An; Hey I know I am late but I got a new job and am switching my posting day to Sunday
"Tomma to what do I owe this call? Is Kurino causing problems?" Emperor Cross laughed as he stepped away from the table of advisors.
He was in the middle of a meeting trying to find all the nobles that had fled to Iceburg so they could be tried for treason. He was just about to call Crime Sorciére asking for help and or advice when his com literal rang in his hand.
"Well I wouldn't say problem per say…." Tomma smiled as the palace shook and loud shouts sounded through the halls. "What was that?" the former king asked as he raced forward lacrima still on in his hand.
"Tomma are you okay? what's happening?" Cross asked as he looked at his friend as he raced through his palace.
"I don't know. I'm just hoping Fairy Tail got a little carried away," the former king said as soon he noticed his guards escorting men away from the ballroom all wearing the same odd uniform.
"Why is Iceburg in your palace?" the Emperor asked as a loud shout caused Tomma to look around finding the sound. "Tomma what's going on?"
"You're not going to believe this," the former monarch said as he raised the lacrima so that his friend could see.
"I demand you unhand me at once! I am a prince of Iceburg, my father will destroy your pitiful country and I will have my bride!" the angered royal shouted as he tried to wiggle his way out of the hold the guard had on him, which only succeeded in causing them to stop momentarily.
"Not before your tried by the draconic high council," one smirked as the two simply picked the stubborn prince off of the floor so he would be easier to carry.
"Man, I really hope they sentence you to the gauntlet," the other said as they carried the fighting prince away.
Finally coming out of his stupor Tomma raced towards the ballroom. But as he neared he noticed that several of the slayer children were running into the council chambers. Following he found his daughter standing in front of a lacrima screen as Freed, Levy and Ren secured the room once he entered.
"Hisui what is going on here?" Tomma asked as he saw his daughter who motioned towards the lacrima screen while she was surrounded by her advisors and the Draconic high council.
On the screen was a man who was buddle up tightly as the wind whipped snow around him. Tomma quickly recognized the man as Fiore's ambassador to Iceburg as he stood outside of the residence with in the foreign country. Clearing his throat, the man began to speak.
"I have just been informed that the third Prince of Iceburg, Prince Trex has been arrested in Crocus. The Prince has invaded our land with a group of solders, attacked the palace. Attempted to capture the Princess of Seven, and in doing so knowingly attempted an attack on a Dragon slayer." The ambassador spoke as several flashes filled the screen. "We have also just been informed that the Princess Kurino is in fact the mate of Reese Eccuiff, the heir to the seat of the white dragon Weiscoglia." He said as the reporters in the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves as he continued.
"We will give the nation of Iceburg five days, to withdraw all of your troops from Seven, apologize not only to both the Royal family of Seven and Fiore but to the draconic people and begun to make amends to the country of Seven for the war which Iceburg began for unjust reasons. Prince Trex will be held responsible for his actions in Fiore and will face the judgement of the Draconic High council. Failure to comply with our demands and or interference with the trial and punishment of the prince will be seen as an act of war not only on Fiore but to the Draconic people and will force a state of war between us," the ambassador said as the screen changed to a few reporters as the volume was turned down.
"How did you accomplish that so quickly?" Tomma asked as he looked at his daughter.
"You know ambassador Miranda is our best. I called him to inform him of the attack and what we need. He was the one who was able to call a press conference within five minutes," Hisui said proudly as a voice cleared their throat.
"Not to be rude but what do you mean my daughter is a mate?!" Emperor Cross asked as he drew attention back to the lacrima in the former king's hand.
"Um Daddy," Kurino said as she moved forward pulling Reese, who still had her wrapped in his arms, so she could take the crystal from Tomma.
"Yes, our apologies, we meant to break the news gently to you and your daughter. But it seems that Reese has inherited is father's impatience," Rouge spoke as both Sting and Reese scoffed at him.
"How is this going to work? Kurino is a princess, my only child she will need to take the throne when I die or wish to retire," the Emperor asked.
"I'll leave Fairy tale," Reese said with absolute certainty as his scales disappeared. "I mean we can visit my family and they can come there. Seven is not all that far away from Magnolia. And once aunt Levy and Uncle Freed finish the teleport pads it will be even easier," the man said he looked into his mate's green eyes getting lost in them.
Ignoring the fact that Marcus scoffed at the idea that Magnolia wasn't that far from Seven, his father was working on the teleport pads just to avoid the near two-week journey it took to reach their family home in Seven which was another three days away from the royal palace and that was with the new train tracks that connected Seven to Firoe.
"You're sure it's me?" Kurino asked as she looked into the blue eyes of the man holding her, fighting the urge to just submit like she wanted to.
"Yes, the dragon is never wrong. You were born to be his other half, what he needs most. It's hard to explain to normal people but there is no way he is wrong about this," Wendy spoke as she held her daughter who had fallen asleep a few moments ago.
