Chapter 1

Fiore: one of Earthland's oldest kingdoms. One of the largest and most powerful kingdoms. Ruled by High King Makarov Dreyer, an old and very wise king who ruled his people justly and had personally led his people into the most peaceful era to ever befall Fiore. His kingdom was guarded by but a small handful of knights. But these knights were very powerful, and hand-chosen by the king to protect his people and his kingdom. Each knight was assigned a color and an element.

The White Knight of Ice guarded the southern borders, the Red Knight of Flame guarded the East, the Yellow Knight of Lightning guarded the West, and the Black Knight of Iron guarded the north. Together, these knights kept Fiore safe from all varieties of danger, and they were hailed as the kingdom's heroes.

Each Knight has his own background, of course. His own story, unique and interesting. However, this tale shall focus on the Black Knight, the Knight of Iron who guarded the north… or, more particularly, this tale shall focus on the tiny, unassuming young woman who stole his heart.

In a small castle on the outskirts of Crocus, the capital city of Fiore:

"Levy, dear, I certainly hope you are ready!" A familiar feminine voice rang out just seconds before Levy's bedroom door opened. Levy looked up at her mother from where she sat at her vanity, her hand maiden expertly braiding her hair. Her mother, a beautiful petite woman in her late forties with long blue hair that matched her daughter's, smiled sweetly at her. "My, you look so lovely in that gown, dear. Yellow is certainly your color." She cooed at her daughter, who blushed slightly at the praise.

She loved the gown, too, and she certainly hadn't expected to… not when it was a gift from some man she'd never met. But it fit her well, accentuating her slight curves while remaining modest and elegant. The color was great for spring, and the dress was warm enough to keep her from a chill while light enough that she would not overheat should it be warm out.

"Thank you, mother." Levy said, smiling at her hand maiden as she finished her hair with a matching yellow ribbon. "And you, too, Wendy. You're so skilled with hair."

"Thank you, my lady." The young girl smiled as she curtsied.

"Well, are you ready, dear?" Liza, Levy's mother, asked her daughter with a smile. Levy just gave a soft sigh.

"Must I really do this, mother? You know how I wish to marry for love…"

"Dear, you must understand something. That line of thinking is for the common folk, who have that choice. We," she pointed to herself and then to her daughter, "are royalty. Our union to a man is out of duty, and nothing else." She gave a light smile at her daughter's sad look. "Worry not, my dear. I have met this knight before. He is quite handsome. Besides, you will come to love your new husband with time, just as I have."

"But, mother, what if he does harm to me?"

"Then you shall tell the king, daughter. You know he loves you and your cousin dearly. He would not wed you to a man he believed would treat you poorly." Her mother shook her head lightly. "Now, come along. We do not want to keep the knight waiting. Your poor father, you know he is no good at conversation." She giggled as she practically pulled her young daughter out of her room. They walked silently to the courtyard, where Leo McGarden, Levy's father, was entertaining their guest with tea.

Leo McGarden was a rather handsome man, for his age. He was tall and lean. His short black hair was beginning to gray with age, but it seemed to suit him better than all-black hair. He grinned as he saw his wife and daughter approaching, and he noticed his daughter was looking over their guest with curious eyes.

The first time Levy saw the knight, she had to admit he was handsome. Intimidating, yes, but handsome. This was not truly their first meeting, she thought wryly. Their first meeting had not gone well. He'd been dressed head to toe in black armor, and he'd been a frightening sight to her. She'd hidden behind her father at once. The men had chuckled a bit, and her suitor had told her father he would return in a day without the armor, as he did not wish to frighten his future wife. Levy thought, perhaps, that was a good sign. He was taking her feelings into account, at least.

She was glad he'd gotten rid of the armor. She could see his face now, and it was a handsome one. Firm, with a wide jaw, slanted crimson eyes… but what stood out to her the most were the piercings. He had three studs in place of eyebrows, and there were three studs through his nose as well as five piercings in each ear and two in his chin. So many piercings… they made him look intimidating, but Levy found they accentuated his features quite nicely. The man had short, somewhat shaggy and wild black hair that stuck out every which way. It made him seem quite mature, to her. She knew, from what her father told her, that this man was in his mid-twenties… which was younger than she'd thought he would be, for being such a famous knight. Without the armor in the way she could see he was very fit and muscular, with broad shoulders and well-defined arms.

Yes, Levy had to admit her suitor was a handsome man. But that did not mean she was happy about this in any way. She was being forced to wed a stranger, who she'd barely met and knew nothing about. Why would her uncle do this to her? To his precious Bluebird?! And to Lucy, too, for that matter? How could he just wed her to some man she didn't know and didn't love, when she knew the king was well aware of her desire to find love? She would be lying if she said she didn't feel a bit betrayed. But her uncle was the king, and his word was law.

"Ah, there they are." Leo smiled as he saw his wife and daughter were finally close enough. Both men stood, and Leo took his wife's hand while gesturing to her. "Sir Gajeel, this is my lovely wife, Liza. And this," he brought his daughter to stand in front of him, between the two men, "as you'll recall, is my daughter, Levy. Levy, dear, this is Sir Gajeel Redfox." Levy knew who this man was, but her father was being proper by making a formal introduction. She curtsied politely to the man, who gave her a bow and a charming grin.

"A pleasure. I'm so glad the dress fits. You look lovely, Miss Levy." He grinned her way, and she had to actively fight off a shiver. His voice was deep and gravelly, and it made her want to melt, especially when combined with that handsome, if not cocky, grin of his. She found herself unable to voice a response, so she nodded her head politely. "I apologize, if I frightened you last night. I had not expected to meet you so soon, or I wouldn't have worn my armor."

"I-I'm sorry. I-I was rude and hid from you, and that was unladylike." Levy blushed a bit, looking away from him in embarrassment. He just chuckled, and what an unusual sound it was.

"Gihi, don't worry. I'm not upset or offended. I know I'm quite terrifying in the armor. That's the entire point of it." He chuckled easily, making Levy smile a bit at his attempt to ease her worries. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad man, after all, if he was so concerned for her feelings. He looked to her father now. "I'm afraid, I was not informed that my wife-to-be was so… young. If I may, perhaps I could court your daughter for a time?"

"I have no qualms with that, but might I ask why, sir?" Leo questioned.

"I would like for my wife to enjoy her youth a while longer. This would also give me time to know her better." Gajeel smiled, looking back to a surprised Levy. He was letting her enjoy the last of her childhood? Truly? "Would this be agreeable, Miss Levy?" he asked her quite politely, earning a pretty blush from the young woman.

"I-I would like that very much, sir." She nodded with a small smile. He smiled back at her and offered his arm.

"Then we shall court. Now, may I accompany you to the gardens?" he offered. Levy looked to her father, who nodded with a happy smile. She turned back to the man and gave him a smile, accepting his arm with a nod. Gajeel led her off for a walk through the gardens, while her parents watched them with a knowing smile. They would be a good match, after all.

Hello, lovely readers! I'm Nerdy12, and this is my newest story: The Black Knight.

If you haven't read it, go read my one-shot collection Shots, Shots, Shots! In there is a little one-shot that got wonderful feedback, titled The Black Knight. It wasn't my inspiration for this story, actually. I had this story written out before I made that one-shot. So I'm doing this kinda backwards. You won't get too many spoilers by reading the one-shot, so don't worry.

Anyways, I'm going to do weekly updates on this. I really hope this gets good feedback like the one-shot did!

Thanks so much for reading! Please tell me what you think!

-Nerdy12