A/N: Thanks for your interest and support so far! ~CS

Homeward Hours

By CrimsonStarbird

Chapter Two – The Alternative

"No," said Master Makarov.

In retrospect, Lucy should probably have expected this.

She tried anyway: "But, Master-"

"Lucy."

She fell silent at once. She had only been in the Master's office a few times before, and never without Natsu, whose destructive tendencies were invariably the reason why their team had been hauled in. Since the office had been moved to the ground floor – for easier access in the wheelchair he'd been using since the Alvarez War – she hadn't been called inside once. Even the Master himself rarely used it. In his opinion, there was very little guild business which could or should be kept secret from the members themselves.

This conversation, though, was definitely the exception.

Lucy was certainly relieved that they were having it in private, if only because of how swiftly and thoroughly he had shot her down.

"It's not that I can't see where you're coming from," Makarov continued, his voice softening from War General back to Guild Master, though it was still a far cry from the grandfatherly tones she found most comfortable. "The situation you described is nothing short of appalling. However, this Captain Brennam you spoke to is right – the Magic Council are entirely aware of how Zeref is being treated. They sanction it because they believe it is necessary to prevent such a powerful foe from rising again and threatening our nation's peace. Too many people have lost too much to that man over the last four hundred years. Trying to convince the Council otherwise is a futile endeavour."

Even as Lucy glanced away, she could feel a fiery defiance rising up inside her. "I wasn't thinking of asking them nicely."

"No, you weren't, were you?" Makarov gave a wry chuckle. "You're one of my children, after all." However, the wistful pride in his smile quickly faded back to distance, to authority, to the wisdom of experience. "Lucy. Just think, for a moment, about what would happen if you broke the Black Mage Zeref out of prison."

Something about having it put so bluntly into words made her wince.

"Firstly," he continued, "you'd be asking Fairy Tail to go up against the Magic Council. Even if we could, somehow, break into their secure facility and get back out again, we'd be fugitives. We'd end up on the run, all of us, for the rest of our lives. We fought Zeref to protect this guild, Lucy – if we throw that away now, he'll have won."

"I know, I didn't mean- I wouldn't drag anyone else down with me- I'd leave the guild first-"

"Do you think your friends would want to lose you over something like this?" he challenged, with that same authoritative calm. "And do you think officially quitting the guild beforehand would be enough to allay the suspicion thrown on your friends or shield Fairy Tail from the fallout? The Magic Council's authority is fragile. They had to disband the Emergency Council of Wizard Saints and swear in new members after the war – members who are inexperienced, unknown, and struggling against the common belief that it was the mage guilds, acting independently of the Council, who repelled the invasion and defeated Acnologia. They've been looking for a public enemy to strengthen their position. They'll come down hard on the guild for this, Lucy."

It was the smug, untouchable Captain Brennam she thought of as she clenched her fist. "So, we should just let them get away with whatever they want?"

"Our guild's part in the struggle against Zeref is over. It isn't our business how the Council chooses to deal with the aftermath."

"I can't accept that, Master," she argued. "Zeref is our business. It's because we beat him and couldn't kill him that this situation arose in the first place. Not to mention, the guild wouldn't even exist without him. The First Master loved him. And heaven only knows why, but he created Natsu, the kingdom's hero and my very best friend! Our histories have always been entwined. I can't just walk away from this."

The Master stared at her for long enough that even her stubbornness began to sweat uncomfortably.

"Lucy," he began, patiently, "we haven't even touched upon the most important issue yet. What, exactly, are you planning to do with Zeref once you've got him out?"

"I, uh…"

"He cannot be held in a normal prison, Lucy. He is a four-hundred-year-old genius of magic. Do you honestly think there is a single runic language in which he is not fluent? Can you say with absolute certainty that there exists a ward he could not dismantle, given enough time? Would you gamble the lives of your friends on the odds that there is nothing in his arsenal – spell or curse or immortality – that could circumvent magic-sealing stone?"

"Well, I…"

"Not to mention the fact that three-quarters of the magical incarcerated population are there precisely for doing his bidding! Avatar, Grimoire Heart, and the like – they worship him. He cannot be kept amongst dark mages who would rise up at a single word from him. And how would you keep it a secret? In the past two months, dark guild activity has been at a record low. What do you think learning their idol the Black Mage is still alive will do for their morale? Worst of all, can you imagine how Alvarez would react if word got out? We'd have another war on our hands before the ink on the peace treaty has even finished drying."

