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Chapter 9: Trust Issues

Previously:

"Mother. Mother I'm sorry!" Star babbled as she looked up at Elizabeth. "Brighid died! She's gone. We thought you had been killed!" She said quickly. "We should have gone back for you! I'm so sorry!"

Elizabeth knelt back down to try and comfort the obviously distressed Star. "Sh-h, it's alright Star. Everything is alright now."

"After we heard Elizabeth's story we took her back to my homeland. She was rewarded and given a home there for her years of caring for you." Havardr offered the stool to the old woman so she could sit more comfortably. "Since you'd survived once we weren't going to risk assuming your death again."

"They sent people everywhere looking for you Star!" Elizabeth said quickly. "I didn't understand why they would be looking for you at first Star, but everything was explained to me later on."

Star looked from her mother to Havardr in confusion. She looked down at the egg shell and very slowly she put the pieces together. "So I'm the stolen night fury..." Toothless had told her he'd never seen a white night fury before. "But why am I so important that you would kidnap me? Steal me away from my home?" She looked up at Havardr not expecting him to answer since humans couldn't understand dragon speech.

Havardr took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "To answer your question Morning Star I have to tell you the story of my homeland." His words were slow and measured as his acid green eyes met Star's yellow ones. "And you need to know that the history of night furies is a very important part of it."

Star's eyes narrowed as she stared at Havardr. Suddenly he was talking to her as if he understood what she was saying.

Elizabeth gently rubbed the side of Star's head. "Havardr and his people can talk to dragons Star." She said softly. "And it's all because of your ancestor; The first white night fury."

"So what's this plan of yours Hiccup?" Eret asked as they landed outside of Hiccup's home. He leaned against Skullcrusher as he watched Hiccup dart into the add on of his house and then returned. He was carrying the glass sculpture in his hands.

"We'll use this." Hiccup explained as he held up the glass object. "We got it from Trader Johann and we can use it to track him down." He handed it to Eret to show to Skullcrusher. "He said he got it from the someplace South." If Hiccup's suspicions turned out true then Johann had gotten that glass sculpture in the same area that Havardr Colby had come from.

Toothless paced restlessly as he waited for Hiccup to finish discussing the plan with Eret. "I'll rip their arms off and burn the stubs. Then I'll rip out their guts and force them to stay alive for as long as possible for this." He was mumbling as he dug grooves into the dirt with his claws. "If they hurt MY Star I'll make them beg for death before I'm done."

"I'll find them Alpha. I won't let you down again." Skullcrusher said as he watched Toothless tear up the ground with his pacing. He felt terrible for having lost Star's scent, but he wouldn't do it again. He was sure if he flew a little higher this time, and with a new trail to follow, he'd be able to track down Star's kidnappers.

"You ready?" Eret said as he held the glass sculpture out to Skullcrusher.

Hiccup quickly mounted Toothless as Skullcrusher breathed in the scents coming off of the glass sculpture. After a moment of that Skullcrusher leaped into the air. "Let's get her back Buddy." Hiccup said as he adjusted his prosthetic so that Toothless could jump into the air.

It took a moment for Skullcrusher to sift through the various scents that had been clinging to the glass sculpture. He was able to recognize Star's easily, but he knew if he followed her trail he would lose it. Instead Skullcrusher focused on two older scents. One was so faint that it would take days if not weeks to follow. The other led to a few islands over to the east.

"He's got a scent!" Eret yelled as Skullcrusher took off to the east.

Astrid caught up with Stormfly shortly after Hiccup and Eret took off. "Orders Chief?" She asked as she and Stormfly got as close to Toothless as possible.

Hiccup looked up at his wife for a moment. "Call back any squads. Ground all dragons not on guard duty. Have Gobber and Snotlout start the interrogation with the prisoner." Hiccup said quickly as they flew farther away from Berk. "And load up a ship with supplies to last a couple months." He looked forward through his helmet. "I have a feeling we're going to be leaving when we get back and I don't want to take the chance of running out of supplies."

Astrid hesitated and nodded. "I'll make sure everything gets done." With that she gave Stormfly her orders to get back to Berk.

"A ship?" Eret asked uneasily.

Hiccup nodded. "Dragons can fly for days, but I don't want to fly a dragon to death." He gently rubbed the side of Toothless's head as he grumbled. "Finding Star is important, but we're not going to risk any lives." Again he had to calm Toothless down with a gentle rub. "We'll find her, but we're going to do this the right way."

"I'd rather find her the FAST way." Toothless said through his grumbles. He hated to think about what Star's captors were doing to her.

"We'll find her Alpha!" Skullcrusher said quickly. He did not like the way Toothless was glowing with that blue light. The only time he'd ever seen that happen was when Drago had attacked with his Bewilderbeast.

Hiccup didn't much like the blue glow either. "Remember Toothless, Johann is our friend." He was pretty sure, based on the direction, Skullcrusher had locked onto Johann's location.

