Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 52

"I'm seeing it and I'm still not believing it," Gildarts said. He was squatting down, watching with complete wonder at the 'pet' that Mira brought back with her. In fact, almost everyone in the guild was circled around Mira, who was sitting at a table with a smile on her face.

The 'pet', of course, was Nikolias. He was sitting on the floor by Mira's feet, his face buried in food as he devoured a hefty pile of meat that Mira had prepared for him. It was, for the most part, all raw, but it didn't seem to bother the Half-Dragon in the least. As he ate, Mira absentmindedly stroked his wing.

The Fairy Tail team that was dispatched to find Nikolias returned to the guild after the sun had already set. For the whole trip back, Nikolias stayed glued to Mira's side. Even when they took the train back to Magnolia, Nikolias flew close to the fast moving locomotive, right next to the window where Mira was sitting. When they had eventually returned, Mira immediately headed to the kitchen to prepare food for the hungry Half-Dragon with Nikolias right by her side while Natsu and Gray regaled everyone with the events of the day, for people were more than a little curious at seeing Nikolias return in such a form.

Caro had returned with them to discuss things with Master Makarov, so he sat at the bar and drank, grumbling at how fascinated everyone was with the creature behind him. "Look at them. Admiring that monster like nothing happened," he said.

Makarov put down his drink and sighed. "He's one of us and we care for him. We thought we had lost him forever. Everyone's thrilled to see him again and it's even more fascinating to see him in that state."

Caro gulped down his beer before placing the empty mug on the counter. "You realize why I came with you, correct?"

Makarov nodded. "I have my suspicions."

Caro looked towards Nikolias. "I still have to arrest him. Once he's returned to his human form, he will have to be taken back into custody, especially after everything that has happened."

Makarov hummed in response. He wasn't surprised to hear it. In fact, he expected it. The Magic Council now had even more reason to want Nikolias imprisoned. The worst part for him was that he still hadn't figured out how to convince the Council that Nikolias should stay out of prison. Without this rebuttal, what could he say to Caro?

Laki squealed as she admired Nikolias' form. "He's so cute!"

"He definitely looks pretty bad ass," Macao said. "Having him look like that could definitely get us back some of our reputation. No guild would dare mess with him."

Mira smiled and giggled as everyone commented on Nikolias' appearance, but it was only partially because of her guild mates. Most of her joy was because she was doing what she thought was impossible just a few hours ago; she was sitting in the guild with Nikolias by her side. He had come back to her. She wasn't even thinking about what would happen later. She was too focused on the here and now.

"Miss Mira," Caro called out, "may I have another drink?"

"Of course," Mira said with a nod as she stood up. As soon as she did, Nikolias' face left the food before him, his golden eyes fixed on Mira. She giggled at seeing his attention leave his food for the first time. "You can keep eating."

Nikolias tilted his head somewhat to the side. He looked down at his food again, but as soon as Mira started walking towards the bar, he sprang up and trotted after her until he was by her side.

"He's like a little puppy," Cana laughed.

"He really is," Levy agreed. "It's incredible."

"He's been like this ever since he recognized Mira's scent," Erza added. "He simply refuses to leave her side."

A few moments later, Gracie walked into the small main room. Upon arrival at the guild earlier, she had been taken straight to the infirmary with Elfman to tend to their wounds. Wendy followed directly behind her, a worried expression on her face.

"Sup peeps," Gracie greeted.

"Glad to see you looking better," Lucy said with a smile. "I'm surprised that you're walking after the hit you took, though."

"She really shouldn't be moving around," Wendy said timidly.

Gracie patted Wendy's head. "Oh, don't be so uptight. I'm fine!"

"But you fractured at least four ribs," Wendy said. "You should rest."

Gracie shrugged. "I feel fine so I'm not staying in any sick bed."

Wendy sighed, defeated. She knew she could never talk Gracie into doing anything. "Okay."

"How's Elfman?" Lisanna asked.

Wendy smiled at her. "He's sleeping soundly. Other than a few bruises and some shallow bite marks, I think he'll be just fine."

"I still can't believe Nikolias attacked you guys like that," Wakaba said.

Gracie had a seat and crossed her legs, her arms draped casually over the back of the chair. "Niky's inner dragon doesn't recognize us. He saw us as a threat and attacked." She shot Caro a glare. "I still believe that had someone not interfered, I could have calmed Niky down and handled the whole situation."

Caro kept his eyes facing forward while drinking the beer that Mira had brought him. "I did what I had to."

Gracie huffed at him, but her attitude immediately changed at seeing Nikolias walk from behind the counter with Mira. "Aw, there's my cute wittle dragon!" she beamed. "Who's a good boy?"

