The next evening, Jorn found him sitting outside on the steps leading up to the Berserker Chief's home, watching the sunset in the distance. Toothless had been moved by several men, so he could be near Hiccup. The dragon slept soundly, occasionally letting out small plumes of smoke whenever he snored. The healer watched as the people in the village finished up their daytime jobs and got ready to go home. Warm hearths, families filled with happy children, stories of ancestors, and food that wasn't purchased from shady markets and taverns.

Home. Such a weird concept to grasp. Jorn hadn't thought of home in twenty years. What reason did he have? It was too painful and affected his job as a healer. He couldn't be thinking about his wife and child while trying to save lives. But now, he felt like he probably could. It was finally safe to mourn all that he had lost.

The healer looked down at his clothes—the clothes he had been given when he joined the Hunters. Clothes that marked him as the property of Viggo Grimborn, Johann, Drago Bludfist, and lastly, Grimmel. Well, Skade technically, but he didn't hold power like the others did. He'd spent years shuffling from one leader to the next, always wearing the same thing. It was time for something new.

He took off his dragon skin vest, kicked off his boots, and tossed his metal vambraces to the side. All that remained was a tunic and a pair of trousers. He considered removing them but thought better of it. No one needed to see him walking around nude.

Just as he was considering heading inside, Dagur walked out and sat down next to him, holding what appeared to be clothes. "Here," he said, setting the articles of clothing in Jorn's lap. "Take these and head over to the baths. I've taken the liberty of making sure one was ready for you. These used to belong to my father. You're roughly the same size as him, so they should fit."

"Thank you," Jorn said, unable to think of any other words to express his gratitude for such a rare act of kindness.

"It's the least I could do," Dagur shrugged. "You saved my brother. For that, I'm indebted to you."

Jorn stood, looking back inside the house at Hiccup. "Let me know of any changes. I don't expect him to wake up. Even if he does, he won't be coherent or understand what's going on."

"I will," Dagur promised.

One Week Later:

Astrid found herself standing on the cliff, overlooking the dock once more, watching the sunset. She'd managed to convince Snotlout and Eret that something was wrong without letting on that she was pregnant. They told her they'd prepare a boat and set sail in the morning.

She wanted them to leave now, but it wasn't plausible since it would be dark soon. She wanted to go with them, but something told her she needed to be here.

"Is everything okay?" a voice asked from behind.

The Chieftess turned and looked at her mother-in-law. "Hey, Valka. What about this, is okay? Something's wrong, and all we can do is wait. I never should have let him go."

"He needed to go," Valka said. "Just like Stoick and his father before him. All Haddock men go. It's not just a tradition. It's a calling. It just wasn't dangerous before. Back on our old island, Saman was just a few days away by boat. Now it's a month-long journey just to get there. If he is lost out there, we'll find him. But it's Hiccup; he's his father's son. Stubborn, proud, and resourceful. With luck, Snotlout and Eret will find him on an island, patiently waiting. Or he made it, Saman, and is doing what needs to be done."

"Any clue what they do on that island?" Astrid wondered. She never thought to ask Hiccup, but after spending the past month worrying, she needed to know.

Valka shook her head. "I don't know. Stoick never told me." She placed a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "Let's head back in. It's getting too dark to be standing on a cliff."

As they turned to head back to the village, a familiar roar pierced the air. In unison, they looked up and saw. "Toothless?"

The two women looked at each other in confusion, then back at Toothless as he landed in front of them.

"What is he doing here?" Astrid asked, not expecting an answer.

"I don't know," Valka replied. "But look at his leg. Is that a note?"

Astrid stepped forward, holding out her hand. "Hey, Toothless. It's okay. I'm just going to take this note off of your leg. You're fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine"

Toothless placed his snout in her hand and offered her his paw so that she could take the note. With the note in hand, she unwrapped it and began reading.

To Astrid,

I know you're probably worried about Hiccup right now, but don't worry; he's safe and being cared for.

Hiccup is here with us on Berserker Island. He's alive, but he's been through a lot. The Dragon Hunters took him prisoner and did quite a number on him. At the time of my writing this, he's in a coma. The healer who helped rescue him and our village healer don't know if he'll pull through. Right now, we're taking it day by day.

As for Toothless, he found him. The best anyone can guess is that he knew Hiccup was in danger and went looking for him. We sent him with this note, letting you know that you need to get here as soon as possible. We're sure Toothless won't mind bringing you here.

From, Dagur

"It's from Dagur," Astrid said, fighting back tears. "Hiccup was taken by Dragon Hunters, rescued, and is in a coma. The healers are unsure if he'll pull through. I-I need to go."

"Go," Valka insisted. "Gobber and I will look after the village. Send word when you can."

Astrid didn't argue as she climbed onto Toothless's back. "Come on, boy. Let's get back to Hiccup."

Astrid and Toothless landed just outside Dagur and Mala's home. There to greet them was Dagur himself. He stood at the bottom of the steps, holding what looked like a baby.

