Hello everyone! We're finally here. The final chapter. I have a lot of thoughts, and some things I want to say, but I'm saving it for after the chapter. First, Review Replies:

HappyPup1: Haha, that's god to hear!

Writer for the Tylwyth Teg: We already exchanged tons of messages, but I just wanted to say thank you again for supporting me in this long journey, and for your awesome reviews!

Twigman242: Thank you, I hope you like this chapter as well.

roughgunner: Yes, it's finally starting to hit her that she might actually like Hiccup as more than just a normal friend.

SMr. Freeze: Thank you, I hope it will be worth the wait.

Angryhenry: I'm glad you thought it was funny!

Guardian of Azarath: Oh yes, she's got it very bad. I'll keep those things in mind if I decide to write a wedding one-shot!

dracologistmaster: Not that much teasing in this chapter, unfortunately, but I hope you like the fluff anyway.

skifast: Thank you so much, it's incredible to hear that!

Anonymous Noob the 2nd: I hope you continued reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts when you're finished.

Midoriko-sama: I hope you liked the chapter! I'm curious to hear what you thought of Stoick's character development, and if you liked the scene with Astrid and her mother.

Drew Luczynski: In a way, it all works out. There's still bridges to cross and hurdles to take, but their journey is mostly at an end.

Guest: Thank you very much. I'm sad as well to see it come to an end, but all things must end. I'm planning on writing a lot of one-shots, though.

Sir Baron: I hope you liked it!

Transformers 0: I'm glad I was able to make you laugh.

InsertACreativeNameHere: Thank you so much!

EmeraldSeaGamer: Sometimes those most basic reactions are the most touching, and I'm certainly happy you decided to share it with me.

Shockeye7665: I don't think he'll get the shield, since it had a lot of features that relied on sight (crossbow, bola launcher, mirror). But I really like your idea of a hidden weapon in a cane. Maybe a spear, or a retractable sword, like a switchblade... I like it. I'll think about it some more.

CartoonLoverBecky: There's still some angst in this chapter (sorry!) but I assure you that there will also be a lot of comfort and fluff.

Watcher321: Aww, he's so sad, isn't he?!

ivanganev1992: I don't think I'll have Hiccup learn Draconese. I like the relation he has with Toothless right now, understanding each other without needing words or a common language. He might teach Toothless some more words, but not the entire language.

Chapter 26: The Black Room

When Hiccup woke up he couldn't figure out why he felt so heavy. It felt like his arms were glued to the floor of the black room. And he was so tired, he just wanted to go back to sleep. But something told him to wake up and think, told him that something important had happened. He struggled to remember what that was. He remembered heat, and coughing. There was… wind? And screaming? He remembered swimming. He remembered flying. Flying on Toothless. But why had it been so hard to breath? Why had there been so much smoke in the air? It hadn't been an ordinary flight. But… why? And why did he remember a Deadly Nadder? Why was Snotlout there?

Why was his brain so slow? Hiccup just wanted to sleep, but he felt too confused to relax. Slowly, very slowly, the puzzle pieces started to come together to fill in the gaps. He had trained dragons… for the other teenagers. But he couldn't remember why, exactly. He remembered flying on the Nadder, but why hadn't he flown on Toothless? There was something with his father… Stoick… had taken Toothless… Suddenly a loud dragon roar echoed in his head and it all came back.

The dragon training finale. Telling his father about the nest. Astrid in jail. They had recruited the other teens and gone after them. Hiccup's breathing quickened as he remembered the battle. Nearly drowning. Saving Astrid, then leaving her behind. He vaguely remembered… rocks raining down on him, and then… cold air. But suddenly there had been heat all around them, and they had gone down. There was an… explosion, but Hiccup didn't remember anything else. He only remembered… fire. So much fire. He remembered burning and pain. He still felt pain, and itching on his face. And his leg felt really weird for some reason. It wasn't really pain, but it was… like nothing he'd ever felt before.

Was he dead? Before he could contemplate the question further something breathed in his face. He smelled… something familiar. Toothless? What happened to Toothless? If he was dead, then what happened to Toothless?

It took all of his power, but eventually he managed to raise his arm slightly. Moments later there was an excited warble, and something warm poked his face. Hiccup smiled. Wherever he was, Toothless was with him. But where was he? What was going on?

"Hey bud," he croaked, surprised by how raw his voice sounded. Toothless warbled again and rubbed and licked his face, and Hiccup reached out his hand to the dragon. That was when he found that his arm was under a blanket. In fact, almost all of his body was covered by thick blankets. He must be lying in some kind of bed. Were there beds in Valhalla? Or was he in Helheim? This didn't feel like what he imagined Helheim to be like.

He removed his hand from the nest of blankets and petted Toothless' warm face, somehow reassuring himself that he was safe, his friend beside him. Finally he moved his other hand and ran it over the wood under him, finding the familiar notches of his own bed. He was in his bed? Was he not dead? Toothless warbled louder, and suddenly something pushed into his gut, making him cry out in pain.

