FanFiction wasn't working (again) as you guys probably know, so I couldn't post this earlier for y'all. But then I kept on delaying editing and right now I'm running on about an hour and a half of sleep, so it's been a little crazy, haha. Anyways, here it is! The "epic" conclusion. Will Hiccup survive his fate?

I hope you'll enjoy! Apologies if it's rushed, I'M SICK RIGHT NOW.

Chapter Five: Red Helheim

To say Astrid had been surprised when she saw Toothless hovering calmly in the air thirty feet below her would've been an understatement.

She was in shock.

The dragon had been diving down. Intentionally diving down, no way of stopping his descent. It had looked like he was planning a suicide attempt of his own. But now, quite shockingly, she saw the reason why he'd jumped. What he'd sensed when he'd leaped off the cliff. How he was floating in mid-air by himself and flying back up.

Hiccup.

Astrid felt faint.

He'd fallen off a cliff, for Thor's sake. They'd called for him until their throats grew hoarse with still no response. The length he'd fallen, the way Johann had dragged Hiccup down through the air with him…

She was hallucinating.

The other riders were equally surprised when Toothless clawed his way up the rest of the cliff with Hiccup weakly holding onto his side, bloody and bruised, but… clearly there. But how?

Astrid blinked, and whispered, "Hiccup?"

From Toothless's back, Hiccup looked over at her, face marred with scratches and bloody cuts, and the faintest smile curved at the edge of his lip. "Hey, Astrid."

"But you were… you were -" Tuffnut stumbled for an explanation. "Dead!"

Hiccup averted his eyes, almost as if a painful memory was coming up. "No, I… I wasn't. I was just… just..." His sentence broke off, and he didn't continue.

Without hesitation, Astrid stepped forward and pulled Hiccup into a hug. He was trembling, she realized, and angrily she vowed that she'd kill Johann if he weren't already dead.

Soon after, the other riders joined in.

No words were needed as the group huddled together. Nothing else was required but each other. In a moment of peaceful silence and shock, they had all that they ever wanted and needed: Hiccup.

Once satisfied Hiccup wouldn't disappear on her again, Astrid pulled away. She punched him in the arm. "Don't you do that ever again!" she yelled, eyes burning. "I thought you were dead, for good this time! I-I thought Johann had killed you… that you'd killed yourself trying!"

Hiccup remained silent.

"Next time, before you jump off a cliff, let the others know about it!" Astrid's tone was deadly. "Tell us that you're not going to die. That you're not going to make another suicide attempt for someone as low as Johann! Do you realize how much you scared us? How you scared me? Why didn't you answer us when we were calling for you? What happened to you? How are you even… alive?" Astrid's voice dropped

Hiccup whispered, "I know… I thought I was going to die, too. I was falling, and that was it. The end." He closed his eyes. "It was one of the worst things I've ever gone through. I couldn't stop it, Astrid. I was going to die, and I couldn't stop it."

Astrid looked at him with worried eyes. "Hiccup…"

"I heard Johann scream as he fell into that dragon's mouth," Hiccup continued, albeit still shaky with his near-death experience. "I thought, 'That's going to be next. I'm going to be eaten alive.' But instead… I landed on something. At first, I thought I hit the bottom, but it was only a ledge, thank the gods. I… don't remember anything else after that. Just pain." He looked at the ground. "That's the last thing I remember before Toothless came…. he was right there, waking me up." Hiccup smiled faintly, patting the dragon on the head. "You never fail to amaze me, you know that, bud?"

Toothless snorted, giving his rider an affectionate crooked smile.

"Well, I, for one, never thought he was dead," Snotlout boasted. "It's like I said before. You're Hiccup. You practically repel death."

Ruffnut eyed him. "I seem to remember a certain Jorgenson saying that Hiccup, quote-unquote, was 'gone for good' and we should 'leave him'. Am I right, Mr. Thorston?"

"You are correct, Ms. Thorston," Tuffnut mused.

Astrid looked at Hiccup again, and once more couldn't believe her eyes that he was there. Alive. Breathing. Green eyes still glowing with life. It was still such a shock, but a miracle, too.

A wobbly Hiccup stepped down from Toothless's saddle and grimaced when his stomach flared up in pain. Astrid reminded herself of his stab wound and grew concerned for his state of health. But as she looked even closer, she could see bruises throbbing all around his face as well as still bleeding cuts. When had those come?

Worried, she cupped a hand around his chin. "What happened to you, Hiccup?"

"Johann happened," Hiccup said wearily, pulling away. He shook his head and tried to fight off the pain that was growing inside him. The impact of falling against the ice ledge was catching up to him, fast, and he wasn't eager to reach the end results. Especially when he knew his stab wound was worsening. "Alright. We can talk more about this later. Let's get out of this cave before it collapses on us, and then we get out of here and head back to Berk."

