How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be
Chapter 7: A Mistake Undone

Hiccup stared at the frozen chief of Berk. Even though Stoick was running straight towards what could be his end, his son couldn't see a trace of fear for his well being in that expression. He couldn't see anything but a drive, an urge to save his family from what would be a gruesome fate. One that Hiccup had already experienced for himself to the shock and sorrow of everyone around him. It was that fact which tore him up inside. If he did this, he wouldn't be changing the future, not really. He would end up causing the same thing to happen again, only he would be stood where his father had been during the funeral.
"Dad..." Hiccup whispered, his good foot sliding forward across the ice to approach Stoick's still form. Toothless watched from a distance behind him. The dragon's body was wracked with concern for his rider. He should've been ecstatic that he was living and breathing again, but seeing Hiccup like this deflated that feeling to the background. It reminded him of long ago. The days where Hiccup was just a young boy, unsure of what course of action to take. Toothless' ear plates drooped. He wished he could say something to make it easier besides the usual dragon language. But right now, the Night Fury could only watch when Hiccup paused in his walking, keeping his eyes fixed on Stoick as he came to a stop. He would stay back for now. Hiccup needed space.
"Could I... talk to him?" the young Viking asked, hoping the valkyrie was still here to answer his request. Her voice floated through the air to his ears.
"Hiccup," she answered. "We can't change what needs to happen."
"I know that," Hiccup replied sternly, briefly looking over his shoulder back at her before his head fell forward to look at the ground. "I just... need to say something. I can't just do this without a word."
"He wouldn't remember what you'd say. You won't remember that conversation. You won't even remember having to make this choice."
"Please..." he insisted, his hands curling into fists against his sides. The valkyrie frowned. She supposed it would only be fitting given what she and her sisters had put the young man through all this time. A last request of sorts. She bowed her head. With her powers of possibility, she could at least allow the father and son to speak for a brief period. Before the passage of time would wrench them apart and back into the parts they would play in the next few critical seconds.

