Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Edolas was alive with people happy with the revolution. Humans had begun to get used to having a life without magic, but the change was slow going. Edolas' new King had been leading the way, despite forgetting about being unable to use magic whenever he felt the need. Having the faith of the people, thanks to 'Dark King Dragneel' and his sidekicks 'Redfox' and 'Marvel', had made a big difference, and they've been following his steps to adjust.

Faust was defeated and exiled, and all his plans and conspiracies fell to the floor and turned to dust. No one seemed to know where he was, but there were sightings of him occasionally, mostly in places far from groups of people. He mostly seemed to have hidden from society and tried to keep his location secret. Two years after Fairy Tail had left Edolas and returned to Earthland, the Edolas Fairy Tail were back to their usual selves. Lucy was still terrifying, and Natsu was quiet and rarely got 'fired up'. Gray was still in love with Juvia, and Cana was a polite and elegant lady.

Erza Knightwalker, Sugarboy, Hughes, Byro and Coco had been put to work and had been humbled by their experience helping to return the Royal City to its former glory and make some improvements. Erza, Sugarboy and Hughes were now working in the guard, as they used to be, but they had spent the last two years showing proof of their worth and trustworthiness. They had shown that they'd learnt the error of their ways and wanted to work together with the King to create a new, happy world without magic.

The King, who used to be known as 'Mystogan' now had to get used to using his actual name once more. Except everyone referred to him as 'King' so it didn't really matter anyway. It had been years since anyone had called Jellal, except for the Fairy Tail Master, and he hadn't been able to see them in years. His wishes for them to be safe and happy were hopefully able to get through, but he wasn't sure what was going on in Earthland, and knowing how much chaos Fairy Tail got into, they might have made a mess or gotten into one since he'd left. Probably many messes, considering how trouble seemed to find them.

It was hard for him to adjust to all the changes considering he had grown up in Earthland, but he was slowly getting there. He had to show his people the way, after all. They didn't have a higher authority than him now that the Exceed were gone too. Things were strange, but it wasn't the worst situation to be in. He had joined Fairy Tail out of a desire to be helpful and found that the guild was a fantastic community of people who felt the same as he did. Their loyalty and commitment to the guild had been so inspiring that he knew it would be a place he could belong. Although he figured that someday he would return to Edolas, in the meantime, he knew that he could do some good in Earthland by being with Fairy Tail. Getting used to being back in his homeland had taken a while, and he still didn't feel that he was quite settled in as part of the Royal Family, despite it being his birthright. Going to Earthland hadn't stopped him from being a Prince in Edolas, after all.

A few visits to the guild that both was and wasn't the same definitely helped him get by the last few months. The members of Fairy Tail were different, but they were still people he couldn't stop himself from caring about, even though they weren't the Earthland Fairy Tail. His love for the guild went beyond that; they had been instrumental in assisting the Royal City in getting rebuilt. He'd felt bad for a while like he was using Edolas Fairy Tail as replacements, but they had shown him very quickly that he wasn't using them like that. They were their own people, and he cared for them all the same. They were truly wonderful people, just like their counterparts in Earthland.

A lot of work needed to be done, and being the new King of Edolas, he knew that these things would not happen overnight. As many people as there were that couldn't be happier with the changes, there would always be a few that weren't satisfied. Some people struggled to adjust without magic, especially those merchants whose businesses specialised in selling magic tools, vehicles and the like. Most of them had to completely close their business, and some had become destitute. Still, he had worked hard to ensure that they would be able to resurrect their business, remain merchants to continue trade, and keep the economy stable. Some had begun working for other merchants or merging their business knowledge and creating something new. Others had just started selling different products instead, and selling food and goods had become incredibly important without magic to assist in these processes.

Changing minds, hearts and souls was a hard thing to do, but as quiet as he could be, he did a decent job of swaying everyone towards his cause. He had been flat out for the last few weeks, and all his assistants were begging him to take a break. He knew he needed to, or he would get burned out. There was a new project he was working on, which was to create a university in the Royal City, to allow people to learn new skills and branch out into the world. It would also have accommodation for students who came a long distance to study there, as well as gardens and some shops to allow students convenience while living on campus. It was a massive project, and he'd been stressed about it since its inception.

So, Mystogan, or Jellal as it were, decided to make a quick and short trip to Fairy Tail.

It was much closer to the Royal City now that he allowed people to make guilds, even though there were only rare traces of magic. Most of it was simply areas with strange weather or crops that grew much better than all others. It was in nature, but not in people or objects anymore. Of course, the important thing about the guild was the camaraderie and friendship that truly mattered, not who had more potent magic. So people had made more guilds, but they were offering their services to assist people, such as farmers who needed help with their harvests, merchants who required transport goods, or even security and protection.

Despite being the King, he rarely brought anyone with him to guard him, especially to Fairy Tail. He was more than happy to look after himself and didn't want people to feel obligated to obey his every whim. Jellal didn't plan on being a tyrant, so he would not allow himself to treat his people like he was one.

Despite the differences, he still felt like it was some semblance of home when he arrived at the guild. It was still just as rowdy here as it was in Earthland. There was always someone arguing and sparring with someone else and someone yelling something for no apparent reason. Food and drink were plenty here, so everyone in the guild hung out most of the time. Lucy was basically the scariest member of the guild compared to the sweet and polite Earthland Lucy. Natsu was quiet and was often the target of Lucy's wrath. Gray continued to fawn over Juvia, who would just roll her eyes and sigh at his failed attempts to woo her. Smiling as he entered, everyone greeted him cheerfully. He talked with everyone and asked them to help as much as possible with the construction and overhaul of Edolas. They had been terrific in helping him out thus far, and he needed all the assistance he could get with the construction of the university and its facilities.

"You know we will do whatever we can to help, King of Edolas," said Wendy with a smirk, the Edolas version of the Sky Dragon Slayer Wendy, who never managed to get jaws to drop wherever she went. She was undoubtedly different from Earthland Wendy, who was tiny! He had to remember that she wasn't the Wendy he knew and had cared for in the past.

"Thank you all. You don't know how much I appreciate this from all of you." He thanked them graciously, and even though he never said much, his quiet voice could still command the attention of everyone in the room, which today also included a new face.

She was sitting at the back of the guild, in the far corner, but didn't notice his gaze until everyone else realised what the new King was staring at. He saw that she had long, dark hair that faded to a pale brown, then blonde at the ends. Her slate eyes eventually looked into his dark ones and looked away swiftly after her eyes went wide as saucers as she recognised him and then gave a nod of respect for her King. Most of the others didn't bother with too much formality since he preferred it to be like his own guild hall rather than him being a King visiting his subjects.

Natsu spoke up first. "We don't know much about her, but she helped me when I fell off a wall I was rebuilding. She told me her name was Serana. It seemed she had nowhere to go, so I brought her here. She wanted to join the guild!" Natsu said with a grin, always happy to have a new friend.

"She is quiet but a very nice and mindful girl. She has my approval." Cana commented from her seat at the bar before flicking her hair slightly. "Serana, come over and meet our friend, who is also the King of Edolas."

The girl looked at Cana and at everyone else who was looking at her, and even though it was bizarre and a bit nerve-wracking, she walked over to the group standing around the blue-haired man and bowed politely to him with a small smile, which looked rather good on her compared to her shy expression, Jellal thought to himself before slowly bowing his head in return, smiling back at her. If she was only new, she wouldn't know how frequent his visits were and that he was more like part of the guild than the Royal Family.

"Oi, just because he is the King doesn't mean we can't welcome him properly!" Lucy Ashley bellowed from nowhere and everywhere before appearing just behind Jellal and putting him in one of her famous submissive moves where his arm was bent behind his back, but not too much so it would actually hurt him.

He twisted out of Lucy's hold and laughed with his friends, glad that even though personalities were opposite, things were still pretty much the same here as they were at the Earthland Fairy Tail. He really missed the friends he grew up with in the guild, but having familiar faces made him feel more comfortable.

Even Serana was smiling at him. He spoke to her with a sudden burst of courage that he shouldn't really need, considering he now ruled over these lands.

"Serana, it's nice to meet you. How did you end up coming to the Royal City to join the guild?" he used his most 'kingly' voice to ask her, and the other members of the guild moved away but kept watch from a distance as Serana approached the King and walked with him towards the door of the guild.

"Nice to meet you too, Your Grace. Uhh, I don't really know what to tell you. My village was outside the Royal City, and during the fight between...your father, and the Earthland people, it got destroyed by the falling islands and the rubble." she explained to him. "I wanted to come to the Royal City to find work, and I ended up helping with some of the building. Natsu almost knocked himself out after falling, and I looked after him since I was worried he'd cracked his skull," she admitted with a chuckle.

"I am so sorry to hear that. Do you have family in your village?" he continued the conversation, genuinely feeling for the girl. The change in her expression made him feel worse, as he seemed to have struck a nerve.

"I don't have any family." As she spoke, her eyes were on the floor, and he felt bad for asking.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." his eyes watched the ground, hoping he hadn't upset her.

"No need. I've been on my own for a long time, so I'm pleased to have found Fairy Tail. They've made me feel very welcome." she still spoke quietly.

"They will look after you, and you'll be able to keep up some work in the Royal City with all the city work I have planned. Is there anything you specialise in?" He asked, wondering if there was anything he could do to help her settle in.

"Uh, not really. I used to be in the Army, but I'm nothing special." She offered and held her hands up to make herself appear less interesting.

"I suppose you wouldn't want to rejoin the Army since you've joined Fairy Tail." He gave her a small smile, and she smiled back and nodded in agreement.

Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed that one of his staff had come to fetch him. Clearly, there were matters for him to attend to, and he would need to return to the palace. Coco had come to get him, though she had grown up significantly over the last two years. She had worked hard to make up for her role in Faust's plans but was a sweet girl and only wanted the best for people. That made her perfect to work with him, to help keep him on the right path and tell him what she thought of his decisions and ideas.

"My apologies, everyone. Looks like I need to go. Nice to see you all!" Jellal raised his voice to ensure that all of the guild hall could hear him wishing them goodbye.

They responded loudly and fondly with their own goodbyes and well-wishes. Since he'd been so busy, he hadn't been able to see them very much, and he wouldn't be able to visit them for the next few months. He looked at Serana, standing next to him and smiled.

"Take care, and I'll come back soon. Nice to meet you, Serana."

"Nice to meet you as well, Your Grace." She bowed slightly, keeping her head down to show respect.

As he left, Coco ushered him back towards the palace while the Fairy Tail guild members waved happily to him...

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

King Jellal was touring the gardens' construction site and was chatting with his staff. Erza Knightwalker was with him and stayed no less than three steps away from him, keeping a watchful eye on everyone around them. She was incredibly vigilant, but it wasn't entirely necessary at the moment. They had received reports of some rebels who wanted to return magic to Edolas and had been stirring up some trouble. Thus, Erza had been assigned to go with him wherever he went.

It felt slightly strange as previously he had done everything he could to avoid Erza Scarlet in Earthland, even by causing his guildmates to fall asleep before he had even entered the guild hall to get a new mission. Now he was glued to her side and grateful for her presence. Even without the ability to use a magical weapon, she was an incredible fighter. He had earned her respect by showing how hard he was willing to work to improve the lives of everyone in Edolas.

After a tour and discussion about the next month's worth of work from those in charge of the construction, he and Erza headed back toward the palace. They were almost finished for the day, but there were a few more things to do. He had another meeting with some merchants in town to discuss some of the imports and exports from the Royal City to rural areas of Edolas.

When Pantherlily had suggested he stay and rule, and offered to become the 'villain' in his place to the people of Edolas, Jellal had been shocked. Not that he doubted Pantherlily's dedication; he knew how loyal the Exceed was. He had planned on making himself appear the bad guy, sucking out the magic from the world and returning it to Earthland after years of Faust stealing it. It had occurred to him that this plan may not go smoothly, but he had no intention of taking over. Despite being a member of the Royal Family, he hadn't ever expected to come to power.

His fight with Natsu before they left Edolas had shown him that Fairy Tail had given him all the strength, compassion, and willpower to do the job and do it well. Even though it was tiring and stressful, he knew he was in the right place. He felt it every morning when he got up and was happy at the end result of everything that had happened.

In fact, Jellal found he enjoyed the hard work when he saw that he was making a difference in people's lives, improving them. People were thriving in the Royal City and looking happy as they went to work and went about their daily lives. It had taken some time for everyone to adjust to the lack of magic in their daily lives. Things were looking up, though.

He and the merchants discussed some options to allow for more trade routes to less populated areas and spread another few kilometres outwards to reach outlying villages, towns and small farms. They would meet again in a month to check progress, and he suggested hiring some of the guilds to assist them with creating the trade routes and making them safe. There were plenty of guilds that could help with transporting goods and security as well.

Usually, that was something that the Army would be able to do, but he had been forced to downsize them after things calmed down, being unable to afford to keep a standing army of that size. Now that the economy had stabilised with businesses booming again, it would be okay, but to recall everyone from the lives they had now established was unfair. He was also more than happy for the guilds to be used, as they would continue helping the economy by paying rent to places where their guild met, buying food and other goods to feed those in the guild, and then getting paid for the work they did. Ideally, it would work out for the betterment of everyone.

Since all his meetings were now done, he had organised to train with Erza, Sugarboy and Hughes, as they all wanted to keep up their skills, especially now they had to fight without magic. They would meet regularly outside the palace in the extensive training grounds set up for the Royal Guards. At times like these, he wished Pantherlily was still here in Edolas, but he knew that he would be okay in Earthland. His friend had more than likely found a home in Fairy Tail and would fit in nicely with the crazy bunch. He was certainly strong enough to hold his own in such a guild.

They usually focused on swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat without their magical weapons in their training sessions. Jellal supposed that he would never get used to fighting without his staves and without magic. It had taken him a while to feel normal without covering most of his face after spending such a long time keeping it hidden. Some part of him wondered if he shouldn't have continued keeping it hidden since he was pretty popular among the population of his subjects due to his looks.

That made him feel quite awkward. He had plenty of propositions from various families asking him to marry their daughters, primarily those that were politically inclined and wished to increase their standing by a royal marriage. Jellal had no interest in such a bond but still felt somewhat bad about rejecting every proposal he received. When he found someone to spend his life with, it would be by his own means. It would be someone who cared about him and gave him strength and someone who he did the same for. He supposed it might be wishful thinking to find something so perfect, but he wasn't in any rush. Such a thing would happen naturally; there was no use forcing it.

It seemed the other three had noticed that he wasn't precisely in reality right now and begun warming up without him. They knew he was a busy guy with a lot on his mind, so sometimes he simply needed some time to think and make sure he could finish his thoughts. Once he'd snapped out of it, he joined them in their session, and they all worked each other hard, fighting one on one, in pairs, and swapping to put themselves at advantages and disadvantages.

Jellal couldn't focus but tried his hardest for the sake of his training partners to make sure they all got something out of the session. Hughes complained about being tired about an hour into it, and Jellal felt that he did it for his sake, to end their training a little earlier than they would usually have.

Afterwards, he returned to his chambers to clean up and rest for the night…

Meanwhile...Serana was getting ready to settle in for the night and was plaiting her hair to keep it out of her way as she slept. It usually reached the top of her butt when it was out, but having it up in a plait was more comfortable through the night. She brushed the lengths out after getting halfway through the plait to ensure there were no knots. When she was finished, she wiped her face with a towel and ensured she didn't forget to use a moisturiser to keep her skin healthy and bright. Her usually pale complexion had darkened since she had been working outside with Fairy Tail so much. Also, she had gotten physically stronger, and her muscle tone was more defined than before she joined. She hadn't been in a fight in a long time and planned to keep it that way. When she was in the Army when Faust was ruling, she had done things that she considered morally wrong, but she couldn't do anything about it. Now that things were better, she hadn't worried about keeping herself in shape like she used to while serving. Fairy Tail had kept her fit and active.

Aside from that, she was fairly typical in appearance. Her long hair faded from black at the roots to blonde at the ends, and her eyes were almond-shaped with grey irises. They had a silvery hint sometimes but were more the colour of slate. Fitting in well with the other woman in Fairy Tail, her figure was curvy, but she was a little shorter than the other girls, being around the same height as Levy.

When Fairy Tail finished work for the day, they usually all conked out pretty early, but Serana had stayed up to help tidy the guild hall after everyone had eaten dinner. It wasn't too bad since everyone pitched in to tidy up, but she'd offered to sweep the hall, wipe down the tables, and wash the dishes.

She had a lot on her mind and knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep straight away, so doing something constructive would help her wind down. Cleaning was perfect since it was somewhat of a mindless task and would allow her mind to wander and take whatever paths it needed to, so she would be mentally and physically tired.

The rooms in the Fairy Tail guild hall weren't spectacular, but they had improved before Serana's arrival. Since they'd been able to continue to be a guild after Jellal removed the disbandment law, they could stay put and had intended to remain where they were. Gone were the days when they had to pull up their roots and run away, barely able to stay in one place for more than a few days to avoid being caught.

Now that she was finally lying down, her physical exhaustion began to take over, and her mind was following behind quickly. She'd always had trouble sleeping, and it would take her a while to truly feel comfortable in the guild hall. It had only been about 3 months since she'd joined Fairy Tail after all, so she was still settling in. Her welcome had been overwhelmingly kind and warm, and she knew this could be her home if she chose it to be.

However, there was something that just wasn't sitting quite right. Something lingered in the back of her mind, and it had come to the fore when she met the King. The others in the guild had mentioned he usually came by every month or two, but to actually see him in person was shocking. He just seemed like an average guy, but she couldn't help the feeling that his cozy relationship with them was odd. Even though guilds were permitted by his decree now, maybe there was something to do with his being from Earthland that would explain his comfort with Fairy Tail's members.

Tucking herself up in bed, she allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the other girls sharing the room with her. Their even breathing and soft snores and the rhythm they played allowed her to shut off her thoughts and finally drift off...

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Jellal was back in the university gardens, seeing the progress that had been made since his last visit. It had been about three weeks, and he noticed a bunch of the Fairy Tail guild members working on the eastern side and went over to say hi to them and thank them for their hard work.

From around a corner, someone appeared and walked straight into him. They swiftly stepped back and bowed in apology, and he recognised Serana, despite her face being hidden.

"My apologies. Are you alright?" Her tone was concerned and apologetic, and he smiled.

"Sorry, Serana. I'm alright. Are you okay?" When he used her name, she glanced up at him and looked even more sorry for running into him but relaxed a little when she saw his smile.

"I'm okay." She tilted her head to one side as she spoke and smiled back at him.

"How is everyone doing? Is there anything they need?" He asked and looked over to the rest of her group, and they walked together towards them.

Erza was close behind, as well as Coco and some of the people in charge of the project, who took notes and talked amongst themselves while he spoke to the workers and thanked them personally. Since they were working so hard, he wanted to ensure they were well fed and looked after and show appreciation.

The members of Fairy Tail all greeted him happily when they saw him, but were astute enough to refer to him as King, but usually, he was just 'Jellal' when he came to the guild on his own. As he continued talking to them, he checked in to ensure they were being looked after properly. He always ensured that they were fed by one of the various cafes in the area, or the palace cooks made meals for them as they worked. As he hoped, they were all happy and proud of their work.

Coco called to him softly, suggesting that they move on to other areas of the university construction to check on some other sites. He nodded in acknowledgement, but waved goodbye to the workers, thanking them loudly before he left. His eye caught Serana, and he watched as she picked up a large plank of wood, taking it to one of the carpenters.

He hadn't noticed before, probably because she was so close to him previously and he was distracted, but now that she was several metres away, he got a good look at her. She was wearing sturdy boots and denim shorts that only covered a small area of her thighs, and her grey t-shirt had the Fairy Tail symbol across the front. It seemed that she had dressed for comfort, but it had the other effect of showing off toned muscles, and shapely curves that no clothes could hide. Her eyes looked more like pieces of round silver in the sunlight, and her hair was coming loose from her plait, framing her face. As it began to cover her eyes, she raked her fingers through her hair to push it back off her face as she worked.

Distracting him from staring at her like a man starved, he watched her expression. Even though she was smiling, it wasn't quite reaching her eyes and he got the feeling that she was still getting used to everything. It wasn't that she was unhappy, just not quite comfortable yet. He couldn't entirely ignore the feeling that he wanted to get to know her better, almost like he was drawn to her for some unknown reason.

Coco broke him from his ogling by coughing pointedly and he turned back away from Serana and the others in Fairy Tail.

"Shall we?" He said to try and dispel the awkwardness, but it didn't quite work. Coco had clearly noticed how he was watching Serana but was doing her best to seem nonchalant about the whole thing.

They headed towards another part of the construction site, and it took another hour and a half to complete their tour and briefing of the building's progress. At this point, Jellal had forgotten about Serana, being distracted by his work and trying to ensure he carefully thought about any decisions he had to make. There was still a lot of work to be done for the project to be even half complete, but it was a huge undertaking. He was committed to it and willing to put in every effort required for it to succeed. It was ambitious for sure, but the culture and education in the Royal City were important enough for him to put in as many resources as needed.

He continued his work, just as Serana was. She was carrying supplies to the right areas in the garden and was pleased to see how it was all coming together. It was beginning to look beautiful, so much so that the other members of Fairy Tail thought it would be nice to make a garden of their own outside the guild hall since they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. They were all chatting happily about what they could do to make it and what flowers they could plant, and someone even suggested planting some herbs for cooking as well.

Work was almost finished for the day as the sun began to set, and they were all exhausted. Someone brought around some lemonade, which gave them enough energy to tidy up their workstations since they wouldn't be working over the weekend. Since they'd been so busy, Jellal had mentioned when he first arrived that no one was to come on-site over the weekend to continue working. They would take a well-deserved break, and there was supposed to be a storm anyway. There wasn't much they would be able to do while it was storming.

Once they'd tidied everything up, everyone made their way home. Serana had planned to stop by the shops as she needed to purchase a few new clothing items. Fairy Tail had planned to have a party once the construction was finished, but they were invited to the palace's opening ceremony and following party. She didn't have any nice clothing, so she planned to buy a dress to wear since all the girls would be using the opportunity to have some fun dressing up and doing their hair and makeup together. Although she wasn't exactly a girly girl, she did enjoy talking about those sorts of things with the other girls, and it was nice to get some advice and ideas from them about hairstyles and recommendations for clothes.

She wasn't overjoyed by the idea of shopping and figured it was easier to get it over and done with. Mirajane had offered to go shopping with her, and so had Lucy, but it wasn't her thing to go on big shopping trips. Since she was more of a practical dresser, dressing for looks wasn't something she wanted to do all the time. When she strolled through the street in the shopping area that had clothes, she looked through the windows for a shop that would suit her style. Some were too over the top and dramatic, and some shops just had things that were too pink, frilly and glittery for her liking.

One shop caught her eye on the left, and she stepped inside quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. Most of the clothes there were more of her style, practical and designed for comfort. They all looked nice, though, and a dress caught her eye first, but its soft material drew her in more. She asked the sales assistant to try it on and they helped her get the right size for her. The assistant complimented her choice, saying that she thought it would perfectly suit her body shape and height.

When she tried it on in the changing room and looked in the small mirror, she was pleased with what she saw. It fit her curves nicely, thanks to the soft material, but it wasn't too heavy. It would be comfortable to wear even in the warmer weather they were having now at this time of year. The dress was black, with short sleeves, and a rounded neckline, accentuating her bust. Since the dress wasn't supposed to be worn tight, there was plenty of room for her curves without feeling suffocated. It fell about halfway down her thighs, and she didn't feel too awkward since most of her shorts were the same length.

After a brief nod, she got changed back into her clothes and left the changing room to make her purchase. The sales assistant offered her a discounted drink bottle with a pretty pattern on it, and Serana accepted with a smile and a nod. Her dress and bottle were packed into a bag, and Serana handed over the correct amount of money. She thanked the staff member, who thanked her in return before she left the store to head back towards the guild hall.

Once she'd arrived back at the guild hall, everyone was seated to eat dinner together, talking and laughing. Lucy and Levy called her over to their table, and she grabbed a plate of food before joining them, putting her bag next to her feet.

"Did you go shopping, Serana?" Levy asked before shoving a chunk of potato in her mouth.

"Yeah, I needed an outfit for the university opening ceremony since we've been invited. I don't normally wear dressy clothes." Serana answered with a shrug, then began eating.

"Show us what you got!" Lucy demanded excitedly.

Serana nodded and pulled the bag onto her lap. She took out the dress and let it fall out of the folded form it took in the bag. The girls made sounds of approval and were clearly impressed by her choice.

"That will look so good on you. You'll get a boyfriend in no time wearing that!" Lucy said, nudging Serana encouragingly with her elbow.

"Aha, I don't know about that. I've got no idea how to talk to guys." Serana responded awkwardly, chuckling to try and hide her self-confidence with a sense of humour.

"Haven't you dated anyone before?" Levy asked, seeming surprised at Serana's confession.

"Nothing too serious." She answered, and then Lucy and Levy shared a look that concerned her.

"We'll have to fix that. Hmm, is there anyone in the guild that you like?" Lucy glanced around at the people in the guild hall around them and then back at Serana.

"What about Jett or Droy?" Levy offered, thinking of the first two males she knew personally.

"There's Max and Warren. What about Nab or Elfman?" Lucy suggested and Serana shook her head in answer.

"Macao and Wakaba are too old, and they're both married anyway. Gray is in love with Juvia and Alzack and Bisca are head over heels for each other." Levy rested her chin on her hand, thinking about who else to suggest.

"I'll be fine. I'm in no rush to find a boyfriend or date anyone." Serana appreciated them trying to help, but she was far too awkward and unsure of herself to put herself out there. Things would just happen naturally.

"Well, in that dress, you'll definitely have a lineup of guys and girls after you." Lucy nudged her with her elbow again.

They went back to their meals and continued chatting about this and that while they ate. Lucy was in the same shared room as Serana, and they headed towards their shared room after handing in their plates. Serana put her new dress and drink bottle in the chest that held her belongings at the end of the bed she slept in and pulled out some pyjamas. She headed towards the bathroom where she could clean up and enjoy a hot shower, which soothed her muscles from days of physical labour.

Thankfully they'd get a break from work over the weekend, and she was planning to curl up with a book somewhere in the shade outside and spend the whole weekend reading. There wasn't much else to do since she wasn't hugely social. She was becoming fast friends with everyone in the guild but still enjoyed her time by herself. Reading had always been a favourite pastime and coming to the Royal City had been a blessing with all the great libraries they had here. She'd read books she had never heard of and enjoyed them immensely.

