Chapter 246

Hiccups POV:

It's been a week since the bazaar closed and, in that time, things had been good with the only big thing being my father looking at me with a little more respect after he found out how hard it was to handle the bazaar. Besides that, I had been doing some thinking about opening up some trade routes with my own traders to get rid of some of the extra items I have in storage and it would give me a way to strengthen the relationships with the other tribes. The problem was I didn't want just anyone to do this job since they could just as easily try to pocket the money they make or try to run off with the items and hide them somewhere before returning and claiming they were robbed while hoarding the stuff for themselves. This did bring up another reason as to why I wasn't just going to choose anyone since they could be attacked and I wanted someone who could protect themselves and not just from pirates but also from customers who would try to con those who were selling the items. In order to avoid this, the people I hire had to be strong and skilled warriors but also smart enough to know when someone's trying to con them which is where the problem lies. The people who volunteered for this job were mostly Vikings and although they easily met the first two requirements, finding someone who met the last requirement was difficult since to put it bluntly, Vikings were fighters not thinkers. It was because of this that my trade route plans were put on hold until a solution could be found but I still had other projects to keep me busy along with my chores to tend to the island.

Now I was riding on Toothless towards an island full of wild boars to catch a couple of wild boars using my shadow coat since I needed to release a few into the forests of my island for my wolves to hunt. I could've done this on Berk but didn't want to over hunt the wild boars on the island which is another reason why I'm going on a hunt today, to capture a few to relocate into Berks forests and help regrow the boar population on Berk since we needed the meat and pelts. As we flew though, I had to say it was an enjoyable experience since we were both always so busy with Toothless handling the alphas and me handling all my various responsibilities and training to become stronger for when I get pulled into another fight. It was then Toothless crooned to gain my attention making me smile and rub his head as I said.

"Don't worry bud, just thinking that it's been a while since we both went on a flight together with it just being the two of us considering how busy we've both been with you being the alpha and me being stuck with so many responsibilities." He growled and nodded. "You know what, today's a pretty nice day and things are pretty calm around both the island and Berk so what do you say we take our time on this trip and enjoy a bit of solo flying together." He growled and nodded. "Let's go bud." With that said took off at top speeds but as we did I couldn't help but wonder what everyone was doing back home.

Nobodies POV:

With Blanca

Blanca was in her half snake form in the training room of the lair of the snake guardians and watched as two of her brethren sparred in the middle of the room in front of the others who watched from their places around the room. It was easy to tell how far each of them had come in power and knew they would be able to obtain human form soon and when they did she had no doubts they would be able to help Hiccup more in some way. She knew he had plans to begin using his own ships to trade with other tribes within the archipelago to strengthen the bonds between them and Berk while also making a little extra money, even though money means little to him but she knew Berks future meant a lot to him.

It was as she thought about the man that she was able to call her husband that her mind wondered back to her past from before she met the man she loved, when she believed herself to be a demon. Blanca sighed and at times like these, she remembered all that had changed for her since the time when she first met who helped her when she had no memories about her past. At times she worried that one day she would open up her eyes and discover that this wonderful life she had would turn out to all be just a dream and she'd return to being a demon who serves her two headed master. She didn't want that in the least since she loved the life both she and her people had with a home where they weren't hunted and treated as monsters to the point they had to keep hiding from the world and above all she loved her family. She loved Brant and Chara as if they were truly her own children, she loved her sister wives as much as she loved Verta and above all, she loved her husband as he's the one who made all this possible for her and her people. Her discomfort must have shown on her face as Verta placed a hand on her shoulder and asked.

"Sister, what is it that troubles you?"

"I just fear that one day I will open my eyes and find this life I have built for both myself and our people with the help of the man I love." Verta gently hugged Blanca.

"Sister, none of this is a dream." She pulled away. "All of this is real thanks to the man you love and all the hard work both you and he have put into it." Blanca smiled and nodded before she thought back to Brant and Chara and a small frown formed on her face as she remembered something she'd been hoping to bring up with Hiccup but had yet to find the right moment to bring it up. "What else troubles you sister?"

"Verta, I love Brant and Chara as if they were my own children and I love being a mother to them but it also makes me long for a child born from my body with the blood of both me and the man I love." She gently rubbed her stomach as she finished saying this.

"Then why not tell Hiccup how you feel?"

"The time never seems right as whenever I have the courage to tell him, some sort of threat appears, and he is taken off to deal with it and I am reminded of the dangers our infant will be put in."

