Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I'm not making a profit off this, it's just for my own enjoyment.
Lay Down Your Head, Child
Part 1: Monster
"Please don't do this!" the man begs. His eyes are wide and fearful, and he's kneeling on the fine carpets, staining the fabric with mud.
He ignores the plea. In truth, he wasn't listening. Something about a wife and some children? Bah. Too bad for them.
"I don't want to do this," he assures. "I have to. I have no choice. You shouldn't have betrayed me, see?"
The man's eyes bulge and he opens his mouth again, no doubt to continue begging.
He has no patience for this sort of thing. A wave of his hand and the man gurgles helplessly, struggling for breath and he slumps to the ground.
Slit throat. Ouch. His private assassins must be feeling rather vicious today.
"Now look what you made me do," he tells the dying man. "Blood! All over my new rugs!"
The man doesn't answer. Judging by his blank eyes, he had already died. How rude.
"Sir," a female servant ventures. "There's someone at the door."
"Tell them to come in, then," he dismisses. The woman fidgets. "Well, sir, she's unconscious."
"What?"
"It's a woman, sir. Looks to be about twenty years old or so. She seems to be in bad shape, and she's injured."
He sighs heavily, stepping over the dead man's corpse to reach the door. "How tedious. Clean this up, would you?"
The servant nods fearfully, the scurries away the second she is able. He makes a mental to have her assassinated that night; it doesn't do to leave witnesses.
He leaves to face the problem, whistling a cheery tune under his breath.
This is where the story starts.
His name is Reus van Jakenheim, the head of one of the four noble houses in the kingdom of Fiore. He is only twenty-three. To the outside world he is charming, charitable, and kind to all he comes across. He is blessed with silky black hair and warm light brown eyes, his skin a beautiful golden brown. His is the face of kindness.
The truth is a very different story. He is greedy, selfish and conceited, concerned only with his reputation. He has power, money, and women hanging off his every word (and his arm). He has everything.
Except her.
If not for her denial, her stubbornness, Reus would have dismissed her, cast her from his thoughts like the ungrateful stranger she truly is. He finds her collapsed and unconscious in front of his castle, covered in dirt, grime and God-knows-what-else.
He takes her in and gives her medical attention only because if he didn't, he might be looked upon poorly. When she finally wakes up three days later, he half expects her to swoon over him.
She doesn't. She snarls, screams in his face, and then proceeds to try to jump out of the infirmary window.
The guards pull her back before she can succeed, but she has already gained Reus's attention. Part of him wants her to pay for disrespecting him, but a larger part wants to break down that wild spirit, make her dependent on him, just so he can see the despair in her eyes when he crushes her hopes and dreams.
He tells her to stay in the room until she is better, smiling flirtatiously at her, and that is where his problems begin.
Nothing works. Every time they leave, she only tries to break out again and there's nothing he can do to stop her. Money she scoffs at, threats she laughs at, and when he offers her the chance to be his woman she spits in his face. He can find nothing about her either, so blackmail is futile task.
She's different, she's strange, she's wild, and he's never wanted anything as much as he wants her.
With this realization, everything about her is dazzling. Her name is Eva, and with her fair skin, soft but regal features, hair the color of starlight, and eyes darker than obsidian, thick-lashed and beautiful, she is truly fit to be his queen, his pretty little figurehead.
The true problem is her personality. She's uncouth and wild, uncaring of politics and ignorant of manners. She'd sooner fight tooth and nail than bow to anyone, and insults potential allies daily, sabotaging relationships and destroying his image. She abandons fine silks for her favored cottons and wools, despises the rich, mouth-watering food he gives her. She doesn't appreciate anything, not wine, money or anything at all.
Nor does she love him and that is her greatest insult.
"Am I not desirable?" he asks one day. She leans on the balcony, laughing.
"To most," Eva says, "you are the world. But I do not want the world, nor do I want you."
"Why not?!" he screams. Rage dulls his vision and twists his features; he has never felt so insulted. Not wanted? How can he not be wanted? "Why do you still refuse to be my bride and bear me a child?"
"You expect me to love you," Eva says coldly. "I cannot love. But if you truly wish for me to do these things for you, give me a reason to."
"I saved your life," he snarls.
"That is the only reason why I am making this offer in the first place."
Reus loses his patience. "Then what do you want?"
Eva doesn't hesitate. "Power."
"Power?" he splutters. "Power? If you become my wife—"
"Not that kind of power," Eva says. "I want the world at my feet, all of you pathetic humans kneeling before me. I desire true, absolute power."
He licks his lips, mind whirling. He shouldn't, but his pride overruns his common sense. He will break her, but first he needs the tools.
"Fine," he spits at her, the words like acid in his mouth. "Fine! Give me an heir, and I'll give you an empire."
"Oh?" she asks, eyes glinting with curiosity. "An empire?"
"Yes," Reus says. "With an empire, you can do anything, and have anything you want."
Eva smiles. It's a terrible smile, filled with death and darkness and promises of never-ending war. Her hand comes up and rests on his cheek; her skin is ice-cold, like a corpse. Her eyes are empty and devoid of everything—life, love, humanity.
"You have yourself a deal," Eva says, and seals the promise with a kiss. She pulls away and walks back inside, leaving Reus to wonder why he feels like he just sold his soul to a monster.
A/N: I really didn't mean to write this...but I couldn't stop myself...
So, if you haven't figured it out yet (which I doubt), those two are Zeref's parents. We don't really know anything about how he become the way he is, so...yeah, the plotbunnies ran wild. Please tell me if you find any mistakes, I'm not used to writing in present tense.
This will be a twelve part series, detailing Zeref's past and maybe a little bit of his future. This will probably all be disproved by the manga, but whatever.
What do think of Reus and Eva? What do think will happen next? I'm curious to see what you all think... Don't worry, Zeref shows up next chapter.
Please review! It really helps motivate me to continue writing. :)