~:✞:~
Thick smoke hung in the air, the sound of metal clashing hammered through his ears, and the smell of blood wafted across his nostrils. Gore, screaming, and chaos everywhere. All around him. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't run from it. He couldn't hide from it. 'Save me! Help me! My prince, please!' The voices called out to him. Bloody hands were reaching out toward him, coming from all angles. The prince kept backing away, panicking.
"I-I can't! I can't save you! I'm sorry!" He cried. He put his hands on his ears, trying to block out the chanting and pleas for help. The crying and screaming and calls of the people from his kingdom. The fires that kept blazing. The smoke that was smothering him. All of the hands suddenly grabbed him and began pulling him down to the ground. "L-let go!" He said, trying to push the hands away from him, but they brought him to his knees and pinned him in place. They held his arms back as their fingers clawed into his skin. It was then they he was met with a pair of fearsome red eyes, glowing with malice and dark intent. The dragon growled, staring deep into Naruto's soul.
"Naruto." A voice called out to him, and the prince turned to see what it was. His entire body shook. It was the image of his father, drenched in water, seaweed hanging from his broken armor, the left half of his face burned off as an eel slithered from the inside of his eye socket into the darkness surrounding them. "Why are you on your knees? Are you giving up?"
"N-no... no, father!" Naruto tried to stand, but the hands continued to hold him down. He watched as Minato turned around, and slowly began to walk off, disappearing into the eternal abyss of his mind. "Father! Father, wait! Please come back! Don't go! FATHER!"
"My prince!" The voice of someone else startled Naruto awake as the prince's eyes opened and he jolted upright in his bed, breathing hard and sweating profusely from the nightmare he just had. His body shook, remembering the grotesque imagery that was just in his mind mere seconds ago; he felt like he could still feel the hands holding onto him with their fingernails digging into him. It was enough to make him involuntarily shudder.
"My prince? Are you alright?" The voice of a woman asked, wiping Naruto's forehead with a towel. "You were tossing and turning in your bed, and whimpering. Might you be having a bad dream?"
Naruto exhaled, his breath still shaky. "Yes... a really bad dream." He said whilst running a hand through his sweaty, blonde hair.
"I see." The woman said. "You used to get bad dreams all the time when you were a child. Remember? You'd refuse to go to bed."
"Yeah. And then I'd nag gramps to tell me a story. And then I'd still stay awake~" He chuckled.
"Mm, and then the queen would scold you!"
"Haha! Yes, mother always got mad at me for doing things like that." Naruto then paused for a moment before continuing to speak. "Ah... how is mother?"
"The queen is fine. Why do you ask?"
"Just making sure. I had so many duties to do this week that I've barely had the time to spend with her. But anyway..." Naruto looked at the servant. "You can go now. Thank you for waking me." He couldn't be grateful enough actually.
"Very well, my prince." The woman bowed her head before leaving the prince alone in his room.
Once he heard the door close, Naruto fell back on his overly large, king sized bed. He stared up at the silk canopy that was draped above him, glistening faintly in the sunlight that shone from his window; the servant must have opened it for him. He could hear the flames flickering in the background from the fireplace, keeping his room a modest temperature. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, and as he did, attempted to recall the dream he had. The images started to flicker back into his mind, and the glimpse of a single pair of bloodred eyes was enough to make the prince grit his teeth. Even in his sleep, those wretched beings, those dragons still haunted him. And to think that it was only ten years ago that one of them had claimed the life of the king. The day nor the memory would never leave Naruto's mind; it had been burned into his very being. And he had spent every single day since that time training and focusing his magic skills, so that when the day came, he could finally slay his first dragon and become king.
"That day can't come soon enough..." He muttered to himself. Remembering his father's words, Naruto clutched the amulet that he wore around his neck, holding it firmly in his hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. 'I'll do my best for you again today, father. I'll make sure every dragon here regrets the day you died.'
As he closed his eyes and thought of all the things he needed to do today: sword practice, magic training, and his princely duties, he couldn't help but want to be a kid again. Bouncing on his grandfather's knee, listening to him tell stories about kingdoms, and magic, and princesses (mostly princesses), and refusing to go to sleep. Now that nearly a decade had passed, Naruto felt like he couldn't get enough sleep.
