Marvel: Dragon King

Elliot's shoulders slumped, his gaze falling to the floor. 'Why is it always me? Do I look ugly?' he thought, a wave of self-doubt washing over him. His enthusiasm began to wilt but then, he received a sharp kick to his backside.

"You're not special, Elliot," Sicilia said from behind him, her voice laced with a sigh. "Now, enter the house. You look stupid."

Elliot mechanically pushed the door open wider, a sense of resignation settling over him. "All her love went to Ragnar when he was born, didn't it?" he thought, feeling her hardened gaze behind him.

Sicilia strode past him, her gaze sweeping across the room. She could feel the children's eyes on her, a mixture of fear and curiosity.

When Sicilia turned, she saw them all suddenly hiding, their movements like startled rabbits. She sighed, her gaze finally settling on Ororo.

"They're just afraid that you'll take them away!" Ororo said hurriedly. She didn't want to ruin their chance for a better life. She rushed towards the children, her voice softening as she pleaded, "Hey guys, come on. They're good people, willing to help us!"

"Wait! Please just wait a minute," Ororo said tensely. She wanted to glare at the children, to make them understand how important it was to trust Sicilia. But then, a hand gently caressed her hair, bringing a wave of warmth and comfort.

"You've done a great job taking care of them," Sicilia whispered softly, her eyes filled with a deep understanding that pierced through Ororo's defenses.

Ororo froze. Tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't heard those words in so long, not since her parents had died. She had been forced to grow up too fast, doing whatever it took to survive and help others like her. But inside, she was still just a scared little girl who was doing her best.

Ororo wiped her tears, her cheeks flushed as she saw Ragnar smirk.

"Looks like a lioness could also cry," Ragnar said, chuckling. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Tsk," Ororo clicked her tongue, her eyes flashing with irritation. She turned away, wiping her tears with a shaky hand.

"Ah!" The girl behind shouted, her voice a mix of anger and indignation. She punched Sicilia's leg. "You made Ororo cry!" She scrunched her nose, turning into a cute pout.

Ororo's heart melted. She quickly crouched down, wrapping her arms around the girl, comforting her. "No, Dalia, she didn't make me cry."

Sicilia didn't get angry. She crouched down, her hand reaching out to gently stroke Dalia's back. "It's okay," she whispered softly. "What's your name?" she asked in a language that Dalia could understand.

"Dalia," the girl whispered, her voice muffled against Ororo's shoulder. She clutched at Ororo's shirt, now that Sicilia was suddenly closer, she was scared.

"You can speak Egyptian?" Ororo asked in surprise, her eyes widening. She had assumed that Sicilia and Elliot didn't understand the children's language, like Ragnar.

"You pick up a thing or two when you peek into the minds of hundreds of people on the street," Sicilia said, giving Ragnar a look as if he were the reason she learned Egyptian.

"Will you really take us all with you?" Ororo asked in Egyptian, her voice trembling with hope. She hugged Dalia tightly, her gaze fixed on Sicilia, waiting for an answer.

The children understood Ororo's words, a proper home, a place where they wouldn't be separated. Even Dalia, her eyes wide with curiosity, looked at Sicilia with a hint of hope.

Sicilia's eyes widened slightly. "Did we now?" she whispered, standing up and crossing her arms, looking to Ragnar for an explanation.

Although the children didn't understand English, Ororo did, and when she heard Sicilia's whisper, she felt her heart sink, but she continued listening to their conversation sneakily.

Seeing his mother's stern gaze, Ragnar just nodded seriously before using his secret weapon.

"The kids can't survive without Ororo, and Dad needs someone to help with the animals, and it's not gonna be you, right?" Ragnar said, giving his reason before betraying his father again. He winked at Ororo, knowing she was listening.

"Oh," Sicilia's face turned cold as she looked towards her husband, tapping her arms with her fingers, waiting for an explanation.

Elliot, who had been standing on the sidelines, listening to their conversation, slowly pointed at himself.

"Me?" Elliot asked incredulously, looking between Ragnar and Sicilia. Then he met Ororo's gaze. He sighed, a wave of resignation washing over him.

"I do need some people to help... you know how hard it is to take care of Otis," Elliot said, his voice growing weaker as he felt Sicilia's gaze harden with each word.

Sicilia pursed her lips, remaining silent, making everyone in the room fall silent as they looked at her nervously.

