Chapter 6

Just shy of a week later, most of the cleanups were done. There were still a few things to organise, and Jellal had just received word that a shipment of some much-needed supplies would arrive within the next half day. It would be filled with food, water, blankets and items for rebuilding. There would be wood, metals and bricks to repair people's homes as some still did not have adequate shelter from the elements. Most that had damage to their homes had been taken in by family, friends or neighbours until their homes were fixed.

Repairs were being completed around the clock, but it had been difficult for the first few days since it had still been raining quite heavily, making building repairs challenging and somewhat impossible. With the shipment arriving soon, that would be the last of what they needed to complete all repairs, and hopefully, that would allow life to return to normal.

It had been a chaotic time, and he hoped that his efforts to show that magic was not needed were not in vain. Unity of people was far more critical, and even with magic, everyone would still need to work together to achieve the same goals in such circumstances. When this final stage was over, he wanted to sleep for a week, but that wouldn't be possible. He wanted to travel to the outlying villages and towns outside the capital to check if they had any damage and provide any assistance needed. It would likely take a month or two if they went at full pace, but some people may not be able to wait that long.

He had a meeting to head to now, allowing him to delegate and split up his advisors to send them in different directions to provide help as quickly as possible. Coco had initiated the first part of this by sending out scouts to the towns and villages to assess the damage, and most of them had reported back within the last 48 hours, with some due back in the next few days after going to more far-flung places.

Getting up from his desk, he headed towards the meeting chambers just down the hall, where he could hear people talking and discussing things. When he entered the room, they all stood and became silent immediately. He placed down the papers he had brought with him and sat at the head of the table, and the meeting began.

For the next two hours, they discussed the supplies needed for each of the surveyed places to provide adequate repairs so that when the shipment arrived, they could split everything up and send it out along with workers to help out. Jellal had enquired about how many different tradesmen they had, as well as artisans who had technical skills that could be helpful and had also offered to pay any people who were willing to travel to the other towns to assist. The palace treasury had become quite full during the corruption that prospered under his father, Faust, so he intended to put the funds to better use, and this was a perfect opportunity to do so. By paying regular workers, they would also spread the money and boost the economy in those villages and towns, which would benefit trade too.

Once Jellal and his advisors had delegated who went where and with what supplies, they ended the meeting and the men and women all bowed as he exited the room. He headed back to his own chambers to rest for a while. Now that was out of the way, he had intended to get a bit more sleep for an hour or two before keeping a promise he had made to a member of the Fairy Tail guild.

To show his appreciation for Serana, for looking after him and for being self-sacrificing enough to put her own body in harm's way, he had promised her a tour of the royal palace library. Lucy told him how much of a 'bookworm' she was, and she would appreciate seeing the books in the grand library that had been amassed throughout the reigns of the Kings of Edolas. Some were hundreds of years old and had to be specially preserved in glass cases to stop them from falling apart or disintegrating completely.

He had sent a message to the guild to tell Serana, inviting her to visit in the mid-afternoon around 3pm. Since it was just after midday, he desperately needed to sleep for a while lest he passed out completely. As well as preparing the library for her visit by laying out some books he thought she would like to see, he had also requested the kitchen staff to prepare afternoon tea for them. Hughes had told him that he had seen her with an older woman yesterday, helping her receive and carry some of the items the palace had been giving out, with food and blankets to those who needed them.

Hughes had also mentioned she was still favouring her leg slightly but trying to not make it obvious. Hughes hadn't spoken to her, just seen her from afar, so she wouldn't have known that he was reporting to the King about her injury. Nothing was surprising about her continuing to help even when she wasn't at her best and was still healing, but he would ask one of the palace physicians to check on her wound today. Hence there were several reasons for her visit, and he knew it would also allow him to relax for a while, as that was what he intended for his guest to do.

Flopping down onto his large bed, he slowed his breathing to calm his body and mind and hoped he would drift off. Unfortunately, his mind was still racing with worry, concern, plans in motion and some that had not yet been made, and he didn't get any sleep. He didn't realise how long he had been lying there until a soft knock at his door brought him from his thoughts.

"Your Grace, your guest, Serana, has arrived. I have taken her to the library, and she is waiting for you there." The voice, muffled through the door, belonged to Briyana, who worked closely with Coco.

It seemed she had learnt well from Coco on anticipating things he would ask of her, and he dragged himself off his bed and straightened out his clothing. He was still in his formal robes, and he looked at himself in the mirror briefly and decided to change clothes. It would send the wrong message to Serana and subconsciously remind him that he was a King and that a King did not have time to rest. He put on something much less grandiose and more comfortable, trying to be quick so he didn't keep Serana waiting for too long.

When he rechecked his appearance, he ran his fingers through his hair briefly and wondered for a moment why he was bothering to do so. Narrowing his eyes at the image of himself staring back at him in confusion, he shook his head vigorously, letting his hair fall back where it had been before exiting his chambers and heading towards the library. Briyana was waiting outside for him and followed behind him quietly, and when they reached their destination, he asked her to bring something for them to drink. Briyana zipped off towards the kitchens, and Jellal smiled at her eagerness before he headed down the small stairs to enter the library.

The walls were entirely covered in books, and many shelves were stacked with more. It was large enough that the librarian & royal historian, Dreyer, who also took great care of any texts they received, ancient and rare books, could work without him even realising they were there. Dreyer would be here somewhere but wasn't always visible at first glance, usually hidden behind piles of books, scrolls and other materials he was studying.

Serana was seated with her back to him at the small table where he had set some books out for her, and she already had her nose buried in one. He smiled at her and watched for a minute, then finally joined her at the table and took a seat across from her. The sound of the chair moving against the floor brought her out of her trance, and she swiftly stood up to bow in greeting. She couldn't see it, but the force he had stood up with had forced the chair she was sitting on to lean backwards, and it was teetering precariously before it finally fell and crashed to the floor. He tried not to laugh as she nearly jumped out of her skin in fright at the sudden noise.

