It took them a week to reach New Berk as Dagur had predicted. During that week, they came across many different dragons, all of which Callum was ecstatic to see and drew them all in his sketchbook to pass the time.
On the final day of travel, Callum was relaxing below deck with his little crow, combing out her feathers gently with his claws as they enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat from the waves.
"There. All nice and smooth now. Sorry you've been cooped up in your cage for so long. Ez hasn't responded to any of the letters you took to him a couple weeks ago, so.." Callum said, sighing sadly as he held her near her perch in the cage.
The little crow chirped as she rubbed against his hand comfortingly, then hopped onto her perch with a chirp of thanks. Callum smiled a bit and nodded as he closed the cage.
"Callum!! Come on up lad!!" He heard Dagur yell from above.
The hatchling hopped up from his spot and dashed above deck, freezing in place when he caught sight of the island before them.
"Is that..?" He breathed out, not able to take his gaze away as they slowly approached the towering rocks.
"Aye, it is. Welcome to New Berk, little lost one." Dagur said with a chuckle as he steered the ship towards the docking area.
With how high the land itself was, the Berkians invented a pulley system that allows sailors and merchants alike to dock. The ships would pull into a docking area that would then be pulled up to the actual docks when the bell rope was pulled to warn the workers above.
As their ship pulled into one of the dock areas, Dagur made his way over to Callum and rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned down.
"You wanna pull the rope?" He asked as he motioned to the rope that hung near the gangplank area.
Callum looked over at it, then at him with wide eyes. "You want me to do it?"
"Well of course! This is your home after all. You deserve to let them know you've come back. Go on." Dagur said, lightly pushing him towards the rope with an encouraging smile.
Callum hesitantly made his way over to the rope and gripped it nervously, looking over at Dagur to make extra sure he was allowed to. Dagur nodded, his smile never faltering as he motioned for him to pull it. Callum looked back at the rope and took a deep breath, then pulled it down as hard as he could and released it when he heard a loud ring from above them. The hatchling jumped as he felt the boat begin to rise and he rushed over to Dagur and clung to his leg. The elder king chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Weren't expectin' that, were ya lad?"
"N-not really, no.." Callum admitted as he looked up and watched the docks grow closer and closer.
After a few minutes had passed, the pulley system finally came to a stop and was locked into place by a few of the dock workers. Callum let go of Dagur's leg as they went to help and he pushed the gangplank out to unboard, but hesitated as he looked around the place.
It was exactly like the pictures in the books he had read back in Katolis, but as with Pearl Refuge, the pictures didn't do it justice. It was absolutely breathtaking. There were Vikings and dragons alike making their way about the village by foot and air. A gentle breeze making its way through the sky, carrying a welcoming scent of nature with it.
He was finally home.
Callum was broken out of his little trance when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he looked up at Dagur, who was smiling down at him as he motioned his head towards the village.
"After you."
Callum smiled and looked back towards the village, taking a deep breath to gather the courage he needed, then he made his way off the ship.
There were murmurs from people he passed, others greeting Dagur as the former chief followed behind him. But he didn't pay any mind to them as he looked around the place, taking it all in as much as he possibly could, wanting to engrave it all to memory. As he made his way out of the dock area, he froze when he saw the plaza. Or more importantly, the man he had spotted in the plaza.
Not even a yard away from him stood a man with unruly auburn hair and toxic green eyes. He wore what looked to be armor from where Callum stood, but at the same time it looked like casual attire. It consisted of a black tunic underneath a leather vest that connected in three areas on the man's chest, black leather shoulder pads that clipped together with a red Night Fury symbol on the right shoulder, leather arm braces, black pants, and brown bear fur boots. From this distance, Callum couldn't tell, but he had a feeling the man was covered head to toe in freckles across his sun kissed skin. The boy almost mistook him for their father, but when he noticed his left leg was in fact there and not a prosthetic, the hatchling knew it was his brother Lief.
Before Callum could so much as move another inch, Lief's eyes met his and he stiffened up as though he was stung by a Speed Stinger, his breathing growing heavy. He noticed Lief's brow raised in confusion, then his brother looked away from him and said something to the person he had been conversing with and made his way over to the boy. The closer he became, the more nervous Callum became as his tail wrapped tightly around his leg and wings shivered behind him as his body shook.
Lief crouched down to his level when he reached him, confusion being replaced with hope as he searched the boy's forest green eyes.
"Callum..?" Lief asked quietly, not sure if he was dreaming or going insane, maybe a mixture of both. "Is..is it really you..?"
