Before Natsu could head to the island, he headed back to the old woman who had given him the solution in the first place. It took a while, but he managed to convince her to give him her husband's journal and the very flower that had created the cure.
She had been hesitant, but when he showed her the cure he had made and the plans to go get more, she had agreed. Natsu then took the flower and its pot, and made sure it was secured in his pack.
"You'll be careful with it, won't you?" The old woman asked as she handed Natsu the tattered old journal.
The alchemist gave her a firm nod. "No harm will come to this plant, I promise," He told her,"With luck, I'll bring back even more than just this one."
She gave him a weak smile. "I know you will, Lord Natsu," She declared,"I believe in you with all my heart. Good luck."
Natsu bowed to her and headed out of the room. As he mounted onto his master's horse, Frelsi, he thought back on her words. She believed in him… Well, someone had to, because Natsu sure didn't.
It was hard to believe in himself when every odd was stacked against him.
Natsu galloped down the road, relying on the horse to keep them on course as he skimmed over Ayame's notes quickly. He needed to try and get as much information as he could from her notes. Even though he was bringing them with him, he didn't want to waste valuable time while on the island.
His eyes skimmed over the list of ingredients, and saw Ayame's squiggly handwriting next to it. 'Current ingredients are difficult to locate in bulk, collaborate with Toulouse?'
The young apprentice gasped, and quickly made the horse stop on the road. He reached into his bag and pulled out his own journal, flipping through the pages until he found the list of other Royal Court members he had written for himself. He scanned down until he found Toulouse and his apprentice's name.
"Every Royal Court member and their apprentice have an ability that they share," Ayame had once told him. "I want you to make sure you know every Court member's ability, you never know when you might need them."
He once again thanked his master for making him write those down. Toulouse and his apprentice, their ability was just what he needed. They could sense the magical energy from ingredients. Natsu knew for a fact that the flower had magic in it, if he had someone with him who could track the flower...
"Toulouse may not want to work with me, but his apprentice has more sense. It couldn't hurt to try and get him to join me." Natsu thought aloud, turning the horse back in a different direction. "Alright girl, we need to go to the town of Samle. Let's go!"
Thankfully it took them only an hour to ride to the town. It was deep in the forest, illuminated by magic lights that hung from the trees. The moonlight only managed to gleam through the leaves in a few spots.
He got to the front gate, made of arched trees,and saw the guards tense up, and then quickly relaxed when they realized it was him.
Without wasting time, Natsu approached the guards. "Where is Lord Toulouse?" He demanded of them.
"He's in his lab," The guard on the left said, pointing his boil covered hand to the large tree near the middle of the village. It had windows, there was a deck halfway up the tall tree, and a circular door at the front.
Natsu nodded to the guard. "Thank you," He said, grabbing Frelsi's reins and leading her to the house. He rubbed behind her ear, trusting her to stay put as he went up to the door and knocked gently.
There was no response, and all that did was remind Natsu of Ayame and the way she had shut herself away. Knocking louder, the dragonslayer called,"Lord Toulouse! I need to talk to you! It's urgent!"
Still, no movement and no sounds to his sensitive ears. Feeling desperate, he turned the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. He pushed the creaky door open, and walked inside of the tree.
It was completely dark inside, to the point that when Natsu shut the door he could barely see. He lifted his human hand, creating a flame inside of his palm to light up the area. He looked around, finding that the room was completely empty.
The cabinets were all open, broken glass was everywhere, and there were some dark splotches on the hardwood floors. Natsu followed the stain, and saw that it trailed up the stairs. Deciding that he didn't really have any other leads, Natsu walked up the stairs and followed the trail up the stairs.
It led up to a door that hung open, and the second that Natsu stepped inside he was overwhelmed by the raw smell of alcohol and something that smelled like rotten eggs. "Ugh…" He muttered, quickly searching the room for the source.
He didn't have to look hard. Hunched forward on the desk was Lord Toulouse, but he didn't look anything like the proud and professional man that Natsu knew. He was surrounded by empty rum bottles, and potion vials that were opened and spilt around him. His face was slumped over in what looked like vomit. He was an absolute mess.
"Oh, god!" Natsu exclaimed in disgust, a feeling of frustration rising up in him. He and Ayame and several other Royal Court members had been working their asses off to try and find a plague cure, and he had been getting drunk the whole time?
He growled and stormed down the stairs, pouring a cold glass of water and then stumbled back into the room, kicking bottles away. He dumped the cold water on top of the old man. "Wake up!" He snapped.
