Chapter 20
As he had done the previous sun cycle, Gajeel simply followed after Levy as she ran across the grass and sunshine. He smiled at the back of her head, listening to her chatter and soaking up as much of the sun's warmth as he possibly could. The sharp ringing sound in the air grew louder and Levy slowed, moving around the corner of a large building.
The sound screeched and scraped against itself, as if coral crumbled and fell against a sea cliff. Levy let go of his hand and hurried through a wide opening into a large building.
Instead of a solid shape similar to Levy's castle, the new building was formed in a large, open square. Solid, wooden walls surrounded a flat dirt area located in the center of the building. Rooms and holes lined the outer building and humans bustled within the center. Some wore gleaming clothing similar to the statues he saw the previous sun cycle, while others wore loose clothes similar to the ones Levy brought him that morning. A few humans ran along the outside wall of the inner area, their feet kicking up dirt as they hurried.
Gajeel's eyes strayed to the center of the area where a group of men with shining weapons stood next to one another. A tall, broad human shouted a word Gajeel couldn't understand and each pair of humans attacked one another. Their weapons glinted in the sunlight. They clashed and clanged against each other, the sound ringing through the air. Gajeel felt his heart race in his chest.
Those are the weapons I saw in the shipwreck! They must have been from here!
Gajeel turned to Levy, eagerly pointing to the humans and their weapons, but saw that she had somehow darted across the dirt towards the tall human. Gajeel ran after her, eyeing the new human as he went.
He must be their leader…
Tall and broad shouldered, the human towered over Levy and the rest of the group. His shoulder length hair was tied back at the nape of his neck and a dark, billowing piece of fabric rested against his shoulders. Gajeel knew that human customs were vastly different than those in Ishgar, but he couldn't help but admire the strength the human showed.
The dark haired human bent at the waist at Levy's approach. The fighting humans paused their regime, glancing at Gajeel when he took his place at Levy's side. He studied them in return. While none of the males stood as tall as he, they each had wide shoulders and strong arms, strong enough that Gajeel's fingers itched to take a weapon and test his skills against them.
"Do you think Gajeel could practice with your soldiers today, Commander Gildarts?"
Gajeel jerked his attention back to Levy. The tall human ran a hand over the scraggly hair on his chin, his sharp gaze turning towards him. Gajeel puffed his chest in a display of strength. He clasped his hands behind his back, forcing his lips not to curl in a challenging snarl.
"He looks like he could hold his own, I suppose…" The man hesitated, turning back to Levy. "Is he familiar with the sword?"
"I'm not sure, but I've seen him with his spear. A beautiful weapon, if I remember correctly."
She beamed a smile up at him. His chest warmed at the thought that she had admired his treasured weapon. A pang of guilt cut off the warmth and he quickly turned away before it could take any further hold.
After getting Commander Gildarts' permission, Gajeel eagerly followed the man while Levy moved off to the side of the dirt area. The other humans glanced at him and murmured to one another, a gleam of challenge in their eyes. Taking a deep breath, Gajeel kept his focus on listening to the commander.
I wanna impress Levy, not prove myself a sunfish by challenging a born 'n raised human when I can't even use stairs the right way…
Gajeel took a long, pointed weapon from the commander and lined up with a group of short, skinny humans. It prickled his scales that the males were much smaller than him, no doubt young fries at the beginning of their training, but a glance towards Levy showed that his human was eagerly watching from the shadows of the building.
With renewed vigor, Gajeel copied the young humans' movements, following the barked commands as best as he could. The sword felt thick and bulky in his hands, its weight constantly pushing his arms towards the ground. Gajeel tensed every muscle he developed while fighting in his father's corps, adjusting his stance and movements to accommodate for his new legs and the crisp, dry air.
His father's harsh training soon paid off. By the time a thin film of salty water coated his skin, Gajeel recognized the barked commands and could follow each order without looking to the other fries for help.
With each overhead arch of the sword, with each thrust and swing, the sounds of the training yard dulled until they were no more than a faint whisper in his ear. His weapon became one with his body, flowing through the air as Gajeel lost himself in the rhythm of the exercise. Up and down, pivot and twist, Gajeel's mind cleared until the bubbles of turmoil eased from his thoughts. He forgot about gravity, forgot about the humans studying his every move. He forgot about the pang in his chest everytime he looked at the ocean and the pressure from his deal with Acnologia.
His movements turned slow and smooth until he halted in the training grounds. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his muscles shaking with a soothing, familiar ache. His gaze wandered across the training yard until it landed on Levy. She stared at him, her dark brown eyes shimmering and filled with a warmth that rivaled the shining sun.
"Very impressive!" a booming voice broke the peaceful moment.