"H-hi..big brother.." Callum was able to get out.
Lief's eyes widened in shock as tears welled up in them and a smile pulled on the edges of his mouth. The young dragon then fell to his knees and pulled the hatchling into a tight embrace.
"You're alive..oh thank Akatosh, you're alive..!" Lief exclaimed in pure relief, sounding as though a huge weight had been lifted off the man's shoulders.
Callum sniffled as he teared up as well, his bottom lip beginning to tremble as he clung to his brother and buried his face in his shoulder, overjoyed by the fact that at least one of his relatives was glad he had returned to them safe and sound.
Dagur came to a stop when he spotted the brothers embracing and smiled softly as he crossed his arms and leaned against the landing pole they were close to, glad to see Callum had run into one of his siblings so early into being in the village. The former Berserker's attention was torn from the heartfelt reunion when he caught a glance of another Haddock in the crowd. As he looked closer, he noticed that it was the eldest out of Hiccup and Kala's children, Dart.
Her hair was an unruly auburn like Lief's, albeit three times longer than his, her eyes were a mix of her parents', her right being forest green and left being toxic green, and she had fair skin. Her attire consisted of a deep green sleeveless tunic that was under an over-the-shoulder scale plate that connected by a Gronckle iron ring, a layered skirt of the same deep green fabric as her tunic that gave the illusion of being part of said tunic thanks to the belt around her waist that was plain leather with dulled metal barbs, dark grey pants, brown wolf fur braces around her wrists, brown wolf fur boots to match, and a kransen atop her head.
Dart took notice of her brothers embracing and stopped in her tracks with wide eyes, not believing what she was seeing. It wasn't possible, was it? There was no way. Right?
She shook her head and slowly approached and cleared her throat. Lief and Callum pulled apart and looked up at her, Callum freezing in place once again while Lief stood with a huge smile.
"Dart!"
"Who is this Lief?" Dart asked with a raised brow of skepticism as she took in Callum's appearance, not wanting to give her hopes up if her gut feeling was wrong.
"Oh come on, sister. Can't you tell? Callum's finally come home to us after all these years." Lief explained as he rested a hand on Callum's shoulder for reassurance, which the hatchling was grateful for as he relaxed ever so slightly from his brother's touch.
Dart growled slightly under her breath as she glared a bit at Lief. "You expect me to believe that this child is our long lost brother? The one our parents died for? Are you serious? Callum's dead, just like our parents. I thought you of all people would have come to terms with that."
Hearing those words come out of his sister's mouth shattered Callum's heart to pieces, the survivor's guilt hitting him full force like a Bewilderbeast's tail slamming down upon him, tears blurring his vision and escaping as he sniffled and tried to keep himself from breaking down right then and there.
Lief noticed and immediately knelt back down to his level and turned him to face him. "Callum..hey..you're alright..she didn't mean it.." He reassured as he gripped his little brother's hands gently and rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs.
"B-but she's right…I-I'm the reason Mom and Dad are g-goneeee…" Callum was able to get out before the pain was too much and he crumbled beneath it and bawled.
"Hey, hey..no..you are not the reason Mom and Dad are gone.." Lief said as he pulled the hatchling into a tight hug once more, his eyes widening slightly as said hatchling clung to him as though his life depended on it and cried his eyes out into his shoulder.
Lief glared at Dart as he rubbed soothing circles in Callum's back, his expression saying all it needed to. Dart rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, not seeing how bringing up their deceased brother and parents would cause such a visceral reaction from this random boy.
At the sound of crying, yet another member of their family was attracted to the area. This time it was Callum's other brother Stoick.
The man had unruly midnight black locks that were longer than Lief's, but shorter than Dart's. His eyes were a forest green like Callum's, with sun kissed skin that had a hint of freckles and scars. His attire was more casual than Lief's, however, consisting of a dark red long sleeved tunic underneath a dark gray short sleeved one, dark gray pants, leather arm braces, a large leather belt with a big Gronckle iron buckle that had a curled up Night Fury on it with a couple small pouches connected to it, brown bear fur boots, and a big axe slung across his back.
"What in Akatosh's name is–" Stoick began to say, but cut himself off when he spotted the crying hatchling in his brother's embrace, his eyes widening in shock when he took notice of the wings and tail. "Wait…is that..?"
At the sound of their brother's voice, Dart and Lief looked towards their brother, then back at Callum, and then back at Stoick once again.
