First, I'd like to thank Turbowolf for the review, everything you said was correct, helpful, and I have already improved chapter 31 based on what you said. Please, everyone, review! The more you all review, the better the story will be. I don't care if it's a suggestion for a plot twist or just a comment, so please review so I can make the story as enjoyable as possible. I also ask that you all please give me a few chapters to figure out how to do the Soul Link conversations. They're actually kind of tricky to do, but I'm trying.
Please review, and thanks for reading.
I would like to give special thanks to my beta reader Ikrani for all of his help.
Chapter 32: The Fairy King Festival
"Freed, what are you doing here? When did you get back?" Mira asked, shocked and confused.
The larger dragon said nothing as he stares at the sisters.
"Freed, good, you're here," Lisanna said as she got up off of the ground, frantic to leave as soon as possible. "Did you see what it is that I ran into? Is something blocking the doorway? Do you think you could unblock it somehow?"
All that Lisanna got from the drake was silence.
"You said something about magic, didn't you?" Lisanna asked, pawing at the invisible wall. More draconic runes shimmered to life, like ripples in a pond. "Can you see if someone is casting it nearby? Or if there is something around generating the magic? Do you think that you could possibly break the spell?"
Now, she might not have been an overly sensitive person, nor an angry dragon. However, her haste to get to Natsu was wearing down her patience, and the cold shoulder from Freed only agitated her more.
"Come on, Freed, I don't have time for this! Just answer my questions! Are you going to help me or not?! Answer me!"
Yet again, only silence.
Lisanna could feel her irritation rise at the larger drake's stoic personality.
What is the matter with him? Two of his Thunder kin are trapped, and here he is, what, pondering where to go hunting next?!
Putting Natsu aside, this was a really alarming predicament they were in, and he seemed to think that this was perfectly normal. However, because of her ire, something Freed had said earlier become clear.
"Wait... You said I ran into your magic, didn't you?" Lisanna growled as she started pacing in front of him, angry and suspicious. "Did you do this? Are you somehow trapping us here?"
Freed didn't answer her, but his glare narrowed a little bit. That was all the confirmation Lisanna needed.
"You did this to us, Freed. Why? What could you possibly gain from trapping us in here?" She questions.
Saying his first words of the confrontation, Freed said, "I am under no obligation to answer your questions, Lisanna."
Lisanna saw red at his statement.
"FREED!" Lisanna snarled as she charged the doorway. Again, the barrier materialized, and she again crashed into it, only this time on purpose. When a colossal dragon runs into an object, it usually gets destroyed and collapses like a castle of cards. But not this time. This time, the barrier held against Lisanna's mass, the two forces wrestling for dominance. The clash lasted only a moment before the barrier won out, sending Lisanna reeling back to her sister.
"Lisanna, are you ok?" Mira asked, her head snaking around Lisanna's form, checking for injuries.
Lisanna ignored her sister as she shook off the blow, lifting her head and glaring at Freed.
"I don't understand, Freed! Please, help me understand!"
The silence continued, and her anger rose nearing her breaking point.
Lisanna took a few steps back before letting out a battle cry as she charged the barrier again. She hoped that a little extra speed would give her the power she needed to breakthrough. It was for naught, as this charge ended at the entrance after only a moment.
Mira watched Lisanna barrel into the barrier two more times with a worried look on her face.
What has gotten into Lisanna today? I've never seen her act like this before. I wonder what it is that's got her in such a rush? She's really starting to scare me. If she doesn't calm down, she is going to hurt herself.
After watching Lisanna crash for the fifth time, Mira couldn't just stand there doing nothing any longer. So, when Lisanna fell down after the blow, the Demon Dragonelle rushed over to her. Instead of helping her up, she intentionally held her down by placing one of her claws on her sister's wing and the other around her body, effectively pinning her down.
"Lisanna, stop! You're not going to break through his magic like that."
