CHAPTER 47: A CORNERED RAT
There had been many reasons Natsu had wanted to kill a man for – too many to number, in fact.
He might've been eight or nine when he wanted to strangle his father for being an incredible drunken asshole towards him and his mother. The next one he had wanted to kill had been Gray of Dawnstar – he couldn't even count the times he had thought about burning that frozen dick alive. Then there had been several other idiots who had insulted Igneel because he was a Dunmer, then one certain piece-of-shit-of-an-assassin who Natsu would be very happy to see tortured to death.
But never before had he wanted to kill a man just for saying "My Luce."
Well, now he did.
It had been a long, long afternoon while they walked by the shore of the lake towards Riften. They were now getting close to the city gates, close enough for Natsu to see the guards posted there. He guided Sagittarius after him, holding too tight on the reins as nothing else helped to contain his anger. For the past few hours, he had been silent, listening as Lucy chatted with her long lost friend like he wasn't there at all.
And that hurt him the most.
With his reason, he could understand her. He understood that Lucy had known this man from the cradle, so of course, she was happy to know he still lived. She had been grieving the death of a person who was alive all the time. Loke and his brother had survived the chaos and destruction by fleeing the burning city through the secret tunnels that ran beneath Helgen's keep, which was in a different direction than where Natsu and Lucy had escaped. They had managed to get out through the collapsed wall right across the plaza, and then ran into the forest.
Ironically, if they had gone straight to Riverwood as they first planned, they would've met there. Lucy would've been spared from a lot of sorrow if she would've known those two were alive straight from the start, but somehow, Natsu dreaded that thought. If they had met them, would Lucy still have wanted to stay with him? In the beginning, he had been nothing but a death-sentenced pyromancer to her. Not a friend she trusted in, unlike the lumberjack's sons. She would've probably picked their company over his.
And now, Lucy told her old friend all about how she had joined the College of Winterhold as she always dreamt of, how they had left for a pilgrimage for her death's mother's sake, then adventured around Skyrim. Loke was impressed that Lucy had learnt magic – he couldn't believe it, not until Lucy summoned a flame atronach right at his face. Then Loke had paid a mysterious glance to the fire mage, as if blaming Natsu for teaching these terrifying spells to his Luce, as he kept calling. Loke was a Nord, Natsu could easily tell that from his sturdy build and blunt features, and Nords didn't trust in magic. In other words, Loke didn't trust him.
Because Lucy hadn't told him that she was the Dragonborn, it meant that Lucy didn't fully trust Loke either. Not anymore. Some time ago, Lucy had turned to look at Natsu, as if apologizing with her gaze. 'I'll explain later,' her eyes had said. It had been a small thing, but it meant a lot to him. It meant that she hadn't forgotten him, abandoned him, as it had initially felt like. Lucy was a friendly person, warm and kind-hearted, so it was just natural for her to get along with people. Especially her old friends.
But that moment when Lucy had jumped into Loke's neck and embraced him tightly, Natsu had sworn that something inside of him died. The small, unnamed, unknown dying thing had kept screaming ever since. If being with her used to feel right, this felt wrong. Simply wrong, not the way it was meant to be. And in Natsu's mind, killing the lumberjack's son was the easiest, quickest way to restore things to the way they should be. He was lost in the grim thoughts, too lost to hear what those two were talking about.
But he already knew he wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't do that, or Lucy would be sad. He didn't ever want to make Lucy sad.
The world began to darken when they finally reached the stables, where they were allowed to leave Sagittarius. They had no money to pay for its care, but Lucy managed to speak her will through the stable keeper's head. Natsu didn't know how she did that – she always found the right words to say to the right people. Perhaps she just promised to pay him double later. Lucy bid the horse goodbye, then they headed to the city gates. Purple banners with two clashing swords swayed in the wind on top of the tall stone walls.
"Halt!" the guard told harshly as they stepped closer. "Before I let you into Riften, you'll need to pay the visitor's tax."
Natsu and Lucy glanced at each other, knowing fairly well their pockets were empty. But then, Loke walked up to the guard, looking as smug as ever.
"This is obviously a shakedown, buddy," Loke said to the guard, taking a good, long look at him. "I know who you are. Will you let us enter, or should I tell Brynjolf that you turned the Lockmaster away at the gates?"
The guard silenced briefly, then he nodded and went to unlock the large, wooden doors. Loke chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder, and then Natsu understood who Lucy had learned persuasion from. Loke had to be the source of her lockpicking arts as well. From what Natsu had overheard of their discussions, Loke had become the Lockmaster of the Thieves Guild for his unmatched skill of opening almost any lock in the world. He had burned his hands in Helgen, even showed the healed burns to Lucy, saying that if he had lost his arms, he would keep picking locks with his feet.
Natsu had been in Riften once or twice before, so he recognized the views as they walked through the gatehouse. Wooden buildings, houses and inns and taverns and shops lined the street of cobbled stone that led through the many districts of the city, leading to the marketplace in the heart of it. Warmth radiated from the braziers, and a brown, slippery layer of melted snow and filth covered the ground. Riften was one of the biggest cities in Skyrim, and had a big city's smell in it.
