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Chapter Text

"Come here, little bunny," a gentle voice called for the animal. 

The rabbit came towards its owner cautiously at first. As it saw no harm, it allowed itself to be petted.

"There we go," she said, picking it up. She continued with a sigh. "It must be nice to live as you do. Wandering about wherever you go. You can leave here and find greener lands with your friends. If only our people could do the same. What must be going through your head?"

"Lisanna!" a voice called out. "It's time for us to go!"

"I'm coming!" she replied. She let down the rabbit. "Go on, find a better place than here," she said, watching it scurry away.

"Lisanna," the same voice repeated, this time closer to her.

"Sorry," she replied. "I lost track of time."

"You said the same thing yesterday," he replied. "And the day before that, and the day before that, and-"

"I get the picture, Elf," Lisanna dismissed with a chuckle. "It's just... hard to describe. I feel at home here."

"You were always like that," he conceded. "Still, we have our duties as prince and princess. Our people need more than the fancies of the forest to survive."

"If only Mom and Dad were still here," she replied. "They'd know what to do."

"Yeah," her brother solemnly agreed. "Let's go back. Mira's waiting for us."

"Okay," she replied as she walked to their carriage.

The sights they saw on their journey back were far from new. Still, they made their hearts ache. How could they not? Farmers struggled to plant crops they hoped would grow. Children led malnourished animals to market for a few coins. 

Since the last great war, the Strauss Kingdom suffered severe losses, including their King and Queen. Other countries demanded debts paid for the war, which impoverished the people. They were left with few resources and little sympathy from the rest of the world. 

As they returned to their palace, they were greeted by the familiar sights of their home. "Good evening, Prince Elfman and Princess Lisanna," the chief of the palace staff greeted them.

"It's good to see you all," Elfman replied.

"Sorry that we're so late," Lisanna offered. "I lost track of time, and my brother tried to warn me."

"If there is anything we have come to rely on in the past few years," he replied, "it's that your excursions will take longer than expected."
Lisanna could only offer a weak laugh as a reply.

He continued, "Dinner will be prepared for you in a half hour. However, your sister wishes to speak with you first."

"Mira wants to speak with us?" Lisanna asked.

"What is it about?" Elfman asked.

"She didn't say," the attendant replied. "However, it seems to be of great importance. Best not to keep her waiting any longer."

"Right," they agreed in unison, walking up the stairs. 

"He seemed mad at me," Lisanna whispered to her brother.

"That's just how he is," he assured her. "He's just worried for our safety."

"Any ideas about what Mira wants to talk about?"

"Hopefully, it's nothing too serious."

---

"I'm getting married!!" Mirajane announced.

"WHAT!?!?" Lisanna and Elfman screamed in unison.

"I received a letter of proposal from a foreign kingdom called Edolas," she explained. "They wish to help us by uniting in marriage."

"It had to be about boys," Elfman sighed. His older sister was a hopeless romantic. No doubt she'd been excited about the prospect of it happening.

"Hold on," Lisanna noted. "You're going to marry someone you haven't met?"

"It's not uncommon," she replied. "The young princess of Rosemary just married someone from a foreign nation."

"But that feels so wrong," her younger sister protested. "Shouldn't you two meet and fall in love?"

"In a perfect world," Mira mused, "that would be the case. However, we can't afford such luxuries. We've only just started negotiations with our former allies. Strauss is already struggling, and if the coming winter is as bad as last year's..."

"We might not make it to spring," Elfman said. It was a reality they were all keenly aware of. 

"Fine," Lisanna relented.

"I'll be leaving in two days for Edolas," Mirajane continued. "The two of you will stay here."

"We can't see you get married, Mira?" Lisanna asked.

"I wish that weren't the case," Mirajane replied. "The Kingdom of Edolas has a special kind of privacy to these matters. Not to mention, I have to discuss various details regarding our coming union."

"Heh," Elfman chuckled. "Coming union."

Mirajane rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they'll let me meet with you again after the ceremonies and festivities. At any rate, I need the two of you to watch Strauss. No one outside this room is to know that I've left or why until after I return. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" Lisanna beamed.

"Really?" Elfman asked.

"Weren't you just unhappy about the whole thing?" Mirajane asked her younger sister.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, right?" she replied. "We need the help. This is the only way to get it. All we can do is hope it ends well." 

This change of pace made her siblings suspicious. 

"Lisanna," Elfman started.

"Well, it's about time we got ready to eat," Lisanna continued, making her way to the door. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. See you downstairs."
Lisanna closed the door, leaving her older siblings speechless.

"What is she planning?" Mirajane asked.

"I don't know," Elfman replied, "but I don't like it."

---

Mirajane finally rested on the ship cabin's pillow. It was a short goodbye between her and her brother. If her new fiance wasn't a gentleman, Elfman swore to knock the daylights out of him. She appreciated the gesture but assured him there was nothing to worry about.

They both knew that was half-true. Lisanna didn't accompany them. She had grown sick the day before and wished to be left alone. 

That is what one of the attendants told them. They didn't believe it for a second. Mirajane hoped her little sister was sad to see them go. Lisanna's antics since the news felt off. It was like she was keeping a brave face for her sister. She hoped Lisanna didn't try anything ridiculous.

As the thought crossed her mind, she heard a knock on the door.

"Princess Mirajane."

She recognized the voice as the captain. "Come in."

"I regret to inform you that we found a stowaway."

"Was it a foreign spy?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no," he replied.

Mirajane was confused until he opened the door wider.

"Hello, Mira," a familiar voice sheepishly greeted.

"Lisanna?" Mirajane exclaimed.

"I'll leave you to it," the captain said, pushing the younger princess into the room. "If you'll excuse me."

Once the door closed behind him, Lisanna stopped her sister from speaking. "Before you ask, I didn't tell Elfman about this. I told the maid I was sick last night. I snuck onto the ship this morning and came to the captain."

"But," Mirajane started. 

"Since we're already in the middle of the ocean," Lisanna interjected, "you might as well let me stay with you. It's not like you can send me back now. Since I came quietly, the crew doesn't have reason not to trust me. I'll stay in the background and not cause any trouble. Punish me all you want when we're back in Strauss."

Mirajane sighed in defeat. She was outsmarted by her younger sister. She had no choice but to accept her terms.

"You really thought this all out," she mused. "You would make an excellent ruler one day."

"I learned from the best," Lisanna replied. "Hate me now and thank me later." 

Chapter Text

"It's good to be on land again," Princess Mirajane said, walking off the boat. "Isn't that right, Lisanna?"

Her younger sister didn't reply. She seemed to be trying to figure out something in her head.

"Lisanna, is something bothering you?" she asked again.

"Is there a way to travel by sea and see the fish underwater?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't know," Mirajane replied. "I'm sure you'd love it if there were. More animals for you to make friends with."

"It's like you can read my mind," her younger sister giggled. 

Mirajane knew how much Lisanna loved interacting with the woodland creatures of Strauss. The only thing keeping her from doing the same with the sea creatures was being able to breathe underwater.

"We should be looking for someone to take us to the palace," Mirajane said.

"Would he happen to look like that?" Lisanna asked, pointing to a man in fancy clothes who stood by a carriage.

"There's only one way to find out," Mirajane replied.

They both walked over to the carriage.

"Excuse me, sir?" Mirajane asked.

"Princess Mirajane, I presume?" the gentleman said.

"You presume correctly," she replied with a curtsy. "You'll have to forgive me. My younger sister decided to come along without my permission."

"Younger sister?" the man questioned as he glanced at the younger Strauss.

"Princess Lisanna of Strauss," she replied with her own curtsy. She made it this far, so there was no point in lying.

Mirajane continued, "I'd hate to impose, but-"

"Nonsense," the gentleman dismissed. "I'm sure King Faust will welcome your sister."

"King Faust?" Lisanna questioned.

"That's the King of Edolas," Mirajane explained.

Lisanna nodded in reply. It wasn't as if she couldn't tell that. Something about the king's name felt scary.

She pushed those thoughts aside as the carriage led them through the town. Edolas was, near enough, the opposite of Strauss. Instead of a wooded kingdom with sparse houses, Edolas was a bustling metropolis. The people seemed happy and well-off. Perhaps Strauss could receive help from them after all.

Lisanna couldn't help but drink in the sights of the foreign area. "This place is amazing," Lisanna mused. "Isn't it, Mira?" 

Lisanna turned to her sister and noticed her nervous look. "Yeah, everything is great," she replied.

"Mira, is something wrong?"

"I'm just worried," the older princess replied. "This will be the first time I've met with the prince. What if I see him and he doesn't like me? What if he sees me and doesn't like me?"

