Archive of Our Own ^beta

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      Weightless. It was a calming sensation. Not feeling the gravity that pulls your bones to the ground, not feeling how heavy your body truly is. Saga figures it’s similar to the feeling the dwarves that hold up Ymir’s skull experience, gravity. Her body aches with the weight of the world. Her shoulders may be broad but she wasn’t meant to hold up the sky. 

      There are two ways to feel weightless. Swimming is one, the way the water lifts your tired limbs from your torso is heavenly. Falling is the other. Plummeting towards the unforgiving earth. If your body hits that earth, death is sure to come. But that’s not how Saga does it. It’s an art at this point, the way Saga allows herself to fall, just to have those fleeting seconds when her bones are free of the aches they hold. Though falling to your death is not recommended by any healer. But it’s doable when you have a beloved dragon to catch you before you are sent to Helheim’s doors.

      His name is Thorn. Saga always says that his scales are the prettiest shade of green to ever roam Midgard, but perhaps she's biased. No one in their right mind would consider calling a Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare “pretty.” But most people wouldn't ride on one's back either, let alone trust one to catch their falling body moments before hitting the ground. So what regular people would and wouldn’t do doesn’t necessarily apply here.

      They had a special bond, formed through years of life debts until eventually Saga lost count of how often they had saved each other. There were some moments, early in their partnership, that she believed Thorn only stayed out of pity, or fear that Saga wouldn’t survive on her own, which would have been unfounded. 

      She should’ve hated dragons. Dragons stole something important from her. Her hearing. A Thunderdrum screech taken directly on, it was a miracle she lived through the attack, but it wasn’t without cost. She adapted. It took time, but she learned to navigate the world. She felt the way the ground shook and the air moved with sound. It wasn’t like the tales, she wasn’t a mythical creature. But she could tell when people were approaching her, she could feel a dragon’s wings beat, she could tell when someone was shouting, she could feel the music of feasts if they played loud enough. While the Thunderdrum attack hadn’t damaged her vision, it had changed the way she saw the world. When you can’t hear the stories that adults feed to children to scare them away from dragons, you start to notice that dragons aren’t much different from other animals, or from people for that matter. Not that her new ideals were gleefully accepted by her village. It makes sense that saving a green Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare from the blade of the village chief wouldn’t result in a party in your honor. She was exiled, stripped of her clan name, and thrown on a ship with enough essentials to get her to the next island in the archipelago. 

      So she began her new life, at 15, she was Saga Yrsa Skógr, beloved daughter and sister, heir to the Skógr clan. Sleeping in a comfy bed, feasting with friends and family. At 16, she was Saga Yrsa, family and heir to none, sleeping on the ground, eating whatever she could catch before the sun set. 

      While Zipplebacks are the dragons known for their life debts, it’s not an uncommon practice among dragons. So when Saga found herself starving a month into her exile and stuck between the ocean and a hungry Changewing, she had accepted death. Until a massive shadow engulfed her frame and landed in between her and the Changewing. There was no need to fight for dominance. The Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare vastly overpowered the other dragon. Saga believed that maybe the bigger dragon wanted her as a midday snack, she fell to her knees and came to terms with her ending. But instead, the green dragon dropped a pile of fish in front of her. It was only then that she recognized the unique burgundy horns. This was the dragon she had saved from the chief.

      A life for a life.

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      Wind surged past her face with such vigor her eyes watered. Gravity yanked her weightless body down to the unforgiving ocean. A rare smile grew and she could feel her heartbeat against her ribcage, the adrenaline of the fall was addicting. When Saga opened her eyes, she was a couple hundred feet from the waves below her, above her was Thorn, diving with all his might. His glorious wings took him faster than any yonger Monstrous Nightmare. With practice grace, his talons grabbed her shoulders and ceased the death-defying stunt. They knew the motions as easy as breathing after two years of flying together. Saga swung her legs to catch the root of his wing, hoisting her body up until she sat on Thorn’s back. She gave him some pats and reached around his neck to scratch his favorite spot. Thorn gave a groan of approval that vibrated his body, earning a bark of laughter from Saga. It was flights like these that made her forget their unfortunate situation, hopping from island to island, living off the fish Thorn manages to scoop up and the deer or squirrel that Saga killed with her bow. 