After lying down a while longer, the prince finally got out of bed. He yawned and stretched, smiling at the nice tingling sensation that rolled down his back in time with his bones cracking and the tightness of his muscles loosening. He rubbed his azure blue eyes, which were still a bit hazy from sleep, and scratched his head. His hair was a mess and a gross stickiness clung to his skin from sweating earlier. He supposed he could take a bath but why bother. Its mid winter and he'd just end up being cold again. So he decided to skip it and gathered his royal garments.
He stood in front of a mirror as he began to dress, sliding on a white silk, button down shirt with long sleeves. A velvet orange top went over the shirt, with white pants to match. He then pinned on a red cape with fur trimmed around on it, donned his gloves, combed his hair, and topped it off with a golden crown. Once he was done, he gave himself a look over, nodded, and smiled. He looked quite befitting of what a prince should look like. He then wandered over to his nightstand and took the lid off of a miniature glass chest, and grabbed a few mint leaves from inside of it. He plopped them into his mouth and winced a bit as he chewed on them, sucking the strong, bitter juices from the leaves and sloshing it around his mouth to freshen his breath before swallowing. Afterwards, he donned his sword and sheath leaning against the wall and then proceeded to exit his bedroom.
"Good morning, my prince." A guard standing just outside the door greeted and bowed.
"Good morning. Is my breakfast ready?"
"Yes. It has been prepared for you in the dining hall."
Naruto nodded as he continued onward, walking down two flights of stairs and then going down another long corridor, giving little nods to other guards that greeted him as he walked by them. Eventually he came upon large double doors that led into the royal dining hall. Before he could open them, the sound of glass shattering from the other side was heard. He sighed.
"Sakura!" A female servant yelled. "Try to be more careful with how you handle the glasses!"
"Mnn.." A meek voice responded.
"Hmph. You should know by now, that you are to always hold wine glasses with all of your fingers beneath the glass, and have your ring and middle fingers squeezing the stem between them! Never hold them by the stem alone!"
"Y-yes..." The girl being lectured sighed.
"Sakura..." Madara said with a stern voice as he entered the dining room. "Your skills as a servant are in poor taste. Haven't you learned anything at all from the past three years you have been here?"
"..." The girl said nothing as she got a wet rag and started to gather the glass pieces carefully.
"Heheh." The mage chuckled as he sat down and gingerly sipped the glass of wine by his plate. "Though, I suppose you dragons can only do so much. After all, the only good things you are capable of doing is destroying."
Hearing those words, Sakura briefly lost her temper for a moment and curled her fingers into the rag she was using to clean up the mess. In the process, she managed to cut one of her fingers on a sharp piece of glass and winced. As she brought her hand up to her face to examine the wound, a shadow leaned over her.
"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, extending his hand out to her.
"My prince, do not dirty your hands. Please sit down and eat." The servant insisted.
Naruto ignored them and helped the young girl up. The sound of chains rattling echoed faintly in the room as she stood back to her feet. The girl's pink hair was nicely groomed and kept to a shoulder length with a red bow placed atop her head, while the black maid dress she wore was neatly ironed. Her timid mint green eyes were always downtrodden, even when she rarely spoke. But perhaps the thing that stood out the most, were her unusually long, pointed fingernails that resembled claws and the pair of pink and cream feathered wings folded and chained together behind her back. Sakura was actually a dragon slave, given to Naruto from another kingdom three years ago as part of a gift exchange between the two countries. The state she came in was horrible; she looked no more than eleven or twelve years of age. The only clothes she wore was a ragged, torn white gown. She was barefoot and her hair was overgrown; there were various bruises and red marks all over her pale white skin. They were apart of her training. She was adorned with magic shackles connected to her wrists and ankles that prevented her from transforming into a dragon and her wings were also chained with a protective seal so that she could not fly away. But perhaps the worst part of all was the fact that they hadn't even been feeding her. Since dragons can go a long time without food, they figured it was easier to save on rations by not giving her any, and she was as thin as a skeleton. They only gave her food as a reward.
