This couldn't be happening. Hiccup couldn't be dead. After everything they had gone through, everything they had faced, every tear they had shed together, this couldn't be how it ended. Her husband dead in her arms, his warm blood soaking her clothing. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

The cry that came from Astrid caught everyone off guard. No one had ever heard a cry so anguished, so devoid of hope. No one wanted to watch her sobbing, her limp husband in her arms.

The Meathead's healer, a woman named Oona, rushed forward, a few of her helpers and apprentices running behind her with a mat. Before Astrid could even react, she pushed her aside and immediately began to place her fingers on Hiccup's neck and up to his mouth. And then she did something that made Astrid gasp with horror and Toothless lunge forward. She slapped him. His eyelids fluttered in response and his body jolted again.

"He's alive." she put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "We have to get him to my house right now."

She motioned for her entourage to put Hiccup on the mat. Astrid didn't want to let him go but she knew that he needed urgent care. She and the others carried her husband to a thankfully nearby house. Toothless followed, limping behind them, and curled up outside the house, unable to fit through the door. They burst through it and lay him down on the bed. His blood seeped through the mat, creating crimson stains on just about everything it touched. Now that she could see him in a proper light, Astrid caught sight of his stomach weakly moving up and down. His arms and legs trembling. He was breathing. He was alive.

Gobber came bounding through the doorway seconds later. Astrid had never seen him looking so worried.

"He's alive?" he asked, his eyes boring into Astrid's.

She nodded. Gobber, though still tense, seemed to loosen up a bit. He sat down on a nearby chair as Oona and her assistants tended to the wounded chief. They cut away the leather coat to reveal the flight suit underneath. The dagger was sticking directly into Hiccup's heart... but there was a lump on the chest. The blood coming from beneath the strap seeped slowly, almost like the cut wasn't very deep. Oona decided to take the risk and extract the dagger.

The moment Astrid saw the it, her legs gave out and she collapsed onto a chair. Only the dagger's tip was dripping with her husband's blood. Oona cut away the strap and out fell a doll in a blue nightgown with a missing arm and leg and, now, a gaping hole in its center. Its back was covered in blood. But now the injury was revealed... it was shallow. Only about a centimeter deep, if that. Astrid covered her face with her hands, an explosion of relief and terror all coming out of her at once. Their little girl had saved her daddy's life.

"We're going to have to stitch this up." Oona said in a businesslike tone. "Josie, Cleo, you get the stitching materials and start working on his neck. Gobber, get a few of the stronger Hooligans to hold him down. Astrid, talk to him. We can't let him pass out." she clapped her hands once. "Move!"

Instantly, there was a flurry of activity. The assistants named Josie and Cleo ran around, picking up the materials they needed. Oona pressed down on Hiccup's injuries to try to slow the bleeding while she waited for them. Gobber ran out the door, was gone for a few seconds, and returned with Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout going over and holding down Hiccup's arms while Tuffnut and Gobber held down his legs. The moment Josie and Cleo returned with the materials, they slowly started working on Hiccup's neck. Hiccup gasped at the sudden pain. Astrid knew that there would be a scar there for the rest of his life. Oona applied a thick bandage to his chest and another to his left arm and hand. The cut on the arm also needed stitching.

Astrid, meanwhile, leaned over him, blocking his view of the procedures. Hiccup's eyes were half open and unfocused.

"Wh-what? I... I can't... why can't I..." Hiccup whispered, incapable of raising his voice.

Astrid slipped her hand into his. He suddenly clutched it so hard she was losing circulation. "It's okay, Hiccup. Everything's going to be okay."

"Astrid?" Hiccup's weak voice went up in pitch. He had never sounded so terrified.

She sat down next to him on the bed and gently ran her fingers through his thick hair. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Hiccup suddenly cried out in pain, or he would have done if he had a voice at all. All the treatments, everything pressing on him, the needles weaving through his skin, were agonizing. Tears brimmed in his eyelids; he tried to keep them down but a few slipped out.

When the cry died in his throat, he squeezed Astrid's hand even harder. "Dad... where's dad?" he rasped.

Astrid let out a small sob, which she stifled and hoped her husband couldn't hear. He was disoriented, confused, in excruciating pain... she couldn't tell him. She turned to look at Gobber. They stared at each other for a split second before he nodded and gripped Hiccup's hand in his. The young chief seemed to find this comforting. Both Astrid and Gobber felt horribly guilty deceiving him in this way but telling him the truth would hurt him much more. He whimpered for a few minutes, apparently satisfied that those he needed most were with him.