      The sky was beautifully blue, thin white clouds that layered her hair with water drops as she flew through them. Saga wished that they could stay in the sky, never landing, never tiring of the feeling of freedom. But Thorn needed to rest his wings, their fresh water supply was dwindling far too quickly and it had been two days since she’d eaten a proper meal. Landing was necessary for their survival, and the way Thorn was flying, it had to be soon. Her gray eyes scanned the ocean below, looking for an island that was big enough to have a forest and a source of freshwater. There was only one. The trees towered above everything, blocking her view of the other side of the island. On a regular day, she would have scouted the entire island to ensure safety. But she was desperate and she could see a small river breaking through the middle of the island.

      She reached from her position on Thorn’s back to his horns, tilting them gently in the direction of the chosen island and patting his head twice. Thorn accepted the signal and flew to land next to the river. Sliding off his back, her wolf pelt boots hitting the rocks that bordered the stream, Thorn had taken to padding the grass and moss into just the right shape before he could lay down. Saga looked off to where the sun was in the sky, knowing it would get dark soon, she set off with her bow to find a rabbit, a deer, a bird, anything she could cook up for herself. 

      It had been an hour or so before Saga had been able to find and kill a deer. The sky had already begun to set, shades of orange and yellow overtook the blue sky. The doe she had shot weighed her shoulders down, making her slower than she liked. She was halfway back to camp when the doe was ripped from her shoulders and a sack was thrown over her head. Now, Saga was familiar with the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her veins. But it had been so long since the cause was something she hadn't elected to do, like falling from Thorn’s back. With her vision obscured by the bag, she had absolutely no way of knowing where her attackers were or even how many there were. She flailed her arms around with her knife in hand, she felt some resistance on the knife before something blunt hit her head and she fell to the ground unconscious.

      When she came to, she was stripped of her weapons and her hands were bound behind her back with thick rope. She could see stocky men walking on the beach she had been taken to, the far side of the island. They wore similar clothing and helmets, they held bows, swords, and axes. She saw various species of dragons in green metal sages, they were scared she could see it in their body language. A sense of relief all over her as she noticed that Thorn was not one of the caged dragons.

      One of the men near her noticed her consciousness and yelled something she couldn't make out. Not long after a bald man with a grimace on his face came to stand in front of her place on the sand. Her disoriented state made it hard to read his lips, so she had absolutely no clue what he was saying. All she could focus on was how ugly he was. He reminded her of the ogres in the stories her mother used to tell her. His breath was rancid and his face was dirty. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in her cheek as the ogre struck her in the face, presumably for not answering whatever question he had asked. The blow, surprisingly, cleared her head and she watched the way his lips moved next.

      "Answer the question. Where is your camp?"

      She reeled back her head and slammed her forehead into his nose. He stumbled back and she was able to kick him in the groin, something her mother had taught her and her little sister. Taking the opportunity, she struggled to her feet and ran past him, slipping through the hands of his men.

      "Get her! Don't let her escape!” Ryker yelled.

      She was able to make it a ways down the beach before meeting a dead end in the sand, the sand turned to ocean water and access to the forest was made impossible due to a rocky cliff. She wriggled her hands free from the rough ropes, causing scrapes on her raw wrists. The hunters were on her tail. If she was caught she could not guarantee her safety but if she called Thorn, she couldn’t guarantee his. She weighed the options in her head as fast as mentally possible and made her decision. She pulled a hollowed out yak's horn from her boot – the one place people never look – and blew into it with such vigor she could feel the vibration in her chest. The men chasing her halted, they made a semi-circle, closing off all possible exits. It took seconds for Thorn to reach her. He landed violently in between the hunters and Saga, spraying sand into the air. It was one of the few times that Saga had seen Thorn light himself on fire out of pure rage. Immediately upon seeing the furious flaming Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare, every single hunter high-tailed back to their camp, seeking refuge in numbers. The second his fire was extinguished she climbed onto safety of his back. They took flight, heading towards the camp, after all, they still had her weapons, which were essential to their survival. Almost immediately, arrows were flying at them. Despite how nimble Thorn is, his size can be a disadvantage.

