Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Leo, third son of Lord Garon, a minor noble serving in His Majesty’s Aerial Corps, stared at the wobbling yellow-orange dragon egg and felt the blood drain from his face. All around him, fellow men and women of the Corps stood watching. They surely thought him as poised as ever, standing stiff and tall and staring the egg down. But inside, Leo struggled to push back his anxiety. He risked a quick sideways glance, and scowled when he noted Niles’ slight smile.

“Nervous, milord?” the retainer whispered. Niles had insisted on accompanying Leo to the life of the Corps when they were both young, and once Leo had his dragon, Niles would likely hold a high rank upon that dragon.

“Of course not,” Leo responded, eyes narrowing slightly at Niles’ knowing expression. “I’m just thinking of names.” In truth, Leo was already settled on a name, one he’d been attached to since childhood: Brynhildr. Such a powerful name would suit his new beast.

Niles nodded slightly. He stepped beside Leo and leaned forward, watching the egg as it’s wobbling intensified. Leo startled when he felt a hand subtly squeeze his, and he barely had time to return it before Niles returned to his place. Taking courage from the act, Leo mentally steeled himself, or so he would’ve if a bit of eggshell didn’t nearly smack his face.

“Your dragon is a messy one,” Niles observed, his cat-like grin obvious now. Leo would’ve reprimanded him, except more bits of shell were breaking off. He watched as, finally, the dragonet inside kicked and writhed enough to be free of the egg, though bits of shell were scattered all over and around it.

Standard procedure for harnessing a baby dragon involved feeding it, putting the harness around it, and speaking with it. Otherwise, said the experts, the dragonet would become feral, and have to be sent to the breeding grounds and kept complacent to be of any use to humans.

This dragonet was supposed to be a Cauchador Real, a breed native to the deserts of Spain, and forefather to the larger Regal Coppers that Britain loved. Leo, hefting the harness in his hands, noted that it matched the descriptions. Pale green eyes peered around at the spectators, set upon a smooth orange head that would grow spikes in maturity. The pale yellow underbelly became more and more visible as the hatchling escaped the bits of eggshell beneath it. Its wings spread out wide, displaying darker orange stripes and, at the edges, bright yellow spots. Shaking off some remaining shell, the baby dragon’s gaze settled on Leo as he approached.

“Hello,” Leo began, cursing the slight cracking of his voice. But he had the standard procedure memorized, so he told himself he’d be fine. “I am Leo-”

“Hello, Leo!” the dragon trumpeted back, startling Leo; he didn’t expect to be interrupted, of all things. But it’s voice seemed masculine, as far as dragon voices went. “I am… … I am, uh…” the dragon tilted his head, one way then the other. He looked back and examined himself critically.

Leo leapt at his chance. “May I suggest a name? How about-”

“Odin!” the dragon interrupted, to Leo’s continued surprise. “That’s the thunder god, right?” He looked around, and some of the spectating aviators nodded. Looking back to Leo, Odin spread his brightly-patterned wings wide and lifted his head proudly, “I am Odin Dark! Ruler of storm and sky!” He settled his wings against his back, stared at Leo for a moment longer, then looked aside. “... Odin Dark is hungry. Is there food here?”

Leo snapped out of his daze and looked to Niles, who was already returning from fetching the prepared trough of meat. Leo helped him push it to Odin, who stared at it with wide eyes. “This is for you, B-- Odin,” Leo said. Even as he spoke, Odin fell upon it with the hunger of a newborn dragon, which was quite hungry.

While the baby dragon was busy, Leo glanced to the harness still in his hands. He glanced to Niles, who shrugged. He looked at all the spectators, some of which were also shrugging. One of them offered a thumbs-up, and Leo scowled.

“So, who talked about Norse gods around the dragon eggs?” Niles muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He caught Leo’s gaze and held it. “My lord, fear not. You know as well as I do that few hatchings actually go according to plan.”

“I know, Niles.” Leo frowned, but he couldn’t blame his retainer. He sighed. “I know. … He isn’t feral, is he? I didn’t-”

“Never fear!” The dragonet, Odin ‘Dark’, swallowed the last bit of meat and began grooming after the messy meal. In-between fastidious licking, he spoke. “I am pledged to your service, Lord Leo.” He pauses to examine his claws and, satisfied, finally looked to the young noble. “Together, our enemies will fear the names of Leo and Odin!”

“Captain Leo,” Niles corrected.

“You call him ‘my lord’. He is a Lord, right? Nobility?” Odin, again, looked around, and some of the aviators nodded. “Exactly! Thus, I shall also be pledged to the service of the great Lord Leo!”