A brief flash of gold traversed over Stoick's form like the natural gleam of light in a sword, freeing him from this temporal stasis. In a matter of seconds, the chief stumbled forward as if he had never stopped running, almost tripping over himself when he was shocked to see Hiccup stood only feet away rather than the meters he had previously been. Had he really run that fast? Stoick gasped as he slid to a halt, grabbing Hiccup by the shoulders with an almighty sigh. The smaller of the two flinched as he was touched. He should've felt something, a surge of joy or warmth at the fact he could be in his father's embrace again, as rough as it was. Instead, he felt nothing but regret.
"Hiccup! Oh, Thor almighty, thank the gods you're alright..." the chief breathed out, grabbing his son and quickly shoving him to the side to move out of the way of what he assumed was a possessed Night Fury bearing down on them. His eyes automatically darted around the battlefield in case Drago made Toothless or any of the other dragons attack again. Except... that's not what was happening. Stoick's brow suddenly lowered in confusion at what he saw. Toothless wasn't attacking. He was merely sat still, not that far away from them and as docile as he ever was. The dragon seemed almost sad, his head low and his eyes pitiful. Drago himself was completely still, as if a Flightmare had managed to swoop in and incapacitate him when no one was paying attention. Even the multitude of dragons the Bewilderbeast had hypnotized to swarm above its head were paralyzed in the air, hung in the clouds like they were stringed puppets of the gods.
"What the...?" Stoick eventually mumbled, spinning around on the spot. He saw both Valka and Gobber running towards him from where they had stood on the icy crag to help. Except they weren't running either. Just like Drago, the pair of them were frozen mid-step. No, not just them. The smoke, the soldiers, the falling debris of the Sanctuary's walls. Everything was frozen.
"Hiccup, what's going on?" Hiccup didn't give him an answer. The young Viking had clenched his jaws shut as he heard his father speak. He thought that maybe trying to talk this over would make it easier to deal with. Maybe hatch a plan and give him the courage to work through this until the valkyrie made him forget. Bad move.
"Dad..."
"Hiccup...?" Stoick asked with concern, kneeling down and holding onto Hiccup's arms with hands that could easy crush them if he tried. Hiccup felt like the chief had every reason to probably do that if he heard what they were trying to accomplish. He eventually let out a small sob, feeling pathetic as his emotions got the better of him for that moment. Stoick, surprised at his son's outburst, tried to disregard it and get Hiccup's attention with a light shake.
"Hey... it's alright. What's wrong? Did you do this?"
"I... I don't even know where to start..." the young man eventually admitted, rolling his shoulders. "It's gonna sound crazy. It still kinda does to me."
"It's OK, Hiccup, just tell me what's going on. Why's everything stopped?"
"...yeah, I did this. Because I'm trying to make things right," the chieftain-to-be answered. "Today didn't happen the way it was supposed to. So I have to change things. I just couldn't do it without seeing you again."
"What do you mean 'not the way it was supposed to'? I don't understand."
"Look, it doesn't matter. Something happened that shouldn't and now I have to do something about it."
"Son, you're not making sense," Stoick frowned.
"I am," Hiccup suddenly blurted out, finally looking his father in the eye as the tears he'd been holding back spilled to the ground. "What happened today, what is going to happen, it wasn't what should've been. And now I'm in this stupid position of trying to fix it because I was dumb enough to..." He couldn't finish what he wanted to say. Stoick was still bewildered as to the situation the pair found themselves in. Hiccup had somehow managed to stop time itself to say this. That thought alone sounded crazier than any other inventive theories or contraptions his son's mind had produced over the years. Yet here they were. Speaking in a void where time could not touch them. Putting aside the implausibility of it all, Stoick had to wonder. What would drive the boy to even attempt something this drastic? He soon had an idea about what was making Hiccup so upset. He tried to be supportive with an encouraging smile, almost like he'd forgotten Bludvist and his armies were even there. They didn't matter right now.
"Hiccup, you don't need to worry about that," Stoick assured him. "I don't know how you managed to do any of this, but... I know you were looking forward to us coming home together. What Drago did, all this fighting, it isn't what you wanted for our reunion with your mother. But once we're done here and save the dragons, we'll all go home to Berk. As a proper family. You'll see." Hiccup shook his head, sadly realizing his father has misunderstood.
"No... it's not to do with Mom or you or any of that. It's... I have no choice but to do this. It's my fault."
"What's your fault?" Stoick asked, clearly worried. If it wasn't Valka's reunion, then what was it? "Hiccup, be straight with me. Why do you think you have to change things?"
"...because I died."

Stoick's eyes widened as the fear of that very thing happening flooded his body. He had to take a moment to digest it. He seemed almost panicked, or at least as close to panic as Hiccup had ever seen him. The chief started looking over his son's head, running his hands through that messy hair to make sure he hadn't been injured to just imagine all this. He was speaking crazy talk.
"What? Died...? Hiccup, what are you saying? You're right here, you're fine!"
"No, Dad, I died! You weren't fast enough to save me!"
"Hiccup, you're stood right in front of me, you're not dead!"
"B-But I was! I saw it, experienced all of it!" Hiccup yelled, his voice almost turning angry at how unfair it all was. "I saw you burn my ship to go to Valhalla! I saw Astrid and Mom have their hearts broken, I saw... I saw Toothless cry for me. I saw you cry for me..."
Stoick's scowl turned even harsher as his voice raised itself to be the only overpowering sound amidst the eerie quiet. He knew he shouldn't be angry. He could never be angry at his own flesh and blood for simply being honest in how he felt, not after everything that had happened over the years. But even contemplating the fact he wasn't able to save his son from doom was no laughing matter. He wasn't angry at Hiccup, he was angry at the idea. He refused to hear it.
"Stop it! This isn't a joke, Hiccup!"
"I'm not lying!" the youth interrupted, stamping his good foot into the ice. "P-Please, I'm just trying to explain why I..."
"Why you what? You didn't die! The dead go to Valhalla!"
"I never made it there! I wasn't supposed to!"
"Son, get a hold of yourself!" Stoick commanded, giving the young man another shake of his hands. Hiccup flinched again. He felt just like that stupid kid from 5 years ago. The one who always felt afraid when it came to approaching his father. Stoick's features softened when he noticed. The chief's voice lessened in volume when he realized he needed to take heed of his own advice, sighing apologetically as the scene grew quiet again. "Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened."
"...you won't believe me," Hiccup mumbled under his breath. His father's anger told him that much.
"We're stood in a battlefield where nothing is moving. I'm willing to believe a lot."
"Your father speaks the truth, Hiccup," the valkyrie suddenly said in his ear, her voice sounding ethereal as if she was in his head rather than over his shoulder. "Say what you need to." The fact that Stoick didn't seem to notice her words implied that only he could hear her. It made sense, considering he had been literally dead only a few minutes ago and she wasn't technically part of the living world. Stoick smiled softly, keeping his senses open to listen intently to whatever his son was going to say.


