To Become a Father

by Onlyafraidoffear

The many ways Gildarts never found out that he was a father, and the one way he should have.

100. Cana in Wonderland

Cana in Wonderland

Summary: While doing something supremely stupid, Cana takes a tumble down the rabbit hole and ends up in a whole new world. Now she has to figure out a way back home, but is that really what she wants? Of all the questions in her head, only one gets answered: some faeries do have tails.

Disclaimer: I don't own

AN: This started as a funny little scene I jotted down on a whim while I was working on something else, thinking 'oh this is cute maybe I'll work it into something later', and then this just happened. This is an Alice in Wonderland, Ancient Magus Bride, The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Wizard of Oz crossover clusterfuck that I think is either the best thing I've ever made or I dropped the ball big time. This is also one of those times I really wish I could draw more than crappy stick figures because I have all these locations and character designs in my head that I sucked at translating to paper.

This… while not the weirdest thing he'd ever been a part of, it was certainly up there. Top twenty at least.

Gray bit back a curse as Cana shifted her weight, her boots digging painfully into his shoulders as he tried to avoid dropping her.

"You see anything yet?" He called out to the brunette, who was halfway inside the air duct.

"Just a lot of dust bunnies!" Cana yelled back; her voice muffled. "A couple loose screws, some string, and- AND A SPIDER THE SIZE OF CAT!"

BANG!

"I got it!"

The ice wizard sweat dropped at the cheerful way she delivered that last line.

"Are you even sure this thing exists?" He asked for the tenth time as Cana crawled further into the vent, putting one foot on top of his head for leverage," Mira could have been lying."

"I double checked it with Macao!" The brunette yelled, her voice echoing in the cramped metal tunnel. "The First Master of the guild hid little tokens all over the place when they built the guildhall- they found most of them, but not all!"

"And why do we want them again?"

"Because if we have one then it's a get-out-of-jail-free card! It'll get us out of Master's punishment game!"

Gray blinked.

That's not a bad reason.

"Do you really think she would have hidden her secret treasure inside an air duct?" He decided to ask instead.

"Apparently she was shorter than Levy! She could fit in all sorts of places that no one else could! Can you give me a little more leverage?"

The ice wizard adjusted his grip to push her leg up and into the vent.

"One more question- "

"Ugh what now?"

"How are you going to get back out of there even if you do find it?"

Silence.

Gray raised an eyebrow and twitched as he tried to hold back a laugh," You forgot all about that part, didn't you?"

"…shut up."

Cana felt her cheeks heat up at the sound of her foster brother's laughter and soldiered on ahead. She'd show him- the air ducts went everywhere in the building, there had to be an exit somewhere.

As the airway got tighter and even more dusty, the brunette counted herself lucky that at least she wasn't claustrophobic. Things would be so much worse if she was.

"Gray?" She yelled after realizing she hadn't heard him in a while," Are you still there?"

Silence.

"Come on Streaker- don't screw with me like this!"

Still no response.

The brunette chanced a glance back the way she'd come and felt her heart drop.

She must've crawled farther than she thought, because she couldn't see the exit anymore.

"Don't panic Cana." She said out loud," Freaking out will only make this worse. There are two options: crawl backwards until you find the original exit or keep going and hope you find another way out."

"On one hand: I still haven't found what I came in here for. On the other, I have no idea if it is actually in here at all. I also have no way of knowing where this particular path will take me."

So, mysterious road ahead or safety behind?

Oh, screw it- she was a proud mage of Fairy Tail! She wasn't scared of uncertainty- she ate danger for breakfast just like everyone else! And she could always go back the way she came later; adventure waits for no one!

The brunette grinned as she kept going forward.

The metal passageway had several small lacrimas installed along the ceilings that gave off just enough light for her to see where she was going and there were several exit points just in the basement alone- she was fine.

Cana continued to crawl forward for what felt like hours, eyes peeled for anything besides dust and cobwebs, when she finally saw a light other than the soft green glow of the lacrimas.

"Yes!" She cheered and moved as fast as she could to the literal light at the end of the tunnel and stopped.

"A door?" She questioned out loud as she stared in utter confusion at the small wooden door and the light pouring from underneath.

The brunette reached forward and gave the brass handle an experimental turn.

It was definitely unlocked….

"Oh screw it."

Cana turned the handle and the small door swung open, the light behind it momentarily blinding her- so curious was she, leaning her whole body forward, eager to find out what was on the other side, that she overbalanced and fell through the small opening.

And continued falling.

The card mage let out a petrified scream as she tumbled into the shaft- the multicolored lights along the sides flashing wildly doing nothing to ease her panic and confusion.

Then finally…

CRASH!

Cana hit the ground with a thud that knocked the wind out of her. It took a few moments of gasping to remember how to breathe and then she let out a groan at the sheer aching of her body.

"What the hell was that?" She asked out loud.

"A rude entrance- that's what it was!" A voice said indignantly.

Cana froze.

A different voice continued," The sheer nerve of her- crashing down into our garden without so much as a 'how do you do'!"

"Such a rude little thing!"

The card mage slowly sat up and stared.

Why the hell was she in a garden?

Better question: how the hell did she get from the air ducts to wherever this was?

And who was talking?

"And look at her gawk like that! Not even bothering to introduce herself much less state her business."

"Well, you can't fuss too badly dear- she's probably never seen flowers as beautiful as us before."

"You have a point."

"Um- my name's Cana." The brunette said tentatively," M-may I please ask who's talking?"

"Down here child."

Cana tilted her head down twenty degrees and almost felt her eyes pop right out of her skull.

Since when could flowers talk?

The rose looked at her quizzically- like it wasn't sure if it liked her or was concerned about her mental state," Are you quite alright my dear? You are acting most peculiar."

The brunette stared," …uhhh- I'm okay? I think."

"Are you sure?" It asked, seemingly deciding that it was concerned," You certainly aren't acting like one would expect- although I must admit that I am not quite sure how one should expect one to behave after they fall from the sky."

Cana slowly turned her head upwards, only to see open sky (…why was the sun pink...?) and no signs of the small door or the air vents.

"…did somebody slip me magic mushrooms again?"

"Magic mushrooms?" An iris spoke up from her left with a small huff," Why I've never heard something quite so ridiculous!"

"Oh, calm down dear!" A daisy piped up in a sugary sweet voice that normally would have made Cana's nose wrinkle in disgust," Do think of your petals! This young lady clearly isn't well- we shouldn't mock someone for not being themselves!"

Cana turned back to the flowers, noting that all of the tiny faces surrounding her were looking at her either in scorn or concern.

"Do any of you know how to get back to the Fairy Tail guildhall?"

"Faeries?" A bright purple tansy asked, moving its petals over each other like it was trying to wring its hands," Why on earth would you want to see faeries? Such a disagreeable lot I've never met!"

"Never have any respect for us flowers!"

"Like to trample on our blooms just for fun!"

"And I hear their Queen picks three dozen blossoms a day just to decorate her dresses!"

"Quiet all of you!" The rose ordered," It'll do no good to have you upsetting yourselves! Child," here she turned back to the still dazed Cana," What is your story child? What could make a young lady seek out faeries of all creatures?"

The brunette shook her head (she was dreaming. That had to be it. This was just a freaky dream and she'd wake up any minute now), and then realized exactly what the flowers were implying," Wait- there are actual fairies?!"

A white flower that she didn't recognize stared at her like she'd lost her marbles," …Of course there are faeries dear. Albion is the land where all fae creatures congregate in droves- and you yourself asked where you would find them. Did you bump your head by any chance?"

"I wasn't talking about real fairies." Cana explained, slowly coming to terms with whatever was happening," I was just in my guild's guildhall- we're called the Fairy Tail guild. I was crawling through a tunnel and then suddenly I was here, do any of you know what's going on?"

The flowers all began whispering amongst themselves and sending her suspicious looks.

"-I don't know- "

"-doesn't seem right in the head- "

"-of all the foolish stories!"

"Hush all of you!" A wizened old voice ordered from behind her. Cana turned, coming face to face with a gnarled old willow tree (of course there were talking trees. Why would there not be?)

"You said your name is Cana?" At the brunette's confirming nod, the mouth of the old tree curled into a soft smile that had her relaxing despite the situation," Such a pretty name- I must say I've been around for almost six hundred years now, and I've never heard of this 'Faery Tail' you speak of. I know of tailed faeries, but nothing of faery tails. But if its answers you seek then you should go and speak to the Oracle- she'll be able to guide you where you wish to go."

"How do I find her?" (Fairies had tails- well that was one question answered.)

A branch moved and pointed down a small brick path that Cana would swear had not been there a second ago. "Follow this path into the forest, and when you come to the fork in the road, turn left. The Oracle sleeps behind the waterfall and isn't hard to find. But she is prone to playing games, so try not to let her distract you."

The brunette jerked when other branches curled gently around her arms and helped her to her feet.

"Now go on child." The branches gave her a gentle push," Should we ever meet again I hope that you shall be in a better state. Run along."

"Um- thank you." Cana said gratefully as she headed down the path, stopping to call back," And you were right before! You're the prettiest garden I've ever seen!"

She grinned as she heard the thrilled squeals and cheerful thank yous from the garden as she darted down the path. This was definitely the weirdest dream she'd ever had- but damn if she wasn't enjoying it!

oOOOOo

The forest was like something out of a fairy tale.

Cana kept her eyes on the path, but it was difficult not to let them roam around her surroundings, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

The trees loomed overhead, dense and thick blocking out the sun and concealing all sorts of creatures that she couldn't see.

Small crystals lined the pathway, reminding her of the lacrimas in the air vents- in fact that was probably what inspired her brain to come up with them.

Cana walked forward, feeling eyes on her as she continued down the brick pathway. She was not going to get distracted. She was not going to forget why she was doing this. She wanted to wake up from this dream and that would only be possible if she talked to this Oracle person (pinching herself certainly hadn't worked).

A loud caw from a bird had her almost jumping out of her skin. Whirling around she spotted what at first seemed to be a crow perched on a low branch, then she realized that its entire ribcage was exposed.

"To where do you go?" The bird squawked in an eerie double-toned voice, turning its head to examine her in different ways," Where to? Where to?"

The brunette swallowed her apprehension," I'm going home that's where." She said, feeling a bit ridiculous for talking to a bird.

The crow turned its head again and flitted to the ground so it was right in front of her. "To whom do you go? To whom? To whom?"

"To my family."

"Why do you go? Why go? Why go?"

Cana eyed the bird and continued walking, not surprised when it followed. "Because its my home and I want to see them all, I don't want to stay in a place that isn't home for longer than I have to."

The bird ruffled the feathers on its wings and with a flap launched itself to sit on her shoulder," May I come along? May I? May I?"

The card mage was startled for a moment, but smiled," I don't see why not. Our guild has a talking cat, I don't see any problems with a talking bird."

"I may come? I may? I may?" She got the distinct feeling that the bird would be jumping for joy if it wasn't so confused at her response. He was jarring at first, but he seemed nice enough.

"You may. You may." She echoed with a grin and let out a small laugh when the bird did an easily recognizable victory dance.

"I may come!" He cheered loudly," I may! I may!"

"Yes, you may." Cana confirmed once again, and brought up her hand to pet the crow's head," Do you have a name?"

The bird cocked its head once again," Do I have a name? Do I? Do I?"

"I don't know, do you?" She asked, the easy banter calming her frazzled nerves. Suddenly the forest didn't seem as intimidating anymore.

"Do I? Do I?" He squawked, before chirping out," To me you give a name! To me! To me!"

"You want me to give you a name?" Cana asked in surprise, but the bird nodded eagerly.

"I do! I do!"

What kind of name do you give a bird like this? Bones? His rib cage was certainly one of his most defining features. Riddler? Echo?

"Do you like 'Quist'?" She asked curiously, her feather friend seemed to mull it over.

"Ka-wist?" Ka-wist?" He asked.

"Yeah, 'Quist'- because you're so quizzical." She explained.

He chirped happily," I do like Ka-wist! I do! I do!"

"Glad to hear it Quist." She said with a grin.

Quist was over the moon and chirped out," Ka-wist has a name! He does! He does!"

"He does." She confirmed.

"Ka-wist has a name! He does! He does!"

"Whoa there, little guy." Cana said fondly," You trying to make all the other creatures jealous of your name?"

