Hey everyone, it's acw28 here with another new story!

So this story is one of four that I'm publishing because I've either had the idea for a long time or I've been thinking about it too much. After you've read this, and the others if they strike your interest, can you head over to my profile and vote on which one I should develop more? Thank you.

So I got the idea for this while reading a different fanfic, which for the life of me I can't remember the title of. Anyway, at the end of one of their author's notes they mentioned they'd only be writing one story at a time but they had a few ideas on what to write next, one of them being a gladiator AU. I left a review saying that I'd really want to see that, and the idea stuck with me, resulting in this story.

Even though I'm a History Major, I'm not a historian. I will have some elements that are historically accurate, but much of the gladiator system I'm using is going to be historically inspired. Also before anyone asks, no Hiccup and Toothless will not be in Rome, just a decent sized Roman settlement. Remember this fic is rated "M" for a reason.

One last thing before we get this show on the road, I'd like to thank Eretsonoferet for allowing me to bounce around some ideas and help develop the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, Dreamworks (a.k.a. possibly the only company with a hope of combating Disney) does.

"Watch yourself Hiccup." Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk said as he pulled his six year old son out of the path of a walking Viking. The boy didn't seemed fazed at almost getting squashed as his head rotated to follow one of the ropes from the rigging. Despite himself, Stoick chuckled at his son's curiosity. Although the brown haired child was lanky, both traits that were inherited from his mother, the Chief still believed that his son will fill out in a few years and be the pride of his village, but that didn't stop him from indulging in showing his son some of his chiefly duties.

That was why the father and son, along with several other Vikings, had spent the last week on the long boat on the fishing expedition. Although Berk had sheep and yak, a large portion of the Viking diet consisted of fish, and as Chief it was Stoick's responsibility to ensure that his people had enough food. This duty came in many forms, such as bartering for seeds and other ingredients, defending the food stores during a dragon raid, or, as he was doing know, supervising a fishing expedition. What really concerned Stoick was how close Winter was, and that the food stores weren't completely full. That is why he and several of his strongest warriors, freed from defense of the island as the dragon were currently away and other tribes were more concerned with getting their own food, were on this expedition to get as much fish as soon as possible. Luckily the navigator knew the way to a particularly abundant, if out of the way, spot.

As Stoick recalled how much food was stored back on the island and made a quick guess as to how much fish need to be caught, he noticed that he'd lost sight of Hiccup once more. Thankfully a quick look around revealed the energetic youngster to be standing beside one of Stoick's closest friends, Gobber the Belch, who was showing the boy how to do a difficult knot. Releasing a brief chuckle as his son tied his hands together, and knowing the boy was in good hands, the giant of a man turned around as the first nets were cast.

On the other side of the boat, another man stared at Hiccup but in distain. Alvin use to be close with Stoick and to a lesser extent Gobber. He fondly remembered the youthful days the trio spent trying to bash each other's skulls in. And then Stoick was named Chief and met that woman. Really he was the leader of the tribe, he could literally have any woman he wanted and he picks her, someone with no muscle who would stop Vikings from finishing off downed dragons. If that wasn't bad enough Alvin could tell the boy was taking after his mother. While the rest of the village deluded itself into thinking the boy would fill out like his father, Alvin could tell that the boy would never be more than a hiccup, unfit to lead the village.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Alvin didn't hate the boy personally, but he wanted his village to survive. It wouldn't be so bad if Stoick would remarry after his wife was carried off by one of the foul beasts, then he could have some more kids, give himself more options for when it came time to name a heir. Instead the man stubbornly refused to accept any offers presented to him, to make matters worse the Chief would devote any free time he had to the hiccup of his son.

So lost in his thoughts was he that Alvin didn't recognize the tail tale bubbles in the water as the fishing nets were being raised, however Gobber did. "Get those nets up quick!" The peg legged man yelled as he used both his hands to pull the nearest rope as fast as he could. "The beasts are after the meal!"

It turned into chaos around the boat as each man did their jobs as fast as possible. As the nets broke the water's surface, so did the dragons. Alvin cursed his luck as he observed the Scauldron on the port side while a Thunderdrum was on the starboard. As the men prepared to grab their weapons, Stoick called out, "Wait!" Although every instinct said to attack, the men obeyed their leader. "The devils are more concerned about each other than us," it was true, both dragons began circling the boat, sizing up their opponent. "Our main concern is making sure we have enough food for the Winter, let's leave the beasts to themselves and get home." Although wanting to battle, the men none the less obeyed.

