Chapter 1
Natsu woke up in the middle of the hubbub. Chains clanking on the ground, people shouting, hundreds of feet marching in their armour, swords clanging. His heavy head danced unpleasantly under the mild sunlight that filtered through the tent's clothing, painting everything red.
He rose up off his bed and hung his feet down. He had gone to sleep in his armour. That's why his body felt so heavy and tired, and also because of the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed the night before. His eyes blurred and took a while to focus and his head ached furiously.
He slowly got up on his feet in the middle of the loud noises and tried to find his balance.
Last night was just a blur in his memories. He had danced and drank infinitely with strangers, even though they were all the knights of his order. He didn't know a lot of people around him. He was newly promoted.
He remembered a beautiful golden haired dark skinned female bard that had visited their camp last night. Her voice was as sweet as honey and she was pleasing to the sight. She sang songs and told stories, and Natsu enjoyed her company immensely, and it looked to him that she was enjoying his. That was until she was taken away by a paladin from his order–a tall and handsome one at that.
Natsu sighed. Paladins were his senior officers, greatly surpassing him in strength and authority. He didn't want to throw away his newly promoted knighthood through excommunication because he stood up to his senior officer for a bard.
He looked around. The tent was empty. Everyone had already woken up. Natsu was the last one in bed. If a proctor caught him, he would be in trouble. He lifted his helmet off a table nearby and put it on. Now, he saw the world through its grills. He could never see the complete picture anyways. He had always been short-sighted. Unimaginative, unambitious… and unskilled. Why was he even a knight in the first place? An honour only bestowed to the best fighters amongst the order?
He sat back down over his bed. He remembered that day well. A few years ago, when he was still an initiate, he was rustling through the quest book when he came across a simple job that had been pushed to the side. The daughter of a local tavern owner had been taken away by raiders to their hideout. The reward was measly, and it wouldn't have helped a knight in progressing through their rank. It was a dead end job.
Natsu had left for that job quickly. He didn't know why. Maybe he wanted to save the girl. Maybe he felt this job was simple enough for an amateur knight such as himself. Maybe… he wanted to prove to himself that he wasn't completely useless.
Killing the raider underlings, he had come across their leader—Cobra. He was a vehemently cruel and infamous raider master that had been terrorising the southern coast since years. Natsu knew immediately that Cobra was beyond his skill level.
He sighed. He remembered thrusting his sword in Cobra's back while the kidnapped girl had distracted him. Natsu had been able to finish that mission only through happenstance. When he returned, the proctor had suggested that Natsu be promoted to a knight from an initiate. Natsu pressed that he hadn't finished the job honourably, but the proctor insisted that he be promoted nevertheless. That there was a lack of knights in their chain of command. Thus was the story of how Natsu became a knight. How he could taste a fraction of the glory that his peers and seniors tasted everyday. Someone slayed dragons, someone defeated rebel armies all alone, someone slayed ogres and wyverns and giants and trolls. Natsu… killed a man when his back was turned.
Did he really deserve his position?
"You're up." He heard a calm voice.
He looked up and found Gray standing at the tent entrance. Gray was dressed in a glorious knight's armour, shining and gleaming, his longsword on his back, and his brilliant red cape fluttering in the winds.
Gray smiled. "Get up quick. You don't want the proctor to catch you still in bed."
Natsu smiled tiredly.
Gray nodded and left through the entrance.
There was silence.
Natsu sat quietly, contemplating his insufficiency.
Gray was a gifted knight. Unlike Natsu, he deserved to be one. He had defeated a dragon to be where he was. Granted he went on the mission together with a female initiate, someone who was obviously smitten with him, but he was the one that had landed the Coup-de-grace. They were both promoted together.
Gray's life was… everything that Natsu had wanted. He was strikingly handsome, tall, dark haired, and skilled with a sword and magic. He used ice magic, cleverly fusing his sword in to create a deadly combination of magic and metal. Some could say that he was a legend—in smaller circles. Beyond his fan club of young female knights and even quite a few of his female senior officers, he was equally revered by male knights for his strength and skill.
Why was Natsu denied all that? Why was he so… mediocre?
Natsu spent a few more minutes thinking empty thoughts. He then got up, sighing, and picked up his greatsword from under his bed. It was an ugly looking piece of blue steel. He hadn't fought many wars with it, nor many battles. He didn't trust in that sword much. Nor in himself. Who could he trust in this world where everyone was out for themselves?
