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Levy awoke to the early morning light shining in the window, and bouncing off the hilt of a sword in the corner of the room. As her senses became more aware, she felt the warm touch of lips at the base of her neck and the tickle of a nose tracing below her jawline. Smiling, she snuggled deeper into the covers and giggled at the touch of lips ghosting across her skin just below her ear.
"That tickles."
Freeing her arms from the confines of the duvet cover she wrapped them around the large torso that was currently hovering above her. Feeling his smirk against her neck she giggled again and, in a less than successful effort, attempted to squirm away from the tickling sensation.
His deep rumble of a voice broke through the quiet room, "If you don't wake up it'll only get worse."
Reluctantly, Levy opened her hazel eyes and smiled as she was greeted with equally warm crimson orbs and a smile that made her heart skip a beat. Gajeel's hand moved up her body and settled against her cheek where his thumb skimmed against her plump, warm flesh.
Leaning down he placed a long and chaste kiss against her lips, feeling her smile against him, he finished with a peck on the tip of her nose and lifted himself from the bed.
"Get up, shorty. We've got some travelin' to do."
"I see you remember that nickname."
The snide remark didn't get past Gajeel, and as he snickered at her less than impressed statement he grabbed a pair of clean trousers and replaced the ones he had previously been wearing.
"Lucky for you I remember damn near all of 'em, shrimp," he said with a wink and a devilish grin. He then proceeded to cross the room again and hook a finger under her chin, capturing her lips one more time.
"Meet me outside, I gotta go prepare the horse and make sure those other two are up and active."
"Lucky me. I'll see you in a few."
Levy pulled herself out of the bed as Gajeel shut the door behind him. As she scoured the room she saw a small, familiar looking red bag in the corner- her bag.
Stepping lightly and picking the bag up, she opened it to find the extra pair of clothes and various necessities she had packed from a few nights ago when she had originally went to seek out Gajeel. Her original agenda hadn't included her returning to the manor that evening but that was quickly altered when Rogue had found her. Near the bottom of her bag were also the books she had purchased the previous day, Rogue must have slipped those in. Levy smiled at the thoughtful gesture and decided when she saw him again she had much to thank the dark haired soldier for.
Her cloak hung on a chair near the door and her boots just below it. When she finished changing into her spare clothes, she folded and placed the ones she had removed inside her bag. As she began pulling on her tall leather boots, she heard the rustle of horses outside the window. Levy grabbed her cloak and strolled over to the window, looking down to the street below she saw the three men she would soon be traveling with wrangling their respective horses and situating their gear. Securing the buckle on her cloak and grabbing her bag, she skipped out of the room and down the stairs.
Giving a smile to the hotel clerk behind the counter, she pushed open the door and stepped out into the chilly winter morning air. Walking up beside the large black stallion currently being saddled by Gajeel, she gently stroked the horse's muzzle. With a gush of warm air from his nostrils he snorted at her touch, and Levy's heart ached at the reminder of the gentle dragon currently being held against his will. She sent a silent prayer towards the heavens to watch over him in her absence.
"Will you be warm enough? It's a long distance to Magnolia."
The voice came from the other dark haired man who was accompanying her back to Magnolia. "I don't believe we've properly met each other, I'm Gray and the one over there is Natsu."
Levy turned her head towards the pink haired man and smiled. The man bit his lip and kicked at the ground. "Nice to meet ya, um I'm sorry by the way, for uh, hitting you that one time."
"It's alright, I didn't exactly present myself in the most satisfactory of ways, no harsh feelings. Nice to meet the both of you, and thank you, for everything," Levy replied with a slight bow.
A pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she soon found herself pulled against an even warmer chest. Placing her hands atop his, she leaned her head back against him.
"Yeah, I'll be plenty warm. Oh, about the travel distance, I can help us with that. As soon as we get out of this town a little ways I can tell you what I'll do."
"We're all set Gajeel, mount up and let's get the hell home," Natsu said as he mounted his large brown gelding.
Gajeel unwound his arms from the slender woman in front of him and strode over to the side of his horse, placing his boot in the stirrup he kicked off the ground and in one swift motion swung his leg up and over the large horse. Settling himself comfortably in the saddle, he held out a hand toward Levy and nodded.
