Chapter One
Cornered By Fate
"Courage doesn't always roar." – Mary Anne Radmacher
Natsu stared out of the council room window, giving the horizon more attention than the meeting currently going on in the room behind him. Inside was the monotonous drone of the Summer Court's council members, but out there… well, the council room had one hell of a view.
His gaze drifted west as a flock of birds rose up from the trees in the far distance. Somewhere over Spring Court territory. If he looked north, he would see the snowy peaks of the Winter Courts mountains. The Autumn Court he couldn't see from this window, but given that he visited it regularly, it held little of his curiosity. He'd read about the other Courts enough not to be overly interested in them. As a Summer Court fae, he held no desire to visit the Winter Court. Both due to its whether conditions and its idiot prince. As for the Spring Court; they did not take visitors.
No, the politics of other courts- or any politics at all really- were of little interest to Natsu. His curiosities lay elsewhere. In his magic. Adventure. Life beyond the fae realms-
"Could you at least pretend you're paying attention?"
Natsu rolled his eyes before turning to meet his father's stern gaze. Even without his noble stature, Igneel was pretty intimidating. The red scales that covered most of his body had a tendency to catch the sunlight in the most menacing of ways when he grew irritated. But with Natsu, even when his father was angry, there was always warmth in his eyes.
"I am paying attention." Natsu automatically replied.
"Oh really?" Igneel smirked, "What were we just talking about?"
Natsu gulped. He tilted his head to the side, looking past Igneel to where the council members were stood pondering over a map of the realm that was carved into the large wooden table. Figures like chess pieces were scattered here and there across the map. Some the council members moved, others- the bigger pieces- stayed put.
He had no idea what they were talking about.
"Erm, planning a new watch tower on the border?" He suggested with a sheepish grin.
Igneel frowned, but there was humour in his eyes.
"Lucky guess." He answered.
Natsu sighed in relief. He moved to turn back to the window, but his father grasped his shoulder. He was not off the hook yet, it seemed. Natsu held in a groan as Igneel guided him back to the table.
"I know these things can be boring son," Igneel began, "But some day, you're going to be King. And a good one I hope. I'm just trying to show you the ropes."
"But Dad…"
"Natsu, this is serious." He knew that tone. Igneel was getting frustrated with him. He was pleading for him to 'fulfil his duties' as he called it, "Where do you think we should place the new watch tower?"
The council members all turned to him, awaiting his answer. Natsu looked at the map. The lands of the Summer Court were painted in red. They bordered the green of the Spring Court to the west, and the yellow of the Autumn Court to the east. North of them was the centre of their realm, neutral territory. The place where the annual court gatherings were held. Another boring meeting that his princely duties required him to attend. South of them was painted grey. The Great Forest.
None of the lands that bordered them seemed like somewhere they needed to watch for threats. Even The Great Forest, although it was supposedly uninhabited, didn't seem like something that needed constant attention.
Natsu sighed.
"I don't know Dad," He looked away, not wanting to see Igneel's disappointment as he scratched nervously at his horns, "Do we really need another watch tower?"
"An important question!" Igneel nodded, but Natsu knew it wasn't the answer he wanted, "As King-"
Natsu groaned.
He couldn't help it anymore. Every day it was the same. Learning the Do's and Don'ts of being King. Natsu was tired of it. And, quite frankly-
"I don't want to be King!" He blurted.
The council members gawked at him. Even Igneel looked surprised, but he quickly regained his cool.
"I understand that it seems like a burden son, but-"
"Are you going somewhere?" Natsu interrupted him, "Are you planning on leaving sometime soon, and never coming back?"
"Well, no," Igneel stuttered, "But I-"
"Then why? Why do I have to start learning how to be a King? If you're not going anywhere, then you'll be King. For the next ten years. The next hundred. As long as you're here I'm never going to be King, and you're not going to leave me- leave your people, are you? So what's the point?"
