The Dragon and The Mermaids Reboot Chapter 13, a fairy tail fanfic

Hello! Before this chapter begins, I just wanted to let it be known that I've realized how, through a blunder of my own, I've messed up the canonical timeline of events, which became apparent to me when I wrote this chapter. While I was thinking about fixing it, I decided to just leave it as is. While it would probably be best to go through and change the inconsistencies, they mostly point towards the Oracion Seis - which won't be a major point in the story, besides for references to the past. With that taken care of, I'm going to try more to make sure inconsistences don't happen, again. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

"Dialogue"

"Thoughts"

Magic

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Natsu's eyes shot open, his vision being filled once again by the all-consuming black voice, and his ears being met once more with a dull monotonous thumping, much like before. Looking around the void, he'd watch as dark greenery materialized around him, forming the same forest from his last nightmare; the thick dark brown, almost black, trees which were accompanied with dark green leaves. The canopy was just as thick as he remembered, as the leaves once again blocked out any hope of seeing sunlight, in the ominous forest once again.

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The dull thumping picked up in pace, being a steady rhythm that continued to echo in his ears, at the same pace and beat, no matter where he went or looked. After walking through the forest for a few minutes, Natsu expression would change to one of visible annoyance - no longer finding the setting as ominous or worrying as he did during his first visit.

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Each step Natsu took was met by the resounding echo of a dull thumping, the sound becoming more and more common, causing the annoyance on Natsu's face to grow, with the passing seconds.

"Tch. This is starting to get annoying." Natsu groaned, as he continued walking through the endless forest, which continued to repeat itself again and again in formation. "At least I was running for my life, last time." Natsu muttered in annoyance, while examining the trees around him, looking for any semblance of difference that he could find - and coming up blank.

Thu-thump

The beating continued, whittling away at what little sanity the dragonslayer had left, as he kept walking through the forest. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours, as Natsu lost track of how long he was even in the forest, this time. Just as he was about to scream in annoyance, once more, Natsu would feel it - the unmistakable feeling of eyes on his back. Turning around, he'd not see spiders, but instead the Wolf Spider he fought last week; their prominent fangs drenched in blood, as they stared at him, with an evident hunger in their eyes.

"Finally. Something, at least." Natsu groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, before staring at the creatures. "Though it's different from last time… I wonder why I keep ending up here?" Natsu mused allowed, as if he was unphased by the presence of the three Wolf Spiders.

While he was lost in his own thoughts, the center most Wolf Spider took the moment as its chance to pounce. It's wolf-like snout stretched into a snarl, as a guttural growl escaped from its lips, its eight eyes staring holes into Natsu's flesh, as it lunged forward.

Reacting with impressive haste, Natsu channeled two balls of condensed, orangish-red fire into the palms of his hands, his arms stretching backwards, angled slightly behind his body, as he held them there. Then, as the Wolf Spider was a few feet away from Natsu, he would swing his arms forward, arcs of flame being left in their trail, as his palms clasped together. "Fire Dragons Cataclysm!" Natsu shouted, the balls of condensed flames in his palms exploding outwards and along the arcs of flame, sending a shockwave of fire out along the flames, in a 270 degree angle around his body, with only behind him being left unscorched.

"Man, that was risky. I had no idea if my magic would work here… good thing it does." Natsu mused, as he looked at the ground around him, seeing the grass scorched and the burning bodies of the three Wolf Spiders. "Huh. Those are weaker than I thought - maybe I was being too cautious, with the real one." Natsu mumbled to himself, as the fires began to fade around him, the scenery seemingly repairing itself, in the process. As this was happening, Natsu noticed the flames around the Wolf Spider's were dwindling out, revealing three figures that left Natsu staring, wide-eyed.

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The monotonous beating ringing in his ears grew louder, as he saw the forms of of Caspian, Arthur, and Ophelia, staring up at him. Their bodies were covered in scorch marks, as the last remainder of his fire danced around their limp forms, before burning out completely. Caspian and Arthur looked the same as he last saw them, Caspian's armor crumpled and torn apart, with indents and puncture marks. Arthurs own leather armor basically melted away from Natsu's heat, as he laid with multiple stab wounds throughout his body. Their eyes stared up at Natsu, black, inky, lifeless.

