I cried so many times while I was writing this. One of the hardest things I have ever done. But, hey, I think it is good. Please R&R!

DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN HTTYD OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!

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"I'm ready." Those were the truest words that Hiccup had ever spoken. He had spent months, wait, years, no, his whole life preparing for this moment. I was everything he could have dreamed of. The crowd roared his name proudly, like a queen's vessel bearing the name of her home country. The other teens looked at him in newfound respect, and his father wore the largest smile of his life.

But everything was wrong! Two months ago, if you had asked Hiccup the Useless what his greatest dream was, he would have immediately said that he was going to kill the dreaded Nightfury and bring it's heart to his father. And he had gotten that chance, but being the hiccup that he was, he completely blew it. He slammed shut one door of opportunity, but another flew open. He made the best friend anyone could have, a trusted companion that didn't judge or taunt him for letting out his emotions and feelings. Now his goal was to find some way to free the dragons from the Red Death's rule and figure out a way to convince his father NOT to kill Toothless.

The scrawny Viking lifted his gaze to his father, sitting on his chair, hard and angular. Stoick smiled under his big, red, bushy beard. In his eyes, Hiccup saw an expression that he had dreamed, a distant hope that would never come true. He saw pride beaming on his face. Hiccup almost dropped the puny knife he was holding in surprise. But his father's gaze left a sour taste in his mouth. Stoick loved and admired the Viking that he had hoped Hiccup would grow into, not the boy he was today.

The tick-tick-tick-tick of the gate synchronized with is heart, ready to beat right out of his chest. The gate slowly opened, no sign of the deadly beast lurking inside.

BOOM!

Fire spat out of the man made cave. A huge, fiery red Monstrous Nightmare lunged out, circling the enclosure and climbing onto the ceiling, shooting fire for good measure. The flames that licked it's body went out as it twisted and gently let itself down against the cold stone floor. As it slowly approached, Hiccup dropped his weapon and shield to the side. Muted whispers of 'What's he doin'?' and 'He's gonna get himself killed' filled the air. Stoick glanced around, concerned, leaning forward to assess the situation.

"What's he doin'?" he muttered to himself. Perhaps leading it into a false sense of security. He was probably going to use one of his inventions. The NIghtmare continued to advance. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Hiccup soothed. Then he noticed the dragon's gaze flickering to something over his head. Realizing what he had to do, he threw down his helmet with a resounding clang.

"I'm not one of them."

ooo

Hiccup widened his eyes, trying to adjust to the bright white surrounding him. He wanted to move, but his limbs refused to obey him. After waiting a few minutes, he tried again, pleasantly surprised that he could indeed move.

Groaning, he stood up, wary of his enviroment. Ice encased a mini forest, plants creeping up the sides and soft green grass under his feet. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what happened.

A whisper, softer than the wind. 'Hiccup...' He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. 'Hiccup…" He followed it up a hill, glancing around.

ooo

The crowd whispered more anxiously, agitated at the scene before them. Stoick quickly realized what he was doing. He whispered, half to himself and half to Gobber, "He's pulling a Valka." Then a little louder, "Stop the fight."

Hiccup took the chance to glance at his father. "No." he said firmly, with more confidence than Stoick had seen in a long time. "I need you all to see this. Dragons are not what we think they are. We don't have to fight them." Everyone was transfixed, including Astrid. She allowed herself to feel a small glimmer of hope that this would actually work. The dragon was seconds away from being tamed.

"I said, STOP THE FIGHT!" Stoick bellowed. He banged his hammer against the side of the ring, producing a resound ring.

The Nightmare's eyes suddenly slitted, spooked by the loud noise and commotion. Lashing out, it caused Hiccup to run, exciting it even further. Hiccup dodged a torrent of sticky fire as he searched for an exit. Stoick, no matter how furious he was, loved his son and didn't want to see him as a charbroiled mess. "Outa' my way!" he thundered, shoving men, women, and children alike in his run for the gate.

Meanwhile, Astrid thought quickly and grabbed her axe, using it as a lever to open one of the smaller gates. "Hiccup!" she cried. At her feet, the overturned weapons rack sported a good sized hammer, and kicking it up, she hurled it at the Nightmare. It turned and then started chasing her instead. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Stoick throw up the gate, and ran to him as he called their names. As she reached the safety of his arms, Hiccup had barreled toward the opening, tripping over his own feet in his haste. But when he was just ten feet away, the Nightmare sent out another blast of fire, making Hiccup swerve from the opening.

In the forest, a black figure was leaping, running, jumping, desperate to find the source of the terrified screams.

Hiccup tripped, turning over on his back, eyes wide in fear. He was caged underneath the massive claws, but froze when he heard a familiar balistic moaning. The dragon opened his jaws to give the final blow.

"Night Fury! Get down!"

BOOM!

