In the land of fiore, off the coast of hargeon and past all signs of civilization, a large island laid uninhabited by man. No mortal dared step foot on the volcanic rock for it was home to a nest of dragons. Among those was the king of all fire dragons, Igneel the mighty.
He commanded a powerful nest of dragons, among those was his own son. The prince of fire dragons, Natsu. The prince himself was passionate and untamed as his element, both in spirit and heart. But it was his playful demeanor that attracted the attention of those who knew him.
Igneel was well known in many circles. Both good and bad, for the vast treasure he collected in his hoard. People came from far and wide to steal the most dangerous of the magical items he stored away.
On Natsu he imparted the knowledge their hoard was to be protected. For if their treasure fell into the greedy hands of man, darkness of a new kind would spread over the land. The magic of a dark curse, until any capable of being conjured by man or beast, would crush them all.
For in their hoard they carried many divine scrolls, wrenched from the holds of gods. They were the guardians of horrible magic. But not all they guarded was evil. Among those was a blackened key, the gateway to the stars. Ophiuchus the serpent bearer.
It was entrusted to Igneel for safekeeping by the goddess of the stars herself. Passed on through the years, the dragons guarded their hoard with a jealousy which became common lore. It was not like a dragon to share.
Natsu was no different.
He wrestled with his nest brother, an iron dragon of rust and bolts, Gajeel. Both of them were fighting over the softest bite of the cattle the nest dragged in. Knowing it was the tastiest part of the kill, neither wanted the other to have it. As such they didn't notice a giggling gust of wind snatch it from under their noses. Both were left staring in shock as the swift sky dragoness sat upon the cattle like a throne.
"You should share" the young girl chided, hopping off to give the two elder dragons a huffy pout. She used sharp talons to cut ribbons of equal sized strips into the flank, tossing the bloody pieces to her brothers.
"Way to take the fun out of it Wendy," Natsu caught his in his mouth, his complaints coming out muffled around the chunk of meat closed around his fangs.
"Yeah I was about to kick the little Salamander's ass," Gajeel let out a rumbling laugh, an eerie sound that was reminiscent of grinding metal.
Wendy looked at a loss for words. A lack of understanding for how boys settled their problems set on her face and she gave the two of them an apologetic look.
"S-sorry."
The two males looked at one another, then turned towards Wendy. Identical smirks flashed over their faces, chunks of steak dangling from full mouths. Together they pounced on her as a unit, roars of laughter bouncing off the gilded cavern walls.
Soon Wendy was giggling along with them, zipping around to escape her brother's grasping holds. She was as swift as the wind she skated across, her long blue hair whipping behind her in streamers. Small fangs bared in a smile as she managed to blow a gust of air at the ground to throw herself up in the air, just out of reach of the two male dragons.
A stream of fire put paid to her laughs though, as Natsu launched himself up with sheer explosive power. He roared in delight as he plucked her from the air, flipping down to land on his toes. Rocking, he balanced Wendy on his shoulder and flashed a grin back at her in victory.
"Sorry Wendy, but I win this time," Natsu grinned.
Pouting when he dropped her, Wendy moved over to Gajeel. The iron dragon dropped a large hand on her small head, his odd laugh grinding out from his throat.
"No fair, you two always pick on me."
"Gihee," Gajeel snorted, "Get a thicker hind girlie. This ain't gonna change any time soon until you get your wings."
Dragons, like many creatures, went through hatchling and fledgling phases just as other creatures did. Born from an egg, they appeared human for the first parts of their lives until they gained their draconic features. Fangs and reptilian eyes were inherit staples of their race as even in their human form they remained. But the scales and talons came next. Then, as the hatchlings entered their fledgling stage, they gained their horns and tails. Towards the end of the cycle, fledglings would grow their wings, thus unlocking their ability to transform into a full dragon at will.
Wendy pouted up at Gajeel, clearly not taken with her brother's idea of 'comfort.' Rebellious to the core, as most dragons were, she swatted at him and elbowed Natsu in the solar plexus, causing the latter to wheeze.
"Rebellion, uprising!" Natsu gasped, "This is traitorous behavior Wendy!"
"Then come get me your 'majesty,'" Wendy teased, a smile on her face. Although she looked extremely apologetic for nailing Natsu with her elbow. Her brother seemed to shrug the blow off. To an older dragon like him, it probably hadn't even registered as more than a tickle.
Natsu coughed.
