Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Isvan, a village somewhere to the East of Fiore

A young man walks through the night, his clothing wholly inappropriate for the unforgiving climate he finds himself in. A sleeveless black vest, decorated with golden trim, leaves his chest exposed to the bitter winds. While the white pants, which only reach down to his mid-calves, and black open-toed sandals, offer no protection from the deep snow. The only item of clothing on his person remotely adequate for this excursion is the black-and-white checkered scarf he wears around his neck.

The snow melts around him with every step he takes, although the unrelenting snowfall soon erases all marks of his passing. His efforts slow, and as soon as he notices an abandoned building, he heads towards it with relief.

He enters with caution, searching for a place where he can shelter for the night. Finding a spot he deems defensible, he lies down, ignoring the howling wind that slinks in through the sagging planks that cover up windows long ago broken.

A small flame dances in the palm of his hand, and it is to this he speaks.

“Igneel, where are you?”

His voice sounds faint, and truth be told, he’s lost track of how long he’s been on this search. Only the certainty that he’ll eventually find the one he seeks keeps his feet moving, one tired step after another.

A small mouse moves with caution, eager to investigate his meager belongings, but the man pays it no mind. He is already fast asleep, his body shivering against the relentless onslaught of the wintry drafts. As night advances, the temperature drops further, steeping his dreams in warmth and visions of fire. The crackle of the flames reminds him of laughter, sounding eerily similar to the one he’s lost. He clings to it with the desperation of the lost child he’d once been.

As his dream continues, a thin layer of flames spreads across his body, expanding steadily until it sweeps across the floor and climbs up the walls, devouring all available surfaces of the room.

He’s awakened by loud cries of alarm from outside the building. Eyes widen as he takes in the inferno that surrounds him.

“Not again!”

He attempts to reclaim the flames, but they refuse to cooperate, leaving him only one course of action.

He must run.

0-0

Residence of Chief Silver Fullbuster, Isvan

One week later

A young woman with long flowing blue hair ran out of the room in tears as Gray Fullbuster scowled at the floor, trying to bury the guilt he felt at the words he’d uttered so heartlessly.

“You went a little overboard, don’t you think?” Lyon Vastia, his best friend and foster brother, who was also acting as his official chaperone, commented behind him, “She’s a sweet girl.”

“Fine, then you marry her,” Gray retorted, but there was no humor in his words, just a growing sense of desperation. He knew he was playing a dangerous game. His father’s patience was running thin, and soon the choice would be out of his hands.

“I said she was sweet, not that I was suicidal,” Lyon answered, peering at the room’s entrance nervously.

“Well, not all of us find the love of our lives so easily.”

“I wouldn’t call any aspect of wooing Erza easy.”

Gray snorted, recognizing the truth in his friend’s statement. Erza Scarlet was a beautiful girl and a wonderful friend, but she was undeniably intimidating. Though only nineteen, most of the hirdmen^[1] knew enough not to incur her wrath. That Lyon had not only dated her but convinced her to accept his marriage proposal, made him one of the bravest men Gray had ever known, or the most foolish. Probably both.

“But at least you want to get married.”

“Well, trying to sabotage the process is only working against you. Maybe you should try something else like, I don’t know, talking to your dad and explaining why you don’t want to get married. He might surprise you.”

“He might,” Gray agreed, “or he might get so mad he disowns me and throws me out.”

“I rather doubt that. You’re his only kid and next in line to be Chief,” Lyon pointed out.

“He’s still got time to make another,” Gray replied, although he knew his father had held no interest in remarrying after his mother had died.

“Ugh, this is so annoying. Who came up with this stupid law, anyway?”

Lyon shrugged his shoulders, “You know I’d do it for you if I could. Maybe marrying one of these girls wouldn’t be so bad. At least they all seem to like you. There are worse fates you know…”

Gray glared at his friend.

Lyon held his hands up in front of his chest, “Right, I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”

Before Lyon could say anything more, Silver Fullbuster entered the room, looking more furious than either of them had ever seen him before.

“Leave us,” Silver’s tone left no room for argument, and Lyon was wise enough not to give him one. He walked out of the room, sparing a backward glance at his friend.

“Fader,” Gray bowed his head in a gesture of respect.

“Save it,” Silver spat, “That poor girl left here crying, Gray. You were deliberately cruel, and I won’t stand for it. We raised you better than that.”

Gray opened his mouth to answer, but his father waved him away.