      Her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched an arrow thud into his stomach. Instantaneously, Thorn lost control of his flying and thudded on to the beach, Saga being flung from his back. She scrambled back to him and removed the arrow, terrified for her companion, her protector. The ogre had won, Saga had failed. They were both prisoners of the Hunters now. 

      And for the second time that day, she hated the adrenaline that took over her blood.

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      Days had passed since she was first thrown into the dingy cell aboard the Dragon Hunter’s ship. Saga was hungry, exhausted, thirsty. Angry. The leader, Ryker, had questioned her for hours at a time, threatening her dragon each time she didn't talk. They harvested his Monstrous Nightmare gel, stuffed him full of fish — fish he didn't like. Ryker's favorite threat happened to be his desire to have a Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare's head mounted above his bed. The vicious gleam in his eyes made her want to kill him. She swore she would, when given the chance. When she wasn't being interrogated, the guards liked to taunt her. Banging on the bars of her cell at the first sign of sleep - which wasn't as effective as they liked to think. She hadn't dared succumb to Nótt's will while she was a captive, fearing what would happen were she to let herself fall vulnerable. Bags had overtaken her under eyes. The whites of her eyes were closer to pink, and her hair was a mess.

      She had been in a daze for hours. All she could think about was Thorn, what they were doing to her beloved companion. Saga was broken from her borderline hallucinations when a guard passed her cell, four vikings in tow, Ryker brought up the rear. Sitting up to get a better look, there was a girl in blue with blonde hair, she was angry, yelling at the ogre of a man. Another guard passed Saga's cell, the dark-haired girl that was always in the interrogation room followed by her brother, Dagur the Deranged. A conversation ensued, one Saga couldn't catch. Giving up, she returned to her position against the wall, closing her eyes and praying to Tyr for strength, her fingers tracing the massive dragon tooth that hung from her neck, Thorn's tooth.

      It was early morning when she was disturbed again. The angry blonde girl had been taken the night before. Saga pitied her, knowing exactly what she was in for. A small rock had hit her leg, when she looked over to the cell opposite hers, she saw the large blonde boy scolding the girl with three braids. At this point, Saga was going to assume they were family. why else would they all be blond.

      "Ruffnut! We do not throw things at people! Especially strange prisoners!" The husky boy said.

      "Oh, come on, Fishlegs. What's she gonna do-" Ruffnut was then nailed in the helmet by the small rock she had thrown at Saga. All three were stunned into silence as they turned to look at the strange prisoner. She was finally standing, the soft light of the torch illuminated her large form. Broad shoulders and a tall frame, she was closer to the ceiling of the cells. Her looming figure was ominous in such a dimly lit circumstance. As her hands came to rest on the bars of the cage she was in, the fire revealed inked hands. Runes wound themselves in intricate designs around her fingers and the back of her hand, disappearing under the leather gauntlets that were tied around her forearm. There seemed to be more runes decorating her chest and upper arms but the lack of light made it difficult to fully determine. 

      "What you want?" She spoke in broken grammar. Her voice was raspy, it sounded like she hadn't spoken in years. Fishlegs thought back to when they were captured, Ryker had said, “put them with the mute.” But here the "mute" was, talking to them.

      "You're not mute?" Fishlegs blurted out in confusion, earning a slap on the arm from Ruffnut, his befuddlement overwhelming the intimidation that oozed from the cell across from them

      "Duh! She just talked."

