So Much More
By: Selim
Summary: As future king, Toothless was entitled to the wealth, power, and women that came with the job. A chance meeting with a creature from another world teaches him that there's so much more outside his world and only he can protect it. Anthro-Toothless x Hiccup
Warnings: AU-AR, Anthro-Character, sug. human sacrifice, sug. dragon slavery
Pairing: Toothless x Hiccup
Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. This is a piece of fiction and the author is not making any money off its creation.

His Kingdom was the most beautiful thing in the world, and Prince Toothless had seen a lot in the world to compare it to. The weather was moderate, excellent for his bones, there were few skirmishes over things not involving fish and best of all it was his. Standing in the balcony of his room, the dragon-man took a deep breath of the summer air while spreading his wings far behind him. The bones at the base of his wing cracked, causing a moan of delight to escape his long mouth.

Deep in the room, the heavy wooden doors opened by the Nadder guards, allowing his mother access into the room. The woman nodded to the guards, flattened her skirts, letting the length of the dress drag behind her. He swore to whoever would listen he received his good looks from her with the powerful masculine touch of his father. The Queen's firm expression relaxed seeing her son. It hardened again when her attention was grabbed by the mass in his bed, the pretty Nadder he met in the kitchens just yesterday.

The young female sat up, letting the blankets pillow around her. "Out." The Queen growled at the woman. The girl climbed out of Toothless' bed, grabbing her dress from the ground. "Out!" The girl jumped, rushing out of the room with only the fabric pulled against her voluptuous chest.

Toothless didn't even try to hide his arousal as he watched her long blue tail drag behind her. Damn, what he'd do to be on that again.

"Son!"

Jumping, Toothless turned to his mother. "You need something?" He asked.

His mother moved over to his sofa, lying across it. She fixed her skirts around her long legs, relaxing against the armrest. "Why do you insist on acting like a child?" She hummed low, closing her eyes.

"We were anything but hatchlings last night, Mother." Toothless went over to his wall and chamber pot, pulling on his non-formal robe. The female night fury gasped in disgust. Toothless glanced away. "Sorry, Mother."

"Do you intend to have a formal mating with that servant?"

It was a double-bladed question. He didn't intend to marry the Nadder, or the twins Zippleback Sisters, or even the handsome Nightmare he spent his last birthday with. All just another conquest, proof that he really was entitled in every sense. "Is father concerned of my status?"

"How are you to take his throne if you aren't an actual man? An uncommitted king has legions of past enemies."

Toothless growled low. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"The extremity of your…nature…has come to your father and my attention. Cease it now or your more committed brother will take the throne, as deemed by your father." She lowered her legs to the floor, fixing her skirts, then her shawl. "The leaders of neighboring lands are sending in their sons and daughters for a courting ceremony. Be on your best behavior and look for a potential bride or the throne goes to Massclaws." She left the room with a flow of her skirts.

When the heavy doors shut behind her, Toothless stuck his tongue out at her. As if Massclaws even deserved the throne he was entitled to. He wasn't nearly as attractive as Toothless and had settled with his childhood friend, a plain-looking Nadder with non-existent breasts and a tail that wasn't symmetrical. As expected from such a plain-looking Night Fury who didn't have nearly the stature or muscle tone of his older brother.

Dressing for the day, Toothless stormed out of the room towards his father's throne room. The man was settled in his chair above the audience chamber looking menacing. His sharp eyes hardened on his son, waving away the Terror that was taking notes with a wave of his claws. "I was expecting to see you earlier."

"Mother had to talk my ear off." Toothless crossed his arms. "I'm not giving up my birth right. Not to Massclaws."

His father frowned. "We've all been boys but if you can't be discrete, we have to do things like this. There was a Nadder in West Front who claims to have birthed an egg belonging to our beloved Prince Toothless. We were able to remove the problem, but not the source. You have a month, son. Either you are mated into a committed relationship or Massclaws will be named my heir. I don't care what you do on the side but you need a bride to show you committed nature not only to one person but to the throne. I can't have possible heirs floating around. It'll put the throne at risk of someone of less notable blood claiming it. Am I clear?"

Toothless scowled. "Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, sir." The Night Fury growled, turning away.

"And son?"

Closing his eyes, Toothless exhaled sharply. "Sir?"

"I want you to patrol the mountains of the east this week. I've heard of your tryst with the kitchen servants. Perhaps, for your mother's heart, it would be best you go somewhere there are fewer eyes for a little bit. Don't disappoint me, Toothless." The aging King nodded his head.

"Yes, sir." Toothless left the room, trying to fight the urge to stomp back to his own chambers. He saw the lovely Nadder of the Evening as he turned down the main corridor. She smiled shyly at him, making a hesitant motion down her skirts from the night before. "Sorry, being sent out to the field." The Night Fury brushed his hand over the broach holding her dress together. "Maybe when I get back?" He tossed his head back.

The purple blush over the female dragon's cheeks was worth it before she scampered down the hall, hiding a giggle behind her hand while trying to give him glances over her shoulder.