Commander Gildarts took the sword from his hand and passed it to a younger human. He clapped Gajeel on the shoulder and pushed him towards the sidelines.
"If you ever find yerself wanting another go, just head on over, yer welcome anytime!"
"Th-thank you, Commander, we'll definitely take you up on that offer…" Levy mumbled, her cheeks tinted pink as she glanced between him and the commander.
Levy bobbed a curtsy and rushed out of the training yard. Gajeel nodded his thanks to the man and hurried after Levy. By the time he reached her side, her face returned to its normal color. Together they snuck back into the castle, thankfully avoiding the ever vigilant Lucy and the other maids she posted as guards. After hurrying to his room, and after Levy's rushed explanation of how to wipe off the sticky film on his skin with clean water, they snuck back through the large building and towards the horses.
A friendly, older human loudly greeting Levy. The man led them to the front of the stables where a large horse was tied in front of a square, wooden contraption with four round devices at the bottom. Levy hopped onto the flat seat in front and took two, long straps in her hands. She waved to Gajeel and he reluctantly climbed into the shaking device, his knuckles gripping the sides tightly.
With a flick of her wrist, Levy directed the horse out of the stable yard and onto a packed dirt path. The contraption bounced and tumbled on the pathway. Gajeel tightened his grip on the wood, his stomach rolling with each dip in the dirt. Levy giggled into the wind, oblivious to the way he hunched over in his seat, and kept up a steady stream of chatter. Gajeel smiled and nodded to the ramblings. Through the roaring in his ears, Gajeel was able to pick up the words road and town, but any explanation was lost as Gajeel tried to keep the contents of his stomach from resurfacing.
Right when he thought he could hold onto his stomach any longer, the contraption slowed. Gajeel tentatively lifted his head, straightening as they crested the top of a small land mountain.
Waving grass rolled in the salty sea air. The deep blue ocean crashed against the shoreline to their right and an expanse of tall, dark green trees covered the land to their left. In front of the contraption, with the brown road traveling through it, lay a bustling human town.
With a flick of her wrist, Levy led the horse and contraption down the small land mountain and into the town. Gajeel stared at the human buildings around him. Some seemed to be built out of the same, solid stone as Levy's castle, but most were made out of a deep, dark wood. Levy turned down another road and rounded a tall building, so tall that Gajeel had to crane his neck to see the top.
A flash of color popped in the distance and Gajeel saw several smaller buildings with colorful tops. The tops waved in the breeze, as if they were made out of fabric instead of wood. Sharp smells of human food floated through the air. Levy stopped the contraption in front of a smaller stable yard. A burly human took the leather straps from her hand. Levy jumped out of the contraption as if she had done the same movement hundreds of times before. Gajeel followed more slowly, his knees shaking once his feet touched solid ground. By the time Levy finished talking to the human, Gajeel's stomach settled enough that he no longer feared he would embarrass himself in front of Levy.
"Ready to go?" Levy asked, popping up at his side while he was distracted.
The man took the wooden contraption into the stable and Levy bounced on her toes. Gajeel lifted a brow, asking a silent question. Levy shrugged, a twinkle in her eye.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way!"
Gajeel felt his face split into a grin. Taking hold of her hand, he tugged her down the road and towards the main area packed with humans.
The large area was even busier than the castle, or even the training grounds they visited that morning. Young humans and old, males and females, all dressed in flowing clothes and chattering excitedly to one another as they roamed the streets and shopped at what Levy called market stalls. Every few steps a human called out to them, greeting Levy as if she were an old friend. Human fries giggled and wrapped their arms around her legs before darting off once again. Their hands gripped long strings with colorful fabric on the ends that floated in the breeze.
Encouraged to shop anywhere he wanted, Gajeel led Levy to every market stall that caught his eye. A silver-haired female wearing a deep purple cloth called out what Gajeel assumed were prices for colorful shelled jewelry. A young, dark haired female sold bottles that made his nose wrinkle when he sniffed the amber liquid inside. They passed a stall selling glittering keys with intricate designs and another building filled to the brim with just books. Several stalls sold sweet smelling foods and the owners called out to Levy, shoving treats into her hands as she passed by. The air was ripe and pungent from the flood of human food offered at the numerous stalls in the market. Gajeel savored each bite, trying to memorize the names of each type of food.
By the time the sun began its descent behind the darkening ocean, Gajeel's stomach was filled to nearly bursting. Feet sore and legs tired, he and Levy slowly made their way back up the road towards the edge of town. The lively market grew empty and quiet as the humans packed up their belongings and headed to their homes. Heart full from the busy sun cycle, Gajeel watched the humans leave with a heavy sigh.
Only one sun cycle left…