A/N: Hellooooooo! I apologise for the amount of time you had to wait, as I said I've got school now, and on top of that I'm writing this from my bed because I got ill again... But I'm almost better so no worries. I hope I've made up for it with a long chapter, though this is the last one. Anyway, reviews:

ThePhoenixGhirl: This made me laugh SO HARD! XD And luckily, he didn't quite kill him yet...

CzarnyKot356: Ah yes. Well I did quite an amount of research on the topic of throat slitting (let's just hope my parents don't see the search history XD) and although the likelihood of bleading to death is high, it is not definite. It depends on what gets cut open. If the voice box is affected or other organs in the front of the throat, the risk of drowning in your own blood is high. If you hit the artery in the side of your neck then you need compression and stitches almost immediately because of the blood pressure, but on the off-chance that it's the vein that gets cut open instead of the artery, the chances of survive increase my a lot (and this is what has happened to Hiccup). As long as the blood flow is slowed and the victim doesn't lose too much blood, they can survive for a lot longer than you'd think. However, there is a little bit of dramatic license in here (if you don't know that is you can google it), but that was hard to avoid since I'm not a medical expert etc.

Massive HTTYD Fan: OMG thank you so much for this review, it made me laugh so hard XD

Danaud64: ;) I do hope you have survived the week. Here's the next chapter!

Nishnibbles: I will come and help you from the cliff in a bit... just let me write some panic and pain first ;)

IAmHelenOfTroy: Yup... :D

RainDragon28: You alright over there? ;P

SkyDreamer12: Yes I am evil aren't I? :P I'm going to see HTTYD3 this Saturday :D EEEE I can't wait

LunaRWBY: Don't worry... Hiccup won't die... you'll see...

Romantica 123: So um... are you reading this? Or is your corpse reading this?

Calvin: Yes, he will be able to talk eventually. His voice box has not been affected.

Anyway... here is the last chapter!

"Hiccup!"

"Stay with us, stay with us!"

"I'm sorry…"

"What do I do?!"

"We have to stop the blood flow!"

"Put pressure on it!"

"I am!"

"More!"

"That'll hurt him!"

"It's either that or he dies of blood loss!"

"Fishlegs!"

"What, it's true!"

"Shut up! This is Hiccup's life we're talking about!"

"Get him on the back of the dragon!"

"I'll get medical supplies!"

"Do we have a needle and thread?"

"We need to get him back to Berk!"

"Isn't Berk too far?"

"We have no choice!"

"Can you do stitches?"

"Keep the pressure! Make sure he doesn't lose too much blood!"

"I'll send a Terror mail!"

"No time for that!"

"The sooner we get in the air, the better!"

Hiccup tried to open his eyes, wanting to scream at the searing, burning pain in the side of his neck. He could feel pressure being applied to it and the warm, thick blood seeping through the person's fingers. He felt dizzy and sick and weak and black spots danced in front of his vision as his squinted. He tried to readjust the position of his body but he was so low on energy that moving one millimetre exhausted him… He moaned quietly, almost wishing to go back to unconsciousness, until he heard a quiet sob.

"Hiccup…" Warm, salty tears hit his check from above and ran down his face towards his ear. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was.

"Astrid…" He tried to say in reply, though every cell in his neck burned in agony at any attempt to make his vocal cords work. He felt his consciousness slipping out of his grip and the dizziness made him feel like he was doing somersaults in mid-air. And just as quickly as he had come around he faded away again…

"Astrid, you're falling asleep. Should I carry him for a bit?"

"No, I'm fine. I-"

"No, Astrid, you sleep for a few hours. I'll take shift in keeping the pressure on his wound. And I've just found a thick bandage that will help slow down the blood flow."

"Oh, oh ok,"

Hiccup heard the quick beating of wings that was distinct of a Gronckle and suddenly his body was being jostled around. He hissed in pain as the hand pressing onto his wound was removed and quickly replaced by a wad of cloth.

"It's ok, Hiccup, I've got you,"

"I'm going down to the sea to wash my hands,"

"Are we going to put stitches on him before we get to Berk?" Ugh stitches?! No, I don't want stitches!

