Search and Destroy

by Victor4418

Viggo and Hiccup confront each other in battle. Hiccup saves Toothless, but gets captured in the process. Now the riders and all of Berk must find a way to get Hiccup back and save berk from Viggo's ambitions.

I do not own anything having to do with How to Train Your Dragon, it's merchandise, creators, or anything else that would allow me to make a profit off of it. This is my version of an interaction between the main characters in the show: "Race to Dragon's Edge." However, it is not a real episode as of this moment and is just from my brain. Enjoy.

Prologue

Hiccup, Astrid, and the other dragon riders, had been heading from Dragon's Edge to Berk to replenish supplies and share some news about their recent findings. On the way to Berk, they came across one of Viggo's scouting ships. Not wanting the scout ship to get too close to either island, the riders went to scare the ship away, only to find three more hiding nearby amongst the sea stacks. To make matters worse, one of the ships had Viggo himself on it. What had once been a simple scare tactic now turned into a full-fledged fight between dragon riders and dragon trappers.

Story

"Astrid, cover Fishlegs at the rear. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, take out the middle ships with Snotlout. I'll take the lead ship." Hiccup ordered as the group split, each going after their assigned targets.

"Alright Toothless, show them what you got." His scaly friend smirked and fired at the hull of the ship, a fiery purple blast shooting holes into the hull, forcing the boat to take water and the crew to abandon ship.

"Nice shooting, bud!" Hiccup praised as Toothless gloated at the simplicity of the target. Hiccup circled around the others, monitoring their progress on their own targets, as well as keeping an eye out for any surprise sneak attacks. The twins had managed to take out a mainsail on one ship before emergency landing on a nearby sea stack, due to an inability to untangle themselves from a dragon net that had entangled said riders to their dragons. Snotlout was trying to take on two ships by himself with the aid of Hookfang, but the dragon's gigantic size was becoming a disadvantage as archers began firing dragon root tipped arrows at him.

"Um, Hiccup? Why am I the only one taking these ships on?" Snotlout demanded as he weaved through another volley of arrows. Hiccup rolled his eyes and went to assist Snotlout until the twins could return. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup could see Viggo giving the archers orders to fire at them. Snotlout wasn't paying attention and Hiccup couldn't reach him in time.

"Snotlout, look out!" The warning almost coming too late, Snotlout and Hookfang dived into the ocean to avoid the next volley of arrows. Hiccup heard a sound of splintering wood and turned to see that Astrid and Fishlegs had managed to sink their target as well. Distracted by their success, Hiccup didn't see the archers reloading their weapons. Just as they fired, Astrid yelled his name in a warning, allowing him to turn back in time to move Toothless around the volley. What he was unprepared for was Viggo firing his own arrow towards Hiccup right after the archers had fired their volley. Hiccup was so distracted with the first wave of arrows, that he couldn't stop Viggo's arrow from injecting Toothless with dragon root.

Instantly, Toothless began to fly recklessly, the drug coursing through him at an alarming speed. His vision grew hazy and his body stopped responding to his thoughts. Both Toothless and Hiccup began to plummet towards the ocean, unable to stop their descent. Just as they were about to smack the water, Astrid and Stormfly managed to grab Toothless, supporting both dragon and rider.

"Thanks Astrid! I owe you one!" Hiccup called up to her.

"Don't forget it." She called back, laughing. "How's Toothless doing?"

"Just a bit disoriented, should be fine in a bit." Hiccup turned to stare at Viggo, trying to figure out why he was here with so few ships, when his heart stopped upon seeing a giant crossbow aimed at him and Toothless. The spear on it was huge and could easily kill either of them, or worse, Astrid and Stormfly.

"Astrid, get us out of range." Hiccup yelled, fear lacing his command.

She began to lead Stormfly away from the ship, but it was too late. Viggo laughed as he launched the crossbow, watching as it went straight for the Night Fury. Unable to fly away himself, Toothless was a sitting target. Hiccup climbed out of his saddle and positioned himself to block the spear with his shield, uncertain if it would stop the weapon. Viggo saw his aim was true, as the spear impaled the shield and went through it like a knife through butter. The spear continued its pursuit, imbedding itself in Hiccup's left shoulder. Shocked by the pain and unprepared for the uneven weight of the spear, Hiccup fell from Toothless' back and plummeted into the ocean, the drop forcing him into unconsciousness.

"HICCUP!" the other riders yelled, but their cries were overruled by the loud shriek of Toothless.

"Snotlout, Fishlegs, get Hiccup out of there!" Astrid demanded as she struggled to keep Toothless in Stormfly's grasp. Toothless continued to shriek, unable to see his rider. He tried to fly, but his wings weren't working and without Hiccup he couldn't fly anyway. She knew he wanted to help his rider, but he was in no condition to do so and if she put him down, he couldn't do anything and would only end up getting hurt further.

"Come on Meatlug. Fly as close as you can." Fishlegs coaxed his nervous dragon. Fishlegs and Meatlug tried to get close to Hiccup, but the ship fired volley after volley of rock at them, now aware that dragon root wouldn't work on Meatlug, effectively keeping them at a distance. The same thing happened with Snotlout and Hook fang when they fired dragon root arrows at them. Unable to help Hiccup, they pulled back from their target. "We need to try to take out the other ships before we can get Hiccup." Snotlout remarked.

"Come Tuff, it is time for you and the Ruff to save the day." The twins dived towards their friend, Barf and Belch cooperating and focused like never before. Unfortunately, they got struck with another net and had to retreat to untangle themselves again. "Why do we bring them along?" Snotlout asked Astrid and riders could only watch as Viggo fished Hiccup out of the water.

In the meantime, Viggo watched as Hiccup was taken below deck before addressing the other riders. "Thank you, Dragon Riders, for giving me such a wonderful gift. Send Stoic my regards when you meet up with him. I look forward to having a chat with him very soon. Don't get any ideas of taking out our ships. Your dead friend's life depends on you staying put." Viggo taunted as their ship began to sail away.

The riders watched as their enemy retreated, unable to do anything to him.

"Astrid, we have to warn the chief." Fishlegs reminded her, watching her fight a losing internal battle of going after Hiccup or getting help.

"Where did the ships go? Where's Hiccup?" Ruffnut asked as they rejoined the others.

"Shut up Ruff. Thanks to your lack of help, Hiccup got captured by Viggo." Snotlout answered, glaring at him.

"Hey, we risked our butts to help you. If this is the thanks we get, you can forget our help in the future." Tuffnut replied, huffing in anger.

"Help me? You got stuck in a dragon net. Twice. You spent more time playing with rope than being useful."

"That's it. All of you shut up. We're flying to Berk and we'll deal with this later. Now get flying." Astrid ordered. Leading the way, she pushed Stormfly to her limit to get to Berk as quickly as possible. Toothless had calmed down a bit, the dragon root making him extremely tired, but his need to see Toothless was slightly counteracting the drug. Therefore, by the time they arrived in Berk, the sun had set and a weary group of riders disembarked from their exhausted dragons. Stormfly barely managed to drop Toothless on the ground before collapsing in a heap, panting hard from her exertions. The other villagers came out of their homes to welcome the riders back.

"Where's Stoic?" Astrid demanded as she ran to the first villager she saw.

"Lecture Hall. Talking to Gobber about some new plan they had about the fishing routes."

Astrid ran as fast as she could, jumping over carts and weaving between the buildings. She left the others far behind, forcing them to take care of the dragons and catch up with her when they could. She sprinted up the stairs and burst the doors open. Upon scanning the room, she ran to the chief and interrupted his conversation with the metal worker, Gobber.

"Viggo has Hiccup!" Astrid blurted, stopping all conversations in the hall and causing everyone to turn and look at her.

"What?!" Stoic demanded. "How?"

"We spotted a scout ship near our island. We went to scare it off when three more ships came out of nowhere. We were fighting them when Viggo appeared on the deck of a ship and fired a dragon root arrow at Toothless. I caught them, but just as we went to retreat, Viggo fired a spear from a crossbow and struck Hiccup who fell in the water. We couldn't get close enough without the ships firing at us. They took Hiccup and left so we retreated here for help." Astrid said as she watched her chief become very angry.

"We're going to find my son and beat the brains out of Viggo. He won't be breathing much longer once I get my hands on him. This attack means war." Stoic declared, pulling his sword out of his scabbard to prove his point. "Get all that can ride suited up, we're sending search parties." Stoic ordered as he left the hall. Astrid followed him, remembering the message Viggo told her to deliver.

"Chief! Viggo wanted me to pass a message." Astrid declared, Stoic paused to listen. "He said he was looking forward to a chat with you and that it would be very soon." Stoic scowled at the threat implied, then left to spread the word of what had occurred earlier in the day, while Gobber went to his smith shop to supply the villagers with weapons. Astrid could only watch as the village came to life, people rushing to get ready for a big fight. The other riders were leading the dragons to the training grounds and their pens to allow them to rest, so Astrid decided to join them and see if she could fit in a little bit of extra weapon training too.

