Whispers…

Wendy Marvell rolled over again in her sleep, this time nearly knocking Carla off her bed. The pristine flying cat merely flew up onto the young girl's nightstand. She had been beside Wendy for years and she knew full well how difficult it could be for her to sleep some nights. Carla suspected it had something to do with her memories resurging. Every so often, Wendy would remember bits and pieces of her birth parents, though she didn't remember much before she had been taken in by Grandynena at nine. That was around the time Wendy had found her cat, lost in the woods and injured. Grandynena had helped heal Carla. In the young girl's sleep right now, as she would remember in the morning, she kept hearing whispers of her parents. Their voices were distant and obscure, just like their faces. Her mother had vibrant red hair but her father had dark blue hair, just a little bit lighter than her own.

"Wendy," Her mother murmured, reaching out to brush her hair over her shoulder. "Don't cry. It was only a dream. Nothing here is going to hurt you."

Wendy watched herself cry, staring helplessly at her young self. In the haze of the dream, she watched her mother tightly embrace her.

"Daddy and I have nightmares too," Her mother continued to speak soothingly, holding her younger close. "But we're okay. I promise, Wendy, that you will be too."

The door creaked open. Wendy turned around to look at whoever was there but her younger self did not. In the dream — memory, Wendy reminded herself — only her mother glanced over to see who was there. The man with blue hair, her father, stepped in and Wendy stared at him. Even in the haze, she could tell he had the same tattoo as Jellal. Was it possible her father was Siegrain, who Ultrear seemed to be so fixated on? Or maybe even —

"Jellal," Her mother said softly. "I think our little girl needs you."

Wendy felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. All of the questions she had suddenly had answers that made sense. When she had met him, all she had known for certain was that Jellal had been kind and gentle to her. Of course he was. He had given her life, along with her mother. Wendy couldn't believe it. Her parents weren't gone, but they were much younger now than they were in her memories. A terrible thought passed through the young girl's mind. She had been taken away from them in a different time. She wasn't meant to be here...but if she weren't, would she have ever been born? No one else could have saved Jellal's life, could they? Wendy felt her head starting to hurt and their voices becoming more and more distant. Everything seemed wrong but —

Wendy resisted the urge to scream when she woke up suddenly. She bit down on her blanket, muffling herself and she started to cry. Carla flew over to her and curled up on her shoulder, purring. Though she was usually silent and mostly cat-like, it was times like these when Wendy wanted Carla to talk the most, to soothe her and make her feel better. Since she had lost Grandynena, and since she had lost her parents, Wendy had been incredibly lonely and, even though Ultrear cared for her, she wanted her family back more than anything else. The rest of the world was obsessed with all of the nice things that helped them sleep at night and they were obsessed with gossip and upcoming events. Wendy was as excited as anyone for the Grand Magic Games to start in a few months time, but she was also plagued by internal struggle, especially in this moment. How could she tell him who she was when he had no idea? Maybe it would come up naturally, after she found out who her mother was. Plus, Ultrear had promised to get them prime tickets to the Grand Magic Games and Wendy didn't want to squander any time she could get to spend with her father.

Suddenly climbing out of bed, Wendy slipped on a pair of flats and deftly snuck out through her window. Carla followed, primarily to protect her. If she were going to get answers, Wendy knew she would have to go to the Fairy Tail Guild itself. They were the only people in the entire town with enough resources and channels to determine such a thing. Wendy ran through the town once she was clear of the penthouse, which was on the tenth floor of a pristine apartment complex. Heights didn't frighten her, nor did scaling buildings. Wendy ran, her lungs almost ready to burst, until she reached the guild hall. She was shocked to see the blonde, bespectacled woman from before sitting outside, reading a book. It was about two in the morning. Wendy supposed she had trouble sleeping too and hesitantly approached her.

"Hi…" She started timidly.

The woman smiled warmly at her. "Where's your mother?"

"She's not my mother," Wendy said quietly. The woman raised an eyebrow. "Not really, anyway," Wendy mumbled.

"Speak up, child," Carla chided her just before beginning to purr again.

"Caity?"

Siegrain stepped out too. Wendy recognised him immediately. He looked at her with a furrowed brow.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…" Wendy stared down at her feet. "I'm your niece…"

Siegrain and Caitlin shared equally stunned and horrified looks. It was nothing short of unbelievable.

"Those markings," Caity murmured, noticing Wendy's dress. "They were released when I dispelled the curse on Greymatter's book."

"Are you saying…" Siegrain trailed off, looking at Wendy. "Who are your parents?"

