BIG THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR AWESOMELY (if that's a real word) REVIEWING AND DO NOT FEAR, ALL QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED EVENTUALLY BUT FOR NOW ENJOY THIS NEW UPDATE AND HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND NEW YEARS ;)
If losing sanity is as bad as it sounds, then no one could describe how close the team of teens were to losing their sanity after five long hours of flying through fog without rest! Astrid nearly fell off of Stormfly for dozing off for a second but thankfully Windshear used her tail to catch her just in time.
"Can someone tell me how close we are, I think I'm going to loss every sensible nerve I have left," Fishlegs sighed, trying to stay awake himself while his mind was questioning his choices. "Are you sure this map isn't fake?"
"I'm sure, Dagur wouldn't go through that much trouble getting this map," Heather answered, eyes still glued to the map until they were overflowing with relief, "Well thankfully we won't be flying through fog any longer, because according to the map we should pass by an island in the shape of skulland then after another half hour we'll arrive to the library."
"As long as there isn't anymore fog, then I'm totally okay with flying by a skull island," Fishlegs replied, much to everyone's shock since he's the kind who'll chose fog over skulls any day; maybe he was already losing his sanity.
"Hiccup this is a gravestone we're talking about, how are we supposed to ask the chief about that!?" Snotlout practically exclaimed the minute they landed near the front doors of the Great Hall. "Just walk up to him and say, 'Oh hey chief, great weather we're having! You know funny story, your son and I crash landed somewhere off Raven Point and we found something very interesting there that you either should or already know about.'" They mounted off their dragons as they walked straight to the doors while the teen rambled on. "How do you even know if the chief will even give us an honest answer about this!?"
"Me giving you an honest answer about what lads?"
The two froze then slowly turned their heads around to see Stoick and Gobber right behind them, both with them had their arms folded as they waited for an answer but from the loos of how petrified Snotlout was, this subject seemed very tense. It took a moment or two of waiting until the four vikings plus three dragons decided to talk about this in the Haddock household, however, Hookfang and Skullcrusher waited outside, leaving Toothless to witness the conversation. The fire crackled in the silence, the chief obviously still waiting for one of the two to answer, until Hiccup finally stepped up to explain. "Dad, earlier today Snotlout and I stumbled upon something that wasn't really mentioned to either of us so I'm just to come clean..." He took a deep breath before he continued, "We found a gravestone just far past Raven Point, the engraving on it weren't very visible to see so-"
"You're wondering who that gravestone belongs to am I right?" Stoick interrupted in a stern voice which earned him a slow nod; he sighed heavily before turning to Gobber, who was sitting down near the table. "Gobber, do you think it's alright if they knew."
At first Gobber gave Stoick a skeptical look, as if he was expecting a different question until he answered with a nod, "Alright go ahead, you know we can't hide this forever chief."
"Hide what? Dad what's going on?" Hiccup questioned, just as afraid as Snotlout to hear what the answer might be.
"Listen, about a year or maybe even two years before any of you teens were born..." Stoick began, his eyes suddenly turned away from the blacksmith. "Believe it or not, but Gobber once had a loving wife and was about to have a child of his own to raise."
"What?!"
Ignoring the shocked tone the two male teens had and the glare Gobber shot at him, Stoick continued in sorrow. "His wife...Brenda, was expecting their first born child, it was the happiest moment for old Gobber, but unfortunately the gods weren't merciful to this happiness. The labor came five months early, Gobber was right beside Brenda the whole night but because it was too early and she was sick...Both mother and child passed on the moment the morning sun rose, we had a viking funeral for both later that day, and I helped Gobber find a spot to place the gravestone for his dead baby boy... Poor Gobber took their deaths heard, he wasn't himself for the rest of the year..."
"No..." Hiccup shook his head, glancing over at his mentor; he had no idea how much pain the man had held in all those years. "Gobber, you held all that in... Why didn't you tell any of us of this? Why keep it a secret?"
Gobber cleared his throat before replying with a little guilt, "Aye lad, it's true I kept all that in but I didn't want my past to affect you and anyone. Besides, I don't need you pity, after all I still got to experience a little bit of father-hood when it came to babysitting and mentoring you." One cue, he ruffled Hiccup's hair to show that he was okay. "There are times when I miss them but we have to move on, I have a good family of over-sized fire breathing reptiles and the rest of Berk."
"Sorry to hear about those losses Gobber, especially around this time of the year," Snotlout whispered, until he literally jumped with excitement the moment his mind came up with an idea that is worth hearing, "Hey I know! How about Hiccup and I go over to that gravestone and give it a good cleaning, and put some decorations to keep it pretty! Besides, dead or not, your kid is part of Berk and we treat members of Berk as family." Not bothering to wait for their answer, Snotlout grabbed Hiccup as they ran out the door with Toothless not far from behind but Stoick was fast enough to whistle for Skullcrusher to block their way.
