Chapter 13

A note arrived from the palace, and Mira was kind enough to bring it directly to Serana. It was the usual invite, but it had Dreyer's handwriting instead of the King's. Coco usually brought invitations from the King, but this was slightly different. Quickly, she got changed into something a little tidier and thanked Mira on her way out.

Walking towards the palace, she continued to study the Dreyer's note to glean as much information as possible. All it said was 'Come to the palace library. I have something to discuss with you. She wasn't feeling her best today, so hopefully, it wouldn't be something that took too long to discuss. Her period had just begun that morning, so she planned to take it easy today. As she arrived, the guards at the front door smiled in greeting; most of them were familiar with her by now. One of them offered to walk her to the library, but she waved them off with a thank you. If she had to walk with them, she would have to keep up with their pace, which is currently a bit too fast. She would be far too uncomfortable if she had to keep pace with his longer strides since her cramps started to get worse. They weren't usually too agonising, but this was shaping up to be a painful couple of days.

It took her a bit longer than usual to reach the library with her slowed pace. Dreyer appeared from behind a bookshelf in his usual way, but he didn't comment on her tardiness. He nodded in greeting as he emerged with a book in hand.

"I've received a request from my friend, the Veruze curator. His assistant is having some difficulties with her pregnancy and thus has to stop working much earlier than she had planned. He has asked if I have any recommendations for someone to replace her until she returns from her maternity leave. I was thinking of putting your name in the hat." Dreyer was straight to the point, as usual.

"Me? But I don't have any experience doing something like that." Serana said with surprise.

"You would be fine. Some of the help you've provided me would be similar to what you'd be doing. He wouldn't be opposed to teaching you either." Dreyer continued, not seeking to debate with her about this.

"Well, I would have to talk to my guild about it. Can I get back to you?" She asked softly since she knew Dreyer wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think she was capable.

"Of course. I haven't written back to him yet, but let me know in a day or so. I don't think he has anyone in mind, but I wouldn't want you to miss out." He answered with a nod and then toddled off to the bookshelf he was organising to continue his work. It was in the back of the library so she could relax for a moment until the cramp died down and she could race back to the guild hall.

Serana frowned before feeling pain, and she needed to sit down. It might be best for her to just push through it and return to the guild hall since she was worried that if she sat, she wouldn't move again. Her hand rested on her lower abdomen as the muscles cramped painfully.

"Serana?" The voice of the King from behind her took her by surprise, but she had been distracted.

Turning to face him, she smiled and bowed as low as she could bear in greeting. It wasn't her usual ninety degrees, but it was hopefully enough since she currently can't physically manage anything further. Her face was hidden as she bowed, so she could let the pain show until she straightened back up.

"When did you get here?" He strolled towards her as he spoke.

"Just a few minutes ago. Dreyer asked me if I would be interested in being an assistant to the Veruze curator while the current assistant is having a baby." Answering as calmly and politely as she could, she only hoped she could tough it out long enough to leave the palace.

"Veruze? But what about… Fairy Tail?" He hesitated for a moment, but Serana wasn't ready to figure out why just now.

"I'll talk to them and see what they think. Nothing is set in stone yet."

Jellal nodded slowly, taking in her words, and she braced herself against a nearby table to give her some support while it felt like someone was twisting and crushing her insides. Her smile was faltering, and he noticed her discomfort.

"Are you alright?" Moving closer to her, he completed a visual examination of her, seeing if there was something visibly wrong.

"Just a difficult time of the month, so to speak." She explained delicately, not wanting to gross out the King but also ensuring she was honest. He'd know if she lied and said she was okay since he was too perceptive. Not like she could entirely hide the pain anyway.

"Can I do anything for you?" His brow furrowed together in a sympathetic expression, and he reached out to her, putting a hand on her upper arm.

"No need. I'm just taking it easy today, and I'll be"

Cut off before she could finish her sentence, a cramp that was both abrupt and painful hit her hard and fast enough that she couldn't hide it. Despite standing still, she fumbled for a moment and leaned heavily on the table. Jellal had a hand on her waist to steady her almost immediately and turned his head to gesture to someone behind him. Her eyes were squinted tightly as the pain ramped up, and the King kept her upright. She felt clammy and knew that she would be pale as she felt dizzy and faint. Despite her willpower, she just couldn't hold on any longer, and she felt comfortable enough with Jellal to show her pain.

Before she could protest, Jellal scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her. She was in too much pain to fight him and was too focused on not passing out to complain, so she let it happen. Unsure where they were headed, she took in parts of the palace that were new to her between her squints of discomfort. Jellal gave someone nearby an order as he carried her, and then a few moments later, she was placed down on a soft surface. Opening her eyes to get her bearings, she realised she was in a bedroom, but she didn't recognise it.