      "Not mute, deaf." Saga told them.

      "Oh, cool! So do you do the hand things?" The boy with dreads popped out from behind Fishlegs.

      He slipped seamlessly into signing with his hands while talking. It had been so long since Saga had come in contact with someone who knew her language. Relief filled her body as she realized she wouldn't have to speak out loud or read lips all the time anymore.

      "Since when have you known sign language, Tuffnut?” Tuffnut. That was the boy's name, obviously related to the girl with their similar looks and names.

      Ruffnut turned to Fishlegs, "Our uncle Gornut was born deaf, the whole Thorston family knows it."

      Tuffnut's attention was still held by the deaf girl. She had sharp features, accented by the shadows cast by the torch.

      "How long have you been here? "Tuffnut asked, signing alongside his voice.

      “Three days, I’m not sure. ” Saga signed. resting her voice now that someone understood her.

      "Three days?" Ruffnut guffawed. And from the looks of Saga's eyes, Ruffnut was sure she hadn't slept the entire three days. Saga nodded in response. It was a rough estimate given she couldn't see the sky from her cell.

      "Why did the Hunters take you?" Fishlegs inquired, his curiosity was overwhelming him.

      “ They wanted my dragon. ” Saga answered. There was a beat while Ruffnut translated. And then,

      “Your dragon?! You're a dragon rider?!" Fishlegs sail incredulously.

      Saga's response is halted by a guard yelling at the three to step back from the bars, the angry blonde from earlier is thrown into their cell. The door slammed shut after.

      "Astrid, are you okay?” Fishlegs asks, concerned for his friend. Astrid's back was to Saga so she couldn't see her response, but given Ruffnut's glance, she figured they were talking about Ryker’s preferred interrogation technique. Something that was useless on Saga, due to the fact that she could just look away from him when she didn't want to "listen" anymore - a welcome task given his displeasing visage. The guard that had returned Astrid had taken his post outside their cell and chose to sneer at Saga. The four’s conversation seemed to go on, Saga was able to catch bits of it. Suddenly Tuffnut started frantically scraping the wooden floor with his cup, courtesy of the Hunters. As he rambled, she caught him saying something about not being able to swim. Ah, so he’s trying to come up with an escape plan.

      It was entertaining, watching them interact. Even before her exile, she never had a family like this. She longed for that connection. Thorn was a wonderful companion and she'd die before she ever left him, but it had been two years since her last real human connection, and that was with her little sister, Åsa. She was broken out of her thoughts by the dark-haired girl, Heather, fetching the four for interrogation.

      While they were gone, Saga began to think about escape. If the four dragon riders could do it, there was no reason she couldn't do it.

      She knew the guard, schedules, their strength, and — most importantly — she knew where Thorn was being held. She was shown in the first interrogation session Ryker had with her. It felt more like a "prisoner's orientation”, most likely what the other dragon riders were doing right now. It was honestly incredibly stupid on Ryker's part, not to mention painfully arrogant. Showing highly capable warriors where their companion is located and now to get there from their cell. All Saga had to do was unlock her cell and she'd be able to get Thorn and burn their way out of the ship. She could kill Ryker and the Hunters with ease on his back. There was one complication. Well, more like four. Escaping without freeing the other dragon riders would most likely result in their death.

      She’d have to help them escape.

      When the four were returned, their faces held a mix of anger and sadness. They were shown what was happening to their dragons. Just like Saga had been. She was more focused on trying to come up with a plan on how to get all five vikings and five dragons out of the prison ship without dying to pay any attention to reading their lips. When suddenly, Ruffnut pulled a pair of keys out of her sleeve, proceeding to mimic how she stole it from the gourd in the first place. That was it. That was all Saga needed to put her plan into action.

      They were gonna get out of that wretched prison after all.

