Chapter 208
Hiccups POV:
I rushed down the hall, passed the crates and when I reached the spot where my jewel wig was, I pushed the crates out of the way to show me what they were covering while hoping I was wrong and my jewel wig, did not see what I thought it saw. When I pushed the last crate out of the way I finally saw what my jewel wig showed me and it was a lot worse to see in person than it was through the eyes of my jewel wig. I was looking down at a cell that was built into the floor with a square barred door on top of it, that was locked shut with a padlock but I couldn't care less about the cell since what I was worried about was what's in the cell. In the cell were two children locked inside with one being a boy who couldn't be more than eight years old and he was embracing a little girl who was obviously younger than him and scared if how she was burying her head into the boy's chest was anything to go by. I grabbed the lock with my prosthetic and ripped it off making the girl wince at the sound while the boy tightened his grip around her to soothe her. I opened the cell door as the boy glared at me as I said.
"Easy, I'm not going to hurt either of you." When I reached in the boy made his distrust of me clear by pulling out a short blunt and stabbing my prosthetic with it which only resulted in the blade breaking, a surprised boy and a scared girl. "Sorry little man but it'll take a lot more than that to harm me." He then let go of the girl before he lunged at me with the dagger but I used my real hand to grab the arm with the dagger while I held up the palm of my prosthetic to his face. "Sorry about this kid."
I then let out a puff of my knockout gas into his face putting him to sleep since he needed to calm down or he could end up hurting himself or the little girl. When the boy fell limp, I caught him and gently cradled him in my arms but sadly the girl was not too happy to see this since she began screaming and crying. I tried to explain to her what I'd done but she then began hitting me while screaming and calling me a big bully while holding onto what I recognized as a stuffed bunny that had obviously seen better days. Despite its appearance it was clearly very precious to the little girl which is something I could understand since as kids people grow very attached to toys no matter how beaten up; they get. I let out a sigh knowing there was nothing I could do to calm her down so I held out my prosthetic and released my gas to knock her out. I caught her body before it hit the ground and cradled both children in my arms and made my way out of the ship so I could get these children some medical care since there's no telling how they were treated or how long they were in that cell.
6 hours later
It's been six hours since I found those kids in the ship and in that time a lot has happened, starting with me getting those kids to the healers for a full check up and medical care. It turns out I was right to bring them to see the healers since they were both malnourished and had a few bruised bones that needed to be tended to. I didn't want to leave the children but I needed to help out around the village so Astrid and Blanca volunteered to be left with the children while I worked. After that I went down to the dock and helped the dock workers unload all the crates and barrels in Bards ships and bringing them onto the dock so they could be checked out for supplies and where they could go. We found some good things in the crates like dried food, weapons and materials from foreign lands which I knew would sell for a high price to the right buyer while the barrels mostly had fish, drinking water and mead. All the food was taken to the food store house while the weapons were sent to the armory and the materials to the tribes' local tailors who had ideas for them.
Then there was the raid on Bards personal quarters with the weapons going on display in the great hall while I got all the books that were on the shelf. Along with these items we found a hidden compartment beneath the bed that can be found by lifting the mattress up, exposing what's inside. What we found was a large chest of gold, a chest of jewels and a few books that turned out to be logs of all the people he kidnapped, those he sold them to and how some perished. The thing that sickened me the most was how some of these people died of starvation, dehydration and worst of all being beaten to death or suicide to avoid the cruel treatment of their captors. I'd normally want the prisoners to be locked up but after reading the logs and recognizing some of the buyers' names, I was considering convincing Mogadon to give them the blood eagle as some of the buyers were people I met and hated due to how cruel they were to their slaves.
Now I was making my way up to the healers' hut where the two children were resting under the watch of my wives who I knew were still present since their dragons were outside guarding the hut. I made my way up to the door and slowly pushed it open to see Astrid at the boys' side while Blanca was at the girls' side but the thing that caught my attention was what the girls were doing. Blanca was busy fixing up the little girls stuffed bunny while Astrid was examining the broken dagger the boy tried to stab me with which I brought back since I wanted to ask him a bit about it like where he got it and what was his plan to use it. They both turned to face me as I asked.
"So how are the little ones doing." Astrid answered.
