Thanks, Ladipretender, for editing it as fast as you could! :D

And thank you all, readers, for the support, though I'd really appreciate some more reviews, it makes my day really happier. And don't forget to visit my DA page after reading and reviewing, the link is in my profile!

Oh, and just a small clarification about lat chap (for those who read these notes) since a few people asked about it. Dagur's death is ambiguous for a reason, so people that wants him dead can view him as such, but, if I ever want to write a sequel, I can still use Dagur as an enemy, since he's death is not completely clear. He's such a great mean, deranged and insane character that I'd certainly like to write about again as villain. The probability of writing a sequel is very small, though.

Previously, Stoick gathered up enough courage to mount a dragon so he could get the cure to the Scauldron's poison in Hiccup and engaged Dagur in a fight. The concerned father decided then not to leave his son's side until he was definitely out of peril, prolonging the Hooligans stay with the Strike Tribe until its leader could wake up.

Chapter 16

A Heart-to-Heart Talk

A week had passed since Stoick and Astrid brought the Red Oleanders and Ingrid gave the antidote to an unconscious Hiccup.

The Hooligan ship was repaired days ago, but Stoick refused to go. He couldn't leave his little boy anymore, not unconscious after a battle. He needed to talk with him again, continue the reunion that was interrupted when the Berserkers arrived. He needed to make sure he'd see Hiccup alive and awake again, otherwise, he'd wonder the entire trip back to Berk if Hiccup had survived and then he'd really go insane.

So Stoick refused to leave. He needed to be sure he wouldn't lose his son again. He had nightmares the first couple of nights after the battle with the Berserkers. He could barely sleep at all, but when he dozed off, Stoick remembered dreaming about sailing back to Berk and coming back just to receive the bad news that his son didn't make it.

However, after the first night, Ingrid, the healer, said she was sure he'd be fine, his body just had to recover; it was exhausted from the fight and for resisting the Scauldron's venom. He had also lost too much blood. When Bork was first poisoned by accident by a Scauldron, it took several hours until his body was completely free from it, though he began to feel better not too long after receiving the antidote. Hiccup was in a different situation; his body was already at its limits when he got the cure.

That's why Ingrid told everyone he was sleeping to get better and no one could wake him up until he was ready. Camicazi remembered he had been unconscious for several days after defeating the Red Death and losing his leg, so she wasn't so worried at the beginning. But she had to admit that she was concerned when a whole week passed and he was still unconscious.

Stoick decided to stay at Hiccup's house so he could take care of him, the Hooligans made themselves useful during the time, refusing to leave their chief and his long lost son, so they helped repair the village. Except for Astrid, who was usually inside the house with Stoick and the blue Nadder she decided to call Stormfly.

The first night, Stoick found it absurd that the Night Fury stayed inside the house; for him, the dragon's place was outside, until Camicazi explained it was not how things worked in the Strike Tribe. Some dragons slept outside, some in, some in the same room, some in other rooms, it was up to the dragons and their humans, and in Hiccup's case, Toothless usually slept on a stone near the bed, that is when she didn't find the young man sleeping under the Night Fury's wings. The house was Toothless's as much as it was Hiccup's and if Stoick wanted to stay, he'd have to deal with it.

Reluctantly, he accepted it. After three days, he was so used to the dragon's constant presence he got to the point of talking to it. He thought he was going mad but neither he nor Toothless left the house apart from a few exceptions, so it was getting hard to take it any longer without letting it out somehow. Even talking to the beast. During his time in the house, he noticed the dragon actually cared for Hiccup. He seemed sad and was constantly checking him out, looking at him anxiously and not leaving his side for anything. Yet, it was hard for the chief to admit or even accept the fact that dragons weren't the mindless, mean creatures he once believed they were.

It was during an afternoon, after one week, that things began to change. Stoick was sitting at the table, drinking mead trying not to get too desperate and not knowing how Gobber could work with the kid named Hall at the forge so calmly when it happened. Stoick didn't see, but Hiccup had gently twitched his fingers, pulling himself out of his slumber.

Toothless, however, noticed every change in his human, the increased speed of his heartbeat, the tweaks, the motion of his aching muscles trying desperately to break free from the numbness and even the low moans he made as his conscious slowly began to make him aware of the pain in his body. It was just a matter of seconds before his eyelids started to move and struggle to open and by then, the dragon had already stood up from Stoick's side at the table and ran eagerly to the bed on the other side of the tiny house.

