AN: Hey, I'm finally back! I now have Twitter if any of you want to see what I waste my time with instead of writing new chapters lol. (Also I might start tweeting updates about progress if theres an audience for it)

Life's a lot, so I can't make promises, but I can 100% promise you that I will never drop this story, even if chapters take a while ;) So don't worry I will return!

Chapter 18 - Dawn

"I'll be back shortly, I vow…my life on it."

"What makes you think your life has that much value to me?"

"You could have left the castle without taking me with you, but yet you still try to take me to safety. I'm beginning to think you're just shy."

Rheyvaer growled, giving Levy goosebumps, yet she ignored her instinctive reaction this time, having gotten used to the dragons indignant growls, snarls and grunts. As she'd thought, he proved to be much more docile than he was willing to let on, but there was only so much he could hide without actually harming her. On top of that, half of his body was hidden inside a cave, his neck and head hidden by a copse of tall trees growing in front of it, making him look just a tiny bit ridiculous, a fact that he seemed to be well aware of.

"This is mortifying. I shouldn't be hiding here like some kind of prey animal"

"I'd rather have you comfortable as well, but people seeing you would unnecessarily complicate the situation. I'll explain to them and then come back to get you, I promise."

"Just hurry before I change my mind about saving you and your ridiculous ideas"

The woods welcomed her silently, a few stray sunrays fighting their way through the thick canopy. Finding a hiding spot and actually travelling the way to the camp on foot had taken longer than expected, but Levy didn't want to waste any more time. While she did tell herself and Rheyvaer that it was simply necessary to find a solution right away, a tiny, mocking voice in the back of her mind kept telling her that she knew this wasn't the real reason she was so adamant about sneaking into the encampment right away. However, finding Gajeel was her only option at the moment anyways, she just didn't want to draw any attention to herself, thus ensuring that Hades would be kept in the dark about her exact movements. Just the thought of him recapturing her had her shaking and holding onto a tree for fear of her legs giving out. However, this only furthered her determination to return to the safest place on this world – at least to her.

She resumed walking, pulling her cloak closer. She'd fashioned it similarly to the invisibility cloak from her former bedsheets, but rolled them in some mud to make her appear nothing more than a mud-stained traveler to the naked eye. Hiding between the arriving supply deliveries would most likely be her best bet. She feared the camp might actually be taken over by enemy forces, but that wasn't the only thing causing her heart to hammer against her ribs. Ever since she and Rheyvaer left Erkar she'd pushed the thought to the back of her mind, until now, the worst possible moment. If Gajeel was actually in there, what would his reaction be? Would she even be able to reach him? What was her place in this camp of soldiers readying to go to war? Of course she was excited to be back where she felt home, but the situation, the entire world around them had shifted after all.

The sound of a crunching twig alerted her to her feet wandering on their own while she was wandering inside of her head. She looked around quickly, noticing smoke columns rising in the distance, so she adjusted her direction and began heading towards it. The forest around her started to thin out, with stumps of freshly cut trees becoming more and more frequent until she could finally see tents and crude wooden stockades on the horizon. Pulling the cloak tighter she hurried towards the road, uncomfortable out on the open. This felling of vulnerability was new and strange to her, her breath hitching every time something in her peripheral vision moved, her heart beating frantically, the coat now to warm, too heavy. Not only the world had shifted, she herself felt far different from the person who'd left Rhyacus, a journey that felt another lifetime away. Levy knew she'd have to take time to work out what these changes meant to her, but for that she'd need not just peace and quiet, but support as well, so she hurried her steps once more, to the camp that promised a sliver of hope to achieve just that.

Nothing betrayed any urgency that would be evidence of recent fighting, but the banners were still too far away to make out. Having never seen an army encampment before, Levy was stunned by its size, but remembered that Terya had an army of about 8.000 soldiers not counting the willing countrymen that would undoubtedly take arms if their home was threatened. The rumored ruthlessness of the Teryan fighters was not just product of their ferocity in battle itself, but also a battle fever within most of them that ruled the need for mercenaries obsolete and therefore heightened the efficiency of head on, high risk, high reward tactics. Still, this didn't absolve them of the need for patrols and other security measures, so they'd undoubtedly turn her away at the gate if she tried to enter by herself. Luckily, she spotted a large group of people wandering on the road, turning out to be camp followers –her ideal disguise. She mingled with them and was only barely noticed. Most of them were too tired or exhausted and most likely simply assumed she'd returned from reliving herself. From their mumbled conversation she was able to make out that they were indeed Teryan and the camp therefore still safe. The guards at the gate payed her barely any mind, one gave her a curious look, but someone behind her carried some food items that warranted much more attention from a hungry soldier. Just like that she found herself in the middle of the camp, lost between the bustle of moving people, with no clear idea as to where to go or what to do.

For the moment she followed the other women and an idea formed in her head while she observed them. Regaining her footing in this new situation, she pushed down the trembling of fear in her insides, forcing herself to shuffle along with them even though there was nothing she wanted more than to run until her heart didn't feel like it wanted to escape her anymore. When they arrived at the campfires that marked the camping ground of anyone too poor to own a tent she grabbed a small basket with laundry waiting to be washed and started her journey deeper into the bowels of the camp. The sun had set by now and most of the camp dwellers slept wherever possible. For once, she was rather thankful her small stature concealed her somewhat as she wandered between tents, carts and other supply storages. Logically, Gajeels tent would most likely be rather large and near the centre of the camp, so she followed any hints of wealth, hoping all of the commanders and higher ranked generals were grouped together near him.

A persistent feeling of walking in circles kept lurking at the back of her mind, until she spotted some rather large tents in the distance, a feeling of victory chasing away the exhaustion for a moment. The feeling lasted for only this moment however, as a harsh voice suddenly called out, startling her.