Ready—almost—he walked outside the tent.
Sweet and cool air met his body, but could only caress a part of his face through the grills of his helmet. The bright sunlight blinded him, and his head hurt and bulged. But soon that was gone, and he could see.
He was on the plains right now, but very close to the northern mountain ranges. He was currently encamped with the rest of his order in the town of Alveria—a small remote location so far off the capital it was a surprise its people hadn't revolted against the crown yet. Maybe the demon king's presence closeby had something to do with the townsfolk depending on the capital and the crown more than ever.
Natsu saw the mountains far away ahead of him, over a line of forest trees. Behind him was the town.
He looked ahead again, towards the mountains.
Somewhere down… or up that way… was the Valley of Endless Whispers. The northernmost shores of the main continent. An untouched land. Unexplored. Unwalked for centuries. Who knew what was there now? The flap of lands that had been corrupted by the demon king's power since centuries—since he first appeared in the mortal world. It was said that spirits and corrupted animals and beasts roamed that valley and beyond, but no one could check, since no human had visited that place in centuries. The demon king's constant patrols had made sure of that.
Now, for the first time, after the centuries long struggle between the Order of Knights and the Demon's forces, and after the demon had finally been cornered in his castle farther up north, the knights could safely enter the valley to cleanse it. The demon king was locked up in his castle behind the mountains somewhere, a siege laid down at his doorstep by the best knights of the Order. The siege was waiting for the rest of the knights to meet them. After which… the centuries long war would end.
Natsu was going to be a part of history. An unnamed and unsung part, but a part nonetheless. He would be in the assault party that would flush the demon king out and slay him under broad daylight. Why? He didn't deserve to be here. He just got lucky, he guessed.
He looked around. But no one looked at him. Everyone was busy. They were planning on slaying the demon king's armies—what remained of them. Slaying the demon king was a job for the Hero—the greatest knight amongst them.
A sea of armour welcomed him outside. The knights and paladins wore different sets of armour. Knight armour was simple—Paladin armour looked… beautiful and ornate.
Their order worked on a robust yet simple rank system.
At the lowest ranks came the initiates. The dregs of society that the order would pick up, recruit and sometimes forcibly initiate, to bolster their numbers. Initiates were kept away from battles and weapons. Theirs was a life of academics and study–whether it was alchemy, runes, potions, smithing, medicine or the occult. Natsu had been one once. He wasn't a very good one.
An initiate would be promoted to a knight once they could prove to the Table that they were proficient at using primary weapons. Swords, greatswords, maces, warhammers, morning stars, longswords, spears… the list went on. Natsu's was his greatsword, but he was still learning to use it properly.
A knight would be rarely promoted to a Paladin once they could prove to the Table that they could use magic in combat. Paladins… were legends. Slaying their enemies in the field of battle effortlessly through a combination of weapons and magic, they were a force to be reckoned with. Some great paladins had slain scores of wyverns, trolls, werewolves, vampires all alone. Some had defeated armies of rebels, pirates, raiders and mercenaries all alone. Natsu would shiver merely at the thought of meeting one.
Then… very rarely, finally, and after years and years of battle experience and foundations, one would become a Sentinel. Not… much was known about sentinels. They wore massive heavy armour to battle—the Cloaks. These armour would themselves be tonnes heavy and 8 to 9 feet tall. Sentinels were mysteries. Natsu had never seen one. It was said that when all hope was lost for the order—a Sentinel would appear. Lifting and destroying mountains, levelling rivers and valleys, felling dragons and giants and gods and demons all alone. Some had even rumoured that sentinels were a mere mystery, created only to frighten the enemies of the order.
For Natsu, however, his world was small. He was a small particle in the giant order of the world. He wasn't even a cog in the symmetry. He was… forgettable. Not unique. He was a failure. Would he ever taste glory?
Defeatedly sighing, he looked to his left, and found his friends standing at a distance. They were the only knights of his order that he had been able to befriend. He might not have been proud of many things, but he was proud that he had a small family to call all his own here. In a world full of strangers, what more could one ask for?
Before he could start walking towards them, a horse almost ran into him. The black and beautiful horse appeared out of nowhere, almost scaring Natsu to death. Natsu fell back on the ground from the impact and looked up, shocked.
The horse raised its front two feet up in the air and neighed loudly, gathering the attention of everyone around. Natsu's heart skipped a beat. What happened just now?
