He always thought what happened to his mother was his fault. He was too reckless. Too young. And too careless. In the end, he lost his mother. And he thought, after all those years, he had changed. He had everything under control. That was what he thought. And then, he lost his father too. He was still reckless. He had never changed all those years.

He stood quietly. His hands on his hips. His sight locked at the wooden door in front of him. A place he had been avoided after his mother died. Her favourite place. He stepped forward and slowly pushed the door. The house was never changed. Still the way she liked it. Her five bookshelves full of books. A small coffee table on a rectangle furry carpet. He took one book out of the bookshelves. He sat down on the floor, leaned his back against the shelf and opened the book on his lap. He flipped the page slowly, one by one.

"Do you think I can join you?"

He lifted his head. His wife appeared smilingly at the door. She invited herself in. And she sat right next to him, leaned on his shoulder. He didn't push her away like he would always do. He just let her did whatever she wanted.

"What is this?" she asked, looked at the book he was holding.

He leaned back, rested his head against the shelf.

"This house..." The petite woman turned to him. "...she built it like her old house."

"She?" She asked for confirmation as he was talking about whom.

"My mother," he replied, turned his head slightly toward her. "When she lived her life as a commoner." He glanced at her. He saw her surprised face. "We never believed her when she told us the stories when she lived as a commoner. She said, those were some of her best moments in life. We thought she just made that up." He chuckled, shook his head lightly. "She wished us to have such experience but my father wouldn't agree. Instead, she found us some people who could teach us something. Who would treat us like other people, not a royal." He didn't know why he told her all that. Maybe he just wanted let it out, and she was there.

"So, that's how you met your instructor?"

"Metalicana, yes. That old man's a blacksmith. But he knew a thing or two about martial arts." He laughed. "He always said, control your anger! The point is he was the one that provoked me." Levy laughed, caught the attention of her husband. "You know, he lived quite isolated from other people. When I was a kid, he always told me to go and get something in town. One thing at a time. And he timed every time I went get his thing."

"Maybe that was his way of training you."

"No. He just loved watched me suffer." Levy giggled.

"Look how you turned out now. Weren't all those tortures worth all the time you spent?"

He chuckled.

"Still I couldn't save my mother." The smile on his lips slowly faded. She placed her hand on his arm, tried to comfort him in any way she could. "We were going out for a walk. Some times, she got bored just stucked in the palace, she would ask any of us to go out with her. It was me, her and some other men accompanied her." He looked down to the book for a second, and then lifted his sight up. "We were ambushed by some people we thought were bandits. We managed to defeat them. But some of them were loose."

Gajeel, no!!!!

"I was so fucking stupid, I chased them. I thought, no one could escape me. Then, I managed to catch them. When I got back to her..." he gulped. "...she was...gone." His eyes watered. "She was...laying there. Not moving. Blood came out of...her throat...and her stomach." He closed his eyes. Held his tears from falling. "All the men that were supposed to guard her...All of them were dead. And the men that I caught - they killed themselves.

"You tried your best," she said.

"I abandoned her. I let her die." She wished that she could say anything to comfort him. But she had nothing. She hugged his arm and brushed lightly.

"Things of the past - there's no way we can do to change it. All we can do is move forward." He snorted. "Well, look at you now, you're not that bad yourself," she added. He glanced at her.

"You think so?" he asked, grinned. "I thought you think that I'm a bad person."

She put her chin on his shoulder, let it be only a few inches of gap between their faces.

"You told me that you will protect me, no matter what. And I trust you with that," she said smilingly.

He chuckled. "Bad move. You've been here long enough to know that." His wife smiled, adjusted her head, turned to the book in his lap. She flipped the page. A picture of a beautiful woman with long, flowy blonde hair appeared on the page. The crown she was wearing was the same as the one Levy had.

"I think she would definitely agree if you tell her that you wanted to marry Juvia," she said, stared at the woman in the picture.

He glanced at her.

"She asked me once. Whether I wanted a princess as my wife." He giggled, made her lifted her head to see what was so funny. "I was seventeen. Marriage was the last thing I thought at that time." He looked a little less tensed.

"If your father didn't force you to get married, I don't think that you would ever think of marriage at all." She snorted.

"I didn't get around girls much. So, I said Juvia would be fine," he said, casually.

"If you truly chose to marry Juvia, do you think that her father would agree?" she asked, flipped another page.

"That old man hates me. But I think my mother could handle him." He laughed. Levy glared at him. He always laughed at something she didn't find funny at all.

"Are you - by any chance - have something for Juvia?" she asked.

Gajeel stared at her. Felt something off with the question which he couldn't understand why.

"Like what?" he asked back.

"How would I know? It's your Juvia, not mine." She turned her face away.

He stared at her, confused. He shrugged.

"My father wouldn't allow it. He once stated that the three of us must marry royal princesses or prince. If not, both me and Natsu will choose Juvia."

"Because that is the only girl you know." She twitched her lips. "Like Juvia will ever choose any of you."

He raised his brows. "Why'd you said that?"

"Nothing. Just saying."

He leaned toward her. "You think I'm not that attractive?" She lifted her head, caught his eyes stared into hers.

"I - I - I didn't say that," she said, half screamed.