"That is exactly what he's doing." A voice spoke up from behind her, startling the both of them so bad Quist almost fell off his perch.

"Whom speaks of us? Whom? Whom?" The bird squawked in question.

One of the trees behind the turned to expose a face that belonged to a crotchety old man.

"I do you pathetic bird." It grumbled in irritation," Your bragging has made my bark peel off. In my day Chatters weren't quite as annoying as you."

"Um hi?" Cana said uncertainly," Is a 'chatter' his species?"

"It is! It is!" Quist confirmed, bobbing his head in a nod.

Seeing a tree roll its eyes had to be in the top ten weirdest things she'd ever seen," Where have you been living all your life that you don't know what a Chatter is human?"

"Um, nowhere near here." Cana said awkwardly, not sure if she should give him the full explanation," I'm looking for the Oracle- a willow tree told me to head down this way."

The old tree scoffed," Oh another to see the Oracle? She'll twist you around so badly you won't even know which direction is up anymore. What a fool you are."

The brunette's eye twitched in irritation," Oh a fool am I? Tell me tree, why should I take criticism from a foul-tempered hunk of wood like you? Maybe you've lost your manners along with that bark."

A loud cackle sounded across the way," Oh she's got you there you old coot!"

Cana stared as the oddest looking cat she'd ever seen materialized (and knowing Happy that was saying something): it had dark purple fur with neon pink stripes going around its entire body, bright yellow eyes, and a smile that made her feel distinctly uneasy.

"Howdy do Miss." It said politely, sweeping its head off its shoulders as it bowed, like others would remove a hat. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss-?" He left his question open ended and it was with no small amount of trepidation that she responded.

"Cana." She answered, fighting the urge to take a step back.

"Cana! Oh my, that's a lovely name!" The cat said enthusiastically as he replaced his head back onto his shoulders," My name is Chessur- Chessur Cat. It is a delight to make your acquaintance Miss Cana."

Quist tightened his talons on Cana's shoulder and hissed at the feline," From where do you come? Where from? Where from?"

The cat let out a loud laugh," Oh from this way, and that way, and every which way!" It said with another mad cackle. "I hear that you are venturing to see the Oracle, might I come along?"

The tree snorted," Say no miss. His kind delight in causing confusion and frustration."

"Aw- that's not very nice!" The cat protested, disappearing from the ground to reappear hanging by his tail from a different tree. "Good lady I certainly won't lead you astray!"

Cana looked from the tree to the cat giggling like a loon as it swung from the branch and then finally to Quist. "What do you think? Yay or nay?"

"Nay! Nay!" Quist squawked, glaring at the cat who dramatically held a paw to his chest.

"Oh my heart!" He wailed loudly," Perhaps we'll meet again good lady- ta for now!" It disappeared and she heard a disturbing off key song fade into the distance.

"Glad you have such good judgement buddy." She said wryly as she scratched the preening bird's head.

"Good judgement I have! I do! I do!"

"You do." She confirmed and turned back to the tree," Thanks for the advice, sorry to bother you."

It snorted disdainfully," Just be on your way human and take the Chatter with you."

"I will thanks." Cana said, as she kept on going," That was weird wasn't it Quist?"

"It was! It was!"

"You know I think I'm going to miss you when I wake up, you're nothing if not good company."

oOOOOo

It felt like hours until she finally came to the fork in the road.

The whole area was decorated beautifully, with glowing crystals of all shapes, sizes, and colors dangling from every branch and fine jeweled flowers decorating the forest floor.

Cana let out a low whistle," Isn't this a sight Quist?"

"It is! It is!" Her feathered friend said eagerly as he looked around at all the shiny objects," Whom made it so? Whom? Whom?"

"I don't know buddy." She said and thoughtfully eyed the trees, she'd already had two trees talk to her…

"Excuse me?" She asked loudly, feeling a little foolish," This place is beautiful- is it like this naturally or did somebody decorate it?"

"Oh, it's a little of both miss!" A cheerful voice called out, bounding forward until it was right in front of them," Hello, I'm Thackery Podge, pleased to make your acquaintance!" The rabbit said cheerfully, extending one paw, while the other scratched at his antlers.

Antlers.

The bunny had antlers.

Cana tried not to stare as she bent down and shook the offered paw," Cana Alberona nice to meet you."

Thackery laughed in delight," Oh my, never seen a jackelope before have you?" He asked happily.

"No I haven't." The brunette admitted easily.

He waved a paw dismissively," Oh its not that big of a surprise, my kind normally prefer snowy mountains but I'm not one for the cold. As for your question earlier: all the wish-blooms are naturally occurring, as are the photolites- it is traditional to leave something behind at the crossroads to ask for safe travel. So naturally, people left whatever they could get." He explained.

"Leave something behind huh?" Cana murmured, observing the surroundings, before moving her hands up to her ears and pulling out her small studs. "Will these do?"

The jackelope nodded," Oh those will do nicely! In a sea of wish-blooms and photolites it's nice to have a little variety!" he said cheerfully, his left hind leg thumping the ground in time with his speech," Put them where the path splits!"

Cana did as instructed and was amazed when her earrings sank into the soil and in their place a small sprout sprang up, growing quickly until a golden tree stood before her.

"Wow." She whispered, laying a hand on the bark.

"Wow. Wow." Quist echoed, equally impressed.

"Oh my!" Thackery said in awe," I've never seen something quite like that before!"

"That makes two of us." The brunette said wryly as she began heading down the left path.

"I say! Miss do wait for me!"

Both girl and bird turned in surprise as the jackelope bounded after them.

"If it's not too much trouble may I come along?" He asked hopefully, giving her his best puppy eyes," I have been dreadfully bored for weeks now and you do seem like quite the interesting sort."

Cana shrugged and turned to the bird," I'm cool with it, how about you?"

He nodded happily," I am! I am!"

"Sounds perfect." She said with a grin and extended a hand to the jackalope once again," Nice to have you onboard Thackery."

The rabbit accepted happily," Glad to be here Miss Cana!"

The trio set off down the path and it wasn't long before the conversation started up again.

"So where are you headed Miss Cana?" Thackery asked curiously," Humans don't come to these parts very often- are you visiting family?"

The brunette sighed," Actually I'm trying to find them."

"Hm?"

"I don't really know what happened- one minute I was crawling around the air ducts looking for treasure and the next I'm falling." Cana explained," I landed in a garden with talking flowers who called me rude and a talking willow tree told me that the Oracle might be able to help me find my way home, so that's what I'm going to try."

"Oh my!" Thackery said in astonishment," Tell me Miss Cana- before you fell did you happen to go through a doorway?"

The card mage stopped and looked at the jackelope in surprise," Yeah actually, do you know what it was?"

The rabbit looked absolutely astonished," Oh my word! I'd heard about this phenomenon, but I've never actually met anyone who'd gone through it!"

"Thackery."

The jackelope blushed, his embarrassment visible despite the fur," Oh pardon me- Miss Cana are you aware of the Doorway?"

Cana raised an eyebrow (she could practically hear the capital letter)," No, why?"

"You see, the Doorway is a noted phenomenon all throughout Albion- it connects two worlds who otherwise might not intersect and allows for beings and objects to pass between them." He explained patiently, feeling slightly concerned as he saw the blood drain from the girl's face," The Doorway is never in the same place twice and nor does it show itself too just anyone. You must be special indeed to not only have seen the Doorway but have been allowed to pass through it."

"So, what you're saying," Cana started, sounding much calmer than she felt," Is that I passed through a gateway into an entirely different world?"

"Why yes that is the jist of it."

The brunette felt like she was going to pass out," Huh, and here I thought that I was just having a really bizarre dream. Guess I should have seen this coming, after all Fairy Tail attracts weird like a magnet."

oOOOOo

The rest of the walk was decidedly uneventful.

After being informed that she'd crossed into a whole other world by accident, Cana had accepted reality surprisingly quickly (don't worry, she was freaking out on the inside) and Thackery was wise enough to switch to small talk.

"So tell me Miss Cana." He said in an undisguised attempt to take her mind off of things," Why were you in the- what did you call it? Air-things?"

Cana laughed slightly hysterically and took the opportunity," Air-ducts- and I heard a rumor that the founder of our guild hid treasure in them. So, I talked my friend into helping me and then I got lost in them. Air ducts are like tunnels through walls that carry heated and cooled air."

"How fascinating!" He said in delight as he hopped quickly to keep up with her long strides. "And what about your family? Will your mother and father not be worried if you don't make your way back to them?"

The brunette smiled sadly," My mom died a long time ago and my dad… well he doesn't even know that I'm his daughter, so I doubt he'll be worried."

"He doesn't know?" The jackelope asked in surprise, Quist giving her an equally shocked look. "Well why doesn't he know?"

"My mother never told him about me and… well I tried to tell him who I really was." She said in a small voice," But things just kept getting in the way."

"What blocked the way?" Quist squawked in question," What did? What did?"

Cana let out a small sigh and scratched under the bird's chin," My Dad is the strongest wizard in the guild and a hero to the whole town. He's larger than life and I'm just me." She tried not to curl in on herself," The others are so much stronger than me, so I just fade into the background. We've been in the same guild for years and we've only spoken four times. And even if we did, what would I say?"

"…'I am your daughter' would be sufficient I imagine." Thackery said gently before he focused on something else," Wait- 'wizard'? Your father can use magic?" The jackelope asked incredulously.

The brunette blinked," Yeah why?"

"It's-that is- how- "The rabbit stumbled trying to piece together a coherent thought," There are still humans who can use magic?"

Cana stared at the jackelope like she wasn't sure if he had all his marbles together," …Yes." She said slowly," Fairy Tail is a wizard's guild after all- everybody in the guild can use magic."

Thackery stared at her like she had spontaneously grown a second head," Every- M-Miss Cana can you- "

Instead of answering, the girl pulled one of her spare cards out of her boot," Card Magic: The Star!"

The card lit up and bursts of magic spiraled out from it and exploded like firecrackers in the air, leaving glittering trails in their wake.

Thackery stared, his mouth open and his eyes bugging out. Quist fell off of her shoulder and remained on the ground in his surprise. Around them the whole forest erupted into chatter- creatures pouring out of every branch and crevice as all the trees rounded on the small group.

"Magic! The human used magic!" An odd little sprite that looked like a bundle of sticks with eyes shrieked at the top of its lungs.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day!" A tree said in a sweet, teary voice, throwing its beautiful white flowers at her feet," Oh well done little one!"

Cana felt alarmed as all around her the odd little creatures clambered towards her, all either begging her to show them her magic again, asking for her name, or a hundred other questions that got lost in a throng of voices four hundred strong.

"QUIET!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, every creature freezing in place, some in mid-sentence, or in the case of several winged creatures, mid-flap. "Could someone please explain what the big deal about this? I came through the Doorway and have no idea what is going on- why is my being able to do magic so significant?"

Thackery piped up, still dazed, but determined to be the one to answer," Miss Cana… humans have not been capable of magic in several thousand years. At one point the finest sorcerers and artificers were human, but not anymore. You doing magic- Miss Cana I dare say you are the most incredible thing to happen to Albion in centuries."

Cana felt her own jaw drop a bit as she stared around at all the creatures staring up at her in awe," Well, fuck."

oOOOOo

"Oh you'll love it here little one!" A faery with small, feathered wings in a brilliant shade of green squealed in excitement," You should come to the court with us sweetie! You'll never want to for anything!"

Quist hissed at the faery, all his feathers fluffing out in annoyance," When would she return? When? When? Never would she! Never! Never!"

"Well, I never!" She shrieked, glaring at the bird," You can't keep her all to yourself birdbrain! The Queen will surely want to meet her- "

"Um do I get a say in this?" Cana asked in amusement as she watched the standoff," All I want to do is talk to the Oracle so I can go home- "

"What!" Several of the creatures yelled in distress.

"You can't leave!" A small dinosaur-like creature said in devastation," You just got here! You'll like it if you give it a chance!"

Cana smiled sadly and crouched down so she could see the little guy," Sorry, but my family is probably worried about me."

"But you could make a new family!" He said staring up at her tearfully," The Doorway brought you here- that means you have to stay."

"What's your name kiddo?" The brunette asked getting a surprised look from everyone, the little guy included.

"I don't have a name." He said confused by her surprise," Do you have a name?"

The card mage was surprised, but nodded," Yeah- its Cana."

