Note: this will hold spoilers to season 6 of rtte.

When Viggo awoke he was laying on a plain wooden cot with a heavy fur blanket pulled up to his chin and a small cushion under his head. The room was dark but seemed oddly familiar. He knew he had never been in it before, at least not while it was whole. His mind wandered, trying to make sense as he sat up on the cot and looked around. There was a stone slab to the left, near the edge of the room, and an opening to what appeared to be stairs. Voices could be heard beyond, on the lower floor. They too were familiar but not that of Hunters. They were softer, younger. That in itself seemed odd, but not nearly as bad as falling off the cot when his feet failed to meet the wooden floor.

He landed hard on his knees with a start and gave a small cry that was not his own.

He was still a child, Viggo realized. It had not been some strange hallucination cause by his last battle with his Hunters. He vaguely remembered that before waking up the first time in this condition but now it came flooding back. He had been fighting alongside a Skrill, distracting the Hunters, giving Hiccup and Toothless a chance to escape. He had been injured, shot multiple times by arrows. He was dying, he knew that, that's why he so willing sacrificed himself for Hiccup. He had charged his Hunters with his dying breath while the Skrill let loose the most powerful electrical blast he had ever witnessed.

He should have been dead but he remembered waking briefly to Johann leaning over him and something bitter being forced done his throat.

"He may be useful to us still," the former trader had purred before darkness consumed him. Then there was Krogan and pain and…

And Viggo had woken up as a child and was running for his life. But why would Johann leave the Dragon Eye in his tent?

The answer came to him in the form of a young man and ebony Night Fury he never thought he would see again. His breathed shuddered and mouth open but Viggo couldn't form the words he needed to say. Just one. If he could just say one then maybe Hiccup would understand.

Instead a sudden need to be held hit him and the urge sent him back paddling when Hiccup reached out for him. He wanted Ryker, not Hiccup. Where was Ryker? Why wasn't he there? Ryker was dead, you killed him, he reminded himself and the thought almost brought him to tears. His emotions kept swinging, no longer under his control.

"Hey…hey there," Hiccup said in a gentle voice, withdrawing his hand when the child spotted away from him. "It's okay. You're safe now."

All Viggo could do was stare at him. How could he possibly be so naïve? After all that had happened, how could Hiccup possibly believe they were safe? He could form the words he wanted. He couldn't tell Hiccup the truth of who he was or how he could have possibly survived. They were there but trapped within him and instead Viggo closed his eyes a d let a rogue tear roll down his ruined cheek. Didn't Hiccup recognize him? Weren't the scars enough to tell him that he was Viggo Grimborn trapped in this small body?

What came out of him was a raw emotion he hadn't felt in ages. "I want my brother," a tiny voice said in place of Viggo's. He gave a sniffle, unsure why the urge to cry was suddenly so strong. He felt empty inside, like a hug whole had opened and something large and overbearing was missing. He vaguely remembered that feeling from when he was little and Ryker had gone with their father on his first dragon hunting expedition. He was gone a long time. A very long time in which Viggo would sit on the docks waiting for his ship to return. They weren't very close, always disagreeing and butting heads, but without him Viggo was alone.

"Did they capture him, too?" Hiccup asked, cautiously moving toward him, as if he were some sort of dragon that might bite him.

Viggo supposed it was only right. He must look like some wild child, his clothing soiled and the upper left side of his body scarred leaving one eye blind. He fought back the strange emotions and shook his head. "No, he died," he answered, unable to help the way he sniffles and eyes stung with tears. He had to get himself under control. Sitting on the floor crying like an infant was unbecoming of a warrior such as himself.

Hiccup hand clasped his small shoulder and Viggo stared at it in shock. He wasn't sure how to react or what to say but stomach churned at the sympathetic look Hiccup gave him. "I'm sorry. If I had known the Hunters were stealing children…"

Viggo gasped at him. Hiccup truly Didn't know who he was. He should be grateful, he could easily manipulate him and his riders. Instead he felt hurt and angry.

But Hiccup saw none of that. Instead he helped the now child Viggo stand. Oh gods, he was so small compared to Hiccup now, barely coming to the young man's hip. This wouldn't do. He needed to return to his proper size and age before whatever Krogan and Johann had done to him became permanent.

"Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?" Hiccup asked, a hand still oh so gently on the child's shoulder.

A spark of anger filled Viggo. He may be in a child's body but he was not a child. He was a man and he would be damned if he let anyone carry him around. He pulled away from Hiccup and stomped his little feet across the wooden floor to the stairs. The staircase was narrow and steep and…yeah, maybe he should rethink Hiccup's offer just this once and let him help. After all they were on the same side now and despite having slept for Thor knows how long he was still tired. But the stubborn grown up side squashed that thought and began making the climb down.

There was strange mix of thrill and fear at seeing the main floor filled by the other dragon riders and Toothless. Viggo froze on the last step as the dragon looked him over. Did he know? Did he remember Viggo's scent or had that changed along with his body. Children Didn't have quite the same scent when they became adults. The musk wasn't as potent. Nonetheless he stood still when the dragon neared, unsure if he would be taken as friend or foe. The last time they met they fought side by side.

