The Strongest Princess
Chapter 11
The Son Returns
"As my first order as Queen, I free you from your service."
Gajeel rubbed his wrists as Levy removed the manacles binding them. A moment later and he felt his magical power flow back into him. It was like colour returning to a monochromatic world, so dramatic it was. He'd never quite realised how much he'd missed it until it came back.
"So what now? " Gajeel asked.
"You are free to do as you wish," Levy affirmed. "If you wish to stay as my guard, you may. If you wish to go and do something else, you may. You are a free man now."
"You're telling me that I can just walk out of this throne room, down the stairs, out the front gate, and never look back?" Gajeel asked sceptically. Levy nodded. He looked to the doors and then back to Levy again. "But, if I want, I can stay?"
"It's up to you. I mean, Juvia and Tots are here now, and I know that they're your friends," Levy said bashfully. Gajeel lifted her chin gently to look at her eyes.
"You're a queen now, Shrimp. You can't look that pathetic anymore. Be more regal." Levy's cheeks flushed, half from annoyance at his tone and half in panic at just how close his face was. "I'll think it over for a bit. Is that okay with you?"
"O-of course. This must be happening quickly for you. I'll have Juvia prepare a guest chamber-"
"What's wrong with the guardroom? You think I'm just gonna leave your safety to that other idiot until I've decided?" The other idiot grunted in annoyance from besides the throne. Jet had wanted Droy back, but apparently the rotund man was enjoying the work in the kitchen. He'd have to suffer this ignoramus for a bit longer. He consoled himself by the fact that Levy looked very happy.
"My queen!" Natsu ran into the chamber, panting and out of breath. "At the gate… there's big trouble!"
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"Take one more step and I'll kill you where you stand," Erza swore. She stood outside of Magnolia's largest gateway, a grand archway in the wall that surrounded the capitol. Before her stood an older man with a black, bushy beard and receding hairline. He had a black cloak and carried a gnarled cane in one hand.
Ivan Dreyar.
"Come now, Erza-chan! I have received news that my son is dying; you would not stop a father from speaking to his dying son now, would you?" He asked smoothly. Erza bit back a bitter curse. Damn him, but she could not. Thankfully, she was spared that decision as Jet appeared in a puff of dust, handing her a missive from Levy. Reading it quickly, she turned to Ivan.
"The queen allows this. You will be kept under constant surveillance. If you try anything, we will kill you without hesitation. Do you understand?"
"Of course." Ivan bowed. "What a kind queen our sister is."
"Don't you dare call yourself our sibling," Erza hissed with fury. "You forfeited that right long ago."
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"This is intolerable!" Minerva screamed. Yukino shrank into a corner from her mistresses' wrath. "How!? How is this possible!? How is it that of all the people in the world that runt has become queen!?"
"I-it's just temporary," Sting said, trying to console her. Minerva wheeled and punched Sting to the floor. Rogue swiftly took a step back as her glare dared him to speak too. He was smart enough not to.
"You think that matters!? This is the gravest insult that I have ever received! I am glorious, perfect! She is weak, pathetic, stupid and ugly! How dare she hold the throne for a second while I still draw breath!? This. Can. Not. Stand!"
"If I may point out the upside…" Sting started as he staggered back to his feet. Minerva slammed him into the floor again.
"I know the upside." Runt was small. Weak. Compared to Laxus, killing her would be child's play.
===][===
"Keep going," Lily rumbled. It had taken a lot of work, but by getting the Extalians to abandon their horses and caravans, they'd finally managed to slip away into the woods, away from the dragon. He was sure that the beast was still following them, but it seemed to be biding its time for now.
"You're not looking too good," Cobra snarled. He was a person who didn't seem too happy with his current situation or inclined to make friends. Still, he hung close to Lily, the warrior being one of the few people that he could stand. That little blue-haired runt had to keep away or he would kill him.
