Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 2 - A Net for Fairies

"I don't believe you!" Natsu shouted, taking a heavy and large step forward toward Hisui. Neither she nor her guards reacted. Lucy lunged forward and grabbed Natsu but he kept going. Rage built in him.

She trucked them from Tenrou Island only to have their two friends cry at their knees? For—for what? Who even was this girl to say something like that?"

"It's not a truth easily accepted but it is the truth nonetheless," Hisui said.

"I've never even heard of this Twilight Empire!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You wouldn't have. They formed while you were gone," Hisui said. "Born out of the Alvarez Empire!"'

"Ain't heard of them, either! So I think you're full of crap, and you need to get to whatever reason you came here for now!" Natsu shouted.

A heavy, armored gauntlet clamped down on his shoulder. He tried to take another step, and it sure wasn't Lucy holding him back this time, though she did cling tightly to his arm.

"Breathe," Erza said.

"Take us to Magnolia," Natsu said. "Now."

"That would be unwise," Hisui said. How could she be so calm unless she was lying about all of this, how could she just stand there and talk about the fall of her kingdom like it were just some sort of inconvenience? "You'd only get yourself killed."

"I need to know," Natsu said. "You haven't given me a good enough reason to not go."

"Death isn't good enough reason?"

"Never has been."

"And you've never seen an enemy like this one," Hisui said. She finally approached Natsu. A smidge more respect formed in Natsu's eyes toward her. Whatever attitude of a Princess, whatever smart words she used, dropped in those few steps she used to clear the gap between the two of them. "If they knew you were here they would not hesitate to bring down the might of the Hunters Division on us. You'd be dead before you could blink, understand? Do not take my words so lightly; perhaps you don't value your own life, but the life of your friends?"

It shut Natsu up what good. Even Happy didn't have a clever thing to say back to him. He kept his fist clenched. The Three Stars continued to eye him.

"We have set up camp further in the caves," Hisui said. "Follow me. It's going to be camped, with all of you there, so I hope you enjoy the close comforts of riding in the ship."

Erza released her hold on Natsu and joined Hisui, moving in quick steps to stay close to her. Gray breezed on by with Juvia in tow.

"I get it, Natsu," Mirajane said, stepping up next to him. "I want to see what's become of our home in our absence, too. But we must respect her word."

"Does that mean we need to trust it?" Natsu asked.

"No," Mira said. "But we must take some of it at face value, I believe."

He breathed out a heavy, somewhat smoke-filled sigh. Natsu doubted that any of his friends were going to take all of this as easily as Hisui wanted them to, but most of them would probably listen to her.

But what were they going to do? Sit around in a cave all day, or for days? If this Twilight Empire was a problem, Fairy Tail was an easy solution. When did knocking heads ever not help win the day, after all?

Still, his mind raced back to his talk with Gildarts during the trial. About facing foes and understanding when one was beaten.

Hisui had a slight fire within her, but a princess hiding in a cave had known defeat far more times than she cared to admit. Something had knocked her from her pedestal. Mira was right, there was something of value to her words.