{Hiccup's POV}

[Berk]

For the last nine days; nothing seemed right to me. For starters; there were these two males roaming around that I didn't recognize. I knew they had been introduced as Viggo and Ryker Grimborn; it felt oddly familiar, but otherwise nothing. My father seemed to be more curious about the things I was doing, which is new for me. The kids I had grown up with were leaving me alone, and so was the Tribe. I spent my time, as always, with Gobber in the forge and staying out of everyone's way. The most significant things to throw me off was the dragons in our lives. I had not known what to make of that, but Gobber said it was something that my mother had wanted, and my dad decided to have a change of heart, and give finding another way a chance. There weren't a ton of dragons on Berk, but the ones present were actually docile. I was on the fence about it, but I figured I would adjust, and learn to live with things as my father seemed to want them. For now, I would just stay away from the dragon, until I got more comfortable with it. Things felt different, but at the same time; they didn't, and I didn't know why. I couldn't explain it, but I didn't look fifteen-years-old.

I wasn't wearing my green long-sleeve tunic, or my brown vest. Even my boots were different. My hair was still the same color but more wild, I guess I could put it as. I was taller than the rest of the kids who I had been shorter than. Did I go through some late growth spurt? I didn't understand it, and Gobber said that I had hit my head working on inventions. However, I'd been having these flashes of things I didn't remember. I saw many quick glances with the Night Fury and me, where we were laughing, flying together, and happy. I didn't understand that; Dragons and Vikings were at war. We didn't ride them, nor were we friends, so why would I see something like that? Today was no different until I asked Gobber why the Night Fury was always hanging around the same place I was, and Gobber joked, saying that maybe it liked me. Gobber mentioned this Night Fury had no tail, and it got me thinking. I invented things, and my left leg was fake but I could walk, run, and do all regular stuff. So why couldn't I build a prosthetic tail for this dragon to fly with. I ignored that everyone was there, and got to work. While making; I saw flashes of another time I seemed to have done this same process. I shook them off and continued.

The first test had been unsuccessful, but it showed me Toothless could fly with assistance. I kept adding things to make it work, but ultimately; I realized that Toothless needed a rider to control the tail. There were a lot of failed attempts, but the overall rig contained pedals, a saddle, pulleys, ropes, cables, and when I came time to test it; I got scared to be on a dragon's back. However, I swallowed that fear and hopped on. The experience was both terrifying and exciting! I couldn't believe the feeling I got being up in the air; to ride on this Night Fury's back! And when I fell; I don't know why but I yelled the name Toothless, and the dragon dove to catch me. As Toothless and I hit a string of obstacles at such speed; I panicked because I didn't know how to control the tail, but then I had some flashback of doing the same thing over water with sea stacks. I focused hard and just went on, I don't know what to call it; instinct? We hit every position, then landed. Gods; it was incredible! I figured the event might have made the dragon and I…allies in a way since I knew how to control the fin that let him fly. I suppose I could have taught anyone, but it was an excellent feeling to know I managed it all myself; that with enough work, one of MY inventions was perfected!

Afterward, I figured to maybe pet the dragon on the head, but he growled at me and I figured that perhaps we weren't friends at all and he just needed me to fly. The comforting feeling began to fade away, then I got the idea he might be hungry. I don't know why, but I grabbed a fish and offered it to him. It took me tossing my dagger away, but the dragon snagged it and I saw him with no teeth; maybe that's why everyone called him Toothless? I had no idea, but then the Night Fury advanced on me and I got scared he wanted more fish. I saw a flash of a situation just like it and said something weird; that I didn't have anymore where there was an entire barrel of it next to me. The dragon coughed half up into my lap and I soon discovered that he was trying to share with me. Nervously, and slightly grossed out, I took a bite and ended up swallowing the piece. I nearly threw up, but kept it down. I didn't understand why it felt familiar to me; like I'd done it before somewhere. It continued to get stranger as I went to touch him and he growled at me. I sighed, but had another flash of me drawing a picture of a dragon in the dirt and somehow, I ended beginning to do the same thing.

The dragon grabbed a bigger stick; moved around making lines, and I got confused. The Night Fury was only a foot or two away and stared at me; it felt like he wanted me to do something, but I didn't know what. I got this weird feeling to follow the lines, so I did. I ended up with my back to the dragon, and scared, but didn't run away. Something inside told me to stay and try again to earn this dragon's trust; I felt like he didn't. Finally, I just closed my eyes and turned my head with a palm up. It only took a moment and I felt the scaled nose of this dragon touch me. I felt something shoot through me, and I didn't understand it, but I liked it. The feeling was…incredible and I didn't have the words to describe it; trust, friendship, understanding, protection, comfort, loyalty, love, kindness. The list could have gone on and on, but regardless; it was like a bond, and powerful too. I'd never felt closer to anyone else in my entire life than right now with this dragon. As our eyes met; I had an endless amount of flashes creep forward. Some were full memories; others were fragmented and random. However, the bottom line was that I realized I suddenly recalled a bunch of things, but the biggest thing; I remembered what happened to me. I was captive for a year, tortured, and raped, but saved by Viggo and Ryker of all people. The best feeling, though, I was home and I had my best friend back! I was so overcome with emotion; I actually cried while hugged my Night Fury, and what made it better was Toothless lifting a paw to return the embrace.