When she had cleaned up, finally feeling more relaxed, she put on her pyjamas, went to her shared room with the other girls, and grabbed her book. The one she was reading was a fantasy tale based around a magic guild, like Earthland Fairy Tail. It told stories of their adventures, defeating incredible creatures and bad guys and saving the day. It was an inspiring tale full of laughter and tears, both happy and sad. She was enjoying the story, and it was almost over, with only about 6 chapters to go. But for now, she was too tired and placed her bookmark in and closed it. She put it down on her bedside table and rolled over.

She was too tired for her brain to keep her awake with chatter and fell asleep within 5 minutes...

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Jellal was standing at one of the windows in the palace, staring at the storm raging outside. There was heavy rain, thunder and lightning, but they had gotten reports saying there was hail the size of his fist falling in a town just under an hour away, and it was heading in their direction. He had asked all able-bodied members of the Army to assist people in preparing their homes for the worst of the storm, but they hadn't gotten notice in time to prepare for the hail. It was times like these when having magic would make things so much easier; people could reinforce their homes and allow people to contact each other faster. They were all getting used to it, but it was still tricky.

From his vantage point, he could see people running around like mad, getting drenched by the rain. Shaking his head in frustration, he turned away from the window and started heading towards the palace entrance. Coco was chasing after him, telling him not to go, but he had no interest in staying here and doing nothing. There weren't enough people to help, so every little bit would count. He was as able-bodied as the rest of them, so he would personally do all he could to assist the people in the city.

Coco followed him, intending to stay with him the whole time, and he was grateful for her sticking by his side. She was loyal to a fault and had been good to him. They both marched out into the rain and Jellal headed towards the city's eastern side, where he hadn't seen as many soldiers. While they were on their way, they checked on people and their homes, offering assistance where they could. There wasn't always much for them to do, but doing something was far better than standing around, and he felt like he could make a difference. The people who saw him seemed shocked and grateful for his efforts, and this was what he wanted to do. He wanted to help.

He helped move some planks to assist someone in covering their windows, but their front door almost flew off the handles a moment later. He yelled to Coco to hold onto it while he zipped inside and utilised their fireplace and a metal fire poker to his advantage. He shoved it in the fire, leaving it there until the end of the poker was red hot, and went outside, shutting the door behind him. He held the poker against the door hinges until they began to melt slightly, just enough that the door wouldn't be able to swing off its hinges unless it got pulled entirely from the foundations. Ushering the person living there inside through the window, he hammered the planks into place outside the window to hopefully protect it a little.

They continued down the streets and checked in on everyone, even if it was just a thumbs up through the window. After rounding a corner, Jellal saw some of the members of Fairy Tail doing their part. Lucy, Elfman, Serana and Bisca were helping a shop owner drag their displays inside, so they didn't get damaged in the storm. Rain pelted them, but he could hear the sound of hail getting closer and closer. It would be over their heads any minute now, and he could see them landing on the ground down the street, some of them staying whole as they landed and others smashing into bits. They were hitting everything in sight, including the people outside still trying hard to protect their homes.

Unfortunately, at this point, most people had done all they could to try and salvage their property and roof over their heads, so once the hail hit them, they headed inside and hoped for the best. Jellal wasn't ready to give up just yet, but Elfman blocked a large hailstone from hitting his head with his arm and knew he needed to get to safety, not just for his own good but for his own good the sake of those who would protect him with their bodies. Now that he was King, he forgot how much people would sacrifice for him, even though such a thing was commonplace in Earthland Fairy Tail. He was still getting used to self-sacrifice outside the guild, but he supposed it was probably normal for a King.

Lucy told them to follow her and took them to a warehouse a few hundred metres down the road, that had its door unlocked. They rushed inside and shut the door behind them, and Elfman placed some heavy boxes against it to prevent it from sliding open again.

"We were doing some deliveries for these guys before the storm hit earlier today, and I hoped they didn't have time to lock up so we could get inside. Thankfully I was right." Lucy explained, and Bisca sat down on a box with a sigh.

"Are you alright, Jellal?" Elfman asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm alright. Is everyone else okay?" He asked and looked them all over briefly to see if they had any injuries.

They all had some bruises forming from the hailstones hitting them, but they were superficial. Lucy had a graze on her shoulder, and Elfman was nursing his arm where the hailstone had hit him before. Serana looked okay until he saw an open gash on her calf. She hadn't even noticed it as she shifted her weight between her feet and stared at her drenched clothes. When she saw the small puddle of blood surrounding her foot, she finally noticed the cut on her leg. Before she could do anything about it, Jellal sprung into action. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her so she would sit on a nearby box.

When she sat down, he ripped a piece of his cloak to create a makeshift bandage, but he ignored her gasp at him ruining a royal garment. He was careful at trying his best to clean up the wound, thoroughly wrecking his cloak, which was now torn and covered with her blood, but once the bleeding had stopped, he wrapped the cloth around her leg and tied it to keep it in place.

"Is that okay? Not too tight?" He asked and looked up at her to see that she was quite shocked but managed to choke out a sound of acknowledgement that it wasn't too tight.

"Th-thank you." She replied, but he could hear that her voice was wavering slightly.

Not having enough time to linger on it, they needed to figure out their next steps. Staying there until the storm relented was an option, but the reports said the storm would last a few days. They could leave the protection of the warehouse, but they would need to make sure that they had something to shield them from the hailstones since the rain wasn't a huge issue. All of them were soaked to the bone anyway.

"Let's grab some of the lids for the boxes and use them for cover. We can head towards the guild hall since it's much closer to here." Lucy suggested and they began pulling off the box lids and whatever else could work as something to hold above their heads for protection.

They all found something that would work for them, and Coco offered to take point, as she usually felt more comfortable clearing the way for Jellal. Bisca would be in front and Elfman behind her, then Serana offered to take up the rear. Jellal suspected this was because she wouldn't have to keep up as much and could take it slower with her injured leg.

Once they'd left the warehouse, they all kept an eye on each other, but Jellal couldn't stop looking behind him to see how Serana was going. It didn't seem like the injury was hindering her too much, but he could see she was in pain. He didn't want her to make it any worse by continuing to walk on it and got fed up a moment later when she fell another step or two behind. Without overthinking, he stopped walking and moved to the back of the line where Serana was. He crouched in front of her, gesturing for her to climb on his back so he could carry her. They couldn't hear each other over the rain, so there was no use in talking. Serana had a stunned expression but she did as he suggested, using her box lid to protect both of them as they walked towards the guild hall. He could feel her chest pressed against his back, and her thighs were around his hips, his arms around them to hold her in place.

After a few minutes, they'd reached the guild, which was good as their box lid shields were worse for wear. Bisca's had a chunk out of one side, and Elfman's had a large crack down the centre. They burst through the door, and all but fell inside, pleased to be out of the elements. The sound of the rain and hail on the roof was loud, and people had to yell to speak to the person next to them just so they could be heard. Most people had given up talking and were just sitting in silence to save themselves from yelling at one another. Despite that, they all came over to fuss about the King's unexpected visit and offered him towels to tidy up and get dry. Wendy and Cana ushered him towards the fire to stop him from catching a chill and Coco clearly appreciated them looking after him.

"Can someone bring me a first aid kit? Serana got injured, and we need to clean her wound and get it properly dressed." He asked and Mira brought a box with some medical supplies out from behind the bar.

Levy pushed Serana into a seat, and Jellal thanked Mira for the supplies before pulling a chair up to sit just in front of her. Carefully, he helped her by taking off her boot and lifting her leg onto his lap. The makeshift bandage was soaked through from the rain, and he cautiously removed it, trying his best not to hurt her. She flinched faintly at one point, and he gave her a look of apology. Aside from that, she didn't make a sound or change her expression. It seemed that she was tougher than she first appeared. Maybe her time in the Army that she had mentioned before was the reason that she was straight-faced.

With his practised hands, her wound was cleaned with a healing tonic to prevent infection and rebandaged. She smiled gratefully at him and he held out a hand to help her stand up again. Being careful not to ruin his work, she headed towards her quarters and someone handed him some dry clothes. He got changed in the guys' quarters and thanked everyone for looking after them. Coco emerged with some dry clothes along with Lucy and Serana.

"We should go back to the palace. The staff will be worried about us." Coco suggested, knowing that they were in a safe place.

"You're probably right. However, I'm concerned we will be too far away if anyone needs help. I'd prefer to stay here in case of an emergency." Jellal replied evenly, his brow furrowed with worry.

"But, Your Grace…" Coco trailed off, obviously wanting to disagree but not wanting to overstep.

"They know we've gone to help, and we won't be far. I also don't want you going back in that weather since you could get hurt. We'll stay here." His answer made her smile despite the situation. He valued her greatly and couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt. The palace staff were used to him not acting like an ordinary King anyway.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Coco turned and bowed towards the guild members, who all smiled and invited her to come and sit with them.

Both had a drink pushed into their hands, and Mirajane began preparing something to eat, excited to have them as guests. Serana, Lucy and Natsu were sitting together, and Jellal joined them. Coco was invited to sit with Cana and Levy, and they began discussing colours to paint their fingernails. Since there wasn't much else to do currently, the girls figured they might as well have some self-care time and give themselves manicures. Jellal smiled at Coco, fitting right in since the girls were conscious of including her, which made him happy to see.

Mirajane brought them a pot of tea to help warm them up since they were still quite cold after being stuck in the rain. It was a pot of green tea that smelled wonderful, with a hint of hazelnut and cocoa. Serana thanked Mirajane and began pouring a cup for each of them but pushed one towards Jellal first and gave him a beaming smile, which he returned with a smile of his own. The expression on her face was full of compassion and kindness, and he dropped his chin to his chest, pretending to look at his cup, but he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

They chatted for a while, but everyone was so exhausted that they could barely finish their tea before they started nodding off. Natsu fell asleep with his face squished against the table, and Lucy smacked him on the back quite firmly to wake him up.

"Go have a bath and get into bed. Take our King with you too. Put him in the spare bed." Lucy offered, standing up and ushering Natsu towards the back of the guild hall so they could get some rest.

"We've got a spare bed in our room. Coco can stay there." Serana suggested, and the rest of them all stood up from the table; Natsu, albeit much slower than Jellal.

They headed towards their respective side of the building, girls on the right and guys on the left. Lucy went in first, then Serana followed behind Coco. Jellal watched them disappear behind the door, and then followed Natsu in. Since they were staying the night, he tried his best to take it easy and relax as they cleaned up and headed to the guys' shared room. There was a spare bed in the room on Natsu's left.

He knew he wouldn't sleep too well tonight, considering he was still worried about people being stuck out in the storm or damaging their homes and property. To be of the best help he could be, he still needed to get some rest, so he'd do his best to get some sleep and then get to work helping with repairs tomorrow.

As he drifted off, he thought of Serana's smile...

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Serana got up early since she couldn't seem to sleep any longer. It was frustrating for her, so she hopped out of bed quietly, not wanting to disturb the others. Coco was still sound asleep, and Lucy stirred a little but dozed off shortly after. She put on some clean clothes, but just something old, since it would surely get ruined today when they started the cleanup. She moved a bit too fast and twisted the wrong way while trying to put her pants on and felt the cut on her leg strain and dialled down her yelp of pain to a deep scowl. The storm subsided overnight, and the rain had stopped; the hail was long gone. The guild hall was silent, aside from the faint sound of one of the boys snoring from their shared rooms.

After emerging from the room, she ventured into the central part of the hall and found only one person sitting at one of the tables.

The King.

Of course, she was still getting used to the idea of the King being on such friendly terms with the guild she joined only a few months ago, but it was nice to see that he was a human being much like herself. Having a King that wished to be treated like a God seemed to be a recipe for corruption and moral bankruptcy, so she was pleased to know that wasn't the case. It appeared that his reign had been successful thus far, and she was impressed with his work as King and a person. Faust would never have gone out in the middle of a hail storm to try and assist people in preparing their homes to help his subjects. And yet, his son was here, ready to pitch in. It was strange to see that the apple had fallen so far from the tree, but it seemed to herald a new age of peace and prosperity for Edolas.

"Good morning, Your Grace. Were you able to get some rest?" Serana asked quietly, trying to keep her voice down, so she didn't wake anyone up.

"Good morning Serana. I did get some sleep, thank you for asking. How about you?" His response was just as quiet, and his tone was calm. Despite that, she could see that he was tired.

"I'm going to head out and see what I can do to help, but can I get you anything before I go?" She asked, heading behind the bar to get herself a glass of water before she left.

"I am alright, thank you. How is your leg?" He kept the focus on her, and she finished her mouthful of water before she responded. She also poured him a glass of water, placing it on the bar after a nod toward it to gesture it was for him.

"Not too bad, thanks to you," she said with a smile to show she was grateful as she walked around to the front of the bar.

"I would like you to be careful so you don't reopen the wound. Please." His expression told her he was concerned, but he seemed to respect that she would help regardless and just wanted her to not push herself too hard.

"Of course, Your Grace. I appreciate your concern." Her smile grew bigger, feeling a bit flattered that he sounded troubled.

"I am not asking you as your King. I am merely asking as a friend who worries that you'll do too much." He stood up and strolled over to her at the bar as he spoke, observing her.

She couldn't help it, but she felt her smile fall away. His sudden display of worry was sweet, especially when he said that he was her friend. It surprised her so much that her eyes widened, and her mouth opened.

"If you don't mind waiting until Coco wakes up, I'd be happy to accompany you. I just wanted her to get as much rest as possible." He stood next to her, and they both leaned their backs against the bar.

"She seemed exhausted last night. I think she'll be up soon, though. There isn't a lazy bone in her body."

Serena chuckled softly and was surprised when Jellal did as well. It wasn't that she was surprised he had a sense of humour but that she had made him laugh. It was nice to see him laugh, even though she could imagine he was stressed. Making a mental note to try and make him laugh or smile whenever she saw him, Coco emerged from the room, smiling when she saw them both. Serana poured her a glass of water, and she downed the whole thing before grinning at them.

"I'd like to help with the cleanup today Coco, but can you please report to the palace to ask for any extra hands we can spare to assist in making repairs?" Jellal's smooth voice was somewhat soothing, Serana thought. She could listen to him talk about anything, but now wasn't the time.

"Of course. I'll go now." Coco replied, then bowed and zipped out the front door.

"I don't know how she has so much energy." Serana voiced her thought before realising it, and Jellal chuckled again.

"Neither do I." He responded knowingly and finished his glass of water. "Shall we? I'm sure there's a lot to do."

Giving him a nod, they both went out the front door of the guild hall to see what everything looked like outside. Most things seemed okay, but there were a few broken windows, some papers strewn about, and damaged signs for businesses out the front of their shops. It was still quite early; the sun had risen ten minutes ago, but people were already cleaning up. He was confident that some of them didn't get any sleep that night.

They walked together for a while, doing what they could as they went. One lady had her firewood spread across the street, and they assisted her in collecting and restacking it. A family had a broken window that Jellal helped them safely remove without anyone getting cut so that it could be replaced. Serana assisted an elderly woman in tidying up her home as she hadn't been able to close the windows in time before water and hail started pouring in. The wind had also blown things everywhere, so her belongings were in disarray. Despite being awkward and unsure how to develop a rapport with the woman, Serana felt good about helping her out. She hoped that when she was older, someone able-bodied would do the same for her.

Coco found them about two hours later, and she had been doing the same thing after getting assistance and extra hands from the palace staff. The kitchens were cooking meals to hand out to people who had been dealt a rough hand and had lost most of their produce and food. They also gave out supplies such as blankets, coats and other necessities that people would need, especially in dire straits. This would inevitably throw off the healing process for losing magic in Edolas, but Jellal was hoping he'd been able to show them that not having magic wouldn't cripple them. They could still achieve everything that magic could do, but all they needed to do was work together.

While they all worked, Serana kept an eye on Jellal and began to get a bit worried. She knew he hadn't gotten much rest last night and worked tirelessly to help everyone out. If he kept going at this pace for much longer, he would pass out. As best she could whilst aiding the people in the city, she stayed nearby to the King and ensured that he had a break to drink some water and have something small to eat every two hours or so. His stubborn desire to care for everyone showed how generous and compassionate he was.

She also noticed how much the people they were helping were noticing how generous and compassionate he was. It seemed that he was unconsciously endearing himself more and more to every person they helped, even those that may have appeared to be rather indifferent at first. Some women became smitten with the handsome young King doing their heavy lifting. Older men appreciated him cooperating with them rather than emasculating them by doing everything for them. His perceptiveness in dealing with each and every person impressed her greatly, more so because it was completely genuine.

Despite not intending to, she was becoming slightly smitten with him. It was a bit out of the left field, but watching him be so dedicated, giving assistance and smiles so naturally, with grace and empathy, made it hard not to admire him. Every time she checked on him, it became more apparent how tired he was, but it didn't seem to worry him. In fact, he seemed to be working even harder as time went on. Coco wasn't with them, and Serana grew concerned that he wouldn't listen to her to get him to slow down or stop. Coco had a way with him, maybe just due to him being around her so much and knowing him well.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he sat down for the first time that day, and she took a bottle of water and a piece of fruit over to him. His eyes were dull with exhaustion, and she dropped to one knee in front of his seat. Handing him the refreshments, he gave her a tired smile in thanks. She observed him as he munched on the fruit and drank some water. He didn't seem ready to stop yet, but she was intent on getting him to head back to the palace for today. Surely there were some other things he could do that were slower-paced and less physical, so he could get some rest. He was physically fit, but the mental nature of what they were doing was almost more tiring than the physicality of helping.

While he was stopped and had a mouthful of food or water, she could try to make her case for him to rest.

"Your Grace, may I suggest heading back to the palace for the afternoon? I'm sure there are things there you need to attend to." She tried to be casual, but he narrowed his eyes at her, and she knew she was busted. He relaxed almost immediately after, though.

"Trying to get me to rest? You sound like Coco." He replied evenly and smiled at her.

"Coco is a brilliant lady. I figure someone has to do her job while she's busy." She shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip from her own water bottle.

He took a slow breath in and out before he spoke again. She usually tends to be right as well. I'll go back to the palace."

"I'd be honoured to escort you, Your Grace." Serana stood up and gestured them in the direction of the palace.

"Thank you, Serana. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me today." Jellal spoke as they ambled towards their destination.

"Was it that obvious?" She couldn't entirely hide the embarrassment in her voice, but his soft chuckle made her feel better.

"It was, but only because I was trying to make sure you weren't pushing yourself too hard. The cut on your leg was giving you trouble. I noticed since I was doing the same thing." His tone became slightly bashful, and she huffed in surprise.

"Well...Thank you, Your Grace. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me today." She repeated his words from before, parroting them back to him.

Once Jellal laughed, she couldn't hold it in anymore either. It was nice to hear him enjoying himself after such a stressful day. Their laughter died down a few seconds later, and silence fell over them, but thankfully it wasn't awkward. He appeared to be mulling something over, and Serana waited patiently for him to say whatever he was trying to work out how to say in his head.

"While I have you for a moment, I wanted to ask you something." He piped up after almost half a minute. He phrased it as if he was asking permission, being polite.

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask why you came to the Royal City after your village got destroyed. You don't have any family to stay with?" He mainly asked for confirmation, but she was confused at his sudden intrigue.

"I don't have any family. My father passed away when I was quite young, and my mother was never the same afterwards. She became ill when I was about 16 and finally passed over a year ago. I served in the Army in the area, which was so familiar. I think I only stayed because I feared the big, bad outside world. Although it was upsetting, the village getting destroyed was the catalyst that forced me to leave. I stayed for the cleanup efforts, but eventually, I couldn't bear it anymore. One afternoon, I got discharged from the Army, then said goodbye and just left. I wasn't sure what I would do when I got here, but I knew that guilds had made a resurgence and that I might be able to get work in one of them." She explained as they strolled towards the palace.

"I'm sorry that you've been through so much. Something I find frustrating about being King is that I can't help, no matter how much I want to. I have so much power and yet, so little." His empathetic tone was appreciated, and when he said this, she understood why he pushed himself so hard today.

"I can't imagine the weight you must feel on your shoulders. I've never been in charge of anything." Serana tried to lighten the mood a little, but she only got a smirk out of him.

"It's getting easier to bear. I think the transition of power and establishing the legitimacy of my rule was hard. Getting people to deal without having magic is almost impossible. Events like this wouldn't affect everyone nearly as much if we could just magic them away." He glanced at her briefly but mostly kept his eyes on the ground.

"It's not your fault. All you can do is exactly what you've been doing all day. Show them that people can do everything magic can."

She didn't think it was an incredibly profound thought, but when he stopped walking and stared at her for a moment, she figured it must have struck a chord with him somehow. He held her gaze, and a smile came across his face, brightening his tired features for a few seconds. Hopefully, her words had given him some consolation.

Her surprise increased tenfold when he took a small step towards her and reached out to her. It seemed like it was happening in slow motion, but only because she could feel herself freaking out. Outwardly, she schooled her expression, aside from her eyes widening as he gently took hold of one of her hands.

"Thank you. I didn't even realise that maybe my helping people were giving them comfort in not being able to use magic for these things anymore. I just knew I wanted to help however I could." Jellal seemed to be a bit taken aback, but little did he know that his holding her hand had thrown Serana for a loop.

"You've gone above and beyond today. The people you helped today could see it." Serana responded, ensuring he knew that his efforts hadn't gone unnoticed.

He didn't reply, but his gaze turned inwards and a small smile appeared on his face as he seemed to be replaying some of the day's events in his mind. As he did this, she waited silently, letting him go through the motions; all the while, he still kept hold of her hand. A few seconds later, he raised his head and smiled at her again. He gave her hand another squeeze in appreciation and then let her go as they continued. It was an exciting experience, to say the least, but they stayed silent until they reached the palace gates and passed through them. Jellal was clearly lost in his thoughts, and Serana was happy to leave him there. He had enough on his plate to think about.

The palace's front door loomed over them, and it was open to allow all the comings and goings of the staff. They all greeted the King as they zipped past in both directions. It brought him from his reverie, and he stopped walking, placing his hands behind his back as he turned to face her.

"Thank you for your escort. How much do you charge for your services?" His attempt at humour was not lost on her, and she laughed at his joke.

"Uh, this is my first time completing a job for the King. Should I charge a higher rate because he's the King, or should I not charge at all because it's a service to the Kingdom?" Going along with his joke, she feigned thinking out loud.

"How about a tour of the Royal Library? I've heard you are quite an avid reader." His suggestion was unexpected, but it was something that she would absolutely love.

"Are you serious? I feel like I would actually faint seeing it." She admitted with an embarrassed laugh.

"Of course. Your service should be rewarded. How about I come by the guild after the cleanups are done? I'll take you on a tour personally." He was earnest and raised an eyebrow as he waited for her answer.

"Yes, please!" She couldn't hold back anymore and practically squealed with joy, bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Excellent. I'll see you then." The smile on his face melted her heart, and he looked like he wasn't a King but a young, happy man.

"Thank you. Please get some rest, Your Grace." She gave him a polite bow and began walking away, back down the path out of the palace.

When she got to the palace gates, she looked over her shoulder to see him watching her leave. She smiled and continued, knowing he wouldn't go inside until he couldn't see her anymore, and she didn't want him waiting there forever.

Making her way back to the guild for some much-needed rest, she couldn't quell her excitement about Jellal's offer. Although she couldn't decide what she was more excited about, seeing all the books, or seeing him again...

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Just shy of a week later, most of the cleanups were done. There were still a few things to organise, and Jellal had just received word that a shipment of some much-needed supplies would arrive within the next half day. It would be filled with food, water, blankets and items for rebuilding. There would be wood, metals and bricks to repair people's homes as some still did not have adequate shelter from the elements. Most that had damage to their homes had been taken in by family, friends or neighbours until their homes were fixed.

Repairs were being completed around the clock, but it had been difficult for the first few days since it had still been raining quite heavily, making building repairs challenging and somewhat impossible. With the shipment arriving soon, that would be the last of what they needed to complete all repairs, and hopefully, that would allow life to return to normal.

It had been a chaotic time, and he hoped that his efforts to show that magic was not needed were not in vain. Unity of people was far more critical, and even with magic, everyone would still need to work together to achieve the same goals in such circumstances. When this final stage was over, he wanted to sleep for a week, but that wouldn't be possible. He wanted to travel to the outlying villages and towns outside the capital to check if they had any damage and provide any assistance needed. It would likely take a month or two if they went at full pace, but some people may not be able to wait that long.

He had a meeting to head to now, allowing him to delegate and split up his advisors to send them in different directions to provide help as quickly as possible. Coco had initiated the first part of this by sending out scouts to the towns and villages to assess the damage, and most of them had reported back within the last 48 hours, with some due back in the next few days after going to more far-flung places.

Getting up from his desk, he headed towards the meeting chambers just down the hall, where he could hear people talking and discussing things. When he entered the room, they all stood and became silent immediately. He placed down the papers he had brought with him and sat at the head of the table, and the meeting began.

For the next two hours, they discussed the supplies needed for each of the surveyed places to provide adequate repairs so that when the shipment arrived, they could split everything up and send it out along with workers to help out. Jellal had enquired about how many different tradesmen they had, as well as artisans who had technical skills that could be helpful and had also offered to pay any people who were willing to travel to the other towns to assist. The palace treasury had become quite full during the corruption that prospered under his father, Faust, so he intended to put the funds to better use, and this was a perfect opportunity to do so. By paying regular workers, they would also spread the money and boost the economy in those villages and towns, which would benefit trade too.

Once Jellal and his advisors had delegated who went where and with what supplies, they ended the meeting and the men and women all bowed as he exited the room. He headed back to his own chambers to rest for a while. Now that was out of the way, he had intended to get a bit more sleep for an hour or two before keeping a promise he had made to a member of the Fairy Tail guild.

To show his appreciation for Serana, for looking after him and for being self-sacrificing enough to put her own body in harm's way, he had promised her a tour of the royal palace library. Lucy told him how much of a 'bookworm' she was, and she would appreciate seeing the books in the grand library that had been amassed throughout the reigns of the Kings of Edolas. Some were hundreds of years old and had to be specially preserved in glass cases to stop them from falling apart or disintegrating completely.

He had sent a message to the guild to tell Serana, inviting her to visit in the mid-afternoon around 3pm. Since it was just after midday, he desperately needed to sleep for a while lest he passed out completely. As well as preparing the library for her visit by laying out some books he thought she would like to see, he had also requested the kitchen staff to prepare afternoon tea for them. Hughes had told him that he had seen her with an older woman yesterday, helping her receive and carry some of the items the palace had been giving out, with food and blankets to those who needed them.

