Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Fourteen – Aftermath

Guilt compelled Hugo to step forward and speak at last. "Hiccup" he began. The man looked up at him, face blank but with eyes full of pain. "I am so sorry" Hugo went on, meaning it from the bottom of his heart. "I didn't want to give Grimmel the satisfaction of martyrdom, but he was good as dead anyway. I made the wrong choice, and I understand if you can't forgive me, but I am truly sorry."

Hiccup said nothing, at first. When Toothless nuzzled him, he took a deep breath and replied "It's not your fault. I think…I just wanna be alone right now."

"Of course" Hugo agreed, stepping away. "We'll take care of everything else."

Eret and the others carefully approached the unconscious Demoneater and began chaining it up, just to be safe. Skull Crusher had dragged the dead one aside, and now stood near his riders fallen form, head low. Hiccup continued to kneel beside his father, with Toothless close by, crooning mournfully. The Swift-Wings kept a wary distance, although a few approached Toothless and Hiccup.

Toothless curved his wings around Hiccup, who slumped against his belly. He could feel his other half trembling. Selena and Shadow were close by, whilst Black Fire had slipped away to find his parents. He hoped they were alive. *Oh, Hiccup. I know it hurts. Shadow and I, we know how you feel* said Toothless.

*Me too* Selena whimpered, *and we're all here for you, okay?* she added.

Phoebe approached them, her ear-flaps pinned back in sympathy. Hiccup felt numb and cold inside. He huddled against Toothless' warm chest and looked at Phoebe with what seemed to take all his strength. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "I didn't want this." He wouldn't ask who else had died. He didn't want to know.

The drakaina bowed her head to him. *Nor did I* she replied. *I don't know how you came to be here so soon, but I'm grateful to both of you* she said.

Toothless ducked his head in humble acceptance on their behalf. "I should've done more" Hiccup murmured. "I thought if the nest stayed secret, it would be safe, but…" he looked at Phoebe and told her, "you have my word that these riders can be trusted, but I'm not gonna rely on that anymore. Toothless? We're gonna come back here with Urchin, he can make a barrier to keep ships out."

The Swift-Wings who had been imprisoned on the hunters ship were now freed, and returning to their pack-mates. Queen Phoebe thanked Toothless-Hiccup one more time and moved away to welcome them home. All were devastated to learn of the deaths of their family members or friends, especially Nocte and Penumbra. Meanwhile, Artemis and Iceheart stood aside, out of the way.

*Who was he?* Snowdrop asked Luna quietly. *The dead human…* From how sad Hiccup seemed, the two must have been close. She felt sorry for him.

*Hiccup's sire. His name was Stoick. I only met him once or twice, but he loved Hiccup very much* Luna explained. Snowdrop whined regret at the man's loss.

Iceheart was on edge, her claws digging into the rock beneath them. She'd been told that this nest was a safe haven from humans, that the few humans who knew about it didn't know where it was. Yet they had been found, and attacked. *These humans know about our nest* she said. *We're not safe here, Tem.*

Her mate tried to soothe her. *It's over now, my dear. The hunters are gone.*

*Artemis, we've been found, and if humans came here once they'll come again!* Iceheart claimed. *These humans will tell others about this nest, and*-

*No, they won't* Snowdrop interrupted. *They won't, mother. You're wrong.*

Iceheart stared in disbelief. *Darling, I'm sorry, but it's true. Humans are dan*-

Snowdrop growled *not all humans*, glaring reproachfully at her dam. *You once said there was no such thing as a friendly human. How can you say that when these humans came to help us? How can you say all humans are bad when one of them died protecting his offspring? That's just…cold hearted!*

Her mother flinched. Yet she couldn't deny what her daughter was saying. Cautiously, she stepped forwards and nuzzled Snowdrop. *You're…you're right. I was…wrong. There are good humans. Friendly humans. But darling, there are still many bad humans, and some of them know about this nest now* she said.

At that moment, Phoebe returned. *I wouldn't worry about that* the Queen declared. *Hiccup has a way to keep humans and their ships from our nest.* She explained what the man had in mind, and how it would keep them all protected.

Eret's crew had locked up Galmi's in their own cages, and put the Demoneaters below deck on the Crashing Tide II. Those vial-bedecked harnesses had been taken off, but they were still chained up. The question still remained of what to feed them. "I don't wanna be morbid" Safira remarked, "but if these things are cannibals, then they might, y'know…" she gestured at the corpse of the sixth.

