"And then," Sigrun said, extending her leg and admiring the new cast, "the dumb-bunny mages all took off deeper into the hotel, even though I was shouting at them to come back."
"She shouted in Norwegian, which they didn't understand," Mikkel explained, bouncing the five-year-old twins, Asbjørn and Morten, on his knees. "That's why you have to speak Norwegian, Icelandic, and Finnish."
"Then the mama bear beast burst through the window, glass flying everywhere, and she glared right into my eyes! We three had to run back up the stairs and …" She paused dramatically.
"And? And?" Morten asked anxiously.
"And that is a story for another day," Mikkel said firmly. He lifted the children and seated one on each shoulder. "You will hear it tomorrow if you are good boys, brush your teeth, and go to bed without arguing."
"Oh, no," the children whined in unison, but their parents knew the power of that bribe, and they smiled at each other, looking forward to telling the tale once more.