Chapter 6: Standing on your own feet
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
yogaratw607: I don't think I will be doing lemons, more because I doubt I will make them good, maybe I will experiment with the idea later on, but as of right now, no. Thank you for the suggestions and I think it can put a nice twist on some events that I have planned.
Kriim-Sauce786: I like the idea, I won't be transforming the town into a big place since I want it to remain small, but I agree that them finding things to generally improve the town would be a great way to show the bonds they form with the place that gave them a new home.
NightSlayer04: Not over the top at all, and I have some nice plans ready in that regard.
24petitloup: Wendy sera dans Fairy Sphere car c'est une grande raison pour certains événements à venir. (Wendy will be in Fairy Sphere since that is a large reason for some events that are to come.)
Guest: How I am going to go about this story is with quite a few flashbacks that slowly reveals Lucy's motives to an extent. The confrontation will most likely be during the GMG unless I want to include it prior to that. As for when they will figure everything out, I have no solid idea as of yet.
skyrim Morrowind: I will set out on this endeavour, and I have a perfect event lined up for this.
Threekerr: Honestly it will take some convincing for me not to do this, especially with what I have planned.
NinjaFang1331: Thank you :)
-With Wendy-
Wendy and the Thunder Legion had just returned to Magnolia after their trip to Kodokuna Yama and they were now making their way back to the guildhall.
The group entered the guildhall with Wendy in high spirits compared to the last time she was there. Freed went to the bar where Makarov was sitting to give him the report about their quest.
"Master, we have returned from our quest to deal with the Wyverns," Freed said as he approached the old man while the rest of his team and Wendy went to sit by a table close to the one Gajeel and Levy were currently occupied. Panther Lily made his way over to the table to converse with his fellow Exceed.
"I presume the quest was a success," Makarov stated as he continued nursing the beer he had in his hand.
"No, actually the quest had already been completed by another group," Freed informed Makarov.
"That's interesting, that quest takes you out to a secluded town if I'm not mistaken, and to add to that the quest has been active for some time," Makarov commented as he took another sip of his beer with a thoughtful expression.
"Did you happen to run into this group that completed it?" Makarov asked after a few moments.
"We did run into them as we were going to where the Wyverns had been seen but by that time they had already completed the objective," Freed replied.
"Do you know from what guild they were since fighting Wyverns can sometimes be quite dangerous?" Makarov asked.
"It must have been a small guild since I didn't recognise the emblem," Freed answered purposely not revealing that it was Natsu and the Strauss siblings as to not have most of the guild rushing there and doing something that would cause the new guild any form of stress or anger.
"No need to worry about that. Now I see that little Wendy seems to be in a brighter mood since that day," Makarov said with a troubled look overtaking his features as he referenced the day his guild lost some of its members.
"I suspect just being away from everything that reminded her of what happened and being able to clear her mind of troubling thoughts helped her to get back to her usual self," Freed offered, keeping the real reason for Wendy's change in mood hidden.
"I do hope that it isn't just a temporary solution. On to happier news, I have announced that the S-Class trials are around the corner as you know," Makarov said before changing the topic.
"Yes, and I will be doing my best to take the spot of S-Class mage of the Thunder Legion now that Laxus isn't here anymore," Freed stated with a determined look.
"It has come to my attention that you have a way of contacting him. Don't worry I have nothing against it," Makarov said before adding the last part when he saw a look of panic flash over Freed's expression.
"Yes, we have been staying in touch, but it's not often, maybe like once a month. I think we all just want to ensure that everyone is doing okay," Freed said having relaxed when Makarov said he wasn't angered with them keeping in touch with Laxus.
"The day Natsu left he told me something Bickslow saw…" Makarov said in a quieter tone while trailing off at the end, not wanting the entire guild to hear their conversation considering the topic.
