Author's Note - This story alternates between Natsu's POV and Lucy's POV.

Dragons.

Fierce warriors of legend; beasts with scales like rolling plains of grass or red as flames from the earth, maw spewing flames or metal or hurricane-esque wings. They were creatures of magnificence and beauty and something to behold in every way.

Were.

There was a reason why people lost their belief. After the war between humans, dragons and Dragon Slayers the remainder of dragons were sealed away. Permanently incarcerated in places across Fiore to never see the light of day again, just to maintain the stability of the world. What a load.

Natsu carved an X into the stone. Moss crept up the walls from the poor maintenance and the cell reeked of many different things. The worn out old cot was shredded and his demeaning food bowl was smashed into a beaten up piece of metal. Heh. As if doing that could vent his anger. His eighteenth birthday just disappeared and the most he had to celebrate was eighteen-hundred years of captivity. He hadn't seen the Sun, or the Moon, or clouds or blue sky or the oceans or...anything, really. And who to blame?

The damned King and his daughter.

"Time again, Lizardbreath." Natsu smelled him coming before he saw him. His boots pounded on the ground as he approached the front of his face. Natsu sunk back against the walls, grimacing and smiling at the same time.

"My favorite guard," he said. "Come on, let me show you my lizard breath."

Gray scowled and threw a wad of raw meat through the bars. Natsu raised his eyebrows. "Man, what'd I do to deserve this manna?"

"You know, you have a bad attitude."

"One point eight."

Gray raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Natsu rapped his knuckles on the wall. Mixed in with the series of random tallies were eighteen thick scratches in the stone. "Eighteen hundred years. That's how many years ago the War ended. And, as well as my father who had long ago died and had been thrown in the garbage, every dragon, good or otherwise, was trapped here. Tell me if I should be so happy about that, Fullbuster."

"It was your guys damn fault anyway," Gray argued flatly.

"Yes, but did you care who didn't do anything? No, instead you hypocritical humans pinned the blame on every mortal soul out there."

Gray grabbed Natsu's torn cotton shirt through the bars. The air chilled several degrees. "If I were you, I'd watch your words. You're skimming on a death sentence here, Dragneel."

"Sorry," Natsu hissed through his teeth. Not, he thought bitterly. Gray pulled back and stared at the other cages.

"I'll pass." Natsu couldn't see Gajeel in the darkness, only his reptilian crimson eyes. The sound of crunching metal resonated through the cell. "The bowl is demeaning, so I put it out of it's misery."

Gray scowled into the shadows and left in a rush. Natsu inhaled Igneel's scarf. "Damn it, I hate that guy," he mumbled.

"I hate everything," Gajeel said, surly. "Damn, if Metalicana was still here..."

"Well he's not!" Natsu snapped, bitterness taking hold. "He and the rest of the dragons were deemed villains and died immediately. And we, their kids, are stuck as POW's for the rest of eternity." He sunk back against the wall, his breathing ragged and uneven. "Or at least until they think we're too bad to keep as martyrs."

"Natsu-san, please calm down," Wendy said, looking at him through the bars. Natsu inhaled deeply and nodded. She was the youngest out of all of them and also the most frail. She didn't - or rather couldn't - eat meat like the others, and instead fed on the air, which grew thinner and more rancid every day. Her indigo locks hung limply against her bony shoulders and the shackles left permanent red marks on her wrists.

"Sorry," he apologized halfheartedly. He kicked the bones from the floor of his cell.

"How do you eat that?" Gajeel asked. "It's disgusting and they just toss it at us like animals."

"Yeah, but I can't live without eating." Natsu looked around. "I'm not like you guys. Fire doesn't pop up randomly."

"All they do is skin the animals," Gajeel said. He spat a piece of metal on the cracked cement. "You'll probably get salmonella or something."

"Nah. My body burns up all germs..." Natsu's eyes widened. He fixed his eyes on the bones. "Wait. Hold on everyone. I have an idea."

The dungeon became painfully quiet. Finally, Gajeel said, "Fiore is freezing over."

"No!" Natsu shook his head. Then, "Damn you, Gajeel. I forgot."

"Idiot."

"I'm going to sleep." Natsu curled up on the bed, burying his nose in Igneel's scarf. It was calming even though the scent had long since faded. Eighteen hundred years and not even a lick of fresh air or any wisp of what could be called freedom. He had no idea of the word meant besides not staying in a cage all day and eating poorly prepared meat.

Freedom...

Natsu was a pretty deep sleeper. If an atomic war happened he'd just snort and roll over. But this time, Wendy's choked screams woke him up.

He rolled off the bed and pressed his snarling face to the bars, expecting a late-night attack. Instead she was kneeling on the ground scratching at her throat, which was crisscrossed with bluish-white scales. Gajeel grunted, annoyed to have been woken up. "Go back to sleep," he mumbled. "Just that time."

Natsu glared. Any other time, Wendy gaining that special ability would've been excellent, but with the Anti-Magic shackles she was basically dying. She kept on with those garbled screams as her tiny fingers shifted from ultra-sharp talons to human hands over and over again. Natsu's idea returned to him in a flash. He was saddened to say that this was an ideal situation.

"Wendy," Natsu said quickly, "your thirteen. You're supposed to be able to turn into a dragon but the shackles are interfering. Look, I wasn't lying when I said I had an idea. If we can pull this off then the three of us can leave, but I'm afraid you'll have to keep enduring that. Can you handle it? Come on, dragon face! We're the strongest guys ever!"

Wendy smiled faintly. "I'll do it, Natsu-san!"

"Gajeel," Natsu continued. "You have to transform as well."

Gajeel snorted in dissent.

"Think about it, Gajeel. New kinds of metals to try. Plenty of strong guys to fight."

Gajeel made a sound that sounded like an agreement.

"Make the biggest ruckus you can!" Natsu said. He forced the dormant magic to activate. He was fireproof but at that moment it felt like he was being consumed with flames. His body burned as thick red scales replaced his thin human skin. His jaw hurt from the monster teeth trying to crowd inside. He collapsed on the ground, writhing and shaking with pain. He made sure to hit the bars of the cage and his bed each time.

Today, he thought. Today is the day we get free.