Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Pairing(s): Natsu Dragneal x Zeref, mentions of Gajeel x Levy
WARNINGS: Slight AU , Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned
Firelight and Shadows
By V. Shalyr
Scroll XXIX: Of Knights and Dragon Slayers
Contribution
Zeref tried to be nicer to Arianna, he really did. But it was hard.
He could tolerate many things, but he discovered now that that was largely because he cared about very few things. Over the course of more than four hundred years, he had learned to prioritize. Natsu was a different story. He cared deeply about the Dragon Slayer, and it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that he ranked number one on that list of priorities.
Arianna annoyed him on a fundamental level with her attempts to usurp what he saw as the place he held in the group. It got under his skin the most at meal times. Apparently, the princess could cook. Not nearly as well as Z, but well enough for her to commandeer more than an occasional lunch with confidence.
Before, Zeref had cooked because Natsu liked to eat and because he found cooking to be an interesting pastime. After the two of them had started going on jobs with other wizards and then even more so after he'd officially become a part of the guild, he'd cooked because it was something he could do well that benefited everyone. It was his unique contribution, his way of showing the others that he wanted to be friends. That he didn't consider himself to be set apart from them or to be better—or worse—than they were.
Of course, Arianna didn't know any of this and Z wasn't the type to share such thoughts with just anyone. It might have helped if he was, but as things stood, everyone was overjoyed to see the ferry that would carry them over to the island. If the serpent didn't sink it that was.
.
Size
The phantom sea serpent was the most gigantic creature any of them had ever seen, and Zeref had seen a lot. Its head was comparable with that of a dragon's, and, combined with its serpentine ability to unhinge its lower jaw, it could swallow a team of carthorses without chewing. Its real bulk, however, came in the form of seemingly endless, sinuous coils covered in glittering green scales. No one knew if the original had been this enormous, but with its long body sprawled about the island, it felt as though the sea serpent was trying to strangle the isolated half moon of land. It was certainly very much like a curse.
The monster hadn't moved when their ferry had sailed cautiously over it, but it had still been unsettling to look down and see the vast silhouette of it beneath the undulating water.
"So we're supposed to kill this thing?" Gajeel asked, staring just a little dubiously towards the curve of green he could just make out some distance into the shallows.
Natsu smirked. "What? Don't think you can handle it?"
The other Dragon Slayer glowered. "Watch me."
"Gajeel," Levy said, "I don't think it's that simple. Well, maybe simple isn't the right word, but in any case, I think we should go back to the castle. Arianna said that her court wizards would be returning around noon."
Natsu turned his back on the end of the pier and looked towards the many turrets and towers of the castle. "Court wizards, huh? Cool. Wonder what kind of magic they have."
.
Candidate
Magic seemed to be the last thing on these wizards' minds. Natsu was starting to doubt if they were even really wizards.
"These people are going to help us?"
The tone of the speaker's voice clearly showed how much he thought of this proposal.
"Princess Arianna brought them. They're supposed to be Dragon Slayers."
"All of them?"
"No, the two with the messy hair and the suspicious looking eyes."
"In that case, what are the other two doing here? This is no time for sightseers."
"Hey, we don't have to help if you don't want us to," Natsu snapped, fed up with people talking about them like they weren't there. "And they're here because they're our partners. You better treat them with respect or that serpent's going to seem like a picnic in comparison."
"Are you threatening us?" a man asked in disbelief, dressed in a robe with so much gold embroidery on it that Natsu was surprised he could still move.
"Think of it as a warning."
The dozen or so court wizards exchanged unreadable looks. Zeref was unsurprised that his partner's attitude was giving them second thoughts.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the leading court wizard coughed and said, "I apologize if we have been rude. It was not our intention. This is a stressful time, and your arrival has given us much to consider. If you could please step outside for just a few minutes. We need some time to discuss amongst ourselves."
"I think that's fair," Levy said quickly, grabbing Gajeel's arm and giving the gathered wizards a polite nod. "We haven't had time to look around the castle grounds yet. Would that be all right?"
"Of course, my lady. We'll send someone to find you when we're prepared to talk further."
As soon as the meeting room doors clicked shut, Gajeel folded his arms across his chest and declared, "This is a waste of time. They obviously don't want us here."
Levy was more forgiving. "I think they're just worried."
"Annoying bunch of stuck-up old fossils," Natsu muttered.