It was a city full of life, indeed.
The townspeople were hurrying after their daily tasks, and the deeper they got into the city, the fancier garments they wore. Children played hide-and-seek, running behind the barrels and bushes, loud laughter echoing in the air. Natsu kept his hood pulled over his head, as people often stared at his unusual hair more than he liked. Riften was under Stormcloak control, but here he hadn't been mistreated for being a Breton, at least until now. Even Argonians were tolerated here, for a reason that Natsu wasn't sure of.
Now that they were within the city walls, Lucy and Loke stopped talking about his current way of life. Instead, he kept introducing the buildings to her as they passed them by: here resided this and that rich family, here stood Bee and Barb – Natsu remembered that tavern rather well – and there was the Black-Briar Meadery and the blacksmith's shop by the marketplace. Lucy's eyes began to sparkle when she caught a glimpse of the many stalls full of goods, but unfortunately, they had no coin to spend there at the moment. Loke lead the way to the side of the market, where a wooden stairway began, leading them to the canals.
Loke had promised to take them to the Ragged Flagon, guide them through the Ratway, which was the only good thing Natsu found about his presence. Igneel had given him one tip about being in Riften: if you had no business in the Ratway, you shouldn't go there. It was a dangerous place, a maze of sewers nobody wanted to get lost in. As they traversed the canals below the streets, the rickety wooden catwalks creaked below their feet. Doors were lined in the moisture ridden stone, and many strange symbols were carved in the walls. The commonfolk rarely dared to set their foot there. If the streets overneath them had been crowded, there they met only a few beggars and fishers.
Then, they arrived at a small sewer door behind an iron lattice gate.
"So, here we are," Loke said and glanced at them both. Natsu was snapped out of his grim thoughts. "Don't speak to anyone, and watch your backs for some daggers. If you step into something warm, it's probably shit or a dead skeever. Don't look down to find out. Don't get punched to the face by Gian the Fist. Think that's about all you need to know. If something else comes to my mind, I'll let you know. Now, follow me. Keep quiet, and you'll be alright."
The lattice gate wasn't locked, and neither was the wooden door as Loke opened them. A foul smell flooded from the tunnel, so Natsu lifted his white scarf to his nose to keep him from throwing up. Lucy seemed to envy him for that, but Loke had to be used to the smell. In fact, the stench of shit and rotten fish was stuck to his clothes, and now Natsu knew where it originated from. Loke took an unlit torch from a barrel and stuck it in the brazier until it was caught afire, then lead the way into the narrow tunnel.
It was dark, but it no longer bothered Natsu. He walked after Lucy, who followed Loke, keeping close to the light of his torch. That annoyed him. Why wouldn't she just stick close to him instead? He could see better in the dark. Torchlight left you blinded. His hearing was sharper, too – he could separate each soft breeze of air that brushed through the sewer from each rustle of a skeever, hear every footstep from afar and judge if they were hostile or not. A man walked with a different rhythm when he was angry, and now he felt that within his own steps, too. His blood was boiling.
He wasn't sure why.
Perhaps it was the tone in Lucy's voice when she talked to Loke. Gods damn it all, the man had tried to rob her, held a knife at her throat, and only gods knew what he would've done if Natsu hadn't caught a glimpse of the black figure approaching her from behind. He had been right when he thought he shouldn't ever let Lucy out of his sight again. Just how could Lucy ignore all that? Even if Loke had been her best friend, that didn't make it go away. He was a thief now. And it wrenched Natsu's heart to think Lucy had a best friend who wasn't him.
At least now, when they delved deeper into Ratway, they stopped chatting. As silence fell, Natsu could hear his heartbeat pounding in his head as they walked down a set of stairs, turned right and left and right again, avoided this and that closed door and opened another. Slowly Natsu began to understand that coming here without a guide would've been the same as walking into a death trap. Natsu had seen all kinds of lowlives and maniacs before, but the residents of Ratway took that on another level.
People were huddling in the dark corners and scraping something from the floor into their mouths. Natsu couldn't tell if they were men or women, he just knew they hadn't a single crumb of sanity left. When he passed them by, they kept yelling and screaming after him in a language Natsu couldn't recognize. Lucy flinched at the noises, but tried to ignore them the best she could. As long as they didn't stare at them, they wouldn't do anything else than scream.
A wet sound of footsteps on water echoed in the tunnels. The further they went, the more water had flooded on the ground. Natsu cringed when it soaked through his boots and wool socks. He didn't need to look down to know it was a mixture of water and shit and piss and blood. Smelling that was enough. Bile kept rising into his throat and it was a struggle to keep it down. Lucy kept gagging from time to time, so maybe that was a reason for her silence. But among all the nasty smells that lingered in the air, the stench of death was the worst. People didn't only live here.
They also died here.
