Authors note: Yay, new chapter! And a long one, as promised, I'm so excited to finally update again, I'm curious what you guys think of this one!

Expect a big portion of fluff and romantic tension :P

So, nothing big happened, I draw a lot more these days, which is a nice feeling and for when I don't feel like writing or drawing, I restarted the Witcher for the fourth time, lol.

Anyways, you know I have more rambling at the bottom, so:

Have fun reading :3


Levy slowly opened her eyes and laid one arm over her head to block out the stray light slipping inside from between the heavy curtains. She tried to catch the last whispers of her dream, remembering the feeling of soft lips and deep…ruby…eyes. Levy sat up abruptly, her cheeks and chest heating up with agitation. The prior day she'd scolded herself and now her subconscious wanted to torment her some more. A mere kiss on the hand and suddenly all kinds of dreams would follow, as if she wasn't feeling weird enough already!

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts and a small voice called out to her "Lady de Jardin? May I come in?" "Yes, enter!" Levy called out and a maid entered. "Good morning, Milady, I hope you are feeling well. We haven't had the chance to see each other yesterday, my name is Mary and I will be your personal maid during your stay at Farkesi Castle." Mary opened the curtains while Levy climbed out of bed. "We will not have a formal breakfast today, his majesties and Empress Lucy are…indisposed this morning."

"Oh, what happened?" Levy asked, concerned for her friends and their host. "Don't worry Milady, they just had a bit of a celebration last night." Mary explained and Levy smiled. Of course there would be celebrating with Natsu around. "I'm also supposed to tell you that you are welcome to eat with his Majesty, King Redfox in the Gardens, if you wish."

"Oh, that is very nice. I would love to!" Levy exclaimed. Mary smiled and nodded "Would you like me to help you get dressed, Milady?" she asked. "No, it's fine. I usually dress myself. Would you let King Redfox know that I will be joining him?" Mary nodded again, and bowed before she left the room. "Breakfast in the Garden, huh." Levy mumbled and went to pick out her outfit, a floor length light green dress, made of thin fabric. She put her hair up with a simple white headband and slipped into open sandals before walking out of the door.

Gajeel tried to cope with the sun, while still enjoying his breakfast. Even in a short-sleeved tunic and thin linen pants, direct morning sun was already too hot. He was about to give up and move further into the shade when he heard a familiar voice "Good morning, your majesty." He turned his head to greet his petite guest. "Good morning, Milady" he answered and watched Levy curtsy before she took the seat close to him, taking the only available seat in the shadow.

"So, I heard you and the others had quite the celebration last night" she chuckled and put some sweetbread onto her plate. Gajeel instantly regretted that he put his hair up this morning when he felt his ears growing hot and undoubtedly knew they'd be red. "I'm very sorry if you feel left out."
"Oh, no it's quite alright. I was in need of some sleep after the exciting day. And Natsu starts celebrations almost daily back home." She added and the both chuckled at their friend's antics.
"I hope you slept well and like your room."

"It is a very nice room, thank you for your hospitality. Would you share with me where we will be riding today?" Levy inquired and spread some honey onto her bread
"I thought you might want to see some trees and maybe a forest, so we'll visit a very old, sacred forest and have some food there." The blue-haired womans face lit up at the mention of something she hadn't seen before and Gajeel could swear, for a moment she looked like a fairy.
"That sounds amazing! I can't wait!" She grinned and the iron king felt his heart melt at the sheer happiness she was emanating. How could one person be this...bright?
"I'm glad you are happy with our plans, Natsu wasn't quite so…eager. His motion sickness seems to have spread to horses, too, so he won't be joining us."
"So, will Lucy come along or is it just us and Lily?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Since I'm preoccupied these next weeks, Lily is taking over some of my duties, so he went away on official business earlier this morning." Gajeel explained and leaned back, tea in hand.

"Not to offend, but Lily told me about this other Exceed you will be taking in as a maid, and I wonder if people will, well, let him handle their business? Some people in Chrate are extremely stubborn and wary of other races than their own. I also read up on your history and it is reported that the people of Terya have become quite even more wary of other races since the civil war. Does this make it more difficult for him?" Levy asked cautiously, but Gajeel just gave her an understanding look

"Don't worry, you're not offending anyone. And you're right, especially races who look obviously different than humans have been getting suspicious treatment lately and we're still working on building everyone's trust back up again. Lily is kind of an exception to all of this. He's the First General of the army of Terya, second in command only after myself. Many people have fought under him during the war and he is well known among the kingdom. 'Sides, if a 7-foot cat, flanked by a dozen guards strides onto your farmyard and introduces himself as Pantherlily of Edolas, Swordmaster to the King and First General of the army, you'd lean more towards letting him do whatever he needs to do than arguing." He finished with a grin and Levy chuckled at the picture of the man she came to know as someone very kind and friendly throwing his authority around.

