A/N: Sorry for the wait for this chapter, I had to make sure that the next few chapters all flowed together well before posting an update. I appreciate all of you for reading and following my story!

More of "What Lies Beneath" will be coming too, for those of you following that story as well, I just wanted to complete a story arc for "Deviation" first. Stay safe out there!

—

Bonding

Chiefing was easier when Hiccup had useful, albeit messy and scatter-brained, notes for her to follow. This was the first time that Astrid had been left to chief the village on her own. Granted, she was taking advantage of Gobber's offer of assistance and even leaning on her parents a little if she needed some advice on something. It was a challenge and it was a job that she preferred to do alongside Hiccup, but she faced challenges head-on, and she would be successful.

That had been her attitude the first couple days.

Then she found herself running around Berk, chasing rogue chickens. One of the Deadly Nadders from Valka's nest had decided it wanted to eat chickens from the coop for dinner. The Nadder had wrecked a chicken coop, scattering the birds, and causing chaos— chaos that the still settling nest-dragons didn't appreciate, and had put them on edge.

This was why Hiccup wanted those dragon stables finished so quickly, so they could keep the new dragons corralled and away from the village until they learned and adapted. Wild dragons were sometimes spooked by the loud sounds and the unfamiliarity of a busy village. They caused damage, went after livestock, played too roughly, made messes, tried to roost on the roofs of homes, and interfered with the trained dragons.

Wild dragons had no impulse control. Hiccup knew that, Astrid did too and would back her boyfriend and his decision to build new stables for as long as she lived.

Astrid felt a brief flare of annoyance at Valka who didn't understand Hiccup's decision to build the stables because she hadn't ever had to integrate dragons into Viking society. Hiccup knew what he was doing— and if only his plans could have been completed sooner, she wouldn't be covered in feathers and scratches, trying to catch chickens before they got themselves hurt... or eaten.

People were running around in the chaos too. Some were trying to capture chickens. Others were trying to keep their own dragons under control, giving them commands to stay, and keeping the trained ones from joining in. A few people were trying to prevent the wild dragons from causing further damage. With everything they were doing, they were getting no where.

Stopping to look around, Astrid wondered how she had been outdone by chickens. She wasn't entirely sure what to do. Rounding up sheep was easy enough, herding yaks too. But chickens scattered themselves and ran without sense. The few wild dragons that had been in the village were fearful and not acclimated to their environment. They were undoing some of the progress they had made in rebuilding the village.

Toothless suddenly appeared at her side, he had been another who had been helping Astrid with the chiefing. She had never worked so one-on-one with the Night Fury before, without Hiccup somewhere nearby. It was an interesting experience, to become closer to her betrothed's best friend and dragon companion. Of course she and Toothless got along well and cared about each other, but it was different working so closely with him and seeing just how much the dragon tried to communicate and be involved. Hiccup was certainly well practiced at reading his dragon, because Astrid often found it difficult to interpret exactly what the dragon was trying to say.

The Night Fury cooed at her and gestured with his head. When Astrid raised an eyebrow at the dragon, he bounced a few times, cooing again. She desperately wished for Hiccup to be there with her for the hundredth time that day. Hiccup could interpret what Toothless wanted. Maybe he could even teach her some Toothless-speak. Hiccup was helpful and useful, and she missed him already.

"I'm not sure what you're saying..." Astrid responded regretfully to Toothless, who huffed in annoyance— that emotion she was able to read correctly on the dragon's face. The Night Fury used his mouth, teeth retracted, to tug on her arm braces and lead her along with him.

As the two rounded the corner of a house, Astrid finally understood what he wanted when she saw Stormfly fighting with the Deadly Nadder that had started this whole thing. This was great.

"Stormfly! No!" Astrid ran over to her dragon while Toothless blocked the skittish, wild dragon from getting near Stormfly. "Calm down, girl."

The sky blue Nadder shook herself and focused on her rider, standing down from her aggressive stance. Astrid set her hands on her dragon's nose and rubbed it gently. "Good girl. I appreciate your trying to help, but Toothless will handle the other dragon."

Stormfly squawked her understanding, though she gave the other Nadder a quick glare. She had only been trying to prevent the guilty party from crashing through another chicken coop. Stormfly knew, she had been trained to only eat the chicken that her rider or another person gave her. The chicken coop was off limits.

Now that Stormfly was calmed, Astrid turned to see if Toothless needed help. He had his wings spread and was slowly backing the other Nadder away.

"Toothless? Are you good?" Astrid asked. The Night Fury gave a little roar but didn't turn to look at her, continuing to herd the troublemaker toward the underground stables.

Astrid briefly wondered about how Toothless had managed to get all the dragons to follow him during the battle with Drago, but now had to solve spats between those dragons, individually, and on a daily basis. The Bewilderbeast could make the dragons do anything that he wanted and they would have to listen. She supposed that Toothless didn't have those types of mind powers. He got the dragons on his side by standing up to their suppressor and freeing them, by doing what was right. Now he led a nest of dragons in the same way Chief Stoick led an island of irritable Vikings, by problem solving and trying to get his people to get along and work together. Toothless did not control the dragons, he led them. He was also still new to all of this, and was doing everything he could to help Astrid out. She would try to give Toothless some pampering and his favorite fish later, and also take him for a nice flight.

"Astrid!" A voice called from behind her and she readied herself to deal with some angry person who had complaints about how she was running Berk. She hadn't had to deal with people like that yet, but she figured it was a matter of time at this point, before they started nagging her. She turned around, surprised at who was running toward her.

"Tuff?" She asked incredulously. "What? I'm busy trying to prevent Ragnarok from coming in the form of rampant chickens."

Tuffnut chuckled. "That's hilarious." Then he got serious. "I can help with the chicken problem."

"...how?" Astrid gave him a suspicious look, remembering what happened last time he and Ruffnut 'helped.'

"I'm good with chickens, remember? I know how to handle them. You just focus on calming down the wild dragons and leave the chickens to me." Tuffnut said confidently. When Astrid still seemed uncertain, he continued. "Remember last time we had to work together? You didn't think my ideas would work in defending Dragon's Edge, but they did. Trust me now."

