Hello everyone! I want to apologize for the fact that this chapter took so incredibly long. I've been very ill these past two weeks, leaving me almost unable to write. But I'm mostly better now, and the next (and last) chapter should be out soon! But first, Review Replies:

Guest: Thank you, that means a lot to hear that! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

SMr. Freeze: Thank you!

Writer for the Tylwyth Teg: I already send you PMs, but thanks again for your awesome reviews!

Cloaked Glydr: I'm glad you liked the Ragnarok thing. I'm glad it was a refreshing perspective of the battle. And yeah, it will suck for Hiccup when he finds out, but luckily Astrid will be right there to help him get through it.

Guardian of Azarath: You're not quite right about the burns, but they are very serious. I personally like the theory of Toothless accidentally biting Hiccup's leg off, and I suppose that's what happened in the movie, but for my story this scenario fit better, I think.

HappyPup1: Thank you so much for your review!

dracologistmaster: Wow, it's incredible to hear I made people cry, so thank you so much for sharing that with me. I hope you'll like the next chapter as well.

Transformers 0: Yeah, they've gone through a lot, haven't they? But it's nearly over, and happy times are just around the corner.

Sir Baron: There is no doubt in my mind that they would get married. I might write a one-shot of their wedding at some point.

Drew Luczynski: Ooh, good ideas! Thanks for those suggestions! Haha, just kidding. I'm pretty much done tormenting them. The next chapters, and the one-shots will be filled with fluff, and when there's angst, there will also be comfort.

The guest reviews here are from oldest to newest:

Guest: Thank you so much!

Guest: You're watcher321? I like making people laugh as well, though I mostly seem to make my readers cry and be angry.

Guest: I once read the following quote: "If there is a god, he doesn't love us. He just loves interesting stories." I'll admit I'm a god like that, twisting the world and tormenting the characters, just to create the most interesting and meaningful story I can possibly write. But it's not all bad. Hiccup will have Astrid and Toothless to help him walk.

Guest: I'm glad I was able to surprise you. I suppose it was a cruel twist, but I wanted it to be a very... painful realization, both for Astrid and for the audience.

Midoriko-sama: I already send you PMs, but I just wanted to say thanks again for your reviews! You're awesome!

chonchobillups557: Thank you, I'm glad to hear you think I did the right thing.

ynius: To me, hearing that I touched someone enough to make them cry is pretty much the biggest compliment I can receive. So thank you so much for sharing that.

CartoonLoverBecky: Believe me, I'm tired of the angst as well. But starting from next chapter, it will mostly be over. As soon as Hiccup wakes up there will be loads and loads of cute fluff, and that will continue in the one-shots as well. Also, I'll probably post a really fluffy Hiccstrid one-shot tomorrow, so maybe that will heal your aching heart :p.

susanne skjoldedvardsen: You'll read it in this chapter!

UnbreakableWarrior: Thanks!

EmeraldSeaGamer: Sorry! I'm done throwing things at them, though. He'll get a big hug soon.

LordTheadArmageddon: I'm sorry, but Hiccup will not regain his sight.

Guest: Thank you, and sorry for taking so long!

Kennayil: Thank you so much! It's always great to hear people like it enough to favorite it, so thanks!

Chris: Thank you so much for your review!

Chapter 25: Silent Vigil

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Astrid saw the lights of Berk in the distance. The sun had gone down a while ago, though it barely seemed to make a difference with the dark clouds still hanging overhead. Her legs were cramping up, and her hands were hurting from holding Hiccup, but that wasn't the reason she was happy they were nearly there. Hiccup had remained unmoving in her arms, and shallow breaths were the only sounds he made. She tried not to look down at his legs, knowing that torn shirt was the only thing covering his leg.

She hoped Gothi would be able to help him. The leg might be… gone, but hopefully they'd be able to stop any infection setting in.

Stormfly flew past one of the watchtowers, and Astrid heard a shout. Seconds later a horn blew.

The signal for a dragon attack.

Astrid nudged the dragon under her, and Stormfly landed in the square. A few people ran out of their houses and looked at them with fear in their eyes. Astrid looked around, holding her hands in the air to show she wasn't armed. She tried to identify who was in charge, but it was hard to see a leader among the old men and young children. More villagers ran into the square, holding pitchforks and pickaxes. Astrid was thankful none of the real warriors were here anymore, and all that was left were the very young and the very old.