"No, it's not you muttonhead. It's just some random kid." Dart said monotonously, a bored expression on her face as she tried to keep her composure.
"Oh for the love of–" Lief said with a groan, standing as he scooped Callum up into his arms to carry him as he continued to comfort him. "Yes, Stoick, it's Callum. Dart here is just in denial because she doesn't want to believe that our baby brother actually found his way home to us."
"Because it's not him!! Our baby brother drowned almost eight years ago during a storm because Uncle Snotlout was being negligent!" Dart growled out with a glare directed towards Lief, which was returned as the male in question growled right back.
"Okay, look. I may not be the smartest outta the three of us, but that's clearly Callum sis. His wings and tail look just like ours and his hair matches yours and Lief's, just like Dad's." Stoick said as he crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one foot.
"Oh come on, really? Both of you? Callum's gone! The two of you have gone insane!" Dart exclaimed, not wanting to listen to reason at this point.
As the triplets began to argue, with Callum not hearing a word because of his tears, their grandmother Revna approached Dagur and stood by him as they watched her grandchildren.
Revna's appearance hadn't changed much over the years, only gaining a few wrinkles on her skin and a streak of gray in her hair. Her clothes were not much different from what she wore when she moved to New Berk all those years ago to be with her daughter and son-in-law. She still wore a dress, but instead of the blue one she used to wear it was now a deep red, the leather apron now gone in order to reveal the layered fabric of the dress that was a darker red underneath the top layer with leather strips criss-crossed over her chest to fasten the top layer together, a pair of fur boots that were made of the same black wolf fur as the ones she wore years ago, the same necklace made up of rocks and crystals from Night Fury Isles, and a cloak made out of black wolf fur to match her boots.
Her hair was styled differently now, too. Instead of the thick braid made up of many smaller ones, it was now styled into two loose braids that rested just above her lower back, her bangs sweeping to the side just as her daughter's once had.
"So, what brings you back here after all these years King Dagur?" She asked as she glanced at him with a knowing look.
Dagur chuckled and smiled a bit at the elder Fury. "Jus' bringing someone back to his family. Needed to repay his parents somehow, even if they aren't here to thank me for it. Seems like two outta three of the triplets actually figured it out, though."
"Thank you, truly." Revna thanked as she rested a hand on the man's shoulder, then let go and looked back at her grandchildren, setting her sights on the hatchling that still desperately clung to his older brother, the poor boy's body shaking like a leaf in the autumn winds. "I am sure my children are beyond grateful to you for bringing Callum back where he belongs. As for Dart, however, that will take some time. I'll have a word with her and see if we can get her to see reason. She's just in pain and is denying the truth to cope."
"Aye, that's understandable. But don't mean it's healthy for 'er, or anyone really." Dagur said with a sigh.
"Quite right you are, Dagur. So, how long will you be staying for?" Revna asked with a kind smile. "I'm sure the others would love to see you after all these years."
"Ah, I might head out in a day or so. Want to make sure Callum settles in and all that. Was a long voyage here, and he's still new to the whole Night Fury thing." The old king explained with a sad look as he watched the triplets bicker once again.
"Yes, I can only imagine. I can tell by his scent that he was raised among humans. The scent of dragons is very fresh on him in comparison. It will take some time to get him accustomed to our way of life." The elder Fury explained with the same sad expression as Dagur.
They stood in silence for a minute or so, wanting to see if the bickering would subside on its own, but to no one's surprise, it did not. Dagur patted Revna on the shoulder as he made to go back to the ship.
"I'll get the lad's things from the ship and take them to yer hut. Good luck with the grandkids." He said with a wave, which made Revna smile with a roll of her eyes.
She then approached her grandchildren and cleared her throat to get their attention, which worked as always as they froze in place, Dart and Stoick mid-fight with each having a firm grip on one another's hair on the ground as they looked up at their grandmother in slight fear. Lief had become stiff as a board as his grip tightened slightly on Callum as he looked towards Revna with wide eyes.
"Care to explain yourselves?" She asked with a raised brow, her hands resting on her hips as she leaned forward slightly.
At the sound of her voice, Callum peeked out from Lief's shoulder as his crying died down and his eyes widened as the tears began once again, but instead of it being because of the guilt he felt, it was out of joy to see his grandmother.
"Oh dear..no need for tears now little one.." Revna cooed as she gently took Callum from Lief's arms and held him close.
Callum buried his face in her shoulder as he had with Lief, clinging to her cloak for support. "Grandmaaaa.."