"The healers say they're going to need to be put on a strict diet and can't do anything that will be too hard on their bodies but they should be fine." I nodded.
"Poor kids, they're so young but they've already suffered so much." Blanca replied.
"We cannot undo what has happened to them but we can at the very least try and help them through it." I nodded before Astrid said.
"Don't worry Hiccup, these kids will be fine but when they wake up, I don't think you should gas them." I rolled my eyes at this.
"It was the only thing I could think of to get them to calm down since it was clear they wouldn't listen to me and even if they did, I doubt they'd believe I meant them no harm."
The girls just giggled while I took a moment to examine the physical appearance of the two children starting with the little boy who I assume is eight years oldat most.Physically he's four feet tall and a little pudgy in the waist but could still see his ribs while his hair was brown and from what I saw earlier his eyes were a gentle brown. I then turned to Astrid who was still holding the broken blade and knew the dagger wasn't going to cut through anything but as a blacksmith I could tell that even though it was in bad condition it held a lot of emotion since the boy clearly tried to keep in good condition. I then turned to the girl and I had to say she was an adorable little thing, all bundled up in the covers with the blankets wrapped around her. She looked to be four years old and only three feet tall with her hair cut very short, most likely by the slavers but I could still tell it was sandy brown in color while her eyes were a greenish-blue, like the ocean. Her skin though was white almost like snow and she was so thin that I could see her ribs which showed me how unhealthy she was and it broke my heart. The healers assured me though that both the kids would be alright after a few good meals, rest and some medical treatment but it didn't stop me from worrying.
It was then a groan pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned to see the young boy groaning as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up while groaning and pushed himself up. He rubbed his head before looking around but the second his eyes landed on me, he pushed himself back while looking around for what I assumed was something to fight with. Before I could say anything to calm him down, Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder gaining his attention before she said.
"You should take it easy, the healers said you shouldn't do anything to stressful on your body while it recovers." He just turned to her and asked.
"Where's Chara?" Before Astrid could reply. "I can't leave her, she's all I have." I answered.
"If Chara's the girl I found you with then she's in the bed on your right, resting like you should be." He immediately turned to the girls' bed and immediately rushed over to it while looking her over before Blanca told him.
"Your friend is very sick but the healers said she should make a full recovery if she remains in bed for a few days." He just stared down at the girl with tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"She's not my friend, she's my little sister and the only family I have." I then let my curiosity get the better of me and asked.
"What about your parents."
"Dead, they were killed by the slavers after trying to help us escape." Tears were beginning to trickle down his cheeks. "They threw their bodies into the ocean for the sharks before moving us to the main ship to keep a better eye on us." He then began crying. "It was all my fault; I was too weak to do anything but watch as they were killed while everyone else from our tribe was sold off as slaves." He then openly sobbing while dropping to his knees and chanting. "It was all my fault!" I couldn't stomach this so I walked up and just embraced the boy, letting him cry into my chest until he eventually fell asleep before I put him back into the bed as Blanca said.
"Poor children, to lose everything so early in their lives." I didn't answer and began making my way to the door but when I reached it I stopped and didn't turn around as I said.
"Girls, stay with the children." Astrid replied.
"And where are you going."
"To have a chat with Bard." With that said I made my way out.
10 minutes later
I was walking down the halls of the towns dungeon that was lined with cells that were holding Bards men until they could be taken to Outcast Island. A few of the guards greeted me or stood to attention but I ignored them since I was focused on one single cell at the end of the hall which was just a metal door with a small barred window near the top and two guards armed with spears on either side. They stood to attention noticing me before one with a long beard saw I was coming towards the door and walked to meet me as he said.
"Sorry Hiccup, Chief Mogadon has given the order that nobody is allowed to see Bard no matter wh-" I cut him off by grabbing him by the beard and pulling down so our eyes met.
"Quiet!"
I then pushed him aside and walked up to the door before the other guard looked at me in fear and stepped aside before I pushed the door open and walked in to find Bard sitting against the wall with shackles connected to the wall wrapped around his wrists. He looked up at me and gulped as I walked up to him and stopped when I was a foot away from him and looked into his eyes as I asked.
"Do you know why I'm here?"
"To rub in the fact that you stopped me and my men from making a good honest living." I raised an eyebrow.