"Alright, fine." Astrid gave in. "But you had better not make the situation worse, or you'll be sleeping with the chickens in that coop!"

Tuffnut glanced in the direction she was pointing, to a rather small chicken coop that looked in need of being cleaned out. "I promise."

As Tuffnut ran off to do whatever he had planned— Astrid had been afraid to ask— she looked around, assessing what was left to be taken care of.

Some of the nest-dragons had been in the village, getting acquainted with their new home, and had been startled by the destruction of the chicken coop and the scattering of said birds. Startled dragons, just like animals, tended to be a bit illogical. Causing destruction in their attempts to hide, lashing out at anything that looked to be a threat, and nearly impossible to calm down without someone getting hurt. Illogical, fearful dragons weren't always so good at listening.

"Stormfly, I need you to go to the underground stables and help calm the new dragons, okay?" Astrid knew that her dragon wasn't quite as intelligent as Toothless, but she was certainly smarter than most other dragons. She trusted her dragon companion to be helpful and was encouraged when her Deadly Nadder squawked and flew off in the direction of the stables.

Satisfied that her dragon was going to be obedient, Astrid took off for the Village Square. She was sure that there was a Scuttleclaw somewhere in that area causing problems. She would just look for dragon after dragon until they were all settled down and out of the village, then she would have to analyze the damage and decide what needed to be fixed first.

As she ran, she remembered a bit of advice Gobber had given her on her first day as interim chief. It was advice that he had said he was continually reminding Hiccup about— that a chief needs to delegate and can't possibly do everything on their own. But Astrid wasn't entirely sure who to delegate to. Everyone seemed to be doing something and she couldn't just tell them to drop what they were doing and do as she said because they were already trying to help. Normally, she would rely on her team, the Dragon Riders, but she hadn't talked to them since she had yelled at them and she wasn't so sure if she could rely on them, though it made her sad to think such things. Tuffnut had offered to help, but she wasn't even sure where the others were. They could help with frightened, wild dragons, they certainly had the experience, but she didn't think they would want to help her. She was sure that they were still mad at her and Hiccup.

"It's okay. Let's get you back to the underground stables."

As Astrid came to a stop in the Village Square, she was met with the sight of Fishlegs and Meatlug, luring the baby Scuttleclaw out from behind an upturned wagon that had been full of produce. She was surprised to see another one of her friends helping out, but also incredibly grateful.

"Fishlegs." Astrid carefully approached, not wanting to scare the Scuttleclaw into doing more damage.

"I've got this Astrid." Fishlegs said in a calm voice, all his attention still on the baby dragon. "Snotlout and Hookfang just stopped a dragon from destroying a house and Ruffnut tackled a Gronkle that was running around in fear and knocking into things. I think we've just about got them all."

"Wait, really?" Astrid looked around. She didn't see anymore wild dragons causing chaos. There were still chickens fluttering around, but less than before. Most of them were calm and pecking at a trail of golden feed that had been poured in a line throughout the streets of Berk. She raised an eyebrow, so Tuffnut's plan had worked.

"We really need to get those stables finished. These guys are having a hard time adjusting." Fishlegs said, now stroking the head of the Scuttleclaw, talking to Astrid as if there hadn't been some rift in their friendship recently.

"Yeah... We need to get the Academy up and running again and get these guys trained." Astrid replied. "If you guys have this under control, I'm going to take note of the damage and see if anyone was hurt."

"We've got it." Fishlegs assured her, and Astrid felt confidence in her team again.

—

A feeling of relief and a sense of optimism in her role as interim chief had Astrid in a good mood, and it was a nice change from the daunting feeling she'd had before. Astrid wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had been beginning to feel overwhelmed with the role of interim chief. Hiccup flourished at it— if only he would believe it— but she thought her leadership skills could use some work.

Astrid smiled as she walked through the Great Hall, greeting people as she went. She was heading for a table where her friends were sitting together and chatting. It was an inviting sight and she realized how much she missed them in her life, especially when she felt like she was mostly alone in her endeavor to chief the village. Gobber and her parents had been a big help, but that was different than having her friends and team at her side when that was what she was used to.

"Good job today, Astrid." Someone patted her on the back as she passed.

"Just imagine if we had to send word to Stoick that the village had been destroyed by chickens!" Someone teased, causing the others around him to laugh.

"Haha." Astrid said, but she was smiling. It seemed that the majority of the people were in good humor about today. They had all been very supportive and understanding, much to her surprise.

"We'll get those stables finished by tomorrow night!" Another Viking promised, eager to do his part to help out.

"That would be great, thank you." Astrid smiled wider. She loved her home and she loved her people. She felt supported by them and wished Hiccup could see how much faith they had in him as well. Sure, she and Hiccup were young and inexperienced at a lot of things, but they were learning and would make great leaders one day— everyone thought so and some had even told Astrid as much. Some people had even talked to her about Hiccup, expressing how they didn't think that the way he had been treated was right. They were on his side, they believed in him, and hoped the chief's family could work things out.

The smile fell from Astrid's face as she arrived and stood at the head of the table where her friends were sitting. They had all stopped talking when she had approached.

"Look... I still stand by what I said last time we all talked, but I'm sorry I was so harsh about it." Astrid decided to speak up first. "I yelled at you for not bringing your problems to us and talking things out, and made the miscommunication between all of us that much worse."

"Actually, I think I owe you and Hiccup an apology more than you guys owe us one." Snotlout said before anyone else could say anything. " I feel bad. I didn't want to hurt Hiccup, I just felt indignant at how things worked out. He's always trying to help me better myself and I always end up making things harder on him."

"You should tell him that, when he returns." Astrid told him. She wondered if Hiccup and his parents had arrived at Healer's Island yet, it would be awhile before Snotlout got his chance to talk to Hiccup.

"I will." Snotlout promised, surprising Astrid in his willingness to listen and admit to a wrong. He had matured a lot, even if his love for Ruffnut sometimes clouded his judgement.

"I think we could all benefit from having a talk when Hiccup returns..." Astrid said, thinking about all the things that Hiccup had confided in her. "He... is struggling, and I don't think all of you quite understand just how much. It doesn't help when the people he has come to rely on, as his team, aren't there for him when he needs the support."

