AN: Well, I felt really bad for the super long delay on the previous chapter so I tried to get this one done in a reasonable amount of time.

I give you:


Truth and Reconciliation

Mist


"I can't believe them!" Hiccup shouted as he threw White Hilt into a large tree before him. Toothless sat by patiently as his human was casually letting off steam from the occurrence the day before. "This is absolutely ridiculous! They couldn't take my word on one little thing after everything we did for them?!"

The Night Fury knew not to answer the rhetorical question. Although he wasn't quite as upset as Hiccup was about the whole ordeal, he just chose to shrug it off. He knew they would always have a second chance and that they would gradually learn more about how to train the humans to their liking. Toothless was more curious about what would happen if they would have told the people of Hidra about the true origin of their new equipment.

If Hiccup would have told them about how he got the weapons, the village would have only been angrier and cast it off as a lie, wouldn't they? Hiccup dislodged the sword from tree he had thrown it at. The sword lit up once again as he grabbed the hilt and immediately went out as Hiccup chose his next target and hurled the sword at it.

The sword stuck perfectly into the side of the next tree. Hiccup had figured that he should practice throwing the weapon rather than attempt to use it up close and in hand because of the chance of lighting the entire forest on fire. Once again, he forcefully ripped the sword from the tree and threw it at another. "Why would they be willing to turn on us so easily? This doesn't make any sense; why they would have such little faith in us?" Hiccup continued to practice with his sword while Toothless patiently watched.

|| Maybe we should have tried telling them the truth. || Hiccup stopped and stared right over at the obsidian reptile. "What? What are you talking about? You are the one who said that it was a bad idea and that we shouldn't tell them. You said that you thought the god would have reacted badly to us telling them!"

The dragon hung his head for a moment and sighed. || I know Hiccup, I just didn't think that he would want us telling the world about how we received all the new things and why only we would get them and not anyone else. ||

Hiccup shook his head in frustration. "Why wouldn't you let me just tell them Toothless!? I could have explained it to them and we would most likely be fine right now! I'm sure they would have understood why we were nervous in the first place and it would have explained the fact that we can talk!" He threw his sword around but did not release it. The result was as expected; a massive fireball shot from the sword's tip and impacted against the side of a small Cliff nearby. A few large boulders tumbled down after the explosion, landing harshly on the ground below.

Hiccup looked over at Toothless then rolled his eyes and stormed off. He mumbled to himself as he walked over to the cliff side alone. "Over protective dragon. Why can't he just let me do what I think is right? Why is it that every time we get into a situation he thinks he should be out in front like someone is going to try and kill me?"

He kicked a stone over the edge and into the sea. He watched as the rock flew down and splashed into the water. The cool ocean mist flowed over the edge of the cliff right past him, as though attempting to cool of his anger with a certain Night Fury. He was too frustrated with Toothless at the moment to try and talk it out with him. Hiccup needed to be alone for once and have the time to himself. Sitting down, he faced away from the Night Fury that he was sure was staring over at him helplessly.

He knew the dragon meant well by trying to protect him, but there were times that he just needed to let him work out the situation without fleeing or causing a massive fight. He thought back to the event at Outcast Island and back to the argument he had with the dragon right before Toothless burst out of the prison block and started the massacre that slain his father. He knew the dragon wouldn't have killed him on purpose, nor would he have killed Alvin, but if the dragon would just listen to him every now and then they wouldn't run into the issues such as this.

If they had fled Outcast Island like Hiccup wanted, they most likely would have made it out alive along with everyone else. The dragon was too persistent about fighting. He thought that he surely would have been killed if they just tried to flee the island; he thought that they needed to make them remember how dangerous the Night Fury was and to cause them to not want to try and chase them down. It seemed to work out fine by killing the two chiefs along with several others by striking fear into their hearts.

Hiccup sighed and sat down on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the desolate sea before him. He couldn't blame Toothless for what happened on Outcast Island. He knew that the dragon would live and die for him as well as doing everything within his power to keep harm away. He could only think about if the Night Fury would just listen to him every now and then how some of the terrible situations that they have come across may have been avoided.

