Today was a school holiday that fell on a Friday so the kids had a three day weekend. Hiccup and Astrid decided to take advantage of the long weekend and have a family day picking apples at one of the orchards close to their home. They decided to bring Heather and her boyfriend and Dagur and his wife Mala to try to get their minds off the death of Toothless which was only a few months ago and they brought their dogs with them to enjoy these fall festivities.

As they wait for their friends to come to their home so they could carpool together Hiccup and Astrid got the kids ready for a long day in the chilly air, having Asmund and Helka wear their fur hoodies and putting Stoick II in a green long sleeve one-piece outfit and his fur boots since he'd begun really learning how to walk with thick shoes on, being 3 years old.

"Why do I have to wear this? It's baby clothes!" Stoick protested stubbornly when Astrid buttoned the top slit in the one-piece that opened wider so the person wearing it could slide right in like with a onesie.

One part of Astrid wanted to admit it was partially because Stoick was still as small as he was compared to other 3 year olds, and partially because he looked adorable in the outfit. The other side of her-the more logical, motherly side-told her saying such things would only make the boy even angrier.

"It's because you need to keep warm Stoick. That and this outfit's colors match the season! You don't want to wear something like blue or purple during the Autumn season do you?"

Stoick bit his thumbnail, a habit he had. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head, partially understanding what Astrid was trying to say.

"Dad! It's not fair! I don't need to wear something this thick, and the fur jacket looks like it was made for a boy!" Helka protested when Hiccup zipped the jacket up the front of his 7 year old daughter, trying to coax her into wearing a pare of pink gloves Astrid had gotten her when shopping with Heather a few weeks ago.

"This is too heavy! How am I going to pick any apples in this? Why do I need to wear these itchy gloves Dad?" Asmund picked up on his sister's irritated mood as he always did as if they had a rule between them saying they always had to share the same emotions. He himself was tugging on his tight black gloves, wanting them to be separated from his sensitive 7 year old hands.

Hiccup shook his head slowly, dragging a hand down his face wear his stubble scratched his hand. He tended to grow thicker facial hair during the colder months.

"You have to keep warm." Hiccup leaned forward, smirking slightly and showing a mischievous smile. "And besides, the leather will protect you from any kind of creatures that lurk in orchards and forests."

Helka and Asmund raised there eyebrows in surprise, clinging to their fur jackets subconsciously. Astrid almost glared at Hiccup, but he shrugged, smiling at her in that way he did to tell her he wasn't going to go too far.

"What do you mean? What kind of 'creatures' hide in forests and orchards?" Helka asked, more curious than fearful as she always was.

Hiccup shrugged, smiling brighter and eyes shining in the way they did when he was just being himself. "Well, there are trolls, goblins...dragons. Eh, I wouldn't worry if I were you two. They only come to the forests when it's cold to hide from the bad weather, other wise dragons hide in oceans or volcanoes and trolls live underground or under bridges. Wear your fur vests, and you'll be protected. They hate the scratchy material. But..." Hiccup's voice went a pitch higher, his eyes rolling and shoulders sagging. "If you hate the material in your jackets and gloves that much, I guess your daddy can try to protect you, but the jackets will definitely keep them far away."

By the end of this tall tale, Helka and Asmund proudly wore their vests like armor as if they felt some sort of pride by the fact their 'scratchy material' would scare off the mean creatures in forests and orchards.

Hiccup now stood by Astrid, Stoick II holding onto his hand with his free tiny hand in his mouth while he stared into the distance, obviously in his own little world.

Astrid gently punched her husband in the shoulder, glaring at him playfully but smiling nonetheless.

"If the twins start having nightmares about dragons and trolls Mr. Haddock, you will be the one staying up all night with them. If they try to climb into our bed, I will personally sleep in the guest room while you deal with the children rolling in their sleep or, possibly, wetting the bed." She jabbed a finger in his chest, glaring sternly. "That's a promise."

Hiccup only smiled, saluting her sarcastically. They both continued getting ready for the day.

Once everyone got to the Haddock Household, Hiccup and Astrid were surprised that they found out that Mala and Dagur were already expecting their first child. Not only that, but they were expecting triplets so Mala would be taking it easy with this trip as she was one month along. Everyone was happy with news and offered any kind of help if Dagur and Mala would need it. The expecting couple made it clear they were thankful that they had a supportive group that they could always fall back on.

While on the trip Dagur asked Hiccup if they would be able to talk later and Hiccup agreed. Once they stopped at an orchard to pick apples Hiccup told Astrid that he and Dagur needed to talk about something and that they would catch up with the group in a few. Astrid agreed and they decided to go to the shop/building to get information about what kind of apples are in seasons and where they would be able pick them as well as get some farm fresh apple cider to take home with them. They also made sure to get Caramel Apples for Helka and Asmund some.

While Astrid and Mala were taking care of the kids, Hiccup pulled Dagur to a corner where a bench sat just next to the men's restroom. He offered his brother one of the juices they'd brought as snacks and let him know he could tell him about whatever was on his mind.

Dagur expressed his concerns about how he and Mala were eventually going to provide for their family that was almost with them and he asked if he could work for Hiccup at his forge to help supplement their income. Even though Mala made good money with her job it was still a teacher salary and on top with her therapy work that she does, he expressed worries that they might not have enough to get by and still have some left over to enjoy their life with their kids.

"I mean, I know she has two jobs, but what about when she can't work as many hours because she's taking care of the kids? What if one of the triplets had some sort of need that we didn't have the money for after they were born? I want to be able to pay for them to have their independent rooms when they're older, but I also don't want to just save everything and not have anything extra because I want to spend time with them and go places after they'd born too."

Hiccup was shocked to hear this coming from his usually strong-minded half brother, but he understood his fears. He was there before after all, and he was more than happy to agree to hire him. Dagur would need to get some training and some first hand experience. Hiccup told him that he would let him do an apprenticeship with Gobber for a few months before he would let him work for him and Dagur agreed. He knew that everyone needed some experiences before fulfilling a career, so they made the plan that Hiccup would call Gobber later on to tell him about his half brother wanting to become a blacksmith and wanted to work for him for a year before working for him at his forge.

As they headed back Hiccup told Astrid what Dagur told him and she was shocked about this revelation in Dagur's character but she understood where he was coming from and supported him and was willing to help in any way she could. Mala was proud of Dagur stepping up to become the man of the house and taking charge about wanting to provide for them especially when she would be going on maternity leave and not be able to work even though her maternity leave would be paid.

It was nice to know that they would have an extra cushion of money in case something unexpected would come up and they needed the cash.

As soon as Hiccup and Astrid got home once their kids were fast asleep, Hiccup called Gobber about this proposition with his half brother and he was more than happy to teach him and Gobber told his old apprentice that Dagur could start working with him tomorrow. He also offered that even though it's just an internship he would pay Dagur for the work that he would do with him.

Dagur couldn't be happier and couldn't wait for tomorrow and he couldn't wait to tell Mala about this as well when Hiccup called him about the proposition.