Stoick was waiting for them, in pouring rain, on the Long Beach. Stoick was FURIOUS.
He had only just found out that Hiccup had not spent the night at Snotlout's house, and Snotiout had told him that he had seen Hiccup and Camicazi sneaking away in a sleigh from the Freya'sday Eve Celebrations, heading out onto the great sea of ice.
When Stoick demanded why Snotiout had not told him this earlier, Snotiout could not answer.
Snotiout could hardly give the real reason, which was that he had been rather hoping that Hiccup was doing something STUPID and DANGEROUS, and he didn't want Stoick rushing out to save him at the last minute.
But Stoick the Vast saw the real reason in Snotlout's eyes, and in the delighted way that Snotiout looked out at the melted ice in the Harbor.
Snotiout was PLEASED that Hiccup could have drowned somewhere out there in that grey, grim sea.
For the first time, Stoick realized that Snotiout 226 might not be the best choice of friend for his son Hiccup.
I am afraid that Stoick the Vast gave Snotlout an old-fashioned spanking.
This WAS the Dark Ages.
Stoick then ran to the Long Beach to see if he could see what was going on, and, to his MASSIVE relief, the first thing he clapped eyes on, picking through the icebergs out to sea, was the tattered, round shape of his son's funny little boat, The Hopeful Puffin.
"WHAT IN THOR'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN DOING?" roared Stoick the Vast, storming up to them as the nose of The Hopeful Puffin landed on the sand. Hiccup, who appeared to have turned an extraordinary blue color, clambered out of the boat and looked his enraged father straight in the eyes.
"I have been to Hysteria, to try and bring back a Potato to save Fishlegs's life," said Hiccup.
Stoick exploded.
"I ABSOLUTELY FORBADE YOU TO DO ANY SUCH THING!"
bellowed Stoick the Vast. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME, YOUR CHIEF, AND RISK YOUR LIVES LOOKING FOR A 227 VEGETABLE THAT NEVER EXISTED, ON A WILD-GOOSE CHASE FOR NOTHING --" Tears poured down Hiccup's face. "The potato DOES exist," he interrupted his father, "it DOES exist, because we stole it, and Norbert the Nutjob nearly chopped our heads off, but you are right, it WAS all for nothing, because the Doomfang ate it and now Fishlegs is going to DIE."
Stoick the Vast's anger could not last in the face of the utter hopeless misery in his son's eyes. His fury melted away, like the snow dissolving into rain all around them on the beach. He patted his son awkwardly on the shoulder.
"Now, now, son," he said uncertainly. "Of course Fisheggs isn't going to die ..."
Hiccup pushed his father out of the way and stumbled over the sand to Old Wrinkly's house, followed by Stoick the Vast, Camicazi, Toothless, and One Eye. He flung open the door without knocking.
Old Wrinkly was standing in the middle of the room, poking the fire with a metal stick.
For a moment, Hiccup couldn't see Fishlegs, and then he realized Fishlegs was on the bed. He was lying completely still, his glasses off, white as a corpse.
228 Hiccup's heart stopped.
And then to Hiccup's unspeakable relief, Fishlegs sat up and put his glasses on.
He was still alive, then.
Stoick the Vast, Camicazi, Toothless, and One Eye the Saber-Toothed Driver filed into the room after Hiccup.
[Image: A man.] "WELL?" roared Stoick the Vast. "IS FISHEGGS DYING, OR IS HE NOT?"
Old Wrinkly looked very embarrassed. He shifted guiltily from foot to foot. "Ah, yes, Stoick, I'm so glad you brought that up ... yes, the thing is, I'm not sure that Fishlegs is dying after all..."
229 "WHADDYAMEAN, NOT DYING?" yelled Stoick the Vast.
"I'm afraid my diagnosis wasn't completely correct." Old Wrinkly giggled nervously. "Soothsaying from the fire is very complicated.... I won't go into the details, but take it from me, it's tricky ... and, what with one thing or another, it turns out that Fishlegs didn't have Vorpentitis after all. It was just a bad cold that set off his Berserk tendencies. I nursed him back to health with lots of bed rest and lemon-in-honey."
Fishlegs stood up, slightly wobbily, and gave Stoick the Vast a big smile.
"I'm fine!" said Fishlegs happily, throwing wide his arms.
Hiccup couldn't believe it.
It was going to be all right after all.
"HE'S ALIVE!" cried Hiccup joyously, over the moon at this uncomplicated happy ending, and he rushed over to hug his friend.
230 Toothless gave Fishlegs a lick on the ear, which was a big compliment from Toothless. One Eye drawled, "Well, well, that was all worth it, wasn't it?" and Camicazi did a couple of celebratory cartwheels.
But Stoick wasn't going to take this lying down.
"DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME,'' roared Stoick the Vast at Old Wrinkly, "THAT ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR LOUSY SOOTHSAYING MY SON HICCUP HAS GONE ALL THE WAY TO HYSTERIA AND NEARLY GOT HIS HEAD CHOPPED OFF BY NORBERT THE NUTJOB AND FACED THE DOOMFANG ALL FOR NOTHING?????"
"Well, not for nothing, Stoick," explained Old Wrinkly. "If you'll just listen a moment, I'll explain. Soothsaying is a very tricky business and when I looked in the fire --" "Did Fisheggs have Vorpentitis, or did he not?" interrupted Stoick.
231 "No, he didn't," admitted Old Wrinkly.
"THEN THE QUEST WAS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!" roared Stoick.
"Don't give Old Wrinkly a hard time, Father," said Hiccup. "Why waste time getting angry when all's well that ends well..."
Hiccup started to laugh, but something in the middle of the laugh went wrong when Hiccup's left arm suddenly went dead.
Hiccup looked down at his arm in surprise.
"I can't feel my arm," ' said Hiccup.
And then the other arm went dead.
Hiccup had been feeling rather hot all day, but he suddenly felt as if he were . burning alive. Sweat poured down his face, and great clouds of steam rose up off his shoulders and chest.
232 And Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third's entire body went rigid as a statue, his eyes staring and bloodshot, and he fell down lifeless on the very bed Fishlegs had been lying on just two minutes before.
[Image: Hiccup and a dragon.] 233