Unfortunately, there was no hope left for the village of Hidra. Hiccup knew that they couldn't go back with the way that they left and how the village must think of him now. They would most likely send an army of dragons his way if he even attempted to come near the village. It was so difficult for Hiccup to understand the reason why the village turned on him so quickly, especially with Vilhehn and Gunnar. He thought that at least they would stand by his side. Gunnar was too loyal to his father and Vilhehn to his village. Neither of the two men could side with him without being banished as well.

Hiccup looked slightly over his shoulder to see a pained Night Fury curled into a ball next to the campfire. He looked away and lowered his head, feeling bad for the dragon. The beast was doing what he honestly thought was right and now Hiccup was punishing him for it by not speaking to him.

He thought back to the letter he got with the new gear. He didn't remember it ever stating that he couldn't tell anyone where the items came from. He just knew he had to use them wisely and for the right purpose. He knew there would only be one way to convince new tribes without them fearing him of using black magic. He had to tell the truth.

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Astrid watched the town as they continued through their daily lives. The town was quieter now. Not just because of the chief's voice that no longer bellowed throughout the streets, not just because of Hiccup no longer trying out some new contraption and failing miserably. It seemed like many people had lost hope towards the village.

Even Gobber, who normally would be hammering away at his latest creation so that he could show it off to the village, was completely silent as he stared at the growing pile of metalwork that was lay within his shop. Astrid felt terrible for the man that had lost his will to live. He had lost all the people in his life that mattered to him most. Hiccup was gone and there was no hope of him ever coming back, now that he was seen as not just an outcast but also a man that killed their profound chief.

Stoick's death was what hit Gobber the hardest though. He no longer showed up at mealtimes, he no longer was limping through the village to show off his newest sword or mace. Ever since he returned from the battle that took place on Outcast Island, everything about him had changed. Fishlegs was no longer excited to go and work with the depressed man and the teen seemed to only make it worse every time he showed up.

Gobber hadn't participated in a single raid since he got back. Every time the dragons came, it seemed like there was some new excuse as to why he couldn't go out and fight. It seemed fine at first why he wouldn't want to go and fight the dragons, but now that more people had lost their lives it was thought that he would have a change of heart to begin killing them once again. Every time a raid began though, he seemingly disappeared from the village until the dragons had left. Astrid had asked him about why he was against the raids, but all he said was that it had to do with Hiccup. the answer only served to confuse her even further.

The former chief's son was on her mind more often, now that Stoick was gone and he was to blame. Astrid looked over to the old chief's house. No one had entered the home since the death of Stoick. No one felt the need to invade the privacy of their beloved chief. "Who could let something kill their own father?!" There was a pause while Astrid overlooked the desolate village.

"He didn't."

Astrid threw herself around to see the depressed looking blacksmith standing behind her. "What did you say?" Gobber sighed and closed his eyes. "He didn't…. Hiccup didn't." Astrid looked up to the man, confused; why was he suddenly behind her and talking to her? "Gobber, what are you talking about? What do you mean Hiccup didn't do it. Of course he did it. He just stood by and watched as he let his dragon kill Chief Stoick!"

Gobber shook his head then came and sat down next to the girl. "No Astrid, that's not what happened." Astrid looked away from the man back down to the village where a few men were preparing to switch for dragon watch. "But that's what everyone said-"

"I know what everyone said Astrid!" Gobber sounded as if he had been holding in the topic for far to long. "Hiccup didn't let the Night Fury kill Stoick. He didn't want the dragon to kill him. I was there as well; unfortunately I was just a little too late to stop Stoick from trying to kill his son."

Astrid had a baffled look on her face as if she had never heard this part of the story. "Stoick tried to kill Hiccup?" Gobber nodded and sighed once again. "Aye, I had just arrived to the scene as Stoick raised his sword to strike his son down. Just before he lunged the Night Fury broke free from its restraints and went berserk….. I guess the dragon wouldn't allow Stoick to kill his human."

Astrid was still looking confused, but not for what Gobber expected. "His?"

Gobber was taken back as he realized he said too much. "No I didn't." Astrid rolled her eyes at the burly man trying to cover up his secret. "What happened Gobber? How did you know the dragon was a he?"