"Hold on lads," Stoick approached the boys with a small smile as he continued, "It's honorable what you're planning to do but there are dragons that need escorting to the nesting island for this year's migration."
"That's right, how about you two go escort those dragons to their vacation island then you can come back to do all the stuff you lads are planning to do with my child's gravestone, alright?" Gobber suggested earning the boys agreement to the suggestion that was then followed by the roars of dragons getting ready to migrate.
"We'll be right back as fast as lightning," Hiccup promised his mentor, then without a second to waste and with Skullcrusher out of the way, once again they mounted on their dragons and flew off to follow the rest of the herds and herds of dragons flying away from Berk as their riders waved farewell. Stoick was waving from the door of the household until Gobber finally decided to interrogate the chief since the boys were gone now. "That wasn't what I meant when I said that we can't hide the truth, you know better than to lie to your people, especially your son."
"I know, but...I just can't bring myself to tell him. He can't find out, no matter what he can't."
"So you think making a fake backstory for me is the way to avoid the situation all together?"
"To be honest, yes." Stoick looked up, seeing an empty ocean horizon to indicate that the Hiccup, Snotlout, and all the dragons were far away in their migration. "What will he think of me and the rest of Berk if he ever found out?"
"What will he think of you if he finds out that you've been lying to him and hiding the truth from him?"
"That'll never happen Gobber rest assured," Was all Stoick replied to before he stepped out to continue his chief duties to help prepare for Snoggletog and the later return of the dragons. "He'll never find out...I promise you that."
"Okay after nearly getting killed by a herd of angry Boneknappers in that Skull Island, I much rather fly through that fog right now," Fishlegs gasped, trying to catch his breath from barely escaping from said Boneknappers while he was glaring at the half torched twins.
"Hey it's not our fault we stole one of their bones and they went berserk over it," Tuffnut tried to defend, "But we did manage to train them all in less than two seconds, way faster than Hiccup could ever have done."
"Actually it took two hours to force you guys to return the bone," Astrid growled, "I was about to use Heather's axe on both of you mutton heads. I'm just glad we found an island so our dragons can rest for a while before flying back on air and not have more enemies than what we already have!"
"On the contrary madam, we have made allies who will surely come in handy someday," Ruffnut reassured, not even noticing how much tighter Astrid was hold her axe at the moment. "And I have but one question...ARE WE THERE YET!"
"NO!" Astrid screamed in annoyance until after a second, Heather responded while her hand pointed up ahead. "YES!"
"Are you serious?" Astrid then looked up to see a small island up ahead that didn't have a village, just a large building that looked like the Great Hall but more bigger, wider, and ancient in someway. All Heather could do is nod, she could feel a mix of excitement, fear, curiosity, and determination flow through her veins as the island got bigger to their eyes and closer. This is it, the library...The place where we can find anything we need to know about the bloodlines of chiefs everywhere in the archipelago.
"Heather, look!" Fishlegs shouted to get her attention as he pointed to the library entrance; it was full of vikings all armed and ready to attack at any second. "Looks like this island isn't deserted or full of friendly people!"
"Then we blast them and then ask questions later!" The twins both suggested, but Heather answered with a more simple and safe suggestion, "No, we're going to land and leave the rest to me." Despite feeling a little uncertain about this, the riders did as they were told as they flew slowly down for a landing since the vikings thankfully didn't have any crossbows to shoot them down. However, the moment they landed, they were quickly surrounded and forced off their dragon saddles while they didn't say anything, all Heather could do was raise her hand in surrender and then she begins to speak. "Hold your weapons, we come in peace!"
"Is that so?" A withered old voice asked from behind the guards, as he approached the teens, he was short with a long grey beard and dressed in yak skin while he held a staff. "Who are you young lady? Never in my years did the ancient library ever receive so many visitors all at once, tell me now if you come in peace then what is your business with the library and all its shelves of knowledge?"
"Is it just me or is he talking a little too riddle-ish?" Tuff whispered to his sister, until he was poked by a spear one the guards was holding. "YOUCH!"
"No talking unless the elder is talking to you specifically!" Was all the guard answered, then looked over at Heather, giving her a glare before saying. "You my dear have to answer the elder's question!"
A little shaken by the guard's loud voice, Heather cleared her throat then explained their reasons. "Well you see, it took us years to find the location of this magnificent library to read all the knowledge it has to offer us, to be full of information, to know our ancestors, and-"
"Quit stalling lass and tell me the real reason and who you are. But start with who you, your viking friends and dragons are and then the reason," The elder whacked her with his staff, sending a chill memories to the other teens of Gothi's violence with her staff!
"Alright," Heather sighed, knowing that there was no way in lying as she pointed to her friends and their dragons, "These people are my friends, Astrid Hofferson, Fishlegs Ingerman, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorson; they're from the Isle of Berk. And their dragons, Stormfly, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch." She then pointed to her dragon, "This is my dragon, Windshear and my name is Heather-"
"Heather? As in that old Berserker's chief's twin daughter?" The old man gasped as she answered in reassurance until she completely heard the full sentence, "Yes that's me-WAIT! Twin daughter!?"
