Okay, so this fic came about because I desperately wanted these two to fight. I don't know why – I just needed it. And I came out shipping it in the end. Goddammit.
So – I took some great liberties with Invel's magic, since we don't really know its specific capabilities yet. Same with post-timeskip Flare's abilities.
I call this battleship: Flarin (ironically the name of an anti-inflammatory drug – which only makes me ship this harder, truthfully).
Alternatively – Winter Sun.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Explosions rocked the other side of the hill, where Emperor Spriggan – no, where Zeref – fought against the fire mage that had foolishly assaulted Alvarez's soldiers head on.
Invel directed the invasion forces away from the dangerous collisions of flame and dark magic. "Our Emperor is clearing our path! For now, go around!"
"Yes sir!" the men shouted, quick to obey. All of the Spriggans had terrifying power, and their Emperor the worst of them all. They held no doubt that their ruler's opponent would meet a dire fate, but they had no desire to share in it by sticking around. But though they were well-organized and united in their endeavor, the column was a great, hulking beast slow to turn.
A screeching sound filled the air, causing the group's feet to slacken in their pace. They gazed up at the sky, and shrank back, screaming, as a gargantuan fireball filled their vision, hurtling towards them with the force of a meteor.
Gritting his teeth, Invel held out his arms, as if in treatise to the sky. "Frozen Wind!" he shouted, clouds composed of icy shards appearing in the space to either side of the conflagration. "Now disperse!" Invel forcefully threw his arms across his chest while clenching his fists. "Winter's Crushing Fangs!"
Howling, the ice sliced into the fireball, a bright explosion of dueling magics rippling over the heads of Alvarez's army. Within a moment, the threat had dissipated, and hissing, warm rain fell down to the dry earth.
Invel pushed his glasses a little further up his nose. "Keep moving!" he ordered the men. "I will guard against any stray magical attacks!" Or at least the ones crafted from flame. The general had no faith in his ability to block his emperor's magic, but he did not believe his master's control so shoddy as to threaten the column.
"You'll have difficulty doing that while you're facing me."
The ground beneath Invel's feet burst open, rusty red flowing from the opening and wrapping around his arm. "Hair?!" His eyes widened as the strands slithered up his arm towards his neck. Suddenly, the temperature around him plummeted. The red locks paused, frost creeping down their length. With a slight tug, they shattered – tinkling softly as they fell to the ground. Turning towards where the voice originated, Invel smirked. "I don't think I'll have much trouble doing both."
Before him stood a woman with long, flowing rusty coloured hair. The strands were waving around her slightly, and a large grouping was still embedded within the earth. She wore a dress as red as her hair, with ruffled sleeves that flowed just the same. Its plunging neckline revealed the curve of her large breasts, and the scarlet symbol tattooed upon one of them. Ferocity and determination were writ into her crimson eyes.
When she didn't respond to his jibe, Invel held up his hand. "Winter's breath." Snow poured from his hand, and raced towards the woman. She leapt out of the way, her hair pulling free from the ground. "I am Invel, of the Spriggan Twelve. I am known as the Winter General," he informed her.
She slid to a halt once more, with nary a glance spared for the wake of ice coating the ground where she had stood before. Straightening, she met his gaze evenly. "I am Flare Corona, guardian of the Sun Village!" she declared, her hair surrounding her in a halo. "And a friend to Fairy Tail! You will not advance past here!"
"Sun Village? Are you a giantess, then?" Invel mocked. "If so, you are a rather tiny one."
Flare's lip curled. "You know of my people, foreigner?"
"Of course. Our emperor, has been aware of your village's existence for quite some time. However, since he had no quarrel with your kind, he thought to spare you, in his endless generosity." He shrugged. "It really is unfortunate, but it appears as if you'll have to die, after all."
"You will be the one to perish here!" Flare hissed, crouching into a battle stance.
Invel mimicked her motion. "I sincerely doubt that. After all… what can the sun do… against winter's might?"
"Melt it to nothing!"
With that, her hair lashed out, braided crimson whips. Flare had been far from idle the past year – she, too, had been training hard. Her hair was harder to cut than before, and allowing it to strike in tight braids made it more so along with dealing more damage.
The ice mage neatly sidestepped the flailing braids, their paths clear to his eyes. They struck the ground, throwing up dirt and rocks with their force. When Flare retracted her hair, to her frustration she discovered that he'd hardly moved at all. "Is that all?" Invel asked. "How disappointing. It seems you've missed me entirely."
A smile crept along Flare's face. It was not a pleasant thing. No, this was the grin she'd borne throughout her time in Raven Tail. She tilted her head and body to the side, a demented gleam in her eyes. She pointed a delicate finger in the same direction she was leaning. "I never said I was aiming for you."