"If you were wondering if it was true, then yes, Bickslow saw a frightening shift in Natsu. This can mean a lot of things though, not necessarily something bad. Bickslow always said that souls were unique and interesting things but what I can say about what changes Natsu underwent that Bickslow saw is that he basically became less cheerful, fun-loving and all around the guy we knew, he became less like what we knew and gained other traits per se. Now what this means is that something has been added to who he is and proportionally he became less of who he was if that makes sense," Freed explained, trying to convey what Bickslow told him.
"If what I understand I correct, you are saying that Natsu has lost some of his innocence and will probably see the world in a darker shade compared to what he used to?" Makarov asked.
"That is a much better way of explaining it Master, you are correct with what you understand," Freed said.
"Wherever they might be I hope they are safe," Makarov said to himself.
"Do you regret kicking them out?" Freed asked.
"No, I stand by my decision. Lisanna seriously harmed a fellow guild member for no reason and in accordance with our rules that means for expulsion as I have stated," Makarov said.
'That is utter nonsense, having that as a reason. Just look at all the time Erza 'reprimanded' a guild member for something as stupid as destroying her cake, and that is just one of the many things that members had harmed others for with no real reason behind it,' Mira's outburst rang in Freed's head when he told her what Makarov was telling him now.
Taking a more passive course of actions Freed didn't say anything to Makarov of his opinion on that statement and excused himself before heading over to his team where he saw that Gajeel had also joined then since Levy was buried in a book with stone tablets scattered around her.
"And what about you Gajeel, have any requests that you are planning on taking?" Evergreen asked the Iron Dragon Slayer as Freed approached them.
"Yeah, was about to leave when I smelled pipsqueak here and just wanted to check on how she's feeling," Gajeel said with a steely glare, daring anyone to try and make fun of him for being soft.
"A lot better, thank you," Wendy replied with a smile.
"Anyway, wanna join me on my mission pipsqueak?" Gajeel asked the blue-haired Dragon Slayer.
"Isn't Levy normally the one to go with you, I really don't want to be a bother," Wendy said as she looked over to the bookworm.
"Normally she would join me, but she just found some translation job or something like that and said she will be busy with it for a while," Gajeel replied indicating to the stone tablets scattered around her.
"If that's the case then I would appreciate it if I can go with you," Wendy smiled.
"If you need to get anything, now is the time otherwise we can go now," Gajeel said.
"No, I got everything I need," Wendy replied. With that, the two Dragon Slayers and their Exceeds made their way out of the guild.
While the Thunder Legion smiled at this interaction and the two of them going on a mission a lot of the other guild members found it to be odd, but then again they had all been growled at by an angry Iron Dragon Slayer and would rather not comment on the odd team, fearing the response they might get.
-With Griffin's Haven-
"This is the perfect place for our guildhall," Mira said with a smile as they came to the next possible location. They had already looked at two other locations on the list of six but seeing what was in front of her, Mira knew that there was no need for them to look at the rest.
The location they were looking at was an open plot of land with a steep slope at the back that had a shallow, dry cove in it. Inside Mira's mind, the sketch of the mountain cottage guildhall they had agreed on was already merging with the mountainside. A smile came to her face as she turned to look at the rest of her guild members and family.
"So the next step is getting all the materials and actually starting the construction," Lisanna said with a smile that rivalled Mira's.
"Yes, now I have a decent amount of money saved up but it won't be enough to get everything. This means that we will have to be on the lookout for any jobs to help us with this," Mira said.
"It's manly to share all our money to get the things we need to build," Elfman said with a grin.
"Well, let's see how much we can get with our combined funds and if we need more we can go from there," Mira said with a happy smile seeing that everyone agreed with Elfman's suggestion.
"What are we going to do about a place to sleep while we build?" Lisanna asked, knowing that if they were going to rent a place it would have to be cheap.
"We camp of course," Natsu said with a grin.
"That is a great idea, and since we all have camping equipment we don't even have to buy anything," Lisanna said happily.