There was a concerned warble as the pressure on his stomach disappeared, and suddenly Hiccup's ears were bombarded with loud clanking and crashing sounds, as Toothless seemed to knock all kinds of things over in his happiness.

"Stop, Toothless! Calm down! Does my dad know you're here?" he shouted at the loudly warbling dragon who seemed to be scratching the wall now. He just realized that he must be in his house, since he was in his own bed. But… why was Toothless here, then? Was Stoick okay with this? His father had apologized before he flew away to fight the Dragon Queen, but did that mean he would allow a dragon into his house?

What was going on? He had to find out. Maybe he could find someone and get some answers. He threw the blanket off him and tried to put his feet on the floor.

But he couldn't. Something felt incredibly wrong with his left leg, and he moved his hands to feel it. At first he thought he was feeling wrong.

Why would there be wood and iron in his bed? And why couldn't he find his foot? His breathing quickened as he ran his hands all over his leg and the strange contraption attached to his leg with ropes, not comprehending. Where was his foot? Where was his foot?! This was just… this couldn't be… It was just covered by this weird wooden and iron thing! He just had to get it away, his foot had to be there, even though he knew there was not enough room inside the narrow piece of iron to hide a foot.

"No, no, no, no, no…" he muttered as he tried to untie the ropes attaching the wood to his knee, but his hands shook too much.

Suddenly there a warm paw was placed over his hands, and he stopped pulling at the rope. He forced himself to try and calm down. Toothless was right there, he was okay. He had to be. He wished he could just see his leg and find out what was wrong. Hiccup's breathing became more frantic when it hit him what the thing was.

He reached his arms out to embrace the dragon's head as he realized that thing was his foot. Would be his foot. The foot was gone, and this… peg leg would replace it. Toothless just warbled sadly as Hiccup pressed his body against the dragon, trying not to break down completely. Why? Why again? Hadn't the gods had enough? Were they not content with taking his sight? Did they have to take his leg as well?

Why did the gods have to hate him so much?

Eventually he calmed down, mumbling thanks to Toothless and releasing the dragon's embrace. He had to get away from here. He had to get answers. He had to find someone who could tell him what the Hel was going on.

So, very slowly, he lifted the… prosthetic over the edge of the bed and lowered it down until he felt a strange pressure in his lower leg. Hiccup put his other foot on the floor as well, and took a deep breath.

Trying to stand up while not feeling any ground under one of your feet was the craziest thing Hiccup had ever felt. He leaned heavily on his right leg as he tried to get used to the weird feeling in his left leg, where the prosthetic pressed against his… It had to be a stump. Hiccup nearly lost his balance as his brain tried to imagine what his leg looked like right now, but he remained standing. He couldn't think about that right now. He had to focus on moving. He just had to make it to the door.

Taking another deep breath, he moved his right foot while keeping his left… thing on the floor. It felt like he was falling, like the floor of his black room had disappeared from under him, but he forced himself to take the step. He wondered if this was how Gobber had felt when he lost his leg. At least Gobber still had eyes to see the ground with. Hoping he wasn't about to hit something he slowly lifted his left leg and tried to place it on the floor in front of him. He couldn't figure out if it was securely on the floor, unable to see or feel where it was, and he didn't dare to lean forward to feel with his hands. Trying to take the step, the iron contraption slipped as pain shot through Hiccup's shin and he fell. He braced himself to hit the floor, but he never did.

It took a moment for Hiccup to realize that the warm surface his upper body was lying on was Toothless' head. Of course it was. Toothless wouldn't let him fall. How could he have doubted that?

"Thanks, bud," he said as he leaned on the dragon, trying to find his balance. He suddenly realized they were the same now, having both lost a limb. But Toothless had ended up okay. Hiccup had been able to make him fly again.

Maybe now Toothless could help him walk again.

"Okay, bud. Can you help me? Let's take it slow, okay?" he said as he tried to take another step, leaning heavily on the dragon. This time he didn't slip, though it still felt incredibly weird to walk without feeling ground under one of your feet. But he couldn't think about that. He had to look forward and see the bright side. If he and Toothless could fly together without Hiccup's sight and Toothless' tail fin, they could damn well make it to the door.

As Toothless led him through the house in a painfully slow pace, Hiccup wondered where Astrid was. Was she banished? Punished for helping him train the dragons?

Killed by the Dragon Queen?

No! He couldn't think like that. Astrid was the strongest person he knew, the Queen had nothing on her. She couldn't be dead. Maybe she was back in jail, or maybe she was already released and she was just in the forest to train with her axe.

Finally they reached the door, and Hiccup was already feeling exhausted. But he had to go on. Astrid didn't give up, and he wouldn't either. So, even though his shin burned and his head felt light, he still opened the door.

Only to slam it shut a moment later when a loud Monstrous Nightmare roar rang out. What was a Nightmare doing at his house? He could vaguely understand that Toothless was there, but a Monstrous Nightmare? His father would never allow that, they were at war with the dragons. Maybe he had imagined it. Or this was all just a crazy dream, and he was about to wake up realizing that none of this had happened.