"A good honest living?" I then clenched my fists. "You call betraying peoples trust, robbing them of their homes, destroying their lives and taking away their freedom before condemning them to a life of slavery under some of the cruelest people I have ever met." He raised an eyebrow. "You're not the only one who's seen the world and met people." I then clenched my fists. "And I know about every one of your clients and I do not like any one of them because of how cruel they are to their slaves and to those they consider beneath them." Hiccup then took a breath to calm down. "But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about." He ran a hand through his hair. "What I'm here to talk about is what you did to the two children that I found on your ship." He smirked.
"Young cargo like them fetches a very good price on the open market since my buyers know that younger minds are easier to train." I had to hold myself back from punching him right there and then.
"I understand you killed their parents."
"They tried to escape and I didn't want the other slaves to get any ideas." He then smirked. "Served them right for trying to escape their bet-" I cut him off by grabbing his throat and squeezing.
"You already stripped those two innocent children of their home and you then strip them of their parents." I tightened my grip as he gasped out.
"It's good business and a good way to keep my merchandise in line." Hearing this I threw him against the wall before he looked up at me and smirked. "Please, I admit I was scared of you before but instead of killing me you passed me to the chief of this village, shows me that you're one of those guys who doesn't have the guts to deliver the finishing blow to guys like me." I wanted to hurt him so badly but then I smiled.
"Looks like you don't understand something Bard but then again guys like you never do." I had my eyepatch unwrap to reveal the eye of the dragon. "There are worse things than death and I'm about to show you some of these things that I've learnt on my travels." I then turned my prosthetic into its dragon claw form while channeling a green crystal and letting out a single drop of acid that went to the ground and began to sizzle making Bard stare in fear. "Now let's get started." He leaned back into the wall while sweating in fear but I didn't care.
10 minutes later
I walked out of the door smiling since I'm pretty sure I made my feelings towards Bard and all he'd done, clear to him and I think his men got the message as well from the way they all rushed to the back of their cells when they saw me. I couldn't blame them though since Bard did scream loudly but all I did was use my illusion spider to show him some of the more horrific things I've seen before branding the back of his neck, but I did press harder and let the stone burn longer and hotter than usual. I'm guessing the screams had echoed through the dungeon since whenever a guard saw me, they'd stand to attention but I could see them shaking in fear while the men in cells followed the example of the men in the first few cells I passed. I ignored this and made my way out so I could return to check up on the children and see if the girl had woken up yet so the healers could better check on her. I walked into the room and found the boy still sleeping while Astrid and Blanca were watching over the kids as they rested in their beds. They turned to face me as I entered but before they could ask me anything I raised my hand and said.
"Don't ask, let's just say I left my mark on Bard both physically and mentally." The girls just nodded as I turned back to the kids. "I just hope that knowing Bard and his men will be punished will help the kids recover a little, knowing that the one who caused them so much pain can't harm them anymore." They nodded. "You girls should go out and get some fresh air, I'll keep an eye on the kids while you do."
They both nodded and walked out leaving me alone with the kids before I sat down in the chair next to the boy and to pass the time, I went over everything that's happened in my life and what was going to happen to the kids when they were fully recovered. I figured Mogadon would find a couple to take them in since they don't have anyone to take care of them and they're still so young. It was then I was brought out of my thoughts when the door opened to reveal Mogadon himself and when his eyes landed on me he said.
"Hiccup, I need to talk to you about something." I had a feeling about what he wanted to talk about so I sighed and stood up.
"Alright, but let's do it outside since I don't want to disturb the kids." He nodded and allowed me to pass by and leave the room but when we were outside, he turned to me and asked.
"What in the world did you do to Bard?"
"Straight to the point I see." I shrugged. "I showed him some images of some of the more horrific things I've seen in my life and left my mark on him like I do with a few of my enemies."
"Lad, his screams were echoing through the entire prison, you scared the inmates and the guards."
"If you're trying to tell me I shouldn't have done it than you're wrong."
"And why is that?"
"I confronted him about what he did to the parents of those kids hoping to see at least a little regret." I looked down. "I didn't see any, instead all I saw was pride." I clenched my fists. "That piece of trash was actually proud of what he did, he told me it was a good way to keep his merchandise in line." I looked at Mogadon. "You may not like what I did but to be honest with you I don't care and I'd happily do it again." He nodded.
