'Where do I even start? Do I skip ahead some time? Or should it just pick up right where I left off last time? Man...if writing one book was complicated then writing a second is worse.' Lucy Heartfilia yawned as she closed her notebook, turning her attention to the mountainside her train was currently passing by. Her editor had asked her if it was possible to write a sequel to her award winning novel, so she was taking advantage of her long train ride to begin to plan it and so far all she managed to come up with was...well, nothing. Her book had already taken her years to write, of course she had her countless adventures with her friends and Guild that made it take so long but it was still going to be a mission to come up with a proper sequel to it. Why was she on this train ride anyway? Well, a family friend from long ago had sent her a letter as well as an invitation to her daughter's wedding and despite not having spoken to them in years: Lucy didn't see why she wouldn't attend. So she was currently on her way from Magnolia to the Northwestern coast of the country to attend. Her plan was originally to just go by herself since these were people that she knew as a child, however...
"Taking a break?" Lucy turned her head to see her scarlet-haired best friend Erza walking towards her. She was going to sneak out without anyone like Natsu or Happy finding out where she was going since they love to tag along, but when she confided in Levy and Mirajane about where she was going: Erza overheard and her love for weddings meant that there was no way she was going alone now. But it was fine, compared to the others she was the most formal and composed so she knew she could count on Erza to avoid causing a scene at the wedding... sometimes. "You've been staring at a blank page since we left Magnolia."
"Yeah. I mean I based off most of my last book from the adventures we had, but now I'm just drawing a blank." Lucy admitted as she patted the notebook and smiled. "But I know I'm gonna come up with something."
"Considering how often we run into trouble, I wouldn't be surprised if you come up with it by next month." Erza chuckled before noticing Lucy was beginning to get lost in thought. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah everything's just fine, I'm just thinking about my friends that we're gonna go see."
"Well we have roughly an hour or so before we arrive, how about you fill me in a bit about these people who were kind enough to allow me to join you?"
"Alright I guess it would be rude not to. The Falkners are a family that prides themselves on their agricultural business. The mother and father knew my parents from the Love and Lucky guild when they were younger. And despite their businesses rarely crossing each other's paths, the father owed a lot to my dad for all the help he gave him to help start his business. They had four kids and I spent a good chunk of my childhood with them around, it wasn't very often but more than enough. There was the eldest son: Ryu, man he was cool. He was a hard worker in his studies and he even started helping out with the family business. But with me and his siblings he was always taking care of us and making sure we were always smiling and having fun." Lucy said as she began to reminisce of her memories with the Falkner family.
"Was he your first crush?"
"What? Nooo, I admired Ryu kind of like I admire you. Then there were the twins: Fabia and Keith. Fabia was the oldest of the two and she was like a funny sister who was a breath of fresh air from having the boys around. Keith was the smarter of the siblings who spent more time reading and studying than he did playing with us. But then there was the youngest of the four, the one who was closer to my age than the rest...he was special. He was so kind, so sweet, he was so different compared to his siblings and even compared to the other children I had known at the time." Lucy said as she looked outside once more and Erza noted how warm her smile was when she began to talk about the fourth child.
"What was his name?"
"It's Asemu. And I honestly can't wait to see what they look like now."
"Kids? Are you in here?" An older woman with blonde and grey hair knocked on large door as she walked through a hallway, looking for any of her children. She opened the door after hearing a quiet response from inside, revealing it to be their library. She looked around the library and noticed a man with pale blonde hair sitting at a desk near the window with several books open in front of him as he wrote on a paper in between them. "Keith, I've been looking for you and your siblings. Why didn't you answer?"
"Because you knew I've been in here since yesterday. It's not exactly easy to work on the curriculum for my class with the circus going on here." Keith said making his mother sigh and cross her arms. "What is it, mom?"
"Some of our guests should be arriving soon so I need all of you to be ready and greet them when they arrive."
"Just let me know when they're here and I'll say hello."
"Sweetheart, please. Neither I or Fabia will be happy if you're rude to our guests."
"Mom look I understand, but I was just made a Professor and I begin next semester. If I don't have a curriculum ready by then: all of the work I put in to have this job will be for nothing." Keith explained as he put his pen down and rubbed his eyes. "I promise I will be right there and greet whoever gets here when they get here. But this is important to me, so can I try to get this done quickly?" Keith pleaded placing his hands together and making eye contact with his mother. She smiled and leaned over, kissing his forehead and running her hands through his hair.
