Ch 25: A Wedding and an Execution
March 8th X787 at Kardia Cathedral:
What was supposed to be a private event shared between a few close friends somehow became one of the biggest events of the whole year and that was the famous Dragneel Wedding. Thanks to an unnamed member of Fairy Tail that most believed was Macao or Wakaba, every guild and pretty much the rest of the country learned about the wedding taking place a week before its scheduled date. Now this wouldn't have been too bad since it was bound to get out sooner or later, but what made this information getting out so much worse was that not only did it give very specific details about when and where the wedding was taking place. It also decided to announce to the whole country that all were invited to celebrate the momentous occasion of the famous Salamander tying the knot and if they weren't invited specifically that they would have to come early if they hoped to even have a chance of getting a seat at the ceremony at Kardia Cathedral or the reception that was taking place afterwards at Fairy Tail's guild hall.
Needless to say this pretty much caused Magnolia to have all of its inns and hotels booked all the way up till the day after the wedding in a matter of seconds after the public found this out. Initially the couple was going to turn down the well-wishers that they didn't invite personally but after seeing how happy and excited most of them were at getting to see them Ultear and Natsu didn't have it in them to actually turn any of them away. Now onto the reason why most of the guild thought Macao and Wakaba were responsible for this was quite simple, they were definitely the two getting the most enjoyment out of this little incident happening to the soon to be newlyweds. So of course the couple decided to turn it around on them and put them in charge of handling all the unexpected guests that where now going to want to partake in the festivities.
So three days leading up to the big day all of Magnolia was packed full of people from all across the country wanting to see the happy couple. Most of them wanting to see what woman was capable of handling the Salamander and could actually catch his eye since it was somehow still a secret to most of the public that the woman was Ultear. Also the fact that she was a member of Fairy Tail and has been somewhat having a relationship with the dragon slayer since she the day she joined the guild was apparently not well known either. Most of Fairy Tail chalked that up to no reporter being brave enough to possibly write a story that might upset Natsu in any way if they were to be so unlucky as to accidentally get something wrong, not knowing that he was no longer that brash man anymore who would have definitely destroyed their offices for something that trivial. And that he hasn't actually been that guy since the Tenrou Group went missing because he had bigger concerns than what the press might say about him and his love life.
As for the rehearsal dinner that took place the night before the wedding, that just like everything else it turned into something that none of them could have ever expected it to. It became the biggest party Fairy Tail has ever thrown if you could even consider it that since the whole town took part in it. The mayor even did the dragon shift so that everyone had a definite spot to head to if they wanted to celebrate with someone. And it actually somehow started at noon and then continued well on into the night with everyone having the time of their lives since Natsu announced that all expenses would be on him since he was just happy that all of them were there celebrating this momentous occasion with him.
You might think that all of this would cause either Natsu or Ultear to start freaking out about everything not going according to plan, but that definitely didn't happen. That wasn't really that big of a surprise when concerning Natsu since he meant it when he told Ultear that he would be content with marrying her the very next day after proposing to her. Now they all expected Ultear to be upset by all of this since it was her special day that she had spent the last three months planning for, but she was just like Natsu and took everything in stride and some would say she was somehow even happier than their guild master. It was as if she knew something that no one else knew and no matter what was thrown at her she wouldn't get upset and would just go back to smiling while she was right beside her fiancé.
This takes us to the day of the wedding that just so happened to be taking place right now, well the stat of it at least. Where we just so happen to find a slightly nervous Natsu Dragneel standing at the altar of the Kardia Cathedral no longer wearing his combat gear that everyone has gotten used to him constantly wearing. He is now in an elegant black tux that Bianca had specifically designed and made for him to wear on this special day despite his constant protests of him not wanting to bother her more than he already was doing with everything else that he was asking her to help him make. It wasn't anything special except for it having having the Fairy Tail emblem on his right pectoral in red and that he was once again wearing his scarf like it was intended to be worn which was around his neck and not around his head like he's been doing for quite some time now.
Glancing back behind him he still couldn't believe that the whole cathedral was packed to the point that a crowd had actually formed outside of it as well so that they could get a glimpse of him and Ultear. Not only did that surprise Natsu, but some of the guests attending where well known figures across the country such as a few of the Guild Masters from other guilds across the country. But the ones that really surprised him the most was a few representatives of the Council since they were still not on the best of terms with each other, although the one that shocked him the most was Princess Hisui who was seated at the front because of who she was.
He accidentally locked eyes with her and she responded with giving him an encouraging smile and wave, while Arcadios who was right next to her kept a stern look on his face and only gave Natsu a nod of acknowledgement. As he scanned the rest of the crowd he couldn't help but notice all the happy and excited faces of the crowd, all of them people that he's met and affected in some way shape or form throughout his life. That was when his eyes finally fell on the group of Fairy Tail mages that he considered each and every one of them as a dear member of his family that he would do anything to protect and keep happy.