The crowd went silent, peering through the bars. A smallish black dragon was fighting the Monstrous Nightmare. With a final screech, the Night Fury threw off the bigger dragon, leaving red hide marred with three jagged wounds. It gave one final snort before turning around to face his rider.

Hiccup was lying on the ground, motionless.

ooo

'Hiccup…" the wind cried. Hiccup turned in circles, confused and scared. "Who are you?" he yelled. "What do you want?"

A low hum made him turn toward a cliff. He carefully walked over to the source of the sound, freezing in awe at the being before him.

ooo

The Vikings watched, transfixed as the dragon bounded over to Hiccup, not firing or attacking, but gently nudging the boy. Hiccup raised his head gingerly, smiling at the first real friend he had ever had. His face was bruised, and a split lip slowly oozed. His clothes were undamaged save for the large rip in his tunic.

"Hey bud." Hiccup softly said, though his words echoed around the stadium. "I'm glad you came." he said, a cough following soon after, but it was punctuated with blood. Gazing at the red in his palm, Hiccup's expression deflated. So this was it. He failed.

Toothless nudged him, urging him to get up. "No, not this time." he laughed. Slowly, he stretched out his hand, palm out. Toothless stared at it for a second, then pushed his snout forward until it met flesh. The two stayed like that for a moment, a faint 'thank you' caressing the wind.

His hand slipped, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

ooo

Hiccup stared at the being before him. It was an immense dragon, white with spikes surrounding his face, for it was undoubtedly a male. Red rimmed his large kind eyes, an air of wisdom about him.

'Hiccup.' The dragon stated. Hiccup jumped back in surprise, unaware that the dragon could talk.

'I do not have much time, young rider.' he continued, his voice deeper than the largest beat of a drum.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. The dragon chuckled.

'I am the King. It is my duty to know these kinds of things.'

Hiccup looked around at his misty surroundings. "Why am I here?"

ooo

Toothless blinked, surprised, then nudged his rider again. Nothing. He licked his hair, crooning softly, but there was no response. He even pawed at him a little, trying to rouse him from his limp position. There was no reaction.

Toothless dipped his head, the raised his muzzle to the sky and roared. It was a terrible sound, full of grief and heartbreak. He shot a plasma blast in frustration. The Vikings flinched, grabbing their weapons, but a single voice rang out.

"Wait!"

Astrid ran forward, her hand out. She stopped a few seconds later. Stoick gaped at her, asking, "Who is that?" Astrid sighed, then replied, "Hiccup's best friend." A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd, but quickly died down.

Toothless gingerly crawled around his rider, grabbing him with his paws and holding him close. His tail swept around, almost hiding Hiccup's face. He moaned, nuzzling his hair, his soft breath making it ripple.

Astrid stepped forward, almost in a trance. "Hiccup." she whispered. Toothless raised his head and focused his eyes on her, his pupils wide and round. He got to his paws, bounding over to her. The Vikings tensed again, but Toothless merely ran behind her and pushed her forward. She almost tripped half a dozen times, but made her way to Hiccup.

The dragon pawed the ground, crooning, jerking his head to his friend. Astrid asked, slightly confused, "You… want me to help him?" He roared an affirmative in reply. Astrid looked around. She didn't know how to heal, and even those who did would not go near a Night Fury. 'Except for one.' she thought.

"Gothi!" she called. In the gateway, the old woman hobbled down, Vikings parting like the Red Sea for Moses. She limped her way over, but Toothless had his tail curled protectively around Hiccup, teeth bared and growling. Astrid nodded letting him know that it was okay, that she was here to help. He uncurled his tail, wary and watchful with narrow eyes. Gothi kneeled, checking his pulse and taking in his appearance.

She shook her head.

"No, Hiccup." Astrid whispered, tears welling up.

Toothless closed his eyes, then fired five more shots into the sky. Once he had reached his limit, he ran around the enclosure, roaring and clawing, unable to believe his rider was gone.

Astrid sat in front of Hiccup, and she did something she, as a fearless Hofferson, never thought she would do. She was crying. Her Uncle Finn's words dissipated like mist in the sunlight. 'No crying. A warrior doesn't cry.' he said. But she was not ashamed of the tears dripping down her cheeks. She choked back a sob, trying to find the words to express a feeling she didn't understand. Unable to open her mouth, she resigned to putting her hand on his.

Slowing to a stop, Toothless gasped, finally exhausted. He moaned, glancing back to where his rider lay. The girl from the previous day was kneeling in front of Hiccup, softly stroking his arm. He shook his head, limping over. He looked like he was only asleep, lying peacefully on the ground.

Toothless crooned, meeting Astrid's eyes. Her eyes were red, and she let out a little sniff, reaching out to pet Toothless. He leaned into her, closing his eyes. Gently curling around Hiccup, he carefully pushed Astrid back with his tail, her gaze lingering on the brown fin. She stood up, understanding his desire to be left alone. She trudged back to Stoick, never taking her eyes off the fallen rider.