"Okay, so for starters, Natsu and Elfman, you two go and see where we can buy all of the building materials and equipment we will need to get the guildhall build while Lisanna and myself will be adjusting the rough plans we already have so that they fit in with what we have here," Mira instructed the group.
"Yes Master," Natsu and Elfman both said after sharing a devious grin. The words were barely out of their mouths before they were already booking it down the road, laughing as they ran.
"Those two are so going to get it when they come back," Mira seethed in anger but had a happy smile, glad to see that her small family are all in good spirits while Lisanna only giggled at her brother and Natsu's antics.
"Well, let's see what we are going to do here," Lisanna said with the remnants of a giggle in her voice as she pulled out the paper with their sketch of a guildhall as well as an extra stack of papers for her and Mira to draw on.
-With Wendy and Gajeel-
"I'm guessing you ran into Salamander while you were out with the Thunder Legion," Gajeel said as the two Slayers and their Exceeds sat in a train cart. They had purchased their tickets to get to the town where they would be doing their job that Gajeel picked out.
"Yeah, we went there to deal with some Wyverns but the mayor of the town said that there was already a group that started the job but said that if we join up with them we can all work together. When we were going up the mountain to where the Wyverns' cave was we actually ran into them as they were coming down." Wendy explained.
"So I guess they completed the request before you guys met them?" Gajeel asked.
"Yes, Natsu went overboard while dealing with the Wyverns and used up a lot of magic," Wendy giggled.
"Sure sounds like Salamander," Gajeel said with a grin.
"Anyway, after that we went back to town where we got a place to stay for the night," Wendy continued her story as a bright smile spread across her face, remembering what Natsu told her that night.
"Guessing by the smile you have, something happened there that you remember fondly," Lily said as he saw the bright smile coming over Wendy's features.
"The best thing that happened to me pretty much since Natsu invited me to join Fairy Tail," Wendy confirmed with her beaming smile. Gajeel and Lily waited patiently for Wendy to tell them what happened but it seemed like she was lost in the happy memory of whatever happened.
"I think they would like to know what happened, Wendy," Carla said, seeing that if she didn't say anything, Wendy might be lost in her happy little world for the rest of the train ride.
"Sorry. Well, Natsu said he saw me as his little sister," Wendy apologised with a nervous laugh before revealing what happened with a smile that seemed to split her entire face in two.
"Gi hi, didn't see that one coming, but it explains why you are so happy," Gajeel said with a grin.
"Sorry for my ignorance, but didn't he already see you as such since everyone at Fairy Tail sees everyone else as a family?" Lily asked.
"This is different from the Fairy Tail family, and seeing as they both are Dragon Slayers it means quite a lot more for him to say that than a normal little sister," Gajeel said.
"Care to enlighten us?" Carla asked with a slight amount of annoyance in her tone seeing that she had to ask them to explain.
"Well for Dragon Slayers you can say there are two kinds of family. One is like the family Fairy Tail mages says they see one another as. The other kind that is relevant here is a bond that transcends all. When a Dragon or Dragon Slayer names someone as a brother or sister, it means that they care for that person above everything, even themselves, with the only other status you can get that will place you on the same level as a sibling is the Dragon or Slayer's mate," Gajeel explained.
"That doesn't sound like there is a difference between that and what everyone at Fairy Tail has though," Lily commented with a confused expression while still being open to an explanation based on his very limited knowledge on the subject.
"That is where you are wrong. Let's take what happened to Lisanna as an example. The family that Fairy Tail has wasn't against ousting her from the guild, and the family. First of all, the situation that caused that decision wouldn't ever happen in a Dragon Family but that isn't the point. You remember how Salamander reacted after Lisanna was kicked out?" Gajeel asked just to ensure they were all on the same page.
"After Lisanna's siblings joined her in her exile Natsu blew up and launched an attack at the Master before blowing up then quitting," Lily confirmed.
