The Phoenix Initiative
Chapter One:
The Invasion
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The war between Ishgar and Alvarez has continued for hundreds of years. Two continents, separated by a small sea, have managed to dominate the history books with their endless feud over the land that neither of them would dare surrender. Over 500 years ago, Emperor Spriggan began his rule over the Alvarez Kingdom, in a time period known as the Age of Occult.
Something was said to spread over Alvarez in those times, something not even the highest officials of the continent knew. Something Emperor Spriggan refused to release. Rumors of what happened during those years grew and spread, but none of the neighboring kingdoms ever found a true source of what really happened beyond their borders.
Some say a celestial being cursed the Alveren people. A god was angered at them for some unknown reason, and decided to punish all those they deemed deserved it. Others say hell was risen in that period. Demons, witches, ghastly beasts, sorcery; all appeared out of thin air to scour over the continent, claiming it as their own. Emperor Spriggan was even said to have been compromised. He was driven to a tipping point of madness where even he was said to practice in the dark arts of magic.
Nothing was proven, but what did come out of these accusations was a hopeful attempt at trying to understand Emperor Spriggan. He developed a sudden, and gruesome hatred for Ishgar, the neighboring kingdom. Then, after an unsuccessful invasion of sorts, declared the war that would be lasting for far longer than any man would have thought, or hoped.
Emperor Spriggan continued his assault, trying numerous times to breach the borders of Ishgar permanently, but all had proven fatal. Some say he was taken under a curse, a relentless spell that made it impossible for him to have enough of anything. He craved everything, power, wealth, bloodlust, the list seemed never-ending.
People still to this day never understood what he was after, or why he hated Ishgar so much. He kept his matters private, as well as his means, yet no one ever doubted him. No one ever questioned his judgment, because he knew then that no one would dare try to. He was lovedinfamously throughout his lands, even being known as the greatest ruler the world had ever seen.
Time passed though and Emperor Spriggan eventually died, but standing right in his place was an heir to the throne. His family line continued for years, passing down the secrets to his hatred for Ishgar, and those who ruled gladly continued his embark on overthrowing Ishgar. Soon enough, before a ruler could produce a heir to the throne, a fatal disease took his life. Before his expiration though, he entrusted his royal advisers to take over rule of Alvarez in his place, breaking the family line of Emperor Spriggan for good.
The new rulers were just a brutal as the previous ones though. The war raged on, battles and attacks seeming to appear from every corner turned. There was little land where the two continents actually met borders, but some of the worlds most bloodiest battles have taken place there on more than one occasion.
Ishgar was known for their fearless warriors. They were strong and brave and often referred to as the strongest army of all time. Though, The Alveren warriors were just as fierce, and twice as brutal. These warriors often canceled each other out, and is ultimately why neither side has gained dominance over the other in hundreds of years.
Many war hero's have earned their name in Ishgar, being the patriotic kingdom it is, and often become renown for their efforts.
Natsu Dragneel is amongst one of the top soldiers to be heard of, more commonly known as the Salamander of Ishgar. He and few others managed to survive two of the worst battles Alvarez and Ishgar had ever encountered before. Nearly 90% of those who entered did not return from these fights, and sometimes even less when including those lost on the travel back home.
It was a gruesome war. So much hate and passion was instilled into these battles, it came to no surprise the amount of brutality some of these soldiers would inflict on others. The experiences were often traumatizing.
Several of the other warriors that survived made their way back home now, a majority of them living in a town off the coast of Ishgar named Magnolia, near the borders of the country Fiore. It is often referred to as the stronghold of the country; because of the high cliffs that surround the borders, the number of war officials that make a home there, and the fact that along the cliffs are watchtowers armed with archers day and night, it is often a part of Ishgar that is avoided by their enemies.
Other than the intimidating aspects of Magnolia, it is also taken as a safe haven for outsiders and is locally a popular tourist spot, the buildings are strong and is a nice mix between an industrial and agricultural city. Many people with various professions thrive here, including Natsu Dragneel, after both battles had been won.
"Natsu, have you seen my other boot?"
