Chapter 7

'You know what?' Lucy began, blowing at a stray hair strand that had managed to block her sight in the time she had her head leaning down at the table. 'This is going nowhere.'

For the past 45 minutes or so, she has been staring at the words 'Chapter 10' and that was about it. Granted, there were scribbles and sketches at the side of the parchment, but…it seems as though she would not have the luck she had this early morning.

Nil.

Nada.

Zilch.

No breezing through a single-sitting, another-nine-chapter writing galore for her. Hence, Lucy decided to lean back lazily and stared at the pale-colored ceiling.

Laxus is not here again, she observed. He had informed her that he would be going to Dr. Medella's office regarding Mr. Ivan Dreyar's further medical diagnosis.

This left her alone. No, she was not alone. She is alone with the sleeping Mr. Ivan Dreyar, whose strained haggard breathing along with the mechanical beeps from the various medical instruments and Lacrimas reminded Lucy of her mother.

Thinking about it now…now that she has already mourned her Mama's death and now that she was given closure regarding the circumstances behind it, for the most part Lucy felt at peace. Granted, there were always that stinging sensation and the fact that she still misses her mother, but right now, it is not such a source of insecurity anymore.

Perhaps, she has matured now. Her parents always punctuated the virtue of being a fine young lady. Mayhaps being a lady is not always about the dresses, grandeur and the inevitable eventuality of an arranged marriage. Rather, being a lady is just the simple act of growing in grace.

And so, like the graceful lady that she is, she let her mind wander off to other graceful topics such as the Laxus thing this early morning.

'Did he mean to ask her out?' Lucy's mind supplied. From how his voice suddenly lowered an octave; how the tone and mood swung from light joking to something much more serious; and how his eyes held her gaze.

Suddenly, it was not a question of ' will he or will he not ask her out' but a question of her 'what she would say.'

Now, Lucy knows how narcissistic she could be. She could admit that much. Even she has her moments of vanity. She had even gone on to use her sex appeal in missions with varying degrees of success and failure. This time, however, is different. It feels different.

Laxus is not someone who would fool around regarding personal matters. He is a person who knows how to draw the line between portraying himself in accordance to his image, and being his genuine self away from the prying eyes of the crowd.

In the public, Laxus is known as an alpha male: a man who stands at the pinnacle of hegemonic masculinity. He is a living embodiment of testosterone: an alcoholic, a sex god, a notorious womanizer, a power-hungry, all-powerful bloodthirsty Brawler Mage. It is for this reason that there were so many rumors out there revolving around him. Some say that he makes nightly visits in cabarets and casinos, to pick from lines of women that he will bed. Some say that he favors those who wear bunny suits hence the current fashion trend. Some say that he has left so many women weeping that their tears could flood a river. Some say that he has sired so many children that it could fill a guild building to the brim.

However, from her point of view, Lucy has also observed that this may not be the case. She sees that he is diligent. No one could achieve that physique and power without the grit and perseverance to commit to one's training regimen. This level of discipline contradicts the hearsay that he is a wasted alcoholic or someone that is greedy for power that does not belong to him. He just worked for what he has now.

Moreover, given that their guild members are largely composed of less-than sane members - including her - it is safe to say that he has patience. This contrasts how people have said that he is a bloodthirsty tyrannical bastard.

Although what Laxus did last Fantasia Festival is inexcusable, Lucy observed that the rationale behind such fatalistic action is still largely motivated (albeit misguided) by familial affection. Lucy also heard that he has begun his training to succeed Master Makarov, this time in a more diplomatic manner. It shows how he values family. So, if Laxus indeed has women he has children with, it is also safe to say that he would take responsibility for them.

Honestly, Lucy found this odd at first. There is this cognitive dissonance between Laxus the Asshole and Laxus the Familyman . However, thinking about it now, she should not be the one pointing proverbial fingers. In her consciousness, it is not that long ago that she had her own personas that she put on. Is it not true that prior to being Just Lucy from Fairy Tail , she was Lucky Lucy of the Heartfilia ?

Oh, God, Lucy realized. She really owe Laxus a big, fat apology for all the times that she had implied him to be a womanizing dipshit.

She was really in deep shit .

'Wow,' she remarked dryly. Now, it is not a question of 'what she would say' to a confession that may or may not even exist. Rather a question of how she could apologize.'

"..." a chill ran down Lucy's spine, the sensation scattered to her skull, and her upper body lurched forward in fits of cough. The temperature in the room was far too cold.

