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The Water Fairies

Summary:

Two girls arrive at the Guild Hall, yet no one knows either of them but they bear the mark of the Guild anyway. Both are Water Wizards and one has a very surprising claim to make. First Fairy Tail story and first story on AO3 so please be nice with the reviews. NaLu in later Chapters. Plus a few of my own. Please comment, leave kudos or bookmark to show support.

Chapter Text

The bright morning sun cast warm light over the Magnolia streets. Everywhere people were bustling about, enjoying the weather and the company of friends.

Among the vendors and consumers, two young ladies maneuvered through the swarms of people, each leading a horse by the reins. Both were dressed in the same dark-grey dress that reached their knees while the top wrapped around their torsos like robes. A matching cloth sash was tied around their waists and the ends allowed to hang freely. Around their shoulders they both wore soft, tan cloaks with hoods, the first lady having a gold, swirling design around the edge of hers. Their feet were decked with dark brown sandals decorated with glimmering sapphires and silver.

The first lady had long ink-black hair that she kept braided and held up in a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were the same green-blue color as the ocean's waters that lapped at the edge of Magnolia. On her left ring finger was a simple golden band with a beautiful diamond resting delicately on top with a sapphire on each side almost like children holding hands with a parent. Her horse was as black as her hair and everything from the reins and saddle, to the bit in the horse's mouth and the wrappings on her legs were of the highest quality of material and design.

The second lady had long, wavy platinum-blonde hair that almost looked silver in the sunlight, that she let hang down to her hips freely. Her eyes were the same color as the silver on her feet. Her own horse was a pale golden color and was constantly bumping her shoulder with her nose. Her own equipment was of the same quality as the first horse but had a paler color than the first.

The two ladies moved through the crowd as carefully as possible and some people were kind enough to hold their children out of the way and away from the impressive horses. The ladies smiled in appreciation as they moved on.

"Ava, are you sure we're at the right city?" the blonde lady asked. The first lady looked over her shoulder and nodded.

"Yes Sylvia, he said the guild is in a city called Magnolia. He even wrote it down so I could check the spelling and pointed it out on a map before he left." Sylvia sighed.

"It's just…" Ava looked back expectantly. "He knew when we were coming. I almost expected the red carpet rolled out." Ava gave her companion a pointed glare.

"It's a tough job being a Guild Master, my bet would be that he's still dealing with the mess of the previous Master and lost track of time." Ava gently touched the ring on her hand and a happy, serene smile graced her pale pink lips. Sylvia smiled and began looking around the city.

"You sure are dedicated to him, I'll give ya that much," she said with a slight chuckle. Ava let a chuckle of her own slip past her lips and nodded.

"He's my husband, what else am I supposed to do?" Ava looked up ahead and a bright smile lit up her face. "There it is," she said, pointing ahead. Sylvia looked up and a wide grin split her face practically in two.

"The Fairy Tail Guild Hall!" she cheered. Ava nodded and pressed on as the crowd became less and less the closer they came to the impressive building.

Upon reaching the Guild Hall, the two girls tied their horses to a nearby post near a water trough and headed inside. No one spared a glance towards the two girls and they looked at each other somewhat confused before making their way over to the bar, where Mirajane was cleaning glasses and Lucy was sipping at her strawberry shake.

"Good morning," Mirajane said with a smile. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"We're looking for your Guild Master," Ava said.

"Oh, hoping to join?" Ava pulled her cloak off her shoulders and turned her back to Mirajane, revealing a pale blue Fairy Tail Guild Mark on the base of her neck, perfectly concealed by her cloak.

"We're already members," Sylvia said as she rolled up her sleeve and showed off the pale-blue mark on her left bicep. Mirajane looked the girls over with a quizzical eye.

"I'm sorry, but I don't seem to remember either of you…" she said gently.

"Well, that's because my husband made us members some time ago," Ava said. "My sister's name is Sylvia Dragocia."

"Nice to meet you," Sylvia said, extending a hand to Mirajane and then to Lucy, who both gave her a firm shake.

"And I'm Avastasia Dreyar, most people just call me Ava though." Both Mirajane and Lucy's eyes went wide. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry but you said your husband made you members how many years ago?" Mira asked.

