Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
March, x788.
The next morning, Alfonzo woke up in a situation he was rather accustomed to. Clinging to him with a content smile on her face, Saeko slept peacefully. Meanwhile, Miyuki, who often stared at him while he was sleep, was hanging over him, her face less than a foot away from his.
"Tch!" Miyuki clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "I really… really… really wish you never woke up."
"*Sigh* Doesn't this get old, Miyuki?" Alfonzo asked after having heard the same thing he's heard every morning for the last few months.
"No, not at all." Miyuki said as she straightened up before climbing off the bed. Then, at volume low enough that only she could hear, she continued in a whisper. "Just when I summoned all my courage…"
Did you say something, Miyuki?" Alfonzo asked as he turned his head in Miyuki's direction.
"No, nothing at all, Master Alfonzo." Miyuki said as she walked over the closet. "Now, you should go get washed up. I'll have a change of clothes ready for you by the time you come back."
*sigh* I know…" Alfonzo muttered. "I'm glad tomorrow is the weekend. I wanna go home."
With his utterance, Alfonzo carefully pulled himself away from Saeko's hug. And because she was so exhausted from last night's fun, Saeko did not even wake up. Though, she did frown slightly when she could no longer feel Alfonzo's warmth. So, Alfonzo grabbed his pillow and stuffed into Saeko's arms, causing her to snuggle up to it happily.
Now naked and out of bed, Alfonzo leisurely walked to the bathroom. And just like always, Miyuki did not blush in the slightest after seeing his body. Then, once she finished preparing his clothes, she left the room to start preparing the ingredients for breakfast.
Like that, the day went by as any other day would.
Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
Around noon, after all the Fairy Tail wizards in Magnolia finished training, an unusual pair sat together at a small table on the guild hall's first floor. Though it was called unusual, it was not surprising to see the two scarlet-haired beauties sitting together.
"so, what did you want to speak with me about, Irne?" Erza asked in a relaxed tone.
Meanwhile, all of Erza's friends sat at their usual table while stealing glances at Erza and Irene.
"So, do you think she's finally gonna tell her?" Marin asked after nudging Elicia with her elbow.
"I don't know, but I hope so." Elicia replied. "Watching them dance around each other is getting old."
"Yeah, I don't' know why she hasn't just told her." Cana said before taking a swig of a mug of ale.
"Oh, just like you did when Gildarts first came back after you joined the guild?" Elicia asked in a playful tone.
*Spurt!*
Immediately, Cana spewed her mouthful of ale all over the table and the person sitting in front of her, Ultear.
"Damn it, Cana!" Ultear shouted before Cana could respond to Elicia as she stood up angrily. "How many times has it been now? Every time you get surprised, you spit out your drink all over someone. Well, I've had enough!"
With that, Ultear lunged across the table and punched Cana in the jaw. As a result, Cana was sent flying backwards, smashing into the table where Evergreen and Elfman were having lunch together.
*Crash!*
On impact, Cana all the plates and cups on the table were knocked to the floor.
"Ultear threw that punch like areal man!" Elfman shouted energetically.
"Cana!" Evergreen shouted angrily while she was covered in food. "I'll make you pay for that."
In the next instant, Evergreen picked up Cana and kicked her away. At the same time, Ultear appeared next to Elfman with her own foot raised.
"I'm not a damn man, you moron!" Ultear shouted as she kicked Elfman not the next table over.
"Hey! Don't hit my Elf!" Evergreen shouted after turning away from Cana, just in time to see Ultear kick Elfman away.
With that, the rest of the guild was pulled into a Fairy Tail-style, guild wide brawl. Meanwhile, Erza and Irene sat at their table and watched the guild hall devolve into violence with blank expressions on their faces.
"*Sigh* It's never going to change, is it?" Erza said in ana exasperated tone while watching the ongoing brawl. "Guild members really should not fight like this."
That statement caused Irene to turn her blank gaze from the guild hall to Erza.
'Oh, Erza. My Erza.' Irene thought to herself as she gently shook her head. 'Of all the members of Fairy Tail, you are the last one to have the right to say something like that. Since the day I joined the guild, I've seen you beat up more people during these brawls than anyone else. O well, it's not like I care. In fact, I like seeing the violence.'
"So, what was it you wanted to say, again, Irene?" Erza asked after turning away from the brawl.
"*Sigh* I just wanted to tell you the truth about me… and you." Irene replied. "You see, over four hundred years ago, I was the queen of a kingdom on Ishgar called Dragnof. And in those times, we of Dragnof believed that humans and dragons should live in harmony. Unfortunately, many dragons did not think that way. But there were some dragons who did. And they came to reside in Dragnof."
