The Clue of the Missing Socks - Chapter 38

Please comment what you think of my story.  We are getting very close to the end of my Story, with a sequel in the works.  Chapter 39 is still on schedule to be posted by the end of the week tomorrow.

Fyi, the past few chapters I have wrote should be right in line with the Defenders of Berk Season finale part 1 episode.  You should see some scenes I wrote that would have happened either before or after a scene in the Cast Out part 1 episode.  I wanted to link my story directly to the TV series, so I did my homework on the last two episodes of Defenders of Berk, Season 2; so I hope it shows.

Enjoy!

The Clue of the Missing Socks

Chapter 38

          By the time my sisters and I flew down to where Alvin had landed with Hookfang, the crowd had entered the Great Hall with Stoick and Alvin in handcuffs.  It took us a total of five minutes to fly down and get up to the Hall.  We dismounted our dragons when we landed and ran up to the Great Hall and entered.

          “Oops, pardon me,” I said as I ran into someone going into the Hall.

          I started but then stared at the person whom I bumped into.  It was Alvin.

          “No it was my fault,” he said as he was led down the steps.

          Asvord would usually say something about why I was staring, but it looked like she was in as much disbelieve as I was.

          When I tried to enter the Great Hall again, I nearly ran into someone else, Hiccup.

          “Whoa, sorry Hiccup,” I said stepping out of the way.

          “No that is okay,” he replied.  “Astrid, you and Fishlegs go on to the Academy and get the twins, I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.  We’ll need to practice a plan of defense before the Screaming Death gets here.  I need to talk to Jarl.”

          Astrid nodded as she ran down the steps and jumped on Stormfly.

          “What.. wait a second,” I said as I shook my head.  “The Screaming Death is coming back?  Why so soon?”

          “I am not sure, but this isn’t a good development,” Hiccup said worriedly.  Hiccup put his hand on my shoulder, “I need to talk to you and your friends tonight sometime about your trip to the one island that may have a clue about the Night Fury dragon.  I would very much like to go with you on this, but I don’t think I can with all the developments as of late.”

          “Will do,” I answered.  “Does a meeting here at the Great hall after supper sound good, Hiccup?”

          “Yes it does.”

          “With all this happening, it begs the question, ‘What else could possibly go wrong and end up bad?’,” stated Asvord.

          “I know, I was just thinking the same thing,” stated Hiccup.  “Well, I’ll be at the Academy if I am needed.”

          My sisters waved at Hiccup as he flew away on Toothless.

          I turned to my sisters and told them to start going around Berk and finding all our friends that have helped us so far in our mystery to meet at the Great Hall tonight after supper for a meeting about the trip we are about to take.

          “You got it brother,” said Asvord as she and Elsa walked off to do what I said.

          I wanted to go back to Annett’s room and talk to her some more about the map.  Before I entered the Hall, I opened the door and peek in to make sure I would not run into anyone else.  There was no one coming.

          When I got to Annett’s room, I actually found my mother talking to her.

          “Oh hey mother,” I greeted.

          “Hello my son.  I have been talking with Annett about our trip we are about to take.”

          “That is why I came in to talk to you about,” I said.

          “We heard all the commotion coming from the main hall and went to the doorway and watched.  I was totally surprised when I saw Alvin in front of Stoick.  Did not expect to see him here,” my mother declared.

          “What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Jarl?  Because your mother and I were done with our conversation.”

          “Well I wanted to talk to you about this map again,” I presented the map from the cave again to Annett.  “Do you remember any of the landmarks that are marked on here during any of your travels?”

          “Let me see it again.”

          Annett only needed a few minutes before she concluded, “Yes I do know where this island is.  Well actually, where it is in approximate distance from Berk to a few landmarks from near the island.  The island is southwest from Berk and about two days’ sail from Berk, because I remember stopping this island here,” she said pointing to a island on the map.

          “Could you two come with me, I want to check something,” I said as I directed the two of them to follow me out of Annett’s room.

          I walked to the other side of the Hall where the library was.  On the main table there was always a large map of the areas and islands around Berk.  There have been a few additions now that Hiccup has explored a little, when he found Dragon Island, the old nest, and some of the smaller islands that different types a dragons use as their homes.

          When I sat down at the bench, Annett and my mother sat to the left and right of me, I matched the map from the cave to the same directions to the map in front of us.

          “I thought I this island on here looked a little familiar.  Look here,” I pointed to Dragon Island.  “See the shape of Dragon Island?  Doesn’t it look very similar to the island that is on the cave map?”

          “Yes it does son,” my mother said.  “The shape looks just like Dragon Island.”

          Annett added, “It looks to me like the island we’re going to travel to tomorrow night is in a more easternly direction from your Dragon Island.”

          A thought came to myself, “The island we are going to travel to is very close to the island where I first met Adam.  I wonder…”

          Before I could finish my thought, mother said, “It looks like by ship, we’ll get there within two days if not sooner because the winds are coming from the northwest now.”

          “Which would make sense because it is winter and the cold air should be coming in very soon,” I said.

          “That is one thing,” my mother started.

          “What?” I queried.

          “The start of our winter here has been a mild one for sure,”

          Annett expressed, “I wouldn’t know because where I used to live, we would have an even number of summer to winter days, usually.”

          “But since Berk is farther north, expect long winters, and short summers,” mother added.

          “Correct me if I’m wrong mother, but five years ago, the start of winter was kind of like what we are experiencing now.  A few days of rather warm weather, followed by a few rain storms, then a couple of cold days then warm weather again,” I remembered.

          She did correct me, “Actually it was seven years ago that this weather pattern has happened before.  But I’ll tell you this, within a week to two weeks we will be up to our knees in snow.”

          “Oh yeah that is right, I forgot.  I guess it is the kind of weather you would want to forget,” I said chuckling.

          “By the way Annett, that is a beautiful locket-necklace you are wearing,” my mother commented.

          “Why thank you.  Would you like to see it?” said Annett taking of the necklace

          “Yes I would,” my mother replied.

          “If you open the locket that is a small drawing I did of me and my two brothers,” said Annett.

          The locket was smaller in length of my palm, but it was not very thick; probably no more than width of a kernel of corn the length of two of my fingers are wide.

          “It is a beautiful locket,” my mother said admiringly.

          I looked at it as well.  There was something about the one brother that looked familiar.  As my mother brought it near the lamp on the table to get a better look at the picture, I then recognized the man.  It was Vemund Steinson!

          “Annett,” I said with a calm voice, even though I was startled by this.  I did not want to get Annett upset.  “I have seen your other brother.”

          “You have?” she asked with excitement.

          “Yes,” I replied.  “Though I am sorry to inform you but he is the one that has been the leader who started this whole thing about the egg.”

          “Oh,” she said quieting down.

          “You are not shocked by this?” my mother asked.

          Annett stated, “Actually not really.  After how he was treated and may have been treated if Adam had not let him go that one day on our island, I was kind of expecting it.  But I was hoping it wasn’t so.”

          I was about ready to say something when the door to the Great Hall flew open and shut.  In ran both my sisters.

          “Where’s Jarl?” said Asvord in haste.

          A viking pointed in my direction.

          “Jarl!  Jarl,” they both said running to the table I was sitting at.

          “Catch your breath girls,” my mother voiced.

          “Jarl you won’t believe this,” Elsa said out of breath.

          I was afraid to ask, “What?”

          Asvord took in a deep breath.  “Both Grapple Grounders are gone.”

          “What?” I expressed in deep unbelief.