Ivan Dreyar had been planning for months — ever since the Tower of Heaven — for this moment and he was nothing short of happy for it to be so close on the horizon. He stood on the balcony of his hotel suite in Crocus, glowering at the city lights and the lights of the royal palace, Mercurius. His only amusement stemmed from the status of his guild as legal. He was amused, tangentially, by the fact he was competing in the Games despite being the true guild master. He was pissed at the betrayal of Ultrear Milkovich and Jude Heartfilia, the latter of whom refused to provide him more money upon discovering his plans and the former of whom had essentially told him their pseudo alliance was off and that he would have to find someone else to support him. It filled him with rage, but he vowed to make them regret it. The people he wanted to regret encuring his wrath the most, however, were his son and father.

The others in his guild with whom were in Crocus as well, to scout out the area and make the final preparations for the Games and their plans to unsettle the order of Fiore. Since both the marriage of his own son and the heir apparent to the kingdom's throne and the return of the presumed-dead prince, the air in the kingdom had shifted. Their little accomplice from the future was setting the pieces in motion for disonnance in the kingdom. They really were prepared to begin their strategic assault on Fiore. So much of their enterprise hinged upon the next few months. In that time, he believed they would be able to start the process of creating a new order. It would take years to perfect and establish, but Ivan fully believed it would be nothing but child's play.

He underestimated his adversaries, however. In downtown Crocus, Mirajane and Freed were out in the city again, their hands tightly in each other's. Of course, they had no idea what they were about to stumble upon. The prince and the she-devil warrior were more than thrilled to be together, especially with all things considered. It had taken quite a bit of convincing to get Toma and Heather to relax enough to let them out in public unattended, but they had managed it. The couple had yet to break it to the king and queen that they would be returning to Magnolia soon, in part to prepare for the Games, but they weren't too concerned about it. They were able to spend some time alone, and both Mira and Freed were glad his parents would be briefly more focused on Laxus and Hisui when they returned in a few days time. After weeks of his parents' focus being on them, it was a blessing for them to have the focus on his sister and best friend instead.

"Words cannot express how happy I was to see you when you first arrived at the palace," Freed squeezed Mirajane's hand with a smile. "I thought you weren't even going to call."

Mira shook her head. "I was trying to surprise you. I wouldn't stand you up."

Freed smiled. "You're lovely in so many ways, Mira, and I truly hope you know that."

She winked. "I think you've seen my affection more than once."

Freed lightly blushed. "I wouldn't recommend telling my parents that."

"Don't worry," Mira said with a smile. "I won't."

He turned a little to chastely kiss her. Mira only smiled brighter. Freed smiled too. In the early evening light, her white hair seemed to almost glow. He was distinctly aware of the people watching them, but he chose to try his best to ignore it. He still had yet to come to terms with all that accompanied being the prince, but he was slowly learning to cope. Mira jolted, however, upon something blipping in and out in the shadowy alleyway nearby. Freed quickly caught what she was so startled by, and they both moved hesitantly towards it to try and listen or at least discern what it was.

"...At least you know what you're doing, Constance."

The voices were so low it was almost impossible to hear, but they could hear enough.

"...Fiore will be in chaos after the Games. I should think even the most incompetent of people would know that will be a prime…"

Among the chatter in the streets, neither Mira nor Freed could hear the end of her sentence.

"...Era will be next after Crocus. The Magic Council won't know what…"

The voices soon became far more distant and then, out of the blue, dissipated entirely. Mirajane and Freed both stared at each other. They had heard more than enough.

"The Master isn't going to like this," Mira said quietly, not wanting to be overheard.

"No, he is not," Freed scowled at the now-empty alleyway. "My father won't either...it's just a matter of how and when we tell him."

"See here? We can enter two teams and we will enter two teams. Fairy Tail is the number one guild in Fiore and always will be!"

Makarov threw the papers the guild had been sent in the air, some of which were about the Grand Magic Games and some of which were demands for apologies or reparations for things the guild had destroyed. He already had formed his two teams, and, uncreatively, named them. Well aware of the...extenuating family circumstances surrounding Erza and Wendy and Jellal, Makarov had conceded, off Erza's insistence, to keep them together during the Games although he had minutely separated them to avoid raising too many eyebrows about their behavior. Thus, he finally had his two teams before him; his "Fairy Tail Team A" and his "Fairy Tail Team B." The spirit of First Guild Master Mavis was also present.

"I'm not sure the Magic Council will like you entering twice as many wizards as the other guilds," Siegrain warned him, his arms crossed. "And allowing my brother to compete seems to be an air in judgment at the very best."

Makarov scoffed. "Disguised as Mystogan, they'll all be none the wiser. Besides, to hell with the Magic Council! You all approved these rules, didn't you?"

Siegrain frowned. "All I'm saying is that you're taking an unnecessary risk," Turning to his brother, he shook his head. "What do you even want with the Games? Surely you know better than this."

"Ultrear told me a little while back that the Magic Council's concern over the Games was due to the unusual blips in magic energy," Jellal replied evenly. He was unmasked, as they were all alone In Makarov's private office. "It seems worth investigating and I'm concerned it could affect my daughter."

Siegrain and Jellal thoroughly scowled at each other for several minutes. Erza stood beside Jellal, who was casually sitting on top of a small table in the master's office. Wendy, who kept close to her mother, was watching Mavis. Among the others present, only Natsu seemed remotely relaxed.

