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Chapter Text

Hello, my name Octavius 

Great name, yes, I know, but names are the point of this story. The point of this story is more- 

KRRSH 

-perilous, of sorts. Weaving through the people, either fighting or fleeing, was something that is…pretty common in all honesty, I've gotten pretty good at it! Of course, we’re Vikings, warriors and conquerors….and notoriously stubborn, that can be said for a lot of us, considering where we live, smack dab in the middle of a dragon hotspot, one said to be a resting place for them. This place, is Meiusorian. 

But thats no matter right now, I slink through to the other side of the makeshift battleground “there you are! Glad you haven't been carried off by one of them!” That's Atillia, I've been his apprentice since I was…well, born, I guess. I dodge his attempt to either ruffle my hair or topple me over. “Yeah yeah” I say, “guess the dragons are just too intimidated by me!” Atillia snorts “yeah, keep telling yourself that” the dismissive jest makes me roll my eyes, screams make us look over, dozens of dragons and all different types, from a simple Gronckle to a Monstrous Nightmare. Any of those could get me noticed if I could just get my hands on one. Atillia turns to me “oh no, I know that look, listen, you gotta stay here, out of the way” I groan, “come on! I'm never going to show my worth if I can't go out there and try!” 

“You have tried, time and time again, and each time, I have to be the one to get you out of that situation! Not again!” As I'm trying to retaliate, people scream louder, not the normal battle cry, but genuine fear, it's not the Gronckle bumping into buildings, or the deadly nadder ripping the roof off a house, not the Zippleback terrorizing the animals from both sides, it's a- 

“NIGHT FURY!” 

Night Fury, we don't know if that's it's actual name but we've given it the name, it stalks the clouds and it's one of the most annoying dragons we've had to deal with yet, it never stay still and disappear before we can ever get a hit in, at least to the others, it's said to be one of the most powerful dragons, and omen of death. So far, we only know that one exists, and it’s stalking our town, lucky us. It throws a blast of some type of fire, knocking the watch tower to the ground, this thing never misses, we don't know why, we don't know how, but it doesn't. Atilla grabs an armful of spears and the such and drops them into my arms, I drop some of them, not expecting the load of weaponry, and turns “keep ship….stay….sit…just don't move” 

He's out of the shop before I can argue, what I can see of the fight isn't much, but I do see one person 

Jedediah 

He's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen, a braver warrior than anyone I've ever seen, he yells out to the others, who either laugh or begrudgingly obey, but they do their tasks nevertheless, I wish I could fight, impress him in some way, impress anyone in some way, and I determined to make that happen! Despite the person who is requesting i sharpen his knives, I place the spears on the table, and grab something I've been working on, the others fighting gives me a way to get the the edge of the town without much of a second glance, which I suppose would still be true even if the dragons weren't reigning havoc, but I would've been questioned, and I have no time for that. 

I drag my machine to a cliff, aiming for the night fury. It doesn't fly with any other dragons, which doesn't make sense, dragons are said to be a pack species, resting and fighting and hunting all within the same types, but this one, it hunts alone, and never in the same place twice, I can see the vague outline of the beast, it's only been here a few times, some question if its truly real at all, or just an old folk tale, another dragon playing a trick. I aim, my first shot was a misfire, only annoying it, I think. I see it, then I don't, almost like it's mocking me “come on, give me something to shoot at, just a chance” in a quick flash, I see it again, and let it fire. 

The rope wraps around it, I see it fall through the air, crashing into the ground below “I hit it” I whisper, shocked “I hit it!” I declare, actually proud of myself, finally, a way to prove I'm not just some screw up! I gotta get back to the town and tell them! 

KRRSH 

i come face to face with a Monstrous Nightmare, “I guess you're as proud as I am?” I try and guess, but looking at the state of my machine, and the ripped net around it's leg, maybe not. I run as it starts to roar, forget the invention, forget praise, forget the dragon even, just survive. if I run enough I can exhaust it of the fuel he uses for it's fire, then it'll have to turn back, at least for a second, to do damage, unless it eats me whole, and that's definitely a possibility. I cross into town, it's burning, like any other day, but people are trying to stop it, shooing the rest of the dragons off, I get to the main ground, hiding behind a pole of wood, not the best place to hide from fire, yes, but it's thick enough to keep me from getting third degree burns. 

I hear people shouting at the beast, and the form of the dragon flying off, but it doesn't feel me with any hope. The wooden beam splinters and falls, burning into someone's house. I stand face to face with another monsterous nightmare....

“Octavius”

my father, “hi…dad” he sighs heavily, his second in command placing a hand on his shoulder, “Octavius, you were told to stay inside” he says, I feel a stone of panic form in my stomach “yes, I was…” I say “but! But i-i caught one! I actually got one! And it's the night fury you're always complaining about! It's just out by the fjord, if you can send people there to get it….we….can…” his stern, angry look makes my eyes look to the ground, he sighs again “we can't keep doing this, look at the state of this place!” His arms sweep over the town, like I had something to do with it “and now you're rambling about a dragon that you caught? Again?” 

“O-okay, but it isn't like those other times! I caught it! I swear I did! I saw it hit the ground!” he just groaned “just stop!” He roars, it renders me silent, the sound of crackling fire can be heard in the distance “everyone start cleaning and rebuilding, Atilla!” Atilla runs up beside him, looking at me “make sure he gets home with his head on his shoulders” Attila glares at me, shame burns itself into my cheeks, I can hear the rest snicker at me. I frown as I pass by them “wow, I've never seen someone mess up that badly!” One of the twins, Kahmunrah, states “really! Like, that helped!” Lancelot adds on “thanks, I was trying” it gives me a little hope to know Jedediah is at least uninterested in the heckling. I let myself get dragged out of view, but I yank my arm back as we near the house “your father is right, you know” I sigh “I just don't know what I'm doing wrong” he just sighs “see it's just all…..that” I deadpan “you just gestured to all of me” he nods “well I'm sorry that I'm not the strongest Viking Meiusorian has to offer, I'm sure that's what he said when I was born!” I put on the best impression of my father that I can muster “excuse me! Miss! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring! I'm supposed to have a tall, brave soldier of a child! This here, this is a talking fishbone!” 

“It's not so much what you look like, but the actions you do, that he hates!” I sigh “thanks, for summing that up” he looks at me, more earnestly “I'm just saying, don't try and be something you're not” disappointment lodges in my throat “I just want to be like all of you” he calls my name as I close the door, but I wait until I hear his footsteps depart….

Chapter Text

I throw open the door, running off as far as I can. Taking a breather, I take out my journal, marking the path, I was on the cliff on the east side, so if I take a left when the diverge splits, I should be around the area where it landed….

My mind starts to wander as I look out into the trees, I wonder what they're doing back at the meeting hall, is Jedediah there? What if they try and find the dragons nest again? Knowing my father, he definitely would, just before the ice sets in. Attila is probably going to find recruits, I remember begging to be let in, they wouldn't let me. But, with this dragon as proof, I'll finally be taken seriously! 

If I could find it, that is. I mark down the fifth or sixth place I've checked with no luck, scribbling out the whole thing, with my luck, it might not even be in this forest! “Oh the gods hate me” I mutter after closing my journal “some people lose their knife, or their mug…no, not me, I manage to lose an entire dragon!” In my anger slash annoyance, I hit at a low hanging branch, only for it to hit me in the face, I yelp in pain, maybe it's a sign….

It is a sign! Because the tree is broken in half, the ground carved in, it must have crashed here! Carefully creeping up, I peak my head out, it's there, I duck down before it can see me, my heart is threatening to pound out of my chest. But with that, I see it again, coming closer, “oh ..I got it” I say, biting the wrappings around it, the same of my rope “oh, I did it! This- this fixes everything! I have brought down this mighty beast!” I announce, putting my foot on its leg, only for it to kick me off, I stumble across the short distance and slam my back into a boulder, I flick open my knife, holding it out as I creep near. I watch it, it's yellow eye watching me as I study it “I'm going to kill you dragon” I say, holding my knife towards it “i-im going to cut your heart out….take it to my father…because I'm a Viking” it's look taunts me, as if it's asking if that is true “I am a Viking!” I snap 

I raise my knife, closing my eyes, I take one last look at it, his eye wide with fear, I know, but with that same helpless snared look that I feel inside, my heart races, I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes again, he makes a waning noise, I just know that he's accepted his fate, I just have to strike, he's there, he's caught, he's helpless, he's ready to die! But….I just can't make myself plunge that knife into him, I let my arms fall on my head, and down my sides, I look at him. Lying there, eyes closed in his rendition of fate “I did this….” I mutter, none of this feels right, I turn to leave but guilt knaws at my gut in a way I know won't leave, I turn back and sigh in defeat.

The ropes snap as I cut them loose, I look out for any Vikings that might have followed, once they have fallen away, the beast tossles me back into the boulder, pinning my arms there, looking into it's eyes, I see the predatory look, the distain in something that dared yo take it down, my eyes widen as I still see that hint of fear “uh…” he reels back in a way I only know he will attack, I close my eyes in fear ‘oh dear Jupiter please spare me!’ by some mercy I only hear the deafening roar before it stands guard, then begin to make it's way out of the place I watch as it flies off, bumping into trees and boulders, my heart races as my lungs fill and depleat with air, I huff out a breath as I grab my knife, standing only enough to see it's low form in the tree line, I make it two steps before the world spins enough for it to go dark… 

…I wake up with a groan, I don't know how long it's been, surely hours, I tuck my knife back into my jacket and start on my way. It doesn't take me as long to find my way back, I see the group standing by and I huff out a sigh, I walk past them “well, look who finally came back!” Lancelot teases, moving towards me to sling an arm over my shoulder “had your dad worried sick, you know” Kahmunrah states, I sigh again, a headache starting to form, “come on, lay off him” Teddy states, pretty much the only person who doesn't tease me, besides Jedediah, who, right now, is sharpening his knife, looking at me with a questioning look “what, he finally found his dragon friend?” I just walk away, I feel Jedediah’s eyes on me. 

It takes even less time to get back to my house, opening the door, I see my father in the room and I try to walk faster “Octavius” he says “father! I- uh, have to talk to you” he walks to me “I have to speak with you too” he takes a breath 

“I don't think I want to fight dragons” 

“I think it's time you start to fight dragons” 

“What?” 