"Good Morning Gajeel, Morning Levy!" Lucy greeted the pair, who answered with their own greetings, as she approached the table.
"So Lucy, I heard your husband won't be joining us today, is he still incapacitated?" Gajeel snickered and Lucy just rolled her eyes "You know how he handles his drinks, we're lucky if he wakes up today. So, what will we be doing today?"
Gajeel gave her a surprised look "You mean, aside from a five-hour ride?"

"Five hours, are you serious? Then I'll skip." Lucy shook her head and Levy deflated a little "Well, your majesty, I don't need to see the forest, I mean we can also do something smaller…" she got cut off by Lucy "Oh no Levy, it's fine, I know you like nature. And someone has to entertain Natsu, the poor guards have other duties."
"Really? I don't want to leave you behind or something…"
Lucy gave her friend a reassuring smile and insisted: "Go, I'll enjoy a day with my husband."

Gajeel piped up at that "If he wakes up that is. If he does, talk to Kofu, she'll get the guards to take you to town, so you two can see the stuff people put out for you and have some fun."
"Won't you take any guards with you?" Lucy asked, surprised, but Gajeel just shrugged "I think I can handle myself and anything coming our way in a forest. Guards just draw more attention and slow you down." Lucy rolled her eyes at him "Alright big guy, put your muscles away, I get it. Glad to know my Levy will be safe." she smiled and patted Levy's hand. They finished breakfast together before heading to their respective rooms.

Levy walked over to her closet and looked through it to find her only pair of riding breeches, thenslipped out of her dress, throwing it over a chair. She left her hair as it was and chose a thin white blouse as a top, hoping it'd help her deal with the heat on horseback. While getting dressed, she mulled the breakfast over in her head. She knew that Lucy and Natsu were good friends with the king, but she was quite surprised, when Lucy talked to him like that. Her blonde friend did have a streak of sass to her, but to talk that informally to a king was unheard of for her. Levy wondered if they we're actually that good friends and how he behaved around them as opposed to her.

A knock on the door sounded through the room "Come on in!" the door opened to reveal Mary "His Majesty has requested that I show you the way to our stables. Are you ready to go, milady?"
"Yes, I just have to find my shoes, hold on." She went back to the closet, slipped into her riding boots and grabbed a thin, lavender scarf, tying it around a belt loop. They left the room together and made their way over, chatting on the way. Mary was quite reserved, but Levy's bubbly personality and friendly attitude made her loosen up quickly. Levy learned that she had only been working at the castle for about a month and had Family in a village outside of Farkesi. She also learned that the young maid had been quite wary of her king despite his politeness and was told some more of the rumors concerning him.

Mary ended the story with "But he's been just polite to us so far, so I'm not afraid of him anymore." as they walked towards the horses together.
"Your majesty? King Redfox?" Mary called out and Gajeels voice rang out from one of the boxes "On my way!". He walked out of a box in the back, brushing straw from his pants and grinned at his guest "My, milady, no more dress?"
"Well, a dress would be awfully inconvenient on horseback." Levy retorted and with a grin of her own she added: "I mean, I could lend you one of mine if you're up for the challenge, your majesty." That proposal earned her a booming laughter from the iron king. He turned to Mary "You can go back to your duties, oh, but please bring out the food basket." Mary bowed and retreated back towards the castle.

"So Milady, ready to meet the one carrying you for the rest of the day?"
"Of course! Who'll it be?" she asked and Gajeel let out a short whistle and called out "Tinto! Come here, boy!" A brown spotted horse walked out of the box Gajeel had previously exited and trotted up to him.
"Oh, he's a beauty!" Levy exclaimed excitedly as Tinto walked closer and came to a stop next to Gajeel. "He's our friendliest horse, so you won't have any Problems with him, but he's a bit of a scaredy cat. Lily taught him to respond to his name, he's usually the one riding him." Levy went over to the horse and held out her hand to let Tinto sniff her, and pet his nose afterwards.

