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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 0:04:26 GMT -5
“You’re really trying to make this about you?” Dagur said as he glared in Ruffnut’s direction. How dare she!? He was still in mourning over his sister and just explained about how he was trying to avenge her death, and she tries to guilt him? What kind of a sick move was that?
Granted she did make a point, but that wasn’t the issue here!
“Your brother will not go through what I went through. If I have my way, this war will not end with any bloodshed. You are a product of this problem in Berk, you’re not the cause…so I’m not after you,” Dagur said quietly as his hand rested upon his sword. “Like you said, dragons will always have instincts and they can’t fight against them. Those dragons instincts told them to savagely rip apart my sister…I kill the people that wrong me, and I’ll do EVERYTHING I can to protect what people I have left, and your dragons have endangered that,” he said angrily.
He knew that it wasn’t true. Berk had yet to attack, they hadn’t killed a single soldier. They lied to him though, and that night Hiccup threatened him with that dragon. He should have killed the beast when he had a chance.
“I’ll make sure that the outcasts don’t hurt you. I won’t put through anyone what I had to go through, not if I can avoid it,” he said solemnly as he looked out a nearby barred window. He looked torn, something that Ruffnut had never seen in him. Clearly this entire issue was eating more away at Dagur then anyone had imagined. He wasn’t truly deranged, he had just been placed in a position that no one as young as he should have to endure.
If he didn’t change, he would be destroyed through this battle. There would be no way around it.
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 0:23:39 GMT -5
"About me!?" She yelled. "So, this is about something much bigger than me. It's about you." She said, rather flatly. Well, she could see his point. "Dagur..." She said in a different tone. "Please, listen to me. I know this isn't me, or the dragons, or any of that other bullshit. But, what would Talon think of you if she saw you?" The question was somewhat backhanded, but it was the truth. What would she say? She'd be absolutely horrified if something like that happened to Tuffnut, especially if she had to live with that guilt.
There hadn't actually been any wrong doing on either side. Stoick had been trying to keep the peace and after the treaty was signed, they might have come clean about the dragons. But... when Dagur said what he had, it was clear they could never tell him the truth and that was... just the way things were.
"Thank you..." She said softly. "I guess I should at least try to appreciate what you're trying to do for me. You are doing your best to protect me and... it means something. But I want you to keep something in mind too... You kidnapped me from my home. For all my brother and father know, I'm dead. This has nothing to do with me, this has to do with THEM."
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 0:39:11 GMT -5
Dagur had been pacing for some time before Ruffnut asked the question about what Talon would have thought of him if she saw him now. What would she think? He slowly pulled out his sword and held it as if the weight of every action he made rested in him holding his grip on to the sword. He looked down upon it and saw his own face in the reflection. He stared for a few moments before suddenly slamming the sword back in to its sheath. “She’d be afraid of me, and right to do so...but had I lead the tribe like this from the beginning, she’d still be alive.”
When Ruffnut brought up her point he was quiet for some time. “I can’t just send you back, not without causing problems with Alvin,” Dagur said in a low voice as he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t overheard by even his own men. “You may be a rider but it’s Hiccup that’s been bothering me,” he said. He was quiet for some time before looking over towards her.
“Your dragon, what do you call it…..what does it mean to you?”
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 1:10:28 GMT -5
She'd be afraid... That, actually scared Ruffnut more. What came after that, however caused a strange pain in her heart she'd only ever felt when Tuffnut got sick when they were young and didn't wake for days. She'd be alive if Dagur was then the way he was now. There might be some truth to that, but would it be worth it? Then again, would she be like Dagur if it meant protecting Tuffnut and keeping him safe? Absolutely. She loved her brother, even if she'd never say it out loud. The twins had actually never spoken of their affection or love for one another. They rarely even hugged and only did that when they were alone and in distress.
"I think I understand your anger." She finally said, because she did. If something happened to Tuffnut, it would feel like her life was over. It's why she had to get home.
Alvin. That fucking bastard. "I'm not asking you to send me back, Dagur, I'm asking you to trust me, and to give me a chance." She wasn't sure he'd even understand this. At least he was listening now though. Hiccup? Why Hiccup becase he lied? She wondered. But, in the end, she sighed.
