The Tail of the Twin Dragons

35

Sting and Rogue had been able to last a few hours before they were surrounded and captured. In a matter of minutes, they found themselves in handcuffs, surrounded by guards, being led through the castle.

"That was fun," Sting smirked, the skin around his left eye turning a dark ugly shade of purple as his eye started to swell shut - courtesy of a punch from on of the soldiers.

"Your eye suggests otherwise," Rogue growled.

"... Does it look bad?" Sting grimaced.

"Yes," Rogue answered bluntly.

"Quiet," one of the guards ordered, giving Rogue a small shove which earned a defensive snarl from the dragon slayer before he composed himself, sending murder glares at the guards.

The group turned a corner and both Sting and Rogue stopped dead. 

'What the hell is this?' Rogue's inner voice gasped as the magic power in the air seemingly multiplied, settling on his shoulders like overbearing weights. 

'This magic power is...' Sting was struggling to stop his knees from buckling, the mere presence of something had created such a vast output of magic power that it was almost impossible for them to stand.

"Acnologia! Sire!" One of the guards announced, snapping into attention, the other guard followed his example.

The two dragon slayers looked up and their eyes widened.

He was striding towards them slowly, his aura one of power and malice. For someone who had haunted both of the boy's dreams for so long, he lived up to those nightmares. A sturdy, strong man with wild hair that hung down his back. He wore dark clothing with the only noticeable object on his person being the cape draped over his shoulders that billowed behind him when he walked. His eyes studied both dragon slayers in such a way that all Rogue wanted to do was bow his head and avoid confrontation. Sting's initial fear passed and he found himself glaring at the dragon king in fury.

"Acnologia," Sting spat.

"Dragneel," Acnologia's voice rang out, deep, powerful, and completely controlled as the man regarded the battered blonde. The dragon king stopped a few feet away and looked upon the two captured dragon slayers. "What brings you to me?"

"Your guards," Rogue responded coldly, trying to suppress his fear.

A small chuckle emerged from the dragon king as he walked up to Rogue. He placed two fingers on the shadow dragon slayer's temple, causing the man to recoil before his brow furrowed. There was a moment of confusion until Rogue's gaze sharpened and he tensed as if in pain. The soldiers on either side of him held him fast she tried to pull away from Acnologia's touch. The dragon king was digging into his mind, prying through his memories with no issue, the man seemed to have a nonchalant look to him as Rogue tried to resist him.

"Leave him alone!" Sting shouted, tried to lunge for the dragon king, barley kept from doing so by the guards.

Rogue gritted his teeth as the reach of the dragon king scraped through his mind, sifting through memories. There was the last dinner they had shared with their friends.

'Your allies?' a cold voice supposed, pushing the memory aside

"Get out of my head," Rogue hissed.

Frosch's happy face, Jet and Droy, Yukino, Minerva, Orga, Rufus, Dobengal, Lector, and of course Sting. Acnologia continued prying.

Fairy Tail... Yukino and Sorano with Laxus and Mira, Macbeth, Sawyer, Richard, the list of faces went on.