Unanswered Questions

Spinning around, Valka swung out her staff in an attack, her weapon meeting with her son's sword as he blocked. Both hands holding either end of her staff in a defensive move, she blocked each time as Hiccup lashed out, spun around, and met her weapon with his once again. This time, as Hiccup drew back, Valka turned around and aimed one end of her staff at her opponent's foot, but he dodged— drawing back, lifting his sword over his head and bringing it down.

Using her staff, Valka whacked the blow aside, quickly whirled around and aimed for Hiccup's chest. To her surprise, Hiccup caught the end of her staff and held it firmly, his sword held straight up in his other hand and pushing against the middle of her weapon in defense.

Before Valka could do anything to try and draw her weapon back, Hiccup pulled on her staff, pulling her around with it as she held onto the other end. As she was thrown off balance Valka managed to keep ahold of her end of her staff but left herself open. She couldn't let go of her weapon though, or Hiccup would have the advantage.

Hiccup, still holding an end of the staff with one hand, spun around backwards and lowered himself under the staff he was holding as he turned, his back mostly to his mom, and swung his sword at her feet. Since she was off balance, he almost managed to trip her up, but she managed to stumble back. So he spun back and up the other way, facing forward again, and swung his sword at Valka's head.

Leaning back so she could dodge the strike, Valka decided to copy her son's actions— she caught his hand that was holding onto the sword's hilt so that they were both holding onto both weapons. There weren't very many moves left for her to make in this position and Hiccup's first reaction was to try and pull his hand out of her grip. Taking advantage of his mistake, Valka twisted his hand, though she was as gentle as she could, and he was forced to let go of his weapon. However, as the sword fell she caught it with her other hand, letting go of her staff in the process.

They had just swapped weapons.

Both opponents stepped back to recover themselves and prepare for the other's next move. Valka took a stance with her son's sword in her hands. She wasn't all that practiced in swordsmanship, having preferred other weapons and using a staff for the majority of the past twenty years. She could only hope that Hiccup was just as thrown off with the staff as she was with his sword, or he would have the advantage and win their little spar.

Valka made the first move, swinging out with the sword, but Hiccup parried by meeting her with one end of her staff. She swung the sword back in the other direction and he met her again. It seemed that Hiccup wasn't too thrown off by the weapon swap. She would have to try harder.

This time she swung low, expecting Hiccup to meet her blow, but when he tried to block she caught the staff by tilting the sword and catching it on one of its grooves. Using the control she now had over the staff, she swung it aside to throw Hiccup off balance. However, the move also forced her to step forward in the opposite direction of her son, and past him.

As Hiccup's momentum drove him forward, he decided to go with the movement and use it to his advantage. He leapt, whipping the staff's end to one side of him as his mom stepped past him in the opposite direction, managing to whack Valka in the square of her back.

Valka was ready to spin around and hold the sword to Hiccup's neck once he was tripped up, but was surprised when she felt her staff whack against her back. Instead, she fell forward, landing on her knees and catching herself with her hands, gasping as she felt a twinge of pain in one of her wrists.

She heard the swooshing sounds of her staff being twirled around from behind her and suddenly found one end of her trusted weapon by the side of her face. Hiccup had won. Valka smiled. "I was sure I had you."

Hiccup held a hand out to help his mom stand back up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Valka moved her wrist around and winced. "Mostly." Before Hiccup could apologize, and Valka knew that was what he was about to do, she continued. "It's my fault for throwing my hands out when I fell. Usually I can dive into a roll, but I was taken by surprise."

Stoick had watched the spar with great interest. He knew Valka was an experienced fighter, but hadn't known how she had developed those skills over the past twenty years. He also knew that Hiccup trained a lot, how could he not with a girlfriend like Astrid? But he also hadn't really seen Hiccup's skills in action without a certain dragon present, though he had heard he was good with a sword.

If Stoick had to guess who would win, he would have leaned toward Valka because she was more experienced and didn't hold back. Hiccup wasn't a violent person and Stoick didn't think he would put everything he had into a fight unless it was a very real and serious situation— even then, Stoick wasn't sure if Hiccup would still fight to kill, ever the peacekeeper.

However, Hiccup had won. He had been smart and quick. He had reacted and lashed out as if the fight had been real. Though, of course they had taken safety precautions. Both of them wore their armor and never struck for a fatal blow. Valka used her staff and Hiccup used his Dragon Blade that was an amazing weapon but did not have sharp edges— its purpose more for deflecting blows and using its fire. Stoick had to admit that he was impressed and the spar had been a great one to watch.

"Did you learn all of that from Astrid?" Stoick asked curiously. "From what I know, she's not a master swordsman. Swinging an axe is very different than swinging a sword."

"I mean, she has taught me a lot. We train together all the time and she did help me with my swordsmanship." Hiccup answered. "But when we were out exploring, I asked Mala if she could teach me a few things. She's very good with a sword, her fighting style suited me, and..." Hiccup blushed. "We're similar in size."