"Six, almost seven. He was on a job and recruited us," Ava reiterated. Mira nodded.

"And his name wouldn't happen to be Laxus, would it?" Mira asked, still smiling. Ava nodded.

"Yes, that's my husband's name," Ava said with a nod. "Is he not here? At a Guild Master's conference perhaps? In that case, where might I find the Thunder Legion?" Mira looked over at the table where the aforementioned team was sitting, Bickslow's wooden babies flying around their heads and Evergreen fanning herself. "Right over there, huh? Thank you." With that, Ava picked up her cloak and she and Sylvia came over to the trio.

Freed was the first to look up as the girls came over and the talking ceased at the table.

"Is there something we can assist you with, miss?" Freed asked politely as Evergreen looked the girls over.

"You three are Laxus Dreyar's personal guard, correct?" Evergreen fanned herself a little faster.

"Yes. What of it?"

"Ever," Freed scolded. Ava shook her head gently.

"It's just that…Did Laxus not tell you about me or that I was coming?" she asked. The three looked at each other. "My name is Avastasia Dreyar, I'm Laxus' wife. Can you three tell me where he is?" she asked. Freed's jaw dropped as Ever's fanning ceased and Bickslow threw his head back in laughter, earning him a pointed glare from Ava. "I'm not joking." Freed stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.

"My apologies, it's just…Pardon me my lady but Laxus never mentioned having a girlfriend, let alone a fiancee or wife. If I may ask, how long have you two been married?"

"Little over a year now," Ava responded. "And I'm not surprised he never mentioned me before this. He told me that there are many wizards in Fairy Tail who take on jobs that are to take out Dark Guilds and he didn't want someone to say something careless that would end up with me being taken hostage to be used against him." Freed nodded.

"As to where he is…I'm afraid we don't know the answer to that question." Ava raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "You see, little over a week ago, Laxus attempted to take over the Guild by force and was expelled for it. Since then, we've neither heard anything from him nor anything of him. I'm sorry." Ava took a deep breath and nodded again.

"Then that means the would-have-been former Master is still the current Master?"

"Yes, Laxus' grandfather, Makarov," Freed said. "Would you two care to sit down? The Master is currently dealing with something but should return shortly." Ava nodded and Evergreen and Bickslow moved over to allow room for the girls in the booth seat.

"And who are you?" Evergreen asked as Sylvia sat down beside her. Sylvia smiled brightly.

"I'm Ava's sister, Sylvia Dragocia. And you must be Evergreen." Sylvia wrapped an arm around Evergreen's shoulders and tugged her close. "I look forward to working with you."

"Working with us?" Ever asked.

"Yea. You guys might be Laxus' guard, but I'm Ava's. And since Laxus isn't around anymore, shouldn't you guys be protecting Ava too now?" The trio looked at each other, then to Ava.

"We probably should. If Laxus were to return in search of you and you'd been injured, I don't like to think what he may do," Freed said. Ava nodded.

"Very well. I look forward to working with you three." Something bumped Ava's leg and she looked down. Sitting next to her was one of Bicklow's babies.

"My babies are part of the team too," Bickslow said, his tongue flopping about wildly as he spoke. Ava smiled and picked up the doll, setting it gently in her lap.

"Aren't you a cute one," she cooed, tracing the tiki-like style of the painted face. "They have names, correct?"

"Yep; Pappa, Peppe, Poppo, Pippi, and Puppu," Bicklsow said as his babies landed on the table at the sound of their name, save for Pappa, who simply jumped on Ava's lap. Ava smiled and rubbed the top of the adorable doll.

"They're very adorable Bickslow. If I understand correctly, Freed uses Enchantment and Dark Ecriture magic, Ever uses Fairy Magic and Medusa Eyes, and you use Seith Magic, correct?" Freed nodded.

"And if I may ask, my lady, what kind of magic do you and Miss Sylvia use?" Freed asked. Ava smiled.

"We both use Water Magic," she said gently, taking note of a young woman with blue hair dressed in a white-and-blue dress with a blue and white hat hiding behind a pillar holding up some kind of odd, purple flask to her mouth.