Lisanna glared at her sister as she struggled to get out of her grasp, "Mira, let me go!"
"No," Mira said firmly. "You're only going to hurt yourself if you don't stop."
Lisanna kept struggling but just couldn't find a way to break loose. After a few more moments, Lisanna decided on a different tactic.
Turning to look her sister in the eye, Lisanna put all her feelings of haste and desperation into her eyes, "Mira, please, I really need to leave. If I don't get there soon, I am going to lose out on something important. Please."
"What is it, Lisanna? What's so important? Tell me, please?"
"I wish I could, Mira, but I can't. I need you to trust me on this."
"I do trust you, Lisanna. But why can't you trust me? Whatever it is, I won't judge you. I'll even help you. Please, talk to me!"
The Tigress dragonelle hesitates before stammering, "I-I can't. I'm sorry, Mira, I just can't. All I can tell you is that time's running out, and I need to get there."
The sadness, desperation, and urgency in her voice shocked Mira. She'd never heard her sister sound like that before. She was so shocked that she accidentally loosened her grip a little.
Lisanna's expression did a complete 180 as she was able to get her footing and threw Mira off. She charged the barrier for the sixth time with the same result. Again. And when she fell down, again, Mira pounced on top of her sister. Lisanna tried to dodge but just wasn't fast enough. In moments, she was pinned to the ground once more.
"Mira, please! I need to get out of here. Let me go! Please!" Lisanna pleaded with just as much emotion as before while struggling.
"Not this time Lisanna. I am not falling for that again. All you are going to do is get hurt. You're not going to break through Freed's magic like that. It's too strong."
Lisanna stopped struggling to stare at Mira, "Mira, do you know what he did to trap us in here?"
"Kinda, yeah. I don't know specifics, but I know that it has something to do with what species of a dragon he is. Isn't that right, Freed?"
He fixed his glare on her and responded, "I won't be telling you. You don't need to know that information, Mirajane."
Hearing this, Lisanna redoubled her efforts to break out of her sister's hold. Mira was having trouble with keeping her pinned. She was thrashing about so much that it was causing her feet to slip. After a few more moments, she lost her grip, and Lisanna got up again.
But before she could rush the barrier again, a voice from nowhere interrupted and halted her, "Why don't you answer that one, Freed? I mean, they'll eventually find out anyway."
The three dragons all looked up towards a golden figure approaching from the air several dozen meters away, with two other dragons flanking him. Freed immediately knelt down upon recognizing the approaching dragon at the lead.
As the dragons approached, their features became more apparent.
On the golden dragon's left side was a dark, navy blue drake that is sixty-eight feet long with thin, rectangular scales. His frame was clearly larger than Freed but still smaller than the golden drake. He had a strong, muscular tail and a wild mane of hair going down to the tip of his tail, in the same color as his scales. Five horns encircle his head, almost like a crown, with each horn pointing straight up. His facial scales were unique, growing out over his eyes in a pattern like a visor from a medieval helmet colored pearl white. His sharp, neon green eyes shone through the gaps in the scale-visor. His wings were broad, with the membrane being the same pearl white as the visor, with large black on green eye-like spots in the middle. They made it look like he had an extra set of eyes on his wings.
On the golden dragon's right side was an emerald green dragonelle with deep brown eyes. She looked to be just about Mira's height, except maybe a tiny bit larger. The hair that covers her back was a color like milk brown and mint green mixed together. Her wings are on the small side compared to the other dragons, but what they lost in size, they more than made up for in number, as four wings beat behind the dragonelles back instead of two. They appeared almost round in shape, kind of what people would imagine a fairy's wings would look like, but still having draconic features. The webbing of the wings was just a shade darker than the rest of her body. She has small but strong-looking legs and an unusual tail. Its end was rounded, and it seemed to almost slither in the air behind her.
