A/N: Alright, some of you have been saying to include flashbacks over what has happened through the last eight years for Hiccup. This chapter is dedicated to only some of Hiccup's memories c: Enjoy!

This chapter is extra long, so enjoy! :D

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Four

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Hiccup finally released Spitelout, while Snotlout stared at him in awe. The rescued man looked stunned, obviously surprised at seeing his opponent telling off his harmful father. The bystanders locked their eyes on the sight, also shocked to see Spitelout attempting to injure his son. But once Hiccup had fended him off, they relaxed.

Spitelout huffed, rubbing his sore arm. He stared at Hiccup with hate boiling in him. He narrowed both eyes, and snarled by curling back his upper lip and gritting his teeth.

"Spitelout?" Stoick piped up. "You just tried to hit your son."

Spitelout paled, noticing the crowd gathering around him. His dark eyes widened, as he glanced around wildly. This was not good for him.

"Spitelout, you will be moved to the Berk jail for hurting your son, Snotlout," Stoick announced.

The newly-arrested Viking gasped quietly, before whirling around and facing his son. "You fool! Look what you've done—"

Hiccup stepped in by snatching up the angry man's shirt, and pulling him back. "Give it up, Spitelout," he ordered calmly.

Said Viking shot a harsh glare towards his son, before turning back to face the man restraining him. However, before he could shoot back a furious remark, he was grasped onto by rough hands.

It was the Berkians. Two of the guards latched onto each arm, and began dragging him away from the scene. Stoick huffed angrily, before redirecting his attention to Snotlout.

"Are you all right?" the ginger-haired Chief asked, a weak cough escaping afterwards.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Snotlout murmured shamefully. Turning to Hiccup, he gave the tall man a long, calculating stare. He searched for any signs of regret for helping him, or for his intentions. Finding nothing to answer his questions, he decided to voice them.

"Why'd you help me?" Snotlout queried to Hiccup.

Hiccup paused, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "It was the right thing to do. No parent should ever abuse their child."

Snotlout nodded slowly, dark brown eyes locking onto Hiccup's forest-green ones. "Thanks," he muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Hiccup smirked teasingly, already knowing what he had said.

"I said thanks," Snotlout murmured, slightly louder.

Knowing it was no use to get Snotlout to give up his ego, Hiccup just chuckled and nodded. "You're welcome."

XXX

Stoick insisted they celebrate after Hiccup's win. He was just thrilled to have his son back. No matter how many times Hiccup tried turning down the offer for a party, Stoick kept pushing. So at last, he gave in.

Hiccup found himself ambling towards the Mead Hall, with Toothless padding beside him. On his left was Asger and his Skrill, while on the right was Ember and her Nadder. Hiccup had already set the blue and yellow Nadder free, but she decided to stay on Berk. The other lavender Nadder was currently exploring the village, which left Toothless, Savvy (Ember's dragon), and Lightning (Asger's dragon).

Behind the six was the large group of Berkians, all following. Ember chuckled at their expectant faces, and turned to face Hiccup.

"Well, congratulations, Zoriik. You're officially a Berk celebrity," she teased.

Hiccup snorted, before replying unenthusiastically, "Woo-hoo."

Stoick sent a couple Vikings to fetch drinks and food, while Hiccup reluctantly took a seat at the center table. Stoick clapped a ginormous hand on his auburn-haired son's shoulder, smiling encouragingly. With his eyes wandering the crowd, Hiccup spotted Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Astrid. Was it just him, or did she get even prettier overnight?

He was engulfed in a frenzy of questions, most consisting of him spilling out all his adventures. He chuckled at their insistency, shaking his head in amusement. Still stubborn as ever, he realized.

Finally, Hiccup held up both hands to silence the audience. "Uh, where do I even start?"

It probably wasn't the best question to ask, because then the shouts just came flying at him again.

XXX

A week passed since he had abandoned his tribe, and left for a dragon. They flew for a few hours straight, and then spotted a small island on the horizon. When they had landed, they were surprised to see not a single person in sight. They were suspicious at first, but found they were too tired to complain. So they found shelter, and slept.

