Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hiccup wasn't really sure how long he had lain on the ground staring up at the sky, but it was long enough to see the sun set and rise at least three times. Or was it four? He wasn't really keeping track. He just kept wishing Astrid would hurry back with help. What was taking her so long? His new friend wasn't going to stick around forever.

With great effort, he managed to look over at his new friend, who was a few feet away, staring at him with what he only assumed was worry, or maybe it was hunger. He couldn't really tell. Sometimes it was hard to tell with wild dragons.

The dragon rider looked back up at the sky, counting the stars as the sky began to grow dark. As he counted, he thought back to what led him to his current predicament.

"Come on, Astrid," Hiccup pleaded as he followed his betrothed around the stables. "Arvindall's Fire might only appear once every ten years over Berk, but here it appears every couple of years. We can track the Flightmare better and get tons of information on it."

"Why don't you ask Fishlegs?" Astrid suggested as she swept out Stormfly's stable. "I'm sure he'd love to go with you."

"I already tried, but he's heading back to Berk for a few days to watch his niece and nephews since his sister is due to have baby number four soon," Hiccup explained.

"We can't leave the Edge unguarded," Astrid pointed out.

"Snotlout and the twins can hold the fort down," Hiccup said, regretting the words as soon as he said them.

Astrid gave him a pointed look. "Why don't you just go by yourself?"

"Because last time I was alone, Toothless got hit with a dragon root arrow, and I was nearly branded," Hiccup admitted. "I still feel bad about that."

"As you should," Astrid agreed, then sighed. "Look, help me finish cleaning up in here, and then after supper, we'll head out. But if we don't find the Flightmare within three hours, we come back. Deal?"

"Deal," Hiccup said, flashing his goofy yet adorable smile as he picked up another broom.

As the three hours were coming to a close, Hiccup and Astrid were getting ready to turn around when they spotted a Dragon Hunter ship.

"Think they're looking for the Flightmare as well?" Astrid wondered as she flew closer to Hiccup.

"Most likely," Hiccup concurred. "Not sure why, though. What use would they have for the Flightmare now? Viggo already used it and released it."

"Maybe to sell it?" Astrid guessed.

"Whatever the reason, we can't let them find it first," Hiccup stated. "We need to find it and get it somewhere safe."

"Agreed," Astrid said. "What island should we try next?"

Hiccup pulled out his map. "There's an island about a half-hour flight from here where the glowing algae is most present. With any luck, the Flightmare will be there."

As luck would have it, the Flightmare was on the island, but so were more Hunters. Most of them were gathered on the beach, whereas the Flightmare was deep in the woods, unaware that it was in danger.

"Astrid, I need you to try and get the Flightmare off the island," Hiccup said as he looked down at the Hunters. "I'll try and distract the Hunters in the meantime."

"Are you sure that'll work?" Astrid asked, not really liking the idea of her betrothed putting himself in direct danger. "There are a lot of Hunters down there."

"We'll be fine," Hiccup promised. "Just make sure the Flightmare is out of danger."

Without waiting for a response, Hiccup and Toothless dove down; straight into the Hunter camp. Toothless got off four plasma blasts before the Hunters stopped scrambling and took their positions. They started nocking back dragon root arrows and launching catapults.

With practiced ease, Hiccup and Toothless managed to dodge the volleys of projectiles, but their luck wouldn't hold out forever. In the distance the familiar roar of the Flightmare could be heard, followed by Stormfly's squawking. The noise was enough to distract the two long enough for a flaming arrow to be launched and tear through Toothless's prosthetic tailfin.

Hiccup tried to control their descent, but it was pointless; the tailfin was gone. Toothless turned and managed to wrap his rider in his wings seconds before they hit the beach.

Hiccup was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a familiar roar in the distance. If he could shout, he would. Toothless was looking for him. He looked at his new dragon friend, who seemed unbothered by the Night Fury's roar.

Oh, how Hiccup wished he could talk, but his current condition kept him from doing so. It took a strenuous amount of effort just to move his eyes. At least he wasn't in any pain, and the bleeding had stopped. So being frozen in place wasn't all bad.

He looked back up at the stars, confident that Toothless would find him soon.

Hiccup woke up tied to a tree, surrounded by Hunters. Nearby, Toothless was in a cage, muzzled and pacing, trying to figure out how to get out. "It's going to be okay, Bud," the Dragon Rider promised, hoping he was right.

"Such empty words," one of the Hunters said, using the tip of his sword to lift Hiccup's head up. "Now this can go one of two ways. The first way is you tell me what I want to know. The second is you still tell me what I want to know, but I use some rather creative methods to get the information."