"Water Magic? Like how?" Ever asked. Ava pointed at the glass of water in front of the brunette and began to twirl her finger. The water leapt out of the glass and began to spin in midair above the table. Ava traced a figure eight and the water copied her movements. She curled her finger and the water turned to ice, still hovering in the air before Ava released her finger and let the water drop back into the glass.

"That's the kind of thing we can do," Ava said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But we can do a lot more-" Ava's eyes shot a pointed glare at the girl and her leg shot out under the table to harshly connect with her sister's shin, making her jump with a slight yelp. One look at the raven-haired woman, and Sylvia simply smiled. "But those are a secret for now. If we revealed all the tricks up our sleeves, well, there'd be no show." Ava rolled her eyes but smiled gently.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a young man with black hair and the Guild Mark printed on his right pectoral walking around in nothing more than a pair of black boxers. The moment she realized what she was looking at, she gasped and averted her eyes while also blocking the direction with her hand. But that didn't stop her from seeing a small pale-blue mark on his back that she knew only a select few would be able to see.

"Miss Ava?" Freed asked.

"Do people around here normally strut about in their undergarments?" she asked, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. Freed looked over his shoulder and nodded.

"For Grey Fullbuster, that's rather normal. He doesn't even notice when he does it. But he's a skilled Wizard, that much I can say with certainty," the rune mage explained. "Normally, people remind him of his missing garments sooner or later. And thankfully it's only in extreme circumstances when he loses his undergarments."

"Okay, that's enough," Ava said, shaking her hands as a signal to stop talking.

"You got some nerve. You're always flying around free as a bird, trying to show me up!" At that, every member of the Thunder Legion and their newer members turned to see the aforementioned wizard yelling at a small blue cat that had been happily munching on a fish until just then.

"What is going on?" Sylvia asked as she stood up.

"I haven't the slightest," Freed admitted.

"I'm incredibly strong but I can't fly, and you're pathetically weak but you can! As far as I'm concerned, we're even!" Grey roared. Ava and Sylvia cast looks to each other, both highly confused. "Listen up, as of today, you are my rival!" The cat let out a very human yell of fright. "Come on, let's see what you've got, cat!"

"Help! Grey's gone all crazy in the head and he wants to fight me!" The cat screamed as a pair of white wings burst from his back and he took to the air. "Please! Don't let him hurt me!"

"Is this also common for Mr. Fullbuster?" Ava asked, to which, Freed shook his head as he stood up from the table. Not too far off, another pair seemed to be close to a physical brawl. Two gentlemen probably in their early thirties or so, one smoking a cigarette and the other wearing a long white coat, were glaring at each other while the smoker was holding a fist at bay from his attacker.

"You wanna tell me how much money you made last month?"

"I bet it's more than you make in a year," the smoker replied with a smirk.

"You only wish you could make as much as I do!" the dark-haired man snarled.

"Give me a break man, everyone knows I'm worth more than you," the smoker replied.

"What's going on with Wakaba and Macao?" Evergreen asked as the two men continued growling in each others' faces. "Normally they're so mellow and calm and just being the best of friends."

"I drink you alcohol, you don't drink me!" Ava snapped around to see a rather short elderly man wearing a tan cape and a white coat with fur lining, screaming at a barrel of wine. "Now listen you, I'm more than strong enough to kick your well-fermented hide! We were destined by fate to be rivals!"

"Rivals with a barrel of alcohol?" Sylvia asked. "Does he have a drinking problem?"

"The Master's usually loud and a bit out there, but this is new," Bickslow said.

"That's the Master?!" Ava cried.

"You think you can drink me?! I'll never let that happen!" Without missing a beat, the old man began to guzzle down a large tankard of alcohol.

"Curse you wretched pillar!" The Thunder Legion snapped around to see the infamous Erza Scarlet screaming at a pillar. "Why must you block my path? Shattering my dreams of passing through here unhindered?! Answer me scoundrel!" the redhead screamed. "Is silence your way of challenging me to fight you? From the moment I met you, I knew we would be rivals!" Ava rubbed at her temples to hold off a growing headache.

"Heavens above and oceans below, this is insane!" she exclaimed.

"Indeed, my lady," Freed said. "Normally Erza is only yelling at Grey and Natsu for fighting."

