This is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Or I've been waiting for at least. It's the one that I've thought about the most and changed the most. I hope you guys like it! There are just a few chapters left!

Chapter 12

It was an unusually warm morning on the island of Berk. Hiccup and Toothless were sitting on Thor's Beach, watching the sunrise. They haven't done that in a while. Hiccup had suffered many sleepless nights since Astrid's disappearance and often woke up long after the sun had already risen. But today, Hiccup made sure to rise early to watch the sunrise. He wished more than anything that Astrid was there by his side. But she wasn't. And Hiccup started to doubt that she ever would be. But something inside him told him not to give up. She was out there somewhere, and Hiccup needed to find her. Everyone was tired of searching for her, so Hiccup decided that he needed to go on his own. He stared at the sun, which had risen halfway into the sky already. Toothless, who seemed to read Hiccup's mind, made a small whimpering sound and nudged his arm.
"Yea, I know bud. I miss her too. But... we've looked everywhere. Except Borg... Maybe... I don't know it's too dangerous. But maybe..." Hiccup contemplated going to Borg many times, but Erika always stopped him. But now, she was nowhere in sight. Hiccup got up from where he was sitting and began to mount Toothless. He tripped over his prosthetic while mounting which caused him to fall. Toothless let out a little laugh while Hiccup lay in the sand, shaking his head and chuckling a little. He was about to get up when a dark shadow loomed over him. It was dark, ominous, and smelled vaguely of fish. When he looked up, Hiccup was staring at Tuna. Her tiny pink bow glimmered in the sun, and she gave Hiccup a big gummy grin. He struggled to his feet, only to lock eyes with Erika, who was crossing her arms.
"Five years and you're still tripping over yourself?" She asked jokingly
"Two months and you still expect me to believe your whole 'I was shipwrecked' sham?" He replied, seriously.
"Excuse me?"
"I've done some thinking recently, and I've put a few pieces of the puzzle together. You show up and agree to marry me. Then Astrid just disappears without a trace. No one on the entire island has ever heard of Scauldron Cove, and I'm not even sure fishing towns exist! You keep telling me to forget about Astrid, and are doing everything in your power to keep me away from Borg. What are you trying to hide? You can't blind me forever you know. I was bound to wise up to you at some point." He had pretty much wised up to her. She had blinded him again for a while, but not for long. Soon, the sun rose inside Hiccup and cleared the way for him. He finally put two and two together and questioned Erika. He thought of what his dad had said remembered his warning. Soon, he began to regret ever proposing to her in the first place.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about, Hiccup."
"Look, I'm not accusing you of anything yet, but I just want to know. Who are you?"
"I didn't do anything! I swear! I... I would never lie to you, Hiccup! I love you!"
"Do you?"
"Yes! Or else I wouldn't be marrying you. Even of you were the poorest, ugliest, weakest boy here, I would still love you." Erika looked Hiccup in the eyes, cleverly hiding her fear inside. One thing she never planed on was Hiccup wising up to her.
"We'll talk later. Right now, I'm going to go search for Astrid again. Alone."
"No, you can't do that!" Hiccup started to mount Toothless again, but Erika stopped him. She turned him around to face her. His back was facing ocean and Erika could clearly see over his shoulder.
"Why not?" As Erika thought of a witty answer, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was small and blurry, but she recognized it immediately. It was a Borg boat, a rowboat. Only one passenger was aboard. They were rowing furiously, getting closer and closer. Erika immediately knew who it was and her heart immediately dropped. It was Astrid. This was the moment. Erika needed to do something and do something quick. It was now or never. Instead of giving Hiccup a reply, she passionately kissed him. She swung him around and caught him off guard. He closed his eyes and succumbed, allowing himself to be pinned against rocks that opened into the cave. He opened his eyes for a quick second and glanced toward the water. He saw a small shape in the water getting closer and closer. He pushed Erika away and ran toward the object, feeling like it was important. As Erika got up from the ground, she pulled the knife she carried around out of her pocket. Hiccup, on the other hand, completely ignored Erika and stared at the object in the water. He knew what it was and who it was the minute he clearly laid his eyes on it. It was a rowboat, it's rower being the very woman he was looking for.
