Hiccup and Stoick had breakfast alone in their house. Astrid slept peacefully in Hiccup's bed, made as comfortable as possible.

Stormfly even stood guard outside, ready to silence anything that would try to wake her girl up.

Stoick looked over to Hiccup, who was eating calmly.

"Nervous, son?"

"No. Should I be?"

"I would say so! Your soul is on the line!"

"Right. I guess Fear is still missing from me. We told you that the Twins pushed me off a cliff, right?"

Stoick went red in the face as he yelled, "they did what?!"

"Yeah. They wanted to see if I felt any fear in a very frightening situation."

"And…did you?"

"Accelerated heart rate, but not much else."

Stoick laughed at that. "Maybe I should have you do all the things all the others are too afraid to do," he joked.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you need."

Stoick opened his mouth in shock, not expecting Hiccup to go along with it. Sarcasm? Yes. But not outright complacency. Though, he should have known better. "It was a joke…" Then he remembered the old well that dried up that no one wanted to investigate for fear of another Whispering Death, and added, "...mostly."

"Either way, I think I'm just killing time until Astrid wakes up. Just give me something to do or I'll sit around doing nothing. I haven't got the drive for anything else."

"We should probably make an announcement. I don't want the village assuming the worst about you. And they should also be told to keep quiet for Astrid's sake."

"Sure."

They finished their breakfast, and Stoick went to tell Spitelout to spread the word for an announcement.

Almost on habit, Hiccup retrieved Fish for Toothless' breakfast.

"Whhaarrrruuuu," Toothless warbled sadly.

"What?" Asked Hiccup. "Are you still upset from earlier? Like I said, I know you're my best friend. And you know I'm your best friend. Me not having any emotions shouldn't change that."

Toothless grumbled, nuzzling against his legs.

"Astrid's working on it. You know that pouting isn't going to change anything, right? Grumbling and whining isn't going to make me feel anything anytime soon. You're just wasting your time."

Toothless flopped on the ground, miserable. He absolutely hated the way his boy was acting. Where was the coddling!?

Hiccup peaked upstairs to make sure Astrid was still blissfully asleep before he went outside.

Toothless was aghast. Hiccup hadn't even waited for him! The nerve!

It wasn't long before the village had assembled in the Great Hall. Thankfully, Stoick had allowed the meeting there instead of outside in the snow. Whispers had broken out as the tribe speculated what could be happening.

Finally, Stoick and Hiccup stood on the lip of the fireplace, ready to announce whatever it was that was such a big deal.

"Friends, family, I thank you all for assembling on such short notice. This won't be long, but I want to explain this once with all the facts so there is no speculation." He wrapped an arm around Hiccup and gave him a little squeeze. "My son, Hiccup, the future chief of Berk, has had a run in with a witch."

More murmurs broke out among the crowd, as fear and pity erupted.

Hiccup registered it all as just whispers.

"We don't have all the details, but it sounded like a Druid practicing blood magic. She was specifically targeting Hiccup, and we're hoping that means she won't come after anyone else here."

"Poor lad," someone said nearby.

"She attempted to steal his soul, and in doing so, has left Hiccup without any emotions. But, worry not, Astrid is in the process of fixing this all right now. Just know that Hiccup won't act as usual, and may be rather blunt and callous in his answers. We also ask that everyone be quiet when leaving the Great Hall, as Astrid is at my house and needs silence to work. Any questions?"

"Were you not going to consult us first, Stoick?!" Cried Axel Hofferson, Astrid's father.

"Gothi picked her, Axel. I had nothing to do with it."

Axel grumbled and crossed his arms.

"What are we going to do about this Witch, Chief?!" Someone else shouted.

"She hurt our own! We need to teach her a lesson!"

"That may be, but we have no idea what we're up against."

"Don't try to attack her for my sake," said Hiccup. "It's not a big deal."

Stoick gave him a whack to the back. "Of course it's a big deal, Son! These are your people too! They'll do whatever they can for you."

Hiccup shrugged.