Invel's gaze followed her outstretched digit, only for a dread to settle into him when he realized she was indicating the stalled column of soldiers – all of whom were gawking at the battle that had just broken out between the pair. "Run!" he shouted to his men. "Get far away from here!"
His warning came too late as hair burst forth from the earth all along the line. Miniscule ropes of crimson slithered up the men, creeping into the cracks of their armor. Their screams were cut short as the hair strangled them, broke their necks, garroted them, and punctured their arteries. Scores of people died, clutching at the wiry strands as red as the liquid they choked and gurgled on.
Unable to destroy the hairs directly with his magic without harming the soldiers as well, Invel twisted back to face the mage. Only to find her closing the distance, more hair wrapped around her limbs. Despite his surprise, dodging the attack was not a difficult feat. As Flare's punch connected with the ground, Invel's hand reached out and touched her hair. Ice blossomed across the strands, making them brittle.
Flare darted away, allowing the strands she had thrust into the ground break from the cold. Connection lost, the hairs attacking the main invasion forces slackened. No longer under assault, the forces were able to must once again.
"Fall back!" Invel commanded. "Continue towards Magnolia without me for now! I shall join up with you when I've disposed of… her." As they did so, Invel leveled a glare at the woman standing in their way. "You should not have done that," he informed her. Cold air began to gather around his outstretched hand.
With a small shake of her head, Flare's hair erupted around her, grown anew. "We'll see about that."
Minute creases formed along Invel's brow. 'She can regrow it at will?' That might prove troublesome. Still. It was clearly no match against the frigid temperatures he could produce. And as soon as the onlookers were out of range… then she would stand no chance at all. Until then, it would be a simple matter to buy himself time so long as he kept himself alert to any tricks she might pull.
And then he would turn the landscape into a frozen wasteland, and this audacious, tiny giantess into an icy marker.
Feeling tremors beneath his feet, Invel threw himself to the side. A mass of hair burst from where he'd stood as the ice mage rolled to his feet again. The strands changed course midair, darting after him. Invel calmly held out his hand to meet the oncoming attack. "Winter's Grasp." White spewed from his hand, enveloping the rusty locks. "It's pointless to meet me head on!" he yelled, turning to meet her next attack – a physical assault backed by reinforced hair.
His hands, still enshrouded in white, lashed out, catching Flare's wrists where the sleeves didn't quite protect them. The woman let out a soft gasp at the burning, cold touch of his hands upon her bare skin. Crystals of frost crept up her arms glimmering leaf-like patterns, spreading to her sleeves. The fabric stiffened.
Flare pulled her hands, trying to pry them from Invel's hold. But like the jaws of winter itself, her efforts were of no use. The fire mage had never felt these sensations before – her magic rendered her immune to the cold at large. Without that inherent protection, she feared her limbs would have already been blackened – lost to frostbite.
Maybe Invel wouldn't have to wait for the army to get out of range after all.
"Like I said before," Invel stated coolly, "the Sun holds no sway over Winter."
She was silent for half a breath, her shoulders slowly becoming encased in ice, spreading from Invel's grasp. "Perhaps the Sun cannot much affect the Winter. But… what about…" Then she tilted her head upward to meet his gaze, a cruel smile playing across her features once more. "Hellfire?"
Flames erupted along his adversary's hair, scorching heat blasting him in the face.
Too late, Invel realized that he had been the one trapped by this technique. Desperately, he dropped the temperature around them, to little avail. As the fire streaked across the strands of Flare's hair, it melted away his ice. He tried to drop her hands, only to find her gripping him instead.
Steam rose in hissing streams, as a raging inferno engulfed the both of them.
Invel gathered ice around his feet, and shot himself backwards to escape the conflagration. Flare lost her grip with the force of his retreat, and she stumbled.
A short distance away, Invel crouched on the ground. Coughing, he held a blistered, cracked hand to his throat, the heat having burned its way to his lungs. One lens of his glasses was completely fogged, while the other was riddled with cracks from the abrupt temperature changes. His robe was burnt along the edges, and soot had clawed its way up the hem.
"Impressive," he managed to choke out. Trails of blue vapor began to rise all around him, and white slowly spread out from his form. "But if that was your ace up your sleeve, I'm afraid it won't be enough."
Flare shivered, but not because of the threat. Pale blue light began to suffuse the world, and it wasn't long before Flare's breath was coming out in puffs of white. Wind, cold and sharp, buffeted her side.
Invel pushed himself to his feet. "My magic is somewhat different than other ice mages'," he explained, plucking his glasses off his nose. Gently, he folded them and tucked them away inside his robe. Then he withdrew a case, and took out an identical pair. "A maker mage has finite range of active control over their magic. Slayers and snow mages have a few area spells… but again their active control is lacking. But not my magic."
