Chapter Text
Katsuki realized many things fast, the most important one of these is that he wasn’t as fit to rule a kingdom as he had originally thought. Granted, the kingdom was given to him during a time of absolute chaos, he still felt out of touch and completely overwhelmed by it all. And after what Camie told him, it started to become more apparent to him.
He could only hope that he wasn’t doing irreversible damage to the Kingdom. He felt unprepared, ignorant, and had let his emotions take the best of him. Too much has happened for him to be prideful in this, he felt no pride in his title, in his actions. He cursed himself for not thinking of the people before his own emotions--for not accepting Ochako’s death sooner. And even still, there was a small part of him that refused to believe it. He still, in his heart, could not accept it. There had to be a way--some way that she survived. For now, however, he had other things to take care of; and it killed him to have to take his mind away from her, he didn’t want to abandon her again--and yet he had so many people relying on him right now.
Katsuki couldn’t get out of his head; that Ochako was relying on him too. He wanted to hope that she still was, but he had failed her then, how could he help these people now?
The mages were gathered in this throne room after he summoned them to be present. They stood there, hopeful, looking to be told good news, he supposed. Katsuki was alone up there, sitting on a King’s throne, with no chancellor, advisor, or guard. The Queen’s throne was open, empty beside him.
He stood before them there, and he felt the pressure--of people relying on him, their eyes burning holes into him. He was a leader, incompetence or not. He had to act as one.
“It’s been over a year since you all have arrived here, all of our lives have been changed since then. There was more that was to be expected of our union, but you all have suffered more than anyone at the hands of my mother. Even under my own still young reign,” he spoke, and they looked at him. He did not have any joy in his voice. It was clear to the mages that this would not be a pleasant conversation.
“My mother, as you know, is a woman filled with greed. She wants power and would go to any length to get it, even killing her own husband. He was one of your own people,” he takes a breath, the thought of his father’s lifeless corpse flashing through his head once. It’s pointless to dwell on the past, he forces himself to think. Katsuki continues. “My men recently found the bodies of your patriarch and matriarch, callously thrown in the woods with their hearts being ripped open. I can without a doubt say that it was the former queen, Mitsuki who took their lives,”
Many people were quiet, in perhaps an unbelieving state, while others burst into tears, crying within the crowd. He needed to continue. “We also have reason to believe that Princess Ochako has also--met the same fate of her parents,” He couldn’t help thinking that this had all been his fault. How? Despite it being his mother’s actions, surely he could have done more, surely, he could have predicted that she would one day turn into the monster she was inside.
He stared off into the crowd then, his brain and thoughts seeming far away. As if he wasn’t there.
A hand grabbed onto him then, taking him out of his trance. It was the green-haired man from the tournament, who Ochako had claimed to know. He opened his mouth to say, “I want to go with you all,”
His face twisted with confusion. The man continued, “We can’t let her get away with what she’s done, take me with you when you go to take her life,” Behind him, many people nodded or voiced their agreement.
It wasn’t a terrible idea. His mind still remembered that goal, the hatred that continued to inflame his heart. Katsuki would go to find his mother, no doubt--and taking some people along wasn’t a bad idea. But if that was the case, they couldn’t just rush in without a plan. If he would actually pursue this--he needed to know why, and how. There were still many questions unanswered about Mitsuki and her transformation that he has yet to look into. The dark office that belonged to his parents always gave him chills when he walked past it, but it was damn near time to finally take a step in there.
“I’ll think about it,” he said, finally.
Katsuki wasn’t even entirely sure what Mitsuki’s goal was. He could see his mother doing such things just for the hell of it, but in his mind, there had to be a reason. He would not accept that his mother killed his father on a whim.
He took to the office that once belonged to his parents. Memories of him being disallowed from entering crept up in his head. What exactly were they hiding in there? The door handle stared at him almost, as if it had been waiting for him. When he touched it, it did not budge despite the lack of keyhole or any notice that it had been locked in the first place.
The doorknob was one of magic, just like the one that he used for his own hideaway cottage just outside the castle. Those kinds of doors respond to a certain stimulation--whether it was a magical aura or thought. The one he used on his cottage responded to the thought of himself, what could it be that this doorknob responds to?
