Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Fairy Tail. All original characters and concepts belong to me. Please do not use without my consent. Cover art is property of Kwesi Abbensetts.
Warning: This fic contains some material that may be triggering. (Mentions of anxiety attacks).
Levy was a coward.
She couldn't deny it any longer, and despite Lucy's insistent - and loud - disagreement, she knew it was the truth. She was a coward, and that was the end of it. Why else would it be that after nearly two full days, Levy still couldn't manage to look any of the Fiorans in the eye?
After her embarrassing display at that first breakfast… Levy's stomach still twisted at the thought of it, tears pressing at the back of her throat. And it had all started so well! The welcoming dinner had been a complete success! And Levy had found, much to her surprise, that she genuinely liked the Prince. Gajeel was charming, and kind, and had a wit that could keep up easily with her own. Watching him carrying a sleeping Wendy as carefully as if she were his own daughter had melted Levy's heart with disarming ease, and her heart had begun to thud just a little faster whenever he was around.
And then she had walked into breakfast practically naked and ruined everything.
Levy groaned quietly, her forehead 'thudding' against one of the rungs of the ladder she stood on. There was practically no one else in the library at that hour, so she didn't have to worry about disrupting any other visitors. After all, it was a beautiful day outside; a rare, cool breeze blowing across the island and tons of fluffy clouds in the bright sky. Levy would normally have been outside, enjoying the day with Lucy or visiting Cana and Cornelia at their stall, but she didn't want to risk running into any of the Draygns on the island. The only reason she had gone ahead with the journey to the library that morning was because she had reread each book in her room by the time dinner had rolled around the night before, and she had known that she'd be terribly bored by lunch if she didn't find something new to occupy her time.
Dinner and breakfast were some of the only times she had seen the Blood Prince in the past two days, and the whole atmosphere had been stifling and awkward. Some of the Heirs - like Sting, Natsu, and Wendy - had done their best to try and keep conversations flowing around the table, but some suffered under the same curse of speechlessness that she did. Rogue had spoken only with Sting in low whispers, looking as if ready to bolt from the room at any moment, and Cobra had been eerily silent as well; claiming that an awful migraine had been plaguing him and that showing up was the most that could be expected from him.
Gajeel was the worse by far. He barely spoke, even to the other Heirs, and when his eyes weren't studying his food with intense focus, they were aimed at her. At the dinner of the first night - where Levy had shown up dressed and groomed to perfection and barely holding back the urge to scream as all eyes landed on her - he had tried to make eye contact with her throughout the whole meal, only seeming to answer direct questions that had to be repeated several times in order to get his attention.
At breakfast the next morning, it was very much the same. He picked at his food and tried to catch her eye, and she hardly moved her eyes from her lap and tried not to make a fool of herself once more.
By dinner time, he had given up; the occasional glances shot her way being filled with hurt and agitation. She'd offended him, obviously, and now she waited for Metalicana to tell them with forced-civility that all of the Fiorans would be returning home by sunset.
She'd ruined everything once more, and the thought made her want to curl up in a tiny ball and weep.
Levy bit down hard on her bottom lip, blinking rapidly to fight back the tears that pressed at the corners of her eyes. The height of her shame had to be when she had run into Gajeel in one of the halls in the palace when she had been on her way to apologize to her mother. The Blood Prince had straightened up at the sight of her, a determined set to his lips and eyes seeming to glow from within; powered by an emotion that Levy had been unable to determine. Bowing to her in greeting, Gajeel had begun to say something when panic gripped Levy's throat like a vice, shaking her clear down to the tip of her tail. She couldn't bear the thought of what he might have to say about her careless blunder, and so with only the barest - and admittedly panicked - greeting and excuse Levy could muster, she ran.
She'd been hiding ever since, unable to watch as the consequences of her actions stoked the flames devouring her hopes for salvation into an inferno, but equally as unable to look away.
"Having trouble, your Majesty?" a soft voice called from below where Levy stood on the ladder, and the princess looked down to see the small librarian hovering a few inches above the floor, several books almost seeming to orbit around him. Must be returning them to their proper places.
"I'm fine," she reassured, repeating the words silently to herself several times. I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine. "Just set the ladder too far away from the book I wanted. I'll figure it out."
"Of course," he said with a small smile, bowing to her before flying around the corner and out of sight. He knew Levy to be trustworthy and knowledgeable about the library, seeing as she tried to spend as much of her free time in the large, brilliantly-lit building as possible. They tended to leave her to her own devices, trusting her to know how to properly behave while in the building.
Too bad that Levy was too mentally and emotionally exhausted to worry too much about etiquette at the moment.