Well, if he was dreaming, he couldn't die if he went outside. So he slowly opened the door until he felt sunlight warming his face, and listened carefully to the sounds coming up the hill.

There were many dragon sounds, but they didn't sound angry or vengeful, like they normally did during a raid. And people were laughing and shouting. Toothless pushed his way through the door, forcing Hiccup to follow his support in order not to fall.

All of this was crazy. Dragons in Berk? Vikings not attacking dragons? Dragons not attacking Vikings? Him without his leg? Toothless waiting by his bed? Hiccup shook his head, trying to make some sense of it. Had all this happened just because he… killed the Dragon Queen?

Was this Valhalla?

"I knew it. I'm dead," he said, only to be startled by a voice he hadn't expected.

"No, but you gave it your best shot," Stoick said before grabbing his shoulders and leading him down the hill.

"No, Gronkles still need fish. They only eat rocks to make dragonfire," Astrid explained to one of the many Viking families that were taking in dragons. She could barely believe the influx of dragons into Berk after the defeat of the Dragon Queen (or Red Death, as the villagers called it). But she was even more surprised that, encouraged by enthusiastic children begging for a Monstrous Nightmare or a Deadly Nadder after Gustav bragged about being a dragon rider, many Vikings were starting to take care of a dragon.

While parents weren't willing to give their little son or daughter a Nightmare, they were willing to try small Gronkles or Terrible Terrors after seeing Fishlegs interacting lovingly with his own Gronkle, Meatlug. And as she was the foremost (conscious) dragon expert, everyone was asking her questions about how to take care of their new dragons.

Answering questions took up most of her time and, although she was happy to further Hiccup's vision of friendly interaction between dragons and Vikings, she hated that every day she had less time to watch over Hiccup. She knew it didn't really matter, Hiccup never seemed to respond to her presence anyway, but for some stupid reason she always felt better when she sat next to him.

Saying goodbye to the happy young boy petting his Gronkle, she walked back to Hiccup's house, hoping to get an hour alone with him. But when she approached the bottom of the hill she noticed something was going on. A crowd had formed around the front of the house, and she looked up to see Toothless sitting in the doorway. Why would Toothless leave Hiccup's side? Did something happen?

She started running up the hill and pushed through the assembled Vikings who were laughing loudly. And suddenly she saw him. Hiccup was so incredibly thin and pale, looking like he was about to faint, but he was awake! And he was… laughing!

How dare he be so damn happy?! She had spent all those hours at his bedside, miserable, begging him to wake up, and now he was awake and he looked like he didn't care at all! Why, that little… Why did he make her feel so much?! She wanted to scream, to giggle, to throw her arms around him and hug him and kiss him and…

Wow, where did that come from? She was Astrid the Strong! She wasn't supposed to feel this stupid! So she walked up to Hiccup and, without hesitation, punched him on the arm while saying "That's for scaring me!"

It made her feel good. For less than half a second. Hiccup stumbled back from her punch, his iron foot slipping out from under him, and then he was falling. Without thinking she grabbed him by the front of his vest to stop his fall. The close contact took her breath away, and suddenly she struggled to remember why she had been angry at him. As she looked at him, that red blindfold under brown hair, that shocked expression and open mouth, she felt something so different from anger she didn't even know what it was.

And without thinking, she pulled him back to his feet before putting her lips on his. A small part of her wanted to feel repulsed by his bad breath and the hint of saliva she could taste. But she didn't care. Because she was kissing this amazing boy, and for the first time in forever, she felt completely calm.

Hiccup didn't look calm when she released him, though. He wasn't breathing at all, and his hands were shaking. He seemed about to pass out, and Astrid grabbed his arms to steady him. A little squeak came out of his throat, and Astrid felt really stupid. Of course he didn't… like her like that. He didn't want to kiss her at all.

She tried her best not to feel hurt about that. But just as she was about to release him and stomp off he took a gasping breath before smiling the biggest smile she had ever seen, and suddenly all was right as she smiled as well.

"I didn't see that coming," Hiccup said, and she couldn't help but snort as she pulled him a little closer, careful of his metal leg. Astrid wished there weren't so many Vikings around her. She wanted to be alone with Hiccup and tell him what an idiot he was for sleeping so long and making her worry so much. She wanted to tell him what an idiot he was for going after the Red Death alone.

And above all, she wanted to kiss him again for being such a lovable idiot. But his father was watching, and Spitelout, and a lot of other people. She averted her eyes from Hiccup for a moment to look around, stifling her groan when she saw her parents standing nearby, her mother giggling while her father just looked shell-shocked. Gods, when had she become someone who kissed silly boys in front of everyone? If someone had told her a month ago that she would be kissing Hiccup Haddock she would have punched them.

But now she didn't mind so much. Maybe that's what that soft and mushy feeling was all about. She used to think that that made her weak. But maybe Hiccup had melted her with his friendliness and warmth, like an iron rod that used to be cold and stiff, turned malleable and glowing in a forge. Maybe he had reforged her into something stronger, like he could make a sharp sword or a powerful axe from shapeless metal. He turned her hard but formless being into a strong weapon. And now, standing next to him, she felt like she, they, were strong enough to defeat anything.

