It's been a while, but thanks to a certain fan, 12, I've gotten back into writing. Let's see what the reception is like for this and perhaps I'll work on some of my other stories. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or anything associated with it in any way.

"PREPARE FOR BATTLE MEN!" Gray commanded.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh…sorry…PREPARE FOR BATTLE MEN…AND WOMEN!"

"Much better!" said the gun toting femme fatale.

"ALRIGHT! REEDUS! DRAW BISCA AND ALZACK A GOOD CROW'S NEST TO SHOOT FROM!"

"Aye aye Captain!" said the newly skinny artist in his funny French accent.

"ROMEO! JOIN YOUR DAD AT THE CATAPULTS! I NEED YOU BOTH TO SEND FIERY HELL TO THAT FLOATING FORTRESS OF THEIRS!"

"YES SIR!" replied a young boy eager for his first battle. And also quite frightened.

"MAX! MAKE THE GROUND IN FRONT OF THE GATE INTO SAND! I WANT THEM TO HAVE AS LITTLE MOBILITY ON THE GROUND AS POSSIBLE!"

"WAY AHEAD OF YOU!" The desert knight manipulated his sand and created the trap, hoping it would be of some use.

"WARREN, START SETTING UP TELEPATHIC LINES!"

"ESTABLISHING LINKS AS WE SPEAK!" The pointy haired man pressed two fingers to his head and concentrated, attempting to connect the minds of every warrior in the castle.

"LAKI, FORTIFY THE WALLS! THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OF YOUR WEIRD ARTWORK!"

"Well, you're no fun at all…" the girl with glasses said quite sadly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"AYE SIR!" she said, startled by the fact he had heard that. She raised her arms and pushed them in the direction of the walls. Giant columns of wood emerged from the ground and reinforced the walls protecting the castle.

'Good,' Gray thought to himself before moving on to give out the last order he ever wanted to give. "WAKABA, VIJEETER, NAB! STANDBY IN THE DANGER ROOM!"

Everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked at Gray alarmingly. The silence was broken by Wakaba who was sweating bullets. "Captain, surely we can't use THAT! Its unbelievably dangerous and the princess has forbidden its use!"

Gray stared at the vast army before him and looked into the scared faces of his friends. 'I can't allow the Demon King to win…even if it means using THAT.' Realizing it had been quiet for far too long, Gray composed himself and answered Wakaba's desperate plea. "If it means saving the princess, I will even use THAT to protect her. But only as a last resort, so ease your minds. Focus on the task at hand and make it so we never have to use THAT!" Gray drew his sword from the scabbard at his side and raised it into the air. "FOR THE PRINCESS! AND FOR MAGNOLIA!"

The army cried out with their leader and everyone was once again working to protect their home.

Meanwhile, in the floating fortress Acnologia, Redfox was escorting, quite roughly I might add, the charming Princess McGarden to her new quarters. As he pulled her down the hallway, Redfox couldn't help but notice how hot he felt. He found himself avoiding her gaze for some reason and didn't understand what was happening to him.

Suddenly he felt her arm pull away. "I CAN WALK MYSELF THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" she yelled furiously.

In most cases, if a prisoner were to ever speak to the mighty Redfox in such a manner, he would grab them by the necks, slam them against the wall, and watch as he squeezed the life out of them. But something was wrong. He found it difficult to even speak. Eventually he managed to get out, "Fine, do as you wish but stay close to me. If you run, I'll kill you." That was the first time Redfox had ever lied about the fate of one of his victims. He never had any intention to kill her.

"Fine, but when you do eventually murder me in cold blood, look me in the eyes and do it! Be a man and watch the consequences of your actions! Know my pa-" But she was cut off by him grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her onto his shoulders. "What are you doing!? LET ME GO!" She screamed as she began pummeling his back with her light punches.

"What was your name again?" Redfox asked out of the blue.

"LET ME-huh? What? My name?" She was taken aback by his question. Confused, she answered, " Its Princess…I mean…I'm Levy…Levy McGarden."

"Well Levy, I never plan on letting you go. You're mine…forever…" he said quite seriously.

The Princess was astonished by this statement. Her cheeks became very red and her body was frozen. She could tell he meant what he said and yet, she did not dread the idea of being his. 'HE'S A MURDERER! HE'S A DESTROYER OF KINGDOMS! HE'S A MONSTER!' she thought to herself. She can't be having feelings for such a man. Someone who brought such devastation to her country, to her people. But she sensed something. Something deep within him, a light in the darkness waiting to be found. Before she knew it she found herself being tossed into a room and crashing to the floor.

"OW!" she screeched, rubbing her head with both hands.

"Here's your room. Don't even think about escaping or I'll rip you to shreds." Another lie. "Just stay put and nothing bad will happen to you. Understand?"

Continuing to rub her head and wondering how she could have ever felt such loving emotions for this brute, she replied, "Perfectly! NOW GE T LOST!"

Redfox became enraged. "FINE!" was all he managed to splutter out before slamming her door shut and sealing it with magic. 'Stupid girl! What was I thinking?! I mean…me and her?! If I was stuck in that room with her any longer, I'd have killed her!' Yet another lie. Strange that he would lie to himself.

Back at the castle in Magnolia, Gray makes his final report to Princess Lucy

"…and the rest of the staff has been evacuated from the castle…just in case. I think that's as ready as we will ever be my lady." As Gray knelt before her, he looked up to see the princess standing by the window and looking out at her kingdom. She seemed distracted. "Is everything alright Princess?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Gray…it's just…I've got this strange feeling…" She turned to face her brave Captain. They had been friends since birth and he had always been protecting her. She wished just this once she could protect him from the coming danger. She felt so weak, so helpless.

Gray knew that look. He got to his feet and pulled her into his arms. "Just wait for me here, there is no need to worry. I will always be here to protect you my lady. Not even the Great Demon King himself could take me away from your side."

After the initial shock, she closed her eyes and accepted his embrace. It was warm and familiar. Ever since he became Captain of the guard, it was always business when he was around. She had missed her friend.

And Gray had missed her. He had purposely been keeping his distance when he realized that at some point he had fallen for the Princess he was supposed to protect. He couldn't allow those feelings to distract him from keeping his Princess safe. 'But…maybe…so I don't die with regrets…maybe…I should tell her…that I…"

The doors burst open and Loke, the head of the Royal Guard, rushed in. "GRAY! THE DEMON KING IS WITHIN-" he paused as he stared at the scene.

Suddenly realizing the situation, Lucy and Gray separated. Gray, cheeks reddened, cleared his throat and said, "Yes Loke, what about the Demon King?"

Loke stared suspiciously at the Captain for a few more seconds and then came back to reality. "Right!," he said as he shook his head, "His sentries are within sight! It won't be long until we see him and that damned dragon of his! They need you out there!"

"But of course. The time has come." He took one last look of his Princess to remind himself what he's fighting for. She was always so beautiful, even with tears in her eyes. With that, he headed off to battle.

She watched him walk away. "I'm counting on you to keep that promise Captain."

He stopped, but continued to look forward as he said, "Of course my lady." He smiled as he thought, 'I've decided. When I come back from defeating this bastard, I'm gonna tell you how much you mean to me, Lucy.' With that in the back of his mind, he prepared himself for the terrible battle that was sure to commence.

Sorry, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Hopefully you guys/gals/humanoids like it enough to inspire me to continue. Let me know what you think! And if you'd like me to continue some of my other stories, PM me which one you'd like me to do next!