The man on the horse pulled on the reins and calmed the animal down. After the animal was calm and stationary, he looked at Natsu.
Natsu gasped. The man's blue cape fluttered in the winds behind him, and his ornate and extremely beautifully made armour almost blinded Natsu. It was revered with runes and marks of the Order, and his long sword was beautifully kept behind his back.
It was a Paladin.
He looked at Natsu through the grills of his helmet, but Natsu could make out the dark intense eyes behind the helmet. They bore into Natsu's soul, sending shivers up and down his spine.
A paladin… was staring him down. A hero of many battles… a legend amongst humans. Had Natsu offended him? Would Natsu be excommunicated now? Or… would he die here and now?
Natsu quickly sat up and bent his knee to the man. He looked down at the floor, assuming a position as submissive as possible. Maybe… he would be forgiven, by the mercy of the paladin.
Three more horses rode up behind the first one, each rode by a paladin.
The female paladin behind the first one asked.
"Why have you stopped?"
The first paladin, who was still staring at Natsu, stayed silent. His eyes bore stakes into Natsu's heart and soul. Natsu could feel his gaze drilling into him, even though he wasn't looking.
The man slowly budged. "Nothing. I was… looking for Titania. Let's go."
He rode up ahead, faster than before.
The female paladin slowly rode up and stood next to Natsu. She stared suspiciously as the first paladin that was merely a black blur riding away into the distance.
She looked at Natsu. "You okay?"
Natsu slowly looked up. "Y-yes, Ma'am!"
She giggled. "Stand up. Here."
She extended her hand. Natsu slowly grabbed it and stood up.
"Good luck on the march North. You'll need it."
Natsu nodded nervously, before the female paladin and the two male paladins rode away behind the first one.
Natsu watched them leave, and slowly disappear behind the trees. His heart slowly returned to its normal state. He hadn't been beheaded yet. Maybe… he wouldn't be excommunicated either. Maybe… he was safe.
His friends slowly approached him.
"You okay, Natsu?" Cana asked, dusting his armour and cape.
"Woah, Natsu. You talked to paladins? You even touched one!" Sting exclaimed.
"Be careful, Natsu." Rogue whispered.
Natsu looked at him. "Why? Who were they?"
Sting gawked at him. "You… you seriously don't know? That's just like you."
He laughed breathlessly. "The man you almost ran into was Paladin Captain Jellal. You were this close to him! And the female paladin was Paladin Ultear. The rest of them were Jellal's unit."
Natsu gasped internally. Jellal? He was that close to the mighty and mysterious Jellal and he didn't even know? One of the strongest paladins of their order.
Natsu looked back there, but the horse riding paladins had long disappeared. All he saw there was an empty forest trail in the distance.
"Where are they going? Are they not going to join the march north?" Natsu asked.
Gray shook his head. "They were here for that, but the king sent them a special message early this morning. They were called back to the fortress. Most well known paladins and sentinels are being kept back at the capital. Maybe the king expects an attack while we are away."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. What could be more important than the greatest war of the millenia? The war against the demon king? What could the king be thinking?
The knights and paladins around started to cheer and shout loudly, breaking Natsu's attention away from Jellal. He looked around, and found that everyone had started to gather a few feet away from him. Natsu wondered what was happening.
Sting looked around. "Come on. Quick! It's time."
His friends started to brisk walk towards the congregation.
"What… what is happening?" Natsu asked whoever would listen, but no one did.
He walked after them. Maybe he would have to see.
As he gathered somewhere behind the crowd of knights and paladins, he found himself facing a rock on the ground. A few sturdy paladins stood on either side of the rock, facing the crowd. And also on either side of the rock were the banners of their order of knights.
The Ordeal.
The Ordeal—which Natsu belonged to, was an ancient order of knights that had been created to protect and preserve order in the kingdom. It served the Table of Knights, and indirectly served the crown, since the Table served the Crown. There were some political differences between the two bodies, but those were easily reconciled. The Ordeal was older than millenia, and had been serving the upwards to twenty generations of the monarchs that had held the crown and the kingdom.
The banner was golden, tattered and worn out, but glorious nevertheless. It featured the head of a bull, leaking lightning out of its eyes. That bull… was supposed to represent the Hero. The greatest knight of the Ordeal.
