"What do you mean he stayed inside?" Stoick asked Thistleface.

"You said he's grounded, Stoick. I thought-"

"I told you I wanted him to pay outside. The fresh air is good for him." Stoick had been very clear about that when he dropped Hiccup off. What was with people and thinking they could make their own decisions about Hiccup's welfare? Hiccup was his son and he decided.

"He had an accident; I thought it best he stay quietly inside."

Stoick heard the sound of little feet on the stairs and looked up to see Hiccup, sketchbook in hand. With a bright red scratch across the bridge of his nose that came dangerously close to his right eye.

"What the Hel happened?" Stoick said as he pulled Hiccup off the stairs to check the injury.

"Nothing, Dad. I'm fine." Hiccup tried pulling back, but Stoick had a firm grip on his side to hold him in place.

"Fine? This is not fine. How did this happen, Thistleface?" Stoick asked running his thumb under the cut. It was jagged, not a clean scratch and only thinly healed over. It had been cleaned and salved at least.

"You know how clumsy he is." Thistleface shrugged.

"He tripped? What scratched him?" As if Stoick was going to believe Hiccup just tripped and got this scratch. There weren't any other bruises on the boy that he could see, no indication of Hiccup falling. Snotlout had also come downstairs and looked nervous. Probably a result of the yelling however.

"The blocks. He fell and hit the corner of one. They're a bit worn down and he got a splinter." Thistleface said.

Stoick paled. A splinter. The scratch was so close to Hiccup's eye, a little closer and it would be more than a scratch. He tightened his grip on Hiccup's side.

"Dad?" Hiccup said just above a whisper, "That hurtth."

Stoick instantly let go and stood up. "Thank you for looking after him," he said to Thistleface shortly as he steered Hiccup to the door. Was it too much to expect he get his son back in the condition he dropped him off in? Gobber seemed the only one capable of such a task.

"What really happened?" Stoick asked when they were walking up the path to the Great Hall.

"Nothing. I'm clumthy and hurt mythelf." Hiccup mumbled, not meeting his father's eye. Stoick didn't buy it for a moment. He put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder and crouched down; holding Hiccup's chin up so the boy couldn't look at the ground.

"Hiccup Horrendous you tell me the truth."

"That ith true." Hiccup said eyes darting around. "Am I in trouble?"

Stoick sighed, "No, you're not in trouble, son. I don't want you lying though. What really happened? I promise you won't be in trouble."

"I promithed I wouldn't tell. You thaid I have to keep my promitheth."

His whole life Stoick had been prepared to be Chief. He had been told how difficult it would be, that he would have to make decisions and keep to them. No one had told him that parenting would be more difficult, full of even tougher decisions. What was it about caring for children that was so complicated?

"It'th okay, Dad, it doethn't hurt. I'm a Viking, I can handle it." Hiccup said patting Stoick's arm. Hiccup might be able to handle it but Stoick couldn't. "Dad? What'th that?" Hiccup asked pointing at the new corral.

"We moved the dragon." Stoick said absently. He was still trying to figure out a way he could find out exact details.

"Can we go thee her?"

Stoick could always drag the truth out of Spitelout. He stood up. "No, Hiccup. We're going to supper."

"After thupper?" Hiccup asked, taking Stoick's hand.

Stoick wanted to say no but he could hardly pass up an opportunity to make the kid finish a meal. "Only if you eat all your supper."

"I alwayth eat thupper." Hiccup said he seemed to be trying to hop up the stairs letting only one foot touch each step from what Stoick could tell.

"I said all your supper. Everything on your plate or in your bowl."

Hiccup held on to Stoick's arm to swing his feet up one of the longer steps. "Even if I'm too full?"

"You won't be too full."

"What if I don't like thupper?"

"You can still eat it."

"What if it maketh me thick?"

"Then you won't be seeing the dragon because you're sick. You will only get to see it if you finish your supper. Understand?"

A big sigh came from the boy, "Yeth thir."

Vikings kept coming to stare at her; did they have nothing better to do? Surely they had food to gather or nests to defend. Vikings were such inept and rude creatures. However, she didn't care enough to protest their gawking so the Nightmare just lay there and let them look. Until she caught the scent of her hatchling on the wind. Lifting her head the Nightmare crooned in the direction of the smell.

There he was, bouncing along next to his sire who held his little hand. When they got closer the hatchling sobered up and walked meekly in his sire's shadow casting anxious glances at her and the other Vikings.

There was an exchange of greetings between her hatchling's sire and the other Vikings, the way they acted and held themselves reminding her that the little one's sire was the alpha of the Viking nest; and that her little one would grow up to be an alpha himself. Hard to remember that when he tucked himself into his sire's side to hide from notice. He was still very small though, and acting appropriately for his age.

The Alpha stroked the hatchling's head with his thumb as he talked to the others. He then said something to the little one quietly before allowing her hatchling approach her prison, though the Nightmare did not miss how carefully he watched her and the little one, hand on weapon ready to attack. She was pleased that he was being more responsible.

"Hi," her hatchling said when he got to the fence. She bent her head to rumble a greeting and noticed a cut on his nose near his eye. She growled; any approval she had granted his sire vanished. How could his sire be so irresponsible as to let this happen?

"What? What'th wrong?"

What was wrong? From the look of it he had nearly lost an eye. There was enough room for her to nose through the chains and lick the scratch. It smelled funny and needed to be cleaned.

"Thtop it, you're getting thpit in my eyeth. Hey!" He shouted the last as he was, roughly in the Nightmare's opinion, pulled away from the fence. The Nightmare prepared her flame, seeing red.

