Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, not me.
Sitting on the train next to Gajeel, the solid script mage shivered despite the warmth of the train. This year in Fiore was turning out to be a particularly cold one. That their mission required them to go deep into the mountains looking for information didn't come as any comfort. She looked out the window Gajeel leaned up against despondently. Snow was beginning to fall.
Levy went back to thumbing through one of the few books she had brought with her about dragons. She wore her Gale Force reading glasses, enabling her to read even faster than she normally would be able. The iron dragon slayer watched her, not as green with motion sickness as she was used to. He been smart enough to ask Wendy to cast Troia on him before leaving the guild that morning. Pantherlily was nowhere to be found. According to Gajeel, he was off doing something with Charle and Happy.
"So you like your 'necklace,' Shrimp?" Gajeel teased her, suddenly, interrupting her reading. Levy flinched at his barb. A slight flush crossed her face. Inflating her cheeks and clenching her fists, she bit back a retort. The solid script mage thought back to the night before.
Levy froze upon feeling the thin ring of iron around her neck. The iron dragon slayer twisted his finger within the collar expertly. His words echoed in her head. Shit, I should have read that drivel last night. I'd have known what was missing then.
"Well, are you going to tell me about the story you're writing or not, Shrimp?" A look of bewilderment answered him. Gajeel thinks I wrote that? "I could always share a few scenes with the guild. Gihi!" Levy looked mortified at the thought, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
A soft sigh escaped her as the script mage felt Gajeel release his grip on her. But he didn't dissolve the collar. Why? She wondered. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw the still escalating battle between Fairy Tail mages. At least no one sees such a humiliating display. Self-consciously she fingered the collar.
"You're going to wear that until I remove it, and I am going with you on your mission." Gajeel growled at her in a low voice. "Do you understand me?"
"Y-yes, Gajeel-san?" The blue haired script mage was hopelessly confused in his sudden shift in behavior.
"Try again, Shrimp." The iron dragon slayer kept his voice low, not that it really was necessary at this point. He stroked the iron band with a single digit almost lovingly, making her flinch away.
"Yes, master?" Levy guessed, having read enough of Erza's novels to guess at what he wanted from her.
Not one member of the guild seemed to notice the collar around her neck as she slipped away the night before. They were all too engaged in the fighting, or so she'd thought as she ducked a thrown stein on her way through the door. She had taken off hurriedly towards Fairy Hills after he'd taunted her. Both to prepare for the mission and to avoid him, in case the situation escalated further.
Once in the dorms, she examined the piece. It had turned out that the collar was crafted in a fashion to look like an elaborate metal choker, if a bit loose. Gajeel had managed an impressive piece of magic in an instant. Lightly fingering the knot-work that adorned the outward facing side, smiled softly to herself. He had good taste, at least.
Sleeping with it on hadn't been so comfortable. The cold iron pressed against her skin, pinching her as she turned in her sleep. Levy's collar was formed in an unbending shape, and combined with the weight felt restrictive. A poor night's sleep of worries and discomforts now wore on her.
"So Shrimp, serious question. Do you have any more details on this mission?" The iron dragon slayer looked at her, suddenly quite serious. "How about starting with how much longer we'll be on this damn train?"
"We should reach the stop in an hour or so, but it's just a waypoint. We're going to be using a Magical Vehicle to reach the village. I already arranged the transport with a driver, at least. It will be a long ride then…. Sorry." Levy crossed and uncrossed her hands in her lap uncomfortably. She was expecting the worst.
"And you think I want to ride anywhere much longer, Shrimp?" Gajeel grimaced, "nothing wrong with walking." The solid script mage noticed a slight tinge to his face and realized Troia was beginning to wear off. Perhaps that explained his suddenly sour mood, but who ever knew with Gajeel.
"M-maybe we can discuss it more when we arrive." She added hastily, loathing the alternative of walking so far but perhaps she could talk more sense into him once they stopped moving.
The iron dragon slayer simply gave a growl of confirmation and closed his eyes. Leaning with his head against his chest, propped up against the window he fell into a gentle slumber. Levy opened her book back up and continued where she left off, trying to kill time until they reached their stop.
Gajeel inhaled deeply. Breathing out an exaggerated sigh, he turned to a lightly shivering Levy. "Okay, Shrimp, now where is that transport of yours?" It had been hours since their stop and no Magic Vehicle had showed up for them. Large fluffy flakes continued to float down. The train tracks were covered with the soft powder, invisible.
"I-I don't know. He should have been here waiting for us. Perhaps the weather." She bit into a slightly blue lower lip. "There isn't another train for a few days either. This region's pretty remote."
"Then we've no choice but to hike it, Shrimp. Come on, daylight's wasting as we speak." Gajeel indicated towards the sky with an upward nod of his head. The sun had already begun to sink low on the horizon. Levy looked nervously towards their gear wondering if they had enough supplies to last the extra days it'd take them to get to the remote village. She nodded slightly. Feeling his finger wrap through the collar still encircling her neck, she began to walk along after him.
"Maybe I should lead, Gajeel? I did read the map after all. You're going the wrong direction." Gajeel hesitantly let go of her and made an after you gesture.
"So that's why you let those two follow you around? Gihi…" The iron dragon slayer grinned down at the script mage.
"Yep." A soft laugh accompanied the petite mage's reply.
As they trudged through the ankle deep snow, the two Fairy Tail mages began to discuss all that had been going on in the guild of late. Levy didn't mind a bit of conversation. Otherwise the mountainous landscape was a glaring monotony of endless white with lengthening orange highlights. They intended to walk until just after the night fell. She figured that meant another hour or so before camp.
It also helped keep her mind of the chill running through her despite her many layers of clothing. She wondered how Gajeel was holding up. The iron dragon slayer had chosen to wear one of his normal outfits. He didn't seem to be showing any kind of weakness, though.
"So, Levy…" She paused hearing her name instead of 'Shrimp'. "About that manuscript? You never told me anything before you went storming off. Why'd you write something like that?"
"I didn't!" She retorted angrily.
Gajeel paused to scrutinize at her. "Well then who did?" Levy shook her head furiously, refusing to give up her friend's secret. The dragon slayer sighed, "I didn't think you had, Shrimp, the writing was too poor a style to be yours." Levy smiled sweetly up at him only to have her jaw drop a moment later. "Yet here I was hoping you were into those kinds of things…" He smirked when he caught her expression. "Had you going there, huh, Shrimp? Least you stopped shivering for a bit." Levy's eyes narrowed but she didn't reply.
"Gajeel… is it just me or is the snow coming down heavier?" A look of concern crossed Levy's face.
"No… you're right." Even the iron dragon slayer, normally so full of bluster sounded hesitant. Visibility was significantly reduced. The sky, already nearly darkened with the approaching night, was blotted out with a thick mass of clouds. Snow assaulted them, a steady stream of flakes that appeared to have decided they no longer wanted to float down.
Gajeel tilted his head back, sniffing the air. His red eyes widened slightly. The iron dragon slayer grabbed Levy's arm and held her still. He spoke in a low tone. "Help me set up my tent fast, no time for both. And stay close, Levy. We're making camp. Now!" He paused, "and whatever you do, don't use your magic."