Quickly, she sat up and raced to the comfort room. Quietly, she closed and locked the door. Her coughs had yet to subside, but she has begun to rinse her face off of any offending substance.

"Capricorn," she called again, the key materializing in between her fingers. The Celestial Spirit of the Goat appeared beside her, holding a glass of colored water in his right hand and a towel hanging from his bent right arm.

Lucy took the glass and drank, tasting the zesty and lemony flavor of the liquid. That was better , Lucy sighed, finding the coughs to lessen by the seconds. She saw her face in the reflection. Her skin was reddish.

"Thanks," she smiled at Capricorn from the mirror as she took the towel to dry her face.

Capricorn did not speak but it was obvious from the way he stared at her that he was worried.

"I'm alright. It's going to be fine," she assured him before she dismissed him back. The spirit nodded once before returning to the Celestial Spirit World.

After drying and recomposing herself, Lucy exited the comfort room. Laxus has yet to return from Dr. Medella's office. That gave her a bit more time to think.

Lucy decided that she would not yet worry about the minimal possibility that Laxus could ask her out on a date. There are just too many times that she has been wrong about someone liking her in that way . First was Natsu. Second was Gray. Lucy is not keen on making a third delulu dating decision with Laxus.

She likes Laxus. A bit more than a crush. But he is not obligated to return the same affection.

Besides, just like him, she too has many things on her proverbial plate right now. And one of them is in a paper placed on top of that table. She really needed to finish some drafts for the sequel, before things could get worse.

And so, Lucy sat down, and scribbled freely. After all, freewriting is one of the most effective pre-writing techniques, as it would basically allow her to write without regard to grammar. It would only be about the content.

Since Iris' story is basically based on the adventures undergone by Fairy Tail, it is safe to assume that she is based on me.

This means that to create a more realistic and grounded romantic subplot for her, I would have to utilize some key aspects of my own love life…which is basically non-existent.

However, non-existence of something is a 'something' all on its own. Hence, there should be a character that would mirror just like how Mirajane teases her with basically any guy. This character would be one of Iris' comrades, The Archer Julia.

Like Mirajane, Julia would tease Iris with the Crown Prince Rex and the Grand Mage Sieghart. However, both of these men are not the love interest. This would break the stereotype that a prince or a man of a higher social standing would have to be the chosen male love interest.

Personally, it would be better if the male love interest is a commoner. While Iris is also considered as a commoner, she holds a higher social status by the fact that she is one of the heroes that saved the world from the reign of the Dark Dragon.

This commoner will 'sweep Iris off of her feet' as he is shown to be a hard worker. He will be tentatively called Alexander. He is a commoner knight that truly embodies The Seven Virtues of Knighthood - courage, honor, justice, mercy, generosity, faith, and nobility - in his daily life. Despite his lowborn status, he was diligent that he was able to reach the rank of a Knight Captain using his own hard work.

Alexander's personality will appear as though he is brutal but he is just strict. His peers respected him since he knows how to conduct himself in a given situation. He is professional at work but he knows how to laugh with his fellow knights outside of the job. He likes alcoholic drinks and buying things for his newly constructed house since as a child he was not able to enjoy such luxuries. He knows how to budget and would not squander his hard-earned money if it is not within his means. He also takes care of his parents and grandfather as they also have their own rooms in the house.

Iris sees this…this diligence, this love and dedication to one's own family that she did not receive from her own father when she was a child. Afterall, the reason she became a commoner is because she had her own family, Duke Valentine disowned her for running away from her supposed fiance.

And so…when the Emperor asked her what she would like as a reward for her participation in vanquishing the Dark Dragon in the first book, Iris did not ask for riches nor a peerage title. She asked for the sole right for her hand in marriage, that no one can interfere with her choice…not anymore. The Emperor stated that she already has that right as he has abolished the practice of forced marriage. Nonetheless, he immediately granted it, but the Emperor stated that to ensure that such a promise will be kept, he shall be the one to officiate her future wedding.

This sets the tone that although Iris did not seem that much interested in romance in the first book, there is an underlying psychological reason. She is averse of the word 'love' because all it brought in her life was neglect. Somehow this bridges the change in genre between a pure adventure to something that is romantic adventure.

Now, since there is another quest in this sequel to seal The Five Ancient Gods, this love story must happen within the adventure. That is, the plot must direct Alexander into being part of the team.