Placing her delicate hand in his she barely had enough time to register pulling herself up before a pair of arms hoisted her up and gently handed her to Gajeel who finished placing her atop the four legged animal.
Turning back, she was greeted with a wink from Gray as he mounted his own horse. "Easier that way, don't you think?"
Natsu and Gray kicked at their horse's' sides and started heading off towards the town gate. At the same time, the two large arms Levy was so accustomed to came around her sides and settled at the reigns in front of her. With the nod of her head in reply to his question of, 'Ready?' they likewise took off, following shortly behind their two companions.
An hour outside Bosco, Gajeel spoke. "What were you talkin' about when you said something about the distance? Ya know a shortcut?"
Levy hadn't realized how relaxed she had become on the trail and shook herself awake. "Ah, yes. Something like that. Stop here for a moment."
The three men stopped their horses and turned to look at the blue haired woman who was currently pulling a vial out of the satchel at her belt.
"I can probably only get a party this large with the horses just about halfway, it's going to take all that I have just to do that, I'm sorry I can't get us further," she babbled.
The three men shared equal looks of confusion as one moment they were amongst trees, just shy of the border of Fiore, and in the next moment, a blur of the environment was passing by their eyes. Unable to keep up with what was happening Gajeel tightened his grip on his horse and his legs hugged Levy closer. When the blur finally ended and he was able to comprehend his surroundings, Gajeel started to speak. He was instantly cut off as the small form in front of him started falling off the horse.
Catching her just before she fell, he immediately noticed that she had collapsed and was breathing shallowly. Gathering her up in his arms he shifted her position on the horse to ride side saddle and rested her body against his. One arm secured her to his front while the other held the reigns of his horse.
Confusion and shock marred his face as he looked down at the sleeping girl. He was thankful for this newfound trick of hers, but he couldn't hide his frustration at yet another secret she was keeping. How many more of these little surprises could he mentally handle at this point?
"We're just shy of a day's travel to Magnolia. She took us further than halfway; look how far we are from the mountains," Gray pointed in the direction from which they had been traveling. Turning back to face his prince, he noticed the limp woman in his arms. "Is she okay?"
Gently stroking the side of her face with his thumb Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, she's just exhausted I think."
"Then what's with the grim expression?"
"She never had magic before. I don't know where this came from. This an entirely new side of her I know nothing about."
Natsu moved in closer to the two dark haired men. "I didn't think you really knew her at all?"
"That's kind of a long story, but to get right to the point, she was the love of my life long before the war. I lost her when it started, and now she's suddenly alive and well." And using magic apparently.
Gajeel recounted his tale in its entirety, eventually getting to how Levy had unlocked his memories as they continued their journey. Gray had already known most of the details, but Natsu was hearing all of this for the first time. As he listened he vaguely remembered the woman Gajeel had been with at the palace, but he had never properly met her prior to Lucy coming into his life.
Their trek to Magnolia would be completed before nightfall thanks to Levy's strange use of magic, and while Gajeel was thankful he wouldn't be spending the next day and a half in a saddle, his mind was heavily unsettled at the Levy he thought he now knew.
"What were you able to find out about the dragon?" Gray's voice cut through the silence.
Gajeel glanced down at the sleeping woman against his chest and sighed. "She knows something, but she's not really told me much. Then again, we've not had the chance to really talk much."
"So what you're saying is there was very little talking going on last night, hm?" Gray smirked knowingly, and the red eyed glare aimed in his direction soon had him laughing. "That's a shame. But anyway, the beast was in Bosco, wasn't it?"
"Without directly sayin', 'Yes the dragon is here in Bosco,' she pretty much confirmed it. I just gotta hope that bastard doesn't find him first."
As the sun began setting and the sky was scattered with oranges, pinks, and yellows, the familiar landscapes of the outskirts of Magnolia came into view. Levy was still riding side saddle and cuddled against Gajeel's chest, sleeping soundly. The temperature had begun to drop, and whereas Fiore was not near as cold as Bosco, the air still had a chill and his two companions had relinquished their blankets to Gajeel in order to keep Levy warm.