Astrid gave him a black look. "What about all those injuries, Hiccup? You're not leaving without a look from the healer."

Hiccup started to protest.

Astrid held up a hand, cutting him off. "No, Hiccup. We… we thought you were dead, okay? You almost died. As much as you try to hide it, I can see you're hurting!"

A blink. "I'm fine, Astrid. I just want to get out of here… come on, let's talk about this somewhere else… like, say, Berk!"

"Hiccup…"

Toothless rumbled, interrupting their altercation. He nudged Hiccup's leg, and startled, Hiccup jumped back.

"Toothless, stop it," he protested as his dragon continued to nip at him. "What's gotten into you? Bud - what are you… cut it out... hey!"

Another minute and Astrid was officially alarmed. "What's wrong, Toothless?" She wasn't one to take the Night Fury's banter lightly, especially where Hiccup was concerned.

Toothless pawed the ground impatiently and nodded his head towards Hiccup, who was practically swaying on his feet.

Concerned, Astrid looked at him. "Hiccup, what's..." With a pause, she studied him for a long moment. The grayish skin. The dark circles under his eyes. The glassy, unfocused look. Hands pressing against his stomach in obvious pain. All the signs were there… so how had she missed it?

She pressed her palm against his forehead, and her eyes widened at the heat that radiated off the skin. "Hiccup, you're burning up!"

Hiccup knew that Toothless had done it for him, but his timing couldn't have been any worse. "I don't feel that great," he finally said with a wince. "I-I think it was the fall - it hurt my stomach a little. Otherwise, I'm good… just need to rest up."

"Let me see it," Astrid insisted, ignoring his litany of protests, and rolled up the bottom of his shirt. A sharp gasp before limp hands fell to her side. "Oh, my gods. Hiccup."

The once sewed-up hole had been ripped from its stitches and, as result, the skin was now gaping open where the flesh refused to hold. Blood coated the pale skin and shirt, and it was now spreading like a red flower.

Astrid took a horrified step back, fearful for Hiccup's life. "Hiccup… why didn't you say anything?"

"I was a little held up with falling off a cliff."

Astrid looked up at him with wide eyes. Had she really just got Hiccup back only to lose him again? "We have to get you help. We have to get you out of here… guys, help me get him up on Toothless! Hurry, he needs help!"

Anxiously, the riders gathered around Hiccup, and Fishlegs took him by the arm, tugging him over to his dragon. "Come on, Hiccup… step here, here, there… you're going to be fine."

"I'm already fine," said Hiccup, but his words were beginning to slur. He cast Astrid a confused look. "Please. Why are you even… I'm-I'm fine… just let me go… I can do it myself, okay?" He pulled himself free from Fishlegs and rubbed his stomach again. "It's fine. I'm fine."

He lifted his hand back up for him to see, then his expression changed from annoyed to concerned, relaxed to worried.

His palm was stained red.

"Oh," he said quietly.

At that moment, the pain finally caught up with him. He cringed and drew back, squeezing his eyes shut when he started to feel dizzy. He heard Astrid's concerned voice asking if he was all right, and briefly, Hiccup nodded, but he couldn't have spoken if his life depended on it. The world grew distant, and for a time he didn't know where he was.

A cold sensation was laid on his forehead and he jolted from the shock of it. He opened his eyes and saw Astrid bending over him, blue eyes shining with worry as she pressed a handful of snow to his forehead. Toothless was leaning in close, as were the other riders, and Hiccup realized that he was lying down in the snow and his head was cradled in Astrid's lap.

"What happened?" he croaked.

"You fainted. How do you feel?"

Hiccup blinked. "Fi-"

"If you say 'fine' one more time, I will punch you in the shoulder."

He leaned back with a heavy sigh. "Alright. I'm tired, I guess. I think my stomach's worse."

She glanced at him, eyes tight and worried. "That just proves it - you're hurt, Hiccup, and whether you like it or not, you have to slow down. We're getting you help… just stay with us until you're treated, alright?"

Stay with them? Where else was there to go?

Feeling suddenly tired, Hiccup closed his eyes again. He just needed a little rest, that was all. He'd be better in the morning.

"No, no, no, no, stay awake, Hiccup, stay awake," Astrid pleaded, but in the midst of the blackness around him he couldn't oblige. The pain was worsening and he just wanted a break.

"Hiccup!" someone called, and fleetingly Hiccup thought twice about leaving them behind.

But then the voices shouting for him silenced and the pain washed away. A light grew in the distance, warming everything around him. Hiccup smiled, and a part of him wished that he could stay like this forever. No pain, no worries, just peace.

But the thought of his friends and family in the real world snapped him back to attention. What was he thinking? He couldn't give up on them yet. He had to keep fighting. What kind of person would he be if he didn't even try?