"Yes, did you not know that you have a twin?"
"I know I have an older brother but not a twin," Heather replied nervously, "I only just found out about my real family."
"Ah yes, now I remember...Your father Oswald the Agreeable gave you away to another village just a few years after you were born, no knowledge of your real family until now, well in your case just half the knowledge," The elder sighed, then signalling the guards to step away from the traveling group and their dragons and within a six seconds, the guards disappeared to the corner of the library. "So you're here to see your family records, get to know of the family you've missed out on, aside from your older brother...That lad is a lunatic."
"That's kinda why we've come here for, so can you help us?"
"Of course Heather my dear, come follow me you lot," The elder then turned around to lead the group through the library doors as he continued on, "You know, I only got to meet you once and that was when you were only a wee newborn baby but that was in the Beserker island." The teens entered with the elder, only to gasp in astonishment to see enormous shelves of books, painting, scrolls, and papers as the old man smiled at their reaction.
"So exactly who are you if you don't mind me asking?" Fishlegs squeaked, trying to contain his excitement at the sight of knowledge all over the place.
"Oh me, my name is Garth; I'm the one who keeps all the records of new heirs born to the world, either dead the first minute of life, or alive to see their fifth hundred birthday. I even hold record of the tribe's clans family trees like yours Miss. Hofferson, your uncle Finn was a great fearless man I must say. Unfortunately for your village blacksmith, unless he finally finds a wife willing to adopt, his family tree will perish the second his dies." Garth explained after he picked up a scroll to show the Hofferson family tree, then Gobber's family tree. "I have assistant village elders to send word of every member or every family so I can record them like Gothi, the elder of Berk, you four must obviously know her."
"Yeah we sure do," Astrid commented.
"However, the chieftain bloodline receives more special treatment, so I have to travel to every tribe to meet the new heir who are born and if I couldn't make it, then I send my apprentices to help make my life easier," He then pointed his staff to Heather to signal her, the riders, and dragons to stop on their trails, "You and your brothers are lucky to get a visit from little old me even if that lasted for an hour."
"Brothers?" Heather muttered with confusion until Garth used his staff to grab a ladder as he climbed up the bookshelf they stopped in front of then to return down carrying two heavy books.
"Yes, yes, yes, your brothers; your older brother and then your twin brother. Well to be honest your twin brother is more of a runt but I'm surprised he's still alive and very well known in many areas," He opened the first book and placing both on a table that was right next to them without notice. "This book my dear is the Berserker Tribe's chief bloodline so many generations of chiefs and heirs but let's flip over to your father's page..." He flipped a bunch of pages until he stopped at the page with Oswald's name printed on it. "He married such a beautiful woman name Freya, then they both had three wonderful children," His bony hand then drifted down the page to Dagur's name a small sketch of his baby self. "First born and heir to the throne is Dagur the Deranged, real strange boy that one but none the less, still worth writing down. Then four years later, there's you Heater and your twin brother."
Astrid's eyes looked at the lower part of the page, spotting Heather's name and baby portrait sketch but then read the name of the twin brother, making her eyes pop out with disbelief as she nudged Heather to take a look as she asked so loud with such fear in her voice that it must have echoed throughout the whole world, "WHY IS HICCUP'S NAME IN THE BERSERKER CHIEFTAIN BLOODLINE AND NOT IN THE BERK ONE!?"
Heather read the name, gasping in the shame shock when she discovered that Dagur was her brother, the twins looked at the name then punched each other to wake the other up, and when Fishlegs looked himself, he fainted dead away. Hiccup as a Berserker, that was not only an nightmare to everyone but something they wouldn't want to face in fact they'll choose death than be told that Hiccup is a Berserker!
"Because Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is the twin brother of Heather, younger brother of Dagur, and the son of Oswald the Agreeable," Garth simply responded, until he saw the faces of disbelief and well shock. "Didn't your chief tell you Berkians..." He paused then realized with a sigh. "Ah of course! If Stoick never told Hiccup then why on Earth would he tell you?"
"But how!? How can Hiccup be my twin brother if he's the son of Stoick the Vast?!" Heather demanded, but not with anger. "That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Garth replied, pushing the Berserker book aside to make room to open the Berk book on the chieftain bloodline. "It's all the matter of peace offerings, adoption and a well hidden secret. If your father was able to give you away Heather and you have no memory of your twin then of course the first to be given away is Hiccup."
"Then can you tell us what happened?" Heather pleaded, which was pretty much what the rest of the teens wanted to know. "What happened that somehow led to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third to be the son of Stoick the Vast?"
Yeah let's just end this chapter here, but don't get into a panic attack, the next update will come sooner than you will expect.