Fairy Tail: Dragon Prince

Year X368

"We sincerely apologize, young lord but as per his majesty's orders, we cannot allow you in here." 

Another failure. Another failed attempt to head into the prison floors whose doors were blocked by the pair of spear-wielding sturdy soldiers.

The seven-year old couldn't blame them at all. They were simply following their duty. For the soldiers his father's orders are above his own which means he has no right to order them around. He can't give them orders that go against his father's. If he does that, it won't be him being punished but the disobeying soldiers. And he would rather not have someone else take punishment in his stead.

He was mature enough to understand that the soldiers were duty-bound but what he failed to understand was why his mother was imprisoned there. Why was his father being cruel to his own wife? Did she do something wrong?

He tried asking everyone for the reason of his mother's imprisonment including his father, but he only got the cold shoulder and topic-distracting, vague answers in response. No one wanted to or more like couldn't tell him about the circumstances revolving around his mother and yet they expect him to be mature and understanding because he is supposed to be the next ruler of this kingdom. 

'How am I supposed to be a just and understanding king if people don't tell me anything at all?' The boy would often ponder about this question, once again with no one there to answer him.

"It's alright." Was the young lord's response to the guards. They all had been used to it. It has been three years since his mother was thrown in the prison cells.

"You know this is just too cruel for a child." The guard muttered to his partner once he realized that the boy was out of earshot. "Today is supposed to be his birthday."

"Yeah, but who are we to question the General's orders?" The other soldier said in a helpless tone.

"You should stop calling him General and address him as King if you want your head in one piece." His partner warned. "You don't wanna know what happened to the last guy who addressed him as General by a slip of tongue."

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The Prince had retired to his room after a few more futile attempts in persuading someone to allow him to meet his mother. He had given up on asking for anyone's help regarding this. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

If no one is willing to allow him in the underground dungeons, then this calls for sneaking in. All he had to ensure was that he didn't get caught by his father or the men loyal to him. Being well aware of his father's temper, things might not just end with him getting punished but also the guards and servants assigned to him. He did not want them to suffer just because of his selfishness. 

The knocking on the door of his room, brought the prince out of his train of thoughts. He wondered who it was supposed to be, given that he hadn't asked for anyone for the time being. Ever since his mother had been locked up, the visitors in his room had decreased. There would be no reason for anyone to be here unless they want something from him.

Opening the door, he was met with the face of the man he had least expected to come knocking at his doorstep, his own father, Rung Bernhart. Rung was a middle-aged man with long, dark brown hair, dark brown droopy eyes and a small goatee. He was dressed in his usual armor with the Dragonof kingdom's crest engraved on it. 

The Prince was a spitting image of his father, having the same but shorter dark brown hair and a pair of chocolate brown eyes that stared warily at his father.

"What do you want?" For all he knew, his father wasn't here to wish him a 'happy birthday' and congratulate him on turning seven. He could infer that much from the irritated expression on his face. 'I do have a vague idea on why he is here.'

"Did you try to go to the prison again?" His father counter-questioned, forcing his way inside his son's room.

"I wanted to see mother, what's wrong ab--"

Before the boy could even complete his sentence, he felt an armored kick land on his torso, knocking the wind out of him. He crashed, with his back hitting one of the cupboards present in the room. Coughing, he slowly looked up, more like glared at his father who reciprocated in kind.

"This is the last time I am telling you. That monster is not your mother." Rung warned. "You will not be going there anymore."

"My mother is not a monster." The prince spit back without hesitation, rubbing his torso. 

If he were to label anyone as a monster at the moment, it would undoubtedly his father. The man's actions justified it.

"I am not telling you to not go there. It is an order." The King stated, looking irritated at how difficult his son was being right now. In his justification, he was doing everything in his power for the sake of the kingdom and it's future. Even if it meant locking up his wife who would turn into a monster at any given point unless executed and keeping his son away from her. 

"I will still go! You are not stopping me anymore!" The boy revolted before a reddish aura surrounded his short frame. [Outrage!]

It was one of the enchantment spells taught to him by his mother who had mastered various forms of Enchantment Magic and labeled herself as a Master Enchanter. This was one of the lower level spells to enhance a person's physical strength to the maximum stage their body can endure. 

Three years of suppressed frustration had finally reached its breaking point for the prince. He had finally resorted to forcing his way to the prison to meet his mother, even if it meant defying the orders of his own father. No words or orders from anyone was going to stop him this time. 

With a single jump, the seven-year old attempted to land a kick on his father's face, only for the latter to react faster than he had expected. Years of fighting in wars had developed the king's battle senses to a frightening degree. He wasn't going to be ashamed by a mere child of seven who is still green in learning how to properly fight. 

Grabbing him by his legs midair, the former general proceeded to slam his son on the floor. Thanks to the buff from the enchantment, he was able to endure the excess pain. Gathering his strength, he elbowed his father's arm to break free from his hold, only to have a right hook land on his face, which send him rolling on the floor.

The enchantment died out, given that the caster had taken too much damage and his body was already at its limit. Rung did not even pull back his punches, despite the fact that he was hitting his own son. He wished to set an example by ruling the kingdom with an iron fist and not even his disobedient son is going to be an exception to it. 

