Author's Note: Yes, I will be having the characters learn English as the story continues :)
Also I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews! They made my day :D
A couple of hours had passed since Jess had brought the time traveling Vikings into her house. After they'd all devoured the pizza, she'd shown them their rooms to let them finally get some sleep. As they'd slept Jess had quietly slipped out of the house and drove to the nearest clothing store to pick up some outfits. After a bit of searching, she was pretty sure that she'd picked some good choices. For Astrid, Jess had chosen black skinny jeans, a pale violet v-neck t-shirt, and a leather jacket. For Hiccup, Jess had picked out black jeans, a brown and red flannel, and black bookbag. When it came to the twins, Ruffnut had gotten dark blue jeans, and a green flannel, while Tuffnut got khaki pants and a light green long-sleeved shirt. As for Snotlout, Jess had picked grey jeans and a black t shirt. For Fishlegs, she had picked out khaki pants, a button down chambray shirt, and a beanie to replace his helmet. Of course, if Jess's new friends didn't like what she picked, they could all go to the store and get new outfits. These were just starting points. And I suppose they'd need more than just one set of clothes anyway, Jess thought to herself.
Just as Jess set down the shopping bags, she heard one of the bedroom doors creak open. Out stepped Astrid, looking particularly refreshed from her nap. Jess smiled softly and motioned for Astrid to join her on one of the black couches in the living room. Astrid paused for a moment before joining her new friend on the couch.
"It's so strange being here. No offense but I had hoped to wake up back on Berk," Astrid whispered.
"None taken Astrid. I can only imagine how hard this must be for you all, to be so far from your families," Jess replied sympathetically.
"They probably think we're dead. And we are existing in a time where they, where Vikings, don't even exist anymore! It's just so…." Astrid trailed off with tears in her eyes.
"I know Astrid. We'll find a way to get you back to your families, I promise. In the meantime, I am always here if you or any of your friends want someone to talk to. I can't really relate but I am good listener."
"Thank you Jess, that means a lot to me and the others. Well, I suppose I should -we all should- get used to being here. It looks like we'll be stuck for a long time."
"Of course Astrid! And I do agree. Since you are trapped in the 21st century, just imagine how much you can learn and all the adventures you'll have! When we get you back to your families, just imagine all the stories you'll have to tell them," Jess exclaimed!
"You're right Jess. When we find our way back, we will have so much to tell everyone! You know… on that thought, maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay for a while. I know Fishlegs definitely wants to soak up as much knowledge as he possibly can," Astrid chuckled.
"Exactly! I'm not trying to force you to stay… I just don't want you to be completely miserable while you're here."
"I understand Jess! Oh speaking of family…." Astrid trailed off uncertainty, not sure how to ask about Jess's family. What if they were all….?
"Oh right! I should have mentioned that earlier. I have a little brother named Connor and a little sister named Emily. They're both at school right now but they will be coming home shortly. As for our parents, they are usually off working. They are very famous actors who are usually making movies. Because most movies aren't made here in Montana, all of us were homeschooled until my little sister became a freshman in highschool. This way, we could be taught while still living with our parents. But now my siblings and I live here and go to school while our parents work all over the world," Jess explained.
"What are all these strange things? More importantly, will we have to use our fake names around your brother and sister? What will you tell your parents," Astrid asked in a slight panic.
"Oh don't worry Astrid. My siblings are very good at keeping secrets. Them knowing your true identity won't be a problem. As for my parents, they are very understanding people, who are also very good at keeping secrets. My mom especially understands hiding people in her home. Her parents were alive in Germany during WWII. They only survived because a couple hid them in their home to save them from the Nazis and concentration camps."
"What… are those…" Astrid asked in horror.
"I will explain the history later when everyone is awake. For now, just know that it is safe to trust my siblings and parents with the truth about how you and your friends came to be here."
"Okay… if you say so…"
Before Jess could say anymore, Hiccup walked into the living room. Noticing the concerned look on Astrid's face and Jess's slightly troubled expression, Hiccup sat down between the two and asked what had happened while he was still asleep. Quickly, with help from Jess, Astrid repeated their entire conversation for her boyfriend. When she was done, Hiccup leaned back on the couch with a thoughtful look on his face. Astrid and Jess stared at him, waiting for him to say something.
