AN: I'm going to be taking a break. Sorry for the short chapter, but this is the last one for a bit.
Edwyn awoke bandaged and laying in a bed. "Not another freaking bed." Edwyn groaned and laid back. "You're awake!" a voice rang from the other side of the room. Edwyn looked up to see Roxanne walking quickly over to his bed. He looked to see Erza and Lucy, both asleep where Roxanne had walked from. He looked over and saw Natsu and Gray both bandaged and laying in beds also. "So, am I gonna be confined to this bed for weeks?" Roxanne shook her head, a small smile. "I'm assuming that since Asalt was there, you guys had to fight Freichen?" She nodded solemnly. "Where you hurt at all?" "No, not really, a few bruises and cuts." Edwyn pat the bed next to him, signaling for her to sit down. He sat up and put his arm over her shoulder and she leaned in. He winced at first as she touched a burn. "What's wrong?" he asked, "you seem upset." "I finished him," she said, "I killed Freichen, they tried to stop me," she inhaled sharply wiping her eyes, "I lost control and k- I kicked his head in while he was unconscious. There was a dent and large bleeding wound when I was done. My boot was covered in blood." She sobbed into his chest. Not knowing what to say he held her in silence, looking over the room he saw that a few of the others had woken up. They sat, giving sympathetic looks to the crying girl, eventually going to sleep leaving the two alone. "So," Edwyn said, breaking the silence, "are you gonna leave me alone tonight or sleep here?" She didn't answer, but instead pulled the covers tighter and snuggled into his side. "I take it your staying." he said, closing his eyes to sleep.
"Food?" Natsu said suddenly bursting awake. He smelled food and nothing would keep him from it, almost as if her were on auto pilot he burst from the bed towards it, the sight must have been terrifying to the maid holding the plate as she threw it down and ran off. The ruckus caused everyone to wake up. Most of the food was gone in an instant. He shoved the last bit down before anybody would notice. "Natsu," Erza asked, "why are you out of bed and what did you do to that maid?" Natsu gulped, preparing for the iminent torrent of punishment. He laid in bed, afterwards, with his arms crossed and bruises to add onto his burns. Roxanne stirred and woke up soon after, looking around, only Lucy and Edwyn were still asleep. She crawled out of bed and stretched, ignoring the others in the room for fear of meeting their gazes. Though she had no reason to be, she was nervous. She walked over and sat with the others for a while, looking up when the door opened and the chubby man from before, a former council member, walked in. He mostly stood there, waiting for the last asleep in the room to awake. Once they did he began, "Now that you're all awake, I would like to thank you all. I know it wasn't easy, but I must thank you for what you've done. I could here the struggle from my room, as much as I would've liked to help, I am worthless in my old age." He looked around then continued, "I know that this will not be the end of attacks, but you should head back to your guild and rest there. I am sure I will be fine for now. Tartaros most likely would not attack directly after they lost two of their own." "Do you know what they want from the council members?" Gray asked. The man thought for a while, "No, no I honestly don't, I wish I did."
The cold air bit at them as they stood at the station. Roxanne pulled her jacket tighter around her, waiting for the train to pull up. It wasn't the train that would head back to Magnolia, but onward to towns beyond. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Gray were going to the home of the next council member, Roxanne and Edwyn would head back to Magnolia the next day. A light cut through the chilly, dark night. A whistle sounded through the air, smoke emenating as the train chugged through it's piston causing loud, slow noises to ring about. The train stopped and the doors opened, allowing the passengers to bustle out flooding the station. The four departing mages walked towards the doors, Natsu hesitating before being dragged against his will. Roxanne and Edwyn waved them off, their breath visible in the frigid air. As the train started to pull out, the two stood there, enjoying the warmth that the engine and pistons provided to the station. The train left quickly and so did the warmth it provided to the station. Roxanne and Edwyn left the station and returned to the mansion.
Upon arrival, the two saw that construction workers were working quickly on repairs to the home. There were also men moving in items to replace some of the destroyed ones. Edwyn and Roxanne walked to their room. They entered and rather than sleep, began packing and preparing to leave the next day. "So," Edwyn asked, "What's next?" "Hmm?" "What's next? We get back to the guild and then what? I mean we are at war with Tartaros, they've incapacitated, nearly killed some of our strongest mages. They've killed members of the council and more importantly innocent people. How do we, you and I, fall in place? What's next?" Edwyn said anxiety and worry, but also a dull throb of excitement, flowing through him. "I," Roxanne replied, "I dont know." "I think I do," he said, a smirk upon his face, "We fight."