In that week, Hiccup endured many things. He found out more about the wilderness, and discovered what it was like to not be in a warm, cozy house. Instead, he now slept in a cave, while huddling in Toothless' wings.

But then, it changed.

Hiccup's body grew adjusted to the wilderness, and he bonded with Toothless. Their trust in one another was strengthened, and they had to trust each other with their lives to communicate properly.

After a specific traumatizing event, something amazing happened. Hiccup had been hunting—yes, hunting—when a rogue boar had attacked him. He had been struggling to fend it off, when suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He opened his mouth, and let out an inhumane roar.

Up to this day, Hiccup has no clue what happened in that fateful moment. Something shifted in his mind, and a dragon-like roar rang out. Next thing he knew, Toothless had burst into the clearing, and tackled the large boar off of him. Once the boar spotted the Night Fury, it made a frightened noise, and retreated.

Toothless had given Hiccup a very bewildered look, wondering how he had managed to give a dragon's roar.

"::Vir drey hi dreh tol?::" (Translation: How did you do that?) Toothless rumbled.

To anyone else, it would have sounded as just a collection of rumbles and growls, but Hiccup heard something that sounded like a foreign language. As if Toothless knew exactly what he was saying.

"Wait, did you just speak some kind of language?" Hiccup asked.

"::Geh… Uh oo.::" (Translation: Yes… Uh oh.)

"Ok, I've officially gone mad!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"::Zu'u lorot mu nunon grin!::" (Translation: I think we just bonded!) Toothless roared happily.

"I-I can't understand what you're saying!" Hiccup growled frustratingly. "But it's weird… like, I don't hear growls and hisses anymore. I can hear you speaking some weird language."

"::Zu'u alun grin lost nunon tey! Nuz niidro saad!::" (Translation: I always thought bonding was just a tale. But it's real!)

"H-How are you doing that?!" Hiccup gasped loudly. "Stop it!"

"::Zu'u lost zaak!::" (Translation: I have an idea!) Toothless mumbled.

"Stop doing that! I can't even—"

"::Ick—up!::" Toothless tried.

Hiccup paused, frowning in thought. "Did you just try to say my name?"

"::Geh,::" (Translation: Yes) the Night Fury answered.

"T-This is weird," Hiccup muttered.

"::Zu'u lorot Zu'u mindok vir mu vis geblaan grin!::" (Translation: I think I know how we can complete the bond!) Toothless frowned in thought.

"For the last time, I can't—"

Hiccup yelped loudly as Toothless lunged forward, pinning him to the ground. The Night Fury sighed sadly, before trying once more. "::Krosis…::" (Translation: sorry) the dragon mumbled, before lifting a single claw.

Hiccup stared at his companion in horror. Was the dragon going to kill him?! After all they had been through?! No, this couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen! They had run away together! Hiccup had helped him fly again! Surely he wouldn't—

Then, Toothless tried his best to make the pain quick. He barely dug his claw into the boy's wrist, which drew a single drop of blood. The Night Fury kept the boy to the ground, making sure he didn't run off. He needed Hiccup to trust him.

The black dragon then lifted the same claw to his own shoulder, where he scratched himself. Hiccup watched with confusion as Toothless hurt himself, after hurting him. What was he doing?

The winged reptile softly placed the same claw on the cut laid upon Hiccup's wrist, and then returned the claw to his own cut. The drop of Hiccup's blood entered the newly-made wound, making a buzz of energy fly through the dragon.

For a moment, Toothless froze completely. Hiccup was too stunned to move away. Then, the dragon reopened his emerald-colored eyes, and stared into his rider's forest-green ones. It was as if he was saying 'Trust me.'

Finally, Toothless scraped one drop of blood from his own cut, and then placed it onto Hiccup's wrist. The boy immediately tensed up, but continued watching the dragon intently.

And abruptly, a strange surge of energy erupted in his body. His muscles went stiff, his eyes screwed shut tightly, and he suddenly froze completely. His chest didn't continue rising for a few seconds, and Toothless grew worried. He nudged the auburn-haired boy on his cheek, hoping to reawaken him from the bond.

