Toma Fiore was pouring over the details of the upcoming wedding of his daughter and Laxus Dreyar. Finally, the man was doing what he had wanted him to all along. Toma saw the way Laxus looked at Hisui and knew he would never let her go. Better yet, the man wouldn't let her get hurt, either. They were barely two and a half weeks away from the wedding, and just weeks after that would be the start of the Grand Magic Games. Toma couldn't help but be excited. His daughter was finally going to be married. He only wished her elder brother were around to see it. Freddie Fiore. He had been a teenager when he had died. They had never found his body, either, and never had been able to have a proper funeral. It was nothing short of tragic. He was still devastated by it. Freddie had been too young to fall asleep. There simply was no other way to put it. Toma shook himself out, deciding to focus only on his daughter's wedding. He had to.

"Your majesty?" Arcadios stiffly entered the room, waiting until Toma nodded for him to continue. "A wizard from Fairy Tail is here to see you. He arrived in Crocus just this morning."

"Send them in," He told the White Knight.

Arcadios bowed deeply. "Of course, your majesty."

Toma stood up, expecting to see his future son-in-law or even the pink haired wizard known for pyrotechnics. Instead, he nearly fell over. He tried to write it off to his thoughts having wandered to his son, but he couldn't. A passing comment Hisui had made months before came back to him, too. Freed Justine, she had said. You would like him, father. He...he even reminds me a little of Freddie. It had to impossible. This couldn't be his son he was looking at, could it? Looking nervous and his head pounding, Freed bowed, as honored as anyone to have a personal audience with the king. Toma stared at him in disbelief. Freed probed his forehead. He could hardly believe he had even the faintest urge to treat the king as a familiar. He couldn't be. Freed knew himself perfectly. He had been raised by an elderly woman named Caroline Justine and had joined Fairy Tail after she had died. True, he didn't remember anything until after thirteen, but he supposed it was merely childhood nonsense that had all blurred together.

"Freddie…" Toma breathed.

It was all there. The green hair — albeit not slicked back and cut short — and green eyes. The impeccable dressing. Sure, this man had well overgrown hair and seemed a little hassled but, apart from that, it was clear. This had to be his son.

"Uh, your majesty," Freed began uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "It's Freed, not Freddie."

Toma shook his head. "It can't be."

Freed tensed, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to contradict the king again.

"Toma, who's…"

Freed turned around and bowed deeply again upon the queen of Fiore entering the room. She stared at him almost incredulously as her husband. Freed found himself unsure of what to think. This was too damn confusing to say the very least.

"Darling…" Heather Fiore breathed, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're...you're alive?"

"Your majesties, I believe this must be a terrible misunderstanding," Freed said, his hands shaking. "I am Freed Justine, a wizard from Fairy Tail. I came only to help with the preparations for Laxus' wedding."

Heather immediately reached for an antique box on her vanity and handed it to him, her eyes ablaze.

"You understand blood magic, do you not?" The queen murmured. "If you can open this box, then I believe this matter is settled."

Freed tried not to be too visibly unnerved. The way they were looking at him was so familial that it was unsettling. He recalled the first time he had been alone with Hisui, and how she had compared him to her deceased brother. He had been surprised when she had made that observation but not in the way he was in this moment. Gingerly, he took the box from the queen's hands and brushed his fingers over it. He knew full well none of his runes could open something protected by blood magic. Even more so, he was shocked that the royal family used it. Blood magic was considered to be a dark art and was highly restricted under council law. Nevertheless, seeing no way around it, he attempted to open the box. He pricked his finger on the ruby lock, and, suddenly, a bright light and almost painful heat radiated from it. Then, the box opened and an enchanted lacrima family tree began to grow out of it. The youngest branch of the Fiore family changed. Above the picture of Hisui was a darkened portrait of a young boy that looked disturbingly like him. It immediately changed to his current appearance and lightened. Overwhelmed, Freed collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Within seconds, both Toma and Heather were tightly embracing him.

"You're home…" Heather whispered.

"My son," Toma said, patting Freed's shoulder and fighting back tears himself. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Not knowing what else to do, Freed tightly embraced the king: his father.

"You."

Jellal whipped around to see a pale, petite woman with golden hair and thin, round glasses scowling at him. Her most distinctive features were her vivid green eyes and the pink butterflies in her hair. Ultrear had left town for "personal business" in a different part of the kingdom. He had needed to see Erza again, this time with Wendy. Seeing his sister in law, however, gave him the chills. Siegrain was with her, and the twins stared at each other. Neither of them quite knew what to say. Erza swallowed hard, knowing full well how angry Caitlin was with Jellal for what had happened at the Tower of Heaven. She didn't want anyone to her hurt, and especially not in front of Wendy. The young girl's hands were shaking, and she looked between her family members. She had no idea what to do.

"You're a fucking idiot," Caity remarked dryly. Erza breathed a slight sigh of relief. It could have been much worse. "You're going to get yourself arrested, wandering around in the city like this."

Jellal looked between her and Siegrain. He didn't know how to feel. Erza, by his side, relaxed and Wendy managed to smile a little.

"I think I can defend myself," Jellal said, matching her tone. "Glad to see you care."

"Hi," Wendy waved, half hidden behind her mother. "How are things at the guild hall?"

Caity smirked. "There's plenty of fighting."

Erza groaned. "Natsu and Gray?"

"Natsu and Laxus, actually," She replied. "The dumbass thinks he'll ever beat Laxus in a fight...he's going to get his ass handed to him."