"You are not going to achieve anything if you stay this weak and pathetic." Rung spoke, watching his son struggling to stand up with no hint of emotions in his eyes. "In order to be stronger, you need to discard these feeble feelings. That is how you can be a ruler feared by others."

"Your ideals should be backed by strength." He continued. The Prince tried to land another hit on his father after getting up, only to have an armored boot land a hit on his abdomen. He fell on his back, coughing before passing out soon after. "The one who is strong sets the rules and the weaker ones have no choice but to accept it."

He snapped his fingers at which two guards entered the room. They picked up the unconscious prince and were about to lay him on the bed when the king spoke up.

"Take him to the underground facility." Without any further explanation he left his son's room, leaving the guards to follow his orders.

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Having walked out of his son's room, Rung arrived in a dungeon-like place which was well-lit with torches for clear visibility. Area-wise it was huge enough to fit an entire town under the ground. Various equipment were placed around which functioned via the ethernano crystals arranged in the required order. 

Ethernano or ether in short, is said to be the raw power source for all the magic that exists in the world. No one knows how or where this energy came to be from but what everyone knows is that ethernano is present in every organism, be it humans or different beasts that walk on the surface and even in the atmosphere.

Wizards are those humans, who are said to influence the ethernano in the atmosphere and that present inside them to perform magic. Each wizard is said to have a container of sorts within them which stores the internal ether of a person. The container varies from person to person, resulting in different people having different amounts of magic reserves.

Ether can be also found in various items which is the reason items and artifacts imbued with magic exists. A wizard can use those items as a catalyst to perform spells of all sorts. Ether crystals are said to follow the same principle and thereby are used as materials for providing energy.

Rung stopped in front of a huge cage, inside which a dragon with deep bluish scales and cream-colored underside was kept imprisoned. The dragon had black claws and talons and his eyes were a deep shade of crimson which bore an immense hatred towards the human daring to stand right in front of him. His wings had spikes in their tips and shared the same scales like that on his skin. His entire body was connected to the numerous equipment present around via magic wires.

"Is it not ready yet?" He inquired to the soldiers and researchers standing around. One of the researchers motioned to the soldiers who nodded before going inside one of the connected pathways.

"You treacherous human..." The dragon struggled to even move, yet his voice carried the intense killing intent he harbored for all the people present in here. "I will never forgive you for betraying me!"

Rung purposely ignored the dragon as the soldiers brought a transparent container inside which was an azure gem which glowed vibrantly. 

"Finally it is completed! The Artificial Dragon Seed made from the dragon's heart." He mumbled, holding the container in his hands, as if it were his prized possession.

"What did you do with my heart?" The dragon questioned. He was able to sense immense power oozing out from the gem. And a certain feeling of familiarity to it. As if it were a part of his body.

"Used it for the greater good of humanity." The King answered before turning to his guards. "It's noisy. Shut this reptile up."

The guards present obeyed without hesitation, using their magic staffs to charge in electricity and launch it towards the defenseless dragon. They kept at it even after the dragon let out an agonizing scream of pain. After the dragon fell unconscious from exhaustion did they stop. 

Two more guards entered inside the facility, carrying the unconscious prince with them. Rung's eyes darted from the gem to his son before looking back at the gem. 

"Start making preparations for inserting this inside Rades."

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The next day

"Why are you here?"

A middle-aged woman with scarlet red hair and brown eyes glared daggers at her husband standing in front of her, separated by the prison bars. Her hands with tied with iron chains which hung from the dungeon walls. She seemed weary and was littered with bruises. The most striking feature about her was the growing amount of scales on her skin which resembled that of a dragon's scales. 

"It has been decided that you will be executed in three days." Rung answered. "I thought I should personally deliver this news."

"What are you saying, Rung? I am still pregnant with our second child!" The woman's expressions morphed into that of dread upon hearing of her execution. After all she had done for the kingdom, this was what they were repaying her with. 

But that did not matter to her right now. To her, the most important things were her son and her unborn baby. All she wants is the world to be a better place for both of them. 

"Don't screw with me you monster! No woman can be pregnant for three years!" Rung spat, entering the cellar. She had been adamant on being pregnant with his child for three years. Something he simply refused to believe. 

"I halted the baby's growth with magic. I don't want them to be born in a prison cell." The scarlet-haired woman shivered under the malicious gaze of her husband who wasn't listening to any reasoning at the moment. 

"Bullshit!" The king held out his hand, a sword materializing in it. "Let me check it out for myself. I refuse to believe that I have a child with a monster like you."

"NO!' The woman helplessly pleaded as her husband proceeded to slash her belly.

The feeling of helplessness soon changed into pure rage, triggering the growth of the scales on her body. A pair of wings protruded from her back while her eyes glowed in a crimson color. The walls of the cellar started shaking. 

"I am not a monster! I am a human!" She mumbled on, breaking the iron chains with force. "I am a human!"

A huge explosion of highly dense magic shook the entire palace, decimating the entire structure in a flash and taking the lives of almost anyone who was unfortunate enough to be inside the palace. The explosion was followed by a blood curdling roar of a dragon who rose from within the flames and debris before taking off to the skies.