And so Hiccup told Stoick the story. He told his father everything. He told him openly about how he had felt his insides burn from Toothless' fire and then found himself still standing nearby to witness his family and lover mourn him. He recalled how he had stood at their sides during the funeral as a ghost, powerless to help his dragon as the Night Fury tried to run after his ship. He explained about his isolation, how he could see the final battle against Drago and the rest of living world but was unable to do anything in it. He told how Toothless had managed to follow him to the world of the dead through sheer will and the creatures and sights he saw there.
And he finally spoke of the valkyrie's warning. That if this day did not come to pass it should, then Berk's people and dragons would be wiped off the face of the planet.
As Hiccup finally stopped speaking, he dare not look Stoick in the eye. The towering hulk of a man hadn't said a word throughout all of his ranting. He'd just listened patiently. And that made his son nervous. What was he going to say? Would he say anything at all? Stoick got to his feet after a moment, brushing his tunic down with thick swipes of his hands. Hiccup braced himself for... something. He wasn't sure what. He didn't expect what he eventually got as a response.
"Alright. If that's how it needs to be."
Hiccup opened his eyes and blinked in his shock, raising his head to look at Stoick. His father didn't seem upset, angry or even sad about the dilemma. He just seemed to understand. Given the circumstances, he couldn't really do anything else.
"What...? No... shouting or cursing the gods or anything...? You're just gonna agree to this?"
"What's there to shout about? Every man has his time," Stoick answered simply.
"B-But..." Hiccup stammered. "No, you can't say that! You won't say that! Y-You're Stoick the Vast! You don't just give up like that, you can't!"
"I''m not giving up, son. I already made a choice long before this. I decided to try to save you from Drago knowing full well it could mean only one of us got to walk away. It's a risk I always gladly take if it saves you." Hiccup thrust his fists downwards at his sides as he yelled, refusing to just go quietly into this horrible conclusion.
"No! I can't let you! I wanted to talk to you so we could think of something else together!" he shouted, finally admitting his real reason for wanting to set his father free of the time lock. "We can both get out of this alive, we can save Berk and the dragons as a team with Mom! I know we can! We just need to..."
"We can't, Hiccup." his father said, the sadness now starting to show in his tired old eyes. The realization of what this meant was starting to set in, no matter how much his duty bound thoughts of being the chief tried to override his feelings. "You said so yourself. When all is said and done, it's you who has to lead Berk to save everyone. I won't remember any of this. Neither will you."
"Dad, I can't, I..." Hiccup stammered, trying to think of a reason to convince his father otherwise.
"We both know we'd have to face this someday."
"But it doesn't have to be today! I'm not ready! That's why I ran away before all of this got so messed up, I'm not ready..."
"Son," Stoick interrupted, placing his gigantic hands on Hiccup's shoulders and nearly making the smaller of the two buckle from the weight. "You remember what I told you back home? It's something you have to promise me you will always remember. No matter what, a chief protects his own. If I have to lay down my life in order to protect you, then I will always do it. Just as I know you'd lay down your own to protect someone you love too."
Hiccup didn't have a response to that, his head simply falling forward as he sniffed and tried to hold back the flood that was building behind his screwed shut eyes. This entire thing was cruel. It was unquestionably unfair. Yet his father was right. The chief had said it to him many years before now. He would have to make choices not to keep people happy, but for the sake of everyone's safety and protection. That didn't make him feel any better about it though.

