AN: I strongly recommend you to read "Hiccup at large" before reading this (and the interquel - Happy ending pending), but in case you don't want to, I'll sum it up: Hiccup left Berk following the battle with Hookfang, met his mother and broke his leg real bad. In the meantime Astrid and the gang did some work. Evil Queen was defeated and Stalka reunited. And they all lived happily ever after (heh, I wish ^_^).
(...)
For bone to heal properly, all surrounding joints have to be immobilized. Which meant that Hiccup – who fractured a tibia and a fibula - was not supposed to bend either his ankle or his knee. Which rendered his whole left leg useless.
The outside flesh doesn't feel like his own. It's numb. Like a lifeless shell of his true leg. The true leg, the shattered core, is very much alive - pulsing with pain. So much he sometimes wishes they would cut his leg off.
They tell him pain is a good sign, that it means his bones are fusing. He sure hopes they do. If pain is meant to be directly proportional to the healing process, then he should be walking and running in no time.
He is told that – while in the Sanctuary – he got paralyzed by one of his mother's dragons. The dragon in question is a Speed Stinger – a flightless, nocturnal dragon with a barbed stinger at the tip of the tail. One sting is enough to completely paralyze a grown man for 24 hours.
He asks his mother if the Speed Stinger could paralyze his leg. She says it may be possible, but she'd rather leave the matters to Nature. Speed Stinger venom is meant to cause harm. Repeatable application may result in permanent damage. Hiccup understands and drops the subject. Nonetheless, he consults the medical team of Berk and drives their attention to the paralyzing substance. They intend to run some tests on livestock. Who knows, they may be able to turn the poison into a relatively harmless tranquilizer some years down the road.
The secondary laeknir changes his bandages and examines the leg on daily basis. The primary laeknir tries to use hypnosis to relieve his suffering, but it isn't very effective. The woman admits that she has vast knowledge on the human anatomy and herbs, but none of her mother's supernatural powers. Hiccup honestly cannot blame her. It is hard to measure up to somebody quite like Gothi.
Visits to Gothi's hut seem like a dream. The elder's methods include laying Hiccup on the ground and surrounding him with incense. His parents are instructed to shed a drop of blood on his forehead and hold hands above him, thinking fiercely about his recovery. The healer rubs her patient's temples and murmurs. These procedures calm the boy down. He falls asleep and wakes up to discover that he has unconsciously cried a river – cleaned himself of pain, as the primary laeknir puts it. His blood indeed seems to circulate better after the procedure.
There are the simple methods too, of course, but Hiccup refuses those. Mead eases the pain, but it also numbs his mind - which he isn't pleased about. There is so much going on and he doesn't want to miss anything. It's bad enough not being able to actively participate in the revolution.
When he cannot stand being confined to four walls he asks whoever's available to sit him on the bench his father had left in front of their house. He breathes the fresh, cool air, and absorbs the sights. Dragon feeding stations. Dragon perches. Children running around dressed as dragons. Terrible Terrors singing on the roofs.
The magnitude of emotion it all awakens in him is terrifying.
He is happy, of course. This was what he wanted. What was best for everybody. Vikings and dragons living side by side, getting to know each other, learning to work together. It's like a dream come true.
His dream.
It angers him. All that he sees and hears of is his doing. He has started it all. Now everybody reaps the fruits of his hard labor. All while he is unable to go to the outhouse by himself and has to pee into a cup. It is unfair. So unbelievably unfair.
The very thought brings tears to his eyes. Tears he blames on the pain of broken bones.
His friends do their best to help. They visit him. They try to make him feel needed. Fishlegs shows him the Dragon Damage Register and discusses the cases. Astrid brings self-made potions, which he secretly feeds to Toothless. Snotlout gloats over the tricks he taught Hookfang and the awe they awake in the female population. The twins offer weird suggestions for him to design, accompanied by speeches glorifying extreme activities.
All in all everybody just keeps telling him of the wonders he cannot experience.
To be completely fair, there is a bright side to his misery. A miracle even. Something that justifies everything he's been through.
He has a complete family.
His main caretaker – Gobber – is jovial as ever. His father is overwhelmed with work, as usual, but his aura is much more positive. His mother is still awkward, but definitely setting in. Sadly, only one of them is around for most of the time – as they all have matters to attend – but they all come together for meals. A truly precious time for Hiccup. He loves watching his parental figures interact. Gobber cooking and joking. Stoick carving small figures in wood. Valka sewing. Everybody polishing their respective gear and discussing everything that happened that day.
It was better than Hiccup had ever imagined. And it was him that made it possible.
Since his bed has been moved downstairs, his parents have been sleeping upstairs. Together.
Thanks to him.
He might have done some really stupid things, but it was all worth it.
His family does everything they can think of to make him feel better. Most importantly, they place the table next to his bed and provide him with parchment and coal. He sketches a chair with wheels, with which he could move around. He designs a stabilizing shoe that could help with his rehabilitation. He asks Gobber to take measurements of his leg and bring him some leather. He needs to work. To do something productive. Just to stop feeling so hopeless.
Soon the wheeled chair sees the light of day. Hiccup still needs another person to push it, but at least it allows him to travel further than his threshold.
Everywhere he looks there are final Winter preparations going on. Firewood gathered. Resources moved to the Meade Hall. Livestock slaughtered. Meat salted and stored in barrels. All of that accompanied by heated discussions revolving around dragons.
Hunters discussing the benefits and disadvantages of using dragons. Some fear their services will no longer be necessary. Others point out that no dragon could skin a boar, nor chop meat - therefore, they will still get to practice what they always have. Besides, they may still chose to do things the old way, without involving dragons. Best of all, shall dire circumstances come, and lots of stocks be needed in short time, their new pets will be available to aid the quest. Everybody will benefit from the arrangement.
