Heyo! Here comes Chapter 4, where the treatment for Riley begins!

Chapter 4: The First Step

Berk

It was as peaceful as a morning as it could get. Sun rising on yet another clear day on Berk and for the first time in a while, Hiccup's Night Fury did not jump on the roof wanting to get an early morning flight.

Hiccup eyes fluttered open once he heard a knock on the door of his hut.

"Hang on, I'm coming." Hiccup said in a groggy voice, still tired after the long night he had last night. He glanced over and saw his mother already awake, getting ready for the long mission ahead, while Riley was sleeping peacefully on the extra bed.

"Morning son." She greeted him.

"Morning mom." He greeted back, yawning shortly after finishing his sentence. He opened the door and it was Astrid, wearing her Nadder armor, with the village hustling and bustling behind her, minus the dragons, since they are still confined to their riders' homes or the hanger.

"Morning babe." Astrid said, kissing the chief on the cheek.

"Morning m'lady." Hiccup replied, moving aside so Astrid can come in.

"So, are you all set Valka?" Astrid asked.

"Yes. I got us food, water, and the map of the archipelago." Valka said, holding each item up with her hand and putting them away in a satchel.

"Remember, once you've found Riley's parents, send me a terror mail as soon as you can." Hiccup said, whistling and soon Sharpshot landed on his shoulder. He then made a series of whistles and soon, Sharpshot landed on Valka's shoulder.

"We'll hopefully be back in a few days son." Valka said, with Astrid in tow.

"Be safe out there you two." Hiccup commented.

"We'll be fine." Astrid responded softly, kissing Hiccup before both walking out and closing the door behind them. As soon as they left, Hiccup let out a small sigh and walked over to his chair and ate the soup that was set out for him by his mother, another bowl still warm for Riley whenever she woke up. Soon after he started eating, Riley began stirring and waking up.

"Morning Riley." Hiccup said to her.

"Morning Hiccup." Riley said, as she yawned and stretched her arms out. She soon took a set, next to Hiccup and started to eat as well.

"Did you sleep well?" Hiccup asked.

"Sorta. I had some bad dreams." Riley said, looking downwards. Hiccup placed his hand on top of hers.

"Was it about those dragons on that ship hurting you?" Hiccup asked. Riley nodded and then he took hold of her hand. "Don't worry. Those dragons that hurt you are long gone. They won't hurt you ever again, ok?"

"Ok." Riley said, squeezing Hiccup's hand. The chief smiled.

"Now hurry up and eat. Got a big day planned for the two of us." Hiccup said. Soon, the two ate the soup, and after a few minutes doing other chores, they were both all set.

"All right Riley, follow me." Hiccup told the girl, as he opened the doors on the floor that lead to Toothless' spot in the hanger. He dropped down first, then helped Riley down as well.

"Where are we going Hiccup?" Riley asked curiously.

"We are going to meet a good friend of mine." Hiccup said calmly.

"Is it a dragon?" Riley asked with a now more nervous tone. Hiccup stopped for a few seconds before turning around and kneeling down to her.

"Yes." Hiccup replied. "I'm going to introduce you to my dragon." Riley immediately tensed up, making quiet whimpering sounds and eyes widening. Soon though, she felt two hands, one on each of her shoulders.

"But listen." Hiccup started. "My dragon, is the friendliest dragon you will ever meet. Whenever he's in a good mood, he'd never even hurt a fly." Riley still looked as tense as she was when he first mentioned the word dragon, so he changed tactics.

"Look, all I ask is that you give him a chance. He's been pretty lonely over the past few days, since I've been really busy and he could really use a new friend. I'll be right beside you the whole time. I won't let anything get out of hand. Ok?" Hiccup finished and noticed that Riley did calm down a bit, still slightly tense.

"Promise you'll be right next to me?" Riley asked timidly.

"Absolutely, I promise to all the gods in Valhalla." Hiccup responded. Riley took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'll give him a chance." Riley said bravely. Hiccup smiled. "Good, that's all I ask." He said calmly, as the two soon began walking together to the hanger.

Dragon Hanger: Toothless' Quarters

Soon, Hiccup and Riley both arrived near the end of the cavern. Hiccup stopped Riley.

"Ok, I'm going to see if he's awake. Stay right here and don't move." He told the little girl, to which she nodded. Hiccup then started walking forward and found Toothless awake, and at the fish dispenser, filling his mouth with tasty salmon and cod.

"See someone is getting their hearty breakfast." Hiccup quipped, Toothless jumping a bit and looking at Hiccup unamusingly, with fish still sticking out of his mouth, to which the young chief laughed at. Toothless quickly swallowed the fish, Hiccup walking up to him.

