The Red Dragon

Chapter 21

Stingue Week 2019
Prompts: Heroic, Betrayal, Guilt, Reminisce, Union, Gratitude

Chapter 21:

Natsu was running on empty, but he kept himself aloft, determined to make it home. He'd used most of his magic to heal as many of Gray's injuries as he could.

That's not the only thing you used it for...

Natsu ignored the thought, not wanting to dwell on his actions. He wasn't proud of the choice he'd made, but after what had happened, it had been the right thing to do. He firmly believed that. No matter how much it hurt him to have Gray forget, or what it would mean to the rest of their lives.

Casting the memory spell on top of using so many high-level healing spells had left him with barely any strength. Every thrust of his wings felt like his last, but Natsu was nothing if not stubborn. He continued flying on willpower alone, the world around him blurring until he blinked to clear it. The blood continued to gush out of his body in worrying amounts, but he had a promise to keep, and he was honor-bound to do so.

I need to get home.

"Natsu?" He heard a familiar voice and startled, not sure whether it was real or a figment of his imagination. He had sensed no other dragons nearby.

Too bad they didn't show up earlier.

He shook that thought away too, knowing in his heart it wouldn't have made much of a difference. It would have only made matters worse, and Talos would have been destroyed.

No. He was in this situation because of his own selfishness. For having put his love for Gray ahead of what was expected of him.

He'd joined the war to protect his father, but he could never have imagined that it would cause him to be perceived as the next King of the dragons. It wasn't something he'd ever asked for or even wanted. He'd always had a vague understanding that someday, far in the future, he would replace his father as the leader of the red dragons, and he'd sort of accepted that. But this was different.

Belserion had explained it to him before they had dispersed. The dragons expected him to go after Acnologia and destroy him so he could lead them to their new home, Drak Aast. A place where they could live out the rest of their days in peace and harmony, increasing their numbers until, eventually, the humans that had been at the core of their conflict would forget they'd ever existed.

It was a good plan, but unfortunately, there was no room for Gray in it, and Natsu had no intention of giving up his mate without a fight. During his time in the war, all he'd thought about, all that had kept him fighting, was his promise to Gray that he would return, and they would spend the rest of their days together.

Natsu had given his all to every task. He'd injured Acnologia and killed Deliora. As far as he was concerned, he'd done enough.

So after waiting for three months for Atlas to perfect an illusion spell that concealed his scales, Natsu had begged his uncle to cast the spell on him. It lived on his right shoulder disguised as a tattoo, draining a small but constant amount of his magic to maintain the illusion.

Natsu had made his choice. He would live his life as a human with Gray for as long as they could manage it. Igneel and Atlas had both given him their blessing with the understanding that he would return to fulfill his duty once that part of his life was over.

As soon as he'd smelled Gray getting close to Talos, he'd grabbed his bag and readied to meet him, still not entirely sure what to tell him. He'd latched on to his mate and never looked back.

For the first time in his life, he'd put his wants first, and he refused to regret it, despite what had just happened. For six months, he'd been blissfully happy, living the life he'd dreamed of for so long.