"Ngh…" Lucy blinked awake slowly, vision blurry.
"She's waking up…!" Wendy exclaimed, finally removing her hands and her healing magic as a result. "Lucy-san, are you okay?!"
"Uh…" Lucy nodded slowly, beginning to get her bearings straight. "I don't know…?" She looked around her body, taking note of all the bandages around her body. "…What happened…?"
"What do you mean what happened…?" Carla questioned. "Don't you remember? You walked into the guild and collapsed!"
"You also had this sort of lifeless look in your eyes…it had us all worried…" Wendy said while looking over Lucy's injured body just to make sure everything was all right. "Are you sure you're fine? I can heal you some more…"
"I'm fine…" Lucy was certain. "I just…wish I could remember what happened…everything gets all hazy after I stepped off the train…"
"Don't worry about it for now!" Wendy demanded, attempting to sound like an actual doctor here. "You'll put strain on yourself if you try to remember, so just focus on recovering, okay?"
"Okay Wendy…" Lucy let out a small laugh at Wendy's demand; she was just too cute to refuse. "I'll rest…where is everyone else…?"
"In the guild hall." Wendy responded. "Master is about to make an announcement…I wonder what it is…"
"Here…help me up to the guild hall; I want to hear this too…" Lucy said while attempting to stand up.
"You shouldn't be moving." That voice belonged to Porlusyica. She was called shortly after Lucy passed out in the guild. "Your wounds were serious, you should not be so eager to move right now."
Lucy could already sense that there was a broom waiting for her in her future. But she couldn't miss out on such an important announcement! "I'll get back in bed, I swear!" It didn't help her nerves that she already saw the guild doctor reaching for the room, as she tried to stand up.
"N-Not so fast!" Wendy flailed, attempting to support Lucy but failing horribly so far.
"Oi, oi…" Tia walked in, placing a hand on her forehead while shaking her head. "No one's going anywhere…" Tia then became the one Lucy rested on, letting out a soft sigh. "There."
"Tia…? What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned, beginning to slowly walk alongside Tia out of the infirmary.
"We were helping Erza out with a little mission…it got a little more hectic than we originally thought it was," Tia explained. "It would've been nice to see you there, instead of walking into the building the way you did. Either way, I'm glad to see you're alive." Bringing Lucy into the main hall, she sat her down at a table, glancing over to Makarov. "She's up and walking now, sir. I think it's time to fill everyone in on this news?"
"Thank you, Tia…" Makarov nodded, standing on top of the bar to gather everyone's attention. In his hand, there was a green envelop in his hands. "Ahem…" Clearing his throat, the Sixth master waved his hand around to show the letter. "Attention, my children. Just a few hours ago, a strange letter was dropped off at the doorsteps of the guild. I read its contents, and I believe it's something we should all hear and decide on before taking action."
"Let's hear it, old man. Not getting any younger here." Laxus commented from the second floor.
"Of course…" Makarov nodded, opening the envelop and taking out the letter inside. "This is the contents of this letter:
Hello, Fairy Tail Guild. I write this letter to you in a state of near urgency. My kingdom is in danger, and I worry that I do not have the manpower to fight off this threat that will eventually attempt to destroy Earthland itself. So, I extend a hand to the Fairy Tail guild in hopes that you will accept my request to stave off this impending war. I know it may seem like much, but I believe you are the only guild capable of this. Should you accept this request, I will have an informant meet you at the nearest port city. They will explain the rest to you there."
"O-Oi…" Gray rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to react to such a request. "That's a lot in one letter…I'm surprised they asked for us…what exactly is going on?"
"I don't like the idea of agreeing to something when we don't even know the details of it…" Erza came to the logical conclusion, and it seemed that a few others agreed with her. "But at the same time, they're really reaching out to use for help over this situation…"
"They seem desperate, actually…" Diamond couldn't help but comment, even though this situation didn't exactly concern her.
"Does this mean we get to beat people up!?" Natsu grinned excitedly, pounding his fists together. He was always itching for a fight but what else was new?
"Calm down, hot head…" Gray scoffed at Natsu's eagerness.
"I think we should at least hear what's going on, don't you, Master?" Mirajane put in her piece. "It wouldn't feel right just denying them…maybe they didn't have much time and could only give us the basics of the situation…?"
"Let's not forget they requested all of the guild, as odd as that may sound…" Freed said while reviewing the contents of the letter. "It could be a trap."
"This is also true…Freed's got a pretty good hunch right there, babies!" Bickslow said with his signature "Hyahaha!" following right after.
"So…how does this sound…half of us will go, and the other half will remain at the guild. When the truth has been revealed, we'll call the other half over as backup?" Erza suggested.