He was aware that with an heir, Igneel could step down at any time he chose. And perhaps his father did have other things he wanted to pursue. It would be boring to be a King for all eternity. That was precisely why Natsu didn't want to be King at all.
Natsu didn't give his father the chance to reply. Instead, he stormed out the room. Leaving the council members with their mouths agape.
He dashed down the castle steps. It was moments like this he wished his mark had been wings instead. They would have helped make for an easy getaway. And they were certainly more useful- and more appealing- than his horns.
Wings or no; Natsu had his own methods of flying.
Laughing to himself, Natsu ran through the castle. Uncaring as to whether it was un-princely of himself or not, he cast off his coat and his shirt as he ran. He didn't stop even as he cleared the castle's main doors. It was imperative that he get a running start.
Once he left castle grounds, he called upon his flames.
Of all the courts, Summer had the least privileged hierarchy. It was partly due to Igneel being a generous and doting King; seeing himself as one of the court as opposed to a ruler of it. But even Igneel couldn't deny the benefits of his own blood.
Dragneel's had a fire inside them. A drop of the summer's sun, Igneel told him as a child. Natsu had been taught to control it when he was younger, enough so that he didn't accidentally burn down the entire court, but now he wanted to master it.
Just like he practiced, wings ignited at his back. He concentrated hard on the immense heat, willing the flames to shift, to lift him into the air. He jumped, and his fiery wings beat.
He was flying!
Still focusing on the flames at his back, Natsu let out a yelp of joy. The yelp caused him to falter a bit, so he reined in his excitement and honed all his concentration ongto the flames. He willed them to beat again, and began to fly west.
Angling his body right, Natsu kept low as he flew. He knew from his many –many, many- failed attempts at this that flying too high was a recipe for disaster. He always become too entranced by the view and lost his concentration. He was sure there were several Natsu-shaped craters scattered around the court by now.
He focused on flying until his argument with Igneel became a distant memory. Controlling the flames calmed him, made him feel as though he had control over himself and his future. He tested himself occasionally. Weaving through trees, flying high before plummeting to the ground. It wasn't long before a light sheen of sweat covered his tanned skin. Controlling his flames took a lot of energy.
The feeling of pride in the success of his flight was blossoming strongly in his chest when he noticed the golden shimmer in the middle distance. There were no walls separating the courts, only the magical borders. While mostly invisible, they shimmered from time to time when people drew near. It was more of a reminder than a warning. But Natsu supposed it depended on where you were going.
As his thoughts strayed, his wings faltered. With a muttered curse, he tried to regain control of his flames but it was pointless. He'd tired himself out more than he realised. He seemed to drift for a moment from sheer momentum until he succumbed to gravity.
He crashed ungracefully through the trees, branches stinging his skin, before slamming into the earth, rolling for a bit before finally coming to a stop with a groan. He lay there on the grass as he let the pain ebb away, soaking in the sun that shone into the small clearing. Thank the gods for fae strength.
It was likely he would have fallen asleep, had a small laugh not echoed through the clearing.
He rolled onto his stomach. It seemed he'd landed quite close to the border, for directly in front of him was the tell-tale golden shimmer. But beyond that, in the half of the clearing that was Spring Court territory, sat a cloaked figure.
Alarmed, Natsu jumped up. The Spring Court were a private people. Outside of court gatherings, they did not interact much with the other courts. It was strange to see one of them so close to the borders. What were they doing here?
Maybe we do need that extra watchtower after all, he thought.
"I-I'm sorry," The cloaked figure apologised, mistaking his surprise for embarrassment, "I saw you fall. It reminded me of a youngling learning to- to…"
Their voice trailed off, never finishing their sentence. Their soft voice. Feminine, Natsu realised. The cloaked figure was a girl. He couldn't see her face, but he watched her, the golden shimmer of the border fading, as pale hands reached up to her concealed face.
Was she… crying?
Natsu doubted that anyone who was about to invade would be full of tears, but he felt the need to ask anyway. He knew from his studies that inhabitants of the Spring Court could not lie, but as a result they were masters of bending the truth, so he kept his question direct.