“Too soggy? What does that even mean?” Silver appeared bewildered. “For Skadi’s^[2] sake! What is wrong with you, Son? Juvia Lockser is a beautiful girl. She’s loyal and kind. Hell, even your magic is compatible. What more could you possibly want in a wife?”

“Juvia Lockser is a menace,” Gray immediately refuted, “She tags along where she’s not invited, is as constricting as a lindworm^[3], and insists on foisting a constant barrage of bizarre offerings at me. And her so-called compatible magic makes it rain whenever she’s unhappy, which appears to be all the time. No, thank you.”

“That might be the case, but you will still apologize to her for your behavior today,” Silver demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and setting his jaw in a hard line. “You’re making things impossible.”

Gray couldn’t help but smile at the thought that his plan had worked and he might soon be free of this ridiculous demand.

“The fact of the matter is she was the last candidate willing to meet with you after word got out of how you’ve treated the others.” He squared his shoulders and proclaimed in a voice Gray dreaded. “So unless you find someone you can accept as your wife, you will wed Juvia Lockser on your birthday.”

“What?!” Gray roared in outrage, “That’s not fair!”

“You’ve no one to blame but yourself.” Silver announced with a callousness that made Gray want to scream, “I gave you plenty of time to make your choice. I suggest you come up with a suitable plan to apologize to your intended.”

“Doesn’t it matter to you I don’t love her? That this isn’t what I want?” Gray pleaded, hoping to break through his father’s anger.

“Look, Gray,” Silver sighed. ”I know you’re scared. It’s only natural. Getting married is a big step, but you’re not a child anymore. You’ll be leading this place before you know it.” He patted Gray on the back before taking his leave.

“That’s not it at all,” Gray whispered to his father’s retreating backside.

He could feel his magic rising to the surface as his rage at the unfairness of his situation flared, and he let it all spill forth in a series of lances he launched at the room’s walls, uncaring of the destruction they wreaked.

0-0

Ur Milkovich hurried out of her office, responding to Silver’s request to meet him at their house with an update on the arsonist investigation she’d worked on for the last week. She opened the front door only to startle at the clatter that seemed to come from the sitting room they used to entertain guests.

She grimaced, realizing Gray’s meeting with Juvia must have gone poorly. Not that it surprised her, given how clingy the girl was. Closing the door quietly behind her, she remained in the foyer, once again caught between her loyalties.

Ur had raised both Lyon and Gray from the time they were eight years old, and she thought of both of them as her sons, which was why she had been fervently against Silver’s decision to force that idiotic marrying rule on Gray. It was the first time they’d disagreed on anything regarding the boys, and that Silver had utterly disregarded her opinion, had hurt her. It reminded her that despite her hopes to the contrary, their relationship was mostly one of convenience.

She headed to Silver’s study concluding her attempts at comfort would only irritate Gray further. She knew he was putting as much energy into trying to get out of the marriage requirement as Silver was into enforcing it, and she could see no way to get either of them to compromise.

Silver sat behind his desk, reading through a pile of papers with a frown. He looked up at her as she entered, nodding in acknowledgement and gesturing towards a chair as he continued to read, occasionally stopping to jot down thoughts in a notebook.

Ur patiently waited for him to finish, continuing to study the notes she’d put together so she could answer his questions. There wasn’t much additional information, although a promising lead had come in that morning that she’d dispatched Lyon and Erza to check out. Her mind once again strayed to Gray, wondering what could have happened with Juvia to have made him so angry, and getting a definite bad feeling.

“How is the investigation coming along?”

Ur looked up from her notes to find Silver studying her. “It goes,” she shrugged, “I can’t find any connections between the buildings outside of them being abandoned,” she reported, “Honestly, whoever is behind this is almost doing us a favor. A lot of those buildings were death traps.”

“They’re breaking the law, and we need to find them before something worse happens.”

“Yes, of course. I just meant a lot of those buildings should have been torn down years ago. None of the fires have resulted in casualties, and all the buildings were owned by different people, so there is no obvious motive. Considering how quickly the buildings came down and with no traces of accelerants found at any of the fires, I’d say we’re looking for someone with strong fire magic. Anyway, we received word of a lead earlier. I’ve sent Lyon and Erza down to the marina to investigate.”

“Tell them to report to me if they come across any additional information,” Silver requested, his attention already returning to the enormous pile of papers on his desk.

Ur bit her lip to keep herself from asking how the meeting had gone, but she couldn’t help herself. “What happened? Gray sounded mad when I got here.”

“He’s just throwing a tantrum,” Silver replied, shifting his attention to a different pile.

“Why would he do that?” Ur thought out loud, “That doesn’t sound like him.”