Her body was tensing in response to the cramps, so she couldn't physically manage any movement, so she had to accept what was happening.

"Where are we?" She rasped out when she felt laid on a soft, comfortable surface.

On her exposed skin, she could feel an embossed texture. When she opened her eyes for a moment, she saw a bed and the figure of the King, albeit somewhat blurry due to how tightly she was squinting.

"You're in my room. What can I do to help?" He asked with a soft voice laced with worry and concern.

The King had actually taken her to his own personal chambers and put her on his bed. This was not where she had expected to end up when she had set out earlier; yet, here she was. Life had certainly taken some strange twists today.

"Uh, I usually just sleep it off nowadays." Replying as best she could through gritted teeth, the cramp began to subside, giving her some temporary relief. "It stops and starts, so I just try and pass out." Her voice was a bit stronger while the cramp had eased, and he nodded in confirmation.

Shuffling her into a better position, he pulled the covers over her to keep her warm. Someone must have also brought a cold compress for her as he gently placed it on her forehead. Feeling slightly sorry for herself, she frowned at him out of embarrassment.

"What's that expression for?" He noticed her frown and smirked as he asked his question.

"I don't want you seeing me like this." Her pain seemed to be making her honest.

"Like this? You mean in pain?" Jellal raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to clarify.

"Hmm…vulnerable." Choosing her words carefully, she continued being more honest than usual.

"Ah, I see." He nodded slowly in understanding. "If it's any consolation, I am pleased that I can help you while you are vulnerable. In fact, I am quite happy to be able to take care of you." He admitted with a bashful smile and adjusted the covers to ensure she was comfortable.

"Oh, okay. That's…unexpected." She replied, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "Don't you already take care of a whole country?" Giving her voice a sardonic lilt, he huffed before he answered.

"This is different. I like helping people, but I don't necessarily get a chance to do it personally now. I'm usually delegating it to someone else. It's not like I often get a chance to do this for someone I care about." It looked like he was going to say more, but he stopped and wrung out the cold compress before replacing it on her forehead.

Another cramp hit, and she doubled over into the fetal position with a grunt of pain, so she couldn't respond to him admitting that he cared about her. Jellal placed his hand on her back and kept it there in a comforting gesture, so she knew he was there. Although the pain wouldn't stop because of that, it did make her feel better. Without magic, she couldn't have proper pain relief, so she had just gritted her teeth and dealt with the agony. Some months, it wasn't too bad, but every now and then, she would end up like she was now.

Jellal's warmth disappeared beside her, but she couldn't see where he'd gone with her eyes closed. He reappeared a moment later, and she suddenly began to feel very relaxed - the pain didn't go away completely, but it became a dull ache, and drowsiness overtook her. She wanted to open her eyes to see what had happened, but she couldn't stay awake any longer.

As Serana drifted off to sleep, Jellal put the small cylindrical device down, noting that the device's charge level had barely dropped. Although he said he would only use it for emergencies, he couldn't stand seeing Izara in so much pain. His access to magic was only possible when holding this device, and a sleep spell was so second nature to him that he needed a small fraction of magic power to use it on her.

Once satisfied that she would rest peacefully, he carefully got up and walked over to his small couch. There was a book on the round table next to the sofa that he was halfway through reading, and he flicked open to where he was up to and continued on. Every now and then, he would glance at Serana to ensure she was okay. Occasionally she would frown in her sleep, but other than that, she didn't stir much. Luckily he didn't have any appointments booked for the rest of the day and had actually planned to relax in the library throughout the afternoon, so he could stay with her while she rested. A staff member brought in a pot of tea for him, and he asked them to prepare something to eat once his guest had woken up, so they were ready. On his quiet afternoons, he usually ate in the library, but they'd know to bring his meal in here today instead. This gave him some time to consider his previous epiphany about Serana. Dreyer would need to get a protege soon to train someone for his role since he was getting closer to retiring. If Dreyer thought Serana was capable enough to be a curator's assistant, he might also consider making her his apprentice. He would keep it in mind to talk to Dreyer about it, but maybe it was good to check with Serana if that was something she would want to do. Dreyer had worked at the palace since he was a bit older than Serana when Jellal's grandfather was King. His tenure was impressive, so his experience and knowledge would take a long time to pass down. He needed to prioritise this to get something in motion sooner rather than later.

About two hours after she had fallen asleep, Serana awoke, and Jellal put his book down immediately, strode over to the bed, and sat down on its edge. She seemed much better, and he felt relieved. Her eyes slowly focused on him, and then she smiled sweetly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a whisper-quiet voice.

"Much better. I must have fallen asleep. How long was I out for?" She asked just as softly.