"Maybe, but then we'd have to stop them and Gothi might have to remove them anyway,"

"But the flight is taking hours. Is he going to be able to survive that?"

"I told you before: Gothi is the only one who can give him proper medical treatment. It the meantime it's our job to keep him alive."

"Astrid? Astrid?"

Silence fell and Hiccup could just about make out the sound of quiet snores before his awareness gave out.

When Astrid awoke again the sun was setting and the sky was painted a gorgeous mix of orange and pink. She looked around her and saw that all the other riders and Sigurd were sleeping, except Fishlegs, who was diligently pressing the wad of bandage onto Hiccup's neck. To her surprise and relief, it appeared the blood flow had slowed down, as the bandage hadn't soaked through yet. Her boyfriend was still unconscious, though she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She gazed at the horizon, gasping as she saw the familiar black spot growing in the distance.

"We're almost there! Less than an hour to go!" Astrid shouted in delight, startling Snotlout.

"Finally!" He moaned once he had recovered from his scare, and Hookfang growled in agreement. Astrid patted Toothless' head, who crooned softly and flew towards Fishlegs, who had taken the lead.

"How's he doing?" She asked, using her hand to brush Hiccup's bangs out of his face. Toothless purred sadly, big eyes looking at his injured Rider.

"He's still alive, which is a good thing. I've been checking his heartbeat every now again and it's weak but constant. Gothi should be able to get him back to full health... hopefully," Fishlegs replied with weary eyes. Astrid nodded, then looked back at Berk, wishing they were they right now and they could get all this malarkey behind them.

It was about half an hour later that they arrived on Berk, though to Astrid it felt like days.

"Fishlegs, bring Hiccup to Gothi. Snotlout, get Gobber so he can help. Ruff, Tuff, um... just stay out of trouble and help Sigurd rest his hand. I'll go inform Stoick!" Astrid ordered as they flew over Berk's docks. At any other moment, the twins would have objected to the clear disrespect in Astrid's instructions but due to the dire situation, no one made a sound as they split off their different ways. Toothless flew over the quiet village towards the Haddock house that sat on top of the hill, landing swiftly and deftly. Astrid slid off his back the second his talons hit the ground and threw the door open. Due to the early hour, the chief was sitting at the table eating but he looked up in shock and surprise when his door flew open.

"Astrid! What in the name of Thor!" He exclaimed, then noticed the alarm that was clear in her face. "What's wrong?"

"Hiccup," She blurted out noticing how she was slightly out of breath for some reason. "We just back from rescuing him from Viggo and that masked bounty hunter-"

"Is he hurt?" Stoick asked before she could finish her sentence.

"Viggo slit his throat-"

"WHAT?!" His shout was like none she had ever heard before. And she couldn't blame him really, this whole situation was a panicky mess. But she suddenly realised she hadn't mentioned he was still alive. She turned to add that but he was already out the door calling for Skullcrusher.

"Chief!" She shouted, running after him. She spotted him in the air and hurriedly mounted Toothless to follow him. "He's alive!" But no reaction came and within seconds they were landing on the platform outside Gothi's house. Stoick was the first to swing open the door but stood frozen at the entrance. Astrid ducked so she could peer past the man's large body and into the small infirmary. Hiccup lay on his back on the wooden bed, moaning in pain as Gothi threaded a needle through the skin in his neck. Gobber glanced up from where he helped hold Hiccup's head still, looking distraught.

"Hiccup..." The chief of Berk ran to the bedside and fell on his knees, delicately holding one of his hands. His eyes ran over his body, at the bandages wrapping around his bare chest and back.

"Our first rescue attempt failed because Hiccup got shot in the back by Ryker. And our second rescue attempt almost failed when Viggo held a knife to his throat…" Astrid explained sadly, trailing off at the end when the rest because unspeakable. Gothi looked up at them, pointed a long finger at Gobber, then at Stoick and Astrid. The blonde man looked at them.