Hughes had also mentioned she was still favouring her leg slightly but trying to not make it obvious. Hughes hadn't spoken to her, just seen her from afar, so she wouldn't have known that he was reporting to the King about her injury. Nothing was surprising about her continuing to help even when she wasn't at her best and was still healing, but he would ask one of the palace physicians to check on her wound today. Hence there were several reasons for her visit, and he knew it would also allow him to relax for a while, as that was what he intended for his guest to do.

Flopping down onto his large bed, he slowed his breathing to calm his body and mind and hoped he would drift off. Unfortunately, his mind was still racing with worry, concern, plans in motion and some that had not yet been made, and he didn't get any sleep. He didn't realise how long he had been lying there until a soft knock at his door brought him from his thoughts.

"Your Grace, your guest, Serana, has arrived. I have taken her to the library, and she is waiting for you there." The voice, muffled through the door, belonged to Briyana, who worked closely with Coco.

It seemed she had learnt well from Coco on anticipating things he would ask of her, and he dragged himself off his bed and straightened out his clothing. He was still in his formal robes, and he looked at himself in the mirror briefly and decided to change clothes. It would send the wrong message to Serana and subconsciously remind him that he was a King and that a King did not have time to rest. He put on something much less grandiose and more comfortable, trying to be quick so he didn't keep Serana waiting for too long.

When he rechecked his appearance, he ran his fingers through his hair briefly and wondered for a moment why he was bothering to do so. Narrowing his eyes at the image of himself staring back at him in confusion, he shook his head vigorously, letting his hair fall back where it had been before exiting his chambers and heading towards the library. Briyana was waiting outside for him and followed behind him quietly, and when they reached their destination, he asked her to bring something for them to drink. Briyana zipped off towards the kitchens, and Jellal smiled at her eagerness before he headed down the small stairs to enter the library.

The walls were entirely covered in books, and many shelves were stacked with more. It was large enough that the librarian & royal historian, Dreyer, who also took great care of any texts they received, ancient and rare books, could work without him even realising they were there. Dreyer would be here somewhere but wasn't always visible at first glance, usually hidden behind piles of books, scrolls and other materials he was studying.

Serana was seated with her back to him at the small table where he had set some books out for her, and she already had her nose buried in one. He smiled at her and watched for a minute, then finally joined her at the table and took a seat across from her. The sound of the chair moving against the floor brought her out of her trance, and she swiftly stood up to bow in greeting. She couldn't see it, but the force he had stood up with had forced the chair she was sitting on to lean backwards, and it was teetering precariously before it finally fell and crashed to the floor. He tried not to laugh as she nearly jumped out of her skin in fright at the sudden noise.

Jellal even noticed Dreyer's head appeared from behind a shelf on Serana's left to assess what had happened, probably in mild frustration at the noise. He disappeared just as quickly, shuffling off quietly towards the opposite side of the library, allowing him some privacy with his guest.

"Sorry," Serana said in a tense whisper.

"It's fine. Please sit down." His smile ensured she knew it was okay, and he wanted her to relax. "I would like to spend our afternoon taking it easy. We both need a break." He suggested in a friendly manner, trying to be informal.

"I'm sure you do more than me. You've had much more to organise for cleanups and repairs on a much larger scale." She said as she picked up her chair and sat back down.

"Actually, it's not been too bad. Since we had such a big effort to make after Extalia fell, we already had processes in place for what we went through then. Thankfully, there hasn't been that much damage as there was then." Jellal replied softly and sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"Well, I hope it's not been too stressful. You definitely deserve a break." She responded with a smile before someone entered the library, coming down the stairs.

It was someone from the kitchen with a trolley filled with food and drink. The kitchen staff began to bring the trays over, and Jellal stood and began helping. Serana went to do the same, but Jellal gestured for her to stay put, so she shrunk back in her seat, doing as she was told.

Although it was probably fine, he wanted her to stay seated and rest her injured leg. Also, he had invited her; she was his esteemed guest, so he didn't want her to lift a finger. Despite his not wanting to have ridiculous amounts of staff in the palace, since he wasn't a fan of living a luxurious lifestyle, he still kept them all on staff and paid well, as they would be out of a job if he sent them away. As a good leader should, he always tried to lead by example and not be above doing some palace workers' simple and basic tasks. He usually took his clothes to the laundry instead of asking someone else to do it, and he immensely enjoyed working in the kitchens with the staff to help prepare meals. He actually had quite a lot of fun doing such things, and the palace staff endeared him in return for his efforts. They had difficulty getting used to doing everything manually after losing Edolas' magic, so he hoped his help had somewhat eased the burden.

Serana simply watched in awe and gratitude as the table was filled with all sorts of delights. There was a pot of tea that smelled terrific, tiny cakes and pastries, and some savoury treats. She thanked the staff member as they finished loading up the table, and they left her and Jellal alone in the library. Dreyer had seemingly vanished somewhere or was just concealed behind a large shelf.

"I figured we could eat something while you have a look around. What sort of books do you like? If I'm quoting her correctly, Lucy said you read many fictional stories and 'some weird books about old stuff'." Jellal asked with a smirk as he remembered Lucy's scrunched-up nose as she relayed this information to him.

"That sounds about right. Many things don't exist and are not in living memory." Serana answered with a smile, watching as Jellal poured her a pot of tea.

They spoke about all their favourite books, and Jellal even told her some stories he had been lucky enough to read in Earthland. He relayed some of the incredible details of its history and even his own experiences, which she was greatly interested in hearing about. He didn't always like talking about Earthland and what had been left behind, but Serana seemed perfectly content hearing about a society different from their own, what he had seen, heard and touched. Even though it wasn't Edolas' history, she still found it intriguing.

As he hadn't spoken about much of his time in Earthland, he supposed that he hadn't quite been able to reconcile the past in his head and heart. Discussing general things that didn't involve as much of his own personal feeling did allow him a lot more catharsis than he initially realised. He continued talking without realising that the sun had set, and Serana was enraptured with his tales. They had finished their pot of tea hours ago and been provided with several refills and some more finger food as they talked, barely breaking their discussion to thank the staff bringing them.

Coco eventually appeared and looked surprised, and Jellal asked why she was stunned.

"What's that face for?" He asked with a smile at her widened eyes.

"You've been here all afternoon and evening. I just went to see if you had yet returned to your chambers to go to bed, but I couldn't find you. Briyana told me you were still here." Coco answered after schooling her expression, but it seemed there was a glint in her eye she couldn't conceal.

"What time is it?" Jellal asked incredulously and looked at the clock on the wall, noting that it was almost 10pm. Serana followed his gaze, and her mouth dropped open as she realised the time as well.

"My apologies, Your Grace. I have kept you for too long. I'll let you go and get some rest." Serana stood up from her seat and bowed, preparing to take her leave.

Although he hadn't noticed the time passing, and he didn't want their time together to be over, he knew that it wasn't reasonably prudent to keep her so late at night. Jellal stood from his seat and realised he was still quite physically fatigued from all his efforts to assist with the cleanup after the storm. He also noticed that she had started calling him by his formal title again when she had been so friendly and informal when they were talking before.

"No, I am the person who kept you for so long. I apologise for keeping you so late. I'll escort you back to the guild." He would typically be happy to walk her back, but he knew he was still tired. Serana seemed to realise this, whether it was conscious or not.

"There's no need. I'll go back myself. You should get some rest, Your Grace." She gave him another bow, and he gave Coco a nod to send someone with her to escort her home.

If he wasn't so exhausted, he would have taken her himself despite her complaints. Coco nodded back and disappeared out of the library, following Serana to ensure she got a guard to see her back to the guild safely. Even though he wanted to wait until the guard had returned to confirm her safe return, he was far too tired and began to head towards his chambers.

He would take a quick bath before bed, but he trusted that Serana would be okay. Once he had bathed and changed into his bedclothes, he lay down and heard the cracks of a few of his joints as his body became horizontal. He groaned as he finally relaxed, letting the mattress beneath him support his weight.

Too tired to stay awake with a racing mind like he had earlier today, almost as soon as he got comfortable, he fell into a deep sleep…

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Three weeks later, Serana was currently heading towards the palace again. Jellal had sent her a message a few days ago asking her to accompany him for tea in the library again, but she had been on a mission and had just arrived late last night. Although she wasn't sure if today was okay, she figured that even if he wasn't available, she would at least be able to take a nice walk and possibly stop off at a cafe for a coffee and something to eat.

Upon arrival at the palace, she spoke to the guard and presented the letter, and they said that the King had been called away and wouldn't return until tomorrow. She thanked them and bowed, then headed back the way she came. Indeed he was a busy man, and it might be better to make sure he was free before she dropped in next time. He had mentioned on the note to just come by when she could, and he would at least be able to sit with her while they ate something, even if he had to leave quickly afterwards.

Just as she had in mind, she asked for a seat for one at a cafe nearby the guild hall and ordered coffee. They also had a selection of fresh sandwiches, and she ordered one. The book she was currently reading was in her bag, so she enjoyed the afternoon breeze, the warm coffee and the story on the pages. Cana strolled by and joined her briefly but was on her way to a mission, got a drink, and went on her way.

If Jellal was called away, he would surely be tired tomorrow, so she might wait another day before seeing him. She wanted to tell him about her mission, which was simple, but she was pleased it was one she did on her own. It had taken a while to develop her confidence enough to feel like she could go on her own. Lucy, Juvia and even Natsu had gone on missions with her to help her while she was still getting used to her new profession.

After her meal, she paid and headed back to the guild hall just as the sun began to set. She hadn't intended on staying at the cafe for so long, but she got too interested in her book and overlooked the time. Gray and Juvia were seated at a table just inside the guild, Wendy, Warren, and Nab were at another table, and Elfman was sitting by himself. Usually, he and Mira stuck together, but she was at the bar organising food and drinks for the rest of the guild members. Figuring that he might like some company, she sat with him.

"Hi, Serana," Elfman said as he turned in his seat to face her. "How was your day?"

"Good, thank you. I was sitting at a cafe and didn't realise how late it was until they started to close. What about you?" She responded with a laugh at her story.

"Quiet. Just been reading a new book." He lifted it up to show her the cover, but she didn't recognise it.

"I've heard of the author but not the series. Is it good?" She eyed the book cover.

"I've just started it, but I'm undecided about the main character. Not sure if he's going to be a good guy or a bad guy. It's good so far, though."

Elfman continued relaying a few more details about the book without giving anything away in case Serana wanted to read it herself. He was always someone she could talk to about books and literature in general, and he had taken up some of her recommendations and vice versa. Serana was only somewhat aware of what had happened to Lisanna and just hoped that having someone new to talk to about a shared interest would give some comfort.

Mira called him for a hand, which ended their conversation, and they said their goodbyes. Serana got up and headed towards the dorms, grabbed some clean pyjamas to wear to bed, and then went to the baths. Jellal had been working hard to fix problems that the Royal City had been having with the water supply and plumbing issues, but it must have been mostly fixed while she was away. The hot water stayed steady and only spattered a few times while she was washing. It began to spatter a bit more, but since she was mostly done, she didn't worry and turned the water off and hopped out to dry off. She made a mental note to wash her hair tomorrow if she could or to just wash it in the basin if that was easier. She'd heard Juvia mention to Gray that she had to do that yesterday, so she wouldn't be the only one.

It was her turn to do laundry, so she collected up all the towels in the shared girls' bathroom and took them to the machine out the very back of the hall in a small dinky room. It had just enough space to fit the washing machine and a dryer, and there was a line that folded out from the wall for drying things naturally. Since the room was usually warmed by the afternoon sun, it was the best time to wash since it tended to hold the heat well, and most stuff dried overnight. The machine would be finished in just over an hour, so she would read her book for a while and then come back to hang everything out.

She headed to the girls' room, where Lucy was dozing softly, so she kept the noise down as she put on some moisturiser, trying to take care of her skin. Checking on her wound, which mainly had healed now, she carefully put some ointment on it that Mira had given her to help it heal. After completing her nightly routine, she only had about 20-30 minutes to wait for the washing machine to complete its work, and she tidied up her trunk a little and organised some of the clothes stored in her bedside table. While she worked, she kept quiet to avoid disturbing Lucy, but she woke up anyway.

They chatted softly before Lucy headed out to get something to eat. She brought back a drink for herself and one for Serana, who thanked her and began enjoying it as they sat on their beds and talked. Lucy asked her about her mission, and she happily relayed the details. Lucy had a job she was leaving for tomorrow, and they discussed that before Serana remembered about the laundry. She apologised to Lucy for interrupting their conversation and zipped out the back to finish what she'd started. Lucy was still in the same spot when Serana returned and thanked her for remembering to hang it out since they were always a forgetful bunch with irregular schedules and often neglected the housework and things. The bar and entry hall were always tidy, thanks to Mira, and the girls were reasonably neat, but the boys' dorm and bathroom were messy. Every three months, they all did a big cleanup and threw out things, but they hadn't done that since moving to the Royal City, so they were overdue. Lucy talked with her and said they planned to do it next week since mostly everyone would be home. When they finished their drinks, Lucy returned to the bar for dinner, and Serana joined her to get something small. She had a small bowl of hearty soup before returning to the dorm room to read for a bit before she got some rest.

She laid down on her bed, reading until she was too tired to keep her eyes open and, put her bookmark in, then placed her closed book on her bedside table.

As she closed her eyes and readied herself for sleep, she had a passing thought about Jellal and hoped he was okay…

Several hours away, in the royal procession, was a carriage with Jellal seated inside. He was tired, and since it was dark outside, he couldn't stop himself from dozing lightly, only being jolted awake by the occasional bump from the carriage's wheels. Coco was seated across from him, and she wasn't too far off falling asleep. The poor girl had worked so hard in the past few weeks, and he wanted her to slow down. If he could, he would give her the next few days off, but that depended on his ability to convince her to rest. Coco began to snore softly, and he smiled at him before closing his eyes again.

It was dark outside and had been for several hours. Jellal had finished his work in the town, a few hours' travels from the Royal City. He had been called to assist in deciding what to do with a severely damaged historical site that was already due for a restoration project for that he had received a proposal. Unfortunately, the storm had caused further damage, and now that project had to be done immediately, but he had wanted to see it for himself. History was such an important thing to be preserved, and he had wanted to get a good look to see what needed to be done so he could organise the right people for the job. He would do this first thing tomorrow morning, but he hadn't intended on staying so late in the town, but he'd been intrigued by the site and how incredible it was, despite the damage.

He was excited to see what it would look like at the end of the restoration efforts, but it would take some time. As he dozed lightly, he wondered if Serana had been to the palace since he hadn't seen her in a few days. She was most likely away on a job, but hopefully, he would be able to see her soon. After her last visit, he realised how much better he felt after talking about his time in Earthland, even without revealing anything too personal. It had been fun to relay some of the incredible things he had seen and experienced while there, and having an enraptured audience who encouraged him in just the way, made it even better.

The feeling of weight off his shoulders afterwards had surprised him, and he was looking forward to seeing her again. At the thought of seeing her when he returned, his heart began to beat faster, and his eyes snapped open. He was half-asleep and had to focus on remembering where he was for a moment, but seeing a sleepy Coco across from him made him feel okay. Her nose twitched a few times, and he relaxed with a soft smile.

Since they would be back soon, he could get a few hours of sleep before he got down to business with the restoration. After that was set in motion, he would see if Serana was available and spend some time with her in the palace library…

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your understanding and support in getting this project up and running. The restoration of the Veruze site is essential to our historical awareness." Jellal stood from his seat, and everyone else in the room did too.

After shaking a few hands and repeating thanks, he headed out of the meeting room, returning to his chambers. The meeting was for the restoration products, and his advisors had been working hard to organise labourers and tradesmen to assist with the rebuild. Still, they also needed to consult an architect and a few historians about the process to ensure they kept the site in its original state as much as possible. Dreyer had been at the meeting to consult with his historical expertise. They had talked about what supplies would be required and where they would get them from, Jellal insisting that they try to support smaller businesses as much as possible since so many of them had been affected in the storm and had suffered losses; some worse than others.

As he left the meeting room, he went through a mental checklist, worried that he was missing something. Surely everything was covered as a large group of people were working on this, but he wanted to be sure. He felt like something was slipping his mind today, and he just couldn't put his finger on it. Continuing his way towards his chamber, he racked his brain to figure it out, but nothing came to mind. It also probably didn't help that he had enough on his mind as it was.

Once inside his chamber, he closed the door behind him, removed his formal robes, and sat on the couch. He had some water and just allowed the couch to take his weight. He tried to relax his shoulders and jaw and closed his eyes. Someone knocked briefly before speaking to alert him to their presence. His senses hadn't dulled, so he knew they were there anyway. It was Briyana's footsteps and her knock. He had convinced Coco to take a few days off, and Briyana was filling in.

She was a bit younger than Coco, and a few years younger than himself, maybe 4 or 5 years. Briyana was a friend of Coco from when they were children, and they were still close friends and had asked to take her in just after he had become King, and Jellal was convinced that his show of kindness and no hesitation in accepting was what had endeared Coco to him so quickly. Her mother had finally passed away after being unwell for a long time, and Briyana's father had passed away when she was a young teenager. She was a brunette with straight hair, cut into a bob style with a fringe reaching just past her brow line. Her eyes were a deep brown, and she had a somewhat elegant look about her for someone so young, but her bright smiles always made her look her age.

Briyana opened the door to speak to him, and he didn't see it, but she gave him a soft smile. She could see he was tired, but it wasn't stopping him from working hard.

"Your Grace. Serana has arrived and is in the library. Shall I bring some tea and something to eat?" Her voice was soft, but it travelled well throughout the large room.

Remembering that it was Serana's visit that he had forgotten, he opened his eyes. He nodded in confirmation, giving her a brief smile as thanks before levering himself from his seat. Finishing his glass of water in a single gulp, he straightened his clothes and briefly looked at himself in the mirror before frowning at his appearance. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his hair, which usually stood straight up, was a bit flatter as it probably needed a good wash. It was growing longer, parts of it reaching his jaw, partly because he didn't mind it being longer and partly due to not bothering to get it cut. He didn't smell bad, thankfully, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay with Serana as long as he had last time since he would desperately need sleep.

When he arrived at the library, she stood and bowed with a big smile on her face the whole time. His smile matched hers, but he noticed that she raised an eyebrow for a fraction of a second.

"Good afternoon, Your Grace. Thank you for inviting me again. I promise I won't keep you for so long today. I'm sure you need some rest after being called away." She smirked as they both sat down at the table. He gathered that she had been taking in his appearance a second ago, and her words confirmed that she had noticed his tired state.

"Ah, yes. I had to assess a historical site that was supposed to be restored soon, but there was so much damage from the storm that we had to move it forward." Finally feeling like he could relax, he sat back in his chair and let his head loll backwards, so he was staring at the ceiling. "I think it's something you would appreciate. Maybe I can take you there after it's been restored." His comment was off-handed, but her voice made him second guess the intention behind it.

"Uhh, really?" Her tone was much more bashful and shy than he would have expected. "That would be awesome, thank you."

He lifted his head to look at her and saw that she might have been blushing, or maybe it was simply a trick of the light. Smiling big once more, he heard footsteps from just outside the door and the sound of a trolley. It was Briyana and someone from the kitchen, and they loaded up the table with drinks, small sandwiches, and a few cakes and pastries for them to enjoy. Not having a proper meal for dinner the night before and being too busy to eat much this morning, Jellal was hungrier than he expected and piled up his plate with food before devouring it as he caught up with Serana. She chatted about the job she went on, her first one by herself, and it was nice to hear her pride in her voice. They shared a pot of tea while they talked, and he eventually moved to the lounge and laid down with his head on the armrest, finding the wooden chairs too harsh on his back. He had been in a carriage for a grand total of 6 hours yesterday, and he wasn't keeping as fit as he would like, being so busy with administrative work. Usually, he would get to train with Sugarboy and Hughes occasionally, but he had been too flat out.

They continued their chat in a similar vein from last time, talking about Earthland, history, and their likes and dislikes, but eventually, Jellal couldn't stay awake any longer. He was lulled to sleep by the calming sound of Serana's voice, talking to him about a book series Elfman had recommended to her.

When she realised Jellal was asleep, she couldn't help but smile at his calm expression, finally relaxed after what must have been a busy week. He mentioned that he had most of tomorrow to rest, and she was pleased to hear it. He clearly needed a break. His eyes were dull, and there were dark circles under his eyes, showing that he probably wasn't well-hydrated or sleeping properly. Despite his being so exhausted, she was pleased that a King would work so hard for the good of his people that such self-sacrifice was freely given by a man in the highest position in Edolas. It was offered freely without complaint and without hesitation. Things were indeed improved than they were under Faust. Serana wondered if things being so different made Jellal so focused on doing the right thing, or possibly his experiences being an average person in Earthland. Since he hadn't been a Prince, or even nobility, or someone famous and important there, he would probably have led a life that an everyday person would, ensuring they had food, shelter and safety. Maybe this inspired him to work so hard to look after the working class and ensure the prosperity of Edolas to the benefit of all his subjects. Jellal hadn't told her much about his personal experiences in Earthland, but she could judge from how he spoke that he very much missed Earthland. Every time he regaled her with stories, there was a wistful look on his face, and occasionally she could hear a twinge of sadness in his voice, especially when talking about people in particular.

She watched him sleep for a few moments, glad he was getting some rest. However, she wasn't quite sure what she should do. Should she let him be and alert one of the staff that he was asleep and keep an eye on him, or was it okay for her to stay and wait for him to wake up? She could spend her time perusing the plentiful texts in the library if she stayed. A glance at the surrounding walls covered in texts made her decision quite a bit easier, and she stood up and walked carefully around, looking at the titles, authors and some of the incredibly ornate covers.

Dreyer appeared from behind a shelf, startling her, but he smiled and bowed in half-greeting, half-apology. The first time she came, he looked a little more brusque, but maybe he just took a while to warm up to people. Serana smiled and bowed back before he shuffled off in the opposite direction. Perhaps seeing how appreciative she was to be allowed in such a library had made him soften towards her.

There was an incredible historical text with information about a war that had happened several hundred years ago. It was someone's record of their theories, the evidence backed up with some artefacts and fragments of written documents. She carefully pulled it from the shelf and made a mental note of its location so she could return it later. Sitting back at the table and chairs, she opened the book, careful of the noise she was making so she didn't disturb the King's rest.

Every now and then, he would make a soft noise or shift in his sleep, and it would get her attention and make her wonder if he was waking up. When he settled afterwards, she would return to her reading, staying quiet, so she didn't rouse him. Briyana entered the library about an hour later to see if they wanted anything, such as more tea, water, or something else to eat. When Serana noticed her, she waved to get her attention, and Briyana came over to her side as she held a finger to her lips to signal her to keep quiet.

Serana gestured to the King, sleeping on the lounge nearby.

"He's been working very hard," Briyana said with a soft smile.

"I noticed he was tired when he first came in. It only took him an hour before he moved to the couch, and he nodded off quickly afterwards." Serana replied as they both watched him.

"I'm not surprised he's fallen asleep in your presence," Briyana whispered quietly and looked back at Serana, who stared back questioningly. "He's always more relaxed after your visits. He greatly enjoys your company."

"Oh."

Not sure what else to say, Serana glanced back towards the King and blinked slowly as she considered Briyana's words for a moment. The younger woman flicked her hair before giving her a smile and quietly packed some of the used plates from their afternoon tea, and left the library, leaving Serana in silence once again.

Still feeling a little confused but not unhappy, she went back to reading and didn't notice as another two and half hours passed. She also didn't notice Briyana check in two more times to see if the King had awoken but left again when she saw he was still asleep. It also escaped her when Jellal finally woke up, his eyes cracking open slowly, and he took a moment to get his bearings. He ended up facing outwards from the back of the lounge, arms crossed over his chest, and some of his hair falling over his face.

Figuring out that he was in the library, he also noticed that Serana was sitting at the table nearby, silently reading a hefty old tome. Recalling that they were sharing tea and something to eat, he couldn't remember moving to the couch and falling asleep, but he must have done it to end up there. He smiled at Serana's focused expression, her brows furrowed a little in concentration. His body screamed for him to get up, his bladder having plenty of time to fill from the earlier water and tea, and he knew he couldn't go back to sleep.

When he lifted himself off the couch with a groan, Serana's eyes snapped towards him, his movement and noise drawing her attention. He must have still been smiling, but he didn't notice until he felt his smile grow more prominent in response to Serana's expression relaxing when she looked at him.

"How did you sleep?" She asked him softly as she got up from her seat and approached him.

"Surprisingly well." His voice was raspy with lingering drowsiness, and he stretched his arms out to the sides with a soft noise in the back of his throat.

"I wasn't sure if I should stay while you were sleeping, but I was drawn in by the books," she said with a shrug and smirk.

"I'm glad you stayed. I wanted you to enjoy the library. That's why I invited you here."

He stood up, but his legs weren't quite ready to take his weight yet, and Serana reached out to help him before he fell back to the couch. Her instinctive action caused her to grab his right arm, and her other hand grasped his waist until he had steadied himself. Since his weight had teetered slightly, she had almost pressed against him to help him balance. Serana looked up at him with concern, and he stood fast for a moment. She stepped away quickly, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable, but he was quicker than her. His hands landed on her own just as she pulled them back to her sides and squeezed them softly for a moment.

"Thank you." He said softly, holding eye contact with a tender look in his eye before he let her go somewhat reluctantly before excusing himself to the bathroom.

Once she was alone again, she realised that her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. His voice, thick with sleep, ruffled hair, warm hands and kind eyes, had caused her to abruptly remember that he was a rather handsome man with whom she was suddenly in physical contact. She wasn't precisely clueless about men and dating, having had two previous relationships, but nothing too serious. Still, that moment had caused her heart to race and her hands clammy with nervousness. Although she would freely acknowledge and admit that she did find the King attractive, even more so with his somewhat eccentric hair colour and tattooed face, she was beginning to realise that wasn't all it was anymore. He was the kindest person she had ever met, and she felt they were kindred spirits, able to talk about anything and everything, with shared interests making it even easier to converse with him. They shared a similar worldview and morals and compatible ideals about many things.

It wasn't exactly a surprise to her when she had the epiphany about having feelings for him, but she wasn't quite sure what to do from here. It wasn't like they would have an excellent, easy relationship, marry, and live happily ever after. He was the fricking King of Edolas! Surely he had to marry some high-born woman and have kids to be the heir to the throne. As it would undoubtedly be a complicated situation, she decided quickly that she would just have to quash those feelings and move on. They would just have to remain friends and confidants.

As he returned to the library again, Serana was brought from her spiralling thoughts and noticed that she hadn't moved since he had excused himself a few minutes prior. Giving him a smile to hide her thoughts, she turned to face him and saw that he still looked exhausted.