"Oh that's such a pretty name!" Multiple faeries cooed around them.

The little guy wagged his tail," It's a really nice name Miss Cana!"

"Thank you- would you mind if I gave you a name?" She asked casually, and a hush fell over the crowd, looking around Cana wondered what cultural barrier she'd stumbled over.

"You- you'd really give me a name?" He asked with stars in his eyes.

"Why not?" She said eyeing the faces staring up at her with adoration, before she could answer the little guy, she turned to Thackery, who had become her unofficial guide in all this," Is naming a big deal?"

"It is indeed Miss." He responded," Names are a gift from those who care about you and wish you well in life- to be given one is a great honor indeed. Humans are one of the few species that give names at birth, most wait to be given the honor. I was given my name by a dear friend friend of mine after several years of knowing each other. To offer a name this quickly is quite the compliment."

"Huh," She said quietly and turned back to the little guy," Well, I guess we need to make sure that your name is a good one then."

She looked him over as she tried to think of something, he had small white horns on his head with a matching ruff of white fur around his neck and a lizard-like body with feet from some kind of bird. Going off appearance was too on the nose. So what to pick…

"How about 'Tarrant'?"

"'Tarrant'?" He repeated staring up at her in curiosity.

Cana grinned and ruffled his small furry mane," I have a friend who knows a thing or two about languages. 'Tarrant' is an old word that means 'thunder'. It just seems to suit you."

"Tarrant…" He said in awe," Tarrant! I'm Tarrant!" He cheered then almost knocked her over as he rushed to show his affection," Thank you, thank you, thank you Miss Cana! I'm Tarrant!"

She grinned at his enthusiasm," Glad you like it."

Then she was swarmed once again by all the sprites and fairies and other creatures.

"I want a name!"

"Please give me one!"

"Me! Please give me a name pretty one!"

"Calm down everyone!" Cana yelled, the whole crowd calming," Does anyone know how far the Oracle is from here?"

A different feathered faery fluttered forward," About two hours in this direction!"

The brunette nodded," Alright- so I guess that gives me two hours to give as many of you names as I can until we get there."

She couldn't help but smile at the enthusiastic cheers.

This was nice. She'd miss them once she got back home, at least they'd always remember her if only because of their names.

oOOOOo

"Do you like 'Valka'?" Cana asked seriously getting an excited trill from the salamander. She grinned," Valka it is then!"

Two hours didn't last nearly long enough.

Cana was having a blast coming up with new names, sometimes with Quist giving her his own input on her thought process. She'd wound up becoming a perch for multiple flying faeries (and all of them had tails!) and Quist was reasonable enough to share his space on her shoulder with two ladybug-looking creatures (who she had named Teddy and Matilda respectively) and she'd had to pick up Thackery just to make sure she wouldn't lose him in the crowd as all of them walked toward the Oracle, picking up new friends every little while.

Tarrant was now giving a water sprite recently dubbed Merituli a ride since she couldn't walk long distances. The feathered faeries had become Jade, Avril, and Nyla. Apparently, they had their own names already, but asked for her to give them new ones just because.

"Me next! Me next!" A mouse cheered as he ran forward, bouncing on his paws," Please give me a name Miss Cana!"

He was a bit bigger than the mice she'd seen in Magnolia- about the size of a small dog- with rich black fur that she wanted to run her fingers through. A thought popped into her head- a book series she'd read recently had a mouse in it….

"Cartesian!" She said cheerfully and the mouse cheered.

"Cartesian! I love it!"

"I'm glad." She said honestly, as she looked around at the mass of creature all waiting to be named. Maybe… maybe she'd stick around a bit longer after she talked to the Oracle. Just so that she could finish naming everyone. They all deserved their own names.

The large group continued on their way.

"Haruna."

"You look like a 'Charlotte' to me."

"Adrien."

"Annie."

"Luxa."

"Aki."

"Echoes."

"George."

"Benny."

"Do you like 'Trill'?"

The list went on and on, with Cana doing her best to put thought into each and every name, though it got a bit difficult as time went on.

"Raksha."

"Ranga."

"Blake."

"Thyre."

"Harper."

"Jason."

"Akela."

Cana stopped to take a breath and Avril flitted over to her.

"We'll be arriving at the Oracle's any minute." The faery informed her, getting a round of disappointed sounds from all those left unnamed.

"Don't worry!" Cana said encouragingly," I fully intend to make sure that each and every one of you gets a name before the day is over!"

Seeing the joy on their faces and hearing their cheers… she really was going to miss everyone.

oOOOOo

Cana had made her own assumptions when the willow tree had mentioned the waterfall being hard to miss, but the image she had in her head in no way matched what she was seeing now.

Her body was covered in a fine layer of mist as the water crashed down onto the rocks below, with the roar of thunder. The air filled with the sweet perfume of flowers she couldn't name growing from every branch and hanging vine of the graceful trees that circled the small lake. Small bioluminescent creatures flew lazily threw the air above her, lighting up the sky like neon stars.

It was enough to take her breath away.

Mesmerized by the sheer beauty of her surroundings, she reached one hand out to gently tap a small jellyfish-like being that let out a peal of delighted giggles at her touch and glowed an even brighter shade of pink then before.

"This is amazing." She whispered, completely in awe of her surroundings.

Jade landed on her outstretched hand with a small huff," Its not bad." She said dismissively," But if you really want to see something spectacular you should come see the royal city- Tír na nÓg is far more impressive."

"She's right." Nyla said, still perched on top of her head, leaning over so she could look her in the eyes (Cana going cross eyed to look at her)," I'm sure that once you see the Faery Kingdom you'll forget all about this place."

"Such vain words little Aerial." A new voice said, sounding like oil on water- a silky tone that made every survival instinct that survived prolonged contact with Fairy Tail go off like blaring sirens.

It seemed her entourage agreed with her as they all shied away back toward the path they had come from. Thackery shrunk into her arms and squeezed his eyes shut as Quist buried his face in her hair.

A shape emerged from the glowing water and slithered onto a nearby rock decorated with multicolored moss.

"Welcome Traveler." It said, grinning like the cat that had caught the canary, a mouthful of perfect pearl teeth that looked a tad too sharp for comfort," I am the Oracle, I understand that you have come here to find me. Am I correct? Of course I am."

Cana swallowed nervously as she observed the newcomer.

The Oracle was a deceptively beautiful creature; a mermaid with pitch-black scales and ropes of shells and mother of pearl wrapped around the junction where scales met flesh. Her face had lovely sharp angles and her lips featured a wine-red pout. Her silver hair glimmered like liquid metal as it spilled down onto the black feather caplet that covered her shoulders. And her webbed fingers were each tipped with long nails painted scarlet.

But her eyes.

She had no eyes. Just empty sockets that dripped tears of black tar down her cheeks.

Of all the monsters the card mage had ever seen, this one was easily the one that terrified her the most.

Cana forced herself to step forward, burying her fear under a false show of confidence," I came to ask you how I can go home."

"Oh, but are you sure that's what you want to ask?" The Oracle questioned sweetly, pushing herself off the rock to fly through the air coming to a stop right in front of her face. Red-painted talons grasped at her cheeks," You can only ask one question you know: it would be a shame to waste this chance. I know all: past, present, and future. I see between the barriers of worlds into futures and pasts that have not yet occurred. I see the possibilities lost and earned through just a simple hesitated step.

"I could tell you of all the possible lovers you could have and how you might gain them. All the children that you could bear and all the ones that shall never be born. I could give you the secret of immortality and of treasures long forgotten by all: think carefully now!" She said in a sing song taunt as she vanished and reappeared back on the rock, looking for all the world as though she hadn't moved.

Cana was shaken but tried to regain her bearings," Thank you for your concern, but I know what I want to ask."

The Oracle let out a shrill laugh that sounded like nails raked across a chalkboard," Oh do you? What about questions that you haven't thought of yet?" She grabbed a pipe off the rock and breathed out a long stream of sickly green smoke. "Who. Are. You?"

"I'm Cana Alberona."

The woman let out another laugh and shook her head," So close!" She sang gleefully," That may be your name now child, you've gone through so many for such a young one, haven't you? You became Cana when your life with your mother ended- when you believed you were going to start anew with your father. The thing is," The woman flashed her a smile that exposed the same too-sharp teeth," Had you kept your original name, your father would have recognized who you were quite quickly."

The brunette blinked and was about to ask what the woman was talking about, when Quist nipped her ear harshly. She let out a yelp and realized exactly what she'd been about to do.

All the warnings she'd been given made sense now.

The Oracle had to give her the information she asked for: but it would do everything in its power to make her ask the wrong question.

"That's not important." She said instead," What's done is done. As far as I'm concerned my name is Cana now."

"And haven't you wondered about that?" The mermaid asked, not the least bit put out that her victim had figured out the game," Haven't you wondered how you came to be named 'Cana'- the twisted history behind your original name and the secret it holds?"

"I'm good thanks." Cana said tightly, but the Oracle would not let up.

"He chose it you know." The woman said gleefully as she took another puff off her pipe," He confided in your mother what he always wished to name his daughter- a name she gave to you as a way of assuaging her guilt at keeping your birth a secret."

He had- what?

The brunette had to clap a hand over her mouth to prevent the questions from escaping.

She'd never thought about her first name very much- her mother had been the only one to call her by it, everyone else just called her 'Cana'. It had felt natural to just continue being 'Cana' after there was no one left to call her 'Rebecca'….

Gildarts had picked it?

The Oracle looked smug as she blew another puff of smoke," They were together for years you know. Even married." She said as though commenting on the weather," Happy as can be, until suddenly they weren't." The mermaid gave a sigh of mock sadness and looked back at her with a sharp grin," It is quite the story little one- of heartbreak and despair, betrayal and misunderstandings. The memory of your mother still haunts him to this day."

Married?!

This- what-

No. Snap out of it Cana!

Ask the question you came for and you can figure out all the other answers in your own time.

"Interesting information." The brunette said, fighting to keep a straight face," But it's not what I came here to find out."

"Oh I know." The Oracle said inspecting her nails," You came about your dear guild. You wish to return to them, both out of a sense of responsibility and of longing." She tsked," It is a reasonable thing, your arrival in this world has left your brother-by-choice so distressed, he has been begging you to respond for hours now. He currently believes that you must be hurt or unconscious to not reply to him."

Gray.

Once again Cana tamped down her concern and opened her mouth to ask, but the Oracle cut her off.

"And of course, He-Who-Collects-Strays shall be beside himself with worry when he is informed. So will the rest of your family by choice. They will tear the building apart attempting to locate you- it will go on for days until they each shall become convinced that you have perished and are now rotting inside the walls of their once happy home."

Quist tugged at her hair; she wasn't sure why. Maybe he was trying to get her attention, to tell her that she could avoid this if only she would ask.

But she couldn't speak around the lump building in her throat as the Oracle kept on going.

"Your brother-by-choice shall never forgive himself and despise the She Devil for sending you into the metal tunnels chasing a lie. Your father shall not be bothered, after all you are no one special to him. Your guild shall remember you as a ghost story- one that haunts the walls until her body is found. You, however, would be living a charmed life in Albion. The first human to use magic in millennia- many shall flock to your side just to feed on the magic you give off by breathing. The Faery Court would welcome you with open arms and you would delight in the revels and opulence. Eventually marrying for love and producing four children- "

"STOP IT!" Cana shrieked, fighting back the tears. She didn't want this- she didn't want her guild to be sad, she didn't want Gray to hate himself because her own stupid decisions. She didn't want to live in the Fairy Court or life it would give (But if she went back, what happen to the husband she'd never marry? What about the children who would never be born?). "How do I go home to Fairy Tail?"

The Oracle's ease dissolved like smoke. Her ethereal features twisting with hatred, her teeth sharpened, and her long nails became talons.

But she was bound to answer.

"There are several ways." She bit out hatefully (if looks could kill Cana knew she'd be dust)," You could spend your days searching for the Doorway to go back the way you came- but each time it appears it leads to a different world- it could take you a lifetime of searching before you found the right one. There is a portal jumper named Jefferson who could take you- but he is most mad and never stays in one place for long. If you are willing to sacrifice a limb, the Bone Broker will send you home. The Looking Glass is a possibility, but it has a mind of its own. And of course," She bit out with a snarl," You could always petition the Faery Queen. She has the power to return you, but she will only do so for a price."

