Fairy Tail 1. Raids and Titles

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 1: _Raids and Titles_

(May 21, 2014)

xXx

_Why is my son never easy to find?_

At this point he was seriously considering locking him away in a box and shoving it into the back of his closet. It would make locating him so much easier. The man shook his head as he trudged through the dimly lit tunnels of his mountain home, knowing he couldn't' possible do such a thing to his only son. No matter how tempting.

His metal-toed boots clanked through the halls, echoing off the stones because of his quickened footsteps, which grew hasty as the minutes ticked by. He hurried around corners, almost tripping a number of times because of the loose grave floors. A frustrated grumble left his throat and he ran his hand through his graying hair, he was getting to old for this.

The man turned on his heel, deciding to back track in case he had missed his boy in his haste, which nearly led him into a head on collision with a young messenger, who had been hurrying around the same corner in order to deliver his message on time.

"Master Igneel!" The messenger screeched as the elder man quickly sidestepped the clumsy teen, causing him to crash into the opposite wall.

"Careful lad," Igneel chortled as he helped the young man, who was cradling his bumped nose in his hands, back to his feet. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I was looking for you actually," The messenger muttered as he slowly removed his hands from his face and began twitching his nose, checking to see if it was broken or simply bruised. "The Grand Lord has summoned you to the throne room. He seemed to be in quite the mood and made it very clear that the meeting was mandatory and would be held immediately."

Igneel paled slightly. Running a large hand over his face, he thanked the messenger before heading towards the throne room in a great haste. His red cape billowed behind him as he thrust the doors open upon his arrival. The metal groaned in protest, but gave way under his shove. He stepped into the room, only the sound of his boots echoing throughout the room.

Before him sat an elderly man in a golden throne. It glistened, the sunlight slipping through the cracks of the cavern walls reflecting of the golden metal. The man in the throne frowned down at Igneel.

He stared. His eyes were hard, and as black as the ebony sky. There was a darkness in them that chilled a person to the bone.

"The plans?" His voice hissed through the room, whispering through the air like a snake. The servants that lingered in the shadows shivered at the sound, fighting the urge to cover their ears. The sound of the Grand Lord's voice was something to fear, and with good reason.

Igneel dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Close to completion, my lord." He did not glance up, eye contact was considered disrespectful and punishable by death.

Igneels fingers began to twitch, an action he tried to hide within the folds of his cloak. Fear was weakness within the Grand Lord's mountain tunnels, yet even those who had been in his service for years, still had trouble concealing what many were so commonly punished for. If you survived long enough to serve for years, it was only because you were useful. He did not kill those who were useful to him.

The twitch did not go unnoticed by the Grand Lord. He noticed everything.

"You're son?"

"My son," The younger man began. He returned to his feet, yet considered to stare at the floor. "He will be ready. He is ready. Ready to serve you and prove himself useful to your service, the search will be conducted without mistake and swiftly."

"And the raid."

"Sir—"

"_And_ the raid."

This was his punishment. Weakness was always punished, if not with death then in other ways. Now his son was paying for it, because of his fear, his son could lose his life. The Grand Lord's lips pulled into a cruel smile, if there was one thing he enjoyed it was disrupting the lives of his subjects and sending Igneel's only son into enemy territory was a source of high enjoyment. It gave him such a high.

"You're dismissed." Igneel bowed and headed for the door.

However.

The doors to the throne room crashed shut, the metal screeching as they slid into place. The Grand Lord slumped back into his seat, once alone he was able to contemplate his current predicament: Igneel's son.

The boy was brilliant. He frowned, his thin lips pulling into an ugly, broken shape at the idea of losing such brilliance on something as trivial as a village raid. A simple task really, but he had lost soldiers to the human village before, and this boy was not one he was willing to lose. If only his father wasn't such a fool.

If only the boy had been born to him.

xXx

"Well, this is quite the surprise."

Igneel was pleasantly surprised, the sight before him one he thought he would never see. His son sat before him in the center of the giant table in the tunnel's war room, books opened and spread all around him. Natsu was many things, but a bookworm was not one of them. He was far from it in fact; he found much more interest in swinging a sword around and impaling a dummy with the pointed object, unless skills but skills the young man had deemed necessary in his life, unlike a number of the Great Lord's soldiers, who much preferred brute strength and fire to swordplay. Not that Natsu didn't appreciate those skills as well, his had quite a way with fire.

Natsu glanced up at his father with bored curiosity before returned his attention back to the map he was studying. "Hello to you too, Dad."

Igneel nodded to the map in Natsu's lap, "Studying the area?" He picked up a book that was perched by Natsu's knee, _War Tactics: Human Barbarians and How to Defeat them_, flipping through the thick volume before setting it back in its place.

"Something like that." He muttered. Natsu reached behind him for another map of the same area so he could compare the two.

"You worried?"

Natsu glanced towards another, larger map that hung on the wall to his left before rolling his eyes at his father's question. "Hardly. Leading a search party is hardly difficult work. I consider it to be more of a boring chore than anything else."

"Just your luck then I suppose," Igneel muttered under his breath. Natsu raised an eyebrow at his father in question. The elder many paused for another moment before sighing through his nose. "You're leading the next raid."

"So I've been told, a brilliant idea if me opinion is valued." Natsu smirked and hopped off the table, only to pick up a sword and begin poking it towards to human dummy in the corner. "I've been waiting for something exciting such as this to happen. I'm perfectly capable of leading a raid."

"Brilliant he says, that incompetence will get him killed," Igneel muttered under his breath, which didn't go unheard by Natsu. Ignoring his father's jab at his incapability he focused on his blade, swiveling and moving expertly until finally severing the dummy's head in one sweep.

Laying the sword against the table, he turned back to his father, noticing the worry on his face for the first time. "You don't think I can handle it."

"It's not that, son."

"Than what is?" The young man questioned, leaning his hip against the table. He spun his sword in a circle at his feet, tip to the ground. "If you have something to say than I'd love to hear it." He said, though it sounded bitter and resentful.

"I'm only concerned for your safety—"

"Why?" Natsu interrupted as he began swinging his sword again, "It's just a village raid. I'm in no real danger. It's not like my life is on the line. Worst case scenario I'll be chased with a child's slingshot and I'll get a few bruises."

"There's always a danger when humans are involved." It donned on Igneel then, that his son had not been told where he was to be leading the raid, a simple observation considering his son was only concerned about bruises and child play things. "You were not told were you?"

Natsu raised a brow, silently asking his father what it was he hadn't been told.

Igneel shook his head. "Always jumping into things head on will result in your death. Next time know your place, know your enemy." The elder man clamped a strong hand on his son's shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on his blade, and turned him towards the map infested table. He grabbed one of the larger maps, pulling it towards him he scanned the layout until he found the area he was looking for.

Natsu glanced over the map his father was examining. It was a mountainous area, an advantage for somebody like him, until the layout flattened out into a vast plain and a number of scattered forests that merged together around a lake. His father pointed to a hilly clearing near the lake, tapping a few times to indicate it was what he was looking for.

Magnolia City, home to the Slayers and Lord Hearfilia the Rash.

Oh.

Well his father's concern made sense now, didn't it?

Natsu pursed his lips as he stared at the map. He could feel his father's eyes on him, watching him for any sort of reaction. The young man sighed and continued to stare at the map, silent for a moment before he said, "I'm being sent on a suicide mission."

It wasn't a question.

Igneel said nothing, not even when Natsu turned to him, his eyes full of panic and looking for any form of reassurance that wouldn't come. He pulling his son to him, hugging him for a long moment and sad when he had to let go, for both knew this may be last moments that they would spend together.

Because sending a young teenager, no matter how skilled, into the home of Lord Hearfilia the Rash was no laughing matter. His name came from the past, from his once brash antics as a young leader, but now he was anything but. He was a calculating and ruthless leader that led his people with a power that many of their kind had lost their lives too. This man, this man that would possibly kill his son, was no rash man of judgment.

Natsu pulled away from his father, picked up his blade and began hacking at the dummy in the corner again. Igneel watched his movements, which were once smooth and calculated but had turned jerky and nervous. His son was scared.

"Natsu."

The young man's shoulders slumped, the blade dangling loosely from his grip as it slid across the floor. His son didn't look at him when he spoke. "I don't want to die, papa."

Papa. The name once used by his son as a young child and which was now reserved for when Natsu hit at his lowest points. It was used when he was sad, lonely, and terrified. And the worst part about it now was that Igneel could do nothing to help his son, because he was being punished, and Natsu, his strong, loyal son, which was so full of life, was paying for his mistakes.

Facing death was not easy, and there's no way to prepare yourself for it.

Igneel moved towards his son, tugging at his shoulder the younger man had to choice but to turn towards him but he kept his gaze on the floor. The older man loosened his son's fingers from around the hilt of his sword and placed it on the table to their right. Then he looked at his son, with his strong hands on his young shoulders Igneel looked at the man that his son had become. Then he did something he swore he would never do to his only child.

He lied.

"Be strong my boy. You will be alright. I believe in you, in your skills. There has never been a warrior fiercer than the man who stands before me, a man who is my flesh and blood and who I raised to be a proud, strong fighter. Natsu, you will return here a victor and the kingdom will celebrate your victory like it hasn't celebrated for a thousand years.

Meer seconds after that the Grand Lord's highest ranking officers came for Natsu. They ushered him out of the room, giving him not even a moment to say goodbye to his father. All they had was a shared glance over the younger man's shoulder and then he was gone.

And Igneel, in that moment when his son was taken from him, had never felt more ashamed. Had never felt the sting of guilt and betrayal like this, for, even if Natsu didn't know it, he had betrayed his son's trust. So, consumed by his emotions, the once proud man fell to his knees and wept.

xXx

Quick, jerky breathe came from her throat and sweat covered her forehead, causing her dirt infested blonde locks to stick to her skin. Her body shook as she dug her nails into the ground as he stood over her with the blade of his sword stuck in the dirt between her shoulder and chin.

"You're such a fool." He said as he twisted the blade in the dirt.

She slowly shifted to her back. How had this happened? How had _she_ become the one covered in blood and dirt on the ground with _his _blade at her throat instead of the other way around? Where had her mistake been made…had there been one to begin with?

No, she supposed there hadn't been.

So when did she become the fool?

She took one last breath as he removed his blade from the dirt beside her so he could reposition it above her once again. Then she waited for the sharp tip of his sword to pierce her throat, the killing blow.

It stopped an inch from her jugular, just as she knew it would. Lucy huffed a breath as Gray removed his blade from her throat, smirking at her and giving her a suggestive wink as he sheathed the blade. "You know, I rather like the idea of you being beneath me, Lucy though I imagined it differently from the current situation." The blonde rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust, shoving away his hand when he offered it to her. In the distance they heard Gildart's holler for lunch break. Lucy trudged ahead, leaving the raven haired male to bask in his victory over the chief's only heir.

Levy squeaked, surprised by the loud banging made by the blonde's mug as she slammed it onto the table. Lucy stared at the amber liquid, apple cider, and felt her stomach squeeze in hunger, but decided against drinking the sweet drink and chose to run her index finer around the rim of the cup.

"Rough session, Lu?" Levy quipped as she returned to her book. Lucy rolled her eyes at her best friend and remained silent. Levy, as Lucy often put it, had it quite easy. The bluenette wasn't enrolled in training sessions like herself, but instead often came to keep Lucy company during her lunch breaks. She claimed that a life of training and fighting wasn't suited to her lifestyle and instead chose to help run her family's bookshop, which held anything and everything on printed paper.

"It'd be better if that pig would stop making references about wanting me in his bed."

Levy glanced quickly towards Gray, who was surrounded by a number of other young slayers, before returning her gaze to her book. He was Mr. Popular, a favorite of the elders and the ladies. Most looked up to him, which meant that many often questioned Lucy's strong distaste for the young man.

"Ignore him. Starting something will do you no good, Lu."

Lucy scoffed, taking a sip of her drink before pushing it away. "As if I'd be so foolish."

"Smart decision." Levy glanced over the top of her book, cracked a smile, and pushed her glasses up her nose with her index finger. "You have a visitor, Lu."

The blonde raised a brow and turned just as a man of middle age was about to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. He was a messenger and one of higher standards according to his uniform and the crest that rested over his heart.

"Miss. Lucy, your father has summoned you."

Confusion crossed her blonde's face at such a piece of information. Her father viewed her training sessions with great eminent, and always made sure she was never interrupted during them.

"I'm not to be disturbed during training."

"I'm sorry Miss. Lucy, but he has made it quite clear that you are to be summoned, despite the fact that you are in the middle of a session. Follow up training has already been scheduled for after the meeting to make up for the lost time. Now, if you will please follow me."

Without any other choice, Lucy rose from her seat and followed the man.

xXx

Deeps breaths, everything is fine.

Or so she told herself as she walked through the halls of her home, headed towards her father's throne room. There were many reasons that she could have been summon, and many reason that she tried to convince herself were the reasons, though none of them were of a positive outcome. Reality was, there was only one reason her father would summon her in the middle of a session.

She had failed him. Again.

Her heart was in her throat when she reached the throne room. The large doors loomed over her, more intimidating now than they had ever been, even when she was small. She loved her father, and he her, but she knew nothing good waiting for her on the other side of metal and wood.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy knocked. She waited a moment and then heard the faint "enter" from the other side of the door. With both hands she gripped the handle to the vast door and shoved it open with her shoulder.

Inside her father sat on his throne, making small talk with a servant girl who scurried off towards the kitchen when Lucy entered the room. Her father turned his gaze on her at her entry, and though it was kind and held love, it also held a great sense of disappointment, which, sadly, didn't surprise her.

"Good afternoon, daughter. I understand you must be wondering why I pulled you from your session today."

"Afternoon, father," Lucy greeted as she gave a slight bow of her head. They weren't normally so formal with each other, however under the current circumstances she felt to need to be so, perhaps it would stale is anger. "Yes, it was rather unexpected."

"Lucy," Her father started as he leaned forward in his chair before motioning her forward. "I understand that your results in your training sessions have been less than adequate. I'm growing tired of the failures, daughter. As well as your excuses."

"Father when I—,"

"There lies the problem, Lucy. You always talk about _when_. I'll understand _when_ you kill a dragon, the city will accept you _when _you've finally tamed one of the beasts and mounted his head on a plaque for all the world to see. I need_ now_, daughter! It's high time you know that more than your lack of ability at dragon slaying is at stake here; it's your ability to lead. To be somebody your people can look to for guidance. The time has come for you to start doing, to accomplish what it is you were born to do."

"Father I'm trying I—,"

"If you can't slay a dragon by midsummer you will be relinquished of your title."

Lucy froze. Her muscles tightened and turned stiff, as if she had had ice water poured into her veins. Her father's eyes turned soft as he watched the war that raged within his daughter, he loved her, for no father had loved his daughter more than he loved his, but he had to push her.

"Most of your peers have either succeeded in their first kill or they have assisted in one." Lucy almost collapsed from shock when her father's strong hand clamped down on her shoulder. "I do this for you, daughter. Perhaps in order to succeed you must be pushed, but my threat stands firm, do not think this it null and void."

"Father, please, I—,"

"Fall is ending and the beginning of winter is fast upon us. You have till midsummer. If you don't prove your worth by then I'll have no choice but to relinquish you of your title as heir. Now I haven't another child to pass on the title too, but that is a problem easily fixed." Lucy watched as her father returned to his throne. Though high and mighty he was, he was aging, something that she could see clearly in his desperation, which he hid well, but couldn't hide from her.

"You wouldn't possibly."

"Come now, Lucy. Marriage is not the end of the world; it is how a society like ours survives. Don't think harshly of me, daughter, I do what I believe is in your best interest. A number of suitors have already asked for your hand, though I have been clear that you are not yet ready for such a commitment. Perhaps the time has come."

Lucy stared at her father, dumbfounded, before composing herself enough to ask, "Suitors?"

"Loki of the Celestial Village in the north has expressed interest, as have a number from Sabertooth in the south. I, however, prefer for our tires to stay within the village. Gray Fullbuster would suit you nicely."

"I would rather gut myself alive than lie with a swine like Gray Fullbuster."

"Come now, Lucy. He is a capable young man, and one I would be proud to call my son-in-law. He would care for you and your children splendidly, build you a fine home with his own two hands, provide food for you to live happily."

"He would harass me into breeding for him! That's the only use I would have for him. The man knows nothing or respect or morals!"

"Enough, daughter!" Lucy flinched as her father brought his large hand down on his chair, causing the goblet that had been placed on the arm to fall, and the wine to spread across the floor. "I am trying to be civil with you, Lucy but you will not hear of it. You will marry Gray Fullbuster come midsummer."

"I refuse."

"Then prove you are still worth something! Prove you deserve your title as my heir!" He bellowed as he stood from his throne once again. Lucy said nothing as he strode past her, taking the hallway that would lead him to his chambers and the war room.

The sound of slamming doors indicated she was alone. Lucy crumbled to the ground.

xXx

To be continued : _Chapter 2: Scales and Daggers_

**AN:** Hi lovelies! Another Fairy Tail story! Yay! This thing has been brewing in my stories folder for months so if parts of it seem rushed that's because it's a combination of old and new pieces smashed together. It might even be older than _War Pawn_. Haha shows how lazy I am.

Same old, same old. I apologize for my lazy editing.

Read and Review! I love feedback!

Love dearies,

ZiraUzu


	2. Scales and Daggers

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 2: _Scales and Daggers_

(June 12, 2014)

xXx

"Again. Harder! You thrust your sword with the strength of a baby sparrow!"

