Dinner that night was awkward. Hiccup ended up taking a bowl of Stoick's soup over to the Great Hall to eat with the other riders.

When they saw him, they all formed faces of pity, disgust, or horror.

"Mmm. Not happy to see me, I guess." He sat down, leaving the seat next to him open for Astrid.

"No no! Hiccup, we're glad to see you, you just…"

"Look like a corpse, yes, I have been told."

"How do you feel?"

Like a broken record, he replied. "Fine." Though any other time, he probably would have been frustrated answering the same question over and over again, but as it stood, he didn't get frustrated. Or annoyed. Or irritated.

Why was he getting his emotions back again?

He clarified. "I have no emotions. I feel nothing. Yes, it's very tragic. Gothi is going to fix me at dawn."

"You feel…no emotions, you say?" Said Tuffnut with a grin. "I find that hard to believe."

"It is incredible," Hiccup responded, bland toned.

"I do believe this requires more testing. You're a man of science, right?"

"I am."

"Then let the experimentations begin!" Cried Ruffnut.

"Experiments?" Said Astrid, as she approached with her own dinner.

"Knowing you knuckleheads, you're just going to make it worse," said Snotlout. "So count me in."

Hiccup put on an obviously fake smile. "I am so lucky to have such concerned and thoughtful friends."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"No. I'm completely serious."

"Okay, was that sarcasm?"

"I honestly don't even know anymore."

"So, what experiments were you thinking of?" Asked Astrid.

"Easy. He can't feel anything right now, in a moment when nothing is happening. But what if we put him in situations where he'd be forced to feel?"

"Like what?" Asked Hiccup.

—

Leave it to the twins to refuse to explain themselves. It wasn't until they flew to the peak of Raven's Point, looking over the cliffs to the ocean that Hiccup figured out what they were probably going to do.

"If you kill me, you're dooming the tribe," he stated as a response.

"If life was guaranteed, would you really be afraid?" Tuff asked, sporting a pair of spectacles. No one could guess where he obtained them.

"Good point." Hiccup shrugged.

"No! Not good point!" Astrid argued. "Hiccup, this is crazy! Don't indulge these boobs with their weird hare-brained schemes!"

"It'll be fine, Astrid. Our dragons are all here and one of them will catch me if I—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the twins had Barf and Belch sweep Hiccup off the cliff with their tail.

He didn't even scream.

Toothless was quick to leap after him, and intercepted him right before he smacked into the icy surface. They broke through and splashed together into the surf, as everyone watched from above.

"Stupid!" Astrid shouted. "What if he got hurt? Or worse?!"

"Relax. He's probably fine. Toothless caught him," said Snotlout. Though he looked anxiously towards the water.

Toothless surfaced on the beach, bringing Hiccup up with him. Hiccup was indeed fine, but coughing on water. He mostly recovered and boarded Toothless and returned to the cliff.

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked, checking him over.

"F-Fine," returned Hiccup as he undid his leather armor, shivering. "Interesting results though. Though I didn't feel any fear, I got an adrenaline rush. So something triggered the physical fear response." He removed his coat and shirt, not feeling self conscious or shamed, only cold from the water. He wrung out the fabric.

"So…what does that mean?" Asked Tuff.

"It means other physical responses may trigger. Will I cry if I am in a situation where I should be sad?"

"I can figure that out!" Cried Snotlout. He used his knuckle to rub Hiccup's sternum hard.

"Auughhhh!" A tear slipped from his eye. "Yeah, I can still feel pain. Wasn't really curious about that."

—

At dawn, Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber, Stoick, and Toothless all returned to Gothi's hut, much to her dismay.

"'Only Astrid and Hiccup needed to come'," she angrily scribbled in the sand.

"Well I'm here to translate!" Argued Gobber.

"And this is my son, and I'm the chief!" Argued Stoick.

"MMAAARRRGGUUUU!" Argued Toothless.

Gothi rolled her eyes, but didn't fight with them. Instead, she just handed a note to Astrid.

"What's that?"

"A list of instructions, Mr. Translator," Astrid snarked back. She held the paper between her and Hiccup to share.

