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It was ironically the winter and its thick ice covering the sea and keeping everyone and everything stuck on place what saved Hiccup from going mad. Before the ice firmly settled, Ered decided to put as big amount of space between them and any of Drago's ships as they could. He informed Hiccup that Drago had only one ship big enough to make its way through frozen sea and that it was highly unlikely he would set this one to chase them, for it always stayed at the camp, guarding... something in the water. The ex-trapper's bet was on bunch of water dragons.
After three weeks of rapid sailing they docked by some small deserted island. It had a hot stream spouting out of crack between the rocks and enough woods to build modest shelters and keep fire for the rest of the winter. There wasn't much animals, most of them already sleeping hidden from coming frosts, but the sea full of fish was all around and they had a dragons to make a way to them.
Especially Toothless was welcoming the opportunities to blow up the hole in the ice with true enthusiasm. The others were a bit wary of the Night Fury displaying such a joy over blasting things up, but Hiccup understood him completely. Toothless was bored. And so was his rider.
Eret wasn't willing to stop anywhere on populated land to allow Hiccup make a new flying gear for Toothless, claiming it was a delay they couldn't afford right now. He made Hiccup a pair of crutches so the boy would be able to hop around, but that was it. Hiccup knew his friend was just trying to protect them all, but that didn't stop him from being annoyed and he found a great satisfaction while watching Eret fight with Scullcrasher, when the dragon got stubborn. He even let Eret to ask him twice before he helped him.
Maybe to make it up to him, Eret brought him the most welcomed gift about two weeks after they settled down for winter. He was patrolling the area everyday while flying with Scullcrasher, to make sure they were safe. One day, he didn't come back by noon as he usually did. He didn't return even after the dark came. Everyone automatically feared the worst – that he was captured by Drago. Bjorn, who was usually left in charge while Eret was gone, was able to calm them a little, but his expression stayed grim and he exchanged more than one worried look with Hiccup (he became quite fond of Hiccup after he killed the Dragon Queen and Hiccup, being a nice soul he was, didn't hold his previous mistrust against him) while waiting for their friend the whole night.
Their worries were rewarded in the wee hours of following morning by sight of Eret coming back on the back of Scullcrasher, both of them unharmed and the dragon carrying in his paws big sack of metal junk and leather scraps – enough material for Hiccup make a tailfin for Toothless, saddle, new foot for himself and anything else Eret and his men lost in their destroyed fort.
Eret even brought him an anvil. It was damaged, one of the corners was broken off (Hiccup's guess was that previous owner got very angry one day and hit it in wrong place with too much power – he remembered Gobber to destroy his anvil this way once, though his smith master was drunk that time, not angry). Someone was apparently too lazy to repair it and threw it away. Luckily for Hiccup, who set to work immediately after he recovered from his brief seizure of utter excitement.
He made his peg leg first, of course. It was simple and fitted him perfectly, allowing him walk without a limp, just as he planned in his designs. Still, he hated it. Hiccup knew he was a little bit on clumsy side when it came to physical activities, but being one legged made him even ten times worse than back when he was whole made just from bones and flesh. That was at least what he thought.
He didn't want to feel sorry for himself, he didn't want to sulk, he just wanted to finally get used to that blasted peg leg and get on with it. But the more he tried to make everything okay, the more he was feeling like stumbling little boy who needed to be look after again. He thought he had enough time to get used to the idea of being one-legged. He tried to avoid that, but in the moments he wasn't battling the thoughts about his people being slaughtered by Dragon Queen, he always caught himself looking on the stump under his left knee. In the lighter moments he was wondering if Toothless liked the taste of it. Every other time, he found himself mussing how it will feel to walk again with half of his shin made from metal.
He tried to convince himself that once he will have prosthesis, it won't be so bad. But after he strapped his new peg leg to the stump which used to be his leg, his hopes were gone. He was a walking disaster. Again.
Only times, when he didn't feel like complete blundering idiot was on Toothless' back. Flying with his best friend made him briefly forget everything and feel nothing but absolute freedom. Up there, he was just alright. But the second he touched the firm ground again, his uncertainty was back. He hated to be nuisance to anyone and he was convinced that was the way the others were looking at him now. Any respect he may have gain from them by killing the Dragon Queen had to gone now, when they saw him tripping over his own foot and not able to make simple way from one end of their camp to another without slipping on ice at least once.
He started withdrawn from the others, always working in his makeshift smithy. He refused everyone who tried to even ask him if he was alright, always putting on unconvincing smile and assuring them he's fine, thank you very much. Most of the men let him be, thanked him for the sword, axe or anything else he made for them and left the boy to his own. Some tried more than once, but even they gave up after a while.
Only one, who didn't let him sulking, was Eret. While the others didn't bother Hiccup more than was necessary, Eret would came to his forge minimally twice a day and demand of him to fetch something from the ship (accessible by walking now when the sea froze), accompany him to the woods to go hunting or anything else which required to walk somewhere.