Ophelia's body was the one closest to Natsu, the one who suffered the majority of his spells' damage. Her skin was scorched, her limbs mangled from the shockwave, as her chest heaved in labored movements, her eyes staring up at Natsu, with fear and terror.

"You.. you killed them, Natsu.. You killed us.." Ophelia's words came out in choked gasps, as they echoed around the forest, Natsu's ears being bombarded, as if she was speaking from every direction.

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The beating grew louder, more rapid, as Natsu stared at the dying form of his closest friend. He wanted to speak, to deny what she had said, but he couldn't - no matter what he wanted to say, Natsu couldn't bring himself to speak, his mouth remaining closed no matter what.

"This isn't real… it's just a dream, Natsu. Get a hold of yourself. It's just a dream..!" Natsu thought to himself, his hands clenched into fist and his eyes closed, as the world around him began to blur and shift into a different scene.

"Natsu…?"

Natsu's eyes shot open, as he heard a quiet voice speaking out from the distance. He was no longer in the forest, and no longer saw the dead bodies of his friends - but instead, he was at the training grounds belonging to Mermaid Heel, once again. Standing in the center of the arena, Natsu saw a sea of faces, looking at him with horrified expressions; as confusion was plastered on his face.

"...Why…?"

Natsu's head shot down, staring at the charred and burnt body of Kagura, his eyes widening as she struggled to move her lips enough to speak, as he could barely even recognize her for who she was. He'd finally managed to open his mouth, staring down at the barely living body beneath him.

"Kagura… I…" Natsu muttered, unable to continue as he felt the world shifting around him, once again. He saw the scene shifting once more, the training grounds and guild hall blending together before being replaced by the sight of another forest - much lighter and less ominous than the last. The ground around him was covered in craters, as he remembered his own training grounds in Sacchia. Looking around, he took notice of no one, being alone in the scene - until he smelled what could only be ash, unmistakably so. Looking down at his feet, he saw a pile of ash and soot, whatever his victim was having been burnt to an absolute crisp. Realization would hit Natsu, however, as he saw a shred of fabric blown out from under the ash, due to a gust of wind - a piece of fabric similar in color to Ultear's Kimono.

THU-THUMP

As soon as the realization hit Natsu, the world shifted and morphed once again. Looking around, he recognized the surroundings immediately. Standing in a small living room, with a connected kitchen in the top corner, and a small hallway leading down to three doors, Natsu recognized it as Chelia's and Wendy's house - a thought that sent a shudder down his spine. While he noticed no bodies, no remains, or no ashes - he couldn't help but wonder what would happen this time?

As if on cue, it happened. The windows to the house shattered inwards, as fire forced its way in and began to lick and eat away at any piece of furniture it could attach to; snaking across the floors in all sorts of devilish patterns, in the process. No matter what he did, Natsu was unable to prevent the fire from spreading. He couldn't eat the fire, nor could he smother and extinguish it - all Natsu was able to do was stand there, and watch as the flames ate away at the world around him, which began to shake violently - as if an earthquake was tearing through the world.

Just as Natsu saw a photo of Chelia, Wendy, and the white haired cat burn away into nothing, everything suddenly shifted, once again. The shaking had stopped, almost as quickly as it had started - and no longer was he in a burning house, but instead sitting in a quiet meadow, a gentle breeze going through his hair as he listened to the sounds of birds chirping, and a nearby stream rushing.

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The erratic and booming thumping that was ringing in his ears slowly resided, being replaced by the much calmer, rhythmic thumping that he had experienced in the beginning of his dream, as the world around him remained peaceful and serene. Closing his eyes, taking in the peacefulness that his nightmare turned into, he'd take a deep breath, before slowly releasing it, with a sigh. It was at this moment Natsu would open his eyes, no longer seeing the serene landscape he had previously been in, but instead he was met with a different sight. Above his head, he saw the familiar face and hair of Chelia, her eyes wide with worry as she stared down at him. Next to her, was another face - one that was only vaguely familiar to him. The girl had fair skin, with a slightly rounder face - her eyes being a chocolate brown, staring down at him.