Said man sat at his kitchen table, curiously shifting through papers and parchments of pictures he didn't understand in the least, and heard a delayed stomp of a single boot come from the bedroom behind him. He looked up to find a pair of hazel eyes in his, smiling absently at the sight of a single leather boot on the woman's foot. She had her dress hiked up and hair drooped all over her eyes, her expression exasperated towards him. She overslept once and now she was completely losing her mind trying to make up the lost time, and Natsu honestly couldn't think of anything funnier than seeing her in this state of disarray.
"Mmhm," he hummed, giving a little shake of his head.
She sighed out heavily, brushing her blonde locks back and spun in circles again to look around. She hesitated on her feet then, doubling back towards the stool next to the fireplace. "Oh!" she said, bending over to pick her shoe out from underneath it, "I found it!"
She held it up victoriously with a giant grin, before shoving it onto her foot and tucking the leggings underneath her dress into them. She composed herself then, looking up and offering a smile to her husband. "Thanks."
He did the same back, nodding her attention to all the books covering their table, "What are ya doing with all of these?"
She came over to him, mumbling a quick apology as she cleaned up her mess, and felt him lean a chin on her shoulder, trying to peek at the drawings in her hand. She pressed them to her chest though, narrowing her eyes at his, "I think the less you know, the better."
Natsu gave her a suspicious smile then, standing up behind her as she kept her glance on him. "C'mon, let me see," he prodded, reaching a hand for her chest, but she spun away from him. He laughed as she hugged the papers tighter, hearing a shrill noise of dismay come from her. He picked her up from behind then, her voice ringing out in a laugh, "Lucy, come on. No secrets remember?"
She settled calmly as he put her down, turning back towards him with a twist of her lips, "Really. It's nothing. It's…stuff from Loke."
Natsu nodded then, realization setting in at what she meant and let her go. Lucy looked over to what he was wanting the kitchen table for and noticed the small box of bait in front of his seat. "Going fishing today?" she asked.
Natsu hummed with a nod, a sudden grin overtaking his face as he lifted up his wooden fishing pole. He saw Lucy walk around to the back door and grab a bag hanging on the coat rack by it, stuffing all her research papers into it. He waited till she looked back to him, showing her his fishing pole, "Want to come?"
She scoffed a laugh at that, throwing her bag over her shoulder, "As much as I would love to sit around and watch you sit around, I actually have things to do today."
Natsu rose an eyebrow at her, lowering the pole slowly and shrugged disappointingly. Lucy sighed out then, stopping on her toes at the bucket placed in front of her feet. She peered at it, filled nearly halfway with water, and glanced up to the drips falling from a crack in their ceiling. "We should get this fixed too, before the storm hits? It's seems kind of dark out west."
Natsu packed up all of his fishing gear, shrugging casually, "Alright. I'll do that when I get back."
Lucy said a quick thank you as she darted back into the bedroom, suddenly in another rush, and Natsu wondered again what exactly would happen if she turned up too late to wherever she was going. He shrugged it off though, throwing his bags over his own shoulder and kicked open the door. "Bye Lucy!"
She peeked her head out of the bedroom and in a flurry came over with a crooked smile. She kissed him briefly, pressing her palms to his cheeks like how she always did, and pulled away again. "See you later."
Natsu headed out into the town then, strolling casually as the sun bore down heavily upon everyone. People were bustling all over, yet still made a kind effort to greet the man as he passed by. He made his way to the outskirts of town, the sound of rushing water filling his ears, and he noticed then the dark clouds that Lucy had mentioned before. He remembered she said that they were coming from the west, but from his sights, it seemed like it was coming from the south as well. He shrugged it off, wanting to hurry and get fishing before he was forced back inside.
He sat, settled on a rock with his feet kicked up and threw his lure into the still waters. He perched his pole up next to his side and sighed out, leaning back to close his eyes. It was calm and quiet around, nothing but the wind crossing over his bare arms in his tunic and the birds chirping kept him from believing he was in bed at home. But, even then, the peace of it all made him fall into a deep slumber.
Chimes awoke Natsu. He breathed out sleepily, cracking his eyes open to see the darkness that loomed over the seas now hovering right above him. The ringing continued off in the distance, and he froze the second he remembered hearing chimes like those before. Where had he heard them before? Why were they ringing? He didn't even know Magnolia had a bell to ring.
He sat up, focusing deeply on where he had heard such a familiar sound before. He suddenly saw a flashback of himself during his time at war, a familiar bell echoing like the one he heard now as his unit raided an overthrown city. They were invasion bells. Invasion bells.
