It took around two weeks to reach the Barbaric Archipelago, Dagur's theory of having to wait out storms being right as they had to wait out at least four. In those weeks, Callum worked hard on trying to learn how to fly, having decided to wait until he was finally back home to attempt to transform again. (Dagur had tried to help the boy transform back into a human as they approached their first stop, but all the advice he was giving the hatchling was not helpful in the slightest.)
As they crossed into the Archipelago waters, Callum was relaxing atop the mast with his eyes closed as he basked in the warm rays of the sun. He took in a deep breath and stretched his arms over his head as his wings stretched out behind him, his cloak having been stashed in his bag below deck for the next time he would need it.
"Come on down 'ere little lost one!" He heard, then turned to see Dagur beckoning him to the helm with a huge grin.
Curious as to what the former Berserker needed, Callum carefully glided down from the mast and stumbled a bit as he landed next to him.
"Still strugglin' with landin' I see." Dagur said with a chuckle, which made Callum blush in embarrassment as he corrected his balance.
"A-a little.." Callum muttered, then looked up at the man with a slight tilt of the head. "So, why'd you call me down?"
"Notice where we are, lad?" Dagur asked with a small smirk as he motioned to their surroundings.
The boy looked around then shrugged. "I don't know..outskirts of Xadian waters?"
"Close. Welcome back to your homeland, Callum." Dagur said with a knowing smile, which made the hatchling's eyes widen.
"Wait..we're in the Archipelago? Are you serious?" Callum asked hopefully as he rushed to the side of the ship and gripped the railing as he looked around excitedly, his tail swaying behind him happily as he took it all in, a wondrous glow consuming his eyes.
Dagur chuckled as he watched the boy dart about the helm to take in as much as he possibly could of the sea stacks and islands they were slowly passing by.
"We sure are, little lost one. There's still about a week's worth of journeying we have ta do, but you're finally back. We'll pull into port at Pearl Refuge to stock up one last time, then it should be smooth sailin' from there. You excited?" Dagur said, the question directed towards the little prince with a curious smile.
Callum smiled a bit and nodded at the plan, but looked away and watched the waves as he bit his lip.
"Uh..a little. Mostly nervous if I'm being honest. As much as I know about my family, it's different when you meet in person. I know nothing about how they feel towards me or if they even know I'm still alive or not.." He admitted, glancing back at Dagur as he finished, noticing an understanding look on the elder king's face.
"Aye, I can understand that. But if I was you, I wouldn't let that ruin my mood. You have all the right to be excited about this, let that excitement out."
Callum's smile returned and he nodded slightly, but the smile grew even wider when he saw a dragon break the surface of the water. He leaned over the railing to get a better look at the creature and his eyes sparkled in interest as he remembered the entry from the Book of Dragons.
The dragon that had decided to make itself known to the small ship was a Thunderdrum, its scales a light purple. It looked to be fully grown and kept a good distance from the ship. Callum followed it along the deck as it picked up speed, his tail swaying rapidly behind him in excitement at seeing his first dragon in person. Dagur chuckled as he watched from the helm, glad to see the boy shared the same love for dragons that his parents had. It made a sad smile form on the former Berserker's lips as he recalled old memories of his old friends, that same look of pure joy on their faces that now resided on their hatchling's.
As the Thunderdrum submerged itself in the watery depths once more, Callum whined as he watched it disappear from sight.
"Nooo..come backkk.." He whined as his tail slowed significantly and his wings drooped in disappointment.
"Ah, don't you worry, little lost one. We'll see plenty more dragons the further into the Archipelago we get." Dagur reassured as Callum shuffled his way back to the helm with a sad whimper.
"Promise..?" The boy asked and Dagur nodded.
"Promise."
That made the smile reappear on the little prince's face and he nodded before he decided to perch himself on the railing in front of the helm, being mindful to not block Dagur's line of sight as he found a comfortable sitting position.
"So how much longer until we reach Pearl Refuge?" The hatchling asked, tilting his head towards Dagur curiously.
Dagur looked up at the sky, then at the islands in the surroundings as he thought about it. "Well, if we keep the pace we got now I'd say we'll get there in about an hour or two."
~~~TDPMS~~~
As Dagur had guessed, they reached Pearl Refuge in just an hour.
The island itself was not that big, having just enough to have a bustling village and a little forest curling around it. The docks were filled with many ships, some visiting while others were meant for residents to travel or fish just off shore.
As they were pulling in to dock, Callum went to go grab his cloak, but Dagur gripped his shoulder. The hatchling looked up at him confused, only for Dagur to shake his head with a smile.
"This isn't Xadian waters anymore lad, you can go about in hybrid form here. This island is dragon friendly." Dagur explained, which made the boy relax significantly with a relieved smile.
Callum rushed to the main deck in excitement as the ship came to a stop and dock workers tethered them down to keep the ship from drifting off. Dagur chuckled as he came up behind the boy once the anchor was down, grabbing the gangplank and sliding it off the side to unboard.
Callum dashed past the elder king once the gangplank was out, speeding off the ship in excitement as he looked around the place. The workers chuckled as they avoided the hatchling, one of them looking towards Dagur as he calmly walked down.
