Chapter Thirty-Four
X373: Belserion
Night fell upon them, and for the first time in quite a while, Natsu had allowed himself to sleep. Being comfortable enough to surrender himself to sleep had been a result of a mixture of things.
On the one hand, he had Lucy and Gray by his side, and whether or not they registered on the same scale of strength as him, he trusted them, and that gave him enough reassurance to at least try.
On the other side, he wanted to find out why he was having reconstructed dreams. Something was orchestrating and prompting the memories of a time long past, someone wanted him to know or do something, and the only way to find out was to keep dreaming. It wasn't as simple as the dream Heartfilia telling him that Zeref was coming, it was never going to be that easy. He already knew that it was inevitable that he and Zeref would one-day cross paths, just as he and the Black Dragon would too. Immortals such as those who roamed endlessly were destined to face off.
Sleep took him quickly, by the time he realized that he'd 'awoken' in the dream, he was already receiving a hard elbow to the ribs by E.N.D. who nodded ahead.
They were in a lushly decorated hallway with weapons, armaments, and portraits lining the walls. Everything was a mixture of deep mahogany wood, red and gold carpets, and deep purple drapery.
"Remember, we're meeting with royalty Natsu, and we intend to show them that we're co-existing just as well as they are and they may ask for a demonstration of your Dragon Slaying magic, so…" Anna paused for a moment, sighing as she once against fixed his clothes in place, "So hold back, we don't want to offend them by overdoing it and destroying the palace," she added quickly, pulling a bit of his scarf over the black collar of his new clothes. With the help of one of her Celestial spirits, Cancer, she'd woven his entire outfit from Igneel's scales, now, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't incinerate them with his own magic.
"I'll try my best but this place doesn't exactly look very well built," the young Natsu answered, frowning at the fact that the majority of the palace they'd been ushered through so far had been made of wood. It wasn't all that compatible with a Fire Dragon Slayer.
"Natsu!" she whispered harshly, sending him a threatening glare.
"Lucy looks at me like that a lot more these days, man, it's a good thing she isn't a Dragon, she'd almost have me at her beck and call," the Dragon King whispered, being thoroughly ignored by E.N.D. who simply watched as the dream unfolded.
A grand set of doors opened up to reveal a lavish throne room, with the Queen atop the golden appointment, looking down at them through peerless eyes.
"Welcome!" A strong voice called out. She was lazily slung across her throne, watching with mild bemusement as the two emissaries from Fiore approached.
Many knew of the symbiotic relationship of humans and Dragons in Dragnoff, though so few dared to willingly cross the borders from foreign lands.
"I was briefed on what it is that you sought an audience for, but I'd rather hear straight from you what your expected outcome of this meeting is," the Queen announced, lightly swinging one of her legs as it rested against the other.
"We wanted an alliance, of sorts," Anna spoke, sweeping some loose strands of hair away from her face, "you see, while a multitude of Dragons in Fiore are hostile, there are just as many who can coexist, and Natsu here is a prime example of that." She explained, pulling Natsu forward with her.
"Your eminence, or… Majestic Dragon Queeness," the young Natsu flourished dramatically.
"Natsu!" Anna wished, pinching his shoulder as hard as she could, though she knew it wouldn't have that great an effect on him.
"Tell me something, boy," the Queen said as she stood from her throne and approached him.
Natsu already didn't like being there, he made an effort to show this by folding his arms and staring expectantly as the monarch of the country approached him.
"What exactly are you? You smell like a Dragon, but also… Something vastly different." She said, stopping within a foot of him, simply analyzing him.
He was taller than she'd expected, able to look her in the eye which was something that most men of the kingdom couldn't boast.
"I am Natsu, just Natsu," he said, unsure of what Anna wanted him to divulge.
"It's ok," Anna reassured him quickly, "he's been taught the art of Dragon Slaying magic, and he's exceptionally adept at it," the Celestial mage beamed with pride.
"And whom, may I ask, is the Dragon who taught you this magic, boy?" The red-haired woman asked.
"She seems familiar," E.N.D.s grave voice stated, his eyes narrowing while he tried to figure it out.
"She looks a little like Erza, a distant relation maybe, either way, shut up." Natsu jibed, focusing on the exchange. He remembered parts of it, but not in detail like this.
"Igneel," the young Natsu answered.
"The Fire Dragon King," the Queen sucked her teeth with a condescending nod. "I thought as much, I can smell his stench on you. It follows and looms over you like a bad shadow," she added with what felt like a sneer before she quickly cleared it away, looking far more cordial than she had so far.
"In case you didn't know, my name is Irene Belserion, and I am of course the Queen of Dragnoff. Igneel is the only Dragon who could oppose me, so now I find myself in a precarious situation." She roamed back over and gracefully sat back down on her throne.
"Your Highness, we came here for peace," Anna said, trying to stop the meeting from derailing.
"And yet you brought the only Dragon Slayer that Igneel has ever personally taught, was this a ploy from the beginning, did you bring this Natsu here to slay me?" The Queen asked with a raised brow. She didn't seem threatened by the notion whatsoever.
Anna went to speak again but stopped when she saw Natsu give a gentle dismissive wave, "If, your holy majestic eminence," Natsu began, flailing his hands around sarcastically in such a way that made Anna's heart drop. He was openly mocking royalty.
