I got my heart full of hope

I will change everything

No matter what I'm told

Or how impossible it seems

I walked into the arena on the final day with the other members of my team, greeted by the spectators with shouts of confusion. They had been hoping to see another fight involving Natsu and the Sabertooth dragon slayers, and everyone wondered why I had taken his place. There was no way to explain what had happened, so we simply ignored the shouting as we waited to begin. Eventually, Mato came onto the field for the last time to speak. The final event was explained to everyone before we were released.

We were then led into the city, to a fountain that was Fairy Tail's designated starting point. I glanced down at my outfit, fidgeting with the fabric nervously. I wore a black hooded cloak that had sleeves ending at my elbows, over a (f/c) tank top and black shorts. My fishnet tights were held up by thick black garters and I had my trusty pair of boots on my feet. It was an intricate outfit, but fitting for this final fight. I checked over it again, making sure everything was in place. In reality, I was trying to distract myself from my racing thoughts. We would have to fight everybody else throughout the city of Crocus in this battle.

I really hope I don't run into Jura.

All morning I felt restless, worried about what would happen. Mavis had gone through her strategy in-depth with us prior to the event. It was confusing, being that she wanted us to sit and wait for a while before starting. However, I trusted her to make the right call. Bickslow and Laxus spent most of the morning with me, helping me relax and prepare. I was so grateful for them, especially since Laxus was competing himself. He assured me everything would go fine, and that he'd take out everyone he had to for us to win. The declaration had made me giggle; his face had been so serious. Still, I really worried about what would happen if I ran into Jura again. Even Mavis had admitted that she was clueless as to what we should do about him.

"Listen up." Erza said as it grew close to the time for us to begin "We have no choice but to win. To get Lucy back in case the others fail!"

"Yes, but don't forget," Gray said, grinning "We have another reason for winning too."

"We've gotta win for everyone in the guild who struggled while we were gone for seven years." Laxus continued, looking directly at me as he caressed my cheek.

"And I'm gonna show you guys just how hard I worked for this." I smirked, feeling much more confident with everyone surrounding me. This group of mages was incredible, and together we were unstoppable.

The gong sounded, signaling the start of the final event. We all nodded to each other, and I stood beside Laxus as we carried out the first master's plan. None of us moved from our starting position, and I heard the the announcers voicing their confusion. Nobody knew about this tactic except for the five of us and Mavis. Not even Makarov or the guild knew, and they were all confused on what was going on. I closed my eyes, blocking out everything as I began to meditate. The other four closed their eyes well, and we stood in silence. I used this time to mentally prepare, going over everything Mavis had prophesied and what I needed to do. Laxus stood next to me, his hand barely brushing my arm in a silent gesture of comfort.

I tried my best to block out the announcer's, but it was irritating to hear about all the scores going up while ours stayed still. I longed to get out there and fight, but we had to follow Mavis's directions. She insisted we remain calm and trust her, since she was a master tactician. We had all been surprised to hear about her exploits during her time on Earthland. However, after what she told us, there was no doubting her skill. With her guidance, we could win this event and the Grand Magic Games.

After what felt like forever, we heard Mavis using thought projection, instructing us to begin what she had named Operation Fairy Star. I opened my eyes, and we all immediately took off running. I looked over to Laxus and nodded to him as we left each other. He winked back, his sharp canines glinting as he grit his teeth in determination. Mavis continued giving each of us different instructions, and I dodged as an attack from Rufus came flying from the sky and crashing down next to me. It was the same tactic he had used the first day, and this time it did not hit any targets besides Laxus, who was impervious to the lightning. He simply absorbed it, using it as a power-up. Although I used lightning and had some resilience to it, there was no way I could take a direct hit without it causing some damage. Erza, Gajeel and Gray all came into contact with enemy players at this point and easily defeated them. We were now tied with Sabertooth for points! I slowed down as I came to an empty street, hanging back to keep an eye out for any stray opponents. The rest of my team continued moving through the city looking for opponents. According to Mavis, Gray would begin his fight with Rufus shortly. She had warned him that she wasn't sure he could win, but he insisted on trying anyway. Sure enough, they soon announced that the two had clashed.

"Good luck Gray." I muttered, continuing to walk along the streets. The battles continued on and I silently cheered when they finally announced that Gray had beaten the Sabertooth mage. Now it was only a matter of time before those bastards fell. Fairy Tail had officially taken the lead with his victory and I steeled myself, determined not to lose my fight.

