Simon

I coughed as another cup of rum was splashed in my face. It stung my eyes and smelled as I sputtered.

Cordelle seemed disappointed, "tell me where my future wives are?"

"Up your ass," I spat.

The pain resurfaced in an unimaginable way, "oh I wish. Sadly, they aren't there. Now, be a good boy or I will kill you like I did the other girl."

My nostrils flared, "YOU BASTARD...AAAAAAAGHHHH!" I gritted my teeth as the weight of his magic pressed down on me.

"Did I say kill? I meant break. Killing comes next. So you can save you and your friends lives and tell me where those two are or I kill each and everyone of you slowly and painfully."

The boat rocked as another man came into the interrogation section of the brig, "sir! They're here!" They've started burning the cannon deck!"

"ARE THEY NUTS, THEY'LL KILL US?"

I started to chuckle, "no. It'll just hurt a lot. You really thought you could get away with beating up on Fairy Tail wizards? Think again," I grinned slyly, "not to mention, pissing off the daughter of the Salamander."

I watched as Cordelle tried to maintain his composure, "execute the prisoners."

My eyes went wide as the other pirate drew a blade, "aye captain."

Then the entire ship shuddered before exploding.

Nashi

Well that went to hell in a hand basket. Who knew they had that much flammables? I found Juliet and the others except Simon tied up before I disabled the magic circle, "stay here! I'm gonna try something!"

"That doesn't sound good!" Jazz quietly snorted.

I turned to see Zera punch a pirate with a flaming fist. Basics.

"Where's Simon?" I called down.

"They took him a few rooms over, in interrogation."

I nodded as I pointed myself in that direction, "you might want to get a few layers of ice up..." I warned Storm who acted quickly.

"Nashi! What are you doing?"

"Zera, get above deck now!"

She started taking the stairs two at a time as I sucked in a breath, "FIRE DRAGON..."

I waited a moment before releasing the fire...

Right at the gunpowder barrels.

The explosion tore through the ship and I was pretty sure I was gonna have slivers.

I pushed off in Simon's direction and saw him start to sink with chains attached to his arms. I grabbed his midsection and began to swim up as hard as I could. I broke the surface to see most everything aflame. A floating ice bubble bobbed up and down.

I started swimming toward shore as Zera let out a cry, "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Several pirates were floating and moaning in pain.

All of a sudden a whip coiled around my throat, "hey honey, daddy's home," snarled Cordelle.

I gasped for air and was quickly released as an arrow of fire tore the whip in half. I looked over my shoulder to see Zera standing on a piece of the deck that was floating, "you back away from my friend."

I started kicking as Cordelle tried to get at her but was fended off. A ice prison suddenly formed around him and the other pirates as the top of the water in the area froze except a path to shore.

Storm actually had my back for once. I swam until I got to the shallows as I dragged him to the beach with my muscles burning. Zera and the others came a few minutes later as I laid still next to him as he sputtered water.

"What the help happened?" He finally coughed.

"The Fairy Tail version of the expected result," Juliet looked out over the moonrise as several pirates were frozen in place.

He rolled over to look at me as I slowly blinked, "you okay?"

"I want a nap."

The Aftermath of the Third Battle of Tenrou Island was swift. Juliet helped Makarov fully recover and with his stuff mostly destroyed, he decided to come back to the mainland. The Magic Council came and arrested the pirates while the guild had to pay for a new cargo ship. Mom wasn't happy and neither was Erza. But in the end, it was a successful mission. Zera even stuck around and joined the guild, becoming my second room mate. Having someone my age around a lot is actually kind day fun. I don't have to really dumb it down. It took a while for a few members to get used to a tangible Zera. Apparently during the Fiore-Alvarez war, Mavis had subconsciously summoned the illusion Zera that was visible to others for a short time. But now with the real deal, people were having to be extra careful.

Zera however was happy as the Blue Skull mark was removed. A Fairy Tail mark was placed on her shoulder opposite of her Red Lizard one.

It was funny hearing Gray complain to Erza, "two Fire Dragons in the same house!? Of the same age!?"

"I see no problem with it. They seem to get along rather well," she had responded.

"I'm just worried they might get drunk one night and burn the town down."

"Both of them are still learning. I wouldn't expect that much carelessness from them."

However, the day soon arrived that I had been waiting for.

"Hey! Sleepy head!" Zera called from the kitchen.

I yawned, "what?"

She had her toothbrush in her mouth, "why is today circled on the calendar?"

I thought for a moment before springing out of bed, "oh man! My mom's armor is ready today!"

Zera frowned, "why is that cause for alarm?"