"Mira," Lisanna said, grabbing her sister's hand. "You have nothing to worry about. You are the greatest sister anyone could ever have. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Lisanna," she replied with a sigh. "I guess I did need you to come with me."

Before they knew it, they were at the castle. They were led through the halls and into the king's court.

"Welcoming in Princess Mirajane and Princess Lisanna of Stauss!" the royal crier called. They walked through the courts and passed the guards and knights on the sides of the room, standing still as statues, before they made their way to the king.

"It's good to meet with you, young princesses," he greeted them. "As you might know, I am King Faust of Edolas."

"It is a pleasure to meet with you, King Faust," Mirajane said as she and her sister curtsied.

"The pleasure is all mine," King Faust replied. "Though, I imagine your excitement is not to meet with me. I will not hold you in suspense for much longer. Here is my son, Prince Hughes of Edolas."

A young man came from the side of the room to greet Mirajane. In contrast to Mirajane and Lisanna's white hair, his hair was dark with a streak of white. Lisanna looked at her sister. It wasn't hard to tell that she had fallen hard for the young man.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Mirajane," he said, kissing the back of her hand.

"Likewise," she managed to say, keeping as much of her composure as possible.

"I'm sure your travels have made you weary," King Faust announced. "Our royal attendants will show you to your rooms. You will be notified for supper later this afternoon."

"You have a room for Lisanna?" Mirajane asked.

"But, of course," he replied. "What kind of ruler would I be if I couldn't prepare for such possibilities?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lisanna said with a curtsy. "I only hope to repay your kindness."

"I'm sure you will," he replied. He motioned for the attendants to show the girls to their separate rooms. Princess Mirajane's chamber was about a level higher than Lisanna's. Both rooms were decorated ornately, more than they could remember seeing in Strauss.

Mirajane took a moment to step outside her balcony for some fresh air. She intended to reassure herself that she was making the best decision for Strauss. Seeing her fiance did much to help, but she still knew nothing about him.

"I sure hope he is as kind as he is handsome," Mirajane thought.

As the thought crossed her mind, she noted a young woman on a balcony lower than her. She wore her brown hair in a ponytail and was very excitedly moving across the balcony. Not wishing to disturb her, she returned to her room and waited for supper.

The meal went off without a hitch. It was an extravagant meal that was enjoyed by all. Mirajane didn't notice the girl from the balcony eating with them. She didn't wish to be impolite and didn't ask about it. Perhaps she needed to leave before supper.

Before long, it was bedtime. As Mirajane was about to put the lights out, she noticed a light outside the windows. Outside the window, she saw a series of lights scale a mountain overlooking the castle. She had noticed the mountain before but had no clue why so many people would climb there at night.

"Maybe I'll find out about it tomorrow," she thought with a yawn as she climbed into her bed.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Mira," Lisanna said, approaching her older sister. "Did you see the lights on the mountain last night?"

"Yes," Mirajane hesitantly replied. She wasn't willing to share more information about it with anyone outside the royal family. "I didn't know that you were still up that late."

"I had a bad dream and woke up early," the younger princess explained. "Then I saw the lights. It took me a while, but I fell back to sleep."

They had no more time to press the issue as King Faust and Prince Hughes met them.

"Good morning," King Faust greeted them. "Today will be an eventful day for you, Princess Mirajane of Strauss. We have some delegations and preparations for the wedding ceremony tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Lisanna asked.

"There is a bit of urgency to these matters," the king explained. "After all, I'm sure the Kingdom of Strauss needs the aid as soon as possible."

Lisanna protested, "But-"

"Will I spend more time with Prince Hughes?" Mirajane interjected, covering her sister's mouth.

"Of course," he replied. "I would love nothing more than to have my son bond with my future daughter-in-law."

Mirajane sighed, "That is good to know."

"As for you, Princess Lisanna," King Faust continued. "You are free to wander about the castle grounds as you please."

"Really?" Lisanna replied.

"We have but one small request," he clarified. "Please do not go to the west wing of the castle. That is where our executive affairs are handled. Many in the bureaucracy are particular and wish not to be disturbed."

"Okay," she replied cautiously.

"Come," the king announced, clapping his hands. "It is time for breakfast!"

The meal was as lavish as the night before. Mirajane decided to sit next to  Prince Hughes during the meal. Lisanna couldn't help but roll her eyes at the faces her older sister made at her fiance. The prince seemed similarly interested in her as well. 

However, one thought bothered Lisanna during the meal. The same thought she had before her sister interrupted her. "If there is an urgency to help Strauss, why not provide aid before the wedding?"

Something started to seem off about the wedding.

These thoughts were pushed to the side as the meal ended. Mirajane was led away by the king and prince. Lisanna was left on her own. She wanted to see if there was an aviary or anywhere else she could find the animals the court held. "Not sure if I should look for the stables," she reasoned, pacing the halls. "They may need them for something. Who would I even ask to find a place like that?"

As the thought came to mind, she noticed a cloaked figure pass through the doors. Once they entered, they doubled over on the floor, groaning in pain. It sounded like a man's groans, but she couldn't tell.

Noticing they were alone, she walked towards the figure.

"Hello, is something wrong?" she asked the man.

"What... is your name?" he asked.

She noticed hints of pink hair through the top of his hood. "Princess Lisanna of-"

"You... need to leave..." he groaned.

The instructions confused her. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

This time, the man was more forceful. He grabbed her shoulder and shouted, "Go!" 

The frightened princess ran through the same doors the man had come through.

---

"That was terrifying," she noted, gasping for air.

She had been thoughtlessly running away from the palace. She couldn't tell where she was in the foreign land. As she looked around, she was surrounded by civilians. They were just as jolly as when she saw them riding inside the carriage.

"Hey!" a voice called out for her. She didn't recognize the voice, but when she looked toward its source, she saw it came from an older woman. Despite her age, she seemed to be as sharp as one twenty years her junior.

"It seems like you're lost," she continued.

"How could you tell?" Lisanna asked.

"Anyone dressed as well as you are is probably supposed to be in the palace," the woman replied.

"My name is Princess Lisanna of Strauss," Lisanna introduced herself.

"You can call me Granny Dee," the woman said.

"Would you happen to know a way back?" Lisanna asked. "I'm not sure I would be greeted well if I ran back."

"Come with me," Granny Dee replied. "I may have what you need in here."

Lisanna was led into a shop filled with different trinkets and treasures. They hung from the walls and were displayed on special pedestals or behind glass cabinets. There were several bookcases lining the back wall of varying thicknesses. 

Curiously, a teenage girl was reading one of the books near the front of the store. Lisanna thought she could almost have been Mira's twin if it weren't for their hair. While her sister wore her long white hair in different styles, the girl let her long blue hair reach her shoulders.

"Wendy!" Granny Dee yelled. "I don't pay you to lounge about! Look for one of the Exceed Rings!"

"Fine," she sighed, closing the book and following the woman's orders. Lisanna couldn't help but chuckle at how Wendy acted as if she was doing Granny Dee a favor by going through the door behind where she was. She couldn't imagine Mira acting the same way about anything similar.

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to a necklace on display. It was a simple necklace with a light green jewel the size of her thumb. Nothing seemed especially special about the necklace, but something about it called to her.

"You have quite the eye, Princess," Granny Dee told her, almost breaking the young princess out of a trance. "That's the Milky Way Jewel."

"Milky Way?" Lisanna asked.

"Supposedly, it allows you to communicate with the souls of animals," Granny Dee explained.

"Really?" Lisanna asked, beaming at the prospect of being able to communicate with animals.

"Supposedly," the older woman corrected her. "I can't tell you how many times this has been returned to me by an angry customer saying it's useless. They haven't been able to talk to their pets or farm animals with this."

"Is there more to it than that?" Lisanna asked. "It lets you communicate with the souls of animals?"

The older woman thought about the question. "Give me a second," she said before pulling a sheet of paper from the shelves.

"Instructions for the jewel," Lisanna thought as Granny Dee read it.

"It seems that the purpose of the jewel is to capture the soul of an animal," the woman said while holding the paper.

"You can read that?" Lisanna said as she glanced at the paper. The words were faded. What little she could see was clearly in another language she didn't understand.

"I doubt there's much more use for learning Draconic these days," the woman chuckled.

"I got one!" Wendy called, coming back out of the door.

"Thank you," Granny Dee said, taking the ring from her assistant and giving it to the princess. "This is called an Exceed Ring. It grants the wearer the ability to fly."

"I can fly wearing this?" Lisanna asked.

"They're fairly commonplace in the kingdom of Edolas," Wendy concurred, flashing a white band on her right hand. "There happen to be other modes of transportation, but they're popular among the younger citizens. Check the inside of the ring for the inscription."