Maybe he had forged more than just a new axe blade that first day. Maybe they had made more than just a tail fin in those secret nights in the forge.

And Astrid couldn't wait to find out what more they would forge together.

She looked away from the smiling and blushing boy in front of her to see Gobber standing nearby, the new tail fin in his arms.

"Oh, Hiccup! We have a surprise for you!" she said as Gobber grabbed his hands and gave him the tail fin. Hiccup looked like he was about to slip again, so she put a hand on his back to steady him as he ran his fingers over the contraption.

"A welcome home gift. It fits your new leg," Gobber said, and Astrid swore she saw a flash of… pain cross Hiccup's face, before disappearing as quickly as it came as he started smiling again.

"It's a… tail fin? For Toothless? But what happened to the other one?" Hiccup asked as he examined the new pedal with his fingers.

"It got burned, Hiccup. After you defeated the Dragon Queen. Don't you remember?" Astrid asked, and Hiccup's face became… sullen again. But before he could formulate a response a cry went out.

"Night Fury! Get down!"

Astrid nearly ducked when she heard the familiar warning, before seeing that Toothless was simply knocking people over in his haste to get to Hiccup and examine the new fin. She looked up to see Hiccup smiling as he did his best to pet Toothless while keeping a hold of the fin, and she figured memories of that horrible day could wait. Maybe after Hiccup and Toothless tried out their new fin, and they'd filled Hiccup in about what was going on in the village, they could sit down and talk about their injuries and memories. But for now, Astrid was happy to look forward to a bright future.

Though she subtly tried to glare at her mother still giggling in the background. Astrid didn't want a marriage contract.

Yet.

Hiccup was so tired. It was so stupid, he had only been up for a few hours, and he already felt like falling asleep again. It had been like that for the past few days. Get up, eat breakfast, practice with the prosthetic, be exhausted and fall asleep at the dinner table.

Everyone kept reassuring him that it was okay, that he should take it slow, that being tired was to be expected, but it just felt insulting. Like they were expecting him to do so badly at this.

Hiccup just felt weak and useless. Every day he'd spend hours just… taking steps. Learning to walk without falling. And progress was so slow. After a dozen hours of practicing, all he could do was make it from one end of the room to the other in a painfully slow pace. Every step took his full concentration, since he had to think about how he was moving the wooden extension of his leg, and if it was securely on the floor. It was hard to place the prosthetic just right without seeing it. And he couldn't feel it either. All he felt was the pressure against his stump, and that didn't tell him much of the angle or structure of the floor. The moment something distracted him while he was taking a step, he'd fall. Every time he fell, Toothless would catch him, but it still hurt.

He knew his father was silently watching, sometimes offering an encouragement when he'd made it to the wall without stumbling, more often sighing when he fell again. Stoick kept telling him how proud he was of him, that Hiccup was a hero, and that he was so sorry of how he treated him.

Hiccup had trouble believing it. Why would his father feel so differently? He supposed that, after all, killing a dragon was all he needed to do to earn his father's respect. He just wished the dragon hadn't needed to be so big. That it hadn't had to take his leg. And he certainly didn't feel like a hero.

It was hard to feel heroic or strong when you could barely walk. He tried not to think about what else would come. If walking across a straight floor he knew like the back of his hand was so hard, how hard would walking through the village be? Running? Walking on snow or ice? Climbing stairs? Navigating the forest? The very idea scared him. For now he'd lean heavily on Toothless when he'd need to climb the stairs to his bedroom, and he didn't really leave the house much, except to go to the outhouse, once again supported by Toothless. He was stuck in the little black room more than ever, and he hated it. It was even worse than with the blindness. At least then he hadn't felt so… stuck. At least he had been able to walk, even if he kept walking into things.

Now he just tripped over nonexistent things.

Sometimes Astrid would come by and watch him practice. He hated it. He loved her company, but he wished she wouldn't see him like this. He had heard her practice somersaults and back flips until they were perfect, and now she was looking at him failing to take two steps in a row without falling. Her presence only made him more nervous, so he'd fall even more. At least she never laughed or joked, she'd just ask if he was okay, before patting his shoulder and telling him to try again.

It made his stomach feel all funny and light.

Every time she touched him he was reminded of that kiss she gave him after he woke up. It had felt amazing, and made him feel all fuzzy, but he was sure she wouldn't want to kiss him anymore. Not after she had seen him fall dozens of times from tripping over nothing. What did he have to offer her, anyway? He was blind, he was lame, and he was weak. He wished he could see her face, but at the same time he was terrified there would just be pity and disgust there.

But somehow she stuck around, and kept telling him to get up and try again. So he did. Even though he was so tired, and he just wanted to lean on Toothless or go back to bed, he kept going. Because Astrid was watching, and he didn't want to disappoint her. She had promised to always be there for him, and he wanted to be there for her as well. He wanted to be able to accompany her, wherever she went. And for that, he needed to be able to walk.

