Hey guys! Here is the first chapter of the sequel to "An Unexpected Turn." I hope you guys enjoy it and think that it was worth the wait. Now, I want to let you guys know that this chapter and the next won't have too much action. Right now, I am setting the stage for this story. So, without any further wait, here is Chapter 1!

Stoick and the Riders flew into Berk waters in the early afternoon of the day that they saved Hiccup. The entire ride back, no one spoke a word. They were all too worried, sparing glances whenever they could to look at Hiccup, who was being carried by Stoick, who was flying Thornado. They had elected to leave Toothless on Berk. Only Stoick and Fishlegs truly knew how to use the tail pedal, and both of them knew that neither of them would be able to effectively fly Toothless if they ended up engaged in battle.

They landed right beside the staircase that led up to Gothi's hut. Stoick ran up those stairs faster than any of them thought was possible. The Riders, however, weren't far behind him.

"Gothi! We need you!" Stoick shouted. Astrid could sense his desperation, and she assumed that Gothi did as well, with the expression on the old woman's face as she walked toward the Haddocks.

When Gothi got closer to Stoick, he angled his arms to where Gothi could see Hiccup. Her expression became even more worried. She began clearing off her table and Fishlegs, upon realizing that was what she was doing, helped her. Once the table was empty, Gothi gestured for Stoick to set Hiccup down on it. Stoick laid him down with the care and gentleness only a father could give. Gothi gestured for everyone to leave with a shooing motion. However, Stoick and Astrid stayed put.

Gothi began her examination. Astrid could tell by Gothi's movements that she was checking for injuries. While she was feeling his chest, Astrid could see her shake her head. Oh no, Astrid thought, his ribs must really be hurt. After she finished checking Hiccup's arms and leg, she turned around and gestured for Stoick to flip him over. Astrid could see the worry in Gothi's face grow as Stoick turned his son over. Astrid gasped when she saw his back. His shirt was practically shredded. There were at least five gaping wounds that could only be from a whip. Granted, Astrid had known that Hiccup's back wasn't in the greatest of conditions, but due to the low light of the Outcast Prison, she hadn't been able to see the full extent of his injuries. On top of his back injuries, there was a large bump on the back of his head, with dried blood in his hair that surrounded the injury.

Gothi walked over to the corner of her hut. She retrieved a bucket of water, a pair of scissors, and a handful of clean cloths. When she got back to where Hiccup was lying down, she cut off what remained of his shirt. She dunked the cloth into the water and began cleaning the gashes on Hiccup's back. Astrid knew that it probably didn't take near as long as it felt like, but the time crawled by slower than a gronckle who had just finished a twenty pound rock feast. However, soon Gothi finished her careful movements and dried Hiccup's back gently with a clean, dry cloth. After Hiccup's back had been cleaned to Gothi's standards, she walked over to her storage shelves and grabbed three rolls of bandages.

Stoick realized what she was about to do and walked over to Hiccup. When Gothi nodded at him, Stoick assumed what she wanted him to do and, fortunately for him, he guessed right. He gently grabbed Hiccup by his shoulders and moved him into a sitting position. Stoick tried not to become even more worried than he already was when Hiccup didn't even seem to react to what he was doing, or to what Gothi did the entire time she was cleaning his wounds. Once Gothi got back to Hiccup, she began to bandage his torso, making sure to be gentle but wrapping his ribs and whip wounds securely.

After she finished bandaging him, she motioned for Stoick to lay him back down. She then grabbed her walking stick and began writing in the sand that was in her hut. Stoick knew that neither he nor Astrid would be able to read the runes that she was writing, so he called out for Fishlegs to come into the hut.

"What did she write, Fishlegs?" Stoick asked, worry filling his tone.

"She said, 'Tell Fishlegs to come in here.'" Stoick just looked at Gothi as she wrote something else in the sand. "She says, 'Make sure to change his bandages daily and clean to prevent infection. Keep an eye on his head wound, if it starts to swell, ice it, but wait till he wakes up to see if he needs it iced for pain. That being said, when he wakes up, come get me to check for any other injures.'"

"Do you know when he will wake up?" Stoick had reasonable worry and right to ask this. He stared as Gothi wrote her response, anticipation filling his features.

"She says, 'I'm not sure. In all honesty, he is extremely lucky to be alive with the extent of his injuries." Stoick wasn't able to respond to this with words, just a sad expression written all over his face.

When Gothi looked at him and gave him a look that said he could leave if he was ready, Stoick picked Hiccup up. It scared him when Hiccup didn't even flinch when met with the sudden movement. Stoick gave Gothi a look of thanks and turned to leave. Astrid and Fishlegs moved out of his way. They looked at each other before leaving, their eyes showing that they were both wondering if their leader would ever truly recover from what Alvin put him through.

Thanks for reading! See you guys next chapter!