(Normal pov)

Pain. That was what he was feeling right now. Excruciating pain coming from below his left knee. Apart from that, his wrist was also in agony but thankfully, his dizziness from the fight had completely subsided. At least, that's what he felt even though he had his eyes close and there was nothing for him to gaze upon. Apart from his questionable sight, he was fully aware of his other senses ... especially with the faint smell of honey, distinct white roses and a touch of cinnamon and the warmth of something that was holding his hand. Slowly, he began to open his eyes, ready to close them if the world was still spinning around him.

"Hiccup?" he heard a voice call him and there was the warmth again on his bare shoulder. Wait. Bare shoulder?

He tried to speed up the process of getting up, but that only resulted in him falling back down on the pillow.

"Gothi, he's awake!" The voice next to him called out. The quick shuffling of feet was soon followed and he soon felt a new pair of hands grab his head and slowly raised him up while he felt another pair holding his shoulder and back as support.

"Open your eyes slowly, Hiccup." He began to recognize Astrid's voice. He obeyed her command and opened them slowly, gradually letting the dim light of the room reach his eyes. It was still a strain but it was more bearable than what he had experienced during the fight.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

He brought his uninjured hand to rub away the tiredness from his eyes, As he did, he felt the pairs of hands fall away, seeing that he could sit up by himself, but he still felt their presence close by in case he suddenly collapsed. "Better than I felt during the fight." He muttered, loud enough for them to hear. When he was sure he wasn't going to be blinded by the light or see the world spinning around him, he had his eyes completely open.

He saw the Elder Gothi near him, examining him closely and when he looked to his right, he saw Astrid smiling warmly at him, while checking him over. He proceeded to look at his surroundings. Judging by the semi-tight quarters and the many tens of jars and sealed cases on the many shelves in the room, he knew he must be in Gothi's house, in the sick bay. He noticed a few candles were lit, giving the room a dim lighting. It was for his comfort, as the Elder didn't want him to be overwhelmed by the light, judging by what she saw happened to him during the fight; how he kept blinking and closing his eyes.

He then proceeded to look over the damage he sustained in the battle with the Red Death. He was shirtless, and he noticed a few patches on his torso and chest; had to be covering the bruises. He looked at his left hand and everything below his elbow was wrapped in bandages. He found out that if he tried to rotate his wrist, it did hurt quite a bit, but not as much as the pain below his left knee.

"Your wrist was badly sprained when you and  Toothless touched down on the earth." Astrid informed him, noticing how his painful expression as he tried to move it. "Gothi applied a herbal mixture just below the bandages there which have to be replaced during check-ups."

"Okay..." He breathed out. He was still trying to catch his breath. "Is it night outside?"

"Yeah." She replied. Gothi gave him a gesture to wait and she walked out of the room and they heard the sound of her sorting through her jars of mysteries.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, not wanting to be in a situation of awkward silence.

"Two nights." She replied. As expected, he looked at her with a surprised expression. It would have almost been funny to see his confused expression but she kept it contained knowing the pain he was in. "You were out the night of the battle and last night." She clarified. She watched him stretch slowly, smiling in sympathy as she saw the strain he was under and the sighs he was making after a few cracks from his limbs. "You really had me worried you know." She told him, making him gaze at her.

"When you and Toothless got knocked out of the sky, I thought I'd lose you, Thank the gods Toothless wouldn't allow that." She laughed.

"You know Toothless would've caught me no matter what right?" He asked.

"I just ... didn't know how to react. I was afraid of losing you after I had just found you..." Astrid couldn't finish her sentence. Hiccup saw she was struggling to find the words to convey her feelings. "I thought you'd die...and I couldn't believe you almost did."

"I'm here aren't I?" he said playfully.

"Yes. But you still almost died!" She answered. She took a few deep breaths, bringing her hands to rub her eyes. It's then Hiccup noticed how tired she looked. He looked to his side and saw a small table where a book was kept, a cup of water and a plate which had the remains of food in it.

"Have you been by my side this whole time?" He asked, trying to change the subject. She smiled in response.

"Yes. I wanted to be here when you opened your eyes for the first time since the battle."

"What's the clan saying? In fact, where's Mala?"

"You might not believe me if I tell you, but... Mala leading the dragon rider corps to lock down the island. After the Red Death flew off, Cutthroat was enraged, so we pushed them back to their last few ships, they don't take retreat easily." Hiccup scoffed quietly and muttered. "No kidding."

