Weeks had gone by since Hiccup had returned home. The villagers were starting to see more of him now that he was walking, and had asked about his shoulder and some visible bruises. He had yet to put his usual armor back on since he had returned home. "Toothless and I had a bit of a tumble," was always his reply. Luckily, his friends hadn't said much to him or asked much about what had happened. Outside of Eret, Gobber and his immediate family, most of the details of the incident on Outcast Island had been kept quiet.

Slowly, life seemed to be going back to normal. Surprisingly, with Hiccup still being hurt, anything laboring was brought to Gobber's attention. A lot of the land concerns were taken to Astrid and Valka. As for keeping watch out to sea, Eret had taken over. For the most part, Hiccup's job description was temporarily pretty limited.

About two weeks since patrol had started, one evening Eret approached Hiccup around dusk, bringing a couple of chicken legs with him. Hiccup was in the Forge, sewing up some leather for a new saddle for Toothless. He was ready to be out of his sling. His shoulder was holding him back.

"Hey, mate," Eret said to him. He felt light he was walking on eggshells with the chief right now. He didn't want to set him off. "Astrid said you need to eat."

Hiccup sighed and shook his head. He gave a weak smile to his friend. "Thanks, Eret, but I'll be okay."

"I would have to agree with her," Eret said to him gently, setting down the plate on the workbench where Hiccup sat. "How about I take over and you eat?" Without hesitating, he took the large pieces of leather from Hiccup and left the plate in front of him.

Hiccup let out a sigh, and after a few minutes he began to piece at the chicken, leaving them in silence for a long while.

"I haven't had an opportunity to ask how you were doing," Eret said to him, breaking the silence..

Hiccup chuckled a little bit. "I think you asked me that a few days ago."

"Hmmm, I may have forgotten," Eret said. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"Of course."

"How's your nightmares?"

This struck a nerve with Hiccup. He pushed his half eaten leg away from himself. He sighed. "They come and go. Although, Eret, I am sure Astrid has told you this."

Eret nodded, and rethreaded his needle. "She's concerned."

"I know she is." Hiccup was silent for a moment. "Eret, I'm glad she went to you that night. Had she gone to Fishlegs, the twins…Or Snotlout—Thor forbid—it would have been all over the village. I'm embarrassed—"

"Hiccup, you were ambushed. There wasn't anything else you could have done."

"My dad would have gotten out of there." Again, referencing his father. Lately, other than Cecil, all Hiccup could do was continue to compare himself to his father.

"Your father also probably wouldn't have gone there alone. You were approaching fairly friendly territory. Had you known it was dangerous, would you have gone alone? No. Don't let that weigh you down."

Hiccup sighed.

"Anyways, I wanted to propose something to you." Eret pushed the leather aside a little bit. "I know you are worried about Cecil. I know you are worried about Dagur taking over. But, I feel as though there's too many riders out on patrol—"

Eret was already seeing his answer in his eyes, and Hiccup was immediately shaking his head.

"We cannot shorten our patrol numbers. Dagur could have thousands of people—"

"Hiccup, you don't know that—"

"I know that I don't know how many people he has, Eret. But, I cannot afford for him to break the barriers. The village needs protected."

"Your riders need rest. Even just for a day. This is what I want to propose. I want to still keep a rotation, but be able to let everyone rest a full day. We will do it in shifts. It won't shorten our numbers too much. You'll have better soldiers out there watching our village if they rest."

Hiccup sighed, knowing his friend was right. They hadn't had a real break in weeks. They all had things to do around the village other than patrol. Hiccup, on the other hand, was stuck on land because he didn't have saddle to ride.

"I have a condition," Hiccup said at last.

"What is that?"

"I want out on patrol."

"Hiccup—how—your arm?"

"If you keep helping me with this saddle, I can do it to help. I think Astrid and Gobber's left me to work on it alone to stall me—"

"I can understand that—"

"Please, Eret," Hiccup said, grabbing his arm. "I have got to get up in the air. Toothless is going stir crazy. Please—"

Eret could see the desperation in Hiccup's face. He sighed. They sat in silence for a few moments, then he said, "I can't do iron work too well. How are you going to do the gears?"

"I have that covered already. There's a spare set of gears already made. It's the saddle I wasn't prepared to be missing."

Eret thought for a moment, but then sighed. He was looking at a young, desperate chief. He sighed, finally giving into his request.

"Okay, Hiccup, let's do this."

At dawn, Eret pulled the saddle over Toothless. It wasn't perfect, but the final touches could be done at any point in time. It would suite the purpose of a test flight, however. The dragon was about to bust with glee as the leather slipped along his back.

"You two understand no funny business, right?" Eret asked. "Valka will kill me if something else happened to you?"

"Mom will be fine," Hiccup said gently. Toothless cooed in agreement. He licked his rider's face with glee. "Toothless, why?"