Lily coughed, rough and hacking. It had been over a week since the initial dragon attack and he had barely rested or slept during that time. He had also inhaled a lot of smoke rescuing people from the blaze. Even now, his mantle hung around princess Charla's shoulders to keep her warm.
The princess didn't speak much since her mother, and indeed her country had died. Didn't eat, barely slept. As long as his princess needed him, Lily would not falter in his duty. He would bear the burden of every Extalian's life upon his broad shoulders uncomplaining. Happy stayed with Charla night and day to reassure her. To Cobra's surprise, Cubelios had taken a liking to the pair and hovered near them at all times.
"We'll arrive at Magnolia soon," Lily said, changing the subject.
"We'll have to leave this forest then. That bastard gecko will attack us again," Cobra spat.
"It can try."
===][===
"I-I can't… I'm going to die," Levy wailed quietly under her breath. Kagura placed a hand gently on her shoulder and guided Levy out onto the plaza where a horde of thousands cheered for her. Erza and Minerva waited, each with very different facial expressions. To crown her, Gildartz had returned to the castle. She knelt – an act that had little purpose with their respective heights and he placed the overly large circle of metal and jewels on her head.
"I give you your new queen; Queen Levy McGarden!" And with that, the most powerful man in the kingdom knelt before the delicate little girl, bowing his head in fealty to her. Levy looked on in amazement as the crowd went to their knees too. It was impossible to fathom. Impossible to believe.
"I-I, um… I hope to be a …good queen," she said pathetically. The crowd cheered and applauded anyway. As Fried had once noted, Levy was beloved by the common populace. Behind her, Gajeel smiled triumphantly. It seemed right for Shrimp to be so liked. He turned to see if Minerva was raging quietly, but she had already slipped away.
Kagura whispered to Erza. "Where's Ivan now?"
"With Laxus."
"I trust you've not left them unguarded?"
Erza chuckled. "Have you forgotten that Mira is there?"
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"OW!" Ivan screeched as Mira twisted his arm behind his back. "What do you think you are doing!?"
"If you do anything to him, you aren't leaving this room alive," Mira promised. Ivan looked at Porylusica and Wendy for help. Porylusica smiled and shrugged. Wendy scurried away with a frightened squeal. Smiling, Mira released Ivan and shoved him toward Laxus' bedside. The king lay motionless, his skin waxy and pallid.
"My son," Ivan said gently. "How the mighty have fallen. I've longed to see you for a long time. It's a shame that it had to be like this."
"You could have spent more time with your son if you hadn't betrayed the kingdom," Mira objected. "You chose the pursuit of power over your son's life. Only because you were the king's son were you shown lenience and not executed."
"Yes. I am older and wiser now. I do wish that I had prioritized my son's happiness now. It is good to see that he grew into a mighty king without me. Of course, had I not been exiled, I would be the king right now. And I am not so foolish as to have allowed someone to poison my food."
"What did you say!?" Mira shouted, outraged.
"My apologies. I have never been good at tolerating fools."
Mira stepped forward and grabbed Ivan by the collar. A strong hand clamped around hers and she turned to see Minerva. The princess tutted. "This is a place of healing, Mira. Do not use violence here."
"You'd side with him!?"
"You dare question royalty!?" Minerva snapped.
"I do!" Mira shouted, refusing to back down. "This man is evil!"
"First our brother is poisoned with you as the only witness. Now you threaten a princess and ex-prince. I wonder if I was right about you. Are you a traitor to the throne?" Minerva threatened. Mira's expression was thunderous, but she didn't retort, biting her tongue. Holding Minerva's gaze, she left the room.
"Brother," Minerva greeted.
"Min-chan!" Ivan said warmly. He leaned in to shake her hand and whispered quietly. "Forgive me coming, but I thought this was the perfect chance to meet in person at last. Within a few days, my army will be ready. Do you require the attack?"