"I think we can trust her Astrid. Clearly, Jess hasn't revealed us yet and it doesn't seem like she is planning on doing Jess trusts her family then we should too. Plus, Toothless trusts her and I trust Toothless," Hiccup finally said.
"You do have a point…" Astrid sighed.
"I understands your reservations but I promise, we are a trustworthy family," Jess said.
"What about trust now?" Tuffnut came walking into the living room with Ruffnut right behind him.
"Oh gods I do not want to have to repeat this again for the twins and then twice more for Snotlout and Fishlegs," Astrid grumbled.
"You're right Astrid. Ruff, Tuff, can you go get Snotlout and Fishlegs? We have a lot to talk about," Hiccup said.
When the twins returned with Snotlout and Fishlegs, Astrid and Jess went over their entire conversation again, this time with the occasional comment from Hiccup. By the time the girls had finished, it was getting rather late in the afternoon.
"Oh shit! It's almost 4 in the afternoon! My brother and sister should be getting home within another couple of hours," Jess exclaimed!
"Wait… why does their school go so late," Hiccup asked curiously.
"It ends at 3:20 but both of my siblings do after school sports," Jess answered.
"What are sports," Snotlout wanted to know.
"I feel like I say this a lot but the best way for me to explain is to show you," Jess giggled.
"That's all well and good but what do we do when your siblings come home? How do we tell them?" Hiccup looked to Jess for an explanation.
"I will send them a text saying that I have some important news when they get home. Then, I'll quickly explain what happened and they can meet you. Then we just go from there and see what happens."
"Jess… that leaves a lot up to chance," Astrid pointed out.
"Yes it does Astrid but we are dealing with humans here in a non-war situation. It's a lot harder to predict the outcome," Jess reasoned.
"I don't get why you're being so uptight A! This place is clearly awesome," Tuffnut exclaimed!
"Yeah Astrid! Lighten up a bit," Ruffnut agreed with her brother.
"Look guys… let's just go with Jess's plan. Remember she knows her family and this world way better than we ever will. We should trust her judgement," Hiccup stated calmly.
"Ugh Hiccup you always have the worst plans ever," Snotlout whined.
"Snotlout, quit whining," Astrid snapped.
"Make me Astrid," Snotlout responded. Hiccup facepalmed.
"Look guys, we need to agree to trust each other. That's the only way this is going to work. My siblings will be here soon and so will our dogs. It's going to be a little crazy anyway when they all get here but it will go so much better if we're not at each other's throats. I just want to help." Jess was keeping the tone of her voice calm but her hands were furiously twisting the hem of her shirt.
"Jess is right. All she's been is kind to us and here we are, fighting in front of her face about whether or not we should trust her. I think we can believe her when she says that she just wants to help." Fishlegs spoke for the first time in ages.
"You know what, you're right Fishlegs. I think we all owe Jess an apology," Hiccup said.
"Thank you Fishlegs and Hiccup. I know this has not been easy for you but please, stop insulting me and my family by assuming we would reveal your secret to the world. We are not those types of people."
After Jess finished speaking, all of the dragon riders apologized to her. Some apologies, like Snotlout's, were a little lacking but Jess chose to let it go. She figured that Snotlout meant well but struggled a bit with being empathetic and fully expressing his emotions.
Once everyone had settled down from the big discussion, Jess went to her room and retrieved the shopping bags from her earlier excursion. She handed each Viking their bag and started to explain what the various clothing items were called. As her new friends were pulling out the clothes and admiring them, Jess pulled out a seventh bag and explained that she had also bought the necessary undergarments for everyone. Once again, six blank faces stared at her.
"Underwear. I mean underwear." Jess had to fight back the urge to burst into laughter. Almost instantly, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Hiccup turned varying shades of bright red.
"You… you bought…my…. MY UNDERWEAR," Snotlout spluttered as he stared at Jess in a horrified manner.
