Corrupted Memories

by Pixilated Pixie Princess

Chapter One: Heading North

Our story begins with a familiar scene for Fairy Tail. Cana was drinking, Erza was enjoying a slice of strawberry cake, Lucy and Levi were discussing the latest book that one of their favorite authors had just published, and Gray and Natsu were rolling around on the guild floor, trying to get at each other's throats.

"Gray."

Gray looked over from where Natsu currently had him pinned and gave a sideways glance at Makarov, who was motioning for him to come over. With a grunt, he kicked the fire mage off and stood up.

"What's up?" the ice mage asked.

"I have something I need to discuss with you. Please follow me."

"Hang on a second. I wasn't done with you yet." Natsu protested.

"We can finish later." Gray said with a wave of his hand as he followed the guild master.

They entered Fairy Tail's mailing room where the incoming requests and letters were sorted. Gray noticed a large stack of letters marked "complaints" and snickered when he saw Natsu's name written on most of them. Makarov immediately went to one of the filing cabinets and pulled a letter out of one of the draws. He handed it to Gray then found a nearby chair and sat in it. Gray did the same and began to examine the letter.

"That letter came for you yesterday." The master explained, "I've already read it of course, seeing as it's my duty as guild master to filter through all the requests my brats receive."

"Are you sure you're not just nosy?" Gray teased as he pulled a sheet of paper out of the envelope.

He immediately noticed a familiar crest stamped at the bottom of the letter. After a few moments of staring at it recognition flashed across his face and he felt his heart skip a beat. Hastily he began to read the letter.

"Well, what do you make of it?" Makarov asked when Gray had finished reading.

"What can I make of it? It's so vague. All it does is request that I report to the palace of Isvan." the ice mage's brief excitement had faded. This was no doubt some kind of prank.

"So then you have no idea why Isvan's king would summon you?"

Gray shook his head. "I don't even think this is legitimate. They wouldn't ask for me without giving some kind of explanation."

"Are you sure about that? The stamp there seemed to match up with the royal family's crest."

"But that can easily be duplicated. Can't it?"

"Not quite. Magic was used to create this. It's the same kind used on Fairy Tail's emblem. It can't be easily be replicated."

"So you think it's real then?"

"Ether that or some highly skilled mage is behind this."

"Then I guess the only way to find out for sure is to go and see."

Makarov gave the ice mage a serious look. "If you're planning on going then I must warn you to be very cautious and don't even think about going there alone. Some nasty rumors have been leaking out of that country. It seems Isvan has hit some hard times."

"I know." Gray nodded, his expression sober. "I've been hearing the same ever since we came back from Tenrou Island."

"Knowing that, are you still planning on going?"

Gray thought for a moment. He hadn't seen Isvan in eleven years, not since he had left the place and traveled West. He thought that there was nothing left for him to go back to seeing that everyone he cared about that lived there were already dead. But he also knew that if he didn't find out what the letter was about the mystery of it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I'll go." he finally said.

Makarov nodded, "Then I wish you the best of luck."

As Gray exited the letter room he thought about who he was going to ask to go with him. Natsu was out of the question, all that travailing would be torture for him. Urza maybe, but he couldn't stand it when it was just the two of them. It was so awkward and he never knew what to say. Plus just the idea of trying to haul her mountain of luggage all the way to Isvan was enough to make him cringe. He knew Lucy couldn't afford to go on such a long trip and although he enjoyed Wendy's company he didn't want to bring her along on a potentially dangerous journey.

As he stepped back into the guild's main area he was greeted by a flaming fist flying towards his face.

Thanks to his quick reflexes he was able to dodge the attack. "Not now Natsu, I'm trying to concentrate." he growled.

"What's gotten you into such a bad mood? Did Gramps scold you or something?"

"Nothing of the sort and my mood was just fine until you broke my concentration."

"What are you thinking so hard about?" the fire mage asked.

Gray just ignored him and went back to trying to pick a traveling partner.

"I know." he said after a few moments of concentrated thought. "Cana! Cana would be perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Natsu questioned.

"Yeah, perfect for what?" Cana asked from where she sat on one of the guild tables, clutching a barrel between her legs. The sound of her name being spoken had alerted her to their conversation.

Gray strolled over and leaned against the table.

"What do you say about coming with me on a little road trip?"

"I don't get it?" Cana said as they made their way to the train station.

"What's not to get?" Gray asked.

"Why didn't you just ask Juvia to go along with you? You two have been getting along pretty well for the past few months haven't you." she said with a sly wink.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say."

There was a moment of silence as Cana took a gulp form the bottle she was carrying.

"So you really go a royal summoning huh? What do they want you for?"

"I have no idea. I'm not even sure if it's real. We just have to go there and find out."

There was another pause as Cana finished off the alcohol.

"So why'd you decide to bring me along?"
"I don't mind your company, You pretty level headed when it comes to most things, and Juvia doesn't consider you as a love rival so I don't have to worry about her trying to follow us."

"I'm pretty sure Juvia would follow you around weather you were with a love rival or not."

"Well, hopefully she won't follow me all the way to Isvan."

They finally reached the train station. From there they took the train to the coast and booked a ride on a ship sailing North.

It took a total of five days to reach the border of Isvan. By then Cana had already regretted accompanying Gray on his trip. She was bored out of her mind, she was cold, and worse of all she was sober. Gray had insisted she not drink any alcohol while when they crossed the boarder. With nothing else to do she occupied her mind by coming up with ways Gray could pay her back once they got home. Gray was busy talking things over with the border patrol. Security wasn't very tight around Isvan's boarder, seeing as not many people were trying to get into the small frozen country. Despite this, however they still were having trouble getting in.