The man jerked awake, blinking wearily and looking around. When his eyes caught sight of Natsu, his eyes instantly narrowed. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"Apparently saving you from alcohol poisoning, asshole," Natsu snapped, his temper getting the better of his manners. He grabbed one of the rags that sat on the small potions station nearby, tossing it towards the man. "What the hell were you thinking? Mixing potions and alcohol? You could have killed yourself!"
Toulouse narrowed his eyes, wiping the vomit off his face. "That was the idea," He sneered back. "Did it take you this long to figure it out? I knew Ayame couldn't teach you anything."
A burning rage rose up in him, the flame in his hand crackling from the sudden burst of magical energy. He forced himself to not lash out, though, he was here to ask for help, not cause a fire.
He gritted his teeth to calm himself down, and firmly said,"I need your help to find the cure to the plague, that's why I'm here. I need your ability to track down a magical plant in The Forest of Draíocht."
The old man narrowed his eyes at Natsu, using his finger to tap at some of the bottles. "You came here in vain, Dragneel. I'm not going to help you, I'd rather die," He declared.
"That is exactly what's going to happen if you don't help me!" Natsu yelled angrily, and let out a frustrated sigh. "I knew you wouldn't help me, even for a good reason. But your apprentice, Dawley, w-"
The old man slammed his hands down hard enough to send some of the bottles flying off the desk. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!" He screeched, his face a vicious blend of anger and despair. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR HIS NAME FROM YOU, OR ANYONE!"
He buried his face in his hands, letting out a weak sob. The sight of the usually composed man falling apart was all that Natsu needed to put two and two together.
"Oh no…" He whispered, a cold feeling of sadness washing over him. "He's… He's dead isn't he?"
The man, for the first time since Natsu had met him, spoke to him in a gentle tone. "Dawley was taken by the plague three weeks ago," He whispered, but didn't elaborate further than that.
Despite the pity Natsu felt for the man, there was still an underlying anger inside of him. "And since then… You've been here, wallowing in your own self-pity?" He asked,"Instead of trying to find a cure? You know, our duty to this entire country?"
Toulouse turned his eyes away from the dragonslayer, grabbing a random bottle that still had some liquid in it. "Why do you even care?" He questioned, shaking the liquid. "We're all doomed anyway, there's no point in trying anymore."
He tipped the bottle back, but never got to drink the liquid. Natsu slapped the bottle out of his hand, sending it shattering against the wall, he then shoved all the bottles to the ground, and then roughly shook the man by his shoulders.
"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER AND ACT LIKE A POTIONS MASTER!" He yelled angrily, looking the man in the eye. "I am sorry for your loss, but we can't let death stop us from doing what we have to do! We don't have the time! If you had been the one to die, would you have wanted Dawly to just give up and wait to be dead?!"
The alchemist apprentice pulled away, and continued,"He would have kept working hard and trying to find a cure! Because he would know that was what you would want!"
"How do you know what he would want? You don't know how I feel!" The old man yelled again.
Natsu flinched back as if he had been slapped, blinking in surprise, and then only getting angrier. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't make assumptions about me, Lord Toulouse," He said in an even tone. "For your information, Ayame is currently dying in a hospital bed from the plague. I have an actual cure, and I'm going to find the ingredients that I need and make more and stop this hellish sickness. Because that is my duty, that is what Ayame would want me to do."
He grabbed shoved the door back open, and angrily said,"And since it seems like you won't help me, I'll be leaving now. Thanks for nothing."
He stormed out of the tree, and quickly climbed into Frelsi. Soon they were back on the road, and only then was Natsu able to calm down.
Bastard… He doesn't even want to help. He thought to himself, feeling a slight fear. What if I can't do this without him? But he quickly shook those thoughts away. I can't think like that. I have to keep moving forward, this may be our last chance to cure it and I'll do it with or without him.
Then, there was the thumping of hooves next to him. He whipped his head around, and found a now well groomed and composed Toulouse riding a horse alongside him. A feeling of relief overwhelmed Natsu.
"So, you actually changed your mind?" Natsu questioned.
Toulouse kept his eyes on the road, and was silent for a few moments before he replied,"I'm doing this for Dewly and the country, not because of your silly little speech, Lord Dragneel."
Natsu barely managed to school his surprised look. Toulouse had used his title, his actual title. Sure, it was still said with disdain, but it was better than just Dragneel. It seemed he had gained at least a grudging respect from the Potions Master.
He smiled, and turned his eyes back to the road. "Thank you, Lord Toulouse," He whispered quietly.
Toulouse didn't respond with words, only giving the smallest of nods in return, and together the unlikely duo rode towards the coast.