"You should go and get some more sleep." Unable to stop caring, despite her momentary decision a few seconds ago, she didn't sit back down, intending to head back to the guild so he could rest without distraction.

"As much as I would like to continue spending time with you, I know you're right. May I walk you to the guild?" He offered, ever the gentleman.

"You may not. I, however, will walk you to your chambers." Her turn of phrase made him huff in amusement, and he nodded in agreement, hearing her resolute tone and knowing that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Shall we?" He gestured towards the door, and they strolled slowly towards his chambers but didn't talk. Serana hadn't seen this part of the palace, and she was too busy looking at everything.

It was a big place, and it took them a few minutes to reach their destination; Serana stared at the architecture, the artwork and portraits on the walls, and the suits of armour and weapons on display. Jellal kept his place slow to ensure she had a good chance to look at everything and also noted Briyana following them but keeping a respectful distance.

"I haven't taken you for a full palace tour, have I?" He spoke, breaking the silence between them as they turned left and reached the end of the hallway where his room was.

"No, that's fine. You've already been so kind as to allow me access to your library. I was very much enjoying the book about the 10-Year War and found it quite interesting. I find it incredible to read about something that happened so long ago but was recorded with quite a bit of detail. History is quite fascinating." She almost got carried away with her topic but kept his need for rest in mind.

"Maybe you should become a historian. I think you'd be very good at it." His suggestion was surprising but appreciated. It wasn't something she had considered before, and she would think about it.

"I'll keep that in mind." She responded with a smile and stepped back to bow.

Before she could complete the step back, his long legs closed the gap between him as he stepped forward, taking her by surprise. She glanced at his face, and he looked slightly strained but relaxed as he held eye contact with her for a moment.

"I wanted to thank you for today. I've been rather stressed, but talking with you calms me. I always feel like there is a weight off my shoulders after your visits, so thank you for that." His tone was serious but with a happy lilt.

"That's what friends are for. I'm happy to help." She responded with a grin.

He seemed to be considering something before he shifted his weight and leaned forward slightly, extending his arms towards her. She knew instantly that he would hug her, but he looked awkward at being the one to initiate it, so she made it a bit easier and hugged him first. His arms encircled her a moment later and held her tightly for a few seconds. She heard him breathe deeply and felt his chest expand with the breath before they released each other.

"Go and get some sleep. I'll see you soon, okay?" Serana stepped back, gave him a polite bow, and turned her heel to leave.

Jellal smiled at her concern and looked down the hall to Briyana, waiting with her back to them. When Serana got closer to her, Briyana glanced at him and gave him a nod, telling him that she would escort Serana out of the palace since she wouldn't know her way out from there.

He released a somewhat shaky sigh, feeling his heart race inside his chest. Serena's warmth was still on his clothes, and her scent of lavender and a hint of vanilla was still in the air around him. Even though he felt less stressed, he suddenly felt more emotionally aware as he considered that he was beginning to fall for Serana. His feelings for her were becoming more apparent, but he was unsure about his next step. Did he want a relationship with her? Did she want a relationship with him? He guessed he should ask her on a date and see how things progressed.

Being too tired to think about this further with a clear mind, he bathed and had something to eat before climbing into bed. It didn't take him long to fall into a deep slumber…

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Serana, Juvia and Gray were strolling back towards the guild hall, tired after their security job. They had been hired to guard some incredibly rare and expensive artworks on display in a town about two hours away from the Royal City museum. Being on guard in the museum from 9am until 6pm each day was tiring, as they had to be sharp-eyed the entire time. The exhibition had been on for a week, and they had just finished their last day today. By the time they had gotten out after collecting their pay from the museum curator and picking up their bags from their accommodation, they had missed the last carriage to take them home. So instead of getting the train, they had agreed to pay to hire a private horse and carriage that had dropped them off just outside the city.

It was almost 10pm when they arrived home, but it was worth the effort so they could be back in their beds in the guild hall, where they would all feel more comfortable. They made small talk until they reached the entrance and headed inside, finding the main hall reasonably empty, except for Elfman and Mira.

The siblings greeted them, welcoming them home, and Mira got them all some water and made them all a sandwich to eat while they dropped their packs in the dorms. Serana returned to the bar first, then Juvia and Gray appeared a minute later, and they all took a seat.

Talking about their job as they ate, Juvia finished first and said goodnight, intending to bathe and go to bed. Gray did the same, a bit saddened that Juvia had left him. Serana chuckled at the two of them before thanking Mira for the meal and gave Elfman a friendly pat on the shoulder, saying goodnight as she headed towards the bathroom. Juvia was soaking happily and groaned loudly, making Serana flinch in surprise as she undressed.

"What is it?" Serana asked in alarm, poking her head out from the partition to see what was wrong.

"That man drives me nuts," Juvia responded with a clipped tone and gestured with an arm towards the direction of the men's dormitory, making the water splash and land on the tiled floor.

"Who? Gray? What about him?" Serana played dumb as she hopped in the bath next to Juvia, ready to hear her tirade that was becoming familiar after spending a week with them.

"His infatuation with me is just ridiculous." Juvia groaned again and let her head loll backwards, and she stared at the ceiling.

"Isn't it nice to be so loved and appreciated, though?" Serana replied, knowing she was riling her friend up, but enjoying it nonetheless.

"Ugh, he's so obvious, though! Could he be more annoying?!"

"So, how long have you been dating each other for now?" Serana kept her tone purposely casual and calm.

"It's been about 6 months now…." Juvia answered before she realised what she had said, then when Serana heard a loud splash and looked over at Juvia to find her jaw dropped and her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"You guys are not hiding it as well as you think," Serana said with a hearty laugh but smiled a minute later. "I also just spent a week with you guys too." Juvia nodded in understanding. "It's really nice. You both look happy."

Not able to hide it anymore, Juvia smiled contentedly. "Yeah, it's actually pretty good." Her tone was all Serana needed to know that she was happy with Gray. "What about you? Got a crush on anyone?" Juvia quickly changed the subject.

"Uhh, it's a bit of an awkward situation." Serana figured that Juvia had been honest with her, so she should do the same, but she wasn't sure where to begin.

Her interest well and truly piqued, Juvia hung her arms over the side of the bath and waited silently for Serana to speak. Serana did the same, mirroring Juvia's position and spoke.

"Well, I'm sure it goes without saying not to tell him." Serana started and waited until Juvia nodded in agreement before continuing. "I think I've got a crush on the King."

Juvia stared for a moment before realising the weight of what Serana had said and nodded, carefully hiding her reaction. She kicked her feet a little in excitement, though, causing the water to move around her in the bath, but she became serious a moment later.

"Look, I don't blame you. He's a really good person. I feel bad because I think he really misses his Fairy Tail friends from Earthland, but he still cares greatly for us even though we aren't them. To tell you the truth, I think he's a bit lonely." Juvia's voice was soft, and it showed the respect she had for their King. "Have you thought about asking him out?"

"Are you serious? I can't date the King! I'm nobody! It's never gonna happen." Serana tried to brush her off, but Juvia was resolute.

"As if he would care about your status. That's a bit of an archaic notion, anyway. He treats everyone like they matter, regardless of who they are, and I think he would be a great match for you." Juvia's insistence was surprisingly encouraging, and Serana realised that she was right; Jellal wasn't the type to judge someone, and she shouldn't have jumped to such a conclusion.

"Well, now I don't know what to do." Serana let herself slip further into the water, allowing it to reach the tips of her earlobes so she could still hear Juvia.

"I'm sure it's awkward and embarrassing, but why don't you just ask him how he feels? Maybe he likes you too?" Juvia suggested, and Serana recalled how he hugged her a few weeks ago.

"He hugged me a few weeks ago." She blurted out, with the water bubbling as she spoke.

"Did you just say that he hugged you?"

The water bubbled. "Yes."

"That narrows things down. I don't think he's a person to make physical contact with someone he doesn't care about."

"That doesn't mean he has feelings for me." Serana dismissed her, water still bubbling and muffling her speech.

"Okay, tell me exactly what happened then." Juvia faced her once more, arms over the bath side, and Serana copied her again.

"So I went to visit him at the palace, we had some tea and talked for a while, but he fell asleep on the lounge in the library. I stayed and read until he woke up and walked him to his chambers. Just before I left, he thanked me because he'd been stressed, but he felt better after seeing each other. Then he hugged me. Actually, he went to hug me but looked awkward, so I sort of half-initiated it too." Serana felt embarrassed while she spoke, but Juvia didn't make her feel silly and seemed to understand her confusion.

"That's nice. Our King has a lot on his plate, and it's good that you can help him like that. He's not exactly an open book, so I think telling you about that is a good sign that he's comfortable with you." Juvia's fair assessment made Serana feel less strange talking about this stuff, and she realised that she was much more astute than she had thought.

"He talks to me about Earthland a little bit too. I think you're right; he really seems to miss his friends. He doesn't talk about that stuff much, but it's probably because it's too hard for him. He knows he probably won't ever see them again." Her sad tone sobered Juvia's subtle excitement, and she pushed a lock of blue hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear as she nodded in agreement.

"He did tell us a little about the versions of us from Earthland after everything calmed down when he came to power, but not much other than that. It looked like he was upset." Juvia's gaze turned inward as she seemed mentally visualising the moment as she spoke of it.

"Well, maybe the next time I see him, I'll ask him if he wants to talk about them. I'm sure it'll be hard for him, but I think he needs to talk about it." Serana shrugged and wiped some water from her face, noticing her pruned skin on her fingers.

In silent agreement, both women got out of the bath, dried off, put on clean pyjamas, and then headed back to their dorm. Serana gave Juvia a hug and thanked her for their conversation and her advice before they headed off to bed.

Thoroughly exhausted by now, Serana fell asleep without much delay...

#####

Jellal was working in his office and reviewing the Royal Treasury's finances. Things were somewhat drained after the repairs and donations he had made after the storms, and there wasn't much in it when he came to power anyway. He had to figure out a way to replenish some of the money, or he would end up struggling to pay for the historical restoration, aside from raising taxes, which he did not want to do. Maybe there was a way to ask for donations from some wealthy people, but he wasn't sure how to organise this and put it together into a proposal. Who should he ask? How long would it take for them to pay, and what amount could he expect?

Coco and Briyana were chattering softly, helping to organise some of his papers, but Coco's abrupt shout startled him.

"That's perfect!" Coco was much louder than she realised, and she apologised to him before she turned to face him fully, looking severe. "Bri made a great suggestion about raising money for the restoration. Have a ball at the palace, and invite the rich nobility and merchants!" Coco encouraged Briyana by giving her a nudge with her elbow.

"Uh, I thought you could show them the plans for the restoration, and they could make donations of money, equipment and supplies, maybe even people to work on the project." Briyana's voice was quiet, not as confident as Coco's, but Jellal sat up straighter in his seat as she spoke.

"That's brilliant!" He stood up from his seat and walked about to find the blueprints for the project and asked Coco to go and get some copies made, as well as a small to-scale model from one of the artisans in the city so that the people could physically see what he wanted to achieve.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't done anything to celebrate his coronation. There had been so much chaos in the cleanup after the fight with Faust and Extalia falling from the sky. This would be his first formal event as King, and it was an excellent way to assert himself among the upper echelons of Edolas' society. It would be perfect for showing the people his intention of improving their everyday lives and enriching their culture. Employing more young people had been beneficial; a source for these new creative ideas.

Before he forgot to do it, he placed his hands on Briyana's shoulders and gave her a smile. "Thank you so much."

She was a little surprised at his gesture but smiled happily. "You're welcome."

He reached their office shortly after, marching off towards the office of one of his advisors and close friends. She had been swamped surveying towns and cities over the last few months, but she had just arrived back two days after. He had tasked her with securing their people outside of the Royal City. Thus, she had taken it upon herself to visit and check up on the police facilities, as well as make sure there were adequate services for fire-fighting since there had been significant damage by fire after the fall of Extalia.

Her door was open, and she was holding a report with one hand and a cup of tea in the other. She looked up at him and placed the information and cup down, giving him a bow and gesturing to him to come inside.

"Erza, I need your help organising security for a ball I'm going to hold in the palace. I'll hold it to ask for donations for the restoration project." He informed, and she nodded, looking surprised, but pleased.

"That's an excellent idea, Your Grace. How many people do you think will be attending?" Erza's usual seriousness was helpful and made him feel at ease.

"Well, I was going to ask you for suggestions on who to invite. You know the people who would be better for the cause than I would." He sat on the opposite side of her desk, and Erza sat as well, grabbing a piece of paper and beginning to write down some ideas.

"I presume you want to invite nobility, some wealthy merchants, maybe even the mayors of some of the major cities. What about some of the other historians in Edolas? You could ask Dreyer for some suggestions." Jellal nodded and watched her write some names, some he knew personally and some he hadn't yet met but knew by reputation.

After an hour and a half of brainstorming, they had an excellent list to start with, and Jellal thanked Erza and took the list with him, going to see Dreyer. There were more than likely some historians who may not necessarily be wealthy but may still be able to assist in some way. There were a few more people that he would be able to ask to suggest some guests invite, some of his other staff, but he already had a list of around 60 people.

Once he had reached the library, he called out to Dreyer as he walked towards his office in the back of the library. Behind his desk, Dreyer looked out over his half-moon glasses and stood up to greet him with a bow. Jellal told him about his plans and what he wanted Dreyer's help for. The older man perked up and the idea and was pleased to hear about what the King had planned. They had a long discussion, similar to what he had done with Erza, about some figures in the public that would be good to invite. A few were already on the list that he and Erza had made, but there was a lot that he didn't have on the list, and after adding them, there were roughly 105 people in total. Jellal and Dreyer finished their discussion just under an hour later since it was getting late, and they parted ways after Jellal gave his thanks with a bow.

Heading back to his office, he began re-writing the lists, organising them into factions based on what reasons he was inviting them for. The factions were; nobility, expertise, wealth, and influence. The nobility was composed of those in the upper class of Edolas, presumably all of whom would also have a significant amount of money. Those in expertise were people in the fields relating to the project, historians, architects, and those who also owned businesses that could supply equipment, tools, manpower and materials. Wealth was clear. Merchants, business owners, politicians and even Dreyer had recommended some people who had money that also partook in antiques and art sales. The influence was for the public figures that were well known and could use connections and fame to bring awareness to the cause.

Compiling the lists didn't take long, and he even thought of a few extra names and added them in, bringing the total to 117. He would give the lists to Erza so that she could ensure there wouldn't be any security risks by inviting certain dodgy characters, not that he was expecting the worst. Planning such an event was going to be challenging, but he was looking forward to achieving his goal. The treasury's drained finances had been a strain on him and playing in the back of his mind for some time, but he was beginning to feel like it would be okay. He would have to figure out a number they would need to reach in donations to fund the restoration and send Briyana with messages to some of the others who had assisted in creating the project to ask for a reasonable estimate as well as his plan for the ball.

It was also possible that he could sell off some of the lavish materialistic items in the palace for a fee, and maybe he would look at having a charity auction or something in future. Due to the loss of magic, he had planned to put some money into researching other options for power sources. There had been some research into water, but it wouldn't be enough to power the Royal City. It was a viable option for some of the smaller cities and towns. Hopefully, he would be able to receive enough donations to allow them to fund the restoration, as well as put some money into research.

He wanted to avoid raising taxes as much as possible, as one of the first things he had done after coming into power was to lower taxes, as a lot of working-class people and small business owners were struggling to get by. Even then, the treasury had been drained by Faust's projects. Maybe he could hold an E-Land event that would allow the people of the Royal City to have some fun, and ticket sales could fund some of the research.

His mind was racing with ideas for the future, but it would take time for them to fully form and for the opportunity to arise for them to thrive.

Excited for the future, he wrote down as many things as possible while he was inspired…

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Jellal was about to go into a meeting with the primary advisors and those closely assisting him in organising the ball. They had come up with a simple name for the event, 'A Historic Ball' since it would also be his first big public move after his coming to power. It was somewhat surprising that he hadn't held an event like this yet since he'd been King for about two years, but they were two hectic years. He was actually looking forward to the ball itself, although unsure of how it would turn out since he had never been to one. His coronation was a relatively small event considering the gravity of what was happening, mostly only the palace staff, some old friends and advisors that he actually trusted in attendance. It had been announced to the people, but there wasn't a big city-wide event to celebrate it.

As he entered the room, everyone stood and greeted him, and he thanked them for their attendance, and they all sat down together. Coco was on his left, and Briyana was floating around, making sure everyone had a drink, either water, coffee or tea, depending on their preferences. They all had papers in front of them, in order of what they would discuss. Each person organising a particular part of the ball would provide their report on the preparations.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. I don't intend on keeping you too long since we all have somewhere to be shortly. On that note, let's all present our reports. Any problems or things you need to run by me can be done at another time." Jellal began the meeting and left everyone in suspense at the time limit they had.

"Ollias, how is the catering going?" The King asked, looking towards the man.

Ollias was relatively young for an advisor, but that was one of the good things about him. Having Edolas run by old men, out of touch with everyone's concerns but their own, was how Edolas became how it was in the first place. Ollias had reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, and rather high cheekbones for a man, but a strong jaw, giving him a somewhat square-shaped face. His voice was somewhat raspy.

"Everything is going well. As you requested, I've been in contact with some of the bakeries in the city to organise catering for desserts, and we have also asked some of the larger restaurants to assist in food preparation. They will be given access to the palace kitchens, and we have requested that they source their ingredients from some of the local forms as well, which most were already doing." Ollias gave his brief report and gave the King a smile.

"Thank you. Trin, what about the guest list? How many have replied?" He turned to the next person Ollias.

Trin was a woman in her late fifties who had worked in the palace her whole life. Her work involved organising visitors coming in and out of the palace, including political figures and delegates from outside the Royal City. Her job was also to schedule meetings involving these visitors and the King. She was perfect to be in charge of the guest list since she personally knew most people and their families. Her greyed curly hair was short, with tight ringlets against her scalp, almost like wool. No matter the day, at least one part of her outfit was coloured sky blue, and today it was her skirt. He even remembered her wearing the colour when he was a child. Her eyes were almond-shaped and behind round silver glasses.

"We have 90 people that have accepted the invitation so far. A few people are sending other family members in their stead if they personally cannot attend. The Uklian family patriarch is quite unwell and has sent his apologies, but he has also sent a sizable donation. Ten thousand, to be exact." Trin flashed the letter, and Briyana took it to hand it to him, and he nodded and glanced over it.

"Excellent! We haven't even had the ball yet." He joked, and everyone shared a chuckle before they continued. "Shelban, how are the ballroom preparations going?"

Shelban had a similar tenure to Trin, being there almost his whole life. He'd started his career in the military and worked his way up to a high command role but found that his passion was not being in the army. He had been accepted to work in the palace as a decorator. Still, he also did some external work in art dealing and had a good relationship with a few different museums and galleries so that they could rotate things from the palace to a public place for viewing. All of the remodelling work, the colour of paint on the walls, everything down to the cutlery was chosen by him. Shelban's blond hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and he was always seen in a suit jacket and slacks. His immaculate presentation of himself and his work ethic was why he had been employed in the palace for a long time.

"Your Grace, the ballroom is going to look incredible. I have asked to rent some other historical pieces from the same time period as the construction of Veruze so we can display them at the ball. I thought this would create more awareness of the importance of restoration." Shelban nodded and pulled out a large sheet of paper with a drawing. It looked rough, like a draft, but it was easy enough to see what it was.

"I have also taken it upon myself to ask Mr Lulfe to create a beautiful marble model to give to the person who makes the largest donation to show our appreciation. There will also be a few smaller versions to give as gifts to those who pledge large donations. These will all be done with only the cost of materials." He held up the paper and moved it for all to see, and it was the drawing of the model, clearly done by Lulfe, a famous local sculptor.

"I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for such a great idea and contribution, Shelban. Please ensure that Lufle is invited to the ball as well." Jellal was smiling, pleased to hear that everything was going so well.

"Erza, what have you got in mind for security?" Turning to his red-haired head of security, her expression was serious as she spoke.

"We will have two guards posted at each point of entry and exit and extra guards posted around the palace and throughout public areas. The main entrance will have six guards, one of them myself, to check invitations. I suggest restricting access to most parts of the palace with barriers, and I will post guards at them. I believe guests only need access to the entry hall, ballroom, bathrooms, and balcony, and we will close all doors leading to other areas. There will also be a few guards in ball attire amongst the crowd." Her report was swift and to the point, as usual.

"Perfect. I am more than happy to restrict access and post guards around. We can keep all main doors closed, hopefully preventing wanderers. Thank you, Erza." Jellal gave her a nod and turned to the right-hand side of the table towards the following staff to present. "Draeme, will we have enough staff for the night?"

Draeme Vicealle Sigi Stragnar was from an ancient line of noble families that had come into the palace service and had naturally become the King's right hand over a hundred years ago. Thus he had a few generations in palace service before him. Unfortunately, he had played along with Faust a bit more than Jellal would have liked, but he didn't quite distrust him. He had made him Chief of Staff instead, and the role suited him quite well. Slowly, he gained Jellal's trust, proving that he had followed his King's orders out of a desire to do as commanded, not actual collusion. Draeme was an ordinary-looking man with deep brown hair and somewhat tanned skin with no identifying characteristics. He always wore an heirloom brooch with his family's crest upon it. Despite being technically demoted, he didn't lose much of his power, as he was still in charge of all staff and workers at the palace. He was impeccably mannered and well-spoken, with a deep, soft voice that was firm but calm.

"Your Grace, the staff will be impeccably dressed and have all been given strict instructions on their conduct. All kitchen staff will be in attendance and will be assisting the visiting chefs. Twenty staff will be ready to serve drinks, and another twenty will take food to the guests in the ballroom. We will also have a tailor and a few laundry staff available in case of any spilled food on suits or gowns. There will also be some staff working as valets to assist guests to and from their transports. The staff from the stables will also be working to look after any mounts." Draeme spoke elegantly, as always.

"You've thought of everything, as usual. Thank you."

The last person to check in with was Dreyer, who had been quite surprised to be asked for his involvement in the event. However, since part of this was to create awareness of Edolas' history and culture, his role as the royal historian was crucial.

"Dreyer." Jellal wasn't sure how to phrase his question, as the older man had simply said to leave it to him after asking for his help. He briefly flicked through what Dreyer had on his report and was immediately impressed.

"I have organised for the Veruze curator, Robin, to attend and assist in the education of the guests regarding the site and its importance. With each piece that Shelban has asked for, someone will be standing by it to discuss what it is and its relevance to the period. We also have some leaflets to hand to guests upon entry, explaining the reason for raising funds with some information about the site. I will also recommend source material for anyone who wishes to learn more period itself or the historical period. I've also confirmed that our architect will attend, so he can answer any questions about the restoration." Dreyer showed everyone an example of the leaflet as he spoke about it.

"Thank you, Dreyer. You knew exactly what I wanted." Jellal was still smiling, and he felt much less stressed about the ball after hearing the reports. "Regarding my efforts, I have drafted a thank you letter to send to every guest and contributor and to thank the external staff coming into the palace for the night. I will also announce on the night that we will be reopening Veruze with a viewing party when it's ready to continue this appreciation for our historical sites and education of our people." He informed them about what he had contributed to the preparation.

"Thank you, everyone. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your efforts, and I do hope that you'll all be able to relax and enjoy the ball yourselves on the night. You all deserve to have a good time. For now, I have organised a special meal in the dining hall for us to enjoy. Shall we?" He stood, and they all did the same and filed out, taking anything they needed and heading toward the dining hall.

Erza walked on his left and Coco on his right, and he chatted quietly with Erza as they made their way to their destination. It was a minute's walk, but on an upper level, they ascended the stairs and rounded to the right, where the kitchen staff were waiting for them. Taking his seat at the head of the table, everyone looked pleased as they were seated at the large table. He wanted to show his appreciation, aside from the meal, so he commissioned a metal worker to create some pins in the image of Veruze to give to those who had contributed to the project and the ball. He would be presenting them on the night.

The meal itself was incredible, with something to satisfy any taste. Draeme was a vegetarian, so Jellal had ensured that there were some tasty options for him, and Dreyer was allergic to shellfish, so he made sure that there was no shellfish in the dishes. Trin had quite a sweet tooth, and the desserts would make her happy. Erza seemed to enjoy spicy food, so there was a spicy dish for her. Neither Ollias nor Shelban were picky, so they were easy to please. He hoped that everyone liked the food, and they all chatted happily as they ate, drinking a rare vintage wine that Faust had kept in the wine cellar for no reason other than gathering dust instead of enjoying it. Not that he knew much about wine anyway; he just knew it was old and worth a lot of money.

After eating, they were brought coffee and tea and continued their conversations. Eventually, everyone had to return to their duties, as well as himself, and Jellal made sure to thank everyone personally as they left the dining hall. Erza and Coco stayed behind, Briyana escorting everyone leaving the palace to the gates.

Now was probably the best time for him to ask as he rarely got a quiet moment with them both. "Erza, Coco. I need to ask for some advice about a somewhat personal issue."

They both turned to him and waited patiently as he tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say.

"So, firstly, I wanted to ask if I should get someone to accompany me at the ball." He said, and Erza spoke first.

"Do you mean as a date or just someone to accompany you as a friend?"

"As a date." He answered somewhat shyly, not surprised that Erza had figured him out.

"I think that's quite appropriate. However, it would also depend on who you want to take. Is it who I'm thinking of?" Coco asked with narrowed eyes and carefully observed him.

"Who are you thinking of?" Erza asked Coco, clearly not up on the gossip since she'd been away.

"Serana, from the Fairy Tail guild. They've been having afternoon tea in the library sometimes. He's had a crush on her for ages." Coco answered as if he wasn't there to answer himself. They both looked at him to get his confirmation, and he nodded bashfully. "I knew it."

"Crush?" Erza asked in confusion, unsure of the colloquial term's meaning.

"Someone you like and have been developing romantic feelings for," Coco responded, which also answered the question for Jellal since he hadn't heard the term either.

"I've wanted to get the chance to get to know her better, but I've been too busy. I also don't know what or how to ask her. Hence, I thought it wise to ask the smartest women I know for advice." He was happy to flatter them in return for their help, and even Erza chuckled at him. Coco smirked.

"Why don't you ask her and see if she wants to go to the ball? Maybe she would feel awkward going on a first date with you at a ball where you've got to do all your Kingly stuff. Maybe she'd like something a little more…low-key? She may be on a job for the guild and can't come." Coco suggested with a shrug, and Jellal nodded in understanding and consideration.

"Good point. It might be a bit overwhelming. I also won't get to spend much time with her either. Okay. I should probably ask her for an alternate outing." He ran his hand through his hair as he thought out loud.