Revna smiled and kissed the top of his head as she adjusted her hold on him. "Yes, it's me, little one..it's alright.."
As their grandmother comforted their little brother, Dart and Stoick released each other as they stood, standing awkwardly by Lief as the three of them glanced at one another then back at their grandmother. None of them knew what to do or say, but they all stiffened up as she looked towards them once again.
"We are all going to head to the hut and talk this over. Is that understood?" Revna said, giving the triplets a glare until they all nodded in understanding and she smiled and nodded back then motioned for them to start walking.
~~~TDPMS~~~
By the time they arrived home, Callum had fallen asleep in Revna's arms, having exhausted himself with all the crying and just a result from the long journey he had. Revna laid him down in a spare bed in her granddaughter's room before she rounded up the triplets for a family meeting.
"Okay, what in Thor's name was that?!" Dart asked with crossed arms as she glared at her family. "How are you all so calm about this?! We just brought a random boy into our home and none of you are worried about this?!"
"How many times do we have to tell you, Dart?! That's our baby brother for Thor's sake!" Lief exclaimed with a glare.
"Enough! Both of you!" Revna shouted as she got between them and forced them to sit on separate couches. "Fighting about this is not going to help at all. Yes, you have all the right to be concerned about this Dart, but that does not give you the right to fight with your brothers. And Lief, I understand that you are upset, but again, that does not justify you fighting with your sister. Now, with that being said, this is quite sudden and begs the question on how this is even possible."
"Well, I mean, didn't Mom and Dad get a letter from a lady all those years ago saying that she found Callum? Isn't that why they left in such a hurry that day?" Stoick asked with a raised brow as he leaned against the archway that led to the kitchen.
"She could've been lying! Mom and Dad had loads of enemies before we were born. It could've been one of them!" Dart countered.
"As if. That letter came all the way from Xadia. Mom and Dad never went there Dart!" Lief shot back with a slight growl.
"It could've been a fake letter!"
"Why in Akatosh's name would someone from Xadia go as far as to make a fake letter to lure Mom and Dad away like that?! None of their enemies even knew they had kids, yet that letter described Callum exactly!"
"Oh, sure, spew facts at me like the nerd you are Lief! Doesn't change the fact that this seems like someone's trying to trick us yet again to finish what they started eight years ago!"
"Oh for the love of–he looks just like him, Dart!" Stoick exclaimed. "Why are you so insistent on this being some random kid that was sent by some unknown enemy to finish us off?! We all know what happened all those years ago was pure coincidence!"
"Because that makes the most sense! If that woman truly had Callum, why the Hel did she not bring him back to us herself?! Seems like the perfect little ploy to lure our family to take us out, don't ya think?!"
"Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, she chose against it because she wasn't sure Callum could even make the trip?! He was barely even six months old, Dart! It's a miracle he even made it to Xadia at all!" Lief growled out.
"Exactly! He was six months old, caught in a storm, and somehow ended up on the shores of a continent that's weeks from here?! It just doesn't add up! He drowned, just like Mom and Dad did!" Dart shot back as tears formed in her eyes.
"Alright, that's enough!" Revna shouted, which made the room go quiet. "That is enough with accusations and assumptions on why all of this has happened. Yes, we lost Callum eight years ago because of your uncle's negligence, and yes, we lost your parents in a similar way because of getting word that Callum was in fact alive. But that does not change the fact that he has in fact come back to us. Dart, I know you do not want to believe it because you had finally come to terms with the situation, but that is indeed your baby brother. His hybrid form is evidence enough. As for how he came back to us, that has yet to be answered."
"And we won't get those answers till he wakes." Stoick added with a heavy sigh.
As those words left his mouth, however, the family's attention was torn away from the conversation and towards the stairs as they heard a fearful screech from the hatchling in question as he sprinted downstairs clumsily and beelined for Revna, hiding behind her and clinging to her leg as he shook. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what had gotten into him, but they got their answer when a certain Shadowpaw came down into the living room with a curious tilt of his head.
"Oh, it's just Nightfall." Stoick said with a laugh as he rubbed Nightfall's head when he approached.
"W-w-what is that thing..?!" Callum squeaked out as he peeked out from behind his grandmother.
"What, you've never seen a Shadowpaw before kid?" Dart asked with a bored look as her brow raised.
"A w-what..?!"
"Well that answers that." Stoick said with a small laugh.
Lief stood and made his way over to his little brother, offering him a hand. "Come on, he won't hurt you. Nightfall is as sweet as they come. He was very close with our parents."
