CHAPTER 30: DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY


Before Lucy awakened to the dark, there was the cold.

With thin, frozen fingers it traversed on her skin. It began to spread from her toes and left chills in its wake, climbing up her legs, reaching to the bone. The shivering pulled her back to the world, as if asking to be banished before she could continue drifting through the black, dreamless sleep.

The sound of her teeth clattering against each other finally woke her up. She lay curled on her side, wrapped into something which prevented her movements. For a brief moment, she feared she'd been desiccated into a spider's web, but the thought vanished as her trembling hand grabbed the edge of a blanket. The last thing she could recall was the firepit in the middle of a great, wooden hall. Where was the fire now?

Deathly weary as if she hadn't slept at all for days, she opened her eyes, only to have them slip closed in an instant. It was enough for her to see the darkness. Fear clasped her throat. Again, she forced her heavy lids open, and the darkness was still there. Had she come blind? What if her vision had been stolen from her?

There would only be this endless night, for years and years and years until she'd forget what it was like to see. She'd forget the flowers of summer, the sunsets over the vale, the snow-capped mountains and mighty trees reaching to the sky. She'd forget the fear in the dragon's eyes, and the shadow of its wings as it soared above her. But of all things, she feared forgetting Natsu's smile the most. It was a thing she always wanted to remember, a sparkle of light in her night.

It was then when she turned her head and glimpsed moonlight shining through the window. Relief washed over her body. She hadn't been blinded. Still, she couldn't understand where she was. There had been no windows in the downstairs of Jorrvaskr where she was supposed to stay. She knew she had been there, but after playing some games and singing some songs, her memories were shrouded in black mist.

Lucy rolled to her back. The blanket around her loosened, and after another round, she was released from the strange cocoon. Her limbs moved freely now, yet the chilliness made them stiff and slow. In search of some warmth, she reached out her arms. Her fingers clutched into soft, warm fur and pulled herself closer, settled snug underneath it. It smelled of smoke, liked Natsu's cloak often did. Why had he left here? Where was he even?

Not having the strength to wonder, Lucy laid her head against it. The coldness melted away like ice on a first spring day, and soon the warmth lulled her back to sleep. This time, flames fluttered within her dream, but they did not frighten her. They were the flames of the hearth of her home, familiar and comfortable.

Hours passed by. The sound of a crackling fire in her dreams was smothered by the rain pattering on the roof above her. It had started slow and silent, but strengthened as more drops came to fall until it was pouring. After a while, Lucy understood it really rained, and she had awoken again.

Lucy pressed her face into the fur, but the sleep did not come back. This time, pain had come. Her head throbbed like being hammered from the inside, to the verge of shattering into a thousand pieces if she'd move an inch. She wrapped her arms around the warmth beside her, not knowing what it was, and not caring either.

She knew she'd been in a feast, and recalled having a few stronger drinks, too. However, the way she felt implied she'd had more than a few. She groaned and cursed at nausea churning in the pit of her stomach. She remembered heading to the privy with the brown-haired Companion woman. Had they left someplace else, then? To the inn, perhaps? At least she hoped so. Of all the places she could've ended up, the inn was the most merciful option.

The dawn had broken a while ago. The light burned her eyes as she opened them, even though the skies were covered in clouds. Gently, she tilted her head to the side. Her vision was still blurred, but she recognized the outlines that faintly resembled a person.

Had she slept with someone? Air stuck in her throat as she realized the thing her arms were wrapped around was, indeed, someone's arm. She moved her hands down it and found warm fingers, confirming her doubt.

'Gods have mercy,' she thought. A thousand scenarios ran through her mind. What had she done? Who was this? The Companion woman whose name she couldn't recall, or someone else completely?

She rolled on her stomach and lifted herself to her elbows. She rubbed her eyes to the back of her hands, and took a better look. Wild, pink hair spread on the face he turned away, still easy for her to recognize. Too weary to support her position, she rested her head back to the sleeping mage's shoulder.

'Thank the gods, it's just Natsu,' she thought in relief and smiled. Then the smile withered. 'No, what, wait a moment…'

"Natsu!?" Lucy cried out and sprung up as fast as a bolt of lightning. The sudden movement hurt her head like a slash of the greatsword, short and sharp. She crawled backwards on the bed to gain enough distance. It was certainly him. 'What… What have I done?'

The mage rubbed his eyes with his elbow, still asleep. "Hmm?"

"W-what are you doing? Why're you here!?" she asked, almost screaming. It was exhausting to speak, her voice was dry and rough. She lifted her hands to her mouth, realizing she might've woken up the whole inn. Natsu turned his head towards her with an annoyed look on his face.

"… damn, you're loud…" he mumbled, and closed his eyes again.

Lucy grew morbidly silent. How could he be so unbothered? He continued sleeping as if she wasn't there at all. Lucy squeezed her fingers into fists and held back the urge to punch him. Instead, she picked up a pillow and tossed it to his face with force, startling him.

"Explain yourself, fire mage!" Lucy demanded and smashed him again with the pillow. He rolled to his side and shielded his head with his arms. "Why did you sleep next to me? Didn't you learn anything when you sneaked into my quarters back in the College? Gods, this is even worse!"

"What?" Natsu asked with narrowed eyes. He caught the pillow Lucy kept smashing him with and pressed it against his chest. "I rolled you into a blanket and left you alone by the wall. You explain yourself, not me!"

Lucy frowned. Faintly, she recalled waking up at night somewhat wrapped, but she hadn't thought it was like that. Still, it couldn't be that she had willingly crawled into his arms at night. She hadn't even known he was there. Her face grew pale as she wondered how they'd ended up in the same bed.

"Wait…" she mumbled and stared at him in terror. "Don't tell me that we…"

Confused, Natsu stared back at her. It took him painfully long to realise what Lucy meant. When he did, he just cringed.