"Outing? Call it what it is; a date!" Coco encouraged happily, and even Erza couldn't hide her smirk. "Seriously, you're not an old man. You know what it's called."

"Then I'll ask her if she would like to go on a...date...with me." He responded with little hesitation, primarily due to its connotations.

Unfortunately, he had minimal experience with this stuff, so he would need as much help as he could. Maybe he could just see how Serana felt about coming to the ball and go from there. He still wanted to make sure she knew how he felt. However, it may be beneficial to understand how she felt about him.

"The ball is a few weeks away. She might be happy to come, but maybe not for a first date." Coco advised sagely, placing a hand on Erza's shoulder and another on Coco's with a smile.

"Thank you for your advice. I'll ask her now if she'd like to come just for fun." Jellal took a deep breath and gave them a nod before he turned away.

"Not that you need it, but good luck!" Coco called after him as he headed out of the dining hall, and he waved over his shoulder.

Quickly heading back towards his chambers, he put on something more subtle and less 'royal family' so he could blend in better, and then went towards the palace entrance. One of the guards offered to escort him since he was leaving the palace, but he declined and thanked them for their hard work before going on his way…

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

The King of Edolas was currently on his way to ask Serana to attend his upcoming ball. The Fairy Tail guild hall was about a 15-minute walk away, and there was a light spattering of rain, so Jellal pulled his hood over his head, further concealing his appearance. Having a little bit of time to think as he walked through the Royal City was beneficial. He was considering how it would be possible for him to find out Serana's reaction to informing her how he felt since he worried that she would feel uncomfortable. Part of him was concerned about it affecting their friendship, especially if she didn't feel the same about him. He worried their friendship would be ruined since she may feel uncomfortable around him if she didn't share his feelings. Although it would be hard, he would understand if she didn't want to see him for a while. It might be necessary for him to not see her so he could settle his feelings.

He was catastrophising as he walked briskly towards the guildhall, so instead of staring at the ground, he lifted his head slightly so he could better see what was happening around him.

When he arrived, Bisca and Alzack were just on their way out, heading out to a mission, and they exchanged greetings before leaving, and Jellal went inside the hall. There must have been a strange plot to stop him from avoiding the purpose of his visit. Bisca and Alzack looking at each other affectionately was somewhat overwhelming, but he wasn't entirely comfortable with public displays of affection. It wasn't that he couldn't appreciate their happiness, but maybe his lack of exposure to romantic relationships made him uncomfortable with seeing them. He had never had the chance while he was in Earthland since he spent the majority of his time on his own on missions, most of which were of a stealthy type; subterfuge, reconnaissance and such.

The woman he was looking for wasn't in the main hall, but he said hello to everyone before following Mira's suggestion to go up to the third level. A window looked out over the streets, and Serana sat there to read sometimes. It must have been a quiet spot.

Jellal went up the two flights of stairs to the small space that he couldn't stand up straight in and saw the small figure sitting just next to the window, using the natural light to read. She was leaning against a pole, seated on a large cushion that looked about 30 years old. Since he instinctively walked so quietly, she only noticed him when he came into her eye line, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. She flinched in shock, and he realised that he needed to remember to make his footsteps audible in these situations.

"Well, this is quite a pleasant surprise." She said as she placed her bookmark in the right place and closed the book, putting it on the floor next to her and laughing at her surprise.

"I didn't even know there was anything up here." He answered, looking around the boxes and other random bits and pieces.

"Most of it's just storage or stuff we can't fit anywhere else. It's quiet up here, which is why I like it. There's a nice view too." She pointed to the window, and she was right; you could see down the long street the guild was on, and you could see the palace in the distance as well. "May I ask why you've come all this way in the rain?"

He huffed amusedly as he ran his hand through his slightly damp hair. Serana seemed to sense his unease and indicated for him to sit down, shoving another cushion on the floor across from her spot, dusting it off first.

"Fire away." She said as he sat down opposite her, leaning against a pole.

Jellal took a deep breath before he spoke. "I'm organising a ball to fundraise for the historical site at Veruze repairs and wanted to ask if you'd like to come." He was somewhat impressed with how calm he had sounded, but he could feel that he was wringing his hands in nervousness.

"I would like that." Her expression was surprised, but she stayed quiet as if she realised he had more to say.

"Cool," Jellal replied, unsure what to say. This was the first time they had been quiet around one another, aside from when he had been asleep. "Uh, I wanted to ask you to be my date, but I was advised to suggest an alternative first date since I'll be doing 'Kingly things'."

Serana blinked at him slowly, taking a moment to realise what he had just said. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again three times before she finally figured out what to say.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out." He piped up, not knowing what else to do at this moment.

"No, no. Don't apologise. I'm just surprised…and flattered. Very much so." Her cheeks flushed with colour, but she could only keep eye contact for a moment before shyness took over, and she looked out the window again. The natural light from it showed her blush well, and he smiled.

At least he knew that she was pleased, judging by her reaction. Despite not knowing what to do for a date, he could at least read her reactions well enough to know she was happy. She smiled, albeit bashfully, as she gazed out the window. Feeling himself smile, he took a big step and shuffled to sit next to her. His arm was pressed against hers, and she glanced down to see their closeness, and her smile grew. They sat together silently for a while, watching the rain out the window before he got the courage to speak.

"I hope you like the ball. As I said, I did consider asking you to be my date, but it was recommended to me by experts to do something different. I'll be talking to nobility and trying to convince people to give me money for the restoration after all." He noticed from her furrowed brow that she didn't know and realised that he hadn't told her yet. "I didn't know if you liked that sort of thing anyway."

"I've never been to a ball. I couldn't tell you how I feel about them." Serana shrugged.

"You can bring someone from the guild if that would make you feel more comfortable. I don't want you being stuck on your own all night." He suggested, not wanting her to be all by herself throughout the ball. He knew that he couldn't stay by her side the whole time.

"That would be nice. Maybe I could ask the girls and see who will be here. I think Shadow Gear is leaving for a job tomorrow, and Lucy and Natsu are away too. Cana would be good to bring since she's not rowdy, unlike the others." Serana thought aloud, trying to remember who was away and who had jobs planned.

"Good thought. I didn't think about Fairy Tail's more boisterous members." They shared a chuckle softly.

They sat together quietly for a bit longer, just chatting about the ball, and he told her some of the things discussed during the meeting since they weren't secret. As they conversed idly, the sun gradually began to lower until their attention was drawn to the street lamps being lit. Just like it usually did when they were together, time just disappeared, and Jellal knew he needed to head back to the palace.

A team of his engineers was meeting with him early tomorrow as they hoped to begin developing technology now that Edolas didn't have magic anymore. They were trying to create a new and reliable power source and had been researching some naturally occurring sources, such as water and wind. They had a breakthrough and wanted to show him in their workshop. The workshop was about 30 minutes by carriage outside the city, so he had to make sure that he was up a little earlier than usual, not that he was getting a full 8 hours of sleep anyway.

Jellal stood up first and held his hand out to Serana, who took it gently with a shy smile on her face. He smiled as well, pleased that he dared to somewhat ask her out, although they hadn't quite nailed down the details yet. At least he had put the idea in her head.

Heading back down the stairs to the ground level, they parted ways, with Serana seeing him off outside the door since it had almost stopped raining. It was only drizzling now, so Jellal pulled his hood over his head and turned to smile at her until he had gone around the corner and couldn't see her anymore. Seeing her happy expression, with just a hint of shyness, made all of his uncertainty about their developing relationship disappear. By making a gentle nudge towards something more than friends, maybe things would continue down that trail from now on

Unable to stop smiling throughout his walk back to the palace, as he went towards his chambers so he could wash up for the night, he didn't notice Coco and Briyana nudging each other with their elbows and giggling at each other. The girls had been talking about what might have happened while they completed their duties while their King was away, and they were pleased to see his smiling face upon his return…

In the Fairy Tail guild hall, Serana returned to her third-level sanctuary to mull over what had just happened. She couldn't see Jellal walking back from here, only the buildings and rooftops around them and the palace itself. Staring at her book, still closed on the floor where she had left it, a soft huff escaped her as everything began to sink in. Did the King really just admit he had feelings for her? Was that really what just happened? She was in shock, of course, but a large part of her was overjoyed.

During the time they had spent together since they'd met, in the guildhall, in the palace library, she couldn't deny that she had developed a bit of a crush on him, but she hadn't expected it to lead anywhere. All she thought would happen was she would end up moving on since nothing would come of it. This was the last thing she had anticipated.

Realising that she hadn't expressed her feelings aside from telling her that she was happy about his invitation to go on a date, even if it wasn't at the ball, she made a mental note to let him know the next time she saw him. With no idea how to voice these thoughts, she used some of the time she had in the quiet room upstairs to think about this until the noises from downstairs began to get louder and louder when the guild members were having dinner.

Her stomach rumbled suddenly, and she stood up, grabbed her book and headed back downstairs to get something to eat. Mira seemed to notice that she was somewhat in her own world and asked her about it.

"Serana. There's something on your mind. Was it something that the King talked to you about?" Mira sounded concerned until she saw that Serana was smiling. "Oh, something good then?"

"Um, yeah. I think so…" Serana trailed off and stepped closer to Mira while looking around to see if anyone was listening. Mira took the hint and gestured for them to go into the back room so no one would hear them.

Once they got there, only a few seconds later, Mira almost vibrated with anticipation. "So, tell me!"

"Uhh… Je-The King came to ask me if I wanted to attend the ball he's holding at the palace soon." Serana answered with some hesitation that Mira didn't miss.

"That's not all, though… Come on, don't leave me in suspense!" Although Mira said it with excitement, it wasn't just to know for the sake of knowing. Mira was incredibly trustworthy, and Serana smiled and nodded.

"He also mentioned that he wanted to ask me to be his date to the ball but thought it might be better to do something different since he would be chatting to people and such." She tried to relay the information as calmly as possible, but her bashfulness got the best of her, and her voice got quieter as she kept talking.

"Now that you say it, I can see it. It's not that he treats you differently, but he's always looked at you with a particular expression. It makes sense." Mira's initial rush had died, now realising why Serana had been unsure about talking about it. "I think he must really like you, especially if he's considered asking you to be with him in public. Are you going to go to the ball?"

"Mhmm," she answered with a nod. "It's to raise funds for the reconstruction in Veruze, and I like history, so I think I'll enjoy it."

"I'm so happy for you!" Mira burst into joy and grabbed Serana's hands, and she couldn't help but feel it. They jumped up and down in a circle and laughed together for a few seconds until someone called Mira's name from the counter.

"Thank you, but don't get ahead of yourself, Mira." She warned with a laugh.

Serana wanted to ensure she showed her gratitude to the woman a few years older than her. Mira had always been a wonderfully calming presence, and she was grateful for listening to the news and being so encouraging. Serana was worried that she couldn't 'date' the King due to their difference in social standing, but Mira hadn't even mentioned it. Maybe it wasn't worth worrying about, but she would have to keep it in mind to ask Jellal the next time she saw him.

For now, though, she went and helped out Mira with the dinner rush, and they chatted idly and quietly together about what Serana should expect at the ball since Serana had never been to something like that.

Hopefully, everything would turn out well…

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Serana was bustling around the guild hall, helping Mira out by serving food and drinks to the other Fairy Tail members for the dinner rush. Many people were home recently as the bad weather had caused some jobs to be cancelled or rescheduled. Therefore there were more people to be served, and Serana had offered her assistance, which Mira was grateful for and thanked her every chance she got throughout the evening.

After things had quietened down, Mira sent her off to get something to eat for herself and rest, which she only agreed to after Mira had eaten dinner herself. The white-haired woman was very self-sacrificing and would go hours without a break to look after everyone else first. Thus, Serana had deemed it necessary to step in and ensure that Mira had something to eat before leaving her to work independently for the rest of the night. The older girl appreciated her consideration but shooed her away after everything was cleaned up. At about 10 pm, Serana headed towards the dormitory and saw Cana coming out of the bathroom. It reminded her to ask about the ball, so she called out to get Cana's attention.

"Hey, Cana!" Serana power walked over to her as Cana turned and smiled at her. "I have a request for you. Would you like to come with me to the fundraising ball at the palace? I thought you'd enjoy it, and we could have fun dressing up together." Cana's eyes widened, and she clasped Serana's hands and nodded excitedly.

"That would be amazing! I'd love to go! Thank you so much!" The girls smiled happily and chuckled as they chatted for a few minutes about what to wear.

Serana had never bothered with having fancy clothes since they usually just got wrecked on missions. Not so much since there wasn't any more magic, but it did sound fun to enjoy dressing up for a fancy event. She hadn't worn makeup in a long time or done her nails, so it would be nice to dedicate some time to that, and she probably needed to focus on self-care anyway. It would be an excellent excuse to treat herself, and it would be even better for her to have fun with Cana.

The King mentioned that the Cana he knew in Earthland was a raucous, heavy drinker with a dark sense of humour without being told too much. The Cana she knew was the opposite; demure and polite, who somewhat kept to herself. It wasn't that she didn't belong or fit into the group, but she was happy to be a part of the guild and watch from the back with a smile on her face. Since she read a lot and was incredibly intelligent, they often discussed books they had read and analysed the plot and characters. They had also talked about some historical events, and Cana had been kind enough to listen while Serana ranted about things she was interested in. Cana would enjoy the intellectual nature of the ball and would be able to appreciate what important role the repairs for Veruze would have. She was also well-mannered and would fit in at the ball. Her calm demeanour would also help her feel more at ease, even when nervous.

After the girls parted ways, Cana returned to her room, and Serana did the same. She spent the rest of the night before writing a list of things she would need for the night. As it was her first time doing something like this, she was worried that she would make a fool of herself or not dress correctly.

There wasn't anyone else in her shared room as the others were away, so she talked to herself and paced around while she thought about what to wear and prepare beforehand. Before she decided it was time to get some sleep, she sat down on her bed and checked the list, talking to herself.

"Let's see…shoes, bag, maybe a necklace or bracelet to go with it? What colour dress should I wear?" As she spoke, she glanced around at the few pieces of clothing the other girls had around to get some ideas. Hopefully, Cana would be able to help her out with this sort of thing since she always dressed well and looked pretty.

She spied a lovely emerald green on one of the girls' bedspreads and nodded approvingly. Bright colours had never been her, so she usually dressed in blacks, greys and darker colours, but that wouldn't be appropriate for a ball. Jewel colours would be more acceptable but not too bright to draw attention to herself. Not that she expected she would be the centre of attention.

Now that she was feeling organised, a smile came across her face as she remembered why she was going to the ball in the first place. She would have to take some time over the next few days to study Veruze and its history a little better since she only knew a few things about it. A few books in the palace library had information about the area, so she could visit tomorrow or the next day to see if she could spend some time studying them. Dreyer would also point her in the right direction for any good books on the topic.

For now, though, it had gotten late, and it was time to sleep. After turning off the light, Serana hopped into bed and took some deep breaths to relax before she drifted off to sleep…

Jellal was heading outside the Royal City today to meet with the engineers working on a solution to the power sources for Edolas. He had set them to task almost immediately after he was crowned, so he was desperately hoping they had found a solution that could be implemented within the next decade. The scale that would be required was immense, but they needed to find a feasible solution first.

Coco was chatting away and taking notes about things she needed to do when they returned to the palace. It was about a two-hour trip to the laboratory, and she talked the entire time, with him only adding a few words here and there. Coco was the kind of person who greatly benefited from sound boarding her thoughts with someone else, so it was good for him to sit and listen. He also found it calming to listen to her as she organised everything out loud and then wrote it down, as he was also able to feel like everything was under control as she spoke.

When they finally arrived, a few workers met them out the front, including the Chief Engineer he had initially given the task to. His name was Heron, and he had been raised in the Agra Plains, which was at least a day's travel from the Royal City. Through the unfortunate circumstance of being employed by his father, he had worked on the Dorma Anim. Despite the reason for its construction, it had been an impressive engineering feat. They no longer had magic to use, so it would be a lot more challenging, but it seemed that hadn't stopped them from making progress.

"Your Grace, I'm so pleased to see you. We have a lot to show you today, so I hope you have a few hours spare." Heron gestured for them to enter the building, and Coco trailed behind him softly as he followed Heron inside.

The other engineers and staff bowed to greet him as they shuffled further into the lab. He was introduced to a few of them as he went and did his best to be friendly and approachable. They all seemed excited to see him, giving him hope that there had been some significant progress.

Heron led them to a larger area where they had constructed a vast machine with a magical car hooked up. Although Jellal wasn't sure how it was powering it, the room was quite warm and humid, so he wondered if it was something to do with heat. Some engineers were already gathered and waiting for them, so Jellal took the time to shake hands and thank them for their work. Of course, this was only the start of the process if they had found a viable solution that could be used on a large scale, but it was a starting point.

"Your Grace, we have been working on a steam engine and have managed to create a large one that can power this magical car. In time, we will likely be able to refine the process and make it smaller, but now it would be suitable for long-distance transport such as trains. Let's demonstrate, shall we?" Heron turned to speak to his co-workers, who nodded and smiled.

They turned it on, and the noises were much louder than he had expected. One of the engineers was turning a wheel that seemed to control a part rising and falling as it rotated. There was a sharp hiss, and then another engineer turned the car on, and it sputtered briefly before it came to life. They couldn't drive it anywhere as the machine was giving it the power to run, but it was still an outstanding achievement. Coco was clapping excitedly and grinning happily on his left, and he couldn't help but smile. The engineer turned the wheel faster, and the car got louder as more power was poured into it, just like it was powered by magic.

"This is incredible. I am pleased to see you've already made great progress!" Jellal said loud enough for them to hear over the machine and car noise.

As the wheel slowed to a stop, the car began to sputter again before it died and went silent again. This was impressive, especially if it could be used in larger areas before modifications and improvements could be made to make it smaller and more efficient. A train would be a great place to start as the trains currently in Edolas were stuck at the stations. Long-distance transport would allow trade to continue thriving throughout the country and help those travelling for work. Getting this engine manufactured would take time, but the process would constantly improve as they got better and faster at making them.

"I think you're right. A train or another large transport would be good to use, so you don't have to worry about the size and weight of the engine. As more get made, you'll get better, and they'll become more efficient. Would you like me to organise getting a train brought to the lab for you?" Jellal offered, and Coco was already preparing to write things down, not wanting to miss out on any crucial details.

"That would be fantastic, Your Grace. We are so glad you are pleased with our progress, and we will keep working hard to research if this will be a suitable option for power in Edolas." Heron responded with a proud smile, and some of the other engineers had the same expression.

"Even if you don't think this is a good option for large-scale power needs like cities, then having the transportation will still allow an amount of freedom and trade that we haven't had in years. This will not be a downside since we can use it for many different things." Jellal offered, and although this scientific understanding was incredible, he was intelligent enough to understand most of it.

"That was what we were thinking as well. Thank you l, Your Grace." Heron couldn't conceal his pride, but Jellal didn't want him to. He deserved an enormous favour from the Royal Family, so he'd keep that in mind.

For the next several hours, Jellal and Coco toured the lab and were shown more in-depth research on steam and what they had done to test it out. It was great to see that they finally got to a working prototype after all the time and investment he had made into the research. He knew they would come through, and a perfect solution wouldn't be created overnight. With this prototype, he could also justify using more money from the treasury and ask for donations from nobility and other prominent members of society.

"How long before we can start generating a working train prototype?" Jellal asked, and Heron responded with a grin.

"I'm glad you asked. We've already begun machining the parts, and once that's done, we can work on the assembly. It should be at least a few months, though, just to make sure we can ensure it's operational before we invite you back." Heron's excited tone was reassuring.

"Excellent. Thank you so much, everyone. I am grateful beyond words for all your efforts." Jellal gave the group a bow of thanks, which they returned.

"Shall we head back, Your Grace?" Coco piped up from behind him on his right, ever the shadow.

"I think that would be prudent. We should let everyone get some rest for the day. In fact…" He turned to Coco and made a gesture that she immediately understood.

Pulling out a small container, Jellal handed it to Heron, who took it with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

"A token of my gratitude. Please ensure you finish up and take everyone out for a meal." Jellal smiled as Heron opened the container and saw the sum of money in there. He had made sure he brought enough to afford the whole team a nice meal, and he would also be sending them an extra bonus in their pay packet for this month. But that would be a secret for now.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I certainly will!" Heron grinned from ear to ear and bowed again before showing them out.

"Thank you, and see you next time," Jellal said his goodbyes, and Heron and his team answered in kind before waving him off as he left in the carriage.

While returning to the Royal City, Coco was primarily quiet but madly taking notes about their trip. It gave Jellal some time to think about things and the future that he was trying to prepare for. The lining on the cloud was getting more and more silver, the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter. Edolas would soon be better than ever…

"What a beautiful day." Her voice was soft and kind, just loud enough for him to hear since he was so close.

He looked to his left to see the blanket they were both lying on and then her. She smiled at the sky, colours mixing together as the sunset. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she breathed, calm and even. She must have felt his eyes on her, so she turned to look at him. Her smile grew, and her cheeks flushed with a soft colour, somewhat dulled by the sunset's pinks, oranges and reds.

Sitting up on one elbow, he kept eye contact with her, and she copied his movements expectantly. Shuffling closer, although they were already close, he lifted a hand to the side of her head. He combed his fingers through her hair a few times before cupping her cheek. Their breath mingling between them, he leaned nearer as her eyes shut and her chin tilted upward.

No sooner did he feel her soft lips barely brush his own…

"Your Grace." Coco gently nudged him awake. "We're back in the city."

"Hmm? Oh, thank you, Coco. I didn't realise I dozed off." Jellal responded with a drowsy voice.

"You were off in your own world for a while, but I think you dozed off about twenty minutes after we left the lab." Coco smiled and spoke softly.

"I would like to visit Serana, but it might be too late by the time we get back and get everything sorted." He mainly mused to himself but said it out loud anyway.

"I've already written most of the report, so it isn't much you'll need to do except add your thoughts and comments." Coco gestured to her notebook that she carried everywhere with her.

"That's what you were scribbling on the way back?" He continued when she nodded with a smile. "I'm sure you deserve a pay rise, Coco. Please remind me of this once we get this new technology going. Our economy will boom, and you deserve much more than you get."

"I'm happy to be of service, Your Grace," Coco said with a bashful tone, but he knew she was grateful for the praise.

They arrived back at the palace and disembarked from the carriage. As they walked inside, Coco reviewed her notes so that Jellal could write a report and pass it on to the Court. This would be a perfect opportunity to write it up since he had made sure to not schedule anything else for today, but he did want to visit Serana. Being committed as he was, he knew that the report came first, so he would hopefully get it done soon and then go and see his friend…

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

A note arrived from the palace, and Mira was kind enough to bring it directly to Serana. It was the usual invite, but it had Dreyer's handwriting instead of the King's. Coco usually brought invitations from the King, but this was slightly different. Quickly, she got changed into something a little tidier and thanked Mira on her way out.

Walking towards the palace, she continued to study the Dreyer's note to glean as much information as possible. All it said was, 'Come to the palace library. I have something to discuss with you'. She wasn't feeling her best today, so hopefully, it wouldn't be something that took too long to discuss. Her period had just begun that morning, so she planned to take it easy today. As she arrived, the guards at the front door smiled in greeting; most of them were familiar with her by now. One of them offered to walk her to the library, but she waved them off with a thank you. If she had to walk with them, she would have to keep up with their pace, which is currently a bit too fast. She would be far too uncomfortable if she had to keep pace with his longer strides since her cramps started to get worse. They weren't usually too agonising, but this was shaping up to be a painful couple of days.

It took her a bit longer than usual to reach the library at her slowed pace. Dreyer appeared from behind a bookshelf in his usual way, but he didn't comment on her tardiness. He nodded in greeting as he emerged with a book in hand.

"I've received a request from my friend, the Veruze curator. His assistant is having some difficulties with her pregnancy and thus has to stop working much earlier than she had planned. He has asked if I have any recommendations for someone to replace her until she returns from her maternity leave. I was thinking of putting your name in the hat." Dreyer was straight to the point, as usual.

"Me? But I don't have any experience doing something like that." Serana said with surprise.

"You would be fine. Some of the help you've provided me would be similar to what you'd be doing. He wouldn't be opposed to teaching you either." Dreyer continued, not seeking to debate with her about this.

"Well, I would have to talk to my guild about it. Can I get back to you?" She asked softly since she knew Dreyer wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think she was capable.

"Of course. I haven't written back to him yet, but let me know in a day or so. I don't think he has anyone in mind, but I wouldn't want you to miss out." He answered with a nod and then toddled off to the bookshelf he was organising to continue his work. It was in the back of the library, so she could relax for a moment until the cramp died, and she could race back to the guild hall.

Serana frowned before feeling pain, and she needed to sit down. It might be best for her to just push through it and return to the guild hall since she was worried that if she sat, she wouldn't move again. Her hand rested on her lower abdomen as the muscles cramped painfully.

"Serana?" The voice of the King from behind her took her by surprise, but she had been distracted.

Turning to face him, she smiled and bowed as low as she could bear in greeting. It wasn't her usual ninety degrees, but it was hopefully enough since she currently couldn't physically manage anything further. Her face was hidden as she bowed, so she could let the pain show until she straightened back up.

"When did you get here?" He strolled towards her as he spoke.

"Just a few minutes ago. Dreyer asked me if I would be interested in being an assistant to the Veruze curator while the current assistant is having a baby." Answering as calmly and politely as she could, she only hoped she could tough it out long enough to leave the palace.

"Veruze? But what about… Fairy Tail?" He hesitated momentarily, but Serana wasn't ready to figure out why.

"I'll talk to them and see what they think. Nothing is set in stone yet."

Jellal nodded slowly, taking in her words, and she braced herself against a nearby table to give her some support while it felt like someone was twisting and crushing her insides. Her smile was faltering, and he noticed her discomfort.

"Are you alright?" Moving closer to her, he visually examined her, seeing if something was visibly wrong.

"Just a difficult time of the month, so to speak." She explained delicately, not wanting to gross out the King but ensuring she was honest. He'd know if she lied and said she was okay since he was too perceptive. Not like she could entirely hide the pain anyway.

"Can I do anything for you?" His brow furrowed together in a sympathetic expression, and he reached out to her, putting a hand on her upper arm.

"No need. I'm just taking it easy today, and I'll be"

Cut off before she could finish her sentence, a cramp that was both abrupt and painful hit her hard and fast enough that she couldn't hide it. Despite standing still, she fumbled and leaned heavily on the table. Jellal had a hand on her waist to steady her almost immediately and turned his head to gesture to someone behind him. Her eyes were squinted tightly as the pain ramped up, and the King kept her upright. She felt clammy and knew she would be pale as she felt dizzy and faint. Despite her willpower, she just couldn't hold on any longer, and she felt comfortable enough with Jellal to show her pain.

