Hello Lovelies! And welcome to... the final chapter. 0.0
After much, much, much time, effort, frustration, rewriting... we're finally at the end, this is the very last chapter in the main storyline and the last I will be writing in this universe with this development set. I had a lot of fun writing but at the end of the day... I'm ready to move onto new projects.

Love you all, I hope you like it.

As always, Fairy Tail and all it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima. Desna owns the Pradesh folks and the expanded Boscan universe, Seven, Kittar the displacer mage and... well... a lot more. Gotta shout out to a few others as well. MrsPuppetEx, Therashae, NightmareSenshi, AwesomeMedic, and a few others that have really contributed to the lore and universe that has made up Pradeshverse as we know it. They've helped me personally a lot and beyond that, have helped create a world full of adventures for us to explore from the culture and government of Stella, to the desert sands and tribes of Desierto, details that really... bring the world to life. Another huge thank you to GoddessxNyte for her help in editing my chapters, guiding and encouraging me when it looked like finishing the story was impossible.

Lastly, thanks to all of you for sticking with me!

Enjoy!
-Starry

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Chapter 50: Gathering Family

"Wh...what?" Lucy blinked slowly, staring at the ambassador like he was crazy. She'd assume he was lying but… Zen was right there, so that wasn't exactly possible.

"Hisui is gone, Lucy, dead, and they believe Cobra did it. Dragon Slayers are being hunted," Arman said quietly, shaking his head.

"That can't happen! We have to do someth-" Lucy cut off when she felt Zen's hand on her shoulder and Farron lifted his own, "Lucy, relax… we aren't going to let it happen," he said calmly as he continued working on his own com with one hand, putting it to his ear after another moment and having a conversation with someone for a few moments.

The celestial mage rubbed her temple, slowly relaxing and leaning back in her chair as she waited, "Why do they think it's Cobra?"

"His magic was found at the scene," Arman said quietly, "Confirmed by an energy mage Bosco sent to Fiore to assist them in locating the culprit," the ambassador resumed his seat, waving to Mr. Elan to bring the food, "It's fine, Mr. Elan… we need to eat and they will be safe."

The chef nodded, bringing the rest of the food out and getting it settled before he and his wife moved back into the kitchen, getting the finishing touches on the dessert done.

"How do you know they'll be safe?" Cristoff asked, frowning a little before he glanced to Farron and blinked, relaxing, "Oh."

"I am really starting to hate that my hearing is at a normal human level," Lucy whined a little bit, sighing, "What's going on?"

"Farron is working with the Sevenese Consulate… Seven is the dragon kingdom and since the Black Queen Kressa's fall three years ago? They've been a strong ally to Bosco, they have in interest in moving to sanction Fiore for the new law, and to send aid to the dragon slayers that need to flee the nation," Kaleb supplied, lips in a thin line as he exchanged messages with Thane about ensuring enough apartments were available in the guild, making plans for teams to send into Fiore if they needed to go extract the mages.

"The moment the law was enacted Bosco pulled all alliance with Fiore, our energy mage is back this side of the border already and so Cobra hasn't been located by the monarchy yet," Farron said, putting his com lacrima down and smiling, "And he won't be. King Nuryev, as we expected, was sympathetic and quick to action. They have a displacement mage, they can move… anything, large groups of people large distances without any issue, just displace them right into a new location… the King sent him, General Rickter is on his way here as well, planning to stay a few weeks to liaise between Bosco and Seven on our actions with Fiore going forward."

Lucy blinked between them all, staring just a bit before she smiled and shook her head, letting out a sigh, "I… don't know why I worry about anything around here… you guys are on top of it, always."

Arman smiled, "We work hard, my dear, so the world we live in is just a little bit safer. That… and the dragon slayers there are your family and Bickslow's, you are our family, and we'd go a long way to protect them."

Lucy smiled and nodded, taking a bite of food slowly when Mr. Elan popped out from the kitchen waving a spatula at all of them, "EAT!"

