Hi there!
My very first fanfic. Hopefully, you like it. After a few thinking, I finally wrote this down. I will try to follow the time arc of Fairy Tail, so did the characters (I can't promise that, lol). But, with few spinoffs events. And few characters change over (to fit the theme, in summary, Keke).
I noted a few things:
1. That this isn't your typical version of Princess and Dragon Prince/King of Fairy Tail but a typical Prince and Princess fairytale version of Fairy Tail. (NatsuxHisui)
2. This will be very long fanfic with slow romance development. (plot opening; first, the romance started later after Tenroujima).
3. English isn't my mother language. It's my third. So can't resist the temptation to make mistakes, lmao (Sorry for my grammar or if I mistook or misplaced a few words, wrong meaning etc. - spares me)
4. I constantly improvised each chapter. So sorry for the false alerts. Muahaha
Pssssst Hiro Mashima owned Fairy Tail.
With that, enjoys!
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Our Fated Betrothal
Chapter 1: The Emperor of The Alvarez Empire
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Fiore, a Kingdom of Magic. Located on the secondary west peninsula that sprouting from the mainland of Ishgar. A small but powerful kingdom compared to the few other domains in Ishgar. But what will happen? Went the neighbouring empire came demanding something rather too precious to be given?
It all begins here. When two souls are bonded together. Neither knows what happened, and neither has ever met. Their fates entangled with each other when an agreement was sealed between two kingdoms.
In the year X780 is how did it begin.
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July 7th, Year X780
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~ Mercurius Palace, Fiore ~
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(Toma E. Fiore POV)
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It's another busy day for him. Indeed. He could barely breathe with the amounts of documents needed to be finalised and approved officially. He sighed. It's almost 5 o'clock. A few more minutes and he'll be finished, for he is needed somewhere else. A smile couldn't help evaded his expression, thinking about that somewhere and that little someone's.
'Yes, definitely has to finish off this fast', he thought with a blow of new motivation. With that, by 5 o'clock, he has completed the tasks.
'Finally! Let's go! My little girl is waiting', he throws back his head and tilts slightly, twisting a few knots in his neck.
All the documents have already been puts aside. He stood up and brushed off his attire to rid of the wrinkles forming. Looking at his right, he gave off an order.
"Arcadios!" he called and continued before the young Captain of Guards in his twenties could respond, "I'm going to the Palace Garden. I'll be with the Queen and the Princess this evening. Any form of intrusion isn't permitted. Do you understand?"
Arcadios kneeled and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty", with a head bow showing respect.
He nodded his head in acknowledgement. But, before he could draw a step forward, the palace hall door burst opened. He eyed at the intrusion, wondering, 'Now what?'. Arcadios too stood up and turned around, looking at the entrance.
A small old figure shows up hastily running down the hall with his unusual pale complexion and head sweating profusely.
'Did he look frightened? But why?' he silently asked.
"Y-Your M-Majesty! Danger!! D-danger!!!" he shrieked along the way. The old man then bowed down and sputtered a few more words, "Y-Your M-Majesty, t-the Em-emperor of A-Alvarez Empire is h-here!".
He stared at his Defence Minister, Darton. He couldn't help but look bewildered by the news he brought. Even Arcadios looked sceptical at his right.
"Is it true Defence Minister, Darton?" he inquired of him for confirmation.
"Y-yes, Y-Your Majesty", Darton responded, stammered with a few words.
He stood undisturbed, losing in his thoughts for a moment. 'Why would an emperor from the neighbouring empire's came here seeking for his audience? This doesn't make any sense!', he bitterly disagreed in his mind.
'Alvarez...',
He has heard of Alvarez Empire before. Even before he owns the throne, when he was a child, his mother used to tell him about them as a bedtime story, and he enjoyed it so much. Their tales are fantastic but always ended tragically. Like there's no happy ending there.
The former Queen once told him, Alvarez was an old empire that used to live alongside dragons 400 years ago. It's a kingdom in which humans, dragon slayers, and dragons lived together without hatred nor desired for wars.
