Author's Note:

Hello everyone and welcome to today's second chapter, I know, absolute madness! This is another pulling the heartstrings one but you can expect quite a bit of that in these first chapters. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing.

Chapter 4

Once again, Snotlout stood at the door of the house his father lived in.

Last time he'd been here, he'd had no idea what was waiting inside, he'd woken up after being frozen for fifteen years to a world he didn't fully recognise. Now, it had been a few days and he knew exactly what awaited him.

In some ways that was worse, he was going in knowing full well that his own father may not recognise him.

He held up a hand to knock and hesitated, he'd initially thought about asking Astrid or Hiccup to come with him but he'd stubbornly quashed that idea. How could he properly adjust if he couldn't see his own father without someone to hold his hand, he'd been taught to be fully reliant on yourself and this was no exception. He had to be able to visit his father alone and the only way was to go and do it.

Mustering his courage, he knocked.

There was a short wait, then, Mrs Thorston opened the door. Her face lit up when she saw him.

"Snotlout!"

He looked up at her nervously, "Can I see dad?"

She smiled, "Of course you can."

She gestured for him to come in and he quickly did so before he could lose his nerve, as she opened his father's door, she spoke quietly, "He's actually asleep at the moment but you can sit with him if you want. He was talking all about your Thawfest wins this morning, I can't say for certain but I think seeing you a few days ago jogged some of his memories. Most of what he's been saying has been about you."

Snotlout didn't really hear her and when the door opened, he fully focused on his father.

He was in bed like last time but this time he was clearly asleep, his frail body largely covered by several blankets. He was breathing gently and Snotlout was struck by how peaceful he looked. The man he remembered had been loud, even in sleep, and would snore uproariously all night, this quietness was almost unnerving.

Snotlout slowly walked to his side and stood there, not sure what to do. Mrs Thorston placed a chair for him and he sat down, she briefly touched his shoulder, "I'll be around if you need me, just ask if you need anything."

He nodded and turned his focus on his farther, barely noticing her leave the room. For ages, he simply sat and studied his father's frail features, trying hard to acquaint them with the ones in his memory. The similarities were almost the biggest shock, it was clearly his father but at the same time it wasn't anything like him. The skin was too pale, to fragile, the face was the wrong kind of worn, looking like it became that way through exhaustion rather than working out in all weathers every day. It contrasted sharply with the weather-beaten, full, strong face he remembered but was still his father's face.

Unable to look anymore, Snotlout turned his eyes onto the bedside cabinet. There were several books stacked neatly on its undershelf and one of them seemed strangely familiar. Reaching down, Snotlout gently pulled it from its place and placed it on his lap to read its title.

Jorgen and the Berserkers

It was an old Jorgenson legend that at some point, someone had written down as a children's story. It told the tale of how Jorgen single-handedly fought back Berserker invaders through a mix of cunning, guts and skilful fighting. Who'd written it, Snotlout had no idea, but it had been passed down through his family and his father had read it to him the way it had been read to him by his father. It had been one of his favourite stories as a child and even now, he could remember how his dad had read it to him, complete with voices for all the characters. It was a little-known fact but his dad had a brilliant storytelling voice and he'd loved the nights when he'd sit on his father's knee as he brought the tale to life. Of course, he'd grown older and the storytelling had stopped, being replaced by training and expectations.

A tear fell onto the book as Snotlout remembered those days, far too long ago, when his father had read to him. He looked back at his father's face, once again seeing the frailty that didn't belong. He looked back down at the book and slowly opened it, finding it exactly as he remembered. Without knowing why, he began to read aloud, the way his father had done for him so long ago.

"A long time ago, upon the Isle of Berk, Jorgen was out training. On the horizon, a fleet of strange ships appeared…"

He continued to read to his sleeping father, not noticing Mrs Thorston peering in with a tearful smile.

Eret had noticed his young charge's sombre silence but hadn't mentioned it, thinking it best for Snotlout to bring it up himself.

Over the few days since the teen had awoken, he'd mostly stayed in the house, keeping to himself as he got to grips with what had happened. Eret had let him do that, sensing that the boy really didn't feel ready to face the rest of the village yet. The other riders had all dropped by regularly when they could but they were also giving the boy space to deal with it all.

Eret had been surprised when he'd come home from some tasks he had to attend to just to find that Snotlout had disappeared. Initially he'd been worried and had been about to run out to find him when he'd stopped himself, he guessed that the teen might've gone to visit his father again and it was probably best to just wait for him to get back. Eventually, as night was beginning to creep in, Snotlout returned in silence and offering little in way of explanation as to where he'd been. Eret didn't call him out on it though and simply made dinner for them both and let the boy decide if he wanted to share or not.

Finally, when Eret was busy washing the dishes, Snotlout finally broke the silence.

"I went to see my dad again today."

Though not surprised by this, Eret still wasn't sure how to respond, in the end he went for the simple answer, "How was he doing?"

Snotlout looked down at the table, "He was asleep, but he looked well enough, I guess."

The boy crossed his arms and placed them on the table top, resting his chin upon them, "I just can't get used to seeing him like that. He used to be so strong, so confident, heck, he basically believed he was invincible. I could never see him being as frail and weak as he is now."

Eret placed the plate he was cleaning down gently, "It's hard when you see it happen. Throughout your childhood, your dad is seemingly the strongest person around and you can't ever imagine him as anything else. It only becomes worse if he was genuinely that strong in reality."

Snotlout's voice became sadder, "He doesn't even recognise me. When I saw him for the first time, I wanted nothing more than for him to say my name. Maybe I thought that this whole thing would be easier if he was the same, if he was still here. But, when he looked at me…he didn't know who I was." He buried his face in his arms, "I don't know if I can keep seeing him."

Eret sat across from him and gently touched Snotlout's arm, "I know it's hard and I can't say I know how it feels but I don't think not seeing him is the answer. He's still your father and somewhere in his mind, I'm sure he knows you. He just can't reach that part anymore."

"But what if he vanishes completely? What if it all fades away?" The boy looked up at him, his eyes filled with tears, "I don't want to see him like that!"

He dropped his head once more, "Even if it is selfish."

"But if you don't go to see him, you'll just hate yourself for it." Eret placed a gentle hand on the boy's head, "It hurts and its hard but that's just a part of loving your father, even if everything he knows, every memory in his head vanishes, he'll still be your father and he'll still love you."

"I don't think he's ever said he loves me."

Snotlout's voice was quiet, barely audible, but it held so much sorrow Eret felt his own heart break. He softly ruffled the boy's hair, "Even if he's never said it, he loves you. Just hold onto that and one day, you'll find it to be true."

His only answer was Snotlout's sobs as he cried.

PS-Yeah, more emotional heart tugging. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon (though probably not today).