Hiccup glared at the Hunter, who he assumed was the leader of this particular group, and spat on him. "If you think I'll tell you anything, you're wrong."

The Hunter scowled as he wiped the spit away. "So be it." He dropped his sword, balled his hand into a fist, and started punching Hiccup, not caring where the hits landed.

Astrid and Stormfly landed several feet from the Flightmare, who started charging them within seconds. "Up, girl," Astrid ordered.

But it was too late; the Flightmare roared and shot a blast of mist at Stormfly as she let out a squawk. Astrid managed to dive out of the way, landing on her wrist with a sickening snap as she did so. Biting her lower lip to keep from screaming in pain, she stood up to face the wild dragon.

"I am Fearless Astrid Hofferson," Astrid said, blinking back the tears. "I am not afraid of you. You are not my enemy. My enemy is trying to capture you." She held out her good hand, praying to all the gods she could think of that the dragon would understand. "You are my friend. I don't want to hurt you."

The Flightmare looked at her with what only Astrid assumed was curiosity and possibly familiarity. For several seconds she feared the dragon would blast her with its mist and kill her, but the dragon chose to surprise her instead. It rested its snout against her hand, then pulled back, snorting.

"Hehe, okay," Astrid smiled. "That's better. Now let's get you out of here before the Hunters find you."

Instead of taking off, the Flightmare nudged Astrid's broken wrist. Not really sure what the dragon was planning, but the blonde warrior outstretched her arm, grimacing as she did. The Flightmare sniffed it, gave it a lick, and then released a concentrated stream of mist directly on the injured part of the wrist.

Instantly the pain faded. Astrid couldn't move her arm, but the pain was gone. She looked at the dragon. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Chapter Text

Hiccup groaned in pain as he spit out a mouthful of blood. He looked at the Hunter, whose knuckles were bloody.

"Ready to talk yet?" the Hunter asked, breathing heavily.

The Dragon Rider tilted his head and smirked. "You seem tired. Out of practice?"

The Hunter growled as he stepped away.

"Ooh, growling," Hiccup remarked. "Very intimidating. Maybe try howling."

The Hunter didn't respond as he picked up a hammer and walked back over to his captive. "We'll see how long this attitude of yours lasts when I'm done with you. You will tell us about the Flightmare and any other dragon we want to know about."

Hiccup glanced over at Toothless, who had somehow managed to remove his muzzle without any of the Hunters noticing. The dragon was waiting for his chance. Hiccup needed him to hold off just a bit longer. They needed to give Astrid as much time as possible to get the Flightmare off the island.

The Leader of the Hunters positioned himself next to Hiccup and swung the hammer into his right shoulder. Despite the padding, Hiccup felt a crack. He tried to keep from screaming, but the Hunter swung the hammer again, this time hitting his arm. The Rider felt another bone break and screamed.

"That's more like it." The Hunter dropped the hammer, satisfied with the reaction, and pulled out a dagger. He knelt down, and in one swift motion, sliced into Hiccup's thigh. The Dragon Rider's eyes stung as he tried to blink back tears.

"I won't tell you anything," Hiccup said, knowing if he did, it would be the death of him. He glanced back at his dragon, who was getting more anxious by the second.

The Hunter stood back up and sighed. He looked at his subordinates. "Release the beast. Give it a ten-minute head start."

Hiccup's eyes went wide with fear, but he knew Toothless could manage on his own long enough to either find Astrid or find shelter. Dragon and Dragon Rider locked eyes for a second, both understanding what needed to happen. The Night Fury had to run; he couldn't stay and fight, not without his tailfin. They'd never be able to get away. Rescuing Hiccup would have to wait.

The cage opened, and Toothless took off running into the woods.

"Gather your weapons, boys," The Lead Hunter ordered. "Tonight you get the rare opportunity to hunt a Night Fury." He looked at Hiccup and smiled cruelly. "Don't worry. You'll be joining him in the hunt as well. Just need to make sure the playing field is even."

The Hunter raised the dagger and slammed it into Hiccup's already broken shoulder. He then cut the ropes, letting Hiccup drop to his knees. "I'd get going if I were you. You've only got nine minutes."

Astrid was grabbing some bandages from the saddlebag when Stormfly unfroze. The Nadder ruffled her wings and tail, letting out a contented squawk, then looked at her rider. She sniffed Astrid's broken wrist and purred with concern.

"I'm okay, girl," Astrid promised. "The Flightmare helped with the pain. I just need to get it in a splint, and then we can get out of here. Mind giving me a spike?"

Stormfly squawked again, shaking her tail until a spike loosened and fell. Astrid picked it up, and with some careful maneuvering, used the spike as splint and wrapped the bandages around it and her arm. "That should do until I get Gothi to look at it."