"Bring it on red!" Mira challenged as she appeared behind Erza. "Let's fight like we used to in the old days! But this time, I won't be holding back. Because there's no way I'm losing to my life-long rival!"

"I'm so confused! I don't know what's going on! Natsu! Where are you?!" the blue cat cried, not noticing Grey running right at him from behind until the wizard grabbed his tail and yanked him around to face him.

"I've been looking for you!" Grey marched up a flight of stairs and vanished onto the upper floor.

"What's up with that cat?" Sylvia asked.

"That's Happy, Natsu's partner," Ever explained as she cautiously sat back down. One by one, her teammates did as well. "He's a member but aside from using his wings, I've never really seen him using magic."

"And has Grey ever had a problem with him before?" Ava asked. Ever shook her head.

"Normally, it is Natsu with whom Grey fights. But this is a new turn," Freed explained.

"And your Master has a drinking problem?" Sylvia asked as Ava continued to rub at her temples, just managing to catch sight of the blue-haired girl from earlier running up the stairs after Grey and Happy.

"He never showed any kind of problem before. He usually drank to celebrate," Freed said.

"Which meant everyday had to be a celebration of some kind," Bickslow finished with a chuckle.

"And the others are acting oddly as well?" Ava asked as a brunette girl wearing little more than a bikini as a top and a pair of low-riding pants and a blue purse hanging at her hip challenged the Master to a drinking contest, only to be shot down for alcohol itself.

"Extremely," Freed said flatly. As a white-haired man began crying about how there were no real men in the Guild.

"In that case, let's see what we can do about getting some order back around here. Sylvia, Mr. Fullbuster went upstairs with Happy. Try to bring them back down here so we can figure out exactly what's wrong with them. And how well can each of you handle the others?" Ava asked.

"About as well as anyone, probably," Ever said. "But I'll handle Erza and Mira."

"I'll assist you," Freed said, making sure his sword was secured on his hip.

"And I'll round up everyone else," Bickslow said as he headed over towards the Master and Cana.

"By the sound of it, Freed and Ever will need help with Erza and Mira. I'll help if I see anything that's becoming too out of control for you two and once everyone's rounded up, I can look into exactly whatever it is that's causing them to act like this," Ava said firmly. The remaining members nodded before running off to do their own assigned tasks. "Sylvia, I hope you notice exactly why I'm sending you after Grey," Ava thought to herself.

"Freed!" Ava snapped around to see a petite blue-haired girl in an orange dress with a yellow ribbon in her hair screaming at a surprised Freed. She was flanked by two young men, one wearing a tall brown hat and long matching coat and the other wearing a plain white shirt and black pants and having his black hair styled in the oddest fashion she'd ever seen. Gold belts hung over his shoulders and crossed over his chest. "Your Thunder Legion versus my ShadowGear to see who's the strongest three-man team!"

"My apologies Levy, but I have no time for such a trivial-"

"Hardly trivial, bookworm!" Levy cried.

"Freed, you handle them, I'll help Ever!" Ava called as she hurried towards where Ever was already trying to pull Erza away from the pillar that she was stabbing with a number of swords. Mira had at some point or another changed into a rather revealing red leotard with black wings and dark claws for hands and feet and a long black tail and was now trying to shove Ever away to get to her rival.

"Very well then Levy, let's just go over here while my team finishes up what they're doing," Freed offered, trying to be gentlemanly.

"And what exactly are they doing?" Levy demanded.

"We're just trying to get everyone over here so Miss Ava can make sure they're alright. Surely, you've noticed a change in some people's behavior around here," Freed said.

"Well we can do it faster!" Levy cheered. "This'll be how we determine who's better!" With that, the girl and her teammates ran off to get some of the affected Guild members and corral them into the seating area away from Erza, Mira, Ever and Ava.

The raven-haired woman rushed forward and extended her hand.

"Water Cage!" she cried. Instantly, an elaborate cage surrounded Mira and Ava curled her fingers, turning the bars to ice. The demonized bartender began swinging punches at the bars, but they had no effect. "Ever, can you handle Erza?!" she asked as she began pulling the cage towards herself, ignoring the enraged demon inside.

"Don't worry! I've got her!" Ever called before Erza shoved her away.