“Uh you go first” my brain says yes but my courtesy, damn it, makes me say “no, no you go first” he claps his hands together “alright I…you get your wish” his face goes blank “dragon training, you start in the morning” oh no…oh no no no “oh man, I should've gone first” I say, holding my head “y'know, because I was thinking! We have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings but have you considered that we need more baker Vikings o-or construction Vikings!” He places a heavy axe probably twice my body weight into my arms “you'll need this” I stammer “i-i don't want to fight dragons” he just laughs “yes you do!” I start to be frustrated “okay, rephrase, father, I can't kill dragons” his tone shifts, bitter, almost threatening “but you will kill dragons” I grit my teeth, “n-no, I'm pretty extra sure that I won't” 

“It's time, Octavius” I groan “can you not hear me?!” He lifts the axe and plants it more firmly into my hand “this is serious, Octavius, when you carry this axe” he gestures before pushing slightly “you carry all of us, which means you walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us, no more of” a look of almost disgust passes over his features “....this” I sigh “you just gestured to all of me” I'm beginning to sound insane, same the same thing over and over again “deal?” He asks “this conversation is feeling very one sided!” I state back “deal?!” He almost yells, his face shows there isn't another option, I sigh “...deal” he nods “good, train hard” he slings a bag over his shoulder “I'll be back” he says, walking to the door “and I'll be here….maybe” 

The door shuts, I set the axe down, looking down solemnly as it pierces through the wooden flooring ‘ill have to fix that’ I think, I don't have much energy left, I climb up to my room and lay on my bed, I hear the horns blow not too long after, I have dragon training in the morning….great….

Chapter Text

“Welcome to dragon training!” Attila says with a smile, throwing the gate open “no turning back” is what I can vaguely hear Jedediah say, I see the group make their way into the ring, I follow after them, slowly “I'm hoping for some burns!” Kahmunrah states “I'm aiming for my mawling, like shoulder or back” Jedediah shrugs “eh, only fun if you get a scar out of it” I sigh “yeah no kidding” I see them turn around to face me “pain, love it” I sarcastically point out “oh great who let him in?” Attila just walks towards us “alright, let's get started! The recruit who lasts the longest gets the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the entire village!” Lancelot snorts “yeah, Octavius already killed a night fury so does he still count?” The rest laugh, I burn with shame but just toss it off with an annoyed scowl 

Attila pats my shoulder as we both hear one of the twins make a jab at me “don't worry, you're frail and weak, the dragons will probably hit you off as sick, or insane,and go after the more viking-like recruits instead!” He shoves me next to the line up. Great. “Behind these doors, are just a few of the types of dragons you'll learn to fight” he points to one door “the Deadly nadder!” 

“Speed 8, defence 16” Teddy remarks 

“The hideous zippleback” 

“plus 11 stealth times 2” 

“The monsterous nightmare” 

“Fire power 15” 

“The terrible terror” 

“Attack 8, venom 12!” 

“Can you stop that?!” Attila roars 

“And, the Gronckle” 

Teddy leans over to whisper to me “jaw strength 8” Lance notices that his hand is perched on the lever, as if he's about to pull “whoa whoa! Arent you going to teach us first?!” Attila smiles “I believe on learning on the job” the lever is pulled. And the Gronckle bursts out, everyone scatters as it starts to fly around “today, is about survival” he starts, very calm amidst our collective panic “if you get blasted-” the Gronckle hits the wall “you're dead” it noticed the rocks nearby, starting to gobble them up like a snack “quick! What's the first thing you're going to need?” Trivia, now?! 

“A doctor?!” I guess 

“Plus 5 speed?” 

“A shield!” 

It seems Jedediah was correct, dang he's smart with these things “the most important piece of equipment is a shield!” I fumble with the shield, my panic making it hard for me to carry my weapon and locate the handle, Attila runs over to me “if you have to pick between a sword, or a shield, choose the shield” I finally get a good grip on it as he pushes me out of the way, the twins bicker over a single shield, ending up with Ahkmenrah hitting his brother with it, but neither get it. The Gronckle fires, knocking the two to the ground “twins! Out” they look up dazed. “Those shields are good for another thing, noise! Make lots of it and you'll throw off a dragons aim” all of us start to bang out weapons onto our shields, it hurts my ears being so close to it but I've survived worse 

“All dragons have a limited number of shots, how many does a Gronckle have?” Another trivia question? We're trying not to die here! “Five?!” Lance yells “no, six!” Teddy corrects, “correct, six!” Teddy looks excited at getting a question right, even when fighting a dragon “that's one for each of you!” He adds on, Teddy holding his shield out only for the beast to fire again, destroying it. Teddy runs, screaming “Teddy, out” 

Okay, one from getting the twins, one from Teddy. He has four now, unless I miscounted, which I might as well have and just messed up another thing! “Octavius! Get out there!” Still yells as I peak out from a board, it fires at me and I duck back down, no thank you. Halfway done. I begrudgingly obey and stand out to the side, I can see Lancelot strike up a conversation with Jedediah, then get blasted. “Lancey! Down and out!” Two more, Jedediah runs up beside me “so I guess it's just me and you, huh?” I ask, nervously. He studied the dragon for a moment “nope, just you” he says, running off, I hold my shield up as I see a ball of fire come my way, it blasts my shield out of my hands, and knocks me backwards “one shot left!” Attila announces, like we haven't been paying attention, I try to chase after my shield, no use getting another one when more than half are destroyed. 

“Octavius!” I ditch the shield, realizing I backed myself into a corner I hold my breath and shut my eyes, it feels like being next to the furnace, I have this awful feeling of deja-vu. Attila brings the dragon up enough for it to shoot above my head, I'm not dead, it's alright “and that's six. Now back to bed!” He throws the dragon back in the cell, “you'll get another chance, don't worry” I don't know if he's talking to us or the dragon, and I don't know which one scares me more. The rest father in a group as Attila makes his way to us “remember, a dragon will always…” he turns to me, glaring sternly “always, go for the kill” he picks me up, I turn around to the hole in the wall, burning stones around it. I hear the rest snicker “good defense, heir” Lance taunts, Jedediah rolls his eyes “give him a break, it's not every day you go and fight a dragon” yeah, especially one you don't want to fight in the first place 

“Isn't that our whole deal?!” Teddy asks, which is a good point, I just stare at the wall. Confused, Jedediah looks at me, equally as confused, I roll my eyes and start on my way “hey! Where ya goin’?!” Ahkmenrah yells after me “I'm taking a walk” I answer “what, don't want to hang out with your fellow Vikings?” Lance teases, I look over “I said, I'm taking a walk” the group looks at each other, confused, I turn back around and start to walk again “if you die I'm not looking for your body!” Kahmunrah yells, it snaps the group back to normal, laughing as they depart. I make my way back to the house, and out into the path I went. It's easier to find than last time, the broken tree almost acts as a marker, that along with the trees I marked with my knife while searching the first time. I see that the ropes are still there from yesterday, I crouch down and pick the rope up ‘a dragon will always go for the kill’ 

“So why didn't you?” I ask aloud, like I expected to get an answer I stand back up and start to walk in the direction I saw the dragon fly, I look around and see some rocks that have parted, sliding down I duck under the branch that has woven it's way into the rocks, forcing them apart, a small, almost arena like pit area has somehow formed, the sunlight beaming in rays that look majestic here a couple trees and a lake of water reside below, but nothing but the birds chirping, I cross my arms and huff “well this was stupid” I remark until I notice the black, almost leaf pedal like scales on the ground, picking them up, they're rough, almost metal like besides the texture that gives the impression of belonging to a living creature. But what…

I fall back as a figure roars and tries to climb out of the pit, almost desperately until it falls back and lands on the ground, tired. I gasp and jump onto the lower rock to try and get a better look, it's definitely the dragon I caught yesterday! He jumps and tries again but falls away with a frustrated grumble. I realize quickly that somehow, he cant fly enough to get out, I grab my journal and pencil and sketch down a quick rendition of the beast, proportions are a little off, yes, but I'm on a time crunch here, it's what I can work off of if he gets out! 

Speaking of which….”why don't you just….fly away?” I mutter, but I take a closer look, one of the wings on his tail….I smudge out the one I drew on the left side, he doesn't have that one. He tries again, until he falls back, exhausted. He must have seen a fish in the pond, because he ducks his head under, but doesn't come up with anything. Did I do that? I did…didn't I? I did this and now he can't fly, those wings, it helps him with balance, without it he can't fly and he'll….and it's all my fault….

My pencil! I try and grab it before it falls but it clatters to the ground, he looks up, he sees me…I tilt to look at him better, he trills and tilts his head as well. I step carefully down, moving slowly as to not alert him. I try to bend and get my pencil, but as the rocks shift, I lose my balance, I start to fall. I land in the water, thrashing my limps I swim up and cough out the water in my lungs, I grip my pencil and wade my way out, it's snapped in half and waterlogged, the charcoal having survived just barely, I sigh, realizing I'm in a pin with a dragon, I look over, he snarls at me, but I back away, slowly, he looks up, and looks back at me, he knows I'm trying to leave, he still stares at me while I climb away, but he lets me go. And looks down, almost disappointed. I know I have to get back, it's going to be dark, so I wave goodbye and start back on my way

The feeling of being soaked isn't particularly pleasant, especially not when it's starting to get cold again, but it's not like ill die just yet. None of the others question why I'm soaking wet as I make my way to the dining hall, my clothes dripping and hair sticking to my face as I hear more and more clearly that my peers are talking with our instructor, Lance is complimenting Jedediah, probably to get on his good side, but Attila says “no no, he's right! You have to be tough on yourselves!” I resist the urge to scoff, like I don't do that enough. I grab the plate of food that lays untouched, got here late but still get food, how thoughtful. “Where did Octavius go wrong?” What a question, let's see. Lance scoots towards the edge to block the seat, like I'm an idiot who assumes I get to sit at this table “he showed up?” Kahmunrah guesses, “he didn't get eaten!” Ahkmenrah adds on, I dodge Lancelots attempt to push my drink over and walk by, I can feel Jedediah eyeing me “he's never where he's supposed to be” it isn't said with much malice, and yet his accusatory tone hurts more than anything anyone else said. 

I know he could see the hesitancy in my steps, but it doesn't matter “thank you, Jedediah!” I sit down and try not to focus on them too much, my damp hair dripping into my glass “you need to live and breathe this stuff!” Attila says, making his way across the other table and knocking items away before slamming a book down “the dragon manual” he starts “this has everything we know about every dragon we know of” a roll of thunder sounds overhead “no attacks tonight” he says, walking away. “Study up” the twins complain “you mean read?!” “While we're still alive?” Lance scoffs “why read words when you can go and kill the stuff the words tell you about?” Teddy, however, chimes in, excited. 

