Hey hey hey, guys! :D Some of you were wondering if I write all my stories ahead of time, and the answer is:

Well, no. I'm just a crazy author who can write over 4k words a day. And I really don't even have that much free time during the day anymore, what with school and everything. I just get an idea, write it, and then like, ten-twenty minutes later I'm like, "Wait, how is this already 2,000 words!?" Yeah, I am a crazy author, and a pretty fast typer...

Well, yeah. Someone was wondering, so, that's that. :) This is the last chapter to this fanfiction! :D And remember, let me know which one you want to see next: "Of Peace Treaties and Battle Cries" or "Stay With Me." Please help me out, I have no idea which one. :/ XD Enjoy the final chapter! (Or hate it...it's up to you. XD). BYE! :D

Dagur rowed as hard as he could, back to his armada. His arms ached. He knew he had bruises around his neck from where that stupid Hofferson girl nearly strangled him to death. He had a good sized slice on his arm and many, many bruises covering his face and ribs.

Rowing caused him pain. Thinking caused him pain. He couldn't do anything without feeling as though he was being strained beyond his limits and hurting in every place possible.

When he finally made it back to his ships, the last thing he wanted to do was yell at them to hoist down the rope ladder, and the very, very last thing he wanted to do was climb it afterwards, but he knew he didn't have a choice.

"YOU IDIOTS!" he shouted. "LOWER THE LADDER! I'M BACK!"

There were shouts from above, and an instant later, the ladder was lowered, and Dagur began climbing up it. His limbs screamed in protest, and he gritted his teeth against the pain that was overwhelming every other feeling he had. When he finally made it to the top, he leapt onto the deck with less grace than a terrified Nightmare.

Savage raced up to him. "Sire!" he said. "What happened? Did you kill him?"

Dagur wanted to throw Savage overboard just for asking something stupid like that. "NO!" he shouted, wiping sweat off his brow. "If I killed him, DO YOU THINK I WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS!?"

Savage yipped and sprang backwards. "I'm...I'm sor-"

"Spare me your apologies, PLEASE!" Dagur yelled angrily. "Set a course back to the islands outside Berk's archipelago! We need to finish building our fleet, and then, and only then, we will attack once more! And...this time...my brother won't be getting out alive."

He smiled darkly, and continued to smile while his men pulled back the anchors, and sailed back towards their new destination.

…

"It's official, lad. You're on the mend."

Astrid wanted to cheer from the rooftops as soon as Gobber translated Gothi's writing. It had been only a few days since Dagur's attack, and Hiccup was recovering steadily and quickly. The first few day hadn't been easy; he'd been too weak to sit up or even stay awake on his own for more than a few minutes, and whenever he moved, he hissed through his teeth or moaned in pain.

The days following the first one grew easier and easier. Hiccup built up more and more strength, and now, it was official. He was no longer in danger of dying from bloodloss. He was no longer in danger of a fever taking his life.

It was just like Gobber said.

He was on the mend.

Right now, Hiccup was sitting up on the edge of his bed with a blanket enveloped around him. Astrid sat beside him, her arm wrapped around his shoulders to help keep him supported. Although he was now officially on the mend, as Gobber put it, the bloodloss he had suffered made him feel colder than usual, and it also drained him of energy. He had more energy than he had had previously, but still, he wasn't fully recovered. He was still only recovering.

Hiccup raised a shaky fist into the air. "Whoo," he said. Although his tone was cheerful, his voice was weak and quiet. "I win."

Astrid shut her eyes and shook her head. Hiccup was such a dork, even when he was wounded. "Yeah," she said. "You win."

"I like it when I do that," Hiccup said.

Astrid smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I like it when you do, too."

Gothi scribbled more runes onto the sand scattered across the floor, and Gobber leaned over them, reading them carefully. "Ah, yes," he said. "She says she just wants ya to keep it queasy - OW!" He stumbled backwards when Gothi whacked Gobber with her staff, quickly double-checking the runes to discover his error. "Take it easy, she says!" Gobber corrected himself. "She just wants you to take it easy for another week or two until we can be sure that wound won't reopen."

