Wendy inhaled deeply, enjoying the newfound ability to do so. Although, the white and blue dress squeezing her ribs certainly limited that ability. She stood before the mirror, taking in her healthy appearance. Dark blue strands framed her glowing skin, the mass of hair pulled back in a complicated braid Erza had weaved and pinned together only a few minutes prior. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the windows, thick lashes brushing her cheeks every time she blinked. She turned side to side, taking in the new dress clothing her still bony frame.

The white underskirt provided several layers of warmth, cinched tightly at her waist and showing just how skinny she was due to the sickness she had only just recovered from. Panels of light blue fabric parted in a V at her waist, a triangle of the petticoats peeking through. The neckline came all the way up her neck and the sleeves didn't end until her wrists, white lace tickling the hems and piles of fabric keeping her warm from the elements. The bodice, white ribbon corseting the back panels, was tight against her torso, revealing curves she herself had just begun to notice. Her breasts were nowhere near the size of Lucy or Erza's, but at least she knew she wouldn't always be as flat as a board.

After so long of lying in bed, sickly and weak, it was like a breath of fresh air to stand straight and tall, looking beautiful and happy. Well, as happy as one could be before she walked toward her doom, a doom spent surrounded by preening nobles that drove her friends insane.

A knock on the doorframe pulled her out of her daze. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Lucy standing in the doorway, the blonde smiling gently at the Sky Maiden. Lucy had recovered well in the past week, the constant heat of the upper levels and Natsu finally sucking the last of the ice in her soul out. She blushed every time anyone mentioned that she and Natsu slept in the same bed, or whenever Gray teased her when they slipped into Natsu's room at the end of the night. At this point, everyone but Lucy knew about Natsu's crush on her, and with the closeness of the pair, Wendy was sure that it was only a matter of time until the secret slipped out. But no matter what happened, Natsu was determined to be the one to tell her; at least, that's what he told her when Wendy cornered him last night about it.

"You ready for this?" Wendy giggled half-heartedly, smoothing down her dress and slipping her feet into black slippers. She shrugged, wishing she had a certain Exceed in her arms instead of empty space.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess. I'm kinda scared though. I've had to act around Evia and Mak, and there was that first time we met Ajax and Verlane, but I really haven't done anything since then. I'm scared I'll mess up and say the wrong thing or do something wrong. And I know you'll be there and so will everyone else but-"

"Wendy," Lucy interrupted, taking the girl's hands in her own. "Natsu will be right next to you the whole time, so if you don't feel like talking or are scared of messing up, just let him take the lead, okay? He's got surprisingly good at this court life over these past few months.

A muffled shout of "What's that supposed to mean?" came from Natsu's room, making both young women roll their eyes and laugh.

"What I'm trying to say," Lucy continued, "is that we're here for you. Don't feel like you have to be strong the whole time. Everyone at court is expecting you to be recovering anyway, so if you need to step back or leave early, they shouldn't see anything weird about it." The Celestial Spirit mage squeezed Wendy's hands, pulling her into a light hug.

"Thanks Lucy." She rested her head against Lucy's shoulder, enjoying that familiar smell of citrus that clung to the blonde even after months of forgoing her favorite perfume. She took a deep breath, hoping the scent would help ignite the magic itching to be released. The herb Lucy had found filled her bones with ethernano, but somehow magic still eluded her. It didn't quite make sense to her, but Erza's version of an explanation made the most sense.

"I believe what is happening is quite simply explained. This herb is supposed to cure any illness, correct? And Wendy's sickness was magic deficiency, an illness caused by loss of ethernano, not by loss of magic, even though that is directly linked. Here's what I think happened. Wendy's body was suffering due to the extreme lack of ethernano, so that's what the herb cured. It gave her ethernano, filled her body with strength and health, but that's all it did. Our bodies differ from those without magic because we're able to contain so much magic power, magic power we take in from the air due to the ethernano. But all the herb did was fix the imbalance of ethernano. It didn't give her enough power to use magic again."

"But Loki was able to open his own gate when I was close to the herb," Lucy had interrupted. "Doesn't that mean that it's capable of bringing magic back to those who take it?"

"Again, I only have as much information as you do." Erza had shrugged, looking a tad put off due to the lack of knowledge. "My guess is that the herb was magic, producing ethernano in copious amounts and keeping the forest alive and healthy. And all that ethernano in the air is what made you able to talk to Loki. But when you picked it and Wendy took the herb, it lost that ethernano, instead using all of its powers to first stay alive and then to heal Wendy. It might not be a perfect theory, but at least it's plausible, hmm?"