Master Makarov let out a deep, solemn breath. "This wasn't what anyone wanted, Lucy. There just isn't an alternative."

"Some people want it," she said bitingly. "Those with no capacity for understanding or forgiveness or humanity – the very people who have been left to supervise him."

For another long moment, she shifted under his scrutiny. "Then," he guessed, though it was so painfully sharp that she didn't think it was a guess at all, "perhaps you were hoping Zeref would be so grateful at being rescued that he would immediately renounce his evil deeds and not need imprisonment?"

Her gaze dropped as heat rose in her cheeks.

"I cannot fault you for that, Lucy," the Master reassured her. "However, it is safe to say that, in four hundred years, he has had plenty of opportunities to change. Besides, do not forget what the First Master told us. The Curse of Contradiction complicates things."

"I know," she conceded. "I do, but…"

"When you spoke to him, did he show any sign of penitence for his actions?"

"He didn't show a sign of anything," Lucy told him bitterly. "He was barely even alive."

"I know you want to believe the best in people, Lucy, and that's admirable-"

"It's not about believing that he's secretly a good person!" she burst out. "It's about believing that the fact that he isn't doesn't make him any less human! No one deserves that, Master. No one. No matter what they've done."

Abruptly, viciously, she got to her feet. She'd only taken one step towards the door, however, when realization hit her, and she turned back. "You already knew, didn't you? How they're treating him."

"I didn't know they were intentionally starving him," came the even response.

"But you knew the rest. You accepted it."

"He's too dangerous. There was no alternative."

She knew that.

That was why she felt so trapped.

Unable to move on after what she had seen, but unable to do anything about it.

She had hoped the Guild Master would have some wisdom to share, but it seemed there was nothing here but harsh reality.

Unwilling to stay a moment longer, she reached for the door – only to find another hand holding it closed. Confused, she traced the hand back along a magically extended forearm to the diminutive old man still sat in his wheelchair, who arched one bushy eyebrow at her.

"So, Lucy," he continued, as if nothing had happened. "Give me an alternative."

Sometime later, Lucy sat at the bar, tapping her pen against a half-finished cup of tea and speckling ink across the saucer. Her gaze was riveted to the open page of the notebook in front of her, as if all sorts of ingenious ideas would spontaneously appear there if she just glared at it threateningly enough.

Enclosed in three separate bubbles were the words:

Jailbreak.

Containment.

Retaliation.

The space around the first was relatively untouched, for while orchestrating a jailbreak might have been right up Fairy Tail's street, there was no point even thinking about it until she had feasible solutions to the other two problems.

The 'Containment' bubble branched off into a few tentative ideas. They mostly revolved around Levy and Freed and memories of the runes that had held Magnolia hostage during the Battle of Fairy Tail: lost languages there was a chance even the Black Mage would not know, or modern runic languages – if such a thing existed – that he might not yet have had the opportunity to learn. None of those branches looked close to being able to bear their own weight, let alone any fruit.

But at least she had some ideas. When it came to the third problem – how to stop the Council from obliterating Fairy Tail in revenge – she had nothing at all.

"More tea, Lucy?" a pleasant voice asked.

Lucy started. Pulling the notebook protectively towards her, she gave Mira a suspicious look, but the barmaid was treating her to an entirely guileless smile.

"Uh, no thanks, I've still got some," she muttered. She took a sip and immediately spat the stone-cold tea back out. "Actually, if you're offering…"

Mira's smile seemed to broaden as she replaced the teacup with another. "I thought so," she said amicably.

"I didn't realize it had been so long," Lucy apologized.

"You certainly seem very absorbed in what you're doing," Mira agreed, and it wasn't a question, but at the same time, it was. "I don't think I've ever seen you turn down a job with Gray and Wendy before. Especially not since Natsu- well, you know."

"Oh, I'm just… working on an idea for a new novel," she improvised.

"Starting on the sequel before the first has even hit the shelves?" Mira teased.

"Yeah, well, gotta write while I'm inspired!"

With that half-hearted declaration, she had hoped to close the matter, but unfortunately the wrong person happened to be passing. "You're writing another story, Lucy?" Levy squealed, leaning over her shoulder. "Hang on- that's my name! Am I going to be in this one?"

