Chapter 43

A fairy talks with a raven

Hearing the women's suggestion, athos moves himself from the entrance of the grand room to a few steps in front of natsu. The bard then looks at the gathered sabertooth members with a neutral look on his face as they stare back. He had no idea why natsu would cause such damage to sabertooth?

But from looking around the room it was clear to see the dragon slayer really went to town on the guild. With defeat mages laying all over the place as well as broken ornaments covering the floor, it was clear to see who was winning this battle.

Still bowing before the members of sabertooth, athos apologies for fairy tail's fire dragon slayer's destruction. He knew that if word about this attack got out, it could cost fairy tail their place in the games. But natsu couldn't understand why the bard was doing this? He had already come to an agreement with sabertooth to leave in peace and now athos was poking his nose in. What was his

problem?

However in a surprise turn of events, The dragon slayer watches as the master of sabertooth, a tall, huge muscular elderly man with long white hair told athos that he could see he wasn't the usually grunt who dared walked into the tiger's den. It was then as the two stared at each other that the women who had kidnapped happy and invited athos in finally introduced herself.

"Bowing before the greatest guild in the land like a servant. Ha, let me have the pleasure of telling you bard that I am Minerva. Princess to all in sabertooth and the one that has already dealt with your little dragon."

It was hearing this that athos returned to standing straight and stared at minerva with a stern look. He did not care for people who threw titles upon themselves and from the scared faces of the other sabertooth mage around this princess including the guild master himself. Athos could guess the minerva had forced them to call her this like some spoilt child. She stared back him almost with look that also demanded athos get on his knees.

The fairy tail bard however would not be intimated by a mere look. For after introducing himself back to minerva and the rest of the gathered sabertooth mages in his usual bard way of bowing. He then turned his back on the group without another word. This rude gesture shocked everyone in the room and not one to keep quiet about such a gesture. Minerva asked the bard if she had offended him?

"Indeed you have princess." Athos said calmly still with his back to her. "For those who demand to title such as yours are those usually not worth them."

Hearing his comment, Minerva let out a small laugh. She had heard the fairy tail bard was a coward of a man. It was clear to her, he had more guts than most mages gave him. The princess then watched athos gesture to natsu with a point towards the door suggesting they should leave. It was then as they both began to move that a shout came from one the member's of sabertooth stopping them in their tracks.

"How dare you say that about the princess you fairy."

Both the bard and fire dragon slayer turned back to see the person behind this shout was a blonde haired sabertooth mage now standing in front of minerva. Athos recognised this mage from the chariot race. Known as Sting of sabertooth. He noticed this mage suffered from sickness in the event leaving athos to believe this boy was also dragon slayer.

The bard didn't respond the sabertooth dragon slayer's statement instead chose to move on, It was suddenly out of nowhere that sabertooth dragon slayer attacked athos with his right fist pulled back for a punch. His efforts were in vain however as athos quickly sidestepped the dragon slayer's attack before knocking him to the ground with a sweeping low kick.

Sting face planted the wooden floor of the room with mighty thud sound before quickly getting up again from the counter. The sabertooth dragon slayer found himself a few steps in front of athos and rashly tried to kick athos with his right foot only to end up on the floor again thanks to athos catching the dragon slayer foot before hitting his foe with a kick of his own. The dragon slayer tumbled across the wooden floor before recovering himself. This was the final straw for sting.

He would not be shown up by a fairy tail mage especially one who wasn't even known to be strong to begin with. However as readied himself to attack athos with a spell, Minerva ordered him to stay his hand. She had seen enough of this fight between the two mages and now looking at athos with an evil smile, she thought happily to herself.

"Weak indeed. If Sting can't even land a hit on him then this mage isn't at all what Rufus believes him to be. Poor him, he won't even stand a chance. But that doesn't mean this bard wouldn't make a nice toy for me to play with."

Minerva didn't share her thoughts with athos right there and instead suggesting to the bard that he was only making things worse with his fighting. The fairy tail bard then made his way telling natsu to move along with him. It was then natsu stopped to tell all of sabertooth guild that if they were a real guild they should treat their comrades right. That athos notices Minerva seductively wink at him before blowing him a kiss. He paid no mind to her actions thinking this witch was merely taunting him, the bard quickly left with the fire dragon slayer leaving sabertooth to clean up the mess behind them.

It didn't take long after beginning their walk back to their inn for athos to ask natsu why he had gone on his rampage? The dragon slayer explained to athos that upon talking to yukino earlier tonight. He learned that after losing to kagura, she was made to strip before her entire guild and erase her guild mark.

"She was kick out of that guild for losing one match. I'll understand some people." Nastu finished after his story. Athos finally understood his dragon slayer angry came from. For he too could feel the little feeling inside him begin to demand athos go back to the guild try to help Yukino get her place back . But he knew he couldn't. It wasn't his place and nether would it be worth the risk of losing fairy tail its place in the games. Instead the bard praised natsu for his action of standing up for a lady. However he still told the dragon slayer off for nearly causing a trouble for the guild.

Natsu merely sighed in response to this. He knew he would have gone all the way to help yukino for nothing made him more angry than a guild that treated its members like that. It was as the two spilt in the hotel to go there room that finally athos said something that made natsu smile.

"Nastu know this my fiery comrade. We will prove to them all what a guild should be like and if we have too. We'll pound it into them with everything we've got just so they remember that that's the way it should be."

With that the two went to their room, ready to sleep. All the while however back at the sabertooth's hotel. Minerva's father, the guild master of sabertooth spoke sternly to his daughter about her actions toward the bard as he left.