He tried various combinations--the thought of himself, his mother, his father. His own magic didn’t make it budge either. His parents had to be adamant in wanting no one else to enter the room, the only other options that he had were his father and mother’s magic. None of which were present.
An idea came to him then--it was a long shot but he didn’t have any other options. He returned to his own room to look into his desk where he had left his father’s ring.
It was the ring that matched his mother’s, the one that he presented to her when asking for her hand. It wasn’t traditional for his people to be married with rings, but his father had a talent for crafting magical items like clothes and jewelry, and he spent months making the perfect rings for them. It was something he’d always groan at as a kid, and leave midway through the story to go do something else.
He sighed.
With the ring in tow, he goes back to the office door, hoping that his idea would bear fruit. Katsuki slips the gold and orange-jeweled ring on his finger, taking a deep breath before putting his hand on the doorknob.
There was a shift--the doorknob recognized the magic in the ring as his father’s, but it still didn’t open all the way. He looked for it, his father’s magic, searched for the feeling within his own. Magic control wasn’t difficult for him, and when he found his father in the ring, he forced it to come out onto the knob. When the door responded to him, he was able to open it to reveal a dark room with scattered papers.
When he walked further into the room, he realized that it wasn’t a regular office at all--it was more akin to a library than a regular office. The room expanded as he stepped inside and closed the door, the walls lengthening and revealing different books and papers and illustrations. Despite what would typically be exciting or magical, the air in the room was strangely still. It was odd and felt as if it all could collapse on him at any second.
He began with the scattered papers on the floor. They were untouched but seemed to have fallen in a hurry. The papers spoke of the legend of the mages and dragons, and how they lived in a soul bounded society in which each mage and dragon had its respective person. Whether it be romantic, platonic, or even for the worst, each mage and dragon were bonded from birth to another. It ended off by stating that these original people have long died off and few of their kin still walk the earth. He knew that much, his own family is said to have originated from those dragons long ago.
That loose paper ended there but revealed a small journal where it was on the floor. The journal was burgundy, he could tell that it was old from the way the leather wrinkled and tore in certain areas.
From the very first page, he could tell it was his mother’s.
“I haven’t gotten the chance to show my father my conviction--just how much I can do for our country, I know that I can be a splendid ruler. Why won’t he let me?
There are talks between the elders and my father to have me married off. I paid one of the guards to tell me what they had been speaking about in the throne room. How could he even think of such a thing? There are more important duties for me than getting married.
Not only does he want me to get married, but he wants to get married himself. The elders call my mother a failure for giving birth to me and not staying alive long enough to give birth to a son. They used the word, “useless” to describe my mother and I… I don’t think that’s fair.
I have top marks in all of my classes, even the useless ones like etiquette and all the other ones that are designed for useless women whose sole purpose is to give birth. I am better than all of them, he doesn’t need to have a son. How can I convince him?
My father has finally begun to recognize me after defeating Enji in a match. It wasn’t as hard as he thinks he is, but finally, he has come to his senses.
There is a man who has come to our country. He claims to be a mage from ancient times. He dared to request my father’s presence for such lies. No one actually believes him.
Father has come down with a sickness. He stays in bed all day and sometimes doesn’t even have the energy to get up out of bed. He has assigned all duties to me until further notice.
That man keeps pestering me with foolishness. He asks to go to frivolous places, like the sea or out into the woods. I have no time to canoodle with a liar and an outsider.
The man’s name is Masaru, and he is not that bad.
Masaru gave me a ring and asked me to marry him. He claims that he loves me. His heart was glowing… I must tell my father.
Masaru wasn’t lying when he said that he was a mage. He was foolish to reveal such information to us in the first place. Father says that his heart would heal him from his illness.
Father gave me a deadline, he told me that I must kill Masaru and bring his heart...if I do that, he will recognize me as the first Queen of Draconia.
Every attempt to kill Masaru has failed. I have failed, I can’t bring myself to do it… I have to find a way out of this.
I’ve been doing research on the legends of old, and they tell me that kin of mage and dragons can bring them back in their offspring, I will convince my father of such.