Just because they were retreating didn't mean it was smooth sailing. As the catch was hauled onto the deck, the Scauldron would charge at the other dragon, the resulting large waves would rock the boat and quite a few of the shields fell into the water. Meanwhile the screeches from the defending Thunderdrum made hearing orders next to impossible. As Alvin once more cursed his luck, he felt something bump into him. Getting ready to yell at the clumsy shipmate, the man instead saw Hiccup. The words stopped in Alvin's throat as Hiccup apologized, but the man didn't respond, instead he noted how close to the railing the boy was.

The idea was a spur of the moment thought and may cause more problems down the road, but it would insure his tribe wouldn't fall due to the incompetence of a hiccup. After insuring no one was looking, Alvin roughly shoved the much lighter child over the railing, the splash being concealed by the noise on deck and the dueling dragons. Just as the boat was pulling away, Alvin saw Hiccup break the surface of the water and somehow manage to climb on one of the stray shields. Even now the boy called for someone to help him, but with the surrounding chaos the boy might as well have been mute. 'Sorry kid, but the village is more important than one man.'

Once the fishing boat was clear of the dragons, Stoick released a great laugh. "Way to go lads. We escape the devils and kept all of our catch." The assembled Vikings gave a great cheer." Alright enough of that," the chief ordered, "everyone back to their posts, we need to get home and back to our beds. I bet Hiccup is exhausted." The man then threw a few quick glances around the boat before asking, "Has anyone seen the lad?" When no one answered, Stoick grew deathly pale. "Everyone to their post!" he yelled, "We're turning around!"

"We can't!" a voice rang out from the back. Mildew could be described as the sickliest Viking in existence, and yet man were willing to bet he'd outlive almost everyone. The frail man was a pain, as weak as he was old. The only reason why Stoick brought him along was because he was the only one who knew of the hidden fishing spot, information that was vital this close to winter. "Our ship is full," Mildew continued, "and it's at least half a week's journey back to Berk. We must get this fish into the storehouses if we don't want it to spoil. No single person is more important than an entire village, not even the Chief's son!"

Stoick was red in the face and shook with anger as he said through gritted teeth, "And what of the rest of ya? Do you agree?" No one present but Gobber, who was still trying to readjust the sail by himself, could meet the man's eyes. "Fine then," Stoick said as he stalked over to the railing, preparing to jump overboard, "I'll see you all back at home." Instantly everyone present rushed towards the chief to stop him from jumping into the water. "Let go of me!" the giant of the man said as he tried to struggle out of the men's grip, "I need to get my boy!" The chief was only silenced after someone brought a hammer to the man's head, knocking Stoick out. From there, a number of men lifted Stoick onto their shoulders and took him to his cabin.

After the door slammed the men slowly went back to work. Unseen by all, Alvin smirked. His plan worked. True, he'd probably do something soon that would cause him to be banished, but Berk would survive, and without a heir all he had to do was wait for Stoick to pass before returning and conquering what was once his home. Sure it'd take time, but Alvin was nothing but a patient, if violent, man.

Hiccup shivered as he balanced on the shield. He still tried calling out for help but knew that he'd been left behind. As his voice grew horse and he shivered from the cold, the boy couldn't help wondering what would become of him. Would he ever see Berk and his annoying cousin again, or was his story ending here in the middle of the ocean? As he pondered this, he also saw the stars coming out and grew tired. Moving carefully, the boy laid down on the shield and curled his hands and feet inward in an attempt to keep warm and to keep out of the water, which he hoped he didn't roll into in his sleep.

As Hiccup slept, he didn't see the mammoth shadow underneath his makeshift raft. As the gigantic dragon swam in the depths, one of its spins along its back managed to catch the leather strap on the back of the shield and pulled the piece of wood, along with the boy on top of it, along. The strap held out for hours, until the stress became too much and it broke apart. By then the boy and the shield had traveled a considerable distance and ended up in a strong current that continued to carry the boy off into the night.

When the morning came, Hiccup couldn't believe his eyes as he saw his shield had drifted onto a beach. Hesitantly, the boy stood up before walking onto the sand and towards the forest. As he wandered further inland, his stomach growled and he noticed his growing thirst. After stumbling around for what seemed like hours, Hiccup thanked Odin when he found some wild barriers next to a wild spring. Just as he was about to pick a few, a snapping twig caused the boy to turn around.

