First of all, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! May the gods protect you all from harm and evil dragons, and I hope that all of you will enjoy the new year we've been given.

Alright! Onto part IV already. What will happen next? Read and find out... Kinda short chapter, just for you guys. Consider it a New Years gift, from me to you.

Also, the breaks mean Wrenlou is struggling with the words in Norse. That's all! Nothing more to say!

Happy New Year everyone!

Enjoy!

The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou

Finding Night Fury Island, Part IV

'NO!'

'Wrenlou! You are going back to the bay right now!'

Wrenlou clenched his jaw, his hands balled to fists. He looked back at the bed and the boy laying in it. He was terribly pale, almost blending in with the sheets. The black dragon was laying next to the bed, his head on the edge. He turned back to the man in front of him.

'I can't leave him! I'm the only face he's seen! And he can't understand our language. I can't just leave him. I saved him!'

'Yes, and it was a noble thing. But you need to go back to the bay. We will take care of him.'

'You don't understand! He's alone, he knows no one! The only one he has ever seen is me! You can't expect me to leave him in a strange city, with strange people he doesn't understand.'

'And you can understand him?'

'Well... no... But I could! He's from the Northern Lands. Their language isn't hard to learn. Please, I need to do this.'

The man sighed, running a hand over his face. 'You've always been strong headed, but this tops everything. You don't know this kid, and you are willing to learn his language just like that? Because you feel sorry for him?'

Wrenlou nodded.

The man shook his head. 'I will discuss it with the council. Until then you can stay here. Your stubbornness is going to get you in trouble one day. Serious trouble.'

With that the man left, flying down to the plaza. As soon as he knew he couldn't see him anymore, a wide smile broke across Wrenlou's face and he turned around. Looking at the boy in the bed, flanked by the dragon, he sighed.

'Right. Library... Snow! Come here girl. We have some books to collect.'

0-0-0-0-0-0

The first thing he was aware of was that he was surrounded by softness and covered with warmth. He was laying on his right side, curled up on what was obviously a bed. He moved a bit. He had expected pain to explode in his body, but it never came. The pain was gone, only a throb reminded him of what had happened.

What had happened?

They had been captured, he remembered that.

They had escaped...

They had found a beach...

There had been a boy... but then what?

Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking at the light. He was in a room, a circular room. He moved his head a little, trying to look around the room. The room itself was white, sparsely decorated, but for some reason there were books all over the floor. He took a deep breath, cringing a little when the movement shot a sudden flair of pain through his limbs. After not moving for a while, the pain subsided again. He now felt the bandages covering his torso and realized that his clothes were gone. His breath caught in his throat for a moment, the he realized that he was just missing his tunic and boots. He relaxed a little and closed his eyes again.

That's when he heard it.

There was a voice in to room with him.

His eyes shot open. Who were they? Were they going to hurt him too? Very carefully, he moved his head around a bit. He noticed a chair and someone was sitting in it. It was a boy, not much older than he was. He was leaning against one armrest, his legs slung over the other. His black hair was falling over his face as he looked down on something in his lap. He was muttering words, barely audible.

He tried to move, but whimpered when pain shot through his back. The boy looked up, and a smile spread across his face when their eyes met. He closed the book he had been reading, putting it on the ground before standing up. He knelt at the bed, still smiling.

'Hey.'

He frowned. Had the boy just spoken Norse? He stared at the kid. It was the same one he had seen on the beach. Short, black hair framed a round face, it's shape similar to his own. The boy had a lanky build, but was tall. The most striking about this boy were his eyes. His right eye was green, while his left eye was blue, it was completely otherworldly.

Otherworldly?

He must be dead. He was in Valhalla now. That was it.

But... he didn't die a warriors death, did he?

'How... how do you... feel?'

He was speaking Norse. Tentatively, the words unfamiliar on his tongue, but he could understand him now.

'I... I don't know...'

The boy smiled. 'My...' He frowned, trying to find the word. 'I am Wrenlou.'

'Name.' Hiccup whispered. 'My name is Hiccup.'

'Name... Hiccup? That's... unusual.'

'What... what happened? How did I get here?'

He tried to sit up, but yelped when the pain hit him again. He squeezed his eyes shut, but they shot open as soon as he felt hands on his shoulders. The boy... no, Wrenlou, helped him sit up, rearranging the pillows so he could lean back.

'I... found you. On the... seashore?'

'Beach. We crashed... Toothless! Where's Toothless?'

Wrenlou chuckled. 'Toothless? His... name is Toothless? He's right over there. He... never left your side.'

