AN: Chapter 3

Very sorry I haven't updated in forever everyone… work and life have kept me busy and distracted. Hopefully you all will enjoy this chapter, I basically had to change the whole thing. There were a lot of errors and a lot of things didn't make sense so it took me longer to go over and change what I had written before. Please excuse any mistakes I have missed!

Christian: Thank you so much! Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter as well. And making them childhood friends was always one thing I wanted to do in a Gajevy story, this one just happened to be it! lol and Juvia will become more involved in later chapters so I'm excited for that. :)

Gajeel turned the corner of Levy's room, gripping his right arm tightly as it pulsed. He pushed his body up against the castle wall, letting his head fall back onto the cool stone as he closed his eyes. 'Damn it… I almost let myself slip back there…' Crimson orbs peeked through his eyelids, glancing down at his right arm. 'I shouldn't have pinned her down like that… I need to be more careful around her.' The tall man shook his head as he pushed off of the wall. "I've gotta go find Rain woman and get the hell out of this place." Gajeel looked back to Levy's door, everything in his body screaming at him to go back, but the pulse in his right arm told him to stay away. 'Damn this curse…' He growled as he turned his head back forward and made his way back down to the infirmary.

The large man rounded the corner to see Juvia standing outside of the infirmary, her solid blue eyes staring right at him as he walked closer. "I thought you wanted to stay away from her?" She said coolly as she noticed the man clenching his arm tightly.

Gajeel growled and rolled his eyes as he walked up to his companion. "Shut up. I wasn't touching her for long… I'll be fine."

"I still think we need to go see Porlyusica for more medicine." Juvia said quickly as Gajeel started walking past her to enter the room she was standing outside of.

He snapped at her quickly. "I said I'll be fine. It only gets bad when… when I let myself act first before my brain. If I know what I'm doing before hand, then I can keep my damn curse in check. But if I just act before thinking… then there's no stopping it." Gajeel stopped in the doorway as his crimson eyes fell onto his now conscious brother. He was sitting up on the bed slowly, the servant beside him helping him up slowly. His bare back showed a long and jagged scar from a nasty burn that didn't seem to heal correctly in the past.

Rogue glanced back weakly, sensing his younger brothers' presence. He turned his head back around and looked down to hide the pain in his face as he lifted his vest to cover his back, dismissing the servant as he did.

Gajeel stood frozen in his place as he continued to watch his brother, unwavering even as Juvia placed a hand on his back, whispering into his ear. "You should talk to him."

The tall man was hesitant but knew it was probably best to at least talk for a few minutes with his brother. He shook away his nerves as he walked into the room, stepping aside so the servant could leave. Gajeel stopped right behind his brothers' bed, his mind racing. He raised a hand to the back of his head as he glanced to the side, trying to figure out how to start a conversation with Rogue. Gajeel's crimson gaze went back to his brother after another long minute. He coughed slightly before speaking. "That's uh… one nasty scar you got there Rogue."

Rogue attempted to stand on his own, he wanted to face his brother as they spoke, but he was not ready just yet. He stumbled forward, grasping the bed across from him for support, his other hand grasping at his injured side. The pain from Evergreen's attack still hadn't subsided. Gajeel could hear Rogue heavy breath as he stood, causing Gajeel to drop his hand to his side and step forward. "Hey, take it easy, Rogue. The poison probably still is coursing through your body. You don't need to push yourself." A large gloved hand reached out for his older brother, but quickly clenched tight and withdrew back to Gajeels' body. Why was he being so hesitant to help his own brother?

Rogue finally spoke as he lifted his body straight up slowly. "If you truly are my brother, you will tell me right now why you have come back after all these years." The captain shifted to face his brother with a serious look across his face.

Gajeel stared at Rogue. He wanted to tell him everything that has happened in the past eleven years. He knew Rogue would probably understand his reasoning's but at the same time he wanted to keep his life a secret. "I wanted to go train with a wizard so I could learn magic. So I left the house and searched for one. It was nothing personal Rogue. It was hard for me to leave you like I did. But I made a promise many years ago, and now I plan on fulfilling it."