Stoick, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy for either them, suddenly grabbed Hiccup and pulled him tight against his body. Maybe he just wanted to be a comfort to his son. Or maybe it was because it would be the last chance he'd probably have to say any of this. Hiccup reacted almost instinctively, wrapping his much thinner arms around what he could manage of his father's bulk.
"I'm so sorry, Dad..."
"Don't be, Hiccup. No matter what happens, I'm proud to call you my son," Stoick replied. "I know I don't say it enough or as often as I should, but I really am. And I'm proud you're doing the right thing." As much as Hiccup's heart swelled at his father's words, making the inevitable pain seem just a touch further away, he only had one thing on his mind in response.
"...then why does it feel so bad?"
"You're asking the wrong person for that, Hiccup. I think your mother would be better at talking about feelings than I am." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hiccup couldn't help but let a smirk slip out. He rubbed at one of his eyes as the pair relaxed their embrace on each other.
"Yeah... you were pretty lousy at that." Stoick ruffled his son's hair with a free hand as he stood up. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in the same way, turning around to begin walking back to his previous position. Not much time to prepare. He stopped when he heard another sob from behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"Hiccup," he said, getting the youth's attention. "I always used to tell your mother that you'd be the strongest one day. You can do this, son. Save your tears."
"I would if I could be as brave as you..." Hiccup said softly.
"You are that and more. And who knows? The gods deemed it right for you to come back. Maybe they'll be kind to me too." Even with the looming prospect of having to test that idea out first hand, Hiccup managed to smile faintly. Maybe they would. He would have to hope they would. Stoick turned back around as he nodded his head, a look of determination once again crossing his features.
"Alright, Drago. You might be able to stop me, but let's see if you can stop a Dragon Master..." Hiccup's smile remained for a moment longer. So typical of him to trash talk even in the face of near certain death.
And in an instant, it was over. A familiar flash of gold light ran over Stoick's body in the same way he had been unfrozen. His limbs and frame started to move slowly on their own, sliding back to their original positions as his face contorted back to one of fevered yelling. He was back where he should be. Midway through running to the end.
"Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed, reaching forward a hand as his father was suddenly sealed back into stasis.
This was it. No turning back now.


Toothless, having remained purposely silent and unobtrusive into what Hiccup needed to do, couldn't keep himself still any longer. His human was hurting. He needed to do something. He took slow steps as his rider just stood still, trying to process it all. The Night Fury crooned, trying to get Hiccup's attention as he came closer.

"You're so brave, Hiccup. I think new father is proud of you. As am I."

Hiccup raised his head, letting out a sigh as he turned towards his dragon. Seeing Toothless' comforting expression always seemed to help, the youth kneeling down and holding out his arms as if ready to embrace his friend. He needed that more than anything right now. However, he found himself stopping when he noticed someone stood behind Toothless, appearing out of nowhere from behind his wing when he moved. As if right on cue, the valkyrie's eyes shone brilliantly and Hiccup's expression twisted into one of worry when Toothless's legs suddenly froze. The Night Fury's body lurched forward and then back again when he realized he had been trapped in place, his gaze flicking downwards to his petrified limbs as he vaguely tried to struggle against them. He growled in frustration, his body pulling and pushing to no avail. He roared, looking up at his rider in a plea for help.
"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed, running forward and trying to tug at one of Toothless' front legs. It was like it was made of the heaviest rock with how stiff it had become, it wouldn't budge an inch. The dragon hissed and flailed his wings and tail about in an effort to wrench himself free from this invisible prison. And that was when his tail stopped moving too, the heavy mechanism of the prosthetic fin hitting the ice with a metallic ring. Hiccup grunted in desperation to try and set Toothless free, but it was no use. The suddenness of what he had to do hadn't become apparent until Stoick had been locked back into this pause of time. With Toothless, it just seemed to cement it further in Hiccup's head.
'You're so stupid, Hiccup! Stupid, selfish! So focused on yourself you didn't think about Toothless! He's gonna be the one who... no, not yet, I need to help him!'
He glared at the valkyrie who had since walked to his side before refocusing his efforts on his now scared dragon, now flapping his wings as if he was trying to leave the ground.
"Toothless! Bud, look at me! Look at me, it's OK!" he cooed, brushing his hands around the Night Fury's flailing head to keep him still. "I'll get you out of there!"
"You can't. He needs to become part of this moment again," the valkyrie explained. Toothless' eyes went wider at what she said. His mind had horrendous flashbacks to what had happened before. The overwhelming power of the Alpha burrowing its way into his head, the horrendous damage he had wrought with just one shot. Even if it wasn't going to be directed at his Hiccup anymore, that didn't make it any less scary to consider even after they had decided it would be the right thing to do. What if his human still got hurt? What if all the others hated him for killing their chief?
What if Hiccup hated him...?