Natsu felt a sickening lurch in his stomach as he stood up, his gaze traveling down the pathway that led to Magnolia. He felt dozens of thoughts course through his mind; he didn't understand, who would be able to invade such a protected city? Who would even dare try to overthrow Magnolia? It was nationally know as one of the strongest cities in Ishgar. Was this an actual threat to be taken seriously? Have they breached the borders?
Natsu found himself running through the forest as quick as his feet would take him. He dodged trees and jumped over dead branches that strayed in his path, that pounding in his heart only intensifying as he drew closer towards his city. What about Lucy? He wondered this with another lurch in his stomach.
As the watchtowers of the city appeared within Natsu's sights, he felt his breath shallow as screams filled his ears. Arrows bolted from the watchtowers, but the smoke rising from the distance said that everything was not under control. They had been breached.
He gasped in breaths, entering the city cautiously as men covered from head to toe in armor marched down the streets with their weapons held high. He recognized that armor. He recognized the formations, the techniques.
Alvarez.
"No," he breathed out, a shrill shriek ringing in his ears from behind him. Natsu quickly ducked into a side street, whipping around to look at a massacre happening near the central quarters. Blood stained the streets, bodies lay strewn about like ragdolls, and crying locals littered the spaces right next to them. The Alveren guards loomed above them, strongly and proudly, as their sword blades dripped with the thick blood of the slain. Others pushed back a mob of warriors daring to challenge them, but Natsu saw barely five of them with weapons in their hands. They were unprepared, and drastically outnumbered.
His heart raced in his chest. They were just killing people, innocent people that he hadconversations with not even a few hours before. Rage burned in his gut, but so did worry just as much. Lucy was still at home when he left, what if they got her? He had no weapons in the house, she had nothing to defend herself with if they invaded. His breath shallowed at the thought of her laying still in the doorway, the same place he left her that morning.
Before he even realized it, he was off running again. He darted down the streets of Magnolia, the fires burning the houses blazing by him in a flash of red, along with battles of men and women with every passing by. He suddenly swerved down another street, but skidded to a stop at a group of Alveren guards less than a meter from him. They caught sight of him, looking alarmed to say the least, and Natsu spun on his heel to run in the opposite way. He needed a weapon, badly.
"It's him! Get him!"
More guards suddenly appeared in front of Natsu then and he hissed out in angered frustration. He charged at a single guard then, knocking him off his feet and dropping him to the ground. The sword dropped from his gauntlet and Natsu swiped it up in one swift motion, bouncing back away from the numbers surrounding him.
He held his stance in front of the guards, switching the point of the blade to all who crept closer. A guard charged from his right, his sword aimed pointedly at his neck, but Natsu easily avoided the attack. He kicked his feet from under him, slamming the hilt of his sword into the back of the guards helmet as he fell, and felt his instincts act up in his stomach. He fell to the ground, ducking a swipe of a blade and jumped out of the way of another aimed at his chest. He grabbed the wrist of a guard and shoved him into two others, all three of them falling down, and stumbled back on his own feet.
He had no time to finish these attacks. Natsu reminded himself of where he was going and kept walking back on his feet away from the jumbled mess he made. He couldn't waste time offing them, he just needed to get home. He needed to find Lucy.
Natsu spun on his heel again and darted back towards the way of his home, gripping the hilt of sword tightly. His house came into view down the dirt pathway, and a sickening pressure of panic bubbled up within him. The door was wide open, kicked open, and the inside dark and bare.
He swallowed the dryness in his throat, rushing towards the door. "Lucy!" he yelled, bursting into the house. He heard no reply, only the still silence was heard as an answer, but he didn't fail to notice how everything seemed completely untouched. The place was desolate, abandoned; it made him sick. He searched the house despite, yelling out her name from within every room and came back out to the main room, the silence still being his only answer.
His heart felt heavy. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what this meant. A flurry of thoughts rushed through his brain, and he couldn't seem to answer one of them, much less make any sense of it. Maybe she escaped? She heard the bells and scurried to get out? To find him?
Natsu decided on that idea, knowing that if anything, Lucy knows he could've helped stop this. He cursed himself for not being here, but forced the negative thoughts from clouding his mind. He needed to find her, he needed to find his friends, find out who was here and why. Who was strong enough to breach Magnolia's borders?