"Technically, I'm older than they are," Z observed.
"Yeah, but you're not stuck-up." Natsu sighed. "I'm sure I could get rid of that sea serpent, but that wouldn't help very much."
Unless he wanted to marry a princess, which he didn't. He was very happy with the mate he had, thank you very much.
The point here was that the serpent had to be laid to rest by someone else, preferably by the man that Arianna professed to sort of, kind of like.
.
Practice
Z and Levy found the young man out on the practice fields used by the castle guards. Natsu had opted to scout out the island while Gajeel had returned to examining the sea serpent. It was probably better that way. The Dragon Slayers could come across as somewhat intimidating.
They'd had to ask around to figure out who it was the princess fancied though, since Arianna herself had refused to give them his name. For someone who was so blunt about her wishes, she had been unexpectedly reserved on that front. Instead of approaching the man, the two wizards lingered on the edges and just watched for awhile. Judging from the sweat that plastered his sable locks to his forehead and temples, he must have been at it for some time, wooden sword in hand and worn, leather armor strapped on a tad too loosely.
Unaware of his audience, he charged the practice dummy with a battle cry that turned into a pained wheeze a second later when his own momentum caused the dummy to spin around and whack him a good one in the stomach. When he doubled over, his forehead struck the edge of the dummy's shield and he landed on his rear in the dirt with a dazed grimace.
"Wow, he's terrible," Levy marveled. "I don't know anything about swords, but I'm sure I could do better than that."
"He's... less than impressive," Zeref agreed. One thing was for sure. This man wouldn't be slaying anything, much less a giant sea serpent.
"Maybe Natsu or Gajeel could teach him to fight?" Levy suggested.
The two of them paused to imagine this.
"No," Z said slowly. "I doubt he would survive it."
"I suppose not."
Levy sighed. It was back to the drawing board.
.
Ambition
Arianna had not been biased when she'd called her kingdom beautiful. It had just the right combination of mountains and shoreline to be picturesque, and its streets managed to maintain a quaint, small-town ambience despite being a sizeable city. Other, smaller settlements dotted the rest of the island, but the population was indisputably concentrated in the capital, which sprawled along half of the available coastline.
From the top of the castle's highest tower, it was easy for Natsu to pick out the semi-translucent form of the giant sea monster which seemed to stretch on loop after loop with no end. It seemed that not everyone could see it though, which was probably a lucky break for the authorities since otherwise, people would all be panicking. Once in awhile, one of the boats in the harbor would draw close to one of the massive coils and he would tense, but the serpent never moved. If it weren't for its flickering, yellow eyes, he might have thought it was asleep.
Natsu's hands itched for his magic. Part of him really wanted to try fighting this creature, to test the limits of his own abilities. But another part of himself recognized this ambition for the danger that it was. Liking a good challenge was all well and good, but take that ambition too far and you could get into serious trouble. That was how a lot of dark wizards were made.
This mission wasn't about him or any of his fellow Fairy Tail wizards. It was about this kingdom, however small, and what was best for its citizens.
Well, time to rejoin the others. It really was a rather small island and he had the general layout and structure of it down.
Focusing on the connection he had with his partner, Natsu leapt down onto one of the lower roofs and started for the nearest open window.
.
Contrast
Levy had decided to introduce herself to the would-be knight in order to learn more about him. Socializing wasn't one of Zeref's skills, however, so he'd chosen to seek out the castle library. If there was one thing he was particularly good at aside from magic, it was research.
Perhaps if they knew more about the history of this island, they could find another way to destroy the phantom that didn't involve the rather hopeless warrior having to life his blade. The poor man was probably still out there being beat up by the practice dummy.
Zeref felt a little sorry for him. He was obviously trying very hard, but sometimes, trying hard wasn't enough.
The Black Wizard trailed his fingers along the spines of the books as he made his way along the shelves, scanning the titles written down them as he went. The records appeared rather spotty though. Perhaps he should explore the grounds instead, enlist Natsu's help or something.
He'd just made up his mind to do just that when he moved around a bookcase and spotted Arianna seated at one of the plain, wooden tables. He stopped and thought about turning around.
"You don't have to go," she said without looking at him.
Z hesitated.
The princess finally lifted her eyes from her book. When she saw him, she let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm tired of our little feud," she said. "So let's just agree to leave things as they are and move on, all right? We'll both give it a rest. I'm never going to win, and to be honest, I'm not sure I want to either."