Hiccup wasn't an idiot, he understand that Eret was trying to get him back into the old ways by that and a little part of him even appreciated the effort. But mostly he was just annoyed by his friend's constant not-so-subtle attempts to get him back and running. Literally. So when Eret came next time, asking Hiccup to go with the others for woods, he was advised to go and shove this wood into his ass.
Eret froze for a second, probably astounded by the boy's outburst. Hiccup felt kind of proud of himself and was sure now would his friend finally get a message and leave him be like the rest of his men. However, he was sorely mistaken.
"So, how is your leg?" asked Eret casually, while setting on turned bucket, clearly indicating he's not planning to leave anytime soon. His obstinacy made Hiccup snap back sharply.
"How should I know? I don't have it anymore." He gripped his hammer more tightly and started hit the steel before him with furious strength. He was making such a noise that he almost missed Eret's next words:
"Oh, someone stepped outside with his left foot today..." Hiccup started banging the metal even more forcefully, while he growled, not looking at the other man at all.
"Very funny."
"You were asking for it," answered Eret lazily. By the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw Toothless coming from outside with the mouth full of fish. The dragon crooned in his direction and then curled on his usual spot by the fire. Hiccup gave the sword he was making last hit and broke it. With an angry cry, he threw destroyed weapon back to the fire and turned to face Eret, ignoring curious looks Toothless was giving him.
"Not very tactful, are you?" he spitted in the direction of his human friend (soon to be former friend, if he won't stop this, thought Hiccup grimly). Eret just shrugged.
"I thought you didn't want our pity. Or help." There wasn't any malice in his voice and that was what made Hiccup stop abruptly in his rage fit. Eret was absolutely calm and he was just saying what Hiccup alone was thinking. Or he thought he did.
"I want to..." What? What did he actually want? His foot to grow back? Go home? Someone's shoulder to cry on? "I don't know..." he admitted at the end. Defeated, he sighed, putted the hammer he was still holding aside and sat down on the tree stump rolled here from the forest, feeling Eret watching him all the time. Suddenly, he felt tired. Still pretending to be okay and keeping everyone on arm's length was exhausting.
He thought of Ruffnut and her never ending pretending to be someone she wasn't. How she managed to keep it up for fourteen years and not going mad? He regretted not to ask her more. Who knew if he will have a chance again? When he got here in his thoughts, he rather quickly snapped out of it and gave his attention back to the man sitting across from him.
"I'm sorry. I'm just... little peevish, I guess," he mumbled, feeling a little bit ashamed for some reason. Eret smiled.
"I understand." Wrong answer.
"Really? Did you lose your leg since the last time I saw you?" snapped Hiccup, forgetting his shame in the second. Eret only raised his eyebrow and remained absolutely calm. Not for the first time, Hiccup wanted to throttle him for being so stoic.
"You see, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" he cried out and hid his face in his palms, angry on himself for being such a moody baby. He heard Eret chuckle a little and when he looked at the man, he found him wearing patient smile on his face.
"It's called puberty. Being pain in the ass all day long is one of the common symptoms," he said to Hiccup in gentle tone. Hiccup was staring at him for a few seconds; before it occur to him that his friend is making fun of him. He gave Eret a pointed look, which only resulted in another chuckling.
"What? I had it too, you know. Not so long ago." Hiccup found himself letting out a chuckle of his own. Then he sighed deeply and watched a fire before him for a while. After a few minutes of silence, Eret spoke again.
"You will get use to it." Hiccup didn't snap this time, only tiredly asked:
"You think so?"
"You will have to, Hiccup."
"I guess..." He knew Eret was right. He will have to accept it sooner or later. One day, he will have to stop moping around. After all, loosing a leg wasn't such a big deal, right? Vikings were loosing limbs all the time. Hel, Gobber already lost half of them and he was still considered one of the best warriors of Berk. It was badge of honour. Hiccup snickered at that. What a crap. Not having a leg sucked. End of story.
"Look at Toothless. He's not sulking over his tail, are you, big guy?" interrupted Eret Hiccup's thoughts. He looked at his scaly friend happily eating his dinner, only absently crooning at the sound of his name. Toothless either didn't care about the serious conversation which was taking place literally under his nose, or he decided to let Eret handle this alone.
"No one would ever make fun of him, even if he would become really toothless," Hiccup whispered silently, not fully realising he said that aloud until Eret's surprised voice asked:
"That's what you're worry about? The others making fun of you?" He sounded genuinely stunned about it and Hiccup froze for a while. He didn't think about that until now, but he realised Eret was right. Unconsciously he was afraid of being the same pest to everyone he was before, the target of their laugh or rage, depending on how big catastrophe he caused.
He didn't want to be this way again. Helpless and clumsy. Over the last year he learned to take care of himself. He had no one but him alone and Toothless and he still managed to survive. Hel, he even managed to take down the biggest dragon anyone on Berk ever seen! He managed to make someone worthy from himself.