Nikolias looked at her, but stayed right by Mira's side as they walked back to the group. Mira sat down in her seat and Nikolias sat beside her. Once he did, he returned to devouring the plate of food before him.

"Hey Gracie," Natsu said. "Can you explain what happened now? You said that Nikolias smelled himself on Mira. I really wanna know what that means."

Gracie laughed evilly. "As much as I'd love to say, it's really up to Mira." She looked at the white haired mage, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Should I tell them all?"

Mira turned a bright shade of red and began stroking Nikolias' wing again. "I'd rather not talk about it in front of everyone."

"No fair!" Natsu whined.

"So how much longer will he stay like this?" Gray asked. "He's been eating pretty much nonstop since we got back."

Gracie sighed. "You don't listen well. I told you I don't know. It's not an exact science. Probably early afternoon tomorrow."

Caro gulped down the last of his beer, placed the cup on the bar counter, and stood up. The sound of the wooden stool scraping across the wooden floorboards caught everyone's attention. "Well, it's late, so I must be going. I still have to report to the Magic Council."

"Yes, of course," Makarov said.

Caro looked at him. "Remember what I said, Master Makarov."

"Yes, I remember," he replied.

Caro put some money on the counter for his drinks and turned on his heels. "Expect to be hearing from the Council tomorrow morning. They will most likely wish to speak to you."

Makarov sighed. "Of course they will."

Caro headed for the door. The sound of his approaching feet forced Nikolias' attention from his food. The Half-Dragon looked at Caro and growled menacingly at him. The orange haired man stopped in his tracks. "You may have your friends fooled, but I know what you really are," he hissed at Nikolias. "Mark my words; your days are numbered."

"That's enough, dick breath," Gracie spat. "Just get the hell out of here. I'm tired of looking at your face. It's pissing me off.

Caro looked at her. "Such a charming woman," he said sarcastically.

Gracie stuck her tongue out at him.

Caro walked past the guild members and towards the door. Once there, he turned around. "Enjoy your evening," he said before turning back around and heading out into the night.

Gracie glared at Caro's retreating figure. "Prick."


Mira and Lisanna walked through the night towards their house, Nikolias plodding along beside Mira. It had gotten late fast, especially since everyone was so preoccupied with Nikolias. One by one, though, people started to return home until the crowd had thinned greatly. Lucy and Natsu were the last two to leave the guild hall, walking back to Lucy's apartment hand in hand with Happy flying overhead. That left the two Strauss sisters and Gracie.

For a while, Mira, Lisanna, and Gracie talked about Nikolias. Gracie promised that she would get Nikolias out of the bind he was in. When she said it, she spoke with confidence and with a massive smile on her face. That made Mira feel much better. It told her that Gracie had probably figured something out. She knew that she could count on the weapon expert.

Before Mira and Lisanna left the guild, they visited Elfman in the infirmary. He was fast asleep, so Mira and Lisanna quietly said their good nights to their brother. After the two turned to leave, they saw Nikolias behind them. He looked at them with his head hanging low, a sad expression reflecting in his glowing, golden eyes; an expression that screamed "I'm sorry". Mira smiled warmly at him and whispered, "I know."

The Strauss sisters and Nikolias arrived at their small home and walked up to the door.

Lisanna sighed. "I hope Elfman wakes up tomorrow. It feels weird not walking back with him."

Mira took out the key, unlocked the door and swung it open. "He will. Wendy said he was fine, so I'm sure he'll be back on his feet tomorrow."

Lisanna watched as Nikolias shot through the now open door and began excitedly sniffing everything. "I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that Nikolias attacked Elfman."

Mira walked in and turned on the light. "There was nothing he could do. It wasn't really him."

Lisanna stretched. "You're right, I guess. Well, I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning, Mira. Good night."

"Good night, Lisanna," Mira said with a smile as Lisanna walked up the stairs. She then walked over to Nikolias, who was sniffing the fireplace with clear fascination. When he heard her footsteps, he turned his head to see her, his tail swaying happily on the ground. She knelt down in front of him and cupped his scaly face. "We should go to bed, too. It's been an incredibly long day."

Nikolias nuzzled her hands with his head and gave a soft cry. He then proceeded to follow Mira up the stairs to her room.


Mira put her toothbrush down and looked in the mirror with disappointment. The worry and stress of the day was evident on her face and she was almost glad that Nikolias wasn't truly himself because that way he couldn't see how terrible she looked. She sighed as she opened the door to see Nikolias sitting patiently outside. She giggled at seeing him. "I told you that you could wait in the room," she said while walking towards her bedroom, Nikolias following closely behind.