He leaned closer, moved his hands onto the floor, on either side of her body.

"Then, why'd you said that?" He grinned.

Levy who was leaning backward, stopped midway. She gritted her teeth. She let the man moved closer to her. "I didn't say that." She kept staring into his eyes. "You're attractive enough for a woman to look back for a second glance." He grinned wider. "You might look like an angry dragon; rough and rude..." She slowly grabbed on his shirt. His grin died down. "... But deep down..." He tried to move away but she pulled him even closer. "...you care about people around you. You're not showing it, but the guilt built an iron wall around you made you're hard to approach." She moved closer, whispered to his ear, "It's not a sin to share the burden." She smiled and let go of his shirt.

She moved away from him and climbed on to her feet.

"I shouldn't bother you more," she said, headed to the door. She glanced back at him before she closed the door.

Gajeel leaned back at the bookshelf. He grinned. "That shorty really know how to play."

XxxxxxXxxxxx

He rested his head on his folded arms. His eyes couldn't look away. It wasn't really an interesting sight, but things that kept playing in his mind made him stayed and watched.

"You could be caught staring," his friend approached. He turned to him, not lifting his head, then turned back to what he was watching just now.

"Have you talk to the queen?" he asked his friend.

"Why would I?" his friend asked back.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Family reunion maybe," he suggested.

His friend chuckled. "You too," he said. He rested his elbow on the handrail and placed his cheek on his palm. "There's nothing to talk about. Why?"

"Nothing. Just thought that you need the talk."

"Me? What talk?" he asked back.

"Both of you. About both of you. She's not only the queen that you serve. You should know that." The bluenette reminded.

"How about you? Have you talk to her?" He changed the topic. They both stared what was laying ahead of them.

Three women were practicing archery. The red-haired princess was actually training the queen. While the white-haired princess wasn't actually practicing archery. She was throwing blades. And she hit bullseye every time. And the boys were on the second floor watching them.

"What to talk about?" the bluenette asked.

"I don't know. Marriage, probably. Obviously you won't have a problem in finding a place to stay. The problem will be what you'll lose." He glanced at his friend.

"I know." Jellal paused. "I thought you against it."

"I didn't. I just not quite like the idea of a marriage between a royal and a commoner." Laxus straightened his back and placed his folded arms on the fence. "Are you worried that she might lose her title or you're afraid that you might lose your place in the army?"

"We will lose everything, of course. But does it worth it?"

"Do you think everyone that chose to abandon their luxurious, royal life would think as much as you do?"

"They didn't think of marrying a future queen."

"The disappointment is inevitable."

"What has that princess done to you?" He looked at his friend.

"Do what?"

"You're incharge of the forbidden couple but you were never this concerned."

Laxus shrugged.

"They're not my friend."

"Should I be fluttered?"

"Pretty much."

Jellal nodded. "Thank you."

"You should really make up your mind. I couldn't wait to kick you out of the army. Even though it's a waste of talent, but rules are still rules." Laxus patted on his friend's shoulder.

"Who am I going to lose my general to?" They both turned to the voice. The king stood next to his blue-haired soldier, watched the princess too.

"Your Highness." They both bowed before the king.

"So, which one is it?" he asked again.

"The red-haired." "No one." They both answered at the same time. Realised that their answers were contradicted, they looked at each other. Laxus grinned nervously at his friend's glare.

"Oh, the scary one." Laxus laughed.

"So it was General Fernandes." This time it was a woman's voice. Juvia grinningly stood next to the king, waved at the three of them. Jellal sighed. "Honestly, you'll make a good couple," she said.

"But she is scary." the king repeated.

"She's just a little strict. That's all," Jellal defended.

"Yeah. She could bring three men down in one fight," Laxus supported. Made the other three turned to him. He laughed again when Jellal glared at him.

"She's that good?" Gajeel watched the said red-haired princess.

"She once trained with us for two weeks. Yes, she's good," Jellal answered.

The king suddenly grinned. Laxus rolled his eyes. He got what made the king grinned widely.

"Too bad that she's marrying our general." Jellal nudged the blonde general. "She would become a commoner and we'll lose our talented general."

"Wait, what?" It was Laxus turn to grin when he saw the confuse face of his king. "Fuck!" Gajeel turned to his generals, specifically the bluenette. "Are you really? In the moment like this?"

Jellal confused. "It's not like that!" He tried to defend himself but the king was already walked away.

Juvia stared at him with her hands clasped together on her chest. "I ship you," she said. She winked and ran away, went after the king.

Laxus laughed out loud. Jellal rolled his eyes, and then glared at him. "Really?" Made the blonde laughed even more.

XxxxxxXxxxxx

Laxus walked down the hall. His paced fast, almost running. He had an urgent matter to attend to. However, his paces slowed down when he saw Mirajane walked from the opposite direction. He smirked.

"Didn't know that you're good at throwing blades."

The woman smiled. "I'm good with my hands," she said. Suddenly her face turned red. She covered her face with her hands. "That came out wrong!"

Laxus laughed out loud. He walked past her.

"I can cook. That's what I meant!" she shouted.

"Then make me some," he said, waved at her.

Her face still red from embarrassment. She cursed herself for saying such stupid thing.

XxxxxxXxxxxx