"My dragon?" she asked, surprised. "You tried to kill them. The Zippleback your men captured. Tuff and I were fighting, so Barf and Belch were running around fighting too. My head is the one on the left, that barfs up gas. Tuffnut's head is the one on the left and ignites it. Both the heads have different personalities and act independently. They share a body, but not a mind." There was a pause and she smiled. "They're... just like me and Tuff. Everyone sees us as the same person, despite us being different people. Our dragon means everything to me. It's like we have two dragons. Both of the heads like us, but we have one that's ours. Sometimes when Tuff and I argue, our dragons will fight because they care about us. Belch has bitten me for kicking my brother around once too often. But they're loyal to us and only us. They won't take commands from anyone else. Not even Hiccup."
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 1:25:33 GMT -5
Dagur pondered upon Ruffnut’s words for some time. He stared off and just thought, not knowing what to say or what to do. He sighed and looked at her, hearing everything she said from what she wanted, to understanding him, even the parts about her dragon and how she described it. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could make up on the spot, she actually thought about her answer when she gave it. He wanted to believe her, was it possible that they could co-exist? As much as Dagur disagreed with what his father did, he understood why he wanted it. If no one had to die, wasn’t that a good thing?
Could peace between Dagur and Stoic be a reality?
“As much as I hated my father, he did make one comment that I understood,” Dagur said before looking over at Ruffnut again. He walked closer to her. He was close enough that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to. Maybe she’d try to stab him, he didn’t know…this was a part of his test for her. “He always told me that trust was a two-way street, that it couldn’t be from just one side…what happens to me if I decide to trust you?”
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 1:38:13 GMT -5
Ruffnut had always wanted to kill a dragon. It was something great she wanted forever, but if she earned the right to kill one in training and killed one before her brother, it would shame his name. Tuffnut was the eldest and a son, he had to be the first or else he'd be disgraced, at least in the views of men. Not just that, but they weren't mature enough then, not like they were now. She had wanted to kill them, because it was he life, her culture. But she wanted to fight warriors more. There was nothing sporting in killing an animal in a cage and she found it a disgusting custom. But... that's what her people did. Living with them, training them, that was something she was happy to find.
"What would trusting me buy you?" She asked, as if it was a trick question. There was no way she could answer that question... Not... not honestly anyway.
What could she offer him, really? What was there that she could give him and it would all be okay? There was nothing and she knew that. There was so much he'd lost and nothing she could give him that would make it better. The world had failed him because of someone else's blood lust, someone else's anger. They took from Dagur something so precious to him that he couldn't get over the pain of that loss. And Ruffnut couldn't even imagine what it was to lose that.
Reaching her hands through the bars, the tips of her soft fingers grazed his face. They drifted from his check to the tattoo beside his eye. "I can show you why you don't need a third tattoo." She said, knowing it was the only thing that was the honest truth. She could show him a world, outside of the violence he'd trapped himself within, surrounded by nothing but blood and hatred.
He was so close that she could touch him. She could steal his sword and run him through with it. She still had a few knives and could carve his heart out of his chest, despite the armor. But, that would be dishonorable, a horrible stain on her name, especially since she wouldn't survive it. Instead, however, she pulled off his helmet and put it on the floor outside of the cell so he could pick it up. The helmet obscured his scar, so she couldn't see the whole thing.
"Trust goes two ways." She stood up, looking at him without the protection around his head, for the first time since they were kids. "You've vowed to protect me from Alvin, and a chief and a man with honor keeps his promises. I trust you. Don't think it was lost on me what you did. You told Gobber to consider the treaty sign. After the incident with Hiccup and Toothless, you waited an entire year for the treaty to expire. You kept your word against attacking Berk. If you're the man I think you are, I can show you what dragons are really like. I heard the men talking. They want to see me train a dragon. Mildew is wrong. I'm almost as good as Hiccup, my style is just different. I'll train a dragon for Alvin, and, in exchange, you need to keep your promise. I don't have enough weapons or strength to fight of men coming in here at night, not when they haven't fed me in four days."
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 1:49:22 GMT -5
Dagur didn’t stop her. Her actions were her own, and he would allow them to show this woman for what she was. Would she attempt to steal his weapon and kill him, or would she actually take the time and try to accomplish something with him. She chose to touch him, to feel the scars that he had and hold him close and take his helmet off. He allowed her to do everything, choosing to see what trust would do for him.
He hadn’t trusted anyone but himself since Talon died. The first person that he had started to trust was Hiccup, but that was destroyed when Hiccup had turned on Dagur to protect that Night Fury. They could have been brothers, comrades that Dagur felt like he hadn’t had in so long.