Looking both ways to check for any more workers or patrons and seeing that the room was empty, Levy looked up at the ceiling of the building. Roots from one of the many trunks of the Tenrou Tree functioned as a canopy of sorts over the top of the old building; one of the things that had been here back when Mavis's ships had first landed on the shore of Tenroujima. They covered any of the large holes in the stone, and served to stabilize the whole structure. There was one root in particular, curled under the ceiling to support a crumbling part of the roof, that was about as thick as Levy's hips were wide, and she grinned.
"Kahva," she cooed quietly, lifting one hand to beckon at the root with a curl of her pointer finger. The end of the root curled towards her, as if drawn in by an invisible force, and she smiled wider as it began to make its way towards where she stood on the ladder; moving faster the closer it got to the draw of her magic. It curled helpfully into a small platform by the rung she was standing on, and Levy's bare feet shuffled carefully onto the tightly-curled root. Using both hands, she grabbed hold of the long end still attached to the tree, and with that it required little more than a thought for her to move to where she needed to go.
Levy breathed in deeply, reassured by the way the root warmed pleasantly wherever it touched her bare skin. She would always have the island; no matter how badly she screwed up or how many people protested against her blood right to the crown, Tenroujima would always love and support her. In return, Levy would defend its shores as if it was her own body under siege. The beaches were her fingers and toes, the Tenrou Tree was the curve of her spine, and its people all were encompassed in her heart.
So why couldn't she face down one man to protect her right to serve the faeries and home that she loved!?
Grabbing the book she had been searching for from the shelf with more force than necessary, Levy directed the root to lower her close enough to the ground so she could hop off, twisting the island breeze to support her as she dropped the last several feet. The root curled back into it's place with a last, light, flick against the curve of her shoulder; a caress that made Levy feel like a child being soothed by a patient mother. She made her way towards the doorway that led to the bridge connecting the library to the palace, making sure to wave at the librarian on the way out.
She hadn't technically checked out a book since she was a child, but only because the librarians would have to go through several logbooks in a single month just to keep up with the ravenous way Levy seemed to devour their vast selection of material. Gathered over the years of traveling from when the Tenroujima Fae were nomads that sailed the sea, the Tenrou Library was the grandest and most expansive Fae library in the world. There was everything from historical texts, to fables and myths of old, to journals kept by everyday faeries, and Levy loved each and every one.
The Princess made her way swiftly through the twisting hallways of the palace, making sure to use her tie with the island to check for any nearby persons that could run into her. There seemed to be no Draygns - or faeries - around, and Levy proceeded towards her quarters. She was nearly there when there was a sudden shout from outside the large window she was passing that made her freeze.
That was Gajeel, it had to be. The faery quickly moved to press herself against the wall, clutching her book to her chest and trying to calm her frantic heart. Had he seen her?
After what felt like an eternity, Levy slowly twisted herself to peer through the window, wings fluttering nervously against the restraining jacket she wore as her golden eyes scanned the outside.
She was several hundred feet above the medium-sized training grounds situated behind the palace. It was where Levy herself typically trained with her swords instructor, and Levy was reminded again of how thankful she was to have a whole week away from her… intense teacher. Besides herself and some of the palace guards, most faeries tended to train at the larger grounds on the other side of the island. But today, a rather large group had formed, and it seemed two Heirs were the the cause of it all.
Natsu and Gajeel stood back to back, hands raised in defensive positions as several guards circled them. Levy counted five of them facing off against the two princes, and even more than that off to the side nursing their wounds. Whatever training they were doing, they had been at it for a while, and it looked like the two mainlanders were giving the faeries quite a challenge.
One of the guards leapt forward with a yell even Levy could make out from her vantage point, and two others quickly followed in an attempt to rush the Draygns. Before they could reach their targets, however, the two princes were already moving out of the way; Natsu darting behind the guards while Gajeel launched himself straight at them. He caught the fist of the first guard, using his momentum against him as Gajeel yanked his arm forward and smashed his elbow into the guard's throat. While his opponent was trying to catch his breath, Gajeel kicked his legs out from under him and shoved him into the guard behind him. They both crashed into each other and to the ground, followed closely by the guard that Natsu had been fighting
Every movement the Blood Prince made flowed together seamlessly; he followed through with every kick, every strike with his fists led into his next block or attack, every motion served a purpose.
It was breathtaking to watch.
Levy balanced herself against the window sill, enraptured as she watched the two face off the remaining guards. Natsu said something that Levy wasn't able to make out across the distance that separated them from her window, but Gajeel's head fell back with a loud bark of laughter, and the following smirk made her knees suddenly and alarmingly unsteady. Her tail was flicking back and forth behind her, in time with her quickening heartbeats.