"I'm trying! This thing is bloody heavy!" Lucy screeched at her dueling instructor as she thrust the blade towards the stuffed dummy again, lobbing off its left arm but only just. The blonde heaved a sigh and lowered her blade to catch her breath, letting it slide across the dirt in its descend towards the ground.

Suddenly the blonde was struck on the back of her head, knocking her forward and face first into the gravel. "Who said you could rest?" Lucy whimpered softly and probed the new cuts on her nose and cheeks. Damn gravel. Damn Makarov.

She heard the old man sigh through his nose as he stepped around her. Once he was in front of her he stooped down, even though it didn't do much for him, considering his short stature. "You're opponent will not wait for you to catch your breath, child." He pulled and pushed Lucy to her knees and wiped the fresh blood from her nose, "They will strike. Here" He landed a soft blow to her lower stomach, "And here." Another to just above her breast. "Killing blows, which your enemy will seek and use. Don't give them chances because they will not do the same. Now again."

Lucy nodded and forced herself to her feet. Her face throbbed with the fresh cuts, which were probably infested with dirt and gravel, but she could hardly care less at the moment. She had more pressing things to worry about than her face.

"Now," Makarov said, "Your blade is a part of you, use it as such. Consider it an extension and maneuver it as if it were your own flesh and bones, powerful with your blood. Each thrust is a pulsation of power. Now. Thrust!"

She did. Lucy charged forward, swinging her blade at Makarov with new motivation and power. She thrust and pivoted on her heels, digging them into the dirt to hold her ground when he countered attacked, hacking and slashing at any opening she gave him. The blonde grit her teeth when his blade came down on hers, the metal screeching in protest before he swiveled his wrist and disarmed her.

"Adequate." He said when he finally lowered his blade form her throat after a long moment, "But still with the need of improvement. Slow down and focus on your opponent, read them. Speed, while important, is also a hindrance. Move too quickly and your blade with miss and we wouldn't want your pretty head sliced farther than it already is."

Lucy watched the old man sheath his blade before sheathing her own, he grumbled quietly to himself for a moment, rubbing a hand under his nose before returning his attention to her. "Tomorrow we practice pivot work and disarming. Rest easy tonight child, I shall see you at the crack of dawn." Then he turned on his heel and strode back toward the armory.

Once the old man had disappeared through the large wooden doors of the armory Lucy turned to head towards the Great Hall, where she was most likely to find Levy hiding under a pile of books in the hall's library. Dragging her feet through the loose gravel, Lucy shouldered her sword, preferring to carry it over her back than at her hip, when she felt something thump softly against her lower back. She stiffened for a moment before continuing in her trek.

"Oh come now, Heartfilia." He chuckled as he nudged her in the back again. She grit her teeth. Lucy had felt that somebody had been watching her all morning, and now she knew why. Stalker. "Are you so humiliated by your pathetic loss this morning that you can't acknowledge my greeting?"

"Fullbuster that was not a greeting it was an inappropriate handling of my backside. Now, do me a favor and go get eaten by something." She paused for a moment, then turned to face him and leaned in close to his face. "Particularly something foul."

"Foul?" Gray reached forward and curled his long fingers around the strap across Lucy's chest, pulling her forward and into his body. She grunted and grimaced as he slid his hands to her hips, caressing the exposed skin there. "Such a dirty mouth. I can think of a better way to use it."

She glared at him, her gaze piercing and icy as she hissed, "Go to hell," at him through clenched teeth.

He clucked his tongue at her. "Now, now, Lucy, is that anyway to speak to the man that will one day be your husband?"

She froze. Lucy's limbs felt like shards of breakable ice and she stood rigid in his arms. This man, this sorry bastard who spoke to her like she was his play thing had just called himself her husband, which meant that he knew and her father had done something that she wasn't going to forgive easily: he had _told_ him, had basically promised her to him.

She shoved him. Hard. Gray took a step back, but other than that he was unfazed when she shoved him. Lucy glared at him and righted her sword on her back, taking a step back as she clutched her sword strap. "I think not."

He laughed. "Really now?" He snickered and tugged her towards him again. "As if you have the right to say such things or deny me in anyway. Your whole future depends on me; you just refuse to see it." He leaned in until she could feel his lips on her ear and his warm breath ghosting over her hair. "I own you, Lucy Heartfilia."

Gray had probably expected a few different scenarios in this situation. One, that she would pout and cry. Two, that she would pout, cry and stomp her feet. Or three, that she would do all these things plus punch him before running away. She did none of these things, however. Lucy grit her teeth and elbowed him in the ribcage before pulling her sword from her back. The blade sliced through the air and came to rest at the young man's jugular. Gray's blue eyes widened when he found the tip of her sword pressed against his throat but he still smirked.

"Well, well, look who's learned how to use a blade."

"Shut it you disgusting piece rubbish." Her blade pressed into his skin, yet not enough to draw blood. "Let me make his perfectly clear, I belong to no one."

His lips pulled into a sneer, "Not yet—gah!" Fresh, warm blood dripped from a slash above Gray's eye. Lucy's eyes widened, in her hand was the small dagger that she normally carried at her hip, and it was covered in Gray's blood.

"I-I'm," Lucy stared down at her dagger, surprised that she had lashed out at him with a weapon. It felt . . . kinda good, being able to wield even a small amount of power over him. "Listen here, Fullbuster. _I _am the heir to my father's throne, not you. Don't go acting all high and mighty because of a small possibility. You are still beneath me. Remember that." Pivoting on her heal, Lucy began to walk away.

"This doesn't change anything." Gray shouted after her as he ripped a part of his shirt and pressed it into the slash above his eye. "Despite your actions and your best efforts to prove yourself I know you'll fail, and by midsummer, Heartfilia, you'll be mine!"

xXx

"Burn them, torch them, basically set everything on fire!"

Natsu squinted his eyes, one brow quirked upwards in curiosity as he tilted his head to the side. This wasn't what he had been expecting. Of course, Natsu loved burning things as much as the next guy, but the man in front of him, who was supposed to be briefing him on the raid, was spouting nonsense. He wasn't stupid, telling him to burn everything was like telling a human to breath, it was just common knowledge.

"You listenin', boy? I don't want to have to repeat myself, this is important information. Could save yer life."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu mumbled as he stood from the wooden chair be had been sitting in for the last two hours. His ass was killing him. "Do we have a perimeter?" He questioned, leaning over the elder man's desk to look at his maps and notes. "Anything about the village defense, troops, material suppliers?"

"All in due time, lad," The old man grumbled, obviously annoyed that Natsu had interrupted him mid lecture, "Now as I was saying…"

And he continued like that for the next hour and a half. Natsu had seriously considered cutting off his ears but figured simply tuning the old man out would benefit him in the long run, considering how he would be needing his ears later. Honestly the lecture probably would have continued if one of the Great Lord's person guards hadn't barged into the room. Natsu glanced at the other man out of the corner of his eye and decided to just remain where he was in silence; the guard already looked pretty pissed off.

"What the hell are you doing here boy?"

Surprise lit up Natsu's features when the guard turned his anger on him, honestly confused at the man's outburst. "Getting briefed on how to set things on fire, as if I didn't already know how to do that."

The guard glared and rolled his eyes at Natsu's snide remark before turning to the man who had been briefing him. "Who brought him here? He was supposed to be going over final raid tactics with Lord Silver over two hours ago!"

Well that explained the boring lecture. Without waiting for instruction Natsu rose from his seat and left the room, heading towards the Tactics Hall. As a child he had loved the Tactics Hall and in his earlier years he had followed his father through the hall, hiding behind the bookcases and jumping out at him to appease his childhood amusement. He, of course, had never succeeded in scaring his old man, but seeing his face light up with mirth at his son's excitement had been enough for Natsu. Damn he missed being small. Adult work wasn't fun.

Natsu's lips pulled down as he shoved the thick door open when he reached the hall. Seriously why were all the doors in this place so heavy? Inside he found Lord Silver pacing the floor, a look of heavy irritation present on his face and as Natsu stepped into the room he grumbled and simply pointed to the maps laid out over the table. "Sit. Don't talk. Now."

"S' not my fault," Natsu grumbled but he listened anyways, sitting down in the chair nearest to him.

"I, Dragneel, do not care whose fault it is. The only thing _I _care about is the fact that your three bloody fucking hours late! Now shut it." Silver reprimanded. The younger man said nothing more, instead choosing to pull the maps towards him, making note of the lines and markers on the frayed pieces of paper.

"These are outdated," He muttered to himself.

"You want to head into enemy territory to do surveillance and mapping?" Natsu said nothing. "Didn't think so. It's a waste of troops and time, and therefore, not one of our higher concerns."

Natsu grunted in agreement. They continued like that for the next few hours, Natsu taking notes, Silver reprimanding him and Natsu grunting his agreement. It wasn't a particularly pleasant session, but it was essential and Natsu was better off from it. Silver was one of the best raiders his people had and the younger man would take what he could from him. He was the Grand Lord's head raider and his success rate was impeccable. Rumor had it he had only failed one raid in his life.

The two men were in the middle of discussing their backup tactics when heavy door scrapped across the stone floor. Natsu ignored the sound, preferring to continue the discussion but Silver looked up. His face turned slightly grave at the sight of the new comer but Natsu paid no attention towards it until Silver stood and bowed to the stranger, causing the younger man to glance over his shoulder.

"Grand Lord, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Silver greeted with a slight bow of his head, kicking Natsu under the table as he did so, signaling that the younger male should stand up and show some respect. Natsu, however, ignored the both of them and turned back to his map, muttering a soft "whatever" under his breath.

The Grand Lord chuckled quietly, a raspy sound that made the hairs on the back of Natsu's neck stand up. "Continue. I'm merely here to observe." The old man whispered and though quiet and from across the room it was heard by both of the younger members of the group. The Grand Lord moved off to the side then, obviously only pretending to look at the books on the shelf in front of him.

Natsu grunted and pulled a think tactics volume towards him, opening it to the center of the book, only to have it closed in his face a moment later by Silver. Natsu's gaze shot up, ready to chew out the older man for making him loose his place, when he caught the grave look on Silver's face, though it was only present in his eyes. "What?"

But Silver only shook his head and shoved a different volume towards the pinkette, "Chapter twelve: Escape Tactics."

X

He was brash yet intelligent, occasionally spiteful, and, much to the Grand Master's liking, not spineless. Not many were brave enough to ignore his presence when he stepped into a room. Silver, of course, acknowledged him out of loyalty, but the boy, to put it simply, just didn't give a fuck. It had surprised him a bit, to see that Igneel's son was so indifferent about his presence when his father cowered at the very thought of him. It pleased him to say the least. Excellent qualities for a leader, especially one to lead a raid.

He would lead his people to victory tonight and the Grand Master could practically taste the fresh blood that this boy was destined to spill in his name. He chuckled quietly, absolutely giddy at the idea.

He felt Silver's eyes follow him as he moved about the room, collecting books and scrolls that needed to be sifted through in his spare time. "He will do nicely."

"And if he should fail?" Silver, ever the pessimistic.

"He dies." Another raspy chuckle left his throat, bringing about a coughing attack. "And if he should succeed his father dies. That old coward has become an eyesore and a thorn in my side. I haven't the time for him. Remove him whichever way you see fit. I shall have his son for my heir when he returns and I can't very well have that with this father alive. Now go, leave me to my work."

With a wave of his hand Silver left the Tactics Hall, and the Grand Master turned his nose towards his scrolls, chuckling gleefully to himself as he imagined Igneel's head on a spike and Natsu on his throne.

X

Natsu paced through the landing zone, waiting for the last of his raid soldiers to make themselves present. Dammit he didn't like waiting and would have left by himself if a number of people wouldn't throw a fit about it. He sighed through his nose, pinching the bridge in a sorry attempt to keep his irritation in check.

"Natsu, sorry we're late!"

"Don't give me that shit!" The pinkette growled quietly though it didn't go unheard. "You're late, if I get bitched at because of this it's your fault." The two late soldiers shrugged it off, knowing he wasn't truly angry with them. Being friends with the raid leader had its perks.

Gajeel Redfox and Lisanna Strauss shared a smirk before moving towards their friend, each giving him an affectionate punch on the shoulder, though Gajeel's was more of a slug. Natsu rolled his eyes and shoved them off him, chuckling quietly before calling for the attention of his soldiers.

Ten in all. Ten lives rested in his hands.

"I won't lie to you. This won't be an easy raid. Tonight we take the treasure and secrets of Heartfilia the Rash! Fight to bring honor and glory to our people, and now, my brothers and sisters," He turned and gazed out towards the open sky, moonlight streaming in through the gaping hole in the sheer cliff face. "Take to the sky."

The landing zone filled with the sound of crunching bone and joints popping as the soldiers behind him morphed into their natural skin. Grunting and impatient roars filled the room as the monsters around him shuffled around before leaping into the sky where they would await farther orders.

"Ready?" Lisanna came up behind him, pushing him softly before leaning back into the black, scaly hide of the beast that waited beside her. "Better hurry," She teased as white, feathery scales began to dot the skin on her face and arms, "Or you'll be left behind."

Natsu chuckled, his skin already peppered in patches of a blood red, scaly hide. Bones and joints snapped out of place for a moment and then reconnected as his limbs widened and grew, his spine extended and large spinal ridges shot from his back, extending into powerful wings. A blood read beast took the place of a young man.

A dragon.

The raid had begun.

xXx

To be continued : _Chapter 3: Seconds and Chances_

**AN:** Hi lovelies! Wow I think that's the fastest I've ever updated anything. Ever. Like in my whole life. What's going on?! I'm seriously never this fast (yes this is considered fast for me). Anyhow, I find that I like writing Natsu's side of the story a lot better, haha hence the reason why his part is like five times longer than Lucy's. Her part will be more important in the next chapter. Promises. Also Gray is a cocky little bastard in this story isn't he? Kinda? I'll probably make him nicer as the story goes on and he actually forms a friendship with Lucy. If he does. I'm not quite sure yet.

Same old, same old. I apologize for my lazy editing.

Read and Review! I love feedback!

Love dearies,

ZiraUzu


	3. Seconds and Chances

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

Fair Maiden © Disney Pixar

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 3: _Seconds and Chances_

(July 21, 2014)

xXx

"_Mise ri d' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhan, Ar righinn oig, fas as faic, Do thir, dileas fhein…be brave, my dear sweet, Lucy…"_

Lucy groaned and stifled a yawn behind her hand as she stretched. The sleepy blonde glanced around, deeming that she had fallen asleep in the gardens behind her father's home again. A worn book lay on her stomach and it quickly clattered to the stone pathway when she leaned up. It landed with a soft thump and the blonde gasped in surprise at the sudden noise before bending over to pick it up.

It had been her mother's favorite book.

Lucy raised a brow and rubbed a finger under her nose as she gazed at the worn novel, whose covers had seen better days and pages had yellowed with age. Once her mother's, the novel was now her own favorite and Lucy had read it quite a number of times since her mother passed. It was both a hindrance and a comfort to her.

Something that she both loved and despised.

Such as the world was, to love and hate the same thing and the thought of feeling both emotions for one object had often puzzled her but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind for the time being. Clutching the book to her chest, Lucy frowned as she recalled the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her every night before she went to sleep. She had all but forgotten about the melody, considering she hadn't heard it since she was small, her father always refused to sing it for her, even after her mother's death. It had led to many lonely nights.

So why she would dream of such a thing was quite curious. And the fact that she dreamed about the last time her mother had sang the lullaby to her even more so.

_Be brave, my dear sweet, Lucy._

Her lips twitched into a small smile. She truly had loved her mother.

Sighing through her nose the blonde hopped to her feet, the metal soles of her boots scrapping along the stone as she made her way back towards the house, her mother's book tucked safely between her arms and her stomach.

As she walked, Lucy began to notice small gray patched scattered across the stone walkway. She raised a brow and crouched until she was balancing on the balls of her feet. Running a finger through the grey patch, she found that it was soft and powdery, easily smudging across her skin when she rubbed her index and thumb fingers together.

Then it was falling.

All around her grey specs fell from the sky; Lucy glanced around, watching as they covered the grass, the house and even the bench that she had once been asleep long. She looked at her fingers again and raised them to her nose.

It smelt like smoke.

It was soot.

_Be brave, my dear sweet, Lucy._

Slowly her eyes widened in understanding, and that's when the first screech reached her.

It was deafening. Her hands instantly pressed against her ears but it did little to drown out the dragon's battle cry. Her head pulsed and she felt as if it had been smacked by a boulder. The earth beneath her shook, throwing her off balance. Skin tore as she collided with the ground and she only had time to wince and take a quick glance before she was screeching herself and pressing her hands against her skull.

No.

No, make it _stop._

It wasn't going to stop.

Because nothing had ever stopped a phenomenon like this, nothing had ever stopped a dragon raid. Lucy listened as the screeching passed over her but she didn't dare look towards the sky. The sound of powerful wings filled the air and the sound of slayers taking action mixed with the cries of the dragons as they headed towards the center of the village. Large shadows passed over her and she didn't dare breathe. How was this possible? Dragons hadn't raided the Heartfilia territory in over three centuries.

This wasn't the time to be sitting around. Slowly Lucy forced herself to her feet and before she was even balanced she was sprinting towards the armory that her father kept under the house. The doors rattled on their hinges when she threw them open, causing the old wood to splinter as it smashed against the side of the house and the ground. Lucy, however, was in too much of a hurry to care about some broken door.