"What else is new?" Erza shook her head. "Is the master there?"

"He sanctioned it," Siegrain said, causing his wife to laugh.

"Makarov sanctions any fight," She explained for the benefit of Wendy, who perked up considerably. "The more time you spend around us, the more you'll realise —"

Caity whipped around, hazy shadows in the alleyway just a few week away catching her eye. She slowly creeped towards it, her magic causing the air around her to whip her hair around and cause her leather jacket to flutter. She then narrowed her eyes and created a powerful wind storm in her hands that she blasted with the power of an explosion down the alleyway. A sudden scream, followed by a slew of surprised curses, came from whomever it was she had caught off guard. Jellal and Erza stared at each other, not unfamiliar with her power but unused to seeing her use it. Siegrain slowly stepped towards her, prepared for a fight, but nearly had to catch her when they all saw who it was and his wife almost fainted in embarrassment. Jellal paled, recognising the woman his sister in law had accidentally attacked. Erza did too. Wendy was the only one who didn't recognize the woman but she felt the tension from all of them.

"Well…" Belno coughed out, dusting off her skirt. "I expected a criminal meeting but I didn't expect that."

"Madame, I...I!" Caity awkwardly bowed, unsure of what to do. "I am so sorry that I...oh please don't arrest me!"

"I didn't come to Magnolia to arrest anyone," Belno said, eyeing her strangely. "Believe me or not, I heard rumors that a young girl was pulled through to our time using dark magic."

Wendy hesitantly stepped out from behind her parents. "You know where I came from?"

"Yes," Belno frowned and turned to Siegrain. "I hope you know you could lose your job for something like this."

"And if you're not going to arrest anyone, you could too," He replied, steadying his wife in his arms. "Per the law, anyways."

Belno smiled. "And you're absolutely right," She turned to Caity, who anxiously met her gaze. "You're quite the powerful wizard, you know. I think you'd do well filling Ultrear's seat on the council."

"You're...offering me a job?" She repeated incredulously.

"Yes," Belno said, arms crossed. "You don't have to decide right away. You have until the end of the Grand Magic Games to make a decision," She then turned to Erza, Jellal, and Wendy with a critical eye. "Come with me. There's quite a bit I want to discuss with the three of you."

It was late at night, and Hisui was having trouble sleeping again. She was tightly in the arms of her fiancé, and only a little bit of moonlight was pouring into the room. Laxus held her close, running his fingers through her hair. He could hardly believe that he was about to marry her. They had been softly talking for hours; neither of them had been quite able to fall asleep. Despite the turns of the past several weeks, they were nothing short of relieved that things had started to lull. There was the same routine with the guild. There were the times with their close friends and the constant phone calls from Toma about the last few details before the wedding. Laxus had found his favorite moments were the ones alone with her where they were simply having coffee or watching a movie. Just earlier that day, she had trimmed his hair. He had been a little surprised by her skill (and a little concerned when she admitted she had taught herself) but the way she had smiled after had been worth it. He had never imagined he would want someone so much. Having her by his side meant the world to him and he knew it meant the world to her too.

"I did a good job, didn't I?" Hisui smiled and playfully tousled his hair. "Well? Would you believe that was my first time cutting hair?"

Laxus chuckled. "No," He admitted. "Except that I know you've done plenty of things for the first time since we started dating."

Hisui blushed. "That's not fair. I grew up in Mercurius with my parents ensuring everything was prepared for me. How was I supposed to know that normal people aren't taught to take a nap after a proper meal?"

Laxus affectionately kissed her forehead. "I know, princess. I will say, I'm never going to forget the first time we had ice cream together. What was that, just a few months ago?"

"You don't understand how rarely I…" Hisui laughed a little, shaking her head. "I hadn't had ice cream since I was a kid...with the exception of the one time I begged Arcadios to let me go into town for a little."

"You begged your guard for ice cream?" He smirked. "I promise, I won't let things get that dramatic when we have kids."

Hisui smirked. "Are you going to wear the pumpkin head to confuse them?"

Laxus shuddered at the notion. "Sometimes I wish you hadn't told me just how strange your father can be."

"You have nothing to worry about," She said, tapping his nose. "Honestly, I seriously doubt I'll ever learn to truly channel my father's weirdness."

"I can't believe he made himself the mascot of the Grand Magic Games," Laxus shook his head with a laugh. "The Games have been going on for over a decade. When exactly did he decide he wanted to wear a pumpkin head and call himself Mato?"

"Two years in," Hisui replied. "And shush. You didn't learn about that from me."

She felt her heart sink when she recalled what her parents had told her when she had briefly returned home a week before. The secondary purpose of the Games. The hidden magical objects in the palace and the search for her brother even though he had died years before. Hisui was even more shaken by the man that had pulled her aside. The man who had claimed they were all in danger. She had told Arcadios, who had promised to look into the matter, but she no less terrified.

"'Sui?" Laxus brushed her hair away from her eyes and looked at her in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," She softly admitted. "But I don't know how to explain it."

He gently cupped her cheek. "Tell me," He murmured.

Curling a little tighter against him, Hisui sighed heavily. She still didn't know what to make of it all herself. Her parents' lingering, desperate grief. The fear of the strange man and their words. Arcadios' warning: if anything arises of this, we will all be in danger.

"I'll try," She said, comforted by his arms tightly around her. "It...it seems to have started when my brother died."