"I don't know much about my mom," Wendy told them. "But she has red hair. My dad's name is Jellal."

"Erza," Caitlin breathed. "Jellal and Erza are your parents?"

Wendy said nothing. Her mind was spinning so much it was hard to tell what was going on.

"I want proof," Wendy said.

"Blood test," Siegrain remarked. "That's all it would take."

Wendy nodded and offered up her hand. She had no idea, even though she successfully snuck back into the penthouse, the chaos it would set in motion.

"Hisui?"

Laxus gently rested a hand on her arm, seeing the way she seemed to fitful in her sleep. Her eyes slowly opened and she turned to him, looking startled. He sat down beside her and pulled her in close. Hisui had no objections. She was still haunted by what had happened months before at the Tower of Heaven and their new concerns only seemed to be compounding that. They had just recently started to share a room and she knew her father would lose it if he ever found out. They weren't doing anything improper, but Toma certainly would see it that way. Usually, she was nervous when she woke up with him. Now, she was grateful for it. Laxus held her securely in his arms, and hearing his steady heart beat and breathing was comforting to her. The dream was the same as it always was: everything being lost the night in the Tower.

"I'll punch Jellal out when I see him," Laxus murmured. "You can help."

Hisui managed a weak laugh. "Don't you think Sieg will beat you to it?"

"In defense of his fiancée?" Laxus suggested with a faint smirk. "Isn't the real question what kind of hell she'd let loose on Jellal?"

Hisui shook her head. "Knowing her, I'm sure it would make him deaf."

Laxus knew exactly what she was talking about. Caitlin was a powerful singer, but, when she combined her high voice with her magic energy, it became a weapon. They both recalled that she had used it in the Tower of Heaven. Yes, all of them were extremely bitter about what had happened that night. With the Greymatter issue being so tied to it as well, they felt as if they would never be free of that night. They had almost lost each other. They had almost lost everything. Laxus felt Hisui shiver a little bit in his arms and drew her in, trying to keep her warm. Some nights were more difficult than others for them. It seemed tonight was going to be one of the harder ones. Laxus' arms around her was immensely soothing, though, and Hisui curled against him. She felt safe in his embrace. He had saved her life more than once, after all, and she swore to herself that she would never let him go either.

"Are you still thinking about that girl?"

Hisui was silent for a moment. She still didn't understand why Makarov was so concerned by the blue-haired girl but she was both curious about her and worried. There definitely was something wrong about her. It was almost as if she weren't meant to be in this place.

"Yes," Hisui softly admitted. "She's...strange. Maybe that's why your grandfather is asking us to find out more about her, but…"

"It doesn't quite add up?" Laxus gently suggested, tucking a stray lock of her messy hair behind her ear. Hisui nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I see it to," He admitted. "Could have something to do with her mother. That woman seemed like a real piece of work."

Hisui briefly fell silent again, deep in her thoughts. "That's the thing," She said. "I don't think that was her mother. Think about the lack of any documentation on this girl. Caitlin couldn't even find a birth certificate."

"I know," Laxus sighed heavily. "That should be impossible, shouldn't it?"

Hisui nodded. "Everyone in Fiore is at least identified upon birth."

Laxus frowned. "Then why is it as if this girl doesn't exist?"

"I don't know…" Hisui glanced out the window at the sparkling night sky. "I wish I knew what was going on, but I just don't."

Laxus gave her a reassuring squeeze. He knew how painful it was for her to even think about someone being all but erased. That was exactly what had happened with her brother following his death. Her family was far more complicated than anyone ever could imagine, and Laxus was sure that her duty as the princess of Fiore was draining on her too. She was being spread so thin, and all for the sake of the damn crown. Laxus knew her parents meant well, but he had vowed months before that, if he and Hisui were to wed and have children, he wouldn't raise their children like that. They wouldn't make their parents' mistakes. Heather and Toma were scores better than Ivan, and they genuinely loved their daughter, but they had done more than a few questionable things in the name of protecting her. Hisui knew it too. Part of her so desperately wanted to turn her back on everything, but she knew she couldn't. Like it or not, she would remain forever royal.

"It's all like trying to catch smoke, isn't it?" Hisui mused, breaking the silence. "Being a mage, that is. Every damn thing you have to do is like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

Laxus nodded and kissed her forehead. "A lot of the time people just act as if they know what they're doing. Look at the salamander."

"That's fair," Hisui stifled back a giggle. "But how can you keep going when you're trapped in cases like this?"

"I've never known," Laxus said, having not given the subject much thought. "But, with you by my side, maybe we'll finally figure it out."