Hiccup's eyes flew open, only to be met with florescent green ones. He was breathing heavily, trying to understand what had just happened. Toothless cut him on the wrist… but then cut himself. And then, it looked as if the dragon put each other's blood in the two wounds.

"::Hiccup? Vis hi mindoraan zey?::" (Translation: Hiccup? Can you understand me?) Toothless asked hopefully.

"::Fos faal—FOS HECK?!::" (Translation: What the—WHAT THE HECK?!) Hiccup suddenly spoke.

He clasped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide in shock. What language did he just speak?! And how could he understand Toothless' weird language? It was like he could hear the strange sounds escaping his and Toothless' mouths, but in his mind, they processed into a Norse translation. It made him understand just what he and Toothless were saying.

"::Hiccup, nii los bek. Mu los grin nu.::" (Translation: Hiccup, it is okay. We are bonded now.) Toothless murmured reassuringly.

"::Vir heck drey hi dreh tol? Fos koros?::" (Translation: How the heck did you do that? What happened?) Hiccup queried shakily. He was still in shock.

"::Zu'u fen gelaar fod mu ofaal zek wah spaal. Bo nau,::" (Translation: I will explain when we get back to shelter. Come on.) Toothless replied, sitting up.

Hiccup rose to his shaky legs, struggling to stand. Toothless seemed to notice, and turned to the boy. He nudged his head under his arm, and allowed the runaway to lean against him to walk.

"T-Thanks," he murmured. "Wait, how come I'm speaking Norse again?"

"::Nii vis branaat zek ahrk amativ. Hi nunon praag wah mindos vir wah imaar nii,::" (Translation: It can switch back and forth. You just need to learn how to control it.) Toothless explained.

He guided his rider back to their little camp, where they saw a small cave hidden by tendrils and vines. The dragon helped Hiccup to step into the cave, due to it being a few steps higher than the ground.

The pair entered the cave silently, while Hiccup's head was spinning. He had so many questions about what had just happened. He had "bonded" with Toothless? What did that mean? And how could he understand his… language? How come he could SPEAK his language?! He didn't even know his vocal cords could make those noises!

"::Bek, Zu'u los bek hi lost pogaan laan. Zu'u fen gelaar pah nol gon.::" (Translation: Alright, I am sure you have many questions. I'll explain everything from the beginning.) Toothless sighed.

Inhaled deeply, he began the story.

"::Fod Zu'u lost goraaniik, Zu'u lahney ahst dovah leret. Dii lafaan lost vomindok, ahrk Zu'u lost nid ragnavir. Vutharaak, Zu'u drey lost pruzah fahdon. monah fun pah stories. Nust saag do vir waan mun lost wah vahraak dovah, atruk amazing fund koros. Apparently hi kent ov enook vorey voth hin lahney. Ahrk mu dreh. Nust saag vir grin los rinik, rinik num. Num wey Vulon Furies. Mindin pah, fos mun fund vahraak dovah? Hi fund, Hiccup. Wah gon grin, hi kent sav enook voreyro lahney. Hi sav dii, hel dii stin ahrk making zey dii slov. Zu'u nunon sav hin. grin gon naal mindoraan dovah sahgaat zurun honaat ko niist tinvok. Usually, jul nunon hon raal ahrk hisses. Nuz nu, hi vis hon zey tinvaak. Wah strin grin, hi kent ofanix sos. Tol los druv Zu'u vey mii ney. Ahrk Zu'u los rinik krosis fah tol, Hiccup. Zu'u didn't laan wah ahraan hi.::"

(Translation: When I was younger, I lived at the dragon nest. My parents were unknown, and I had no family. However, I did have good friends. The mothers told all the stories. They said of how if a human were to spare a dragon, something amazing would happen. Apparently you must trust each other with your lives. And we do.

They said how the bond is very, very rare. Rarer than Night Furies. After all, what human would spare a dragon? You would, Hiccup.

