Early Files - Blythe Chapter 1, a fairy tail fanfic

Early Files - Blythe, part 1 (a Fairy Tail fanfic prequel)

There is a village that nestles between the mountains and the desert. People here lead a rough and often short life. Outlaws are common and magic is forbidden. Only in the most recent generations has the village adopted the language and ways of the rest of Fiore. For centuries prior, this was tribal land. Magic is misunderstood and feared. One clan here does what it can to reign in the outlaws they find, the Sandrunners. They are a family of bounty hunters and have been for generations. They hunt anyone who crosses the law, but their passion is darker than just that. They also hunt mages as they cling to the old ways. They hunt mages without mercy, treating them as little better than animals at best. The clan has done this for countless years, but now, something is going to change.

A boy was born into the clan unlike any of his predecessors in many ways. For one, he was pale skinned, a trait of his mother's. She had come to this land several years ago from somewhere far away. She was ostracized at first, but the leader of the Sandrunner family has fought off the hate and married her into his prestigious clan. The name 'Sandrunner' had been highly respected for many generations in this corner of Fiore, but over he last few generations, the admiration was fading. Now Fiore's army kept the peace on the road from the desert and if that wasn't enough, they had an ace in the hole. The village sustained itself by providing iron ore to the army and to their guardian, Metilicana, the Iron Dragon. For part of their weekly haul, the dragon had agreed to protect them from any attacking members of his kind. Another clan was in charge of carting these offerings, Redfox.

The Redfox clan was deeply despised by most of the local inhabitants. The only one who didn't seem to hate them was the pale boy with curly golden locks. The Redfox family was down to a single woman and her son, the lone survivor of a pair of twins. However, this story is not about that child. This is about the Sandrunners and, more importantly, Blythe. His father was hard on him during training. Nothing the boy ever did seemed to be good enough. It wasn't that he was unskilled. He simply 'soft'. His personality drew in most people around him, making them smile without noticing, but that effect didn't work at home. His mother remained silent during much of the abuse and his elder sister simply laughed. One might expect this child to grow up in anger, but he maintained his innocent eyes despite being trained to hunt and kill other men.

The young Blythe hit the sand hard. "Is that the best you've got? How disappointing", sneered his father. They had been sparring, trying to hone the lad's reflexes, but his heart just wasn't in it. He got up and dusted himself off. "Are you even trying?", demanded his father. Blythe nodded, fighting off tears, knowing letting them flow would only make things worse. His father sighed and turned to look at his sister, Tanya. "At least I have a viable heir", he stated. Tanya smiled wickedly at her little brother. She was truly the golden child in their father's eyes. Everything she did, she did well. She could run, fight, and even mix toxins. Blythe wasn't so good at any of that. Sure, he could run as far as the day was long, but it was never enough to impress his stern father.

"Yavuz, try to go easy on him. He's younger than Tanya", said his mother, stepping onto the sparring field. She, too, had become a bounty hunter when she married into the family. It was expected of her and she held the talent to do it. She'd long studied martial arts as a means of mediation during her old life, but here, the skills became needed for other things. "Tihana, quit coddling the boy", sighed his father. She bent down and wiped the blood from her son's cheek with a soft smile. This was often the most she would do in sight of the head of the family. Yavuz grasped her shoulder roughly. "Let him bleed. It'll be a lesson to him to get better", he said before walking off. "Tanya, complete your sparring rounds with your brother. I have work to do", he ordered. Hoping down from her perch on a nearby rock, she obeyed. She crossed her arms and stared at her sibling with a smirk. "Come on, mama's boy. Show me what you've got", she taunted. A chilling stare from their father was all it took for their mother to retreat back into the house.

The siblings now stood alone, face to face. Tanya punched Blythe repeatedly in his shoulder, waiting for him to put his hands up. "Father's right. You're pathetic", she said. He mumbled something incoherent. "What? Speak up!", she yelled. Turning his eyes up form the ground, he met her gaze. "I said I can fight", he repeated louder. "Show me", she stated. Tired of being pushed around, he went for it. It wasn't long before she sent him reeling. After all, she was older and bigger than he was. He rolled into the sand until he skidded to a halt. She stepped into his field of vision , but offered no help. "Oh, come on! I'd get a better fight with those girls at the convent!", she teased. Sitting up, he didn't cry, not for her. He just held a calm yet faint grin. "What the hell are you smiling at? You lost!", she said. "Mother said every loss is just an opportunity to get better", he uttered sheepishly. "Uugghh, she really does coddle you. You have to grow up sometime, you know", she sighed. "But we're just kids", he replied. Giving up, she sneered across her shoulder as she stalked away and said, "You'll always be a child."