Rogue stared back at Gajeel. He smiled weakly and raised a thumb to this little brother. "Sounds good enough for me, Gaje."

Gajeel growled and angrily yelled at Rogue. "Don't call me that! You know I hate that nickname!"

Rogue laughed loudly, "Oh come on now little Gaje, I have to make up for all these years you've been gone! Now come here and give your big brother a hug!" The dark haired man rolled his eyes and sighed. He walked around to Rogues' side and hugged his brother lightly. Rogue pulled Gajeel in and hugged him tight, ignoring the pain from so much movement at once. "I was so worried when you stopped contacting me."

Gajeel closes his eyes slightly, feeling bad about not letting his brother know what had happened. "I know..."

Rogue pushed Gajeel away and smiled up at him. "So how long do you plan on staying? And where are you staying, Gaje?" He said with a snicker.

Gajeel ignored the name, "Well I was sleeping outside in the woods with Juvia. We don't really have enough money to afford anything around here."

Rogue thought for a minute before he snapped his fingers, "You should join the Guard! It's very nice pay, you'd have a place to stay and you can spend some time with Levy!"

Gajeel's face blushed slightly as he turned his head away from his brother. "I don't need to spend any more time with her!"

Rogue laughed at his little brother, "That's not what my little Gaje would have said all those years ago!" He said teasingly.

Gajeel growled as he spoke, clenching his gloved fists tightly. "I'm different now. I'm not the same love-sick brat I used to be." The tall man turned and started for the door. "Just… take it easy for a while, ok? You don't need to go pushing yourself."

Rogue stood there and smiled as he watched his younger brother leave the room with haste. 'Not the same love-sick brat, huh? Something about him tells me otherwise….'

Gajeel mumbled under his breath as he left the room, walking right past Juvia. She watched him for a long minute before pushing off the wall she rested against and made her way to his side. "Are you sure you want to leave now? You barely said anything to him."

The dark haired man quickened his pace at her words. "I don't care!" He snapped. "Let's just get out of this damned castle and make some distance between us and it." Gajeel cursed under his breath. 'We shouldn't have come back here in the first place…. What was I thinking? Storming into the castle just because ol' thunder head was here… I should have let the Royal Guard take care of him…' Crimson orbs narrowed as sharp teeth gritted together in frustration. 'Damn it all!'

The two outsiders rushed around a corner, only to be stopped in their tracks as a large formation of guards pointed their weapons right at them. Gajeel growled as he clenched his fists. "Seriously? Are you assholes going to let us pass…" The large man brought his closed fists to his chest, cracking his knuckles loudly. "Or are we going to have some fun?"

Juvia calmly chimed in. "Gajeel… we didn't come here to fight the guards…"

Before her companion could respond, one of the masked guards spoke up with a shaky voice. "W-we have o-orders... to bring you t-to see the King... You two need to come with us..." Gajeel could see the man shaking in his boots as he spoke out to them both. He let out a booming laugh a second later, causing the guards to jump back slightly.

"You think I'm gonna blindly follow you weaklings to see the King? Don't make me laugh! You all call yourselves part of the Royal guard? You're pathetic." All of the men surrounding them look down, ashamed for the fear they were showing.

Juvia looked up at Gajeel as she stepped up beside him. She placed her hand onto his closed fists and pushed them down to his side. "We should listen to them Gajeel. You may look like you still have energy to fight, but I know better than all of them, you used a lot of your magic and strength during your fight with Laxus."

Gajeel glared at Juvia. She was the only one who could see through his hard exterior. Even though she didn't get to see him fight Laxus, she still knew he wasn't able to fight for quite some time. He smirked at her and turned his crimson gaze to the guards once more. "Alright, Rain woman. I'll listen to you this time, but only because I'm slightly interested in hearing what the King has to say."