"Yes. The throne is close to slipping through my fingers. It's time to step up the scale of our plans. I relish some destruction. There are people that I wish to see suffer." Minerva glanced at Laxus. "He is of no threat to anyone anymore. Don't do anything foolish. Vengeance will come later."
Ivan grinned. "And it will be delicious."
===][===
"How on Earth is this thing a Queen?" Gajeel asked incredulously. It was late at night now and Gajeel carried Levy on his back, fast asleep. Gajeel had thought that being king would be a sweet deal, but Levy's workload had just become non-stop. She was meeting people all day long. Tots looked better now that he was all cleaned up. He seemed to be doing everything in his power to aid Levy in his capacity. "You're too cute to rule the country."
It was at that point that Gajeel realised the absurdity of his situation. She was literally the queen of Fiore. And what was he? Her servant at best, a wastrel at worst. The feelings that were growing for her were completely misguided, weren't they? What was he going to do? Marry her and become king?
Hah! Laughable!
He was scum. Utter scum. He could remember hitting her. At the time, it had felt like nothing. He'd beaten people up all the time. Now, it shamed him. He'd seen first-hand what a selfless person she was, not least when dealing with him. She deserved so much better than him.
When Levy awoke the next morning, Gajeel had gone.
===][===
The throne room bustled with activity a few days later. It was hard for Levy to assert any control upon it. The news that was filtering in was dire in the extreme, though it was fragmented and patchy. People dying didn't write legible notes. Falcons had carried them during the night.
Lamia Scale had fallen.
"Three, just three!" Kagura stated harshly. If the notes were accurate, a pitiful three dragons had torn the city to shreds. A city that contained no less than the mighty Jura Neekis. "We have to prepare our defences!"
"You want us to just wait here?" Erza snapped. "We must ride forth and aid our allies!"
"Haven't you heard how easily they destroyed Lamia!?"
"But we have dragon slayers!" Erza protested. "We can make the difference! And what if we can save lives? We have to go! We must request that Wendy, Gajeel, Sting and Rogue be released to us."
"Gajeel has gone," Levy replied despondently. She felt like a balloon with the air gone. Deflated, tired. She hadn't realised how much she'd miss him.
"I refuse," Minerva chided. "What if dragons attack Magnolia while you are gone? Sting and Rogue must stay here for that eventuality."
"I need Wendy to help monitor the king's condition," Porylusica said. "But I will give as many of my most highly trained medics to assist with any survivors you may find."
"It is foolishness!" Kagura shouted. "To spread the army out against such a foe is madness! We must consolidate our forces here."
"You would leave our allies to die!?" Erza cried.
"We must protect our interests first," Minerva stated. The three powerful women were now face to face and power crackled throughout the room.
"SILENCE!" Levy stood, her small voice booming throughout the throne room. She had no idea that within days of being crowned, she'd be presiding over the biggest calamity to befall her kingdom in a century. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "Erza, mobilize the army. Porylusica, release your medics, Wendy too. We must march out to help our allies, and we must take the slayers with us."
"Thank you," Erza bowed.
"If you order it," Porylusica conceded. "I will watch over the king."
"But you are leaving us defenceless!" Kagura protested.
"Minerva, recall every operative that you have in the field."
"What!?" Minerva cried.
"If we compile every Mermaid and Sabre in the city, we can form a fighting force nearly equal to the royal army. But to do that, we need you to recall your Sabres." Minerva grimaced, but didn't respond. Her Sabres were her eyes and ears. Never had the king asked her to recall them, blinding her. Did the runt suspect that she was still being followed?
"Kagura, place Ivan under arrest. We cannot have him walking around freely if this calamity is to befall us. Place him under magical bindings, but put him in the guest quarters and allow him access to Laxus. We cannot charge him with a new crime, but I want him where we can see him at all times."
"A wise precaution," Kagura conceded.
"This is what we must do. We have a moral imperative to help our allies in need. We must also fortify our own defences to the extreme. Magnolia will stand."