To begin the bond, you must save each other's lives. You saved mine, by setting my free and making me my tail. I just saved yours. The bond begins by the human understanding the dragon saying strange noises in their language. Usually, humans just hear growls and hisses. But now, you can hear me speak. To seal the bond, you must exchange blood. That is why I cut us both. And I am very sorry for that, Hiccup. I didn't want to hurt you.)

Hiccup sighed, listening to the story intently. It was very shocking to hear such a thing. Anyone else would have gone crazy at the thought of understanding what a dragon says, but now, he knew the truth.

It was quite a lot to take in. Bonding with a dragon, exchanging blood, understanding each other's languages. It was all too much for his poor mind. He was ready to pass out.

"So, can you understand Norse now?" Hiccup asked.

"::Geh. Zok dovah nunon mindok muldeytorax ahrk malur, med Zu'u drey nunon getiid vod. Nuz dahik mu los nu grin, mu vis rinik clearly mindoraan ney tinvok.::" (Translation: Yes. Most dragons only know bits and pieces, like I did just moments ago. But because we are now bonded, we can very clearly understand both languages.) Toothless replied.

"Wow, ok…." Hiccup trailed off, trying to comprehend all that had happened in the time span of half an hour.

"So… what now?" he asked.

Toothless smirked. "::Mu ofanix stories!::" (Translation: We exchange stories!)

"Alright… you first."

XXX

Everyone leaned forward in their seats, while a couple people even fell off their chairs. The Vikings listened intently, never taking their eyes off of the dragon rider. Hiccup felt uncomfortable with all those wide eyes on him, but nonetheless finished up his story.

"So, yeah. That's what Dovahzul is, and how Toothless and I bonded," he concluded.

"Can you control when you speak the Dovee—um, the dragon language now?" a small blonde girl asked from the crowd, looking no older than eight years old.

Hiccup's heart melted at the sight of such an adorable little girl. Damn, he always had a soft spot for kids.

"Yup," he smiled. "Dreh daar fahraal hin laan?" (Translation: Does this answer your question?)

Every let out murmurs of surprise, nodding their heads eagerly. "Can the other riders speak Dovahzul?" a beefy brunet man inquired with genuine curiosity.

Ember frowned sadly. "I can't, and neither than Asger. But our dragons can understand Norse pretty well, since Hiccup and Toothless help teach them."

"Yes, every dragon that has been around Vikings know bits and pieces of the Norse language," Asger added.

The crowd exchanged amazed, but slightly doubtful, glances. They had never imagined dragons to be so intelligent. They always thought they were merciless beasts, that killed and raided them for fun.

"How did you meet each other? And convince Ember and Asger to ride dragons?" asked Fishlegs. Hiccup opened his mouth, and began recalling the memory.

XXX

Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. After a year of travelling around, Hiccup came across a small village on a tiny island. They didn't have many issues with dragons, but still disliked the fact Hiccup befriended one.

After showing how kind Toothless is to the youngsters, they managed to help him convince his parents to help them out with dragons. So he found two Deadly Nadders in the forest, both a lavender shade. They must have been siblings, too, because they looked very similar.

Hiccup managed to gain the two dragons' trust, and then led them back to the village. The chief, Harek, and his daughter, Ember, accepted the two Deadly Nadders. Harek named his Morek, and Ember named hers Savvy (for her knowledge).

Within a few weeks, Hiccup helped all the villagers bond with their dragons. But of course, none of them had managed to bond as deeply as him and Toothless. Sometimes people gave him strange looks for speaking such a unique language, but he always ignored them.

But then, disaster struck. A ginormous group of pirates attacked, hoping to get to the dragon trainers. They wanted their own dragons, against their wills, to fight for them.

Harek was killed in the battle. Ember was devastated, but Savvy managed to comfort her. Morek changed as well. He snapped at strangers, and growled at anyone who got too close to Ember, Savvy, Hiccup, or Toothless.

Four weeks after the battle, Hiccup knew he had to leave.

