“HICCUP!”
“DAD, NO!”

I woke up, sweat covering my forehead and my palms. I had had the same dream every night ever since the Battle of the Bewilderbeast – or the same nightmare, rather. Every night I remembered how Dad had come rushing towards me, had jumped at the last second, had taken the blow. And every night I woke up just as the plasma blast hit him.
I looked over my room and saw Toothless curled up on his stone slab, sleeping peacefully, not knowing I was awake. A small part of me was angry at him, but the rest of me muted that part and I reminded myself that the Dark Bewilderbeast had been controlling him, that Drago had gotten inside his head and didn't come out until it was too late.

I walked slowly down the stairs the next morning and sat down at the large wooden table in the middle of the main room. Mom was sitting on the opposite side, sipping her fish soup.
“Morning, son!” she said, smiling. I smiled politely back. She knew that I had been having nightmares and always tried to make me feel better. “Hungry?”
“No thanks, I'm good,” I stared down at my prosthetic. “Mom... am I a good chief?”
She looked quite shocked at this. Forgetting she was born a human, she walked over the table and came to sit next to me. She lifted up my chin and looked me in the eyes.
“Where, in Thor's name, did you get the idea you might be a bad chief?” Mom asked sternly.
I shrugged. “I dunno... I just think I'm weak compared to Dad.”
She laughed. “Physically, maybe, but you're just as strong as he ever was when it comes to courage. And if Stoick was here now, he'd make sure you knew that. Alright?”
I looked into her pale green eyes and smiled, feeling tears well up inside mine. “Yeah.”
Climbing back over the table, she handed me her bowl of soup. “Now, eat that, or Astrid will be making your breakfast from now on!”
I immediately started drinking the soup in front of me. Astrid was clever, brave, certainly beautiful, and the best girlfriend I could ever wish for, but her cooking wasn't very... edible.
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard from upstairs, along with a few loud dragon yawns. Seconds later, a large black head appeared at the top of the stairs, on which large green eyes looked round curiously, and two nostrils sniffed the air to track down the smell of fish. Spotting me and mom, Toothless came bounding down the stairs and sat eagerly next to me like a puppy, hoping to get a bit of fish soup as well.
“Lazy dragon,” I said jokingly as I gave him what was left in the bowl. He licked his lips and started messily drinking the soup, sending drops of it everywhere.
Mom laughed. She got up and took her helmet from the shelf. “Well, I'd better go check on the Nest to see if the repairs are going along well!” She sighed and stared into the distance. “He spent so long building it, just to have to wrecked...”
“I'm sure it's going fine,” I said reassuringly. She smiled and headed out the door, calling for Cloudjumper as she did so.
No sooner had she left another voice was heard from outside. “Hiccup! Are you in there?”
“Astrid!”
I got up and brushed off some droplets of soup from my shirt, only to have them smudge even more. “Great...” I turned to Toothless. “Do I look OK?”
He simply looked at me with his big green eyes as if to say “Erm... yeah, I suppose.”
I frowned. “Great. Dragon pity.”
Before I could do anything about my rather messy appearance, Astrid came in without knocking. “I see you're still not totally awake!” she joked.
I grinned and scratched the back of my neck. “Not quite.”
She gave me a quick peck on the cheek then headed back towards the door. “I know you've got all your chief stuff to do, but fancy going for a flight later on?”
I winced when she mentioned my “chief stuff”. If only Dad were here...
“Sure, no problem,” I said, trying to hide my sadness. Fortunately she didn't notice the flat note in my voice and headed outside.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though I usually shared everything with Astrid, I didn't want to burden her with my worry.
I went upstairs and slipped on my flight suit, Toothless waiting patiently by the front door for me to come back down. As I adjusted the straps, I noticed the small wooden duck sitting on my desk that Dad had made one day. Next to it I had placed the dragon toy Mom had made me when I was younger. I sighed and picked them both up.
“I'm never going to get through this if I keep on mourning,” I said sternly to myself. “I have to move on. If Dad could talk to me from Valhalla then he'd tell me to do just that.”
I placed each toy back in its place on my desk, then ran my finger along the smooth woodwork of the duck's back. “I have to move on.”

I walked slowly down the stairs the next morning and sat down at the large wooden table in the middle of the main room. Mom was sitting on the opposite side, sipping her fish soup.
“Morning, son!” she said, smiling. I smiled politely back. She knew that I had been having nightmares and always tried to make me feel better. “Hungry?”
“No thanks, I'm good,” I stared down at my prosthetic. “Mom... am I a good chief?”
She looked quite shocked at this. Forgetting she was born a human, she walked over the table and came to sit next to me. She lifted up my chin and looked me in the eyes.
“Where, in Thor's name, did you get the idea you might be a bad chief?” Mom asked sternly.
I shrugged. “I dunno... I just think I'm weak compared to Dad.”
She laughed. “Physically, maybe, but you're just as strong as he ever was when it comes to courage. And if Stoick was here now, he'd make sure you knew that. Alright?”
I looked into her pale green eyes and smiled, feeling tears well up inside mine. “Yeah.”
Climbing back over the table, she handed me her bowl of soup. “Now, eat that, or Astrid will be making your breakfast from now on!”
I immediately started drinking the soup in front of me. Astrid was clever, brave, certainly beautiful, and the best girlfriend I could ever wish for, but her cooking wasn't very... edible.