Frozen Ground

A Familiar Face

I wake the following morning. The sun's rays warmed my revealed skin on my arms, legs, and torso. My blanket draped across my waist. I stretched, my right leg falling over the side of the bed.

I take in a deep breath before sitting up.

"I'll come back."

I shake the thought out of my head as I make my way to the bathroom. I shower, brush my teeth, and put on clothes.

Walking out again, I notice the time. I swallow before heading to the guild.

---

I sit at my usual spot at the counter with my thumb rubbing the wet outside of my glass. My alcohol wasnt strong enough to get a buzz but enough to wake me up. I concentrated on the story Natsu was telling at the table next to me, not letting anything about my dear friend enter my mind.

"And then these guys were gassing shit and everybody else was dying while I was running away from a horse." I looked at Lucy and Happy. "Thats when I woke up." He gave a wide smile as he waited for a response.

"Even your dreams are dumb." My efforts of keeping the smile off of my lips were thwarted when he merely shook his head with an irritated look on his face.

It was then I felt a light tap on my knee. I turn my attention to Wendy. Her checks were gaining in color as she fiddled with the paper in her hand. "Gray. Could you help me with this quest?" she gave a small smile as I held out my hand.

I pulled my eyebrows together as I read. "Wendy. This is.." I correct my sitting position. "This is gardening." I look back at her. "Not saying I won't but, have you asked Levy? Or even Elfman? I heard he likes flowers." I give her a smile as her expression of embarrassment turned to pleading. I took in a breath, drank the last bit of my alcohol, stood and grabbed the paper again. "Mira. We're taking this one." She gave a smile as she looked between Wendy and myself before nodding and going off to call the client.

"Oh thank you Gray!" I felt her small arms wrap around me. I simply patted her head.

"I see you already packed." I smiled at her as I looked at her bookbag. "I assume you're ready to go?" With that she grabbed my wrist and started pulling me out of the guild.

"Come on! We have a garden to plant!" Her voice held a laugh in it. "It shouldn't take too long!"

---

They said it would take about 3 hours to reach the village of Black Creek. When we did, it was misty. The large trees towered over everything in the little town. It was something out of a movie. An Alien planet.

"It should be up the road from here." I nod as I followed Wendy. I never realized how short she was until now. I also realized how long it was since I had been on a quest.

I drew my attention to the various things around me. I felt a drizzle fall on my face as I look toward the cloudy sky. "Here!" I am pulled from my thoughts to a small cottage. It had quiet a few flowers and a myriad of other plants. We made our way up to the house. The stones path was rather small that had a mini fence on it's edge. "This is cute!" Wendy turned to look at me with a smile. I returned it.

The closer we got to the door, the more I felt wrong. She lifted her hand to knock but before she did, I placed my hand on her shoulder and brought my other one to the wood door. Knocking three times.

I felt her stare, I kept mine on the door. Once it opened, I stepped in front of the young wizard. "We are from the Fairy Tail Guild. We are the ones to answer your add." The elderly woman smiled from within the doorway.

"Come along. I can't possibly do this myself." Her tone was of the typical grandmother. She was small and looked fragle. "My garden isn't that big. I hope it's not any trouble for you." We followed her to the back of her house. She gave us instructions, seeds, watering cans, and everything else we needed to tend it.

It didn't take long to plant a whole row, we could hear the door open to her cottage. I stood as Wendy delectly planted the seeds. She had offered saying they needed love and tender handling.

With the sounds of footsteps, I look up from watching Wendy plant. "This looks great!" My eyes widen at the sight of a young girl. She held a cold pitcher of water with two cups. She bent down to inspect the work. "You're doing so well! Have you thought about making your own garden?" The more she spoke, the more my heart broke. With the watering can slipping from my grip, I stared. It was Only when the can fell is when her attention turned toward me.
She stood and smiled. "Are you thirsty?" Her face grew in color as she held up the pitcher. I couldnt help my heart from pounding, my eyes from almost watering, my hand from cupping her cheek. "I told you I'd come back."

xXTo Be ContinuedXx