Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is the intellectual property of Hiro Mashima, and I assert no claim to said intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this, nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Pairings: Gray x Natsu. Other pairings may appear throughout.
Rated T as a precaution.
A/N: First, let me say sorry! This past week has a been a bit hectic. As such, this chapter is a little late. I will do my absolute best to prevent such a gap between chapters again. Thanks for your patience!
Gray gazed idly upon the city of Crocus from the window of his carriage. There hadn't been much fanfare as the Sinian caravan arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore. Despite this, or rather in its stead, the city bustled with activity. The citizens moved in the steady rhythm of a kingdom at peace, carrying out the tasks of everyday life.
Gray was briefly struck with a pang of uncertainty. He knew that his mission would soon break the peace that seemed to blanket this city; was it really worth it? He quickly quashed his unease as the famed palace of Fiore came into view. Mercurius, the Flower Light Palace, was truly magnificent: an imposing image of towering turrets and soaring spires against the light of a setting sun.
He knew that, in the end, the brief chaos that would upend this city would be worth it. For within the beauty of the palace, lay a cancer. A singular entity that, once awake, would bring ruin and death to Ishgar as a whole: Natsu Dragneel.
Gray was snapped from his musings as his carriage gently lurched to a halt. The door to the carriage was pulled open by a solider wearing Sinian garbs; a supposed compatriot.
"We've arrived, 'Prince Lyon'," the man said with a sense of affected fealty. Gray smirked; being royalty wasn't half bad.
Large double doors were thrown wide and trumpeted fanfare blared, announcing his arrival as Gray walked into the main hall with an air of confidence that seemed common of royalty. The nobility of Fiore lined the aisle and greeted him genially as he walked by. Gray made sure to keep his expression in check as his eyes scanned his surroundings.
The main hall of the palace was just as majestic as the outside, with ornate columns flanking the sides of the hall. The floor, where not carpeted in a thick red velvet, gleamed of polished marble. He reminded himself not to gawk too much; after all, as a prince, he should be used to this.
Another set of double doors was opened for him at the end of the hall, and his caravan entered into the throne room, followed by the nobility thereafter. Gray felt his muscles tense at the sight of his target.
Natsu was standing just in front of an otherwise empty throne. The throne was oddly minimalistic. There was a curved staircase on each side of the throne that led to a landing just behind it.
Natsu was calmly watching the procession, though Gray could sense his underlying impatience. Gray approached Natsu, and began carrying out the Sinian greeting rituals. He watched as Natsu attempted to mirror his movements. Gray completed the ritual, holding out his right hand.
"Natsu! You completely messed that up!"
Gray instinctively took a step back as something blue hovered into view.
"I did just what the old man told me to!" Natsu shot back, crossing his arms in irritation.
Gray watched the floating blue cat and Natsu bicker back and forth. He had heard of the cat, Happy, as he recalled. Gray found it odd that someone such as Natsu would keep a pet. The longer he watched the two, the more he realized that his mission would be all too simple; Natsu was a complete idiot.
Gray politely cleared his throat and the two of them paused. They looked over at Gray like they had completely forgotten he was there. Before Gray could continue the exchange, the trumpets came to life again.
"Announcing His Majesty, Protector of Fiore, King Makarov!" a courtier shouted from the landing above the throne.
Gray watched as King Makarov made his way to the center of the landing. The intel from his briefing was right; the state of the king's health was grave. He could easily see the sheen of sweat that coated Makarov's ashen skin.
The room fell silent as Makarov began; even Natsu gave his full attention.
"Welcome, welcome! I hope that your travels find you well, Prince Lyon." Gray's eyes met with Makarov's. He bowed his head slightly in affirmation.
"Today is an important day for our kingdoms," Makarov continued.
"It is with the waning of this day that the bond between our countries begins. The Kingdom of Sin has been very gracious in sending one of their princes as an emissary. It is said that Prince Lyon's ice magic is truly a sight to behold. Perhaps you would grace us with a demonstration?" Makarov smiled genially.
"It would be my honor, Your Majesty," Gray said as he bowed. His superiors had known that Lyon's use of ice magic would be an essential element of emulating him; Gray had been chosen for the mission specifically for this reason.
Gray took his stance and let his magic flow through him. The area around his feet began to mist as the floor froze in a circle around him. The circle of ice rapidly expanded until it covered the throne room. The temperature of the room dropped drastically, and icicles began to form on the railings of the staircases.
He gathered magic in his hands, molding an image in his head. He pressed his hands to the floor and released the magic, letting it burst forth. An ice geyser shot from the floor in front of him. Sitting on top of the geyser was a crystalline scale-replica of the castle of Pergrande Kingdom.
Gray smirked as he heard the affronted gasps from the nobility in the room. He straightened his back, and again let his magic forth; this time in the form of a bow. He concentrated as he drew magic into the bow to form an arrow. With deft aim he let the arrow fly.
The model that sat on top of the spiked tower of ice shattered as the arrow found its mark, letting loose a shower of fine ice crystals. The nobles, having recovered from their presumptive indignation, cheered and applauded the display.
Gray looked at Makarov, finding a smile on his face. Makarov let the excitement die down a bit before he continued his speech.
