Welcome back everybody! So, as some pointed out last chapter, things are fairly chill right now. This is intentional. As I said in my replies to last week's comments, the next few chapters are definitely the calm before the storm. So, til then, let's enjoy the bonding and silliness :)

KEEPING SECRETS CHP 14- Ready For More

"Am I disturbing you, unc- I mean, Your Highness?"

Natsu noted Larcade's use of his official title- not his familial one of 'uncle'. "Umm... not really..."

When the etherious entered the room, Natsu noted, in addition to the bandages still on his face, especially the one over his nose, how he neither scowled, as he usually did in Natsu's presence, nor wore that tranquil expression as he did most other times. His face was expressionless, and his eyes seemed as empty as his voice.

Larcade stood at the end of Natsu's bed and said, "I wanted to apologize to you. My actions were unacceptable and I have treated you unfairly ever since you came here to Alvarez. You spared my life when you had absolutely no reason to and for that I am grateful. I do not expect you to accept my apology, but I wanted you to know I am sorry and intend to honor my promise to you in our first meeting."

This was bizarre. Larcade's usual haughtiness was replaced by a somber meekness and eerie politeness. Natsu paused for a minute before he said, "Look, if Zeref made you come here or whatever, you don't have to do this. I told him I was over-"

"Fa- His Majesty didn't make me come. This is something... I wanted to do." Larcade said, serious, but also sounding a little unsure of himself. He slowly made his way to the chair next to Natsu's bed. As he sat down, he continued, "I've been jealous of you for as long as I can remember...His Majesty used to talk about how much he cared for you, and yet, you had no idea how much he had suffered for your sake. I was here, supporting him, but still it felt like day and night he sang your praises while barely acknowledging me... over time I learned to be content in the fact I was by his side and you were not. That is until you showed up in Vistarion a week ago... it felt like everything I cared about was crumbling away before my eyes. I thought there was no way you were as kind and optimistic as His Majesty described... but there you were, beaming in the meeting with the other members of the Twelve, genuinely excited to be meeting them despite some of their insufferable personalities. And despite my hostility, and Ajeel and God Serena's challenges, you took it all in stride with a smile plastered on your face. Hell, even August, who has never liked me no matter what I do, seemed to make friends with you straight out of the gate. And then, you single-handedly countered all of my attacks I thought no human stood a chance against."

Larcade sighed. "I hate admitting as such, but I overreacted. Bloodman was right, I should have been content to serve His Majesty even if I wasn't his favorite. I would have still been able to be by his side. Now... the only reason I'm not six feet under is your intervention. When August brought me the news that you had spared me, I was infuriated... I felt so humiliated. But then he said something that cut straight through me; 'The fact the father you say you love so much wanted you dead and the uncle you say you hate more than anything wanted you to live shows how out of touch with reality you are.' That's what prompted me to come here once I heard you had woken up. It's all so ironic, isn't it?"

"Look, Larcade..."

"Wait just a moment, Your Highness. I know I have no right to ask... but please listen just a second longer. I just need to know one thing going forward... it's about your loyalty to your brother. When Fairy Tail reforms... What do you plan to do? Will you leave His Majesty and the rest of us behind? Or will you cast aside your found family for your blood?" Larcade stared at Natsu with intensity as he asked. His gaze wasn't malevolent just... very serious. Like he couldn't bear to live another second without knowing the answer.

Natsu met Larcade's eyes, his own blazing with determination. "Neither."

The intensity in Larcade's gaze faltered, and he stared at Natsu in confusion. "What? What do you mean neither?"

"I ain't abandoning nobody!" Natsu declared. "No way I could ever turn my back on Fairy Tail- they mean the world to me. All of them- they're my family. And so is Zeref- now that I found him again no way I'll leave him again. He's stuck with me now!"

Larcade frowned. "Surely you can't think your guild will be alright with His Majesty being your brother? From my understanding there's a lot of them that bear personal grudges against him."

Natsu furrowed his brow. "Well, yeah, but... the reason they don't like him is because of the stuff his curse has made him do! It's messed his head up! Zeref doesn't want to hurt people. They just need to see the real him!"