Once she entered her bedroom, she immediately collapsed face first on her soft bed. She didn't really realize it since she was just so happy to have Nikolias back, but she was exhausted as well. In just one day—no, even less time than that—Nikolias had been arrested, had broken out of prison from Dragon Feast, attacked the Magic Council, wandered into a village, attacked his friends, and calmed down because of the bond he sensed that he had with Mira. And to think the day had started fairly regularly…

Suddenly, Mira felt the weight of the bed shift beside her. She turned her head to see Nikolias on his side next to her, his eyes closed and his breathing even. She smiled. "I guess you're pretty exhausted, too."

Upon hearing her words, Nikolias' eyes slowly opened, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness of the dimly lit room as they met with her sapphire blue eyes. He let out a soft cry as his tail gently fell over her leg.

Mira smiled as she turned over onto her side. She lifted her arm and wrapped it around Nikolias' side. "I'm so glad that I can still sleep beside you. Not too long ago, I thought that I'd never get to again."

Nikolias gave another soft cry. He then wiggled closer to Mira and gave her cheek a loving, gentle lick with his tongue.

Mira giggled as she rested her forehead gently against his scaly forehead, her eyes closing from fatigue. "I love you, too, Nikolias."

Nikolias closed his eyes as well. He was still very hungry, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that his mate was so close beside him. Not long after he closed his eyes, both he and Mira fell asleep.


Gracie yawned and stretched as she left her bedroom. The early morning sun pouring in through the small window had struck her face directly and refused to let the worn out blonde sleep any longer. "Stupid sun with your light," she mumbled as she made her way to the small main room. As soon as she entered, though, she was surprised to see someone other than Kinana already there. "Oh, good morning, Master."

Makarov looked over to her. "Good morning, my dear. How did you sleep?"

"Pretty well," she said as she sat beside him. "I was so tired last night that I barely made it to my bed before I passed out."

"It makes sense," he said with a nod. "A lot happened yesterday."

"So why are you here so early, Master?" Gracie asked.

"I had to take a call from the Magic Council earlier this morning. I just finished talking with them about an hour ago."

Gracie's brow furrowed. "Right. Carrot head said something about that before leaving last night. So what did those guys want?"

Makarov sighed. "Because it's unknown when Nikolias will return to normal, they wish to speak with me in person in a few hours. They want to discuss with me their plans for him. Not that I'll have any sway over their decision, but this way they can say that I was approached before they arrested one of my children and I won't be able to file grievances."

Gracie's eyes widened. "Master Makarov, please take me with you!"

Makarov lifted a bushy eyebrow. "I only planned on taking Erza with me. Why do you wish to come?"

Gracie smiled and pumped her fist confidently. "Because I think I know how to get Niky out of this mess. Oh, and we need to bring Mira, too. That's really important."

"You mean you figured something out?" Kinana asked. She was listening to their conversation as she washed some mugs.

Gracie winked at her. "I did. It's totally fool proof. Cross my heart, hope to die." She looked back at Makarov. "Please, Master? This is the chance I've been looking for to prove that Niky should stay with us."

Makarov scratched his chin. "Well, it certainly couldn't hurt to have the two people who care for him the most come to the meeting. Very well, Gracie. You and Mira can come along. That is, if Mira is willing."

"You kidding? Mira wouldn't turn this down."

Makarov chuckled. "I suppose you're right. If it's a chance to get Nikolias off the hook, she would jump at the opportunity."

"So when do we leave?"

"My appointment is in three hours, so I'll be leaving in roughly half an hour."

Gracie leapt up. "You got it! I'm going to get Mira. I'll be back in no time!"

Makarov nodded. "Alright. Erza should be here momentarily. We'll be waiting for you outside the guild hall. But don't be late, Gracie, or we'll have no choice but to leave you behind."

Gracie saluted. "Understood!" She then bolted for the door, a big smile on her face. "Just you wait, Niky. I'm gonna make sure you never see the inside of that prison cell again!"


A loud banging noise stirred Mira from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Nikolias' head perked up, staring over his shoulder towards the bedroom door. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Who's at the door at this hour?"

Nikolias turned to look at Mira before quickly returning his attention to the bedroom door. He wanted to venture downstairs to see what was making that noise, but he was far more concerned with Mira's safety, so he stayed by her side. It was hard to resist the urge to explore, though.

Mira sat up beside Nikolias and forced herself to stand. She slipped on some slippers and a robe and dragged her feet towards the bedroom door. As soon as she got up and started to walk, Nikolias sprang to the floor and raced to the closed bedroom door, anxiously waiting to be released like a caged dog.