By this time, Mavis had told me I would be coming into contact with someone. She said it was most likely Sherria. It was going to be somewhat difficult to defeat her, especially since she could heal herself. I reached the point where I was told to expect her and barely had to wait a second before I felt the presence of the small mage. She attacked swiftly without either of us saying a word, and I turned towards her as her black winds came barreling down. I easily blocked it and tried to formulate a strategy. The god slayer quickly sent another wind attack my way and I braced myself against it. As it cleared, I moved to strike at Sherria using my teleportation. I appeared behind her, using a kick to smash her out of the air and into the ground. Briefly, I heard the announcement of Erza's fight with Kagura. It was not what Mavis had predicted, but I wasn't worried. Erza was a powerful opponent who could triumph over the Mermaid Heel mage. I focused back on my fight with the sky god slayer, seeing her stand and quickly heal up.

"Damn, that's gonna get annoying." I muttered as I planted my feet firmly on the ground. The announcers continued shouting, and I heard them announce that Minerva had joined Erza and Kagura.

The small mage finished her healing, and I bit my lip in concern. I would have to outlast her in magic power or defeat her with one devastating blow. I wasn't sure how well my storm magic would fare against her, but I knew I was physically much stronger than her. I could continue getting Sherria to use magic on healing until she ran out, or use all my strength to knock her down. With my second origin, I believed I could easily outlast her by continually hurling attacks to tire her out. Plan decided I summon my magic and attack quickly and repeatedly, trying to overwhelm the clumsy young mage. As we fight, I feel immense power radiating from Erza, Kagura, and Minerva and I can't help but shudder. That is going to be some fight...

Sure enough, after a minute the ground rumbles and I both hear and see a loud explosion. Sherria and I pause momentarily to stare in awe at the huge cloud of dust and smoke arising from Erza's direction. I quickly focus back on my opponent and summon a dust storm, surrounding her. She blew it apart with her wind and our fight continued. We traded blows for a bit until I heard Laxus's name spoken by the announcers. It caught my attention instantly, I was curious to hear what was happening. Sherria used my momentary distraction and ran at me, using her Sky God's Dance spell and knocking me into a nearby building. The air left my lungs in a whoosh, and I groaned as I dropped to the ground, cursing myself. How stupid was I that I just left myself open to attack just because I heard my boyfriend's name?

"You're getting distracted!" She giggled playfully "Is there something going on with you and Laxus? Ooh, is it looovve?!"

"That's not really important." I rolled my eyes at the love-obsessed teenager as I stood back up. My ribs felt bruised, and I ached all over. That girl had some real power behind her attacks.

I vaguely hear them mention Orga, and not long after the two men traded their first blow, I hear Jura's name as well. Fear threatened to take over me as I realized Laxus was facing off against both of them. I knew he could handle Orga, but Jura was another thing. From my location, I could feel their strong magical energy and hear the loud explosions. My boyfriend's magic power sent my heart racing, but also reminded me of my own battle. I trusted Laxus to do what he needed to make sure we would win. I steeled myself to do the same and focused back on Sherria. All my guildmates were counting on me to win this. I briefly wondered who was left when I suddenly saw Lyon walking down the street we were on.

"Hello you two, mind if I join?" The white-haired ice mage grinned "(Y/n), I see you recovered fully from your fight with Jura."

I roll my eyes at his statement "Yeah, and you're gonna wish I hadn't."

"I'm looking forward to testing your power." Lyon chuckles as he pats Sherria playfully on the head "You know, I remember when you used to be Sherria's size, you were such a cute little kid!"

The young mage pouted, "I'm not a little kid!"

The two started bickering, and I cursed under my breath. Two of the strongest Lamia Scale members were now standing before me. I wasn't sure I could beat both of them at the same time. Mavis hadn't said anything about me fighting Lyon. However, I was determined to win and I'd fight as hard as I could to prevail.

The two are still arguing, so I quickly summon a thunderstorm and the clouds rumble as they gather overhead. Lightning strikes down, and the two Lamia Scale mages barely avoid it. I continue the onslaught of lightning until Lyon counteracts with several large ice swords and I quickly teleport away as they bear down on me. As I reappear, Sherria sends a whirlwind at me, throwing me into the ground where I skid painfully for a few feet. As I slowly stood again, I felt someone coming around the corner behind me.

I glanced back and saw Gray, shirtless and a bit scratched up from his battle with Rufus. I was so relieved to see him, despite his disheveled appearance "Gray! Congrats on your fight man."