"We're all sorry." Fishlegs spoke up next, and the others nodded in agreement. "We shouldn't have been so disloyal to Hiccup. He's our leader— of the Dragon Riders and of Berk someday. We want to support him."

"We're going to prove to him that we're still his team." Ruffnut added.

"And that he can trust in us to be there for him." Tuffnut added.

"That's good. I'm happy to hear that." Astrid finally sat down at the table, next to Ruffnut who was closest to her. "Because I've been missing you guys. You really saved me today."

"You can thank Chicken and her taste for high-quality feed." Tuffnut said. "She's really gained an expensive taste in her older years."

Astrid laughed. She missed this camaraderie. The only thing that would make this moment better would be if Hiccup was there with them. She really hoped that things would work out for Hiccup and his parents. She wanted them to be happy, she wanted Hiccup to be happy.

"So I was thinking..." Astrid said when the laughter had died down. "I could use your help with some things."

"What kind of things?" Snotlout asked with curiosity as opposed to instantly complaining about doing work like he usually did.

"The new dragon stables should be completed by tomorrow night, ideally." Astrid explained. "I need some experienced dragon riders to start up training at the Academy again. We need to train those dragons, if they want to stay here, and help them acclimate to life on Berk."

"We're bringing back the Dragon Academy?!" Fishlegs nearly squealed in excitement.

"I mean, I don't have the final word on anything, really." Astrid smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "But we should get started on things and see what Hiccup and Stoick think when they return."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Yay, school." Snotlout mocked, but he was smiling too, missing the days they spent together, learning about training dragons at the Academy.

"Why exactly did we stop the Dragon Academy in the first place?" Tuffnut asked. "That never made sense to me."

"Well, because Hiccup had taught us everything he knew about dragons." Astrid answered. "We all started doing our own things and then we went exploring with Hiccup and lived on Dragon's Edge. No one else could've really picked things up at the Academy and less people were interested in it back then. It used to be just us, the six Dragon Riders."

"Until you trained the A-Team." Ruffnut reminded her.

"Right, but they were only formed as backup, for when we weren't around to defend Berk with our Dragons." Astrid remembered. "And they've more or less disbanded. Not many people were willing to volunteer for and go through training for the A-Team back then, and the people we ended up with have other responsibilities. I mean, Gothi was part of the A-Team."

"She's one tough, old lady." Ruffnut complimented.

"So, what are you proposing, exactly?" Snotlout asked, sensing that there was more to Astrid's plan than just training some wild dragons.

"It's just that, back then, we were the only six participating in the Dragon Academy. Not everyone wanted to be flying around on dragons and learning to train them, even if they accepted them on Berk. They basically left all that to us. But since then, more people have bonded with dragons. More dragons have come to Berk. It's not how it used to be. Dragons are a permanent part of our lives now, and I think that it's about time we fully embrace that and enact some change." Astrid explained. "We have a Berk Guard, and some of the warriors have dragons that aren't really integrated into their training. We have us six Dragon Riders and possibly the A-Team, though we might need to recruit new members. I think we need to actually form a unit of Dragon Riders— more than just us— for the defense of Berk."

"That's... an interesting idea." Fishlegs commented. "It makes sense, especially after Drago."

"The Berk Guard weren't that useful on the ground against a massive dragon." Snotlout added. "And they can't always expect the six of us to be around to defend Berk on our own, especially when Hiccup becomes chief, he'll have other duties."

"That sounds like something that should have been done a long time ago." Ruffnut stated. "Why isn't it a thing yet?"

"Yeah, seriously." Tuffnut joined his sister. "Who's responsible for this lack of foresight?"

"Probably the ones in charge." Ruffnut answered her twin nonchalantly.

"Guys." Astrid glared at them. "Don't blame Hiccup and Stoick. The chief is traditional, Hiccup usually talks him into necessary change. This is all new, we're the leaders of a new era. Stoick wasn't raised in a time of peace with dragons and most of the people were unwilling to change their ways back then. It wasn't until a couple years later that more people started getting dragon companions of their own. More people would be willing to volunteer for it now. And besides, Hiccup... he's not really a... he wouldn't have..." She struggled to describe what she meant.

"Hiccup doesn't think like a warrior." Snotlout put it bluntly. "He wouldn't come up with an idea to train Vikings and dragons together as a regiment. He was more concerned with getting the two to live together in peace."

"...exactly." Astrid agreed, though she hesitated, not wanting to put Hiccup down.

"That's part of why you guys work so well as a team." Snotlout tried to make her feel better and Astrid appreciated the sentiment.

"Most of Hiccup's training for us involved aerial acrobatics and maneuvering. Our training was more about working with our dragons and becoming partners." Fishlegs said thoughtfully. "Though, he did expand into some defensive strategies back when Alvin was a threat and he got into battle strategies when we were up against Viggo. We still failed a lot. And with just the five of us, Berk was overrun by Krogan that one time."

"I think it would be a good idea to train more riders to fight alongside their dragons, not just rely on the dragons to fight for us." Astrid stated. "When we were trying to defend the Bewilderbeast's nest, and Stoick was so concerned about Drago attacking Berk. With a trained regiment of Dragon Riders, we could have met him out there to defend Berk. He wouldn't have made it here to terrorize our people and destroy our home."

"I mean... he was pretty strong and had a lot of dragons." Fishlegs doubted.

"That didn't stop Hiccup and Toothless." Astrid defended. "At any rate, such a decision is out of my hands. All I can do now is reopen the Dragon Academy, have you guys train dragons, and teach anyone who wants to, how to work with them effectively."

"We can do that." Ruff and Tuff said at the same time. Snotlout and Fishlegs agreed.

"Great! So then it's settled." Astrid said enthusiastically. "We will reopen the Dragon Academy."

—

The crackling and popping of the fire and the aroma of delicious food drew Valka from her sleep. As she opened her eyes, she could see her husband busying himself around their campsite. He had clearly built up the fire and started cooking breakfast. She smiled at the thought.

"Did the idea of my cooking motivate you to wake before me?" Valka asked as she sat up and stretched out her back. Stoick raised his eyebrows as he turned to his wife, not having noticed that she was awake.