Standing before the boy was a dragon he'd never seen. Bigger than a Terror, but smaller than a Nadder, Hiccup, too afraid to move, just watched as the jet black, green eyed reptile slowly walked forward. He stood absolutely still as the dragon inched closer and sniffed him before sitting back on his, Hiccup assumed the dragon was a boy, hunches and cocked his head to the side. Despite growing up with tales of the evils dragons had done, Hiccup couldn't help himself as he smiled at the odd behavior. The dragon saw this and tried to copy the boy, moving its trembling "lips" away from its mouth to reveal plain gums.

"Toothless huh?" Hiccup voiced his thoughts aloud. "I thought all dragons had," the boy was interrupted as the dragon unsheathed his teeth and bounded into the water to retrieve a fish before dropping it at the boy's feet, "teeth." Hiccup finished.

The dragon didn't move after his sudden bout of activity. Instead he continued to stare at Hiccup, occasionally shifting his gaze to the fish then back to Hiccup. The boy eventually got the message and grabbed the fish before using a nearby stick to descale part of it and take a bite of the raw meat. After swallowing, he tried to give the rest back to the dragon, only for the reptile to nudge the offered food back to the boy. Finally after eating half the fish, the boy's hunger was stated, while a quick drink from the stream allowed the boy to re-hydrate. After he finished the meal, the boy stared at the dragon before the reptile started slowly moving forward. Not seeing any ill intentions, Hiccup slowly approached the creature with an outstretched hand. Just as the boy was about to touch the dragon, both were frozen by a loud roar. Walking out of the trees was the largest dragon Hiccup had ever seen, he could only describe it as an extra large version of a Monstrous Nightmare. (A/N: it's a Typhoomerang).

The dragon bent down and was about to roar at Hiccup again until the smaller dragon stepped in front of the boy and growled at the larger reptile. From there Hiccup could only assume that the two had a short conversation before the bigger dragon huffed and turned, one of its wings laying flat on the ground. The smaller of the dragons looked excitedly between Hiccup and the other dragon before rushing to the boy, grabbing his arm with his mouth (which thankfully didn't have the teeth extended) and pulled Hiccup up the wing and onto the large dragon's back. While Hiccup was still trying to figure out what was happening, the large dragon unfolded it's other wing and with a small bit of effort launched itself, and its passengers, upwards. After a brief period of terror, the dragon finally leveled off. Still holding on to the spike he'd grabbed by instinct, Hiccup saw that there were other large dragons with smaller ones riding on their backs. He noted that some of the smaller dragons would fly just above their escort, who slowed down enough to provide a landing zone for when the others were tired.

Even though he'd been taught that dragons were evil, Hiccup couldn't contain himself as his ever curious eyes began looking around him, simply taking in the beauty of the sky and the ocean below at this height.

2 years later

In the time since he'd been with the dragons, things had changed considerably for the boy. The first change was that he hardly ever spoke anymore, sure he talked to his reptile companion, but when the all the conversations are one sided they tend to be few and far between. He'd also lost most of his memory after a flying accident. A little over a year ago, when the black dragon, now dubbed Toothless, was large enough to allow the boy to ride his back, he eagerly climbed aboard. However, Toothless wasn't use to the extra weight and ended up twisting 180 degrees in mid-air. As they were close to the ground, the boy hit his head on a large rock during the crash, thankfully the low speed crash didn't cause any other damage to either boy or dragon. While he was content with his current life, the boy would occasionally get flashes of his previous life, such as the stinky blond man with the peg leg. He'd also grown some, not much put enough so that his old clothes no longer fit correctly.

Living among the dragons for a year had taught the boy much. Apparently the larger dragons were caretakers of younger dragons, providing mobile landing spots for longer flights until the younger dragons had grown large enough to fly by themselves. After a year spent with the caretakers, the two had decided to strike out on their own. At first they stuck around the uninhabited islands they knew, but the boy's curiosity was too great. After much convincing, the boy was able to get his friend to agree to fly more south then they'd ever ventured before. Although slightly concerned that the land was becoming more inhabited, the boy and dragon didn't let it bother them. That was until the bolas came out of nowhere.