"No!" Lucy slammed the incriminating notebook shut and placed both hands over it, even as Levy's face fell. She knew she should have pleaded illness and gone to work on her plans in the privacy of her own home. "It's just ideas. That's all."

"Maybe it would help to bounce them off someone?" Levy suggested hopefully.

"No, it wouldn't. Look, I just want to work through some things myself. Could you maybe leave me alone for a bit?"

Levy and Mira exchanged glances. "Not really, Lucy, no," the latter answered serenely. She leaned forward, elbows finding the sole dry spots on the counter with the ease of practice, and rested her head on her palms. "None of us realized Natsu was pulling away from us until he was already too far gone to reach. Now you're suddenly turning down jobs and acting suspiciously, and we're not about to stand around and watch that happen again."

Guilt thudded suddenly in her ears. "That's not… it's not like that," Lucy mumbled. "I can't tell you what's going on."

"Why?" Levy wondered, taking the seat beside her. Lucy had a feeling it wasn't a coincidence that Mira had come over to offer more tea just as Levy was walking by; it seemed her friends felt safer in packs.

"Plausible deniability," Lucy said flatly. At their identical intrigued looks, she elaborated, "I'm going to do something stupid. Quite how stupid remains to be seen, as it will depend entirely on how many of these problems I can solve first, but the point is, I'm not dragging anyone else down with me."

Levy's eyes narrowed, but it was Mira who answered, with a full-on innocent smile that Lucy was beginning to remember to fear. "Has it occurred to you that, between us two and the rest of the guild, we might be able to eliminate all your problems and render your noble endeavours not stupid at all?"

Of course it had occurred to her. Unfortunately, just broaching it with the Master had been difficult enough, and he had been bound by his position to listen impartially and give her the benefit of the doubt. "Nothing can stop this from being a stupid idea, trust me."

"Try us," Levy dared.

"Alright, then." The fire that flashed in Lucy's eyes in response to the taunt wouldn't have looked out of place coming from her absent best friend. "I'm going to break Zeref out of prison and find a more humane way of containing him, all while avoiding any kind of retaliation from the Council."

Levy nodded slowly. "Hmm, I can see why you were thinking of rune barriers. Finding a spell capable of imprisoning the infamous Black Mage won't be easy… then again, Gray already came up with one, didn't he? And while I'm certainly not advocating the use of Lost Iced Shell, the point remains that if Gray was capable of devising one entirely on his own, one even Zeref hadn't anticipated, I'm sure together we can think of something that will imprison him without the awful side effects."

"Have you asked Erza to put you in touch with Jellal?" Mira inquired. "Who better to ask for help with a jailbreak than the man who is still on the run for doing just that?"

Levy seconded, "And I bet Gajeel has some ideas on how to get the Magic Council off our backs. There has never been a Rune Knight so good at toeing the line of legality."

Astonished, Lucy glanced from one to the other. "You're… actually taking this seriously?"

"Why? Were you joking?" Mira sounded disappointed.

"No, I, uh… I'm actually going to do it, but… you didn't even ask why. Don't you want to know why I want to rescue the man responsible for the Alvarez War and Tartaros and everything else?"

Levy gave her an exasperated look. "Lucy, you're you, so obviously there's going to be a good reason for it. I'm sure you'll share it with us before we start doing anything illegal, but in the meantime, I'm happy to take this one on trust."

"Provided you're willing to extend the same trust to us," Mira added cheerfully.

"Do you think…?" Lucy began hesitantly, glancing around a guildhall full of friends who had proven back when Phantom Lord attacked that they were willing to take extraordinary risks for her… but who had also suffered so much at the hands of the man she wanted to rescue. "Do you really think they'd want to help? Just knowing about the plan will put them in danger if I'm caught-"

"Of course they'll help," Levy smiled. "No, they're probably not going to do it for the Black Mage, but they'll do it for you, Lucy. You don't lose anything by asking, do you?"

"And there's one very important thing in your favour," Mira added.

"What's that…?"

The barmaid grinned. "It's been two months since the war ended, and – thanks in no small part to a certain Fire Dragon Slayer's moodiness – Fairy Tail hasn't been in trouble with the Magic Council once. At this rate, those poor new councillors are going to be lulled into a false sense of security. I'd say a little bit of excitement is well overdue."