Valka couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Even she was taller than her son by a couple inches. Hiccup threw her an amused but put out look. She was glad that they had all been getting along better ever since Hiccup had decided to open up to them. He wasn't acting as shy and awkward around them anymore, even if he did tend to let his thoughts wander and still sought time to be on his own every now and then.

He was still holding some things back, Stoick and Valka were sure, but he had opened the gates a little and that gave them something to work with.

"Wait." Something suddenly occurred to Valka. "Mala? As in Mala, Queen of the Defenders of the Wing?"

Hiccup turned to her with a bewildered expression on his face. "You know Mala?"

"Kind of." Valka answered, considering this new information. "She doesn't know me or my face. Their Eruptodon became sick once, long ago, when Mala was new at being Queen. I had connections with people out there, but they only knew me by the mask I wore. I was asked to help them. I knew what to do and I helped heal their dragon. That's all the contact I ever had with her and her people."

Hiccup had a thoughtful look on his face. He remembered how things had come together like a puzzle, when he had been talking with Eret about his past as a fisherman and a dragon hunter. It seemed that his mom also fit into that puzzle here and there. All this time, they had all been circling each other and not even knowing it. Hiccup remembered that there was something he had been meaning to ask his mom. "Do you also know of the Wing Maidens?"

Valka raised an eyebrow. "You sure did get around, didn't you?"

"So you do." Hiccup confirmed, ignoring her comment that also seemed to apply to herself.

"I know of them, through someone else." She replied vaguely.

"So..." Hiccup looked like he was thinking hard about something. Stoick and Valka waited patiently for him to share his thoughts. "Did you... were you the one who ended up with the Bewilderbeast's egg?"

Valka blinked in surprise. How did Hiccup know about the Bewilderbeast egg? Had the Wingmaidens told him about it? She wondered how they had met in the first place. Men weren't allowed all Wingmaiden Island as far as she knew.

Reigning in her whirlwind of thoughts, she realized that Hiccup was still waiting for an answer and Stoick's interest was piqued as well.

"Yes." She answered simply, not really knowing how to dive into all that went into that story and wondering how her son fit into it.

"Huh." Hiccup still had a thoughtful look on his face. "Who knew we were so close to running into each other back then?"

"It never occurred to me that my son would be out there riding dragons and having adventures." Valka responded. "If we had run into each other, I don't think we would have known it."

"If we had run into each other back then, would you have kidnapped me?" Hiccup asked with a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. Stoick chuckled at his wife's sudden chagrin.

"Just because I knew of some people who had peace with dragons didn't mean all dragon riders were good." Valka defended. "Drago was rising in power, I thought I was saving a rare Night Fury from its captor. To my surprise, you two were friends... and you were my son."

Hiccup nodded his acceptance of her answer. Some people had peace with dragons but didn't ride them or live with them. As far as he knew, Berk was the only place that integrated dragons into their lives and actively rode them, other than the Berserkers who had been influenced by them. Not even Alvin and his people ended up training and riding dragons, despite all their efforts to use them in the past, before they made peace.

"So... what happened to the egg?" Hiccup was curious to know if it was safe. "It wasn't your Bewilderbeast, right? That seems impossible."

"No, my Bewilderbeast was older and more mature. He had that nest long before I got there. He intercepted the dragons that had attacked Berk, and they followed him back to his nest. I didn't even know there was a Queen controlling dragons and making them raid Berk, otherwise I might have considered doing something about it. I think she was just a Titan of her species, it's not common for a species other than the Bewilderbeasts to have control over a nest, but it does happen, obviously. Toothless is an alpha now, and he's a Night Fury." Valka explained and answered some of Hiccup's unasked questions.

"I'm confused..." Hiccup continued. "When I was out exploring with my friends, we learned that there was a King of Dragons. We were led to it and discovered that it had been hiding in the mountain of Berserker Island. But... it had an egg. So it was female... and, it didn't have a nest of dragons, it was using its abilities to keep dragons away."

"I wondered about that too." Stoick finally joined the conversation. "How can there be more than one King of all Dragons?"

Valka nodded her head, understanding their confusion. She had learned about and studied dragons for a long time and she still didn't have all the answers. She was sure she could answer their questions though. "Bewilderbeasts are a rare species. They are certainly one of the most powerful dragons out there. There isn't necessarily one king of all dragons, but a Bewilderbeast has the potential to become the king of the dragons that become a part of his nest. My Bewilderbeast had built up his nest and took care of the dragons in his care. It was a sanctuary and any were welcome, even me. His influence was vast. I'm sure Drago's Bewilderbeast could have had a nest that was taken over when he captured the king. Then Drago encouraged mine and his Bewilderbeast to fight for control of all the dragons that were a part of both nests."

"That makes sense..." Hiccup looked down in thought, taking in all the new information. If he hadn't been so busy on Berk, he would have asked about all of this a long time ago. "But what about the Bewilderbeast I came in contact with? The one with the egg?"