"I've always been an early riser, it's you and Hiccup who are groggy monsters in the morning." Stoick chuckled.

"Is that so?" Valka joined in the laughter, looking around for the sleeping form of their son, but not finding him. "...where is Hiccup?"

Stoick set down what he was doing, looking a bit concerned. "He wasn't here when I woke up. I usually wake before him, so I assumed he would be back soon."

"How long has it been?" Valka became concerned too.

"Over and hour." Stoick answered. "This place is safe, I'm sure he's just exploring. That's what he likes to do."

"I suppose that could be it." Valka got to her feet and walked over to her husband. "But after what Astrid told us..."

"You really think he would still be doing that to himself? Astrid couldn't even say for sure that it ever happened." Stoick denied.

"Are you really going to deny that it's a possibility? You told me yourself, Hiccup was lonely and depressed. We can't say for sure what he would or wouldn't do in such a state." Valka argued back, overcome with a sudden worry for her son. "He's been acting so... odd, ever since we set sail. You have noticed, haven't you?"

Stoick nodded as he went back to preparing their breakfast. "I noticed. He doesn't ever seem to know what to say to us."

"Everything he does seems so... forced." Valka thought back on how Hiccup's interactions had been with them. "I think he's trying, though. He's trying to give us a chance, but it's hard for him."

"Yes, I think he's trying, so I don't think he's going to result back to..." Stoick paused as he fussed with their breakfast, still unable to grasp the idea that back then, Hiccup had had so much inner pain, that he had sought reprieve in the form of another kind of pain— a more physical kind. His own son had been hurting terribly and he had only added to it. The idea that he drove his own son to do such things, made Stoick feel like he was being stabbed in the heart. "I don't think Hiccup would do anything like that now. Not when he has a future with Astrid at stake and Toothless to go back to."

"I hope you're right." Valka sat down on the log that her husband had rolled in front of the fire the day before. She sat there in thought as Stoick finished cooking, before speaking up again. "Do you think we should talk to him about it?"

"...I don't know." Stoick admitted. "I don't think he would like that."

"What we're doing here isn't going to be easy, Stoick." Valka responded. "We're going to have to work through all the hard stuff, before anything can get better."

"Yes, that's true." Stoick agreed. "Maybe we can work up to the harder stuff and start with something smaller?"

"Like what?" Valka asked with interest. Stoick set the finished meal aside as he thought through his answer. There were plenty of things they could try to talk about, but he wasn't sure which they should start with. He was saved from answering as the sound of someone walking through the forest reached their ears.

They both looked up as Hiccup appeared, walking briskly through the trees and to their campsite. He seemed a little flustered, as if he was embarrassed for showing up when he did.

"Hiccup." Valka stood and greeted her son, relieved to see him. "Is everything alright? You've been gone for a while."

"Yeah, everything's fine." Hiccup responded, slightly out of breath. He had woken later than he intended. Surprisingly able to get a decent amount of sleep without reliving terrifying memories. Upon noticing the position of the sun, Hiccup had cursed himself for oversleeping and rushed back to the campsite, hoping that his parents hadn't been awake for too long.

"Out exploring, were you?" Stoick asked, starting the task of serving breakfast now that everyone was present.

"Uh, yeah." Hiccup answered, taken aback when he realized that he wasn't going to have to stumble through some kind of excuse for his absence all night. He had been exploring, that was true, but Hiccup knew that if he had to explain he would end up getting flustered and make them think that he was lying.

"You must have gotten up early." Stoick continued casually as he handed some food to his wife.

"...I got a lot of sleep while we were sailing here." Hiccup avoided the fact that he hadn't slept at the campsite with them. His parents didn't seem to have noticed, which was good. Though it still managed to make Hiccup feel a pang of sadness, remembering how they hadn't even noticed he wasn't going home at night anymore, back on Berk.

"Well, did you find anything interesting out there?" Valka asked, gesturing for Hiccup to join her on the log as Stoick served him some breakfast as well. Hiccup hesitated for a moment, before sitting next to her.

He thought of the trap he had stumbled upon. That had certainly been interesting. He wondered if he should tell them about it. They would probably think it was insignificant, a trap set for hunting, big deal. Maybe his dad would lecture him about being more careful.

Hiccup decided not to mention it and awkwardly sat there in silence instead, holding his food and looking down. Gods, why was he so bad at social interaction all of a sudden? He would have been better off dangling from the trees in that trap. At least then he would have been spared this embarrassing interaction with his parents. The question was still lingering in the air and he was still sitting there in silence, staring at his food and not answering. He felt pressured to say something, but wasn't sure how to answer. He could feel their questioning gazes on him and cursed himself for being unable to act normally. He was supposed to be convincing them that there wasn't a problem, and he was failing miserably.

"No." Hiccup finally answered, albeit very softly. He picked at his food, but didn't eat it. He felt the heat on his face from his embarrassment. He felt like he was on the spot, and didn't like the attention. He wished that he could disappear. He wanted his heartbeat to slow down and stop echoing in his head. They were analyzing him, watching him closely, and he felt so exposed and self-conscious.

"You must not have gotten very far then." Stoick responded, deciding not to comment on his son's odd behavior, though it made him sad to see his son so uncomfortable around him and Valka. "I can show you some of the places my father and I used to go."

The overwhelming and suppressing feelings only grew at Stoick's words, adding a swirl of anger to the mix. "No." Hiccup said again, forcing the word out as he closed his eyes tight. He was a mess and he was going to give himself away if he didn't calm down.

Hiccup felt like he should have said yes, he would love to go visit those places where his dad and grandfather used to spend time together. If he had said yes, then Hiccup wouldn't have to explain himself— his parents wouldn't want to know why he had said no. Did they know how he felt? That he felt resentment that Stoick had never wanted to go on those father-son trips with him? That he felt unloved and unwanted.

Stoick met his wife's eyes at Hiccup's reaction. He hadn't ever seen Hiccup act this way before and it was scaring him. He could see the question in Valka's eyes— what should we do? Their son was sitting on the log, eyes closed, and trying to control his breathing. Stoick would have thought his son was injured if he hadn't already been aware of his son's emotional pain. Something they had said had caused Hiccup to react this way.