"What? No. Of course not," he answered with an honest tone. Lucy sighed in relief and finally looked away. "Listen, things started getting weird in Jorrvaskr, so I… I decided we'd be better off here, in the inn. You passed out and –"

"I don't want to know what I did!" Lucy shrieked. She wrapped the green blanket around her shoulders and climbed out of the bed over the footboard. The floor felt shaky below her feet. Nervously, she glanced at him as she walked to the window. "Or just, well, I hope I didn't do anything, you know, like that… Because I… I would never…"

Natsu remained silent for a moment, once again trying to figure out what she was talking about. Lucy didn't even dare to utter it out aloud, and shivered while waiting for his answer. She knew she tended to get affectionate when she drank. It was probably easier to seduce an undead Draugr than Natsu of Dragonbridge, but what if she had tried? She didn't even know if it was possible, but what if she had tried and succeed?

The mere thought was enough to make her feel stained, tainted… promiscuous. Though her parents weren't here anymore, she could hear them yelling at her for insolently doing all the things they told her not to do. But sleeping with a mage? They'd chop off her head if they knew, then probably chop off his, too. Even if she had never meant to do so.

"Trust me, nothing like that happened… between us, if that's what you fear. I… I don't really have any interest in that kind of a thing…" Natsu stuttered and seemed more difficult the more he spoke. He noticed Lucy's pending stare on him, and suddenly appeared almost frightened. "No offence, of course, but I just –"

An enormous stone rolled off Lucy's heart. He didn't lie, she was sure of it. Nothing had happened. Things could move on as usual, and she could be at peace. She might've sapped into his warmth, but that much could be forgotten if she never did so again. As she had once learned, things would never be the same after crossing a certain line. This time, she hadn't crossed it, and hopefully never would.

"Good," Lucy interrupted him before he'd completely lose it. "It's… It's okay. And… thank you. For being like that."

The mage frowned quizzically as he looked at her from under his brows. "You're probably the first person ever to thank me for being like this, but whatever..."

She chuckled. She had thought about it often, but never quite found the right place to say it. Ever since the beginning, he had shown he had no ill intentions or second thoughts behind his actions of kindness. Somehow, it reminded her of the way she and Loke had been when they had been kids. Just friends with no pressure towards anything else. It had changed as they had grown up, and bitterly, the purity of a childhood's friendship could never be restored.

With Natsu, she could trust herself to be safe. She had been so completely drunken that she had blacked out, and what had he done? Taken care of her, not an advantage – brought her to the safety of the inn, put her to sleep, and nothing else. It was just the way he was, pure, innocent. Lucy didn't know why, and it wasn't her business to know.

The same thing couldn't have been said of Loke when they had stolen the juniper mead and drunk it on the roof of the lumbermill.

That late summer night, sooner than Lucy had felt the drink rising to her head, Loke had started to talk about how he'd steal her to Riften with him and make her his wife. Perhaps to him, marriage had seemed like a natural development of their long friendship. Unfortunately, Lucy never thought so. Loke had never listened when Lucy told him she'd be married to a merchant's son anyway, whether she'd want it or not.

After Loke's drunken confession and her straightforward denial, things never returned the same between them. Whenever they talked, neither of them found any words. Nothing was fun anymore, just cold, and awkward. If she had known he'd be dead in a few months, she would've tried to reconcile, pretend she accepted his proposal or something. Anything which could've kept them as close as they had been, even if she didn't feel the same.

Maybe Loke had thought he'd save her by marrying her himself. Though he was a man she knew, a pleasant and funny lad, her fate would've been still been the same: to keep his house clean, cook him hearty meals, and give him many sons. Her own will and freedom had no value at all. She would've never been happy. She would've just slowly faded living a life she was not meant to have.

'They're dead now,' Lucy reminded herself as she grew repulsed by the thought. She had almost forgotten how much she had dreaded the future her father had arranged. After a few more years, she would've been ready to be wed. The fear had kept her up many nights. She'd stayed up pondering over the foul details of which she'd never been even told about, and probably wouldn't until her wedding night. 'It's not going to happen. I have nothing left but my own will and freedom now…'

As she had grown up under so much distress and pressure, she now hoped she would've known what was awaiting her all that time. Freedom, the only thing she ever asked for, had been right around the corner – she just had to learn to know what it felt like to be caged first to appreciate it. But what she appreciated the most was that while Natsu had given her freedom by saving her life, he didn't expect anything in return.

She didn't have to give it back to him.

The raindrops kept flowing down the windowpane, and Lucy realized she had zoned out a good time. Slowly, the sound of rain came back from the void it had dissolved into, and the thoughts of her former life vanished again.

She turned her gaze from the window to the mage. He stared into emptiness, clouds of strange sadness surrounding him. 'Has he cried?' Lucy thought as she noticed the redness around his eyes. He never cried in front of her, but she could still see it afterwards.

"Did something bad happen last night?" Lucy asked and regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. She was concerned, but didn't want to press him too much. It could've been about Igneel, or anything about the thousands of things he concealed and kept for himself. "Sorry. I can't remember much. Did we play a game? How did it end?"

Natsu chuckled and glanced at her. "Do you really want to know?"

The smug grin on his face made her anxious again. He had just said that nothing happened between them, but maybe it wasn't the whole truth. What was it that Lucy was better off not knowing? She leaned to the wall and rested her head against the cool window glass. Despite the rain, she could see the marketplace where people put their goods for sale in the booths.

"Now that you say it, I'm not sure…"

"Well," Natsu started and scratched his neck. "After I bet myself out of the game, you and Cana had some… uhm, girl's fun, if that's the right way to put it. I'm not judging or anything. It was just… weird."

Lucy's eyes shot from the rain to the mage. Shocked, she blinked and stuttered, failing to form any words.

"Seriously? The brown-haired woman?" she asked and started to remember the hot kisses on her neck. Lucy buried her blushed face deep into her palms and sat down to the cold floor. "Oh, for the love of lady mother Mara, no… How did that even happen?"

"Beats me. Didn't know you liked girls."

"Me neither!" Lucy grumbled. What would've her parents said about that? "But rather her than the wolf twins…" Her face grew pale as she saw Natsu's amused expression. "I made out with them too, didn't I?

He laughed a bit and wiped his eyes, shaking his head. "No, thank the gods. But one of them thinks I'm a Companion now. The stupid one."