Meanwhile, back on Viggo's ship

Hiccup lay in a damp cell below deck, his good leg chained to the wall. There was no bed or any other furniture except for a bucket in the corner. Hiccup slowly came to, groaning as his body gave him an update on all of the places he was injured, which was pretty much everywhere. He couldn't quite recall how he had received his injuries yet, but it was slowly coming back to him. His lungs and throat were on fire, as if he had inhaled salt water. His left arm seared with pain. Breathing through his mouth, Hiccup looked at his shoulder to inspect the damage. Someone had managed to stop the blood by wrapping it with some cloth, but it wasn't done by a trained healer. Hiccup didn't dare risk removing the bandages in case he started to bleed again.

Looking around, he began to remember how he ended up in his cell. He had been trying to protect Toothless from Viggo's spear. From the look of his shoulder, it looked like he had been successful, although it had meant he would be in pain for some time. Taking a look at his cell's sparse furnishings, he knew that at the moment, there was no way he was escaping until he could come up with some sort of plan. Resigning himself to rest for the moment, his thoughts strayed to Berk, hoping Toothless was alright now and that the other riders had made it back safely to Berk. He couldn't be sure if that was actually true or not, as he had fallen unconscious before ensuring that they had escaped. After an hour or so, Hiccup had to guess as he wasn't really sure how much time had passed since he woke up, he heard the brig's main door open, allowing two guards and Viggo to walk in.

"Ah, you're awake!" Viggo smirked as he stopped in front of Hiccup's cell. Hiccup had managed to sit up, scowling at his enemy.

"What do you want Viggo? I don't have time for your games." Hiccup answered.

"Oh, but we have plenty of time for games. You're stuck on my ship, and I have no intention of letting you go anytime soon." Viggo answered, grabbing the guard chair near his cell and turning it around before sitting down, leaning over the back of the chair.

"You know I always manage to find a way out right?" Hiccup replied, pleased to see a scowl appear on Viggo's face.

"Not this time, boy. This time, you're injured, and if you don't cooperate, it'll only get worse for you."

"Why would I cooperate with you? You've tried capturing my dragon multiple times, hunted me down on other occasions, attacked both of my homes, and you have flat out tried to kill me. Doesn't seem like you're off to a great start in getting my help." Hiccup watched as Viggo smirked.

"Ah, but I have ways of making you cooperate. One way or another, you're going to be of use to me. But for now, let's start with you telling me everything you know about the dragon eye." Viggo pulled it out from his hip pouch, waving it in Hiccup's face. "You know, you didn't have to give me this present." Viggo said as he saw the shock on Hiccup's face.

"How did you get that?" Hiccup demanded, the last time he saw it, it had been in Astrid's saddlebag.

"While your girlfriend was saving you and your dragon, my archer managed to shoot a hole in your girl's bag. The Dragon Eye fell out and my men were able to fish it out of the water with the Squaldrons we have. It's remarkable how useful dragons can be when they are scared of their master." Hiccup paled at the thought. "But we're getting off subject. Now tell me what you know."

"There is no way I am helping you. So you can forget that ever happening."

"That's fine, we'll have to do things the hard way. Guards!" Viggo ordered, moving him and his chair out of their way.

"What are you doing?!" Hiccup snarled as they entered his cell. They unlocked his good leg after removing his peg leg and dragged him outside of his cell, not caring if they hurt him. Viggo watched as they led him down a deck level and tied him to a chair. Hiccup struggled to escape, but he couldn't go anywhere without his leg. Once Hiccup was thoroughly tied down, the guards left the room.

"Let me go! Now!" Hiccup demanded.

"Tsk, tsk. We'll have to work on your manners. The polite thing would be to say please when you want something. Unfortunately, you've upset me with your refusal, so now I have to give you a punishment. My men will be back shortly and until you're ready to cooperate, they will keep punishing you." Viggo left the room, allowing his guards to return with a huge bucket of salt water. "Have fun Hiccup!"

The guards placed the water bucket in front of Hiccup, then they grabbed Hiccup's chair and turned him upside down. Hiccup watched as they carried him over to the bucket, hanging above the salt water. Realizing what they were going to do, Hiccup held his breath just in time as they dunked him in the water. They continued to hold him there until he began to thrash about from lack of oxygen. Just when he thought they were going to let him drown, they pulled him up, gasping, coughing, and choking as he tried to expel the water from his lungs. His throat burned from the salt rubbing the tissue raw, and he wanted the whole process to end. After about 10 seconds of this, they lowered him in the water again, repeating the process over and over. Every few times, they asked if he was ready to talk. Hiccup simply spat water at their feet. This process continued for a half hour, until Hiccup was so water logged and exhausted that he simply passed out. The guards stopped what they were doing and placed Hiccup down, leaving him to report to Viggo.

Viggo returned to the room, observing the waterlogged teen. He knew it would take time to break Hiccup, as he was a stubborn person. But he also believed that every person had a breaking point, it was only a matter of time and finding Hiccup's weakness. He had the guards return Hiccup to his cell and chain him back up so he couldn't escape, making plans to return later when Hiccup would be awake once more. He ordered that Hiccup receive no food or water until he said otherwise, then left to make preparations for the rest of his plans.

Back on Berk

Astrid and the other riders had replenished their supplies and their dragons had now recovered from their last ordeal. They had lost a whole day to preparing the villagers for finding Hiccup. Toothless was especially restless, climbing all over the island to try and find a way to get back to Hiccup. No one could calm him down, and he seemed determined to go on the expedition. He had tried several times to sneak onto a boat, but Stoic felt he would only get in the way and become another victim of Viggo's ambitions. He had forbidden the dragon from leaving the island, which only irritated Toothless further. However, seeing as how he couldn't fly, he was left behind with the other villagers and dragons that couldn't fight. Pacing back and forth, he watched as the armada left, sailing for Viggo's last known location.

"Chief, what do you think Viggo wants Hiccup for?" Astrid asked him as they walked the deck together, heading towards Hiccup's last known location.

"Well, I'm certain the biggest reason is to get Hiccup to stop interfering with his plans. He knows that if he captures the leader, the army, or in this case the rest of us dragon riders, become confused and unable to fight. However, Viggo knows we have a chain of command and that taking Hiccup wouldn't make us disorganized. My next thought is he wants something from Hiccup. Something that only Hiccup could give him. Perhaps battle tactics, weapon schematics, or something else. There's also the fact that he's my son and he knows that he can use Hiccup as leverage to make me cooperate or submit to any demands he makes. I hope you realize Hiccup would never forgive me if I did that. He values Berk too highly for me to ever consider giving anything up for him." Stoic answered, watching Astrid look sadly towards the horizon.

"Unfortunately, everything you've said is right. I already know that at least one if not all of those possibilities is being used to keep Hiccup out of reach. But even if he would be upset with me, I can't help but think that I would do anything to get him back. He's all I have left and he's too important to lose." Stoic sighed as he shook his head, listening to her share her thoughts with him.

"I can't afford to lose him either. He's all I have left to remind me of his mother. He's my last living family member, and he reminds me of myself at his age. Why did I get such a headstrong son?"

Astrid laughed. "Now if that isn't something I never thought I would hear. Do you know how headstrong you can be chief?"

"I'm not as headstrong as that boy. I can make compromises!" Stoic replied, frowning.

"Chief, you are the most headstrong person in the village. Even if you weren't our leader, I highly doubt you would be anywhere near docile. The only headstrong person besides you in the village is the son you raised." Astrid answered, smirking as Stoic realized what she was saying.

Unable to say anything else, he turned towards the horizon, watching the sun set on another day. Astrid did the same, except she was looking to see if she could see the sea stacks where they had lost Hiccup. She wouldn't admit it, but she knew if they didn't find Viggo soon, chances are that Hiccup wouldn't be living for much longer. She knew firsthand how ruthless he could be, especially to people and things that weren't useful to him. She had a feeling Stoic knew this as well, as he continued to push the crew through the night, making people take shifts so they could sail non-stop. The dragons took turns resting and taking guard shifts, sometimes scouting ahead to see if they had spotted any clues to Hiccup's whereabouts. They always came back empty handed.

Back on Viggo's ship

"Now Hiccup, I thought you would have learned by now that it's better to cooperate with me than to anger me." Viggo reminded Hiccup as he watched another fingernail get wrenched from Hiccup's hand. His left hand had already lost all his nails and his hand was still bleeding. Now the guard was on the third finger of his right hand. Hiccup was panting, the pain was excruciating, and a small voice was trying to convince him to let go of his pride and just give in to Viggo's demand. But Hiccup knew there was more at stake than just sharing his findings. Any information could be used to hunt down dragons and riders alike, endangering his family and his home.