"Which means," Astrid said, "no dragon riding, at all, until you've recovered, got it?" She tapped Hiccup's nose, and Hiccup rubbed where she tapped with the back of his hand.

"I don't wanna," Hiccup whined.

"You have to, laddie," Gobber said. "I sure ain't going against the words of a cranky old woman with a staff - Ouch! Again!?"

Astrid laughed. "Honestly though, Hiccup," she said. "As long as you rest, stay hydrated, and don't do anything strenuous, your recovery will be a fast one. You'll be up on Toothless' back kicking Dagur's behind and taking names before you know it."

Hiccup shut his eyes and sighed.

Astrid knew that, no matter how angry she became with Dagur, or how badly she wanted to kill him, Hiccup would never let her kill the deranged maniac. She wanted to kill him, so badly sometimes, but it wasn't the right thing to do, and she knew it. Hiccup didn't want her to kill him, and thereby, she didn't.

Not yet, anyways. He got off lucky when Astrid and he fought. He might not be so lucky the next time he and Astrid crossed weapons.

"So," Gobber said, "that's all, lad." He rested his one good hand heavily on Hiccup's shoulder. "Now go on and get some rest. Gothi wants to check up on you again tomorrow, just to make sure your condition doesn't worsen."

That was one fear that never left Astrid's mind. That was one fear that didn't come from Gothi's hypnosis. The fear of losing Hiccup was genuine, and it scared the living daylights out of Astrid. She didn't know what she would ever do without him.

As soon as Gobber and Gothi left the Haddock residence, Hiccup laid down again, and Astrid pulled another blanket over him. She thought about leaving him to let him rest...but no. She wouldn't leave him. Someone had to look after him, and who if not her?

"Thanks, Astrid, by the way," Hiccup murmured. "For...you know...being here. You don't...have to stay, of course-"

"I know I don't," Astrid rolled her eyes, "but you and I both know that I'm not leaving, so you might as well forget it. You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to."

She knew he didn't want to. She knew he appreciated her being there, or else he never would have thanked her in the first place. She let her remark hang in the air for a few more moments before she said, "You're welcome. And thank you, too."

Hiccup looked up at her, confused. "Why thank me?" he asked.

"Thank you for staying alive," she said. "Thank you for...not leaving me, either. I...I don't know what I'd do without you, Hiccup. You have to be more careful. You were lucky this time. But...who knows. Next time, you might not be-"

"Hey," he cut her off, and she looked back at him. Hiccup smiled fainly. "Don't worry," he said. "Next time, I'll have you."

Astrid smiled faintly yet again. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "You'll have me, and I'll have you."

They settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by Hiccup's raspy breathing and the crackling of the fireplace downstairs.

It wasn't until much later that Hiccup spoke again. "Thank you, milady," he said.

Astrid smiled again; she seemed to do a lot of that when she was around Hiccup. "You're welcome, Dragon Boy," she said back.

Author's Notes:

I wasn't really disappointed by any of the Race to the Edge episodes, but in honesty, "Big Man on Berk" was my least favorite out of all of them. One of my favorite parts was when Hiccup grabbed Snotlout's arm, shouting, "Snotlout, you fool!" That was pretty great. :)

And Ruffnut and Tuffnut's "Dr. Nut" scene in the beginning of the episode was pretty great, too. I loved Hiccup's face when Tuffnut said that Fishlegs was "scratching like a honey-covered yak on an anthill." Hiccup's expression was HILARIOUS. :D

And, one last thing: I couldn't help but remember…

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON:

Stoick: "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you."

BIG MAN ON BERK:

Stoick: "And my axe?"

Hiccup: "Um...also relocated."

Nice, Hiccup. Niiiiiice. XD

Until next story!

-BeyondTheClouds777