The rope hooked around one of Toothless' hind legs before traveling upward, pinning the boy and one of the wings to the dragon's back. As the pair were falling out of the sky, the boy acted quickly. Pulling a knife, which he'd swiped from the last village, from his belt, the boy worked furiously to cut the rope in front of him. As the ground came into view, the boy managed to cut through the last fiber of the rope, allowing Toothless to open his wings and slightly cushion the landing. The impact was still jarring, shaking the bones of both friends and launching the boy off the dragon. After dusting himself off, the boy was prepared to climb back onto Toothless and fly away, he was unprepared as a swarm of men, all wearing matching armor over red tunics, charged at the dragon with large shields and spears. Toothless reacted quickly, moving low to the ground and dodging the spears, the dragon remained uninjured. When some of the men tried sneaking behind the dragon, only to be knocked down by the reptile's tail, often trampled by their screaming comrades as they charged forward to confront the beast. When a large group started to gather in front of Toothless, he unleashed his plasma blasts before they could charge, after the small explosion the smell of burning fabric and flesh permeated the air.

The boy watched in amazement as his friend fought. He knew that dragons were powerful, but while living with them for close to two years he only saw their kinder side. None of that was present as the dragon viciously swatted another man aside with his claws, often separating limbs or dissembling the poor men. While powerful, the boy saw that the men were slowly amassing to overwhelm his friend. Seeing his friend in danger, the boy released a war cry as he charged forward with his stolen knife.

Just as he got close to the men, one of them noticed him, this one with a large number of scars on his arms and a few metal circles raised on his breastplate. Although his eyes were obscured, the boy could tell that the man made the connection between the dragon and the boy. Moving faster than the boy expected, the man hit the boy in the face with the pommel of his sword. While the younger opponent was distracted by the pain, the man grabbed one of the boy's arms and roughly forced it behind his back placing his sword to the boy's neck, he then whistled to get Toothless' attention.

Toothless instantly turned at the noise, only to have his eyes grow wide as he saw the situation his friend was in. Although he growled, the dragon didn't make any more moves. Seeing that some semblance of calm had settled in the clearing, the man holding the blade directed two other to place some leather straps around Toothless' muzzle. Although the dragon appeared to want to bite the two, the blade to his friend's neck made him comply. Once the straps were secure, the men then began probing the reptile with large poles, pushing him towards a large wheeled platform. Once in place, the men produced chains to force the dragon flat against the wood. Once the man was satisfied with the other's work, he motioned for someone to bring him some rope before tying the boy's arms behind his back and throwing him on the platform before placing a large tarp over the pair. As soon as the boy and dragon were completely covered, they felt the platform begin to move.

For how long they traveled, the boy couldn't say. He couldn't see the sun, but he could see some light that did penetrate through the tarp, however the light had been gone for a long time. Finally the platform stopped. The boy could hear a conversation in a language he couldn't understand before the tarp was flipped up. Standing before the boy was the man who had captured him and his friend, along with a fat man with a large wart on his nose and a large purple birthmark above his left eye, this man also wore a white toga. The toga wearing man didn't seem impressed with what he saw as he pointed at the boy before making a series of hang gestures and yelling at the armored man. The armored man stood silent until he signaled someone to remove more of the tarp, revealing Toothless' head. Instantly the toga wearing man's eyes grew wide. Still silent he produced a large bag a cloth, the boy ideally noted it jingled a lot, before handing it off to the other man. Satisfied, the armored man smirked before signaling the rest of those dressed like him to move the platform past a large wall, through a large courtyard, and into a large chamber, a metal gate swinging shut after they left the boy and reptile alone.

The boy did not sleep well last night, but that didn't stop a pair of large men from dragging him out into the courtyard the next day. As if following a routine, the pair cut his bindings before stripping him of any clothing left and shoving him into an open-aired enclosure with a number of pipes sticking out of the walls. The boy stared at the strange fixtures until he was surprised by a sudden spray of water coming from the pipe. The boy was still in shock as the pair suddenly reappeared and began cleaning the child. Once satisfied, they threw a brown tunic on the child before dragging him out into the courtyard where the toga man from last night waited. After a quick look at the boy the man shook his head before motioning for someone else to come forward. This man was truly a giant, standing well over seven feet tall, his black skin also set him apart. Unlike everyone else present, this giant was shirtless, showing off the numerous scars on his torso. The toga wearing man said something to the giant while gesturing to the boy. The giant seemed to understand as he nodded before walking forward, dragging the boy along with him.