Gajeel was facing off against a more familiar face now, and Levy watched as Jet shot into the air to avoid the Heir's fist. Her friend twisted in the air with a speed few faeries could match, and judging by how narrowly Gajeel dodged the kick aimed at his shoulder, he was having difficulties as well. He spun around to try and keep track of the quick fae, and ended up meeting Levy's eye instead.
Levy's warm smile dropped as her expression twisted to match her sudden panic, and she straightened from where she had been leaning on the sill. Gajeel seemed frozen as well, but then his lips pulled down into a frown, and the twisting guilt and fear in her stomach enabled her screaming mind to take control of her body once more.
Levy's back met the wall again, her heart frantically trying to beat its way out of her chest. That had been a stupid, stupid move on her part; what would Gajeel have to say to her now that he caught her watching him? He hadn't looked pleased to see her by any stretch of the imagination, and her hands were shaking as she clung tighter to the book she had borrowed from the library. If she had had any hope that her disastrous entrance the other morning and her attitude since hadn't rendered any hopes for their engagement completely void, that hope had burned fast and hot at the sight of his expression; leaving nothing but an empty heat in her chest and the lingering taste of ash on her tongue.
Expression crumpling, Levy let her head fall back against the wall as she took a shaky breath. She really had been forsaken if this was the kind of luck she could expect to follow her for the rest of her life.
"Who're we spyin' on?"
The princess screamed in shock, her book falling from her hands as she recoiled away from the sudden audience she hadn't known she'd had. Standing in a position similar to her own - back to the wall and facing forward - was Prince Sting. Blue irises peered at her out of the corner of his eye, and he had a grin on his lips that creased his cheeks with matching dimples. Levy stared at him in shock, heart still trying to pound its way out of her chest from when he had scared her witless.
Sting ignored her shocked expression, turning so he could sneak a look out the window and making a small noise of understanding. "Ah, that would do it," he muttered, ducking back behind the safety of the palace's wooden walls and offering Levy a grin. "He's got his grumpy face on, he doesn't normally look that nasty."
The reminder of the elder prince's current feelings towards her snapped Levy out of her shocked daze, and all of the muscles in her shoulders tensed. She quickly tried to compose herself, pushing back the curls that had already begun to fall from her braid and taking a deep breath through her nose.
"My apologies for my behavior, Prince Sting," she said demurely, one shaking hand lifting the hem of her skirt so she could properly curtsey to the Draygn. "I didn't realize you were there-"
"Watching you spy on my cousin?" Sting finished with a smirk, and the shaking in Levy's hand got worse. Her carefully practiced smile didn't budge an inch. "You know, despite his bad attitude, I know he wouldn't mind if you actually went down to watch him and Natsu spar," he offered.
Her smile shook.
"That is a very tempting offer, but unfortunately, I have to go help my mother with some political business at the moment," she lied, smiling sweetly. "Something about organizing which platoons we would send back with you and the King at the end of the week, I believe?"
"Ahhh," Sting said with a nod, tapping his thumb against his bottom lip as if in deep thought. "I better let you get back to it, then!" Levy nearly sighed in relief, but then Sting pulled out from behind his back the book she had dropped when he had scared her, holding it out towards her with a winning smile.
"Don't want to forget your very important reference book," Sting said, still smiling as the color quickly left Levy's face. He looked it over with a critical eye, and Levy cursed herself for borrowing a novel that had been one of her childhood favorites instead of a book on war strategies or something else that would support her lie.
"I was... it's for later," she tried explaining, knowing that her lies were sounding less and less convincing as Sting quickly pulled out the wind from her sails. The Heir gave her a look that showed as much; a playful grin with one eyebrow quirked high, asking her "Are you really still trying this?"
Yes, yes she was. They might both know she was lying, but as long as she stuck with it, he couldn't call her bluff, and she would be free to go back to hiding in her room.
Coward.
"I'm sure her Majesty wouldn't mind too terribly if we took a quick detour," Sting said easily. "She's had you for the past two days, after all! We hardly get to see you!"
"My apologies, there were unforeseen circumstances that came up that needed both of our attention."
"Of course, of course! It's a real shame, I know Natsu has been wanting to spend a day with you opening all those late birthday gifts," Sting continued casually, like he wasn't making guilt twist her stomach into knots. "And Wendy's still singing your praises to anyone who will listen."
"Th-that's very kind of them," Levy murmured, clasping her hands together so tightly she was sure that she'd lose all feeling in them soon.
"After all," he continued, "Gajeel's the only one staying past the end of the week right now. Actually, why don't we go steal Natsu!" Sting's smile seemed to light up the hall. Levy felt ill.
"We should probably leave him to his training-"
"He gets enough of that at home, he only has four more days to spend with you."
"I-I should go ask my mother-"
"I'm sure your mother will understand, she's the one who invited us after all."