He couldn't help but wonder why she still stuck around so much, though. Maybe she and Stoick or Gobber made another deal while he was unconscious? The thought scared him, but he couldn't imagine Astrid wanted to spend so much time looking at him hobble along for any other reason. After all, she couldn't like watching him, right? He couldn't imagine he was looking very attractive as he stumbled and made extremely slow steps.

But… she had still kissed him. He couldn't imagine that was part of any deal. He wanted to ask her, but he was scared to do it. Especially in front of anyone else. While he had to admit that he liked having his father around more, it was starting to get on his nerves. He just wanted to go to the cove with Astrid and Toothless again, and talk freely like they used to. He wanted to hug her and admit that he hated the prosthetic and that he was scared of going out of the house. He wanted to tell her that he liked her, and that that kiss was the best thing he'd ever felt.

He just wanted to be alone with Astrid in his little black room.

But he couldn't walk to the cove, and he didn't dare to ask Astrid to help him get there. Maybe that carefree time was over, burned away like his leg in a storm of smoke and fire. That battle, and the weeks he spent sleeping had changed something between them.

If only he knew if it was a change for the better, or for the worse.

But, even in the darkness of the black room he stumbled around in, each touch and encouragement from Astrid was like a ray of light. It made him hope that she would stick around, and be with him every step of the way.

Astrid tried not to sigh as Hiccup's foot slipped again on the slightly sloped part of the floor near the fire pit. After four days of practice he was reasonably good at walking from one end of the room to the other, and he she could see him improve every hour he trained.

She just wondered if he could see that as well. As the hours dragged on Hiccup seemed to become more annoyed and tired. He didn't shout or scream, he tried to hide it as best he could, but Astrid saw the signs. His hands balled into fists, his head bowed to face the ground, and he stopped thanking Toothless every time the dragon stopped his fall. But above all, he didn't say anything. He didn't joke, he didn't make sarcastic remarks. He just gritted his teeth and took another step in silence.

It worried Astrid. She tried to help him, tried to tell him it was okay that he stumbled, but it only seemed to make things worse. In fact, her very presence seemed to make him walk worse. He seemed nervous and jumpy, and Stoick told her he was calmer when she wasn't in the room. Astrid hated it. Hiccup normally calmed her racing heart and itching hands, and she wished she could do the same thing for him.

Maybe he needed a break. He needed some fresh air and something to do that didn't involve walking. She looked at Stoick sitting on the chair next to her, sharpening his axe, and she remembered her own damaged weapon. She had promised herself that she'd let Hiccup fix it.

Maybe now was a good moment for that. Maybe smithing would take his mind off his foot.

"Chief? Can I take Hiccup out for a while? We could go to the forge, get him some fresh air," she whispered to the large man, voice low enough that Hiccup wouldn't hear it.

Stoick didn't respond right away, only looking at his son for a while, wincing when Hiccup stumbled again, clearly hurting from seeing his son like this. Finally he sighed before nodding.

Astrid stood up and walked over to Hiccup, who was now taking a little breather, leaning against the wall.

"Hey Hiccup? Shall we go to the forge for a while? You're doing great, and I think you deserve a break," she said, and Hiccup seemed to cringe when she said he was doing great. Did he really not see it? It had only been four days, for crying out loud, and he was already doing so well!

He looked unsure, until Toothless nudged him and crooned sadly, clearly trying to tell him he should go. Then he slowly nodded, and Astrid grabbed his arm to lead him out of the house.

Somehow holding his vest in her hands felt familiar and right, even though she couldn't feel the fabric that well with the scars on her hands. She could hear his breathing quicken as she slowly lead him through the door, taking her time on every step he had to take. He must be nervous. She supposed he would. Walking down the hill would be harder than walking in his house. But he had to. She knew he could do it, and that he was brave enough to try.

She definitely wasn't going to carry him. Not because she would think it was disgusting or stupid, but because she knew he could stand on his own.

Even if he had to lean on her while taking a step.

"Don't worry, Hiccup. I won't let you fall," she whispered in his ear as she moved her arms so she had her left arm around his shoulders, holding his left arm, and her right hand held his right arm. She would be able to catch him if he stumbled, but hopefully to outsiders it would look like she was simply holding him close.

"I know, I know… I'm just… nervous," he slowly admitted as they stood on the edge of his porch, and she smiled.

"I know. But I know you can do it, okay? Take all the time you need," she said as she nudged him forward slightly.

And slowly, very slowly, he lifted his left foot and hesitantly put it on the ground in front of him. He leaned forward slightly, probably trying to test his balance, before putting his right foot forward as well. Then he repeated the process.

"See, Hiccup! You're doing great!" she said, but before she finished the sentence his foot slipped, and she tightened her hold on his shoulders, holding him in place as he regained his footing.

They descended the hill in an agonizingly slow pace, but Astrid didn't care. She briefly looked around to see Toothless a few steps behind her, looking at Hiccup with a happy expression on his face. Maybe he was happy Hiccup was getting out as well.