Toothless gave him a thorough sniffing. First his face and scar, making sure to study his dark brown eyes, and then the rest of him, his snout poking the boy's belly. A sound between a squeak and light pitch giggle escaped Viggo as he was lifted off his feet, his upper half now on the dragon's head. He would have covered his mouth in embarrassment if he arms Weren't presently clinging to the wedge shaped head in hopes of not falling off.

"Toothless, careful, bud," Hiccup reprimanded, lifting the boy off his dragon and carrying him to a low work table. "This little guy's been through a lot."

Viggo bit back a retort as he was sat on the table. The riders moved toward him, surrounding the table and their leader. Fear came crashing over Viggo, an alien feeling that had him shrinking back from them.

"Who are you?" Astrid asked, quickly followed by Heather.

"Where did you come from?"

"Duh, he's obviously some Hunter's kid," Snotlout scoffed.

"Whoa, narley scar," Ruffnut hummed appreciatively.

"Yeah, what got you?" her twin asked.

Dagur pushed past them and studied the scars. "Someone tortured him," he snapped in an authoritarian voice. He got a little closer than Viggo ever wanted him to be, and studied the melted and twisted flesh with a troubled frown. "Who the Hel would do such a thing to a little kid?" he wondered aloud.

"They're a few months old," Heather observed. "Who did this to you?"

Viggo glanced toward Hiccup and opened his mouth then promptly closed it. If he told them the truth they would likely kill him or exile him and in his present state it was unlikely he could survive on his own in the wilderness.

"Give him some room," Hiccup suddenly ordered, shooting his friends away, all but Astrid. She was watching Viggo with keen blue eyes that seemed to reach right into Viggo. She was the one Viggo would have to watch out for.

"Heather, are there any leftovers?" Hiccup asked, trying to get the riders to focus on their guest's needs rather than who he was or where he came from. There was lots of time for that.

She gave a nod and knowingly called the twins to help her. "I'll make a fresh pot of soup. He looks like he can use a hot meal," she called over her shoulder. "Snotlout, you think you can fashion him some warm clothes?"

Snotlout perked up at the idea of a sewing project. He eyed the little boy, silently taking measurements in his head, then headed to his hut to find extra fabric. He had a lot of leather and wool from his last project.

"What do you want me to do, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup hesitated a moment. "Maybe a cot, something he can sleep on at night. I'm pretty sure he's going to be staying with us for a little while. At least until we find his parents."

Viggo looked away. His parents? His father had died years ago. His mother…he wasn't sure if she was alive or not. It had been almost a year since he last spoke with her. She was not a young woman anymore.

"Oh…" Hiccup breathed, misreading the sadness in the child's eyes. "Ah…well…we'll not worry about that right now."

Viggo looked up in surprise. He would never have expected Hiccup to drop such a topic so easily. But the surprise soon faded when Hiccup showed him the Dragon Eye. Another wild mix of emotions ruled over Viggo for a moment and he fought back the urge to snap the artifact out of Hiccup's hands.

"How did you get this?" the rider asked, awe and concern mixed in his voice. "This is what Krogan and his men were chasing you for." It was a statement, not a question.

The child swallowed and stared at the device. "Yes," he answered honestly. "But I didn't steal it. It's mine."

Dagur strolled toward the table, his arms folded across his chest. "How is it yours? That thing belongs to…" His voice faltered when the boy looked at him. Dagur's eyes narrowed and he studied the child's one good eye before his own eyes widened in surprise. "Oh…Hiccup, you got a minute?"

"Make it fast, Dagur. He hasn't eaten anything since we saved him this morning," Hiccup answered, handing the Eye to Astrid. He followed the Berserker to the front of his hut, constantly glancing back at Astrid and the strange child. "What's wrong?" he asked his brother when they were finally out of earshot.

"Don't you think It's a little strong that the Hunters would be chasing that kid?" Dagur asked in a harsh whisper.

"If he stole the Dragon Eye from Johann…" Hiccup began, glancing back to the boy again. He couldn't help the uneasy feeling he had leaving him alone with Astrid. She could take care of herself but still…

"But why steal it?" Dagur continued. "Isn't there something a little off about him? About those scars? Why would the Hunters torture a kid like that. Even Alvin wouldn't go that far."

"I don't know," Hiccup confessed. The scars did look awfully familiar but who was to say what Krogan or even Johann was capable of.

"I have a theory."

"Go on."

"You're going to think it's crazy."

"You're marrying Mala. Crazy sailed out of here a long time ago."

Dagur gave him a dark look and Hiccup quickly apologized. Dagur and Mala were in love, no matter how odd and crazy it seemed, or how different the two leaders were from one another.

"Just hear me out," Dagur said, giving Hiccup a warning look that clearing said to shut up and listen. "Look at him. I mean really look on him. Not the scars but the unblemished side. Doesn't he remind you of someone?"

