Chapter 400: Markov's Funeral Part 2
"Okay Mira, I'm ready" responded Dante, grateful for Mira's constant love and support. Smiling lovingly at her husband and big brother, Mira started to speak.
"You're going to do great Dante" responded Mira in a loving tone. Smiling at his little sister and wife, Dante leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. Moaning into Mira's mouth, Dante imparted all of his love for her through the heated incestuous kiss. After a short while, Dante leaned back from Mira's sweet lips as he started to speak.
"Thanks sis, I love you" responded Dante with a warm smile, grateful that Mira was in his life. Smiling back at her big brother, Mira started to speak.
"I love you too Dante" responded Mira in a loving and sweet tone before she quickly kissed Dante on the lips. The kiss was short and sweet but left both siblings wanting more as Mira leaned back from Dante. After Mira said these words she said goodbye to Dante before she too her seat along with the other guild members. Taking a moment to take a deep breath and steady the nerves and his sorrow at losing Markov, Dante walked in front of everyone gathered in the guildhall.
"Thank you for coming today everyone" stated Dante, looking out into the crowd filled with his friends and family. Turning his attention to the coffin that was standing beside him, Dante continued to speak.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of a person that has affected each of us in a positive way" stated Dante in a somber tone as he continued to speak.
"We are here to celebrate the life of Markov Dreyar" stated Dante, seeing that many members of the crowd were already crying. Taking a moment to steady himself, Dante continued to speak.
"Markov Dreyar was the third and sixth guild master of Fairy Tail, he spent every day working for the betterment of the guild. Each and everyone of us were viewed as his precious children" stated Dante in a somber tone.
"Master Markov sacrificed himself for us, his children. To a proud father like Markov, there is no better way to go. While Master Markov might have saved us by using the fairy law spell, he saved each of us a long time ago" stated Dante, remembering how he first meet Markov.
"Some of might know of my life before I joined the guild, some of you might not" stated Dante with a smile before he continued to speak.
"Before joining Fairy Tail, my siblings and I were on our own. No one would give us a chance because my sister's magic was out of control" stated Dante with a somber smile as he continued to speak.
"Being the eldest sibling it was my responsibility to take care of my siblings but it was tough. When you can't stay in one place for too long or work is scarce to come by, it can be hard to provide for yourself and three younger siblings" stated Dante as he noticed his siblings smiling as they remembered the time Markov saved them.
"I'm not proud to say that during this time I resorted to thievery and robbery to provide for my siblings. My first interaction with Master Markov was when I tried to rob him. At the time I saw Master Markov as a weak old man and thought he would be an easy target" stated Dante before Laxus cut him off. Shouting from the crowd, Laxus started to speak.
"You were dead wrong about that. It took the old man no time at all to knock you into the ground" shouted Laxus, serval members of the crowd chuckling at his words. Laughing lightly at Laxus's words, Dante started to speak.
"Haha yes when I found out how wrong I was about Master Markov I thought it was the end of me. I thought that Master Markov would turn me in to the authorities or worse but what he did next changed my life forever" responded Dante with a smile. Seeing that he still had everyone's full attention, Dante continued to speak.
"Instead of turning me into the authorities for trying to rob him, Master Markov said I was strong and looked like a good person that had taken a wrong path in life. Master Markov offered me to join Fairy Tail" stated Dante with a smile, remembering how Markov changed his life and his siblings for the better.
"Just like that Master Markov saved not only me but my siblings as well. Master Markov gave us a home and even helped get Mira's magic under control. Overnight our problems went away, and we were a part of a bigger family" stated Dante in a warm smile, grateful for Markov's kindness. Taking a moment to wipe away a few tears from his eyes, Dante continued to speak.
"If anyone would like to share a story about how Master Markov positively affected their life, please step forward" stated Dante. The room was silent for a moment before Erza stepped forward. Turning to the crowd, Erza started to speak.
"When I stumbled across Fairy Tail I was going through a dark time in my life" stated Erza in a somber tone, tears filling her eyes as she continued to speak.
"I had just escaped slavery at the Tower of Heaven, filled with guilt for being forced to leave my friends behind. In this dark time in my life, Master Markov welcomed me into the guild with open arms" stated Erza in a happy tone, grateful for Markov's kindness.
"Thanks to Master Markov's kindness I was able to join an amazing guild, an amazing family that gave me the strength to overcome my past" stated Erza with a tearful smile. Dante took a moment to comfort Erza before she took her seat again. After another moment of silence followed before Gajeel walked forward. Turning his attention towards the crowd, Gajeel started to speak.
"You all know that my first interaction with the guild wasn't a positive one" stated Gajeel in a guilty tone, remembering the pain he caused Fairy Tail during the war with Phantom Lord.
"I caused the guild a lot of pain back then. I destroyed the guildhall, hurt Levy and kidnapped Lucy. I did all of this gladly and with a smile" stated Gajeel in a guilty tone. Taking a moment to steady himself, Gajeel continued to speak.