Shuffling through the mountains of boxes and debris, Lucy pulled a number of swords from boxes only to find that they were rusted, cracked, or broken completely in half. "Useless piece of crap!" She hurled one of the swords at the stone wall. Why in Mavis's name was her father keeping all these broken pieces of junk? Her breathing turned labored as she moved farther into the armory. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes as smoke started to roll in through the entrance of the cellar. Lucy gasped and ducked behind a crate of hard metal just as the scaly hide of a black dragon nuzzled its way through the door. It breathed slowly and the sparks erupting from its nostrils caused the crates closest to it to catch fire.

Target practice finally had a purpose.

The dragon shrieked and pulled its head from the armory. It clawed restlessly at the dagger that was imbedded into its eye socket, tearing the flesh around its eye farther and rendering the eye useless. Lucy slipped from the cellar, her stomach turning as the dragon rolled around in the gravel, trying to remove the dagger but only serving to shove it farther into its skull. Tears stung her eyes and bile rose in her throat, she ran as the beast fell to its knees.

X

Gray cursed and bared his teeth at the dragon that had dared to stick its nose into the window he had been occupying. Seriously he had been minding his own business and had been peacefully sharpening his dagger when the beast had shrieked and tried to bite his ear off. He smirked and slashed it across the nose, causing thick, purple blood to pour from its blue hide. Stupid beasts should know better than to stick their snouts into the Slayer's crafting warehouse.

The dragon screeched at him and thrashed its strong neck between the pains of the window, lashing at him with its sharp teeth. Gray hissed and shoved his foot into the monster's snout; he heard a sickening crack as it tumbled from the window and withered on the ground before taking off towards the other end of the village.

"Fuck, Gray! Kill it, don't break its nose! You've angered it now!" Makarov barked and whipped a two handed sword in his direction. He caught it with one hand, balancing it with his right hand and then his left before fisting it with both appendages. "Careful with that one lad, it's a powerful weapon." Makarov kicked the door open and a hoard of slayers spilled from the warehouse. "Hope ye can handle it." Then the old man disappeared into the smoke.

Gray glanced at the silver blade in his hands and clenched his fits around the hilt. It was Heartfilia the Rash's first sword, handcrafted from the scales of the Dragon Queen herself. Or so the story went.

He would be worthy.

Then, with little hesitation, he followed Makarov into the smoke. He had only two goals during this dragon raid: Find and protect his future wife, whether she wanted his protection or not, and kill the beast that had tried to lobe his ear off.

X

Fire.

It was everywhere, all she could see. Brilliant flames licked along every wall that lined the streets of the Heartfilia territory. Lucy coughed as the smoke invaded her lungs but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind. It didn't matter. Nothing about her mattered, only the people did.

Her father had found her shortly after she had escaped their home armory and had instructed her to help the civilians to the safe houses, which lay almost half a day's journey from here. She had been outraged to say the least, claiming that she was capable of helping here.

"I haven't the time to argue with you, Lucy! Your citizens are what's important protection _them_!" Then he had disappeared into the smoke, leaving her to her given task, which she would carry out without question. Lucy, however, felt a disgusting knot begin to form in her stomach as she ushered the civilians from the burning debris of their homes.

She wanted to be like the others.

She wanted to be a slayer.

It was becoming more and more clear to her now though that she wasn't, and possibly never would be. Her task was to rule her people with a _man_ by her side, not alone. It was her job to protect the people _from_ the danger, not rid the people of the danger. The guilty jealousy ate her alive.

And she hated herself for it.

Lucy grit her teeth and pushed her legs harder, making sure that she led the citizens safely from the fire and into the wood. She would lead them to safety, even if she'd rather be fighting for them.

"Miss. Lucy." A whisper came from behind her as she breached the trees with the civilians that had been lucky enough to escape from the raid. She raised a brow and turned a stern gaze on the elderly man that had spoken, her gaze softening slightly when he gave her a wrinkle-lipped smile, "We know the way, Miss. Lucy. You needn't burden yourself with us any farther."

"No, you aren't a burden! None of you could ever be a burden to me. It's my duty to protect you." She stated as she turned to begin walking towards the safe houses.

"We implied no such thing, Miss. Lucy." The old man took her scarred hand in his. She marveled at the feel of his skin, so smooth and wrinkled against her, which was rough with the calluses that came from years of training. "We know that you'd rather be fighting to protect us than leading us from the danger. Go."

She glanced around her, at the faces of the young and the old, the faces of mothers and fathers and children. These were her people, she loved them and they her. Encouragement shown from all of their eyes. They wanted her to fight for them.

And she would fight.

She glanced back only once, at the faces that shown with love for their future ruler, love for their slayer princess. She could feel it at her back as the tears filled her eyes and she dived back into the smoldering city.

X

_Tails and wings, a downed dragon is a dead dragon._

Lucy sifted through all her past lessons with Gildarts, each piece of information that would and could save her life when she came face to face with one of the monsters. The Heartfilia territory was large and she had yet to encounter one of the beasts that had turned her home to ruins and ash. They were slim in numbers then.

_Keep to the shadows, even if their eyesight in impeccable, they tend to shoot moving targets out in the open than targets that are concealed along alley walls._

Lucy crouched among the debris, moving only when she was certain that the area was empty. Her sword hung heavily on her back, pressing its weight into her bones as she moved through the alleyways. She wasn't fool enough to take the main roads.

Perhaps she should have.

Rounding a corner Lucy came face to face with a large white dragon. Her scales feathered around her face and her wings stood up straight from her back, only the tips grazed the stone walls of the alleyway. Lucy gazed into the bluest eyes she had ever laid eyes on, and the dragon stared back. Her breathing turned shallow as she slowly backed towards the entrance of the alley and the dragon lowered her head. Her lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing perfect, white, razor teeth that could easily tear through her flesh.

One second.

Two.

Times up.

The white beast thrashed her claws at Lucy just as she threw her dagger. The sharp talons slashed through her flesh, catching on skin and muscle. The pain was immediate. She shrieked as she was thrown into the alley wall, the dragon's claws never releasing their hold, it pulled her towards it until she was lying partially under it. Its mouth mire inches from her head and neck. Her arm pulsed. She was losing too much blood.

And in that moment, Lucy knew she was going to die.

The pain in her arm subsided as her body lost blood and her nerves went dead. Lucy noticed her dagger, which lay useless to her off to the side. She hadn't made her mark, hadn't injured the creature above her in the slightest. Somehow, she wasn't upset. Her breathing was slow, calm as she turned her head, brown eyes blank and void of emotion as she stared into the blue eyes of the beast that would bring about her death.

She was ready.

That's when the blue dragon came crashing through the alley.

Lucy gasped, her eyes suddenly alive as the blue beast was thrown into the creature above her, sending both dragons sprawling into a tangle of limbs, wings and claws. A rough hand clasped under her arm, hauling her to her feet before it threw her over a strong shoulder. The air flew from her lungs as her body went limp.

"Gray." She whispered his name into his naked back, her lips brushing the tanned, dirty skin. Her blood and tears mixed with his sweat and he hauled her away without a word. Pink flashed across her vision and she gasped, only to have Grey's strong hand squeeze the back of her thigh in reassurance a second later.

"I've got you, princess."

So he did. Then Lucy's body finally fell into unconsciousness.

xXx

He thought she was pretty.

A rather strange thought, considering she had been covered in blood, her flesh had been torn open and his best friend had just been about to eat her. And he had been watching. How morbid was that?

xXx

She gasped, her eyes suddenly flying open when a sharp pain shot up the length of her arm. It was excruciating and she wanted it gone, the arm, and the pain, all of it. Just cut the damn thing off! She didn't need it.

"Shh," Gray cooed. She felt his strong hand rest on her shoulder and it pushed her back into her previous position; she hadn't even realized that she had sat up. "Calm down, Heartfilia, I'm trying to fix your damn arm here and frankly your thrashing about is making it rather difficult."

She turned her gaze on him and found that all the hard lines that usually made up his face had melted away. He looked concerned, his features soft as he gazed at her, blue eyes unblinking and calm.

She turned away, "How bad is it?" Her voice came out as a raspy whisper. Ugh great.

"You won't lose it," He said. She felt a slight pressure before another stab of pain flared up her arm. He was stitching up the slashes she realized as another shot of pain came and went. "But I'm no doctor, Heartfilia. It's only a patch up job."

"It'll have to do," She growled out. When he had finished she went to nudge him away and out of her personal space but found that her arm was useless and mobility of the appendage had been severed for the time being. Yay.

"Here," Gray pulled an extra sword scabbard from his supply pouch, which rested casually on his hipbone, "It may not be much but they make a hell'v'a sling." He gingerly placed her arm in the leather rings that usually supported the sheath before stringing it around her body. His hands ghosted over her collarbone as he brushed her hair aside before he tightened the strap, securing her injured arm to her chest. "All patched up, princess."

"Thanks." It came out as a whispered rasp again.

Slowly, so as not to bump her arm, Lucy glanced towards the opening of the little makeshift shelter that Gray and her currently sat in, only now realizing that it was actually part of a collapsed roof that had wedged itself up against the nearby wall, creating a small, concealed space. The street outside was deserted. "Where is everybody?" The silence was unsettling.

Gray crawled up behind her until they were pressed shoulder to shoulder, "Probably at The Ring. From what we gathered there weren't that many dragons, only about eight or nine." Lucy noticed that he was digging his fingers into the dirt beneath him. "To think that so few of them could cause all of this." Lucy remained silent, letting him calm down from his momentary flair of anger, "We managed to down a few and concealed them within The Ring, and the others most likely retreated when they saw their comrades being herded like cattle."

"Don't talk about them as if they're humans." Lucy scoffed , "Comrades my ass. The Ring's on the other side of the village. Chances that we'll run into others?"

"Slim, but its best to be on your guard."

The Ring was the arena were the Slayers held sporting events and festivals, though it also doubled as a dragon execution and torture ground. The place had always made Lucy's stomach drop and turn, just knowing that a public gutting had happened in the same place where the Slayers sometimes held celebrations had never sat right with her, despite the thorough cleaning.

Slowly and cautiously the pair eased their way from their hiding place. The silence hung in the air so thick that Lucy could almost taste it. Gray nudged her forward and strapped a crossbow to her backside before handing her a dozen arrows in a quiver and a special one that would open into twin blades when shot. She slung the quiver over her good shoulder and let Gray clip the special one to her hip, right next to the crossbow if she was in dire need of it. Gray glanced at the crossbow and then at her injured arm before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I realize now the chances of you being able to use that efficiently are rather slim, princess."

"Don't call me princess. And lucky me my arm was broken when I learned to use a crossbow." Gray smirked at her sass but said nothing more as they ran down the street.

Night had fallen some time ago and now their only source of light was the dying flames that still licked at the charred wood of the burnt buildings of the village, holding on to the last stretch of their lives. They ducked around corners and slunk through the charred remains of buildings, narrowly escaping a few times when the ceiling suddenly collapsed. The air was still deathly silent.

Then they reached the town square.

In the center of the square there was a giant fountain, which was built in honor of Lucy's ancestor, the first Heartfilia, who had founded the Heartfilia territory. And on top of that noble monument sat the one of the most terrifying creatures from Slayer lore. It was supposed to be a myth, they didn't exist.

_They didn't exist!_

Cold sweat broke out over Lucy's entire body as she stared up at the creature. Her eyes locking with its own piercing green orbs and in that moment she was paralyzed, unable to move even if she had wanted to. Its scaly red hide glowed in the moonlight, shinning like fresh blood. Lucy's eyes followed the ridge of its vast, bony wings, which were currently folded against its back, down to its powerful shoulders and then its tail, which was wrapped around the neck of her ancestor and then continued to fall down the length of the statue. The ridges on its back blended in with the ebony on the night sky.

Fire Eater.

Lucy only blinked once and then it was on her.

xXx

**AN: **Hello lovelies! Well that was exciting wasn't it? I hope I made the raid interesting enough, I tried to make it detailed but sometimes things just run away when I'm writing. I'm happy with it at least! This whole chapter is mainly from Lucy's point of view, with only a quick glance into Gray's and a very, very tiny glance into Natsu's. This surprised me actually, considering I prefer writing from Natsu's perspective. Originally I was going to put a long section from Natsu's perspective but that was when I didn't know what was going to happen with this chapter.

Gray is actually nice in this chapter! He's a sweetie! I think he's bipolar. I'm still not sure how I want him to turn out because, well, I kinda like making him in asshole, yet I also like making him a sweetheart. Life conflictions! And just to be clear, even though there are hints of GrayLu this isn't a GrayLu story it's 100% NaLu, just in case people were wondering if I was changing my mind about the pairing. No. I'm a fulltime NaLu shipper and honestly wouldn't put either Natsu or Lucy with anybody else but each other.

Why do my authors notes always turn into rants?

I apologize for my lazy editing!

Read and Review! I love feedback!

Love dearies,

ZiraUzu


	4. Silence and Answers

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Noble Fair Maiden © Disney Pixar

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 4: _Silence and Answers_

(August 27, 2014)

xXx

Airborne.

Lucy's mouth opened but her scream was silent as the Fire Eater's claws sunk into her shoulders, tearing more flesh and scraping against bone almost as deeply as the White Dragon's claws had gone. Gray screamed her name and she felt her body twist painfully in the same moment that her feet left the ground. The dragon's powerful wing beats obscured the wind around her, hindering her vision as she tried to glance back at Gray.

She didn't scream his name. Didn't beg for help.

Why?

Suddenly the Fire Eater screeched and its cry was filled with pain. Lucy's body thrashed back and forth as the beast whipped its body around in the sky. Its head was bent backwards, reaching towards its wing and then it was staring into her eyes again. It smirked.

Then she was falling.

Lucy's body collided with Gray's as he caught her, sending them both to the ground with a loud thumb and a painful groan. Her crossbow lay next to them and it was then that she realized the painful twist of her body had been Gray ripping the weapon from her hip when the Fire Eater had lifted her into the air.

She vaguely heard Gray curse as he eased her off him and onto her back. She was bleeding again. Could the day get any worse? Gray pushed her hair back from her forehead and began rummaging through his supply pack again, pulling out long pieces of gauze.

"I-is it gone?" She coughed out, it came out gurgled and quiet. She reached her good arm up towards her ripped shoulder, wanting to assess the damage for herself; Gray quickly tapped the appendage away before he ripped the top of her shirt from her body and began pressing gauze to the fresh wounds.

"It's gone, princess."

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of fire and slayers as they tumbled back into the streets, undoubtedly alerted by the Fire Eater's cry. Gray shook her awake when he noticed that her eyes had fluttered shut and she groaned inwardly when she realized that she wouldn't be sleeping for the next couple hours. Smoke spiraled upward and she watched it with interest, barely noticing as the other slayers began to gather around her and Gray.

"Lucy!" Brown eyes continued to stare skyward as Lucy's father came to kneel beside his daughter. "What happened, Fullbuster?" He was hollering at the younger male but it barely registered in Lucy's mind as her father gingerly lifted her head and set it in his lap. The smell of spices and fresh pinewood filled her nose and a calming sense passed through her.

"It—," Gray was going into shock. She briefly glanced at his shaking body and it dawned on her then that he had acted purely on instinct when he had saved her, everything was catching up with him now. "They don't exist. They aren't supposed to_ exist!"_ He was screaming at her father now and another slayer had to restrain him so he wouldn't injure himself.

"What doesn't exist, boy?"

Gray's body went limp in the other slayer's arms and then two words left his lips. "Fire Eater."

Lucy felt her father's body grow tense and rigid. His precious daughter, his everything had almost been eaten by a Fire Eater. It wasn't possible; Fire Eaters hadn't been seen for over eight centuries. They had been careless, foolish to think that something as dangerous as this creature no longer existed. They had withheld information from their young, hadn't trained them in the art of killing them.

And now his daughter's life was in danger because of one.

Lucy felt herself being handed over to another slayer who lifted her into his strong arms and began to carry her off towards the Medical Hall. Her head hung over his arm and she gazed back towards her father who was telling Gray to get a grip, shaking him roughly by the shoulders in order to snap him out of his terrified trance.

Gray gasped deeply and she watched the life return to his eyes.

"Where is it, boy? Where's the Fire Eater?"

"I don't know where it is, but it's downed." Gray righted himself and hooked Lucy's crossbow to his hip before turning to stare into the dangerous eyes of Heartfilia the Rash. "It's injured and down, the only thing left is to find it."

Her father raised his sword and let out a battle cry unlike any that she had ever heard. "This beast tried to steal my daughter from me, your princess! Find it! It dies and it dies tonight, I want its head on a spike!"

xXx

Fuck he was a fool.

He cursed at himself as he limped thought the charred remains of the southern end of the village. He had been so careful, so precise in every action that he took. Then he saw Lisanna standing over a little blonde human and it wasn't fear that he had seen on her face, but acceptance as she stared at death. And she had welcomed it with open arms stretched wide as if she were greeting an old friend. It had unnerved him, she was a curious creature to him, and she had turned him into a fool.

He would have left, should have left and returned to the rendezvous point where his remaining comrades would have been waiting for him, but his curiosity couldn't be pushed down, stamped out. He should have gone back and conducted an escape route and a rescue mission in order to release his brothers and sisters who had been taken captive and locked into that pit at the opposite end of Magnolia City.

Damn human.

Damn pretty, little, blonde human.