'Astrid, drinking the tea will cause you to fall asleep. From within, you must find a way to awaken Hiccup's fragmented soul. I can not elaborate on what you should expect, since this is something never attempted before.

'Hiccup, this process may take several days. It's important that you make sure Astrid stays fed and watered while she sleeps. She can be awakened by shaking or loud noises, but it will ruin the ritual and damage your very fragile soul. Keep her someplace quiet and safe. And don't venture too far. Sleep at least in the same room as her, if not beside her.

'Once Astrid awakens on her own you should practice skin contact as much as possible. Hugs, kisses, hand holding, and sleeping next to one another will allow Hiccup's soul a conduit back into his body.'

"What do you mean this has never been attempted before? How do you know it will work?"

Gothi scribbled in the dirt.

"See? You did need me here!"

Hiccup elbowed him in the gut.

Gobber went over and read over the old woman's shoulder. "'Soul Trapping is an ancient practice that has been used since the Iron Age. Usually a soul is used up before it can be reclaimed. It is written that often the soul tea is consumed by the person who has lost their soul. It takes them years to awaken their fragments since they have no guide. I theorize that having emotions already will allow this task to be easier for you'."

Astrid winced. "Okay, well, I guess the best we can do is try." She reached out and grabbed the jar with the tea.

"Astrid," Stoick stopped her. "Are you sure you want to do this, Lass? I know Gothi thinks you're the right person for this, but…"

"Stoick, I'd really like to do this. If something goes wrong, they'll need you here."

"Dad, Astrid is the better candidate," said Hiccup. "I know you know me well, but I think she'll handle some things she'll see better than you would."

Stoick frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You and I don't always see eye to eye. And before Toothless, you really got angry with me a lot. That trauma affected me, and I doubt Astrid won't see it."

"Son…"

"It's in the past. But I know you would get angry. And that won't be helpful."

Stoick frowned and let Astrid's wrist go. "Okay Lass. I trust ye. Put my son back together."

Astrid took the tea and popped the lid. She swirled the faintly blue glowing liquid around.

"Well," she weakly laughed. "Bottoms up." And with one swig she downed it all.

At first, it didn't seem like anything happened. The liquid was slightly sweet, but mostly bitter.

Then suddenly, her vision swam and her legs felt weak.

Hiccup only had a second of warning before she collapsed against him. He caught her, and lifted her up.

"Alright, so to our house?" He asked Stoick.

"That's the safest place for her."

—

The landscape started out with a white fog. Astrid could just barely see her arms in front of her. She wasn't wearing her armor anymore, a shame, but instead, a blue floral dress with leggings.

"Hiccup? Hiccup!" She called, but her voice just echoed on and on with no end. "I would have thought that Hiccup's soul would be…less empty."

She picked a direction and started walking, figuring that she'd come across something eventually.

She stepped into water, the tide soaking her foot through her boot.

She recoiled. "Oh come on. I just got here!"

The water was visible, but only just, as the white landscape obscured it. She walked adjacent to the water, listening for waves. There were none. Just smooth, glassy water.

Hazy in the whiteness, there was a strange silhouette in front of her slowly becoming more and more visible the closer she came.

It was a boat, and a person sat inside it, facing the water.

"Hiccup?" She guessed.

The head turned toward her, and indeed, it was Hiccup. When she was finally close enough, she noticed he was just as ashen gray as he had been in the outside world.

"Hi Astrid, what are you doing here?" He asked, blankly, and not quite meeting her eyes.

"I'm here to help!" She said, determined.

"Hmm. That's nice of you. I figured something was wrong. The Schemas, they're all disconnected. Floated away. It's hard to get to them now."

This really was a dream, a new world. None of what he said made any sense. "Uh…Schemas?"

"Huh. You know, it's so normal to me that I didn't realize you don't know what those are. Each part of Hiccup has their own little space that they live in. Think of it as a mindset you enter when you're in a mood. I bet you have a Battle Schema when you're training."

"Oh! I get it!"