"Females don't usually build nests for other dragons, as far as I know." Valka answered, though she was curious as to how Hiccup ended up meeting the female Bewilderbeast. "They protect and take care of their young. Once they're old enough, they might take their offspring to join their mate's nest."

"She left her egg behind." Hiccup pointed out. "One of Drago's men almost got away with it, but Toothless stopped him."

"I can't say for sure why she would do that." Valka answered honestly, a bit baffled. "Unless she had more young with her, and I'm not so sure about that."

Hiccup shrugged. "I never actually saw her, only the egg. But she did save my life."

"She did what?" Stoick asked, startled. Hiccup looked to his dad, some annoyance on his face. He hadn't told his dad about that for a reason, because he knew that he would overreact.

"It's fine." Hiccup answered with exasperation.

"You never told me that you had almost died!" Stoick was getting worked up, always worried about his son who seemed to brush off danger as if it was nothing. His son was going to get himself killed someday if he didn't learn to be more careful and take things seriously.

"Because I knew how you'd react if I did!"

"Hold on, you two." Valka stepped between them, hands held out. This was something she had observed. Stoick's overprotective nature and Hiccup's tendency to get defensive. To her surprise, both her husband and her son remained quiet and looked to her.

She turned to her husband first. "Of course you're going to worry about your son, but getting angry about it isn't going to solve anything. Hiccup is an adult, he's capable of defending himself— we just saw how he handles himself in a fight. You have to learn to show your concern without the anger and without making Hiccup feel like he has to defend himself against you."

Stoick didn't answer, though he looked like he was considering her words carefully, which was a good start. So then she turned to her son. "And you, Hiccup, need to understand that your father is going to worry about you and that is never going to change. He wants to know your struggles and what you've been through, and there is no need to get defensive about it. He's not blaming you for anything, he's just worried and wants to make sure that you are being careful."

Hiccup gave her a hard stare for a moment before nodding his head. She wasn't so sure that she had gotten through to him like she had with Stoick, but it was a start to moving forward and becoming a family.

"I'm sorry for yelling." Stoick said and Hiccup muttered an apology in return.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Valka asked Hiccup, picking up the conversation where it had left off before her husband and son had started arguing.

Hiccup hesitated, sparing a glance for his father that both parents noticed. "Krogan had the egg, so I sent Toothless after him, which left me with Johann." Stoick scowled at the mention of the traitor, but didn't say anything. "I was in a vulnerable position and he was about to strike me, but the Bewilderbeast froze him. I don't know what happened to her after that, but Toothless returned with the egg and Krogan got away. Though, Eret tells me that Drago killed him for failing to bring the Bewilderbeast to him."

"Krogan worked for Drago?" That was news to Stoick.

"I don't know a Krogan or a Johann." Valka knew she was missing a lot of the story— likely all that Hiccup and his friends had gone through while out exploring away from Berk. Her husband had told her some things, but hadn't gone into detail about Hiccup's adventures away from home, probably because Hiccup hadn't told him everything.

"You and Toothless saved the egg." Valka stated, in awe that she had been so close to her son back then and hadn't known it. Had handled the egg that had previously been in her son's possession, and never knew. "I can't believe it."

"What did you do with it? You don't have another Bewilderbeast."

"I had a Tracking Class dragon track down the mother." Valka answered. "When I was told where the Wingmaidens had hidden the egg, I was also informed that the mother was out there somewhere. I was sure that she would be missing it."

"You found her?" Hiccup perked up at the information.

"I did." Valka suddenly looked a bit uneasy as she thought back on the state the mother had been in. "But I don't think I was the only one who tracked her down."

"...what do you mean?" Hiccup asked in concern. As far as he knew, his mom's Bewilderbeast was dead. Drago's Bewilderbeast was still out there somewhere. Then there was the female and the egg. He wasn't sure if there were any others out there. They might just be the last of their kind.

"I think she retreated to her mate's nest when she couldn't get her egg back." Valka explained. "Where I found her, it looked like it could have been a nest of dragons. But it looked like it had been attacked, and she was injured."

Hiccup scrunched his face up in confusion. "Drago didn't know where she was... Krogan failed him."

"But Drago did end up with a Bewilderbeast and a bigger dragon army." Valka continued with her theory. "A Bewilderbeast isn't easy to take down, but if you threatened its mate? He might just give in."

"You think Drago's Bewilderbeast was that female's mate... and the father of that egg?" Hiccup asked, just a bit skeptical. How had Drago found them then?

"It's just a theory. That's what it looked like when I got there." Valka shrugged. "I can't think of any other motivation for a Bewilderbeast to completely submit to a man like that, or to anyone. A Bewilderbeast could easily blast Drago away, but instead he listened. He let Drago bully him."

