Chapter 5

Serana got up early since she couldn't seem to sleep any longer. It was frustrating for her, so she hopped out of bed quietly, not wanting to disturb the others. Coco was still sound asleep, and Lucy stirred a little but dozed off shortly after. She put on some clean clothes, but just something old, since it would surely get ruined today when they started the cleanup. She moved a bit too fast and twisted the wrong way while trying to put her pants on and felt the cut on her leg strain and dialled down her yelp of pain to a deep scowl. The storm subsided overnight, and the rain had stopped; the hail was long gone. The guild hall was silent, aside from the faint sound of one of the boys snoring from their shared rooms.

After emerging from the room, she ventured into the central part of the hall and found only one person sitting at one of the tables.

The King.

Of course, she was still getting used to the idea of the King being on such friendly terms with the guild she joined only a few months ago, but it was nice to see that he was a human being much like herself. Having a King that wished to be treated like a God seemed to be a recipe for corruption and moral bankruptcy, so she was pleased to know that wasn't the case. It appeared that his reign had been successful thus far, and she was impressed with his work as King and a person. Faust would never have gone out in the middle of a hail storm to try and assist people in preparing their homes to help his subjects. And yet, his son was here, ready to pitch in. It was strange to see that the apple had fallen so far from the tree, but it seemed to herald a new age of peace and prosperity for Edolas.

"Good morning, Your Grace. Were you able to get some rest?" Serana asked quietly, trying to keep her voice down, so she didn't wake anyone up.

"Good morning Serana. I did get some sleep, thank you for asking. How about you?" His response was just as quiet, and his tone was calm. Despite that, she could see that he was tired.

"I'm going to head out and see what I can do to help, but can I get you anything before I go?" She asked, heading behind the bar to get herself a glass of water before she left.

"I am alright, thank you. How is your leg?" He kept the focus on her, and she finished her mouthful of water before she responded. She also poured him a glass of water, placing it on the bar after a nod toward it to gesture it was for him.

"Not too bad, thanks to you," she said with a smile to show she was grateful as she walked around to the front of the bar.

"I would like you to be careful so you don't reopen the wound. Please." His expression told her he was concerned, but he seemed to respect that she would help regardless and just wanted her to not push herself too hard.

"Of course, Your Grace. I appreciate your concern." Her smile grew bigger, feeling a bit flattered that he sounded troubled.

"I am not asking you as your King. I am merely asking as a friend who worries that you'll do too much." He stood up and strolled over to her at the bar as he spoke, observing her.

She couldn't help it, but she felt her smile fall away. His sudden display of worry was sweet, especially when he said that he was her friend. It surprised her so much that her eyes widened, and her mouth opened.

"If you don't mind waiting until Coco wakes up, I'd be happy to accompany you. I just wanted her to get as much rest as possible." He stood next to her, and they both leaned their backs against the bar.

"She seemed exhausted last night. I think she'll be up soon, though. There isn't a lazy bone in her body."

Serena chuckled softly and was surprised when Jellal did as well. It wasn't that she was surprised he had a sense of humour but that she had made him laugh. It was nice to see him laugh, even though she could imagine he was stressed. Making a mental note to try and make him laugh or smile whenever she saw him, Coco emerged from the room, smiling when she saw them both. Serana poured her a glass of water, and she downed the whole thing before grinning at them.

"I'd like to help with the cleanup today Coco, but can you please report to the palace to ask for any extra hands we can spare to assist in making repairs?" Jellal's smooth voice was somewhat soothing, Serana thought. She could listen to him talk about anything, but now wasn't the time.

"Of course. I'll go now." Coco replied, then bowed and zipped out the front door.

"I don't know how she has so much energy." Serana voiced her thought before realising it, and Jellal chuckled again.

"Neither do I." He responded knowingly and finished his glass of water. "Shall we? I'm sure there's a lot to do."

Giving him a nod, they both went out the front door of the guild hall to see what everything looked like outside. Most things seemed okay, but there were a few broken windows, some papers strewn about, and damaged signs for businesses out the front of their shops. It was still quite early; the sun had risen ten minutes ago, but people were already cleaning up. He was confident that some of them didn't get any sleep that night.