It was early autumn, but it seemed no one had told this to the Sun Room in the Palace of Mercurius. Lush green burst from every available surface – bedecked with such exotic vines, blooms, and colours that it looked as though someone had stolen a little bit of summer from every country in the world and hidden it away in here. Water tinkled over smooth pebbles. Even the air had sprouted wings, fluttering gaily from flower to flower. Translucent drapes were half-lowered across the enormous windows, letting in just enough of the morning light for warmth.

Through this haven of summertime trudged a fully armoured knight. Lucy tiptoed in his wake, almost embarrassed by the clunking of his armour.

"Your Majesty," Arcadios boomed. "May I present Miss Lucy Heartfilia."

Surreptitiously trying to brush down her suddenly-far-too-cheap dress, Lucy stepped awkwardly out from behind the knight. What was the protocol in a situation like this? Was one supposed to bow when the monarch was an old friend?

Fortunately, Hisui answered that one by rising gracefully from her chair and pulling Lucy into a hug that made bowing quite impossible. "Hi, Lucy."

"It's good to see you again, Princess- I mean, Queen Hisui," she amended, but Hisui waved it off with a laugh like a chirping bird.

"Oh, don't worry; I'm not used to it yet either. It's usually other people correcting me." She gestured towards the table she had been sat at: an elegant thing of gold and glass, bearing a large plate of pastries and one fine china cup – no, two fine china cups, as an efficient servant set another down in front of an empty chair and immediately began filling it with tea. "Won't you join me, Lucy? I am sorry to do this over breakfast, but my schedule has been absolutely manic for the past month."

"I can imagine," Lucy admitted ruefully, taking the offered seat. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're willing to fit me in."

"No, I should be the one thanking you. It's wonderful to be able to step away from all the formalities for a little while."

Lucy fingered the elaborate handle of the teacup nervously. "Don't speak too soon. There's every chance you'll have me thrown out on my ear before I'm done."

"Oh?" To Lucy's relief, Hisui sounded intrigued. "Well, you can always count on a member of Fairy Tail to liven things up, I suppose. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well…" Lowering her voice, Lucy glanced towards the flitting servants – and to the far less subtle knight stood a few paces behind his queen. "Could you, uh…"

Hisui arched a very regal eyebrow, but dismissed the servants and a very reluctant Arcadios. "Should I be worried, Lucy?"

"No! I mean, it's just, uh… plausible deniability." That had become her favourite phrase over the past few days, which said something about the unexpected direction her life had taken. Even though they were alone, Lucy still struggled to raise her voice above a whisper. "In three days' time, I'm going to do something that is, uh… well, I'm not sure if it would count as treasonous or not, but it's definitely illegal. If you want to arrest me right now, or tip off the Magic Council or something, then you have every right to do that… but, just in case you're willing to hear me out, you, uh, are probably going to need to be able to deny that you had any knowledge of this beforehand."

"But you're going to tell me anyway?" Hisui inquired.

"Yes. Well, unless you'd rather I didn't?"

The queen sighed. "Lucy, after what you've just said, your choice is between telling me everything and fast, or going straight to the dungeons. Up to you."

"Right," Lucy swallowed. "I'll cut to the chase, then." She tried for a deep breath, but the perfumed air was starting to catch in her throat. "Have you seen the conditions in which the Magic Council are keeping Zeref?"

Hisui's jade irises seemed to grow a shade darker, but she shook her head. "I am aware that they are holding him in a secure facility beneath Era, but no more than that. He is a mage; his punishment falls under the purview of the Magic Council, not the Crown."

"Well, it's appalling. It's inhumane. And I will not let it stand."

Neutrally, the queen remarked, "Lucy, if he were mortal, he would have faced the death penalty for his crimes."

"He's the Emperor of Alvarez," Lucy pointed out. "Surely you can't execute a foreign head of state under Fiorean law?"

"Emperor he may be, but he was born here, lived here, and remains a citizen of Fiore. We not only can, we would have had to."

Lucy couldn't help grimacing. This was not panning out like she had hoped. "But he can't die, and our laws make no provision for an immortal criminal. What happens to him is up to us."

"Lucy," she sighed again, holding a pastry between slender fingers, "even if I wanted to change how he was being treated – which I don't – I wouldn't be able to. I simply do not have the ability to imprison a mage of his power."

"Oh, we're going to handle that side of things, don't worry. We – that is, Fairy Tail – have got a plan to break him out, and then contain him in a prison of our own making, which respects basic human rights. What we need from you is help with getting the Council off our backs once they realize what we've done."