Some daylight flooded in when they reached the circular cistern, the bottom of an old well. Before Natsu saw the skeevers, the overgrown rats, he heard them among the dripping water. Possibly feasting on a half-frozen corpse of a beggar, they were nestled as a large group, squeaking as they sensed the approaching steps. Suddenly, they went silent and lifted their heads. Loke didn't seem to mind them, but Lucy froze in place, staring at the rats that were as large as cats, staring back at her.
And when they charged, Lucy screamed.
Acting instantly upon his instinct, Natsu grabbed Lucy's arms and pulled her behind him. He cast a wall of fire between them and the rats, watched them turn to ashes as they jumped through the flames. Lucy grasped his robes, squeezed herself against his back until the skeevers were all incinerated. When their screeching faded and only flames remained, Natsu commanded the flames to die.
As smoke rose towards the ceiling, escaped through the well, Natsu turned his head towards the man who was hiding in the doorway of the next tunnel. He had his dagger pulled out, but he hadn't done a single thing to protect her, possibly frightened by Natsu's flames. Loke's glare moved down to Lucy's hands as she clutched on Natsu's cloak. Lucy held on to him for a moment before letting go, and a faint, smug smirk crossed Natsu's face. He cast it away as he turned his gaze down.
"Better not cast any magic down here, you little wizard," Loke hissed to him, worry and fear in his eyes. The distrust between them flowed in both ways, it seemed, and probably for a good reason. "If you gotta defend yourself, do it silently, and do it with a knife."
"Why?" Natsu asked. The edge in his tone could cut a man.
"Because there might be spilt lamp oil on the ground, moron," Loke answered. "And also, if you start getting feverish a few days from here, it could be Ataxia. The fucking rats carry it all around. Anyway, better keep going. It's not a long way to go."
Nodding in agreement, they followed Loke into the next tunnel. There was, indeed, a broken lamp on the floor, its oil flowing among the murky layer of water. Natsu gulped, wishing he had thought about that before casting the spell. When he and Igneel had been exploring Dwemer ruin, he had been extremely wary of the oil traps. Igneel also warned him about the leaking gas, as the pipes in the ruins were old and brittle – cast a single spark in a room filled with gas, and you're dead. As much as fire seemed to be on Natsu's side, it was still fire, uncontrollable and wild. Mixing it with the wrong substances was a death sentence a pyromancer had to be constantly aware of.
"How do…" Lucy began suddenly, but then lowered her voice. The silence was making her nervous. "How do these people end up in… here?"
Loke shrugged as he led the way, his torchlight lighting up the walls. "I think skooma is the most common reason. It's a big problem here," he said, his voice echoing in the tunnel. Skooma was the most addictive drug in Skyrim, as one taste could chain a person forever. "But, anything can happen to lead a person down here. It's a place for cornered rats. Simple as that."
They fell quiet again, threading onward in the dark. Natsu noticed how Loke followed the strange carvings on the stone, as if they showed him the right path. They had to be the Thieves Guild's way to mark places and point directions, communicate with each other. When Natsu had been just a brat, he had heard rumours of the Guild, how it had hidden presence all over Skyrim. And now that he paid attention to the marks, he realised he had seen them before. In inns, shops, corners of the streets far away from here. The rumours seemed to be true, even if he hadn't ever seen a shadow of the actual Guild anywhere.
The sewers began to shift, becoming more like large underground caverns than actual tunnels for the dirt water to flow out of the city. The floor was paved with creaking wooden planks, and several locked doors lined the walls. Lucy slowed her pace when a loud, pained scream pierced the silence, coming behind one of those doors. Natsu halted beside her as she stopped to listen, in worry and curiosity of what was going on in there. The screamer was a girl, perhaps a few years younger than Lucy, but it was difficult to make it out of the voice alone. It sounded like the poor girl was being raped, tortured, or butchered, perhaps all at once. In a place like this, it wouldn't be a surprise.
Natsu glanced at Lucy, the determined look on her face letting him know that she was planning on breaking in that door and coming for the stranger's aid, but then the scream stopped. Lucy flinched, her gaze growing blank when a baby's first cry filled the silence. They all realised that it had been none of those things Natsu had assumed. People didn't only live and die in the Ratway – some were also born here. Born without chances.
Suddenly, Natsu felt very lucky, privileged to have been born into a poor farmer family. He should've believed it when his mother always said that his fate could've been worse. As long as he could've filled his glass up, he had looked the other way.
As the baby's cry was soon silenced – Natsu hoped with all of his heart that the poor kid was gently placed on its mother's breast instead of drowned into a piss bucket – they carried on, yet somehow, the silence felt different now. Heavy with thoughts. Natsu wondered what was going through Lucy's mind at the moment. As her family had been rich, she probably didn't even have an idea how the poorest of Skyrim's residents truly lived. Now she knew. They lived like this. For entire lifetimes, perhaps over generations, they were nothing but cornered rats.
