Edited: 12/28/2014

Disclaimer: Not mine, but I can dream, right?

Chapter 1: Escape

Year: X677

The king hurried down the long palace hallway, trying not to trip over his long robes as he headed for the grand gazebo. A servant kept up with his quick pace, dabbing a cloth to his forehead to clear away the sweat. Another servant handed him a set of flashcards and quickly veered away, no doubt hurrying to attend to his other duties.

Finally, he reached the Gazebo and stopped at the exit, breathing hard as he scanned the speech in his hand. A herald stepped out onto the gazebo and loudly introduced him to the crowd, which gained a grand response from the huge audience gathered outside the palace.

He straightened his robes as the herald stepped away, quickly disappearing in one of the side entrances. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the sunlight, momentarily blinded by the bright rays shining on his face. For a moment, he was deafened by the cheers of the adoring crowd, all screaming their praises to their glorious victory.

He raised his hand, and the cheering increased in volume. He reveled in the sound of their voices, drinking the crowd's energy as if it was some kind of holy water. Finally, the crowd began to quieten and he took a deep breath, holding back the nervousness that was threatening to swallow him whole.

When all was quiet, and only the sound of the soft breeze could be heard from his lofty height, he began.

FT

A man staggered through the darkened woods, blood gushing from his side as he pushed his body onward. In the distance, the cruel laughter of his pursuers taunted him, and the snarls of their dogs only made his feet move faster. The wound in his side ached terribly, but he gritted his teeth and only speed up, working through the pain. He needed to get to the others as fast as possible and warn them. The fate of an entire civilization rested in his hands.

FT

"Citizens; the day has finally come, the day that humankind is no longer plagued by the monsters that have hunted us for centuries!"

A cheer rose, and the joy and relief that had been so long awaited finally began to emerge, spreading among the crowd like an infectious fog. The king laughed, encouraging the celebration.

He continued his speech, "We have waited for this moment for decades, nigh, centuries, and we will not be disappointed by its outcome! As I speak, the last of the creatures are being driven from their caves, hunted to extinction."

FT

Somehow, he reached the cave, and as he stumbled inside he heard the hushed voices of the caves contents. Moving as fast as his wounded body allowed, he dived into the darkness of the cave, seeking out the source of the voices. Nearing the edge of a ring of light, he attempted to cry out, but blood in his throat garbled his words. His body jerked to a halt, and violent coughs wracked his body, and blood spattered on the stone floor. He fainted then, his body crumpling onto the ground in a bloody heap.

Someone inside noticed the commotion, and quickly headed towards him. The hulking form of a dragon neared him, and he sighed in relief. They just might make it.

FT

"The expense of our country's resources, and the effort put forward by the Rune Knights and the Dragon Slayers, has been worthwhile. In moments, the last of the Dragons, including their cowardly king, will be obliterated, and we will take back the holy lands." The crowd cheered once again. "We have lost much in the name of this seemingly hopeless crusade, but we will lose no more. Our lands will soon be safe, and we will prosper for as long as this world lasts."

The cheers from the crowd were deafening as the king stepped back into the palace. The people were chanting: "Down with the demons! Long live the king!" The king smiled a she strode back down the hallway. Another chore marked off his checklist, now on to the next.

The king quickly turned a corner and servants opened two large doors on his right. He quickly entered, and was greeted by all his generals, and the newly formed magic council. He nodded to them and then seated himself at the head of the table.

"How goes the hunt, General," he said, turning to a man on his right."

"Excellent sir, we are moments away from victory, just as you said in you speech." The king nodded his head and then turned his attention to the head of the magic council, Damian.

"I want to hear this plan you had for the dragon slayers," he began. "I hope you don't have any intention of letting them all go their own merry way. The power they possess is far too great; Acnologia is proof enough of that."

Damian nodded grimly. "No, I have no intention of keeping the slayers alive, even the ones who helped us. We also don't have the means to keep over one hundred individuals possessing indefinite magical power contained for a lifetime."

The king narrowed his eyes. "So what do you suggest?"

