Dragon's Requiem

Walk This Way

I'm taken from the throne room, Natsu grabbing me by the arm, again, and almost dragging me away. He doesn't say anything to me. I assume that he'll be taking me back to the dungeon, but, instead, he takes a left, where we had come from the right. Then, he leads me up a grand staircase that splits into two different directions. He leads me down the left path, again, and into a long hallway, lit with torches. There are no windows here. I can only presume that that means we're on the far interior of the castle.

Natsu shoves me right, down another hall. Neither of us have said a word to each other, since we left the throne room. He won't even let me look at him. He just growls and shoves me forward. The thing that brings the greatest reaction out of him is when I push my hair behind my ear, exposing the side of my neck and the scars from his fangs. The moment I sweep my hair away, I can hear him growling, feral and deep.

He pushes my hair back into place, saying, "Get that thing checked out. And keep your smell to yourself. It's giving me a headache." His claw grazes my cheek, when he does it. It doesn't scratch me, but I can tell how sharp it is. Zeref made his whole being a weapon. His mind, his body, and his magic are all meant to deal damage.

"Natsu?" He doesn't say anything. "Natsu, I-"

"Shut up," he commands.

"But what are you-" Natsu roars and pins me to the wall, his arm across my neck. His eyes are burning with rage.

"I told you to shut up! Are you really that stupid?" He eases up and slams me back against the wall, again. "First, you infiltrate a war looking for some random soldier. Then, you get captured. Finally, you seem to never be able to just shut your mouth. How gods damned hard is it for you to follow orders?" I search his eyes for anything besides anger.

"Natsu..." I try to reach his face, but he jerks it away from me. He slams me against the wall, a third time, and leans in closer to me.

"Don't touch me, slave." Slave. He called me slave. Never before has he said anything so cruel to me. "You will call me sir and nothing else. You will do what you are told, in silence, unless you are spoken to. If you do not do everything that you are told quickly and adequately, there will be consequences." He shoves me once more and steps away, jerking his head in the direction we're heading. I can't believe that I could act like this. I've only ever seen him like this when he was attacking Gray. He was never this angry with me. He understood that was trying my best to understand human culture. He knew that I grew up different. But this? This can only be the work of Zeref's black magic. He must have done something to Natsu.

I start walking again, Natsu following close behind. After a few minutes, we stop at a door. He unlocks it and pushes it open. It creaks as it swings into a well lit room. There are high windows and lamps illuminating a stone-walled room that is painted with murals of soldiers, wizards, and dragons. A master must have painted them, because they are the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen. The burning oil also makes the room warm and smell of smoke and incense. In the center of the room is a large bed with red covers. The bronze frame is carved like the old Greek pillars.

I'm caught off guard when Natsu slams the door and the bed begins to scream. I run towards it and find Cassian, alive, well, and crying, in the folds of his blanket. I snatch him up and hold him close. I rock him and try my best to ease his crying.

"I can't believe that you brought that thing with you." I spin to find Natsu standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the door. "Of all the stupid things that you have ever done, you brought an infant into a war." I look back at Cassian who is smiling at me and grabbing at my hair. I kiss him on the forehead and look back at Natsu.

"He is my first an only child. I couldn't leave him at home... and I believed that his father would be happy to meet him. I was wrong," I tell him. He shrugs and walks towards me. When he reaches for Cassian, I pull him away. This earns me a stern glare from Natsu. He grabs my arm and pulls me back towards him. He lets me go, but continues to glare. Then, he places his hand on Cassian's head. He's retracted his claws, making his look almost human, except for the horns and wings.

"He's strong. He will be raised in Zeref's empire and he will learn to fight for his country . What is his name?" Natsu says, running his hand over his son's strawberry blond hair.

"His name is Cassian. And if he is strong and willing to fight, then he will be just like his father." I start glaring back at him and make sure to temper the amount of venom in my tone. He retracts his hand.

"You have some time to settle in before you are put to work. Someone will be along to escort you to your tasks." He opens the door to leave, before pausing and looking back at me. "Do you need anything?" I'm almost surprised. I didn't think that he would chose to show me any more kindness. He's already let me live and given me my son back.

"Some water? Food?" He nods.

"As you wish." He shuts the door and the room goes silent. Cassian is tugging on a loose piece of my hair and grumbling.

"I know. I need a bath." I look around the room and see a curtain on the adjacent wall. Setting Cassian back down on the bed, I rest my hand again the faded wool tapestry. There are men and animals of all kinds. There are green water dragons with huge heads and little legs, striped horses, gray creatures that almost look like they have 5 legs, and golden cats that are twice the size the men that they are fighting with.

Peering behind the tapestry, I find another room with a large white pot over a small fire lacrima. On the inner lip on the white pot, there is a bronze tube connected to a water lacrima and a bronze shelf that is holds a series of potion bottles. This looks like a brewing station for whoever was meant to stay here/ But why would they give me access to mysterious potions or the ability to create any?

Against my better judgement, I open up one of the bottles and find that they smell of perfumes and flowers. I pour some of it out and find that they are filled with soaps that have been dissolved in water. As the tub fills, I start to look more closely at things and realize that this is a washroom. I see a small mirror on the wall over a smaller wash basin that is mounted to the wall. There's also a white chair that looks like it was made from the same stone as the basins. I activate the water lacrima. Nothing happens, at first, but then a slow and steady stream of water begins to fill the tub. By activating the fire lacrima, the water starts to heat up.

Leaving the half-full tub to fill, I return to the bedroom and pick up Cassian. I bring him back to the washroom and deactivate the lacrimas. I set Cassian on his spread out blanket while I climb into the tub. The water is warm and the soap that I had poured in makes the room smell like lilies. I use a few of the soaps and wash away the dirt and grime that has accumulated on me from my weeks of travel. And I take some time to stretch out my tail. I haven't seen water like this, since my time on the ship. Being able to use my tail for just a few minutes makes me fell calmer, if only for a moment, before I slide out.

As I dry off and let my legs reform, a process that feels slightly uncomfortable, since my skin, muscles, and bones all have to rearrange, I reach down into the basin. Tugging on a cork that is attached to the bottom, I feel it come loose and the water begins to drain into a hole that was carved into the bottom. I watch as it disappears down the tunnel and into the dark unknown.

Just as I finish getting dressed, I hear the door open. Peeking out from behind the tapestry, I see Jellal with a tray of food. I scoop up Cassian and go to confront him. If he's working for Zeref or under the same kind of spell as Natsu, then I have to find a way to take him out and get back to Fairy Tail.