Greetings Citizens of Earth

This fanfiction is a bit different from others as this is not necessarily 'original'. I am using a story told in another fanfiction as the basis for this story. So yes, a HUGE thank you to QueenAurora for leting me use a story from her fanfiction Return of the Dragon Rider to write this one. (Go favorite and follow all of her stuff, she is an amazing writer)

A few things to note: This isn't canon. Like all fanfictions, this is my own take on events that QueenAurora first set. Second, this has little to do with ROTDR, as it happens before that story takes place. And lastly, the OC, Wrenlou, and his dragon Snowflake are her characters, not mine. He is a major part in her canon of events, though, so he is in this story.

Carry on.

Chapter One

"Oh my gods." Hiccup murmured. "This is..."

"Amazing?" Wrenlou grinned. "Welcome to Rome, brother!"

Hiccup gazed around him in wonder at the bustling streets, towering buildings, and overwhelming conflicting scents of the marketplace. Berk had been nearly empty, as crowded as it seemed on days that he was getting roughed up. Dragoncity even, was organized enough that the throngs of people weren't oppressive. But here...it was pure, unadulterated chaos.

And he loved it.

Hiccup turned to Wrenlou, a grin playing across his lips. "What is this place?"

The other man smiled at him, heterochromatic eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, you aren't going to find out by standing there. Come on."

Hiccup was exhausted. They had walked what felt like a thousand miles in the past few hours, trying different foods, watching street performers, and getting swept into the glamour of the majestic city.

He sat down on the ground, away from the crowds of people, under the shade of a tall tree he didn't recognize. Wincing, he rubbed his leg where flesh met his prosthetic.

"This is worse than when we had to go through training for the Guard. Thor's beard."

Wrenlou waved a finger at him. "Ah ah ah, the Romans worship different gods. Jupiter, the god of lightning would be the corresponding god to your Thor. Although they are slightly different."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He didn't really think about the fact that others had different religious views than he. Even in Dragoncity, with his friends, he didn't think about it much.

"Actually, you're wrong." They looked up to see a tall man with light hair and piercing blue eyes, almost completely outfitted in armor, standing above them.

"Excuse me?" Wrenlou asked, sounding a bit offended.

"We Romans don't reject the gods of other cultures."

Hiccup, even more confused, held up a hand. "What on earth does that mean?"

The man laughed. "When Rome conquers other places, their gods and parts of their religious culture become...absorbed into our own." He winked. "Although I still respect Our Lord Jupiter."

Wrenlou folded his arms over his chest. "And who might you be?"

The man inadvertently drew himself up a bit. "My name is Antoninus. Clearly you're not from around here, so I thought I might come over to chat."

Hiccup felt a bit apprehensive about the man, and said carefully, "No, we aren't from around here. Why do you care?" Another thought occurred to him. "And how do you know our language?"

"You're from the Caribbean, obviously. The language you're speaking is more a dialect of Roman than anything else. And as you were misunderstanding a large part of our Roman culture, I would say that it's a good thing I did care." Hiccup accepted the explanation, his trepidation fading, though not entirely. There was still something off about the man.

Antoninus looked back quickly, as if checking something, and cursed. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Duty calls." He nodded a farewell, and jogged away.

"That was odd." Hiccup remarked when Antoninus was out of earshot. Wrenlou didn't respond, and when Hiccup looked over, he saw that his best friend had his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Then they widened.

"Oh wow." He murmured.

"What?"

"Hiccup, I think that was a centurion."

Hiccup furrowed his brow. "What's a centurion?"

"It's a commander, essentially of the Roman army. A very high rank. Kind of like Captain of the Guard back home at Dragon city."

"Oh." Hiccup refocused his attention back on the man, who was weaving his way through the crowd, and was soon lost from sight.

The moment passed in contemplation, the noises of the city of Rome providing a buzzing ambience. "So what do you want to do next?" Hiccup asked. "We don't have forever here, and Snowflake and Toothless won't wait indefinitely."

Wrenlou frowned and hummed thoughtfully, sticking his tongue on the inside of his cheek so that it poked up slightly. "We could-"

Suddenly, a shout of alarm filled the air. Reflexively, both men were to their feet in an instant. A ripple of panic had shot through the crowd, and Wrenlou and Hiccup exchanged a glance.

Then, they forged into the marketplace.

It didn't take long to find the consternation's source. The market goers had formed a circle around two people. On closer inspection, one of them turned out to be Antoninus. The other was a rough-looking man holding a knife.

"You will pay, centurion!" The latter snarled, and Antoninus eyed him warily.

"It wasn't my fault. It was the law. I was merely the one who executed it."

"You killed my brother!"
In a flurry of motion, the smaller man charged Antoninus, who had no time to react. Hiccup pushed through the crowd, despite Wrenlou's protests to stay away.

"Antoninus!" He shouted, although the sound as lost in the screaming of the crowd.

Finally, the ruffian pulled away. The centurion lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, and Hiccup knew the man was dead. Even though he had only just met the man, he felt a small twinge of remorse.

The man who had killed Antoninus glanced over Hiccup, and without warning, disappeared into the crowd, but not before thrusting the blood-laced knife into his hands. Reeling in surprise, he turned to try and apprehend the murderer.

"Him!" Someone shouted. Whipping around, Hiccup saw men atop horses, clearly guards.

One of them had his finger outstretched towards him.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "No..." He murmured. "No, I didn't kill Antoninus."

"Of course not." Two of them dismounted, and came up beside him, firmly grasping his arms. He writhed in a panic.

"Wrenlou!" His head swiveled, trying to find him in the crowds.

"Hiccup!" The reply came, but it was too late. The guards had already bound his wrists together, and were dragging him away.

Wide-eyed, Hiccup shoved against one of the guards, cursing as he did often that he was so small. "No, please, I didn't do anything, I'm just visiting, I-"

He cut off as one of the Roman officers clapped him on the head.

"Wrenlou..." Hiccup murmured, and the world spiraled away into darkness.