in the Arena and worse, the child growing within her. She knew that Torgeir was ruthless and ruled the village with a fist of iron, murdering any challengers and ensuring his warriors were ferociously loyal...but even she could not imagine the men would attack and harm a pregnant woman in order to kill the child just so their leader could have her. At least she hoped not...because she would not want to live in a village where such horrors were accepted.

"I can't. I have your food," Frida said, her low voice calm. Astrid looked up, her bright blue eyes filled with disdain.

"I said, I don't want it," she insisted bitterly. "I am not playing Torgeir's game," Frida sighed.

"He would be delighted if you were so weakened you could no longer defy him...or maybe the child dies from lack of food so making his plan easier," she commented smoothly. Astrid's eyes flicked up, hatred welling in the depths.

"The only reason why you're not lying on the floor with a broken neck is because I haven't figured how to get past the guards outside my room," she told the raven-haired woman harshly.

"And what then?" Frida asked her sharply. "Your beast is guarded and will be slain as soon as they realise you have broken out. Torgeir will never let you go." Astrid lurched to her bare feet and Frida back-pedalled until she hit the door.

"So you just expect me to give in?" she spat. "How dare you? You think I want this? I never wanted this! All I wanted was to spend my life with Hiccup, to marry him and fly and fight at his side and protect Berk and the dragons! But his father had betrothed him as a child and never said a word to him...until after we were together and I was..." She breathed hard. "And I love Hiccup. I don't want some brute who thinks he can force me to become his trophy! I am a warrior of Berk and the moment I get my hands on anything sharp, I'll cut his balls off and then cut his throat! One day, he will slip and that is all I need to end him."

"Astrid...I'm not counselling any such thing!" Frida hissed hastily, praying the guards weren't listening closely. "Freya, I was lined up to marry him-and I would be happy doing do...because he is my Chief and it is a great honour to be his wife..."

"Not for me," the blonde growled, turning away and pacing back and forth, her fists clenching and relaxing. "Being locked up here is torture. I want to be free, training and flying with Stormfly." Shaking her head, Frida bent down and placed the bowl on the floor.

"I cannot get my head around that," she confessed, her voice confused. "I mean, none of the women here would ever consider becoming a warrior-and the whole Dragon thing is...beyond anything I have ever heard of. Dragons are ferocious and dangerous, aren't they?"

There was a pause and Astrid inspected her slowly.

"No," she said in a calmer voice. "Dragons are intelligent, compassionate, protective creatures that are curious about us and will only be aggressive if they are threatened. Stormfly was a prisoner in our dragon-killing arena but we trained her...well, Hiccup trained her...when our Tribe was going to attack the Nest and be killed by the giant dragon there. Hiccup discovered the truth with Toothless, the Night Fury he shot down then befriended. We flew to Dragon Island and he and Toothless killed the Giant Queen, freeing the dragons. Most moved to Berk and became our friends. We've been together since, through quiet times and battles with Outcasts and Berserkers and Dragon Hunters."

"You really have been a warrior?" Frida asked her.

"I am a warrior," Astrid confirmed gruffly. "All my life, I have trained to be a Shield Maiden...and I was the most respected young warrior on Berk. I should have won Dragon Training...but Hiccup won, because he befriended Toothless and learned so much more from that than we ever knew about them. And then he showed me the truth and I..." She paused and swallowed, dropping her hands to cradle her swollen belly protectively. "I fell for a goofy, auburn-haired, emerald-eyed, kind, brilliant caring man. And he loved me as well...not because I was a trophy but because...he loved Astrid..." She blinked. "And though I can never be with him, because he belongs to another, he is the only one who will ever own my heart. And I will die before I betray him...or let anyone harm his child..."

Frida blinked. It had been easy to hate Astrid as an interloper, stealing her birthright and place as Torgeir's wife and Chieftess-but getting Astrid to talk had painted a different picture to what she had imagined. Not a barbarian or a heretic but a considered and thoughtful woman who was enraged at her wrongful imprisonment and desperate to be free, to protect her child and her dragon friend. And to remember the man she loved, not be forced to service a man she clearly hated.

"I-I'm sorry," the raven-haired girl mumbled. "I didn't realise..." Astrid walked back to the bed and say down carefully, her hands still splayed over the curve of her stomach.