Unfortunately for Natsu he couldn't help but think of all the members of Fairy Tail that he truly wished could be here on such an important day of his life. But he knew that they would've all been proud of him right now if they could be there while also most likely making some sort of scene like Fairy Tail used to be known for. That simple thought brought back the smile that everyone gathered there today knew him for, which coincided with the starting of the procession causing the cathedral to quiet down so everyone could hear the music playing in the background as the first couple entered.
The couple leading the procession was Kinana and Eric, who at first was completely against being part of this at all. That is until he learned that someone else would then have to be paired with Kinana as she walked down the aisle. Knowing this little fact caused Natsu and the other members of Fairy Tail to have quite large grins plastered across their faces as the two of them entered and preceded to the front of the cathedral. Letting the guests see that all the bridesmaids would be wearing elegant red dresses once again made by Bianca, which could also be said about the black tuxes that all of the groomsmen were wearing.
The next couple was Laki and Warren who were then followed up by Kei and Droy. After them came Kagura and Max, which led to the final couple of the procession who just so happened to be Meredy and Jet who both had on some of the happiest faces any of them have ever seen. As the two came up to the alter they both decided to mouth a few quick words to the still slightly nervous groom.
"Good Luck buddy." mouthed Jet with a little smirk, knowing full well that Natsu wasn't going to ever regret this decision to marry the woman of his dreams. It did though make Jet realize that he should possibly start looking of his special someone since he knew that Natsu was correct about Levy having her eyes set on someone other than him.
"You're still a big weirdo." mouthed Meredy which actually caused Natsu to let out a little chuckle. She couldn't believe that it was finally happening; Ultear was getting married to a man that was honestly the best one that either of them had ever met. Not only that but he was also bringing her into their family as well and in an official manner, meaning that she was now an actual Dragneel, something that she couldn't help but still get huge enjoyment out of each and every time she said or thought it.
Natsu couldn't help but be thankful for the two of them for doing that for him because it finally got him back to normal. Seeing both of them treat him like they usually did got him to stop thinking about how all of this could go terribly wrong in the future and let him think about all the good things that could easily come from this. And one of those possible good things just so happened to be heading down the aisle towards him, wearing a little red dress that she looked completely adorable in as she performed her job for the wedding.
It was none other than his other adopted daughter Liza Dragneel, who was extremely happy to be spreading pink rose petals after her with a bright smile. And to the right side of her was Romeo in a black tux just like the rest of the men but he seemed to find the outfit uncomfortable if his constant fidgeting was any indication.
"Hi daddy!" cheered Liza as they both reached the altar, causing a little chuckle to go throughout the guests at how adorable she was.
"Hi honey, and just so you know you did a great job." replied Natsu with a warm smile as they quickly hugged each other.
"Here you go Natsu." stated Romeo as he handed over the ring while giving his teacher and master a big grin.
"Thanks Romeo." he replied while slipping the ring into his pocket as he watched Romeo lead a reluctant Liza back to their seats with the rest of the members of Fairy Tail.
"Good luck Daddy!" cheered Liza before they were more than five feet away from him while also waving at him. This once again got a good reaction out of the people there as the music got louder, which alerted all of them that the bride was finally coming down the aisle. And the consensus of everyone there was that Ultear was absolutely breath taking in her wedding gown that somehow highlighted all of her best features. Yet somehow was still not overly elaborate or too fancy, making most there agree that it was all due to her overall natural beauty.
Something that Natsu would completely agree with them on, because he knew that no matter what she wore she would still be the most beautiful thing that he's ever gotten to lay his eyes on. And seeing the loving smile she had for him on her face right now made him question why he ever had any doubts about this at all. But he put that aside as something that all men think about at least once before the big day, because right now he knew he was the luckiest man in the world. He was getting to marry a woman that loved him for who he was which included all of his faults and other oddities that would have normally been a deal breaker to most women, even though it meant nothing to Ultear. Something that she proved to him when they finally became official mates sealing it so that their destinies would become intertwined with one another from that special night onward despite whatever might happen in the future between the two of them.
These were the thoughts going through Natsu's mind as Ultear was being escorted down the aisle by Macao who had a proud grin spread across his face. Ultear was also having similar thoughts as her soon to be husband, a main one was that this had to be a dream because it all just seemed too good to be true. After everything that she's done in her life how did she get so lucky to have all of this happen to her, when in her mind she most likely deserved to be locked up in a prison right now rotting away to nothing. But here she was getting absolutely everything that she ever could have dreamed of and it was all because of the man she loved, Natsu Dragneel. A man that somehow instantly accepted her into his family and life without a second thought, since he believed it was the right thing to do at the time despite what anyone else might tell him.
"I know I'm not your dad or anything Ultear but I'm really proud of you. Who knows what would have happened if you had not been there to save Natsu that day or weren't with him every day afterwards." stated Macao as they got closer to the altar. Affectively breaking Ultear out of her own thoughts and causing her blush to only grow at his kind words.
"I didn't do anything." she mumbled back to him.
"You're free to think whatever you want, but me and everyone else at Fairy Tail knows it's thanks to you two that he's still with us. And that he's been able to become the support that we've all relied on during those trying times." he replied with a loving grin before stepping back and heading to his seat. Now leaving Ultear face to face with the man that she was going to happily be spending the rest of her life with, something that she still couldn't believe was going to happen.