"Also, your father is changing the laws we have against dragons. He's with the Elder Counsel and some of the other leading families to discuss new laws regarding the inclusion of dragons." She replied happily, and could not suppress her smile at seeing his expression brighten. "You're dad wanted to be here when you woke up, but Gobber and my parents convinced him that the only way he could start making an impact in your life was to start taking action ... so that's what he's doing this very moment."

Hiccup couldn't find the words to reply with. This is something that he had been dreaming of secretly for the last four to five years. Yes, he had to do it through means that only Vikings would understand, but it was better than nothing in the end. "So how are you doing?" He asked. "I mean, with the contract nulled and all..." he vaguely gestured with a small wave of his hand, eliciting a small smile from her.

"The pockets of Vikings that still don't like dragons had to agree to the terms in front of witnesses, to which they weren't  at all happy, mind you." She started, getting a laugh out of him.

"As expected."

She laid her hand over his, meeting his gaze and smiling warmly at him. Hiccup returned the warmth through his little grin, but then cringed a little when he felt a stinging pain bolt through his left leg. Astrid noticed this and, as she was sitting on his left side, she slowly let a hand fall over his leg, glancing ever so often to his face to make sure her actions didn't cause him more pain.

"What's wrong with my leg?" He grimaced, as he slowly felt the pain slowly subside. At that moment, Gothi walked back in carrying a cup of water and a bowl in the other. She stood by Astrid, placing them on the bedside table, before walking up to examine his leg. She pulled the sheets away to examine it physically, while Hiccup gazed at his leg as if it had an extra limb growing out of it. The flesh surrounding the knees was a dark purple, thinning out to red and finally pink on his lower calf.

"What the Hel happened to my leg?" He asked again. The damage from the fall wasn't that bad was it? He looked to Gothi, who made a few hand signals to Astrid, before leaving the room once again.

"She said she's going to get a medicinal drink for the pain." She answered him.

"Since when did you learn how to translate Gothi?" He asked, impressed at her new feat.

"I started learning when I turned seventeen. When the raids had gotten a bit worse, we were in need for more healers, so I studied under Gothi. It took time, but she finally taught me how to understand her hand signals, and whenever she wrote in the sand." Gothi walked in a second later with a cup that had to be recently heated with the few traces of steam coming above it. She returned to his bedside and handed him the drink. He took one whiff of the mystery liquid before holding it away from his nose, going through a small fit of coughs.

"No, no, no ... ugh ... no." He shook his head, handing back to Gothi, who simply pushed it back to him and made a few signals to Astrid.

"She says it'll help subdue the pain in your leg while she applies the medicinal herbs." She translated. Hiccup eyed the cup again, bringing it slowly to his lips. 'Should I take it in small sips or large ones?' he asked himself. He quickly brought the cup to his lips and took a large gulp of the liquid, immediately regretting the decision. It wasn't just hot. It left a burning sensation down his throat and the ginger in the liquid was off the scale, causing him to tear up a bit. He quickly placed the cup back on his table before covering his mouth with his forearm. Astrid gently pat his back, helping him get the coughs out.

"Why does any kind of medicine always taste bad?" He put the question out there, getting a small giggle out of her. Gothi rolled her eyes while she reached for the bowl and new cloths she had kept. She had Hiccup sit straight up - Astrid placed a pillow behind him, so he could sit comfortably against the backboard. Gothi pushed the covers more to the side, leaving her more room to work. She had the bowl in hand and began to apply the green, herbal cream. He hissed in pain as she had to apply the cream with a bit of pressure. Astrid held his hand for comfort, tucking a few bangs of his hair behind his ear.

"You really need to cut your hair." She spoke, trying to take his mind off the pain.

"I don't know. A lot of people I've met like the man buns... don't you?" He asked, opening one of his eyes to see her.

"I do. But when it's not in a bun it's too rugged." She kissed his cheek, smiling. "And about your leg, Gothi concluded that you have a fractured fibula and tibia by the discoloring of flesh around your leg. And she suspects your patella might have also been damaged by your fall."

Hiccup winced slightly as he had to lift his leg a bit, with a bit of aid from Astrid, so that Gothi could begin wrapping the cloth around most of his leg. "So basically, anything at or below my knee is fucked, right?" He asked with an unamused expression.

"In a word ... yes." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You're really not good at sugar-coating details aren't you?" He asked with a smile as he winced again as Gothi finished wrapping his leg.

