Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Warnings: This story will contain spoilers for the Alvarez Empire arc of Fairy Tail

Emperor Spriggan's return to Alvarez was never unnoticed. In Vistarion, Invel waited patiently for him to walk inside, watching from the windows as he greeted the few people nearby welcoming him home. Really, it had been far too long since he last returned. The empire had been well taken care of, something Invel liked to think he had a strong hand in doing. Overall, it took the effort of all of the Spriggan 12, but few of them seemed to enjoy such work. Keeping Brandish active was often a difficult task, and when August was busy with his own matters, Invel pushed her to work on keeping their massive network of guilds in line.

See, a militaristic empire did not succeed by enforcing rules lightly. Strict punishments were served swiftly to any caught disobeying rules. Order was firmly regulated, and it was their job to ensure that it remained as such even with the absence of their emperor. Invel watched as he walked inside, folding his arms behind his back and moving down the hall to greet him. Giving the man a slight bow, Invel smiled ever so faintly. "Welcome back, your majesty. It is good to see you again."

Glancing towards him, Spriggan smiled and nodded. "Ah, Invel. I assumed you'd be around…who else is here?"

"August is working on some legislation in our legal room." There was an entire room in the castle dedicated to legal texts, filling rows of bookshelves in what was actually one of the smaller rooms of the castle. A single desk with a lamp rested inside, along with drawers used for filing purposes. "The usual security personnel are present as well. However, the rest of your shields were unaware that you were returning. Had we known, I would have called for them. I apologize for their absence."

The emperor nodded, turning down a hall towards the legal room Invel had mentioned. "It is quite alright. I am planning for this to be a rather quick visit, actually. There are other matters I must attend to…but there are things I wish to put in motion here first." Raising his eyebrows, Invel glanced towards the man. Thus far, Spriggan had only seemed intent on expansion and strengthening their army. With power like his, no one truly was willing to question the emperor's actions. Combined with the respect he had earned for putting an end to the constant strife and war within the continent, Spriggan was allowed to do whatever he wished with little resistance from the people.

"That is unusual. Are we looking to expand once more? I am aware that a few of the island nations are still outside of our control, though it would be simple to send a representative to negotiate with them." Most of those nations still bowed to the will of Alvarez, after all. They simply weren't officially a part of the empire.

Stopping, the emperor pressed a hand to the nearest doorknob, turning it to walk inside. There, August sat behind the only desk in the room, a pen in hand as he scribbled notes across paperwork before him. "Not quite. However, I believe it is best explained to both of you." Looking up, August smiled and nodded at the man entering the room.

"Your majesty." He set his pen down, folding his hands on the desk. "It is good to see you again. Are you planning on remaining for long?"

Spriggan shook his head, closing the door behind him. Invel stood by his side, frowning as he began to wonder just what was being planned this time. "No, I simply had a few new tasks for you and the others to oversee and begin putting into place. See…Alvarez will be going to war soon."

"War?" August frowned, leaning forward with his skin creasing. "That seems unusual for you. Did you not once claim to despise such things? Is that not why we were ordered to attempt peaceful takeovers of neighboring nations once our strength had grown?"

The man nodded, his dark hair shifting slightly over his forehead. "They are, however, I have come to a realization. I was never simply building this empire for fun, after all. It was always meant to hold a higher purpose…a purpose which will now be fulfilled." There was a dark smile on his face as he gazed over his generals. "In Fiore, there is a spell known as Fairy Heart. I've been working on altering an old spell of mine to meet my needs…however, it will need Fairy Heart to properly function. Our ultimate goal will be to obtain this spell."

"If we are simply after a spell, why the war?" Invel frowned. There were many other options for obtaining such objects. "With your knowledge and power, we could simply recreate Fairy Heart here."

"It cannot be replicated." There was a distant look in Zeref's eyes as he glanced away. "You see…it exists solely because of the magic of the girl within. A girl who is neither dead nor alive…an immortal killed by my own curse while cursed just as I was."

So to recreate it would require Spriggan's death. Invel paled at the thought, looking away. Emperor Spriggan could not fall, not like that. Spriggan had given him everything, when Invel thought he was destined to become little beyond a monster. Closing his eyes, he couldn't help but see the flash of his mother's face in his mind, terrified as Invel's magic spiraled out of control. Never again would he allow that to happen, though. When Spriggan found him and began training him, he learned to master this great power in him. He learned that there was someone out there his magic could not harm, and realized it was something he could embrace fully as a gift rather than a dark power.

Shaking his head free of the thoughts, Invel frowned and glanced towards their emperor. "I see. Then why not attempt a smaller-scale event?" He paused for a moment, considering. "Unless Fairy Heart is in the possession of Fiore's government?"

"It is not with the government, but with a guild known as Fairy Tail." Spriggan smiled at the name, as if amused to be speaking of the guild. "Why I call this a war is simply due to the fact that they will fight to protect her. Should word spread that Alvarez' army is within Fiore's borders, Fiore will interpret it as an act of war."

"The army? I see. You believe this guild could pose a true threat to our nation." August frowned, staring down at the desk. There was something oddly distant about his gaze as well, Invel noted. Then again, he never quite knew what the oldest member of their guard was thinking about so it wasn't unusual to see him like this.