"Hiccup... I'm sorry if I said something that hurt you." Stoick decided to start with an apology, though, thinking back on the conversation since Hiccup had returned, he couldn't imagine what he had done wrong.

Hiccup finally opened his eyes again and his breathing seemed to have normalized, but now he looked nervous and he still didn't answer.

"Are we... maybe we're pressuring you too much." Valka tried to find a way to get through to Hiccup. This was the kind of thing they needed to work through. If something was wrong, they needed to address it, not brush it aside. And something was clearly wrong, based off of Hiccup's bout of anxiety at such a simple conversation. She suddenly remembered the chamomile that Hiccup had wanted the day before and decided to retrieve it and make him some tea. She had thought that he might have wanted it for his amputated leg, but now she was thinking that he had known he would need it for something else— keeping his nerves while interacting with her and Stoick. The thought saddened her.

Hiccup was mortified that he had let his emotions out in such force, and in front of his parents. He had allowed Astrid and Toothless in, but he wasn't willing to completely open himself up to anyone else— especially not the two people he was pretty sure would be happier without him, and the mess he was causing in that moment most likely wasn't helping the situation any. His mom was setting to work making tea out of his chamomile and his father was trying to comfort him. He felt incredibly embarrassed. They were fussing over him now, trying to prove that they cared... but Hiccup didn't think it was something that should necessarily be proved, it should be shown in little but meaningful ways, consistently, always. In that way, it showed more proof than anything they could do for him now, out of some sense of obligation to their son.

They felt like they had failed him, and Hiccup couldn't disagree with that, but he also couldn't do much to help them with it either. He couldn't just change how he felt, how he had always felt. Neglecting him, abandoning him, saying that they wanted to be a loving family but then do nothing about it— the past told him something very different than what they were trying to prove now. They hadn't cared about him, he hadn't ever been what they wanted, they didn't love him. Apologies had stopped ringing true.

Guilt started to ebb its way inside, mingling with all the other complicated emotions. He didn't want to make his parents feel bad. He didn't want them to hurt on his account. Hiccup didn't want to be like the people who had cast him aside, shredded any sense of self-worth he had possessed, and looked down on him in disdain. He wouldn't ever hurt anyone in the same ways that he had been hurt. So, he would stamp down on his feelings, harder this time, and they wouldn't overflow and attack him like they had just done— not again.

It was getting harder to bury his feelings. They just kept piling up, but he was going to try and move forward like he always did. It had worked after the Red Death, it could work again for him now.

His dad just wanted to show him some places he had pleasant memories from. Hiccup could look at them and be supportive. It would make his dad happy to remember his father. Hiccup didn't want Stoick to feel unhappy or rejected on his account.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." Hiccup finally spoke, trying to make his voice sound normal, but unable to prevent it from wavering a bit.

"If there's something you need to say, Hiccup, that's why we're here." Stoick insisted, hoping his son would finally open up to him instead of continually holding back.

If Hiccup hadn't felt tired before, he was certainly feeling it now. He suddenly felt very drained. He just wanted to crawl under a blanket and sleep so he could escape, maybe wake up back in the cove with Astrid and Toothless by his side. Wouldn't that be great.

Once again, his parents were waiting for him to answer and Hiccup was getting very fed up with this back and forth between them. They spoke so readily, meanwhile it took him a lot of effort to come up with a single sentence, or a single word. It seemed unfair.

What if... what if he just told them one thing that was bothering him? Something small. Then they might be satisfied and leave him alone. It could be worth it. It might just be his only means of escape from all the unwanted attention.

The thought of having to deal with this sort of thing for several more days threatened to overwhelm him. Feeling like it was his only option, Hiccup decided to ask a question.

"Why did we never go on father-son trips like you are your father?" Hiccup asked, looking down at his untouched food. He would speak, but he didn't have to make eye contact. He was afraid of what he would see if he did. Annoyance? Frustration? Anger?

Stoick blinked in surprise before mentally reprimanding himself. He had offered to show Hiccup the places where he and his father had bonded. That was when Hiccup had seemed the most upset. Why hadn't he considered that? Stoick felt truly blind to his son's pain, he couldn't even see how all these things had affected his son over time. He hadn't wanted to rub it in his son's face or make him feel like he hadn't been worth his time.

Valka returned to Hiccup's side with some chamomile tea, offering it to him quietly. As Hiccup accepted it, Valka gave her husband a pointed look. He needed to answer their son's question, and soon.

"I always imagined I would keep up that tradition with my own son one day." Stoick started, not sure if he really had a reason for not going with Hiccup that his son would like. "But as you got older, it seemed clear that you weren't interested in the same things as me."

Valka set a supportive hand on Hiccup's shoulder and he did his best not to react to it, though he felt like shying away. He didn't expect his father to have a good answer, he already knew why his dad didn't want to spend time with him. If his parents didn't like him now, then his father must have really despised him before.

When Hiccup didn't respond negatively, or really at all, Stoick continued. "I didn't think you would be interested in going with me to Healer's Island for a week of fishing and hunting. You didn't even like those things when I took you, on Berk. You were eager to learn to fight back then, but it was clear that it wasn't your thing."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at that. His father was right about the fishing and hunting. He had never taken to those things. However, when it came to fighting, Hiccup had been interested because it was what was excepted of him. He didn't necessarily dislike sparring or learning combat, he did it often with Astrid. But Astrid was a better teacher than anyone else who had ever worked with him.

"What is it?" Valka asked, noticing Hiccup's response. Hiccup wanted to smack himself for reacting enough for his mom to notice. Now he had to participate again. "We're here to figure these things out, so if you have something to say, please do."

Hiccup sighed, having the urge to roll his eyes, though he didn't. "Ever think I could have excelled at fighting if you had worked with me more and had patience?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that too." Stoick answered regretfully. "At the time, I didn't have faith in your abilities. My trips here with my father were all about those things, or so I thought. We hunted, we fished, and we sparred." Stoick paused, looking down for a moment, saddened by memories of his own father. If his own father could see how horrible of father he had become, he would be disappointed for sure. "Now, I see those trips were about more than practicing certain skills. They were about bonding as father and son and taking the time to get to know each other. He gave me that time with him to show me that despite his duties as chief and to his people, I was just as important to him. That he loved me."