The wizard blinked slowly, reexamining her face. She... did look tired.
"Frankly, I don't understand why he loves you," she said, then added a little wryly, "or why you love him."
Should he feel offended by this? He wasn't sure about the first one either, but he had plenty of answers for the second.
The princess sighed and put her elbows on the tabletop, cupping her hands so she could rest her chin on her palms.
"My mother used to tell me all sorts of stories before bed," she said, her gaze wandering from him to the many laden shelves around them. "About princesses and wizards, dragons, knights, and Dragon Slayers. When I got a bit older, I'd make up my own stories and hope to dream about them when I slept. All the maidens would be smart and elegant and compassionate. All the heroes would be brave and strong, honorable and kind. I always liked the knights the best, with their chivalry and their mission to protect and assist the people. Looking back, I suppose they weren't very realistic stories, but they made nice dreams."
It surprised the Black Wizard to find that he could understand this.
"Sometimes, the people that come to mean the most to us take us by surprise and turn out completely different from what we imagined."
Instead of shooting back a retort like she usually did when they had to speak to each other, Arianna took some time to think this over.
"I suppose that's true. Was it that way for you?"
"In some ways," Z said, choosing his words with care. "But in truth, I had very few expectations."
And very few hopes.
.
Vault
Zeref wasn't startled to find Natsu leaning against the wall outside of the library with his arms crossed. He caught the Black Wizard's gaze and smirked.
"So I was a surprise, was I?"
"Anyone would have been a surprise," Z said honestly. "But perhaps someone like you especially. In a good way, of course."
"I should hope so." Natsu pushed himself away from the wall and straightened. "So, no luck? You're not carrying any books."
His partner shook his head. "Most of their older records are missing. I thought we could look for anything out of the usual around the castle instead."
"Sure. We haven't got anything better to do until those court wizards make up their minds."
Or until dinner, whichever came first.
For the most part, the castle staff left them alone. They received a couple curious glances and a number of the guards stationed around the grounds sent suspicious stares their way, but nobody spoke to them or tried to hinder their progress through the many rooms and corridors. Many of them had seen the pair arrive with the princess, and her people had enough trust in her not to question her allies.
"I didn't really find anything interesting when I was exploring," Natsu said, leading him down a narrow, sloping hallway. "Except for this one door. Try to keep quiet though, okay? It's, uh, kind of close to the royal treasury."
"It's not... part of the treasury, is it?"
"Could be, I'm not sure. There aren't any guards in front of it though, and it looks like it hasn't been touched in ages."
Most likely because it was hidden behind an old oil painting depicting a pale-haired man wielding a sword that glowed blue-white in his hands like a shard of the morning sky. Zeref could hear the murmur of occasional voices from around the bend further along the corridor punctuated by the creak of armor.
"I'll stand watch," Natsu said, placing himself between his partner and the corner. "I couldn't get it open, and I didn't want to bust out any serious magic in case it freaked them out."
"The spell on this door is quite ancient," Z said, inspecting the metal bands that held the portal shut. "I wonder what's inside. It smells strange, you say?"
"Well, mostly old and stale, I guess, but yeah. It wreaks of magic too, and—"
The Dragon Slayer stopped talking abruptly, eyes narrowed. His sudden wariness made Zeref tense and turn to follow his gaze—only to come face to face with a giant, reptilian snout set with a pair of luminous, yellow eyes.
.
Accusations
"How did it get in?"
"Where did it go?"
"What were you two doing by the treasury?"
"You almost burned that painting! Do you realize how old and valuable that painting is? It's priceless. Priceless!"
Levy pushed her way through the milling crowd, unsurprised to find Natsu and Zeref at the center of all the commotion.
"What happened?" she demanded as soon as she was sure it was them.
"The serpent was here," Z informed her, calm as ever in the face of potential danger. "Natsu blasted it, and then it disappeared."
"It was here?" Levy looked around at the narrow corridor, noting the scorched stones. "But how? Is this passage connected to the ocean?"
"No, it's not," one of the court wizards snapped, scowling. "You must have been imagining things. There's simply no way that monster could have gotten into the castle without someone noticing. What I want to know is why you two were snooping around the treasure vault."
"We weren't snooping around the treasure vault," Natsu retorted, scowling back. "We wouldn't want your stupid treasure anyway. I told you. We were looking at that door."