"Why should you?" she asked astutely. "I am sure you hate me as a rival when I have done nothing to encourage or seek this unwanted interest. All I want is somewhere I can stay to give birth...but that isn't here..." She looked up and for a moment, there was defeat in her wide blue eyes. "I will eat your soup, Frida, because you are correct. I need my strength so that Thumper here has food...and so I can plot what I need to do."

Managing a smile that in no way reflected the sick shame in her stomach, Frida nodded.

"Good," she sighed and then she laid a wooden spoon on the bowl. "Is-is there anything else I can do?"

"Get me a knife?" Astrid asked dryly and Frida shrugged.

"You know I can't..." she began but Astrid sighed.

"Could you ask Anja to visit?" she asked quietly. "Thumper isn't moving as much as normal and I want her to check he is okay. Please..." The soft plea from the strong and brave blonde shattered Frida's restraint and she nodded.

"Of course," she promised. "I will make sure she checks you out. Just...hold on." Astrid looked up.

"Not much else I can do," she admitted.

oOo

He had returned to the markets for any intelligence-because he was getting nowhere with the Hunters. Over the days, he had hit each base at least once and still hadn't tracked down the group who had ravaged the Healers' Isle, threatening every leader and burning the bases to the ground.

Swathed in an enclosing cloak and leaving Toothless outside the markets, he walked through, steeling himself to ignore the products made from dragons and picking up supplies and another knife. As he drifted past the mead stall, he heard two hunters talking and he paused, purchasing a small flask and sipping as he listened.

"Omar is still hunting," one commented, taking a large mouthful and belching obviously. "Haven't seen him for weeks! He must be the only one not hit by the vigilante..."

"He's in the deeps, looking for Tidal Class specimens," the second-thinner-man said, emptying his cup and waving it rudely. The stall-holder filled it up and accepted the coin proffered with a grimace. "Though why he should need any when he got that load of Changewings recently..."

Hiccup stiffened in interest and tilted his head slightly, focussing on the two men.

"Yeah...but you know Omar...he and the crew of the 'RedWing' never stop for anything. Profit above all...and they won't shy from any dragon..."

We'll see about that, Hiccup thought grimly, sipping the mead again.

"Aye...well the Scauldron migration is underway south of Killick Hitch, in Loki's Channel-and that's where he will be, filling his holds to sell to our northern partner..."

Viggo...but Scauldrons dry out and die out of the water...

"Anyway, have you heard any more about the Rider? Terrorising the Hunters all over this region?"

"Heartless bastard! He's destroyed every base he's hit and put scores of men out of work..."

"And killed about thirty without mercy," the thin man added, emptying his cup again. "Damn. It almost makes you reconsider your choice of career..."

Wow...I should have tried this sooner...if I could have lived with myself. But at least I have a lead...if I can only find out where Killick Hitch is...

"Have you heard about the murderous dragon rider, friend?" the Hunter asked and Hiccup realised they were speaking to him. He smiled thinly under his hood and nodded.

"Heard the only sane thing to do is get out of the business...because I've seen him kill without mercy," he said, hoping they would believe him. But both men were staring in shock.

"You've seen him?" the fatter one gasped and he nodded.

"Always leaves a couple alive to spread his reputation," he revealed and sipped his mead again. But only little sips. remember how we ended up in this mess in the first place.... "Fearsome, huge guy with burning, cold eyes. Rides that enormous, ravening black dragon..." The hunters shuddered.

"And...I think it may be time to leave," the thin hunter said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "I've heard enough. I always wanted to be a farmer anyway..."

"Me too," his friend said and they scurried away, leaving the stall-holder scowling at Hiccup, who knocked his hood back and tried not to chuckle.

"I'll thank you not to scare off my customers!" he snarked and grabbed his mugs back and Hiccup gave him a small smile.

"Hey-far be it from me to put off any would-be farmers," he said dryly. "And thanks for the drink....it reminds me why I'm not a drinker..." Then he flipped his hood up and wove his way through the market, his eyes fixed on the tree line beyond the stalls where Toothless was waiting. Now he finally had the lead he needed to locate Astrid...and he prayed he wasn't already too late...

oOo

Days passed in captivity and Astrid grew more desperate. Frida had been as good as her word and healer Anja had visited an hour after the young woman had departed and checked the baby throughly. She had managed to listen to the heart using a small wooden trumpet-like instrument and her verdict was that Astrid was undernourished and stressed-and that was affecting the baby. And honestly, the girl couldn't argue with the diagnosis-because every conclusion was accurate. She was horribly stressed and angry and honestly wanted to axe her way out of the cell...except she had no weapons at all. The closest she was given was a wooden spoon and even Astrid hadn't managed to fashion that into a weapon...though not for lack of trying.

