The Clue of the Missing Socks - Chapter 35

I love any type of feedback, please feel free to comment below.

The Clue of the Missing Socks.

Chapter 35

          When the first few rays of sunlight were entering the upstairs room, I woke up to find that I was the first one up.

          “Hmm,” I thought.  “This is new.  I am usually one of the last to get up.”

          I went down stairs to find that my mother was still in bed herself.

          “Okay this feels very awkward,” I said to myself.  “I hardly ever get up before mother.   If I do wake up before she does, I usually go right back to sleep.”

          I walked into the kitchen to see that I was not the first one up.  The additional Grapple Grounder was wide awake sitting in his spot where we laid for him when we first got back a day or two ago.  I peeked out from the kitchen and looked in the direction of mother’s work desk.  The mysterious egg was still on the counter where I put it last night right before I went upstairs to bed.

          I searched the kitchen to see what I could fix for breakfast.  I rounded up some apples, cut them, and put them in a large bowl.  I went outside to our garden to pick a fresh head of cabbage along with some elderberries.  As I was coming back in, I saw that Fintan and the other dragons were getting along fine.  Seems like they just woke up too because Fredrick let out a huge yawn; wide mouth in-all.

          I walked back into the kitchen and went to the wash table.  I opened a cabinet above me to get the water we use to wash our hands and vegetables with.  I held a large bowl up to the bucket and took the cork out near the bottom.  Water came pouring out at a slow, steady pace.  Put the cork back in and took off some of the cover leaves around the head washed the cabbage.  I chopped up the cabbage into large chunks and added them to the apples.  I got some carrots, washed them, diced them and some elderberries, washed them, and added them to my salad.  And finally stirred in some of mother’s oil-tomato dressing before setting the table.  I set some cups and poured some water in them.

          I then heard my sister’s moving around upstairs with an occasional statement or two.  I also heard my mother stirring in her bedroom.  There is a door adjoining the kitchen and her bedroom.

          “Well look who’s up early,” mother said opening the her door.

          “Yeah, for once I woke up before everyone else and decided to make some breakfast,” I said.

          Asvord and Elsa came downstairs and entered the kitchen saying the same thing as mother.  And they got the same answer

          The girls did not say much during the meal as all three of them fully enjoyed the salad I had prepared for them.  They all even complemented me on a very tasty meal.

          Once the dishes were cleaned and put away after the meal, we were ready to go to the Great Hall to see the woman that my sisters and I had found the previous day.  I picked up the egg right before we left.  All four of us went out back to see how our dragons were doing and give them their morning meal.  We used the fish that mother had

          We decided to walk to the Great Hall and not take our dragons for it was a short walk.  Also we planned to be there a while talking with the woman.

          During our walk we passed the armory.  Construction was moving rapidly along.  Gobber had been busy since the fire to the armory, resupply Berk’s weapons and such.  Either mostly everybody was still asleep or still in their house as a result of the day just starting.

          Immediately following our entrance to the hall we entered the room where Gothi had taken the woman.  The scene inside the room was good to see whereas the woman was sitting up in a bed eating some vegetable stew Gothi had cooked recently.

          I asked Gothi who was standing near the door if we could talk to her and Gothi motioned we could.

          “You must be the people who brought me here,” said the woman who had put the bowl of stew down on a small table near the bed.

          “How did you guess?” asked Asvord.

          “Well,” the woman started.  “Gothi here has been turning away all the people that have tried to see me at least until I had my morning meal.”

          I introduced my family starting with Asvord, then Elsa, then my mother, and finally myself.

          “Nice to greet all of you,” the woman said with a smile.  “My name is Annett Thorvald.”

          “Nice to greet you too Annett Thor-,” I began to say.

          “Thorvald?” said mother, who was taken aback about what Annett said.

          “Yes,” Annett said, slowly.  “Does that name mean anything to you?”

          “Actually it does,” replied mother.

          Annett look puzzled.  So I returned, “Are you related to Adam Thorvald?”

          “Why yes he is my brother,” she stated.

          “Your brother??” said Asvord, who was stunned; as were we all.

          “Yes he is,” Annett said slowly again.  “Wait, have you seen him?” she asked quickly.

          “Why yes, we have,” I responded.  I told her a fast and compressed version about the events that have transpired recently.  I find myself being able to retell this story faster each time, yet still be precise in the details.

          “I was afraid something like this might happen,” Annett said worriedly, as she put her hand to her chin, thinking.

          I remarked, “Why would you say that, Annett?”

          “Well it all started about seven years ago when me, Adam, and my other brother, Mundy, were a bit older then you kids,” Annett began.  “Our homeland had been attacked by a band of renegading vikings.  Our clan had done well to repel the enemy; however, the case was being put forth to our leader: we still needed reinforcements to drive away our enemy.  Mundy and Adam were tasked with getting word to an allied clan that was nearby.  But they were captured in route to the island by the renegading vikings.”

          “My two brothers,” Annett continued.  “were always at odds in trying to accomplish anything.  Adam would think one way while it always seemed like Mundy would think the exact opposite.  Adam found out by a little investigating that the renegading vikings were only after one thing: a precious stone.  This stone had been in our clan’s possession for nearly hundred years, so the value on this stone is priceless.  Not to mention the beauty of the stone could sell for a small fortune by itself to the traders from the north.”