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Hisui lowered her pastry back to the plate. "I am never taking a meeting over breakfast again," she vowed. "I need something much stronger than Earl Grey for this."

Lucy shifted awkwardly as she waited to find out whether she was about to be flung in jail.

"Let's pretend for a moment that this isn't the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard," Hisui began. "You are aware that I have no power to overrule the Magic Council on this, aren't you?"

"You don't have the power to overrule the Magic Council on this yet," Lucy corrected. She retrieved from her handbag a scroll of the most expensive vellum, tied by a single red ribbon. "This is a claim for secular asylum we intend to file on Zeref's behalf."

Hisui's eyebrows disappeared into her hair. "Secular asylum? That's an archaic piece of legislation." Taking the scroll from Lucy, she unfolded it gingerly. "You know, I've never actually seen one of these before. How did you find out about it? Master Makarov?"

"No, actually – it was Gajeel's idea. You, uh- remember that incident a few months ago where Duchess Andromeda was arrested by the Rune Knights at that illegal cult gathering?"

"Ah, Andy, my least-favourite second cousin. How could I forget that scandal? I'm very glad it was Father who had to weather that one. Are you saying Gajeel was the arresting officer?"

"You bet. The Duchess tried to claim secular asylum. Gajeel, being a bit too enthusiastic about arresting people and a bit too ignorant of the actual law, had no idea what that meant and dragged her down to the station anyway. Well, they were going to let her go without charge to protect the Rune Knights' reputation, and Gajeel was going to be dismissed, so he and Levy – well, mostly Levy – researched through the night to see if there was a loophole, and they found that-"

"Members of the royal family are precluded from the secular asylum laws," Hisui finished.

"Precisely. So the Duchess got six months of community service, and Gajeel's career lived to fight crime another day… and it seemed he learnt something in the process."

"Quite." Hisui glanced again at the innocuous scroll in her hand. "As grateful as I am that I no longer have to suffer through Andy's ghastly garden parties, I am beginning to wish that he hadn't."

She fell silent. The butterflies flittered on their innocent ways.

Lucy said, quietly, "They're starving him. He can't die, so they're not bothering to feed him. He can't even stand on his own. They're keeping him in this empty room, this white room, nothing to do or hear or see, and there are these horrid lights, a white brighter than you've ever seen, that they keep on him twenty-four hours a day."

"Lucy, you know what secular asylum means, don't you? If I sign this, I will be taking responsibility for everything that happens as a result of Fairy Tail's actions."

"I know. I do know that I shouldn't have told you we were about to commit a crime-"

Hisui snorted. "Yes, you really shouldn't have done that."

"-but I wanted to give you as much time as I could to think it over."

The queen stared at the scroll. The artificial stream tinkled on its merry way to freedom. Both of them envied it.

"I do not think you fully understand the situation you have put me in, by making this request of me," Hisui said. "Even if I implicitly sanction your actions by deciding not to intervene, the fact remains that you are going to break the Magic Council's law, and you are proud to do so. Your guild's audacity is frightening, Lucy. Truly frightening."

"Fairy Tail has always been like that," Lucy defended stubbornly.

"It's different, now. You have proven yourself stronger than Alvarez, stronger than Acnologia, stronger than the Magic Council and any other guild on the continent. You can walk in here and tell me confidently that you are about to commit a crime because you know that I can't do anything about it."

"You could throw me in jail-"

"Your friends would have you out of there by sundown," Hisui cut across her bluntly.

"You could brand us outcasts- petition the Council to have us disbanded-"

"There would be a public outcry. To the rest of the kingdom, you are the heroes of Fiore. And even if I could somehow convince them otherwise, I'm sure you would do just fine living outside the law. Your friends Crime Sorcière manage it, after all."

Alarmed, Lucy argued, "Jellal and the others are good people, who saved so many lives during the war-"

"I am aware, Lucy," Hisui interrupted tiredly, holding up her hands for peace. "However, do you not see that it makes no difference? The laws of the kingdom must be fair. They must apply to everyone equally. To have one guild become so powerful that it can pick and choose which rules it follows without consequence – that is more dangerous to my kingdom than a second Alvarez invasion. What is the difference between a light guild that thinks itself above the law, and a dark guild?"

