"Please, take this girl. She is all alone, and it's too dangerous for her to stay with me."

"But, but.."

The young boy gave the sleeping child to the old man. He had traveled with her for only a month, but the task at hand wasn't something he could drag her into. He hope that the girl would understand when she awoke. With barley a word of farewell, Jellal left her in the arms of a guild.

The old mage's head was still pounding. Her nightly 'visitor' was starting to take its toll on her. If she had been a human, the mage surely would have told her to buzz of the moment she invaded her head. But as the facts be, the intruder was someone very important, and had tasked the mage with the job she had neglected to finish.

Readying her ladder for the apples, which had just begun to ripen, Porlyusica suddenly heard a foreign sound. Well, it wasn't really foreign, it just gritted on her ears every time she heard it. She had moved to the middle of the forest so that she would be spared the sound of other humans. Ever since, well it doesn't matter. If it wasn't such a defeated cry she would have never investigated.

Just beyond her tree house Porlyusica spotted the source. It seemed to be a young teen, maybe just ten years old. She approached cautiously, not wanted to scare the poor thing. The child had blue hair and porcelain skin, but seeing as he was face down she couldn't determine his facial features. She bent down to see if he was conscience.

"Hello, are you awake?"

"hhhuumm.."

She watched as the boy stirred enough to turn her face the other direction. She spotted a mark on his face, but didn't understand the meaning behind it. To her, it was just a red tattoo on the north and south of his right eye.

"Can you stand?"

"…"

Porlyusica sighed, understanding that if wanted to help this young one, she was going to have to do the leg work. She picked the boy up princess style and started the short trek back to her home.

"This is why I hate humans. So troublesome." She said as she stared at the boys pained face.

Back in her apothecary she laid the boy on the patient's bed. He seemed to be out cold now, so she took to examining him the best should could. He didn't seem to have any external wounds, and a magical analysis of his organs showed her that he was intact. It seemed that the boy simply passed out from hunger, something that could be remedied as soon as he woke up. The healer made her way back out to the apples she was tending before the intrusion.

"Hum, I don't remember the ground being so soft before." Jellal thought as he sat up. A quick survey told him that he wasn't were he had fallen asleep, (ok, he will admit that he collapsed.) It was a strange house, completely circular as if it was the inside of a tree. It also would seem that there were medicines everywhere. He got up from the bed and inspected the medicinal supplies, quite surprised at the fact that the compounds seemed so familiar. He could have sworn they had this stuff in…

"So, you are awake."

The boy quickly turned to see who had entered. The old woman before him had pink hair and pale skin. She was wearing a red robe and carrying a basket of apples. They looked so very delicious, he couldn't help but ask.

"May I have an apple?"

"Well, you are quick to the point, aren't you?"

Without her actually consent, Jellal reached into the basket and took one. He bit down just as the woman shouted, "I didn't say you could have that."

Jellal was a little shocked at the woman's behavior and stopped chewing. He was about to put the apple back into the basket when the lady seemingly changed the subject.

"My name is Porlyusica," she started as she put the basket away. Jellal took this gesture as a sign that he should keep eating. "I found you in the woods behind my home. I looked you over, and it seems you only collapsed out of exhaustion."

"Thank you. It has been a while since I last ate. I guess I got caught up and forgot."

"What could possibly take so much attention that you forgot to eat boy?"

Jellal knew he couldn't drag anyone else into this. It would be dangerous for anyone to know of the other world. It was bad enough that his family knew of this world, let alone someone on this side learning of the connection.

"O crap, my staves!" Jellal shouted.

"Hum?"

"Uh, when you found me, was that any large sticks near?"

"Boy, I found you in the middle of the forest. There was a bunch of sticks there."

"Ya, but these don't look like normal sticks. Please, can you show me where you found me? I need to find them before anyone else does."

Porlyusica just stared at the boy. He seemed adamant on finding his items. What a pain.

"Fine. Let's go."

"Right here. This is where I found you."

As soon as they arrived the boy started his search. He was in and out of every tall grass and tree looking for these 'staves.' While searching a fact occurred to the mage.

"You haven't told me your name yet, boy."

The strange boy sat up, not answering. It seemed he was debating whether or not to trust her.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me, but if you wish to stay here for anything length of time I need to be able to call you something other than boy."

He turned and stared straight at here, he countenance slowly melting. "Jellal."

The name seemed strange, and tugged at the healer's memory. Like something from her childhood. But that was impossible.

"Great! I found them!" Jellal screamed. As soon as he lifted a stick with a circle on the tip, it was time for Porlyusica to faint.

"Miss, miss! Please wake up!" Jellal cried. He wasn't sure what had caused her to collapse. Even in his current state he wouldn't be able to carry her to her home, let alone use any of that medicine that she had. "You have to wake up!"

The mage started to stir, opening one eye after another. Her head was a fog and she couldn't remember why she had fainted. That was until she caught sight of this boy and his stick.

"Edo…."

"Huh? What did you say miss?"

"Don't call me miss. And tell me the truth. Who are you and where are you from?"

"Uh, maybe we should head back to your home. I think you need to rest a bit more."

"I am perfectly fine boy. And don't change the subject."

"Ok, I will tell you. But can we please go back first. I am starving."

Porlyusica rolled her eyes as she rose, heading back to the tree.

"Are you a mage Jellal?"

"Well, what do you mean by mage?"

"I think you know what I mean. Do you have magical power flowing through your body that you can transfer into spells?"

Jellal just stood there, unable to answer. He was too afraid that he somehow had been found out.

"Fine, if you are too dense to understand that question, then tell me where you got your staves."

Again Jellal's eyes grew wide as a feared what was happening.

"Tell me."

"I can't."

"TELL ME."

"I GOT THEM FROM MY FATHER."

The medicinal mage stood silent, her eyes staring daggers at the boy. She knew those sticks. She had seem them her entire life. Hell, everyone who grew up in the capitol knew of the prize possession of the King. They were rumored to be some of the most powerful of all the magical weapons in her home.

"Boy, uh, Jellal, I think it is time we both were honest about something. First thing, tell me if you stole those weapons or it there truly were given to you."

Jellal felt backed into a corner. "Well, technically you can't steal something that belongs to you, right?"

Porlyusica was smart, and she could put two and two together easily.

"Who is your father?"

"You wouldn't know him."

"Try me."

Jellal surveyed her, unable to bring himself to say anything more. He turned to the window, staring at the night sky of this foreign world.

"Excuse me Jellal, I need to send a message." was all the woman said as he kept his silence. He watched as she pulled out a pen and paper to start her scribbling. As soon as she finished she called a bird to her window and gave the note to the bird.

"Fairy Tail's Master, if you please."

"Yes Lady Porlyusica, right away!"

The bird flew off into the night. The mage turned around to the boy, a stern look in her eyes.

"You can sleep in the patient's bed tonight."

"I really should be going."

Jellal was only twelve years old, but with his power hungry father he had seen his fair share of scary things. He had even been close to death if it wasn't for his best friend. Yet all his life's experience palled at the look this woman gave him.

"It's not often I let any human in here, and now you will lay down in that bed and go to sleep. Hopefully you will be alive in the morning. Good. Night."

Jellal turned face and headed straight for the bed, unable to disobey.