Fear of unemployment has even hit Gobber, although very briefly. With the threat of dragon raids eliminated, Vikings no longer needed to have their weapons replaced or repaired so often. However, the decline in demand for blacksmithing was compensated by the bursting demand for dragon related services. Gobber found his call as a dragon dentist and prosthetic professional, as well as saddle maker. His designs were rather eccentric at first, but Hiccup's mother pushed him in the right direction. The blacksmith was disappointed to have to give up on the fancy accessories, and sulked for quite a bit, but somehow, thanks to combined efforts of Valka and Hiccup, came to see working around stricter requirements as a challenge. Soon enough Vikings were offered a choice of saddles with spikes, storage compartments and weapon holsters. Some of these Hiccup got to cooperate on, which made him happy.
His father awkwardly encourages him to practice arm-wrestling – to work on his arms while he cannot use his legs. Hiccup plays along, doing his best to push his sire's massive palm. Stoick cheers for him, pretending to be losing. If nothing else, the exercise helps them bond. Moreover, Hiccup discovers that physical work makes him forget his pain to a degree. He needs something to focus on, something different than his misery. If he can make his father happy while doing so, then it's even better.
Working on his arm muscles is something his mother also encourages. A Dragon Rider has to be strong and have a tight grip, she says. Other necessary skills include nerves of steel, good spatial orientation and swift reaction, but he already has all of these. Her little prodigy, a natural dragon trainer.
Valka often wheels her son to the old killing ring, which has since become Berk Dragon Academy. His peers participate in a training program she has designed. It involves, among others: log roll, pull-ups and balancing on top of a spinning Gronckle. While they leave to practice solo flights, Hiccup gets to observe other, less advanced students. Adult villagers are allowed to learn dragon riding on their own, and some of them do - usually staying within the average house height. Others come to Valka for guidance, often bringing their children with. The really young ones are not allowed to ride at all, but those slightly younger than Hiccup get to practice on Gronckles. They have to remain within the arena and be wrapped in pillows for safety, but they still get to have more fun than Hiccup does. He appreciates being his mother's assistant and being asked to explain stuff on her behalf, but it's not quite the same as putting his knowledge to practice.
He watches his friends fly with their dragons. He watches his father ride his dragon. Stoick has pretty much monopolized Toothless, having discovered how convenient it is to run a village with the help of a dragon. The Night Fury, used to the much lighter Hiccup, has a hard time coping with the new rider. Soon enough Toothless begins to hide from Stoick, cowering in fear.
Hiccup feels incredibly sorry for his bud. The poor dragon sleeps by his bedside, licks his face, gives him supportive nuzzles, and he cannot do anything in return. He is both frustrated and guilty about taking so long to recover. He desperately misses being in the air. And is terrified of not being able to maneuver Toothless' tail fin again.
He already begins to design an improved system of pulleys, which he could control without moving the ankle. Just in case. And to relieve his worries.
In the meantime Stoick manages to capture a wild Thunderdrum that had been attacking the fishing boats. Impressed with the dragon's strength and ferocity, the chief decides to make it his own – to the utmost joy and relief of Toothless, who is now free to spend his days with Hiccup.
Finally, a month after he's woken up from his coma, the chief's son is given crutches and permitted to start active rehabilitation. On this very day the first snowflakes hit the ground. Hiccup is so excited he completely forgets his pain. His relatives are worried for him, and so is Toothless. They keep telling him not to push himself, but he doesn't want to hear any of it. He has to get back on his feet while there's still some solid ground to practice on. One it gets slippery, they won't let him out at all. He has to forge the iron while it's hot.
It proves to be quite a challenge. The left leg is much thinner than the right (he didn't know it was possible). The skin gray and swollen. Muscles seem to have completely disappeared. Every smallest movement comes with great difficulty. He tries to move pieces of cloth with foot, but the toes won't clench. The knee bends, although reluctantly. The ankle refuses to cooperate.
Hiccup is determined to regain as much control of his limb as possible. And everything else in his life for that matter.
Rehabilitation consists of the indoor practice and the outdoor practice. Indoor practice consists of simple exercises aimed at developing some muscles in the leg, combined with massages and rubbing in ointments. Outdoor practice is mostly walking around. For this Hiccup chooses to use the stabilizing boot he had designed. It limits the mobility of his ankle, thus helping him keep balance and reducing the risk of tripping over his own foot. One useful invention, if you ask Hiccup.
He joins his friends for training, as much as he can. With a little assistance he is able to do pull-ups, as well as practice archery. Everybody cheers on him. Even Snotlout is encouraging in his teasing sort of way.
He is allowed to ride on the back of Toothless for a start. A few days later, his parents reluctantly agree to let him fly – with one of them holding him and doing the actual maneuvering. Toothless does his best to be gentle and keep a slow pace. Being up in the air again, seeing the world from the back of his bud, with his mother's arms wrapped around him, Hiccup feels happy. So irrationally happy. And finds himself laughing through tears.
Nothing seems impossible anymore.
Two weeks before Snoggletog his parents decide to move his bed back upstairs. Walking the stairs shall do him well, they decide. He suspects it was really a means of preventing him from sneaking out to fly unsupervised, but keeps the opinion to himself. Why ruin such a lovely family game? If he can walk down these stairs without waking his parents up, then surely he can handle himself up in the air. He'll just have to be careful.
(...)
Bonus: deleted scene.
Hiccup: See? That's what it looks like to be ridden whole day by a four-hundred-pound man.
Valka: Tell me about it.