Eret tightened up the saddle straps. He inspected to make sure the saddle wouldn't slip in any fashion. "Toothless, I am telling you—"

The dragon snorted at him.

"Please—"

Toothless looked at him, glaring, and Hiccup chucked slightly. Eret didn't figure Toothless would intentionally harm Hiccup. He didn't think he would do anything stupid, but Eret's anxiety caused him to ask. He wanted to reinforce the rules.

Hiccup positioned himself on the saddle. Eret thought for sure he would snap his leg in, and they would be off in a heart-beat, but that was not the case. Hiccup took his time. He leaned forward in the saddle, inspecting how it was on Toothless's back. He checked the strap (not once but four times) to make sure it was secure. Hiccup shifted his weight a little bit on the saddle as well, and chuckled slightly.

"Our other one was broken in. This is going to take some getting used to."

Hiccup snapped his leg into the gears. That was when a thought occurred to Eret.

"Have you tested that set yet?"

"It's been a while, but yes." Hiccup smiled at him. "You are worrying too much, my friend."

"If more physical injuries happen because of me, you know your mother wouldn't let me hear the end of it. And your wife—"

"I know, Eret. But, trust me, I will be okay. We—we will be okay," Hiccup corrected himself. He touched Toothless's head gently. The dragon looked up at him. Glee showed on both their faces. "Ready, bud?"

Toothless nodded, shifting his feet.

"Okay, circle around the ridge here a little bit, and we will come back down, okay?"

Toothless nodded, gave Hiccup a moment to brace himself, and they were off.

A few seconds later, Hiccup was screaming with joy. Toothless sent plasma blasts into the air. Eret watched, happy for his friend.

"Yes! Baby, yes!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Hiccup and Toothless gently glided back and forth, not leaving Eret's sight. He could tell Toothless was being a little more careful with how he flew as well as to not throw Hiccup off the saddle or jar him in any way.

Suddenly, Eret was pushed from behind him, which almost knocked him to his knees. He turned on his heel and realized it was Astrid, and she was charging him again.

"How could you!?" she yelled at him. "He's—going—to get hurt!"

"Astrid, he's fine," Eret said, putting his hands up to her. He slid sideways to avoid her charge.

"Hiccup knows no limits—don't you know this?" she yelled.

Fishlegs was returning back to the peak on Meatlug from the end of his watch. Both were yawning, very exhausted.

"I will be happy to crawl into bed for a bit, girl, what about you?" he asked her.

She nodded in approval, but the sudden plasma bolt blast shot them both.

"What the—" It was then they saw Hiccup above them riding. "Where—when—" Fishlegs was lost.

Hiccup's glee was cut short when he heard some muffled yells below him. He turned and saw Astrid charge Eret, who again stepped out of the way. The chief felt his heart sink as Toothless cooed at him.

"I wasn't expecting this already," he said to his buddy. He sighed again, rubbing his face in frustration. "C'mon, Toothless, let's go settle her down."

Astrid charged Eret again, and this time she made connection. Instead of knocking him off balance again, he caught her, pushed her to the ground, and held her arms down, while she kicked the air trying to get up and fight him. He took a seat behind her on his knees, and looked down at her.

"You need to calm down," he said to her.

"You shouldn't have helped him with that saddle!" she yelled.

Toothless came soaring down a few yards from them, and shortly followed behind Fishlegs and Meatlug. Hiccup sat looking at his friend and wife from the saddle. Toothless seemed to be waiting for him to get off, but he wasn't. The truth was, when they had landed, he felt the onset of a headache. And suddenly dizzy. He mentally blamed it on being attached to the ground for too long.

Eret let go of Astrid's arms, and backed up. She pushed herself to a sitting position and glared at both Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup could see the tears in her eyes. She was holding them back as best as she could.

"Astrid—"

"No!" she yelled at him, getting to her feet. "You shouldn't be up in the air. Not with your shoulder like that."

"Astrid, nothing happened," Hiccup said. "We just glided along. We are fine."

"HICCUP!" she screamed suddenly. Her eyes were welling up with more tears. After a few seconds, she didn't speak another word. Instead, she walked away. Hiccup thought he could hear a few little sobs break through her, but if they did, he could barely hear them.

"Mate—" Eret began.

Hiccup shook his head, ignoring Eret. He wanted to watch her walk off. She was heading to the Academy—down to Stormfly.

"Fishlegs—"

"Yes—"

"I know you've been working all night, but if you would, follow her. Something is going on with her. I don't know what exactly."

Fishlegs sighed and nodded. "Okay." With that, he and Meatlug turned and fled down towards the Academy.

Eret watched Hiccup stare down from where he sat on Toothless. Toothless seemed a little confused, waiting for Hiccup to move or say something, but he did not for a little while. Eret rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little nervous. He didn't know what to do or say to Hiccup. He sighed, and decided to gently approach.