She was originally given to the prince to be his first dragon to slay, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, and decided against having her killed much to the court's dismay. When Naruto first tried to guide her around the castle, she passed out from exhaustion in his arms. He ordered that she work as a servant in the castle instead and be given proper care. Even though she was a dragon, the way she looked in that miserable state was human to Naruto. How can one simply treat a little girl, a child like that? Naruto almost saw himself as a child in her helpless, pathetic state. And just what would be the point of killing a dragon that was already on the verge of death? There would be no reward for that; only the chance to say that you killed one. The prince did have an ounce of regret for deciding to care for her though. Because for now all he could do was pretend to be nice to her until his coronation day. And then, Sakura would have to be killed. Well, he supposed it was the least he could do, and that the dragoness should feel grateful for getting to have the small amount of time she did to stay alive.
After tending to her wound, Sakura finished cleaning up the rest of the mess and bowed to Naruto, leaving him alone for the remainder of his breakfast. The prince sighed as he watched her go, and finally sat down at the table. He picked up his fork and cut into a thick piece of toast. After he took a bite, Naruto looked at Madara. "Have any dragons been found yet?" He asked.
"No, my prince. Not yet." Madara spoke, cutting into the hunk of meat on his plate. "The frigid winter we have had this year has made finding dragons rather difficult, since most have hidden themselves away deeper into the forest or migrated elsewhere due to the cold. And we can only go so deep into the forest due to the magic that protects it, not to mention the other dangers that lurk within. That and..." The mage stopped speaking as a frown appeared on his face. "The rogue dragon, Sasuke, has made it damn near impossible to safely find and capture dragons."
Naruto's own brows furrowed. 'Sasuke.' The blonde gritted his teeth. A couple of years after the king was killed, another dragon suddenly started to attack, scaring off any hunters or intruders that dared to enter its territory. It was a malevolent dragon that had a roar unlike any other; a roar that invoked fear into anyone that heard it. Naruto had never seen the dragon himself, but there were many rumors about it. Its eyes were said to freeze even the bravest of men in their tracks. Its claws were rumored to be sharp enough to slice through steel. And the flames that came from its mouth... never went out. Any person scorched by its fire would burn to death until they were nothing but a pile of ash. And its hide was said to be as pitch black as the night sky. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this dragon, was the fact that it never left the forest. Not once had it ever even dared to step foot on or near the kingdom grounds. It was almost as if it were taunting everyone, daring them to come after it. Or possibly even scaring off would be dragon hunters from trying to find the remainder of the dragons. And it was doing a pretty damn good job. If you even strayed off the path, you would hear its roar as a warning. It became such a nuisance that a large bounty had been placed on its head for anyone who could kill it. But the dragon was smart. It's lair was never in the same place for long. It knew it was being hunted, and it mocked every single person that tried to find it.
"Sneaky bastard..." Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Naruto, language." Kushina warned from across the table.
"Sorry, mother. Its just... that dragon Sasuke. It really pisses me off. Its making a mockery of my kingdom. It is preventing us from finding the other dragons, it clearly hates humans, yet it would rather hide than fight. It is not only a disgrace but a coward. If only I could have its head." The prince huffed.
"I understand your frustrations, my prince. We are trying everything we can to get rid of that dragon. But its too smart. It has even learned to avoid our traps. And many times it has interrupted trades between our kingdom and others. It truly is a nuisance. We may just have to end up going to another country to find a dragon for you to kill."
"Oh come now, Madara. It is merely protecting its territory like any other dragon." Kushina said.
"Well, whether or not it is doing it for its own purposes or to make us look like fools will no longer matter soon. Isn't that right, my prince?"
"Yes." Naruto nodded. "It knows of the pact between us and dragons I'm sure. But that wont protect it for long. Thats why I've made my decision..."
"I see. Good." Madara smiled. "Then all you need to do is look forward to your coronation day this year. Until then, I suppose you'll have more than enough time to practice your magic skills now that you have nothing to think about."