The scared guards split up into two small groups so they could escort the two strange visitors to the king. Gajeel watched the second group make their way behind him and Juvia, their weapons at the ready in case either of them wanted to try anything funny. 'How annoying… the Royal guard really has fallen to pretty low… looks like they'll take any willing and weak soul that thinks they can wield a sword nowadays.' He thought to himself as he followed behind the first set of guards, somewhat eager to know what the king had to say.

The hour was late when Gajeel and Juvia were finally in front of the King. Gajeel stood with his arms across his chest, staring at the King with his red eyes. Juvia stood beside him with her hands neatly placed in front of her. Her blue eyes right on the king as well. The king looked down angrily, his hand gripping staff tightly as he stared back at them. He sat there in silence, taking in the sight of the two outsiders before him.

"Tell me your names and why you have come to our lands." He demanded after some time.

Gajeel stood there, staring still. Juvia glanced over to her companion then looked to the King, bowing her head. "Sire, I am Juvia Lockser. My companion here is Gajeel Redfox."

The kings' eyes widen slightly, but then quickly narrowed once more. "Redfox, eh?" He looked to his royal guard and noticed Rogue was missing. "Where is the Captain?"

"He's been injured. He was protecting Levy from the Thunder Legion." Gajeel said plainly as if he were bored with the Kings' question.

The King turned his attention back to Gajeel. "What do you know of the ones who attacked the castle? I've seen you're magic, and I've only known of dragon slayers to have such powers like yours." Gajeel remained silent as his eyes moved elsewhere. The king glared down at Gajeel. "If you do not speak, I will have no other choice but to sentence you to a life in prison. And if you are a dragon slayer, death will claim you at dawn."

Juvia looked at Gajeel once more, hoping he would speak for himself. She chose to remain silent. The tall man turned his head back and smirked up at the king. "I'm not tellin' you anything, no offense, but you wouldn't believe me even if I told you that I wasn't a dragon slayer."

The King grew furious at the dark haired man. "Take them both to the dungeon! I will decide their fates soon."

The guards thrust their weapons forward towards the two strangers. Juvia looked down and turned. "Come Black Steel..."

Gajeel growled angrily. He wasn't one to take orders, but the Rain woman was probably the only one who could tell him to do something and he'd listen. He turned and walked away with her. They both were placed into one cell in the lower levels of the castle that were untouched from the attacks of the Thunder Legion earlier that day. Gajeel leaned up against the cold wall as Juvia sat down on the ground with her legs beneath her.

"Well this beats sleeping outside..." Gajeel said as he looked around the cell.

Juvia smiled slightly. "At least we had a fire going outside. In here, there's nothing but the cold and dampness. Not exactly cozy now is it?"

Gajeel slid down the wall and propped one knee up, resting his wrist on it. He sighed as he rested his head back on the wall, closing his crimson eyes slowly. "This is going to be a long night."

Levy was awoken the next day by one of her servants. She sat up slowly, rubbing her sleepy eyes. The servant was at Levy's bedside, bowing her head to her. "I'm sorry to wake you Princess, but your father has wished to speak with you. He has asked for you to meet him in the war room when you are decent."

"Thank you, I'll be down to see him shortly." Levy stretched and yawned as the servant girl bowed again and walked out of the room, leaving the blue haired girl to herself in bed. 'Wonder what father wants with me so early... it's not like him to summon me into the war room. I wonder if it's to speak with me about what happened yesterday. '

Levy stretched one last time before stepping out of bed to dress quickly. She put on her dark green headband and looked herself over. Her hair was down with her bangs pulled back underneath her headband and she was wearing a loose green dress to match the fabric across her hair. She smiled at herself, pleased with her choice of clothing for the day. Levy gave herself a nod of approval before leaving her room.

She made her way to the war room with haste, eager to know what her father wanted to speak with her about. Her father came into her sight quickly as she walked through the double doors lined in red. The king was leaning over a giant table with a map covering it. She walked up to where he was and stood behind him with her hands together in front of her. "You wished to see me father?"