"What if she doesn't want to be a mate?" Emperor Cross asked as each dragon still slightly.
"We don't really know what will happen," Gajeel said as Natsu snorted in annoyance.
"He'll die. Alone. Longing for a mate that he can never have. And now that he found her Kurino will most likely never truly be happy again without him," the Fire dragon slayer growled as he pulled his own mate close as they both remembered when, in a moment of doubt, Lucy almost destroy the both of them.
"How can we be sure that you both will ever be able to mate at all. The laws of Seven are very clear. Those of noble blood can never marry nor produce children with those of familial blood. It is considered an act of treason to even attempt so," the Emperor spoke.
"Well my parents were from Minstrel, they were mages who fled the country before either me or my sister were born," Yukino spoke as she stepped forward looking at the Emperor on the crystal.
"And I'm Encarin," Sting spoke firmly as the Emperor seemed shocked still by the news.
"The Encarin people died out hundreds of years ago," the Emperor spoke carefully.
He remembered the political nightmare that had surfaced when the truth about Joya's history was revealed. His people had cried out against the injustice and that the country itself did everything to hide the truth, it was only in the last two years that Joya was beginning to flourish once again and that was after it had dissolved into two different civil wars that nearly imploded the entire country.
"Not true, there were two survivors of the Encarin massacre. One was a girl who was smuggled into Fiore. Her descendance are the Drayers," Levy spoke as both Laxus and Lexie nodded their heads.
"And the other?" the Emperor asked.
"Is me," Sting said. "I am fully Encarin."
"That's not possible," the Emperor scoffed as he looked at the Queen. "Unless you failed to release the full report on the dragon slayers," he growled, the report had been included in the paperwork discussing the dragon protection act.
He knew it had been sent to every ruling country that had signed the treaty. Within held the information on all the slayers and their children, along with a set of rules that the slayers followed and lived by. He had every source he could think of check the information, and when it all came back true, he figured that any secrets that were being kept had more to do with the corruption that the magic council had suffered from for years. The few rumors that were floating around, about dragon slayers and their origins, were so ludicrous that he swore they couldn't be true. After all there was no way to time travel right?
Every time mage in his country all stated that there was no way to personally travel back in time for more than a week, after rumors of dragons flying over Crocus had appeared in x791. The laws of magic and nature would simply not allow it. And even then, the most that could be done was watch what had already happen as it happened again, there was no interference allowed. A mage would destroy their magical core even attempting to change the past.
"Hey check this out," Saraphina said as she turned up the volume on the lacrima screen pulling attention back on to it.
The image changed to another place as three people stood in front of the palace of Alverez. The central person, who was the speaker for the senate, stepped forward and spoke.
"We in the Republic of Alverez side with Fiore and the Draconic people on this matter. If Iceburg were to force a state of war, we the people of Alverez pledge our support and aide to Fiore, the Draconic people, and the nation of Seven. May the magic of the people keep us strong," they said as a loud cry of support filled the air before the screen returned to a reporter in Iceberg outside the palace.
"Hisui," Emperor Cross spoke as the queen turned her attention back to the other monarch on the lacrima. "Why is it that whenever the Draconic people are threated Alverez pledges its support?"
It had happened before. Stella had somehow kidnaped both Nayla and Kassie when they had gone on a mission by themselves a year ago. Not long after the Draconic council had mobilized Alverez had jumped in and aided in the rescue of the two girls. Sending their best trained men in and nearly wiping out the smugglers responsible for the incident before the girl's fathers could arrive on the scene.
"Both are long stories and ones I would prefer to have in the confines of a warded room, provided that you allow Kurino to choose if she wishes to be with Reese," the Queen said as the Emperor scoffed.
Every nation had its secrets. But Fiore and Alverez seemed to work on an understanding that none could figure out. Neither country made comments on their relationship. It seemed to put Fiore at odds with most of the countries since Alverez tended to pose neutrality in most other disputes but with the slayers so close to the royal family no one really wanted to push for real answerers. Less they face the wrath of the two nations who were built for war.
"I can be at your palace in six days, then we can discuss all of this," the Emperor said as the line cut on the call.
"So, master can marry us right now what do you say?" Reese said excitedly as several members of the guild laughed out loud as Chance cackled at the amount of money he just won.
"What?" Kurino asked jumping back out of Reese's arms as she was hoping that he was just joking.
"Well being a princess I guess you'll wanna be married before we mate," Reese said in all seriousness as he reached into his pocket holding out a ring.
It was one he had found in the hoard of Weiscoglia in Joya, the moment he saw it he knew it would belong to his mate. So, he kept it on him always so once he finally met his mate he could give it to them.
"I….. You….." Kurino stumbled on her words she looked down at the ring being offered to her.