He threw out his arms, and inclined his head to the darkening sky. "Winter's Dominion!"
The world paused.
Nothing moved. Not even the wind. Flare herself felt like she was bound in place, claws of ice sinking into her heart.
Then great blasts of frost swept over the land, coating everything in its gelid touch. Spires of ice sprouted from the ground, larger than even Flare's family, the giants. Flare found her balance failing as her footing turned to slippery ice and snow drifts formed from the blasting, screaming wind all around.
"You see," Invel calmly informed her, seemingly untouched by any of it, "my magic allows for complete and utter domination of ice within my sphere of control." He pushed his new, undamaged glasses up his nose, though they had not slipped at all. "And my range is very, very large." Holding out his hand, as if in entreaty, he continued, "I would suggest surrendering before I'm forced to annihilate you. Your magic is curious, and strong enough to be worthy of captain status within our armies. Your people would even be spared. But if you rebuff my offer…" Invel's arm fell to his side. "You'll become nothing more than a frozen corpse, with frost upon your tongue, and ice in your veins."
Flare flooded warmth throughout her body, counteracting the direct effects of the weather on her skin. "The flames of Hell cannot be frozen," she challenged him. "And certainly not ones stoked further by the fires of friendship." Falling snow hissed and steamed away as it fell upon her superheated body, a small puddle forming around her. "It'll take more than this timid dusting to dampen them."
Surprised, Invel stared at the woman before him. Most humans would have been dead at this point – unable to take the abrupt temperature drop and slicing, icy wind. She was the embodiment of flames in more ways than one. His complete opposite in every way – fire and light and warmth and chaos, whereas he was ice, and darkness and cold and order. He smiled, then. "Crushing you is going to be a pity… and a pleasure."
Setting her teeth, Flare hissed, "Hair Shower: Wolf Fang!" Her hair twisted, elongating and rushing towards Invel. A crimson wolf appeared from the strands, snarling and snapping.
"Frozen Wind – Winter's Crushing Fangs!" Invel countered, the wolf stalling mid-air before crumbling into bright crystals. "You'll have to try harder than that."
She ignored him. "Hair Shower: Wolf Fang!" Flare shouted. "Amaterasu's Howl!" The reformed wolf opened its jaw, and fire shot from it.
Invel thrust his hand in a downward arc. "Ice Pillars!"
Flare shrieked as columns of frozen water and dirt sent her soaring into the sky, and crushed her hair-beast.
"Fangs of the Sky!" she heard him yell, just as gargantuan icicles formed above her. "Fangs of the Earth!" Dread seeped into her, as she furiously began to wrap herself in the protection of her hair, Hellfire infusing each and every strand.
The Spriggan held his hands out, one above the other, fingers curled into claws. He snapped them together. "JAWS OF WINTER!"
The icicles clamped shut, Flare caught between the razor sharp points. Deflected and dulled just enough by the heat and barrier of her hair, they sliced past her, tearing gashes into her dress and skin. Hot blood dripped from the wounds.
Once the ice had fully passed her by, Flare swiftly unraveled her defense. She twisted in the empty air as she fell, to face her smirking opponent below. "Hair Shower: Thousand Birds!"
A simple wave of his hand froze the bullets of hair, and they fell around him.
It was Flare's turn to smile. "Now, Firefly Flame!"
Small explosions bloomed around Invel, the hair bullets spontaneously combusting. "Frozen Wind – Vortex!" Swirling ice surrounded Invel, blocking the compact blasts.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Flare directed her hair beneath her and piled it to cushion her landing. Several locks pierced the pillar upon which she stood, holding her in place to prevent slipping.
The air around Invel cleared as the last explosion became ashes. "Clever," he commented. "But not enough! Sink!"
A scream ripped from Flare's chest as the pillar she stood on hurtled towards the frozen ground and gleaming, sharp points of ice stalagmites.
"I have total control over this space!" Invel shouted out in triumph.
Flare's hair shot out in ropes to another ice spire and she released her grip on her current pillar. She swung off the dangerous block, and collided with the side of her new anchor. Something cracked upon her impact, and it definitely wasn't the glacial ice. Anguish coated her voice as she cried out, pain blooming on her shoulder. Tears pricked her eyes, freezing from the chill before they had a chance to fall.
Suddenly, her hair was yanked upwards violently. Another cry fell from her lips, as she was forced to follow the strands. Her ascent was far from gentle, and her broken shoulder was cruelly bashed against the ice wall again and again. Flare flailed, trying to twist herself so her back and uninjured shoulder took the brunt of the abuse. She kicked her feet uselessly at the slick surface, trying to push away from it. But she couldn't find a grip with her sandals.
When she finally cleared the top of the pillar, she leveled a weak glare at the man gripping her locks. How in Earthland had he gotten up there so fast?
