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KEEPING SECRETS CHAPTER 15- IS THAT A THREAT, OR A PROMISE?

"Why do I have to be here again?"

"Because this is an important skill for His Highness to know and he needs a partner."

"Okay, but why me?"

"Because I am your superior and I requested you to come. If you'd prefer, I can send you to central fields to help find the dark guild terrorizing our agricultural infrastructure... or you can stay in the capital, and help Prince Natsu learn how to dance. Your choice."

Brandish wanted nothing more than to smack that stupid smirk Invel was making off his face. He knew he had her hook, line, and sinker. She may not be very social, and dancing with a... conventionally attractive man close to her age was awkward for sure, but not as much of a pain as traveling to the center of the continent and searching for God knows who in God knows where.

"Ugh. What a hassle. Fine, I'll help."

Invel nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Excellent."

Natsu, meanwhile, scratched his head. "I don't get why I need to know about ballroom dancing anyway."

Invel sighed. "In high society, balls are quite common, and it isn't unusual for a king- or in our case, an emperor- to throw a ball during important events. And making a fool of oneself in front of the upper echelon of society, again, reflects poorly on the emperor and the empire... especially if the ball is an event to entertain foreign guests."

"Ugh. All of that sounds awful. But I guess that makes sense." Natsu said.

"Think of it this way," Invel said, "knowing how to dance in a setting like that will help you better blend into the crowd and take attention off you... in comparison to dancing poorly and embarrassing oneself in front of God and everyone, as they say. And that's something both of you would prefer, correct?"

Natsu smiled and nodded, and Brandish sighed, but begrudgingly admitted, "Yeah, fine. You make a good point." She turned to Natsu. "You ever danced before?"

Natsu placed a hand on his chin. "Well, I think I tried once, but I wasn't very good."

"Fantastic." He's probably gonna fall on me more than once... what a hassle. She felt her face heat up a bit, and she looked away.

Unfortunately, Natsu seemed to notice. "You feelin, okay, Brandish?"

"I feel fine." Brandish took a deep breath before turning to face Natsu again. "If you step on my feet, I'm shrinking yours'."

Natsu gulped and laughed nervously.

Natsu was as clumsy and awkward as Brandish predicted, and true to her word, three times she shrunk Natsu's feet, which caused him to completely lose his balance and fall each time. And each time, Invel would angrily yell how Brandish was disrespecting the prince and to stop using her magic for such frivolous reasons. To which Brandish would roll her eyes and turn Natsu's feet back to normal, and then they'd start again.

That said, Brandish could admit after Invel's constant instruction (and her threat of shrinking his feet again) Natsu improved the longer they went on. They practiced off and on for about three hours before Invel dismissed them.

"Gotta say that was a pretty rough start you had there, but you picked up fast, Your Highness." Brandish told Natsu as they walked through the corridors of the palace.

Natsu beamed at her. "Just call me Natsu, Brandish. And thanks, I like to think I'm a fast learner."

Brandish blushed a bit at Natsu's insistence that she use his name instead of his title. Chill out Brandish, he's told every member of the Twelve to use his name like that. "Honestly, I'm shocked you went along with Invel's insistence you take ballroom dancing lessons so easily."

Natsu snorted, and said, "Well the last thing he made me learn was 'proper table etiquette' so just about anything was more appealing than that."

Brandish chuckled. "Point taken."

"Still, me doing something like this is pretty wild. I wonder if Lucy'd be impressed with me. This seems like something up her alley."

At that, Brandish's expression darkened, and her eyes narrowed. "You're referring to Lucy Heartfilia, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Natsu said a bit uncertainly, noticing Brandish's demeanor change. "You know Lucy or something? I remember you seemed pretty interested when I was telling everyone at the bar the stories from my guild, whenever her name came up."

Brandish's features softened, ever so slightly. "No. Sorry, I know she's your friend and all... but the very sound of her name infuriates me. Or more accurately, her family's name." Brandish sighed before she continued, "My mom used to work for her mom as a servant at their estate, before she moved here to Alvarez. Every time Mom brought up Layla Heartfilia, she was always singing her praises. And she did sound like a great person to work for. That is, until my mom got a letter from Layla when I was ten. Mom got all panicky and said she had to go see Layla again right away, but she'd be home as soon as she could." Brandish clenched her fists and her voice became strained. "She never came back."

"What happened?" Natsu asked.

"My dad got a letter from the royal government of Fiore about a month after she left. It said her body had been found several miles from the Heartfilia estate, and she had been stabbed multiple times. Thing was... Mom took something special of hers with her, a gift Layla had given her years before. A very rare celestial spirit key, specifically, the one for the water bearer, Aquarius. When we got Mom's personal belongings back, it wasn't with them. Years later, when I joined the Spriggan 12, I found out as a member, I had almost unlimited access to the intel the empire's massive intelligence network collects. So, I used it to see if I could find out anything about Aquarius's key. And as it turns out, our intel even had the name of the key's current owner- none other than your friend, Lucy Heartfilia."

