Summary: How Doranbolt ended up becoming a spy in the magical council
Pairings: Parental Makarov/Doranbolt, Parental Makarov/Erza, brotherly Doranbolt/Erza, implied Doranbolt/Wendy friendship, and implied family feels.
YouTube Prompt: Fairy Tail angst tribute to O'Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. You know, the song from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which Harry and Hermione danced to. I feel it would be very fitting for some of the sadder moments.
There was something suspicious about the new council's protégé.
Siegrain Fernandes gave Makarov the chills. There was something wrong about that boy that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Makarov would usually give young men like that the benefit of the doubt. Powerful, ambitious, and young, which always meant innocent and naïve about certain things in the world, of course he would join the council and end up in murky waters….
But Erza's reaction to him was…volatile. More than usual, Makarov was used to Erza suddenly exploding in a fit of temper and attacking people around her – usually Natsu and Gray because they provoked her – but he had never seen her like this.
She had gone from a warrior to a wild, out of control, monster as she tried to literally claw the boy's eyes out.
His rational side instantly argued with him. Erza had been through a completely traumatic time in her life, where she had been tortured, forced into slavery, betrayed by her dearest friend, and still, not at all, completely well.
Yet….as he and Yajima pulled Erza away, and his old friend gently guided Erza to a safe distance explaining that the boy wasn't Jellal, just his twin brother, Makarov couldn't help but notice the slyest and smallest of smiles flickering across the boy's face and something chilling enter the boy's eyes….
There was something not right about the whole thing.
Worried about his newest brat's sanity, Makarov went in search of Erza. He was not at all surprised to find her in the library, curled up on a lanky, dark haired, teenager who was combing his fingers through her scarlet hair as she whimpered into his shoulder.
"Ah, Doranbolt-san," Makarov couldn't help but smile warmly at one of his favourite brats. The boy had been part of the guild for years. He was talented, strong, and held a great sense of justice and family, he was a particular favourite among the children as well. Always took the time to play with them, listen to them, and teach them magic. The girls adored him as his fascination and deep-set desire to touch everything meant he was more than willing to brush their hair and do it up in elegant hairstyles which, of course, he was doing to Erza as his fingers moved from combing to twisting strands of hair into little plaits. "I see you have found my wayward guard."
"Yes," Doranbolt smiled back, "Erza was just telling me what success her mission was. I believe you were almost attacked by bandits twice."
Makarov smothered a laugh. Attacked by bandits was a huge exaggeration, one thug thought he could get away with pick-pocketing Makarov only to find himself pinned to the ground by Erza with a sword to his throat, and the second was Yajima trying for a sneak attack only to receive the same treatment.
His brats were always far too eager on their first guard duty trip with him.
"Yes, Erza did a very good job," Makarov said, "such a good job that instead of just one cake. I should pay her in two cakes which I believe Gildarts left them waiting in my office."
Erza let out an uncharacteristic and excited squeal and instantly left the library. In fact she left so quickly Makarov swore he could see a dusty outline of her still on Doranbolt's lap.
There was no need to smother a laugh this time especially with the stunned expression on his eldest brat's face.
Eventually the laughter subsided and Doranbolt grew serious. "What happened?" he asked concerned, "She was distressed when I found her. Unnaturally so for Erza-Chan."
Makarov sighed deeply. "As you know I take one of you as a guard whenever the Guild Masters are asked to the council," he started to explain softly, "And I felt the honour should fall to Erza."
"She has proven herself worthy so quickly," Doranbolt agreed.
"She's worth showing off to those old coots," Makarov said proudly. "But….there's a new boy there. Siegrain…the Council have plans to make him a member one day. Already this child is so powerful, so influential, and…..looks exactly like the kid that took Erza's eye out."
Doranbolt's face twisted into something akin to disgust. "That boy is with the Council now?!"
"Apparently this boy is that boy's twin."
"But you don't believe that," Doranbolt guessed shrewdly.