"Yes, I heard about the ancient country of Dragnof from Alfonzo some time ago." Erza replied. "But I would assume that is not the reason you wanted to talk to me."
"That's correct." Irene replied with a nod. "Back during my time as Queen, in order to quell a border conflict with a neighboring kingdom, I agreed to marry the general of hat kingdom. A man named Rung."
At that point, Irene gritted her teeth for a moment, and Erza did not mis it. Still, she continued telling her story.
"When it was first decided that we would be wed, I thought nothing of it." Irene continued. "As a member of royalty, I was not expecting to be able to choose my own husband. I knew my marriage would be decided based on what was best for Dragnof. On top of that, Rung seemed like the kind of man who would do whatever was best for his people. So, I saw no harm in marrying him."
AS she spoke, Irne's expression grew darker and darker. But her words never stopped.
"Not long after we were wed, I was impregnated." Irene said. "At the same time, it was found that Dragon Slayers would turn into dragons themselves if they overused their magic. And as the first Dragon Slayer, I was no exception. Unfortunately, before I could announce my pregnancy, I was surrounded by the palace guards. The palace guards who took an oath to protect me with their lives."
By now, Irene's magic power was beginning to leak. Though, it was not enough to affect those in the guild hall. Nor was it enough to activate the security measures Alfonzo installed in the building.
"Once I was surrounded by the guards, Rung walked through the encirclement." Irene continued, her magic power leaking more and more with every word. "Then, he announced that I was under arrest. Thoroughly surprised, I did not resist as I was dragged to the prison. Meanwhile, Rung announced to the citizens of Dragnof that I had been a dragon all along and usurped my kingdom from me."
By now, Irene's magic was leaking to a dangerous degree. Even the brawlers, though they did not stop fighting, were feeling uneasy.
"Irene." Erza said calmly.
Hearing Erza's voice, Irene snapped out of her growing rage. Then, after realizing what she was doing, she shook her head as she reeled in her magic power.
"sorry about that." Irene said, though she did not seem all that apologetic. "Anyway, where was I?"
"*Sigh* You were telling me how your kingdom had been usurped." Erza replied.
"Ah, yes." Irene said, taking a deep breath to get her emotions under control. "After imprisoning me, Rung had me tortured for the secrets of Dragnof every day for three years. Unfortunately, he did not know I was pregnant. Even if he did, I imagine that he would have only tried to use it against me to get what he wanted."
"Does that mean you give birth to your child while imprisoned?" Erza asked with a strange expression on her face.
Like most members of the guild… Or rather most members of the guild with IQs in the double digits, Erza had surmised that Irene was her mother. But if Irne had her child back while she was imprisoned, then her guess had to be wrong. ON top of that, Irene was a dragon until only recently. So, if Irene gave birth to another child, it would have undoubtedly been a dragon, or at the very least, half-dragon. And she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was one hundred percent human.
"No." Iren replied while shaking her head lightly. "With my magic, I managed to put the fetus in statis. I refused to allow my child to be born in a dark, dank dungeon. Nor would I allow it to be used against me in such a manner."
"I see." Erza replied, her voice sounding strangely relieved at that information.
"After years of torture, I could no longer stand the constant pain." Irene said, continuing her story. "So, I finally gave in. I allowed the [Dragonization], I had been fighting back with my will alone, to finally claim me. And at that moment, I transformed into a dragon. At that moment, I lost the majority of my human emotions, lost the ability to taste food, though I'm not sure how I was able to taste Alfonzo's…"
At that moment, Irene trailed off and fell into a contemplative state. She really had no idea how that was even possible. Meanwhile, Erza could only smile wryly. She knew exactly what Irene was thinking. And although she could not relate, she had often contemplated about how the taste of Alfonzo's cooking could defy reality the way it does.
"*Cough*" Erza coughed lightly to get Irene's attention. "Perhaps you should continue with your story, Irene."
"Oh! You're right." Irene said, the slightest tint of red dusting her cheeks. I can ponder about that later. Anyway, as I was saying, I lost the majority of my emotions, the ability to taste, and even the ability to sleep. The only thing I had was an all-consuming rage. And with that rage, I destroyed my own kingdom and its citizens. The same citizens I was sworn to protect… the same citizens who betrayed me."
Inside her head, Irene could hear Belserion trying to console her. At the same time, Erza's [Armament Spirit], Astraia, was nodding along with Iren's past actions, saying that betrayal on that level only deserved death as a punishment.