"Yes, sir," came mumbled replies as everyone started eating.

The meal was quiet until Farron's com buzzed again and he smiled, checking it, "...they got them. All of the dragon slayers are out of Fiore. Kittar, the displacer, he's taking them to the Palerno branch."

Cristoff stood smiling, "I'm going, they may have injuries," he said, breezing through the kitchen on his way out and snatching cookies while Lucy blinked, "I… uhm…"

Zen smiled and stood, pulling Lucy to her feet, "Come on. We can go meet them, they'll be looking for answers as to why they had to be pulled out, right?"

The celestial nodded and gave him a smile, "Yeah… can at least explain why… for now… until we figure out how to get them home."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

It took them about fifteen minutes to fly from the estate to the guild hall, Zen setting Lucy down on the balcony to the apartment he kept in the guild when they got there and the woman took a slow breath, "...they… aren't going to be happy, are they?"

"I imagine not," Zen said calmly, "Getting taken from your home without being given choices isn't exactly a fun situation to be in."

"...yeah I know," Lucy said, kicking her feet a bit before heading into the apartment, blinking as she looked around at the tidy but comfortable apartment, "I don't know what I expected," she admitted, "But brown leather and soft blankets wasn't it."

"Comforts I never had," Zen said, moving past her and gripping her hand lightly as he led her toward the door smirking a bit, "We can come back here later," he said, "Right now we need to see your friends, Lucy."

Lucy blinked and then blushed, "Right! Friends… important," she said, moving with Zen through the apartment and out of it, down the stairs.

As they approached the hall the sounds of growling got louder and Lucy frowned, rubbing her forehead, "...this can't be good."

They entered the spacious guildhall of White Sea, Lucy looking around blinking as she recognized seven of the slayers there scowling, Cristoff smiling at them as he talked them through what happened, healing over a wound on Sting that Natsu had delivered in the brawl that preceded their jump to Palerno.

A dark haired man with… panther ears and a tail was leaning against a pillar, deep red eyes amused as his lips quirked into a slight smirk, the man crossing his well built arms over his muscled chest, simply watching them.

Lucy blinked as she looked around and moved to join the group, looking everyone over for injuries as she frowned, Zen standing at the bar now out of the way to keep an eye on them.

Laxus growled, "What the fuck, blondie? Why'd you have them bring us here? Fairy Tail, Magnolia, that's our fuckin' home, we can fight to stay there," he said, peircing blue eyes narrowed and Lucy elbowed him, "Not likely, Laxus…"

Natsu pouted, "Why the hell not? We've beaten all our foes before, this is no different!"

"It is different," Ryos said quietly, but offered no other explanation until Sting kicked him in the shin, "How so? Don't do that stupid quiet stuff where you just say three words and expect me to understand it," he glowered.

There was a quiet sigh before Yukino reached up, gripping Sting's ear and tugging, the slayer letting out a yelp as he went dramatically limp, "Owwww."

Ryos glared at the white slayer as he rubbed his shin.

"Anyway…" Cristoff smiled, "As I was saying, the law… well… Fairy Tail has been legally disbanded. Any action you take will get you arrested, other nations stand with you now, you've not done anything, but if you start breaking legitimate laws and causing mayhem…" he trailed off.

Gajeel grunted, leaning against another pillar scowling as he pried a screw loose from the shelf next to him and ate it.

Cobra scowled, "I didn't fucking touch that stupid bitch," he growled, eyes narrowed as he leaned against the wall… still very clearly not comfortable being inside of White Sea but Thane was standing next to him, carefully placing a guild seal on his shoulder while the man had his jacket half shrugged off.

"I know you didn't," Lucy said, smiling at him, "You wouldn't do that. Just means something went wrong… you were framed for something."

Cobra growled again, baring fangs but he looked away, "Whatever."

Lucy sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Right… well… anyway… while we sort this out, we should… stay here. We all can, I imagine a good portion of Fairy Tail will make their way here… or to Lamia or Blue Pegasus."