At that, Naruto sunk in his chair. "Oh come on!" He griped. "I can't put up with another one of your lessons today! I keep telling you, magic's not my strong point!"
"Then I will make it your strong point! Your father was excellent at harnessing the element of wind. But you can barely do enough to make a breeze blow. And don't even get me started on your fire power. You can't even light a candle!" He chided.
"Ugh! Yes I can! I lit a candle that one time!"
"Yes. And you nearly burned all of my garden in the process." Kushina said, bringing a napkin to one of her eyes as she pretended to weep.
"Th-that was an accident, mother!" Naruto responded in a slight panic, not wanting his mother to feel bad. "But you see? I told you I'm no good at it!"
"Like I previously stated, then I will make you good at it. Now eat up. You are going to need all of your strength this afternoon." With that, Madara finished his breakfast and stood from the table to excuse himself. Kushina followed soon after while Naruto just continued to sit there and eat slowly, hoping to stall as much as he could before he finally and reluctantly got up.
After fulfilling his morning duties, the rest of the prince's day consisted of brutal training from his mentor in which he had to counter fireballs being thrown at him with the power of wind. And then, Naruto had to create his own fireballs to cancel out Madara's. Ultimately, he failed and only succeeded in setting himself on fire and ran around the courtyard like an idiot. The mage just shook his head, put the prince out by drenching him with water magic, and gave up for the day. Naruto pathetically sulked as he walked down the hallways in wet clothing. The day couldn't be any worse.
'Seriously...' Naruto sighed as his boots made wet, squishy noises as he stepped into his bedroom. He heard water running and steam coming from the bathroom. There was a tray of hot tea on a cart left there in the middle of the room; someone must have brought it for him to warm up before getting in the bath. He walked over to the cart, and picked up the petite teacup. He took a whiff of the hot beverage; it had a sweet, tantalizing aroma. But when he sipped it, the tea itself was bitter and disgusting. He held the drink in his mouth, debating on whether or not he should spit it out. Before he had the choice to make the decision, someone walked out of the bathroom and he swallowed it. He almost wanted to gag.
"My prince, your bath is drawn." The person who stepped out was Sakura. Her head was down, looking at the floor as she lowly spoke. For low ranking servants and slaves, their eyes were never allowed to meet with the gaze of those who had nobility or it was taken as a sign of rebellion and disrespect. Naruto honestly hated the belief, and didn't understand the point behind it. After all, wasn't it harder to understand someone or their motives when you couldn't even see their face?
Naruto walked over to the pink haired dragoness, and lifted her chin up. He smiled at her and said, "Thank you." He gave her a single pat on the head.
The dragoness was always confused when Naruto did this. She never once questioned it or why Naruto treated her so kindly. Wasn't he a prince and she nothing more than a lowly slave? She was always taught to be nothing more than an item of convenience, yet with this prince, she felt the opposite. A small smile creased her lips. "Please enjoy." She started heading for the door.
"Oh, Sakura..." He called out.
"Y-yes?" She said, quickly turning around.
"Just out of curiosity... who made that tea?"
"The queen did, your highness."
"Oh." A feeling of dread went through Naruto's body as he struggled to not make a disgusted look. "I see." His mother loved gardening and making different types of teas with her flowers and herbs. She even expressed wanting to make her very own unique teas and distribute them to different countries. Which would be fine, if she weren't absolutely terrible at it. Naruto seriously struggled to think of how someone could use honey and sugar as ingredients and still make something taste so bitter. It was astounding. Just as he opted to have the tea poured out, he had a better idea in mind.
"Hey Sakura, I'm not thirsty. So you can go ahead and give this tea to Madara instead. Tell him someone else made it. Ok?"
"As you wish." She said, taking the cart and rolling it out of the room with a small look of amusement on her face.
A mischievous grin crept over Naruto's lips as he imagined the look on Madara's face as soon as the tea hit his tongue. 'Heheh, sweet revenge~' With that, Naruto finally stripped himself of his wet clothes and proceeded to get in the bath. The hot water was relaxing to him; it was just on the verge of almost being too hot but that was just how the blonde liked it. He sunk further into the inviting warmth, allowing his tender muscles to relax and his mind to unwind. He honestly couldn't wait for this cold winter to be over. The sooner spring came, the quicker it would warm back up and he could get his hands on a dragon, then celebrate his coronation day and become a king. Yeah. That was all he needed to think about.