"Are you here to invade the Summer Court?"
The figure snorted.
"No." She answered.
"Are you going to cross the border?"
"I… thought about it."
Her answer didn't strike Natsu as bending the truth. He thought of it more as a confession. She hadn't needed to tell him that. Or maybe he was being too trustful.
"So are you going to?" He asked again.
"I can't."
"Why not?" Natsu frowned. It wasn't against the law to travel between courts, but people mostly did it via the main pathways, and with granted permission anyways.
The figure considered her answer before replying.
"I'm… trapped."
Natsu shuffled on his feet. If this was the border between the Summer and Autumn Courts, he wouldn't have hesitated to step closer to the figure. She seemed sad, and alone. His heightened senses picked up the tinge of salt on the breeze from the tears she'd shed, and whatever magic she held- that he could sense by probing mentally with his own- was quiet. Almost solemn and subdued in it's power.
He wanted to reach out to her, but… this was the Spring border. No one visited Spring.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked in wonder.
The figure remained silent.
He snickered to himself. Spring fae's were smart. They couldn't lie, but just because they told the truth didn't mean they had to answer your questions.
"Well, I feel ya buddy," He confessed as he sat down on the grass in front of the border, "I'm trapped too y'know."
"Oh really?" The figure asked. Even though he couldn't see her face, Natsu was sure he could hear the grin in her voice, "And what could confine the great Prince Dragneel?"
"Hey! How do you know my name? Are you some kind of spy?"
"No, Natsu. I'm not a spy."
"You kind of look like a spy. I think it's the cloak."
He watched her closely. Her shoulders shook with a silent laughter, her tears seemingly forgotten. He burned with curiosity.
"What's your name?" He asked, thinking that if she knew him, perhaps he would know her, "How do you know me?"
"Lucy," She told him after a pause. The name tugged at something in the recesses of his memory but… he didn't recognise it. "And you're recognisable."
"The horns?" He guessed, his hands wandering to them.
They grew with age, and at present added an extra five inches to his height. They were a deep brown with a hint of red. Ridged like a rams, but instead of framing his face, they rested atop his head. Curving up from his skull, then levelling out before the tips curved back up to the sky.
"Actually, it was the hair," She giggled, "And the fire."
"It's a Dragneel thing." He smiled, referring to the flames.
"Is that so?" Lucy laughed.
She moved her head slightly, revealing a small portion of her face, enough to see only her smile. It stoked his curiosity higher. He didn't look away from the curve of her lips as he leaned back on his hands.
"What about you?" He asked, "Do Spring fae have any special tricks?"
As quickly as it came, her smile vanished. Her pink lips contorted into a frown just as Natsu's heart dropped. He hadn't meant to upset her.
"I should probably go." She murmured as she stood.
"Lucy, wait."
She paused as he stood. He fidgeted but didn't dare cross the border. Lucy seemed like she was on edge. Afraid of something. He didn't want to startle her.
"Would you mind… coming back here tomorrow?" He asked hesitantly, "I don't know anyone from the Spring Court, and a future King should know his neighbours right?"
Oh, if Igneel could see him now.
"From what I hear you don't much care for being King." Lucy retorted. Her tone was joking, but Natsu was sure he felt some underlying bitterness coming from her.
"Are you sure you're not a spy?" He laughed nervously.
Lucy laughed too, the moment of tension fading.
"It would be nice to have a friend," She told him, "And I don't know anyone from the Summer Court. Personally, anyway."
"So tomorrow then?" His voice was hopeful.
He hoped it made her smile.
"Tomorrow."
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue! I'm so glad the start of this story got a good reception! I'm at work a lot recently and unfortunately I'm now allowed to kill time by writing while I'm working so I may not have much time to write in the future, especially with uni start up again too. But don't worry! I'm determined to get some writing done whenever I can, even if it's just a little bit at a time! I hope you enjoyed Natsu's introduction and look forward to the next chapter as much as I do!
Much Love,
-HN