Callum hesitantly took his brother's hand and let him lead him towards Nightfall. The Shadowpaw sat calmly by Stoick as they approached and lowered his head with a comforting purr to show the hatchling he meant no harm. At the sound of the purrs, Callum relaxed and reached out to pet him, which Nightfall gladly accepted as he leaned into the boy's hand and purred louder at the attention. Callum stifled a laugh and let go of Lief's hand to pet Nightfall with both of his.
"Guess I was scared of you for nothing, huh..?" Callum muttered, then laughed as Nightfall lifted him up with his head, then set him back down again.
"You wanna ride him?" Stoick asked with a small smirk.
Callum looked up at him with wide eyes. "What?"
"Do you wanna ride him? Shadowpaws can be ridden, so, do you wanna?" Stoick asked again, his smirk never faltering.
Callum looked between his brother and Nightfall as he considered, then his eyes began to sparkle in excitement as he nodded. Stoick chuckled and helped Callum onto Nightfall's back, then he positioned Callum's hands to grip Nightfall's neck fluff to stay on.
"There. Now hold on with a firm grip, but not too firm lest you wanna yank his fur out." He instructed, which earned a nod from his little brother as Callum did as told, being careful to not hurt Nightfall. "Usually you'd have reigns to hold onto, but his are buried under junk somewhere. He hasn't been ridden in a few weeks."
Callum smiled brightly as purrs began to form in the back of his throat at how soft Nightfall's fur was, his tail beginning to sway back and forth happily as he felt the Shadowpaw begin to purr in return, seeming as though he was overjoyed to have a rider once again.
"Well, considering he is already mounted up, why not take your brother on a tour of the village? Help him get accustomed to where everything is." Revna suggested with a warm smile.
Dart groaned at the idea, but her brothers seemed elated by it.
"Do we have to..?" Dart grumbled as she rose from her spot, but her brow raised in confusion as her grandmother stopped her with a hand.
" You don't have to, your brothers can handle taking Callum on a tour on their own. You and I are going to have a chat while the boys are out." Revna explained with finality in her words, a stern look directed towards the eldest.
Stoick struggled not to laugh, but collected himself when Lief elbowed him in the side. Callum glanced between everyone in confusion, but shook his head as Nightfall began to follow Stoick and Lief outside.
~~~TDPMS~~~
As they made their way off the porch, Callum's eyes widened in awe as he took in the view of the village, a stark contrast to the one he had gotten from the docks. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the lowering sun added to its beauty all the more as the clouds slowly drifted past in the sky with a light breeze ruffling the foliage ever so slightly.
Callum knew immediately that he would never grow tired of the views here, no matter where he would be on the island. It felt like pure magic to him.
Stoick noticed and gained a small smirk as an idea came to him. Lief noticed his brother's smirk and rolled his eyes with a smile as Stoick got ahead of their little group and he splayed his arms out wide with a huge smile.
"This is New Berk, Cal. One of the best secrets on this side of the Archipelago." Stoick began to say, earning a laugh from the hatchling at his dramatic display. "It's our village, in a word, sturdy. And it's been here for three generations, but consists of nine. We've got fishing, hunting, gorgeous views of the sunsets, and even more beautiful views from the air."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lief said with a chuckle, which made Stoick smirk.
"Oh, how could I forget? We also have lots of dragons of all kinds of species roaming about our village and the island as a whole. For we, my dear little brother, are the closest island to what is known as the Hidden World."
"The what?" Callum asked with a raised brow of confusion, not recalling such a thing from all the books he had read on the Archipelago and the history of their tribe.
"Oh don' tell me ya don' know what the Hidden World is Cal!" Stoick exclaimed dramatically, which made Lief shake his head with a smile as he continued down the path, Nightfall and Stoick following the young man as he looked around for where their first stop of the tour would be.
"Nu uh." Callum said with a shake of the head before he looked at his brother curiously, wanting answers.
"Well, it's only one of the most wonderfully gorgeous places to ever exist! Legend has it that it's a world made by Akatosh himself for dragons to live peacefully. Our island is only a few minutes from the entrance, and we guard it from dragon hunters and trappers alike to keep the dragons that live within safe." Stoick explained to the enthralled hatchling.
"Whoa.." Callum breathed out as he envisioned what the Hidden World could possibly look like. "Have you ever been there, Stoick?"