"It's Astrid!" one of the boys suddenly shouted, and the old Vikings started whispering, raising their makeshift weapons in their shaking hands.

"I'm not here to hurt you, and Storm- the dragon isn't going to hurt you either. Hiccup here needs medical attention. Gothi needs to take a look at him," she slowly said as she tried to dismount Stormfly, not finding a way to do it without dropping Hiccup.

"Weren't you in jail?" someone asked, and Astrid looked up to see a middle-aged woman she recognized as Gunborg walk forward a bit, a small axe in her only hand. Gunborg always took care of the little children of the village when their parents were unable to do so. She was infertile herself, but that didn't stop her from being a second mother to everyone. Astrid remembered that when she was little, before she became focused on training, she would always ask mother to take her to 'Auntie Gunborg' to play.

Oddly enough, Hiccup was never present in the group of children surrounding Gunborg.

"I was, but I got out… It's not important! Hiccup needs help! Now!" she shouted, pointing at the bloodied stump. A young boy hesitantly walked forward carrying a torch, and, carefully avoiding the Nadder, shined the light at Hiccup's leg.

Gasps rang out, and Gunborg walked forward slowly, her axe held out in front of her. "How… How do we know it's not a trap? You're both criminals. Stoick exiled you. And now you come here… riding a dragon…" her voice faltered as she looked at the crooning Nadder. The rest of the Vikings were whispering.

"Stoick sent me! We just came from the dragon's nest! Stoick gave me his ring, he said we're not fugitives anymore, and he wants you to save his son!" Astrid said as she grabbed the ring from her pouch and held it out to the woman.

"I… This is his ring. He wouldn't… I suppose we should help you then," Gunborg said as she took the ring, looking very uncertain. Astrid sighed in relief and lowered Hiccup down as far as she could. Two boys of about twelve years old ran forward and took Hiccup from her arms. "Careful!" she stressed as Hiccup's comforting weight disappeared.

Carefully she climbed off the Nadder, scratching her as a reward for the flight.

"We'll take him to Gothi now. Stoick left me here to take care of the little ones, and I suppose Hiccup is one of those," Gunborg said with a forced smile as she gestured to the small children looking at Stormfly with wide eyes.

Astrid answered with a nod before following the boys carrying Hiccup. Stormfly followed close behind, crooning at the Vikings surrounding the square.

"So… what's with the dragon?" Gunborg hesitantly asked. Astrid sighed. She felt way too tired for this, but she knew she had to spread the truth about dragons. Hiccup had ended the reason the dragons attacked Berk, and now she had to stop the Vikings from attacking the dragons.

So, as they walked up the hill to Gothi's hut, Astrid ignored her fatigue and explained what happened on Dragon Island to Gunborg. The one-armed woman was skeptical, but it seemed she wasn't immune to Stormfly's charm. By the time they climbed the stairs Gunborg was hesitantly stroking Stormfly's scales, a look of wonder on her face.

"To think… 300 years of war… all those deaths… all those orphans… for nothing," Gunborg muttered as they opened the door to Gothi's hut. Astrid didn't answer. She could only look at Hiccup lying on the table, the stump uncovered for all to see. Her breathing quickened as she looked at the black-charred skin and scars where the tongues of flame had touched his leg. Gothi was examining Hiccup, absently waving for one of the boys to grab her medicine bag.

Astrid sat down in a small chair in the corner of the room. She felt more exhausted than she had ever felt before, but she didn't want to sleep. She wanted to make sure Hiccup was okay. The smaller boy left the house after a short conversation with Gunborg, but Astrid wasn't paying attention to that. She only looked at the large knife the other boy was cleaning. She vaguely remembered he was an apprentice of Gothi, of sorts. The village was always in need of more healers, and some smart kids were sent to learn Gothi's runes and the secrets of her healing herbs and surgeries.

She wondered why Hiccup was never sent to learn the healing arts. He would have been a lot better at it than at dragon killing. She supposed Hiccup would have been too busy with chiefing lessons for studying herbs as well.

And now he would never be able to be a healer, without eyes and without a leg. She looked away when Gothi took the knife and started to cut the stump open. Astrid pressed her hands together, groaning when one of the blisters burst and bloody pus ran down her hands.

"Are you okay?" Gunborg asked, and she nearly jumped from the chair. Astrid tried to hide her hands, but Gunborg grabbed them and exposed the dirty wounds.

