CHAPTER 12: DRAGON'S TONGUE


"Hey, idiot, wake up."

Strong hands grabbed him from the shoulders and shook the sleep away from him. The light burned his eyes like fire when he cracked them open. Instinctively, he shielded his face with his hands – his old bruises were healing nice enough, and he didn't want to have new ones.

"Come with me now", a man's voice said. Natsu was relieved to hear it wasn't Erza who woke him."The steel lady will beat your ass if you're not ready to leave at sunrise."

Felrys patted him on the back, urging him to get up. An ache throbbed inside his head like a war hammer smashing his skull from the inside. Felrys's lantern gave faint light, letting Natsu see the two women sleeping on the other side of the room. Carefully he lifted his body and realised he was in his own bedroll. He didn't know how he got there. His last memory was seeing Lucy in black robes. She had looked strange in them. Or not strange. Funny? No. Nice? Not that either. He didn't know a word to describe that sight.

"Shit", Natsu groaned and rubbed his neck. Every movement hurt. Had he lost a brawl? Had he even been in a brawl? No, he hadn't been. He would remember if he had. No matter how drunk he was, he never lost his memory. Even when others thought he would. "How did I get here?"

"She carried you upstairs when you passed out on the floor", Felrys answered, pointing at Erza. Natsu gulped. "I bet you're gonna hear about that for a long time."

"Reallyfucking nice."

"Anyway, hurry up now. I'll get Igneel's things for you before you go."

With his whole body trembling, Natsu got on his feet and took support from the walls. His dry mouth craved for water, but that had to wait. Nausea churned in his stomach, so he grabbed the empty bucket he had slept next to. More memories from last night crawled back. He remembered throwing up a few times and felt even more embarrassed of himself. The memory cleared more, pointing out how he threw up right in front of Lucy. He cringed as he followed Felrys to the storage room. Damn, sometimes he wished he'd actually forget what happened when he was drunk.

They walked past the main chamber where the necromancers slept. There had been ten in the group, all of them tight asleep. Natsu noticed the Wood Elf woman in the same bedroll with a High Elf man, remembering the woman trying to lure him there instead. Igneel always used to tease him how incredibly bad Natsu was with women. He got their attention pretty often, probably because of his unusual hair colour, but he didn't know what to do with that attention except turn them down. Igneel had tried to give him some advice, but Natsu always lost interest and started talking about something he actually cared about. Like what kind of explosions different types of fireballs caused.

Sometimes Natsu had been sure that one day Igneel would roll his red eyes so far back that he'd go blind.

"So you're teaching her magic?"

Natsu blinked, having to wonder for a moment who Felrys talked about. His brain worked so damn slow he wanted to bang his head to the wall. He had been so lost in thought he didn't realise when they got to the storage room. The Dark Elf dug items from a chest in the dim candlelight, messily throwing stuff around as he searched for something specific. Natsu put the bucket to the floor, feeling better already.

"Yeah", he answered, scratching his neck. "She was from Helgen and lost her home and family in the dragon attack."

"Yes, she told me." Felrys paused his search for a moment when he found a red book. "Teach her this spell. It's Oakflesh. You know how it works."

Felrys gave the book to Natsu, who recognised it as an Alteration spell. He hated that school of magic. Oakflesh wasn't even difficult, but all his previous attempts to cast it had failed miserably. It was supposed to form a protective layer around the caster. There had been many times it would have been useful, but well, he'd rather collect scars than make an effort to learn that spell. Lucy would surely be smarter than him. She learnt everything so fast anyway.

"Damn it, I'm sure I put it somewhere in… Here!" the Dark Elf exclaimed as he pulled something white from the chest. "That's the thing I borrowed from Igneel years ago."

Felrys stood up and spread his arms, showing him a long, white piece of fabric. Natsu furrowed his brows, realising it was a scarf. He had never seen Igneel wearing that, so maybe he gave it to his cousin before Natsu had joined the College.

"Our grandmother knitted scarfs for all of her grandchildren", Felrys said, shaking his hands as he urged Natsu to pick it up. He took it tentatively, still not sure what to do with it. "She made a green scarf for me, but I lost it somewhere."

Natsu squinted, the white yarn exuding magic he couldn't fully understand. "It's enchanted?"

"Yes. Grandmother was an enchanter from Solstheim. In fear of the eruptions of the Red Mountain, she enchanted these scarves with fire resistance. No flame can hurt you when you wear it. At least if you're a Dunmer. You aren't, but well, it's still something. I hope it comes in handy, you being a fire wizard and all."

He raised his eyes from the scarf to the Dark Elf and nodded humbly. "Thank you."

