Alright, let's start this two-part late finish to Stinerva Week with Saturday's prompt: Kindness!

I'm trying to switch between Lector and Frosch's perspectives for this one, so if it's kind of disjointed, I apologize. Hopefully you enjoy it all the same? Maybe? No? Too bad, I worked hard on this!

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.

The common perception among Sabertooth was that Minerva was just learning kindness for the first time. But Lector knew that their Lady could be kind when she wanted to be.

Frosch did, too.

When Lector and Frosch joined the guild, Minerva had warned them that Master Jiemma didn't like animals. She was, however, intrigued by them being talking cats, so she made a promise that as long as they kept their heads down, she would allow them to bear the guild's mark. And they had, though Lector had to keep Frosch out of trouble when it was just them.

Frosch wasn't that bad.

For some reason Lector didn't understand at the time, Minerva had taken a liking to him and Frosch. She had explained that since they were cats, nobody expected them to be strong like the rest of the guild. Lector supposed Sting and Rogue's influence helped curry favor with the young Lady. Otherwise, he and Frosch would be treated no better than pests.

Frosch wasn't a pest! Frosch was a frog!

However, Minerva did show Lector and Frosch her favor sometimes. She revealed to them her secret talent for cooking, and she used it to make the best grilled fish Lector had ever tasted.

Frosch liked Minerva's cooking too.

One day, Minerva felt comfortable enough to confide in Lector and Frosch that cooking was the closest thing she had to feeling like a normal person, rather than the daughter of the strongest man in the strongest guild. It was almost a release for her, which was why she took such pride in the skill, despite her father calling it useless.

Frosch compared the feeling to chasing a butterfly.

Soon enough, one secret turned into many, and Minerva kept cooking for them so long as they didn't reveal anything without her say-so. Lector knew the amount of trust his Lady put in his silence, and as a mage of Sabertooth, he would take her secrets to the grave if he had to.

Frosch never said anything either.

Eventually, Sting and Rogue lost against Natsu Dragneel. Though Sting was defeated, he showed off power Sabertooth could only ever be proud of, if only it was a guild like Fairy Tail. Sadly, Jiemma did not believe so, and tried to completely erase him with his magic.

Frosch remembered the terror of seeing his closest friend other than Rogue being wiped out. He still had nightmares about the ordeal. Only the idea that Minerva had saved Lector with her magic comforted him.

When Lector realized where he was, and why he had been spared from Jiemma's blast, some part of him had to smile upon realizing his Lady's kindness. Objectively, he was a hostage, meant to motivate Sting to win the Grand Magic Games for Sabertooth. If they won, Minerva would return him with no questions asked. But even so, for Sabertooth to lose, all five of their representatives had to be defeated, including Minerva. And if Minerva was defeated, the space she created with her magic would be canceled, and he'd be free to return to Sting after the tournament. So really, all Minerva did was save his life, and for her kindness, he'd always be grateful.

Frosch was grateful too.

Unfortunately, Lector didn't get to express his gratitude after the Games, specifically after the whole Dragon invasion business. Nevertheless, he would follow Sting in his new role as Guild Master, and he would help reshape Sabertooth into a guild that his Lady could be proud of.

Frosch wanted to change Sabertooth too. Because Rogue and Lector and Yukino and all the others were his friends. And Minerva was, too, wherever she had ended up.

One day, news of Minerva's activities surfaced. She had ended up in a dark guild called Succubus Eye. Half an hour earlier, Sting's teacup had cracked, which Minerva had taught him was a sign of ill fortune. Sting had believed, and he organized a trip to Succubus Eye's headquarters.

Frosch hadn't exactly known what those paper dolls he and the others found were, but he felt dread all the same, the same dread he felt when Jiemma made his attempt on Lector's life.

Lector was scared when Rufus announced he could sense residual human memories in Succubus Eye's base, and from there it didn't take a genius to figure out what those paper dolls were.

Frosch and Lector both chose to believe it wasn't too late to save their Lady, and so did their partners. Their only lead was that Laxus had been near-fatally attacked trying to protect a town, meaning their best chance was to ride Fairy Tail's coattails as they went to war with Tartarus.

So Lector and Frosch joined their partners in invading Tartarus's base. They had lost consciousness for a moment thanks to a spell called Alegria, but were revived just in time to hear Minerva's yells of apparent joy. The four of them had arrived just in time to save Minerva from Tartarus's leader, much to Lector's relief.

Frosch was relieved too.

After a brief exchange of words between Erza, their partners, and the man named Mard Geer, the battle had begun in earnest. Sting had ordered Lector and Frosch to go with Erza and make sure their Lady was safe. Frosch had wanted to fight too, but Lector told him all they could do was believe in Sting and Rogue, as well as their Lady.

They spent the rest of the battle doing just that, during which point Lily declared Sabertooth's mages were good people too, including Minerva. Lector felt validated that someone finally recognized his Lady's kindness.

Frosch told everyone so!

When the war ended and Minerva was returned to the guild, she tried to apologize to Sting for taking him hostage and using him as blackmail. They both brushed it off, citing the fact that her actions saved Lector's life, and Lector in particular was never worried about the what-ifs. Hearing this, Minerva hugged Sting as she cried tears of happiness, while Lector mused upon the fact that Sabertooth was entering a new era of kindness, led by his best friend and his Lady.

He couldn't wait to see how it unfolded.

Neither could Frosch.

Okay, I love Frosch, but his speech pattern makes it kind of awkward to switch perspectives with another character. Oh well.

If all goes according to plan, you should be getting this at noon while Protect comes at... I wanna say 4 or so? So, see you then.