A/N: I recently watched the fantasy documentary The Last Dragon: A Fantasy Made Real. It's a fictional science docu supposing that dragons really existed, but the last dragon was killed by knights and mercenaries in the Middle Ages, and it inspired me to write this.

Rated T for death and gore.

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned."

They were words Hiccup had uttered many times before. It was the traditional start of confession, and he had confessed many times since leaving his small village and the old gods behind. Crime and sin were unavoidable parts of the life of a mercenary. But now the words felt hollow. He didn't really believe in God anymore. He didn't believe in the Devil either.

Maybe it was the fact that this would be his last confession that made it feel so important, and yet so pointless.

The priest in the other booth remained silent, letting him confess at his own pace. It reassured Hiccup a little, thankful that he wasn't rushed through the procedure. He still had a little while before the end.

"I… I have… aided a devil. I have allowed a demon to possess me. I have endangered the lives of my fellow man, and stole their livelihood, to help a demon," Hiccup said, quickly rattling off the crimes they accused him off. But he wasn't sincere. He knew that the creature on the mountaintop wasn't a demon.

"Why did you do this, my son? Tell me from the start," the priest said in a creaky voice, revealing the speaker's old age. Hiccup was surprised by the question, he thought everyone in the village knew what he had done. Or at least, the villagers knew what the lord had told them. Maybe the priest wanted to know his side of the tale?

He remained silent for a few seconds, wondering if he would end up in even more trouble if he told the priest what he had seen. In the end, Hiccup figured he didn't have anything to lose. And even though he doubted that God was really listening, it couldn't hurt to confess anyway.

At the very least, it would give him more time before he had to leave the church and face what awaited him outside.

"I am not from here. I am from the far north. But I am banished from my village, never to return," he started, trying not to think back on the events that lead him away from home. He had confessed to those sins long ago, that wasn't relevant right now.

"To survive, I joined a company of mercenaries. Even though I don't like to fight. I… I have killed my fellow men. I have tried to avoid bloodshed where I could, but… sometimes it was unavoidable," he slowly said, images of bloodstained swords, of dead faces and crying children flashing before his eyes. Oddly enough, the images were still not as bad as the memory currently haunting him.

"That is a wise course, my son. What brought you to Berk?" the priest asked kindly, and Hiccup felt a little better. In the dark booth, he was safe to tell his story. No one to accuse him of devil worship here. Somehow, he knew the priest would listen to his tale before judging him.

"My company was hired by the townsfolk of Berk. In a letter they told us that their peaceful farming lives were disturbed by a… devil, living on the nearby mountain. A giant winged creature that stole their sheep and rained down fire from above. The letter further explained that the lord of Berk, Dagur the Cruel, went up the mountain with his squire to drive out the beast, but they never returned. The… creature continued to steal livestock, so the villagers wanted… professionals to deal with the problem," Hiccup explained, even though he knew the priest knew all of this. He must have written the letter asking for their employment. But it still felt good to tell his tale.

"So we came. I was eager for this assignment. It seemed more… peaceful. Not another war where we would have to kill our fellow men. Just… rooting out a creature," He said, not mentioning the other assignments of this type he had had. The missions where they were hired by superstitious folk to root out a witch or deal with a werewolf were easy. Hiccup had never actually encountered a magical creature. They were always just flukes. The werewolves were overgrown bears, the witches just old women accused of causing the harvest to fail.

He had expected the same to happen here in Berk. They would probably just find a mountain lion roving the area, and the lord had probably frozen to death. If he had known what he would find, would he still have gone on this mission? He probably would, even knowing the end.

"So we came to Berk, and we saw the marks of fire in the fields and we found claw marks on the barns. An enormous creature had made these. A creature we had only heard legends and vague tales of. A dragon. We were scared. But we pressed on anyway, and climbed the mountain," Hiccup continued, shivering when he recalled the horrible journey to the top. It was the highest mountain he had ever seen, standing lonely amid a sea of forest and farmlands. It was winter, and the mountain was covered in snow and ice.

His companions had talked nonstop on their climb, trying to mask their fear with brave talk. Snotlout had talked about the armor he would have made from the dragon's hide, while Astrid hoped she would get another scar to add to her large collection. The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were eager to see the dragon's fire in action. All the while, Fishlegs couldn't stop talking about studying the 'devil' and learning its secrets.

None of those were their real names, of course. It was part of joining the Hooligan mercenary company. You left your past, your crimes, and your name behind. Hiccup wasn't his real name either. But it had been so long he had almost forgotten what name his father had given him. They didn't talk of what had brought them there. He suspected Fishlegs was a monk who fled from the monastery after committing a terrible crime, and the twins once mentioned a horrible fire they had started. That was all he knew. And all they knew about him was that he was banished from his home. For what, he didn't tell. It didn't matter.