"Around two hours." He handed her a bottle of water, which she took gratefully as she sat up carefully. "The staff will bring us something to eat."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he narrowed his eyes at her, and she stopped, then nodded acceptingly. He had hoped to make sure she knew he was more than happy to help her, and he knew she would do the same for him without hesitation. He wanted her to know that he would do anything for her, but he kept silent since he was unsure how to correctly express this.

"Thank you so much for looking after me. I am glad you were with me." Her tone was kind and grateful, showing that she had understood his look.

Knowing she was okay, he smiled again and gently patted her arm. After finishing the bottle of water, the door opened, and a friendly face was behind it. Jellal nodded at her, and she nodded back with a smile and disappeared again, closing the door behind her. Serana glanced at him, but he stood up and put a hand out to help her. She took it and shuffled over to the side of the bed and put her feet down on the floor, and he supported her weight as she stood with a little bit of imbalance for a second.

Without overthinking it, he kept her hand in his and led her over to sit with him at a small table. He let her go once she sat, ensuring she was steady and stable. Pleased that she had her colour back and seemed to not be in too much pain, he sighed in relief, making her perk up in wonder.

"What is it?" She questioned with an amused smirk.

"I'm just glad you're alright. I was worried."

He allowed himself to be franker than usual since he tended to play things close to the chest. However, he trusted Serana implicitly, even though he didn't know why. She hadn't given her any reason not to trust her, and he could feel how genuinely kind she was. Being Mystogan in Earthland had allowed him a unique opportunity to develop a good sense of judging someone's character. When he looked at Serana, he saw her polite and sweet nature, although she did seem a little bit lonely, as if she was still trying to find a place where she belonged in the world.

His train of thought was interrupted by the door opening again, and the same staff member came in, pushing a tray with food on it. There were two plates of food, two bowls of soup, a basket with some bread, water and a pot of tea. The food smelled incredible, and Jellal was glad it was all healthy and hoped it would help restore Serana's strength.

Throughout their meal, they chatted quietly about the offer Serana had received for the temporary replacement of the Veruze curator's assistant. She would do the job very well, despite her lack of experience, as she would learn quickly, and her passion for history would give her the drive to do her best. In fact, her skills and mindset would actually be better suited for a role like Dreyer's. Part librarian, art historian, and art curator. He must have gone quiet for a minute, and Serana's voice drew him from his thoughts.

"Your Grace?" She watched him with silent questioning, wondering where his mind had gone.

"First, would you please call me my name?" He asked kindly, hoping that she would agree. He had never heard her say his name, always his title, but he wanted her to know that he felt closer to her than that.

"If you want me to, I will." Her reluctance wasn't hard to see, so he wanted her to prove it, so he gave her a nod to ask her to. "Jellal…" She said awkwardly, and he chuckled.

"Much better." The sound of her soft, melodic voice saying his name for the first time threatened to distract him from his train of thought. "Secondly, I want you to go to Veruze. If you like the work, I want you to think about being Dreyer's apprentice. I haven't thought about finding a suitable person to train for when he retires. Your role in Veruze will give you a good indication of what you'd be doing as the palace librarian and historian." He mused aloud; her eyes widened in surprise, and she laughed. "What is it?"

"Today has been strange. It's been very…unpredictable." Serana answered with a surprised smile.

"Please take some time to think it over. If you take up the offer, it will be a lifetime position, so I don't want you to rush making your decision. That's why I thought it would be good for you to go to Veruze to experience something similar." His suggestion had shocked her, but he wanted her to think about it.

"Is this an order from the King?" She asked with an amused smirk, but he could tell she genuinely wanted to know if she was being commanded or asked.

"Not an order. Although I can't deny that I am asking you as King, my time spent with you as a friend getting to know you give me confidence that you'll be a great fit." Admittedly, the thought had only recently occurred to him, but it felt right.

Her smirk fell, and she took a breath before she spoke. "Well...in that case," she smiled again, "I guess I can't say no if you ask while looking at me like that." He chuckled at her joke but quickly sobered.

"I don't want you to feel forced since this is a job you can have for the rest of your life. You need to decide if it's right for you."

His serious tone was only because he wanted her to be happy. Part of him couldn't deny that he would love having her in the palace since he immensely enjoyed her presence. He was logical in his musing on her being Dreyer's protege, but there was an excitement and - dare he think it - a yearning that he couldn't suppress. Was it because he would see her more often? He did feel his heart thump in his chest at the thought. That was something he would need to consider further when he was on his own.

As they finished their meal, they drank the tea, and Serana was doing her best to seem respectable, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly. He was still used to the raucous Fairy Tail guild hall, so eating in the palace was almost unnervingly quiet. He usually would hear Gray and Natsu fighting, Erza calm until she finally intimidated them into calming down, Wakaba and Macao laughing, and Master enjoying a drink at the bar. The rare times that he was actually in attendance long enough to experience that craziness, he had enjoyed it. The sounds of everyone being so comfortable with each other, like their family, was the thing he missed the most. Usually, he could hear them well before getting close enough for his sleep magic to affect them. It always made him smile, which was hidden behind his mask.