"They don't care about the 'real him'!" Larcade's voice rose, his tone becoming impassioned and slightly frustrated. "His creations and followers have hurt them, killed their family members, destroyed their homes- he will never be anything more than an evil that must be annihilated, in their eyes. Can you live with that? Even if they oppose you?"

Natsu clenched his fists. "All I know is anyone who wants to hurt Zeref will have to go through me. Just like anyone who wants to hurt Luce would have to go through me. Or Wendy. Or Erza. Or even Gray!" Natsu unclenched his fists, and his voice evened out a bit as he asked, "What about you? Zeref told me about your little meeting while I was out. Doesn't sound like he's too happy with you at the moment. Are you going to leave now that he said all of that stuff?"

Larcade's eyes narrowed, and his voice resembled more what Natsu was used to from the etherious before tonight, as he said, "Of course not. Even if he doesn't want me, I will not stop trying to serve him. He's the closest thing I have to a father, to family- just because he doesn't feel the same, I won't abandon- oh."

Natsu grinned as he saw the realization sink in on Larcade's face. "Exactly. You get it! How you feel about Zeref is the same way I do- and the same way I feel about Fairy Tail."

Larcade sighed and scowled. "You're portraying things as simpler than they actually are."

"Maybe, but it's not like I can do anything about these 'what ifs' right now anyway. Point is, I ain't leavin my brother ever again. And, after I'm out of here, first things first is getting his curse cured!"

Larcade looked away. "You know there's a big problem in that, as much as I want to see His Majesty happy."

"Can you please cut it out with all the annoying titles? I'm not Zeref, his dumb rule don't apply to me. But what do you mean 'big problem'?"

Larcade looked back at Natsu as he spoke, and his eyes widened at Natsu's declaration and started to look a little glossy. He quickly looked away again before he took a deep breath and said, "If his curse goes, so do we- the etherious that is."

Now that got Natsu's attention. "What? He's never said anything about that!"

"Probably because he doesn't believe he can actually be cured. So it's a non-issue for him. But, our life forces- our souls, our books- are tied directly to... Father. People call us demons, and perhaps that's what Father modeled us after... but in truth, etherious are actually akin to the world's most advanced familiars... and father's magic energy is what sustains us. I understand he was quite skilled at magic before he was cursed, but even he wouldn't be strong enough to sustain all of us indefinitely without the curse. If he were a normal person he likely would have succumbed to magical deficiency syndrome a long time ago. And I include you in 'us', because, regardless of what you consider yourself, etherious magic is embedded in you and sustains your existence too, Uncle."

Natsu scowled. "There's always something... this just keeps getting more and more complicated! Great, just, great." Natsu paused for a moment. "Hey wait, if Zeref wired his energy to keep us 'sustained' or whatever, couldn't he rewire it to get energy from somewhere else? Like in the air or something?"

Larcade leaned back in the chair, hand on his chin. "Hmmm... you may be onto something. However, that's something you'd have to convince Father to do... which he won't see a point of, as, again, he views curing himself an unachievable goal."

"But if I show him there IS a way, then he'd have no choice but to start thinking about it!" Natsu beamed at Larcade. "Thanks, little nephew! Even if you hate me or whatever, I'm happy you're still here. "

Larcade looked at Natsu in disbelief. "I thought you would be a lot more angry. You really are too forgiving, Uncle." Before Natsu could say anything, Larcade offered a small smile, and quietly said, "I appreciate it. Truly, thank you, Uncle Natsu." He stood to leave, but turned to Natsu one last time, and said, "I'm not trying to say everything is okay between us. I know I went too far in our fight... but to be honest, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any jealous thoughts left in me. Though for now, I will trust what you've said about not abandoning Father. I hope when the time comes you follow through on it." Larcade sighed again, and continued, "I can't say I like you or want to be your friend. But I will work on setting my feelings aside, for Father's sake, and..." Larcade ground his teeth and refused to make eye contact with Natsu as he said, "I will follow all your orders, like I promised."

Natsu smiled. "That sounds good to me." Natsu paused and scratched his cheek. "And uh... August told me I kinda stole your fanclub. Sorry about that."

Larcade stared back at Natsu with a blank look in his eyes before a hint of mischief entered them and he chuckled. "I promise you Uncle Natsu, that is the last thing on my mind. They're all yours. I may be able to go out in public in peace now... on second thought, I may have the opposite problem. People might attempt to stone me in the streets after what I did in our match..." Larcade actually looked concerned.