"Requip! Heaven's Wheel!" Erza screeched as her body turned to pure white light that faded to leave behind a rather revealing metal top that looked to be made of feathers and a white skirt that reached the floor with the top covered in a similar metal design. She began stabbing more swords into the pillar.

"Erza, that's enough!" Ava ordered, sending the ice cage over towards the seating area where Bickslow already had the Master, Cana, Wakaba and Macao seated, still going at their little rivalries.

"Silence! This vile pillar insists on standing in my way!" Erza screamed back at her as Ever pushed herself to her feet. "I need to go further inside and yet it blocks my path! I know it secretly mocks me when I have to take time to walk around it! It's unrelenting in its obstruction of my course. Why would it do that unless it was my greatest rival?!"

"I'll handle Erza, you take the white-haired crybaby, alright?"

"Got it," Ever said before realizing exactly who Ava was talking about. "Seriously?! Elfman?!"

"Yes, now go!" Ava ordered, sending a piercing glare towards Ever. The brunette ran off to obey.

"Yes ma'am!"

"That's it! Requip! Purgatory-!" Erza screamed.

"And I've had enough of this!" Ava snapped her fingers and instantly, those affected on the floor froze in what they were doing. The Thunder Legion turned to see Ava walking slowly towards Erza, still dressed in her Heaven's Wheel armor but unable to move as the newer wizard came closer, loose strands of black hair swaying from the power emanating from her body. "That's quite enough Erza." With a sweep of her hand, the red-haired mage went back towards the seating area, still frozen in midair. Once the redhead was securely seated, Ava sighed and shook her head. "No wonder my husband attempted a takeover of this place! If this is a normal day for you lot, I'm surprised Laxus didn't try anything sooner! Honestly, this Guild looks like it's going to the dogs!" That alone was enough to get everyone to calm down.

"You're Laxus' what?" Makarov said.


Sylvia panted for breath as she came to the stairs that opened to the roof.

"Honestly, where did that guy go?" she asked as she looked around the roof, catching sight of the enraged man holding the cat captive on the edge overlooking the sea.

"Please Grey! You gotta listen to me! There's no way this is going to work!" Happy cried, trying to free his tail.

"Shut your face! There's no way I'm going to let you talk your way out of this one!" Grey roared. Sylvia caught sight of the girl who'd followed Grey up the stairs and the purple bottle in her hand. She blew at some of the froth near the top and the bubbles flew right into Grey's mouth. "Alright, it's time to do this Happy, follow me if you can!" Once the bubbled entered Grey's mouth, he realeased a roar that almost sounded completely inhuman. "Now I'm even more fired up!"

"Why's he acting like Natsu all of a sudden?!" Happy cried as Grey released his tail.

"Watch me fly!" With that, Grey leapt off the edge.

"No!" Sylvia cried as she rushed forward. Grey was running down the side of the building and then down onto the shore that was slightly elevated from the water's surface.

"I'm gonna fly, just watch me!" Grey roared. Sylvia reached towards the waters and curled her fingers, turning the surface into ice as Grey launched himself off the edge. The ice spread out in front of him, ensuring a catch when he fell. "Behold, I am the wind," Grey said calmly. Sylvia leapt down from the edge, summoning a tendril of water to catch and carry her towards Grey as he face-planted on the ice, sliding a few feet before coming to a stop. Sylvia stepped onto the ice as Grey sat up and snapped around. "What do you think you're-" Sylvia's hand came back and flew, smacking his cheek and sending his face back into the ice.

"Are you a stinking idiot?!" she screeched. "Happy can fly because he has wings! You don't! Now shut up and stop acting so stupidly!" she yelled before taking note of the blue mark on his back. Her hand flew to her mouth at the sight of a small, blue dragon curling in on itself so the stomach was pointing towards Grey's head and a small part of the dragon was missing, leaving behind a clear "SD" on the beast's side.

Grey turned over and looked up at the blonde-haired girl.

"What just happened?" he asked before wincing at the sting of pain that ran from his cheek.

"You tried challenging Happy to see who could fly farther, I believe," Sylvia said. "I'm Sylvia Dragocia, by the way. My sister and I are members too," she finished, showing off the mark on her bicep.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before. You new?" Sylvia shook her head.