"Yes you can. Where are your brothers and sister?"
"Fabia's probably with the wedding planner double checking everything for the hundredth time this week. As for Ryu and Ace, she'd probably know where they are."
"Thank you." Quickly leaving the library, she then made her way outside of their house and into their backyard where she saw a woman with raven hair speaking to another woman with brown hair holding a clipboard. "Fabia?" The raven haired woman turned her head hearing her mother call her name and walked towards her.
"Hey Mom, how's it going?" Fabia said kissing her mom on the cheek.
"What are you doing?"
"Just making sure everything is still going and arriving the way it should." Fabia explained as they watched a group of men supervised by the wedding planner place rows of chairs. "I get married the day after tomorrow, I just want to make sure all of this is perfect."
"Now baby, I've told you before there's no such thing as perfect. It's all about what you make of your wedding day." Fabia rolled her eyes at her mother's comment and placed her hands on her hips.
"You still haven't told me about the day you and dad got married."
"I told you: we got married in a courthouse and your brother was born the week after. It's still one of my fondest memories."
"Whatever Mom, what is it anyway?"
"Some of your guests are going to begin arriving today, so I need you to stop being such a bridezilla and be ready to properly greet them when they arrive." Fabia sighed and nodded at her mother's request. "Where are Ryu and Ace?"
"Ryu had to deal with work stuff so he's probably roaming around talking on his communications lacrima or whatever. And Ace...Ace's with Dad." Fabia admitted as she looked at her wedding being built in front of her. "I was gonna go see him tonight and every night until the wedding."
"I know baby, just be ready for when me or Bastion tells you that the guests arrived." Fabia nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek before walking away.
"Excuse me, Lady Celina I know where Master Ryu is." Celina turned her head to see their butler standing behind her with a tray filled with small sandwiches.
"Oh wonderful Bastion, where is he?"
"He went to the nearby town. I'm afraid I don't quite know the reason why." Bastion said making Celina sigh and shake her head.
"Thank you." Celina said before beginning to walk away.
"Where are you going, my lady?"
"To go see my husband and son. And if you'd be so kind, I'd like you to go and bring Ryu back as well." Celina said before continuing to walk away from her house and backyard. After walking for ten minutes through the countryside she called home, she walked up to a colossal tree in the middle of a large field and saw a man with raven hair standing under it. Instead of calling out to him, she continued walking until she was behind him as she could hear him talking quietly.
"-I help Ryu as much as I can to keep the business running, we still have no idea how you did it. Even with both of us practically taking work home or sleeping in the office: we still can't handle it like you did, Pop. Keith was recently hired as a Professor in the University in Crocus, I have no idea if he came to tell you yet. Since he got here a few days ago: he's barely left the library because he's so focused on having it all ready before his first day. And Fabia looks so beautiful in her dress, she's so excited for this wedding I wouldn't be surprised if she's talking about it in her sleep. She asked Ryu to walk her down the aisle...but she still cries because she wishes it was you. I'm doing my best to be with Mom too, make sure she doesn't feel lonely either. But it's not the same without you Dad...I miss you so much." Celina took this as her cue and took her youngest son's hand in hers, looking at the Headstone placed in front of the tree with the name "Lyle Falkner" inscribed on it.
"So do I, Ace. Every single day." Celina said as she rested her head on her son's shoulder. "It's going to be a beautiful wedding, and I know you'll be with us the entire time my love." Celina whispered as she felt her eyes begin to well up.
"Hey Mom, what are you doing here?" Ace asked clearing his throat and kissing the top of his mother's head. She smiled and motioned in the direction of their home, signaling that it was time to head back.
"Our guests are arriving soon and I want you all to be there and greet them. But with your brother in town, it might just be you and the twins that have to do it." Celina said as they began to walk back home, keeping her arm wrapped around her youngest son's. "Asemu...you know you don't have to stay here with me."
"Mom. We've talked about this so many times."