"I guess it's possible." Hiccup conceded. He suddenly realized that he was leaning against his mom's staff and stood up straight, offering the weapon back to her. She accepted it with a smile and handed over the sword.

"That's a very impressive weapon." She complimented as Stoick stood from where he had been sitting to the side so he could watch them spar. He hadn't participated much in the conversation about the Bewilderbeast egg, he hadn't had much to contribute, but it had been interesting to see how everything fit together and worked out.

"Thanks." Hiccup responded as he retracted the blade of his sword and moved to gather up his satchel.

"Both your weapons are very impressive, nothing out there like them." Stoick commented. "It amazes me how alike you two are."

Hiccup grimaced at those words, though his reaction went unseen as he was bent over so he could retrieve his things. He tried to remain nonchalant, though hearing those words yet again stirred something inside. He didn't like being compared to his mom.

He turned around when he heard his father mention something about cooking some dinner and saw his mom smiling back at him and gesturing for him to follow them back to camp. Hiccup forced a smile and followed.

Hiccup distractedly made his way to the stream that wasn't far from their camp. He had parted ways with his parents— actually letting them know before he wandered off this time instead of just disappearing on them— when they had almost arrived back. He had wanted to wash up a bit after their spar and had told them as much. Though, he also wanted some time to think.

His dad really liked to compare him to Valka. Before Hiccup had known her and when he had thought of her as the deceased mother he would never know, the thought of being like her had been comforting. It had made him feel close to a mother he thought of fondly, despite having no memory of her. He would imagine a warm presence, encouragement, love, and happiness. If his dad wanted to compare him to his mother, Hiccup would take it as a compliment and be proud of the comparison.

Now, however, Hiccup knew his mom. He had met her and knew who she was, how she was, and being compared to her... didn't feel as good anymore. The mother he had built up in his head wasn't the reality. The mother he had always imagined had died saving his life and would have chosen to stay with him if she could have, wasn't his real mom. She had been taken away, then decided to stay away.

Despite all that, there were a lot of things that Hiccup liked about his mom. She had some good personality traits and they shared some common interests. Being compared to her wasn't the worst thing ever, depending on what traits he was being compared to. But that wasn't the main issue he had with being compared to her either.

As Hiccup arrived at the stream, he started taking off his armor. It was leather, and therefore kept him warm as well as protected. He had built up a bit of a sweat during the spar and he wanted to feel clean again. He decided that he would just carry his armor back to camp once he was done. He didn't need it on Healer's Island anyway. He was safe here and he wasn't doing any flying with Toothless either, so the armor wasn't needed.

As he took off his left arm brace his gaze lingered on his dagger's empty sheath. He had found it empty that morning, when he had been putting on his armor in preparation for sparring, and when he had asked his parents if they had used it or knew where it was, they had told him no. Though, Hiccup remembered his mom had looked at the sheath with something akin to disdain, making him wonder why she seemed to dislike that he had a dagger to begin with.

It would turn up. Astrid always said he was so scatter-brained and could lose anything. That was usually when jokes about his left leg came into play. With a smile touching his lips, Hiccup continued to take off his armor.

Once his armor was set aside, Hiccup cupped some water in his hands and rinsed his face. The cool water was refreshing against his skin. He focused on the task of freshening up and tried to stop letting his father's words of comparison take over his thoughts again.

Being clean was nice, and that somehow made him feel a little better about having to rejoin his parents. Hiccup had yet to decide if he wanted to bring up how he felt about being compared to his mom, with his parents. He didn't really want to think about it yet.

Hiccup took his time cleaning himself up and gathering his thoughts, after a while he figured it was probably about time that he returned to camp before his parents started to wonder what was taking him so long. As he leaned down to pick up the pieces of his armor, something further up the stream caught his attention.

There was something about the grass a little further up the stream... it looked darker. Curious, Hiccup straightened, leaving his armor for now, and cautiously walked up the steam a few yards to the place in question. As he walked he started to feel that eerie and suppressing feeling he had felt when he had found the trap the other night.

Hiccup slowed, finally able to see what it was that had caught his attention. It was a sight he had seen before, though in a very different place and context. An arrow was sticking out of the ground, angled as if someone had shot it at a low angle. The arrow was covered in dark, dry blood, specks of it trailing behind in a spatter.

It reminded Hiccup of when his father had taken him out hunting. He remembered as the arrow that his dad had shot went right through the boar's abdomen and stuck into the ground at an angle. The blood had been dark with some flecks of organ tissue stuck to it. The sight, back then, had Hiccup nauseated, but he was better at handling it now, especially after all that he had seen and experienced.

Though, even after the shot, the animal had wandered off a good distance and they had simply tracked it. Was that what had happened here? Hiccup crouched down to get a better look. The one thing he had picked up from his father's hopeless attempts to teach him how to hunt, was tracking. That and... he learned how to use a bow and arrow, though he still hadn't admitted to his father that he had missed his targets on purpose. Couldn't he just be a hypocrite who ate meat without having to deal with all the grisly stuff that hunting entailed?