"Still have nothing to say. Pity. I was going to let you eat today." Viggo answered. "It's been at least two days since you last ate. You have to be hungry." Viggo smirked as he watched another nail get ripped off. Hiccup was doing his best not to make any sounds. He didn't want Viggo to have the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. He had already bit through his lip to muffle any sounds he made. Blood was leaking from his mouth, the copper taste both bitter and a reminder of his resolve. The last nail was ripped from his other hand when he didn't reply to Viggo's taunts.

At last, Hiccup slumped in relief, knowing that they had nothing else to rip off of his hands. The sweat on his face rolled into his eyes and he wiped his face on his good shoulder, trying to clean his face off. Viggo watched as the boy tried to remain true to his belief, and quite frankly, it was beginning to irk him. But he knew that sooner or later, Hiccup would crack under pressure. He pulled out his knife after excusing the guards from the room, telling them not to return under any circumstances. Hiccup eyed the knife as Viggo approached him.

"You know, in a different life, our ambitions could have led us along very similar paths. Why do you resist me so?" Viggo asked as he played with his knife, tossing it in between his hands.

"What you're doing is wrong and inhumane. I despise anyone who would capture someone or something against its will, or torture, or kill it. Every living thing has the right to make its own choices and live its own life. By doing everything that you've been doing, you're denying them their rights." Hiccup replied.

"Ah, but difficult decisions have to be made sometimes. There's a way of life that exists between hunter and prey. Almost every living thing that I have encountered eats another form of a living being. Cows and sheep eat grass, dragons eat the cows and sheep, and humans eat a range of living things that I can't even begin to list." Viggo answered.

"That's true, but there's a difference from hunting for survival and hunting for sport and profit. You're disrupting the way of life, and until I stop breathing, I am going to stop you at every chance I get."

Viggo scowled at this point, beyond livid with the answer he had received. "You're going to regret not cooperating with me." Viggo approached Hiccup and cut the shirt sleeve off of his right arm. Once the fabric was out of his way, Viggo began to cut his insignia into his shoulder. At this point, Hiccup couldn't prevent the screams from leaving him. He thrashed about as the blade cut into his skin. His nerves and muscles protesting from the abuse. Once Viggo had finished his handiwork, he left the sobbing mess of a person to stew in his pain. "I'll return in a bit. Let's see if you're willing to talk then."

Once Viggo was gone, all Hiccup could think about was how much he wished he was at home. He missed Toothless and Berk. He wanted to be spending time having a discussion with his father on some random topic, or watch the stars with Astrid. Heck, even working with the twins was heaven compared to this. Now both his arms were in pain and his fingers burned every time he brushed against something with the slightest touch. He was hungry and dehydrated, having ingested more salt water than was healthy over the last few sessions. And he was worried about infection setting into his wounds. The amount of blood he had been losing was also a taxing feeling on his body. Exhausted, Hiccup allowed his subconscious to take over and fell into oblivion.

On the ocean

It had been three days of searching, four and a half since Hiccup was kidnapped, and Stoic and the riders had no clue where Viggo had gone. They were running out of supplies and would have to head back to replenish soon. Morale was low and no one wanted to return without Hiccup. Unfortunately, Stoic had to think of the needs of his people over the needs of his son. If he didn't get them back home, they could starve. Giving the signal to return to Berk, Stoic stared back at the direction he knew Hiccup had been at last before he was taken from him. Little did he know, he was closer to Hiccup than he could ever realize. But by the time he would find Hiccup, the damage would already be done.

Time Lapse

Viggo's ire had grown to the point that even mentioning Hiccup in his presence was almost guaranteed a death sentence. It had been three weeks of torturing the boy, breaking some bones in the process, threatening him in several ways, and flat out trying to persuade him, something he was very ashamed of, before he decided Hiccup had nothing left to offer and would serve him in one final way. Hiccup was going to be a warning message of what was to come if Berk didn't cooperate with his demands. He ordered his guards to place Hiccup in a small schooner and ship him back to Berk. If the boy was lucky, he would return alive. If not, he would still serve his purpose, death being an even greater warning that Viggo hated failure and lack of cooperation.

"Lord Viggo, the boy is in the boat. We're ready to let it go at your command." A guard reported.

"Excellent." Viggo made his way to Hiccup's side, disappointed to have to say farewell without obtaining the information he wanted. Looking at him, he could see that the boy was injured, sick, and malnourished from lack of food. He was verging on the edge of unconsciousness and his eyes were glazed over as he looked at Viggo. "I thought our time together would have been spent better. It's been so long since we had our one-to-one chats. Please send my regards to your father. Let him know that Berk's future is uncertain and will remain so unless he cooperates with me. Just in case you forget, I've written my demands down on this letter. He'll get it when he finds you." Viggo pinned the letter to Hiccup's vest, the boy to weak and tired to stop him. Viggo stepped back and watched as the boat was launched from Viggo's ship and slowly made its way to its destination, wondering if this would be the last time he would see the boy alive. Once the boat was out of sight, the ship left, heading back to base to make preparations for war.

Back on Berk

The fleet had returned, frustrated and depressed. This was the second time the search party had returned empty handed. There had been no demands made, no threats given, no clues offered. Stoic ordered the ships to be replenished and to be prepared to leave again the following day. Toothless practically tackled the riders, searching for Hiccup. When he didn't see him, the dragon ran off, screeching in anger and pain. The others watched the dragon so beloved by their friend take off into the woods, unable to provide the comfort that the dragon sorely needed. Toothless had been living in the woods since the day Hiccup was taken, preferring to rough it out than be reminded of Hiccup at home. They still made efforts to check on him and make sure the dragon didn't hurt himself. The riders returned to their homes to rest, all except for Astrid. She went to the watch tower, wanting to be alone and watch the sunset, like she always did with Hiccup. Stormfly followed her at a distance, wanting to be near her rider if she needed comfort, but respecting her need for space.

At the top of the watchtower, Astrid could see the entire island, and all of the water surrounding it. She let silent tears fall down her face as she watched the sun set, remembering all the times she had done this with Hiccup. She missed him terribly and felt guilty that she couldn't save him. Even though she knew he wouldn't be angry with her and that he would have wanted her to save Toothless instead of himself, she felt ashamed that she hadn't tried harder. She worried about his safety and feared she may never see him again. As the green light flashed from the horizon, Astrid spotted something floating in the water right near the horizon. She couldn't tell what it was, but not taking any chances, she called Stormfly over and mounted her, leaving Berk to go investigate. It only took a couple of minutes, but by then night had settled and the moon began to rise. As she got closer, she discovered it was an abandoned boat.

Curious, she decided to fly closer. She saw it wasn't abandoned, but that there was indeed someone on the boat. They looked like they were asleep. Who in their right mind would be sailing in the middle of the ocean without another person to keep watch or help them if they were in trouble? She flew as low as she could without disturbing the boat, only to gasp as she recognized the person.

"HICCUP!" She yelled as she jumped from Stormfly's back. She landed in the boat, careful to not tip it, and immediately crouched over him. He was asleep as far as she could tell, but looking at him carefully, she knew he needed help and fast. He was extremely thin, pale, and covered in a flush from a fever. She quickly got to work, tearing his tunic into strips and dipping them in the ocean before placing them on different parts of his body to cool him down. She could see blood on him and began inspecting him, finding various cuts on his body. She began wrapping the injuries to keep him from bleeding further. Once she was finished, she looked around for anything that could help. Spotting some rope, she grabbed it and called Stormfly over.

"Stormfly, catch!" Astrid threw the rope she found in the boat at her dragon after securing it to the head of the boat. The intelligent dragon caught the rope with her talons. "Stormfly, pull us home." Astrid ordered, sitting next to Hiccup as the boat began to move. Astrid couldn't keep her eyes off of Hiccup, afraid he would disappear if she looked away. After an excruciating amount of time in Astrid's mind, although it only took about 20 minutes, the boat washed onto the shores of Berk.

"Stormfly, get help." Astrid ordered, watching as her dragon took off. After about 10 minutes, in which time Astrid wasn't sure Hiccup would still be breathing, she could see a group of villagers running up the beach towards her with Stoic in the lead. All of them were following Stormfly who ran ahead screeching her distress. Upon Stoic and the others seeing what Astrid had found, they all froze, unable to believe their eyes. Stoic was the first to move and immediately knelt by Hiccup's side.

"I need a flat surface to move him! Now! We're taking him to Gothi! Astrid fly ahead and wake her, tell her what's happened and make sure she's prepared to work the second we get there." Stoic demanded as he watched the villagers take off for supplies to help. Without another word, the young rider took off, racing for her friend's life. The other villagers had woken up from the commotion and watched as Astrid soared over the village. As everyone gathered in the village square, they could see Stoic leading a group of villagers towards Gothi, pulling something on a wagon. Upon closer inspection, they saw it was the chief's son.

"It's Hiccup."

"Hiccup's back."

"Mighty Thor. What happened to him?"

The whispers followed the group as they walked to Gothi's hut. Upon knocking on the door, Astrid yanked it open and ushered them inside. Gothi directed them to lay Hiccup on the healing table as she finished lighting the last torch. Once the boy was settled, she shooed everyone out except for Astrid and Stoic. Grabbing her tools, she laid them on a small table and placed them next to Hiccup's side so she could easily access them.

