Reluctant Fairytales (Gale Fanfic)

Chapter 2

     Back in Gajeel's room in the castle of Magnolia, he dropped down in a small, cramped room, tugging off his boots and counting the money the king had given him. "Just the right amount," he decided, then glanced up at Levy, "I heard some weird rumors in town today, shrimp."

     "Yes?" the small succubi flew up onto a book shelf by the lantern, curling up in an old handkerchief that served as her blanket.

    "Somethin' about someone coming through town...someone called...Julio Gracielle?"

     "Julio Gracielle," Levy repeated, frowning slightly. It sounded a little familiar, "Gracielle... Julio Gracielle."

     "Yeah, d'you know him?" Gajeel glanced up with a frown.

     "No... I don't think so. But I'm fairly sure I've heard his name before— no, I'm positive."

     "Whatever," Gajeel waved it off, then flopped down onto his disheveled bed, yanking the covers over him and rolling over so that his back faced her.

     The name Julio still lingered in Levy's mind as she leaned over, blowing the lantern out before burying her face into her cotton ball pillow with a sigh. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

     Her dreams were odd that night. She found herself dreaming of herself and Gajeel playing in the family garden back when things were perfect. Then it all gave way into a nightmare that was a memory.

     It was night. Midnight. She awoke to shouts of terror and screams, racing downstairs to see unfamiliar men in her house. Blood dripped in pools on the wooden floor, staining wood red. A body lay on top of it, the body of a woman with long, raven hair. Crimson eyes dull and cold, void of life stared blankly up at her, and Levy backed up. Dead. The word burned her mind. Her most favorite person in the world was dead.

     "Mom!" Gajeel cried from atop the stair case, but a man ran in through the front door, confronting the armed men without fear, shouting.

     "This is ludicrous! They're just children, they don't have magic— please let them go, Gracielle!!"

     Tears ran down Levy's cheeks as she continued to stare, horrorstruck, at the body that had been her world.

     Large hands reached for her, from the man who was shouting, but he was knocked back as Gajeel grabbed her hand, trying to help her escape.

     And everything dissolved into panic. Panic, pain, fear, sadness, confusion, and suffering. Blood staining wood floors. Shouts, shrieking, pleading, and tears flowing.

     Then waking up.

     Levy sat bolt upright, shaking from the horror of the dream. Then she looked around, checked to make sure Gajeel was still sleeping, then smushed her face into her pillow, trying not to cry. It had been many, long years ago. But it was still fresh in her mind. And it still hurt.

     Gajeel had changed so much since his mother had been killed for 'supposed sorcery'. He'd gone from cute and carefree to sullen and constantly on guard. Ever since that day, Gajeel had grown farther and farther away from her. They were still friends...but it wasn't the same.

     And Levy had changed too, she could feel it. But, pushing all of this away, she curled back beneath the blankets of her handkerchief, and closed her eyes once again.

     Gajeel woke up the next morning in a cold sweat, but he instantly dismissed the nightmare. Or tried to. He sat up, wiping his forehead wearily, then glanced up at the shelf where Levy slept. He used to go to her when he had nightmares, but....if he woke her up, she'd probably be annoyed.

     So instead Gajeel stood up, glancing at the clock. 6:30 am. Time to scram.

     He opened up his door, checking the front and grinned to see a paper hanging from it. It was a job request. "Good old Juvia. Always leavin' me missions." he pulled it off and returned into his room, yanking open the curtains to shine light on Levy's face, "Wake up!"

     Levy moaned, rolling over, "But I'm so tired..."

     "Don't care. We've got a job," Gajeel growled, pulling on his belt with his sword sheath attatched, "Leavin' in five, you'd better be up."

     Levy frowned at him, "I was up half the night doing YOUR paperwork and the first thing you do is wake me up early? Besides, I'm really hungry."

     "Yeah? Deal with it."

     Levy began to smooth back her messy cerulean curls with a tiny hair brush, "Maybe I should just stay home today. You never listen to me anyway, nothing would change."

     Gajeel scowled at the mention of her staying behind, "Uh, you can't. Succubi law, remember?"

     "Like I told you before, that law goes bye bye when there isn't a firm bond," Levy huffed, fitting her hair back beneath an orange headband, "And there obviously isn't. So actually, I can leave anytime I want."

     Gajeel scowled again, then pulled out a small bundle of cloth and gave it to her as she turned into her human form. She blinked in surprise as he turned away, sharpening his sword, and she unwrapped it. She was surprised to find a decent sized piece of blueberry cake.

     "One of the cooks was makin' it, and I remembered you liked it, so I snagged a piece," he growled, his back to her as he pulled a leather boot onto his foot.

     Levy felt a smile creep across her face, "Thank you! I thought you didn't care anymore."

     She sounded relieved, and he frowned slightly, but only growled,"Whatever. Just hurry up and let's go. Unless...you would rather stay?"

     "I'll go," she decided after a small pause, "And I appreciate you thinking about me."

     "Forget it," he turned away, watching her in the mirror as she quickly ate the slice of cake. He smiled a bit at her obvious enjoyment of it, then shrugged it off, pulling on his other boot. He picked up a brush, pulled it a few times through his hair, then gave up.

     "C'mon, shrimp, we gotta go," Gajeel muttered, turning towards the door. "We gotta be in Rauberia by tonight."

    "What's the job?" Levy asked, turning into a succubi and landing easily on his shoulder. She took the mission slip from him, "Saving another princess? You already have, like, eight following you around because they think you're her Prince Charming or whatever. Do you really want more?"

     "It's 600,000 jewels, shrimp. That's a lot," he told her, "It's just an idiot and his girlfriend, they got turned into frogs or somethin'."

     "Okay...that's a new one."

     "Whatever. Let's just ask Jet and Droy for a pegasus from the stables and get out of here." Gajeel growled, and Levy followed him outside to begin their mission.

     But little did they know, they would never be able to finish it, and what was in store for them ahead was much worse than they could have ever guessed.