Chapter 210
It's been two weeks since the kids had their tour of the island and in that time, I am happy to say the kids seem to have begun to settle into their new lives and come out of their shells. They'd begun playing around the island under the supervision of either me or my wives and it was those times I could truly enjoy since it was nice to see them so full of life and happiness. This was the way kids should be opposed to how they were when we found them with their eyes being full of nothing but fear and sadness. It was nice to see them so full of life when they were playing chase in the garden, hide and seek in the forest, building snowmen in the cold region, napping in the grass of the Irish hills and other such things. The girls actually told me how adorable it was when they found me asleep on the grass with the kids who were using my arms as pillows. Another thing we'd done for the kids was get them some new clothes since their current clothes were mostly just rags so we replaced them with new outfits. Brant now wears a dark blue shirt, brown pants and boots and had a brown leather belt with a nightfury indented on the buckle while Chara wears a dark yellow shirt with brown skirt and shoes.
Another good thing that's happened is Chara's hair's finally begun growing back but only in small rough patches which she was a little sad about until Blanca told her that it'd all grow back soon and gently embraced her. Sweet little Chara had easily wormed her way into our hearts and it was easy to tell that even Verta who was normally neutral to others had grown fond of Chara which was an opening for a bit of teasing from me. I also learnt Chara was a very curious girl and could sometimes be found sat down in the library reading the books I bought that were for kids her age when she wasn't playing with her brother, she was asking either me or my wives to take her around the island. It was actually rather cute the way she eagerly asked about whatever her eyes landed on whether it be animal, plant or building, she'd ask about it.
Brant on the other hand was surprisingly like me when I was a kid and by that, I mean smart and inventive in the forge which is where he could be found most days if he wasn't in the room where I keep my designs. He'd always be looking over the designs wanting to see what they could do and how they worked or in my forge looking at all my equipment while asking me about the differences between my forge and a normal one. Despite how different my forge was he picked up the flow of how everything works pretty quickly and it's because of this I took him on as an apprentice like Gobber did for me when I was a kid. He already knew a lot about forging thanks to the many hours he spent in the forge with his father so preparations for the harvest season were coming along quickly and he was proving to have the makings of a great blacksmith.
Then there's the wolves we rescue from Bard who'd finally settled down enough to allow me to give them names and give them a full examination. From this I learnt that the brown female with the scar on its back and the grey male with the lighter underbelly and scarred chest were mates if how protective he was of her was anything to go by. Then there's the light brown female who had the scar going down her muzzle and over her eye, I was able to fully confirm she was the leader of the trio and did not enjoy taking orders from me. All in all, the three of them were not going to be easy to train but with the help of Adal and the others keeping an eye on them, I'm sure they won't cause any trouble around the island. On another note, concerning these wolves I had given each of them a name and had even been able to train them to at least respond to so that was a step in the right direction. The female with the scar going down her back is named 'Dagmar' meaning 'Maiden of the Day' while her mate got the name 'Enar' meaning 'Fighter' since he clearly had a fighting spirit within him. Then there's the female leader of their group who I'd named 'Hjordis' meaning 'Sword goddesses since that scar she had was most likely made by a sword. I'd been spending at least an hour a day with them to try and train them but they were times I could enjoy since I found a little joy in training animals.
These times of relaxation and peace were not to last though as the long-awaited day where everything changes had finally come which brings us to where we are now. I was standing in front of Brant who had a bag at his side with the strap going across his chest while on either side of me were Astrid and Blanca with Astrid on the left and Blanca on the right while Chara was in Blanca's arms, holding her bunny and our dragons behind us. I smiled as I kneeled in front of Brant while placing my hands on his shoulders as I said.
"Have a nice day Brant and remember, work hard, pay attention, listen to your teacher and if anyone causes you any trouble, let your teacher know." He nodded.
"Don't worry, I've been to school before so I know what to do if I run into trouble." I chuckled and rubbed his head.
"Have a good day at school Brant." With that said he nodded before turning around and running into the school house as I smiled knowing this would be a sight I'd never forget before I turned to my wives. "We better get out of here and back to the island so we can begin the harvest back home." They nodded before we began walking towards our dragons so we could get to work back on the island.