“Oh! I've read it like 7 times! There's this water dragon that can spit boiling water at your face and there's this other one! That burrows itself like-” Kahmunrah cuts him off “yeah, that sound great, there was a change I was going to read it” “but now..” another roll of thunder, the group departs, Teddy rambling while the others ignore him, I walk over to Jedediah “so I guess we'll, share?” He pushes the book over to me “read it.” He snaps, “oh, well, all- all mine then well I'll I see you uh-” the door slams shut on my rambling “-tomorrow..” I sigh 

Chapter Text

After a change of clothing, not risking hypothermia, i walk back into the dining hall, its empty and dark, my lantern being the only source of light in the place besides a few candles, i find the manual where i left it and put my lantern down with a sigh. “Dragon classifications, strike class, fear class, mystery class” i mutter, skimming over the words, what in Hades is the mystery class? What do the classes even mean? “Thunderdrum, reclusive, homes in caves and dark tidepools” alright well ill avoid those even more than usual “when startled it can produce a sound that can kill a man in close range; extremely dangerous, kill on sight” i mean, i guess it makes sense, but wouldnt trying to kill it startle it? “Timberjack, a gigantic creature with razor sharp wings that can cut through fully grown trees; extremely dangerous, kill on sight” 

“Scaldron, spits boiling water at its victims” not a very unique name, is it? “Extremely dangerous” a clap of thunder makes me look over, lightning lights the building for just a moment, i look back “changling, even newborns can spray acid, kill on sight” i find a couple of dragons that are familiar “gronckle, zippleback, the skrill, boneknapper, whispering death ” i mutter that last name, ive only seen it once, it terrified me as a kid, still kind of does, “burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside out” oh….fun. “Extremely dangerous..” hold on 

“...extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight” these are just all the same, they dont ask for anything other than to slaughter it! But finally i turn to the page im looking for “night fury” theres nothing but a note at the bottom “the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, never engage this dragon, you’re only chance, hide and pray it does not find you” i grab my journal and throw it onto the page, night fury, thats what it looks like, im sure of it….

…

….we all get to wake up bright and early for training, seeing a makeshift maze set up and a dragon released, the axe im holding is lighter, the shield more steady, i feel somehow more sturdy, but i need to know “hey, i was looking and the book doesnt say anything on night furies, is there like a second addition or a pamphlet or…” a blast of fire burns the wood connected to the blade, rendering my axe useless, i yelp and watch it come towards me, i feel, less scared. Of course the traditional amount of scared as a dragon is rushing towards you, but less panicked like im about to die right then and there “focus, Octavius, you arent even trying!” Attila yells from the stand up above the pit, after some quick indecision i dash to the left “today is all about attack!” i see it hop from one point to the next as i run through the wooden maze “nadders are quick and light on their feet, your job is to be quicker and lighter!” in the distance i hear teddy yell, followed by “im really beginning to question your teaching methods!” Attila must be feeling nice because he gives us a hint “look for its blind spot, every dragon has one..” he rambles on so the twins that i passed can….well live, but that begs the question, every dragon?

The twins bicker “blind spot, yes, deaf spot? Not so much” i almost chuckle but i realize im back at the side where Atilla resides, letting Jedediah pass along, Lancelot following shortly after “so..so how would one sneak up on a night fury” Attila rubs at his face like hes annoyed “no ones ever met one and lived to tell the tale now GET IN THERE!” i back away slowly “i know, i know, but hypothetically ” a whisper of my name catches my attention, Jedediah the mouths a ‘get down’ and peeks around the corner, ducking back down quick, Jed and Lance make a move, i try and fail to follow suit, i rush out the side and find myself back where i started, i try to pry more information out of Atilla who begins to bicker with me “not even like seen one napping?” a yell of my name makes me focus, Jedediah falls on me. Hard. as the maze crumbles under the Nadder’s jumping the twins mock me with kissing noises and a taunt of “ooh love on the battlefield!” Jedediah tries to pry his axe out of my shield but it doesnt work, he twists my arm and pulls it off, a shock of pain comes from the area but i dont say anything, i just watch as he bashes the weapon into the dragon, it walking off with a sulking noise, i feel bad for it. Almost thankful that the shield didnt break until it broke against the force it was swung at. “Well done, Jedediah”

He turns to me, frustrated with almost anger in his eyes, a look ive never seen on him “is this some kind of a joke to you?!” its almost as if he’s never been mocked before, which i realize might be the truth “our parent’s war is about to become ours, figure out which side you’re on!” he points the weapon down at me while he talks, walking away, the others snicker at me, i cant help but feel the tightening of my throat as my eyes threaten to water, why do we still have to fight? 

Why do we still have to fight? 

Either way i stand and brush myself off, Attila looks at me, scrutinizing. The others have walked out already, im the only one in the broken mess of a pit “can i have a shield?” i ask, Attila doesnt ask questions, he just points to the weapons room, i locate a small-ish one, grabbing it and duck into the dining hall and grab a fish. Sneaking out before anyone can spot or question me, which is easier than it looks, being me and all. The trip back to the area ive nicknamed “night’s domain” is almost like second nature, i come across the ripped up tree and slide down, i carefully pull the shield in front of me and look out, advancing slowly through the entrance, i throw the fish out and step back….nothing happens, i look out, he must not be here right now

A thud makes me stop, oh great, i try and pull the shield back but it doesnt budge, i roll my eyes and climb under it, entering the “arena”, i try one last tug on this side but, nothing. I shrug and pick up the fish, carefully moving through, just by the lakeside, i dont find anything, not until i hear a trill behind me, the black mass taking stalking strides like it plans to pounce, which i guess could always be true, it sniffs the air around me carefully, creeping closer in a way i almost laugh at, i hold the fish out, reaching as far as i can. Just when i think he would take it, he glances down and backs away, growling with a glare. I realize all-too-quickly that i still have my knife, i try to take it out, but the sight of my hand on the knife makes him bare his teeth with a low growl, i quickly take it away, maintaining eye contact as i take my knife out and let it drop to the ground, he still looks skeptical, so i pick it up with my foot- a cool trick i learned while being Attila’s apprentice for so long- and toss it into the lake, hearing it splash into the water, the dragon then sits like a dog would, ear twitching as he looks from my eyes to the fish and back again, i hold it out and let him carefully come to me, holding his mouth open “huh, aren’t you suppose to have…” sharp teeth jut out from his gums as he bites into the fish, gulping it down after a few bites “...teeth…. you really are a thing of Saturn, eat like it too” 

The dragon looks back to me, the slit in his eyes grow thinner, he walks to me with a trill, “uh no no-” i fall back, crawling until my back hits a rock “no no no ” i dont know what im trying to stop him from doing, i just keep repeating the word “i uh- dont have anymore!” his face comes into full view as he sneers at me, his body repeatedly shifts as he hacks up half of the fish, placing it directly into my lap “eugh” he lifts himself up, sitting on his hind legs like hes trying to mimic me, i shift myself up against the rock and we look at each other, his eyes shift down to the fish and back, i know what it means, i dont want to, but i know. I sigh, resigned, i lift the fish up to my mouth and steel myself as i take a bite out of the slimy, half eaten, raw fish and hold the piece, i hum like i enjoy it and hold it up with a “mhm!” 

He swallows his piece down, i glance at the fish and try to groan, he doesnt let up, i swallow tentatively, my body rejecting it almost instantly but i force myself to swallow again, feeling the piece go down my throat, i can still taste it, i shiver in disgust and force a smile to the dragon, he looks at me, oddly, and mimics my smile as best he can, i gasp softly, placing the fish down, reaching out, he flinches, baring his teeth before skittering away, flapping his wings until he’s at the other side, i watch as he turns around, baring a sort of flame like blast to the ground, patting the fire out as he lays there. I follow, sitting near him, his gaze throws upwards as he watches a bird pass by, his eyes land on me, he glares, moving so his wings cover his body and his tail covers his face, its odd, the whole left side of his tail is off completely, it has healed smoothly though, i shift closer. I try and reach out to touch it, he lifts his tail, i quickly stand up and head to a different direction, this creature can still kill me without some of his tail. He heads to a different direction as well, we end up on opposite sides of the quarry. 

I lay down as well, staring at the sky, my mind starts to wander, how long have we spent fighting dragons? Generations, yes, but how many? Why did we fight in the first place? Did a dragon hurt us first? Or did we just mistreat them so badly they retaliated? Were we all just scared of each other and made up lies that we would end in nothing but bloodshed? The more i think, the worse i feel. My mind wanders to the others, i dont care much for what they have to say, i know how they feel about me, the one i dont understand is Jedediah, its what drew me to him in the first place. What would happen if i told him we didnt have to fight? Would he scoff and fight anyway, or would he try and hear me out? Does he even like me? Does… anybody really like me? 

In the swarm of questions i have, the exhaustion and the comfort of this place where i dont need to pretend, i must have fallen asleep at some point, waking up, i see that its nearing dusk, i dont move to leave however, i sit down and look at the environment around me, has anyone noticed that i left in the first place? I see the dragon, hanging upside down from a tree with his wings wrapped around him like a bat, i chuckle before picking up a stick, i place my face in my palm as i start to drag the stick through the dirt, i still have to make a new pencil, after all. I start to draw the dragon, the first dragon ive seen that hasnt instantly tried to hurt anyone, he was just scared, like me, well half lie, i wanted to fit in, but i wanted that cause i was scared to be anything different. 

I feel a presence at my shoulder, i glance only to make sure, and i was correct, the dragon watches as i drag the stick across the area, making his image. He trills happily behind me, i start to smile, i hear him scamper off, and look over, slightly surprised to see him rip a huge branch off of a tree and start to drag it across the terrain, he’s mimicking again, i watch as he twirls around and draws, looking back occasionally, i chuckle a bit when, in his drawing, he hits me with the branch, im astonished. He looks down and trills, nodding to himself. I look around to try and make sense of the drawing, walking to the other side, i step on one of the lines, i jump as i hear him growl, i lift my foot up, his pupils expand and he trills, stepping down, his pupils shrink to those slits, he bares his teeth, growling again, i step off, he trills, step on, growls, i smile as i step off, and carefully start to maneuver in a way where i dont step on the lines, twisting and turning almost like he did when he was drawing. 

As i step out of the drawing area i feel a gust of wind hit the back of my head and neck, looking up, i see him, i turn and reach out, his pupils stay the same but he flinches and growls, untrusting, i shrink in, and he stills, i put my head down, close my eyes ‘ i trust you ’ i think, reaching my hand out again, ‘ i can trust you, if you trust me ’ i dont reach out all the way, i let him make that decision for himself, if he bites my hand off, it would be my fault, but all i feel is the slight huff of a sigh, and the pressing of a dragon’s face into my hand, i sigh, almost laugh with joy and relief, i have someone to trust, someone who trusts me. I look back, he opens his eyes, and sobers, but never does his eyes change back to those untrusting slits, he slinks away, but i know something changed in the way he does, the way i do as i make my way back to the village. 

Its dark when i head back, nobody seems to notice, apart from Jedediah, who helps carry the food that we picked out for ourselves “where were you?” he asks, i look at him, and look back down “exploring, hunting new territories” he hums, its not a lie, and i think he knows that, he just doesnt know the full truth, i barely register the conversation happening as i roast the fish i picked, nobody else has one, they go for more meatier gain, but for some reason, i feel like eating it. Lance says some crazy promise of vengeance, saying some eye-for-an-eye deal with dragons, “nah, what you really want is the wing and tail! Cant fly, cant get away” realization dawns on me “a downed dragon is a dead dragon” the rest ahh in understanding, Attila yawns “alright, im off to bed, you should be too! Tomorrow we get to the big boys, slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare but who will have the honor of killing it?” the rest chatter about who is going to do it but i drop my skewer and start my way down the spiral staircase, no one would notice if im gone. 