"It seems that some rumors hold true! Splendid. Let this mark the beginning of an auspicious alliance between our countries! We shall, over the course of your stay, work out of the fine details. In addition, there will be a festival to celebrate a couple days hence. Tonight's feast will take place shortly. For now, I shall take my leave."
Having concluded his speech, Makarov signaled his attendant, who stepped forward to help him back to his quarters.
Gray's attention turned to Natsu just in time to hear him start complaining to Happy.
"When are they serving food? I'm starving!"
The feast had been an extravagant one. Platter after platter of meats, casseroles, and other dishes had been brought out in succession by palace workers. Gray had suffered through the pleasantries of various courtiers, and had kept as low key as possible. Natsu, thankfully, had been otherwise occupied stuffing his face with everything that happened to be in front of him; Gray was honestly surprised he didn't eat the table as well.
Gray was only half paying attention to the newest courtier that had taken a fancy to him. It seemed that novelties garnered much attention among nobility. He was almost thankful when Natsu interrupted.
"Oi! Ice Princess!" Natsu called, walking toward Gray with this hands behind his head.
"Natsu! You shouldn't insult fellow royalty. You could at least call him Her Royal Majesty Ice Princess," Happy added, following just behind Natsu.
Gray felt his jaw muscle twitch. The idea of this idiot on the throne was truly a horrifying thing. Had it not been for the fact that Natsu's presence seemed to dismiss his current company, Gray might have retorted. He opted for a more subtle slight, as a silent thanks for saving him from more petty small-talk.
"I've often heard it said that wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something," Gray said.
"Wah! See, Happy! I told you there are people who think I'm wise."
"Natsu, I'm pretty sure he just called you an idiot," Happy said, barely able to hold his laughter in.
Natsu didn't seem to dwell on that thought, but rather focused his attention on something behind Gray.
"Hey! Lucy!" Natsu waved his arms in the air.
Gray turned to see two women approaching. Well, one was a lady-proper, the other a rather stern-looking soldier.
Natsu, having a surprising moment of clarity, introduced the two.
"This is Lady Lucy Heartfilia."
Lucy took her cue and began an earnest attempt at the appropriate Sinian greeting ritual.
"And this is—"
"Erza Scarlet, Captain of the Guard." Erza interrupted Natsu.
"My apologies, Your Royal Highness. I have no knowledge of Sinian etiquette."
"No worries, please," Gray offered, carefully maintaining his mask of goodwill. He felt uneasy. Erza hadn't thought twice about interrupting Natsu; a sign that she held great influence, power, or both.
"You're magic is amazing, Prince Lyon," Lucy said.
He turned his attention to her and noticed a ring of keys hanging from her side; a celestial spirit mage. She seemed comfortable given the status of her company. Likely a favorite of the court; no threat.
"Yes, it was," Erza started, "though I thought it would be more lively…"
Gray tensed slightly at the edge to Erza's voice. He made a mental note to be careful around her.
"He can make giant popsicles come up from the floor. So what? I'm gonna go get some more food," Natsu said, before nonchalantly turning to walk away.
"Do you think he could make fishsicles?" Happy asked Natsu, following suit in his departure.
Gray didn't know whether to laugh at it all, or to be deeply insulted for the Kingdom of Sin. Maybe he should have left Lyon alive after all; he probably would have killed Natsu himself for the insults alone.
"The king has asked me to show you to your quarters." Erza said, bringing his attention back.
"I should probably be going too," Lucy said, bowing gracefully before departing.
Erza had walked him to his quarters in the residential section of the palace and informed him that she would be personally patrolling the corridors to ensure his "safety". Gray worried that she might be on to him already; though, soon, it wouldn't matter anyway.
Gray sat on the edge of his canopied bed. The room shared the same opulence that was found elsewhere in the palace. He could get used to this way of life. He reminded himself that this was a fleeting experience.
He knew that he was putting his life on the line to complete this mission. But, he also knew that it had to be done; for the greater good. Natsu's inevitable ascension to the throne would spell disaster for the whole of Ishgar. His superiors stressed that King Zeref was depending on Shadowbane to eliminate this threat at all costs.
Gray had been told that Natsu was an aggressive, rude, and power-hungry man; there were even rumors within Pergrande that he had been poisoning his father to accelerate his ascension. Having met Natsu tonight, he could easily see how these things could be true. Though, from what he could see, Natsu didn't seem smart enough to carry out such a scheme.
He sighed heavily. It was irrelevant. If his king and his superiors said it needed to be done, it needed to be done. Such was the way of Shadowbane; complete the mission, no questions asked. It was thanks to this protocol that Shadowbane became the king's elite special operations team.
Gray stood from his bed, and walked the perimeter of his room. After checking that his room was free of security lacrima, he pulled a small lacrima from his coat and placed it on the table near his bed. He passed his hand over the lacrima and it began to glow brightly. A hole opened up above the lacrima, as if a hole had been ripped in space. Gray reached inside and withdrew a satchel. He emptied the contents of the satchel on his bed.
Glancing down, he saw a Sinian-style dagger and a small vial. He picked up the vial, held it to the light, and turned it. A paralysis poison, no doubt. Juvia had chosen wisely in preparing his supplies.
Gray smirked as he placed the contents back in the satchel. He dropped the satchel back into the hole and watched as the lacrima deactivated and grew dim.
Soon it would be over and he could return home. Until then, he needed to play his role and watch his back; especially for Erza.