The world slowly slipped away, a reddish tinge clinging to the blackness around him.

But Hiccup, though hanging loosely at the last strings of life he had, remained.

Hot.

White-hot pain everywhere.

Hiccup thrashed and grunted and fought for release, but none came. Hands steadied him. His stomach felt wet and stung with a vengeance. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and the world took around him took on a nightmarish tinge.

Leave.

Stay.

Leave.

Stay.

Not knowing what was going on, he drifted off again.

His eyes flickered open and he immediately saw the sky above him. The sun was extra bright, the sky a beautiful blue. He blinked, studying it before his thoughts settled. The clouds were extra large today and the air was sweet and warm. It was the perfect weather for flying. Time to get up.

"Toothless," he called, and was alarmed to find his voice so weak. "Toothless, we have to go, bud. Hmm… yeah, a quick flight before training..."

Everything felt sluggish as if he were still asleep. Arms were wrapped around his shoulders and he saw blonde hair swaying behind him in motion with the dizzying world. But that didn't make any sense. Toothless was a black dragon, not a blonde.

"Hang on, Hiccup," the person holding him said. "We're almost there. We're almost home."

Home? What home? For the life of him, he couldn't remember.

"Toothless," he said sleepily, clinging to the one memory he knew was real. "I want Toothless."

"I know, Hiccup. He's right here, don't worry, and I'm here, too… it's Astrid… we're almost to Berk, hang on."

Astrid. Toothless. Berk. Huh. That sounded familiar.

"Hiccup, hold on… hold on…"

Hiccup winced at the dripping desperation in the voice but wasn't sure what to hold onto. What did she mean?

Shivering, he fell back into a feverish slumber.

A blood-curdling scream came tearing out of someone's throat.

"No, stop! Please! No, no, get it away… get it away!"

Hiccup frowned. Who was making all that noise, and what was going on? Was someone hurt?

"Hiccup, hold still!" someone shouted. His eyes peeked open and he saw a large man with an even larger beard holding him back against the bed. So consumed in his raging fever, Hiccup didn't recognize him.

"Stop! Please…"

The brokenness of the voice was what hit him the most. How could one person be in so much agony? His heart ached for the man in pain. He hated to see anyone in distress, even more so to hear it.

"No… no! Stop!"

As the words were formed, Hiccup realized that his own lips were moving perfectly along with it. He no longer had any control of his limbs, either. Realization thumped him over the head. It was his own voice he was hearing. His own limbs that were flailing about. He was the one in agony.

"No-o-o!"

The world went black as something sharp cut into his stomach. For the third time, he slipped back into blessed unconsciousness.

The next sensation he felt was peace.

It was safe, it was warm, and it felt like home. All the pain and suffering was lifted from his shoulders and he relished in the richness of it. It was dark out, but he still could see the light ahead. He was by himself, but he didn't feel alone.

"Hiccup."

Fingers brushed across the creases of his forehead, much more gentle than anything he'd felt before.

"Come back to us. Please."

And Hiccup opened his eyes.

"I'm not sure where all these injuries are coming from lately, son," Stoick laughed, rubbing his temple with a confused frown. "I thought one Haddock down was enough. But you were determined to win the day, eh?"

Hiccup lay in bed - his own bed -, leaning against a pile of pillows. His stomach was wrapped in bandages, from both the stab wound and the broken ribs he'd suffered from when he'd fallen off the cliff. He looked pale and much too thin, but his skin had regained some color and was no longer the sickly gray it'd been.

It had been a little more than two weeks since they had brought him back home, stitched up and covered in blood. He had little recollection of the first few days after his collapse. Apparently, he'd had an infection, but once it was more manageable, Gordon had said that the best medicine was for him to return home. No time to spare, the king of dragons' egg was quickly given over to the Wingmaidens who had promised to keep it safe, and the riders retreated back to Berk where Stoick was just getting back up on his feet.

The Chief was horrified at the extent of his son's injuries, but Gothi had quickly patched Hiccup back up the best she could. He'd slept on for four days after that, feverish and thrashing in bed, but soon woke in a drenching sweat as his fever broke. He'd opened his eyes, only to stare into the caring gaze of his father and friends.

Returning to the present, Hiccup laughed. "It wasn't so bad this time. At least I didn't lose a leg," he joked, albeit weakly. He was already starting to feel drained after their short interaction.

Stoick immediately snapped to attention. "Hiccup? Are you hurting again? Do you need some more medicine?"

Hiccup shook his head, not eager to re-try the ill-tasting liquid. He'd nearly been sick the first time he'd taken it and wouldn't take it again unless it was absolutely necessary. "No. Just tired."

Stoick nodded, standing up from his chair. He smiled at his son as he turned to leave the room, his concerned eyes telling all that needed to be said. "I'll be right outside if you need anything, Hiccup. Don't be afraid to call, alright?"

