Hello everyone! A big Thank You to everyone who reviewed, followed and favoured this story! :D Your reviews especially motivate me to write and update faster. Thank you Peanut61654 for your support and enthusiasm! xD

Last chapter was really long; in fact, it was made of two normal-sized chapters. This chapter's length is about what all future updates will be if I can help it. xD

I hope you enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 2

The Slave

"We should head back to the palace," Juvia said reluctantly. They sat on the bench long after the screams had ceased. The citizen's cheers died down to a low murmur. Only an occasional drunken outburst pierced the air.

Gray's expression soured and he didn't follow Juvia to stand up from the bench. "I suppose we should." He leaned his elbows on his knees and stared at the ground.

Juvia's blue slippers entered his vision. "Gray-sama is avoiding going to his rooms and befriending the new slave."

Gray remembered Salamander's fierce green eyes and bit his lip.

Damn her perceptiveness.

"Not really. Maybe we could stop by the kitchens and grab some dinner—"

Juvia pulled his arm and he staggered to his feet to keep balance. "Gray-sama can get some dinner later and share it with the new slave."

Gray freed his arm and faced away from the palace.

"Come on Gray-sama. You can do it."

Gray pictured Salamander, bound, leaping at the two armed knights. "Yeah, sure I can do it." He gulped. Nothing short of an assassination attempt awaited him at his rooms.

xxxxx

Gray turned the door handle and peeked inside. He half expected the wild tribe leader to leap at him, strangle his throat and run for the exit. No such thing happened. The front room looked deserted.

He locked the door behind him. The mechanism clicked into place and Gray flinched at the noise. He eyed the open doorways to the branching rooms and listened for any signs of the pinkette.

The suite was eerily quiet.

Gray gulped. The Dragon could be anywhere. Best be on his toes.

He peeked into his bedroom first in the same cautious manner, frequently glancing behind his back to not be caught unaware. The room was left in the same messy state as he had left it earlier in the afternoon, clothes and sheets thrown everywhere. Nothing seemed out of place.

This left him with two more doorways to check. The first door led to the bathroom, and the second door led to the princess's room – which was just a spare room since Gray hasn't married a princess. Both rooms had their doors open, warm air flowing through the open space. There was a third door which led to Gray's pleasure quarters, but since he didn't have any concubines to house, that section remained locked.

The bathroom was the closest. Gray peeked inside, again, expecting to be thrown to the floor by the wild tribe leader.

Again, the room was empty.

That only left one room to check. A bead of sweat ran down Gray's face and he wiped it away with more force than necessary. He steeled himself for anything.

He saw the Dragon leader immediately, half crouched in a window and looking at him. He was still bound by ropes with weights attached. Dried blood marks decorated his forearms. Half the pinkette's body hung out the window, the wind raffling his hair. He glanced down, then back at the prince, and his eyes narrowed.

Gray decided not to interfere. He leaned in the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest, watching the Dragon battle it out in his head. There was no point in trying to stop him from jumping, as he could do it at any time Gray wasn't there. The question was whether the Dragon leader valued his life more than his dignity.

"Are you really going to kill yourself?" Gray asked after what seemed like forever.

The Dragon gazed at him, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Chto did you skazal?"

"Do you speak common?" Gray frowned.

"I don't ponimayu."

"Are you…" Gray scrambled his brain for more Tribal. "Throw…you... Ugh." He scratched his head. He didn't know the word for window, or even the word kill for that matter. "Um, very high." He looked at Salamander in defeat. He hoped he got the meaning across.

"Chto?" The Tribe leader sounded very confused.

"Just get out that goddamn window!" Gray motioned for him to come closer.

Salamander huffed, glancing down the street once more. This was ridiculous. The Dragon obviously didn't want to jump, otherwise he would have done so already. Gray's rooms were on the fifth floor with clay exterior walls devoid of ledges and handholds. There was no way down without severe injuries or dying.