When she spoke he listened with his mind. She may be lying, she may be manipulating him to try and kill him later, but what would be the point? If she killed Dagur, his men would rip her apart even if the outcasts wanted her alive. Regardless, he knew that when she said she was going to try and convince him that she meant it. It might not work, but she wanted to try. He just gazed back at her, those hurt eyes just staring back at her sympathetic ones.
Dagur slowly reached up and took her hand and pulled it down. A moment later she’d feel something heavy drop in to it. In her hand was now a bright red apple that probably looked like the most appetizing thing Ruffnut had ever seen after going without food for so long.
Dagur took a step back. “I’ll tell Alvin that you are willing to work with him tomorrow on the condition that you get a meal before you train the dragon. You’ll eat…and then I will watch and see what my trust earns me,” he said before backing up. “I have spent much time here…I should go.”
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 1:55:24 GMT -5
He grabbed her arm and she thought he was about to break it before he put an apple in it. She looked up at him, in surprise and then smiled at him. That was how she thanked people, how she'd always thanked her brother or father. To say something like that was a sign of weakness, to mushy and weak. It wasn't... ideal, and for a woman, it made her look weaker than she truly was. And Ruffnut was not weak. She drew her arm back into the cell, still holding the apple.
"I agree." There was a pause for a moment. "There is something I must do tomorrow while I train that dragon, and I ask that you don't judge me for it when you see it. But I made my own promises and I will fulfill it. You'll understand what it is and why I have to do it, for there are men who lack honor."
Silence. A silence followed as he put his helmet back on and backed away from her. Watching his back, she called to him. "I couldn't do it..." Her voice was just above a whisper. "I'm not strong enough to go through what you did... My identity is so entwined with my brothers that we can't even ride our dragon when we're separated. I respect you more for what your sister means to you because my brother means the same to me. And I don't think I could live without him."
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 1:59:45 GMT -5
Dagur had no idea what she was talking about, and apparently she wasn’t going to provide details to him at this time. It was probably to make sure that it didn’t seem like Dagur knew so much more than everyone else. That was what he told himself at least, there was still the possibility that this girl would find a way to kill him tomorrow. Well if she did at least he wouldn’t have long to worry about it. “I’ll do what I can to not judge you at that time,” he said before walking away.
As she called back to him he stopped in his tracks and listened to what she had to say. He didn’t look back until the very end. His look was one of loss and sadness. “You’d be surprised what you can live without, but that doesn’t mean you should ever have to know what that feels like,” Dagur said quietly before turning away again. “But thank you,” was the last thing he said before he walked out of the prison with his two guards.
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 2:19:21 GMT -5
There was nothing she could say to him after that. She might be able to live without him, but Tuffnut was her twin, it would be like losing her own soul. There could be no greater punishment that the Gods could force upon her than to separate her from her brother after putting them through their lives together, bond to be a single entity, known by two names. She swore there were people in their village that didn't even know which name belonged to which twin. Some assumed that she was Tuffnut. She'd heard them call out to her with this name.
It was... something she prayed in that instance she'd never have to know. The pain of losing her brother. That was the only thing she couldn't bare to live with.
And, knowing that Dagur felt it just made her wish that this could end differently, outside of a war. Everything that happened... The council and chief assumed there was no reason, but there was a reason for what Dagur had done. Oswald, friend of Stoick or not was a spineless fish. He deserved to die if he wouldn't do anything to avenge his daughter. It sounded strange but, Dagur had done the right thing. Even if it extended too far to kill all of those dragons.
The apple in her hand was heavy, and she ate it quickly after he'd left. After that, she pelted it through the prison and out the window on the opposite side. If they found out Dagur fed her, they could be angered.
After that, she slept, knowing she'd need it. Savage woke her in the morning, by ringing a sword in the bars of her cell. They asked if she'd come out civilly, and she agreed. They gave her a meal and watched her eat and drink before they bond her arms behind her back in chains and brought her to the area where they often killed dragons. They removed the metal, but left her bound with ropes while the soldiers left. Looking up, Ruffnut could see Dagur beside Alvin.
Looking forward, they opened a cell and a hideous zippleback crept into the arena with her. One head, kept letting out puffs of gas in order to try to sicken her. But since she breathed in her own dragons gas, it had no effect. She moved back, away from the dragon slowly until she touched a wall. Alvin yelled something and she brushed her back against the rocks and pulled a dagger from her hair. She cut the ropes and returned the knife to her hair so the dragon wouldn't see it. Then, she walked away from the wall, her hands free.