Before she could protest, Jellal scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her. She was in too much pain to fight him and was too focused on not passing out to complain, so she let it happen. Unsure where they were headed, she took in parts of the palace that were new to her between her squints of discomfort. Jellal gave someone nearby an order as he carried her, and then a few moments later, she was placed down on a soft surface. Opening her eyes to get her bearings, she realised she was in a bedroom, but she didn't recognise it.

Her body was tensing in response to the cramps, so she couldn't physically manage any movement, so she had to accept what was happening.

"Where are we?" She rasped out when she felt laid on a soft, comfortable surface.

On her exposed skin, she could feel an embossed texture. When she opened her eyes for a moment, she saw a bed and the figure of the King, albeit somewhat blurry due to how tightly she was squinting.

"You're in my room. What can I do to help?" He asked with a soft voice laced with worry and concern.

The King had taken her to his own chambers and put her on his bed. This was not where she had expected to end up when she had set out earlier, yet, here she was. Life had certainly taken some strange twists today.

"Uh, I usually just sleep it off nowadays." Replying as best she could through gritted teeth, the cramp began to subside, giving her some temporary relief. "It stops and starts, so I just try and pass out." Her voice was a bit stronger while the cramp had eased, and he nodded in confirmation.

Shuffling her into a better position, he pulled the covers over her to keep her warm. Someone must have also brought a cold compress for her as he gently placed it on her forehead. Feeling slightly sorry for herself, she frowned at him out of embarrassment.

"What's that expression for?" He noticed her frown and smirked as he asked his question.

"I don't want you seeing me like this." Her pain seemed to be making her honest.

"Like this? You mean in pain?" Jellal raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to clarify.

"Hmm…vulnerable." Choosing her words carefully, she continued being more honest than usual.

"Ah, I see." He nodded slowly in understanding. "If it's any consolation, I am pleased that I can help you while you are vulnerable. In fact, I am quite happy to be able to take care of you." He admitted with a bashful smile and adjusted the covers to ensure she was comfortable.

"Oh, okay. That's…unexpected." She replied, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "Don't you already take care of a whole country?" Giving her voice a sardonic lilt, he huffed before he answered.

"This is different. I like helping people, but I don't necessarily get a chance to do it personally now. I'm usually delegating it to someone else. It's not like I often get a chance to do this for someone I care about." It looked like he would say more, but he stopped and wrung out the cold compress before replacing it on her forehead.

Another cramp hit, and she doubled over into the fetal position with a grunt of pain, so she couldn't respond to him admitting that he cared about her. Jellal placed his hand on her back and kept it there in a comforting gesture so she knew he was there. Although the pain wouldn't stop because of that, it did make her feel better. Without magic, she couldn't have proper pain relief, so she had just gritted her teeth and dealt with the agony. Some months, it wasn't too bad, but every now and then, she would end up like she was now.

Jellal's warmth disappeared beside her, but she couldn't see where he'd gone with her eyes closed. He reappeared a moment later, and she suddenly began to feel very relaxed - the pain didn't go away completely, but it became a dull ache, and drowsiness overtook her. She wanted to open her eyes to see what had happened, but she couldn't stay awake any longer.

As Serana drifted to sleep, Jellal put the small cylindrical device down, noting that the device's charge level had barely dropped. Although he said he would only use it for emergencies, he couldn't stand seeing Izara in so much pain. His access to magic was only possible when holding this device, and a sleep spell was so second nature to him that he needed a small fraction of magic power to use it on her.

Hopefully she would feel better after some rest…

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

Jellal was in his room, and he had brought Serana here upon seeing she felt unwell. After making a tiny sleep spell so she would rest peacefully, he carefully got up and walked over to his small couch. There was a book on the round table next to the sofa that he was halfway through reading, and he flicked open to where he was up to and continued on. Every now and then, he would glance at Serana to ensure she was okay. Occasionally she would frown in her sleep, but other than that, she didn't stir much. Luckily he didn't have any appointments booked for the rest of the day and had planned to relax in the library throughout the afternoon, so he could stay with her while she rested. A staff member brought in a pot of tea for him, and he asked them to prepare something to eat once his guest had woken up so they were ready. He usually ate in the library on his quiet afternoons, but they'd know to bring his meal in here today instead. This gave him some time to consider his previous epiphany about Serana. Dreyer would need to get a protege soon to train someone for his role since he was getting closer to retiring. If Dreyer thought Serana could be a curator's assistant, he might also consider making her his apprentice. He would keep it in mind to talk to Dreyer about it, but maybe it was good to check with Serana if that was something she would want to do. Dreyer had worked at the palace since he was a bit older than Serana when Jellal's grandfather was King. His tenure was impressive, so his experience and knowledge would take a long time to pass down. He needed to prioritise this to get something in motion sooner rather than later.

About two hours after she had fallen asleep, Serana awoke, and Jellal put his book down immediately, strode over to the bed, and sat down on its edge. She seemed much better, and he felt relieved. Her eyes slowly focused on him, and then she smiled sweetly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a whisper-quiet voice.

"Much better. I must have fallen asleep. How long was I out for?" She asked just as softly.

"Around two hours." He handed her a bottle of water, which she took gratefully as she sat up carefully. "The staff will bring us something to eat."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he narrowed his eyes at her, and she stopped, then nodded acceptingly. He had hoped to make sure she knew he was more than happy to help her, and he knew she would do the same for him without hesitation. He wanted her to know that he would do anything for her, but he kept silent since he was unsure how to correctly express this.

"Thank you so much for looking after me. I am glad you were with me." Her tone was kind and grateful, showing that she had understood his look.

Knowing she was okay, he smiled again and gently patted her arm. After finishing the water bottle, the door opened, and a friendly face was behind it. Jellal nodded at her, and she nodded back with a smile and disappeared again, closing the door behind her. Serana glanced at him, but he stood up and put a hand out to help her. She took it and shuffled over to the side of the bed and put her feet down on the floor, and he supported her weight as she stood with a little bit of imbalance for a second.

Without overthinking it, he kept her hand in his and led her over to sit with him at a small table. He let her go once she sat, ensuring she was steady and stable. Pleased that she had her colour back and seemed to not be in too much pain, he sighed in relief, making her perk up in wonder.

"What is it?" She questioned with an amused smirk.

"I'm just glad you're alright. I was worried."

He allowed himself to be franker than usual since he tended to play things close to the chest. However, he trusted Serana implicitly, even though he didn't know why. She hadn't given her any reason not to trust her, and he could feel how genuinely kind she was. Being Mystogan in Earthland had allowed him a unique opportunity to develop a good sense of judging someone's character. When he looked at Serana, he saw her polite and sweet nature, although she did seem a little bit lonely, as if she was still trying to find a place where she belonged in the world.

His train of thought was interrupted by the door opening again, and the same staff member came in, pushing a tray with food on it. There were two plates of food, two bowls of soup, a basket with some bread, water and a pot of tea. The food smelled incredible, and Jellal was glad it was all healthy and hoped it would help restore Serana's strength.

Throughout their meal, they chatted quietly about the offer Serana had received for the temporary replacement of the Veruze curator's assistant. She would do the job very well, despite her lack of experience, as she would learn quickly, and her passion for history would give her the drive to do her best. In fact, her skills and mindset would actually be better suited for a role like Dreyer's. Part librarian, art historian, and art curator. He must have gone quiet for a minute, and Serana's voice drew him from his thoughts.

"Your Grace?" She watched him with silent questioning, wondering where his mind had gone.

"First, would you please call me my name?" He asked kindly, hoping that she would agree. He had never heard her say his name, always his title, but he wanted her to know that he felt closer to her than that.

"If you want me to, I will." Her reluctance wasn't hard to see, so he wanted her to prove it, so he gave her a nod to ask her to. "Jellal…" She said awkwardly, and he chuckled.

"Much better." Her soft, melodic voice saying his name for the first time threatened to distract him from his train of thought. "Secondly, I want you to go to Veruze. If you like the work, I want you to think about being Dreyer's apprentice. I haven't thought about finding a suitable person to train for when he retires. Your role in Veruze will give you a good indication of what you'd be doing as the palace librarian and historian." He mused aloud; her eyes widened in surprise, and she laughed. "What is it?"

"Today has been strange. It's been very…unpredictable." Serana answered with a surprised smile.

"Please take some time to think it over. If you take up the offer, it will be a lifetime position, so I don't want you to rush making your decision. That's why I thought it would be good for you to go to Veruze to experience something similar." His suggestion had shocked her, but he wanted her to think about it.

"Is this an order from the King?" She asked with an amused smirk, but he could tell she genuinely wanted to know if she was being commanded or asked.

"Not an order. Although I can't deny that I am asking you as King, my time spent with you as a friend and getting to know you give me confidence that you'll be a great fit." Admittedly, the thought had only recently occurred to him, but it felt right.

Her smirk fell, and she took a breath before she spoke. "Well...in that case," she smiled again, "I guess I can't say no if you ask while looking at me like that." He chuckled at her joke but quickly sobered.

"I don't want you to feel forced since this is a job you can have for the rest of your life. You need to decide if it's right for you."

His serious tone was only because he wanted her to be happy. Part of him couldn't deny that he would love having her in the palace since he immensely enjoyed her presence. He was logical in his musing on her being Dreyer's protege, but there was an excitement and - dare he think it - a yearning that he couldn't suppress. Was it because he would see her more often? He did feel his heart thump in his chest at the thought. He would need to consider that further when he was on his own.

As they finished their meal, they drank the tea, and Serana was doing her best to seem respectable, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly. He was still used to the raucous Fairy Tail guild hall, so eating in the palace was almost unnervingly quiet. He usually would hear Gray and Natsu fighting, Erza calm until she finally intimidated them into calming down, Wakaba and Macao laughing, and Master enjoying a drink at the bar. The rare times that he was actually in attendance long enough to experience that craziness, he had enjoyed it. The sound of everyone being so comfortable with each other, like their family, was what he missed the most. Usually, he could hear them well before getting close enough for his sleep magic to affect them. It always made him smile, which was hidden behind his mask.

His demeanour must have changed as Serana's face fell, and he noticed it too late to stop her from worrying and asking about it.

"Thinking about Fairy Tail?" Her assessment was much more perceptive than he was expecting.

He huffed wistfully. "How did you know?"

"You usually have the same look when they come to mind." Her eyes were soft and concerned, and her mouth was slightly downturned with worry.

"Do I?" Jellal wondered aloud as he ran a hand across his chin, trying to memorise the expression on his face, so he could look at it in the mirror later. "I didn't realise."

"I think you are more expressive than you realise," she hesitated, "Jellal."

"I am?" He said incredulously. Since his face had been hidden most of the time, except since he returned to Edolas, maybe she was right.

"Your mouth in particular. Maybe because you kept it hidden behind the mask for so long?" Serana ran her hand over her own face as she considered this.

"I hadn't thought about that. You might be right. I should remember this in court since I might reveal more than I realise." His response was amusing, but Coco would have let him know if his expression was giving away too much.

"Now that you mention it, I've only noticed it while I'm around. I can't say about when I'm not here, though." She said with a shrug.

"I'm happy to hear you pay so much attention to me." He didn't quite think about it before he said it, and the mood in the room changed again. This time it wasn't sad but sheepish.

"Of course. Did you not say before that we were friends? After all, you have taken great care of me today, for which I'm grateful." She tried to cover up her sudden onset of shyness, but he didn't miss it.

Before responding, Jellal considered that he had been the one to say they were friends first. Although he wasn't sure yet, he didn't know for certain if he was delighted with that classification. Once Serana had gotten home safely and was alone, he would think this over since he was starting to think that maybe he wanted more than just her friendship.

"So I did. And you're very welcome. I hope you are feeling better, but I should escort you home. I'm sure you still need some more rest."

Jellal stood up from the table as he spoke, and Serana copied him. She was a bit slower to move than usual, but she had recovered by all appearances. Waving her hand at him, she seemed to be trying to stop him from doing more than he had today. Little did she know that offering to walk her back to Fairy Tail meant he could spend more time with her and ensure she was alright. His motives were both selfish and selfless.

Coco was floating around in the hallway, and she smiled and bowed when she saw them both emerging from his room. Coco would keep an eye on things until he had returned after escorting Serana back to the guild so he could take his time. They walked together through the palace, various guards and staff greeting him as they went. Once they were finally off the palace grounds, they could go faster, but Jellal kept the pace casual so Serana didn't feel rushed. Although she wasn't in pain anymore, she wasn't back to her full strength yet. As they walked together, they continued talking about anything and everything, and they never struggled with not knowing what to talk about next.

The guild hall came into sight, and he saw Serana look at the ground beneath them as if pretending they weren't there just yet. He felt the same but was more focused on her getting more rest, even though he didn't want to part yet. Once they were standing outside, Jellal felt slightly awkward, but Serana did not notice.

"Thank you so much for today. I hope I didn't put you behind in your work." She said with an appreciative smile.

"Not at all. In fact, I had the afternoon off, and I had intended to send someone to ask you to join me. I got what I wanted, even if it wasn't our normal way of spending time together. I'm pleased that I could look after you, though." His response was carefully crafted, not wanting to give too much away before he had time to think things over.

"I'm much better now, so thank you for allowing me to rest. I'll take it easy tomorrow, too, so don't worry."

Even though she mainly had dropped the formality, as he expected, she bowed low to bid him goodbye before entering the guild hall and disappearing inside. Taking a carefully controlled breath in and out, he willed his heartbeat to slow down. The air between him and Serana had been changing slowly since they'd met, and he was sure that his feelings had too. He thought of her often throughout the day and was happy whenever he saw her. He was concerned for her safety and well-being and enjoyed seeing her smiling and laughing. He had dreamt of her a few times; one where he had woken up next to her and another where they embraced tightly before he kissed her. Considering all this, he knew his feelings for her were branching into romantic territory. Although he understood it rationally, this sort of thing was unfamiliar to him. He would take a little longer to wrap his head around the emotional side.

While he walked back to the palace and back towards his chambers once he returned, he wondered what his next steps would be. At some stage, Serana would need to be aware of his feelings, so maybe it would be a good idea to invite her to the palace again soon to talk to her about it. Observant as he was, he couldn't read her mind, so he wouldn't know if she felt the same unless she told him directly. He hoped that she shared his feelings and that maybe they would be able to develop their relationship further than being friends.

For the rest of today, though, he guessed he might have enough daylight left to finish his book…

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

The ball began in an hour, and Jellal was just getting dressed. Tonight, he had decided to go in a suit, which was all black, a white shirt and a black tie. His pocket square was silver with the royal crest on it. Coco suggested pulling some of his hair back since it had gotten quite long, and he usually just let it do whatever it wanted. It had come to sit just past his shoulders, and thus it flicked out a little bit. Coco had helped him pull the top half of his hair back into a low ponytail, and she thought it looked more professional. He had always thought that people should find things better to do with their lives instead of criticising what someone was wearing, but this was slightly different as it was a formal occasion.

Since Coco was happy with his appearance, he headed to the kitchens and ballroom to check if everything was ready. The guests wouldn't be arriving for just under an hour, so he had some time for final preparations, and hopefully, that would make him feel less anxious. Aside from his coronation, which was relatively low-key since Edolas was a mess then, this was the first big event he had held as King. It had given him enough confidence to throw a festival once Veruze was opened after the repairs. He would be announcing this tonight, so he hoped everything would go well and the festival would be a success too.

Briyana was flitting about, making sure all the decorations and table displays were in order, and Dreyer also shuffled out, his hands behind his back as usual. He was neatly dressed in formal robes, predominantly navy in colour, with some white sections that started from his waist and continued in an arc towards his back, connecting at the same height as the front. There was the Edolas crest on his back, and he had pulled his long hair back into a plait and seemed to have trimmed his long beard. Jellal was somewhat surprised to see how well he had cleaned up. The other staff were also arriving; Ollias and Trin walked in together, arm in arm, smiling happily and bowed to greet him. Erza and her guards were posted around, and Erza was waiting at the entrance, talking with the guards who would be outside.

Shelban arrived with his partner, both looking meticulously dressed, as always, and bowed to him before seeing Briyana since she was assisting him this evening. Draeme came in about 15 minutes later, with an immaculate appearance, with his wife, Korla, at his side. He had seen her frequently when he was young but only once since he'd returned, so it would be nice to talk to her again. Her outfit matched in colour with Draeme's, which was most likely her design. She smiled after her bow and approached him while Draeme checked in with the kitchen staff.

"Your Grace, you look so handsome. Especially now that you're all grown up." Korla beamed at him and placed a hand on his arm affectionately. She never used to have to look up at him when he was a child, so she seemed to be feeling a little nostalgic.

"You're too kind, Mrs Stragnar. You look stunning, and it's so nice to see you again." He replied and smiled back at her, trying to not feel too awkward about her comment on his appearance.

"I will have to make sure I visit the palace more often. It's been 8 years since I stopped working here with Draeme. Although I do miss it, the orphanage is very rewarding." She had retired from the palace while he was in Earthland, but partly because she wanted to work at the orphanage and became the manager.

"You are doing an incredible thing, and I'm happy to know that someone so methodical is in charge. Please let me know if there's anything you need." Jellal was grateful that she was working with orphaned children since he knew first-hand how kind and compassionate she was.

"Oh, I will. Don't you worry about that, Your Grace." Korla retorted with a smile and returned to her husband, linking her arm to his.

Jellal made a mental note to visit the orphanage soon to ensure that Korla had everything she needed to run it well. Erza gave him a quick nod to indicate that guests were beginning to arrive, and he made his way closer to the entrance. He planned to greet everyone who came to ensure that he had come face to face time with them. Since some very wealthy people were in attendance, and this was a fundraising event, he figured he should do his best to get as much financial support for the Veruze project as possible. As people arrived, he did his due diligence, shaking hands, bowing and thanking people for their support and attendance. Most of them, he recalled their names, but not their faces, and the others he didn't know at all. They had probably risen to prominence while he wasn't in Edolas, so he wouldn't have met them while he was younger.

It took about 30 minutes for everyone to arrive, and Erza gave him another nod that all the nobility and wealthy people had come. He had gotten so caught up in being the perfect image of a good King that he had forgotten that there was someone else he had invited who hadn't arrived yet. Trin came over to let him know everything was in hand and that she had someone for him to speak to about their donation, so he followed her without thought. The person he talked to was a somewhat older nobleman whom he knew from his childhood named Bluss, and he made a substantial donation for which Jellal thanked him profusely. They spoke for a few more minutes about Edolas, and Bluss was impressed by his investment in both the future and history.

Dragged away by another nobleman, Jellal spent the next hour or so just talking to everyone who was donating, and Trin gave him a thumbs up every now and then to let him know things were going well. Her excitement became more and more visible each time since they had clearly hit their target quite early on in the night, so he knew that he could relax a little now. The sculptor, Lulfe, who had donated the model of what Veruze would look like after its restoration, was standing near his work. Jellal thanked him for his kindness in doing the work and offering it for display without payment. He would be paying him for it financially because he would likely receive many commissions and offers for work from those in attendance.

He turned towards the table where Dreyer and the Veruze curator, Robin Agnia, were seated. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to meet Robin until tonight, but he also hoped to talk to him about Serana's role as his assistant. It wasn't that he was worried or anything, but he just wanted to make sure that she would be well looked after while she was there.

"Mr Agnia. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to greet you when you arrived today." Jellal shook his hand with a smile.

"No need to apologise, Your Grace. And call me Robin. It gave me a good chance to catch up with an old friend. I knew I would see you this evening and that I would be able to thank you for all the effort that you are going to make for the restoration. I couldn't be more grateful and appreciative." Robin bowed in thanks as he spoke.

"You are so welcome. Although the damage itself is a shame, I am somewhat pleased that we have thus been able to give it a silver lining. It should have been done long ago, and I'm sorry that it was neglected." His apology was long overdue, even though he had not neglected the site.

"I'm glad that you can see the silver lining! But again, you have nothing to apologise for, Your Grace. You cannot take responsibility for something that happened while you weren't here." Robin answered succinctly, and Jellal nodded acceptingly.

"I suppose you're right. I do, however, have to take on the tasks now, so I appreciate your assisting me in doing the job well. While you're here, I wanted to ask about the duties my friend Serana would take on if she accepted the assistant position. She will be here tonight, but as her friend, I just wanted to..." he trailed off, not knowing what else he should say, but Robin nodded understandingly.

"Of course! I was looking forward to meeting her and seeing if it was something she would like to do. Dreyer spoke highly of her, but there's no pressure on her to take the job. Since I will primarily be handling the repairs themselves, she will be able to fill in the gap by running the museum. She will give tours of the museum, organise the day-to-day itinerary, and schedule any appointments and meetings for the museum and the site itself. There won't be much weight on her shoulders, but the assistant's role is more important now that I must focus on the repairs." Robin explained as Jellal nodded understandingly.

"I see. I suppose I can only leave it up to Serana to decide. Thank you for explaining everything. I haven't seen Serana arrive, now that I think about it..." He looked around but wasn't sure what she was wearing, so he couldn't keep his eye out for her usual clothing style.

It took him a moment to realise that he had found her, but he felt his jaw drop as he looked her over. She wore a burgundy-coloured dress with a V-shaped neck, short sleeves and a split that revealed part of her right leg. He could see the toned muscle of her calf and the lower part of her thigh. Usually, she hid her figure under baggy clothes, but tonight was completely different. Her shapely figure was accentuated by the dress, and the red-violet colour of the dress suited her complexion. Her hair was softly curled and hung to the middle of her back. He watched her as she spoke with Lulfe about the sculpture and smiled with genuine amazement. Her smile was infectious, and he didn't realise he was smiling. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he continued to observe her.

If he could see himself at that moment, he would have quickly realised that he was in love with Serana. The affection in his eyes was bright, and yearning and his smile was filled with adoration. He watched her with infatuation that was audibly silent but visibly loud.

She must have felt the eyes on her and turned to look at him as she tried to find the source of the gaze. She tilted her head to one side when she made eye contact and smiled happily at him. Quickly, Serana turned back to Lulfe and shook his head before she walked over to him. He was stuck to the spot he stood on, waiting until she finally reached him before he could snap out of his trance, then bowed in obeisance.

"Your Grace. The evening seems to be going well." Serana's voice was elated, as he could see she was having a good time.

"Ah, this is the lady Serana, I take it?" Robin's voice sounded from his right, and he was somewhat grateful that Robin had spoken since he wasn't sure he could figure out what to say.

"Mr Agnia. I've been looking forward to seeing you. I apologise for not coming over when I arrived, but I was too busy enjoying the displays. Especially the sculpture." Serana reached over the table to shake his hand and smiled as she greeted him.

"Don't ever apologise for being enamoured by the incredible history of Edolas! It must be why Dreyer spoke so highly of you." Robin was a cheery fellow and already seemed to be approving of Serana.

Jellal watched them interact, and although his heart was beating hard and fast in his chest, suddenly, there was a bit of pain underneath. He knew that if this meeting went well, it would mean that Serana would be away for at least 6 months, depending on how the assistant she was filling in for recovered from childbirth. This thought made him wistful since he was sure that Serana would enjoy the experience, but he would miss hanging out with her while she was gone. Finally returning to his senses properly, he smiled and stepped back to give Serana more room to stand in front of Robin and Dreyer. She moved closer and placed a hand on his arm as she spoke. Surprised, he returned her gentle touch with his own, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"I assume you were informed of my presence by our King."

"Yes, he had just come over to talk to us when he spotted you." Robin glanced at him briefly with a knowing look before turning his gaze back to Serana.

"Do you have time to meet tomorrow before you return to Veruze? I did see that you've been busy talking to the guests most of the night, which I don't want to take you away from." Serana commented with a smirk, and Robin nodded in reply.

"That would be fine. My transport was planned for the late afternoon, so I'll have time in the morning. We can have coffee and chat to see if you'd like to take the job until my assistant is ready to return to work." Robin answered as he reflexively checked his watch.

Startling him slightly, Coco tapped his right shoulder and gestured with a head tilt that he was needed. He nodded in reply, and the others smiled in understanding.

"Excuse me, duty calls." He directed this at Robin and Dreyer, even though the older man hadn't said a word. Leaning close to Serana, he whispered in her ear. "You look beautiful. Please stay for a while after the ball if you can."

The King gave them a nod after he straightened up and turned to be on his way, surely going to talk to some rich old person about donating. Serana was left with Robin and Dreyer, but Cana appeared on her left, returning from the ladies' room. They had been really enjoying the ball so far, and Serana was glad she had decided to come and go to the effort of buying a dress and doing her hair and makeup. Cana had helped her with her hair since she had never been good at it, usually just throwing it up in a ponytail or a bun, but Cana's hair was always perfect.

"I'll look forward to meeting with you tomorrow. For now, though, can I get you a drink? I'll bring one over for you both if you like." Serana offered politely, figuring she should make a good impression, especially on Robin, since he may become her new boss.

"We are being well looked after, Serana. Thank you, though." Dreyer piped up for the first time during the conversation and smiled briefly.

"Alright. Enjoy your night, gentleman." She gave them a quick nod and walked away with Cana.

They strolled to the table with the finger food and fussed over how incredible everything was. Serana had never been to something like this before, so she and Cana giggled and talked as they tried everything and enjoyed the champagne being brought around by the waiters. It had been a fantastic night with Cana, and they had gotten the chance to become better friends while preparing for the night out. If she took the job in Veruze, they wouldn't see each other for a long time, but they could write to one another and keep their close bond. She would definitely make sure she wrote to the guild frequently since she would miss them greatly. It would be a tough time dealing with her new family and settling into a new place. Robin seemed lovely, so she didn't feel so nervous about him anymore now that they'd met.

For now, though, she just wanted to enjoy the rest of the night…

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?" Jellal's voice sounded over the din of people talking, glasses and plates clinking.

He waited until everyone had quietened down and found him staring at the dais in the ballroom, doing his best to raise his voice without yelling too loudly.

"I would like to take a few minutes to show my appreciation and thank all who have contributed to the Veruze restoration thus far. As you know, this ball is to help raise awareness, celebrate our historical heritage, and thus assist in the restoration through your most generous donations." Jellal carefully looked over the crowd, making brief eye contact with a few donors, so they knew he was aware of their kindness.

"Once the restoration is complete, we will hold a grand reopening ceremony at the site, which you will all be invited to attend. I also have a few gifts to hand out as well." Coco appeared on his left in a cart with several small boxes. "To those of you who have made a sizable donation, I have prepared some to-scale models of Veruze, skillfully sculpted by Lulfe," He said as he picked up one of the boxes and opened it to show everyone what was inside. "Mrs Tamlin."

