"They arrested her?"

Ivan rolled his eyes as Irene stabbed another knife into the table and stood up, looking particularly disgruntled. He hadn't been fazed by her in years, although, on the rare occasion she did manage to prove even more sadistic than any of them thought possible, he often wondered how she could possibly sustain such rage. Then again, he supposed, her sense of deep betrayal on the part of the former king was likely much closer to Ivan's own anger towards his father and son than he cared to admit. Even now he was certain Laxus wouldn't have a shred of strength if it hadn't been for him. If he hadn't forced him to become a dragon slayer, Laxus would still be the weak, sickly child he had been so far as Ivan was concerned. Perhaps, on some level, Irene believed Toma would never have been the ruler he had if she hadn't been around.

Though he maintained his unwavering, bored composure, Ivan found himself wanting to laugh at the thought. If anything, he was sure her rage was fuelled by her spurned romances on the former king more than it was on whatever part she could have perceived herself having on his reign. No, Ivan doubted there was much more to it than that. He knew, of course, that she had grown to resent her daughter too, which was irrevocably tied to her hatred of the kingdom of Fiore. Why she harbored such anger towards her child, though, was a mystery to him. Ivan could not deny his own curiosity but he did know better than to attempt to find out what the hell went on in her twisted mind. He, as all of them, had seen her snap more than enough before, and he absolutely did not seek to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

"How the hell could we possibly have…" Irene trailed off, her eyes narrowing in thought. "They weren't alone, were they?"

The soldier she had been questioning trembled. "No, Empress," He quivered. "Everything suggests they had been with Siegrain Fernades and his wife."

Irene's eyes flared. "What?" She demanded, her voice veiling a threat.

"They were with the Fernadeses," The soldier repeated. "And -"

"Damnation," Zeref cut across. "How stupid was she, to attempt to assassinate four people at once?"

"That is an excellent question," Ivan mildly put in. "All things considered, I wouldn't think it prudent to attack two members of the Ishgar Magic Council at the same time you're attempting to assassinate the king and queen of Fiore."

Irene cast a dark glance towards him but nodded curtly in agreement. "Yes…" She mused, tapping her nails against the table. "That was quite ill-advised indeed."

"Did anything at all come from the attempt?" Zeref sharply questioned. "Or was it a total waste of our time and resources?"

The soldier hesitated. "She did manage to shoot the king," He told them. "But, of course, not fatally."

Irene scoffed. "At least," She muttered. "That should send a pretty clear message."

"I imagine it did," Ivan smirked. "In any case, I doubt Laxus will be particularly sure of his ability to strike any of us down for quite some time."

"One would hope," Zeref eyed him critically. "Although I do believe you oft underestimate your son's sheer strength."

"Between this and what we managed to inflict on the princess, I'm sure he's rather shaken," Ivan laughed dryly. "His weakness, as it has become painfully obvious over the years, is his family. Any threats to his wife or children will undercut everything else. He's much weaker than you think."

Irene raised an eyebrow. "And you're certain of that?"

Ivan met her gaze in surprise. "Yes."

"Well, then," Irene said, smiling to herself. "It seems we may very well be able to take a gamble. Two months from now, we will make our way into the palace….and we will deal with them directly ourselves."

"And if that fails?" Zeref pressed. "What exactly would you plan we do then?"

Irene considered his words. "Simple," She replied. "We can unleash the sealed spell: the universe one."


"Fallon?"

The princess looked up in surprise upon hearing her godmother's voice, followed by a few raps against the half-open doors to her bedchamber. Smiling weakly, she waved her in and sat up, setting her book aside. Caitlin lingered in the doorway for a moment, glancing around and fidgeting with her glasses and the butterfly ornaments in her hair but then she stepped over to her, heels clicking much quieter than usual against the marble floors. After a moment of hesitation, she sat down on the edge of her goddaughter's bed and gently patted her hand. It was then, with a light chuckle, she noticed the book the princess had been reading.

"In the Age of the Dragons," Caitlin delicately ran her hand over the cover before shaking her head. "I always liked that one, although it did leave me nervous...but that has nothing to do with anything you should worry about. It was a while ago...before you were born, actually."

Fallon eyed her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Caitlin sighed. "Did your parents ever tell you about what happened during the Grand Magic Games the year before you and Sylvain were born?"

"I know my mom found out she was pregnant with us shortly before the Games that year," Fallon bit her lip after a moment of consideration. "And that my father fought Ivan during them."

"All true," The butterfly adorned mage agreed. "But that leaves out what could have….well, what Ivan's first attempt at a coup d'etat almost did to the kingdom. It wouldn't have just harmed your family, either. It would have wiped the kingdom off the map."

Fallon flinched. "What?" She whispered. "That almost happened?"

Caitlin eyed her for a few seconds. "Have you ever heard of the Eclipse Gate?" She finally said.

"Vaguely," Fallon admitted. "It's referenced in some older texts but it seems obscure. I'm not even sure if it's real."

"It is," Caitlin told her. "Although I can't blame you for thinking it could be a myth. It sure as hell sounded like one to me when Sieg and I…"

Fallon waited for her to go on, and then awkwardly hugged her, seeing the faint but pained look the butterfly adorned mage was unable to hide.