“Uh… yes, thank you,” Leo said; some of the tension left him, though he spared another glance to the harness, “You need to put this-”

“A symbol of our bond! I would be honored!” Odin Dark hopped over the empty meat trough, though his tail accidentally knocked it over. He was before Leo in the blink of an eye, standing tall and proud.

“Of course,” Leo managed. He slipped the harness over Odin’s head, despite the dragonet literally vibrating with excitement. Kneeling, he managed to get the loops over Odin’s forelegs. Stepping back, he eyed his handiwork.

“The fit is a little awkward,” Niles observed. “We’ll get that fixed for you, Odin ‘Dark’.”

“Are you also going to be on my crew, fellow servant of Lord Leo?” Odin stretched his neck so that his snout was right in Niles face. He looked him over critically, lingering upon the worn eyepatch in particular.

“I am,” Niles purred. He smirked, absolutely fearless, as a lifetime spent around dragons tended to lead to. “Is that ok with you?” No doubt, he would follow Leo regardless of the dragon’s opinion. But a dragon unhappy with their crew could be a problem, and Leo decided to intercept before that could happen.

“He’s been my retainer since my youth,” Leo explained to the squinting dragonet. “He came with me when we both came here as boys. I trust him with my life.”

“Hmmm… I shall give you a chance,” Odin declared, sitting back on his haunches. “But know that I will watch you closely! After this nap.” With no further ceremony, the young Cauchador Real curled up and fell asleep, as baby dragons also tended to do.

“This is going to be fun,” Niles observed. “He’s a heavy-weight, right?”

“He is,” Leo confirmed with a sigh. “In captivity, Cauchador Reals can reach twenty-five tons in weight. We’ll have the benefit of a large crew, and Odin here will be a valuable asset once he’s older.” They had already discussed this, but the reality of it was finally hitting the young noble. He felt Niles pat his shoulder.

“When do we tell him that you serve His Majesty?” Niles asked with a raised brow.

“Later,” Leo said with a sigh.

“Wise, my lord. In the meantime, I’ll go get someone to fix that harness. Do you need me to fetch anything?” At the question, Leo looked to his retainer and shook his head. “Then I will return soon.”

“Thank you,” Leo murmured. He watched Niles go, then sat by the sleeping dragon, and waited. Most of the other aviators had dispersed by this point, and Leo was grateful for the chance to think. He would need to get a full crew, food for when Odin woke up, a letter to his family…

With a sigh, Leo stood and heralded one of the nearby kids. He might as well write while he waited.

Chapter Text

Leo made one of his customary trips to the post office. He left Odin asleep, though the hatchling’s growth frequently occupied his thoughts. In only a few short days, the dragonet was bigger than a horse. They would begin training soon, once he grew a little more; unfortunately, England’s need was very great, or the young lord would have been fine postponing such rigors.

The trip to the post building was short and familiar. Leo strode up to the front desk and handed over his stack of letters, nearly flinging them when the ground began to shake. He looked back and started, flushing hotly at the muffled laugh from the desk man.

“Lord Leo!” Odin trumpeted in greeting as his great head craned to and fro, interested in the shelves and desks and staring passerby. “I noticed that you left, and so I decided to follow! Also, I am hungry again, and I cannot reach you,” this last added as he tried, and failed, to get his shoulders through the doorway. Leo found himself quite thankful that the builders had taken dragons into account when making these things; he doubted a standard wood frame could withstand the casual strength of a still-growing dragon like Odin.

“What an adventurous little guy,” the wild-haired man commented with far too much amusement.

Leo ignored the comment and stepped up to his dorky dragon. He gave the yellow head a pat, which fully caught Odin’s attention. “Odin, you’re blocking the doorway. You’ll need to back up-- slowly!” he added quickly as the excited hatchling began to do so, and only reluctantly slowed. The young noble followed until they were both outside.

“My Lord Leo, what shall we do on this day?” the dragonet chirped, bouncing from foot to foot. The clack of his talons, not to mention the fact that he’d somehow squeezed his way from the courtyard to the inside of the keep, wasn’t remarked upon by the passing staff. They were already used to this, though Leo hoped that this would end soon. Odin couldn’t physically stick his head through doorways for much longer.

“We are going to read the latest news,” Leo began as he walked back to the courtyard proper; he was relieved, if unsurprised, that Odin followed like a giant yellow puppy. Thinking of a trusted follower reminded him of someone; he frowned. “Odin, wasn’t Niles supposed to be with you?”

“I was. Forgive me, my lord,” Niles said as he joined them from God-knew-where; the man was sneaky beyond reason. “Nature called, and it seems Odin woke up while I was away.”