          “When Mundy found out that, he insisted that our clan give them the stone let the renegading vikings go on their marry way.  Adam, like I said, thought otherwise.  Adam told me later that the two of them had an argument about their two separate view points.  The noise they made got the attention of their captors, which led to them letting Mundy go.  They ‘promised’ him that if he got them the stone, they would release Adam and withdraw all of their forces back to their own land,” Annett paused.  “Adam knew that our enemy would not keep their word and warned Mundy.  But like always, Mundy had to have it his way whenever he had come to a conclusion.”

          “Once they had released Mundy, Adam was able to escape by persuading the viking left to guard him to give him a cup of water.  Adam then knocked the guy out with a flying punch as Adam was being handed the cup of water.  Adam used the keys to unlock his cell door and escaped by swimming back to shore from the captor’s ship.  Adam, by the way, is an excellent swimmer.”

          “Yeah I know he is from firsthand experience,” I said and gave a small smile to which only my family understood what I meant.

          Annett continued with her story, “Adam went directly to our leaders and told what Mundy planned to do.  The leaders were not at all pleased how one of their own would hand over a priceless jewel of our heritage, just like that,” she said snapping her fingers.  “Our leaders were going to deal heavily against Mundy, but Adam pleaded that if he brought back his brother under his own will, that the leaders would reconsider the punishment.  I wouldn’t say the stone was or is ‘sacred’, but it is pretty close to it.  Adam said that when he found his brother with the stone, Mundy’s attitude had completely changed.  Adam found out that Mundy was going to get part of the take in selling the stone.  Adam didn’t want that, but Mundy kept saying that even if we didn’t give them the stone, we could not beat them because they were surrounding our island at that moment and our only chance was to get a rid of the enemy vikings by giving them the stone.  Mundy was able to persuade Adam in to thinking his way.”

          “However, when Adam helped Mundy they both found out that the renegade vikings were going to double cross Mundy by taking our island over, Adam was caught between a rock and a hard place.  Listen to his brother who was saying that they couldn’t go back now because the evidence towards their acts of ‘treason’ against our clan would be great and they wouldn’t stand a chance of going back; or should he bring in his own brother to stand up for his own acts,” Annett gave another pause.  “Adam had to make up his mind fast due to the leaders of our clan had followed Adam.  Also, the enemy vikings were coming from another direction to carry out their double cross.  Mundy pleaded with Adam who in which case let his brother escape.  I guess the stone meant a lot to the renegading vikings that they tried to leave right then to pursue, but Adam and our clan leaders slowed them down.”

          “However, when our leaders found out what Adam had done and what they ‘helped Adam in doing’ by slowing down the escape of the renegade vikings, they held trail against Adam.  I tried my best to defend my brother; nevertheless, the only fact that prevent the clan leaders to carry out the full punishment of ‘treason’ was the fact that Adam’s acts did rid our island of the renegading vikings and prevented any serious harm to our clan’s people.  The resulting punishment would be banishment from any and all land that our clan had.”

          I saw a tear start to develop in Annett’s eyes, but she continued.  “The clan leaders were generous in the previsions that they gave Adam.  They gave Adam one of their best small ships.  Plenty of food and seed for farming, things he could trade with other people, and plenty of tools for farming and what not,” a tear started to roll down her cheek.  “Before Adam was about ready to shove off, I gave him a kitten from my cat’s litter she had the previous day.  I told my brother to take the kitten as a memento to remember me by,” Annett had something about her eyes watering from the soup she had eaten, so she got up and walk into a small wash room that was nearby.

          “Now how did you get here on Berk?” asked my mother.

          “Oh,” Annett said coming out of the wash room.  “It had only been about three days after Adam had left our island that I couldn’t stand it there anymore and had to leave.  Our parents had died about five years before, and I was the only one left to take care of my two brothers.  I didn’t have much else keeping me there.  So I packed up, took my cat Jewels, and started to sail in the direction of my brother Adam.  From that moment to this day, I have spent searching for my two brothers in hope that I could one day bring my family back together again and start someplace else anew.  But to tell you the events of the yesterday seem a bit clouded still.”

          “Probably because you received a rather large blow to the head,” stated Elsa.

          “Maybe so,” Annett said feeling the back of her head.  “I know my head still hurts because of it.”

          “Can you remember anything from yesterday?” questioned my mother.

          “The only few things I can remember, is I must have landed on northern side of you island because I was extremely low on supplies and started to walk in shore.  I noticed storm clouds rolling in, so I saw a cave nearby and walked in to take shelter,” Annett spoke.  “A walked around the cave for a while.. but… That is about all I can remember other than that I must have fallen asleep.  For I had a dream that I had found my brothers fighting over an oval shaped object in that very cave I walked in.  Though I cannot tell for sure because I remember correctly what actually had gone on yesterday night.”

          “That is okay,” mother related.  “You should probably get some more rest while we-,”

          Mother was hindered by speaking when suddenly Annett said, “Pebbles!!”

          We all whirled around to see that Pebbles had walked in through the crack in the door from the main hall.  Annett rushed to grab the cat and hug him.  This only proved that she was in fact Adam’s sister.

          But the only thing is, it seems like each time a question is answered in this huge mystery that several more are asked with now answer in sight.