"Sister, we both know your husband would never allow any harm to come to the child and although he is often traveling to protect the world and make things better for the island and for his village." She nodded. "Blanca, all you need to do is speak with Hiccup and knowing him, he will be happy to at the very least speak with you about it." Blanca smiled and nodded before they turned their attention back to the sparring match below, but Blanca's mind remained on how she was going to speak with Hiccup about having a child born from them both.

With Astrid

Astrid was sat down in her saddle on Stormfly as they stood on a sea stack next to Valka who was sat down on Cloudjumper as they watched the riders, they'd been training demonstrate their new techniques used for rescue missions. Sadly, most of these tactics that the riders had come up with weren't very good and at worst would result in the person they're meant to save being maimed if they weren't killed in some way. To make matters worse, some of the riders who were meant to be demonstrating their rescue skills actually needed to be rescued after their demonstrations went wrong. It was then such a situation came up with Snotlout pushing Hookfang's patience making him ignite but Hookfang forgot that they were right on the edge of the sea stack. Snotlout being Snotlout immediately screamed in pain and hopped off his flaming dragon and begun running around, falling off the side of the sea stack which was fortunately Hookfang noticed this and went after his rider. As this happened, Astrid sighed and shook her head before turning to Valka and asked.

"Do you think he'll ever learn?"

"Well I used to wonder that myself when I first met him but then I learned he's just like his and gave up any hope of that happening."

"Was Spitelout really as bad as Snotlout when he was young."

"Believe it or not dear, he was really a lot worse." Astrid immediately turned to Valka in shock.

"That's possible?" Valka laughed.

"You have no idea how bad it was." Valka looked into the distance in memory with a smile on her face. "Not a day went by without him getting hurt in someway by another Viking." She then turned to Astrid. "Although it was mostly the women who he tried to flirt with in some way or their boyfriends." Astrid giggled.

"I'm guessing it was one of the women who's responsible for that wince he has whenever he sees a frying pan." Valka nodded with a proud smile.

"You guess right, and that woman is me." Astrid looked at her in shock.

"Really?" Valka nodded. "I'm sorry but you don't seem the violent type who could mentally scar a Viking for life." Valka chuckled before a dark look formed on her face.

"That's because you've only seen my nice side." Astrid actually had Stormfly step away at the sight of this face, but it quickly cleared up. "Anyway, I got so sick of him flirting with me even though I was with Stoick at the time, so I took the nearest item which was a frying pan and used it to shut him up." She giggled. "It was four weeks before he could walk normally again." Astrid giggled.

"I wish I could've done the same to Snotlout when he wouldn't leave me alone." Valka smiled and turned back to the training and saw Hookfang swinging him around. "And I think Hookfang wishes the same." Valka nodded.

"We better go and help Snotlout."

Astrid nodded and they took off to help him but as her mind drifted back to the time when not only Snotlout would flirt with her nonstop but to a time to when she was so blind that she didn't realize what a coward she was being. Back then before Hiccup shot Toothless down, all she saw was an obstacle and a nuisance who would just get in the way of her dream of becoming a shieldmaiden and doing her family name proud. This was why she never helped him when he was being bullied, feeling as if helping him would be a waste of her time and that Hiccup needed to learn how to man up if he was ever going to be chief of the village. She never realized the whole reason he was so weak wasn't his fault but the fault of those who abused him and those like her who didn't lift a finger to help him, figuring it would help toughen him up a bit.

Still despite all they'd done to him, he still came to help and save their people from the Red Death and then gave them a second chance which he proved again and again was good for Berk so as anyone could guess, nobody wanted to blow it. Soon enough he brought between Berk and the Outcasts, won the war against the Berserkers and dragon hunters, exposed Johan as a crook and so much more that helped Berk in various ways. Whether it was protecting Berk from enemies or establishing new trade routes and strengthening bonds with allies, these were things everyone believed he couldn't do, and he proved them all wrong. Then came that dark day for Astrid when she was tricked and made a prisoner in her own body which was forced to serve the pig of an heir, Ulrik who made her tend to him in whatever way he wanted and intended to marry her. She'll never forget the pain she felt when her engagement to him was announced or when he had her expose herself to him so he could see what he had to look forward to on their honeymoon. When she was finally free and all he had done to her came back to haunt her and for the first time in years, she cried but Hiccup didn't belittle her for it but instead comforted her alongside Blanca and it was then she truly fell for Hiccup.