Natsu wrapped the scarf around his neck and felt its magic seeping through his skin. More than it. For a moment, it felt like Igneel grabbed him into a brotherly hug and patted him on the back. 'You've got this, brother', Natsu could almost hear him say. Those had been his last words, quietly muttered before the headsman swung his axe. He stared at Felrys, his gaze hollowing as he sunk into the vivid memory of the last moment he shared with his best friend.

Natsu's chin begun to shiver and there wasn't a single thing in the world he could do to stop that, no matter how much he wanted to. He could still hear the sound of Igneel's head thumping to the ground, his own scream still echoing in his ears as they dragged his writhing body to the block. The soldiers had forced him to lay his neck on his best friend's blood, their sadistic grins saying 'I could do this all day'.

And then tears poured down his face like they did that day.

Natsu squeezed his eyes closed, not wanting to see the judgement on Felrys's face. The man looked so much like Igneel that it wrenched his heart. Even though Igneel had been his cousin, the Dark Elf showed no sentimentality for his death, like a proper man was supposed to do. Natsu swallowed a sob, wiping the tears from his cheeks to the end of Igneel's scarf. Fighting to keep himself from collapsing under his grief, he twisted the sorrow to the only emotion which was accepted for a man to express.

Anger.

Despite the painful sting, he opened his eyes, averting the Dark Elf's gaze. He focused on the flame which fluttered inside the lantern, watching how it danced, slowly eating up the candle. Fire embodied the rage he felt inside – the churning, smouldering rage which would consume him to the core, just like the flame consumed the candle.

"I'll burn them to ashes", Natsu muttered under his breath. "All of them."

Felrys seemed to understand what he meant, nodding gently. "Then you shall do it. For Igneel's sake."

During that time they sat in the cold, damp forest floor, trying to hide from the dragon right after escaping Helgen, Natsu had made his mind. He'd join the Stormcloacks but didn't know when or how. Back then, he had been in shock and his thoughts an unsolvable mess, but now everything was crystal clear. Now he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

"Could you do something for me?" Natsu asked, already beginning to tie the loose ends in case his plan would fail. "You were at Clavicus's shrine, right?"

"We were. There was this thing -"

"I don't want to know what you were doing there. You noticed the dog was missing? I kinda stroke a deal with Clavicus I probably can't fulfil. The Daedra don't like broken promises."

Felrys cocked his head. "Sounds promising."

Natsu didn't care about his sarcasm. "So, if you happen to see that dog, Barbas, somewhere, could you bring it back to that shrine?"

"Why?"

"A troll attacked you there?" Natsu asked, his belief confirmed as Felrys nodded. "That troll is actually a man who Clavicus turned into a troll. He has a son in Ivarstead waiting for his dad to come home. Clavicus will turn him back to normal if he gets Barbas back."

"Why won't you do that yourself?"

"Because I'll join the Stormcloacks after I've brought Lucy to Winterhold."

Felrys asked no more questions. Despite already knowing he'd hate having to tell Lucy he'd leave to the war, he didn't see any other way he'd be able to carry on with his life. The animals who arranged Igneel's death still roamed free, and how many other mages they would kill before someone would stop them? Eventually, they'd target the College and put everyone he knew into danger.

Only one line repeated in his head as he followed Felrys back to the sleeping chambers and found Erza and Lucy already awake, packing their things for the journey ahead.

For Igneel's sake.


Lucy hadn't known there was a place so warm in Skyrim.

Lucy sat on the edge of white rock and swung her legs above a hot spring, dipping her toes to the water. Warmth embraced her tired feet. It invited her to slip out of her robes and jump into the pool, but she refused the offer for now. She had planned to bathe with Erza later tonight once the dark had fallen. It would be more relaxing that way, and the dark would hide their nakedness from their male companion. However, after spending a week with him, Lucy was sure that he wouldn't care at all. He had already seen Lucy in her natural state and didn't bat an eye about it. Currently, he was searching for the hottest spring with intentions to test if the scarf he got from Felrys would prevent his skin from burning.

There was about an hour of daylight left. Erza was setting up their tent. Lucy and Natsu had tried to help her once but only pissed her off, so she preferred to do it on her own. With Natsu out of sight and Erza otherwise occupied, Lucy picked up her journal. She had written every day since she got the book, finding it a good way to channel her thoughts, both bright and dark. The entry from last night was the brightest so far. Despite Natsu being a drunken fool, the evening had been great. She had gotten a new spell and robes. What else could she have wished for?