Im sure of it. 

Chapter Text

I go back to the house and quickly fashion a new pencil, i could practically make one in my sleep at this point, nevertheless, i go to my desk where some images of the dragon lay, ive been sketching him more and more, i grab the original sketch that i drew, the tail flap needs to be around the same size. I havent taken any measurements but i dont think one or two inches should be all that different, i work on the functionality of it all, what i would need and how to make it. When i finish the design its already dark, Attila shouldnt mind me being in there, i know the place better than anybody. I sneak in and grab the metal im looking for, putting it on the heating area i press the air until its orange, it was supposed to be some type of sword but Attila scrapped it long ago, heating it well enough i hammer it until i get a rod, a small bulb at the end and a thin area where it should lock into place with the rest of the skeleton. Doing this a couple more times, all differing sizes, i realize an error in my design and i go back to make some adjustments, i grab a shield, stealing the rivets from it to make a ball socket, i make sure to weigh each one, tighten the rods to the correct length, and being extra careful as to not tear the leather as i slide it onto the armature. I sigh as i look at the final result, it took much longer than i thought it would, but for a prototype, its pretty good. 

I slide it together and sling it under my arm, i sneak into the back end of the dinning hall, i know i should feel bad but i grab a whole bag of the fish, one of the cooks catch my eye with a confused glance “ill help catch more later!” i promise before throwing the strap over my shoulder, running out, the cook yells a few protests but ultimately doesnt chase after me, im grateful, heading in a familiar direction, it takes even less time, knowing this part of the woods like the back of my hand at this point, i walk into the quarry and see Saturn “hey Saturn” i say softly, walking up to him, he raises his head “i brought breakfast, hope you’re hungry!” the bag tips over, spilling out the different kinds of fish, he looks back and forth through the different kinds “alright, thats disgusting. Uh, got some salmon, some nice icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel” he growls at it as he sees it, i pick up the eel and he reels back, almost making a hissing noise, it must be the bright colors “oh! No no no no?” i throw it over, out of view and into the pond, geez, im tossing a lot into here “Okay…yeah, i dont really like eel much either” Saturn digs in, focusing his attention on the food “okay thats it” i mutter calmly, sneaking back over to his tail “dont you mind me, ill just be back here, minding my own business” i line up the faux tail and push it to strap it on, but he moves, i try again but he moves more, the leather touches his tail and it flicks up, “its okay” i say, pointlessly, trying to hold it down. He shifts and moves as i try and get the prototype onto him, he jerks forward, plunging his head into the bag, i move around and sit with my legs on either side, putting enough weight to hold him down while i put on the wing, i tighten the leather strap onto him, i vaguely note that his other tail wing moves, and as i get the rest of the latches on, his tail wing raises, i outstretch the faux wing to match it “okay, well, it works! I could-” 

A sudden movement shocks me “whoa!” his tail is right by my stomach, i realize with a bit of dread that the ground below is getting farther away, i scream and futility try and protest but i notice that the wing is still semi-closed, closing more as he gains speed, i feel us falling and yank the wing open, we fly straight up, the elation of it working outplaying any fear of an untimely death “oh my- its working!” i pull it to the side, and he goes with it, shifting his movements to fly, we circle back to inside the quarry, over the pond “yes! Yes i did it!” Saturn seems to realize im still on and tries to fling me off, which he does, almost skipping me like a stone on the water before i submerge, he falls too, i guess without me holding it steady, it closed again, making it useless to fly, but its progress! I lift my head up “yeah-hah!” i hear my voice echo through the area.

I wade my way out of the water and begin the trek back, pushing my hair out of my face while Saturn clambers out as well, shaking like a dog would and soaking me even more “hey! C’mon!” he trills like hes laughing at me. I walk over to the bag and dump whatever contents is left in it “here, i need to take this back to the village, ill see you tomorrow?” he looks at the fish, then at me, and nods before going back to eating, i smile and start on my way, i look to see that its almost noon and run back. I get to the house and quickly change my clothes, drying my hair as much as i can, it still coming out partly damp. I hoist the bag onto my shoulder and run over to the dining hall backdoor, throwing the bag in but before i start running over to the arena, i think of something i dig into one of the bags and pry out the same eel that Saturn didnt like, putting it in the inside pocket, which, yes, probably isnt the best place to have an eel but its an idea, alright? When i get there the rest are waiting outside, talking. I get to the doors and pant to catch my breath “whats got you in such a rush?” Jedediah asks, i realize i have to make up a lie “i was uh- washing up and i guess i lost track of time” he nods and goes back to watching the others. Attila opens the doors and leads us in and nods to the buckets, most of us shrug and grab one. Once we all have our buckets and line up, the doors to one of the dragons burst open, sending a cascade of smoke into the arena “now a wet dragon head cant light its fire, the Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky-” all of us look around and carefully step out of each others way “-one head breaths breaths gas, the other head lights it! Your job, is to figure out which is which” 

I stand back to back with Teddy, looking around “razor sharp serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion, or an ambush attack, crushing its victims-” i cannot focus if all he lists is ways a dragon can kill you, like this isnt hard enough having to fight them in the first place “would you please stop that?!” i hiss, i hear Lance and Kahmunrah mutter, then the splashing of water, they threw it onto Ahk and Jed. to which Jed punches Lance and Ahk throws his bucket at his twin, only me and Teddy have a bucket left. I see Ahk get pulled back into the smoke, and Jed and Ahk getting tripped by their tail, Ahk runs off, yelling about being hurt “chances at survival are dwindling into single digits now” Teddy mutters shakily, one of the Zippleback’s head come into view, Teddy throws his bucket, to which the dragon breaths out gas “oh uh, wrong head” Teddy then gets blasted with it, he runs off and the gas now covers where he- and i- stood, i see the other head, sparking and clicking like a flint and steel “now Octavius!” i throw the water as best i can, but after what occurred with Saturn, yeah i didnt throw it high enough “oh come on!” i grumble, the dragon lunges, making me fall back, i hear Attila yell my name and the clambering of trying to get to me, but i already have the eel visible, making both heads of the dragon reel back, i hold my hands out, trying to convey im not going to hurt it, but making it clamber back all the same “back, back into your cage!” i say as it does, i breathe a sigh of relief “now, think about what you’ve done” i guess thats a punishment? They just cower into the corner as i throw the eel in, i move to push the two sides of the door closed, feeling kinda bad about making the dragon so scared, i disgustingly wipe my hands off as i turn around, to which everyone is staring at me. Teddy dropping the bucket he was still clinging onto “okay uh, so are we done? Cause i got some things i got to uh- yep, see ya tomorrow!” i walk out of the arena as fast as i can, still feeling their eyes on me. 

Chapter Text

I have to take into account all the other things ive learned that go into helping him fly, ill pull the tail flap by a rope connected to it but to do that ill have to be on him comfortably, so i make a saddle of sorts, ive helped the tailors when it comes to leatherworking and making saddles for protection and riding (occasionally) so it isnt that hard to work out the larger dimensions, all in all im proud of my work, and the day after i made it i rushed straight for the quarry, i saw Saturn, and lifted the saddle to show him, he wagged his tail and bounced off “wha- hey!” i chase after him with a smile, eventually i get it onto him and tie the rope to his tail wing. “Alright bud, here we go” it goes smoothly, i dont dare try anything until we are over the water, which is good because when i tried to turn it from where i was, i fell off completely, landing in the water to break my fall. He grumbles at me but shakes it off and i smile nonetheless, i walk over to my journal and sketch down a new addition to it, Saturn peers over my shoulder as i do before trotting off to sleep. I change before i leave the quarry, having been in this situation twice before, and bring my wet clothes and the saddle back to my house. 

The next modification is a hook and harness, connecting me to the saddle so i wont fall off, Saturn seems to like it, we fly out of the quarry and i yank my leg up, having tied the rope to my ankle in hopes that it works, it did not, we didnt crash, the tall grass outside having broken our fall, i stumble forwards on my feet, i do not know how, but after being with a dragon for so long, ive begun to stop questioning so much, oh! A dragon! I whip around to see Saturn…rolling around in the grass, it makes me chuckle while he turns and purrs, i take a handful and put it in my pocket, letting him have a few more minutes until we go back. I grab my journal, making new additions to how dragons behave, creating a new design for the prototype, etc. it wasnt long before i walked up to the door of the arena, the first one here, surprising. Attila talks to me while we wait for the others, and their as surprised to see me there as i was, maybe more, usually im the last one, having rushed to get back after hanging out with Saturn. And speaking of being with Saturn, its given me insight on how to handle dragons, not fighting or scaring them, but peacefully disarming them enough to put them back where they can rest without danger. I barely even have a weapon to carry these days. I watch as Teddy tries to fight a gronckle to no avail, as it flies towards me, i hold out the handful of grass, he lays down and cheerfully rubs against my hand before i jerk to the side, planting him there. Attila puts him back and i get up to leave, for some reason, the group is following me, asking me questions about how i did it, what i even did, why it acted like that, i cant have them finding out what im doing “oh uh- i- i left my axe back in the arena, you guys go on ahead! Ill catch up with you!” i rush off, bumping into Jedediah on my way, he looks more annoyed than usual and i dont know why.

Either way, i add additions to my harness and this time it went more smoothly! After a fly i go and give Saturn some scratches, behind his ears and on his head cause those are his favorite when he tilts his head up i scratch under his chin, he falls over with a loud purr, yawning before going into a small nap, i chuckle and add it to the list. The next day i have to go to training early, i grab a mace with the rest of the group and watch as they scatter trying to fight a Nadder, in the middle of the battle Jedediah throws his mace and runs off to get it when the dragon deflects it. When it rushes up to me i drop my mace and hold my hands near myself, watching Jedediah come forward with an axe i scratch behind its ears, to its jaw, and under its chin, its down before he can do any damage, he looks at me, dumbfounded. When dinner rolls around, i walk over to my usual spot, only to be ambushed when the group moves over to my table, and amount a dozen more vikings rounding it out as well, i eat uncomfortably with Lance pressed up to my side and Teddy asking a million questions, Jedediah looks upset, which is the last thing i wanted. He wont even look at me without glaring, i didnt mean to do anything wrong. 

I go to sleep worrying but i manage to sneak out of the village without anybody ambushing me this time, its getting harder and harder to do things unnoticed, which is not what i want at all to be honest, i dont even like the attention, i guess i just wanted his attention. I find the spot and find Saturn napping in a patch of the sun, i work on the saddle, the new adjustments and all that when i saw him running around for some reason, moving the hammer again i see that theres a shiny dot where the light catches the metal, i move it around and Saturn follows it, trying to catch it under his paws. The next training we meet “the terrible terror” which is much smaller than expected, but once Kahmunrah was mocking it, it decided to strike, i grab a shield and use the light to catch its attention, putting it back into its area without any casualties, i look back to Jedediah with a soft smile, but he only scowls at me, pissed off when Kahmunrah makes a comment. 