"What you see is what you get, Hiccup."

"And I'm perfectly fine with that." He laughed.

Gothi smiled to herself at the two's playful bickering. She had never seen Astrid so care-free, relaxed and happy in the years she spent learning under her. She looked once more to see the girl, who she'd come to love as her own child, start toying with the heir's hair. It seemed she had started weaving a braid into his hair, despite the obvious facial protest from her lover. It was amazing for her to see the young maiden as she was. She would have never expected the Astrid from three years ago to be, so brazenly, fixing tiny braids into his hair - or anyone else's hair for that matter - with a look of such passion and comfort, as if it was her place to do it.

That simple gesture confirmed that she had her heart set on him, otherwise she wouldn't have even thought about touching his hair, especially in front of a witness. She had been skeptical about what she saw in her fortunes three years ago - when she used the sand, sticks and goose feet to see what was entailed for Berk. But the instance when she had returned with him, and his determination to put an end to the war through peaceful means, she knew the gods had something in store for their them.

She placed the old wrappings by a table, grabbed her staff and tapped its bottom on the floor a few times to gain their attention. It worked when they looked at her, and she smiled inwardly when Astrid, non-consciously did not remove her hands from Hiccup's hair. She made a few hand signals to which Astrid nodded.

"Oh yeah ... how could I have forgotten that." Astrid said.

"What?"

"One, she said that Toothless has been waiting outside by the front door for you. I'm sorry I forgot to mention that. She would have let him in if the house was bigger but she didn't want to risk him bumping into fragile jars and knocking shelves over."

"That's understandable. And the second?"

"She said that your father and Mala will be in the throne room by this time, either having dinner or discussing more plans about the dealing with our enemies. She did say we could go, provided you don't put a lot of pressure on that leg of yours. It needs all the rest it can get" she replied.

"Understood." Hiccup grunted as he carefully swung his legs over the bed's edge. "Huh..." he prolonged, looking down at his legs.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Where are my pants?" He asked. Astrid looked down, noticing his lack of clothing as well, and covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a giggle.

"I think Gothi left it in the other room. Let me go check." She said, giving him a small pat on his thigh before walking into the other room. She came back in less than a minute, with his pair of pants and a new shirt.

"How are we going to do this?" Hiccup asked as she laid his clothes on the bed, next to him and unfolded his pants.

"Very, very slowly." She said, kneeling down on one knee and sliding his legs through the pants incredibly delicately. The whole process took them close to ten minutes, making sure his leg wasn't put under any pressure and that the pants weren't too tight. She gave him a blue, long sleeved tunic which he put on easily. Gothi, who had been watching them, handed him a crutch, which he gladly accepted and with Astrid standing close by, slowly got to his feet. There were a few grunts and winces of pain as he stood up, immediately putting all his weight on his right leg to spare the other one. Astrid was soon at his side, placing one hand behind his shoulder, and the other one on his right chest, keeping an eye on his movements, especially his left leg.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I'll get there." He winced as he straightened himself out. "Okay, I'm good."

"Okay. Take it easy, now. Just one step at a time." She coaxed. With her help, he reached the door in about five minutes, with her opening the door to be met with jet black dragon staring at them.

"Hiccup!!"

"Woah there, Toothless!" Astrid yelled, holding her hand out before Toothless could even think of tackling him to the ground. He knew his rider was hurt, but he never knew the extent of his injury. But he soon smelled the strong scent of a herbal mixture coming from his leg and he could smell the traces of blood.

"How bad is it?"

Hiccup turned back to Astrid, repeating the question to her, as he remembered that he didn't ask Gothi about it. "She said it would be at least two months before your leg is completely healed...and that means no flying."

"What?!"

"What?!"

Both Hiccup and Toothless yelled at the same time; the green pairs of eyes staring at her with hurt and shock.

"But Astrid..."

"Look, I can take Toothless out for flights. Don't even worry. Do we have a deal?" She asked. Hiccup looked at her then at Toothless, raising his eyebrows in a 'what do you think?' manner.

"His friend replied in a nod.

"Toothless said it's alright if you fly with him."

"Great! Now that that's settled, let's get you to the throne room. Toothless, do you think Hiccup can ride on your back as we walk there?" She asked the dragon, scratching his chin, luring him into her charm - which she was glad to give him since he had Hiccup's back for the last ten years. She smiled and giggled at Toothless' incapacitated state of a huge grin, half-lidded eyes and tongue hanging out the side of his jaw.

