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The morning light brought new challenges as Gajeel, Levy and their friends prepared to take the tunnel while moving Gajeel's home to the Labyrinth. Lily had mobilized the troops and put Erza in command so that by not even midday, platoons were moving down the road, heading for the southern border. Gajeel had taken it upon himself to arrange the relocation.
"You want to do what?" Levy asked, eyes blinking rapidly in confusion, "I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Nah, you probably did," Gajeel said chuckling, "but I'll say it again for your sake; I gonna move my castle, Lev."
"As in the physical, giant structure we are currently in?" Levy asked for clarification. Services were rushing all around them; tieing down this and that, bolting doors and windows. All of them preparing for the 'move'.
"Yup," Gajeel answered nonchalantly as he too made his way to one of the open windows that were left. He peered down into the grounds below, seeing even more servants moving and arranging the horses, carts and even lawn decorations.
"But-but how?!" Levy cried in disbelief.
"Some great grandfather of mine," Gajeel began, "can't remember his name but he built this castle with an outer structure of pure metal. He was both a showboat - hence why this caste is bigger than the Labyrinth - and a worrywart. He was so terrified of enemies finding a way to attack him and the castle that he made it so that he could move the location at any given moment. He then taught this technique to his children and them to their children until my old man taught me how to do it. It takes a lot of power but I should be able to move it there in an about a day."
"But won't there be a giant hole in the ground? And where are you going to put it once we get to the Labyrinth?" Levy inquired as she too glanced nervously down to the courtyard.
"On top of the Labyrinth of course," Gajeel clarified, "I have a team out there now moving everything out and leveling it as we speak."
Levy pulsed her lips. The Labyrinth was in pretty bad shape and it certainly couldn't be inhabited in the state that it was in but that was a piece of history!
"Did you speak to Zeref at all about this?" Levy asked, "wasn't that his home?"
Gajeel nodded, "I did that last night before everyone went home. Zeref said he didn't mind as long as he was able to take everything that he wanted out of there first. Told me himself that it was time for it to be taken down anyways."
Levy thinned her lips but still nodded in understanding, "I'm still not comfortable with tearing down his former home…"
"Turns out he didn't live there anyway," Gajeel said, "He said that the main structure of the castle he and his brother were living in was long gone. The Labyrinth was actually just the front hall part of the former castle."
"Wow, the castle of the first Dragon King must have been huge!" Levy cried in amazement, "but you never did answer my other question; won't there be a giant hole in the ground once we move the castle?"
"Nah, I plan on leveling it out anyways and building a smaller place in its spot. I plan on making a minister for the Iron Kingdom too so they can live here while we're in the Labyrinth" Gajeel replied.
"Oh that's good," Levy said in relief, "I'm going to miss the grounds though."
"Oh they're coming with us," Gajeel said as he moved away from the window, "They were built on the structure."
Levy blinked owlishly at the large man, it unnerved him slightly.
"What?" he grunted.
"Gajeel, exactly how big is the castle?"
Pausing for a moment, Gajeel walked back to the window and pulled Levy to stand in front of him. "Do you see the front gate?" he asked as he pointed out the window?" Levy nodded slowly, the front gate to the castle grounds was about a 1/8th of a mile from the castle entrance, about a 10 to 15-minute walk. "That's that end of the structure limit in the front. It's a perfect circle around with the castle in the direct middle" he continued. Levy felt her jaw unhinge as she followed the imaginary line that Gajeel had created.
"Holy. Shit," she mumbled to herself. Gajeel planned on moving, physically moving, ACRES OF LAND.
And he said he could do it in a day.
"I think I need to lay down," Levy whispered as she swayed, falling back into Gajeel's arms (that could move the equivalent of a mountain!).
"Gihi! Ain't no time for that Shrimp! Besides, we're leaving soon so let's make our way out of the castle. The servants are going to come via cart and horse but you're with me!" Gajeel cheered as he lifted her effortlessly into his arms. "We're going flying!"
True to form, once outside Gajeel turned into his dragon form and bent down to allow Levy to climb onto his back. Gajeel waited til everyone had made it off the castle property before he lifted himself and Levy into the air.
"Hold on Lev!" Gajeel cried as he pulled himself back as he called onto his power. With a mighty roar, the ground began to shake. Slowly, the border of the castle grounds started to turn. Faster and faster until the grounds lifted into the air, revealing a large metal structure the held the property like a dish. Turning, Gajeel made his way slowly towards their new home and like a faithful dog, the grounds followed directly behind. Like Gajeel had said, it took the rest of the day to get to the Labyrinth, or better yet where it once stood. A border and shallow crater had been formed to fit the new castle and with perfect precision, Gajeel had lowered the massive structure into the prepared land.
They were home.
Landing and changing back, Gajeel and Levy stood before the gate of their palace. Levy looked about the area, besides the castle, there was no one else here.
"The area will probably build up with time," Gajeel remarked as he watched Levy, "maybe not in our time, but this will eventually become a major city."
Levy turned and spied a lone tree in full bloom that was planted a ways off the beaten path. It was a magnolia.
"We'll have to come up with a name for the city though Shrimp," Gajeel continued, "we can't exactly keep calling it The Labyrinth now, can we? Any ideas on a name?"
Levy couldn't pull her eyes of the lone tree, it stood like a beacon in the barren land. The tree wasn't very tall, it almost appeared to be equal height and width but the flowers it grew were like a mantle of life and color. Soft pink that bled into purest white danced in the breeze, causing some stray petals to float away and riding the gentle wind made their way to Levy's waiting hand.