Sudden shouts and yells snapped Natsu out of his thoughts, whipping his head towards the open door. An entire army of guards marched towards his way, and he cursed below his breath. There was too many of them, and even then, his experience with a sword was limited. It wasn't typically his preferred weapon, nor the one he used every day in combat before.
"He's in there! Go! Capture him!" a voice barked out.
Natsu ran and jumped over the wooden bench in front of his fireplace and crashed straight through his back door, stumbling straight into a crowd of Alveren guards. He immediately felt himself apprehended, kicks to the back of his knees and harsh snatches to his hair as he fell down. The hilt of someone's sword smashed straight in the back of his head before he could even resist.
Darkness overtook his sight. His vision seemed to fade in and out between realities, a cold shiver coursing through his skin as he felt his muscles fall limp into the hands of his captors. They hoisted him up though, dragging him from his home with his legs trailing behind him. He breathed out curses to the guards, but that was the extent of his abilities at the moment. A raging pain throbbed through his skull, and it took the majority of his energy and focus to even recognize where he was being taken.
Natsu could see it though. He knew, but what Natsu didn't know was why he was being dragged there. Why not just kill him? The guards knew him, they knew what he looked like, where to find him, why? How?
Natsu gazed upon the Kardia Cathedral as he entered it, his senses slowly but surely coming back into him. He caught his footing again, stumbling around in their intense hold and saw dozens of dozens of even more grunts lining the walls on his descend to the main room.
"Let me go! Where are you taking me?" he growled out, tirelessly thrashing around.
"Be quiet! The Lady has ordered your capture, you will show her respect." a gruff voice responded to him, catching his wary glance.
Before Natsu could ask any more questions, his body was being shoved through the main hall doors, flooding open like gates that entered a new land. The guards that restrained him released him daringly, but Natsu soon saw the amount of threats that surrounded him within the grand room, armed and ready, quiet and candid.
"Natsu Dragneel for you, Lady Brandish."
Natsu saw the guards that brought him there bow down before the stage ahead, and he felt no worse churn in his gut than when his eyes fell upon the woman before him.
The podium was no longer there, and in it's place, in the very center of one of Fiore's most ancient and sacred Cathedrals, was a throne she had the audacity to sit upon. Her robe was splayed over the sides and her gown ruthlessly elegant; Natsu knew then that this was no random war general. This was someone else, someone far higher on the scale of Alveren lords than he's ever met before. And nothing settled worse inside him than that thought alone.
"Usually my subjects bow before me when entering my presence," she spoke, lifting her head to him, "But I suppose I can make an exception. Just this once."
Natsu remained silent before her, baring his teeth behind his lips to stifle the burning rage he felt simmer within. Her? This woman who invaded his home and people, dared to call him a subject?
"After all, I am in the presence of a legendary hero." she chuckled, bringing a nail to her lips. She gaze at him with such admiration, it confused the man. "Natsu Dragneel…I have been waiting for this day for too long. I have heard so much about you, you could probably call me a fan of yours if you truly wanted. So brave and valiant, my admiration for you goes beyond words, really."
Natsu finally unclenched his jaw, his curiosity choosing to expose itself more than his anger, "What is it you want? Why are you here?"
Lady Brandish let out a short laugh then, her eyes showing nothing but amusement for his lack of knowledge. "Well, this is the home of Fiore's greatest warriors, is it not? I can't imagine any better place to go than right here. And you, you just might be the person that I am looking for."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at that, his thoughts whirling in a blind rage at the thought of her actually asking for his assistance now. "Spit it out already," he growled.
Lady Brandish seemed shocked by his vulgar words towards her, but said nothing about it. She glanced at the men who pressed towards Natsu, easing them of his disrespect, and sat forward.
"I have a proposal for you." she said, casually, "There is something I need, and I need a brave heart to go out and get it for me. It is very important."
Despite her words, her expression lacked all seriousness. She even seemed to be struggling down a smile at the man, as he scoffed a laugh at her. "You honestly think I would do anything for you? Afavor much less? Lady, you're lucky I don't have a sword to your neck right now."
Brandish only seemed amused by his threat, leaning back calmly in her throne. She gave a little tilt of her head, the faded green strands of her hair spilling over her shoulder, and revealing the bright eyes she owned behind the thick bangs that covered them. She offered a weak smirk to the man, and Natsu could see she was thinking of something on a very heavy account.
