Sorry for the wait – was busy with studying, then I injured my ankle… and then had to post another fic for my 1-year-anniversary on FanFiction. (Another hurt Hiccup fic- this time, heatstroke- called Hot Blooded. Check it out!)

Anyway, THANK YOU for your patience, and I hope you like the chapter! Please review!

Chapter Three

"You don't want to do this," Hiccup warned Ryker, slowly picking himself up from the ground and wiping away the water that was adhered to his forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toothless in nets beside him, the dragon barely able to move with several Hunters pointing spears at him. He wished he could help him out, but there was no time. He just hoped Toothless could last long enough for them to escape.

Ryker grinned, fingering the sword in his hand. "And why not? What reason do I have to spare you?"

Good point, Hiccup thought, but he shook his head. "That's not important. What is important is doing the right thing."

The older man laughed, before he slid his sword back into its sheath. "Just what I thought – your proposals were never very good in the first place. But don't worry, Hiccup Haddock. I'm not going to kill you. Not yet, anyway. First, I'm going to show you all the pain and suffering that I've had to go through ever since you killed me."

"For the last time, Ryker… I didn't kill you!" Hiccup exasperated. Why was he always the one to blame? "You were the one that caused your own death. Whatever actions you choose, choices you make, you have to live with their mistakes."

In moments, Ryker's sword was back under his chin and the Hunter's steely gaze was suddenly all he could focus on.

"Don't test me, boy," Ryker warned. "You'll soon find I'm far from forgiving." He pulled his sword away, glowering again before he tossed a glance behind his shoulder. "Take him below and put him in a cage. I'll figure out what to do with him after that."

Hiccup suddenly found himself being grabbed roughly from behind, and though he struggled to pull away towards Toothless and freedom, it was no use. They were just too strong. He could only let himself be dragged across the deck and practically be tossed underboard to where the dragon cages were, praying for a miracle.

"C'mon, Hiccup. Think. It's not real, it's not real," he said to himself, wincing at the jab of pain in his side as one of the guards pushed him into his new prison.

But as the doors slammed shut behind him, he knew it certainly felt real. He could see people, feel pain, experience emotions. Oh, and yes, he reminded himself. He was perfectly capable of dying too.

Pressing his back against the cell wall, he closed his eyes. What now? He was stuck inside his head, captured by one of his greatest enemies with no one there to help him, and nothing to aid his escape. Toothless was Thor knew where, and Ryker was either planning to torture or kill him once he was done deciding.

The darkest part of the dream had come.

Sighing, he opened his eyes back up… and was startled to see Astrid standing in front of him, smiling and shaking her head. "Hiccup, what are you doing?" she asked, rolling her eyes when he gaped at her. "You can't give up yet. You at least have to try to escape."

"A-Astrid?"

"Of course. Who else would I be?"

Hiccup's mouth felt dry, forcing a swallow. "Are you… are you… just my imagination? Or are you…?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not actually here, Hiccup. But I'm a part of you that wants to help. I just thought appearing to you in this form would be more comfortable." Her blue eyes flashed, and she put her hands on her hips. "Alright, now listen closely. You don't have much time before Ryker comes back, so you have to escape before that happens." She started to pace, brow furrowed in thought. "Maybe you could imagine something that would be useful in getting out of here… or maybe cause Ryker to disappear once he gets here…?"

Hiccup blinked. "Astrid, I can't do any of that. My… my mind's not working as it should be. At least, not anymore."

Astrid stopped her pacing and turned to him. Her blue eyes were wide with worry. "You mean, you can't do anything anymore?"

Hiccup shook his head.

Astrid pursed her lips and pinched her brow. "That isn't good, Hiccup. That's…that's the opposite of good... oh no…"

"What do you mean, 'oh no'? What's going on?"

Astrid looked back up at him, her expression forlorn. "It means you're getting weaker, Hiccup. In this world… and in the real one, too. But if you're already this bad, then…" She trailed off, swallowing. "I wouldn't worry too much about Ryker anymore."

Hiccup was alarmed. "No, no. I can stop this. I will stop it. Right?"

She ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head. "I-I don't know, Hiccup. You have to get some strength back first. Some… some kind of energy to help you. It won't last you long, but it'll last long enough to get out of here and find your way out."

"Wait. There's a way out?" Hiccup's expression flooded with relief. "Is-is it a door, or something? Or a passageway back to the real world? That way I could wake up and finally get back." Hope started to bud inside him once more.

But Astrid bit her lip. "I honestly don't know, Hiccup. Everyone has their way out, but they're always different. And they're not always pleasant. If you don't find it soon, though…"

"Then what?"