Lucy muffled a laughter-mixed scream into her hands. Now she remembered that, too. If not taken too seriously, the evening had been fun. She had no reason to be so mortified. Although she hadn't thought of herself to be into girls, she hadn't hated that either. Maybe it was the result of always being told not to mess with boys.

"Let's not show our faces there ever again," she mumbled and brought her legs closer to her body, leaning to her knees.

"Agree," Natsu answered. "Maybe better not show our faces in this damned city ever again. Because well, you puked on the sacred tree."

"What!?"

"Yeah. Then you freaked out because you thought you were blinded."

"Don't tell me more," Lucy pleaded and cringed. As much as she didn't want to, she could imagine that happen. What a fool she'd been. "How could you even stand me? Must've been annoying."

Natsu shrugged. "Igneel was much worse. You know, he started seeing dwarves when he got wasted. I've probably told you already…"

His voice died down. A sharp ache filled Lucy's heart. While she had loved to hear about his adventures with Igneel, it hurt when he directly compared her to him. Once again, it reminded her of being just a poor replacement for the best friend he had lost. Not as strong, not as funny, not even as much a drunken fool as he had been. Lucy averted her gaze, looked out of the window again. Dark grey clouds loomed in the skies. It would rain all day today, as it often did in Frost Fall, before the waters turned to snow.

Deep down Lucy knew Natsu was there only because Igneel had died. Helping her gave him a reason for Igneel's death, which otherwise would've been vain and meaningless. He coped with his grief by believing that helping the Dragonborn was his fate, his duty, his responsibility. He had said it himself back in the Palace of Kings. Lucy remembered it from word to word.

"You know what? I was supposed to be the first of us to go to the block. I was supposed to die first. All was going good until Igneel said something stupid and got dragged to the block in front of my fucking eyes. Then he was dead, and I was alive. I don't want his death to be in vain. He died for a reason. And what would be a better reason than letting me help the Last Dragonborn to fulfil her destiny?

Yes, he had a point. It terrified her to think what would've happened to her if they had executed him first. She would've had to watch him die. Perhaps she wouldn't have taken it so bad then, when he'd been just a nameless stranger to her. But now she knew wouldn't bear it, especially through a way so gruesome as beheading. It would break her. The thought alone was enough to make her cry.

But even if he had died first as he had been supposed to, could she have survived? Would someone else have saved her in his stead, or would she have made it herself? Where would've her path led her if she hadn't followed him?

It was pointless to ponder over what-ifs. They both had survived, perhaps the way they were meant to. What she truly feared was what would happen to them once she would've fulfilled her destiny, whatever it was. Would he still stay? Or would he realise he had wasted his time, sought for a fate which was never really his?

It had to be the reason he was like that, unbothered by the things she did. He didn't truly care about her. He helped her because he had to, took care of her because he had to, and she hated it. But as a lump began to form in her throat, she realized it was more sadness than anger.

"Actually, Lucy," Natsu started suddenly. "There's something I have to tell you."

The mage was still lying in bed, staring into the ceiling as Lucy glanced at him. There was a serious note in his voice, a cold thread woven among the words he left unsaid. The last time he had sounded like that had been when they'd climbed to the word wall, when he was about to tell her he'd be off to the war. Whatever it was now, Lucy didn't have the strength to receive a similar blow.

"Please," Lucy answered, more offended than she meant to be. "If it's about yesterday, I don't want to know."

"But it's –"

She shook her head and spoke over him. "Shit, I'm so ashamed of myself… I feel like I want to jump into a well and stay there for the rest of my life."

Somehow she knew it had nothing to do with last night, she just pretended to think so. If it had, he would've told it already, but this was different. As Natsu silenced suddenly, Lucy wondered what it could be, and decided she was better off not knowing. If she wouldn't let him say it, it wouldn't become real.

"Feel ya, but –"

"Don't tell me. Seriously. I don't want to know what happened. Let's pretend I did nothing of… of the things I did. You don't remember anything either. Got it?"

Natsu turned to look at her with sadness in his eyes that put her on the edge. "It's… It's really important."

"I won't hear it now!" she snapped past the ache in her throat and the shivering of her chin. Natsu only answered with an upset glance, then turned away again, silencing for good. She put her hands on her brow to cover the tears before they'd fall.

What if he had changed his mind? Natsu had taken her to the monastery and back, which was more than he was obliged to. He had now finished his task, and that's what Lucy feared he'd tell her, that he'd be gone now, gone forever.

Lucy took a moment to collect herself and soothe her distraught heart. 'I'm overthinking again…" she reminded herself, knowing she had a tendency to do so. 'Even though he said that, he also said he won't go anywhere if I don't want him to… But again, it was about what I'd want, not if he'd really want to stay…'

When she took her hands off her face, she saw the black stains of warpaint in her palms. "I… I should get washed up. Hope there's a water basin downstairs… Wait, were we supposed to be in a council meeting today?"

"Yeah," Natsu answered. He still hid underneath his cloak, seeming like he'd fall asleep again at any moment. Had he stayed up all night again? "In about a few hours."

Letting out a long sigh, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and muttered curses. If she could, she'd stay in the bed until the sun would set and the rain would stop. By then she'd hopefully feel better. She bit her lower lip and searched for her bag, but Natsu's was the only one in the room.

"Where are my things?" she asked. Her tone had a bite she did not like. Her mood kept changing like the weather. Alcohol brought up many sides of herself she didn't like at all.

"In Jorrvaskr," the mage told. "Erza's supposed to bring them back, but if she forgets, we can go get them later."

"I'm gonna borrow your gold, then, 'cause I'm starving," Lucy answered and took his knapsack from the floor. His small coin purse was gone, but Lucy found a few septims on the bottom of the bag. Among them was a book. "Wait, what's this?" she asked as she picked it up.

Natsu lifted his head slightly. "Oh, that," he said, surprised, and laid down again. "I found that in the monastery. It seemed interesting, so I took it."

Lucy wiped the book's black cover. An insignia of a silvery dragon, the Imperial Legion's sigil was imprinted on it. While just a moment ago her mind has been as dark as the rainy skies, now she was uplifted, excited, and slightly amused. "You stole this?"

"Wouldn't say so. It was in the tunnels underneath the monastery."

"In where?"