Gobber slouched down in his position and sighed yet again. "You kids don't miss a beat do you?" Astrid just smiled smugly. Gobber rolled his eyes. "Just like Hiccup you are…. The kids always find out first." He turned to look back to the village. "Hiccup was right….. He was right about the dragons."

Astrid was shocked to hear Gobber say something like that. How could he of all people think that the Viking way was wrong, and that someone like Hiccup was right? She looked back up to him questioningly. "How do you know?"

Gobber sat in silence for a moment until Astrid made a fake sounding cough to regain his attention. "Yes, yes. Well, to be completely honest with you, Hiccup showed me. The night before battle took place, me, Stoick, Alvin and his second in command and I gave Hiccup and his Night Fury a visit in the prison block. The dragon seemed completely normal to us, growling and hissing violently, but when someone went close to the cell or got angry with Hiccup, the beast would circle himself around Hiccup as if to protect him….. We didn't really know how smart the creature was, but it was apparent that he frightened every last Outcast on that island."

Astrid thought about how the situation worked out. "But how do you know that the dragons aren't deadly?"

Gobber shook his head once more. "Oh no. They are most definitely deadly. Wasn't that obvious, seeing what happened to Stoick and Alvin? No, the only thing that I learned about them that night was that they have reason. As long as one doesn't provoke the beast, then they can reason with them. Hiccup realized this when he shot down Toothless."

Astrid scoffed at the mention of Hiccup's pet dragon. "I really doubt that the dragons are able to be reasoned with. I bet the only reason Hiccup was able to train Toothless was just a fluke."

The burly Viking stared at the young girl with a look of disappointment. "Look, I know that you and Hiccup never really hit it off, but you need to cut him some slack ever now and then. Am I the only one other than him that noticed how poorly he was treated around here?!"

Astrid looked down in shame, thinking back on Hiccup and his general treatment on Berk. She never really thought about how much Hiccup went through. She could remember all the times were Snotlout and the twins would purposely lure Hiccup from his home just to bring him to the far end of the forests and leave him. It was no wonder why he went and ran off with the Night Fury. She sighed as she looked back up to Gobber. "We never really cared about what Hiccup did. It wasn't until he started doing better in the ring that I even took notice of him."

Gobber looked away as if he were trying to hide his face. "You have no idea how proud of him I was during that time. He might not have been of my heir, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was like a son….. I didn't approve of the way Stoick raised Hiccup so I decided that it would be best if I took him as an apprentice. Stoick wasn't pleased at first, but after a few more of Hiccup's little hiccups, he knew that it would be best. From then on I was always proud of that boy, even if he wasn't the best at anything or even if he wasn't my own."

The two Viking sat in silence for a moment as they remembered the total misfit of the village and how much he had changed since. Astrid looked back up to her instructor with a confused look on her face. "So how did you find out that dragons were not deadly?"

For the first time in what seemed like ages. Astrid saw a smile pop up on the man's face. Gobber turned toward her smirking slightly. "Well, as I was saying, Hiccup was trying to convince Stoick that his dragon could be reasoned with, but Stoick wouldn't have any part of it. The chief stormed off along with Alvin and his henchman…. I stayed back for a few minutes to try and give Hiccup some tips about dealing with his stubborn father. But after talking with him for a few minutes, Hiccup somehow managed to calm down the Night Fury and he convinced me to stick my hand through the bars to touch the dragon."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "So what you're saying is that you lost your arm, again?"

Gobber took his good hand and slapped her upside the head. "No you moron! I stuck my good hand in and waited for the dragon to touch my hand. To tell you the truth, I hadn't been that nervous in a long time. It's not every day you trust your life to a Night Fury."

Astrid made a motion for him to continue with the story. Gobber shook his head and smirked. "Oh right, but as the dragon pressed his snout into my hand, I could feel everything about him. I could feel the beast's heart beating within; I could feel the dragon's warm breaths being forced in between my fingertips; I could feel the trust he had put into me. I could have sworn that the beast was able to sync his heart with my own. It was as if the dragon was creating a bond between me and him. I could have-"

"Alright Gobber, I get it, you can move on." Astrid chuckled slightly and rolled her eyes.

Gobber eyed he carefully then smirked. "Anyways, it was truly incredible. I never thought that those creatures even had a mind of their own, but after seeing that Night Fury protect and stay loyal to Hiccup, it seemed like a whole new world to me."