"I know, but all your father and I have ever wanted is for you to find your own path and live your life. I know things haven't been easy since he passed away, but that doesn't mean I'm alone either. I have Bastion in the house to keep me company and you kids still come to see me every week." Celina said as she began to tighten her grip on his forearm. "I want you to move on, find what you want to do in life, maybe find a special someone. Whatever you do: you don't have to worry about me."
"But someone has to be around and take care of things."
"I was the one who kept the house neat and clean while all of you were growing up, I'm not incapable of taking care of myself."
"I thought Bastion was the one who did all of that."
"Well him too, but I did a lot of stuff myself." Celina's rebuttal made the two of them laugh before she suddenly remembered what she wanted to tell Ace as well. "Oh, and a special guest should be arriving today that you should be excited for."
"Special guest? Mom, you're not trying to set me up with someone again are you?"
"No, I promise that's not what this is. I just think this is someone you'll be happy to see."
After a seven hour train ride: Erza and Lucy finally arrived at the station for Dahlia Village, the town closest to where the wedding was being held. They quickly left the train, grabbing their luggage for the three days they would be spending there. Erza had wanted to take more luggage, but Lucy had managed to convince her not to pack as much as she usually did since they were going to a wedding, not a job. "There's no need to bring so many changes of clothes or armor if it's just a wedding and rehearsal dinner," were her exact words to Erza.
"So where do we go from here?" Erza asked making Lucy think for a moment before shrugging. "You've been here before, you should know what we should do."
"Hey, in my defense: we always had our own personal carriage to take us there. But I think considering how much they actually provide to the town: finding a ride to the Falkners' house shouldn't be tough." Lucy said motioning to the different vendors and stores they could see from the station. And she was right. Dahlia Village was usually a pit stop for a most travelers passing through the mountains and the Falkners' agricultural business has always provided the village with what they needed such as produce or livestock for their businesses or daily lives.
"Should we ask around then?" Erza asked earning a nod from Lucy. However, before the two could even begin to head on their way: a carriage pulled by a large boar pulled up in front of the station.
"No need, I think I know just who to ask." Lucy said as she jogged over to the carriage and knocked on its door. The door opened to reveal Bastion inside of the carriage, looking at the two younger women standing next to his employers' carriage. Once she got a good look at his face, Lucy began to smile as he had looked the same way when she had last seen him well over a decade ago.
"Good afternoon ladies, may I help you?" Bastion asked as he walked out of the carriage, bowing to them to be polite.
"Yes, do you still keep in touch with Spetto? I remember you two used to always talk whenever we came by to visit or when you joined the Falkners to go see us." Lucy asked as she remembered how friendly the man in front of her used to be with her old maid. Confused by her question, Bastion looked at the girl in front of him before her long blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes made it very clear who she was.
"M-Miss Lucy?" She happily nodded at the older gentleman's question. "My goodness, it's been 16 years hasn't it?"
"Since my mother's funeral." Lucy nodded once more, this time changing Bastion's demeanor once he remembered that was the last time he or the Falkner family had seen her.
"Yes...and I'm so sorry about your father's passing as well. Please accept my condolences." Bastion said as he placed his hand on his chest and bowed once more.
"Thank you. And I'm happy to at least see you're still doing well." Lucy said before Bastion sighed and nodded.
"It's been a process but we're all doing well."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked before Bastion motioned for the two of them to enter the carriage. Once they were inside: he grabbed both of their luggage and placed it on top of the carriage, snapping his fingers and making ropes appear and tie the luggage to the roof. He then entered the carriage himself and clapped so the boar would begin to move. "Bastion?"
"Forgive me, I figured some privacy would be better and I could explain what's going on as we make our way to the estate." Bastion explained before remembering about the third person inside. "Oh please forgive me miss, I am Bastion and I serve the Falkner family as their butler. Who might you be?" Bastion asked as he looked at Erza and bowed to her.
"My name is Erza Scarlet, I'm an S-Class wizard of the Fairy Tail guild and Lucy's friend. I hope me joining her isn't an issue." Erza said smiling at the older man.
"Of course not, we're happy to accommodate you and Miss Lucy in our home."
"Bastion? What do you want to tell me?" Lucy asked once more to get Bastion's attention. Bastion nodded as he turned his attention to Lucy and placed his hands together.
