"Sir Gajeel."

There were only two petals left on the primrose. Levy plucked the next to the last one. "Sir Laxus."

Hisses of dismay mingled with shouts of triumph as the crowd realized who the winner would be.

Levy held up the primrose to display the single remaining petal. She tore it ruthlessly from the stalk. "Sir Gajeel of Wyckmere."

A thundering din arose from the hall as the diners pounded their tankards on the tables.

Laxus's face contorted with fury. "Damn it to the pit, woman, what do you think you're doing?"

"Choosing the new lord of this manor." Levy swung around with a flourish and handed Gajeel the denuded primrose. "Welcome, my lord. I trust you will be content with what you have gained."

Gajeel took the naked stalk and rose to his feet with fluid grace. "Aye, my lady." His eyes gleamed. "I am well content."

"God's blood," Laxus surged to his feet. "I am far from satisfied. You cannot choose a husband in this fashion."

"'Tis done. I have made my selection, as I was commanded to do by Metalicana of Landry." Levy stepped back from the table. "And now you must excuse me. I am going to my bedchamber. I find myself much wearied by the excitement."

"God's blood," shouted Laxus. "I'll not stand for this."

"You, sir, have nothing more to say about the matter." Levy raised her chin. "As it is too late for you to return to Dreyar, you are welcome to stay the night. Arrangements have been made."

She picked up her skirts and started around the table. Lucy rose quickly to join her.

Levy was aware of everyone watching her as she crossed the room to the tower stairs. She paused on the first step and looked back toward the head table, where Laxus and Gajeel sat.

"Before I take my leave, sirs, I have one more thing to say." She met Gajeel's eyes. "Know this, my future lord. There has never been violence here on this isle. I will not tolerate any tonight. Is that understood?"

"Aye, my lady," Gajeel said softly.

"If blood is shed in this hall before morning," Levy continued through set teeth, "I vow, I will take the veil rather than wed you or any other man."

More whispers of wonder and speculation washed over the crowd. Laxus looked suddenly sly.

Levy glanced disdainfully at Laxus and then she returned her attention to Gajeel. "And lest both of you decide that you would be better off without me to contend with, remember that if I enter a nunnery, I will not go empty-handed. I shall take all the secrets of my perfume recipes with me. They will be my dowry to the convent."

Another hushed silence fell on the hall as the impact of that statement made itself felt. There was not a soul on the isle who was not aware that the revenues from Desire were based on Levy's perfume recipes. Without them the fields of flowers and herbs were useless.

Satisfied that she had made her point, Levy smiled grimly at Gajeel. "Your first task, Sir Gajeel, is to keep the peace in this hall. If you would enjoy future profits from my perfumes, you must accomplish the business without drawing blood. I bid you good night."

She picked up an oil lamp that was burning on a nearby table, whirled about, and rushed up the narrow, twisting stairs. Lucy followed at her heels.

"Dear heaven, how could you make your choice in such a whimsical manner?" Lucy gasped as she flew up the steps in Levy's wake. "What if the winner had been Sir Laxus? You despise him after what happened last month. You said yourself that you would rather marry almost any man than him."

"There was no way that Sir Laxus could have been the winner. I knew who would be the new lord of Desire before I pulled the first petal off the flower." Levy reached the upper floor and stalked down the corridor to her bedchamber. "There are only five petals on a primrose, after all."

"But how did you know which name would be called out last?" Lucy's brow cleared. "Oh, I see. You had counted the petals and reasoned it out before you started."

"Aye." Levy opened the heavy wooden door of her chamber. She went inside, set the lamp down on a table, and walked to the window. She took a deep, calming breath of the perfumed darkness. "I knew the answer. Indeed, I knew it hours ago."


Two hours later Pantherlily heaved a sigh of relief and grinned at Gajeel. "My congratulations on your successful completion of your first task as lord of this manor."

"Thank you."

"I confess I was not certain we would get through the evening without a bit of bloodshed. But as always, you proved as swift with your wits as you are with the Iron god Sword."

"'Twas not difficult to persuade Laxus and his men to drink themselves into oblivion. They were already halfway there when my lady quit the hall." Gajeel prowled his chamber with a restlessness that was unusual for him. "You have assigned the guards?"

"Aye. If any of Laxus's men awake before dawn, he will be given another cup of wine."

"And Laxus?"

"Fast asleep as a newborn babe, thanks to his efforts to defeat you in the contest to see who could down the most wine." Pantherlily chuckled. "Speaking of that bloodless tournament you staged with your rival, I have a question."

"Aye?"

"What did you do with all the wine that you were supposedly downing?"

"I poured it into the rushes beneath the table whenever Laxus turned his head."

"I thought as much." Pantherlily's mouth turned down wryly. "The hall will not be a pretty sight tomorrow morning when Lady Levy's guests awake with splitting headaches and heaving stomachs, but there will be no bloodshed tonight."

"And that is the important thing." Gajeel felt the odd tugging sensation around the corners of his mouth. He almost smiled. "My lady's wishes will be carried out insofar as possible until she is safely wed to me. I would not want her to think that she made the wrong choice."

"You are surprisingly pleased with yourself for a man whose destiny was recently linked to the fragile petals of a flower and a woman's whim."

"It is not the first time that my future has been decided by fortune and fate. I doubt it will be the last."

"I thought you would be as enraged as Laxus was when you saw the method Lady Levy intended to use to make her choice." Natsu Said walking into the room.

Gajeel halted in front of the window. He braced a hand against the stone sill. "I knew I would win the contest as soon as she plucked the first petal and called my name. More to the point, so did she. Given her knowledge of flowers, 'tis certain that she knew the answer before she began."

Natsu frowned. "How do you know that?"

Gajeel remembered the primrose he had examined while Jet defiantly played the bawdy ballad. "There are only five petals on the primroses. Or at least there were only five on the flowers that were scattered about on the table tonight."

"Ah." Pantherlily smiled. "I take your meaning. Given the uneven number of petals, it was inevitable that whichever name Lady Levy started with, that name would be the one she called out last."

"Aye."

"Why do you think she went to the trouble of acting out the small play? Why not merely announce that you were her choice and be done with it?"

Gajeel gave in to the smile that hovered at the edge of his mouth. "She finds me arrogant. I believe that she was attempting to teach me a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"She wanted me to think that as far as she was concerned, there was little difference between Sir Laxus and myself. It was her way of letting me know that I have yet to prove to her that I am the better choice."

Pantherlily eyed Gajeel's curved mouth with great caution. "You are amused by this?"

Gajeel considered the matter more closely. "I believe I am."

Natsu swore. "I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have seen you amused."

"You exaggerate."

"Nay, my memory is clear because on each occasion you came within a hair's breadth of getting us both killed."

Suddenly the door busted open and in walked a certain black haired mage. He walked over to where Gajeel was standing and bowed on one knee. "I'm sorry I'm late Sir Gajeel." Gajeel motioned for him to stand. "Where have you been Gray?"

Gray stood up and straightened his white coat and black trousers. "I was invited to a ball hosted by my step-brother Lyon."

Gajeel nodded, and decided it was time to rest, so he sent the men out of his room. Tomorrow is going to be difficult he thought to himself before drifting away into deep slumber.