"After all of that, Master Markov sought me out and offered to let me join Fairy Tail" stated Gajeel with a smile, tears in his eyes as he continued to speak.
"Despite all the pain I caused, Master Markov decided to take a chance on me and I'm glad he did. Thanks to Master Markov I was saved from myself and became a part of an amazing family and guild. I will be forever grateful for everything Mater Markov did for me" stated Gajeel with a stupid and grateful grin. After saying these words Gajeel took his seat and Laxus took his place in front of the crowd.
"Growing up, the old man was my hero, I couldn't wait until I was old enough to join the guild" stated Laxus with a smile.
"When the old man kicked out my dad from the guild, I got angry. For a long while I acted like a spoiled brat and that eventually lead to me attacking the entire guild" stated Laxus in a guilty tone, whishing that he could take back his actions.
"I almost destroyed the entire guild because of my misplaced anger. The guild that was like a family to him, I almost destroyed" stated Laxus in a guilty tone before he continued to speak.
"After I got some sense knocked into me, the old man kicked me out of the guild and it was the right thing to do. Even though he kicked me out of the guild, the old man never stopped worrying about me. On my journey of self-reflection, I could feel the old man's support and worry about me" stated Laxus with a smile. As he looked out into the crowd, Laxus continued to speak.
"The old man acted like he didn't want me back in the guild when the fifth master invited me back, but I could tell he was relieved and grateful to the sixth master" stated Laxus with a smile, Gildarts chuckling at these words as he remembered the fast one he pulled over on Markov.
"The old man would do anything for the guild, even if it involved kicking out his grandson. I'm grateful for the tough love my gramps showed me, thanks to that I was able to become a better person" stated Laxus with a smile. After saying these words Laxus took his seat and Sorano took his place.
"I owe my freedom to two people. The first one is the seventh guild master, the love of my life" stated Sorano, giving Dante a grateful and loving smile before she turned her attention back to the crowd.
"The second person I owe my freedom to is Master Markov. It was Dante who started the conversation about granting me my freedom after the horrible crimes I committed when I was a member of the Oracion Seis. While Dante was the one to start the conversation, he couldn't have done it without Markov's support. With the support of another Wizard Saint, I was granted my freedom and was able to be with the man I loved" stated Sorano with a smile, tears running down her face as she mourned over the loss of Markov.
"Not only did Master Markov grant me my freedom, he welcomed me into the guild. Me, a convicted criminal he welcomed with open arms" stated Sorano in a grateful tone, thinking she could never repay Markov's kindness that changed her life for the better.
"I will be forever grateful to Master Markov; he changed my life for the better" stated Sorano in a grateful tone. After saying these words Sorano took a moment to embrace Dante and enjoy being in his strong and loving embrace. Soon Sorano took her seat, Juvia taking her place.
"Juvia hurt Fairy Tail, she tried to destroy it" stated Juvia, starting her story about how she attacked Fairy Tail when she was a member of Phantom Lord. With tears in her eyes, Juvia continued to speak.
"Juvia knows that it was her beloved that talked to Master Markov about letting her in the guild but it was still ultimately his decision. Thanks to Markov, Juvia found a family that loved and accepted her for who she was. Juvia found a family that loved her for all her faults. Juvia will be forever grateful to Master Markov and she hopes that he finds peace in the next life" stated Juvia in a tearful expression. After taking a moment to comfort Juvia, Dante watched as one guild member after another stepped forward.
It turned out that each guild member wanted to share a story about Markov, the funeral running lately than planned with everyone sharing a story. After serval hours the last guild member that knew Markov finished speaking and took their seat. Seeing that no one else wanted to speak, Dante looked at the crowd as he prepared to speak. Grateful for the amazing guild he was a part of, Dante started to speak.
"This is how Master Markov would have wanted his funeral to go. All of his children gathered together remembering the good times. We will now move to the graveyard and bury not just our guild master, but a man that has been like a father to every one of us" stated Dante with a smile, tears filling his eyes as he prepared to bury Markov. After saying these words, Dante along with the other selected pall bearers started to carry Markov's coffin out of the guild hall. Dante along with the other members of Team Natsu took the responsibility of carrying the coffin seriously as the entire guild followed behind them. After Markov was laid in his final resting place, Dante turned toward the crowd and started to speak.
"Thank you again everyone for attending" shouted Dante to the crowd. Seeing that most members of the crowd had tearful expressions, Dante continued to speak.
"Remember that Master Markov would want us to be happy, so let's stop those tears for now. We are all going back to the guild and celebrating the life of the third and sixth master the only way Fairy Tail know how" shouted Dante with a smile. The crowd cheered at these words, eager to celebrate the life of Markov. Soon Dante smiled as he celebrated the life of Markov, surrounded by the merriment of his guild family. The future was bright, and Dante was looking forward to it as he partied the night away with his friends and family.
End of Chapter 400