Disclaimer: Greetings to you Fairy Tail fans and readers, this is Axel and welcome to my very first, humble attempt at writing. Everyone who came for classical FT lovey-dovey, 'magic is the answer to all, Natsu is the butt-monkey' or 'Rushi!Rushi!'... you may leave right now. FT is very malleable and I'm gonna make it so using every ounce of stuff that came to be in my cerebral cortex. Expect dark themes, blood, gore, cynicism, violence, profanity (not for little kiddies, trust me). I like to be a smartass, sue me. Historical references that I use in my story are borrowed and do not necessarily correspond with facts we know today.

Fairy tail and it's characters don't belong to me, they're the property of Hiro Mashima-san and Co.

Indomitable Heart

Chapter 1: Fallacies Of Fate

Memories, no scraps of life that once was. How long has it been? Since father left him, since he arrived from who-knows-where to here? And these vague pictures that he dreams of almost every night. Mountains, woods, boy with black hair and eyes and then fire, fire, FIRE, BLOOD, MONSTERS, ROARING... Wake up, N...!

*GASP* He wakes up with a startle, breathing, sweating. 'Dammit. Another one.' The young man thinks while grabbing his forehead. 'What in the hell are they?' To have such twisted dreams. Just what is in that part of his head that makes all those dreadful sights appear so real and cause the reaction from him? Could his line of work be the reason? The only advantage out of this would be rising in early hours. He looks outside the lone barred window, the sun is barely rising.

'Another day.' He gets out of bed, and starts dressing, while at the same time reminiscing of how he got in all this crap.

XxX

Lone boy, lost in the woods, running, and calling for his guardian. ''Dad! Dad where are you! Dad! IGNEEL!'' He screams, his voice howling throughout the forest. No answer, just like the first hundred times he's been trying.

''Why, dad, why did you left?'' He fights back tears, but they fall from his eyes regardless. He sits, and leans against a tree, having spent some of his strength. Why did it happen to him, did he do something, was Igneel disappointed at him, was this some test? No, it can't be, after all that training he went through with dad. He wouldn't do this to him.

He sighed, looking up, the sun was still up. The day was still young. He is on his own, no matter how he looks at it. He wiped away the leftover tears. He should not be crying, Igneel would be pretty irked by him right now if he could see his state.

'Dad.' He thought sadly. He closed his eyes and tried to recall of any prior events that could led to this. Much as he tried he was drawing a blank. Everything was so mashed and mixed up. Why couldn't he remember it if it only happened yesterday. He's not that forgetful, despite that training where he had to break a boulder with his head. Wow, it all seemed kinda lame right now.

''Ugh, it's no use!'' He let out a little growl, while opening his eyes, but his brows remain furrowed. Just at that time his stomach decided it was time to be noticed.*GROWL*

''Huh, guess all that made me hungry, is it that bad?'' Another growl was his reply.

''Hehe, well looks like I gotta find some grub. Oh yeah, time to hunt and eat my fill!'' He exclaimed while rising to his feet. He looked around trying to spot a decent meal, but not many caught his eye. Trees, trees and more trees. Too bad they're not edible. A lesson that his father taught him, one of the very first 'use your other senses, eyes are not everything'. Right, as a dragonslayer he has a best hearing and smell among the whole animal kingdom. Concentrating while rising his nose in the air and taking a few whiffs. He took of slowly.

And now there was a sound, a flow, maybe a river or a stream. Great, that's where the animals gather. Lots of them. No way he was wasting this chance.

After a few minutes of walking the sound became more clearer, and the scent stronger. He almost reached it. But wait, what exactly waited behind the ridge. He can't afford to screw this up. slowly he approaches it, while laying low and crawling on the ground. Success! Peering slightly over the obstacle, he spots a stream with a few birds, does something that looks like cats and smaller pigs.

'Yes!' He thinks. 'A'ight, let's see.' He shifts his mind and body in gear. Trying to zero in on a most suitable target. Too bad he can't have them all. Muscles tense, eyes slitted, canines ready, get into a favorable position. 'Patience or you will starve.' It was more like an imprint than a voice. Action. He jumps out of hiding and step one, the does turn their heads, step two birds start flapping wings ready to take off, cats have already gone three steps away. But thats not what he was aiming. *SQEAL*

Just like that, the little boar was dead. Such are the laws of nature. It's eat or be eaten. Eat or you will starve, there's no room for pity.