"I have to agree with Siegrain," Hisui put in, sharing a brief but knowing look with Laxus. The two of them were both exhausted and a little bit irritable by the exasperating matter, which had brought them back a day earlier than they had planned. "It does seem dangerous at best."

"This is what we're doing," Makarov said with finality. His tone startled Hisui, who raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken that way to her, and she didn't approve. Laxus gently squeezed her hand, something Makarov silently noticed. "My Fairy Tail Team A will be Natsu, Caitlin, Erza, Wendy, Lucy, and Gray. My Team B will be Laxus, Mira, Gajeel, Cana, Juvia, and Jellal. Are we clear?"

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared, pumping his fists in the air.

"Someone stop him from setting Crocus on fire…" Erza muttered. Wendy turned to her mother in surprise but laughed regardless.

"Aren't you excited?" Gray elbowed Juvia, who smirked and playfully slapped his ass. "Not like —"

"Always darling —" Juvia started with a faint blush.

"Ooo…" Happy teased. "Seems like —"

"Fish!" Cana shouted, taking one Mira had pulled out of her purse and throwing it at the blue flying cat.

"I still don't like this," Hisui muttered under her breath. Laxus sighed and wrapped an arm around her. "Well? You and I both know what —"

"I would like to make the point that you are all incredibly disorganised!" Freed boomed over the sudden chaos, not realising he was cutting into his sister's thoughts or that Laxus knew more about what lay beneath the palace than he was letting on. "We are going to be competing to prove our guild's strength, and we ought to act the part."

Mirajane laughed behind her hand and patted his shoulder. "Freed…" She began, teasingly scolding him. "Things are always like this."

"Listen to her," Caity drawled, adjusting her glasses with a smirk. "If you lose Mira, no one else will look at you that way because you're going to make all the ladies believe you're gay."

Freed spluttered. "Am I a joke to you? I am the prince of Fiore!"

Laxus chuckled. "Good to see you've come to terms with it."

"Whoever would have thought Freed was a prince?" Lucy suddenly started to scribble notes. "Ooo...this could be great inspiration for my book."

"I'll help!" Levy chimed in. Gajeel, thinking his girlfriend to be adorable, affectionately rested his arm on her head.

Siegrain, in resignation, picked up the book on council law he had brought for Makarov's perusal and took his wife's hand. She stared at him for a moment and then reached back to touch the blush pink guild mark on her shoulder. Laxus and Hisui noticed too. Of all of them, they were the only two others to know about the job offer she had received from Belno, given that Jellal, Erza, and Wendy, who had been present, had agreed to keep it a secret. Not even Evergreen — Caity's own twin sister — knew. Hisui personally wanted her to take it, believing she would be somewhat more level headed than the others. Laxus privately agreed with her. Yet the four friends knew the choice was fraught and none of them had an easy answer.

"We've got a lot to prepare for," The butterfly adorned wizard said, her blonde hair flowing out behind her as she walked out. "If you'll excuse me…"

Siegrain sent Laxus and Hisui a pointed look just before following his wife out the door. The others simply stared in surprise. Usually, the Mariposa twins were anything but quiet.

"Huh," Mavis mumbled to herself, kicking the edge of Makarov's desk. "She seems troubled."

Makarov waved his hand dismissively. "We all should prepare! We're going to show this kingdom what we're made of!"

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered. "That's the spirit, Gramps!"

Among the chatter, little else could me heard. Stepping over towards his sister, Freed and Mirajane pulled Hisui and Laxus aside. Mira lowered her sleeve slightly to show where she had been stabbed in the arm. Both of their friends were shocked. Freed patted her shoulder reassuringly, but Laxus and Hisui were too stunned to react. What else could have caused such damage other than a devil's blade, an object so rare that it required proficiency in the dark arts to merely touch?

"Ivan is competing in the Games too," Mira said, her voice low.

"Did he —" Laxus began, familiar anger bubbling to the surface. He brought Hisui closer on impulse, as if he were trying to protect her.

"No," Freed said quickly, helping Mirajane roll her sleeve back down. "He has an accomplice in a dark guild. That woman you and Siegrain have seen. Constance Armin. Also, you should know that she's feigning reformation as the official leader of Ivan's guild, Raven's Tail. I think we all know who is really in charge there."

Hisui shook her head. "I'm liking this less and less my by the second."

"It'll be alright," Laxus promised her. "We'll find out what he's doing."

"That's the problem," Mirajane said, briefly coughing. "We don't know for sure...but we think he's trying to dismantle the Magic Council and hurt the throne."

Hisui stares at her in shock. "But why?"

"For control," Laxus said darkly. "My father's never been subtle about that."

Freed nodded grimly. "I believe the future of the kingdom is endangered."

Hisui said nothing, her head starting to hurt. She leaned into Laxus, relaxing a little at the sound of his heart beat, but she couldn't truly be calm. Freed had no idea how right he was. As Laxus held her close in his arms, he quickly realised what was troubling her. It wasn't just Freed who thought the kingdom was in danger, after all. Everything was approaching too fast. Much later that evening, on their return to Crocus with Mirajane and Freed per Toma's insistence, her sobbing into him would prove it, threatening to crush her with the weight of the kingdom's future upon her. Laxus wished he could do more, but staying close by her side was all he could do. There was no way to properly prepare for a desperately uncertain future, was there?