THREE.

I MADE THREE UPDATES TODAY.

I AM HAPPY NOW. XD ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO AFTER THIS AND I CAN START POSTING "CROSS MY WINGS AND HOPE TO FLY PART 1"! :D :D :D

Shout-outs:

midnightsky0612: Yep. Nothing good yet. :(

SnivyDragon: Yeah, DON'T DIE, HICCUP! EVERYONE LOVES YOU! D: And I think I will do another "b" season. I think I'd have a lot of fun doing it. ;)

Artwing7: Very bad predicament. :D And yeah, making an account on here is totally free (which is super duper awesome! :D). You should totally get one! They're a lot of fun! :D

Guest (#1): I think I will! :D

Prince Maggie: Thanks a bunch! :D Yeah, I like writing these fanfiction "episodes." :D I'll definitely write more in the RttE timeline. :D Thanks for the review, awesome Gryffindor! :D

Guest (#2): But if you kill me, you won't find out what happens to Hiccup! So don't kill me! XD

Guest (#3): As much as I'm looking forward to writing about Hiccup and Tuffnut trapped together, I don't think I'm going to write Winter's Gale right after this one. I already have the episodes coming after this one planned out, and there might be some information in those that has to be seen before Winter's Gale. :D

Dimensional Girl: Haha, LOL! Nope, not related to Rick Riorden. But I do love cliffhangers, so we both have that in common. XD Your nasty feeling might just prove true, unfortunately...and yeah, I think I will write a RttE season 3b. :D

The Ink Splotches: I think I'm going to do it. :) I need some entertainment through the hiatus, too, and hearing your guys' thoughts on my fanfictions is amazing. :D It would be a fun challenge, see if I can get 13 episodes posted before the next 13 episodes of RttE come out...I'm going to try and finish season 2b before season 3 comes on Netflix. Here's hoping! :D Thanks for the review! :D

Angel Azul: Yeah, that cliffhanger was evil of me. Sorry about that. :( But I'm glad you're still enjoying the chapters! :D Thanks! :D

DragonRobotkid676: I think I'm definitely going to do another 13 fanfiction episodes. :D And I think we actually have quite a few more seasons of RttE coming out...I'm pretty sure we're going to get a total of 52 episodes of RttE, which would mean...about two or three more seasons to look forward to! :D :D :D I am really excited about more seasons! :D Thanks for the review! :D

They had moved Hiccup to the only bed in the Clubhouse; it was a spare one, one they used when friends from Berk or otherwise visited. He was conscious, but dizzy to the point where if he so much as lifted his head, he felt sick. Astrid knelt beside him and pressed her hand firmly against his forehead.

"He's burning up!" she called.

"What just happened?" Snotlout said dumbly as Fishlegs and Gobber hurried forward. "What in Thor's name just happened?"

"Get me something for his fever!" Astrid snapped at the twins, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned and raced out the door, carrying a bucket between them without bickering. Fishlegs, meanwhile, put two of his fingers in front of Hiccup's eyes.

"Hiccup, how many fingers do you see?"

"Erm...eight…?" Hiccup said dazedly, raising his hand. "Hard to tell…"

Fishlegs paled. "This isn't good," he said. "This isn't good…"

"What?" said Astrid in a tone that didn't leave room for argument. "What isn't good?"

Fishlegs put his fingers together nervously. "There was...something I was going to tell you," he said, "but I was going to tell you all later, when it wouldn't panic anyone…"

"What?" Astrid snapped. "Speak up, Fishlegs, NOW!"

"The Venomous Vorpent can only sting once in its lifetime," said Fishlegs. "Its stinger is small and red at the end of its tail, like an arrowhead, but once it stings, the stinger falls off."

He pointed at the Venomous Vorpent dragon on the table. "This Vorpent," he said, "doesn't have a stinger."

"What does that have to do with why Hiccup's suddenly so sick?" Astrid demanded, but by the slightly wavering tone of her voice told Fishlegs that she already knew the answer.

Fishlegs swallowed. "Hiccup was stung by the Venomous Vorpent," he said.

Astrid paled. "No," she said. "You're wrong, Fishlegs. You diagnosed him wrong, like you did Toothless. You said it was an honest mistake, anyone could make one-"

"The biggest symptom of the Vorpent venom is a high fever," said Fishlegs, "which Toothless didn't have."

Toothless nudged his head beneath Hiccup's arm and nuzzled his rider's side. Hiccup stroked Toothless' head weakly.

"Astrid, Hiccup has all the symptoms," said Fishlegs.

"What does that mean?" said Snotlout lamely.

"It means," said Gobber, whacking the back of Snotlout's head with his hand, "that Hiccup only has approximately five minutes to live." But he said it lightheartedly; it didn't seem to be bothering him. "Of course," said Gobber, "this would be a problem, if it hadn't been for Hiccup's so called 'stupid, useless quest'. So, Astrid, where's the cure?"