Nightfall
I was sitting in the secret room that could only be accessed through the library and held the book containing all the beasts I've faced, the desk given to me by Odin that had the raven that writes my life story and the various books that held the story of my life. As I sat there looking at the various books that held my life story, I couldn't help but think back on all my adventures and how all I'd gone through never prepared me for parenthood. I smiled at the thought knowing no adventure could ever prepare me or anyone for the adventure that is parenthood since it's the toughest adventure I'd ever love. I sighed remembering how my day had been and had to admit today was one of the busiest days I'd ever had in my life considering all that's happened.
I'd spent most of my day in my crop garden with my automatons, monkeys, baskets, Toothless, Flora and Rubble, all working hard on harvesting the crops. Normally this wouldn't be any trouble since I'd had harvest seasons before but thanks to Flora's ability this year's harvest was better than before which ended with us getting a huge haul brought in and put away into the food storeroom or granery. Along with this I had to worry about Brant and Chara. I know Brant was in school and Chara was being looked after by Verta while me, Blanca and Astrid were busy, but it didn't stop me from being nervous. With Brant I was worried that he wouldn't get along with the other kids or be bullied by the older kids and there was also my fear about the kids trying to use him to get close to me since a lot of kids did admire me or want to see my island. Then there's Chara who was being watched over by Verta and the problem is that although I know Verta could be trusted she wasn't exactly the nurturing type.
When nighttime came, I pretty much used my ox flame boots speed mode to get back to the house where everyone had arrived for dinner since I needed to know, everything was alright with the kids. Dinner was roast boar, fresh bread and a side of sliced vegetables that Blanca had prepared for the family, but I was more focused on the kids. When the girls saw this outside the dining room, they both giggled claiming I was worrying about nothing with Astrid telling me Brant was a smart kid who was a good judge of character, so he knew what kids to avoid. Blanca then told me that Verta may be rough around the edges, but she can also be incredibly gentle and caring when she needed to be. After that they took me into the dining room where the kids were waiting for us so we could begin dinner and I was all too happy to sit down and find out what their day was like.
It turns out the girls were right about me being worried about nothing when it comes to the kids having issues with their day since they both claimed they had great days. Brant told me he had a great time at school, made new friends, learnt about the history of Berk and he was looking forward to school tomorrow. This helped relieve some of my worry concerning him, but it did nothing for my concern about Chara who I spoke to next while she enjoyed her dinner. She told me what a wonderful day she had with Verta who she claimed was really nice to her and even let her ride on her back when she was in her big snake form. Now those were images that I truly could not picture, Verta being nice and her in her turning into her full snake form to give a little girl or giving any child a ride in that form.
As for the girls themselves, they told me how busy their own days were with Astrid telling me how much trouble the new riders were being when it came to helping with the harvest. The twins kept knocking the wagons holding the bags of food down the mountain wanting to see how fast it would go but we all knew it was one of their pranks. Fishleggs on the other hand was a little more helpful with Meatlug since they took things nice and slow with Meatlug slamming into trees to loosen the fruit that would fall to the ground to be picked up by the people, so they were helpful. Sadly, the same could not be said for Snotlout who kept trying to take charge of Hookfang instead of working as a team and as expected he needed to extinguish his flaming butt every half hour. Besides them, the other riders were having an easier time adapting and Berk ended up with a good harvest for the first day of the harvest season. I was just looking forward to when all the crops were harvested and put away in the food storehouses and the granary, so we'd all be able to relax together again.
I took a breath and looked down thinking about how busy these weeks were going to be for me since the harvest season was always the busiest time of year, even with the dragons and it was only going to get busier with each passing day. Knowing I'd need my strength for tomorrow I stood up and made my way out of the room so I could get to bed so I could get some sleep for the work tomorrow.
2 weeks later
I was sitting in my library in front of the burning fire with Chara soundly sleeping in my arms while Brant was sleeping in the chair on my right. I went over the events since the first day of the harvest season in my head. As expected my days had become pretty much a routine with me and the girls dropping Brant off at school before Astrid and Stormfly went to help the riders with the harvest, Blanca would take Chara to Verta and I would get to work on the islands harvest. Earlier today I'd finished gathering up all the crops and putting them away for a rainy day, but things were still busy on Berk meaning I'd have more to do tomorrow.
