But before Stoic could say anything, Hiccup turned around and walked away. He was about to exit the Mead Hall when a slim, cloaked figure blocked his path. A distinctly feminine voice issued from the hood. "This isn't what we agreed on, Hiccup Haddock."

He sighed. "Yeah. So what's your price for the memory projection?"

The figure was about to answer when a much rougher voice filled the Hall. "Memory what? What are you talking about?"

Hiccup turned and faced his once-father. "Well, Elena sort of cast a spell on the Mead Hall so you would all see my memories of how I met Toothless and what happened after that. But it's okay. I'm the only one who has to pay her for the illusion." He turned back to the figure. "What do you want?"

She smiled and threw back the hood, revealing short hair and fun filled grey eyes. "First, I want a proper introduction."

He mock bowed, which only made her laugh. "Of course, Milady." He turned to the Vikings, who hadn't moved from their spots on the benches. "This is Elena Equiano, Enchantress of the northern mountains, specializing in illusions and memory projections, which was what she just did." He looked over his shoulder. "Did I miss anything?" She shook her head, still smiling at him. "So, what's the price?"

She grinned. "You have to give your village another chance."

Hiccup stumbled back a few steps. "What?"

"You heard me. You must spend one week here and at the end of that time decide whether or not you want to stay. During that week you cannot be alone with only dragons. You must either be completely by yourself or with another person. If you are with Toothless, you must also be with a human." She spread her hands. "That is the price."

"And here I thought she just wanted a ride on Toothless," he muttered under his breath.

The occupants of Berk, on the other hand, were overjoyed with the news. They were not going to let Hiccup gat away a second time, or was it third time? No, they hadn't known about the first time, so that didn't count.

Just as they were about to race forward, the enchantress spoke again. "I will return in one week for your answer, Hiccup Haddock. And take care. The answer you give me will bind you for the rest of your days." She whirled her cloak dramatically around her and vanished as the folds of fabric fluttered to the ground.

Hiccup laughed and picked up the cloak. "Well, that wasn't dramatic at all."

He was about to tuck the cape into his jacket when two massive arms engulfed him. Stoic tightened his grip. "Son, I-"

And then suddenly his arms were empty and Toothless was setting Hiccup down next to him, still wrapped in his tail. "Thanks, bud. I think I was about to get my ribs busted." The occupants of the Mead Hall laughed. It was good to have their sarcastic young friend back. In fact, they were so happy that they ran towards the two best friends.

Hiccup and Toothless took one look at the oncoming stampede of Vikings, exchanged a glance, and ran out the entrance to the Mead Hall. Remembering Elena's rule about dragons, Hiccup shouted, "You go that way!" and pointed to the right. Toothless started running in the indicated direction, and Hiccup headed to the left, straight into the woods. Hopefully he could hide out there for a while until the rush of burly men, women, and children had abated somewhat.

He ran through the woods, dodging trees and trying not to get his wooden prosthetic caught on any roots or rocks. When he could no longer hear the sounds of Viking pursuit, he sat down on a nearby boulder and thought.

Should he head to the cove and hide out there for a few days? Nope, that wouldn't work, They all knew where it was and how much he loved the place, thanks to his memories. Nope, the village was the last place they'd look for him, probably, so he got up off his rock and started walking in that direction. When he reached the village, he saw that it was practically deserted. Most of the Vikings had gone to look for him in the woods he'd just vacated, and a good thing too, because more than half of those Vikings wanted to either hug him until his ribs broke or pound him with questions about dragons. So, while all of Berk looked for him in the woods, he strolled through the village towards the forge. He figured that no one would look for him in the most likely place.

Hiccup headed for the little room Gobber had reserved for him in the back. It had been the birthplace of most of his inventions, including the bola launcher and Toothless' prosthetic. Now, he needed the paper scraps littering the untouched worktable for a different reason.

He had his own leg to design.

Slowly, he eased into the small chair and untied the straps holding the wooden replacement onto his stump. Placing on the desk in front of him, Hiccup studied the design and cringed. Okay, maybe he hadn't had much to work with on the island, but he should still have come up with a better design. This one was entirely too reliant on leather straps that could snap at any time. What he needed was metal parts that fit together like hinges. Mobility was also a problem. How did he maintain the tension needed to allow for a healthy stride instead of his current stiff one? With these problems in mind, Hiccup hunted down his charcoal stick and hunched over a large scrap of paper.

That was how Gobber found him, and it was a good thing, too.

There was no one better in all of Berk to help the young amputee find a leg that worked for him.

Nothing really happened in this chapter, but I needed it for transition and explanation. Last chapter was my favorite, though. I had so much fun coming up with different ways for Hiccup to reappear. I'm glad you liked my biggest twist. There's not many more after this.

No review challenge since there's only five or six chapters left and I don't want this to end!