"Let's just say that I ventured there on my own while you were training. I got bored, you know," he answered. Lucy hadn't known anything of that. "I haven't read that one, but it said something about the dragons. I thought you'd like it."

Lucy smirked at him. "And you didn't tell me about this."

"… I meant to, but I forgot."

Lucy lowered the book and gave him a disappointed glance. Then she opened the first page and read. "The Book of the Dragonborn, by Prior Emelene Madrene. Year 360 of the Third Era, Twenty-First of the Reign of His Majesty Pelagius IV." She gasped. "It's almost three hundred years old, and originally from Cyrodiil! I wonder how long this has been there abandoned… Looks like a history of the Dragon Blood emperors or something."

Lucy browsed through the brittle, yellowed pages. Moths had eaten holes into the paper. It had caught moisture, as understandable for a book stored in abandoned tunnels for who knows how many decades. If Natsu said anything, Lucy didn't hear. She was absorbed in the book, for once she felt like she held answers in her hands.

And somehow familiar ones.


Lucy hadn't made it to the end of the book when she realized they should hurry up if they intended to make it to the council meeting. Perhaps the scholar from Cyrodiil could take a better look at it. Furtively, she'd slipped the book back into the backpack as she kicked Natsu out of bed, and headed for breakfast.

It was strange how much a single thing could change.

When it came nearing noon, Lucy had eaten the little her stomach tolerated, cleaned up her face and hair, and dressed into Natsu's cloak to hide her unchaste huntress's armour. While Natsu had found some fresh clothes in the closet of their room, left behind by a former patron, there had been nothing for her. The armour had to suffice until she'd buy new robes, except that at the moment, she could probably only afford a dress from the marketplace. She was alarmingly running out of gold.

She stood waiting at the inn's doors, sipping the herbal tea left from her breakfast. It helped with nausea but didn't heal the terrible headache, which still persisted. Natsu had gone downstairs to wash the 'monk's stench off him', as he had called it. He had been there for a while now, and Lucy was starting to worry he'd drowned in a water barrel. Though, checking on him would've been great revenge for all the times he'd barged in when she'd been naked…

"What's with that outfit?" Lucy asked when Natsu finally arrived in the main hall. He looked nothing like a mage in that green, belted tunic and ragged brown trousers. They were a size too large for his thin frame. "You actually look like a normal person. Almost…"

He answered her with a grin. Not only that he had washed his hair, but he had also combed it to the back. Lucy couldn't resist the urge to return it to the way it used to be. As he stepped beside her, Lucy left the tea on the closest table, rose on her toes and messed his hair with her fingers. Now it pointed to every direction, the longest strands falling over his eyes.

"That's better," she said and smiled, proud of her handicraft. Her hand smelled of soap as she brought it back.

"And what was that for?" Natsu asked, confused. He placed a short, hooded cape on his shoulders and wrapped the white scarf around his neck. "I thought we were going to meet the Jarl."

"Like you cared the last time we met a jarl. That'll do," Lucy said and opened the door for him. "I've always wanted to see what Dragonsreach looks like from the inside. Did you know that it was built to trap a dragon?"

And so as they walked through the rainy streets of Whiterun, Lucy told him the story of great king Olaf and the dragon Numinex he had captured. It was an ancient legend she'd kept hearing since she was a child. As she expected, Natsu did not believe it. Dragons could not be trapped and kept as a pet.

There was a commotion around the sacred tree in the upper district of the city when they passed through. A guard accused a ragged beggar of dishonouring Gildergreen. 'I ain't done nothing,' was the man's defence. As Lucy saw the crimson wine stains on the pale trunk, she pulled the cloak's hood over her head and hoped they didn't see her.

Near the statue of Talos, Erza Scarlet stood waiting for them. Lucy flashed a wide smile. She hurried to the Companion, leaving behind the mage who wasn't, unsurprisingly, so happy to see her.

"I thought you'd never come," Erza said and gave Lucy's knapsack back to her. "Here are your things."

"Thank you," Lucy answered and curtsied. "Sorry that we're running late. We better get going right away."

When Natsu came to them, Lucy noticed strange ire between him and the Companion. They had never liked each other, but this was just… different kind of loathing. Natsu's mouth was pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were hard and ruthless as he stared at Erza without saying a single word.

Erza nodded and turned towards the long stairway carved in stone. Through the decorative pools, it led to the great palace sitting atop of the hill. Once before, Lucy had thought the stairs looked endless, but after climbing the Seven Thousand Steps, she didn't think so anymore.

"Lucy," Erza called to catch her attention, and halted at a platform. There wasn't anyone around to hear them, but she still spoke in a quiet voice. Perhaps there were little birds where the eye couldn't see. "I heard from Natsu that you're heading to Ustengrav soon."

"Yes," Lucy answered. She couldn't remember those two had spoken last night, but it seemed they had. There was no problem with that. Erza could be trusted with any information about their journey. "That's going to be my last trial."

"I'm assuming you're going through the ruins of Labyrinthian?"

Lucy nodded. "We haven't made the travel plan yet, but seems like that's the fastest way."

"It's not the safest," Erza told, making Lucy wonder what she was going to say. "Actually… I'll be heading there soon myself. There could be important knowledge regarding the research I'm into. If you want, we could travel there together. I could accompany you to Ustengrav and back, and have your back along the way. The times are getting darker each day."

Lucy's eyes began to sparkle. Her cheeks hurt as she smiled so wide. She hadn't expected her to ask that, but had secretly hoped so. The things Erza had taught her about archery had been crucial for her, and she could still use more training. Besides, Erza was an excellent fighter. Against everything but the dragons…

"Really? That… That would be great," she said and turned to the fire mage, whose sour expression let her know exactly what he thought about it. "That's okay with you, Natsu? It's going to be a dangerous journey. We could need her blade on our side."

"We won't," Natsu answered, his tone cold, not even looking at Erza as if she wasn't there at all. "She's useless."

"Excuse me, Natsu?" she criticized. Lucy lifted her brows, blinking as she stared at him. "Erza's right here, listening –"

The mage turned to face the warrior. "You're useless, Erza," he spat out. "You're a coward. A coward, and a liar. We don't need you along."