'Hiccup, help me! Please...!'

Hiccup noted his dragon's horror immediately, raising his voice to address the valkyrie even as his eyes remained locked on his other half.
"You can't just force him back into it! What if he...?"
"Your father accepted his fate," the valkyrie said, watching the pair of them from over Hiccup's shoulder. Her voice made her sound almost tired, weary, like the effort of having frozen this critical moment was starting to wear her powers down. The Night Fury trying to resist wasn't helping. "I'm sorry. But both you and your dragon must now do the same. I can only suspend the diversion of possibility for so long. It still has to happen."
Toothless' torso and wings suddenly became solid as well, flared out in that same menacing way that Hiccup remembered. Back when the Bewilderbeast had seized control. His legs eventually did move, but only to twist and and bend to hunch his body down into a equally threatening stance. It was a horrible contradiction, seeing the Night Fury's torso pose in such a way whilst his still struggling head was painted with a look of pure fear. Hiccup grunted in his efforts to keep Toothless still, the dragon warbling to him sadly since he knew what was going to happen. Once his head froze too, he'd be that thing's slave again. And the torturous events of the last month would repeat themselves and shatter his heart. He howled in frustration at trying to move, even as Hiccup gripped onto his scales as hard as he could.
"Shhh, Toothless, it's OK, it's OK...!" he whispered under his breath, Toothless' ear plates instantly locking onto his voice. As much as his own feelings were still raw, Hiccup had to be strong for his friend. Dad had said it better than anything. A chief protects their own. "Bud, I promise you, it's going to be OK..." The dragon's neck suddenly locked into position, freezing Toothless' head into an upright position as his jaws were forced apart. The dragon's eyes tried to look at Hiccup, feeling like they were straining from the effort as he whined loudly at being forced into position like this. He could feel the heat starting to build at the back of his throat. He was going to fire.
"Bud, listen to me!" Hiccup suddenly exclaimed, moving his body to make sure they could look each other in the eye. He didn't have much time. "Listen... no matter what happens next, no matter what I'll say or do or... when it happens, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, Toothless, I love you! It's not your fault, bud. It was never your fault the first time and it won't be your fault now. I promise, I'll save you from him, I'll bring you home! Just as you tried to do for me..."
Toothless's 'voice' broke with another whine. He blinked once as the only way he could acknowledge his human's words, just as his eyes started to gloss over.

'Hiccup...'