Astrid went white. "We...we didn't get it," she whispered, and the shock of it seemed to be finally setting in.

Gobber's lighthearted attitude flew off like a migrating bird. "What?" he said.

"We got something!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted, bursting through the door of the Clubhouse, a bucket dragged in their grip. They dropped the bucket of water on the floor beside the bed, and Astrid soaked a rag in it and pressed it against Hiccup's forehead.

"We didn't get it," Astrid repeated, more quietly than the first time. "We don't have the cure."

The silence hung again, just as it had done when the Doomfang's jaws closed around the potato.

Gobber faltered. "But...when Fishlegs told me you'd gone after it," he said, "I was so sure...I was so sure you would've gotten it."

"Oh, we got it alright," said Snotlout. "It's just that Bork's stupid Guardian Dragon ate it."

The silence was deafening.

They had no cure.

"There has to be something!" Fishlegs cried. "Another cure of some sort, there has to be! Maybe we can extract some Vorpent venom and use that as an antidote! It works with snakes!"

"But Vorpent Venom comes from their stinger," said Snotlout, "not from their fangs. And obviously we don't have the stinger."

"Then what's the alternative!?" Astrid demanded, angry because she was scared. "I won't watch him die!"

"I'm sorry," said Gobber.

Yes, the tides had turned.

And definitely not for the better.

Astrid took Hiccup's limp hand and pulled at the charm of her necklace, which she had worn since the day Hiccup gave it to her. She closed Hiccup's fingers around the charm and held his hand there. "Listen to me, Dragon Boy," she said, "you made me a promise. You promised you'd always be there for me. You don't get to die now. You can't break that promise."

Hiccup swallowed thickly and shut his eyes. "I'll try not," he croaked.

"No, you will not," said Astrid firmly, holding his hand tighter. "I won't let you. You aren't leaving me. You can't. I'll find a cure, don't worry. Don't worry..." She looked around frantically, partially hoping the cure would pop out of thin air, and everything would be okay.

But it didn't.

The only thing she saw was Hiccup's satchel, which he had thrown to the side as he raced to Toothless when he first walked through the door.

Hiccup chuckled mirthlessly, but it died in his throat. "Not worried," he said, and he swallowed painfully, wincing. "Just...stay with me until it's over. Please."

Astrid squeezed his hand reassuringly, but she didn't answer. She was still focused on Hiccup's satchel.

Was it possible…?

"Fishlegs, the satchel!" she commanded, jerking her head in its direction, because pointing to it meant letting go of Hiccup's hand, and she wasn't willing to do that yet. "Now, give it to me now!"

Fishlegs scrambled to do as she had ordered, moving faster than Astrid had ever seen him move before. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had their heads bowed; Gobber and Snotlout were holding their helmets to their chests. Astrid wanted to yell at them. They were acting like Hiccup was already dead.

Fishlegs handed her the satchel, and she reluctantly released Hiccup's hand to dig through it. It had to be here, it had to be here, she had seen Hiccup put it in the satchel…

Finally, she found it, and pulled it out.

The dagger that had been buried inside the potato for Thor only knew how many years.

Astrid took Hiccup's hand again, the dagger held tightly in her other. "You trust me, don't you, Dragon Boy?" she asked.

This time, Hiccup managed a weak but honest smile. "With my life," he said.

Well, if that wasn't good enough, nothing was. She held his hand tightly in one of her own, the dagger clutched tightly in the other, and, after sending a silent prayer, pricked the tip of Hiccup's forefinger with the dagger.

It was her last desperate hope.

For the longest time, nothing happened. Hiccup's breathing was as labored as ever, and his eyes were closed again.

But then, miraculously, the juices of the potato that had gathered on the blade of the dagger found its way to Hiccup's bloodstream. His breathing became deeper and steadier; slowly but surely, the color returned to his face, only just slightly.

And he opened his eyes.

They weren't dazed or unfocused. They were clear and steady, focusing straight into Astrid's eyes.

"I think it worked," he said breathlessly.

The tides had turned...again.

And this time, they had turned for the better.

Astrid let out an inhuman shriek and yanked Hiccup into her arms, squeezing him as tight as she possibly could, and then tighter. She knew she was probably hurting him, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Snotlout threw his helmet into the air and cheered, "YES!" The twins lifted their heads and smacked each other so hard they were almost knocked unconscious.

It seemed too much for Fishlegs. "Oh Thor…" he whispered, and he fainted, hitting the ground with a thud.

Astrid never wanted to let go of Hiccup again. His forehead was pressed against her neck, and she could feel his fever, but it was already lowering.

The cure had worked.

This time, everything really was okay.