Chapter 15

Natsu stood on the shore and looked around and noticed that the damage was even worse this time around. He also ignored the rune knights that were trying and failing to corral his guild mates. They wanted to take statements and interrogate them which would last for another week or so and he groaned silently to himself. He remembered how unending and pointless their questions had been the first time around.

There was no fucking way that after everything that just happened he was going to sit through another one of the councils power plays. He caught Lucy's eye and raised an eyebrow hoping that his wife would have some sort of plan for this. Just because he forgot about the rune knights doesn't mean that she forgot about them.

The unison raid that Wendy and Laxus created had destroyed Phantoms guild. The arms and legs of the building had been reduced to ash and several huge chunks of the building were currently floating away in the ocean.

The main part of the building was largely intact but the rest of it was fried. He could even see black smoke from the several fires that had caught inside the guild. All in all it looked like an empty husk and it was bloody ugly. He hoped that they got rid of the charred pieces soon. It was stinking up their property.

Natsu was secretly glowing with pride at the amount of damage his little girl was capable of dishing out. There was no way he was going to let Lucy know that. She would kick his ass if he encouraged Wendy to break things but the fact was that Wendy never attempted something like this before. She had just stepped up onto a whole new level way before he thought she would.

There were also several Phantom mages who were swimming to shore or floating on the broken debris. He wondered for a moment what happened to the phantom mages the first time and where they went when the rune knights appeared to terrorize them. All Fairy Tail mages had been questioned but he didn't remember a single phantom mage being brought in for questioning even though they had eventually ruled in their favor.

Fairy Tail's guild wasn't completely crushed. The metal poles and the damage it took when Jose's black spheres decided to pound on a building would need to be repaired. Actually it would probably be better to tear it down and rebuild it. There was no question about that. The land around them was utterly wrecked as well. It seemed that the guild was always destined for a makeover.

Lucy ran up to him, ignoring the rune knights for the moment and kissed him as soon as she saw him. The couple celebrated their win and in that moment they also celebrated how differently everything had turned out.

Their celebration was interrupted when Wendy moved towards them and one of the knights caught her by the arm roughly. The young girl cried out in surprise as the knights rough grip bruised her arms. Carla immediately started clawing at the man trying to get him to release her friend.

Natsu roared. It was the sound that an animal would make when they were warning someone to back the fuck off before the animal decided to eat them and the knight froze. Well, technically everyone froze in place not wanting to anger the mage. The knights stopped trying to coral the fairies who had been checking on their guild mates. They had injured friends to see too and no one cared what the rune knights wanted them to do.

They were ignoring everything that they were told when they heard Natsu roar and it was a sound so terrifying and foreign coming from the soft hearted young man that they all knew that everyone paused.

Lucy stepped towards him and there was a bright glow around her leaving her in a fancy pink dress with lace and frills. None of them had ever seen her wear before except for a few people who had seen the picture of her and Natsu in their home.

Her hair had even been done up in a fancy up-do and several people could see the shiny beads that were loped through her hair. She finally looked like the Lady that she claimed to be. For the first time they saw Lucy look like the noble rich woman she had been born to be. It was a little scary seeing the cold dead look in her once warm brown eyes.

"Bring me your superior." She ordered and her voice wasn't angry, she was just cold.

Lucy knew that her words would be taken as an order and not as a request. The knights were trained to be able to spot nobility and right now Lucy Dragneel carried herself better than a bloody queen. She expected every command to be met swiftly. The knight holding Wendy didn't let go of her and to be honest Lucy had not demanded her daughters release. She just asked for their superior.

There was silence until a different person stepped forward to speak with her. A thin, tall man with brown eyes and brown hair stepped forward and his eyes widened when he saw her. He recognized her and Natsu took a step closer to her seeing the look of lust in his eyes when he looked upon his wife. Lucy's smile turned vicious and she met his eyes. She resisted the urge to cover herself from his disgusting gaze but at the same time she knew that she had this won the moment he stepped forward.

"Baron Sawyer, a pleasure to see you again."

Cana nearly winced from the cold tone of her friends voice. There was no warmth there. Everyone was pretty sure that Lucy would have preferred to drown the lanky looking man in the ocean rather than have a conversation with him but no one could really understand why.

This man was not a mage. He wasn't very threatening either. He was just disgusting every woman could see the leer in his eyes as he looked at Lucy but he was not a threat.

