Water swirled noisily around Natsu like he was standing in the eye of a typhoon. It roared in his ears, the sounds of waves crashing continuously to shore, except there was no shore in sight and just endlessly blue around him. He couldn't see more than three feet in front of him and had to rely completely on Juvia's guidance.

Natsu tried holding his breath for as long as possible, not convinced he wouldn't drown, but eventually, he had to take in a breath. It was haggard and rough and at first, it felt like he was breathing water. But then he realized there was a bubble of air around him; it was just moist as hell. Like breathing with a sopping towel against his nose. Not entirely terrible, not entirely pleasant.

They travelled that way for long moments, moving through the deep as easily as fish and it was strange and unnatural and cold, and he got wet, but not as wet as he would expect for someone surrounded by the sea.

Sediment broke apart before them like dirty snow against a carriage, and though Natsu couldn't see a thing, the water was so dark, Juvia directed her bubble like she knew exactly which direction to go. It occurred to him that she could be ferrying him out to the open ocean to leave him to drown. There were so many hungry things out there, no one would ever find his body. But when he looked at her objectively, she didn't look like she was trying to be malicious. She was the kind of woman that cut her enemies down face-on.

After long, seemingly endless minutes, the harbour bed arched up. Natsu's boots touched sludgy muck and stones and bits of human trash, too, like pottery and pieces of ships and he knew Juvia wasn't going to leave him to drown. Maybe he could trust her.

Their heads broke through the surface. Cold wind raked through Natsu's hair. He shivered from the damp and looked over his shoulder. Jose's ship was across the pier, mostly sunk. Only bits of wood floated on the surface. People had gathered around and fished anything valuable from the water's surface under the guise of looking for survivors.

Looking for you, he thought. Would Lady Eileen be ecstatic his body wasn't pulled from the harbour, or would she not accept that as his death and scour the land looking for him? She was a coy opponent and it was difficult to predict her thoughts.

He again considered doing what he always wanted and disappearing into the next city. It was a selfish want and now that Zeref was gone, he knew he couldn't do it. Not when there was justice yet to be had.

One last spark of golden light flared, and then Jose's ship slunk to the harbour bottom. People rushed to get out of the way of the burbling water. Natsu stared at it, thoughts falling one over the other.

"That was Lucy's magic," Natsu murmured. He could still feel it on the air, like electrical currents before or after a storm. She tried to destroy the ship with him on it and drown him. And Juvia saved him. He shoved aside his disbelief and wrapped his anger around himself. Lucy had taken advantage of him for too long. How could he be so naive?

"This way, Majesty," Juvia said, drawing his attention away from the spectacle. She waited, poised to dash into the dirty labyrinth of Alvarez. Gray stood by her side, staring toward the buildings like he expected the worst—goblins, dragons, assassins. The city sprawled out in front of them, dark and dingy and cold. Dangerous. Hungry. But if it was a pair of jaws wide open to swallow him whole, Natsu would be like poison sliding over its tongue.

Buildings crowded in and watched them move through its alleys like a murder of crows watched a mouse skirt through the underbrush. Everyone seemed to feel the unease. Gray removed the plum-coloured sash from around his shoulder and handed it to Natsu. "Use this to cover yourself."

Natsu stared at the piece of fabric without taking it. Hiding in his own city. He'd done it before but that was to avoid his brother. Now they wanted him to do it to protect his life.

"Please, Your Majesty," Juvia implored.

Natsu sighed and took the fabric, adjusting it so it hid his hair and his features. They were right; it was best to be anonymous in these uncertain times.

The alleys that felt like an escape when the castle life was too hard now looked rough and unforgiving. He could smell blood on the air despite the rain, and it was familiar. Royal. Natsu's feet took him in that direction without his permission. Juvia hissed at him to stop but Natsu was no longer listening and eventually when Juvia realized he couldn't be stopped, she and Gray fell into step behind him.

The evidence of the riot was like a half-healed scab on Alvarez. The streets were in disarray. Buildings had been burst into and gutted. Burned, in some cases. Everything valuable had been looted and what was left was garbage and the occasional body no one had gotten around to removing, swollen but not yet stinking, like the child in the seamstress' shop. It seemed like the boy had been trying to steal a bolt of gold-laced fabric in the panic of things and someone, likely the seamstress, had shoved a large crocheting needle through his eye. The bolt lay just a few paces from his body. Apparently, it'd been worth his life, but not worth picking it up and hiding it away.