"Master Lyle passed away last month." Bastion explained shocking Lucy while confusing Erza. "To explain it quickly for you Miss Erza, Master Lyle was the patriarch of the Falkner family and the sworn friend of Miss Lucy's father. When Master Jude passed away two years ago: the news was more than enough to break Master Lyle's heart. Soon after: he found out he was extremely ill himself, he had hoped to make it to Lady Fabia's wedding but he sadly passed away in his sleep last month." Bastion continued and Lucy looked down and clenched her skirt in her hands as she remembered how kind of a man Lyle was.
"And how are the others?"
"Lady Celina has been strong for her children, doing her best to keep her family together as they work through this. Master Keith took charge of all the funeral plans while also advancing his own career. Lady Fabia moved back home for the meantime, she even managed to get the wedding moved to the estate so she can feel her father is nearby watching. However...the ones his passing seemed to have affected the most were Masters Ryu and Asemu." Bastion's last comment shocked Lucy even more and she felt as if there was a lump in her throat. "Master Ryu has taken over for the business in his father's place, but to keep everything running while also feeling as if it's his place to take over as head of the family as well seems to be hurting the boy even more. And Master Asemu...the poor boy. He still hasn't found his place in the world, he never knew what he wanted to make of his life, and with the passing of his father: he feels as if doing the same as his oldest brother is what he's meant to do. And in my humble opinion, neither of them are meant to be tied down and work as businessmen. Those two are capable of so much more in ways that they still don't realize." The moment he finished, Bastion was surprised by Lucy suddenly leaping forward and hugging him. "Miss Lucy?"
"You deserve a hug too, you see all of this and you do your best to still serve them the way you do. You're doing a great job, Bastion. Thank you for taking care of them." Lucy said making Bastion smile and hug her back.
"Thank you Miss Lucy. We should be arriving soon." Bastion said as he looked outside, seeing the Falkner Estate in the distance. After another fifteen minutes in the carriage: they arrived outside of the Falkner home and he opened the door and helped the two exit the carriage. "Welcome to the Falkner residence. I'm sure it's exactly how you remember it, Miss Lucy?" Lucy nodded at his question as she took in the sight in front of her. While their house wasn't the size of the Heartfilia mansion: the Falkners still had a modest two story house surrounded by farmland and she remembered all the times she would play when they came to visit in the past. The front door opened and she was surprised to see Celina standing in the doorway with a worried expression.
"Bastion, did you find Ryu?"
"No ma'am forgive me, however I did find someone else when I arrived in the village." Bastion said bowing to Celina and extending his arm towards Lucy and Erza. Celina turned her head and her eyes widened once she saw the blonde haired wizard in front of her.
"Lucy? My goodness, you look exactly like your mother." Celina whispered as she walked up to Lucy and placed her hands on her cheeks. "For a second there, I thought Layla had come back to us somehow." Lucy smiled and placed her hand on Celina's, noting how little the woman she once viewed as an aunt had changed.
"It's been such a long time, Aunt Celina. You haven't aged a day."
"Now now, don't lie to me. I know I look like an old lady now." Celina said before Lucy suddenly hugged her. She embraced the young woman as all of the memories of when she was a child came flooding back in. "I'm so sorry about Jude."
"And I'm so sorry about Uncle Lyle. I wish I knew sooner." Lucy's words made Celina's heart skip a beat and she hugged her even tighter.
"It's okay, all that matters is you're here now." Celina broke their embrace and noticed Erza awkwardly standing nearby with her arms behind her back. "Is this the friend you asked me about?"
"Yes. This is Erza Scarlet, she's a dear friend of mine from my guild."
"Come here, child." Celina said as she walked over to Erza and placed her hands on her shoulders. She looked at her closely before smiling and moving a hand to her cheek. "Make yourself at home, any friend of Lucy is a friend of ours. Come, you both must be tired." Celina said taking the two by their hands and leading them inside. "Bastion, can you please bring some tea and cake over to the parlor?" Bastion smiled at her request and bowed.
"Right away ma'am." Bastion said closing the doors to the house behind him. Celina walked with the two wizards behind her while the two looked around the house in awe. Lucy stopped when she saw the large staircase and she giggled quietly as she remembered the time Asemu had convinced her to slide down the rail and the two wound up flying into Bastion and dropping a cake on all three of them.
