In which something is lost, but much is gained...
Falling.
He couldn't stop falling as he plummeted into the fiery sea below. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate that he would be consumed, and it would all be over. Hiccup blinked as if waking from a dream and found his feet on solid ground. Everywhere he looked, fire licked into the air surrounding him. Glowing green liquid roiled and churned under his boots. The sickening smell of chard material and rotten eggs twisted his stomach violently.
"Toothless!" he managed to call out, barely hearing his own voice over the vicious crackling and snapping of the fire. He spun around, frantic. Smoke began to choke him and constrict his lungs painfully. "Astrid!" he tried to yell, but it left him as a weak plea.
Panic rose inside him, clutching his chest and strangling his breath. He tried calling out again in another weak attempt, but the roar of the inferno swelled.
No escape – a voice slithered into his mind – wicked and cruel – in a tongue Hiccup did not recognize but understood. With me. In me. Forever.
The fire raged in every direction. No matter where he fled, the flames would devour him whole. He dropped to his knees, curling into himself as dry heaves racked through his body – as the smoke choked out the last of his air. The cruel laughter echoing in his head began to fade, morphing into a softer form. Hiccup knew this voice and it soothed his senses. The heaving calmed. His lungs began to pump air in. Only an ache in his chest remained.
I got you, Hiccup. I'm here.
He needed this voice. It was his anchor, his lifeline, to pull him from the consuming inferno.
The world grew dark and still once more.
Heat blew upon his face, but it wasn't the heat of the fire that had surrounded him. This new heat blew in soothing gusts across his face, coaxing him from the darkness. Hiccup stirred. A familiar warble and a demanding grunt drew him the rest of the way from his unconscious state. Hiccup cracked open his eyes. Before he could register anything around him, a warm tongue dragged across his cheek. Hiccup chuckled, but slight vibration caused his ribs to ache.
"Hey bud," a hoarse sound startled Hiccup as much as the scratchy dryness in his throat that made it difficult for him to release the greeting.
Toothless licked him again, the dragon's excitement evident in every swipe.
Hiccup gently pushed Toothless away as he became more aware of the world around him. A contained fire close by illuminated off rock walls. The surface underneath him was hard, but a thin layer of straw under him kept him from lying directly on the ground. A bundled up clothe had kept his head pillowed. Another cloth, scratchy like a very worn blanket, covered him all the way to his chest.
Toothless hopped into his line of sight, wiggling with bottled-up enthusiasm that was bubbling to the surface. Hiccup attempted to sit up, and quickly became aware that his entire body was stiff and racked in soreness.
"Where are we, Toothless?" Hiccup asked, his voice remaining hoarse but a little stronger than his first try at words.
It was him and his dragon. He searched his brain for any remnants of what happened to him last. As soon as he trained his brain to remember, the memories flooded back in shocking waves.
The Queen.
The battle.
The final shot to end her.
And then…and then…
Fire. Chasing them…as she crashed down into flames.
The idea that only him and Toothless made it out alive stabbed his core. But no – how would Toothless gather clothes for bedding, or make a campfire? No, the dragon was highly intelligent, but he wouldn't be able to even fly without the tailfin that Hiccup knew had disintegrated from the Queen's attack.
"Where is everybody?" Hiccup voiced his wonders.
Toothless perked up his ears and looked thoughtful as if just remembering he had somewhere to be. He zoomed away, leaving Hiccup alone. Peering around, Hiccup found himself in a cave – the entrance obscured by hanging vines. He tried sitting up further. Every muscle screamed in protest. He didn't know a person could feel every bone in their body, but here he was.
It was then he realized something was off. His left leg was lighter than his right. He tried rotating his ankles and wiggling his toes, but he could only control the right. A sinking feeling traveled up his spine. He raised the makeshift blanket. Below the knee, where his left leg should have been, was a tightly wrapped brown clothe. Hiccup's gulp resounded in his ears. His breath quickened, huffing out in ragged gust.
It's gone.
Where the left foot and part of the leg should have been was just…gone.