"I believe that is the perfect solution. I will also be accompanying the team going towards the dock, and I will hand pick those members myself." Makarov nodded. "Erza, Natsu, Cynthia, Wendy, Cynthia, Juvia, Gajeel, Gray, Laxus…and…" He glanced towards Lucy, giving a concerned look. "Are you well enough to move, Lucy? If not, you can stay here."
"I'm fine!" Lucy nodded, standing up only to wince slightly after. "Totally fine…"
"Idiot…" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head as she stood up. "I'll help her walk over there…it's not really smart to bring her along, but she's stubborn sometimes…"
"I am not…" Lucy huffed.
"Giheh…" A sly grin slowly began to form on Gajeel's lips. "This sounds like it'll be pretty fun…I'm hoping it's a trap, I can't wait to kick some butt…"
"We're not acting rash, Gajeel," Makarov shot a glare towards the iron slayer. "Anyway…I'll give contact through the communication lacrima when things are figured out. Until then, stay put."
"I'll head back when I'm done, Diamond. You can go ahead and file the mission report to base and go back without me." Tia assured Diamond with a nod.
"Right!" Diamond nodded, skipping out of the guild. "See you soon!"
"Let us go." And with that, Makarov led the small band of mages to the port.
.
.
"Gah…" At the port, a female was pacing back and forth, looking for something though it wasn't where she thought it was. This girl was in her 20s, wearing knee high black boots with red strings on the side, one strap black and red dress and certainly did not hide her ample bust and hardly covered her thighs, black and white gloves, and a small black and white hate atop bright red curly locks that reached down to her lower back; and last but not least, green eyes to complete her image. "Where is it…? My informant said it would be around here somewhere…" She then laid eyes on one of the largest boats in the harbor, with a mysterious robed person standing in front of it. It appeared as though they were waiting for someone. "Ah…that must be it! That boat is too huge for a small crew…" Waltzing over to the figure, the female took a deep breath before speaking. "Can I hop on this boat?"
"…" She got nothing; the figure said not a word to her. They were completely ignoring her.
"Excuse me!" The red head huffed, now waving her hand in front of what she was hoping to be a face. "I'm speaking to you!"
"…."
An angered tick mark appeared on the female's forehead. "Hey! Stop ignoring me, dammit! I'll make you sorry!"
"…."
"UGH!" Throwing her hands up defeated, the female let her head hang. "Useless…"
"This must be the meeting place…" Erza said while staring at the large boat; it was bigger than everything else in the docks.
"A-A boat…?" Natsu's face turned blue at the very sight of a boat.
"You're not even on it…" Lucy said with a shake of her head.
"Or near it…" Tia continued.
"Oh…you must be the mages from Fairy Tail…" The robed figure finally spoke, which caused the red headed female's jaw to drop. "I'm so happy to see that you have come…but this is not the entire guild…isn't it twice this?"
"We suspect a trap," Makarov was blunt on the matter, staring directly at the robed figure with a stern expression. "Both forces spread out between here and the guild are prepared if you dare try anything."
Upon hearing their suspicions, the robed figure brought up their hands and shook them rapidly as if to deny the accusations. "N-No! I swear on my life, it is not a trap! We genuinely need your assistance…"
"She seems to be telling the truth…her tone of voice is sincere…" Wendy mumbled, not sure if anyone else would agree with her.
"Can't base trust just on that, short stack," Gajeel said while placing his hand atop Wendy's head. "Though, we don't really have any way of telling if they're lyin', do we?"
"I swear, you have my word…" The figure dropped their robe to reveal their face; it was a female with tan skin, red markings along her cheeks, pink hair tied back into a pony tail, and dark blue eyes. "My name is Ena, and I'm sent here on behalf of my father the king to request your assistance to stave off an incoming civil war on our island…"
"Civil war…?" This seemed to catch Makarov's attention. "This sounds troubling indeed…"
"Wait, wait…" Tia narrowed her eyes at Ena. "You said your father the king, right? So…you're the princess?"
"That is correct…" Ena gave a curt nod.
"Whoa! Royalty!" Cynthia's eyes lit up, only for them to halt and narrow once she caught a whiff of Ena's scent. "Whoa…?"
"You smell it too…?" Wendy glanced at Cynthia, who gave a silent nod.
"Do you wish to go to the island with this small force, sir Makarov?" Ena questioned the Master.
"No…I will call over the rest of the guild. Though it will take some time before they arrive, I will arrive. So, feel free to spend your time as you wish until they do," Makarov nodded before going off to contact the others at the guild.
"Well…if you don't need a walking crutch anymore…" Tia said as she slowly began to release her grip on Lucy, who seemed to be doing fine. "I'm going to be heading back to Dealer now…"
"I'll be fine…!" Lucy nodded…only to start tipping over without noticing. "Fine….fine….TIA HELP."