As he nuzzled his way through the remains of a burnt house, Natsu came to the conclusion that she would remain on his mind until he dealt with her. Her fate was sealed. She would die, had to die because he couldn't afford distractions like a pathetic human to weasel into his life. He had a job to do, comrades to protect, things to find.

And that was the most frustrating part of the raid. The object that he had been sent to collect wasn't in sight. He hadn't smelt it, or anything that could possibly resemble it, seen it or even heard it, presuming that it could be heard like a select choice of other dragon items.

_Natsu._

His scales quivered. The young dragon forced his way through the remainder of the house, landing in the woods that lie on the opposite side. Observing his surroundings, he maneuvered his way through the trees, making sure to keep his wings tucked close to his sides. One wing was damaged badly. That damn raven slayer was a good shot, he would admit, not many slayers had the skill to land a blow on his kind, and tearing a gaping hole in his wing was quite impressive.

An impressive hindrance.

_Natsu! Natsu can you hear me? Answer me dammit, they're coming for you!_

His scales quivered again as Lisanna's voice entered his mind. His people called her kind Voix because of their unique ability to enter the minds of any living being of their choosing and being able to speak to them telepathically. Lisanna's favorite mind to enter had always been his.

_I can hear you, Featherface. _

_Natsu this is no time for your games! They're coming for you! Your little stunt with the blonde slayer has caused an uproar. I was in Heartfilia the Rash's mind and you went after his daughter! He wants your head on a spike._

He could hear them now, the footfalls of the slayers, a hundred men strong, thundered like the stampede of a thousand dragons and their voices carried the threat of death. So they indeed were coming for him. He hissed in pain as he forced his body forward, moving deeper into the trees though they provided little camouflage against his bright red hide.

_She needs to die, Lis_.

_You're concerned about the life of a slayer whelp at a time like this!? _Her voice screeched in his head.

_Lis._

_Dully noted._

The flickering lights of torch fire zeroed in on him. He screeched and white flames spiraled from his throat, licking hungrily at the dry brush and trees around. Natsu had successfully set the forest around him on fire, halting the mob's movements for the time being but it wouldn't take them long to douse the flames. He was weak, his fire was weak.

_You need to shift, Natsu! Please! I know you hate it but it might save your life! I'm begging you, please._

_I can't._

_Please!_

_I can't!_

_Natsu!_

_Lisanna!_

He tried anyways and his bones screamed at him in agony, his muscles paralyzed for one terrifying moment from the attempted shift. His dragon voiced roared with the pain as his bones snapped back into their original form. He glanced backwards at the arrow that was still imbedded into his wing. If it had been anywhere else shifting wouldn't be a problem. Arm and leg injuries would manifest at the same thing in his human form but this, shifting like this could mean his life.

_I can't, Lis. My wing muscles are severed._

_I'm coming to get you._

_No!_

_I'm coming._

_No! Lisanna! Lisanna!_

His mind was empty, her presence gone the moment she pulled out of his psyche. She had to be close in order to know that the slayers were coming for him but he couldn't risk her life because of his foolish mistakes. He grunted and tried the shift again, a gnarled scream that was half dragon half human bubbled from his throat and his limbs pulsed in agony. Grunting, the young dragon pushed his way farther into the forest, putting as much distance between the slayers and himself as he could.

"There it is!"

"For Lord Heartfilia!"

"For Princess Lucy!"

She had been closer than he expected. Lisanna screeched and dived from the tree branches as the slayers closed in on him. She thrashed her sharp teeth, ripping limbs from bodies and clawing what remained of them. He growled at the slayers, as strong as dragons were they were outnumbered two to dozens. They backed them into the forest until they were pressed up against the side of a crumbling ravine.

"Tie them down!"

Arrows shot from every direction, carrying thick cords of rope up and over their heads. Lisanna screeched as she was pulled to the ground, rendered immobile as they bound the ropes into the dirt and restrained her wings with iron clips. It all happened so fast. At one moment they had been free, had been fearsome beasts that ruled the mountains and the skies, and now, in only the blink of an eye they were whimpering creatures.

Lisanna whimpered from her place on the ground and he growled as the slayers zeroed in on him. He took one step back, only one, and then he was falling. Down he plunged into the ravine, banging on the jagged sides as he went and unable to save himself as he plummeted to his death.

Lucy. Her name was Lucy. He knew her name now and it was funny that such a simple piece of knowledge had brought him some sort of barbaric peace.

The last thing he heard was Lisanna's pained screech of his name. His last thought of a blonde slayer.

Then everything went black.

xXx

Flowers and incense flooded her nose as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Light footfalls drifted across the floor, filling Lucy's ears and her head throbbed. Dear Mavis they thundered, each step sounded like a boulder had been dropped on a gong and her body ached.

"It's been eleven days."

Her eyes blinked open and shifted, looking for the owner of the voice which she was unable to pinpoint due to lack of mobility. She could hear them as they moved around, rifling through the cabinets behind her. Blinking the exhaustion from her eyes, Lucy took in the mahogany walls around her, following each divot and crook. She was alive.

"Eleven days, sixteen hours, and thirty-four minutes to be exact. You humans are such lazy creatures. One simply injury and you rush to stuff yourselves with herbs and poisons to forget the pain and burdens you bear. Useless." Another round of banging cabinets and what she assumed was other medical supplies sounded from behind her. "Never grateful. Never. Selfish creatures you are. Oh come now, sit up and drink your tea! It's going to waste."

She wanted to laugh at Pol's usual rambling. Pol wasn't her real name of course but a shorter version of Porlyusica, which Lucy had used as a young child when she was unable to say the head medical slayer's full name properly. It had stuck, much to Porlyusica's dismay.

"Hating . . . on your own . . . race again," Her words came our raspy and few at a time. Talking was painful and posed to be more challenging than she thought it would be."

"You've been stitched and patched." Typical she would ignore Lucy's comment. "Lucky to be alive if you ask me, useless girl, your jugular was almost sliced in two. Millimeters saved your life." Lucy heard her chair slide across the marble floor. "You'll have scarring."

Lucy stiffened slightly but besides the slight tightening of her limbs she remained motionless and silent. Scares were good, or so she often told herself, hoping that eventually the idea of having the white puckered skin would appeal to her. As quick as the pep talk about scarring came into her mind it vanished as she contemplated how it was she had gotten the grotesque wounds that had almost ended her life. Slowly she twisted her head so she could look at Porlyusica.

The elder slayer sat at her old desk, which was chipped and scratched, parts of the old wood even missing in some places due to the elder woman's random fits of violent rage. She didn't look at Lucy but the blonde knew that she knew she was being watched and was simply choosing to ignore her.

"It's dead." Pol grumbled, having grown impatient when Lucy remained silent and hadn't asked the question they both knew she had been dying to ask, it had balanced right on the tip of her tongue. "Tumbled straight into the ravine when your father's best cornered it and another against its edge. The other was taken into the custody."

A breathy gasp left her. "You're sure it's dead?" Lucy closed her eyes and in that moment she could feel her heart beating against her ribcage, strong and powerful and very much alive. Hot liquid prickled at her eyes as she heard Porlyusica's chair scrap across the floor. Moments later a soft pressure rested against her forehead.

"Its head will be mounted on a spike," She felt Porlyusica breathe into her ear and her breath smelt of mint tea mixed with the slayer's usual lingering scent of medical herbs. Her familiar scent calmed Lucy's raging heart, lulling the blonde back into unconsciousness. But before she was completely gone it dawned on her that Porlyusica's promise should have brought her comfort and security.

It didn't.

X

Another three days passed before she awoke again and it caused Lucy to thrash restlessly in her sheets when she awoke in the early hours of the third morning. Her heart thudded with unused energy and her fingers itched for a blade or a bow. She had grown restive in her slumber.

Sitting up in her bed the blonde glanced towards the sound of Pol's soft snoring. The medial slayer rarely left the Medical Hall and because of this she had installed a makeshift room for herself. It wasn't that she hadn't a home of her own; she did, but had decided that she was more comfortable sleeping and living here among her patients. Dedicated to the end.

Being careful not to awake Porlyusica, Lucy slipped from her bed, her bare toes barely causing a sound as she padded across the floor and out into the crisp air of the morning. The early hours were often chilly in Magnolia City and the breeze coming off the lake nipped as Lucy's nose as she ran, barefoot, through the charred remains of her home. Scaffoldings had been placed along the larger buildings of the Main Square, indicated that reconstruction had already begun.

The square was silent as she padded towards the fountain, taking in the rubble and the cracked stature of her ancestor, whose head now rested in the center of the pool. She stopped at the fountain's edge and raised a foot and heaved herself up before letting down on the small wall, legs tucked underneath her body and feet dangling off the side. She stared at the broken marble that lay in the water and she imagined what it would have been like if it had been her neck that the Fire Eater had wrapped its tail around.

Fire Eaters, Lucy decided, were beautifully terrifying creatures.

_Gu Uair Ar Cliu 's Ar Gloire . . . Naoidhean Bhig Ar Righinn Og . . . Mhaighdean Uashaill Bhan . . ._

Her head turned toward the bruised sky. Tangled blonde locks fell down her back and covered her slender shoulders; the shorter strands fell into her eyes, shielding them from the wind that whispered through the square. She wept. The hot screams slid down her face. It was a silent weeping, one where not a sound left her mouth and the tears flowed freely.

She felt dead on the inside, dead and so incredibly lonely. And in the moment she wished that her mother were still alive.

"I see you have risen. Feeling well I presume?" She didn't move as she felt her father settle in beside her. He shifted around until he was comfortable and pulled his sword from its sheath, leaning against it, his hands propped up on the hilt. Her lips twitched at his ease and it calmed her racing heart. She wanted to smile but found that her lips were frozen in a permanent line, her face void of all emotion.

"Enough to move freely," She murmured.

Her father sighed; it was a quite whistle that settled deep in his throat before exiting through his nose. She took in the whites of his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched his first around the hilt of his blade. His calm, as it would happen, was merely a facade for her own benefit. He needn't worry about her, physically or mentally, but how could she voice such a preposterous thing to her father? Trauma was the emotion that he was expecting from her and she could see that he was waiting for the moment that she would break. Not hoping for it, but preparing himself for it. It unnerved even her that she felt no such emotion.

"So it would seem." His voice was soft. Gentle.

"Tell me about them."

She turned to him then and found that his eyes were vast with a number of swarming emotions. Anger. Worry. Guilt. Sadness. Lucy could see that her father was hesitant, wanting to spare her the cruel reality that she was asking him for. She turned away again.

"I've been in the wrong my daughter." When she didn't look at him he continued, "I thought I was sparing you the burden of knowledge that would not be used and I see now that I was very wrong. So unbelievably wrong. Come. "He rose to his feet, metal sword dragging in the gravel before it lifted into the air and returned to its rightful place at his hip. Lucy angled her body towards him and took his offered hand. "It's time you learned the history of your ancestry. Come, daughter, and I will teach you of the Fire Eater."

xXx

_To Be Continued: Chapter 5: Books and Arenas_

**AN:** Sooo this chapter went a little differently than I had imagined. It kind of turned into a filler, well not really filler but more of a transition chapter. However, I am a strong believer that there is no such thing as an unneeded chapter.

I'm so very happy that both Natsu and Lucy's perspectives made it into this chapter. I thought about adding another section from Natsu's but decided against it, the next chapter will start with him. Has anybody figured out how his transformation works yet? Some have gotten kind of close and I always want to respond to comments asking about it but I don't want to give anything away! TT~TT I feel so conflicted.

Anyways, thanks to all who took the time to read! It's much appreciated!

Read and review! And I apologize for my lazy editing!

Love always dearies,

ZiraUzu


	5. Books and Arenas

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 5: _Books and Arenas_

(September 22, 2014)

xXx

Lord Silver's mouth was pressed into a thin, hard line. He was not happy, granted the old soldier was rarely happy but at the moment he was practically livid. The few servants that hadn't been put to death lingered along the edge of the halls, each quick to scamper from his path when he came into view. They pressed themselves along the walls in a sad attempt to look small.

His master was waiting for him when he burst through the doors of the throne room. The aged metal groaned when it smacked against the wall before slowly gliding closed behind him. The dragon king glanced at him from his throne, face void of emotion but Silver needn't see in order to know that the king was displeased. Immensely so.

"I am disgruntled," the king began as he rose from his throne. He regarded Silver with a hard stare as he descended down the stairs, "I am disgruntled, humiliated, irritated, need I go on?" Silver said nothing. "I gave you one job, Silver, so tell me, why. Is. He. Failing?"

"I have no ex—,"

"Of course you don't! Everything I have is riding on _him_!" The ground shook and the wall to their right crumbled when the king's tail smashed into it. "_HE WAS TO BE MY HEIR AND HE HAS FAILED! _Important soldiers have been imprisoned and my heir is gone. Hope that he survived, Silver. I was to have the blood of slayers spilled across the land, I was to have glory and their kind's head mounted on my wall!" Hot air blew into Silver's face when the king thundered towards him, his muzzle stopping mere inches from Silver's nose.

"What would you have me do?"

Cracks formed in the stone floor as the Grand Lord's claws dug in and then scrapped across it as he moved back towards his throne. Silver watched as the king phased back to his smaller, human form as he ascended the stairs, his back muscles taunt with anger.

"Nothing. For now."

"And the soldiers?"

"Leave them. Their lives are his responsibility. Either he recovers them or they die, plain and simple."

"As you wish." Silver bowed low and turned on his heel, cloak billowing behind him as he made his way to the door.

"Silver." The younger man glanced over his shoulder, "Check up on his progress in three moons time. And should he be dead," Silver watched the king's lips pull over his pointed teeth into a cruel smile, "Igneel won't be the only one who will lose his head."

Silver nodded, unaffected by his master's threat. He was a man of ice, void of emotion and perhaps the only one able to look the king in the eyes without flinching. Without so much as a word he left the throne room and headed back towards the Tactics Hall.

He heard the king's cackle always to the end of the cavern.

xXx

Everything _ached_. In all his years Natsu had never felt a pain quite like the one that currently coursed through his limbs. Each muscle screamed in protest at the slightest movement and each bone cracked as his joints attempted to pop back into place. The temptation to attempt another shift pulsed within him, for bones and joints may not heal faster but the pain was easier to handle in his other form. He wasn't so stupid as to try it, however.

Bloody fucking hell.

As overwhelming as the pain was, it was welcomed for it served as a reminder that he was in fact not dead yet. Yippy. Glancing over his shoulder was excruciating. Gently the young dragon moved a scaly wrist towards his throat and he probed around until he found the large gash that currently resided on the side of his neck.

A pained groan left his tattered throat but he pushed the sensation to the back of his mind until it was a dull, numb throbbing. Natsu winced and shifted to his stomach, careful of how he moved his limbs. Time to suck it up. Slowly, so as not to disturb the arrow embedded in his side and tear his flesh farther, Natsu eased his mind, preparing his body for the coming pain so he could attempt another shift. He took it slow, letting his joints and muscles ease together as they detached, shrunk and then snapped back together.

He wailed when the shift was complete. The arrow dug into his shoulder and it took more strength than it should have to clutch the shaft and pull it from his flesh. Warm blood dripped from the open wound. Quickly he pressed his hand over the hole in his side. Heat flared from his fingers, cauterizing his skin closed. Then he moved his hand to his neck and did the same, closing the gash that had been pulsating blood just a moment ago.

Natsu forced his body to lift from its current position on the ground, using the muscles in his arms, but remaining mindful of his tattered shoulder, to shift upwards. There was a rock behind him and he leaned back against it; the stone was warm against his naked skin from baking in the sun. He welcomed the heat.

_Lis?_

He was greeted by silence, which he had been expecting but he figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Dread began to build in his stomach as the silence in his mind lingered. Even though he hadn't been expecting Lisanna to answer he had still hoped she would and her immediate silence only brought his mind to negative conclusions.

The last time he saw his friend she had been roped to the ground. Where was she now? It pained him that he didn't know but he was sure of one thing: he had to find her, and the others, and he had to find them soon.

xXx

Grey stepped lightly through the underground passages of The Ring. Muzzled dragons hissed through their teeth on both sides of him, clanking their chained limbs as they rammed their muscled bodies against the bars of the prison cells. Behind him he could hear the roar of the slayers who waited in The Ring's arena, eager for the next event. They hadn't had a public dragon execution in a long time.

He had been sent in to pick the next dragon.

Grey made his way farther into the prison, surveying each dragon as he went. Suddenly an angry growl sounded in his ear as one of the dragons thrashed against its chains. Her sharp teeth clanked against the metal restrains of the muzzle. Her hide was composed of blue scales, which melded together until they almost looked like water.

Grey smirked and bashed his sword against the bars, causing the dragon to reel back into her prison. It was the same dragon that had tried to take his ear off when the raid had begun. The raven haired slayer had felt slightly perplexed when he hadn't been able to find her and finish her off during the chaos.

She wouldn't be going into the arena tonight. This dragon was _his_.

He leaned a muscular arm horizontally across the bars and rested his forehead on it. "Enjoy your last days, dragon. A time will come when I'll be the one stepping into that arena and when I do you won't emerge in one piece."

Then he turned and continued down the hall, all the more eager to find The Ring's latest victim.

xXx

Bewildered was an understatement.

"_Come one come all! Are you ready for the Dragon Brawl?! Who's ready for blood and glory!?"_

Natsu had seen many things in his life but he had never seen anything like this. Magnolia City may lie in ruins but its people were still eager for some entertainment, and their favorite form of it was the slaughtering of his kind. It was twisted and he could barely stomach it. He had never been so grateful to have an empty stomach.