"::Bek, mu praag wah lif. Zu'u nis verut daar joriin naan lingrahiik,::" (Translation: Alright, we need to leave. I can't endanger these people any longer.) he told Toothless through the Dovahzul language. He didn't want anyone to overhear them.

The Night Fury crooned sadly, before reluctantly agreeing.

But as they were flying away from the island of Dorsche, he saw two figures soaring after him. He groaned in irritation, before swerving Toothless to face the followers.

It was Ember riding Savvy, with Morek following the pair.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hiccup asked. Over the time span of more than a year and a half, he had gained confidence.

"Coming with you," Ember replied snidely.

"What? No, no way—"

"Either you let us come, or we'll just follow you everywhere you go," she interrupted.

"Ugh! Ember, I can't just—"

"Please," she murmured pleadingly. "I want to explore the world. I want to avenge my father. I want to LIVE! Please, let us come."

Hiccup sighed in defeat, before knowing he lost the fight. And with that, they continued flying through the darkness.

XXX

"Yup, I won that argument pretty easily," Ember smirked triumphantly.

Hiccup huffed, pouting playfully. A few people chuckled at the look.

"What about me?" Asger gasped with mock hurt.

XXX

The next time Hiccup gained consciousness from defeating the Red Death, was when he found himself in a strange environment. He slowly peeled his eyes open, to see he was in a cave. There was a bucket of water next to him, and a wet washcloth on his forehead. He turned his head to the right, where he saw himself laying in a comfortable bed. He then spotted Toothless, who had just woken up.

"::Hiccup!::" He cried happily.

Hiccup smiled happily, chuckling at Toothless' gummy smile. "Hey, Toothless," he mumbled. "What happened?"

"::Mu kuz tir jud. Mu drey nii, Hiccup! Pah dovah los stin nu.::" (Translation: We took out the queen. We did it, Hiccup! All the dragons are free now.) Toothless explained.

"R-Really?" he laughed happily. "W-Wow… how long have I been out?"

"::Jahrii iilah kenlik.::" (Translation: A full moon cycle.) Toothless replied.

"You mean a month?" Hiccup asked. "Huh, yeah, well—wait, what's the catch?"

"::Horvutah? Til los nid. Oo, nuz….::" (Translation: Catch? There is none. Oh, well….) Toothless hesitated.

"C'mon, bud, what is it? I doubt—"

He paused as he shifted in bed, finding he could only feel half of his lower leg. He could not feel anything below his upper shin. He frowned, glancing down and pulling the covers off of himself. He inhaled sharply at the sight, stunned beyond words.

There was metal that replaced part of the limb. It was well crafted, and looked to be sturdy. Hiccup was scared, though. He couldn't believe his eyes. He lost part of his leg! How was he supposed to react to that?

He heard Toothless get to his paws, and amble over worriedly. Hiccup sighed sadly, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked up to Toothless who was frowning worriedly.

"Alright," he breathed nervously. "Here it goes."

He stood, but yelped in pain at the prosthetic digging into the remainder of his leg. As he tried to step forward, he tripped. Toothless caught him, though, and helped him stand back up. Hiccup thanked the dragon, and then proceeded to try again.

When he exited the strange area he woke from, he was surprised to see Ember talking with an unfamiliar man, while the two Night Furies hung off to the side. A black and red Skrill sat beside the stranger, before he suddenly growled to his rider.

The man glanced over to where the Skrill gestured, and his eyes landed on Hiccup. He stepped forward, holding a hand out to the now crippled teenager.

"You must be Hiccup," the man greeted kindly. Hiccup hesitated, before shaking his hand. Ember smiled reassuringly, as if saying the man was trustworthy.

This guy couldn't be much older than himself. Maybe a couple years at the most. He was about the same height as Hiccup, but maybe a bit taller. He had muscle, but not as much as a Viking. He still came off as strong and powerful, though. Especially with the Skrill at his side.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied hesitantly. "That's me. Where are we? And who're you?"

"I'm Asger. That Skrill is my dragon, Lightning. Oh and we're at my home. It's not much, but once I found out about you and your Night Fury, I figured I should help out," he explained.