The king turned and smiled at his daughter. "Levy, my child, I'm pleased to see that you are unharmed. I have heard the Captain saved you last night from those maniacs."

Levy looked down sadly. "Yes, Rogue, er, the Captain, saved me multiple times last night from their attacks."

The king's expression changed slightly to dismay. "I heard this... other Redfox boy... had also done the same. Is this true?" He asked with a raised and concerned brow.

Levy blushed slightly as she glanced away at the mention of her old friend. "Yes father. Gajeel…helped saved me from the Thunder Legion as well."

The king sighed and clenched his fists as he turned around, his head shaking in disappointment. "I feared that." He slowly moved his hands behind his back. "I believe this Gajeel Redfox is a dragon slayer, my child. And you know what I must do."

Levy gasped as her head snapped back to look at her father, her feet moving on their own as she took a step forward, "Father you can't!"

He turned quickly to face Levy, anger filling into his eyes. "You know that if he is a dragon slayer, he must die Levy! It is the law of the land! You don't know the unimaginative power they will eventually possess! They are too dangerous to be left alive!"

The short girl took another unwavering step towards her father, her own fists clenching at her sides as she too spoke out with anger. "How do you even know that he is a true dragon slayer?! Just because he can change his form into iron, doesn't necessarily make him a dragon slayer. There are many types of magic users. Look at his companion. She's made entirely out of water, but she is no dragon slayer. You cannot accuse him of something to which you don't even know for certain."

The taller man turned on his heels, his hands going behind his back as he spoke. "He would not speak to me, the King! That is enough to find him guilty."

Levy's fist clenched tighter and moved in front of her body. "Let me talk to him father! He'll talk to me..."

Her father sighed and turned slowly, a slight smile on his face. "You are too stubborn for your own good. I don't think it is a wise decision, but I trust you might be able to have an easier time getting information out of him than I ever could. And if he isn't a dragon slayer, I may still have a proposition for him, allowing him to keep his life."

Levy smiled brightly as she jumped up to her father, hugging him tightly. "I'll return shortly." She let go and ran out of the room quickly to find Gajeel. Not only did her father want to know the truth, but so did she.

The cell door opened, creaking as the guard swung it open, letting the tall man sitting in the dark know that someone was entering his cell. He didn't bother to lift his head as he sat in place, waiting for a scent to fill his nose to know who had just entered. Gajeel smirked as a faint light started to outline his facial features as the figure stepped slowly towards him. "Heh, come back for another beatin'? I guess you didn't get enough last night. I'll be more than happy to finish off the job I started…"

With no response to his weak threat, Gajeel glanced up to see who had stopped just a few feet away from him. Crimson orbs opened wide as Levy came into focus. His eyes quickly turned away, not wanting her to see his face. He clenched a fist on the opposite side she was standing at, not wanting her to see the condition that he was in as he sat in his dark and smelly cell. 'Damn it… I couldn't smell her thanks to this stupid chamber… why is she here anyway?' His red eyes slowly moved back to the petite girl, his interest peaking slightly.

The tall man's eyes darted back away quickly when he saw her hand the guard her torch and closed the gap between them both, kneeling down beside him. Levy silently reached out her hands to cup his face and make him look in her direction. Hazel eyes softened as she saw the bruises on his face, along with the small cuts on his studded brow and lip. Crimson orbs tried to look anywhere but at her, desperately trying to focus on anything, but it was useless. The only light in the cell now was from the glowing fire on the small torch the guard held for the blue haired princess, making focusing on anything but her more difficult.

Levy quickly put everything together. She could tell he had picked a fight with the guards. The girl had noticed a few guards themselves had some nice bruises showing on their faces as she came to his cell. She wanted to talk to him about that subject but knew her time was limited. "Gajeel… I need to ask you something. Something really important."

He was still looking away from her as he spoke. "Yeah, so go ahead and ask... it's not like I've got anything to hide."

