Ok, I'll mention this now; Tornor -Natsu's home world- is a place from a book that I once enjoyed. Apparently the rest of the series is weird but Watchtower is quite good (and owned by Elizabeth A. Lynn). I'll be basing the places from this world. Just a forewarning in case anyone is wondering.

Fairy Tail is still, fortunately or unfortunately, owned by Hiro Mashima (the greatest tease known to mankind… and dragon-kind).

Enjoy! :D

Igneel sat on his throne, looking out across the spacious court in front of him. His nephew, a young ice dragon, was seated dutifully by his side. It had been years since the rightful owner of that seat had been seen. If one was to listen closely, on that particular afternoon, then they may have been able to hear the slight sigh which escaped the barely parted lips of the usually fearsome dragon king.

"You know, it's too quiet without him here." Gray spoke up, having caught the wistful sigh. It was true, of course. Without the… eager, young prince around, life in Tornor had been almost too quiet and uneventful. At first it was amazing, Gray was left to bask in peace and quiet and Total. Complete. Boredom. Not that he'd ever miss the flame brained idiot but, they were family so he was expected to care. That was all. Yeeeep.

Without looking at the dark haired male beside him, Igneel nodded his head in agreement. Life in Tornor was peaceful and prosperous and idyllic and tedious. Not one exciting thing had happened in the last thirteen odd years. Not that Igneel was going back on his decision to punish Natsu; it was just that he'd maybe been a little too hasty. Something a little closer to home might have sufficed. And Grandine might not have been so upset.

"Do you remember that time he set the whole of Lake Aruna on fire, just because he heard someone say it was impossible. I still have no idea how he managed to set water on fire…" Gray continued, unperturbed by Igneel's silence.

"Oil, there was oil on the surface." Igneel muttered, half-heartedly, causing Gray to nod and mutter a quiet 'not too shabby'. It had been a great stunt and proven the continued strength of their lineage. He had to hand it to the boy; he sure knew how to turn heads. Dramatic flair, it seemed, ran in the family.

"I recall the nearby town of Fleids also catching ablaze. It cost the kingdom five million jewels just to cover damage costs." Igneel shook his head. He had often wondered where he'd gone wrong with Natsu. He was more destructive than the worst of the Anhard demons and he had never once even realised. If he would just think once before he set something –most likely a town- alight or crushed –yet another- priceless cultural artefact. Was it really too much to ask that his son -and future king!- show some maturity once in his lifetime?

"It's not like he was the only one to ruin a town. Remember when Gajeel went through puberty and demolished Vanima? Natsu fought him for three days without sleep just to curb his appetite for destruction."

Ok. So his son did have a few good points. Although the hero complex did get a bit too much sometimes and he often found himself wondering if Natsu was asexual with the amount of interest, or rather lack thereof, he had in girls. Or boys. He'd be a pretty bad parent –and ruler- if he cared about that sort of thing. And being asexual was fine too; not everyone loved their mate. Although it was incredibly, extremely rare. Now that he thought about it, had anyone ever been unattracted to their mate? The beings inhabiting the world of Tornor -dragons especially- simply needed them. Most yearned for the comfort of their mate even before they hit puberty. Living without a mate was living without half of your soul. Literally.

"The time the idiot blew up the girls change room was good too. The looks on their faces." A slight twitching of Igneel's left eye made itself present as he turned to his laughing nephew.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny about that?" At the menacing tone Gray yelped and promptly shut up. The old man may not act like it much, but he was still the Flame King and a force to be reckoned with. And people wondered where Natsu got it from.

"I wonder when he'll finally get back here. I know he doesn't act like it, but there has to be some form of brain rattling around in his skull. Surely he's simmered down by now."

Before Igneel could answer; honestly, he didn't even think Natsu was really listening when he told him how to get back, the door to the room slammed open and a puffed Wendy ran inside. About five meters away from the dais she stopped so suddenly that her blue hair kept flowing forward without her.

"Large dragon *pant* incoming *huff* fast!"

Before another word could be uttered, she pivoted on the ball of her foot and ran back out of the room, signalling for the two males to follow. Looking to each other briefly, one with widened eyes and the other with a deep scowl, they quickly stood and followed the fleeing princess.

In mere minutes they had climbed the staircase and were rushing along the top of the outer wall, trailing after Wendy. She stopped suddenly and Gray only just managed not to crash straight into her back. Igneel was already looking out across the lands of Tornor, sharp eyes tracking the tiny black spec on the horizon, which was moving steadily closer. In fact, at the rate it was growing, it seemed the dragon was flying straight for the castle at top speed. Something, Igneel speculated, to be about 130km an hour.