"These have to be cleaned and bound," Gunborg said. Astrid shook her head. Her wounds weren't important. They should focus on Hiccup. She just had some small burns, Hiccup lost his leg!

She didn't care that she could barely feel her fingers anymore.

"No, it's nothing! You should help Hiccup!" she said, pulling her hands back.

Gunborg simply sighed, before grabbing her hand again. "Astrid, don't act like a child. Gothi and Vali are already doing everything they can to help Hiccup. He'll be okay. Ignoring your own injuries isn't going to help Hiccup. These burns are bad, and I need to treat them now, or soon you won't be able to use your hands at all," the older woman said in a tone that she remembered from her youth. Gunborg would use the same tone when she was telling fighting children to stop and apologize.

Astrid knew she was right. She'd need her hands. Hiccup would need her hands. She needed to hand him things in the forge, she'd need to grab his arm to guide him through the village.

"Fine. But I'm staying here. I'm not leaving Hiccup," Astrid said as she stood up and allowed herself to be guided to the small table on the other side of the room. She glanced at Hiccup lying on the table, and a wave of nausea hit her. Gothi and the young apprentice were carefully cutting at exposed muscle and bone. Astrid knew it was necessary, she knew the bone had to be shortened so it would be covered by skin, and the muscle had to be reattached, but it still hurt to see it happen to Hiccup.

"Alright, just keep your hands still," Gunborg said as she started cleaning away the ashes and blood on Astrid's hands. It stung, but Astrid forced herself to look at Hiccup's surgery just a few feet away. This was why she had gone through all that pain. Why she was still going through pain. So Hiccup would be okay. A few burns and a bit of pain were a small price to pay for that.

Gunborg cut her half-molten arm wrappings apart and applied ointment and cream to her hands, before wrapping them in bandages with remarkable skill for a woman with only one arm. Astrid forced herself to focus on that. If Gunborg was able to apply bandages one-handed, Hiccup could learn to walk with one leg. He'd learn to run and jump again, and she'd find a way to help him fly on Toothless.

"Okay Astrid, you have to come back here every day and have Gothi refresh the ointment and bandages. Try to use your hands as little as possible," Gunborg said, but Astrid was barely listening. Hiccup groaned as Gothi chipped a piece of bone off. Gunborg, probably seeing where here attention was focused, simply guided her back to the chair and sat her down.

"I'm going to tell the village what happened. And Astrid?" Gunborg said, and Astrid tore her gaze from Hiccup for a moment to look up at her.

"Take care of yourself. You've done more than enough to help Hiccup, now you've got to help yourself as well. I'm not going to lie, Hiccup's in a bad shape right now, and when he wakes up he's going to need you healthy and strong," the woman said, and Astrid merely nodded. She knew Gunborg was right, but it still felt… selfish to think about her own needs when Hiccup's leg was being cut apart right in front of her.

Gunborg patted her shoulder before leaving the house. Astrid watched Hiccup's leg for a while longer, but before the surgery was complete she fell asleep, her dreams filled with fire and ashes.

Astrid was sitting on Hiccup's bed, moved downstairs for now. The silence felt wrong. Hiccup was supposed to be loud and lively. He was supposed to be gesturing wildly with his arms while rambling about an invention.

He wasn't supposed to be all still and quiet. She squeezed his hand, hoping for a response, but receiving none. Hiccup normally never ignored her, and it made her angry. She wished she could just shake him awake, she wished he would just get up and laugh again.

She wished he would squeeze her hand back.

"Come on, Hiccup. Wake up," she said, not knowing if he could hear her. When he didn't respond she sighed before pulling him to a sitting position, his back against her chest. When he was stable, she gently poured a cup of water into his mouth. Odd that, even though he was in the deepest sleep she had ever seen, his body still swallowed when presented with water or food. Apart from the movement of his throat, he was perfectly still, and it scared Astrid.

Vali, Gothi's apprentice, had explained that Hiccup would probably be in this sleep for a long time, but that they thought he would wake up someday. Astrid forced herself to focus on that. Hiccup would wake up. He had to.

When the water was gone Astrid put the cup down, nearly dropping it from her tightly bandaged hands. Holding things was hard and painful, and she knew she should probably ask someone else to feed Hiccup. But somehow she didn't trust anyone else with this task. She'd just suffer through the pain as long as she had to. When she used certain fingers it didn't hurt as much, anyway.

