Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 110 - Pieces

Lucy joined the small council that gathered around Brandish in one of the many meeting rooms of Vistarion's royal palace. Deactivated, autonomous guards stood stationary at the entrance of the massive set of double doors. Within the room was a small pool and a tiny waterfall streaming water into it, allowing for the light babble of bubbles behind the already quiet conversation.

Hisui was already in the room, obviously, alongside Mirajane and Jellal. Mirajane was probably there for some muscle, though her kind face would likely go a long way in keeping the peace rather than the threat of her power. Lucy was there of her own volition. As such, she sat right next to Brandish. Brandish's constant scowl loomed over Lucy, but with a bit less bite.

Wow, Lucy thought. She's actually happy to see me.

Brandish was nobody's prisoner. To anyone in the viewing public, Brandish managed to deplete the enemy forces and then beat the hell out of Lucy. She surrendered the palace to Lucy, alone, in a way that nobody else could've heard.

The rebels were secretly brought into it. There hadn't been any spies within the palace walls for weeks, Brandish admitted. She was getting sick of their constant watch. With Wall's puppets destroyed, the only true way of getting word back to August was through Brandish. That was the main drive of the meeting:

What was Brandish going to do?

Lucy didn't want to ask about loyalty. Brandish didn't owe anyone allegiance. Lucy wished she could just flee, that she could somehow run away, but also maintain the facade that she was still around.

"How're you liking the amenities?" Brandish asked. "Been to the spa yet? It's nice this time of year."

"Not yet," Hisui said. "I'm not sure how much time we'll have for a spa day there is. We need to be leaving soon."

"Why the rush?" Brandish asked. "August thinks you're all dead."

"You told him?"

"I told him I took care of it."

"He doesn't want proof?" Jellal asked.

Brandish raised the broken Aquarius key Lucy had given her. "This was all he needed to see. I told him that Wall's puppets were destroyed, but in the distraction of that fight, I took care of everyone but Lucy. I saved her for last."

She said it as if it were a threat. Lucy simply nodded her head while Brandish, with a little grin, reached down and squeezed Lucy's hand. Lucy's heart leaped.

"There's no reason for any other Imperial to come knocking for a bit," Brandish said. "So, yeah, you can't just sit around here, but there's no real rush."

"Every day we wait here is another day the Empire prepares another tragedy like what happened in Bosco in another country," Hisui said.

"Yeah," Brandish said with a shrug, "that's true."

She was far too relaxed. Did she even care about this meeting?

"Brandish," Lucy said, softly, "will you help us, when the time comes?"

Brandish mulled it over for a moment. "I don't think so."

Mirajane's smile slightly waned. Hisui leaned forward.

"Your support is critical—"

"I don't want to deal with August," Brandish said. "I owe him too much. It sucks that he's gone and done what he has, that he's become this awful version of himself, but that doesn't mean I want to fight him. Or, realistically, get killed by him."

Lucy pursed her lips. Hisui opened her mouth to press further, but Lucy stepped in.

"Then you should find somewhere else to rest until this all blows over. Then, you and I can start looking for Aquarius. Or, hey, maybe you can get a head start."