I scratched the back of my neck as I poked my head out into view, "because it's been almost a month AND YOU DO DISHES AGAIN!? I TOLD YOU IT WAS MY TURN!"

"Sorry, bad habit," the brunette grinned sheepishly.

"Zera, be more lazy with chores. You have done literally everything the past week. Give it a rest."

"I don't see the problem with it. I mean, it's less than what I usually do and you take too long with the dishes anyway."

I groaned as she was referring to the other night when I got sidetracked by the soap bubbles and she forced her way to the sink and wouldn't let me back to finish them.

"So when do I get to meet our other room mate?"

I blinked, "Happy? I dunno. Whenever he gets back. He took an discord job that was urgent. So im not actually sure when he'll get back."

I made my way to the stove after getting dressed and helped her finish making breakfast, "we need to laundry while we have this heat wave. It'll let the clothes dry out faster. That scarf needs to be washed."

I put a hand on it, "no it doesn't!"

"You've worn it ever since we met, you have never taken it off, even when you sleep, I'm going to wash it. It'll be dry pretty quickly anyway. I think you can go a half hour without it."

"Your bow needs to be washed," I mumbled.

She pointed her fork at me, "clothing and weaponry are two different things here when it comes to gifts from parents, don't try and say that analogy counts!"

I raised my hands up, "I haven't washed this since the day I got it."

She stabbed her fork in the table, "that does it," she pushed the chair back as she stood up and came around.

"Zera? What are you, no, ZERA!"

I finally tapped out as Zera blew a strand of hair from my face, "I told you, I'd say when it was dry!"

"It's been forty five minutes!"

"It's still a little damp!"

"Then throw some fire at it! It is fire proof!"

She paled, "I didn't think of that."

I cried out in victory as I tossed her off of me, "hey! Watch it!"

I grabbed the scarf off the clothesline and draped it around my neck. It felt weird having it off for so long. Now it's familiarity on my neck was welcome again.

I looked at the clothesline, "geez, how much orange do you need?"

Zera's new clothes habit was orange and brown with a hint of green. She looked away, "execute me I haven't really had the pleasure of having my own wardrobe since I was six."

"Ya got me there," I admitted sadly.

A bandanna with the Fairy Tail Guild Mark was on her head, a small little remembrance of her journey to freedom.

I sat down on the small bench near the line, while Zera looked at the sky, "we should probably go on a job again soon. I miss Team Nashi."

"Team Nashi?"

She shrugged, "you did kind of steal the lead role from Simon. It kinda looked like you were running the show until I got told otherwise."

"I guess so, and we could use the money," I sighed, "especially if we want garlic bread seven days a week."

"Hell yes, I am down as you would say?" She raised an eyebrow to double check her Fioran Language.

I nodded and she pumped a fist in the air, "yeah!"

She finally joined me a few minutes later, "Can you believe three weeks ago, you got me my freedom, and now we're both learning the same type of magic in a guild created by someone I was a jerk to as a child in the 600's?"

I laughed, "well when you put it that way Grandma..."

"Hey! It only counts if you've experienced those years!" She smacked my arm, "I think we should at least celebrate."

"You realize the guild has been having a party almost every night, right?"

"I got a black eye from the one a few days ago."

"You were so hammered," I giggled.

She placed a hand on her head, "don't remind me. I think you were too."

I thought back to that party. Simon had walked me home while I kind of dragged Zera along as she was passed out. A faint blush rose to my cheeks, "yeah, I was."

A breeze blew through the trees and out over the lake. I clapped my hands, "well I need to go get some food and pick up my armor."

"I need to go to the nursery and pick out some new plants for the front. Happy isn't much of a gardner."

"Meet you at the guild?" I offered. She gave a quick thumbs up as we went our separate ways.

I closed my eyes for a bit as I walked until I caught a scent on the wind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I tensed up and turned while drawing a knife, "who's there!? Show yourself!"

The street was empty and the wind was gone. Not even a chirp of a bird filled the sound of what would usually be a busy street. A shadow shot out of the alleyway. I barely had time to dodge and throw the knife towards the attacker before. I heard the knife clang off of the brick wall as a man emerged two feet off of my aim, "the infamous Dragon Blade, what a pleasure to stumble across one with such noble ancestry."

I pulled Erza's sword off my back and let my fire run along the blade, "all right, you know who I am but I don't have a clue other than you are a jerk who likes attacking young girls in public!"

His old face went red, "ITS NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Sure, you were even hiding in a dark alleyway. So that really helps your case you creepy perv."

His fists clenched before he released them with an exhale, "my name is Sir Ivan Longscythe, Duke of Edolas."

TO BE CONTINUED...