The others grimaced, though they felt no pity for the beast. All of them had respected and liked Stoick the Vast. "I guess that's an option" Eret conceded, looking a bit nauseous. "We'll have to find out where they came from before Grimmel got his hands on them. I'm guessing a desert. We might have to rendezvous with Stormheart's lot" he decided. "So, what about the hunters?"

"I say we sink their ship" Aksel suggested. "Bastards don't deserve to live."

"And besides, if they stay alive then they might talk" Jorge pointed out as well.

Hugo chose that moment to clear his throat. "May I make a suggestion?" he asked. Eret raised an eyebrow and nodded. "From what I've gathered, these hunters are most likely the same ones who attempted to poison the dragons in Nidaros a few days back. Rather sloppily, I think. Perhaps you could hand them over to King Magnus. I'd imagine he would have a suitable punishment in mind.*

*He'd execute them* Black Fire revealed, startling the humans. *He told me if they were caught, they'd be put to death. But Hiccup might not like that.*

"Probably not, but he'd have no say in the matter" said Hugo, "and I doubt he's in the mood to be merciful. Speaking of which…we should take his father's body back. Stoick deserves to be sent to Valhalla with his whole tribe's blessing."

Eret gave a solemn nod. He walked towards them, pausing a respectful distance away. "Hiccup? We need to put Stoick on board our ship. To take him home."

Hiccup looked up from where he was carving a runestone in his father's honour. He swallowed hard and rose to his feet slowly. "Yeah. Okay. We're coming."

*Wait!* a voice cried out, and he looked back to see Eclipse. *I need to…I have…* She gave up trying to explain, and simply showed him her tail-fins. Half of the right one was missing. "I can help" he said immediately. "Come with us."

Eclipse hesitated, but the thought of never flying again was unbearable, and she knew he could make a new tail-fin for her. So she agreed to accompany them.

Hiccup didn't want to sleep on the journey home. He didn't want to relive that moment. At the same time, he was exhausted. His other half told him to focus on the heart bind, saying *I'll meet you there.* He trusted Toothless, so he did.

When he opened his eyes, Hiccup found himself in the cove. Well, not the cove, but their dream realm. He was surprised it wasn't already a nightmare. That his mind wasn't forcing him to relive his fathers death, or imagine another loved one in Stoick's place. His mother, Astrid, Toothless…where was his other half?

*I told you I'd meet you here* remarked the familiar much-loved voice. Hiccup turned slowly to face Toothless, who was sitting back on his haunches. The dragon held his paws out for a hug. With a breathless chuckle, Hiccup stepped forwards and embraced him, wrapping slender arms around his neck. Toothless curled his paws around Hiccup's shoulders and folded his wings over the man.

*It's okay, I'm here.* Toothless nuzzled the top of his head. Hiccup sniffled, and let out a sob, as his grief began to overwhelm him. Soon he began to cry in earnest against the broad chest, ear pressed to the slowly thumping heartbeat.

*I miss him* he confessed, tears streaming down his face and nose dripping mucus. *I miss him so much. I don't know…how do I...h-he was always there, even when we weren't getting along, he was there and now he's gone and I – I'm not gonna see him again. Not until we die, maybe not even after that. Finn'll never get to know him. And it's the same with Gobber but this is my dad.*

By now Toothless was lying on his side, cradling Hiccup between his wings. *Oh, Hiccup.* Toothless purred soothingly, and assured him *I know how you feel. I know it hurts. When our dam was killed, Shadow and I both blamed ourselves. If we hadn't needed rescuing in the first place…but she fought that Spine-Twister to protect us, because she loved us. She wouldn't want us to feel guilty for it.*

*I know* Hiccup whimpered,*and I know dad wouldn't either, but…I just wish I could have done something* Hiccup admitted, voice full of tired frustration. *He was wearing the armour I made – if I'd made it better, maybe then he'd have…*

*It's not your fault* Toothless declared firmly. *You couldn't have known this would happen. If it hadn't, something else would have. We can't fight death.*

*But we can put it off* Hiccup argued, sounding a bit more like his usual self. The effectiveness was spoiled a bit by his running nose and red puffy eyes. *I should have made him stay home on Berk* he insisted tearfully. *He'd be safe.*

*Nobody could make Stoick the Vast do anything* Toothless retorted, but fondly. *You remember what you told me, when my grandfather died? You were right. Stoick would want you to remember him for how he lived, not for how he died. I miss him too, and I'm here for you. Always* he promised.