The first thing Hiccup felt was pain. The second was thirst. His throat was so dry it made him cough, and coughing made the gash on his abdomen hurt even more. His sight was blurry, still adjusting to the light. He felt Toothless in front of him, by his left, sniffing him anxiously. Hiccup wanted to greet his friend but he felt like his throat would burn if he didn't drink something first.

He finally managed to spot a canteen on his bedside table and reached for it. Toothless noticed his difficulty in moving, tried to help him reach it by going to his other side and gently pulling him with his snout to make it easier for Hiccup to grab the canteen. Thankfully, it wasn't too full, so he managed not to spill water on himself or the bed while he held it, a feat he'd be too weak to perform it if it was full. He breathed heavily, like he had run a mile or two after the effort it took him to finish a simple task like drinking water. He felt ridiculous and vulnerable.

Suddenly, a massive hand grabbed the canteen Hiccup had to support on the bed before he gathered strength enough to lift it. The hand was familiar and put the canteen back in place, Hiccup followed the arm, his vision had just adjusted to the light but he was still a bit disoriented, so he was surprised to recognize his father there. Maybe surprised and a bit scared, because the first thing he remembered was Stoick trying to kill Toothless, who happened to be on the other side of his bed.

"Don't hurt him!" He managed to say trying to sit up to stay in front of the dragon. He winced in pain and it was hard to breathe in this position, but he wouldn't let his father hurt his best friend.

Stoick noticed Hiccup was confused and disoriented, so he remained calm even though he was bursting with joy to see his son awake again. Slowly, Stoick reached for Hiccup's shoulder.

"It's okay, Son. Toothless and I got to know each other a bit. If it's so important for you, I won't hurt him."

Behind Hiccup, Toothless huffed as if to say 'yeah, like you could hurt a mighty Night Fury…'

"But… what? You were trying to kill him…" Hiccup mumbled before his memories clicked into order.

"I think it's better for you to lay down, Son." Stoick said helping him back down when he noticed he was having a hard time breathing.

Hiccup didn't like to feel so weak and vulnerable, and he didn't remember feeling bad like this since he lost his leg. He was shirtless and he assumed it was probably because it was easier for someone to change his bandages daily and check him out, he saw the white gauze around his waist and by how much it hurt, he knew it wouldn't be pretty to see the damage. His hand reached for the bandage, right over the gash, trying to take a look at it even though he was already lying down.

"Ingrid said you were lucky, if the cut was a few centimeters higher it might have hit and broken a rib or pierced a lung and it would be harder for you to recover."

"I wouldn't put what I'm feeling into a lucky category…"

Toothless crooned in support and Hiccup raised a tired right hand to pet his scaly chin. The dragon purred happily and nuzzled Hiccup gently, careful not to hurt him while Stoick looked at them, confused and skeptical. Never in his life had he imagined seeing a dragon being so affectionate toward any human being.

Then, something his father said hit him like a Gronkle.

"Wait, you said you and Toothless got to know each other?"

"A bit I guess. I was staying in your house to look after you…" Stoick was cutoff.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, already worried, trying to stand up and get out of bed, but before he had time to force himself into a sitting position again, Toothless stopped him by using his tail. The dragon covered and pushed him down gently and careful not to touch near the gash. Since it was already hard enough for the boy to sit, the dragon managed to pin him to his bed. "Toothless! Let me up you stubborn lizard!" the dragon crooned like a chuckle.

Hiccup tried to push away the tail without success. He wasn't using the saddle or the prosthetic fin and he deduced Cami had taken it off since she was always the one taking care of the dragon when he couldn't. He stirred underneath the tail only to wince in pain.

"Bud, let me up! I've got stuff to do. I stayed in bed for too long. Besides, you need to stretch your wings too. Let's go for a flight." He said stubbornly trying to convince the dragon to release him.

Usually, the mention of flight was all it took to make Toothless jump around in joy and excitement even if he was sleeping. But it didn't work this time, the dragon wasn't a fool and he knew Hiccup would say anything to convince him. Besides, he also knew his human was in no condition to stand, let alone fly.

"Son, don't strain yourself, you need to rest."

"What I need it to get out of this bed. What about the Berserkers? The village, they tore it all apart I have to do something!"

"No need, everyone is already taking care of it. The Berserkers went away and haven't come back since then. You were out for just a week, that girl Camicazi and Eret are taking care of everything."

Hiccup whined, bored. "A whole week? Bud, I'm sorry, you haven't been out of the skies this long since… my leg…" The dragon purred sympathetically. Nudging him as if to say 'it's okay, at least you're alive and that's what matters.'