Gajeel went to another box and knocked on the wood softly, alerting the horse inside, before he opened the door and let it walk out towards him. Levy's heart stopped for a moment when she saw a gorgeous jet black Frisian slowly exiting the box.
"Hey, Girl, been a while, huh?" Gajeel smiled and the horse lowered its head and butted it gently against his shoulder. The iron king walked back towards Levy and grabbed two headstalls, the horse trotting behind him. He noticed her heart eyes and chuckled. "Milady, may I introduce you to Scenja? She's my pride and the best horse in these stables."
"She's so gorgeous! And you two fit really well together." Levy smiled and took one of the headstalls, putting it around Tinto's head and followed Gajeel to a wooden bar where he tied Scenjas lead and tied Tinto beside her.

Together they groomed their horses and saddled them. "So, I always thought kings get their horses groomed" Levy remarked and Gajeel gave her a half offended look
"Terya is not like other kingdoms. We value independence and people who can throw their weight around, I'm no exception. 'Sides, I'm only so close with Scenja because I spend so much time with her."
"Good answer!" Levy chuckled and hopped onto Tinto. "I like this kind of thinking, it reminds me of home."
Gajeel walked over with the basket in his hands "Would you mind lifting your leg for a second? Tintos saddle is the only one with a luggage strap." Levy did as told and Gajeel strapped the basket to the saddle before climbing on top of Scenja "We'll take a route from behind the castle, I don't want to have the whole town following us."

"I can't believe we're that far out of Farkesi already! That secret route was…short." Levy spurred Tinto and soon they were trotting beside Gajeel and Scenja.

"I used to sneak out a lot, I know most of the secrets in the castle. We also used this path in the war to ambush some of the rebel forces in Farkesi. Oh, I meant to ask you, why is it that you are so…good at riding? I wouldn't have expected a researcher to be so comfortable with horses," Gajeel asked and Levy smiled, abashed "I come from a family of horse breeders, actually. My parents and brothers bred horses for half of Mrithar so I basically grew up with them around. I sat on horseback before I could walk," she laughed.
"How did you end up head scientist then? And for another Country no less."

"I was allowed to visit the library in the Palace of Rhyacus when I was around 14 years old. As soon as I saw all of these books in such tall, beautiful shelves, I fell in love. I started working there as a maid, just so that I could stay. My parents were quite…horrified until I explained to them why I did it. And when Lucy came into the picture, we became friends quickly and she helped me get a place as one of the assistants of the head librarian. After that I worked on some projects for the empire and that slowly landed me the position of head scientist. Although I have to admit that I'm more of a researcher. Natsu just wanted to give me a real title." Gajeel gave her an appreciative look
"I have to say, that IS impressive. And at such a young age as well."

"You flatter me, your majesty. I have to admit, I'm quite curious about you as well. I presume not every royal is so…straightforward. Mary told me you don't really care about protocol and you seem to be quite relaxed about being shown respect. How is that?" Levy asked and scratched Tinto behind the ear.

"That's partly due to how Teryans are as people and partly just me. My father was a great man and my mother was very gentle. Our people are against treating people differently, for unearned factors, like race or status. Even though my family is an exception to this, my parents taught me early to treat everyone with respect and to do everything to earn respect. My dad taught me how to earn respect, and he showed me my place when I stepped out of line. And Lily, of course. Lily himself is very reputable, and being friends with him imprinted on me, I guess. I just want to treat my servants more like employees, rather than some low humans, since I never saw them like that." He fell silent, fighting memories and his quickening breath as pictures of him lashing out at his servants filled his mind, guilt and shame overwhelming him.

His rising panic washed away when he heard the soft voice to his left. "That sounds very decent and genuine. I like your way of thinking and the attitude of your people. Most aristocrats in Chrate treat their servants and citizens like dirt and I've always been against that." Levy remarked.

They shared some of their opinions and experiences until they reached the edge of the forest. Levy was in awe as soon as they entered, and she wasn't the only one, although Gajeel wasn't admiring the trees.

"Whoa…It's so much cooler in here, is that because the trees block out the sun?" Gajeel just nodded "And, those aren't pinetrees, right? I recognize some of them, like beeches and acorns. What is that over there?" Gajeel looked where Levy was pointing "That's one of the sacred trees of the forest."