He understands. Hiccup was heartbroken, but he could take solace in knowing Toothless was there for him, that his other half knew the pain he was in. At least I'll never have to lose him. I don't think I can bear that. He clung to his other half tightly. Let out all the sobs that hadn't come when he'd been too in shock for them to flow. At last his breaths came easier, and his heart felt just a bit healed.

The next morning, four Night Furies, a Skrill and a Rumblehorn were seen approaching Berk. The villagers came out to greet them, cheering, but those cheers quickly faded when people noticed that Skull Crusher's saddle was empty. Valka and Astrid looked at each other, worried, fearing the worst.

Toothless and Skull Crusher landed outside the Chief's house, heads hanging low. Hiccup's head was also bowed. The other dragons landed on the steps to the Great Hall. Everyone gathered there; the empty saddle was conspicuous, and an oppressive silence reigned. "Hiccup?" Valka prompted tentatively.

He dismounted. When he finally looked up, his face was tear stained. "I'm sorry, mom" he choked out. She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Shaking her head slowly, his mother closed her eyes in grief and came forward to embrace him.

They were all in shock. Stoick was dead? "Where's granddad?" asked Helena, her small brow creased in consternation. "Did…did he go to see Uncle Gobber?" she asked, because her dad was crying and her granddad wasn't there. If he was hurt, her dad would have said so, which could only mean one thing. "B-but he can't. He was meant to tell me and Finn bedtime stories, and take us fishing…"

"Helena, baby, come here" Astrid cooed, reaching out to her daughter. Her little girl ran into her arms, sobbing. "There, there, shh" she soothed, rocking Helena. "Go with nana, there's a good girl." Astrid passed Helena to Agatha, who carried her inside the house where she was watching over Finn. Then she took a deep breath and turned to her husband's dragon. "What happened?" Astrid inquired.

Toothless explained, *He was defending Hiccup from one of Grimmel's dragons. It broke his armour and…and killed him. It's dead now. Stoick saved our life.*

*He died with honour* Skull announced, subdued. *We brought him home.*

*He's on Eret's ship* Toothless elaborated. *So are the Demoneaters. Chained up, of course. They're going to take those things back where they came from.*

"We captured some hunters as well" revealed Hugo, "the same ones who tried to poison the dragons at Nidaros. We were planning to hand them over to King Magnus. Black Fire has it on good authority that he would…put them to death."

Astrid nodded, struggling to take it all in. None of this felt real; she'd known the risks when Stoick had left, but she'd not truly considered the idea that he might not come back. If she was having trouble dealing with the loss, Astrid could only imagine how Hiccup must have been feeling. Thank you for saving him, Stoick.

The funeral of a chieftain, retired or not, was a grand affair. Astrid started organising a feast in his honour, focusing on the task at hand to take her mind off the grief. The villagers came forwards with offerings to send on with Stoick's body, giving Hiccup and Valka their condolences, as did many of the dragons.

When Snotlout came over, he didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of understanding. A few tears, too, which Hiccup didn't comment on. The other man held a hand out to shake, only to pull him into a brief but crushing hug. Snotlout then just as abruptly let go, and strode away without another word.

Hiccup, like Astrid, focused on work to take his mind off the grief. Namely in getting measurements for Eclipse's prosthetic tail-fin, and starting a design.

They retrieved Stoick's body from the Crashing Tide II, and placed him in one of his favourite regatta boats. The regatta itself had long been replaced by dragon racing, but Stoick had won it in his youth and kept that ship in good condition ever since. It seemed the most fitting way to send him off. Skull towed the boat, holding Stoick and all the possessions he would take to Valhalla, out to sea.

Being the next of kin meant that Hiccup would have to set the funeral pyre alight, after a speech bidding Stoick the Vast safe passage to the afterlife. "May the Valkyries welcome you" Astrid declared, "and guide you across Odin's great battlefield. May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we may hear it down on Midgard and know you have taken your place at the table of kings.

"For a great man has fallen. A warrior…a husband…a father…a chief."

Toothless lit the arrowhead with a tiny burst of fire. Hiccup pulled the fletching back to his cheek, aimed and released it. The flaming projectile soared in a perfect arc through the air and struck the ship, quickly engulfing it. Valka, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins all raised and fired their own bows in turn.

The villagers and dragons alike hung their heads in sorrow, trying to come to terms with the loss. Fishlegs shared a glance with Snotlout, who looked stricken. Ruffnut wordlessly passed a scrap of cloth to her brother and Tuffnut sniffled into it. Hiccup watched the flames consume the ship, as it began to truly sink in…his father was dead. He was struck by a sudden urge to speak, to say…

"I'm sorry. I miss you. You taught me so much and I…I'm proud, to be your son. Thank you. For everything." He took a deep, shaking breath. "Goodbye, dad."

