It's Mermaid Monday!

guest: Agreed. But the real question is... why is he acting like that? Thanks for the review!

waffels: Thank you! It's short, but I'm hoping this next bit makes you smile XD These two are my favorite to write.

KiyomizuJ: You are so very right. Their world's about to come crashing down around them. lol. I appreciate the review!

- K. Chandler


"You told them what?!" snarled Gray.

It hadn't been Lyon's intention to dump his Heartfilia problem on Gray, although in hindsight, it may not have been a bad idea.

"I'm not asking for a lot," said Lyon calmly. "Besides, you have a responsibility to this kingdom. You may not be noble by birth, but you're still in the line of succession."

Gray was pacing Lyon's study like a caged animal. "I am not interested in some random girl. You know that!"

"Don't be like that," said Lyon. "You haven't met her yet. Her father is a persistent one, but she seems like a lovely girl, at least."

Gray glared. "If you're so enamored, why don't you date her?"

"You know it's not that simple," sighed Lyon, trying to ignore the pressure building in his skull. He'd been feeling so worn lately, and all of this yelling was not helping matters. "Gray, we've been over this," he said slowly.

"Yeah?" Gray scowled. "Explain it to me. One more time."

Lyon let out a slow breath, taking care to keep his temper in check. "The Heartfilias are from Fiore. As wealthy as they are, Mr. Heartfilia is a common merchant."

"So?"

"As the prince, I'm expected to marry a foreign princess or noblewoman. This would create an alliance that will strengthen Fiore's position on the world's stage."

"That's not a marriage, it's a merger!" snapped Gray, though he looked a little sympathetic, at least.

"We don't all have the luxury of choices. Some of us have to do what's expected of us," retorted Lyon heatedly, bringing a hand up to rub at his throbbing temples. There were days that he rather wished that he weren't the prince. Today happened to be one of them.

"So you're basically dumping your problem on me, as usual." Gray's jaw tightened.

Lyon wondered if this was a blessing in disguise. The Heartfilias weren't a family to be taken lightly. He couldn't reject them outright, but there was no reason that Gray couldn't.

Besides, it was entirely possible that he and Lucy might hit it off. She had seemed as reluctant about the idea as Gray did.

"Just think about it for a second," said Lyon, holding up his hand. "Strategically speaking, this isn't a bad match."

"How do you figure?"

"The Heartfilias are a wealthy family. They have no status, but plenty of money. You, on the other hand. Well, you're the opposite."

"I wouldn't need money if you'd actually pay me!" argued Gray. "The other captains make way more than I do. Have you seen the way Erza Knightwalker spends? I can't even afford half of that!"

Lyon started to roll his eyes, aborting the motion as pain flared in his skull. He dropped his head into his hand with a sigh. "Captain Knightwalker and her crew don't leave a trail of devastation in their wake. I only deduct enough from your wages to cover the damage." He had been hoping that penalizing Gray and his crew would make them more careful, but it only seemed to encourage them.

"There's no way it costs that much—"

"Gray, the Fairy Tail is the third ship you've demolished in four months," Lyon said sharply.

Gray threw his arms up in protest. "The other two were an accident. And it was basically Natsu's fault."

"Between your trigger-happy Gunnery Master and that drunken First-Officer of yours, I really don't know what to do with the lot of you," sighed Lyon. His head was pounding. At this rate, they'd be the death of him.

"Except marry me off?" retorted Gray.

"Look," he sighed. "I'm asking you to meet with her. You don't have to marry her."

"Fine. I'll talk to her," Gray agreed. "But that's it."


I'm interested in hearing what you guys think of this world's Lyon. Originally, he was going to be nothing more than a name mentioned in passing, and I was going to focus more on Gray. But the complexity of his relationship with Gray is convenient, so I had to bring him in.

He's one of my favorite characters to write because there are so many different ways to interpret his character. I'm biased because he reminds me of a friend IRL. In my other long-running series, I portray him in a (mostly) positive light. Here, I wanted to do something different. This is a man who is responsible for running an entire kingdom. I figured he'd have to be practical and maybe a little bit self-serving. He leaves Gray feeling a little conflicted, and I'm hoping he makes you feel the same.

Next time, in Silence, Gray meets with Lucy...and so does Natsu: "Hey, there, Loopy!" shouted Natsu gleefully.

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.