Just then a scream pierced through the air, causing several birds to take to the air and fly away.

"Hiccup's in trouble," Astrid gasped as she climbed onto Stormfly's back. "We have to go help him."

Stormfly seemed to have other plans instead. The Deadly Nadder took to the air and began to fly away from the island. Her human was hurt and needed help. The other human had Toothless and would be fine.

"Stormfly," Astrid urged, trying to get the Nadder to turn around. "We need to help Hiccup."

The blue dragon ignored her rider and kept flying in the direction of Dragon's Edge.

Hiccup stumbled through the woods as fast as his wounded body could carry him, dagger still in his shoulder. He kept tripping over roots and rocks. He was pretty sure his prosthetic leg was busted in some way because the metal hinges sounded like they were stuck. The problem slowed him down, but he didn't have time to figure it out, nor did he have any spare legs with him. They were all in Toothless's saddlebag, which was back on the beach.

He stopped for a second to catch his breath and looked up in time to see Astrid and Stormfly taking off. The Flightmare was not with them, though. Maybe she heard him scream and was looking for him. No, she was flying away from the island, so it was more likely she was getting reinforcements.

If he was right, that meant he just had to hold out long enough for help to come. He turned around and saw torches in the distance, closing in on his location. He needs to hide, and quickly. He scanned the area he was in and only saw some bushes. Without much choice, he climbed in between them and did his best to stay as quiet and as still as possible.

Hiccup wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was beginning to rise and he was no longer in his hiding spot. He was lying flat on his back with the Flightmare standing over him.

He tried moving, but the Flightmare stopped him by blasting him with its mist. In the distance he could hear the Hunters. They sounded close. Really close.

Oh gods, Hiccup thought. They're about to find me, and the Flightmare is considering having me for lunch.

As several Hunters broke through the clearing, the Flightmare laid on top of Hiccup, as if to conceal him. The Rider didn't know how much good that was going to do, considering the Flightmare had no way of camouflaging itself.

As if to prove him wrong, the Hunters walked right past the two.

"That pegleg can't hide forever," one of the Hunters stated. "Valdur worked him over pretty good. There's no way he can outrun us."

"Yeah," other Hunters said in unison, agreeing with their friend.

Once the Hunters were gone, the Flightmare got up and laid down next to Hiccup, staring at him.

That was three days ago—no, four days ago. Every time the Hunters closed in, the Flightmare would lay on Hiccup, concealing him. He wasn't sure how the dragon was doing it, but it did. At night, the dragon would drag Hiccup through the woods, hiding him in various places before taking off to hide himself.

The Flightmare would come back once the Hunters passed by and continue dragging Hiccup. He had no clue where the dragon was taking him or what was going on, but he was also keeping Toothless from finding his Rider.

Hiccup figured the mist was masking his scent or something, but whenever Toothless got close, the Flightmare would continuously coat Hiccup in its mist until the other dragon left. He had tried communicating to the glowing dragon that Toothless was good, but as soon as he was able to move again, he was covered in the mist.

The only good thing about the mist was that it kept his wound from bleeding and made the pain practically nonexistent. Which he supposed he should be grateful for, but still he wanted to figure out what was happening. He wanted Toothless to be able to find him.

The Hunters were still out there, and no help had come yet. He just had to hope the Flightmare knew what it was doing.

Chapter Text

As dawn was approaching, Astrid and Stormfly landed just outside the stables. Astrid climbed off her dragon, stumbling the first couple of steps as exhaustion took over. The Flightmare's mist had worn off shortly after Stormfly decided to bring her home instead of looking for Hiccup

The Nadder caught her human and helped her stay upright as they walked into the stables together. "Thanks, girl. I'm still upset with you, but thank you."

Stormfly squawked, waking up Hookfang and Barf & Belch from their slumber. All three heads turned to look at the two before deciding to go back to sleep.

Astrid sat down on one of the chairs and started to unwrap the bandaging around her arm. She recoiled at the sight of her swollen wrist and used whatever willpower she had to not throw up. "Go get the Ruff and Tuff, Stormfly. And bring them here."

The dragon obliged and took off toward the twins hut. Astrid really didn't want to deal with the twins so early in the morning, but since Fishlegs wasn't around, they were her next best option for treatment. She leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes. She didn't want to risk looking at her wrist again.

"Still no Hiccup?" Astrid heard a voice ask. She opened her eyes, surprised to find herself in her hut. Just a moment ago she was in the stables. What happened?

"No, and I'm starting to get worried," another voice answered.