"You have to save him Gothi. Please." Stoic pleaded as she began to inspect his son. She placed her hand on Stoic's arm to reassure him, then returned to her work. She scribbled notes down using charcoal on a strip of bark to relay information and instructions. Gothi had Astrid read some of her findings to Stoic so he would understand what situation they were facing. She didn't want to sugar coat anything and felt he needed to be given everything bluntly so he could make a proper decision about the village's and his son's future.

"She says 'Hiccup is badly injured. She can tell he was tortured and starved. She can't say anything about the emotional or mental trauma he went through yet. He has several infections that will need treated if he's to have any chance of recovering. He's also going to need time to recover from a few broken ribs and a broken leg. She's not sure if he'll ever be able to use his left arm fully again.'" Astrid looked about ready to cry as she finished reading. Stoic had his head in his hands, beyond guilty for involving his son in this battle.

"She's most concerned about his fever. From the look of it, he's had it for a couple of days and it's going to need to be treated quickly so his body can start to recover. With him being malnourished, she needs to get some fluids in him as well. It'll help with the fever. She's not sure how long he's been unconscious, so she'll treat his infections first and then his fever. She wants you to send villagers to find ingredients she needs while she works." Astrid handed over the list to Stoic. "I'm to stay and help her, she wants you to focus on the village's next move."

Stoic stood up and grabbed the list of supplies, taking one last look at his son before leaving. Astrid could already hear him shouting orders, but her job was to focus on Hiccup. Gothi began to remove the bandage from Hiccup's right arm and Astrid paled at the sight of the wound. The insignia Viggo had cut into his arm was swollen and red, pus leaking from the wound. The smell was atrocious and Astrid knew it was going to remain with him as a lifelong scar. Anger flashed through her at the injustice, but she focused on Gothi's instructions as she retrieved two buckets full of water, rags, and different herbs. She watched as Gothi cleaned out the wound, taking at least ten minutes just to ensure that all the pus was out, before washing the wound and applying the healing herbs. She wrapped everything with a clean bandage and repeated the procedure for his fingers. She also treated the various cuts on his body, stitching them when needed, lightly bandaging them when she was done.

His right shoulder was an entirely new issue for Gothi. While his arm was still attached, the wound was a good three inches in diameter and completely infected. She had to cut Hiccup's shirt around the wound to get to it and soak the fabric off of the wound, seeing as it had dried completely to the site. Once the fabric was gone, Astrid nearly puked and had to step outside for some fresh air. Upon returning a few minutes later, Gothi had managed to clean the front part of the wound and was now working on cleaning the back portion. Once the site was clean and washed on both sides, Gothi checked to see if the villagers had returned with her supplies. One woman had managed to bring a majority of the supplies she needed, so Gothi set to work packing the wound with different herbs to slow blood flow, heal the wound, and keep it clean. She packed bandages in a wad and wrapped the wound on both sides, encasing his arm in bandages tied to his chest to keep it still. At the same time, she had Astrid sit him up to wrap his ribs, having assessed that nothing was out of place or endangering his ability to breathe.

The next thing Gothi did was concoct a brew for Hiccup's fever, which had begun to climb. Astrid had placed a damp cool cloth on his forehead, trying to keep it down. The rest of the herbs were brought to Gothi and she finished her work on the remedy. Once the brew was ready, Gothi allowed it to cool before opening Hiccup's mouth and pouring it in. Hiccup swallowed the medicine on his own, showing positive signs that he was still fighting for his life. As soon as he drank the medicine, Astrid had to go find Gobber to help reset Hiccup's leg. Together, Gothi and Gobber reset the broken thigh bone in his right leg. Hiccup had cried out when the bone was snapped into place, but remained unconscious throughout the process. Astrid helped Gothi brace and wrap the leg to stabilize it. Now all they could do was wait for Hiccup to wake up. Astrid looked him over and could only imagine what Hiccup had gone through these last three weeks. Not only was he covered in bandages, cuts, and bruises, but he had protected his village to the point of nearly dying.

By this time, Stoic had returned to Gothi's hut, having given his instructions to the villagers to prepare for war. He was not going to allow Viggo to get away with hurting his son for his own selfish agenda. Nor was he going to allow Viggo to make threats against Berk. Their fighting had gone on long enough in Stoic's mind. Upon seeing Hiccup treated and resting, he gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you Gothi. How much longer until he wakes up?" Stoic asked, seeing as how it was well into the morning of the new day.

"She says that is for Hiccup to decide." Astrid read as Gothi scratched her answer into the dirt floor of her hut.

"Well, he's decided…to wake up." Hiccup whispered as he opened his eyes. Relief and joy washed over everyone's faces at seeing him awake.

"HICCUP!"

"SON!"

The four moved closer to Hiccup who was already trying to sit up. Gothi pushed him back on the bed and gave him a stern look, clearly telling him that if he didn't lay down she would beat him into oblivion. Having laid back down, Hiccup frowned before looking towards his father. "I'm assuming…you got…Viggo's letter." Hiccup wheezed, saying more than asking. His eyes were glazed over, whether from the pain, his fever, or the medicine was still to be determined.

"I got his demands, but that doesn't mean I'm going to agree to them." Stoic replied harshly.

"He's…determined…to get…what he wants. If he…doesn't get the…information he's looking…for, he's going to…tear Berk…apart and take…our dragons. We can't…let him have…them." Hiccup stated, a fire burning in his eyes at the thought of anyone coming after Toothless.

"What information?" Astrid asked, confused by his statement.

"Viggo has the dragon eye and wanted Hiccup to share what he had learned." Stoic answered for his son.

"That's impossible! I still have it in my saddle bag!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Well they…managed to shoot…a hole…in your bag and…it fell out. They fished it…from the ocean…after capturing me. That's…why Viggo tortured…me. I wouldn't…tell him anything." Hiccup began to cough and shake, his fever beginning to climb again. Gothi grabbed a wet cloth and placed it on his forehead to cool him down. She also handed him a cup of water to drink, making him drink slowly. She stared at Stoic and Astrid, giving a silent warning to take it easy on Hiccup.

"But if Viggo has the dragon eye, this means he could learn secrets about our dragons. Secrets on how to capture them, to kill them." Astrid paled as Stoic and Hiccup looked at her.

"That's why we…have to get…it back. It can't…remain in Viggo's…hands. Dad, you have…to make sure….we get it back." Hiccup answered, trying again to sit back up. This time, Gothi smacked him on the side of his head before forcing him to lay down again. Hiccup winced at the smack, not feeling the greatest.

"She says if you get back up again, she's tying you to the table." Astrid read from Gothi's scratches on the ground.

"Astrid, you…have to get the…dragon eye." Hiccup said.

"I'm not leaving you to go chase Viggo down. We can't afford to lose another rider." Astrid replied heatedly.

"Dad, you…have to…convince her to…go." Hiccup began to cough even harder, pain etched on his face as his ribs protested against the movement. Gothi went to fetch her brew for pain and quickly sneaked in a sleeping tonic while the trio were talking. She returned to Hiccup's side and gave him the medicine to drink. While he drank the medicine, Stoic replied to his son's concerns.

"Son, she's right. We need her here. Berk is preparing for war. We know Viggo is coming for us, so when he gets here, we can get it from him. There's no point in wasting resources chasing him when he will come to us."

"Dad, we need-"

"What we need is to let you rest." Stoic could already see that the medicine was taking effect. Hiccup's eyes began to droop and he began to relax on the table, but he was frowning as he realized that Gothi had purposefully drugged him. "I'll send updates to you." Stoic said, cutting their conversation short. "Get your rest. The quicker you heal, the quicker you can rejoin us. And listen to Gothi." By this point, Hiccup was struggling to form coherent thoughts. He fought to keep his eyes open and watched as Stoic stood up and left Gothi's hut with Astrid, leaving the broken boy to heal. Drifting off to sleep, Hiccup realized he didn't get a chance to ask about Toothless.

"How is Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked as he walked beside Astrid, seeing her leave Gothi's hut and deciding to walk with her.

"Injured and sick, but still making ridiculous demands. He warned us that Viggo managed to get ahold of the dragon eye. Now he wants me to leave and retrieve it. The chief and I agree I can't go on my own and I'm of better use here. He'll come to us and we use that opportunity to fetch the dragon eye." Astrid answered.

"Astrid, don't you think Viggo is aware of this? There's no guarantee he'll bring it with him when he tries to confront us."

"Then what would you have me do Fishlegs? Abandon Berk and possibly get captured to try and retrieve the dragon eye. He has a whole fleet against us and I can't do anything about it." She snapped.