The tension in the hall was thickening quickly, and Levy wanted to scream. Why wouldn't he just let her leave!? "I'm really rather busy," she said with an edge to her voice, but Sting just kept smiling. His easy-going manner didn't reach his eyes, which were like hard chips of ice that peered into her fragile, trembling soul.
"You have to talk to him," Sting said in a honeyed voice, making it clear which 'him' he was referring to, and Levy wanted to bolt. "Just for a few moments, that's all-"
"I can't!" Levy snapped, her voice cracking and hands shaking so badly she feared she'd never be still again. Sting had fallen deathly silent, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes, and Levy felt raw.
She hadn't meant to show any of the Fiorans just how frail she really was. Igneel didn't know; he hadn't been to the island in years, and had only heard about what had happened through letters with her mother. He wasn't the sort to discuss Ardelle or her own problems with anyone outside of the island (with an exception maybe for her cousin), so none of the others would have known when they had come to the island. Her mother had told her about the conversation she'd had with Metalicana, Gajeel, and one of the other Heirs after Levy's mistake at breakfast and had been sure to mention that she had discussed - in private - with Metalicana what had happened. So the King knew as well, but what he chose to do with that information, she didn't know.
Her hand moved to cover her mouth shakily, hyper-aware of how Sting's eyes bore into her. She needed to go, needed to find someplace in private to lick her wounds. But the privacy she craved was not granted to her, for as she began to back away, a calloused, tanned hand gently curved around her shoulders and began to lead her away from the window.
Goddess, she hoped Gajeel hadn't heard her outburst.
Levy let Sting lead her wherever he wished, knowing that she wouldn't be able to wriggle away from his firm grip. Not to mention that without his solid presense next to her, she might very well crumble to the ground and never be able to get up again. It felt like weights had been tied to her ankles to keep her grounded and she had somehow gotten her whole body tangled in the chains. If there was any mercy to be found for her, it was that Levy had managed not to break down into tears after her outburst. Her eyes, in fact, felt painfully dry, and she blinked rapidly to try and quench the burning.
They passed hall after hall, the prince a silent guide as he lead her through the twisting passageways. Levy knew the palace like she knew her own skin, which was how she knew that Sting had no idea where he was leading them. He just moved them forwards through the halls, searching for a niche that suited his needs.
He seemed to find it in a small waiting room meant for visiting dignitaries to use while waiting for an audience with the Titania. Ushering her inside, Sting made sure to lock the door after them before leading her to a chaise. He broke his temporary silence with a soft "I'm sorry", and Levy met his eyes with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
"I hadn't meant to push you that far," Sting clarified, rubbing her upper arm soothingly. She sank into the touch with a rough inhale of breath, letting her fingers grip tightly to the plush cushion she sat on. "I had hoped that if I nudged you a bit towards Gajeel, you two would be able to work things out and some of this awful tension would go away," he admitted, "but I didn't realize… Are you alright?"
Levy's lips worked around a silent answer, unsure of what was the best course of action. Did she admit to all the fears she had barely even voiced to her mother, letting them all out in front of a virtual stranger in tear-soaked gasps? Should she just smile and dismiss the whole thing, pretend it was a result from all the stress of the past week and try to push the whole interaction as far under the rug as possible?
She had a feeling Sting wouldn't let her get away with the latter - Light Draygns were known throughout Ishgar for their honesty and forth-coming, the damned things - and Goddess knows Levy would never forgive herself if she submitted to the former. Not after another moment of weakness not even three days earlier had cost her so much. So she settled for something caught in between; the princess shook her head softly, not daring to look at Sting as she quietly murmured "I'm fine".
Levy repeated the reassurance when Sting stayed crouched at her feet, his thumb carefully rubbing her knee through the soft cotton of her skirt while he looked up at her in concern. "I'm fine!" she tried again, this time with a small, feeble smile and a watery laugh.
"People that are 'fine' don't snap like that," Sting countered, and Levy inhaled slowly, deeply.
"Really, I'm just-"
"Stressed," Sting interjected, moving to sit by her side. "And about three seconds away from an anxiety attack by the looks of it. If you're not going to speak to me, at least talk to someone else. Maybe your mother-"
"No!" Levy gasped, grabbing Sting's sleeve in a white-knuckled grip. "Please, please don't tell my mother," she begged, suddenly feeling tears pressing at the back of her throat. "She's already so disappointed, I can't... I can't give her some new embarrassment to deal with. Please." The strength in her voice had tapered to a near-silent whisper by the time the last 'please' crossed her lips, hanging between the two as they stared at each other. Up this close to the prince, Levy realized for the first time that despite being taller than her, Sting was far younger than she was. Hadn't King Metalicana mentioned at dinner that he and Rogue were still doing their two-year tours? He couldn't be older than 20.
