Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Maybe if I somehow summon Toothless to this world The creators of HTTYD will give it to me! :: Starts researching dragon summon magic ::

A/N: Do you guys want to be a part of the story? Check out my Deviant Art (link is in my ff profile). I'm having a contest right now that might interest you.

Chapter 11: And still more Explanations

Previously:

Havardr relaxed seeing as how he was finally getting through to Star. "We need you back home Star...not many people are born with the gift of speech. There are quite a few people who can't talk to dragons." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Life just isn't the same without a white night fury."

"Is that really why you kidnapped me?" Star demanded. "To...to bite a bunch of people? That's...that's so stupid! The people of Berk can't talk to dragons and they do just fine!"

Havardr's patience snapped. "You know what? Forget it. I'm done for today." He stormed up the stairs and back up on deck angrily. He'd come to the conclusion that Morning Star was a brat who had no idea just how important dragons were to the people of Natt og Dag. He'd let someone else explain things to her.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him Star." Elizabeth said softly as she sat up on her cot. "He's been searching for you for years. When everyone else gave up hope he continued to search."

Star winced as if slapped by her mother's words. She didn't care if she was being difficult or not...she just wanted to go home and be with Toothless again.

The prisoner hesitated for a moment with his head hanging as he organized his thoughts. There was so much he couldn't tell these people, but he knew he would probably have to at some point. With how the enraged night fury was staring at him the man was sure he wouldn't have much time left in this world. He knew when he'd volunteered for this mission that he could and would probably lose his life, but he knew just how important this mission was.

"My orders," The man started saying slowly. "Were to stay behind. I was first and foremost supposed to determine the relationship between the white night fury and the black." His words were careful and slow so he could be sure that people understood what he was saying. "No matter what, I was only supposed to observe." This job was only supposed to be recon. "The main mission was to get the white night fury..."

Hiccup frowned a little. Although the man was trying to explain things to them he was doing so in a very slow and round about way. He could be patient, but he knew Toothless needed answers. "Go on." He said tensely as he did his best to remain calm.

The man kept his head down while he spoke. "Another ship was supposed to arrive in a week or so. If by then I'd determined that the black night fury was in fact the white's mate then a team would come and acquire him as well." The man was very glad that the chief of Berk seemed to have Toothless under control. "If not we'd pull out."

"And what are your people planning on doing with the night furies?" Hiccup asked with a snarl. He could only think of so many things that people would want a pair of night furies for.

Again the man went silent as he organized his thoughts. He quickly spoke up though when Toothless snarled and took a threatening step forward. "We just wanted to bring her home!" The man said quickly. "The white night fury had been stolen from us when she was just a baby! We've been searching for her for years!"

Hiccup cursed under his breath. "That doesn't make sense." He pointed a finger at the man to empathize his point. "If this was a rescue mission why not tell us the truth? We're not savages; we would have listened." The people of Berk had worked hard to change their image among the islands. Hell stories about Berk had gone as far as the mainland.

"My people don't trust outsiders. We've been hurt to many times." The man said with a hint of his own anger. "We didn't know what you would do. We couldn't take the chance of telling you and possibly losing the white night fury again." Slowly he looked up at Hiccup. His gaze was cold and filled with hatred for these outsiders. He didn't care what they did to him; he cared about what the outside world had been doing to his people.

Hiccup sucked in his breath sharply as he held the man's gaze. The look in those eyes told him more then the man could ever say out loud; he and his people had been betrayed by an outsider in the worst possible way. Whatever had happened had been the last straw and now this man's people would do everything in their power to protect themselves.

"Star is important to your people." It was more of a fact then a question. Hiccup watched as the man looked back down. "This isn't a matter of just rescuing a dragon that came from your home. She's actually important. Your people are willing to travel halfway across the world, sneak onto an island inhabited by dragons and vikings, and kidnap her." It really wasn't that difficult for Hiccup to weigh out just how important Star was. "You've been betrayed and hurt to a point where you won't trust anyone." The man refused to look up at Hiccup again. "I can't say I wouldn't do the same if I was in enemy territory and I was trying to save someone I care about...but you've made a big mistake stealing Morning Star."

Hiccup gently rubbed the top of Toothless's head. "The People of Berk, both vikings and dragons, adore Morning Star. She's a part of our family." Hiccup looked into Toothless's eyes when the night fury looked up at him. "We're going to go after your people that took her. We'll chase them down. We'll fight them if we have to. We will save Morning Star." With that Hiccup turned to leave. They knew where the people were going so they didn't need anything more from the prisoner.

"Wait please!" The man said suddenly. He looked up sharply and his eyes were filled with desperation. "We need her! She's the only hope we have; please don't..." He was at a loss of words for a moment. "Don't take her."

Hiccup wished he could feel empathy for the man that was the only connection they had to the people that had kidnapped Star. He was silent for a few minutes as he stared at the man. "We're still going after them. You'll be coming with us." He said softly. "You'll have until we catch up to Star and her kidnappers to convince Toothless not to go on a rampage to save Star." A growl from his night fury empathized his point.