"Well, just before he said he quit, he muttered that he thought that Fairy Tail was a guild that treated their members like family. Now I can't be a hundred per cent sure about this, but I believe Salamander thought that the Fair Tail definition of a family was the same as a Dragon's definition of family, or at least he did until that happened, now I think he might have seen the difference between the two kinds of families," Gajeel said with a frown.
"That still doesn't explain the difference," Carla said when Gajeel took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"I was getting to that, just trying to figure out how to explain it so that you can understand," Gajeel said in a slightly harsh tone. Carla merely huffed at him which got her a quick glare from Wendy.
"Let's start with the difference that Salamander realised that moment. When a member of a Dragon Family vouches for someone like Salamander said that he was with Lisanna the entire morning, that would mean that irrelevant of whether accusations from someone else states otherwise, like what they guild said happened to Blondie, the word of the member that vouched for another is taken as what happened for real. And before you ask, in a Dragon Family, no one will lie about something like that. But back to what I was saying, when Salamander said that Lisanna was with him the entire morning, meaning that she couldn't have attacked Blondie, he expected that to be it but as you know that wasn't what happened," Gajeel said.
"So the difference is the weight that member's words carry?" Lily asked, wanting to know if he was following.
"That is one of the differences, yes. Another difference is how they treat one another and what they would be willing to do for one another. This is the reason why I believe Salamander wasn't aware of the difference. He was quite often in situations where he would risk his life to ensure his family wasn't harmed, just like any member in a Dragon's family would do for another, but have you ever seen someone else attempt to do that for him? No, in fact, I'm surprised that Salamander still thought like that when Ice Pop handed him over to that lunatic with the mechanical Dragon just before the entire Edolas drama," Gajeel said as he felt anger brewing for the Ice mage of Fairy Tail.
"It was similar to the Dorma Anim that King Faust used, but this one used Natsu as a direct power source instead of using all the magical power on the planet," Carla quickly explained when she saw Lily dawning a confused expression. Lily gave her a quick nod of thanks and understanding.
"Back to my point, in a Dragon Family, there is nothing a member will do for another even if it will cost them their lives, as long as the family is safe. Now sure Fairy Tail mages say they will do anything for one another when push comes to shove I can guarantee you that they will book it with their own survival in mind and not protecting their little family," Gajeel continued.
"But what about the tales the guild tell about when Erza blocked a shot from the Jupiter Cannon when your old guild attacked?" Carla asked.
"Cockiness, she was so sure in her ability to block it that she didn't see it as an attempt on her life. There are horrors in this world that would force even the bravest of souls to abandon all they hold dear, with the only exception being those that form part of a Dragon Family," Gajeel explained.
"That seems to be something that would go against our most basic survival instincts though," Lily commented.
"You're not wrong Lily, why do you think that there aren't any more Dragons roaming around?" Gajeel asked.
"An ancient evil threatened their families, and even if they knew it was a doomed fight they continued because none of them would allow another member of their family to act as a diversion," Wendy whispered out the answer, her bright smile morphing into a saddened expression. The two Dragon Slayers fell silent for a moment while the Exceeds looked on with worried expressions for their Slayers.
"So basically what I was saying is that the way Salamander acted towards the guild is how a Dragon would act towards their family, but with pipsqueak here having him see her as a sibling means that he will look out for her even above all others and he will even give her his own life if needed. Before you ask, this is different from laying your life down for someone else. What is being referred to here is an ancient and complicated spell that has been lost to the annuals of time, a spell where the caster exchanges their own life force with that of a dying person," Gajeel explained.
"How does that even work?" Lily asked with a flabbergasted expression. To think that a spell exists that can grant a dying person life at the cost of the caster's life.
"And why would anyone do something like that?" Carla asked.
"Because for a Dragon or Dragon Slayer to see their siblings or mate die is a fate even worse than death, and once that happens they can easily become rampaging monsters until whatever was the cause is eradicated or they die," Wendy said in a soft tone.
"Let's just say that if the worst happened and Salamander caught word of it, then the world might burn to the ground if he doesn't have support," Gajeel said.
