Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to all the likers, reviewers and followers, your feedback was so encouraging and I'm glad you are all enjoying it so far 😊

It was a strategic move.

The words reverberated in her skull as she listened to her advisors' drone on about the merits of their proposal.

"The Redfox family currently controls a 58 percent stake in the iron ore industry, a resource that remains to be our most domestically traded and exported. Our projections indicate that the industry will continue to grow at exponential rates within the next decade and tracking our own economic data confirms this, as iron ore remains to be the most consistently performing resource within the 15-year period."

"An alliance with the family would allow us to secure a monopoly over the industry, and in difficult times like this it is important that we are able to give the people security and hope." At this, they looked away guiltily.

She didn't know what they expected from her, how she was supposed to act, so she just nodded for them to continue.

"The alliance would give them just that, security and hope. Not to mention that the Redfox lineage is one of the most prestigious amongst high society, dating back to even the Magnolia empire."

He had the bloodline of dragons, what more could she want from her future husband.

"Milady, we'd like to hear your thoughts"

A strategic move, she sighed, because no matter how she looked at it, her advisors were right – this was their best course of action.

"Thank you to the both of you for all your hard work these past few months. I know that it wouldn't have been easy bringing this forward to me, but I can see that you've considered all the available options and you're right, this is the best way forward." She took a moment to breathe, forcing herself to put on a brave face in front of everyone, "I'll leave it to you to contact the courts of the Redfox family and I look forward to hearing about the arrangements."

And with that, she gave a respectful bow to signify the end of the meeting before taking her leave. Placing one wobbly foot in front of the other as she scuttled down the hall towards her quarters.

This was the best course of action, a strategic move, the best for her people, it would give them hope and security, she repeated the mantra all the way back to her room.

When had her life become such a mess? She knew that she had a duty to uphold, she had been born into a life of wealth and luxury. Her people had given her the world, and now it was her turn to give them something in return. But then why did she feel like she was betraying some key part of herself by agreeing to this?

There was that unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew would persist no matter how many logical arguments she was presented with. Because, maybe that was just it – she was betraying a part of herself.

Could she really find love like this – marriage was forever - she knew that once the decision had been made and the vows had been sworn there was no going back. She would be married to a man that was practically a stranger. She would bear his children, become the lady of his house and then live out the rest of her life as a miserable old hag, or worse.

After all, she couldn't ignore the fact that more often than anyone would care to acknowledge, her future husband wasn't by any standard obligated to remain exactly civil with her. It was a dirty secret that had been cast under the rug, but sometimes when she stared long enough at some of the ladies that graced high society she could often make out the hollowness in their cheeks to which they'd tried filling in with heavy layers of makeup and the bruises buried underneath silk embroidered sleeves. If her husband was anything like that… she couldn't let herself finish the thought.

She was exhausted, and it took just about all her energy to drag herself to her bed before her small feet collapsed in on themselves. Tomorrow she would begin her research on the Redfox lineage – and in more depth – the Redfox heir.

Lily watched from the sidelines as Gajeel prepared himself for the match ahead. Throwing a succession of punches at the heavy bag hanging precariously from the ceiling, he marvelled at the pure strength behind each move as they hit their mark with a resounding slam.

He chuckled to himself when he came to terms with his own emotions that could only be pride for the man in front of him. Even he himself could hardly believe just how good the other man had gotten over the years.

Almost a decade had passed since he'd first been challenged to a match by the little snot-faced kid whose ego at the time had far outranked his inherent ability. Lily had beaten him to a near pulp that very first match, but as Gajeel continued to pick himself up after every beating they ended up going at it for the whole afternoon, and then almost every afternoon after that.

He had been stubborn as a kid, and not much had changed in that regard, if anything, Gajeel had only gotten more stubborn over time. But it infuriated the shit out of him when his friend would purposely go and pick fights with just about everyone – just about anywhere – at any time. It drove him up the goddamn wall and he'd almost wish that he did knock the little punk out back then.

But for all his friend's faults what he appreciated most about Gajeel was that he wasn't one to judge people based on their appearances. And that in itself was something that was incredibly rare amongst high society aristocrats.

The move from Edolas had been tough for the young and impressionable boy that Lily had once been. Sure, he came from a place of wealth and his parents had ensured that growing up he'd been thoroughly trained in the mannerisms and etiquette of high society. But despite even the best education, there was nothing he could do to change the colour of his skin. Being a black man in London was hard enough without having to try mingling with the high society aristocrats that fuelled his family's business.

