Chapter Seven – The End
"Natsu and Lucinda grew closer than ever and their wedding passed without a hitch.
Turned out, the Dragon of the North wasn't so daunting after all (and sure as hell wasn't actually four hundred years old-niether was Gray, who was actually only 19, but felt like he knew the world like the back of his hand, that cocky spirit), and the mysterious Guardians of Nature were not a myth, as the occupants of this world had originally dismissed them as. But, of course, how many lucky people out there would actually stumble upon a real spirit? Highly unlikely, the public deemed.
The Southern and Northern Kingdoms were combined (now called the "Fire Realm," as to Natsu's insistence), and soon after Lucinda's father passed away, his last words, "I'm sorry I couldn't have been a better parent for you … Lucy."
Natsu comforted her, releasing her from her grief and sadness by cracking awful jokes and (attempting to) cooking dinner for them (ended up exploding in his face, but it was so hilarious to see his flushed and pouting face, that the Princess couldn't help but burst out laughing), never failing to bring a smile to her lips, just as Lucinda consoled the Prince when his own father, Igneel, was killed in a war between their country and the Eastern, kissing his tears away and squeezing him tight when he collapsed in shivers.
They were later crowned King and Queen in a grand coronation, in which they both made individual vows to protect the kingdom, to rule fairly and with compassionate hearts.
They supported one another, and news reached Lucinda of a Water Nymph named Juvia, who encountered Gray, and were now in a happy relationship. Despite their lack of contact over the years, the blonde furtively knew that despite the Winter Sprite's cold exterior, he cared very much for Juvia, and would be willing to sacrifice his eternal life for her if necessary, in a heartbeat.
And so, peace and tranquility befell the Four Kingdoms in Earthland, and the Dragon (who was secretly a Prince) and the Princess (who was content with her life as Queen of the Fire Realm along with her King), lived happily ever after."
XXXXX
There was a moment of silence as the members of the guild tried to absorb everything Levy had just read.
"Holy Mavis!" was the first thing that burst from Macao's mouth when he recovered from his shock.
"That was quite the story," Erza nodded, impressed.
"Told you," the bluenette said smugly.
The guild erupted with cheers and many shouts of, "yeah! We should get it published!" and some complaining of, "hey! Why wasn't I in it?"
Surprisingly, no one made any comments on the two characters the Celestial mage had based her novel on.
"That's a good idea," the scarlet-haired mage said approvingly.
"Well," the Solid-Script user hesitated, eyes glinting mischievously, "there is, in fact, more."
A pause.
And then—
"Whaaaaaat?!" they shouted.
"What do you mean, Levy?" As expected, Makarov's interest had peaked—it was, after all, Lucy's book, the one she'd been working on ever since she'd arrived at Fairy Tail, and as master, she was his beloved child—and he'd hopped onto the bar to join them in storytelling earlier.
"Lu-chan actually wrote a collection of stories here, one for each member of the guild, some with alternate endings. That's why the binding is so thick. She's been detailing her life here, and wrote different accounts of certain memories, putting each person in another world. And by the looks of it, she's been revising her work a lot before she created the hardcover—a lot of pages are probably her original document," Levy explained, pointing to particular areas of the manuscript in the open, where minor crosses was visible among Lucy's familiar, neat handwriting.
"Not bad," Gajeel said grudgingly.
"Is there one about me?" Wendy asked shyly.
"Oh, Wendy! Yours is absolutely adorable! Lu-chan wrote five pages, so your story was one of the longest," the bluenette's eyes lit up as she began to flip through the book.
"Really?" the Sky Dragon Slayer asked eagerly.
"Here it is! It's called, "Romeo in Neverland." It's like a crossover from Peter Pan and Romeo and Juliet," Levy said excitedly. "It was one of my favourites!"
Almost immediately, the guild's volume increased with yells of, "what's mine called?" and, "Levy, can I borrow that book?"
The two resident Dragon Slayers (minus Wendy, who was still chatting animatedly with the Script mage who was currently in possession of the prized novel) moved away from the pressing crowd and to the round table to the left of Mirajane's bar (said Take-Over mage was passed out against the table, eyes swirling with pink hearts, murmuring about babies with pink hair and brown eyes), along with Erza and Gray (whose arm was still held captive by a ecstatic Juvia).
"Juvia is so happy," the water mage exclaimed, tightening her hold on poor Gray's anaesthetized limb.
But the Ice-Make wizard was no longer listening. He knew exactly what Lucy's message behind the story was with him: "I'm sorry."
He snorted inwardly. You don't know my inner feelings, Lucy? Bullshit. She knew. She knew how he felt. She knew this entire time. And she left. She left before she could answer his unspoken question, and this was her indirect response.
Gray always suspected, of course. But it didn't mean the honest truth wouldn't hit him hard in the guts. Because it did.
And damn, it hurt. Badly.
And suggesting that he go with Juvia? Well, the Ice mage liked the azure-haired female well enough, but her disturbing behaviour and stalking habits were problematic. He disliked the feeling of being glomped every five seconds, and being stared at so intensely no matter where he went, made him seriously wonder if the water mage actually hid in his shower.
"Juvia thinks Gray-sama was wonderful," Juvia interrupted his thoughts. "Juvia thinks Love Rival should be with Natsu-san."
Okay, that was the last straw.
"Juvia thinks—"
"I don't care what you think!" Gray hissed, snatching his arm from her grasp and storming out.
Oh well. At least Lucy thought he was handsome.
XXXXX
"Don't be too upset, Juvia. He's just feeling emotional about Lucy's departure," the S-Class wizard patted the shaken and sobbing water mage's back calmly.
"What's up with him?" the Iron Dragon Slayer muttered, rolling his red orbs.
Natsu had a funny feeling he knew exactly what had set his teammate off.
He pushed back his chair and nodded towards Erza and Gajeel. "I gotta go. Tell Happy to drop by Lucy's place when he's done."
(The blue Exceed was still whining about not having a scene in the previous story, but brightened when Levy informed him that the blonde Celestial mage had written a narrative for him and Carla.)
He spun around and raced out of the guild before he could hear their reply.
Lucy …
What exactly was the missing Celestial mage trying to convey to him through her story?
Natsu vaguely wondered if Gray was still upset, and chose to confront him about his reaction to the blonde's novel tomorrow, deciding to sleep it off and worry about it in the morning.
(He did, after all, take up permanent residence at Lucy's apartment, and her super-comfy bed. Might as well use that to his advantage.)