Natsu chuckled and pointed a finger at himself. "You just let ole' Uncle Natsu take of that. I'll make sure everyone knows we're good now. I still have that interview thingy coming up... I think."

Larcade's face morphed back into a scowl, but it wasn't as malicious as it was before. "Fantastic, I'll be even further indebted to you." He sighed, and then said, "I suppose this is the bed I made. Fine. Thank you, Uncle." Despite his thanks sounding grouchy, Natsu could tell it was genuine.

"Good night, little nephew."

Larcade stared back at Natsu blankly, before he rolled his eyes and muttered, "I'm not little." And promptly slipped out of the room before Natsu could say anything else.

Natsu didn't know what was funnier the next morning, the look on Zeref's face when he had told him about Larcade's seemingly sincere and voluntary apology or the look on August's face when he told the wizard king the reason Larcade felt so inclined to apologize was because of the point August made to him after he was released from custody.

Either way, the laughs he had at their expense were needed due to the news they had brought- it would be at least a full two weeks before he'd be completely recovered. Dr. Williams came in the room and explained he wasn't an expert on magic or souls, but whatever Natsu's seeds merging had done had affected harmed his body profusely- he was in danger of permanent nerve damage at a minimum if he didn't take the full two weeks to rest and recover. Dr. Williams also said with the damage Natsu's body sustained, it should have been closer to two months of recovery, but given Natsu's rate of recovery from his burns upon his initial arrival, he calculated two weeks of rest and care should have Natsu back to full health.

Natsu clearly wasn't happy about the news but Zeref tried to assure him this would allow him all the time he needed to wrap up negotiations with Lord Saylor, and they could set out on their travels afterwards.

"You keep saying that but it always seems like new things are just getting in the way..." Natsu grumbled.

"I actually do need to leave Vistarion. This is the longest stretch I've been here for quite a while. I need to watch myself because the longer I stay the more I find myself getting attached to my pawns... and you know how that ends. And don't get me wrong, I'm as happy as I can be with you being back in my life Natsu, but your added presence hasn't helped in that department..."

Natsu looked satisfied. "Well good, then. And you can work on a way of detangling mine and the other etherious's souls from yours or whatever while you're at it!" Zeref looked a bit surprised so Natsu continued, "Yeah, Larcade told me about that little tidbit, you wanna explain why you didn't share that one?"

Zeref sighed. "I wasn't trying to keep it from you. It's not worth worrying over or thinking about until we actually know I can be cured. If we're going through with this, let's devote our energy to finding the cure first. We can worry about making sure you and the other etherious are here to stay once we have a working cure in our hands."

Natsu nodded. "Alright then. I guess in the meantime I'll start looking for stuff on Ankhseram, gods, and curses, and then see where on Alakitasia we need to travel to... whenever I have a break from Invel's lessons that is."

"You know Natsu... I don't know what Invel told you, but you don't need to force yourself to learn a bunch of different topics you don't care about. The empire is my simulation game- you don't need to bother yourself with the intricacies of it." Zeref offered a small smile, trying to get across he was thinking of his brother.

"I might not care about all that boring legal stuff but I do care about helping my brother who's a stubborn idiot that insists on doing everything by himself. So if I can understand and help you even just a little, it's worth it. Plus, I get this is your 'game' or whatever but also you obviously worked hard to make this place what it is, and I told ya from day one I wasn't takin it for granted- that I'm gonna show everyone here I'm someone they can depend on too!"

"You're certainly taking the weight of your position more seriously than I thought you would, Natsu." August said, smiling as he added, "and I mean that as a compliment!"

"Natsu's attitude towards helping me on the bureaucratic side of the empire really takes me back... you see, August, when Natsu and I were young he was constantly following me around and trying to be like me. For example, he'd get a bunch of scrap paper and scribble on it like he was taking notes about magic, and then pretend he was reading them like books. It was the cutest thing!" Zeref's tone became more and more playful the more he spoke.

Natsu's response was blowing a raspberry and then saying, "Yeah well don't flatter yourself. I ain't four years old anymore, I don't wanna be just like you. I'd be really boring and mopey if I was. Plus, Invel's a much better teacher than any of your etherious were. Maybe if you had made one that could teach worth shit I'd be smarter than you by now!"