Until it was then rumoured to be destroyed by The Chaos dragon, called Acnologia, who declared as the King of Dragons and all civilisation. After the attack, the Emperor and the Empress were found dead. So did the successors to the throne. They left nothing behind, only dust and remnants of the so-called great empire.
Some rumours said that the youngest Prince survived. He then used his power to defend the entire empire and defeated The Chaos dragon. However, for a child in possession of that enormous power, it was beyond his control. Fate troll with him destiny, and he paid with his life. The whole empire grief for the death of their little guardian angel. Some proclaimed that he was revived later on, but no one did saw him afterwards, and some said that his soul would be reincarnated and one day, he'll be returned to Alvarez.
The most outrageous rumours were told was that they did come upon the apocalypse but left behind only the eldest Prince, who was said to be immortal. They called him the Undead Prince of Alvarez. He succeeds the throne and rules the empire to this day.
That doesn't matter now. It caused it's all just groundless rumours or myths with all that bad endings. No one could be revived nor avoided dead. All he knew is that Alvarez Empire did nevertheless exist to this day in the far land of Alakitasia.
"Y-Your M-Majesty?". His Defence Minister's voice snapped him out of his thinkings.
He stared at him and asked, "Darton, why would the Emperor came here demanding MY presence? And what danger are you ingesting on?". There's a sense of regality in his voice.
"I d-don't k-know, Your Majesty. But he isn't w-who we think he is..." Darton expressed. He looked more livid than before.
His brows couldn't help but knitted together at Darton's statement.
Darton's then proceeded, "Your Majesty, The E-Emperor indeed f-from Alvarez Empire. But, we have to r-run f-fast...", he blurted out, nervously fidgeting with his fingers and added, "t-the Emperor i-identity is The B-Black W-Wizard, Z-ZZ...", he drawled before he was interrupted.
"My, my! Am my uninvited visit that appalling?" exclaimed a new voice with a sense of amusement interrupting Darton.
'W-what?', his head snapped to the voice of the intruder. He glared at the entrance to the hall; a figure stood there. The bright light is gleaming behind, cascading it front in silhouettes. Until it stepped out forward...
Both Darton and Arcadios stood frozen, gawking at that person.
Upon seeing him, his eyes widened. He knew him anywhere with that short black ebony hair and sharp black eyes adorned his teen-like complexion, wearing a high-collared black robe with gold trim, along with a large, flowing white toga draped around his torso.
There's no mistake. It's him.
"Zeref!". His expression hardened with this new revelation.
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Meanwhile, earlier that day, in another empire, ...
~ Asterius Palace, Alvarez ~
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A figure seems standing at his room balcony, with his eyes closed and arms spreading at his side, enjoying the summer wind. The hot air never did agitate him, and it's blowing on his hair gently, brushing his face.
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(Zeref POV)
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"How long will it take to find you?..." he asked himself in a whisper.
He sighed and took a deep breath of the summer air. He opened up his eyes and stared at the end of the border in front of him. A bit of a sense of longingness could be seen in that stares. Again he sighed. Something that he has been doing countlessly lately.
He stepped forward and clutched tightly onto the balcony. Letting his frustrations shown with the way his knuckles turned white. His shoulder slumped forward in distress. He felt numb thinking about the many possibilities of the answer he's seeking on. He can't help but recall that particular past event.
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~ Flashback 400 years ago ~
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For 400 years, he waited patiently for his arrival, but he never appeared nor shown up at the promised place. Still, he waited for him there, afraid that the timer was set wrong and he might've appeared for a later date. After more weeks, his body nor his shadow showed up. The thought of him gone for real or he finally did lose him for real was too harsh, sending him succumbing to despair on the ground.
He starred at his shaking hands couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face. All he could reckon that time was...
'Where is he?'.
'Did he die again?'.
'Is he not coming back?'.
'What about me?'.