"Do you think you're an embarrassment?" Sting asked quietly, and Levy didn't have an answer for him. Did she think of herself as an embarrassment? A disappointment, definitely, but an embarrassment?
"Look at me," Levy murmured, letting go of Sting's sleeve to clutch her own arms protectively; like she was trying to hold herself together while the rolling emotions in her chest attempted to shatter her completely. Her wings moved again against her jacket, and she winced. "I'm not exactly what people expect when they meet the future Titania."
"What, stuck-up and boring?" Sting tried to joke, his smile faltering when Levy didn't move. The attempt at humor hung heavily in the air for a moment before Sting sighed, scratching his jaw nervously. "If I may, your Majesty," he began slowly, like he was unsure where his thoughts were going, "you seem to be a wonderful princess. I wasn't kidding earlier when I said that Wendy was still singing your praises."
"Wonderful princesses don't show up to breakfast half-naked then hide from their guests for nearly two whole days."
"Is that what this is about?"
"It's not just that," Levy groaned, pushing herself off of the chaise as she began to pace across the length of the room. Sting watched silently as she went back and forth, stopping only to struggle with removing her jacket and then setting it disdainfully down when she couldn't bring herself to throw it against the wall like she truly wanted to. Her wings were twitching like mad, and she cursed herself for having such an obvious tell. "It's just- I mean... Nothing ever wants to go right for me!" Yes, good, way to totally gloss over the true issue.
If Levy wasn't so sure that Sting actually kinda liked her, his expression would suggest that he wanted to throttle her. Maybe he did.
"So you decide hiding from your problems is your best option?" he asked, crossing his arms and frowning at the still-pacing faery.
"No! I mean, yes. I mean- I don't know!" Levy exclaimed. She carded her fingers nervously through her hair, hissing in frustration when several of the braids that held her hair back caught on her fingers. "I couldn't-"
"Couldn't what, face the consequences of your actions? So you came to breakfast in your pajamas, I could tell you a dozen stories of times I've done worse."
"It's not just that!"
Sting groaned, glowering at the princess who glared back in response. "Then what is it!?" he demanded.
"I have an image-"
"Oh, so you're just putting on a show!? Is this a game to you?"
"No!"
"Then what is it!"
"I can't mess this up again!" Levy yelled, and outside the window, Levy could see the sky begin to darken. Inside, however, Sting's frustration had been replaced by confusion again, and Levy cursed herself for not being able to control her tongue or her temper. "I... I have to be perfect," she murmured, tugging on her fingers as she finally stopped pacing and refusing to look at Sting. "If I'm not, I'll fail again."
The room was tense and silent for several moments, and Levy was left to wonder if her wings would be able to support her just long enough for her to get a good flying start when she took a leap out the window. "... You've done this before," Sting said finally, voice hushed with understanding.
Levy sighed, her shoulders curling closer to her chest. "What, embarrassed myself in a very public manner?"
"Been betrothed."
Levy nearly bit her tongue clean in half.
Sting was nodding now, blue eyes wide. "It all makes sense now," he said, thumb tapping against his bottom lip again as he processed his own thoughts, nodding quickly. "What happened last time?" he asked, and Levy stared at him in horrified shock. The Heir visibly came back to himself and had the good sense to look sheepish. "If I may ask, your Majesty," he finished.
It took several seconds for Levy to find her voice again, and when it had, all she could manage was a squeaked "I can't-".
"Princess, as adept as I am at pissing people off at bad times," Sting began, "I promise that I really am trying to help. We all kinda figured you needed some time to cool down after that breakfast thing - even though you did nothing wrong," he was quick to add. "You had been so tightly-wound at the welcome dinner, and we didn't need Cobra's hearing to know that you were mortified by what happened at breakfast-"
"Oh, so it's Cobra that can hear people's thoughts?" Levy asked, both out of genuine curiosity and a desire to move the conversation away from whatever past entanglements she may or may not have been involved in. Ardelle had told her all about the Heir with the phenomenal hearing, but not without a bit of grumbling at the lack of forewarning from the Fiorans. Metalicana had had to grovel at her mother's feet for at least a whole evening to get back in her good graces after that.
Sting continued like she had never interrupted. "So Gajeel thought it was best that we give you some time to recenter and all that, but then you just kept ignoring us, especially Gajeel, and underneath that terrifying face and the muscles, he's really kind of sensitive and no one was doing anything about it so I-"
"Was this going somewhere?" Levy sighed, collapsing back onto the chaise tiredly.
