How To Break A Dragon's Hero

Chapter 21: Hiccup

I started to build my contraption, which took me about an hour to get all the parts for. I could feel the eyes of my guards boring into my back as I worked. The contraption had originally taken me three weeks to make, but that was because I had other duties to do in Berk. Also, I had no idea what went where. Now I had two days and I knew this thing inside out.

It was about sunset when Alvin finally came to get me. He crossed his arms when he saw my half finished project. "And what's this?"

"Your weapon," I said simply.

"And what's it do?"

I shrugged. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"I don't like surprises," Alvin sneered at me.

"Sorry," I said. "Get used to disappointment."

Alvin smacked me hard in the back of the head. "You'd best learn when to keep your mouth shut, boy."

Alvin took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the chain from around my neck. "I've got one more place to go before dropping you off. It's an outcast tradition to see how much liquor each chief can hold."

"Liquor?" I asked. "You know, that really won't be necessary-"

"Well your the chief, aren't you?"

I tried to wiggle out of Alvin's grip by digging my heels into the ground, but Alvin hit the back of my legs with his whip. I let out a cry of both pain and surprise. Since when was he holding that?

Alvin dragged me into a building that looked small, but when we got in there, half the village was packed tight inside. All eyes where turned on me. "So, it's time to test the little cheif, eh?" Someone called out.

In response, Alvin threw me forwards. As soon as I hit the ground, dozens of hands grabbed me and pulled me into the middle of the room. "This one wont last long," I heard someone say. There was a tug on my hair, someone forcing me head back. I let out a small cry of pain, but someone had started to shove a mug into my mouth. I tried to run, but at least four people where holding down just my arms. I doubted that they needed that many people, but that wasn't my main worry right now.

The first drop of mead touched my tongue and a shutter went through my body. I tried to spit it out, but more kept coming I closed my eyes and clamped my jaw shut. A cloth of some sort went over my nose so I couldn't breath. When I started to feel lightheaded, my mouth opened involuntarily. More of the revolting substance started to fill my mouth. I spit most of it out, but some made it down my throat.

~

The next thing I remember is waking up, chained to a post. I felt horrible and dizzy. For some reason I was all wet. I blinked the water out of my eyes. There was a pair of boots in front of me. Attached to those boots was a man. I looked up at the man. It was Alvin. He was holding an empty bucket.

"Well, you didn't last, did ye?" he asked with a laugh. "We hardly got a laugh out of you before you passed out."

I opened my mouth, but it was too dry to get a sound out of it, so I closed it again.

"Ready to get back to work?" Alvin asked me.

I glared at him. "C-could you...a-at least...give m-me some w-water?" I coughed out. Even saying that was painful.

"I already did," Alvin said. "Now come on." He grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me up. My legs where too weak to keep me up for long. I feel to my knees in a few seconds. That earned me a crack with the whip. I gritted my teeth. Alvin sighed and dragged me over to the water pump.

He forced my head back and poured the water down my throat. It was ice cold, but it was good. After that cup was done, he dragged me off again. This time to the forge.

He threw me on the floor next to the bench. "Let's see how well you do now."

I swollowed, though I didn't really have anything to swollow. With shaking hands, I grabbed the stool and helped myself up. Alvin watched with a laugh in his eyes.

I got up and at down heavily on the bench. That stuff really drains your energy. Wait, what was I making again? I looked at my notes. A contraption. I pulled it in front of me.

The longer I kept working, the more my head cleared.

I had to finish this thing by the end of today. I was halfway done. Maybe I'd even have time to fix my prothtetic that Alvin had bent slightly. Now every time to stood, it leaned slightly to the left. It was probably on purpose.

About five hours and a gallon of sweat later, my contraption sat in front of me. I tapped it. A hammer flew out of it, smashing into the wall. The guards looked at me questionably. I shrugged. "Oops." I tried not to smile. It worked just as I wanted it to.

I walked over to grab the hammer, but it was just out of reach. The chain tugged at my neck. I coughed a little. The guards didn't seem to want to help me either. I sighed and left the thing there.

I walked back to my invention to "fix" it. I actually jammed the trigger. Hopefully this would slow things down. If the outcasts liked how it looked, maybe they'd make more, not knowing that it wouldn't work.

It was soon after my adjustment when Alvin walked in. "So, what do we have here?" Alvin asked.

"One of my old inventions," I said holding out my hands. "I innovated it too. Now it can shoot any weapon."

"It doesn't look like much," Alvin said.

"Well you only have me two days," I said, crossing my arms. Wow, building really did put me in a mood. Gobber always told my I had this mood but I never believed him. I guess it was the way I talk to him."

Alvin seemed to notice my mood change too. "Well you seem cheerful."

I shrugged. "I guess you can say building this really cleared my head. And it's all thanks to you Alvin. Now, it would be great if you could just take this off," I pulled on the chain. "I helped you. I think my end of the deal's over. You should let me go."

Alvin laughed. "No, I asked for a flight suit. You still haven't delivered that, now have you?"

I don't know why, but I was just super fed up with Alvin by now. All these hours to myself might have given me more of an attitude or something but the next things I said were, "I don't think a flight suit would keep you up in the air for too long. You have too much of a mass."

Okay, rule one with insulting another vikings's weight, never do it to an outcast. Also, never a chief. Also, never do it when you're there captive. I, unfortunately, was under the influence of all three. Something hard made contact with my face, sending me to the ground. I clutched my cheek. It stung.

Then I felt a kick to my chest. I sat there, gasping for breath.

"Now what was that about my weight?" Alvin asked, grabbing the front of my shirt.

I didn't say anything. What could I say? All the sudden I was almost glad that Alvin was keeping me alive for things later. Most people would be killed on sight if they said that.

"That's what I thought," Alvin said through gritted teeth.

The chain on my neck was unlocked and soon Alvin was dragging me, probably back to that pole. I still felt a strange sense of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I fought to get out of Alvin's grip. Of course it didn't work, but at least I tried. It was more then I'd been doing.

Alvin did drag me to the pole. He chained my hands once again. "I hope you learned your lesson." Then, with one last glare, we walked off.

I sighed and leaned my head back. Why'd I have to get into this mess?

"Hiccup?" Said a quiet voice.

I jumped. I couldn't look behind me, but I was pretty sure that's where it came from. It sounded like...

"Astrid?" I whispered in disbelief.