A sigh escaped the pink lips of the blonde goddess. Her eyes scanned the scroll once more before she shook her head lightly and set it down on the low table in front of her. The brunette by her side was unaffected as she nonchalantly picked up a bottle of freshly brewed wine and downed it in one sitting. The blonde scrunched up her nose at the strong smell of alcohol but did not comment on it. Instead, she chose to talk about the contents of the scroll that she just put down.
"Cana, don't you think that this punishment is a bit too harsh?" She asked softly, gesturing with one hand at the scroll on the table.
The brunette laughed and shook her head at the blonde. "Lucy, Lucy, your heart is too soft. Humans get punished all the time. This fate that I wrote out for him is hardly the worst one I've written before."
Lucy frowned at her friend's lack of concern, "But, he's serving his king, his empire. He's protecting his people. Why must he get punished?"
"He has angered Lady Mavis. You of all people should understand the love she holds towards the life she creates. Their insignificant war has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. And who is at the forefront? General Natsu. Lady Mavis says that he has too much blood on his hands, too much lives lost to those blades of his. He has caused so much pain to the family of those slain, it's about time he gets his punishment."
At this, the blonde goddess fell quiet and could only watch with pity as Cana rolled up the scroll and tucked it away on a shelf. Natsu Dragneel had once been a man personally blessed by Mavis. But, he had been stained with the lives of too many of Mavis' creations. What could she do now? His fate was written out and approved by Mavis herself. Lucy could only sit back and watch as the mighty General Natsu crumble in his next few years.
"My Lord, General Fullbuster is here to see you."
The pink haired man looked up from his reading and sighed. What did that icy bastard want? He closed the book and set it down.
"Let him in."
The servant bowed and scurried off to let Gray in. A few moments later, he returned with Gray following closely behind. With a wave of his hand, the servant left once again, closing the door behind him. Gray strolled up to his table and sat down.
"Heard you won another battle," he said casually, picking up the tea pot and pouring himself a cup. Natsu rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. Their general is nothing compared to me." Gray sighed at his friend's cocky attitude. He sipped his tea and narrowed his eyes when he saw a sly smile on Natsu's face.
"Why? Are you jealous?" Natsu snickered, folding his hands behind his head. He was met with tea in his face.
"You icy bastard!"
"Shut up, Flame Freak! Anyways, I'm here to tell you something I found out the other day," Gray said seriously. Natsu raised a brow, but dropped his playful attitude. It wasn't often that Gray was serious. The two of them grew up together in the castle. Their parents were nobles and both of their fathers were well respected generals who served the previous king. They grew up playing pranks on one another and always tried to outdo the other. They had a love-hate relationship but they were very close with each other. Considering how close the two were, Natsu was never formal with him and whenever they talked, it was always to exchange playful jabs or drive each other mad.
"You remember how the king did not want you to go to the battlefield this time?" Gray asked.
Natsu nodded, but then shrugged. "Yea so? He said something about wanting me to take a break or some shit."
Gray snorted. "I heard from the palace guards the other day that his adviser, Mard Geer, told him not to send you out to fight. His adviser's warning him of how he'll lose power if you kept taking away the glory."
Natsu frowned. Stealing glory? He was loyal to his king, to his empire. He fought to protect his people, not for political gains. "What a load of bull. The king knows that I'm loyal to the Crown."
"Natsu, jealousy is a powerful emotion. The king trying to not send you into battle means that he is already feeding into his emotions."
"Jealous? The king? He has all the power in this empire. He's the ultimate ruler. For what reason would he be jealous of me?" Natsu asked in disbelief.
Gray shrugged and poured himself some more tea. "Perhaps because you are called the God of War. The outcome of a battle is determined solely by you. People worship the ground you stand on. They think you wield the power of Heaven." Gray leaned in as he continued, "I've heard that the adviser has been telling the king that he's ruling under a god. And that god is you."
Natsu was about to speak but was cut off by Gray's hand.
"I'm just telling you to warn you. Be careful of what you do Natsu. We both know the king's temper and if he really is as jealous as I've heard, he wouldn't hesitate in disposing you when he's overcome by his emotions."
Their eyes met and Gray said quietly, "You can't die because of his anger. This empire needs you and you know that."
Natsu was silent as he gripped his cup tightly. That manipulating bastard of an adviser! As much as he was revered, he was also hated. He knew very well of the number of enemies he had. If he tried to count them all, he'd age and whither before he finished. However, he hadn't counted on a court official to try and work against him as well. Had he ever thought about what would happen if at this time, an internal crisis came upon the empire? These past few years were harsh on the people of his empire, Arder. They were at war with the neighboring nation who were trying to expand and crush Arder beneath their feet. With resources steadily depleting and the people's patience wearing thin, the priority of the government was to finish off the war and not to focus on political struggles!
Gray eyed the brooding man warily, knowing full well that once his emotions ran wild, he would be on a path of recklessness.
"Don't do anything stupid Natsu. The king still values you right now, after all, you have been keeping King Acnologia and his armies off our lands for the past few years. But, once you do something that will displease him, that adviser next to him won't wait before making his move to get rid of you."
Natsu slammed his fist on the low table angrily and growled out, "So am I supposed to just fucking sit here while my king is being manipulated by some lowly official?"
Gray pursed his lips, understanding his childhood friend's righteous anger. They both grew up serving the nation for all they were worth. Both their fathers, Igneel and Silver, raised them to understand that their nation, their people, came above all else. When King Zeref had announced that Rura was at war with Arder, the two upcoming generals did not hesitate to fight. Now, Natsu faced the possibility of being betrayed by the one he was most loyal to.
"Do not worry Natsu, you have many allies and the people won't be calmed easily if you were to truly die at the hands of King Zeref. Right now, just do as he says. As for that adviser at his side, we'll deal with him when the time is right."
Natsu exhaled slowly and then set down the cup in his hand. He looked at his best friend who had worry etched over his face, although he would never admit it ever. He knew that Gray was right, and that he had to bid his time and play his cards right. He couldn't afford to offend the king, lest he wanted to separate his head from his neck. The war which had been plaguing the land for 4 years was beginning to loosen up, and Natsu could feel the ended just on the horizon. If the king wished, after the war was over, he could resign as general and quietly leave the public eye. After all, what good was a general during times of peace?
His heart ached at the thought of not being able to wield his blades again.
But, he hoped that this decision would be enough to pacify the king's anger and jealousy.
But, little did he know, the pot of jealousy in the king's heart was beginning to overflow. Mard Geer constantly reminded him of General Natsu's fame in Arder; of the songs of praise, and the prayers of worship that the people composed in honor of their nation's War God.
"The war will be over soon and then I shall retire as general to pacify the king," Natsu decided, looking out the window.
"Retire?" Gray echoed, startled at the man's decision. He knew how much Natsu loved adventure and the rush of thrill he got when he wielded his twin swords. Although the decision may sound simple, Gray knew his best friend. And he knew that this decision was anything but simple. His gaze shifted to the twin blades that were mounted on the wall behind the pink haired general and a wave of anger overcame him, but it was either this or his life. And Gray wasn't willing to see Natsu throw his life away for an adviser who wanted to climb up on the power ladder.
Gray clenched his hands as he looked sadly at his best friend. He gave so much for this nation in the last 4 years. Every time he went out into battle was another chance that he'd never return. But he did every time because he wanted to make his king proud. He wanted to protect the people. Gray prayed to the gods above and asked them to protect the general who sacrificed so much, and asked them to guide the king to make the right decisions. One that he wouldn't regret.