"Was this really necessary," Fishlegs squeaked as he hid his face in his hands.
"Yes. Yes it was," Jess replied with a completely straight face while Astrid and Ruffnut roared with laughter.
"Astrid… I can see Ruffnut laughing but come on! You're above this," Hiccup grumbled to his girlfriend.
"Oh no… I'm really not Hiccup," Astrid shrieked between bouts of giggles.
"Don't you lot worry, I also bought Ruff and Astrid the necessary underwear." That sobered Ruff and Astrid up right away while the guys turned even redder.
"Um… Jess how did you even find the sizes for any of these," Astrid wondered once she'd gotten over the shock of having an almost complete stranger buy her undergarments.
"Oh I suppose it's a talent that I've always had. I can can guess anyone's clothing size pretty accurately. It really comes in handy when picking out gifts for my friends and family."
"So these will definitely fit then," Hiccup inquired as he held up his clothes in one hand.
"Yeah they should. Go try them on just to be sure though. Also, we'll need to go shopping later for more clothes. And if you guys don't like what I picked, no biggie. We'll just get other outfits," Jess smiled.
Nodding, the riders retreated back to their respective rooms to go change into their new clothes. When they came out again, Jess couldn't help but give a small squeal.
"Oh you guys look amazing! I thought you would but… wow! Do you… do you like it?"
The Vikings responded in unison that they loved their new clothes. Snotlout was especially ecstatic and kept twirling around saying how amazing he felt. Hiccup facepalmed again and the other riders just rolled their eyes and laughed. The moment was broken up by a lound pinging sound coming from Jess's back pocket of her jeans. All the riders turned to stare at her with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Jess was surprised for a split second before she remembered that her new friends were from the 8th century and had never seen anything even close to an iPhone.
"Oh it's just my iPhone. Don't worry, it's not dangerous," Jess explained.
"What's an iPhone," Fishlegs asked eagerly. In response to his question, Jess pulled a shiny rose gold colored rectangular object from her pocket.
"This. In today's age, we use use things called cell phones to communicate with each other. We send messages called texts and we can also call each other. If one person has an iPhone and calls someone with another iPhone, you have the option to do something called FaceTime. It's like a normal call but you can see each other's faces instead of just hearing the other person's voice."
"Woah… does it really work?!" Fishlegs peered at the invention with amazement.
"It really does! Oh that reminds me, we should go into town one of these days and get you all cell phones. Then we can all stay in touch more easily."
"Jess that's a wonderful idea but these cell phones look like they cost a lot of gold," Astrid said with concern.
"Um… we don't use gold or trade really. We use a currency called dollars. But yes, these phones are pretty expensive. However, my family has loads of money so don't worry about it. We can go into town tomorrow and get everyone set up."
"Jess… how will we avoid detection. I know we have the clothes but how will we -" Hiccup started to ask.
"Don't worry. I will say that you do not speak English, the most common language of the people here. Then you guys will stay silent and no one will be any the wiser. If someone asks where you are from, I will say that you are distant cousins from the Scandinavian area," Jess answered.
"Sounds like a good plan! Anyway, what did the text say?"
"Oh it's just my brother. He finished practice and picked up my little sister. They just got the dogs from the groomer."
"Jess you need to start telling us what all these new words mean," Astrid pointed out gently.
Before Jess could respond, the was a the sound of a key turning in the door and lots of scuffling.
"Jess, we're home! Fluffy doggos incoming shortly," a boy's voice called through the door. Hiccup and his friends looked questioningly at Jess.
"My brother and sister are here with our dogs, Eddy, Bear, Lucy, and Grizzy," Jess quickly translated.
"You have a dog named Bear?!" Snotlout's eyes widened in terror.
Suddenly the door opened and four large balls of golden fluff made a beeline for Jess and the riders. Immediately Jess dropped to the floor and started making kissy sounds and trying to cuddle and pet the wiggling dogs all at once. Most of the riders however were pressed against the wall looking mildly terrified. Astrid had pulled out her ax, Hiccup was holding his shield in a defensive stance, and Snotlout was almost cowering behind Fishlegs. Ruffnut and Tuffnut however had followed Jess's lead and dropped to the floor to try and pet the dogs all at once. One of the younger ones was frantically licking Tuffnut's face and he started laughing with joy.