"After destroying Dragnof, for the next four hundred years, I roamed Ishgar as a dragon." Irene continued. "I killed many people, destroyed many towns and villages… All in an attempt to find a place where I could be left alone so that I could find a way to regain my humanity."
Hearing that, Erza did not know what to think. She wanted to be angry that that Irene had harmed so many innocents. But at the same time, she felt like Irene could not be blamed, as she was not in her right mind at the time.
"However, I was unsuccessful." Irene continued. "There was no way to reverse the [Dragonization]. And all the while, I kept my baby in statis in the hopes that when I one day regained my humanity, she would have a mother to care for."
With that said, Irene lowered her head and clenched her fists.
"But over time, the last vestiges of my humanity were waning." Irene said with her head still lowered. "And a thought… a truly heinous thought crept into my mind. I could regain my humanity if I gave birth to my child and transferred my soul into her body. Then, with glee in my heart, I prepared everything I needed to do so."
By now, not only Ireen's clenched fists were shaking. But her entire body was doing so. Still, she continued her story.
"And after preparing everything to perform the ritual, I finally gave birth to my daughter." Irne said, her voice shaking just as much as her body. "But when I looked into her face. The face of a beautiful baby girl with scarlet hair and brown eyes so similar to my own, I could not bring myself to do it."
A sad smile made its way onto Irene's face as she reached this point. Meanwhile, Erza had clenched her fits, as well.
"Unfortunately, I knew this feeling was only temporary." Irene said in a sad tone. "so, in an attempt to not lose the last of my humanity, I left the baby in a small village, Rosemary Village, almost twenty-three years ago. Then, I left, thinking I would never see her again. This was my last and only act of kindness to a daughter that should have grown up with all the kindness the world had to offer."
As she reached the end of her story, Erza saw something she never expected. She saw tears streaming down Irene's face. But she still managed to ask her question in a relatively calm tone.
Meanwhile, sitting at another table, having not participated in the brawl, Heine and Juliet were watching Erza and Irene. And when they saw Irene begin to cry, they both aimed their killing intent at Erza for making Irene sad.
"And that child… was me?, wasn't it?" Erza asked, her voice shaking slightly at the end.
Though she did not manage to reply verbally, Irene did manage to nod her head in confirmation.
Seeing hat, Era remained silent for a few moments. Meanwhile, Heine and Juliet's killing intents dispersed harmlessly as they stared at the mother-daughter duo with shock.
"Then…" Erza said quietly in a hesitant tone. "Should I.. call you… mother?"
Immediately, Irene's head shot up to stare at Erza. Then, her tears started flowing even more freely. A moment later, she wiped her eyes and shook her head.
"No, that's not necessary." Irne said in a shaky voice. "I don't expect you to do that after all these years. I don't even expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know… the truth. The truth about why you were left alone in that village. And the reason no one was there to protect you when the Cult of Zeref abducted you. And to tell you, I' sorry for not being there for you… with you."
With that, Irene lowered her head and continued to cry. Unbeknownst to her, ever since she regained her humanity, her emotions had returned, just like her ability to taste and sleep. However, unlike those things, her emotions had been returning slowly. But after voluntarily remembering the worst part of her life, the slowly crumbling wall that held back her emotions broke.. no shattered all at once.
"Irene, raise your head." Erza aid in a solemn tone.
Hearing Erza's tone, Irene was hesitant to raise her head. Though, she did so in the end. And when she did, she was surprised to see Erza gazing at her compassionately.
"I hold no ill will for the life I've lived." Erza said gently. "Though I can't say it was easy, especially as a child, I was able to find happiness. A guild I could call family. Friends I could rely on. A group of wonderful women I call sisters. And a man who has accepted my everything and become my husband. Honestly, I have nothing to complain about."
Hearing that, Irene felt a sense of relief washing over her.
"And I want to thank you, Irene." Erza continued with a smile. "Had you completely lost your humanity, I would have never had the chance to find any of those things. And although it would be hard to refer to you as my mother for now, I would like us to take the time to get to know each other. That way, in the future, calling you mother may come as naturally as breathing."
At Erza's declaration, Ireen's breath caught in her throat. At the same time, she continued to cry. However, she also had a smile so dazzling that it could light up any room on her face.
"Yes, I would like that, as well." Irne replied while once again trying to wipe her tears.
Meanwhile, acting as background music for the tender moment between the estranged mother and daughter, the guild wide brawl continued. And for some reason, all those participating seemed to be just that little bit happier as they punched their guild mates in the face.