Toothless padded closer and pressed against his side. *Goodbye, Stoick.*

Astrid moved to his other side and slipped her hand into his. "Goodbye, chief."

Valka came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Goodbye, love."

Helena stepped in front of him and held his other hand. "Bye, bye, granddad."

Hiccup stood on the edge of the cliff, staring blankly out at the horizon. He felt numb, empty. His fathers death had left him hollow, the grief and mourning that followed made him feel drained. Beside him, Toothless pressed close and crooned reassurance. Footsteps made them look round, but it was only Adulfr.

It was strange to think that, after everything. For several moments that went on forever, neither man spoke. At last his former enemy murmured, "I'm sorry about your father." Hiccup glanced at him in surprise. "I guess that's something else we have in common now" Adulfr went on. "The old me would have savoured the irony" he sighed, "now it just seems pointless. Are you… okay?"

"Yeah" Hiccup lied, only to shake his head. "No…I don't know. It hurts. A lot."

Adulfr nodded slowly. "I know what you mean…and that feels weird. I'm not used to this… 'empathy' thing" he remarked, and Hiccup gave a faint chuckle. "That's why I came over here, in a way. Fishlegs mentioned the hunters you took prisoner will be executed. I'm surprised you're willing to let those men be put to death, yet insisted on sparing me. What's the difference, really?"

Hiccup sighed. "They attacked the royal fort – indirectly, but still. King Magnus wants them executed; it's not my place to protest that, no matter if I disagree. I learned that from you" he added, with a sidelong glance. "Besides, if they stayed alive there's a chance they could get word to other hunters about the nest's whereabouts. I can't put the Furies at risk like that again" he declared.

*What happened there wasn't your fault* Toothless insisted privately. *Please don't blame yourself.* Hiccup stroked him and continued, "if you don't want them executed you could try arguing for leniency. I mean, they are from your"-

"I couldn't care less what happens to them, tribesmen or not" Adulfr retorted tersely. "I'm just surprised you aren't showing them as much mercy as you did me. You forgave me, after I did far worse. It just seems rather inconsistent."

Shrugging, Hiccup replied "Not really. I didn't just forgive you for no reason. You changed, or at least you were willing to try. That's more than a lot of people can say. Those hunters had plenty of opportunity to change their ways. They didn't. Men like that…and Drago or Grimmel, I suppose…wouldn't even think to try."

A slightly awkward silence followed. "I've been thinking" Adulfr declared. "Your father once asked me what I planned to do after my punishment has ended. The one thing I know for certain is this – I don't belong on Berk. It's not home. He said I could be a better chief than my father had ever been…perhaps he was right. Even if I'm not, I think I must go back to Raudabein…I miss Skadi" he said.

Hiccup nodded in understanding. "We never really set an exact date for when your punishment would end…" he remarked slowly. "I'll talk to Astrid. Seeing as you haven't tried to kill me in over a year, I think she might be lenient" he joked. Adulfr sniggered a bit in amusement, and hid it by clearing his throat. "What about your mother?" Hiccup asked carefully, "would she go back with you?"

Adulfr replied, "I believe she wishes to remain with Jarl Hugo and his wife. Perhaps as a nanny to their son. Whatever she chooses, no harm must come to her" he said with a pointed stare. "Especially if for some reason she stays here."

"She'd be very welcome to stay" Hiccup claimed, "and of course we wouldn't let anything happen to her." At that moment, they heard wingbeats, and Skull Crusher came to land on the cliff edge nearby. He bowed to Hiccup and Toothless. *Forgive me for intruding, Alphas* he rumbled, great head lowered.

"It's okay, Skull" Hiccup assured him, before adding "Sorry, we should…uh…"

"Don't trouble yourself on my account" Adulfr dismissed him, turning away to go back to his hut. "Goodnight, Haddock. Dragons" he said over his shoulder.

When he was gone, Toothless-Hiccup turned back to Skull Crusher. *Are you alright?* Hiccup inquired, reaching out to lay a hand against his nose horn. *I meant to come and see you, honest. How are you holding up?* he fretted.

The Rumblehorn blinked at him. *I'm not holding up anything, Alpha-Hiccup.*

*He means how are you feeling* explained Toothless, *It's a human saying.*

*It's kind of a silly question, I guess. I mean, you lost your rider* Hiccup sighed.