"Ok, bud. Riley is standing near the entrance of the cavern. She's still pretty timid, so just try and be really calm around her, got it?" Hiccup asked his night fury friend. Toothless nodded and walked over closer to the cavern entrance, with Hiccup walking past him. Soon, he found Riley, siting against the cavern walls, waiting for Hiccup.

"Ok Riley, are you ready?" Hiccup asked the little girl. Riley took a few deep breaths before nodding. "I'm ready. Just don't leave me please." She responded. Hiccup took her hand and replied back saying "Never." Soon, the two began to walk forward soon, Riley came face to face with Toothless. Hiccup could feel her tense up a little, so he kneeled down next to her.

"Don't worry. There's no need to be afraid. He won't hurt you. Look at him." Hiccup then gestured to his night fury friend, whose eyes are dilated and teeth retracted, forming a tiny smirk on his scaly face. "Does he really look that scary?" Hiccup queried. Riley looked at the night fury and calmed down at the sight of the night fury's grin.

"Not really." Riley responded, still little nervous. "What's his name?" she asked. Toothless slightly tilted his head, and then gave the girl a gummy grin, while Hiccup stayed silent, letting the dragon introduce himself. "Gummy?" she asked, to which Toothless shook his head. Riley then thought it over for a few seconds and came up with another name. "Toothless?" she asked again, to which the dragon purred and slowly nodded his head. Riley smiled a tiny bit at that, only for the smile to go away as Toothless began walking towards her. She immediately tensed up and tightened her hold on Hiccup's hand. Taking notice, he turned towards her.

"It's ok, don't be afraid. He probably just wants to sniff the bandages." Hiccup told Riley. She only calmed down slightly as Toothless got closer and closer, until he was right in front of her and just as Hiccup predicted, he took a few whiffs of the bandages. After a few seconds of sniffing the bandaged arms and legs, he gave her a sad sounding warble, as well as looking at her with saddened eyes.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" Riley asked in a curious tone. Hiccup took notice and replied, "I think it's because he smelled the blood behind those bandages. He probably also smelled the scent of the dragons that hurt you on the ship, and so I'm guessing he's saying he's sorry for what happened to you."

Riley looked at Toothless and said, "It's ok, Toothless." The dragons face turned happier after hearing her saying those words. Now, he is standing a few feet away from Riley. Suddenly, as if by curiosity, instinct, or both, Riley lifted her hand and brought it closer to the night fury. Watching him approach her outreached hand made it shake with nervousness, but Hiccup brought his hand on top of hers.

"It's ok, there is nothing to be afraid of. Trust me." He said to Riley. Riley took in those words and her hands stopped shaking, but kept her eyes closed. As soon as her hand stopped shaking, she felt something pressed against it. Something smooth, yet scaly. She opened her eyes and saw something she would never see. Toothless was pressing his snout against her hand, with his eyes closed. After a few seconds, Toothless backed up and kept his eyes dilated, with a huge gummy smile on his face, making Riley laugh for a few seconds. However, her smile faded when she realized her surroundings.

She took a glance out of Toothless' room, and noticed all the other dragons in the hanger. She heard the familiar squawks and growls from dragons that hurt her in the torture room. She began to breath fast and Hiccup took notice. "Hey Riley." He said, gently wrapping his arms around her. "Breath slowly, you're safe with us. Those other dragons won't hurt you." Despite Hiccup's attempts, although it worked slightly, she was still breathing fast. Suddenly they both feel something on their backs. They turn and found Toothless' tail pressed against their backs. The night fury used his tail to bring the two close to him, then he wrapped his wings around both, as if to say, 'focus on me'. It did the trick, as Hiccup let go of his embrace with Riley and the girl looked in wonder at the Night Fury. "Why is he doing this?" She asked Hiccup.

"It's because you bonded with him." He responded. "When you pressed your hand against his snout, you two formed a bond. Now, he's doing this to protect you and keep you safe. It's his instinct."

Riley the turned back to Toothless, who was now looking at the girl. She slowly approached him on her own, and then, pressed her forehead against his snout.

"Thank you, Toothless." Riley said softly. Toothless slightly pressed against her forehead and let out a happy purr, with Hiccup smiling behind them. 'Step one of Hiccups master plan to cure Riley of Dracophobia complete.' He thought to himself, as said girl was now sitting next to Toothless, who has now unwrapped his wings, and placed his head on her lap, to which the girl happily rubbed and scratched.

Awwww, Riley has a new friend! Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Now comes the tough part for Riley: Getting along with the other dragons. Will she be able to get along with the dragons of the same species that has tortured her for two weeks? Find out soon! Be sure to review, they are greatly appreciated!