It would be a long week without the subtle touch of a female's body but he wasn't completely dismissive of the guards and the ones on duty weren't known to talk about their own conquests. Maybe this wasn't going to be that bad of a week?

He took off around noon, letting his wings span out into the sky to show all the other dragons their future kings form. A couple of Terrors he flew past purred in delight just seeing him, losing control of their flight. Gronckles quacked on the ground, looking up at him and whispering in low voices with excitement. Twin parts of a Zippleback fought together, their sole wing slapping the other for a chance to gaze up at him. And the Nightmares burst into flames from the come-hither smile he passed towards them.

He was feeling good about himself as he landed in the east lands of his kingdom. It wasn't an overly populated site, hidden in the mountains along the waterfalls. It wasn't an overly demanded site because it was used as a strict scouting zone. Only a handful was selected for the easy post but it had never occurred to him as necessary. There was another post in the east, not attached to the mainland. The select few in this location never seen battle and probably never would.

During his training days, Toothless had been sent to the busier port town in his father's lands on guard duty. He'd put away a few fist fights and drunken antics but most of his time had been spent bedding the locals and drinking himself silly. That had been a good two years.

A station like this was so boring. Only the lazy would ever want a station like this. No people, no booze, no time off.

"Prince Toothless!" A Nightmare rushed over when he landed, dressed in the royal uniform that had been less than tended to over the years. The Night Fury prince glanced over the creatures uniform, purposely plucking the lack of rank embedded on the tunic. "Sorry, sir. We just received word to expect your arrival. I'm the commander of this little outfit, please—let me show you your quarters."

As expected, he was given a cleaned out storage hut under a wide tree far away from the toileting section of the mountains. Other guards had their supplies boxed up a distance away, perhaps to sleep under the stars like real guards under the watchful gaze of the real commander. Make it look like a real guard post and not a holiday spot, Toothless grumbled. "Call the Guards. I wish to appraise them."

The Nightmare bowed. "Of course, sir."

He was shown a group of twenty full-time guards, all in their upper years: three Nightmares, two Zipplebacks (making four total, Toothless groaned), two Nadders, two Gronckles and seven Terrors. Sizing them up, Toothless snorted. None past their prime age of forty. A mockery of his nights, like a plot made by his mother and father. Even he had standards in what would share his bed.

There was no way he could make it a week of celibacy but if any of these dragons hatched an egg, there would be obvious outcry from the kingdom. A King not able to control his natural urges could not be expected to protect anyone.

"Is this what you call guard?" He tossed his head back. "I expect those uniforms to be re-sewn and cleaned up before I leave. If conditions don't improve I'm replacing each one of you with soldiers that will respect the uniform."

He hadn't expected the horror that crossed all of their faces. Intriguing. He nodded to each individual before taking his leave, approaching the mountains to take in his terrain.

These mountains were subject to rumor, of course. Once upon a time, a monster had come from these very walls, lost and confused and reeking of everything not dragon. The first guard group had been stationed to keep that from happening again but there had never been another story like that since the first, at least not one that came into the royal audience. Now, this was a waste of resource when these guards would have been better suited.

The commander met up with him shortly. "I hope this is a quiet tour of duty for you, sir."

"So what is it your men do over the day?"

"Er, scout the area for one."

"And for two?" Toothless turned his hard gaze on the commander.

The man bit his lip, confirming the prince's assumption. Absolutely nothing. "There's an occasional mountaineer but they're small – terrors." Toothless groaned. It wouldn't survive a beast like him. They were fun to play around with but the little ladies had to be taken care of. If anything, Toothless was a careful lover which was more than could be said about some men.

That week went by incredibly slow. He monitored the troops during the day, forcing them into strict training to ensure they lost the extra weight put on over their extended vacation. At nights, when he retired to his quarters, he'd listen to the night, over-hearing conversations amongst the men. A couple of the dragons were clearly in a relationship with one another but there were a few things that didn't add to the usual squabbling of guards.

At night, when they weren't under his watchful eyes, they intensified their scouting of the caves. There was talk the one of the caves would grant them the goods, they had to find it before someone else did.

By the end of the week, Toothless cloaked himself into the night, escaping through an open window of his hut into the night. He followed the Gronckles into caves, chased after terrors, and finally firmly latched himself onto the ceiling of one of the caverns, over the Commander's head, waiting.

"Still nothing?" One of the twin Zipplebacks asked, coming into the cave.

"This is the tenth year. They always deliver one on the tenth year." The Commander growled. "I'm being discharged in a month. I refuse to leave without one of my own."

"Maybe they aren't sending anymore?"

The Commander slammed the twin into the wall, growling. "I will not be insulted by those monsters. I want something to prove my service in this god-awful place."

"We'll keep an eye out, sir. Please…" The Zippleback whispered. "You will have one before the end of the month, they always deliver. If we don't collect it tonight it'll be easier to find in the morning. The Prince will be gone then and we can do a more extensive check."

