Chapter 4

Toothless dropped like a stone into the snow, next to his master, the only person he obeyed. The dragon picked himself up and shook the snow out of his wings and off of his face. Panic raged around him, the villagers were all gathered around the collapsed Chief in the snow. Then there was a very loud yell.

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed and she ran towards the crowd, pushing her way through. She sank to her knees beside him. "Babe, can you hear me?" she said before breaking down into tears. She panicked and immediately thought the worst when he didn't reply. She turned to the twins, who she knew had been planting Gronckle eggs in the houses. This was what clearly had caused him to collapse. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU'VE KILLED HIM!" the twins exchanged confused faces then someone else came onto the scene.

Cloudjumper landed just behind the crowd and Valka fought her way through to see what was going on. When she saw her son lying flat on his back in the snow next to his very concerned looking dragon and utterly distraught girlfriend, she panicked as well. "Hiccup?" she said quietly and put a hand to his face. Then she felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was weaker than it should've been. She turned to Astrid. "He's not dead, Astrid. He's simply unconscious."

Astrid broke into tears again, this time with relief, and she laid her head on her boyfriend's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Oh thank the Gods!" she could just be heard saying through her sobs.

"We need to get him to Gothi right away." Valka seemed very calm on the surface, although inside she was panicking like crazy. She turned to Gobber, who had been Stoick's 'right hook' man and was also Hiccup's mentor. Valka didn't have to say anything to him; he just gently prised Astrid off of Hiccup's chest and picked him up. Then, still without a word, he got onto his dragon Grump and he flew off towards Gothi's house on the mountain. Valka and Astrid respectively jumped onto Cloudjumper and Stormfly, and followed. Before she left Valka stood on Cloudjumper's back, hovering in the air. "Right, people, find something useful to do and try not to worry about the Chief!" before flying away.

Toothless tried to fly after them, but he soon realized his tail was closed so he couldn't. Then someone managed to put their foot into the stirrup that opened and closed the tail fin, opened the tail and pulled their foot out again. It was Fishlegs, of all people. "There you go, Toothless. Go and find your master." he said softly, he was clearly worried for Hiccup. They all were.

When Hiccup slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head, which felt as if it weighed a thousand tons and was throbbing with intense pain, he immediately did not recognize where he was. Everything was white and glowing slightly. Then something dawned on him. Was this where you go before you're admitted to Valhalla? Was he dead?

Then he looked and sat up. He heard the sound of metal on whatever the floor was as he dragged his prosthetic leg backwards so he could sit up. He was still in his flight suit. Then he realized something. Sitting in front of him was his father, still wearing the clothes he had been when he was killed. Hiccup was stunned. "Dad?"

"Son." He even sounded the same.

"Dad, where am I?"

"Your imagination." Stoick replied simply.

"Well, my imagination's very blank, isn't it?" although he was in pain and confused, Hiccup still had to crack a joke.

Stoick smiled. "This is the very small part of your imagination that is blank."

Then Hiccup had to ask the all-important question. "So I'm not dead?"

"No. You're not dead. I am, however." Was his father's deadpan reply.

"So why are you here? And what happened to me?" Hiccup had endless questions for his dad.

"One; I have been watching over you since the moment I entered Valhalla, and I thought it was time we had a little chat. Two; you collapsed out of exhaustion. Which is what I am here to talk to you about."

"Oh Thor..." Hiccup muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Stoick demanded.

"Nothing. Dad." Hiccup was quick to reply.

Stoick looked suspicious for a moment then said, "I know you've been finding being Chief rather stressful..."

"Understatement of the century." Hiccup interrupted.

"Don't interrupt me! I might be dead, but I am still your father!"

"Sorry dad. Carry on."

"As I was saying, I know you've been finding being Chief rather stressful, and that you keep yourself awake stressing about it. Talk to me, son."

"It's just so hard, dad. One moment I'm having a nice relaxing time flying with Toothless, the next I have to deal with family disputes, rogue dragons, burning houses, the new Dragon Academy students, and then there's the twins and Snotlout..." Hiccup counted off all the Chiefly duties on his fingers. "Oh yeah, and Snoggletog. How could I possibly forget? I constantly worry about what the next day will bring when I'm lying in bed at night."

"Son, I know what you're going through. I was the same. Every single night I'd get about two hours sleep. Your mother was really worried about me."

"Sounds familiar." Hiccup said. "Astrid's constantly checking up on me, seeing if I'm okay to carry on, and I keep lying to her, dad, I hate it."

"Yep. I was exactly the same with your mother. You know what? I collapsed as well. I don't remember it, but that's how your mother described it. I fell from a roof I was fixing and onto the floor. Apparently. I woke up in Gothi's house three days later and after that I was given a very special remedy that relaxes both your mind and your body, and helps you sleep. I used it for about a year after that, and in the end I learned to not worry about the next day, I'd just have to deal with it when it came."

"You never said..."

"I never had the chance. Your mother was the only person that knew I was taking the medicine. Before that, I was the same as you. Stubborn as a yak, and wouldn't stop working. Now I know that was the wrong thing to do, it would only get worse."

"But you said a Chief's first duty is to his people..."

"Not when you're so exhausted you can barely move, Hiccup!"

"Okay, okay. Do you think the same will happen to me? About the medicine, I mean?" Hiccup had yet more questions for his father.

"Yes. You're probably in Gothi's house right now, surrounded by Toothless, your mother and Astrid."

Hiccup looked very weirded out for a minute, then realised that while his conscience was here, his body was technically still on Berk. "Dad, there's something else..."

"I know. The nightmares, right?" Stoick already knew what was coming.

"Yeah. They're not every night, but it feels as if I'm back on that battlefield a year ago..."

"I know, son. Please don't blame yourself for my death. It was my choice to protect you. It's what any father would've done."

"But if I hadn't confronted Drago..."

"It wouldn't have happened. Okay, well, you did confront him, so don't dwell on what you could've done instead. You thought it was the right thing to do and that you could change his mind."

"A stupid thing to think." Hiccup repeated what he had said to Astrid. "Men who kill without reason..."

"Cannot be reasoned with. And you know that now. My death was not, I repeat NOT your fault. Do you understand me?"

Hiccup didn't have a choice but to agree. "Yes, dad."

"Good. And as for the nightmares, the medicine will help with that. I also can't quite believe you made Astrid cry. Twice." Stoick smiled at his son.

Hiccup had to see the funny side. "I know! Wait, twice?"

"When you collapsed?"

"Oh yeah, course. When I'm in a bad place emotionally, it makes Astrid cry but she's also my rock. She said you'd be proud of me."

"And I am. Immensely proud. I can't even put it into words. And Astrid is right. You will be feared across the archipelago."

"I'm still not sure about that..."

"Hiccup, you ride a Night Fury, and not just any Night Fury. The Alpha dragon. Not to mention the fact you carry a blade that sets itself on fire and sprays explosive Zippleback gas!"

"Alright, point taken." Just as Hiccup said this his vision started blurring. "What's going on?" he asked his dad.

"You're coming to. Son, you will be a great Chief. I believe in you..." Were the last words Stoick said to his son, and the next second, Hiccup's eyes fluttered open to see Toothless, Astrid and Valka gathered around him. Although he only saw Astrid's face briefly because the next thing she did was kiss him in sheer relief.

So there we go! I know the whole 'conversation with your dead father in your imagination' thing may have been a little cliche but still, I put it in. Let me know what you think in the reviews!