Brandish's eyes narrowed. "I don't know her motives, but I think Layla killed Mom to get Aquarius's key and give it to her daughter. Because you can't tell me Lucy being the owner of Aquarius's key is a coincidence."

Natsu listened with wide eyes. "...really? That's... wow. Whenever Lucy talked about her mom, it always sounded like she was really nice."

"Those high society types with too much money will surprise you. They'll smile and act all sweet to you as they stab you in the back, and then use their wealth to get rid of any evidence." Brandish sighed. "There's a good chance your friend wouldn't even know her mom was like that. And to be honest, I was Hellbent on taking revenge on Lucy for what happened to my mom... but I take it you're gonna tell me not to, since she's your friend?"

"Of course she's, my friend!" Natsu declared. "She's... special to me. I promised I'd keep her future safe..." His voice lowered for a moment, before he raised it again- "And I ain't gonna let-"

"I get it. Chill out. I won't do anything to her. You're the prince, I have to listen to what you tell me. If I don't, I'd get in a lot of trouble and that would just be an even bigger hassle."

Natsu calmed down. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I still ain't used to that... but thanks anyway! I like you, and I wouldn't want to have to fight you cuz you had it out for Luce or something like that! Still... maybe, when the guild gets back together, I could talk to her for you! Lucy is smart, she could know something we don't- plus now that I think about it, we could just ask Aquarius since she could summon her! She'd probably know what happened!"

Brandish cocked an eyebrow at Natsu. "That'd be great and all if Lucy could summon her, but from what I understand, she doesn't have Aquarius's key anymore."

Natsu's eyes widened. "What do you mean she doesn't have it anymore? Luce would never get rid of Aquarius's key! She was basically a family member to her!"

"You mean you didn't know?" Brandish actually looked surprised. "Since I've found out she's had Aquarius's key, I've been keeping tabs on Lucy since I joined the Twelve. From what I've read from our most recent intelligence reports, your friend hasn't been seen with the key since your guilds' showdown with whatever that dark guild that leveled most of Magnolia was- and you were there, didn't she summon the Celestial Spirit King during that battle? You know the only way he comes out is if a celestial wizard breaks a gold key?"

Natsu paled. Lucy... sacrificed Aquarius? To save the guild? Natsu felt a horrible feeling of guilt rise up in him. "I... honestly had no idea." He felt tears build at the edge of his eyes as he realized the implications. "Luce... lost Aquarius... and I... I didn't even know."

Brandish looked at him a little puzzled, but the tone she spoke to him with was softer than before. "You didn't... talk to her afterwards? Before your guild disbanded?"

Natsu shook his head. "Igneel... my foster father... died in that battle. As soon as I knew Tartaros was in the ground and Acnologia had flown off to God knows where... I hit the road. I... left Lucy a letter. She was the only one I didn't feel right just sayin nothing to before I left. I said I was leaving to get stronger, to make sure I didn't lose anyone again... and I was... but I also left because I needed to mourn Igneel. I didn't realize she was grieving too." Natsu laughed bitterly. "And then right after that, according to my brother, the guild disbanded. I can't even imagine how awful she felt. I feel... like such a lousy friend."

At this point, while he wasn't full on sobbing, his voice was breaking, and tears were flowing down his face. Brandish felt herself tense up at this. I never expected him to start crying... either his guild is way more emotional than I thought or Lucy is more than just a friend to him... She didn't like the last part of that thought. She sighed, forcing herself to relax, before she said, "For what it's worth, I wouldn't beat myself up over it. You did what you thought was right at the time. It's not like you knew or could have known."

"Well, maybe, but I could have hung around and checked on everyone for a few days before I left." Natsu's voice still sounded strained, but it wasn't breaking anymore.

"Maybe I could have asked my mom not to go back to Ishgar. Maybe I could have done something special with her before she left. Or maybe I could have asked to go with her." Brandish's voice sounded uncharacteristically somber. "But I didn't. Because I didn't know what would happen. Just like you didn't know what was about to happen to your guild." She sighed again. "Thinking about all these what ifs is such a hassle. It's not gonna change anything. At least... you have a chance to apologize to Lucy."

Natsu sniffed, but then clenched his fists. "You're right. I should know better than to wallow in guilt. I don't wanna turn into my brother, after all." He smiled and laughed.

Brandish looked at him wide-eyed for a moment before she smiled as well and chuckled softly. "Sorry, I'm not used to hearing people crack jokes about His Majesty."

Natsu grinned. "Well, with me around, you'll get used to it! But seriously, thanks for telling me all that. And for the advice. You're pretty cool!"