"By the way, how did it happen?"

"What?" Stoick gestured to the tail and his leg to answer, Hiccup shrugged. "It's a long story…"

"If you haven't noticed, time is something we have."

"But… I thought you were mad at me. For running away, befriending the enemy and all. I thought you never wanted to see me again…"

Stoick sighed heavily and grabbed a chair to sit next him.

"Hiccup, of course I'm mad at you. Furious. You shouldn't have just abandoned your entire village like that." Hiccup lowered his eyes, guilty and feeling horrible. "Yet, I am proud as well." This time his son turned his green eyes at him, confused, and Stoick elaborated. "You stuck with what you believed and made your choices like a man. You turned out to be a good chief and leader, people praise you a lot and you know who is a good chief by his people. I always wanted to see you being this kind of leader. Even though I idealized it without the dragons…"

"Thanks, Dad." Hiccup turned to his best friend and petted his tail. "It's okay, Bud, I won't try to stand up again, I promise. You can take this off me now". The dragon looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if he was skeptical. "Oh, come on, have I ever lied to you?" in answer, Toothless retracted his tail and laid his head on the bed beside Hiccup, who started to stroke his scaly head.

"That's why I want to ask you to come back to Berk with me." Stoick said, kinda ignoring the interaction between boy and dragon.

"What? You know I can't, Dad. I have a life and responsibilities in here. I can't leave these people! Besides, Snotlout is going to be the chief anyway."

"I know people looked down on you, but you can't hate Berk so much to leave it to your cousin."

"What are you talking about? People always wanted Snotlout to be the chief, not me."

"That was before we saw him training to lead Berk. Yes, he's got brawn, but he lacks the brains."

"Brains was never something on the list for a Viking job description." Hiccup said, sarcastic and irritated, trying to stay in a sitting position but managing only to support himself on his elbows. The effort to completely sit had worn him out too much and it was just too hard to keep breathing.

"Yes, but Snotlout is a moron. He's always trying to show himself and ends up making a mess, like when he attacked you. Of course I was totally against the dragon thing, but you saved us and I wasn't going to do something stupid, yet he just doesn't think things through. I'm afraid he might do something equally stupid like that and doom the entire tribe in unnecessary battles."

"Maybe you should have thought of that back in the time when I was bullied and you kept looking at me with that disappointed scowl," He pointed out, getting angrier.

"It was not my fault you were never very Viking-looking."

"But it's okay if I'm your last resort, right?"

"Easy there, dragon boy." Astrid said by the door. Father and son looked at her and then Hiccup turned away, huffing annoyingly. "Calm down before you have a stroke or something. Your body is still recovering." She said, entering and putting something on the table. "I brought Stoick something to eat, but I think you might need it a little more, right? You're probably starving."

"Yeah, I guess so… You hungry, Bud?" The dragon crooned and nodded "Could you bring something for him too? Maybe a basket full of cod. How does that sound, Bud?" Again he nodded and purred happily.

"An entire basket? Are you sure he eats that much?" She questioned, confused.

"I've been living with him for the past five years; I know how much he eats."

"Okay, it's just that I never saw him eating more than two fish at once and that's when Camicazi insisted a lot…"

"That's just because he's a very over protective, stubborn lizard. I told him not to do that before, but he keeps starving himself when I'm out…"

"Poor dragon…" She joked, bringing him some cheese and a piece of bread along with buttermilk. She was about to say she'd get it when Stoick volunteered and walked out of the house. There were a few moments of silence before Astrid sat on the chair Stoick left. "You should give him a break."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm the one who's imprisoned in my bed. Literally. If I try to stand up, a Night Fury will hold me down." He said, supporting himself on his elbows so he could eat; it was the closest he could get to a sitting position. Toothless placed his tail on his back to keep him from falling.

"I know, and I'm glad you're finally awake. But think a little about him, he was not the same since you died, I mean, since you supposedly died. And he did a lot for you, he went himself to grab the antidote for the Scauldron."

"On a dragon?" He asked, almost choking on the cheese he was eating.

"Yes. I went too, with that dragon we flew on together that time…"

"But my father would never ride a dragon."

"He did, for you."

"He… did?" She nodded happily, he became quiet and she didn't know what he was thinking. Astrid didn't notice Hiccup's eyes get a bit wet.

