Note: alternate ending to season two. No clue if this will become smut or Not, will try to warn ahead of time.

Astrid always said he over thought everything he did. She always told him that he worried too much and not to worry about everyone else thought of him. Sometimes he had to agree but neither of them could have ever imagined this outcome. Okay, so not all of Hiccup's plans worked. He knew that. Hel, they all knew that, but never had anything ever gone spiralling this far out if control. Heather had warned them Viggo Grimborn was a brilliant strategist, and not a brute warrior like his brother Ryker. She had warned them, but she hadn't been prepared for just how clever the man was. She had managed to escape him once. The second time she wasn't so lucky.

It had all happened so fast. The Hunters had captured the Flightmare. They had obviously dealt with the species before. While Dagur and the Berserker were intrigued and many taken down by the glowing dragon with ease, the Hunters were not as easily distracted, and led by Ryker, they captured the dragon with surprising ease.

Hiccup was devastated. He had tried to protect the dragon like so many others but failed. He stared at the Flightmare in utter shock before a decision was made. It was reckless and dangerous...and completely taken out of his hands when Heather and Windshear whipped past him to attack the ship.

"Heather, no!" Astrid yelled but didn't go after her friend. She didn't get a chance.

Hiccup and Toothless went after the rogue Berserker, unsure if they were doing so to protect her or free the Flightmare or both. The other riders followed suit.

It was a mistake.

The Hunters were waiting. They knew the riders would try to free the Flightmare and acted accordingly. Windshear was taken down with surprising ease. She and Heather were quickly captured. Toothless barely banked in time or he and Hiccup would have been tangled in a net as well.

"Heather!" Dagur yelled, seeming genuinely surprised at seeing his sister in irons. He punched the nearest Hunter, knocking the man away from her. But he didn't free her. He simply stared at her in confusion and betrayal.

Hiccup knew better than to trust the Berserker chief. He knew Dagur cared for no one but himself. He guided Toothless toward the Berserker, intent on saving Heather. His focus was solely on Dagur and ending their feud once and for all. If Dagur had not escaped...if Dagur had not teamed up with the Hunters, none of this would be happening now.

There was a shout to his left and Toothless jerked away from him. Hiccup tried to keep him on course but a moment later Dagur was shutting and had pulled Heather down to the deck and was protectively covering her with his body. A split second later Fishlegs and Meatlug crashed onto the deck, tangled in a dragon proof net.

"No!" Hiccup shouted, now torn between which of his friends to save.

Toothless shot upward to escape yet another net and Hiccup had no choice but to hold onto his best friend for dear life, but they didn't get high enough. The Nightfury gave a cry as his hind quarters were hit by dragon root arrows. He began to falter, his wings becoming sluggish and movements erratic and before Hiccup could do anything they were follow toward the ships below.

The surprise and shock quickly wore off as Hiccup reached for the clip that tethered him to his dragon. He didn't want to leave Toothless but he knew they stood a better chance separated. Toothless was not a large dragon by any means but he was falling fast and if he hit the water back first Hiccup could be crushed. Not only that but there was no way Hiccup could remove the arrows while tethered.

"It's okay, bud, it's okay," he promised, noticing who Toothless seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. There was no way to bring him out of it and they were falling too fast. They would hit the water before he could possible get to the arrows.

There was shouting all around them. Astrid and Stormfly were racing toward them. Hiccup was torn between reaching out to her to and leaving Toothless. Stormfly would grab the ebony dragon but it still felt wrong.

That decision, like so many others that day, was taken from him when bolas shot past his him then a heavy net ensnared dragon and rider. Their trajectory suddenly changed as they were yanked toward the lead ship but they didn't land on it, instead they crashed against the side before hitting the water. Hiccup gasped as the back of his head connected painfully against the haul, moments before plunging into the cold sea. His vision blurred but he clung to the wire net and fought to keep his and Toothless's heads above water. Unconscious, the dragon was weighing them down, pulling the net and Hiccup further under the water. They would be dragged under the ship and drown at this rate.

The other riders dove under the water to get to them but with arrows cutting through the water from every angle, it was as if there was a barrier that not even the dragons could break through. All Hiccup could do was stare out between the net at his friends as they were forced to go up for air.

His own air supply was becoming increasing limited as he fought to hold his breath, praying and hoping one of his friends would reach them. His chest burned and eyes stung until his last breath finally escaped him...or so he thought.

A moment later he was choking in big gulps of air as the net was pulled out of the water and he and Toothless were dumped onto a deck.

"Secure the Nightfury!" he heard Ryker yell before finding a hand around his throat and being yanked to his feet.

Hiccup couldn't fight, he was still trying to catch his breath which had become increasingly difficult with a large meaty hand wrapped around his throat. He barely even noticed the stinging in his right hip. It was a minor thing that had yet to register in his mind.

Ryker dragged him back to the edge of the ship. The remaining riders had it surrounded but it was Astrid Ryker faced off with. It seemed inly right. She was Hiccup's second in command and had already faced off against Ryker countless times before.

"Surrounded or I break his neck," the large man ordered, squeezing Hiccup's throat until the youth's eyes crossed and face turned a dark shade of red.

Nonetheless, Hiccup shook his head. He didn't want Astrid to surrender. He wanted them to flee to Berk and get reinforcements.

