Note: For the sake of story mechanics, Toothless can fly on his own in this story. Think of him using the tail Hiccup made him in Gift of the Night Fury.
The sun was beginning to set. Several hours had passed since they had made it to shore. Astrid had nearly dozed off a few times but she had managed to stay awake by counting the clouds in the sky. Suddenly, she heard a familiar screech in the distance.
"Stormfly!" Astrid felt a surge of joy, the first in what had felt like an eternity. The Nadder eagerly landed and nuzzled her rider.
Toothless wasn't far behind, along with the rest of the gang. It would've been a joyous reunion for all of them, had it not been for Hiccup's clear injuries. Toothless rushed to Hiccup, only to find that his rider wasn't conscious to greet him. Toothless let out a distraught whine.
"What happened?" Fishlegs asked as he glanced at Hiccup's wound.
"Viggo." Astrid replied curtly. "We need to get him to Gothi. Viggo, h-he poisoned him." Astrid carefully lifted Hiccup onto Stormfly.
"Poison? What poison?" Snotlout asked incredulously.
Astrid felt a nausea overtake her. Was it true? Did Viggo really have access to…. "The Jade Death."
The riders fell silent in disbelief. They all had only heard stories of it. They only had a vague idea of its symptoms, certainly no idea of a cure.
Astrid leaned over a patted Toothless's head. "We're gonna get help, Toothless. Hiccup will be okay." She gave as convincing a smile as she could manage, but Toothless huffed and whined again. It was disheartening to see him like this. Fishlegs finally piped up. "Astrid, if Hiccup's been poisoned, we can't let him stay asleep. It's too risky. He might not wake up once we get there." He gulped.
Astrid just about facepalmed. She should've realized that sooner. She cursed and scolded herself How many naps had he already taken? "Hiccup?" Astrid nudged Hiccup, hoping he wasn't too deeply asleep.
Hiccup opened his eyes. "Wh-what?"
"I'm sorry, but you have to stay awake. It's too risky for you to fall asleep right now." Astrid felt awful asking someone who was already exhausted to stay awake, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.
Hiccup was ready to protest, but something in Astrid's eyes told him that she was right. If he fell asleep now, he might not wake up again.
Hiccup tried to climb onto Toothless, but lost his balance and tumbled into the sand. Toothless whined.
Astrid helped Hiccup up, sheepishly suggesting, "Maybe you should ride with me, so there's no risk of you falling off your dragon."
"Yeah, er.. Sounds like a good idea." Hiccup patted Toothless and gave a weak smile. "Next time, bud. Promise."
The couple was situated on Stormfly, and the riders took off, embarking on their long journey.
000
The riders finally arrived in Berk. Astrid let out a sigh of relief, glad that nothing had interfered or delayed them. She looked back at Hiccup, hoping he was still with her. Her heart sank when she saw him; he was grimacing, his face contorted in pain. It hadn't been easy to keep him awake. Astrid had never felt so talkative in her life. She just needed to hear a response from him, know that he was conscious.
Stormfly knew exactly where to go, landing the pair right outside the healer's hut. Toothless was right behind.
Astrid called out, "Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, get the chief. Tell him what happened. Fishlegs, get Gothi out of her hut." Astrid gently helped Hiccup off of Stormfly, wincing as he stumbled onto the ground.
Gothi emerged from her hut and gestured for them to enter. She sat Hiccup down and examined his wounds. He had gotten a few cuts and bruises from the interrogation, but they were nothing compared to the sword wound. Astrid couldn't help but stare at the gash; it was still a horrific green.
Gothi looked stunned and turned to Astrid, requesting more information. Astrid gulped and explained the whole story, including Viggo's claims of the poison.
Upon hearing the name of the poison, Gothi took a step back in disbelief.
"The Jade Death?!" Stoick's voice boomed as he walked into the hut, Gobber close behind. He had gotten the message from the twins and Snotlout. "That Viggo has the nerve to poison MY SON!"