Fishlegs mulled over her answer, unable to come up with a response. She had made valid points, but he also understood the urgency in Hiccup's request. Viggo couldn't be allowed to remain in control of the very thing that could tear their home and their lives apart. They went into the meetin0 being held to strategize war efforts, still not talking about the sensitive subject to each other. Fishlegs could only offer what advice had had on the subject and let Astrid make her choices from there.

Back on Viggo's fleet

"Sir, we're about a day's journey from Berk. Almost all of our fleet has arrived and will be ready to sail at any time. The remaining ships should be here by tomorrow morning." Viggo continued to stare at his men work to keeping the ship in tip top shape while the guard gave his report.

"Tell the fleet that we sail as soon as the last ship arrives." Viggo ordered, watching the guard leave to relay his command. He was going to enjoy breaking Hiccup all over again when he destroyed Berk before his very eyes. Viggo returned to his strategic planning room, prepping for a last minute strategy update with his ship captains. He wanted his plan to go through without any hiccups, pun intended. No one was going to stop him from achieving his goals. He had worked too long and sacrificed too much to stop now.

The next day

"Someone let the chief know that Viggo's fleet has arrived." The watch guard said as he continued to watch their progress. The runner on duty ran down the hill, spreading the news as he went through the village.

"Viggo's on his way, prepare for war!" Stoic ordered as soon as he received the word. At this moment, Toothless ran back into the village, seeing all of the commotion. Looking around, he tried to see if Hiccup had been found.

"Toothless!" Astrid called to the dragon, having spotted him running around the square. "We found Hiccup, he's alright." Toothless perked up at the sound of Hiccup's name. She pointed to Gothi's hut and the dragon took off, refusing to slow down for anyone. Upon arriving at Gothi's hut, he was confronted by the very short lady who had watched him make his way there. She made a motion for him to wait before she went inside her hut. Toothless watched and waited, although it was extremely hard for the dragon to do so. When she reopened the door, she led him to Hiccup's side. He was still sleeping, his face flushed with fever. Toothless went to his rider's side, anxious to see he was alright. Satisfied that his rider wasn't going anywhere, Toothless laid down next to the table and commenced to fall asleep, having received very little in the days Hiccup had been gone.

Gothi took advantage of the sleeping pair, cleaning Hiccup's wounds and checking to see if the infections were going down. The wound on his left arm, being deeper, was still inflamed and red. She cleaned and wrapped the wound back up. The wound on his right arm seemed to be doing better, some of the swelling having gone down. His fingers also looked much better. Satisfied for now, Gothi returned to her seat to drink some tea while she watched over her patient. Astrid arrived about a half hour later to relay orders from Stoic.

"Stoic wants him to remain here when the fighting starts. He thinks Viggo will try to come after him again and the first place he'll look for him is their house." Astrid relayed the message, the woman nodding in understanding. "I'm leaving this with you, in case something happens." Astrid left Hiccup's shield with the woman, placing it in the corner. "It has a weapon in it, so Hiccup can still protect himself if Viggo does find him. Snotlout and Fishlegs will be within flying distance, but not too close to alert Viggo to Hiccup's location. The twins have also set up some traps, so if you need to go outside, make sure you signal one of us." She left the trio after that, returning to Stoic's strategy meeting for one last update before Viggo's fleet arrived. At the sound of the horn being blown, the village froze, the signal declaring the fleet was upon them.

"Everyone, load up and prepare for battle." Stoic cried, grabbing his battle axe and mounting his dragon. The other riders followed his orders and the villagers armed themselves before gathering in the village square.

"We fight to protect Berk. We fight to protect our homes and loved ones. Capture as many as you can, kill if you must. Leave Viggo to me. You know what signal to give if you find him. Keep together and protect each other. This day will go down in history as the day we end this villain's reign." Stoic shouted, raising his axe in a show of encouragement. The villagers cheered at their leader's speech before dispersing, placing themselves in their positions around the island. Viggo's ships stopped at an agreed line between the fleet and proceeded to disembark on small ships. Stoic gave the signal to begin the fight and all of the riders rose into the air while the villagers began firing at the ships with catapults and arrows. Viggo's ships returned fired at the villagers and the riders in the sky.

Viggo watched as his men landed on the beaches of the island, making their way towards the village. He gave the signal and released his Squaldrons, setting them loose on the riders, disorienting them and splitting them up to avoid the boiling streams of water. While the two armies fought, Viggo snuck onto another ship and set sail to follow his men to the beach. Having landed safely, he snuck off into the forest, beginning his search for the dragon eye lens Hiccup still had on Berk. He had gotten this information from a spy he had planted on the island a few years back when their battles had first begun.

Stoic fought Viggo's men, knocking them to the side like toys as they approached him. He kept his eyes on the battle, gauging who was winning, but also searching for Viggo. The man hadn't made his appearance yet and that concerned the chief. Viggo was known for his tricks and craftiness. He couldn't even trust him as far as he could throw him. Still, he had a duty to stay and fight until that moment arrived.

In the meantime, Hiccup woke up to the sounds of battle. Remembering that Viggo had made a threat against Berk, he listened to the sounds of weapons clashing and people shouting. It frustrated him that he couldn't be there to face Viggo and prevent him from hurting anyone he cared about. Toothless seemed to be of the same opinion as he kept pacing back and forth, looking towards the door every few minutes. Gothi sat and watched the two warriors, sipping her tea and waiting for the outcome. She had seen many battles on Berk and knew there was nothing more she could do until after the battle. The hours ticked by and the shadows lengthened in the hut as the sun began to set. Finally, night settled on the island, but the fighting still continued.

Hiccup had spent most of the day dozing, unable to do anything else but worry while the fighting went on. He was rubbing Toothless on the head when suddenly, Toothless began to growl as he faced Gothi's door. The two humans looked towards the door and Gothi grabbed her walking stick, standing in front of Hiccup. Hiccup reached over and grabbed a nearby pitcher, seeing as it was the only weapon in his reach. The trio waited with baited breaths, listening for any noise that didn't belong in the night. After several minutes, the humans relaxed, but Toothless remained alert. Suddenly the window shattered as an arrow shot through, hitting Toothless in the flank. Toothless fell to the ground, passed out. Hiccup could see the arrow was coated in dragon root.

"Toothless!" Hiccup choked out, reaching out towards his friend.

"How touching. Just when you're reunited, I take him away from you again." Hiccup froze at the sound of the voice.

"Viggo." Hiccup wheezed.

"Don't worry Hiccup. I'll study him carefully, learn his secrets, and then sell him to the highest bidder. I'm sure you won't mind." Viggo said after breaking the door down and walking into the hut. Gothi continued to stand in front of Hiccup, a scowl on her face. "Using little old ladies as a shield, how pitiful." Viggo smirked.

Gothi swung her staff at Viggo, smacking him in the face. No longer smirking, he grabbed her staff out of her hand and broke it over his knee before throwing it outside and over her porch to the ground below. She proceeded to grab his leg and bite him in the knee, causing Viggo to shout in pain. He pried the woman off of him and hung her on a hook outside of her house, leaving her to dangle like wet laundry on the line. He returned to the hut, only to have Hiccup smack him spot on in the face with the pitcher.

"You Berkians are very irritating." Viggo stated as Hiccup retrieved another item, in this case his water cup, to throw at Viggo. Viggo ducked out of the way and smirked as Hiccup no longer had any ammo to lob at him. Hiccup couldn't go anywhere and watched as his torturer came to his side. "You're lucky to still be alive. I would use that luck to answer my questions while you can. Otherwise, you're luck has run out." Viggo stated. "Now, where is the dragon eye lens you possess?"

"Like I…said last…time, I won't…tell you." Hiccup replied.

"Not even to save your dragon? I never said I needed him alive. I can still study and sell him if he's dead." Viggo said, approaching Toothless with his knife.

"Stop. I'll…tell you. Leave…Toothless alone." Hiccup watched as Viggo stepped away from his dragon.

"Excellent. Where is it?"

"It's in…my shield. Over…there. I have to…unlock the secret…mechanism to open…it." By this point, Hiccup's eyes were glazed over in pain. He knew he couldn't stall Viggo much longer and had to try and save himself and the others on his own. With limited mobility and only one good arm, he would have to catch Viggo by surprise.

"What makes you think I'll believe that lie? You aren't stupid enough to keep it in something that could get lost in battle." Viggo answered.

"What…makes…you think….I would….ever lose my…shield? I keep…. The lens with…..me to… prevent anyone….especially you…..from taking it." Hiccup replied.

"Well, it looks like that plan backfired on you." Viggo retrieved the shield and handed it to Hiccup, watching as the boy flipped it over and began pressing at a knot of wood. The second this was done, a coil of rope shot out of the shield and tied Viggo up, forcing him to fall to the ground. Hiccup cheered at his triumph, but it was short lived, as Viggo used the knife to cut himself free.

"You think you're always one step ahead of me. But I'm here to prove that isn't the case. You'll regret what you just did." Viggo grabbed Hiccup by the throat and proceeded to squeeze, cutting off Hiccup's air supply. Using his one good arm, Hiccup tried to pry Viggo off of his throat. When that didn't work, he tried to punch Viggo in the face.