Lisanna picked the blue ring out of her palm to look inside of it. Granny Dee looked over her shoulder and read the inscription aloud, "Happy? Quite the sense of humor, Wendy," she dryly said.

"I learned from the best," she replied.

"Why, you little-"

"How does it work?" Lisanna asked. "The Exceed Ring, I mean. How do I fly with it?"

"We could tell you," Granny Dee said, "but it's probably better you experience it yourself."

"Thank you," Lisanna said with a curtsy.

"One more thing," the elderly woman said, taking the necklace off its pedestal and placing it on Lisanna's neck.

"You're giving me the Milky Way Jewel?" the princess asked.

"Honestly, you'll be doing us a favor by taking that thing off our hands," Wendy replied nonchalantly. 

Granny Dee elbowed her before saying, "What she means is that with your interest in the jewel, perhaps you might be able to find how it works."

"How could I possibly repay you?" Lisanna asked.

"Don't worry about the ring," Wendy replied. "Those are about a dime a dozen in these parts."

"As for the jewel," Granny Dee continued, "just find out how it works, and we'll be fine."

"I'll do my best," Lisanna chuckled as she left the shop. As she walked away, she focused her attention to the ring. "Now, how do I use this thing?"

Chapter Text

Lisanna figured if she had to figure out how to make it to the castle, she'd need to find a nice open space to practice. She managed to find a spot nearby where the streets weren't crowded. Now, all she needed to do was get airborne.

"If only it were that easy," she thought to herself.

For her love of animals, she never understood how they flew, aside from flapping their wings.

"There's no way," she considered. "Well, it's not like I know it doesn't work that way."

She started to flap her arms slowly as if they were bird wings. She then jumped into the air, hoping she would take off. She was disappointed when she landed back on her feet. She tried again while flapping her arms harder to no effect.

"It was worth a shot," she sighed. "Back to the drawing board."

She reached her arms into the sky as if to grab a piece of the clouds above and ride on one. She wasn't able to move off the ground. She tried again with one arm raised and another on her hip, then with her arms spread out to the sides and several other positions. 

Nothing seemed to work.

"Well, this is my first time," she assured herself while sitting on a nearby crate. "Maybe these things take time to learn."

No sooner did the thought cross her mind that she saw several children much younger than her flying above her. She watched as they gleefully soared over the buildings and streets. 

"Of course," she slumped, burying her cheek in her left palm. While she looked at the ring on her right hand, she was reminded of Wendy's words in the store. 

"Look at the inscription inside the ring."

She slipped the ring off her hand and looked at the inscription again. 

"Happy," she read.

"Hold on a second," she realized, slipping the ring back on her finger. She stood back up, dusted her skirt off, and calmed herself. With her eyes clothes, she said the inscription, "Happy."

She said it and looked to her sides. "Well, nothing seems different. It was worth a try, I gue- WHAT?!!" Once she looked at her feet, she noticed she was no longer standing on the ground. Her feet were hovering a short bit above it. She had figured out how to fly.

Sort of.

"How do I get down from here?" she wondered. "Umm... Happy?"

Immediately, she fell to the ground. She landed on her feet, but it came as a shock to her.

"Wait, does that mean I'll never be able to say happy again?" Lisanna said out loud. However, she didn't move from where she was. "Alright, that's good to know."

She looked for a sign of the royal palace. Once she found it, she braced herself for what would come next. "Well, no time like the present to learn," she noted.

She jumped up a couple times before saying, "Happy!" Once in the air, she couldn't help but rise higher than the buildings around her. She thought to stop after meeting a nearby clock tower at eye level. As the thought came to her, she stopped gaining height.

"Half past noon," she read. "I hope no one is looking for me in the palace. I still have plenty of time to make it back."

---

Lisanna was delighted by how easy it was to control the Exceed Ring. To go in a direction, she merely needed to turn that way. If she wanted to stop or go faster, she only had to think about it. 

As she retraced her earlier path, she was impressed by what was possible when she was scared. Once the mysterious guest told her to run, she kept running until she couldn't. At the time, she figured it wasn't that far. She now realized how far she had run. She had run well past the castle gates and into the surrounding town. 

"Scary what I can do when terrified," she mused. 

In the distance, she heard the single chime of the clock tower. She had reached the castle grounds again. However, she noticed that she was hovering over the west wing. She remembered the warning she received from King Faust about the wing, but curiosity took the best of her.

"I'll just go in and out before anyone notices me," she thought. 

She lowered herself closer to the nearest window to the ground. She was about to lift it but saw people on the other side.

"Happy," she whispered, letting her feet touch the ground.

Lisanna looked back through the window and saw men in a meeting. She pressed her face to the glass to catch some of their conversation.

"Make sure that the preparations for the Fire Dragon's Ritual are ready by tomorrow evening," one of the men said.

It didn't seem to be of much concern to Lisanna. She was about to leave when she heard one of the men speak.

"And what of the young princess?" another man asked.

This gave Lisanna reason for pause. "Young princess," she thought. "Do they mean me or Mira?"

The first answered, "We'll deal with her later. Perhaps the preparations will be set for our next guest." 

He continued, "Well, you have your orders. Carry them out."

"Yes, sir!" the men cheered.

Lisanna ran through the field, took an entrance from behind the main hall, ran immediately to her chambers, and shut the doors behind her. Her heart raced as she thought of what she heard. She was trying to sort the little bits of it in her head. 

"Fire Dragon's Ritual... preparations... young princess... next guess... Ah! What does it all mean?"

She was left with more questions than answers. Worst of all, she didn't know what her sister's wedding had to do with this.

"Later," she resolved. "I'll speak with Mira later after supper, and we'll be fine."

Her resolution didn't make her feel much better. She took a moment to look at her dress. Through everything that happened, she noticed how dirty it had become over the past hours.

"First, I'll need to draw a bath," she noted. "I have a bad feeling about this wedding."

---

"I feel so amazing!" Mirajane cheered as she fell on her bed.

"Really?" Lisanna asked.

"Prince Hughes is such an amazing gentleman," her sister continued. "He's so cultured and handsome. I'll enjoy being his wife."

"Yeah," Lisanna managed with unease.

"Of course," Mirajane continued, "it helps that this will help Strauss. It's just extra special knowing that he's as much the man I hoped he would be."

"Yeah," Lisanna replied. She had forgotten the purpose of the wedding. Like it or not, Mirajane needed to go through with this for Strauss. Lisanna would have to push her misgivings aside for her people's sake.

"But," a new thought captured her, "what if that's a lie as well?" What if there was more to this than we know?

"Anyways," Mirajane asked, "there was something you wanted to tell me?"

 "Oh," Lisanna replied, trying to think of something to tell her. "I went into the town earlier."

"By yourself?!"

"I was fine," Lisanna assured her in a subdued voice. "I want to show you what I got in the city."

Chapter Text

The wedding was an extravagant affair. Mirajane looked more beautiful than Lisanna could ever remember seeing her. The castle staff prepared her for the wedding. She looked every bit the queen she would become once the ceremony was over. Lisanna could tell this was the happiest day of her sister's life.

Lisanna, on the other hand, was on edge the entire time. It was as if she was tied to a bomb and watching as the light at the fuse crawled closer to exploding. Dramatic as it seemed, she could only smile and hope that the sinking feeling in her stomach was for nothing.

She kept chanting, "It's all for Strauss. It's all for Strauss," as she watched the ceremony go on. 

As the bride and groom kissed, the ceremony seemed over. However, the priest announced something that made Lisanna's skin crawl. "We will now prepare the bride and groom for the Fire Dragon's Ritual."

"Oh no," she whispered.

"As you well know," the priest continued, "the Fire Dragon's Ritual is a special ceremony to honor the history of our great ancestors. The first King of Edolas fought valiantly against the Great Fire Dragon to win peace for his people. The Fire Dragon's Ritual is to honor his victory. We will take the bride and groom away to commence the ritual."

"There it is again," Lisanna thought to herself. "Keeping things secret from the rest of us. Nothing about this feels okay." Chances are that if the roles were reversed, Mirajane would do something to stop them.

On second thought, perhaps she'd still be as lovestruck. Mirajane always had an interest in the romantic happenings of others. She almost lost her mind when she learned that Elfman had taken an interest in a nearby duchess with brown hair.

The point is that Lisanna knew her sister should have known better. She should have been able to see through this scheme. At the very least, she should have questioned some of the arrangements.

Especially if this was to help Strauss.

Lisanna walked up to her sister as they were preparing to take the newlyweds away. "Mira," she said.

"Oh, Lisanna," Mirajane replied, hugging her younger sister. "You were right to stow away. I'm so glad that you're here today. If only our parents could have seen this day."

"Yeah," Lisanna offered. "If only they were."