The Night Fury didn't finish his thought. Hiccup could only stare as his dragon's eyes suddenly locked onto something straight ahead of him, the pupils turning to narrow slits just like the Alpha above him. Just as a dim purple light began to illuminate Hiccup's stomach from those hung open jaws and give him a nasty case of déjà vu, Toothless became silent and as still as their surroundings. His fire has stopped, hanging ready at the back of his neck ready to destroy anything that crossed him when time restarted. Hiccup exhaled and squeezed his best friend's head, regretfully having to slide his arms away.
"I'll save you, bud... I swear I will."
There was nothing else to do. Hiccup was left with only one more task to complete. To see this through to the end. He turned his attention to the valkyrie, his voice low.
"I suppose I should thank you. For giving me another chance. As much as I really, really don't want to."
"I will take him to Valhalla myself. You have my word on that," she answered. "Are you ready?"
"No. But it can't wait any longer, can it?"
The valkyrie shook her head, gesturing out an arm for Hiccup to take his rightful spot in the events of fate. The young Viking took a few slow steps, switching his vision between Stoick and Toothless moving towards him. A horribly familiar situation. He sighed, blinking rapidly to hold back any lingering emotions, just as he felt his limbs start to lock into place. He watched as his arms extended to both his father and dragon in bids to keep them away, turning his head one last time to look at the valkyrie. She bowed her head, the wind suddenly picking up and causing her cape of feathers to flutter in the breeze. At the same time, her very form started dissolve into those same feathers, cascading off into the distance as if she were being taken away by the current. Hiccup's world started to grow dark, almost black in depth as he lost his sense of where he was. It was like dying all over again.

And then, as quickly as it stopped, it started.


"Don't!" Hiccup cried, his eyes starting to sting as they welled with the beginning of tears, terrified that his best friend stared through his very being with such menace. Another snarl from Toothless' hung open jaws sent chills through his body, the memory of the first time they had met in the woods flashing before his vision. Toothless had shown mercy then. But there was no hint that it would happen this time. Hiccup stumbled, almost tripping over his prosthetic leg as he heard another voice from the distance scream his name.
"Hiccup!"
It sounded like his dad. He wasn't sure, he couldn't concentrate. He dare not try when Toothless was bearing down on him like this. He could only keep begging his dragon to stop, just as his eyes widened in horror at the glowing purple flame began to build at the back of the Night Fury's throat.
"NO!"
"Son!"
The other person managed to break his attention long enough for him to turn away from Toothless.
"Dad!" Hiccup screamed, his arm outstretched as if to tell his father to stay away. He could still control him, he could win Toothless back, he just needed to try harder. Stoick wasn't going to take that chance, already seeing the dim purple color begin to illuminate Hiccup's body. With his limbs aching at his rush to reach his son in time, Stoick threw himself forward towards Hiccup just as Toothless' throat constricted and sent out a speeding fireball towards them both. It all happened so fast. Time seemed to move in slow motion for them both. As the scorching heat of Toothless' attack began to close in on them, Hiccup's thoughts begged him to try one last time to break through the Alpha's control. His mouth began to change into the shape of yelling Toothless' name, something to make the Night Fury stop even though the action had already been done.