Hiccup hadn't the time to completely process the discovery, hadn't the time to truly believe it, before the curtain of vines split open sending a wide stream of sunlight into the cave. Hiccup shielded his eyes at the intruding light. The newcomer paused in the entrance, the sun outlining their silhouette. Hiccup knew that shape, and relief crashed over him.
"You're awake!" Astrid proclaimed, rushing to his side. She threw her arms around his neck.
Hiccup barely had the strength to hold himself up along with her added weight. Astrid must have noticed his imbalance. Her strong arms kept him upright and against her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, relishing in the certainty that she was truly here and unharmed.
Shuffling of feet entered the cave. Hiccup opened his eyes to find Toothless there. The dragon made his way to the end of Hiccup's bed pallet and plopped down on his haunches watching them with wide, curious eyes.
Hiccup pulled away from the embrace, his hands remaining on Astrid's lap. He couldn't bear to not touch her. Not after all that they'd been through. He just wished there was room enough for Toothless to curl up to him on the other side of the pallet.
"Astrid, what happened?" His memories practically fizzled out from the moment they had pulled to shoot the Queen. Hiccup recalled the fierce anxiousness vibrating in Toothless' body as they dived down with the Queen in pursuit. He could hear her breath sucking in the air around them – the tug of it pulling them in. Now, bud! – his own voice echoed in his head. "I remember me and Toothless shot the Queen. She was going down and that's it—"
Astrid grasped his hands in hers as they rested on her lap. "I don't know exactly what happened up there. The clouds hid what was going on. But from the small window we could see, you and Toothless had gotten separated. You were falling and he was diving after you and that's—" Astrid paused, her breath catching as she reigned in her composure. "We thought you'd been taken by the Queen's fire. There was so much fire, and we thought there was nothing left of—" She hesitated to finish the sentence, but Hiccup pulled the pieces together.
"But Toothless caught you and kept you from burning up." Astrid turned her gaze to Toothless, smiling in admiration for the dragon. "He saved you." She paused, glancing down where Hiccup's legs were located under the blanket. "There was one part of you that must have been exposed to the fire. I can stop, if you want me to."
"No," Hiccup replied, without hesitation. He needed to hear this. If a warrior of Berk lost a limb, they were honored and they displayed their battle scars with pride. Hiccup never desired to have any part of him maimed or lost, but he would be brave and accept it. "It's okay. I can handle it." He shrugged. "Besides, we're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard."
Astrid huffed out what could have been a breathy laugh. She swallowed, loudly. "If we didn't take the leg, it would have made you sick—"
"Who did it?" Hiccup asked before he could filter the question that flew out of his mouth.
Astrid looked, owl-eyed, at him in question.
"Who took my leg, Astrid?"
Astrid bowed her head, gazing at their joined hands. "Me."
Hiccup's heart tumbled down his chest and into the depth of his stomach. Many gruesome acts occurred in battle, but rarely – if ever – did a mate have the responsibility of such an act. "I knew one day you'd finally get me with your axe," Hiccup quipped, but no humor was behind his words. He squeezed her hand. "Astrid, I'm so sorry you had to be the one to do it."
Astrid sniffled. She tried to keep her composure, but she couldn't hide the lingering gleam around the rims of her eyes. "I'd rather take your leg than be a widow. And, Toothless couldn't lose his best friend. Not after all you both had been through."
"How long have I been like this?"
"Seven moons. I was worried you'd never wake up, but I knew you needed time to heal."
Hiccup couldn't imagine being asleep for so long. No wonder every inch of his body felt like it'd grown into the floor below him and had to struggle to pull himself out.
"How're the others?"
Astrid snorted, rolling her eyes at the mention of the other teens. Some things never changed. "They're fine. Ruff and Tuff have gladly taken to a life of thievery to help us get supplies. Fishlegs is having a grand time exploring the islands around here and gathering plants. Snotlout relentlessly complains and has threatened to shake you awake more than once."
Hiccup chuckled. "I'm glad the gang is okay," he caught Astrid's eye and smiled, "and you're okay."