Lucy squeezed Wendy one last time before pulling away, holding the girl's shoulders and meeting her brown eyes. "Come on. Before Natsu goes insane due to boredom."

"Hey!" Natsu complained, glaring halfheartedly at the blonde from his position on the couch. Lucy grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at him as they walked into the living room, much to Wendy's amusement. Natsu's own outfit was in a slight state of disarray, tie loose and shirt untucked. Lucy narrowed her eyes, and he reluctantly sat up and began to fix his clothes. "This is all so dumb. I don't know how you did this shit for years, Luce."

Wendy nodded, tugging on her skirts in an attempt to loosen the constraint on her ribs. "Does it ever get easier?" She asked, glancing almost pleadingly at the Fire Dragon.

He grinned ruefully up at her, pulling on her dress like he would've done to her ponytail. "Nope. I'd much rather fight Zeref or Acnologia again. But it's what we gotta do, eh?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, swatting him on the back of the head. "There's no need to be so extra about it. We all hate it, so stop griping. The faster we get this over with, the faster we get to go home, right? So the more we go to court, the more information we can learn and the sooner we can help this country."

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, pushing himself up to his feet and making a face at Wendy. The Sky Maiden giggled, wrapping her arm around Natsu's.

"I know I don't need to lean on you anymore, but can I stay with you?"

"For however long you need kiddo." Natsu's grin grew even as he resisted the urge to ruffle the girl's hair. Lucy smiled at the pair, seeing the siblings so many had mistaken them for. They might not see it, but everyone else did.

Oblivious to the ironic path her thoughts were taking, Lucy straightened her uniform and started moving toward the door. "Come on team. Erza and Gray are probably already waiting for us. And an angry Erza is not something I think we want to deal with today."

They all shuddered, instinctively walking faster out of fear. Lucy hung back, letting Wendy and Natsu go on ahead. She picked up her skirts, the coarse black fabric scraping against her calloused palms. "I'll see you down there, alright?" She murmured, already slipping toward the nearby servants' passage. Wendy waved, glancing around after the fact to double check that no one was around. Natsu kicked the door closed behind them, eyes following Lucy's progress until she was out of sight.

Wendy grinned up at her friend, hanging off of his right arm. He spared her a look, scowling and rolling his eyes. "Stop it," he grumbled. Wendy just giggled back, squeezing his arm tightly.

"Stop what?" She asked sweetly. He stuck his tongue out, and she responded by poking him in the ribs. They continued their playful banter until they hit the stairs, and suddenly other people were everywhere. Guards patrolled the halls, servants bustled from one room to the next, and countless nobles made their way downstairs, heading to the grand hall where the lords of the house waited for their court to arrive. Wendy fell silent, clinging to Natsu and looking around with wide eyes at the parts of the manor she had yet to see. Besides that first day, she had barely left her rooms and therefore had barely seen anyone else. And while she had missed the hustle and bustle of people like back home, the sudden increase of people made her heart race, fingernails digging into her palms as she reached for the magic still not available to her.

"Deep breaths," Natsu whispered, pulling her closer and helping her down the stairs. She smiled weakly, keeping her head down and avoiding the stares boring into her. Natsu pushed down the urge to growl at everyone they passed until the curious eyes went away. That wouldn't help anyone, and it would probably just make Wendy annoyed at him instead of grateful.

"I'm surprised you haven't snapped at anyone yet," Wendy breathed, almost reading his mind.

"You and me both. It pisses me off when Erza or Gray or Lucy give me like warning looks, but I guess it's for good reason sometimes, huh?" Both spoke as quietly as they possibly could, relying on their enhanced ears to hear the other. Seeing as they could hear sounds from a mile away, it wasn't too hard to do.

"Sometimes you just need a reminder of when it's time to act and when it's time to just sit back and watch."

"You know I hate doing nothing."

"Watching isn't nothing. Think about your fight against Sting and Rogue; you and Gajeel both let them come at you with everything so you could figure out how they fought, allowing you to know how to attack back. Think of this as that. We gotta watch Ajax and Verlane to learn their strengths and weaknesses, and maybe then that will help us take out whatever's blocking the ethernano."

"I forget how smart you are sometimes," Natsu muttered. Wendy's cheeks flushed, even as her head tipped back to take in the massive doors before them. She recognized them instantly, throwing herself back in time to their arrival at Grimstone five months ago. Holy shit, we've been here five months? God… I wonder what's changed at home…

"Ready?"

Wendy's brown eyes turned to Natsu's green ones, the girl nodding slowly even as two guards hauled open the doors, revealing the pair to the already bustling court. The familiar scents of Erza and Gray hit them both, and Natsu thought he caught a whiff of Lucy on the other side of the room, as well as a certain blue haired girl giggling under a table.