Gray growled, fed up with pinkette's indecision. He didn't want to startle him but he was too annoyed to play cautious. He walked to the slave and yanked him down by the arm.

The Dragon hopped down, but instantly hissed in pain and pulled away from Gray's hold. Gray's hand was covered in sticky blood, and… saliva? He cleaned his hand on his shorts in disgust.

His attention was drawn to the Fairy Tail slave mark on the pinkette's right bicep. That's strange. The mark shouldn't bleed since it was pressed with a hot poker. Salamander was distracted by licking his bound hands and spreading more saliva on the wound, which gave Gray opportunity to come closer. He frowned at what he saw. The mark wasn't pressed as he'd expected, but carved out, the skin missing inside the shape. The cut looked quite deep. How come his wound wasn't treated? Mirajane should have distributed Juvia's salve to all the new slaves.

The slave stilled, and seemed to measure Gray up with narrowed eyes. Gray showed his empty palms. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you if you cooperate." He said in a calm voice.

The Dragon's stance widened and that was the only warning he got before Salamander launched at him, aiming an elbow at his face.

Gray ducked, and sidestepped an incoming knee. Damn, he was fast despite the weights dragging on the floor. Gray couldn't let this continue. He didn't want to fight his slave. Not while he was bound like this, anyway.

He parried the next blow. Before Salamander could recover, Gray's hand slid to his shoulder and pushed, while one of his feet hooked behind the Dragon and pulled. With his wrists bound, the slave failed to regain his balance and crashed to the floor. Gray didn't give him a chance to recover. He rolled him onto his front and sat over the Dragon's middle. He pressed the pinkette's shoulders into the carpet, effectively immobilising him.

"Stop struggling, damn it!"

The words had no effect.

"Stop," Gray said in Tribal.

"Kak budto I will slushat' you!" The slave snarled. He panted, sweat beading on his forehead.

"You be good, I be good." Gray cringed at how lame he sounded, but couldn't say anything better.

The slave struggled for a long while. Gray patiently pushed him down until the pink-haired leader ran out of energy. He lay still, except for the frantic rise and fall of his chest.

Now that Gray wasn't focused on holding him down, he noticed how smooth Salamander's skin was. His hands tingled with warmth where he touched the captive's unblemished shoulders. The curve of his back looked mesmerizing. The prince swallowed with his suddenly parched throat. He transferred his weight to just one arm. He lifted his hand, about to slide it along the pinkette's smooth back…

What the hell am I thinking? Gray's face heated up. He placed the defiant hand on the floor by the Dragon's head.

The pinkette's lips parted, the sound of his ragged breathing filling up the room. His face lay on the side, hair sprayed every which way, revealing more delicious skin on his neck. Gray wanted to trace his hands over the delicate area, to feel that furious heartbeat...

What the hell is wrong with me? He shook his head. He's just tried to kill me and all I notice is…is…

Gray held him down for a few more seconds. "Be good." He slowly moved off Salamander's back, trying to banish the image of running his hands along salamander's skin out of his thoughts. His palms felt cold and empty all of a sudden.

The slave sat up, burning holes in Gray's body with his stare.

"What's your name?" That was probably the only sentence that Gray had memorized.

"Natsu." The slave said after a while.

The prince pointed at himself. "Gray."

"Gre-i," Natsu repeated, rolling his name in that harsh Tribal tongue. Gray's shoulder blades tingled at the sound.

They stared at each other. Gray opened his mouth to explain about the bracelets but gave up after the first word. He stood up.

"Tribal not good." He motioned to himself. He walked to the door, careful to not leave his back exposed. He pointed outside. "Tribal good." He gave Natsu a stern look. "Be good."

"Your Tribal is uzasniy." The pinkette mocked.

Gray didn't dwell on the comment. He locked the room and ran to the kitchens.