The creature waved her hand dismissively with a snarl," Now begone all of you."

They decided to take her advice.

Cana ran fast and hard until her legs were jelly and her lungs were burning as she gasped for breath. Quite a few of her little group doing the same.

Now… what did she do now?

oOOOOo

"You won't regret this beloved!" Jade cooed as she pulled Cana forward," Tír na nÓg is among the grandest places any will ever see! I'm sure that once you see it, you'll forget all your troubles!"

"Jade, I'm only going so that I can ask the Fairy Queen to help me get home." The brunette reminded the feathered faery," You guys said that she would be willing to meet with me and it would be faster than any of the other methods."

"And it will!" Nyla said cheerfully, perched on the head of a little creature she'd named Ryu (looking at him was like being on acid- every time she turned around he was a different color, currently he was orange with blinding yellow polka dots). "The Queen is always willing to help out her subjects! And she has some of the strongest magic of anyone in Albion!"

"It is true Miss Cana." Thackery piped up, she was still carrying him even hours after they left the Oracle. Since he hadn't said anything, she was content to continue hugging him like a plushy (what? His fur was insanely soft!). "The Faery Queen's magic is spoken of far and wide- supposedly she is capable of keeping the sun from ever rising and the moon from ever setting- all the world exists according to her whims."

There was a snort from somewhere to their left and one of the nearby trees piped up," You'd be a fool if you believed that rumor beast." The thing said with a derisive laugh," She is not that powerful, but none can deny that Titania is the greatest Queen this world has ever seen and shall ever see again."

Cana's jaw dropped," Titania- as in the Titania?!"

Everyone stopped and stared at her in surprise.

"You've heard of the Queen?" Merituli asked curiously, still riding on Tarrant's back," But I thought you just got here?"

"Are you kidding?" The brunette asked still hyped up," Titania is the name of a legendary Fairy Queen back home! As in- there are paintings and poems and plays all dedicated to her!"

"You hear that!" Avril crowed in absolute delight," Our Queen is so magnificent even people from other realms bask in her glory!"

"Long live the Queen!" Nyla cheered getting a resounding chorus from everything capable of speech.

"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

Cana's head was spinning- she was going to meet the real-life Titania. Meeting real life fairies was one thing, knowing that there was a Fairy Queen was another- but that the Fairy Queen was Titania herself and she was going to get to meet her?!

She was fangirling hard.

"Miss Cana," A black mastiff-like dog she'd named Ruth started quizzically," What do the stories of the Queen say in your world?"

"Oh, they bounce all over the place." Cana admitted freely, giving the dog a scratch on the ears," The ones I've heard range from her being the most beautiful creature alive to a seductress who lures human men to their deaths."

Thackery let out a hysterical giggle," I would advise you not to mention that last anywhere within the walls of Tír na nÓg Miss Cana."

She absent-mindedly patted his head," Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. Besides I only heard that story once, most of them talk about how powerful she is. My friend Erza actually was dubbed 'Titania' because she's arguably the strongest female member of our guild. So she's associated with more good than bad."

Thackery nodded, but the rest of the creatures around her were stuck right about in the middle of her statement.

"A human dares to use the Queen's name!" A stag bellowed in rage, stamping his hooves in indignation," The sheer gall of her!"

"Erza doesn't call herself that Norman." The card mage assured him hurriedly (his antlers were really pointy… she'd prefer to admire them from afar)." She's actually actively said that she doesn't like it and has never told anyone that they should call her that."

He snorted and tossed his head, multiple creatures having to duck out of the way of his antlers," It is still an affront to the Queen's majesty." He said with dignified offense.

"I'll make sure to let her know when I get home." Cana promised, hoping to ease the irritable stag," I can't promise anything but I'll try my best."

"I suppose that will have to suffice."

Cartesian piped up from where he was trotting lightly beside her," Miss Cana, when you were with the Oracle, she mentioned that you had more than one name- what did she mean? Do humans get different names as they age?"

The brunette laughed and shook her head," Well, I can't speak for all humans, but its pretty common for humans to have three names: a first name, a middle name, and a last name. When I was born my mother named me 'Rebecca Arcana Alberona'- but everyone always called me by my middle name 'Arcana'. Eventually 'Arcana' got shortened to just 'Cana'- that's called a nickname. When someone has a particular trait that stands out about them or if their name is too long, people will call them by a different name to make things easier."

The mouse's eyes were wide with astonishment," So you have four names?" He asked in awe. "You must be very special then Miss Cana."

Cana let out an awkward laugh and rubbed at the back of her neck with her hand," Well I wouldn't go that far."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short!" Avril chided encouragingly, pressing a kiss to her cheek," You aren't just a human with four names, you're also a human with magic! You managed to get the Oracle to tell you what you wanted to know, and the Doorway doesn't open for just anybody."

"And you're adorable!" Jade cooed, giving a kiss of her own.

"Adorable!"

"Adorable!"

"Simply adorable!" The rest of the flying faeries chorused with peals of giggles. "Our dainty little mage!"

Cana felt the heat rush to her cheeks and frantically tried to change the subject," S-so what should I be expected when we get there? She's a Queen so I doubt that I can just go up and ask to speak with her."

"Why wouldn't you?" Ruth asked cocking his head.

"He's right! Why can't you just ask?" Tarrant echoed curiously," You're special- of course she'll talk to you!"

"The Beanna is right Miss Cana." Thackery said, ears twitching faintly," You're a human with magic and you named almost four hundred of her subjects- I don't think you realize how much weight that holds. If nothing else, requesting an audience will be quite simple, getting her to agree to your request is another matter entirely, but you never know, she might agree."

The brunette felt a stab of uncertainty," 'Might'?"

"… well the point is she'll be willing to speak with you."

Before Cana could say anything Quist tugged on her hair," May I come along? May I? May I?"

She blinked," What do you mean buddy?" She asked in confusion, stroking his feathers and avoiding the exposed bones of his sternum," Of course you're coming with us to the royal city."

The Chatter shook his head and repeated," May I come along? May I? May I?"

Cana confusedly looked around but saw equally perplexed looks on everyone's faces and just shrugged," Of course you can come buddy." She assured him," Where would I be without my best bird?"

Quist puffed up in delight and smugly declared," Best bird may come! I may! I may!"

"Yes, you may." The brunette said in amusement.

"Tsk. Chatters, none of them make a lick of sense." Nyla said disparagingly.

Quist hissed at her.

The faery huffed and stuck out her tongue," Birdbrain!."

"COOOOOL!"

Cana jerked at the yell, frantically looking around for a certain blonde reporter, when a new faery appeared right in front of her face making her reflexively take a step back.

"Hey there!" He said excitedly, flashing her a fanged grin that suited his aquatic features," So you're the human everyone's talking about! Nice to meet'cha!"

"Uh, hi?" The brunette said, a little discombobulated," My name's Cana- what's yours?"

The small faery laughed delightedly, his green hair nicely complimenting his purple skin," Name's Hugo- I've been sent ahead to bring you to the royal city. The Court would like to extend you a formal greeting and invite you and all of your companions to a ball- now if you'll follow me, I'll show ya the way!"

"A ball?" She questioned dumbly.

Jade let out a small laugh," Wow, seems like they're really pulling out all the stops Beloved."

Hugo grinned at her," You have no idea- so you ready to go?" He asked turning back to Cana, who hesitated a second before giving him a slow nod.

"Awesome! Follow me everybody!" He said cheerfully," Tír na nÓg is just up ahead!"

Cana obediently followed, her entourage all chattering amongst themselves in excitement.

"I get to see the palace!"

"I never thought I'd get to be part of something like this- "

"-certainly a day I'll never forget."

Oh, how Cana fiercely agreed with whoever said that.

All she'd expected when she'd woken up that morning was to eat pancakes at the guildhall, grab a quick job, and then go home to do laundry. And now she was being escorted to the Fairies' royal city to meet with the Fairy Queen herself to see how she could get home.

And apparently there was a ball involved- couldn't forget that last. Damn, she was definitely underdressed for this occasion.

A paw reached up to tap her cheek," Are you alright Miss Cana?" Thackery asked in concern.

"I'm okay." She said weakly," Just a little overwhelmed."

He smiled sympathetically," Don't worry, you'll be just fine."

Quist bumped his head against hers," Why do you worry? Why worry? Why worry? Ka-wist will come. I shall! I shall!"

The brunette grinned," Thanks guys."

"We're here!" Hugo called cheerfully," If you look through these trees you will get your first glimpse of the crown jewel of Albion! Royal city of their majesties!"

Cana walked forward, not even bothering to hide her excitement. And she promptly forgot how to breathe.

Tír na nÓg was built on top of a rainforest's canopy. Graceful green pillars rising out of the valley below to support the city. All the buildings glittered in the light of the setting sun- the roofs being constructed of glass and gold, and decorated with sparkling gemstones. The streets curled and wrapped organically across the whole city- as though they had formed naturally. Mighty trees, taller than anything she had ever seen, dotted the landscape; acting as homes for dozens upon dozens of fae. They made their homes in the trunk and the branches, while the roots formed natural bridges between different levels of the city.

And above it all, the castle stood magnificently, outshining the beauty of its surroundings without trying. Made of fine white marble polished to a shine, with spiraling towers and dizzying parapets that glinted with glass roofs. A curtain of ivy delicately climbed the sides, fervently trying to reach the top of the great golden dome that glittered in the light of the setting sun.

"Wow." Cana whispered, completely awestruck. She could try for a thousand years and would never be able to do the city justice.

The Aerials had been right. The organic beauty of the Oracle's grotto was nothing compared to the magnificence of Tír na nÓg.

oOOOOo

There was a parade waiting for them when they finally arrived at the mouth of the city.

The streets lined with animals and fae of all kinds, cheering as though welcoming home a hero or some other great person. They threw handfuls of flower petals and glittering stones that burst apart into fine star dust as they passed by.

Cana wasn't sure what to think.

This was the kind of treatment reserved for people like Gildarts.

Everyone eagerly welcoming someone universally adored and admired with a fervor to shake the streets.

It wasn't a welcome for someone like her.

She was just Cana.

And yet, all of the fae acted like she was some kind of celebrity.

Was it really so incredible to be a human with magic? She wasn't even particularly good at magic- if this was the welcome she received she could only imagine what kind of welcome someone of Erza or Mira's caliber would receive.

The white streets beneath her feet were spotless. It looked as though no one had ever stepped on them once in their lives. And the lush greenery that grew unchecked on every corner added to the impression that the city had grown naturally- glass and gold buildings and all.

"Why are they making such a big deal?" She asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

"Because you're worth it sweetie." Nyla said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jade continued on seamlessly," They see your power and have heard about how generous you are- they know you belong here as much as we do and they are happy to welcome you home."

"But…" Cana stared around at all the smiling faces," But I have a home."

Avril twittered," True enough- but this could always be your new one!" She said enthusiastically. "Dear thing sweet as honey wine- more valuable than a treasure chest! You would be happy here, and we would be thrilled if you would stay! You still can you know!"

The brunette opened her mouth, but speech failed her.

She glanced around again at the cheering crowds. At the badgers throwing small cakes into the procession behind her. The flower petals that covered the clean streets she walked on, creating a fine floral carpet. The shimmering star dust that gently showered over her head, coating everyone in a fine layer of golden glitter. Fairies of every shape and size- some with tails and some without, some old and some young. Some had the lower bodies of horses, others had the lower legs of dogs… she had never even heard of canine centaurs before…

Satyrs jumped for joy and played beautiful songs on their pipes. Tall, willowy women with pointed ears sang along with the music. There were animals of every variety and some she'd never even dreamed of before.

Music, dancing, laughter, and excitement filled the air.

And it was all for her.

Something in her felt warm and tingly as her cheeks flushed pink.

All of this was for her.

Not because she was one amongst a crowd of Fairy Tail wizards in a parade, not because of any quest she'd been apart of: they were celebrating her, because she was just her.

It felt good.

But… she didn't belong here. She belonged in Magnolia with her guild. She belonged with Gray (he must be so worried, she'd been gone almost an entire day), with Master, with Erza, Mira, Lisanna, and Levy. Natsu and Happy. Macao and Wakaba. Reedus, Vigitar, Nab, and everyone else that made up the crazy family she loved so fiercely.