They walked together for a while, doing what they could as they went. One lady had her firewood spread across the street, and they assisted her in collecting and restacking it. A family had a broken window that Jellal helped them safely remove without anyone getting cut so that it could be replaced. Serana assisted an elderly woman in tidying up her home as she hadn't been able to close the windows in time before water and hail started pouring in. The wind had also blown things everywhere, so her belongings were in disarray. Despite being awkward and unsure how to develop a rapport with the woman, Serana felt good about helping her out. She hoped that when she was older, someone able-bodied would do the same for her.

Coco found them about two hours later, and she had been doing the same thing after getting assistance and extra hands from the palace staff. The kitchens were cooking meals to hand out to people who had been dealt a rough hand and had lost most of their produce and food. They also gave out supplies such as blankets, coats and other necessities that people would need, especially in dire straits. This would inevitably throw off the healing process for losing magic in Edolas, but Jellal was hoping he'd been able to show them that not having magic wouldn't cripple them. They could still achieve everything that magic could do, but all they needed to do was work together.

While they all worked, Serana kept an eye on Jellal and began to get a bit worried. She knew he hadn't gotten much rest last night and worked tirelessly to help everyone out. If he kept going at this pace for much longer, he would pass out. As best she could whilst aiding the people in the city, she stayed nearby to the King and ensured that he had a break to drink some water and have something small to eat every two hours or so. His stubborn desire to care for everyone showed how generous and compassionate he was.

She also noticed how much the people they were helping were noticing how generous and compassionate he was. It seemed that he was unconsciously endearing himself more and more to every person they helped, even those that may have appeared to be rather indifferent at first. Some women became smitten with the handsome young King doing their heavy lifting. Older men appreciated him cooperating with them rather than emasculating them by doing everything for them. His perceptiveness in dealing with each and every person impressed her greatly, more so because it was completely genuine.

Despite not intending to, she was becoming slightly smitten with him. It was a bit out of the left field, but watching him be so dedicated, giving assistance and smiles so naturally, with grace and empathy, made it hard not to admire him. Every time she checked on him, it became more apparent how tired he was, but it didn't seem to worry him. In fact, he seemed to be working even harder as time went on. Coco wasn't with them, and Serana grew concerned that he wouldn't listen to her to get him to slow down or stop. Coco had a way with him, maybe just due to him being around her so much and knowing him well.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he sat down for the first time that day, and she took a bottle of water and a piece of fruit over to him. His eyes were dull with exhaustion, and she dropped to one knee in front of his seat. Handing him the refreshments, he gave her a tired smile in thanks. She observed him as he munched on the fruit and drank some water. He didn't seem ready to stop yet, but she was intent on getting him to head back to the palace for today. Surely there were some other things he could do that were slower-paced and less physical, so he could get some rest. He was physically fit, but the mental nature of what they were doing was almost more tiring than the physicality of helping.

While he was stopped and had a mouthful of food or water, she could try to make her case for him to rest.

"Your Grace, may I suggest heading back to the palace for the afternoon? I'm sure there are things there you need to attend to." She tried to be casual, but he narrowed his eyes at her, and she knew she was busted. He relaxed almost immediately after, though.

"Trying to get me to rest? You sound like Coco." He replied evenly and smiled at her.

"Coco is a brilliant lady. I figure someone has to do her job while she's busy." She shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip from her own water bottle.

He took a slow breath in and out before he spoke again. She usually tends to be right as well. I'll go back to the palace."

"I'd be honoured to escort you, Your Grace." Serana stood up and gestured them in the direction of the palace.

"Thank you, Serana. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me today." Jellal spoke as they ambled towards their destination.

"Was it that obvious?" She couldn't entirely hide the embarrassment in her voice, but his soft chuckle made her feel better.

"It was, but only because I was trying to make sure you weren't pushing yourself too hard. The cut on your leg was giving you trouble. I noticed since I was doing the same thing." His tone became slightly bashful, and she huffed in surprise.

"Well...Thank you, Your Grace. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me today." She repeated his words from before, parroting them back to him.

Once Jellal laughed, she couldn't hold it in anymore either. It was nice to hear him enjoying himself after such a stressful day. Their laughter died down a few seconds later, and silence fell over them, but thankfully it wasn't awkward. He appeared to be mulling something over, and Serana waited patiently for him to say whatever he was trying to work out how to say in his head.

"While I have you for a moment, I wanted to ask you something." He piped up after almost half a minute. He phrased it as if he was asking permission, being polite.

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask why you came to the Royal City after your village got destroyed. You don't have any family to stay with?" He mainly asked for confirmation, but she was confused at his sudden intrigue.