Okay, more like a sucker punch.
Still, the dragons in their nest were content. They trained, fought, and protected one another to the best of their ability. They transformed as fluid into one form as another, and the skies belonged to them. For without wings, a dragon was nothing.
It was unfortunate but one-day even humans, bold as they were, could triumph over the might of dragons.
The change was not immediate. No, at first it came slow. A messenger here, requesting access to the dragon's hoard, a follower there. Igneel turned the mortals away once. Then when they returned a second time, belligerent and with guards in tow, Igneel turned them away twice. The third time the messenger came, greed in his eyes and hunger in his soul, Igneel vaporized him and his compatriots.
Human life was precious. It was a virtue Igneel always believed in, but he would not wait for a battalion of ships to march down his nest. He was confident in the strength of his dragons, but he would not throw an open invitation of war to those who were willing to try and steal from him. If he could avoid a war by setting an example, then he would.
However, not even he was prepared for the Queen.
A Queen with a heart as blackened and bitter as the magic she commanded. Manipulating space itself to trick and fool her way through the defenses of the dragons. Portals. Ones that could devour attacks and fling them back at the dragons, renown for the ability to resist attacks.
Unless done by another dragon.
Fire, iron, air, light and shadow – all were devoured by the portals of space, and each one sent back on their comrades. The strategy of the dragons were to fight as a unit. Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, along with their siblings Sting and Rogue were used to predator formations, flanking and swarming. Unfortunately, such a tactic worked out in favor for the Queen.
Natsu roared out in pain as broken wings folded under him, a shudder of agony rippling up his back. The ripped membrane of the wings fluttered in useless holes against the ground, pierced by rods of unbreakable iron. Robbed of flight in one blow.
He howled in agony, his claws scratching at the column of metal rising from his side. Natsu was pinned into the ground, the iron from Gajeel's redirected attack impaling him into the cavern floor. He didn't dare shift forms while so badly injured, but he couldn't move like this.
Roaring out a jet of fire, he struggled to attack. Struggled to fight. But his family. His nest, they were getting torn apart in front of him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Igneel fought the Queen. And while she herself was fragile and easily breakable, her forces were distracting, and the deceiving nature of her magic was too terrible for words. Even the might of Igneel flagged under the onslaught of attacks. The sheer volume of her attacks, mixed with the blows of dragons put an end to the battle.
In drops of flame and burning ash, Natsu watched from his pinned position as Igneel fell to the ground.
Natsu roared his pain, his body lashing the ground from where he was pinned. Fury made him overheat, and the iron melted down in his wound, softening just enough to give Natsu space to rip himself free. Bleeding, and in dizzying bad shape, the smaller fire dragon crawled over to his father, his claws dragging him across the rocky, broken ground.
His body passed over golden coins, each one pressing into his wounds and a grinding reminder of their losses. Natsu's tears welled in golden eyes, burning down the scales across his muzzle once he dragged himself to his father's side. He nudged him with his nose, broken wings cracking in an agony he no longer could feel.
"Pops," he nudged him with his nose. Natsu's chest heaved in pain, diving his head down to hook his snout under Igneel's head. He lifted it up, trying to lift his father's body, even in his state, "Pops don't— please don't—."
"Your father is dead," The Queen's voice drifted over to him. She watched him through cruel eyes. The woman was beautiful; there was no mistaking that, but the hard lines of cruelty on her face made her beauty shallow. And her words, they were biting and wicked.
She walked over the body of Igneel, encouraging a roar of fury from Natsu, the bellows of his injured nest echoing his snarl. To his frustration, the Queen looked unaffected by his snarls. Instead she held up a small tarnished key, the sight of which caused Natsu's heart to freeze in his chest. As a fire dragon, he never felt cold. But if he were to think of anything but the fact that the woman who killed his father was holding their most precious treasure in her hand, Natsu would have been amazed by the icy flood filling his veins.
"This is all that I came for, how sad," She sneered at Natsu, "Had you pathetic lizards just given me what I wanted to begin with, your precious father might still be alive."
She ground her heel into Igneel's bloodied chest.
"You monster," Natsu growled, claws digging deep grooves into the cavern floor. The inability to give up a fight ran through him like it was his blood itself. So he did the only thing he could do.
He flicked his tail up, smacking it into the back of the Queen's wretched hand, causing the key to go sailing through the air. Natsu opened his mouth, snapping his jaws around it and swallowing it down in one gulp. He allowed himself a smirk at the furious snarl that twisted across her face. Natsu chuckled, dropping his head down along his claws.