She steeled herself before continuing. "Mira."

"What is it?"

"I," Lisanna answered, "I want you to promise me you'll be safe."

"What?" Mirajane laughed.

"Please," her younger sister pleaded. "I'm worried something is going to happen."

Mirajane wanted to dismiss her sister's fears, but she could tell something was wrong. Lisanna didn't seem to be messing around. She was being deadly serious. Something was terrifying her, but she didn't know what it was.

"Lisanna," Mirajane answered, pulling her sister in for a hug. "Nothing is going to happen to me. We'll still be sisters even after this ceremony."

"Still," Lisanna replied, hugging her sister back, "promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise I'll be safe," she answered, kissing her sister's forehead.

It didn't take long for her to be led away with her new husband into a special carriage to carry them to the Fire Dragon's Ritual. As the carriage drove away, Lisanna kept reminding herself, "It's all for Strauss. Everything will be okay. It's all for Strauss. Everything will be okay."

---

"It's all for Strauss. Everything will be okay," Lisanna reminded herself.

She had been telling herself that since yesterday. She hadn't seen her sister since then. It was hard to distract herself inside the castle. Anywhere she could think to go would have been another source of concern. The king didn't show up to breakfast. The castle staff said he was dealing with important business. It wasn't as if she'd want to see him anyway.

"Granny Dee!" she exclaimed. "I could see her and Wendy."

She started to reach for the door but realized it would be better to use the Exceed ring to go there. She stepped to the window, pulled it open, and stepped away. 

"Alright," she said. "Here we go."

She was about to jump through it when she saw a hand climb through the other side and grab the window sill. 

"What even?" she asked.

Another hand grabbed the sill, and she heard grunting. 

"Wait a minute," she continued. "There's no way."

A figure pulled through the window and rolled into her room, confirming her fears. She saw the same pink hair she caught a glimpse of two days ago. It was the same person who scared her at the doors. She ran towards the door, but she felt the figure grab her from behind before she reached the door. One hand held her free arm to her back while the other covered her mouth.

"Now, I know this will sound crazy," the man said, "but I need you not to scream."

Lisanna tried speaking through his hand. "Why should I trust you?!!" he made out.

"Because I'm the only one in this castle who can save your life," he replied. "I need you to trust me, or else I can't guarantee you'll be fine."

Lisanna reluctantly released the tension in her body. Once he felt safe, the man let go of her. "Where are my manners," he replied while she turned towards him. "My name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

Lisanna couldn't help but be impressed by Natsu. He had a much smaller frame than Elfman but seemed almost as strong. They were about the same height, and (as expected) he had spiky pink hair. She looked at his outstretched hand with confusion and disgust.

"Princess Lisanna of Strauss," she replied, moving the hand out of her way as she walked towards her bed. "You're lucky that I've been feeling worse about this situation since we came here. I wouldn't talk to you like this."

"Perhaps we should compare notes," Natsu suggested.

"Okay," said Lisanna. "What brings you here?"

"I'm from the kingdom of Magnolia," he explained, "and I'm worried about our own princess."

"What about her?"

Natsu pulled up a chair and said, "She's been betrothed to marry the prince of Edolas."

"Wait a minute," Lisanna said. "Mira- I mean, my sister just married the prince of Edolas."

"Exactly," Natsu said. "And have you another prince of Edolas since coming here?"

"No," she replied. She only saw the king, the prince, and the castle staff.

"Which means they're doing something with your sister right now," Natsu said.

"The Fire Dragon's Ritual!" she exclaimed, jumping from the bed.

"What about it?" Natsu asked.

"They took them to the ritual after the wedding," Lisanna explained. "Of course, they didn't say much else."

"Of course not," Natsu replied.

"There was something else," Lisanna said.

Before she could continue, Natsu motioned her to stop talking. "Do you hear that?"

Lisanna tried to hear what her pink-haired... unwitting ally was talking about. "No," she said.

"Someone's coming," Natsu said. "We have to hide."

Lisanna ran to the window and slammed it shut.

"I have an idea," she said with a grin. Natsu wasn't aware of it, but this would be a familiar sight to her siblings.

Chapter Text

Natsu was wrong. Someone wasn't coming to the door.

Two men burst through the door, one older and one younger.

"Quickly, search for the young princess," the older man said. 

"It doesn't look like anyone's still here," the younger man answered, looking around the room.

"That's what she'd want you to think! We checked every other room in this castle and couldn't find her. If she's anywhere in this castle, she has to be here. Check the closet. I'll check underneath the bed."

They searched the room for what felt like an eternity and couldn't find a trace of the princess.

"See? I told you the princess isn't here," the younger man said. "Maybe she tried to leave already?"

"If she did," the older soldier said, "she'll find it hard to return home. Let's tell the chief to proceed with the original plan. The princess from Magnolia is coming in two days. Let's prepare the Fire Dragon's Ritual for her."

They left the room, closing the door behind them. Not that it mattered since no one was in the room.

"I think the coast is clear."

Or so they thought.

"Alright," Lisanna said. "Happy."

Lisanna and Natsu floated gently from the top of the bed frame to the ground.

"How did you even do that?" Natsu asked.

"I'll explain later," Lisanna dismissed. "Why were they looking for me?"

"Supposedly, to have you go through with this Fire Dragon's Ritual."

"That means they don't need a wedding for the ritual."

"Hold on," Natsu said. "One of them said that you'd have issues getting home."

"Oh no," Lisanna said, coming to a dangerous realization.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked. "Lisanna, wha- hey!"

Lisanna grabbed Natsu's arm and ran towards the window.

"Lisanna!" Natsu yelled. "I don't think this is a good idea!" 

"Happy!" she replied as she jumped through the glass. Once they were out of the castle, she grabbed Natsu's arms with both hands. "Hang on!" Lisanna yelled before they raced past the castle grounds.

"Lisanna!" Natsu yelled to her. "Where are we going?"

She didn't reply, as if she was saving her strength to fly as fast as she could while holding him.

"We haven't been here that long," he continued. "Maybe we should stop and ask someone if we're going in the right direction."

She still didn't answer him.

"Look," Natsu called out to her, "if there's anything you can tell me to help, you have... to..."

"Oh no," Lisanna gasped.

They slowed to a crawl when they saw the ship the Strauss princesses entered Edolas in. At least what was left of it. They could see the mast peaking outside the waters, surrounded by stray wood planks.

None of the ship crew were in sight.

They slowly sank to the nearby pier. Lisanna barely whispered the words to lower them to the ground before she broke down in tears.

Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he offered.

"They were looking for me for this ritual," she said. "If they found me," her voice trailed off. "If they did this, they didn't care if I was alive."

"If we don't move quickly," Natsu said, "they'll do the same thing to my princess. We have to hurry and-"

"No," Lisanna interrupted. "We have to look for Mirajane."

"What? We have two days until the next ritual. We don't even know if-"

"Don't," she cut him off. "I'm not leaving my sister behind. If there's even the smallest chance that she's alive, I'm looking for her with or without your help."

Natsu sighed in frustration. "We don't even know where to look for her. She could be anywhere."

"The first night I was here, my sister and I saw lights heading up the mountain. They must have done the ritual and brought the first princess somewhere there. All we have to do is search the mountain for where they would have put her and look for her before they do this again."

"There really is no convincing you otherwise," Natsu relented. The look in her eyes didn't remind her of a princess. It reminded him of a warrior's gaze, but something was different. It seemed more protective than vengeful. He couldn't tell why, but he was intrigued by it.

"Well, I'm not going to let you do this alone," he continued. " I'm coming with you. Whatever's going on, this goes all the way up to the crown. You'll need as much help as you can get."

"Thank you," she offered. "Sorry for getting scared by you earlier."

"That was kind of the point," he chuckled. "I was warned something like this was going on. When I heard you were a princess, I wanted you to be safe. If you're willing to face this head-on, you may be stronger than I gave you credit." 

"I just can't leave my sister alone," she replied.

"One last thing," Natsu said.

"What is it?" Lisanna asked.

"Show me how you're flying," Natsu said. "I think it's easier for both of us if I'm in control."

The princess was skeptical about the suggestion. "How do I know you won't just take off without me when I do?" she asked.

"What benefit would that be to either of us?" he replied dryly.

"Okay," she said, handing him the ring.

---

Natsu was a natural at flying. As easy as Lisanna found it flying, Natsu was like a fish in water once he learned how to fly. She wanted to chalk it up to having more help than she did. However, she couldn't deny that he was doing an incredible job flying.

His flight was especially praiseworthy since he was carrying Lisanna on his back. It was more that she was holding onto him while he flew.

She guided him towards the mountain to where the lights were days before. "There!' she yelled, pointing to a spot below them. "That's where they were leading to."