Mrs Tamlin walked up to the dais with a smile and politely took the box in two hands. He called up several more people and handed out their models as well. Once he had completed those, Coco handed him the last box containing the metal pins for those who had helped organise the ball. Little did Coco know that she would be getting one herself.

"For those who have worked hard to organise this ball, I have a gift for you as well." He turned to Coco with a smile and took the box from her hands.

"I would like to present a gift and my gratitude to Trin. Shelban. Ollias. Erza. Draeme. Dreyer. Robin. Lulfe. Briyana. Coco." He said loudly. "For your relentless enthusiasm." He whispered to her, handing her one of the pins, and enjoyed seeing her beaming grin. One by one, they came up, and he gave them their pin and thanked them for their assistance.

Briyana looked stunned and grinned just as broadly as Coco had, clearly not expecting to receive anything, as he handed her the last pin. The ball was her idea, and he was grateful for her creative thinking. Her assistance had been invaluable, and he was happy to see her so overjoyed at receiving what he thought was only a small token of his appreciation.

"Although this doesn't even scratch the surface of those who have contributed, I would like to thank everyone for attending, my staff for assisting in organising this event, and those who have been serving us and taking care of us tonight. All of you who have donated, no matter how much, your understanding of the importance of Edolas' history is greatly appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Have a wonderful night!" Bowing low, everyone clapped, and he stepped down from the dais.

Relieved that his speech was over, now all he had to do was continue mingling and thanking everyone who had donated. The more people he spoke to and made an impression on, the better. Most of the aristocracy in attendance hadn't seen him since he was a child, so many approached him to talk about how much he'd grown and what a great man he'd become. That saved him the effort of finding them. Once he had a quiet moment, he tried to look around to find Serana in the crowd, but he couldn't see her. Surely, she hadn't left?

Seeing Cana over by the balcony, he assumed that Serana was out there too and stepped to the right to make sure. He saw the girls chatting, giggling and sipping champagne as they looked at the view and smiled. Unfortunately, since he had other things to focus on, he just wanted them to have a good time.

Returning to his mingling, Jellal hoped the he would get a chance to see Serana before she left...

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

After the ball

Jellal was finally feeling more relaxed now that the ball had ended. Everyone had left the main ballroom, and some guests were still escorted back to their accommodations or transported by the guards. There was staff bustling around and cleaning up, organising dirty glasses and plates and collecting leftover food. Jellal was happy to see that a particular person had hung around and was chatting to Dreyer with considerable vigour. Serana was talking to him as they assessed the small model made by the sculptor, and he slowly approached them to not disturb their discussion. Serana must have felt eyes on her, though, as she tilted herself back to her full height, drawing her attention away from the model she had been leaning over to examine.

Their eyes met, and she smiled. Jellal smiled back, and he could already feel his heart hammering in his chest. Dreyer noticed him and bowed his head respectfully before thanking Serana for her thoughts before he zipped off, heading somewhere else that Jellal ignored. Serana was the only thing he was currently interested in, and he hadn't had a chance to tell her how incredible she looked.

Those close to the King had noticed where his eyes were drawn all night. During most of the evening, he had been glancing at her from afar, even while conversing with people regarding Veruze. There had been people he hadn't seen since his formal coronation event, so it had been essential to catch up with them. Depending on the research his engineering team was doing, he may also need some funding to continue their research and eventually implement them on a large scale. He struggled to focus throughout the night and tended to ensure that Serana was always in his eye line. In his gaze towards her had been warmth and affection. The few times they had made eye contact throughout the night, nervous excitement had been evident. Coco had watched happily as they interacted a few times briefly, just sharing a smile for a moment.

As he walked over to her, he noticed a brief flash of colour on her cheeks as she smiled at him. From his left, a staff member appeared with a large plate of leftovers, mostly just finger food and tiny pastries, and someone else handed them a glass of water each, which Serana took for them wordlessly. He began walking out of the ballroom, Serana following behind silently until they came to a small sitting area just far enough away that most of the noise from the clean-up was hard to hear. It was dimly lit with candles, and Jellal laid the plate out on the coffee table, and they sat down on the soft lounge. He hadn't eaten enough throughout the night and was probably dehydrated, so it was a good idea to eat and drink something before he called it a night.

"How did everything go?" Serana asked softly, keeping her voice low since it was quiet now.

"I think it went well. We did get a lot of donations, so I'm pleased with the result. I'll probably find out how much it ended up being tomorrow. Were you talking to Dreyer about the model?" Jellal responded just as quietly.

"Mmm." She bit into a small quiche before she finished speaking. "He was telling me about the progress of the site. His friend and colleague is the curator, so he gave me all the inside information."

"Ahh, lucky you. Dreyer selects people he will talk to at length very carefully. He seems to have taken a shine to you." Jellal enjoyed a small pastry filled with some apples and custard after he spoke.

"I am glad to hear that I'm among the select few… I really enjoyed coming tonight, so thank you for inviting me." She smiled and took a sip of water.

"I'm pleased you had a good time. I knew you would appreciate the reason for the ball, and I thought you'd like seeing all the different historical research and the people working on them talking about it." Jellal breathed as if he was going to speak, but he couldn't quite get his head around how to say what he wanted.

"Mmm?" Serana made a noise to say she was listening to him and waited patiently until he got his thoughts straight. She had known him for long enough that he didn't say things unless he had thought about it and meant it, so she was always patient.

"You…you look beautiful." He tried not to stutter, but her reaction was worth the embarrassment.

Her cheeks flushed bright red, looking towards the floor but smiling brightly. Jellal could feel his heart race faster again, and his face flushed with colour.

"If for no other reason than seeing you like this, it was worth all the effort of throwing a ball. Veruze be damned." Jellal didn't worry about thinking his words through as much as usual, knowing that something said from the heart was more important now.

"I must admit that seeing you in your suit was my night's highlight. You certainly scrub up well, Your Grace." She said with a smirk, but he knew she was honest with him.

"Thank you. I think I'm still not used to people seeing my face." He offered shyly, and Serana raised an eyebrow in question, so he turned to face her more straight, which she copied. "Ah, I covered my face in Earthland. The Jellal there caused some…trouble. The Erza there was a childhood friend of his, and I didn't want her to freak out, so I covered my face all the time."

"I see. You don't talk about Earthland much. I presume it's not easy to talk about. I'm sure you miss everyone there." Serana spoke with wistful sadness, showing her emotional intelligence and appreciation for his experience.

He nodded slowly before he answered. "You're right. I still find it hard to talk about it." He stared into space for a moment before he took a deep breath in and out. "I'll try to talk more with you if that's alright."

"Of course. I'm happy to listen anytime." She put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, and he smiled in response.

"Did you eat throughout the evening?" Jellal asked, suddenly wondering if Serana was as hungry as he was.

"Not much. I was a bit too nervous." She admitted with a soft laugh at herself.

"Same. I think that's why the staff gave us the plate and water." Jellal pushed the plate towards her, and she picked up another mini quiche and began to nibble on it.

He ate as well, enjoying the calm silence of Serana's company. He'd been talking all night and probably spoke more than he had in months within a few hours. He just wanted to not talk, and Serana allowed that without questioning it. He genuinely appreciated it; she seemed to just know when he tried to speak and encouraged him to do so but didn't force him to talk when he didn't want to.

After eating what was left of the plate and finishing the water, they sat back in the lounge and relaxed in companionable silence. They could still hear the sounds of stacked dishes and people talking from the ballroom down the hall, but it was muffled through the doorways and walls. Jellal closed his eyes to slow his mind down now that the ball was over and he could unwind. He heard Serana stand up a minute later, and he opened his eyes to watch her walk over to a painting on the wall opposite them.

It was of a sunset in Edolas, with the Royal City on the left and mountains in the distance. She inspected it closely, and Jellal watched her from the couch. The painting had been there since before he had gone to Earthland, so it was just another part of the wall. Since it was new to Serana, he could appreciate seeing it for the first time by seeing her reaction. He levered himself up and walked over to stand beside her, a little closer than he would usually dare, but he felt brave. Serana was still looking at the painting, but his eyes were glued to her.

"It's beautiful," Serana said quietly.

"Yeah…" He replied, and something in his voice must have drawn her attention.

She looked up at him, partly over her shoulder since he was standing behind her and to her right. When they made eye contact, Jellal couldn't help but smile softly. Serana smiled back and turned to face him, and before he could react, she had gotten on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes went wide, and when she dropped back to her usual height, she must have seen his shock and chuckled happily before staring at her feet.

Still feeling brave, even more so since she had taken the first step, he wanted to ensure that she knew exactly how he felt about her. Letting his inhibitions go, he stepped toward her to close the gap between them and placed a hand on the small of her back to keep her close. As he did this, Serana's head tilted back to look at him, and it was his turn to move before she could react. His other hand cupped her cheek and kept her head in place as he gently pressed his lips to hers, trying his best to convey all he felt for her. There was only a brief second of delay, probably due to surprise, before she responded and grasped his shirt in her hands to keep him close as she kissed him back.

Jellal had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but it only stopped once they needed to breathe. When they pulled back, they smiled happily, and Jellal wrapped his arms around Serana to hug her tightly. She put her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his chest. Resting his chin on the top of his head and breathed deeply, taking in the clean scent of her hair. They stayed that way, tangled in each other, until someone's footsteps sounded down the hallway, disturbing their quiet interlude.

Not wanting to let her go completely, he took her hand and led her back to the lounge, and they sat down again. As they shuffled to get comfortable, Jellal put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. She put her head on his chest and relaxed with him.

"For our first date… what do you want to do?" Serana asked abruptly, her head tilted up to look at him. He could see the flecks of colour in her eyes and how her long lashes fluttered as she blinked. He could watch the way her mouth formed the words she spoke. The scent of lavender in her presence filled his nostrils and calmed him, despite his nervous excitement at their closeness.

"Pardon?" He had to ask her to repeat what she'd said since he was too busy staring at her.

"I asked what you wanted to do…for the date." She repeated with a smile, and her cheeks flushed once more.

"Uhh, I hadn't thought that far, to be honest. I wasn't sure you'd agree." Somewhat embarrassed at his lack of preparation since that was usually his strong suit, he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and smiled shyly. Serana tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You didn't think I'd say yes?" She asked him to clarify, and he nodded shyly in answer. "Also, am I legally even allowed to date you; you are a King and all?" She said, trying to lighten the mood a little, and he couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Even if you weren't, I'd just change the law." He said with a smirk.

They stared at one another for a moment, but she broke out in a big smile after a second, confusing him. "What?"

"You're blushing." She answered gleefully.

"Oh." He put a hand up to his cheek and smiled shyly. "Should I not be?"

"Nothing like that. I'm pleased I'm not the only one looking like a tomato." She snorted to suppress her laughter, but it didn't quite work.

He couldn't help but laugh, too, picturing himself as a tomato with a tattooed face and blue hair on top. They laughed together for a minute before settling down again. Serana always had exciting and colourful descriptions and metaphors that always made him laugh. She just had such an amusing way of looking at things. He was getting better at understanding and acknowledging what he liked about her, and he would make sure that he built up the courage to tell her these things.

For now, though, he would have to figure out what they should do for their first actual date. The other thing he wanted to ensure was that they wouldn't be bothered by anyone while they were together, so maybe it would be worthwhile to do something in the palace. The staff would know what to do if he told them and let them have some privacy. However, he also didn't want to utilise the options he had at his disposal as King. He wanted to just be himself while they were together, not King of Edolas, not Mystogan of Fairy Tail. Just Jellal.

"I'll think of something," Jellal said thoughtfully, staring into space as he tried to think of ideas.

"Hmm, leave it to me. I'll figure it out and let you know," Serana replied.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to tell me the details."

They both shared a soft laugh together, and although Jellal was enjoying their time together, he knew that it was late and that he should make sure that Serana returned safely to the Fairy Tail guild hall. He stood up from the lounge and extended a hand out to her.

"I'll walk you home."

Her eyes widened, and she took his hand and stood up too. "Don't you have things to organise here?" She asked with curiosity.

Shaking his head in answer, she smiled and nodded knowingly. He probably did have things to do, but he didn't care much. He just wanted to be an ordinary man, not the King. So they strolled out of the palace, and he immediately noticed the cool breeze once they were outside. It wasn't too cold, but he thought it would be polite to offer Serana his robe to ensure she wasn't cold. After all, she was wearing less clothing than he was, so he undid the button on his robe and carefully put it over her shoulders. With the light from the moon, he could just see her smile and the colour that flushed her cheeks as she thanked him softly.

"I think Robin liked you." He offered, knowing that their conversation would eventually turn to Veruze.

"Yeah, he seems really lovely. I admit it made me feel a bit better about possibly working for him." Serana replied thoughtfully.

"So you're meeting him tomorrow morning to talk it over?" Jellal asked, but he was feeling a little wistful, knowing that Serana would leave for a while if things went well, and she agreed to go.

"I'll keep you in the loop." She smiled knowingly.

After a while longer walking in companionable silence, they reached the front door of the guild. Jellal felt shy, but when they stopped walking, he summoned his courage and pulled Serana into a hug. He pressed a kiss to her hair and held onto her tightly. It wasn't as if she would be leaving tomorrow, but if she decided to go, it wouldn't be long after she would head to Veruze. So it was important to him to get every second with her he could.

He pulled back first but didn't let her go, and Serana looked up at him with a smile. A smile that tugged on his heartstrings since she must have understood the reason for his tight embrace. She waited patiently for him, but he was too nervous about making the first move, even though he'd done it only an hour ago. Instead, she did it for him, took hold of his collar and pulled him down to her to kiss him. He smiled as he kissed her back, putting a hand on her cheek and wrapping the other around her waist to pull her close.

It didn't last long since they needed to breathe, but they hugged once more, tightly and warmly, before they finally let each other go.

"Thanks for coming tonight." Jellal thanked her, pleased to have been able to see her looking so beautiful.

"Thank you for inviting me," Serana answered warmly.

Opening the guild door, she smiled again and went inside slowly to drag out the goodbye. After she was safely inside, Jellal turned on his heel to walk back to the palace. Realising that he was warm, he looked down to see that Serana must have put his robe back over him, probably during their kiss. He huffed in amusement, as he had been hoping she would hold on to it so he had an excuse to see her when she wanted to return it.

The ball was successful, and he had spent quality time with Serana. He grinned the entire time he walked back to the palace, showered and cleaned up, and even laid down to sleep...

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Jellal was waiting in the library for Serana. She met with Robin, and they talked through the details about her going to Veruze with him upon his return in a day's time. He was pacing across the sitting area, nervous since he had planned to tell her how he felt. In his mind, he had gone over what he would say a thousand times to be ready when she was in front of him.

"Hi." Her voice was soft and quiet, and he flinched as the sound drew him from his thoughts. "Sorry. You must have been deep in thought."

"I was. How long were you standing there for?" Jellal offered shyly.

"Mm, about half a minute. I figured you hadn't noticed me arrive."

"Sorry, I was elsewhere." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, watching her feet as she shifted her weight between them.

"It's okay. I'm glad you had some time today, so I could say bye.." She appeared to feel as sheepish as he did.

When she sat down, he moved to do the same, but he grabbed the chair and pulled it so he would sit directly in front of her. He made sure it wasn't too close to make her uncomfortable, but he wanted to reach out and touch her, at least hold her hand. She turned to face him quizzically as he sat in front of her.

"I wanted to say something before you go. I know we never really had a chance to go on a date, but I would like us to do that when you get back." He said, staring at his lap and fiddling with his hands. "If that's okay with-"

"Jellal." She cut him off. "Why don't we go right now?"

"What?" He choked out, attempting in vain to collect his jaw from the floor.

"Our date. Why don't we go now? If you have meetings, I can wait. I don't own much, so packing won't take long." Her bright smile made his heart race.

"I...I don't have anything scheduled." He couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. He was swamped, but this was his chance. She would be leaving tomorrow, so it was now or never.

"What do you want to do? Shall we go somewhere and get coffee?" Her suggestion was simple, and in that simplicity, it was perfect.

"That would be great. If I stay in the Palace, I'll end up working. Can I get changed quickly into something less...flashy?" He admitted with a shrug.

"Of course. I'll give you a minute." Serana stood up, still smiling, and left his room for a moment to allow him to get changed.

Jellal was confident that he didn't have anything to wear that was inconspicuous and also nice enough to wear out on a date with Serana. His clothes were raggedy shirts and pants for training and exercise, suits, and formal robes. As quickly as he could, whilst panicking about this suddenness, he rifled through his wardrobe to find something suitable. He pulled out a pair of plain navy pants and a long-cut t-shirt, and he grabbed a lightweight sleeveless jacket with a large hood, so he could better hide his face. Surely Serana had somewhere in mind that they could have a decent bit of privacy, so he trusted that he wouldn't get mobbed while they were out. Since he was regularly out and about in the Royal City, it was rare that people bothered him, but they would crowd him and try to talk to him sometimes. However, on this outing, he wanted to stay out of sight and out of mind of everyone but Serana.

Once he was changed, he headed out into the hall and gave Serana a smile before tilting his head towards the direction of the Palace's front door. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against and fell into step with him. The silence between them wasn't strained or awkward, but neither of them felt the need to break it. Just being together was fine. Conversation just for the sake of it wasn't needed. As they exited the Palace, Jellal waved off Coco, who watched them leave with a smile, almost jumping out of her shoes in excitement for him. He felt his face flush with embarrassment and pulled the hood over his head to hide his face better as they left the Palace grounds. Serana led them towards a quieter part of the city, and they talked about the scenery as they went by. As they turned left into a small alley, there were a few cafes, bars and two restaurants along both sides. The first restaurant was busy for lunch, but the second appeared to be closed, and they passed it all and went to the cafe at the end on the right. Serana seemed familiar with the cafe and ushered him to wait nearby, so he did as she asked. One of the staff called her name and thanked her a minute or two later while Jellal kept his head down to avoid being spotted. She emerged with a takeaway cup in hand for each of them and smiled as she led him toward the end of the building.

When they passed it, Jellal realised where they were. It was a back entrance to one of the gardens with one of the oldest (still-standing) trees in Edolas. He didn't realise it since he'd only come through the entrance from the front, which was to their left. Since it had so much coverage from the sun, with the trees and plants, there was a cool, shaded area that Serana took them to, and they sat down on a wooden bench together. As they sat, sipping their coffee and talking quietly, a few people passed them, but no one paid them any mind. It seemed that everyone was here to enjoy the company of whoever they were with and the park themselves and weren't interested in anyone else's business.

"Is this why you like this park? It's quiet." Jellal asked her curiously.

"Mmm, yeah. I came here to read a lot, and I sort of missed it. Veruze doesn't have a place like this." Serana bent one leg and put it on the bench to face him fully.

"I'm glad you came to see me. Things won't be the same without our-"

"Tea parties?" She asked with a cheeky smirk, and he chuckled softly, nodding. "I know. Veruze is incredibly interesting, and I'll be busy, but I'll write at least once a month."

"I would like that. Even if I don't get to see you, I don't want to lose touch with you." He took a deep breath and sighed softly. "I'll miss you." He couldn't help but look at his lap, feeling shy.

"I'll miss you too." She confessed with equal shyness.

"Have you thought about becoming Dreyer's apprentice when you get back? I'll admit that my motives for the offer aren't entirely constructive..." Letting himself trail off, he wondered if she'd take the bait and ask him what he meant.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he knew that he'd hooked her. "What do you mean, not entirely constructive?" Her tone held a hint of playfulness.

"Well, if you became his apprentice, you would live in the Palace. I would get to see you more often." He said, running a hand through his hair that had been tousled by the afternoon breeze.

"Ah, I see. You've put some thought into this." She responded with a soft blush on her cheeks.

They continued to chat, and eventually, Jellal was brave enough to put an arm over her shoulder and pull her close. They conversed quietly for the next hour and enjoyed their time together. Serana leaned her head against his shoulder and occasionally looked up at him through her lashes with a smile that threatened to stop his heart. He knew that he would have to let her go soon, so she could pack and get back to work himself, reluctant as he may be. When the sun had almost set, he figured it was a good time to let her go. They agreed to head back towards the guild hall, using the remaining sunlight to their advantage.

Serana didn't appear to be in a rush to get back to get her things together before tomorrow, but he guessed that she was probably organised already. He didn't mind if he had to stay up late to finish his work from today since he was so pleased to have had just a bit more time alone with her. Their pace subconsciously slowed when the Fairy Tail guild hall appeared in their line of sight.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a year or so." Serana piped up wistfully as they got closer to their destination.

"Yeah. I'm sure you'll be fine, but please take care. Construction on such a scale can be dangerous, so please don't take any risks." His statement was phrased as more of a request.

"I'll be careful, and I'll write as soon as I arrive." She answered, her arm brushing against his own as they strolled.

They finally reached the hall's front door and stopped walking. Jellal was relieved since the doors were closed, meaning they didn't have an audience. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and took a breath to steel his nerve. He stepped closer to her, and she looked up at him with a warm smile before she realised what he was doing. Carefully, he lifted one hand to cup her face and put the other onto the small of her back before gently pressing his lips to her own. The hood over his head almost concealed what they were doing. However, when she put her arms around his in reciprocation, and her fingers tugged into the fabric, the hood fell back slightly, and his blue hair began poking out. Only pulling back when they needed to breathe, he rested his forehead against hers as they smiled happily. As hard as it was, he released her from his embrace.

"Bye. Be safe." His sad voice wasn't missed by her, but she smiled in defiance.

"Don't work too hard while I'm away." She nudged him with her elbow before she turned and headed inside the guild hall.

Once she'd closed the door behind her, only then did he let out his shaky breath, and stare at the sky as if he was looking for answers…

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

8 months later…

Serana entered the walls of the Royal City, taking in what was the same and what had changed while she'd been away. It had been just over 8 months since she'd left, and the first place she intended to visit was Fairy Tail. She had missed everyone so much but had been able to write to them. Usually, she would receive a large envelope with a hunk of folded paper inside, a small letter from everyone with their good wishes and updates on what had been happening during her absence. The letter from Cana was always a little longer, recommending some books and relaying her thoughts on the ones Serana had introduced her to.

When she opened the door to the main hall, it took a minute for anyone to notice her. Since she was just walking into her own home, she didn't stand out enough for anyone to think much of it. Mira caught her eye and yelped in surprise, and then everyone else realised she was there and gathered around her with greetings and hugs. Mostly everyone was there, but a few faces were missing. Some of them may have been working or just in their own homes.

"How has it been?" Mira asked her to sit together after the group had all moved so Serana could update them.

"It's been incredible. I'm learning so much and really enjoying the job. The lady I'm filling in for still wants a few months off, so I'll be working longer. I've got the weekend off, so I thought a visit was in order." Serana spoke as everyone listened quietly before another barrage of questions was thrown her way.

"Do you think you'll try to find another job like that?" Lucy asked gruffly, but Serana could tell that her attitude was to hide that she was worried about her leaving the guild.

"I'm not sure. I hadn't thought about it, to be honest. I've had to learn so much that I've barely had time to think of anything else." Serana responded thoughtfully and made a mental note for later. Maybe it was something she'd like to keep doing. "I enjoy the work, and the curator says that my writing and cataloguing skills are outstanding. He even said he would recommend me to work somewhere in the field if I wanted to. I still think I have a lot to learn."

"You're not leaving us, right?" Cana asked softly, being a little more forward than she usually would.

"Whatever I do, I have no intention of going anywhere. If I did work in the field, I would ensure it was in the Capital. Chances are that most jobs like that would be here anyway, so you've got nothing to worry about." Serana smiled happily, pleased that she was so loved that everyone worried she would leave for good.

She relayed all the information about her work and how she catalogued things and made records of the ongoing repairs. They all listened intently and asked loads of questions, and Serana realised that she had become quite proficient in her work. Despite her praise, she always felt she was still out of her depth. Her friends asking her questions and her ability to answer them in a way they understood made her feel more confident in her abilities. They caught her up on all that had happened while she was away, telling her about funny occurrences, such as Gray getting his arm stuck in a stair railing after tripping over and how they had to use butter to get him out. Elfman talked about how he'd hand-raised the bird sitting on his shoulder, occasionally chirping as if it was part of the conversation.

After spending another hour with her friends, she said her goodbyes and headed towards the Palace. She would be back to stay at the guild overnight, so she'd have plenty more time to catch up with everyone. Her visit was a well-earned break and served the purpose of reporting the progress of the repairs to the King. She was permitted entry to the Palace without fuss and headed towards the library first. Jellal would be in his chambers, but she also needed to drop off a letter Robin had asked her to give Dreyer first. Unfortunately, Dreyer must have already left for the day since he was nowhere to be found, so she placed the letter on his desk and wrote a note, so he knew she had dropped by. She would get to see him before she left, but it was still nice for him to realise she had come by to say hello. He had gotten her this opportunity for which she was grateful, so she wanted to thank him for his belief in her.

"Serana?!" Coco's voice sounded behind her as she had just finished the scribbled note on Dreyer's desk.

"Hi, Coco. How are you?" Serana turned to face her with a bright smile.

"I'm well, and yourself?" Coco came over and put a hand on her arm in an affectionate greeting.

"Me too. I've got the weekend off, so I wanted to come by and drop off a report for the King. If he's not available, can I leave it with you?" Serana patted her coat pocket to indicate that's where the report was.

"He's in a meeting, but it should be finished shortly anyway. I know he'd like to see you, though." Coco thoughtfully put a finger to her chin before gesturing for Serana to follow her. "Come this way. You can wait in his chambers. He's got nothing scheduled for the rest of the day."

"Thank you," Serana thanked as she fell into step with the younger woman.

"Have you eaten something? If you've come from Veruze, you must be tired." Coco offered kindly, and Serana had the good sense to realise that politely declining wouldn't do her any good. She needed something and was too distracted to eat at the guild hall, and her stomach made a grumbling noise in response.

"Actually, something to eat would be fantastic if it's not too much trouble," Serana answered with a grateful smile as they walked.

"That's no trouble at all. I'll bring in a serving for both you and the King. That will make sure he eats a decent meal too. He's been so busy that he forgets sometimes." Coco said with a sigh.

"Really? What's been keeping him so busy?"

"The steam power research has been going really well, so he's been looking around for engineers, metal workers and other workers to learn how to build, maintain and repair it so we can use it for trains for long-distance travel. There are a lot of work opportunities, and he's offering apprenticeships to train enough staff for the upkeep. The sooner we get steam-powered rail service up and running, the better." Coco explained while they strolled towards Jellal's chambers and arrived at the front door.