"If it was, I lost it," Sting admitted readily, and a small smile tugged at Levy's lips. "I think I was trying to get to this; by keeping all this locked up, you're not just hurting yourself - which, by the way, you are. I've never seen anyone look so tired and yet so harried at the same time." His thumb brushed just under the dark circles Levy knew were under her eyes like bruises. The touch managed to be comforting despite how sudden and intimate it was and how little Levy really knew Sting.
"You're hurting Gajeel too, and even if this whole marriage thing doesn't work out, you're still going to be Titania in a few years, and Gajeel might be the king. In order to work together, you have to be able to talk to each other. In order to do that, you have to be able to look him in the eye."
Levy inhaled deeply, trying to silence the voice in her head that was screaming at her to hold her tongue, not to tell Sting anything he didn't need to know. But deep down, she knew he was right. She had to face her fears, had to face Gajeel, and in order to do that she had to be able to forgive her own mistakes. Talking about it might help.
"... Last time, I-" she began, only to be cut off by Sting.
"So there was a last time?" he asked, looking excited to be right. The princess's glare quickly shut him up however, and he nodded quickly. "Yes, sorry, keep going."
"Last time, I... He was from some big merchant family in the mainland, their eldest son," Levy began, tugging on her ear. "My marrying him would mean we would have all sorts of connections to Ishgar, along with more secure trade routes. If I could have done that, no one would be able to say I was unworthy to be Titania." Sting waited patiently for Levy to continue her story, letting her take the time to build up her nerves. "We exchanged letters for nearly a full year, and he was..." Levy grimaced.
"An awful person?" Sting guessed.
"Very self-assured," Levy countered. "He knew why we were talking - knew what our relationship would mean - and was happy to bring it up every chance he got. I had hoped that when he came to visit after that year, I would be able to judge him face to face, and even if we couldn't make a marriage work..." She sighed, bringing her knees up towards her chest so she could hug them loosely. "I ruined everything," she whispered. "He took one look at me and spat right in my face. The arrangement fell to pieces, my people distrusted my ability to rule more than ever, and I was left to try and keep moving forward despite it all."
Sting was quiet, and there was a heaviness to his gaze that made Levy think that of all the Heirs she could have told this story to, he may be the one who could understand her the most. "My original statement stands," he said after a few moments. "He sounds like an awful person."
Somehow, Levy was able to smile, even just for a moment. "I thought, this time, if I could just hide most of my flaws well enough, I wouldn't be turned down again," she said quietly. "I wouldn't give myself a chance to fail. But I ended up making myself so sick and anxious trying to be perfect for the Blood Prince that I screwed up anyways." Levy was actually feeling rather nauseous now, like her stomach had twisted itself in nervous knots. "After that, I was so scared of what the fallout would be that I hoped if I could just stay away long enough, I at least could avoid being spat at again."
"Gajeel would never," Sting quickly insisted.
"I know that," Levy responded just as quickly before faltering. "Or, at least, a part of me knew that."
"The other part was just so scared that you automatically assumed the worst to protect yourself," Sting murmured, almost more like he was talking to himself. When he noticed Levy's questioning look, the prince just grinned ruefully and shook his head. "I know a thing or two about trying to meet expectations and fearing what might happen when you don't," was all he said, fiddling with a ring on his left pointer finger made of black glass so dark it almost looked like a mirror.
The two fell back into silence, only instead of being thick with tension, it was comforting and warm. Levy let herself be tucked against Sting's side, the two both lost in their own thoughts. Levy noticed for the first time that it was raining softly outside, despite how the sky had been clear and blue earlier, and she could only hope that it would clear up soon.
"What should I do now?" Levy asked after several minutes had passed, staring at the ceiling with a pensive frown.
"Forgiving yourself would probably be a good start," Sting mused. He was also looking up at the ceiling, and Levy wondered if he was looking for answers in the ancient wood like she was.
"That's the hardest part, though."
"Then maybe start by giving Gajeel a second chance." Sting twisted in his seat so that he could meet Levy's eye. "He's a hard ass, but if he knows you're sincere about wanting to try and get to know him again, he'd be willing to give you a second chance. Heck, I don't think he's actually angry so much as worried." Levy's brows furrowed together in confusion.
"Why's that?" she asked.
"Apparently he said something to the Titania that pissed her off the first night we got here, and so he's also afraid he managed to screw everything up," the blond explained. "He thinks he pissed you off too, and that's why you haven't spoken more than three words to him since the other morning. He's really mad at himself, but he's trying to project it on you so he has a break from all the self-flagnation and brooding."
Levy only grew more confused. "What did he say?"
"Dunno," Sting replied with a shrug. "No one's said a word to me about it, I just saw your mom snarl at Gajeel and then storm off. She's talking to him now, so I guess it wasn't too bad if they worked it out." Levy nodded slowly, frowning. She'd have to ask her mother about it later. "But!" Sting said suddenly, rocking himself forward until he was sitting upright. "We can worry about that later!"