He gestured to the other side of the room and Hiccup turned his head. The dragon was hidden by the shadows, but two green eyes stared at him.

'Toothless!'

The dragon jumped up and rushed over, almost climbing on the bed, licking his face where ever he could.

'Toothless! That's disgusting! I'm alright bud, I'm alright...'

'He... refused to leave you. He even refused to eat. I guess he was really... worried about you.'

'How long..?'

'Nearly...' Wrenlou was struggling with the word until he finally gave up and held up three fingers.

'Three days?'

'Three... weeks.'

Hiccup's eyes widened. Three weeks? He had been unconscious for three weeks?

'But how...'

'You were pretty... badly injured. I don't know who you came across, but they did a number on you, didn't they.'

Hiccup cringed in at the memory of the dark cell and the red-haired man that had beaten him, the question he couldn't understand, the pain...

'Hiccup? Does it... hurt? Are you in pain?'

He looked up at Wrenlou. His eyes met strange colored ones staring back at him with concern. Real concern. This kid, who he had just met, was worried about him, cared about him. It was a concept he was so unfamiliar with he didn't really know how to react. He turned his head away, feeling tears rise.

'Hiccup?'

There is was again.

Concern.

The same concern that was in Wrenlou's eyes, reflected in his voice. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. As soon as his eyes met Wrenlou's, he couldn't hold back the tears.

He buried his face in his hands, hearing the dragon croon softly. His sobs were shaking his body, sending flashes of pain through his back, which only aggravated his grief. He felt Wrenlou move, moving closer to him, then he felt and arm around his shoulders. At first he flinched at the touch, then he leaned into it.

He felt awkward crying into the shoulder of someone he just met, someone he knew nothing about, other than his name was Wrenlou, but he didn't care. This kid cared for him, actually cared. Slowly, his sobs subsided and when he pulled away from the boy next to him, he found that he was offering a cup of water. He took it, downing the cool clear liquid with one gulp.

'You're not very... used to... affection, are you?'

Hiccup looked up, quickly wiping the tears from his face. He must have had a questioning look on his face because Wrenlou shrugged.

'You flinched. And I... noticed older scars...'

A small sob escaped his lips. He wasn't very used to affection. Or attention. He shook his head.

'No one here will hurt you, promise. Which... brings me to my... previous question. Are you in pain?'

'No... yes...'

'Hang on.'

Wrenlou stood up, walking across the room. Hiccup took a shuddering breath and felt a nudge. Toothless had moved a little closer, staring up at him. Hiccup smiled at the dragon and stroke his nose, a small purr escaped the dragon's throat.

'Here. It doesn't taste very... good, but it helps with the pain. If you can, drink it all in once.'

He took the cup from Wrenlou's hand, looking down in it. The liquid didn't look to bad. After taking a deep breath, he gulped it down, nearly gagging at the taste. It didn't just taste bad, it tasted foul. The now empty cup was replaced with one filled with water and he downed it eagerly. He looked up at Wrenlou, disgust still over his face.

'I know, not the best taste in the world. But it helps, doesn't it?'

Hiccup nodded. The pain he had felt since he had bursted out in tears was gone, once more reduced to a throb.

'Where am I? How do you know my language? Where is the white dragon? What...'

'Whoa hold on. I will... answer all your questions in due time. Right now, you need rest. Tons of it.'

'But... I just woke up...'

'Yes. From... unconsciousness. Now you need to sleep. Get some real rest. Don't worry, you're save here. And I will be right here.'

Hiccup said nothing. He stared at his hands and the cup he was still holding. He did feel really tired. He felt like he had run a thousand miles, and then some. But he couldn't sleep! He had so many questions he needed answered. Where was he? Had he really seen a white Night Fury? Was all this even real? Or was this just a figment of his imagination and was he still in that dark cell? He bit his lip and heard a chuckle. When he looked up, he found Wrenlou looking at him, a smile playing around his lips. There was a sparkle in those eyes he hadn't seen before. Wrenlou took the cup from his hands and gently pushed him down. Hiccup didn't struggle and let himself be tucked in.

Wrenlou went back to the chair and picked up the book he had been reading, settling down again, leaning against one armrest, legs slung over the other. Toothless crooned softly and Hiccup turned his head to the dragon, before turning over on his left side so he could face his friend. Whatever the foul tasting liquid had been, it worked wonders. If he didn't move he didn't feel the bandages covering his torso and he could pretend they weren't there. He placed his hand on Toothless' nose, the dragon exhaling slowly, his eyes sliding shut. While listening to the dragon's breathing and Wrenlou's soft murmuring, he too closed his eyes.

It wasn't long before he slept.