Waking up before the sun rose, Gobber decides to head down to the forge and get some unfinished things dealt with. Before he enters, a soft noise is heard from within, and then a small gurgling noise.

"Good work, girl! Could you make just a bit more of that iron?" Hiccup is working on making a sword, seeing as he doesn't know where Toothless is. Suddenly, a figure bursts through the door, and stops short at the sight.

"What are you doing in my forge? With a Gronkle nonetheless!" Panicking, Hiccup tries to calm Gobber down before he scares the poor dragon to death.

"Calm down Gobber! She's innocent! Don't hurt her! Having switched from Krokonja to Norse and back again, he freaked Gobber out, but managed to subdue him.

"Please. I am only... making."

"But what're ye making, lad? Why's there a Gronkle in here?" Sighing, Hiccup begins to explain in the only way he knows possible.

"Take this." Gobber struggles to catch the sword thrown at him.

"It's light as a feather, lad! How could this do any damage?" In response, Hiccup grabs what looks like a strong sword, and takes back the one he made. Hiccup places a his sword balancing between two of the tables.

"Hit it."

"Lad, this is my strongest sword! It's gonna break yours in half!"

"Hit it." Sighing, Gobber complies, raising the sword over his heard. Striking down, he hears a shattering of metal.

"See, laddie? I told you it-" There, Gobber stops short, seeing which one shattered. The new lad's sword, Ryder, was it? His sword had not a scratch, but Gobber's lay in pieces on the ground.

"Lad, Ryder, if you could make more of those swords, then the dragons wouldn't stand a chance!"

"They haven't been... raiding... as much.... recently. Have they?"

"Well no, but-"

"Why would I make... something... to hurt my family... with?"

"Your family? We'd never hurt another Viking, unless they were trying to attack us!"

"I'm not talking about Vikings. Vikings are vicious creatures. They have no mercy. They kill without thinking. My family has always been the dragons." Gobber gapes as Ryder.

"When... but... but when you were a child... A dragon didn't give BIRTH to you, did they?" Quite alarmed at the thought, Gobber began to panic again.

"Calm down! I... was not... born from a dragon. Where is Toothless?"

"That mangy beast? We locked him up!"

"..."

"Lad?"

"Toothless. Is not. A beast." Ryder turns away and marches solemnly to the arena, shoving past the older man on his way out.

Arriving at the arena, he calls out for his best friend, only to hear a muttering of people trying to get away.

"Come on Fishlegs! Stop shoving!"

"Ruffnut, he's going to kill us if he sees us near his dragon!"

"Well, we can head butt him!"

"Tuff, I think he's going to be smarter than that!" Daggers shoot at the group of friends, pinning them to the walls they were creeping by.

"I'm also not... de-de-deaf." Everyone except for the twins looks fearfully towards the voice. However, what meets their eyes is different from what they expected to see. A lightly smiling man, chuckling softly while holding the mask they found him in.

"Please let me... move past. I... want to see Toothless." Hiccup rips his daggers out of the arena wall. Continuing past, he hears the sound of a weapon being raised.

"Take this!" Turning around, Ryder catches the axe by the blade.

"Sharp. Not much blood. Good for defending. Iron. Too heavy to be very good in battle against Vikings. I assume that you use this... against dragons? My... kin."

"Your kin?" Astrid burst out laughing. "You think that dragons are your family?"

"Not by blood. By... heart."

"That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard, Dragon Boy. Now tell me, how did you catch my axe? I have the strongest throw on the whole of Berk!" Astrid seemed not to like the fact that Hiccup could catch her axe.

"Dragon Boy. I like it. Maybe... that's what I'll call... myself from now on. Ryder was... a pretty stupid name. What do you think, bud?" Boiling mad because her insult didn't work, Astrid found herself backing up slightly while growls emitted from the man's mouth.

"Oh so now you remember me? Thanks so much."

Chortling, Hiccup starts again. "Hey bud. How've they been treating you?"

"I'm not dead, and Ryder was not a stupid name! I came up with it myself!"

"Yeah, but Dragon Boy sounds cooler!" The voice of a Viking interrupts their conversation.

"How did you catch my axe?" They both turn to face Astrid. Sighing Hiccup begins to explain.

"I... have had a lot... a lot of... a lot.... of practice."

"Practice? Practice?!? Why do you need to practice catching axes?"

"You're not the first... to throw one at me... with the intent... of having me beheaded." Astrid stares warily at Hiccup, not noticing that all her friend have gone.

"Why... You honestly expect me to believe that you have enemies? You?"

Quietly, he nods his head.

"Name three."

"I can do better." Hiccup challenges Astrid.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I can name five."

"Prove it."

"One. Alvin. Two. Dagur. Three. Drago. Four. The Romans. Five. The Red Death, but she's dead. We killed her."

"I don't believe you. Tell me why you're enemies with them. All of them."

Gulping, Hiccup realizes what he got himself into. "Alvin, because I ride the only Night Fury. Dagur, because  I won't help him train dragons. Drago, because I wouldn't give up where the nest was. The Romans, because I didn't give into their torture, and I escaped. The Red Death, because she forced the dragons to do her bidding, and never let them eat."

Astrid was clearly skeptical, and she changed the topic. "Where did your scars come from?"

Memories rush through Hiccup. All the torture. Pain spreads throughout his body. Whips crash down. Hunger pangs his stomach. Swords cut through his flesh. Hiccup doesn't realize that he is crying until Toothless reminds him.

"Hiccup. Astrid is right there." He gasps, and the images disappear. Looking fearfully up at Astrid, he jumps. Running out of the arena. To the forge. Making a tail. He knows. He has to get out.