The Beautiful Thing About Princes and Queens
by Lady Norbert
A/N: Beta reader Jess and our friend Arabella both adore Gajeel/Levy, and Andrea (she who is at fault for all this) also requested some Gajeel/Levy appear in this story. So here you go, ladies, this is for the three of you.
Chapter Three: Painting Me Pictures
He has no job at present, nor does he feel that he necessarily needs one. Mystogan turns his path homeward anyway.
He has never been one for spending a great deal of time in the guild hall; that is to say, not in the main one. Like most of the major wizarding guilds, Fairy Tail has a small handful of outposts scattered throughout Fiore which any member in good standing may use. Because of the closeness of the guild members, however, the majority of them normally convene in the main building in Magnolia, and only make use of outposts when away on assignments. They are, therefore, often empty, and so he indulges in the solitude and silence they offer.
For some reason, though, he does not want this today. He wants to be in the heart of the guild, with the heart of the guild, and so his steps gravitate toward Magnolia once again. He cannot explain it to himself, except that there is a growing sensation in his heart that time is running out.
How much longer he will be here, he does not know. But he thinks it will not be very long.
He doesn't travel through towns if he can help it, although sometimes it simply cannot be avoided. He can frequently survive for many days in the forests and hills, thanks to his knowledge of foraging, but sometimes fresh water is at a premium or there are no edible plants to be found. Of course, he can also teleport, but this is such a drain of magical energy that he tries to only use that in a moment of dire emergency. So passing through a town it is.
Mirajane's apples are gone; he made them last as long as he could but he ate the final one for breakfast yesterday. He wanders into a town some way south of Magnolia, wordlessly exchanging a few coins for some bread and cheese. As he turns to exit the shop, he spots the rack of periodicals with the newest issue of Sorcerer magazine displayed prominently.
So the magazine paid a visit to Fairy Tail recently.
He is accustomed to seeing Mirajane on the cover of the various issues; it no longer surprises him, and he's well aware he has no right to object to it. He's not sure he would even if he did. This is a different situation, however. By the look of things, the magazine is exclusively focused on Fairy Tail, and that means it's filled with photographs of Mystogan's family. He takes the issue from the rack and returns to the proprietor, handing over more money.
He finds a shadow in the town's little green park, tucking himself out of of the way of anyone's notice, and for the next hour he does nothing but eat and read.
The articles are less than illuminating. He expected that. In fact, he barely skims them. It's the photographs that he cares about, and the names that go with them. Many are the names he knows well, has known for a long time - Makarov, of course, and Erza, and Elfman and Reedus and Macao and Bisca and Gildarts, and so on down the roster. Some are names and faces he recognizes on sight, but does not truly know - Natsu, for instance, whom he knows so slightly that the younger man hadn't even known who Mystogan was when they encountered one another at Kardia Cathedral. Lucy, the celestial mage. Gray. And then there are Gajeel and Juvia, newcomers to the guild since the dissolution of Phantom Lord. He had privately questioned the master's wisdom in accepting either of them, but he understands that they both proved themselves during the battles against Laxus and the Thunder Legion. Exactly why the Thunder Legion was permitted to remain when Laxus himself was not, however, is something he does not and possibly never will comprehend. Still, as long as they pose no farther threat to the guild, he won't comment.
He finishes reading the magazine, coils it up carefully, and swallows the last of his bread and cheese. He should arrive at the guild hall by tomorrow, and seeing all of the pictures has only increased his desire to be there.
He enters the hall, and does not use sleep magic. Because of this, his presence is noted, and the voices are chiefly surprised. He responds to greetings with head nods, keeping his cowl raised. The cafe, as they call it now, is as crowded as ever; Mirajane is winding her way between tables, holding aloft a tray filled with mugs. She catches sight of him and smiles brightly, and for her alone he lifts one hand in a sort of salute.
He finds a quiet corner and occupies it, and lets himself drown in the camaraderie that swirls around him. It's almost as though he isn't really there. They don't really see him, but he can hear everything with perfect clarity and occasionally his own name drifts across the room like the smoke from Wakaba's cigar.
"Is that Mystogan?"
"And we're all still awake? That's a switch."
"He hasn't been here in a long time, has he?"
"Oh, no, he came back during the Harvest Festival. I heard he went up against Laxus himself for a bit, and then Erza took over." He recognizes Macao's voice.
"Weird."
"How come I've never seen this guy before?" This is from newcomer Gajeel.
"Oh, Mystogan is one of our S-Class wizards," says Levy, looking up from her book. "He's usually away on a job - and most of the times he does come home, he casts a sleeping spell on everybody when he walks in the room."
"Huh?" The iron dragonslayer gives her a baffled look. "Why's he do that, shrimp?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest. He really just seems to value his privacy."
"So he knocks everybody out whenever he walks in the room?"
"Well, not every time. More often than not, yeah, but sometimes he just shows up and nothing happens." She giggles a bit. "Otherwise, none of us would know what he looked like!"
Gajeel snorts. Mystogan is amused, watching them. He's aware that Gajeel once seriously injured Levy, back when he was working for Phantom Lord, and there is something in the dark-haired wizard's face that suggests that he will not be forgetting that fact anytime soon. But Levy sits beside him at the table, looking entirely untroubled by his proximity. In truth, she probably couldn't be in a safer spot. Gajeel doesn't watch her continuously, or at least not obviously; but if any danger were to befall the guild in this moment, there is no doubt in Mystogan's mind that Levy's safety would be Gajeel's first priority. It is atonement, of course, but he has been around this guild long enough to recognize that there's more to it.
What time he does spend in the main guild hall is always partially devoted to observation and reflection. While details of this nature might be a bit strange for someone like himself to be contemplating, it could be argued that since he sees himself as a primary defender of his guild family, Mystogan needs to be aware of their weaknesses and their strengths. Love has a funny way of being both at the same time. Laxus, he suspects, indulged in the same sort of quiet scrutiny when he was in the guild, and he certainly made use of this knowledge during his bid for power; he knew that having Evergreen turn the other pageant contestants to stone was a guaranteed way to incite rage in the rest of the Fairy Tail members. Privately, Mystogan is glad that he was not present when that happened, as even he does not know how he would have responded to such a deep and personal provocation.
Wizards are not exclusively drawn to other wizards. They marry whomever they choose, magic user or not. But it does seem to Mystogan that within Fairy Tail itself, at least, it is common to see the mages gravitate toward one another. Alzack and Bisca, for example, are a perfect illustration of this - though they haven't quite sorted the matter out entirely between themselves, their feelings for one another are generally understood by the entire rest of the guild. He sees hints of future connections, too, in the way Juvia fawns over Gray and Natsu drives Lucy fairly batty. It's all speculation, of course, but he has seen these signs often enough to know what they usually portend.
Mirajane is heading back to the bar with her tray, and deposits the last of the foam-capped mugs on his table as she passes.