"I don't have any family. My father passed away when I was quite young, and my mother was never the same afterwards. She became ill when I was about 16 and finally passed over a year ago. I served in the Army in the area, which was so familiar. I think I only stayed because I feared the big, bad outside world. Although it was upsetting, the village getting destroyed was the catalyst that forced me to leave. I stayed for the cleanup efforts, but eventually, I couldn't bear it anymore. One afternoon, I got discharged from the Army, then said goodbye and just left. I wasn't sure what I would do when I got here, but I knew that guilds had made a resurgence and that I might be able to get work in one of them." She explained as they strolled towards the palace.

"I'm sorry that you've been through so much. Something I find frustrating about being King is that I can't help, no matter how much I want to. I have so much power and yet, so little." His empathetic tone was appreciated, and when he said this, she understood why he pushed himself so hard today.

"I can't imagine the weight you must feel on your shoulders. I've never been in charge of anything." Serana tried to lighten the mood a little, but she only got a smirk out of him.

"It's getting easier to bear. I think the transition of power and establishing the legitimacy of my rule was hard. Getting people to deal without having magic is almost impossible. Events like this wouldn't affect everyone nearly as much if we could just magic them away." He glanced at her briefly but mostly kept his eyes on the ground.

"It's not your fault. All you can do is exactly what you've been doing all day. Show them that people can do everything magic can."

She didn't think it was an incredibly profound thought, but when he stopped walking and stared at her for a moment, she figured it must have struck a chord with him somehow. He held her gaze, and a smile came across his face, brightening his tired features for a few seconds. Hopefully, her words had given him some consolation.

Her surprise increased tenfold when he took a small step towards her and reached out to her. It seemed like it was happening in slow motion, but only because she could feel herself freaking out. Outwardly, she schooled her expression, aside from her eyes widening as he gently took hold of one of her hands.

"Thank you. I didn't even realise that maybe my helping people were giving them comfort in not being able to use magic for these things anymore. I just knew I wanted to help however I could." Jellal seemed to be a bit taken aback, but little did he know that his holding her hand had thrown Serana for a loop.

"You've gone above and beyond today. The people you helped today could see it." Serana responded, ensuring he knew that his efforts hadn't gone unnoticed.

He didn't reply, but his gaze turned inwards and a small smile appeared on his face as he seemed to be replaying some of the day's events in his mind. As he did this, she waited silently, letting him go through the motions; all the while, he still kept hold of her hand. A few seconds later, he raised his head and smiled at her again. He gave her hand another squeeze in appreciation and then let her go as they continued. It was an exciting experience, to say the least, but they stayed silent until they reached the palace gates and passed through them. Jellal was clearly lost in his thoughts, and Serana was happy to leave him there. He had enough on his plate to think about.

The palace's front door loomed over them, and it was open to allow all the comings and goings of the staff. They all greeted the King as they zipped past in both directions. It brought him from his reverie, and he stopped walking, placing his hands behind his back as he turned to face her.

"Thank you for your escort. How much do you charge for your services?" His attempt at humour was not lost on her, and she laughed at his joke.

"Uh, this is my first time completing a job for the King. Should I charge a higher rate because he's the King, or should I not charge at all because it's a service to the Kingdom?" Going along with his joke, she feigned thinking out loud.

"How about a tour of the Royal Library? I've heard you are quite an avid reader." His suggestion was unexpected, but it was something that she would absolutely love.

"Are you serious? I feel like I would actually faint seeing it." She admitted with an embarrassed laugh.

"Of course. Your service should be rewarded. How about I come by the guild after the cleanups are done? I'll take you on a tour personally." He was earnest and raised an eyebrow as he waited for her answer.

"Yes, please!" She couldn't hold back anymore and practically squealed with joy, bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Excellent. I'll see you then." The smile on his face melted her heart, and he looked like he wasn't a King but a young, happy man.

"Thank you. Please get some rest, Your Grace." She gave him a polite bow and began walking away, back down the path out of the palace.

When she got to the palace gates, she looked over her shoulder to see him watching her leave. She smiled and continued, knowing he wouldn't go inside until he couldn't see her anymore, and she didn't want him waiting there forever.

Making her way back to the guild for some much-needed rest, she couldn't quell her excitement about Jellal's offer. Although she couldn't decide what she was more excited about, seeing all the books, or seeing him again...