"You know, the longer you stand there, the more I find myself doubting my own thoughts." she admitted, biting her nail, "Of course, the rumors have you as some god, surviving two of the worlds most bloodiest battles with barely a scratch, but…I wish to know you on a more personal account. Get to see the real Natsu Dragneel, see if he's this outstandingly moral and amazing soldier everyone puts him out to be."
Natsu couldn't tell where she was going with this. What exactly did she want? Was his name really that well known over in Alvarez? Why did she care at all for him?
"You can never trust the rumors," she finally said, a challenging look filling her eyes. "And I am quite curious of your priorities. I mean, you must have won those battles somehow, your way of thinking must be something special. And something special is almost exactly what I need."
"…Shall we test this out?" she asked right after herself, her eyes wide and innocent.
Natsu felt a pit of worry settle in his stomach. Those eyes, they spoke anything but innocence. She was amused, she was speaking of this all like a game. Had she no idea how many people she was hurting outside? There was something about her Natsu couldn't put his finger on.
He watched as Brandish gave a short nod of her head to a guard, the man disappearing behind the back quarters for an agonizing period of time.
"Now!" Brandish laughed, clapping her hands as the doors busted open. "Here are the rules!"
Natsu felt the rest of her words fade out as his eyes landed on the guard from before. Everything turned static. His hand was clamped around an arm, the body attached to it stumbling weakly with a pained moan. He recognized the woman immediately. He recognized the only person in the world who could make his heart thrash out of fear and relief at the same time.
"Natsu," she spoke.
"Lucy?" he breathed. His voice fell short of an octave at that, his heart utterly sinking at the dried blood that coated her lips, and the two men that were now holding her arms behind her back. They had her to her knees, her clothes rumpled and even torn in some places.
"Who–What are you doing–!"
"Ah ah ah!" Brandish's voice called out, stopping Natsu on his toes. A blade was held up to Lucy's neck at his movements towards her, and he could feel the cold chill that passed through him at their eyes meet. Nothing made him stop faster.
"Let her go. Now!" Natsu barked.
"Not quite yet," she held up a finger to him, a smile teasing her lips, "I still haven't evaluated you yet."
Natsu's glare grew dark as she adjusted herself in her seat, his fist clenched toughly enough to stain his skin white. Brandish took her time to wave forward a servant, a man with long royal robes as well, and let her take a glass filled with red wine off a platter offered to her. She took a small sip and set it back, brushing her robe over the throne again.
"Here are your choices in this matter, Great Salamander of Ishgar," she prodded, a twist in her lips, "Now, I am going to give you a sword. And what you do with that sword, is going to be the difference between life and death for many, many people."
Several men came to surround Natsu then, and he was more than surprised than to see one actually offered to him freely. He took it, not about to pass up a chance for a weapon, and looked back up to the woman with a glare. Whatever she was planning, he didn't like it.
"What do you want?" he seethed, lowly.
Natsu didn't want to run the risk of this anymore. Not only was Lucy here, completely vulnerable to any attack, but so was the rest of the townspeople. His friends were nowhere to be found, and he's sure no outside forces would be coming, or if they've even heard of the invasion yet. For the meantime, it was up to him to stop this madness. And her playing with words and games was not something he was experienced at winning.
"Ah, what do I want…?" she sighed out, blissfully. She brought her palm to her cheek, a sharpening gleam in her eye.
A dimple pierced her cheek at the sickening smile that crossed it. "Well…I want you to kill her."
Natsu doubled back towards the woman, shooting a look straight into her. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. "What?" he breathed.
Lady Brandish moved her gaze towards Lucy, giving a faint nod of her head. "Kill her."
Lucy swallowed thickly at that, a shallow gasp leaving her lips, "No…" she jerked from her hold, "No!"
"I'm not–I wouldn't–how could you think–?" Natsu sputtered over his words, completely overcome at the thought she would have that he would do that to her.
"Well!" Brandish spoke over him, cutting off his babble, "It is either that, or…everyone else."
Natsu watched as her eyes grew empathetic, and that little tilt of her head came back again. His gaze could only crease at it.