"Uhh... you're welcome, I guess?" This has been such a bizarre conversation. It feels like he showed more emotion in the last five minutes than I have in the last five years... but... at the same time, he's genuine. I like that.

"When the guild gets back together, I'll talk to Luce about your mom. And we'll find out what happened to her for real!"

Now Brandish was blushing a little again. "I... uh... you know, you really don't need to do all that..."

"Oh, I don't mind! After we get my brother's curse cured, me, him, and August are gonna get Fairy Tail back together! Once we do, we'll already be helping Irene with some stuff, so we'll help you too! Oh..." They stopped at the intersection of several hallways. "I gotta go this way. But thanks again Brandish! Later!" He waved over his shoulder as he walked down the hallway to the left.

"Umm... later." Brandish said after him. She furrowed her brow. He's different for sure, but a good kind of different... though if Lucy is what I think she is to him, I have another reason to dislike her. What a hassle. She thought as she walked back towards her room. However, she suddenly stopped in shock when some of what Natsu had told her finally sunk in. Wait, did he really say His Majesty and August were gonna join his guild?!

"Oi! Welcome, Your Highness! Happy to see your recovery's going well!"

"Hey Jacob! Thanks! Happy I finally got to come see this place! It's awesome!"

Natsu and Jacob stood down in the center of Alvarez's intelligence division. Natsu had a hell of a time finding the place, eventually getting some assistance after he ran into Bloodman, who showed him the secret entrance to the intelligence department behind an old bookshelf in one of the palace's unassuming sitting rooms. The place was bustling, with Jacob's agents rushing around the massive room that contained a bunch of desks and people looking at things on lacrima screens. There was also one very large screen on one of the walls that was showing a bunch of different images and what Natsu assumed were live camera feeds at once.

Jacob smiled. "Why thank you! I take great pride in our intelligence network here. So, are you just stopping by out of curiosity, or were you looking for something... or someone, specifically?"

"I am looking for someone specifically ... or several people actually. Brandish was telling me how she knew my friend Lucy had a certain celestial spirit's key because of our intelligence network, and it made me think, if she knew that, maybe I could use it and see what some of my friends were up to since the guild disbanded!"

"Of course. Who're you looking for, in particular?"

"Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell, and the exceeds Happy and Carla. They were my regular team back at the guild."

Jacob nodded. "Just a moment, Your Highness, let me go see what we've got." Jacob briskly walked down a hallway leading out of the main room and disappeared into one of the side rooms. Natsu watched the intelligence agents work while he waited, as well as the big screen on the wall, watching images of people of interest fly by and the camera feeds change to different locations. As he wondered how it all worked, he heard Jacob coming back up the hall.

"Got 'em all for you, Your Highness." Jacob held out a small stack of file folders for Natsu.

"Thanks Jacob!" Natsu grinned as he took the folders from Jacob and walked over to an empty desk. He looked through them, and, as he did, a mixture of different feelings welled up in him.

Wendy, Carla, and more recently, Happy, had joined Lamia Scale. They all seemed to be doing well, Wendy in particular. She and her friend Sherria had come to be known as Lamia Scale's 'Sky Sisters' and had gained quite a following. The file also noted how Happy and Carla had learned transformation magic, each gaining a more humanoid form, and they had also grown closer. Natsu was proud of his friend for finally pursuing a relationship with Carla, but had to admit seeing both of them, especially Happy, looking like little human kids was a bit jarring.

Lucy was a journalist for Sorcerer Weekly now, evidently finally getting to pursue her passion for writing. Natsu felt a hint of pride for Luce as he read about her work at Sorcerer Weekly, but it was the rest of the report on her that really caught his eye- in her spare time, Lucy was attempting to keep up with the exploits of their wayward guildmates. He couldn't help but wonder about what Lucy would think if she found out where he ended up. Bet all those years ago when we met in Hargeon, you'd never have guessed I was next in line to the throne of the world's strongest country, eh Luce? He imagined telling her. Which was fair, because Natsu wouldn't have either.

Erza was officially listed as 'unemployed', but the report suggested she was somehow involved with the independent (and wanted) guild, Crime Sorciere, specifically its leader, Jellal Fernandes. Yeah, no surprise there. He hoped Erza was happy finally getting to spend some more time with Jellal.

Finally came Gray's report, and Natsu felt his heart sink when he read through it. He'd initially been living with Juvia when the guild disbanded but had eventually abandoned her to hunt for Zeref and E.N.D.- i.e., Natsu. Gray's hatred for Natsu and his brother had led him to join a dark guild called Avatar, who were typical Zeref worshippers, it would seem. While the report seemed to suggest Gray was working as a double agent, it was noted that Gray's obsession with finding the black wizard and his 'top demon' had led him to Avatar, who were hoping to 'summon Zeref' with their actions.

