"I don't believe this," Hiccup said, sitting on the icy ground. "I…I just…"

He flopped down onto his back, his head in his hands.

Then, for the second time that day, he screamed — in anger and in frustration both.

They'd stopped within a wide and tall cave filled with glittering ice crystals. Toothless had been winging around turn after turn, Hiccup leaning instinctively into his every action, the two swiftly navigating the nest…and then something in the prosthetic fin's mechanism had come loose, forcing an abrupt landing. The fin had seemed fine at a glance beforehand, so Hiccup hadn't looked closer before flying; clearly, that had been a serious mistake.

Thus did they find themselves in this wide and icy place. A faint crack of sunlight shone through from up high, just barely illuminating the space. Hiccup lay beneath that sunlight, staring upwards and still clutching his head, his throat already feeling hoarse. Toothless stood above him, crooning and nudging his cheek.

"Yeah, I'm okay bud. It's just…I just…"

In truth, he hardly knew even where to begin.

"My mom is alive," he said.

Toothless warbled, before gently licking his cheek.

"H-hey, no licking for now," Hiccup said, holding up a hand. "Okay? Please?"

Toothless croaked, and then nuzzled him instead.

"Thanks bud," Hiccup said quietly, scratching just above the dragon's jaw. Usually, Hiccup didn't mind the licking that much — Toothless wouldn't have kept doing it otherwise — but right then he just wasn't in the mood.

Hiccup sat up. Toothless moved over to his front, carefully pressing his head into Hiccup's chest. Hiccup scratched the dragon's ear-fins, and Toothless contently warbled at the attention.

"My mom…is alive," he said again.

Toothless crooned, looking up into his eyes.

"And…I should be happy about that. Right?"

Toothless kept quiet, tilting his head by a tiny amount.

"But I just…don't," Hiccup said. "I mean…I barely even feel like she's my mom. I don't even remember her! I…"

He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes; Toothless rumbled, nuzzling gently against his cheek.

"Gods," he said quietly. "Why did she never come back? How could she just…stay here?"

He could feel tears coming again. He'd have felt ashamed of that, had anyone else been around. But with Toothless, it felt totally fine.

"Wrrr…"

Hiccup sniffed, the first tears falling, and pressed his face against the dragon's head.

"And she didn't just leave me," he said. "She left Dad, too. "She…she let him think she'd died!"

And his father, by all accounts, had come out worse for it. Hiccup had heard numerous stories over the years, mostly from Gobber, but from others as well.

Stoick had fought dragons since he was a boy, like so many of Berk's vikings. But he'd been pragmatic about the dragons, back when Valka was around. He fought and killed dragons to preserve his peoples' lives, and not for the sake of killing. He'd talked of wanting to stop the fighting. Dragons were his enemies, but he hadn't hated them — not back then.

All of that had changed with Valka's 'murder'.

Stoick's heart had hardened after losing Valka. He became a determined dragon-killer, spilling their guts whenever he got the chance and proudly mounting their heads onto spears. He'd used the arena for grisly executions, whenever there were 'too many' captured dragons, in addition to using it for training. He'd almost completely stopped smiling, his name becoming far too fitting.

"Gods," Hiccup said. "If she'd just been there, then…"

"Mrrrr…"

If she'd just been there, then…maybe he wouldn't have been the village outcast. Maybe he wouldn't have been Hiccup the Useless. Because he'd clearly taken after her, and she'd have understood him even if no-one else did. But she hadn't been there, because she'd been too busy traipsing around her beautiful sanctuary while Berk burned and while his father and others suffered and while people mocked him and bullied him and—

"AAAAAARRGH!"

Toothless jerked away, the scream rebounding and echoing around the cold rocky space, and Hiccup again went onto his back. His heart raced, and air hissed through his clenched teeth. Then a large black shadow settled down behind him, and Hiccup immediately pressed against it.

"Sorry, bud," he said quietly. He sniffed and forced a smile, rubbing his wet eyes. "That was kinda loud, huh?

"Wrrr…"

The dragon shuffled, draping a forelimb across Hiccup's chest. Then a wing curled protectively around him, holding him close.

Hiccup exhaled, his tense muscles loosening. He'd been cold, he realized; this felt warmer, and it felt much better besides. "Mmm…thanks bud.".