"I said I wished to know your priorities Natsu," she reminded, "So, I want to know. Either you kill your love, or you allow me to kill every last human being in this cute little town of yours."
Natsu felt his knees quake. He gripped the sword in his hold, yet despite how many times in his life he has gained unimaginable amounts of courage from doing so, now just wasn't cutting it. He couldn't believe this, he couldn't believe this woman actually offered a proposition such as this, it was inhumane. She would honestly, truly, go out and massacre hundreds to thousands of people? Over his single choice? Over if he was able to kill his wife or not?
Natsu's eyes found Lucy's, and as much as he wanted nothing but for this all to be over, he knew it wouldn't be that easy. Natsu raised his sword up to Brandish, a furious glare gleam in his eyes that even she froze at. "I'll have your head before you lay a hand on anyone."
Blade points surrounded Natsu then, guards from all corners of the room approaching him in a matter of seconds. His gaze shifted from every opponent around him, counting them until they reached past a dozen. He kept his glare locked though.
"Natsu don't!" Lucy's voice suddenly reached his ears, catching his glance, "There are too many of them, even for you! Don't do something stupid, please."
"–And might I remind you who you stand before," Brandish added, calmly, "Believe me, there are plenty more of them to come, if needed."
Natsu felt frozen in his place. A course of thoughts rushed through his head, but the one that seemed to pain him most was the one he just couldn't stop rethinking. Kill her. Kill her.
He swallowed at that, shifting the grip in his sword, and looked back to Lucy. She was still on her knees, staring at him with those big eyes he always found himself adoring, but now, he couldn't help but want to look away. They looked so sad, so defeated. So utterly knowing of what he had to do. She knew. She knew what choice he had to make, there was no other way.
"Natsu?" she called out, her voice weakening. He refused to look at her. He kept his eyes locked to the ground, his fist tightened around his sword, and teeth grinding relentlessly.
Kill her. Kill her. Kill her.
No. He wouldn't, he couldn't. Not her. Anyone but her.
But…he had to. He knew he had to, there was an army surrounding him. And another one straight out the doorway as well. This was his last stop, there was no other way out of this, he had to…he had to.
But why? Why would Brandish want this, why make him suffer like this? They haven't even met before, what made her want to do this? Was this all just some game to her? How could she eventhink that–
A part in the sea of men made way for Natsu. It opened up straight to his wife, straight to Lucy, and the men that restrained her let her collapse back on her own weight. She watched as Natsu hesitated at even turning towards her. She could feel it from there, how much chaos was exploding inside his mind, how rushed and atrocious everything must be for him. She was scared. Not only for her, but for him as well. She had no idea what would happen to him, what would happen to anyone. Yes, she was very scared.
But she understood.
"Natsu…" she spoke again, and she felt that awful sensation of her throat closing. She couldn't help the tears that swarmed her eyes as he finally raised his, a dark shadow crossing over his expression that she had hoped to never see again in her life. He looked…broken. Lost. Utterly and completely confused and frustrated.
"It's okay," she breathed out, a shaky smile managing to cross her lips. Her eyes watered even worse. "It's okay."
He took a step forward.
"I understand, it's what you have to do, right? Everyone…" Lucy took in a deep breath, giving all her heart to not let her voice shatter in her throat, "It's for everyone, okay? Gray, the townspeople, Juvia…it's for them."
He stepped closer, the blade twisting in his hold.
Lucy watched as he came to her, dipping her head up until his feet stopped right in front of her. She licked her bloodied lips, biting down on them to quit the inevitable shaking she felt arising. She couldn't see his eyes. She couldn't see his face. But she knew. She knew what he was thinking.
"I forgive you."
Natsu heard the last words she uttered break in her throat. He positioned the blade on her chest, the point of the metal directly on her heart, and the beating silence that thumped through the room was enough to make any man go mad. His hand shifted the sword, spinning it around and around, his palms sweaty and muscles weak.
Lady Brandish sipped on her wine, watching intently at the notable pause the hero made upon his wife. His hand clenched the hilt of it then, and Lucy's inward gasp was audible, even from where she sat.
A clank sounded through the room. The sword fell. It was dropped.
"I can't."
Natsu's eyes finally met Lucy's, and she felt her heart sag into the deepest pits of her being. Tears streaked down his face, uncontrollably, and Natsu felt his knees just give out. He sunk to the floor in front of Lucy, a tear of her own finally escaping down her cheek at what he had done.