"Thanks (y/n)." He replies, grinning as we bump fists.

"Well, would you look at this!" Lyon chuckles as he sees the other ice mage "What's wrong Gray? You're looking pretty beat up."

"I just had some minor business to take care of." Gray responded casually before he turned back to me, "Let's take these two out. With the two of us working together, it'll be easy."

I nodded. "Right!"

We attacked simultaneously, Gray using his ice magic as I summoned a tsunami. He freezes large chunks of ice and the wave from my spell sends them flying towards the other two. They narrowly avoided the attack and quickly moved to counter.

"I will prove my love to Juvia by defeating you, Gray!" Lyon shouted, summoning a large ice serpent that struck my teammate.

With his back turned, I quickly moved to attack Lyon with a typhoon. Sherria blocks the spell with her wind and yells at the older man "Pay attention Lyon! There's two of them ya know!"

"I have to defeat Gray, just keep (Y/n) distracted!" He calls.

She rolls her eyes and groans, and I brace myself as Sherria sends a strong wind attack at me. Gray quickly makes an ice shield, and it bursts into pieces after blocking the powerful wind. Lyon strikes at Gray with his ice-make magic, who jumps back to dodge it. Gray freezes the ground and the two Lamia Scale mages start to slip on the icy floor. I quickly summon a tornado that throws the two up into the air before sending them crashing down. Sherria recovers first and starts using her healing magic again. I groan internally. These two were strong, and I was starting to feel a serious drain on my magic. My ribs ached painfully from their earlier abuse, and my breathing was labored. Gray stood beside me, looking even more worn out. He grits his teeth "Damn, this is getting annoying!"

"I agree," I responded quietly, catching my breath "We need to finish this quick."

Just then, I faintly heard the frantic shouting of the announcers and crowd. I felt a powerful wave of excitement hit me when they said that Laxus had defeated Jura. It felt amazing to hear those words. I knew I had to make him proud of me. These two were the last Lamia Scale members left, we had to take them out. I turned to Gray, suddenly sure we could beat these two. If my boyfriend could beat a wizard saint, there was no way I would allow myself to be defeated. "Let's hit them with everything we've got!"

He nods, grinning "If we hit them together, we can take them out in one go."

The two barely manage to finish healing when Gray and I summon all of our magic power for one final devastating blow. Lyon and Sherria have no time to move as we both use our strongest attacks. The two spells bore down quickly on their targets, overwhelming them and knocking them out completely.

"We did it!" I sighed, feeling drained but ecstatic. I hug the ice mage excitedly and he chuckles as he hugs me back. I felt shivers run down my spine as I faintly heard someone cursing my name and realized it was Juvia. How in the world am I able to sense her from this far away? I quickly back away, straightening out my torn shirt awkwardly.

"That was awesome!" Gray grins, "Lamia Scale is completely done for, and we're in first!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see Laxus and congratulate him on beating Jura." I grin. I was hurting all over, especially where my ribs had gotten hit. I was basically out of magic power, but my adrenaline was keeping me going. "Let's go meet up with everyone. Sounds like Erza's fight is almost done too."

We began making our way to the final team meeting spot, listening to the announcers as they continued discussing the events taking place. We moved slowly, both of us feeling pretty tired and looking awful. My cloak had long since been torn apart, leaving me in just my tattered shirt and shorts. My tank top had huge tears in it, and so did my tights. I pouted when I realized this was nicest favorite pair. I should have known better. It had been a tough day, but the end was in sight. When we're a block away, we hear them announce Erza as the winner. Gray and I simply grin, as we both knew she would prevail. It was Erza after all.

"Who's left?" Gray asks, and I shrug, unable to remember everyone that had been defeated already. By now, most of the guilds were completely knocked out of the tournament. There couldn't be many opponents left. However, anyone who hadn't been defeated yet had to be strong.

We turn the last corner to see Laxus and Gajeel, both men slumped against a wall. They barely acknowledge us as we approach. Their fights had been tough, more tiring than my fight with Sherria and Lyon. I smile brightly at my boyfriend who smirks as he opens his scarred eye to look at me.

"I'm so glad I never fought you during training," I giggled, pressing myself gently against his chest and greeting him with a kiss. His shirt was torn completely open, leaving his skin bare. I couldn't resist lightly trailing my fingers over his chest, careful of his injuries. "I'd probably be in the infirmary for a week."

He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, "Told ya I would take care of it."