Shaking himself from his memories of hunting with his father, Hiccup stepped around the arrow, trying to look for a trail. He found a few more specks of dried blood on some blades of grass, but that was it. Whoever had hunted, had done so at least a couple days ago. The trail was cold.

Looking back down at the bloodstained arrow, Hiccup grimaced. It was still an eerie sight and an unexpected thing to find. Whoever had been here previously had been a rather sloppy hunter. Leaving rigged traps and messes behind. That was rather inconsiderate. Again, Hiccup thought that Healer's Island needed to be maintained better. Rules meant nothing if there wasn't some kind of enforcement. There were medicinal plants that could only be grown on the island, so it would be a shame if those plants were destroyed or choked out by weeds.

Deciding that the arrow shouldn't be left there, Hiccup bent over and plucked it out of the ground. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it, he certainly didn't plan to add it to his own stock of arrows. He also didn't want to carry it around with all the remains stuck to it, so he carried it over to the stream and kneeled down to rinse it off.

Hiccup paused before dipping it in the water. There was something stuck to the end of the arrowhead and he looked at it more closely so he could try to see what it was. Upon closer inspection, Hiccup found that it was... clothing fibers? There were pieces of thread stuck to the tip, with dried blood. That made no sense. Hiccup made a face in confusion, animals didn't wear clothes. Why did the arrow have clothing fibers on it...?

Nothing made sense in this place.

After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup decided not to clean off the arrow, it was probably about time he told his parents about the odd things he'd discovered on Healer's Island and maybe he would even tell his dad about his ideas to maintain it. Taking the piece of... evidence? Hiccup wasn't sure why he was thinking about the arrow in that context, but he wanted to have proof that he wasn't being paranoid.

The arrow seemed like such a little thing though. Not every hunter managed to retrieve all of their arrows and... maybe there was a reason for the clothing fibers. Maybe it was stupid to bring it with him. His parents would just tell him that it was nothing, there was no reason to make some big thing out of it. What kind of conclusion was there to come to anyway, from all of the things Hiccup had run into on the island?

Someone else had been there at some point and they had hunted. That was all Hiccup could say for sure and there wasn't anything wrong with that, other than forgetting to disable a dangerous trap.

With a sigh, Hiccup kneeled by his satchel and took out some bandages he had in his medical kit, using it to wrap the stained arrow. Then he slipped it inside the bag, slung it over his shoulder, and gathered up his armor. With one last look at the stream, Hiccup made the short walk back to camp.

All kinds of thoughts were warring inside Hiccup's head as he finally made it back to camp. His mind never stopped, it seemed. He would go from thinking about the arrow, to thinking about almost getting caught in the trap, to the unnerving feeling of something creeping up on their camp the previous night. Then, he would think of his parents and the overwhelming feelings that consumed him when he thought about talking to them more, so that they could keep getting along.

Hiccup felt like there was so much to say, so many things that he wanted to bring up. He had yet to decide if showing them the arrow would be a good idea. They might just dismiss it and wonder why Hiccup was carrying around the gross thing.

Then there was still the matter of Stoick continuing to compare him to Valka.

He vaguely heard the welcoming greetings of his parents as he joined them, and he nodded a response as he set his armor with his things. Stoick was preparing food, since he had ended up the designated chef on this family trip. Thoughts still whirring, Hiccup sat on the log near his mother and let his satchel fall to the ground next to him.

Things had been going well ever since Hiccup had opened up about how he felt about his dad not taking him on father-son trips to Healer's Island. A weight had lifted off his chest, a small one, but enough to prevent him from feeling like he was being buried alive in stress and complicated emotions. Now, something else had popped up that was bothering him. He didn't understand. There was too much inconsistency for him to know what to believe.

"You're being quiet." Valka observed as she finished setting her own armor aside and started wrapping the wrist she had injured when she had fallen. It was sore, but she didn't think it was very serious. There was likely a plant around somewhere that would help her with the slight pain. Stoick was busy preparing dinner but paused to look at their son when his wife spoke.

"Me?" Hiccup looked up in surprise, not having realized that he had once again gotten lost in his thoughts.

"Yes, you." Valka smiled.

"If something's wrong, we can talk about it." Stoick joined in, hoping that Hiccup would continue to open up to them and trust them with his insecurities.

Hiccup hesitated. He had opened up once, but it had been difficult and uncomfortable. The outcome had been worth it, though. Would the outcome be worth it a second time? Would he mess up everything they had gained by complaining about something else?

"You can tell us anything." Valka reassured. "We'll discuss whatever you want."

"What if..." Hiccup swallowed as he forced himself to express his doubts. He could feel his anxiety welling up inside and tried to control it. "Are you sure I can say anything...?"

"Yes." Both his parents affirmed at the same time.

The corner of Valka's mouth twitched in amusement at her and Stoick's uniform response. "We'll still love you no matter what."