"When we reached the top, we found traces of blood and wool. The sheep had been brought there, and we followed the tracks to a nearby cave," he spoke. Inside the cave, it had been warm. Warmer than it should be on such a high mountain in the middle of winter. Slowly, they entered the wide tunnels, trembling when they saw more claw marks on the walls.

"Inside, we found… we found the bodies of Lord Dagur and his squire, Savage. Dagur's body was mostly burned, but we could see his face was covered in dragon blood. Clear lines that he must have painted there himself as a trophy. The lord wasn't simply burned, he was also crushed. It appeared that a large creature had bitten down on him, and enormous teeth had broken off and were sticking out of the heavy armor," Hiccup continued to explain, shivering when he recalled the images of the lord's burned and mangled body. Whoever had killed him, the creature must have been furious.

"We walked further into the cave and not long after we found the source of the dragon blood on Dagur's face. There was the body of a small… black, winged creature. A dragon. It had been stabbed repeatedly, but we could tell that even after its death, the body had been… mutilated. Someone, I suspect the lord, had tried to cut the creature's head off, and when that failed, tried to remove the skull from the rest of the head. The sight was… gruesome. I didn't say it out loud, but I felt sorry for the dragon. It had been too small to defend itself from its attackers, and even in death it wasn't safe."

The priest remained silent, and Hiccup felt a little safer now that the holy man hadn't cursed him for feeling pity for a 'demon'.

"We examined… what remained of the creature, and noticed its teeth were intact. But Lord Dagur's armor was riddled with broken teeth, so something else killed him. That was when we heard a growl," Hiccup said, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"We looked around to see a… huge dragon in the cave opening. It looked… it wasn't angry. Not at first. In fact, it looked… curious. Only when it saw us touching its… I think the big dragon must have been the father of the little dragon. So only when it saw us touching the defiled body of his child did the dragon become hostile."

"Then everything went very quickly. Astrid charged, leading the attack as always. The others followed close behind. I stayed in the back to use my crossbow. But Astrid didn't even have a chance to attack it. Moments before she reached him, the dragon… leaped. He spread his wings as best he could in the narrow cave and… glided over us. I jumped out of the way and hid behind a large rock. I had to wait for the others to engage the dragon before I could use my crossbow," he explained, trying to remember the fight as best he could. The priest made a curious noise, urging him to continue.

"My companions turned around when the dragon flew over them, but before they could charge, the dragon… breathed fire down the tunnel. My companions jumped out of the way just in time, taking cover in a bend in the tunnel. But… the heat must have been too much for the ice to bear. Before any of us could move, the tunnel collapsed." Hiccup said, remembering the horrific cracking sound when the ceiling tore apart and covered the tunnel, and the dragon, with ice and rock.

"So you were trapped inside with the dragon? What of your companions?" the priest asked, and Hiccup took a deep breath, knowing this was the moment of truth.

"Yes. I was trapped inside. My companions were okay, but they were separated from me by an almost impenetrable amount of rock and ice. We couldn't communicate anymore. But… the tunnel wasn't the only thing that collapsed. The room we were in mostly collapsed as well, with large rocks falling on top of the dragon. For a long moment there was silence, and I thought the creature was dead. I left my hiding spot and slowly stalked over to the dragon with my knife," Hiccup explained, knowing what he was going to say next would be the most important part of the tale.

"When I reached the all but buried body of the creature, I saw it wasn't dead. It was still alive, and his head was lying right next to the little dragon. When he saw me, I expected to see fury. I expected to see… evil. I expected to see… a devil. But… But there was no devil there. It looked back and forth between me and his child, and all I saw was pain. I raised my knife, preparing myself to stab the creature and be done with it. But… I couldn't," he slowly said, sure that the priest would curse him for letting the dragon live.

Hiccup had been called 'devil' many times in his travels. It was the first thing people thought of when they heard he was a Norseman. They knew the tales of Vikings looting and burning monasteries, and only devils would attack holy places. Even though those days of raiding and looting were centuries ago, the association haunted Hiccup wherever he went. And now, for the very first time, he met another creature like him. A creature that was called 'devil' by everyone who saw him, even though he had done nothing more than defend his home and feed his child.

Hiccup had looked at him, and seen himself. Memories had flooded his mind, of home, of the family he once had, and how it was all taken away from him. He remembered the fury that had filled him at the injustice. He remembered the shame he felt when he had taken his revenge.

He wondered if the dragon felt the same way.