Damian took a deep breath. "The slayers who remained with the dragons can be executed without any trouble; the ones who joined our side however, are a completely different matter. The masses are in awe of the dragon slayers, thus they are protected. If we just decided to execute several dozen innocent soldiers, the authority of the kingdom would immediately be questioned. So, in preparation of this, I had you scientists implant microscopic bomb lachrimas in the Slayers skin. The moment we receive word that the dragons are dead, the Lachrimas will detonate, and we can say they all died in the line of duty."

The king's eyes widened at that, and then a devilish smirk slithered its way across his face. "Excellent work Damian, I expected nothing less from you."

"You honor me your highness," Damian said, bowing his head in respect.

"Well," the king said, looking out at his council. "Now that that's taken care of, let's move on to the next order of business."

FT

"Someone is here."

A huge, moth-like dragon strode gracefully across the stone floor. Nearing the entrance of the cave, she spotted a man lying still on the ground. The copper scent of blood tinted the air, and her eyes widened as she realized who it was.

"Igneel, come quick," she cried, moving quickly to the human's side. She lowered her head as the humans stuttered, trying to speak past the blood in his throat. She listened as a choked message fell from his lips, and cried out in dismay as he died promptly after.

She turned as Igneel approached from behind, his crimson scales gleaming in the light from the cave. "What did he say, Grandeeney?"

"He came to warn us. The slayers are on their way, we have a few minutes before they arrive," she said, striding past the red dragon, back into the cave.

Igneel nodded and walked back with her. Inside the cave, young children and women from the outer villages had taken up residence inside. They had been holed up here for little more than a month, and the population within the cave had shrunken quickly as dragons and dragon slayers left to battle the army. The small amount of people still present in the cave was the families of the slayers that had died in the line of duty. Some of them were kin to traitors who had decided to remain with the dragons and their allies, but the relation wasn't held against them, as they were now being hunted by their own family and friends.

The few dragons that remained had insisted on protecting the families of their students, or remaining with Igneel in order to protect him. They noticed Igneel coming and rose, knowing that something serious was coming.

"We must act quickly if we are to live to see tomorrow," Igneel began. "Skiadrum, Grandeeney, Weisslogia, you all escort the families into the catacombs." Grandeeney looked as if she wanted to object, but one look from Igneel silenced her. "Metalicana, you come with me. We'll meet up with Atlas and the others and attempt to hold the slayers back."

He looked at Grandeeney. "We may only be able to get you a few minutes, get those families down there; the priority is the women and children." Grandeeney nodded and strode away, Weisslogia and Skiadrum reluctantly following behind.

Igneel and Metalicana watched as she got the humans moving. They scurried about and quickly picked up their things as Weisslogia opened the entranceto the catacombs. Igneel couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow as a head of spikey pink hair disappeared into the catacombs with the crowd. In moments, the cave was empty and the entrance sealed.

Igneel was the first to move, heading for the entrance of the cave. Metalicana trailed behind him, preparing himself for the battle that was to come.

"You're not thinking of the brat are ya," Metallicana asked, shouldering Igneel playfully.

"Why not," Igneel retorted. "He's the only pupil I ever accepted, and the first hybrid ever born between dragons and humans. Don't tell me you're not thinking of your son also."

"I never said that."

Igneel smiled a fang toothed grin as he reached the entrance of the cave. "Then let's make sure they make it through this."

Metalicana smiled as well, and they both spread their wings and took flight. Igneel roared, declaring his presence to the enemy below. Multiple attacks immediately followed after, roars of dozens of elements hurtling towards him. Igneel soared higher, rising on a draft as the attacks fell short. He could see the dragon slayer running through the trees, now changing their course to follow Igneel and Metalicana.

Igneel flew onward, leading the enemy to the last fighting force that the dragons possessed, ad away from the innocent families now hiding deep within the earth. He would defeat the enemy, even if it meant dying for his cause. It was the only way to protect his people. The only way to protect his son.

Yup, just made this on a whim (nervous laugh) yea, not really. I've been mulling over this particular piece for almost a month because I really didn't see myself as capable of writing a story this complex. The main problem was this chapter. When I imagine my stories, I often see them as a visual thing (almost like a movie) and that's how I set my standards, only better; so the switch scene was almost like what you would see in movies. I would appreciate it if you guys commented whether it worked out or just killed the stories mood. I feel really good about this story now that I have my first chapter out for you to see! I don't care if you cuddle me with fluff or poke me in the eye with a stick, just tell me what you think!