_Natsu…_

_Lis!_

Relief flowed through him when her voice entered his mind. She sounded weary and her voice cracked even within his head but she was alive. And that was all that mattered. His thoughts went crazy, screaming what seemed to be a hundred questions at her at once but she ignored his jittering psyche, as she had learned long ago to let his mind run when he was stressed and over thinking. Once he had calmed down she spoke again.

_Where are you?_

_I think that's a better question for me to be asking, Lis._

_Natsu . . . Natsu I can't—_

Then she was gone again.

He swore under his breath and pulled the hood of the cloak he had stolen of a clothes line low over his head, making sure to conceal his hair. Most of his kind were lucky because their human forms allowed them to blend in with humans. Not him. His hair was a dead giveaway and would alert the slayers immediately. They may not realize what he was at first but they would know he wasn't human.

Cloak pulled tight he gazed up at the structure before him. Smoke billowed even through the rain, which had come once he reached the village. Natsu could still hear hot embers fizzling as the droplet struck them dead. He remembered this place. The walls of the building smelt like death, the death of his kind, not theirs and charred granite. It was constructed out of ancient stones that towered over the city, the towers now half demolished and littered with claw and scorch marks. The damage caused him to smirk. He was proud that his comrades had left a scar on this city. The wind caught the golden ribbons of the flags that once held the Heartfilia crest, now they were only tattered remains.

_Lis? Lisanna?_

He swore again at her silence and panic began to settle in when she didn't answer him. He had known her for years and she always answered, even when angry with him so if she wasn't answering now it could only mean she was in trouble, that or she was injured and from the way she had sounded when she _had _been able to reach him she was injured badly. Pushing the dread to the back of his mind, Natsu shouldered his way through the crowd of slayers gathering outside the arena. Excited chatter filled his ears as they spoke of the events to come. His stomach turned.

A few slayers shoved him as he elbowed his way towards the immense gates of the arena, The Ring, the slayers had called it. From what he understood it was where the slayers held their celebrations, as well as their public executions. They never executed humans. Natsu could still smell the blood of his brethren who had died here, it didn't matter how much they cleaned, the scent still lingered. It was suffocating and filled his nose until he was almost gagging.

The stone floor scraped against his bare feet but he hardly felt the chill of the stone or the scattered chips of gravel as he leaned against the wall. His feet hissed against the stone, evaporating the rain that lingered on the ground but it was muted enough to go unnoticed by the slayers. Natsu growled quietly under his breath, making sure to go silently, he padded down the hall and away from the arena entrance, where a number of slayers were shoving each other in order to make it through and find decent seats. Torches lit the hall as he moved deeper into The Ring though the farther he moved they became fewer and fewer apart.

Suddenly a staircase folded out before him. At the top it was small, no more than two to three feet wide, but Natsu could see that it widened out at the bottom thanks to the flickering torches that hung at the bottom of the stairs. Not that he necessarily needed them, his eyesight was better than any humans'. Honestly he believed they relied on light too much. Turn out the lights and they were easy pickings.

Natsu huffed through his nose and a puff of warm air ghosted over his neck. He hadn't the time to think about how helpless humans would be without light when his friends were trapped somewhere in this hellhole. Quickly he padded down the stairs. His bare feet made very little noise, now that the stone was dry, as he went and considering he hadn't seen a human in some time he thought he was in the clear.

That's when he bowled into him.

Natsu had rounded the corner too quick and hadn't sensed the slayer who had been turning the same corner. They collided, hard, heads butting together and their limbs tangling as they tumbled to the ground. Natsu felt the hood of his cloak beginning to slip and quickly pulled it back down over his face before shoving the slayer away from him.

His skin crawled.

Natsu had never made skin to skin contact with a human before, at least not in this form. Sure he had ripped a human or two apart with his claws and teeth but that was different, that was battle where there was very little contact save the ripping of flesh, he never actually had to _feel_ them. This human's skin was colder than the middle of the cold season in the mountains. Natsu hated the cold, not that he felt it often but when it did it drove him mad.

"The hell?" The slayer cursed when he tumbled off Natsu and onto the gravel floor. His raven hair fell over his forehead and he quickly blew it from his eyes when he pushed himself into a sitting position and fixed a hard glare in Natsu's direction. He scoffed at the young dragon, who was still clutching his hood over his face while sitting on his ass. It was probably a sorry sight to see. His father would throw quite the fit.

The slayer pushed himself to his feet and dusted his pants off. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he brushed at his skin anyway as if not realizing that there was no shirt to dust off, and his sword was strapped on his back, the leather strap pulled tight over his chest. His dark blue gazed regarded Natsu with distaste and the other male quickly sprang to his feet. He didn't like how the slayer was eyeing him. He hunched his shoulders, best to appear helpless than cause a scene. Natsu's emerald gaze moved to the sword on the slayer's back and something inside him pulsed.

Shaking his head the young dragon returned his gaze to the slayer's, who looked positively satisfied that he appeared to be intimidating Natsu. As if. It occurred to him then that this slayer was familiar though he hadn't the time to dwell on it long when the slayer spoke.

"Watch where you're going, asshole." Natsu's brows furrowed and he swore inside his head. Human language, though something he was familiar with, wasn't something he had deemed necessary in his life. He could understand most of it fine, speaking it was the problem. He was able too of course, quiet fluently, it just took him a moment to transfer his mind from his own language to the pathetic babbling that humans used.

An irritated look crossed the slayer's face when Natsu remained silent, no doubt the slayer though he was ignoring him but it was quite the opposite. He was trying to remember what an asshole was though he was pretty positive it was an insult. His teeth grit together and he felt the sudden urge to sink his teeth into the slayer's neck. However, an uproar would ensue when they found his body and an uproar wasn't something that Natsu could afford right now.

A small hiss escaped his lips and he clamped his mouth shut, baring his teeth from the slayer's eyesight. No doubt he was expecting an apology of some sort but he wouldn't be getting one anytime soon. Apologizing to humans was a vial act of treason and Natsu wasn't particularly fond of the idea of being beheaded or boiled alive. And those where the kind punishments.

The slayer scoffed again and crossed his arms over his chest, "Whatever, stay silent or don't, doesn't matter to me either way. What does matter is that you're not supposed to be down here, only slayers with permission from Lord Heartfilia are able to enter the prison chambers, not even Lady Lucy is allowed without her father's permission. I suggest you tuck your sorry tail between your legs and head back the way you came."

Natsu's body tensed. Slowly he maneuvered the hand that was currently under his cloak to his backside. No tail. He almost sighed in relief as he realized that the slayer hadn't actually been referring to a real tail but was using a form of speaking that was common for humans. His muscles didn't relax fully however. He had begun to wonder if the blonde slayer had survived his attack and now he was certain that she had. His stomach curled at the idea of her still breathing.

It was then that Natsu fully recognized the raven haired slayer. He had been with the blonde, Lucy, when Natsu had decided to rip her head from her shoulders. This was the bloody bastard that had shot him. His teeth clenched together and he felt the nails of his fingers and toes sharpen into claws. He ducked his head and he knew if the slayer could see his eyes they would be a vibrant green with a vertical slit down the center. He was angry. He was irrational. And he was losing control.

As quickly as he could move Natsu turned and sprinted back up the stairs. He heard the raven haired slayer shout from behind him but this only pushed him harder. He bowled into the last of the lingering slayer in his haste to leave, shoving them to the ground and offering nothing when they shouted at him. He was only calm when The Ring had disappeared from his sight and he had rubbed his nose into a barrel of toppled spices. It stung, badly, but it was better than smelling a slayer whelp.

He wanted to go back, back to rip that slayer's head from his shoulders and his limbs from his body. He wanted to torch him until there was nothing left. But he couldn't. He would wait and he would strategize.

Revenge always tasted sweeter with time.

xXx

Lucy had never been in this section of the Great Hall's library. Hell she hadn't even known it existed! Running her fingers across the dusty volumes, leaving a trail of the grey powder behind her, Lucy followed her father as he led her deeper and deeper into the underground chamber. There were so many books. They poured from the shelves, some of them overstuffed with the leather volumes; they sat in stacks on small, rotting tables and lay scattered across the floor next to chairs that had tumbled over onto their sides.

"Levy would kill to set even a foot in here."

"She isn't to be told. Nobody is to know I brought you here today, daughter. You have lived through an experience that requires knowledge, knowledge that the rest of the world is not quite ready for." He paused at a large door and pulled a piece of flint from his waist pocket, stopping for only a moment to light a torch. He handed the first to Lucy and then took one for himself before they continued the downward trek. "The world is an ignorant place," he began, "and we, daughter, an ignorant people. We build on very little and flourish on even less, but it was not always this way."

"I don't understand."

"Many don't. The world we live in and our history is not so easily grasped by those who were not there to live it, especially where there is so little documented. You struggle, I struggle, and even those elder than I have struggled to make sense of the path that our ancestors have chosen for us. They get so close, so incredibly close only to find the slightest change, be it in something as small as the wind, only to have everything slip through their fingers. You see daughter, we, our people, share a path with the creatures that we detest most of all."

The narrow hall that they followed came to an abrupt halt and then opened up into a vast, round room. More rotting tables littered the floor and empty potions and books lay scattered across them. Everything was basked in a gentle glow from multiple candles, which lit up as they walked by. This startled Lucy, for she had never seen such sorcery before but her father's large hand on her shoulder comforted her as he steered her towards the heart of the room. In the center was a podium constructed of granite and gold structures. The candles flickered brighter here and grew in intensity as they neared.

"I find your words doubtful, father. Dragon's are not creatures that are so easily reasoned with and the idea of living with them peacefully isn't something slayers would consider." Lucy stared hard at her father but he said nothing for a moment, instead choosing to push her towards the podium.

"There was a time, dear Lucy, that we were not slayers, but humble humans that coexisted with the beasts. There was a time that we looked upon them with kindness and they looked upon us with loyalty."

"What changed," Lucy questioned as she made her way around the podium. It was widely built and when she rounded it she could see that it was imbedded with metal pieces of golden ivory and tiny, shimmering rubies. It housed a large book, old as the rotting tables if not older, and embroidered with aged pieces of golden leather, its pages so thin she was sure they would turn to dust in her hands.

"Many things," Her father moved so he was standing behind her. Carefully he grasped the cover of the book and pulled it open, allowing it to fall against the podium with a soft thud. Dust scattered into the air, causing Lucy to choke. "The world changed, we changed, and the dragons changed and that's when everything began to fall into chaos. Before us, daughter is the logbook of your great-great-great grandfather Lucient Heartfilia, King of the Slayers and founder of Magnolia City. It is his story and our past, and it speaks of how the Fire Eater came into existence. It explains its history and ours."

Lucy looked at the yellow, crinkled pages and ran her fingers across the spiral lettering of her grandfather's penmanship. She flipped to the beginning of the book, which dated back to over a thousand years ago. Fascinating.

_7__th__ Day in the warm season, year XX012_

_In my travels I hadn't the time to sit and write for long, so I shall try to make this short and abrupt. Construction of our home is underway. It has taken many days and nights, many moon cycles for my people and I to find a place as nice as we have. We will make our permanent home here, high in the mountain peaks, which are bordered by thick forests on all sides. Resources will be plentiful and our people shall thrive._

_There is, however, one obstacle that I had not perceived when I made the decision to settle my people here. Strange creatures lie to the west though as of late they haven't caused us any trouble. I have never seen beasts quite like these. They are covered in a scaly hide and are able to take to the air at will. I find them to be fascinatingly curious creatures. _

_More on them later, for I am needed elsewhere._

_Yours in confidence,_

_Lucient Heartfilia_

_57__th__ Day in the warm season, year XX012_

_One of the creatures approached me today._

_She was beautiful._

_You're in confidence,_

_Lucient Heartfilia_

Lucy read, and each word, sentence, paragraph filled her head with her grandfather's stories, his hopes and dreams; what he wished for his people and for the blooming city that he had created. He was a mesmerizing soul, who was ambitious and thrived along with his people.

The only part she found troubling was that her grandfather's journal entries were scattered. Multiple days went by without an entry and if she looked closely she could see frayed edges along the spine, indicating that a number of the journal's entries had even been ripped from its binding. Lucy's mouth stretched into a disappointed line.

_34__th__ Day in the cold season, year XX015_

_I met the devil today. We did not see eye to eye._

_Yours in confidence,_

_Lucient Heartfilia_

The next page was scorched. Disbelief pounded through the blonde as she stared at the damaged pages, which had been licked by fire to the point where they were not longer legible. With a frustrated grunt Lucy flipped to the back of the book and leafed backwards until she found the end of the scorching. This section was written by somebody else, somebody named Kuzon Heartfilia.

_105__th__ Day in the cold season, year XX123_

_Journal of Lucient Heartfilia_

_We lost a great leader today. Lucient Heartfilia had led his people with kindness, he was loyal to his people, a fair ruler. The people of Magnolia City lost their leader. I lost my father. He was a great man, and he was stolen away from me, taken by those beasts that rule the skies. My father had adored such creatures, all save one, but I have never been so trusting of creatures that were unfamiliar to me. He tried to learn of them, learn from them. He had been a foolishly wise old man._

_Once, when I was much younger, he told me of these creatures and I, in my young age, had been enchanted by the stories he weaved with his voice alone. I couldn't begin to imagine such marvelous beasts. He had only warned me against one of their kind and it haunts my nightmares even today. It is the devil himself, he had said. Just the thought of is sends chills to my toes, and I hope that I will never meet the creature that has stolen my father's life. I wouldn't wish meeting it upon even the greatest enemy._

_It has no name. My father had been adamant about naming the flying beasts, giving each their own identity, claiming that it was so our people could distinguish them easily. I think he just enjoyed it and I told him this often. Sometimes I believed that he preferred the company of these strange animals over the company of his people or even my own. I regret such beliefs now. However, the more time he spent with them, the quicker their name came about the more he bonded with them. My father had a way with them and they always bonded easily however no time was spent with this beast._

_I went into my father's notes once, ever curious about the creatures that seemed to hold more love from him than I had ever been able to acquire. He had little to say about this creature. It was an untamable beast, quick to irritation and prone to attacking at the slightest movement. Its fire burned hotter than any of the others and it left a scar on the earth that time wasn't likely to heal. Red scales covered its body like protective armor and its tail dragged behind it. It was built of muscle and its wingspan was double to size of the others. There was no creature like it. And, to my father's extended knowledge, there was only one._

_And hopefully only one there would ever be._

_My father never named this creature and now I do so, perhaps it will bring him some sort of piece in the next life._

_Fire Eater._

_A terrifying creature, not because of its impenetrable hide, deadly tail or build, no, the most terrifying thing about it is its ability to intake fire. Born of darkness and fire itself, this element is its main supplement. Where there is fire, there is a way for this creature to survive._

_I cannot rid the world of fire, for it keeps my people alive just as it keeps the Fire Eater alive. So I shall wage war and I shall find a way to end this creature's life. From now on we are not to be the humble kingdom that my father has created, and perhaps he will hate me for this. He wanted peace for his people. I want war, I want revenge._

_And so we shall become slayers of winged creatures, we shall become dragon slayers._

_Yours in grieving,_

_Kuzon Heartfilia_

xXx

_To be continued: Chapter 6: Meetings and Teeth_

**AN: **So this chapter didn't start with Natsu's point of view . . . sorry, it was going too but then things got changed around. And so the plot thickens though not really, well maybe sort of. I'll leave that up to your interpretation.

Can you guys guess what's going to happen next chapter? Since the title's a dead giveaway I'll say that it's finally happening, Lucy and Natsu are going to officially meet! Hopefully he doesn't try to chew her head off.

Wow this author's note was short. I had so little to say, surprisingly. Oh well I suppose I can say that I'm sorry this chapter is late. Maybe you guys didn't even notice and if that's the case then okay and if you did then my answer is okay and I'm sorry for that. I've gotten into a habit of updating on the 21st of each month. This schedule is so regular it scares me. Of course I can't promise that updates will continue to go this smoothly but that is my hope.

Read and Review! (Honestly I don't know why I put this each time.)

I apologize for my lazy editing.

Love dearies,

ZiraUzu


	6. Meetings and Teeth

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary: **_For what love can be more forbidden than one with a dragon? _Born to a long line of successful dragon slayers, and as the only child born to her father, Lucy is the heir that will continue the slayer tradition. But there is another: Gray, a rising young dragon slayer that pursues her place as heir and if she can't prove herself worthy of her throne, she will lose it.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Warning: This chapter contains themes of torture.**

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 6: _Meetings and Teeth_

(November 27, 2014)

xXx

Bark crackled when the branch gave under pressure as he yanked it. Natsu blinked the scattered particles from his eyes and threw the branch behind him, where it landed in a pile of similarly splintered branches.

Hell he was tired of this working shit. The young dragon gazed at the pile of meager branches he had collected, hands on his hips he stared at the mound as if it would magically arrange itself into a shelter. It did no such thing. Running a hand through his dirt infested hair, Natsu grunted as he began organizing the branches. His thoughts wandered. Natsu, though raised in the art of killing and battle tactics had never worked a day in his life. His father, thought not the highest ranked within the Dragon Lord's kingdom, was high enough that his son was able to live comfortably. He had lived a luxury life, and he'd be damned if he denied having not enjoying it.

