Chapter 56 - Chapter 58

Gildarts and Narberal were walking through the long and empty corridors of the castle. His steps started out confident, but all along Narberal noticed how Gildarts steps became slower and more insecure.

An evasive and uncomfortable attitude was growing inside the boy. Every few steps he would stop and ask random questions about where this door led to or what was behind that other door. Dark thoughts of abandonment and disappointment crept and took root inside his head.

Why wasn't his dad by his side when he woke up in that bed?

Why didn't he save him from the tiger?

Why didn't he stand on the beach when he arrived?

So many unanswered questions grew from a single thought, all the way to fear that his father would reject him when they met. How could he live up to a man with such strength? A man that tamed an entire island, including multiple dragons.

How could he ever stand face to face in front of such a man and proudly call himself his son.

Did he really deserve that?

Had he earned the right to be born into that mans son?

Dark thoughts are most dangerous when they succeed in creating doubt. The more you doubt, the faster they return to drag you down into darkness. Ones the thought successfully plants it's seed in your mind. It takes a great positive force to combat it.

They finally arrived on top the long and wide staircase that led to the front door. Narberal looked at Gildarts and he was trapped in what felt like a never-ending spiral. Everything in his view was spinning and he had to take three long and deep breaths to get everything to stop spinning.

"Are you okay, Young master?" Narberal looked at him with concern and genuine awe and love in her eyes. She was tasked with being Gildarts personal maid. He was her single most important thing in existence.

"I am okay, Nabe." Gildarts didn't like to say her whole name because it was too weird so he just nicknamed her Nabe.

She nodded and they proceeded to walk down the stairs. The big double doors that was also the main door into the castle was now right in front of him. The door towered over him and he felt like they were glaring at him, judging him for who he was.

"Let's go," Gildarts said with a hurried tone because he couldn't take the intimidating feeling everything in this castle gave him.

Narberal pushed the big double doors open and the outside revealed itself to them. The warm light from the sun blinded Gildarts and everything in his vision transformed into a bright light that forced him to cover his eyes.

It took only a few seconds for him to get used to the direct sunlight and he soon had his full vision back. The entirety of the castle garden was revealed to him.

Freshly cut grass with dirt road leading around the garden and passing by incredibly beautiful and well kept flower fields. Outside the front door stood a statue of a dragon that was in the middle of a powerful roar.

The dragon statue was made with Alora as inspiration so the statue looked like her. Gildarts took in the sights and it finally hit him. The fact that his father was an emperor. Who else would have something like this in his home?

"Where is my father, Nabe?" Gildarts looked around but saw no one around. Only himself and Narberal were here.

"He is just beyond this little garden. He usually stands at the edge of this mountain and observe the island in it's entirety. Let's go see him.

Gildarts nodded and followed Narberal closely. He walked just behind her, almost like he was using her as a shield from the gaze of people. They walked on the dirt roads in the garden and quickly made their way passed it and came upon an open grass field that led all the way to the edge of the mountain.

This grass field surrounded that castle and it's garden. It also covered everything at the top of this mountain that had not been turned into a part of the garden.

"There he is. Should i wait here?" Narberal pointed at someone in the distance. Someone that stood only a few hundred meters away from him. That person was Portgas D Dragon and he was standing there close to the edge and overlooked the island like he usually would do when he was bored or anxious.

"Young master? Are you there?" Narberal waved her hand in front of Gildarts and he finally snapped out of it. He looked at her with a questionable gaze.

"Should I wait here?" She said again with a warm smile.

"Ye sure.." He said not really listening or bothering with her right now. His full attention was not to cower in fear, but to walk up and confront his dad. He breathed in, gave Narberal smile and started walking.

His steps started out slow but over time quickly took up speed. Not long after he was fully sprinting. The closer he got, there more defined the person at the edge became.

A white and black outfit. Dark-coloured hair, muscular physique. Everything became clearer and finally he came to a full stop. He was 20 meter away from his father and his body refused to take another step forward.

"Dad?" His voice shaking beyond belief. He sounded nothing like the confident boy walking through the doors of the legendary Fairy tail guild. Or the powerful and boy that defeated a magical talking giant tiger.

He saw the back of his father and he turned into an innocent frighten boy, afraid of rejection. His voice filled with uncertainty. His eyes filled with tears, filled with emotion. As he saw that man turn his body around, his legs started shaking, but he forced himself to stay standing.

"I'm proud of you, Gildarts." Dragon turned around and faced his son.

"You made it to my island. You made it to my mountain. I could not be more proud of you."

Gildarts stood there and listened to the words coming out of the man's mouth. He heard them but had a hard time believing. Every doubt, fear and uncertainty about himself washed away. The feeling of rejection he feared the most slowly dissipated into nothingness inside his mind.

"Dad!" Gildarts flew into Dragon's embrace and finally he let it all out. His tears fell like the water from a broken dam. His dam that hampered his emotions had finally broken and his tears pulled no punches as they drenched Dragon's clothes in a matter of seconds.

"From the day you were born ,to this day. I never stopped missing you." Gildarts hugged his son tightly and whispered his apology into his ear. Dragon let some tears fall from his eyes.

"I was so afraid that you would reject me. I was afraid that i was too weak." Gildarts had his head buried inside Dragon's chest and sniffled while talking and his body was shaking because of all the emotions that all exploded at the same time.

Dragon quickly grabbed Gildarts arms and pulled him away and then stared straight into his son's eyes.

"never! I wouldn't care if you had no magic at all. You're my son. There is nothing more important to me than you. I would fight a hundred worlds if it meant protecting you. You will always occupy the biggest space in my heart. So don't you dare even think those thoughts again."

Dragon pulled him back for another hug and Gildarts cried even more while his grip on Dragon tightened. He never wanted to let go and Gildarts completely drown in the embrace of his father.

Gildarts cried heavily for minutes while staying there inside the embrace of his father. Finally, after several minutes, he fell asleep. Mental and emotional exhaustion kicked in and he fell asleep with a peaceful smile on his face.

"Shall I put him to bed, Lord Dragon?" Elderly gentlemen dressed in a black suit with white gloves asked from the side. He had appeared from nowhere.

"No! I will put my own son to sleep. I missed 12 years of his life. I will not take this time for granted." Dragon said and walked off while only keeping his gaze on the boy that was wrapped up in his warm embrace.

"Sleep tight!" Dragon disappeared into the distance after saying these words.

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End