There once was a dragon. A large fire breathing dragon just like the ones in your fantasies. He had magnificent wings that allowed him to soar high above the sky and beyond the clouds. His body was covered head to tail in wonderful ruby red scales. But, this was no ordinary fire breathing dragon. No, this dragon was enchanted. And it all started...

Once upon a time, on a snowy winter night...

Knock, knock, knock!

A series of rapid knocks startled the guard by the large castle doors out of his sleepy state of mind. The moon was high overhead from what he could tell but it was snowing hard tonight. Who in their rightful mind would be out in this kind of storm? He looked to his companion with unease. "Should we open it?" He asked, confused. The person on the other side knocked rapidly once again, as if telling them to hurry up and let him/her inside the castle. "I don't know," the other guard said hesitantly. "Should we go ask the King about it?" The first guard questioned. The other guard shook his head. "His Majesty is probably already asleep. Best if we just ignore the person I guess." The first guard nodded but felt something in his gut telling him that ignoring the poor soul outside wasn't the best idea.

Knock, knock, knock!

The two guards looked to each other but this time, they didn't say a word.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

The knocking had gotten louder and faster, more desperate. "If whoever keeps knocking, they'll wake the whole damn castle," the first guard hissed. The second guard shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it. They'll just have to leave." With that, the two fell into silence again but not for long before the knocking had come back with full force. "What's going on here?" A new voice asked. The two guards turned to the newcomer and immediately bowed down. "My Prince," they said in unison. The man frowned. "What's going on?" He repeated. He was in his chamber when he heard the loud noise coming from the front entrance of the castle. Seriously, people were trying to sleep.

"There is someone outside, Sir. But we were hesitant and did not want to open the door. We were hoping that the person would eventually give up and leave but-"

Three more rapid, loud knocks interrupted his sentence and the Prince's frown grew even deeper.

"Open the doors," he command.

The guards looked to each other then back to the Prince. "Right away."

The two got up and took away the heavy wooden plank from the handles. They proceeded to open the door with caution and flinched when a blast of icy wind and snow hit their face. There in the snow stood a hunched over figure wearing a dark red cloak. The Prince narrowed his eyes upon seeing the mysterious figure covered in a thin layer of snow. "Who are you," he demanded none too gentle. "I am but an old woman who seeks to find shelter. My Prince, would you be so kind as to let me stay for the night?" A raspy voice asked, harsh to the ears. The man did a look over at the beggar. The cloak hid most of her features from from what he could tell, she really did look homeless.

"ANd what will you give in return for shelter?" He asked, crossing his arms over his well toned chest. The woman, as if she had expected him to say that, pulled out from under her cloak a single Gracidea flower. "I will give you this flower in return for shelter for tonight. It is the symbol of gratitude," she explained. The Prince did not like that one bit. "Crazy woman! You must be out of your mind," he yelled. "Do you honestly think that I would let you stay for a mere flower? Get out of my sight!" The guards looked to each other. Poor lady. "Please, sire, I have no where to stay. Do you not see the storm? Hear the howls of the wind?" She begged.

And indeed, the storm tonight was vicious. The wind was relentless, swaying trees with enough force to topple them to the ground. The snow had already covered the ground and was steadily rising in height. But the Prince paid all of this no mind. "I do not care for your troubles. Leave at once!" He ordered. Then the old beggar woman pushed off the hood of her cloak to reveal a beautiful raven haired woman. "You foolish, selfish prince," she sneered. His eyes widened. "I am the sorceress, Ultear, and I have come from the corners of Magnolia to see if the rumors of the selfish prince was true. And it is true indeed." The Prince took an uneasy step back.

"What do you want?" He asked, surprised at how steady his voice was. The woman let out a spine tingling laugh and produced a round orb. "Tell me, young prince, what is it that you see?" She asked, thrusting the orb into his face. He squinted then he was vaguely able to distinguish a shape. He licked his lips and looked up to the sorceress. "A dragon," he said. She lips quirked up into an evil smile.

"Then a dragon, you shall be!" She declared. "W-what?!"

With a wave of her hand, he was suddenly engulfed into a bright light. "M-my Prince!" The first guard stammered in shock. The two scrambled backwards in fear of the sorceress. "What is going on here?" A loud voice boomed. The two turned to see the King and the Queen standing there with angered looks on their faces that were quickly replaced with horror.

"ROAR!" The Prince turned dragon bellowed.

He let out a great roar as he unfolded his wings, making the guards and his parents take a step back. "Oh, yes, yes, yes. What a magnificent beast," Ultear sneered gleefully. "By your 21st birthday, this Gracidea flower shall bloom. With each passing year, till you find love, one petal from the flower shall fall. By your 26th birthday, if you have not yet found love, the last petal will fall and you shall forever remain a dragon!" Ultear let loose a laugh that did not suit her.

"What have you done to my son?!" The Queen cried out, tears in her eyes. "Your son has gotten what he was deserved," Ultear spat. With that, she threw the flower on the snow covered ground. "But I am feeling merciful today, so I shall put your castle and your kingdom to sleep and shall only be awoken when the young Prince manages to find love. Or else...you will never wake again!"

The Prince's eyes widen in horror as he watched his parents drop to the ground in an eternal sleep. "Until you have found a place in your cold heart to learn to cherish someone, you will never see your parents awake again," Ultear said, a sadistic smile on her face.

"Now Natsu, I hope by your 26th birthday, the flower does not die."

And just like that, she disappeared. The only thing left behind was a dragon and a single flower on the steps of the castle.