"You know this is your last chance to get away from me Ultear." stated Natsu in a teasing matter just loud enough for only her to hear him.
"The same could be said to you." she replied back with a smirk as the priest started the opening remarks.
"If I could have it my way you'd be by my side for every second for the rest of my life." he commented back with his own smirk.
"Well that sounds like something I could get used to, but we both know it's not going to happen." she said as a slight frown started to make its way across his face at hearing this. "Although that doesn't mean we can't try to be with each other whenever we can." she finished with a loving smile that he too had on his face as they looked at each other as everything else seemed to fade to nothing. This resulted in Natsu going forward and bringing her into a deep and passionate kiss that was only stopped thanks to someone to his right clearing his throat in a slightly annoyed tone.
"I think the two of you are getting ahead of yourselves." stated the priest with a slight grin as Ultear and Natsu both realized with bigger blushes that they lost themselves in the moment. And were just a bit ago kissing as if they were all alone and not in front of hundreds of people at their own wedding.
"Sorry about that, kind of got caught in the moment." stated Natsu with a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. This got all of the guests to start chuckling at the soon to be newlyweds. Some because having already been married themselves could easily see how someone might forget and get lost in the moment. While the others chuckled because it was something that the old Natsu would have definitely done if someone was ever able to convince him to get married.
"You're both weirdoes." said Meredy with a bright smile spread across her face. As the Priest then started back up with the ceremony that luckily didn't have any more interruptions from the couple or anyone else all the way up to the scheduled kiss. Everyone attending agreed that it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies that they ever been to and could easily see the love that the two held for each other, making all of them not even wonder for a second if it would last since it seemed like a sure thing.
"Natsu I have something I need to tell you." stated Ultear after they separated from their kissing and looking slightly up at the man that was now her husband.
"What is it?" he asked with a smirk, knowing that it was something good due to Ultear's overall happiness right now.
"I'm pregnant!" she whispered back as she watched his face light up in what she could only describe as pure joy. Only to then be lifted off of her feet and twirled around for a few moments until he stopped and brought her into another deep kiss.
"You've officially made this the best day of my life, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to either of you." he whispered back to her after stopping the kiss that he initiated after finding out about the great news. But just as they were about to leave as the cheering was also finally dying down an unexpected guest showed up and made his presence known by doing a loud clap while standing in the aisle all alone.
"Isn't that beautiful everyone, even a monster like the Salamander can find a happy ending." he chuckled out as everyone in the cathedral glared at him with pure hatred. None more so than Ultear and Natsu who were both not having a good feeling about the newcomer and whatever his agenda was.
"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Natsu in a slight growl as he protectively got in front of his wife.
"Isn't it obvious, I've come to congratulate the two of you for doing what most people dream of doing? And that is finding the person that they get to spend the rest of their lives with." he replied once again with a chuckle. It was at this moment when everyone noticed that the man was indeed dressed in formal wear, even though it looked like it had definitely seen better days thanks to it starting to fade to a lighter shade of gray.
"Thanks I guess, but that still doesn't answer who you are." stated Natsu still keeping Ultear behind him and also noticing a few of his guild members getting ready to act if needed.
"It seems that I've forgotten that part didn't I, well I'm going to be known as the man that killed the famous Salamander." he replied as a crazed grin spread across his face as a collective gasp went through the people attending. Along with that gasp came most of the mages flaring up their magic, signaling that they were ready to fight.
"That's quite the statement you said there my friend, and I'm not saying this because I think I'm not able to be killed or anything stupid like that. I know I'll eventually die sooner or later, but you seemed to have forgotten that a good number of the people here are strong mages." said Natsu as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"Far from it Salamander, but if any of them try anything funny then my friends spread throughout the city will start killing innocent civilians. And I know that is something that both of us don't want happening now do we?" he asked back while starting to make his way closer to them. Not caring at all about all the extremely angry mages glaring at him at the moment still with their magic swirling around them.
"No it isn't, so what are you planning on doing then?" asked Natsu after he took a deep breath and had his eyes closed for a few seconds that once he reopened them glared at the man before him. Actually causing the stranger to stagger back slightly from the look that he was receiving and the brief glimpse he got of a red dragon standing behind Natsu.
"You're going to just stand there like a good boy and let my men shoot you. And before you even start thinking about trying anything the first casualty will be her." he answered while then pointing at Meredy. Causing Natsu to let out a deep growl as a red dot appeared on her forehead, showing that the man wasn't bluffing.
"If you even touch a single hair of hers I swear on everything that I hold dear that it will be the last thing you ever do." snarled Natsu as he started to let loose some of his magic that easily made the whole cathedral almost unbearable to be in.
"Easy now Salamander, all you have to do is die and I swear that nothing bad will happen to any of them. Oh and I do know about you being able to turn into smoke so my men have been instructed to take shots that if they happen to miss you they will then hit a loved one of yours." he stated with a smirk now only twenty feet from the dragon slayer.