Maybe the seamstress is dead, too?

Natsu felt sick. He turned his eyes from a seamstress' shop. Ahead, the ground was gouged and burned black. He knew without being told that this was the place Zeref was struck down. The very earth seemed to weep with the violence of it.

Like magic had been used. Its ghost hung in the air like a thinning fog and made his skin itch as if his body knew something his mind had yet to discover.

Natsu slid into the crater and crouched in the epicentre, where he gathered a handful of dirt. It was wet with blood and it burned his skin and he knew without a doubt, whatever had caused this damage had been powerful, deadly magic. It didn't belong to Lady Eileen and it wasn't Zeref's. Its imprint was that which he'd never come across before. It tried to choke him and made his vision was blurry.

"Your Majesty…" Juvia sounded very far away. Natsu blinked and his eyes readjusted. Juvia and Gray stood side-by-side on the edge of the crater. Both were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. Natsu let the dirt fall through his fingers. Some still clung to him by the blood. He was very careful not to let himself think of whose blood it was. If he gave way to those thoughts, he'd give way to the sadness, too, and he couldn't yet. Not until they'd made it back to the castle. Not until he was through with his revenge.

Juvia leaned as far into the crater as she dared and held out her hand for him. Natsu took it and let her help him up. Getting out of there was like getting out of a bowl of jelly; immediately, he could breathe easier.

When Juvia released his hand, his skin was clean again; she'd used her magic to wash away the blood.

"This way." She ushered him on. This time, Gray was in the lead and they trailed behind him. He moved through the city like he'd done it a thousand times before, and knew which alleys were free of beggars and outlaws looking to line their pockets in the confusion.

In fact, the entire city looked a bit like a ghost town. Natsu hadn't even felt eyes on him from behind closed doors.

This entire section of city has been flattened. Countless people were dead. And there was tumult at the castle. What was everyone thinking? Alvarez's enemies? Were they planning on rushing the borders while Natsu crawled through the city like a rat?

Gray angled them down a narrow and deserted alleyway and squeezed through an unhinged fence. Behind it was a dead-end and a sewer. He paused by a sewer and pulled up the grate. "This will take us directly to the castle."

Natsu knew that. Zeref knew that, too. And a select group of people close to the king. No one associated with Fiore should know that, though.

"Please, Your Majesty." Juvia looked around nervously.

"Is this an ambush?" Natsu asked.

"I swear it's not." Juvia held her hand over her heart.

She looked sincere but promises were cheap these days. Natsu took her hand and wrenched it behind her back in one smooth motion then before Juvia could fight or Gray could protest, he bullied Juvia forward and together, they leapt into the hole in the ground. If he was flying into a plot to end his life, he was going to take as many people with him as possible, starting with Juvia.


Happy sat on the castle roof like a gargoyle and waited impatiently for movement. Doubts flew through his mind as fast as dandelion seeds. What if Lucy didn't go out this way? What if he was spotted? What if he was struck down and Lucy got away?

He almost gave up after an hour passed, but finally, finally, he spotted gold stealing out of the servants' quarters. Lucy. She'd changed into a pair of loose-fitting trousers and a tunic. Even her hair was pinned back as though she'd hoped to pass for a man.

Despite her incognito exit, she made for the gates with her head held high. She said a few words to the guards, and then the gate opened without incident. Happy didn't chance trying to get out behind her. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself if he could help it. He closed his eyes and let his wings unfurl. It felt like stretching out his legs after sitting too long. They ached a bit but in a good way.

He flapped his wings on the castle rampart, gathering huge gulps of air up beneath them, and then he was flying. He tried to go so high, he'd look small to anyone looking up. No one seemed very interested in doing that, though. All eyes were turned out to the gates, looking for the wayward prince. Word had already gotten out that the ship he'd been imprisoned on had been destroyed and some thought Natsu was safe. That he'd done it himself. That he was going to come back to the castle and take his throne. That he was going to wage war on Fiore once he was safely behind her walls.

If only that were the case.

Happy passed over the castle walls without being shot down and allowed himself to get closer to the ground. His eyesight was good, but he didn't want to take any chances of losing Lucy.

He found her again moving through the trees. She was quick for a girl so encumbered, Happy thought. Was that what His Highness liked about her? She was plump all around but still sure-footed? Or was it simply her treacherous mind he'd fallen in love with?