"No one is going to make fun of you for this, Hiccup, I can promise you that. You did nothing to be ashamed of!" stated Eret firmly, obviously noticing Hiccup's sour expression coming back. It gained him the boy's attention.
Hiccup looked at his friend, watching for any indication that his words were just empty obligatory pep talk, but he found none. Eret believed in what he was saying and after a while, Hiccup found himself to start believe to. Damn right. He lost his foot in the battle. With a dragon. Everyone had ever expected he will loose one of his limbs one day, probably when doing something he won't be supposed to or working on some his invention. This probability was still alive and if it will come, he will feel like an idiot for loosing his foot, arm or whatever by that. But not now.
He gave Eret wide smile and got up, picking his hammer again. He's going to be damn proud of it!
Well, after that, things started to get better. Hiccup didn't managed to start to be proud exactly, but he was slowly getting there. Eventually. What was important, he wasn't angry anymore. Oh, he was still brooding from time to time, especially after the snowstorms came and he couldn't go out and fly with Toothless. With too much of free time on his hands, his ever active mind started once again providing him with unwanted images, either of him being stuck somewhere, helpless and depending on others help because of his damn leg or of Ruff, Gobber and his dad fighting and then falling down under the Dragon Queen.
Eret had to notice this, because he came with the new way of how to keep him occupied. He couldn't send him for walk now, for the risk of getting snowed in somewhere became too high (he did tried, though, but that time it wasn't only Hiccup who told him to go to Hel, but practically everyone in the hovel). Instead, he decided to teach Hiccup how to fight properly. He made Hiccup to make an appropriate sword for himself and then begun to train him every day.
Hiccup was never trained to fight with weapons. He was always too small to even lift the sword, hammer or axe. And when he finally grew up enough to be able hold the sword in one hand and not fall down, it was already considered too risky to trust him with something so dangerous like real weapon in his hands.
He thought he wouldn't enjoy this much, but he was pleasantly surprised to find out that sword fighting was another thing he was actually quite good at. Wielding a sword was easier for him than handle the axe his father gave him before he started in dragon training. He briefly thought about the hammer his dad was using. He would be surely proud if his son would choose the same weapon as him, right? He mentioned this to Eret and though his fried offered him to teach him some basic moves with the hammer too; he honestly said that it wasn't suitable weapon for him. He wasn't simply strong enough to use it efficiently. Hiccup accepted this without feeling offended. As Eret said, knowing one's limits was just as important for the warrior.
Hiccup was actually enjoying his training. He became more confident on his feet, his tripping being less and less frequent. After a few weeks, he was able to run around without falling on his nose every ten yards. He still reacted a little bit snappishly when someone made some impropriate comment about his missing leg, but he was slowly getting used to it. Anyway, the one who was poking him most often was Eret and Hiccup had no problem at all to return his jibes with his own.
"Hey! Have some consideration for the one legged guy!" cried Hiccup, when Eret attacked him without giving him a time to get back into the position. They were training again and Hiccup had barely time to block Eret's blow. Eret just smirked and didn't stop chasing him with his own sword.
"Well, well, well," he drawled out slowly, blocking Hiccup's sword. "How it came you can talk about it like it just randomly fell off and we can't say a word about it?" He was mocking him, trying to divert Hiccup's attention and thereby getting a chance to plant the final blow. Only problem in his plan was that he said to Hiccup at the very beginning of their training to never let the enemy distract you. As it turned out, Hiccup was very attentive pupil.
"Because it's my leg," he shot back, his eyes never leaving his target. He could hear the laugh of the other men in the hut and Toothless' crooning and Scullcrasher's growling, but while he was able to notice all of this, he didn't let it take his focus from Eret.
"Respectively, what is left of it." Another poke, another several forceful hits with the sword coming quickly in a row. Hiccup may have been still smaller than most of the Vikings in his age, but he was quick. And he knew how to use it to his advance.
"Well done!" praised Eret after not having time to raise his sword to block out the last blow and having to dodge. "Now that was what I was talking about. You have to put everything into the attack."
"If I will put everything into attack, what will I get left for a defence?" asked Hiccup logically and made a step or two back, thinking about the best strategy to take his teacher down.
"If you will do it right, there will be no need for defence," answered Eret confidently. Hiccup merely raised his eyebrows. He made a sharp lunge and attracted again. Eret blocked it in the last second, still smirking.
"And if I don't?"
"Well, in your case, defence is useless. Just run as fast as your foot let you." Hiccup snickered.
"Are you sure you are not still in the puberty? Because you are showing one of the most common symptoms," he asked, remembering their conversation from weeks and weeks ago. That caught Eret's attention.
"Really? And what is that?" he looked on his friend curiously, letting his focus slip for a brief moment. That was what Hiccup was waiting for.
"Being pain in the ass." And with that he hooked his fake foot behind Eret's knee and with quick yank sent his opponent to the ground, his sword pointing right to his heart. Eret laughed and the men around cheered loudly.