Astrid looked at him desperately. "Just please find it, Hiccup. Please. You need to live."

Nodding, Hiccup's mind raced for a solution. There had to be a way out of here, even if he couldn't control much of anything anymore. He'd gotten out of scrapes tougher than this without being in a dream world. So, what was so hard about it?

He looked back up at Astrid, who was watching him intently in wait for an answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but the world suddenly felt dizzy and he had to steady himself against the wall. That was odd. He was feeling fine just a minute ago, but now it was like he was going to be sick.

"Hiccup?" Astrid's voice came from beside him, and her arm reached out to touch his shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Hiccup was really feeling awful. The world was spinning, and he felt more than lightheaded. The sensation seemed to linger for what seemed like forever, but there was nowhere to look for a release. Something was pulling him away from the world. Some kind of darkness. Fighting against it, he barely managed to escape before his eyes snapped back open.

The pain subsided, and he gasped out, leaning against the wall with a trail of sweat running down his neck. Astrid grasped his arms and helped him steady, looking more than concerned by now.

"Hiccup, you have to listen to me. We need to get you out of here right now or else you're going to die. Hiccup? Hiccup, are you listening?"

"'M listening," Hiccup breathed, though still struggling to regain his breath.

Astrid watched him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I… I don't know."

"I knew you needed help."

"No, no, I'm okay… really."

"No, you're not. But," Astrid sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I can't help you since I'm not actually here, but I can help you find a way out of here, at least, before you get any worse."

Coughing into his fist, Hiccup squinted. "Alright. What do we have to do?"

Astrid folded her arms. "Okay. If you want to imagine things again, first thing's first…"

"We have to find what?" Fishlegs' eyes re-scanned the paper he was holding, looking slightly baffled as he read off the list of ingredients. "Gothi, I don't even know what half these things are. How are you certain this will cure Hiccup?"

Gothi stomped her cane impatiently before she drew lines in the sand once more. It creates a special medicine that will wake Hiccup's body back up and re-start his mind. The ingredients are rare but findable. They are worth the risk.

"But isn't this whole thing… dangerous, though, Gothi?" inquired Astrid. She cast a worried glance at Hiccup who was lying on his bed, looking all too pale and lifeless in the sunlight. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, she would've mistaken him as dead.

Gothi sighed and nodded. The medicine is dangerous, her symbols read. It may go wrong if it's not made correctly.

Stoick's eyes widened, and the blood started to drain from his face. "How wrong?"

There was a moment of pause before the next words were written. There is a possibility it might stop his heart.

"Stop his… no," said Stoick, aghast.

"See? I knew this wasn't worth it!" Snotlout protested. "I know Hiccup's in a coma, and I know I'm not always on the best of terms with him, but… but I'm not doing anything that might kill him! That's suicide!"

"For once, I agree with Snotlout," Fishlegs mumbled. "It's not in our place to decide if Hiccup lives or not."

"You're right. It's not." Stoick looked down at the riders, feeling an even heavier burden now placed on his shoulders. But it was for the best, and it was a decision he had to make. "It's mine." He turned to Gothi. "We'll get whatever you need to make that medicine, Gothi. If there's even a chance it'll cure him, I'll take it. Either way, my son's going to die."

Looking back at Hiccup, they all were reminded of how weak the boy was becoming. He hadn't eaten anything during the past three days of his slumber, and the little amount of water they'd forced down his throat was far from enough.

It was time for action.

"Do it," Stoick ordered the teens. "Or I will."

Nodding slowly, the riders started to prepare for takeoff.

Hiccup's ears twitched as he heard the hatch outside his cell open, and a loud voice that could only belong to Ryker barked out, "Everyone get out of here. Now! When I'm through with the boy, you won't want to be around to see him."

The noises of guards scurrying away echoed through the halls.

Hiccup sighed, rubbing his brow. Torture, huh? he thought. Sounds fun.

But, reminding himself once again of the plan, a little of the worry was able to creep away.

Two large feet dropped down from the hatch onto the floor below, and any remaining guards had soon removed themselves from Hiccup's part of the ship. Hiccup could only stand and watch as the looming shadow drew nearer to his cell, before Ryker himself came into view, smiling. "Glad to see you didn't run off on me, Hiccup. I seem to recall that many times before, you've left before we had the chance to get started."

"What, and miss all this?" Hiccup asked, gesturing to the empty cells around them. "No, I would never."

Ryker quirked an eyebrow. "I would've thought you would've been more fearful to be captured by me."