"Remembering the cake story?" Celina asked as she turned around and realized where she was looking. Lucy nodded and Erza smiled seeing her best friend in such a good mood. "Would you two actually like to go to the parlor or would you like to see the kids?" Celina's question made Erza think for a moment, but before she could even answer: Lucy was already nodding in excitement. "Well, Fabia is outside so let's see her first." Celina led the two to the backyard where Fabia was frantically pacing back and forth between the altar and where the first row of seats began.
"Now Ryu isn't answering and I need him here and now I don't know what to do and this is all so stressful." Fabia muttered to herself as she covered her eyes with her hand.
"Sweetheart, you have a guest."
"Not now, mom. I'm sorry, but this is way too stressful now thanks to your idiot of a son."
"Depends on which one." The strange new voice confused Fabia who uncovered her eyes to see Lucy standing in front of her with her hands behind her back. "If memory serves, you were the smartest of the four." Fabia's jaw dropped and she took in the sight in front of her. Before Lucy could even finish greeting her, Fabia quickly ran up to her and pulled her in for an extremely tight hug.
"Lucy? You're so big, so tall, so gorgeous, so..." Fabia let her go and looked at her facial features closely, remembering the Heartfilia matriarch's warm smile. "...so much like Auntie Layla."
"Thanks, Fabi. Can I even still call you that?"
"Of course you can. And this is your friend mom told me about?" Fabia asked seeing Erza admiring everything they had set up for the wedding. "Not going to lie to you, I expected it to be a guy." Fabia whispered making Lucy laugh and walk with her towards Erza.
"Fabia this is Erza, my best friend and one of the people I admire the most. Erza this is Fabia, the bride to be." Lucy said as Fabia extended a hand to Erza who happily shook it.
"Everything looks so gorgeous." Erza said making Fabia giggle once she noticed the stars in the scarlet haired wizard's eyes.
"Thank you, I handpicked everything myself." Fabia said giving Erza a big grin. Lucy then remembered what the bride was complaining about and decided now was as good a time as any to ask about it.
"Fabi, who were you complaining about?" Lucy asked making Fabia groan and sit down.
"Ryu. I need him here because he's going to be walking me down the aisle and no one seems to know where he is." Before Celina could speak up, the women were surprised hearing someone clear their throat behind them.
"I do." The women turned around to see Ace standing behind them with his hands in his pocket and looking in Lucy's direction. Lucy looked at the man closely, trying to remember which of the three brothers he could've been. But before she could ask, Fabia spoke up.
"Where is he, Ace?" Fabia asked making Lucy's eyes widen as the name set in. Celina realized what was about to happen and pulled the other two back to give the two some space.
"Ace...?" Lucy asked taking a step towards him. Ace chuckled slightly, trying to find the right words to say to her, but the sight of Lucy Heartfilia standing in front of him after so many years left him with butterflies in his stomach and his heart racing faster than it ever had. "Your name is Ace?" Ace nodded slowly as now he had to fight the lump in his throat to try to speak.
"...yeah."
"Ace...short for Asemu...right?" Lucy took another step forward, now fighting a lump in her throat as well as she could hear her own heartbeat clear as day.
"Well, you gave me that name remember?" Ace said as now Lucy was standing only inches away from him, looking deep into his emerald green eyes. "It's been a long time."
"Y-Yeah. You've grown a lot." Lucy said remembering how the last time she had seen him, she was taller by at least a few inches. Now he was taller than her, maybe even taller than Gray.
"So have you. Um...Ryu went to the office, something about leaving some work unfinished." Ace said remembering why he had spoken up it the first place. "I can go get him if you-"
"I will go with Erza, if she doesn't mind accompanying me." Celina said raising a hand to stop Ace while Erza awkwardly nodded.
"Y-Yes ma'am, of course I don't."
"Wonderful."
"I'll go as well-" Lucy was cut off by Celina again.
"I will go alone with Erza. You two stay here and catch up." Celina said grabbing Erza and pulling her along while Fabia took the hint and snuck away as well, leaving the two alone in the backyard.
"Um...L-Lucy." Lucy turned to look at Ace again who began to scratch the back of his head. "Would you like to go for a walk?"
"Uh, sure."