"Gi-hi-hi, all we gotta do is take out one more person." Gajeel says. His hair is sticking up wildly and he looks like he's about to collapse but he's still grinning.

"Who?" I ask, pulling away from Laxus.

"Sting," Erza's voice spoke suddenly from nearby as she slowly made her way towards us. She was barely walking, her ankle deeply bruised and swollen as she used a wooden stick to help her stay up, "And I'm afraid we're all pretty injured."

"You can say that again." Gray muttered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly "I barely have any magic power left too."

"That bastard probably planned this." Laxus sighed "He waited until he could overpower whoever was left, knowing they'd be worn out."

"That doesn't matter. We can beat him." I said, "No matter how tired or sore I feel, I'll keep fighting. And I know, with you guys there fighting with me, there's no way we can lose."

They all grinned at that, and as the sun began to set, Sting sent out a flare to lead us to him. We all moved slowly, our bodies weary. It would be a fierce battle, but there was no way we could come this far and not prevail. No matter what it took, Fairy Tail would win. We eventually make our way to the Sabertooth mage, who has a cocky smirk on his face as he leans against a fountain. It's dark out and the area is lit by lacrima lamps. It's the final showdown, and the tension is thick.

Sting chuckles as we stop before him "You guys look like shit! This is gonna be easy."

"We didn't come here to chit-chat." Gajeel grumbles, "Let's get this over with."

"We'll fight you one on one, so pick somebody." Gray said. That comment surprised the white dragon slayer.

"Oh yeah? You sure you don't want to try all at once?" Sting chuckled "It'll be boring if we do one on one."

"Don't underestimate us." Erza spoke, gently placing her injured foot down and standing tall. The man's cocky expression wavered, and then he sneered.

"I was trying to give you guys a better chance to win." He growled, "I'm stronger, I can take you out easily. I'll do it for Lector!"

I cocked my brow in confusion at his comment. That was the name of his Exceed, but I wasn't sure what he had to do with any of this.

Laxus frowned "You really think you can take all of us by yourself?"

"I know I can!" Sting responds heatedly.

"Very well," Erza said, "If you're so determined to see this through, then we'll fight on your terms."

"Alright!" He grinned, and I braced myself for his attack. He summoned his magic power, bright white light swirling around him.

We stood there, prepared to fight until we could no longer stand. I felt anxious, but there was no way Sting could take all of us. Despite our injuries, I knew that we were stronger together. I would push past the pain and fatigue to finish this fight. The five of us did not waver as Sting's magic power grew, and he focused his gaze on us. However, he hesitated. The white light around him suddenly disappears and he grits his teeth in frustration. His feet move just barely as he starts to walk forward, but he ends up falling to his knees instead.

"I can't do it… I can't beat you guys," He muttered, pounding his fist into the ground "Dammit. I surrender!"

My heart skipped a beat at his words. It takes me a moment to realize what had just happened. Sting was giving up, and there was nobody left to fight. Suddenly, I heard a roar of shouts from the stadium across town as Fairy Tail is crowned the victor of the Grand Magic Games.

"No way!" I looked over to my comrades, who were all grinning widely "We did it! We won!"

I felt tears of happiness spring to my eyes, and I jumped into Laxus's arms. He grunted at the rough treatment but hugged me back fiercely. After all the years of defeat, Fairy Tail had finally prevailed. Not only that, but I had gotten a spot on the final team. I'd been a part of this victory. It was the most incredible feeling. I continued to cry tears of joy as Laxus laughed, hugging me into his side.

Erza walks over to Sting, leaning down and asking gently, "Why did you back down?"

"I don't know..." He muttered, tears gathering in his eyes "I was so sure I could beat you guys. That's all I had to do, and I could see Lector again. But I froze up. I felt like maybe I wasn't good enough. I lost hope… And now I'll never get to see him again…"

"That's not true." Erza said, and turned as her friend Millianna walked up to us. She had a small cat sleeping in her arms that I immediately recognized as Sting's Exceed.

He looked up, his eyes going wide. Lector's eyes fluttered opened, and he smiled when he saw his friend. "Sting!"

"Lector!" The slayer shouted, standing up and running towards the Exceed. We all watched, smiling at the tender moment as Lector jumped into the man's arms. "You're okay!"

Their reunion was tearful, but extremely heartwarming despite the fact I was unsure of what exactly had parted the two. I had always seen Sting as a cocky jerk, but he really had a soft spot when it came to his exceed. We all turned away, letting them have their moment in peace to talk.