"Astrid," He called out, excitement filling his body. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled something back, but he couldn't hear. "What was that?" He shouted back. This time, he heard her loud and clear.
"Erika's a Borgian! Watch out!" Those three words were what Hiccup feared most. In the back of his mind, he knew that they were true, but he had refused to believe it. But now, he had no choice but to. Devastated and heartbroken, Hiccup turned around to face Erika, half expecting to see her running away or pleading for mercy. But all Hiccup saw was when he turned around was a pair of glassy eyes. They were eyes that Hiccup had gazed in to many times before, eyes that Hiccup had fallen in love with. But those same eyes that had shown nothing but love now showed something new. Hiccup had seen this look before some years ago on his father, on Astrid, on Snotlout and the twins. It was murder. The desire to kill, to tear someone apart, to destroy them. He now saw this in the very woman he loved. He wanted to run away, to back up, but those eyes still drew him in just as they did before. Hiccup was frozen in place as Erika's eyes started right in to his soul. The world around Hiccup started spinning and he became dizzy and weak. Time slowed down and all the emotion spilled out of his body. All the love that he once had for Erika began to stain to white sand red. All the while, he started into her eyes, those piercing, and murderous eyes. He drifted farther and farther away, immune to all the shouting going on around him. He drifted father and father, deep into to abyss, when suddenly... Pain. Pain surged though his body, breaking the trance. He looked down at himself and saw it. A knife, his knife, was being driven deeper into him. He grunted and cried out in pain as the knife was twisted and violently yanked out. His knees buckled and he collapsed into the sand. Instinctively, he wrapped his hands around his wound and moaned. His head pounded and his body ached. He began to tremble and sweat, his breaths becoming light and staggered. He has only felt pain like this once, but he was out cold for most of it. He was wide awake now and withering away. He was reaching for something, but he couldn't quite get it. Each time he reached, it hurt him more and more. His fingers grasped the sand harder and harder each time as he was trying to cling on to life itself. Every inch of his body was covered in pure pain, head to toe. Everything stung, but the worst sting was in his heart. Hiccup lay there, beaten, bruised, and heartbroken, thinking of how wrong he was and how much he messed up. If the wound didn't kill him, the heartbreak definitely would. But even though he felt nothing but unadulterated pain, he could still see. He saw Erika drop the knife and run to Tuna. He saw Toothless run after her, but stopping to save his love. He saw the dragon refuse the rider and fly away for the first time. He saw a newly unoccupied boat become occupied again, and he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed as she came running to his rescue.
"Astrid." He managed to choke out, grabbing her arm as she cradled him the way a mother would cradle an upset child. She started stroking his hair and whispering sweet nothings to him to try to ease the pain. Hiccup was still trembling and even crying now. He tightened his grip on Astrid as she let out a few tears.
"Shhh, it's okay. It'll be all right, you'll be okay. It'll all be over soon, I promise."
"I'm sorry."
"No, please, Hiccup. Don't blame yourself! We didn't know."
"I'm shoulda listened."
"Please, baby no. It's all right. I'm going to get you back. Just please don't die on me again."
"I'm trying." She continued to stroke and comfort, which did help to ease some pain. The way she cradled him reminded him of his mother. He doesn't really remember a lot about her, but he knew this feeling. It was comforting to have this motherly passion even though his mother left so many years ago. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the times when she would rock him to sleep. Her soothing voice sang lullaby after lullaby as she ran her hand through his silky hair, just as Astrid was doing now. For a moment, he thought Astrid was his own mother. He wanted to hug her, to cry on her shoulder, and to have her make the pain go away. For a while, Hiccup dreamed. He was so engulfed in this sweet memory that he was sure he was dead. His body went limp and numb for what seemed like forever. But soon, the sensation of flight snapped him back into reality. He opened his eyes for a quick second, getting a glimpse of a shiny pink bow. He rolled his eyes back and sighed, feeling nothing and sensing nothing. But he still breathed. His wound bleed, his breaths were staggered, and skin was pale. But Hiccup still breathed.