His simple words of sentiment prompted Astrid to lean in and cover her lips with hers. They parted with a sweet noise gazing at each other as if they were the only beings on earth that existed.
An insistent grunt drew them out of their trance. Hiccup laughed. "You want some attention too, bud?"
Toothless wiggled his backend and looked behind him towards the vined entrance.
"I think he wants to go outside with you," Astrid tried to interpret.
"I do need to get up and stretch." Hiccup shifted, trying to figure out how he was even going to stand up. "My whole body feels like a dragon sat on me, multiple times."
Toothless stuck his nose in the air and blew out with a grunt. He stood and pivoted to face the cave's entrance.
Hiccup sucked in a breath of anticipation and released it slowly. Keeping his hand steady, he pushed off the makeshift blanket. His eyes were transfixed on the nub that was now the end of his left leg. The Queen was no more. The dragons were free. There would be peace on Berk. This was a part of the price he paid for all of that to be true.
Astrid gazed at Hiccup in concern and with a question in her eyes, but Hiccup nodded silently and that was all she needed. Astrid held him under the arms, helping him stand. Hiccup wobbled, the imbalance a shock and the muscles in his right leg felt weak from being unused for so long. When he was ready, they began a slow and tedious procession to the outdoors.
In all honestly, Astrid could have easily carried him, but that's not what he needed.
They stopped not far outside the cave. Hiccup blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming through the trees surrounding them. He didn't know where they were, but the landscape was flatter here than on Berk. He could look through the trees and see a good distance away.
He reached out for Toothless and the dragon was by his side, patiently awaiting him. Astrid unwound her arm from around his back and let him stand freely as he held onto Toothless for balance. Hiccup was about to ask where the gang was when an uproar heading towards them startled him out of his question.
"The grand dragon master has awoken!" Tuff bellowed.
Hiccup couldn't help the delighted smile that stretched his lips. Once upon a time, not that long ago, the gang looked down on him and mocked him. Now, they were excited to see him.
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed, overtaking Hiccup with a hug that made him wobble and hold onto Toothless for dear life. "So glad you're alive!"
Hiccup patted his friend's arm as Fishlegs released him. "Yeah, me too, Fishlegs."
Snotlout stepped up wearing a scowl. "Y'know, my belt kept you from bleeding out. You better be thankful Astrid didn't nick it, or I'd have to beat you up right now."
Hiccup eyed Snotlout's raised fist, but there was no malice in the gesture. "Thanks for lending me your belt, Snotlout."
A little of Snotlout's tough guy exterior fell away. "I guess it's good to see you're okay, cuz."
Hiccup couldn't hold back a smile. Him and Snotlout had come a long way in the last few months. "Thanks, cuz."
"So!" Ruffnut interjected as she pushed Snotlout out the way. "We knew you'd need a pegleg as soon as the nub was healed. We looked all over for something that would fit onto your skinny little bird leg and found this!" She presented a wooden stob sporting a leather cuff with straps. "Ta-da!"
Hiccup stared at the contraption Ruffnut shoved into his hands. "Where'd you get this?"
She planted her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."
Hiccup wasn't sure if he was horrified or grateful for the gift. "On that note, I'll try to forget this conversation ever happened. But thanks, Ruff."
"No problemo."
Hiccup peered around at the faces surrounding him and at their dragons who were congregated nearby. They'd all sacrificed their homes, their families, their lives as they'd known it for a cause they had just begun to believe in. They'd followed him to the kill arena where they'd risked being executed for treason. They'd followed him to the Nest where they risked their lives to help anger the Queen. They were here happy to see he was going to survive an injury that could easily have taken his life, and they gifted him with mobility.
Hiccup's throat tightened. "Thanks for being here, gang. For doing what was right for the dragons and for Berk."
Astrid touched his shoulder. "We're a tribe now. We're in this together. Where you go, we go."
Hiccup smiled, the prospect of a new horizon brightening. "Then let's get busy building a home together."