With that Hiccup left followed by Toothless. "Don't worry Toothless. We'll get Morning Star back." Hiccup said softly as the two of them made their way outside and towards the Great Hall.

To be honest Hiccup didn't know what made him more upset; Morning Star being kidnapped or the fact that the kidnappers hadn't trusted the people of Berk enough to tell them the truth. He understood what it was like to be betrayed, to be attacked because of his beliefs, but that was no excuse! They should have just told him the truth of the matter right away instead of going behind his back.

"I'll kill them." Toothless grumbled under his breath as he glared at the ground in front of him. He didn't care about the reason behind Star's kidnapping! He didn't care how important she was to those people; they'd stolen his mate and he would not allow them to live for much longer.

"Hiccup!" Hiccup paused in his angry walk to the Great Hall as his wife came rushing up to him. "The boats are ready to go Hiccup." Astrid told him as she came to a stop. "Just give us the word and we'll go."

Hiccup looked away from Astrid. "How many ships?" He eyes wandered the village before him. The atmosphere was tense and there were vikings hurrying around as they prepared for battle. Not all of them would be leaving, but generations of training and fighting had everyone ready for anything.

"Our four best sea faring vessels." Astrid replied. "The largest ones that were designed to let dragons rest on them." She knew Hiccup well enough to be able to predict what his plans were.

Hiccup contemplated what needed to be done. Those particular ships had been designed based off several foreign concepts. With more and more people coming from farther and farther away to enroll in the academy Hiccup had been able to get his hands on blueprints and designs that vikings hadn't had access to in the past.

"I'm coming." Astrid said quickly before Hiccup could finish deciding who to take with him.

"I need you here Astrid." Hiccup said with a sigh and a frown. "Iona needs one of her parents here."

Astrid frowned just as equally at Hiccup. "I'm coming. Stormfly is one of the best distance fliers we have." She punched Hiccup's shoulder hard then. "And I'm not letting you out of my sight. We've been together long enough that I know how much trouble you can get into when you're away from me." She pressed a finger against Hiccup's lips to stop him from arguing. "Don't worry about Iona. She's already ordered me to get Star back. And before you tell me the village needs me Snotlout has already agreed to watch over the village."

Hiccup felt a hand cover his mouth before he could even come up with another argument. "Fishlegs is taking care of the academy. I'm coming. Your mother has already volunteered, as has Eret."

Hiccup frowned against the hand on his lips. Didn't he get a say in the actual plan? It was his plan...wasn't it? "Anyone else volunteer?" Hiccup asked when the hand was finally lifted away.

"Oh plenty of people did! Almost the entire village wants to chase after the bastards that took Star." Astrid said with a huff and a sigh. "I've narrowed down the list and told everyone to meet up at the Great Hall for you to make the final pick." Astrid told her husband and chief. She was silent for a moment as she took Hiccup's hand. "You never realize just how much someone means to you until their gone." She mumbled softly. "Morning Star...has become such a big part of Berk these last ten years."

Hiccup covered Astrid's hand and the two vikings stood like that in silence for several long minutes. "We'll get her back."

"No matter what."

Havardr continued to curse under his breath as he went to the head of the ship to stair down into the depths of the water. He could hear the light chatter coming from the dragons below and it made him smile a little. His smile faded though as he thought about the young people back on Natt og Dag. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to not be able to talk to dragons and live along side humans that could. He knew a lot of the teens and kids didn't mind, but he also knew quite a few of them felt...lonely.

"I'm sorry about Morning Star." Havardr turned his head slightly to look at the elderly Elizabeth. He looked away and back into the water. "Even as a hatchling she's been stubborn. She's very protective of the things and people she cares about."

"That's the nature of a night fury." Havardr said softly. "As soon as they care about something or someone they'll never stop caring." He'd grown up around night furies. "It's even more true with the white night fury..." The decision to kidnap her had not been an easy one and he wished there had been another way, but outsiders could not be trusted.

Elizabeth nodded and chuckled softly. "Star loved collecting things as a baby." She smiled gratefully as Havardr pulled up an upturned bucket for her to sit. "The room she shared with Brighid was always full of little things that the two of them had found while exploring." Elizabeth sighed softly as she remembered her life ten odd years ago. "Star never actually played with the things she found. I'd find her just...staring. Her eyes would be unfocused and she'd just stare for hours."

Havardr looked back at the stairs leading below deck. He was silent for a long time. "The elders say a white night fury can look into a person's very soul and see just what kind of person they are." His gaze softened a little. "I wonder how it works; being able to just know a person so intimately." He didn't even know if Star knew she could do it.

Slowly the old woman stood up and placed her hand gently on Havardr's shoulder. She waited until the man sighed and turned his head away from the stairs to look at her. "Give her another chance Havardr. She's confused, upset, afraid, and missing someone she loves very much." Elizabeth knew in her heart that Havardr hadn't actually given up hope, but she just wanted to help push him in the right direction.