What in the name of Talos was going on? Lucy didn't understand. Of course he had bickered with her yesterday too, but it had been in a friendly, sarcastic manner. Now he was straightforwardly, coarsely hostile, and didn't seem to regret it.

"Gods, what's wrong with you today?" Lucy condemned with a disappointed sigh. The mage didn't seem to budge.

"Do you… do you even understand what we're up against?" he asked from Erza. The warrior's stance was calm, unaffected, as if she understood the reason behind his wrangling. "Remember Kynesgrove, huh? You couldn't even fight. You were fucking pathetic."

Unable to say anything, Lucy stared at Natsu. That wasn't even mean. It was cruel.

"I was coming into that," Erza started peacefully. "Mystogan, the scholar from Cyrodiil, has now taken the lead of the research. As the wheels of war have turned, the Jarl has turned a blind eye to the dragon menace. A real menace it has become, indeed." She lowered her gaze to her feet, moving them gently. "A fortnight ago, my home village, Rorikstead…"

Lucy's eyes widened, and her hands began to shake. "What happened, Erza?"

"There was a dragon burial mound nearby. I used to play there as a child," Erza answered quietly. Lucy swallowed as anguish spread within her chest. "It was Kynesgrove all over again. The black dragon appeared from nowhere, raised another one from the dead, and escaped. And the one who was raised… it burned Rorikstead to the ground."

As if a thousand swords had pierced Lucy's heart, tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, literal pain spreading through her body. She lifted her hands to her mouth as her mind screamed at her, blaming her guilty. She'd been sitting still atop of the tallest mountain of Skyrim, safe from the dragons, believing she was doing the right thing. In fact, she had been just hiding. Hiding, while she was supposed to be out there fighting.

"It was… it was a massacre," Erza whispered. "No one made it out, except for… except for one elderly man."

Lucy glanced at Natsu. There was no surprise in his eyes, and suddenly Lucy understood he knew about this. It had been the thing he had wanted to tell. Lucy cursed at herself for thinking it could've been something else, refusing to listen.

"By Ysmir…" she muttered and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I… I'm so sorry. What… What about the survivor? Did you know him?"

"Yes," Erza told shortly. "He was my childhood friend's father. The man who raised me. And he… he could not take it. He had seen death in his life for sure, but enough is enough. Right after he told the Jarl what he'd seen, he jumped down from the balcony of Dragonsreach."

Lucy looked up to the palace before them, seated high on the hill. Erza didn't need to tell her the man had died. No one could make it alive after such a fall.

"That dragon needs to be hunted down. Other settlements are in danger, too. The last it was seen flying north of Rorikstead. It's… it's one of the reasons I'd like to join you this time," Erza said and turned towards Natsu. "I have my own demons to slay, fears to overcome."

Lucy nodded silently. "Of course you can come with us, especially in a situation like this," she said. "Right, Natsu? We should give her a chance to avenge her people."

Natsu said nothing, didn't even nod, but Lucy took his silence as an acceptance.

"And about Mystogan, the scholar…" Erza started then. "I think he should know you're the Dragonborn, Lucy. I haven't told him, because it's your decision to do. But if we combine his knowledge with your power, we could find a way to defeat the dragons." Erza looked deep into Lucy's eyes. "He… He can be trusted."

The warrior's plea was sincere. Lucy nodded slowly. She didn't know anything about this scholar, but if Erza trusted him, she could trust him too. The Greybeards had only taught her so much, and she still needed to know more. If the scholar could help her, then she should tell him the truth.

"If you think it's for the best," Lucy answered. Her chin trembled as she saw the sorrow in Erza's dark eyes. She knew exactly how it felt like to lose a home to a dragon's flames. No amount of words could form adequate condolence.

The mage had averted his gaze to the water fountains below the stairway. He was quiet, like he wasn't there at all at the moment, turned into a lingering, gloomy ghost.

"Let's go now," Erza told them after she collected herself. "We're being waited."

As a silent group, they climbed up the rest of the stairs to the Jarl's palace. The guards welcomed them at the entrance, and Erza told them what their business was, and so the great doors were opened for them.

They arrived in the entry hall of the palace, and the sounds of an ongoing quarrel carried all the way to them. Lucy felt her movements slowing down from anxiety, her old dream of seeing Dragonsreach from the inside suddenly forgotten.

Erza led them forward, until they were met by a defensive, armoured elf, who had her sword drawn out. All three of them halted.

"What's the meaning of the interruption?" the elf asked harshly. "The Jarl's not receiving visitors."

Then a blue-haired man emerged from the side, his arms spread wide as he stepped in between them. He was Mystogan, Lucy knew.

"Irileth, these are but important visitors. Survivors of Helgen. I'd like to speak with them privately before announcing my next move to the Jarl," the man explained. He turned his eyes to them and brought his arms together, the long sleeves hiding his hands. "I apologise for the inhospitably. The mood in Dragonsreach has been rather… tight this morning. Please, come with me."

The Dunmer steward stepped to the side as they began to follow Mystogan across the hall. As Lucy began to relax, she struggled to walk at the same pace as the others. She wanted to stay behind and admire the majestic, wooden palace in more detail. It was larger than she had thought. She lifted her head and gazed into the ceiling, which was almost as high as the sky. But as she tumbled into the pillar wound up in her way, she realised she should keep her eyes in front of her.

Lucy glimpsed Jarl Balgruuf the Greater sitting high on his throne with a sullen expression on his face. His steward hurried back to him while the rest of his men kept debating. The whole great hall echoed with heated arguments. Lucy listened, but couldn't separate who was talking at a time.

"Proventus, what do you make of all this? If Ulfric were to attack Whiterun..."

"As in all things, Lord, caution... I urge us to wait and see."

"Prey waits."

"I'm of a mind with Irileth. It's time to act."

"You plan to march on Windhelm?"

"I'm not a fool, Proventus. I mean it's time to challenge Ulfric to face me as a man, or march his Stormcloaks up to the gates."

"He'll do no such thing! A dagger in the back is all you could expect!"

"What has happened here?" Lucy asked when they were out of the reach of their ears. She had heard bits of it yesterday, but she hadn't been paying attention. Seemed like she should have.