"Many, many times. We have old family friends that live there in fact! Mom and Dad took us there a lot when we were hatchlings." Stoick said with a soft smile. "Maybe once you're all settled in, we could take a trip there so you can see it."
Callum smiled wide and nodded excitedly, which made Stoick chuckle.
"Alright you two, enough chatter." Lief said with a small laugh. "We're at the first stop of the tour."
As his brothers looked toward him, Lief gestured towards a building he had come to a stop by in the plaza. And that building just so happened to be none other than the forge. Stoick smiled wide and ran up beside Lief to continue his act for their brother.
"This here be the forge! It's where we make all our weapons, saddles, and even help dragons feel better with things like wing slings, tail splints, and even replace lost dragon teeth. Mom and Dad used to work here all the time with a good ol' family friend." He explained with his hands on his hips.
"Wait..Mom and Dad worked in the forge? But I thought they ran the village??" Callum asked with a raised brow of confusion.
"Oh, they did run the village. But any chance they had free time outside of spending time with us, they came and helped out here." Lief explained with a sad smile as he looked towards the forge. "It was nostalgic for them. Especially Dad."
"Aye, Dad worked in the forge for years ever since he was little, probably even littler than you are now Cal. Was something he just couldn't live without, same with Mom. He got her hooked on it when they were teens." Stoick added with a sad chuckle.
Lief spotted the old blacksmith within the forge and smiled as he looked back at his brothers. "Why don't we go in and introduce you to that old family friend of ours?" he suggested as he helped Callum off Nightfall's back.
As the small group made their way inside, Callum kept a hold of Lief's hand as he looked around at all the tools, materials, weapons, shields, and even saddles that were scattered about the place. When they got further in, the noise that Callum hadn't noticed when they were conversing outside became very noticeable to the hatchling and he looked towards where the sound was coming from to see an old man working away on a saddle, albeit struggling with keeping his hand and prosthetic steady enough as he hammered a stud into place.
What caught Callum off guard, however, was the fact that the man was wheelchair ridden, with his left hand having been replaced with interchangeable prosthetics, and his right leg having been replaced by a peg leg, both of which he had seemed to have for probably over half a century by now.
The man had a long gray mustache that was braided, some gray stubble on his chin, no hair to be seen atop his head thanks to the helmet he wore. His clothes consisted of a dirtied tan tunic that had a couple holes in it, a short brown bear fur vest, brown pants held up by a belt that had a Gronckle iron buckle, and a brown bear fur boot.
"Gobber! There's someone here Stoick and I want you to meet!" Lief yelled to get the man's attention.
At the sound of Lief's voice, Gobber looked up from the saddle and smiled wide. Now that Callum had a better view of the man's face, he could see that his eyes were cloudy, a clear sign that he was going blind.
"Hiccup! So good ta see ya lad!" The old blacksmith said as he set the saddle down and wheeled himself over to the young dragons. "Ya said you and the laddie had someone I should meet, eh?"
Lief laughed nervously as Gobber addressed him and nodded, Stoick clutching his stomach as he laughed. Callum looked between everyone with a sad expression, starting to feel horrible for Gobber when he realized why the old man called his brother by their father's name.
"Uh, yeah. And I'm Lief, Gobber. Remember? Hiccup is our dad." Lief reminded, still feeling quite awkward about the situation.
Stoick leaned down towards Callum as his laughing fit died down and cupped his mouth as he whispered to him. "Poor Gobber's been mistaking Lief for Dad the past three years. He misses him deeply, and that mixed with his age and loss of sight makes it mighty difficult for 'im to remember that Dad is gone."
Callum bit his lip as those words sank in, trying his best to not tear up as he looked at Gobber worriedly.
"Oh, right, right. My apologies lad. So, who's this person you and your brother are wanting me ta meet?" Gobber asked with a soft smile.
"Do you remember our little brother Callum at all?" Stoick asked as he stood to his full height.
"Well of course I remember Callum, Stoick! I may be old, but my memory ain't that bad yet lad! Why in Thor's name would ya bring up the wee one now?" Gobber asked with a raised brow, then he seemed to finally register that there was someone gripping Lief's hand and turned his attention onto the hatchling in question, only for his eyes to widen.
"Hi Gobber.." Callum said shyly as he waved, then gripped Gobber's good hand with his free one to prove to the blacksmith that he was in fact real. "It's nice to meet you.."
Gobber teared up a bit and smiled as he gripped Callum's hand back gently. "It's nice ta meet ya too, laddie..welcome home.."
~~~TDPMS~~~