She took the bread, broken by Vali into small pieces, and began feeding the tiny chunks into Hiccup's mouth one by one. Every time she'd wait for him to swallow, panicking slightly when one chunk went the wrong way and caused the boy to cough it back up. Finally the bread was gone, and Astrid laid Hiccup back again.

She wished she could sit here for a while longer, but Hiccup wasn't the only one she had to feed. So she stood up and walked outside. A loud squawk greeted her as she closed the door, and she smiled when she saw Stormfly there, eagerly waiting for her breakfast. She led the Nadder to her own house and grabbed some fish for her to eat.

"Astrid? There's someone here who wants to ask you something," a voice said as she left her house, and Astrid looked up to see Gunborg nearby, a small boy with black hair standing next to her.

Astrid tried not to sigh. She had been bombarded with questions when she left Gothi's hut the morning after Hiccup's surgery. Everyone asked if their family members were okay. She'd told them she wasn't sure, but that the ships would probably return in a few days, and then they would see who was okay.

She had felt the disappointment and fear in the air, before the little ones started crying for their parents to come home. Gunborg had shushed them, distracting them with a game, but Astrid still felt the glares of the old Vikings on her. She knew they were wondering why she had taken Hiccup home, but not their sons and daughters.

Somehow she didn't think this little boy was asking about his mum or dad, though. He was staring at Stormfly with a look of awe, and she walked over to him.

"Hello there. Who are you?" she asked the boy who couldn't take his eyes of the Nadder.

"I-I'm Gustav. Auntie Gunborg said you flew on a Deadly Nadder, and that Hiccup flew on a Night Fury! Is that really true?" he asked, and she smiled.

"Yes, Gustav. We trained the dragons to bring us to the nest, and Hiccup even killed the bad monster with his dragon!" she said while bringing Stormfly a little closer. "Do you want to meet her?" she asked the boy.

He looked a little scared, but after a look of encouragement from Gunborg he reached out his hand to the Nadder.

"Wow! Th-This is pretty cool! Can I have a dragon of my own?" he asked when he touched Stormfly, and her smile fell. She wished Hiccup was here to see this. A Viking boy, asking to have a dragon friend of his own.

"Maybe later, Gustav. You should ask your parents first, and the chief should be okay with it as well. But we should go now, it's time for lunch," Gunborg said as she pulled him back a bit.

"Aww, but I wanted to ride the Nadder! Can I, Astrid?" the boy eagerly asked, and she did her best not to laugh. To think that the war had only been over for two days, but some people were already willing to befriend the dragons.

Stormfly growled a little, clearly uncomfortable, and Gunborg interjected again. "Not now, Gustav. But you can tell the others you touched a dragon!"

"They'll be so jealous! And one day, I'll have my own dragon! I want to have a Monstrous Nightmare! And I'll kill big monsters, just like Hiccup!" Gustav exclaimed as Gunborg led him away, and Astrid wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. She was happy someone in the village seemed to appreciate Hiccup's sacrifice, but she wished he was there with her.

It seemed like a new day was dawning, and Astrid hoped Hiccup would be able to see it soon.

Astrid ran down to the docks the moment she heard the horn blow twice. The signal for Vikings returning. Children were already crowding the cliff and wooden ramps, trying to see if their parents were on board of the ship docking in the harbor.

Astrid ran down the ramps and arrived at the dock just as the ship moored. Astrid expected Stoick to be the first one to set foot on Berk, but Toothless jumped out as soon as the boat was close enough. The dragon ran over and started sniffing her.

Could he smell Hiccup on her?

"How is Hiccup?" a voice asked, and she looked away from Toothless nudging her to see Stoick and Gobber walking up to her.

"He's okay. He's still asleep, but Gothi is sure he'll wake up soon," she told the chief as Toothless pushed her with his paw.

"He's been frantic ever since you left with Hiccup. I guess he really misses him," Gobber said as he gestured to Toothless. Astrid wondered if Hiccup missed Toothless, even in his sleep.

Did he miss her?

"Well, let's show him Hiccup's still alive," she said before leading them up the ramp. As they walked Toothless sniffed the ground, probably trying to locate Hiccup.

"I brought your axe. You left it behind on Dragon Island," Gobber said as he showed her the weapon. She took it, wincing when the heavy weight hurt her hands, still wrapped in thick bandages.