Walking on eggshells around Hiccup and Astrid had not been pleasant the last few weeks. Both seemed very sensitive and tense around the other. Especially now that Hiccup was gaining his independence.

"Hiccup—I—"

"It's okay, Eret. I am sorry you had to see that. And I am sorry she attacked you."

"In all fairness, mate, I attacked her the night she and your mother brought you to shore." Hiccup made eye contact with him. The chief's face looked slightly pale, and his eyes shown exhaustion. Eret was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. Eret broke contact, and motioned for Toothless to walk with him. He was taking them home, or to Gothi. He hadn't decided.

"The night Astrid came to me to help you, she had busted into the house late at night. If she knocked, I didn't hear it. She tumbled over a chair I always sit at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn't see it. Her fall woke me up. When she arrived to my room, I was waiting with my sword. We shuffled, and I pinned her to the wall." Eret cleared his throat. "Since then I have felt a little guilty. I had the blade to her throat, you see."

"Would you have killed her?" Hiccup asked him gently.

Eret shook his head. As they walked, he steadied himself on the slope down into the village homes. They weren't far from Gothi.

"I wouldn't have killed her, no. I've felt bad since that night. I worry I've frightened her—especially—"

"With how crumbled she seems?" Hiccup said. He had finished Eret's sentence. "She's been—sensitive lately more so than I have ever seen her. I've never seen her like this. Even—even when my father passed away—she wasn't like this—"

Eret saw Hiccup lose his balance on the saddle ever so slightly at the bottom of the hill. Toothless felt it as well, and paused. Eret decided he was taking Hiccup to Gothi.

Eret caught him and steadied him. "Are you going to make it? You seem a little—off."

Hiccup studied Eret for a moment and nodded. "I'm a little dizzy."

"When was the last time you had something to eat?" Eret asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "That chicken you brought me last night."

"You barely touched that. And before?"

Hiccup thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe yesterday at breakfast."

Eret let out a loud sigh. Hiccup wasn't taking care of himself. "C'mon, let's get you to Gothi."

Hiccup sighed as Gothi pushed some bread into his hand. She pointed at him and to his mouth with a very stern look on her face. He could just imagine what was going through her head. If she could yell, she probably would have.

Valka sat farther away, and Eret stayed just in the doroway. Hiccup didn't understand the big deal as to why he needed a party during a check-up, but it was what it was.

"Are you still feeling dizzy?" Valka asked him gently.

"A little bit," Hiccup said, taking a bite of bread.

"Can I ask why you haven't been eating?" Valka asked him.

Hiccup looked down at his lap, fumbling with the piece of bread in his hand, and slowly chewing the small piece he had in his mouth. "Can we not talk about that right now, please?"

Valka didn't push this time. She just nodded and let out a deep breath she had been holding.

Gothi checked his temperature, his tongue, even his nub of a leg (which bothered Hiccup, he wanted her to let it go). She then checked his burn (which he wanted to fight her over but didn't) and then she went to his shoulder. She removed the sling, which caused his anxiety to increase. He felt the pain radiate through it from the weight of his forearm. She forced him to straighten it. He tensed up.

"Relax," Valka said to him gently. Gothi motioned Valka to come over and help her. Hiccup closed his eyes to hold in a moan. "Pain level, one to ten—"

"A six—" Hiccup gasped out. His mother slowly moved his shoulder to stretch beside him, holding his hand as she did so. Hiccup squeezed it hard.

"Honey, you are just stiff—"

"Just—" he gasped out again. He felt dizzier.

A few minutes later, Hiccup was back in his sling. He felt faint and cold. Instead of bread, his mother had pushed a cup of cider into his hands. Taking a drink, he recalled Cecil doing the same thing for him week previously.

Gothi scribbled into the sand her instructions.

"Rest, eat, and three times a day we need to start working on that shoulder—"

Hiccup sighed. "Anything else?"

"You don't have a fever."

Hiccup chuckled despite the pain that was flowing through his shoulder and neck. "Well, that's good."

"C'mon, son, let's get you back home and into bed—"

As she helped him out and took a small bag of herbs from Gothi, she reached over and knocked Eret in the back of the head.

"What was that fo'?" he asked her.

"You know very well what it was for—"

"ENOUGH!" Hiccup yelled, quieting them both before the argument escalated. "Can I please get home?"

Toothless hung close, and Hiccup climbed back onto the saddle. He tried not to let the pain show through him. "Oh, Eret—"

"Yes—"

"Send my wife home if you see her, please."

I admit guys, this chapter bored me. I wanted to get Hiccup back into the saddle but couldn't figure out the best way to go about it. I have other ideas in mind now, so I hope to get those to you guys soon!