I sighed knowing the farmlands of Berk were far larger than my own and with the help of the dragons the farmers and cultivators had been able expand their land and grow more food for Berk. Thanks to this though, there was a lot more work to do for the farmers and even with the help of the dragon riders it would still take a while to harvest all the food and put it all in storage. This means that there was still a lot of busy days ahead of me meaning I wouldn't be able to enjoy some down time where I'm able to sleep in, work on my designs, go exploring and other things I enjoy. More importantly though I wouldn't be able to spend time with Brant and Chara which is something I knew bothered them, especially Chara since she missed her big brother, Blanca and Astrid who looked after her when she was bedridden and me who told her stories.
This last bit is why the both children were with me in the library, quietly sleeping since they'd come by after dinner hoping to hear some more stories of my adventures. Near the end of the last one though they'd fallen asleep which is a good thing in Brant's case since he had school in the morning, so I needed to get him to bed. It was then I was brought out of my thoughts by the silent sound of steps that I immediately recognized as Blanca's steps and was proven correct when she walked up by the chair and smiled down at me. I smiled back and gently passed Chara's sleeping form to her, but I did so hesitantly since I rather liked holding her in my arms since it kind of warmed my heart in a way. Then I gently picked Brant up and walked with Blanca towards the exit so we could take them to bed to be tucked in for the night since it wouldn't be right to leave them sleeping here in the library.
10 minutes later
I slowly made my way down the hallway towards my bedroom after tucking the kids in and although tucking them in didn't take that long I stopped at each of their room doors to look at their sleeping forms since they were just so adorable. I took a breath and walked into my room before walking up to the cupboard that held the stand where I kept my gear that I normally wore everyday like my leather chest plate or my ox flame boots. I slowly removed my gear, placing those that I could on the stand like my leather chest plate and grootslang coat while the rest were placed on square shelves on either side of the stand. When I was wearing nothing but my eyepatch, rhino helmet earring and my pants I turned around to my bed where Astrid and Blanca were waiting for me. When I saw them though I saw they were both sitting up and looking at me in a way that I know meant they wanted to talk to me about something. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair and said.
"Alright girls, what is it you two want to talk to me about." Astrid replied.
"What makes you think we want to talk to you about something?"
"Save it Astrid, I know that look you were both giving me well enough to know there's something you both want to talk to me about and it's normally something that's bothering you both."
"Are we really that easy to read?"
"Only thanks to how well I know you two and how well my ninja has taught me when it comes to reading people." She sighed.
"For guys who don't talk, they're pretty good at teaching what they know." I shrugged.
"They're good but I think it helps that they strike me whenever I fail to understand what they're trying to tell me so I had to pick up what they were teaching fast or risk getting a concussion on a daily basis." I then shook my head to clear it of the memories from when I first began my training under the ninja and turned back to the girls. "Anyway, what is it you both wanted to talk to me about?" Blanca was the one who replied.
"We have noticed that something is troubling you and we would like to know what it is." I smiled at them while giving a low chuckle.
"I never could hide anything from either of you." They giggled as Astrid said.
"It's our job to know when something's bothering you and to do something about it." I sighed and nodded before Blanca said.
"Hiccup, please come lay down and tell us what is bothering you." I knew there was no getting out of it so I climbed onto the bed and lay down with Blanca replacing my pillows with her lap which I had to say was more comfortable and relaxing before Astrid lay down on her side next to me with her head being held up in her hand as she said.
"Alright, now what's been bothering you?" I sighed.
"I'm just worried about all the time the harvest is taking away from all of us." They each looked at me confused until I continued with. "The harvest is taking a lot of time even with the dragons and that time could be spent bonding with the kids since I know they miss us, especially Chara who we keep dumping on Verta." I looked up at the ceiling before rubbing my hand over my face. "When we took those kids in I swore I'd try to be a better father to them than my father was to me when I was young but now it feels like I'm doing exactly what he did by dumping Brant in school and Chara on Verta." I groaned. "I just don't know how to feel since I know we have to help out around the village with the crops, but I feel like I'm neglecting my duties as a father figure to the kids." I threw my head back while slapping my real hand over my eyes. "I just don't know what to do or how to make the feelings of guilt disappear and how to stop looking in the mirror and feel like I'm looking at the face of my father." I felt Blanca gently remove my hand from my face as Astrid said.