I told my father of my plan. I told him that Masaru could be useful for the future of our generations, as well as the future of our country if we were to be able to bring back the dragons. We would be the most powerful and advanced country of our time. He agrees with me.
I have been trying to have a baby with Masaru for months now, and my father wants to see the dragon child before his sickness takes him. I have yet to see any changes within my body.
Nothing.
Nothing still.
Nothing.
Father died today, and he cursed me and said that he wished he had never had me. He told me I would bring the country to ruins. I have been crowned queen because there is no one else to crown.
I will bring a dragon to this world. I will show my father that I am worthy, that I am useful. I am not a failure. I can still do this.
Nothing.
Nothing.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.
After three years, there is a shift in my body. Finally, finally…
My child has been born today, Masaru named him Katsuki. He bears no tail or wings. I will monitor his growth closely.
Katsuki is but a regular child. He has already failed me.
I will marry Katski to the mage girl, and see what comes from it. I will teach that child to rule. He still has some use to him.
Everything is taking too long, too long, too long. I cannot wait another three years.
I will be the dragon that the legends tell of. I will not blemish my family’s legacy, I won't, I won’t… I will not fail a second time. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t…”
The final page was surely written before Mitsuki took Ochako’s parents away from the village. That gives him context to that event but everything before...
He did not know that his mother hated him for so long. There was no point in attempting to please her, from the moment he was born he had already been labeled as a failure. A wave hit him, filled with emotions he couldn’t describe. But out of all of them, he focused on the anger. He would be the one to make her pay for everything.
By the time he was done reading, it was already late, the funeral would start soon.
The funeral was over sooner than he had thought, Katsuki staying in his mind for the majority of it, paying the most attention during the burials. His brain was wracked with the new information he learned. He understood now what his mother’s goals were and why, but now he has to figure out what that means for the future. Where was she trying to go now? And what would she do with her new power?
It put a bad taste in his mouth, thinking of what she looked like now, and how her form changed after murdering Ochako’s parents. She sprouted wings, a tail, and became a dragon just as she wanted.
When he looked up, he could see the green-haired man walking up to him once more, accompanied by the frog-looking girl that he remembers to be friends with Ochako. They greeted him before asking what was on their minds.
“Have you thought about it?”
A beat.
“Mitsuki needs to pay for what she's done to this country, for the lives that have been lost,” Katsuki states. “In two weeks, we will set out to find her,” he turns his head to the frog-like girl. “You too. Tracking her down alone won't be easy, we can increase our chances by going together,” He sighs. “I don’t ask for help. This is different.”
Tsuyu nods with determination, she wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. This was Ochako, her best friend, who was murdered by a monster. Izuku also nodded.
They briefly spoke of their future plans, he advised them to pack what they would need because Mitsuki could be miles out west by now, and there's no telling how long they would be out there.
When the funeral was over, night had fallen. Katsuki walked back, far from the crowd to avoid people and their questions. He wanted to walk back to the office, to delve deeper into the histories of their families, to understand what Mitsuki truly wants from this. Hopefully, it would reveal her future whereabouts.
The office room had the same stillness in the air, however was cut more easily, having that newfound knowledge. He waded through the books on the shelves, skimming them and mentally taking notes late into the night. They discuss mostly the same thing, all from different accounts, and people’s personal theories, but the main parts were similar enough; the mages and dragons were once connected, connected by soul. They began to die out, reproduction becoming an issue over time. Which made sense, there would reasonably be a complication with all...that.
It was in the midst of reading that his mind wandered off to Ochako. During this time, he should be mourning, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He needed to see her, whether she was dead or alive, but he couldn’t abandon her without being absolutely sure. And even if it took years, he would still be looking out for her, looking for her in every place he goes.
Camie and others may think that he was abandoning the Kingdom, but he found it unfair to be shoved into the role of King in the first place, yet he never uttered a word of it. It was unfair for all of them to be in the current situation, but fuck it, if his wife was out there, any chance of it, he would not abandon her.
His mind flashed with images of her, all the emotions she expressed around him. How little he knew of her, and yet her willingness to share.
There lived a piece of him that prayed he would be given another chance to be a good husband to her.