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The riders never tell Hiccup how long they waited for him to wake up. Snotlout would insist that he didn't cry when they thought Hiccup had fallen off Toothless facing the Red Death. The twins would have insisted they wanted the cool scars and burns that Hiccup got. Fishlegs, when Toothless permitted, read stories to Hiccup from old books in his house. Astrid only used her fists to express her feelings.
Some like Fishlegs hoped it was the end, that they'd never have to see Hiccup that way again. He wouldn't survive it.
But he did. Again and again. And each time, they have to watch.
He gets hints, but never enough to figure out the truth. Astrid punches Mildew in the gut when he tries selling out Hiccup to Alvin the Treacherous. The twins ask Stoick for permission to tackle Alvin first, not just because he held them hostage. Snotlout growled when a lightning bolt sent Hiccup to the bottom of the bay thanks to a Mildew plot, and made sure more bolts went Mildew's way.
When he said he was going out again? They all followed. There isn't enough rope to tether him to the island, or enough wool to wrap him in as armor. He only has them. So they go.