Chapter 14: Reunion

Freed and Lucy were sitting in their living room waiting for their communication lacrima to ring. They had arrived in Magnolia an hour before and had immediately contacted Lazare to let him know. Lazare had, in turn, told them that he was already in route to Magnolia with Mika. Freed was sipping on some tea with a book in hand while Lucy was browsing a Sorcerer Weekly and tapping her foot anxiously. Suddenly the front door burst open and Freed had a lap full of Mika.

"DADDY! I missed you so much!"

The Mika jumped from his lap over to Lucy's.

"MOMMY! I missed you too!"

Lucy chuckled and wrapped her arms around the girl while Freed stood up and greeted his father.

"We missed you as well Mika. There wasn't a day that went by we didn't think about you."

Freed and Lazare walked into the living room, a smile on Lazare's face.

"Hello Lucy dear."

Lucy smiled at the older man she now saw as a father figure.

"Hello. I hope you two had a good trip!"

"Indeed…it was full of Mika jumping up and down like she had a sugar rush until she crashed half way the ride. She actually just woke up from her little nap when we departed the train."

Both Lucy and Freed chuckled, but their chuckling soon ended as a golden flash emanated throughout the room. A few seconds later a very livid Leo popped out. Mika immediately grabbed her grandfather's hand and led her upstairs, knowing that the lion spirit had some choice words to tell Lucy…mostly because Loke had told Mika such before she left the Foudre mansion. Loke stalked over to Lucy, his face red from anger, Freed was about to jump between them when Loke snatched Lucy up in a hug and started balling his eyes out. Freed blinked a couple of times while Loke attempted speech through his wailing.

"L-Lucy! HOW DARE YOU! You You…YOU LEFT ME! Everyone else you took but not me!

"Awww Leo... I wanted you to protect Mika while we were gone. I only trusted you to do it."

Loke sniffled a little.

"You did?"

"Sure did!"

"Well… I guess I can forgive you then."

Lucy smiled and returned the lion spirits embrace before pulling away.

"You should go back, I'm sure Aries is missing you."

Loke nodded, his smug composure back.

"Sure, thing Princess."

Loke vanished in a golden dazzle of light and Lucy chuckled before turning to go to the kitchen. It was their first night home in a month…she had to clean out the refrigerator.

~ Next day, Fairytail guild hall ~

Makarov was sitting in his usual spot on the bar, Freed and Lucy's welcome back party already in full swing. All the female guild members had crowded around Lucy while all the male members had somehow convinced Freed to join their drinking game. Mika was downstairs with Romeo, Wendy, and Asuka. None of them wanting to play a drinking game with the adults, instead preferring to play pool and the other games downstairs. At some point Makarov spotted Charla, Lazare, and Lisanna retreating to the safety of the downstairs game room as well. Makarov figured that they didn't wish to be caught up in something as messy as a Fairytail drinking game. His eyes scanned his brats, the weary and old pupils coming to rest on the petite girl Natsu had brought back with him from Bosco. Now that she was bathed, properly fed, and well taken care of Makarov could see her true beauty. Her name was Natalie Monrou. Now that she was no longer under Duke Whinningham's "employment" she had come to wear her waist length lavender hair down in soft curls. She had high cheekbones, pale skin, and the most shocking green eyes Makarov had ever seen. She chose to wear little to no makeup. Mascara and a light pink lip gloss being the only additions on the days she did wear it. She about an inch shorter then Lucy, and not nearly as endowed. However, her proportions seemed to fit her perfectly. Her B cup breasts led to a small waist and then to slightly flared hips. The injuries on her wrists had been healed magnificently by Wendy, only a small two-centimeter-wide scar grazing a circle into her tender wrists. The girl had also changed from a maid's outfit, to many of the male member's disappointment, to a pastel green sundress with lilac trim. Makarov watched her gracefully spin and twirl around the guild members, serving drinks with both elegance and grace, while also managing to stay out of everyone's way. He sighed and thought back to the battle he had led against Duke Whinningham, would this gentle, tender girl be here if he had done things differently? No probably not. Makarov remembered the state the girl was in when Natsu introduced her to him.

~Flashback, Whinningham mansion court ~

It was less than thirty seconds ago that Makarov had been called over by Natsu, yet what caught his attention was the state of the girl in his arms. Her lavender hair was escaping from the intricate up-do she had it in, her arms and legs looking like flesh stretched over bone with a small about of muscle around the bones to keep her upright. Her wrists were red, bleeding, and infected from the shackles that had obviously been encased around her wrists for a very long time. The maid's outfit she was wearing (which should have been nearly form fitting) was resting loosely against her skin. Looking closer Makarov could see that the girl had cuts and bruises everywhere. He had been speaking mechanically as he took in her appearance, but he did gather that the girl would be under Fairytail's protection from then on. After Natsu's explanation of everything Makarov smiled and held out a hand.

"That's wonderful! Come my dear let me introduce you to our sweet little Wendy. She'll be excited to have a girl to talk to, seeming that Yukino is very quiet and Cana's conversation is much to mature for the girl."

Natalie, that was her name yes, reluctantly took his hand as Makarov led her away. Natsu was grinning like a fool.

"Yeah Cana can say some weird stuff!"

Natalie giggled a little and Makarov was happy to see her bonding well with Natsu. 'Maybe…Just maybe...' The older man thought to himself. When Wendy finally came into view he could tell the instant demeanor change in the girl, it was as if she had finally relaxed.

"Wendy my dear, come here please."

Wendy smiled when she saw the lavender haired girl and skipped over, her smile brightening the area around her as if she had taken a page out of Lucy's book. When she finally got to them Wendy held out a hand.

"Hiya! I'm Wendy. I'm Twenty-five years old and I use sky dragon slayer magic."