The room became silent, everyone feeling slightly guilty about the deception but no one wanting to talk about it. Astrid gently ran her fingers through Hiccup's hair. Sweat and blood, some of it Dagur's, came off in her fingers. She felt like gagging but restrained herself. Even if he could barely feel it, her husband needed her comforting touch while he was stitched up. His eyelids continued to flutter but they remained open. He was trying to say something else but no sound came out.

"Shh, don't speak. Just lay still. It's going to be over soon." Astrid whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

It was over in a few minutes but it felt like a lot longer. The dark stitches all over Hiccup's body made Astrid cringe. They were rough to the touch and would probably stay for several days as the skin healed. Her husband looked the worst she had ever seen him, and this included the aftermath of the fight with the Red Death. But it didn't matter in the long run. He would be scarred for the rest of his life... but he had a life to live.

Xxx

The sun was high in the sky when a Terrible Terror came sailing into the Great Hall. It immediately landed on Lotus and stuck out its foot, revealing a rolled up message. She slipped it off and unfurled it as the dragon flew away. After a few seconds, she laughed out loud, tears streaming down her face.

"It's over. Hiccup won!" she called. "Oh thank Thor!"

A hush fell over the crowd. Lotus saw the faces of her grandchildren, one white as a sheet and the other red and wet. They both seemed to be in shock. After all the worrying and crying, this was the moment for which they had prayed. Suddenly, several shouts of joy erupted from the Hooligans all at once and the tension in the Hall evaporated completely.

It was Finn who regained the ability to move first. He jumped off the bench on which he was seated and ran to Lotus, wanting to tug the note out of her hand and try to read it. He needed proof that his daddy was truly alive. The moment he saw the parchment, he knew. It was his mommy's handwriting. She would never lie about this. His daddy didn't die after all. He looked over at his sister, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and gave her a thumbs up.

"He's okay!" Erick exclaimed, smiling widely and gripping Adrianna's hand. "Your daddy did it!"

Adrianna had no idea how to react. She felt like laughing but she couldn't stop crying. It was like a giant burden had been lifted off her shoulders but a deep, desperate longing rose up within her. She continued to hold Erick's hand, more out of habit than anything else, as she hopped off the bench and ran to Lotus as fast as she could.

"Can we go now?" she asked, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I want to see daddy. Please?"

"Your mom would rather you two wait a little while. She says he got hurt and needs his rest." Lotus replied in a gentle voice. "She'll let us know when you can come."

"But... but he needs me." Adrianna protested. "I won't bother him."

"Me neither." piped up Finn.

"What your daddy needs now is rest." Lotus said firmly. "But he's alive and he's going to be okay. That's what matters, isn't it?"

Adrianna bit her lip but nodded. Erick squeezed her hand and nodded his head toward some of the other children, who had sat down to play a game. Finn, upon noticing this, bounded over and joined them.

"It's okay, Anna. Your dad's going to be okay. He just needs rest." Erick smiled at his best friend, taking her other hand and facing her directly. "But you need to have fun."

Adrianna looked at her other friends, who all looked quite happy, and finally smiled at Erick. "Okay." she mumbled.

Lotus watched her granddaughter and the Larson boy join the game, her eyes furrowed and her jaw clenched. True, Hiccup was alive but according to the note, he was completely bedridden. Was he disfigured? Would he be disabled for the rest of his life (well, more disabled)? There were so many uncertainties, so many questions, so many difficulties that they would face over the next few days, if not weeks. But one thing was for certain: Dagur the Deranged would never return to Berk to torture its inhabitants again. And that was all that mattered.

Xxx

It had been the most agonizing several days of Astrid's life. When Hiccup was finally allowed to go to sleep, he looked completely peaceful. She, on the other hand, was still feeling tense. She wanted her children back in her arms. She wanted to spend every moment with her husband, making sure he was safe. She wanted to put this whole nightmare behind her.

Dagur's body was recovered within an hour of the end of the duel. The Berserkers had a private funeral and burned it that evening. The only Berserker who seemed truly heartbroken was Dagur's sister, who Astrid later found out was the only one left in the family. She couldn't imagine having no one left. But it was either that or lose her entire home and family. She wasn't about to let that happen.

Letters of support from the Hooligans poured in while Hiccup was unconscious. A lot of them said roughly the same thing, that the writer had known that Hiccup would defeat Dagur and save Berk from the Berserkers. Astrid didn't believe for a minute that any of them were genuine.