Lisanna leaned a little closer to her guild mates, "She called him a Baron. That means he holds a title. He may not be powerful magically but he is nobility. That means he has money and some say in the council."

Several people scrowled. They worked for the wealthy sometimes but they didn't belong in that world and they all knew it. Politics and mages didn't go well together.

The man swallowed roughly, "A pleasure Lady Heartfilia, what are you doing here?"

Lucy raised a single eyebrow, "Lady Dragneel, Baron Sawyer. I know my father informed you that I had chosen a husband. I will thank you for addressing me correctly. I am here because I joined the guild with my husband and daughter. I will remind your men not to touch my daughter unless they wish for me to remove their arms."

"The girl is not your blood Lucy-sama." He responded with venom coating his words.

His own hand moving towards Wendy while refusing to utter her married name. Lucy narrowed her eyes as he spoke. She knew what he had done by refusing to acknowledge her married name he sought to undermine her.

It was a simple thing done in their circles ignoring ones preferences to try and show dominance over a situation. It was to try and prove that one person does not have control over another. These petty little word games and backstabbing was just another reason why she never wanted to marry a pompous rich jerk. The politics of this world turned her stomach.

Lucy's eyes hardened visibly and the Baron Sawyer nearly took a step back, "If she wished it I would name her my heiress and have her inherit my title." She replied.

The man swallowed thickly not able to give a reply to her statement. Lucy gave him a bored look, "Enough games Sawyer, we both know that Fairy Tail has broken no laws."

Lucy was just so done with his theatrics and his petty little games. She was had fought a dragon slayer, got her ass pinned to a tree, shielded against a canon that could have wiped out Magnolia. Then she opened another zodiac gate which utterly drained her.

Now she was dealing with this idiot. She was tired and sore. All Lucy wanted to do was soak in her bath with her husband. She was just done with this.

The man stepped towards her threateningly, unhanding Wendy who scurried to her fathers side. Natsu took a step closer to her while Laxus, Siegrain and Mystogan all surrounded the man from all directions. They didn't like how the way the man was speaking to their guild mate.

The S-class mages may not know much about politics and whatever was going on between Lucy and the rich guy but it wasn't hard to see that he was carrying a torch for Lucy. She didn't care for him so if he threatened her again they were going to turn him into ash.

They all had their own questions for the couple and right now this was getting in their way of talking to Natsu about his major power up and those weird flames.

"Fairy Tail took part in starting a guild war." He replied ignoring the mages around him even though he could feel the magic in the air slowly rising and the tension around them suddenly increased.

Lucy on the other hand was tired of all the testosterone in the air and she laughed startling them all. It wasn't her usual laugh full of warmth. It was a cold almost mocking sound that sent shivers up the spines of everyone who heard it.

"Fairy Tail moved in the defense of Duke Jude Heartfilia. His Grace sent them evidence of a crime in which Phantom Lord destroyed themselves in an effort to get said evidence back." She replied.

Sawyers eyes hardened. This little bitch was supposed to his wife. The girl had been borne to a title ahead of his family if she had wed him he could have claimed her title and wealth for himself. The money came from her father but her mother had a bloodline of nobility.

Their child would have had some of the bluest blood aside from the royal family. His family had ties to the throne with enough support he could have had his child sitting on the throne. Then this bitch went and married some mage that no one even knew and destroyed all his plans.

He would have been untouchable using both their families connections. Their combined wealth would have made the Kings treasury look like a child's allowance. He had great plans for their future. When he sent word that he wished for her hand her father replied to him saying that she was already married.

He would destroy her for denying him especially since he had made his intentions known as soon as she turned fourteen. She had been promised to him, even though her father never signed the contract. They had an agreement of which all she had to do was show up at the wedding.

"You have no proof." He replied, wanting to take everything from her as she had done to him. Then Jude walked towards his daughter and Sawyer knew he was done for. He hadn't actually believed the rumors that her father had allowed her marriage to a nobody. He thought for sure she had been disowned for it.

"Then you will take this at my word Baron Sawyer. The rune knights will have to arrest Jose Porla for murder and I do have the evidence."

Jude was led away by one of the rune knight captains so that they could see the evidence and get his statement. When Sawyer took another step towards Lucy, she turned to him with murder in her eyes. She was done, completely and utterly done with today.

