The next morning, a soft, steady knocking on her door pulled Juvia from her sleep. Stretching, she looked at Natsu sleeping beside her and gently shook his shell. She hated to wake him, especially after everything he had done for her, but it would probably be best to continue keeping him out of sight from the oblivious kingdom folk.

"Huh…? W-What is it?" Natsu mumbled as he slowly woke up.

Juvia climbed out of bed and quickly hid Natsu in a cupboard. Once the salmon crab was put out of sight, the door opened to reveal Sherry holding out Juvia's blue navy coat.

"Rise and shine, sweetie!" Sherry greeted. "Today's the day you and Prince Gray will go on a tour around the kingdom. I have your clothes right here."

Juvia curtsied as she took the dress and went to change in the bathroom, while Sherry was fixing the bed sheets. After a few minutes, Juvia emerged wearing her blue navy coat, and Natsu hastily darted out of the cupboard. Thankfully, Sherry didn't notice, so Juvia took the chance to slip him into the safety of her pocket.

"Alright then, let's go down for breakfast," Sherry said.

And so…

Juvia followed the maid down to the dinner hall, where Lyon was already waiting.

"Ah, good morning, my dear," Lyon smiled, turning away from the window to help her with her chair. Glancing across the table, she saw a whole range of foods she had never seen before, yet strangely enough, somewhat resembled the breakfast seafood she had at home. Lyon sat down and stared feeding himself, while Sherry placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"What would like to eat first, honey?" Sherry asked.

What would she like to eat first? She stared at the selection of food once more, before giving Sherry a look that meant she wasn't sure. Sherry smiled, "That's alright. You can eat as much as you want." Taking Juvia's plate, she filled it with food and set it back down. With a grateful nod, the ex-mermaid started eating.

Just then, Juvia couldn't help but look at the empty chair beside her. Did Gray had an early breakfast? Or was he organizing the trip around town?

Sherry also stared at the chair, and asked Lyon, "Lyon, has Gray come back yet?"

Lyon shook his head, spreading some butter across his toast, "I think not. He didn't even tell me where he was going, or wait long enough to grab something to eat."

Sherry sighed, glancing at the food on the table, "Lots of food uneaten… If it's not eaten soon, it will go to waste."

Lyon replied, "At least there's plenty to share. Please, join us."

Sherry grinned, "Plenty to share? I'd love to!" She took a seat next to Juvia and began serving herself. There was a firm knock from the hall, and the three turned to see a guard named Toby Horhorta standing at attention in the doorway.

Toby announced, "The carriage is ready, Lyon, sir." Lyon made a sound in approval, but couldn't properly respond with his mouth full.

"That's great!" Sherry beamed, clapping her hands together. "Now all we need is a prince to get this tour on the road… wherever he is."

Juvia once again gazed at the empty chair. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a secret to share.

The ocean breeze licked at Gray's skin, toying with both his and his dog's hair as they sat at the top of the hill. They were in the royal cemetery just outside town, which just happened to overlook the ocean, and the particular hill they were on has full exposure to the view and its winds. Gray tugged his trenchcoat closer to his body. The breeze itself wasn't too bad, but he'd been up there since about 6:45 A.M., slightly over two hours.

Gray's eyes gazed upon one particular large gravestone at the center – the gravestone of his late father, King Silver Fullbuster. Ur nuzzled herself closer to her master to comfort him, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

As far as Gray can remember, the young sheepdog had been a gift from King Silver for his 6th birthday. He may only be a few months old, but Ur was smart enough to know that King Silver wasn't just Gray's father… He was his best friend, his wise teacher, and his role model. Aside from that, Silver was a great master of Ice-Make Magic, and shortly after Gray's 12th birthday, he took his son under his wing and taught him the art of Ice-Make Magic. He became an impressive fighter after two years of training. And that fateful day, King Silver sacrificed his life to win the war against the invaders of Tartaros, and the kingdom created a large gravestone in his likeness. Written on the words of the gravestone were "Silver Fullbuster, Our Beloved King, A Great Father to His Son, and a True Hero."

Stroking Ur's head, Gray took a deep breath and stared at his father's gravestone. He sighed, brushing away his tears, "I wish you were here, Dad… You've never given me a piece of bad advice, and I'm just so confused right now. That girl… That voice… I've looked everything, but I just can't find her…" He then began to smile, "…but I did find someone else. That girl with blue hair just appeared on the beach without saying a word. I have to admit, she's quite beautiful, but unusual. Like last night, she came to dinner and started brushing her hair with her fork, and then she blew Lyon's bubble blower, mistaking it for a trumpet. It's like she has absolutely no knowledge of our way of life. And the weirdest thing of all… is that there's something so familiar about her…" He stroked his chin, "But I just can't figure out what."

Grumbling, Ur rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "Of course she's familiar, Einstein! She's the girl who saved your life!"

Gray chuckled, not noticing his dog's reaction, and added with a smirk, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that she's our little mermaid…"

"There you are!" a voice cried, and it belonged to one of the castle guards, Sue. "We've been looking all over for you! You gotta get ready for your tour, or your girl's gonna be awful sore!"