It was weird to talk with him again, Astrid once felt guilty for wishing that he'd disappear and having him supposedly dead on the next day. There were awkward moments of silence until she managed to ask how he and Toothless met. He began to tell her the story and then she finally understood how he got so good at dragon training back on Berk.

"I'd have never imagined you got that good because of Toothless, you cheater! I should hit you right now!" She exclaimed but he recognized the joking tone in her voice.

"Please don't. If you're still half as strong as you used to be I might sleep for another week…" He chuckled, but not for long since it hurt like hell to do that.

"You should lie down and rest some more. You look awful."

"Thanks for summing that up…" The sarcastic tone was clear in his voice just as it used to be when they were 15. She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something…"

"Go ahead." He said, lying back down and trying to get comfortable, she grabbed the plate she brought and placed it on the wooden table.

"What if Stormfly follows me back to Berk?"

"Excuse me, who?" Hiccup asked, confused, after all, he was unconscious for the whole week.

"The blue Nadder."

"Oh, so you named her?" She nodded, "Oh, then there's no turning back, if you named her, she's already been captivated. There's not gonna be another dragon for you that's gonna be like her. She's yours now and you belong to her as well."

"You see, that's the problem! You should have told me this before I named her! I wasn't going to do that, it just happened! Now I don't really want to leave her, but I can't take her with me, the people of Berk will kill her on sight!"

"Yeah, that's why I ran away with Toothless…" He commented sincerely and yawned. He didn't know if it was the buttermilk he had just drank or if it was because he strained himself too much by trying to stand up with the muscles being still worn out from all the exercise of the battle and stress of the venom, but he was indeed tired and sleepy now.

"Berk is still my home. I don't want to leave the Hooligans."

"Well, you'll have to make a choice, Astrid."

"Why? Why can't I have both?" She asked, exasperated "You saw the truth about the dragons. This entire tribe did, I did and even all of us who came here. It might take a while, but people might see it and accept them as well."

"Do you think so? I've seen the way most people struggle to bond with them, it's not easy to convince a tribe as big as the Hooligans to accept them if they haven't seen the queen of the dragons. That monster was enough to give people's nightmares, nightmares. And then they'd understand it from the dragon's point of view. The Bog Burglars were the first to know that and some of them still don't want to get near them while others have a dozen pet dragons."

"But it's not impossible. And what I want to know is that if I can take her back with me."

"She's a dragon and she's free to do whatever she wants. Just be careful because I remember how they were, they kill on the sight" He said, remembering the book of dragons Gobber gave him to read when he began dragon training. Vikings were more the kind of 'kill now and ask questions never'. Hiccup yawned again, feeling his eyelids become heavier.

"Well, then, thanks. I'll take her and she will be fine."

"If that's what she wants, it's okay, just don't force her to go with you merely because you want her to."

"Just for you information, she likes me a lot. Stormfly's following me wherever I go and she's waiting just outside!"

Astrid wasn't looking directly at him by this point in the conversation; she was crossing her arms and shrugging confidently. Seconds later, she felt it was odd that he hadn't said anything, it was never like him to keep quiet for too long especially if he could say anything in return. She turned her attention back to him just to find him drifting off to sleep once again, closing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders as his breaths became even. She sighed and made a small sad smile, realizing he needed more rest, she kept as quiet as she could.

Toothless crooned, sad and bored, but didn't bother his human's rest. That was when the door opened, Stoick and Gobber entered talking to each other and stopping abruptly when they heard the girl shushing them with reprehending eyes.

"Silence! He just fell asleep!" She hissed between her teeth.

"But again? I didn't even get the time to talk to tha lad!" Gobber complained, whispering.

"You'll get another opportunity soon. Anyway, I need to go and see Stormfly." She announced while Stoick threw the cod from the basket on the floor and Toothless approached eagerly to eat, now that he was sure Hiccup was fine, his appetite was back.

Gobber looked at the black dragon eating happily and then at his former apprentice for a few moments before he decided to go back to the forge and help Hall with whatever he needed, he was enjoying teaching the young boy, he learned fast and already knew a lot of stuff from Hiccup. He was impressed how his apprentice managed to teach this kid so much in just a couple of years.

It was a lot easier to work with someone actually interested and with some brains like Hall than the other apprentices he had since Hiccup. And Gobber was enjoying teaching him some new stuff too. Hall was very different from Hiccup; yet, he resembled him in many ways.

But before Gobber left, he turned to Stoick who was reorganizing some plates just to keep his hands busy.

"Stoick, we still need to talk about that."

"Not now, Gobber. Hiccup just finally woke up after a one week coma!"