Lucy placed the inkpot next to her, trying to find the most level spot so it wouldn't spill. The rocky ground had formed centuries ago from dried magma. There were steaming cracks on the stone, implying the area was still volcanically active. Lucy had even seen a geyser spurting from one of the springs. She dipped her quill in the ink and begun to write.

23th of Last Seed, E4 201

Dear mom,
Today we're travelling through the volcanic tundra, which is our last stop before reaching Kynesgrove. Then we'll part ways with Erza, but I really hope I'll meet her again someday. I'm going to miss her.

We walked past a giant's camp. I didn't know giants were so peaceful. We watched them from afar when they fed and tended their mammoths. The smell was so horrible we couldn't stay there for long.

I've eaten so many fresh jazbay grapes that my stomach hurts. You used to make a tart from them, remember? Sometimes traders brought preserved grapes to our store, but to be honest, they weren't as good as the fresh ones here. This place is also full of creep clusters and dragon's tongues. I picked some up in case I'll try alchemy again someday.

I hope you're doing well, mom.
Lucy

Even though she already saw through her mind's defence, dedicating her entries as letters to her mother eased her grief. It made her feel like she was actually telling her about their adventure. Lucy closed the inkpot and waved her hand at the page, aiding the ink to dry.

A gentle breeze blew through the tundra, making the fragrant flowers next to her tickle her sides. She picked one dragon's tongue, adoring the deep orange colour of its large, round petals before putting it in between her journal. Every area of Skyrim had a different kind of fauna, and she thought it would be nice to pick flowers everywhere her journey took her.

"Hey Lucy, wanna see a word wall?"

Lucy flinched as the mage appeared silently behind the rocks. "There's one right up there. It's not a long climb."Natsu pointed at the hill ahead, his new, white scarf swaying in the wind.

"A word wall?" Lucy replied, her heart already racing. She had read of them but never seen a real one. "Is it true that they have ancient dragon language written into them?"

"I don't know, but to me it looks like huge talons clawed the stone."

"You've seen them before?"

"Yeah, a few. They're cool."

"Okay", Lucy answered, a smile forming on her face. "Erza, is it okay if -"

"Go ahead", the warrior hollered from their half-built campsite. "Finally, a moment of peace..."

Lucy put her things into her bag and left it on the stone before she set off. She didn't bother to put her boots on, for the ground was warm and pleasant under her bare soles. Natsu waited for her to reach him, his hands shoved in his pockets, as if hiding something.

They hadn't trained much today. Natsu had given her the spellbook he got from Felrys while they were eating breakfast, but after that, he had been quiet and withdrawn. Lucy inferred he suffered from a decent hangover thanks to his excessive drinking last night, and wasn't feeling well enough to train with her or even talk to her. She had chatted with Erza instead. The warrior had taught her more basics of archery today. Perhaps she could have a day off from training magic every now and then.

But now as they walked to the hill, Natsu's silence felt wrong.

Lucy lowered her head, seeing the black fabric concealing her legs. While Natsu's robes were actually two pieces of clothing, made from pants and a wrapped, loose cope with a large hood, Lucy's was more like a gown with a leather belt on her thin waist. She liked it a lot. Not just how it made her look and feel a more like a mage, she liked the way she looked in them. She had loved pretty clothing and dressing up back in Helgen.

Last night she had been so excited to show her new outfit to Natsu. Having a mage's robes meant a lot to her, and she had hoped he'd acknowledge it somehow. She couldn't deny her disappointment when he had just conked out.

"Well, did you find a spring hot enough for you?" Lucy asked with a crooked smile, trying to break the silence. There was a giant's camp nearby, the distant grunts and the trumpeting sounds of their mammoths echoed in the air. Lucy would rather listen to his voice than be constantly reminded of the giants' close presence.

"I did", Natsu answered and pulled up his sleeves. She was happy to hear him speak again, but couldn't help but grimace at the painful-looking sight. His skin was red to the elbow, plagued by small blisters. "Kept my hands in boiling water for a minute and it isn't worse than this."

Lucy rolled her eyes, sighing. Erza had had every right to ask if his mother dropped him as a baby. Maybe the Nightshade poisoning affected his mind or something. A normal person would have a sense of self-protection, which he clearly lacked.

"But didn't take bath? Weakling."

When Natsu grinned, Lucy realised he had taken her joke as a dare.

"Well, I can -"

"Don't", Lucy warned, trying sound as serious and stern as Erza. It didn't really suit her. "Doesn't that hurt?"

The mage just shrugged, looking at his burned hands. "A bit. But I'm used to hot things I guess."

"Why you don't heal them?" Lucy asked, meeting his quizzical stare. "I mean, you healed mine. Why not treat your own wounds as well?"