"I tried not to kill you, mostly because I enjoyed playing our little game. It's a pity that you won't be doing that anymore. I'll have to find a new player for my game. Once I take you out, I'm going to turn Berk upside down until I find that lens. You're dragon will be the first of many to be sold on market." Viggo watched as Hiccup began to turn blue, knowing the rider only had seconds left before he passed out. Hiccup knew he was running out of air and began to thrash about, pain searing through him as his body protested the movements. Just as Hiccup was about to pass out, he could hear a feminine shriek of anger and suddenly Viggo was off of him. Gasping and choking for air, Hiccup coughed as he inhaled lungful after lungful of air. He could hear the skirmish in the background and when he could move his head, he saw Astrid keeping Viggo at bay.

"Hello Astrid. Lovely seeing you again. Come to answer my questions. Your boyfriend doesn't seem too inclined." Viggo stated, eying the girl.

"As if. I hope you realized that you're outnumbered and unable to leave Berk. We sunk all your ships and your men are being rounded up. It's over." Astrid replied.

"Something you should have learned by now is that I always have a plan." Viggo jumped out of the window and landed on the roof of the nearby house. Running across the roof, he jumped into the alley and began to weave through the houses. Astrid watched him take off, unable to follow on foot or by dragon. She turned back to Hiccup, concern on her face.

"Go... stop him." Hiccup wheezed as he watched her face take on a disappointed scowl.

"Are you sure?" Astrid asked him, returning to his side.

"Yeah. Now go….signal….the others." Hiccup ordered.

Astrid ran out the door, chasing Viggo on Stormfly, while Hiccup struggled to sit up. His ribs protested the movement, but using his peg leg, he was able to crawl on the floor over to the door. Using the wall as a support, he pulled himself onto his good leg and stacked some crates together to get Gothi down. The effort took a lot out of him and by the time he got her down, he was gasping heavily, sweat running down his face. He collapsed on the floor, unable to do anything else. His leg shot pain through his body, causing him to blackout on the floor.

Gothi Began to assess him immediately. His throat was severely bruised, but otherwise he hadn't injured himself further. He wasn't in immediate danger, but she couldn't move him off the floor by herself. She tried to stretch him out, making him comfortable until she could get help. She proceeded to remove the arrow from Toothless and bandaged that as well, seeing as time was the only cure for removing the dragon root from his system. She gave a signal which alerted the other riders that Viggo was in the area. Stoic saw it and immediately followed it to Gothi's hut, Gobber close behind him.

"What happened? Stoic demanded, seeing Hiccup on the floor, gasping for air and Toothless out cold.

"He was after Hiccup. Astrid managed to prevent him from choking Hiccup to death. She went after him, heading north." Gothi wrote. Gobber translated as quickly as he could. "Help me lift Hiccup on the bed, carefully. Watch the ribs and his leg." She reminded as Stoic scooped his son up and placed him back on the healing table. He immediately left the hut, vengeance burning in his eyes.

Stoic flew his dragon as fast as he could, trying to keep up with Astrid. The other riders had also converged with him on the way, following him as best as they could.

"Chief, what's going on?" Fishlegs asked.

"Astrid is following Viggo. We need to catch up to them. We can't let Viggo escape. Everyone is to split up and surround him, but no one confronts him except me. Wait for my signal to take him down." Stoic ordered.

"Hey chief, when we do catch him, what are we going to do with him?" Ruffnut asked.

"I could have Hookfang barbeque him? He would probably burn like a crisp very quickly." Snotlout offered.

"We'll discuss it later. We need to catch him first." Stoic replied, forcing them to focus on the task at hand.

After a few minutes, the riders and Stoic split up, searching for the man they despised. It was hard to spot him from the treetops, so they were forced to land and investigate their separate areas, trying to find a clue in which way he had gone. Stoic discovered some footprints and followed them to a nearby valley. There he found Viggo trying to push off a small schooner had had used to get on the island.

"Viggo!" Stoic shouted, causing the man to turn and face him.

"Stoic. Nice to see you again. I'm assuming you want to try and capture me for hurting Hiccup. Unfortunately, I have other plans in mind and no time to surrender to you." Viggo returned to pushing the schooner into the water. Stoic gave his dragon a signal and the dragon fired at the boat. Viggo jumped out of the way and watched as his escape was blown to pieces. "That won't stop me Stoic. You know that."

"What I know is that you are going to pay for your crimes, and especially the crimes you committed against my son. You've crossed the line attacking my heir and future leader of Berk." Stoic replied, pulling his axe out of its holding spot on his belt. "We've been doing this dance for years, and it's going to end, right now."

"If your son had cooperated, he wouldn't have been left to die. He had plenty of time and opportunity to just give me what I wanted." Viggo replied calmly. "But I admit, he's definitely your son, loyal to a fault. Willing to give his life to protect his village. It'll kill him one day, just as it will kill you."

"The more threats you make, the more chance I have of killing you right here and now." Stoic replied, swinging his axe as he approached Viggo. "Come willingly, or I'll drag you back to Berk. I prefer the second one if I'm being honest." Stoic threatened.

Viggo eyed the man in front of him, then the surrounding area. Trapped by the valley walls, he would have to get past the chief to escape. Viggo sprinted for his escape, avoiding the swinging of the axe at his head. Stoic's dragon blocked his path, but Viggo simply flipped over the dragon. On his way to freedom, he didn't expect the other riders to appear so quickly and cut off any chance of his escape. They all watched as Viggo finally surrendered, Stoic tying his hands up and escorting him back to the village. Upon arrival, the villagers watched as Viggo was escorted to the holding area for villagers who had committed offenses and awaited punishment.

Stoic went to visit Hiccup after placing guards on watch duty with Viggo. Gobber went with him to offer support, realizing it would be difficult to accept that none of this was his fault. He climbed the stairs to Gothi's hut and knocked on the door, waiting for her response. She slowly opened the door, allowing the chief entry. He immediately went to Hiccup's side, Toothless sitting on the opposite side, now awake, as they watched the young Viking sleep. The bruising on Hiccup's neck was vicious, big blotches of purple and blue wrapped all the way around his neck. While he had had difficulty breathing before due to his broken ribs, now Hiccup was wheezing every time he took a breath due to the damaged airway. The stress had also caused Hiccup's fever to sky rocket, which was why Gothi had use several damp cool cloths all over his body to keep him cool. The boy shivered as his body fought to stay alive.

"Gothi, how is he?" Stoic whispered, agonized by what he was witnessing.

She scratched away in the dirt, waiting for Gobber to translate her message. 'He's a fighter, he'll pull through. It will take time, but he should be fine. His only fault is that he takes care of others before himself, something you tend to do a lot. He'll be in bed a couple of extra days, seeing as how he was out of bed before he was supposed to be. I'm hoping his fever will break soon, but in the meantime, have the villagers round up more herbs for the fever remedy I gave you earlier.' Stoic nodded his head in gratitude and watched his son sleep. Although it was far from peaceful, he was glad that he was at least getting sleep. At that point, there was another knock on Gothi's door. She opened it to reveal the other dragon riders crowding her door. Stoic knew that besides Astrid, no one had yet had the chance to check up on Hiccup. He stood up and left the hut, allowing the other visitors to have a moment with his son.

"Hi Gothi. We just wanted to check up on Hiccup." Astrid said, leading the way into the room. "We promise not to be long." She sat down in the seat Stoic had just occupied, grimacing at the bruising as well.

"Woah, Viggo did that to Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, appalled at what he was seeing.

"Yes. Hiccup wouldn't tell him anything that he wanted to know, so he tortured and starved Hiccup." Astrid replied sadly.

"Man, when I get my hands on Viggo, I'm going to make him regret everything he's done.' Snotlout threatened.

"So, does this mean Hiccup won't be a rider anymore?" Tuffnut asked.

"Of course not dear sister. It means that for now, new leadership will have to be established. I nominate myself as a candidate for such a position." Ruffnut answered. Everyone frowned at him in disapproval before Astrid punched him in the face. "Ow!" He complained.

"No one is replacing Hiccup. Until he's feeling better, I doubt we'll be doing much exploring or missions. The chief doesn't seem too pleased with us flying in smaller numbers. Plus we have to wait until he decides what to do with Viggo before we can do anything." Astrid answered Tuffnut's question.

The group only stayed for a few more minutes, unable to really talk about anything else. Hiccup slept on, unaware of his friends' presence. Toothless continued to watch over Hiccup as all but Astrid left the hut. She remained by his side, Gothi not protesting as she watched over her friend. She held his hand, wanting to be there when he woke up. Eventually, she fell asleep, unable to stay awake any longer. Gothi wrapped a blanket around her before returning to her vigil. Occasionally she would change the cloths on Hiccup, monitoring his fever and giving him more of a sleep induced healing medicine to speed up his recovery.