"I'll let you all know when this is cleared up. But for now, just be patient. I know that's not our best quality."

There was laughter at that.

But Hiccup could see people talking passionately, no doubt trying to plan how to retaliate against the witch.

There really was no reasoning with these people.

—

Astrid stood on edge of the ring of rocks, dreading what personal moments she was to witness. She exhaled sharply. "Okay, I'm ready."

Sadness took her hand and placed it on the first rock.

She still felt the stone under her hand, but in front of her, she saw Stoick. He looked younger, and sat at the family kitchen table at his home on Berk. He had a mug of ale in his hand.

"Oh Val…" he moaned. "My darling, it's been so long. Where did you go? I need you…I need you…"

Her vision shifted, and she realized she was looking through Hiccup's eyes as he watched from the stairs.

"He's such a handful…" Stoick continued. Astrid could see now that he was drunk, and obviously nothing good would come of it.

Stoick sobbed. "I can't do this without you. I don't know how to handle him…I wish he was the one taken and you were here. I wish…I wish."

"Daddy?" A young Hiccup's voice croaked out.

Stoick didn't answer.

"Daddy?" He asked a little louder. "Would you tell me a story?"

"Go to bed, son," Stoick said sternly.

"But…"

"I said go to sleep!" And the drunken man threw the mug at Hiccup, thankfully not hitting him, but scaring him all the same. Hiccup scrambled up the stairs, and the vision ended.

Astrid felt Hiccup's sorrow as her own, and her heart ached desperately.

"He apologized later," said Sadness. "That was the anniversary of losing mom. He wasn't like that all the time. But…it will be a trend."

Astrid could see exactly why Hiccup had recommended she take on this mission. She knew he had a rough childhood, she just didn't realize how rough. No doubt, if Stoick was here in his place, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Sadness took her hand and pulled her to the next one.

"Do I have to see all of them?"

Sadness didn't say anything, only placed her hand on the next rock.

Again, she was watching through Hiccup's eyes.

And again, Stoick was in front of her, this time, looking right at her, with a face full of anger.

Stoick was a large man. She had always thought so. But when she was a kid, she was rarely so close to him, and never when he was this angry. Seeing him towering over Hiccup like this, made her realize just how small Hiccup had been for most of his life. It was something she had forgotten in the wake of his growth spurt.

Stoick held a Terrible Terror in his fist, around the neck. The poor thing scrambled, scratching and biting to get free, but Stoick held it sternly.

"No daddy please!" Little Hiccup sobbed. "He's my friend! He didn't do nothing wrong!"

Stoick's nostrils flared. "Friend? Friend!? Hiccup, we do not make friends with dragons!" He emphasized each word as he shook the Terror. "These beasts are dangerous and steal food!"

"Dangerous? But he's so small!"

"That doesn't mean he isn't lethal, son. His fire can seriously hurt a full grown viking…so who knows what it could do to you."

"But he wouldn't hurt me! Honest! He just wants to play!"

"Dragons don't play, Hiccup. They kill and eat. It's best to kill them first." And with that Stoick grabbed the head of the creature.

Astrid yanked her hand away from the rock, knowing exactly what Stoick was about to do to that Terror. Her own father had done it to several when she was growing up. But for her, it was cool and awesome, and not murdering a pet. Now that Astrid knew how friendly Terrors could be, the image made her sick and weak in the knees.

"Astrid?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't…I know you wanted me to see but…"

Sadness held her hand as Boat Hiccup rested a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to think dad is a bad person. He's changed a lot since we found Toothless. But Hiccup was so small and fragile, and Stoick was so big…"

"I get it." Astrid breathed. "My dad hurt my feelings a few times growing up. He didn't want to, but it's how we learn. And back then, the dragons were a pretty big threat." It doesn't excuse what she saw, but she understood.

In a way, it made sense. Hiccup was always different from them. He had different priorities. He found beauty and wonder in things that other vikings wouldn't have noticed at face value.

It makes sense that this memory would grate on his sensitive soul.

