As Hiccup darted forward in a valiant but ultimately fruitless attempt to retrieve Goliath’s lost hand, Elisa ran to the gargoyle’s side and pulled off her jacket, using it to try and stem the blood flow as she knelt next to him, Kessek or no Kessek. The dark red leather was soon darkened even further by his blood. They needed to get him to the medical bay quickly, but there was no way that she could manage it on her own and she wasn’t sure how far he could get without help. She glanced around at the nearby members of the crew, looking increasingly desperate with each drop of blood that Goliath lost. Although most of the people on the observation deck were focused on the two boys suspended above them, or engaged in their own private skirmishes with the Daligig, some of them had been caught up – as she had been, as Hiccup had been – in Goliath’s fight.

Within a few seconds, it became clear that Hiccup would need medical treatment as well. She didn’t know him well, but she was grateful to him for what he’d tried to do, even if she wasn’t entirely surprised that it had failed.

“I’ll be back,” she murmured to Goliath, before crossing the blood stained ground to finish what Hiccup had started. She’d have risked it even if she hadn’t been able to overhear the exchange – there was a chance that it could be reattached – but it looked as if the fight really was over now.

She picked the hand up, trying not to think of the innumerable times that Goliath had used it to stroke her hair or take her hand as they stood underneath the stars. She couldn’t afford to fall apart and, steeling herself, Elisa returned to Goliath’s side.

“We need to get you out of here.”