The old wizard pursed his lips, but refrained from further accusations. He was all too aware of the scorched walls still hot from the flames. It also embarrassed him just a little that he hadn't known about the door with its heavy iron bands and runic engravings.
"You should have told us that you wished to investigate down here," a different court wizard muttered stubbornly. "We could have helped."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "You were a bit busy trying to decide if you wanted to kick us out or not."
.
Knight
While Arianna met with her advisors, the wizards from Fairy Tail got dinner in a small, private dining room located in the wing of the castle where they would be staying. As per usual, Z tried one bite of everything and Natsu fought Gajeel over the rest—after setting aside a portion for Levy who was running late.
They didn't speak much. It would have been hard anyway with their mouths full of food. Zeref was on his second cup of tea when Gajeel glanced up and, a couple seconds later, Levy opened the door.
She wasn't alone.
"This is Gavin," the Rune Wizard said, ushering the man in before her. "Only son and heir to the Eston Family, one of the oldest noble families in this kingdom."
This simple introduction caused the young knight's face to go red and he bowed hastily.
"I—it's an honor to meet all of you. You have my deepest gratitude for lending your assistance to us in this time of need."
The two Dragon Slayers stared at him.
Z set down his teacup.
Whatever else he might be, Gavin was very eloquent.
"Why don't you join us for awhile?" Levy suggested. "You said you've known Arianna for a few years now?"
"Four," he agreed, choosing the empty seat next to Zeref. A brief survey of the dining table's remaining contents and he added, "Thank you, but I'm not really hungry, so I'll just have some tea."
Which he promptly poured for himself.
It took awhile for the conversation to pick up, but Levy helped it along with several pointed questions. And the more Gavin talked, the more he seemed to relax. He wasn't as shy as he had first appeared, and when he got going, he had a decent sense of humor too.
When he finally bid them all goodnight and excused himself, Levy waited for his footsteps to fade then set down her fork and faced the rest of them.
"So what do you think?"
"He is not a good fighter, but he seems kindhearted," Z said. "And he is not stupid."
"Sounds like good enough king material to me," Natsu said.
"I don't know about king material," Levy said, tapping her chin with a finger, "but at least I'd say he's good husband material for a princess like Arianna."
"I hardly think that's our decision to make," Gajeel said.
"No, I suppose not," Levy said. "But if he likes her and she likes him, it at least gives us some direction for all this."
.
Fairytale
"You know, I can sort of understand Arianna's fascination with knights," Levy said, watching their respective partners clean off what remained of the full-course meal. "All that about honor and chivalry makes great stories, and it's easy to fall in love with the idea of being the main character in a fairytale."
Z held his teacup in his hands, feeling the warmth through the thin porcelain. "I never had much interest in fairytales."
"No? I think you should give them a chance." Levy smiled, partly to herself. She had to admit that it was hard to imagine the Black Wizard Zeref enjoying a book of fairytales. Then again, who was to say? He was a lot of things she wouldn't have imagined such an infamous dark wizard to be. Or rather, former dark wizard.
"I think I like dragons better anyway," Z added as an afterthought.
Levy laughed. "I do too, but I think our opinions are a little biased."
Probably more than a little, Z reflected. Dragons usually played the villains in fairytales, vicious and powerful and greedy.
"Although it's nice to think about getting a happily ever after," she said.
"I never really believed in happily ever after... Only in ever after."
"I don't think it's something you believe in anyway," Natsu spoke up suddenly, setting down an empty dessert plate. "It's something you have to make."
.
Conciliation
Perhaps as a further gesture of conciliation, Princess Arianna had arranged one room for Natsu and Z instead of two.
"Nice to see that you two aren't fighting anymore," Natsu said, dropping their bags at the foot of the bed.
"We weren't really fighting."
"Yeah, it was the strangest kind of fighting I've ever seen."
The Dragon Slayer wasn't the subtle, manipulative type; it was one of the things Zeref loved and appreciated about him.
Neither of them moved to unpack. They didn't plan on being here long.
Z sat down on the bed and fell backward with a gasp as the entire mattress caved under his weight. His first thought was that the thing had gone and collapsed on him. But then it settled down and he realized that the way the mattress was trying to bury him alive was probably intentional.
"This bed is far too soft," he said, looking up to find Natsu's amused face.
"Looks it."