Natsu wrapped his arms around her, pressing his forehead deeply into hers just to escape her look of despair. He shook his head back and forth, over and over and over. "I can't kill you, I can't kill you Lucy, I won't. I won't, I–"
Her eyes squeezed shut at that, a whimper leaving her lips at the lives just sacrificed because of this. She embraced him back despite, but the guards behind her held them away from each other. They dragged her arms back behind her back again, but her body felt so numb that she barely even noticed. Her tears blurred her vision and the tingles running through her almost made her vomit.
They just murdered thousands of people.
"I can't kill you," he repeated.
She looked at him through her tears anyways, swallowing the dryness in her throat, and offered him a hollow smile. "It's okay." she nodded, "It's okay."
He shook his head, his eyes refusing to leave hers as he opened his mouth again. Yet nothing came out. Something crossed his face then, and Lucy didn't even realize the look of fear that it was. His eyes shot wide open, bloodshot, and a gasping breath spilling out of his lips as a metal scrapeboomed throughout the air. He froze in his spot, his eyes locked on hers, and the ferocious light that always thrived inside him, slowly just drained out of him.
A sword stuck out of his chest, the bloodied tip merely an inch from Lucy's face, before it was ripped straight out of him, a spurt of blood following in its path.
Lucy felt the world thrash to a stop. "NO!"
Everything slowed down as she watched Natsu's body thump to the floor next to her, everything inside her utterly shattering to a million pieces. She felt numb, her skin shivered violently at the absolute stab of fear that pierced through her.
Her heart hammered, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She wanted so desperately for this all to be a dream she could wake from but it wasn't. It was real, this was real. And that fear that ate at her had a very good reason for doing so.
A sob came out of her, the sound of it scratching the walls of her throat like claws. Her voice broke into a silent gasp, her arms released down to the cold tile floor. Her eyes blurred, but she managed to scamper over next to him, pressing a palm down on the wound that just gushed blood like a fountain.
It had pierced his heart.
"No," she sobbed, "No no no no no, Natsu–"
Lucy saw his eyes lidded as they searched the room, his breath shallow and body hollow. His body couldn't even manage to move once he set eyes on her, but he took in deep breath. He coughed it out the next second, blood spitting out from between his lips and falling down his cheeks.
"Stay with me, stay with me, please don't close your eyes!" Lucy begged, cradling him in her arms. "Just look at me okay?"
He didn't say anything. He did as she said though, his foggy eyes staying on her and nothing else. She felt her tears fall to the tip of her nose, dripping off one by one to soak his tunic below. She gasped in a shaky breath, the gleam of a sword catching her gaze before her.
A man cleaned off the blade with a rag, his gaze completely unaffected as he watched the two by his feet. Lucy stared at him, flabbergasted in the least.
It was the servant. The little man that poured wine for a living. He did this?
"My, Mard Geer, you didn't have to make him suffer. You could have just decapitated him, give the sweet old lass a break." Brandish nearly laughed, her cheek cupped in her palm.
Lucy barely heard any of this, she kept her gaze back down to Natsu, where every passing second, even more blood escaped between her fingers. She found herself whispering things, words of comfort, words of sorrow, whatever she had crossing through her mind right then. Until she couldn't form words any longer.
Her voice had died out, and, ultimately, so had Natsu. His final breath finally passed through his stained lips, the light…seeping from his eyes. It was gone. Everything that made him who he was, was gone.
Natsu Dragneel was dead.
Sobs echoed through the grand hall. Lucy couldn't hold it back any longer, she wailed and wept and screamed at this, her sight completely overtaken by her tears, and her body hollow. She held him, cradled him, but he lied limp in her arms. He was gone.
A guard came up behind her then and attempted to pull her off, but she held on. She refused to let him go, to let him lie on the ground and bleed out like some piece of roadkill. She refused.
Another guard came as well though, and they both managed to capture her arms and drag her off of him. Her chest still wracked with sobs, but she felt it now. She felt it coursing within her, through her veins and blood, that overwhelming pit of rage that wanted to consume her, inside and out.
They killed him. They killed him, Natsu, the only man she had ever loved so undoubtedly before, they took him away from her.
"Can she get out of here now?" A voice said, "Her crying is giving me a headache."