Moving carefully, Astrid sat up and looked around. Standing nearby were Fishlegs and Snotlout, talking in what they probably thought were hushed tones.

"Hunters got him," Astrid stated, making them aware that she was awake.

Fishlegs walked over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You need to stay in bed, Astrid. You've had a rough few days."

"Days?" Astrid exclaimed. "What do you mean, days? And what are you doing here, Fishlegs? Shouldn't you be on Berk helping your sister?"

"Meatlug and I got back yesterday," Fishlegs answered. "Good thing, too. You had a very high fever that only broke a few hours ago. Snotlout and the twins tried their best but didn't have the proper herbs. Ruff and Tuff found you passed out on the floor in the stables three days ago."

Astrid shook her head, getting out of bed. "No, that can't be right. I just closed my eyes for a few minutes. Yeah, I was tired, but rest needed to wait."

"You had an infection," Fishlegs explained. "Likely from your broken wrist. Please get back in bed. You're still very sick."

Astrid didn't listen. "No, we need to go and save Hiccup, Toothless, and the Flightmare. There—there were Hunters on the island. Hiccup and Toothless were distracting them so I could get the Flightmare to safety. But I fell, and then there was a scream. And Stormfly brought me back here instead of going to save Hiccup."

"Flightmare?" Snotlout asked. "Why were the Hunters going after it again?"

"We don't know," Astrid replied, fighting the urge to stay standing. "That's not the important part right now. Hiccup is probably hurt and needs us. If I've really been out for three days, there's no telling what's been done to him and the dragons in that time."

"Okay," Fishlegs said as he guided her back to bed. "We'll keep searching for him while you rest for a bit longer."

"I don't want to rest," Astrid argued as she let Fishlegs get her back to bed. "I need to be out there, searching."

"You're of no help to Hiccup if you get worse," Fishlegs pointed out. "Why don't you tell us what you remember about the island so we can find it easier?"

Astrid laid back down, eyes feeling heavy. "It had a river that cut right through the middle. No mountains or hills. Just flat. Kinda shaped like a horn. About a four-hour flight—west, I think."

"Got it," Fishlegs responded. "Get some sleep."

Astrid didn't argue as she closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut stood in the ClubHouse going over the spare copy of Hiccup's ever-growing map.

"Astrid said he was roughly four hours west," Fishlegs stated. "That narrows it down, but judging by the map, there are six islands that fit her description." He looked over at Snotlout. "I want you to send a Terror Mail to Berk. We need the A-Team and Stoick. Let them know that Gothi is going to need to bring extra medical supplies. Hiccup has been missing for at least three days; we don't know what kind of condition he'll be in when we find him."

"What do you need from us?" Tuff asked, a look of worry plastered across his face.

"The three of us are going to head out right now and start the search," Fishlegs answered. "Snotlout, I need you to stay here and watch over Astrid and wait for the A-team to arrive. When they get here, give them the map and everything Astrid told us. If Astrid has any more information, relay it to them so they can relay it to us."

Snotlout bit his lip like he wanted to say something but held back. He simply nodded and left the ClubHouse.

The husky Dragon Rider rolled up his notes and looked at the twins. "Let's go bring Hiccup home."

Hiccup wasn't sure how long the Flightmare, or Jeff, which was the name he had given the dragon, had been gone. It seemed like an annoying enough name. Jeff had disappeared sometime ago, long enough for the effects of the mist to finally start wearing off.

Normally, the effects only lasted a few minutes, but given the fact that Jeff kept covering the Dragon Rider in the mist, the paralysis lasted for hours at a time. He first realized it was wearing off when he was able to wiggle his toes. In the beginning he thought he was imagining things. He had been forcibly kept awake for several days, thanks to the mist, so he was bound to go crazy at some point. But then the pain set in. He could feel the knife in his broken shoulder. His thigh was throbbing as it began to bleed again. His arm had a sharp, agonizing pain that he could only compare to the first winter after he lost his leg. He was certain he had dozens of bruises and scratches not only from the beating, but from being dragged all the island. To sum it up, everything hurt and he was ready to go home. 

After the remnants of the mist finally faded, Hiccup managed to sit up. He looked around at his surroundings. For the moment he was safe. No Hunters were after him, and Jeff was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Toothless, for that matter. He needed to find Toothless.

Jeff had been keeping him hidden from the Night Fury. Even when Toothless was feet away from him, the dragon still couldn't see or smell him. He briefly wondered if the Flightmare's mist had cloaking abilities, but that was a problem to solve later. Right now he needed cover. He was too exposed where he was.

He cleared his throat and raised his left hand to his cheek and let out his Night Fury call, hoping that Toothless hadn't been caught and would be able to find him. He waited and listened for half a minute before he made the call again. Seconds later he heard a rustle to the right of him. He turned and saw that it was Toothless coming straight for him.