"It's a little damaged on that side," Gobber said, and she looked at the edge he pointed at. She remembered using that edge to saw through the remains of the pedal. The heat must have damaged the weapon.

"I can easily fix it, though. Free of charge. After all, you saved my apprentice!" Gobber said, and she tried to smile. She remembered how Hiccup had fixed her axe before. She wanted to have that again, laughing and assisting him in the forge.

"No, I want Hiccup to fix it," she said, and Gobber simply nodded. They reached the house, and Toothless ran in as soon as Stoick opened the door. The moment the dragon saw Hiccup he warbled loudly and all but pounced the boy. She smiled at the dragon's enthusiasm, though her smile fell when she saw Toothless' happy mood disappear when Hiccup didn't react. The dragon stopped warbling and laid his head on the bed, gently nosing Hiccup.

Stoick sighed deeply before sitting on the bed and lifting Hiccup. He felt the burns on his face, briefly lifting the blindfold to examine the scars as well. Astrid noticed a look of pain crossed the chief's face as he looked at Hiccup's eyes, but then the blindfold was shifted back in place and Stoick's face became neutral again.

Astrid sat down next to Toothless and scratched him under his chin. The dragon didn't respond, though. He just warbled sadly at Hiccup. Stoick lifted the covers to look at the stump, and Astrid saw another look of pain on his face.

"Oh son. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Stoick softly said, and Astrid looked away, not sure if she should be hearing this. Gobber walked over and patted the large chief on his shoulders.

"He'll be okay, Stoick. Just remember that he'll need all our help to recover. Mine, Astrid's, Toothless', and your help. You told me how proud you are of him. Don't forget that you'll need to tell that him as well.

"I will. I see now that I was the blind one. I just… didn't see him. I didn't see what he needed. I thought that… I couldn't help him. I tried to do what I thought was best, but… I see now that that wasn't what he needed. He needed his father, not his chief. I was a fool. And now he's… he's blind and crippled and…" Stoick's voice broke, and Astrid realized he was crying.

No one spoke for a long time, as Gobber patted Stoick on the back and Astrid tried to cheer Toothless up.

Suddenly the door opened and a large Viking came in.

"Chief? Are you here? We need you at the docks. We're trying to decide what to take back to Dragon Island," the man said, and Astrid saw Stoick's face become stony and still again.

"I'll be right there," he said, and the messenger left. Stoick brushed his fingers through Hiccup's hair one last time before standing up.

"I have to go now. We're going back to Dragon Island with supplies. We need to bring the rest of the Vikings home. I truly wish I didn't have to go, but the village needs me more than ever right now. I… I hope I come back before Hiccup wakes up, and when I come back I won't leave again. I'll leave him in your capable hands. I'm sure you, and Gobber, and T-Toothless will do your best to take care of him," the chief said, and although his face was still and composed, Astrid could see he was doing his best not to cry again.

"We will, chief. I'm not going to let anything happen to him," she said as she grabbed Hiccup's hand.

"I understand you have to go, but this should be the last time, Stoick. That boy needs his dad," Gobber said before hugging the chief. Stoick nodded when he pulled away from the hug.

"It is the last time. And if he wakes up before I'm back, tell him I'm so, so sorry," Stoick said before leaving the house again, leaving Gobber, Astrid and Toothless behind with the boy who hadn't responded at all.

It was odd to climb the stairs to Gothi's hut with Gobber again, knowing that she wasn't there to bring Hiccup. She was there for her own injuries. The itching and aching had gradually disappeared, but her hands still felt… weird. It was hard to determine what it was under the thick layer of bandages, but something felt… different than before.

Gobber was translating Gothi's runes as usual, and Astrid waited for Gothi to remove the bandages and reapply the salve as she had done every day for the past week. This time was different, though. Gothi inspected her hands for a longer time than usual, carefully feeling all the white blobs and reddened skin that now riddled her hands. Astrid tried not to look, and tried not to think about the fact that she barely felt Gothi's hands on hers.

Eventually Gothi released her hands and started writing in the sand.

"She says your hands have healed as much as they will. Thankfully no muscles or bones were damaged, so you should still be able to move and carry things like you used to," Gobber said, and Astrid was glad for that. She unsheathed her axe from her back, thankful that she didn't feel any pain, but mortified by something else.

She barely felt the handle at all.