"Salamander let me end him." snarled Cobra as he was somehow already in front of Kinana protectively.
"I can take him out before he can even blink." said Jet who was no longer wearing anything from the top part of his tux except for the long sleeved shirt.
"No one will do anything; I will not run the chance of any citizens getting hurt because of my actions here. Do I make myself clear Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu now having a stern look in his eyes as he looked at all of them.
"Natsu you can't actually be considering to just let them shoot you?" shouted Meredy in a scared tone as she looked at the man willing to adopt her.
"That is exactly what I plan to let them do if it means no one else gets hurt. Do I have your word that no one else will be harmed if I don't retaliate?" he asked looking at the man threatening the city and people he held dear to his heart.
"Absolutely Salamander, we're only here for you. And if you could hurry up on the decision since I'm getting a little bored and might have them just start shooting people." replied the stranger with a hint of glee in his eyes.
"Natsu please don't do this." begged Ultear, finally speaking for the first time since the man showed up. But she could already tell from the look in his eyes that he was going to go through with this if it meant that she and everyone else would be alright.
"Sorry Ultear, but this is something that I have to do." he stated as he gave her his usual grin, while everyone else watched in horror of what was going to soon take place in front of them. But none of them being able to look away thanks to each of them having a little bit of hope that the Master of Fairy Tail had something up his sleeve.
"Daddy please don't leave me!" cried out Liza while being held back by Sting. Who wanted nothing more than to go and rip the head off of the man threatening his family, but unfortunately he was ordered by his alpha to stay out of this so he really didn't have a choice in it.
"It's okay Honey everything is going to be alright." replied Natsu with his usual grin. That was then unfortunately followed by the loud sound of a gunshot ringing out through the town as everyone watched his left shoulder be thrown back a bit as he staggered back just a bit. Only for all of them to then see a small spot on his tux get darker thanks to what they could only assume was his blood.
"Now it's not right to lie to your daughter like that Salamander." stated the man as a few more shots were fired at Natsu and everyone just watched as he just stood there and took it. Even going so far as to lift his arm up for it to take a shot that was going to miss him and possibly hit someone else.
"Natsu!" screamed out a few of his closest friends and family as they tried to go to him but were being held back by others who wanted nothing more than to go and help their master. One of them although had no one to stop her from going to him since she was already right behind and started to hug him no longer caring what might happen to her because of her current actions.
"HAHAHA, that just goes to show you that even this country's greatest hero can be taken down by a few well aimed bullets." laughed the man still standing in the aisle all alone.
"You can't leave me you idiot." sobbed Ultear into his back as she could feel some of his blood getting onto her arms.
"Don't worry Miss you'll be joining him soon." cackled the man as he threw his head back in victory.
"You said no one else would get hurt." stated Natsu in a quiet voice that shocked the man since he had just watched him get shot at least ten times.
"How the hell are you still even alive? Doesn't matter since you're in no state to stop me now, and did you really believe me when I told you that no one else would get hurt?" he asked with a smirk. That he soon lost when once again large amounts of magic were coming from Natsu as he slowly stood back up to full height.
"I honestly didn't but I was hoping to not get my hands dirty on what was supposed to be a joyous day for everyone." replied Natsu as he and Ultear were now completely covered in his flames. That only burnt off the upper half of his outfit which then allowed them all to see the bullets that were shot at him slowly pop out of him with smoke leaking out of their holes. To then all be instantly sealed back up by his flames that seemed to only grow in intensity with each passing second.
"Y-y-y-you s-shouldn't b-be able t-t-to stand!" shouted out the stranger clearly terrified by what was now standing in front of him. And his fear only grew when Natsu shouted out "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" and unleashed a torrent of flames that flew right above his head and out the window. The attack continued on until it hit one of the nearby builds and reduced its top levels to nothing after being in his flames for a few long seconds.
"Now I have a question for you, did you honestly expect to take out someone who battles god damn drakes for a living with a few measly bullets?" hollered Natsu as smoke started to swirl with his flames as he slowly made his way towards the intruder. With Ultear standing all by herself at the altar with a look of relief and slight confusion on her face as she stared at his Natsu's back.
"Take one more step and your wife dies." he shouted out in a tone that was supposed to sound intimidating but failed terribly.
"And how do plan to accomplish that my friend, because I just took out four of them with that roar of mine? As for the other six they've already been dealt with as well." stated Natsu as he continued on his slow march towards the now visibly trembling man.
"Im-Impossible." he replied while taking a few steps back and doing the signal for his men to fire. He expected to hear the shot fire out but nothing happened and this caused the stranger to start panicking since his men might have already been dealt with meaning that he was now all alone and standing in front of a very pissed of dragon slayer.
"Impossible you say, you really didn't look into who you were dealing with because that's what Fairy Tail is known for doing. Now what am I going to do to you, because reducing you to nothing but ash like I did to your cronies seems like too easy of a punishment for someone threatening to kill my pregnant wife and other innocent civilians." said Natsu as re-equipped his claymore and had it coated in both of his magic types while also dragging it across the floor. Making a scratching and hissing sounds as it easily cut a deep groove into the floor while also severely burning it as he drug it slowly.