Astrid smiled and turned to face the village once more. "So why are you telling me this?"

Gobber sighed for the umpteenth time. "Well, you're the only one that will be able to convince the rest of the village that Hiccup is still a good person. The rest of the Vikings won't trust me. When Hiccup comes back I am going to need some persuasive people on my side to help bail out the boy and his dragon."

Astrid looked out to sea for any sign of life on the distant horizon. "Do you think Hiccup will come back?"

Gobber nodded and smiled. "Aye, he will be back. He's going to come back trying to convince the world that dragons are nothing more than a common house pet, but don't tell him that. I don't think he will appreciate anyone calling his Night Fury a pet."

Astrid lay back on the grassy hill and admired the moonlit landscape along with the one of a kind village they called home. "Well, I don't know if I'm going to help you convince the village that Hiccup's a good guy, but I won't say anything against him."

Gobber smiled and got up to return to his work place. "I really appreciate it Astrid, and I know Hiccup will too."

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A lone Viking made his way towards the front of the massive ship that was sailing straight to Outcast Island. He knew that they were getting close and that the captain would want to be informed early in advance of their arrival. He went down the stairs to the ship's inner decks towards the captain's quarters. He breathed in a long sigh and let out a silent prayer to not be thrown overboard. Cautiously, he solidly knocked thrice on the captain's door.

The door swung open to reveal an angry man that stood nearly seven feet tall on dry land, but on the tight space of the ship he was forced to hunch over to avoid hitting the ceiling. "What do you want, you useless runt." The much shorter and younger male swallowed his fear and spoke up carefully. "I just wanted to announce that we should arrive within the hour." The massive man standing in the narrow doorway narrowed his eyes at the messenger then gave an annoyed sigh. "Fine. Get out of here and let the rest of the ship know to prepare for landing." The man simply smiled and took no time at all to turn and walk away while thanking the other Viking for the opportunity. He wasn't really thankful to have to communicate to the rest of the ship that they were making port, but at least he was going to survive another day.

The large man rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut as he walked back into the room. A young female voice came from the bed where the captain slept. "What did he want Virion?" Her tone was harsh and aggravated. She was sitting up in the bed staring coldly over at the behemoth of a man.

Virion grew up being the best of his tribe and had never been thought less of. He won every competition he was cast into, massacred every dragon that got in his path, and had never looked over his shoulder in fear. He wasn't raised with wealth, nor was he of royalty. He made a name for himself for his own actions and everyone knew that he was a not a Viking to cross paths with. He didn't care for any other man's opinion. He took what he wanted and left nothing for the others.

Virion was one of the tallest Vikings known, even rivaling the height of the well-known tribe that thrived on Berk. Despite not being born with blue blood, no one would dare doubt the authority he held now. While being a man of strength and power, he didn't waste time with the starving or the helpless. A Viking was meant to work for his wealth; if he is slow and incompetent, he will fail. Virion had lived by these words ever since his father spoke them to him the day he became a man.

He looked up at the gorgeous woman that was growing impatient by the delayed response. "It was the messenger; he was informing us of the arrival to Outcast Island." The woman lowered her line of sight, thinking about the reason behind their trip to the island that was reserved for the worst and unless of the so called Vikings. She thought back to the last time she was at the dreaded island. A raging fury quickly built within her system, one that caused her to shake her head violently and quickly jump off the bed so she could look out the window to catch a glimpse of the island and tell whether the messenger spoke the truth. A large wave crashed against the glass of the window, leaving behind the drops of saltwater on the pane, through which an ocean mist could be seen. The boat crested over a wave and sure enough, the tip of Outcast Peak showed its ugly face.

She turned from the window and stared back at Virion callously. "As soon as we arrive, I want the current leader of that dejected island at the port of my ship. I want everyone of my crew to take each and every soul that still remains on that island into custody and placed into confinement. For the remaining dragons left in the cells, kill them and strip them of their hide. I want this to be a quick visit and I don't want any problems."