Upon Natsu opening his eyes, the two ladies staring down at him would widen their eyes further, in surprise; nothing jumping back and away from the couch, hugging one another tightly as they did - each of them letting out a shrill shriek, in surprise.

Shooting upwards on the couch, Natsu would instinctively cover his ears with the palms of his hands, trying to block out the shriek that bombarded his ears, and took him by surprise. "H-hey! Calm down, please!" Natsu called out, his face pinched up and corted from the sudden shockwave to his ears. Though he would notice the surprised shriek go away, not that long after it had initially started.

Chelia quickly scrambled back towards the couch, an embarrassed look on her face, as she bowed her head over and over again. "Sorry Natsu! Your eyes opened up so suddenly and it startled me!" She apologized profusely, still bowing up and down.

Not much longer later, the blue haired woman, who Natsu figured to be Wendy based on the photos around the house, would be right next to Chelia, bowing in tandem as well. "Chelia being surprised surprised me - I'm sorry Mr. Natsu!" She apologized profusely, as well.

Natsu held up his hands, reassuringly, as he looked at the bowing blob of amaranth hair, with a nod of understanding. "Hey, hey, it's okay! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you two!" Natsu would say, his voice raising a little louder than he had meant, which caused the two girls to stiffen up immediately. Realizing this, Natsu would scratch the back of his head a little bit, embarrassed at seemingly frightening the two girls. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell-" he muttered, as he looked away for a moment.

"It's - it's okay, Natsu!" Chelia exclaimed, as she shook her head out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry for angering you, Mr. Natsu!" Wendy responded, as she hung her head down in shame, having a different reaction than her amaranth haired friend.

"No, no you didn't anger me!" Natsu exclaimed quickly, as he tried to defuse the situation.

"Hmph. Some nerve you have, ruffian. Getting angry at the lady who simply provided you aid? The gall of some people." A third voice said, catching Natsu's attention.

Turning his head to the right, he saw a white-haired cat, standing on a coffee table, that was pushed to the side. She was wearing a white buttoned up blouse, and a blue skirt - with her arms crossed, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Did - did that cat just speak..?" Natsu asked shakily, worried that he had gone insane.

Looking at him in confusion for a minute, Wendy would then slowly nod her head, before speaking. "U-um.. that's - that's Carla. She's my friend. Though yes - she is a talking cat." She explained, as normally as she could; a situation she was used to, nowadays.

"Wendy. I advise against associating with this one. He seems like a bad egg." The cat said, as if to prove Wendy's statement true.

"Huh. I see." Natsu responded, deadfaced, as he contemplated what that meant… "wait - she said something about you providing me aid… what did she mean?" Natsu asked, curiously, as he looked towards Wendy, getting a good look at her for the first time since waking up. She had a similar build to Chelia, a petite frame that was maybe an inch or two shorter, than the aforementioned woman. Her hair was long and dark blue, held up into a pair of pigtails by animal ear-esq attachments. Her outfit consisted of a long sleeve, reddish-maroon top, with two buttons in the center, with an orange ascot around her neck. Her shirt had a small black and white pattern along the shoulders, which stretched down the length of the sleeves and to her upturned cuffs. Alongside her long sleeved shirt, Wendy wore a frilled skirt, with a pair of thigh high socks.

Wendy would look around embarrassedly, as if she was trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with the pink-haired dragon slayer, before speaking. "Oh! U-um.. well, you were having a bad dream - so Chelia and I tried to wake you up, by shaking you. But when that didn't work, I used a spell to ease your nightmare.." Wendy trailed off near the end, fidgeting the tips of her index fingers together, in awkwardness.

Hearing this, Natsu would nod his head, as he chipped his chin in his hand, looking down as if in thought. "Shaking me? Thats probably what that shaking was… and that would explain why everything got so peaceful, at the end.." Natsu thought, before a small smile spread across his face, as he looked at Wendy once again. "Is that so? Thank you, Wendy. That was one nasty dream, so I appreciate you helping me. I wasn't aware dragon slaying magic had such non-combat based abilities." Natsu praised, with a smile.

Wendy, who began to blush at Natsu's praise, offered back a shy smile of her own, as she nodded her head. "Mhm! My dragon told me that Sky Dragons have strong affinity for healing-based magics… so I was taught a few healing spells by her." Wendy explained, with a small smile.