In the midst of his relaxation, a knock sounded at his bedroom door. He groaned. Couldn't he have just five minutes of peace? "What?!" He shouted.
"Very sorry to disturb you. I know you have had a long day, my prince." A guard spoke. "I was told by Madara to remind you of your patrol duties tonight. Please do not forget again."
Naruto sighed. "Right. Ok." He said. He really didn't feel like patrolling. He'd only just started to relax after a long day. He started to regret not sleeping in, then he wouldn't be feeling this tired. And now it only felt like he was being further punished by having to go out into the cold and literally look at nothing to make sure everything was safe. 'How did dad deal with this every night?' He huffed. Naruto decided to forget about it for the time being, and stayed in the bath for about an hour.
Once the water began to cool off, Naruto opened his eyes. He had dozed off. Reluctantly, he drained the water from the bath and got out. He dried himself off quickly, combed his hair, and then got dressed. He put on his normal attire, slipped on a thick fur coat, and donned his sword. It was time to patrol.
He let his mother and grandfather know that he would be heading out, with both of them telling him to be safe. The castle's gate was then opened, and Naruto headed outside. There were flecks of snow fluttering in the sky as a gentle breeze carried them; the way they looked almost made them blend in with the stars themselves. As he briskly walked among the castle's pathway leading toward the city, he drug his fingertips along the side of the concrete walls. He remembered when his father used to carry him on top of his shoulders, and he would run all the way down the path until they reached the kingdom. And then he would set him down and buy him some fried mutton on a stick. They were fond memories. Memories Naruto often wished he could forget.
As the prince walked through the city, the lights inside of buildings and homes began to turn off. A few people who were still out would bow their heads to Naruto with a "Good night, my prince." He greeted each person he came across with a nod until he reached the southern part of the kingdom where the entrance lied. There were two guards standing at attention there. They both looked at the prince as he approached them.
"What are your reports?"
"Nothing to report, my prince. Everything is fine thus far. There have been no sightings nor sounds of any dragons. The forest also appears to be calm tonight. I think we can rest easy."
"Hm..." Naruto listened to the guard's words. Those words alone should have been more than enough for the prince to just say 'Ok.' and leave. But he knew that if he returned back home too quickly, Madara would scold him for not doing his duties properly. "Alright. Thank you for the report. I will go ahead and do a perimeter check of the kingdom border."
"Then allow us to escort you, my prince."
"No need." Naruto said, holding up his hand to them. "Its not like I actually intend on going into the forest. I'm just going to walk along the wall and then I will be back." He stepped foot outside of the kingdom entrance; the concrete pavement turned into dirt as he did so. The path ahead of him lead into the forest surrounding most of their kingdom. It was known as Jofuku Forest, which in ancient times meant 'Forest of the Lost'. And it certainly had a fitting name. Anyone who stepped foot in this forest that had strayed off the path and didn't know the way back, would quickly find themselves lost. The forest would also play tricks on people and unsuspecting travelers, making it look like they were going in circles for days, when in reality if they just kept heading straight they would eventually find their way out of the illusion and reach their destination. But if they gave into the forest's power, they would lose their sanity and starve. It was how the forest protected itself, and the deeper you went, the stronger and more dangerous the obstacles you would come across. Only those with strong wills and minds were strong enough to resist its magic. But the dragons of Konoha also used this to their advantage, and would hide from hunters by utilizing the forest's unique ability. This along with many other factors, was why it was so hard to find dragons in this country. They were smart enough to use everything humans tried to throw at them, and the people berated themselves for it. Because now they couldn't even find the very things they wanted to be rid of.
Naruto grunted and kicked a pile of snow as he trekked along the outer walls. Just the thought alone was frustrating. He began to think of just burning the whole thing down once winter ended and spring came. Then there wouldn't be a place for the dragons to hide anymore. Or maybe he would send an entire rebellion of bounty hunters into the forest to track down every single dragon there was, even if it meant they had to cut down each tree in their way. Then what would those beasts do? Where would they run? Would they all finally be cornered? And would justice finally be served?