"I'll be the judge of that." Toothless grumbled angrily, but his blue fire did die down so that he wasn't glowing through his scales anymore.

Hiccup sighed in relief and silence surrounded the small group as the two dragons flew ever eastward.

Star was silent for a moment as what she had just been told sank in. "Talk to...First white...what?" She wasn't sure what to believe, but she trusted her mother. If her mother was saying these things were true then...but it wasn't possible for humans to understand dragons! She shook her head in confusion.

"Why didn't you just tell us these things back on Berk?" Star demanded angrily. "Why didn't you tell me my mother was alive?!" If Havardr had just told them that her mother was still alive, that she'd been kidnapped in the first place, then things would have been very different. "You didn't have to kidnap me!"

Havardr's eyes narrowed and he frowned at Star. "There was no way to know for sure what would happen if I'd told you the truth back on Berk. Outsiders can't be trusted to know the truth." He growled softly at her. "Outsiders become greedy, jealous, or fearful when they learn what the people of our homeland can do."

Star sneered at Havardr. "So you had to kidnap me? I was happy there! I had friends and...and a family again."

Elizabeth looked from Star to Havardr and back for a moment. She couldn't understand what Star was saying, but she could guess based on Havardr's reactions and responses. "Things are complicated Star; very complicated." Her mother said softly as she tried to calm Star down.

The night fury snorted and pulled away from her mother for a moment. Even though she was immensely happy to see her mother again Star couldn't help but feel betrayed for being taken away from her home. Toothless meant the world to her and she couldn't imagine living without him.

Havardr knelt down to look at Star on an even level. "This decision wasn't made lightly. I spent months weighing the possible choices." He said trying to make Star understand. "For all we know if we'd told the people of Berk the truth they would have imprisoned you." He paused when Star snorted. "Outsiders just can't be trusted."

"How would you know?" Star demanded angrily. "I've lived with the people of Berk for ten years! They would never hurt me!"

Rage filled Havardr's eyes as he stood back up. "How do I know?" He cursed under his breath and clenched his fights. "Because every time we tell an outsider about us, about our homeland, about the white night furies, the same thing happens." His shoulders shook as he tried to keep from exploding at the naive young night fury. "Our homeland has been attacked so many times over the generations for what we can do and what we have. After what happened the last time...it was decided we would never reveal the truth to the outside world again."

"And what exactly happened?" Star said sarcastically. "What was so horrible that you became so distrusting?"

Havardr's eyes narrowed and he was silent for a moment as he glared don at Star. "The last time we told someone about us...you were kidnapped and sold to dragon trappers."

Star fell silent for several long minutes. She could understand why people would be upset ad having her kidnapped, but what was so damned important about her that caused her to be kidnapped int he first place? "Who would do that?" Star said softly. "Who would even kidnap a baby dragon?"

"Drago Bludvist would." Havardr spit out the name like it was poison.

The name sent shivers down Star's back. Over the years in Berk she'd heard the story of Drago Bludvist and what he'd done to Berk and it's dragons.

"Years ago Drago Bludvist somehow made it to our island as a young man. At the time we didn't know about his...his madness." Havardr said rapidly before Star could interrupt. "He seemed genuinely interested in our relationship with the dragons of our island. He lived among us for years. We taught him about dragons thinking he would become an ally." Havardr looked at his hands for a moment so he wouldn't focus his rage at Star. "When we finally told him our last secret...about how we'd learned how to talk to dragons...his true nature finally showed itself." Havardr wished he could punch something. "When we refused to teach him how to talk to dragons he went mad. He forced several dragons into submission and went after the white night fury mother."

Havardr paused in his telling of the truth so he could calm himself. His voice had been getting progressively louder. "We prevented him from getting to her and he fled. Your egg hadn't been laid yet so we didn't think about how he'd try again." Havardr shook his head angrily. "Word of Drago's cruelty and madness came to us and we did what we could to hide our island so he couldn't come back."

"So...It's your fault..." Everything that Drago had done had been because of these people. The army that Drago had captured, the bewilderbeast he had tortured, even her sisters death to an extent had been because these people had shared their secrets with the madman.

Havardr nodded. "That's why we swore not to tell outsiders about our secrets again."

Star looked around as her thoughts worked rapidly. "So why did you tell my mother if you swore never to tell anyone?" Star said coldly.

Havardr rubbed his nose and groaned softly. "We only told her because we knew we would need her help to get you back if you were still alive."

Elizabeth, figuring out that they were talking about her, spoke up. "I had to agree to live on the island with guards before they would tell me anything Star." She said soothingly. "I swore a blood oath that I would never leave the island or tell anyone." She rubbed Star's neck lovingly. "I begged Havardr to let me come to get you."

"I still don't understand why I'm so important." Star said softly after a few minutes. "Or why Drago would go to such lengths to kidnap me."

Havardr sighed softly and rubbed his forehead. Where should he even begin with this story? There was so much he needed to tell Star, but it was obvious she wouldn't trust him. It had been a brilliant idea on his part to get Elizabeth to come with the fleet to capture Star.