"We know how you feel." Blanca then said.
"We both feel as if we are neglecting our duties to the children, but we remember that after the harvest time, we shall be able to make up for lost time." I nodded.
"I know but it doesn't stop me from feeling as if I'm letting someone down no matter which choice I make." Blanca gently stroked my hair as she said.
"It is a feeling we are all going through but that is to be expected with the responsibilities we all carry upon our shoulders." Astrid then said.
"You know what, we've all been working hard and the kids have a day off school coming up in three days so why don't we talk to your parents and see if we can also take that day off and have a family day where we can spend it with the kids." I smiled.
"That would be nice." Blanca then said.
"Maybe we could take them on a trip somewhere where we can forget about all the troubles and work waiting for us here and on Berk." I rubbed my chin in thought.
"Maybe we can take them on a trip below the waves with Tephra on my submersible ship." Astrid replied.
"The bottom of the ocean would be the best place to get away from it all and I'm pretty sure the kids will see things they've never seen before."
"And while we're down there we might as well let my Jelly fish collectors and Supplying Sea Horses loose to collect some of the sea plants since the healers have been making some requests for more supplies that can only be found below the waves."
"The kids will want to know about them." Blanca then said.
"If they ask about them it should help them come out of their shells a bit more." She then hummed. "They also might like to see what a shipwreck at the ocean floor looks like."
"There is a ship my tidal classes recently found that I've been meaning to scout for anything worth looting so it'd also be a good chance for the kids to learn about the treasures the ocean holds." They both looked at me, but I shrugged. "It might ignite their desire for adventure so they might be less hesitant when it comes to bringing them on our vacations to new lands where we have homes." They both stared at me with cocked eyebrows and it wasn't hard to figure out why they were looking at me, so I quickly continued with. "And where there's little chances of some sort of monster or old enemy of mine looking for revenge and decides to come after them." This got nods of approval from them before I reluctantly sat up. "Well we better get some sleep now since we still have a lot of work to do in the morning since we've still got a lot to harvest in the farmlands." They both nodded before we got the bed back in order and like every night, I fell asleep with the loves of my life using my shoulders as pillows.
Next day
This day started like it normally did with me feeling as if the mornings light had come too soon with the evening being far too short, but it was understandable for me to feel like that since my night was not a pleasant one. I kept worrying about how much work the future days hold and that because of this I figure my dad might not give us the one day off to spend with the kids. Knowing there was no point in putting off the work for the day I gently woke my wives up and we began our morning rituals of getting up and ready for the day. After we had breakfast, Chara was dropped off with Verta Astrid and I took Brant to Berk and dropped him off at school before we went to join the farmers and dragon riders at the fields where the harvest was taking place while Blanca remained behind to help train the snake guardians.
Astrid and I had spent the entire morning with our dragons in the fields, helping the farmers and other riders harvest the crops and it went a bit quicker since I released my Harvest Mantis automatons into the trees to help collect the fruit and onto the ground to cut the roots of some vegetables. Thanks to these the harvest went well with even more food being collected than usual which everyone was happy about since it meant the job would be done sooner. Sadly, because of how much easier they made the job I got multiple requests for them from some of the farmers asking if I could make some for them to help them in future harvests.
Earlier I requested a meeting with my father, saying I wanted to discuss something with him which was taking the day off to spend with the kids. Now it was lunch time and I was in my fathers' hut with my dad to discuss things with him which is why I was now sitting on one side of the fire with him sitting opposite of me. My father looked at me and sighed before he said.
"Alright son, we're both here now so tell me what you wanted to talk about." I decided it would be best to get straight to the point and get it over with.
"Me and the girls would like to take the day off to spend with the kids in two days." I waited for his denial of my request but instead he replied.
"Sure son." My eyes widened.
"Did you just agree to it?" He raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Is there a problem with me agreeing to it?"