"This better not lead to a trap or something," Natsu said, zooming closer to where she pointed. As they got closer to the point, it was clear that this wasn't an entrance to a cave. It was just another opening in the mountain.

"It's a dead end," Natsu said as they hovered above the hole.

"Hold on," Lisanna said. "Let's see what's at the bottom of the hole."

"If you say so," Natsu replied, bringing them down the opening in the mountain. "Happy!" he called out as they gently fell to the ground. 

Lisanna let go of him once their feet touched the ground. The whole flight left her feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't that she was flying in an awkward position. Something about being so close to the man she only recently came to trust didn't sit well with her. She couldn't tell what it was and didn't want to dwell on it too long. All that mattered was finding Mirajane and getting to the bottom of things.

She didn't get too far before she tripped on the ground. "Ow," she said, rubbing her side. She looked at her feet and picked up the item she tripped on. "Is this... a tiara?"

"What?" Natsu asked. As he turned towards her, he noticed something near his feet. "Here's another tiara."

"It looks like we're going in the right direction," Lisanna said, dusting herself off and standing up.

Natsu started to feel uneasy. "If these belonged to other princesses..."

"We're not leaving without Mira," Lisanna firmly insisted. 

"But," Natsu replied, "what if..."

"We're not leaving," she calmly repeated, "without Mira. End of story." She didn't say anything else before walking deeper into the mountain.

Natsu couldn't help but smirk to himself. "Alright, Princess," he relented, making his way to catch up.

"Keep an eye out," Natsu cautioned Lisanna as they made their way through the cavern. "Who knows if we'll find any more clues."

"That reminds me," Lisanna said. "How did you even learn about things going on here?"

"It was around the same time Princess Lucy was asked to marry the prince of Edolas," Natsu replied.

"Princess Lucy?" she asked. "That's your princess?"

"Something like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll have to explain it some other time," he chuckled. "Anyways, Princess Lucy was told that a prince was interested in marrying her. I got a notice from a nearby duke."

"What is his name?"

"It didn't say. All it read was, 'Study the tragedy of Isvan before the wedding.'"

"The tragedy of Isvan?" Lisanna asked. "They teach that in our history books. Foreign invaders razed the city over a century ago. No one was spared."

"That's right," Natsu agreed. "At least, that's the official story."

"What do you mean?"

"A year before the tragedy," Natsu continued, "Ur, princess of Isvan, was married to the prince of Edolas."

"Where did you find that out?" Lisanna asked.

"Buried deep in our historical records," Natsu replied, putting an exasperated emphasis on "deep." "You wouldn't believe what I went through to find that out. Once I did, I knew I needed to come here and find out what was happening. From the looks of it, Princess Ur was a victim of the Fire Dragon's Ritual."

"So," Lisanna asked, "Edolas was behind the tragedy of Isvan?" 

"More likely than not," he replied. "Whatever the Fire Dragon's Ritual means for the princesses, there's a reason no one else has heard about it.    They don't let the kingdoms involved share that information with others."

Natsu walked a few paces before realizing Lisanna hadn't moved from her spot since he mentioned that.

"Lisanna," he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"We were promised that if we did this," Lisanna admitted, "we would get aid for Strauss. Without it..."

"Lisanna," he offered.

She wiped her face and walked towards Natsu. "Let's find Mira and stop the next wedding before anything else happens."

Chapter Text

"We're really deep in this mountain now," Natsu said, looking around him. "We haven't seen any tiaras or jewelry for a while."

"That should be expected," Lisanna noted. "If I was dropped in here, the first thing I'd get rid of is jewelry. It's not going to be much help."

"You say that, and you've been carrying that necklace this whole time,' Natsu remarked.

"That's different," she argued. She didn't care to explain the Milky Way jewel to him. "Anyways, chances are that Mira would be somewhere deep in the mountain. Especially if she's been here two days." 

"Well, we're going to have to stop somewhere for rest," Natsu noted. "Let's keep going until we find a good- Wait." He said, stopping Lisanna.

"What?" she asked, looking at him.

"Look," he noted.

When she looked, the floor was scattered with different remains. Instead of similar princess remains from before, pieces of armor and swords were scattered around the bones.

"Something's off," Natsu said.

"What do you mean," Lisanna asked.

"These bones," he explained. "They don't look like they decayed naturally.     They almost look... burnt."

"Burnt? What could have done that?"

"Don't know," he said, picking up a sword. "But we can't rest here. Watch your step."

Lisanna watched as he stepped over the remains toward another exit. She gulped before slowly following him. She noticed a faint glow from her necklace as she crossed the room. She wondered what it could have meant. "There are no animals here, right?" She thought to herself. When she met back up with him, something else dawned on her.

"Wait a minute," Lisanna noted. "How are we going to see when we get any deeper? We've been lucky to get the sun up to this point."

"Well, worst comes to worst," he said as they walked down the path, "I can start a fire."

"Without any wood?"

"You never know? You'd be shocked what could start a fire with," Natsu joked.

"Considering where we just came from, that's in poor taste," Lisanna remarked. "Besides, I think we might not need a fire." She pointed towards a faint blue glow further down.

"There's no way that's fire," Natsu said. "What could possibly be glowing down here?"

The thought barely left his lips when Lisanna ran towards the blue light. As Natsu gave chase for her, he wondered what had excited her. He found the answer when the path opened to a large cavern. The walls were covered by glowing blue slugs climbing the walls of  

"Mistral slugs!" Lisanna exclaimed. "I heard they existed, but I've never seen them in real life."

"It's been a while since I've seen these," Natsu mused.

"You've seen them?" she asked.

"They're in some of the caves in Magnolia," he explained. "I used to visit them when I was younger."

"What happened?" she asked.

"I imagine it's different for a princess," he said, "but I was only given so much free time when I got older. I had to spend my time doing other things."

"That sounds more like my sister," she said. "Once our parents died, she was forced to take over Strauss. She's done the best she can, but I hardly get to see her outside of mealtimes. Usually, she's too tired at the end of the day to meet with me or Elfman, my older brother."

"I- I didn't know you lost your parents."  

"It's been a long time."

"I don't know if it's any help," Natsu replied gently, "but I lost my father. He died in a great war against another kingdom. While he was hailed a great hero, I still miss him."

Lisanna regarded him. This was a side of him she hadn't seen in him since they met... the second time. She thought he was well-meaning but rough. She never thought they would have shared interests or trauma. This was a softer, more vulnerable side to him. She wished to see it more.

"Hey, Natsu," she said. "If we make it out of this, I'd like you to show me some of those caves in Magnolia you used to visit."

"Well," he replied, "We must find your sister and stop the wedding. This might be as good a place to rest. We'll spend some time here before we move further.

---

"I'm hungry," Lisanna whined while following Natsu. 

"Well, unless a plate of food magically appears in front of us," he replied, "I can't do much about that."

They both were carrying a bag of slugs to see their way. They used the blue glow to follow the path past the cavern. 

"We should have gotten food before we left," she continued.

"It was late at night. Who knows who would have been open? 

Besides, it wasn't as if you could have gone to the palace and asked for food. Who knows what they'd do?"

"I know, but - hold on!" Lisanna grabbed his sleeve. "Look at this," she said, holding the bag of slugs to the wall.

"How about that?" Natsu sighed. "It's a map. Someone seemed to have drawn a picture of the mountain with different trails inside."

"Do you think..."

"Yep," Natsu agreed. "This is from the past princesses. How did one princess keep track of all of this?"

"I don't think one did," she said, holding the light to a path. "Look at the lines for this path. They're different from the mountain."

"You're right," he replied, holding his light towards another part of the map. "This path seems closed off, but then it continues on."

"So the other princesses that were part of the Fire Dragon's Ritual added onto the map over the years?"

"Seems like it," he said.

"Look!" Lisanna exclaimed, pointing to a spot with a star on the map. "This must be where we are!" 

"And if that's the case," Natsu continued, tracing his light down a path, "we should find a safe spot there." He pointed to a spot on the map marked by a word Lisanna couldn't understand.

"You can read that?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's an older form of Draconic, but I can manage."

Lisanna was slightly frustrated. First, Granny Dee, and now Natsu could read Draconic. "How do you know that language?"

"Never mind that. That word there says 'safe.' If your sister is anywhere in this mountain, that might be our best bet."

"Alright!" Lisanna yelled. "Mira, here we come!"

She was too caught up in her excitement to notice her screams echoing through the caverns.

"Not so loud!" Natsu rebuked her in a hushed tone.

"Why not?" Lisanna said.

"Think about it," he said. "Why would all these princesses make a map of this mountain? They wanted to make sure others were safe from something."

