AN: Hello, thanks for choosing my story! I hope you'll have lots of fun reading it!

Please feel very welcome to leave a review :3

I was originally inspired by nocturna131's story "The Iron King", so you might notice a few similarities in this chapter and the next, but I took my plot down a much different path ;D Definitely go give her a read tho, it's very good!

(This chapter was edited recently to smooth out my choppy style.)


Molten Steel

Chapter 1 - Terya

Behind the mountains of Hutlhur lies the Kingdom of Terya, stretched from the imposing figure of the jagged, grey peaks of rock in the northwest to the azure sea of Mesirae in the southeast. Albeit small and harsh it bears a certain beauty, fresh and reborn in the spring of life after war ripped deep wounds into its earthly flesh. Lush green forests hide small clearings full of vitality and the mountains let the highest waterfalls of the continent descend into cold rivers that tirelessly carry life towards the sea; filling old scars and covering them in little riverbanks, colourful heathlands and moors. It's a wild landscape, sheep and other cattle left to roam the spare grasslands, abandoned when villages were left in a flash, never to be returned to. Wildlife rules most of the forests, the hills and valleys of the northern regions, as humans have retreated towards the sea, near the capital of Terya, Farkesi.

The Castle of Farkesi can be seen from afar, resting near the shore of Mesirae, on the only hill in a radius of many miles. The tall library tower, as well as the numerous smaller towers and half-timbered upper levels with their rather large windows add a certain delicacy to the otherwise sturdy block of stone. Mirroring the kingdom, it presents itself as modest, yet proud and particular in its own way.

These days, the King of this proud old kingdom faces a few particular Problems.

The last visitor from town had just left and the audience was officially declared over, but the king hadn't left yet. The light that filtered through the coloured glass streamed into the room, illuminating the throne and the ruler of Terya on top of it. The King sighed, twisting his mouth into a sullen scowl. The rumors from around the kingdom spoke of wariness. The citizens knew him only as the warrior Kurogane, one of their strongest fighters, not as their leader. No one was expecting him to become king when he made a name for himself during the war. But now he had to be a leader without any experience and almost no advisors, no wonder his people remained apprehensive. And the damn Flame Emperor had announced his visit for tomorrow.

His scowl deepened. He had an entire kingdom to rule, but now protocol forced him to waste time in this crucial period of rebuilding it for Natsus antics, as if nothing had changed since the time they were just two scrawny little brats glaring at one another from behind their fathers' legs. Finally, he stood, the familiar "klink" of his armored boots on the stone floor filling the throne room on his way to the door. Hoping that a change of scenery would clear his mind he waved the guards off to their well deserved afternoon break and headed down the corridor towards his chamber. He passed a few maids on their way to the kitchen, who immediately shrunk away from him and bowed down. New apprentices, judging from the fright on their young faces and the way they hastily scurried onward after he passed.

A loud thud reverberated through the castle as the heavy chamber door slammed into it's frame, heralding peace and quiet for the king, who enjoyed the privacy as a welcome change to calm down and relax. He removed the large ceremonial crown from his head, giving his long hair a good tousle before the rest of the ceremonial armor followed the crown into the closet and was swapped with a much a lighter grey tunic.

Few things seemed more ridiculous to him than armor worn for ornamental purposes only. At least it was lighter than a regular one, and he had to admit that he liked wearing the gloves. The only real piece of armor of the set, strong, dangerous, but masterfully crafted as to allow for free hand movement as well as a strong grip on any sword. The tiniest hint of a smile graced his lips when he remembered the previous owner of the gloves, the gruff voice of his father reverberating in his mind. Nevertheless, a second later his brows furrowed, the serious demeanor returned like a cloud blocking out the sun. He had matters to attend after all.

The wooden floor creaked under his steps, followed by the creak of the bed when his weight dented the mattress. He turned his head towards the huge windows, behind them the lush castle garden and the sea in the distance. For now the view would have to wait. His eyes closed as he folded his arms behind his head and inhaled the fresh breeze from outside.