Erza smiled. When did you become so strong, Levy?
Minerva also smiled. While the runt had thrown her a curve ball, everything was playing out the way she'd planned. Erza would leave the city and then there would only be Kagura and Levy to deal with. Soon, Minerva would be queen.
At long last, the throng began to subside and throne room became empty. Levy flopped down on the seat dejectedly. These matters didn't seem so important without him. She'd hoped that she'd meant more to Gajeel. Meant enough for him to stay. She missed him.
"Gajeel, where are you?"
===][===
"Go, go, go!" Lily roared. The Extalians broke the treeline and all rushed as fast as their weary limbs would allow. Happy held onto Charla tightly as they ran, refusing to let her fall behind. Magnolia was only a short distance away now. They could make it.
A terrifying screech cut the air, and Scissor Runner descended from the murky night sky like an angel of death. Not hesitating for a moment, Lily sprouted wings and charged into the air to meet it.
"God damn it! Cubelios!" Responding to her master's call, Cubelios bore Cobra into the sky as well. The fight was not long. Cobra and Lily were exhausted and the beast seemed to be tireless. Lily looked up dizzily from the mud. The dragon stood over him, seemingly taunting him to stand again. Lily was no threat. Only Cobra's magic seemed to affect the beast.
So Lily stood.
If he died and bought enough time for his people to escape, that would be enough for him.
"Cobra, run! You can make it too!" Cobra's eyes widened at the words. He was a dispossessed dark mage. He wasn't used to such selfless sacrifice. Lily was covered in his own blood. His whole body trembled with fatigue and pain, but an indomitable spirit bore him aloft. Cobra wasn't sure if dragons could smile, but as the head descended to devour, he swore that the beast was amused with itself.
"Hammer of the Iron Dragon!" A mighty blow slammed into the side of Scissor Runner's head and he staggered to the side. Lily looked up in abject surprise. He recognized the man before him. He'd seem him somewhere before.
"How lucky," Gajeel said with a big grin. "Now I can repay you for defending me during the feast. It's time to show this fucker what a First Generation Dragon Slayer can do!"
===Author's Note===
This is the first chapter that wasn't written a week in advance. As such, it probably contains a lot of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Also, the plot and dialogue here is a little shaky. I hope you'll forgive me for this, but I was deliberating the exact direction of the plot for a while. I think that I've got it pinned down now.
There's this weird issue with the world I've set up. The girls are considered Makarov's daughters because he adopted them, but Laxus is his grandchild. So, despite the age gap, Ivan is technically their adoptive brother.
A point I've not really covered, is why is Lily the only one fighting the dragon? Partially, it's because most of the warriors died during the initial attack. It's also the case that the Extalian's are a short people, averaging about 5'4" for a male. Lily is a monster amongst his people at about seven feet tall. Of course, this is just like the Exceeds.
===Replies to Reviews===
The Girl with No IQ: Technically, Gajeel's name comes from the word Kajiru, meaning to bite or gnaw. So Gajiru is the correct spelling in hiragana. However, I stand by Gajeel as the 'best' Romanization. It's identical to Natsu Draneel/Dragniru.
Shizuka23: I'm sorry that the Gale isn't developing very fast. But they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder…
Inez89: Don't worry, I'm still writing! XD
SakuraIchigoDark: Dispose might have been an overly harsh choice of word.
Fire girl 108: Kyouka has a spell that can power people up, but it'll kill anyone not strong enough to bear it. So it seems that she cast it on Minerva, and I assume that she'll survive and get powered up.
Ulcaasi: I hope the last section confirmed your wishes. Also, Ivan.
Lucy Ashley from Fairy Tail: It's only chapter 11! The wedding will come in time…
Luccian: Shit is about to blow up, I assure you.
KgX791: Prince Tacks and Princess Aiko to the rescue!
xNightDreamerx: Thank you very much for the kind words. Well, there was a minor Gale moment, but it's building to a bigger payoff.