And if she was here… if she was here, they'd be spending the rest of their lives wondering what happened to her. Jumping at shadows and wondering if the next wall broken during a brawl would reveal her rotted corpse.

And Gildarts….

If she stayed, he'd never know who she really was.

She had to go home. She just had to.

But….

But what about everyone here?

In the span of a day she'd seen things she'd never imagined were possible. She wanted to explore this new world and experience everything it had to offer. She wanted to go on adventures with Quist and Thackery by her sides (would they miss her when she left?). She wanted to see Tarrant grow up and eventually grow the wings that everyone swore up and down that he would have one day.

She had to go, but boy did she also want to stay.

Cana continued to agonize over her situation as she followed Hugo further into the city, eventually coming to a stop right at the entrance to the palace (and oh how much more beautiful it looked up close).

Standing in front of the gates was a strange creature that looked like he was waring rock armor, with three black dogs sitting patiently at his right side and standing to his left was a beautiful woman dressed completely in pink, observing her with an intensity that made her squirm.

"Welcome human child to the grand city of Tír na nÓg." The one wearing the rock armor said formally," Rumor of your great ability and kindness have reached every corner of the globe and their Majesties have elected to throw a ball in your honor."

Cana wasn't sure what to think," Thank you." She said finally," But this really isn't necessary- I don't want them to go to too much trouble on my account.

He shook his head," Tis no trouble at all. Her Royal Highness has been informed of your situation and shall meet with you after the celebrations, but for now you remain an honored guest of the Fae Court and we would be remiss if we did not welcome you properly."

The brunette nodded dumbly, completely overwhelmed as he gestured to the lady in pink.

"This is Silver Lady, the Queen has requested her to attend to you for the duration of your stay and to ensure that you are prepared for the celebrations. She will handle everything you require."

Silver Lady gave her a sweet smile and a small wave but did not say anything.

The little man (what was his name? She should probably ask…) eyed the crowd behind her with a critical eye," All of the companions who arrived with you are welcomed to enjoy the festivities and to enjoy the palace's hospitality. Welcome all."

"Oh wow!" A new voice cheered enthusiastically, and before Cana could blink an entirely new person had shoved his face incredibly close to hers.

She jerked back in surprise, but that didn't deter the new face.

"You're even prettier than the rumors described!" He said gleefully, hopping in place on his feet- well hooves to be accurate. This man had a mane of dark green hair with a pair of antlers growing from his head, intense green eyes, and the legs of a deer. "Do you have kids yet?"

"Wha-?" She asked dumbly, totally lost, but he continued as though she'd given him a complete answer.

"Oh wait, you're probably too young- are you even married yet? Don't fret- I'm sure that every eligible fae in my court would be happy to marry you. And just think of what a wonderful magic user your child would be! And children are so very cute- especially the blonde ones- I strongly suggest you have a blonde all fae love them to bits and bits- "

Silver Lady cleared her throat loudly and visibly glared the green-hair satyr down. And as if on cue, one of the dogs lunged forward and bit his leg. He let out a yelp and kicked the dog off.

"You could have simply said 'please' Silver," He said with a pout, before turning back to the supremely confused card mage," Where are my manners? I am Oberon sweet one- I am the King of Albion and I welcome you to our city."

Ober- king?!

This weirdo was the king of this place?!

It took a moment before she was aware enough to realize that you were supposed to bow to royalty.

"Oh- right." Cana moved into a clumsy curtsy," It's nice to meet you, you Majesty. My name is Cana Alberona."

He grinned widely," Oh what a beautiful name! I simply cannot wait for tonight!" He bounced on his hooves," Do right by her Silver!"

The fae gave the King a look that screamed offense at his doubting her abilities.

Oberon laughed loudly," Now I believe it is time to go in- do make yourself right at home."

With that the deer-legged King strode through the gates of the palace.

Cana stared, still feeling out of sorts when her arm was tugged gently. She looked up to see Silver Lady, who carefully gestured to the palace.

"Oh right!" She said, realizing exactly what the woman was asking," I'm coming, just lead the way."

Silver nodded and Cana followed her through the magnificent doors, just wondering how much more would happen before the day was out.

oOOOOo

Silver Lady was the most efficient person Cana had ever seen- she might be more inclined to be impressed if she wasn't the woman's project.

She had been escorted into the most beautiful set of rooms she'd ever seen- with heavy dark wood furniture, marble floors, and everything lit by delicately glowing plants, but she'd barely been given a second to admire it before the fae was herding her through to the bathroom.

Cana personally considered herself very feminine- she may not go out of her way to show skin like Mira or be aggressively feminine like Erza, but she liked being girly just as much as the next gal.

This though-

"I really don't think another rinse is- "Her protest was cut off when another bucket of warm water was dumped over her head. Cana coughed and tried to wiped the water out of her eyes, but the fae was already running the contents of yet another bottle through her hair.

Her hair better be gorgeous when all was said and done- if all of this was for nothing then fuck it she was going to stop trying to be unoffensive!

Still, it was nice to take a bath after the day she'd had.

Cana hadn't realized how exhausted she was until she had been allowed to sit down as the water in the tub was prepared for her. It had been hours since she'd so much as sat down, let alone taken the time to actually stop and process things.

Silver Lady hummed thoughtfully as she combed the concoction through her dark curls.

"Can you talk?" The card mage asked curiously, wanting to break the silence.

The fae made a noise that was distinctly negative, and Cana turned to see her shake her head no.

"Oh, well do you mind if I talk?" She asked," No offense, its just a little too quiet for me."

She made an encouraging sound that the brunette decided to accept as a yes.

"Today has been, without a doubt, the strangest day of my life."

Silver made an interested noise which prompted the brunette to continue," One minute I am doing something supremely stupid, the next I'm falling through a magic portal into a wonderland." She said with a sigh," At first I thought I was hallucinating, and then I tried to convince myself that this was all a weird dream." Cana let out a small laugh," Then I started wandering around, looking for the Oracle to give me directions and let me tell you- that is the creepiest forest I've ever been in- but then I met Quist."

She grinned as she thought about her feather friend," Quist is one weird bird- he looks like a crow, but all the bones in his chest are exposed- I don't know how he eats or drinks, but he seems happy enough. After I met him things didn't seem so scary anymore. He's good for conversation, even though he can't speak very much. He was just… I love my guild. I really do. They took me in when I didn't have anywhere else to go, but… sometimes I just feel so lonely.

"The other kids are so powerful and I'm just- me." Cana sighed and tried to sink further into the water, but a sharp sound from the fae had her reconsider that motion," I just get so jealous- especially of Natsu. You see my Dad is actually in the same guild as me, he's the strongest wizard of them all, but… he doesn't know that I'm his." She swallowed heavily past the lump in her throat," He doesn't know who I really am, but it hurts so much when he acts like a dad to Natsu. I know its selfish, but I want him to pay attention to me, I want him to love me. But… the timing has never been right."

"I can't tell him until it's the right time."

Silver made a sound that clearly conveyed both her sympathy and her disapproval of her statement, but before Cana could ask what was wrong, another bucket of water was poured over her head.

The brunette sputtered but didn't fight it when she was pulled out of the bath.

The pink wearing blonde carefully wrapped warm towels around her charge, before tugging her back into the bedroom where a trio of other faeries were waiting.

"Hello Silky!" One of them greeted happily, a pile of cloth in her arms," Is that her?"

"Ooo she's so pretty!"

Cana didn't even blink when the trio surrounded her- they looked like ordinary women at first glance, but then you noticed the pointed ears. And the blood-red eyes. And the fact that they were floating a couple feet of the floor.

(Hard to miss that last.)

Silver Lady made a disapproving sound that had the giggling faeries backing off. The blonde gestured to a low table and the girls set the items they were carrying down.

"See you tonight cutie!" One of them called out as the fae shooed them all out the door.

Silver made a satisfied noise and adjusted her gloves as she gestured for Cana to take a seat on the stool next to the table.

Cana was vaguely reminded of when she first joined the guild- all the women had taken her clothes shopping, mostly so they could use her as a human doll. And she wasn't a stranger to intricate hairdos either thanks to her ballet recitals- but this was another beast entirely.

Though Silver was gentle when she brushed out her hair and began braiding small sections, it was painful to remain sitting with her neck constantly craned as the process continued.

"… I've never seen anything as beautiful as Tír na nÓg." Cana admitted easily, trying to distract herself from the discomfort," I think I forgot how to breathe for a little bit, and then with everyone in the streets… back home that's how my Dad gets welcomed home. They split the city in half so he can walk directly to the guildhall- he's a clutz and has a bad habit of blowing things up by accident- and everyone gathers outside to welcome him. I wonder what he thinks about it… because I'd be lying if I said I didn't kind of like it earlier.

"It sounds terrible." Cana said morosely," I have a home and an amazing family, but I still want more. I'm just a selfish person I guess, but… it was still nice. I've never really been the center of attention before, now I get why people say it's addictive."

Silver hummed thoughtfully as she inserted hairpins into the braids.

"…I want to go home." The brunette whispered, trying not to cry," I do. I really do- everyone's probably tearing the guildhall apart right now looking for me and here I am having a nice time." She took a shallow breath and tried to get her thoughts in order," I want to go home… but I'm going to miss this place so much. I wish I could bring everyone here. I bet they'd love it here. You know our guild is actually called 'Fairy Tail'- nobody knew if fairies had tails or not and the point was to spend a lifetime on an adventure to find out why. Guess when I go back I can tell everybody that some do."

A quick pat on the shoulder and Silver was gently turning her around and laying out the cloth that the fairies had left behind- dresses. The most beautiful dresses she had ever seen in her life (that seemed to be the theme for today).

Cana ran a hand over the cream silk of the gown nearest to her," Are these- am I supposed to-?"

Silver made a sound and gently pushed her forward.

Seems that she was going to the ball in style.

What to choose?

Cream-colored satin with lace trim? The light pink layered gown with ribbons on the sleeves? The purple one with jeweled flowers all over the top?

"Can I have this one?" The brunette asked, her hand resting on a navy-blue gown studded with gemstones that glittered under the lamps.

Silver smiled and nodded, picking up the gown and gesturing to a small dressing screen that she must have missed earlier.

This was going to be a night to remember.

oOOOOo

Cana felt like she was floating.

She'd had to resist the urge to twirl around in the dress after she'd left the room with Silver Lady (she had spun around like a toddler for about five minutes straight prior, mesmerized at the way the stones on her gown glittered like individual stars as she moved).

A beautiful dress that was like something out of a storybook, her hair was braided and pinned with pearls woven among the loops and strands, a silver headband that looked suspiciously like a tiara, and to top it all off she was going to a ball in a magical castle.

Talk about a princess fantasy come to life.

(Yes, she still needed to go home, but there was nothing wrong with enjoying the moment… was there?)

The navy silk felt like water as she ran her hands over the skirt, and the fine silver detailing that curled from her waist to the halter neckpiece sparkled beautifully in the light.

A loud caw had Cana's grin widening and she raised her arm without even thinking about it, Quist landing smoothly on the offered perch.

"Well don't you look dashing!" She said in amusement as the bird preened. Quist's exposed ribcage was stuffed with precious metal and gems of all kinds- from small golden coins to what looked suspiciously like a necklace she'd seen on one of the fairies that had brought the dress in for her. In addition to his chest, small golden cuffs had been placed around his legs.

Overall, her fine feathered friend looked like he'd gotten in a fight with a tacky jewelry store and lost.

"Dashing! Dashing!" The bird agreed, sending off an incredibly smug aura that told everybody in the vicinity just how pleased with himself he was.

"He gave the staff no shortage of grief." Thackery reported as he hopped down the hall, having been fitted with a tiny waist coat and bow tie. "Stole every bit of gold he could get his claws on."

The rabbit stopped his grumbling when he got a look at her. Raising a paw to his chest, he spoke with admiration," Oh Miss Cana you look lovely."

Her cheeks flushed pink at the pride in the jackelope's voice (if she didn't know better, she'd think he sounded like a proud papa)," Thanks Thackery." She said gratefully," But Silver is the one who deserves the real credit."

Thackery waved a paw and hopped forward," Perhaps so, but seeing as she is not here, I shall simply have to direct my compliments towards you."

Cana smiled even wider, feeling like her face was going to split, and gave him a full curtsey," Thank you for the compliments good sir, now will you do me the pleasure of accompanying me to the ball?" She asked dramatically, the rabbit letting out a small laugh and offering a bow of his own.