"Take one more step and I will bury you alive Sawyer. I will air every bit of dirty laundry you have in your closet. I will tear through everything that I can find and we both know that your business isn't all legal. I will find the evidence to leave you with nothing."

Lucy took another step forward while he moved backwards, " Do not forget who I am and do not forget your place. I am just as ruthless as my father and I am more than willing to remind you of where you belong. You are nothing to me but an insignificant little boy who is throwing a temper tantrum because I said no. Now think very carefully about your next move because if you move against my family I will end you."

The man paled, nodded and stepped away from her. Once he was gone she glowed again and was dressed normally. Several members of Fairy Tail stepped closer to her with questioning looks on their faces only to be met with an extremely tired young woman who was completely done with the bullshit that they all had to deal with in the past two days.

"That was exhausting." She muttered as she rubbed her temples.

"What was that?" asked Laxus and Lucy smiled at him sadly.

"That was politics. Two wealthy titled families who have a grudge against each other fighting for the top spot and I won."

"But how?" asked Laxus and Lucy shrugged.

"My father holds a title more powerful than he does even though I took Natsu's name when we married I am still my fathers heiress. I was not disowned for marrying someone without a title as such I am technically still a Duchess."

Natsu rolled his eyes and Lucy smiled at him as she spoke, "My children will still have the option of taking my title and the business or leading the life of a mage. The Magic Council relies on nobility for funding. The royal family gives them a grant but it isn't enough. The Nobility of Fiore has a say in the happenings of the magic council. Basically we just compared how much power and wealth we have and which family would incur the most damage if he overstepped and I won."

Laxus narrowed his eyes at her, not understanding the blonde woman at all, "Why would you give all that up for the life of a mage?"

Lucy simply patted Wendy on the head and replied, "Money isn't everything. Things with my father may be better now but it wasn't always like this. I wished for a family and a life of adventures and love. I married Natsu because he loved me, not my money, title or anything that I could provide for him. He loved me for the person I am because I made him happy."

Natsu had enough of all the people and the fighting and the questions. Since the rune knights left with Lucy's father he decided it was time to go home. They could rebuild the guild and see to everything else later. Right now he wanted to take his wife and his daughter home and sleep.

"Alright then, we'll see you guys later. We're going home. Carla, Happy lets go."

Laxus was about to say something else when Natsu threw Lucy over his shoulder and stared him with a cold look in his eyes, "We're going home."

Laxus raised in his hands in surrender. He couldn't help but want to understand what happened between Lucy and the Sawyer guy. He knew that she would explain if he asked but it seemed like Natsu had enough of drama for today and he just wanted to go home.

Laxus also had a lot of questions for the pink haired man since he was now able to use his element as well. However he could understand the fact that everyone was tired and no one wanted to deal with this anymore. It was time to just go home. Their questions could wait for tomorrow.

Siegrain couldn't help but chuckle at the lost look on the faces of many of the Fairy Tail mages. There were not many mages in the world who understood how politics worked. The nobility and upper society were to them, just people who hired them to get some work done. They had no idea how many 'upstanding citizens' had their hands in illegal pies all over the country just to raise their profits. The Magic Council liked people especially the guilds to believe that they were all powerful and unstoppable when the truth was that they were embroiled in layers upon layers of politics.

"I didn't think she would be able to call the council off." Said Makarov and Siegrain shook his head.

"She didn't. She just called them out on their bullshit. The council doesn't like Fairy Tail and in an attempt to get rid of you guys they were going to put the blame on this guild war on us. Thus giving them a reason to disband the guild."

He was very familiar with the politics that were involved in this disaster, "Having someone like Baron Sawyer makes it seem like someone important and powerful investigated what happened and its all legit. Its about appearances and how they portray it to the people. Since Lucy's father holds more power, they'll listen to him more than Sawyer. Jude Heartfilia is not someone you want as an enemy and because he backed us up they left us alone."

Cana narrowed her eyes at them and said, "So basically because Sawyer was a Baron if the people heard from him that we were the ones who started the guild war they would have believed it because he is a wealthy man that holds a title of great importance. However Lucy and her father have a title that hold more power than his does they couldn't do that."

Mystogan nodded, "If Duke Jude Heartfilia decided to go to the press saying the Baron was lying and tell his side of the story then it opens up to the public the corruption in the magic council. Since Jose is a wizard saint. Basically the council has more to lose and someone powerful enough that they cannot silence or threaten into submission. It's a different type of war but a war nonetheless."