"Dad, she wathn't hurting me. I told you, they like licking."

The Alpha still glared up at her and wiped her spit off his offspring's face with his furry covering.

"Stoick, it did that all the time when the lad was out there. No harm in it." Funny Limb said coming up to stand next to the crouching Alpha. He frowned when he saw the hatchling, "What happened to yer face, lad?"

"An acthident." The hatchling said, picking at his sire's hair. "I'm okay."

"Awful close to his eye, isn't it?" Funny Limb said to the Alpha. That's what the Nightmare thought. She was interested in how it happened too.

"I know that. Not much I can do about it, is there? He was at his aunt's." The Alpha had a protective arm around the little one. What was an aunt? The Nightmare decided disliked aunts if they were things that hurt her hatchling. Why would his sire let him around an "aunt" if they allowed such harm?

Funny Limb shrugged, "Engh, no harm no foul."

"No harm? Do you see his face?"

"Bit of a scratch." Funny Limb waved it off. "C'mon, sparrow, let's see yer dragon. It's itchin' to see you." Funny Limb took the hatchling's hand and brought him back to the fence where the Nightmare could check him over properly. Funny Limb even lifted the little one up to stand on a railing, ignoring the Alpha's protests and warnings. Which was brave of Funny Limb. He did keep an arm around the hatchling and the Nightmare could tell that he was ready to snatch the little one away at a moment's notice. He never took his eyes off the Nightmare.

"Does yer beastie have a name?" Funny Limb asked steadying the hatchling as the chain he leaned on swayed. The Nightmare snuffled over her little one, looking for other possible injuries. He giggled when her breath tickled his neck.

"No." He said to Funny Limb, "I didn't think of that."

"Well, the beastie needs a name."

No she did not. She needed no name; she was a Monstrous Nightmare. That was the only name she would ever bear.

"She doeth?"

No. The Nightmare snorted her indignation.

"Most certainly."

The Nightmare growled at them to stop this foolishness.

"See?" Funny Limb said. "She's all upset that you haven't given her one yet."

She was not. She was upset because Funny Limb was trying to give her one now. The Nightmare huffed a small ring to indicate her irritation.

"What should I call her?" The hatchling asked.

Monstrous Nightmare. That was what she was.

"Hmm." Funny Limb said scratching his chin with his weird hand, the normal one was still supporting the hatchling as he stood on the railing and leaned on the chain. "Something suitable. She's a bit of a mama dragon isn't she?"

Not a 'bit.' she was a mama dragon.

"I gueth," The hatchling frowned.

"Least, she seems ta think she's yer mama." Funny Limb gave the hatchling a slight tickle on his ribs, earning a giggle from her little one. "You have yer dad, though, who doesn't want ta share ya. So she's more like yer nurse. Or a nanny goat. What about 'Nursie' or 'Nana'?"

Monstrous Nightmare foolish Viking. She rumbled at her hatchling; she wanted him to come inside so she could tuck him away under her wing for the night.

"She could be a Nana." The Hatchling said it more like a question than a statement.

"Nana it is." Funny Limb said. "Now say goodnight, I think yer dad's had all he can handle for today."

"Why?"

"Cause you have a way of doin' that to him."

The hatchling reached out to pet the Nightmare's snout and she rumbled, pleased. "Dad doethn't like her, does he?"

"Yer dad doesn't like havin' you in dangerous positions."

Her little one wasn't in a dangerous position. The Nightmare took better care of the hatchling than his sire did.

"Goodnight Nana," her hatchling said, wrapping his arms as far around her nose as he could. She dipped her head so he wouldn't cut himself on her teeth. He pressed his lips to her snout then Funny Limb set him back on the ground. The Alpha, who had watched the whole thing from a few feet away, held his hand for the little one who happily took it and bounced along next to his sire, chattering the whole way to his nest.

Nana. The Nightmare scoffed. She would never answer to anything so ridiculous.

A/N: Yay she has a name! Happy?

End of part 3. Like I said last chapter I'm not sure when this story will be back. Also I forgot to mention the three hour time difference so the chapters will be three hours early for you (I have them done ahead of time but posting them on east coast time. It's still 8 for me).

KaliAnn: I know, not good parenting there, but to be fair that's all Stoick knows. They don't focus on the secondary characters enough in the movies, though so much is going on it would get too long and confusing if they did. In the show Snotlout and Hookfang amuse me the most.

Dragon Lord Draco: Thank you. She's fine now, just tired from the treatment, but cancer free.

AngetianPrincess18: They're cousins; of course they act that way :)

Thearizona: Thanks, yeah, my outlines are pretty much this, this, and this need to happen, characters can do the rest.

ElvenPrincess: I can explain those : ) The lisp is because of his missing tooth, he'll lose the other one soon and when those teeth grow in bam! No more stupid lisp and I am never doing that to myself again! The cuddly thing is just age. He's somewhat independent now for his age but he's under ten. I have three years' worth of an education bachelor's (I decided to not go that route in the end for reasons) and have learned all about child development so I applied that here to age Hiccup down. He's cuddly when tired, sick, hurt, or in need of reassurance which fits in with his age for this fic and I've left room for the independence of his teens to grow. Plus, independence is a natural part of becoming a teenager, around 12 or 13 it'll kick in for him. I'm about to watch the first movie and keep an eye out for who touches Hiccup, how, and when. From memory it's just Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid. Based on Hiccup's reaction to Stoick and Gobber he's used to the way they touch him which is usually affectionate (That scene aside. However, we see that Hiccup is not used to harsh treatment from Stoick). As for the 'I gotta kill a dragon' problem with the Nightmare, well, the story isn't over yet…