Heart of a Berserker: Oneshots

Unraveling (Part 4)

A/N: This is the last part to the four-shot I've been posting.

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Unraveling

Harald enacted his plan perfectly. While the dragon riders were away, he stole several items from them, including the Book of Dragons, and left a ransom note requesting the telescope in exchange. He knew very well they would not simply hand it over, and he allowed himself to fall into their trap, knowing they wouldn't actually harm him. They froze him with Flightmare mist and cornered him near his ship when it wore off.

He immediately put on his mask of indifference, making sure not to look directly at Brennda. He returned the Book of Dragons and explained that he had captured the dragons they were looking for in order to sell them later. In actuality, he had sold the dragons to the hunters early in the morning, but it was all part of his plan. Everyone was furious with him, of course. Finally, he looked at Brennda to gouge her reaction.

"You say this is all about business?" she exclaimed. "That makes it worse! Do you even care what you did to us? Did to me? You manipulated me and my emotions, and for what? Profit?"

"I admit I may have gone too far," Harald said, keeping his expression neutral. "My apologies." He had to fight back the instinct to deny he ever manipulated her. He may have hid the truth from her, but he never played with her emotions.

Brennda glared at him. "That is not an apology!" She strode forward and grasped his shirt with one hand while pulling back her fist.

"Go Brennda!" Snotlout shouted.

"Go ahead and hit me if it will make you feel better," Harald said calmly. He did deserve it. He had hurt her even if that was not his intention.

Brennda stared into his eyes for a long time. And then, to his surprise, she released him. "No. I can't - I won't. It might make me feel better for a second, but it won't help me get what I really want."

Harald suppressed his instinctive response. "And what is that?"

"The truth."

Harald allowed himself to smirk. "No, you do not really want the truth." No one really wanted the truth. They couldn't handle it.

"Maybe I don't want it, but I need it. Even if the truth is painful, I can't live a lie."

"Brennda, how do you expect to get the truth from him if we can't believe anything he says?" Astrid said.

"I'm not expecting him to come out and tell me. There are other ways to figure out who he is."

"You already know who he is! Do I need to remind you?"

Brennda gazed into Harald's eyes once more. "Maybe I do know who you are. All those terrible things Skulder and Heather said about you - and Astrid too - maybe they're true... but so are all the good things I know about you. Because the truth is complicated, isn't it? Everyone has some good and evil inside them. The world isn't divided into heroes and villains."

"Uh, yeah it is," Snotlout said.

"But that makes everything so much more fun," Harald said. "It's a much better story." And no one really thought that way, did they? There was no way she was serious...

"But it's not true. You can't change play the part of an evil pirate and expect me to go along with it."

"Why not? No one else seems to have a problem with it." That was what was expected of him, after all. Even when he tried to be good, no one gave him a chance.