"We're not-"

But Hisui hadn't finished. "Today, you're overriding the Magic Council's judgement of the kingdom's greatest criminal. Tomorrow, perhaps you'll refuse to pay damages when you go overboard on a job, and no one will be able to force you; or maybe you'll stop following the Council's guild regulations, there to protect the industry and its clients, because you're so popular that the citizens of Fiore will keep coming to you with jobs whether you have the Council's approval or not. Maybe the other guilds that look up to you will start doing the same. And what then? If these laws are so inconvenient to you, maybe you'll take over the kingdom yourself. If you could beat Alvarez, I'm sure you could beat my army. Perhaps the suffering of one man who has done such great evil in his time is an acceptable price to pay to maintain order and civilization in my kingdom."

There was a lot she hadn't thought about when she'd made her decision, Lucy realized. Even Makarov's counterarguments had come from the guild's point of view, rather than from those who admired Fairy Tail, or feared it. Mira, too, had joked about causing trouble for the Council, seeing it as a reason to support Lucy's plan, and not stopping to think about how it would look to others.

There was a lot Lucy could have said in response, too. That Fairy Tail respected the Crown and understood the importance, the necessity, of the Council. That they would never do anything like that, and one only had to speak to their members or look at their history to realize it. That they not only had no intention of flaunting their plan to overrule the Council and rescue Zeref, but were going out of their way to keep it hidden, for the Council's sake as well as their own. That, whatever their methods, surely the war had shown them that they were all on the same side.

But what she said was, "Nothing is worth that."

"He's a villain, Lucy."

"If we let this go on, how can we claim we're any better?"

When Queen Hisui hesitated, Lucy insisted, "You are right about one thing – I am going to do this, with your approval or without. But it isn't because of arrogance, or disrespect for the law, some obscure plan to overthrow you. It's simply because I won't be able to sleep at night until this wrong has been put right."

A sigh escaped the young queen's lips, soaring up on butterfly's wings to join its fellows fluttering, trapped, beneath the Sun Room's roof. "I know that, Lucy. I do. I just fear for the consequences. There are so many ways in which this could go wrong for my kingdom."

"Have we ever let you down before?" Lucy challenged.

Hisui met her gaze steadily. "Promise me that you can hold him, Lucy," she said. "Promise me that by signing this, I am not condemning all my citizens for the sake of one man I have no reason to forgive."

Lucy caught her gaze and held it. "I promise," she vowed. And then, on impulse: "Don't forget, Fairy Tail are the reason why Zeref is locked up in the first place. We'll beat him as many times as is necessary to keep the kingdom safe."

"Very well," the queen nodded.

Then, to Lucy's astonishment, she uncapped a fountain pen and signed the scroll then and there.

"But-" she stammered. "You- uh- just like that?"

"It's the right thing to do," Hisui smiled. "Let it not be said that I forget my debts, or that I lose faith in my friends at the first sign of hardship. I trust your judgement, Lucy. Get him out of there."

"Thank you. And, for the record, I didn't come here to tell you the truth because I thought you wouldn't be able to stop me. I came here because you're my friend, and you had a right to know. Sure, we may act out every once in a while, but I am confident that I can speak for my entire guild when I say that we respect you and trust you to make the right decisions. As long as that remains true, you never have to fear us becoming a dark guild."

Hisui nodded once. "Now, if only you could build a similar relationship of mutual respect with the Magic Council…"

"One step at a time. And this," she said, stowing the signed scroll back into her bag, "is rather a big obstacle to overcome. But if all goes well, I will see what I can do about it. I promise."

"I might hold you to that. You know, after this, I find myself looking forward to a day of debating the finer points of tax legislation," the queen sighed. "Unless there's anything else you want to spring on me?"

"Actually, there is one more thing." Lucy grinned up at her. "Are there any pieces of royal architecture in Crocus that you wouldn't mind getting a bit… destroyed?"

It was later that day that Lucy strode back into the guildhall. With Levy on one side of her, Mira on the other, and silence spreading across the guildhall with every step, she strode up to the bar and deposited an armful of papers in front of the Master: the signed application for secular asylum, a sketch of the Council's purpose-built facility, pages of runes hastily copied from a fading book, a planning permit, an invoice from what looked like a caravan park, a coded itinerary of which team was going to be at which checkpoint…

And Lucy said, "I've got an alternative."

"Alright, then," Makarov smiled. "Let's do this."