Mira turned the doorknob and let the door creak open. As soon as there was a small crack, Nikolias snaked through and sprinted downstairs towards the sound. He stood before the front door, growling at the wooden barrier.

"Mira! It's me, Gracie! Open up!" came Gracie's voice through the door.

Mira walked down the stairs. "Gracie? What's she doing here so early?" she wondered.

Nikolias lowered himself in preparation to pounce, but a soft touch from Mira quickly relaxed him. He stopped growling and sat on his haunches, waiting to see what was making the noise.

Mira opened the door to see a panting Gracie. "Gracie, what are you doing here so early? And why are you out of breath?"

Gracie beamed at Mira. "There's a meeting with the Magic Council this morning," she began. "Master Makarov and Erza are going to discuss things with them, but you and I are going to go too to get Niky out of trouble. They're gonna leave soon, so we have to hurry!"

Mira felt her heart skip a beat. "Gracie, did…did you figure something out?"

Gracie gave her a big grin and a thumbs up. "You know it!"

Slowly, a large smile split Mira's face. "Thank goodness! Just give me one minute to get changed." She then sprinted up the stairs and slammed the door shut. Nikolias tried to follow, but the door closed too quickly. He whined and scratched at the door, begging to be let in.

Gracie giggled. "Niky, I wish you could see yourself right now."

A few minutes later, Mira emerged from her bedroom and dashed for the bathroom. Once again, she slammed the door behind her. Nikolias tried to go with her, but this time found his head colliding with the wood. He fell back and whined in frustration as he was once again denied.

Gracie's eyebrow twitched as she stomped inside. "This ain't time for beauty school, Mira! You've got clothes on, so let's go!"

"I want to look my best if we're going to be persuading the Magic Council," Mira explained through the door.

"We're not gonna sleep with them!" Gracie shot back. "We're just talking and if we don't head to the guild now, we're gonna miss the meeting!"

Lisanna appeared around the corner and trudged downstairs. "Gracie? Why are you here and yelling?"

Gracie put her hands on her hips. "I'm here because Mira and I are gonna save Niky's skin and I'm yelling because Mira is taking forever to get ready!"

"One more second!" Mira called out.

Gracie sighed and looked at Lisanna. "Sorry if I woke you."

"It's fine I guess," Lisanna said as she rubbed her eyes.

A moment later, Mira swung the door open and bounded down the stairs with Nikolias hot on her heels. "All set!"

"Finally," Gracie said. "Let's move!"

"Should Nikolias come?" Mira asked.

Gracie shook her head. "I'd like him to because it would help strengthen my point, but he really should keep eating here. If he doesn't keep eating, I'm worried things will go poorly later on."

"Right," Mira nodded before squatting down in front of Nikolias. She gently rubbed his scaly head. "Now listen, you stay here with Lisanna okay? I'll be back in a few hours."

Nikolias nuzzled her hand before sitting down, indicating that he understood.

Mira leaned forward and kissed his forehead before standing up. "I'll be back soon. Lisanna, please make sure he eats a lot."

Lisanna nodded. "Got it!"

"C'mooooooooon!" Gracie whined as she started backing up towards the door.

Mira waved behind her as she followed Gracie out the door. "Bye, Lisanna. See you soon, Nikolias. I love you!"

Nikolias cried out in response.

Mira and Gracie started running down the street, both with smiles on their faces. They were determined to free Nikolias from his sentence.


A FEW HOURS LATER

"Holy shit, this place is huge!" Gracie exclaimed as she, Mira, Erza, and Makarov walked through the hallways of the Magic Council building. "I've never been in a place like this before."

"It certainly is much larger than the previous Magic Council building," Erza noted.

"Everyone keeps saying the 'new Magic Council building'. What happened to the old one?" Gracie asked.

"It's a long story," Erza said with a smile, thinking back to the events at the Tower of Heaven.

Gracie shrugged. "Eh, guess it's not that important. So where we headed?"

"We're going to the Meeting Room of the Magic Council Heads," Makarov replied.

"It's the area where the Council Heads discuss matters with those outside of the Council," Mira clarified. "Although, I've yet to see what the new room looks like. They rebuilt this building while we were on Tenrou Island."

Gracie pumped her fist. "Well I don't care what the room looks like. I'm gonna show those Heads that Niky should be free to stay with us!"

Mira giggled. "We're counting on you!"

The four approached a large desk where a secretary sat. This secretary, however, was a frog in robes. The frog looked up at the mages. "Ah, Master Makarov. Do you have an appointment?"

"Holy crap! You're a frog!" Gracie exclaimed. Never before had she seen a frog person.

The secretary gave her an evil look. "I am not a frog."