"What did I tell you about hurting him?" Dagur suddenly demanded, surprising Ryker.

Normally Hiccup would use such a distraction to his advantage but he could barely breath let alone escape.

Ryker glared at Dagur for a moment before drawing a knife and switching his hold so that he had an arm around Hiccup and the knife at his throat. "Your sister betrayed us, whose to say you're not next?"

"The agreement was you get the dragons and I get Hiccup and the Nightfury," Dagur said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Aye, and that arrangement has changed," Ryker countered.

Now able to breath, Hiccup began to feel the injuries he had sustained. His head stung as did his right hip. His vision kept going in and out and his body felt boneless, as if he was noodle hanging from Ryker's arm. He tried shaking his head and nausea filled him. It almost caused him to black out.

"Astrid, go..." he slurred, but the words were barely a whisper.

"Let them go, Ryker!" Astrid ordered.

Hiccup tried shaking his head. "Go!"

And then what little strength he had left suddenly gave out as his vision blacked out and knees buckled. He felt the sting of the blade against his throat but couldn't control his fall.

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed.

Ryker managed to pulled the knife away before any serious injury occurred, but the riders didn't immediately notice that. He stowed his blade away and caught Hiccup before he hit the ground but Dagur grabbed the riders' leader and pulled him into his own arms to inspect him.

"Whoa! He's fine!" he yelled at Astrid as the girl's Nadder fired upon them. "He fainted...just a nick. He's fine. See? Breathing."

Hiccup indeed gave a raspy breath. Only a thin red line showed where Ryker's blade had cut him without actually slicing his throat open. Dagur held him protectively against his chest as he knelt on the deck with him and began probing him for other injuries.

"Enough of this childishness," a cool voice ordered.

Dagur looked up, surprised when Viggo stepped onto the deck.

Viggo gave Hiccup a curious look before glancing up at Astrid and the remaining riders. "Three of your number and their dragons have been captured, including your leader, who appears injured. You can surrender peacefully and we will tend to his wounds or you can flee and get your chief. Either way Stoick the Vast and I will have words about your transgressions into our territory and attacks on my men. Whether it be peaceful or war is now your decision, my dear. As if whether or not young Hiccup here receives medical attention or not."

If there was ever a way to stop Astrid it was through Hiccup. Her face paled as she stared at his limp body in Dagur's arms and the strange look of concern and worry on the normally deranged Berserker as the fingers of one hand almost danced over Hiccup's body, pausing only when finding something disconcerting. They were enemies and Astrid didn't trust him further than she coukd throw a Rumblehorn, but his obsession over Hiccup also gave a certain amount of safety. He glanced at Astrid and his eyes said it all; Hiccup needed a Healer.

Her shoulders fell as she glanced toward Snotlout and the Twins. They looked to her for direction, but she had none to give.

"He looks pretty banged up," Tuffnut said, maybe a little too loudly since Viggo glanced toward him.

Ruffnut chewed her lower lip in indecision before sighing and agreeing with her brother.

"You've got the fastest dragon," Snotlout pointed out. "You can get to Berk and bring back help. He'll be okay."

Astrid had a pained look when she looked back at Hiccup. "We don't know that," she breathed. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly. "What guarantee do we have that you won't hurt him or our dragons?" she demanded of Viggo.

The dark hair man smiled up at her. "My dear, all I can give is my word. My men will not harm any of you as long as you surrender peacefully."

"And Hiccup?"

"I will care for your leader personally," he promised. "I have no interest in harming him or any of you. All I want is what is rightfully mine."

For a moment the riders were confused then dawning set in. "The Dragon Eye," Snotlout grumbled. He rolled his eyes. "All this over some stupid trinket? It's in his saddle bag."

"Snotlout!" Astrid snapped.

"What? That's what he wants then let him have it. It's not worth Hiccup's or any or our lives," he shot back. He was the first to land on the deck. His eyes darkened as the Hunters surrounded him and Hookfang. "You got what you wanted so let my friends go."

The Dragon Eye was indeed in Toothless's saddle bags. One of Viggo's men handed it to him with a victorious grin. Viggo accepted it, taking only a moment to examine it before nodding to his men.

"I have indeed, but your freedom was not part of the bargain, only your safety," the man purred. He left Snotlout and Hookfang as his men captured them as well and strolled to Dagur. "Come, he needs treatment before infect sets in. Take him to my chamber. Ryker, have someone fetch clean water and linens," he instructed. "Oh, and do make sure to separate the riders and their dragons amongst all the ships. I don't any two on the same ship or able to work together. Then we'll head to Berk. Stoick and I will have words about his son and riders."

Reluctantly, Dagur stood. Hiccup's long, lanky form hung from his arms, a stark reminder than the Hooligan was no longer a small teen but a tall young man, still absurdly light, almost weightless. He carried Hiccup to Viggo's chambers, not trusting the man but fearful that this time Hiccup might have actually been seriously hurt - and not due to their personal vendetta but that of Ryker's. If that was the case Ryker would die. Not only had the man threatened harm against Heather but he may have also seriously harmed Hiccup and that was a no-no in Dagur's books. The Hunters could do what they wanted with the other riders. No one touched Heather or Hiccup but him.