"Man those cheers are so loud." Gray smirked, relishing in the sounds of the crowd.

"Yeah, all this noise is starting to make my wounds hurt!" Gajeel grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Awh don't be like that! We won!" I playfully smack him on the back and he grunts, glaring at me.

Erza grinned "Yes, these are cheers of celebration. I bet Master is beside himself with happiness right now."

"Uh, considering the cash reward, yeah he is!" I giggle.

"More importantly," Laxus says, looking down at me "This makes up for those seven years our nakama had to suffer through."

I look back up at him, smiling tearfully at his comment "Yeah. I'm so happy I could be a part of it."

"You know, it's kind of strange not having Natsu around hollering and making noise." Erza says suddenly "Have any of you guys seen their signal flare yet?"

"No, but I've been keeping an eye out for it the whole time." Laxus said, "Well, except when Jura knocked me flat."

I snickered at my boyfriend before I responded, "I haven't seen it either."

"Knowing Natsu," Gray sighs "He probably forgot to light it off or something."

"I hope so..." Erza muttered, and we all went quiet. I was sure my guildmates were starting to feel worried, and to be honest now that the games had ended I was too. Surely they would be okay, but it was taking the rescue group an awfully long time.

All of a sudden, Sting spoke up, breaking the silence "Tell me something…"

"What?!" Gajeel growled, getting into the man's face "You got a problem, punk?"

"Sorry, it's just…" He looked away sheepishly "Where was Natsu? Why wasn't he in the fight today?"

Gajeel stood back, glancing at the rest of us. We had no explanation to give him. It was too difficult to explain. How could you possibly tell someone about the royal military and their plan to travel back in time to defeat the greatest dark wizard ever? And then go on to say one of your members was being held hostage in the castle. There was no way. So, we stayed quiet.

"What's the matter?" Lector asked, frowning "Is Natsu hurt, is he gonna be okay?"

"He's fine; he just had some things to take care of." I offered, feeling bad that these two were genuinely worried and we couldn't tell them anything.

"We should probably get back to everyone." Laxus said, and with that, we left. Sting simply stood and watched us as we walked away.

There was tension in the air despite our victory. We were all grateful for our win, but nobody had heard from the rescue group. There was no telling what happened. Had they been captured? I couldn't shake the odd sense of foreboding as we made our way to the inn. Porlyusica was waiting for us there, prepared to dress our wounds after we all showered and cleaned up. I relished the hot water as it soaked into my sore muscles. Afterward, I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror. My bruised ribs had not yet started to show, but I knew they'd be bad in the morning. With a sigh, I slowly got dressed and left the bathroom. Everyone else had finished with their showers as well. We were once again gathered in the team room, and there were medical supplies laid everywhere.

"Let's get this over with!" Porlyusica sneered "You guys stink."

"We literally just finished showering," Gray grumbled, walking around in his boxers.

I laughed when he narrowly avoided a bottle of medicine thrown his way as the woman shouted at him to put clothes on. I picked up some supplies and made my way to Laxus, who was leaning languidly against a dresser. Everyone was injured, so I wanted to help out and dress my boyfriend's wounds as our guild's healer went to work on Erza first. She definitely had the worst injuries of everyone, especially her ankle. Laxus tried to refuse my help, insisting on getting me bandaged up, but I quickly stopped him. My wounds were not nearly as bad as his. So, he stood towering over me with a grumpy expression as I gently rubbed salve on his wounds. I tried not to blush at his incredible physique as I finished wrapping gauze around his midsection.

"There, all better." I grinned, proud of my work. He was covered in bandages, and I made sure they were wrapped well so they wouldn't come loose.

"Not until you kiss it better." Laxus muttered. He tried for a serious expression, but it looked more cute to me than anything, especially with the bandages wrapping around his head.

I giggled, leaning in to kiss him as the other men in the room groaned their disgust. Laxus zapped them, quickly shutting them up as he pressed his lips against mine. Before dating, I never would have expected Laxus to be the affectionate person he was, but I loved it. He pulled back, gently putting his hands on my waist and lifting me up onto the dresser he'd been leaning against. He grabbed the bottle of healing salve and silently went to work on my cuts. I winced, trying to endure the sting.

The Thunder Legion entered the room then, heading straight towards us. I waved to them as Laxus grabbed the gauze and began wrapping it around my injuries. "Hey guys!"