"That's hard to believe after everything that was said back home." Hiccup couldn't help a slight bitterness to his tone. Stoick and Valka glanced at each other, regret clearly showing in their expressions.

"We're here to try and make amends, to bond as a family, Hiccup." Stoick decided to reassure their son this time. "It's going to be hard, we all know that. What you have to say may be hard to express, but we care about you Hiccup, and nothing you say will change that."

Hiccup looked down in thought, thinking about his dad's words. To be honest, he was still going back and forth about whether his parents really cared about him. One moment, he was sure that he meant nothing to them. The next, he was enjoying time spent with them and thinking that everything could be okay. Then the doubts would creep back in. He would start to find it hard to believe that anyone could ever love him— he had always been so unlikable. The back and forth was exhausting. He wanted things to work out, so maybe he should just say what was on his mind.

"You keep comparing me to mom." Hiccup was finally coerced into speaking his thoughts. "And you clearly love her. So... why was it so hard for you to get along with me?"

Stoick and Valka exchanged a look, realizing the inconsistency in that one statement: "You're just like your mom." It had been said a lot, and nothing negative was ever meant by it, but Hiccup interpreted the words a lot differently than intended, and they never even realized it.

"Hiccup..." Stoick was at a loss of words for how to explain that one.

"She told me that she used to protest against killing the dragons— but that didn't prevent her from still being a respected member of Berk. You still loved her for who she was." Hiccup was driving the knife deeper into Stoick's heart. "...did you ever tell her she needed to be someone else? ...someone better?"

"I didn't." Stoick admitted and he noticed when Hiccup almost flinched. Valka could be different, but Hiccup couldn't. Stoick had set a double-standard.

Valka opened her mouth as if to talk, but she didn't know how to fix things and make Hiccup feel better. She was the chief's wife, but Hiccup was the chief's son and future leader of Berk. He should have been respected too. She turned to Stoick and gave him a look that was more pleading than expectant.

"Then what was so wrong with me...?" Hiccup spoke so softly, as if he didn't actually want to be heard. He looked so confused and hurt. Stoick felt his heart completely break. And here he thought that he and Hiccup had resolved such things once he had woken from his coma. They had talked about the past, about how Stoick had treated him. Sure, even after all that, Hiccup still had residual self-esteem issues and often thought the worst of himself, but Stoick thought that he had made himself clear. That he loved his son for who he was. However, Stoick supposed, that was before Valka had shown up and thrown them all for a loop. Things were resurfacing with a vengeance and Hiccup's insecurities had him in a tight hold.

"When you were born, Hiccup, I was so excited to have a son." Stoick would do his best to explain something he hadn't really thought about on a deeper level before, hadn't wanted to think about on a deeper level. "I was very close to my father and I thought I would have a similar relationship with you, my own son. I wanted to do all the things with you that my father used to do with me. But when it became clear that you weren't interested in any of those things, I tried to force it. Clearly, I only managed to push you away and we never had the relationship that I wanted to have with you. I tried to turn you into the son I thought you should be rather than trying to understand you. That was my mistake."

Valka set a supportive hand on Stoick's arm as he tried to explain to their son. Hiccup, for his part, seemed to be receptive to what he was saying, so he decided to continue.

"I always loved that your mom was different. She wasn't like everyone else and that was part of what drew me to her. We had some differences of opinion, but it never got in the way of our relationship. I should have let you be who you were and supported you because even then I saw her in you. But since you were my son, I expected more from you. I thought a son should enjoy hunting, weapons training, and things like that. All the other boys did."

"...so if I had been a girl, we would have gotten along just fine...?" Hiccup had a confused and almost affronted expression on his face. His father's explanation was starting to deteriorate.

"No! That's not what I'm saying. Even the women of Berk are tough Vikings." Stoick rushed to reassure Hiccup and said the wrong thing. Valka could have smacked a hand to her forehead in exasperation, her husband having basically said that their son wasn't tough and Viking-like, that Hiccup didn't fit in amongst the men or the women. Stoick scrambled to amend what he said. "I mean, even your mother, although she didn't like to, could take down a dragon if she needed. Astrid is smaller than you and can take on a Viking as big as me!"

Hiccup took a deep breath and let it all just hit him. He really was the worst Viking ever, and his dad was the epitome of what a Viking should be. No wonder they had never gotten along well. No wonder Hiccup was the worst son, Chief Stoick the Vast could have ever asked for. Why did he let himself begin to believe, once again, that none of that was true?

"What I'm saying is, I didn't understand you, and I still wouldn't have if you had been a girl. I didn't know how to relate to you because..." Stoick trailed off, not sure how he was going to finish that statement, but Hiccup could finish it for him.

"Because I'm not a Viking." Why did he ever want to be anyway?

Stoick's eyes widened as he recalled saying similar words, and what he had said after. "You're not a Viking. You're not my son."

