Chapter 7:

Many of you have been waiting for this moment, I'm sure. It's time to see how it all ends.

Astrid was frozen in shock and horror, as she heard the Weredragon's roar of pain and defeat as it fell off the cliff. There were some loud thuds, indicating that the fall was anything but painless. After a while, the noise stopped, and Astrid leapt to her feet and peered over the cliff.

The Weredragon was lying lifeless on a grassy plain far below, both of its wings lying at weird angles. The large gash on its side was visible even from how high up they were.

Not wasting any time, Astrid rushed over to Toothless, mounted him, and clicked the stirrup, causing the prosthetic to open. The Night Fury glided down the cliff expertly, with Stormfly following. Stoick watched them glide down, a confused look on his face.

The dragons landed near the spot where the Weredragon had fallen. The creature opened his eyes at the sound of wings flapping. He tried to pick up his head, but he was too weak. Astrid rushed over, knelt down next to him, and held his head in her hands. The Weredragon was so weak, he could barely move. He looked up at Astrid as she tried to hold back her tears. "It's okay," she said, more to herself than the Weredragon, "It's going to be okay." The Weredragon tried to smile, but there was too much pain. Astrid couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They flowed down her face as she pet the Weredragon gently. "I'm right here with you," she said softly. The Weredragon's eyes softened. He probably would have cried too, if he was able.

Astrid continued to pet him, silently wishing that there was something, anything, that she could do to help him. "You're not a monster," she said to him, "You never were." The Weredragon looked at her in appreciation, and then he growled. Astrid looked at him as he warbled, trying to talk to her. Astrid sighed, and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't understand."

The Weredragon's expression softened. Gathering up what strength he had left, he lifted his right front leg, and held his paw out to her. Astrid noticed, and was unsure at first, but then she placed her hand in his. The Weredragon adjusted his paw so that he gripped her wrist. Then he pulled her hand to him, resting it on his chest where his heart was.

Astrid was surprised at first, but as she stared at her hand on his heart, she began to realize what he might have been trying to tell her. She turned to look at the Weredragon, who warbled. She looked back at her hand, and pressed it a bit further against his heart. She felt his grip loosen, but she didn't care. She looked back at him, and lifted his head up so that their faces were level with each other. The Weredragon warbled once more, softly. This time, Astrid understood completely. She sighed as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"I love you too."

She threw her arms around the Weredragon's neck, hugging him tightly. He tried to return her affection, but he couldn't lift his forearm. He rested his head on her back, the closest he could get to hugging her. He was beginning to feel very light-headed, and his vision faded in and out of focus. Astrid let go of him, and he slumped to the ground. Astrid quickly lifted his head a little, hoping to get a response. The Weredragon's eyes were barely open. With all the strength he had left, he smiled at her. His smile soon faded, and his eyes slowly closed. A soft growl emitted from his throat, and then he went silent.

Astrid's eyes widened as she realized what might have happened. No, he couldn't have...

She lifted his head slowly, waiting for some form of response.

But there was nothing.

"No," she said quietly, gently stroking his scaly face. "No, please, no."

She got no response whatsoever.

She threw herself onto his lifeless body, tears flowing rapidly out of her eyes.

Astrid Hofferson, the toughest and most beautiful girl on Berk, who hardly ever cried, was sobbing.

Nearby, Stoick and the other Riders had arrived, and the scene that met them was a sad one. The Riders knew who the Weredragon had been, and were mourning the loss of their friend.

Astrid didn't care at that moment what anyone said. She wouldn't leave her lover, even if he never woke up. Hiccup the Weredragon had taken a fatal wound for her. He couldn't take the fact that he might not be able to live without her.

He loved her too much.

In fact...

Astrid was so upset, she didn't notice that the Weredragon's wounds were healing. The gash closed up, the bleeding stopped, and the wings snapped back into place. The Weredragon stirred, and then woke up. Astrid noticed. She lifted her head off of the creature's hide, and watched as he started to get up. She stood up and backed away, just as the creature began to change. He was shrinking, and the scales were beginning to disappear. Astrid looked up to see that the moon was still out, which meant only one thing.

Astrid looked back at the creature, who was now more human than dragon. Stoick recognized the figure as it Transformed, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hiccup?"

Sure enough, Hiccup was there, fully human, and looking over himself to make sure that he wasn't imagining things. Stoick looked down at his sword. Horrified that he had very nearly killed his own son, he threw the weapon to the ground.

Toothless was the first to greet his friend when he saw him Transform one last time. The black dragon bounded forward, nuzzling Hiccup affectionally. Hiccup happily hugged the dragon, and tested his voice. "Toothless." The black dragon warbled at the sound of his name. Stormfly then approached, and started to nuzzle Hiccup as well. He smiled and pat her on the nose. "You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said. He looked past the dragons and noticed Stoick approaching. Toothless and Stormfly moved out of the way, allowing the chief to pass.