A yawn. "Yeah, Dad, I know. Thanks."

"Good, good. Have a nice rest, son." Closing the door behind him, Stoick left the room.

Hiccup slept peacefully, content that he was home.

The next time he woke, it was Astrid who was beside him. He blinked, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his groggy state and disheveled appearance. Thankfully, Astrid didn't seem to mind, only looking relieved when he showed signs of waking.

"Finally. I was starting to think you'd sleep forever."

Hiccup yawned, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Eighteen hours, give or take."

Hiccup whistled. "That's a long time."

"Yeah, well, you needed it. Anyway, Stoick was starting to worry."

"When is he not?"

Astrid smirked. "He's your father, Hiccup. It's his job to worry." Returning to seriousness, she furrowed her brow. "How are you feeling? Does your stomach still hurt?"

Hiccup shrugged, pulling himself up in bed with a wince. "Just a little sore."

"Uh huh. And I'm sure those broken ribs, bruised face, and injured back are one hundred percent too?"

Hiccup laughed lightly. "Of course."

Softening, Astrid scooted her chair forward and took her hand in his, gripping it as if she was making sure he was still there and alive. "I'm so glad you're okay, Hiccup. You almost died… I don't even know how many times…"

Hiccup nodded. "Kind of hard to forget, seeing how I was there."

"Hiccup, you were stabbed." There was no humor left in her expression. "You went into shock. You were captured by Johann and fell off a cliff. Then, you miraculously survived that by getting yourself more injured in the process… and got an infection that almost killed you." She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "What am I going to do with you, Hiccup Haddock?"

"Trade me for someone who doesn't get hurt as much?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Based on your sense of humor this evening, I'd guess you're feeling better."

"I guess I heal fast." Hiccup then frowned. "Wait. Evening? It's evening already?"

"Yeah. Like I said before, you were out for a long time."

Hiccup pushed himself up in bed, and Astrid quickly grabbed shoulder to stop him. "Woah, woah, woah, take it easy, Hiccup," she soothed. "You're not getting out of this bed until Gothi says it's okay."

Hiccup shook his head. "Just wanted to see the sunset. Haven't been outside in two weeks."

"And whose fault is that? You were the one who got yourself stabbed in the first place."

Hiccup gave her a black look, then asked, "Where's Toothless?" It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't seen his dragon for the past few days, and panic started to rise in him. "Is he alright? Did something happen?"

"Slow down… yes, Toothless is fine," assured Astrid. "I've been keeping him with Stormfly at my place until you woke up. Stoick didn't want him disturbing you while you slept. Said you needed your rest."

Relieved that his dragon was safe, he nodded. "Sounds like my dad." Hiccup yawned, sinking back into his pillows. "Huh. Guess I'm more tired than I thought. Being stabbed really takes it out of you."

"I can imagine." Smiling, Astrid stood up. "Well, I've kept you up for longer than I should've. I'll let you sleep now." She paused. "Do you need anything? Something to eat? Drink? It's been a few days since you last had anything, you know, and you're thin enough as it is..."

"I'll have something later. Just want to sleep right now." He offered a weak smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine." And this time, he wasn't lying. The pain in his stomach had dimmed to a dull ache and his broken ribs were easy to forget. With a few more days of bed rest, he'd be back on his feet and riding Toothless in no time.

"Goodnight, Hiccup," Astrid whispered as she started to leave the room, casting one last glance at him before the door closed behind her.

Hiccup's eyelids drooped the moment she was gone as unconsciousness claimed him, but this time, it was a healing sleep. The worry lines on his brow faded, and he finally allowed himself to relax.

Despite all the strain from the last few months, he had a spark of hope that from this point forward, it would all slowly get better for both him and Berk. Physically and emotionally.

But for now, he was content to sink back into the pillows and sleep. He was home, he was safe, and it felt good.

THANK YOU TO YOU AMAZING REVIEWERS: katurdi, harrypanther, tom80 (Guest), The Wizard Rider, Roxy190, AnaWinchester-Universe67, TridentCA, RainDragon28, aaquater, Grizzly98, SweetWritingIsMyLife, Astrid E Lokison, Warr10r 0f 7h3 L16h7, DaisytheDoodleDog, Guest, The Dreaming Dragon, Stella (Guest), BLaiZeRSToRM, NightFuryTL, SweentheSaltine, animalsarepeopletoo, and Plasma Snow! I really enjoyed this fic with you guys, and I hope you did too! Your reviews are cherished!

See you at the next what-if! Which, in short, will be a what-if for Darkest Night, where Hiccup was the one to be injured instead of Stoick. *grins* I should be posting it within the next week or so, and if you're interested, come on and check it out!

Happy reading!

-thepurplewriter333