Finally they reached the bottom, and Astrid gave him a moment to catch his breath.

"Ready to go on? It's mostly flat from now on," she told him, and he smiled.

"Okay. I think my old step count isn't going to help anymore, though, so… you'll… I'd like it if you could tell me when we're there," Hiccup said, and she frowned. Why would he ask her? Did he think she would refuse?

"Of course I'll tell you, I'm coming with you! We're gonna smith together, remember? My axe needs some work, and I want you to do it," she said, and he bowed his head, looking embarrassed.

"You want my help with that? Why not ask Gobber?" he asked, and she resisted the urge to punch him. Why was he so… dense?

"Because you're much more fun than Gobber, and you did a great job on my axe last time," she said as she grabbed his right arm again and moved him in the right direction.

"Okay. Right. I'll… I'll try," he said, and she tried not to sigh. Why was he so insecure now? It was starting to get on her nerves.

They started walking again, Hiccup carefully feeling the ground with his prosthetic before taking a step. He didn't slip anymore, and Astrid thought she could see him become a little more confident as they got closer to the square. Astrid did her best to glare and warn any Vikings that looked like they might laugh at Hiccup's slow pace to not try anything. At last they entered the forge where Gobber was already working on some wooden parts.

"Hello Hiccup! How's it going! You wanted to be more like me, didn't you? Well, now you are!" Gobber said with a laugh, and Hiccup smiled and greeted the blacksmith, though it seemed forced to Astrid.

"So, what is wrong with your axe?" Hiccup asked, and she remembered why they were there. She unsheathed her axe and put it in his hands, and he ran his fingers over the ruined edge.

"I see. We just need to melt the edge and hammer it again. Should be easy!" he said while smiling, and she let go of him to light the forge. As she grabbed some coal she heard a bang behind her. Hiccup had slipped, and Gobber was helping him get up again.

She pumped the bellows, trying not to look at Hiccup… hobble around the building, collecting his tools. It was so different from earlier. That first time they fixed her axe he had easily navigated around all the obstacles, even though he couldn't see them. Now though, he was mostly hopping on his good foot, constantly colliding with the anvil and the tables. She could see the pain on his face every time he hit something.

This was not what she was hoping for. She had been trying to get his mind off the leg, but now he was confronted with it more than ever. Hopefully when they started the actual forging he'd feel better.

"The forge is hot, Hiccup," she told him, and he hesitantly hopped over, holding her axe in one hand. Eventually he made it to the correct spot, and she saw Gobber looking concerned from the other side of the room. She just tried to smile and not to think about his limp.

"Do we need extra iron?" she asked, and Hiccup's bad mood seemed to disappear as he lowered the damaged axe blade into the forge.

"No, we just need to wait until it's red-hot, and then we can fix it right up," Hiccup said, before starting a conversation with Gobber. Astrid smiled as she saw him cheer up a little. She suddenly saw Toothless' head appear above the counter, smiling his toothless grin when he saw Hiccup talking animatedly with Gobber.

Before long the metal was glowing and Astrid told Hiccup. He smiled as he lifted the axe and turned around to put it on the anvil.

Apparently completely forgetting about his leg.

Astrid was too late to catch him, her fingers grabbing nothing but air as Hiccup fell backward. He threw his arms up in panic, the glowing axe flying through the air and only barely missing Astrid's head. She gasped when she felt the heat pass right by her before the axe hit the table behind her with a loud clatter. Gobber quickly ran over to grab the axe while she tried to pull Hiccup to his feet.

When she looked at his face she gasped. He looked… broken. His hands were balled into fists, and he was biting his lips like he was trying not to scream.

"Give me the axe. I need to fix it," he eventually said in a thick voice, while taking deep breaths. Astrid had only seen him like that once before.

It was just after they had seen the Red Death for the first time, when they discussed leaving Berk. When he asked her if she really meant it when she said they were friends and she wouldn't let him go. She recognized that same expression and voice now, and she knew what it meant.

Hiccup was not okay. He needed comfort, and maybe he needed to cry. She had promised she would let him cry if he had to, and he'd let her cry in return. Maybe that time was now.

But she knew he would be mortified if he broke down in front of anyone else. She had to get him away from here. Away from the gossiping villagers and joking teens. Toothless crooned sadly, clearly disturbed at the Hiccup's unhappiness. That gave Astrid an idea. Toothless still had his new saddle on, and Hiccup had seemed happiest when riding Toothless during those few times Stoick had allowed it.

"Leave the axe, Hiccup. We're going for a ride on Toothless. Now," she said as she grabbed his arms and pulled him towards the door. She shot an apologetic look back at Gobber, but he only nodded before giving her a thumbs-up.

"No! I need to fix that axe!" he shouted, and she only pulled him harder.

"No, you need to fly for a while. Just us, alone in the sky, okay? Don't you want that?" she pleaded, and Hiccup eventually just nodded before climbing into the saddle and attaching his prosthetic to the pedal.

As she climbed into the saddle behind him, she promised herself again that she wouldn't let anyone bully Hiccup. Not even himself.