"It's a good thing he has Lisanna with him," Wendy said with a smile as she steered the conversation to a brighter topic.
"Well, considering what happened it's no surprise that he did that," Gajeel said with a grin.
"Once again we are out of the loop," Carla said to Lily but loud enough to ensure the two Slayers heard her clearly.
"Salamander already has a mate and that mate is Lisanna," Gajeel said with a smirk.
"Not completely, he still hasn't completed the mating ritual her but he already left the beginnings of his mark on her," Wendy said with a red face, the topic becoming too embarrassing for her young mind.
"You will not discuss this topic further, there is a child here," Carla ordered in a stern voice as she saw where this might go and didn't want Wendy to be exposed to that topic, even though she most likely had her Dragon explain it to her considering what she said.
"So a Dragon Family trusts one another a lot more than what normal families do and Dragon Siblings will quite literally give their life for the other?" Lily summed what they had just discussed up, wanting to know if he understood and bringing the conversation back to its original topic.
"That is a very basic description but yeah," Gajeel said with a sigh. He knew it would have been too difficult to explain fully but luckily the two Exceeds weren't Fairy Tail members for too long so they can still look at the guild's stances from an outside viewpoint. This is one of the reasons Gajeel never tried explaining this to the guild. That and he just couldn't be bothered since growling at people can also give the same outcome.
"We're pulling into the station. Uhm, what was the job exactly?" Wendy asked with a sheepish expression realising she never asked what they were going to do.
"Gi Hi, I'll let you know on the way to the client," Gajeel said as he stood up once the train came to a stop.
-A month later with Griffin's Haven-
The members of Griffin's Haven stood proud as they gazed on their newly constructed guildhall. The dark wood that made up the walls merged wonderfully with the mountainside it was built into and the dark green roof complimented the dark green foliage that surrounded the building. The entrance protruded from the rest of the building with two small towers on each side while the entrance itself had a huge double door that had a medieval design. The rest of the guildhall was attacked to the mountain, indicating that the back wall of the inside would actually be the mountain itself. The hall spread out to each side with roughly the size of an average bedroom. Large windows with heavy frames were situated on each side of the hall and a smaller pair of windows could be seen in what would be assumed to be the attic.
The group made their way over to the large doors where Mira turned around to look over her small guild with a proud smile.
"I'm not that used to making grand speeches just yet, but I just want you guys to know how proud I am of you. This past month had been difficult and I'm not sure when it will start getting better, but I do know that we will come to live happy and fulfilling lives here. Once we have established ourselves as a guild that can do even the hardest requests and our income gives us a comfortable financial situation where we can easily keep ourselves comfortable, then we can begin our search for those who require help, those who had unjustly lost what they held dear, and those that had been cast aside for reasons they couldn't control. We will give them a home to call their own, and a group of friends and family that will support them with all their heart because we are Griffin's Haven," Mira declared with a fist in the air and a bright proud smile on her face.
The rest of the members cheered at Mira's speech and shared her proud expression. Things were starting to look up for all of them.
"Now let's see the fruits of our labour," Mira said as she pushed the heavy doors open.
The inside of the foyer was pretty calm in design with the only thing standing out were the two massive logs that made the two towers that can be seen from the front. Moving through the foyer the hall opened up into a large common room with a lighter wood colour covering the walls and the high ceiling. A small collection of wooden benches and tabled were scattered around the hall, a small bar was situated to the left of the room with enough space for four bar stools and behind the bar, there was a door that leads to the kitchen, a high shelf for the higher quality booze and a cabinet with a large assortment of glasses, mugs, plates and cutlery.