Eventually, by the time Natsu was sure he'd faint from the horrendous smell, they arrived in a small entry hall. There was a large, black door on the wall, and next to it a sign was hanging on its hooks. The Ragged Flagon, it said. Loke took a deep breath and drowned the torch into a kettle full of water, now only the braziers by the door giving light to the hall. The man spread his arms and bowed.
"Here we are," he said, then laid his gloved hand on the iron door knub. "I still have no idea why in the name of Talos you wanted to come here, but please, enjoy your stay in the Ragged Flagon."
When he opened the door, a haft of chilly, fresh air flooded in, welcoming them with scents of mead and fresh bread, a faint reminiscence of a real tavern. And when they stepped in, it almost resembled a tavern, indeed. It was just built in a cistern. A well of water dominated the middle part of the circular hall, but it was surrounded by wooden walkways that lead to the other side, where fires were burning and patrons were sitting around the tables. Distant chatter filled the air, and Natsu had to admit that he enjoyed hearing some proper speech for a chance. Even if the tavern was located within the Ratway, it seemed that the lowest of lowlives didn't set their foot in there.
And as they walked in, Natsu could understand why.
There weren't a single friendly pair of eyes watching him pass them by. If Natsu and Lucy weren't in the company of Loke, they would've been thrown out the moment they stepped in. They were thieves here, clad in black leather with daggers strapped on their belts and boots and arms – one wrong move and they were dead. Perhaps it had been foolish to think they would've just waltzed in here on their own. Natsu knew they would've survived through the Ratway – it would've just taken them longer to find the right place – but here, they would've been turned away or killed without Loke. Natsu should probably thank him for that, but now, he just couldn't.
The air smelled different there. Not as foul and stale, thank the gods. Herbs were being burned in the braziers, lavender and frost mirriam to keep away the stench of the Ratway. Natsu's gaze followed the smoke as it escaped the tavern through the chimneys. Perhaps that was where the fresh air got in, too. It seemed that even the criminals had some standards for their headquarters.
"Haming usually sits around here," Loke said, keeping his voice low as they approached a table that was placed behind a supportive pillar. A man with long, brown hair was sitting at the table, his back facing them. Loke sneaked closer, then leapt forward and slammed his hand on the man's shoulder, startling him violently. "Hey, horker-face, I'm back!" Loke shouted to his brother. "And look who I found!"
Cursing the names of the Divines, the man turned his head. "Gods damn you, Loke, you scared the shit out of me –" he started, but then his gaze found the woman standing beside his brother. His easy smile fell like a cracked mask, leaving his face stricken and pallid. He blinked, as if unable to believe what his only eye was seeing. "… L-Lucy? You… You're alive?"
Gently, Lucy waved her hand as a soft smile was carved on her lips. "It's good to see you, too."
There was something familiar in the man, Natsu noticed. Permanent pain had drawn hard lines on his face since the mage had last seen him, but there was no doubt of it. A brown-haired, young man had freed his bound hands in Helgen. It had been him. Enraptured by the appearance of an old friend he had believed to be dead, Haming paid no attention to the mage. He just gathered the crutches resting against his chair and pushed himself up as fast as a crippled man ever could.
A burst of surprised, happy laughter escaped the man's throat when Lucy welcomed him in her arms. Still holding onto the wooden crutches, Haming patted Lucy's back and squeezed his eye shut. He rested his head on her shoulder in a moment that was so pure, a spark of joy that had been gone for too long.
And for that while, as Natsu watched them from aside, he thought how he would feel if he could meet Igneel again – almost sparking a desperate hope in his heart, a small what if, what if Igneel didn't die in Helgen and wound up in here? Would he lift him in his arms into a crushing hug like he used to do? But no, Natsu had seen Igneel's head drop from his shoulders, seen as it had rolled across the plaza like an abandoned ball from a children's game. He was dead. There would be no reunions for him today. That was Lucy's luck, not his.
He had believed he couldn't feel any worse today, but life just kept kicking him to the throat with no mercy, without a moment's pause.
"By the Nine, it's the best news I've heard in months!" Haming muttered against her neck, opening his eye. He noticed the fire mage now, seemed to browse through his memory, only to find nothing. Haming couldn't remember releasing his hands in Helgen, but maybe that was a good thing. Natsu didn't need another sarcastic question about how his execution went.
"See?" Loke said, sounding satisfied. "I told you I should take that job. Without it, I wouldn't have found her!"
Feeling himself shrinking smaller, almost turning invisible, Natsu stayed back as Haming let go of Lucy and supported himself on his crutches. He limped back to his chair and seated down. "What brings you to this shithole on this brilliant day, Lucy?" Haming asked.
Lucy glanced at Natsu, as if wondering what she should tell them. Not the truth, at least. She turned her eyes back to her old friends. "Business," she answered. "I can't tell you more just yet."
Understanding, both men nodded. "First of, what about getting ourselves some mead, a toast for this happy reunion?" Loke proposed festively. "All drinks are on me tonight, so drink to your heart's content." Then he cast a mocking gaze on Natsu and smirked. "Even you, pyro. Consider it as thanks for bringing my princess back to me."