Laxus grunted, "Maybe… Gramps doesn't seem inclined to leave the damned guildhall but I wasn't given a damn choice," he growled at the displacer mage who was still smirking, ears twitching a bit, "Not ma fault, orders 're orders," he said, purring.

The lightning slayer narrowed his eyes and sparked slightly before Kaleb was walking in, Arman and Farron with Arman's assistant right behind them, "Calm. Down."

Cristoff smiled, magic reaching to relax the slayers in the room and he shook his head, eyes shifting to his brothers and father as he tilted his head.

"We're working on this legally, for now," Arman said quietly, but his voice carried and his face clearly stated it wasn't up for debate, "We will keep you updated on progress… for now? Emzadi is on her way home… and with this many of you…"

Wendy blinked, peeking out from behind Natsu with her brow furrowed, "Oh."

The lunar slayer stretched, dark hair falling over his shoulders as he let out a soft sigh, "With this many of us… we need to establish a tatsu."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Turns out… establishing a tatsu is a lot less… peaceful than one would expect of a ceremony to create what is essentially a family. The slayers had all moved, quickly, toward the training rings and they'd spent the next three weeks… fighting. Wendy was the first, she had to fight, her dragon pushed her straight into dragonforce and the girl had launched in, fought with all she had, no choice, her dragon had pushed her to challenge the other dragoness for queenhood but Emzadi met her blow for blow and more, putting her to the ground and forcing the submission she needed from the sky slayer, watching as she slowly returned to herself and her dragon receded again. Once she was established as queen the males started in, everyone had to fight her more than once and when she'd proven she could stand her own, proven to each of them that she could stand and protect the tatsu, be the last line of defense against anyone after the family, after the future hatchlings they may have.

Lucy had watched it all, sitting in the bleachers of the training rings and running things, helping Cristoff with caring for the injured when they were out of the fight, making sure everyone ate between their bouts with the queen testing her metal and when all the males had gone toe to toe with Emzadi and submitted she had been certain it would be done… but it wasn't.

The males fought each other, then, because dragons and dragon slayers can't coexist without establishing a hierarchy and the Alpha male needed to be established. Ryos had been the first to submit to the others, his dragon fairly quiet and reserved, deadly but not needlessly aggressive and shortly after Natsu had pulled out, having over exerted himself in his previous fights. Sting had lasted a while longer but ultimately fell victim to Cristoff, who managed to catch his gaze and put him to sleep.

Gajeel was stubborn, outclassed at that point but he kept fighting until he just… couldn't, taking Cobra out just before he lost himself, and then… Laxus and Cristoff had been the last two in the rings… three full days they fought until Laxus ultimately lost, Cristoff taking the mantle of Alpha.

When it was all said and done the slayers left the rings exhausted… but happy, settled, all of them feeling their dragon souls calmer than normal because they were stable, in a secure unit and had each other, something none of them had really quite gotten before, being in families themselves but their dragon souls itching to settle in with their own kind but never managing. In Fairy Tail, Wendy was too young and with Sabretooth and with Emzadi and Cristoff, there just weren't enough slayers there to calm each other.

Lucy stared at the… utter destruction that was the training ring and the four surrounding it, taking a breath, "It's… done… I don't think… they're going back to Fiore," she admitted quietly, "Not after that… they… look like they're home."

An elegant man appeared, long dark hair down his back, glowing gold eyes locking onto her, "Yes… indeed, they are. My children have settled into a family… they will not seperate now."

Zen, sitting next to Lucy stopped and stared for a moment, "Draco?"

The man smiled, taking a seat and looking out at the rings with them, "Yes, Zen. It's nice to see you. I was… sorry to lose your mother," he admitted, "She was a good keyholder, but… such is the way of the fates sometimes. Cruel."

Lucy blinked, squeezing Zen's hand as he took a slow breath and closed his eyes, all three of them going silent for a moment.