"See? I told you she was awesome!" Chelia chimed in, with a beaming, energetic smile - causing Wendy to flush in embarrassment, even more so, at the praise.

"I guess you weren't exaggerating, Chelia." Natsu said, with a smile - that was slowly replaced by a small frown. "Sorry for worrying, you two. I have nightmares somewhat often, but they've been getting worse recently." Natsu explained, as he turned his head towards the cat. "Your name is Carla, right? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, in any way. I was never angry at Wendy, simply surprised as well." Natsu said, with an apologetic smile.

"Hmph." Was all Natsu got back from the cat, as she kept her arms crossed, and looked away.

"It's okay, Natsu! I'm just glad Wendy was able to help." Chelia said, with a small smile. "I have some healing capabilities, with my magic - but nothing like Wendy." She giggled, noticing her friend's embarrassment once again.

"Guys, stooooop!" Wendy whined, her face flushed red due to the compliments she kept receiving.

Natsu just smiled, taking in the rather adorable sight of the pouting Wendy, as he did. Though he would then turn towards Chelia, with a curious look. "Can you heal, as well? What magic do you use?" Natsu asked, realizing he never actually has asked the woman what her magic was.

"I'm a Sky God Slayer!" Chelia beamed, as she generated a small and harmless burst of wind, in her palm. The wind itself was a dark black, with glittering shades of silver etched throughout it.

Natsu raised his eyes in surprise, as he stared at the small demonstration. "A god slayer, huh? Well damn - I wasn't expecting that." He admitted, with an appreciative nod.

"Are you familiar with this type of magic?" Chelia asked, with a smile.

"Yeah. I've only met one other god Slayer - he was a freaky dude, who used fire god slaying magic. He was a part of a dark guild, Grimoire Heart. Though I have heard of a third, who is in Sabertooth - but I've never met him." Natsu explained.

"Woah, that's so cool! I didn't know there were other god slayers out there… Wait - Grimoire Heart? As in, like, THE Grimoire Heart?" Chelia exclaimed, excitedly, before her tone was overtaken by one much more akin to fear, as her expression changed.

"Mhm. I had a run in with them, a few months back. Managed to beat their fire god slayer, Zancrow was his name - and one of their other big shots, before I had to flee." Natsu explained, casually.

Hearing this, Wendy would stare at Natsu wide-eyed, with a look of pure admiration in her eyes, in the process. "I knew you were strong, but… I never knew you were THAT strong." Wendy said softly, as she looked at Natsu.

It was then that Carla spoke up, also looking towards Natsu. "I… admit, I also didn't know you were that strong. Had I not been there when you defeated those two from the Oracion Seis, I wouldn't believe you now." Carla said, with a serious expression on her face.

Natsu sweatdropped lightly, at this, as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Look- it's not that impressive or anythi-" he started, only to be caught off by Chelia.

"Not that impressive!? You beat two of the Seven Kin of Purgatory - A-Class mages and below have run on sight commands for even just seeing one member!" Chelia exclaimed, with astonishment.

Hearing this, Natsu just shook his head - knowing he wasn't going to win the argument. "That name isn't quite accurate, by the way. When I ran into them - there were only five. Apparently the other two defected long, long ago. So there was really only Five Kin of Purgatory. Probably stuck with saying Seven, since it sounds better." Natsu explained, before ending with a tiny chuckle. Though he'd notice the look of admiration still being present in Wendy's eyes, which did make him a little uncomfortable - not being one to like the spotlight, after all.

"Really? That's interesting… I wonder why they defected." Chelia muttered, only to be met by a shoulder shrug from Natsu.

"I don't know. Apparently they were pretty young - they just had very strong magic, for their age. As far as I could tell, they escaped Grimoire Heart, and have been in hiding since. But who knows if those crazy bastards were telling the truth." Natsu mused, once again catching a glimpse of admiration in Wendy's eyes - finally breaking, and deciding to simply ask her what's up. "Wendy - I don't know what you're thinking, but-" Natsu started, before being cut off.

"Train me!" Wendy exclaimed, excitedly - catching Chelia and Natsu by surprise.

"Huh?" The two pink-haired mages asked in unison, being completely caught off-guard.

