Chapter Text
Berk. An island with a terrain almost as tough as its inhabitants. The snow storms are sharp like the wielded axes and the fires rage wildly like the tempers here. It had been three years since the war against the Berserkers, with Berk thriving as much as it could in such harsh conditions. The six teenage riders who saved the Berkians from The Red Death all reveled in their success as dragon riders, but they began to split on their paths over time. After all, life goes on. The giant dragon threat was purged, and all that was left was to continue moving forward.
Until today.
Gothi was sorting through her herbs and remedies when the sound of a wooden peg leg and a voice that resembled sandpaper cut through her peace. Gobber hobbled up the stairs, with Hiccup and his friends trailing behind him. Or more like Hiccup following and the rest dragging a quivering and hacking Tuffnut up with them. Gothi pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and banged her staff on the ground twice. A figure emerged from the hut behind her, curious (e/c) eyes falling onto Gothi, then Gobber and Hiccup, then Tuffnut. They sighed and muttered about grabbing some yak yarrow.
"My teeth are itching. My teeth are itchy." Tuffnut complained after being basically force-fed the remedy for his ailment.
Gothi scribbled something on the ground, and (Y/N) only needed to look down at it for a second to translate it. "That's a good sign, means it's working." They said casually with a small shrug, and shook their head as Tuffnut continued to vigorously scratch at his teeth, wincing slightly. The noise was anything but pleasant, and it was already beginning to get on their nerves. It wouldn't be the medical assistant's place to snap at the twin to quit the insufferable sound, though.
(Y/N) wasn't exactly close to the notorious six. They were in the same age group as them sure, but their paths just never crossed. Even in the old days, the group was mastering the art of conquering dragons, and they were mastering the art of conquering illnesses and injuries. (Y/N) didn't complain, however. They preferred Gothi's company to most, even if she was rough around the edges. She was tough, moody, and liked things her way or the highway, but she was also the only family the teen really had. It was a good thing (Y/N) basically went with the flow, and didn't mind all of the tedious accommodations the old woman insisted upon having, or else they'd truly have no one. The teen did this so well, in fact, that Gothi asked them to be her assistant, to which (Y/N) giddily accepted. Stoick was thrilled about the news, as it was always helpful to have more healers around. Ever since then, Gothi and (Y/N) have worked side by side with one another to keep the occupation hazards that are Berkians alive and well.
"Thank you Gothi and (Y/N). We really appreciate this." Hiccup, the future chief, spoke up, bringing the teen out of their thoughts. He was unlike the others, gentle and kind. Had he not been the rightful heir to the clan, and the practically dragon whisperer, (Y/N) believes he would've had a fine future in medicine.
"Our pleasure, Hiccup." (Y/N) spoke, nodding their head in respect. They turned their head to see if Gothi had said anything, but saw the old woman's attention was drawn to the strange contraption in Gobber's hand. "Gothi?"
The healer turned away with an almost haunted look in her eyes. Her eyes cast downwards in thought, a face she only made at the sight of something troubling. "Gothi are you okay? What is it?" Hiccup asked, bending down to try and make better eye contact with her.
She looked up at Hiccup, then silently gestured to her arm. A giant dragon tooth scar welted itself onto her inner forearm, a marking that was identical to the keyhole on the strange contraption. She then looked away and hobbled inside, leaving a shocked Hiccup and a concerned (Y/N) behind.
"Her- Her scar-, it matches the keyhole." Hiccup said astonished.
"Yeah, and it looked like a dragon bite to me," Fishlegs added on, which queued up Gobber from his commitment to messing with- whatever the cylinder thing in his hand was.
"Oh, it is. But she doesn't like to talk about it." Gobber said plainly, which (Y/N) nodded in agreement. They had only heard the story once or twice, but aside from that Gothi never brought it up.
"She doesn't like to talk about anything," Fishlegs said, earning a glare from (Y/N).
"Ohh so that's why she writes in the dirt with her stick. I thought that was just like her thing." Tuffnut said, pausing his scratching.
"Yeah, like Snotlout being a woman repellant," Ruffnut added on with a smirk.
"Maybe we could use the stick to scratch my teeth," Tuffnut said, and (Y/N) decided it was best to just tune out anything he said at this point.
Hiccup and Fishlegs began walking in the direction of Gothi, and (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.
"Where are you going?" (Y/N) asked them.
"After her. We have to find out what kind of dragon made that scar." Hiccup said, and (Y/N) shook their head.
"She won't say anything. It took that woman years before she even started to mention what happened to me, and I lived with her." They responded flatly.
"Then could you tell us? It could be the key to opening the Dragon Eye." Hiccup said, and (Y/N) couldn't fight back a snort.
"The Dragon Eye? That's what you're calling it?" They asked, and Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Look, I'd love to help but I don't think Gothi would appreciate me telling her traumatic backstory, and I'd like a place to sleep tonight."
"Hold on. I have ways of making her talk." Gobber said with a chuckle and crossed arms before Hiccup could rebuttal. "Well... scribble, anyway."
...