The Night Fury bounded towards his human, clearly happy to be able to see and smell him again. He was so excited, he nearly forgot about Hiccup's injuries and almost knocked him to the ground. The black dragon stopped centimeters from his hatchling's face and offered an apologetic look.

Hiccup touched his head against Toothless's, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to see you too, Bud. Now how about we get out of here?" He looked at Toothless's still busted-up tailfin. "Maybe we find something to replace that tail first."

Toothless crooned in agreement as he helped Hiccup up. It took a few painful minutes, but eventually Hiccup managed to climb onto his dragon's back. Just as he was getting settled, the Flightmare burst into the clearing, looking ready to fight.

"Easy, Bud," Hiccup soothed as he watched Jeff pace in front of them. "He's just being territorial. He thinks you're going to steal me. I'm his, well, I'm not entirely sure what he thinks I am. I'm hoping for friend and not food."

Jeff roared and tried spraying the two with mist, but Toothless was quicker and managed to dodge. As the blue dragon was getting ready to try again, several Hunters appeared and surrounded them.

Chapter Text

Hiccup looked at the Hunters surrounding them. He knew he and Toothless would never be able to outrun them. They had gotten lucky the past several days, but now that luck had run out. The Hunters had him, the Night Fury, and the Flightmare.

One of the Hunters looked at one of his friends. "Go get Valdur. Let him know we got what we came for."

The second Hunter ran back into the woods, back toward the beach. As Hiccup was trying to figure out some way out of this, a scream could be heard, followed by a guttural roar and the sound of dragon fire.

Before anyone could react, the smell of Zippleback gas filled the air. Hiccup smiled slightly as a loud boom shook the island. He watched as the remaining Hunters tried closing in on him to prevent the rescue, but it was useless. Jeff took to the air, blasting them with his mist and knocking them down with his tail.

Just as the last Hunter fell, Fishlegs and the twins appeared overhead on their respective dragons. The Pride of Berk glanced up at his friends and watched as they landed nearby.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed, "Thank Thor. We've been searching all over for you."

"I've been here," Hiccup replied with a hint of bitterness in his tone. "Where's Astrid?"

Fishlegs hesitated for a moment, feeling guilt wash over him, before answering. "She's back at the Edge. She has a broken wrist that led to an infection. She's doing better and wanted to come, but she was still too sick."

The husky Dragon Rider stepped closer toward Hiccup, only to be stopped by the Flightmare. Fishlegs stopped moving forward and took a few steps back. "Hiccup, what is going on?"

"Um, Fishlegs, meet Jeff. Jeff, meet Fishlegs," Hiccup introduced, not really sure how he was going to get the Flightmare to stand down.

"Jeff?" Ruffnut asked, "That sounds like something we would come up with."

"Well, the name fits," Hiccup grimaced, trying to blink the black spots away. "He can be quite annoying, but he's the only reason I'm still alive."

"Hey, H," Tuff called out. "Not to be a bummer, but are you aware that you have a dagger in your shoulder?"

"Yes, Tuff, I am aware," Hiccup replied. "Been there for however long Astrid's been gone. What, five days now?"

"Why haven't you taken it out?" Ruff asked.

"Jeff over here has been keeping me from doing so," Hiccup answered. "Let's just say we need to update the Book of Dragons about the Flightmare and its abilities."

"We should be getting you back to Edge," Fishlegs stated, trying to find a way around Jeff.

"Can't. No tailfin," Hiccup said. "The spare is on the beach along with my saddlebag, which has my spare leg. Hunters are likely guarding it."

"Ruff, Tuff, head to the beach and retrieve Hiccup's belongings," Fishlegs ordered, glancing over at the twins.

Without a word, the two took to the sky and headed toward the Hunters' campsite. Fishlegs motioned for Meatlug to come forward and retrieved his own saddlebag. He then pulled out a roll of bandages and a cloth sling, holding them out for the Flightmare to sniff.

"See, I'm not going to hurt your new friend," Fishlegs promised. "I just want to help him. Can you let me by so I can do that?"

Jeff sniffed the fabric, realizing it smelled like the fabric the other human used when she got hurt. He purred and gave Fishlegs a nudge, letting him pass.

"Thank you," Fishlegs said, breathing a sigh of relief. He headed straight for his best friend and helped him off Toothless. "Easy, Hiccup. I got you."

Hiccup didn't reply; exhaustion from the past several days was setting in, and he was just ready to go home. The Gronkle Rider laid him down and began to look him over. The more injuries he noticed, the angrier he became. He knew Hunters were cruel, but not like this. Up until now they had never outright hurt any of the Riders outside of battle.