Many months have passed since that day where she her love for him had come to fully bloom within her heart and as one could expect, she had changed since then as had her relationship with both Hiccup and her sister wives. At first, she feared he'd favor Blanca over her, but it wasn't long before those fears were put to rest when he no way showed that he favored one wife over the other. To make things even better, her and Blanca had become the best of friends who would spar when they get the chance and although Hadasa and her didn't spar, they were good friends. All in all, although her life hadn't taken the path she expected it to as a child, she wouldn't trade a single piece of it since it's what made her the strong woman and warrior she was today with a family she loved. For now though she needed to focus on her duty to strengthen Berks defenses by training new riders who can protect the island from enemies.

With Hadasa and Chara

Hadasa was in the garden, tending to the flowers while also watching over Chara who was sitting under a tree and playing with her stuffed bunny and watching her mama Hadasa make the flowers grow. Chara always loved watching her do this since she loved how much nicer it made the garden for her and Brant to play in but that hadn't happened today since Brant was spending his day training under the ninja. She was used to it though since Brant spent a lot of time with her when they first arrived here on the island but soon Brant asked Hiccup to begin his training to become stronger so he could protect her and their time together was reduced. Chara didn't mind though as she knew he still loved her and wanted to be able to protect her in the future plus he still played with her whenever he got time off. Still that didn't stop her from missing him or her birth parents despite all the love and caring she got from her adoptive parents who made it clear to her, every chance that they loved her as if she were their own.

It was then the heat of the day and the energy she used up playing in the garden, running around to play hide and seek with the peacocks and she let out a yawn which is something Hadasa noticed and walked up to her before kneeling down and saying.

"Are you tired my sweet little flower?" Chara nodded.

"I'm sleepy mama Hadasa." Hadasa smiled at her and gently picked her up.

"Well why don't we make you a nice little place to sleep where I can also keep an eye on you." She kneeled down and pressed her hand to the ground, forming a small bed of white flowers surrounded by lavender. "There now."

She gently placed Chara on top of the flower bed and just like that, Chara was out like a light making Hadasa smile and gently kiss the top of her adoptive daughter's head before she returned to her duties in the garden. As she did this though she couldn't help but think back on her past and how her life had changed so much from her time as a beggar on the streets to the wife of a wealthy leader. She sighed as she looked down at sweet little Chara, cuddling her bunny in the flower bed and thought back to her childhood when she was so innocent. Things weren't easy for her with both her parents passing away and then being forced out of her only home with nothing but the clothes on her back so naturally she became a thief on the streets to survive.

Then she was given a way out of the city and a chance to start a new by Hiccup only for that chance to blow up in her face when she was sold to some dark sorcerers and then gaining the power to control plants and unknowingly possessed by the demon Arbutus. Under his control she took over an entire city and what's worse is she enslaved the man who had shown her unconditional kindness for the first time in her life, turning him into what could best be described as a love puppet under her control and believed he loved her. She was then used as a way to release Arbutus and then attack Hiccup who was able to defeat the demon while she herself was turned into a flower that the man she enslaved took and replanted in his garden.

Her days as a flower were not days that she liked to look back on, but she actually felt that she deserved it for all the harm she had done while under Arbutus' control. While trapped in this flower form she was still aware of all that was going on around her and could also explore the island through the roots of the plant life around the island, once a day for an hour before she had to return to the flower. It's through this that she had learnt all about Hiccups travels and adventures followed by his marriages to Blanca and Astrid and she had to admit she felt a little heartbroken seeing how gentle and loving he was with the two of them, longing to be in their place. She knew that her imprisonment is what she deserved but it didn't make things even more painful than it originally was and then came the little ones.

Every day when she saw them playing in the garden together, she wished that she could join them in their little games, but she still couldn't move, enhancing her pain. Then came the day that she was able to reform her own body and at first she was overjoyed that she could finally move around freely again but her joy was short-lived as she remembered where she was and feared how the islands inhabitants would react to her. It was because of this that she used her powers to keep hidden from the others since she wasn't sure how Hiccup would react to her reappearance after what she did. Then Chara found her and wanted to play with her which Hadasa couldn't turn down since Chara was too cute and she'd wanted to play with her for too long but made sure Chara didn't let her parents know who she really was. Then came the day she was exposed and was proven that her fears weren't needed since Hiccup and his wives welcomed her with open arms and she was given more freedom which eventually lead to her marriage to the man she loved.