"Hiccup, that's not-" Stoick tried to stop the direction Hiccup's thoughts seemed to be going, but was cut off when Hiccup abruptly stood.

"What? That's not what you meant?" Hiccup demanded. "Have you not said those words before?"

"...I have, but-"

"You didn't mean them." Hiccup finished for him. "Why should I believe that? You don't even have a reason for telling me to be someone different, to stop being me. You're out of excuses."

"I'm not making excuses, Hiccup, I know I've made mistakes." Stoick tried to get things back on track.

"I'm such a fool." Hiccup reprimanded himself. "I thought things could get better if I did what you wanted. That talking about things would help." He snatched up his satchel again and turned away. "I was wrong."

"Hiccup, wait." Valka tried to reach out for him, to stop him from storming off before they could resolve things.

"I'm going to camp somewhere else." Hiccup dodged her and left, leaving his parents at a loss of what to do.

Pacing around the familiar space, ears twitching, and tail swishing in agitation, Toothless grumbled as he watched his Viking friends look around at the former Dragon Academy and discuss their plans. The Night Fury had been sticking close to Astrid, supporting her in any way that he could, but for some reason, today, he just wanted to be away from everyone. There was only one person he wanted.

It had been a while since Astrid and the others had been on the ground of the arena, usually they were flying their dragons around it instead. The space looked so different than it had in their Dragon Academy days. There was now stadium seating all around, baskets overhead for each player, and a lack of ways for containing dragons.

"I don't think this is going to work." Astrid commented. The arena had really evolved over time from its days of caging wild dragons for use in a very different form of dragon training.

"It's still a good space..." Fishlegs tried to remain optimistic.

"You used to train dragons in the Dragon Racing arena?" Eret asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not what this place used to be." Snotlout answered bluntly.

"...oh." Eret began to understand what they meant. "Does this not work for training dragons now?"

"It could." Astrid was still looking around, her eyes briefly landing on an irate Toothless. She spared him a couple seconds of curiosity at his behavior before going back to the current subject. "This space used to have chain that stopped the dragons from flying away. It was better to train the dragons in the contained space in case they became irritable or unpredictable. Any little trigger can cause an untrained dragon to react defensively or lash out in fear. Since they were contained, they couldn't do damage or run off and disappear."

"You saw how fearful, untrained dragons react the other day." Ruffnut laughed. "That was awesome."

"At least all the chickens were okay." Tuffnut commented, then pointed an accusing finger at Stormfly who was sitting nearby and watching the Night Fury pace. "You naughty Nadders and your taste for chicken."

"Since we haven't been training a lot of wild dragons lately because we haven't been adding to the dragon population on Berk..." Fishlegs continued to explain. "The arena has been changed into a place for sport instead of training."

"What about the new stables? Those were just completed." Eret suggested. The first place he had worked on training with his Nadder had been the underground stables.

"There's not a lot of room." Fishlegs shot down the idea. "That's more a space for dragons to nest and relax. It prevents them from roosting on housetops and keeps their messes away from the village. It also helps us keep track of our dragons."

"So... what are we going to do, then?" Eret looked to Astrid for an answer, but she wasn't really paying attention to their conversation anymore. "...Astrid?"

Instead of answering, Astrid walked away from the group and approached the Night Fury. "Toothless? Are you okay?"

The dragon in question snorted and bared his teeth, surprising everyone. Toothless could be touchy around other people on occasion, but he wasn't ever threatening, and especially not to Astrid.

"What's wrong with Toothless?" Ruffnut asked.

"I don't know." Astrid held out a hand but the Night Fury flinched away from it. "Are you missing Hiccup?" Toothless' expression softened ever so slightly at the mention of his best friend's name. "Hiccup? Is that what has you upset?" Toothless cooed sadly.

"He'll be back." Eret came up behind Astrid, daring to get closer to the Night Fury he had yet to have much contact with. He was beginning to understand the relationship between dragon and rider, and knew Hiccup's was even stronger with Toothless.

Toothless just growled again, walking past Astrid and Eret and starting up his restless pacing again.

"Do you think Hiccup is okay?" Fishlegs asked nervously, not liking Toothless' odd behavior.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Snotlout asked back. "Healer's Island is peaceful and boring."

"Yeah... but it's just that Toothless doesn't usually act this way." Fishlegs eyed the agitated dragon. "Maybe... he knows something that we don't."

"How?" Snotlout was skeptical.

"He just needs to spread his wings." Tuffnut suggested. "When is the last time he went for a long flight?"

"Aren't you supposed to be flying the dragon?" Ruffnut questioned Astrid almost accusingly. Toothless glared at the female twin, he wasn't just some pet who needed to be tended to regularly.

"Toothless and I go flying everyday." Astrid answered with a roll of her eyes.

"But not like Hiccup." Tuffnut pointed out, holding up a finger.

"Yeah, have you been doing death defying stunts?" Ruffnut continued. "Flying at impossible speeds and launching yourself off of Toothless' back and free falling?"