In the morning, Stoic gathered the entire village to discuss Viggo's punishment. Several shouts of angry villagers told Stoic they wanted the man dead so he would no longer attack the village. Unfortunately, his son's morals had rub off on Stoic and he felt that death wasn't a solution. It was too easy of a way out for the villain. At the same time, he didn't want Viggo on Berk to cause more problems. He couldn't release him either, as he had to pay for his crimes. Considering all of his options before him, he held his hands up and silenced the villagers.

"We cannot kill Viggo, as he won't truly be paying for his crimes if we do that. He'll simply get out of it without serving the repercussions of his actions. However, I have a suggestion on what we can do with him. We'll send him to an uninhabited island, where he will remain in exile until he dies. This way, he can have plenty of time to think about what he's done and will have no way of coming back to Berk or capturing more dragons." Stoic stated. The villagers began to talk it over before they agreed that this was the best course of action.

"The dragon riders will find an island and report back to me when they have found one. Then we will send Viggo to the island as soon as possible. In the meantime, only the guards are allowed near Viggo. Anyone who disobeys this order will be found in the holding area as well to await punishment." The villagers dispersed and the riders left to prepare for their journey.

"So Astrid, since Hiccup's not leading us right now. What do you say I take that position? I am pretty manly and brave. I could easily find this island in no time" Snotlout said, flexing his muscles. She rolled her eyes and pushed him to the ground before resuming her packing.

"How come Snotlout gets to be leader? I thought it was decided I was leader." Ruffnut shouted, tossing his hair about.

"No one is leader besides Hiccup. Now drop it." Astrid demanded, raising her fists in warning.

"Um, Astrid? At the moment, we kind of do need a leader. We can't make decisions unless we have a plan, otherwise we could make mistakes." Fishlegs squeaked as Astrid glared at him. "It's only temporary. I swear." Fishlegs explained.

Sighing, Astrid had to agree with Fishlegs. They needed to be able to work as a team. "Fine. But how do we decide who is to replace Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"We need someone who thinks on the same level as Hiccup. They need to think on the move, be able to adapt to different situations, knows everyone's strengths and weaknesses and can use them to our advantage, and be able to keep the group under control." Fishlegs answered.

"That sounds exactly like me!" Snotlout exclaimed, posing by Hookfang, who promptly set him on fire.

"Thank you Hookfang." Astrid smiled.

"Since my brother is an idiot, I nominate myself." Tuffnut stated. "I'm the smartest out of all of us." Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Astrid all stared at her. "What?"

"Anyway. I think it should be Astrid." Fishlegs stated.

"What? Why me?" Astrid asked, looking at him in shock.

"Think about it. You're strong, smart, work well by yourself or in groups, and you think very similarly to Hiccup. Plus, we all know Hiccup would want you to take his place in situations like this. He's made it very clear that he knows you're perfect for the position." Fishlegs answered.

"I can't take his place Fishlegs." She replied glumly.

"Like I said, it's only temporary. Why don't you see if you can talk to Hiccup about it real quick? I'm sure you'll see that everything I said is what he will tell you." Fishlegs suggested.

"Alright, I will. Finish packing up while I'm gone. I want to be ready to go when I get back." Astrid replied.

"Already giving orders, I see." Fishlegs teased, smiling when she glared at him.

Back at Gothi's hut, Hiccup's fever had finally broken and he was now awake, although very groggy from the medicine still in his system. She had propped him up with some pillows so he could breathe easier now that he was awake and capable of not rolling onto the floor. Toothless was having Hiccup scratch his head, showing how much he missed his rider. Astrid came into the hut, smiling at seeing dragon and rider bonding.

"Astrid!" Hiccup smiled, grimacing at the sound of his voice.

"Gothi says, 'no talking.'" Astrid laughed as Gothi scowled at her patient. She took a blank slab and some charcoal and handed them to Hiccup so she could communicate with him.

"You're father has decided to send the riders to find an uninhabited island to leave Viggo in exile. We need to go soon, but we need to make someone a temporary leader. Fishlegs suggested me. I just don't feel comfortable taking your spot. It's yours for a reason." Astrid admitted, watching his face for any emotion. He simply smiled and began to write.

Astrid, you'll do wonderful as a leader. Everyone trusts you and I know you're capable of this. You're smart, thoughtful, creative, and flexible. You can keep everyone working together in situations as they arise. I don't expect you to be me, because you're not. I expect you to be you and lead as you would your own group of riders. If you can't trust yourself, then they won't trust you to make the best decisions you can. Like Fishlegs said, it's only temporary. I still think you are the best person for the job.

Astrid smiled as she read the note, then looked up at him. "Thank you Hiccup." She gently leaned in to give him a kiss on the forehead, laughing at the blush that appeared on his face. Hiccup cleared his throat and grimaced at the action. She stood to leave as Hiccup drank a glass of water Gothi handed him. She turned one last time to look at Hiccup, then left to return to the group.

"Alright, everyone should be ready to leave. Get on your dragons and let's go." Astrid said as she climbed onto Stormfly's back. Fishlegs smiled as he followed her order, the others quickly doing the same. The riders flew off of Berk in search of an island that fit Stoic's orders. After two days of flying, they finally found an island within a half day's ride of Berk. While it was a little close for comfort, it also meant they could check on Viggo occasionally and make sure he didn't escape. They returned to Berk to share their findings with their chief.

"There's plenty of vegetation, so he won't starve. No dragons, and it's surrounded by a reef, making it impossible for boats to get close to the island. There are two freshwater sources on the island. No one lives there and there are no indication of any predators besides the occasional wolf." Fishlegs reported.

"Excellent. We'll get a boat ready and you can tow Viggo to the island. Once you get close enough, drop him on the island and leave. You are not to talk to him or answer any questions or comments he makes. Is that understood?" Stoic asked.

The riders nodded and left to prepare for the journey, Astrid giving an updated report to Hiccup. He look troubled by the news, but said nothing to Astrid as she said good night. Gothi had officially declared that his two arm wounds were healing nicely and he would be able to use his left arm in a couple of weeks. His broken leg would take longer, but she cleared him to be able to return to his home with occasional checkups once Stoic could help move him. Cheered by the news, Hiccup wrote his news on a letter and gave it to Toothless to deliver to his father.

The next day, after Hiccup was settled in his room. Stoic gathered the remaining riders and handed them custody of Viggo after reading him his charges and punishment in front of the village. Viggo said nothing during the entire event and gave no indication of whether he was pleased or not by the news, let alone that he wouldn't be killed. Astrid had opted to sit in the boat with Viggo after tying him to the bench to make sure he didn't have the ability to escape. Hookfang would tow the boat while the twins and Fishlegs would keep an eye out for any trouble that might interfere with their mission. Once the riders left, the villagers cheered at the news that Viggo wouldn't be returning.

The trip was uneventful for the riders, but it felt like forever, mostly due to the fact that they didn't want Viggo with them longer than necessary. They quickly deposited him onto the island, Astrid cutting his hands free and quickly moving away from him, the others watching and waiting for any sudden movements from him as she got onto Stormfly's back. He simply stared and watched as they rode away from him before exploring the island. The behavior Viggo exhibited confused and worried Astrid, but she couldn't say why. She simply put it down to the fact that he had accepted his fate. Upon returning to Berk, she and the other riders went to check on Hiccup.

"Hey Hiccup, heard you got your butt handed to you. We'll need to train more to prevent that from happening again." Snotlout said as soon as he laid eyes on Hiccup. Astrid grabbed her axe and swung it at Snotlout, who quickly ducked under a table. "Are you crazy?"

"Shut up Snotlout, before I really kill you." Astrid threatened.

"So Hiccup. Now that you can't walk, are you going to have two peg legs?" Ruffnut asked.

"Oh, maybe he'll have two peg arms next." Tuffnut supplied. Astrid promptly clashed their heads together and dropped them to the floor.

"Honestly, if you guys can't use your brains to say something intelligent, go sit by Snotlout." She threatened.

"It's nice to see you feeling better Hiccup." Fishlegs said, handing Hiccup a book full of new information he had discovered while exploring a new island a few weeks ago. "I finished that book you were curious about, thought maybe you would have some time on your hands and would want something to do."

"Thanks Fishlegs. I appreciate that." Hiccup said, rifling through the pages.

"Glad to see your voice is back, and your throat seems to be doing better." Astrid smiled.

"Yep, Gothi says that in a few weeks, my arms should be all healed, then it's a matter of waiting for my ribs and this darn leg to heal before I'm back to normal. She still chastises me for helping her after Viggo escaped. I couldn't leave her stuck up there though." Hiccup stated as he paused on a page, looking at the illustrations. He didn't see the looks exchanged by the riders at the very Hiccup-y comment he had made. They all smiled in amusement as any further questions were ignored by Hiccup, who was deeply absorbed in his book. After a few minutes of chatting with each other, they decided they were tired and ready to return home, so they said farewell to Hiccup and left him to his book reading. Once they were gone, Hiccup sighed as pushed the book away, frustrated that he couldn't do anything by himself. He had heard their comments about his lucky escape from Viggo's clutches, and it bothered him. Did he really look as defenseless as they made him out to be? Snotlout's earlier comment about having his "butt handed to him" also stung a bit.