"Lad? Are ya alright?" Gobber asked.

"Give him a minute," Viggo stated. I finally pulled off Toothless and wiped my eyes.

"How much do you think he remembers?" Snotlout wondered.

"Not much, or maybe all of it. I don't know. It's coming forward in sections or smaller, randomized fragments," I admitted.

"S-So you know that I'm good now?" Dagur decided to ask.

"It's hard to say. I know how we started, but I can see bits and pieces of when we fought, but then became allies I guess?" I shrugged.

"I believe what Hiccup means is that while he is aware of everything, none of it has come through as a full memory if you would," Viggo assisted.

"Has everything come back?" Stoick inquired.

"As long as everything important has come back; the smaller parts will come in due course," Viggo mentioned.

"What defines as important?" Fishlegs emphasized.

"'Iccup, do you know who Toothless is?" Gobber stepped forward.

"Duh; he's my best friend," I rolled my eyes. Toothless licked my cheek and I scratched under his chin to make him warble in delight.

"What else has come forward as something full?" Viggo questioned with his hands behind his back.

"Meeting Toothless, Red Death," I trailed off. "The last year with Drago, and you two saving me. Everything is sectioned or fragmented," I sighed.

"And that is alright, Hiccup; it's part of who you are, what made you this…man today. I'm sure with more time; things should start getting put together into full memories," Viggo assured.

"Really weird to hear you give me positive advice," I informed.

"I suppose it isn't something you would be used to given how things have been between us," Ryker mentioned.

"Regardless," I said while approaching them. "I owe you both a lot of thanks, and probably my life for getting me out of there, and bringing me back home," I held my hand out to Viggo. The man shook mine, then I did the same with Ryker.

"Nobody deserved to go through what you did," Viggo remarked as I sighed. "I'm sure they aren't fond things to have remembered, but I was raised to believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and these hardships only bring you closer to who you're meant to be,"

"Yeah, I still don't wanna talk about what happened, so can we just maybe stop mentioning it?" I requested.

"Of course, but just so you're aware; they do know. You were…unconscious for seven days after we left the fortress, and upon waking up you believed you were fifteen again, and had no recollection of the dragons be a part of your life. It was at the request of the elder we informed of what you went through," Ryker enlightened as my eyes widened a bit.

"It was determined that you blocked everything to avoid feeling the pain of everything associated with dragons, since the last five years with them have resulted in loyalties testes, wars, and much more. However, your dragon seemed to know how to re-initiate your bond to one another, and I believe that has allowed your memories to start returning," Viggo added.

"I-I see," I tried to relax.

"Hiccup; it's okay. We know you went through a-," Astrid started.

"You were told, but you don't know what I WENT through, Astrid," I shot her a glare as she bit her bottom lip.

"Hiccup, easy now. Try not to be short with them; they are your friends," Viggo put a hand on my shoulder.

"Doesn't always feel like it. Astrid is competitive about everything. Snotlout is still trying to seem like he's the best. The twins destroy something new every day. And Fishlegs acts like something he's not to impress them," I retorted as they widened their eyes at what I said. The rest frowned as Viggo sighed.

"Why don't you go for a fly, Hiccup, to clear your head. It's been a trying day with everything so far," Viggo suggested.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I think I'll do that," Toothless lowered himself a bit as I jumped on his back and we were gone moments later.

{Normal POV}

"So after all that, he still doesn't recognize us?" Tuffnut groaned.

"Hiccup harbors feelings of rejection and abandonment from the past. This is how Hiccup viewed all of you before Toothless came into his life," Viggo sighed.

"But if he remembers Red Death, and me turning good, Heather being my sister, all that, then why can't he remember we're his friends?" Dagur wondered.

"It's because these past nine days that he couldn't remember anything, none of you bothered to treat him differently," Ryker scoffed.

"What are you going on about?" Stoick asked.

"You treated Hiccup the same way you did before he befriended Toothless. We told you that his mind resorted to a time in his time where he didn't have anybody or anything. All Hiccup knew was that his Tribe hated him, and he was his father's disappointment; that is the mindset Hiccup was in because that is a time it didn't hurt. Five years locked away to forget the torture he endured for all of you, but you these past nine days were spent with everyone ignoring him, leaving him in the forge with Gobber; precisely how it was back then. And these are the feelings he had for all of you during that time in his life," Viggo explained.