"No, I'm just shocked that you actually agreed to give us the day off with everything being so busy and there still being so much work to do."
"Actually, thanks to the help of your automatons and the dragons, we are way ahead of schedule and besides that I'm glad to see you've learned from my mistakes as a father and trying to find time to spend time with your own kids." I rubbed the back of my head.
"Dad, they're not really my kids just two children me and the girls are looking after." He chuckled.
"Come on son, I've seen the twinkle in your eye when you drop the lad off at school and the way you talk about the lass when you're working, you act like a proud father." He chuckled as I sighed but smiled.
"Yeah but I don't think they see me as a father yet since it hasn't been that long since we saved them."
"Give it time Hiccup, next thing you know they'll be calling you dad but I'm not sure what they'll be calling your wives since I doubt, they can call them both mom with it being a little confusing." I nodded.
"That's true but we'll figure something out." He nodded.
"So, what do you intend to do with the kids on your day off."
"Me and the girls were thinking of taking them on a trip below the waves using Tephra and my submersible ship." He smiled.
"Now that does sound like something they or any child would enjoy doing." He then looked up. "I remember the first time you brought me aboard that thing, I thought you were crazy to think such a thing works but then you proved me wrong." I shrugged.
"It happens." I then looked down sadly. "Sadly, I didn't entirely design it fully." He stroked his beard.
"I'd forgotten about the battle with the hunters." I nodded.
"To be honest, it's not something I often think about myself but hey I got the ship out of it but it did need a lot of work and modification so it would suit my needs."
"Your underwater exploring, shipwreck looting and my favourite sea plant farming." I smiled and nodded. "Have to say that last one's my favourite though since its saved Berk a fortune when it comes to buying those deep sea plants for the healers."
"Why do you think I built them in the first place." He raised an eyebrow. "I wanted you to stop grumbling and complaining about how high the prices for those plants are when we buy them from the traders." He smiled.
"Well no matter what the reason is I'm happy you built them."
"You are but the traders weren't since they lost a few good customers." He chuckled.
"True, I still remember them complaining to me when I told them we wouldn't need their services anymore with them saying they had the best herbs in the archipelago." I rolled my eyes.
"That's what they all say but they're mostly all talk and no bite." He nodded as I rubbed my head. "I'm just glad they never found out about me." He raised an eyebrow. "If they did then chances are, they'd never leave me alone, they'd keep trying to convince me to form a partnership with them in which I'd supply them, and they'd sell the stuff I provide." He rolled his eyes.
"And knowing how those traders are, they'd draw up the contract up in a way in which it seems fair, but they get most of the profits." I nodded.
"And when I find out they'd say it's just good business before they claim that they do most of the work by finding the best buyers." I shrugged. "That's the way they do things all over the world though and that's something I know all to well from the multiple traders who want to do business with me." I then stood up. "Well dad, it's been nice talking to you but I've got to get back to work and let my wives know that we've got your approval to take that day off." He smiled and nodded.
"Bye son and drop by more often since I've enjoyed talking to you about the past and having a bit of a laugh." I smiled.
"So, have I dad." I then turned to leave. "And bring those kids around as well, I'd like to meet my adopted grandkids some time." I smiled and nodded.
"I will dad but let's do it after the harvest season, so you actually have a bit of time to get to know them without being pulled away by chief duties." He nodded.
"Good idea." I smiled and walked out the door out onto the porch with Toothless waiting for me out in front of the house making me smile and walk up to him before rubbing his head.
"Alright Toothless, we're done here so we better head back to the fields and get back to work." He growled. "Yeah, I know it's a bit boring bud, but we've got to help out with the crops and think of it this way," I smiled. "you're showing off your power and kindness for the girls." He growled and slapped me with his earflap making me chuckle. "Come on bud, who knows, they might like you when they see how hard you work to help the people of Berk." He tilted his head for a few moments before growling and nodding making me chuckle as I mounted him. "Let's go bud." With that said we took off to continue todays work.