Trying not to drop the axe from her shaking hands, she ran her fingers over the weapon, noting that she didn't feel any… texture on her fingers. She could feel that she was grabbing something, but the wooden handle and iron blade felt exactly the same. Some of her fingers were better, some were worse, but it still terrified her. All she felt was the scar tissue covering most of her fingers. It was like she was wearing thick gloves.

"I… I don't feel as much anymore. I can't feel the difference between the wood and iron," she said, trying not to sound like she was freaking out.

Gothi sighed, before scribbling more runes in the sand.

"Gothi says that that's to be expected. Your skin was heavily damaged, Astrid, and we can't fix that entirely. You're… You're going to have to live with this," Gobber slowly said, and Astrid tried her best not to give in to the surge of anger rising in her. She wanted to hit something, she wanted to scream, she wanted to punish someone for this injustice. So her hands were scarred and numb forever? And for what? Hiccup lost his leg anyway. It had been for nothing.

It had been a useless attempt to save what had already been lost. She had been so desperate to save Hiccup, to save the boy that made her feel so much. Maybe she wasn't allowed to feel, so the gods took away her sense of touch. Maybe this was a punishment for killing the Dragon Queen. Then she mentally slapped herself. She was feeling sorry for herself, while Hiccup was still unconscious and missing a leg.

Gobber must have noticed her tight grip on her axe, and walked over to her.

"Come on, Astrid, it'll be fine. You can still use that axe just like before. And now that you don't have to have all those bandages on anymore, you can help me in the forge. I'm going to make a prosthetic leg for Hiccup, and I could use a hand," he said as he opened the door.

Astrid slowly nodded, feeling numb. She wondered if this was how Hiccup felt when he got the blindfold. She remembered wondering why he looked so miserable when he was declared healed. Why he had been crying outside that first night. "Crying doesn't help anyone," she remembered thinking.

Now she understood. Just because you got a scar out of it, didn't mean it was fun. And sometimes there were invisible scars as well, hidden under sarcastic remarks and insistent I'm-fines. She wondered if Hiccup had been suffering more than she had ever thought. She used to think he got over it pretty quickly, never remarking on it.

She wondered if he just wanted to cry sometimes. She certainly felt like crying over her burned hands. When he woke up, she'd tell him it was okay to cry, and that she wouldn't think he was weak. She'd let him cry over his lost eyes, and lost leg, and he'd let her cry over her numb fingers.

Maybe then she would feel a little more healed.

"Okay, I'll help," she said before following Gobber to the forge.

When they arrived, she noticed one of Hiccup's copper drawing plates on the workbench, and Astrid remembered they would have to forge something else as well.

"Gobber, I want to make something else for Hiccup as well. A present for when he wakes up," she said. "Can we rebuild Toothless' tail fin? Hiccup had a pedal on his left foot he used to control the fin, but I suppose it will have to be changed now that…" her voice trailed off as she picked up the fin design and showed it to Gobber.

Gobber took the copper plate with a confused look on his face, before it lit up in comprehension. "He… He drew lines in the metal? That boy is too smart for his own good," he said, before he suddenly started to laugh.

"That was your 'secret project', wasn't it?! You were making a fin to make a dragon fly again. Right under my nose! Oh, you kids are lucky Hiccup is a hero now, or I'd be angry. But I'll see what we can do about that pedal. I think that Night Fury will kill me if he doesn't get to fly with Hiccup soon," Gobber exclaimed as he examined the design with his fingers.

Smithing wasn't as fun as she remembered it. Though she tried to laugh at Gobber's singing and bad jokes, it just wasn't the same. Every time he dropped something she wanted to pick it up, before remembering that wasn't necessary with Gobber. Gobber could see where everything was. He didn't seem to need her help that much, only asking her to keep the forge at a certain temperature, or explain details of the saddle, but she was grateful for the distraction.

Steadily the prosthetic and pedal were starting to take shape. She hated seeing the piece of metal that would be Hiccup's foot, and she was glad she couldn't really feel it in her hands. It still felt… unreal, somehow. She still couldn't believe Hiccup's foot was really… gone. That he would have to walk on this ugly contraption for the rest of his life. At least it would match the new tail fin, locking into the pedal with a mechanism Astrid didn't really understand.

When the forging was done, Gobber asked Astrid to grab a piece of cloth from the storage shed to complete the fin. Last time she had grabbed some simple brown cloth. There was so much brown cloth, she didn't think it would be missed. But now brown felt wrong. Hiccup deserved something brighter and nicer, even if he couldn't see it himself. So she grabbed a piece of red cloth with the Berk crest painted on. It would show everyone that he really was a Viking, and that he really was a Berkian.