''Raaarrrgggghhh!'' Triumph. He looked at the dead boar still holding onto his neck, his flames killing the animal, cutting off air supply. Canceling the Dragon's Clutch 'cool name', he lifts the carcass with a grunt, he's gonna eat tonight, but first thing's first, better get outta here. He ain't keen on losing his prize to other vultures or predators. He takes off to the unspecified direction.

''Huuuuh, that hit the spot.'' He sighed contentedly. It was night, and his campfire was his source of light beside the moon that shone brightly in the clear sky. Earlier he decided to find someone and get information about any dragon sightings. What else could he do? He saved some meat leftovers for the travel, wrapping it in a bundle of his upper garments. He'll have to use his magic to keep himself warm, but that shouldn't be too much of a hassle, he's done it before while dad was hunting.

With the fire still burning, he leaned back against the log he set there and went to sleep.

First in the morning, he was off. Finally getting out of the woods and finding a weird gray paved road, he made his way to the East. One thing the old man taught him is that sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Least he got that much.

Hours of walking and still nothing, the road just went on, and on. This was getting annoying. Maybe he should burn this damn thing. 'Maybe not, what's the point of if it can't fight back'. He took a deeper breath and released the air, and again. Curious questions started appearing in his head, why was he taught just Fire Dragon Slayer magic, does it mean he can't beat the ones who know Water magic, no there's always a way, if that said person is a mage like him, he could use flames to superheat the water then it can make a lot of cover, and then he can use his superior reflexes and hearing, getting behind them, slam an Fire Dragon's Iron Fist and bam! Oh yeah, pure genius. He''ll show them.

A sound cut little guys musings on battle tactics. Strange, like something moving on the ground, but not stomping, he never heard it before. He turned around and faced the source of it. 'Weird' he thought. There were two animals, he believes they're called 'horses' or something, that were tied with some ribbons that a man was holding while sitting on some box like thing that had four round circles rolling on the bottom. Two more men were on each side of the thing, both on top of their respective horse.

As they approach he steps a bit off the road. The 'rolling box' passes him, but the one of the horseman suddenly stops. The rider turns his head to look at him. He sees a very odd sight. Little boy, with pink hair (pink hair!?), dressed in only an undergarment of sorts, with white scaled striped scarf and a bundle on his back.

''Boy, why are traveling alone and what name do you answer?'' Came slightly rough voice of the man. The boy looked a bit surprised. This man was weirdly dressed, gray plating over a red clothes, some coverings on both his arms and legs, a shining thing that covers most of the head, but the face, brownish footwear, there was some long stick on the side of a horse, some pointy thing on his waist as well and a long, red rectangular object he is holding in one arm. It had a bird picture over it in yellow colour.

''Do we speak common tongue, answer when spoken to child!'' He said more louder this time. He was getting impatient with the lack of response.

''Yeah, uh, yeah! Who are you, where did you come from, are there more like you, what are you wearing, have you seen any dragons maybe?!'' Came an wide range of questions, the boy was panting at the end of his little rant.

Slightly taken aback by a child's loud little voice, the man raised an eyebrow at him. What a peculiar child. Dragons he says? He asked the question first and this rudeness will not be tolerated. Dismounting, he got closer to the boy, towering him with his height of around five eleven. He got on one knee and grabbed the boy by shoulders. ''First question asked, show respect to elders and answer properly.'' The man grunted out. Honestly, was he raised in a wild by barbarians of sort. That could explain some things. He needed to teach him his place. That is not how one talks to the soldier of the Republic. The nerve of this boy.

Said boy was surprised by the action. This guy was a real ass. No one can treat him so, only his father Igneel. Swinging the sack he was carrying he hit the man on the head which only made him move it if only a bit and the boy ended dropping it from the recoil. Angered, the man gripped him under armpits and raised him in the air while standing at full height once more. ''How dare *guh*... '' he was interrupted by a flaming fist to the cheek, courtesy of the brat. And it hurt a great deal. The action caused him to release the boy who landed on his feet.

''In ya face prick, how do ya like that, huh!'' The man reached and unsheated a gleaming metal from waist and swung it at him. It was bit of a poor swing since the man was holding onto his left side of the face. ''Nice try, how 'bout some...*BWACK*'' Someone kicked him from behind, dirty cowards, he's gonna, *GLOK* another hit... and then he saw black.

The other horseman was standing behind the now unconscious boy, the round blunt side of his sword on display after hitting the boy with it. ''A soldier of the army being brutalized by a mere runt.'' He spoke chidingly to the other man. ''Gods truly find amusement in tantalizing you on this day Manlius. First the gamble, then your wife's letter, and now this. It is affecting your performance.'' He continued while shaking his head in exasperation at the situation of his comrade. And it's barely noon.