"Gothi says he'll live. His recovery will be a slow one, but it will be a complete one. Yer boy got lucky, Stoick. If the knife had been a wee bit more central, he would have bled to death by now. You did a good job of keeping him alive, lass. But the old woman needs to do these stitches well if he's going to survive. You two have to go, I'm afraid. Doctor's orders." Stoick nodded sadly, relieved to hear his son would live, despite all that had happened. He stood up and put a comforting hand on his future daughter-in-law's shoulder as they walked out.

Hiccup had experienced many different ways of waking up. The twins' wake-up call, being tied up on an enemy ship in the middle of the ocean, or being drenched in water and gasping for breath after a near-death experience. But none of them compared to the constant pain of a needle piercing the skin around your slit throat over and over and over. He writhed, trying to get away but his head was being pushed down on the bed, meaning he couldn't move from his position on his side, the dagger wound facing upwards. His eyes flickered open to see Gobber standing over him with sorry eyes and hands pressing his head onto the wood. He tried to move his lips to say something, but all that came out was a strained groan of pain. The needle hit his nerves again and again and again until eventually, Hiccup decided to just close his eyes and wait for unconsciousness to take him back…

"…So Throk tried to save him, but in the process of wrestling Viggo to the ground, the knife cut Hiccup's throat open. He passed out pretty quickly and we flew him back as quickly as possible, trying to stop the blood flow with bandages." Astrid finished the story over a mug of mead in the chief's kitchen. Stoick nodded, gazing vacantly at the wooden table in thought. Suddenly a knock at the door sounded.

"Come in," The chieftain raised his voice as Tuffnut peered into the room.

"Astrid! We've been looking all over the island for you! Can you help us with Sigurd's hand?" Tuffnut marched into the house upon seeing the young warrior, followed by Ruffnut, who held a bandage over the slave's bleeding stump. Stoick's mouth fell open at the sight of the lookalike, and Sigurd met his gaze with shy eyes.

"By Odin's beard…" He muttered, making Astrid realise she hadn't introduced them.

"Chief, Sigurd. Sigurd, Stoick, chief of Berk." She said before examining where the slave's finger used to be. "Ok, Ruff get bandages. Sigurd, hold your hand up in the air until we can apply proper pressure to it." Her orders were followed, all the while Stoick watched in silence and bewilderment.

It was about an hour later that the amputation had been treated, bandages tightly wrapped around it.

"Now I guess we'll just have to wait for it to heal," Astrid said as she tied the last bandage. She paused, glancing over at the quiet chief.

"You alright, Stoick?" She asked. He nodded, then looked at Sigurd, holding his uninjured hand between his.

"Thank you for helping to save my son. Despite everything, they probably couldn't have done it without you." Sigurd smiled in reply, bowing his head respectfully.

"Thank you guys for welcoming me from your enemy's side into your own," He replied, smiling particularly at Astrid. The young maiden smiled back.

"How could we not?" She paused, her thoughts on Hiccup again. "Let's pray to Odin that Hiccup's neck heals.

It had been a few very long days since they had arrived back on Berk. Gothi had strictly forbidden anyone besides Stoick to visit him, must to Astrid's misery and frustration. She needed to see him, to ask him if he was feeling better, to see his green eyes glimmer with the hope of healing, to see his lips turn up into a smile. A smile at her. She missed him, she really did. And hearing his progress from Stoick was nowhere near comparable to seeing him with her own eyes.

She sighed, jumping off Stormfly outside the Chief's house. Dawn was just breaking but despite the sky's gorgeous painting and the song of cheerful Terrible Terrors on the roof, the young maiden couldn't bring herself to smile as she opened the door to the Haddock house. Toothless lay in the corner, curled up and purring to himself quietly. Big green eyes looked up at her as she entered, gazing up at her sadly. Astrid could see his emotions mirrored her own and sighed, kneeling down beside the dragon.

"He'll be alright, Toothless. Soon enough we'll be able to see him again. And we won't let this happen to him ever again," She said comfortingly, not sure if she was talking to him or herself as she gave him a scratch behind the ear.

"Morning lass," Stoick's voice came from behind her as the man came down the stairs.