"Y-you k-k-killed t-them, b-but you're f-from F-fairy Tail and y-you don't kill!" he stuttered out in disbelief.
"You'd be right about that most of the time my friend, but you did the exact things that let me kill my enemies with absolutely no remorse. And I'm going to let you know what they were before we get started with our little session of just you and me." replied Natsu as he brought his sword up and rested it on his shoulder while glaring at the man now only three feet away from him.
"You're first mistake was treating life as something that could be just thrown away or is insignificant which you made evident by your threat to start killing randomly. Something that most drakes seem to believe by the way and I especially detest about them, as for your second mistake that was threatening the members of Fairy Tail which I consider my family. But by far your biggest mistake was actually threatening the lives of my wife and kids!" shouted Natsu at the end as he kicked the man onto his back and then buried his sword into the ground right next to his head. Needless to say the man now pinned underneath him was too scared to reply and could only scream out in terror at the dragon glaring down at him with nothing but pure loathing and hatred.
"Now tell me who the fuck sent you here to kill me and I'll promise to not make it last more than an hour of pure hell." he growled out just above a whisper with his face now only an inch away from the man underneath him.
"M-m-monster!" screamed out the man before he went back to screaming which then turned into coughing as black smoke started to go down his throat. Everyone watched Natsu once again start to choke someone with his smoke but they could tell that this time the victim was in way more pain than Jiemma ever was.
"That's the second time you've called me that, but considering what you're going through right now it kind of seems like a correct statement. It only makes me wonder why you'd ever want to face a monster and also try to kill it by threatening to kill what it holds dear if it doesn't cooperate. You had to know that if you couldn't finish of a monster with that method it would come after you and make sure that you could never do it again." he said still in a whisper so that only the man and the other dragon slayers could hear him. The man could only continue to claw at his throat and try to scream out in pain since it felt like his insides were literally on fire.
"But once again I feel the need to correct you because I'm something much worse than a monster my friend. I'm a dragon, and if you didn't know we'll do whatever it takes to protect what we hold dear in our hearts even if that means we have to fight against the rest of the world." he explained now in a normal voice that could be heard throughout the cathedral.
"Salamander that's enough!" shouted out one of the Council's representatives. Since even he could no longer sit back and watch a man be mercilessly killed right before his eyes like what was currently happening, but he was shocked to see the fire and smoke swirling around Natsu instantly dissipate at his words.
"Now the Council finally decides to do something when it's no longer a Fairy Tail mage on the line." stated Natsu with a smirk as the man still on the floor underneath one of his feet writhed in agony ,but at least he no longer had anymore smoke being fed into him.
"We couldn't risk civilians getting hurt." he replied quickly as all eyes slowly made their way towards him. None of the guests or Council representatives noticing the reappearance of a few Fairy Tail mages, that disappeared without anyone's knowledge earlier during the middle of the fiasco just moments ago.
"Fair enough, but I still didn't notice you doing anything to prevent them from doing exactly what they did after they thought they were through with me. It kind of seems like the Council was okay with a few citizens dying if it meant that I would no longer be around." said Natsu with a slight sneer sent at all of the Council's representatives.
"How dare you make such accusations Salamander, the Council would never do such a thing to such a loyal and faithful guardian of Fiore." shouted out a different representative.
"Hey, I never accused you guys of anything and I was only just stating a possible reason for your lack of action in a crisis like we just had. But then again when you start considering how you've dealt with the drakes up till this point I shouldn't be surprised if you had to wait until it was in a report until you could actually do something about it." replied Natsu with a grin as he slowly started to remove his smoke from the man barely breathing underneath him.
"Salamander I'd like to remind you that not even you are above the law." said the representative that spoke up first.
"And I'd also like to remind the Council and everyone that works for them the exact same thing. Now if you don't mind I have to dispose of some trash and would also prefer if you all left unless you had a different reason for being here other than to wish me well on my wedding day." he said while slowly picking up the unconscious man off of the floor by his neck.
"There is another reason why we all came here, but first I have to stop you before you kill that man since he no longer possess any threat to you or anyone else here." stated the last of the three representatives that was there which was also the only lady of the group.
"For crying out loud you actually thought I was going to kill him right now?" he asked only to receive blank looks from them as a response.
"There are families with little kids here for Pete's sake; of course I'm not going to kill him. And no one else died here today either since I can only assume you are thinking his four other comrades are dead." he stated while shaking his head in disbelief.
"But what you said to him before." she finally got out only to then notice that ten bodies were now at the foot of the altar tied up. With four of the bodies being so severely burned that you would definitely have a hard time recognizing them as people if you were at a good distance away from them.
"Oh if this wasn't my wedding day then I can guarantee you that they would be dead right now, because as I told him earlier anyone that tries anything against my family will feel my wrath. And I mean if anyone tires to do anything to them that I don't like there is nothing in this world that will stop me from dealing out my own form of punishment." he replied while fire and smoke formed around his right fist and fought for dominance.