A few days later, the house was quiet. Yavuz had decided to take the children out to see exactly what they do. Tihana watched her son closely as the stalked their prey. Three men sat around a camp fire up the mountain, discussing how they had trashed the town the day before. They laughed at what little resistance had been shown. Yavuz was out of the village with Tanya and Tihana had tried to stop them herself. Now she glared at them through her swollen eye. Failure was not accepted and the fact they had guns was no excuse.

"I know, right?! I mean, seriously, who sends a woman do to a man's job?", laughed the ringleader. "I told you those bounty hunters were a joke", smirked an underling. Tihana held her wounded arm close. She'd been shot during their previous encounter. Tanya watched them with anger, annoyed she had to wait to go after them. Yavuz simply took in their mannerisms while Blythe looked upon them with pity. Yes, they had done wrong and even injured his mother, but his father was brutal in his captures, rarely taking in a mark alive. Tihana jolted to attention at the utterance of her name. Yavuz was giving orders. "Take the boy around the east side and wait for my signal", he stated. "But - ", she started. He glared at her with menacing intent. Silently, she nodded and did as she was told. Tanya watched them go and said, "Why do we even need them here? You could take them all down by yourself." Her father smirked. "Yes, but then I wouldn't know how you handle thinking on your feet", he replied. Before she could ask what he meant, he shoved her down from their perch.

She landed hard on her knees, but never took her eyes off the men in front of her. "What do we have here?", said one. "Entertainment", said another. As they rose to approach her, she threw a poison laced knife that lodged deep in the throat of the first man. "Holy shit!", said his comrade, stumbling backward. The leader stood up with a smug expression. "Little girl, that was your last mistake", he seethed. Nearby, Tihana saw what happened. She watched helplessly, knowing to interfere would not be permitted. She also worried about her son, Blythe. He was only five and so gentle, she hated to see him harmed. His eleven year old sibling was kicking ass at the campsite. When their mother turned to check on him, he was gone. She spotted him above, climbing over some rocks toward the outlaws, determined to prove his father wrong. "Blythe, no!", she cried. That utterance gave away both of their positions. The bandit leader took a shot, dropping Tihana to the ground. Annoyed, Yavuz jumped to the ground gracefully. In mere seconds, both outlaws were dead alongside their partner.

Tanya praised his skill, but was brushed aside. Yavuz stood over his wife with cold eyes. "Get up", he ordered. She sat up slowly, clutching her eye. Blood poured from between her fingers. "Tanya, medical practice", was all he said before retrieving the stolen items from the camp. Tihana was lucky. The bullet only grazed her brow near her eye and not the eye itself. Her blue eyes were mirrored in her daughter by color, but Tanya's were cold like her father's. Once she had been bandaged, Tihana went to loading the corpses with her husband. They'd fetch a fair price.

One day, Blythe sat below the window in his home, covering his ears from the riot outside. The town square was far off, but even so, the din reached him. Someone had started a fight in the market which quickly escalated. When people finally disbanded, his father entered the door with a triumphant smirk. "What happened?", asked Tihana. "That damn witch was in town again", he said, sitting down to remove his heavy boots. "Why does she even show her face?", sneered Tanya. "That won't be a problem anymore", grinned her father. "You mean - ?...", trailed Tihana. "Stone dead", laughed Yavuz, thinking himself witty. "I don't think she was really a witch", uttered Blythe, thinking out loud. His father's eyes snapped onto him like a predator stalking prey. "What did you say?", he asked tensely. "She was a witch! A filthy magic user!", cried Tanya. Rising from his seat, Yavuz said, "Take her to the other room." There was no room for interpretation or defiance. Tihana took Tanya by the hand and hastily left to the bedrooms. She pressed her back to the door and clenched her eyes shut at the sounds emanating from the kitchen. "It was just a simply statement", she thought, but Blythe had inadvertently disagreed with his father, something no one ever did.

