"Why are we going back?" Jellal asked.

I didn't know what to say. How was I supposed to tell him that Natsu was a Dragon Lord. Natsu! That stupid fool! Surely after he tamed Igneel, Faust would execute him!

"The Dragon Lord is dead," I told him.

"W-What?!" he asked. "When did you even find him?"

"Her," I corrected. "She was that woman who healed you. She died."

"How?"

I shrugged. "Bandits, I guess."

Jellal sighed. "So now I'm going back to the castle- back to my father- after disobeying him. And I'll have to tell him we failed to find a Dragon Lord. That Fiore has no hope of surviving this dragon attack?"

"I'm sorry."

He looked at me but said nothing.

~ ~ ~

"You disobeyed me."

"I'm sorry, Father," Jellal murmured, kneeling before his father. The king of Fiore looked down at him in cold silence.

"You took the word of a lowly knight over my word?"

"I shouldn't have done it. I regret it."

He pointed to me. "Take her to the prison cells."

Two guards immediately grabbed both of my arms. I struggled briefly but quickly gave up. There was no point.

"Father-"

"Go to your room."

Jellal laughed coldly. "There's a freaking dragon attacking us and you tell me to go to my-"

From outside, Igneel roared and the ground shook. Faust jumped out of his throne and looked at the ceiling as if he was afraid the roof would cave in any minute. It would have been funny if it weren't true. And if I weren't being arrested.

"Father, listen. Please. If I slay this dragon, let Erza Scarlet go."

The king raised an eyebrow. "And if you can't?"

"I'll be dead by then."

I saw the king's face pale. He glanced at Porlyusica who nodded. "Very well. Take the finest knights with you."

The guards released me and I quickly bowed to the king. I ran out of the room. I had to find Natsu.

~ ~ ~

"Natsu Dragneel, child of the dragons. How dare you go against me?" Igneel asked.

Natsu rubbed his head.

"What's wrong, baka?" Gray asked. 

"Someone's talking to me inside my head," he muttered.

Gajeel laughed. "Looks like someone's going crazy!"

Gray elbowed Natsu and said, "He's already crazy!"

Jellal opened the door and yelled, "Put on your armor. We're going out again?"

Gajeel motioned to his injured arm. "Excuse me?"

Jellal sighed. "We have no choice. We need to kill the Great Dragon."

"Stop arguing and hurry up," I shouted from behind the prince.

We were wasting time.

Natsu pulled on his armor and walked behind me, helping me strap on my chest plate. I picked up my battered helmet from the window sill and tucked it under my arm.

"Have you been hearing voices lately?" I asked casually.

Natsu stared at me with wide, onyx eyes. "Do you hear it too?"

I shook my head. "No. Well..sometimes."

"Am I..Am I going crazy?"

"Listen Natsu," I whispered. "This is going to be hard to explain, but we have no time."

"What? Tell me!" Natsu whispered back. "I can take anything!"

"You're a Dragon Lord."

~ ~ ~

"Hold."

Igneel swerved his head and stared down at us. I held my shield up to my face.

"Hold."

The Great Dragon stared at me, almost longingly. For a second I thought Igneel would change his mind and not attack. I was wrong.

"Attack!"

The men yelled and bravely swashed their sword against the dragon's side. But the only way to kill a dragon is by magic.

"Natsu," I said. "Repeat after me."

Natsu nodded nervously. "I'm ready. I've been hearing Igneel in my head since last week. I've got to do this. And-" He sounded more like he was reassuring himself more than me.

"Just shut up and listen."

I didn't know how Natsu felt about magic, but I knew he was scared. Like when I first discovered it. I was only ten.

I whispered, "Dragorn! Non didlkai. Kari miss, epsipass imalla krat. Katostar abore ceriss. Katicur. Me ta sentende divoless. Kar... krisass!"

I didn't know how I knew what to say. I guess when you're a sorceress, stuff like this happens.

Natsu repeated after me, stumbling across a couple words.

Igneel appeared to know exactly what was going on. He roared and knocked Jellal on to the ground.

"Stop!" I yelled. "Stop. It!"

"Why are you fighting me, young sorceress? We are on the same side! Leave the magic haters!"

"Natsu! Finish saying it!"

"Kari miss.." Natsu trailed off. "What was the rest again?"

"..epsipass imalla krat. Katostar abore ceriss. Katicur. Me ta sentende divoless. Kar... krisass!" I yelled. Igneel's eyes suddenly went cloudy and his jaw went slack.

Natsu stared at me with amazement.

I hid my surprise by crossing my arms and shouting. "Igneel! You are the last dragon! The greatest dragon of them all! Stop this at once! Leave Fiore and never return!"

"You are quite interesting," Igneel said smugly. "But you are no Dragon Lord."

"Well, I am!" Natsu said.

The dragon studied him. "Young sorceress, you must promise me something."

"Wipe his memory clean. He should no longer remember me."

Natsu recoiled. "W-What?"

"It is too dangerous for him," Igneel said softly. "Do it."

"Rika orith lyght." I said, without hesitation. I hated agreeing with the old dragon, but he was right. Memories were a powerful thing, and magic twice as perilous.

Natsu slumped to the ground.

"Why?" I asked, looking at all of the unconscious knights. Unconscious Jellal.

"I do not regret doing this," Igneel said. "But I must follow the rules of the Old Religion."

The Great Dragon turned and left Fiore.

"You may not be a Dragon Lord,"  Igneel whispered. "But you are the strongest sorceress Fiore will ever have."

I watched the dragon leave. Even though Igneel had destroyed so much..He had helped me during desperate times..

Jellal stirred on the ground beside me. He rubbed away some of the blood on his forehead. 

"Did I...Did I kill it? The dragon?"

I smiled. "Yeah, you did. We should call you, 'Jellal..the Dragon Slayer.'"

I felt extremely bad about lying, but his laughter, sweet and sincere, made up for it.

Almost.