Skull had no eyebrows to raise, so he settled for a dismissive huff. *You lost your sire* he countered. *I miss Stoick, and I wish I could have saved him. I feel that I have failed. Still, I lived for many years before him, and I will live for many years after. The only difference is, now I will do my best to never forget him.*

Hiccup assured him *It wasn't your fault. You didn't fail, you're a great and loyal dragon. I know my dad…my dad wouldn't want you to blame yourself…* He was breaking down in tears again, but he supposed that was going to happen a lot.

Toothless nuzzled him. Skull offered a rare croon; from him, it sounded like the low of a giant cow. *I do not wish to have another rider* he admitted. *Perhaps one day, but not yet. For now…I would like to stay here, on Berk. If I may.*

"Of course" Hiccup answered at once, shocked he would even think he had to ask. "You're part of the family. You can stay here as long as you want, okay?"

*Thank you, Hiccup* he sighed, dropping the formal title just this one time.

Hiccup built a modified version of Toothless' auto-tail for Eclipse. Everything had to be reversed because it was the other side that had damage, and it was more like a sleeve that would fit over what was left of her fin. He made it so instead of moving with her left fin, it would move with the right, so she'd have full range of motion. "The more normally she can fly the better, after all" he pointed out.

Shadow and Black Fire had helped Eclipse to shore, and she'd retreated to the wilds of this island, away from the humans. She was sitting at the edge of one of the cliffs, staring glumly at her damaged tail-fin, when the Alphas found her. Eclipse leapt to her feet, snarling defensively, before she realised who it was.

*It's just us* said Hiccup, dismounting and taking something off the saddle. *Eclipse, no dragon or human on this island is going to harm you* he insisted, *and if anyone tries, they'll have us to answer to.* His eyes were blazing like a dragons. For the first time, Eclipse truly believed he was an alpha in his own right. Her eyes fell on the bundle in his arms. *You'll like this. Can I put it on?*

It must have been the fake tail-fin he'd made for her. Slowly, she approached them and swung her tail within reach. Hiccup set about attaching the prosthetic to what remained of her right tail-fin. At last he moved back. *There we go.*

She eyed the prosthetic sceptically. Its colour, scent and texture were off, but it did look like her real fin. She opened and closed the fins, flexed them back and forth. The fake one moved as if it were real, although she could still hear it clicking. Eclipse supposed she'd have to get used to that. She still didn't really believe it could actually make her fly. It was just prey-beast skin and metal.

She looked Hiccup in the eye and told him, *If this doesn't work and I fall out of the sky, I'll kill you.* Toothless growled at her, but Hiccup didn't look concerned.

"It'll work" he insisted with a smile, "trust me." Just then, the other Swift-Wings on Berk arrived, five of them hovering in the air just beyond the cliff edge.

*Wow! Hiccup, it looks great!* the blue eyed drakaina warbled approvingly.

*Thanks, Selena* he grinned up at her. *We were just about to give it a test.*

*Come fly with us, Eclipse* suggested Asha. Even though Eclipse had given her the cold shoulder, since she was Shadow's new mate, Asha treated her well.

*If you fall we'll catch you* Shadow assured her. Not that he believed the fin wouldn't work, but a pretend tail-fin would never be as good as a real one.

Eclipse wanted to fly, she yearned to fly, but nerves held her back. Seeing her hesitate, Hiccup suggested that Toothless should fly with them as well. *Then she'll know there's nothing to be afraid of. Your fin works just fine, doesn't it?*

Toothless spread his wings, and leapt into the air. *See?* he asked Eclipse, *if I can do it, so can you. Unless you're too scared* he challenged mischievously.

Eclipse snarled and bared her throat in defiance, then gathered herself and leapt off the edge of the cliff. Flapping her wings hard, she flared her tail-fins. The wind caught them and held her aloft, and she flew. *I'm flying!* she exclaimed, with an uncharacteristic shriek of delight. Eclipse flew higher still. *It's working!* she roared in excitement, *I can fly again! I can still fly!*

The others fell into formation around her, and they headed out over the ocean. Eclipse purred deeply at the wind beneath her wings; she'd feared she would never feel it again. *Alright fine, you win* she announced to a bemused Toothless. *Your human does know what he's doing* Eclipse cleared up.

*Hiccup is amazing* Toothless insisted, puffing his chest out with pride. She scoffed at that, but neither she nor the others tried to deny it. That was one thing all of them could agree on; Toothless and his rider were kindred spirits.

A/N: Hey look who's throwing in the story title to make it relevant, yay! Not the most impressive way to end the chapter, I know, but this is all I got. Sorry guys.