That night, Tihana silently wrapped her son's wounds. She could say nothing as she watched Blythe smile warmly at her. His nose was broken, some of his baby teeth had been knocked out, and his body was black and blue, but still he grinned just for her as if to say, "I'm all right." It brought tears to her eyes, knowing that he put her peace of mind ahead of his own well being. She could hear her husband praising their daughter for mastering another toxin in the next room. As the night went on, she watched her children sleep, completely aware of their father's favoritism. She sighed deeply, angry her fear prevented her from protecting the boy. Enough was enough. This time was mild compared to the severity of other 'corrections' and she feared they would only get worse. She gently stroked her children's brows and went to confront her husband.

Blythe sat up like a shot at the noise. He darted his young eyes to his sister. She stared at the ceiling, but said nothing. "Tanya, do you think mom's okay?", he whispered. "She's crying, right? That means she's alive. Stop worrying", she replied, rolling over to block everything out. Unable to ignore it, Blythe slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. He cracked it open enough to slip through and closed him behind him. "Your funeral", sighed Tanya, going back to sleep.

Blythe peeked around the corner to his parents' room with horrified fascination. His mother was on the ground, gasping for air. His father had his knee on her chest and his handover her mouth as he had his way with her. Tears trolled down her cheeks as she tried to contain her screams lest the children be involved. This sight alone would be enough to traumatize any young child, but the terror wasn't over. Blythe tried to back away quietly, but bumped into a table behind him. His father darted his gaze to the door with anger and his mother hers with worry. "Don't move", he sneered as he got up to investigate. Blythe wanted to run, but then he be spotted for sure, so he tried to hide behind the door. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

His father reached behind the door and grabbed the boy by his hair. Lifting him off the ground, his rage was palpable. "I'm sorry! I didn't see anything, I was worried, I swear!", he pleaded. His words fell on deaf ears. "I've had enough of your failures", he said, dragging Blythe outside to the yard. The boy begged for mercy as he tugged along by his scalp. When the door opened, his father thrust him into the night. "Stay here until I finish with your mother", he seethed. He turned to go back inside, but Blythe didn't want his mom to hurt anymore, so he launched himself onto his father's leg and held tight. "You little shit!", yelled Yavuz, punching the lad repeatedly. Annoyed, he reached for the katana he kept by the door. "Please, no!", screamed Tihana, lunging forward. She grabbed Blythe and skid to a stop in the sand outside their home. A deep cut ran through the side of his neck and into his mother's ribs. He laid in shock before finally uttering, "Mama?". She wasn't answering. Her breathing was labored. She struggled onto her knees and set him on his feet. "Run", she whispered, shoving him behind her. They were both bleeding badly. "Mama, you're hurt!", he argued.

Yavuz stared them both down with a killer's eyes. "Don't worry, Blythe. She won't hurt much longer", he stated, striding forward. Tihana turned and shoved her son into a run as contact was made. Stumbling, Blythe landed on his face. Turning to see the aftermath was too much for him to handle. Tihana's head spun in the sand beside him. He screamed, a primal shriek as his mother's blood sprayed over his face and body. Tanya, too, had seen everything from their bedroom window, but she remained silent, simply observing the violence. "Shut up!", ordered Yavuz. Blythe slowly looked up to his face, trembling visibly. "If you love each other so much, spend some time together", he grinned. Blythe cowered, bracing for attack. Instead, his father grabbed him up by the neck of his shirt and dragged him several feet. Then, he lifted him and dropped him down to the well, followed by Tihana's disembodied head. Blythe shrieked again, unable to get away from the horror.

He cried so hard, he never noticed his own wound sealing over. It would many years before he even realized it, let alone what it meant. He spent the night in that well beside his mother's dead-eyed stare. He cried most of the night, shivering with both fear, shock, and exposure. Desert nights are widely known to be frigid despite the searing daytime heat. Yavuz didn't care about losing the well. He would simply cover it over and build another. That's the kind of cold-hearted bastard he was.

The next day, he told the neighbors a story about his previous mark's comrade coming for revenge in the night. He said he lost his 'beloved' wife to them and they had taken Blythe away, likely to never be seen again. Tanya knew better than to say otherwise, so she played along, crying crocodile tears at the loss of her mother and brother. Three days later, Yavuz opened the front door to leave for a bounty and was met with a soulless version of his son. Blythe stood there, weak and battered, terrified and having nowhere else to go. He'd spent three days of pure Hell in that well and had finally managed to climb out. He was covered in a mix of blood, some his own, and most his mothers. His young mind couldn't process what he had seen and been through, so he silently passed his father and went to his room. He wouldn't emerge again for several days, but when he did, his father greeted him a grin and said, "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

To be continued...