Hiccup hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry Dad," he said, "I was stupid. I should have told you what happened the first time that I..." "No, Hiccup, I'm sorry." Stoick laid a hand on his son's shoulder, causing him to look up. Stoick continued. "I should have understood why the creature was doing those things. And I should have known better than to attack it after what it did tonight." "Dad, that wasn't me," Hiccup said, "The creature that attacked the village, that wasn't me. It was a monster." Stoick shook his head. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, son." Hiccup sighed. "I couldn't control it," he said, "I tried, but I couldn't. I made a huge mistake, and it unleashed something I couldn't stop. It turned me into a monster."

Stoick gripped Hiccup's shoulder firmly. "We all make mistakes," he said, "And sometimes, there isn't anything we can do about it." "Dad, you nearly killed me," Hiccup pointed out. Stoick shook his head. "I'm a Viking," he said, "Sometimes I do what I think will help the village without thinking about it. I didn't know that much about the Weredragon, and I took its attack as a sign of war. And I know now that I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Hiccup. For all I've done." Hiccup was momentarily speechless. "Thanks, Dad."

"Hiccup?"

They both turned to see Astrid standing a few feet away. Stoick took a step back as the Valkyrie approached. Hiccup's eyes widened, he had nearly forgotten about her. "Astrid." He remembered what had happened before he had passed out, realizing the possible reason why he had changed back. But before he could do or say anything, Astrid savagely punched him in the arm. Hiccup staggered backwards, clutching his arm. "What was that for?" he asked. "That's for scaring me to death!" Astrid said in anger. Then her expression softened, and she stepped closer to him. Hiccup started to back away, in case of another punch, but Astrid put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him. She leaned in so that their faces were only inches apart. "And this is for everything else," she whispered. She then closed the distance between them, kissing him softly.

Hiccup's eyes went wide. How could he have forgotten what had always followed the friendly punch? He shut his eyes, and relaxed into the kiss. After a few minutes, much too soon for Hiccup's liking, Astrid pulled away. Hiccup opened his eyes and found Astrid's staring back at him. After a few moments of silence, Hiccup spoke. "Astrid, I'm sorry about what I said before." "It's okay," Astrid said, "I'm sorry too." She paused, and then she said, "Hiccup, you sacrificed yourself to protect me?" "Of course I did," Hiccup said. He took her hand in his own. "I love you."

Behind Stoick, Fishlegs gasped in realization. "A symbol of true love will break an ancient curse!"

Hiccup loved Astrid enough to risk his life to protect her. It had been his sacrifice, and temporary death, that had broken the curse.

Hiccup thought about what Fishlegs had said. "A symbol of true love." He took a step towards Astrid, but stumbled. He had gotten used to using the prosthetic for so long, he now had trouble walking with his real leg. He started to fall, but Astrid caught him. He looked up at her, and their eyes met. Astrid helped him stand up, their gazes remaining unbroken. Hiccup gulped nervously. "Astrid, I...I..." "It's okay," Astrid said gently, "I love you too." They were both silent for a while, and then they both leaned in for a kiss. They didn't notice the others watching them, and they honestly didn't care.

Fishlegs sniffed loudly. "No matter what happens," he said to himself, "I'm not gonna cry. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry!" But he couldn't help it. He buried his face in his hands to contain his sobs. Snotlout rolled his eyes. "What a wimp," he said.

Astrid and Hiccup paid no attention to them. They just relaxed into the kiss they were sharing.

It was nearly midnight when they finally made it back to the village. Stoick walked into the plaza. "Everyone! You can come out now. The Weredragon is gone for good!"

Hearing the chief, the Vikings all emerged from their homes. "What happened, Stoick?" asked one. "Did you kill it?" asked another. Stoick just smiled. "I didn't exactly kill it," he said, "But it's gone."

Hiccup watched from a distance. He knew that his dad was keeping the Weredragon's identity a secret from the other Vikings, but they couldn't keep it a secret forever. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Astrid approaching. "I'm sorry for everything," she said. Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, me too. I shouldn't have tried to dump you. I was stupid." "It's okay," Astrid said, "I know now that you were trying to protect me." Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, but that was probably the biggest mistake I ever made." Astrid shook her head, and then she hugged him tightly. "All that matters now is that you're okay," she said, "And by the way, thank you for saving me." Hiccup hugged her back gently. "I didn't want to see you get hurt," he said. Astrid pulled out of the embrace and looked him in the eye. "I know," she said quietly. She then leaned in and kissed him. This time, Hiccup wasn't surprised. He didn't hesitate to kiss her back gently.

The other teens noticed the kiss, and the twins groaned in disgust. Snotlout gave the two lovers a look of jealousy, but kept quiet.

The kiss seemed to last forever, and it was very passionate. When they pulled apart, they immediately embraced.

In Hiccup's world, everything was perfect.

We were all wrong about the Weredragon, and the experience reminded us that there's more to things than all that meets the eye.

I used to think that the creature inside me was a monster, waiting for the right moment to strike. But now I know that as long as I'm around those that I love, I can do anything.

Because I know that they'll be there for me when I need them.

So, what do you think? Leave a review, please!