That was not the direction Hiccup had thought this conversation would go. He suddenly felt sorrow that he had never know his grandfather. He felt grief on his dad's behalf. Hiccup might not feel particularly loved by his own dad, but he couldn't bare the thought of losing him either. He loved his dad, even if he didn't think the feelings were reciprocated. That was part of why this was all so difficult and utterly painful, why it had always been.

Hiccup, ever striving to please the father he looked up to and loved, to no end— to have that relationship with his father that he missed, from when he was a young child. The father Stoick had been back then had supported and comforted him. Had showed his love and taught with patience. Had told stories and believed in him. What happened to that father?

Hiccup had thought that he had gotten that father back, after he had lost a limb and almost died. However, it seemed that Hiccup had been fooling himself. Or perhaps Valka's return had reminded his dad what was of actual importance to him, and it wasn't Hiccup, it wasn't his son.

"I didn't think we would have a good time together, on a trip like that." Stoick confessed. "I thought that maybe when you were older we could go. Then, all we did was argue and the last thing I thought we needed was time together on an island, with only each other for company."

That stung. Though Stoick was probably right.

"I was wrong though. That was probably what we did need." Stoick continued, surprising Hiccup again.

"...to murder each other while trapped on an island together?" Hiccup let the sarcasm slip before he could stop himself. His eyes widened. Oops.

Stoick laughed. Not just a chuckle, but an actual laugh. "That would have gotten us sparring then, wouldn't it?"

Valka hadn't known how to respond. Had things really been that bad back then? Stoick hadn't taken offense and Hiccup seemed to understand why they hadn't spent quality time together, even if it had probably been what they needed.

"We didn't get along back then... I don't think forcing ourselves to spend time together would have done much." Hiccup admitted. He wasn't sure if what he had said was true. There was always a chance that they would have managed to break through the barriers in their relationship and form a bond, but chances were that they would have fought and grown further apart. Hiccup had used to avoid his dad for a reason.

"That's not what's bothering you though." Stoick observed with a rare moment of insight. "It wasn't because I didn't love you Hiccup, I promise you that. I was also terrified of losing you. Taking you on a trip like that seemed like taking a lot of risks. We weren't at peace with dragons back then. My father and I were able to defend ourselves readily enough, but after losing your mother in the way I did..." He looked to Valka, who wasn't actually lost to them. "I couldn't bare the thought of being unable to protect you and losing you too."

This talk really hadn't gone the way Hiccup had been expecting. He thought he would receive a less-than-satisfactory answer, pretend to accept it, then finally move on from the intense atmosphere. What he hadn't expected was to see his dad open up and show such vulnerability. It made him question how his dad felt about him— if his feelings of love were hidden under layers of fear and regret. He wanted to believe that his dad loved him, that Hiccup hadn't done something to make his dad suddenly change his mind and neglect him because he realized that he wasn't good enough. Hiccup's relationship with his father seemed so inconsistent and confusing, which didn't help when he was trying to figure out how his dad really felt about him.

However, the sincerity Stoick was showing right now— that helped. So, Hiccup gave his dad a small smile of encouragement. He didn't resent the fact that they hadn't gone on father-son bonding trips together. Not anymore, at least. He hadn't thought that talking about something that had been bothering him would help— and it had been painful and hard for sure— but he felt... a little better. Bonding with his parents for real, as opposed to pretending that things were fine, seemed a little more possible.

—

Becoming friendly with the head carpenter had been a good idea, Eret thought— Hiccup had been right. Since Eret had helped out the head carpenter, Svend, with the stables, his new friend had helped him get started on a house of his own, now that the stables were far enough along that they should be completed by the end of the day.

"Amethyst, will you hold that piece up for me?" Eret asked his Deadly Nadder as he prepared to hammer some nails into the piece of wood. The dragon readily agreed, having been eager to help her new rider in any way that she could. At times, even being a little overeager and getting in the way. "Thank you, Ames, I couldn't ask for a better assistant."

Since most of Berk's workers were focused on the new dragon stables and Eret hadn't made a lot of new friends yet, he found himself mostly working on his own. He was grateful to Svend for helping him draw out some plans and set out orders for the wood he would need and to Gobber who had given him tools and supplies from the forge, promising to help out when he could.

Honestly, Eret was just happy to be allowed to build a house on Berk at all. He hadn't been sure, at first, if he would be accepted. However, Hiccup had been friendly to him and had trusted him with taking on important tasks, and others had noticed.

He didn't mind taking the time to build his own house and he was happy to know a few more people on Berk. Though, building houses wasn't necessarily a skill he possessed. He was a hard worker and had learned a decent amount in the time he had been working closely with Svend on the stables. Eret was confident that his house would look like a house... in the end.

"Are you sure you don't want to... ask for a better assistant?" Someone interrupted Eret before he could start pounding nails into the wood. When he looked behind him, he was surprised to find the Dragon Riders, Hiccup's... friends. At least, they had been Hiccup's friends.

"Yeah, the frame for your house doesn't look too sturdy." Ruffnut added to her brother's comment.

Eret wasn't quite sure how to interact with these people. They had worked together with the whole Drago incident. He had thought they could all be friends someday, but they hadn't treated Hiccup all that well lately and seemed to resent the former dragon trapper for befriending their leader. Hiccup had welcomed him, had offered his friendship before anyone else. Eret would remain loyal to Hiccup.

"We're offering to help you." Snotlout clarified.

"...why?" Eret asked, suspicious despite himself.

"Well, because you mean something to Hiccup, and Hiccup is our friend." Fishlegs answered.

"Is he though?" Eret wanted to be touched by Fishlegs' words, but hadn't been impressed by these four people as of late. He had been told a lot about Hiccup's past by Gobber and it didn't sound like Hiccup had had friends for the majority of his life. He also remembered the conversation he had shared with his new friend, when Hiccup had told him how hard he had to work to have friends at all.

"Yes!" Snotlout shouted back with unexpected passion. "We messed up, okay? But Hiccup is our leader and friend and he means a lot to us."

"We wanted to thank you, actually." Ruffnut added.

"For being a good and supportive friend to Hiccup when we weren't." Tuffnut finished his sister's thought.