First things first - Natsu, the Ruler of the desert country of Chrate. The young man had shared a similar fate as himself, becoming the rightful king at the ripe old age of just 18, but Igneel, the old King of Chrate had passed away far sooner when the boy was only twelve. Nevertheless, he turned out to be a surprisingly good ruler, his kindness and willingness to help his people were greatly appreciated by them so they gladly overlooked his occasional slip-ups.

A polite knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he heaved himself off the bed to go open it.

The large figure in front of him gave a small bow, prompting him to chuckle

"Come on Lily, you know I don't give a rat's ass about that."

"Well if you don't do it, then at least I have to keep myself in presentable shape" Lily replied and grinned at his best friend, who now stepped aside to let the castles sword master into his chamber. Lily was what some people would call a relic, residue from old times, when magic and magical creatures were more commonplace. He combined the aspects of both humans and large cats, in his case giving him the appearance of a large panther on his hind legs.

They walked past the armory and into the kings living chamber where he sat down in a large armchair, gesturing for Lily to sit down on his usual spot on the plush sofa by the fireplace. The nights they had spent together like this, talking, planning or reminiscing had left dents in the respective furnishing, giving no doubt as to who belonged there. "Something's biting you, I can see it" the large cat stated and looked at his king expectantly before he sat down.

"Natsu is coming tomorrow and I ain't got the time or the nerves to deal with him. I wanted to revise the harvest taxes, not duel with Emperor Can't sit still for a minute." he grumbled and Lily snickered at the exasperated tone. Despite having partaken in a few rough battles during his time as king, Natsu was never tired of fighting and Lily knew quite well how energized the Flame Emperor could be, even more so compared to the Iron King.

"Even more reason to stretch my muscles before all this madness, ya up for a round?" said king asked and stood from his chair.

"Sure, but I did have something in mind when I came here" Lily answered and after a nod asked, "you see, there is this other Exceed who just arrived in town. You know it's gotten harder for us these days, with people becoming suspicious of other races, especially the more magical ones."

"Spit it, Lily"

"I talked to her and she told me she was looking for work and a place to stay for the rest of summer. Can I tell her she'd be welcome here?" he finally asked didn't have to wait long for the answer to a simple request like that

"Sure thing, just tell Kofu, it's her division after all."

"Thank you, I'm sure she'll be grateful!" Lily smiled, bowing his head in gratitude.

"Stop that or I might change my mind" his king joked before they made their way to the yard.

After they were both sufficiently powered out and sweating profusely under the afternoon sun, both said their Goodbyes for the day and headed to their respective chambers. A servant had noticed the men practice and ordered his Majesty's bathtub to be filled with scented water so he could scrub himself thoroughly before the next day. When he was finished, the giant tub was simply wheeled out of the large glass door, where the water could be released into the garden. Someone had already arranged the clothing he had picked out for the festivities that would start the next day and he let his hand brush over the soft fabric. Of course it was one of his finest Garments, fit to welcome the king of a neighboring country, and also in a rich dark green to give some contrast to Natsu, who would undoubtedly wear something red again. The Iron king frowned at the thought and wandered over to his writing desk. He still had orders to give out after today's audience and he knew he had to do it before the Flame Emperor arrived. The whole country had been preparing for his arrival, the town was beautifully decorated with flowers and colourful banners, showing off its rebuilt vitality. But as such, any orders had to be delivered before the festivities began in the castle and the city of Farkesi and everyones minds would be occupied.

He had to light a candle while working and the moon cast a silvery glow over the garden outside of the windows and onto the last brush stroke. He blew out the candle and stacked the papers for his servants to take when they started their daily duties. After redressing he simply laid on the bed, leaving the covers untouched. Terya might have a cooler climate than the other countries, but summer would always bring heat, especially near the sea so even undergarments made of thin linen were enough warmth for the night. Still, it took him some time of rolling around and staring out into the dark garden before the steady noise of waves crashing on the shore finally lulled him to sleep.