Invel held her suspended over the long drop to the newly created tundra. He looked disheveled, bearing a number of new scorch marks and bright pink burns, his hair undone from its restraint, and his glasses sporting new fractures. Fury, cold and implacable, rolled off him.
"You should have accepted my offer."
She gathered up what little moisture remained in her mouth and spat at him. "Never!" Flare growled, holding her injured shoulder protectively.
Instead of further angering him, the act only seemed to amuse him – a bright spark of cruelty settling into his pale eyes. Idly, he wiped away her glob of spittle on his cheek with the tattered remains of the sleeve on his free hand. "What were you even hoping to accomplish?" he taunted her. "Even if you defeated me, there are many more of us Spriggan with powers just as great as my own."
"Even if I can't kill you, I can still make your army bleed," Flare stated.
He scoffed. "How? They are far out of even my range, now. And your magic possesses no area attacks, does it? Even if it did, you still wouldn't be able to reach them."
Light laughter burst, unbidden, from Flare. "You're nothing like Blondie," the fire mage told him. "She would have figured it out a long time ago – when she saw me remotely detonate my hairs."
Confusion passed over Invel's face, quickly followed by comprehension a moment later. "The hairs you left on the soldiers. Are you saying that you can detonate them?" Invel shrugged a little. "You can't – your magic has its limits after all. Your active control may be good, but there's a finite field within which you can manipulate it."
A twisted smile appeared on Flare's face, demented glee pouring from it. "Which is why you don't even come close to measuring up to Blondie. My hair is a part of me – a part of my magic. I can use it as I will. I don't need to have it within range."
Horror flooded through Invel, and he turned slightly to see the column's progress in the distance.
"I can see them from up here," Flare whispered. "That's more than enough for me. Hair Shower: Thousand Birds."
Far away, red strands resting upon the soldiers stirred to life. Then they shot down the length of the column, piercing armor and flesh alike with ease. Soldier after soldier fell, the line collapsing upon itself.
"And Hair Shower: Firefly Flame."
Bright bursts of fire bloomed across the black carpet stretched across the land. Hundreds of men fell, and many more suffered from blazes started by Flare's small sparks of hair.
Invel clenched her bad shoulder with his free hand, and Flare let out a shriek of pain. "I will make you suffer for that."
Suddenly, Flare couldn't breathe. Agony lanced all throughout her body, and it felt as if her body was exploding from within.
"Allow me to explain what's happening to you," Invel said, his tone almost conversational amidst Flare's screams of pain. "All ice in this place is within my control, and right now I've taken hold of the water in your veins, in the very structure of your body itself. Right now, that water is freezing, and expanding – bursting each one of your cells from within." Invel snorted. "An agonizing death, I'm sure."
Flare's screams cut off, as she grit her teeth. Hissing through them, she raised her arm and weakly gripped Invel's. "Bad… move," Flare told him. "You actually… numbed… my broken… shoulder." She swallowed thickly. "My magic… was a gift… from the Eternal Flame. Now… burn in its hellfire." Deep scarlet flames raced up Flare's hair, which coiled about Invel like great serpents of hell.
Hellfire, unquenchable, unstoppable, burst over the pillar, roiling off of Flare's entire body.
"I AM THE GUARDIAN OF SUN VILLAGE!" she screamed. "I WILL PROTECT IT, MY FRIENDS, AND MY FAMILY WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE! BECOME ASHES! SOUL OF ATLAS! MUSPELLHEIM'S HEART!"
Then bright light wiped out all else.
Much later, surviving soldiers of the Alvarez would describe what they saw in the distance as a small, but vibrant sun – glowing in the heart of winter.
Invel awoke, every part of his body burning from the inside. He gasped, his eyes flying open. He was lying on the ground, amidst the wreckage of the landscape. Not that he could see much; the pain made his vision weak, and his glasses were missing.
His winter was gone – wiped from this plane of existence.
The Winter General had fallen – he had failed in his mission, his calling, to be of use to Zeref. His only comfort was in taking that remarkable, tiny giantess out of the main fighting.
Beside him, a crimson haired woman hovered. Invel couldn't make out much more than her general outline, though. "How am I still alive?" he barely managed to ask, his throat as dry as Ajeel's sand.
"The ice we were standing upon melted from the flames. The resulting cold air released saved your life, but caused a terrible wind that sliced through most everything else in its way. We were both lucky to have survived that."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because, one year ago, Blondie taught me what mercy was," Flare explained, calmly. "I have never forgotten her kindness to me – her forgiveness when I did not deserve it."
She smiled then, and Invel had no trouble seeing it. Its brilliance outshone the summer sun rising beyond the mountains.
"My name is Flare Corona. Welcome to Fiore, Invel."
I may write an alternate version of this someday.
Let me know what you think of this!