We all know the story of Berk, told through the eyes of a young boy named Hiccup. But what if he wasn't there to tell it anymore? What if the story was different? This is that story, the story of Clover, the firstborn daughter to Chief Arne of Haive, the sister village to Berk.
While located far away from Berk, Haive shared the same "pest problem" that Berk did, albeit with a different nest. They suffered through hardships and fights that normal men would have perished in.
But what happens when one viking, the laughing stock of the village and daughter to the chief, doesn't want to fight? Doesn't want to kill a dragon? On her own things seemed difficult, but upon the arrival of a strange girl riding a dragon, maybe the Gods finally decided she was worth something?
Im posting this here too because I want to share this with as many people as I can- Originally it's posted on Tumblr and on Ao3. I may forget I posted it on here and stop updating it here, so if that ever happens, just go to ao3, it's under the same name, and I've got the same username on there as well. Fair warning, this mainly focuses on ocs.
The town square as vikings gathered to see what was going on. Few saw the woolly howl crash into the ground, nobody expected there to be a rider on the dragon's back. She was screaming, horrified by the blood and scales that were scattered across the ground. The rider wore strange clothes, her hair a soft blue. Nothing about the girl seemed normal. When she tried to break the dragon free from the ropes, someone yanked her away from the furry-looking beast. Her screams to the dragon almost seemed like dragon growls.
Pushing his way through the crowd, the chief growled, glaring at the rider and her dragon. After seeing how she struggled against the man who dragged her away from the dragon, his hand dove to the hilt of his blade. Deciding the girl could be useful in finding the dragon's nest, he turned towards her, "I'll make this simple for you. Tell me how to find the nest and I'll let that beast of yours live."
The girl froze for a moment. She didn't even know where a nearby nest would be; they did fly relatively close to one, but she didn't know how to get back to it. If she gave any hints on how to find one, so many more dragons would die, but she wasn't about to risk the life of her dragon, her brother. She remained quiet for only a moment before glaring at the man, "Don't touch him!" She shouted, struggling once again to get free.
"Wait! Dad! Wait a second!" A girl who looked far too small to be the chief's daughter called out as she pushed through to the center of the crowd. Quickly putting herself in between her father and the woolly howl, she looked up at him, "What if we put it in the arena? So we can learn about them in case another one of them shows up?" She suggested, her sleeves were long enough to cover her crossed fingers.
The chieftain's eyes narrowed for a moment, considering what his daughter had said. It wasn't a bad idea, maybe she was finally starting to grow up. "Lock her up, so she can't help the other dragons escape. Take the devil to the arena." He ordered, his eyes moving towards the rest of the crowd, "The rest of you get ready to set sail at dawn." The villagers nodded, swiftly moving to do the tasks their chief had ordered them to do.
As the crowd dispersed, Clover's head dropped a little as she watched the woolly howl get dragged toward the arena, knowing that while she bought it time, she had just sentenced the dragon to weeks of torment. Would she have done the same thing if it was the light fury she had set free a few days prior? Shaking her head, she started walking towards her home, wondering if it was even possible to help that downed dragon. She glanced back for a second, the rider's shouts only reminded her of how she'd shout whenever someone threatened her little brother.
She ignored the other teens as she walked past, their usual insults going through one ear and right out the other. 'Useless, weakling, helpless, hopeless,' she heard the words so many times. Most of the time it came from the boy she was betrothed to. It wasn't written in stone just yet, but she knew it was bound to happen. Everyone thought he was better fitted to be the future chief than she ever would be.
As she got home, she ran up the stairs. When she saw her younger brother asleep already, she smiled lightly, hoping he would stay asleep throughout the night. Clover quickly grabbed the sketchbook from under her pillow before quietly making her way down the stairs once again. She had to get the dragon rider to help her, otherwise the light fury probably wouldn't ever fly again. "Odin, I hope I'm doing the right thing." She muttered under her breath as she headed out the door.
Taking the longest way she could think of to the jail cells, she mentally prepared herself for whatever beration the rider would have. As she got closer to the cells, she kept her eyes out for the only guard, hoping that he wouldn't be near enough to the door for her to enter the building. Quickly taking a peek inside, she sighed in relief seeing nobody inside. Slowly she walked inside, making her way to the only occupied cell.
Looking into the cell, she bundled up her sleeve in one of her hands. The rider sat in the corner of the cell, her knees pulled tight to her chest. She didn't look up until Clover spoke, "Look, I know you have absolutely no reason to trust me but I need your help. And… and not with trying to find the nest. I need help with helping a dragon…" she said quietly. Looking at the sketchbook in her hand for a second, she frowned lightly, realizing it was too dark to really see anything in it. "A couple days ago, I sort've shot down a dragon, and now it's stuck on the other side of the island in a cove and can't fly…"
The rider looked up at her, glaring daggers into her soul. Clover frowned lightly when she growled like a dragon once again. A part of her wondered if she could understand them, but she doubted that was possible. "You're damn right I don't fucking trust you!" The rider finally said in words she could understand. "But… if what you're saying is true, then there's a downed dragon out there who's going to die if it doesn't get helped. I'm sure you're very aware of what a downed dragon is." She muttered, crossing her arms as she got to her feet.
Feeling like the girl didn't trust her, Clover held her free hand towards the cell door, "If you help me help that light fury, I'll try and figure out a way to get you and your dragon out. Deal?"
The rider grabbed Clover's hand, glaring at the viking. "I'll help you." She muttered. Her grip quickly tightened as she yanked her towards the door. "But if I find out you're using my words to hurt dragons, I will break out of here, and I WILL kill you."
Gulping, Clover quickly nodded, "I promise I won't hurt any dra-" she quickly pulled her hand free when she heard voices outside. She hid in one of the empty cells further from the door. Trying to stay as quiet as she could, she did her best to listen to what was being said. If anyone saw her in there, both the woolly howl and light fury would probably die.
As the voices faded, she calmed down slightly, though her heart was still racing. "What… What do dragons like to eat? Fish? They like fish, right?" She asked quickly, starting to pace back and forth.
Sighing quietly, relieved Clover didn't run, the rider's nodded. "Yeah, they love it." She explained, crossing her arms. "They just don't like…" her voice trailed off as Clover ran for the door, "... eels…" she leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor. Closing her eyes, she pulled her knees to her chest, hoping that her brother would be okay.