"I guess that I just always knew this day would come, so I've been prepared." Hiccup pushed himself from the wall and walked towards the bars that lined his prison, nodding. "Well, mostly prepared. I just don't think you're going to hurt me."

"And why not?"

"Because I have something you don't."

Ryker looked annoyed. "You're in a cell, boy, and there was nothing on you when I shot you down. I wouldn't say you had much of anything."

"That's where you're wrong. Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there." Hiccup smiled, looking over into the corner of his cell. "I didn't know that such a small confinement could actually turn out to be so large. If you looked around more, these places are handy for storing things that would take up too much room in real life."

"Well, we are in that cursed head of yours," Ryker snapped, before he drew out his sword. "Now, enough with these games. You're starting to sound like my brother. What are you playing at, Hiccup Haddock? Why could you possibly know that I don't?"

"I never knew how protective Night Furies were until recently," Hiccup said. "All dragons are loyal, but a Night Fury is… well, they're almost unbelievable. Once you earn their trust, you can't believe what they'll do for you. Or… how far they'll go to rescue you."

Ryker was beginning to look uneasy, and he leaned in closer to Hiccup's cell. "If you think for one minute that you could actually sneak any of those beasts in here, then-"

"Sneak one in? How could I do that? I've been locked up in here the whole time!" Hiccup shook his head. "But what you said before was true: we are in my head. Which means, I can control what happens in here, and you can't. You're just… the part of me that wants to die."

Hiccup nodded to the corner of his cell.

"It's alright. You can come out now. We're ready."

Slowly, the first dragon stepped out of the shadows… a Night Fury. One of the ones that had been on Berk with Hiccup and Toothless before. And then another one stepped out. And then another.

It hadn't taken much concentration to bring them here, Hiccup remembered, especially since he'd seen them before. With Astrid's help, he'd been able to bend the cage in a way that allowed them to stay hidden until they were ready to come out and fight if need be. Though it had drained him from most of his energy, it was worth it in the end.

Ryker paled. "W-what? That's impossible. All the Night Furies have died out!"

"Amazing thing, the mind," Hiccup reminded. "See, when you're dreaming, the part of your brain that senses weird things turns off, and you can imagine just about whatever you want to. Including extinct creatures." He nodded at the dragons. "Including Night Furies."

Ryker was trembling with rage, his teeth bared and fists clenched. "You'll pay for this, Hiccup Haddock. One day or another, I'll hunt you down and make sure that you pay for everything you've ever done against me."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind." Hiccup glanced at the Night Furies. "Let's get out of here, huh? Then let's go rescue my dragon."

Now it was Ryker who was forced to watch as his entire plan turned into flames and the cells were blasted open by a group of Night Furies and a very determined Haddock.

Hiccup waved as the Night Furies flew off into the blue skies towards Berk, all looking elegant and practically weightless as they soared away.

They'd managed to escape the Dragon Hunter ship with little difficulty, remaining unscathed throughout the crossfire. With the last of Hiccup's strength, he'd found Toothless tied up to the mast and cut him free, taking off with the other Night Furies once he was saddled up.

"I'm glad you're alright, bud," Hiccup panted, rubbing Toothless's ear and giving a small smile as they flew off.

The dragon rumbled affectionately, flashing back a white grin.

It was only seconds later that the exhaustion of the day settled back on him. His head throbbed and his stomach felt sick. Fatigue swept through him, and he wished that he was grounded instead of in mid-air, which seemed to only make it worse.

But, no. There was no time to be weak. He had to find his way out of this dream world because if not, he'd die, and he wasn't about to give up yet.

As they flew, the sick feeling seemed to only worsen. His dizzy spell mimicked the one he'd had earlier in his cell, and when he looked down at his hands, he realized that something was off about them. More than off about them.

They were fading.

Gasping, Hiccup pulled back on Toothless and the dragon slowed to a hover, grunting in concern.

Hiccup held his hands out for another examination and watched as they seemed to dim before his eyes. It was almost like they were becoming more see-through by the second. And the more he faded, the weaker became.

This was just like Astrid had said.

"Toothless," he whispered, his voice suddenly raspy, "we have to…" The world shimmered around him, and he struggled to think of what to do next. "We h-have to…"

That was all his mind was able to take. The world turned dark and he found himself back in darkness again. The last thing he could feel was slipping off of Toothless and falling backward in the air, starting to plummet downwards.

Toothless shrieked, but nothing was done as the duo plunged to their demise.

They were falling... and they were going to die.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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