"All the Schemas used to be connected, as one feeling flowed into the next, and emotions influenced other traits. But now…they're all disconnected. I don't really feel like going to any of them right now either. I don't really want to do anything."

"Well, the you on the outside didn't really want to do anything either. I wouldn't worry."

He tilted his head as he looked at her. "So what happened?"

"Well…there was a witch, apparently. This is what you–real world you–told me. She wanted to capture your soul? So she did a weird ritual and trapped it within a crystal. You came home, and we convinced you to go to Gothi's. She turned the crystal into a liquid and I drank it, consuming your soul, I guess. So…I'm dreaming, and I'm supposed to fix you in my dreams."

"How are you supposed to do that? I don't even fully know what I am."

"You don't—but you're Hiccup!"

"Well yes. I am Hiccup, but only a piece. I'm not sure where I fit into this whole thing." He gestured to the nothingness around him. "I feel very lost."

"Do you remember anything about what you did before?"

"I went between the Schemas. I know I interacted with the other emotions a lot. That probably doesn't help."

"Hmm. Maybe you're Creativity?"

He thought it over for a second and said, "no, I don't think so."

She crossed her arms. "Gothi said I needed to wake up the fragments of Hiccup's soul. So what if figuring out who you are…means waking you up?"

"Makes sense."

"And you said that the Schemas are where each emotion lives?"

"Correct."

"Then I bet we could glean clues from yours! Where is it?"

He gestured to the boat. "This is it."

The boat was mostly a normal wooden row boat, but it was painted black with a red fin, and the bow had a wooden head at the front. One that looked like Toothless.

She deflated slightly. "You haven't—then where do you live?"

"I moved around a lot. I'm usually in one Schema or another. I work in tandem with others. That probably doesn't help, does it?"

"Actually, it might not now, but you're only the first part of Hiccup I've come across. We just need to narrow it down. If only I had some paper…"

"Look in your pockets."

"My pockets? I don't have any—oh hey, pockets!" She pulled out a little black book, the very same that Hiccup always carried around with him, and a piece of charcoal. The pages were half filled with all the notes real world Hiccup had already taken. She flipped to a new page. "Alright, what parts of Hiccup am I looking for?"

He frowned. "Hmm…I can't remember all of them."

"Then give me what you know."

"Okay…uh, well. Hmm." He blanched, totally stuck.

"Happiness? Sadness? Anger?"

"Yeah, those sound right."

"What about Fear and Disgust?"

"Yep, he had those too."

She wrote those down.

"But those are like baby emotions. Everyone has those. I know there's more to Hiccup than that. Like…I think Love was a big one."

"Sounds like a big one. Anyone else?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sure I'm missing plenty. Hiccup is a complex person."

"I guess so. I had no idea we, as humans, were so…complex. I guess I just assumed thoughts just floated around. It's a little overwhelming."

"Don't let it get to you. It's like…when Hiccup goes exploring and adds places to his map. This is all basically uncharted territory." He glanced out into the blank horizon, trying to imagine what was there, or what used to be there.

"Is there anything dangerous out there?"

"Sure. You've had dangerous thoughts, haven't you? And any emotion with too much power can be dangerous."

"I suppose." She looked at him for a while. This trait or emotion of Hiccup's looked just like him, still ashen gray, but the same clothes that he had been wearing when she saw him not too long ago. It was like talking to her Hiccup, but not.

"Can you take me to one of these Schemas?"

"I can, but I can't guarantee where we'll end up. It might be an unpleasant emotion."

"I think I'll have to see all of them, right? So, if you'll help me, I'd like to start."

He gave her a weak smile. "If anyone could fix us, I'm confident it would be you."

She smiled back, in gratitude, and then together, they pushed the boat into the water.

"Do you need me to row?"

"No, I've got it." And he stood at the back of the boat. Using a long pole, he pushed off the shore and off into the hazy water.

The only wake came from the boat itself.

"You aren't using an oar, so it's not very deep?"

"Not usually no. To you, about two to three feet. There's occasionally a pocket where the floor drops away to unfathomable depths." He pushed on, still no sign of any land on the horizon.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" She asked.

