Toothless fired on the diving bell, trying to free his rider. Once he realized his firepower was not strong enough in these depths, he stopped and went to check on Hiccup. The dragon helplessly watched as what was now Hiccup's tomb rapidly filled up with ice-cold water.
Hiccup placed his hand on the Deathsong amber window as Toothless nudged it with his snout. "I know, bud." He turned to look at the water flooding in. "I wouldn't leave you either."
The young rider tilted his head upwards and took one last deep breath. The water rushed over his head, and he was soon fully immersed. Toothless roared in concern as Hiccup tried to give him a final smile. They both touched the amber window one last time. The Night Fury watched in despair as his human let go of that last breath. He roared in anger as his best friend lost consciousness and floated to the center of the diving bell.
Desperate, he began to fire on the bell again, unaware of the Submaripper swimming up behind him. It wasn't until the Submaripper had already grabbed the bell with his teeth, did Toothless realize what was happening. He quickly followed the Tidal Class dragon to the surface.
The Submaripper broke through the surface and dropped the diving bell onto the deck of the boat that had aided in his rescue.
"We need to get him out of there," Astrid stated, looking through the window.
"How?" Fishlegs asked as Toothless climbed back aboard. "It's dragon-proof."
"We got this!" Tuffnut exclaimed as he plunged a pole into one of the cracks. "Barf! Belch!"
The Zippleback twisted their necks together and used their teeth to clamp down on the pole, pulling it downward until the bell opened enough for someone to reach in and grab their leader.
"Now pull him out. Quickly," Fishlegs urged as Astrid picked Hiccup by the shoulders. Fishlegs quickly assisted by grabbing his legs. Together they set Hiccup down.
Astrid went to feel for a heartbeat but found none. "Oh, no," she cried. "Hiccup! Please, breathe. Please breathe!"
Toothless nudged her out of the way, sniffed his rider, and began licking him. When that did not work, he let out his loudest roar, hoping to scare his rider awake. Behind him, the other humans were starting to cry. He couldn't give up. As a last resort, he pounced with all his might onto Hiccup's chest.
After the third pounce, Hiccup's eyes shot open as he began to cough up the water that had filled his lungs. Toothless took a step back to give his human some space to breathe, crooning happily that he was alive.
Hiccup pushed himself up into a sitting position and reached out to pet Toothless. "I'm okay, bud." He coughed again, dispelling more water. "Thank you, Toothless."
Astrid knelt down by his side once more, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup took hold of her hand and gave her a small smile.
In the distance, the Submaripper roared its thanks. Toothless quickly returned a roar of his own in thanks.
With the help of Fishlegs and Astrid, Hiccup managed to stand. He placed one hand on his aching chest and another on Toothless. "What... happened?" he breathed.
"Viggo happened," Snotlout answered angrily.
Hiccup felt a sense of panic and adrenaline fill his weakened body "Viggo. No, no, he can't escape." He tried to climb onto Toothless, only to lose what little balance he had, falling down.
Fishlegs knelt down next to him. "It's okay, Hiccup. I got you. You need to stay here and rest."
Astrid, from on top of Stormfly. "Don't worry. He won't get far."
Without another word, she, Snotlout, and the twins flew off in the direction of Viggo's ship. Fishlegs stayed behind to help Hiccup. "Let's get you into the Captain's Quarters. There's a bed in there you can rest on."
Hiccup tried to sit up on his own once more. "No. They need... my help to... get Viggo. I can't let... him get away."
"He won't get away," Fishlegs promised, helping him sit up. "You've just been through a rather traumatic ordeal. Your body needs time to recover."
Hiccup coughed again as more water left his weakened lungs. After his fit was over, he sat still for a moment before speaking. "Fine. But no... carrying me. Let me keep... some of my... dignity." His voice was raspy, and every breath seemed to hurt him
Fishlegs obliged and helped his friend to his feet. Then, with the help of Toothless, the two helped Hiccup walk down below deck to the Captain's Quarters. The husky dragon rider helped his friend remove his wet clothes and get him into the bed. Toothless shot a small plasma blast fire into the room's hearth. After ensuring the room provided significant warmth, Fishlegs left to go get some medical supplies and herbal remedies.
Toothless stayed behind and watched as his human drifted off into a restless sleep. He sat at the foot of the bed, watching the rise and fall of Hiccup's chest.
Fishlegs reached the top deck as just the other four Riders were returning.
"Well?" Fishlegs asked.
Astrid jumped down from her Deadly Nadder, shaking her head. "He escaped. He and Ryker were in a dinghy being pulled by Seashockers."
"There's always next time," Fishlegs shrugged.
"How is he?" Astrid asked.
"He's having a hard time breathing, and his skin is warm to the touch despite being submerged in freezing cold water," Fishlegs answered. "We need to get him back to Gothi quickly. But he can't fly. I doubt he's in any condition to be in the air right now. We'll have to sail back."
"We won't reach Berk until tomorrow morning," Astrid pointed. "Can he hold out that long?"
Fishlegs shook his head. "I don't know. But we have to try."
"What if the dragons pulled the boat?" Astrid suggested. "The boat stays in the water while the dragons fly above, pulling the ropes. We'll get there in about 3 hours."
"Like what you just saw Viggo and Ryker doing to the Seashockers?" Fishlegs pointed out.
"Kinda," Astrid sighed. "And I hate suggesting it. But Hiccup needs urgent care, and the sooner we get him back to Berk, the better off he'll be."
Fishlegs pondered for a few seconds before answering. "Okay. But only this time." The Gronkle lover then walked off to talk to the other Riders.
Astrid walked down below deck to where Hiccup was resting. When she got to where he was, she found him lying in bed shivering, despite the multiple blanks piled on top of him. Toothless was watching his rider with concern.
Astrid went over to the bed and sat down next to Hiccup's head, brushing his wet locks out of the way. Despite shivering, his skin felt hot to the touch. He was cold and warm at the same time. She placed her hand on his chest and leaned in to listen. His heart was racing, and his breathing sounded raspy and shallow.
"Hang in there, Hiccup," Astrid whispered, taking hold of her friend's hand. "We'll get you back to Berk in no time."
Toothless let out a sorrowful croon as he gently laid his head on Hiccup's chest. The blonde worry gave him a comforting pat before getting up to leave. As she was to walk out, Fishlegs came in with more blankets and a medicine bag.
"The dragons are in formation and ready to leave," Fishlegs reported as he set the blankets down on a nearby table.
"Good," Astrid said. "The sooner, the better. He has a fever and is having trouble breathing."
Fishlegs rushed over to the bed, carefully moving Toothless away from Hiccup. He quickly removed the blankets and placed his head on his friend's chest. Listening very carefully. "Oh no."
"What?" Astrid asked, worry filling her voice. "What's wrong?"
"Hand me the medicine bag," Fishlegs urged. "One of his lungs has collapsed. We have to reinflate it."