And with this newly found revelation, Levy was escorted home by Gajeel. Or to be specific, she rode on top of Gajeel's mighty form through the clouds, above the ground, across the horizon and into the fairy land; and once again was she shown a sight more beautiful than ever seen and she sat softer than ever before. Because on top of Gajeel, where it was neither warm nor soft, Levy felt safe and comforted far more than anywhere else. She could feel the faint, but steady rhythm of his heart and his muscles shift with each beat of his mighty wings and it was all just confirming that indeed, she loved this dragon.
Once they reached her father's forests Gajeel landed softly, gently as if to not draw too much attention to them among the gossiping trees and whispering bushes. He sank down flat to the ground, waiting patiently for Levy to slide down from his back; when she didn't move he shifted slightly over and turned his head to gaze at her. Her eyes, compared to many times before, didn't meet his. Instead she had them cast down on his cold, scaled back. She lingered for a moment on top of him, stroking his scales while admiring how nestled in Gajeel was among the trees. Once Levy had taken in the thick trees that kept swaying despite no wind, the rich earth beneath them and the open sky above them did she meet his gaze; there was no fear in her this time, only love and trust.
She slid off of him slowly, keeping her hand steadily on his side, her wings fluttering lightly as she descended to the forest floor. It wasn't until her feet were firmly planted and her wings stopped fluttering that she let her fingers slide down his scales and fall to her side. The trees stopped rustling for a moment, as if to give them silence and privacy for their parting.
However, before Gajeel got to take off and Levy returned to the castle grounds, she spun around sharply on her heels. Faced him with a bright smile, took hold of what she could hold of his face with her tiny hands (which was sadly only the front of his snout). And she kissed him goodbye, yet what met her soft lips weren't thin lips, but rather a cold snout; and despite his splutter and complete surprise, it felt perfect for Levy.
~O~O~
So she went home; and she was met by shouts of surprise and cries of joy. Hugs and kisses and questions in the millions. It was rather nice, yet strange as Levy noticed that even without her; they were all doing just fine.
With the shifting days she would walk along the halls of her old home, silently note how low the ceiling was and how small the rooms were. Her dearest sisters would come along and they would talk and talk and Levy would tell them about all she had experienced. From morning she would tell about the magical castle and the upper grand hall with the view of both sides of the horizon, sweet and kind Lily and Gjeel's gentleness and his warmth when they would sleep close, so very close together in the dark.
Naturally this caused quite the disturbance with both her father and her sisters. Cana crooked a brow at her with surprise and worry, her dearest father Gildarts took to choke on his dinner and cough for several moments and Lucy stared stunned at Levy with her mouth ajar and wide open eyes. Perhaps this wasn't the best way for Levy to announce that she indeed had been taken away by the feared dragon in order to become his wife.
That was at least what the rest of the kingdom started to say. Because not long after she had told her family what she had experienced many rumors among the fairy citizens had spurred up. Such as how she was indeed married to the feared dragon and that she was now home because she was expecting a child. This was naturally not true, at least to Levy's knowledge, but she didn't feel the particular need to correct them as being called the dragon's wife made her feel all fuzzy and giggly at the thought.
However, with more winding rumors and strange speculations came along her probing sisters. Because with each day they would demand that not knowing her husband's true face was unheard of and they insisted that she had to find some way to sneak a peek. Each time Levy refused and each time their father heard wind of it, he would sternly tell them "It will only do more harm than good."
Unfortunately it didn't stop there. As the days wavered and the nights passed, the end of two weeks drew near and Gajeel would appear from the mighty sky to take Levy back. He would appear with the rising sun of the 14th day; this Lucy knew as in the night, when the moon was already setting and the sky was slowly awakening, she snuck into Levy's room and shook her awake.
"What? Lucy?" Levy asked in a dazed confusion as her sister settled on the bed while waving one of the lamps to softly turn on.
"I know father said not to, but I couldn't just let it go. So here, take this." Lucy quickly explained as she thrust something in Levy's hands and fled the room.
Looking down in her hand Levy found that Lucy had given her an elegant fondant pen. It was slim and elegant with engravings of twisting vines and roses. Levy recognized it at once; it was her magical pen, the very same she had snuck with her when she was young to write water and wind into her playtime, the very same she had snuck with her to bed to write in a little light in order to read long into the night.
Levy knew exactly why Lucy had given it to her, and despite knowing better than to take it with her, she convinced herself that she would simply take it along as a keepsake, a memory of home.