"Haven't seen a Fury hatchling like 'im in a long time."
Dagur chuckled with a nod. "Aye, the boy's very excited. It's his first time in the Archipelago. Where he's from, dragons aren't treated well."
"Ah, poor lad. No wonder he's in high spirits. Welp, enjoy your time in Pearl Refuge." The worker said as he nodded at Dagur, then walked off.
Dagur smiled and nodded in return, then turned his attention to the young Haddock that couldn't seem to stay still as he bounced in place while taking in all his surroundings. The old Viking chuckled as he made his way over to the boy and rested a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Callum looked up at him with a silent question and Dagur motioned his head towards the village.
"Go on, I'll be at the market. Just meet back at the ship in an hour, alright?"
Callum nodded in understanding and dashed off once Dagur let go of his shoulder to explore. Dagur shook his head with a smile and made his way towards the market to get some long overdue supplies for the last of their journey.
Callum slowed to a jog as he looked around the village, a giddy smile on his lips as his tail swayed rapidly behind him in excitement at finally getting to see a Viking settlement in person. The sketches and pictures in the books he read back in Katolis not having done them justice in his eyes. It made him all the more excited to see what New Berk looked like once he arrived.
As the hatchling got lost in his thoughts while taking in all the architecture around him, he failed to notice where he was going and bumped into a woman.
"Hey, watch it!!" The woman exclaimed as she dropped the basket she was carrying.
Callum stumbled to the ground from the impact and groaned as he rubbed his forehead as his tail wrapped around his waist. "S-sorry.."
The woman huffed as she picked up her basket, but froze when she got a good look at Callum and dropped it yet again. "Oh great Odin's ghost…"
Callum grew confused and looked up at the woman, then froze himself with wide eyes as he realized who he had just bumped into, his body beginning to shake in fear.
The woman looked to be in her fifties and had long blonde hair that had some gray streaks here and there and was pulled back in a thick braid, bright blue eyes with a scar in the shape of dragon claws under her left eye, and fair skin. Her attire was similar to what she used to wear in the drawings Callum could remember of her, just slightly altered over time to suit her environment and age. She wore dark red chest wraps over a cream tunic, fur arm braces, a short fur cloak that was attached to her shoulders, dark gray skirt that was covered by a battle skirt that had dulled spikes all around it with black pants underneath, a satchel that was attached to a belt that hung from her waist loosely, wrappings around her legs, tall fur boots that were accompanied by metal knee braces, a leather choker around her throat, and her signature kransen resting upon her head.
Callum then proceeded to shield himself with his wings as he held his legs tightly to his chest and hid his face between them. "D-don't hurt me..!"
"Hurt you?! Like Hel I would risk getting my head bitten off by your parents!" The woman, who Callum figured out was Astrid Hofferson once he put together why she looked so familiar, exclaimed as she grabbed her axe from the basket and held it tightly as she looked around frantically for two dragons that she assumed were around, not having the faintest idea that said dragons had passed on almost eight years prior. "I finally have a decent life going for me, and I am not going to throw that all away now!"
Callum grew confused by this and stopped shaking as he uncurled himself, the fear of being killed by his mother's, well, he wasn't sure if she was her enemy or rival but nonetheless the woman who attempted to kill her multiple times, forgotten for the time being as he gave said woman a look of confusion.
"W-what?" He asked, not understanding why Astrid was reacting in such a way.
"What do you mean 'what'?! If your parents find me, I'm a goner! Now scram before they get here kid!" Astrid said nervously as her grip on the handle of her well loved axe tightened.
"You don't know…do you..?" Callum asked as his wings drooped behind him as he stood, the survivor's guilt washing over him like a giant wave once again as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Know what?" Astrid asked, a little more calm than before as she noticed she wasn't in immediate danger as she loosened her grip and lowered her axe.
"My parents…they aren't here…" Callum said softly as he hugged himself while looking away from the Hofferson.
"What? You mean you came here by yourself or something?"
Callum shook his head, but didn't say anything else. Astrid raised a brow in confusion, but her eyes widened when she saw tears falling to the ground, putting together what he was implying when he said his parents were not here. He didn't mean Pearl Refuge, he meant Midgard as a whole. As the realization came to her, she dropped her axe and put a hand on the hatchling's shoulder.
"I see…I'm sorry for your loss kid…really…"
Callum looked up at her with a glare as he forcefully pulled himself away from her. "No you're not!! You tried to kill my mother! Not to mention you made the tribe fear her and my father all because you were jealous! You have no right to feel sorry for me! You ruined so much for my parents! What makes you think that anything's changed now that they're gone?!"
Astrid recoiled and held her hands up in surrender to the fuming hatchling. But before anything else could be said or done, an axe embedded itself in the ground between them.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll back away from the boy Hofferson!" Dagur yelled as he approached.
Astrid's eyes widened as she backed away further and grabbed her belongings. Dagur yanked his axe out of the ground and wielded it as he put himself between Callum and Astrid with a glare, blocking her view of the young Haddock. Callum clung to the back of his tunic as he peeked around the elder king to glare at Astrid himself.
