Disclaimer: Don't own it. Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks have that honor.
AN: Shorter chapter than usual, but I've hit the end of the story. There might be an epilogue, but I'm not entirely sure yet. Have to see what happens with the plot bunny that seems to be hopping her way through my head.
Coughing as smoke and ash filled the air, Stoick searched the area for them. "Hiccup!" he hollered, hoping to hear her call back. "Hiccup! Daughter!" The smoke cleared slightly and he caught sight of a black mass on the beach. Rushing forward, he saw that it was Toothless, an empty saddle on his back, the tailfin that allowed him to fly gone. "Oh, my brave daughter," he breathed, sinking to his knees as Toothless moaned in pain and rolled onto his side. "I did this."
The other Vikings gathered behind him, hoping to see Hiccup, but she wasn't there. Anstred and Gobber pushed their way through the crowd, only to see Stoick on his knees beside Toothless, head bowed in shame and grief. "No," Anstred whispered, his own knees going weak. The dragons, wild and the ones the trainees had flown to the island, gathered behind the Vikings, intent on the learning the outcome of the heroic duo.
Groaning, Toothless lifted his head slowly, green eyes taking in the scene before him. Hiccup's sire was kneeling not far away, eyes wet as he grieved for his lost child. "I'm so sorry, my dear girl," he whispered, uncaring of who saw his tears. Toothless slowly opened his wings, revealing Hiccup clutched close to his body. "Hiccup!" Stoick rushed forward to take her from him. Pushing her hair back, he saw her face was gray and it didn't look like she was breathing. His helmet fell with a clatter as he shoved it off his head to press his ear to her chest. A heartbeat, faint but there, met his ear and he sighed in relief. "She's alive!" he said, voice cracking with his emotions. "You brought her back alive!" Cheers erupted behind him, followed quickly by roars of happiness from the dragons, but he ignored it. Reaching out, he put a hand on Toothless' head. "Thank you for saving my daughter."
"Well, you know, most of her," Gobber commented, gesturing to her left leg. It was a mangled mess: her boot and most of her pant leg missing, the skin from just below her knee blackened by the fire with bits of pulverized bone poking through what remained. "You know what we have to do, Stoick."
"She's alive," he told his oldest friend firmly, keeping his girl clutched close to his chest, almost afraid to let her go now that he had her back. "That's all that matters."
"Let's keep her that way." The smith stumped off to gather what was needed while Stoick stayed by Toothless. Even if she was unconscious, he knew Hiccup would want to be near him.
Toothless stared down at the girl lying so still on her bed. His little human had slept for five nights, recovering from their ordeal. After removing her leg, a process he hoped to never witness again as her screams would haunt him for the rest of his life, she had caught a fever. She had wept sometimes in her sleep, calling out for her sire and Toothless in equal measure. Her dreams had been chaotic: sometimes she dreamed of flying with him, going wherever they wanted while at others, she'd dreamed of the fight against the queen. The bed was too small to accommodate both dragon and the slight girl that had impressed him with her bravery, so he made do with curling around her bed to catch her if she thrashed her way out of it.
The two males had reached an agreement when it came to looking after her: if one needed sleep or to eat, the other would take over and raise a fuss if something happened. Only Stoick, Gothi, Gobber and Anstred were allowed in the house. Toothless growled and crouched defensively, wings spread wide to hide Hiccup, at the end of her bed whenever anyone else tried to come in. Two days ago, her fever had broken and the healer had assured them all that she'd wake soon, reminding them that it was best if she woke on her own.
This morning, Stoick had gone out to check on their newest residents, leaving Toothless to his vigil. Rubbing his head with a massive hand, Stoick reminded him he'd be nearby if she woke up. He nudged her cheek gently, feeling the gentle hum of her thoughts drifting through the bond again, clearer than they had been before. Wake up, my Hiccup, he called gently, not wanting to startle her awake. She mumbled but didn't wake. Come on, Hiccup. Crooning softly in worry, he nuzzled her face, his warm breath drifting across her skin. Wrinkling her nose at the strong smell of fish, Hiccup opened her eyes.
By the light coming through the upper floor, she could tell it was late afternoon. Her eyes slowly focused to see Toothless grinning down at her, his whole body wiggling like a puppy at seeing her awake. "Hey, Toothless," she whispered, her throat burning with thirst and reached a hand out to him. Toothless pressed his nose to it before nuzzling into her neck and licking her face. "I'm happy to see you, too, bud." He was so excited, he accidentally stepped on her stomach, and she sat up with a groan. Looking around, she noticed that someone had moved her bed to the main floor of the house, and at first, she couldn't remember why. With a rush that left her slightly dizzy, she remembered what had happened at the nest, but the last few days were still a little fuzzy. "I'm in my house," she muttered, watching Toothless as he bounced around, knocking things over in his exuberance. "You're in my house."
You're awake! He felt like roaring his happiness and thanksgiving to the heavens, but he knew it would bring everyone running and she needed a chance to finish waking up. His little human wasn't very clear-headed when she first woke, her body waking more quickly than her brain.
"Does my dad know you're here?" He bounded back to her, thrilled to hear her voice again, before jumping for a rafter. Climbing on top of it, he gave her an upside down grin. "Toothless! Oh, come on." She started to shove herself to her feet only to feel something different. Pulling the blankets back, she gasped in shock. Toothless hopped down, edging closer to the bed, an apologetic look in his eyes as he sat on his haunches. Pushing a hand through her bangs, she noticed they felt shorter than normal and her hair felt lighter than it should have. As she pulled a hand through her hair, it swung loose over her shoulders, the braid that had once reached the small of her back gone.