"Hey H check this out! These guys are so cute and cuddly! Can I have one?! I promise to walk it and feed it every day and pick up its poop!"
"What?! Tuffnut no!" Hiccup groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Jess…. What's going on? Who are these people," the boy asked.
"Yeah Jess… I didn't know you had this many friends," the girl added with a good-natured grin.
"Oh hush Emily! I do too have friends! Anyway, these are my friends Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs. Um… they kind of just appeared in the woods when I was out with Woo. They're Vikings from the 8th century."
"Hiccup… what is she saying," Astrid whispered as she watched Jess's siblings for any sign of an impending disaster.
"Oh she said Oh hush Emily! I do have friends! Anyway, these are my new friends Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs. Um… they kind of just appeared in the woods when I was out with Woo. They're Vikings from the 8th century," Tuffnut answered. All the conversation in the room stopped as everyone turned to stare at Tuffnut with wide eyes.
"What? That's what she said, isn't it?"
"Yes Tuff… but how in the world did you know that…?"
"The Nut is all knowing!" Once again, Hiccup facepalmed.
"Jess, can you translate for us?" Her siblings looked very confused, as did the Vikings.
"Okay, guys, we need to all sit down and talk. We've got a lot to cover. Connor, Emily, I'll do my best to explain everything and translate as the conversation goes. Remember, I'm not one hundred percent fluent. Also, Ancient Norse just doesn't have the vocabulary for most of our ideas, concepts, or things that we have today so just keep that in mind," Jess said.
Everyone nodded and made their way towards the living room couches. Once everyone had been settled -and the dogs had stopped trying to jump all over everyone and lick them to death- Jess began to explain what had happened when she was out with Woo. Then, Hiccup and the other riders explained their side of the story and Jess translated as best she could. Emily and Connor listened in complete fascination as the story unfolded; neither one of the could believe that something this exciting was happening in Montana of all places!
As the story finally wrapped up and basic questions had been answered, Jess noticed how late it was getting. The sun had finally sunk behind the mountains and darkness was falling fast. Emily, though interested in the newcomers, was almost asleep in her chair. Even Connor, who was used to pulling all-nighters as a high schooler, was looking pretty beat.
"Connor, Emily, you guys should probably get to bed," Jess whispered.
"You're not the boss of me" Connor mumbled but there weren't any bite to his words.
"Guys, you both have school tomorrow and Connor, you've got an AP exam tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay mom," Connor rolled his eyes as he walked off towards his bedroom. Emily laughed tiredly before getting up and heading off in the direction of her own bedroom.
"Why are they in school but you're not," Fishlegs wanted to know.
"Oh well I'm in college, which is like optional school that comes after regular school… uh… let me explain it this way. First comes preschool, which is for kids aged 3-5. There, the kids learn things like shapes and colors and the alphabet. They also learn how to play with other kids -"
"Kids need to be taught how to play with each other?! What a ripoff," Snotlout interrupted.
"They also start learning basic manners," Jess deadpanned with a direct look at Snotlout.
"Maybe we should send Snotlout to preschool," Astrid muttered under her breath to Hiccup.
"I can hear you Astrid! Shut up Astrid," Snotlout snapped.
"Anyway! After preschool comes kindergarten. Kids start to learn how to read and write, as well as basic math. Then the rest of their education is referred to as grades 1 through 12. Grades 1 through 5 are called elementary school, grades 6 through 8 are middle school, and grades 9 through 12 are called high school. This much school is mandatory. However, once a person finishes high school, they don't have to go to college if they don't want to."
"Okay who would want to go to extra school," Snotlout asked incredulously.
"Yeah, kind of sounds like a huge ripoff if you know what I'm saying," Tuffnut added.
"A rip off indeed," Ruffnut agreed.
"Of course none of you would understand the beauty of furthering your education," Fishlegs sighed in mild exasperation.
"Why would we? If we need to know anything, we'll just ask you Fishface," Snotlout teased his friend.