"My sister's husband is the one who gave us the emblems. You might know him best as Laxus Dreyar." Grey's eyes went wide.

"Wait! Your sister married that guy?!" Sylvia nodded. "Willingly?" Sylvia nodded again. "Well there's something I never expected to hear about." Sylvia extended her hand.

"Come on, let's get inside. Other members started acting like you did and my sister and the Thunder Legion are rounding them up right now."

"How was I acting exactly?" Grey asked as he took Sylvia's hand and they headed back to the shore, where the blue-haired girl stood, hands hidden behind her back. Happy flew over.

"Geez Grey! What were you thinking?!"

"Sorry...but I don't remember anything since Natsu ran off from our fight earlier," Grey said gently as he stepped onto the shore.

"Oh my darling Grey!" the girl cried as she launched herself forward and threw her arms around Grey's torso.

"Juvia..." Grey groaned as Sylvia stepped away, letting the two have their time. She went into the Guild Hall through the back door and came back to a very calm Guild that was cleaning up from their little moment of rivalries coming to light. Ava was seated with the Thunder Legion again and the Master was seated at the bar, staring at her with total surprise. Sylvia sat down with the Legion and sighed.

"Where's Grey?" Ava asked.

"He's fine. Whatever was going on with him, he snapped out of. But he doesn't remember what happened to him," Sylvia explained. "But he ended up trying to see if he could fly like Happy and tried taking a nosedive off the roof."

"Is he alright?!" Freed asked. Sylvia nodded.

"I iced the ocean surface and slapped him and that seems to have snapped him out of it."

"Yes. It would seem a short-lasting potion was used on the people here. Looks like a good shock or slap is enough to wake them up from it. When I told them I was married to Laxus, they all seemed to calm down some." Sylvia sighed and shot a look to her sister.

"Did you send me after him because of his back?" she asked. Ava shrugged but the members of the Thunder Legion looked at each other curiously.

"His back?" Ever asked.

"An inside joke between sisters," Ava said simply, smirking at her sister.

"Well it's not gonna work. Turns out he's already got a beloved, Juvia...I think."

"Juvia? Grey's beloved?" Ever asked. "Not likely. She stalks him and I can tell he's trying to let her know he's not interested without saying anything."

"She's a stalker?" Sylvia asked. "Jeez that's creepy...But that might explain..."

"Explain what?" Ava asked.

"I saw Juvia holding a purple bottle and she blew on the foam. Some of the bubbles went into Grey's mouth and he started acting crazier. My guess is that's how everyone started acting like this."

"Perhaps. And guessing by what you saw, looks like they had to inhale it. Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt in this matter," Ava agreed. The others nodded in their own agreement.

"Excuse me..." The group looked up at Levy, who was blushing madly. "I...I just wanted to apologize for anything I did while under that spell...I'm Levy McGarden." Ava smiled.

"Hello Levy, I'm Ava," Ava said with a warm smile. "This is my sister, Sylvia. And worry not for whatever happened when you were under the spell. We understand you were not in control of yourself."

"I look forward to seeing you around the Guild, Levy," Sylvia said with a bright smile. Levy smiled and nodded.

"Thanks. Later guys!" she called before running off. A roar echoed from outside and Sylvia's eyes widened before she sighed.

"My guess is that Juvia just gave Grey more of that potion of hers." Ava bit on her bottom lip.

"Is Juvia a holder-wizard that uses potions?"

"No. She's a Water Wizard we recruited from Phantom Lord, are you aware of the Element Four?" Sylvia blinked blankly while Ava simply sighed.

"Afraid not. The only Guilds we know of are Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Raven Tail, and a couple small Dark Guilds that Laxus would tell us of. There's also the Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros...the Balam Alliance, I believe is what they call themselves officially."

"They're anything but official," Ever muttered. Ava smiled gently and nodded.

"Oh, there was also Sabertooth a few towns away from our hometown. They're a pretty small Guild...nothing like this. But they're still official," Sylvia pointed out. Ava nodded.

"Now then...Do any of you happen to know Laxus' address? Perhaps he left a clue as to where he's going in his home."