_Natsu . . ._

Lisanna. Natsu's ears pricked up when her voice, soft and fragile, entered his mind. His muscles tensed up, the cords within his body bunching as the muscles strained from lack of movement while in an uncomfortable position. He dropped one of his branches.

_Lis? You there._

_Gajeel—free. Find—before—too late. Wounded._

_Where? Lis? Lisanna!_

Silence.

Dammit he hated it when that happened. Natsu dropped the bark he had been toying with and sat on the ground, crossing his legs in order to contemplate his next move. If Gajeel really was free then he had to act quickly, especially if his friend was wounded, which made finding him Natsu's number one priority at the moment. Returning to his feet, Natsu sniffed the air in hopes of catching a trail of Gajeel's scent, and there was one, thank Mavis, but it was faint. Very faint.

The young dragon sprung to his feet, cursing inwardly at the fact that he couldn't fly at the moment, it would have made crossing land so much easier. Instead he began the hike over the hill, following Gejeel's scent as he went.

X

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Natsu had followed the scent through the woods, through the village (walking around freely after he had changed his hair to a dark raven using a trick he had picked up from his father), and then up over the hill to where he currently sat in a tree overlooking the Heartfilia manor. The fuck was Gajeel doing here and if he was, how was he still alive?

Natsu sniffed the air and noted that his comrade's scent grew stronger the nearer he went to the manor. Currently he was pressed up against the stone wall and sliding along the length of it, hiding in bushes or other shrubbery when he smelt anybody human come within less than twenty feet of him. Walking through the village in plain sight wasn't a problem now, but he was certain that if he tried the same thing on the land where Heartfilia the Rash lived he would be either thrown off the property or beheaded. Maybe both. Probably both.

Gajeel's scent led him to a cellar at the back of the manor. It was barred, nailed shut with a number of wooden planks. The wood of the cellar doors were absolutely charred, Natsu was surprised that they hadn't crumbled to ashes yet. He ran a hand along the cellar door's remains, feeling the grain of the wood and analyzing the way the fire had licked it. This was the work of Gajeel's fire.

"Gajeel?"

A roar erupted from the cellar.

Shit! Natsu hissed as he felt a tingling sensation begin in his fingers, his nails elongated to sharp points, very capable of clawing and ripping. Perfect for tearing a door apart. He dug his nails under the boards and pulled up, hard. The wood gave under his strength and flew across the yard, landing behind him with a loud _thunk_. The doors burst open, allowing Natsu to see why they hadn't fallen apart. They were lined with a thin sheeting of metal on the inside. Natsu stuck his head into the opening and tried to make out Gajeel's familiar shape but the cellar was pitch black, hindering even his dragon vision.

"Gajeel," Natsu hissed. A quiet thump came from the back of the basement. Slowly Natsu stepped into the cellar, moving with caution. Gajeel may be a comrade but it was never wise to approach an injured dragon without being vigilant. He was vulnerable and therefore susceptible to attacking first and asking questions later.

"Gajeel," The young dragon hissed again when he neared the back of the cellar. His ears perked when the sound of shuffling came from his right, which caused Natsu to turn his gaze in that direction. A human shaped lump sat against the farthest wine rack, which was burned crispy.

"Natsu," Gajeel breathed when the younger dragon neared him. Natsu crouched before him, grabbing his shoulders to help him up, only to release him a moment later when his friend hissed in pain. That was when Natsu noticed the blood that soaked Gajeel's cheek and neck. It was caked on his skin, dried and crackly. His left eye was gone, cut clean through. And Natsu was guessing that wasn't his only injury.

"What happened?"

"Slayer got me in the eye," the elder dragon shifted and grunted with discomfort, "Stabbed me right in the eye she did. The entire cellar was on fire by that time, I ended up passing out afterwards. Woke up here to barred doors and no way out. Cellar door's infused with something weird, it zapped all my strength the moment I touched it."

"There was a slayer," the hair on the back of Natsu's neck bristled.

"Little blonde thing."

Lucy. Damn that little slayer loved causing problems for him. Lucky for her he had more pressing matters to attend too. Careful of his friend's injured state, Natsu helped Gajeel to his feet, draping one arm over his shoulders so he could help him to the door. It was slow going; Gajeel was only able to move a few steps at a time before he was overcome by a coughing fit or immense pain.

When they reached the entrance Natsu lowered Gajeel to the stairs, allowing him to catch his breath for a moment. He waited patiently, understanding that his friend had been confined and injured and could only take so much at a time.

That's when he smelt her.

Natsu's head whipped upwards, obsidian eyes locking on a window that resided right above him. She was close, he knew, her scent was strong to the point where it invaded his nose, as if she was standing right next to him, as if he had his claws in her skin. Gajeel gazed at him, curiosity crossing his features, but Natsu ignored it.

It really unnerved him how powerful her presence was to him.

"Gajeel I have to go," when he turned back to his comrade he found that he too was staring at the window. It would seem he wasn't the only one that recognized Lucy's scent. Gajeel glanced between Natsu and the window, as if silently telling him that this was the scent of the slayer that had injured him. Natsu nodded and then tilted his head towards the woods behind him, "There's a small clearing a few miles from here. I've gathered a few things to start a shelter but that's about the extent of the work I was able to complete when Lisanna told me you were free."

"She okay? The others?"

"I don't know," Natsu turned his gaze to the window, "Will you be able to make it there on your own? I have unfinished business to attend too."

Gajeel nodded his chin towards the window, "With this slayer?"

"This exact slayer," then without waiting for Gajeel's reply Natsu dug his nails into the side of the manor and lifted himself to the window's ledge. He dug his claws into the wood surrounded the window, holding his balanced as he looked for any signs that the window was locked. It wasn't. He forced it open and quietly crawled through the opening.

Plush carpeting met his feet. The room was washed in red and gold, which reflected in the light when it shined through the window. Surprisingly, save the colors, the room was rather plain. A large bed filled with pillows sat in the center of the wall to his right and a wardrobe, which was propped open and spilling forth its guts of frills and lace sat across from him. Natsu scrunched his nose at the sight of the clothing; of all things for her to wear he hadn't been expecting silk and certainly not fills and lace. Not that her attire was all that important, it wasn't interesting to him in the slightest. Besides the bed and the wardrobe there was very little else in the room, a few chests here and there, and a large table filled with maps and texts.

Natsu crossed the room, zeroing in on the table and quickly began to flip through the maps that the slayer princess had laid out. Most were pretty generic, giving details of the city's layout, as well as the surround forests. One map did catch his eye. It was labeled as the Great Hall but the layout was completely different from the building that Natsu had seen earlier. Hell he had even contemplated torching it, but had decided against it when a few slayers had show up to play. Unfortunately for him he didn't have the time to study the map because that's when Lucy walked in.

She froze, spotting him instantly though she didn't remain immobile for long. She had a reliable reaction time, he would admit that much. Her mouth was half full with food and in her hands she held a bowl, which she instantly dropped in favor of the dagger that was strapped at her hip. She spit the remaining food out, unsheathing the dagger a moment later as she charged at him.

She was quick, but he was quicker.

Lucy yelped when he knocked the blade from her hand, hooking his foot around her ankle he tugged her towards him. Her balance faltered and she landed on her back, giving Natsu the opportunity to pin her down, his hands encasing her wrists and his legs keeping hers in place. Oh this really was an interesting situation he had gotten himself into. His inner dragon was roaring at him, telling him to sink his teeth into her flesh and just _rip_. He wanted too, oh sweet Mavis he wanted to feel her blood gushing inside his mouth and watch the life slip from her eyes.

Rip. Claw. Bite.

No.

She was motionless beneath him, but it wasn't because of fear. No. She was entranced. Entranced by him and perhaps curious as to why he had been floating around her room and rummaging through her trunks. She didn't resist him, didn't try to push him off her though he had her pinned to the floor and it puzzled him that she didn't fight. Most sane slayers would behead him first and ask questions later. But, she had always been different, had always acted strangely.

The urge to attack was still there, brewing deep within a dark pit of his stomach yet it perplexed him even farther when he pushed his desires to harm her away, forcing them back and into submission. Instead, Natsu stared at her and Lucy, beautiful blonde Lucy, stared back. She ogled at him with chocolate eyes full of questions and hidden passions.

And suddenly he was lost.

He bowed his head and breathed in her scent as he ran his nose up the length of her throat. His lips twitched into a pleasured smirk when he heard her sharp inhale of breath yet still she didn't push him away. Instead, she allowed him to bury his nose into the crook of her neck and shoulder as he fisted her hair. He was drunk on her, pulling her closer just to know that he could, that he had the power to keep her against him if he so pleased.

"You know, typically people introduce themselves before they invade a girl's room and pin her to the floor."

Hmm sassy.

And dangerous.

Natsu's dark eyes widened and in two seconds he was across the room, crouched on his haunches in a corner and glaring at her. This was her fault. Her scent was dangerous to him and made him act irrationally. He had abandoned a comrade, leaving him to find for himself because of her scent, he had jeopardized his entire mission because of her scent. It really would benefit him if she were to die, just not yet.

The blonde returned his glare as a red flush dusted her cheeks, it would seem she had finally realized the position she had been in. Good. He liked her embarrassment. Slowly she stood but her posture was tense now, guarded.

Natsu barely had time to blink before her heeled boot struck him in the face.

xXx

"Fullbuster you're late."

Gray inwardly flinched, an action that when unseen by Gildarts, who was arranging maps and ancient texts along the table that sat in the corner of the Great Hall, serving as a temporary War Room since the original had been destroyed during the raid.

"Care to explain why?"

Gray shrugged and said nothing. Gildarts glanced his way once and then returned to his work. He had never been a man to pry into other's personal affairs, and that was a trait that Gray admired about him. He never pressed for answers if it wasn't mandatory.

Gray took a seat at the crapped table only to be ushered up by his mentor a moment later. The raven haired slayer raised a dark brow which caused Gildarts to snicker at his confusion. He reached behind him and suddenly a blade was tossed in Gray's direction, which he caught with ease.

"You were late. You think that means we'll start with the easy stuff? No we're diving straight in boy. Now, to The Ring with ya."

This was the moment he had been waiting for. Gray was ecstatic as he left the Great Hall, trekking his way through burnt wood and towards The Ring. Every young boy from Magnolia City always dreamed of being a slayer, of shooting the enemy from the sky and hauling it towards the arena in hopes of finishing if off. At one point, that was all Gray had wanted as well. Now he had bigger goals and aspirations. Now he dreamed of making the beasts talk, he dreamed of being able to protect Lucy for the rest of his life.

She didn't believe him of course. Lucy had always though his intentions towards her were purely physical, and while that was a perk to their impeding engagement, it wasn't the reason he pursued her in the first place. She was intelligent, beautiful, funny and he would be blind if he hadn't seen that even when they were small. So when word reached him that Lord Heartfilia was looking for possible suitors Gray knew he could be a possibility. He was strong, loyal, a perfect candidate but it wasn't the reason her father had chosen him. Gray had asked for her hand, begged for it even. It was the only thing he had ever begged for in his life.

Gray Fullbuster was in love with Lucy Heartfilia.

And she despised him.

Gray shook the unpleasant reminder from his mind when he reached The Ring. Lucy may not love him now, but perhaps with time she would learn to love him. Currently though he had more pressing matters than his unrequited love.

His steps moved through the halls that squared off the arena with purpose. At the end of the hall rested a large wooden door, bolted from the other side, he already knew. Gildarts had told him that much. When he reached it he pounded on the door, twice, paused once, and then three consecutive knocks. The uncomfortable sound of metal on metal filled his ears when a small eyehole appeared when the metal sheet covering it was pulled aside.

Whispers of his name filled the room behind the door as the metal peephole was slammed shut. Gray stood outside the door in silence, the whispering cut off the moment the metal had slid back into place; they sure were taking their damn sweet time about opening the door.

Suddenly the door was jerked open and Gray was hauled into the room by a strong tug on his wrist. He hit the floor with a grunt, banging his head on a nearby table on his way down. A few snickers littered the room as the raven teen sat up and began to rub his head where the table had struck him. That was downright humiliating.

"Sorry about that, boy," Gray blinked in surprise has he was hauled to his feet by none other than Gildarts himself. How the old man had beat him here Gray hadn't the slightest clue but he had learned not to question his mentor's strange behavior and way a long time ago.

"Gray, it's nice to see you, lad."

Makarov, Lucy's personal instructor greeted him from where he sat at a table, the same table Gray's head had tried to clobber, with a cup of booze in his hand. Gray instantly straightened at the sight of the old slayer. Makarov was good at what he did, and he made sure Lucy was good at what she did. He was second in command of the slayers, just under Lord Heartfilia himself, he was the best; hence the reason his duties of training where focused on Lucy alone. The heir to the slayer kingdom only deserved the best.

So that raised the question: why was he here?

"Lad you look confused, or perhaps bemused is a better word," Makarov said, hopping off the wooden stool he had previously occupied. "I would say you are rather surprised to see an old man like myself among the rest of these warriors, but I know better than that. You're just surprised to see me in general."

Of course he was, Makarov was famous but rarely anybody besides Lord Heartfilia or Lucy saw him. Hell the man didn't even walk through the village when he had spare time, choosing instead to send somebody out to do any errands he needed done.

"I bet you think me a hermit, lazy perhaps," Makarove chuckled when Gray quickly shook his head, "Nah you're smarter than that. The truth is I haven't the time to do things for leisure. My life is strictly divided into three categories: Protecting Magnolia City, training princess Lucy, and this."

A rumbling sound echoed through the stone room, causing the walls to shake and specks of dirt to fall from the ceiling. Gray was yanked backwards by Gildarts as the floor beneath him cracked and split open, revealing a cavern beneath them that was entirely lit by torchlight. There were slayers beneath them; each wielding a blade and daggers along was a number of instruments that Gray had never seen before. A dragon lie below them too, completely surrounded by the slayers; it wasn't moving though, wasn't fighting back. Dark blood poured from its hide, coving the floor and the cavern walls. Its wings have been severed from its body and Gray could see where the slayers had tossed the now useless limbs, a corner in the darkest part of the cavern. A pile had accumulated.

"What is this?" Gray breathed, his eyes transfixed on the dragon as it screeched when it was stabbed from behind.

"And where did you think the dragons that survived the arena went? We can't release them, Fullbuster, they'll only bring more of their kind. This is their fate." Makarov said, his voice grave and quiet, "Look."

That's when Gray noticed the small human standing in the corner. Her eyes were wide and her hands shook as she hugged a large spell book to her chest, her blue hair was drenched in sweat. She was terrified.

Levy.

"What the hell is she doing down there," Gray yelled and Gildarts had to hold him back, restraining him before he could jump on Makarov and pummel him to death.

"Calm yourself, Fullbuster," Gildarts hissed into his ear, but it did little to stifle to raven haired slayer's rage.

"She's fine."

"Fine? She's terrified! The hell are you trying to play at old man!"

"Her role is a necessary one, lad. She's playing her part, just as we all must. You're friend is the most brilliant up and coming caster Magnolia City has, she's down there to try to translate the dragon's body language and voice patterns."

Gray stopped struggling, "She's communicating with it?"

Makarov nodded, "Or at least trying too. She's playing her part, Fullbuster, it's about time you started doing the same." Suddenly the floor beneath them started to rumble again and the crack in the floor fused back together. When the rumbling stopped Gildarts released him, causing him to stumble forward a step or two. "Welcome, Gray Fullbuster, it's about time you learned the art of dragon torture.

xXx

_Oh sweet Mavis! What have I done, oh what have I done? My father is going to throttle me!_

It wasn't so much the fact that she had put a man to sleep with her foot in her room. It was that she had a man in her room. If her father found out, hell if Gray found out, she would be roasting over the fire pit in no time. Dammit.

Panic began to set in as Lucy stared at the unconscious man lying on her floor. He had better not be dead, not that her kick could have killed him, unless it snapped his neck. Already flustered by having a man in her room, the blush across Lucy's face darkened with nerve as she bent over to probe the man's neck. Gently her fingers moved across his jaw and then down his spine. A quiet moan left his lips and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucy frowned and glanced over the sleeping man's features, which were currently soft and relaxed with sleep, quite different from when he was awake; then they were hard and angled. Looking at him now, she could see that he was handsome, maybe even more so than Gray; who had always been known as the most sought after male in Magnolia City, both for his looks and his talent. Lucy scoffed at the thought.

While his facial features where nice to look at, it had been this man's eyes that had pulled her in, they had been so deep and full of constricting emotions. Lucy had looked into those eyes, had seen the violence that lay in his emerald orbs, but she had also seen confliction. It had been the confliction, in the moment when he had had her pinned to the floor that made her sure he wouldn't harm her. He had an untamable violence in him, but it wasn't something that defined him yet; there was a part of him, though small, that wished for peace.

An exasperated sigh left Lucy's lips as she stood over the man, hands on her hips as she contemplated what she should do with him. The sun's early rays peaked through her bedroom curtains, basking him in light. He twitched in his sleep and it dawned on the young blonde then that she was not prepared to have a decent conversation with a person that had broken into her room, but she also wasn't ready to throw him out. She wanted answers.

And she would get them.

Gradually Lucy rolled his deadweight of a body across the wooden floor until he lay next to her bed; before using the last of her strength to heave him up and onto the mattress. She was exhausted, with little to no sleep the previous night the blonde was running empty. However, she wasn't about to take a nap with a strange man. Instead she perched on the edge of her bed and studied him.

He was strangely familiar.