"But Stoick, it's already been two weeks since we left Berk, and by the map I saw in the Great Hall, it's probably going to take us at least four to five days to get back. You can't stay away for too long and neither can I."

"I know, but I can't leave him. I just got him back, Gobber!"

"You're the chief, but I'm just saying…"

The blacksmith said before leaving and closing the door behind him. Stoick huffed and sat, annoyed and angry. The worst part was that he knew his friend was absolutely right.

Flashback 16

The clanging sound of metal echoed throughout the forge. A few weeks had passed since the Berserker's first attack and the village was completely reconstructed again, Hall's house was almost finished, with just final adjustments, but he managed it by himself and helped Hiccup in the forge at the same time.

"And that's how you make a perfectly balanced throwing knife." Hiccup told Hall and just to prove his point, he threw the new weapon against the wooden wall, sticking perfectly in it. "I don't really use them, but I'd prefer the balanced ones because you can throw it from either from the handle or the blade."

"And I suppose the flight circles are rounder than an unbalanced one, right?"

"That too. Thus it's more predictable to hit it where you want."

"That's so nice!" Hall said grabbing the knife from the wooden wall. "By the way, Hiccup, you never told me how you learned so many interesting things…"

Hall was probably the closest person from his tribe to Hiccup. People respected and followed him without questions or second thoughts, never imagining they'd admire someone so un-Viking-looking like him, but they did. It didn't mean that all of them were close to him, usually because of the lack of time to get to know him better.

On the other hand, Hall spent at least a few hours almost every day with him at the forge, learning all kinds of different things. They usually talked a lot, but Hiccup never told him much about his past or where he came from, though Hall was aware that Camicazi, Bork, Eret and his men knew. Hall respected that and never asked too much about it, but his curiosity was getting the best of him.

"From my former mentor." He answered without further ado.

"Ok… I understand…" Hall trailed off still curious but not wanting to be pushy or anything. He stayed silent and started analyze the freshly made throwing knife. Hiccup wandered around and finally sat on the stool by his working table in the corner of the forge.

"He had a lot of knowledge of blacksmithing, he could probably do anything, but he never really paid attention to details or design, the ones he made were balanced but a bit sloppy. I improved its design with some curves and the trajectory turned out a bit better… The shape is still secondary, but it did help a little…" Hiccup mumbled in remembrance and Hall just listened sitting on his stool at the other side of the forge. "He taught me everything I needed to know to make Toothless's prosthetic and saddle." The black dragon turned to look as Hiccup heard his name but noticing he wasn't talking to him, he lazily laid back down in his cozy, dark spot. "… I miss him…" Hiccup accidentally let out the last part.

"Did he…"

"No. He's alive. Or at least he was last time I checked." Hiccup answered without having to hear the rest of the question. "His name is Gobber. A great warrior, he lost a hand and a foot but never the good humor. My mom died when I was young and my dad was busy leading so he left me with Gobber since I was little. He was an old friend of my dad's and worked at the forge so I started learning the occupation since I was very young."

"Wait, leading? Your dad was a leader, like the chief of your tribe?"

"I guess I never told you about it, right?"

"I guess not…" Hall answered without sounding either too nosy or curious.

"I came from the island of Berk, from the Hairy Hooligan's tribe."

"Wait, so your dad is Stoick the Vast?"

Hall tried not to yell, but his voice was raised enough to startle Sharpshot who looked at him as if to say 'hey, I was almost sleeping in here! Don't disturb me!' Then, the tiny dragon flew away from his table and landed on Hiccup's, dispersing and messing up his designs and papers. Hiccup sighed at the sight; he'd have to re-organize everything again, since Sharpshot did this at least three or four times a day.

"Yep. Why the surprise in your voice?" Hiccup asked, kidding, but Hall was so surprised he didn't notice the joking tone.

"Nothing, it's just that you look nothing like him… I've seen the Hooligans once or twice, I don't remember them much but their chief was huge and…" he shut up before he could say anything stupid. And Hiccup tried to grab some of the designs that fell on the floor during Sharpshot's sudden landing.

"Yeah, I know… No one imagined he'd have a fishbone like me for a son… But it's not like you can say too much, if I'm not mistaken, your dad was a big warrior too."

"A normal size big Viking warrior… And I might not be too tall or have a Night Fury to ride, but I could always fight with bow and arrows…" Hall trailed off, not wanting to be rude.

