Lightning crashed outside the Haddock household, thunder following in pursuit. Ingrid, Dagny, Dagmar, Coby, and Stoick Haddock sat bolt upright in their beds, having being woken by the raging storm. Dagny and Ingrid had their bunk bed, with Ingrid on the bottom and Dagny on the top, while, across the room, Dagmar and Coby had their own bunk bed, Dagmar on top and Coby on the bottom. In between the two sets of bunk beds was Stoick's bed.
"Lightning storm," twelve-year-old Dagmar observed, brushing her hands through her auburn hair, her blue eyes sparkling. "One of the fiercest of the storms, besides tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis."
"Yes, we get it, Dagmar," her twin brother, Coby, answered. He and Dagmar were identical twins, the only difference being their genders. "None of us like lightning storms. We don't need any extra insight."
"Not me," said Stoick; the oldest, his age being fourteen. His hair was short and blonde, his eyes piercingly blue. "Nothing ever scares me."
"Well aren't you just the hero of them all," seven-year-old, blonde haired, green eyed Dagny huffed. "If I am not mistaken, you were the one who ran through the village screaming because you saw a wagon and thought it was a bear."
"Hey, you'd be scared too!" said Stoick. "Even more so than me, now that I think about it! Don't you be bragging to anyone!"
"I don't like storms," said Ingrid; the youngest of the Haddock children. With her auburn hair and green eyes, she was the spitting image of her father. "They're loud and scary." Lightning crashed outside, and Ingrid pulled the blanket over her head.
"Talk and nonsense!" said Stoick. "Storms aren't scary! You know, lightning storms like this can be caused by the Skrill; the most dangerous of dragons."
"Oh, not again with the scary stories," Dagmar groaned. "Do you really have to do this every night, Stoick? You really don't help any of us."
"Of course I do!" said Stoick. "Besides, now that I've brought it up, I know you all want to hear me tell you the tale!"
"Actually, no, we don't, oddly enough," said Coby, but his looks betrayed his speech. "Um...if you don't mind me asking...what were you saying about the Skrill?"
"The Skrill," said Stoick, an evil grin flashing across his face for just a split second, "is a dangerous, deadly dragon that knows nothing but kill, and destroy. Many a trainer has tried training it, and they have all failed, because the Skrill destroyed them with its fiery lightning."
"Ahem," Dagmar cleared her throat, "lightning is not fire, nor is it fiery." She was the smart one of the group, between her and Dagny.
"No comments from you, Dagmar," said Stoick. Dagmar huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyways," Stoick continued, "the legend says-"
"There is no legend," said Coby.
"I'm the one telling the story!" said Stoick. "Now, listen up, or I won't talk at all, and you'll all be left in suspense, because you'll never know what happened!" They quieted down almost instantly, and Stoick smiled. "Well then," he continued, "the legend says, that the Skrill hides its eggs under your bed at night, so then in the morning...THEY HATCH, AND EAT YOU FOR BREAKFAST!"
"AAAAAAH!" Dagny and Ingrid screamed.
"And you know something else?" said Stoick. The others nodded worriedly. "I bet," said Stoick, "that there are some under your beds right now, waiting for the right moment to-"
"DADDY, MOMMY, HELP!" Ingrid screamed, jumping out of her bed and running out of the room. "THE SKRILL HAD BABIES UNDER MY BED AND THEY'RE GONNA KILL ME!"
"DAD! MOM!" Dagny shouted, chasing after her little sister as she ran. Coby and Dagmar followed in close pursuit as another strike of lightning sounded off in the distance, followed by a very distinct roll of thunder.
"Hey!" Stoick shouted once his siblings were gone. "Where are you going!? It was just a story! It's not real!" He turned to the window, just as more lightning crashed. Stoick yelped, shot out of bed, and shouted, "HEY, GUYS! WAIT FOR ME!"
"DADDY!" Ingrid shouted, running into her parents' room and jumping on them. Hiccup and Astrid woke up almost immediately, just as the rest of their children filed into the room.
"Ingrid," said Hiccup. "What's-"
"THE SKRILL IS GONNA HAVE BABIES AND THEY WILL EAT US ALL!" Ingrid shouted. "MAKE THEM GO AWAY!"
"The Skrill?" Astrid asked.
"Yes!" Dagny insisted. "Stoick said that the Skrill has babies underneath our beds, and then they eat us for breakfast!"
Hiccup laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair while Astrid flopped back onto the bed, knowing how Stoick's stories were.
"Nah, the Skrill's babies don't eat you for breakfast," said Hiccup.
"Then...then what do they do?" Dagmar asked.
"No idea," said Hiccup. "We've actually never found any we were able to train."
"Oh," said Dagmar.
As if on cue, Stoick ran into the room, looking first to his mother and father, and then to his siblings.
"I heard Uncle Gobber say something about dragons that eat you for breakfast," said Stoick. "So you mean it's not true?"
Even though Gobber wasn't related to any of the Haddocks, he was still so close a friend to them that he was practically family. So, the Haddock children got into the habit of calling him "Uncle Gobber."
Hiccup shook his head, half-laughing. "I think he was talking about trolls," said Hiccup.
"TROLLS!?" Ingrid shrieked.
"TROLLS!?" Dangy, Dagmar, Coby and Stoick shouted in unison, the same terrified, horrified expression played out on their faces.
"Yeah, they steal your socks," said Hiccup.
"And they hide under your beds," said Astrid jokingly.
"Astrid," Hiccup said, "you know what's going to happen now that you said that."
And so that is the story of how all five of the Haddock children slept with their parents for three weeks.
Author's Notes:
Hiccup and Astrid as parents to five rebellious children all under the ages of fifteen...I LOVE IT. :D
So, Stoick, Ingrid, Dagny, Dagmar, and Coby are all going to be in my future fanfiction, "How Not To Give Up" (which is the continuing story of "How Not To Meet Your Ally").
Just so everyone knows, Stoick is the oldest, is fourteen, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Dagmar and Coby are twins, both of which are twelve with auburn hair and blue eyes. Dagny is seven with blonde hair and green eyes, while Ingrid is the youngest, is five, and has auburn hair and green eyes.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT WRITING "HOW NOT TO GIVE UP" OH MY GOODNESS BUT IT MIGHT STILL BE A WHILE SO HANG IN THERE! :D Should I do more one-shots on the events after "How Not To Meet Your Ally" but before "How Not To Give Up"?
-BeyondTheClouds777