I weave through the amount of people who have decided that watch us, me for some reason, is the most exciting thing and get back to work shopping. I finish it quickly, only some minor adjustments to make things smoother. And i head off to the quarry, however, while walking in the woods i see Jedediah, he seems to be going back and forth between two trees, throwing his axe precisely, i cant help but watch. When he stops suddenly, i realize he caught me staring, blushing a bit and walking off without saying a word, im relieved that he didnt follow me, knowing the ins and outs of this cluttered place well.  

The testing is always my favorite part, both of our harnesses tethered to each other and the rope tied to a sturdy tree trunk as i try my pedal mechanic, it works wonders, i know ill probably not memorize all the ways the wing flaps out, so i write down a cheat sheet, one after the other, but when a particular gust of wind hits we get blown back hard enough to the point where the rope snaps, Saturn lifts his head after being thrown to the ground, it lifts me up, i see that the ropes connecting my harness to his are stuck “oh great” i realize the only option and take a risk, i lead Saturn out and back to the village, the cover of night letting him blend in well, another Viking heads towards me and i lean up against the building “Octavius” he nods, i nod a greeting back then carefully lead Saturn around the bend and to the workshop. I grab one of my tools as Saturn sniffs around, “Octavius? Are you in there?” my heart almost stops, what is Jedediah doing here?! It was just a bucket that Saturn knocked over, it wasnt that loud, was it!? I give up trying to undo the bindings and put on my apron, i jump out the “window” and quickly shutting it “Jedediah, hey!” oh Jupiter i hope he didnt see him i ramble out a hello “i normally dont care what people do, but you’re acting weird” Saturn tugs, it pulls me back because im still attached, i groan slightly “well, weird er ” okay, owch. Saturn tugs again, pulling me up, then onto him and out the door, i glance to see Jedediah checking the inside but me and Saturn book it back to the quarry, i finally undo the bindings and sigh “close call, huh?” he grumbles, i look at the sky, then feel into my pocket for my sheet “you know, i think that maybe tomorrow, we’ll be ready” his eyes widen “yeah! I-i have the rest of the mechanics, ill come here after training and we’ll have an actual test drive” he chitters and wags his tail excitedly, i scratch behind his ear “ill see you tomorrow, bud” 

Chapter Text

Its early afternoon when we start to fly, a smooth sail over the surrounding ocean, i know that if i crash now, it will be much more difficult than the usual swim out of the pond. Passing by a mountain, it astounds me “alright bud, we’re gonna take this slow and steady, alright?” i pat him on the neck, he nods slightly and i move to find the correct positioning, i mutter encouragement to both him and myself “alright position 2, no, 4!” i click the pedal into place, watching his tail move in the correct spot, Saturn watches too, his wings spread out wide, gliding across the air, when he moves to the side, i tug on the rope, its secure, i glance back to the tail, its moving slightly but its fine, i should find a sturdier leather for it. “Alright, go time” i brace myself as we start our decent 

A swell of pride builds in my chest as he glides across the open water, one of his wings touching the cool ocean and spraying me slightly “come on buddy, come on buddy!” we both seem to scope out the landscape in front of us the open ocean over the isolated pillars and arches of rocks that were probably once mighty mountains, i breathe in, it seems fresher up here, i shift myself and grip onto his harness, holding in a breath as we fly underhead of one of the arches that had formed in the rocks, the birds flying above us as we do “yes! It worked!” he squints his eyes as i look at the speeding lands, i look up and tilt him up with it, accidentally crashing into a pillar of rock because i underestimated the distance needed “sorry!” i yell as he grumbles, it took only moments before i slam us into another rock “thats my fault!” Saturn hits me with his ear as he steadies himself “yeah, yeah, message received. Position 4 er- 2” he flies us up, i almost laugh in elation “yeah! Go baby!” i look around me, down under me, as high as the mountains, on the wings of gods-forsaken dragon “oh this is amazing! Feeling the wind in-” 

My heart stops and i look in horror as the sheet with the positions slips out of its clip, then out of my grasp “my cheat sheet! Stop!” for some reason, Saturn actually listens to me, oh jupiter, why did he have to listen to me!? The harness unlatches as im thrown upwards, of course it unlatches now! I scream in terror as both me and Saturn plummet down, a height most definitely enough to kill me, if i dont hit anything beforehand, i can see the whole expanse of the island i live on, it would have been beautiful if i wasnt fearing for my life. I try and grab onto Saturns wing in my panic, but it only blows me back more “oh gods, oh no!” i realize that Saturn is as petrified as i am, as terrified for his life as i am, we’ve been one in the same before, why would this time be any different? I try my best to stay calm and guide him through this, “o-okay you’ve got to kind of a-angle yourself!” he tries, but its all wrong “n-no, you, come, come back down towards me, come on-” his tail hits me, i know he didnt mean to, a spike of fear drives itself deep as im thrown towards a rock pillar, but i dont hit it, i miss it just barely, he throws himself left, so i lean right and try and grab onto anything of him i can hold, finally, i grab his harness tight and forcefully plant myself back onto the saddle, slipping the latch into place as another wave of fear hits me, its an isolated part of the island, one that is nothing but mountains and residing forests, one that we are approaching at a staggering rate. I pull him up enough to angle it and he spreads his wings, we glide over the trees, not crashing just yet, i look onwards to see the pillars and rocks that we’re about to hit at full speed, i try and look to my cheat sheet, i realize theres no time, may it be stupidity, or the adrenaline, or putting my trust in my dragon, my friend, i let the sheet fly out of my hand and grip onto his harness, leaning my body low and towards him as i position his tail. We zip through the rocks, having to make a million split-second decisions all the while, at one point we turn upside down, it was terrifying but with enough leaning, we cross out of the course of the rocks and into the plain, monotonous, clear waters of the ocean. I pant out breaths of relief, of fear, of elation, the realization that i did that i just did that hitting me as quick as we are flying. Me! Octavius! I just went through all of that and both of us came out alive and even more taught than if it didnt go wrong at all, i throw my hands up “yeah!” Saturn grumbles happily below me and shoots a blast out, the fiery remains are what we head towards, “oh come on” it singes my hair and blasts soot in my face, rucking up my clothes more than they already are 

We both laugh and i pat him again “cmon bud, lets go take a breather” he chitters and lets me turn him around, he ducks down into the water, looking back at me with three fish in his mouth, i laugh harder and tilt him up, might as well go high if im looking for a place to camp out. It doesnt take long to find a suitable place, near the water, it couldve been a beach if the rocks didnt cover the entire area Saturn takes to hunting for his fair share of fish while i make a small fire to roast the one he got for me. When hes satisfied with his pile he trots over and makes himself comfortable, i lean against him slightly and continue to cook my food as we look to the near-setting sun. after a bit he does that weird regurgitating thing and spits out a fish head “uh, no thanks, im good” he eyes me but does a dismissive nod and goes back to eating. I watch something fly towards us, surprised to see its 4 terrible terrors, im a bit on edge and Saturn growls at them as they try (and successfully do…kinda) to steal his food, two of them fight like children over the fish head he spat out when one tries to steal a whole fish, Saturn wins the little tug-of-war game they did and chitters like hes laughing, the Terrible terror puffs up like hes going to attack and opens his mouth but Saturn puffs out a small blast, only big enough to ignite the material they use to light fires inside his body, he coughs out a plume of smoke and dizzily walks around “huh, not so fire-proof on the inside, are ya, little guy?” i take my fish off the stick i was using and throw it to him “here ya go” i wasnt that hungry anyways, still kind of nauseous from that flying. He gulps it down and carefully wanders to me, rubbing on my arm with a sort of purring noise before curling up and closing his eyes in contentment, my hand lays on the dragons stomach “everything we know about you guys, is wrong” i say in regret and realization as i continue to pet the dragon. 

I look up at the sky and think back on when i was just earning Saturns trust, tears well up in my eyes, Saturn looks at me, tilting his head, confused, i give a depressed chuckle before i look over to the terrible terror curled up to my side, two of the other ones playing with each other, one basking in the golden hue of the sun “you guys, all you tried to do was mimic us, thats why you fight, isnt it?” Saturn titters sadly, bowing his head in almost regret, “i made you lose your tail wing, you realize that, right?” he looks at me again, looks me up and down “i wouldnt put it past you if you left now, that ill make you one more and you can go” he looks at me with a look i cant read, then shifts to place his head in my lap “you…you’re forgiving me?” he huffs a sigh, and purrs, i put my hand on his head, looking out into the beginnings of a sunset “y-yeah, i- yeah” its nonsense, what i say, but he seems to like that answer. We stay and watch the sunset until its time to go back. 

The house feels empty when i walk in, standing on shaky legs as the last of the adrenaline wears itself down, i go to my room and lay on my desk, i should start sketching a new design, but i feel tired, and confused, conflicted with myself. Should i really be doing this? Everything i know is wrong, but what is worse, jumping on the bandwagon or going against the grain? They will never understand, they’re Vikings, im a Viking, or am i? I dont feel like one, and being friends with dragons would obviously determine that im not one, im just wondering how long it will take them to kick me out of the village, maybe even off the island. The methodical way i push my pencil up does nothing to help, maybe just staving off the worst of my nerves. Footsteps make me look over, standing to attention “oh- father! You’re back!” i try and pull my sketches of Saturn under my journal “uh Attila isnt here- so” he walks in, “i know” i note that his second-in-command is standing in the doorway “uh- hello” he nods to me “hello, Octavius” my father stands there, almost menacingly as i close my journal “i came looking for you” 

My heart stops, i feel the drop as if im falling off of Saturn all over again “uh- y-you did?” he nods “you’ve been keeping secrets” i pile my papers together nervously “uhm- i-uh i have?” its almost a question, i know that his second is seeing right through me, for some reason, he doesnt say anything “how long have you been hiding this from me?” i stammer out some deflections but he says “ nothing on this island without me hearing about it” i flinch at his tone, his second looks at me with sympathy, questioning “so, lets talk, about that dragon” my journal slips off my desk “father im really sorry, i was going to tell you, promise! I just did know h-how to uh” he cuts off my apology with laughter, i nervously and confusedly laugh back, were we, were we not on the same page about this topic? “So you’re not…upset?” he looks at me “really? I was hoping for this!” that confuses me more “uh you, you were?” okay, what is this about? “Just wait until you spill a Nadders guts for the first time, or mount your first gronckle head on a spear, what a feeling!” he playfully punches my arm, but its with enough force that it pushes me back with my off-balanced state “you really had me going there!” i pry myself out of the basket i landed in and listen to his talk “all those years of ‘the worst Viking Meiusorian has ever seen’ Jupiter, it was tough, i almost gave up on you, i really did but all the while you were holding out on me, oh Mars almighty!” he sighs and grabs a chair, his second looks proudly at me “with you doing so good in the ring, we finally have something to talk about” oh, so no, no we were way off page, couldnt be more off page, im in a whole other book by this point, oh Jupiter, what do i say? Hes looking at me, expecting, waiting, i have to lie, i have to lie quick! 