Astrid would just punch everyone who disagreed.

"What are you doing here, Snotlout?" Astrid asked, looking at the nervous boy in front of Hiccup's house. He must have arrived on the ship that came in earlier. The Vikings had managed to repair two ships, and they were sailing back and forth between Berk and Dragon Island, slowly bringing all the Vikings home.

"I just… I wanted to see how Hiccup's doing. I mean… He's hurt! And… I want to make sure he's okay!" he stuttered, and Astrid narrowed her eyes. Snotlout had never cared before.

"He's not okay. He's been asleep for ten days straight, and he just lost his leg. I don't think he needs your 'jokes'," she said as she blocked the doorway of Hiccup's house.

"I know that! I'm not here to joke, or to pick on him, or something! I just… I don't know. I feel bad, okay! And I want to say sorry!" he said, and she sighed. She wished Gobber was here, but he was overseeing the supplies for the ship returning to Dragon Island. And Stoick was still at the nest.

So it was up to her to decide what was best.

"I'm going to be honest, Snotlout. I think you should stay far away from Hiccup. If he wants to be friends, that's up to him, but he should come to you first. But… I suppose you can come inside for a moment. Just… say what you have to say, then leave. And if you do anything, well… I've got my axe right here," she finally said, not mentioning that the axe was damaged.

Snotlout looked a little queasy, but he finally nodded. "Okay. You're right, I suppose. Thanks for letting me in," he said, and she moved out of the doorway.

"I'm not doing it for you, Snotlout. I just think Hiccup deserves a real apology from you," she said as he entered, and he simply nodded.

Snotlout sat down in the chair next to the bed, and leaned over Hiccup. Astrid moved a little closer, ready to intervene if he was going to try anything.

"Hey, little cousin. You're… you're not looking so good, are you? But at least you've got Astrid to look out for you, right?" he said, and Astrid took deep breaths, forcing herself to give him some time.

"I suppose… you're not so bad. I mean, you saved us all from that big dragon. That was pretty cool. And you got a big cool scar too! Though I guess you don't think it's cool right now," Snotlout continued, and Astrid wished he'd just apologize and leave already.

"I… I'm sorry for all those things I did to you. I thought… that I would be a better heir than you, I guess. But… you lead us into battle, and you took on that monster. You even trained a Night Fury! And you did those things blindly! That's… that's pretty awesome, I guess. Real chief stuff! So… sorry. I… I hope you can forgive me," Snotlout said, before standing up and exiting without another word, leaving a confused Astrid and a silent Hiccup behind.

"This isn't funny anymore, Hiccup. You've been asleep for two weeks now, and I'm getting worried, okay. Why can't you just wake up? Toothless really misses you, he barely eats! I don't know what to do about him," she told the boy on the bed. He still didn't respond, and she sighed deeply, before grabbing the bucket she brought.

He needed to be washed again. Thankfully the ashes were gone, but he still sweat, even in his sleep. His hair was greasy, and Toothless' incessant licking didn't help either. So she undid his blindfold, wincing when the scars were revealed to the world, and dipped the cloth in the bucket of soapy water. After wringing it out she ran the cloth over Hiccup's dirty face, trying to touch the scars as little as she could. He always seemed to wince when the cold water touched them, and even though she was glad to get some reaction, she hated causing him pain.

Toothless crooned unhappily as she wiped away his saliva from Hiccup's cheeks, but didn't move from his place next to the bed. The dragon had barely moved since arriving on Berk. He refused to sleep or eat, only looking at Hiccup with sad eyes. Only when Astrid brought Stormfly along did he eat a few fish before resuming his silent vigil.

She sighed before moving on to Hiccup's hair, rubbing a generous amount of soap in before dipping the cloth in the water again. He needed a haircut, she noted. His hair was starting to grow over his blindfold. She supposed it wouldn't matter much to him, but it looked wrong.

"We're gone for two weeks, and you're already washing his hair?" Astrid jumped up, startled by the unexpected voice. She looked around and saw her mother stand in the doorway. Astrid tried not to shriek. She thought her parents were still away. They must have been on the ship that came in today.

Astrid felt her cheeks heat up when she realized what her mother must have been thinking when she saw them. Touching someone's hair… meant stuff. It was something only betrothed or married couples did.