"Dagur," Astrid greeted, dismounting the Night Fury. "Where's Hiccup?"

"Inside," Dagur replied. "Jorn is replacing the old bandages with new ones. He seems to be doing a bit better. It doesn't look as bad as when he arrived, but..." his voice trailed off, not wanting to voice the possibility of death.

"How long has he been here?" Astrid asked.

"Little over a week," Dagur answered. "We wanted to send word sooner, but Toothless was in no condition to fly."

"Can I see him?" Astrid wondered.

"Yeah, but brace yourself," Dagur warned. "He looks very different from when you last saw him. Those Hunters did a number on him. If Toothless hadn't already killed them, I'd be heading out to finish the job."

Astrid nodded and headed inside. She didn't bother looking at the baby Dagur was holding. She just focused on readying herself to see her husband. Her Hiccup.

She watched as a man stood over Hiccup, blocking her view of him. She wanted to shout at the man to move out of the way, but something told her to wait.

"If that's you, Dagur," the man said, not turning to see who had just walked in, "do you think you could pull yourself away from that baby long enough to hand me those shears on the table."

Astrid silently grabbed the shears and handed them to the man, stepping beside him as she did so. She had to choke back a sob at the sight of her husband.

"You're not Dagur," the man stated. "Who are you?"

Astrid didn't answer; she just sat at the foot of the bed, taking Hiccup's uninjured hand into hers.

"Oohh," the man said as he realized who she was. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to sound rude or insult you."

The Berkian Chieftess ignored the man, whom she figured was the Jorn guy Dagur had mentioned. She moved up the bed, sitting at Hiccup's hip, taking the hand she was holding and placing it on her stomach. "Hey. I know you can hear me."

Jorn stopped what he was doing, deciding the rest could wait until later, and went outside.

"I don't know what the Hunters did to you, but what I do know is that you're not going to let them win," Astrid said, forcing herself to look at Hiccup. Dagur was right he did not look like himself. His cheeks were sunken in, dark circles covered his eyes, and his hair and beard were scraggly and unkempt. The hand she was holding felt cold to the touch. If she couldn't see the fall and rise of his chest, she'd swear he was dead. "You are going to pull through and live. Not just for me, but for our family. To death do us part has not come yet. It's not coming for another forty to fifty years."

Hiccup found himself sitting in his personal void, just waiting. He'd tried to force his way back into the living world, but there was a barrier stopping him. Every attempt left him feeling weak and hopeless.

"Hey. I know you can hear me," a familiar voice rang through. The first clear voice he'd heard since he wound up here. He knew that voice. But where did he know that voice? He stood up, looking around, hoping to find a way to push through.

"You are going to pull through and live," the voice continued.

"Come on, Hiccup, think," Hiccup muttered to himself. "I know that voice. I love that voice."

"Not just for me, but for our family," the voice said.

Hiccup gasped as realization struck. He knew who was talking to him. "Astrid!"

As her name left his lips, an opening in the barrier appeared. It was just wide enough, he could start breaking it down and get out of this void.

Astrid had moved over to the chair to sit by Hiccup's head. She managed to get a bowl of soapy water and a comb and was working on cleaning up her husband's hair and beard. She wanted to trim it as well but didn't want to risk accidentally cutting him. So she settled on combing out all the knots and putting some braids in.

Jorn had come back for a while to finish changing out the bandages. He told her what happened on the ship and everything Hiccup had been subjected to during his captivity. Astrid had to fight back the urge to throttle the man for sitting back and letting it happen. She also had to commend him for getting his head out of his ass and saving Hiccup.

After Jorn had left, Dagur came in without the baby and sat down with her for a bit. By then, Astrid had started working on doing small braids in Hiccup's hair.

"Was that your baby?" Astrid asked, glancing over at Dagur. "Or were you just babysitting?"

"My baby," Dagur confirmed. "Shortly after Hiccup got here, Mala went into labor. It was a very long night, to say the least. Two people I hold very close to my heart are going through two completely different experiences, but they are still somehow the same. Mala is fighting to bring life into this world, while Hiccup fights to stay in it. Every breath is an act of defiance. I have found it very hard to enjoy my son's life, while my brother's hangs in the balance."

"Hiccup will pull through," Astrid promised. "He always does."

The two sat in silence for a moment longer before Dagur spoke up again. "I have a favor to ask. I know I should be asking Hiccup, but I would like your permission as well."

"You're not naming that baby Hiccup, are you?" Astrid asked, unsure if she was going to laugh or cry.

"No," Dagur shook his head. "I was thinking more along the lines of naming him after Stoick."

Astrid offered Dagur a small smile. "I like that. Stoick the Berserker. I think Hiccup would approve as well. As far as I am aware, he's never mentioned the possibility of naming any of our future children after his father."

The two warriors went back to sitting in silence, holding vigil. All they could do was wait.