Lucy snorted, rolling her eyes as she punched the man to the side with her elbow – watching her do that to Loke felt like being stabbed through the heart. "Just shut up already, I ain't nobody's princess," she retorted, a shiver of embarrassment in her voice as she cleared her throat. "So, yeah, where's the mead? We're thirsty men and women in here."
As Natsu remembered, they were supposed to ask for a special mead, so maybe this would be a good shift towards their goal. Dragon's Breath, was it? Such a drink most likely didn't even exist. It sounded more like a signal to inform the person they were supposed to meet here that they had arrived. Somehow, Natsu failed to feel any nervousness, even if he probably should. His mind was clouded by feelings he couldn't fully recognize – the only thing he could name was envy. Crippling, gut-wrenching envy.
"Right here," Loke answered and began jubilantly guiding them towards the bar. Haming stayed behind at the table, watching them go. "I'll probably have to report back to Brynjolf soon for a job well done, but my bags are quite heavy with gold right now. Making them lighter with a few bottles won't hurt anyone, right?"
Lucy chuckled, but didn't say anything as they reached the bar counter. A mean-looking man stood behind it, rubbing the mahogany with a white rag, and one cloaked patron huddled against the bar, possibly asleep. Loke approached the barkeeper and pulled a handful of septims from his purse, laying them out on the table.
"Keep the drinks coming for our group tonight with this," Loke said and smiled. "It's a good day today."
"Aye," the barkeeper answered and counted the coins. "Anything else?"
Lucy cleared her throat, shyly stepping in and gesturing at Natsu. "Uhm… my friend here was after a special mead…"
The barkeep nodded, glanced at him. "Yes, lad? We've got all kinds of special brews here. What were you looking for? Honningbrew? Black-Briar?"
Natsu pressed his mouth into a thin line, mustering the courage to take whatever would follow after uttering his next words. Now he felt the nervousness creeping up to his spine. "Dragon's Breath."
Suddenly, as if struck by a lightning, the sleeping patron woke up. The man raised his face from the table, staring right into Natsu's eyes. As his hood fell down, his auburn hair was revealed below it, tied on a bun on the back of his head. His bearded jaw fell, and like punched to the face, he gasped for air and struggled to form words. Then, only one word escaped his throat – it was the mage's name.
"NATSU!?"
And at that moment, Natsu recognized him too.
"GILDARTS!?"
Before he could realise anything else, he was grabbed into a squeezing, crushing hug and lifted into the air. The tall man's laughter drummed against his body, familiar and comforting. It had been three years since Natsu had last seen Gildarts in the College of Winterhold, right before the Master of Alteration had left for a long journey. But whenever he had been around at the same time, Gildarts had been almost like a father figure to him, telling stories and giving lessons about life.
Finding him there was a pleasant surprise, even though he couldn't breathe.
"Hey, let me down! You're… crushing… my… lungs…" Natsu muttered, still in shock, his voice wheezing as Gildarts squeezed the air out of him. With a loud chuckle, Gildarts put him down and slammed his hand on his shoulder so hard that it hurt. Yet, something was off with him – only now Natsu saw that his arm wasn't real. Ghostly limbs replaced his arm and leg. Such a haunting sight – just what had happened to Gildarts while he had been gone? And how in the world had he ended up here?
"Look at you, lad!" Gildarts exclaimed, as if he hadn't been happy in a decade. "You're man grown now, just scrawny as ever. Have you been eating?" Gildarts grinned. "Even the eye's as black as it used to be."
"Not much," he answered, ignoring the comment on his blackened eye. Feeling questionable gazes on him, Natsu looked past his shoulder. Lucy stared at them, clearly not understanding who this person was. "Lucy, this is –"
"An old friend," Gildarts filled in before Natsu could finish, as if he didn't want to have his name called out twice. The man glanced at the barkeep, who nodded for a reason Natsu didn't know. "There was a mead you were looking for? Come, I know where it's stored. We've got so much to talk about while sharing a bottle of that brilliant drink..."
Natsu scowled, his brows knitting together as he tried to place the pieces together. If Gildarts knew about that mead… could it be that he was the one who stole the Horn? Whatever joy Natsu found from this reunion vanished. He couldn't understand why Gildarts would ever do something like this, but he also trusted he wouldn't harm them. Of all the unfriendly faces down here, Natsu preferred it to be Gildarts. There were much worse options than that.
For a brief moment, Natsu weighed if he should take Lucy with him or leave her here, and one instant later he had made his decision. Whatever Gildarts was up to, it couldn't be as bad as leaving her alone to the nest of thieves.
"Wait," Natsu said and grabbed Lucy's wrist, tugging her along as he began to follow Gildarts. "She's coming, too."
In silence, Gildarts glanced at her from head to toes, then grinned as his eyes went back to Natsu. "Ah, I see. It could be best to –"
"I'm not leaving her here. Whatever we've got to talk about, she can hear it too."