He didn't get the chance to finish. A mighty explosion doused the scene in thick black smoke. Toothless' fire had shattered the wall of ice, sending pieces of it everywhere across the ground. Valka, having only been moments behind Stoick when he had started his run to stop the dragon, barely had a chance to catch her breath. Her heart almost stopped when she realized what had happened, her eyes trying to peer through the veil of black for a sign of any movement. She continued her frantic pace down the hills of snow, her footing slipping on the slippy surface the odd time just as the smoke finally began to blow away in the breeze. Stoick and Hiccup lay still on the ground, covered in shards of frozen material as Toothless just stood there, panting heavily. Smoke escaped from the sides of his jaws as he stayed completely still with that horrible expression. Nothing but a machine under Drago's wicked control, Valka knew all too well what that insane monster could've done. Hiccup groaned as he slowly rolled onto his front, his hands clawing at the ice for some support at the smoke made the inside of his nostrils burn. He coughed and spluttered, panting harshly as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He saw Toothless, his beloved dragon staring menacingly at the destruction before him. What had Drago done to him...? Before he had time to consider the answer, the young Viking saw his father. Stoick hadn't moved, giant pieces of frozen debris covering his body from the blast. Hiccup gasped, forcing his aching limbs to push him upright as he started to run. He didn't even seem to realize he could be walking straight into Toothless' fire again.
"No..." he breathed out once, almost stumbling over his father's bulk as he raced to his other side. Despite his lack of strength, he hoisted off the largest shards that he could, pushing at some of the others and sending them falling to the ground with a heavy thud. Hiccup's muscles were screaming at him to stop, even as he tried to tug at Stoick's shoulder to properly roll him over. The fact he father still hadn't stirred was making his heart feel like it would burst out of his chest from how hard it was beating.
"DAD!" he cried into the air, desperate for an answer. He didn't get one. He only heard a breathless utterance of Stoick's name as Valka came to his side. Together, mother and son rolled the chief onto his back, trying to see any signs of life that they could. It wasn't a pretty sight. Stoick's entire front had been scorched black, rivulets of blood staining the ground as they ran over the surface of his tunic. The smell of burning flesh made Hiccup feel sick, his mouth hanging open. He wasn't sure what to say.
"Dad... no, you..." Hiccup started, turning his head towards his other parent as she pressed her ear against his chest. Her eyes were wide with panic, listening for a sign, something, anything to show he was alright. Her body suddenly heaved in shock as she slowly grimaced at what she heard. Or rather, what she didn't hear. Valka had always been one to cling to hope despite the evidence. Back when she remained on Berk, she clung to the idea of peace. And here, her mind was desperately trying to cling on to the idea of her husband being alright. But in the end, it all became too much for her to delude herself any longer. Valka sank herself over Stoick's body, her eyes looking up towards Hiccup with what could only be described as an apology for not giving him the answer he wanted. As the realization of what had happened began to wash over her son as well, Hiccup's breathing quickened. This wasn't happening. No, it couldn't be happening, it couldn't.
"...n-no...!" he stammered, yearning for some sort of relief, that maybe Valka hadn't checked properly. He checked himself, pressing his ear to his father's chest and praying that maybe she had been mistaken.
'You can't be dead... Dad, you can't be..!'

As the giant beast responsible for the act began to turn away at Drago's command, its attention was broken from Toothless. It didn't have a use for him anymore and the Night Fury's threatening stance from before shrank down to normal. Toothless shook his head, grimacing as the noise of the Bewilderbeast finally ceased and left him free to his own thought. His eyes returned to normal, squinting and blinking back to the real world as he tried to figure out what had happened. Where was Hiccup? The last thing he had remembered was the pair of them facing off against that nasty dragon trapper. The next thing he knew, he had been...overwhelmed by this awful presence. He didn't even know what it was, he just knew it had frozen his thoughts behind a veil. He remembered feeling rage and anger and the need to kill, but he didn't know why. The dragon crooned, feeling worry rise within him when he didn't initially see Hiccup standing there to comfort him with his words as he usually did. Hiccup always did that when he was worried and it always soothed him. But there was no sign of his human anywhere. And it was then that Toothless noticed two people huddled around something. Both Hiccup and his mother were there. Astrid and the other riders were starting to land and approach them too. But Stoick wasn't moving. He was just laid there on the ground. As he approached them, Toothless had to note that the Vikings were all quiet, his ear plates twitching to try and pick up on anything they were saying. They didn't speak a word. Only muffled sobs reached the dragon's ears as his front paw touched the ground not too far away from them. He heard his other half the most.
"No, no, no, no..." Hiccup repeated to himself, his body draping itself over the chief's own, vainly hoping that perhaps it would bring him back. Stoick felt so cold and so sudden after he had fallen. He barely noticed Astrid run to his side, clasping onto one of his shoulders for support as she tried to work out what happened. He couldn't have stopped himself crying even if he had the energy to try. Toothless vibrated, concerned at what was happening. What had happened to Hiccup's father? The Night Fury slowly came forward, pushing his snout in towards Stoick's limp hand. His nose flared, unable to sense any kind of smell that indicated he was alright. Toothless whined, pushing his snout further into Stoick's palm before it suddenly fell limply to the side. The sound of the impact hitting the ice suddenly triggered something within Hiccup. Something that in his right mind he would never consider uttering to his dragon. But today had been a step too far. In an instance, Hiccup raised his body up and screamed at the Night Fury. His eyes were wild, his hands pushing forward to shove the dragon away from what he had done.
"NO! Get away from him!"
Toothless flinched like he has just been punched, his entire body hunching down to the ground like a scared forest animal. He tried to say he was sorry, pushing his snout slightly forward with a desperate whine for forgiveness. Even if he didn't know what he was being sorry for. Hiccup refused to listen.
"Go on, get out of here!" he screamed, his voice cracking as tears continued to spill from his eyes. Toothless' chest ached at his human yelled at him to leave. Hiccup would never truly want him gone... would he? He took a shaky step forward, his own sounds inconsistent from the lump in his throat. Hiccup thrust his hands forward, threatening to push at Toothless' head enough to inflict bruises.
"GET AWAY!"
Toothless, pitiful and remorseful for something he didn't understand, cowered. His eyes looked to the ground before he suddenly ran, heaving and whining with regret as he disappeared around the edge of the ice. Hiccup exhaled through gritted teeth as Valka raised an arm up towards her son's own. She tried to pull him down as her own voice threatened to fail through her tears.
"It's not his fault. You know that... good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things," she murmured, trying to be the voice of reason. Hiccup's angry expression faltered. He sighed out a sob, sinking to his knees once more as another tear slipped over his face. He knew she was right. And now he had sent his best friend away.