"Jarl Ulfric delivered his axe to Jarl Balgruuf," Erza answered. "There are but a few simple truths behind one warrior giving another his axe. If Balgruuf keeps it, Ulfric will bide his time. If Balgruuf returns it, it means war."

"Whiterun has tried to remain neutral so far, but the time has come to make hard choices," Mystogan explained. "And the dragons are making it even harder for the Jarl to decide what to do. He can't waste men and resources battling the dragons while the Stormcloaks could storm through his gates at any moment."

"But why would Ulfric… in a time like this…" Lucy gasped. "The Jarls should unite their strength and fight against the dragons, not among themselves!"

"Go tell that to them," Erza sighed.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder. The Jarl had now stood up from his throne, and pointed his finger at one of his men, shouting insults. Balgruuf was known of his temper, but Lucy had never known it would be this… intense.

"This way," Mystogan said and guided them into a room to the side of the throne hall. When all of them had stepped inside, he closed the doors and locked them. "So, as I was saying…"

Lucy barely heard the rest. The study was small, but made up its size with each wall covered in notes. A big table stood in the middle, cluttered with many books, rolls of parchment, writing supplies and soul gems. In the back end of the room were an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter side by side. Lucy had never seen one. The candles and the skulls on it made it appear more obscene than she had expected.

A thousand questions filled her mind. She wanted to ask the scholar if he was from the Imperial City of Cyrodiil, what other things he had researched, and how his path had led here in Whiterun. It seemed that he held an amount of knowledge to form a small library.

For a moment Lucy wondered where Natsu had gone, but then she found him resting against the locked doors. His whole being resonated an unexplainable antipathy, but towards what, Lucy couldn't tell. Mystogan moved behind his table and organized his papers, almost as if ashamed of the mess.

"… the Empire is putting a great deal of pressure on Whiterun. The city's provisions are diminished, and choosing Ulfric's side would mean the end of support and protection from the Imperial Legion. The city would starve, and Ulfric wouldn't help with that," Mystogan told them. "If Balgruuf chooses the Legion, Ulfric will consider him as his enemy. And now, he's driven to crush all his enemies."

"In case the Jarl returns the axe back to Ulfric, Whiterun will be under the attack of the Stormcloak army," Erza added. "There are only bad options, it seems."

"I assume Erza told you what happened in Rorikstead?" Mystogan asked, glancing at Lucy. She answered with a faint nod.

Mystogan looked down. "The village belonged to Whiterun. The Jarl is concerned, but with the war situation, he has no choice left than to trust in the strength of his walls against a dragon. But he doesn't understand that while the men fight against each other like idiot children, the dragons will win the war. There will be no cities left to defend," Mystogan spoke and sighed. "Because the World-Eater Alduin has returned."

Lucy halted completely. She had known it for a while, but never heard anyone confirm it. She had heard his name being called, still did every night when Sahlkonir took over her dreams. An echo of the world's ultimate destruction.

"The black dragon who's raising others?" Lucy asked, even though she knew the answer already.

"There's no doubt of it. It's the dragon from the dawn of time, who devours the souls of the dead," the scholar explained with a low voice. "No one can escape its hunger, here or in the afterlife. Alduin will devour all the things and the world will end. Nothing can stop him. I've tried to tell them, but they won't listen. Fools. Because they haven't seen… yet, but they will."

"But didn't the ancient Nords defeat him? I've… I've read about that. Why has he returned?"

"The defeat was merely a delay. It has been foretold in an ancient prophecy. I've heard about that since I was just a boy, but never read it myself. It's been written into a few books, but such copies are hard to find."

For some reason, Lucy knew where to find that prophecy. She walked to Natsu, and without an explanation, she took the strange book from his knapsack. "What about this one?" she said as she gave it to the scholar.

"Let me see it," Mystogan said and took the book from her hand. "Where have you found this? No, it doesn't matter. It's a very rare book. I've been searching for this for a long time…"

"What's so special about it?"

"This book," Mystogan began and showed her the cover. "This book holds the prophecy itself. Or, the copy of it, put in the human tongue. It has been said that it originates in the Elder Scrolls, although it's sometimes also attributed to the ancient Akaviri."

For a moment, silence fell to the room. Lucy stared at the man, unable to believe what he just told. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered seeing that book before. It had been in her home, brought in by a mysterious customer. She'd only stolen a glance at it when her mother found out and tossed it to the fire. Could it be that…

Mystogan turned the pages to the very last one. He cleared his throat and read aloud, pausing between the lines.

"When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world

When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped

When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles

When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls

When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding

The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn."

Shivers ran down Lucy's spine. She'd read those words before. As a child, she had understood none of that, and had soon forgotten almost everything. Even now, all of the metaphors didn't open to her. They depicted the events of history, events Lucy hadn't even heard about, except for the last lines. The last Dragonborn ruler had lost his throne two hundred years ago during the Oblivion Crisis, and the kingless, bleeding Snow Tower meant Skyrim's current state.

And as the World-Eater awakened, the great wheel turned upon her.

Mystogan closed the book and gave it back to Lucy. "Alduin was always destined to return to Tamriel. Only the Dragonborn can stop him, but not one has been known in centuries. The Greybeards might've called for one, but their reasons have nothing to do with the return of the dragons. They remain detached to the events of the world, as they have always been," Mystogan said and pointed at the notes on the wall. "It's all pointless, hopeless. All we can do is watch our doom approach."

The time had come to tell the truth.

"It's not hopeless," Lucy said. She looked deep into the scholar's dark eyes. "I am the Dragonborn."

Uttering those words brought her world to a stop. Silence fell once again, longer than before. The scholar's eyes widened, and began to sparkle with a long-lost hope.

"You're… can it really be true? Dragonborn?" Mystogan stuttered. "The dragon in Kynesgrove… So it was you who killed it?"

"It was me. I killed the dragon, and absorbed its power."

Mystogan glanced at Erza and Natsu, as if looking for a confirmation.

"It's true. We were there," Erza told sternly in Natsu's stead, who still didn't say anything.