"Please excuse her," Makarov said while Gracie continued to marvel at the secretary's appearance. "Yes, I have an appointment with the Magic Council Heads."

The secretary nodded. "Very good. I'll inform them of your arrival. One moment please." The secretary stood from her seat and walked off.

Gracie looked at her comrades. "Was no one else totally blown away by the fact that that person was a frog?"

"This is your first encounter with the Magic Council, huh?" Erza asked.

"Yeah."

"Then you've never seen their employees before," Erza said with a smile. "All of the employees here look like that."

"No kidding?" Gracie asked. "That's pretty wild."

A few moments later, the secretary returned. "They're expecting you, Master Makarov. Right this way."

The four mages followed the secretary down a few hallways. As they walked, they could see other employees cleaning certain areas.

"Excuse me, what are they all doing?" Gracie asked, curious as to why so many people were cleaning.

"A prisoner escaped yesterday from the dungeons," the secretary explained. "He created quite a mess around here. Three guards were even killed. We're working hard to clean up the…debris."

Gracie could hear in the secretary's voice that she was deeply disturbed by what had happened here. Even the way she said debris was odd. Since Gracie already knew that it was Nikolias who had escaped, she could easily predict that 'debris' meant blood and bones. "Sorry to hear that things are rough."

"We were just fortunate that so few were present in the building yesterday since a dangerous criminal was being transported here. Things could have been much worse." The secretary stopped in front of a pair of large wooden doors and motioned everyone forward. "The Magic Council Heads are waiting for you in here."

"Thank you," Makarov said as Erza opened the doors. The four then walked inside.

Inside this room was a large wooden table with a massive lacrima sitting in the middle of it. There were hundreds of large, sparkling windows that allowed rays of golden light to filter in. At the head of the massive table was a large wooden chair with exquisite designs carved into the back. Sitting in the large chair sat a tall man with long gray hair and a long gray beard that dropped down to his stomach. He wore fancy dark colored robes and atop his head was a black sorcerer's hat. In his right hand, he was grasping a long staff with a serpent's head on the end.

The tall man nodded his head at the mages. "Master Makarov, thank you for coming so hastily and on such short notice."

"This matter is of great importance, so I would be foolish to not accept your summons, Chairman Gran Doma," Makarov responded.

Gran Doma chuckled. "I see you brought the great Titania, Erza Scarlet and the She-Devil, Mirajane Strauss with you. May I ask who the other one accompanying you is?"

Makarov nodded and motioned to Gracie with his hand. "This is Gracie Amier. She is a member of the guild and a close friend and partner to Nikolias the Half-Dragon."

Gran Doma narrowed his eyes. "And you're sure that you wish for her to be present at these proceedings? If she's as close to him as you say, our verdict may only prove to hurt her."

Gracie put a hand on her hip. "Oh, don't worry about me, sir. I'm here for the sole purpose of proving that Niky should be free."

The Council Heads laughed at her comment, as did Gran Doma. "You think that the Half-Dragon has any chance of escaping his sentence?" Gran Doma asked. He then snapped his fingers. "Anyway, let us proceed. Enter, Captain."

To the side of everyone, another pair of large wooden doors swung open. From the darkness of that hallway emerged a familiar head of orange hair; Captain Caro.

Gracie gritted her teeth. "Ah, great. This douche again."

Caro stopped beside the Fairy Tail members and bowed to Gran Doma. "Captain Caro of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit reporting as ordered, Sir Chairman."

Gran Doma looked to him. "Captain Caro, please read off to Master Makarov exactly what transpired between the time of the Half-Dragon's detainment to the present."

"Sir!" Caro exclaimed as he whipped out a scroll from his jacket. He quickly untied the string holding it closed, unrolled it, and began to read. "According to reports and investigation, Nikolias the Half-Dragon broke free from his restraints and prison cell despite warnings from his guards. He made his way upstairs and, upon reaching the main level, immediately began to attack the guards stationed here. Three guards, including one of my own, were attacked and devoured, leaving little behind for identification. The Half-Dragon then left the premises and made his way towards the bordering village known as Sapphire Village. It was there that he was confronted by myself and a group of Fairy Tail mages. We were fortunate to find him in time before any casualties could occur."

Gran Doma nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

Caro rerolled the scroll and placed it into his jacket. "Of course, Sir Chairman."

Gran Doma looked to Makarov. "Do you look to refute these claims? Do you wish to say that we were mistaken?"

Makarov closed his eyes. "No, we have no intention of denying what happened. Although he was not in his right mind, Nikolias was the one responsible for everything that has been claimed."