It was then she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a moaning followed by something moving around in her lap realized that at some point she'd gone back to Chara and kneeled down in the flower bed, allowing the little one to use her lap as a pillow which she was now snuggling into. Hadasa smiled, not having the heart to move the slumbering child and began gently stroking her hair while humming a lullaby her own mother used to hum to her when she was a child. Looking at her life now Hadasa didn't know what awaited in her future but she knew that with those she loved with her, there was no challenge she couldn't face and win against.

With Brant

Brant was in the training room wielding a pair of gronkle iron dual swords under the watchful eyes of the ninja who studied his every movement and occasionally stepped in to correct his stance or form. He'd kick, stab, swing, strike and slam into imaginary opponents with the intention of taking them down before moving onto the next one who came at him. It was then Water stepped forward while taking out his hook blades and pointed them at Brant to challenge him to a sparring match which Brant was all too happy to take and charged at the ninja master with a fire in his eyes. The results were as expected with Brant being disarmed and pinned to the ground in under ten seconds of going up against the trained warrior with years of training. Water then helped Brant get up who panted and said.

"Thanks." He then went to collect his swords but before he could Wind walked in front of him stopping him from continuing towards his swords. "What is it?" Wind pointed at Brant and then to Earth before giving a thumbs down with his right hand before tapping against Brant's head. "You want to know why I think I lost?" Earth nodded. "Because Water is more skilled than I am and has more years under his belt." All ninja nodded before Fire gestured for him to go on. "There's more?" They each nodded. "What is it then?" Iron pointed at Brant and then tapped his head. "Are you saying I need to figure it out for myself?" He nodded again making Brant sigh and pick up his swords before getting back into his battle stance. "I'll think about it as I continue training." They nodded and stepped back before Brant continued his practice.

2 hours later

Brant lay on the ground with a bo staff three feet away from his body and Fire standing on top of him with the blade of his weapon pointed down at him. Fire stepped off him and offered Brant a hand which Brant took before he pulled him up and growled before he grabbed his weapon and got into his battle stance as he said.

"Again!" Fire shook his head and walked up to him. "What's the problem?" Fire tapped Brant's head before tapping his heart and then making a fist and then a puppet holding hand. "Are you telling me that I'm letting my anger control me?" Fire nodded. "So, do I need to let it go?" All ninja shook their heads before Water walked up and placed a finger on Brant's chest where his heart was and dragged it across his body towards Brant's right hand and nodded before placing his finger back on Brant's heart and then dragging it up to the head before shaking his head. "I need to learn to move my anger into my fists for stronger strikes instead of letting it control me?" He nodded making Brant sigh and nodded. "Alright, I'll try that now." He then picked up the bo staff and looked down at it and growled. "I will never be weak again."

The ninja all heard this and were reminded of the true reason Brant wanted to become stronger and this reason was something they all knew as did Hiccup whenever he saw that flame of determination in Brant's eyes when he trained. The main reason Brant trained so hard wasn't because he wanted to protect his family, do his family in Valhalla proud or because he wanted to be like his step-father who he idolized but all because he had a burning hatred within his heart that could not be extinguished easily. This hatred burned in his heart not for those who hurt his sister, not for those who harm the dragons or even for the slavers who took his parents from him. No, this hatred burned not for any other living being but burned for none other than himself and how weak he was to the point that all he could do was watch as his parents were taken from him and his sister. It was this fire within his heart that kept him going through the immensely difficult and tough training that he went through at least once every day. He was determined to become stronger so he would never feel that weak as he did on that day and to be able to make all those who threatened his new life pay for it. With this in mind he got back to his sparring match with the ninja while trying to put what they taught him into this match against Fire even though he knew that with it, he still stood no chance against this hardened warrior.

Late afternoon

Hiccups POV:

I was on the back of Toothless, flying high above the ocean below us as the sight of my island came into view making me smile since as much as I enjoyed my flights with Toothless, it was always good to get home to those I loved. First thing I had to do though, was let a few of the wild boar herds I caught in my coat, loose into the forest so they could help regrow Berks boar population and then do the same in my forest for my wolves to hunt. Besides the boar hunt, this had been a really nice day up in the air with Toothless since as much as I loved my family, it was nice to just get back to my roots as a rider and do some solo flying with Toothless like in the old days from when we first met. As we flew though, I used the eye of the dragon to look through the eyes of my automatons that were stationed around the island to see what everyone was up to.