He remembered how embarrassed he felt the very first time he'd accompanied his father to one of the functions, how they had all ogled at him like he was some sort of circus freak. And to them, he may as well have been, for the hushed whispers they always descended into whenever he walked too close, and how they would shuffle their daughters away from him.

It had been tough.

But what he was most ashamed of was going home that night and scrubbing like mad at his skin in what had been a futile attempt at rubbing whatever it was that had made them hate him so much.

It wasn't until he had accidentally stumbled into the loud-mouthed brat that was Gajeel, spilling his glass of expensive lemonade down the other boy's dress-shirt and being challenged to a death match that he finally felt like there was somewhere in London he could fit in. Because if there was one thing that Lily was good at it was fighting, and even back then he was pretty damn good.

It had struck him sometime later that the best thing about his encounter with Gajeel that day was that the other boy had been the first person who'd taken a disliking to him, not because of the colour of his skin, but because of his own clumsy actions - it was almost laughable really.

"You're putting too much weight into your swing" he commented as he studied Gajeel's movements.

The other man only grunted in response but nonetheless made the adjustments to fix up his form. This time running through a series of defensive movements, pivoting around the ring in a random order which would work well to confuse his opponent.

"Nice idea but now you're leaving yourself wide open on your left" he commented

"Well fuck Lily, why don't you come and hop in the ring yourself instead of spouting bullshit from the side-lines" complained the other man in frustration.

Lily snorted at how easily he could get under Gajeel's skin but nonetheless made his way across the room to where he knew he could find a spare pair of gloves.

Stepping into the ring he lightly jogged on the spot to warm up before sizing up his friend, "I hope you're not as rusty as you look" he smirked.

"Well it's not like all of us can spend all our spare time here," replied Gajeel, though Lily had no problem catching the hidden message there.

The passing of Metallicana, present head of the household and holder of the family title, called for an exchange of power within the Redfox family. By default, Gajeel, who'd up until recently done everything in his power to avoid any and all communication with the aristocrat higher-ups had had to inherit the full weight of responsibility that had come with such a prestigious title.

And from what Lily had observed, it was not going well for his friend.

"The ladies at court don't seem to mind," he said, "they admire how strong and brave I am"

Gajeel let out a howl of laughter at that before making his move. His left hand swinging quickly through the air, aimed at Lily's head.

Lily ducked, not missing a beat before aiming a low punch to his opponent's stomach.

The other man groaned at the impact but quickly retaliated by wrapping his head in a tight headlock and letting loose a succession of his own punches.

Alright so maybe Gajeel wasn't as rusty as he'd originally let on.

"What's wrong old man, muscles not as fast as they once were?"

"Don't get cocky" he spat, "and we're only four months apart."

Gajeel scoffed at that, "may as well be four decades."

Ignoring the pulsing pain in his side, Gajeel went through his final pre-match warm-ups in the locker room. Upon reflection, it probably hadn't been his best idea to provoke Lily before his big match. The man was tough and there was a reason he was known as one of the best- if not the best - fighter in the city.

The eager chatter of the audience filling up the arena pulled his concentration back to the upcoming fight. The truth was that he didn't really know much about his opponent. The word on the street was that he was one of the best Saber Tooth had to offer. A real heavy hitter.

Orga Nanagear, more famously known as the Black Lightning for the raw power he contained in his right fist which, if rumours were to be believed, were so powerful they let off a sound resembling a lightning clap when they hit their mark.

None of this really bothered Gajeel though, he'd made it his personal rule not to let himself overthink a fight before he got into the ring. He preferred to take things one blow at a time and trust his gut in the flow of battle.

But one thing he'd keep in mind is that if his opponent's main offence lied in the power of his right fist, then he'd likely be looking to end this match with a single blow.

Gajeel knew how he'd have to play this.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the main event for the evening! I'm Chapati Lola lead commentator for the match," the loud voice of the announcer was matched with the screaming roar of fans, "without further ado"

"It's Showtime!"

Gajeel took that as his cue to enter, making a beeline to the raised platform, unfazed by the sheer volume and excitement of the fans.

"We have two very different fighters in the ring tonight and I think it's safe to say that we are all in for a big treat!"