Unlike other visits to the beautiful cities that rested against the coast of the island nation that Natsu had been able to partake in, their ride through the town felt tense and eerie.
The streets were completely empty, no sign of any person at all. The docks were packed like sardines with ships of all shapes and sizes because of the locking up of the country.
After walking through the foggy morning mist for a few minutes, the dragonslayer was able to catch sight of a light nearby. Pointing his metal hand, he said,"Look there, some kind of pub."
Toulouse followed his hand, and then looked at the light. He seemed a little queasy at the idea of going somewhere that alcohol would be present, but he quickly wiped the expression away. "It's a start," He grudgingly said.
They dismounted from their horses, tying them up in front of the pub, and then they headed inside.
The place, although it had people, was just as sad and desolate as the rest of the town. The woman behind the counter was obviously sick, but had an uncaring look on her face, as if it didn't matter.
There were less than a dozen people in the bar, and all of them were in varying states of the sickness that plagued their land. Some of them were only pale and weak, while others were covered in the disgusting, pus filled boils. The air was thick with the illness, and if Natsu hadn't spent the past several weeks singlehandedly working to try and fix the sickness, he likely would have vomited.
The patrons of the bar glanced at them, but none of them seemed to have the energy to do much more than that. Natsu and Toulouse paid them no mind, and headed up to the tired woman at the bar.
"What can I get you, my Lords? Drink? Food?" She asked them.
At the idea of eating food from the infested place, Toulouse's face curled up in a sneer and Natsu forced himself to not snap at him for it. We need their help, we can't be jerks about this!
He gave a small smile. "No thank you, ma'am, actually we just need your help," The dragonslayer said,"Do you know if there are any ships that would be willing to transport us somewhere?"
She gave them a confused glance. "The country is closed, nobody can leave, you two out of anyone should know that," She said, her voice taking on a bitter tone.
"I do know that!" Natsu snapped,"But we really need a boat… It's urgent."
"Even if we wanted to help, we can't. All the captains are sick, they can't sail anything anywhere," The woman pointed out, an irritated tone in her croaky voice. "So if you're just here to complain, then get out!"
Before Natsu could get more frustrated, he felt Toulouse grab his shoulder and spin him around. "I told you this was ridiculous!" He yelled at the dragonslayer. "There's no way off this damned place, that was all pointless!"
At first, Natsu was confused by the sudden outburst. Is Toulouse still angry with me? But when Natsu looked at him again, he saw his eyes flickering to the side. Natsu followed his gaze, and saw a small group of men sitting in the corner, watching them curiously. Oh…
Quickly, Natsu turned on his anger. "You were the one who wanted to leave in the first place!" He argued back. "If we can't find something, we're gonna die here too!"
"This is your fault!" Toulouse snapped back, heading out the door. "I told you we should have gone to Port Hav! This was a waste of time!"
Natsu scoffed, and followed after him. "Fine, Port Hav! I'm so sure we'll have all the luck there!" He sarcastically sneered, and then left the pub along with the Potions Master.
Once they were outside by their horses, Natsu found he could no longer hide his curiosity. "Do you know who those guys were?" He asked, they had stared at them the entire time that they had argued.
"Smugglers," The old man declared,"During the last plague, they were all over the port offering to take people to other nations for a price. They looked like smugglers, it could be what we need."
The dragonslayer quirked his eyebrow. "So we're going to force them to take us to the island?" He asked,"They're not going to like that."
"You have any other ideas, Lord Dragneel?" Toulouse snapped, instantly becoming defensive.
Natsu held his hands up, shaking his head. "I was just making an observation! They're not going to be happy!" He quickly said, not wanting to get the man on
Toulouse scoffed. "Well, it's a good thing you are a fire mage then," He reminded the pink haired young man. "We need someone who can actually sail, so this is out best shot. If anything goes south, you can burn their ship down."
Natsu paled at the sudden escalation. "I mean… Maybe there are some things we can do before we go straight to burning down their ship…" He muttered to himself.
The Potions Master never got to respond to Natsu, as the door to the bar swung open and the group of men walked out. Quickly, Natsu and Toulouse turned to face them.
There were six men. The one in front was a shaggy haired man with a thin beard growing in, and wore a sailors cap; He was probably the captain. The man on his direct right was very tall and muscular, with a very thick black beard, and behind him was a thinner looking man with a spindly moustache.
To the left of the captain was a shorter and more stocky man, who looked like he was strong enough to lift Natsu up with one hand. Finally, at the very end was a small young boy with a shaved head and baggy clothes, looking rather nervous.