''Reminders of this vile day are noted Rufinus. Much gratitude.'' The now named Manlius ground out in his slightly more than usual rough voice. Probably from the pain and anger he now felt. ''Even so, this day may yet bring some good fortune.'' He removed his hand from face to reveal that he now sported a bruise, slight blackening with purple underneath his left eye.''The child made use of magical enchantment of sorts.'' He spoke a smirk starting to form on his face. ''And you remember the value that slaveholders and others have for his ilk. Gods may yet prove to still hold some favour over myself.''

Rufinus glanced at the fallen child, similar ideas of easy coin starting to appear in his head. But before all that. ''Not to be a bringer of bad news, but how will explain ours possession over the boy to the superiors. As soldiers, it is...'' But before he could carry on, Manlius lifted the boy and started walking towards the slave's waggon. ''Please, let us not not get more shit than it has...'' He muttered while following after the man.

Slowly starting to wake, the boy could only blink as he felt the ground shaking, the ground felt like wood though. And what's that smell? He raised his head only to yelp as he saw a strangers face looking at him. The man was huge in his opinion. Even if shorter in the terms of height like the last guy, this one was somewhat tanned had broad shoulders, well built body, his beard was slightly showing, he had dark, short hair on the sides but longer on the top and green eyes. He was also sporting three large scars that kinda looked like they were made by claw on his right pectoral and a smaller gash on his side. There was also a strange, dark mark on his shoulder, but he coudn't quite make out. The only thing the strange man had on himself was an undergarment and sandals.

''What manner of crime have you committed to be on the road to this hell?'' Asked the stranger in a surprisingly calm tone, unlike that prick before.

''Crime? What crime? I've done nothing wrong, I was on this road looking for my dad Igneel, and that guy came up and started acting like an ass. If only I could find him, I'm gonna...'' Now he remembered, they hit him on the head, and he blacked out. Then he looked at his arms and legs and found that he was shackled like the man across him.

''You should speak in more laconic way, rather than prolonging the words. And at slower pace. People are not always to show patience, child.'' The man said. ''You search for your father? How come you end a slave?'' The chained stranger asked.

''A slave? What's a salve?'' Was the child's only company raised a curious brow and looked closely at the child. Only thing that really stood out was his pink hair. 'What kind of ancestry gives birth to such offspring?' Was one of the man's notions. The child didn't know what a slave was? What place has he come from to not know of slavery?

''Where do you hail from, boy?'' He was met with a blank face. He tried again, this time paraphrasing. ''Which land do you come from?''

''Ahh, weeelll hehe, I don't really know, my dad used to fly me around all the time, and we lived in all sorts of places.'' He replied somewhat sheepishly.

His father 'flied him around'? What an odd, odd child. The man, himself, has seen some strange things and whatnot, but to hear this. Who exactly is this boy?

''I'm Natsu by the way. Natsu Dragneel. You are much better than those two jerks.'' The boy told him with a big smile not minding the strangers scrutiny.

He felt pity now. That kind of smile could only come from a person that knew nothing of the cruelties of other people and this world. This boy, he can only hope that he survives in what's to come. And even if he does outlast that long, that smile shall not. The carriage suddenly stopped and the back door opened. ''I am called Leonidas.''

Before the child could even utter another word or react properly, he was hit on his head by the same man as before.

XxX

Three strong bangs on the door and he broke out of his recollecting of the past. No use in looking back now, the past is in the past. It's not like he can travel back in time and do something about it. Oh well, time to get to get on with a day now. They were so kind to send a wake-up man. Something else is up. ''Waken, Igneous! Dominus calls for you!''

'Tch, the codger has plans that involve me. Let us not keep him waiting.' He mused before heading to the door. What could that man be thinking now?

Cut. That's it for the introductions. Many questions you have I'm sure. And curse my good soul to leave you all in suspension. What's with the whole 'slave theme thing'? Many will notice which setting I choose for the start of my story. Yes, you are right. But don't worry, we'll gradually get to the point. And this is not a 'fairytail'.

Like I said at the beginning, Fairy Tail is so malleable that it gives me wide range of possibilities to work on.

Again, this is Fairy Tail unlike that of Mashima, so if you came for lemons, fanservice or that kin of stuff, leave before you get disappointed and start flaming me.

Fact is I'm gonna turn things upside-down here, and do my best to give you the same amount of action, drama, comedy with my touch plus a more realistic setting. Savvy?

And read. And leave a review. Honestly, I'm not getting paid for this. I do this for fans and those who like to read. This is far from masterpiece, to be clear. My first time ever in this new environment of writing.