"...really?" Eret raised an eyebrow at them, not having expected such kind words. "I thought you guys resented me for being his friend."

"Maybe we did, at first." Snotlout decided to take the lead, feeling as if a lot of what happened was because of him. Hiccup had once told him that he could make a good leader if he tried harder and bettered himself. Snotlout hadn't been sure if being a leader had been what he really wanted at the time. It was so much responsibility and it took a lot of work. However, he was determined to make that effort now. "But that was selfish of us. Hiccup is allowed to have other friends. The truth is... that we felt like we were being looked over and passed up for someone he thought was better. We didn't think Hiccup was being a good friend to us, but he was just being the impartial leader he had to be. It's Hiccup, of course he cares about us. But you've been a better friend to him in the past few weeks than I've ever been in five years."

"I'm sure that's not true." Eret felt the need to reassure Snotlout.

"No, it is." Ruffnut said with a mischievous smile. "You're better than Snot."

"Thanks, Ruff." Snotlout grumbled, though he knew the twin was just teasing him. "If you really mean that much to Hiccup, as a friend, than we should be making the effort to get along with you and accept you."

"Hiccup's a good judge of character." Fishlegs agreed. "He has befriended a lot of people, even past enemies."

"That... means a lot, thank you." Eret finally smiled, accepting their apologies. "But if you want to help, you've got your work cut out for you. I'm a fisherman and a former dragon trapper. My house was supposed to be more... symmetrical."

"You mean you weren't going for a more abstract look?" Tuffnut tilted his head as he examined the frame of the house. "I thought that was a design choice."

"These are the plans." Eret held out some technical drawings and Fishlegs took them and examined them.

"Hmm... yeah, so... you were... close." Fishlegs didn't want to insult the person he was trying to befriend.

"Hiccup was going to help me, but... you know." Eret knew that his house was looking pretty sad right now. He was determined to give it a try. He had learned a lot from Svend, under his direction, but that was different than reading technical drawings and translating it to a physical form, on his own.

The group fidgeted at the mention of Hiccup. Of course, despite his busy schedule and apparent build up of stress, Hiccup had planned on helping Eret build a home and settle in. That was the kind of person he was, selfless and ever helpful. He often put others' needs above his own. Hiccup had been doing what he had to, for the best of Berk, even though it meant reprimanding his friends and giving the more important tasks to those who had proven their abilities. Honestly, after working with Hiccup for so long, they should have become a better team. They should have become more supportive of their leader. They knew Hiccup well, yet continued to do things that got on his nerves or made things harder for him. And Hiccup continued to give them more and more chances, forgiving them and loving them anyway.

Eret hadn't done any of those things. He had become a supportive and loyal friend in a short amount of time. He offered his assistance and support. He made things easier for Hiccup and worked with him well, respecting his authority and not taking advantage of his kindness. Giving just as much as he received from their friendship. No wonder Hiccup had trusted in Eret so quickly and easily.

"I was hoping to be able to talk to him, before he left." Eret continued when the others suddenly started looking morose. "But he was gone by the next morning. They sure did leave in a hurry."

"Astrid said that they didn't want to cause anymore trouble, that it was best that they go somewhere to work things out where they could have some privacy and no distractions." Fishlegs explained.

"We were hoping to talk to him too." Snotlout added quietly.

"Well, there will be plenty of time for that, when he returns." Eret tried to lighten the mood. "Isn't that right, Amethyst?"

The purple Nadder squawked, dropping the piece of wood she had been holding.

"You've made impressive progress with your Nadder." Fishlegs commented.

"Hiccup and Astrid were training me when they had time." Eret said proudly. "Amethyst here makes it easy. She's good at listening." The Nadder squawked again and spread her wings. "And she responds very well to positive reinforcement. She loves compliments."

"You know, we're about to reopen the Dragon Academy." Fishlegs said thoughtfully. "I'm sure we could use more help."

"The Dragon Academy?" Eret asked in confusion.

"It's where we train dragons and teach others how to work with them as a team." Fishlegs explained in more detail. "Hiccup used to be in charge of it, he trained us to work with our dragons and to be able to train them on our own. But the school was shut down for a while, because he had taught us everything, and we went off to explore. Now Astrid wants to open it up again, because we have so many more dragons to train."

"A dragon school, that's interesting." Eret hadn't ever thought such a thing existed, but then he had only recently figured out that dragons weren't what he thought they were.

"You should join us at the Academy!" Tuffnut said with enthusiasm.

"We could continue your training, and then you could help us train the wild dragons." Ruffnut suggested.

"I would like that." Eret smiled again, feeling more accepted. He wanted to find his niche and become a part of Berk. He wanted this to be his home. With the help of Hiccup's friends, it was starting to seem more possible. They were going to help him build his house and give him a place at the Dragon Academy. Things were looking up for him.

—

That night, as they all settled down to sleep, the fire hardly more than little licks of flame and burning coals, Hiccup realized that things felt a little more... natural. All day, as they had hiked around and gathered a few herbs and plants to take back to Berk with them, he hadn't been overthinking every action or analyzing every part of the conversation and trying to formulate a response. It had been the most relaxed he had been since they had left on this trip.

It had been nice.

This was what he wanted. To be with his family, to be a family. It suddenly seemed more possible then it had before. All because he had opened up about one little thing and the world had not come crumbling down around him. Hiccup wondered if he had been doing things wrong all this time. Burying his feelings, pretending the past hadn't hurt him as bad as it had, all that had been overwhelming and seemingly impossible to deal with. So he hadn't.

Things had seemed a little easier today, one of the things that had been weighing on him, was no longer bothering him. That obstacle between his and Stoick's relationship was gone. There was a lot more stuff they had to make their way through, that was for sure, and a lot more stuff that Hiccup had bottled up inside. But Hiccup allowed himself just a sliver of hope.

Hiccup's continuous thoughts were preventing him from sleeping and as he turned over after laying in the same position for so long, he briefly entertained the thought of going for another moonlit walk.

As Hiccup turned over, he noticed as his unexpected movement seemed to have disturbed something further back in the tall grass, just to the side of their campsite. Confused and suddenly alert, Hiccup sat up straight and squinted into the darkness.