Nothing comes out, he looks questioning but looks over at his second “i brought you something” he gestures for him to hand it over, its a Viking helmet, not unlike his own “keep you protected, in the ring” he gives it to me and i hold it, astonished “thanks” i whisper “your mother would have wanted you to have it” i touch the top of it, looking on the ridges “its half her breast plate” i quickly take my hand off of it, he taps his helmet “matching set, keeps her close, you know?” the awkwardness in the air is palpable, even his second is looking around to avoid another conversation “wear it proudly, since you’ve held up your end of the deal” i have no clue what kind of deal he’s talking about, i place the helmet down, then fake a yawn “i-i should head to bed right about now” he stands “yes, good talk, rest up, and goodnight” he almost stumbles on the way out, i huff a sigh out, his second leans in “those sketches look good” i cover them up with my arms “heh, uh yeah- j-just checking the uh- the different types- for uh- classification?” he chuckles and taps his lips with his finger “i wont say a word, whats his name?” i stand, dumbfounded “Saturn” i say, like an idiot. But he just smiles “Saturn, good” he nods and heads out. 

Chapter Text

Training is more nervewracking than usual, i wear the helmet that the group looked at in awe when i know they would have laughed at it, i almost miss the mocking, the crowd that gathers around the arena is anxiety inducing, i grab a shield and the rest arm themselves with weapons, heading into the arena we see a Gronckle flying around, most of us ducking for cover, i have to move a couple times but i find a place thats safe enough for me to lay low. However, when Jedediah tries to move closer, he bumps into me in the little space we have, he pushes down my shield “stay out of my way” he threatens “im winning this” i respond as he is already leaving “by all means” i look up to see my father there, staring back at me, i try and gulp down my nerves but they wont leave, threatening to choke me under the scrutinizing stare of the chief and his second in command. Before i know it, the Gronckle is right in my face, i subconsciously drop my weapons and scratch in the order for him to go down, i see that Jedediah is charging but stops, i raise my hands and gesture to the dragon. Urging him not to get mad with me but that just makes him angrier “no!” he stomps his foot on the ground and swings his axe while cursing wildly my father calls for all of them to wait, i try to walk by Attila “later” he picks me up “wait just a second” he says, planting me back down, how much do i weight to him? “I-im kinda…late” 

Jedediah places the end of his axe to my neck “what? Late for what, exactly?” i shake a little with my nerves, but its nothing to do with actual nervousness, not the fear that he would slice my neck open but more pushing down the pang of desire and embarrassment i get when i realize that hes both way too cute and way too attractive when he’s angry “quiet down! The elder has decided” i look up to watch the village elder, one that the twins actually descend from, Jedediah has lowered his axe as Attila stands behind us, he raises his hand over Jedediah’s head, and she shakes her head, he does the same to me, and she nods, cheers erupt from the crowd. No no no im not doing this! “Oh you’ve done it! You’ve done it Octavius! You get to kill the best dragon we have!” i dont even have to look over to feel Jedediah’s glare, cringing when the group picks me up “aha, y-yes, so excited! Im so-” my speech gets cut off as the group pulls me up, i try to walk by but im swarmed with people in my way, i just want to get to my room! For like 10 minutes! What happened to ‘the worst Viking Meiusorian has ever seen’? I try and i try but i cant even walk in front of me 5 steps before someone is congratulating me or asking me questions “people, people!” the crowd looks to the chief’s second in command “im sure we are all excited, but Octavius has a lot to prepare and train for, and even then, im sure he wants to rest up nice for the big day, let him have some air!” im thankful for him as the crowd departs, he sends me a wink, i feel a little panic but a little panic is nothing in retrospect. I finally get to my room after convincing the group that i will catch up with them at dinner, i have to sharpen my axe or whatnot, and they agree. I pack whatever i cant live without, strap on my harness and sneak out as best i can, if they ask, i say im training and they say ‘keep up the good work!’ yeah, alright. 

I am so- 

“Leaving! We’re leaving, looks like we’re taking a little vacation, forever” i announce to Saturn, i place the bag down, i try to attach my clips on more thoroughly but i feel the sun getting blocked out, Jedediah, he’s sitting on the rock in front of me, sharpening his axe. I would admire him for almost impersonating Apollo but the pang of fear and panic at being caught outweighs that. I stumble back “what the-?!” i didnt even feel that i was being followed, how did he-?! “Uh- what are you doing here, Jedediah?” i try to aim for casual, it was not casual. He drops his sharpening stone “i want to know whats going on” he states, getting off of the rock “no one just gets as good as you do, especially you” okay, owch, again “start talkin’ are you training with someone?” his advancements make me stumble back, im trying to stammer out some lie or half-truth “t-training? I-” he grabs at my harness “better not involve this ” oh, thats a way out! “Okay i know, this looks really bad see this is uh-” he pulls me down, c’mon man! He steps over me as he tries to see whats ahead of us, oh no “uh, you’re right! You’re right! I- im full of lies, ive been making outfits! ” i try to stop his advancements, or at least step in front of the view “so you got me, its time everyone knew” i grab his hand and place it onto my chest where the harness connects “come on, drag me back, go ahead, here we go-” suddenly he twists my arms back, dragging me down “ow! Why would you do that?!” he kicks a bit at my side, not enough to bruise, just enough to hurt a bit. “Thats for the lies” he steps in front of me and drops his axe enough for the end to hit my stomach “and thats, for everything else” you know? Warranted, i believe. 

Not everyone agrees with that, however, as i hear a growl in the distance “oh man” i stand up enough to see Saturn for a split-second before Jedediah tackles me to the ground “get down!” he rolls over to grab his axe, i notice Saturn lunging as Jedediah tells me to run away, i tackle him to the ground “no!” i yank his axe away from him a throw it out of range “no, no no! Its okay!” i hold my hands out to shield Jedediah as Saturn still thinks hes a threat, i look over to Jedediah “its okay” i tell him as well “hes a friend” i say, Saturn backs down, glaring at Jedediah, “you just scared him” i push him back as Saturn tries to growl at him “ i scared him?! ” he asks, like im insane. Which i think is also warranted “who, is him ?” he asks, i let up on Saturn “uh Jedediah, this is Saturn, Saturn, Jedediah ” he growls at him, which is uncalled for, Jedediah looks like hes about to say something but he doesnt, he just runs away “dadada, we’re dead” i look over to see Saturn trotting away “whoa whoa whoa whoa! Where do you think you’re going, mister?” he keeps on so i rush up to him and yank on his harness, he looks at me “can i please have a ride?” he looks suspicious “we need to give him a chance, i was scared of you too, at first” he grumbles and begrudgingly lays for me to sit onto the saddle, connecting the harness before swiftly flying up, it isnt hard to spot him, its just forest from up here “there” i say, Saturn rolls his eyes and dips down, when Jedediah tries to jump a fallen tree, Saturn picks him up by his arm, he screams until i- well we, set him down on a tree, he clings to a branch like a life support, which it probably is, as the weight of Saturn pushes the tree to dangle from the cliff edge “Octavius! Get me down from here!” Jedediah demands, looking down with a terrified expression “you have to give me a chance to explain!” he looks furious as he inches his way closer “i am not listening to anything you have to say!” i sigh “then i wont say a word, but ill show you” he looks from Saturn to the ground below, and back “please, ‘diah” he sighs and pushes to hoist himself up onto the branch, ignoring Saturn’s growl and batting my hand away as he sits on the saddle carefully, like it will bite him “now get me down” 

“Saturn, down, carefully” he expands his wings and i turn back to Jed “see? Nothing to be afraid of!” i should have picked better wording, as he flies straight up, Jedediah screaming behind me as we soar above the tallest treetops “Saturn! What is wrong with you?! Bad! This is bad!” Jedediah clings to me as we glide “he’s not usually like this” i see his wings close “oh no” i groan, Jedediah continues to scream as we descend, Saturn hitting the water on purpose multiple times “Saturn what are you doing we need him to like us! ” he seems to ignore that as we start to spin “and now, spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile” he plants his face into my back as he tightens his grip “okay! I-im sorry! Im sorry! Just get me off” 

Saturn seems to find that answer acceptable as his wings expand again, and we glide carefully on the air, the sunset making the sky around us a beautiful peach pink, when we rise higher, slowly, softly, Jedediah carefully extracts himself from the death grip he had on me to take in the surrounding landscape, he’s fascinated with the clouds around us, close enough to touch, its a nice contrast to the tough and angry boy that i knew back at home, he lifts a hand up and glides it through the clouds with a smile, an astounded laugh coming from him as he does, Saturn lifts us above those clouds where the light from the sun still shines, into the dark blanket of night where the light doesnt touch, stars shine in the sky and the torches as we fly over our island, watching from above with the safety of night, i feel him softly snake his arms around me, laying his head down on my shoulder, it makes me smile as i look ahead, i feel his hand lay flat across my stomach “‘m sorry” he mutters, “its okay, i know you didnt mean it” he nodded and we let ourselves be content with the silence for the while, until Jedediah chuckles “alright, i admit it, this is really cool, its…amazing, hes amazing” Jedediah pats his head, and Saturn lets him “so what now?” i sigh and look away “Octavius, you know your final exam is tomorrow, you know you’re going have to kill-” he bites his tongue, lowering his voice and whispers it instead “kill a dragon” i shutter “dont remind me” i say, guilt weighing on my mind, that im suddenly snapped out of as Saturn takes a sharp down, “whoa, Saturn, whats happened?!” he looks around like hes trying to find something, trilling randomly “where are we-” i look to the right and see another dragon “get down” i hiss, laying low, Jedediah pressing on me, it gets louder when more dragons start to flock around us, making that same trilling noise “whats going on?” i huff out a breath “i-i dont know, Saturn, you gotta get us out of here” he shakes me off, continuing on his path that we have no control over “it- looks like their hauling in their kill” 

“Then….what does that make us?” i dont want to know the answer, but im probably going to get it anyway, as we dip down with the rest of the dragons, weaving our way through the terrain, its hard to see, with the dark and the dense clouds, but i trust Saturn. Even as he take us into a volcano-esque mountain that is filled with dragons, i shake my head “what my father wouldnt give to find this” Saturn shakes enough sense into him that he lands carefully behind a pillar, safe in cover “well its satisfying to know that all our food has been dumped down a hole” i mutter, “they’re not eating any of it” Jedediah remarks, and, yeah, they arent, why-