"Nope, sorry, can't prepare you."

A moment passed as she sat on the lone bench in the wooden boat.

"How did you know I would have that book in my pocket?"

He shrugged. "I didn't. But I know that when I need things, I can find them. I figured it would be the same for you."

"What does that mean?"

He screwed up his lip. "Hmm. This is a dreamscape to you, and you're seeing things as they would make sense to you. This isn't like your world."

"So…you don't usually look like Hiccup?"

He laughed. "I might! I've never looked at myself before."

"I guess that means you aren't Curiosity?"

"Nope, that's not me."

"Actually," Astrid thought about it. "Curiosity might still be inside Hiccup. Last I knew, they were doing experiments to see if Hiccup had any emotions, and he was going along with it." She took her notebook back out and opened a fresh page, noting her thoughts on Curiosity. "You said, I'm seeing things how they make sense to me?"

"Yes. If I look like Hiccup to you, you're seeing what your mind can understand. And the schema's too will probably be something you're familiar with."

"And the Schemas are the homes to the emotions, right? Like a frame of mind, or mindset?"

"Yes, I think you're getting it. This place that you're in right now is a whole new world. But every living thing here makes up Hiccup. Unlike the world outside, none of the landmarks you see are permanent. As Hiccup grows and forms opinions, his mindscape and worldview change. But they were always touching, since what is worry, but Fear and Sadness?"

"But now they're all separated."

"Correct."

"But even when they were connected, they moved around? Who decides where stuff goes? Who's in charge here?

"The Ego."

"Ah, of course. Hiccup has been developing a big ego."

"Uh…I don't think we have the same thing in mind. What's ego to you?"

"Well, I think it's self-importance. The bigger the ego, the more entitled a person is. Hiccup isn't that bad, but he is the leader of the Edge and son of the chief. He carries a lot of authority."

"See, that's not the Ego I mean. The Ego here is…well, how do I describe it? It's in charge, but it's not like me…" He scrunched his face up.

"Like…I couldn't find him and talk to him?"

"Right. The Ego is like…like one of Hiccup's mechanisms. It just works on its own, moving things around as Hiccup, the whole person, needs."

"I think I follow. Like, when Hiccup met Toothless and decided to stop hating dragons, that moved things around, right?"

"I think so. I don't remember right now, but probably."

"So, when an emotion is controlling Hiccup, is there like a place you go? Like driving a vehicle or something?"

He winced. "I'm sorry Astrid, I can't remember. You'll have to ask another emotion or wait until you wake me up."

"Gods, now that I'm in Hiccup's mind–or soul, rather–I have so many questions! Is this how it works for everyone?"

"I'd assume so."

"I wonder what my schemas look like. I wonder if I have all the same ones."

He shrugged. "No idea. But I bet Gothi could make a potion that lets Hiccup see your soul once you're done here."

"Was that a joke?"

"I think so. Was it funny?"

She gave a so-so hand gesture.

"I'm probably not his sense of humor then, huh?"

"Two for two so-so jokes. You're on a roll."

"Yay me." He said blandly.

In front of them, they began to see the shapes of a large island.

"There's something there!"

She heard it first. The sounds of a forge. Hammering on metal, quenching of hot metal in water, the bellows fanning the flames.

It was sounds she associated with Hiccup, of his nights busy working and creating.

The whiteness faded away, revealing a large workshop, looking like a melding combination of Hiccup's forge on the edge, and the forge on Berk. It was tall and continued up and up, disappearing back into the haze.

Boat Hiccup pulled up alongside a dock and tied off the boat. "I can go with you?"

"I'll leave it up to you. I can certainly use the help."

He helped her out of the boat, and then likewise she helped him. As she started down the dock, she didn't hear him behind her, and she looked back. "Hiccup?"

When she glanced back, he was staring off into the water again, blank, gray, empty. Then he blinked and looked to her. "Sorry…I was distracted."

"You okay?"

He shook his head. "Silly question, Astrid."

"Right, well, let's go. I think I can guess who lives here."

I'm not a psychologist, so don't yell at me for my weird abstract representation of the mind.