2 days later
It's been two days since I talked to my father about giving me and the girls the day off so we could spend some time with the kids by taking them on a trip below the waves. Those two days had been spent helping with the harvest and just helping where we could before heading home to enjoy dinner after picking the kids up. Once the kids were put to bed, we discussed the little trip below the waves but decided it'd be better not to tell the kids and surprise them with it. We knew they'd be surprised by not only the trip but by Tephra and the ship since both are kept in the ice nest and the kids haven't visited any of the nests yet so they didn't know about them.
This brings us to now with me walking down towards the dock with Chara in my arms, Astrid and Blanca at my sides with Blanca carrying a basket of food and Astrid holding Brants hand. I smiled at the sight of the dock since I knew Tephra was waiting for us with the ship below the waters of the ocean so we could surprise the kids. When we reached the docks I smiled and turned to brant while holding Chara in front of me as I asked.
"You two ready for our trip?" They both nodded before Brant said.
"You still haven't told us where we're going for our trip." I smiled at him.
"We're going on a trip with one of my dragons who's going to be taking us somewhere I guarantee neither of you have been to but know you'll love it."
I then looked to the water and brought my fingers to my lips and let out a loud whistle and for a few seconds there was nothing until the water rippled before the ship rose from the water followed by Tephra who looked at us. Chara pressed her head into my chest while gripping my grootslang coat in fear while Brant hid behind Astrid making me frown before I gently stroked Chara's hair and said.
"Don't worry kids, she's not going to hurt either of you." I gently passed Chara to Astrid before walking up to Tephra and pressing my hand against her muzzle while gesturing to her. "This is my shell fire dragon Tephra and she's not going to hurt anyone, she's just here to take us on our trip."
I could see they were still afraid, but Brant took a breath and slowly walked out from behind Astrid making me smile as I gestured for him to come forward. He slowly did as I smiled at him encouragingly before he reached me as I gently took his hand and brought it close to her muzzle but let go when he was a few inches away since I wanted him to go the rest of the way on his own. For a few seconds I watched as he hesitated until he gulped and moved his hand forward the rest of the way and placed it against Tephra's muzzle. He closed his eyes probably expecting something bad to happen, but I chuckled since the only thing he got was a gentle growl of pleasure. Brant opened his eyes and stared at Tephra in shock before I placed a hand on his shoulder while smiling down at him as I said.
"See now, she's not going to hurt any of us, but she is going to take us on a trip below the waves." He looked at me confused but I just signalled Tephra to sink which she did until only my ships roof was visible above the waves. "Alright, time to board the ship and head out."
As soon as I finished saying that I hopped off the dock and onto the roof of the ship before offering a hand to Brant who hesitantly took it making me smile as I helped him down onto the ship. Astrid followed carrying Chara while Blanca came next with the food in the basket making me smile before we all made our way into the ship and took off.
1 hour later
I was sitting at the table with my wives smiling at the children who were running around the ship, looking through the windows at all there was outside the ship while we travelled through the water. As they did this I thought about the look on their faces when we first went below the water and saw what was below the ocean clearly through the window. While Chara spent her time going through the various windows Brant asked me about the ship and how it worked which was understandable since he'd often ask me about my automatons whenever he helped me in the forge. After he learned how it worked, he joined Chara in looking out the various windows to see what was happening around us in the water. It was then Chara said.
"Look Brant, a sunken ship." This caught my attention as Brant ran to join her before I walked up to see the ship and smiled.
"Good, we've arrived." They both turned to look up at me before Brant asked.
"This is where we were being brought?" I chuckled as I rubbed his head.
"Yeah, I figured on our little trip I could show you both the main reason I have this ship." I then gently lead them towards the storeroom as I continued. "Along with this I figured I could take care of something I've been meaning to do while also giving you both a demonstration on what some of my automatons I built for this ship can do." As soon as I said that I sent out my 'loot sharks' and 'jellyfish collectors' to begin work but when the kids saw them swimming towards the ship Chara asked.
"What are those?" I smiled and kneeled down to her level.
"The metal sharks are what I call 'Loot sharks' a type of automaton I built to loot sunken ships while the other automatons are my 'Jelly fish collectors' an automaton I built to work with my 'Supplying sea horse' automatons that are now in their bodies." I then turned their attention back to the window just as my automatons got to work with the sharks entering the wreck and the jellyfish releasing the sea horses. "You see my sharks are able to use their teeth to break through the hulls of sunken ships and then get into them to loot the wrecks of any valuables by eating them and storing the stuff in their bodies." Chara then asked.