"You should know your majesty, that a fire dragon's stomach burns hotter than any foundry. It can melt down anything, magical or otherwise," Natsu's muzzle spread into a large, fangy smirk. The wounds he had sustained were beginning to catch up to him, and Natsu's vision began to grow black around the corners, "Your key is gone."
"You would destroy your own treasure?" She spat in disbelief, "I am Queen Minerva! You worms should know better than to act out against your betters!"
He closed his eyes, turning his exhausted gaze up to the woman who robbed his nest of piece. Hate filled his heart with fire and grief, but satisfaction he stopped her plan unfolded on his face. He was growing light hearted fast, and his head swayed. Darkness invaded his vision, the voices of his next growing distant in the background.
"Better destroyed then in your hands," said Natsu, satisfied by the rage on her face. Pleased that no matter what, the Queen would not get what she wanted, Natsu's body went slack and his world went black.
-::-
Natsu's eyes snapped open, sleep fading fast from his face. His head lifted off the pillow in his bed, the bottom sheet of his blanket twisted around his ankles. A hard gasp ripped from his chest when he twisted in just the wrong way to cause a sharp ache in his side. His hand shot to his abdomen, a throbbing pain lancing through his body. Wincing, he kicked off the blankets down to his waist, his palm pressing hard against the old scars that crossed the area.
What a weird dream.
Dragons, Queens and Keys. Natsu groaned, rubbing his stomach and curling up out of bed. He swung his legs over the edge, his hand diving into his hair. Groaning, he stood up and stretched, scratching his back. He walked over to the mirror against the wall, taking a look at his side. There was no sign of inflammation or that it was opening up again. No signs of bruising either. Already the pain was just a distant memory.
He sighed and rubbed it, walking to his closet to pull out a pair of sweat pants, a shirt and sneakers for his morning jog. If there wasn't an issue, he didn't have to worry about it. Unfortunately it did bring up the hazy memory of how he had gotten the scar.
It was a fire.
Most things involved fire.
Natsu hated it. Hated fire more than anything else in the world. The swell of the flames, the path of destruction it ate, it was terrible. It was because of the nature of fire, that he lost his father. Igneel, the only father Natsu had ever known. Even though he and Happy were adopted, the three of them were happy. Until the day they weren't.
He was with Happy and Igneel, the three of them eating dinner for a weekly meet up. Natsu was telling his dad about the promotion he received at the firehouse. Lieutenant. It was irony at its best.
A gas line broke or something…
The memories were so hazy. All Natsu knew was he was waking up on his back, a long spike of rebar jutting from his side. Happy was curled up like a feline, tucked near Natsu. And Igneel—…
Igneel was gone.
By the time the firefighters cleared the wreckage and got them out, Natsu had blacked out from blood loss. He was patched back together at the hospital, all thoughts of transportation and how he got there just a muddy mess in his head. He knew the Mayor herself, a slimy woman unlike any other, visited him. She apologized for the damages to his home and life, and encouraged him to think properly about where he lived from then on.
If her words were meant to be comforting, Natsu hadn't found a shred of kindness in them.
The memory was fitful and watery, like he couldn't quite grasp it. It was elusive and free from his grasp. The memories of his dream bringing up memories of his past. How strange he would substitute the characters in his dream with actions that happened in real life. Strange indeed.
He jogged through the woods and across the beach, working up a sweat as he moved. Trying to escape the memory of losing his father, his legs ate up ground. Natsu moved in mindless patterns, grateful he was off work. So what if he had to work twenty four straight hours if he got forty eight off? It meant he had no where to be for a while, although he had to make sure Happy was up in time to eat breakfast before going to school.
A quick check to his watch told Natsu it was time to head back. Pounding out the last few bits of road, he slapped his palm against a sign for a marker before twisting around and turning back around.
Finally, he came to a halt outside of Grannies, his eyes landing on a familiar figure sitting out in the early morning frost, looking barely bundled up and miserable.
It was that Heartfilia girl. Loony? Luigi?
Lucy.
He saw how cold and frozen she looked, standing out in the morning cold. It was chilly Natsu guessed, but he had always been hot blooded. To get him cold took a huge effort. Aside from the time that damn bastard Gray locked him in the freezer in Grannies, he didn't get cold. Lucky him he guessed, but Lucy looked miserable.