"Nonsense. I imbued all the etherious with competent instructional abilities. You were a difficult student."

"Pfffft, oh yeah, cuz the etherious were celebrated for their acclaimed learning institutions before founding Tartaros."

"That's not-"

As the two continued to bicker August leaned back in his chair, smiled, and laughed quietly to himself.

In Natsu's first week he was more or less confined to the bed. August brought more of his favorite movies, to Natsu's delight and Zeref's irritation. Despite his vocal distaste for them, Zeref joined Natsu and August for as many of them as he could, and while he said he was only there to make sure August was 'getting his facts right', Natsu suspected the movies were likely a guilty pleasure for Zeref.

Yajeel also stopped by, and taught Natsu how to play a card game native to Alvarez, called Regenca. Regenca was a strategy game where you use your forces, such as knights, wizards, and nobility, to protect your goddess card. I took a lot of strategy and tact and Natsu found himself losing to Yajeel the first few days. He slowly picked up on it, and also played against August, Zeref, and Invel to varying degrees of success. Zeref was shocked when Natsu (correctly) guessed Zeref was the creator of the game, to which Natsu had said the game had Zeref written all over it- strategy based, complicated rules, and finally, the goddess card being a thin metaphor for Mavis- Zeref had pouted and refused to say anything further to Natsu during that round, leading to Natsu's very self-celebrated first victory in the game against his brother.

Natsu's lessons with Invel also continued, with the Winter General schooling him in the basics of a variety of subjects, including diplomacy, history of the empire, economics, and social policy. The strangest part was how painless it was for Natsu- Invel's unconventional teaching methods continued to borrow from Natsu's personal life, as he had done when describing foreign policy. Invel also continued to encourage Natsu to approach cerebral challenges from the perspective of them being battles, such as when he elaborated on the power of diplomacy, which would allow one to defeat an enemy without throwing a single punch... and since Natsu could obviously through a punch, he explained the power Natsu's words would hold with his adversaries knowing he could best them both in the fighting and political arena.

When Invel wasn't tutoring Natsu, he was having Jackal run back and forth to the library, bringing him different books and maps as he plotted a course for him and Zeref to begin their search for a cure for the curse of contradiction. Zeref and August assisted too when they were able, with Zeref also wanting to use their journey as an excuse for Natsu to see more parts of the empire. While the palace did indeed boast the biggest library on the continent, it didn't have everything, as much as Zeref hated to admit it. He did know of some other impressive collections, and made sure those were included in their travel itinerary.

The Imperial Reporter, which was the Empire's equivalent of Sorcerer Weekly back in Fiore, finally got their exclusive interview on day four of Natsu's hospital stay. Invel insisted on sitting in on the interview, to make sure everything ran smoothly (i.e. to make sure Natsu didn't say anything too embarrassing). The journalist conducting the interview was a bubbly, petite young woman with light brown hair that reached her shoulders, whose name was Davie. She seemed very excited to meet Natsu. Her energy was still a few steps down from Jason back at Sorcerer Weekly, though. Natsu hoped her articles wouldn't accidently slander him like Jason's had, something Invel assured him wouldn't happen.

Davie started the interview with a question Natsu found himself having to answer carefully- "First of all Prince Natsu, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I know I speak for everyone in the empire when I say I'm glad your recovery is going well! The fact that not only Emperor Spriggan had a younger brother, but that he was going to take on three of the mighty Spriggan 12 back to back, sent shockwaves throughout the empire. People have been itching to learn more about you! Lord Neinhart mentioned how you had overcome amnesia regarding your relation to the emperor. How did that play out?"

Natsu looked at Invel, who nodded slowly. Swallowing, Natsu said, "Well, I was training in the wilderness, trying to master some new powers my foster father, Igneel, had given me. I stumbled into my childhood home by complete accident, and I, uh, found this," Natsu held up his locket, flipping it open to reveal the picture of him and Zeref as kids inside. "It was like all those lost memories flooded into my mind at once. It was pretty intense... but also I was happy to finally remember my family. My locket was enchanted to the one my brother wears, so it let me track him down and then he brought me here. Definitely wasn't expecting him to be an emperor, though!"

"Oh really?! Why not?"