"Why my lady, it would be an honor." He said with great flourish as he took one of her hands in his paws and made a show of kissing it.

The brunette burst into giggles and tried to control herself, it seemed like the stress of the day was finally hitting her.

(She shouldn't be having fun. They were tearing the guildhall apart to try and find her. She should be planning what to say to the Queen- what to offer and even how she should beg. She shouldn't be living out some princess fantasy.)

"So, I got scrubbed down and then had a princess makeover, what happened to you guys?" Cana asked curiously as the group of three started walking down the hall.

Quist let out a chuffing sound that the card mage quickly identified as his own version of laugher," Ka-wist was adorned! I was! I was!"

The jackelope rolled his eyes," You mean 'stole' you pincher. Anything not nailed down ended up in your chest- I've never seen a Chatter stuff their ruff as much as you."

The bird's smug aura intensified.

"We were all lead to the Palace's baths, after which we were swarmed by elves who insisted on outfitting all of us. Which is how I ended up in this silly thing." He grumbled prodding at the fabric.

"I think you look handsome Thackery." Cana said genuinely, which made the jackelope look away, the insides of his tall ears flushing red.

"Ah- yes." He stumbled trying to hide his embarrassment," The feathered thief should count himself lucky that they all seemed to think his stuffing his chest was adorable- I've known Greater Fae to take offense to smaller things than that."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that." Cana said suddenly as she gave the bird another pat," Why do his ribs stick out like that?"

Quist ruffled his feathers as he answered," Chatter's stuff our ruffs! We must! We must! Glitter and gold! For health! For health!"

"That is a lie and you know it!" Thackery snapped, reproachfully eyeing the bird," Chatter's stuff their exposed ribs with gold and other trinkets they take a shine to for no other reason than vanity."

Quist hissed at him in indignation.

"Oh, stuff it feather brain."

Cana let out another laugh and stroked her hand down the Chatter's back," Well I think you look handsome Quist. And as long as no one minds you taking things I guess it's alright- but stealing is bad."

"It is? It is?" The bird asked, cocking its head in confusion.

"It is." The brunette confirmed," Don't take what does not belong to you unless you're told its alright- is that clear?"

If birds could pout, this one certainly did.

"It is. It is." He said glumly.

"Very good." She praised, and turned back to Thackery," Do you have any idea what I should expect?"

The jackelope sighed and shook his head," I've never had the pleasure of visiting Tír na nÓg before- I imagine that your presence will be high in demand, but as you are the guest of honor that is to be expected."

Cana faltered.

Thackery turned in concern when he'd realized she'd stopped moving. "Miss Cana?"

"I- "She swallowed and tried again," I've never really been the center of attention before. I don't know what to think or what to do."

The rabbit and hopped back to her, taking one of her hands in his paw," Just be yourself, exactly as you are. That will win more favor with the court than all the bragging in the world."

The brunette gave him a weak smile," Well, if nothing else I have you guys, right?"

"You do! You do!"

"Of course!"

A weight was lifted off her chest," Lead the way then."

oOOOOo

There was magic in the air.

She could practically taste it.

She could feel it as easily as she could feel the small breezes cast by the winged creatures as they flitted around the room (that wasn't accurate. 'Room' was small- this was a grand golden chamber with ceilings that transitioned from day to night, it was so damn big she wouldn't be surprised if it had its own weather patterns).

She could hear it in the music that curled through the air- from the pipes of Satyrs and the harps of merfolk lounging in a miniature lagoon, the voices of a hundred ethereal women added to the auditory beauty.

The Aerials- the small, feathered faeries that Avril, Jade, and Nyla were- left shimmering trails as they flitted around the room. Cana reached out to touch the sparkles as they fell to the ground and felt like she had stuck her arm into a cloud of static electricity.

The gold and silver trees stretched up for miles, supporting the cavernous ceiling effortlessly and providing places for the party guests to lounge and chat amongst themselves.

Cana was in complete awe.

"My- Silver certainly knows what she's doing, doesn't she?" Oberon asked, sounding very satisfied.

The brunette turned, her skirt swishing around her ankles, the King of Faeries was wearing a much finer tunic than the one he had been wearing before- a deep green with metallic threads creating a detailed Celtic knot pattern around the collar and the sleeves. "Your Majesty." She said politely, offering a much better curtsy than she had before.

"Oh no need for that little one." He assured her. He took a look around at the brilliance of the ball," My, this turned out better than I thought it would- what do you think little one?"

'I think it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen." Cana said bluntly, she could see Oberon puff up smugly, reminding her hilariously of Quist.

"Yes, my beloved wife has an eye for these sorts of things." The King said matter-of-factly," The greatest decision I ever made was marrying her- how about you little one? The Aerials informed me of your visit to the Oracle- anyone here standing out?"

It took a moment before she realized what he was talking about," Oh! No- that-I mean- "She stumbled, blushing like an idiot.

"Oh, don't be shy now!" He said exuberantly and gave her a small shove towards the nearest group dancing to the music," How would it look if we left our guest of honor all alone? You must have a dance at least."

She wasn't going to be able to say no, was she?

"Well- I mean one dance can't hurt- "Cana conceded, and the Faery King let out an excited cheer.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" He said as he dragged her into the throng of people," Come 'round everyone!" He called out loudly," A partner to dance with our honored guest? Come now, don't be shy!"

The brunette didn't even have time to blink before she was surrounded by males of just about every species present, all begging for the chance to dance with her.

Fuck she needed a drink.

oOOOOo

Cana had made several discoveries in the past hour.

One: she owed Master an apology for saying the ballroom dance classes he'd signed her up for were ridiculous.

Two: beer was a thing in this world.

Three: the beer in this world was meant for fairies, and thus, was way more potent than anything she had ever had before.

The brunette let out a hiccup, as she stared down into the still half-full glass she'd been handed by one of the servants working the party. She had a high tolerance from the last year or so of sneaking drinks, but half a glass had been enough to push her right into 'tipsy' territory.

Definitely wouldn't be touching any of that for the rest of her time here. Didn't want to be stupid drunk before she met the Queen.

Somehow, over the cacophony of the party, a familiar flap caught her attention and she glared at Quist as he landed beside her, at least having the grace to look sheepish.

"And where the hell have you been?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. The feathery little traitor had up and ditched her the second they walked through the doors to chase the glittering trails in the air. Thackery had tried to stay by her side, but he had bumped into an old friend and the two were still chatting from what she could see.

Quist's ribcage looked like it weighed roughly four times his overall body weight," I was lost! I was! I was!"

"Oh really?" She replied skeptically," Is that more gold I see?"

The bird blinked, looking up at her with his best 'who me' expression.

"What am I going to do with you?"

Quist made the purring sound she recognized as him trying to butter her up and pushed his head against her wrist. She rolled her eyes but gave the bird his requested pets. "I'm going to miss you buddy."

The Chatter paused and looked up at her, cocking his head to show his confusion," Said I could come. You said. You said."

"I did." She agreed trying to figure out where he was going with this, and gestured to the party around them," And I kept my promise- look around you."

He let out an offended squawk and ruffled his feathers," Said I could come! You said! You said!"

"Quist what's the matter with you?"

The bird huffed and pointedly turned around, showing her his back in an 'I'm not talking to you' way.

What the hell was his problem?

"So sorry to be so long!" Thackery called out as he darted over to them, weaving around the other attendees to get to them. The jackelope huffed," That old codger never did know when to end a conversation- I was content with simple pleasantries but no- he just had to tell me all about his marital issues- "

"Not that that doesn't sound fascinating Thackery," Cana interrupted," But when do you think the Queen will arrive? This whole thing's been going on for what- an hour? Two?"

As if on cue, there was a single tap of a staff on the marble floor. It was not a particularly loud sound, but with the way everything came to a grinding halt, you would have thought it was a gunshot.

The brunette felt a chill run down her spine.

"Raise every voice in song."

Cana dimly connected the voice to the sprite in the stone armor who had greeted her when she'd first arrived. Around her everyone was furiously shuffling to clear a path and she decided to take her cues from them.

"Give forth thy song birds, so the Mistress of the Night shall not pluck thy wings. Bow thy head to the ground and sing. Raise thine arms to the sky and sing. Bend thy knee to the Blessed Garden and sing. For She who has come before you is the great Gaelach of Tír na nÓg."

The brunette copied the movements of those around her and bowed as low as she could, scarcely daring to breathe, as the Faery Queen made her grand entrance to the ball.

This woman-fairy- whatever she was- was her best chance of getting home. Everything was riding on making a good first impression. And that meant disregarding every reckless instinct the Fairy Tail wizard in her demanded she do (like peak her head up to look at Titania- she was not budging an inch until somebody gave her the okay).

"Titania my love!" Oberon practically squealed," Oh my beloved one- tell me my darling, were your dreams as lovely as you?"

A light, feminine laugh rang out, like the chiming of silver bells.

"Such a shameless flatterer my love." Her voice was like honey, sweet and pure.

"Come darling- I simply must introduce you!" The King exclaimed happily, and Cana could hear the sounds of his hooves clopping on the ground, and the soft sound of a dress trailing on the grassy floor just behind him.

"Here she is my love! The little magic user we've heard so much about!" He squealed and put his hand down on Cana's head," Such a pretty little thing she is- and so polite! Do convince her to stay Titania! Think of all the excitement she could bring to this dreary court."

"Now, now beloved." The woman said playfully," Let's not get ahead of ourselves, raise your head child so that I may look upon you."

Cana took a deep breath and slowly looked up.

Oh.

Cana had heard a lot of mythology centered around the Fairy Queen Titania- in a guild like theirs it was practically a requirement- but it was clear that none of those authors or playwrights had had a single clue what they were talking about when they described her.

She was tall, if she had to guess she'd say probably close to her father's height. Her pink eyes sparkled- flecks of every color shining softly within like a kaleidoscope. Like the Oracle she had white skin- but where the mermaid's had been white like bleached bone, hers was the color of fresh milk, with rosy cheeks and a soft pink mouth that were so different from the terrifying figure of the Oracle.

She wasn't wearing any jewelry- she didn't need to. Her long hair- black as a moonless night- delicately touched the floor, and the simple vine headpiece framed her face beautifully, without taking any attention away from her. A dark violet dress hung off her shoulders and trailed behind her, silver embroidery curled around the gown's bell sleeves, wide collar, and hem.

This woman was a Queen and suddenly she understood why Norman had been so offended by Erza's use of her name (she was pretty fucking offended, and she hadn't even said two words to the woman yet!).

The Faery Queen smiled making Cana feel a little woozy, and reached a hand out to gently touch her cheek.

"Stand child."

The brunette did as ordered, climbing to her feet and doing her best not to trip over her dress.

The Queen seemed to analyze her for a moment before giving her the slightest of nods," It seems my beloved husband was not exaggerating after all. Though you are still young, you show traces of the beauty you shall one day be."

"T-thank you your Majesty." Cana said dumbly, not even sure how to respond to that (fuck she looked like a concussed fish right now didn't she? She was supposed to be making a good impression dammit not gaping like a moron!). "It-its an honor to be here. And to be meeting you."

Titania smiled," The pleasure is mine dear." She said fondly," I have heard of your plight, and shall speak with you about it when the festivities are over. But for now- let the celebrations recommence!" She said loudly, receiving a raucous cheer that shook the entire palace.

The brunette just stood, half in a daze as the Queen walked away- she had been expecting someone amazing, but that blew all her expectations out of the water.

"Isn't she magnificent." Oberon gushed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't think that's a strong enough word." Cana said dumbly.

The King laughed," Oh little one- I was thinking exactly the same thing."

oOOOOo

Cana felt her eyes desperately trying to slide shut as Silver gently tugged her along down the long hallway.

If she had thought that the party had been intense before, it had absolutely nothing on the celebrations after Titania's arrival.

The music had reached new volumes as the dances became faster and faster- she'd switched partners so often their faces began to blur together. And the food had only gotten better as the night dragged on.

At one point Oberon had dragged her out and insisted on a demonstration of her magic, she had tried to beg off, but Tarrant showed up and looked at her with those big eyes of his and she'd melted. Lucky thing that she'd tucked her cards into her dress- even if all she could do was a small fireworks show.