"In short; Hiccup still feels like Toothless is his only friend and that all of you only started to like him after he risked his and his best friend's lives against the Red Death," Ryker rolled his eyes.

"Have we really been treating him that way? As if nothing changed?" Fishlegs asked.

"Well, we did back off to let him remember on his own," Ruffnut reminded.

"Hiccup acknowledges that you are his friends, but the way he feels is that it doesn't always feel like you are because you only become his friends when he taught you how to ride dragons, then defeat Red Death," Viggo continued. "You have to remember that regardless of how close your bonds as friends may have become over the years; it does not erase what happened in the past when he didn't mean anything to anyone, and that is something he came to believe on his own. Johann said something to Hiccup which might still be playing a role in all this,"

"And now that you're gone and they have Toothless; what do they need you for? You mean nothing to them, lad," Ryker recited. "It sticks with him because for a year, nobody came. None of you rescued him; we did. We know it's not your fault, and you searched endlessly for him. Hiccup said he knew that, but it as Viggo said; all that time to himself and Johann's words let Hiccup wonder if things only changed because he met Toothless, and risked his life for all of you even after you abandoned him for befriending a dragon," he added.

"Also, Hiccup hasn't fully recovered his memories and until he does; things could be this way. However, a word of caution. Hiccup remembers that he lost his memory for a bit, and he knows that you all stayed away from him these past nine days. Unfortunately; you might have done more damage than you meant to, and his reaction to you just now proves that theory. Hiccup knows how you treated him back then, and this time around when he thought he was fifteen again, you didn't address him any differently. It hurts him because to Hiccup; it's further acceptance that without Toothless; he means nothing to you; or at least that's how he feels right now and no matter what you do; he might always feel this way," Viggo enlightened to them.

"Well, we've gotta make him believe otherwise!" Astrid stated quickly.

"I'm afraid there isn't much you can do, Astrid. No matter what you try to get him to think about the situation," Viggo began.

"The truth is that none of you treated him like a member of this Tribe until Hiccup met Toothless, found the cause behind the raids, tried to show everyone, got abandoned, then he risked himself and his dragon to save you from Red Death. Hiccup didn't have acceptance from anyone until AFTER that happened," Ryker remarked.

"And because you treated him the same way these past nine days while he thought he was fifteen again; it's going to affect him, especially with all he went through. I won't lie to you; what Hiccup went through at that fortress, broke him, and that is why he's the way he is now. Their words are in his head, regardless if he remembers everything or not," Viggo looked at them. "And it's because that is how things were before Toothless; the words are real, painful or not, they are correct. In Hiccup's mind and heart; he meant nothing to anyone until Toothless came in his life and became the ONLY friend he ever had; the only creature to understand him. Trust him. Protect him,"

The group looked down now, understanding how right they were. "You notice that he didn't get emotional seeing any of you; just his dragon. Viggo said earlier that Toothless might be the only one to trigger Hiccup's memories to come back, and that's because Hiccup and Toothless share a stable and secured bond. Toothless was able to recreate the situation in which they met; and formed the same link that started everything. Toothless coming in his life is what changed everything; it only makes sense that forming the bond would trigger the rest to return too," Ryker mentioned.

"So he'll always feel that sense of hurt, won't he?" Stoick sighed.

"Not entirely. Hiccup might know what happened, but it's often forgotten that the past makes you who you are, helps you become who you're meant to be. Hiccup feels this way now because of what he endured, and the rapes were likely the final straw for Hiccup because it led him to forget five years of his life to stop thinking about what happened. At fifteen; Hiccup accepted that he never would be by the Tribe, and it didn't hurt to know he didn't have anyone or anything who cared; until Toothless came along. Hiccup is only just beginning to recall things, but also," Viggo started.

"The boy has cope with it all. Not anything to do with you all; but the torture, and rape. Hiccup might remember, but he still needs to heal, and that requires time," Ryker finished for Viggo.

"And it's for the best that you don't push him to talk about it. All you can do is treat him like a member of the tribe, and try to show him that you're here for him, but if he withdraws; leave it alone. I assume that he'll seek comfort in Toothless, which is why we suggested the flight," Viggo offered.

"Understood," Stoick nodded.

At that moment; Toothless landed as Hiccup got off and faced Viggo and Ryker. "As I seem to recall; you two said you would explain everything if I trusted you. Well, you have it and you're under my protection, so start telling everything," Hiccup said.

"Shall we move somewhere to handle this?" Viggo suggested.

"Mead Hall," Hiccup replied, and then with a nod, the three of them and Toothless moved towards the location. The others decided to follow to see what information they could gather, and maybe try to help, but it appeared that Hiccup would be taking the reigns of this entire situation.