Havardr looked at the hand that was on his shoulder. Even under the wrinkles the skin was a smooth milky white. "Just...give me a little bit?" He asked softly as he pulled away from that hand. "She's not the only one hurting."

Elizabeth hesitated when Havardr pulled away from her. Her hand hovered in the air for a moment before it dropped down to her side. "Alright Havardr...alright." She let out a long breath before turning and heading for the stairs slowly.

For what felt like forever Havardr continued staring into the ocean. His eyes slowly wandered up until he was looking up into the cloudy sky. Thoughts floated through his mind one by one. Slowly, with several long and deep breaths, Havardr calmed himself. The anger he'd felt towards Star faded and eventually he was able to stand back up and head back below deck to confront the dragon.

He knew Star wouldn't trust him and it was possible she would never actually believe him, but there was one thing he could tell her that would at least get her to understand the gravity of the situation. He winced as he came to the decision that he would have to tell her his own personal story.

Havardr found Elizabeth sitting next to Star's cage with her sewing in one hand. She was speaking quietly to Star who was watching the elder woman with rapt attention. The way Star's eyes were glazed over and still just made Havardr wonder if she'd figured out how to use that particular talent that the elders had spoken of.

"Star." The white night fury broke her gaze from her mother. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Havardr, but she bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. "I'll let you out of the cage Star...if you'll listen to one more story."

When the white night fury didn't say anything Havardr sat down on the floor in front of her cage. "Over 20 years ago a man called Drago Bludvist washed up on the shores of Natt og Dag. I really young then and I'd never really thought about the outside world." He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at Star as he told her this particular story.

"At first he didn't trust us; why would he? Dragons had destroyed his home and had killed his family. After awhile though he opened up. I was too young to actually talk to him, but I met him once." Havardr shivered as he recalled those crazed black eyes and that gravelly deep voice. "The madness that people saw in him, they thought it would fade with time as he learned to trust our dragons. After a year of teaching him about dragons, about how they weren't evil creatures, he turned on us."

Havardr's eyes closed tighter. His breathing shortened and it took all his strength to continue on with the story. "Somehow he'd learned about the White Queen's ability to give the gift of communication to humans. He wanted it." Havardr shook his head. "The white night fury at the time, your mother, she saw the darkness in Drago and refused his request. Determined to take what he wanted Drago kidnapped the children of various dragons and held them hostage to make the dragons obey him."

Star watched Havardr with narrowed eyes as he told his story. He'd already told her that Drago had been the one to destroy the trust that his people had with the outside world so why was he elaborating?

"Most children of Natt og Dag have two sets of parents. A human mother and father, and a dragon mother and father. Because of that children are raised to have both human and dragon siblings." Havardr slowly reached under his shirt and pulled out a small nadder spike. "My sister and I were two of the children that Drago had kidnapped...In the effort to free us one of the Royal guard and a Night fury attacked Drago."

Havardr fingered the spike in his hands. "The fight went badly. He knocked out the human guard and killed the night fury. Before he did though the guard had been able to free the hostages. My sister though...Drago had broken her legs when he'd captured us. We couldn't get away."

Slowly Havardr put the spike away. "I refused to leave my sister behind and because of that I was there to watch Drago as he took my sister and broke her neck. I was there when he killed the night fury and proclaimed how he would wear his hide as a cloak. I was there when he drove a sword into my mother's heart." Havardr opened his eyes then and Star could see the unshed tears glimmering. "When I was old enough I joined the Royal guard in order to protect my people from outsiders. When your egg was laid I was the first to be selected to be your future protector."

Havardr stood up and his knees popped softly from the movement. "I swore I would never let another dragon die because of an outsider. When you were kidnapped I felt the pain of my sister's death all over again and I knew I had to find you...to save you. When I finally found you, after so many years, I didn't know what the people of Berk would do to you if they knew the truth." He let out a long sigh and held up a hand to keep Star from saying anything. "Maybe I made a mistake by taking you, but I wasn't going to risk your life."

He went over to the cage and pulled out his key to unlock the door. "If, after we get to Natt og Dag and you speak to the elders, you still want to return to Berk...I'll escort you." He clenched his mouth shut as he opened the door to her cage. "I just ask that you wait."

With that Havardr backed away and went up the stairs to the deck once more.

Star hesitantly stepped out of her cage and looked around. She had a better understanding as to why Havardr didn't trust outsiders, but she didn't think she could forgive him for taking her away from her home. She knew what it was like to lose a sister though and she could at least feel sorry for him.

She was silent as she went over to her mother and curled up around the stool that Elizabeth was sitting on. Star would go with them to Natt og Dag, but she was determined to return to Toothless no matter what.

A/N:

I'm not...actually that happy with this chapter. I've written it several times and this is probably the best version I have. I wanted this chapter to be about Havardr opening up to Star about why he's so distrustful towards outsiders without blowing up and losing his temper again.

I'll probably end up rewriting this chapter again later after I get the next chapters up.