"Desires for that to be the narrative then we can skip this coyness. You could smell Igneel from the moment those doors opened, you had no intention of peace after that." Natsu stated flatly.
Anna realized that he'd figured out that it was a trap before she'd even begin entertaining the conversation.
"You're very clever for one so young, just Natsu." Irene smiled at him with an almost fond expression, her eyes conveying a refreshed interest in the boy. She could quite possibly have a sense of the strength of his Dragon Slayer magic, but she would have no understanding of the power that welled deep within him. If a fight broke out now and he lost control of himself then the results would be truly catastrophic. It wouldn't just be Anna and Natsu that would be hunted, the kingdom of Dragnoff would send battalions of Dragons to take down Igneel.
Not that they would get the chance if Natsu lost control.
There was a moment where the young Natsu shifted slightly, surveying the room. Two Dragons were acting as guards but they wouldn't pose anywhere near as much of a threat as the Queen. She said that Igneel was the only Dragon who could oppose her, so it stood to reason that she was at least almost as strong as he was.
It was a level of strength that Natsu could reach but trying would weaken his mental fortitude that kept the darkness at bay.
"I remember this, you almost killed everyone here," Natsu said, giving E.N.D. a slight side eye.
"It doesn't matter, your boyfriend probably killed her anyway." The Etherious Demon shrugged, uncaring about the fate of so many.
"Gray's here?" Natsu looked around in surprise.
E.N.D. glared at him so hard that flames began to smoulder on his shoulders. "The one from this time, you miscreant." He replied.
"Oh…" Natsu gave a soft nod of agreement. That was probably true, he was probably the cause of ruin in this land and so many others.
"Did you intend on talking some more," the young Natsu spoke, "or did you just want to jump right into this?" He asked as he approached Irene.
The two Dragon guards immediately swooped down and all hell broke loose in the throne room with Anna trying desperately to keep Natsu from succumbing to the allure of his own power.
Anna reached out to stop the young Dragon Slayer but it was too late, the fight had begun.
The dream faded and once again Anna was there, turning to face the two spectators.
"You don't have much time! Zeref is coming and he's coming for you!" Anna's words were desperate.
Natsu didn't answer her at first, he simply watched.
"He's coming, and you aren't ready!" She repeated herself, the urgency ramping up.
"Do you feel ready?" Natsu asked E.N.D.
"Do I feel ready to fulfil the sole purpose of my existence?" The Demon asked.
"I think we'll be ok," Natsu said as he looked back at the figment of memory lost to time. He'd missed seeing her face so much, enough so that he was willing to endure the nightmares that usually came when he slept. If it meant that he had the chance to relive something and be rewarded with this time conversation with her, then he'd take it without hesitation.
"You mustn't waste time, find the others, only then will you be strong enough!" Anna stepped forward, cupping Natsu's face.
"It is not a dream," he said, staring down at her, gently placing a hand over hers. It felt so real that a wave of warmth had pumped out from his heart, he felt alive again for the first time since he'd met Erza, Mira and Lucy in Porlyusica's home, that was the moment that he knew the bonds with Fairy Tail were forming. Feeling Anna's touch again was different though, this was a love that he'd had for her over the centuries, a love that he'd never been able to tell her.
Had she known? Had she known just how much he loved her when she died?
"But how are you doing this? I watched you die, you can't be here orchestrating dreams and memories after four centuries!" he asked, hoping against all realistic thought that this moment could be eternal and that when he woke up he would still be able to feel her hand on his face.
"He will come at a time when you are at your most vulnerable, you must find the others, only with the combined might of the five of you will you be able to kill Zeref," she urged. One of her hands gave his cheek a soft stroke.
"I have really missed you, Anna, but this isn't real. Zeref won't survive what we have become, this was his plan and for all of his faults and merits, he wasn't an idiot." Natsu whispered softly.
"Words can't describe how happy I am to see you again, Natsu, you've grown up so much, even if you've not been able to fully keep it at bay, you're still so strong within," Anna told him, a tear rolling down her cheek. She'd spared a single glance at E.N.D. when she mentioned 'it' but that had been as far as his acknowledgement had gone.
"What are you doing, Natsu, you're wasting time!" A voice boomed and echoed around their subconscious, shaking the proverbial ground beneath their feet.
Natsu woke with furious focus. That was Igneel, his father had called out to him, but now that he was awake, he couldn't feel a single trace of the Dragon King.
He could only feel the soft breath of the Celestial wizard curled up in one of his arms, clinging to him for warmth just like Happy who was fast asleep on his stomach.
He silently pulled Lucy closer and casually gave Happy a little stroke between the ears. Both of them seemed to be greatly appreciative of the touch.
There were far worse ways to wake up.
A/N: I've named this the Stargazer arc, and if all goes to plan from my structure, it will be until chapter 44. There is also the underlying 'X37-' arc, this is the third chapter from the X arc with 8 more to go that explain everything, including the origins of the Heartfilia key. I've planned five more original arcs all interspaced between the rest of the cannon story events. I've already written several chapters well ahead of time because I could. I'm particularly proud of a chapter called 'Detectives' that happens just before Tenrou, it was extremely funny to me to write that, and I can't wait to show you all. Review?