"Magnolia," she whispered, feeling the silk-like texture beneath her fingers, "let's name our new home Magnolia!" Levy laughed, kissing the petals before setting them free into the breeze. Gajeel smiled softly at his love before pulling her into a kiss.
"Magnolia it is"
…
As the couple settled in for dinner, a messenger came from the battlefield, confirming that the tunnel had been taken and was now being sealed. Gajeel nodded before sending the man back home. All was going according to plan, now they just had to wait Acnologia out.
"How long do you think it will take for him to act?" Levy asked as he bit into her dinner, a lovely pot roast with an assortment of vegetable that Levy had come to love while living in this new world. "Hm, this is delicious!"
"Gihi! The cook will be glad you like it Shrimp" Gajeel said with a laugh, "As for Acnologia, it's hard to say. Could be days or it could be weeks before he gets mad enough to do anything. And that's assuming that he doesn't try something else before getting his own hands dirty."
Levy frowned at that, she had thought similar thoughts but hearing them from Gajeel made it more of a realistic possibility, but that wasn't the frontmost fear on Levy's mind. "Gajeel I'm scared," Levy said as she placed down her fork and took his hand, "I don't want some final battle of kill or be killed. I don't want to lose any of our friends and most importantly you. I don't think I could go on if I lose you…"
Gajeel frowned as well before clutching Levy's hand tightly. "You're not going to lose me Lev, it's not going to be a 2 on 1 battle this time - like it was for Zeref and his brother- it's going to be all of us vs him. We'll win, I promise."
Levy nodded in understanding but that didn't stop the tears from pooling around the corners of her eyes, gently spilling over and down her soft cheeks. Levy screwed her eyes shut, in an attempt to prevent any more from escaping, until she felt a warm hand cup her cheek, brushing away any strays that might have slipped past. Watery eyes opened to see Gajeel gazing lovingly at her, his eyes both hard and warm. It was his promise, his oath to her that he would make it through. Feeling the same hand tilt her head, Levy's eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into the kiss Gajeel was now pressing against her. The tingle and spark that had happened at their first kiss had not faded away, instead, it grew with every touch and lingering gaze until Levy her whole body humming with energy at every response. Levy now understood every romance novel she had ever read and known nothing could top this high, this love, this man.
Dinner came and went faster than normal, both parties eating as quickly as possible until finally the two of them went racing down the hallways and corridors, racing faster and faster to their chambers. Levy now knew why addicts had such a hard time breaking their addictions, for Levy was thoroughly addicted to this man and will be happy for the rest of her life.
…
Dark and dank was the chamber that sat hidden in the basement of a mighty fortress. Its walls moist with tinted waters - so unpure that no sane person would ever drink from them - and its air was spoiled with a fume so rank that it hurt to breathe.
All of these things Acnologia had become -begrudgingly - accustom to.
Rage filled the man in question as he paced back and forth around a beaten wooden table. Alone was he in the chamber, for he had thrown out the foul creatures that had failed to secure him his prize. Not only that, but they had failed in holding the only way into the Land of Foire and if his spies were to be believed, it might be lost to them forever.
"Incompetent fools!" he growled to himself, "so many years I spent planning! Waiting for the perfect moment and somehow an army of feral creatures still couldn't beat back those dragons! Even worse, that damn nephew is now awake…"
His rage reached a fever pitch as the older man grabbed and threw the poor chair that accompanied the table across the room, it shattered against the opposing wall.
"Those insolent fools think this is over," he said as a dark shadow grew on his face, "then they don't know what's coming for them!"
…
Even further away from the dreadful Lands of the Mists and the Lands of Foire, across the dimensional ripple, John McGraden, his son Jellel and young associates Jet and Droy stood in front of the newly assembled trans-dimensionally transporter. John had checked and double checks all power adapters and surge protectors to ensure that what had happened months ago wouldn't happen again. The had now been attached and was searching across the dimensions for a crystal radiation signature like the one that Levy took when she was sucked in.
"Alright, boys!" John cheered loudly, "once the tracker picked up on the signal, we can open the gate! Then, you boys will need to hold down the fort while I go look for her."
"No dad," Jellel said, catching his father by the arm, "I'm going."
John gasped in shock, "I can't let you do that Jellel! What if something happens?"
"If something happens Dad," Jellel continued, "you would be the best person to have here, to make sure nothing goes wrong, to begin with."
"But-but if anything were to happen to you…" John muttered, his eyes misting. He had already lost one child, he couldn't lose his other.
"We can go in both of your steds!" Jet cried as Droy nodding agreement next to him.
"Absolutely not!" John and Jellel cried together.
"I won't put anyone else's kids in danger!" John pronounces, "nor do I want to put my other child in danger!"
"Dad be serious!" Jellel growled, "if something goes wrong on this end, I might not be able to fix it!"
John frowned in thought, what his son was saying was true. Grumbling, John agreed but only under the circumstance that he wore every piece of protection equipment John had in minded. Jellel nodded in agreement as his eyes wandered back to the tracker.
"We have a lock!" he cried as he examined the screen. There, on a large map of the dimensional universe in the form of a dot was Levy.
Well, hopefully Levy.
'It's going to take time for the transporter to find the dimension," John said as he inputs the coordinates into the machine, "but once it locked into the dimension, Jellel you should be sent somewhere near Levy's location. Lets get you ready."
Jellel nodded as he and his father made their way to the back where all the gear was.
"Soon Levy, soon"
Oh! Things are starting to heat up! In and out of the bedroom ;) Hope you guys enjoyed this!