"Mother! It's… It's not what you think! It's just… His hair was dirty, and someone had to wash it, so… I just did it! It's nothing like… you know!" she exclaimed while flinging the cloth back in the bucket. Toothless raised his head to look at the intruder, but didn't respond further.

Kirsten giggled as she walked over. "Oh really? From what I hear from Gunborg, you've been feeding him as well. And why couldn't anyone else do it? Gobber maybe? Or Vali?" she said, and Astrid wished she could just disappear. It wasn't anything like that!

"Because Gobber couldn't really do it with his hook, and Vali was busy. And I want to do it," Astrid said, before realizing what she just blurted out. "Wait, I didn't mean it like… I just don't want him to get sick!" she said.

Kirsten laughed softly before sitting down next to her. "It's okay, Astrid. I won't tell anyone. And there's nothing wrong with liking Hiccup," her mother said, and Astrid just groaned. It wasn't like that. She didn't like Hiccup. She just… felt really weird about him. He just made her feel all weird and mushy and soft.

"But you know, before things go further, you should probably ask Tolfdir to meet with Stoick for a contract, and…" her mother said in a light voice, like she could barely contain her laughter, and Astrid couldn't take the embarrassment anymore.

"No! Don't tell father! He'll just get angry, he doesn't like Hiccup. And I don't want a… marriage contract," she said, barely able to say the last two words. She never wanted to get married. She always wanted to be a shield maiden, focusing on fighting and war instead of… marriage and… kissing and… other stuff couples did. But now she didn't want to fight anymore. She was sick of fighting and war. But did that mean she wanted that other extreme? She couldn't imagine herself being married.

"Don't worry, Astrid. I was joking. It's a little early for a marriage contract. Let's wait for the poor boy to wake up first, right?" Kirsten said, and she involuntarily giggled. She supposed Hiccup should have a say in all this as well. Her smile fell when she realized he probably wouldn't want to be married to her. She was the one who maimed him, the one who kept hitting him, the one who couldn't stop him from getting hurt again. Why would he like her?

Why did that thought make her so sad?

"But I just want you to know that there's nothing wrong with the way you feel. Hiccup is a nice guy, and he's good for you," Kirsten said as she put her arm around her shoulders. Astrid didn't respond. She was tired of trying to convince her mother she didn't feel that way about Hiccup. Or… was she trying to convince herself she didn't like him?

She supposed Hiccup was a good guy. He's smart, and funny, and… stronger than she ever thought before. He was always nice to her, and he made her laugh like no one else could. And he was so… noble and brave, taking on the Dragon Queen by himself. And even though he was blind, he was still so… capable. He didn't let the blindness stop him from smithing and doing the things that were important to him.

But… just because he had some good qualities, didn't mean she… liked him, did it?

"I suppose. But I don't know if that means… you know," she whispered, feeling more confused than ever.

"Think about it this way, Astrid. You willingly burned your hands to help him. Would you have done that for any other boy?" Kirsten asked, and Astrid frowned. She couldn't imagine doing that for Fishlegs or Tuffnut, let alone Snotlout. She remembered feeling so… scared Hiccup was hurt, and willing to do anything to make sure he wasn't.

Is that what… love is?

Astrid felt so confused.

Maybe Kirsten saw how confused she was, because she didn't press on anymore. She just rubbed her back some more, before standing up.

"I'm going to find your father. He's at Gothi's, getting his broken arm fixed," she said as she walked to the door. But before she left, Kirsten turned around.

"I won't say anything to Tolfdir, child. But if you decide you do want to have a marriage contract, I'll ask him, and I think he wouldn't be… that opposed to it," Kirsten said with a wide smile, and Astrid felt her cheeks heat up again.

"Mother! That won't be necessary!" she shouted, and Kirsten just laughed before exiting the house.

Astrid wasn't sure, but she thought her mother said one last word before leaving.

"Yet…"

Astrid just groaned, before being nudged by Toothless. The dragon was glaring at her, before turning his gaze to the bucket.

"I'm on it, Toothless. At least you don't ask me about my love life," she muttered as she grabbed the cloth and began rinsing Hiccup's hair, hoping his sleep was deep enough that he hadn't heard any of that.

I hope you liked that chapter! There is only one more chapter in this story, and I hope to post it before the end of the week! Please leave a review or send a PM if you've got something to say, and I'll be back soon!