Though Lucy knew she could be in danger if her identity were to fall into wrong hands, she didn't feel endangered now. She felt in her heart that the knowledge wouldn't spread from this room – in fact, she was glad that someone else knew, too. Someone who could actually help her.

"We've just returned from High Hrothgar," Lucy started, looking at the scholar. "The Greybeards taught me how to use the Thu'um, how to shout as the dragons do, but they think it's only to be used in the worship of Kynareth. In the other words, they didn't help me to find what it really means to be a Dragonborn… they just said I'm not ready to understand."

"Only a Dragonborn can stop Alduin and avert the end of the world. But how, that the prophecy doesn't tell. Alduin cannot be slain like a lesser dragon. If he could, he wouldn't be here now," Mystogan told. "But there has to be a way. Something the ancient Nords used against him… if that weapon could be given to you, the Dragonborn, maybe Alduin could be defeated for good."

"A weapon?"

"No one knows how the ancient Nords defeated Alduin. It could be a sword, or a spell, or a scroll. The knowledge had been lost to the ages. We need to find out what it was. That's our only hope."

Lucy nodded to the scholar. For the first time since she was revealed to be the Dragonborn, she felt like the path was… clear. It wasn't going to be a hopeless, despairing battle against the inevitable end. There was a way. A way to defeat Alduin, and fulfil her destiny.

Now she knew what it was.

"Well, how can we find out? Any clues, ideas?" she asked.

"I was planning to send Erza off to the ruins of Labyrinthian. It was once constructed by the Dragon Cult as a temple for the dragons. An ancient city was then built around it, and it served as a centre for the dragon priests to discuss important matters of the war. The answers we seek may be held there."

"We are heading to Ustengrav to complete my training with the Greybeards, and Labyrinthian is on the way. We could go there with Erza, if she could come with us to Ustengrav."

Mystogan nodded in approval. "It suits more than well. Some things of importance could also be hidden there. But before you go, I'll officially add you to the research team. You'll operate under my protection, but only as survivors from Helgen determined to bring down the dragons. The Jarl doesn't need to know you're the Dragonborn. The fewer people know, the safer it is for you."

"I understand," Lucy answered. "So far, only the Greybeards and the four of us in this room know… except for Jarl Ulfric and his top trusted men."

The scholar shook his head, sighing gloomily. "That's not good. He could use that as an advantage of the war. Nothing would keep him from pretending he has the Dragonborn as a hostage," he said and thought for a moment. "You should tell Jarl Balgruuf that the one who killed the Dragonborn in Kynesgrove was an Imperial man, an outlaw, who escaped the scene after the Stormcloak soldiers arrived. If Ulfric were to try something, the other Jarls would know he's lying."

Lucy admitted. "Makes sense."

"I'm ready to tell Jarl Balgruuf the results of my research. With your testimony, it's crystal clear that Alduin has returned. Even though the Jarl is too busy with the war, he should understand the grave threat," Mystogan explained. "I'll then announce you three as my research team on the mission to retrieve information about dragon-slaying weapons from Labyrinthian. I can't give you much alone, but the Jarl should support you with equipment, weapons, and provisions, anything you'd need on the journey."

"Thank you," she whispered and bowed. "We're in, well… dire need of supplies. We're pretty much empty handed now."

"And you can't fight the dragons empty handed."

There wasn't a way to express the gratitude she felt. She fought back a smile, feeling like it wasn't appropriate. She could use the conjured bow now, but neither of them had anything except their magic. If they ran out of magicka, they'd be dead.

Lucy turned towards Natsu. His arms were crossed on his chest, and there wasn't a hint of thankfulness in his stare. "What do you say? What do we need?"

"New robes, at least," he muttered, so quietly Lucy barely heard. "And a dagger… or two… gold won't hurt either…"

Lucy chuckled. "Don't get too greedy."

"There's no need to stand on ceremony, friends. Anything you need, the Jarl should deliver," Mystogan told and collected a pile of papers into his hands before heading to the doors, opening the locks. "But come on, now. Let's see what kind of a deal we can strike with the iron-head of a Jarl."


It was still raining when they made it out of Dragonsreach, and Natsu's mind was darker than the clouds looming on the horizon.

He stayed behind and let Lucy walk down the long stairway with the Companion. Taking support from the wooden pillar, he felt like fainting from suppressed rage. His teeth clenched and fists shivered – one more wrong word would throw him over the edge, and he didn't know what he'd then do.

There was no way he could tell her the truth now.

'Mystogan' had given the Jarl and his men a speech which kind of had never been heard before in the hall. Mighty talk about the return of Alduin, a passionate preach of the impending doom, and how these three heroes could just change everything. Survivors of Helgen and Kynesgrove, on a great mission to find the ultimate weapons against the dragons which he had just found a hint of.

The Jarl had believed every word of it, given them his greatest thanks. As a token of his esteem, he promised to provide the research team with everything they needed for their task. New robes from Farengar's storage, enough warm clothes and food, and weapons through Eorlund Gray-Mane of the Skyforge. Erza would be to arrange them, and tomorrow they would be ready to go. The Jarl hoped them a triumphant return, and his eternal gratitude.

A jarl could be fooled, but Lucy? She had believed everything, too. She was excited, happy, and nearly jumped into the scholar's neck when she was given adept-level enchanted robes. They could've never afforded them by themselves, for the court wizard normally sold them for two thousand septims per piece. Natsu had received his glumly, tempted to throw them to the liar's face, but was forced to swallow his pride and play along.

What a brilliant liar he was, indeed, Natsu had to give him that.

When they reached the backyard of Jorrvaskr, Lucy was caught by Cana, dragged to the table for a little conversation. Her eyes said, 'Help me,' but Erza told her she'd be fine with Cana while they'd go receive the weapons from Eorlund. The Skyforge was just up from the mead hall.

"Come with me," Erza said to Natsu as she took her leave towards the stairs. Reluctantly, the mage nodded and followed her. "Please, listen to me. I know you don't like this, but –"

"Have you… have you just any idea what he said to me yesterday?" Natsu hissed. It seemed no one was close enough to hear them, but he struggled to care even if someone was. "What he'd do to her if I'd 'double-cross' him?"