People began to turn to their neighbors and whisper, all eyes locked on the girl holding onto Lord Drago's arm. She pressed herself tighter against his side, suddenly anxious like she hadn't been in ages.

"Ah, well isn't this a surprise." Wendy's gaze immediately shot upwards, her large eyes finding the semi-familiar forms of Ajax and Verlane standing on the dais several feet above the rest of the room. She swallowed, suddenly seeing the phenomenon Natsu had mentioned weeks ago. The two men, much like her, stood tall and strong while the rest of the room was several shades too dull, hair hanging limp and eyes sunken and sallow. She shuddered inwardly, hiding the motion and simply squeezing Natsu's arm.

"I'd heard that Lord Drago's daughter had recovered, but it is something else entirely to see her here." Verlane's rich baritone echoed against the stone walls, the younger Lord standing slightly shorter than his father.

"Yes indeed," Ajax agreed, taking in the young woman still clutching her father's arm. She might not be as beautiful as her maid, but there was something about her, something Ajax couldn't quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was the glow beneath her skin, a glow he hadn't seen in another living being for many, many years. Interesting…

"Lords and ladies, let us welcome Mistress Shelia Saye as she joins our court for the first time after her, uh, miraculous return to health." The room burst into applause, and Wendy ducked her head, a lock of hair escaping and tickling her neck. "As you were. Lord Drago?"

Natsu clenched his fist, reluctantly pulling Wendy along with him toward the two lords, knowing he couldn't go against the will of the masters of the manor. She used her free hand to keep from tripping over her white skirts, keeping her eyes on her shoes to avoid the curious looks from everyone in the room. She hated being the center of attention, something she should've been used to after all of the events that occurred after she joined Fairy Tail.

As they passed Erza and Gray, the Dragon Slayers heard Titania's whispered warning. "Be careful. Don't show them any weakness."

Wendy straightened her spine, invigorated by her friend's words. She was a member of Fairy Tail, damnit. She wouldn't let a little wayward attention force her head down, and she certainly wouldn't let the bastards before her try and break her. What would Carla say at a time like this? Probably something along the lines of 'stop slouching child, it gives the wrong impression.' She bit down a giggle as she imagined the Exceed scolding her. Natsu glanced at her warily, but the chance to question her on her behavior was gone, for they stood at the base of the dais before the Lords Ajax and Verlane.

Natsu lowered his head slightly, keeping them from seeing the anger in his eyes at having to bow and scrape yet again to the guys who didn't deserve his respect. Wendy released Natsu's arm, dipping into a slightly wobbly curtsy. Not for the last time, she cursed the clumsiness she couldn't seem to escape. "Lord Ajax, Lord Verlane, it's a pleasure to be able to speak with you when I'm no longer so ill. I thank you for all that you have provided that allowed me to recover so well."

Ajax's lips turned up in what could've been a smile. He motioned to Verlane, content to let the younger man take the lead. And he did just that, brushing black hair from his eyes. "We can't take full credit for what Evia managed to do. I'll admit, your situation seemed hopeless last we spoke to Lord Silver perhaps two weeks ago. Can I ask as to what might have changed to reverse your sickness so drastically? I would have thought that after so many months of suffering, you would have taken longer to recover."

Wendy glanced at Natsu, trying to see if they would get mad at her if she answered his question instead of her 'father.' But to Ajax and Verlane, it looked like a docile young girl looking to her father for permission to speak. Ajax's smile grew a fraction wider.

She cleared her throat, clasping her hands together to hide the shaking. "I really can't say. Evia must have found the missing link and finally figured out how to cure me. As to my condition, well, maybe I appeared worse off than I truly was, and that is what Lord Silver saw. I was never in any grave danger, but there were times it seemed like I would never recover. Again, it is thanks to your hospitality that I can stand here today." Feeling it was right, she bobbed down into another curtsy, raising her head to meet the blue-eyed gaze of Verlane.

The lord smirked. "It is our pleasure to help someone so lovely such as yourself. I do hope this means we'll be seeing more of you, Mistress Shelia." He winked so quickly Wendy thought she must have been seeing things. Then again, her senses were everywhere, nose smelling an unfamiliar scent that clung to the two men. Well, mostly unfamiliar. It reminded her somewhat of the demons from Tartaros she'd fought. Was that how they were accomplishing this awful deed? By using black magic like that of Zeref's?

Hiding her shudder, she curtsied yet again, realizing she and Natsu had been dismissed. Placing a hand on his forearm to calm him down, she let him lead her back to where Erza and Gray still stood. As they walked, Natsu caught sight of a little girl standing before them, icy blue hair loose and free. He smirked, pulling Wendy along at a faster pace. Looks like someone won a fight with her mom this morning.