"We can?" Levy asked nervously, watching as Sting stood and faced her with another bright smile.
"I believe you have a Blood Prince to court, your Majesty."
Any protests Levy could have voiced were left where she had been sitting when Sting took her hands and pulled her out of her seat, not even giving her a chance to grab her jacket before he was tugging her down the halls. He ran through corridor after corridor, and she could only try and keep up with his long strides as she stammered nervously at his back. Sting had very quickly figured out that the fastest way down to the island from the Tenrou Tree was to stick to the outside walkways and make his way down, and that seemed to be the plan he was staying with. They made it the ground in no time, although for once, Levy wouldn't have minded if it had taken a little longer.
From there, it was only a simple matter of circling the tree until they made it back to the training grounds. Levy knew her face was flushed an unattractive red, both from the climb down and from the feeling of every faery they passed staring wide-eyed at her wings. It was rare that Levy left the palace without her jacket to protect her, and she found herself keeping pace with Sting easily if it meant getting away from the judgemental stares.
"Good, he's still there!" Sting said happily as they came in view of the training grounds, the remaining faeries making polite conversation with the two Heirs as they all cleaned up and nursed the bruised bodies and egos, hiding under one of the Tenrou Tree's roots to get away from the drizzling rain. Gajeel looked highly distracted as he talked with Jet about something or other; mechanically going through the motions of pulling his longm wild hair away from his sweat-slicked neck and into a loose bun.
"Gajeel!" Sting called out, ignoring Levy's hurried whispers for him to hush, and much to her embarrassment everyone stopped to look at them. They must have made quite a sight; the grinning Fioran prince racing towards his fellow Heirs with the princess of Tenroujima stumbling after him with flushed cheeks and a terrified expression, both of them with their legs and feet caked with mud.
Gajeel's eyes widened, and he quickly made his way through the amused crowd to meet the two halfway. "Sting, what in the twelve heavens are you doing?" he asked lowly, trying to keep his voice down so the interested soldiers he had left behind couldn't hear them. His eyes strayed to Levy for a split second before jumping back to Sting, and Levy could feel her blush darken.
"Levy here has something she'd like to ask you! Don't'cha, your Majesty?" Sting said with a bright smile, dragging a frozen Levy to stand in front of him and patting her back.
"She does?" Gajeel asked, straightening and looking at Levy with a confused frown.
"I do?" Levy squeaked, meeting Sting's eyes with her own expression of panic. Sting gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze, tapping his thumb against the curve of her jaw gently.
"Yes, you do," he said, giving her one last meaningful look before backing away. "I'll be over with Natsu if you need me!" he said brightly, nodding respectfully to Gajeel before giving him a cheeky salute, and then he was gone. And Levy was alone with Gajeel for the first time in two days.
Jjel, take her now from this wicked world.
Gajeel watched him go with an expression caught somewhere between exasperation and annoyance, muttering under his breath while pinching the bridge of his nose. Levy was still frozen, almost as if every muscle in her body had clenched up the second the Blood Prince's red eyes had landed on her.
"That child doesn't have a subtle bone in his body," Gajeel grumbled, slowly turning back to face Levy. "It's a miracle Rogue has managed for this long." When he finally looked at her again, his expression once again shifted into something unreadable. If Levy had to hazard a guess, then he was feeling some degree of wary anticipation. Goddess, he looked angry. Perhaps Sting was right and Gajeel was just as nervous and scared as she was, and not as upset as the downward curl to his lip would suggest.
Levy immediately wanted to smack herself for that thought. Of course he was nervous, it was an arranged marriage. If he wasn't, she would have thought him mad. Didn't mean he couldn't be mad at the same time.
"You look well, Princess," Gajeel said slowly, clinically, bowing at the waist to her. Levy felt like a small animal that Gajeel was aiming not to spook too. Well wasn't he lucky then; with her feet frozen to the ground, it would be impossible for her to leave anyhow.
"I feel awful," Levy said without thinking, and concern flashed from behind Gajeel's strange mask, followed by a hint of anger before the unreadable emotion was back.
"I'm sorry to hear that-"
"A-about how I treated you," she blurted out, rudely interrupting the middle of his sentence. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, it appeared like she had managed to turn the poor man into the iron from the land where his father hailed from. She tugged nervously on the peak of her ear, suddenly finding Gajeel's bare toes very interesting.
"I... your Majesty?"
Levy sighed, letting go of her ear to rub her arm instead. "I'm so sorry," she repeated: softer this time, but no less filled with emotion. "For ignoring you these past two days. There's no excuse for my behavior," she inhaled deeply, "and I can only hope you'll give me a second chance."
