Sting and Rogue were welcomed into the house; they noticed that Kinana kept a close eye on them, understandably so - they had just tried to kill her husband. Then they explained who they were and how they had found him. They explained about their father's and their mother's escape. Then they showed that Frosch and Lector could speak, which the convict (surprisingly) wasn't that startled about.
"Okay, we poured our heart a soul out for you, now do you mind telling us who you are?" Rogue asked critically.
The man's face lit up in a dangerous grin, "You are your father," he chuckled, "My name's Erik, although I was known as The Cobra"
"The Cobra!" Sting cried standing up.
"You were - " Rogue began.
"Yeah yeah, part of the old alliance, glad to know someone knows me," Erik growled not sounding happy.
"No, you don't understand we've been looking for you - " Lector cried.
"I do understand," Erik chuckled, he pointed to Sting, "Let me guess. You want to make some allies, get super strong, and then walk up to Acnologia and kick his ass?"
"That's an extremely oversimplified version of our plan, but yes," Rogue nodded.
"Well Dragneel?" Erik asked staring into Sting's eyes, "how exactly are you going to manage to that?"
Sting was taken by surprise, "Well Rogue and I-"
"I'm not talking about Redfox, I'm talking about you," Erik growled, "Because you're gonna be the idiot that dies first."
Sting looked at Erik rather startled.
"I didn't know your father too well, but I knew him well enough," Erik growled, "Mostly because I'd been on the receiving end of his fist. But there's one thing that I know, you can't put a Dragneel in the dirt." Erik's eye was full of anger, "And Acnologia's goons got him like that - " he snapped his fingers. "He hardly got started and they took him down and dragged him before his majesty to die.""
Sting felt something stir in him.
"The hell makes you think that you can do better then him?" Erik growled.
Sting looked to Rogue who looked back. Then Sting swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Because... because my father was fighting to protect me," Sting growled, "And I'm fighting to avenge him. My father fought for something that could be taken away, I'm fighting for something I already lost."
Erik smiled and leaned back in his chair, "Well you got the mind of your mother, so that's something."
"We're looking to rebuild the alliance," Rogue said stepping forward.
"Well, I don't have much," Erik chuckled, "and I've been trying to find the other's for years."
"What happened?" Rogue asked.
"Hmm?" Erik asked.
"The old alliance, we read about it a book created for propaganda... but what actually happened?" Rogue asked.
"Well," Erik sighed, "that's a difficult question. Not surprising, I've been in jail many times, even before I was an enemy of the "great king". Well, one time I was released because I gave the royal family some information, I settled down, and then Gajeel approached me about joining an alliance."
Sting and Rogue sat forward.
"I was young, dumb, and frankly thought he was crazy." Erik chortled, "some guy I didn't know asking me to be his friend. I rudely dismissed him and then Natsu showed up and beat my ass before Gajeel could kill me. Naturally, I ended up joining."
"Naturally," Kinana hummed from the kitchen.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Erik called back.
"Nothing," Kinana laughed.
Erik rolled his eye and looked back to the two at the table. "Anyway, I joined in a mad plan to overthrow Acnologia who had begun massacring the dragons who stood against him."
"And it failed," Rogue supposed.
"I don't know," Erik stated, "we never got that far. Acnologia got to us first."
Erik leaned back with a sighed, "He murdered your Grandparents without hesitation. I watched it, I'd never seen anything like it. Laxus and I had to hold your father's back because they were about to get themselves killed. Your father's were so vengeful they were ready to fight someone who had just slaughtered four dragons, and your grandfathers and grandmothers were truly awe-inspiring."
"What happened," Rogue asked, Sting was trying to suppress a growl.
"He flew away," Erik shrugged, "just like that."
"Just like that?" Rogue asked.
"Didn't even look at us," Erik growled, "But the next day he stripped all dragon princes of their titles... the remaining alliance members and your mothers stopped your fathers from challenging him because that was suicide. We convinced them to drop the alliance, we broke up, settled down... and then the firstborn rule happened." Erik's face became shadowed at the last part.
"The firstborn rule?" Rogue asked.
"The first born of every family, dragon, human, demon, doesn't matter... they all belong to the Dragon King," Erik's teeth were bared and he gripped the arms of the seat trying to control his rage. "Children were ripped away from families... mother's had their infants stolen from them in the hospital... anyone who objected was murdered and the rest of their children were taken to become soldiers for our great king," Erik snarled.
"So wasn't just our family," Sting realized.
"No, he came after everyone. Kinana and I refused to have children for the longest time," Erik choked, "I watched as screaming mothers were massacred because they wanted to kiss their children goodbye one last time and I knew that I wouldn't be able to stand by and watch my child be taken. I'd be dumb and try to stop them, in fact, I'd kill anyone who came near my kids. So we waited until I found someplace safe and still we waited... I waited until my name was forgotten."
Sting and Rogue stood in solemn silence.
"It's wrong," Sting snarled.
"Well, I dare you to try and say that out there," Erik growled pointing to the window, "You'll be hung on a cross before his majesty."
"We have to stop this," Rogue growled.
"We will," Sting growled in return.
Erik leaned back, "Not like this... you need more then power then a one eyed ally."
The two looked up at him.
"Ally?" Rogue repeated.
"I heard about your fathers... and I did nothing," Erik admitted, "I didn't go out to search for your mothers and when I heard they too were captured, I assumed you two were dead or worse. I gave up hope and I've regretted it ever since."
"But there's nothing you could have done!" Lector objected.
"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch called.
"That wouldn't have stopped Dragneel," Erik growled, "Wouldn't have stopped Redfox. They would've come after me and Kinana, would've died trying, but they would've tried."
"So - "Sting began.
"So if I can make up for it. If I can act like them for one damn day of my life, I going to. Yeah, when you're ready to take that bastard down, I'll be there." Erik growled.
"But your wife and kid," Rogue began.
"I don't want my kid to grow up like this," Erik snarled, "I'd rather she grow up without a father then in this world."
Kinana walked in and looked down at him, "But he'd gonna try his hardest to not die."
"Naturally," Erik chuckled.
"You are," Kinana challenged.
"Course I will," Erik agreed.
"Alright, enough war plans, Cobra needs to make dinner," Kinana announced.
Erik sighed and got up, "Yes mam'."
Kinana smiled and winked at the boys, "He'll be there. But you two have to promise me that he will come back."
"Yes Mam'." The two boys agreed.
They then looked at each other like it was Christmas; they had an ally!
Not only that, but they had an ally who had known their parents. Suddenly the two dragon slayers felt like they could take on the world.