Kania's POV

Here I am again, waiting for my turn in the competition to be Twilight's rider. There were a good number of at the beginning of the challenge but now only two had passed. But of course, I was again the last person to go in. And by in I mean inside one of the dragon pens, where they put in the contestants. All I know is that some people who go in come out crying. And they are usually the people who didn't pass. It's my turn after this last person who went in, I know why I'm last though. I try not to think about it but it's always there. I am grateful I have made it this far though, and I am thankful that Chief Hiccup let me join this competition at all. Soon enough though, the last person comes out with tears streaming down her face. One of her friends comes up and quietly comforts her. How bad will this be? One of the instructors, Astrid, walks over to me and motions me over to the pen, cage thing. I walk over to it's dark, foreboding coldness and hold my breath. Whatever happens, I need to try my best, for Twilight and myself. I walk in and the doors close behind me, it's pitch black. Suddenly I feel people grab my arms and drag me over to what I think I can make out of a chair. They sit me down and tie me to the chair. I panic a bit but remember this is a test and they won't actually hurt me, but if this were real they would so I have to act like it's real and stay strong. I hear slow walking and can make out figures in the darkness.

"So... what can you tell us about the location of Berk and it's dragon riders?" A deep echo voice calls out. I assume the test is to see if you will crack under pressure to hunters or something about Berk. I have to refuse to spill anything no matter what if I am to pass.

"Or should I say... what WILL you tell us?" The voice asks again, this time I can easily tell the voice belongs to a male.

"I will never tell you anything." I say bluntly.

"Is that so?" The voice continues. The person acting this is a really good actor because the voice sends shivers up my spine.

"Yes." I respond coolly. The figure comes towards me until he is standing right before me. I still can't see his face but it doesn't matter so long as I don't tell him anything. He reaches his arm forward and something moves. A snake, oh gods. This guy has a real live snake and is using it as an interrogation tool. He lets it crawl onto my arm and it slithers up my arm.

"If you tell me where Berk is I will remove the snake and let you go..." The voice tempts.

"N-no, I won't tell you anything." I stammer a bit, the snake scares me because I can't tell if it's actually poisonous. The snake slithers up to my face.

"Are you sure?" The voice almost threatens. He takes another thing out, this time it's a knife. A shiny, sharp knife. I can feel my hands start to sweat, this isn't just a competition anymore. It's a test of loyalty and courage. He walks around me and I can barely feel the knife glaze over my hair. I start getting scared, tears prick my eyes.

"I can just kill you now, or torture you until you spill..." The voice goes on in malice.

"I would love watching your blood pool as I force answers out of you." He says. At this I start to cry, I'm terrified. This person is starting to sound less like an actor and more like an actual threat. No wonder those other contestants were crying. He comes around and stands in front of me again, I feel the knife approaching my neck. When I feel it's air come close to me I start to whimper and shake.

"Tell me or I will kill you." The voice says emotionless.

"N-never! You can do whatever you w-want to me. B-b-but I will never ever tell you anything!" I wail out, tears streaming down my cold cheeks. Minutes seem to pass by before I feel the ropes on my wrists and ankles being untied. I stand up as soon as they are untied and hands grab my shoulders, leading me through the dark. We stop walking and the man opens the doors. Bright light pours in and never before have I been so happy to see daylight. I run out and breathe in the warm air, tears streaming off my cheeks. I made it.

Hiccup's POV

Only three contestants passed, but with good reason. The test they were put through was advanced as well as scary but those who passed aced the test with flying colours. The three line up and I can see tear stains on their cheeks followed by red eyes.

"Congratulations you three, I am truly impressed by how far you have come." I begin softly. I don't want to start up their fear again.

"Especially since the test you just went through was so frightening and life changing. This was by far the hardest test but the next one will decide the winner." I tell them gently.

"Go rest, the next test is in two days so you have time to recover." I usher them off. One by one they leave the arena but I call Kania back. I need to talk to her about her disappearance the other day and where she was. I have a feeling she won't tell me the full truth but I need to try and get some answers out of her. I need to understand why she always looks so alone and I want to know if she has a connection with Twilight. I will get the answers out of her one way or another, but I won't keep her for long. It has been a long day and she just went through a very stressful test. She out of all of the participants needs the most rest. I can now only hope she is better than what everyone thinks she is.