"I understand lad but, in the future, just do me a favor and try not to scare my guards when you do your thing." I nodded.
"Is this all you wanted to talk about?" He shook his head.
"No, I was hoping to discuss what you intend to do with those kids." I sighed.
"I was hoping you'd help me find a couple who are willing to take them in." He nodded but looked uneasy.
"I'll try but I can't make any promises since a lot of my people have their hands full with their own little ones or aren't ready for that step in their relationship yet." I nodded.
"Just do your best chief." He nodded before walking away allowing me to walk back into the room just in time to hear a small groan and saw the little girl who I knew to be named Chara had begun turning before, I rushed over to her side and kneeled down next to her as she slowly opened her eyes and began sitting up but fell back. "You should take it easy; the healers say your condition is worse than your brothers." She turned to look at me but quickly tried to back away.
"You're the bad man who hurt Brant." I shook my head.
"I didn't hurt him, I just put him to sleep before he could hurt himself." Before she could reply a voice said.
"He's telling the truth Chara." We both turned to see the boy who I now knew to be Brant who was getting out of bed before walking up to Chara who quickly hugged him which he returned. "I'm glad you're okay Chara." When he pulled away, he gestured to me. "He's put the bad men who took mom and dad away in prison where they belong and getting us help to make us better." She smiled but then frowned.
"Where's Snuggles?" I raised an eyebrow before looking at the boy hoping for an answer to which he replied.
"The stuffed bunny she had." I looked at the chair Blanca was sitting at and smiled when I saw the stuffed bunny, sitting there and fully patched up so I walked up to the chair and took the bunny before offering it to the girl who quickly took it and examined it as I said.
"My wife Blanca saw how beaten up your bunny was so she fixed it up for you while you were asleep." She smiled and hugged the bunny to her body making me smile while Brant asked.
"Where's my knife?"
"That rusty one you tried to stab me with?" He nodded. "My other wife Astrid took it wanting to make sure you didn't have any weapons on you incase you tried something again." He looked down but then looked up at me and asked.
"You have more than one wife?" I shrugged.
"It's a custom of my first wife for the strong to take more than one wife but I only marry those who I truly love and know love me for me." He nodded before he continued to look at his little sister. "Brant, I'm a blacksmith and I know how bad the condition of that knife is but I can also tell the care you put into it to try and maintain it." He looked at me before he sighed.
"That knife was a gift from my parents, it was the last birthday gift they gave me before we were captured." He then turned to Chara. "It's the same with her bunny." I nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll make sure it gets back to you and I'll even restore it before I return it." He smiled at me and I smiled back. "Now you get back to bed, you're still recovering and your body needs more time to fully recover." He nodded and got back into the bed making me smile before I began heading out before I heard the girl say.
"Please don't go." I turned back and saw Chara looking at me pleadingly with her bunny being held in her arms giving her an adorable look making me sigh but smile.
"Alright, I'll stay a little longer." I walked up and sat down next to her before I noticed Brant staring at me. "Is something wrong?" He shook out of his examination.
"Sorry, I just saw your right hand was covered in gold." I looked down at my prosthetic hand and realized my hand was the only visible part of my prosthetic so it's no surprise he didn't notice it earlier. "It's not just my hand." I had my sleeve pull back to my entire prosthetic. "My entire right arm is really a prosthetic after I lost my real one in a battle against a sorceress." I saw his eyes widen.
"A sorceress?" I nodded.
"She had a sword made of dark magic that rotted away all it touched, including my armor before she was able to get a small cut on my arm so I was forced to make the choice between losing my arm or losing my life." They both stared at me before Brant asked.
"Could you tell us about what happened." I smiled and pulled up a chair.
"I'll gladly tell you but I think it best I start at the beginning, when I met Toothless and my entire life changed." I then pulled my golden spider out. "Now you two get ready for a show." With that said I used my spider to begin the illusion of when I first found Toothless in the woods.