"You all were so amazing!" Evergreen said, shoving Bickslow as she hopped up onto the dresser next to me. "Congratulations!"

The seith mage pouted "Hey, I was gonna sit next to (Y/n)."

The fairy mage stuck her tongue out at him as Freed spoke "Laxus, I am so honored to be in your presence after that extraordinary display! You truly are the most incredible mage I've ever known!"

We laughed as Freed teared up, and Laxus rolled his eyes. I talked excitedly with the Thunder Legion as Laxus quietly finished tending to my injuries. Afterward, I stood up carefully, feeling incredibly sore. Bickslow held me, helping me keep upright as we left the room to join everyone downstairs. There was a bunch of noise, all the guild members talking joyfully about our victory. At the same time, some of us felt unease as the night grew late and the rescue team had still not returned with Lucy. They must have gotten captured, which meant we'd have to talk with the king to have them released.

After a while of intense celebration, someone arrived dressed in royal military gear requesting the entire guild's presence immediately for an urgent message from the king. We all stared in confusion as the man left, and Makarov sighed. He put down the mug of ale he was drinking from and stood "Well, I suppose we can't refuse the king."

I looked over to Laxus, who had a somber expression. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and there was no telling why the king wanted to speak with us. I grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers, and he looked over at me. The corner of his mouth turned up in a grin and he squeezed my hand. Bickslow grabbed my other hand, smiling at us both. The small gesture helped ease my anxiety a bit about what was about to occur. "Let's go."

They nodded, and we carefully made our way to the Crystal Plaza that was at the very center of Crocus. There were many other guilds already gathered, and we made our way to the front. The king stood on a large podium, looking troubled. He was surrounded by guards standing at attention, all of whom were dressed to the nines in battle gear. The crowd quieted as he loudly cleared his throat before he began to talk.

"Thank you all for coming." He said, his voice loud and grim "I hate to spoil the mood after the wonderful display of wizardry we witness today, but I'm afraid this city, the heart of Fiore, may soon find itself in the claws of a dragon horde!"

The crowd began buzzing, voicing their confusion and doubt. I looked over at my boyfriends "Wait, how is that possible? I thought the dragons had all disappeared."

Laxus shrugged, scowling "No idea."

"Last time we fought against a dragon, we lost seven years…" Bickslow muttered.

I bit my lip in worry as the king spoke up again,

"As we speak, a large-scale counterattack is being prepared at the Castle. The Eclipse Cannon!" Near me, I saw Gajeel, Erza, and Gray stiffen in shock. That name was similar to the plan that got Lucy locked up. What were they going to accomplish with it? "We will use it to take out the dragons, all 10,000 of them at once!"

"10,000?" Bickslow gaped, his babies repeating the number. "There's no way they expect to be able to take that many out with one attack."

"That's probably why they gathered all the guilds together. To take out whatever's left." Laxus responded with a sigh. I stayed silent, the fear gripping me tightly and making me unable to speak. How could we hope to take on any dragons in our condition?

"Regrettably, due to the sheer number of them, we expect at least 100 of these beasts to survive the blast. And that is why I am asking you all for your help! Guild wizards of Fiore, please join us in our fight against these dragons. You're the only hope we have…" He began to cry, hiding his face in shame "I beg you… Don't let this country fall to ruin!"

I stood there, shocked, as the crowd stayed silent for a moment before everyone began shouting excitedly. They all seemed completely determined to fight, and I shook my head with a smile. How could I have ever doubted our strength? Laxus looked over at me, grinning as he spoke "I guess this is my chance to finally slay some dragons!"

The king looked over the crowd, tears falling as he thanked everyone profusely. Erza turned angrily to one of the guards nearby and the poor guy nearly fainted, "Some of our comrades have been captured by the royal army and are in the castle. We'll be needing their help."

"Don't worry ma'am; we were all informed of their safety." He mumbled, bowing deeply "They've joined Princess Hisui at the gate."

"Awesome." Gajeel said, pounding his fist into his palm "I can't wait to start rampaging!"

I giggled. It seemed like all slayers were excited at the prospect of letting loose and fighting dragons. However, they were covered in bandages, and I hoped everyone would be okay.

A/N: And that commences the end of the Grand Magic Games, and the beginning of the fight to save the future of Fiore. How will Reader fare? Dun dun duunnnn

Seriously, I'm so excited for the next chapter. I may update sooner than I usually do, haha!

Let me know what you think, and I'll see you in chapter 13!