He purred pleasantly as he begrudgingly pulled away from the attention and lowered himself to the ground. Hiccup slowly got onto his partner, with Astrid's help and kept his crutch in his grip while he held the rein the saddle with his free hand.

"Be gentle, Toothless." She said softly as she took her place beside them. With a strong nod, they began their way to the throne room. Their trek to the room was uneventful. They were immersed in conversation with each other, with the odd greeting from passers-by who congratulated Hiccup on his recovery. Toothless had to take it slowly when they reached the steps; attempting to walk in the method that moved Hiccup the slightest. The hike from Gothi's hut to the throne room took twice as long. The walk would have usually been between five to eight minutes, but this time it took them close to fifteen minutes.

"Are you ready?" She asked, placing both hands the doors, ready to push them open.

"Born ready." Hiccup replied with a smile, patting Toothless' head at the same time.

"Here we go." She replied, pushing the large doors open to the sounds of laughter, chatter, music and feasting. It was, pretty much, just like every other day for the citizens of Isle of Night in the room, except this time the Chief Of Berk had declared three days of celebrations for the return of the Heir. They all glanced to see who had entered, the music still blaring in the back.

They all raised their mugs and shouted greetings to the two, even acknowledging Toothless as they walked through the now narrow space that was left for them to the main table where Stoick was sitting.

"Ah... There he is!" His father's loud cry echoed through the room despite the constant cheers. Hiccup looked around, to see the smiling faces of both his clan and former tribe greeting him. He soon found the familiar faces of the gang, including Asbjorn, Fishlegs, the Twins and Heather who were also by them, shouting cheers and clapping in delight. Stoick raised himself from his seat, and made his way down the three steps to rush to his son. Never in his whole life had Hiccup ever seen his father this excited or proud of him.

Stoick patted Toothless' head as he got by his son's side while giving Astrid a thank you for not leaving his side. He helped Hiccup slide off Toothless slowly, and placing his trunk-like arm gently around his son's shoulders "... My. Son... Is Home!" he yelled and the Vikings clashed the mugs of mead with each other, shouting new cries of joy.

"I am honoured to have my son here on this night ... the final night of his celebration in the ring, his return to Berk...but most of all..." He turned to look Hiccup dead in the eye as he said the next part, "...for all his accomplishments that he has achieved outside of Berk...that I wasn't able to bear witness to." His voice took a bit of a somber tone now. "I know I was never the perfect father, son... I was never there for you. Never listened to you and never cared for you like a real father should have."

Hiccup couldn't believe what he was hearing. His father was actually acknowledging his past mistakes and making a second public apology for something that should have been done behind the doors of their house. Astrid stood by as well, close to stunned at the Chief's confession in front of everyone.

"But... I guess that motivated you to find your own path and I'm honestly glad - Odin knows I am - that you have become the man you have always wanted to become. And I understand if you need time or that you might never, but I was wondering..." he lowered his head to take his helmet off and when he made eye contact with his son again, Hiccup saw all the guilt and sorrow that his dad was holding back in his eyes, "...if we can have you and Valka join me for family time, just the three of us?" He asked in a soft voice. First apologizing publicly and now asking for reunion publicly? Probably no one would have blamed Hiccup if he thought he was still under some herbal medication.

"You already forgave Stoick Hiccup, but..." Gobber spoke, coming to stand beside his father. Astrid was, definitely, not expecting this. She simply shook her head and a stunned look on her face when Hiccup looked to her and silently asked if she knew about this. "Could you find it in your heart to forgive all of us too?" He gestured to all the Hooligans in in the Hall, and Hiccup was, in the least bit, surprised to see everyone removing their helmets and lowering their heads. Hiccup did a full circle, one more time to see everyone indeed had had their helmets in their hands looking at their feet in, what could be called shame or guilt, before looking back at his father.

There was no doubt in his mind anymore that his father did feel horrible for what he had failed to do as a parent. And if his dad had the courage, as Chief, to ask for his forgiveness in front of the whole village, he could sure well be open to the idea - no, optimistic outlook of him and his father reconnecting like a real family should be.

"Yes." He said softly, a pearl of a tear running down his cheek. Stoick looked up, bewildered the right word for his expression, to see his son nodding his head and holding back a sob. "Yes." He said softly as he reached out to hug his father, who returned it with eagerness, making sure not to squeeze the life out of him. Once again, the crowd erupted into cheers of joy, while Astrid clapped enthusiastically, her eyes glistening a bit at what took place in front of her. After a whole minute of father-son love, Stoick released him and patted him on the back, muttering a soft thank you.