"How do they know what to get?"
"Their eyes are connected to the fake eye I have under my eyepatch and it allows me to see what they see so I'm able to control them and choose what they take." They both nodded before Chara pointed to my jellyfish that had just released the sea horses that immediately began collecting the plants.
"What are they doing?"
"The sea horses are gathering plant samples that are used in healing gels and medicine by either sucking the stuff up through their snouts, into containers that are in their bodies or by opening up their bodies and using two claws that come out to reach out and grab the item before using a rotating blade to cut it and then they pull them back into their bodies." Brant then asked.
"If the sea horses gather the stuff then what do the jellyfish do?" I turned to him.
"In the bodies of each of them is a large glass container which the sea horses put what they collect in before gathering more to put in."
"And what happens when they're full?" I just smiled at him.
"I'll show you when they're done but for now let's leave the automatons to their work and go have the lunch that Astrid and Blanca prepared for us." With that said we made our way out of the storeroom and back to the main room where lunch was waiting for us on the table making me smile as we got ready to eat.
2 hours later
I was standing on top of my ship with Chara in my arms, Astrid and Blanca at my sides and Brant holding onto Blanca's hand while we looked at our island as we approached it. I had to say this had been a pleasant little trip with a nice lunch, a good collection of plants for the healers and a good bit of loot from the shipwreck all of which was now in the storeroom until they could be transported to the vault or storeroom. I was then we docked, and we all got off the ship before Tephra raised her head out of the water making me smile as I said.
"Thanks for the ride girl, I'll be by later to collect the stuff out of the storeroom and take the ship off your back." She growled before Brant said.
"Thank you for the ride Tephra, it was fun." Chara then said.
"Yeah, thanks." I smiled as Tephra growled and dived down below the waters and took off to the Bewilderbeast nest while we turned around and began making our way up the path towards the house as I said.
"I'm glad you two had a good time." Brant looked up at me smiling as he said.
"Can we do it again?" I chuckled as Chara cheered at this.
"I'll take you both on my next deep-sea exploration, but it'll be a few days since we still have work to finish on Berk and I still need to find some shipwreck locations." Chara cheered at this as we made our way up the path.
Nightfall
After we got back from our trip we split up to do our own thing with the kids going to play in the garden, Astrid going to train in the jungle, Blanca going to spend some time with Verta and me going for a flight with Toothless. While I flew with Toothless I couldn't help but think about how it felt good to be riding him again since with everything that's going on I rarely get to enjoy just riding him. Even on my adventures I rarely got to go out on a flight with him, not even when I was going into battle against some sort of threat because I feared what might happen to him. I'd already seen him captured, mind-controlled and transformed and this is a list I did not want to see grow since he's my best friend and I hated seeing him in trouble. Still though I knew he'd be helpful in any sort of battle I end up in and that no matter what the situation, we'd have each other's back like we always did.
Now I was sitting at the dinner table with the girls and the kids while we were talking about our day after our little underwater adventure. All in all we all had a pretty relaxing day with nothing big happening and all of us doing our own thing to just enjoy our remaining day. It was then Brant said.
"Hey Mr Hiccup." I turned to him.
"Yes Brant?"
"I was looking at your trophies earlier and wanted to ask if I could come with you to some of the places you've been to?" I smiled and nodded my head.
"Don't worry Brant, the next time I go to one of the places I've been to it'll be for a vacation with everyone here." It was then an all to familiar voice said.
"I'm afraid your next trip will not be all that relaxing Hiccup and I'd advise you to only bring your nightfury." I sighed while everyone stared in shock with the girls quickly standing up and getting into their fighting stances. "Stand down girls, he's a friend." I stood up and turned to face the one behind me. "You know it's rather impolite to enter someone else's home but then again I don't think it's in your nature to knock, is it Merlin?" The old bearded wizard in green robes smiled at me.
"I'm afraid not my boy." I then frowned.
"Judging from what you just said this is not a pleasure visit." He shook his head.