"There's…..something wrong about that boy."
Doranbolt nodded. Years of being a Fairy Tail mage taught him to trust his instincts, and to trust every other member's as well. They were all usually very good at telling who the bad guy was. "So what are you going to do?"
"Me?" Makarov blinked innocently. "I'm an old man with lots of children to keep in line. You won't believe the scolding we received from the Council this time. I won't be doing anything."
"I don't believe that," Doranbolt shook his head, "you won't let someone like that stay in power. Especially one that hurt one of the kids."
"My hands are tied behind my back," Makarov said sadly, "I cannot accuse someone without evidence. Unless…." He added slyly.
"Unless?!"
"Someone I trusted was to infiltrate the Council and reported back to me," Makarov said quickly, "someone no one would suspect because he can manipulate memories."
"What….?" Realisation sank in quickly, Doranbolt was never a moron. "No," he whispered horrified, "no! I can't be a spy! You said so yourself, I'm a terrible liar, can't do it to save my own life, my face is too honest! I can't sneak around and lie."
"You can manipulate memories," Makarov said quickly, "I've seen you able to make Wakaba believe he has never touched a single cigarette before for a joke. Imagine what amazing sleeper agent you could be with no one to suspect you."
"Sleeper….you want me to manipulate my own memories too?!" he yelled. "Why?!"
"You said it yourself, you're a terrible liar. Your face is too honest, so imagine what a good Rune Knight you'd be, with your honesty, your sense of justice, and your lack of affiliation with any guild."
"Why should I?" Doranbolt snapped. "Why the hell should I erase my own past in order to satisfy your curiosity?"
"Because it's not to satisfy my own curiosity," Makarov snapped, "it's to protect them and the rest of the world. It's not just this boy, it's some of the other members, it's the Head of the Council as well, Yajima can only see so much, he needs another set of eyes within the sea of corruption that seems to be flooding the Council more and more."
"And my life is so insignificant in comparison to the bigger picture?" Doranbolt asked bitterly.
"No, you're life is incredibly important," Makarov said solemnly, "but so are the people you would be protecting if you do this."
And at that he raised his eyes up to the ceiling and Doranbolt fell silent. Even being a couple floors below, you can still hear the girls giggling the boys yelling, and some sort of fight going on between them all. You could hear the life of these children from miles away….
Doranbolt closed his eyes and looked pained.
Makarov held his breath and kept silent.
One minute turned into two, and then another ticked by, and then –
"Okay," Doranbolt said finally, "I'd do it." His eyes snapped open and the blazing passion that all his brats seemed to have burned brightly. "But for them, not for any other reason."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Makarov said as he patted Doranbolt's arm, "You're a good lad. One of my best…..my boy, you do realise though to do this right, you're going to have to-"
"Erase their memories?" Doranbolt finished. "It would be impossible to do such an espionage job with them constantly asking where I am or approaching me…."
"It's a big sacrifice, I know but-"
"But it would be worth it. In the end."
"We'll iron out the details later," Makarov decided, "for now I believe we have a party to go to. Erza will bound to want her first successful guard duty to be celebrated properly."
Doranbolt smiled sadly at that. "Indeed…."
And so it happened, smoothly, quickly, and with ease, every member's memory of Doranbolt was wiped, and they were all put to bed in a deep slumber before Doranbolt attended to his own.
Seven years later Doranbolt watched Tenrou Island disappear in the distance with tears burning in his eyes and his throat aching to scream in agony.
He had abandoned them.
He abandoned such good people, good people he barely knew, good people he had been sent to spy on for no good apparent reason, and now….and now….they were all dead.
Wendy was dead.
The little girl that befriended him was gone.
He had left her to die.
He closed his eyes in the agony of it all and tried to picture her sweet little face, long dark blue hair, and warm smile,
But for the life of him, a reason could not understand, all he could see was a redheaded girl with a patch over her eye, and small, shy smile.
He had failed but he couldn't remember what it was he had failed at.