Within the next five, incredibly tense, minutes the mystery dragon was already close enough that they could make out the distinct shape of its head and the mysterious blue and white thing seated atop it. Igneel looked at the pitch black dragon, trying to think of where he'd seen it before. Something about him was familiar but not, at the same time. The shape of its midnight wings, the way he held his body and the slight curve of his spine. Even the horns crowning his head and the deadly looking spikes running down the length of its body.

Wendy gasped and all attention instantly turned toward her, both males noticing the wide smile with slight confusion.

"It's Natsu!" She crowed happily, beginning to jump up and down on the spot before she stilled suddenly and her face paled.

"I have to get Romeo." With that she was off, jumping straight over the stone wall and plunging towards the cobblestones of the courtyard. At the very last moment she tuned and let a stream of air flow from her mouth, slowing her decent and giving her time to land delicately on her feet.

The distinct sounds of the portcullis raising broke them from their momentary shock. It wasn't every day that Wendy forgot herself and jumped headfirst into action. Either male doubted they had ever seen her do anything with such enthusiasm.

Igneel turned his attention back to the black dragon, who was apparently his long absent son, and watched as he landed close to the main gate. The blue and white thing, which they could now clearly see was a faerie, climbed off his head and half fluttered-half fell onto the ground. The dragon shook his head in mirth, clearly enjoying the faeries discomfort, before jumping up, straight into the air. A golden light encased the large body, flaring out before rapidly shrinking into a humanoid form, leaving a grinning Natsu behind.

"Well, there's no mistaking that pink mop." Gray mumbled unenthusiastically before he turned and followed Wendy's retreat, letting his back fall towards the earth. Mere moments before hitting the ground his wings ripped from his shoulder blades, catching his dissent.

Igneel simply managed a worn sigh, jumping off the wall and landing in a crouch right in front of the open gateway. His wife sighed and muttered something about dramatics as she took his hand in her own. He could feel the nervous excitement fluttering through their bond. How different would Natsu be now? How much had he grown in his time in exile?

Wendy and Romeo came running up behind them, hands clasped tightly together, mate marks glowing against their skin. Wendy was bouncing slightly, wanting desperately to just run out to her brother and hug him. It had been so long since she'd seen his face, heard his voice or felt the warmth and safety of her big brothers embrace. He was the one who chased away her nightmares and held her when she cried. He was the one who beat up the bullies and told her not to listen because he thought she was the most beautiful girl of all. He taught her about strength and fearlessness and unconditional love. Most of all, he'd given her confidence. He was her big brother and she loved him and what in the nine realms of Tartarus was taking him so long?!

As if to answer her unspoken question, Natsu rounded the corner and walked through the archway, the faerie thrown over his shoulder. His hand was sitting on her upper thigh, causing smirks and conspiratorial glances to pass between the members of the waiting party. Who'd have thought Natsu had it in him?

Looking up and seeing his family, Natsu gently lowered Lucy to the ground and held his hand out for her to take. Which she didn't. In fact, he was pretty sure she was in shock.

"Nice one Natsu, she's actually pretty cute. How much did you have to pay her?"

It was as if Gray's comment had shocked her back to life, Lucy turned on him and slapped his hand away from her, growling slightly. No doubt about being carried like a 'sack of potatoes'. Natsu seriously doubted that she'd ever even seen a sack of potatoes but whatever, she was his weirdo.

"You might want to wait until you get to your room before you start feeling her up though."

His eye twitched. Lucy turned beet red. A deep growl built within his chest. Lucy hid her face in her hands. His fists clenched and unclenched in an honest attempt to remain in control and not beat the living snot out of Gray within the first five minutes of being home.

"I was holding her skirt down you stupid pervert." He growled out and listened contentedly to the sounds of five hands meeting flesh. Oh, how he'd missed playing the 'naive card'. Unlike Lucy, who had the peculiar ability to see through any and all of his bullshit, his family literally thought he was missing a few -or most- brain cells. And most natural instincts. And they had the audacity to call him stupid.

"Come inside, I'm sure we're all eager to know about what's happened while you were away, Natsu. I know for a fact, Gray has been missing you." Ever the peace maker, Wendy stepped forward and held out her hand to Lucy, eager to meet the only girl to ever catch her brother's attention. It wasn't everyday –or ever- that Natsu Dragneel brought a girl home. Especially such a pretty one.

"I'm Wendy Dragneel, the sky maiden. It's nice to meet you."

"L-Lucy Heartfilia. Natsu has talked about you a lot." With her words, Lucy took Wendy's offered hand and let herself be pulled inside the imposing looking fortress. She knew Natsu had her back; he'd spewed enough about nakama back home in Fiore, what was the worst that could happen?