And behind them, Loke stared at them like he was the one kicked to the teeth now. He was handling the mead bottles the barkeeper gave to him, looking like he'd have to drink them all alone now. Natsu found a strange satisfaction in seeing that look on the thief's face.
"W-we'll get right back," Lucy said to him. "We… We've been looking for this special mead all over Skyrim, and now we finally found it. Talk to you later!"
By saying that, she let Gildarts know that she knew about the stolen Horn. Quiet understanding in his gaze, Gildarts nodded to them and then began to lead the way to the backdoor of the tavern before Loke could even answer. Slightly, Natsu loosened his hold around Lucy's wrist, only to have her clutch her fingers tighter onto his hand. They exchanged a quick, confused gaze, but kept holding onto each other anyway. Lucy seemed excited, nervous, as if she was finally close to finding a truth she had been looking for so long.
"I'm sorry, but there are many things I couldn't say, and still can't," Gildarts explained quietly as the door lead them into another tunnel, delving even deeper into the Ratway. It seemed that the Ragged Flagon wasn't just the end of the system, only the middle. "When we make it to my quarters, then we can talk. I know what you are here for."
"But…" Natsu muttered, but was cut off.
"I know you're probably a bit confused, but as I said, we'll talk when we are in my quarters," Gildarts hushed back and swiftly changed the topic. "Say, Natsu, where did you leave Igneel? Thought you guys were inseparable."
As much as Natsu hated it, he was getting used to having this conversation. It hurt, as it always did, just a little less each time. He should've guessed that's the first thing Gildarts would ask. "At Helgen, where he was killed."
Gildarts halted, startled by the name. "Helgen? In the…"
"Dragon attack, yes," Natsu confirmed.
Lucy didn't say anything, but she brushed her thumb against the back of Natsu's hand. Perhaps for the first time today since their path had crossed with Loke, Natsu felt some comfort. Safety, security, as there always was in her touch. It still pained her to hear the name of her hometown, so maybe the comfort flowed in two ways.
"So, you were there."
"Yeah, we were there," Natsu said and glanced at Lucy. "She's from Helgen, too."
Gildarts nodded to them. "I went there soon after it happened," he said, gesturing at his ghostly arm. "After this happened. The same dragon that destroyed Helgen did this to me."
Natsu fell speechless, already knowing he meant Alduin. Just how in the world had Gildarts even survived that? Natsu had always known his skill of magic was one among the best, but this was simply incredible. However, he sensed Lucy's aura growing tense as she watched at the man's wounds, his limbs that weren't anymore, but still were. Natsu had seen a cripple with a wooden leg or a knife strapped to the stump of their forearm, but nothing like this. He assumed Gildarts had used Alteration to adjust his lost limbs back to his body in a ghostly, half-corporeal form – that was all he could understand.
And in silence, Gildarts led them onward in the tunnels. These were emptier than the earlier ones, as if the tavern served as a filter of a sort, keeping most of the dirt on the other side of the sewers. There were many chambers with locked doors, hiding places for deserters and criminals and madmen all the same. Then they arrived at a door where Natsu could sense, for the first time here, the presence of a magical ward. He halted in the distance with Lucy, hesitant to move forward.
"A precaution, you see. This will take just a moment," Gildarts said with a small grin. He lifted his hand above the spells – invisible, but still sensible, as faded runes when the light had gone out – and undid them. The threads of sorcery unravelled, the complex systems of the destructive runes and sealing wards vanishing out of existence upon their creator's command. Natsu knew he could never even set a finger on such sorcery without being obliterated himself.
"Then, to the locks…" Gildarts began to work with the several steel locks, the creaking of his keys accompanying his silent curses. "This one always sticks… there we go! Come in, make yourself at home."
Still hesitating, Natsu stepped into the chamber. Lucy hadn't let go of his hand, and grasped him tighter as they made it to the darkness. As much as Natsu tried to trust in Gildarts, he couldn't push his doubts aside. Gildarts followed them, cast a bright magelight on the ceiling, then closed the door, immediately locking it again. Natsu watched as he placed his hand on the cold stone walls, and a wave of green light enveloped the entire chamber. Soundproofing spell, the fire mage recognized, similar one as Gray had used in Morthal. Just stronger.
Natsu glanced around in the room. It was a small living space, with a bed, desk, table and shelves full of empty bottles. There were several books and notes scattered around similarly as Natsu had seen in Gildarts's quarters in the College. He just couldn't keep a place clean and organized, the same as Natsu. It looked like he had been here for a long time.
And for a brief moment Natsu thought that if Gildarts were to kill them here and now, no one would ever know.
But then, Gildarts walked past them to the chest at the footrest of the bed. He dug something from it, then turned around. "I think you're looking for this," he said, a white blowing horn resting on his palm – the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. "So, the Greybeards seem to think you are the Dragonborn, Natsu of Dragonbridge? I always knew there was something special about you. I hope I am right."