"First, on my right hand and fighting out of the red corner we have Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon representing Fairy Tail!"

"If my notes are correct the Iron Dragon was undefeated in the ring last season before mysteriously disappearing from the arena at the end of the tournament. Nobody has seen or heard from him since and well, to be honest, most of us thought he was dead. But fear not folks, it looks like the Iron Dragon is back and ready to rumble!"

"Now across the ring and fighting out of the blue corner we have Orga Nanagear, the Black Lighting of Sabertooth!"

"Orga has had an impressive run in the arena this season and I think we are all still getting goosebumps just thinking about last week's match which ended with a single devastating blow. Orga packs a big punch and is no pushover – let's just hope that the Iron Dragon isn't too rusty."

Flexing his muscles Gajeel locked eyes with his opponent. The adrenaline coursed through him. It had been too damn long since he'd last been in the ring.

And for the first time in a long while, he felt alive.

And suddenly the match began.

Crouching to lower his centre of gravity Gajeel feigned a punch with his right fist before throwing a jab towards his opponent's chin.

His fist connected, knocking Orga back a few paces, Gajeel grinned at the man's shocked reaction.

"You're gonna' pay for that little man"

Orga lunged towards him.

Gajeel easily dodged but was surprised when his opponent came back upwards and planted his elbow into his stomach, sending a bolt of pain through his core.

Coughing up blood Gajeel didn't miss a beat as he took another swing at the man. He landed a blow and followed that up with another as he aimed for his opponent's chin again. Moving like a serpent he attacked from every direction, testing out the fancy footwork he worked on with Lily earlier.

The man didn't seem to let up.

Gajeel was fast on his feet and was landing countless hits, but for every punch, he threw at Orga the other man took with little complaint. He was built like a stack of bricks.

Gajeel had gone up against many opponents in his time and even he could admit that Orga was one tough son of a bitch, but what was that saying again, the bigger they were the more fun it was to watch them fall. One thing that he'd picked up along the way was that every opponent had their weaknesses, he'd just have to look hard enough.

He was completely immersed in the fight, barely keeping track of the bell or what round of the match they were in. He was drenched in sweat and could feel the pain convulsing through his muscles.

Gajeel's arms ached, and he stumbled as he took a deep ragged breath. He would win this. Because right now everything else in his life was well and truly fucked and fighting was the one thing that he was good at.

"Let's turn things up a notch"

This time he attacked to the left, propelling his fist into a tight arc and landing a deafening blow into the other man's chest.

"I warned you, little man," growled Orga, raising himself to his full height before delivering his signature move.

Gajeel smirked.

So predictable.

Ducking out of the way and striking the man's left side. The force of the blow lifted his opponent off balance and before he could recover Gajeel threw his entire weight into his next attack and sent a flying fist that hit him right in the square of his jaw.

The giant fell to the ground.

"Nice try, but you left yourself wide open." He said between panted breaths

The bell rung.

The crowd went wild.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it looks like we have ourselves a winner! Give it up for Gajeel Redfox the Iron Dragon of Fairy Tail!"

Master Redfox," addressed his advisor as he sauntered through the door of the large estate "we have received urgent news that requires your attention."

The man shot him a look that told him that if he had been anyone other than the current head of the family, they wouldn't have bothered to consult him in the first place.

Gajeel had never taken a liking to his advisors, he'd never seen the point to all their meddling and political riff-raff. But if his father had personally selected and put his trust in them then he guessed he'd had no reason not to as well. Plus, it was too much of a hassle finding replacements – not with the sort of connections he had.

Gajeel ignored the man and continued his trek down the hall, not really caring that he was leaving a trail of blood along the insanely expensive carpet.

"It can wait till tomorrow," he said, not looking back.

"Please Milord, I'm afraid that the nature of this proposal requires an immediate and prompt response," said his advisor, "you do not want to risk making a fool of the Redfox name do you, Milord."

Gajeel halted. He may be a bastard but that he knew was way out of line.

He turned to face the man, feeling his anger spike "what did you just say?" He growled.

"The Mcgarden heir requests for your hand in marriage."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I got busy moving across the country (yay). Truthfully, I haven't really got a plan for this fic yet- just a bunch of scenes I know I want to write. Soooo, if you guys have any special requests or ideas you'd like to see feel free to share them with me :D

~Zarlia