'Just a little longer...' The prince thought to himself. In due time, he would get rid of the pact, and then do whatever he wanted. He'd see to it that no dragon was allowed to exist anymore. He would join fighters of every kingdom and hunt the beasts down. And then, only then, would there be eternal peace. Having that thought to himself was enough to make Naruto turn on his heel and start heading back into the kingdom. He was done for the night. As his footsteps crunched against the snow, the air around him grew eerily quiet. The prince stopped and listened. He remembered his grandfather's words: 'When the forest is quiet, you listen. Its a sign that something is wrong.' Instinctively, Naruto took out his sword and faced the endless abyss of trees that stood just several feet away from him; it was almost as if the forest was staring back at him. He scanned the perimeter, but all he could see was snow and darkness, with the soft moonlight bouncing off the branches overhead and creating sinister looking shadows on the ground.
The prince held firm, listening carefully to the sounds of the wilderness: the wind, an owl, the faint trickle of water. And then... 'Crunch.' A single footstep gave it away. Naruto got into a defensive stance. Anything could jump out at him; a giant bug, wolves, or even a vine from a man-eating plant. This forest was unpredictable and teaming with danger. This was why everyone avoided it unless there was a reason to enter it or leave the kingdom.
"Who's there?!" Naruto shouted, hoping to scare off whatever might be stalking him. He wanted it to know that he was aware of their presence, and that it might dissuade them from attacking. But what he got in response was the opposite of what he wanted.
"Hmph. So you're not as stupid as I thought."
The sudden voice out of nowhere was enough to make the prince jolt. "Wh-what?" The blonde frantically looked around, trying to scan through the dense darkness of the trees and the night. His eyes immediately stopped on a tall, dark figure facing him. He could hear heavy breathing as they took another step forward; revealing a giant claw in the moonlight. It was, "A dragon?!" Naruto gasped.
"Yeah. What else would I be~?" The dragon mocked as it leaned forward, finally showing some of its form as it stepped into the clearing between the kingdom's walls and the forest. There were two, large white horns protruding from the top of its head with blue-ish black spikes going from the tip of its snout to its neck; they almost resembled thorns with how prickly they looked. The rest of the dragon's body was pitch black, and Naruto could make out no other features, almost as if its very being were draped in shadow. But it had sinister yellow eyes with sharp black pupils that seemed to peer right into the prince's soul.
Thats when Naruto noticed; this wasn't just any dragon. It was the most feared dragon in the land. The dragon known to kill any human it came across and then disappear without a trace. The dragon that had become a nuisance to the kingdom for almost a decade. The horrific black dragon of shadow, Sasuke. The prince could hardly believe his eyes, and almost thought that the forest itself were playing tricks on him.
"I'm glad I was able to finally find you today. Because..." The dragon further stepped out and growled. "I'm taking you with me."
When Naruto finally processed the beast's words, he snapped back into reality and glared the dragon down. He aimed his sword at it. "Like hell!" He still couldn't believe that he had run into a dragon tonight of all nights, and it was giving the prince goosebumps. But not of fear; of excitement. He would be able to kill his first dragon. And then be heralded for his great deed. He smiled. 'This day couldn't be any better.'
"Oh? Well too bad. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. And if I have to force you..." The dragon leaned down and growled. "I will."
But the prince only chuckled, finding Sasuke's words amusing. Without hesitating, he swung his sword at the beast. "Tonight you die!"
However the dragon was too quick for Naruto, and ever so slightly moved out of the way, letting out an amused 'Hmph.' as it did so. "Your movements are way too slow."
"Grr! Then hold still and I'll be able to end this quickly!" Naruto turned around and took another swing at the dragon. But once again, he missed. He continued to assault the dragon with endless swings and thrusts of his blade, desperately trying to sink even just the tip of his sword into the dragon's flesh. But the beast was far more nimble than the prince had expected.