Hiccup took deep breaths, trying to compose himself. Toothless warbled as Astrid climbed on behind him, and Hiccup only felt weaker. He was pathetic. Here he was, almost crying like a baby after failing to do the one thing he was good at. Smithing.

But he still felt protected when Astrid put her arms around him, and he reminded himself that she wouldn't hate him. At least he could still control the fin. The pedal positions were a little different, since he couldn't move his ankle anymore, but he had figured them out pretty quickly. It was much easier than walking. Sometimes he wished he could just fly everywhere.

Like now. After a whole day of being pathetic, he had to admit it was nice to be back on Toothless.

"Let's go, bud," he said after setting the fin to the 'up' position, and a moment later he felt the familiar feeling of flight. Astrid pulled him a little closer, and he could feel that she was laying her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Hiccup. You don't have to hide it from me. I can see that… it's hard, and that you're hurting. But it's just us up here. And I won't laugh, or pick on you, or do anything else. And Toothless won't either. You know that, right?" Astrid whispered in his ear, and he only felt worse. He did his best not to break down and cry. He shouldn't cry. Astrid was strong, she never cried, and he wouldn't either.

So he just nodded, afraid that the tears would start if he opened his mouth.

Astrid sighed as she rubbed his stomach in a comforting way, but she didn't say anything. She just rubbed him with her hands, and he had to admit it felt nice. Then her hands ran over his, and he noticed something was wrong. Her hands felt… weird. Almost like the scars on his face.

"Astrid? What's wrong with your hands?" he asked, glad for the distraction from his own problems. As long as he was thinking about Astrid he wasn't thinking of his own uselessness.

"My hands? Oh, you don't know, of course," she said, before taking a deep breath. Hiccup felt dread pool in his stomach. Why wouldn't he know? When had something happened?

"They were burned. After the… battle. After you defeated that monster. You had fallen off Toothless, but the pedal was still around your ankle, and it was burning and glowing, so I had to get it off," Astrid said, and Hiccup's hands started to shake as he started to understand what had happened.

"But… But I didn't have any tools, so I used my hands. It was useless, of course, we still had to… amputate, but… And now there are burn scars on my hands," she finished, and Hiccup felt a wave of guilt overwhelm him. Even when he was unconscious he hurt people. Astrid had burned her hands in an attempt to save his leg. To save his stupid leg! And now he couldn't walk anyway, and he was blind, and…

Somehow that broke down the last of Hiccup's defenses, and he felt himself break as massive sobs shook his body. "I'm sorry, Astrid," he managed to say between sobs, and Astrid just held him tighter.

"It's okay, Hiccup. It's okay. I'm right here, and I'm okay, and you're gonna be okay," she said, and he realized she was crying as well.

He could barely believe it, but he could hear her sobs and feel her tears fall on his neck. Astrid was strong, she didn't cry. But… maybe if she cried, he could cry as well.

So he turned in the saddle as best as he could to hold her better as they cried for lost hands and lost feet, lost sight and lost chances. For the first time Hiccup felt like she was really there with him in his black room, that he wasn't alone anymore. Hiccup felt all the frustration of the past few days, and maybe even all the frustration that had build up since he was blinded, pour away as he cried and held Astrid close. Toothless warbled sadly, and Hiccup wondered if the dragon was crying as well, crying for his lost fin, and for his rider's leg.

He didn't know how long they glided in circles far above Berk, just holding each other as they let everything out. But eventually he took deep breaths as his sobbing stopped. Astrid finally calmed as well, and they pulled apart a little, though never releasing each other. Hiccup felt better than he had in a long time, and he felt a need to thank this amazing girl for that.

"Thank you, Astrid. And I'm so sorry about your hands. I… You shouldn't have done that. It wasn't worth it," he said, and she just gasped.

"I know, it was useless in the end, but I tried to save you, and I couldn't let you get hurt anymore," Astrid said, and Hiccup just shook his head, not understanding. Why would she want that? Why would she risk her hands to save him, little Hiccup Haddock?

"But… why? I'm not worth that. You… Your hands are worth more than me! I'm just… I'm just Hiccup the Useless," he said as he nearly dissolved into tears again, but a punch on his arm ended the onset of tears.

"How dare you? Don't you dare think that you're useless! You're not! You're the best damn person on this whole damn island. And I would gladly burn my hands again to help you," she exclaimed, and Hiccup just couldn't believe it. But Astrid wouldn't lie to him anymore, would she? They had promised they would be honest with each other, that they would be friends, and friends didn't lie, right? But then why would she speak such clear lies?

"But… I can't be the best person. You're the best person, Astrid! You're strong, and brave, and… athletic and pretty and loyal and… I don't know, you're just the best Viking ever. I'm just… blind, and small, and weak, and I can't take two steps without falling over. Why would you… want to be friends with me? Why would you want to burn your hands for me?" he asked as he grabbed her hands again, the burns reminding him of the pain he had caused her.