Natsu blinked in surprise as let go of Lucy's hand and received the horn, averting his gaze. It seemed he didn't even need to pretend to be the Dragonborn, it was something Gildarts assumed on his own accord. Perhaps Gildarts thought that a girl like Lucy just couldn't be a great hero destined to save the world. What a fool. Gildarts was one of those older men who thought young women were only good as bedwarmers, nothing else, but at least it helped them keep Lucy's true identity safe.
Still in silence, Natsu nodded. Even if Gildarts had been the one who took the Horn, they were still better to stick to their plan for now. One shouldn't trust any man in the Ratway, even if the man was his former teacher.
"And you're the one who stole this?" Natsu asked, testing the weight of the artefact on his palm. While the question sounded obvious, he wanted to make sure Gildarts worked alone. "I just… See, of all the people on Tamriel, I wasn't expecting it to be you."
"Surprised?" Gildarts asked, lifting a brow. "Yes, I took the Horn, but I didn't go through the trouble for a whim." Then he laid his eyes on Lucy. "Are you sure she can be trusted?"
Natsu nodded. "Whatever you tell me, she can hear it too. She knows as much as I know about all this."
Gildarts hesitated for a moment, but hopefully understood that Natsu wouldn't stay if she couldn't stay. "Alright," he said and sighed. "Well, I never expected the Dragonborn would be someone I know. Forgive me if I don't believe it just because the Greybeards think so. I want to hear it from you." He paused for a breath. "I've been looking for the Dragonborn for a long time. I'm a part of a group that served and protected the Dragonborn, the ultimate dragonslayer, only one who could kill a dragon permanently. So, can you do that? Can you kill a dragon?"
"Yeah," Natsu answered, trying to hide the lies in his voice by telling only a fracture of the truth, colouring it with a part of Lucy's story. "I've brought a dragon from the skies, killed it, and absorbed its soul."
"Good," Gildarts answered, giving him a long, studying look. "And you'll have a chance to prove that to me soon enough."
… fuck.
"W-wait a moment," Natsu started, then glanced at the map that covered the whole wall. He just hoped Gildarts didn't intend to take them to a dragon lair just to see him kill a dragon himself. "Which group are you a part of? I… I need to know what you want from me, because I have my hands full with all this shit." Natsu could almost hear how Lucy giggled by herself. He must've sounded like an idiot. "If you don't believe in me, then I don't have time for this. Now that I've got the Horn, I'm ready to return to the Greybeards and finish my training."
The hesitancy in Gildarts remained like permafrost, the truth he was hiding sealed tighter than his chamber. "The Greybeards can't be trusted, you're going to see that yourself. Just hear me out –"
"And can you?" Natsu asked sharply. "You better tell me everything here and now, or I'll walk out of that door. Who are you, Gildarts? Like, who you really are?"
Gildarts crossed his arms on his chest, the ghostly one resting atop the other arm of flesh and blood. He looked at them both for a long time, then finally sighed, as if confirming to himself for a hundred times that the mages weren't some spies or assassins.
"I am the last member of the Blades."
"Blades?" Lucy wondered, stepping into the conversation. They were briefly mentioned in the Book of the Dragonborn, the one Natsu had found for her in the monastery. Otherwise, the name was just an echo to him. "The Dragonborn Emperor's bodyguards? Haven't you been gone for… two hundred years?"
As Lucy spoke, Natsu reminded himself that all he had to do was to channel this knowledge to her. His job was to act as a counterfeit, keep her safe if any harm would be aimed to the Dragonborn, and not to say anything stupid. Maybe it was better not to say anything at all.
"Not gone, but in hiding," Gildarts answered quietly. "That's the reason why I'm here. The whole point of being in hiding is to appear to be someone you're not. Carrying the legacy of my fathers before me while trying to keep my back safe from Thalmor daggers, you see. I hope you understand my paranoia. But… I guess, I'll have to put my faith in you, then. You are my only hope."
"Do you have a chance, old man?" the fire mage asked. Even though Gildarts wasn't older than forty, he still called him an old man. A figure of speech, sort of.
Gildarts nodded slowly, then began his story. "A very long time ago, the Blades were dragonslayers, and we served the Dragonborn, the greatest dragonslayer. And since the last Dragonborn emperor, we have been searching for a purpose. Now that dragons are coming back, our purpose is clear again. We need to stop them," Gildarts said, his voice aloof and determined. "We are sworn to guard and guide the Dragonborn, Natsu. You. So, in these dark times, all I ask from you is to trust in me, and accept my guidance. "
Natsu glanced at Lucy. She didn't nod, didn't blink, but her gaze told him that it was okay. But, she had once accepted the help of an enemy, so she remained cautious. They couldn't afford to do it again.
"And what could I possibly gain from your guidance?" Natsu asked.
"A way to defeat Alduin," Gildarts answered.
Gildarts went to pick a book from the chest, then he gave it to Natsu. The fire mage shoved the Horn to Lucy, then read the title on the book's cover. Annals of the Dragonguard. With shivering hands, Natsu opened the book and leafed through the brittle pages, unable to make sense of the faded letters. He stopped when he came to a map of Skyrim, with a location marked in the mountains of the southeast. Gildarts placed his ghostly finger on that spot.
