Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 0.9 - Rebellion

X791

The Urdstatz Library was perhaps one of the most impressive structures Hisui had ever laid eyes on. Certainly better than the rest of the shacks Doranbolt had been bringing her and Fairy Tail to.

Tayaka and Flare Corona from the Village of Giants—two other allies Hisui had helped rescue in the bitter winter months of the new year—sat with some tea in their hands, idly talking to one another. Romeo, who normally sat with them, was resting after a long training session with Max.

Doranbolt still loomed near Hisui. He'd quickly taken to the role of being her right-hand. Hisui, if she was being honest, would have liked for Laki to have stepped forward, but Doranbolt had both the connections, ability, and mental fortitude to do what was necessary in getting the small bit of rebels around. Laki's focus had been, and would be, Max and Romeo. Oh, and Tayaka, now that she was finally back with Fairy Tail, had come to her senses.

Hisui, naturally, accepted that.

Nevertheless, Laki did join Hisui and Doranbolt as they made their way through the library. They were, apparently, the last of the rebels to discover the place. Rufus had already admitted his old guild master, Jiemma, as well as the fragments of the old independent guild, Crime Sorciere, led by a woman named Meredy. Hisui hoped to meet her in person someday, as she sounded even more resourceful and calculated than Doranbolt.

They had been the ones stoking the most rebellion across Fiore until they hit a snag against the Dragon Division last year, where it took all they had just to get away. Unfortunately, they'd lost their ace, Jellal, in the fighting.

Still, they were fighting back. Smaller rebel cells had formed, Hisui learned, but weren't able to make much headway against the Empire. Sometimes they'd disrupt supplies, sometimes they'd cause a momentary setback, but the Empire was going to move forward. The Empire powered through all setbacks.

Fiore was nearly unrecognizable. Hisui remembered sweeping plains and rolling hills, distant streams and small, cozy towns. Industry had replaced them. Lacrima mines popped up all over the place. Rails had been placed across several once verdant countrysides for the new high-speed engines into towns that lost their cozy feel, and had been turned into political complexes.

Or, they'd been completely destroyed.

Hisui suspected Rufus wanted to discuss that with her, since it was their first ever meeting. That, or Jiemma had some profound bit of news to bring them.

They nestled into one of the many studies.

"Welcome," Rufus said, tipping his tall-feathered hat at the lot. "It is good to see you, Queen Hisui. I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Likewise."

"Your time away does not seem to have done all ill," Rufus said.

It was an annoying, recurring comment she kept getting. You look great. Was prison that bad?

She hid Kyoka behind her eyes. The muscle, the power, it was all a mere drop in the ocean compared to the fear she felt ever having to set foot in Mercurius again.

"Only in disconnection," Hisui said.

"Well, the good news, in a way, is that there has not been much for us to do on the home front," Rufus said. "The Empire spent much of the last couple of years focused on Bosco and Stella and their integration, and bolstering what they've already established here. The Emperor has been away for much of the month, according to whispers. It's unclear when he'll be back."

"Implying weakness?'

"Implying a tightened security all around our beautiful country," Rufus said. He turned, then, and tinkered around with a few things in the cabinet behind him. "Jiemma has decided that he is going to begin taking the fight directly to many of the Imperials. Some Generals are beginning to feel a lot more relaxed about their station and power."