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i will be doing a little changing around, mostly correcting mistakes, but i will be changing one major thing about my OC. her face tattoos are not only historically inaccurate to vikings, which a lot of the franchise is, but i purposefully have studied mythology and culture of that time so that i can make it a little more accurate (don't worry! there won't be much canon divergence!) it will mostly be updating lines to be more detailed into what the viking faith was at that time. anyways, her tattoos are also slightly cultural appropriation, which is a common theme in people cosplaying and portraying vikings. facial tattoos and permanent markings were worn my indigenous people from all over the world, like indigenous americans, maori, inuk, and many other. while vikings were speculated by historians to have tattoos, it was in different ways. when vikings did wear any sort of facial marking, it was a temporary war paint for battle.

my point is, im going back to fix grammar and spelling. but also changing saga's tattoos, they are only mentioned once so it will not be hard. i have also been working hard on writing the next chapter of this story so look out for that!

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      “What about the other dragon rider?” Fishlegs’s voice broke through the air of the cell, his words freezing Astrid’s train of thought.

      “What… other dragon rider? What are you talking about, Fishlegs?” 

      “The one in the cell across from us, duh.” Tuffnut bluntly responded, pointing in Saga’s direction, where she was still leaning on the bars of her cage.

      Astrid finally turned to look at the only other human prisoner on the Hunter’s ship. She took in the brown leather chest plate that covered the stranger’s torso and the wolf pelt boots. Fishlegs pulled her aside to fill her in on what she had missed while being interrogated, careful to turn his back to Saga so she couldn’t tell what they were saying. He told Astrid that the girl was deaf, that the twins knew sign language and could communicate with her - to absolutely no one’s surprise, they always had skills that would pop up at the strangest of times - and that the prisoner was supposedly captured for her dragon. 

      “If she really is a dragon rider, we can’t just leave her here.” Fishlegs said, ever the bleeding heart.

      “And if she’s lying?” Astrid was skeptical, peeking over her shoulder at the imposing girl. Trusting Heather had turned out so wrong, what if this turned out just as bad?

      “Look, I’m not saying we should build her a hut on the Edge. Let’s just get her and her dragon out of the hunter’s hands.” It wasn’t an insane idea. If they left this supposed dragon rider and her dragon to the hands of Ryker and Dagur, their fates would surely be sealed to Helheim. On the other hand, if they did help this prisoner out and she turned on them, it could be bad for the riders and their dragons. Astrid pondered each outcome and came to a decision. If this stranger were to attack, they had her outnumbered 4-1.

      “Alright, fine. We help her get off the ship, nothing else.” Astrid looked to Tuffnut and nodded, signalling him to tell the stranger that they would help. Turning back around so her words would be better understood. “As soon as I take out the guards, we split up and get our dragons.Then blast our way out of here.”

      “Okay, and go where?” All of the riders were now facing Saga, giving her an easier time reading their lips. 

      “Straight up, out of the range of those arrows.” Saga nodded to let them know she had an understanding of the plan. With the plan formed, Astrid unlocked the riders’ cell and started yelling. “Guard! Guard! I can’t take it. I want to save my dragon. I’ll tell Ryler what he wants to know.”

      The guard at the end of the hall trotted down to the cell and Astrid violently swung the gate up, knocking him out. Repeating the move with the guard that came to check the clatter. “One last thing, if this is like the other Dragon Hunter ship, there could be booby traps anywhere, so be careful.”

      The other nodded and headed in the direction their dragons were in, Astrid lingered behind. Saga was still locked in her cell, the key dangling in the blonde’s hand. 

      “You can read my lips, right?” She asked. Saga nodded in response, an even expression on her face. Looking down at the girl who was a head shorter than her, she could see fire in her icy blue eyes. “Good. If you turn on us… I will take you down.”

      A hard expression on Astrid’s face, clearly communicating to Saga that she was serious about her threat. Something Saga respected. This earned another nod in response. And only then did Astrid hand over the key to Saga’s cell.