A giant mouth clamps around a gronckle, then dives deep under “what, is that?” all of the dragons cower in fear its why they arent eating, and its eyes watch us “alright buddy you need to get us out of here” Saturn nods “now!” i add on, he springs into flight just in time, as a mouth closes around the area we resided in just moments before, the dragons swarm in a circle, almost blocking our exit but we get out of there before anything can happen to any of us, me and jedediah start to discuss what in the world we just saw but he seems to know what it is “no, no it totally makes sense, its a giant beehive, they’re the workers and that their queen” so their hive animals? Jedediah rushes off “cmon, lets find your dad” i almost fall off with how fast i try and reach out “no! No” i jump off and run in front of him, holding his wrists, tears threatening to form in my eyes “no, not yet, they’ll kill Saturn, ‘Diah we need to think this through, carefully” he seems to not grasp my desperation “Octavius we just found the dragon’s nest the thing we’ve been after since Vikings first sailed here! To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?” he asks “Yes” i answer, without hesitation, he seems surprised “okay” he responds, not what i thought he would say “then what do we do?” i sigh “just, give me until tomorrow, ill figure something out” i mutter after “alright” 

Suddenly i feel a punch on my arm, i instantly go to rub where he punched me “thats for kidnapping me” i glance over to Saturn, he isnt any help, he suddenly grabs my harness and pulls me in close, kissing my cheek and letting me go all in one moment “thats for…everything else” he starts to walk off, i stare at him in awe, and even in the low light, i can see the soft pink on his face when he turns around, and starts to run off. I smile, albeit a flustered kind of smile, until i hear a trill beside me, to where Saturn is, looking at us both with rounded pupils “what are you looking at?”

Chapter Text

I step into the ramp of the arena, my father making a speech while i wait, its more demeaning than anything else. But what can i expect? Im not one of them, and i never will be, the village gathered around shoots my nerves up higher than the mountains. I almost jump when Jedediah comes up behind me “be careful with that dragon” i watch as the chief walks across the fence separating them from the arena “its not the dragon im worried about” i mutter “what are you gonna do?” he asks, i sigh, ive made my peace with my decision, even if i get exiled or killed for it “put an end to this, i have to try, at least” i look over to Jedediah and smile but it quickly fades “jedediah, if something….goes wrong, just….make sure they dont find Saturn. Ever” he nods “i will” when i turn to leave, he grabs my hand, and i face him again, hes so concerned, i can see a hint of fear in his eyes “just promise me it wont go wrong” i cant promise anything before Attila tells me its time, i walk in and put my helmet on, listening to the cheers of the townspeople, everything about this feels so surreal, things have already gone wrong, this in itself is wrong, the cheers of my name dont feel right or helpful, if anything, it makes this feel more and more like im about to be executed. I grab a shield from the selection of weapons, along with a small dagger 

“Im ready” i say, and see the bindings to the door slowly undo…

The dragon bursts through the door, fire streaming from every side, guess we already wanted to indulge, huh? It climbs on every side of the walls, shooting fire outside, making the people move to cover themselves from it, they rest on the top of the dome that is created on the arena for safety. It bends its neck to look at me, dropping its weight one limb at a time before starting to stalk, i remain as calm as i can, it will listen if the people will just be. Quiet. I feel the anticipation in the crowd, the dragons own stalking mimicking the quiet, rising dread. I back away slowly, dropping the dagger and shield, setting my hands close to its face i hear the people groan, “its okay, its okay” i tell them, and take off my helmet, looking from it, to the chief, and take the pride in exiling myself “im not one of them” the people gasp like they are surprised, why are they surprised? Have they forgotten who i am? What im doing? What ive done up until now? “Stop the fight” my father demands “no!” i snap back “i need you all to see this, they arent what we think! We dont have to kill, or to harm them” the dragon bows their head, their pupils are large, they dont see me as a threat

“I said stop the fight!” but they see him as a threat

They snap at my hand, i try and run, i cant help but scream as the dragon spews flames, i hear Jedediah scream my name, i try my best to grab a shield, the dragon lunges at me. I try and wear it out, Jedediah finds an opening and hits it with a hammer, diverting its attention, i hope it will find it in itself to forgive me, my fathers right hand man opens the gate “this way!” Jedediah and i run towards it, an attack makes me run the other way, i cant let them get hurt! But they only drag me down, trapping me in its claws i look up to them, praying that they wont do this. Smoke fills the arena, and my lungs, but i can finally move out of the way, i see Saturn protecting me, snapping at the other dragon when it tries to get a hit in “no no no no” i mutter, they’re seeing him, they are all seeing him! He cant fly without me and i know they wont let me on! The dragon falls away and i jump up to push at him “Saturn get out of here! Please! You need to!” in only seconds i can see many of the Vikings going after him “no, no! Stop! You’re only making it worse!” i can see my father run in with his axe, Saturn growls and lunges at him, i have to do something. “Stop!” and he does, he looks at me with sorrow and guilt, but the rest tackle him down, Jedediah has to hold onto me “no, no, no get off him! Dont hurt him, please dont hurt him!” i plead with them 

The chief looks at him “put it with the others” he orders, then moves to drag me by the arm “‘Tavi!” Attila holds onto his arm while he looks away. I get dragged into a dark, damp hallway fit for a dungeon or prison cell “i should have known” he spits, disdain clear on his face “i should have seen the signs, we had a deal! ” i move to try and face him “i know we did! But that was before! I-its all so mixed about” he looks at me, anger mixing with disbelief “so everything in the ring was a trick!? A lie?!” i look to him, “i-i messed up! I should have told you before now, just take this out on me, be mad at me, but please dont hurt Saturn!” 

“The dragon?! Thats what you are worried about?! A dragon that you gave a name and not our people that you put in danger!?” i can feel everything breaking inside me, i should have promised him. “He was just protecting me! Hes not dangerous!” 

“Hes killed hundreds of us!” 

“And we’ve killed thousands of them!” 

I feel my own anger rise, why does he think we are in this war to begin with?! “They defend themselves! Thats all they do! They raid us because they have to! If they dont bring enough food back they are that food, that- that thing on their island, its something else a dragon th-” he cuts me off with an almost insane, hysterical laugh “their island?” he asks, mania driven and dripping with venom “so you’ve been to the nest” ive said too much, ive said way too much but he grips my shirt “how did you find it?” i cant help it, i cant help, i tried to help but i cant, ill always mess it up “i- i didnt find it, Saturn did, only a dragon…can” he puts be down with a look of realization, dread pumps in my veins “oh no no, Father, no! Please! You dont know what you’re up against!” he pushes me out of the way and walks with a new purpose, one of hatred and vitriol “you dont know what you’re doing! You’ll be putting more of us at stake, at danger than you said that i did!” desperation clings to me as i try and run up to him “for once in your life would you just listen to me!?” he pushes me away again, to the floor as he looks down “i do not have to, you arent my son anymore, you lost that privilege when you threw your lot in with them ” he walks out, slamming the door without a second thought but with a command to ready the ships. 

I sit there, listening to the muffled sounds of labor work, numb with surprise, a creek of the door makes me look up, its his right hand man. He walks up and kneels to me, “i will go with him, and i will fight with him, but if i return alive, you will not be his son anymore, you will be one of mine” a sob punches itself out of my throat “please, dont do this” i plead, he sighs “i have to, but you dont” i look at him with wide eyes “you say you arent a Viking? Then the oath doesnt apply to you, and technically you’ve never finished your training, so it doesnt apply to any of your little friends neither” i dont know what i can do “he renounces his son, he renounces his heir, he cannot rule, and i will not let you be under his care any longer, im sorry that ive been by his side for so long, but im on yours now, and i will not stop any attempts at sabotage” i chuckle, a bit sadly 

He takes my hand and looks me in the eyes “you are under the care of a Daley now, value your wits over strength, and kneel to no one but your own” he…he keeled to me “be strong, son” 

Chapter Text

The feeling of dread sits heavy on my mind and soul, if anything, i wouldve been proud to help. But seeing them hoist Saturn up onto the chiefs ship, i wonder if it wouldve been better had i never met him at all, tears threaten to spill from my eyes yet again, and i hate the fact that a few fall out. I cant waste my time crying, but what else can i do? Im worthless without him, thats what i know as the ships tear out from the bay. I stand and i wait, i wait until every ship has parted well beyond my view, Jedediah stands beside me 

“Its a mess” he says, i cant help but agree 

“You must feel horrible” i do

You’ve lost everything” i did

“Your father, your tribe, your best friend” 

“Thank you, for summing that up” i snap, i feel awful after, i shouldnt take this out on him

“Why couldnt i have just killed that dragon when i found him in the woods?” my words teeter onto a sob, heavy and rough “it would’ve been better, for everyone”

“Yep, the rest of us would’ve done it”

I feel his eyes on me, questioning, yet knowing at the same time “so why didnt you?” i dont respond “why didnt you?” he repeats, making me sigh “i dont know” i answer, because i dont, i know deep in my heart but at this point, does it really even matter? Ive betrayed my best friend and for what? A title i never actually wanted? Attention? Acceptance? Comradery?  

“I couldnt”

“Thats not an answer” 

“Why is this so important to you?!” 

“Because i want to remember what you say here, to me, right now” 

“For the love of- what do you want to here? That i was a coward? I was weak? That i wouldnt kill a single dragon?!” 

“You said wouldnt that time” 

“Whatever! Does it matter? 300 years and im the first Viking that wouldnt kill a dragon” 

He takes the time to let me turn away “first to ride one, though” and, its true, ive shown him it, i cant deny the truth “so?” i look over to the horizon “i wouldnt kill him because he looked as frightened as i was, i realized we arent so different, because i looked at him, and i saw myself” turning, he catches my eye “i bet he’s really frightened now, so what are you going to do about it?” y’know, a month ago, if he said that to me, it wouldve been a demeaning statement, challenging me to something, but now, it just makes me think, it gives me a reason, a motivation, but i cant find much “eh, probably something stupid” he chuckles “good, but i think you’ve already done that” what am i going to do for a dragon kept in captivity? Kept in- “then something crazy” i say, starting my way to the place where this whole thing started in the first place he runs up to me “Jed, i need you to grab the others in the group, the twins, Teddy, and Lancelot, tell them to meet in the arena as soon as they can!” he nods and we part our ways when we need to, i head for the arena, weaving through the people isnt hard, they ignore or give a few scoffs, some concerned looks, its back to how it was. Perfect. 