Jellal even noticed Dreyer's head appeared from behind a shelf on Serana's left to assess what had happened, probably in mild frustration at the noise. He disappeared just as quickly, shuffling off quietly towards the opposite side of the library, allowing him some privacy with his guest.

"Sorry," Serana said in a tense whisper.

"It's fine. Please sit down." His smile ensured she knew it was okay, and he wanted her to relax. "I would like to spend our afternoon taking it easy. We both need a break." He suggested in a friendly manner, trying to be informal.

"I'm sure you do more than me. You've had much more to organise for cleanups and repairs on a much larger scale." She said as she picked up her chair and sat back down.

"Actually, it's not been too bad. Since we had such a big effort to make after Extalia fell, we already had processes in place for what we went through then. Thankfully, there hasn't been that much damage as there was then." Jellal replied softly and sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"Well, I hope it's not been too stressful. You definitely deserve a break." She responded with a smile before someone entered the library, coming down the stairs.

It was someone from the kitchen with a trolley filled with food and drink. The kitchen staff began to bring the trays over, and Jellal stood and began helping. Serana went to do the same, but Jellal gestured for her to stay put, so she shrunk back in her seat, doing as she was told.

Although it was probably fine, he wanted her to stay seated and rest her injured leg. Also, he had invited her; she was his esteemed guest, so he didn't want her to lift a finger. Despite his not wanting to have ridiculous amounts of staff in the palace, since he wasn't a fan of living a luxurious lifestyle, he still kept them all on staff and paid well, as they would be out of a job if he sent them away. As a good leader should, he always tried to lead by example and not be above doing some palace workers' simple and basic tasks. He usually took his clothes to the laundry instead of asking someone else to do it, and he immensely enjoyed working in the kitchens with the staff to help prepare meals. He actually had quite a lot of fun doing such things, and the palace staff endeared him in return for his efforts. They had difficulty getting used to doing everything manually after losing Edolas' magic, so he hoped his help had somewhat eased the burden.

Serana simply watched in awe and gratitude as the table was filled with all sorts of delights. There was a pot of tea that smelled terrific, tiny cakes and pastries, and some savoury treats. She thanked the staff member as they finished loading up the table, and they left her and Jellal alone in the library. Dreyer had seemingly vanished somewhere or was just concealed behind a large shelf.

"I figured we could eat something while you have a look around. What sort of books do you like? If I'm quoting her correctly, Lucy said you read many fictional stories and 'some weird books about old stuff'." Jellal asked with a smirk as he remembered Lucy's scrunched-up nose as she relayed this information to him.

"That sounds about right. Many things don't exist and are not in living memory." Serana answered with a smile, watching as Jellal poured her a pot of tea.

They spoke about all their favourite books, and Jellal even told her some stories he had been lucky enough to read in Earthland. He relayed some of the incredible details of its history and even his own experiences, which she was greatly interested in hearing about. He didn't always like talking about Earthland and what had been left behind, but Serana seemed perfectly content hearing about a society different from their own, what he had seen, heard and touched. Even though it wasn't Edolas' history, she still found it intriguing.

As he hadn't spoken about much of his time in Earthland, he supposed that he hadn't quite been able to reconcile the past in his head and heart. Discussing general things that didn't involve as much of his own personal feeling did allow him a lot more catharsis than he initially realised. He continued talking without realising that the sun had set, and Serana was enraptured with his tales. They had finished their pot of tea hours ago and been provided with several refills and some more finger food as they talked, barely breaking their discussion to thank the staff bringing them.

Coco eventually appeared and looked surprised, and Jellal asked why she was stunned.

"What's that face for?" He asked with a smile at her widened eyes.

"You've been here all afternoon and evening. I just went to see if you had yet returned to your chambers to go to bed, but I couldn't find you. Briyana told me you were still here." Coco answered after schooling her expression, but it seemed there was a glint in her eye she couldn't conceal.

"What time is it?" Jellal asked incredulously and looked at the clock on the wall, noting that it was almost 10pm. Serana followed his gaze, and her mouth dropped open as she realised the time as well.

"My apologies, Your Grace. I have kept you for too long. I'll let you go and get some rest." Serana stood up from her seat and bowed, preparing to take her leave.

Although he hadn't noticed the time passing, and he didn't want their time together to be over, he knew that it wasn't reasonably prudent to keep her so late at night. Jellal stood from his seat and realised he was still quite physically fatigued from all his efforts to assist with the cleanup after the storm. He also noticed that she had started calling him by his formal title again when she had been so friendly and informal when they were talking before.

"No, I am the person who kept you for so long. I apologise for keeping you so late. I'll escort you back to the guild." He would typically be happy to walk her back, but he knew he was still tired. Serana seemed to realise this, whether it was conscious or not.

"There's no need. I'll go back myself. You should get some rest, Your Grace." She gave him another bow, and he gave Coco a nod to send someone with her to escort her home.

If he wasn't so exhausted, he would have taken her himself despite her complaints. Coco nodded back and disappeared out of the library, following Serana to ensure she got a guard to see her back to the guild safely. Even though he wanted to wait until the guard had returned to confirm her safe return, he was far too tired and began to head towards his chambers.

He would take a quick bath before bed, but he trusted that Serana would be okay. Once he had bathed and changed into his bedclothes, he lay down and heard the cracks of a few of his joints as his body became horizontal. He groaned as he finally relaxed, letting the mattress beneath him support his weight.

Too tired to stay awake with a racing mind like he had earlier today, almost as soon as he got comfortable, he fell into a deep sleep…