World building and backstory build-up complete! We've finally gotten to where the little bean and the angry king meet, where insanemarshmallow's comics start!
Chapter 11
The sound of children's laughter. Closing his eyes, Deku reveled in the sound. It was happy, carefree. Peaceful. He watched the children play, chasing one another throughout the village, giggling. Despite the drought, the village had managed rather well. Thanks to the careful measures he and his father had planned, the tribe had stored enough grains and dried meats to last them when the harvest was low. It had been almost two years since All Might had died and Izuku had inherited the title of Chief. The first months had been rough, taking on all his father's duties while trying to cope with his own grief. But his friends had helped him through it.
Shinso had been especially helpful. His sixth sense, coupled with Izuku's Insight, helped them through tough decisions. Uraraka, after completing her warrior training, quickly distinguished herself among her peers. He was glad to have her close. She had been a strong foundation for him to turn to when he felt overwhelmed, particularly in the first several months after his father's passing.
Chief Deku strolled through the village, the feathered headdress fluttering along behind him. He breathed deeply, enjoying the peaceful sound of the village children playing. Suddenly an image flashed through his mind—the strong back of a familiar prince. No. He was no longer a prince. He looked different than he had in his past dreams. He was a king now. Though the vision had been brief, he recognized the king's surroundings. He was here, in the forest. Izuku strode toward his hut and grabbed the spear that rested against the doorpost.
"Chief Deku?"
He turned to see Shinso approaching him.
"I thought I might find you here," Shinso said. "I had a gut feeling."
Deku laughed. "You always have a gut feeling."
Shinso noticed the spear in his hands. "Are you going somewhere?"
He shrugged. "Just for a walk in the woods. I need a little break."
"Should I send someone to accompany you? Maybe Sero or Ojiro—"
"I'll be fine. I'm just going for a walk. No need to worry so much."
"It's my job to worry," he pointed out. "Besides, I have a bad feeling that something strange is about to happen."
"What a coincidence. I had the same feeling." Deku smiled knowingly.
"If you felt it too then that's all the more reason for you to take someone with—"
"I can handle this alone, Shinso."
His trusted advisor hesitated but finally relented. "Alright."
Deku grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
He turned and strode off into the forest, whistling. Though he acted carefree, his heart pounded. This moment was a meeting thirteen years in the making.
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Stomping through the underbrush, Bakugou grumbled angrily. This was supposed to be easy. It was only supposed to take him a couple hours. Everything had been going fine when he and Seccal circled the forest from above. It looked normal, just a bunch of huge ass trees. But after Seccal landed in a clearing, the dragon had started to act strange. Drowsiness overcame the firedrake and he curled up right there and fell asleep! His own dragon had decided to take a damn nap and leave him to search the woods alone. And though he had not encountered any dangers—no curses, enchantments, or ghosts—it felt like the forest was constantly trying to deter him. He would either trip over roots or some random shrub, step through an unseen hole covered in thick moss, or the branches he pushed aside would slip from his grasp and whack him. He was dirty, hungry, and covered in scratches.
"Fuck this forest," he grumbled. "Damn place is nothing but a pain in my ass."
He had been walking for hours and it was starting to feel like he was going in circles. So far, he hadn't seen much in the way of animals. Birds and lizards maybe, and bugs…plenty of bugs. But there were no game animals. Nothing. The forest, his last resort, might turn out to be a lost cause after all. But he resolved to explore a little more before heading back to find Seccal. As he pushed his way through the thick bushes he stumbled across a familiar looking tree. He remembered the same broken, low-hanging branch that had smacked him in the back of the head an hour ago.
"God fucking damnit!" he shouted. "I'm going in fucking circles!"
Bakugou slammed his fist into the trunk, his power exploding as his anger mounted. The wood splintered and cracked. With a groan the tree began to lean before it crashed to the forest floor. It landed with a deafening thud, the ground shaking as it landed.
"This is degrading."
A twig snapped behind him. Bakugou whirled around, his palms popping as he prepared to fight whatever it was that was approaching. Was it an animal? A wild boar or maybe even a bear? It couldn't be human. There weren't supposed to be any villages near here. So what could it be?