Soon, even as Natsu watched from the back, a female paladin climbed up the empty rock. She was tall and slender, with a well built body. Her beautiful armour gleamed under the sunlight, and her helmet with all its ornateness and beauty took Natsu's mind by surprise.
She leaned closer to a paladin standing beside her and whispered something in his ear. The paladin nodded and said something back, after which the female paladin stood straight upon the rock and looked at the crowd.
Soon, she took off her helmet.
Natsu's heart skipped a beat. Just like before, but this time, it was out of awe. Not fear. This time it was out of shock, not threat. This time it was out of a thunderstruck feeling of a deep impression, and not fright.
The woman had red hair, long and silky, thick and beautiful. They fluttered in the winds restlessly, painting Natsu's entire world crimson. All he could see was red. A beautiful, bright, brave and boisterous red. Nothing else. He was… awestruck. By her visage. By her beauty. By her power. By her glory.
Her slightly tanned face was clear and crystal cut, her sharp jawline cutting into Natsu's chest, her deep, intense and handsome eyes into his soul, and her soft beautiful lips into his heart. She was beautiful. She was pretty. She… she was the perfect woman.
"Paladin Captain Titania…" Cana gasped.
"She was here? Oh god… I hope I didn't behave inappropriately last night." Sting mused.
Gray smiled, impressed by her. "Don't worry. She got here early this morning. She led her unit of 14 paladins to replace the ones that left with Jellal."
Natsu couldn't hear anything. He only gazed at her. He only saw… her.
She raised a closed fist into the air, and all Natsu heard from around him was loud cheers and applause. Maybe she had the same effect on everyone around him. But no… that wasn't the case. She had a different effect on Natsu. A warm… fluttering… mesmerising… an undulating effect. It was difficult to explain in words.
Natsu waited for her to speak. So he could hear her voice. He waited for her to glance at him just once. Just… once. That alone felt like millenia.
"We have all gathered here for a special reason." She began.
She pointed ahead, behind the crowd. "The reason lies there. Behind the mountains, behind the Valley, behind the forests and rocks, behind fear and fright. Behind contemplation. Through victory. The reason is the demon king. The ruthless and vile beast that has terrorised our land and people since centuries. Since… long. But no more!"
Cheers.
She resumed. "We have hidden away in fear long enough. We have cowered long enough. We have bled long enough. Today, we take the fight back to the darkness. Today, we will defeat it!"
More cheers were heard. She took a deep breath, and flocked a lock of her red beautiful hair behind her ear.
"The war hasn't been won yet. We are as far away from victory as we were centuries ago. Why do I say this? Because I know, and I know you all do too, that the demon won't leave so easily. He may have been cornered, he may have lost most of his armies, but… he isn't to give up simply. Whatever we have planned, the demon has something up his sleeves too. He will counteract all our tact and bravery with an equivalent force of cleverness and darkness. So today…"
She paused. "Today, my dear friends, brothers and sisters, I urge you to take care of yourselves. To protect yourselves and others. Don't fight for victory. Fight to survive. I… I would like to see you all again after this war is over. Healthy and happy. Don't lose yourselves. I will do everything in my power to protect each and everyone of you, but if I fail, remember that you are your own greatest protector. Please, be safe. Each and everyone of you. To Victory!"
The crowd raised their fists. "TO VICTORY!"
With hope and resolve burning anew, everyone started to disperse. But Natsu stood still. He gawked at the legendary female knight till she was off the rock. He would stare at her for an eternity. For longer. She had… taken a part of him with her.
She put on her helmet, and merged with her paladins. That was that. That was the end of Natsu's fleeting pleasure.
He was back in the real world now.
He slowly turned around, never knowing that today was the day his world would change completely. A small part of his heart, almost microscopic, almost invisible, lived for her now.
"That was great!" Sting punched his open palm. "I wonder why she didn't mention the Hero."
Natsu looked at him. The Hero… the legendary knight that was purported to have taken birth specially to defeat the demon king. Sentinel Captain Laxus Dreyer. The name itself carried weight. And rest was done by his rumoured skill in battle. He was like a ghost. A massive 9 feet tall ghost who never talked but let the clanking of his fearsome armour do the job for him. It was said that his enemies only saw him once in their lifetimes. After which they would fall dead.
Natsu himself wondered why Titania didn't mention the Hero. Talking of him would have only bolstered their faith further.