"Ah…" Tia sighed, catching Lucy in her arms just before she fell. "You're hopeless…"
"Aheh…" Lucy just gave a sheepish smile.
"Man… I just wanna fight something!" Natsu complained.
"Give it some time, Natsu! I'm sure we can do something!" Happy attempted to encourage Natsu while eating a piece of fish from his bag.
"Excuuuuuuuuuuuse meeeeee~" The red headed female from before casually walked up to the Fairy Tail wizards, displaying a sweet smile, though it was clear she wanted something from them. "This boat is for you guys, riiiight?"
"Who the hell are you?" Laxus raised a brow at the female. "And how long have you been standing there? Your tone of voice makes it sound like you've been watching for quite a while…"
"Oh, me?" The female placed a hand on her chest, preparing to introduce herself. "Mii Koryuji! Heiress of the Koryuji family and (Self-proclaimed) S class wizard!"
"Uh huh…" Gray just nodded, not showing much interest in Mii. "And we're Fairy Tail."
"Love rival…" Juvia silently hissed at the well-endowed female.
"What the hell is a Fairy Tail?" Mii blinked a few times before realizing that wasn't the best question to ask. "A-ahem…I mean…it's nice to meet you all! Say, you never answered my question! That boat is yours, right?"
"Well…technically?" Lucy answered.
"Excellent!" Mii clapped her hands together, presenting a sweet smile. "Can I join you on your little trip?"
"No." Ena replied, shooting Mii a sharp glare. "This boat is for Fairy Tail only, I'm afraid I cannot let you board this ship. You don't even know where it's going, do you?"
"I know where this goes, and who you really are…" Mii said with her eyes narrowing, hands on her hips as she leaned forward. "I don't think they know the entire truth yet, do they?" There was a smirk on her face as she spoke, tension in the area rising. "You've gained their trust a little bit…it wouldn't be so wise to keep them in the dark and put them into something they may not be able to handle in the long run, no? After all…you are…"
"That's enough," Ena spoke calmly, giving a nod so show she understood Mii's point.
"Are they about to fight…?" Wendy questioned.
"I hope not…" Pantherlily replied. "I have the feeling it would get very ugly pretty quickly."
Ena turned to the wizards, giving another small nod. "I hope you do not mind her accompanying us."
"Eh?" Natsu glanced at Mii, who was smiling all sweet and innocent. "But she ain't a part of Fairy Tail…"
"I hope it won't be a problem!" Mii flashed a bright smile. "You can trust me! I'll be a good girl, and if there's a fight don't worry, I can handle myself!"
"I'm not sure about this…" Laxus was the first one to show his distaste towards Mii accompanying them. "I don't trust her."
Mii mumbled something under her breath before giving Laxus that usual smile. "Don't worry. I'm not going to cause any trouble; you have my word as a Princess!"
"You're royalty, too?" Carla found this rather skeptical. It was as if Mii was making this up as she was going along. "How convenient."
"Ah…!?" Mii took offense to Carla's doubts. "That's rude! Really, the Koryuji family is well known in Pergrande! My father is close with the King, you know~"
"Daddy's girl?" Laxus remarked.
"…!" Mii gasped, feigning offense.
"Laxus, that's enough. As long as she's said it's alright, it's allowed." Erza shot a glare towards the lightning mage. She then extended a hand to Mii, presenting a soft smile. "Please, excuse his behavior. Mii, as long as you promise to stay out of trouble, we wouldn't mind you accompanying us." Had Ena said otherwise, however, Erza would be singing a very different tune right now. It was best to go along with things for the time being.
"But of course!" Mii took Erza's hand and gave it a good shake. "Pleasure doing business with you, Fairy Tail!"
"Well…if that's all…" Tia nodded, now beginning to make her leave. "I hope you guys succeed in your mission! Just call me if you need any help, and we'll be right there." With that, Tia was now gone.
After some time, the rest of the members of Fairy Tail arrived, and began boarding the boat. The dragon slayers felt a little sick at first once the boat started moving, only to realize there was nothing to worry about. "I'm not sick…?" Cynthia questioned, walking around the boat with little to no issue.
"This boat has been designed to compensate for that illness Dragon Slayers are known to possess." Ena confirmed. "There is one thing I would like to tell you all as we make way to the island…"
"And what's that?" Makarov inquired.
"This island we are going to is not on the sea…" With a press of the button, the ship began to lift from the water and began flying into the sky; the mages' eyes widened in surprise. "It is in the sky."
.
.
A shocking revelation has been made in the face of Fairy Tail as a new comrade joins their cause! As they fly into the sky to reach their new destination, the winds of fate begin to howl in discontent…
Next time: Turbulence!