"Hi Wendy. I'm Natalie. I'm twenty-eight years old and I don't have any magic."

"You have really pretty hair Ms. Natalie."

Wendy smiled, but Makarov could tell she caught a glimpse of the girl's wrists when her eyes drifted to Makarovs.

"Ms. Natalie do you mind if I look at your wrists? They look infected. I'm a healer so…"

Natalie looked down.

"They are, but it's no use, not unless the shackles come off."

Wendy smiled again and turned in the direction of Gajeel.

"Gajeel-kun! Can you come help me with something?"

Gajeel was there in a flash and Wendy explained what needed to be done. With a smirk Gajeel turned his finger into a key and began to gently fiddle with the shackles until they fell to the ground with a satisfying thud. Wendy immediately began to heal the girl's wrists with He and Gajeel walked back towards the main group.

~End Flashback ~

With the thought of Gajeel and Wendy on his mind he thought a little further back to the only real battle they had to get past.

~Flashback~

Makarov was standing in the middle of the field, dead bodies lying all around him while several others here simply incapacitated. The air reeked of blood and the grass shone with it. His brats and the other legal guilds all incapacitated their opponents without killing them, however the Fiorian Army and the Rune Knights were not as kind, nor as clean. There were legs, arms, organs, and even heads sprawled out around them in a nightmarish scene. He looked to his left and saw what he never thought he would. Gajeel was holding Wendy as she screeched her pain and hurt at so many lives being lost, his large hand shielding her eyes from taking in any more of the sight. He shot a worried look Makarov's way and the older man nodded slowly as Gajeel stood up, picking Wendy up in the process, and caring her away from the stench of blood.

Makarov felt guilt rip into is very heart. What was he thinking bringing Wendy? Yes, she was an amazing healer and a very talented warrior as well, but she was still a child, and this was war. He had brought an innocent child into a bloody and defiling war. Yes, she had saved many lives, but the sight today would haunt her for the rest of her life, and it was all because of him. How could one of his age be so…blind to reality. Makarov took another look around and sighed, using his earth magic too gently burry all the body's and their blood. It was the least he could do for the girl who had seen so much death in a single day. No... not even a day…a single hour.

~End Flashback~

Makarov blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes. It had been almost a month since that day, all of it spend on a train. He could tell, if he looked closely, that the memories still haunted Wendy. He could see the fear and pain in her eyes, the memories of blood and limbs and guts sprawled all around her. He lifted his beer to his lips and took a deep swig. 'I'll have Polyuscia talk to Wendy. They've always been close.'

~ ERA Prisons. Duke Whinningham's cell ~

The Duke had somehow found himself in a mage's prison, though he himself was not a mage. However, he had to admit that the solitude WAS nice. He laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Thought began to race through his head. 'I was a stupid fool, I should have let my pride suffer and let the stupid girl go. Now I'm going to be locked up for life, I've lost my wealth, I know those stupid bitches will testify that I raped and beat them…but hell they were SLAVES in a land that allowed slavery. They were my property just like that little whore should have been.' He sighed and thought about how things had ended up this way. His memories brought him back, way back, to when he was still a child.

~Flashback, a church ~

His mother was a beautiful woman, but even her beauty had not made the picturesque scene that had been her funeral any easier. Her eyes were closed, and she looked to be simply sleeping. Her long, dark curls resting gently on the red silk pillow of the coffin, her pale skin resting softly in the dress that would be her last. The dark crimson dress clung to her shoulders before revealing her soft bosoms with its plunging neckline. Her slightly parted lips were painted a bright red while soft whites and greys were lightly powdered on her lids, a light line of eyeliner and mascara finishing the look. A silver and ruby pendant laid softly on her neck while a simply silver and ruby circlet rested on her head. On her left ring finger was the silver, diamond, and ruby wedding ring she never parted with. Her fingers gently intertwined with each other, the delicate nails painted with a red French tip, a thin black line at the base of the red. Red and while rose pedals laid gently on the red silk of the coffin's cloth.

He looked at her for a very long time, the feeling of a hand on his shoulder being the only other thing that broke past the mental barriers he had placed on his senses. Too soon the white and gold lid of the coffin was closed, and everyone was headed to the burial grounds. He looked up and cursed the sun. It filled the world with too much light on such a sad and dark day. He watched in silence as the pure coffin was laid in the filthy earth. He cursed the earth for being allowed to eternally embrace her. He didn't move and inch until he was forced, no tears falling down his face despite the fact he lost his mother.

Slowly time began to pass. Minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to months, months to years. With each passing day his heart grew colder despite his father attempting to get closer to him. He knew that one day his father would also leave him, and then he would be alone. As if in sync with those thought time once again sped up, and years passed by like seconds. Too soon his prediction came true, his father's hand grasping his as he spoke his last words.

"This company has always been yours my son, but one day you will want to share it with another. When that time comes fight for every single second because you never know when it will all be gone. I love you son."

And then just like that, his father's last breath passed his lips. Time seemed to blur past him even faster, that is until he met her. She was still young at the time, but her very presence was as bright as the blinding sun was on the day he said good bye to his mother. Unlike the sun of that day, which felt as if it had stolen every ounce of warmth in his heart, the light she gave off made him feel once more. He wanted her. He wanted to share his company and everything he had with her, and just like his father told him he fought. He fought with everything he had to get the contract that would make her his. She was his light.

~End Flashback~

The Duke closed his eyes as a single tear fell down his cheek. She was supposed to be his light. He had fought for every second with a vengeance just as his father told him to. So why did things end up like this? He felt more like a prisoner of his own mind then the prisoner of war he was. He rested an arm over his eyes as tears continued to stream down his face. He was alone…he no longer liked the solitude.