"Morning," She replied, noticing how the bags under his eyes were more accentuated than normal, most likely because of the nights he'd spent at Hiccup's side. If only she could do that too… The chieftain made his way into the kitchen, when suddenly the sound of a horn vibrated through the house, causing Toothless' ears to go up in surprise.

"Were we expecting visitors today?" Astrid called. Stoick shook his head, reappearing out of the room he'd just walked into. The three ran towards the door, the burly man calling for his dragon as he went. Astrid leapt onto Toothless, calling for Stormfly to follow as they flew down to the docks. She grasped her spyglass as they flew, holding to her eye to see… the Defenders' crest. She removed the glass from her eye, blinking for a second.

In all honesty, she didn't know how to feel about Throk. They probably wouldn't have been able to get him out of there if he hadn't helped them. Hiccup would have been a slave forever and they might never have got him back. But on the other hand, he almost got her betrothed killed. His irrational, reckless bravery almost lead to her lover to his bloody death. It was well-meaning and all, but did she want to trust him?

They landed on the wooden pier as the ships came into the docks, getting off their dragons and standing side by side to welcome their ally. Berkians bustled around to help with the gangway as Throk walked out, head bowed.

"Greetings Berkians. I have come to deliver my most sincere apologies for my recklessness when trying to rescue your heir. My condolences." The man said, getting down to one knee before the chief of Berk, who nodded respectfully. Condolences… does he think Hiccup has died?

"I have brought gifts along with me, in the hope that I can earn your respect once again. For I know that I deserve none of it after this has happened. Our Queen Mala also sends her condolences and regards for your tribe," He continued as masked Defenders marched off the ships carrying baskets of food, tools and weapons. They were placed in front of the two Berkians, who stole a quick glance at each other. These are the kind of things you bring to the family of someone who's died…

"Has the funeral already passed, if I may ask?" The man stood up, looking between Stoick and Astrid.

"N-no! Hiccup is alive!" Astrid replied, shocked. Throk blinked, clearly not comprehending what had just been said.

"I'm sorry, what-"

"My son is still alive, Throk. He is healing slowly, but there is no need for a funeral," Stoick repeated, placing a supportive hand on the Defender's shoulder. A wave of relief crossed his face as the man smiled.

"That is brilliant news! May I see him to apologise for the ordeal I put him through?" There was a pause, where both father and betrothed looked at each other.

"We'll have to see. We might not be allowed to see him, but come right this way." The trio started the trek up the hill, followed by Skullcrusher and an eager Toothless. Ten minutes later they were at standing on the platform outside Gothi's hut, and Stoick knocked quietly. The old lady appeared at the door, frowning disapprovingly at the large crowd of visitors.

"Gothi, Throk would like to see Hiccup so he can apologise," The chief said, placing a hand on the Defender's shoulder. Astrid ducked, trying to peer past the healer to see Hiccup. She spotted him, propped up with sandbags and pillows so that he was sitting at a 45-degree angle. His eyes were closed and stitches ran across his neck, covering parts of the scarlet red line. She looked back up at the healer, who was gesturing for Throk to come in. She hurriedly walked forward, but Stoick's arm stopped her. She glared up at him.

"Let the man speak first, you can go in after," The chief calmly said to her as the door was shut behind Throk. She huffed, turning around and sitting impatiently with her back against the wooden walls.

It was light outside when Hiccup woke up, though he was used to that by now. His sleeping cycle had been completely messed by the amount of sleep Gothi forced upon him, when all he really wanted to do is get out of bed and see Astrid and the others. His stitches were healing nicely and would continue to do that if he didn't jerk them, and his arrow wound no longer needed bandages. His father had brought him some replacement clothes and armour that he had somehow found. But still, he wasn't allowed out. Did they not trust him enough to take care of himself? It wasn't like he was asking to go straight back to the Edge or anything, all he wanted was to get out of this tiny little hut (no offence to Gothi of course) and see someone other than his father. Not that he didn't like seeing his father, but he missed the others, especially Astrid.

Which is why he was delighted when he saw people standing at the door. He blinked away the sleep in his eyes and focussed to see who it was. Please say it's Astrid, please say it's Astrid. But instead, a very guilty looking Throk walked in while Gothi shut the door on the rest of his visitors. He heard Astrid huff from outside, but his attention was drawn to the Defender.