Finally, the drake in the middle was the largest. Standing at seventy-one feet long, he was one of the tallest in the Thunder. The drake's tough-looking scales were colored every shade of gold, and yellow one could think of, almost making him appear to shimmer as he flexed his wing muscles. His powerful legs were tipped with sharp, black claws. While the rest of his body was gold and yellow in color, the underbelly was a bruised purplish-black color. His long, thin, pointed tail didn't move but stood straight out like an arrow. His wings looked like a mix between a bat's and dragon's, with the webbing being an electric blue color similar to his eyes. His eyes held a kind of smugness to them. It seemed like the large drake looked down on everything he saw. His right eye was marked with a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.
"Are you sure, Master Laxus? Is it truly a good idea to give our strategies to the enemy?" Freed asked.
Laxus and the other dragons landed in front of the kneeling drake, "Sure, why not. It won't change the outcome of our plan if they know how your magic works."
"As you command."
Freed lowers his head even more in respect, then stands and looks over to the two waiting sisters.
"It is as Mirajane says, this is something that only my dragon species can create. I am a Rune Dragon. You see, we are born with an affinity not to the elements of nature but to magic itself. Our breath attack is nothing but pure magic power. When we channel our magic into the tips of our tails, we can write in the air or directly into the earth. We call it Ecriture," Freed proceeds to lift his tail, showing that the sword-like tip was glowing the maroon color of the barrier. He moved his tail through the air, and where it moves, a magic line materialized until it formed a floating draconic rune. It read, "Flash."
"We then use the pure magic power from our breath to activate what is written," he took a semi-deep breath and released his roar, striking the rune, which causes a maroon flash to occur. "As you saw, that is the effect of a Rune Dragon's breath attack. Some of the more powerful can add specific instructions into their writings as I have."
"So let me get this straight," Mira said, wanting to make sure she got it all. "You used the, what was it called, Ecrituring? I don't know, but you used it to inscribe directions into somewhere and put up this barrier, right?"
"It is called Ecriture, and you are correct. The inscription is just over there." Freed motioned with his head to a bolder, inscribed with an extensive paragraph facing the Thunder Hall.
"So what would happen if those runes were destroyed?"
Freed looks over at Laxus for confirmation, receiving a shake of the head.
"I am sorry. But it appears that is all of the information I will be giving you. If you wish to know more, then you will have to wait for it to start."
"What do you mean by 'it'? Is something going to happen?" The plea in Mirajane's voice was sincere and slightly desperate, aimed at the drake she fancied. "What are you planning, Laxus? Please, tell me what this is all about! I promise that I won't get mad or upset."
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, but I suppose I could give you a hint," Laxus teased in a smug voice. "How does that sound?"
After a few moments, the Demon Dragonelle opens her mouth to answer, but Lisanna interrupts with a cry.
"GrrRAAHH! What makes you think that I would really want to know or even care about any of that? I don't have time for this! Let me out of here RIGHT NOW!"
Her outburst was so unexpected and out of character that it shocked every dragon present into stunned silence. Their refusal to answer brought Lisanna's anger to a boil.
"You have three seconds. One... Two..." She paused to give them time to move. But when no one made a move, she released a snarling sigh before looking up with unadulterated rage.
Instead of finishing with the third number, Lisanna breathed in deeply before releasing her roaring breath attack. The shockwave struck the barrier and clashed violently, both straining to dominate the obstacle opposing them. The struggle lasted a lot longer than any of the attempts that Lisanna made before, almost a full minute. It got to the point that Freed was worried that his barrier might actually be breached. But, right when he thought it was at its limit, the breath attack finally gave out and dissipated.
Lisanna stood there panting in rage as she glared murderously at the Lightning Dragon and the Thunder God Tribe.
Laxus stared at the younger dragonelle with mild shock at her display.
"Well, that was unexpected," he says awkwardly before grinning in a sort of grateful and smug fashion. "But I should thank you, Lisanna. You've saved me quite a bit of time with that."