Frida visited her daily, delivering warm food and attempting to lift her spirits-though none of her words in any way gave her any confidence. It seemed that Granite Isle was preparing for her wedding at full speed, no matter that she had refused to wed the Chief. And she was despairing that she would ever see Stormfly again, for she was not permitted to even leave the room. And though Astrid continued to exercise to maintain her strength and agility, she knew she was running out of time. Her pregnancy progressed and she knew that she was losing her edge. But she didn't give up, checking the times of guard changeovers, the bars on the windows, even the floorboards...but there was no obvious way out. So she ripped two of the slats from the bed and fashioned staffs for her to practice with, rehearsing the movements she would use with a sword or an axe for the moment she would have that one precious chance to grab a weapon and kill Torgeir.

But he visited her after a month in her cell and stood in the doorway, flanked by four men. Facing him, she glared at him and balled her fists, but backed up enough to ensure they couldn't just grab her and haul her away. She was in range of her staffs so that if they tried to harm her, she could make a fight of it and she glared implacably at the Chief as he eyed her up and down like a piece of meat.

"You need to smarten yourself up for your wedding," he told her coldly.

"There will be no wedding," she retorted shortly. "And the bastard who kidnapped and imprisoned me is the reason why I'm not clean and smart. I haven't been offered even a decent wash since I was put in here."

"It was your choice!" he roared at her, his eyes flashing with rage. "You have to learn to obey your husband..."

"I will never obey you!" she yelled back. "The man I love would never ask me to accept those words because he knows me. He would ask for my love, my support, my loyalty-but never obedience. We are a team, not master and servant!"

"And where is he now?" Torgeir sneered. "He abandoned you, didn't he? You are alone, carrying his child and at my mercy. And you will only survive if you obey me."

"I am not your possession-I am a warrior of Berk!" she raged.

"And I will kill your dragon if you disobey me," he said in a suddenly quiet, menacing voice. "The feast at our wedding-and there will be a wedding, even if I have to gag you through it-will consist of dragon if you persist in defying me. And then there is the child..." Her gasp of shock and hatred was loud in the cold room.

"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed, raising her fists and he looked at her-then laughed.

"Maybe the child is safe in your womb...if I wish you to remain useful for bearing children," he told her cruelly. "But once the brat is here, can you be at its side every moment? If you defy me, if you anger me, Astrid-I will kill it. No hesitation, no delay-I will cut out its heart. Is that clear?"

She shook her head.

"You're a monster," she breathed and her eyes flicked upwards, her lips moving soundlessly. Freya, grant me justice. Grant me the strength to outsmart him and save my friend...and my child...

"But in two days, at dusk, you will wed me," Torgeir said. "And if you go through with the ceremony, your child will be safe. I give my word." She stared at him.

"I will give your answer at the altar," she said. "But...I ask one thing. I know you will never let me fly my dragon again...so can I be given one of her spines as a momento? As a last thing left of my best friend?" He stared at her and heard the soft plea in her words.

"No," he said. "Maybe after the wedding, maybe once you have performed your duty as my wife, then I will give you a piece of your dragon to remember it...but not before..."

"BASTARD!" she yelled, flinging one of the staffs into his face and breaking his nose. "I'll see you rot in Helheim, you rancid munge-bucket!" He stared at her in shock and then rage as blood poured from his nose.

"You will never see that dragon again!" he swore and stormed from the room, yelling for his men to find him the healer. But as the door slammed, Frida emerged from behind the fireplace in the main hall where she had been listening from...and she glanced up at the room. Astrid had not encouraged the man in any way and his ruthless tone was making her think more and more that perhaps she had pulled a lucky break in not having to marry Chief Torgeir. And then she glanced up at the room again, hearing the bolts slam back into place and she gathered her skirts-then raced from the door, knowing what the Chief would do as soon as he had gotten his face treated. She could hear Astrid screaming and hammering on the door, raging at him and cussing every name she had every heard-and several that were completely new but Frida didn't care.

