DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. Hiro Mashima does. The story and idea of the Fairy Tail fanfiction "Dragons and Heart Strings" however is written by me.

PROLOGUE

SIRIUS BARATHRUM, ISLANDS OF CAELUM

Third month of year X791

11:47 p.m.

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The sounds of a dozen or so shovels digging the barren earth and the rusty squeaks of wheelbarrows filled the exceptionally warm night air. On top of a large rocky mound, the towering frame of a well-built man hunched wearily as he drove a metal spade into the hard ground and shoveled the gravel out of a small pit.

Dietrich von Hildebrunt and his men were digging in The Pit since early that morning and up until now, they haven't hit a single lode of sky ore. A large bead of sweat rolled down his brow and he wiped it off with the back of his soiled hand. As he did, he caught a glimpse of the waning moon partly veiled by some drifting clouds.

Von Hildedrunt scratched the back of his head as a frustrated sigh escaped his lips. The new moon was approaching fast and the village chief knew that they haven't got much time left.

Absently, he fished a tiny circular brass object from his pocket which resembled an old pocket watch. His calloused fingers pressed one of the dials on the outside of the watch and a little hidden compartment inside the watch was revealed. He took a piece of paper wedged inside and carefully unfolded it to reveal a picture of an ash-blonde woman smiling and a little raven haired boy hiding behind her with an obvious pout on his face. In the woman's arms lay a baby with short blonde locks wrapped gently in white linen.

Von Hildebrunt run a thumb gently across the picture before carefully folding it again and tucking it inside the hidden compartment. He bit his lip bitterly as he squinted to see the time on the watch. Through the pearly gleam of the moonlight, he saw the soft glimmer of the two brass hands ticking. It read seven minutes to midnight.

Just as he slipped the watch back into his pocket and picked up the shovel, a man came running towards him panting.

"Chief! Hurry! I think you've got to see this!" the young man gasped between breaths.

The older man felt himself sigh in relief as he dropped the shovel and followed the young man. After all they have been searching for one since that morning.

"Well, did you find a lode of sky ore?" he asked hopefully.

The young man stopped in his tracks with an unsure expression on his face. His actions confused their chief. Finally, it all clicked into place. As the boy opened his mouth to speak and his guilt-ridden eyes met with the older's hopeful ones, von Hildebrunt felt his stomach drop.

Then what did they—?

But before von Hildebrunt could finish thinking, a loud blood-curdling scream pierced the Caelean night.

Translation Notes:

Siriusis a name of a very bright star, more specifically it is a white dwarf. Ironically, though white dwarves are very bright, in a matter of time they turn into black dwarves. For this reason, some people consider the white dwarf a dead star.

Barathrum is a Latin word which translates to abyss, pit, gulf, or Underworld. For this reason, the people in Caelum called the place The Pit.

Sirius Barathrum is an old ruin in Caelum, located in the Isle of Sirius. Most residents of the Sirius Islet come near the place to mine as the place near the ruin called The Pit is rich in sky ore.

Sky ore is a valuable crystal that is commonly used as fuel in the Islands of Caelum.

Caelumis comprised of a group of islands in Earthland located south of the kingdom of Fiore. Caelum can mean sky, heavens or chisel in Latin.

Dietrich von Hildebrunt is based on the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand, a German Catholic Philosopher and theologian who vocally opposed Adolf Hitler and Nazism, and a real person who lived between the late 1880s to the late 1970s.

A lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure or crack in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock.

Author's Note:

Okay... So this is now the new prologue. I've uploaded this around November last year but for some reason the story did not update or something. Oh well... I'll be uploading the next re-written chapters later. Hopefully, the story'll become better after this major change. BTW, I also changed Chapter 1 (for all those who read this story before this update)...and instead of a teensy-beensie change...well... (scratches her head uncomfortably)...I kinda, sorta scrapped it?... Well, not scrap scrap, but I wrote the whole thing from scratch... _ Okay, sorry about that. But please don't kill me...

So... Uhmmm... Errrr... How's this Prologue for a change? Like it? Hate it? Or is it like "Mehhhhhh..."?

For all those who read this story, supported it, favorited, followed and reviewed...THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH! :D And for those of you who are reading it right now, old and new readers alike, thank you for reading and I hope you find this story worth your time reading! :)

UP NEXT:

Chapter 1: Of Celebrations, Speculations and Missions

PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 1:

"Huh? Me and Natsu?..." Lucy asked, confused about what her friends were babbling about.

The white-haired mage nodded as she released Lucy from the hug. "Yes! You and Natsu…," she smiled. "So tell me, how's going out with the guild's resident fire dragon slayer? Is he any good as a boyfriend?"

Lucy blushed a furious shade of scarlet as Levi' and Mirajane's words dawned on her.

"BOYFRIEND!?" Lucy exclaimed as she felt her body heat up and color from head to toe. "M-M-Mira where did you get tha—"