"Your friends alright, Your Highness?" Natsu had been so wrapped up in the report he didn't hear Jacob come up behind him. "You look a little distressed."

Natsu let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding in. "One of my friends- Gray Fullbuster- is obsessively hunting..." Natsu lowered his voice for the next part, "Zeref and E.N.D.- me. He's always had it out for Zeref and now, me too, since the whole thing with his dad and Tartaros... he's even joined a dark guild to try to find us." Natsu internally cursed Mard Geer for no doubt filling Silver's head with tales of the fictional atrocities that E.N.D. committed.

Jacob's eyes widened as Natsu spoke about Gray. "I take it... he doesn't even suspect? About the relation between you and His Majesty, that is." Natsu shook his head, and Jacob brought a hand to his chin. After a moment, Jacob offered, "Well, for what it's worth... I know you're already a celebrity here now, but it's not like the relationship between the empire and Ishgar is good by any stretch of the imagination. We more or less control what information gets across the ocean- so if you don't want em knowing about what you're doing over here, we can make sure your presence stays off the radar in Ishgar."

"But wouldn't it make sense that there would be spies from Ishgar here, if we have spies over there? I want to tell my friends over there about this on my terms. I don't want them hearing from someone else... especially if they know Emperor Spriggan and Zeref are the same person."

Jacob grinned slightly. "It'd be foolish to say there's no spies from Ishgar here, but I can say with certainty there aren't many. Our immigration policies are extremely strict, especially when it comes to Ishgar. It's not like there's a lot of people moving over from there anyway, so we're able to keep tabs on the ones that do pretty easily. Plus, most countries over there are so afraid of us they're too scared to send their agents here. The most common spies we bust are shrills from the Magic Council. Still though, you don't need to worry- if secrecy's the way you want it, we'll make sure no one from Ishgar puts two and two together. Also, the fact that His Majesty is the black wizard Zeref is not common knowledge by any stretch of the imagination, even here. Some of the Twelve don't even know. So, we'll make sure things stay as they are til you give the word."

While that didn't completely get rid of his tension, Natsu did feel more at ease knowing all that. "Thanks a ton Jacob. Knowing that makes me feel better." Natsu paused before he smiled and said, "It's pretty awesome... and a little crazy we have this much information on people from a continent so far away."

"I will take that as a compliment, Your Highness." Jacob said as he grinned and bowed slightly. "My little birds and whisperers are everywhere."

Natsu laughed a little before a thought came to him. "If that's the case..., would you be able to get something for me from over in Ishgar?"

Jacob cocked his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

Natsu chuckled nervously and felt his face getting a little red as he said, "Well, one of my friends, Lucy, is writing for Sorcerer Weekly now, and I was... wondering if I could read the issues she's worked on. She's always talked about how much she's loved to write, so I was happy to hear she's doing something she loves."

Jacob brought his hand to his chin, tapping it with his index finger for a few seconds, before he smirked and said, "It might take me a few weeks, give or take, but I believe that can be arranged."

As Natsu left the intelligence division, his thoughts were consumed with his friends' activities- especially Gray's. For the first time since he'd come to Alvarez, he was starting to seriously wonder about the implications of allying himself with his brother when it came to his guildmates. Would they understand? Gramps had expelled both his son and grandson, at one point, for the sake of the guild. And then Laxus and Gray had both fought their fathers to keep their friends safe. Would they expect me to do the same?

Could I do the same, if things got to that point?

Natsu was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't notice the sound of footsteps approaching, and he collided with another person as soon as he rounded a corner.

"Hey, sorry man! I should have been paying better attention to where I was going!"

"Hmph. Indeed, you should have."

Natsu furrowed his brow as this new man addressed him, with a fair amount of disdain. He was an older middle-aged man, with slicked back graying- brown hair and dressed in an expensive looking suit. His most notable feature at the moment though, was the deep sneer he was giving Natsu. "I was already aware of your casual demeanor, but to think you would be so inattentive walking around the palace is just shameful."

Natsu couldn't tell if this guy was intentionally trying to provoke him, or he was just on edge from reading about Gray's concerning goals and was misinterpreting the man's tone. So, he thought he'd just ask. "Did... I do something to upset you? Other than bumping into you, that is."

The man's sneer turned into a haughty smirk. "Upset me? Oh no, Your Highness. Nothing so drastic. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand. Alakitasia certainly has fallen far." He gave a mocking bow as he introduced himself. "I am Lord Montgomery Ashford, representing the fine province of Devereaux in the Imperial Parliament. You see, I'm old enough to remember the days of our great homeland before lackadaisical emperors declared themselves in charge. I know how convenient it is for the emperor to have almost the whole continent in his grasp, but I am here to ensure my homeland is not... taken advantage of."