Gothi began to scribble in the sand. Gobber took a look. "Aye, she says that she know of no cure for the Jade Death…." Gobber sounded as though he couldn't believe himself. "She can help heal the actual sword wound. As for the poison…." Gobber paused. "From what she knows, its symptoms are only painful, not fatal. They are only fatal if the victim lacks the will to fight and survive." Gothi stopped scribbling abruptly. "It was a thing of legend, as far as the archipelago was concerned."
Astrid felt frustrated but also defeated. No known cure? Gothi always knew what to do. Astrid was still grateful for Gothi when she restored her sight after being blinded by lightning.
Stoick spoke sternly. "There must be a cure. How else has this disease not spread across the world?"
Gothi closed her eyes, as if recalling a horrible memory. She began to scribble. Gobber translated, "It hasn't spread because it's not contagious except by injection. Rumor has it that it was created as a form of torture and punishment in a faraway land. A man-made poison. It's also quite self-containing. Those who were infected…." Gobber gulped. "...killed themselves out of pain." Hiccup flinched, and Astrid grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.
Gothi motioned for Hiccup to move to a table, and gestured for Astrid and Fishlegs assistance. She shooed Stoick and Gobber out, annoyed by the lack of space in her small hut. She scribbled a few notes, and Fishlegs nodded in understanding. "We need to first clean the wound out so that we can stitch it up. We're going to wash it out first and apply ointment. Hiccup, it's going to sting so you're going to try to resist. Astrid and I are going to hold you down while Gothi cleans the wound."
Hiccup nodded weakly and proceeded to lie on his back. Fishlegs held down his torso. Astrid positioned herself with her hands on Hiccup's shoulders. She looked down and gave a small smile. "I'm right here." Gothi stuffed a piece of leather into Hiccup's mouth. Fishlegs grimaced and said, "You're gonna want something to bite into." Hiccup nodded appreciatively.
Gothi began to clean the wound. Hiccup let out a moan, writhing in pain. Fishlegs immediately pinned down Hiccup's waist and legs. Astrid shifted her weight, pinning down Hiccup's arms while muttering words of encouragement into his ear. It was unbearable for Astrid to look at Hiccup; his face was hideously contorted and his eyes were squeezed shut. "Please….stop…." he repeatedly mumbled through the leather. It seemed as though an eternity had passed before Gothi finally finished cleaning and stitching the wound.
Once the wound was closed, Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, passed out.
"Can he fall asleep?" Astrid asked worriedly.
Gothi nodded. Fishlegs added, "Now that the wound is cleaned and sealed, he isn't at risk for infection like before." Astrid sighed, her adrenaline rush clearly weakening. A sharp pain went through her right arm. She cried out as she gripped her arm. She had almost forgotten that it was broken.
"Can you fix a broken arm?" Astrid asked sheepishly.
Gothi's eyes widened, and whacked Astrid's good arm in frustration, scolding her for having ignored her own injuries. Fishlegs squeaked, "You broke your arm and didn't say anything?!"
Astrid nodded, embarrassed. Had Hiccup been awake, he would've scolded her, too. "Heh. Too busy worrying about Hiccup?" Astrid probed if it was an appropriate excuse.
Gothi shook her head, and Astrid could have sworn the elder smiled in amusement. Fishlegs grinned cautiously. "Haha. Right. Well, Gothi should be able to fix you up."
Gothi nodded and motioned for Astrid to sit on a bench next to the table Hiccup had passed out on. Gothi went to work right away.
The pain wasn't nearly as bad as what Hiccup had undergone, but it wasn't a great feeling. As Gothi wrapped bandages around her arm, Astrid couldn't help but wonder how different things would be now that she had signed Viggo's treaty. She grunted in frustration at how she had been outsmarted. She pushed the thought aside. She was just thankful that they were both alive. They had a trying journey ahead of them, but in the meantime, she was just thankful that they could live to see another day.