Toothless came over and placed his head on the bed, trying to comfort him. "I know I should be happy bud. Viggo's gone and he can't hurt anyone again. But I don't know if I like that. He and I fought for so long and now he's not here. What will I do? How will the riders do patrol from now on? What's our purpose?" Hiccup lost himself in thought, contemplating the future. Eventually he dozed off, his thoughts turning into dreams.

Over the next few weeks, Hiccup's days were filled with visitors and check-ups. Everyone wanted to make sure Hiccup was doing alright and that he wasn't bored. Older Vikings understood the pain of being bored when they were stuck in bed. The first day that Hiccup was able to start walking, the entire village cheered, Astrid being the loudest. Soon, Hiccup was able to focus on other things like upgrading Toothless' wing and making repairs to the village from Viggo's attack. He still wondered when the riders would be able to return to Dragon's Edge, but for some reason he had the feeling his father wouldn't allow that anytime soon. The riders still made occasional check-ins with their island, but Hiccup was never allowed to go. He began to see that any task he tried to complete, someone was there to help him. Feeling a bit like a babied child, Hiccup lost his temper one day when he went to get materials from Gobber and wasn't allowed to carry the materials himself because 'they were too heavy." Hiccup stormed away from the village, ignoring anyone who tried to get his attention.

Toothless followed his rider at a safe distance, sensing his frustration and anger, but wanting to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Hiccup spent hours wandering before he finally settled himself on a secluded ledge on the far side of Berk. The sun was beginning to set and he knew he would have to return home soon, but he was still so angry. He couldn't adapt to village life when it was so docile. And he hated that everyone still thought him weak when he had fully recovered from his ordeal. He still saw looks of pity whenever he walked by and it infuriated him. He wasn't a child and he wasn't an invalid that needed everyone's support. Why couldn't they see him as the Hiccup before Viggo's torture?

As he sat contemplating, he heard Toothless growl at someone approaching them. Hiccup ignored the noise, figuring Toothless could handle it. When his dragon stopped growling, he knew that it was a villager that Toothless recognized. Someone sat down next to him and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Astrid sitting with her head resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was watching the sun set, just like they used to do together. She said nothing, allowing him to keep his silence without the pressure of needing to talk. Hiccup was grateful for this and was beginning to realize just how amazing she was at understanding his needs. They watched the sunset together, not saying a word. Just after the sun set, Astrid turned to look at him and observe him as the light faded to night.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. I've recovered from Viggo's abduction. See?" Hiccup gestured to himself.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Physically you're fine. But you haven't mentioned the other ways Viggo hurt you." Astrid responded. Hiccup looked at her then, staring into her eyes. He could see the concern in her face, wanting to help him.

"I don't know Astrid. He tortured me and that made me think of all the things I wanted to do to get back at him. I know I shouldn't and that I should move on, but he said things, did things; that will stay with me forever. The more I thing about it, the more I get confused. He was just as ambitious as me, for different reasons, and he mentioned that in another life, we may have even had the same goals. It got me thinking that if I had spent more time trying to talk to him, show him our way of life, that maybe he wouldn't have turned out to be an enemy. We could have been friends." Hiccup answered, frowning as he shared his feelings. "Then the other part of me remembers that he always had a side to him that was closed off and there was a chance I could never have reached him. We could have still remained enemies no matter what I did. I just didn't want this fight, and I especially didn't want him exiled to live the rest of his life by himself.

"Hiccup, what he did to you was wrong. You couldn't have changed his mind. He always felt superior and didn't care how he reached his goals. To him, you were just another obstacle to overcome. And he chose to try and break you to get by you. But the fact that you're still here, that you're considering all the ways you could have helped him, still shows that he didn't break you. You're still fighting to make him into a better person. But you can't expect everyone to change Hiccup. If you try, you'll spend your whole life facing disappointment." Astrid said, cupping his face in her hand.

"That doesn't mean its easy Astrid. Now that Viggo's gone, what are we going to do? We don't need the island any more, we don't have any other enemies. Am I still able to be me? Or do I have to change and get used to docile village life? I know my father expects me to start taking over, but I can't do that when the villagers still treat me like a child, showering me with pity. They can't move past the fact that I was injured and now need to be coddled. I'm a grown man, I've moved on. I can't stay here if they are going to focus on the past and not move on." Hiccup admitted in frustration. "Today, I wasn't even able to carry a bucket of scrap metal because Gobber thought I would get hurt. This is Gobber we're talking about. He willingly threw me at the dragons in the training academy, knowing I would probably die. But Thor forbid it now if I were to lift anything above a small cup of water." Hiccup ranted.

"Hiccup, they care about you. They worry about you. I don't think you can understand the fear I saw in your father's eyes when he saw you in that boat. His heart was literally breaking at seeing you so injured and sick. And it happened again, when Viggo managed to reach you during the fight. He felt guilty and useless. It took Gobber weeks to snap him out of it. You nearly died Hiccup. You're the next chief of Berk and we couldn't afford to lose you or look your father in the face if you died. I was terrified when I found you. I thought- I thought… that you…were d-dead." Astrid began to cry as she recalled that horrible night. Hiccup pulled her into a hug, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry Astrid. I'm sitting here ranting about people pitying me, when I never asked how you felt about any of this. I'm truly sorry. I never intended for this to happen or to make you worry. I was so grateful that none of you got hurt, that none of you were captured. And I just wanted to say thank you for finding me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for never giving up on me. I realize now that this probably upset you just as much as it did, me." Hiccup said as he rubbed her back in a soothing way letting her cry out all her feelings of anger, frustration, and fear.

"I was so scared, Hiccup. You weren't moving, barely breathing. There was blood all over you and you were gasping for air. You're fever was so high, I wasn't sure you were even going to make it to Gothi's hut. Then, when I saw Viggo choking you just when you were on the mend, my heart stopped. I couldn't do anything but watch. It was only when I saw you thrashing about that I acted. I should have been fearless, acted faster, but I wasn't." Astrid admitted as she clung to his shirt.

"Astrid, you've always been fearless. It's alright to be scared when someone you know is being hurt. But you saved my life, twice, and I will never forget that. You always checked up on me and made sure I was doing okay. Even now, you found me when I needed the help the most. That's why I love you." Hiccup admitted. Astrid froze at his statement, before looking him in the face. Slowly, she leaned towards Hiccup and closed her eyes as she waited for him to kiss her. He leaned forward and placed his lips on her, as gently as possible, taking his time to express his feelings to her. She melted into the kiss, savoring it, enjoying the gentleness he was showing her. When they pulled apart, she smiled as she stared at him with new eyes.

"Come on Astrid, we still have unfinished business to take care of." Hiccup said, pulling her to her feet.

"What business?" She asked, sitting behind him on Toothless' back.

"We're going to pay a visit to Viggo."

Viggo's Island

They flew away the next morning in secret, not wanting anyone to follow them. They already knew that Stoic would be furious when he discovered what they had done. But Hiccup had to confirm his hunch, something felt wrong about what happened to Viggo. Knowing Viggo could be sly and crafty, he had to confirm his suspicions. They arrived at the island after a couple of hours, and circled the island to try and spot Viggo. They found his camp empty and deserted, looking like it hadn't been inhabited for a couple of days at least. There was no other sign of life on the island besides the local vegetation and animals.

"I don't understand. How could he get off of the island?" Astrid asked.

"It's simple. Remember how I told you he had fished the dragon eye out of the water after capturing me?" She nodded her head, recalling the conversation vaguely. "He had mentioned having trained Squaldrons. He must have had a way of communicating with them and used them to get off of the island." Hiccup responded.

"So now Viggo can continue to explore the dragon eye, capture dragons, and come back for Berk." Astrid stated, upset that this had happened.

"Right. We'll need to tell my father. And we'll need to refortify both islands. This isn't over. Not by a long shot." Hiccup prophesized as he turned back for Berk. "He'll be back, especially because I have one of the dragon eye lens. And I'm also pretty sure that he wants me out of his way for good."

"Over my dead body." Astrid growled. "Let him try to get close to you."

Viggo's fleet

Viggo monitored the progress of his crew, making sure everyone was following his orders exactly as he wanted them. Satisfied, he returned to his cabin, examining the notes he had written down about his discoveries so far while researching the dragon eye. He turned to look at a sketch he had drawn of Hiccup and Toothless, which lay on his desk. Picking up his knife, he stabbed the drawing, pinning it to the table. His aim was true, for he had stabbed the picture right where Hiccup's heart was. He stared at the picture, making plans in his head of what he would do the next time he saw Hiccup.

"Be prepared Hiccup."

Authors Note: I don't know if there will be a sequel, I haven't gotten that far. If you think there should be, let me know. Ciao.