"Now," he began, clearing his voice, "I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that starting tomorrow, all dragons will begin to be incorporated into daily lives here on Berk. And, to train those dragons, we'll need a teacher." He said, patting Hiccup's shoulder again, who looked at the gesture, then back at his father ... eyes wide. "And what a teacher needs is his own Academy...which is why tomorrow, when we return to Berk, the Kill Ring will be officially called Berk's Dragon Academy!" He exclaimed. Hiccup was short of breathless. Finally. After years of hope and dreams, his vision for Berk was finally becoming a reality. He soon felt another pressure on his unoccupied shoulder and saw Astrid, smiling proudly at him.

"Come on! We have to celebrate this!" She yelled as she tugged his arm in the direction of their friends who were, now, sitting at a table waving them over. Hiccup had no argument with that and obediently followed her to the table, with Toothless in tow. For the next hour or so, the music continued, with nearly every Viking coming to their table to congratulate Hiccup personally on his victory and apologizing as well.

"You were awesome in that battle, Hiccup! I mean, you were getting your ass kicked by the Red Death and all, but you sure showed them!" Tuff yelled, banging his mug down on the table, with quite a bit of mead spilling over the table.

"Well, I have my clan and amazing friends to thank for the crash-course in training." Hiccup gratefully nodded in Mala's direction, she smiled warmly at him and he returned it.

"So I guess it's official, right guys?" Fishlegs asked, noticing the two's close proximity and Astrid's action. The two nodded, shooting smiles in his direction.

"So Astrid, going to get down and dirty with your new husband...because I sure would." Ruff said, propping her elbows on the table and resting her face on her hands, staring dreamily (and somewhat hungrily) at Hiccup. Said man shifted a bit, uncomfortable with the stare he was receiving.

"Back off, sister." Astrid said, shooting her female friend a victorious grin and wrapping both her arms around his middle, resting her head on his shoulder. "He's mine."

"I will fight you for him... I mean, look at him." Ruffnut pushed on.

"Can we shift the topic to something that's not about me." Hiccup pleaded, looking to the others to see if they'd agree.

"You have any plans for the Academy?" Fishlegs asked.

"Not yet, but I am open to suggestions and ideas. I mean, I won't be able to run this thing alone. I'll need a few other instructors by my side." He looked suggestively at all of them.

"You want us to be teachers?" asked Asbjorn.

"Why not? I mean all you guys fly your own dragon. And you already know a lot about them, so it wouldn't hurt." He said with a small shrug.

"You do know you're talking about the twins, right babe?" Astrid asked, although the last word slipped out of her mouth unintentionally at which she immediately realized. Everyone at the table stared at her as if she had grown a dragon head next to her own.

"What did you just say?" Hiccup asked, a smile gracing the corner of his lips.

"Uhh..." she stuttered, glancing to each of her friends who had smiles and smirks of their own.

"Well, you can tell it's official if they have pet-names for each other" Mala smirked. "Shouldn't you have one for Astrid, Hiccup?"

"He does." Heather backed him up, giving him an encouraging glance. "What was it... I think it was, Milady?" Heather asked, remembering him calling her that.

"I guess that can be my pet-name for her." He said, looking at her. "Is that alright?"

"I like it." Astrid assured him, shooting him a comforting grin.

"Is it gonna be this lovey-dovey stuff for the rest of our lives?" Tuff asked, already getting tired of their displays of affections.

"Not all the time ... not in public anyway." She replied, tugging Hiccup closer to her, getting a short "eww" from Tuffnut.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Hiccup, I have something to give to you. Meet me at the forest in half an hour okay?" She asked, getting up, but waiting for his response.

"Gotcha. I'll have Toothless carry me there." He replied. She bent down to give him a small peck on the cheek before making her way towards the large doors. He watched her every movement until she slid out of the Hall, a small grin plastered on his face at the prospects of everything looking up for him. He felt like he was back where he always wanted to be. A year of isolation can take its toll on a person, and to be plunged back into society, in the comforts of your home village - nothing is better than that feeling of belonging.

After seeing his people enjoying themselves,  Hiccup found it to be past a half hour from when Astrid said to meet him in the Cove.

He didn't know what she had instilled for him but he knew it had to something great. So he bid his friends a goodnight and told them that he and Astrid would return shortly, he called Toothless, who was playing with a few children in the room, to help carry him to the forest.