"Actually, whenever we met to plan a job, it was at one of our own homes or here in the Hall," Freed explained. "I'm afraid none of us know his home address. But the Master might know... I'm sorry we were of so little use, my lady." Ava shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. My husband is a Dragon Slayer and those types of wizards tend to have dragon-like instincts. And to a dragon, their home is the most sacred place they can go. It's a haven of safety. So allowing even close friends into the domain is a feat in and of itself. The only ones a dragon would let into their home are those they consider family; hatching mates, parents, mates, children and the like are naturally allowed to know the location of the dwelling. My bet is that Laxus was planning to tell me when I came here after he took over. But once the location of a dragon's home is known, it's basically like saying, 'You can come here whenever you like and act like this is your home as well.' Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that Laxus trusts you all, but to his inner dragon, letting you three into his home is like offering up his territory for the taking."

"That makes sense," Sylvia said with a nod.

"How do you know so much about Dragon Slayers?" Bickslow asked. "How? How? Tell us. Tell us," his babies said, swirling around the table again. Ava smiled warmly and reached out to rub on the top of one of the dolls.

"I like to do my research. My hometown was once home to the Water Dragon, Tritannius and his daughters, the Sirens. At least, that's how the local legends go," Ava explained.

"Yea. When we were little, our Gran used to tell us stories about Tritannius and dragons all over. We loved those stories so much."

"Now for a more pressing matter...where will you two be staying?" Freed asked. Ava stood up, Sylvia following her lead.

"I'll go ask the Master if he knows of Laxus' address. If so, we'll head there. If not, we'll figure out something. Thank you for your time and help today," Ava said with a small curtsey. Sylvia copied her sister.

"No, thank you, my lady, for your pleasant conversation and for all you did today," Freed said as he stood up and bowed. "If I may, I'd like to escort you two, at least to the border of Laxus' property. I would hate for anything to happen to our newest Legion member and our leader's wife." Ava smiled and nodded.

"Thank you very much Freed. I'd be honored to accept your offer," Ava said before heading towards where Makarov was sitting. Freed followed after her and Sylvia, leaving Bickslow and Evergreen to themselves.

"So you and Elfman, huh?" Bickslow teased, tongue flopping out.

"Shut up!"


"I beg your pardon, Master," Ava said as she neared the elderly man. He turned on his seat and smiled at her.

"What is it child?" he asked cheerfully.

"I was wondering if you might have Laxus' address in town? We were thinking that perhaps he left a clue as to where he was heading in his home." Makarov went quiet. "I know he was cast out from the Guild, but he's still my husband. I need to at least try to find him."

"I know child. But may I ask you something candidly?" he asked. Ava raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"You say you're the wife to my grandson...but I just want to be sure it's because it was your choice...He didn't force you...did he?" Ava's hands clenched into fists at her sides and her arms began to tremble.

"Yes. Entirely my choice. Laxus and I met almost seven years ago on a job of his. During which, because of our help, he made Sylvia and I members of the Guild. A year ago, he and I were married in the ways of my hometown's traditions. Since then, he was a kind and tender husband. The only time he and I did anything in our bed aside from sleep was little over a month ago when he told me he was becoming Master of Fairy Tail and to come to him at this point in time so we could be together and start a family. So I assure you, he never forced me into anything. And even if he'd wanted to, I'm more than powerful enough to handle even him." Makarov nodded.

"I meant nothing against you child. It's just...my grandson wasn't the most social of people so it surprises me that he managed to not only meet you, but also make you and your sister members and marry you without someone becoming suspicious of his behavior."

"Then perhaps, the fault lies in those who raised him, who should've been looking after him," Ava snapped. Makarov and Freed's eyes widened at her words. "Now...that address?" Mira stepped up to the bar.

"I know his address. Here," the bar tender said as she handed Ava a napkin with the address written on it. "I hope you find what you're looking for." Ava nodded.

"Thank you very much," the raven-haired girl said as she turned towards the doors and stormed out, Sylvia and Freed following quickly behind.


Ava looked from the napkin to the building then over to Freed and Sylvia.

"Perhaps Mira's information is outdated," Sylvia suggested. The building in front of them was a simple one, only about a story tall and made of grey stone. There were shattered windows and various cracks in the walls.

"Perhaps he did indeed live here but planned to fix it up before you arrived?" Freed suggested.