The unlikely pair walked a fair distance before coming to a large wooden pillar. The giant surprised the boy by handing him a sword. Although extremely heavy, the boy did his best to keep it from falling to the ground. The giant smirked when he saw the small boy could at least hold a sword. Taking another sword from the stand, the giant struck the pillar with a forward swipe before delivering a backhanded blow, then finishing the short series by stabbing the sword into the pillar. After removing the sword, the man motioned for the boy to do the same, only to frown when the boy lost his balance after the first extremely slow swing. Shaking his head, the man motioned for the boy to do so again.

For what seemed like hours the boy did the same repetitive exercise until the giant seemed satisfied and allowed the child to stop. After grabbing something to eat, the giant then had the boy run the perimeter of the large courtyard, pausing every five laps to complete a set of pushups and sit ups before resuming the run. And so this pattern continued, the man would show the boy some item, such as a large shield or a trident, before having him run around the courtyard. The boy didn't question why he was doing these tasks, while he'd seen some other men being whipped and didn't feel like joining them, the main reason was he just simply couldn't comprehend it. One second he was flying with his best friend, just as they'd always done. The next second the duo were brought down to earth where the boy witnessed his friend fight a bloody, if futile, battle.

As he woke up the next morning, the boy was once more given something to train with before more exercises. The pattern continued day after day, the training only stopped when the sunset and the boy was returned to the "room" he shared with Toothless.

Two weeks after capture

In the time since his capture, the boy continued his training under the giant. He still had no idea what he was being trained for, but he had learned somethings. By carefully listening to the conversations of the people around him, the boy was able to learn a bit of their language. So far he was able to figure out he was a "slave" in a "school" for "gladiators", whatever those were. Despite his curiosity, the boy couldn't let his mind wonder as he completed another lap of the run. As he was preparing to learn how to use another item, the giant called for him to join a group heading towards a wagon with a large metal cage. Still uncertain, the boy none the less followed the man onto the wagon, only growing concern when the door was closed and locked behind him and the wagon moved past the large walls. Fearing they were separating him from his friend, the boy quickly tried to slip out of one of the gaps in the cage, only to be held back down by his giant teacher.

As the wagon moved through the street, the boy noticed how some people would look at the passing cage while most didn't give it a second thought. Finally after what seemed like forever, the wagon made its way toward a large, structure before stopping at a ramp leading downwards. Here the door was opened and armor wearing men used long poles to push the occupants out and down the ramp. After what seemed like hours of walking, the group was stopped in front of a man on a podium who was furiously writing something. Taking notice of the group, the man held out a bag before one by one each man drew something out of it. When it was the boy's turn, he just followed what the others did, pulling out a circular piece of wood with weird markings on it. After everyone had reached into the bag, the group were then herded along more corridors until they were placed in a room with benches along the walls and a few small window on the far side, the door locked behind them.

After hearing trumpets and a great cheer, the boy walked over to one of the windows to try and see out of it, only to be too short even when he stood on the bench. Chuckling at the child's behavior, the giant reached down and placed the boy on his shoulder to allow him a better view. Now that he could actually see, the boy saw a circular dirt arena surrounded by high walls and a large number of benches, each row slightly higher than the last, that wrapped around the arena. The boy soon saw what the cheering was about as two men stood in the center of the arena, each tied to one of the other's arm while the other one was incased in some sort of spiked glove. While each man tried their best to dodge their opponents attack while delivering hits of their own, eventually one man was hit in the stomach, losing his breath and too distracted to dodge the incoming spikes to his face. After the hit, the man's body just went slack as blood gushed out of his wounds. A few moments later some armor wearing men, which the boy guessed where soldiers, came forward to remove the living man's weapon and cut the bindings before escorting him out of the arena. The losing man's body was dragged out by some sick looking men wearing dirty tunics.

Just as the fight ended, a loud banging echoed throughout the room. As the door opened, the giant removed the child from his shoulders before handing him to another man to hold onto. While he still did not understanding what was going on, the boy still stared out the window, hoping to make sense of what was happening. After a few minutes the giant appeared in the arena, holding a trident and a fishing net. A few seconds later another man appeared, this one armed with an extremely long sword. The two men stood still before turning to a raised area in the seats and saying something. After the crowd cheered some more both men turned toward each other and assumed their positions. The fight didn't last long.