Silver’s mouth set in a hard line as it often did when he was getting ready to say something unpleasant, “I told him if he didn’t find a wife he could accept soon, he’d have to marry the Lockser girl on his birthday.”

“You told him what?! You can’t possibly be serious!”

“I’ve given him every chance to choose for himself, Ur. You know that,” his eyes implored her to understand, but after the fight they’d had, she wasn’t in a terribly forgiving mood.

“He doesn’t love her, Silver, and you know it,” Ur said, feeling so angry that for the first time in years she could feel her magic responding to it. “Why would you threaten him with that?”

“When I was his age, I was already engaged to Mika.”

“And what in the name of Hel^[4], does that have to do with anything?” Ur spat, “You were in love with Mika, had been for years. You told me so yourself.”

“Exactly! He’s seventeen years old, Ur. To my knowledge, he’s never bedded a girl, or even dated one. It’s unnatural. Look at Lyon, he’s already engaged to Erza.”

“Don’t bring Lyon into this. He and Gray are two very different men,” Ur snapped, “Is this really about Gray, or about you wanting to make sure he has an heir?”

“Gray is my son, how dare you imply I have anything but his best interests in mind?” Silver yelled.

That did it, because while she may not have given birth to Gray, she’d been his mother by every other measure and any suggestion to the contrary infuriated her, especially after their previous fight.

“Because this has nothing to do with his best interests, and everything to do with you enforcing that stupid law!”

“It’s not stupid!” he growled, “It’s meant to give him time to start his family and enjoy it before he takes over as Chief.”

Ur stared at him in shock, her magic settling as she finally understood what this was about. “What happened to you won’t happen to him. We took Deliora out together, remember?”

“There could be others out there. I don’t want him to end up alone.”

Silver didn’t say like me, but he didn’t have to. Ur heard him loud and clear, and it hurt more than she’d expected.

“He’s seventeen, not forty. You need to give him time to do things on his own terms!”

“That kind of coddling is what got us in this mess. He wants it, I’ve seen it in his eyes when he looks at Lyon and Erza.”

“And you think forcing him into a marriage is better? You’re -,” Ur bit back the rest of her retort at the jab, forcing herself to calm down.

“You can’t force someone to love another, Silver,” Ur said, turning her face away, “Trust me, I’ve tried.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Silver’s bewildered expression only reinforced what she knew to be true.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ur waved away her words, already regretting the admission. “I’m going to my room.”

A wave of melancholy swept over her, and she saw herself for the fool she was. For years she’d clung to the scraps Silver had thrown at her, hoping one day to win his heart, but it would never happen, and maybe it was time for her to consider moving on.

“Don’t bother visiting me tonight, I feel a headache coming on.”

She walked out of the room with a heavy heart, leaving her notes behind, and pretending she didn’t hear Silver call out to her to come back.

0-0

Gray’s mood must have shown on his face, for every person he walked past on his way out the door scrambled out of his way without even a greeting.

Good! He was in no mood for societal niceties.

He walked towards the town center, hoping that checking out the street performers that were often there would help distract him from his problems, if only for a few hours. It proved to be futile, though, for everywhere he looked the sight of happy couples plagued him.

It was always a man and a woman. Holding hands, kissing, or sharing shy glances. Seeming for all intents and purposes like they didn’t have a worry in the world.

And it filled him with sadness. Why couldn’t he have that? Surely he couldn’t be the only one who felt this way. Where were the others?

One thing was for sure, he needed to think of a way out of this mess, and soon. He refused to condemn himself to a life with Juvia as his wife, knowing the more he attempted to push her away, the more she would force her affections on him.

He bought some food from a street vendor, munching on it as he walked towards the harbor, daydreaming of stowing away on one of the merchant boats. Not that he ever would. He’d been preparing to follow in his father’s footsteps since he was thirteen years old, and he took the responsibility seriously, realizing someday people’s lives would depend on his decisions.

But there was no harm in pretending for a little while.

“Stop, I said!”

Gray startled, recognizing Lyon’s voice and wondering what he could want. It didn’t take him long to realize his friend wasn’t speaking to him.

A man, who looked to be about his age, sprinted towards him, eyes darting in all directions. Gray considered stepping in to help Lyon, but held back, seeing Erza’s running form not far behind.

Lyon was a fast runner, and it was unusual to find someone who could best him, but this guy was doing just that, which only aroused Gray’s curiosity further. He studied him with interest. Spiky pink locks jutted out in all directions. His clothes, more appropriate for the summer months, stood out in contrast to the winter garb of the region. Not that Gray particularly minded. It gave him glimpses of sun-kissed skin and taut muscles, a combination he found incredibly attractive. He only wished he could see his face more clearly.