      The halls of the ship were surprisingly empty, as were the cells. It appeared to Saga that her and the other four were the only prisoners on the ship.And they weren’t anywhere to be found. With reluctance, she climbed the rickety ladder that led to the deck of the ship, armed with only her strength - which to be fair, is quite the weapon compared to some vikings. There was a single hunter with his back to the trapdoor, keeping his eyes on the other riders on deck, completely unaware of the large woman sneaking up behind him.

      Tuffnut was sweeping the deck, intermittently arguing with Astrid, in disbelief that she would lose the one-on-one battle with Heather. His eyes scanned their surroundings, subconsciously counting the guards and taking note of their weapons. Him and Astrid were the only two on board, until his eyes came to the hunter standing guard at the door that led below deck. Behind him he could see the silhouette of the strange dragon rider they came across. Her silver-grey eyes caught the sunlight, she looked terrifying. As the woman’s bicep curled around the man's neck and her inked hand went over his mouth. Picking up the now unconscious hunter’s axe, she caught the twin’s gaze and placed a finger to her mouth, gesturing for him to be quiet. Tuffnut averted his eyes and tried to get Astrid’s attention to alert her to the possible rescue. Only to be interrupted by the yell of a hunter stationed at one of the winches.

      “Dragons sighted off the starboard bow! With riders.” In the distant sky, Hookfang and Toothless could be spotted flying a direct path towards the Hunter’s ship. All Hunters rushed to their posts at catapults and drew their bows taught with dragon root arrows. Saga grabbed the axe from the incapacitated Hunter’s loose grip, the weight of the dragon-proof metal strange in her hand. Chaos ensued on the deck of the ship as the dragons started firing on the Hunters and their weapons. Astrid and Tuffnut finally threw their brooms to the side and started a second angle of assault of the Hunter’s forces.

      Saga charged out of where she was hidden from view, the Hunter’s axe hitting another’s as she fought with him. He lost his grip on the weapon and was met with the back of the axe hitting his temple. He crumpled to the ship’s deck fast, she stepped over his body as she continued to fight, the ship rocking violently with each blast from the dragons above. Her eyes were locked on the archers, the biggest threat to their uprising. She mowed through them, never flinching at the fire that would pass by. The axe handle breaks at the force of one of her swings, leaving the flimsy weapon discarded on the ground and resorting to her hands. She’s distracted while fighting one of the archers by the violent rocking of the ship, not uncommon in the battle, but it had come from below. She swung her fist at the archer, knocking him off balance before pushing him overboard. Over her shoulder she saw a blur as a Deadly Nadder flew into the air, then a Gronkle, followed by Zippleback gas creating a cloud of fire. The dragons and their riders were free.

      As they flew over the burning ships, Astrid spotted the prisoner battling with the Hunters, realizing she was still aboard the burning ship.

      “One of us should go get her!” She yelled out to the group, who looked to see what Astrid was referring to. The twins nodded at each other in agreement before beginning the dangerous descent to snatch the prisoner from the ship. They were interrupted by the woman putting her hands around her mouth and letting out a sharp cry into the air. It was pitched and ear-piercing, followed by an explosion from the side of the boat. Then, the woman simply leaped off the side of the ship, into the smoke that shrouded the water.

      Emerging from the smoke, was single-handedly one of the largest Monstrous Nightmares any of the riders had encountered. He had glistening green scales that were brighter than the healthiest of grass, the green faded into a dark red at his feet and his horns. The large woman perched on his back looked small in comparison.

      “Uh… Who is that?” Hiccup questioned Astrid while sidling up next to her on Toothless, the two of them watching the Titan Wing set fire to the boats below.

      “Long story, I’ll tell you back at the Edge.” He gave a curt nod, about to question whether she was joining, but the question died in his throat as the Titan Wing gave out a roar and took off with his rider.

      Saga laid peacefully on Thorn’s large back once they were a fair distance away from the Hunters. She was exhausted, had no weapons - save for a dagger she had swiped before escaping - and no provisions. But they were free.