Lucy watched him, taking in each twitch of his face while he slept and each breath he took, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. She knew she had never met him before, Magnolia City may be large but even still there wasn't a single person she hadn't met. Her father made sure of that. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that this stranger had been in her presence before.

"Gah! Oh."

Lucy jumped when the man suddenly sat up in her bed. Well he woke up a lot faster than she thought he would. Hmm good thing she was prepared for a situation like this.

With lightning speed Lucy pulled a battle ax from under her bed and held it against the stranger's throat, she sat on his chest with her knees digging into his forearms. He yelped when the blade nicked his skin, causing a stream of dark blood to trickle down his throat. His emerald eyes zoomed to hers and his pupils shrunk to near slits. Lucy cocked her head, his eyes really were fascinating.

"So," Lucy smiled and pushed the blade of the ax farther into the stranger's throat, "Who are you and what were you doing snooping around my room?" The man beneath her hissed which only earned him the blade being shoved farther into his throat, causing him to gage.

"Rashbrda mazhr grotro!"

Lucy slammed a hand over his mouth, cutting him off and silencing the foreign tongue that was spilling from his mouth. She had never heard this language before, which unnerved her. Foreign language had always been a strong point of hers, there weren't many that she hadn't heard or read within the area and this one she had never come into contact with.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that." Lucy hissed and squeezed her hand around his mouth, causing her nails to bite into the skin around his mouth. He hissed and snapped at her, his teeth just barely missing her hand.

"L—," Removing her hand from his mouth and the blade from his throat, Lucy watched the stranger begin to cough and then grit his teeth. Then he rasped, "None of your business."

"And for some reason, you a complete stranger, just decided to take a casual stroll through the house of somebody you have never met. I could be wrong, but this is _my_ home." Lucy said, her tone mocking as she swung her ax around before allowing it to rest on her shoulder. She gaze turned icy, "That makes it my business."

Honestly she thought she was being intimidating. Seriously, who doesn't get nervous when held at ax point? Crazy people, that's who! Imagine her surprise when he smiled and fucking giggled. He giggled! But, if his goal was distract her it worked. Lucy squeaked when she felt large hands wrap around her ankles, her ax flew across the room when the stranger flipped them, pinning her to her bed without a weapon.

They ended up in this position quite a bit it would seem.

He snickered again, "I beg to differ."

"I—you—get the hell off me!"

"Sure, sure," he said. The stranger held up his hands in defense but Lucy didn't miss the smirk that was spread across his face. She wanted to smack him for it. Damn she didn't even know this guy and he pushed her buttons almost as much as Gray did, which wasn't a good thing. Also his raven hair wasn't helping either, if fact it fueled her irritation even as he moved backwards and sat on his haunches, allowing her to slide herself from beneath him.

Lucy pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them. This man was very strange, certainly much different from any other man she had ever met. At the moment she wasn't sure if that was a bad or a good thing.

"What's your name?"

"N—Natsu," he muttered after a moment of silence and murmuring in the foreign language under his breath.

"Ah he can be civil."

"Watch it."

"I'm Lucy," she extended a hand toward him. Natsu stared at the hand for a moment, gazing at it as if he had never seen one before. Then he slowly placed his large hand in hers. It was warm and engulfed her smaller appendage almost entirely.

"I kn—Lucy, nice name."

"Thanks. Now you were in my house, why?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly and averted his gaze from Lucy's. She could sense an uncomfortable vibe coming off of him, which caused her to quirk an eyebrow. His emotions didn't add up with his actions and she could see a wall beginning to form around him. Natsu was a guarded person; that much she could see.

"Common," Lucy said and extended a hand towards him again.

"We going somewhere?"

She smiled and nodded at him, slipping her hand into his she pulled him from the bed and towards her bedroom door. When they reached the edge of her room Lucy turned back to Natsu and smiled at him, which earned her an eyebrow raise and an eye roll. Then his eyes widened at the sound of clicking metal.

Metal cuffs circled his left wrist with the other half of it attached to a pipe that ran along the inside of her room for heating purposes. He started at her, rage emitting from his emerald eyes. He pulled against the cuffs, clanking them along the metal pipe as he tugged and tugged to no avail. Lucy placed her hands on her hips and watched him until he slumped to the floor and opted that glaring at her silently was the next best thing to freedom.

"Sorry, Natsu," Lucy said as she picked up a bag next to her bed and swung it over her shoulder, "I have things to do and since you're refusing to answer any of my questions I have no choice but to leave you here for the time being. Obviously I can't have you wandering around the city, so you'll just have to stay put for now. Oh and don't bother with the cuffs, their infused with strength zappers so you're body currently has the strength of a five year old. I'll be back later."

Then without another word she disappeared from the room, slamming the door behind her.

X

With her surprise visitor down for the count and with the unlikelihood of him finding a way out of those cuffs anytime soon, Lucy decided that being productive would be better than standing over him and barraging him with questions that she wouldn't get answers to. After securing her room from the outside in order to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere in the off chance that he did manage to free himself, Lucy made her way into town to find Levy.

Making her way through the main street, Lucy was greeted by the villagers who had begun the reconstruction of Magnolia City. The city that her ancestors had built was really something. Towers that stretched into the sky, cobblestone roads lined with cozy stone and wooden homes. Lucy wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

She found Levy just where she knew she would, the upstairs sections of the library; her nose buried in a book. Levy had always been vastly intelligent beyond her years, able to decipher ancient language and symbols that even Lucy's father's most skilled scholars hadn't been able to crack. She was one of the reasons they knew what they knew about dragons, and she was the reason they continued to learn. She was ambitious and stubborn and Lucy wouldn't have it any other way.

The bluenette looked up briefly from her book when Lucy sat beside her, glancing over her shoulder to see what she was reading. _Intermediate Casting and Warding Principles_ was scrawled across the front of the book and Lucy snorted when she saw the title. Levy, though hungry for knowledge had never shown much interest in magic, claiming it was beneath her and it only served as s cheap shortcut around hard work.

"Since when do you take interest in such things as magic?" Lucy sneered playfully at her best friend, which earned her an eye roll and a light shove. Levy closed the book then and shoved it across the table, where it collided with a number of other volumes.

"Not an interest, a requirement." She huffed and rested her chin in her upturned palm. "Gildarts has insisted that I learn something "useful" with my time instead of burying my head in books since I refuse to enroll in the slayer academy. According to him, magic and casting would suit me nicely but I absolutely loath it. When I protested he took the proposal to your father and of course once he agreed, which didn't give me much of a choice."

Lucy frowned; when she thought about it Gildart's idea wasn't a horrid one. Levy would make an excellent caster, with her knowledge and skills she could help the scholars that worked under the casters in Magnolia City uncovers secrets for spells and warding that they wouldn't have access to otherwise. It would give them an advantage. The only troubling part was her friend's lack of interest in the life, which she didn't blame her for. The life of a caster wasn't easy; they were expected to give weekly reports on research and were usually at the front during battle. In some ways, the life of a caster was more dangerous than that of a slayer. It all depended on the gamble of where your main placement was: research or combat.

Given Levy's relationship to Lucy and her father she may get to pick her placement. Favoritism wasn't unheard of, but it didn't guarantee anything. At the end of everything, her father didn't have the final decision, only an input. It was the highest ranking scholars that would decide her friend's fate.

"I'm sorry, Lev," Lucy started but the petite bookworm waved it away. Obviously she wasn't looking for pity and if that was the case then it wasn't Lucy's place to give it to her.

"I've made my choice." She said, "At the end of it all, in a way I chose this. I could have objected or joined the slayer academy, but I didn't. Perhaps this will be my place in life."

Perhaps it would be, and if it was, then who was Lucy to turn her friend away from it? Yes there would be struggles, there would be hardships, but it wasn't anything that they couldn't work through if they did it together.

"So you have, and I'll support your decision either way, but on another note, I have something that I need you to help me with," Lucy said before reaching down into the small bag she brought with her. Lucient Heartfilia's journal felt fragile in her hands as pulled in from the bag and handed the book to Levy, whose eyes widened in fascination. "Perhaps your new abilities as a caster will come in handy."

"Lu, what is this?"

"A journal."

Lucy snickered when Levy rolled her eyes again and shot her a dirty look. Of course she knew it was a journal. "I can see that much, but where did you get it?"

The blonde glanced towards the ceiling. Levy was her best friend but even still that didn't mean that Lucy was at liberty to say where she had gotten the ancient diary. Her father would hang her simply for the act of removing it from the vault, granted he never said anything against removing the texts, but it had been an unspoken rule. One she had readily broken. He had made it clear that Levy and nobody else was to be told about the existence of the vault, but this was Levy. If anybody could handle or understand the words of her ancestors it was this small bookworm.

"Lucy," The blonde's attention was instantly pulled back towards Levy at the sound of her voice, which had gone quiet and it only took a glance for Lucy to see she was terrified. Levy, for as long as Lucy had known her, wasn't one to be very open with her emotions. Sure there was a smile here, a grimace or a giggle there, but usually she was detached, choosing instead to throw herself into books, schools, and parchment ink. Now there was wild emotion in her eyes, wild fear, and it chilled Lucy to her core. "Where did you get this?"

"I—it-it, does it matter?"

Levy slammed her hands down on the table in front of her and turned on Lucy. "Does it matter? Does it matter?! Lucy, that—thing," Levy hissed and pointed at the book that lie open on the table, "Is overflowing with strange magic. Dark magic!" Levy glanced back over her shoulder; she stared at the book. "I've never seen anything like it."

Lucy blinked once, twice and then sighed through her nose. "Lucient Heartfilia." Levy stared at her, bemused by the name that left the blonde's mouth. Of course Levy had heard of the founder of Magnolia City, everybody had heard of him, though she wasn't sure exactly what he had to do with the strange text that Lucy had practically thrown at her, though she had a feeling she was about to find out. "The book before you is the diary of Lucient Heartfilia, my ancestor and the founder of our city. It's from a vault, an ancient library that lies under this one that my father showed to me after I was attacked by the Fire Eater. He said there were things that I needed to learn, about my grandfather, myself, and the Fire Eater. He said that our history was connected, that everything would be in that book."

"Fascinating," Levy stared at the book with a new allure in her eyes. She wouldn't touch it though; Lucy could see that her friend was still skeptical of the object that sat between them, its presence burning hot.

"The book is the problem. My father left me to myself, with a magical candle and a book that was scorched and therefore illegible." Lucy groaned; her posture slumped until her head rested in her arms as she flopped against the table. "Why is this what my life always leads too; charred remains and unanswered questions?"

"Lucy . . . look."

The air was permeated with silence. The journal was open and in the place that Levy had left it; said girl staring at the pages with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. The last of the yellow pages flickered when a draft blew in from the open window, but it was what was on those last few pages that almost made Lucy's heart stop.

_32__th__ Day of the warm season, year XX462_

_Today we were visited by a number of the beasts. There was no warning and suddenly the sky was littered with soot; it fell in tiny clumps that littered the ground and covered my home. My beautiful Magnolia City. _

"Thirty second day of the warm season," Lucy glanced as Levy as they stood shoulder to shoulder, huddled over the book. "That was six days ago. How is that possible?"

"Keep reading," was Levy's only response.

_One cornered me under my own home, and to punish it I took its sight from it, I know not what became of it afterwards. Another pinned me in an alley. I should have died then, but for some reason I'm still breathing. I should have died a number of times that night._

_My life is now filled with smoke and fire and I haven't the slightest idea of how to deal with it. My world has been rocked to the core and even I am not sure how I survived that night, or how I survived the mere shock of what has happened. My ancestor mentioned once, long ago, how he wouldn't wish meeting a Fire Eater upon even his greatest enemy. He was right to wish such a thing, I would have wished the same, for I have looked this creature in the eye, and I know not how I still breathe._

_Yours in confidence,_

_Lucy Heartfilia_

"Lucy did you . . .?"

But that was just it, she hadn't.

xXx

_To be continued: Chapter 7: Infiltration and a Hysterical Heiress_

**AN:** To everybody who has been patiently waiting, I AM SO SORRY! It's two months late, unfortunately. Life it would seem got in the way, college, work, I just didn't have the time to write and on top of that I had terrible writer's block. Those are my excuses. Winter break is coming up though so hopefully that means that I will find more time to write and therefore I can get chapters out faster for you guys!

On another note, thank you to everybody who took the time to read! I hope I made this chapter worth the two month wait. Please review, I really do love getting critical feedback from you guys. It brightens my day quite a bit.

Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody who celebrates it, and even to those who don't. My goal was to at least get this chapter to you guys by today (it's 2:03am as I type this) so here is my present to you!

I apologize for my extremely lazy editing.

Love dearies,

ZiraUzu


	7. Infiltration and a Hysterical Heiress

**Title: **Of Slayers and Dragon Tails

**Couple: **Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure/Fantasy

**World: **AU

**Summary:**_They both had a mission. One was given a role that he was proud to fulfill; he did so without question. The other was forced into an unwanted marriage and the impending removal of her throne. When the end comes dragons and slayers will clash. Don't trust your enemies, don't trust your friends, and don't fall in love with the wrong person. But it's hard when wrong is so temping. AU._

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

_Warnings: Language. Gore._

**Of Slayers and Dragon Tails**

_ZiraUzu_

Chapter 7: Infiltration and a Hysterical Heiress

(July 10, 2015)

xXx

He had been laying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, for the past hour and a half.

Natsu had tried everything. Pulling, thrashing, heating, he even attempted a head butt at one point, but nothing would break or loosen the cuffs that that vexing blonde had used to lock him in her room. It was downright pathetic, not to mention humiliating.

He was a dragon for fuck's sake, one of the deadliest creatures known to human kind. His kind were feared, strong, at the top of the food chain. And they liked it that way. To lose to a human was demeaning to a dragon's way of life, and if the human's didn't kill you, well, let's just say returning with your tail between your legs was the worse option.

Yet the almighty dragon couldn't free himself from a thin pair of metal cuffs.

Natsu bit the inside of his cheek in thought. He had always been proud to be a dragon with the fire element, what with so few of them being left, but in his current predicament he found himself longing for metal based abilities like Gajeel. Damn that metal eating bastard. Damn himself for sending him into the woods. He wouldn't be in this situation if he had let the metalhead wait outside for him.

Natsu's sharp teeth slid across his lip, absentmindedly kneading the soft flesh as he considered the different outcomes that could have occurred if he had done just that. For one he wouldn't be stuck in a human's bedroom, but on the other it might have been enough even for the usually quiet, brooding Gajeel to ask questions. Natsu didn't need questions.

"_Questions. We don't answer questions, Natsu. Questions are not part of our—agenda, per say. They are not part of your life. Not anymore." _

Questions where dangerous.

No, he had made the right call sending Gajeel into the woods.

The young dragon heaved a sigh as he began to farther contemplate his situation, or as much as he could after having already done so for the past hour. Pulling and relying on brute strength didn't work because of the cuffs' strength manipulation and heating the metal did very little; save expanding it just shy of being able to slip his hand through. Natsu's brows pulled together in a scowl, having ruled out that biting would most likely lead him to a similar outcome.

Absentmindedly he tugged against the cuffs. The skin around his wrist had grown raw to the point of swelling and had begun to crack open and ooze blood. His scowl deepened. Human bodies were such a weak thing. The blood around his wrist had begun to coat the metal and he winced when another tug sliced his flesh farther.

Weak human skin.

Natsu's eyes widened as he bolted into a sitting position. Damn he was a fool! That was the solution! This human form was weak and therefore prone to injury under even the slightest of pressures. He mulled the idea around in his head, perhaps not his best but it was the best he had.

Closing his eyes Natsu focused heat energy to the area of his arm around the cuff, slowly heating the metal until it reached its limits of expansion. He took a deep breath; damn this was going to hurt. He positioned his body so that he would be able to force a large amount of his body weight down onto his cuffed hand, unsure if his idea would actually work but he hasn't any other choice.

He took a deep breath and pushed.

Nothing, damn strength zappers. Emerald eyes skimmed the room, looking for something, anything that could aid him in his current task.

That's when he noticed the battle ax.

It was propped up against the end of Lucy's bed, just where she had left it out of his reach. Just barely. He rolled his eyes and wondered if she had actually thought of him going as far as to slice a body part off in order to free himself. He wasn't that stupid

Not quiet at least.

Maneuvering so he was flat on his back with his legs aimed towards the bed, Natsu used his feet to pull the ax toward himself. Shifting his foot until is resembled clawed talons he grabbed the ax and brought the blunt weapon up and over his head, until it was in grabbing distance.

He didn't give himself time to rethink his actions. He raised the ax, and brought it down on his hand. Hard.

A sickening crack filled the room and Natsu muffled a scream into his shoulder, which tuned to a pained hiss as the bones of his hand snapped. Using the blunt head of the ax, he had forced his thumb towards his palm, applying pressure until the bone gave way, leaving the appendage limp and useless but also enabling his to remove it from the cuffs since the bone no longer obstructed the way.

Cradling his injured hand to his side, Natsu launched to his feet and forced his shoulder against the bedroom door. Nothing. He tried once again, slamming the shoulder of his good arm into the wood but it scarcely even shifted. Banging a fist against the door in frustration Natsu hissed again as his bones snapped and crack, trying to reform after the break.

He glanced down and frowned at the sight. One of the shattered bones that had ruptured his skin stuck out at an odd angle, causing additional pain when the tattered skin was obstructed in its reformation process. Gritting his teeth Natsu placed his thumb against the break and shoved it back into his skin. An agonized yelp left his lips, but the bone remained where it should.