As they walked through the forest. It had been about twenty minutes since they left the throne room since Toothless had to be extremely careful due to his rider's injury.

"Steady bud." He said patting his dragons head, Toothless nodded and continued walking They were probably only a minute away from where he'd meet Astrid but Toothless slowed his pace to a stop, baring his teeth and snarling, looking around with ears perked up and trying to find the danger he smelled. "What's wrong bud?" Hiccup asked, also glancing around for danger. "Don't you smell Astrid?"

Toothless nodded his head in confirmation Astrid was at the place they'd meet, but his awareness told Hiccup something or someone was with her.

"Okay... proceed to the forest slowly, bud. If Astrid's down there, we have to get her out of here." He said, patting his head. Toothless nodded his head in agreement, proceeding slowly through the foliage. Pretty soon, they had the place they'd meet in sight, with Toothless walking to the edge of the rock face looking down.

"I see her." Hiccup said, seeing the familiar frame of the young woman standing at the far end of a river bank, near a large rock boulder. Hiccup soon landed his eyes on hers and waved at her.

"Astrid, we've got to go!" He yelled. However, she made no movement, just staring right back at him. "Astrid!" He didn't know what was up with her. Why wasn't she responding to his calls.

Toothless warbled softly.

Hiccup looked more closely to where she was. Why would there be a knife to her back...what? Next to a boulder, where the shadow was covering the back of it...

"Hiccup run!" She suddenly yelled. He couldn't comprehend what had happened as he saw get knocked to the ground by the person standing behind the boulder.

"Astrid! Woah!" He yelled as Toothless jumped out of the way of a bola that was launched at them from behind. He had to hang on for dear life as Toothless dodged a succession of four bolas that were fired at them, however, he had to jump down a slope that led to the river bank as all the bolas came from somewhere in the trees. Hiccup grunted in pain, as they landed; due to the fact that his leg repeatedly hit Toothless' side.

"What the Hel is going on?" He grimaced, sliding down to the ground off Toothless' back, not caring his was helpless on the ground, clutching his leg.

"What's the matter, Hiccup? Can't take a hit? Then again, you never could." He heard a voice. He looked up and saw the last person he ever wanted to see in his life.

"Dagur." He saw his men and ... the Outcasts, swarm the edges of the forest, arrows and swords at the ready and pointed at him and his dragon.

"I mean, I do have to repay you for destroying half of my ships." Dagur said, his tone dropping into a dark one.

"Enough with the drama, Dagur." Alvin spoke as he came beside his accomplice. Hiccup looked between the two. "Now, Hiccup, please come along quietly." Alvin said, clasping his hands together.

"If you don't, you're girlfriend over there will have her head separated from her shoulders." Dagur smiled gleefully at the thought.

"Astrid..." Hiccup looked behind him and saw her being led to them, with a man behind her, holding her hands and a dagger at her throat. "Cutthroat." He seethed out.

"Hello Hiccup." Cutthroat smirked, withdrawing the dagger from her throat and twirling it in his hand.

Astrid grunted in pain when he twisted her hands more, forcing her to look forward as he brought his dagger right back to her neck.

"Keep looking at your boyfriend, Astrid." He smirked. "You should be glad he cares more than fucking a beauty like you ... unlike other men."

"Hiccup, don't make this harder than it needs to be." Alvin spoke with a calm tone. "Calm yer dragon down and come with us, unless you don't want to see yer lass bleeding from her neck." He looked back at Astrid. How could this have happened? This was supposed to be a night of celebration and rebirth for him.

"Hiccup..." Cutthroat called him, "...do you really want me to live up to my name?" He asked and pressed the blade even deeper into her skin, that Hiccup swore he saw a trail of blood run along the edge of the blade before starting to drip slowly. He looked to her eyes, and he knew clearly that the message she was sending him - to forget about her and not to succumb to their demands. But he couldn't.

Toothless roared in disbelief, he couldn't shoot Cutthroat without using Astrid as a living shield. There was no way they were going to make it out alive if they tried to escape, and he wasn't willing to let Astrid die. He never would be.

"Okay." He mumbled in defeat, Toothless lowering his head and wings in the same sign while Astrid looked on helpless. "I'll come with you only if you let her go!"

Dagur smiled, "Sorry, Hiccup, but to ensure that you don't trick us or even try and escape, which I highly doubt in your state, she's coming with us...as incentive."