"Those are quite the strong words Salamander." spoke up the first representative to speak out of their little group.
"They're more than just words, FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING FIST!" shouted Natsu as he hit the man in his grasp, easily sending him clear across the city. "Now what was your other reason for being here?" he asked now turning back to them with a blank expression, as if he didn't just launch a man clear across the town and sure to have broken a few of the man's bones in the process.
"This should really be something that we discuss in private Salamander." replied the other male representative.
"I'd like to remind all of you that I'm now a Master and expect to be treated as such. And if this has to deal with me becoming a Wizard Saint again I'm going to have to respectfully decline like I have every other time you've asked me." he stated now with a stern look displayed across his face. Once again catching all of the representatives off guard by him not even being concerned about what they might be offering as an extra incentive this time to get him to join.
"But you haven't even heard what our offer is Salamander, I mean Master Dragneel." said the lady still with a look of disbelief in her eyes.
"Doesn't really matter what it is since I now realize that Fairy Tail might have been too focused on dealing with these drakes recently. I think for the next few months we're going to make sure that they remember why we're the number one guild, so as you can see I'll be too busy with that to add any more responsibilities to the ones I already have." he replied while re-equipping his usual coat and slipping it on.
"But shouldn't your mages be able to handle that Master Dragneel?" asked one of the males.
"Definitely, but they've now got my full attention since they pulled some shit like this on today of all days and made it very personal to me." he answered while walking back to Ultear, who had a happy smile on her lips since she now knew none of them were in any danger anymore.
"Why didn't you let me in on your plan?" she asked him quietly as they hugged each other.
"Didn't really think I'd have to since you usually see stuff like this a mile away." he replied with a little chuckle as she lightly hit him on his chest.
"Sorry for being a little distracted for once." she stated now having a slight pouting expression on her face.
"It's fine Ultear, you definitely had enough things to be worried about." he said as his left hand slid down to her stomach were it remained as a large grin made its way over his face.
"Master Dragneel are you sure you won't reconsider the Council's offer?" asked the female representative.
"Daddy!" shouted Liza with tears streaming down her face as she jumped at him. Natsu easily catching her and bringing her into a hug that he knew she really needed right now since he could only imagine how hard it was for her to possibly think that she might be losing her family once again.
"It's okay Liza, your daddy isn't going to be leaving you anytime soon you hear me?" he asked her as she continued to cry into his shoulder.
"Do you promise?" she asked in between sobs.
"I promise, because our little family is going to be getting a little bit bigger soon and I have to be around for that." he replied still not believing that he was actually going to be having a child with Ultear. So with his signature grin he finally turned to look at the representatives from the council with Ultear on one side and Meredy now hugging him on the other and Liza held in his arms he was ready to give them his final answer for the day.
"You can inform the Council that at this moment I won't, but who knows what will be happening in a few months. Now to everyone else gathered here to wish us well on this day I think there's only one thing left to do. And that's to celebrate like Fairy Tail usually does!" he shouted as the rest of Fairy Tail cheered in response, having gotten used to celebrating right after possible catastrophes like this. All of the other people there were shocked by this but by the end of the next ten minutes it was like the attempted murder on Natsu had never happened in the first place and everyone was back to having a good time.
The celebrating continued well into the night with Ultear and Natsu of course being the center of attention. Even more so than they normally would have since word of Ultear being pregnant got out thanks to Natsu's angry little rant he went on before dealing with the intruders. All of the guests congratulating them on both the wedding and the new baby on the way, with some of the guests that had kids feeling the need to warn them about certain things to expect and give the newlyweds their two cents on how to deal with them. Both of them were happy to listen to all of this since neither of them really had any experience in this department if you excluded their interactions with Asuka which were always positive since her parents dealt with her whenever it wasn't.
That was just the common thing that the newlyweds had to deal with since there were tons of other guests that had other reasons to talk to them. Most of it pertained to Natsu and the different things he was working on with other people, like the equipment that he was working on with Bianca and Cid. Or the purchasing and setting up of other restaurants across the country he was doing with Kenta and Jude, with Jude and him of course doing a few other things that they both seemed to still want to keep secret from the rest of the guild for whatever reason. But not all of it was that type of business, most of the Guild Masters that attended the wedding wanted to get his advice on their preparations for the next drakes showing up that they all knew would eventually happen.
"I can't believe that some woman is actually willing to marry an ugly son of a bitch like you Salamander." came the loud voice from someone in the middle of the crowded guild hall. This effectively caused all of the celebrations to come to a grinding halt, as everyone gathered there couldn't help but think that another incident like the one at the end of the wedding might be happening soon. But that thought didn't last long as the laughter of Natsu Dragneel could then be heard ringing out throughout the now quite guild hall.
"I've been told that I have a winning personality, which unfortunately can't be said about you, you crazy bastard." replied Natsu with a smirk as the crowd slowly dispersed at a certain area of the main floor to reveal Bacchus looking back at him with a huge grin plastered across his face.