'Am I all alone now?'.
His eyes squeezed shut, hands clenched onto the grasses. Barely could withstand the pain anymore, he finally let out a heart-wrenching cry of 400 years pent up agony. His sorrowful cried was heard miles away. Even Heaven heard him. Afterwards, he started pounding on the grounds.
'Why?' he thought.
"Why?" he spoke with his hoarse voice.
"Why?" he inquired, pounded harder, mirroring his emotions.
"How did this happened?". He ignored his bruised hands, for the pain of been left behind hurt him more.
"What about me?" he whispered shakily. For God sake, he didn't sign up for this!
"What about me???" he shouted, slamming his hands harder than before. Blood started sipping out and mixing with the dirt.
"Why everyone left me behind?" he uttered. With that, he glared up, despising The Heaven. His black eyes looked void even though they glistened with tears. A few raindrops drop on his face and eventually fell heavily, bathing the whole land. It's as if the sky knows what he felt; abandoned and hopeless.
"Please take me too!" he prayed.
"Please..." he pleaded.
"It's hurt been the only one who remained...". Indeed he's afraid of it. 'Fate is too cruel', he accused.
"Please!" he shouted to the sky.
"Please!!!" he pleaded again. Getting more desperate, he asked, "anyone?...". He wished at least someone to hear him. But to no avail. No one heard him.
He speculated, 'Even the underworld denied him, huh?'.
For a while, he sat there with his clothes soaked to the bone, drained from his fits. His teeth started clenching together, acknowledging the coldness of the rain.
"P-please...I'm b-begging", he cracked.
"It's too p-painful to be h-here a-alone...", shakingly he voices it out loud, couldn't help but stuttered with the words. He was tired, broken and alone.
"N-Natsu, w-where are y-you? Huh?..." he inquired about his little brother's.
Memories of their past flickered by in a flash, comforting him with warmth. Indeed he longs for him. He wanted to see his big bright, cheeky smile, his sneaky little tricks and even his snobby attitude that likes to questions everything. The corner of his lips turned up.
In an instant, his heart began pondering rapidly, and his head throbbing badly. He knew what's coming out. It's the curse!
He grasped his hair. His eyes livid, waiting for the inevitable. Black miasma started forming around him and began circulating him in the shape of a big ball. In a few seconds, the black miasma started glowing and shooting out to his surrounding. All trees withered, and all living things die. The pain slowly subdued, and he could only weep for it, cursing his existence.
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~End of flashback ~
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It has been three years since that promised day. He never once quit searching for his little brother, Natsu D. Alvarez. He still keeps going, even though countless squads that were sent neither returned with promising reports. He has no reason to give up. If eternal was his age, then his time was Natsu's eternally.
The squads will be returning today. He prayed for some decent news. He closed his eyes again, embracing the summer air while waiting for them. 'If he were here today, he'd be exactly 15 years old', he thought, counting the time he has missed his brother growing up.
As if on cue, he was interrupted with a knocking on his glass chamber door. He turned his head slightly to the left, opening his left eye a bit to glance at the knocker.
There stood his Deputy Commander of The Imperial Guard, Clyde Weiss, one of the 12 Spriggans of Alvarez Empire, an elite unit. The man wearing his usual uniform, a simple pair of dark dress pants and a blue collared dress shirt, wholly buttoned up with a baby blue tie hanging from the neck. Matching with the ribbon that used to tie up his long bluish hair that fall off his left shoulder.
Sensing his attention on him, Clyde bowl down slightly and started, "Pardon me, Your Imperial Majesty. There was information that might be intriguing to you." He then glanced up at me and continued, "It's about the whereabouts of His Imperial Highness."
His eyes widened at that honourable mention of his brother's. 'Indeed, it did intrigue me', he silently acknowledged.
He couldn't help but spun around and sprinted across his bedroom to the corridor. He strode faster towards the throne hall, couldn't wait to hear the information. Clyde followed him closely from behind.