The dragon jumped back and sighed. "Tch. If you keep making this much noise, you're going to draw attention."
"Yeah, thats the point! I want everyone to see me kill you!"
"Ugh. You're so annoying." And Sasuke once again avoided Naruto's blade as he took an angry swing at him. The dragon then tripped the prince up with its tail, then pinned the blond down with his right fore-claw. "If this was all it took for me to get you down, then its not going to take much to kill you."
Naruto growled, struggling underneath the dragon's foot. "Get off of me you beast!" He took hold of his sword again but Sasuke stepped on his arm.
"Now what?" The dragon said, clearly mocking the helpless prince. He seemed to be having way more fun in belittling Naruto's inability to fight him more than anything. He watched and listened as the blonde struggled to break free from his grip and flung a flurry of swears at him. It was then that the dragon spoke again. "Listen. I am not going to kill you."
"Ngh! L-let me go! You motherfucking-"
"But we can't talk here." The dragon opened its mouth and leaned down toward Naruto.
Thinking he was going to die, Naruto braced himself as the last thing he saw were teeth closing down over him. 'No! Not yet!' ...but that was all he felt. '...what?' Surely he was dead right? He did die... right? The sounds of footsteps trudging through snow hit his ears. When the blonde opened his eyes, he realized he was hanging by his cape, no, being carried by his cape by... He looked up and was in complete shock. The dragon?!
"What... what are you doing?! Put me down!" The prince demanded. He tried to struggle as best he could, but it was hopeless. A lot of dark thoughts then went through his mind as he realized the dragon was carrying him deeper into the forest. Was he taking him to his lair to be eaten? Or perhaps the dragon was going to bury him under six feet of snow to stash away for the winter? Or even worse... taken to its nest and fed to a bunch of babies who were going to rip him apart! Either way, Naruto could only see a grim outlook. And he realized that he wasn't going to allow himself to die. He bought his hands up, feeling for the side of the dragon's mouth, and then began to heat up his hand.
"What are you doing?"
"Burning you so you'll let me go."
"You're going to use fire on a dragon? Are you really that stupid?"
"Tch..." Naruto gritted his teeth. Well he supposed the beast had a point. What sense would it make to use fire on something who breathes it for a living. 'Ugh! Madara, teach me something useful already!'
In the end, Naruto had no choice but to allow the dragon to carry him towards his fate. He began to think back on everything he had done up to this point. The only thing he regretted was hating his mother's tea and giving it to Madara. Now he wished he had drunk it all instead of letting it go to waste. At least it would have been the last good thing he would have done, and it would have been a better way to die too! Eventually, Naruto could make out a snow covered cave ahead. This was it. This was where his life ended. He closed his eyes. 'I'm coming to meet you, father.'
"There. We're here now." The dragon said as he dropped Naruto face down on the hard cave floor.
"Ow! What the fuck?!" The blonde swore as he sat up and rubbed his face. He then looked over his shoulder to see the dragon blocking the cave entrance. While the prince was somewhat grateful he was keeping the cold, bitter wind from entering, he was still confused as to what was happening. "...alright, dragon. You have taken me from my kingdom. You have brought me into this forest where I'll surely never find my way back out. What are you going to do with me now?"
"Hmph." The dragon snorted. It opened its mouth and shot a red fireball at a pile of wood in the middle of the cave floor, illuminating the darkness around them. "You know, if you were this compliant before, things would have been easier."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, shifting a little closer to the fire to get warm. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of weird dragon hospitality or not, but he'd be damned if he froze to death out here. That would probably be more humiliating than actually being killed by the dragon itself.
"I mean, that unless you listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you, you are going to die."
"Well, I mean..." Naruto just gave the dragon an unamused look. "I certainly couldn't tell."
"This isn't the time for jokes!" The dragon snarled, its voice taking on a deeper and more serious tone. "You are going to die."
"Alright. And?"
"No, you misunderstand. I am not the one who is going to kill you." The dragon leaned forward. "Your kingdom is."
It took a moment for the dragon's words to process before Naruto gave a response. "...Come again?"
"On the day of your coronation, you are going to be executed."