HICCUPS POV.

Hiccups eyes slowly drifted open, wherever he was the light was dim but it still stung his eyes like an onion being diced. Hiccup tried to move but his body was sore and stiff. Hiccup was lying propped up in a bed with a sheet sprawled across him. The building he was in was unfamiliar to him. It must have been new as the walls around him still smelled like fresh pine leaves. Hiccup glanced down at his body, most of his chest was bandaged and the parts that weren't were red like a tomato. Hiccup shifted his legs under the sheet wincing slightly in pain. Off in the right side of the dark room something moved through the shadows. It was big based on the sound of its thumping footsteps. Hiccups mind went to the queen and for a second he had the prosperous thought that maybe she was in the room.

Suddenly a large dark from jumped from the shadows it's eyes fixed on him. The creature quickly positioned itself above him quickly beginning to attack him with its... tongue. Hiccup squirmed around under Toothless laughing happily. Hiccup eventually pushed his friend away enough to catch his breath. His friend jumped happily around the room astatic to see him away. Toothless's artificial tail fin has been replaced with a bright red one with a while skull and the saddle was new and polished. But how long had he been asleep? "Hey bud it's good to see you to." Hiccup said giving Toothless a scratch on the chin. "How long have I been asleep bud?" Toothless backed away a few feet and sat down looking at him dolefully. Hiccup sat up more in the bed. "Where are we bud?" He asked and Toothless let out a coo. His friend seemed calm so Hiccup assumed it couldn't be anyplace too dangerous.

Hiccup shifted his legs under the blankets towards the edge of the bed preparing himself to get out of it but Toothless approached him and looked at him his eyes almost saying the words 'don't get out of this bed.' Hiccup pushed him away softly and pulled the covers back exposing his legs and he froze. Toothless cooed softly and Hiccup couldn't stop looking at it. His foot was... gone. Replaced with a mechanical peg leg. Hiccup looked away and placed his foot and the peg leg on the floor. He rose from the bed and tried to take a step quickly stumbling letting himself be caught and then help him by Toothless. Together they inched towards the houses door. Hiccup scowled at the noise the peg leg made whenever he stepped with it. An infernal metallic scream.

Hiccup gripped the door handle and pushed it out allowing sunlight or flood into the room. Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut shielding them from the light. When they adjusted he opened them. He was on Berk, or at least that was his guess. There were people around on the streets and he'd seen them before at Berk so that must have been where he was. But everything looked shockingly different. The buildings for certain, the majority of them were new and some were still being built. But that wasn't the biggest change, the biggest change were the animals. Reptiles specifically. All around him dragons flew or walked among the Vikings. "It's Hiccup!" Yelled a Viking finally noticing him. "He's awake!" Called out another. Suddenly a crowd of Vikings were forming around him. In that crowd he noticed Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins. They were all standing beside their dragons giving him bright smiles.

Hiccup smiled shyly to all the Vikings informer of him. So they all knew. "Sorry about that son." Said his father breaking through the crowd smiling wildly. It was like his father had heard his thought. Hiccup smiled back at him and before he knew it he was wrapped in his fathers strong embrace. "Move, out of the way! Excuse me coming through ye overgrown apes!" Through the crowd broke Gobber his face corrupt with a smile. "Hiccup!" He yelled and hugged him warmly almost taking him off his foot. "I knew ye weren't dead I just knew it." He said tightening his embrace and Hiccup wasn't certain if he'd live through the entire thing.

"Well I'm glad to see you to Gobber." Hiccup replied breathlessly sucking in air when he was finally released. Suddenly something above them blotted out the sun casting a shadow down on top of them. He looked up and saw the silhouette of a Nadder descending from the sky quickly. It landed and off jumped Astrid hugging him tightly. The embrace lasted for what seemed like minuets but Hiccup didn't care, he felt at peace in her arms and he was certain she felt at peace in his. When the embrace ended Gobber eyed him knowingly and quietly whispered, "Nice to finally meet you Garth." And Hiccup felt a deep blush overtake his face. "What happened." He asked referencing to Berk around him but he hoped someone would explain everything since the battle with the queen.

"Well son it's simple." Said his father gripping his shoulders from behind. "We simply started seeing the world from your perspective. The right perspective." Hiccup smiled at his explanation, he would have to get the full explanation later. "Now that reminds me." Said his father turning Hiccup towards him and taking something off his belt. He offered it to Hiccup and he took it. "For you my son." Hiccup held it in his hands carefully. It was his helmet. Down the center of it there was markings, like scars along the material like it had cracked an a side had been lost. But now it was whole again and on the left side of the helmet around the part for his left eye to see through there was a branded mark of Berks tribal crest. Hiccup held it in his hands appreciatively. "Thanks Dad." He said and his father patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah sure thank him he was totally the one who fixed it." Said Gobber in a not so subtle tone and Hiccup smiled at him thankful for his craftsmanship.