"Lord Drago!" Racel exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet when the pair finally reached their friends. He grinned at the girl, ruffling her hair with a free hand.

"Hey little lady. Hope you've been bothering Silver for me." Gray scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall they stood by.

Racel beamed up at him, the expression faltering slightly when she looked at the beautiful young lady standing next to her friend. "Are, are you Mistress Shelia?"

Wendy smiled, nodding even as she let go of Natsu. His head immediately turned, searching for a certain blonde. Wendy ignored her friend's antics even as Erza smiled to herself. "Yep. That's me. But you can just call me Shelia. And you're Racel, right?"

The girl nodded energetically, beginning to bounce up and down again. "Mhm! Oh, I have something for you!" She spun in a circle, waving her arms when she finally saw her maid standing a few feet away. The woman obviously tried not to laugh even as she crossed the room to them, pulling a small box from her apron pockets.

She dipped into a curtsy, greeting the four nobles standing by her charge. Then she handed the box to her mistress, backing up a few steps as soon as the girl had a grip on the container.

Racel held up the box to the young woman, entranced for a moment by the dark blue curl of hair hanging against Shelia's pale skin. Then she blinked, hefting the box up higher. "Here. Lirzi helped me make it when you were still sick. And I know you aren't sick anymore, but it's still for you."

Wendy took it gently, hearing metal jingle and clank inside. She smiled, glancing around for a chair to sit in. Erza pushed her gently to the side, guiding her to the nearest chaise lounge a couple feet to the right of Gray. The girls sat, Racel following with her hands clasped against her chest. Natsu still stood in the space the women had just vacated, eyes locked on Lucy from across the room, her blonde hair making her stand out from the crowd of dull nobles.

She must have felt his stare against her side, and she looked, their gazes meeting. He grinned crookedly at her. She rolled her eyes, smiling back before turning quickly, dipping into a curtsy as some random noble ordered her around. He sighed, leaning against the wall next to Gray and continuing to watch her. The Ice Make wizard shook his head. "Damn 'Drago.' You've really got it bad. Maybe just talk to her instead of staring at her like some creep?"

"Can we not do this?" Natsu grumbled, ignoring the questioning look Racel gave him before she turned her attention back to the girl holding her box.

"Open it, open it, open it!"

Wendy giggled, tugging the box open to reveal a small metal chain. She pulled the bracelet out, holding it in front of her eyes to fully see it. The small metal links looked as if they had once belonged to a silver necklace before someone had crudely shortened it and twisted the new ends together. And two disks the size of quarters hung from the chain, one light blue with a R carved into it, and the other white with a S. Despite barely knowing the girl, Racel had managed to find a way to bring a tear to Wendy's eye.

"Oh Racel." Wendy hugged the bracelet to her chest before slipping it onto her right wrist. She held out her arms to the younger girl, and Racel threw herself forward, hugging Shelia tightly.

"You like it?"

"Oh I love it! I'll wear it forever. Thanks so much sweetheart." Racel laughed, burying her face against her new friend's shoulder.

"Yay! Lirzi really made it all, but I came up with the idea! If you were still sick, it would definitely make you feel better, right?"

"Of course it would. Just like magic." Wendy smiled down at the young girl, pulling her up onto the chaise with her and Erza. Racel continued to giggle, wanting to go and play with someone but realizing that Shelia was probably still recovering and Lord Drago was completely distracted. She glanced up at Shelia, determined to get an answer.

"Who's your dad looking at? Is it his girlfriend?"

"Yes, yes it's his girlfriend," Gray snickered before he managed to clamp down on his glee, Erza doing the same to her laughter. Natsu's eyes immediately pulled from Lucy, staring at the Demon Slayer with fuming eyes. If he could've, flames would probably be decorating his knuckles

Wendy giggled, setting the now empty box down beside her. "Oh no, he's just keeping an eye on, er, Ashley, my maid. She was sick too like a week ago, and we just don't want her to push herself."

"But Lord Silver just said-"

"Don't listen to Silver. He just likes to cause trouble and doesn't know when to stay out of it," Natsu muttered, turning around again before the urge to deck Gray grew too strong. Gray rolled his eyes, winking at the girl once Natsu had his back turned. She giggled, leaning against Shelia. She liked this group of people. She wished they could stay forever. They certainly made life at Grimstone much more entertaining.

And Wendy's at court! Maybe she'll bring a new perspective as to what Verlane and Ajax are up to...

If anyone's got any theories, I'd love to hear 'em :)

Until next time!