He did. Hiccup couldn't deny it. The child looked like Viggo. He didn't say anything thing. He wasn't sure what to say. The boy could easily be a Grimborn, either Viggo or Ryker's son. He knew Ryker had children. The revelation had come only months ago and was still shocking, so who was to say that this child wasn't one of his or that maybe Viggo had a family of his own back on Hunter Island.

"It doesn't matter. If Krogan is after him then it's our job to protect him and the Eye," he said firmly. "If they tortured him like this then Odin only knows what else they might do to him."

Dagur's head bobbed up and down in agreement. "Should I send Terror mail…"

"Not just yet," Hiccup interjected. "Let's give the little guy a chance to orient himself before anyone else gets involved. He may be able to help."

"He's five," Dagur pointed out. He rolled his eyes in exasperation as Hiccup wandered back over to the boy.

When the twins announced that food was ready, Viggo never expected to be so hungry or for Heather to have such skill as a cook. He ate everything she put done before him. His stomach felt empty and he ate his fill and then Some, surprising the riders but making Heather smile brightly. He had never seen her smile before, not a real smile at least and he smiled widely back at her. There was no restraint or lie behind it. He was simply happy because his belly, which had previously been empty, was now full.

At some point he forgot who he was, his mind slipping from being an adult trapped in a child's body to truly being that of a child. He ate what must have been his third bowl of mutton soup while kicking his little feet and taking breaks to sip at yak milk. Hiccup seemed happy just sitting and watching him, no longer asking inane questions about who he was or where he came from. Viggo guard came done the longer he was left to his own thoughts which were quickly becoming silly as he wondered whether Toothless could catch him if he jumped off the edge of the platform with one of Hiccup's Dragon Fly contraptions that the rider had mentioned to Ruffnut only minutes ago. He thought of flying free like a dragon, no worries, no chiefdom, free as a dragon.

"Okay, he has to have a name," Snotlout suddenly blurted out. He leaned against the far wall and glared at the boy who had stolen all the mutton. "We can't just call him kid or hey you."

Viggo dipped his roll into the last of his soup, finally starting to fill full. "Viggo," he chirped absently. He dragged his finger through some spilled soup and began drawing on the table with it. "My name is Viggo. V.I.G.G.O. My brother used to just call me Go, but I think that's because he thought I was always in his way."

Silence filled the clubhouse as the riders stopped what they were doing to stare at the boy but Viggo didn't seem to notice.

"Viggo?" Astrid asked, glancing from the child to Hiccup.

Hiccup gave a nervous laugh. Surely they didn't hear right, or maybe Viggo was a common name for someone with half their face burned off. "Viggo? So uh…What's your father's name?"

"Ryker," the boy answered, his focus on the soup drawing he was making.

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, so this was Ryker's son. No doubt he named the boy after his brother. It just seemed completely out of the ordinary that the child would have the exact same scar on the exact same side of his face as Viggo Grimborn the elder. Was that even possible? The alternative seemed even less likely and there was no way Hiccup was about to voice the thought nagging in the back of his mind.

"You shouldn't muck with your food," Astrid suddenly said, an edge to her voice. She took the now empty bowl and wiped down the table with a rag.

The child was instantly devastated. "I was drawing!" he insisted.

"You were mucking," she countered.

"No, I was drawing drag…"

"Hey…hey…whoa…how about we find some parchment and charcoal and then you draw whatever you want and keep it," Hiccup soothed, spotting the first sparkle of tears in the boy's eyes.

Astrid shot him a disapproving look but Hiccup returned it with a small shrug before taking the child by the hand and leading him back to his hut.

"She really is more ruthless than you," Viggo said absently, his grown up mind warring to get to the forefront, if even for only a moment.

Hiccup froze mid step on the catwalk and stared down at the boy in shock. "What did you just say?"

But as quickly as it had happened it was gone and the child was yawning widely. "I'm tired," he murmured instead.

The boy had slept the majority of the day. Hiccup hated the idea of letting him sleep again for fear of him being up all night. But Viggo was already beginning to doze off, his steps faltering. Not sure what else to do, Hiccup scooped the boy up and carried him the rest of the way. At least now there was a cot for him to sleep on.

The little one wrapped his arms around Hiccup, his little face snuggling against the youth's neck. Hiccup smiled fondly at him, idly wondering if this was what it would be like when he and Astrid had their own child. He wanted kids. Not just yet of course, but one day he wanted to have a family, two or three kids. He could already picture himself carrying them to bed when they were too tuckered out to go on their own.

"Hiccup," a little voice murmured, Viggo's head slack on his shoulder.

"Hmmm?" He didn't remember telling the boy his name, which was rather rude of him. No doubt he had learned it from listening to everyone speaking to him.

"Did the Skrill survive? I couldn't find it when I escaped Krogan's men." Viggo's arms fell lumpy to his side's as sleep tugged him away again. He didn't notice how rigid Hiccup became or the sheer horror on the young man's face. He fell into that deep black void again and he supposed it was for the best. His mind and body were at war and it felt as if his mind was losing.