Rust
Chapter 10 - Discovery
There was no way to know for certain if the bombing on the nightclub was a coincidence, or in any way related to their mission, regardless of what the local rumour mill was churning out, so it was with heavy heart and tired limbs that Gajeel, Xally and Doireann bid farewell to the usually sleepy town of Caesalpinia, once again on the road towards unknown dangers and adventures.
Their next stop was to be Alstroemeria, and the only archival library in this part of the country, because while Gajeel definitely preferred the traditional Fairy Tail way of jumping into things headfirst and brawling his way out of the resulting mess, he'd spent so many years around Levy that even he had to agree with his travelling companions that there was no such thing as too much information, which reminded him of a conversation he should have had days ago.
"Y'know who'd be outta 'er mind jealous if'n ye told 'er where we be headed?"
"Levy. Yeah, I can picture her face now." Xally giggled, then sighed sadly, the weight of homesickness resting heavy on her shoulders.
"Don' look s'down, annwyl. She's doin' jus' fine, an' yer niece already be givin' Bicks hell."
"You spoke to her?" If looks could kill, Gajeel knew he'd be in proper trouble right about now, in need of a healer given Xally's eyes were aflame and furious. "And you didn't think to tell me? Let me talk to her?"
"Ain't thought ta mention it. Been a little busy th' last few days with ev'rythin' goin' on." He knew he really should apologize, roll over and accept she was right - because she was, he should have told her earlier - but the way she came at him instantly had the Dragon defensive, heckles well and truly raised. Gajeel was a Dragon Slayer, the son of an ancient and powerful being - an alpha male in every sense, and being spoken to, being yelled at the way she was? Well that was never going to be an easy thing for him to swallow.
The walk between Caesalpinia and Alstroemeria had turned out to be the longest three days of Doireann's life. Three entire days of silence, of cold glares and empty arms, stealing longing glances and heated stares when the other wasn't looking. Gajeel and Xally might have been almost ridiculously powerful, but to her they were being just plain ridiculous, so when they arrived in Alstroemeria's ornate and enormous library, she wasted absolutely no time in locking them in the library's underground archives and walking away, muttering under her breath about the idiocy of men and blondes alike.
"Guess I'll go start over that end? We can meet in the middle."
Gajeel knew there was more behind Xally's choice in phrasing than geography, but he was prideful and stubborn to a fault - even if the Dragon had long since tired of their squabble, something in him refused to be the first to back down, as though an apology would be admittance of his guilt, and as far as Gajeel was concerned, he'd actually done nothing wrong.
He was still glowering an hour later, shoving his way through the drawers and stomping louder than was strictly necessary, when the hairs on the back of his neck bristled, the Dragon instantly at attention as something ethereal whispered against his skin.
"Welcome, Dragon."
Said soul roiled within him, gnashing and snarling at the energy he perceived as danger, unhappy to be so distanced from the one they cherished.
"Hush, I mean no harm to your ward or your love. I am Ethé, the soul of this place. I know why you are here, Ydroileorth. Why you have come, Son of Metalicana. What you seek, tylwyth teg." the voice whispered, rolling across the uneven stone floor and echoing into the ears of the only other person in the room, who spun in shock, blonde hair flying about her shoulders as papers began to whirl about the space, settling themselves on the long tables down the centre of the room.
"The answers to questions you have yet to ask, the answers you are afraid to ask for... They are all here, for those who know how to look."
"Gajeel - it's... Look." Xally's voice was the faintest of whispers as she slid the fragile tome gingerly across the wooden table, its papers yellowed and brittle under her fingers where they tapped one single entry, hand written in a script so elegant it took a moment to decipher.
Gajeel Kye Redfox
16th day of Negetal, X461
Áine Maris Redfox
They'd come all this way for information on the ring of kidnappers, of smugglers and assassins they were hunting, and instead Xally had found a piece of Gajeel that hadn't even known he was missing.
He had a birthday, a way to calculate the passage of time. But more than that, Xally had given him his mother back. Now, Gajeel had a name for the woman he could barely recall, his memories of her a silvery morning fog that slipped through his fingers like droplets of dew, scattering in the air.