"Oh. So… you're the reason I'm still here?" Hiccup asked awkwardly. Asger nodded. "Sorry 'bout that… I didn't know."

"That's fine," he shrugged. "Nice Night Fury you have there, by the way. His name's Toothless right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Ember told me," Asger responded, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to where the girl stood beside the two lavender-colored Nadders.

"Oh… yeah, that's Toothless."

Within an hour, the three had already bonded. They shared their stories, about how their past lives were. When Hiccup told his, they frowned sympathetically, saying how rude the Berkians were. He just laughed it off, happy that he was free now.

"…Asger?" Hiccup queried reluctantly. He was slightly nervous about this question.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

"Er… do you know how to fight?" the one-legged teenager asked with a hint of hesitance.

"Do I?" Asger chuckled. "Let me show ya what I know. Maybe you won't look like such a twig then."

"Hey!"

XXX

Stoick coughed a few times during the storytelling, which only made Hiccup's mood tumble down. He would politely stop the story, help his father drink a cup of water, and continue his tale. Stoick was always extremely grateful, but guilty for ruining all the fun for the other villagers.

"Wait, so how'd you lose your leg again?" a large, towering woman spoke up, voicing her question.

"I lost it fighting the queen," Hiccup answered, already knowing what they would ask next. "I guess I'll go ahead and explain that too."

XXX

Another year and a half passed since they had left Dorsche. Toothless had taken Hiccup to the nest, and when he returned to his three companions, he told them what happened. Ember agreed they should do something about it, and they began planning their attack.

The plan was simple. Ember, Savvy, and Morek would get the Red Death (the queen Hiccup had named) mad and up. Then, Hiccup and Toothless would come in. They'd lead the Red Death up into the dark clouds, and vanish from sight. Toothless would shoot several plasma blasts at the beast's wings, tearing holes in them. Then, they'd dive and the queen would follow. Eventually, she'd crash into the ground, and she'd be killed.

It was such an easy plan. So why did it have to go so wrong?

Phase one went completely smoothly. Ember, Savvy, and Morek got the Red Death out of the nest, and into the open. Hiccup came in once the queen was angered, and the Deadly Nadders hit their shot limit.

Toothless gave his signature shriek, which rang out across the area loudly. The ginormous beast was already furious, so once Toothless and Hiccup arrived, it was already spreading its wings out.

"Alright, Toothless. Time to disappear!" Hiccup called to his Night Fury in Norse. He figured it would be best, since the Red Death couldn't understand much of Norse, but Toothless could understand it.

"::Hi ofaal nii!::" (Translation: You got it!)

They flew as one being, with Hiccup controlling his prosthetic, and Toothless giving in the energy. They were bonded, which meant they were brothers now. No, they were more than that. They could trust each other with their lives.

Everything went according to plan up in the gloomy clouds. Toothless had one shot left, and Hiccup knew exactly what to use it on.

"Don't shoot yet," Hiccup ordered. "I'll tell you when. Now dive!"

But just as the pair were diving, the Red Death parted its jaws and released a fiery blast of air. Toothless flapped his wings harder, trying to avoid getting the tail caught on fire, but it didn't work. Flames licked up at the leather, already disintegrating.

"Time's up!" Hiccup murmured. "Now we dive!"

Toothless obeyed immediately, by swerving around and redirecting his attention to the ground. The Red Death spotted the black dot, and hurriedly dived after the two.

Toothless was growing increasingly exhausted. His eyes were wide, he was panting through his mouth, and his wings ached severely. Hiccup noticed, because he patted the dragon's head and glanced behind him to see where the queen was.

"Just a little bit longer, Toothless," he assured the Night Fury.

Finally, they were close enough to the ground. Hiccup paused for a second, clicking the tailfin into a certain position. "Hold, Toothless," he called over the raging wind going by their ears.

The black dragon instantly slowed down, causing the Red Death to open her mouth and prepare to set the two ablaze.

"NOW!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless' body immediately took action. His wings rotated, so that he was now facing the descending queen. He drew his head back, and released his own plasma blast. The beast chasing after them was hit directly inside of its body, making it roar out.