Rogue piped in. "That was the point of her speech. She didn't want our individual worth to be overshadowed by the Hero's. She is cautious in her approach to this battle. I admire her fiercely."
Sting patted his back. "You love her, don't you?"
He laughed. "Hey. Speaking of love, that one cute initiate girl really seems to like you, Natsu."
Natsu stared at the ground. His mind was still swimming with the thoughts of Titania. What girl? What initiate? Love? As the seconds passed, he was getting more and more sure in his conviction that something in his heart had shifted. That… he had fallen in love. Now… no other woman could compare.
Sting smacked his own head. "What's her name? The cute one with the silver hair... Oh right, Lisanna!"
Natsu looked at him. Lisanna? Natsu knew Lisanna. She had talked to him a few times here at the camp, and many times back at the castle. She was a sweet and innocent girl… Unlike her older sister. Paladin Mirajane Strauss. She was known for her strength and strictness, her impeccable beauty and her glowing silver hair that robbed enemies of their lives just with a sight. Mirajane was also known for her intensely curt attitude. Natsu wished he would never have to see her for himself.
Would Titania protect Natsu from Mirajane if she ever got cross with Natsu?
Sting poked Natsu with his shoulder. "Speaking of Lisanna…"
Natsu looked ahead, and found Lisanna standing a distance away in her initiate suit, smiling at Natsu. She was quite pretty, and red danced over her cheeks as she looked at Natsu.
Before she could approach Natsu though, Sting jumped in between them.
"Initiate Lisanna." He flicked his hair flirtatiously. "This handsome specimen is called Knight Sting. I am sure you are thunderstruck. Hows about you and me dally after I return from killing the demon king? Hmm?"
Lisanna kept her smile on, but sweat formed over her forehead at his weird advance. An advance she didn't want to entertain at all.
For her… only that one pink haired man mattered.
Rogue walked up and thwacked Sting over the head. Sting groaned, and then was dragged away by Rogue to the marching party that was being formed on the road to the northern regions.
Gray looked at the marching party, then at Natsu. "Okay. I'll see you at the march, Natsu. Be quick."
He receded into the crowd.
Cana, Gajeel, Levy and Lucy all walked into the crowd of people as well.
Natsu looked at Lisanna.
She smiled softly, blushing all the while, and slowly walked upto Natsu and took his helmet off. His long pink hair fell over his face, and he parted them away from over his eyes.
Lisanna's heart fluttered at his sight.
She handed him his helmet back. "Sorry, Natsu. I just wanted to look at your face once before you vanish."
She looked at him anxiously. "You… you won't really vanish, will you?"
Natsu stared at her, not having the least bit of tact to understand the clear hints she was dropping all over the place. And anyways… his heart belonged to a certain redhead now.
He smiled. "I won't. I will come back safe. I don't have to fight anyone anyways. I am going there just for show. The Hero will do all the heavy lifting anyways."
Lisanna shook her head. "No. That's not true. You have your own worth. That's why you've been chosen to be here. You may not understand it yet, but I see great things in your future. You will do… something great one day. I am sure of it. Maybe not now. Maybe not in years. But… one day for sure."
Her eyes glistened as she smiled.
Natsu's lips parted. He was slightly confused. Why was she crying? Is that how much she cared for him?
He cleared his throat. "So… umm… where are Paladins Mirajane and Elfman?"
Lisanna shook her head, and discreetly wiped her eyes. "I don't know. Sis and brother have been called back to the castle the moment they left for here. The king is keeping most of the well known knights back at the capitol. I… I don't know why. I have been sent here on medic duty."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. This matched with what Gray was saying. Why, though? What could be more important than the final stretch of the Great War?
"Natsu!" He heard Gray calling him.
He looked at the march, and saw that it had started.
He nodded and quickly put on his helmet. Before he could leave, Lisanna grabbed his arm.
"Natsu. Please." She said nervously. "Promise me that you will return to me unharmed. I… I can't part with you just yet. I… I have to tell you something. Tell me that you'll return."
Her eyes flowed this time.
Natsu exhaled confusedly. What did she have to tell him? Why couldn't she tell him here and get it over with? He guessed that he would have to find out when he returned.
He nodded.
Lisanna let go of his arm, and stood back.
She waved even though his back was turned, and he merged into the crowd of knights and paladins. Marching north. Marching on. Marching to fight death itself. Marching to free the world of sorrow and sin once and for all.
Their march started.