Seeing her movements, the dragon's two heads shifted around to watch her, four pairs of eyes glowering, long teeth chattering as the dragons made sounds to one another. This Zippleback was different than BarfBelch. It was around the same size, but yellow and orange. It's heads were different too. It looked different. The red spines on it's back were the same. It's legs were shorter and it was lower to the ground with a flatter tail.
She glanced up at the walls, seeing Mildew there with Fungus. Perfect. She came up to the dragon slowly and touched the part where the necks split from the body. The dragon growled in anger and the igniting head started to spark, as if to set off the gas. She jumped back onto the side of the rocks and climbed them, ending where Mildew was. The man scowled at her, but she reached through the bars and grabbed the sheep, drawing it in. She pulled a knife from her breast and cut behind the sheep's neck and with ease skinned it.She then cut and tore the beast in half. She whistled, which got both dragons attention and threw the lamb down to it.
Mildew immediate screamed in anger at her and kicked her hand that held the bar close to him. She stumbled, but didn't fall. Turning, she grabbed him by the shirt and slit his throat as well. He fell to the ground, bleeding out as she jumped down onto the dragon's back. It finished the meal she'd given it and one of the heads moved over to her, picking her up by her shirt and placing her on the ground. Both heads lowered to be at her side and each nudged against her for attention. The heads tangled around her, before letting her go. A smile came to her face, a true, genuine smile and she put the dagger away. Her dress had already been ripped and torn, but now it was stained in the blood of the sheep and of the man she'd killed.
To this point, she had killed ten Outcast men.
Turning to look toward Alvin and Dagur, she made it clear that her vow was the one she'd made to Mildew the night before. She'd taken his life for his betrayal. Her village meant everything to her and she intended to keep their honor by removing a disgrace to their name.
She rubbed the barf head under it's jaw and it came down to her. She did the same to the other head, with some difficulty since the heads moved apart slightly and it laid down at her side, both heads close together, content with her. The gas was gone and the dragon was completely subdued, calm now that it had been fed and played with.
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 15:38:48 GMT -5
The next day, Dagur was told to wait at the arena for Ruffnut to show up. He had passed the message on to Alvin on the conditions that Ruffnut would tame a dragon. He would make sure that she had been fed and taken care of as he promised her. He assumed that she had been smart enough to throw the apple core away last night after she had eaten. Alvin wouldn’t be happy to learn that Dagur had fed his prisoner behind his back.
Not that Dagur gave a shit about what that moron thought of him. He had no honor, at least Dagur was fighting for something besides himself. This was what he told himself at least.
When Ruffnut was eventually cut loose, she made an interesting decision. Rather than doing exactly what she said she would do, she decided to take a bit of a detour. It led to the man known as Mildew being killed, and a sheep being torn in half. That was….brutal, he liked it. Dagur smiled and stopped his men from moving towards Ruffnut. He just held that same smile and shook his head, making sure that they left her alone.
Afterwards the dragons seemed to take care of her and hold her, protect her. It was something that he had never really seen before. He scratched his chin momentarily before looking over at Alvin. “Technically she did do what was promised,” he said as he held back a laugh. “I do hope that he wasn’t of any more use to you.”
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 16:05:27 GMT -5
Alvin didn't seem all that upset. In recent days, Mildew had become a problem and was starting to annoy him. It went without saying that Alvin wanted him dead, but he thought the old man could still have some value in terms of Berk, so he kept him around. He'd kept him away from the other Outcasts, since they also were starting to lust for his blood. Still, it got his blood flowing to see a girl so young kill with ease. It was rather impressive.
Seeing the corpse twitch, he let out his own laugh. When he started laughing, the other men followed suit. "Well my girl, you're nothing like what I expected a warrior of Berk to be. I appreciate your style." Another horrid laugh. "An interesting thing you did here. You did train it alright. I want to see an explosion."
Ruffnut's hand rested on one of the heads, stroking it. The dragon opened it's mouth, making a small noise. The Zippleback had a dangerous venom and should it's teeth pierce her, the poison would kill her in minute. The dragons teeth were about seven inches long, sharper than needles , and could inject enough to kill a Monstrous Nightmare. Barely five tablespoons would kill a man Alvin's size.
