King Makarov stood in the grand entrance hall of the palace, awaiting the arrival of his guests. They weren't guests, really. More like extended family.
The first to arrive, as usual, were the Strauss family from Onibas. They were always the first to the palace, being so close, and always wanting to participate in everything.
The king was bombarded with greetings the second they stepped foot in the castle. "Your Highness!" "King Makarov!"
The siblings stopped a few feet from him, Elfman bowing, Mirajane and Lisanna curtsying.
"Now, children, how many times have I told you to do away with the formalities?" The king chuckled, holding his arms out. They all laugh, and the girls rush to hug him. Elfman, much taller and wider than everyone, simply wrapped his arms around the three of them, lifting them all off the ground. Laughter echoed through the corridors, bringing smiles to the faces of all who heard it.
When everyone's feet were firmly on the floor once more, the king turned his face to the young people before him. They were so vibrant, full of life. They made him feel young again. He sighed, and a smile covered his features.
"Well, you will be staying in the west wing, as per usual. The feast will begin at seven o'clock this evening. I trust you know the way?"
"Yes, of course!"
Their attendants come through the doors with their belongings, and the three siblings rush to help carry the heavy chests and boxes of personal items. Elfman heaved two heavy chests onto his shoulders, and led the way to the west wing. The attendants, assisted by the sisters, carried the rest of the items, began to follow Elfman.
Though he saw it often, King Makarov was always astounded by how unwilling the Strauss royal family was to let themselves be taken care of by their servants. They didn't do everything by themselves, but if they were perfectly capable of doing it on their own, they did so. The workers in the palace in Onibas were considered the most well-off servants. They received wonderful benefits, and were always surrounded by kindness. The family, blessed with transformation magics, allowed their staff to learn and practice their own magic. Laughter and happiness filled their halls, no matter where they were, home or not.
The door boomed open, and it drew Makarov's attention.
"Heya, Gramps! How's it going?"
One half of the troublemaker pair had arrived. Natsu Dragneel, the younger prince of the Land of Flame. His pink hair and onyx eyes were completely natural, and he would rough up anybody who made fun of him for it. He was always in a good mood, until he saw Gray, the eldest son of the sovereigns of the Frozen Plains. Anytime they were in a room together, they were fighting, verbally or physically. They were best friends, but always tried to one-up the other. Makarov smiled. No matter how much they destroyed with their fights, it always brought a certain air of life into his palace.
"Well, hello, Natsu. It's been quite a while since I've seen you. Look at how tall you've gotten!" He chuckled, having just seen him less than two months before.
"Yeah, yeah. Is the Ice Princess here yet?" Natsu looked all around, hoping to catch a glance of the other prince, probably already in the mood to fight.
"No, Gray and the rest of them are not here yet. The Strausses just arrived. I was not expecting you for at least another day. Why so early?" Makarov moved to sit on a wide bench to the side of the hall. Natsu followed, sitting next to him.
Many royals from other nations that had come to his palace were shocked by the casual manner in which he dealt with the royalty of his nation. They were unaware of the ties that bound them all together, the magic and camaraderie that were one of the crowning features of Fiore's royal families.
"Well, we were at the Iron Court when they got their invites, so we came from there. Dad and Uncle Metalicana were doing something, and he made me come along. They stayed locked in Metalicana's study the whole time, leaving me all alone with Metal Head, as usual. Metalicana and Gajeel are gonna be here tomorrow, they had something to do at their Court before they could come." Natsu pulled at the scarf at his throat, an old habit.
"Well, however you get here, I'm glad you could come. Is your father here?" Makarov noticed the lack of the louder, red-haired king that was Natsu's father.
"Yeah, he's probably out talking to King Strauss. Catching up." Of course. Igneel loved talking to people, making them laugh and seeing people happy.
"Do you have much with you?" Makarov got up, ready to fetch a servant.
"Nah, not that much. We've got a few of our guys, they've probably got it all up to our rooms." Natsu smiled, waving the older man off. He had always packed light, as did his father. It took a lot to make fireproof clothing, so he didn't have lots and lots of bags like the others might have.
"Alright, then. I'm sure you want to go rest, after your travels. You know your way up, dinner is at seven o'clock." He gave the young man a look, one that said, No fighting.
Natsu grumbled, but got up and walked towards the opposite side of the hall, towards the east wing. He stopped, and turned back to Makarov.
"Hey, Gramps. What kind of people are gonna be at this ball?"
Makarov's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean? It's going to be all the royals of Fiore, as usual." Natsu normally didn't question much, so what brought this on?
"Yeah, I know. But you annexed a couple new places, right? There's gonna be new people to meet."
"Why, yes. There are three new royal families joining us. I have personally met them all, and they seem like they'll fit in just fine with us."
The doors swung open, and a tall, red-haired man with a large smile on his face walked in. "There you are, Natsu. Wondered where you'd run off to. Gray not here yet?"
Makarov looked between the two men before him. The two looked just alike, except the difference in hair color. Always a smile on their faces, but they could turn dark in an instant if threatened. The fire they controlled was always in their eyes, lighting them from within. Their personalities were nearly copies of each other.
"Well, hello, Igneel. How was the Iron Court?" Makarov lifted his arm, and Igneel locked forearms with him in the traditional greeting. Natsu wandered off, leaving the older men to talk.
"You know how he is. Head as hard as the iron he eats. Will never budge on anything. If I didn't know better, I'd say we weren't brothers." He laughed, smiling widely, showing sharpened canines.
"Was Grandine there as well?" Makarov sat back, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Nah, she didn't want to come deal with us. She stayed back at Windham, with Wendy. They should be here tonight or tomorrow."
"Well, I would think that you would want to rest after all that traveling. You'll be staying in the east wing, as usual. Dinner is at seven o'clock." Makarov said, giving Igneel a stern look.
"Hey, punctuality is not my strong suit, you've known that for years!" He raises his hands in defense.
"And I've tried to get you over that habit, but it appears you are as hard-headed as your brother! Honestly, I have no clue how your sister survived living in the same house as you two." Makarov rolls his eyes, but smiled anyway. No matter how he complained, he loved having everyone there in his palace.
"Well, you know how she is. I'm gonna go. Haven't bathed in a while. Should probably do that before dinner." He turned to walk away. "Talk to ya later." He disappeared around the corner, leaving Makarov in the hall alone. Makarov sighed, and faced the door, preparing himself for whoever might come in the door next.