"I'm glad to see that you're being reasonable. This meeting will go quickly then, since its purpose was just to inform, not debate," Gran Doma said. "The Half-Dragon will be imprisoned for life, but the location has changed."

"Where is this location?" Erza asked.

"The prison cell is located elsewhere, deep below the ocean surface," Gran Doma explained. "We rarely use it, but it was designed for such an occasion; for dangerous prisoners who need to be completely isolated."

"That seems rather harsh," Makarov said.

"It's actually quite just," Gran Doma said. "After what he has done, he's lucky that it's not the death penalty."

Gracie's hand shot into the air. "Sorry to take the wind out of your sails, sir, but Niky is much better off if he's with us. Hell, the world is better off if he's with us."

"What nonsense are you speaking of?" one of the Heads asked.

Gracie closed her eyes and coughed into her hand before raising her index finger into the air. "First, I would like to ask if I can speak with the guards that were watching Niky."

"What good will that do?" the same Head asked.

"It could do a whole lot," Gracie responded. "Is it possible?"

"One of the guards was killed by the Half-Dragon," Caro said. "The other is just a child."

"In other words, I can ask him something?" Gracie replied.

Caro looked to Gran Doma, who simply nodded. Caro sighed as he took out a communication lacrima. "Bring Dayton to the Meeting Room immediately," he said before replacing the lacrima into his jacket.

A few moments later, a young man came running into the Meeting Room. He was out of breath, but he still saluted his Captain. "Dayton Mulder reporting as ordered, Captain!"

Caro motioned to Gracie. "This young woman would like to ask you something about yesterday."

Dayton's eyes showed sorrow as he recalled the events of yesterday, but nodded his agreement. "Of course, Captain." He then strode over to Gracie. "What would you like to know?"

Gracie looked into the young man's eyes. "What did Niky say to you?"

"What did he say to me?" Dayton repeated.

"Yes, before all of this happened, what did he say to you?"

Dayton thought it over. "He said something about needing food immediately. He said that if he didn't get food, bad things would happen. He said it was for our sake."

"And you didn't give him any food?" Gracie asked.

Dayton's gaze fell to the floor. "I wanted to, but…Soyer said that we weren't allowed to give food to prisoners upon request."

"Soyer was the other guard?" Gracie asked for clarification.

"Yes. He was killed later on," Dayton said as he fought back his sorrow.

"Then what did Niky say?" Gracie asked.

Dayton looked back at her. "He was clearly in pain, but he was able to relay instructions. He told us to get out of there, to leave as much food lying around in plain sight as possible, and to get everyone out of the building."

Gracie nodded. "What did you do?"

"I followed his instructions, but Soyer didn't initially," Dayton said. "However, it wasn't much longer until Soyer ended up running up the stairs and past me."

Gracie turned to Gran Doma. "I believe it was a few moments before Soyer joined Dayton here on the stairs that Niky couldn't fight back anymore and fell victim to Dragon Feast." She looked back to Dayton. "Am I wrong?"

"I believe you're right because Soyer said that the dragon was on his way, breaking Captain Caro's iron like it was nothing," Dayton admitted.

"And then what?" Gracie continued.

"I threw out as much food as I could carry and then joined Soyer in warning the other guards. However, for some reason, very few people took us seriously. We did what we could before I evacuated and Soyer went to alert the Council Heads." Dayton clenched his fists. "He tried to save us. Nikolias tried to save us, but no one would listen. No one would believe me or Soyer and now Soyer is gone."

Gracie closed her eyes. "Sorry to hear about Soyer. Thank you for sharing that with us."

Caro looked to Dayton. "You're dismissed."

Dayton saluted and left the way he came.

Gran Doma cleared his throat. "I hope you don't think that this story is enough to clear the Half-Dragon Nikolias of anything."

Gracie waved her hand dismissively at the Chairman. "Easy there, Father Time. I'm getting to the big picture. This was just the table setter."

A thick vein in Gran Doma's forehead began to throb. "Father Time?" he hissed.

"Then what is your point?" another Head asked. "Please don't waste our time on such pointless details."

"Pointless detail?" Gracie repeated in shock. "In what way is that a pointless detail? Think about what we just heard. Niky was in pain, meaning he did everything he could to fight back against the Dragon Feast, but without the food he asked for, there was only so much he could do. Also, despite his state, once he realized that it was too late to stop what was happening, Niky did everything he could to warn his guards in an effort to clear the building and save everyone's lives." She shrugged. "To me, based on this first piece of evidence, this whole mess is sounding more and more like the Council's own negligence."

Gran Doma slammed his fist on the table. "Watch your tongue, Miss Amier!"