2 weeks later
It's been two weeks since I rescued Brant and Chara from their cell on their ship and the majority of that time has been spent in the healers' hut with the children. This time was mostly to make sure they were doing alright and to show them my adventures since after I showed them how I met Toothless and how I could actually show my adventures, they'd beg me to show them more and ask me questions. I always found it to be adorable and I knew the girls did to since they found it funny how they went from not trusting me to begging me to stay and tell them stories with Chara wanting to sit on my lap. What made things even better though was how much healthier they were each looking with Brant looking like a healthy child again while Chara's skin looked better and her hair beginning to grow back.
I wasn't able to spend all my time with the kids so during these times I left them with the girls who'd also grown fond of the kids and it was easy to tell the feelings were mutual. During these times while the girls were with the children, I was helping around the village and speaking with Mogadon about finding the kids a home but no luck so far. I just hoped we could find them a home before we left since the last thing, I wanted was to leave them alone with nobody to look after them. I hate to admit it but I'd really grown fond of those kids and I was definitely going to miss them when I leave the Meatheads but I could always visit them again whenever I come to visit my aunt, uncle and baby cousin.
Now I was walking up to the great hall to meet with Chief Mogadon about his latest attempts to find them a home and I was hoping he succeeded in doing so. I pushed the doors open and saw people hanging out and doing their own thing around the hall before I saw the chief, sitting at his own table. I smiled and walked up to his table before sitting across from him gaining his attention while making him smile as he asked.
"Hiccup, what brings you here?" I smiled at him.
"I was hoping to get an idea on how the search for a family, for the kids." The smile left his face before he looked down and sighed.
"I'm sorry Hiccup, I've gone to every family and young couple I know but none of them are interested since they either have their hands full with their own kids or can't support additional members." I sighed.
"Thanks for trying but do you have any idea where they could go." He stroked his beard.
"I have a friend in the Whispering Woods tribe who runs an orphanage, but the accommodations aren't that great due to lack of funding."
"We'll save that as a last resort, I'll try to come up with something." He nodded before I stood up. "I better go let the girls know." He nodded.
"Good luck lad." With that said I left.
Nightfall
I was in my tent laying down on my bed with my legs hanging over the edge wearing only my pants and eyepatch while going over today's events. The majority of my day was spent wondering how I was supposed to explain to Brant and Chara about the situation but I was brought out of my thoughts when a shadow fell on me as the familiar voice of Blanca said.
"Something is troubling you Hiccup, what is it?" I sighed.
"It's not something I want to discuss right now Blanca." She gently smiled before getting on the bed and kneeling behind me and then laying my head down on her lap.
"Hiccup, it helps to get what trouble's you off your chest and I can tell it is not something you enjoy hiding." It was then Astrid's voice continued.
"And we know it helps when you get these things off your chest." I looked up to see her walk into the room and come to lay down next to me. "I also have the feeling, this is about the two kids I just left, sleeping soundly in the healers hut." I sighed and replied.
"You both know me all too well." I rubbed my eyes. "I spoke with Mogadon about finding a new home for those kids and he couldn't do it." I sighed while pulling my hand away from my head. "I just don't know what I'm going to tell them since the only option is to send them to an orphanage owned by the tribe of the Whispering Woods and I've seen that orphanage." I shook my head. "It's overcrowded and not a pleasant place to live." It was then I felt Astrid began caressing my chest.
"You need to relax Hiccup, there is another solution that we've been talking about." I raised my head.
"And what's this solution you two came up with?" She sighed and sat up before she looked towards Blanca who gave her a nod and looked down at me.
"Hiccup we know you're still trying to recover from what happened on your last expedition and although they aren't the kids you had nor our own in blood, we think it would be best if we adopted them." Hearing this I immediately sat up and looked at them but before I could say anything Astrid said.
"We know it's a big decision but those two have really grew on us when we were looking after them and we know they've grown on you as well." I sighed and shook my head before I said.
"I admit, they have grown on me and they are the kind of kids I can see doing well on the island but it's such a big thing, I need time to think about it." They both nodded before we all got ready for bed.
Midnight
It was the middle of the night and although Astrid and Blanca were now sleeping peacefully, I was still wide awake but who could blame me with all that was going on in my head. Thoughts about the two little ones who'd somehow wormed their way into our hearts and if it would be right for us to adopt them since it would be a big change for them. Seriously, we live on an island that has multiple environments with multiple giant beasts roaming around, flying above and so much more meaning it would be a huge adjustment for them.