Lisanna, still glaring, asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that you woke everyone up. That's a few extra hours I just got back."
"Mira, Lisanna, what is going on out here?" Erza called from behind the dragonelles. "Why did you use your breath in the Thunder Hall?"
The sisters turned around to see every dragon in the Thunder staring at them. It was still very early when the little disagreement occurred, so there hadn't been many awake. And those that were awake had only been up for a few minutes. However, Lisanna's breath attack had changed all that. The deafeningly loud roar shook the entire cave system and scared the living daylights out of everyone.
"Ask them! They trapped us in here and won't let us out." Lisanna answered angrily.
"Laxus, what is the meaning of this?!" Makarov bellowed as he approached the door, Porlyusica at his side.
The Thunder Drake's smug smile never left his face as he replied, "I'm sick of waiting, gramps. I'm taking over Fairy Tail, whether you like it or not. I am obviously the strongest in the Thunder, and you aren't getting any younger. So I'm forcing your hand."
Everyone was shocked by his declaration. Except for Makarov, he looked just about as angry as Lisanna.
"You're trying to force your claim on the Thunder? This had better be a sick joke because it has gone too far, brat. You can do nothing that will force me to step down. It doesn't matter what you try. Let us out this instant, and I'll let this incident slide."
"And make it snappy," Porlyusica said, annoyed. "Some of us have better things to do with our time."
Laxus started chuckling after processing his grandfather's words, "Ha. Ahahaha. You underestimate me and my resolve, you old fossil. Evergreen, do it."
Evergreen looked hesitant for a moment before she flapped her wings and took off. She flew over to the edge of Magnolia, where she could just be seen by the Thunder Hall entrance, and took a deep breath, charging up a wad of green energy in her mouth.
Makarov and Porlyusica's eyes widened as they realize what is about to happen. Those who had a good guess for what was about to happen were shocked as well.
"LAXUS! CALL HER OFF RIGHT NOW!" Makarov cried in a panic. "Stop before it is too late to turn back!"
The rest of the Thunder was confused and concerned. Some had no idea what was going on, but hearing the leader sound so panicked made them worried.
Smaug, who was in his cave, was watching unconcerned. Smaug's cave was actually the giant hole that Natsu and Gajeel made when they killed Jose. After the battle, it had been renovated and turned into his cave with all the amenities, including a retractable window. He lifted his tail and pressed the button, opening the window and giving everyone a view of what was happening. He didn't really care about the humans but figured the other dragons might want to see what happened.
At that moment, the attack was fully charged, and Evergreen fired her breath attack at the closest building. Everything about the building, from the wooden doors to the glass windows and even the shingles were instantly turned to stone, petrifying everyone inside as well. She then started sweeping her beam in a grid, blanketing whole swathes of the town in petrifying energy.
"Oh no, the town!"
"Laxus, stop this! What did the humans ever do to you?"
"No! Laxus, you bastard! You'll pay for this!"
"This is so NOT manly!"
"Laxus. How could you do this?"
The Thunder was outraged. These humans, who had been nothing but friendly to them, were now imprisoned inside their own bodies. Even a cage would leave them some autonomy, with some sense of self, with any kind of freedom. For such a horrible thing to happen to such kind souls, and for what?
All of the Thunder screamed or cursed at the Thunder God Tribe and its leader, demanding them to stop. Even Smaug was surprised by the Lightning Dragon's actions. While he didn't care all that much about the humans, it still surprised him that the Lightning Drake would go to such lengths to accomplish his goals. The act of taking hostages permeated of fear, not strength. Smaug had a mind to call the drake's bluff, but the potential resulting loss of humans would surely make him an outcast, if not an enemy, of Natsu's Thunder kin. For the sake of accomplishing his duty, he would oblige this young upstart and his ridiculous power play. For now, at least.
