The Beautiful Thing About Princes and Queens
by Lady Norbert
A/N: My major problem at this point is figuring out how to end the story, and when.
In addition to the usual dedications, this chapter was inspired by my little pal LyssaLa, because she sometimes flings bits of a modern AU at me in which Mirajane manages the Fairy Tail coffeehouse and Mystogan hangs out in the corner to flirt with her at odd moments. I want this to be a real story, you know.
Chapter Seven: The Girl That I Think You Need
Mirajane is, unsurprisingly, every bit as much of an asset to him as Jellal had thought she would be. She is knowledgable about Edolasian history, and about just how much territory was amassed during his father's expansions. Equally important to his way of thinking, she is also quite informed about what the people of Edolas think, in general terms. How they react to things. What the common opinions are.
He doesn't want to overwhelm her, of course. His earliest inquiries are fairly minor, even vague. "Do you think the taxation rate at present is fair, or does it need to be reduced?"
"Perhaps just a little. The people want to pay their taxes, they know it's their obligation. But they need to eat, too."
"Naturally." He jots some figures on a sheet of paper and gives them to her for examination. "What do you think?"
She nods her approval. "This looks like a good compromise."
Her visits to the palace become more of a regular thing. Once a week, at first. Then twice. He is impatient in between, steeling himself, reminding himself of things that she doesn't know and doesn't need to know. Occasionally he mollifies his frustrations by sending a message to her at the guild residence. The replies she drafts - ever cheerful, ever supportive - are torn open and devoured and hoarded like a magpie's treasures.
Slowly, he relies on her more; slowly, she lets him. She is becoming more visibly comfortable as she visits the palace. He can see it in the increased confidence of her stride, the way her fingers cease to tangle with one another. She is growing to like being there. He's grateful for that, because on the days when she doesn't come, the entire massive structure feels empty and lifeless to him.
Sometimes, Jellal wonders if time passes in Edolas differently than it did in Earth-land. It doesn't seem like he's been king for all that long, and yet many things have been accomplished in the duration. Moreover, he's been informed that the first anniversary of his coronation is approaching, which he finds rather peculiar. A year, already? Has he been away from Fairy Tail for a whole year?
How are they, he wonders. Did everyone return safely? He's sure they must. He can't say exactly why he thinks this, but he has it in the back of his mind that if there had been a problem, Porlyusica would have found some way to contact him.
He hopes that they are well.
He wonders if they miss him.
He is being urged to appoint a royal council.
For the first several months, this wasn't really considered a priority. There was too much else to be done, too much to be changed. Now, however, with the kingdom starting to piece itself back together, and Royal City almost completely rebuilt, some people can turn their attention to such matters. And it's a widely held opinion, among those who bother to have opinions on things like this, that King Jellal needs a council.
It is young Coco who brings the matter to her royal master's attention. With Byro gone, she has been promoted to the palace's chief of staff. Jellal is fond of her; she was among the first to recognize him as the returned prince, had in fact wept with joy at the sight of him, and has served him with unquestioning loyalty since that day.
He accepts the suggestion calmly, drinking in the notion. But who in the world can he appoint? Those who held such positions under his father are gone - some have died, some fled, and none ever held any real power or influence in the first place. Mirajane already explained that to him. "A council of puppets," she called them. "Your father always did what he liked. The council was for show, and most of us never understood why he bothered even with that. No one was fooled."
He thinks on her words, now, and almost unconsciously picks up his cloak.
"I am going out," he says, simply. "I will be back in a few hours. I need time to think."
"Yes, Your Majesty." She looks just a little shrewd, which surprises him. The staff has grown more at ease with their young king. They seem to have been warmed by his manners - by his not neglecting to say please and thank you, by the way he couches his needs in the form of requests rather than demands. Some of them fear him still, a little; he can't bring himself to blame them. He is, after all, his father's son, however different in temperament. (He thinks perhaps he must have inherited more of his mother's disposition, but she has been dead for so many years that he has virtually no memories left of her, and he somehow assumes that no one else has any either.) Coco, however, has no fear of him at all, which may account for the almost mischievous way she is eyeing him.
"Something amuses you, Coco?"