"Maybe I'm a good Viking, but there's so many more important things, Hiccup. That's what you made me see. You're… smart, and funny, and just… good. I don't want to be just a good Viking, Hiccup. I want to be a good person. Like you are. Because you just… make me feel amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Do you know how much I've cried when you didn't wake up? Did I feel weak? Of course. But I didn't care about that. Don't you get it? You've made me laugh for the first time in years, you made me care about another person for the first time in a decade. And when you're beside me I feel like I'm the strongest Viking in the world," she said, and Hiccup didn't know how to respond.

The confession made his head spin. He made her feel good? He made her feel strong? She didn't want to be a good Viking? It was like she was describing how she made him feel, and it was all backward and wrong.

"So… is that why you kissed me?" he finally asked, terrified of the answer, but needing to know anyway.

"I suppose. I… I like you, Hiccup. I like you a lot. I love that you're so smart and funny, and you're… you're way stronger than I am. I don't think I would have taken being blinded and losing a leg as well as you did! You might not see it, or believe it, but you're doing so well!" Astrid slowly said, and Hiccup just shook his head.

"I… It's hard to believe that. I feel so useless. I mean, you're doing all those perfect somersaults and axe-throws, and I'm just… failing at walking straight while colliding with everything in my path," he said, and she punched him again.

"Do you really think I did all those things perfectly on the first try? I trained for years and years before I was this good. You've been practicing with that prosthetic for four days, Hiccup! And you just lost your leg and your eyes! Do you think that I would be practicing jumps and somersaults after a week if I lost my leg? Of course not! You've got a lifetime to train in, so don't worry if it takes a few days. I don't mind. I really don't. I just want you to get well again, and not be so miserable," Astrid said as Hiccup rubbed his aching arm, Toothless softly warbling underneath them.

He wondered if the dragon agreed with Astrid. Maybe she was right, and up here, high above the clouds, he could believe her. It was just them, alone in the darkness, and somehow that black room became a space where they would always be honest with each other. Maybe he should be honest with her. She just told him about how he made her feel, and maybe he should return the favor.

"I'm sorry for making you… worry, even though I just don't understand why you would worry about me. But… you make me feel strong as well. You make me feel like… like I don't have to prove myself anymore. I only feel safe around you or Toothless! I've always liked you, but the past few weeks I've started to like you even more. I love how you don't laugh at me, or make me feel useless. You make me feel like I'm worth something, Astrid! And that's the best thing I've ever felt!" he said as he hugged her again.

"You are worth something, Hiccup! More than… more than I can explain. I made a promise to stand by you, and I intend to keep that promise, Hiccup. Can we promise that we won't let each other go? That we'll always help each other, that we'll tell each other when we're feeling bad, and that we'll… we'll be… I don't know… more than friends? Partners? I don't know, you're the smart one, you figure it out!" Astrid said, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I promise, Astrid. I promise on everything I love. We'll be… I don't know! Maybe we don't need to capture it in words, Astrid. Let's just… be this thing, and never let each other go," he said, and suddenly his face was pulled forward into a searing kiss. And finally, Hiccup's black room was filled with light and warmth as he kissed Astrid back.

Unseen to the both of them, Toothless grinned before lifting them a little higher into the night's sky. They would have to come back down soon, but for now they were content for the people of Berk to be blind to them flying above. For now, the only thing someone would see if they happened to look up would be a dark shadow passing over the bright stars above, as black as night.

THE END

Wow, it's finally over. That was the end of Black as Night. But Hiccup's and Astrid's tale is not over yet. I'll try to upload the first one-shot in this universe before the end of Christmas. That story entry will probably be called Blind Spots, so look out for that. I'll probably announce it here as well, for all you lovely followers. I have a lot of ideas, but I'm always open to suggestions. If you want to suggest a one-shot, please send me a PM or post it as a review in that story entry.

I will reply to reviews on this last chapter via PM, so if you want a reply, sign in!

This has been a very long journey. Nearly six months, Over 150.000 words, and 26 chapters. And I couldn't have done it without you amazing people. I still can't believe this story became so popular, but it did, and I'm so happy I was able to connect to so many of you. Over 200 favoriters, over 300 followers, over 400 reviews, and over 50.000 page views. Those numbers make my head spin, but I am so incredibly happy you were willing to give me a chance. I literally don't know what to say to express my gratitude to you. Over 400 reviews, and dozens of PMs, but not a single flame or troll. That made me happy most of all. That you were so incredibly constructive and supportive. Some of you even became friends. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you, for reading and supporting Black as Night. You are all amazing and wonderful people, and I couldn't have asked for a better audience.

I'd like to give a special thanks to Mylittlefangirlworld, who drew the amazing cover art, and to Twigman242, who drew beautiful cover art for the one-shots. Check out their DeviantARTs for more wonderful art pieces.

It's nearly New Year's, and the time has come to let the old go and let the new in. I'm planning on writing more stories in 2016, starting with a story starring a schizophrenic Hiccup, though I also have ideas for several shorts and drabbles. I'm hoping you'll join me again on those new journeys, and I wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year!