Sadness waited until she was ready, and then placed her hand on the next stone.

She could see through his eyes. Hiccup was running, narrowly ducking into the forge and the back room, before slamming the door shut. He bolted it closed with a wooden plank before the wood shuttered.

"Oh come on, Hiccup," Snotlout's voice spoke through the muffled door. "Don't be such a chicken!"

Hiccup shuttered and sobbed, wiping his face with his hand. It came away covered in blood.

He seemed to realize there were windows and went about closing and bolting both of those as well. Thin trails of light were the only illumination.

Hiccup panted and tried to stay silent. Astrid wondered if this memory didn't also have fear in it.

The door rattled again. A faint crunching noise as Snotlout threw himself against it to try to break it down. Hiccup just placed his tiny hands on the wood to try to hold it back.

"What's all this then?" Gobbler asked, on the other side.

"Hiccup and I were playing tag, and he ran in here because he doesn't want to be it. He's too slow. He can't tag anyone."

"That's not true," Hiccup sobbed, far too quietly to be heard. "He hurt me. He hurt me and I hate him. Gods I hate him. I wish he would get eaten by a dragon already."

"Hiccup, come on out and play with your friends." Gobber reprimanded.

"I don't want to! And they aren't my friends!" He cried, his voice breaking horribly.

Astrid winced. She knew exactly when this was. About five to six years ago, when they all started going through bodily changes, the boy's voices dropped. Not overnight, but for Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs, there was a little awkward squeaking, and then they were in the lower register. For poor Hiccup, his voice was out of control, wobbling and croaking as he spoke. It was a joke to everyone, even her. It lasted a year, easily, and he avoided talking as much as possible since everything he said was laughed at.

She had totally forgotten.

"He's so sensitive," said Snotlout. "The Chief babies him too much."

"Leave me alone," Hiccup begged in a whisper, his hands still pressing against the door. "Leave me alone."

"Has anyone seen Hiccup?" Stoick's voice called into the forge.

"No no no no no," Hiccup moaned. "Please no."

"He's in the back, Stoick. Looks like the lad is cheating at tag."

"It's not that big of a deal…" Snotlout tried to deflect.

"Son. Get out here."

"Please no. Please no." Hiccup croaked in his warble. "I don't want to."

"Hiccup. That's an order."

"No!"

At that moment, Stoick ripped the door clear off its hinges, leaving Hiccup exposed and very very afraid.

Stoick went from angry to concerned. "Son? What happened?"

Hiccup began sobbing, his voice making him sound like a sad goose. "I know you said they only pick on me because I make it easy, but I was trying—I tried so hard dad." He didn't place any blame on anyone, or said who did what.

Stoick let out a disappointed sigh. "Alright. Come on. Let's see if Gothi can stitch that up."

The vision ended, and Astrid had to take a moment to process.

Sadness explained, "after that injury, Gobber reinforced the door to our workshop. He promised we would always be able to hide there if something like that happened again."

"And did it?" Astrid felt like she already knew.

"Weekly. Usually Snotlout. Sometimes the twins."

Astrid felt awful. When they were kids, she remembered Snotlout and the twins picking on Hiccup, and she remembered she would just roll her eyes and ignore it.

He was suffering, and she did nothing.

How often did these bitter feelings consume him? Did they influence his mood and decisions now?

Wait! She didn't need to wonder!

"These memories…how often do they affect his day to day decisions?"

"Well, he might not think about them often, but they shaped him into the person he is today. He is who he is because of them. So, in a way, they affect him completely."

Astrid exhaled slowly, feeling bitter bile on her tongue. That's what she was afraid of.

But, if she had stopped this from happening, would Hiccup be the same person he is now? A real conundrum if there was one.

So Astrid allowed Sadness to guide her through the memories. She tried not to dwell on them, and only appreciate them as a part of Hiccup. Some of the more recent memories she had seen in real life, though she had no idea they affected him so profoundly. She wept silent tears at the sight of Toothless being tackled and bound with rope by her family and other adults from the tribe. That day, she had held Hiccup back as his best friend was carted away. Seeing it through Hiccup's eyes, fresh, stung to the core.