The kitchens were alive with cleaning up activity. Dinner was due an hour ago. Spare food and fruit lay on the large table in the middle of the room for anyone missing the meal or wanting seconds. Anyone, except the slaves. The heady aroma made Gray's stomach grumble. He ignored the feeling, looking for a particular woman among the staring slaves.

He found her cleaning one of the large cauldrons. "Mirajane, I need your help."

Startled, she nearly dropped the cauldron onto the floor. Her hair was dirty beyond guessing the original colour. She wore a tattered linen apron, which was the cleanest part of her appearance. Her skin was covered with grease and food stains along her arms, neck and face. Her legs were smeared with dirt. Big blue eyes met Gray's black. "Gray! What can I do for you?"

"Come to my quarters."

She raised one eyebrow but didn't question. He tapped his foot impatiently while she wiped her hands on a towel, the only clean parts of her skin. He knew that her poor hygiene was out of necessity, not personal choice. "Do you have any of that salve left?"

"I do. Why?"

"What do you mean, why? To treat my slave's wound. His mark was carved instead of burned for some reason."

Her eyes widened. "What slave?"

It was Gray's turn to gape. "You don't know? My father gifted me Dragon Tribe's leader at the conclusion of the audience."

She gasped. "Salamander? Or Steel Dragon?"

Natsu would attack again if they didn't get back now. "You'll see."

She turned to the slaves. "Please keep cleaning. Don't let the head cook, Vidaldus Taka, catch you slacking. He throws things." She said something in Tribal, which he assumed was the same version of the message. "Lead the way."

They arrived at his rooms. Gray cautiously opened the lock and stepped through.

Natsu perched in that window again, looking at the earth below.

"Salamander!" Mirajane said, placing her hands on her hips.

Natsu tilted his head to the side. "Do I znayu you?"

"I'm iz Beastly Heart. We dralis's with your Dragon Tribe."

They spoke in Tribal, and Gray could hardly follow. He folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. Once again he cursed himself for not paying attention in Tribal.

Natsu came down from the window, but didn't come any closer. He eyed Mirajane with that same measuring look. After they spoke for a while, his stance became less aggressive. Gray let them speak, hoping it would calm down his slave's hot temper.

Mirajane explained something, motioning to Gray once in a while. She pointed to her forearms, and Natsu looked at the bloody writing. "Is it your blood?" She asked in an emotionless voice.

Gray nodded.

She said something, and Natsu's eyes met his. His hateful glare was so intense it startled Gray into Ice Make position. The Dragon growled, baring his teeth. Gray braced for an attack, but the Dragon leader turned back to Mirajane, listening. He wriggled his arms, trying to get free.

"You'll need to know Tribal. He can't speak any other language." Mirajane sat on the floor. She either didn't see or didn't care about the danger in front of her.

"I realised that." A weighed feeling settled over Gray as Salamander tried to bite through the rope. The prince looked away and sighed, folding his arms over his chest. Luckily the slave gave up quickly, spitting out rope hairs. The Dragon's posture sagged and he looked tired. He sat cross-legged and rested his head against the wall.

"What do you want him to do?" She patted the collar around her neck.

Gray leaned back into the doorframe. "I don't know… Bring me meals, carry my things, look after the rooms… The usual stuff." He shrugged.

She translated.

"He'll be living in the slave's quarters."

"What?" Mirajane looked at him surprised. "You don't want him to stay with you? Why?"

Gray struggled to formulate a response that wasn't sounding paranoid.

A knowing smile spread on her lips. "Are you embarrassed to have a slave?"

Gray chocked on air, and coughed several times to regain his breathing.

"That's not it! I just don't want him around when he's not needed."

She shook her head but didn't say anything. She walked over to Gray and gave him a jar of Juvia's salve. "Anything else?" She smiled sweetly.

"You didn't say anything to him about the sleeping arrangements."

"Anything else?"

Gray gulped. Why was no one listening to him today? He was the prince, damn it! "Will you show him around the palace so he knows where everything is?"