Z struggled for a moment and finally managed to half roll, half fall onto the plush carpet. Sitting up, he grimaced and tilted his head back against the soft fall of fluffy blankets.
"Maybe we could sleep on the floor," Natsu said, gathering an armful of said fluffy blankets and depositing them on the ground. "How many pillows would you like? Looks like we have a choice of eight. Why the hell do we need so many pillows?"
"I think they're mostly for decoration. And one will be fine."
Two oblong, white pillows joined the blankets, and Z moved to arrange it all while Natsu went to inspect the view from the window.
"I don't see any boats on the water. One of the servants told me that the serpent's more active at night, so the princess ordered a temporary ban on sea travel after dark."
"Do people believe her reasons?"
Natsu shrugged.
"Some do, even though only a handful of people can see the creature. They've seen the wrecked fishing boats, and I guess that's enough."
The Dragon Slayer turned off the lights and joined him on the makeshift bed.
"It's too bad I can't try fighting the thing. Maybe you could make me something like it?"
"I'd... rather not."
"Hey, I was kidding. Don't look so distressed. I wouldn't ask you to do something like that."
No, Z thought, he probably wouldn't ask such a thing in seriousness, but... If Natsu ever did... If his own ambitions ever grew to outweigh his compassion or took a turn for the dark... If it was what Natsu really wanted, he wondered suddenly what he would do.
"You're thinking too much again. It's not about what happened in that blizzard, is it?"
"No. I... was just wondering what I'd do if you ever wanted to rule the world."
"...Why the hell are you wondering something like that?"
"It's nothing. The question just crossed my mind."
"I feel like I should be offended."
"I'm sorry. Please don't be."
In the semi-darkness of their room, Natsu could read the sudden anxiety in his partner's eyes, so he changed the topic to some of the vendors' stalls he'd seen out on the streets. But now, Z's musings were stuck on Natsu's mind. The Black Wizard might not know what he'd do, but Natsu had the feeling that he did. And he wasn't sure if he should feel flattered or concerned.
Well, no point worrying about it now. It wasn't like such a thing would ever happen.
.
Formal Dining
"This is stupid," Natsu declared from his end of the long table.
It really was a long table. At least a dozen people could have been seated on either side, but only one on either end.
Zeref wouldn't have put it quite so bluntly, but yes, this did seem quite stupid. Especially since there were only six of them. He had to look across three empty place settings to find his partner. The princess all the way on the other was practically invisible behind the many-layered servings of fruit, tiny sandwiches, and sweet pastries. There wasn't actually a great deal of food, but there was certainly a great deal of china and silverware being employed to carry and showcase it all.
"It's traditional," Arianna said, proceeding to eat her sandwich with a knife and fork. She had to raise her voice in order to be heard.
"What, so you eat here like this," Natsu waved his arms to indicate the whole fancy arrangement and unoccupied space, "even when it's just you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, I do."
"Jeez, and I thought Z needed to relax more."
Quite aside from the inconvenience of the seating, what bothered Z the most was the servers stationed at intervals along the walls of the large dining room. Did all those people really have to stand there silently and watch them eat their breakfast?
.
Retinue
Since Natsu and Z were the ones who had discovered the hidden door, they were the ones who were stuck with accompanying Arianna in her discussions with her court. That left Levy and Gajeel free to wander the city, so that afternoon found the Rune Wizard downtown—with her own retinue. Levy had never gone shopping with a retinue before, and it was honestly a little unnerving.
"I really don't need all of you to help me look at dresses," she told them when they'd finally escaped from the chaos that was nearly twenty people in one small clothing store trying to shop for the same woman.
"But her Highness asked us to see to all your needs. She wants you to feel welcome."
"I know and I appreciate that, but I'm really not comfortable with modeling all these outfits for so many people. I don't really need that many opinions on what I wear."
This appeared to confused her escort.
"But my lady, you want to look your best, do you not?"
Levy sighed. "I suppose I do."
She wasn't going to win this battle. Curse Gajeel for slipping off and leaving her to deal with these people. He should have taken her with him. Next time she saw him, she was going to give him a piece of her mind and then some.
.
Remnants
Arianna met them in the audience chamber the following morning with a determined jut to her chin.
"I think I can find a way to open that door without having to break it."
Not waiting for them to respond, she unclasped the thin, gold chain she had around her neck and held it up. Dangling at the end of it was a key about the length of her thumb and set with a dark green emerald.