The man nodded and started to walk out the door. "Mist?" The beautiful woman turned back to give the man the benefit of her listening. "Are we just going to leave the island deserted?" She sighed and shook her head gently. "No, I want you to start at the back of the island and light fires across the landscape. As we leave, I don't want to see anything left except raging fires and ash. If you come across any sign of the suspect, capture him and bring him to me, alive."

The man nodded once more and walked out the doorway to head to the top of the ship. He was part of the hierarchy now, but that didn't mean anything while Mist was in charge, What she said went. If there was something that she wanted or didn't want, it was his job to make sure the task was done properly and efficiently.

He trudged up the stairs of the massive ship and out into the open. He looked for himself over to the unsuspecting island. The motionless land already seemed so dead. The land of outcasts was nothing without the treacherous leader that once ruled. Virion looked over to the prison block that was blocked off and many of the nearby buildings, which were now quite demolished. He figured that must have been the location for the battle they had heard of.

The boat came to port within the hour and Virion kept a watchful eye for any outcasts that seemed to be working in charge. There was one man standing at the docks right where they were headed. He was not as bulky or full of muscle like the many other men that were scattered across the island. The lesser man motioned for the boat to pull alongside him so he could assist in helping them dock.

Savage waited patiently as the taller of men stepped of the boat and approached him. "Welcome to Outcast Island, I assume you are the-"

"We can skip the pleasantries if you don't mind." Virion was not in the mood to speak with his future prisoners. "I assume you're the one in charge around here?"

Savage nodded and began to walk down the dock to show the man the island. "Yes, my name is Savage and I can show you around the island. I assume you want me to show you the location of the-"

"That won't be needed Savage." Virion didn't leave he place next to the ship. "I need you to stay here for a moment while I go get the captain." Savage nodded once again and stayed on the docks awaiting the ruler of the tribe.

Mist stepped of the boat and glared over at the island that was once ruled by Alvin. She turned to his second in command and sized him up. "Alvin left you in charge?"

Savage swallowed harshly and sighed. He could only think about how similar she was to Alvin. 'Great, another Treacherous that follows suit.' "Why yes I am Ms. Treacherous-"

"Don't ever call me that again you worthless, pathetic excuse for an Outcast! If you want to live to see another day, I expect you to do exactly as I say and only speak when I allow you to. Do you understand?"

Savage cautiously nodded and looked away from the woman in charge. He never thought that she would be worse than Alvin. Mist looked over to the island and then back to Savage. "Take me to the place where it happened and tell me exactly how it took place." She turned to Virion that was standing next to her. "And you need to do exactly as I instructed you to do. Grab the crew and get started."

Virion nodded and stepped back onto the ship to round up his assistants. He told them to grab the flammables and to follow him to the far side of the island. He instructed the remaining crew to capture all of the members of the Outcast tribe and to place them in the brig. He soon left the boat and headed for the far side of the island.

Mist and Savage walked towards the prison block while Savage informed her how the boy and his Night Fury had taken on the entire village and still managed to escape. He stressed the fact that not one of the guards could handle the task of looking after the dragon while it was in the prison. "We have never had a dragon that was able to strike fear into every one of our guards. The beast seemed to know exactly what was going on and it was smarter than any other of the species. We have taken down Nightmares, Nadders and even a Whispering Death, but none was as provoking or as intelligent as the Night Fury."

Mist rolled her eyes at the last statement. "You mean to tell me that an entire village couldn't control one pathetic dragon? It doesn't matter what type of the species they are, none of them are intelligent. They are all just a bunch of mindless beasts that crave the blood of our own and steal our supplies."

Savage shook his head slightly. "If you saw this dragon I guarantee that you would believe me. Every one of the guards swore that he and the boy could talk to each other. The Night Fury was so protective of the boy that he never let him out of his sight."

Mist sighed and once again rolled her eyes. "You are all hopeless…. But who is this boy you keep speaking of. What does he have to do with the killing of my father?"

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AN: Well, what did you think? Was it any good? Do you have questions about the new characters? I certainly hope so.

Thank you all for reviewing and such, I really appreciate it.

Milestone of the week: 150 FAVORITES! You have no idea how excited that makes me. Thank you so much! We also had the biggest viewing day in this stories history. over 1000 views... in one day! It was over 1500 in the first 24hrs. Thanks again!