Upon entering the Hall, he notices his other Spriggans members stood in front of their designated tables on both sides of the hall, few feet away from his throne. He walked into his throne and sat on it. Lean back a bit. He waves his right hand for them to sit down. He glared coldly ahead.
"Tell me about The Prince", he commanded with authority in his voice. His mouth set in a hard line.
God Selene stood up and moved, bowing few feet away in front of him. He bores his eyes on him expecting him to speak.
"Greeting my Lord, one of my squads who just returned has informed me that they might have found His Imperial Highness, Prince Natsu. His rare hair colour traits inherited from the late Emperor couldn't be mistaken for someone else. Furthermore, they have witnessed him using his magic of fire dragon slayer, which is very unusual nowadays. I assure you, my Lord, that it's him this time around." God Selene expressed.
At his remark, he leaned forward and clutched the arms of his throne, suppressed the feelings he felt. He doesn't know what to react. 'What if it's not him?' he kept asking in his mind.
He wanted to ask thousands of questions, but only one word managed to come out. "Where?" he seeks, sounding a bit harsh.
"Prince Natsu presently in the land of Ishgar. He's a member of a magic guild called Fairy Tail at the Magnolia Town, in the Kingdom of Fiore", God Selene replied.
"Fiore?... Fairy Tail?..." he whispered to himself.
'Fairy Tail? It's sound familiar. When did I hear it before? Forget it. That's not important. The point is Natsu's in Fiore. How did he get there?' He almost lost in his emotions, but Invel inquiring grabbed him right back on.
"Your Imperial Majesty, do you want me to retrieve him now? I could depart instantly with-" Clyde inquired but was cut halfway through.
"No need", he decreed before Clyde could finish. He added, "Knowing him. He'll freak out and throwing tantrums if we take him from the life he's been living on."
He snickered, 'Yeah, Natsu surely will.' He knew his brother personality well. He has to be convinced first. Besides, they need to prepare a lot of things before asking him back.
"If you requested so, Your Imperial Majesty. If there anything else, I am more than willing to assist you." Clyde answered back, proposing his assistance if required.
"Indeed there is", he drawled, "Prepared the flying ship, now!" he then ordered.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty", Clyde answered before heading out to assemble his order.
After discussing a few matters regarding the empire, he dismissed the others and began heading out to the depot. Irene Berserion and August strolled side by side behind him.
Peeking behind, he instructed, "August, watch the others while I'm gone. I'll be for a while." August then nodded his head in return.
"May I go with you?" Irene raised a question. He keeps walking forward, never answer back, for he knew she'd invite herself even if he said otherwise. Along the way, his thoughts ran back on his brother's.
'How're are you doing, brother?.'
'How did you end up in Ishgar?.' I've been waiting for you here.
'Did you make any friends?.' Thinking of how Natsu often whining about his lack of playmates. The status and power he holds, making him even more unapproachable.
Moreover, 'Do you remember me, Natsu?'. He reached up to the silver pendant around his neck, caressing it—his most treasured memento of them.
They walk entirely in silence across the corridors and through the inner garden up the stairs passed the staircase to the observatory on the right side. He turned around another corner and reached the depot.
Upon catching sight of him, Clyde appeared notifying him, "We're ready to go, Your Imperial Majesty", then added, "But, where are we heading to?"
He eyed the flying ship and smirked, "Fiore." He declared. Yes, he needs to do something there and has to be as soon as possible.
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To be continued...
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(Author's notes)
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How was it? ;)
I tried to show the other side of Zeref. As human and also as a brother with his very conflicted emotions. Not OC at all. Maybe.
As for their formal addressing as royals, it differs in Fiore and Alvarez (empire duh). The same goes for what will the 12 Spriggans addressing Zeref. Well, they tend to act on their own. So there will be some who calls him with his formal title or some informally, like Irene.
I can't wait for the main characters...
(Oh, too much spoiler Keke)
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Do comments guys, I'll reply in the next chapter ;)