She had more expensive jewelry at the palace but something about the ring seemed to call to her. It was so simple yet beautiful and all she wanted to do was slip it on her finger and never take it off. Honestly, she was a romantic at heart but years of training and war had worn on her. Looking around she tried to figure out what to do as the Lady Levy approached her, understanding in her eyes.
"Don't worry its not a dragon thing," Levy said as she wrapped an arm around Kurino.
"Yeah why don't you both just get to know each other before you mate," Rouge offered as he pulled Reese back a little giving the princess some space.
"Right, right, so what next week?" Reese asked with a hopeful expression on his face as the group groaned in amusement.
Emperor Nathan Cross looked down in to his glass of scotch and sighed. He'd been in the capitol of Fiore for a week and was trying to decide what needed to be done. Once he had arrived his daughter had chosen to at least try things out with this dragon slayer, but upon watching the two interact it wasn't hard to see that he would be gaining a son in law before the year was out.
Learning the whole truth. From the true events that lead to the disappearance of the dragons, to the truth behind Zeref and his relationship with Natsu. Even how the Haroworth Family fit into everything. His head was still spinning. He'd promised confidentiality and knew he nor his daughter would ever break it, but he felt that the Royal family and the Slayers were being naive. It was only a matter of time until the truth was revealed, and he knew it would happen when they least expected it.
Hearing a knock on his door the Emperor turned and made his way forward surprised to find Reese standing there alone.
"Yes?" the Emperor asked as he looked over the slayer in front of him.
"I was hoping we could talk," Reese said confidently as he waited to be allowed in. As the king waved him in Reese moved towards the seating area and began pacing as he began say what he had rehearsed on the way over here. "Look I know all of this has probably seemed to just come out of nowhere,"
"Well it's not like I ever expected to actually meet Zeref," the visiting Royal huffed moving towards the bar cart to refill his glass.
Talking to the spirit of the darkest wizard known to the world had been odd and but more so when little Luna, the current youngest Dragneel, had refused to go to sleep until her uncle sung her a lullaby. Watching as the girl was rocked in her fathers' arms as both men gruffly sung a Lullaby in a language that he couldn't understand, sent the world topsy turvy in a way that Nathan couldn't completely understand right now.
"Yeah, He's a great teacher," Reese said smiling before he looked at the Emperor seeing the man's unconvinced expression. "But Um…"
"What is it you wanted to ask?" Nathan continued for the younger man as he took a seat.
"I know you respect Dragon heritage and all but I'm not just a dragon. I'm also Encarin and any hatchlings we are gonna have will be too," Reese said as firmly as he could, trying to no let his leg bounce with the excessive energy that had hit him out of nowhere. Pausing he looked at the Emperor waiting for a response but after a few moments he couldn't take it and asked, "Aren't you gonna say anything?"
"No," the Emperor said in amusement.
Smiling into his drink his mind wondered back to the moment he had asked his late wife's father for her hand. And even being the next in line to rule didn't change the fact her father was scaring him shitless. Chuckling to himself at the role reversal he waited for the slayer to continue.
"Okay…. Look Uncle Rouge and Hisui are raising their kids like Dragons and not just Royalty and I know that our kids would be royal too it's just…. Being a Dragon… being Encarin is so much a part of me that I know if have to share it with my hatchlings. So much of our people is just lost and I can't just sit back and watch it die," Reese finally managed to blurt out as he collapsed into a chair across from the Emperor.
"You're afraid that I'll force you to raise them as Seven only?" the Ruler questioned as he finally realized how wrong he was about what this conversation was.
"Kurino looks to you so much for approval but I need you to understand that my people are…" Reese began but stopped as the elder man held up a hand before he began to speak.
"I would never ask anyone to give up their heritage but being Royal is a huge responsibility. I know you've been raised in a different way but there may be some compromises that have to be made,"
"Then let's make them now," Reese spoke excitedly without even blinking.
"Alright you first," The Emperor said with a smile as he wanted to see what was most important to his soon to be son in law.
"As you know all of us who are hatchlings of slayers have a dragon's soul, even those who are not slayers themselves. We all have mates and I will never allow one of my hatchlings to enter into a marriage or mating with anyone other than their mate," Reese said with all seriousness.
"I will agree to that," Nathan spoke with a nod of his head. "Marriage for nobility in seven is a rather long affair, so I would ask that you hold off on mating until after it is complete," he said as the young one nodded his head in agreement.
"Once a year my family goes to the sacred land of my people for a month to celebrate the festival of life," Reese spoke as he watched the man shake his head suppressing laughter.
"One week," Nathan offered.
"Three," the slayer countered.
"Two,"
"Deal," Reese laughed holding out his hand to shake, Nathan gripping the hand firmly smiling as he watched the slayer stand to leave. Figuring maybe his baby being a mate wasn't so bad after all.