"I want you to train me, Natsu! I have ever since you helped beat the Oracion Seis… You're the only dragon slayer I've ever met, who hasn't been incredibly scary or tried to kill me - so please, help me grow stronger!" Wendy explained, with determination in her eyes.

"I'm.. assuming you're referring to Gajeel, and Cobra, when you say that." Natsu deadpanned, hating how accurate she was in saying what she did. "Though why do you want me to train you? You're plenty strong, from what I've been told." Natsu mused, as he stared at the determined girl.

"You saved my life, during the Oracion Seis incident. It was a little over two years ago - but I remember it like it was yesterday. If you hadn't showed up when you did, and took out Cobra and Zero, it's very likely we would've lost the fight.." Wendy said softly, as she explained her stance. "Gajeel was strong - but I've never seen dragon slayer magic as strong as yours, and I still haven't since then. I… I want to find Grandeeney, and I can only do so if I'm strong." Wendy said, with steely resolve.

Natsu stared at her blanket for a few moments, before he sighed. "I don't know, Wendy. I don't really have time to take on an apprentice - what I do is dangerous work, and no offense, but most people would be a hindrance to me, in a lot of situations." Natsu said, calmly albeit with brutal honesty, which caused Wendy to look a little sad, at hearing. "...but, I suppose I can help teach you a thing or two, whenever I'm in town. It's the least I can do, for Grandeeney." Natsu said, with a small smile.

Hearing this, a smile would spread across Wendy's face, as she nodded her head excitedly. Though that smile was soon replaced by a look of realization, at what Natsu said. "Wait.. what do you mean? Did you know Grandeeney?!" She asked, before suddenly getting right up in Natsu's face, pushing him back against the back of the couch.

"Woah woah Wendy, calm down!" Chelia said, as she grabbed her friend and pulled her off Natsu, with a little effort.

"Thanks, Chelia." Natsu sighed, before a small smile spread across his face. "And yeah, I knew her. Not well, though. While I was training with my dragon, Igneel was his name by the way, we had a run in with her, a few times. Whenever that happened, Igneel would give me the day off training, to converse and get to know Grandeeney - probably since I never had anyone to talk to, hah." Natsu said, with a smile. "The last time I saw her, she said she was going to take on a student - but I never got the chance to see her, after that." Natsu explained.

Wendy nodded her head in understanding, as she listened to Natsu and his explanation. "Does that mean your dragon is also missing?" She suddenly asked, with a small frown.

"Yeah." Natsu replied. "Gajeel and I talked about it, when we first met. Our dragons vanished on the same day - I'm assuming the same for you, Wendy?" Natsu asked, curiously.

"Mhm." She responded, a little sadly.

Seeing the sadder looks on the dragon slayer's faces, Chelia would stand up fully from where she was, with a smile. "It seems you two have a lot to talk about! Why don't I go and make some breakfast? Carla, would you like to join me?" Chelia asked, with a small smile, as she made her way to the kitchen.

The cat in question would look towards the amaranth haired hair, then back at Wendy, with a small frown. Though after staring at her dearest friend for a moment, Carla would let out a little sigh, before nodding her head. "Coming." She simply replied, a pair of angelic-like wings sprouting from her back, as she flew off to the kitchen in pursuit of Chelia.

Natsu would watch this interaction unfold, his eyes widening a little as he saw Carla take to the skies. "I feel like I should be a lot more surprised than I actually am." Natsu muttered, with a simple shake of his head. "Of course the talking cat can fly." He laughed.

Hearing this, Wendy was brought out of her little stupor, a small smile forming on her face as she nodded her head. "Mhm! Though that's not all she can do - she can see the future, too!" Wendy beamed, as she gave Natsu a somewhat toothy smile.

Natsu just stared at Wendy, deadpanned for a moment, before sighing audibly, his head hanging low. "A sky dragon slayer, sky god slay, and a future seeing cat… there's more surprises in this household, then there has been in half of my S-Class quests, combined." Natsu joked, before a small smile spreads to his lips.

Wendy giggled as well, as she heard Natsu's reaction to Carla's ability. "Yeah, a lot of people are surprised when they first find out about it. Though it's not something she can control - it just sort of happens, at random." Wendy admitted, with a smile. "Mr. Natsu, can I ask you something?" Wendy asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"If you drop the Mr." Natsu responded, casually.