Then later, she had been chatting with a satyr called Tumnus and let slip that she played music, and he'd called all the music to a halt and shoved a flute in her face. It wasn't her preferred instrument, but she made do in the moment.

By the time the ball finally been called to an end she'd practically been asleep on her feet and both Quist and Thackery were snoozing in a corner. But she didn't have any time to rest- Silver had dragged her back to her room and helped her into a dress that was much easier to move around in (albeit highly revealing) and then had tugged her out the door.

Apparently, she was going to be pleading her case to the Faery Queen in her exhausted state.

She had to shake it off- her only chance to go home was to convince her to help. She couldn't afford to waste the opportunity.

"Silver." Cana said in a daze, as the hallway seemed to stretch on forever," Is there anything you can give me to wake me up a little?"

The faery paused, raising a hand to her chin as she thought it over. Finally, she nodded and reached into the pocket of her dress, withdrawing a small, crystal vial filled with a dark red liquid.

Silver uncapped the vial and gently tilted Cana's head back and let one drop land on the girl's tongue.

And the brunette's eyes bugged out as she gagged violently.

"Are those- "She let out a hacking cough as she tried to gasp for air," -chili peppers?!"

The blonde fae let out a small giggle and waited for the card mage to recover.

She was definitely fucking awake now.

If she ever got involved with fairies again, she was dragging a lawyer with her- this whole experience taught her the value of being as specific as possible.

"Okay." Cana said after a minute," I'm good now."

Silver nodded and grasped her hand again and resumed dragging her down the hallway.

After an eternity of weaving their way through mazes of corridors and empty rooms, they finally came to a tall wooden door, covered in golden ivy and soft light from the other side glowed between the small cracks of space.

The brunette felt apprehension coil deep in her belly as Silver knocked twice on the door.

"You may enter."

This was it.

Cana took a deep breath as Silver calmly pushed the door open, the sudden light nearly blinding.

And as she stepped through the doorway she felt as though she'd once again entered a whole other world.

Lush grass made a green carpet beneath her feet, wildflowers growing sporadically throughout. Trees filled the space, their leaves a vibrant green like she had never seen before. Colored glass lamps dotted the branches, burning brighter than she had believed was possible, and small balls of colored light floated serenely around the space.

The Queen was seated under the tallest of the trees, idly weaving small blue flowers into a crown while the three black dogs she had seen when she had arrived snoozed around her. She had changed out of the violet gown, into a simple, black and white dress with a wide, golden belt.

Titania smiled and held out a hand, "Come here child." She beckoned," Come and sit with me."

Cana's feet moved on their own, carrying her to the offered spot. One of the dogs watched her with passive interest but laid its head back down as she sat down.

The Faery Queen smiled gently at her and the brunette was struck by the soft presence she exuded. This woman was a Queen yes, but… she had a warm energy about her that reminded her of her mother.

"I have heard a great deal about you child." She began, setting the half-finished crown onto her lap," Gossip spread by faeries can travel swiftly on the wind- almost as soon as you arrived, we knew of you. And the moment you proved yourself capable of magic, I knew I had to meet you."

"Oh- uh thank you your Majesty." Cana said dumbly, too tongue tied to form complete thoughts.

Titania's smile widened slightly," Though I must say the rumors did not do you justice- those fireworks were simply divine."

The brunette's face reddened at the praise," Oh it wasn't anything special." She said sheepishly," If I had the rest of my deck I could have done a lot more, but-uh- well I didn't think I'd need it and then suddenly I was here."

"Take praise when it is given." The faery said sternly," Your performance at the behest of others was exactly as it was meant to be, and it was lovely. To say otherwise would be to deny your own abilities- much the same for your musical ability. I dare say you could play just as well as any fae given a bit more time."

Cana's blush deepened," Thank you, your Majesty."

Titania reached for a small goblet filled to the brim with red wine and took a delicate sip, offering the glass to the card mage who gladly accepted.

"Now child, as I said before, I have been informed of your situation- now let me hear your story from your own mouth." She said directly.

The brunette blinked," I- where do you want me to begin?"

"Begin at the beginning and when you come to the end, stop. Let me hear your tale in its entirety, so that I might make the best decision."

And she did.

Cana was only half certain of what the Queen had asked for, but decided to begin at the very beginning- of her earliest memories in Sugarhill with her mother. She continued past her mother's death to her search for her father, leading to her arrival at Fairy Tail.

No detail was spared, and nothing left unsaid- every friend that joined the guild, every nuance of daily life, every heartbreak from her father's ignorance. She continued speaking, until at last she came to the very end.

Cana took several deep breaths as she finished," And then Silver opened the door and you called me forward. You know what has happened since then."

Titania nodded," Thank you for being so thorough. I cannot tell you how often others leave out the important details, it is refreshing to have someone who can follow basic instructions."

The brunette felt her cheeks go pink again," What do you think your Majesty?" She asked hopefully," Can you send me home?"

"Are you certain that is what you want?"

Cana started, but any protest died on her tongue as the faery continued.

"From what you have told me- the world of your birth holds a great deal of pain for you. Would it not be better to stay here? I may not see as clearly as the Oracle, but I can still see a great many things. You would be happy here- you would explore every corner of this world, and experience all it has to offer and eventually you would marry for love; and from that love, produce four children. Through your children magic shall be returned to the humans of this world. You would be remembered fondly by history.

"Would that not be better than the life you left behind? No longer forced to bear the weight of your father's ignorant neglect and the sting of his abandonment. You will no longer need to feel inadequate. Now tell me again- do you truly wish to return to the world you have left?"

Cana found herself smiling despite the situation," You say that like its all bad." She said softly," You're right- there is a lot of pain there, but there is also just as much joy. Fairy Tail took me in when I had no where else to go- I grew up surrounded by love. I know family is so much more than blood and that friendship isn't dissolved by one bad experience. If I stay, they'll worry about me- they'll spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened and I can't do that to them."

The brunette swallowed before continuing," Its true sometimes I feel overshadowed by the others, but I also wouldn't give up our friendships for anything. Erza can be intimidating, and she has this way about her that makes me feel small sometimes, but she also has this ability to make anyone feel seen." Cana felt a soft smile form as she continued talking about her friends," Natsu is brash and loud, but he never gives up, no matter how much the odds are against him. Lisanna is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and Levy is always willing to share the stash of chocolate she hides under her bed. Mira can be a little difficult, but she is always there when you need someone. Elfman and I don't speak much, but no matter the situation he always makes me laugh. And Gray…

"Gray and I may not be related by blood, but he is still my brother. He is the one who I will always be able to count on, just like he can count on me. He knows almost every secret I have, and I know most of his. Master, Macao, Reedus, Nab, Vigitar, Wakaba, Dad- "Cana's voice broke for a moment," Your majesty- I could be happy here. I could live a life and be totally content, but I belong in Earthland with Fairy Tail. Please send me back to them."

Titania was quiet for a moment, observing her with a stoic expression, as Cana started to feel desperate. She'd meant what she said- for better or worse Fairy Tail was her home and everything depended on her answer.

The Queen shook her head sadly," And here I hoped that I might persuade you, oh well."

Cana felt her heart skip a beat.

"So, you'll help me?" She asked hopefully and was rewarded with a gentle smile.

"Of course I will child." Titania said, placing the long-completed flower crown onto the brunette's hair, kissing the crown of her head. "All who wander Albion are my children. Be they human, animal, flower, tree, beast, or fae- even you, who have been with us so briefly have your own place within my heart. But that is not to say my aid is without a price."

"What do you want from me?" Cana asked, not sure if she liked where this was going," I don't have anything to give you."

"You underestimate yourself far too much child." Titania said softly," There is a great deal you have to offer- so much that only you can do. The Doorway does not present itself to just anyone- it saw the strength of your spirit and the lioness heart that beats in your chest, along with the deep sadness that cloaks you like a veil."

The Queen pressed a finger to the brunette's lips, silencing the words that hadn't yet formed," The price of my aid is thus: when you leave here, you must not speak a word of this place or all you have seen. This shall be a secret you keep until your dying day, then and only then may you speak freely of our world."

"I understand." Cana said with a small nod, earning her a light pat on the hand from the faery.

"Second: for the next year after this day, you shall weave a ring of flowers white as fresh snow once a month and leave it at a knoll in the forest of your own world as an offering." Titania paused and plucked a thorn-covered vine from one of the tree's branches, pressing it into the brunette's hand," Prick your thumb on this, and let a drop of your blood color each blossom red. You must do this every high moon for a year."

Cana was a bit more apprehensive but steeled herself and nodded," I understand."

The Faery Queen smiled at her," The magic in your blood runs as wild as your soul- it shall feed the forest well."

The thorny vine seemed to come to life, slithering up the girl's arm like a snake, and upon reaching the top of her arm turned into a beautiful golden armband.

"It shall return to its form each month until your debt is paid." Titania informed her as the card mage marveled at the magic.

"Where- where should I leave the flowers your Majesty?" Cana questioned carefully.

The fae smiled mysteriously," You'll know." She said, before continuing," And finally: when you return to your home, you must tell your father the truth behind the bond you share."

Cana jerked and stared at the Queen in shock," What?" She asked in distress, but the motherly fae shushed her.

"Hush little one." She said gently," I understand that it must be frightening. You humans cling to your realities with a ferocity that outshines the most stubborn boar, and fear change as you fear all you do not understand, and yet change must come. As I said before, all those who reside within Albion are my children, yourself included, and I cannot bear to see my children suffer. And you are suffering." The Queen gently stroked the brunette's hair, bringing back memories of the way her mother used to hold her after a nightmare." You suffer as you see your father give his love to others and deny you in his ignorance. You suffer from your misguided fears that he would reject you if you ever told him who you truly were- and I despair for your suffering."

Cana wet her lips and stared at the Faery Queen," Your Majesty… I don't think I'm brave enough."

Titania pulled her close and rest her head over her chest," Child, you see the strength of others and find yourself lacking. You think yourself weak for imagined failings. But the Doorway would not have opened to you if you were not brave. You would not have left all that was familiar and journeyed through the wilds of your homeland in search of your father if you were not brave. You could not have resisted the Oracle's tricks and the beasts of the forest's shadow if you were not brave. And you would not be here with me now, if you did not have the conviction to see that bravery through to the end."

The card mage was speechless and stared at the faery with wide eyes.

"So tell me child, are you prepared to pay this fare in exchange for your safe return?"

Cana straightened and looked the Faery Queen in the eye as she gave her a determined nod," Yes I am."

"Excellent. Now let yourself be gone from here, back to the world from whence you came so that you may rest your burdens down forever. Close your eyes and when next you open them, it shall be so."

oOOOOo

Cana knew the second she had left Albion- when the grass under her hands gave way to cold metal.

"Home sweet home I guess."

She blinked open her eyes, squinting hard as she tried to adjust to the near- pitch black of her surroundings.

"Air duct." She muttered, giving an experimental tap to the metal walls," Of course she'd send me back here. Oh well- I got myself this far."

Cana began crawling through the tight passage blindly, until she heard the muffled sounds of raised voices.

"Is that?"

The brunette moved faster until she could hear the shouts much more clearly than before.

"-I'm telling you she's in trouble!" Gray yelled desperately.

"And I don't disagree." Master said sternly," But we can't simply tear the walls apart- doing that blindly could damage the structure and put her in even more danger!"

Cana felt something twist in her chest- they were so worried about her. But she could fix it now- all she had to do was find a way out of this goddamned labyrinth-

The metal under her body gave an alarming groan.

The brunette froze and looked down at the floor as it gave another groan.

"Oh crap."

Cana let out a scream as the duct gave out from under her- sending her falling down.

(Not this shit again!)

BAM!

The brunette gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. It took a second for her to realize that she was looking up at the ceiling of the guildhall (with a pretty big hole where she had fallen through) and that she was surrounded by a sea of familiar faces gaping at her like Natsu had just declared his undying love for trains.

"Well… that happened." Cana said, half in shock.

At least something had broken her fall- that could have been way worse.

What did she land on? It was lumpy whatever it was.

The lump beneath her let out a pained moan.

Cana blinked and chanced a look down and saw a very familiar head of white hair.

"Whoops." She said dumbly," Sorry Elfman."

"Cana?!"

The brunette turned to look up at the stairs to Master's office to see Gray gapping at her with the same slack-jawed look as everyone else.