"Dad?" Hiccup's voice pierced the silence in this new vision. She saw Stoick sitting at the dining room table, ale mug in hand.

"Hmm?"

"Would you come tuck me in, and tell me a story?" So much nervousness was in his voice, and she worried what could come from such an innocent request.

"Aren't you a little old for bedtime stories?" Stoick asked, his tone short.

Hiccup hunched his shoulders. "Yeah, you're right, I just…" He didn't finish his sentence, just sighed and went up to bed.

He laid there, the light from the main floor casting an orange glow on the wooden wall. It was quiet in the room, but anything but quiet inside his mind.

Way to go, genius.

You're a hazard.

I wish the dragons would take you.

Go jump off a cliff.

For someone so small, you sure do a lot of damage.

Why don't you just stay at home, where you can't mess anything up? But I'm sure you'd screw that up too.

It's only because you're the chief's son that you haven't been exiled yet. It won't save you forever.

Get lost, roach.

You shouldn't be allowed to eat. You don't deserve rations.

Hiccup threw off his blankets and stood, rifling through the items on his desk. Then he uncovered a horrible sight.

His father's dagger.

Little Hiccup gripped the handle tightly, the blade shaking in his trembling hands. In two breaths, he swiped the blade across his palm. With almost no effort, the dagger cut and he began to bleed.

"No Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, not caring if this was a memory or not. It didn't make a difference.

So he raised it up to his neck, feeling the tip resting on his throat. All he had to do was push…push…

Tears slipped from his eyes as he held the knife steady.

"Hiccup!"

Stoick's voice jolted him and he dropped the dagger with a clatter.

Father and son looked at each other, speechless. Hiccup only took in the red face and the heaving shoulders and fell backwards on his rear.

"I was just—I didn't—I only—…" Hiccup stuttered as he scooted away into a corner. "I'm sorry…" he finally whispered.

"What were you doing…?" Stoick's steps were slow and so so careful. "Hiccup…?"

"I-I-I was…" He couldn't lie. There was nothing to lie about. Stoick saw him. He knew exactly what he stopped. Hiccup started to sob and curled up into a little ball. "I'm sorry…"

Stoick just stood there, not coming any closer.

Hiccup gasped out a breath, and then finally admitted, "I don't want to live anymore."

Utterly dejected, Stoick fell to his knees in front of his broken son. "Oh Hiccup…"

Hiccup couldn't fight or argue or insist. All he could do was cry. Cry and apologize. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Stoick finally got some sense and scooped his son up into his arms. He pet his hair, and rubbed his back and just hushed him softly, just as he did when he was an infant.

Finally, when sobs became hiccups, Stoick spoke. "Once upon a time, there was a very mighty viking named Hiccup…"

The vision faded out and Astrid stood there, braced against the stone. Now, tears began to fall. She had tried so very hard not to let it. But to know that Hiccup, her wonderful, brave, and clever friend had tried…he had felt so small and so insignificant…

"You okay?" Asked Boat Hiccup.

"I didn't know…" She whispered. "I didn't know it was that bad…he was always so sarcastic, I thought–"

Sadness tugged on her hand. "We're almost done."

"I don't know if I can see any more."

"They're the most important," Sadness insisted.

Astrid relented. They arrived at the last two. These were the biggest of the bunch, the one next to her having writing on it. She didn't have the chance to read it before Sadness placed her hand on the first rock.

Hiccup stumbled into the great hall, the room dark but the light from the sun creating a rectangle of white on the stone floor.

"I should have known. I should have seen the signs," Stoick spoke from behind him.

Hiccup turned around, trying to make eye contact with his father. "Dad–"

The chief whirled on him and roared, "We had a deal!"

Hiccup ran his hands through his hair. "I know we did... But that was before... Ugh, it's all so messed up!"

"So everything in the ring... A trick?! A lie?"