"This is not the time for you to be playing you games minerva." He grumbled. "That fairy bard made sabertooth look weak tonight something we are not. We must make sure it doesn't happen again do you hear me girl?"

However his daughter paid no mind to her father's ramblings and instead stood there before him thinking what she could have the bard do for her. She loved idea of him begging for his life before her, making her anything she wanted and doing whatever she told him to do. Athos would have to be on his toes for as she stood there before he father. Minerva decided then and there that she would have him to herself.

The princess of sabertooth then began to plan what she would make the bard do first for her. Her plan of attack wouldn't come into action until after the end of the fourth day of the games. Leaving athos to enjoy watching today's events. It all began well With erza defeating a hundred monsters in the first even soon followed by Cana topping the magic power finder with a score of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine with one of the three special spell of fairy tail, fairy dust.

Athos had to admit this was the first time he could say he was impressed with her magic. For a moment he imaged cana's head on gildarts body before shaking his head to make it go away. The bard certainly didn't hope that wouldn't happen in the future before finally the match between Rufas from sabertooth and Eve tearm from blue pegasus.

Athos paid close attention to his rival as the sabertooh mage avoid eve's white fang snow spell with a jump before blasting his foe back with a powerful fire spell that almost fried him in one shot. The bard took a mental note of this match as he watched the crowds cheer for his rival like a celebrity. It was clear now Rufus's memory magic did allow him to use fire magic, athos knew he would have to be on his toes if he came up against his foe. After all plants and fire don't mix well. His attention then drew itself to the next match between Laxus and the golden armoured mage from raven tail named Alexei.

All of fairy tail had faith their electric dragon slayer would mop up this raven tail mage without even breaking a sweat. However as the match began, it looked to be the opposite as laxus started to be beaten around the arena by his foe's punches and spells. Poor athos couldn't believe what he was seeing. His friend being beaten around the arena like he was nothing, something wasn't right here and soon the answer came when in a sudden burst of electric magic, the battle between the two mages faded out leaving behind a scene no body could believe.

Laxus with all the members of team raven tail defeated around him. The whole fight between Alexei and Laxus had been an illusion created by Alexei who was none other then Laxus father, the guild master of raven tail. Everyone cheered and clapped amazed at what laxus had done all by himself. It was while all this happened that team raven tail were taken away by some rune knights for questioning that fairy tail b noticed athos had vanished.

Nobody would have guessed that as the final battle of the day between Wendy and Sherry began that the fairy tail bard was sitting outside the make-shift rune knight camp. He was waiting for someone. Someone who had been abused by her own guild, after a few minutes of waiting, Flare the red-haired mage of raven tail came up to him.

Her face still brushed from the beating she had taken, she sharply what a fairy tail mage wanted with her? To her surprise athos simply held out his hand to her with an offer of a drink. Flare burst into a cold laughter before saying.

"Is this some sick joke you playing? Because I will tell you, I will never..." The red-head mage answer is cut sort by the appearance of her guild master. Ivan walks over to the two putting himself beside flare and pushes athos back with his right hand saying.

"Well look who comes to flirt, laxus weakling of a friend athos. Such a pathetic sight as always, you should never have even made it into fairy tail."

Ivan continues to throw insults at athos, about himself, his family and even his magic. But athos didn't react. He knew only an idiot would hit someone one in a camp full of rune knights yet when Ivan saw he wasn't getting a reaction from athos. He then turn his angry toward Flare insulting her and telling her she was a piece of trash and that no one needed her. Athos could see the tears welling up in flare's eyes, he felt his heart cry out in rage and his right hand grasp into a fist.

He couldn't allow ivan to treat someone like this and as ivan raised his right hand to smack Flare for even daring to talk to athos, suddenly the guild master found himself on the end of a punch from athos. The punch hit Ivan straight in the chest winding him before athos then lifted the guild master up by his collar.

Flare watched in shock as athos with a deadly look on his face threatens to snap every single finger her guild master hands if he dares lay a hand on flare again. Ivan merely laughs at the threat before throwing a right hook at athos. The bard catches the punch with a quick movement of his left hand and with that, the sound of cracking began as athos squeezes down on the raven tail guild master's hand.

Ivan left out a scream of pain as he felt one by one his finger bone begin to snap. Flare however couldn't help but let a small smile come across her face as her abuser screamed before her. She wanted athos to continue and break every single bone on his body. However with a final snap of the master's fourth finger, athos dropped ivan to the floor before staring down at him with a deadly look athos then said something that made flare nearly cry.

"No matter how weak, strange or different a mage is no one deserves to be abused. Take your broken fingers as your warning for the future Ivan. For the next time you even dare think about striking this young lady, I will do more than break a few of your fingers you scum."

Ivan froze in fear on the floor holding his right finger in pain. Was this really the same boy who hung around laxus all those years ago? He was so different, so wicked and so powerful. Poor flare had to hold back her tears of happiness as athos returned his attention to her. She turned down his offer for a drink as to not look weak in front of him. And yet with athos accepting her answer with a bow, he looked back at her to see Flare mouth to him, "Thank you" with a small smile across her face.

Athos nods back to her returning a smile of his own before making his way. It was later that night as fairy tail celebrated a great day at the games today that Mirajane finally asked athos where he went to during Wendy's fight that the bard replied to her happily.

"I went to speak to a red bird about her problem and I'm happy to say in a few snaps I solved it."

Mirajane had no clue what athos was on about? But hearing from her table, Lucy smiled. She knew what this meant and with that she went on partying with others. What athos didn't know that even though today he may have played the hero today, tomorrow it would be him that would need rescuing and his hero would be someone even he wouldn't expect.