Gracie glared right back at him with a confident smile. She was not one to be intimidated by someone like this. "I will freely speak my mind if it means saving Niky from such a miserable fate. Now, if I may continue?"

Gran Doma gritted his teeth, but nodded. "Very well. Continue your fruitless efforts."

Gracie turned to Caro. "It's time for the Grand Finale," she whispered with a wink.

Caro glared at her with his arms crossed. "It's a waste of time."

Gracie giggled mischievously. "No it's not."

"How old are you?" Caro shot at her.

"Get on with it, Miss Amier," Gran Doma demanded.

Gracie cleared her throat again, but kept her gaze on Caro. "Of course. Captain Caro, you were in Sapphire Village with us, were you not?"

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Just answer the question," Gracie jokingly demanded while stomping her foot since she had no place to slam her fist.

"Yes, I was there with you. You should know since you were there," Caro spat.

Gracie nodded. "Since you were there, can you tell me when Niky reached the peak of his violence?"

"He was violent the moment he broke free of prison," Caro said.

Gracie shook her head. "No, devouring people, sad as it may be, was not violence on his part. It was simply a predator hunting down prey, no different than a fox hunting a rabbit. However, can you tell me the moment Niky went from hungry predator to furious killer?"

"I don't know," Caro said with a shake of his head.

Gracie wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Oh, c'mon. You know. Here's a hint; I even said it on the battlefield."

Caro shook his head. "I told you I don't know. The Half-Dragon was violent from the beginning."

"Maybe this will trigger your memory." Gracie then walked over and tapped Caro's chest lightly. "You pissed off the dragon, man."

Caro looked at her hand and immediately knew where she was indicating. Her hand was tapping the wound that Nikolias had inflicted in the battle. Caro narrowed his eyes. "I don't see the point that you're trying to make."

Gracie turned on her heels, folded her hands behind her back, and strode back to her original position. "I find that hard to believe. Would you like to show the Council the scar?"

Gran Doma raised an eyebrow at Caro. "A scar? You left that out of your report yesterday. Please present it."

Caro clenched his fists, but obliged. He slowly untucked his shirt and pulled it up to neck level. Once he did, everyone could clearly see the seven inch scar that spread horizontally across the center of Caro's chest.

"Where did you get that?" one of the Heads asked.

"In a fight with the Half-Dragon," Caro said.

Gracie stopped and gave a small laugh. "Even with one of our own healing him to the best of her ability, Captain Caro's body couldn't completely reject the shadows from Niky's Shadow Slash."

"Your point?" Caro hissed. "You do realize I was acting completely within my rights to attack that monstrosity."

"Perhaps you were given the right, but that doesn't mean that you were in the right," Gracie responded. "The point that I'm trying to make is that Captain Caro's aggression towards Niky only made things worse." She shrugged. "Chalk up another one for Council negligence."

"This still isn't enough," Gran Doma said. "This doesn't change the fact that he has committed crimes and must pay the price."

Gracie sighed. "You really don't see it or get it, do you? And I thought it was crystal clear." She stepped forward. "Very well, Chairman. I'll present you with the absolute finisher; the reason why Niky and the world are better off if he stays with Fairy Tail."

"This is your last chance," Gran Doma warned. "Don't waste our time like you have been."

"Haven't been wasting your time, but okay," Gracie grumbled. She then looked over to Caro with a sly, knowing smile. "Captain Caro, would you say that Niky was out of control and a serious, raging threat?"

"Absolutely I would," Caro growled.

Gracie nodded. "Understandable. I'm really impressed that your violent attacks stopped his rampage."

Caro raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I didn't sto—." Before he could finish that sentence, his face fell. He saw where she was going. 'Damn it all! This bitch caught me in her trap!'

Gracie giggled. "I'm sorry, did you say that you didn't stop Niky? Then how was this raging dragon stopped without any casualties?"

Caro glared daggers at her. "Damn you," he hissed.

"Answer the question, Captain," Gran Doma ordered. "How was the Half-Dragon stopped? That was left out of your report as well."

Gracie wagged her finger at Caro. "How naughty of you to leave so much out of your report."

Caro's body trembled with anger. He refused to meet the Chairman's gaze as he spoke. "The Half-Dragon was stopped by Miss Mirajane Strauss."

All of the Council Heads gasped and looked at Mira, who had a big smile on her face, for she knew now how Gracie planned on bringing Nikolias back to her and everyone else.

Gracie clapped her hands. "Hallelujah! Miss Mirajane Strauss stopped the dragon!"

"How did you do it?" one of the Heads asked.