"Oi! Who're you? Camp followers ain't supposed to come to this part o' the camp!"

Her blood ran cold, freezing her stiff even though her skin felt aflame, as if her body was fighting itself, the fragile composure she'd assumed crumbling like seafoam on a crashing wave. Desperate to keep the facade, she heaved the basket onto her hip and lowered her voice, imitating the drawl of a commoner.

"I-I'm jus' looking fa' some more laundry. Can't catch no sleep, ya know." She hoped her display would fool him and she'd get away with some reprimand.

"Laundry, eh? Ain't never seen a laundress without weals on 'er hands. An' even less with ink stains." He answered with a look of suspicion and lowered his spear to her height.

So much for not drawing attention.

"Whaddaya want? I ain't got time, so just leave me alone, ya hear?! Or at least be useful, ya damn overgrown lizard!"

Gajeels eyes snapped open, as per usual. The dream had been haunting him and while a welcome diversion from the nightmares, it now only served to further his frustrations, leaving him exhausted and agitated. He'd never heard of magic itself having any physical, or rather, psychological manifestations, but his apparently didn't follow known rules. Ever since the night it awakened, the dragon inside of him grew more agitated, egging him on, multiplying his emotions and overall being very unhelpful. His father had warned him about a sort of strange feeling, but he evidently never had to deal with it to this extent, nor mentioned any kind of strange dreams.

The dream itself was always the same, just a dragon sitting still, looking at him with an unreadable expression. Whenever he tried to approach or talk to it he'd wake up. The first instance of this had been rather impressive, the dragon's appearance alone was certainly interesting, but by now Gajeel was so thoroughly fed up with its behavior that he simply hurled insults at it whenever it appeared. He desperately wished for some guidance from his father, even more so than usual as his situation made itself cruelly clear. The love of his life was taken from him and most likely in grave danger, his country on the verge of a war and some weird magical entity made it their main goal to slowly turn him insane. If only he was stronger, more experienced, more decisive, if only he'd been there, she would be safe by his side…

He turned onto his back, throwing an arm over his eyes as he contemplated whether going back to sleep was worth it or even possible by now. The decision was taken from him as a voice outside called his attention.

"Your Majesty!"

He sat up on the bed, lighting a lantern before calling for the person outside to enter.

One of his guards entered, looking rather frazzled and Gajeel nodded for him to report.

"The patrol guards caught a suspicious person that snuck into camp, but she claims to know you, as well as Commander Pantherlily and is asking to be seen by you. We'll interrogate her furth-" he was interrupted by a wave of Gajeels hand, who had decided that an incident like this was exactly the kind of distraction he needed.

"Just get her in here."

"But, your majesty…"

"That's an order. I'd know fastest if she speaks the truth, no?"

The guard nodded and left, giving Gajeel time to prepare. He splashed some cold water from a bowl in his face and paused for a second. While his situation often left him with little more than hopelessness and torment, sometimes it was merely unbelievably strange. A suspicious person that claimed to know him and Lily? Ridiculous. Unless...

He knew it was the desperation speaking out of him and yet he couldn't hold back. Even this small sliver of hope was enough to get his head spinning. Who was this mystery person? Could it be her? No, it couldn't be, how would she have gotten into the camp after all this time? His insides twisted painfully at the pictures flashing through his mind, so he went to lean against the pole in the middle of the tent.

Just when he'd convinced himself it could never be her and it would be some stranger, a distant ally or even an assassin the tent flap opened and his world screeched to a halt.

The large, heavy fabric of the flap dwarfed her small, trembling figure, wrapped in a mud-soaked cloak as she shuffled inside. Unwiped tears had left dirty streaks on her cheeks, two thin lines reaching all the way from her chin to two hazel eyes, blinking against the light, before they turned wide with surprise, shock and disbelief. Her eyes were partly hidden by strands of the otherwise so beautiful azure curls, now tussled and tangled, yet another sign of an arduous journey.

One thought repeated itself in the back of his head like the song of a siren – there, there, there, there she is. The soldiers outside vanished, the tent, the floor, the world just faded from existence, Her being the only perceivable thing. Even dirty, anxious and exhausted, She was nothing less than divine to him in that moment.

He looked back to her eyes, seeing a strange kind of understanding and relief, mixed with lingering uncertainty, unease and a hint of defiance on her face. His breath had escaped him as soon as she'd entered, so his question came out barely a whisper, yet to his ears it sounded almost deafening.

"Is it really you?"

She smiled weakly, relief clear on her face now, yet the uncertainty seemed to not leave her eyes.

"I hope it's still me." Fresh tears started forming in her eyes, prompting him to leave his place at the tent pole, beckoning him closer, the siren song now less a prompt and more of an irresistible need. She started swaying, but by then he was already in front of her, his arms steadying her. Hazel eyes looked up at him, the smile on her face growing stronger now.

"I know you'd catch me."

He grinned back at her, barely noticing the tears on his own cheeks before he pulled her into his arms, sinking to the floor now that his strength gave out. A cold nose pressed itself against his neck, trembling arms hugged him tightly and for a moment the world wasn't as dark anymore and he could see the dawn of a brighter future.

"I always will."

/

Btw you guys' reviews are amazing, they make me so excited :3

Livalibus: Aw, you're so cute ^^ Glad to hear that you liked the chapter and I'm also excited for the dragon heritage, believe me I have some interesting ideas in mind :D

DragonFly2311: I'm also glad to have them out, if only so I won't have to constantly write an absolutely depresso Gajeel ^^' I love to hear that you'll stay and reread, that means its all worth it 3

rao hyuga: Thanks for sticking, I hope you liked the reunion ;)

Until next time, have a nice day/night/whatever you want to be nice 3