As he spoke, they heard rumbling from the distance.

Lisanna nervously replied, "You don't think..."

"Why else would they keep the name?" Natsu said, raising his sword towards the rumbling. "I'll keep it distracted. Go to the safe spot, find your sister, and I'll find you."

Lisanna's heart was torn. Their goal was to find Mirajane. There was no guarantee of what state she was in, even if she was alive. They found their best hint to where she was in two days. 

However, she didn't want to leave Natsu alone to face the dragon. Deep down, she knew she couldn't do anything to help him fight. However, she felt a duty to protect the man who helped her this far. Not to mention, he had his own princess to protect.

She didn't have much time to think as the source of the rumbling appeared before them.

"The fire dragon," Lisanna whispered to herself.

Chapter Text

The Strauss family once took a summer vacation on a foreign island. It was while the King and Queen of Strauss were still alive. There was little about it that Lisanna remembered about the trip. 

Her only memory of the trip was getting lost from her family and seeing a giant lizard. It was almost as big as a table. She caught it while eating its prey. The poor animal seemed to be twice its size. 

Lisanna didn't quite remember how she got out of the situation. However, she remembered her family being worried about her later. They told her she could have been eaten too if she wasn't careful. It didn't bother her much then. She still grew to love and enjoy seeing and being around animals.

As she stared down the dragon before her and Natsu, she understood what they were worried about.

The fiery orange dragon towered over them. Although it bore the scars of long-fought wars from centuries ago, it seemed just as terrifying as it commanded.

"I am Atlas Flame! Welcome to my lair!" it thundered. 

Lisanna was speechless. She was too stricken with fear to make a move or respond.

Natsu hid her behind him and replied, "You can talk?"

"Indeed," the dragon replied. "Though not many have heard my voice and lived to tell the tale."

"Hear us, Atlas Flame," Natsu said to the dragon. "All we want is to find this girl's sister. We don't wish to cause any harm."

Atlas Flame growled in disgust. "Don't wish to cause harm," it cruelly repeated. "You humans are all the same. You claim to come peacefully, only to betray the ones who believe themselves to be your allies."

"Not all humans are like that," Lisanna mumbled.

"Lisanna," Natsu whispered back.

Atlas Flame drew closer to smell the two humans. Natsu drew the sword to protect them, but the dragon was still far enough not to be hurt. Once it backed away, it chuckled to itself. 

"Lisanna, you say?" Atlas Flame asked. "Your sister has put up quite the fight for her life."

"Mira's alive?!" she exclaimed.

"For now, at least," Atlas Flame replied. "Too bad your reunion is all for naught," and raised a claw to swipe at them.

"Lisanna!" Natsu yelled, pushing her out of the way. They fell to the ground, but Natsu recovered quickly. "Hurry! Find your sister!"

She protested, "But-"

"I'll find you," he cut her off, "and I'll show you every cave in Magnolia."

The thought was heartwarming. In an instant, Lisanna's worries melted away. She didn't know how, but she could tell he would be fine.

She felt much less inclined to argue this time. She picked herself up and ran towards the safe spot.

The last thing she heard was Natsu shouting, "If you want the Strauss sisters, you'll have to get past me! HAPPY!!!" followed by what sounded like a blast of fire. Atlas Flame seemed to have lived up to the moniker of "fire dragon."

Her courage died as she heard the fire dragon roar. She couldn't look back. She knew she had to keep going to find Mirajane. "Please be safe, Natsu," she prayed to herself while running.

Lisanna closed her tear-filled eyes. She wasn't looking where she was running. She kept going in the same direction. Her feet didn't find ground, and she fell down a slope in the cavern. It wasn't a great height, but she didn't enjoy falling onto the gravel the incline led to.

"Ow," she winced, rubbing her sides. "I can't keep doing this."

"Lisanna?" a familiar voice said. "Is that you?"

Lisanna could feel her heart soar as she turned to identify the voice. She could tell who it was, but she needed her eyes to believe what her heart knew.

"Mira!" she exclaimed at the sight of her sister. Rushing to hug her, she continued, "I thought you were dead!"

"Lisanna!" Mirajane replied, hugging her little sister back. "I feel close to dead."

"How did you get here?" Lisanna asked.

"Remember the end of the wedding ceremony?" Mirajane started.

---

"Lisanna," Mirajane answered, pulling her sister in for a hug. "Nothing is going to happen to me. We'll still be sisters even after this ceremony."

"Still," Lisanna replied, hugging her sister back, "promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise I'll be safe," she answered, kissing her sister's forehead.

It didn't take long for her to be led away with her new husband into a special carriage to carry them to the Fire Dragon's Ritual. 

Mirajane could hardly contain her nerves. If she wasn't nervous before, her conversation with Lisanna did little to calm her down. 

She was given a basic rundown of the ritual yesterday. It was a more in-depth explanation of what was said at the ceremony. When the first king of Edolas came to the land, he led an army to slay the fiery dragon that plagued the townspeople. From then on, newlywed monarchs held a special ceremony to honor the fallen dragon. King Faust's late wife also underwent the ritual before giving birth to the prince. 

However, there was little talk about the details of the ceremony. Mirajane had little idea of what to expect from the ritual.

Hughes had to sense this because he placed his hand on hers to comfort her. "It's going to be okay," he said.

"As long as we're together," Mirajane offered, smiling at her new husband. She tried to look as sincere as possible despite herself.

The cart stopped at the ritual site. When Mirajane looked, it was different from what she expected. It didn't seem like some religious ritual. It was more like an outdoor banquet. Long tables were arranged in a large square covered in orange cloth. A red plate and a full wine glass were placed near each seat. 

There were four ornate chairs - two in the middle of two sides of the square. It was obvious that two were for Mirajane and Hughes. The king would likely sit in one of the other chairs. Mirajane was shocked to see the priest from the ceremony sit next to him. She hadn't seen him the entire time she had been in the castle until today.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he greeted the participants, "we are gathered here today to honor our first king of Edolas and his defeat of the great and powerful fire dragon, Atlas Flame. We are, of course, also here to celebrate the marriage of the new royal couple. May the bride and groom lift their glasses."

Mirajane and Hughes lifted their glasses.

"We ask that you drink from your glass and serve it to the other, as is tradition," the priest continued.

Mirajane found the request odd but went along with their tradition. She drank from her glass and drank from her husband's glass.

When she did, she felt off. Mirajane had wine before, but something about the wine didn't agree with her.

"Mirajane," Hughes asked. "Are you alright?"

"Just feeling dizzy," she mumbled. 

---

"That's the last thing I remember from the ceremony," Mirajane told her sister. "The next thing I knew, I was in the mountain."

"That's horrible," Lisanna said.

Mirajane asked, "Do you remember the lights from a few nights ago?"

Lisanna nodded in reply.

"I didn't tell you this," Mirajane continued, "but I saw another girl in the castle before the wedding. When I was running away from the dragon, I found her."

"Really?" her sister asked. "Where is she? Maybe she could help us." Looking back at her sister's face was enough to answer the question. "Oh," she sighed.

"Look at the wall there," Mirajane said, pointing to a spot in the cavern.

Lisanna looked and found the names. She couldn't understand all the names, but one thing was clear. They were the names of princesses who suffered similar fates. Her heart sank when she saw "Ur" carved into the wall.

"That might not even be all the princesses," Mirajane continued. "Only the ones who made it to this point. Who knows how many others couldn't?"

Mirajane started to tear up, "Worst of all, Strauss..."

Lisanna couldn't hold her tears in. She embraced her sister as they wept for what seemed to be forever.

They were so caught up in their tears that they didn't notice Natsu sliding down the path Lisanna had fallen down earlier.

"I may have to wait a moment to get a word in," he thought.

However, Lisanna looked up and saw him. "Natsu!" she exclaimed, rushing to embrace him. "You're alive!"

"I know," he replied. "I'm shocked, too." He looked to see Mirajane where she came from. "And you must be Princess Mirajane. Natsu Dragneel, at your service," he greeted with a bow.

"He's been helping me find you since yesterday," Lisanna explained.

"Thank you," she replied, wiping her eyes.

"Well, I have good and bad news," he said.

"What's the good news," Lisanna asked.

"The good news is that Atlas Flame gave some information while fighting. It turns out that he-"

"Fought with the first king of Edolas," Lisanna finished the sentence.

"Yeah," he replied. "And ever since, Edolas-"

"Has been sacrificing their princesses to it," Mirajane continued.

"What gives?" Natsu complained.

"Mirajane was part of the Fire Dragon's Ritual," Lisanna explained. "Of course, she's going to be able to figure this out."

"Fine," he relented. "But did you know this? While the king couldn't kill the dragon, Atlas Flame can't fly."