His demeanour must have changed as Serana's face fell, and he noticed it too late to stop her from worrying and asking about it.

"Thinking about Fairy Tail?" Her assessment was much more perceptive than he was expecting.

He huffed wistfully. "How did you know?"

"You usually have the same look when they come to mind." Her eyes were soft and concerned, and her mouth was slightly downturned with worry.

"Do I?" Jellal wondered aloud as he ran a hand across his chin, trying to memorise the expression on his face, so he could look at it in the mirror later. "I didn't realise."

"I think you are more expressive than you realise," she hesitated, "Jellal."

"I am?" He said incredulously. Since his face had been hidden most of the time, except since he returned to Edolas, maybe she was right.

"Your mouth in particular. Maybe because you kept it hidden behind the mask for so long?" Serana ran her hand over her own face as she considered this.

"I hadn't thought about that. You might be right. I should keep this in mind while I'm in court since I might be revealing more than I realise." His response was full of amusement, but Coco would have let him know if his expression was giving away too much.

"Now that you mention it, I've only noticed it while I'm around. I can't say about when I'm not here, though." She said with a shrug.

"I'm happy to hear you pay so much attention to me." He didn't quite think about it before he said it, and the mood in the room changed again. This time it wasn't sad but sheepish.

"Of course. Did you not say before that we were friends? After all, you have taken great care of me today, for which I'm grateful." She tried to cover up her sudden onset of shyness, but he didn't miss it.

Before responding, Jellal considered that he had been the one to say they were friends first. Although he wasn't sure yet, he didn't know for certain if he was delighted with that classification. Once Serana had gotten home safely and was alone, he would think this over since he was starting to think that maybe he wanted more than just her friendship.

"So I did. And you're very welcome. I hope you are feeling better, but I should escort you home. I'm sure you still need some more rest."

Jellal stood up from the table as he spoke, and Serana copied him. She was a bit slower to move than usual, but she had recovered by all appearances. Waving her hand at him, she seemed to be trying to stop him from doing any more than he had today. Little did she know that offering to walk her back to Fairy Tail meant that he could spend more time with her and make sure she was alright. His motives were both selfish and selfless.

Coco was floating around in the hallway, and she smiled and bowed when she saw them both emerging from his room. Coco would keep an eye on things until he had returned after escorting Serana back to the guild so he could take his time. They walked together through the palace, various guards and staff greeting him as they went. Once they were finally off the palace grounds, they could go faster, but Jellal kept the pace casual, so Serana didn't feel rushed. Although she didn't seem to be in pain anymore, she wasn't back to her full strength yet. As they walked together, they continued talking about anything and everything, and they never struggled with not knowing what to talk about next.

The guild hall came into sight, and he saw Serana look at the ground beneath them as if pretending they weren't there just yet. He felt the same but was more focused on her getting more rest, even though he didn't want to part yet. Once they were standing outside, Jellal felt a little awkward, but Serana did not notice.

"Thank you so much for today. I hope I didn't put you behind in your work." She said with an appreciative smile.

"Not at all. In fact, I had the afternoon off, and I had intended to send someone to ask you to join me. I got what I wanted, even if it wasn't our normal way of spending time together. I'm pleased that I could look after you, though." His response was carefully crafted, not wanting to give too much away before he had time to think things over.

"I'm much better now, so thank you for allowing me to rest. I'll take it easy tomorrow, too, so don't worry."

Even though she mainly had dropped the formality, as he expected, she bowed low to bid him goodbye before entering the guild hall and disappearing inside. Taking a carefully controlled breath in and out, he willed his heartbeat to slow down. The air between him and Serana had been changing slowly since they'd met, and he was sure that his feelings had too. He thought of her often throughout the day and was happy whenever he saw her. He was concerned for her safety and well-being and enjoyed seeing her smiling and laughing. He had dreamt of her a few times, too; one where he had woken up next to her, and another where they were embracing tightly before he kissed her. Considering all this, he knew his feelings for her were branching into romantic territory. This sort of thing was unfamiliar to him, although he understood it rationally. He would take a little longer to wrap his head around the emotional side.

While he walked back to the palace and back towards his chambers once he returned, he wondered what his next steps would be. At some stage, Serana would need to be aware of his feelings, so maybe it would be a good idea to invite her to the palace again soon to talk to her about it. Observant as he was, he couldn't read her mind, so he wouldn't know if she felt the same unless she told him directly. He hoped that she shared his feelings, and maybe they would be able to develop their relationship further than being friends.

For the rest of today, though, he guessed he might have enough daylight left to finish his book…