Along with this I hadn't shown them how I met Blanca meaning they didn't know about the snake guardians or actually being one of them. Then there's Astrid who has magic running through her veins allowing her cat like agility, reflexes and tracking skills, all of which were enhanced by her training in tiger style kung fu and learning from my ninja to use her stealth skills to the max. Besides all this how would they feel about having two mothers raising them as their own children since that would be confusing at times. Then there's how we're meant to raise them after they've suffered such trauma since I always pictured myself training my kids to be able to defend themselves and to be dragon riders but I'm not sure I could do that for kids who most likely wanted peace after suffering so much.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling realizing at that moment that I was just making up excuses to cover the real reason I was bothered by all this. The real reason is I was being a coward, I was using all this as an excuse to hide the fact that I was scared that I wouldn't be able to be the father those kids need. I mean come on, I'm a dragon rider who's constantly travelling the world and away for weeks at a time either discovering new cultures, collecting animals and plants, learning new things and of course being dragged into all sorts of life-or-death situations. What's worse though is I feared I'd ended up being like my father was before dragon training, so in other words, a neglectful father who would rather sail off to his own death than spend five minutes getting to know his own awkward son or protecting him from bullies.
Remembering this I felt a new found determination to give those kids what I never had as a child, a loving family with parents who wouldn't just brush off their complaints and actually listen to them. Furthermore, when I had kids with Astrid and Blanca, I was not going to treat them any differently since treating them as if they weren't as important to me as my blood children, would just be wrong. This was something I'd need to make clear to both of them whenever me and the girls decide to have our own little ones who are blood instead of adopted. I looked down at my wives and smiled before gently stoking their hair as I whispered.
"Rest now my loves, tomorrow begins a new stage in our lives." With that in mind I was finally able to embrace the sweetness of slumber.
Afternoon
Morning has passed and it had been spent with both Astrid and Blanca, in the dining room and letting them know of my decision to accept their idea of adopting the kids. They were happy I decided to go with it but I then let them know of my concerns about how I feared I wouldn't be able to be the father the kids needed. When I was done, they smiled before telling me that they knew I would be a great father figure for them since Brant pretty much idolizes me while Chara loved to hear me sing to her when I was done showing them my adventures to help her sleep. I was surprised that they knew about me singing to her before they told me that they came to check on the little ones and found me gently rocking her as I sang her to sleep. They also told me that I may travel a lot but I could make up for it by bringing them back souvenirs and bringing them to the new land for their own time to explore it but only after I'd made sure it was safe for them all. After that our time was spent, discussing how we were going to bring this all up to the kids and clearing everything up with chief Mogadon who agreed to it all.
Now I was standing outside the healers' hut just going over what I was going to tell them since me and the girls plan to leave in three days and how we want to bring them with us. I took a breath and pushed the door open to see Brant sitting in the chair next to Chara's bed reading a story book to her making me smile since I gave them the book which was one of my favorites when I was their age. Along with this it was pretty cute to see Brant, reading the book to little Chara while she sat up in bed with her stuffed bunny being held against her chest. They both stopped what they were doing when they saw me walk in as Chara smiled and said.
"Hiccup, are you here to show us another adventure." I smiled at her excitement but my smile left as I sighed and walked to the front of her bed.
"In a bit Chara, for now there are things I need to discuss with both of you." I'm guessing the seriousness showed on my face since Brant asked.
"What is it, is something wrong?"
"It's about what's going to happen to the both of you when me and my wives leave in three days." Brant looked down.
"You couldn't find anyone to take us in, could you?" I nodded before he looked down. "I guess you're going to send us to an orphanage?" I could see he was on the brink of tears but before I could reply I felt a small force hit my middle as the sound of sobbing filled the room and when I looked down, I found Chara had run into me and was now hugging my waist while crying.
"Please don't go, we wanna stay with you." I looked at Bran as I slowly embraced Chara to calm her down but all he did was give a feint nod as he said.
"It's true, we know that if we're with you other people like the slavers won't be able to hurt us and you and your wives have always been so nice to us and" He looked down and closed his eyes. "WE DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE AGAIN!" I just smiled and nodded while gently stroking Chara's head.