"Everyone, I know we all are happy but Berk still isn't done being rebuilt so back to work." He commanded waving off the crowd including all his friends and Gobber. All who were left were him, his father and Astrid. "Well I have some Cheifing to do, I'll leave you to alone." Said his father embracing Hiccup once more before departing. "I'm so glad your home son." He said and then walked off. It was silent between the two of the for a moment until Astrid asked the first question. "Would you like to go lay back down?" She asked and Hiccup nodded. All this standing was tiresome for him. Hiccup still with the help of Toothless followed her back inside the house Astrids dragon waiting outside. "Astrid?" He asked as she helped him get positioned in the bed. "What happened to my-." He tried saying it but he just couldn't.

"We aren't sure. It must have been lost in the crash." She explained and he looked at the peg leg sadly. "We almost lost you as well, you had burns all over your chest. If we hadn't have gotten healed so quickly you wouldn't be here right now." She explained. "How'd you do that?" He asked and Astrid smiled and reached for a closed jar on a side table. "Night Fury saliva and fire firn." She said giving the jar a shake. Hiccup smiled when he remembered the moment when she had helped him apply it. It felt like a life time ago. But it had only been a few days. It was hard to think that only two weeks ago no one on Berk knew he was alive. So much had happened. "What's wrong?" He asked after noticing something troubling her. She was doing a good job hiding it but he could see through her.

Astrid didn't answer him at first but then he gripped her hand and they locked eyes. She sat down on the side of the bed close to him and inhaled. "During the past raid." She began but paused tears welling up in her eyes. Hiccup took his other hand that was free and intertwined that one with her free hand. "When it was over Stoick- Stoick told me-." Tears ran from her eyes and down her cheeks and Hiccup wondered if this was the first time that she had left herself cry about this subject. "He told me that my parents were dead." She said and Hiccups heart sank. He didn't quiet know what to say so he just reached out and pulled Astrid into an embrace. Time passed and he didn't talk and neither did she. Hiccup held her close in his arms rubbing up and down her arms soothingly. After who knew how long, he'd lost track Astrid finished sobbing and she looked up at him. They were so close there faces. Barely two inches apart. The whites of Astrids eyes were stained red and her cheeks were wet. But she was so beautiful. Slowly, Hiccup and Astrid closed the distance between them and before they knew it their lips were intertwined with one another's.

The kiss was brief, it couldn't have been longer than two maybe three seconds. But it had been great and from the blush on Astrids face she had enjoyed it as well. Astrid tried to speak but she kept falling over her own words which made Hiccup laugh. "I-I- I think I'm going- to go get- some food for us." She said standing up and backing away with a smile on her face her blush only worsening as he looked at her more. "Hurry back." He said and her blush somehow got even worse but than before he could see any more of it she slipped away out the front door. Toothless came up beside him and placed his head in his lap. Hiccup rubbed it softly. He replayed the previous weeks moments in his mind. Ever since he first decided to break dragons out of the arena of Berk. He thought about all the disaster that followed. The memories of the raids, and of the queen, and of Ryker flashed before his eyes. But he also thought about the good things that had happened like Berk's new view on dragons.

And his newly defied relationship with Astrid... whatever that was, and his father excepting him for who he truly was. Hiccup looked at the repaired helmet that was on the side table. He looked at the helmet as a whole. The Night Riders helmet, with that helmet on he was uncaged and free. A force to be reckoned with. But his eyes drifted to the Berkian crest. There was an anchor, a symbol anchoring him to his home. He remembered Ryker and his men, and all the dragon hunting ships he saw while he had been on his way to fight the queen. The Dragon Hunters were returning to the Archipelago. He knew that they had been for a while but he had been hoping he was wrong. But he wouldn't get so lucky. How would he possibly stop the Dragon Hunters returning to the Archipelago. He had stopped them before, barely. Several scars on Hiccups body flared with pain but it ceased soon after.

The Night Rider, or Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. One of the other. Leave Berk and save dragons from The Dragon Hunters, or be the heir to Berk and pay no attention to the Hunters re-entering the Archipelago. In his eyes he couldn't find a way to do both. One or the other. That's how it had to be. The Night Rider or Hiccup. One or the other... but not both...

(Authors Note) AHHH this wasn't the last chapter I was wrong! The next one is the last chapter I know that for sure. Good news though there will be a sequel. If anything dosent make sense or there are any spelling mistakes please tell me. Well thanks for reading, also the next and final chapter will hopefully be out soon. Also did you enjoy the Hiccstrid? I finally decided to throw some in. - Samuel Scutter