But she didn't even look at the dragon, the teeth touching her skin as she rubbed both heads before they started to fight for her attention. "I can't train them to do that immediately. A zippleback needs two riders." it was not strictly speaking, the full truth. Barf and Belch would take commands from both her and her brother, or only one, if the other was missing. Both heads could obey her, but the attention she gave to one might cause jealousy in the other.
Moving away from the dragon, it made a sound and stood up, both of its heads up. They watched her move and she moved her hand toward her. Turning to look up at Alvin, she commanded, "Give me a barrel of fish." She stated.
A soldier brought it in for her. As soon as the gate opened, the dragon went to charge the gate. Ruffnut whistled and it stopped, turning to face her. One of the heads seemed to agree, but the other wanted to kill the Outcast who brought the food. She went to the dragon, rubbing it's stomach. "Go." She told the man in the cell. "If they attack, I can't stop them. Not yet anyway."
Once the soldier was gone, she went to the barrel and picked up a cod. It took about ten minutes, but she taught the dragon to come to her based on a hand sign, rewarding it when it did well. After about half an hour, she had the dragon fire two shots exactly as Alvin had instructed her: straight up into the air, through the cell, not aimed at any of his men.
The more time she spent with the dragon, the more it let her do. Now she could climb on it's back, standing to touch the heads. They kept making strange noises that she knew meant affection and it made her smile. When she wasn't on it's back, the dragon kept its tail on the ground in a semi-circle around her. It was a symbol that they'd protect her, something Ruffnut had seen Barf and Belch do for years.
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 16:49:59 GMT -5
Dagur continued to watch with interest as Ruffnut continued to train the dragon. He was observing far more than usual for his style, but this was something that he needed to force himself to do. He had to consider that he was wrong. If dragons could be tamed, than fighting Berk could potentially be suicide for him and all his men. Would Dagur risk all those lives in order to satisfy his own bloodlust? Truth be told, he still hadn’t decided. It was why he needed to do as he promised and watch the girl with this dragon. If she could do everything she said she could…than a change of plan was necessary.
Dagur watched the dragon nearly go and kill the outcast man, but Ruffnut was able to stop it. This surprised Dagur, she had only met the dragon within a half hour and she could stop it from killing a man already? It seemed strange to him, and it further proved that she might be telling the truth. The dragon had acted upon his instinct to fight and kill, but Ruffnut had been able to stop him. That was most….interesting, and surprising. Dagur still wasn’t even sure what to really say about it. He hadn’t really believed that it could be done, and yet here he was seeing it for himself.
“Question,” Dagur said as Ruffnut continued to bond with the dragon. “About how long would you say it takes to fully train a dragon? You said that if it attacked you couldn’t stop it yet, how long would it take for you to make that happen?”
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Post by Fateful on Nov 5, 2013 16:58:56 GMT -5
The dragon reacted well to her. Since they were eating, the two were much happier around her. They were watching her closely, and every time the Outcasts moved, one head would watch them and the other would watch her, as if for instructions.
By the time she had taught them to fire on command, the sparking head licked her neck and face. It made a sweet sound that was almost like a purr. When Dagur asked his question, Ruffnut glanced to him. "It really depends on the dragon and the trainer. For the most part, you have to convince them not to kill you. They learn on their own and can change their minds if they were originally aggressive toward a human. It has to do with the trainer's personality and how much they can teach effectively." Alvin had trained dragons, and since he couldn't keep them trained, it was obvious he lacked respect and so did his men.
"It took my brother and I about... two weeks for Barf and Belch to obey us completely. They won't even take food from our father."
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Post by nyrax on Nov 5, 2013 17:05:00 GMT -5
“Interesting” Dagur said to himself as he listened to Ruffnut answer his question. So dragons actually worked better with different riders? Any rider couldn’t just ride any dragon? He was starting to see why a zippleback would listen to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, they were twins after all. It was like Mildew had said, they shared a dragon and worked together in order to make the dragon work. That was very interesting, and potentially it explained why the dragons didn’t like Alvin….
Dagur glanced over to Alvin and was curious to what he was thinking about. He stayed silent for a moment before looking over towards Alvin. “I think that we’ve perhaps seen enough for today. We don’t want her getting too friendly with the dragon after all,” he said as an excuse to get Ruffnut away from the dragon. He needed to have another talk with her. While he had decided to trust her, he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel now that he had seen what he had.
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