Hiccup's POV

"And for the sake of my daughter, I'm begging you, all of you, to pretend that nothing in these past few weeks ever happened. Thank you for your time." I sank back down into my chair as loud chatter filled the Great Hall once more. We had only been back for a few hours and as expected I couldn't keep my mind off Astrid, I couldn't stop thinking about how she had begged me to let her go, how she had begged me to move on. I felt my heart shatter all over again as I attempted to block out the obnoxiously loud villagers gathered in the Great Hall.

Suddenly, I felt something nudging my arm. I glanced over at Toothless, who was looking up at me with those big, grass green eyes as he probably wondered why we had left Astrid behind. I shook my head as I placed my head in my hands. Gods, I should've fought more for her, I should've refused to leave, I should've ripped Dagur to shreds right then and there, but I didn't. I didn't save her and I had left her to rot on Berserker island with that horrible man.

I thought back to my daughter, remembering how pale she had been when we had come to get them and how much worse she seemed to have gotten during the flight back home. I knew that if I lost my daughter as well as my wife, it was all over for me. I would have absolutely nothing left and I had a hard time believing I would be able to go on for much longer. Yet, I had still convinced the entire village to lie to my daughter, should she wake up. I had convinced them to lie about her never having what she had dreamed of for as long as she had been able to speak. Not only was I a horrible husband, I was a horrible father as well!

I stood from my seat and decided that it was time to go home and without so much as a goodbye, Toothless and I marched out out the Great Hall and down the stairs leading to our house.

Right as I opened the door, I was met by the sight of Gothi and Gobber, who were making their way down the stairs from my daughter's bedroom, their faces void of any emotion.

I stopped in the middle of the doorway, brows furrowed as I waited for them to finish their descent. "So?"

Gobber placed his good hand on my shoulder as he looked me straight in the eye. "She'll be fine, Hiccup, she just needs some rest, alright? She should be up and running again in a few days."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I let my shoulders sink. "Great, thank you, the both of you."

Gobber and Gothi both shot me small smiles before I stepped out of their way and let them pass. I watched as the duo left and by the time they were at the town square, I finally shut the door, leaving me and Toothless by ourselves, the house feeling unusually ... quiet as I sat down by the hearth and rested my forearms on my knees.

I gazed into the bright flames of the hearth as Toothless went to lie down in his corner. The flames cast a warm, orange light over the room, bathing the otherwise dark room in its heat and comfort. I could see her face so clearly. I could see Astrid so clearly, like she was standing right in front of me, her eyes pleading with me to leave her behind as tears welled in her eyes.

I took a deep breath as all my emotions both from what had happened earlier that day and from that fateful day fifteen years prior washed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me drowning in a never ending sea of sorrow and pain. I gasped for air, quickly realizing I couldn't get any as my eyes began burning painfully before hot, wet tears slowly started rolling down my cheeks, quickly picking up speed as the memory of my wife slowly but surely became unclear.

I could have saved her, I could've done more! Sobs quietly racked through my body as I finally managed to catch my breath. I had once again managed to lose my wife and this time there was no hope of saving her. This time, I had no plan.

Zephyr's POV

My room was dark as I quietly played with my plush night fury and wooden figurine of a Viking warrior. It was far past my bedtime, but I hadn't been able to fall asleep so instead I had decided to play with my toys.

Then suddenly, from downstairs, came a muffled sound, similar to the one I made whenever I stubbed my toe on my dresser or when an unfamiliar dragon came a little too close to me.

I furrowed my brows as I slipped out of bed, leaving the wooden Viking warrior behind, but bringing my little night fury as protection towards whatever was making the strange sound. I slowly climbed down the stairs and after a few steps, I had a full view of the entire main room of our home. In one corner my father's dragon, Toothless, slept peacefully, whilst by the hearth sat my father, hunched on his three-legged stool as he held his face in his hands.

"Are you okay, daddy?" I cautiously asked my father as I sat down on the step I had been standing on and watched as my father quickly sniffled and began wiping his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Zephyr! Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" My father asked as he turned to me, his eyes red and puffy as he seemed to struggle with keeping up a tough and unbothered exterior.

I held my night fury close to my chest as I avoided his gaze and looked down at my tiny feet. "I heard some strange sounds coming from downstairs and I thought you stubbed your toe ..."

A light chuckle escaped my father as he walked over to me and picked me up from where I sat on the stairs. "I appreciate your concern, Zeph, but you know how important sleep is for a young Viking."

I wrapped my arms around my fathers neck as he walked us over to his chair and sat down. I rested my head on his chest as I too watched the bright, warm flames that burned in the middle of the room. "I couldn't sleep, I wasn't tired."

My father pressed a kiss to my temple as he began slowly swaying back and forth. I clung onto his collar, ear pressed to his chest as I listened to the steady beating of his heart. "Very well, I suppose we'll just have to sit here until you do fall asleep then."

I slowly blinked my eyes open, my head spinning as I wondered where I was. It didn't take me too long to realize that I was in fact back in my own bed and not in some cold room Thor knows where.

As I sat up in bed, eerily familiar, muffled sobs seemed to come from downstairs and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening. As I slowly slipped out of bed, a sharp pain rippled from below my collarbone and out into my entire body. I gasped as my hand quickly flew up to the source of the pain which I eventually figured out was a wound. A small, circular, pink wound.

I furrowed my brows, but instead decided to focus on the task at hand, which was to find out who was crying downstairs. I tip-toed all the way over to the stairs before slowly making my way down and the sight that met me there felt like a true déjà vu as memories from a similar evening ten years prior flashed through my mind. "Dad?"

My father's head whipped around quicker than I had ever seen it do before as he hurriedly wiped his eyes and cheeks, as if he was trying to hide whatever sorrow he was going through from me. "Zephyr, I didn't realize you were up! How are you feeling, sweetie?"

I shrugged, which once again sent immense pain rippling through my upper chest as I winced and my hand once again flew to clutch my wound. "I'm fine, it just a stings a little. Anyway, where's mom?"

My father furrowed his brows as confusion etched into his features. "Zephyr, your mother has been dead for the past fifteen years."

I raised my brows at him with a huff. "What are you going on about? I was with her just yesterday! She was sitting at my bedside and comforting me in some cold room."

"Zephyr, you've been knocked out for three days. Gods, when I catch that little punk that 'missed' his target at the arena, he's going to be shoveling dragon droppings for the rest of his miserable life!" My father grumbled as he turned back to face the hearth.

"What?" I breathed as a wave of confusion washed over me. Had it all been a dream? Had I made it all up just to satisfy some desperate desire to have a mother? My mind was spinning as I attempted to separate dream from reality and found myself struggling.

"Gobber and Gothi said it's important that you get some rest, Zeph. Maybe it'll all make much more sense after a good night's sleep?" My father suggested as he refused to meet my gaze.

I slowly shook my head as I turned to go back upstairs and get some more sleep. "I ... I guess you're right. Night, dad."

My father turned to me with a small smile. "Good night, sweetie"