Natsu returned his gaze to the man in the middle, and narrowed his eyes. "Can I help you?" He asked.
The captain grinned and placed his hands on his hips. "I 'eard your little spat in the pub, tryin' to get out of 'ere, ain't ya?" He asked.
Toulouse quickly glared at them, continuing his suspicious acts. "What's it to you?" He demanded angrily.
"Relax, mate. I'm Cap'n Larson, and I can do that for ya," The Captain responded, as if Toulouse hadn't said anything. "Can get both ya out and to any country ya want… For a price, o'course. Even for royals, there's a cost."
Natsu and Toulouse turned and looked at each other, giving a nod towards the other. Toulouse was right, now Natsu just hoped that they could pull off what they were about to do.
He gave the man a nod. "Alright, we'll take the offer," He said, and quickly thought of a place that would take them close to the island. "Can you take us to Fiore?"
"A lil' far, ain't that?" The captain mused aloud. "A trip like that, gonna be costly. You can pay, right?"
Toulouse scoffed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bag of money. "Of course we can, what do you take us for?" He demanded. "We'll pay you for the trip."
The captain eagerly reached out his hand, but the Potions Master was faster. He shoved the bag back into his pocket, and glared at the man. "We'll pay you once we get to our destination," He declared.
The captain looked annoyed for a quick second, but he managed to hide it and give another false smile. "Smart lot, I get ya," He said,"You'll pay after you get the service, I get ya. Well then, he'd better get goin'."
He snapped his fingers at the young boy. "Katch, take the 'orses to the stables, the rest of you lot, get the ship started,' ' He ordered.
"Yes captain!" The men chorused back, and then hurried off to do what they'd been ordered.
Larson then turned to them, and beckoned them both to follow. "Let's go to the ship, mates, we'll get you both to Fiore in no time!" He promised.
The two Royal Court members took a deep breath and followed the seedy-looking captain to the small wooden ship by the captain. They had gotten a ship, but they weren't at the island yet. His mission was progressing, but Natsu knew that they still had a long way to go.
The sun had risen high into the sky by the time they were on the ocean, the salty sea breeze blowing in Natsu's face. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the side of the wooden ship.
"I thought dragonslayers suffered from motion sickness," Toulouse questioned from his seat next to Natsu, his voice stern despite the underlying curiosity.
Natsu sat up further, pulling his cloak aside. "We do, and it's really bad," He admitted, and flexed his metal hand. "When I first got my new arm and leg, I got really sick if I moved around too long. My body thought it was a vehicle, I guess? But after a while, it seemed to understand that they were here to stay. Then, my motion sickness just went away all together."
Toulouse made an interesting noise, but seemed determined to keep his guard up around Natsu. The alchemist merely shrugged his shoulder, used to the somewhat dismissive behavior of the old man.
After a few minutes of silence, he turned his gaze back to the man. "So, any ideas on how we're going to get from here to the island?" He asked, since it was Toulouse's idea in the first place.
"We just need to convince them to take the ship there, it shouldn't be that hard," Toulouse casually said,"They are not the brightest, I can get it done."
Natsu couldn't help himself. He snorted, and then let out a full out laugh. This made the Potions Master bristle in anger.
With a sneer on his lips, the man demanded,"What is it?! What is so funny?!"
"Listen, Lord Toulouse, I may be a Royal Court member and alchemist in training now, but before this I was a Fairy Tail guild member and a complete idiot," He explained,"Trust me, these guys are too stubborn to listen to reason. In fact, I bet we'll probably have to fight them "
The Potions Master glared at Natsu, and quickly turned away, as if he had been insulted by the pink haired male's words. "We can still try to be diplomatic, first, or at least convince them," He declared.
Natsu rolled his eyes as he got out of his seat. "Whatever you say, Lord 'Burn Their Ship Down'" He sarcastically replied, and then decided to walk around the ship and stretch his legs. The crew members didn't pay any attention to him, too caught up in his own work.
Once he reached the other side of the ship, he saw the young boy from before. What was his name? Katch? Yeah, that's it. He was dragging two heavy sacks and panting hard, stopping every few seconds to take deep, heavy breaths.
Feeling pity for the young boy, he headed over. "Need help?" He asked.
Katch jolted at the voice, and turned to stare at Natsu with a bewildered expression. "Help? I… Um... " He blushed nervously. "I-if you want to, My Lord…"
"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to," Natsu bluntly replied, taking one of the heavy sacks and easily slinging it over his shoulder. "Where are we headed?"
The boy motioned to the nearby open doorway. "T-the kitchen, My Lord..." He stuttered out, so quiet that Natsu could barely hear him over the waves.