Erza looked at him in silence. "Yes. I know everything."

Natsu bit into his tongue, tempted to call her the vilest insults he knew. His mother had taught him to respect women, but he was dangerously running out of any respect for Erza. She was no innocent maiden who'd break from foul language. Had never been.

"Then how can you look her in the fucking eyes and pretend that you're her friend? And you still dare to come with us?" Natsu growled, keeping his stare locked with the warrior's. "That's just… disgraceful. Ridiculous. You're the lowest piece of trash there is. Right after him!"

"You're angry, I get it. But you should thank me for being alive. If I hadn't talked him out of killing you, you wouldn't be here at the moment," Erza answered in a calm tone, which just enraged him more. He didn't even know he could get more enraged than that. "This was the only way to let us all live, believe me."

"No, it's not. There's always another way. You know what it is."

Erza didn't say anything.

"If you hadn't talked him out of killing me?" Natsu repeated, questioning. "Why me, not Lucy?" He looked down from the stairs and distantly saw Lucy in the yard of Jorrvaskr. "What exactly did you tell him?"

"What I had to," Erza stated coldly. "There was no other choice than to tell. He's more dangerous than you know."

Natsu's head was on the verge of exploding. Erza did not admit it directly, but he doubted that she had already told Jellal about the Dragonborn. There was no better liar in the whole world than him, so of course he could've just pretended he didn't know, just to make Natsu feel guilty about slipping the secret. He had only wanted to extort him. Put him into silence without killing him.

But what had he done to Erza to make her tell it?

"You're afraid of him, aren't you?" Natsu asked. The sharpest edge of his ire was starting to wear off. The woman silenced again. Damn. Erza could be just as much a victim as anyone.

"I've never wanted any harm to come to you," she whispered then. "I'm sorry you got involved in this. I know what he's like. I've always known. But deep down, he's not –"

"Deep down he's as rotted as a pig who's been dead for a year," Natsu blurted out. He did not need apologies. "You aren't married yet? A bit of advice. Not that I'm exactly in the position to advise on this matter, but you listened to it before, so listen to it again. Don't marry him. Ever. And as the second piece of advice, you sleep with him, right? The next time you're in bed with him, strangle him to death. Seriously. Do that, or I will."

Erza lifted an eyebrow. "You'd sleep with him or strangle him?"

Only then he realised how wrong his words could be understood. It would've made a funny joke if he'd been in a mood to.

"Both, if I have to," he answered sarcastically. "He'd just probably expect that…"

"And like that."

Natsu cringed, wanting to puke. "He has to die."

"No. We need him. You'll come to see that."

Erza turned her back to him and continued climbing up the stairs. The conversation was all but done, but, as much as he hated it, it now seemed they'd have a lot more time to talk about in the next following days, or weeks at worst.

Natsu lifted his eyes to the monument above him. Skyforge, built before the ages of men or elves. A massive bird carved in stone, its wings spread wide over the forge, as if sheltering the flame. The forge stood atop of a hill, and Natsu could see over the walls of Whiterun from there.

A man with long, white hair sat there honing a sword. He had to be Eorlund Gray-Mane, the best blacksmith in Skyrim, who forged weapons for the Companions. His steel was legendary, they said. Erza went to tell the Jarl's request to him, and Natsu stayed behind.

"Two daggers for you? Since when you have been a dual wielder?" Erza asked then. "Lucy wanted just one, right?"

'One for your back, and one for Jellal's,' Natsu thought. "Yeah."

The blacksmith nodded and headed to his storage shelf, returning with two sheathed blades. As a man of few words, he gave them to the mage, and left without saying anything. Natsu muttered a quiet thanks. Indeed, he had never wielded two blades at once, but somehow he had a feeling he'd come to need a dagger in both hands.

Carefully, Natsu slid the second blade out of the sheath. The steel gleamed in the faint light, reflecting his image like a mirror. He turned it around in his hands, and could swear he'd never seen a blade so deadly sharp. His finger brushed the honed edge, a touch so gentle it barely existed, and it still cut through his skin. Natsu smiled, sheathed the dagger, and wiped the blood into his sleeve.

As much as he hated to admit it, he benefited from working with Jellal and Erza. This was the proof. If he could just swallow his pride, set aside his anger, all of it could work. But he knew it would not. He couldn't forget.

'Who knows how long they'd enjoy turning her inside out?'

He had never enjoyed killing. Actually, he had hated it for the most, especially the blood. There was always too much of it. But now, his mind was changing. Natsu squeezed his shivering fingers around the sheathed daggers. 'I'm going to kill him,' he thought. 'I'm going to kill him with these fucking daggers he gave me. That would serve him right. Who knows how long I'd enjoy turning him inside out?'

For the briefest moment, he wondered what would murdering an assassin make of him – a great hero, or just another assassin?

It frightened him how little he cared.


A/N: Hi guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you've thought about this whole Jellal/Mystogan thing. If you hate his guts as much as Natsu does, then that's alright, it was my intention all along. If you don't hate him, that's also alright.

This was the last chapter before shit gets real again. There's a lot of action coming up right ahead, as their next objective isn't just to retrieve some random horn for the Greybeards, they're also finally beginning to search a way to defeat Alduin.

What do you think about everyone deceiving Lucy? Pretty much everyone in this chapter lied to her somehow, even Natsu. I think it's an interesting dynamic to write – Lucy, though she's the hero of the story, is being fooled and lied to by the people she trusts the most. It's not only because she's naïve, but because the others are just simply assholes who only secure their own backs. The dynamic is probably the most complicated for Natsu. Erza and Jellal are really making it hard for him. How long can he handle that?

I got the idea of giving Natsu two daggers while playing Skyrim lately. I made a character who's Natsu and I played with skills he would use, Destruction and such, and at some point I ended dual wielding with two fire-enchanted daggers, and thought it would be cool (sexy) in this story. One-Handed increased for Natsu.

And hey, this fic got nominated for Best AU genre in The Guild Awards even in Tumblr! Thank you so much for the nomination! The voting period starts 15th of September, so feel free to vote this story! Go check out other stories and fanarts as well :)

Thanks for reading and supporting!