"Mrrr…"

Toothless shuffled some more, getting onto his side and getting his other wing beneath them. He brought his remaining forelimb around Hiccup, pulling him closer…

…and then, far too late, Hiccup saw the mischievous glint in Toothless' eyes; far too late, he saw exactly where this was going.

"Wait, Toothless, no, don't—woah!" he went, as the dragon rolled quickly to his back. "Toothless!" Hiccup pushed fruitlessly against warm scales, trapped in the dragon's hold. "Toothless, come on, let go!"

Toothless croaked and gave him a toothy smile, before shooting a pointed look his way. Nope, not gonna, that look said.

"Ahhhh, great," Hiccup deadpanned. Then he sighed, the tension leaving him all at once. It wasn't as if he could free himself; he knew that from experience. And in truth, he didn't really want to free himself besides. "Dumb reptile," he said, patting the dragon's chest. "You just had to cuddle, huh?"

Toothless chuffed in agreement, keeping his hold firm without it being tight. He adjusted his forelimbs, bringing them both to rest across Hiccup's back. Then he let his head flop back, showing no signs of wanting to move.

Hiccup settled down, resting his head and listening to the steady thump of the dragon's heart. He thought of what he'd once wanted to do, and guilt stabbed at his chest. But then the guilt faded, just as it always did. That heartbeat was a reminder of what he hadn't done, of what he'd done instead, of everything his choice had led to.

He sniffed again. "Thanks, bud. At least you were there for me."

Toothless rumbled in agreement. Then his wings closed up around them, sealing Hiccup in darkness. Hiccup stretched a little and chuckled, the beginnings of a smile spreading across his face.

Then Toothless began to purr.

That made Hiccup smile wider. He spread his arms out across Toothless' chest, utterly slack in the dragon's embrace. As ever, he found it entirely comforting to be held like this: surrounded by the dragon's love and protection, armed with the absolute faith that Toothless would never hurt him even by accident. Toothless was being careful not to hold him too tightly, his deadly claws kept far from Hiccup's flesh.

Idly, Hiccup began to scratch the dragon's smooth scales. Toothless purred louder, prompting Hiccup to scratch harder and faster.

"You really are amazing, bud," Hiccup said. "You're the greatest thing that ever happened to me, you know?"

Toothless shifted slightly beneath him. "Mrrrr…"

It struck Hiccup that Toothless probably felt the same way, even in spite of how they'd initially met. It was like they'd been made for each other, like they'd been destined to be together. Toothless was truly the greatest friend he could ever have asked for…and it had all started because he'd been desperate to prove himself, because he'd wanted to shoot down the Night Fury and present its heart to his father and…

"…oh," Hiccup said.

Toothless let out a questioning warble. He opened his wings slightly, peaking a single eye through.

"I was just thinking," Hiccup said, meeting his eye. "If she'd been there, and if things had been different, then…what if I'd never met you?"

Toothless' eye widened; Hiccup could easily sympathize. For sure, it was a sobering thought. He couldn't imagine life without Toothless, and he had no doubt his friend felt similarly. His life before Toothless felt like a long-gone nightmare, his life having only truly begun when the Night Fury entered his life.

"I guess it was just meant to be, huh?" Hiccup said.

Toothless crooned in agreement. Then he closed his wings up and laid back down, leaving Hiccup little option but to rest.

And right then, Hiccup wouldn't have had it any other way.

He closed his eyes, content to rest a moment, happy to wait just a few minutes before returning to that world of his mother and Drago and Berk. He could feel himself slipping deeper and deeper, lulled by the steady up-down of Toothless' chest. The sound of his own breathing filled his ears, the rhythm slow and gentle: in, out, in, out…

Toothless growled, sparking Hiccup into full alertness.

"What? What is it, bud?" Hiccup said.

Toothless rolled to his side and unfurled his wings, releasing Hiccup at last. Hiccup crawled out carefully and then clambered to his feet…

…whereupon he saw his mother's dragon, standing before them and tilting his head. Toothless stood up stiffly, partially shielding Hiccup from view.

"It's okay, bud," Hiccup said. "He doesn't mean harm. Do you?" He moved around Toothless and stepped forwards, his dragon remaining close at his side.