Gajeel was still staring at her with wide eyes when she finally managed to look up at him. His mouth opened and closed around answers he couldn't find, and the reminder of her own actions earlier when Sting had caught her off-guard in a similar fashion made the princess laugh once under her breath, biting down on her lower lip to keep the sound further contained. Gajeel finally settled on "I... thought I had upset you."
Levy shook her head, looking back at the ground. "I was ashamed of how I had acted, the first morning you had arrived," she said softly, "a-and afraid of how you'd react. I was too much of a coward to face you, so I hid instead."
"... Wait, the breakfast thing?"
Laughing with a roll of her eyes, Levy nodded. "Yes, the breakfast thing. And as many people have apparently forgotten all about it, I'm starting to believe I overreacted," she said with a bitter grin. Part of her was relieved, but a small, indignant part of her was almost upset. She had spent a good three hours having an anxiety attack in Lucy's arms that morning, and everyone else just forgot?
Just once, she'd like to be reassured that her fears weren't so completely irrational so that she wouldn't feel shame souring her mouth whenever the truth of it came to light.
A large, calloused hand gripped her shoulder, and Levy looked up in shock only to be met by Gajeel's chest. She had to crane her head back even further to meet his eyes after he had taken a step closer to her, and was surprised to see he looked a little abashed. If he was still mad at her, she couldn't find any of that anger in the way he looked at her.
"I didn't mean it like that," he said quietly, and Levy was once again frozen to the spot. "Just because I didn't understand the significance of it at first doesn't mean it didn't have any, and it definitely doesn't mean you overreacted."
"It also doesn't mean I should just be forgiven for it either," Levy murmured, hesitating for a moment before placing her hand over Gajeel's. His hand was warm, and grounded her when her thoughts and emotions wanted to drag her in twenty different directions.
It was nice.
"I shouldn't have avoided you," she said with a sigh. "I punished you for my own shortcomings, and put my own fears before both of our countries. There's no excusing what I've don-"
"You're not made of stone, Levy," Gajeel said firmly, and she felt a shock move through her whole system, leaving her nerves singing. He'd never called her by her name before, and judging by how wide his eyes had gotten, he realized that fact a few moments after she did. "Princess," he quickly amended. "Your fears and emotions are valid, especially now. If we're going to... I-if we end up... With our-"
"Engagement?" Levy offered, pressing her lips together to hold back her growing smile at the Blood Prince's obvious embarrassment.
"... Yes, that," he muttered, flexing the hand that still rested on her shoulder. "We have to be able to trust each other with those fears if we're going to make any sort of r-relationship work, whether as... um-"
"Spouses." Levy wasn't trying to hide her grin now.
"Right, yes, s-spouses, or even just as diplomats." Gajeel took a deep breath, and when he met her eyes again, his red irises were burning with determination. "So, what did you have in mind for that second chance of yours?" he asked, one corner of his lips pulling up in a grin. Levy's knees suddenly felt weak once more, and she wondered distantly if her tail was swishing back and forth again.
"I'm not doing anything tomorrow," she breathed. "Would you perhaps like a private tour of the island?"
Gajeel nodded, his grin growing. "That sounds wonderful," he said with a nod, taking a step back from Levy and taking his hand away from her shoulder. Levy's cheeks burned when she didn't remove her hand fast enough, instead let it trail on top of his much broader hand until it fell limply back to her side. "I'll see you at dinner then?"
"Yes, I'll see you then," she confirmed, smiling brightly as the anxious knots in her stomach loosened up. It was a liberating feeling, and she made a note to find a gift for Sting while she was out tomorrow to thank him for helping her.
Her determination only grew when that evening, after she, her mother, Gajeel, and Metalicana had all already sat down for dinner, the remaining Heirs all walked in together with messy hair and wide smiles, and all wearing their pajamas.
I love Sting. Have I mentioned before that I love Sting? Sting.
Not a very long author's note this time around since I'm a little pressed for time, but long story short, this is the beginning of Levy's whole arc and one of the motivations of a lot of the things she does and how she acts. This was a big step for her to confide in a virtual stranger, and I hope I got that across well.
Next chapter is pure Gajevy fluff and the introduction of another character I'm really excited for. I'm going to try to get to monthly updates, but with my work schedule I don't know how well I'll be able to pull that off. The tentative date for the next update is the last week of February. Any changes to these plans will be posted on my writing tumblr, do-fairys-have-tails.
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, and to all the people who have faved and followed both me and this fic. The fic has now passed 200 reviews, 40,000 words, and 75 pages in the main doc. I can't wait to see where the next year takes this fic!
See you guys in February, and happy belated New Years!