"I don't think I can take the dagger out," Fishlegs stated as he wrapped bandages around the blade as carefully as he could. "It appears stuck, and I don't want to risk further injury. Once we get back to the Edge, we'll have Gothi take a look at it before she and the rest of the A-Team head back to Berk."

"That's fine," Hiccup muttered, really wishing he could fall asleep, but he needed to stay awake long enough to get himself and Toothless home.

As if reading his thoughts, Fishlegs offered a solution. "Don't worry about flying. I'll fly Toothless so you can rest. We'll get you home."

"Sounds good," The future chief mumbled, closing his eyes, letting sleep take over.

As Fishlegs was tying off a bandage around Hiccup's thigh, the Hunters started to unfreeze and get up. The Flightmare was already taking action, spraying them down with his mist once more before scurrying back over to his human friends. The Dragon Rider just looked at the dragon with curiosity and awe. Not only was it helping them, but it seemed to genuinely care about keeping them safe.

"Why are you helping?" Fishlegs wondered aloud. "You're a solitary creature, not known to form bonds."

Jeff just chirped as he laid down next to Hiccup. Toothless padded over to him, gave the blue dragon a sniff then rubbed his head up against him, welcoming him as a friend. The Night Fury laid down next to him and his human hatchling, making it clear they would keep him safe together.

Fishlegs reached over and held his hand out for the Flightmare, who immediately rested his snout against it. "Someone's already tamed you, but who?"

A few minutes later the twins return with Hiccup and Toothless's spares and saddlebag. Fishlegs quickly went to putting the new tailfin on. Once it was in place, he climbed onto Toothless while the Ruff and Tuff picked up Hiccup.

After getting Hiccup situated, Tuffnut pointed over to the Flightmare. "What are we going to do about Jeff?"

Jeff was watching the humans as they got ready to leave.

"Yeah, there are still a few Hunters on the island," Ruffnut pointed out. "Once we leave, there's nothing stopping them from grabbing him."

"He's more than welcome to follow us if he wishes," Fishlegs said. "Afterwards we can try relocating him, but in the end it's up to him what he wants to do."

"He'll come," Hiccup said, stirring awake just enough to figure out what his friends were discussing. "He has to. Hunters want his skin. Heard them talking about when I was hiding."

"How can we make him come?" Fishlegs wondered.

"Look directly at him and raise your left eyebrow," Hiccup muttered before falling back to sleep.

"Left eyebrow?" Ruffnut questioned. "What is he even talking about?" She looked over at the dragon and raised her left eyebrow. Jeff roared as he took off toward the clouds.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that," Tuffnut shrugged as he climbed onto Belch.

"Would have thought you could train a dragon using your eyebrows," Ruffnut replied as she climbed onto Barf.

Fishlegs didn't say anything as he and Toothless took to the sky, leaving the island with more questions than answers.

Chapter Text

Astrid sat by Hiccup's bed, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Gothi had just left after treating his various injuries. Two broken ribs, left arm and shoulder, the stab wound to the same broken shoulder, the massive gash to his thighs, and countless bruises and scrapes from gods knows what. It was a miracle of Eir that he didn't have any kind of infection or fever. Despite being left alone and injured for five days, he was as healthy as he could be given the circumstances.

Even though she was still sick herself, no one stopped Astrid when she insisted on being by his bedside. She readjusted the sling holding her arm in place. Gods, she felt so stupid for not checking her wrist better when she wrapped it up. She had received a small cut when she landed, so small it was hard to see in the dark. The later swelling made it impossible to see. The bandages she had used weren't clean. It was likely she tossed a roll meant for washing instead of a clean one when she was packing her saddlebag for the trip.

At least the infection was caught quickly and easily treated. Needless to say, she wasn't upset with Stormfly anymore. The Nadder must have realized it right away and knew getting her back to Edge was more important. She'd have to remember to give her dragon extra chicken for the next few weeks as thanks.

Astrid looked over at Toothless's rock, where the dragon in question was napping, curled up next to Jeff the Flightmare. Why Hiccup named the dragon Jeff, she had no clue. Fishlegs had said something about how the dragon was annoying and needed a name to fit. But what had the blue dragon done that Hiccup found so annoying? It was her understanding that Jeff had kept Hiccup safe until help could arrive.

She did enjoy Fishlegs's reaction when she told him that she was the one who tamed the glowing dragon. She didn't have a choice after breaking her wrist. It was either gain the dragon's trust or die trying to save it. All in all, she was just glad it worked. There's no telling what might have happened if she hadn't done what she did or if her impromptu plan had failed.