Not even bothering to get up, she flashed her foster brother a smile and a half wave," Sup Gray. I found the exit."

The ice wizard stared completely lost for words, and then suddenly he was right in front of her and yanking her up by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?!" He demanded.

"I'm fine- "

"Good now I can kill you." He snapped and smacked her hard upside head and then grabbed her cheeks, yanking them in different directions," What the fuck were you thinking you idiot?! Do you have any clue how freaked out I was when you stopped talking?! No, of course you don't. You just had to be the biggest idiot on the fucking planet and go on a wild goose chase- "

Gray abruptly cut off his tirade and blinked in confusion," Where the fuck did you get those clothes?" He asked in utter discombobulation (she could almost see the question marks floating around his head).

Wait-clothes?

Cana chanced a glance down and felt her cheeks go red. She was still wearing the dress (…somehow it hadn't seemed quite this revealing in Tír na nÓg…). The pale blue strapless dress had a v-line going all the way down to her belly button and was being held up by a piece of gold filigree between her breasts and sheer willpower.

She was not a prude by any stretch of the imagination (long term exposure to Gray had killed that) but… well it seemed like crawling around in an air duct and then falling fifty feet to earth was not good for coverage.

Cana yelped and frantically yanked the dress up, trying not to look at anyone.

Meanwhile Gray was still pretty confused," You weren't wearing that before." He said, looking at her like a big, dumb puppy (that head tilt though- that was all Quist. Damn she missed the bird already).

"Even if I could tell you, you wouldn't believe me." She said honestly, finally pulling herself up and off of Elfman." Sorry I worried you, but there's something I need to do."

Before Gray or anyone else could react, she bolted out of the guildhall- the Faery Queen had sent her home, now it was time to keep her end of the bargain.

oOOOOo

Either time moved differently between Albion and Earthland, or the Queen had sent her back in time a couple hours, because it should be pitch black outside, and instead the sun was just starting to go down. A quick glance at a clock as she darted around the crowded streets confirmed that she'd been gone for roughly three hours their time.

Didn't matter. She was home now, and she had to keep her word.

She had to tell Gildarts the truth.

Cana felt both her lungs and legs screaming but she didn't slow down. She had to do this while the Queen's pep talk was still fresh in her mind.

She had to be brave.

Gildarts was standing on that low bridge, playing catch with Natsu just like they usually did when he was home. This wasn't where she imagined this talk would ever take place.

The guildhall maybe, sometimes she thought about Southgate Park, and recently she had assumed that it would happen on Tenrou Island after she won the trials.

Titania's voice echoed through her head.

'Your performance at the behest of others was exactly how it was meant to be, and it was lovely.'

She'd heard something like that before: everything happens for a reason.

She had stuffed the Star into her boot because it was one of the first things she touched in her deck. But if she hadn't brought it with her, then she wouldn't have been able to prove she had magic. If she hadn't been able to put on the initial lightshow and proved that she had magic, she would have never met everyone. If they hadn't followed her because she was a magic-using human, then they would have stayed nameless. If she hadn't showed that she had magic, then she probably would never have been brought to Tír na nÓg and even if she had- she probably would not have gotten an audience with Titania.

If she hadn't grabbed the Star, then she may never have gotten home.

'…exactly as it was meant to be…'

Maybe all of this was by design, maybe it was just pure luck- but for better or worse, her father was going to know who she really was, and whatever happened next, was simply whatever what would happen next.

"Gildarts!" Cana yelled, getting the man's attention.

The Ace turned to look her way, and sadly missed the ball as it sailed over his shoulder… hitting Cana square between the eyes.

The brunette let out a yell as the ball collided, sending her to the ground.

(God- Universe- whoever- please don't mess with her top again. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally flash her dad.)

"Shit!" Suddenly strong hands were helping her sit up," Cana? Holy- Cana can you hear me?"

"Yeah." She said dazedly (come on universe- what else you got? She'd had everything from fairies to talking trees today- what else was left? Lightning?! A mutant jello monster?!).

Gildarts still looked deeply concerned and held his hand up in front of her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"…two?"

The man nodded and put his hand down, surveying the still-out of it girl with a concerned look and a raised eyebrow," That's some dress kiddo." Her said wryly.

Cana felt her face heat up and stole a look to make sure that everything was still in place (it was- thank you God, Universe, whoever).

"You feel like you can get up Cana?"

The brunette nodded and accepted his offered hand as she clambered to her feet," I need to talk to you." She blurted out," It can't wait."

Gildarts eyed her," Uh- no offense Cana I think I should get you checked out just in case- "

"I'm okay!" She said frantically, and a sudden spike of pain up her leg called bull. Cana looked down once again and stared.

How long had she been barefoot?

Well… the answer was clearly long enough to do some damage.

The brunette let out a hiss as she raised her right foot, staring in open disbelief at the cuts and torn skin. Slowly, she turned around, ignoring Gildarts' concern, to look back at the way she'd come, and marveled at the trail of bloody footprints.

Bare feet and cobble stones… real recipe for disaster. How'd she miss that?

"Holy- "Cana was suddenly airborne, as Gildarts scooped her up into his arms," I'm taking you to Porlyusica- "

"I need to talk to you first- "She tried to protest, but the crash mage shot her a completely disbelieving stare.

"Cana your feet are all torn up and you just got nailed in the head- "

"And I also fell fifty feet out of an air duct." She said, trying to get him to stop," Trust me- I'm good. I need to tell you- "

"Wait, you what?" Gildarts interrupted, starring at her like she'd just slapped him with a fish," You fell- okay you're in shock."

"You're my Dad!" Cana blurted out.

And everything stopped.

Gildarts stared at her, an entirely different form of shock painted on his face," W-what did you just say?"

The brunette swallowed," You're my Dad." She repeated, feeling a tightness in her chest," My mother was Cornelia Alberona- your ex-wife. When you guys split up, she was pregnant with me."

The Ace stumbled and almost dropped her.

"Wha-Conny was-?"

Cana nodded silently, feeling a lump in her throat as tears built up in her eyes.

Gildarts collapsed, sinking to the ground with her still held loosely in his arms.

The brunette kept going, wanting to get everything out before she could stop herself. "I tried to tell you." She said, her voice breaking," But things just kept getting in the way. All I've ever wanted was a relationship with you- I wanted you to treat me like you treat Natsu, I wanted you to love me like you love Natsu. I want you to be proud of me like you're proud of him. I know that's a lot to ask, but- but- I needed to say it. And you deserved to know."

Cana gasped as she tried to force the tears down," You don't have to feel like you have any kind of-of obligation to me. You don't have to do anything- "

"Like hell I don't."

Gildarts tightened his hold on her, turning what had been a carry into a hug, clutching her tight to his chest," Cana- your Mom was the only woman I ever loved. Marrying her was the happiest day in my life, and when she left it killed me. You- "He let out a hysterical laugh," I guess you're proof that even though it all ended bad, there were still good times. I always wanted a little girl…"

"My real name's Rebecca." Cana confessed, feeling the way her father stiffened," Mom was the only person who used it- everyone else just called me 'Cana', but she always called me Rebecca, because it was the name you wanted."

"She- "The Ace broke, clutching her even tighter," She hated that name- hated it. But she- "He took several shaky breaths, then smiled with tears in his eyes," She named you Rebecca…"

"Yeah." The brunette said with a grin of her own," She did… Dad."

"I hope you know that you're never getting rid of me." He told her, only half joking," We're gonna be a family from now on. I'm gonna be there for everything- on jobs, in town, even to get groceries. We'll always be together."

"Sure you won't get sick of me?" She asked, her voice breaking.

Gildarts gave his daughter a soft look and pressed a kiss to her head. "Never."

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, both completely content to stay in the hold, before a loud yell finally dragged them out of their peace.

"GILDARTS!" Natsu yelled as he bolted towards them, skidding to a stop and kicking up dirt," I told Gramps to get the old hag, but you guys never showed up!"

The Ace let out a small laugh," Sorry Natsu- we got a little distracted." It was then he remembered that before this whole revelation, Cana had not only been hit in the head with a baseball but also had torn up her feet and felt a flash of panic. He stood up abruptly, startling Cana, who let out a yelp," Holy- sweetie are you alright? Who am I kidding of course not- you're going to be fine I swear! I'll hold your hand the whole time- "

"NATSU ITS GONNA EAT ME!"

All three heads turned toward the panicking blue cat who was in the process of breaking his personal best speed. Happy crashed into Natsu's chest and frantically crawled into the dumbfounded pinkette's shirt.

"It was following me and saying freaky stuff!" The cat wailed," And it looks like it died and was buried and then somebody dug it up!"

"What are you talking about little buddy?" Natsu asked, completely lost.

A loud caw prevented Happy from answering (the cat let out a shriek that could break glass) and a black shape swooped out of the sky heading straight for-

"Cana!" Gildarts said, trying to shield her from whatever the thing was, but Cana's reaction stopped him in his tracks.

"Quist?!" Cana asked incredulously as the bird landed on her shoulder," How the- what- "

The bird glared at her and ruffled his feathers," Said I could come. You said! You said!"

And it clicked.

"I did, didn't I?" The brunette said, fighting the wave of hysterical giggles (this day had been so fucking nuts she was half expecting aliens to invade).

"Uh- you know it sweetie?" Gildarts asked eyeing the possible bird on his daughter's shoulder.

Cana nodded," This is Quist." She said in introduction," Quist this is my Dad, Dad this is Quist."

Everyone ignored Natsu's surprised yell at that little revelation.

The card mage stared at the bird who should not be there," Quist how did you even get here?"

The bird switched from glaring to looking distinctly pleased with himself," We came through the Door! We did! We did!"

"We?" Cana's eyes scanned the direction where he had come from, resting on a very familiar door in the base of a tree and in front of it-

"Thackery?"

The jackelope waved next to the open Doorway and then quickly turned and darted back through the opening. As soon as the door swung shut it vanished as though it had never been there at all.

Quist tugged on her hair with his beak, nuzzling against her cheek like a cat," Missed you! We did! We did!"

"I missed you to buddy." Cana said with a smile, and then looked up at her very confused father," Think we can go home now Dad? It's been a real long day."

Gildarts started, and nodded as he began to walk back towards the guildhall, silently promising himself to ask for details later," Was it a nice day at least sweetheart?"

"Oh, it was absolutely wonderful."

AN: This took an entire month of work to complete and another three to edit properly. There is so much that did not make it into the final version, I originally had a different ending that I cut out because I figured that at that point you guys would be tired of reading this. It was going to be Cana tells Gildarts and big sappy moment, then flashforward to her walking through the woods to put down the flowers for the first time and trying to figure out where to go when Quist flies in out of nowhere scaring her half to death. She recovers and then Thackery comes out... minus his antlers. He traded them to Titania in exchange for a pocket watch that tracked the doorway so he could go visit her. When she got all concerned that he would do that for her he waves her off and says she's worth being just a white rabbit (see what I did there?). This ending added another two-three thousand words on so I cut it because this was already long enough. Its not the only thing I cut, the ball was originally a lot longer, but it was the only thing I struggled with cutting.

This chapter was a real rollercoaster from start to finish and I worked in references to every fantasy series that has ever touched my heart: Tumnus from Narnia, the naming from The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, everything from Alice in Wonderland, the characters from the Ancient Magus Bride (if you haven't seen it go watch it. Trust me you won't regret it), and bits and pieces from so many things it would take me a year to break it down.

A piece of advice when dealing with old world faeries that I ignored during this: DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR FULL NAME. if you can avoid giving them even one part of your name, do so. I am a woman of science, but you know what science has taught me? That theres no upside in screwing with things that you can't explain. For that reason I have a healthy respect and paranoia towards all the things that science can't explain quite yet.

And don't even get me started on Quist- I have been writing my own original work for about a year now and am now re-writing everything just so I can include the best bird. Thackery grew on me too. Just sitting here and obsessively reading and rereading this has made me feel so proud, because this story was supposed to be six chapters and it has become so much more. I spend so much of my time planning and writing and I've started carrying a notepad everywhere just in case I come up with a new idea. I have screenshots of every single review I've ever gotten and whenever I feel stuck I go back and I read them. Thank you, all of you.

Thank you for reading, thank you for your ideas, thank you for your feedback, thank you for your support. Just- thanks. I couldn't have done this without you. Here's to every chapter to come.