In that moment, as his mind raced to think of what to do, Hiccup caught sight of someone staring at him. A woman, stood near the coastline. Donned in brilliant silver armor and eyes that shimmered nearly as brightly. She simply nodded her head at him. Hiccup blinked and she was gone. He couldn't explain what he had seen. But it had stirred a memory within him. A memory that was impossible, a moment where he swore to Toothless that something wasn't his fault and that he would save him. Had he sabotaged a promise he didn't remember making?
'Oh, gods... what have I done?'
Out of nowhere, a shrieking roar by the Alpha pierced the relative quiet of the battle aftermath, the other riders watching in horror as their own dragons started to turn towards it. Meatlug, Stormfly, Barf & Belch, Hookfang, they all went like zombies to join the thrall of dragons circling above the Bewilderbeast's head. And a particular roar of frustration suddenly caught Hiccup's attention. He saw the flailing shape of his Night Fury falling to the ground, unable to properly join the others thanks to lacking a rider. Those eyes, wet with tears as they were from his human's outburst, were thin slits of black against green once more. The Alpha had seized control of him, just in time for Drago to pin Toothless to the ground with his bullhook. Hiccup could only stare in horror as the maniac suddenly mounted his dragon, crudely working the tail fin to get them airborne as shout to his forces.
"Gather the men! And meet me at Berk!"
"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup suddenly screamed, stumbling over his father and away from the embrace of Astrid and Valka. "NO! LET HIM GO!" He couldn't lose both of them. He couldn't lose his father and his best friend. He couldn't take it.
"No, don't!" Valka insisted, pulling at Hiccup's shoulder to stop him chasing. It would be suicide to go after Drago now. They had no dragons, they had no weapons, they had nothing they could do in retaliation. Hicucp couldn't keep himself still, pulling harshly against his mother's grip.
"I promised him! I promised I'd save him!" he shouted to the ground, sinking to his knees again as everyone seemed puzzled as to what Hiccup had meant. He shouldn't have remembered saying that. He shouldn't have remembered ever having to contemplate saying those words. But seeing that woman for a fleeting moment brought it back. He had forced his best friend away in his pathetic, stupid and blind grief. And now he was left here on an icy cold shore, watching a maniac like Drago Bludvist steal his dragon away to destroy their home.

As the young chieftain-to-be rose to his feet, he decided to make an oath. He could take the time to mourn his father and honor him as Vikings should. But he would do so after fighting for the peace that He had strove to accomplish for years. And then, maybe... maybe they would be given a miracle. Maybe the gods of Valhalla would reward him for achieving the impossible.

'Toothless... I'm coming for you, bud. When that monster is gone, I will come for you and bring you home. Somehow.'