Miraculously, the priest remained silent instead of becoming angry, and Hiccup continued his tale.

"I couldn't kill a creature that hurt and tormented. It… It wasn't an evil demon. It was just an animal trying to survive. So I… I dropped my knife and started lifting the rocks from his body. I saw the surprise in his eyes, and by the time I removed the last rock, he seemed… curious. He didn't want to attack me, and I didn't want to attack him. He was wounded. A wing was broken, and his tail fin was all but torn off. And… And I knew that it wouldn't survive on its own. So I made a decision. I decided that enough blood had been spilled, and that I wouldn't allow anyone else to die because of the… accusations that this creature was a devil."

The priest still didn't speak, and Hiccup wished the man would say something. Did he think he was a fool? Did he believe the creature was a devil, or did he believe Hiccup?

He didn't dare to ask.

"The others were digging through the rubble, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they'd reach us. And I doubted they would feel the way I did. So… I did what I could. I think it took at least an hour before the dragon let me touch him, and another hour before he allowed me to treat his injuries. I put a brace on the wing, bound a bleeding wound on the dragon's side, but I couldn't save the tail fin. I had to cut it off."

Hiccup had to pause for a moment before he could continue his tale, overwhelmed by the shame that he had caused the creature so much pain, and suddenly the priest spoke up.

"Taking care of wounded creatures, especially your former enemies, is… commendable, my son. How did you hide the dragon from your companions?" the old man asked, and Hiccup forced himself to focus.

"I… I don't know how he understood me, or why he trusted me, but the dragon allowed himself to be led to a different room. There was a whole network of tunnels, the place was huge. So I… somehow convinced him to hide deep in the maze and keep quiet. I promised him I would come back and help him. I'd bring him food and medicine, and… I think he believed me. Or maybe he had just given up on fighting. I don't know. But… for some reason I couldn't let him starve," Hiccup explained, frowning when the priest only responded with a short "I see,".

"I'm the smallest of my group. So I waited until my companions had cleared a hole just big enough for me to crawl through, but not big enough for them to use. Once I reached them, I told them the dragon was dead. It was crushed by the rubble. And I… told them there was no point in digging further. I suppose they were tired and weary, so they didn't protest much. So we left the cave and descended the mountain again, our task complete. The dragon would not steal anymore livestock. But… But that didn't mean I wouldn't," he said, certain the priest knew the rest of the tale. The part where he had failed.

"When we returned to the village, the new lord was there. Alvin, some cousin of Dagur, I think. We told him what had happened to Lord Dagur, and I told him the dragon was dead. We got paid, and there was nothing left for us in Berk. But… I couldn't leave yet. I couldn't leave the dragon behind. So I convinced the others to stay at the inn for the night, and not leave until the next day. I was trying to buy time, maybe I could convince Fishlegs to let the dragon live, and then the others might be persuaded as well," he said, seeing the priest nod behind the small holes in the wall.

"That night, I sneaked out of the room and went up to the farms. I… I stole a sheep, leading it out of the field and up the mountain. It took a long time to get it up there," Hiccup explained, feeling ashamed of the theft. Ashamed that he hadn't considered that a sheep might struggle and try to run when being led up a snowy mountain in a blizzard.

"Somehow I managed to get it up the mountain, and I found that the dragon had managed to widen the opening a little. So I dragged the sheep inside, and… fed it to the dragon. He was so… happy with it, even though he could barely eat it because most of his teeth were gone from gnawing on Lord Dagur's armor. And again I felt, still feel, that this creature couldn't be a devil. How could a devil be so happy or grateful?" he asked, hoping the priest would understand.

Hiccup truly didn't understand how a toothless father animal could be a devil. He couldn't explain why, but he felt pity for the creature. The baby dragon hadn't deserved to be mutilated by Dagur. And the father hadn't deserved it to have to see that. He hadn't deserved to get his wing broken or his fin cut off. All he had done was try to keep his family safe.

Hiccup had named the creature 'Toothless'. A devil couldn't be toothless.

"And that was when you were arrested?" the priest asked, and Hiccup nodded.

He had promised Toothless that he would be back as soon as possible with more food, and a way to treat the tail wound. But he had barely set two steps outside the cave when he was jumped. He immediately drew his knife and managed to cut the attacker's face, but a moment later he was disarmed and on the ground. That was when he recognizing his assailant.

"Astrid had followed me. She knew. Of course she knew. She's very perceptive. She must have noticed me leave the inn. Or maybe she knew before that. Maybe she saw right through my lie, and knew the dragon was alive before we even left the cave," he said, noticing he was rambling. But facing Astrid on that snowy mountaintop was a big shock.