"It's a waste of magicka", he replied. "I'll wear my scars with pride. They'll remind me where I've been and what I've done."

"Then where did you get that huge scar on your side? You didn't remember last night."

He chuckled, seeming embarrassed to be reminded of that moment. "A giant frost spider tried to eat me. It grabbed me between its poison fangs. I don't know why I forgot that."

Lucy smiled inwardly, yet the thought of getting eaten by a spider was gross. However, that image vanished when they reached the path leading up to the top of the hill. She couldn't see the word wall from there, almost doubting if there even was one. What would it look like? Would it be a small tablet or a larger structure? It had been said that the ancient Nords built the walls in honour of important figures, and wrote funeral rhymes for their memory. At least that was what her books had said.

The climb to the top of the hill wasn't long, just as Natsu had said. And when Lucy's eyes caught the black, curved stone wall, she froze in awe. Natsu halted by her side and smiled.

"So, here it is."

Lucy couldn't answer, captured by the ominous monument. It towered towards the sky, making her tilt her head so she'd see it fully. She stepped closer, slowly and carefully as if it was just a dream which would vanish if approached. But it didn't. It stayed there, radiating power of the ancient world, power lost long ago. It pulsated in the carvings those which Natsu had said to look like huge talons had clawed the stone. And yes, that's how they looked. But not a bear or a sabre cat was intelligent enough to carve such markings.

Only a dragon was.

She could almost envision a majestic dragon using it's great, sharp talons to carve the symbols into the stone itself. The dragons were not simple, mindless beasts like some Nords thought. They communicated with each other. Even their mighty roars were actually speech – Lucy had gotten a taste of that in Helgen. The dragon had been speaking, summoning the powers of fire upon its words.

Lucy touched the stone and brushed her fingers across the marks. She was sure they were words, written with the alphabet of the ancient dragons, a language extinct long ago. The ancient Nords who lived in the same time with the dragons copied their symbols, their tongue, and carved them to these walls. It felt like some ancient magic was hidden into the words, as if the reader could harness that power only if they could understand what they meant.

She couldn't explain it, for it would sound like utter nonsense to anyone else who didn't feel that their own hands. But it was real. Very real.

"How do you think this translates?" Lucy asked from the mage. He stood behind her, kicking the sand with his foot. How could he be bored in front of this mystery?

"Here lies a huge pile of dragon's dung -"

"Please."

" - shat before the First Era and petrified in time -"

"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked. "I'm actually curious to know what's written on this wall, you idiot." To her, it was a puzzle to be solved, a mystery to be unravelled, not just a piece of stone.

"Well, I'm not. It probably means nothing anyway. "

Lucy let out a frustrated sigh when the mage disappeared from her sight. Somehow he reminded her of Loke. The lumberjack's boy had been just as dense, his sense of humour just as 'mature'. When his jokes had been funny, Lucy had held back her laugh, not wanting him to know she secretly liked the stupid things he said. It would have made her question her own modesty as well.

Despite all of that, Loke had been her closest friend. She had known him as long as she could remember. Through him, Lucy had got to taste freedom she'd never have. Loke had an older brother who'd inherit the lumber mill one day, and his parents were more open-minded than her's, letting their younger son choose whichever path of life he'd want. While Lucy's girlfriends wanted to knit and sew and gossip about boys, Loke always brought some excitement to her dull life.

Lucy could still feel chills running down her spine when she remembered the time they picked the locks of Vilod's house and stole a few bottles of juniper mead. Except that 'a few' meant a dozen. Her parents never found out about that. They spent the night drinking mead at the sawmill's roof, gazing stars and talking about the future. Loke wanted to move to Riften after the winter, to work in Black-Briar Meadery. Lucy had felt so wistful, knowing he'd be gone in less than a year. Only if she had known it would have been better than being gone for good…

Lucy saw something pink flashing in the edge of her vision, far above the level of her head. Done visiting the past, she tore her eyes from the carved words and turned towards the mage, who was halfway up the wall.

"What are you doing!?"

"Climbing."

"Get down from there!"

"You sound like my mom."

Lucy clenched her fingers into fists, crossing her arms on her chest. She didn't even want to imagine how it had been for his mother. No wonder she had worried herself to death. Natsu swung himself to the top, seating himself on the edge, not looking very stable. The wall was at least four metres high, and Lucy didn't know any spells to heal him with if he fell.

"It looks dangerous -"

"You can see up to Windhelm from there. Wanna come too?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip, wanting to slap herself for feeling tempted to climb. There wasn't much she could do about the writings on the wall anyway. She didn't understand them, and that was final. At least she got to know that they existed.