Ororo's heart pounded in her chest. It was clear that Sicilia was the one who held the reins, the one who held the power to decide their fates.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders towards Ragnar, showing that he had done all he could.

Ragnar just returned a confident nod. He knew how soft-hearted his mother was and was counting on her to see reason.

Sicilia's brow furrowed, meeting Ragnar's confident gaze. She looked at the children, then at Dalia's curious eyes. She sighed, a wave of resignation washing over her.

"Everyone can come," Sicilia said, her eyes glowing golden, making everyone understand her words, even in different languages. "But on one condition."

Sicilia looked at everyone in the room, focusing on the children. "Every time before we eat, everyone needs to take a bath or a shower after taking care of the animals. Do you understand?" she said seriously, her voice carrying a clear authority that commanded everyone's attention.

"We understood!" The children answered happily. Even Ragnar and Ororo answered, and then the children looked at each other with excitement. 

"I didn't hear someone answer," Sicilia said, turning around to face Elliot, who was just nodding. "I'm talking about you. If you don't follow, I think Otis will be glad to take you in."

Elliot's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! Every day?" he exclaimed. He glanced at his wife, then at the children, their faces a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Elliot coughed, trying to regain his composure. "Of course, take a bath every day," he mumbled, his voice shrinking under her scrutiny.

"Thank you," Ororo whispered weakly towards Sicilia, her eyes filled with gratitude. She knew Sicilia was the one who held the key to their future, the one who could decide if they could all come.

Sicilia just smiled before feeling her leg being hugged by someone. She looked down and saw Dalia looking up at her. "Are we coming with you?" she asked cutely.

"Of course," Sicilia answered, her eyes sparkling at Dalia's cute appearance. She had always wanted a daughter. She had even thought of dressing Ragnar up in dresses when he was little.

Ragnar felt a chill run down his spine, a sudden uneasiness settling over him.

Ragnar looked around before nudging Ororo gently. "Does everyone of you really want to come though?" he asked, his words filled with doubt. 

Ororo also understood this. She stood up, looking at everyone. "Is anyone of you not wanting to come and planning to stay here?"

The children looked at each other before hurriedly shaking their heads.

"It looks like we'll all be coming with you," Ororo said, showing a bright smile to Ragnar. She couldn't help but feel close to the boy who offered her a new opportunity, a chance to escape the harsh realities of their past.

"Since you'll be coming with us, we should probably introduce ourselves more formally, shall we?" Ragnar said, grinning, but he was looking into the Chat Group System Mission Notification.

[Mission 5: Take in Storm from living on the streets]

[Reward: Ororo's Thief Skills (Future)]

[Mission Complete]

[Do you wish to accept the Reward?]

[Yes/No]

'The other one is still not counted,' Ragnar thought, looking at the other mission that he thought would be completed as well.

[Mission 7: Invite Ororo to your team before she joins the X-Men]

[Reward: Weather Manipulation]

'Looks like I gotta invite her again in the future,' Ragnar thought, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be more confident since Ororo was coming with them.

"Ragnar Haddock, and my parents, Sicilia and Elliot Haddock," Ragnar said, smiling to everyone as he pointed at his parents.

"Ororo Munroe," Ororo bowed slightly towards Sicilia and Elliot, patting Dalia on the head. "This one here is little Dalia," she said, pointing at the children one by one, introducing them. "Kahn, Akila, Onofre, Darius, Menes, Sethos."

"Thank you for taking us all," Ororo said gratefully, bowing deeply as the children followed her example.

"No need to bow, Ororo," Sicilia said, carrying Dalia in her arms. "Now let's go. I think you guys want to eat, don't you?" She noticed that they were waiting for Ororo to appear before eating.

"Don't you want to see where you guys are staying?" Ragnar said, grinning as he walked beside Ororo, bumping her with his elbow. "You should have accepted my invitation when I wanted to show you the back of the RV."

"Who would dare accept your invitation," Ororo said, rolling her eyes at Ragnar. At the same time, she felt she was starting to figure out his character, making her smile. "Will you teach me magic after this?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Ahem, let's talk about it when you're older," Ragnar said, coughing in embarrassment. He couldn't say that his magic was from a different world and he couldn't teach her, so he just hurriedly followed his parents out of the house.

"Don't run away!" Ororo said, her laughter ringing out. She quickened her pace, catching up to Ragnar.

The Haddock family had grown, their little group now a beacon of hope, a promise of a new beginning, and an unknown future.

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