"Well, we weren't exactly high society people growing up..."

"Wow! The emperor is notoriously tight-lipped about anything relating to his personal life, but based on certain things he's said over the years it has been long suspected he came from a common background! What were your parents like?"

Invel didn't give him any type of signal, so he continued, "Well, Dad was a farmer, and mom worked at home. She made clothes and crafts and stuff and sold them. They were both so great! Mom was the sweetest person you'd ever met... til you made her angry! Dad was just a goofy cut up most of the time, but he always worked really hard for us. I miss them."

"Since it's been a hot topic of discussion, where'd your unique pink hair color come from?"

"Dad. I look a lot like our dad... my brother took after Mom as far as his looks." Natsu paused, and then added, "And it's salmon, not pink! Dad always told me not to let anyone call us pinkies!"

"Oh, my apologies! Noted! Given your background, how do you feel you're adjusting to your new role here as prince?"

Natsu smiled nervously and said, "Honestly it's pretty weird. I never in my life thought I'd be called 'prince' or anything like that. Definitely different from what I was used to."

"You were in a guild on Ishgar, from the country of Fiore. Fairy Tail was your guild's name, right? Can you tell us a little about them?"

Natsu's face lit up. "Oh yeah! They're my family- we've been through a lot together. There are a lot of different kinds of people there but I like em all, even though there are some of them that are more annoying than others. But they're on my mind all the time."

"Sounds like you have some strong bonds with your guild! Fairy Tail had to have been powerful to win a nationwide magic tournament. Are you known for anything other than your strength?"

"Yeah, we blow a lot of stuff up! Like, one time, I accidently wiped out a whole town because..."

"...Of unavoidable collateral damage when he was taking down a human trafficking ring. Despite the accidental damage, the town was most grateful the criminals had been captured... though the International Council of Mages attempted to shift blame to Fairy Tail and take credit for themselves." Invel swooped in with an extended (and MOSTLY accurate, if a little distorted) explanation. Natsu's eyes widened as Invel stared at him like he had at Larcade the day Natsu had first met the Spriggan 12. Okay, message received, downplay the destroying stuff!

"Interesting! It certainly sounds like you were beloved by the everyday people of Fiore at the very least! That said, some here in Alvarez might find it odd that someone with such strong ties to another country- on a continent whose relationship with us has not been the best in recent years- would accept such an important position here in the imperial government. What was it that made you embrace your role as prince?"

A serious look came across Natsu's face, and he leaned forward. "I'll be real honest, I don't give a damn about some position or power or anything like that. I got personal reasons, things I gotta take care of, promises I made. I lost my foster father, Igneel, this past year, at the hands of Acnologia. I swore I wouldn't lose anyone I cared about like that again. Now I got my brother back, and I promised I'd help him... with..."

"Ridding His Majesty of his curse." Invel chimed in, nodding at Natsu. "It's alright Natsu, his curse is not a secret here. If it was, I'm sure many of our citizens would wonder how the emperor has stayed the same age throughout the many years since he founded the empire."

"Awww, you really love your brother! How sweet! His Majesty is blessed to have a brother like you!"

"Thanks, whenever this comes out, I'm cutting this part out and holding it over his head any time he gripes at me!" Natsu said with a big smile.

"His Highness and His Majesty show affection for each other by bickering constantly." Invel added, his tone a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

Davie laughed. " Sounds like day to day affairs in the palace have gotten more lively with Prince Natsu's arrival! A lot of our citizens are curious about you personally, Your Highness- what are some things you enjoy in your free time?"

"Easy! I love to fight! When I get the ok from the doc, Jackal, my new chief of security, already said he'd do some sparring with me! I'm hoping Ajeel [Ramal of the Spriggan Twelve] will do some with me too, when he comes back from whatever mission he's on! If I go too long without using my magic I get antsy... but let's see, oh yeah! I love to eat! Anything spicy is my favorite!"

"Your hobbies seem to match your energetic personality! Have you had any dishes unique to the Empire you'd add to your favorites?"

"Sure do! I had something called Cielash stew the other day- [Emperor Spriggan] said it was made with fish and spices native to Alakitasia. It packed quite a punch, heat wise! I could eat it every day!"