Natsu stared at him as Lord Ashford's words sunk in. He didn't completely get what this guy was saying, but his passive aggressive edge was impossible to miss. Though Natsu's first impulse was to snap back, he remembered his lessons from Invel, specifically one thing the Winter General had told him- 'There is more than one way to defeat an opponent- some battles need to be fought with fists, and some with words.' An idea came to him, and Natsu decided this guy was one of those who could be dealt with better with the latter.

Natsu beamed at Lord Ashford. "Hey, that's great you're lookin out for your home like that! I'm happy we have such caring people in our parliament!" Natsu walked past the lord, noting the look of surprise on his face. "Sorry again about running into ya, I'll watch where I'm going better from now on. You have a good one, Lord Ashtray!" He waved his hand as he walked, without looking back.

He did everything in his power to not laugh when he heard the lord start fuming to himself, especially over Natsu's demeaning mispronunciation of his name, clearly having thought he could get the prince to lose his temper and embarrass himself.

"Natsu! Good to see you up and about!"

Natsu looked ahead to the new voice's source and grinned widely when he saw Ajeel waving at him from down the hallway. "Yo, Ajeel! Glad to see you're back! How'd the mission go?"

"A resounding success!" Dimaria's voice chimed in as she came around the corner. "Are the dark guilds in Ishgar as predictable as the ones over here? 'With the power of this ancient artifact, all the world's power will be mine! And the world will suffer since mommy never loved me!'" She said overdramatically before laughing.

"'My elite forces defeated?! How could this be? I was to rule the worrrrllldd!'" Ajeel added his own dramatics, laughing as well. He looked past Natsu, his grin widening as he saw Lord Ashford storming down the hallway. "Hey, is that-"

"Lord Assford?" Dimaria said, laughing as she watched the angry lord storm away. "Sure looks like him. You do something to rile him up, Natsu?"

Natsu smiled. "Well, he got mad I bumped into him, and then he said some stuff about the 'good ole' days' before my brother, I think… though he was kinda a jerk about it all. I think he was trying to get me to fly off the handle... so I just smiled and basically said I was so happy he was doing such a good job and walked off... he didn't like that." Natsu beamed, proud of himself.

Ajeel, however, scowled. "Are you serious? You're gonna let that dick talk to you like that? You're the prince for God's sake! Knock that fucker through a wall!"

Natsu's eyes widened at Ajeel's words. "Well, I mean, I would have normally, but Invel was telling me sometimes you can beat people with just your words... he said it was called being diplomatic, I think? So, I thought I'd try it out. And to be honest, seeing him all pissy like that after I didn't take the bait was satisfying!"

"Hahahaha, I bet. Calm down, Ajeey, Natsu clearly got the guy's goat. Serves him right, too." Dimaria said. Ajeel still looked mad but nodded.

"What's the deal with that guy anyway?" Natsu asked, still confused why that lord had acted the way he did.

Dimaria sighed. "Well, your brother's generally pretty well liked here, but there are still a few- mostly salty nobles- that see him as a tyrant and usurper. Lord Ashford is their little posse's leader in the parliament. Say your brother decided to visit a children's hospital one morning, Lord Ashford would be in the parliament that afternoon complaining about how 'there are real issues the empire is facing, and His Majesty just wants to go have photo ops' or something stupid like that. But on that same note, say your brother slept in one morning, Lord Ashford would be making some sappy speech about the 'poor children in hospitals suffering and His Majesty is just indulging in selfish pleasures'- you get the picture. He's an unappeasable asshole, to put it lightly."

"Let me tell you something, Natsu." Ajeel said, pointing at the dragon slayer. "There's a time and place for diplomacy and all that, but my dad- back home at his court- he'll sit there and take anything you have bad to say about him, but he always says, 'you insult my friends or family, you get one time'. Last time I went back there, there was some pompous noble like Lord Asshat who made some snide remarks about me in front of my dad. He told the guy that was his one time. He must have thought Dad was joking or something, because the next time I passed him in the hallway, he had some choice words for how I was hiding behind my old man or something like that. Well, what he didn't know was Dad was coming around the corner and had overheard him. Next thing I knew he pushed past me, grabbed that guy by the throat, and threw him out the window. Took care of the problem once and for all."

Natsu listened to Ajeel's story with wide eyes. "Wow, your old man doesn't mess around!"

Ajeel grinned. "Hell yeah! And that's why everyone back home loves him! Just remember, you're in charge here, you don't have to put up with anyone you don't want to!" Natsu heard Ajeel's stomach growl. The desert king looked down and then grinned sheepishly "On another note though, we haven't been back to the bar since we've been back. Wanna grab a bite with us?"

"What kind of question is that?" Natsu asked mischievously. "Let's GO! I'm all fired up now!"