Finally, it was over. Well, at least that's what Hiccup thought. He was wrong.

As the queen dove into the ground, they were stuck dodging the ridges on its back and tail. Hiccup shifted his foot as quickly as he could to avoid the sharp spikes on its body, but it was too late.

CLICK! CLINK!

Hiccup glanced back to see the damaged tailfin slip off of Toothless, making him gasp. How would they get out of here?

"No," Hiccup whispered as the gigantic, sharp-bladed tail came at them. "NO!" he screamed, but it was no use.

An excruciating smack was all it took. It struck him and Toothless, and next thing he knew, he was freefalling. He watched with wide eyes as his best friend dived after him into the blazing inferno, which was sure to end Hiccup's life.

But it didn't.

XXX

Once the story came to an end, Hiccup was yawning. He was already getting tired from sharing his adventures.

"Wait!" the same blonde little girl exclaimed. "Where did you learn to fight so good?"

Hiccup frowned at all the memories of battle he had endured. All the bloodshed, aftermath, and scars. All the comfort he had shared with his brothers and sisters. Thank the Gods he had Toothless, Asger, Ember, and their dragons.

"That, little missy, is for another time," Hiccup teased the kid. She instantly pouted, letting out a long "Aw!"

"Oh, al'ight," Gobber suddenly stood up, smiling at his old apprentice. "Let the lad get some rest."

Shooting a grateful expression to Gobber, the twenty-three year old stood up, and let everyone file out of the Mead Hall before him. While waiting, he stood beside Stoick and his companions.

"You have gone through quite a lot," Stoick suddenly observed as the last remaining Vikings exited the building.

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, I know."

And just as Stoick opened his mouth, Hiccup intervened. "And no. I'll continue all my stories some other time. I'm tired, Dad."

Stoick chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Right, son. Good night."

"'Night."

XXX

A/N: WE'RE ALMOST AT 200 FOLLOWS! :D Woohoo! Keep it up, guys! This is awesome!

DragonReader99: Right, thanks for your opinion! :D The little brother idea is fantastic!

EagleDragon15: I know, but hey, that's what part of this chapter is for! :)

Thearizona: Thank you! :D It means a lot!

ShadowSpirit020: Gah, I know right! Badass Hiccup strikes!

Midnight510: Thanks for the advice! Those are some pretty good ideas! And yes, it'll be Hiccstrid. (: It may take a little while, though. Oh, and I'm planning on having the old gang get along with Ember and Asger.

Transformers 0: Thanks! And ikr, nothing better than violen—I mean, um, solving your problems.

Silver Wind 02: Ikr :D

LunnaValley23: Thank you for the review! :D And I'll definitely have her train Stormfly as her apology.

TomBoyBookGirl: Thanks! Here's some more.

Roughgunner: You got it, little rocket? Wtf am I even doing, can't even rhyme with it—I mean, thanks!

Darthrath: Thank you! And sorry this chapter is late.

Animefortin95: I can't give away the spoilers, but yes, there'll be Hiccstrid.

To all the guests with no names: Thank you, all of you, for reviewing! Lots of you are extremely funny XD Sorry I can't address all of you. It would confuse both you guys, and me.

The Shadow Fright Dragon: Ikr! Spitelout, go to timeout! SNOTLOUT, GO TO TIME—NO, DON'T PICK UP THAT CHAIR—

Flycoffee: Thanks for your opinion! And sorry, this chapter is super late X.X

Allihiphop: Thank you fOR LOVING THIS STORY SO MUCH OMG THANK YOU AND YEAH, I MUST HAVE MY FANGURL SIDE COME ALIVE

Twigman242: Thank you! :D I'm glad you like both stories.

Ken106348: Wait, what? O.o but yeah, I'll have the Stormfly apology thing happen.

MTMTE: Thank you! :D Means a lot. And I like your name, it reminds me of a song that has that same title.

Psychoboy12: Yup, I am! Sorry this chapter is late. And thanks!

Thanks everyone!