The right side of the hall had four doors that lead to simple rooms with a bed and a nightstand for potential members to use until they found permanent housing. Behind that was a door that leads to the infirmary, because a wizarding guild without an infirmary just isn't a good idea. The back wall was actually, as the outside would have suggested, part of the mountain, but this wall was neatly finished off with another four doors in them. Each door leads to a fully furnished bedroom with a small bathroom attached, that was cut out of the mountain itself. In the middle of the four doors, there was a large fireplace that roared with a crackling fire that illuminated the hall alongside the lights that were hidden in the rafters. The final thing that stood out was the small stage next to the bar that was an elevated platform in the corner of the hall.
The overall size of the hall was half that of the Fairy Tail guildhall The feeling that the Griffin's Haven members felt once they entered the building was the feeling you would feel when you enter a safe space where you know you will get a nice hot meal, pleasant conversations and a caring family.
"This place looks amazing," Natsu said with a grin as he scanned the hall. Once his eyes fell on the back wall a sad smile came to his face.
"You okay Natsu?" Lisanna asked as she saw the sad smile, wondering what was bothering him.
"Yeah, this just feels so much like the cave me and Igneel used to live in," Natsu responded with a nostalgic smile. Hearing this brought sad smiles to the other members, knowing the pain of losing your parents, but they were happy to hear that it already felt like home for the Dragon Slayer.
"We will have to stock up the kitchen and bar soon," Lisanna said with a giggle as saw the empty shelves at the bar while at the same time trying to change the mood to a happier one.
She was successful in her attempt since Natsu's face instantly lit up at the prospect of food.
"Before we do that there is one final thing I want to do before we can officially say we have completed the forming of our guild," Mira said as she walked onto the stage. Natsu looked around in confusion while the Strauss siblings had grins on their faces.
"As Master of Griffin's Haven, I hereby select Natsu Dragneel as our first S-Class mage. Congratulations Natsu, you have earned the title time and again," Mira said with a smile directed at the shocked Natsu.
"A real man is S-Class," Elfman roared out as he pumped his fist in the air in celebration.
"Congratulations Natsu," Lisanna said before leaning towards Natsu and planting a soft kiss on his cheek with a loving smile on her face.
"Thank you guys, I will make sure to bring pride to our guild's name and prove that you didn't make a mistake," Natsu said with a proud smile and a few tears of joy forming in his eyes. Finally, he is one step closer to his ultimate goal. 'Soon Dad, I'll see you again,' Natsu silently vowed.
"Even though the bar isn't stocked I still have some things ready for the celebration party," Mira said with a sly grin as she pulled out a barrel of beer from behind the bar counter as well as a tray with a delicious assortment of food. The first celebration in the Griffin's Haven guildhall was underway.
-The Fairy Tail Guildhall-
Wendy had been going on regular jobs with either Gajeel or the Thunder Legion members. She learnt about how, once a year, the members of Fairy Tail that strive to reach S-Class would either dash in and out of the guild with job requests in an attempt to impress the Master, hoping he would choose them to join in the S-Class promotion trial while other members took the time to loaf around the hall and just generally enjoy some sort of vacation. The S-Class mages were either meeting in the Master's office or out buying all manner of supplies for whatever the trial will need while still occasionally going on jobs.
This however was the day of the announcement and the day the guild expected Gildarts to return from his mission. Most of the members were brimming with excitement except for Cana. The fear that filled her heart during the weeks leading up to the S-Class promotion trials had already waned but now another fear rose in her mind. 'What will Gildarts do when he finds out?' the girl thought as a sad yet concerned look overtook her features.
There you go, the end of Chapter 6. Sorry for the late upload, I had a few things to get done since University starts again today for me. Okay, so this chapter was more of a scene and expectation setting kin of chapter with showing how Griffin's Haven had set up shop while Fairy Tail is prepared for their S-Class trial as well as developing some background and reasoning for future events I have planned as well as some world-building regarding the new guildhall where quite a lot of events will take place. I have an idea as to who I want to send to the S-Class trials but feel free to make suggestions if you have any. I will be covering some of the events of what will happen on Tenrou, but be prepared for changes with consequences that would only be resolved later. Leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you all next time.
