How to Deal With Amnesia

Chapter 24: Lucky Misfortune

Depending on how one saw the situation, Hiccup was quite lucky to be standing so close to the taffrail when Norbert hit him to unconsciousness. The strength of the impact sent him right overboard, so he wouldn't be captured. However, he was unlucky to fall unconsciously in the sea, because, well, he was unconscious.

Toothless gasped and watched in despair Hiccup's limp body going overboard. The Night Fury rushed after him, but three Hysterics got in the way. They didn't want to leave empty handed and they'd take whatever they could get their hands on... But alas, it's not that easy to catch the offspring of lightening and death itself, especially when he was so determined to save his best friend.

The Hysterics didn't stand a chance, the three were knocked out in a second and in the next, Toothless was jumping in the water to find Hiccup.

The Night Fury resurfaced pulling the boy by his shirt. Toothless swam as fast as he could to the rocky shore.

All the riders were too focus in observing the enemy flee to notice that no black dragon flew away, yet. The first ones to realize it were Astrid and Stoick, who started paying attention to the boats, in time to see Toothless jumping in the water, resurfacing with Hiccup excruciating moments later.

So when Toothless placed Hiccup on the shore, Stoick and Astrid were jumping off their dragons that had just landed. They rushed to help the unconscious boy who barely woke up long enough to spit the water he swallowed and faint again.

Stoick got his son on his arms and mounted Skullcrusher to fly quickly to Gothi's house. Astrid, although very worried, went a little later after realizing she had to go on Toothless, since the dragon needed someone to maneuver the tailfin and there was a long way to go up.

Fishlegs oriented the other riders and helped the newbies to head back to land, only when everything was settled; he went to Gothi's house to check on his friend.

Trying to make him a little more confortable, Astrid took off his prosthetic; she knew it'd be necessary for a while, since had been hurt even before the battle.

Hiccup was still unconscious, and although Gothi said (or wrote) he seemed fine, but they could only be sure of the extent of the injury when he'd wake up. That happened a few minutes later, the first to notice he was about to wake up was obviously Toothless, as always. The dragon cooed in alarm, breaking the silence and rushing to his human's side before he even stared to groan in pain because of an irritating headache.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called softly, sitting by his side on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Son..." Stoick said, getting closer as well. Hiccup moaned a little more, still confused before he managed to slowly open his eyes.

"I feel... like Gobber was pounding my head into an axe..."

"He can't be that bad if he's joking..." Fishlegs commented playfully, glad that his friend was coming around, but still worried.

"And I feel like my leg is on fire... What happened?"

Astrid was trying very hard to keep calm; the last thing she wanted was to having the same thing that happened the last time he was knocked out. She started questioning more.

"What do you remember, Hiccup?"

"Astrid?"

"Yes. Now, answer my question, please."

Hiccup had to think for a moment and she gave him all the time he needed, but instead of answering her, he sat up in a jolt.

"I didn't lose the other one, did I?" He was so confused he couldn't really recognize that the hurting leg was the same one that had been cut out. "Geez, it hurt like as if someone stomped on it..." He mumbled.