Wow guys, I can't believe I finally finished this story! It's been on my conscience for a while, so I finally took an evening and finished it. I had a blast writing it. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/followed and enjoyed it, I hope you enjoy the epilogue! ~Bkw3rm

Hiccup sat bolt upright, gasping. How was he still alive? Alvin's sword had nearly cleaved him in two; it would've taken a miracle to put him back together, especially in the thick of battle. He panicked. Where was Stoick? He scanned the living room frantically looking for his father. "Dad?" he cried. He threw aside the covers and jumped out of the makeshift bed- and crashed down painfully. He was off balance without his prosthetic, he realized- where had it gone? That strange thought confused him, he should be dead, not missing his left foot. What was going on?

The yell and resulting crash brought Stoick racing in from outside, where he was reassuring the anxious Dragon Riders that Hiccup would be fine and they would be the first know when he awoke. Inwardly though, the chief was worried. It had been almost two days since Hiccup fell into his fugue state. He mostly lay still, but occasionally he thrashed about and uttered unearthly cries. Toothless originally kept watch if Stoick had to attend to necessary chiefly duties, but the dragon's presence seemed to agitate Hiccup further. Stoick had reluctantly locked the dragon outside, ignoring the pleading eyes of his son's best friend. It didn't feel right to separate the two, but Stoick wasn't taking any chances. No one who had fallen under the Fuguelgrasp's spell had awoken unchanged. Hiccup was an extraordinary boy, but he wasn't infallible. Would he return as the boy Stoick loved so dearly, or would he be unrecognizable, like Restless Rudy? He approached Hiccup and gently helped him sit on the bed. He was unprepared for the way Hiccup sprang at him, hugging him fiercely as if he never expected to see his father again.

"Easy, son, easy" he murmured. "It's all right now." He felt Hiccup give a long, shuddering sigh, and then sat back so as to get a proper look at him. The boy seemed haunted by shadows, his face pale and eyes heavy with exhaustion. He was about to ask Hiccup what he had seen while he was unconscious, when the Dragon Riders burst noisily into the room, exclaiming over Hiccup. With a frown, Stoick noticed that Hiccup seemed confused and disoriented at their presence- and almost afraid. He flinched slightly and shrunk back as the enthusiastic dragons forced their way into the common space as well, lingering behind their riders.

Hiccup was bewildered. Why were the other teens in his house, looking so happy to see him? Especially Astrid, she hated his guts ever since he practically beat her in the arena. Their words were washing over him as he listened uncomprehendingly. They kept yammering about how they defeated a dragon called the Fuguelgrasp, Snotlout was trying to make himself the hero of the story…

…Hiccup froze. There, over Astrid's shoulder, was a dragon. No, not a dragon, he corrected himself. The dragon. The Night Fury which had haunted his dreams for weeks was now causing him to hallucinate in the daytime. Hiccup realized he must be going mad. It looked so real! He spoke cautiously, afraid the apparition would disappear entirely. "Astrid?" he asked tentatively. "Is there a Night Fury behind you?"

Everyone froze as if they had been turned to stone. Astrid slowly looked over her shoulder, then looked back at Hiccup. Her expression was grave as she said slowly, "Hiccup. Do you know that Night Fury?"

"Of course I know it, — " Hiccup broke off, barely noticing the way Astrid's frown deepened at his words. 'I killed that dragon months ago at Raven Point,' he was going to say. He was going to say that the dragon had kept appearing at the corners of his vision, vanishing whenever Hiccup focused on it. He was also going to mention that the Night Fury was there whenever he tried to sleep, emerald eyes glaring accusingly at him. He said none of this. Because at the same time, a voice in the back of his mind was saying, 'I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was'. Memories began flooding in, faster and faster. Loosing the dragon, being certain the Night Fury was going to kill him in retribution. Going back to the cove, seeing that the dragon was grounded and unable to fly. Bringing fish so that it- he wouldn't starve. That fateful day when Hiccup put all his faith in a dragon that had no reason to trust Vikings… and the dragon leaned his forehead into Hiccup's hand. Their first flight together. Their first flight with Astrid. The moment when he realized that his father was likely going to kill his best friend, and get himself killed in the process. Rallying Berk's teens to save the Vikings on Dragon Island, because he knew there was a better way, he chose to risk his life to save his friends and family. When he and Stoick reconciled in the midst of a an immense battle where they both could have died. When they defeated the Red Death, but Hiccup was too close to the blast… and Toothless saved him.

Hiccup put his hand to his head, stunned. He cleared his throat and began again. "Of course I know this dragon," he said. "He saved my life." Toothless came closer to the bed, nuzzling him. Hiccup smiled. "Hey bud." He could hear Astrid sighing in relief off to the side. He didn't pay much attention, though. He had his dragon back, his family back, and right now, that was all that mattered.

The End.