"Jellal!"

Jellal looked up, startled. Gray had burst in through the door and slammed it behind him. Something was wrong. Gray was usually very calm and cool. He never rushed through doors. Jellal wondered what had happened for Gray to go crazy like this.

Jellal waited until Gray got back his breath. A thousand things rushed through Jellal's head. Had his majesty said 'no' to Gray's wish? Had his majesty realized who Jellal got all this information from? If so, did his majesty order Jellal's execution? Is that why Gray was so over the moon right now?

"What happened?"

Gray looked straight into Jellal's eyes. Jellal glimpsed a bit of hope in them.

'Well, this is new.' Jellal thought. 'Since when does the crown prince of Fiore have hope?'

"She's alive..." Gray wheezed out.

"Who?" Jellal wanted to sag with relief. They hadn't found out about his secret informer after all.

"Lucy!" Gray grinned, for the first time in years.

Jellal frowned. Had all this royalty business finally sent his friend mad? Princess Lucy of Fiore had disappeared at the age of six. Though there were many conclusions, Jellal believed that Princess Lucy had run away. It made sense, considering how horrid the king is.

"Gray, look at me!" Jellal grabbed the ravenette's arms and gazed firmly into his deep black eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Princess Lucy? Of Fiore? Or have you forgotten her?"

"No, I remember her... It's just... How do you know she's alive? There had been no information about her whereabouts. She... She left when she was a child, there is no way.. There is no way she's alive." Jellal avoided Gray's eyes.

"You idiot!" Gray pulled himself free from Jellal's clutches and held Jellal's shoulders. "She's alive! She never ran away! Fa- His Majesty had taken her away. Deep into the forest!"

Jellal frowned deeper. This day was just getting more confusing. First, Gray is getting married, without the kind discussing matters with him first. Second, Gray claims Princess Lucy is alive. And if that wasn't weird enough, he claims that Princess Lucy was taken away by her own father?

During all the years he's known the king, he realized that the king was a strange man. He hated his own son and the kingdom. It also seemed as if he hated his daughter. Otherwise, surely there had to be at least one painting of hers hung up somewhere. There wasn't even a painting of the queen whom he had loved so dearly. The king was a strange man indeed.

Would he take away his daughter? And what for? To make Gray feel more miserable? No- The king is a weird man, but he's not dumb. He wouldn't take away the second heir for the pleasure of seeing his son suffer. So why did he?

Jellal shook his head of all his thoughts and turned, facing Gray.

"So, where is she? Do you know?"

"Forest." Gray answered. "She's in the forest. According to Rogue anyway."

Rogue... There was him too. What exactly was his relationship with the king? It seemed that he was present for almost every single meeting Jellal and the king had together. Why? He was nothing but a royal treasurer, right? What secrets were they hiding?

Jellal head throbbed. "The forest is huge, Gray. We'll never find her."

"Never say never!" Gray sounded so cheerful! Jellal couldn't believe it! Gray was never this cheerful. Never!

Jellal sighed in defeat. "Alright. I'll come with you too."

"Oh, you don't have to. If His Majesty realizes it, you'll be hung."

"No, no. I'll come."

And so, they planned to jump out of the castle as soon as possible. They decided that Jellal would go out. Since he was the royal advisor, it was fine for him to go out. Gray was the crown prince and he wasn't allowed to go out. So Gray would dress as a peasant serving Jellal. Together they will be out in a few seconds.

"Woah!"

Natsu was astonished at the sight in front of him. Never in his life had he ever imagined a tower would be present in the middle of the forest. Why had it even been built? Maybe it was an ancient fortress from when Ishgar and Fiore used to be one. If that was the case, then they were surely some treasures inside.

Natsu wasn't rich. In fact, he had been born into a very poor family. He had a mother, a father and an older brother. They were all happy.

Until the royal guards came.

They claimed that Igneel - his father - had been spreading bad words about the king. Igneel hadn't done that, he was only speaking the truth. The royal guards were ruthless, they dragged Igneel down the streets. They hung him in the gallows. They refused to give the body back to the family.

But, all was not lost. His mother - Grandine - still worked. She worked in the fields, day and night. His older brother, Zeref, would help every now and then. Natsu helped sometimes too. They barely made ends meet.

Until the knocks.

Hearing that a widow was living with her two small kids, old men started knocking on the door at night. They knocked and said things no child should have to hear. They even offered money. Every night, Grandine would hold Natsu and Zeref close, covering their ears.

All of those knocks must've put great pressure on her because, after a few days, she committed suicide.

Zeref and Natsu were alone after that. Natsu grew up watching guards drag men and women to the gallows because they had bad-mouthed the king. That's when he swore that he would change this. That's when he started a rebellion. At the young age of twelve.

Zeref was now married. He lived happily. He contributed to the rebels sometimes. Now, he and his wife were having a child of their own.

Natsu slowly started to walk around the tower. How strange! It had no door! He put his hands on the rocks, trying to pull them out. No reaction. Getting desperate, he took out his dagger and inserted it between two rocks. Slowly, he began to climb.

When he reached the top, he tried opening the window. It was locked - no problem! He could pick a lock anytime he wanted.

How does he know this, you ask? Well, you see, he got all his money from stealing. Only from rich people, of course.

As the window opened, he slowly got in. It was decorated with light blue tapestry and cream-colored tiles. There was lots of painting on the gable roof, which was done by a pretty good artist. There was a painting of the sky, the grass, the horse, the lake. And, a pretty, young boy with raven hair holding the hands of a younger blonde girl.

"I wonder who did thi-"

Natsu never got to finish his sentence.

Because Lucy had hit him with an encyclopedia on his head.