Izuku watched unseen from the bushes. It was him! It was really him—the prince he had seen so many times in his dreams. He looked the same as he remembered, the spiky blond hair, red cloak, and dangerous eyes. He was much more handsome in person. His heart hammered in his chest. It was so loud he feared the man before him would hear it. The Dragon King was on high alert, looking for the one who had disrupted the silence.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "Show yourself!"
The visions flashed though Deku's mind yet again, each path deviating slightly. If he left now, the Dragon King would return with reinforcements to cut down the trees, which would anger the gods and it would not end well for either side. If he went out and talked to him there were a few possibilities: the Dragon King would either choose to listen to Deku or fly into a defensive rage. If it was the latter, at least the conflict would be contained between two people. The best possible outcome would be if he listened to what Deku had to say.
Deku swallowed past the lump in his throat. It was now or never.
"Who—" The rustling behind him made Bakugou start.
A figure dropped down from the trees, landing nimbly in front of him. The boy was barefoot, wearing an intricately woven cloak with beautiful geometric patterns and a feathered headdress. He had scruffy green hair and freckled cheeks. The beads he wore around his neck jingled together when he moved.
A brat? Bakugou opened his mouth to speak, but Izuku beat him to it.
"This forest is forbidden to outsiders," Deku said, gazing up at the man standing before him. "To think that the Dragon King would stumble in this deep."
"Who the hell—"
"Welcome to my forest, Your Majesty."
Who the hell was this brat? Nobody in their right mind would live in this forest, especially not this close to his land. How could there possibly be a tribe living this close to his territory?
"Your forest?" Bakugou said. "Stop joking, kid. There have been no tribes documented here for thousands of years, so who the fuck are you?"
His language was dirtier than Deku had expected. "The Chief of the tribe that has been inhabiting this forest for centuries.
"Bullshit. There's no way we'd miss a bunch of people living this close to our territory."
"I understand your confusion as to why you have not heard of us. You see, the location of our village is protected, hidden from the eyes of others. We could pass unnoticed by onlookers, both from the land and from the sky."
"You said you were a Chief?"
"You could say we stand on similar ground."
So the kid's an equivalent to a king? Bakugou thought. Fucking perfect. He strode forward. "Listen kid, if you're the head of some village or tribe, then we need to fucking talk—"
"You need the eastern part of this forest, don't you?"
Bakugou froze. How the hell did this kid know why he was here?
"Resources are getting scarce due to the increasing number of subjects and the population of your dragons. Animals near your territory have migrated and the drought has severely affected your crops," Chief Deku continued. "Am I wrong?"
"H-how did you—"
"Come back in three days, Your Majesty," he said, turning his back on the Dragon King. "I will answer your questions then. And do say hello to Prince Todoroki for me."
"Hey."
The young Chieftain didn't answer him.
Sparks crackled in Bakugou's hands as his anger mounted. The Chief glanced back at him. In a fit of rage, Bakugou launched at the boy. "You little—I'm not fucking done with you, you cocky piece of—"
His reflexes were too fast for the King. Using his spear as a vault, the young Chief easily evaded Bakugou's hasty attack. Thrown off balance, the Dragon King fell forward. Deku bounded nimbly a few paces away from the fallen king. He smiled innocently.
"Dear me, I didn't expect you to be so impulsive. I can't have you following me. Outsiders are forbidden after all." He started in the opposite direction, a spring in his step. "See you in three days, King Bakugou."
He had never felt so humiliated. That damn little feather bastard. But despite the degrading nature of his first encounter, at least he had a lead to go on. The weird Chief seemed friendly and possibly willing to help. And in the wake of his burst of anger, he had knocked down a tree. At least he wouldn't be returning empty handed. He pushed himself up and brushed off the dirt. Now he had to go back and wake up the useless dragon that had fallen asleep as soon as they landed. There was no way he was carrying a tree all the way back to the castle on his own.
Don't forget to leave a review! Chapter 12 will be up on Friday!