I catch my breath when i get there, looking to each and every one of the cages, ironically, they are all quite fitting, and the levers still look intact “if you’re planning on getting eaten, i'd definitely go with the gronckle” i huff out a laugh “you were wise to seek out the most deadly Viking!” Kahmunrah says “its me” he adds on, Lance pushes him away “i love this plan!” i havent even said anything? “You’re crazy, Octavius” yeah fair enough, either way Jedediah pushes his way to me “so, what is the plan?” it makes me smile, if they think im crazy now, they havent seen crazy 

I undo the cages, letting them adjust, they dont seem all that frightened, going to the Hideous Nightmare (we really need a different name for it, thats just mean) i place my hand carefully towards its face “hello” i speak softly “i hope you’re alright, i never meant to frighten you, and im sorry Saturn got all fighty, he was just trying to protect me” he chitters and stretches his wings out “i have some friends with me, and we need your help, would you do that?” he huffs a bit but looks in my eyes “i wont let them hurt you, but i also wont let you hurt them, i care for you both, you understand, right?” he bobs his head and chitters a bit more, i laugh softly and back out, slow and steady, i glance back to the others, but i already know which dragon should go to who, i stand next to Lance and grab his arm “w-what, are you crazy!?” i look at him “hey, dont worry, its okay” i carefully replace my own hand with his, the dragon contently letting it happen, i start to walk away, much to Lance’s concern but i look back with a length of rope “you’re gonna need something to help you hold on” the three other dragons step out of their cages, scoping out the area, the others seem a mix of surprised, confused, scared, astonished, or all of the above. 

I smile at the dragons and stand in front “alright, you” i pat the gronckle “are going to go with Teddy, he’ll take care of you” it flys up to him and warbles happily “you two” the Zippleback glares at me, i chuckle nervously “are still mad at me?” one grumbles while the other shakes its head “sorry about that, ill make sure to keep you far away from eels in the future” they both mock me, yeah they’re a good fit “Ahkmenrah, Kahmunrah, you two will be on either side of them, you wont be sitting on their necks, its fascinating how it works, but we can go over that later” i look at the Nadder, stepping up and leading them to Jedediah, “Jedediah, he fought because he wanted to protect people” he looks at me, starting to blush in surprise i believe “i know he fought you, but thats because we fought, and you fought us, but right now, we have to fight together, its an adjustment, but its one we can make, if we all agree” i look to the rest “do we agree?” they all say yes, the dragons agree along with them, i look to Jedediah “you dont mind if i hitch a ride with you, do you?” he laughs “i guess i do owe you one” i smile along with him, getting interrupted by the crew making kissing noises “alright alright, everyone get a rope a secure yourself” 

It doesnt take as long as i thought i would, the biggest learning curve was getting off the ground, but once we’re up there, we got a hold of it, we let the dragons lead. Seeing the island come up in the distance, the rest reel back in fear “thats bigger than i thought it was” i mutter but sigh “guys! Round about so we can hit it from the back!” the rest nod and we turn “ill command Jericho to fire and Octavius tells us where to go from there! Got it?” they agree, with a little complaining, but agree nonetheless “i like the name” i say, i didnt even know he had a name for his dragon “what can i say? I had a bit of time to think” i have to give him that, it was a bit of a way here. Swinging around back, i see the rest fleeing or fighting “Jericho, now!” a blast of fire hits the dragon in the back of its head and we fly in front “ahk, kah, watch your backs!” i yell “move Teddy!” Kahmunrah and Ahkmenrah yell to the Vikings below as i scope out the dragon, “Teddy, what we got?”

“Heavily armored head and tail, mostly used for bashing and crushing, dont go for either, small eyes but large nostrils so it uses hearing and smell, not sight” i nod, thinking of a plan “alright, Lance and Teddy get in a blind spot and make some noise, keep it confused, twins, find out if it has a shot limit, make it mad!” Ahk smiles “thats my specialty!” Kah scoffs “since when? Im way more irritating!” i wouldve laughed if our lives werent at stake “use that on the dragon! Now go! Ill be back as soon as i can!” Lance yells that they have this, and you know what? I believe him, we steer Jericho away, gotta get to Saturn first, i see him in the burning ships and i jump off when i can “go help the others!” they need it, i heard Teddy say a hole in our plan before we went over here “okay hold on Buddy, hold on” i yank off his muzzle, i try to pick at the chains, getting a few off before a mast crashes into the ship, i see its tail swing around, destroying the ship to pieces, throwing us into the water. Saturn sinks and i move to grab him, pulling on the chains as panic floods my veins, salt stings my vision, that is until it all goes black, hearing only a muffled roar. 

I gasp, coughing up the water i swallowed, “Larry!?” The second dives under the water, i glance around to see the chief seething as he lines up another weapon, never stopping this endless fight, all for a different reason. I gasp again when i see Saturn, he drops Larry next to me and gestures up to the dragon on the rock he sits on “i hear ya” i climb on, hooking my harness to him “Octavius!” he says, holding onto my arm “you came” i smile “i did” the look in his eyes is uncertain “you dont have to go up there” i know i dont, i can steer us all away, but it doesnt feel right “we’re Vikings, you know we’re all stubborn” he nods and looks to the chief “i know that he might not, but im going to be proud to call you my son” it makes me feel happier than i ever have, all in this burning place where the dread of the fight and the fear of uncertainty lies, i found my acceptance, on this dragon, and in one of the people i thought was least likely to help me “i know you will, dad” and before anything else, we fly, zipping up to the rest of them, still fighting, still going. We fly up and around, giving them enough time to get away, when i see Jedediah getting pulled in “Saturn!” he knows what i try to say, flying and dodging before hitting it, throwing the balance off, Jedediah starts to fall, i steer Saturn down and pray. I look to him “did you get him?!” his content warble tells me enough, i fly down enough to let Saturn drop him, and feel a surge of determination 

We fly up as i scope it out, my eye catches something “that thing has wings! Alright Buddy, wanna see if it can use them?” he growls out an agreement and redirects us down, the speed of us combined with the blast is enough to knock the dragon over, we fly overhead “you think that did it?” i get the answer in the form of a low roar, the dragon slowly flapping its wings, it wont be very fast, its huge and theres tatters on its wings, the bad news? Its huge, so it gets up faster with less effort. We have to quickly weave our way through, zipping through the different rocks like the first time i ever flew, all while it barrels through, bashing through the rocks and sending debris flying that we also have to avoid, i look to the sky above “alright Saturn, you ready to do your little trick?” i plant my foot into place and we soar up to the clouds, the dragon on our tail, quite literally “Saturn move!” he does, a pillar of fire bursting out of the dragon below, the good thing about the clouds is we can hide, the bad thing is that they can also hide, not well, but at this point our chances of survival have decreased. I have got to stop hanging out with Teddy so much 

We watch as it looks around confused, blind with the smells but still able to hear our movements, we take this to our advantage as Saturn hits him at all angles, blasting him again and again as many times as he can. The beast roars, throwing up flames in all directions, i yell for Saturn to watch out but theres not much that we can do as the flame hit the leather, singeing it, burning it “alright, times up, lets do this” flying overhead i shout as Saturn roars “that the best you got?!” it spots us, we spiral downwards, the charring of the tail plummeting us down, the beast tries to pull us back up, Saturn pulls down twice as much “come on, come on we can do this! Just hold on a little bit longer, stay with me” i hear an almost pained sound come from Saturn, but a louder, charing one from the dragon behind us “hold Saturn” it takes 5, that took 3, and 

“Now!” i yell, Saturn turns around and angles himself to blast into its mouth, it works! I watch as the wings tear as the dragon burns from the inside, the bigger they are the harder they fall, right? Saturn extends, blasting him up as the beast goes down, it sends a shockwave hot enough to kill, a burning mass that we have to fly up to avoid, i try and shift his tail but i watch it fall away “no” i cant let Saturn get hurt. I look up to see its tail “NO!” i dont even scream as i fall off, i cant, im only semi-conscious when i get knocked off, all i feel is a searing pain, and the hopes that Saturn and Jedediah are okay…

Chapter Text

I dont know how long its been when i wake, the only reason i know im still alive is the feeling of Saturn bapping me awake with his nose “hey Saturn” he continues to bap me as i pet him “happy to see you too, bud” he licks as my face, my happiness is cut short from the sharp pain in my rips, i sit up and clutch my side, only to look up in confusion “im- in, my house?” i ask, pointlessly, i look over to Saturn “you’re in my house” he happily bounces around “do people know you’re here?! I-” he clambers onto a beam in the roof “Saturn get down fr-” i pull off the blanket that sits on my lower half, and move to plant myself down, first my right leg, then my left, now prosthetic one. Saturn sniffs it and looks up at me, i sigh. Hoisting myself up, i try and walk, awkwardly, off-balance, a bit in pain. The next step sends me tumbling forward, Saturn catching me before i can fall, “thanks bud” he trills and lets me use him as a balance, standing firmly before opening the door. 

A Monsterous Nightmare appears at my door, i quickly shut it “Saturn, stay put” i say, opening it again to find…Lance riding it? No, all of the crew are riding dragons, in fact, the dragons seem to be happily roaming around, some perched on the roofs and running around, playing fetch, confusion fills me to the brim, what happened ? “I knew it, im dead” i hear a laugh, moving to see Larry “no, not yet, but you gave it a good try” he pats my shoulder and moves me along “what do you think?” the townspeople look at me, smiling and asking me how im doing, “turns out, all we needed was a little more..” he gestures “this” i smile, bashfully, still quite confused “you just gestured to all of me” he nods “well, most of you” Attila comes into view, right next to Larry and points to my left leg “that bits my handiwork, with a little bit of Octavius-flare, you think its good?” i look to it “i might make a few adjustments” he laughs like he expected it, and honestly, i think he did. I feel a punch on my arm i make a noise of confusion while someone says “thats for scaring me”

I turn to see jedediah “w-wha is it going to be like this every time because i-” i feel his lips on mine as he pulls me in, i sigh into it, smiling a bit while he pulls away “-i could get used to it” Attila gives me something “made from your own designs, i gotta say, someone taught you well” he chuckles “welcome home, Octavius” i look to Jedediah and smile, but a thought occurred to me “d-do you know where, he went?” Larry shrugs “not quite, the town decided to not let a guy who started yelling at his unconscious child who saved them all lead anymore, so he took a spare ship and started sailing” i nod, and he puts a hand on my shoulder “i think Nicky will be happy to have a big brother” i smile “and” jedediah adds on “you’re still heir to chiefdom, if you want the title” the thought makes me shrug “i dunno” i say, Saturn bounting up to us “i think im gonna do something a little more grand in the meantime” 

“You in?” 

“You know i am” 

It takes little time to set it all into place, my prosthetic clicking in nicely as i grab the harness “you ready?” Saturn grunts a yes, i look over “you ready too?” jedediah rolls his eyes with a smile. 

My name, is Octavius and this is my home, Meiusorian. Its weather is horrible and you’re more likely to have an untimely demise to drowning or water damage more than anything else, the food is, bland and unchanging, the people even more so and we are of course, notoriously stubborn, our home is smack dab in the middle of a dragon hotspot. Which is, in all retrospect, a great perk, yes its dangerous, but boring, and there is little reason for staying, but its my home, and i wouldnt have it any other way.