"And you're not as scrawny as I am. Go on, you can say it, I'm not offended. It's true, after all…"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that…"

"It's okay." He said placing the papers he collected from the ground on the table.

"May I ask why did you leave? I mean, that's what you did, right? Your father wouldn't banish you…"

"I left before he had the chance."

"So you really left willingly? Why? I mean, you'd be chief, it must be an honor."

"I'm chief here and it's not something I asked for. I was voted in. It's ridiculous, Vikings aren't supposed to be democratic, you know…"

"I kinda forgot that little detail… So you never wanted to be chief?"

"Not really. And I was really bullied in my old tribe. Everyone wanted my brainless cousin to be the next chief just because he had brawn…"

"Even your dad? Or Gobber?"

Hall's question was innocent, but Hiccup had to think for a while before responding. The truth was that he wasn't sure. Hiccup had just turned 20 and it had been almost five years since he had last seen any Hooligan, at least with them knowing who he is. Time erased some details but not the most important things.

"I think Gobber just wanted me to be tough like all the other Vikings because, as he said and I quote 'the way I was made grown men uncomfortable'. But I guess he had faith in me, he knew I wasn't brainless like Snotlout and that's important for a chief but he wasn't sure I could protect the village like Stoick could. My dad was smart enough to be a good chief and strong enough to seem invincible."

"And what about him?" Hall asked curiously. If Hiccup had to describe him with only one word, that might be the one. "What did your father think about you?"

Once again, Hiccup sighed heavily, he was about to reach a point of changing the subject but now even he couldn't stop asking himself this question so he just had to answer.

"I'm not sure. I mean, he loved me, yeah, but I know I was a big disappointment. He looked at me like he had been cheated, like someone had skimped on his meal or something. The only time he was proud of me, I was cheating and it only made me feel worse. But I wasn't cheating on purpose, though. It just happened."

"Couldn't you just explain it to him?"

"He wouldn't understand. And if I told him the truth, then he'd really hate and disown me. I didn't want that, so I left."

"What did you do that could be so awful?"

Hiccup chuckled and looked at Toothless who was already snoring peacefully. It was rare for the forge to be so quiet so he didn't sleep much in there, just rested.

"I befriended the enemy."

"Oh… But couldn't he see the truth? We all did, he would do it eventually too, right?"

"Nah. He hates dragons too much for that. I just ran away, he didn't know about Toothless, I thought it would be better like this."

"Better for whom?"

"Everyone. Better for the tribe that wouldn't have to deal with a scrawny, clumsy mess, better for my father who'd be angry with me and eventually forget I ever existed, better for Toothless because my father wouldn't be angry at him instead of me and maybe desperately want to search until he killed him and dragged me back, claiming I'm insane or something…"

"But would it be better for you, too?"

Hiccup was taken aback. He didn't expect the question at all. He shrugged.

"The best thing for me would be staying with Toothless, the only real friend I ever had on that island that didn't judge me by how I looked. And I'm okay with my choice. My father is probably furious at me for running away and might not want to ever see me again but I'd rather have him be angry than have him be disappointed for going with the enemy or grieving."

"Are you sure? I mean, it seems so sad. Can you really get over it? He's alive and in your reach, Berk is not very far away, Toothless could probably make it in a day or so. He's right there; you can still sort things out with him. Time has passed, he's probably not as angry and the dragon raids have diminished considerably. Maybe he'll understand you."

"He never heard me, Hall." Hiccup's voice was darker and sadder than before. "I don't think this is something I can fix."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you or anything. It's just that you still have the chance to sort things out. I can't because my parents are dead now."

"It must be hard for you too… Sorry about it."

"It's okay. I'm moving on. I now have Freya and all of you to support me. There's nothing I can do anymore, just live my life. It's sad sometimes, but it's getting easier each passing day. But I don't think it's something you'll completely move on from because it's not over. You could still do something."

Hiccup just stood there astonished, never expecting to receive a life lesson from a 15-year-old boy. He managed to make a small, sad smile before returning around to look at his designs and drastically change the subject.

Hall had never spoken about it again, but the conversation never left Hiccup's mind. He still believed he had made the right choice, truly the only one he could make at the time. But he couldn't deny that he missed Gobber and his father or wonder what could have happened if he had stayed. However, Hiccup was as stubborn as any other Viking and he wouldn't turn back now.

I know that not a lot of things happened in this chap, but it was still very important anyway.

More action is still coming, so leave a review so I can try posting it as soon as possible! Plus, I really want to know your thoughts about the story so far! Please review! :D

Itban Fuyu