"This key was passed down to me by my parents," she explained. "It belongs solely to the ruling king or queen, and it's said to have the ability to open any lock in this castle. My advisors are reluctant to disturb whatever lies in that chamber and it makes sense that it's been sealed for so long, but... I feel that there is a reason you saw the serpent down there. It's too strange to be pure coincidence."
"At least you believe us," Natsu said.
The princess offered him a weary smile at this. "I may feel that you are lacking in proper manners, but I don't believe any of you would lie about such a thing."
From what Zeref remembered, the sealed door had no keyhole, but he doubted that would prove a problem. The magic in Arianna's key was subtle, but Zeref could sense it like a pulse within the stone.
Sure enough, as soon as Arianna held her key close to the door, the metal bands began to glow. Right before their eyes, the iron began to twist, uncoiling and reshaping itself. Finally, with a grinding sound like stone sliding against stone, the door sank out of view.
Gajeel's words were low, but they all heard them in the ensuing silence.
"I'll be damned. No wonder this island's haunted."
Levy let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Wow, I guess it has to be the real thing, right?"
Arianna's face had gone white, and she clutched at the gold key like it was an anchor. And no wonder, Levy thought with sympathy. She'd hate to spend her whole life living on top of something like this.
The reptilian skull filled almost the entire chamber, slightly cracked and chipped in places but otherwise intact. If Levy squinted, she thought she could see the ghost of lights in the serpents empty eye sockets. She hoped it was her imagination.
"It seems your ancestors decided to keep a trophy," Z said quietly. Somehow, it felt as though anything louder would be sacrilegious.
Natsu felt no such compunctions.
"Should I smash it?"
The Black Wizard thought about it then shook his head. "No, I don't believe that would be a good idea."
.
Respect
That left figuring out what was a good idea.
Arianna shut the door on her squabbling court and marched over to the group that had been waiting for her.
"So that's settled then. They'll be at it for hours, which means we can decide what needs to be done and do it without listening to them nag for a week."
"Are you sure that's all right?" Levy asked.
The shorter woman sniffed. "I am the princess here, am I not? And I've had just about enough of them second guessing every decision I make. I'm young, but I'm not an idiot. They don't know any more about this business than I do, and they certainly know less than you do."
The Rune Wizard gave a weak laugh at that. "Ah, I do hope we can live up to your expectations."
"So who exactly were you supposed to be?" Natsu asked, turning to the tiny, bald woman who had joined their group during the wait. He'd never seen a bald woman before, and she wasn't all that old. At least he didn't think she was.
The stranger glared at him as though sensing and disapproving of his curiosity.
"I'm the head of one of the local temples," she said coolly. "Her Highness used to take reading and writing classes with me. But aside from that, I know practically everything there is to know about exorcising ghosts and evil spirits."
"Really?" Natsu was intrigued. "That's awesome. Glad you're with us."
The exorcist softened a bit, caught off guard by his genuine enthusiasm.
"I'll help however I can."
Arianna lifted her chin and cleared her throat. "So our first option, which was employed by previous generations, is to have someone fight and slay the phantom. However, since this approach has numerous drawbacks given our circumstances, we can cross it off our list."
Although it would have been the easy way. She sighed.
"I suppose option two is destroying the skull and seeing what happens," Gajeel said.
Z responded from his place beside Natsu. "That is a course of action that I would not recommend. Even if we reduced it to dust, the remains would essentially still be here. And if we were somehow able to rid the island of the remains entirely, there is so much history here that cannot be so easily wiped away."
"I do have a vast collection of purification rituals and spells," the exorcist offered. "Perhaps one of those would be appropriate in this situation? Of course, such an ancient and powerful spirit is usually difficult to banish. Most of them end up being sealed instead, but the lot of you guild wizards could probably muster quite a lot of magical energy."
Well, they certainly weren't lacking in the magical energy department. But still...
"If I may give a suggestion?"
The question was spoken with such hesitant politeness that it took them a moment to pinpoint the speaker.
To his credit, Gavin didn't fidget when they all turned to look at him.
"Lady exorcist, would it be enough... to give the remains a proper burial? Even an enemy deserves our respect. By keeping its skull and treating it like a contest trophy, our ancestors were arrogant and disrespectful. Perhaps a proper burial would appease it."
All eyes switched to the exorcist, who stroked her chin while she pondered this suggestion.