Many of his questions had been answered just from regaining a portion of his memories, and without a doubt he knew who Levy was, is, and had been. But the biggest mystery was still that, a mystery. How is she able to physically be here? The dreams that had once haunted him and kept him awake for days on end in fear of having to experience them another night, watching her be pulled from his arms and ruthlessly killed before his eyes, they were no mere dreams They were memories of what had indeed been a reality, and he could remember every single detail his dreams had never been able to touch before. Levy died. And as much as his heart enjoyed the fact she had taken residence at his side once again, he couldn't fight the feeling of how wrong the situation was. Levy was supposed to be dead; he had witnessed the life leave her warm hazel eyes and he had been violently sick at the sight and smell of the blood her body had spilled before she was flung over the shoulder of a man more evil than the whole of Earth Land could ever comprehend.
…
"Would someone mind explaining to me how my supposed two best soldiers failed at the one and only job they were assigned? Not even the two nitwits back in Crocus managed to mess up this badly."
Acnologia stood facing out the large picture window into the courtyard, the mid morning sun was just barely cascading into the room and dancing off the glass of the window. His calmness sent chills through the twin guards and deep down they decided they'd much rather deal with an angry and yelling Lord versus what they were experiencing at the moment.
Sting and Rogue stood near motionless in the middle of the room, swallowing quietly Sting shifted shifted his weight between legs as Acnologia turned to face them. Menacing green eyes stared the two men down and for the first time in his career at his Lord's side Sting wanted to run as far and fast from the man as possible. Panic erupted from his gut and before he could silence himself the words escaped.
"My Lord, we're terribly sorry…" Sting countered.
Turning on his heel to stare back at the blonde haired soldier. "I don't recall asking for your comments."
Sting gulped and nodded his head in apology, stealing a glance towards his brother, who was also acting far too calm, he settled his eyes back on the long haired man who was now walking towards their General.
Cobra had arrived along with Acnologia from Fiore not too long before the twins were called forth for their misconduct, his sharp eyes bore holes into their bodies, and the sheer disappointment radiating from him was heavier than the anger he had lashed out at them prior to their audience with Acnologia.
"You've dealt with their discipline, Cobra?"
The general nodded once, crossing his arms over his chest he stepped forward towards the twins. "Fix this. Get out."
Bowing once the twins left the room, a heavy silence fell after the echo of the door closing had passed. Cobra stood watching Acnologia as an ominous smile crept across his face.
"You are far too calm about this."
"I have every reason to think and believe my little pet planned all this. Her whereabouts are unknown but I can assure you she's no longer here in Bosco. I also have a suspicion one of those guards was in on it, but I can't be sure of which one. I also have no doubt she'll be back. She has to come back, and she knows this."
"Sting and Rogue?" Cobra questioned in a shocked tone; they were his two best men, and the possibility of one of them committing treason against their Lord had him wishing his initial interrogation had gone further.
"Leave them be, I have no doubt one of them will break eventually," he smiled once more, walking past Cobra he rested his hand atop his shoulder. "Until then, I need to make use of that particular gift of yours. Find a way for your men to subdue that dragon, we're leaving soon."
Cobra stood still as he heard the door open and close with Acnologia's exit, a devilish smirk crept across his usual stoic face and he muttered to himself. "Poison huh?"
Once inside the privacy of their own quarters, Sting whirled around, gripping Rogue by the collar of his uniform and slamming him against the adjacent wall, seething, he spoke through his clenched teeth.
"What the hell is going on?"
Shaking Sting loose, Rogue rubbed at his neck as he strolled over to his bed and slumped down on it.
"Rogue, get up, what the hell are you doing? We might as well go search the area. She could still be somewhere around here and I'd rather get as far away from those two as possible," he turned to glance back towards the door in the direction of where Lord Acnologia and their General had been prior to their leaving. As he turned back around he settled his eyes back on Rogue, who was still lounging on his bed.
"Get -"
"She's not here Sting!" Rogue lifted himself to a sitting position at the edge of the bed, arms dangling over his knees as his red eyes boring into the man.
"How do you know?"
"Because I more or less helped her escape."
Confusion swept through Sting before it was quickly replaced by anger. Willing his body to remain still and not throw his brother across the room, he took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as he could manage.
"You...helped her? Rogue, where does your loyalty lie? Because if this is going to continue or not, brother, I refuse to go down with you."