"Alduin's Wall, in the Sky Haven Temple. Constructed around one of the main Akaviri military camps in the Reach, during their conquest of Skyrim," Gildarts told. "That's where the ancient Blades recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return. Part history, part prophecy. Its location has been lost for centuries, but I've found it again. Not lost, you see, just forgotten. The Blades archives held so many secrets... I was only able to save a few scraps."
"That's what you were doing all these years? Searching for this… book?" Natsu asked, and Gildarts answered with a faint nod. Suddenly, everything about Gildarts made sense – this is what he had been doing, keeping up the torch his fathers had passed down to him. "So, that wall will tell us how to defeat Alduin?"
"Well, yes, but… there's no guarantee, of course. It's the best we can hope for," Gildarts answered. "However, the place is sealed with lost Akaviri arts, most certainly with a blood seal. The entrance to the temple can only be opened with blood. Your blood, Dragonborn."
Well, that would be as far as they could take their lie, but maybe it was enough time to decide if Gildarts could be trusted with the truth, if the whole thing was true to begin with. Natsu glanced at the map again. The location was marked close to Markarth – of course, on the opposite side of fucking Skyrim. They better find the key to Alduin's defeat there. Otherwise, the dragons would overtake the whole country before they'd even figure out how to kill him.
"So… I guess there's where we're headed next," Natsu answered, the dread of another upcoming long journey clear as a day in his voice. He raised his eyes from the book to the tall mage. "Thank you, Gildarts."
"Please, call me Clive here," he said with a grin. "And if you don't mind, I'm coming with you to the temple. How did you plan on reading ancient Akaviri carvings without any knowledge about them?"
Natsu nodded, cursing at himself for not even expecting they'd have him as a travel company from now. By the gods, Lucy'd better shield her ears from the filthy stories Gildarts would tell... "But what about bringing this Horn back to the Greybeards?"
"Isn't finding the key to Alduin's defeat more important than meditating on clifftop?"
Lucy didn't seem to oppose the idea, and so Natsu shrugged. "Well, you've got a point."
"I'm sorry for putting you through the trouble, but that was the only way I could get in contact with the Dragonborn. Trust me when I say that the Greybeards will not help you. They believe that dragons are a part of the natural order of the world. They're just going to watch the world burn, and let it end," Gildarts said. "The dragons are gaining strength and numbers as Alduin is resurrecting them – there has been an increase in minor dragon attacks lately, and it's only a matter of time when they strike with a force. They are looking to revive their ancient realm of dominance, after all. The knowledge my predecessors left in their wake is our best weapon against them at the moment."
It had been a long time since the atmosphere felt this light, hopeful almost. Natsu closed the book in his hands and gave it to Lucy, who put it into her bag to accompany the Greybeard's horn. She would probably enjoy reading that more than he would.
"So, when are we leaving?" Lucy asked. Natsu could hear the hope in her voice, too.
"It must've been a long journey, and there's still much more I need to tell you. First, you should rest," Gildarts answered. "Take a couple of days for yourselves, and then we can start heading to Karthspire. We have no more time to waste." He pointed towards the notes on the wall. "There are all the pieces I've managed to place together, and I'm sure you can add several of yours into this map of knowledge. Each bit matters. So, now that we have broken the ice, I suggest that we'll return to this matter tomorrow. A rested mind is a clear mind, right?"
Natsu and Lucy both nodded. A few days' rest sounded like an excellent idea. Lucy's eyes sparkled, and Natsu could only imagine how she was dreaming about spending another fortune at the marketplace, buying all the food there was, sightseeing around the town to see the Temple of Mara and the Mistveil Keep, the docks and the lake and everything, just to forget everything for a small while.
"And what about today?" Natsu asked.
Gildarts picked a bottle of mead from the basket and offered it to him. It was a regular, dark-glassed bottle with a handmade tag on its side. Dragon's Breath, it said, written with the messiest handwriting ever. Gildarts grinned.
"Today, we celebrate."
A/N: Hi guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I was supposed to post this at New Year's Eve, but I got it done faster than I thought :)
So, since Riften arc is going to span over several chapters, I spared some description for the later chapters. I didn't want to stuff this one up, as it was more like a bridge to this arc. They are finally at Riften, and things are only about to begin. I can't wait to tell everything I have planned!
And while Natsu obviously was/is super jealous about Loke, he doesn't quite understand the concept of jealousy. Besides, it isn't the only emotion he was feeling here. He's also missing his old friend, and was also envious about Lucy for finding two past friends alive and relatively well. Even if he knew Gildarts, is he really the person he thought he was? This chapter was fully in Natsu's POV, but next up we'll have Lucy's POV as well. And oh dear, next chapter is gonna be one of a kind...
Let me just give you a small sneak peak:
"Alright, who the fuck gave Lucy sleeping tree sap!?"
;)
Thank you all for the continuous support and love! Your reviews and faves/follows really mean a world to me. I can't thank you enough!
Next up: Trust