"Really?" Mirajane asked. "It seemed like the dragon could fly when he found me."

"Did it leap towards you or fly towards you?" Natsu asked.

"It... leaped towards me," Mirajane realized.

"Exactly," Natsu said. "I flew around it the whole time, but it never tried to catch me in the air."

"You were flying?" Mirajane exclaimed.

"We'll talk about it later," Lisanna dismissed. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying," Natsu answered, "is that we can outsmart the dragon, find an escape, and stop the King of Edolas from doing the same to my princess."

"Wait a minute," Mirajane said. "What about the dragon?"

"What about the dragon?" Natsu replied.

"We can't leave here while the dragon is alive!" she exclaimed. "At best, it kills some other innocent people who stumble upon this mountain. At worst, it rampages and destroys Edolas looking for us."

Lisanna sat and listened to the two argue over the plan. All the while, she was holding onto the Milky Way jewel and thinking.

"Since when did you care about the people who left you to die?" Natsu asked.

"Believe me, Sir Dragneel," Mirajane rebutted angrily, "I want them brought to justice. I don't want to bring anyone else in danger along with them. These townspeople did nothing to deserve being burnt alive any more than the women who were trapped here?"

"Then how do you propose we take care of the dragon?" Natsu rebuffed. "If all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't take care of it, what chance do we have?"

"And what about your plan?" Mirajane asked. "How do you expect anyone to believe anything we say? What's to stop the king from condemning us as liars and continuing with this plan?"

"I've got it!" Lisanna yelled.

"What?" both replied, stunned by the sudden outburst.

Lisanna continued, "We can't let Magnolia's princess go through with the Fire Dragon's Ritual. That much is obvious. However, if we don't handle the dragon, they'll try this again. If not with her, then some other poor woman. They would have tried it with me if Natsu didn't warn me."

"What are you getting at?" Natsu asked.

"What if we could prove that the Fire Dragon's Ritual was a trap to bring princesses here?" she asked.

"What kind of evidence?" Natsu asked.

"Atlas Flame," she suggested.

Mirajane was confused, "How would..." As the words left her mouth, the realization hit her. She only needed to look at her sister's face and see her trademark smirk to confirm it. "No!" she protested. "No way! Absolutely not!"

"It's the only way," Lisanna replied.

"You don't even know how to make it work!" her sister argued.

"When we passed through a cave of fallen soldiers, the jewel started to glow," she answered. "Whatever went on there is a clue to making this work."

"I'm confused," Natsu said. "What does any of this mean?"

Lisanna smirked at him. "It means," she said, "we're going to slay a dragon."  

Chapter Text

"And that's the plan. Do we understand?" Lisanna asked.

"Yes," Mirajane answered.

"Kind of," Natsu replied. "The details feel fuzzy to me."

"What details?" Lisanna asked. "All you have to do is hurt the dragon without immediately killing it."

"You say that like that isn't the hardest part of this!" he protested.

"At any rate, we can do this," she replied.

"Hold on," Mirajane said. "Sir Dragneel, didn't you say there was bad news?"

"Yeah," Natsu nervously replied. "About that."

He was interrupted by the sound of loud thumping above their heads. "Where are you, boy?" the deep voice called. "You can't hide forever."

"You led the dragon here?!!" Mirajane asked.

"I wasn't planning to kill it!" Natsu replied. "Besides, it's not like it can reach us here." 

Atlas Flame continued, "Well, I suppose you can. The result will be all the same."

"It doesn't matter," Lisanna interjected. "We'd have to find Atlas Flame anyway. Just stick to the plan." 

"One last thing," Mirajane said, picking up a stone and walking away from them.

"Mira, what are you doing?" Lisanna asked. However, it made sense once she started carving into the walls.

Once Mirajane was done, she walked away, revealing her name underneath the last name on the wall. "No more," she replied. 

"No more," her sister repeated.

"No more," Natsu echoed.

---

"Little boy." Atlas Flame taunted. "Where are you?"

The dragon turned its head to see Mirajane escape from the cavern instead of the pink-haired boy.

"I'm surprised to see you come back," it replied. "I suppose you figured it was time to stop running."

"Honestly," Mirajane replied. "No!" She ran back to the way Lisanna came from.

"Fine," Atlas Flame sighed. "It always ends the same."

Mirajane heard the dragon closing in on her. When she found the map, she tried to find the spot Lisanna and Natsu mentioned. Just as she had discovered it, the dragon roared behind her. 

"Please be the right one," she prayed to herself. She ran up the path and saw the glowing mistral slugs. "Oh, thank goodness," she sighed while passing through the cavern. 

As she ran, she noticed something. The dragon's roaring felt fainter. "Is Atlas Flame not following me?" she thought. "No, it probably knows some other way around the mountain."

She climbed out of the cavern and reached the site with fallen soldiers. Immediately, she started scanning the room for something. 

"Come on," she said. "There has to be one somewhere in this." 

She heard the rumbling of the dragon from above her. "Come on!" she repeated with more urgency. "Where is it?!" 

She frantically searched the room until she found it. "There it is!" She ran to where it was and picked it up immediately. As soon as she picked it up, Atlas Flame burst through the top and landed before her.

"Do you think that little shield will save you?" the dragon asked. "It couldn't save the corpse you pulled it from."

"That's not the point," she said, hiding behind it.

Atlas Flame inhaled before letting out a great fire blast towards her. It looked pleased when there was only a black spot where Mirajane stood. Its pleasure was ruined once he heard the chatter to the side.

"Sorry about earlier," Mirajane said. "I was too caught up in my emotions."

"I don't blame you," Natsu replied, trading the shield for the Exceed ring. "You've been through plenty over the past couple of days. Now, hurry!" 

"Happy!" she yelled, immediately being lifted up. She was nowhere near as graceful using the Exceed ring as Natsu or her sister. It looked more like she was falling upward than flying.

"Just find where Atlas Flame came from!" Natsu yelled out for her, trying to hold back in laughter. "Speaking of which," he continued, swinging his sword.

"I must give you credit," Atlas Flame said. "I never expected you or the girl to come after me again."

"Like I said," Natsu replied. "You're not getting to the Strauss sisters without going through me!" 

He rushed toward the dragon, sword and shield in hand. Atlas Flame fired at him, but he blocked it with the shield. Natsu was shocked to find it was still intact. 

"I wonder," Atlas Flame taunted. "Where is the third one? Lisanna, was her name? Is she going to come here at some point?"

"Don't worry about her!!" Natsu yelled. "I'm your opponent!"

"Not for long!" the dragon said, swiping at him. Natsu dodged the attack and stabbed its claw.

Atlas Flame screamed in pain as Natsu searched for another sword. "You miserable little wretch!" it roared. "You'll wish for death when I'm through with you!"

Natsu brandished the new sword and said, "Wish I could say the same."

Atlas Flame shot fire at Natsu. This time, Natsu could barely block it with the shield. He started to notice cracks from behind the shield. He rolled out of the fire and threw the shield to the side.

"One shot," Natsu whispered to himself. He ran towards the dragon and leaped at its neck. The dragon inhaled to fire at him, but it was too late. Natsu slashed at the left side of his neck and continued across its chest.

Atlas Flame let out a haunting roar as it fell to the ground. Natsu looked at it to make sure it was still alive. He could tell it was still able to breathe, but only barely.

"Lisanna!" Natsu yelled.

It didn't take long for the younger princess to come through the same place they came from earlier.

"Whatever you're planning to do," he continued, "you need to hurry."

She didn't even acknowledge him. She ran towards the dragon.

"Atlas Flame," Lisanna started.

"It seems... I have been bested," Atlas Flame weakly replied.

"You've been suffering for a long time," she asked. "I can't imagine what it must have felt like, being alone all these years."

"You... know... nothing of loss..."

"I do," she assured the dragon. "The Kingdom of Edolas has hurt you, have they not?"

"Those... bastards..."

"They've hurt as well," she continued. "They've hurt countless others. But what if I offered you the chance at revenge against those who wronged us?"

"Would... I..."

"No. Still, I need you to trust me," Lisanna said as she held the Milky Way jewel. The room was engulfed in a bright green glow.

Chapter Text

"Do you, Prince Hughes, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked.

"I do," he replied.

The priest continued, "Do you, Princess Lucy, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," the princess replied.

"I now pronounce you husband and-"

"STOP THE WEDDING!" a cry came from behind.

Everyone turned to see the source of this call. Several people murmured to each other who would interrupt the wedding.

Princess Lucy also stared to the back of the wedding hall, hoping her first hunch of who it could have been was incorrect.

Unfortunately for her, Natsu walked through the back of the hall. She was surprised to see he was accompanied by a white-haired woman. They both looked like they had gone through hell, especially the woman.