Heaving a sigh, she swung her legs over the bed and put her right foot on the floor, a slight clank telling her that the prosthetic that her left had become was down, too. Toothless sniffed it, the look in his eyes when he lifted his head was sad, but hopeful. Preparing herself, she grabbed the end of the bed for balance and stood, most of her weight on her right leg. Taking a deep breath, she took a step on her left. It hurt, but not as badly as she'd feared. After another deep breath, she drew her right leg forward and collapsed with a cry. She would have hit the floor, but Toothless caught her. Lean on me, Hiccup, he advised, turning so she could use him as a crutch until she was steadier.
"Thanks, bud," she replied with a grateful smile. With his help, she hobbled her way to the front door. As they drew closer, she was able to hold herself up, but she kept a hand on Toothless just in case. Pulling the door open, she quickly shut it when a snarling Nightmare filled her vision. "Toothless, stay here." Hoping they weren't about to be eaten, she opened the door again to hear Snotlout shouting encouragement to someone behind him. Stepping into the light, she saw something she'd never thought she'd see: dragons filled the air, but none were attacking. A group of Nadders was using a house nearby as their roost: what used to be a torch was filled with fish and already had several dragons gathered around it: other dragons followed Vikings like puppies, eager to be near their chosen humans. "I knew it," she said to herself as she took in the sight of Vikings and dragons working together. "I'm dead."
"No, but you gave it your best shot," Stoick laughed, dropping a hand on her shoulder and guiding her farther out of the house. "So, what do you think?"
"Hey, look!" a voice called from down the hill. "It's Hiccup!" Suddenly, they were surrounded by Vikings, all smiling and happy to see her awake. Unsure of this sudden change and still a little unsteady on her feet, she stayed close to her father.
"Turns out all we needed was a little more of this." He waved a hand at her, laughter lighting his eyes.
"You just gestured to all of me." Her dad smiled and nodded, the proud light in his eyes making her blush a little.
"Well, most of you," Gobber called, stumping forward and pointing at her prosthetic. "That bit's my handiwork, with a little Hiccup flair thrown in." He looked almost nervous as he asked, "You think it'll do?"
"I might make a few tweaks," she joked, making everyone laugh. A punch from behind had her stumbling a little before she could catch herself and turn around. Anstred stood behind her, an intense look on his face.
"That's for scaring me," he told her and had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing as she sputtered.
"What, is it always going to be this way because-" Anstred grabbed her tunic and jerked her forward into a kiss to shut her up. She never heard the appreciative chuckles that erupted from the watching Vikings. "I could get used to it," she finished in a daze once her mouth was free. Smiling, Anstred backed away as Gobber stepped forward, a new tailfin and saddle clutched in his arms.
"Welcome home," he told her, ruffling her shorter hair when she took it from him. The door behind them banged open as Toothless shoved his way through to cries of "Night Fury! Get down!" Landing on Spitelout, he dropped to the ground as the man staggered under the bulk of her friend, and looked excitedly at the new saddle.
Let's fly, Hiccup! Laughing, she dropped it and got to work on attaching everything. Gobber helped her, explaining that he'd gotten the idea for how to make it from the drawings she'd left scattered around her room. He'd even changed one of the pedals so it would work with her prosthetic.
"You go ahead, Hiccup," Stoick said, an intense look on his face, reaching out and catching Anstred's arm before he could mount his Nadder. "Anstred and I need to have a little talk." Dragging him off before Hiccup could reply, she couldn't help but laugh at the slightly panicked look on Anstred's face. By the time the two were finished, Gobber was helping Hiccup into the saddle. His face was completely red and he shot a quick glare at her to keep her from asking what they had talked about, making her laugh again and shake her head. She really didn't want to know.
Clicking into position, she tested the pedal under the prosthetic and grinned at Gobber's handiwork. Looking over at Anstred, already mounted and impatient to be off, she leaned down and put a hand on Toothless' neck. "You ready, bud?" He shook his head at her silly question, but waited for her to give the signal that she was. Hiccup's eyes were drawn to the village spread out below them. Two Gronckles lifted off, their riders whooping in excitement. Other dragons and Vikings went about their lives, acting like they hadn't been killing each other and stealing food just a few short weeks ago.
Her life had certainly changed quite a bit in the last month, and she wouldn't have it any other way. On an island that experienced snow for nine months of the year and hail the other three, dragons and humans were finding ways to coexist with each other. Sure, there would need to be adjustments along the way, but she was looking forward to it. Let's go, bud! Toothless shot into the air, the Nadder hot on his tail. They raced through the village, diving and weaving through the homes, flying low over the docks. The other teens joined them, hollering in delight at seeing Hiccup and Toothless speeding by.
The duo soon left everyone behind: Toothless climbed with a roar, heading straight for the sun that shone overhead. Finally, after five long days, he and Hiccup were back in the sky where they belonged, ready for anything and everything that could come their way. They had done what Toothless and the other dragons he'd lived with at the nest had once thought impossible: they had killed the queen and liberated the dragons and Vikings, together, as one. His scrawny little human, smart and with an enormous heart, had changed their world, and he knew that it would only get better!