She ran through the village, uncaring of who saw her or what people thought. She was of good family and they would protect her from any fallout from her actions-but she knew that as a human being and a woman, she couldn't allow Astrid's heart to be broken. So she dived round the corner and sprinted to the gate of the Arena-where one of her cousins, Jonas, was on duty. She grabbed his arms and stared into his face.

"I need your help," she said urgently and he smiled. She was the favourite of his cousins.

"What's wrong, little Frida?" he asked her in a low voice, glancing at his fellow guard. The man was also a distant member of the family and Jonas was sure he could play on family loyalty. She swallowed and looked at him.

"Open the gates and let the dragon go," she blurted out in an urgent voice. Both men stared at her, shocked at her sudden subversive request.

"What?" Jonas asked. "But its a wild beast! And the Chief has decreed..."

"What?" Frida flared at him, her grey eyes wild with sudden fire. "The Chief who is keeping the girl prisoner and is using the beast to force her to marry him?" Jonas stared.

"He's the Chief," he said helplessly.

"And he was contracted to marry me, cousin!" she snapped. "But he broke that the moment his loins stirred on seeing her golden hair. You and I both know she doesn't want to marry him-and she is with child. But he spits on our family honour as well as dishonours our very tribe. Astrid doesn't want him-and I fear he will kill the dragon because she keeps being who she is. She is brave and ferocious and independent. Gods, she is a woman I want to be! And I won't help the Chief break her. I won't help him dishonour us!"

The two men shared glances and then stared at her.

"You know what you ask?" the cousin, Trond, asked. She nodded.

"The Chief has dishonoured us, he will dishonour the Tribe and he will marry and rape a guest on our island," she told him passionately. "If we let her dragon go, we weaken his leverage over her and strengthen our hand. He is behaving like a madman! And maybe he needs to relieved of the Chiefdom."

"We can say the beast broke out," Jonas suggested and Trond sighed.

"I have to admit, my wife Liv hates the idea of a woman forced to marry someone who threatens her unborn child," he admitted as Frida stared at him.

"What?" she gasp in shock. "But he-he promised to allow the child to live if she obeyed him. He..."

"He lied," Jonas confirmed. "Knut the Wise counselled him when the girl first arrived, before she even woke. He threatened to beat her to kill the child...but he never intended that because that could ruin her for his purposes. He will have Anja bring on early labour and when the child is born, it will be killed to erase it from existence...so she can be considered 'pure' enough to bear him legitimate sons..."

Frida stared at him in horror.

"Uncle Steinar told us-but the guards knew the plan in any case," Trond confirmed. "Knut has been bragging that he has the Chief so wound up that he can make the man do anything he wants. That he is effectively the man in charge...and he has his eyes on..."

"...you," Jonas confirmed and she gasped. She reeled back a couple of steps and stared in horror.

"You-you can't be serious when he-he's..." she stammered and Jonas sighed.

"I'm afraid that's what he wants," he confirmed and then he glanced at Trond. The other man nodded. "But it's not what we want." He walked to the lever and slammed it down, swinging the doors of the Arena open. There was a pause and then a squawk...and then the blue and yellow shape of Stormfly accelerated through the gateway and flapped her wings, arching up into the grey, stormy sky. There was a final screech and then she was gone. Frida stared after her and then felt Jonas give her a shove.

"Go!" Trond told her quickly. "Get out of here! You need to be away when the Chief finds his prize gone..." She stared...and then darted into the Arena, finding a spine sticking into the ground. And then she stared around in utter shock: the walls were covered in Nadder spines, scores and scores of missiles impaling the walls from her fury and frustration at being imprisoned. It was the signs of despair from weeks and weeks of captivity and was shocking. She swiftly grabbed one and emerged, then nodded to her cousins and ran for it. The two men shared a glance.

"You realise the Chief will be furious?" Trond said and Jonas nodded.

"I think it's high time we left to visit relatives on Rocky End," he said and the two men vanished from their posts, leaving the Arena unlocked, the dragon escaped and Torgeir thwarted, when he arrived an hour later.

Predictably, his scream of rage could be heard all through the village and Frida smiled, ensconced in Healer Anja's hut, handing her the spine to pass on to Astrid. Neither woman knew what mayhem the blonde warrior could make with it...but both were sure now that they wanted to give her the chance.