"...no." Astrid answered, wondering if the twins had a point, despite herself. Toothless was more used to Hiccup's crazy flying than her relaxing flights around the island a few times every evening. Flying with her was just not the same as flying with Hiccup.

"Hmmm..." Tuffnut stroked his chin. "What do you say, T? Do you need to go on a more invigorating flight?"

Toothless roared at the twin and went back to his grumbling as he paced. Something wasn't right, and he wasn't sure what it was. He had felt fine, hadn't been able to sense his connection to Hiccup very strongly since he had sailed away with his parents. But now, he felt a sense of unease and wasn't sure why, though he knew it had to do with Hiccup.

As he continued his restless pacing, needing an outlet but not sure what to do, the Night Fury tuned out the other riders and focused all his thoughts on Hiccup. When Stormfly suddenly appeared in front of her friend to see if he was okay, it startled him and he lashed out. Toothless swiped and hissed. Stormfly jumped back and squawked in alarm.

"Toothless! No!" Astrid ran between him and her dragon. "What is wrong with you?"

The others readied themselves to intervene if the Night Fury continued being hostile. This wasn't like Toothless at all and his behavior had them all baffled.

Astrid's anger upset Toothless even more and he whined. Seeing the look of sadness on the Night Fury's face was enough to get Astrid to relent. She approached Hiccup's dragon and touched his nose, this time Toothless didn't protest.

"Hey, I miss Hiccup too." Astrid stroked the dragon's nose as she leaned her head against his and tried to comfort him. "But we have to give him some time with his parents." Toothless whined again. "Would you feel better if I sent Sharpshot with a letter to Hiccup? I'll ask Hiccup to write back, to let us know that he's okay."

If Toothless couldn't check on Hiccup himself, he would be happy if Sharpshot could do it for him. Sharpshot was also close to Hiccup, having been another one of his dragons for almost five years. The Terrible Terror was often away delivering T-mail, but when he returned, Hiccup always gave him a lot of love and affection. Toothless was also assured that if Hiccup wasn't okay, that Sharpshot would be able to cheer him up a bit.

With a warble and a lick to the cheek, Toothless let Astrid know that he liked her plan. She smiled at him, glad to see that he was calming down a little. "I'll send Sharpshot with a letter today. Hiccup should get it tonight or tomorrow morning."

For the first time that day, Toothless felt a little better. His strengthened connection with Hiccup was new and he didn't know exactly how it worked, but it only seemed to be getting stronger. Toothless wondered if he was sensing a restlessness in his friend or if he was just worrying about Hiccup and it was getting to him. Either way, he felt better at the idea of someone checking on his rider.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I do believe that I did promise a roller coaster of emotions, haha.

Silver Sentinel: Astrid is doing a pretty good job as interim chief. Since Hiccup opened up to his parents once, he decided to do it again, however this time Stoick wasn't able to give a satisfactory answer and only managed to hurt his son.

Romantica 123: I understand what you are saying and I appreciate it. I do write a lot of angst, haha. Hiccup has a lot of things built up inside and not every answer he receives is going to be what he wants to hear, but something he'll have to face in order to move on. I'm glad you like the story and all of the parts that make it up. I'll try to be more consistent with my posting schedule in the future, but I have some other projects I have to work on as well. Thanks for the wonderful compliments!

CHSHiccstrid: Things are going fairly well on Berk and Hiccup's friends have worked things out amongst themselves and want to make amends with Hiccup. I'm sure Eret will get a well built house in the end, haha. Hiccup is still struggling though as he tries to address all the things that have been building up inside. Haha, I'll prepare myself for your fury should I post a cliffhanger.

Animation Adventures: Things are going well on Berk for the most part. Astrid and the others have worked things out. Hiccup and his parents made some progress but Hiccup still has things inside that he needs to deal with. I think even if things don't go well between Hiccup and his parents it is still progress in a way. At least Hiccup brought up something that has been bothering him, now he has to sort through his thoughts. Not every answer he receives to all the things that have built up inside are going to be answers he likes. Some answers are really going to hurt. I know the story went angsty again, and sorry if it isn't going the way you'd like, but there is a lot more to happen on Healer's Island. Thanks for all the reviews!

KN Hudson: Thanks for noticing, I did put a lot of thought into Healer's Island and its history. Hiccup was really affected by his parents yelling at him the other day, he shut down and only Astrid and Toothless were able to draw him out. I think it makes sense that Hiccup would then be timid when spending time alone with his parents. He was only doing his job as interim chief and trying to help, he didn't think he had done anything wrong, and then his mom got after him. When Hiccup defended his actions and told his mom how he felt, he then was yelled at by his dad. It'll take some time to put all that behind him and trust them again. It is kind of a shame that Valka isn't seeing how Hiccup's plans would have helped them keep things under control on Berk. She should see the trouble her dragons are causing and have to help out.