"I can save you from this place, but you have to answer me honestly." She paused and cupped his face slightly harder as she asked her question hesitantly. "Are you... a true dragon slayer?"

Her voice was but a whisper as they entered his ears. Gajeel moved his red eyes to meet with hazel, widening once more as they saw tears in the corners of her eyes. 'Why… is she getting teary eyed after just asking me a question like that?' He closed his eyes as he took back his face, letting it fall back to the cold, wet wall as he let out a light laugh. "Levy… why you want to know?"

Her voice was still soft as she spoke. "My father created a law long ago when Laxus first attacked us that anyone found to be dragon slayer, should be put to death immediately. He says they possess great and unimaginable power… and… if you are found to be a true dragon slayer like my father believes you to be…" A small tear escaped her eye as she paused for a moment. "Then… you would be put to death… and I… I wouldn't be able to live with that, I couldn't possibly!"

Levy watched Gajeel open his eyes as he looked back in her direction. "Levy..." He raised a hand and wiped away her tear with his thumb lightly. He grazed her cheek with his thumb as his large hand cupped the rest of the side of her face. She closed her eyes as she fought back more tears, unable to keep one more from escaping. 'What am I doing? It's like I can't control my own hands when she starts crying…' Gajeel thought as his crimson orbs narrowed slightly. 'I shouldn't tell her the truth… not right now… but then again, if the king already thinks I'm a dragon slayer… my fate is already decided it sounds like… so… maybe I should just say it….' He swallowed hard as he opened his lips. "Levy, I… I want to tell you the truth—"

Hazel eyes opened quickly as Gajeel started to speak, her hand came up over his mouth before he could finish, her voice no louder than a whisper. "Please… don't say it just yet, Gajeel. I don't want them to hear the truth. Just give me a moment to ask them to leave so we can speak in private." Crimson eyes shifted to the nosey guards behind her, their eyes glued onto him, ready to take action the moment he admits what they all wanted to hear. He closed his eyes lightly and reached up to move her hand away from his mouth.

"I was going to say that the truth is… I'm not a dragon slayer. Like I told my brother before, I wanted to find a wizard to train with, so I went out and found one. I'll have to tell you about it at another time when we don't have prying eyes and ears." His crimson eyes opened and looked deep into hers. He was telling her the real truth with his eyes, praying she would hoping she would understand him with just a look.

It didn't take Levy long at all to figure it out as her expression softened and her lips curled into a smile. She nodded her head. "Right." The short girl stood and extended her hand to the man still sitting on the cold floor. "If you come with me to talk to my father, I'm sure I can get you out of trouble, again!"

The dark haired man smirked as he took her hand into his, standing up and towering over her. He patted her head as he responded to her. "Just like old times, huh?"

Levy stuck out her tongue at him before smiling, her cheeks blushing slightly. "It's the least I can do… you did save me and Rogue from Laxus and the Thunder Legion after all."

Gajeel put a hand behind his head, looking away like it didn't mean anything to him what he really did for her. "It was nothing really. Let's just get this done and over with." He looked back at her as he lowered his arm, his expression more serious this time. "But I'll only meet with your father if I can have my partner back. They took her to another cell because I was being too… rambunctious…"

Levy sighed as she shook her head. "Gajeel… sometimes, you are too much." She smiled as she looked up at him, her cheeks still slightly pink. "But I'm glad you haven't changed."

The tall man blushed at her words for a split second, his head snapping away as he gritted his teeth. "Shut up… let's just go already! I'm tired of being in here…." Levy nodded once more and turned to the guard holding her torch from before. She took it from him and led the way out of the dark cells, making sure Gajeel was close behind her as they walked. He watched her and sighed to himself. 'There might be a few things that are the same from when we were younger, Levy… but… you don't know what kind of monster I have turned into… and frankly… I hope you never have to find out.'

AN: Sorry if it seems a bit short, but this is what I have for now! Please excuse any mistakes I didn't catch. Thank you so much for sticking with me, reading and reviewing!