~O~O~
Once Levy returned to the castle on the horizon, she shoved the pen to the deepest part of the drawer on the nightstand. So it would stay hidden, in the dark where she wouldn't think of it and hopefully forget the silly idea.
However, once an idea has taken root in her mind nothing could stop it from growing. And with each passing night, each kisses shared and touches felt; each time he would scoot her close and nuzzle the cold studs on his nose along her neck, each time she would run her hand over his strong back and he would pepper her shoulder with kisses; Levy's curiosity grew stronger and stronger.
Truly, what did Gajeel look like?
She had seen hints of his human appearance under the cloak of the night and the light of the moon, but she had never seen it fully, truly where she could study it for hours on end and memories his strong jaw and sturdy nose, dark eyes and pinpoint if his hair was as dark as it seemed or not. What if it was the kind of dark that lit up into a soft brown in the sun? Or glinted with faint blue? Either way Levy was sure it would look stunning.
And so with slight hesitation; she ever so softly scooted towards the nightstand, shuffled the drawer open and groped blindly into it until she felt cold tiny roses and leaves on the tip of her fingers. Ever so gently she scooted back close to Gajeel and propped herself up a little on her side with her elbow. She lay like that for a moment, simply noting his steady and slow breathing, the warmth of his skin and how safe it felt. How safe they were together under the darkness of night, surely a little peak wouldn't do much harm?
And so, ever so carefully Levy uncapped her fondant pen and wrote even smaller than she had thought she could "light" a little above them both. Once the letters were written, a gentle glow came from it and trickled down upon the face of her most dearest.
Levy could only gasp in awe at Gajeel's appearance; handsome was an understatement, it was too small a word to contain Gajeel's strong jaw (that Levy already knew was strong from their numerous kisses and cuddles) his broad chest and even broader shoulders, his hair that fell like a dark waterfall over their pillows and the beautiful shiny piercings lined up on each side of the bridge of his nose.
He was absolutely stunning beyond measurements, and so stunning that Levy didn't see the little light trickle to one of the very piercings she was admiring, didn't see it reflect and shine so bright on one of Gajeel's eyes that he stirred awake.
He bolted up thinking he had overslept into the sunrise, but one look at Levy and at the faint light had Gajeel stare at her with eyes filled with worry and sorrow.
"What have you done?" He asked in a voice rough with sleep and distress, yet so clear it sent chills and dread to the tip of her wings to her toes. Gajeel quickly stumbled from the bed in a frenzy as glittering scales – scales Levy grew to love – starts to shift and shimmer into view. It scared her and further feelings of dread filled the pit of her stomach as she jumps out of the bed and follows Gajeel.
"What is happening?" Levy asks while following Gajeel, whose long strides make her jog after him. He seems bigger in frame as if he is growing as the scales continue to appear.
"I have to go now that you have seen my true form. For being so booksmart, you're an idiot! One more month of this and my curse would be lifted." He snapped at her in a snarl as his voice deepened into a twisted distant echo, as if he himself was changing, shifting under the veil of night. Yet despite the harsh tone, Levy neither faltered nor flinched because rather than anger, what she heard and what she knew he felt was heartache; and she knew she had to follow him, wherever he was going.
And he most likely was, a thought flashed through Levy's mind as Gajeel's footsteps grew heavier and broader. Once Gajeel reached the castle entrance, he slammed the doors open; revealing the dark night sky and the bright, bright moon. Levy saw it now, Gajeel was not in the form of a mortal man anymore, but rather that of one rapidly changing as his tail flickered in jerks as more and more scales grew, as his shoulders twisted while being hunched over. And before Levy knew it, Gajeel the dragon stood before her, tall and mighty, greeting the silent moon.
"Wha-" Levy started when she suddenly noticed how her dearest started to stretch him wings in the all too familiar way he did before taking off. Without a single doubt in her mind, she jumped up on his back with a shout as he took off with her struggling to stay on.
"Let go shrimp!" He roared in anger as he tried to shake her off while climbing higher and higher to the sky.
But no matter how much he shouted or growled or begged, Levy refused to let go.
Gajeel flew far and wide under the open sky, where the night's bitter north winds swept over little Levy's shivering body. And no matter how much she wanted and how much she desired and how much she knew she couldn't let go… Levy grew tired trying to grip at slippery scales and exhausted from the freezing wind and her hands loosened their grip.
And little Levy plumed to the earth where only the sighing trees and muttering bushes broke her fall. Where the forest land on the horizon took sympathy and covered her for the night, where Levy was far from the castle and even further from home. There Levy fell to a slumber for the night.
~O~O~O~
SO yeah, late again. Well, better get used to it... um... yeah