The aroma of warm soup filled the room as Gobber removed the lid from the pot. "It's the old bat's weakness, isn't it?" Gobber said matter-of-factly. He looked to Gothi with a grin as she practically drooled over the soup. "Come on. You know you can't resist Gobber's homemade yak noodle soup."
Gothi was licking her lips, and honestly (Y/N) couldn't blame her as they stood with their arms crossed against the wall. The soup smelled heavenly. They guessed Gothi decided spilling some of her lore for food was a fair trade because they watched as the elder practically inhaled the yak soup. It scared (Y/N) a bit, honestly.
"She downed that like a yak in a heatwave!" Fishlegs laughed, astonished. He paused for a moment, "That makes sense, right?"
Gothi tossed the pot and flopped down onto her chair, stomach full and happy. (Y/N) and Gobber walked over to stand by her, with Gobber looking at her expectantly and hands on his hips. Her pale eyes darted from Gobber to Hiccup.
"Now, tell me about this bite mark." Hiccup said, and Gothi huffed and grabbed her staff. (Y/N) adjusted their position to stand closer to her, and to be able to translate clearly.
"I was a teenager. I had a longing to climb Glacier Island to find pure glacial water, known for its healing properties, so I went with two vikings. We had only been at the summit for a few hours when we were hit by a terrible snowstorm. That's when it attacked. It was viscous. Relentless. And impossible to see in the white-out. The Snow Wraith." (Y/N) paused with Gothi, as her eyes held a far-away look in them. She snapped out of it and continued to write. "I'll never know why it didn't finish me off that day. I left only knowing one thing, that I never wanted to see that dragon again."
"Gothi" Hiccup spoke up, turning the attention in the room to him, "a tooth from the Snow Wraith is the key to unlocking the Dragon Eye. You have to help us find it."
Gothi's withering glare told (Y/N) enough, but what the elder wrote down next made them and Gobber sputter incredulously. "I can't say that to him! He's the chief's son!" (Y/N) exclaimed, and Gobber nodded in agreement.
With an eye roll, the elder cleared away her past scribbles and wrote something new down. "She says, no way she's ever going back. And besides, Berk needs her." Gobber translated this time, adding in, 'It's true. She's the best healer we've got. No offense (Y/N)."
"None taken Gobber." (Y/N) smiles at him. Gobber was always someone she liked in the village, and not just because he was one of the only ones who also understood Gothi's writings.
"(Y/N) COULD cover for you, though." Hiccup said hopefully, and the assistant blinked incredulously.
"I'm not going to comment in response to that, because I don't support this idea at all in any capacity." (Y/N) said plainly, putting their hands on their hips.
Hiccup continued. "You remember the viciousness of the Snow Wraith. I get that. But you also remember how it was to be my age, to want to explore, to need to see what else is out there. To get answers to questions you haven't even asked yet." He bent down and picked up the Dragon Eye. "This will help me do all of that. But only– only if you help me unlock it."
By the end of Haddock's speech, Gothi looked to be actually considering it, so (Y/N) took a step forward.
"May I speak with you, Hiccup?" (Y/N) asked coldly, and Hiccup nodded. The two walked outside the room, and the other teenagers followed. "Look, I understand your excitement, however, I won't let you put Gothi's life at risk because of your uncontrolled adrenaline rush."
"We'll make sure she doesn't get hurt, I promise you." Hiccup said, with a tone that was an attempt to soothe them, seeming to brush over the harsh comment towards the future chief.
"How can you promise that when you have no idea what you're up against?" They hissed. "And another thing, who in the gods' names said you could offer up my services? I've never worked without Gothi, and I've only been working with her for a few months. Am I supposed to just pray there's no disease outbreak or extreme medical emergency until you guys come riding back?"
"You'll be fine, plus you'll– have Gobber to help!" Hiccup said hopefully, and (Y/N) gave him a deadpanned look.
"You're lucky you're the chief's son Haddock, and that Gothi's as stubborn as an ox." (Y/N) sighed. "Just please have her home safely, and watch over her. You and I know she's tough, but she is still old."
"I promise we'll keep her safe." Hiccup says with a smile, and places a hand on their shoulder. They huffed and smiled slightly, then turned around to go back inside.
...
The morning they left, (Y/N) packed Gothi some essential herbs in case of an emergency. They didn't hug goodbye, physical contact wasn't their forte, but a mutual nod and wave showed just enough emotion between them. Looking after the clan in her absence was relatively easy, except when Gobber tried to assist. The viking had managed to make a hair-growing serum rather than an antinausea for Agnar. By the time Gothi returned, they were on the verge of pulling their hair out and taking an ax to Gobber's last foot.
Gothi and (Y/N) smiled and nodded in greeting to one another, the relief painted in their (e/c) eyes. They stood close to one another as the group crowded around Gobber's blacksmith shop. When Hiccup asked (Y/N) about how it went, they only responded with "Never let Gobber take over as the healer. Ever."
Agnar running up for more of the mystery concoction Gobber made didn't help their point until Snotlout accidentally made him puke all over the floor. Gothi walloped Gobber upside the head and led Agnar back to the shack. (Y/N) followed Gothi, not before quietly thanking Hiccup as they passed. Back to the same old routine, and (Y/N) was thanful to be able to be left out of any more shenanigans.