"No. A dragon's home is sacred to them. Like how a priest wouldn't let their church be dirtied, a dragon wouldn't let their home fall into disarray like this. Guessing by the appearance, it's been years since he lived here," Ava said, heading towards the old, splintering door.

"My lady?" Freed called.

"It might have been a while since he lived here, but I want to check something..." Ava gently touched the door, only to have it slip from the hinges and land with a loud crash inside, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt. Ava covered her mouth and swatted at the dust that came at her. "There has to be a reason why this would be his listed address yet he no longer live here," Ava thought as she made her way in.

The front entrance opened to a small hall that opened right into what had likely been a comfortable living room. Two sofas, a reclining chair and a dark-colored armchair all arranged around a lovely little coffee table. Beyond the living room was a hallway that led to the kitchen. Ava peeked into each room as she passed. One was a bathroom, still stocked as if the owners were about to use it again, even down to the toothbrushes on the counter, covered in a thick layer of dust. The next room she peered into had a massive bed, spread with a beautiful quilt and one side folded back, ready to welcome a tired master that would never come. A set of clothes were set out on the edge and the dresser held a stack of clean laundry that still needed to be put away on the top. The next room was messier, the bed sheets had been kicked to the foot of the bed, books and wizarding booklets and a guitar magazine and a few magazines that would depict a number of indecently dressed women were scattered around the room with dirty clothes. The dresser was covered in clothes, clean and dirty alike and a few picture frames could be seen under the fabrics.

"Typical teen boy's bedroom," Ava muttered as she moved on. The next room was like the first but had no clothes laid out and no folded-back blanket; likely the guest room.

The hall ended with the kitchen. Ava slapped a hand over her mouth and nose at the smell emanating from the oven, stove and a garbage can that while it likely held very little, should've been taken out years before. Pots and pans were scattered around the stovetop and in the sink were dishes to clean.

Off to the side of the oven was another door, this one left wide open and the darkness it lead down into made Ava think of a massive, wild beast, just waiting to devour something like her. Ava steeled herself and began shuffling through the drawers until she found a flashlight. She could hear Freed and Sylvia coming into the house.

She took another deep breath and turned on the light before heading down the stairs. A few creaked precariously under her feet as she moved into the darkness, turning the light every which way to see as much as she could. And what she saw made her drop the flashlight. The beam flashed on her for a split second before landing on the horror in front of her. Her hand came up to her mouth.

The far wall was covered with notes, diagrams, x-rays and the like. Against the wall, there was a long table covered in massive trays filled with lacrima. In between the wall and where Ava was standing was a steel table outfitted with only a pillow to allow for slight elevation and next to it was a mobile tray covered in tools outfitted for surgery and the tray was speckled with blood. There were leather restraints on the bed, and judging by their distance from each other, they were meant to restrain a small child. And by the way some of the holes were worn, they could've even been awake during whatever procedure had happened here.

"So this is how it happened..." She breathed before swallowing thickly and running back up the stairs, just in time for Freed and Sylvia to walk into the kitchen.

"Heavens! What is that smell?" Freed cried.

"It doesn't matter. Let's leave, now," Ava said, rushing past her sister and the captain of the Thunder Legion.

"Where to, my lady?" Freed asked. Ava froze in the middle of the hall and swallowed thickly again.

"I don't know. I suppose back to the Guild Hall...Just...anywhere but here," Ava said.

"If it is alright with you, my lady, I'd like to offer my own abode for you to use as you will until Laxus returns." Ava smiled gently at Freed and nodded.

"I appreciate that. Thank you. Sorry for inconveniencing you." Freed shook his head, smiling gently.

"Should we take anything?" Freed asked. "While the house looks as though no person has lived here in many years, many of the items could hold some kind of sentimental value to Laxus."

"If Laxus wanted anything from this house, he would've taken it when he abandoned the building. It's not our place to do anything here. We've already done enough just by being here. Now let's go." With that, Ava, Freed and Sylvia left the house behind and headed back into Magnolia. Freed kept glancing from Ava and back over his shoulder at the house.

"What could she have seen in the house to cause her such unrest?" Freed wondered. "Laxus, I hope you'll forgive me. But I'll have to investigate on my own."