"I'm confident that I can find a few people who would disagree with you on that one Salamander." stated Bacchus as he started to make his way towards Natsu as everyone moved out of the way of him having worried looks. Well except for the members of Fairy Tail who had gotten used to Natsu and Bacchus' odd friendship that seemed to mainly consist of them insulting the other person and the occasional sparring and a whole lot of drinking. Because for some reason Bacchus got it into his head that Natsu wasn't immune to the effects of alcohol and kept trying to beat him in a drinking contest that always ended with him passed out with a drunken smile spread across his smug face.
"Oh I don't doubt that at all since any good mage is bound to make a few enemies here and there. But I guess that's something you wouldn't know about on the whole account of you needing to be good for that to happen." he said with his smirk turning to an amused one as a flash of anger went across Bacchus' face for a brief second.
"Hey Salamander that was a low blow." said Bacchus now right in front of the man he was just insulting.
"Quit pretending to be hurt you idiot." he said while bringing the man into a hug as they both started to chuckle which confused most of the guests. But seeing that the two were apparently friends the festivities went back to normal as everyone decided to return to what they had been previously doing.
"You're one lucky lady Ultear because this guy is one of the wildest men I've ever met." stated Bacchus now with an arm slung around Natsu's shoulder.
"I'm going to assume that's your way of complementing him, so thanks Bacchus. And I definitely know that I'm probably the luckiest woman in the world right now." replied Ultear with a little smirk as she looked at the two of them.
"Glad that you could make it buddy because I honestly didn't know if you would since you weren't at the ceremony earlier today." stated Natsu as he looked at the man with an arm slung around him. Surprised to see that he was actually wearing a shirt, even if it was unbuttoned half of the way down but that was better than him showing up in his usual attire.
"Haha yeah I was a little busy at that time." he replied with a smirk.
"So in other words you were getting drunk off your ass in some small tavern in town?" asked Natsu with a knowing look on his face.
"Yes I was in a tavern but I wasn't getting drunk off my ass since you're the only man wild enough to get me to that point. But from what I've heard I missed quite the show of your power and the little lesson to not mess with what Salamander holds dear to him." he replied with an eyebrow raised as he looked at him questioningly.
"You didn't really miss out on anything too exciting since it was just a bunch of weak dark mages wanting to try and make a name for themselves." said Natsu as he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders as Ultear hit him a few times.
"It definitely wasn't nothing Natsu, you were shot at least ten times right in front of everyone." she said while giving him a loving glare as he started to chuckle at her.
"Come on Ultear did I was barely hurt thanks to me activating dragon force and enhancing my defense significantly. And did you really think I'd ever let them possibly harm you?" he asked her back with a smirk.
"No but I definitely believed that you'd let them harm you if it meant everyone else would be fine." she stated with a frown as she was brought into another one of his loving hugs.
"You're correct about that, but the one thing you have to remember is that I don't ever plan on leaving you or anyone else anytime soon. I couldn't possibly put you or Liza through something like that." he stated while still holding her caringly in his strong arms.
"I know that but today just reminded me that you might not have a choice in that matter." She said quietly as she hugged him tighter.
"I had the same thought too, which is why I'm going to make it were everyone will think twice about doing something like that ever again." he stated with a determined look in his eyes. Angry with himself for letting her feel like she was in trouble and that she might lose him.
"Does that mean you're going to actually start doing a few more jobs that deal with dark mages like everybody is now saying?" asked Bacchus with a devious grin spread across his face.
"Yes it does and judging by that look I'm assuming that you might want in on it." he replied as Bacchus' grin only grew.
"You know me too well Salamander, and once you two are done with your honeymoon I have just the job for us to do as the first team up between Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus." declared Bacchus as he pulled a flyer out of his back pocket. Clearly showing the other two that he was obviously hoping to get to go on a job with Natsu and he was most likely going to ask him even if an attempt wasn't made on his life earlier today.
"Let me see what you have in mind." he said while accepting the flyer so he and Ultear could give it good look over before he agreed to anything.
"Also this isn't the first time that Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerbrus have teamed up. That would go to the day that those drakes attacked and we sent three of our mages to warn you about the drake heading your way." Pointed out Ultear with a sly grin after already reading the job description and thinking it would be a perfect way for Fairy Tail to announce to other dark guilds that they aren't to be messed with.
"Nope that time doesn't count since both sides didn't know beforehand." stated Bacchus while shaking his head.
"Does it really matter since we saved your guys' sorry asses that day and I think this job is exactly what I was looking to do after my honeymoon. Nothing says watch out like taking out the group of dark guilds that are trying to make their own version of the Balam Alliance." said Natsu with a wicked grin coming across his face as he thought about how he was going to make them pay for making his family feel like they were in more danger than they already did thanks to the drakes.
"I'm going to let that comment slide since I'm more concerned about right now is this going to be just you and me doing this or are you going to bring along a team?" he asked thinking that it would probably be better if it was more than just the two of them trying to do all of this.
"Part of me wants it to be just the two of us, but considering that I'm a dad now I shouldn't be taking any more risks than I have to so I'll be bringing a team along with me." replied Natsu, glad to see the look of relief wash over Ultear at hearing this.