"I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please... just don't hurt Toothless."

Astrid gasped, finally pinpointing the moment this was.

"The dragon? That's what you're worried about? Not the people you almost killed?!"

"He was just protecting me! He's not dangerous!" Hiccup pleaded.

"They've killed hundreds of us!"

Hiccup raised his voice right back. "AND WE'VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM! They defend themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves. There's something else on their island, Dad... it's a dragon like–"

"-Their island? So you've been to the nest…"

Fear warbled Hiccup's voice. "Did I say nest?"

"How did you find it?!"

"No...I didn't. Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the island." Astrid watched with dawning horror as a thought seemed to occur to Stoick. His eyes widened and he turned away from Hiccup. "Oh, no, no. Dad, no! Dad! It's not what you think! You don't know what you're up against! It's like nothing you've ever seen!"

Stoick continued to ignore his son, though he begged, near tears behind him.

"Dad, please! I promise you that you can't win this one! No! Dad, no!" Hiccup balled up his fists and screamed, with every ounce of power in his small frame. He clung to his father's arm, desperate to be heard. "FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME!"

Like he weighed nothing, because he didn't to Stoick, the chief threw him off and onto the floor.

Scared, hurt, betrayed, and confused, Hiccup just stared at the man he called his father.

Stoick turned then, just a shadow silhouetted by the midday sun. He looked like a dragon himself, with the horns on his helmet and his mountainous stature. "You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking."

Hiccup shuttered a sob.

A hint of sorrow traced Stoick's voice as he declared, "You're not my son."

Astrid pulled her hand back then, breathing hard and trying not to let it hurt. But it did. Oh how her heart hurt.

She knew that it all worked out in the end. They defeated the Red Death and ended the war with the dragons.

And now she was here, standing on the beach where it happened (metaphorically) and he looked at that moment with sorrow. Perhaps it would just be something she never understood. If a dragon had to die, she was glad it was that one. Nothing good could come from it.

Finally, she turned to look at the final rock, the biggest of them all.

Innocence.

That's what was written on it.

"Innocence? I thought you said—" Astrid pointed at the rock, and then to the distance. "Unless Childhood Innocence is different in some way…"

Sadness shook his head. "Just look."

The vision was short, but that's all it needed to be. She was in Stoick's house, Hiccup's childhood home. Hiccup was sitting in a bed, watching as Toothless excitedly pranced around the room.

"Toothless stop, don't—"

Astrid felt it then, just as he felt it. The strangeness, the wrongness, the 'nothing where there should be something'ness. She felt the sensation of wood pressing against her shin.

Hiccup looked down at the blanket he wore. Hesitating before he peeled back the covers. He breathed heavily before he did so, and revealed his legs.

One in tact. One replaced with a metal contraption below the knee.

A million thoughts raced through his head, and she could only glean a few, though they were dark.

"Of course this would happen to me." Was the last she heard before Toothless interrupted his train of thought.

Then the vision ended.

"So…this is a grave," Astrid mused. "Innocence died when he…"

"That's right, Astrid." Sadness squeezed her hand. "Now that I have shown you everything, we can go."

She sputtered. "Go? Go?! Just like that?! You drop all these major axe heads on me and then just expect me to stroll out of here?"

"We can wait a little," supplied Boat Hiccup. "We've seen these memories. We're used to them. It's hard to remember that no one else is."

Boat Hiccup looked more like her current day Hiccup than Sadness did, and she found herself wrapping him up into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize." He patted her head, completely unbothered by her breakdown.

Sadness hugged them too, his head resting on her stomach. "Thank you for being here Astrid."

She pet Sadness' hair and kissed his forehead. Then she stuffed a hand into her pocket, finding a clean handkerchief. She wiped her cheeks. "Hiccup is so going to get it for making me cry."

A blubbering noise next to her caught her attention. "I-I-I-I I'm sorry! I ju-ju-just thought you should know!"

Astrid sighed, and gave him a little pat on the head. "Yeah yeah. I know. I'm joking."