Toothless wrapped himself around Hiccup, sniffing his head.

Standing under the stone archway, Gobber put a hand on the wall for support. Once he had finally gotten a good look at the dragon, he gasped. Not only did the fishbone of the village manage to shoot down a Night Fury, but he had trained it, complete with a saddle on it's back. It explained his multitude of questions and his sudden rise to the top.

Gobber took a step forward, squinting. On the dragon's back there was the saddle, but connected to it, there were a series of wires running down it's tail. He followed the trail to the tail, where his gaze lingered. His eyes widened. Hiccup had made a prosthetic for the dragon! He inwardly sighed. He had obviously felt bad for the dragon, the big softie.

Stoick started, taking in a sharp breath. Gobber glanced at him quizzically, but only got a nod n reply. He turned to look at the dragon and stopped once more in surprise.

Thick, pearly tears were sliding down the dragon's face. They rolled down onto Hiccup's. He crooned all the while, laying on the floor, unaware of his surroundings.

Stoick stared. "I didn't know that Night Furies could cry." he finally commented. Gobber replied softly, "I didn't know that Viking's could cry either." With that, he turned and walked away. Stoick blinked, surprised to see his own tears wetting his face. Wiping them away, he turned back to the scene before him.

Toothless was still sobbing, holding Hiccup. Something pushed against his paw. Sniffing, the tears subsided for a moment and his vision cleared. He gazed around, trying to figure out where the movement had come from.

"Oh…" A soft groan escaped Hiccup's lips.

ooo

The giant dragon gazed at Hiccup with a knowing look. 'You are here because you need help. And I can help you.' he paused.

'You have a great destiny, Hiccup. Don't forget who you are.' The King gently breathed a cloud of ice on him, causing Hiccup to sway on his feet. As his vision clouded, he heard, 'Now go, young dragon rider. Make things right.'

ooo

Hiccup's eyes fluttered open, squinting against the bright light. He shifted, not able to move much because he was being crushed by something. He pressed against it once more. He licked his lips, blood no longer welling up, his side whole and complete again, free of pain. He sat up and met two forest green eyes. The two stared at each other, oblivious to the gasps of shock and awe echoing through the stadium.

Hiccup shakily stood up, confused. Shaking himself out of his stupor, Astrid bouded over and launched herself at Hiccup, hugging him.

"Oww! What was that for?" he accused. She helped him up, yelling, "What the heck, Haddock? You just DIED!" Hiccup stared at her for a moment before turning to Toothless. The dragon was looking away, a little miffed that Astrid got to see him first.

"You really need to work on not being needy, bud." Toothless just flicked a pebble with his tail, hitting Hiccup's head.

"Oh, you're pouting, big baby boo?" he teased. Jumping up to the dragon, Hiccup wrapped his arms around Toothless' neck. "Well, try this on for size." Toothless just lumbered to the wall on two legs, unaffected by the attack. "Oh, yeah. Picking up on all my heartfelt remorse? You wouldn't hurt an undersized Viking, would you- AAHH!"

Toothless hung Hiccup by the back of his tunic on a hook on the wall, leaving him hanging. With a smug look on his face, he stepped back. Hiccup struggled, unable to get down.

"Okay, fine, fine, you win." Toothless hopped back over, chortling while lifting Hiccup up and rolling back on the floor, batting him gently.

"And he's down for the count, dragons and Vikings, enemies to the bitter end-aaauuuuuuggh." Toothless put his head down, trapping the scrawny boy. He stretched out his tongue, licking his rider affectionately and covering him in slobber. "Eww, Toothless. You know that doesn't wash out." Hiccup accused, flicking back some fishy slime.

The Vikings were astounded. Not only had he trained a Night Fury, but they were best friends. And dragon were not the cold blooded killers. The dragon was crying for Thor's sake!

But there was something else that caught their attention. Everyone had become used to the desperate, clumsy kid who never ceased to have a smart remark. And although the sarcasticness would never fade, here was a fun loving boy with his best friend. Blast it, even if it was a dragon! Many of them subconsciously began to like this Hiccup better.

By now, Hiccup had turned back to the Nightmare. It had a sheepish look on it's face, nervously scraping a claw against the floor. Calmly walking toward the dragon, Hiccup held his hand out, grabbing something from a bag attached to the saddle. In it, there was some grass. Holding it out, he let the dragon sniff it, it's eyes dialating. The Nightmare nuzzled him in complete bliss. Petting it for a second, he stood in the middle of the ring, a smile on his face.

Stoick slowly walked up. "Hiccup." he whispered. Said boy walked over and gave him a hug. Releasing, he gestured toward a slightly nervous dragon.

"Dad, this is Toothless. My best friend." he said proudly. After a moment, Stoick grinned. "I love you, son." Hiccup glanced up, surprised. "I love you too, dad."