"Right… then Natsu - what was Grandeeney like? Do you have any stories you could share of her?" Wendy asked, her eyes large and hopeful.

Hearing this, Natsu would hold his hand to his chin, his eyes closed as he pondered for a moment. "Grandeeney was… kind, insightful, and very wise. She'd often lecture me about the other gender - which was helpful, cause I probably would've been beheaded when I first arrived in Mermaid Heel, if it wasn't for her lectures. I'm sure you already know this, but she was a great teacher. She was the one who taught me the basics of reading and writing." Natsu laughed, as he opened his eyes, a look of fondness was present in them, as he did so. "Buuuut… she was also very stubborn. She'd argue with Igneel for hours on end - usually when I was asleep. I woke up to it once, but they stopped as soon as they realized I was awake. Neither of them would say what they were arguing about, either. Grandeeney would say Igneel was being a fool, and Igneel would say she was being stubborn." Natsu concluded, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Wendy listened with rapt attention, her eyes basically glued to the pink-haired dragon slayer, as she listened in. "The first few sound pretty accurate, hehe. Though I don't know about her being stubborn… though I guess Grandeeney and I never argued, so there was never anything for her to be stubborn over." Wendy said, as she thought back fondly to her time with her dragon. "Do you have any other stories you can tell me?"

Natsu smiled, as nodded his head towards the blue-haired girl. However, before speaking again, he'd stand up from the couch, stretching his muscles a bit, as he now had to look down to make proper eye contact with Wendy. "Yeah, I'm sure I've got a few stories. But you'll have to show me what you can do in battle, to earn them." Natsu said, as he gave Wendy a toothy grin, as he stretched his right arm, as if he was getting ready to fight.

Faster than Wendy could even reply, Carla would have shot out into the living room, floating in the air between Wendy and Natsu, with a serious and angry expression on her face. "Listen here, you ruffian! You don't barge into someone's home, mooch off their hospitality, then try to fight them!" She chastised, aggressively.

Natsu tilted his head to the side, scratching his neck sheepishly in the process. "Listen, Carla. Wendy asked me to train her - how can I train her if I don't know what she's good at, and what she struggles with? The best way to find that out is through a fight, now?" Natsu questioned, with a quirked eyebrow.

"Carla, he's right." Chelia called out from the kitchen, not having left and continued on breakfast, with a small smile. "Natsu's strong, and smart. He knows what he's doing. Though you two better hold off on the fighting until after breakfast!" She chirped, with a smile.

"I - There's no way I could win!" Whined Wendy, an anxious and worried expression on her face. "I mean - you beat both Miss Erza and Miss Kagura!" She exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Hearing this, Natsu would smile at the blue-haired lady, kindly. "And there's your first lesson - winning doesn't always mean beating your opponent. I'm not going to expect you to beat me - not that I plan to look down on you. I just want you to fight me, like you mean it, so I can see where you need to progress." He explained, with a smile.

Wendy would look at her hands, reluctance being abundant on her face, before she slowly nodded her head, much to the surprise of Carla. "Okay… okay, I'll give it everything I've got, Natsu!" She exclaimed, as she tried her best to look determined, and to hide the still obvious nervousness.

"Wendy, dear, you don't have to fight this brute." Carla tried to reason, only to be shut down with a gentle pat on the head, by Wendy.

"He's right though, Carla… besides, it's not like he'll try to kill me or anything - it's just a friendly sparring match!" Wendy said, with a smile.

With a sigh, Carla would nod her head, a weary look still on her face. "If you insist, Wendy. Just don't push yourself too hard." She chastised, like an overprotective mother.

"Now that that's settled." Chelia said, as she carried a few plates of food out to the dining room table. "Who's hungry?" She asked, with a small smile.

And that's that for this chapter! Decided to introduce Wendy, though I don't know how prevalent she (or Chelia) will be to the overarching story as a whole. Though I felt Wendy and Natsu always had such a sibling-esq relationship (I know, I'm totally the only one) and thought I'd introduce that here too! Albeit, more in the form of mentor and student.