"Astrid?" a voice asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She looked back over at her betrothed and smiled. "Hey, you're awake."

"How long was I out?" Hiccup asked, using his good hand to rub his eyes.

Astrid stood up and sat back down on the edge of the bed near Hiccup's hip. "Two days."

He stared at her for several seconds before speaking again. "You're hurt."

"So are you," Astrid answered. "I thought Fishlegs told you."

"He did?" Hiccup asked. "When? Wait? How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" Astrid questioned, worry filling her voice.

"I remember being dragged around by the Flightmare for days, waiting for you to come back, then calling for Toothless." He shook his head. "After that, nothing."

Astrid's eyebrows furrowed with concern, but she decided it was best to not push the issue for now. No need to cause him more stress. "I'm sure the memories will return soon. To sum it up, though. Fishlegs and the twins showed up, took care of some of the Hunters and got you and Toothless off the island."

Hiccup bit his lip, trying to recall being rescued. Flashes danced across his eyes, but none of it made any sense. "Is Jeff--" he shook his head again, "The Flightmare safe?"

"Yeah. He's asleep in the corner with Toothless," Astrid replied. "Those two seem to have grown quite close over the past week."

Hiccup raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Close? Really? Jeff spent the entire time hiding me from the Hunters and Toothless. I think it had something to do with his mist. They could have been standing right next to me and not see me."

"Cloaking abilities?" Astrid wondered.

"He's a glowing dragon," Hiccup pointed out. "Maybe developed some sort of camouflage that can be shared. We'll have to study him if he decides to stick around."

"I think he's settled in quite well here," Astrid stated. "He and Toothless have become inseparable."

Hiccup stifled a yawn, feeling his eyes grow heavy once more. This did not go unnoticed by Astrid, who gave him a quick kiss on the forehead as she stood. "Why don't you get some more rest? We'll talk more later."

The auburn-haired teenager nodded. "Before I do, what happened to your arm?"

"Jumped off Stormfly when the Flightmare tried blasting the both of us with his mist," Astrid answered. "Landed wrong. Which was a good thing, I guess. I was able to gain Jeff's trust right after and also learned that he can focus his mist on certain areas if he wants to. The mist also helped with the pain."

"It also stops bleeding," Hiccup remembered, trying to keep his eyes from closing. "The entire time he kept me frozen in place, I didn't bleed from my injuries."

"That explains why you lasted as long as you did in your condition," Astrid stated. "Now get some sleep. We can discuss everything else later."

"Hhmm," came the reply. Hiccup was already sound asleep.

Astrid walked down the stairs and exited the hut, heading for the ClubHouse. She was certain someone was in there that she could talk to about Hiccup's lapse in memory.

Inside the ClubHouse sat Stoick, sitting at the table alone, staring into the fire. He had tried eating, but much like the last time his son was gravely injured, his stomach protested at the thought of food. Instead, he just sipped on some of the honey mead the twins brewed for the group.

He thought back to when he was standing on the platform getting Skullcrusher ready for the search. He and the rest of the A-Team were waiting on Gothi to finish checking Astrid over. But before they had a chance to see if she was done yet, four dragons appeared in the sky. A Gronkle without a Rider, a Zippleback with two Riders, a Night Fury also with two riders, and the Flightmare.

He had shouted for someone to go get Gothi the second the dragons landed. Gustav had run off while Spitelout and Sven took Hiccup from Fishlegs. The aforementioned Rider gave them a rundownof what he knew. Stoick took his son from his brother-in-law and the sheep herder and carried him to his hut.

Gothi took a long time treating Hiccup's injuries. Getting the dagger out had been the trickiest part. She had to cut around the blade in order to remove it, doing her best to not cause any more damage. Stoick stayed by his son's side the entire time, muttering encouraging words, letting him know that he was okay, that he was safe. Not once did Hiccup stir from his slumber, but the words seemed to help even out his breathing, which sped up every few minutes. The chief assumed nightmares, and his words were having a calming effect.

As Gothi was bandaging the teenager's wounds, Astrid had come in and sat down next to Stoick. The lass still looked sick based on the shade of green that replaced her normally pink cheeks. But he didn't protest her presence, and both sat vigil after Gothi left, leaving behind several herbal tonics and clean bandages.

After the first day, Astrid encouraged him to go get some rest, and she would come get him if anything changed. Stoick tried to argue but knew she was right. He'd been sitting in the ClubHouse since then. He tried sleeping but was awoken by the slightest noise. Fishlegs came by at some point and went into better detail about what he knew.