As expected of Brant, he was soaking in the bath to soothe his aching muscles after a hard day of training hand if the bruises I could see on his body were anything to go by, he overdid it again. I shook my head at this sight as I muttered how Brant really needed to stop overworking himself concerning his training and how I had to speak with my ninja about going easier on him since if his mother's found out, they'd skin my ninja alive for hurting him. Then I went through the various places where I could find Chara and eventually found her in her bedroom playing with her blocks and her bunny making me smile at such an adorable sight.

I then went on to look for my wives and found them in the kitchen, preparing tonight's dinner of roast boar, warm bread, sliced up vegetables, rice bowls and fresh water or mead to drink. I had to admit that I was drooling a little at the sight of the roast boar that was being spun around on a skewer over a burning fire while Astrid basted it in sauce she learned how to make from my auntie Impedimenta on our trip to Gaul. Blanca on the other hand was pulling some freshly made bread out of the oven and I immediately recognized them as the kind that have fresh honey mixed into the dough giving it a sweet taste. Then there's Hadasa who was preparing the vegetables by cutting them up and mixing them up in a bowl while using her powers to make some vines handle the pot with the rice cooking in it. It was then I saw Blanca pull out a jam pie for dessert, making me lick my lips since it was my favorite desert but then realization hit me as to what they were doing. Them preparing my favorite dinner and I bet my entire fortune that they're going to give me a good time tonight all because they wanted me to be comfortable for when they asked me a question that they wanted a positive answer for.

It was then I was brought out of my examination by the sound of Toothless crooning, gaining my attention and I looked down to see that we were now over Berks forest. I smiled knowing it was time to land and release the boars so I steered him down so we could get to work and I was looking forward to getting this done with since although I knew the girls were trying to soften me up, the food still looked good. With this in mind we got to work on finding a spot to land and to release the boars since the sooner they were free, the sooner we could get home for dinner.

3 hours later

It's been three hours since we let the boars roam free and since then I've dropped Toothless off in the stables where he was happily greeted by Twilight while I returned to my own home where my family happily greeted me. Following this I was ushered into the bathhouse since dinner wouldn't be ready for ten more minutes, so I was able to take a quick bath before dinner. Our dinner was a nice affair with small talk about how we each spent our day and what we all got up to during the time that I was away with Toothless. It was good to hear about how everyone had an enjoyable day with Brant even learning some new skills to use in his training which would help him become stronger for future sessions. After dinner we each had a lot of down time before bed and now, I was in my night robe and just tucked in my little girl who was sound a sleep in seconds of her head hitting the pillow allowing me to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead before leaving her room. Now I was walking into my room and as expected, each of my wives were there in just their undergarments, showing they were ready for a good time but I already knew what was up since they'd done this before so I said.

"Alright girls, what is it you want?" They each looked confused but before they could reply, I continued. "Don't try to deny that you want something since I already know you've been softening me up with my favorite dishes for dinner and preparing for good times in bed." They each looked at each other before they giggled, and Astrid answered.

"Hiccup, we can't blame you for being suspicious since we may have used this in the past to get you to do or get something we knew you wouldn't like in the past but this time it's different." I raised an eyebrow. "Today we all just looked back on our pasts and realized how much we really owe you for the lives we have now since if it weren't for you, I'd either be a normal shield-maiden determined to regain my families lost honor after what happened with the flightmare or worse." She shivered a bit. "A prisoner in my own body, serving as Ulrik's wife who was only focused on making the boar happy by being his obedient pet." (AN: Chapter 168) Blanca then said.

"I'd still be serving my former master and spreading fear all over China, while being hunted as a monster." Hadasa then said.

"And I'd either be a slave to the demon who was posing as Prince Aamin or serving as a puppet for Arbutus who'd eventually die so that monster could reobtain his physical form." (AN: Chapter 52 and 126)

"So, you girls just wanted to show me how grateful you were for all I've done?" They nodded. "Well sorry for being suspicious." Astrid answered.

"It's alright Hiccup." I then looked down with a frown.

"I'm guessing that I've ruined the mood." I saw the girls smile as Astrid replied.

"Not in the least, dragon boy." She then grabbed the hems of my night robe and then pulled me into a kiss while dragging me to the bed for a good evening together.

AN: And that brings an end to another chapter with this one allowing us to get a better understanding of Hiccups family members. Now then I hope you've all enjoyed it and will remember to review since I do enjoy reading them from time to time and seeing what people think. Anyway if some of you are wondering why I didn't enter Chara's mind, I felt she was too young and innocent for her character to have truly developed. Now then, remember to stay safe and have a nice day.