The day before Natsu was set to be cleared from Dr. Williams' care, the Imperial Parliament met to deliberate the issue of supporting Caelum's independence.

Zeref and his inner circle- August, Irene, Invel, Yajeel, and now, Natsu- had decided to put the final decision up to Parliament's vote. There were certainly good things about supporting Caelum, but there were risks well- and since Alvarez's first (emperor approved) foray into interfering with Ishgarian politics was no small matter, as its effects could be very long lasting on the future of the empire, they collectively decided it was better to put the matter to the vote.

Natsu's eyes widened as they walked into the massive meeting hall that the Imperial Parliament called home in the palace. He was immediately struck by the sheer scale of the room- several large banners of the Alvarez crest descended from the ceiling high above them, which disappeared into intricate vaults adorned with gilded carvings of several different creatures- Natsu noted several dragons mixed in with other legendary beasts and strange looking figures which he assumed were celestial beings. The chamber's massive chandeliers cast a warm light that flowed down and across the marble floors and the tiered seating for the representatives from all around the empire, which formed a massive half circle along the back wall of the massive chamber.

On the opposite wall, there were 14 ornate chairs, one for each of the Spriggan 12 (all twelve seats were rarely, if ever, filled at once), Yajeel, and Natsu. In the center of the seats, reserved for Zeref, was a slightly elevated throne made of obsidian. Several feet in front of the throne was a raised speaking podium, presumably where a speaker addressed the assembly. Behind the throne, sunlight streamed through stained glass windows which depicted important events in the empire's history. It was awe-inspiring.

Natsu felt numerous eyes turned to him as he entered- which made sense he guessed, since he was the prince, and it was the first time he had come to one of these Parliament sessions. For the occasion, Invel had provided him with a new article of clothing- a black, high collared cape, with the crest of the empire in white on its back, and a metal chain clasping across the front, just below the neck. He said it would make Natsu 'look the part', and as a plus, he could just wear it over his normal clothes.

As Natsu, Yajeel, and the members of the Twelve who bothered to show up- Invel, August, Irene, Ajeel, Dimaria, and Jacob, to be precise- plus Lord Saylor, took their seats, Zeref walked up and stood on the podium, and a hush fell over the murmuring voices of the representatives that had been echoing through the room.

Zeref offered a formal welcome and briefly summarized the talks with Lord Saylor so far. He then stepped aside and let Lord Saylor have the podium, who delivered a speech of why they were seeking the aid of Alvarez, very similar to what he had said to Natsu last week, albeit more formal and impassioned.

Natsu tuned most of his brother's and Lord Saylor's speeches out, having already heard both of their spiels before. However, his interest peaked when his new 'friend', Lord Montgomery Ashford, made his way to the podium to offer remarks.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Assembly, I must confess I find myself... troubled by the direction of this discussion." His voice was as smooth as it was dripping with feigned politeness. "While there are some of our esteemed colleagues," he said, as he not so subtly turned his head and made eye contact with the emperor and Lord Saylor, "who seem eager to expend the empire's precious resources on this foreign venture, I cannot help but wonder- how does this directly benefit the people of Alvarez?"

He gripped the edges of the podium as he leaned closer to the microphone. "Our empire is, without a doubt, the most glorious nation to ever grace Earthland- that said, we still have domestic issues that need addressing. And while our jewel coffers are indeed vast, they are not infinite. Likewise, our military, though it is without equal, is not without its limits. So, I ask, my fellow representatives, do we pour our own resources and military into supporting a distant island that is currently tethered to another more powerful nation, on a continent with which we already have a strained relationship with, as a whole?"

Lord Ashford's eyes narrowed, and his tone sharpened as he continued, "And for what gain? The favor of a small, insignificant, and fledgling island kingdom? Meanwhile, further alienating ourselves from Minstrel- who, by the way, as many of you surely know, have numerous defense pacts with other Ishgarian kingdoms? My friends, do you all really want to ensure further isolation and strife from a continent that already views our empire with distrust? Helping Caelum break free from Minstrel would be seen as nothing short of a declaration of open hostility by the other nations of Ishgar- many of which have substantial influence and military strength, unlike Caelum."

He paused for effect as the other representatives began to murmur, before continuing with, "We must also consider the fact the International Council of Mages will be watching. Any action we take towards Ishgar is being dissected by their ever-prying eyes... and causing strife with a prominent Ishgarian nation like Minstrel will no doubt deepen their disdain for us. We should be focusing on rebuilding bridges with the Council and the rest of Ishgar, rather than burning them further for the sake of Caelum's independence."

