-Lucy-

'I wonder what's wrong with her.'

I thought. I got up and walked around the table to sit beside her. She was still looking out the window with her arms crossed.

"Erin, are you okay?"

She turned her head only a little and looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"I just think it's messed up how just because Gray was worried about her Liz was about to give up something so precious. I've never seen her as happy as she is when she's with Gray, and I don't want her to make a decision when she's upset because I know she'll regret it if she did."

I got what she was saying.

"Yeah. Gray really cares about her."

I said, she nodded and returned her gaze out the window.

'I don't like seeing her like this.'

I thought, then I remembered something that I still wanted to know. I lowered my voice and leaned over to her.

"How did you manage to get Draco as one of your keys? I thought she was a free spirit?"

I asked and Erin fully turned to face me.

"She is. She bound herself to her own key when she created all the Zodiac gates. When I was little, Draco told me the Spirit King wanted her to be the Queen of the Spirits."

My mouth fell open and she smirked.

"That's the same reaction I had. Anyway, did you know that the keys were created first? Teh gates were made almost 200 years after. The King asked her to bind the Spirits so they could help us when we needed them most, but because the Spirits were so free spirited, no pun intended, she had to create a way of passage from this world to theirs."

I was confused and she saw. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Ummmm...Spirits roamed between worlds freely and when they were bound their freedom was limited to the Celestial Mage who held his or her key. Draco came up with the idea of Spirits and only the mages summoning them being able to make a deal of sorts that lasts for the wizards entire life."

I was so shocked.

"Draco created the contracts!"

Erin nodded and continued.

"Surprised? Trust me, I was too. When the spirits made the contracts, the wizards could only summon them certain times and wizards could send that Spirit back to the Spirit World. It was good that way for a while, but sometimes the Spirits wouldn't come or refused to help. Draco was basically the Spirit's blacksmith and the King called her to make gates so the Spirits could still roam free, but could follow the wizard's orders more to the point. Each gate she created was made special or unique for each Spirit. For examply, Leo. His gate is the second strongest of them all simply because he is so powerful. Designs of suns and a lion's mane made from Draco's fire and pure gold."

I smiled.

"But, I don't get it. Why did she create a key to bind herself?"

Erin looked down at her hands.

"She did that so the King couldn't ask her to create other devices to further bind the Spirits. The King wanted them to do nothing more than serve us, Draco doesn't know why."

When she didn't continue, I asked another question.

"So...How did you find Draco's key?"

She looked at me with a sad face.

"I'm not the one who found her. My great-great-great grandmother did. Her name was Jessica Cain and she was the very definition of fearless. There are many wizards in my family, on my father's side, but only she and I are Celestial Mages. She found in a book the Spirit's story, how a powerful dragon created gates to strengthen their passage betweent heir world and ours. She alos read how said dragon made itself a key so it couldn't take away more of the Spirits' freedom. However, the dragon also made a gate like no other. Stronger than any metal or steel, larger than any wall, and more beautiful than any artwork. Grandma searched in places the dragon woul place it's key and spent forty-eight years doing so. Eventrually, she found it on a strange stone high in the Eastern mountains. My father told me how when she picked up the key her arm burned and the ground shook. A man appeared at the mouth of the cave she was in, he tried to take it, but she was like me and she fought the man. Draco appeared to help the woman who was trying to protect her key. Teh man was an Earth Mage. You can imagine how tough it was to fight when you have no keys to use, my grandma could fight though. When the Mage used a spell that split the mountain, he aimed it at Draco. He must have been an idiot to do something like that. Forty-eight years of her life my grandma searched for a single key, she would not let him attempt to do anything to Draco. She jumped in the way of the Mage's spell and sacrificed herself for Draco's safety. Draco wouldn't have been harmed, but she didn't know that. For Jessica's kindess, Draco made a promise to her. 'If ever a Celestial Mage of your bloodline is born, I will protect him or her with my life as you have protected me with yours.'"

The tram stopped for a few minutes to let some passengers off.

"So when you were of a certain age, you were given her key?"

I asked and Erin nodded.

"Yes. Sometimes Draco would appear and tell me stories when I was young. When I ran away, Draco was always by my side and if I ever got into trouble, she was there. I started collecting keys, Zodiacs. For some reason I didn't want any other kind of key. I learned different types of fighting techniques and mastered them because of the fact I only have four keys."

She shrugged with a crooked smile.

"Wow, I never would have figured that out about you. It is cool though that you and Draco are so close. Hey, I bet I could guess which keys you have if you only have Zodiacs."

I said. Erin looked intrigued.

"Really?"

She asked.

"Yup. You have Pisces, Libra, and ummm...Capricorn."

I said and she clapped quietly.

"Very good. I love that one you have with the dog. His name is Plue right?"

She asked.

"Yup. He really is cute."

We heard a car door open and we came back to the fact we were on a tram. Liz and Gray walked in laughing and holding hands. I smiled.

"Well it's about time."

Gray nodded his head ot Erin, a silent thank you. She returned it with a bow of her head.

"Gray! We thought she killed you."

Natsu said, waving at Gray and Liz. Liz didn't like that comment and gave Natsu her most serious face.

"Sorry."

Natsu said and sat back down in his seat. Erza, Wendy, and the cats were smiling and looking at the newly united couple. I turned my head back to Erin who once agian was looking out the window, but this time with a small smile on her face.

AN HOUR LATER

-Liz-

"So, you completed the job?"

Markov asked. All of us returned a short while before another fight broke out and believe it or not, it was started by Natsu and Gray this time. When Erin was close to stepping in, the guild leader shouted at them, the fighting stopped, and Erin and I were made official S-Class mages.

"Congratulations. All of you have proven to be loay and strong guild members. When you had doubts, we gave you courage. Where we had weakness, you gave us strength."

He was talking to everyone, but it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"Thank you master."

Erin and I said in unison. Markov nodded and walked to the second floor.

"You want to go home for a while?"

I heard Erin ask.

"Not yet, besides, you still haven't explained something to me."

I said and she looked at me confused.

"What?"

She asked and I smiled, she looked confused.

"Why were you blushing in the clearing?"

Her eyes got wide and her face turned red.

"Yeah, I remember. Tell me what happened."

I said and she sighed as she walked to an empty table and sat down. I took the seat infront of her and stayed quiet while she told me about a Zodiac Spirit.