"I will, but not when he's looking like that." She motioned to the bound, bleeding, and garishly painted Dragon leader. "Do something about that. I'll send you two dinner later, when you two had more time to become friends." She walked towards the door.

He followed her. "Now wait a minute!"

"You boys be good." She shut the door.

Gray groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. What was wrong with everyone? Couldn't they see they were not getting along?

The Dragon leader tried to apply more saliva to his wound, and Gray's offended sense of hygiene finally had enough.

"Natsu."

The pink haired man looked at him. Gray flicked his wrist, motioning for Natsu to follow. When the slave didn't move, Gray cautiously stepped forward. He opened the salve, the pungent aroma filling the air. He pointed to the wound. "Is good for…" He trailed off, not knowing the words for wound or pain. "You be good, I be good." He motioned for the slave to follow him again, but Natsu didn't move.

Gray sighed, running his hands through his hair. Slowly, as to not startle him, Gray approached. The slave stood up at close proximity, and Gray paused, expecting blows. When none came, he gently grabbed Natsu by the wrist. His hands were cold to the touch. The slave didn't resist being led, which was a huge improvement. Gray didn't dare to turn his back on the man yet. He led him to the bathroom.

They stopped at the sink. Natsu looked around the room, awe briefly showing on his face before he locked his eyes on Gray again. I wonder if this is his first time inside a building…

Gray wetted a washcloth under the tap, and paused. How were they going to do this? He should have just ordered Mirajane to clean him up. There was no way Gray was removing Natsu's ropes yet so there was no hope of Natsu cleaning himself up. Gray gritted his teeth. It was too late to call Macao, as the old slave was probably busy serving the Tribute day celebrations in the king's quarters. It seemed like he had to clean Natsu himself.

Gray approached the Dragon leader from the side, keeping his head well away from the range of Natsu's arms. The pinkette could easily loop his bound wrists over Gray's head and strangle him if given the chance.

He carefully prodded the Fairy Tail wound with the wet cloth. Natsu hissed, and tried to jerk his arm away. Gray held his wrists down. "Don't move. It'll make it worse." He spoke in the calmest tone he could manage. "It doesn't really hurt that much. Don't be such a pussy."

He ended up talking to the Dragon through the procedure. His words probably didn't make sense to the slave, but he did seem to calm down and held still while Gray cleaned the wound. Gray swore silently when he realised the extent of the cut. It was deep, probably done maliciously on purpose. The wound was angry red where the skin was missing. Gray applied the salve to the cut, then bandaged the whole wound over with fresh linen.

Now the dragon leader wasn't bleeding, but he was still bound and painted in tasteless symbols. Gray wetted the cloth again. Now this was going to get very awkward.

He pushed Natsu to sit on the edge of the marble bathtub, and proceeded to wipe away the paint on his arms and shoulders.

The dragon hissed, wincing, and tried to wriggle away again. Gray paused, confused by the reaction. He was careful to avoid the bandaged wound. Then he noticed what was on Salamander's arms under the paint. Numerous lacerations covered his skin where the paint has been. The paint was a clever disguise to mask how injured the Dragon leader actually was.

He guided Natsu to the floor for more stability. "Look, I'm sorry, but this is gonna hurt." He proceeded to wipe the paint with cautious light pressured strokes. More marks revealed on the dragon slayer's body. Gray's blood boiled at the thought of Phantom Lord doing this to him.

It seemed that the Dragon leader had endured some sort of blast from the front, possibly several of them. There wasn't a single four inch square area of skin on his chest and arms that wasn't damaged in some way. Gray also wiped away Freed's runes. He didn't know how the Dragon would be able to sleep with pain from all that. There was a knock on the door just as Gray applied the last of the salve to the numerous wounds on Natsu's body.

"Natsu? Gray?" Mirajane called.