"Alright, I'm coming," Gray nodded with a smile, having found the strength he needed to spend time with Juvia. Before he left, he turned to his father's gravestone one last time, "I'd better go. I promised to take her around town today. See ya, Dad." With that, he started following Sue to the carriage.

A few minutes upon returning to the castle, Gray escorted Juvia out towards the main gate where a carriage pulled by a horse awaited. "I think you're really gonna like where we're going. Lamia Scale Town's got some of the best food, shopping, entertainment and stuff. Let's hope we'll catch a show while we're there. Ready to go?"

Juvia nodded, and the two boarded the carriage. Gray whipped the reins, causing the horse to walk forward. The front gates opened and the carriage raced off down the path to town.

As the carriage traveled, Juvia saw the sights and sounds of Lamia Scale Town and pointed excitedly at the buildings, shops, and houses around it. Indeed, the human world was more than she had ever dreamed before and it elated her to have the good fortune of being the first mermaid to visit this strange and wondrous land.

Meanwhile, Happy the Exceed flew over Gray's carriage, with Natsu standing on top of it. Happy asked, "Did he kiss her yet?"

Natsu whispered back, "Not yet. They just started."

"Furs and whiskers…" Happy groaned, and he flew away from the carriage.

Even after disembarking from the carriage, Juvia discovered more new fascinating things as Gray guided her around town on foot. Some of the things Gray was kind enough to buy her, such as a miniature ice statue, a Silver Fullbuster action figure, and a bag of fruits.

Soon enough, lunchtime rolled around. Gray offered, "I'm gonna get us some lunch, okay?"

Seeing her nod, Gray entered the bakery. Juvia stood beside him, watching what he was doing, before something caught her eye. Leaving Gray behind, she walked up to a giant mosaic built into a wall nearby. The mosaic pictured a tall muscular man with black hair similar to Gray's, and he was wearing a suit of armor with a cape and a message on the chestplate bearing the writing, "Absolute Zero." Beside him was a beautiful woman with long black hair dressed in an elegant gown. Between the man and woman stood sat a small boy, who Juvia recognized immediately as a young Gray.

"Got you a cheese sandwich," Gray smiled, handing Juvia the food. "Hope you like it."

Juvia gladly took it, and the two sat on a bench and started eating. Once they finished, she tugged at his sleeve and pointed questioningly at the mosaic.

"That's me and my parents, King Silver and Queen Mika," Gray explained, guiding her towards the mosaic. "When I was twelve, my dad taught me how to use Ice-Make Magic. See?" To demonstrate, he clasped his hands and a light blue mist of ice glowed from them. When Gray opened his hands, a miniature ice swan appeared in his right palm. Juvia's eyes glistened with amazement to see that Gray was not only a handsome prince, but a practitioner of magic as well.

Gray continued, "My dad died in battle with Tartaros when I was fourteen, and my mom joined her a few months back because to an illness. They've gone to a better place…"

Juvia felt a pain inside her chest, knowing all too well what it was like to lose someone in your life. If only she had her voice back, she would tell him how sorry she felt. But at this point, she could make her actions speak louder than words. She slowly walked up to the mosaic and placed a hand over Queen Mika's heart, looking at him over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Gray asked, standing beside her.

Juvia turned to face him with a sad smile and tapped her own heart, hoping he would understand. "You lost yours, too? Your mom?" When she nodded, Gray smiled and gave an understanding nod, "Thanks. I guess we're in the same boat, huh?"

Juvia's only reply was a nod with a blush around her cheeks. Gray asked again, "So, where would you like to go now?"

The young sapphire-haired girl looked around the crowded square. There were a number of houses and shops undiscovered. With so much to see and do, she was faced with the same problem she faced at breakfast. But this time, she was determined to see them for herself, and she won't rest until she explored every single one.

The tour around the kingdom continues.

Many hours passed…

It was late afternoon by the time they decided to head back to the carriage. Juvia was enthralled by all of the sights she had seen; the food, the entertainment sections, the shops, the library, the lively music, the parties, and the happy townsfolk. But her most favorite part was when she had her first dance with Gray in the town plaza music festival. After all, Juvia wanted to see how a human can dance on feet, and dancing was number one on her list of things she wanted to discover on the surface world.

When the carriage passed through the gate that led outside town, Lucy emerged from the water under the stone bridge.

Happy flew downward and asked Lucy, "Did he kiss her yet?"

Lucy shook her head, "Nope. Not yet."

"Crud," Happy moaned. "Well, they better get crackin'."

Outside Lamia Scale Town and into the forest, Juvia silently asked Gray if it was her turn to ride the carriage. Not wanting to argue, Gray handed her the reins. She cracked them, and all of a sudden, the horse sped crazily around the forest like crazy! When the horse jumped over a cliff and safely landed down, Gray couldn't help but smile at Juvia's newly-found handiwork.