Evergreen ran out of breath a couple of times during the process but continued to petrify the town until the only building that was not stone was the Heartfilia mansion. Levy watched with tears in her eyes as she saw her best friend get turned into stone. Gajeel saw her and considered trying to console her but thought better of it.
The dragonelle landed in her previous position. Laxus bowed to her slightly and said, "Good work."
Makarov turned to his grandson in a quiet fury, filled to the brim with sadness and disappointment, "Laxus, there will be consequences for what you have done here. The Thunder God Tribe as well. Mark my words."
"Whatever, gramps. Once we're through, you won't be the leader anymore, so it doesn't matter what you say. It's time to start the Fairy King Festival!"
Erza tilted her head and raised a scaly eyebrow, "What are you talking about Laxus, I've never heard of that before? Explain yourself this instant."
Freed's chest swelled in indignation.
"You insolent cur! How dare you speak to Laxus in such a manner! He is the greatest of us all! Show him the respect he deserves!"
Laxus turns to the Rune Drake. "Enough, Freed. I do need to explain the rules to start the festival."
As if a candle was blown out, Freed instantly calmed down and returned to his reclusive nature.
"And untangle your wings, Erza. I was just getting to the rules. As you've all witnessed, I have turned Magnolia to stone. If you don't want Magnolia to remain a statue garden forever, you have two options. First, you can hunt the four of us down, fight us, defeat us, and force us to undo the spell. Or second, gramps here will step down and name me the leader, and then we'll immediately fix the town. Evergreen's breath attack will become permanent in ten days, so you have until then to beat us. What's more, Freed made it so that any dragon over the age of 150 cannot leave no matter what. Don't try tunneling through the rock either, gramps, Freed's barrier covers the whole mountain."
The four dragons started flapping their wings and rose into the air. They circled the mountain until they reach the peak, then stopped.
"Remember, Fairy Tail, you have two days to prepare. After that, the barrier will allow you to leave and begin the festival. Prepare yourselves for the fight of your lives. And gramps, when you finally swallow your pride and name me the leader, have one of these losers tell Freed, and he'll let you out." At that, the Thunder God Tribe scatters, each going in one of the four directions. Laxus went west, Bickslow went south, Evergreen went east, and Freed went north.
Lisanna ran up as far as the barrier allowed her to and screamed, "Laxus! Please, let us out! Don't do this! Please, Laxus!"
But they were already gone.
/\/\/\/\/\
The Thunder was plunged into a tense silence after they were gone. Each dragon present was trying to process the events that had transpired. Then all hell broke loose. Some were fuming with rage and taking out their frustrations on whatever was closest, whether it was a wall or even another dragon. Some were crying, unable to look away from the statue garden that Magnolia had become. Others just stood, frozen in place, unable to comprehend the emotions they felt. It continued like that for an hour before Makarov could reign in his own feelings and slammed his giant foot onto the floor, drawing the attention of everyone present.
"Listen, my children! What Laxus has done here is unforgivable! The pain we feel for our innocent human friends is immense. But you must calm yourselves, my children. You must remain calm, steel your nerves, and prepare. Prepare yourselves to hunt them down, prepare to fight them with every fiber of your being, to defeat them and save the people of Magnolia below. It is for them that we go to war with our Thunder kin, and as harsh as it may be, it's no less the truth. Laxus has declared war on us when he victimized our human friends, and we must take retribution for their suffering. I encourage you all to spend these next two days doing whatever you can in this endeavor. Though I am unable to accompany you in the coming battle, I shall do what I can to help you here. I believe in each and every one of you. You will be victorious! Because you are members of Fairy Tail, the strongest Thunder in Fiore!"
Makarov's speech did its job rekindling their spirits. They began to disperse, some going back to their caves to rest, others going off to a corner to get pumped up for the fight to come.
The only one this speech didn't motivate was Lisanna. She didn't hear a single word of it. All she could think about was Natsu.