"Don't worry, I've talked it over with Blanca and Astrid and we decided to offer to take you both in." They both looked at me as I smiled. "That's the reason I came here today but also because there are some things you need to know about Blanca and Astrid." I gently took Chara off me before sitting down on the bed. "I want you both to promise me something though." They both looked at me. "I want you to promise you will both remember that despite their appearance they are still the same two women that have spent time, taking care of the both of you." I could tell this confused them as I readied my illusion spider. "What you're both about to see is how I came together with both of my wives but I warn you, I doubt you'll be able to look at them the same way for a couple of days." With that said I began the illusion of when I first went to China and where I met Blanca.
Nightfall
Night had fallen and I'd spent my entire afternoon with the kids showing them what Blanca really is and how different Astrid was to normal people. I looked at the children and saw them both just staring at me in shock before Chara asked.
"Is Mrs. Blanca really a snake lady?" I walked up to her and gently rubbed her head.
"The correct term is snake guardian and yes she is but that didn't change how I felt about her when I found out and it shouldn't change how you feel about her." I looked at Brant. "And that means both of you." I then walked to the door but turned back. "I'll give you both time to take all this in." With that said I left.
3 days later
I was standing in front of my portal door, in the forest with Astrid and Blanca, our dragons, my uncle Bjark, Aunt Hildegard, Will, Chief Mogadon, Thuggory and Faye who had come to see us off. Me and my wives though weren't too happy though and not just because we were leaving but because we were leaving without Brant and Chara who were scared of my wives now. When they first went to visit the little ones after I showed them the truth they hid under their blankets until they left and I could easily tell it broke Blanca and Astrid's hearts. I'd dropped by the healers' hut earlier today and told them we were leaving today and how I understood their fear but to remember that although the girls may be different on the outside, they were still the caring women who helped look after them.
Now we'd just finished saying all our goodbyes and the door to the portal room was opening but before it opened fully the sound of rushed footsteps caught my attention. I turned towards the sound and saw Brant carrying Chara, piggyback style rushing towards us making me smile and walk to meet them. When I was right in front of them, I kneeled down and asked.
"I take it you thought about what I said and have decided to come with us?" Brant looked up and gave a hesitant nod.
"If we're still allowed to." He looked at me hopefully as I smiled and gently placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Of course, you are little man but first, I believe you owe both Astrid and Blanca an apology for how you reacted to them when they came to see you after I showed you who they really are." He nodded before gesturing to Chara.
"She fell asleep on the way here so could she apologize when she wakes up." I smiled and nodded before gently taking her off his back.
"You go apologize to Astrid and Blanca; I'll look after Chara while you do." He nodded and began walking towards Astrid and Blanca while I looked down at little Chara sleeping in my arms as I whispered. "I will give you both a good life." I then turned back to the group and saw Astrid and Blanca, embracing little Brant making me smile. "Time to go home." With that said I made my way to the group.
5 minutes later
We were all standing in the portal room in my house with Brant looking around at the room as I smiled all the different doors and where they all lead to making me smile while little Chara slept soundly in Blanca's arms. I walked up to Brant who was looking into the portal door that leads to El Dorado and placed a hand on his shoulder gaining his attention as I said.
"I know this is a lot to take in but for now I think it best we head back to my island so we can get you two settled in." He nodded before I lead him to the portal door leading to my home so we could begin the new chapter of all our lives.
AN: And that brings an end to this chapter and the last chapter until after Christmas and possibly till next year but I'll try get one last chapter out this year. Next chapter will be mostly Hiccup and his wives so don't expect anything too exciting other than a few cute bonding moments. By the way a new Poll I've been meaning to put up will be going up today so be sure to vote and for those of you who didn't see the last one Hadasa will be returning as nine votes were positive and three negatives. Now onto the questions.
Guest:
No, I will not be using White Snake 2 other than a possible few characters since the time difference is too large.
Rpglady76:
The name of that anime is 'Wolfs rain' and no the wolves are not from that anime, I just used the scars to show how abused they are and beaten into obedience.
And with that out of the way I hope you all remember to review kindly as I'd love to hear your thoughts and remember to vote on the poll I just put up.