The sword wielder made the first move, going for a wide swing from the lower right. The giant saw this coming and dodged before releasing his net, tangling the arms of his opponent. While the man tried to free himself, the giant used the blunt end of his trident to knock the weapon out of the man's hands. As the opponent tried to dive for the sword, the giant kicked him away from it and to the ground. When the downed man tried to get up, the giant threw his trident into his leg. As the man collapsed, the giant collected his sword before stalking over and roughly grapping his hair and pulling him up, the sword in position behind his neck.

The giant once more looked towards the raised area. The boy couldn't see who was sitting there, but he saw almost all the men in the stands chanting the same word as they pointed their thumbs to their throats. The person in the raised seating must have given some signal as the giant didn't hesitate to push the blade through the loser's throat, to the joy of the cheering crowd. The boy watched all of this horrified, how could people enjoy this sport where the loser was fated to die? He would have continued to ponder the question had the door not been reopened and a soldier grabbed him.

This time the boy was lead to another room, this one filled with all sorts of weapons and armor, its only occupant a few men with leather aprons. Unsure as to what to do, the boy just followed the example of the man next to him and handed over the wooden disc he'd drawn earlier to one of the apron wearers. The man looked at it and nod before walking off, returning moments later with an oversized helmet, a small dagger, and a small circular shield. The boy quickly grabbed the items before being dragged off. Already having an idea where he was going, the boy wasn't surprised when a set of large doors opened to reveal the arena. Gripping his shield and weapon nervously, the child stepped out into the light.

He first saw his opponent, an older man armed with a large, rectangular shield and a sword, much like what the soldiers had. He then saw the raised seating area, its sole occupant being a balding, fat man with a purple toga. After copying what he'd seen the giant do earlier, the boy got ready to fight. It was a shorter battle than the previous one.

The boy tried to end the fight quickly and rushed at his opponent, only to be stopped by a shield slam. As he got the wind knock out of him, the boy's opponent used his shield to knock the dagger out of his hand. From there it was like a cat playing with a mouse. The man didn't bother to use his sword, instead he was content to use his shield to batter and bruise the boy, to the audience's great delight. Finally after what appeared to be forever the man knocked the boy to the ground before leaning down and pulling him up by his hair. The boy's fear only grew as he saw the crowd point their thumbs' to their throats'. He didn't want to die. As his eyes frantically searched for a way out, he caught sight of something shining just in front of him, his dagger!

Acting quickly, the boy reached down and grabbed the blade before using all his strength to drive the blade into the man's ankle. Shocked at the action, the man released his grip on the boy as he released a pained cry and fell backwards. The boy was on him in an instant, driving the dagger into his unprotected chest again and again as blood continue to flow. The crowd grew hushed at this action, unsure whether to cheer for the child or call for his death. Eventually the purple toga wearing man signaled for the soldiers to do something. Quickly a pair of the armored men move forward and grabbed the boy off the corpse, holding him in place as he awaited judgement.

The purple toga wearing man gave a brief speech to those assembled, seeming to rally them once more into a frenzy. By his signal another soldier entered the arena, this one carrying a whip. After ripping the back of the boy's tunic off, the third soldier stepped back before unleashing the whip. The boy cried out as the small bit of hardened leather bit into his back, drawing blood and causing unimaginable pain. This continued for what seemed like an eternity before the soldier was signaled to stop, the pair holding him then dragged him out of the arena and back to the room where his group was. As he was placed on the bench, the boy pasted out, the pain finally too much to bare.

1 month later

A month after his debut, the boy was once more back in the arena. As he waited to be escorted to the armory, he reflected on what had happened when he was returned to the walled courtyard. The man who had bought him dragged him by the ear to one of the walls were a series of perpendicular lines were carved into the stone. One such pattern didn't have an writing surrounding it, an oddity to the rest. The boy's master, the man with the large birthmark, then took a hammer and chisel and carved a small, straight line down the right side of the pattern before hitting the boy's head with an open hand and commanding a different slave to take the boy back to his room. (A/N: The wall is where the master keeps track of the wins and losses for everyone, it'll be explained more in the following chapter.)

Once back in his room, a few of the maser's other slaves cleaned the boy's back before giving him something to bit down on as they sewed up the wounds. Although painful, and while he was forced to sleep on his stomach, the boy was thankful he was given a few days rest after his whipping before he was sent back to training, even then the giant too it easy due to the boy's still healing back. Still, now that he knew what he was fighting for, the boy trained as hard as he could, hoping to never loss again.