"What do you think you're doing?" she had asked, and he didn't have a good answer. He had tried to explain that the dragon was harmless, that it wouldn't hurt anybody ever again.

It was pointless. "It's our job to kill it, Hiccup!" Astrid had yelled. He could hear the hurt in her voice. "If you can't do it, then let us handle it. Heck, I'll deal with it and nobody has to know. And then we can go down this mountain and pretend none of this happened," she had offered. Maybe he should have accepted the deal she offered. It had been a chance to cover it up. To revoke his mistake. But he had refused. He had kept telling her she was wrong, that Toothless wasn't a devil. In the end, she came to a different decision.

"Astrid tied me up in tight ropes. No way for me to escape. Then she left me there. In the snow, for hours. I thought she had left me to die. But by midday, she returned. But she wasn't alone. She had brought Lord Alvin and the other mercenaries. The farmer whose sheep I had stolen was there as well. They all knew. Then, Astrid made me lead them through the cave to the dragon," he said, not wanting to think about what happened next. But he had to finish the confession.

Toothless had been so happy when he saw Hiccup. But when the others entered the room as well, his eyes filled with… pain and hurt. Astrid had told him she was sorry, but that he needed to grow up. He had to understand that this behavior was unacceptable.

"They… They made me watch. They forced me to watch as Astrid charged the dragon with her battleaxe. The others were close behind. The dragon tried to fight them off, but he was wounded and out of fire, and he… They killed him. They killed him and skinned him and cut his heart out and Alvin took the head as a trophy," he exclaimed, trying to keep his breathing level as the horrible images flooded his mind.

"And now you're here," the priest said calmly, and Hiccup wanted to scream. How could the man be so calm when he had just heard of such injustice? But he suppressed his anger, and took a deep breath.

"After… After they were done, we… we went down the mountain again. Alvin insisted I would be bound, to Astrid's protests. She caved in eventually. So the twins carried me while Astrid kept watch," he related, shaking his head when he recalled that last journey down.

The others were talking… excitedly about what they had done. Snotlout was carrying a big strip of dragonhide to take to the nearest armorer, the twins were talking about how awesome the fire had been, and Fishlegs was rambling about the new knowledge on demons he had obtained from this trip. Only Astrid had remained silent, looking at him with a hurt expression, and Hiccup knew that for once, she wasn't happy with a new scar.

The cut across her face was caused by someone who she considered to be her friend. Her family, in a way. Sometimes Hiccup dared to hope she felt even more for him. He had always liked her, though he never dared to tell. And now he had hurt her. He had broken his promise that no one would get hurt anymore.

"When we reached Berk again, I was thrown in Alvin's dungeon. I'm not sure what happened outside during that time. I think Astrid tried to get Alvin to release me. I like to think she didn't want this to happen to me. She probably hoped we could leave Berk together, and that soon things would be back to normal. But… it can't be that way. This morning, I was taken out and brought here. I know what will happen to me when I leave. But… where will I go, father?" Hiccup asked, hoping against hope the priest would forgive him.

The priest was silent for a long time, but just before Hiccup opened his mouth to repeat the question, he started to speak.

"I think you did the right thing. Or at least, I think you did the right thing from your point of view. I still believe the creature was a devil. But… Satan is powerful, and he can make good men do bad things by convincing them they're doing good. Your sins are absolved. But… Although God can forgive you, I cannot convince the men outside to do so," the holy man said, and Hiccup nodded. He had accepted that what was coming was inevitable.

"Thank you, father. For… For listening," Hiccup said, before standing up and leaving the booth. Outside, two guards waited for him. They roughly grabbed his arms and led him to the church's doors.

The doors opened, and Hiccup was momentarily blinded when the bright sun shone in his eyes. Shouts and insults reached his ears, and when his eyes adjusted he saw nearly the entire village standing outside, surrounding the center of the square. Astrid was standing to the side, looking closer to tears than Hiccup had ever seen her. He felt more shame when he saw the new scar on her face.

He tried to smile at Astrid, and tell her without words that it would be okay, but the smile fell when he looked ahead and saw the execution block in the middle of the square. Lord Alvin stood next to it, holding a large sword. Hiccup walked forward slowly, and laid his chest on the block.

"Burn in hell!"

"Go back to your devil master!"

"Thief! Heathen!"

More and more things were yelled at him, but when Alvin raised his sword, all sound was suddenly muted. The only thing his ears registered was the whoosh of the sword splitting the air.

And in his last moment, he hoped the priest was wrong. He hoped God hadn't forgiven him. He hoped he would be sent to hell, because he knew the Devil of the Mountaintop would be there to greet him.