"Wait, that's a tree? No way, he's way too big!"
Gajeel chuckled at her incredulous tone and went on to explain: "Oaks tend to get that big when they don't get sick or uprooted or anything like that. The people who worship this forest kept it safe, so that it could grow to that size. It's extremely old." Levy's eyes were as big as saucers "That is one large tree." she remarked when a rustle in the undergrowth caught her attention, and she was about to ask again, but Gajeel just held a hand out in front of her, stopping Tinto from moving forward and her from talking.

A few moments after, a fox with a mouse in its mouth emerged and quickly scuffled back into the bushes when he spotted the two horses and their riders. "Whoa. That was amazing! Was that a bobcat?" Levy exclaimed, her cheeks glowing red with excitement and Gajeel chuckled. "No, head scientist of the Empire, that was a fox. Bobcats dwell only in the mountains." She gave him a little bit of a dirty look before she got distracted by something else, now marveling at a spot of ground covered in little white flowers.

"We have to take a smaller route from here, I don't know if we can take it on horseback, if it's too overgrown, we'll let the horses go first, they can find their way better." Gajeel remarked and navigated Scenja towards an opening between a few trees, Levy didn't even have to tell Tinto what to do, he simply followed Scenja onto the narrow path. She patted his side and then laid down onto his neck, looking into the shrubs beside the path while he trotted forward steadily.

Fortunately, they didn't have to leave their horses, and only one branch got caught in Gajeels mane of hair, prompting a small giggle from Levy as she watched him struggling to detangle himself while, without her knowledge, desperately trying not to throw curses around.

Suddenly there was more light again and Levy almost thought they had exited the forest, but a second later she only found herself unable to speak. Gajeel hopped off Scenja, his feet landing in soft, fresh green grass, that covered the entire clearing in front of her, safe for the rocky riverbank and the small river rushing by. Tall old trees looking down from small hills covered in flowers filtered the sun, letting the light paint spotted patterns on the ground. Only the water rushing over moss-covered rocks glistened in the bright sunlight.

"Beautiful." Levy breathed and Gajeel turned around to see her, tall on the big Tinto, bathed in a spot of sunlight, her cheeks red from excitement and a stray blue curl falling onto her shoulder. "Yes. I know." he smiled and could swear that the red of her cheeks deepened a little, but that was probably because she moved into the shadows, right?

Levy slid off from Tinto and Gajeel called him over while Levy wandered off towards one of the trees, softly touching its rugged bark as she looked up into the thick crown of leaves. Gajeel took the reins off of the horses and unhooked the basket with food, setting both on the ground. After that, he took off the saddles as well, carrying them over to the tree Levy was admiring. She noticed him and went to retrieve the rest of their equipment.

She had a sheepish look on her face when she came back and Gajeel could almost smell the burning question in her mind "You seem like there is something on your mind, what is it?" he asked and she looked down, seemingly embarrassed "erm, I wanted to ask, since it's kind of, uhm, inappropriate, I think? But I really want to wade into the river, and I would have to…take my sh"

Gajeel cut her off at that "It's fine, I don't mind at all." And Levy gave him a big smile "Thank you, your majesty, I knew you'd understand!" she slipped out of her shoes, but Gajeel held her back before she could walk off to the river.

"I have a favour to ask of you. Since my friends call me just Gajeel, and I hope we are on the path of becoming friends, I would be nice if you'd call me by my name, rather than my title," he asked, prompting her to smile in relief once more.
"Alright, Gajeel. I'd like that. And I think it goes without saying that I expect you to call me Levy as well." she answered, her smile growing bigger and held out her hand for a handshake. Gajeel, who had other plans, took her hand, leaned down and kissed it, lingering just a moment longer than last time. Levy felt the blood rushing up into her chest when he looked at her again.

"It would be my pleasure, Levy."


/

I don't know if the real Gajeel could even be that smooth, but who cares, he's kinda ooc anyways.

I have to say, I am writing him with his royal upbringing in mind. He's still the rough guy with a potty mouth, but I mean as a king, he'd behave differently than the real one.

I can already smell the delicious dinner my boyfriend has been cooking, so I'll wrap this up quickly, before I start eating my laptop.

Torture, I tell you.

To my wonderful reviewers, you guys are kinda my regulars now ;):

trienniagala: I'm excited, too, I hope you like this one as well ;P

finch6: thanks, I hope it wasn't too long :)

Shaidow365: Proud of you for writing that essay ;) I look forward to seeing you at every chapter, I love reading your reviews :3

Have a delicious time, you amazing people!