"Not at all, my king. Enjoy your afternoon." She is definitely trying not to laugh. He is halfway out the door when he finally understands the joke; she knows where he is headed. And, he suspects, she might even know why.
He is, of course, going to visit the guild. He wants a drink.
He told Mirajane, during one of their long conversations, about life in the Earth-land guild, about the random fights and the cafe and the hand signal. He described for her the differing personalities of the comparable guild members, and she had laughed at his impression of the other Elfman. At the time, he had thought no more about the discussion than how pleased he was to make her laugh.
But she had turned around and taken him quite seriously on one point - specifically, the cafe. There is nothing remotely like it in Edolas, or at least not in the part of Edolas where both guild and king reside, and she feels the guild needs a new purpose. So they have turned their residence building into an Edolas approximation of the Earth-land cafe, and it both appeals to Jellal and breaks his heart at the same time.
He slips through the streets of Royal City to pay the guild cafe a visit at least once a week, more often if he can, because the sight and sounds of the place are comforting despite the pinpricks to his soul. The king never exactly goes unnoticed, but he feels less like King Jellal and more like Mystogan when he's there. And he likes that. It's not the same, of course; there are too many missing faces, too many strange antics, and the building is completely different. But the one thing he most desperately needs to be the same is, in fact, almost identical to what he remembers, and he watches her circulate with the tray just as her counterpart does in Earth-land.
Back in Earth-land, his reasons for not telling her were sound; he felt so at the time and he still believes he did the right thing. His reasons here are different. She knows, for he has mentioned it more than once, that she is very nearly the same as the Mirajane he left behind. He does not want her to question his motives. The truth is that he is half in love with his memories, and half in love with the present Mirajane, and until the scale tips in a more definitive direction he means to keep silent.
But he does need her counsel, and so he tells his heart to hush while he waits for her to find a leisure moment to join him.
"How are you today, Your Majesty?"
"I've told you before that you can just call me Jellal."
She smiles. It's actually almost a smirk, which is strangely appealing on her angelic face. "What can I get for you?"
"A glass of water, and a few minutes of your time, if you please."
She patters away and returns with his drink. "Here you are." She sits down - near, but not too near. "What do you need?"
You. The word pops into his head so fast that it almost jumps out of his mouth, and he has to literally bite his tongue. After a few seconds, he explains the situation. "I know what you told me about my father's council," he says, "and I don't want the same thing. So I thought I would ask who you feel would be good to appoint... I mean, besides you. I trust you more than anyone."
Her eyes close briefly as she smiles, evidently pleased. "I don't know if I'd be a good candidate for your royal council, sire."
"I can't think of anyone better - but if you can, please tell me."
"Well, I suppose... Erza would be a logical choice," she muses. "Since she's still the head of the royal army, that would make sense. And Sugarboy swore fealty to you as well, didn't he?"
"Yes. But I don't want an entirely military council."
"No, I agree." She thinks a little. "Maybe some of the other guild members? Gray might be a good choice, or Macao."
He contemplates that. "Yes, either of them might work."
They consider a few other options - the retired mayor of Royal City, a chamberlain of Louen. Jellal has a list of people with whom he will discuss the prospect. The decisions are by no means final, with the exception of Erza, and he still hopes to persuade Mirajane to take some sort of official post. But he will interview the potential councilors and see what comes of it.
"When will I see you at the palace next?" he inquires of her, as he stands to take his leave.
"I am at Your Majesty's disposal," she points out, smiling faintly.
"My lady," he replies, only a touch dryly, "what have I told you?" They share a small chuckle. "I thought perhaps," he continues, and his own daring takes him by surprise, "that if you don't have plans tomorrow, you might join me at E-Land. They've had to do some extensive rebuilding there, you know, since all the attractions were powered by magic. I'm told that it should be ready to reopen soon, but I'm examining it for myself before I give them permission to do so. Would you care to see it, and give me your opinion of it?"
"Of course!"
He returns to the palace, blue eyes shining in his mind and hands trembling slightly inside the folds of his cloak. Tomorrow. He will see her tomorrow, and maybe he can persuade her to think of him for just an hour or two as Jellal instead of the king.