He didn't know when, couldn't tell you how, but Xally was in his arms, her tears dampening his shirt while his soaked into her hair, the love between them so palpable in the room that even Ethé drew strength from it, her form corporeal for the first time in millennia; the Dragon purring at the peace he felt within Gajeel.
"Dragon born, do you wish to know your father?"
Drawing his arms tighter around Xally, Gajeel paused to think - did he want to know? He had no recollection of his birth father, only Metalicana had ever filled that role for him, and he'd never felt the loss of someone he'd never known because of it. But, if the information was here? Would he forever regret not asking, not knowing?
"Show me."
"What, y'all done seen a ghost or something?"
"Something like that, Doire." Xally's voice was heavy, her arm tight around Gajeel as they climbed the stairs to rejoin the third member of their unlikely trio. "I've had about enough of libraries and secrets for one day, let's get out of here?"
"Lady, I thought you'd never ask!" And without so much as a backwards glance, because she really didn't want to know what had gotten two of the strongest mages she knew quite so rattled, Doireann spun on her heel and marched towards the exit and the late afternoon sunshine.
"Come on, haearn." Xally's words were soft, the worry she felt bleeding through her voice and even the Dragon was rattled enough that he didn't answer her call, merely let her lead them into the open air and a future that was suddenly more uncertain than ever.
After an uncharacteristically quiet and uneventful dinner, and absolutely no argument over their accommodations, Doireanne left the pair of somewhat shell shocked lovers to their own devices because whatever happened in the bellows of that library, clearly she wanted less that nothing to do with.
"Xal?"
"I'm here haearn, and I'm not going anywhere."
"How ken ye say tha'? Knowin' wha' I am? Wha' I'll prob'ly become?"
"Because I know you, Gajeel. Who you are. I know you're strong, and gentle, and stubborn to all hell. I know you're a good man, regardless of who your father was. Family is more than the blood that binds you - after all, I know that better than anyone." Xally crossed the floor as she spoke, gathering Gajeel's face in her hands, cupping his jaw in her palms and stroking her thumbs softly against his cheeks, eyes ablaze with fire that looked like ice where they bore into ruby gems that glittered under the dim lighting, shadows flickering and dancing wildly around them.
"Duwiau uchod, rwyf wrth fy modd i chi".
"Ac yr wyf, i chi. Fy gwirion Ddraig".
"D'yer think he knew? All tha' time?"
"I don't know, Gajeel. But probably, a lineage like that? He must have at least guessed." Xally froze for a moment, her fingers stilling against his skin as she thought back a few hours. "Why did Ethé call you Ydroileorth earlier?"
That woke the Dragon, the word music that set his soul soaring as it rolled across her tongue and tumbled from her lips into his ears. He slid easily into control, power rolling over them in waves as scales rippled and danced over his skin, almost glowing under lanterns that lit the room.
"mae'n fy enw i. Or rather, it was, in times long since passed."
"Ydroileorth... It suits you, fy cariad"
"It is long and cumbersome, as was the custom of my time. You will continue to call me haearn, lleuad yn fy mywyd".
A simple nod was enough for the Dragon, taloned claw coming to rest against the softness of her cheek, a gentle sigh escaping the ancient spirit as he sank back into the depths of Gajeel.
Translations -
Duwiau uchod, rwyf wrth fy modd i chi = God's above, I love you
Ac yr wyf, i chi. Fy gwirion Ddraig = And I, you. My silly Dragon
mae'n fy enw i = It is my name
fy cariad = my love
lleuad yn fy mywyd = moon of my life
Negetal - pronounced nyettle, is the season of the Reed Moon (sometimes called the Elm Moon). It relates to magical workings such as spirit guides, the celebration of death, and honoring the cycle of life and rebirth.
YOU GUYS! It's been so long, and I am eternally sorry!!! But I'm back, and there's absolutely more updates coming, and I even have *that* chapter (you know, the one that seems to exist in all my fics) all done and ready to go, we just have to get there!
Desna, Dragonfly, Nice, Rao - thank you for your reviews last time, they've been my constant motivation to keep slogging away, even just a few words at a time, during the insanity of the last few months, and I hope I'll get to continue putting something out that you enjoy - hopefully with more regularity!
Like always, I can't wait for your feedback and your ideas and thoughts on what's coming next! Stay safe, and sending you all so much love
- A.V xxx