Now as the boy retrieved the long spear the armory had given him, odd since he was stopped from drawing one of the wooden discs, he wondered what had happened to Toothless. Before leaving the school, the boy saw a number of men struggle to get the dragon onto another wagon before covering it with a tarp. That wagon had followed the one the boy was one until they'd arrived at the arena, where it was lead down another ramp. The boy got his answer as he was lead to a small pin holding Toothless. The boy did as he was instructed, climbing onto the dragon before he was un-muzzled and the ceiling above him opened up and the floor below became a ramp. Cautiously, the dragon walked up into the arena.

The boy had just a second to observe the scene before joining in the chaos. Three men were riding on horses, each armed with a large spear, while the top of the stand had a number of large, mechanical crossbows armed and trained on the dragon. Seeing what was happening, the boy whispered, "Let's play along bud, at least for now."

The dragon seemed to understand as it began running around the perimeter of the ring, trying to stay out of the horsemen's path. This continued for a while, the normal blood thirsty crowd content to watch a near mythical creature run around for their amusement. Finally one of the horsemen broke from the pattern and circled his mount around before charging head long at the dragon. The boy could feel the heat as his friend prepared a plasma bolt, but a tapping on the dragon's neck informed Toothless that the child would take care of it. As the horsemen came into position, the boy threw his spear forward, hitting the horse in the center of the chest, killing it instantly. As the now dead horse's momentum continued as it fell, the butt of the spear hit the ground. The horse's weight caused the weapon to continue moving forward, skewering the rider in the lower stomach and exiting in the mid-back. The boy collected the dead man's spear as he rode past, the crowd cheering all the while.

Seeing what had happened to their comrade, the other two horsemen tried to gang up on Toothless and the boy. As they rode forward, Toothless quickly turned around. This time the boy let the dragon do its work as it released two plasma bolts. The stench of flaming horse and man soon filled the arena as the audience grew louder. The boy smiled, not at his victory, but at the opportunity. Quickly patting the dragon's neck, the boy whispered, "Okay, let's get out of here." The dragon eagerly nodded its head.

Yet it was not to be. Just as Toothless unfolded his wings, the dragon released a great cry. The boy looked in shock as two large metal arrow connected by a heavy chain had been launched into both of Toothless' wing membranes from the large crossbows. While the wounds weren't fatal, they were painful. More importantly the only way for the pair to remove them would be to pull forward and rip the membranes even more, which would be extremely painful to the dragon and make him unable to fly. Sighing, the boy rubbed his friend's head, hoping to ease some of the discomfort, as a group of soldiers marched into the arena and re-muzzled Toothless before leading him and the boy out of the arena.

Once back at the school, Toothless had been dragged back into the room he shared with his friend. The boy was given a large amount of disinfectant, some twin, and a needle, and made to understand he was to fix his friend's wings then return to the courtyard. After accomplishing his task, and repeatedly saying sorry to the dragon, the boy calmly walked toward the group of men, ready for his punishment.

Instead of the glares he was expecting, the boy only saw smiles, the biggest one from his master. The man made a show of carving another line into the wall the boy had been shown before, this time in the blank left area opposite where the previous line was placed. The man then said a few more before motioning two men to hold the boy in place while his tunic was ripped away. Then another man stepped forward, carrying a piece of metal that was glowing white. Before the boy could process what was happening, the metal was pushed into his skin, right above his heart. As he felt the pain, the boy screamed, even more when cold water was thrown on his chest after the metal was removed. As he faded from consciousness, the boy could see the shape of a stylized dragon in a circle on his left pectoral muscle. (A/N: The brand is the Strike Class Dragon symbol). He also heard his master say, "You've done well, Deathwing."

So at 11 pages, this update is a little shorter than my average chapter, but that just seems to be how the story is flowing right now.

So this story is going to go into some major AU territory. My plan is to have Hiccup and Toothless spend some time in the Gladiator system before escape for a certain reason. From there the plan is to adapt the first movie, a bit of the TV/Netflix series, have some original story lines, then work on the second movie. The third movie is supposed to come out in 2018, but at my update speed (due to other stories, college, and life in general) I'll probably only be halfway done and find some way to adapt that film as well.

So with the opening chapter we have some questions, such as…

Will Hiccup ever make it back to Berk? If so what will become of Toothless?

Why do I have Astird listed as one of the characters if I haven't written anything about her?

Will this story prove to be one of my most popular?

The answers to all these questions, and more, will be revealed in due time. But until the next chapter, here's acw28 saying, "until next update."