How Hunters captured and tortured Hiccup. How the Flightmare kept him alive while Hunters searched for him. He was unsure if Hiccup had escaped or was injured while trying to hide, but it was a good thing he and the Thorston twins showed up when they did. Otherwise they might be having a very different conversation.

"Stoick," a voice said, pulling him from his memories. He looked and saw that it was Astrid, who looked just as tired as he did.

"Is something wrong?" Stoick asked, starting to stand up.

Astrid shook her head. "No. Hiccup is fine. He just woke up, briefly. Few minutes tops before falling back to sleep."

"Did he say if he was hurting? Or how this happened?" Stoick wondered, sitting back down.

"Didn't really discuss it," Astrid replied, sitting across from him. "He remembers Jeff, the Flightmare, repeatedly freezing him and keeping him hidden. He remembers calling for Toothless; after that, nothing. Doesn't remember being rescued. I'm unsure if he remembers what the Hunters did."

"He didn't remember most of his fight with the Red Death either," Stoick mentioned. "One minute he's flying towards the island with you guys, and the next there was an explosion, and he's waking up two weeks later missing a leg. I tell him occasionally what happened, but he still doesn't fully remember what went down. Gothi called it something like shock memory. It's your mind protecting itself from memories that might be linked to traumatic events."

"How could the rescue be traumatic?" Astrid asked.

"The rescue itself might not be, but the events leading up to it are," Stoick explained. "He'll remember bits and pieces, but never the whole story. Which is fine. He doesn't have to remember."

"But you remind him about the Red Death," the blonde Rider pointed out.

"Aye, because he will ask me too, and I oblige," Stoick said, taking a sip of his mead. "If he asks what happened, we'll try to answer his questions and piece together what happened, but it won't be the full story. We'll just have to reassure him that it's okay if he doesn't remember."

Three weeks later, Hiccup was sitting on the floor of the Arena teaching Jeff several hand signals while the rest of the gang just watched.

"He's learning fast," Astrid noted. "Faster than any of our dragons."

"Flightmares are quite intelligent, nearly rivalling the Night Fury and Skrill," Fishlegs added. "So it makes sense that Jeff is picking up on the training lessons a bit faster. Also, the fact that Hiccup managed to begin the training on the island, between freezes, which lasted only seconds, using only his eyebrows."

"Pfft, I could have done that," Snotlout snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, really?" Hiccup challenged, looking up at his cousin. "Why don't you show us?"

Snotlout looked at Hiccup, then at everyone else, looking for a way out, but found none. "Fine." He jumped into the Arena and walked towards Jeff. "This is going to be easy."

The cocky teenager stared at the Flightmare for a few seconds before furrowing his eyebrows. In response, Jeff whipped him with his tail and then coated him in a stream of mist, thus freezing him.

Hiccup stood up and walked over to his frozen cousin. "Wow, Snotlout. You were right. You figured out the attack signal very quickly. I wouldn't worry; the mist will wear off in about ten minutes. Jeff just gave you a warning shot." He looked up at the rest of his friends. "Let's head to the ClubHouse. Pretty sure Dad's Honey Roasted Boar is ready."

Fishlegs and Tuffnut helped their still-healing friend out of the Arena, before they all left for the ClubHouse, leaving Snotlout behind. Jeff watched his new human friend begin to leave and took to the sky, following the group.

Hiccup looked up and saw the Flightmare heading toward the ClubHouse with them. "Bit overprotective isn't he?"

"Considering Flightmares are normally solitary dragons, I'm just shocked he hasn't left yet," Fishlegs answered. "He might leave once you're fully recovered. He might not. You two formed quite a bond during those five days. He found you injured and alone and made the decision to keep you safe. And instead of taking off once you were rescued, he came back with us, not only for his safety but also for yours. Your bond with him might not be as strong as the one you and Toothless have, but it's pretty close. He's determined to keep you safe."

"What about his needs, though?" Hiccup wondered. "The food trail he has to follow? How long can he stay away from it?"

"The Edge's river carries the same glowing algae, so I wouldn't be too concerned, H," Tuffnut stated.

"And you know this how?" Astrid asked.

"We found it months ago, when one of the boars got out," Ruffnut explained. "So our buddy, Jeff, will be fine."

"Okay, food is taken care of," Hiccup said. "What about when we go on missions, is he just going to stay behind, or will he follow us? I don't think I've been out of his line of sight once."

"We could probably train him to stay behind on low-risk missions," Astrid replied. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Hiccup bit his lip and stared back up at the glowing dragon, lighting their way toward the ClubHouse. He sure hoped he was doing the right thing, training Jeff. He didn't want to harm the dragon by changing its nature. It would seem only time would tell if what he was doing was right or not.