In her gloved hands she was holding onto a cup of hot chocolate for dear life. It was raised to stiff blue lips that took tiny sips every few minutes. In front of her stood the Mayor herself. A cold woman, with sharp cruel eyes and a superior smile. The mayor was quite cozy, wrapped in rich furs and thick coats. Poor Lucy.
It was just last night all of her belongings blew up in a fiery hell. He guessed that was why she didn't look like she was at all put together. In fact, all she had on was a thin coat and gloves. It looked like her meatier coat had been reduced to ash in the fire. She could probably use a scarf too.
Natsu jogged in close enough to catch a part of the conversation. But now that he was close enough, he could see Lucy's eyes narrowing in annoyance. He couldn't blame her; the Mayor had that effect on people.
" As I was saying, there were some discrepancies in the fire report, that raised a few red flags, I'm told there was an accelerant used in the fire," the Mayor said with an even smile, "I'm afraid your stay in this town might be extended indefinitely Ms. Heartfilia while we get this sorted out. You'll be held in jail for the duration of your trial."
What?
Natsu couldn't ignore that, especially since Lucy looked stricken. That was his report he filed on the crash. There was definitely some suspicious activity in relation to her car blowing up like the finale at a fourth of July parade, but it wasn't on her end.
He jogged towards them, catching his palms on the picket fence. His fingers curled around it, just a few feet away from where he was leaning against the previous night.
"Madam Mayor, what was that I just heard to say about Ms. Heartfilia? You're going to take her into custody for arson?" Natsu asked her, his eyes going wide in shock. His hands flexed against the barrier between them.
"Not that it's any of your business Lieutenant, but yes. I am ordering her arrest," She said, a cruel smile drawing over her face, "I can't abide having a vagrant on the streets."
Not his business? How was it not his business? She was going to try and use his report to throw an innocent woman in jail. Natsu's eyes narrowed, his hands gripping the wood in tight fistfuls, "Mayor Minerva, if you'd read my report you'd see that she wasn't anywhere near the point of origin! The chemical used in the fire was fast burning when exposed to air with a volatile ignition. Lucy was getting hot chocolate at the time!"
Lucy's entire body jerked towards him over his words.
"What, wait back up there," Lucy protested, waving a hand for Natsu's attention, "You mean to tell me someone blew up my car on purpose?"
A sheepish look flashed over his face and Natsu gulped. The Mayor turned an unimpressed glare on him.
"Well the arson investigator hasn't made a complete report yet— " Natsu tried to cover up, but was cut off by Minerva.
The woman scoffed, "What this idiot is trying to say, is that you are not at liberty to know the details of your own case."
Her eyes turned into cold daggers, glaring at Natsu like he was some sort of insect barely worth her attention. For some reason, the mayor had always disliked him. If he was honest, he held an irrational hatred for the woman as well. All he knew is that he sure as hell never voted the woman into office.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Minerva asked, a cutting smile lifting the corners of perfectly painted lips, "You have to see your little brother to school now don't you? It would be a shame for someone to think you were neglecting him to pursue a frivolous argument."
The threat was underlying in her words.
The bite of frustrating obedience welled up in the back of his throat. Natsu's sense of justice warred with his desire to keep custody of his little brother. It was a threat Minerva always dangled over his head to keep him in line. His fingers dug into the splintering wood with a furious squeeze. Natsu's shoulders trembled with rage and blood roared in his temples.
As mayor, her word went far against his, especially considering the dangers of Natsu's job and the all-nighters he had to pull every forty-eight hours. His body shook and it felt like fire was swelling in his lungs. It rolled through his stomach, pushing up against his chest, crawling against his ribs – dying, no, begging to be released into the world.
A pale hand dropped onto his forearm, snapping his attention upwards towards the owner.
Lucy's eyes were focused on his. They were firm and unyielding, determination outlined over her entire body.
"It's okay Natsu, go on. I can take care of this," The reporter said faithfully.
Natsu wasn't so sure she could. Minerva was playing dirty, covering evidence up and directing it somewhere else. Lucy's touch was relaxing though, and he couldn't help but let tension drain from his body.
This was far from over.
But one thing was right, he had to get Happy up and ready for school.
Afterwards though, he was getting Lucy out of jail.
Not exactly what he planned for his day off – but he would take it.
-::-
Here is your filthy update! Hahahaha, yeah OUAT has updated FINALLY. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.