Happy narrowed his eyes on her back, imagining he could poke holes in her and bring her down from on high. Unfortunately, his magic wasn't so useful. He was going to have to get closer. He would wait until she found her quandary, though, and strike her down. She seemed like the kind of woman that had tricks for tracking down her murder victims.

Lucy moved like a shadow through the dark city and Happy like a harpy on her trail. He fluttered from rooftop to rooftop, espying her movements and planning her demise in satisfying ways. He'd never been violent before. Not even when those boys were threatening him with knives and stones, and screaming at him, cowering him into the gutter. Back then, Natsu had shown up. He'd stood over those boys like a pink-haired demon, throwing around his station with vigour. Natsu had those boys cowering with fear of capital punishment soon after he came in swinging.

Happy channelled all the fury he should have felt that day and narrowed it on Lucy. Just as soon as she found Natsu, Happy would jam his dagger through her witch heart and this nightmare would finally be over.


The stench of dank, rotten feces overpowered Natsu's senses. He wavered on his feet, pulling Juvia back with him. Juvia squeaked, thinking as Natsu did, that they were going to fall back into the rushing water, but it was ahead of them, not behind, and Natsu's shoulders smacked against one of the featureless grey walls of the tunnel.

Juvia squirmed in his grasp, fighting to get free. She almost made it, too. Natsu tightened his hold seconds before she could break away and yanked her back to his chest. "No."

The breath exploded from her and she stopped fighting.

Natsu used his magic to see by, lighting the area up with barely contained fire. He didn't have great control over his magic when he was emotional, and today had been a whirlwind ride, despondent, angry, righteous.

Gray dropped down from the hole in the ground. He held another sword of ice and this time he didn't look like he was going to drop it on Juvia's command. "Release her!"

Natsu held Juvia tightly. He could see no enemies in the immediate vicinity but that meant nothing. "How do you know this place?"

"We found it scouting," Juvia said in her calmest voice. She probably used it with great success in political binds, satiating fat lords by lulling them in with her deep eyes and large breasts and soft voice. Natsu wasn't ever one to be bound by social constructs. Especially here, surrounded by filth and anger and deceit.

"You're lying." He could hear the waver in her voice. "Tell me now."

"She did, dunce. Now release her!" Gray seethed.

Angered anew, Natsu felt his magic beading up in him like condensation. Juvia's entire body started to steam. She turned her head as far as she could to gawp at him. She looked shocked; Natsu felt the same way she did. If she was a normal girl, she would have been badly burned at his hands. He let her go like she'd been the one to hurt him. Juvia staggered forward into Gray's arms, still steaming. When she faced him, her eyes were wide.

"I'm sorry," Natsu said. "I didn't mean…"

"I'm not hurt," Juvia said after a moment. "It's fine."

"It isn't," Gray protested.

"I'm fine."

"He tried to set you on fire!"

"He'd right to be wary," Juvia spoke over him. "His kingdom is threatened, and he has enemies, most he doesn't even know. We just came in saying we were his allies without his even knowing why." She stepped back toward Natsu. It seemed her skin had cooled. "He knows nothing about us."

"He doesn't have to know anything about us," Gray objected.

Juvia pretended like he hadn't spoken. She looked Natsu in the eye unflinchingly. "Gray is son to Silver Fullbuster. That's why we know the way through the tunnels. His father showed him when he was small, in case there was an emergency and he needed to get out of the city in a hurry. That's how Gray-sama came to me." She reached back for Gray, taking his hand around the hilt of his sword like she didn't feel the cold of the ice. Like she didn't feel the heat of fire. She was an incredible mage.

"…Silver Fullbuster's son died of Sweating Sickness," Natsu said, but even as he spoke, he was cataloguing all the ways Gray reminded him of Silver. It was their eyes, mostly, thunderstorm bleak and flat, but it was also in their noses, sharp like a hawk's beak, and their mouths, just shy of being full. "He lied."

"To salvage the family name," Gray admitted with a sneer. "He didn't like the idea of my marrying a foreigner."

"But you're her servant," Natsu said, "You broke free of your father's rule but didn't even bother to get married."

"My king wouldn't let me be part of the military if I had a lover," Juvia answered. "It's a distraction." She curled her nose to show what she thought of that. "At first it was enough, but I don't want to hide anymore."

Natsu thought back to when his head was nearly busted open, Juvia and Silver speaking in the hallway. "You're trying to gain his approval by helping me." He felt used, but of all the ways he could be used, this was at least palatable.

Juvia looked rightly ashamed. Gray, on the other hand, still seemed ready to fight. "We don't need his approval. Especially if it means helping a pea-brained king that keeps trying to kill us."