Davie laughed, "That one's generally too hot for me, but seared Cielash are quite good! Now, the big question- do you have a special someone in your life, back in your guild, maybe?"

Natsu furrowed his brow. "Uhh... special how?"

"She means romantically interested in, Natsu." Invel said.

"Oh! No, nothing like that. I don't really do the whole romance thing..." His thoughts drifted to Lucy again, the sinking feeling he'd had when she'd come to mind before suddenly forming in his chest. "Well... maybe... there's Lucy..."

"Ohhhh, sounds like you have some unfinished business with this Lucy! What-"

"Perhaps we should change the subject, miss." Invel stated, matter of factly but not unkindly. "These types of conversations tend to be uncomfortable for Prince Natsu."

Invel looked towards Natsu, who nodded back at him. Thanks for that, Invel. Guess I do have some stuff to sort out with Luce...

"Of course, my apologies, Lord Invel, Prince Natsu. On another note, with the amount of 'get well' cards you have on your wall, I assume you realize how quickly you're becoming a symbol to the people of the empire! While most admire you, especially for your impressive magic power you displayed during your matches, what would you say to any potential doubters?"

Natsu looked serious again as he said, "I know I said I didn't care about my position, but let me explain. I don't think it makes me better than anyone. I didn't come here to live the high life on everyone else's dime. My brother worked hard to make the empire what it is, and I'm proud to be here by his side, a part of it now! So, I'd tell 'em, I want to keep the empire the great place that it is. So just give me your trust, and I'll do everything I can to do that, and keep it safe!"

"Truly inspiring. I won't take up much more of your time, Prince Natsu, but allow me to ask a couple more questions. For obvious reasons, your match with Larcade has been another hot topic of discussion the last few days. The official word is his judgment was up to you. So will His Majesty be recruiting a new member of the Spriggan 12 soon?"

"Oh, nah, nothing like that. He and I talked out our problems- I still don't think he likes me very much, but I think he misunderstood what I'm about. He thought I was here just because of my guild disbanding. And while that is part of it, the main reason is to support my brother. I hope Fairy Tail reunites and I'll be there when they do, but that doesn't mean I'd be walking away from my brother or the empire! Nah, you're all stuck with me now! So with that said, I didn't want my first order as prince to be someone's execution. So I'll ask everyone to forgive Larcade. We all make mistakes. He's still very much committed [to Emperor Spriggan]."

"Wow! That's extremely gracious of you, Your Highness! Now for my last question- given your strong ties Ishgar, and now, Alakitasia, do you see a path to better understanding and peace? Despite what they may think of us over there, we don't want war anymore than anyone else."

"Well, to make the world a better place, peace is always the goal, right? I don't wanna see anyone innocent- from Alakitasia or Ishgar- get hurt. So yeah, I think there's a way to peace. We just gotta make sure we stay on the right path there. If anyone, no matter what side they're on, gets in the way of that, I'll be there to stop them!" Natsu declared.

"That bold statement is a great way to wrap up our interview. Thank you for your time, Prince Natsu. I think the citizens of the empire will enjoy getting to know the man behind the title of 'prince' a little better."

"Heheheh." Natsu smiled and laughed a little awkwardly. "Thanks, I hope I didn't mess this up or say anything too weird."

Davie laughed and smiled. "No, not at all. I think your honesty will win everyone over even more. It certainly has with me." She smiled and reached her hand out. "Thanks for allowing me to speak with you, Your Highness."

Natsu shook her hand. "Anytime!" He said, beaming. He noticed she slipped something into his grasp as they shook hands.

Davie thanked Invel as well and quickly made her way out of Natsu's room. Invel let out a deep breath, and leaned back in his chair. "That went fairly smoothly, other than your comments about destroying that town. Good work, Natsu." Invel furrowed his brow as he saw Natsu was looking at a piece of paper. "What is that?"

Natsu shrugged. "Dunno. She gave it to me when we shook hands. It has an address on it, I think? And says 'write me'? Write her what?"

Invel let out a long sigh. "Unbelievable... How inappropriate! To think the Reporter would send such an immature journalist to leave her personal contact information with the prince!" He fumed to himself, before noticing Natsu staring at him blankly. Sighing again, Invel clarified. "She was attracted to you, Natsu, and wanted you to continue to talk to her."