He could have sworn he had seen something. A dark form sneaking closer, then bolting when he had turned in that direction. The creepy thought made him shiver.

Shaking his head, Hiccup reprimanded himself. He was doing it again, trying to make something of nothing. It had probably been a curious animal that had wandered too close. He hadn't been able to see very clearly, so had only seen something dark dash away. Hiccup couldn't say how big it had been or what kind of animal it was. Unlikely something predatory, since it had been spooked off so easily. Probably some kind of a prey animal.

Just to be safe, and because his imagination was conjuring all sorts of eerie things, Hiccup decided to build up the fire a little more before trying to get some sleep. It would keep the animals away and the light would give him some peace of mind.

After the emotional efforts of the day, Hiccup had been so focused on his family, that he had forgotten about the odd events of the night before. Again, he wondered if he should bring them up with his parents, but decided that they had enough to deal with right now. It was hardly important anyway. A trap, some curious animals getting too close— those things didn't mean anything. No, Hiccup was going to focus on his parents and becoming a family.

—

There was a sound... loud, and echoing in his mind. It sounded like someone in pain. No, agony. It sparked a feeling of fear and dread, feelings that were all too familiar. He had felt this way before, when his son's leg had to be amputated. He had heard a similar cry of agony back then... Stoick had been haunted by it. The overwhelming guilt at his son's pain had consumed him.

Stoick's eyes shot open to the dim, blue tinted light of early morning. His heart was racing and he wasn't quite sure why. He felt the residual feeling of fear and a sense of restlessness. He had the impression of having heard something...

Sitting up slowly and as quietly as he could, he looked around their camp. Valka was sleeping next to him, snuggled up in a couple of blankets. Hiccup... he was on the other side of the fire, muttering something in his sleep and moving fitfully. Stoick knew Hiccup didn't always sleep well, and maybe that was something else to bring up at some point. But that must have been it. Stoick had woken because he had heard Hiccup say something in his sleep.

Hearing Hiccup had probably caused him to remember the dreams he had used to have, while his son had been in a coma. Stoick hadn't known if things would be okay back then. He had feared that his son would never wake or would get sick from an infection and not pull through. The uncertainty had been torturous, the waiting had been agony, the anxiety had been worse than Stoick had ever felt before. He supposed a lot of those feelings were coming back now, because he wasn't sure if he could fix things with Hiccup. He feared losing his son, but in a very different way this time around.

Stoick tore his lingering gaze off of his sleeping son and settled back down. His heartbeat slowed and normalized and he relaxed. His family was safe and alive. He had a chance to be with both his wife and son, and he would make the most of it. He was determined not to mess things up this time around.

—

A/N: Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews!

Jack the Dragon: I'm flattered that you'd use my story as inspiration for a story of your own. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! You're welcome to PM me to discuss your original characters, if you'd like. Thanks for the review!

Romantica 123: Here's that new chapter I know you've been waiting for! Sorry about the wait. I'm glad you like the story, thanks for being a loyal reader of my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Gandalf nho: (The website doesn't want me to type out your pen name). Yeah, Hiccup is going through a rough time. Hopefully things will get better for him and his parents. I looked it up, and you're right, haha, there is a Healer's Island in canon. I haven't watched the series in years and I didn't remember that little detail. I suppose it is possible that it stuck in my memory somewhere, but my thought process for the name of the island was mostly about the island's history that I made up and the fact that Hiccup and his parents are going there to try and heal their family. Either way, I suppose it works out. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

watermelon04: Sorry for the wait on the chapter, I hope you liked it! Thanks for the review!

Anonymous Guest: Haha, I'm glad you liked Gobber's line. None of those things are very Hiccup-like are they? Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Silver Sentinel: Yeah, the effect of his parents both yelling at him took it's toll on him and Hiccup's not entirely sure how to interact with them on his own now. Things got a little better in this chapter, but they still have a long way to go.

omega13a: They will get around to talking about the Bewilderbeast egg eventually. I'm sure Hiccup would have before, but he hadn't been seeing much of his mom and dad before going on this trip, and now he has other things on his mind. Thanks for the review!

KinglyRoom59363: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I've considered adding parts of "The Serpent's Heir" in here, or at least referencing it. It was a good little story and the artwork was good too. At the moment, I'm not sure how it would fit in, but if I find a way to do something with it, I just might! Thanks for your interest in my story!

Animation Adventures: The dragons do seem to go everywhere with them, especially with Hiccup and Toothless. I figure Valka doesn't want the dragons around to distract them when she knows Hiccup thinks that she loves the dragons more than him. Hopefully Hiccup will see his parents' sincerity in making things right.

Guest: Thanks for the review and sharing your opinion. I've never read a story with a purple dragon named Amethyst in it before. I wanted Eret's dragon to have a pretty name that would fuel her vanity, one that she would approve of when Eret named her. She is rather vain, kind of like how Eret can be at times. I made her purple because the color itself can represent vanity. So, a lot of thought did go into her character and design. When my friend suggested the name Amethyst, I thought it was the perfect, pretty name that Eret's dragon would approve of. She's a Nadder who often preens and makes her scales shine, so why not a beautiful, shiny, and purple gemstone for her name? For the sake of my story, the name works, I don't much worry about what others are doing in their stories and allow it to influence how my story goes. I also like her nickname, Ames (pronounced 'aims'). Amy sounds too modern and human and Amyah too far from the sound of her actual name and not any shorter or easier to say, which defeats the purpose of a nickname. Besides, Amethyst herself was the one who approved the name! Haha, she rejected all of Eret's other choices.

CHSHiccstrid: Haha, I wouldn't skip such an important part in the story and miss out on all that angstyness! "...you stupid stubborn disbelieving boy!" That had me laughing. Poor Hiccup. He'll get there, but it'll take some time. I hope you liked this new chapter!

KN Hudson: Your reviews are always so thorough! I love reading them and seeing all the parts that stood out to you the most and how you interpreted them. Thanks for taking the time to review each chapter! You bring up an interesting point that I hadn't quite thought about before, that Valka was so sure that Hiccup was living happily without her, that he was better off. The revelation that Hiccup did not have the life that she thought he had, must be very jarring for her.