She appreciated the letter she got from her mother, however, which said that both her children were anxious to visit their father. Oona told her that once Hiccup awoke and was showing signs of improvement, he would be permitted to have visitors other than Astrid.

Hiccup woke up several days after the ordeal. Astrid was reading the updated Dragon Book on a chair next to his bed, completely immersed in the Typhoomerang section, when she heard him stir slightly.

"Hiccup?" her head popped up and she immediately put the book aside and sat on the bed next to him. "How are you doing?"

His eyes opened and he stared at her for a few seconds. "Thirsty." he rasped.

Astrid took a skin of water off the table next to him and carefully tipped it toward his mouth. He drank it down and then licked his lips, relishing the feeling of moisture in this throat and mouth.

"You feeling any better?" Astrid put the empty skin down and felt his forehead, her fingers brushing up against his hair.

"A lot better." Hiccup scooted himself upwards a bit so that he could look at her more easily. His eyes finally focused and he noticed that she seemed tense about something, biting her lip and using her free hand to smooth out his shirt. It was like she couldn't sit still. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes. I'm okay." Astrid replied, her fingers edging into his hair now.

"What about Toothless? He was bitten, did they-"

"Gobber and a few of the others bandaged him up. He's going to be fine." she assured him. "He's resting in the pen by the house right now. I'll wake him up in a minute."

Hiccup nodded. "Good... good..." he looked down at his legs and wiggled his remaining toes. "Okay, so I didn't lose another foot, that's good. Always good to keep your limbs intact." he added with a smile.

Astrid breathed a laugh. "Gobber's in the forge working on another prosthetic. He's almost finished. Says he has a brilliant design."

"Well that's reassuring. I still haven't forgotten about Ed- hang on, what about the kids? Are they okay? Are they here?" Hiccup looked around expectantly, almost like he thought he would spot them hiding in the room, ready to jump out and greet him when he caught them.

"They're fine. My mom sent a Terrible Terror; she says they want to see you but the healer said you need rest. When you're feeling better, we'll send for them." Astrid explained, moving her hand down to gently stroke his cheek.

"Send for them. I just want to see them-"

"Shh." Astrid kissed his forehead. "Just let yourself heal. That's most important."

For the first time, Hiccup noticed how many stitches were on his arms. He even felt the rough ones in his neck, making it painful to turn his head. Suddenly, he remembered something incredibly important. He put a hand up to his heart and winced as he applied a little bit of pressure to the bandage.

"Dagur stabbed me." his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What... why am I not dead?"

Astrid handed him Mr. Gobcup. She had stitched the hole in the doll shut but no amount of washing would take out the brown bloodstains on its back. Hiccup ran his finger down the stitches on both ends, his eyes wide with awe. He wanted to react... but he didn't know what he felt. No tears would come. Yet he didn't feel like smiling either.

"Addie." he mumbled, still running his finger up and down the stitched part of the doll. "My Addie..."

"She saved your life." Astrid blinked a few times, suddenly feeling very emotional. "Looks like you're finally even."

"That's no surprise." Hiccup smiled, his heart aching for his little girl. "She makes my life worth saving." he reached up and brushed her bangs out from in front of Astrid's eyes. "And you make it worth living."

Astrid leaned down to kiss him, closing her eyes and welcoming the feeling of his lips against hers. It was bliss like she had never felt it before, the confirmation she needed that her husband would, in fact, recover and be there for her and the twins. Her heart began to pound and as she pulled away, she had to wipe her eyes a few times.

"Come here." Hiccup whispered, scooting over so that there was room for her on the bed.

Astrid lay down, fully clothed (thankfully without her armored skirt), and allowed her husband's body to warm her from the outside in. She loved him more than life itself but now that their worst fears had not come to pass, now that they were free to be together and raise their children, she began to relax. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

Hiccup, however, wasn't quite ready to join his wife in slumber. He watched her for a few minutes, gently stroking her hair so that it wouldn't fall in front of her face. A part of him thought that this had to be a dream. There was no way he had managed to save everyone from the strongest fleet in the archipelago, no way he had taken down Dagur the Deranged... except he was awake. It wasn't a dream. And as happy as he was that things would soon go back to normal, the image of Dagur's body, still and bloody, would not leave his subconscious.

It was necessary. It was unavoidable. Hiccup knew these things. He knew there was no other option. Yet he also knew that it would be a long time before he could truly put this ordeal behind him.