Tilting his head, Zeref frowned. "Not exactly. To put things simply…I wish to make this quick. The one who will strategize against us…she will make things difficult, I imagine, but she will likely be strained to stop all of us. Perhaps she will call upon outside aid, even…I cannot say. Regardless, we must expect wizards of high caliber to fight against us. In fact, among them is one that should even be capable of stopping me." He smiled, touching the locket at the base of his throat. "In this battle, he will have his last chance, I imagine."

That action combined with his words only meant one thing. Invel narrowed his eyes, knowing what Spriggan was considering. "Your brother will be our enemy." The man did not counter him, so Invel nodded and lowered his gaze. "I've already spoken to you of my opinion on confronting him, your majesty. It is not something you should have to do, not when we are here to act as your shields, and your blades when necessary."

A sharp look was sent his way as Zeref's eyes narrowed and turned into a glare. "And I've told you that Natsu is still my brother, regardless of his purpose. I will deal with him, Invel. Do not forget the reason I brought him back in the first place."

Closing his eyes, Invel felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had killed his mother with his magic. He knew what that pain felt like, the pain of killing family. Spriggan did not need to feel it himself. So, looking up, Invel kept his gaze hardened, a stiffness in his shoulders as he met his emperor's dark gaze. "And I will do whatever is necessary to protect you, as is my duty."

There was an odd silence in the room as the tension grew, both men staring each other down. August cleared his throat slightly, interrupting them and making Spriggan turn towards him. "I apologize, but with plans for war, what is it you wished for us to do? I cannot say I am familiar with this enemy we will be facing, so I do not know quite what preparations to make."

Slowly, the anger seemed to leave Spriggan's eyes. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair and looking away from both of them. "Right. I suppose increasing training with the army, to start. Plus, it would be best to familiarize yourself with our enemy. Send someone to do some observations of the guild. See what magic they use, understand what it will take to stop them. Then, begin strategizing. I want a battle plan ready by the time I return next. I wish to see where our army will be placed, where Fairy Tail's weak points are, and where it is you plan to make them fall."

Normally, such tasks would be the work of the Emperor. "And what will you be doing while we work on such things? It seems unusual that you do not wish to have a larger role in the planning process," August said.

Smiling, Spriggan looked back towards August. "I trust you, August. I know that you will make a plan that will succeed. Any plan of mine would be intercepted, after all. Mavis knows me too well…she will plan to counter what I would have done. Therefore, I cannot be involved in the making of this strategy. Instead…I will be locating the other piece of this spell that I require. Somewhere, there is a time rift in this world, and I will be making it mine."

"This spell you keep mentioning…if you don't mind me asking, what is it you plan on doing with it?" Invel frowned at him, uncertain of what was on his mind. He would fight regardless of what it was, but it seemed to be so vague thus far. People often fought better when inspired by their cause. Invel would need to know how to inspire others, after all.

Turning towards him, Spriggan nodded. "Theoretically, it could be used to eliminate any enemy that stands in our way. A gate through time…to pass into history. Neo Eclipse, is what I am calling it. It will allow me to rewrite everything…to reject this world in favor of one I enjoy."

It would likely alarm most to hear the truth. However, Invel heard the way out in the way Spriggan introduced the concept. "I see…a gate that would allow you to eliminate any enemy. I take it we are broadcasting this as a plan against Acnologia? Going up against a powerful enemy with the confidence needed to defeat him would inspire many to fight."

Nodding, Zeref frowned and began turning towards the door to leave. "Do whatever is necessary to achieve victory. I care little about how we arrive at the end goal. After all, it isn't as if any of this will have to happen again, will it?" He chuckled, shaking his head as he walked out. Meanwhile, Invel glanced towards August with a small frown.

"Ideally, you would be the one to travel." The man frowned, not responding. "However, out of the eleven shields thus far, you are the one they are more likely to respond to in terms of orders. They often view me as clashing too much with his majesty's orders, despite my consistent loyalty."

Nodding, August sighed and gently stroked his beard. "I do believe you are correct. Out of the two of us, I should remain here to speak with the others and begin preparations. Your notes on their magic should be sufficient, after all. It is unlikely any of them use a form of such power that I have not seen before."

Nodding, Invel turned to leave. "Very well. Then I suppose I will be traveling to Fiore for the time being. Do not hesitate to summon me if I am required, August."

"Oh, and Invel?" August stopped him just as he stood in the doorway to the room. "Be careful to avoid spreading word of where you come from. Alvarez is feared even overseas, and for a task such as this…you need to earn their trust. Observations from a distance can only help you gain so much knowledge, after all. You need to be capable of getting close to them, of seeing them performing their jobs to truly understand what their magic is capable of."

The warning was understood. Invel would not be a citizen of Alvarez, not while in Fiore. With their own personal airships for travel, it wasn't as if he needed to inform anyone of that fact either. Getting into the country would be simple, and once there, he would find this Fairy Tail guild. He would learn everything about them, and while there, he was going to find a way to save Spriggan from the pain of dealing with his brother in person. Perhaps his majesty thought he wished for things to be this way, but Invel knew what was best for his heart. Always, Invel would protect even that part of his emperor, no matter what it cost him to do so.

Okay, so I know I really shouldn't be starting any new stories at the moment with how many I have going on...but the idea for the strangest pairing came to me and this story is the result. I have had quite a few people expressing an interest in seeing it, so I decided Valentine's day was the perfect day to start posting the story that will eventually feature the unusual pairing of Sting X Invel. Updates might come a bit more slowly at first as I work on other stories with this one, but hopefully I'll still manage to stay on top of them to some extent. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!