Makarov just shook his head, "Alright brats, if you're injured go to the hospital if not go home. We'll rebuild the guild once we're all rested up."

He watched all his brats clear off but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen to his guild with someone like Jude Heartfilia looking out for them. He was not a nice man. He heard the rumors of his ruthlessness but if he was willing to take care of his guild he would welcome him as an ally. However Makarov couldn't help but wonder, why would someone like him believe that Natsu would make a good match for his daughter?

People like Jude from nobility, they like their children to marry within their society. To Princes and other titled people or even someone wealthy but this man allowed his only daughter to marry a mage. He had seen rich sons and daughters run away from their restricting and suffocating homes. Children running from parents who saw them as pawns and not as people. Never had he seen a rich man give his blessing so easily. He had to wonder, if this man would someday do something to hurt his guild.

"You look like someone ready to fight another war Master Makarov."

The tiny man turned to see Jude staring at him while he watched the people left in the guild stagger on towards home or the hospital. The rune knights had let him go for now but he would have to go to the council and work with them for a while.

There was going to be a whole lot of ass kissing going on to make this go away without anyone from the public looking at the magic council in the wrong light. He would enjoy squeezing out as many favors as he could. Lucy might need them in the future.

"I have many questions and very little answers." He replied and then he was shocked at what the man asked him. He never expected to have this type of conversation with a man like Jude. However if he were very honest Makarov never had a high opinion from nobility.

It was very rare to find nobles who actually cared not just about the people they looked after but also about their own family. Often it was their family that suffered the most of their greed. Freed was a good example of rich parents pushing their children away.

"Have you ever been in love?" asked Jude and Makarov just raised an eyebrow not replying. He could see the faint grin on the corners of Jude's lips much to Master Makarov's surprise. He couldn't help but feel a bit proud that he managed to shock a man as old and experienced as he.

"I loved my wife Layla with what some might say was madness. When she died I made Lucy's life miserable. I didn't mean too. I just couldn't bear to look at her when she looked so much like her mother. I threw myself into my work. Lucy was left to wander the halls of our home alone."

Jude stared out at the ocean and continued his explanation, "Lucy spent most of her life in our manor alone with no one to talk too or laugh with. Slowly I saw the smile that once was always on her face turn to a frown and still I looked the other way and pretended I couldn't see her pain."

Jude looked at the ground in shame. He should never have left such a young child to fend for herself, "I saw the light leave her eyes. Eyes so much like Layla's and I knew she wasn't happy. I hoped to marry her off and give Lucy her own family. I hoped that maybe then she would smile again but she didn't want to marry for the sake of marrying. Lucy wanted love. I never saw her happy until one day a pink haired boy came to bring her home, to Fairy Tail."

Makarov couldn't believe what he was hearing. It seemed to them that Natsu just showed up one day but Lucy had known him but Jude didn't say how the two had met. He said it like he had just appeared one day out of thin air. He was curious to how a sheltered girl like Lucy could have met Natsu if she was never allowed to leave her home.

"When she saw him, she smiled. That boy burst into my home tore down my roof and smiled like it was normal behavior of a suitor. Lucy smiled in response to his actions with so much of love and happiness that I was speechless. I had not seen my daughter smile for years and one look at him and she looked alive so I sent her with him. I made mistakes. More than I can count but this place and that boy. They make her happy after everything I did to her, she deserves to be happy."

Makarov didn't say anything but he supposed that he didn't need to say anything. He understood as a man and as a parent that sometimes we make mistakes. He had his own son and he had made his own mistakes.

Ivan had made mistakes but Makarov couldn't seem to reach him and eventually he lost Ivan completely. He didn't know if there was anything that he could have done to stop him but he definitely wasn't the perfect parent but he felt like he could understand Jude now.

He was just a father who lost his wife and didn't know how to raise a daughter. In the end the only that he could give her that would make her happy was freedom. He supposed the man wasn't that bad. If he was able to look back down the road that he walked and realize that he made mistakes and try to set them right. Makarov supposed that maybe he wasn't such a bad ally to have.

"Stop by when the guild is rebuilt. We can have a victory drink."