Ashford looked pleased as he heard more murmuring from the assembled representatives, and then he continued with, "And then there is the question of Lord Evan Saylor. An honorable man, to be sure, but one whose idealism is blinding him to the reality of things. He speaks of liberation and independence as if these lofty concepts will not require the blood and funding of our empire. Will Caelum continue to defend themselves once we have cast away Minstrel's chains on their behalf? Or will they come crawling back to us, asking for even more? What assurance do we have that this ordeal will not become a quagmire for Alvarez, siphoning our resources and strength for decades to come?"

He let go of the podium and stood straight, smirking as he finished, "I caution you, my noble countrymen, do not allow yourselves to be swayed by foolish naivety and idealism by those who clearly fail to grasp the consequences. I say, let Caelum and Minstrel solve their own issues with each other! There is enough to do within our borders- and if you disagree, answer me this- what has been the result of our last recent forays into Ishgar? I don't think I need to remind anyone of the last disastrous invasion attempt of the continent across the sea, launched by overzealous generals who clearly thought themselves invincible and not of what would have to be sacrificed to achieve victory?" He paused for a moment before saying, "I trust the wisdom of this assembly will prevail in recognizing the folly of these costly pursuits."

As Lord Ashford stepped down from the podium to a thunderous applause, Natsu scowled and shifted uncomfortably where he sat, the man's thinly veiled insults and demeaning attitude basically permeating the air like a foul stench. Natsu's eyes scanned the others around him, and from what he could see on the faces of the other gathered members of Zeref's top brass, they didn't like him either. Most of all, he could see how much the pompous lord's words had deflated Lord Saylor, whose concern was now evident on his face.

None of this sat well with Natsu, so, as Zeref announced there would be a thirty minute recess for the representatives to deliberate their final vote, Natsu turned to Invel, who was seated next to him. "Hey Invel, I've got an idea. I don't want Lord Ashford to have the last word."

Invel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What did you have in mind?" Natsu explained his thoughts over the next few minutes, while Invel sat and listened with a slight smirk on his face, nodding occasionally. When Natsu finished explaining, Invel said, "I have to say Natsu, for you to come up with all of that just from listening to Lord Ashford's speech is most certainly impressive."

Natsu beamed. "Thanks! So, will you do it? Talk to everyone before they vote?"

However, he was surprised when Invel shook his head. "I will not." He said, before pointing at Natsu, whose frustration was evident. " You will, however."

At that Natsu's frustration disappeared and was replaced by a look of surprise. "Wait, me? Why?"

"Because your words will mean more coming from you personally... not only because you are the prince, but it will also be unexpected and catch the attention of even the most vehement nay-sayers."

Natsu hesitated. Something Natsu rarely felt was building up inside him. Nervousness. Telling Invel or Zeref his ideas was one thing, but standing in front of a bunch of nobles and politicians who would be judging and picking his words apart was another.

Invel had a knowing look on his face as he said, "Don't tell me, Natsu Dragneel, the fearless fire dragon king, mage of Fairy Tail, the brother of Zeref and the prince of Alvarez is going to give up on his convictions over fear of public speaking?"

Natsu felt his nervousness burn away in that instant and was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of conviction. He smirked. "Hell no! I ain't letting that guy's slimy speech be that last thing people hear before the vote! And I've learned a lot from you these past two weeks- I may not be a pro but I can do this!"

Invel nodded, a smile on his face. "I thought not. That said, perhaps you should use the remainder of the time to go over exactly what you want to say?"

Natsu bolted out of his seat. "Oh yeah, good idea!"

As the representatives began to file back into the hall, Invel approached Zeref as he made his way back to the throne. Invel explained what he and Natsu had discussed after the recess had started. Zeref looked at Invel with wide eyes. "Are you sure, Invel?"

"Yes, I am, Your Majesty. He's ready." Invel's tone left no room for doubt.

Zeref let out a breath. "Alright."

A few more minutes passed, and everyone had made their way back into the hall. Zeref stepped back to the podium for a moment, and as the murmuring died down, he addressed the parliament once more, "Before we put the final matter of aid for Caelum to a vote, my brother would like to say a few words." Zeref stepped back off the podium, looking at his brother as he went back to his throne. He gave Natsu a small, encouraging smile, and the apprehension in Natsu's eyes seemed to die as he smirked back at his brother before striding up to the podium, all eyes in the room glued on him.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Natsu yelled a little too loudly into the microphone, causing ear piercing feedback to echo through the chamber, causing many to cover their ears and some to groan. Natsu's cocky smile became a little meeker as he spoke again, voice lower than before. "Uh... sorry about that. I'm not used to talking with a microphone." He chuckled nervously and as some of the assembly chuckled in return, he pushed his jitters back down again before he continued.

"I ain't gonna waste anyone's time with a long and flowery speech. That ain't my style." The reaction from the rest of parliament was a mixture of wide eyed stares, more laughter, and a couple enthusiastic cheers. Natsu smiled and continued, "But here's the deal- Lord Ashford had some good points about how hard it'd be to help Caelum. Yeah, it'll cost us. But here's my question for you- when has anything worth doing been easy?"