"I can't climb."

"It's easy. Just put your feet there, grab that stone, pull yourself up a bit, then step on that crack -"

"But what if I fall?"

"What if you don't? C'mon, it's a great view. You'll regret if you miss it."

Natsu was right. Lucy took a deep, long breath as she set herself to a position where she'd begin her climb. Following his instructions didn't take her so far, though. Natsu was taller than her, therefore having different spots on the wall he could grasp. The amusement on his face didn't help her at all as he watched her drain down when she lost her grip. When Lucy failed for the third time, she was about to give up, but then Natsu gave her his hand and pulled her to the top.

And the view truly took her breath away.

The sunset painted the horizon in crimson and orange shades, contrasting the distant mountains against the sky. Lucy seated herself next to the mage, clenching her fingers to the stone. The wind pushed against her back, but not strong enough to throw her over the edge. She let her eyes rest on the beauty before her. She saw walls of a city in the distance, knowing it was Windhelm. Winterhold was hidden behind the mountains, but suddenly the destination which she'd thought to be an eternity away was so frighteningly close.

Lucy found it hard to believe she'd be there so soon.

"You've been quiet today", Lucy said to the mage. He leaned his chin to his burned hands, his eyes locked to the silhouette of Windhelm.

"It's the hangover", Natsu answered. "Head hurts."

"Are you sure?"

Lucy noticed how Natsu's fingers curled into fists. He closed his eyes, pressing his chin to his chest as he sighed.

"I'll take you to the College, but then I have to go", Natsu whispered. "I'll join the Stormcloaks and avenge Igneel's death. I just can't move on before I know my brother's soul can rest in peace."

Upon his words, Lucy's world came to a complete stop.

All out of sudden, Lucy felt a strike in her heart, as if all of her insides shrunk into a tiny, aching ball. The warmth she felt turned to ice flowing through her veins. Blankly, she stared at him and failed to hide it how her face fell.

"Don't worry about it", Natsu said, seeing the sadness rising to her eyes. "We can surely hang out more when I get back. It's not like it will take long. Ulfric will crush the Imperials in no time."

Lucy couldn't help but reflect the story Erza told about his father, how he had sworn to come back, but never did. The soldiers who thought of war being something fast and easy were the first ones to die. Those who promised to come back always came back in a coffin. Was she supposed to just let him go? Would this short time be the only memory she'd have of him? She didn't even know why it felt so horribly sad. It just did.

"Aren't you afraid?" Lucy asked quietly, finally getting words out of her mouth.

"Of what?"

"Of dying."

Natsu lifted his shoulders, his tension slowly wearing off. That confession had to be behind his silence today, it now lifted as he had got it out. "Why should I be? It's not like I can decide when I'll die. There ain't no use worrying about the things you can't change."

Lucy wanted to slap him for thinking like that.

"If you decide to jump off this wall headfirst, I'm pretty sure you'll die."

He flashed that damn insolent smirk of his. "You sure?"

"Don't try it. You aren't immortal."

"You know, my brother used to say if I survived that Nightshade poisoning, it means that I have some sort of destiny to fulfil. If it's my fate to die falling from this word wall, so be it. I won't stress about it. I'll die when I die. Meantime, I'll live my life the way I want to."

There was a point in that. Lucy had thought that too. Maybe his insane luck was actually fate protecting him?

"But isn't a man the master of their own fate?" Lucy asked, wanting to lead him out of that careless belief.

"I used to think so", Natsu started quietly. "But if being saved by a real fucking dragon isn't fate, I don't know what is. I thought that was the end of the line, but if it wasn't, it has to mean only that I was destined for something else."

"What do you think it'll be?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure I won't die before I have fulfilled whatever crap fate planned for me. Maybe it's avenging Igneel's death. Maybe it's something else, but who can tell?"

Lucy smiled at him, sadly. She really hoped for the latter. "Just be careful out there."

"Sure."

She turned her eyes from the mage to the horizon, not knowing what else to say. Lucy knew it wouldn't be what Igneel would want. She hadn't known him personally, but she was sure he'd want Natsu to keep on living. To live was to light a torch and carry it as far as you could go. If you failed, someone would relight that torch and carry it the rest of the way, in honour of you and who you were to them. Seeking vengeance would only blow that flame out once again, but Lucy knew she couldn't make Natsu see that. There was nothing she could say to change his mind.

Feeling so helpless at the thought of losing another friend, Lucy almost wanted to pray. Pray for something to happen, something to make him stay.

But she didn't, knowing her prayers usually came true in the worst possible ways.