"Oh for the love of Thor, enough with you guys!" Hiccup facepalmed.
"Careful Hiccup… you might break your face if you keep doing that," Jess said with only a hint of a smile.
"So Jess, I'm thinking that you're either not in school or you're in college, and it ends at a different time than the mandatory school, " Astrid guessed, hoping to return to the original conversation.
"Correct. I just finished my second year of college."
"Oooh what are you studying," Fishlegs squealed curiously.
"Spanish!" All of the riders but one looked at Jess in utter confusion.
"Tu puedes hablar español?"
"Tuffnut...what in the name of Thor's mighty -" Astrid's jaw looked like it was going to hit the freshly polished wooden floor.
"Aww Tuffnut you didn't tell me you learned Spanish with Jess," Ruffnut whined.
"Tuff...how did you do that?" Hiccup looked at Tuffnut with amazement.
"That's what I want to know. Tuffnut… that was perfectly spoken with proper grammar and everything! How…." Jess's voice trailed off as she cocked her head to one side.
"Oh that's easy! One day when I was a tiny baby, Mom said some old witch came into our house. I think it was during a dragon raid. I don't remember actually. Anyway, no one knows what happened but by the time my mom came back, the witch was gone."
"Okay Tuffnut, if you were a baby, how do you even remember this happening?!" Hiccup was trying to keep the frustration out of his voice but it wasn't going to well. It also went completely over Tuffnut's head.
"Mom told me. There was a piece of paper that got left behind in the doorway. Anyway, that's all that happened," Tuffnut shrugged casually, clearly unbothered by the fact that a witch has visited him as a child.
"Tuffnut did you ever read this so-called piece of paper?!" Astrid glared at Tuffnut.
"No… us Thorstans aren't exactly the reading type."
"And let me guess. You left this piece of paper back in Berk in the EIGHTH CENTURY," Fishlegs snapped.
"Nope I actually have it with me in my satchel. I always wanted to read it some day but I just never got around to it, ya know?" Again Tuffnut looked completely unconcerned with the implications of what he was saying.
"Mind if I read it, Tuff," Hiccup asked with a forced calmness.
"Oh yeah go ahead H. Just be care, it's pretty old," Tuffnut replied as he pulled an unassuming scrap of paper from the pocket of his satchel. With each passing second, Hiccup's eyes began to widen even more. Soon his mouth was totally agape and he seemed to be lost in his own head.
"Um Hiccup do mind enlightening us…" Fishlegs trailed off nervously.
"Well Tuff was right. This piece of paper proves that a witch did in fact curse him…"
"And…." Astrid encouraged Hiccup to go on.
"Well that's just it. The curse just says that Tuffnut shall be graced with the powers of language past, present, and future."
"Sounds like a pretty useless curse to me," Astrid said.
"Um… not necessarily…." Fishlegs spoke hesitantly.
"What do you mean Fishlegs?" Hiccup looked at his friend skeptically.
"Well I mean what if Tuffnut were to just start babbling in a completely foreign language? People might think he's completely crazy and you know." Fishlegs mimed slicing off his head.
"Awesome! What a great way to die," Tuffnut yelled excitedly.
"No Tuffnut, not exciting. And Fishlegs, I think you're worrying too much. Clearly Tuff has been fine so far and I don't think anyone would kill him for saying something that sounded like complete nonsense," Hiccup stated reasonably.
"He does have a point you know," Astrid agreed with her boyfriend.
"You know… maybe the witch just thought it would be a harmless prank," Jess suggested.
"Um Jess, no offense but witches aren't really known for harmless pranks," Fishlegs pointed out.
"Unless this witch was a fan of… oh what god was it? The one who did all the pranks… Loki! God of trickery! Maybe the witch was a huge fan and went all over, cursing people with unusual, yet harmless spells," Jess argued back.
"Look, we won't figure this out tonight. Gang, let's get some rest and tackle this in the morning," Hiccup addressed his friends. Everyone said goodnight to each other before heading off to bed. Jess however stayed in the living room, lost in thought. Pulling out her phone, she began to do some reading on witches during the Viking era.