"Let's make you a little more comfortable first." Havardr said as he came up with a plan. This wouldn't earn her trust, but it was a step in the right direction. He pulled out his keys again and knelt down to reach into Star's cage. He unlocked the chains that were binding Star's legs and then pulled them out of her way. "I can't let you out yet..." She didn't trust him, but he didn't trust her not to escape.

Star stood up in her cage and stretched out her legs gratefully. It felt good to be able to get up and walk around again.

"She still has the clamps on her wings." Elizabeth pointed out. "It's not like she could go anywhere." The clamps would make Star too heavy to swim and they prevented her from flying.

Havardr shook his head. "Star is too important to even risk losing at this point. She stays in the cage for now."

"Star would like an explanation as to why she's so damned important." Star said with a snort.

Havardr couldn't help the little snort of his own from the sarcasm in Star's voice. "There's a lot of things about you that make you important Star." He crossed his arms over his chest. "The white night fury is the symbol of our homeland. We wouldn't be who we are today if it wasn't for the white night fury."

Star rolled her eyes. "The white night fury is a symbol. Big deal. I'm sure all the other white night furies feel so special." She didn't see how being a symbol for a people was so special.

Havardr sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "There are no other white night furies Morning Star. You're it." She needed to know that now otherwise the rest of his explanation wouldn't have the same meaning. "Only one white night fury is ever born ever thousand years. Your kidnapping broke your mother's heart and she died within the week."

Her being the only white night fury was probably a good reason as to why she was important; at least that's what Star figured. But it wasn't really a reason for kidnapping her. "You know you could have just told Berk the truth of where I'm from and that I'm the only white night fury." She pointed out slowly. "Hell you could have told them about Drago Bludvist and they would have understood." How could Havardr have been so stupid not to say anything to the people of Berk? He'd seen how much the humans had cared for their dragons when he'd last been there.

"Doesn't matter." Havardr said coldly. "People change when you tell them how rare a dragon is." In his travels over the years he'd seen many examples of rare dragons being killed or imprisoned. "Dragons aren't pets or playthings to ride around on. They're people just like humans are." He leaned against the wall of the ship. "The people of Berk ride dragons like animals. They might seem like loving and friendly humans, but how do you know that won't change the second they learned the truth?"

"I-I know they wouldn't hurt me!" Star winced slightly as she yelled at Havardr. The people of Berk had been nothing but kind to her over the years. Sure some had been a little more...forceful when trying to get a saddle on her back, but she'd made her point time and time again that she would not be ridden. "When Drago Bludvist captured their dragons the people of Berk fought to free them! Their friendship with dragons means everything to them!"

Havardr shook his head. Star was too naive to accept the fact that outsiders just couldn't be trusted. "Be that as it may we can't take the chance of telling them."

Star cursed and growled softly. Why couldn't Havardr understand that the people of Berk were good? "If we go back now and just tell them the truth they'll forgive you for kidnapping me." Star said quickly to try and get Havardr to understand. "Just tell Chief Hiccup the truth. He understand dragons better then anyone else! He'll know what to do."

Havardr shook his head harder this time. "I'll admit that the Chief of Berk seemed like a good man, but it's too late to go back now." He uncrossed his arms and started walking towards the stairs that would lead back to the deck. "You're needed back home Star." With that Havardr stomped up the wooden steps and was gone.

Star looked around widely and then up at her mother. "Mother, I have to go back to Berk." She looked at her mother with wide pleading eyes. "I have to go back and tell Toothless and Hiccup the truth! They'll understand! I have to get back to Toothless."

Elizabeth slowly shook her head as she caressed Star's head. "I can't understand you Star..." She said sadly as Star continued to make pleading sounds. "Trust me that this is the right thing to do? Please Star." The sadness and misery that filled Star's yellow eyes made the older woman wince in pain. "Everything will work out in the end. You'll see."

Star shook her head miserably. "Toothless will find me and when he does you'll be in danger." She had little doubt in her mind how angry Toothless would be when he finally caught up to them. She didn't much care about what would happen to Havardr, but she would protect her mother from the black night furies wrath.

Elizabeth stayed with Star for the rest of the day and a cot was set up for her so the elderly woman would be comfortable when she slept. Star didn't get any more explanations nor did she see Havardr for the rest of the day. As night fell she didn't get much sleep. Instead Star wondered just how far away Toothless was and when he'd finally rescue her.

A/N:

I really hope this chapter explains why Star was kidnapped. I know a few people had issues with the last chapter, but I had reason for explaining things the way I did.

Think about what happened when Hiccup first befriended Toothless. Sure things turned out good in the end, but it took a lot of work and sacrifice for that to happen. Havardr's people lost faith in the outside world after they lost Morning Star. Up until then they'd tried over and over again to end the hatred between humans and dragons. Trust is not an easy thing to gain.