Aaaand we're back to emotional turmoil XD. Hope you enjoy!

Addendum 10

Gobber has finished his projects. When he showed up today, I knew right away. And I had rather… mixed feelings to say the least.

He brought out Toothless' gear first. I was impressed; it looked just like the original, but made with better materials. He'd even made the tailfin a vibrant red (I don't want to know how much he paid Johann for dye like that), to stand out against Toothless' black form. Toothless seemed really excited, and kept jumping around once it was on. That is, until he noticed one key difference.

Gobber had changed the left stirrup to a metal latch. Toothless cooed sadly, but Gobber just replied, "Don't worry about that, dragon. That's why I made this-" He went back to his cart and pulled out another item, made of metal and wood. "A one of a kind prosthetic, made for flying just as much as for walking!"

I looked away, my chest feeling tight again. That… THING was going to be my son's new leg. How could I have let this happen? Up until now, it didn't quite feel real, but seeing the peg leg for myself has brought back all those feelings in full force. I glanced back to see Gobber showing Toothless how the leg clips into his saddle, but I couldn't hear what he was saying until I heard my name.

"Stoick, what do you think? Should we try it out on its owner?" I just nodded, not trusting my voice. Gobber nodded back at me, his eyes telling me it was going to be okay. We made our way to Hiccup. "Alright laddie, I'll show you how to do this yourself when you wake, but for now, your dad can help you. You're gonna want to always keep some cloth between you and the prosthetic, so you don't irritate the skin too badly. And when you tie it, make sure the rope is in the groove I cut, so it'll stay secure. Don't want your leg falling off when you're trying to walk, right?" Gobber patted Hiccup's shoulder, smiling. "Stoick, could you get his shoe for me? I measured the length to his height wearing boots." I just nodded again, heading upstairs to get his spare boots (the ones he had on during the battle had to be thrown out). And when I got up there… I stopped.

The shoes were sitting by his desk, and I just stared at the left one, my heart seeming not to know how to beat. It hit me that Hiccup would never wear both again, and the thought was… unsettling. Still, I forced myself to grab the right boot, and bring it back to Gobber. He nodded at me again before putting it on and pulling Hiccup's legs straight. "Okay, his feet look pretty even to me, but we won't know for certain until he's up and standing. But I think I did an alright job overall…"

Despite all the emotions my brain was currently trying to process, I heard myself say, "You did a fantastic job, Gobber. He'll appreciate the hard work."

"Ah, it's only fitting that a boy as unique as Hiccup should have a leg that matches that personality," Gobber replied. "Well, I should get going. It looked like it was going to snow earlier, and I want to get home before it does. Keep me updated, as always." I nodded, waiting for him to leave before giving another look at Hiccup.

My son had always seemed so fragile, as though a mere gust of wind would be enough to break him. And, while his small frame and bony build hasn't changed, I now see that he is resilient too. Even if I can't hear him say it for myself, I can almost imagine his voice in my mind, saying that this isn't a setback, and he's going to work through it just fine.

And... I wish I were that strong…

-StV