"That's incredible. I'm so pleased it's coming along so fast! I'm sure it's been stressful, but finding the most efficient power source was more worrisome." Serana mused, and Coco nodded in agreement.

"It's been challenging but worth the effort. Now that we've got a viable option close to rolling out, we just have to hope that it's got enough longevity to keep up with supply and demand."

Since they'd reached the door, Coco leaned over to open it and ushered Serana inside. It was the second time she'd been in his chambers, but the first time she had such a horrible period and painful cramps she didn't take in the details.

"Someone will bring some tea for you and food once the King leaves his meeting. Let me know if you need anything, though." Coco waved and closed the door behind her, leaving Serana to wander around the King's chambers aimlessly until he was finished.

She was equal parts excited and nervous to see him. For now, she took in her surroundings. There was a table and chairs on the right-hand side of the room, near his large floor to ceiling book-shelf. His bed was a rather old traditional style four-poster bed made of dark mahogany wood. It was in the right-hand corner of the room, and in the left corner, there appeared to be a door leading to a tiled area, which she assumed was a bathroom. There was a nice breeze with the windows open, and she could smell the subtle scent of lavender from outside.

Meanwhile, Jellal got up from his chair and shook hands with the people he was meeting with, thanking them for their time before they left. Coco appeared in the doorway, opening it for them, but she also had a strange look on her face. When it was just the two of them, everyone else out of earshot, Coco revealed the reason for her expression.

"Serana is here. She's waiting in your chambers." Her tone held subtle excitement on his behalf.

His breath hitched in his throat when he realised that Serana was here, in the Royal City, in the Palace, and in his room, waiting for him. He hadn't expected to see her for months now. She had written him a letter after she arrived and a few since, but seeing her in person was different. He thought back to the little regret he felt about their goodbye. He hadn't been brave enough to voice his feelings, but he hoped that his actions spoke louder. The goodbye was hard enough as it was.

When he finally reached his chambers, opened the door and saw Serana pacing as she waited for him, he felt his heart thump so hard in his chest that it must have been audible. Her hair was in a loose plait, a few strands framing her face, and her eyes bright as she smiled happily.

Before he realised he was moving, he marched over to her and embraced her tightly...

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Jellal took in Serana's scent as he embraced her; lavender and vanilla, just like it always was. Pressing a kiss on her hair, he couldn't even think about what to say, so he stayed quiet and enjoyed her presence. She hugged him back just as desperately, her fingers gripping his clothing as she nuzzled into his chest. 

After another minute or two, she pulled back first and looked up at him. She examined him closely and ran her fingers through his hair, which had grown even more. It reached his collarbones, and he had begun pulling the top half back to get it off his face while working. She hadn't changed much, though her complexion was slightly darker. Likely, it was because she was spending time outside at the site. 

"You haven't changed at all. Though I suppose 8 months isn't that long." Her voice was just as melodic as he remembered. 

"It feels like you've gotten stronger." He moved his hand from her face and squeezed her upper arm, feeling the bicep muscle. 

"Well, I haven't just been doing paperwork the whole time. Thankfully." She offered with a soft chuckle. 

"When do you have to go back?" He asked in a voice just louder than a whisper, knowing he would have to face reality eventually. 

"I've organised a carriage that will drop me at Veruze. It leaves at 3pm tomorrow." Her tone was the same as his, understanding they didn't have much time together. 

"Okay. Well, I'm not going to let you out of my sight." He allowed a mischievous smirk to come across his face, having thought about how much he missed Serana's touch an embarrassing amount of times over the last 8 months. 

"I am totally okay with that." She replied with a sultry voice and tugged him close for a kiss.

He was overjoyed that her feelings for him clearly hadn't changed or dulled during their time apart, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Wanting to escape with her for a while, he glanced around them momentarily before taking her hand and walking towards the back of the Palace. She hadn't been this way before and looked around to get her bearings as he led her to his destination. There were beautiful gardens outside at the rear of the Palace, and he wanted to show her and be alone with her for a while. Briyana passed them, and he asked her to bring them some tea. The smile he got in reply told him that she was happy for him. 

Once they'd gone out the back door, one of the guards started to follow them, but he politely waved them off. It was rare for him to have some time to himself, which had taken him a long time to get used to after returning to Edolas. He'd been alone the majority of his last years in Earthland, and the adjustment period had been challenging. Mainly since he was in the public eye so much as King.

Jellal watched as she looked around, smiling brightly at the stunning view. Flowers of all colours, shrubs, trees, and plants were organised to create a gorgeous display. He'd asked for the garden to be refurbished since it wasn't exactly high on Faust's priority list. Most of the plants had died, and the trees were overgrown and messy. When it had been completed, he'd started spending more and more time outside since he was stuck inside the Palace so much. He felt liberated outdoors and had set up an arbour with a small table, chairs, and a large daybed. Occasionally, he slept on the daybed, finding it too hard to fall asleep inside. It was too quiet, and he was more used to hearing the sounds of insects, wind and water. The noise of the night was far more relaxing.

Leading her to the arbour, he pulled a chair out for her, and they sat at the table. He smiled at her expression as she was still taking in the sights around them. She must have felt him looking at her and smiled bashfully when she turned to give him her attention. 

"So, tell me everything." He asked softly, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. 

"Um, well...Robin has put me up in a charming little cottage while I work for him. It's been very different not sharing a dorm with Levy, Lucy and Juvia." She said with a laugh. "I've been spending most of the time just learning. I still feel like I'm getting my head around everything." 

"Have you considered whether you would like to become Dreyer's apprentice?" Jellal asked, hoping that she would say yes. He'd accepted that his motives were about half and half for wanting to keep her close and for her aptitude.

"To be honest, I haven't thought about it much." She winced as she said it, as if worried she would hurt his feelings. "My mental energy has been thoroughly expended. But I haven't forgotten about it." Her tone gave him hope.

"That's all right. I understand." He answered encouragingly. 

Briyana approached with a tray for them, and Coco was behind her, carrying a second tray. Both greeted Serana cheerily and said it was good to see her, and Serana responded in kind. Jellal thanked them both kindly, unsurprised but grateful that they'd gone overboard. There was a pot of his favourite tea, sandwiches, and small pastries. Serana's eyes were wide, and she smiled happily and thanked Briyana and Coco before they left after bowing. 

Jellal hoped now they could enjoy each other's company and spend some time alone. Judging by the glint in Coco's eyes, she would make sure they weren't bothered unless the Palace was burning down. He wanted to thank them for it, but they quickly zipped away, their giggles fading with their footsteps. 

"Tell me about how things have been here?" Serana asked softly as she poured them both a cup of tea. 

"There's not much to tell, really. Just business as usual." He offered with an uncertain shrug. 

"Nothing crazy to tell me about?" She said with a laugh. 

"Hmm, no. I'm sure you saw the progress in the university's construction. That's taken most of my time." He leaned back in his chair, holding his cup as he thought about what else was happening. "The orphanage has gotten a facelift. I commissioned some of the painters in the city to do some murals, which turned out great." 

"That's a nice idea." She smiled and bit into her pastry. 

They continued catching up while they ate and finished their pot of tea. Jellal summoned his courage when he stood and led her over to lay on the daybed with him. She followed his lead and blushed as he kept her close, allowing her to rest her head on his chest. 

Serana asked how the research was going into power sources, as he'd kept her updated about the progress in their letters. He told her there was a prototype in development for a train, and it would be finished by the time she returned from Veruze. 

"They'll have to be stationed along the lines too. All the rail lines haven't been used since we lost magic, which will immediately improve trade and supplies across Edolas." He explained, and she nodded while keeping her head against his chest. 

As they lay together on the daybed, simply enjoying each other's company, Jellal knew that Serana would have to go soon. He was unhappy about this but knew he didn't have a choice. Still, he needed to make his feelings clear to her. He had made the mistake of not saying enough before she had left for Veruze the first time out of uncertainty. He wouldn't do that again. 

She was tracing the patterns on his shirt with a soft smile. He gently brushed his lips against her forehead to get her attention, and she tilted her head to look at him. 

Taking a breath before he spoke, it came out in barely a whisper. "I don't want you to go." 

Her smile became sad, and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say. She had to leave, and Jellal knew that, but at least he had expressed his desire for her to stay. She laid her head on his chest again, and he could feel her shaky breaths since she was clearly trying to hold her emotions in check. 

Carefully, he shifted slightly to nudge her head upwards, and she followed his lead. Perfectly in character for him, he stayed quiet simply because the right words didn't come to mind. Instead, he moved a hand to tangle his fingers in her hair and kissed her passionately. She made a soft noise of shock as she reciprocated with just as much intensity once her shock faded. As eloquent as he could be, words just wouldn't do the trick. 

Serana's hand fisted in his shirt, ensuring he didn't pull away, and her leg crossed his hips. His heart thumped so hard in his chest that he was sure she could hear it, and he did his best to keep breathing, although she seemed insistent on taking his breath away. The feeling between them changed and intensified. Rather than just excitement at seeing one another after so long, it turned more purposeful and provocative. 

Jellal initially worried that he might have been going too fast, but Serana encouraged him with her own intensity. He moved his lips from her own and directed her head to one side to better access her neck and jaw, running kisses along them. He felt her shudder in response, and his desire for her increased tenfold when he heard her say his name in a breath moan. 

Pulling away from her, he knew he needed a minute since he was about ready to rip her clothes off on the daybed. He took a slow, controlled breath as he looked at her while she stared back with a puzzled expression. 

"Should we go inside?" She asked, and he was glad that he was braver than him.

"Are you sure?" He questioned, although he wanted nothing more than to continue. 

Her face fell a little, and he felt she might be worried that she was going too fast for him. He chuckled softly as he watched her doubt appear and increase as she tried to read his face to figure out what he was thinking. 

"Uhh, yeah. But only if you want to." Her tone was concerned, which he found sweet. 

As he felt himself grin, her doubt and worry fell away, and she beamed back at him happily. All but scrambling off the daybed to their feet, Jellal then took Serana's hand and headed inside with her. Coco was ever-so-casually strolling past as they entered through the open doors, flashing them a smile as they walked past her. Despite his efforts to look as innocent as possible, he was sure Coco knew precisely what was happening. She was too perceptive for her own good, in this moment, at least. 

Reaching his chambers, Jellal opened the door and ushered her inside while they both tried not to crack up laughing at their attempts to seem inconspicuous. Closing the door behind him, he wrapped his arms around Serana's waist and led her to his bed. Clothes and shoes were removed along the way and abandoned on the floor. 

When they reached the bed, Jellal hovered over Serana once she laid on her back and smiled as she pulled him down to her for a toe-curling kiss. They took full advantage of the short time they had together before she had to return to Veruze, and maybe it was also because they regretted not being more forward before Serana left. Throwing her underwear away after pulling them off, he did his best to elicit as many pleasured gasps, sighs and moans from her as using his hand while she did the same to him. 

Unable to hold back any longer, he looked at her to check if it was still okay before he continued. She put her legs around his hips and nudged him forward in answer to his silent question, and he carefully pushed inside her. Taking a breath to keep his control, he was blown away by how incredible she felt. They moved together, taking their time to make the most of it. 

Soon, Serana began to shudder, and her legs shook as she reached her high, and Jellal followed moments after. He said her name over and over again with his head buried in the crook of her neck and shoulder. Not wanting to crush her with his weight, he rolled to lay beside her as they caught their breath. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms…

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

“What a beautiful day." Her voice was soft and kind, just loud enough for him to hear since he was so close. 

He looked to his left to see the blanket they were laying on and then her. She smiled at the sky, colours mixing together as the sunset. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she breathed, calm and even. She must have felt his eyes on her, so she turned to look at him. Her smile grew, and her cheeks flushed with a soft colour, somewhat dulled by the sunset's pinks, oranges and reds. 

Sitting up on one elbow, he kept eye contact with her, and she copied his movements expectantly. Shuffling closer, although they were already close, he lifted a hand to the side of her head. He combed his fingers through her hair a few times before cupping her cheek. Their breath mingling between them, he leaned nearer as her eyes shut and her chin tilted upward. 

”I love you,” he said against her lips.

”I love you, too.” Serana answered sweetly.

No sooner did he feel her soft lips barely brush his own…

"Your Grace." Coco gently nudged him awake. "We're back in the city." 

"Hmm? Oh, thank you, Coco. I didn't realise I dozed off." Jellal responded with a drowsy voice. 

"You were off in your own world for a while, but I think you dozed off about twenty minutes after we left the lab." Coco smiled and spoke softly. 

"I would like to write to Serana, but it might be too late by the time we get back and get everything sorted." He mainly mused to himself but said it out loud anyway. 

"I've already written most of the report, so there isn't much you'll need to do except add your thoughts and comments." Coco gestured to her notebook, which she had carried everywhere with her. 

"That's what you were scribbling on the way back?" He continued when she nodded with a smile. "I'm sure you deserve a pay rise, Coco. Please remind me of this once we get this new technology going. Our economy will boom, and you deserve much more than you get." 

"I'm happy to be of service, Your Grace," Coco said bashfully, but he knew she was grateful for the praise. 

They arrived back at the palace and disembarked from the carriage. As they walked inside, Coco reviewed her notes so that Jellal could write a report and pass it on to the Court. This would be a perfect opportunity to write it up since he had made sure to not schedule anything else for today, but he did want to write to Serana tomorrow at the latest. Being committed as he was, he knew that the report came first, so he would hopefully get it done soon and then he would still have some energy left to write a nice letter to the woman he loved so dearly. 

It would only be a few more weeks until Veruze would be reopening and she would be back in the Capital after that. Hopefully, Serana would also agree to accept the apprenticeship from Dreyer so that she would come and live in the Palace. Maybe he would be brave enough to ask her to stay in his chambers with him so he could wake up next to her every morning.

He let out a soft sigh as the cart entered the Palace gates, doing his best to be patient until he saw her again…

Serana was currently being laughed at by Robin, who had seen her poke her head up to look out the window at least twelve times in the last fifteen minutes. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. The King was due to arrive, and she was rather impatiently waiting for him. They hadn't seen each other since she visited just under 4 months ago, and that was only for just under a day. Her nervousness wasn't as intense as it had been going to the Capital, but she was nervous about Veruze's reopening going off without a hitch. The formal reopening was today, and then she would return to the Capital with Jellal. She’d chosen an emerald-green dress with longer flowing sleeves and an uneven, rounded hem that rose to her thigh on the left and lowered to her calf on the left. It had a rounded neckline and a fabric belt tied around her waist. It had cost her a decent chunk of her paycheck, but she just hoped Jellal liked it. 

Things had gone well with the construction, which had finished only just behind schedule. Thankfully, Robin had the foresight to organise the reopening one month after construction was due to be completed, leaving them with two weeks to get everything sorted. He was an incredibly organised man, and she'd learned so much from him through her work here. The woman she was filling in for, Cassandra, was back early, and now that Veruze had been repaired, there was much less maintenance to be done. She had been happy to return to work, and her baby also seemed to enjoy being in the office. Cassandra was so pleased to return to a tidy office with everything ideally in place and had even come back early to help them organise the reopening celebration. Despite her having a somewhat difficult pregnancy with constant morning sickness for months and then difficulties eating and high blood pressure, both she and her newborn son, Varl, were in fantastic health. She’d recovered quickly after the birth and was keen to get back to work since she was feeling so much better. Varl was a happy baby and enjoyed visiting the museum with his mother. Robin also adored Varl and would carry him around on a daily tour of the grounds. Seranan had gotten to know Robin and Cassandra a lot over the last year or so, but she was looking forward to returning to the Capital. 

Since her last visit, she'd given much thought to Jellal's offer to become Dreyer's apprentice and work in the Palace. She'd not mentioned it in her last letter, but she had decided to take the offer if it was still on the table. He'd written to her two weeks ago, which was on schedule, and she guessed right that he would just wait until he saw her in person. Although he'd said he wanted to write to her weekly, she didn't want him to write letters to her every waking minute. Thus, she'd talked him down to a fortnightly schedule so he could get some work done in between. Her heart raced every time the mail arrived, and Robin had been able to read her like a book every time mail from Jellal had come. Cassandra had laughed brightly at her when she scrambled to open his letters.

Serana couldn't hold in the gasp as she saw the King's carriage come into sight. Robin chuckled at her, making her roll her eyes once again as she got up from her chair and prepared to greet them. They pulled up out the front of the office, and Jellal practically bounded out of the carriage. He glanced at Veruze behind the office building but seemed to be looking for something or someone in particular. 

Pushing the door open, she sprinted the ten or so metres to him and flew into his waiting arms as he smiled brightly at her. The force almost knocked him over and thus nearly took her with him, but he managed to retain his balance. 

“I missed you.” He said desperately as he clung to her tightly, his breath fanning through her hair.

“I missed you, too.” She answered breathlessly, snuggled into his broad chest as much as possible. 

It was better than she’d hoped to have him so close like this again. They hadn’t seen each other in ages, and the last time had been more than a dream. She had kept her attraction to him under tight wraps when she was in the Capital and had probably done a lousy job of it, in hindsight. Even if she had, she still had managed to end up here, warm in his embrace. 

“I’ve missed your smell, your touch.” He pulled back to kiss her each cheek. “I’ve missed all of you. Please tell me I don’t have to say goodbye to you again.”

“You don’t. I’ll be coming back to the Capital with you.” She answered, grinning like an idiot.

“Will you stay in the Palace? Even if you don’t wish to take the apprenticeship, I still want you at my side.” Jellal asked, staring at her with an intensity she’d not seen from him before. He was asking her to move in so casually!

“I hadn’t thought about it. I figured I’d go back to Fairy Tail when I got back.” She said, unsure if it would upset him. “I was going to accept the apprenticeship, though,” Serana added with a smile. 

“Really?!” His boyish excitement made her heart thump loudly. 

“Yes. I was going to tell you later, but since the topic has come up.” Serana chuckled at him happily. “I have to go get everything ready. Is there anything you need from me?”

“Just you.” His suggestive response made her blush, and she finally separated from his hug. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Serana said before dashing off back to her desk to help Robin with all the last-minute things. 

The King would make a speech and formally announce the reopening in one hour, and guests started to arrive. Serana would greet them, hand them a pamphlet with information, and direct them through the gate of the restored Veruze. Many of the people who were in attendance were those who had made donations for the restoration itself. She’d done her best to learn the names and faces of those who had made more significant donations so that she could personally thank them for their contributions when they arrived. Once the guests had all arrived and done a brief tour of the grounds, they all were directed to the courtyard outside. 

Jellal looked gorgeous up on the dais and waited until everyone had settled before he spoke. Serana was doing her best to remember that she was leaving today. After spending so much time here, which wasn’t very long in the grand scheme of things, it would take her some time to adjust once she was back in the Capital. Since they had the rest of the reopening party and the trip home, surely she would be able to consider Jellal’s offer. He had hinted at her staying in the Palace in his letters, but she had assumed that was only if she took the apprenticeship with Dreyer since that came with the role. Despite being the King, she didn’t think it was quite okay for him to just decide that she would live in the Palace because he wanted her to. It seemed like a slight abuse of power. Then again, why have the power if you couldn’t use it to be with someone you cared about? She got the feeling that would be his argument if she mentioned it.

“Thank you all for coming today. It’s incredible to see how much has changed since I was last here. I am grateful to all of you who donated your time, money, and effort to this restoration of Edolas’ remarkable history. We have been on a precipice in the last twelve months, but I can see how bright our future looks. Our engineers are researching new ways to generate power with incredibly promising results thus far, which I plan to have rolled out across Edolas within the next three to five years. The reopening of Veruze, as I see it, is just the start of an invigorating and prosperous future for Edolas.” Everyone was utterly silent as he spoke, enraptured by his every word.

“Since I would like everyone to stop listening to me and enjoy their evening, I will finish by thanking those who have made this project possible. May I please ask our wonderful donors in attendance tonight to stand?” He requested politely and lifted his hands in a suggestive gesture. 

Serana watched as the donors stood, the majority of whom she recognised. Jellal smiled broadly and clapped his hands together. 

“Please give all of our donors a round of applause. This wouldn’t have been possible without your selfless generosity. As an extra thank you, I have gifts being dispatched to your homes over the next two weeks. On that note, Lulfe Magnus.” He waited until the sculptor stood, seated in the second row on the opposite side to Serana. “He has put many hours into creating to-scale models of Veruze, like the one at the front. These will be sent to each of our donors in thanks. I would also like to thank him for his consulting on the construction and for donating his time.” Everyone clapped again as he gestured towards the small model on the table to his right on the dais. Jellal turned towards his staff, seated in the same row. 

“Our head of construction, Shyl Viktepes, and all his hard-working staff.” A considerable group from behind Serana stood, and she saw that most of them felt a little awkward since they didn’t usually get such recognition.

“My gracious and compassionate staff, who have made every effort to assist me to ensure this project had all the required resources.” Serana clapped a little louder and saw Coco blush faintly. 

“Robin Agnia, the chief curator and museum director. Cassandra Zephina, the museum facility manager. Serana Redwyn, the curatorial assistant and project coordinator.” Jellal caught her eye and smiled warmly as he clapped for her, and she stood after Cassandra had nudged her with her elbow. 

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Robin said and bowed in response, close enough for the King to hear him since they were seated front and centre. 

“Lastly, I would like to thank every single one of you for attending this celebration. It is lovely to see how many people care about Edolas’ unique and important history and the crucial need to preserve it. Thank you. All of you.” Jellal stopped clapping before bowing to a right angle and staying there for a few seconds. 

Everyone clapped for him but quietened when he straightened back up. Serana was pleased to see how happy he looked and couldn’t help but smile. 

“Please, enjoy the celebration!” He grinned brightly at the crowd and watched them stand and disperse from their seats to continue looking at the restored site. 

Serana had organised the part-time and casual museum staff to tour the site and discuss the importance of specific areas and the work required for the restoration. Some of the construction crew had offered to volunteer their time to help on the tours, which she thought was terrific. It showed their pride in their work and the incredible results. Her duties would take her to the entry to the site from the museum, where the heaviest foot traffic would be throughout the night. 

Robin found her within a few minutes and gave her a beaming smile before giving her a big hug, which she returned with a laugh. 

“I’m so grateful for all of your help throughout this, and you will be greatly missed!” Robin said during their hug, sounding half-happy and half-sad. 

“I will miss you, too. Thank you for all that you’ve taught me as well. I knew I would learn a lot, but I’m still so surprised at all I’ve taken on here. I appreciate your faith in me doing a good job.” Serana smiled as they stepped back from their hug. 

“You were one of my best students! I do hope that you decide to apprentice under Dreyer. You will truly flourish in such an environment and reach your potential with his tutelage.” Robin encouraged her, and she realised that she’d not actually told him she’d decided to take the job in the busyness of the last few weeks.

“I’ve decided to do it, and I’m very excited to keep learning. I must say, I never expected to be doing something like this after leaving the Army. I had no idea where I would end up, to be honest. But I’m pleased it’s here.” Serana had done her best to continue showing her gratitude to Robin for offering her the job and being so kind to her while she was here. 

“You’re welcome here anytime, and please do visit us soon! Give me a wave when you’re leaving, okay?” He asked, and they hugged again before Robin headed off to speak to some donors a few metres away.

The hours passed, and the sun lowered in the sky as the celebration drew to a close. Serana had gotten a chance to eat a small bite of the food brought around by the Palace staff, and she was thoroughly exhausted. Once most of the guests had left the site, Robin ushered her to find the King and to head off since they had a few hours' ride back to the Capital. 

When she found him, she saw that he was saying goodbye to Shyl, the head of construction, and he was shaking his hand appreciatively. Once Shyl had turned to leave, she noticed that no one else was queueing up to speak to him, so she figured it was okay to distract him briefly. Moving to stand beside him quietly, he grinned at her, noticing her immediately. 

“Are you finished now?” He asked her with quiet anticipation. 

“All done. I’ve also packed up all my things in the cottage.” She gazed up at him adoringly. 

“Briyana has already picked it up for you. We can leave whenever you’re ready.” Jellal replied and shuffled closer to her so he could put his hand on her waist. 

“I’ve already said bye to Robin and Cass, so I’m good to go.” She nuzzled closer to him and put her hand on his chest since no one was paying attention to them. 

“Then may I escort you back to your new home?” Jellal said as he stepped back and gracefully held his hand towards her.

“Yes, please. Your Grace.” She answered with a playful curtsy that made him chuckle. 

Serana accepted his arm, linking hers through it as they walked towards Coco so that they could head off. The trip back to the Capital would take over three hours, but she suspected she might doze off to sleep throughout since she was so wrecked. Coco escorted them back to their carriage and opened the door for them. She closed it after they’d gotten in, and Serana wondered if she was purposely giving them some privacy. Her bags had been placed inside, and she mentally thanked Briyana for getting them. 

After taking off his coat, Jellal quickly flopped down heavily, quickly losing his royal composure. She sat beside him, and he smiled as he put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. 

“I’m glad you decided to work with Dreyer. You’ll do a fantastic job.” He said softly after pressing a kiss on her forehead. 

“Thank you. I know I’ll have a lot to learn, but I’m looking forward to it.” She couldn’t hide her bashful excitement from her voice. 

“Would you…” He looked at her for a long moment before he continued. “Never mind.” He dropped his chin to his chest. 

“What is it? Please, tell me.” She encouraged him. 

“I wanted to…to ask if you would like to share my chambers in the Palace. But I realise that might be a bit fast, so I understand if you don’t want to do it immediately.” Jellal turned so she could only see his side profile, looking nervous as he spoke. 

“Shit. I hadn’t even thought about my accommodations since I assumed I would go back to the guild until everything was sorted at the Palace.” She mentioned this earlier tonight, but he’d been thinking about it for a while.

“I’m sorry. We can talk about that later. A room is already set up for you near the library, so you can stay there.” He nodded in understanding, but she didn’t want him to give up. She just honestly hadn’t thought about it yet since her focus had been on the reopening going well. 

“Well, actually… I would like to stay with you. If you want me to.” Serana felt herself blush. 

“I would love you to.” He answered breathlessly, finally looking at her. 

Jellal swallowed thickly, and she felt his chest expand with his breath. She saw his eyes lower slightly, looking at her mouth, and she smiled in shy happiness. He cupped her cheek and kissed her softly until they finally needed to breathe. 

“I can’t describe. How happy I am. To finally have you. To myself.” Jellal said between kisses, making her giggle. 

“I’m all yours.” She felt slightly embarrassed saying it, never having felt like this before. 

“And I, yours,” Jellal responded and kissed her again. 

On the trip back to the Palace, they ended up snoozing in each other’s warm embrace…