"What's the hold up?" Cana asked as Gray shuffled over with a disappointed look on his face.

"I have no idea. They said they need to talk to their superior about something." He said as he plopped down next to her.

"As soon as we get into town your buying me a beer go it?"

"I already said I would."

"You better. And buy me a jacket while your at it. It's freezing."

"It's only going to get worse once we get further in."

"How lovely."

"Mr. Fullbuster?"

Gray stood up when his name was called and walked over to the patrol.

"Yes?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm sorry to say this sir, but we cannot allow you and your friend to go through."

"What? Why not."

"I'm sorry, but mages are forbidden from entering the country."

"What?" Gray was stunned. "Since when?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

At this point Cana had taken an interest in the conversation and walked over.

"B-but this is my home country. I grew up in Isvan." Gray stammered. "I'm a citizen here."

"I afraid we can't make any exceptions."

"But-"

"Wait a minuet." Cana interrupted. "You're telling me that we came all the way out here and your not even going to let us in?"

"Yes, now will you please move along."

"But your king specifically requested to meet with Gray." Cana growled, raising her voice.

"That's right." Gray said. He fumbled with his bags for a minuet then produced the letter.

The man snatched it from him and scrutinized the piece of paper. The others gathered around him and they all gawked at it with alarm. They went away for a moment to discuss this new development. Gray and Cana exchanged worried glances. Then the men turned back and one of them walked up to Gray.

"Very well, you can come in but you must be accompanied by an escort to the capital city. I cannot simply let a mage roam around freely."

Gray was ready to punch the man, but controlled his anger.

"Since when has Isvan been so afraid of mages?" Gray asked through clenched teeth, staring the man down.

Then the man turned away from his gaze and looked at Cana. "You lady can go home."

"What?"

"You were not summoned so I cannot let you enter."

"I didn't come all this way just to wait-"

It was Gray who stopped her. He pulled his friend aside. Rummaging through his pockets he pulled out a handful of bills and handed them to her.

"Here, take this and buy yourself a drink and some warm clothes. I'll come back as soon as I can. We'll meet up again at the inn we stayed at last night."

"So you're planning on going in alone. I though the whole point of bringing me along was so that I could keep an eye on you."

"I sorry but I don't see any way around this. Listen, the capital is only a day's journey away from here. So if I'm not back in five days you can come after me. I'm sure you'll have no problem sneaking past these guys."

"Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"You don't think I'll be?"

"I have no idea. Just be careful."

"I will. Thank you Cana."

Gray flopped onto the bed and let out a tired sigh. They were now only a three hour carriage ride away from the capital, but had stopped for the night at a nearby town when the sun had gone down. It was a pain having to be escorted. It made him feel like a criminal being followed around by a half a dozen guards. Oh, he could take them out no problem and run off whenever he wanted to but he bared with it, wanting to see this thing through to the end. At least they left him alone in his room.

He yawned tiredly and pulled the covers over himself to get some sleep. He lay there for about an hour trying to will his mind into unconsciousness but to no avail. Something was off. The air in the room didn't feel right as he breathed it in. He walked over to the window and opened it, hoping to let some fresh air in. He stuck his head out and breathed deeply. He gagged when the same toxins filled his nostrils. Pulling back inside, he shut the window.

He slid back into bed and pulled the sheets over his head, hoping to block out whatever was tainting the air. He barely slept that night and woke up the next morning feeling exhausted.

Three hours after sunrise they reached the capital city. It was large of course. Having seen dozens of larger cities, however Gray was not overly impressed by the size. What Gray was impressed by was the design of the city. The buildings screamed of traditional Isvan architecture. The curve of the houses and the decorated stone brought Gray a warm sense of familiarity and he smiled despite the growing anxiety building up in his stomach.

As they marched through the city Gray took the opportunity to smile and wave that the people they passed by. No one waved back. Most just put their heads down and ignored him, others actually glared at him. Gray was thoroughly taken aback by this. This wasn't the Isvan he remembered. Seventeen years ago when he trailed form town to town on his westward trek practically everyone would smile back at him several would say hello and even strike up a conversation with him. Was it just like this in the capital city or had the whole of Isvan changed? No, that was just too impossible to believe it must be that the capital was populated entirely by jerks.

Finally, they reached the castle and Gray was escorted inside. He was told to wait while someone ran off to inform the king of his arrival. So he waited, admiring the simple yet eloquent design of the place. The castle was large, although not quite as large as the one in Fiore.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Gray jumped and spun around to see an old man standing behind him. He stood about a foot shorted then himself and from the looks of what he was wearing Gray guess that he must be a member of the court.

"It is." Gray said, getting over his small shock.

"Is this your first time here?" the man asked.

Gray nodded.

"Well, savor it while you can. It won't be here much longer."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, taken aback.

"Soon this whole place, the palace, the city and eventually the whole of Isvan will be no more."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"There's a growing darkness within this country. Can't you feel it within the air."

Gray nodded, remembering how unpleasant it had become to breath since he got there.

"I thought you might be able to tell. The people who live here have been exposed to it for too long and so they don't notice as it steadily gets worse."

"Who are you?" Gray asked.

"My name is Grim, I'm an adviser to the king. My job mostly includes advising the king on magical matters. I'm not a mage myself. There hasn't been a mage in this palace for fifteen years. But I do have knowledge and I offer it whenever it is needed."

"Why hasn't there been any mages in fifteen years?"

Grim was about to answer when one of the servants interrupted them.

"Gray Fullbuster?" the man asked.

"Yes?" Gray said.

"His Majesty will see you now."