Gracie pointed her index finger upwards again. "It's quite simple, really. You see, Mira and Niky share a very close bond; a bond even closer to the one he shares with me. Because Niky could sense this bond, he stopped before he could possibly hurt her. Even though he couldn't recognize any of us in his state, he could still identify the bond. It's also because of this strong bond that Niky trusts Mira completely and will listen to her without fail." Gracie smacked her open palm with her fist. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Mira calmed down Niky despite the ever-dangerous Dragon Feast."

"Again, your point?" Caro asked. He refused to give in. He wanted to see Nikolias behind bars for eternity.

Gracie shook her head at him. "Man, you're pretty dense if you still can't put the pieces together." She turned around and slowly walked towards her guild mates. "You should know, Magic Council Heads, that Dragon Feast is an unpredictable phenomenon. It could happen again in two weeks, two years, or two decades. No one, not even Niky, knows for sure. When it does happen, Niky will do everything in his power to stop this kind of thing from ever happening again just as he has for hundreds of years. But, should he fail to for whatever reason, there needs to be a way for him to be controlled and calmed so that no one dies." She threw her arm around Mira's slender shoulders. "Here's your way. Mira is the only solution to the problem at hand. Niky needs to be around all of us to prevent this from happening again, but if it does happen again only Mira can calm him down. Only she can stop him." She bowed her head. "And with that, Sir Chairman, I rest my case."

Gran Doma was speechless. He knew of Mira's power, but to think that she could stop the Half-Dragon with nothing more than the bond she shared with him was truly exceptional. He closed his eyes. "Please step out, all of you. We must discuss things before making a final decision. We will call you back in once we have decided."

Makarov nodded. "Take all the time you need." With that, Makarov, Erza, Mira, Gracie, and a steaming Caro left the Council's Meeting Room.

Once the wooden doors closed, Mira threw herself at Gracie with a happy squeal. "You did it, Gracie! I knew you could do it!"

Gracie hugged her back and giggled. "I promised you, didn't I?"

"It was a truly amazing and well thought out argument," Erza said. "I'm impressed, Gracie."

Makarov nodded. "Indeed, but do realize that as persuasive as your arguments were, the Council may still feel that imprisonment is the best option, even if it doesn't make logical sense."

"But come on," Gracie complained. "How could imprisonment make any sense after Niky's already broken out? It would be like begging for the exact same scenario."

Caro huffed as he leaned against the wall opposite the Fairy Tail members. "You obviously don't know much about the prison cell where they want to send him. Even if he broke out of his cage, he'd be stuck in the isolated facility. And if he managed to escape the facility, there would be no way for him to survive the immense water pressure or for him to hold his breath for that long. He would either drown or be crushed to death."

"How cruel," Mira whispered as she looked back to Gracie, worry in her eyes. "They'll see reason, won't they Gracie? They won't send Nikolias down there, will they?"

Gracie winked at her. "Count on it. There's no way they'll deny everything I said in there."

Suddenly, the large wooden doors opened and one of the amphibious employees stepped out. "The Magic Council Heads have made their decision. Please enter."

Everyone nodded and slowly walked in. Mira had a death grip on Gracie's hand. Gracie wanted to yell in pain, but she knew how nervous Mira was. And, although, she would never admit it out loud, she was nervous, too. What if Master Makarov was right? What if they refused to listen to reason and acted solely out of fear? She squeezed Mira's hand as well.

The five mages stopped in front of the Magic Council Heads. All but Gran Doma had their eyes closed and heads bowed. Gran Doma stood and cleared his throat. "We have reached our final decision. No matter what, this is the absolute verdict. We will not be debating it anymore after this. Is that understood?"

"Yes," all five replied.

"Good," Gran Doma said with a nod. "Now, for the case of the Half-Dragon, the Heads of the Magic Council have reached a unanimous decision."

'Please,' Gracie pleaded in her thoughts as she squeezed her eyes shut. 'Don't lock him up where I can't be there for him.'

'Nikolias,' Mira thought as she squeezed Gracie's hand even tighter. 'Please, don't take him out of my life. I love him. I love him so much.'

Gran Doma slammed his staff on the ground. "To avoid future incidents and problems, Nikolias the Half-Dragon shall remain with Fairy Tail!"


Hey everybody! Just want to give a shout out to iluviggyhesthebest for their idea of a trial-type scenario to get Niky off the hook. It definitely gave me inspiration and I definitely think it helped with the flow of the story and chapter.

Anyway, next chapter will be wrapping up this mini arc that I have lovingly named "Dragon Feast". Then, there will be two little fillers that I have created before we dive into Gracie's arc. I mean, we all love Gracie, so she needs an arc.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to review and let me know what you're thinking. PM me with questions. Whatever you want, have at it! You know I'll get back to you quickly because I love you all. Until next time!