"Then I should probably do the same, not because of me being a parent or anything but since it's the smart thing to do. Oh and are you two going to actually be having a kid of your own soon?" he asked with a slightly goofy grin spread across his face.
"Yes we are Bacchus and it might not be a bad idea for you to start looking for a woman that can handle all of your wild tendencies." stated Ultear with a happy little smile as Bacchus actually was taken aback by this statement.
"I have a few years before I need to even start worrying about something like that." he replied deciding to look away and grab a few drinks that he easily threw back.
"Never hurts to start looking now Bacchus, because who knows when it might all come to an end." stated Natsu with a serious tone and look in his eyes.
"What in the world are we doing talking about me when it's both of your two's big day? And have you two already started to come up with names for the little one?" asked Bacchus clearly trying to get the conversation onto anything but his love life. So with a little chuckle shared by the newlyweds they decided to change the topic for the guy since they have already had their fun with him and just like that they were back into the usual conversations until two other people decided to converse with the happy couple.
"Was it too much to ask for you to not destroy one of the outfits that I made for you?" asked Bianca as she gave him a light glare.
"Oh come on Bianca you can't seriously blame me for this one, and what are you talking about always ruining your outfits? The one that I usually wear is completely fine and is going to stay that way for a long time." stated Natsu as he glared right back at her, knowing that she actually wasn't mad with him.
"You're forgetting that this is pretty much version ten of that outfit and that it's only going to be fine from here on out because of that repairing feature I realized I needed to have on it since you clearly can't take care of them." she replied back with a smirk as she then proceeded to give him a hug.
"If you were capable of doing that in the first place then why didn't you and thanks for coming by the way." he stated after they separated from their hug.
"You ungrateful little cur, I didn't do that right away because I know that no one is happy with their first outfit that they make and that's because it takes time for them to realize what they actually want. Also that isn't exactly the easiest thing to do and takes a long time to complete." She lectured him while having a slight smile.
"He knows all of this Bianca, and I know that because this is the third time that I've witnessed the two of you having this exact conversation." said Cid with a tired expression on his face that then went to a grin as he looked at the newlyweds.
"It's good to see you Cid." he said as the two shared a quick hug.
"I can't believe that you are now a married man and already have a little family that's only getting bigger." stated Cid with a proud grin.
"A lot of people have said that to me today and did I really look like someone that would never get married?" he asked only to receive blank looks from the two of them and even one from Ultear.
"Honestly Natsu I was starting to think that I was going to have to kick it up another notch for our relationship to precede any farther before you proposed to me that day." said Ultear with a sultry smirk.
"That would have been pretty hard since you were already throwing yourself at me." he stated knowing that she was most likely going to start hitting him. And sure enough that is exactly what happened as he started to chuckle at his wife.
"You know that you had a reputation for being really dense in that area so what was I supposed to do?" she asked him after she stopped playfully hitting him.
"Nothing Honey, you saw what you wanted and didn't let anything stop you from getting it even if that was me being overly cautious. It's one of the things that I love about you." he replied while bringing her in for a quick kiss.
"Well we can both see that you two probably want some alone time to yourselves so we'll be taking off. But before we do I wanted to let you know that I'm almost done with your last order and just need you probably for a few days at least to finish the final touches." stated Cid as he and Bianca started to leave.
"Just so you know I probably will be too busy to help either of you for the next month." he replied.
"Oh only for that long, considering how lovely your wife is I was guessing that it would be at least two months of the two of you going at it constantly." stated Bianca with a huge grin as she slipped into the crowd leaving behind a blushing Ultear and a smirking Natsu.
"You know we could probably stay away from the guild for that long if you wanted to." he whispered into her only making her blush more as he started to chuckle.
Even with most of their time being spent dealing with stuff like this and things of a more business nature the two of them were just happy to be together with each other and spending time with their friends and the rest of their family. Enjoying how their union brought so many people together and getting to watch all of them have fun with one another. Something that the two of them knew would be hard to ever recreate at such a large scale as this, not that either of them would ever want to since this was never their plan in the first place. But both of them couldn't help but appreciate that all of these people were there to wish them well on their future endeavors as a married couple.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and like always I hope you enjoyed it. So just to let you know I actually had this chapter twice as long as it now but decided that it would be too long of a chapter then so I split it into two. And that means I will be releasing the next chapter of this story within the next few days since I already have it done and just need to post it. So I have been wondering what gender I'm going to have for their child and a little part of me really wants it to be a girl for some reason. But I realized that I could ask you all and get some good feedback on what you think I should do, should it be twins or should something else happen with the new family. Well that was really the only question I have right now since I already have the next chapter done like I said so like you all know I really appreciate the reviews and pms that you send my way and will shoot you back a response as soon as I can.
Also a quick heads up on something that I'm going to do which will hopefully allow me to update these stories quicker, something that a few of you have been asking for, if you'd like to find out what I'm planning on doing check out my profile since I don't want to waste any more of your time than I already have with this sentence here at the end.
Until the next Chapter
Digem Out!