"I'm not asking you to!" Rouge exclaimed, and standing from the bed he spoke again. "My loyalty is to our Lord, but that doesn't mean I can't do something right when the need arises. She needed out- you have no idea what's going on and I don't plan on telling you because I don't want you involved."
Sitting back down on the bed and lowering his head to stare at the floor, he spoke softly. "My good deed is done, what happens now is out of my hands, whatever happens to her is now in his hands."
"I guess you know what you're doing."
Rogue chuckled, "I haven't got a damn clue, but thanks for the confidence."
Sting rolled his eyes and sauntered over to his own side of the room against the far side, kicking his boots off in the process. Laying down on his bed his thoughts overwhelming him, glancing back towards his brother who was now laying on his side with his back to the room. The less you know, the better, Rogue had told him and he quickly realized that may be true but even though he had told Rogue he wouldn't go down with him, if that time ever came could he truly hold true to his word?
…
The jostling of hooves soon wafted into Levy's consciousness. Blinking herself awake she looked around and noticed they would soon be arriving in Magnolia.
"Good you're awake, we're nearly to Magnolia. Don't go back to sleep, you've got some questions to answer."
Levy picked up on the slight anger from his tongue, it wasn't surprising he had been caught off guard by her use of magic, but at least this way she had a bit of time to prepare a possible answer. Resituating herself in the saddle she leaned back against Gajeel's chest and even if he was miffed with her at the moment, his grip still tightened around her with care.
As the light brown path slowly turned to cobblestone and the gates of Magnolia were soon behind them, they turned the horses towards the direction of the Fairy Tail safe house. Along with the light from the nearly full moon, lightposts illuminated the streets which created a lovely, calming scene. Levy felt at ease being in Magnolia, but she knew the calm could only last so long, and eventually a return to Crocus would be the end of this adventure. Stuck in her thoughts Levy hadn't realized the men in her party were dismounting from their horses, and those strong arms she never wanted to release her wrapped around her waist once again and gently brought her down to the ground.
"I'm going to go help tack the horses, stay here it won't take long." Before returning to his horse, Gajeel wrapped another blanket around her slender shoulders, eyes lingering on her own for a few brief moments.
Levy replied with a smile and a nod and turned to lean her back against the bricks of the building behind her, pulling the blanket closer and snuggling deeper inside it to hide from the chill of the winter night. The sound of a lock clicking open pulled her attention to the door and soon a new warm light danced out from inside the safe house and blanketed the street.
"Who might be here this late at night?"
A small shadow appeared from the doorway and Levy pushed herself from the wall to turn and greet the elderly man who was now standing in the light. Stepping out of the shadows, and revealing her face the man's face softened and a smile appeared.
"Levy McGarden, I was expecting you. Are you alone?"
"No, they're tacking the horses. You knew I was coming?"
The old man's smile turned mischievous. "I did. There's someone upstairs in my office who is here to see you; they informed me you'd be arriving soon enough."
"Who's here old man?"
Levy felt an arm wrap around her waist pulling her closer, leaning into Gajeel she glanced upwards at his concerned expression.
"Ah Gajeel my boy, you might benefit from this visitor as well, now come let's get out of this cold," Makarov opened the door more to usher in his guests who had arrived back that night. Once inside he shut the door and latched the lock.
Giving a quick bow with his head Natsu walked away, and with a look from Gray towards Gajeel, a silent conversation passed between the two, and he likewise nodded his head and walked away. Still smiling, Makarov held an arm out gesturing towards the stairs leading to his office.
"I asked who was here, old man," Gajeel asked, his tone becoming more stern.
"I am not at liberty to share the details of Miss Levy's affairs," was the reply, and standing outside the office, Makarov gave another smile, gently touching Levy's shoulder before walking away.
Placing a hand on the doorknob Levy let out a deep breath. Sensing her uneasiness, Gajeel rubbed at her back and slowly bent to her level, whispering in her ear, "I'm right here."
Pushing open the door, Levy was elated to see who was waiting for her within the walls of Makarov's office. Grabbing Gajeel's hand to lead him eagerly inside, she allowed the door to slam shut behind them.
"Levy," the visitor smiled at her excited entrance. "I'm more than thankful to see you are well. Gajeel, it's been a while."
As always please review and let me know what you think, I'm doing much better at answering review questions so if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! Love you guys! Also, I am participating in Gajevy week, be sure to check those out!