Hiccup couldn't deny that this other dragon looked particularly impressive. He was notably large, with a crested head that brought owls firmly to mind. He had winged forelimbs like a Nightmare, with a second pair of wings folded on his back. All four wings possessed wicked-sharp talons, with shap pointed teeth just barely visible in his wide mouth.

The dragon began to move towards Hiccup, keeping low and unthreatening as he drew near. Toothless began to hiss, but Hiccup gentled him with a simple touch.

A soft keen sounded from deep within the four-winged dragon's throat. He was flat on his belly by then, looking up at Hiccup without quite meeting his eyes.

"Did…did Mom send you?" Hiccup asked.

The dragon's head tilted the other way, and for a moment Hiccup thought he hadn't understood. Then he shook his head, now meeting Hiccup's gaze.

"Then…what are you even doing here?" Hiccup said. "I mean…you're the one who took Mom, right?"

A brief pause, then a nod of his head.

"I just…why?" Hiccup said. "Why would you do that?"

The dragon tilted his head some more; Hiccup groaned, rubbing his eyes. Of course this dragon would have no way to answer, even though he did seem to understand human words. He must have learned them from his mom, Hiccup supposed, over their many years spent together. Then the dragon keened again; he rolled over quickly and gracelessly, bearing his neck.

"…uh, what are you doing?"

The four-winged dragon simply lay still. Toothless padded over to him, sniffing without quite touching, and Hiccup likewise made his way over.

"You're…apologizing, aren't you?" Hiccup said.

His mother's dragon rumbled, in what Hiccup could only assume was acknowledgment. Toothless let out a weary snort, his gaze shifting between the two of them.

For a few seconds, Hiccup just stood there, his mind churning with half-formed thoughts. Then he exhaled, resting a hand on Toothless' neck.

"I don't like what you did," Hiccup said evenly. "You broke our family apart that night. You really hurt my dad. You hurt me, too. "

Toothless growled, in what Hiccup immediately sensed was support. The other dragon keened once again, barely moving a muscle.

"But…she's the one who chose to stay, isn't she?" Hiccup said. "You'd have flown her back if she'd wanted, wouldn't you?"

The dragon nodded with closed eyes. Hiccup swallowed.

"You two are close, aren't you?" Hiccup said. "Really close."

Another silent nod; Hiccup felt himself sag a little.

"Well, I know that feeling," Hiccup said. "I mean, I can't imagine not meeting Toothless."

Toothless crooned at that, nosing at Hiccup's hand. Hiccup smiled his way, scratching the dragon's face.

"You neither, huh?" Hiccup said quietly, before turning back to the other dragon. "I don't know why you did it," he said. "But if you hadn't, and if I hadn't met Toothless because of that, then…" he sighed. "Well, it's all done, now. That's all that really matters, in the end."

He held out his free hand.

The four-winged dragon rolled over awkwardly, then he closed his eyes.

"Apology accepted," Hiccup said, pressing his hand against the dragon's head.

Toothless chuffed, standing again at Hiccup's side.

Hiccup kept his hand there for just a moment before withdrawing, whereupon the other dragon — did he have a name? Had his mother named him? — quickly backed off.

"Hey, by the way, we're kind of…grounded," Hiccup said. "It's a lot to ask, but…could you carry us back?"

The dragon rumbled in agreement. He turned around, inviting them both to climb on.

"Thanks," Hiccup said, moving quickly to get on Toothless. "Really, thank you."

Toothless' rigging all seemed undamaged at a glance, Hiccup was pleased to note — though, given the problems with the tail fin, something was clearly amiss. Once he was in better light, he would need to take a proper look. But for now…

He climbed onto Toothless. Then Toothless climbed onto the larger dragon, and they were off.

Okay, Hiccup thought. Repair the fin. Get out of here. Then go to…

…wait, Hiccup thought. Where was he even going to go? Because there was no way he was going back to Berk just yet, and he had no idea where Drago even was, and…

Hiccup sighed. The answer to this was obvious, no matter how much he hated it.

He would need to talk to his mother. He didn't really want to just then, but he'd be a fool not to do it.

She might know about Drago, after all.