"I don't want those Royals knowing about this. They get enough trophies."

"Yes, sir."

"…Let's get back. It's too damn dark in here."

"I'm sorry sir, let me help you." Their voices faded.

Opening his eyes, Toothless' eyes gleamed in the night, never happier he was born of this time. It gave him an advantage to look around, to try and find what they were looking for. Most of the dragons when they had entered the caves never traveled too far due to the darkness. This cavern had been most attended to, with check marks shifting down the spine, possibly checked over many decades.

Making his way through the old walls, Toothless clung to the ceiling, careful not to become lost at any forks. He sniffed out for any odd minerals in the area, looking for whatever was illegal.

The slave trade in the kingdom was dwindling with recent laws. Some hatchlings were robbed from their mothers and hatched to serve other dragons. To think that the royal guard had been supporting the barbaric custom made anger grow in his belly as he finally caught whiff of something organic, not fitting in with the life of the cave. Clinging low to the wall, Toothless slithered in deeper, forcing his eyes to focus into the dark.

Finally, he saw something in the distance.

Dropping the ground, Toothless approached the lump in the middle of the cave, sniffing around. There had been a lot of the organic scent in this area but not enough to cover the one individual sitting in the cave, tied up with rope.

Toothless focused on the creature – no, the monster!

He jumped back, looking over the non-dragon. It had soft, pink skin and fur on its head. It was small, lean, and dressed in rags. A slave? Toothless tilted his head back. He approached the monster and growled in its face, baring his fangs.

The thing gasped and pulled back as the air filled with a salty smell. "Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't…" The monster fell back. With its arms tied back, it didn't climb off the ground. Leaning over it Toothless sniffed, looking for anything threatening from this creature but found nothing, just water, dirt, fear, and musk. He didn't smell any kind of dragon on the boy, just more creature.

"Relax!" Toothless shouted back. "Who brought you here?"

The monster screamed, clamping his eyes closed. Toothless swallowed, trying to calm his own rage down. That wasn't a scream of rage but one of terror. This creature didn't want to be here anymore than Toothless had wanted to be in this duty station but there wasn't anything political about this. It might be a slave attempt but the commander had seemed adamant about claiming something for himself.

Could this be it? The thing only delivered every ten years?

"Are you a gift from the gods?" He tried again.

The thing sniffled, still crying on the ground.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Toothless ran his hand through the creature's soft fur. He paused with his fingers buried in the strands, considering the size difference. His hand was as big as the boy's head. How could something this small be a monster? A strong gust of cold air blew past him, making his wings retract. Glancing in the direction he had yet to travel, he heard the echo of voices getting farther and farther away. "I'm going to untie you. Go back wherever you came from."

He pulled the rope, snapping it away from the monster. The creature cracked open his eye, breathing heavily from his spot on the ground. Stepping back, Toothless loosened his shoulders, putting on as defenseless display as possible. "Go on." He waved his hands. The creature looked over his shoulder, in the direction of the vanishing voices before looking back at Toothless.

Turning around, Toothless started back the way he came. He stopped midway to the entrance when he realized the creature was following him. "I said go away."

The boy jumped, hiding behind a wall.

Rolling his eye, Toothless started back down the long corridor, always a pace ahead of the creature. Stepping out of the cave, he stretched his wings out, enjoying the space given to him. It was quiet along the cavern laws. The last of the scouts had probably called it a night, Toothless realized as he looked around. The moon was starting to set. He voiced his yawn, nearly jumping out of his skin as it was echoed with a squeak.

"I thought I told you to leave!" He hissed.

The creature approached him, taking his hand. Its green eyes turned to him, rimmed with water. "Please, what do you need me to do?

"What are you saying?" Toothless shook his head. He was fluent in three of the languages of the kingdom but none of the words coming from this creature sounded familiar to his sharp ear. There was one thing he was sure of: whatever was going on the boy wasn't going to leave him. Rubbing his hand over his front horn, Toothless groaned. "I don't need a pet."

The creature stepped closer.

"Fine! Just… don't say anything." Whatever this thing was, the guards were after it. If this was a slave, he would never be able to sleep if he allowed the transfer of another slave in his region. Grabbing the creature's small claw (and noting what flat nails), Toothless dragged the monster behind him.

At camp, Toothless kept his distance from the sleeping guards on the ground, leading the creature into his hut. Shutting the door behind him, Toothless settled on his cot. The monster stood at his door, looking around the wooden shelter, his long paws locked together. His anxious looks were directed out the door, where the groups of dragons were lying around. "I wouldn't try going out there without me." Toothless closed his eyes, attempting to lure himself to sleep.

The monster he brought back moved around the shelter, propping himself against some wooden, empty coops in the corner. Satisfied that the creature wasn't going to hurt him in his sleep, Toothless settled into a light snooze.

When he woke in the morning, the creature was still there, sleeping in the furthest side of the room. Sitting up, Toothless rubbed his stiff neck. Finally, his tour was over and he could go home!

But what to do with the thing he'd found?

~*~TBC~*~