"I'm afraid not, the situation is actually something I believe we best discuss alone." I nodded and turned to Astrid and Blanca.
"Sorry girls, I'm afraid I have to be excused from dinner." They just nodded before Astrid said.
"Just remember to come and tell us what's going on when you're done." I nodded.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hide anything from either of you." I then stood up and led Merlin out of the dining room and to my private study where we sat down across from each other. "Alright Merlin, what's so big that you would come all the way to my home since I doubt you would come all this way just to interrupt dinner with my family."
"My apologies Hiccup but the matter I have come to discuss with you is not to be taken lightly." I could hear the urgency in his voice and knew this had to be serious.
"What's going on Merlin?"
"Morgan le Fay has returned with her son Mordred and her army which grows bigger and stronger every day."
"And you want me to come back to Camelot and help fight the war against her." He nodded before I sighed and looked down at my hands. "I don't know Merlin, I mean during my last fight against her I lost my arm and now I'm a husband and we just adopted two kids who've suffered so much in the past." I looked up at him. "I just don't know if I can do this knowing that if something happens to me I'll be leaving them alone."
"I understand Hiccup." I raised my head to look at him. "You have responsibilities to your family but it is all the more reason you should come to help in the war." I raised an eyebrow. "Morgan le Fey's son Mordred has an unquenchable thirst for power and once he has Camelot he will send his forces across the sea to conquer new lands including the lands of your allies and your own and when he comes for your land, what do you think will happen to your family?" I clenched my fists at the thought of what would happen to them.
"Alright Merlin, you win but give me and Toothless time to say goodbye to our loved ones." He nodded and with that said I made my way out to tell the girls and kids what was happening.
1 hour later
It's been an hour since Merlin told me what's been happening in Camelot and that time was spent saying goodbye to the girls, the kids, my parents, my animals and everyone else. My wives weren't happy about my choice until I explained what would happen if I didn't go and although they accepted this they still didn't like it which is something Astrid made clear when she punched me and telling me to be sure to come back to them. The kids took it hard to with Brant trying to act tough but I could see the tears forming in his eyes while Chara was in tears, sobbing hard and begging me not to go. I gently embraced the both of them and promised them I'd be back and when I was, I'd spend the entire day with them on any part of the island they wanted doing whatever they want. This calmed them down a bit before I left to get Toothless so we could head out for Camelot but before that I stocked my spiderpack with half the weapons in my armoury since according to Merlin every able bodied man was being recruited and they needed the weapons.
Now I was standing in my garden with Toothless next to me, Merlin behind us, the girls, my parents, Gobber, the kids and little Twilight, all came to say goodbye to us. I smiled at all of them as I said.
"Thanks for coming to see us off and don't worry, we'll be back but I can't guarantee we'll come back with all our limbs." Nobody laughed before my dad walked forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Just come back safe son." I nodded.
"I will dad."
It was then I was hit by a strong force that was my mother who was sobbing into my shoulder but I just embraced her as I watched Toothless nuzzle Twilight goodbye. My mom then let me go before my father gently lead her away as Twilight ran back to the others and I turned to Merlin and telling him.
"Alright Merlin, let's go." He smiled and raised his hands as they glowed with magic and then there was a blinding light before I found myself standing in the palace courtyard meaning this latest adventure had just begun.
AN: And that brings and end to this chapter and yes I know it wasn't very exciting but I wanted a peaceful chapter where the kids could be bonded with and a bit of peace could be enjoyed before the coming battles. Anyway, a lot of these future battles will be based on battles from 'Lord of the Rings' and the forces of Morgan le Fey will be the orcs and trolls from the series. Don't worry though I will be putting my own spin on the battles that will make them fit in with the story and Toothless will play some major rolls in the fights. I know he doesn't appear that much in the adventures but it's not easy to find a place where he can be put in and when I do figure out where I can put him in the chapter is already posted so sorry about that. Anyway, I've just started work again this year so I'm going to be trying to get back into the groove of things there and writing during my free time so I'll doing my best to update weekly but I make no promises. Also to Edmonton58, I'll see what I can do but I make no promises concerning your request. Now until next time all of you stay safe, review kindly and have a nice day.