Dragon's Requiem

Traitor!

          "What are doing here, Jellal?" He looks at me, frowning. He has no right to be looking as judgmental as he does.

          "I should be asking you that, Lucy. Do you know what you've just done? You've just put yourself, Cassian, me, and Natsu all in danger," he barks. "Do you know why I'm here? Do you know what I was sent here to do? I was sent here to spy on Zeref, send any useful knowledge back to Rome, and kill the dark wizard at the first presented opportunity. With you here, he's going to be on guard. He can controls Natsu, now. If Zeref finds out who you truly are, he'll kill you."

          "Why? What does it matter if Zeref knows who I am?" I ask. He sets the tray on the bedside table and turns back to me. 

          "Lucy, you are a link to Natsu's past. Before he was a child on the street, he was born here, in Carthage. Nearly a century ago, the king and queen were kind and just rulers. There was peace and prosperity in the kingdom. However, not long before Natsu was born, a plague spread over the land. Assassins came for the family, in an attempt to have their nephew, Sir Hades Precht, ascend to the throne, knowing that he would begin warring with the surrounding nations for food and supplies," Jellal explains. I already know this story. Gray told me, before Natsu and I were married. But Gray didn't tell me this version of it. 

          "The assassins lit the parents' room on fire. A beam fell on the queen, killing the unborn Natsu. She would die not long after his still birth. The king, raging and heartbroken over the loss of his wife and second son, had his eldest, Prince Zeref, revive the child. However, news had already been announced to the town that the child was dead. When the king announced his son's birth to the town, they were furious. Why, when his people were dying, would he only choose to save his child and why hadn't he used Zeref's magic to heal the land? They rioted. The kings sent his boys away, before the castle was burned down. Servants, still loyal to their king, used their illusion magic to disguise a ewe and her lamb as the burned remains of the princes. 

          "Zeref, fearing for his baby brother, sealed him away at the bottom of the sea, with a spell that would break after fifty years. At that point, his basket floated to the surface, where he was found by the dragon that raised him."

          "Igneel," I tell him. He nods.

          "And that was twenty years ago. Zeref stayed young by using his cursed magic and took back his throne, a few years prior. He continued the wars that King Precht had begun, before him. when he discovered that Natsu was no longer in Carthage. Natsu, meanwhile, was growing up and met you. The spell placed on him erased the last 20 years of his life and he believes that he grew up as a prince and a warrior, here. Somehow, you need to get through to Natsu, without Zeref finding out. This will break the spell and bring back your husband."

          "I understand. How do I get through to him, though? He can't stand to be around me," I respond. Jellal cracks a soft smile for the first time, since I've seen him.

          "Appeal to his humanity. He's already spared your life, and he's given you a room, no less. I do believe that our Natsu is still in there. If anyone can slap some sense into that thick skull of his, it's you." 

          "There's another thing I noticed. He hates my smell and my scar. Why didn't he recognize his mark?" I ask. I move my hair away from my neck, showing the scar that Natsu gave me. "Is that another part of the spell?"

          "Yes. Memories will bring him pain, if he tries to remember too much at once. This just proves that he does know you. The Natsu you know is still there, but he is trapped behind Zeref's magic. You just have to pull him out." I nod and thank him for his counsel. "Now, when your done eating, I give you permission to rest, tonight. I'll get you, in the morning, to start your work." He bows and leaves the room. I sit on the bed, nurse Cassian, and begin to eat, myself. On the try there is a piece of bread, water, some goat cheese, and some smoked fish. For a personal slave's meal, this is far better than what I expected to be given. 

          When I am done, I set the tray back on the table and lay on the bed. It is soft and I sink into it, like a cloud. The sheets are soft and smooth and the pillow is just right. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, unsure of when I will find to relax next.

POV: Natsu

         Sitting on the roof, I stare at the setting sun. The sky is pink and orange and I can see the smoke of the Roman pyres that burn in the distance. I pick at the dirt and blood that has dried under my claws and think about today's battle. The enemy has gained a lot of ground in the past two months. Even with me stopping them from getting too far, those new Fairy Tail wizards are making things difficult. Not to mention the other wizard legions that Rome has fighting for them. And the battle report form today was worse, with me gone from the field. 

          "What is it with that girl? Why does she make me feel so angry?" I ask myself. She called me by my name, too. Zeref didn't hear her, in the throne room, but I did. She knew me, somehow. And the child she has with her only smells like her. On that whole battle field, I haven't smelled one soldier that could be the one that she was looking for. I'm not sure what kind of spell or delusion she's fallen under, but I intend to find out.

          Sighing, I smell my father's scarf. I can only wear it when I'm alone, like this. Zeref doesn't like to see me wearing it, but he does tell me stories about our dad. He was still young, when our parents were killed, but he remembers that our father was a strong wizard. Zeref says that he could have held the whole world in his hands. It looks like that dream has fallen to Zeref. He also says that our mother had the most lovely singing voice. She would sing to the both of us, before bed. He misses her. I wish I could have met them both.

          With the onset of night, I climb down the side of the castle and onto the balcony, below. A guard on patrol stops to salute me and I nod for him to continue on. I continue down the hall and have the same thing happen to me every few meters. Each time, I nod at the guard and keep walking to my room. On the way, I stop a servant and order her to bring mead to my room. She bows and scurries off, like the little mouse she is. I wonder where Jellal sent that girl that I brought here. I'm sure she's around here somewhere. I just need some more space from her, for a while. 

          Opening my door, my nose is assaulted by the scent of perfume and that stranger. It shouldn't be this strong. Unless... I push the door open and look through the dimly lit room. On the bed, I find the girl asleep in my bed, the child by her side. She's curled up on top of the sheets and is breathing slowly. Taking a few steps closer, careful that my sandals don't make too much noise, I study her. The longer I look, the longer the more intense my recurring migraine becomes. For the last few months, I've struggled with headaches that only get worse, every time I try to remember anything that happened before the accident.

          I look away and cover my nose with my father's scarf. It dulls the smell, considerably, but I still smell that one piece of it that refuses to dissipate- the smell of strawberries. Even covered by the smell of the perfumes that she must have used while washing, I distinctly smell that sickening and painfully sweet smell. Unable to stand it any longer, I turn on my heels and exit the room, locking the door, before storming away. I see the slave girl scurrying towards me with an amphora and she stops a few feet away, bowing her head. She shoves the amphora towards me and waits for me to take it. I snatch it from her and shove her out of my way, marching back to the balcony that I came in through.

          When I make it to the balcony, I drop my elbows onto the rail and take a swig from the vase of mead. Then, I hear footsteps, behind me followed by, "Are you feeling all right, General?" I growl at the man, behind me. Of all the staff, here, he is not the person that I want to see, at this moment. Not only is he our slave master, but a double agent that takes the name, Mystogan, when he travels to Rome. 

          "Not now, Jellal. I don't have the mental strength for this," I mutter, before taking another drink. I'm not sure what it is about Roman's, but they always seem to get on my nerves.