"I'd almost forgotten, but that's one of the first things I learned to do from my mentor. It's such a simple ceremony, but it just might do the trick."
After all, past battles with the phantom serpent hadn't proved effective long term. Perhaps it was time that they tried a new tactic.
.
Exorcism
The entire kingdom turned out for the funeral. The remains would spend three days making stops all around the island, and when it returned to the capital, it would be sent out to sea and cremated.
"I'm in charge of all the arrangements," Gavin told them, standing on the steps leading down into the castle's front courtyard. "My uncle runs the island's delivery services, and we're borrowing a few of his coaches. You may be interested to know that the sea serpent has stopped moving entirely since we started this process. We're confident that this is the right way to proceed."
"We're glad to hear it," Levy said warmly. It wasn't just because she missed Magnolia and court life was starting to drive her crazy.
Gavin nodded.
"We've prepared a ship to take you back to the mainland, Are you sure there's nothing else we can provide?"
Natsu shrugged.
"We're good. It's not like we really did anything."
"Oh no, all of you were a great help. Which reminds me." The knight dug through his pockets and produced two yellow envelopes. His forehead scrunched for a moment then he handed one envelope to Levy and the other to Z. "Her Highness asked me to pass these on to you since she couldn't be here herself. Please consider it a token of her appreciation and her hope that you will visit again once everything here gets back on track."
Natsu peered over his partner's shoulder.
"What is it?"
Zeref unfolded the paper inside and let out a short, soft laugh that surprised their other companions. Gajeel and Levy hadn't thought he was capable of laughing.
"It's a set of restaurant coupons," he said, holding them up for Natsu's inspection. "All you can eat."
"Here on the island?"
Z turned the papers over in search of an address, but Gavin saved him the trouble.
"It's on the mainland in a city called Jasmine. You may even have passed it on your way here. Princess Arianna is close friends with the owner. They grew up together, but Lady Roxy moved away to start her own business two years ago. I understand her restaurant has garnered countless positive reviews. We hope you enjoy it and wish you all a safe journey home."
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Well Wishes
A safe journey... Yes, that was a good thing to wish for.
Z stood on the ship's deck with Natsu, looking out at the seemingly endless expanse of sky and seawater. A few gulls wheeled overhead, but other than that, other forms of seaside life remained hidden beneath the waves. It wasn't the most riveting view, but the Dragon Slayer had suffered from motion sickness for far too long not to take full advantage of these opportunities to experience travel unaccompanied by the urge to reacquaint everyone with his latest meal.
It felt like they had only just arrived on the island, and now they were leaving. Z wasn't complaining though. And it was strange, but harrowing as the trip had been at times, he did feel a lot more like himself. He might even venture to say that he felt cheerful.
"You've got that "I'm shocked by something perfectly ordinary" look in your eyes," Natsu said, bringing him out of his thoughts with a jolt.
Z shook his head.
"I'm simply glad to be returning home. Although... what would you think of staying in Jasmine for a few days?"
"Instead of using those restaurant coupons and then heading straight back, you mean? Sure, sounds good to me."
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Traditional
From the window of her tower bedroom, Arianna watched the ship grow smaller and smaller against the background of blue. Part of her would miss having the rather lively bunch around, but another part of her was relieved. Oh, watching them made her so envious sometimes! She thought she hid it well, but she wasn't going to ask anyone to check if this was true. And she didn't even like them all that much. Z was irritating with his quiet aloofness and obvious dislike of her, and Natsu was rough and loud and unrefined.
But... she hoped that someday, she, too, would be able to find someone to whom she could trust so much of herself.
Yes, she thought, sometimes, the people you cared about surprised you. But maybe she also hadn't allowed herself to look hard enough. To be open enough to that possibility of being surprised.
She'd always been a traditionalist, and tradition left little room for unpredictability.
Arianna sighed and pulled the curtains closed, shutting out the view of her beloved city. What could have been, she would never know, and she didn't have the leisure time to sit around daydreaming.
Opening her bedroom door, she waved over one of the guards.
"I will see the district representatives in one hour down in the throne room, and I'll be making an announcement to the fishermen later this afternoon. Please send out the word and let me know as soon as everyone has arrived."
No, she was far too busy for daydreams. If those crazy, thoughtful, and sometimes infuriating people could manage to become some of the best wizards in the world, then she could do this whole princess thing all on her own. It was time to stop relying on fairytales and start relying on herself.
TBC...
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