"Natsu," Lucy asked. "What are you doing?"

"Saying hello to my husband," the woman explained.

"Husband?!" Lucy repeated, turning to Hughes.

"Hello, Mirajane," the prince sheepishly offered.

"There had better be a good explanation for this," Lucy said.

"I'm sure you've been told of the Fire Dragon's Ritual," Mirajane replied.

The mention of the ritual shocked Lucy. "Yes," she answered. "That's supposed to happen after the wedding."

"Let me tell you what happens next," Mirajane continued. "They take you to the ritual, and then you end up in the mountain."

"Wait, what?!"

"Do you think we got this way on accident?"

"I-"

"That is enough!" King Faust interjected, walking towards Natsu, the princesses, and the prince. "I cannot allow this slander on our nation to stand. You cannot prove that our sacred Fire Dragon's Ritual is a ploy to leave this poor young woman in the mountain."

"Maybe we can't," Mirajane replied.

"However," Natsu continued, "we know someone who can."

As they spoke, Lisanna walked down the aisle towards them.

"The young princess?" King Faust asked.

"How... do you know who that is?" Lucy asked.

The king realized he had been caught. "Well, I..."

He couldn't explain himself before Lisanna held the Milky Way jewel in her hand and whispered to it. "It's time, Atlas Flame," she said. The hall was engulfed in a green glow that slowly turned orange. 

All in attendance were shocked and terrified by the sight of the dragon. Natsu and Mirajane were surprised by the sight as well. Instead of the scarred and wounded dragon they encountered in the mountain, Atlas Flame was flying and covered in flames. They might have lost if they fought this version of the dragon.

Somehow, Lisanna knew this was how it would appear. Was it because she held the Milky Way jewel? That would have to wait for another time. 

"Where is he?!" the dragon angrily roared. "Where is the king?" It didn't take him long to identify Faust as the king. "You son of a bastard! If only I were still alive, I'd kill you myself!"

"Atlas Flame!" Natsu called out. "Tell us about the Fire Dragon's Ritual!"

"Hold on," Lucy said. "Wasn't that when the first king of Edolas killed the dragon?"

"The first king of Edolas killed dragons," Atlas Flame answered. "He brought his army to kill me. Unfortunately for him, I overpowered him and his men, if barely. They managed to wound my wings beyond repair. I couldn't save the young dragons of our clan. I was tasked with protecting them. Those cowards thought they would pick off the defenseless dragons. They were barely able to fly!" The dragon released a fiery blast into the sky.

"Hold on. Atlas Flame, was it?" Lucy asked. "If that's the truth, what about the princesses? They've said princesses end up in the mountain after marrying into the royal family." 

"That was another of that miserable coward's ideas," the dragon roared. "In exchange for sparing his people, the king of Edolas would sacrifice three women every generation. And by the looks of it, you would have been the third."

Lucy was shocked to hear this revelation. Natsu embraced her as she started weeping.

"It wouldn't matter anyway," it continued. "I wouldn't have been able to leave the mountain without my wings. Still, I was amused by the idea of taking out my anger on the various women. About the only thing better would have been getting revenge on the crown. Seems like I was able to do both."

"Thank you," Lisanna whispered to the spirit, returning it to the jewel. In the center of the jewel, there was a faint orange spot.

The king was speechless. There was nothing he could say to defend himself, his actions, or the actions of those kings before him.

"Sorcery!" Hughes yelled. "You used sorcery to summon a false dragon to convince the people of your plan."

"Y-yes!" King Faust offered, playing along with the prince's plan. "That's the only-"

"Give it a rest, Faust!" a voice cried out from the back of the hall.

"Oh, come on!" the king complained.

Lisanna thought she recognized the voice. "There's no way," she said.

From the back of the hall, two women walked down the hall. The younger woman had long blue hair. The older woman tied her pink hair in a bun. As they walked down the hall, the people murmured to each other about the older woman. 

"Wendy! Granny Dee!" Lisanna shouted in joy. 

"They sold you the jewelry, right?" Mirajane asked.

"Good to see you, Lisanna!" Wendy said, waving at her.

"I must say that I'm impressed by you, Princess Lisanna," Granny Dee said. "I didn't expect you to uncover the secret of the Milky Way jewel so quickly. However, I'm glad you did."

"I saw the jewel glow in a room we passed," Lisanna replied. "That must have been where the young dragons were killed. It took a while to figure out the rest, but I'm glad I did, too."

"It's high time we end this nonsensical ritual," Granny Dee continued. "Wouldn't you agree, honey?"

"HONEY?!!!" they all exclaimed. All except King Faust, slowly hoping to disappear with every new revelation. 

"I must apologize," she continued. "I haven't been entirely honest with you. My real name is Porlyusica, Queen of Edolas."

"Queen of Edolas?!" Lisanna exclaimed. "But, how-

"I was the fourth princess to marry King Faust," she exclaimed. "I was distraught to hear that the princess that married him before me was my dear friend, Princess Ur of Isvan."

"Princess Ur?" Natsu asked.

"Ah," Queen Porlyusica said. "You must be Sir Natsu Dragneel of Magnolia. My son has told me about you."

"Wait, your son?" Mirajane said, pointing to Prince Hughes

"No," the queen dismissed. "Though it is good to see you, Captain Hughes."

"Captain?!" Lucy and Mirajane yelled in unison?

"Not even a real prince," Natsu noted. 

"Sad to see," Lisanna agreed.

The queen continued, "Once I heard of the tragedy of Isvan, I took my infant son and went into hiding. However, he also wished to end the Fire Dragon's Ritual once I told him of it. Isn't that right, Jellal?"

"Indeed," a man replied, standing up from the crowd and walking towards Queen Porlyusica. "It's good to see you again, mother."

"Mystogan?" King Faust exclaimed. "I was betrayed by one of my most trusted advisors?"

"Wait, that's Mystogan?" Natsu asked.

"How do you know him?" Lisanna asked.

"He's the one who tipped me off about this whole thing in the first place," Natsu replied.

"True," Jellal replied. "Thanks to all of your efforts, this cycle of bloodshed can finally end."

"Guards!" Queen Porlyusica commanded. "Sieze King Faust and Captain Hughes!"

The guards took the king and captain away from the crowd.

King Faust was too shocked to protest. He had been thoroughly humiliated with no room for dispute.

The supposed prince didn't feel the same way. "Unhand me!" Captain Hughes protested, trying to shake away from the men holding him. "Do you know who you're dealing with?!"

As the king and captain were led out, the rest of the guests slowly left the hall until Natsu, Wendy, the princesses, the prince, and the queen were left behind.

"Princess Mirajane, I must apologize," Prince Jellal offered. "I understand that Strauss is in dire straits. If this hadn't succeeded..."

"Well, I'm glad it did," she offered. "However, I want to negotiate a few things with Edolas. I was promised aid and still hope to receive it."

"Certainly," Queen Porlyusica said. "If you'll follow me." She led Prince Jellal, Wendy, and Princess Mirajane out of the hall. Mirajane looked back at Lisanna and winked at her. 

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her sister.

"Okay, one last question," Lisanna asked, turning to Lucy. "What is Natsu to you?"

"He's my retainer," Princess Lucy explained. "Well, one of my retainers. After his father passed on, our king offered him the position. Despite all the trouble he causes us."

"You say that as if I didn't save your life," Natsu replied.

"With some help," Lisanna interjected.

"But of course," he replied.

"Aww," Lucy exclaimed. "You make such an adorable couple!"

Lisanna was taken by surprise. Of the many surprises the day brought her, this shouldn't have been the most shocking. "What?" she asked.

"Oh," Lucy replied. "Did I get something wrong?"

"Well," Natsu replied. "You see..."

"What he means," Lisanna interjected, "is that he was planning to show me around Magnolia. Remember, Natsu?"

"Oh," he eagerly replied. "That's right! She wanted to see the different animals in Magnolia. I said I'd show her every cave if we survived." 

"And we did!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"We sure did!" Natsu agreed.

"Well, that's good to hear!" Lucy replied. "Let's leave for Magnolia as soon as possible! I don't think I can handle much more."

As she walked out of the hall, holding her head, Natsu turned to Lisanna. "Great thinking!" he told her. "However, she has to know we're not a real couple."

Lisanna kissed him on the cheek. He was too stunned to say anything else. "Who says we aren't?" she replied. She walked towards Lucy, humming a tune to herself.

Slowly, his shocked face turned to a smile. He couldn't help but shake his head and remark, "What a woman." When he caught up to chatting princesses, he held Lisanna's had. As much as she loved animals, Lisanna was glad to be holding the hand of a dragon slayer. Her dragon slayer.