As he got closer, the guy took notice of him, their eyes meeting for the briefest of seconds. It was long enough for Gray to recognize fear and desperation reflected in his expression, and to appreciate the immense magic signature the man possessed. Gray couldn’t help but wonder what the man had done to warrant Lyon and Erza’s pursuit, but before he could react, the man had already run past him and towards a building he wasn’t familiar with.

Lyon raced past him with a small wave and a grin, appearing excited by the challenge, while Erza exuded an air of determination as she pushed herself to catch up to her fiance.

“Erza!” Gray called out, signaling for her to join him.

“Gray?” Erza approached him, although she didn’t seem pleased by the prospect. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

He ignored her question, not wanting to repeat his father’s ultimatum when he was much more interested in learning about the pink-haired man. “Why are you chasing that guy?”

Erza blinked at the change of subject, “We think he’s responsible for setting off a fire in an abandoned building.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Gray’s stomach tightened, remembering the fear in the guy’s eyes and not wanting to believe he might be a criminal.

“No, Lyon put it out quickly,” Erza admitted, “But it’s not the first time it’s happened. There have been several fires set throughout the town in the last week.”

“I see. Well, you’d best get back to catching him then.”

“Lyon already went inside, I’ll stay out here until more reinforcements arrive, make sure the suspect doesn’t double back. You should get home.”

“Yeah,” Gray said, even though he had no intention of doing so. He waved and pretended to walk off, while searching for an entrance to the building he could use when her attention had wavered.

The guy could be a criminal, but it was also possible no one had ever trained him to control his magic. Fire was a notoriously tricky element to control, much more so than ice, or so Ur had taught them. Gray didn’t know which one was the truth, but he knew that he very much wanted to find out.

When he reached the front of the building, he encountered a large group of well-dressed people mingling at the entrance. Seizing the opportunity, he blended in among them.

0-0

Natsu had hoped he’d be able to shake his pursuer inside the building. It had looked like a warehouse from the outside, so he’d expected to find lots of crates and crevices he could use to hide. He hadn’t expected to walk into a room filled with women in various stages of undress.

Their screams at his presence did nothing to settle his magic. He tried to run through them, urging himself to remain calm, knowing what the consequences might be if he lost control. Another round of screams alerted him that his pursuer was close behind him.

His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as he considered his options. Where could he go?

Before he could answer that question, he felt a yank on his arm and heard a door closing behind him. He turned, blinking in surprise as he came face to face with someone he’d never expected to see - his best friend, Lucy Heartfilia.

“I don’t care if he sent you, I'm not going back, Natsu. Do you hear me?”

Her voice was amazingly loud for someone so petite.

“Lucy? What are you doing here?”

The last time he’d seen his friend had been about eight months earlier, when her father had sent her off to some kind of camp.

“You mean my father didn’t send you here to bring me back?”

“Bring you back? He kicked me out of your house months ago. Why would he send me after you?”

“Kicked you out? He told me you’d left on a job with Igneel,” she sighed, throwing her hands in the air. “Why am I even surprised anymore?”

Natsu had no time to make sense of what was happening as a loud knock rang out in the small room.

“Who’s in there?” A thundering voice demanded, one that was teeming with authority.

“I have to go,” he whispered, looking for a window or anything else that would let him escape from the room.

“What’s happening?”

He didn’t even know where to start, “There’s no time.”

She peered into his eyes, biting her lip.

“Just a minute,” Lucy called out, “We’re not decent.”

The knocking on the door grew more insistent, “State your names!”

“Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel of the Heartfilia Konzern.”

Natsu’s eyes widened at Lucy’s tone. It was one he recognized well, having heard her father use it many times. Lucy had now informed the man outside of her status. He should back down, but why did she have to say his name too?

To his surprise, the hirdman didn’t back down much. “You have five minutes to finish dressing. After that I'm coming in.”

“Why did you give him our names?” Natsu hissed, rushing to the only window in the room and finding it locked.

“I figured that would work,” Lucy admitted, “It usually does. Well, he’s expecting to find two women in here, so I guess that’s what we’re going to give him.”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

They would probably lock him up. The fires had all been accidents, but how could he prove that?

Fuck!

“There’s no time to argue,” Lucy grabbed some keys from a leather pouch that hung at her hip and held out her hand.

“Do you trust me?”

Notes