Note: It would be revealed later in the story that five years ago, Alexander is one of the rookie knights tasked to guard Iris on her way to an engagement ball hosted by the family of her fiancé, The Dukedom of Glory. At that time, Iris managed to sedate the other guards except Alexander. He helped her escape at the cost of losing his reputation as a knight. But since he is honorable through and through, he sees that Iris is someone in need of help then. After helping her escape, he willingly drank the sleeping potion to remove all suspicions regarding the disappearance of Duke Valentine's daughter.

So, given all that, Lucy had some work to do: revise the first nine chapters, incorporate new information, and rearrange the sequence of events.

This makes Lucy's blood sing in excitement and joy. Finally, the sequel is now gaining some traction.

Click. The door opened and Laxus went in.

He was silent and his face seemed unreadable. It was not grim, but the bags under his eyes emphasized how tired he was. Whether that means physically or emotionally, it is undeniable that Laxus is tired.

Lucy put away her writing instruments. This is more important right now. For a minute, Laxus stood in the middle of the room and just stared. She heard him sigh.

"Laxus," Lucy probed, standing up to join him. "How is your consultation with Dr. Medella?"

"It was fine," he answered. Perhaps he realized that he had answered in such a mechanical manner, but Laxus' eyes eventually found hers and he began to elaborate. "Ivan's case has 60% recovery if we can identify the source of the sepsis in his Magic Containers."

Laxus grasped at his hair in frustration. He laughed mirthlessly. "Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore."

Lucy guided him towards the sofa and sat him down. "Sit down first. I'll fix you something," she said.

A few minutes later, Lucy found a very tense Laxus twiddling with his fingers. She handed him the cup of tea to help him calm down, before sitting beside him.

She sat a few inches away from him, finding it imperative to give him some space. In the meantime, she just observed Mr. Ivan Dreyar's sleeping figure while waiting for Laxus to speak.

So that's it, Lucy realized something…the reason why Laxus is feeling conflicted. Lucy debated whether to 'stick her nose where it does not belong' or to keep her silence. 'Well, Laxus did offer her some advice. She might as well try.'


"Laxus," Lucy called for him just as he was done placing the cup on the table.

Laxus glanced at her, but her gaze was fixed on Ivan. She did not make any indication that she would be looking at him, but her voice was purposeful. There were only a handful of times that he heard her speak in such a serious manner. "Yes?" he replied.

"May I say something?"

Laxus found it odd that Lucy would ask for permission to say something. Then again, she may be referring to the topic involving Ivan. Laxus felt his chest ease for a moment as he fixed his own gaze at her. "Yes."

"When my father died…" Lucy hesitated. "When he died, I felt at lost…because there is so much more that I have to tell him…how much he let me down, how I felt when he seemed to have abandoned me when my mother died, how angry I felt that he saw me as a showpiece to marry off to someone I abhor. I want him to live so that I can continue hating him. I want him to live to see the day that I can prove him wrong. I want him to live so that he can atone and beg for my forgiveness. I want him to earn it."

Lucy met his gaze evenly, and Laxus found himself lost at how light dances in her crystal clear eyes. "Because there is still that little voice inside my head that says that I love him."

Lucy took Laxus's hands in hers. "Laxus, do not deprive yourself of such opportunity. If you hate him, that is fine. I don't know the breadth of what you feel about your father. What I only know is that if you lose him now, there are things you would come to regret. And you don't deserve that."

Laxus found himself unable to speak. His mouth felt dry as he was momentarily stunned by the truth in Lucy's words. However, gone was the chaos and conflict inside his head. There were no what ifs and what nots. There is only silence…a resolute silence.

Lucy made a move to get the quill and a piece of paper from the table. She scribbled something before she tucked the parchment in his hands. "Here," she said.

Written in it were the words: Mithril, Orichalcum, Blue Rose, Unicorn Blood, Mermaid Scale, Agoaophotis, Olieribos, and Bicorn Horn.

Laxus looked at her as if to ask her the question 'what are these for?'

"Magical substances emit a certain presence, whether by a visible miasma, odor or frequency that a Magic Sensor can pick up on," Lucy began explaining. "I'm sorry but these are the only substances that I can name…and that I cannot gauge the exact dosage of each substance."

A few seconds later, Laxus saw Lucy begin fidgeting in her seat until she broke their eye contact. She then inched away from him and looked in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry if that was too forward. I didn't mean to force you into making a decision."

She laughed nervously. "I just want to help…as an apology for all the times I've implied that you're an asshole."

Laxus began to chuckle, until he felt himself laughing…this time out of genuine joy. He recomposed himself by clearing his throat. "No, Lucy. Thank you," he said as she had her back turned.

Before he could watch himself, his lips turned into a smile.