"Ivan's plan, as I understand it now, was in conjunction with Zeref, Irene, and potentially a few others," She hesitated. "At this point, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being all the shit you've been through, I'm going to ignore the fact that this is classified information that, by rights, I have no reason to tell you."

Fallon nodded. "Okay," She said, albeit shivering a little. "What happened?"

"Their plan…." Caitlin took in a deep breath before she continued. "Was to open the gate, which in its most simple form served as a portal to several centuries in the past, and, in turn, allow it to unleash a horde of dragons on the kingdom that would destroy it.

"They framed it quite differently to manipulate the family….which they knew full well had only tried to use the gate in recent history in a vain attempt to find the missing prince...your uncle, Freed. When we - myself, Hisui, Laxus, and Sieg - realised this, we tried to and managed to seal it with Freed, effectively stopping their attempt….although it was rather messy.

"Their...accomplice found us about halfway through the sealing process….and so I ultimately ended up having to cut your mother's hand a bit carelessly to use it to seal it. It did work, but it almost killed me when I stopped their accomplice from killing...from…"

"Oh my God…" Fallon breathed in horror. "You're serious?"

She sighed. "Yes," The butterfly adorned mage said quietly. "Fallon, I am so glad you're safe from those people now because they are much more dangerous - much more cruel - than you know...and the truth is, I'm not sure even we know the lengths to which they'll go. They cursed you and your brother as babies, after all, and tried to kill you? Who's to say they aren't capable of anything?"

Fallon swallowed hard. "Do you think they'll ever stop?"

"Maybe," Caitlin said, sighing dejectedly. "But, personally, I doubt they will unless they're dead."


"'Sui, I'm fine…" Laxus murmured, holding his wife close and gently stroking her hair. "I was fine, and it was just a dream. Okay?"

"I know," Hisui whispered, closing her eyes for a moment and taking in his comforting embrace. "It was just too real….especially after what happened."

Laxus sighed heavily. "I know," He said. "It is for me too."

To put it lightly, the past several weeks had been difficult. Laxus knew all too well that Hisui was barely sleeping some days, and he knew, too, that, even when she was rested, she was emotionally drained. In every way, he felt it too. If nearly the past twenty years had been difficult, the last several months had been hell. There was definitely some consolation in the knowledge, for one, that Fallon's health was on the upswing and that neither of them were in any immediate danger, now, but the truth was that they were both nearing the precipice and both of them knew it. Laxus didn't doubt that he was struggling himself, but he was far more concerned for Hisui. Even her own father thought she was severely depressed, a sentiment Laxus knew Arcadios shared, though the White Knight had only expressed his thoughts on the matter to him, deciding it best not to broach the matter directly with the queen herself.

"You feeling any better?" Laxus gently tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "Oh, 'Sui," He reached over to brush the tears away from her eyes when he realised she was still crying. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just stay," Hisui curled tightly into him, shaking a little. "I think we're both more than a little exhausted."

Laxus affectionately kissed her forehead. "I agree," He said, trying to steady her in his arms. "'Sui?" He pressed after a minute. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Hisui glanced up at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" She softly replied. "Now or…"

"In general," Laxus hesitated. "If you are, then you are and I know I could be paranoid. I just...I know that things have been draining for both of us and I don't want you to force yourself to struggle with it alone."

Hisui eyed him worriedly and then sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind right now," She finally said. "And to be honest, it's been harder for me to focus since….well, between what happened to Fal and then you…"

"That's what I thought," Laxus rubbed her back reassuringly. "I've just been worried about you, that's all."

Hisui managed a small smile. "I'm glad you care so much," She tapped his nose. "And, really, having you here with me has always been a blessing."

"Good," Laxus replied, smiling a little himself. "I'm still lucky you married me."

"Either you're forgetting how happy I was when you finally proposed, or you're still terrified of my father," Hisui rolled her eyes. "At this point, if you're still afraid of him, I should probably be a little more concerned."

"I'm not afraid of Toma," Laxus paused and then grimaced. "Well, for the most part. He certainly has….at times, caught me off guard."

Hisui raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost afraid to ask how many times that's happened."

"Thankfully, you were there for most of them," Laxus replied. "The main exception I can think of was when he pulled me aside before our wedding and told me he had never expected to let his daughter marry, as he put it, 'someone like you.' To this day I'm not quite sure what he meant by that."

Hisui faintly giggled. "I wouldn't think too hard about that," She teased. "It'll drive you mad."

He smirked. "If it makes you laugh again, it's worth it."

"Laxus!" Hisui exclaimed, trying to be serious. "You -"

"It's been awhile since I've seen you laugh," He reminded her. "Hearing it now makes me happier than you know, 'Sui, it really does."

Hisui shook her head and softly kissed him. She knew full well what he meant, even if he didn't say it and was only fully aware of it for the first time now. She had been the center of his life for years, and he had known he would do anything for her and their family. Now, he was sure of exactly what that meant.

I love her so much, Laxus thought as they slowly fell into a calm, dreamless sleep. And I will choose her happiness over mine every single time.