. . .

The sun had risen and so had Stoick. He walked out of his house and stared at the village, his village, below. He watched all of his people go about their daily lives, silently naming all of them in his mind. He looked at a few people in particular, mostly young teenagers. He remembered the days when they were born, and even before when their mothers still carried them. Each was like a son or daughter to him, raised under his rule and protected by him.
"Stoick!" Gobber shouted, breaking his train of thought.
"Gobber! Good morning!" replied Stoick, turning to face his friend.
"Unusually warm today, isn't it?"
"Aye. The weathers been crazy lately."
"I'm not complaining though. I like the warm."
"As do I."
"Let's hope it's this warm for your sons wedding!"
"Aye." Stoick looked back out at his village again, thinking the thoughts he usually thought.
"I didn't mean to offend you there, Stoick. Sorry about that. Aren't you happy that he's finally got himself a bride?"
"I am. It's just... I'm still sort of worried about her. She's been acting awfully weird lately, almost... Isolated. She keeps to herself and barely talks to me. She seems really angry about something, but I don't know what. Whenever I try to ask her, she brushes me off. Hiccup said they haven't fought, but he noticed a change in her too. He's become skeptical of her now. I'm really worried."
"Maybe it's just a girl thing?"
"I don't know, Gobber. I'm just really worried. What if she's after my village, or after my son? What is she hurts him, or breaks his heart? I don't want to be the bad guy that steps in and says 'you can't marry her.' But I'm really afraid. If she destroys my village, I'll have failed as a chief. But if I tell my son no, or if she destroys him, I'll have failed as a father. It's my duty to protect, and I'll fail either way."
"I don't know too much about parenting, but I do know there comes a time when you've got to let him go. He's got to learn to make decisions for himself, Stoick. You won't be there forever."
"I know. But I'm here now, and it's my duty as a father to protect him and make sure he's okay. My fatherly instincts are telling me something is wrong. I know it is, I've seen it before."
"She's not Valka."
"Well of course not. But it's the same story. I just don't want to see my son get hurt or heartbroken, that's all."
"You can't shield him forever." There was a long, awkward silence between the two. Stoick continued to look out, but not at his village anymore. He looked at the sun, lost in thought. What was he going to do? Seconds turned into minutes, but still nothing was said. But as Stoick was thinking, he saw a black object in the sky.
"Is that Hiccup," he thought out loud, putting his hand above his eyes to try to get a better view. The object was indeed a night fury, but it wasn't Toothless, and its rider wasn't Hiccup. Shock and fear filled Stoick's body. At that very second, he knew that something was indeed terribly wrong. "It's Astrid! Riding Tuna? But where's..." Then, he saw what he had most feared. "Hiccup!" The dragon landed the moment Stoick started running. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he ran to his son. He saw Astrid dismount and he saw all the blood stains on her clothes. She struggled to pick up Hiccup, but Stoick rushed to her aid. He lifted up his son with ease, holding him like he was a newborn child. It was then when he noticed all the blood that was covering his son.
"Erika stabbed him." Astrid explained. Toothless came barreling up the steps of his home and made a low whimpering sound when he saw the scene.
"Call for the doctor, Gobber, hurry! My sons hurt." Stoick held back tears, because chiefs weren't supposed to cry. He rushed his son inside and laid him gently on his bed. He made sure that Hiccup was comfortable before sitting down.
"I tired my hardest, chief. But I didn't get back in time. You see, Erika was a Borgian all along, and she kidnapped me. She and this weird guy named Welch. They imprisoned me on their island, and I was going to be executed. I met their morbid chief, and he told me everything. Erika is his stepdaughter, and he sent her to come marry Hiccup so she could kill him and takeover Berk, giving the Borgians more power. Luckily, I escaped, but not in time. Just as I pulled up to shore, she stabbed him. I tired, chief. I really did." Stoick buried his face in his hands and sighed. Just then, Gobber and the town doctor arrived to treat Hiccup, just like five years ago when his leg was lost.
"Do you know why Berk and Borg were enemies for so long?" Stoick asked, breaking the silence that ensued.
"No, no one knows."
"I do. For years, my father and I only said no one knows to protect my grandfather. Long ago, my great-grandfather was killed by the Borgian's chief in an attempt to gain power. His son, my grandfather, was a little younger than Hiccup at the time, and in no way ready to become chief. The Borgians knew that, so they killed his father. But his son was hungry for revenge. So he did the same to their chief. The score was even, and no one wanted to attack again for fear of a war. But we've threatened each other for years. We only kept this story hushed to make my grandfather seem like a better man. He has a reputation for kindness, and I'd like to keep it that way. Now Borg tried to do it again. They thought they were clever this time! Well, they were wrong! Tonight, I am ordering an attack on Borg." The room was silent after that remark. No one dared to speak after that. The only sounds that could be heard where the sounds of the doctor working and the sounds of Astrid sniffing from time to time. Everyone in the room sat with their thoughts, but it was Stoick who thought the most. He thought about how angry he was at Borg and how angry he was at himself for failing as a father. He let his son get brutally hurt when he could have easily stopped it. Now, he was the bad guy. He held back a few more tears, but accidentally let one or two out. His son was sitting there dying, and it was because of him, again. Stoick hoped and prayed that Hiccup would be okay. It was basically déjà vu. He looked at his son and suddenly remembered the day he was born. He was appalled at the sight of such a weak child. He wished for nothing but to get rid of this child and have another one. A stronger, buffer one. Oh, how Stoick came to regret that wish now.

Wow this was long! I literally had to rewrite this chapter so many times! It's the most crucial one! I hope you all liked it! I'll try to update soon so you guys won't be left hanging for too long. The story itself is almost over, but never fear! I'm going to be working on another one very soon. It's going to be a series of one-shots that are light and funny. Basically the total opposite of this story. I'll also be working on the Newsies fanfic that I've sort of abandoned, so if you're in to that musical, I suggest reading it! Thanks for everything guys! :D