Juvia pushed Gray's sword down, unmindful of the sharp edges. "Apologies, Your Majesty. Please, forgive him. He's uncertain of what's in store for us. As we all are." Then, to Gray, she said, "Silver is your only family; he's coming around to the idea of me being in your life if you're in his. Now, let's stop all this fighting and hurry before we're found in here by Lady Eileen's assassins."

Which brought Natsu back to Lucy. Traitorous Lucy, breaking the ship up with her spirits. He kept that thought in his mind after Gray dispelled his sword and the three of them set out through the tunnels by the light of Natsu's magic.


Lucy slowed on the eastern side of the city, just before the market. Happy touched down on the rooftop of a bakery a few buildings away and held onto the chimney. Residual smoke and heat wafted from its column. He warmed his hands on the brick. It was cold that evening, especially off the ground where the wind whipped by him as it came off the ocean.

From this angle, he could only see Lucy's back. It must have been windy even on the ground; her hair pulled from its weave and whipped back over her shoulders and tangled.

Golden light flared all around her and then there was another by her side. A spirit, Happy realized as a man formed out of the glow. He was dressed oddly in a horse costume. Was he a jester?

Silver glinted in the moonlight. A millisecond before he was struck, Happy realized it was an arrow. He lunged behind the chimney for cover and instead of striking him in the heart, it glanced off the roof.

Seconds passed while he waited for Lucy to shoot at him again. When no further attack came, he peeked out behind the chimney. He was alone, Lucy was gone.

Happy swore colourfully. Then he saw the sewer grate leading below the ground and it became clear what happened. "Tricky little witch," he mumbled. Not only did Lucy know she was being followed, she knew about the underground tunnels.

Does that mean that's where Natsu is? His heart leapt with hope-choked anxiety. Natsu was nearby! Also, Natsu was nearby. And Lucy was going to try to kill him on Eileen's orders.

Happy leapt off the building and soared to where Lucy had been standing. He could still feel her magic thrumming through the air. He half expected her spirit to still be there, waiting to attack him again, but he was alone.

Happy tore the grate back. He was surprised by how strong he felt. He could slay a thousand giants, run around the world twice, kick down mountains. He couldn't get through the grate without banishing his wings, though. He closed his eyes and imagined refolding them. It almost didn't work at first, they liked being out like he'd been pretending to be something he wasn't for so long and for a moment, he'd accepted himself and that self didn't want to be stuffed in the dark again. Then he thought of Natsu and how he needed him and Happy was able to control his magic again.

When he looked just like everyone else, he crouched down and dropped into the sewer.

The scent of mould and waste nearly knocked him dead. Happy took in air in fits and spurts until he felt like he was used to the stench and could draw a full breath. His eyes sort of adjusted to the low light. There was a body of a drowned cat behind him, and ahead, footprints cut a path through the sludge. Happy followed the footprints cautiously.

The tunnel was mostly a straight jaunt but sometimes, a section would break away from the rest in a T. Happy stopped each time that happened and struggled to see Lucy's footprints. The light was so low, he was forced to rely on his other senses, listening for her clopping through the tunnel like a cow at pasture. His mouth twisted.

"That's unfair," he mouthed. "Cows are cute."

He could almost hear Natsu telling him he was being petty. But so what? She was the ultimate betrayer, sneaking into his bed and then setting out to kill him, just like Happy said she would.

The tunnel broke again. Happy came to an abrupt stop. There was a figure not so far away. Lucy. For certain. She called another spirit to her side. This one looked less peculiar than the other. It was a man, tall and thin and he glowed with the light of the stars.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Lucy?" Happy heard him whisper.

"I have to, Loke." Lucy's voice broke around the words, as though she felt something human, like remorse. There was a short sword on her hip. She took it out and tested its weight.

Loke sighed. "They're approaching fast."

"Protect me," Lucy commanded.

"Always."

But he faced forward. Toward an approaching party. Happy heard Natsu's voice. Relief flooded through him. He tamped it down. Natsu wouldn't be safe until Lucy wasn't a threat any longer.

He eased his dagger from its sheath, steel whispering on wood, and snuck as only a royal servant could, unseen, unheard.


ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER. WTH.

Amirite?

Soo thanks for reading. I'm writing a patre on request called Beauty the Beast (jerza). I have a moral obligation to tell you that this could be you requesting stories ;) find me on patre on. Kaitlin Corvus.