Dammit this was all that fucking blonde's fault. He was tired of getting injured because of her, self inflicted or not.

The young dragon hobbled over to the wardrobe, throwing the door open and almost clean off its hinges with his good arm. Grabbing the first piece of clothing he touched, Natsu placed one end in his mouth and jerked his head and hand apart, causing the material to rip. He wrapped the tatters pieces of what he assumed was once a fancy party dress around his hand before fashioning a sling from the skirts of another gown, which was damn fucking hard to do with only one hand.

Once his arm was secured to his side Natsu turned toward the window, heaving himself up onto the edge before jumping the two stories to the ground. He landed with a soft thud on the balls of his feet.

"_Infiltration. It will be your best friend or your greatest hindrance."_

_Natsu watched Silver pace the length of the Tactics Hall from his current place on a wooden chair, which had been shoved up against the wall in order to make room for the table that had been hauled in for the lesson. His face reflected that of boredom, his eyes a deep onyx as they glided across the ceiling, counting the ridges in the stone. _

_This was exhausting. Day after day he came and sat in this pathetic excuse for a room, barely big enough to fit a chair and two bookshelves, let alone a table, and listen to Silver drone on and on about war tactics or blending or hand to hand combat. It was always telling and never the _doing_. Natsu had grown rather tired of it._

_A thundering crash echoed off the walls as a giant book landed in front of Natsu, who was heaved from his seat and pulled across the top of the table. Maps fluttered to the floor and in spilled across the wood, seeping into his clothes._

_Silver had him by the collar, fisting the fabric tightly. His eyes were hard and promised pain. "Do my words—bore you, boy?"_

"_Tch," He shoved Silver's offensive hand away, an act that would get most soldiers killed. Natsu was an exception. "I've grown tired of your lessons, old man. I find them to be rather," he leaned back in his chair, balancing it on its hind legs and crossing his ankles as he set his feet on the desk, "lackluster."_

"_Ah," Silver leaned back. His lip twitched from restraining a smirk, "So the pupil wants to best his master. Alright, boy. Let's see if the game is truly as 'lackluster' as you say it is."_

If there was one thing Natsu took pride in it was his cleverness, but now he was at a loss. If only he hadn't been so cocky in his youth or cocky in general, he wouldn't be in this situation. He should have listened to Silver.

"_Your arrogance will bring your death."_

He hadn't thought so at the time. Now, as he slunk along the drafty, stone wall that surrouned Heartfilia the Rash's castle he felt that his death may very well be upon him soon. If he didn't find a way to do as his teacher had once instructed him, an instruction he had shown very little interest in at the time, he would fall in the home of his enemy.

And his father would be none the wiser, and simply be left to mourn the passing of his son.

It would seem infiltration was his only option.

Natsu ran his hands through his hair as he moved, darkness tainting his hair the color of raven's feathers. He went to pull his tattered cloak around his shoulders only to realize it was no longer with him. He swore under his breath and ducked into a shadowed corner as a maid scurried by, carrying a plate of piping hot bread and wine. Walking around half naked wasn't the best idea, especially when he was trying to be discrete.

Natsu quirked his head to the side in thought and then doubled back after the maid. Perhaps she would prove to be useful.

X

Human clothes were—itchy.

After her many, and in Natsu's mind tedious, rounds of serving the members of the castle the maid had returned to the servants' quarters to finish her daily chores, one of which just happened to be laundry. As soon as she finished her loads for the day Natsu plucked a tunic and a pair of trousers from the clean piles, quickly pulling them on before navigating his way out into the streets of Magnolia City.

The fabric was composed of something weird and smelled very displeasing. He pulled at the tunic that stretched over his torso, frowning at the itchy feeling it caused as it rubbed against his skin. He preferred the baggy closes he wore while in this form back in the caverns. They were much less restricting. And didn't smell weird.

"Hurry, hurry brother!"

"Oh hurry up now! The trials are about to begin!"

Natsu jumped to the side as a pair of Magnolia City siblings came tumbling down the pathway. They were dressed in the robes of the royalty, their hair curled perfectly around their ears and not a smug of dirt so much as marred their skin. They were excitable. Quickly they disappeared into the crowd lading away from the castle and towards the Ring.

What the bloody hell was going on?

"Oi," Natsu reached out and caught a young man by the shoulder, jerking the lad back by his collar. The lad gave him a bemused look as Natsu simply glared at him. He looked positively startled, his brows rose as he waited for Natsu to say something. The young dragon squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, switching his mind from his native tongue to human. Finally the dragon nodded towards the ring, "Something . . . happening."

The lad rolled his eyes at Natsu's statement, "Well duh. The king is holding a series of trials for positions in the royal guard. Live trials are always a pleasurable bit of entertainment. Now let me go."

Natsu growled quietly under his breath when he heard the young boy mutter a quiet 'weirdo' under his breath. Then a smirk spread across his face.

How convenient.

X

Human society was disorganized. Natsu scoffed to himself as he paced through the small waiting room they had shoved him into. Literally, they shoved him and then left him in front of a rack of the tools humans used to fight. A man barked at him to choose wisely and then left him alone.

For all of two minutes.

Not long after he was left another man came into the room, asked if he had chosen, and once he had grabbed a sword (the only human weapon he knew how to use) he was dragged from the room and placed into one with a number of other young men waiting to enter the arena. He was shoved rather unpleasantly into a chair and left without farther instruction.

Natsu had come to the slayers' Ring to look for the leader of the trials. If he was to infiltrate this city it was his best bet of doing so. He had asked only two people before he was herded like cattle down into the depths of the damn building. He had expected paper work, a back check of some sorts, anything to deem him unsuspicious in anyway, but there had been none of that what so ever, just a bunch of shoving and loud barking from human men. It was maddening, not to mention incredibly irksome.

Natsu jolted when he was nudged in the shoulder. The blonde youth beside him nodded his head towards the door and offered a smile, "Why you here?"

Why? Natsu stiffened for only a moment, the hairs at the back of his neck bristling before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to relax. He really hated human language. "I have my reasons."

The youth chuckled and shrugged, "Don't we all? Me, I'm just interested in doing my part, protecting my kingdom and whatnot. Plus, being able to spend time with Lady Lucy is a nice perk."

Come again?

Onxy eyes narrowed and turned to the youth, whose blonde hair fell over a small forehead and into his eyes. Blonde like Lucy's. "Lucy."

A goofy grin crossed the blonde's face, "Yeah, she sure is something. Beauty she is, pride of the king and his people. It's too bad she's spoken for, not that a commoner like I would have a chance with the heir to our lands."

Natsu raised a brow. Spoken for? He wasn't familiar with human bindings like marriage, or love for that matter. In his world, dragons took a mate primarily for reproduction reasons but some sort of affection often followed soon afterwards. He was still far too young to even consider such things as mating, something that typically happened when a dragon reached its early hundreds, so it was of little concern to him.

"Your arrangements of being spoken for are unfamiliar to me," Natsu said after a long moment.

"You're not from around here?"

"Something like that. It is a good match I presume."

The blonde shrugged in indifference, "I suppose. He's at the top of his class at the slayer academy. Rumor has it that the princess was promised to him just before the raid and they are to be married by midsummer. He's a demon in battle, or so I'm told."

Suddenly the door burst open and the young man who had been conversing with Natsu was ushered into the hallways. His time in the arena had come.

Then, after some time had passed, they came for Natsu.

He heard the cheers of the civilians that had gathered to watch the event long before he and the guards that led him reached the arena. They escorted him to the entrance and told him it would be a one-on-one fight. The winner would advance and the loser would be disqualified from the running. Sounded simple enough.

Sword in hand, Natsu stepped into the arena when the doors opened. The light was near blinding, the sun beating down into the dirt clearing. His ears wailed with the voices of the people.

The first challenge was easy. The second no different. Natsu cut his way through his opponents one by one, and then, suddenly, it was down to him and another.

Natsu paced through the dirt, his sword dragging patterns in the brown dust as he waited to enter the arena for the last battle. When the doors opened he swung his sword in a few circles and strode into the clearing, confidence leaving him in waves.

But when he saw his opponent, the hair on his neck bristled and a blood thirsty anger flashed through his being. The raven haired man from before stood twenty paced before him, arrogance and a cocky confidence radiated from him.

Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

xXx

Lucy could see that Levy was clearly irritated. Her shoulders were hunched and her brow twitched every few seconds, yet as frustrated as she knew her friend was the blonde couldn't stop invading her personal space. Currently she was leaning over Levy's shoulder, mere inches away, as the bluenette leafed through the blank pages of Lucient's journal.

"Sooo?"

"Lucy seriously! Space! I can't concentrate with you breathing down my neck every two seconds!"

Lucy squeaked as the petite woman navigated her small shoulder into the blonde's collarbone, sending her tumbling to the ground and into a pile of books that had been stacked on the floor not far from them. A cloud of dust lifted to the air before settling after Lucy stopped thrashing in order to free herself from the paper mountain. She heard Levy snicker.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Incredibly so."

The mage snickered at Lucy's pout as she came and sat herself next to her friend once again. "Fair enough."

Three hours had passed since Lucy had brought her ancestor's journal to Levy and in that time they had made little to no progress. The secrets within the strange book were locked under pad and key and they were locked tightly. At this point the two girls had ended up with more questions than answers.

Suddenly a quiet knock sounded through the small study area. Both girls glanced at the messenger that stood next to one of the farther bookshelves, the sound most likely the result of him knocking on the oak wood of the bookcases. "You have been summoned to the throne room courtesy of your father, Lady Lucy."

"Very well," Lucy stood from her place next to Levy and moved to leave, but before doing so she turned towards the bluenette, leaned down and whispered, "Let no one see it. You do not have this book, Levy. Understand this."

Levy nodded, her trust unbreakable. "Understood."

Then Lucy was ushered from the library and towards the throne room, where her father awaited her.

X

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek as she ran through the halls of Magnolia Castle. Her feet were bare, slapping quietly against the stone floor and caused her to skid across the stone as she rounded the corner, due to the lack of friction, as she made her way towards her room. The guards her father had were good, but they didn't know every corner of the castle like she did. She grew up here, lived and breathed the life in these very walls, it was her game board and anybody who tried to outwit her in her own field would lose.

So in a game of chase, the guard didn't stand a chance.

Lucy, as a princess and heir to her father's throne, of course understood her father's endless badgering about the need for guards and supervision. Didn't mean she had to like it. Even during her younger years—she wasn't sure at exactly what age it had started—Lucy had developed a habit of running away from her protectors. It was simple to slip away from them, even now, though she had become much more troublesome to catch as time passed. Her current guard was no exception.

Now she was an expert at guard evasion.

Around the time she turned fourteen her father had given up on assigning her a permanent guard due to her antics of constantly running away from them, though it didn't stop him from sending one to escort her from time to time. Granted, she had a number of protectors that she was ordered to stay with when leaving the Heartfilia territory to visiting the neighboring cities and lands. Those she generally stayed with so her father wouldn't have a heart attack. Home was different. Lucy liked her freedom, and she would do what she could to keep it, even if it was something as simple as being escorted, she could do it herself.

She treasured the little freedom she would have until mid summer came. And that was even _if _her freedom was taken from her. There was still time, just very little of it.

When the door to her room came into view she came to a halt, almost barreling into the door due to her feet sliding across the stone. She paused, hand hovering over the handle. Something didn't feel right.

Slowly the blonde cracked the door open, glancing inside through the slivered crack between the door and the frame that had been created as the heavy wood squeaked on its hinges. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, the air was still and held a calming quiet but as she nudged the door open farther her body froze, and disbelief flooded her.

The room was empty.

Unfortunately for her though, she didn't have time to survey her room and find out how the strange man she had held captive had escaped, for the guards came bowling into the room only moments later. They screamed their protests and berated her terribly as they marched her towards the throne room, one guard dragging her along as another made feeble attempts at trying to convince her to put shoes on.

She pouted and ignored both.

The doors of the throne room groaned as they were heaved open and Lucy was dumped on the floor at her father's feet. She glance up at him from under her lashes, a sheepish look on her face as she rubbed the back of her head and stood from her place on the floor, dusting dirt from her skirt.

Lucy bit her lips as her father stared at her. His expression held the aspects of exasperation with his daughter's latest shenanigans but Lucy saw see the corner of his lip twitch ever so slightly as he tried to look angry. He actually found her stunt to be rather comical.

"You wanted to see me father?"

He nodded as he regarded his daughter, so young and beautiful and so full of life, though also so incredibly fragile though she often protested to that fact. In her mind she was strong and capable of anything, and while those things were true he had the mind of a father and couldn't help but worry about the safety of his only child. He had already lost he mother, he would not lose her as well, and especially not to a creature as gruesome and horrendous as a dragon.

"Yes, Lucy I did. It's regarding your—game I suppose is a good word for it. This constant game you play of running away from your guards, Lucy, it needs to stop."

Lucy had heard this speech before. It was almost routine at this point. Her father would argue that her safety was in jeopardy and that, despite her strength and cleverness, she could still be hurt at any moment. She bit her lip in frustration, her eyes closed into a squint as she turned her gaze away, "I don't need them."

"So you say," Jude said, rising from his chair so he could descend to the ground. He paced the floor in front of her in thought for a moment before coming to a halt before her. "Lucy you believe that you are perfectly safe wondering the streets of our city alone, yet it was in our very streets that your life was almost ended. I will not let this happen again."

"What are you saying?"

"You are aware that there was recently a tournament to pick new installments of the royal guard, correct?"

"I am."

"They were not for the royal guard, daughter, they were for _you_. The tournament was to see who was most qualified to protect you."

"What? You can't be—,"

"From now on you will have a permanent guard at your side, twenty four hours a day, every day. This is not something up for negotiation."

"Father you can't—,"

"I can, Lucy." She gasped in disbelief at her father, who came to cup her cheeks in his warm, large hands. Lucy grabbed them, frustration present on her face while his own held concern, and a little bit of anger at her for being so stubborn. "You are my daughter, my only daughter, and I will not lose you to the likes of dragon scum because you are incapable of protecting yourself."

Lucy wretched herself away, "I can care for myself!"

"Not the way you need to be, and that is precisely why Gray carried you from a battlefield covered in blood and you were hospitalized for almost a week!"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the mention of the raven haired slayer's name. Lucy grit her teeth and folded her hands into fists when it occurred to her that she had heard he had an interest in entering this particular tournament, despite his constant distain in the past for other tournaments of a similar nature, claiming he had better things to do with his life than wonder the castle day in and day out.

"I swear if you picked him—,"

"Lucy!"

"If you picked that filthy bastard to spend every moment with me I will never forgive you! I already have to cope with the knowledge that my freedom will most likely be given to him in less than a year's time despite you claiming otherwise if I prove myself as a slayer. I will already have to spend the rest of my life married to a man I do not love and will never love, you've posed enough cruelty on me already, please don't add to it. I will die first."

Her father fixed her with a hard stare, saying nothing and yet so many things all at once. She saw the evidence of sadness in his eyes, and a sense of betrayal at her obvious distain for her fiancé.

"Gray will not be your guard Lucy."

Lucy calmed down for a moment, composing herself slightly at that piece of information before managing to spit out a spiteful, "Good."

"Even if he had won it would have been wildly inappropriate for your future husband to be guarding your life, despite the fact that he would have been quite qualified. It would also leave me with the job of finding you another guard after your marriage."

Lucy didn't miss the fact that he said future, not possibly future. Then something else occured to her.

"Gray lost?"

Her father nodded, "Was quite to wallop I heard."

But that was—how—it wasn't possible. Gray was her generation's best fighter. Despite her obvious distain for the raven haired slayer, Lucy could agree with the fact that he was excellent with a sword and well informed when it came to battle strategy. So to hear he had been bested, well, it was bewildering. She almost didn't believe it.

"The winner cheated."

Her father shook her head, "Afraid not, my daughter. Makarov witnessed the fight, he would have noticed."

"Gray lost on purpose."

"Doubtful. There was no cash prize offered, he would make no benefit from doing so."

Lucy bit her lip in thought and crossed her arms under her chest. It didn't make sense, every angle she thought of her father had an explanation. But why did she even care? She should be happy that someone like Gray Fullbuster wouldn't be charged with guarding her. It would make running away so much simpler.

Or so she thought.

"What's his name?"

"Natsu Dragneel."

It wasn't her father who spoke.

Every muscle in her body went rigid. She knew that voice. And the last time she had heard it its owner had been trespassing in her room. A million questions flew through her head and each one lacked an answer.

Composure was something that came naturally to Lucy, she was good at putting on a show. Creating a mask to hide her emotions was something she did often, sometimes by choice and sometimes not, yet it was currently something she lacked, and something she fought hard to regain. Slowly Lucy lowered her arms back to her sides, took a deep breath, and turned to face the man she knew was standing behind her.

His dark eyes pierced her, taking her all in and analyzing every part of her that they could reach. She did the same, taking in his metal boots and the armor of her kingdom, which hugged his body like a second skin. Her father's crest rested above his heart and she glared at it. He didn't deserve to wear it. His hair was slicked back and bordered on a dark chocolate brown, lighter compared to the raven she had seen during their first encounter.

Their first encounter. When she had left him locked in her room, chained to the floor with no way of escape.

But he _had._

And that was what unsettled her the most

xXx

_To be continued: Chapter 8: The Dragon Hunt_

**AN:** Hi lovelies! I just wanted to say sorry and thank you so much to everybody who has waited so patiently for this chapter. It really does mean the world to me.


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