"Hiccup Haddock, what a relief it is to see that you are alive. I feared that my recklessness had caused you to bleed to death." He said, kneeling down at his bedside and bowing his head. "I know that I do not deserve your trust anymore, but I hope that you can eventually forgive me-"

"Throk, if it wasn't for you, I would be a slave to that masked man right now. I may never have seen Berk or the Edge ever again! Don't worry about it, all that matters is that I'm alive, and that you helped get us to this point," Hiccup smiled comfortingly. Throk looked up surprised.

"I have not deserved your grace and forgiveness, but I will do everything possible to make it up to you, Hiccup-"

"No, Throk you don't have to,"

"It's my duty as a Defender of the Wing," He stood up, placing a hand over his heart. "I would stay longer, but I must return to tell my Queen that you are alive."

"Mala thinks I'm dead?"

"Our entire tribe did until Miss Hofferson told us that you had survived the injury. But I must go so that she can know,"

"Ok, thank you for stopping by,"

"And thank you for your forgiveness," Hiccup smiled and shook his head slightly at Throk's insisting, but said nothing as he walked out of the door. The second the door opened, though, Astrid and Toothless rushed in, stopping beside him. Toothless crooned, laying his head down his lap as the young maiden took Hiccup's hand in hers. Her eyes squeezed shut as she held back tears of relief. He squeezed her hand in reply, using his other hand to give Toothless a scratch under the chin.

"I missed you too, bud," He muttered. Movement caused him to look up, and he saw Gothi waving her stick at him and looking at Stoick, clearly demanding him to shoo them out. Hiccup gave his father a pleading glance, and he smiled, shaking his head to Gothi, who closed the door and retreated into a back room reluctantly, leaving the lovebirds and dragon alone.

Hiccup looked back at his betrothed with loving eyes, letting go off her hand to lift up her chin. Blue eyes met green as they gazed at each other.

"I missed you," Astrid whimpered quietly.

"I missed you too, milady," He smiled in return, gently pulling her head onto his chest.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again,"

"I didn't try to, but I shall do my best,"

"You're lucky you're too injured already for me to punch you," She muttered, lifting her head up so their gazes met again. She frowned, clearly trying to look angry despite the relieved smile creeping up onto her face.

"Oh come on, I know you love me," Hiccup teased, rubbing his thumb over her cheek tenderly. She opened her mouth to answer, but Hiccup stopped her. He pulled her closer, and their lips met for a sweet, tender kiss. A few seconds passed before they broke away again, looking at each other smiling.

"I couldn't imagine a world without you in it," Astrid whispered, beaming.

"I couldn't imagine a world without you in it either," He answered, pulling her back for another kiss, before muttering into her lips.

"And luckily we don't have to."

A/N: I think that's the most line-breaks I've ever used in one chapter. That was partly because I continuously felt the need to switch perspectives, and partly... well, that's just the way I wanted to tell the story. Did you like it? Please let me know in the reviews. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have and I hope to you see you on another story. :)

~httydfangirl123

P.S.: To those of you who follow me or want to keep up with my future stories, I have a message. As you probably know, I'm back to school now so I don't have the time to write and upload. The next school holiday is in February, but then I'm going to England for the week. The next school holiday is in April, so you won't see another multi-chapter fic on here until then, unfortunately. That doesn't mean, however, that you won't see any of me for 4 months. I have some one-shots in store for you, one is the first fanfiction I've ever written and completed that I found a few weeks back. It is not my normal writing quality since I wrote it about a year and half ago, but I think you will enjoy reading it nonetheless. I also wrote a ridiculous, fluffy Hiccstrid one-shot that I wrote when I was so tired that I was practically drunk. Again, not my normal standard, but enjoyable to read nonetheless. I will post one in two weeks and one in February. Question is, which one do you guys want first? I have a poll on my profile, and I'd much appreciate it if you would tell me which one you want first. In two weeks I'll close it and publish the most popular one.

Anyway, I'll see you in a few weeks! Byee!