Jude smiled. He could see why Lucy adored this place so much. It was bursting with life, sound and happiness. These were really good people and he hadn't been around good people in a long time maybe he should visit this place more often.

Lisanna watched as everyone walked away with a heavy heart. She saw Lucy's father and the master talking while Mira spoke to Freed about something. That was before they all went home together but Lisanna watched Natsu. He tossed Lucy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and held Wendy's hand as they walked back home with Carla and Happy flying overhead and all she wanted to do was cry.

She cursed herself. She thought that she was over this that she had let him go but seeing them so happy as a family all she could do was wish that it had been her in his arms and she felt bitter. She was mad at Natsu for finding and choosing Lucy. She was mad at her guild mates for being so happy for them. Mostly she was made at herself for feeling so unhappy, jealous and bitter that she could feel herself drowning in her own self-loathing.

This was not the way things were meant to go. This was not the person that she thought she would become. She just didn't know how she was supposed to let go of her first love even though he never loved her. She didn't how to move on and let go of something that she never had.

Cana narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lisanna. She knew what the white haired young girl was staring at and she knew why Lisanna's eyes were full bitterness. It wasn't time for her to go to the other girl. She wasn't ready to accept the truth just yet. She was too busy wallowing and sometimes you have to let yourself wallow before you pick up the pieces and move on.

She was going to be there for Lisanna when she was ready to move on but right now she was still in denial. She was still hoping that one day she would wake up and it wouldn't hurt anymore. Cana knew better. When you love someone the way Lisanna loved Natsu you need time away to get over that and Lisanna wasn't ready to leave just yet.

Lisanna and Natsu had been best friends for a long time. They spent nearly all their time together for an even longer time it was only natural that one of them would develop feelings for the other. Then Natsu just disappeared one day and reappeared different. He came back more mature with his head in a different place and they found out about Lucy.

He had married her and stepped up to be a good husband and father. Natsu had grown up while no one else was watching. She may not understand why he believed that marriage was the step that he needed to take but it didn't change the fact that he had made his choice. Natsu somehow skipped dating, playing around and sleeping around and went straight to commitment. It suited him and he was happy so no one could begrudge that happiness.

Natsu may have been gone for a year but Lisanna had waited for him during that time. She hadn't moved on and when he did return he broke her heart. Lisanna was still living in the same routine. She was still being the same person she always had been and still holding on to the memories of their friendship and the childish promise of what could have been.

Seeing Natsu and knowing that he didn't need her the way he used too was killing her. Sooner or later she wouldn't be able to stomach being here anymore and that was when Cana was going to be there for her friend. She just needed to wait until Lisanna was ready to let go.

Cana walked up to Lisanna and put an arm around her friend, "When you're ready me and you, we'll go on a trip. Just us girls and when we come back the little girl Lisanna will have become a woman."

Lisanna gave her a confused look but Cana merely chuckled and walked away. Lisanna would remember her words when she needed to remember but for now she had said everything that needed to be said.

Elfman grabbed her arm before she could leave the place completely and smiled at her. It kind of reminded her of a younger version of Elfman who used to wear suits and didn't like to raise his voice much. It made him look kinder even though the scar on his eye gave him a little bit of an edge.

"Thank you Cana." Elfman told her and Cana raised an eyebrow. She knew that Elfman was observant but she didn't realize that he knew what was going on with his younger sister.

He chuckled at her expression, "Mira doesn't see it. Ever since that incident where I nearly lost control and hurt Lisanna, Mira doesn't really see things anymore. She doesn't want to see that Lisanna isn't okay. I understand why. It scares her but at the same time it isn't healthy to just ignore the problem. Lisanna isn't happy."

Cana smiled at him, "She will be. She's just confused and hurt and Fairy Tail is suffocating her right now even if she doesn't realize it. When she's ready to leave I'll go with her and make sure she's alright and she will be. It's a broken heart and those things change you. Pain in whatever type it shapes you into a different person and Lisanna isn't ready to let go just yet but she will be soon."

Elfman nodded his head to her and before he could walk away she couldn't help but tease him a little, "You should show Evergreen how caring and understanding you can be. You'll probably get a date out of it."

Elfman groaned as the tips of his ears turned pink. Cana walked away chuckling only Fairy Tail could come out of a guild war telling jokes, worrying about their nakama and their future. Then again it was exactly the type of thing Fairy Tail was famous for doing.