“Don’t worry, Lord Leo! I will keep Niles in my sight now,” Odin promised; the young dragon failed to notice Niles’ amused smile. As they walked through the courtyard, casually weaving between older, larger dragons and their various scrambling crews, Odin’s great head leaned in. Leo was quite sure the dragon meant to speak in a whisper, but he just wasn’t a soft-spoken being. Not to mention that being a dragon meant he was louder than a human in the first place. “My Lord Leo, I have given thought to your proposal, and I think I have a great idea!”

“My proposal?” Leo raised a brow. They stopped at Odin’s usual spot, a decent-sized clearing set aside for a dragon that would get much bigger.

“I know you want me to call you ‘Captain’. But you’re a noble, and Niles calls you ‘Lord’. So from now on, I'll call you ‘Lord-Captain’,” Odin explained with pride. Niles turned away, but couldn’t fully stifle his laugh.

“Oh, Lord,” Leo breathed in disbelief.

“No, my lord. ‘Lord-Captain’,” Niles corrected. He couldn’t suppress his grin, even in the face of Leo’s glare.

With a sigh, Leo turned to his dragon to scold. But Odin stared at him with such excitement, with that irrepressible wiggle that signified joy. The young noble found himself saying, “Ok, Odin. You may… you may call me Lord-Captain, if you wish. But,” he added quickly as his dragon perked up, “only in formal situations. I’d… much prefer that you otherwise call me Leo.”

“But Niles calls you ‘my lord,’” Odin protested, his wings drooping at his sides.

“A habit I keep trying to break him of,” Leo explained, frowning at his retainer. “I know my family is more formal than most aviators, so forgive me for giving you the impression of formality, Odin. But if you would both simply call me ‘Leo’, I would vastly prefer it. Please.”

The yellow dragon eyed his captain, then finally nodded. “Leo… ok, Leo. You have honored me beyond words!” Odin perked up again as he spoke, as up-and-down a dragon as any Leo had ever known. “Leo! A fine name for the best Lord-Captain ever!”

“My l--” Niles stopped at Leo’s frown. “You won’t get me to drop the title so easily.”

“I can, and I will,” Leo argued. “You have to set an example for Odin now, since he considers himself my retainer.”

Niles matched stares with his liege for a moment longer, than he sighed. “I’ll do my best… Leo. But only when it’s us.”

“I appreciate that,” Leo replied, expression softening. With Odin’s bright bulk blocking their view of the other aviators in the courtyard, it felt as if it were just the three of them. Thus Leo risked stepping closer, taking Niles’ hands in his and squeezing gently. “You do a lot for me, Niles, and…” he trailed off when the one-eyed man interrupted with a kiss. Someday, Leo resolved, he would get to finish his praising sentences for this man.

“Don’t you have mail?” Niles whispered when they parted for air. He glanced to the side and, noting Odin’s intensely curious stare, simply said, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Leo’s face went very red while Odin loudly replied, “Then I eagerly await your explanation! Wait, why is Lord-Captain Leo’s face becoming crimson? Did you poison him with your mou-”

“You’re right, Niles, let’s read the mail,” Leo interrupted, having to raise his voice quite high to intercept Odin’s question. He settled against the warm yellow dragon, cursing his easy ability to blush even as he fumbled with the letters. Niles curled beside him comfortably, and Odin’s head craned over to watch with interest.

Leo read through the mail quickly. He smiled at the congratulations from his family. Most aviators couldn’t expect such support from their kin, but coming from nobles that supported the Aerial Corps had its perks. Odin preened at the written praise, and Niles’ reassuring smile made the wait for this destiny worth it

“Soon, Odin,” Leo murmured, giving the soft part of the snout a pat. “They’ll come soon.” Then he moved on to the rest of the letters, and tensed.

“What is it, my-- Leo?” Niles asked, frowning.

Leo shook his head a little; it was always Xander’s letter that gave the most important news on the front. “The war with Napoleon is escalating; it seems that ‘soon’ means my family will come this week. Odin, your training may start sooner than anticipated.”

Odin wiggled with excitement, his great head lifting and wings shifting. “I’m ready, Leo! I would take on a thousand foes! They will be rent before my fury!”

“I’m sure they will,” Niles commented dryly; this only further excited the yellow dragon. To Leo, he privately said, “He’ll be worked into Selena’s formation, I imagine.”

Leo grimaced. He loved his older sister, but she could be clingy, and her dragon warmed slowly. “Possibly,” he hedged. “We’ll see when they visit.”

“The storm trembles before my might!” Odin was going on, until another dragon hushed him. Then he stood, indignant, and Leo was distracted by the sudden need to stop a fight. He didn’t think about the upcoming family visit again until the next day, when he’d find himself out of time to give it any further thought.