Natsu glanced behind him at Zeref and Lord Saylor, who were both looking at him wide-eyed, before continuing, "Caelum deserves a chance to be free from some lousy king that wants to order everyone else around and not lift a finger himself. Wanting that ain't some 'lofty ideal'- that's something real, and something we should respect! "

There was an applause, and Natsu continued, "I know we got problems here that need dealt with," he said seriously, attempting to invoke the stern tone Invel frequently used. "But I believe we're strong enough to handle those and help Caelum at the same time. And by helping them, we're doing more than just supporting one island- we're sending a message to both Ishgar and the Magic Council. That Alvarez makes its own decisions- we don't need their approval!"

That seemed to resonate with the assembly, as the applause was louder and livelier than the last one. As it died down, Natsu continued, "Yeah, maybe some of those other countries won't like it. Maybe they'll keep looking at us like we're the enemy. But guess what? They already do! So I say, we quit worrying about the Magic Council or Minstrel or anyone else thinks. Let's do what's right- for Caelum and for Alvarez!"

His voice rose, and he held up his fist and declared, "Long live the empire! And long live Emperor Spriggan!"

The chamber was silent for a moment before erupting into applause, the sound reverberating off the chamber's grand stone walls. Natsu walked off the podium, beaming at his brother, who was frowning at him. As he sat back down, Invel whispered, "Fantastic job, Natsu. Though I'm not sure His Majesty cared for that last part."

Not missing the slight humor he heard in Invel's voice, Natsu grinned wide. "That's why I said it- just for him."

The vote to provide aid for Caelum's independence passed overwhelmingly. Natsu was happy, as he saw Lord Saylor almost break down in tears of joy when Zeref shared the outcome of the vote. Natsu wasn't as happy, however, when a bunch of representatives kept stopping him on the way out of the chamber to talk with him. Though it was alright, he supposed, since they were just saying how moving his speech was and how impressed they were.

That said, not everyone was pleased. Natsu had finally snuck out of the chamber and was making his way down the hallway towards his room, when he heard a condescending voice say, "I suppose you think you're terribly clever, Your Highness."

Natsu smiled and turned around to face a scowling Lord Ashford. "Nah, not really. I just said what was on my mind, same as you. That's what the Parliament is for, right?"

"Hmph. You can stand there and be proud of yourself for now, but you will regret what you've done today, I assure you. You may have swayed those other limp-wristed fools in Parliament, but you couldn't fathom the worthlessness of your actions. Your beloved brother is a relic of a soon to be obsolete empire. Mark my words, Your Highness."

Lord Ashford turned to leave but felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned back around to see the hand belonged to Natsu, whose face was radiating rage. "Let's get one thing straight here, pal, you can say anything you want about me. But that's the last time you talk about my brother like that. Understand?"

The lord sneered and let out a mocking laugh as he flung Natsu's hand off his shoulder. "You do not frighten me, Your Highness. Your convictions are as childish as the values you spouted in that little speech of yours'. If you were wise, you'd best crawl home to that pathetic little band of misfits you called a guild back in Ishgar. And do Alakitasia a favor and take that foolish brother of yours and the circus he calls the Spriggan Twelve with you."

He turned from the furious prince and began to walk down the hallway, thoughts on his next move. This vote does most certainly throw a wrench into our plans, but it's no matter. My nephew will inform his contacts, and we will begin anew from there. This empire will fa- do I smell something burning?

As he turned to figure out the source of the burning smell, his eyes barely had time to widen as a flaming fist rapidly approached his face.

"FIRE DRAGON, IRON FI-"

Wow, who could have seen that coming? XD Basically, the theme of this chapter is 'Despite everything, Natsu is still Natsu.'

It's my head canon that under her apathy Brandish is a shy and awkward person... more on her and her feelings in a couple chapters.

Curious for everyone's thoughts, especially now that Natsu has realized "oh no, allying myself with my brother nobody in the guild likes (not counting Mavis XD) might cause trouble!" :P

Also, a bit of bad news, there is a chance there will be no new chapter next week. I know I joked about my buffer being dead some time ago, but I was able to revive it and keep it on life support for a bit, but now... yeah, it's dead dead. I'm still writing chapter 16, and there's about a 50/50 chance I'll have it finished by next week or not. I mostly write this on my breaks at work, which are fairly long, but the last few weeks they've been shortened due to someone else screwing their job up, making more work for me, blahblahblah you get the picture. That all said hopefully this won't be a regular thing, because even if I miss one week, chapter 16 should be long completed by the week after next, and I'll hopefully have at least a good start on 17 by then.

Thanks for reading everyone, see you next time!