"But why?" Natsu looked genuinely confused.

"In her mind, to hopefully cultivate a romantic relationship with you."

Natsu's brow furrowed as his confusion deepened. "People are so weird."

When week two rolled around, Natsu was cleared to go back to his room. He was also cleared for light activity. He was pretty disappointed when he was told light activity did not include his particular (intense) brand of sparring. Whatever the convergence of his seeds had done to his nerves, they had also put intense strain on his magic circuits, and they needed more time to heal as well.

Fortunately (actually unfortunately in Natsu's mind) Invel had some 'activities' planned for Natsu to pass the time. The first had to be one of the worst things Natsu had ever had the displeasure of doing- instruction on proper table manners. Despite Natsu's fuming the entire time, Invel had remained steadfast, telling Natsu he wouldn't be doing anything else until he showed he could indeed eat like a civilized human being.

"Why the Hell do I gotta eat like this anyway, if I'm the prince, can't I just tell other people to get over it if they don't like how I eat?"

Invel shook his head. "That could work for anyone under you, sure. But what if you are hosting or visiting another nation with His Majesty? Don't get me wrong Natsu, eat any way you prefer on your own time. But at official, public events... It's important to show some grace. Your poor table manners would be a bad reflection on both your brother and the empire."

Natsu grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but yanked the fork and knife off the table and began to cut into the chicken in front of him with the proper, if somewhat jerky, use of the utensils.

Invel smiled, clearly pleased. "You know, everything I read about you before you came here to the empire, I would have thought you would be fighting me a lot more on learning these subjects."

Natsu swallowed his food, before he looked at Invel. "I'm just happy to have my brother back... seriously, that's been my main focus this time I've been here. And everything he's built here...is just incredible." Natsu looked deep in thought for a moment before he said, "When we were both little, Zeref loved making things... and I loved destroying things. We had our share of fights, as you can imagine... but I remember one time specifically, Zeref had built some fort in the woods and I wrecked it. He told mom, and I was getting yelled at... I just remember looking at Zeref, he wasn't all smug and 'haha, got you!' like he usually was... he was still distraught, like I had beat the snot out of him. It hurt me to see him like that, and even more to know I caused it... after that I tried to not break his stuff anymore. I found other things to smash." Natsu smiled a little. "Can you see where I'm going with this?"

Invel nodded. "The empire is your brother's new fort?" A hint of humor was in his voice.

"Yeah, exactly. After that, he eventually let me back into his reconstructed fort... and I had a great time playing with him in it. I didn't want to accidentally ruin it by breaking something again. So, with that in mind, once I saw how amazing this place was, I've been trying to just play along and not screw anything up... I know how chaotic I can be."

"So, you do know your tendencies, yet you're keeping yourself in check for your brother's sake." Invel smiled. "Truly, Natsu, that is a testament to the love you have for your brother. If it's not been clear by this point, you have my respect." He chuckled, before adding, "Though I'm sure the Magic Council would wonder why if you're capable of following rules, why you haven't respected any of theirs..."

Natsu's fond grin disappeared, replaced by something more mischievous. "Why would I care about any of those bozos' rules? Zeref literally brought me back from the dead- and then practically founded the guild I called home for so long! What has the Magic Council ever done for me? Tried to disband Fairy Tail and stick me in jail? Yeah, you can forget me ever listening to what they have to say!"

Invel laughed. "Somehow, I figured the answer was something like that. Well, seeing as you're finished with your meal, shall we move on to our next activity?"

"If it's better than this, I'm all for it!"

"You'll have to be the judge of that," Invel said, his tone obviously amused.

Natsu scrunched his face. "I ain't saying I'm fired up til I see what we're doing." Both of them laughed at that. As they left the dining room, however, Natsu's thoughts drifted back to the Magic Council... You know... the more I think about it... if Alvarez is this well off without them, I bet the whole world would do just fine if they weren't around anymore.

I realized the longer I've written this, one thing I feel I could have done better is showcasing Natsu's chaotic nature. I hope his explanation to Invel made sense and felt in character for Natsu.

That said, I want to convey that Natsu/ is still very much Natsu... so that partially inspired the events of the next chapter, which, in all honesty, I am still writing :\

That said, it is almost done, so it still should be up next Friday! See everyone then! :)