He left five days ago. If I have to sit here for two more days, it will have been an entire week he's been there waiting. Plus another two days to fly over to the waterfall cave. What if he decides I don't want to be with him? What if he flies off and leaves? Damn you, Laxus. Damn you, Freed. If I hurt Natsu because of you, if you take him from me... I'll never forgive you. Natsu... You've been hurt so much already. You don't deserve that.
While the others made their preparations, the Tigress Dragonelle stayed in front of the barrier, unmoving. She continued to stare at the magic that prevented her from leaving, with her ire unrestrained, for what felt like a whole day. She would have sat there all day, but she got restless. So she started pacing, never once breaking her stare.
The others try to be productive with their time, but Lisanna's pacing made them more anxious than before. There was something unsettling about her behavior. The way she paced was similar to a feral animal on the hunt, not like a civilized dragonelle.
After a few hours to collect and sort his thoughts and feelings, Makarov decided it was time to figure out a course of action. A quick glance around the Hall was enough to convey his desire to the people he wanted to talk with. Porlyusica, Erza, Mirajane, and a reluctant Smaug all gathered with Makarov in the back of the Hall to speak in private.
"Master, what do you make of these recent events? What do you want us to do?" Erza asked.
"I think I want to strangle that grandson of mine for what he's done. A cocky attitude and harsh words are one thing, but this stunt has crossed the line. He needs to be severely punished. If he hadn't trapped me in here, I'd have flown up and smacked the arrogance right out of his head."
"I don't understand why Laxus would do this," Mira said mournfully, her head dipped low. "I never believed he was capable of something like this. I mean, I know he's abrasive and a bit pig-headed sometimes, but... no, it's just... I mean, I just... I know he's better than this. He's not some heartless tyrant like Jose. What could have happened to make him do this?"
"He did it because he is an impatient brat with no decency," Porlyusica said, annoyed. "Honestly, I'm not surprised by any of this. I knew it was only a matter of time. You were too naïve in thinking that arrogant fool was ready to lead, Makarov. I was naïve for thinking he would keep his coup d'etat within the Thunder."
Yesterday, both Makarov and Mira would have defended the Lightning Drake's character, but now...
"I was too naïve to think he would just stand by and wait for me to step down." Makarov's massive form swelled before deflating into a long, sad sigh. "We must stop him and save the humans, no matter the cost."
"I agree, Master," Erza said with determination as she stomped her front foot. "He cannot be forgiven for this! I swear on my pride as a member of this Thunder, I will make sure that he is stopped!"
"If you really want to stop him, just think back. You've all know him longer than I have, but can you think of anything that might help us? Do you know where he hunts or how he fights? The numbers don't favor him, so the more information we have, the better." Smaug added.
"Laxus and his Thunder God Tribe are so often out of the Hall hunting and training, we don't really know what any of them are truly capable of," the Blade Dragonelle explains, then looks to the Demon Dragonelle. "Mira, did they say anything about their plan before the rest of us showed up? Anything at all, no matter how insignificant, could be useful."
Mira went over the conversation in her head repeatedly, trying to figure out something that could help.
"Mirajane, my dear," said Makarov, "why don't you just explain everything that transpired before Lisanna's roar."
The Demon Dragonelle took a deep breath, then dove into her explanation. She recounted Lisanna battling the barrier, Laxus showing up, and making Freed explain some of his abilities. How Lisanna lost her cool and used her breath attack. Mira even described her worries about her sister's recent change in behavior, along with the game of tag they'd started over the past few days.
The others listened closely, making sure not to interrupt her. They wanted to make sure that they didn't want to miss anything that might be important. They were curious about Lisanna's behavior, but it put it to the side in light of their current situation. The only one to take an interest was Smaug. Erza had told him the message Natsu had left for him, and now it made sense. The slightest hint of a smirk played on his face before returning to the situation at hand.