"Oh trust me, I was just leaving. Don't waste your breath on me, oh great and deranged Mr. Berserker Chief." Astrid said with a bit of sarcasm in her tone, then she put her fingers to her lips and whistled.
There was a squawk heard from a few yards away, which made Callum look up in curiosity as he heard the beating of wings. After a couple seconds went by, a solid purple Deadly Nadder came in to land. When it touched down, Astrid immediately mounted its back and ushered it to take flight once more.
Then she was gone.
~~~TDPMS~~~
As they made their way back through the village to head back to the ship, Dagur got a good glance at Callum's attire. In all the weeks they had been traveling towards New Berk, not once had the boy changed into a fresh pair of clothes since the day they met. He still wore his torn up prince attire from Katolis.
His long blue shirt was still loosely clinging to his body and was in shreds in the back thanks to his wings and back fins, his black pants in a similar state because of his tail. His sleeves were all torn up from his claws in the areas he would cling to when he was scared or crying, especially during nights filled with nightmares. Not to mention, he was covered in dirt.
"Alright, hold it, little lost one." Dagur said as he came to a stop, Callum stopping as well as he looked up at the elder king in confusion.
"What?" He asked with a raised brow, not understanding why they had stopped.
"We need ta get ya cleaned up before we set sail again." Dagur said with his arms crossed with a smirk.
Callum froze as his eyes widened slightly, then he glanced at his attire and bit his lip. Dagur was right, he looked like he was thrown into a boar's den and probably smelled it too.
"C'mon, I saw some clothing stalls in the market. We'll see about using the bathhouse too." Dagur said as he ushered Callum towards the market with a soft smile.
~~~TDPMS~~~
When they reached the market, Dagur asked around about the bathhouse and after a couple tries, they were able to get Callum access so he could bathe.
As the young hatchling was getting washed up, Dagur took his old clothes and went to the clothing stalls to see if he could get his hands on some attire for the boy that would fit him. The former Berserker made it very clear to the merchants that there needed to be slits in the tunic and pants for the boy's wings and tail, using the torn up prince attire from Katolis as reference to where the slits would be needed. Luckily, the merchants were kind enough to oblige and added in the slits to the clothes Dagur had picked out for Callum.
Once that was sorted out, Dagur tossed the old clothes into a burn pit near the market, then he went back to find the rest of what Callum would need. By the time he had finished shopping, he had a dark red tunic that had leather that could tie the collar together, a simple leather belt, dark gray pants, and black wolf fur boots, all of which he realized would go great with Callum's cloak.
When the clothes were acquired, he waited patiently in the bathhouse as Callum finished up. It had taken the lad a good half hour to get nice and clean, not used to doing it how Vikings do just yet.
When Callum was sure he was thoroughly rinsed off and all the dirt and grime had been washed away, he grabbed a dry cloth that was left for him and dried off the best he could, being mindful to not tear it up with his claws as he went. Once he was sure he was fully dry, he made his way over to Dagur as he dried off his hair and looked at the clothes in the elder king's grasp with curious eyes.
Dagur chuckled and smiled as he handed the clothes to the boy, taking the cloth from him as they traded. "Here. Your first set of Viking attire. Made sure there are slits for your wings and tail too. Don't need these getting torn up like the last set, now do we?"
Callum stifled a laugh and nodded. "Yeah..thank you."
"Anytime. Need any help?" Dagur asked as he saw the boy looking at the pants and his tail contemplatively.
Callum blushed in embarrassment and nodded shyly as he offered the clothes back to Dagur. "Yes please.."
Dagur smiled and crouched down to Callum's level then proceeded to help the young hatchling into his new clothes, making sure his wings and tail slotted into their places and didn't tear them any further. Once he was in the tunic and pants and nothing had torn, Dagur handed him the belt and boots, which Callum was able to put on with ease.
The young Night Fury looked at himself with awe filled eyes, shocked that the clothes were so soft compared to the ones he wore previously. He felt comfortable in his own skin for once, like this was what he was meant to wear from the very beginning instead of stuffy royal clothes made out of expensive fabrics. It felt like home.
"Well now, there's a Haddock if I've ever seen one. Ya look just like your father did when we were wee things." Dagur said with a small laugh.
"I do?" Callum asked as he looked up at Dagur with curious eyes, wanting to know more.
"Very much so. Although, he leaned more towards greens and browns back then. These colors are more what he and your mother wore as adults. It suits ya little lost one." Dagur explained with a soft smile.
Hearing that brought a soft smile to Callum's lips as happy tears welled up in his forest green eyes and he had to wipe them away frantically to keep them from escaping. Dagur's smile grew slightly as he opened his arms for a hug, which Callum gladly accepted as he buried his face in the old Viking's chest.
"Now that you're all washed up and look the part of a Berkian, how 'bout we get back to the ship and set sail one last time and get ya home?" Dagur asked as he rubbed soothing circles on the hatchling's back, smiling as he heard the boy start to purr quietly as his tail began to sway back and forth happily.
"Yes please.."
~~~TDPMS~~~