Once they got to the kitchen and set down the sacks, Katch pulled them open to reveal a gigantic pile of potatoes. He sat down on an overturned bucket, grabbed a knife, and began peeling.
Natsu watched for a moment before deciding to join him. "Got an extra knife?" He asked the young man.
Once again, poor Katch looked surprised. "You don't have to help me, my Lord…" He whispered weakly.
"Well, I'm going to," Natsu declared,"Looking at the ocean is relaxing, but it gets boring really quick. I need something to do."
Katch nodded in understanding, handing Natsu the knife he had just been using, and grabbing another for himself. They sat in silence, peeling potatoes and setting them inside a large pot.
After about two dozen potatoes, Katch couldn't seem to hold in his curiosity any longer. "Are you really Lady Ayame's apprentice, my Lord?" He questioned the dragonslayer.
"I am," Natsu said, setting another potato in the pot. "And please, call me Natsu. We're on a boat, not some boring meeting with pompous windbags."
The teen's lips quirked upward in a smile. "Okay… Natsu," He responded, his voice a little lighter than before.
The alchemist watched the child closely, noticing the slight shudder he held anytime someone walked past the door, and the sad expression that seemed to cover his face constantly. "You're a little too young to be a sailor, aren't you?" He asked.
Katch's frown deepened even more. "I… I don't want to be a sailor…" He admitted,"But I don't have a choice… "
Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked, concern laced in his quiet voice.
"I… I'm stuck here, they won't let me leave…" He admitted,"I'm in debt to them, so I have to stay and work it off…"
This made the alchemist only more concerned. "Let me guess, the debt isn't real, is it?" He questioned.
The teen looked surprised again,as if he hadn't expected Natsu to deduce it so easily. "You're right…" He admitted,"But I can't leave. I've tried… I'll only get in more trouble…"
Natsu's old Fairy Tail instincts rose up again. He reached out, gently holding the teen's shoulder. "Don't worry, kid, me and Toulouse can help you out of this situation. When the ship stops at Fiore, we'll convince them to let you go," He promised.
It was a half-lie. They weren't going to Fiore, but he still planned to get Katch out of the situation. But, instead of looking relieved, Katch suddenly seemed extremely guilty. He dropped his knife to the ground and stumbled to the door, shutting it tightly.
Once he had locked the door, he quickly turned to Natsu. "This isn't a smuggling ship," He whispered,"They pretend, and- and when they get far enough into the water, they take your stuff and then they'll throw you overboard!"
The dragonslayer's eyes widened in surprise. He knew the men had been suspicious, but he didn't expect something like this. He gave the teenager a confused glance. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked.
"You… You were nice to me, you're the only person who has been nice to me in so long…" He admitted weakly,"And… And you and that other man, I know you're not running away. You're doing something else, right? Is it about the plague?"
Natsu cocked his eyebrow curiously. This kid is smarter than he thinks, if he was able to figure that out. He gave a small nod. "Very astute of you, Katch," He complimented,"You're right, we are. But to do that, we need your help, do you know when they're planning to rob us?"
"Tonight," Katch eagerly explained, looking at the window to make sure nobody was watching. "When it's dark, and too far to swim back to shore. They want to catch you guys off guard."
He nodded firmly. "Thank you for letting me know," Natsu said, his face growing determined. "And my words still stand, I'm going to get you away from them."
The teen let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you…" He whispered, looking happy for the first time since Natsu had seen him.
"No need to thank me," Natsu replied,"It's the right thing to do. Now, let's finish peeling these potatoes, we're going to have an exciting night tonight."
Katch grinned eagerly. "Yes, My Lord!" He caught himself, and blushed. "Oh, um… I mean Natsu."
They finished peeling the potatoes eventually, with the sun starting to set by the time they got through both bags. Natsu left Katch alone, stretching his sore body once more. He yawned and looked around.
Now, with the knowledge Katch had given him, he noticed just how much the crew members seemed to be watching him periodically. They were antsy, as if they were nervous about the prospect of robbing two Royal Court members.
Natsu could barely hide his smirk at the thought. Good! He told himself. Tonight, they'll find out just who the fuck they're messing with!
He placed his hand against the wall, and continued to stretch as he pushed some magic outward and against the wall. "Keep watch tonight, Runa," He whispered to the butterfly. "The second these guys start getting ready, wake me up."
"You've got it, Natsu!" The butterfly eagerly said, flapping her mismatched wings with barely laced excitement.
Natsu grinned, finding that he felt the same way as he headed down towards his room on the lower deck of the boat to find and tell Toulouse what he had learned. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.