Erza was having trouble keeping her focus on what was said. She looked over her shoulder in the direction of the pacing dragonelle, then turned back to the others.
"Please excuse me, Master, everyone. There is a matter which I need to attend to."
"Are you crazy, Erza?" cried Mira, "We haven't even-"
"Very well, Erza," Makarov said, stepping forward and interrupting Mirajane. "But come back when you finish what you need to do. We still need to come up with a plan of action." He could tell that something was on her mind and that she needed to handle it to get her focus back.
"Yes, sir."
Walking up to Lisanna, Erza saw her glare and immediately felt uneasy. She knew she needed to pick her words carefully. If her phrasing was poor, Lisanna might take her anger out on her. She already had her concerns about Lisanna's recent behavior, but now it wasn't just her. Now they were real enough for others to have noticed. She had wanted to confront her weeks ago, but she felt like it was none of her business, that maybe she was a little anxious. However, after hearing her sister's concerns and witnessing her behavior firsthand, she decided it was time to make it her business.
After taking a moment to choose her words, she moved into the pacing dragon's way.
"Erza?" Lisanna asked, surprised. She wasn't expecting the Blade Dragonelle to appear.
"Hello, Lisanna. Do you have a minute?"
"Uh... I guess."
Both dragonelles sat down where they were.
After a few minutes, Lisanna finally got too curious. "So... what did you want to talk about? If it's about Laxus, you can just ask my sister for information."
"This isn't about that drake."
"Then what is this about?"
The Blade Dragonelle doesn't say anything for a couple more moments before sighing and answering, "*Sigh* there's no point in beating around the bush, I suppose. I'm worried about you, Lisanna. Your behavior as of late has not gone unnoticed, as I'm sure you're aware."
"Not you too. Erza, please, I'm telling you I'm fi-."
"Please, don't lie to my face, Lisanna," Erza interrupted, trying very hard not to snap. "I don't know what it is that's got you so disturbed or why you won't tell us about it, and I don't understand why it is so important to you. However, I would like to help you if I could."
Lisanna couldn't think of any excuse other than 'I'm fine,' so she decided to go with the truth, "I'm sorry, Erza, but this is something that I have to keep a secret."
"Is it really that serious that you can't tell us?" Erza asked, voice full of melancholy.
"Yes, it is."
"Will it affect the rest of the Thunder?"
"No. The only one it affects is me."
And Natsu, of course, but I can't say that.
"If that is the case, then I won't ask. But please, Lisanna, I know that you are upset, more so than the others, it seems, but please try to calm down at least a little."
"I know, I know. Feeling this way isn't healthy for me."
"No, it isn't, but that's not what I meant," Erza replied, chuckling lightly to herself. "Your pacing is making everyone else more anxious than they already are."
Surprised, Lisanna looked around the Hall and saw that everyone was giving her subtle glances, with looks of trepidation in their eyes.
Lisanna's head dipped in embarrassment as she says, "Sorry. I didn't realize… I'll just go to my cave until the barrier comes down."
Still concerned, the Blade Dragonelle watched her friend shuffle awkwardly away towards her cave. It was plain as day that her troubles didn't decrease, but at least she wasn't trying to add to everyone else's troubles by staying where they could watch her.
"I hope," Erza whispered, "that whatever is bothering you, Lisanna, you'll be able to tell us about it. One day."
She turned around and walked back to the others, ready to finally form a battle plan.
/\/\/\/\/\
Laying down in a cave hidden behind a waterfall, a crimson dragon looked up from the deer he was eating. He was laying still, staring at the entrance for a few minutes before sighing and finishing his meal in one big gulp. Standing up, Natsu walked forward and flew out of the cave. He climbed higher and higher until he was well above the waterfall and turned in the direction of the Thunder Hall.
Hovering, staring longingly across the landscape
"It's been five days," he said to himself. "If she isn't here by sunrise tomorrow, then..."
Natsu sighed, "Then I guess that's her answer."