Gray set the empty jar down and led Natsu into the front room. Natsu didn't resist, looking drowsy. However the prince knew he'd spring into action if startled or provoked.

Mirajane gasped when she saw Natsu's numerous cuts, bruises, and larger wounds. She set a tray with two meals onto a low wooden table. She murmured something to him in Tribal.

"Tell him I'll free his hands if he behaves. So he could eat." Natsu looked docile now, and Gray hoped he would cooperate. He didn't want to injure Natsu anymore than he already was. Damn. I should have known he was in so much pain.

Mirajane translated his message, and Natsu gave a firm nod. "Ruki bolyat."

"He said his arms are in pain. He'll behave."

Gray formed a small blade out of ice. As soon as Natsu saw that, his eyes widened and he staggered backwards into the wall. Just as quickly he dropped into a half crouch, looking ready to fight.

"Calm down," Gray said. "I'm just going to cut your ropes."

Mirajane translated, but Natsu still looked alarmed. Gray approached, ready to defend against a strike if it came. Natsu stepped back. Gray paused, letting the Dragon get used to him. Hesitantly, Natsu, held out his wrists.

Gray didn't drag this out, and cut the rope with one strike. The heavy metal weight clanged on the floor. Gray dissolved the ice blade and backed away, showing his unarmed hands. Mirajane talked about something, the words Ice Make popping out here and there.

The Dragon edged away from Gray, then flexed and rotated his wrists. His gaze fell to the food and a loud grumbling sound filled the room.

"Was that his or mine?" Gray asked.

"Both." Mirajane laughed.

Gray motioned to the low table, and with some coaxing from Mirajane, the three finally sat down. At first Natsu looked like he wanted to bolt, but eventually calmed down again. Mirajane served the meal, telling Natsu what Gray hoped were instructions on how to perform his duties and not telling him ways how to wriggle out of punishments. Alas, he had no way of knowing.

"Mirajane, have something." Gray offered her some fruit.

"Thank you, I already ate."

Natsu dug into his food like an animal, shoving meat and grain into his mouth without using fork and knife.

"Gross," Gray commented, while Mirajane laughed.

Suddenly the pinkette paused, and offered his plate to Mirajane. "You hochesh?"

"Thank you, I'm full," she said in common and in Tribal.

Natsu shrugged, digging into his meal again.

She winked at Gray. "See?"

Gray also noted that. "He's still not going to stay in my quarters. Tell him that."

She looked disappointed, but complied.

Natsu didn't show any outward reaction to the news.

When the meal was over, Mirajane piled the dirty dishes into the tray. "Well, Natsu and I will be going now. Are you sure you don't want him to stay here?"

"I'm sure."

She pleaded him with her big blue eyes.

"No, Mirajane. I will not have him sleep in my quarters. I don't want a slave to begin with. If it wasn't for my father—"

"You know, I'm glad." She interrupted.

"Huh? About what?"

"That you got a slave." She smiled.

Gray stared at her confused. "Why? It doesn't affect anything."

She hummed, a knowing look in her eyes. "No reason."

Talk about wanting to pull out one's hair!

"Anyway, Natsu and I will be going." She picked up the tray and headed out the door, Natsu in tow.

"Wait."

The two paused. "I'll cut the weights off Natsu's feet before you go."

Mirajane translated, but Natsu still looked on edge at the sight of the ice blade. Gray cut off the ropes around Natsu's feet. The slave didn't kick him, and Gray supposed that was reward enough.

"Goodnight, Gray. I'll send him to your rooms tomorrow morning." She smiled and closed the door.

Gray winced at the thought.

I hope you enjoyed this beginning of a beautiful friendship xD

While you wait, why not check out Peanut61654's story titled "The Slave"? It has the same basic story idea and inspiration, and is a bit lighter in tone than In The Desert.

Type fanfiction address followed by /s/9853377/1/The-Slave

Please don't forget to tell me if you liked this chapter in a review! :D

Running Lynx