Lucy's eyes whipped back towards the man who slaughtered her husband. Mard Geer. He was simply standing now, rubbing the blood off his sword like it was something tedious laundry bit he did every weekend. He stared at her as he said that, the black pit in his eyes just drowning Lucy in them.
She could not believe this. Any of it. Not even him. They were so cold. He felt nothing for what he had done, he felt no remorse or guilt or even seemed indifferent by it. He didn't care at all.
Not one bit. And it was when he smirked, that Lucy just snapped.
"You killed him!"
She thrashed her way out from the guards grasp, the burning pit of heat and anger utterly bubbling up out of her like a volcano waiting to erupt. She caught him off guard, landing a single smash of her fist straight into his cheek. He merely stumbled back by it, a look of surprise crossing his features, before his gaze turned dark in a matter of seconds.
She attacked him again, ramming her knees and fists into any place she could hit, but he guarded himself from most he could. His own anger pulsed then, embarrassed that she landed such a good hit on him in front of the Lady, and brought up his own fist.
Mard Geer slapped her, the crude of his knuckles burying deeply in her cheek as she fell to the floor. He growled out as a cry escaped her lips, sending a rough kick into her down form. Lucy cradled her stomach then, groaning out, and pressed her head onto the cool tile of the floor. Another tear slipped from her eyes, her lips shaking with the threat of another sob to come up.
Mard Geer kicked her over, her back falling to the ground now, and pressed his boot flatly on her gut, twisting it roughly into her ribcage. She grasped his foot, stifling a cry from escaping her mouth and saw his fierce eyes pierce right through hers.
"Easy now Mard Geer," Brandish's voice called out, soothingly, "Release her."
With the sound of her voice, Mard Geer immediately let up on Lucy, a coughing fit coming from that movement. He stood back from her, recapturing his spot next to the throne and wiped his lip where Lucy had punched.
Lady Brandish watched as Lucy recomposed herself, stumbling to her feet with a fierce glare of her own. She dared to direct it straight at the Lady, her chest heaving for a breath, but something in her eyes spoke she would never rest.
"That was quite a show." Brandish finally commented, a little twist in her smile, "I have to admit, not how I expected this to go."
Brandish waited for some crude comment, like she did with Natsu, but she was surprised to find the woman kept quiet.
"Usually with this sort of thing, my guards have to drag the widow out of the room, or even escort her out, if she's not too upset by it. You stayed though. You fought. Even against one of my most talented and trusted advisers." she said, almost amused by this, "I can't tell if you're completely stupid, or amazingly brave."
Lucy ground her teeth at the Lady, her glare darkening with every word said to her.
Brandish merely tilted her head at the woman, giving a soft narrow of her eyes. Mard Geer cleared his throat then, "Shall we rid of her now?"
A shiver pulsed through Lucy then, an involuntary flash of fear crossing her eyes. Brandish caught it.
"No." she declared, studying the girl before her, "We'll keep her."
Both Mard Geer and Lucy gazed up to her quickly, "What?"
Brandish let a smirk cross her lips, "I like her." she said, straightening herself up, "She has a heart, a fierce one if jabbed at enough. I think with some more pushing, she could have some true potential. We'll keep her."
Lucy felt what was left of her heart sink into a dark crevasse. More guards came up behind her then, holding her arms behind her back again, and forced her away from Lady Brandish's throne. She breathed out a shallow breath, a tear slipping from her eye again as she stumbled back towards the doors that led down to the basement. To the dungeon.
Lucy's eyes fell on Natsu as she passed by him, her heart thumping a hollow beat. He laid still, his face away from her, and a puddle of blood still seeping out of his gash. She looked away. She couldn't look at him like that any longer. She didn't want to look at anything any longer. Not even herself. She couldn't tell if she should be thankful or distressed that she was kept alive. She couldn't feel anything at the moment.
All that Lucy knew was that she was spared, and that she should be counted lucky that the grand Lady favored her life.
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To be continued…
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Don't worry guys, this is definitely NOT the last we'll be hearing about Natsu.
I am back with a very long story that is completely crazy and I am so excited to share it! Just for warnings for all chapters here on out, there will be some gruesome scenes with detail, and maybe even some sexual themes. I'm not too sure on how explicit that will be, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. :)
I hope you like it! REVIEW OMG