Finally, after several long minutes of tense silence Draco hummed, "You need to understand sometimes bad things happen for good things to happen later," he said calmly, "Your mother's sacrifice saved you, the bomb she died in opened your wings, brought your magic back to the plane, Zen. You were imprisoned, but that imprisonment made you strong, unstoppable, capable of most anything and now you can lead the Triad of Archangels when they awaken… prepare the world once more for the dark things in the world already prodding at gates long sealed. Lucy, you've endured quite a bit but you gained the favor of the Spirit King in the process, the favor of all thirteen of the Zodiac and the ability to protect the people you love. This? Is just another trial, the death of the Fioran princess to see dragons walking the earth again. Slayers, of course… but dragons all the same, and the success of this tatsu will lure those still hiding out once more, bring about the death of the black dragon Acnologia and free the wild dragons of the world to fill the skies once more."

"You… that's… that makes sense," she admitted quietly, shaking her head but Zen… smiled, "I know. I've… known that since I came home, that's… the only way I could figure out how to be okay with everything."

Lucy looked between the two and nodded and then took a breath, eyeing Draco, "So… why are you here?"

The spirit smiled softly, "I came to tell you… to settle here. I've been given leave to tell you that much, because you are stubborn, your whole guild is and while it is admirable… the gods would not see you dying uselessly. Tell Laxus… the heart is safe. That… will settle your family, the tatsu here will solidify and prosper and… when the time comes for the next trial of life… you'll all be ready."

Draco stood, straightening his jacket once more before he vanished in a puff of stardust before any further questions could be asked.

Lucy took a slow breath, watching as the last of the motes faded before she leaned into Zen, "...I think… that means our long distance thing is over."

Zen blinked and then pulled her to him, settling her in his lap as he cupped her face and pulled her into a deep kiss, "You… it does… if you're staying? It means I don't have to keep watching you leave me…" he said, disbelief on his face but hope there, too.

"Yeah… I'm… I'm staying," the celestial answered, grinning now as she looked into those beautiful dark purple eyes that always captivated her, "Because… my family is here… all of them, the ones that aren't yet… they'll come soon and you…" she kissed him again, "You are here… and I want to be with you, my heart… feels like it's already yours. I love you. I always will… and I don't see any obstacle standing in our way right now."

Zen stared at her for a long moment, knowing she couldn't lie, no one could lie to him, knowing even if she could she never would and just… letting the words wash over him, "I love you too…"

He shook his head, "Lucy, I've loved you since I saw you across the stadium in Peregrande…" he said, setting her on her feet and pushing her back a step as he sank to his knee, "I'm… a simple guy, I know that, and I'm sorry it's not fancy and it's not over the top planned and perfect but… it's what I am, what I have to offer you. Lucy," he spoke her name quietly as he pulled out a small box from his pocket, holding it up to her and opening it to reveal a golden band surrounded, the center stone surrounded in an intricate star pattern, "Will you… be my wife? It hasn't been long, I know that, but… I want you so bad it hurts some days, I crave your touch, you voice, even, like I used to crave water when I wasn't given any… and I promise you, if you give me the chance… I'll make you happy. I waited, I wasn't going to pressure you, not when you had family who needed you, barriers of your own, not when it was a choice between me and the rest of the people you care for… but now, you're… free. Free to choose. Will you marry me?"

Lucy's magic rose to the surface, waiting to lock the promise in place, lock the contract in and she covered her mouth with her hand, staring at him for a long moment before bypassing the ring in favor of tackling him in a hug and straddling him, drawing the man into a long, sweet kiss, "Yes… forever, always, and after that… yes," she confirmed between kisses as Zen ran hands up to her back and held her tight.

As the words were spoken golden magic glowed around the two, the Evening Star and the Starbringer beginning their forever on an unbreakable promise.

The End

P.S... look for the epilogue... because Lucy did promise revenge... and a celestial mage always keeps her promises.