Juvia held her breath as she tiptoed out the main door of the Mother Tree palace. The arguments (rising tensions between seasons, a heightened amount of troll robberies on a majority of bridges) down the long, oaken table filled with dozens of fae representatives, remained the same as last week's forest-wide kingdom meeting. One little water fairy wouldn't be missed.

After she'd made sure the side door was closed without a sound, she unfolded eager wings and leapt from the tree branch, extending toothpick-length arms and swirling around in the warm air. Her small, pale blue dress twirled happily about her knees. Her tail swished back and forth in delight when she spun and spun...

She never got tired of the Summer Kingdom's atmosphere; she'd grown up as a guardian of the summer season from when she first was born from teardrops of the Celestial King, as they'd all come into existence. Juvia had been one of many placed in charge of the rivers and rain across the Binding world.

Today, however, there would be no monitoring fish politics or directing cloud pattern. Today, her heart drew her from a place far from her own duties. Out to the outskirts of the forest.

Her librarian friend, Levy, was the only one that knew of her excursions. Juvia was grateful that Levy hadn't told on her to the Summer King, Makarov, especially after all of her warnings against visiting the barren lands.

"There's a fiery demon crawling about that place! And the guardian fairies also around there may be of the summer lands," the guardian of the written word told her seriously, "but a desert is no place for a water fairy. Your body wasn't made to handle such dryness! I don't know why you bother… There's nothing to see there, anyway."

Juvia had decided, at that point, to not tell Levy exactly the beauty that awaited her there.

Then she'd never be able to see him again.

Her light, delicate wings fluttered faster in excitement, wizzing her forward with long, curly, blue hair streaming behind her. She knew some shortcuts; she'd be in the area soon enough, and after a long week, Juvia ached for her one greatest pleasure, greatest secret.

After twenty minutes of ernest flying and glancing around her for eyes following her in the forest, Juvia spotted the tan brown of the desert ahead, ground cracked and ever stretching. Like Levy had said; there wasn't much to see. Not until-

"Yo, the flying fish back again!" a cheerful, cackling voice called out. Juvia tumbled in air in surprise, then straightening out her wings to spiral downward.

When Juvia finally settled her tiny, slippered feet onto the dusty ground, she put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Juvia has explained to you many a time, Natsu-kun; she does not look remotely like a flying fish. Flying fish live in the east region and prefer a diet of-"

"Yeah, yeah, frankly, 'Vi, I don' care unless ya brought me some ta eat." The fire demon emerged from a dying tree; he wore his usual scaley, white scarf, dark, leather tunic and white, loose pants. His feet were bare, his pink hair shocking as ever. As was his size; he was in human form today, rather than his usual choice of dragon. She'd seen most of the forms he preferred to morph into, so Natsu could no longer frighten her. Perhaps another demon would, with their changing bodies of deception and bloodthirsty behavior, but Natsu was different.

As he approached, his size shrunk down until he was eye-level with her. Little dragon wings sprouted from his back; his fairy form that he used so that he could talk to her face to face.

"Come back to stalk by my place, eh?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms. "I dunno why you bother; he's pretty idiotic if you ask me."

"Juvia does not think so," she told him firmly. "Juvia already told you; Juvia is in love with him and will come back whenever she can to help him."

"You've never spoken to the guy; how do you know you love 'im?" But Natsu was still smiling, teasing her like the big brother figure he was.

"So where is he?" she asked with a sigh, deciding it was better to cut to the chase.

Natsu closed his eyes, concentrating. After a few twitches of his nose, he revealed, "The moron is wandering a bit west of us right now, still along the outskirts."

"Then let's go!" Juvia said, spiraling up into the sky with a grin.

"Why do ya always have ta take me on your mushy missions?" groaned the fire demon from behind, reluctantly flapping his way beside her.

Juvia pouted, but knew he didn't mean it; as a demon banished from his colony, Natsu was clearly lonely. The other fairies knew to avoid him, believing him as evil as the rest. After all, in a fight, a fairy was absolutely no match for a demon. But after running into him on accident, Juvia found that he was truly harmless… to her, anyway.

It took only a few minutes of looking to finally find the little flower under which he rested. Her heart jumped, hands clasped at her chest. He seemed to be more beautiful every time she looked upon him, black hair blowing softly across his forehead, dark eyes watchful and deep. His wings were simple, clear, sharp. A black, sleeveless shirt was tight over a defined chest and white pants tucked into winter boots.

"Still wearing those boots," Natsu scoffed. "Told you he was an idiot. It's at least eighty degrees out."

"They're from his home," Juvia defended. "They likely have sentimental meaning to him, and his poor feet probably aren't used to the heat."

"He's an idiot simply for trespassing into this kingdom anyway," reminded Natsu. "Do I need to tell ya again how absolutely screwed you'd be if yer king found out you were friends with a demon and in love with a guardian of the winter season? What if he's here to spy?"

"Juvia doesn't care," she repeated dreamily. "When Natsu-kun falls in love someday, he will understand."

"Ha!" Natsu sniggered, folding his legs in air. His fangs showed through his careless smile. "Demons can't fall in love, remember? It's one of the best part of being one."

"That has never been proven," Juvia said, only half paying attention. "Oh, it looks like he's tired! He must be so thirsty. Let's get him some water today."

"You're a water fairy; can't you just magic some up?"

"Juvia cannot create water!" Juvia said, mildly offended. "Juvia changes its' direction and purity for the good of the ecosystem. I am not an elf." She grimaced at the word. The species of elf had never sat quite right with her; while they were cunning, graceful, and generally peaceful beings that got along with all fairy kingdoms, there was something unnatural about how they could create something out of nothing.

"Geez, fine; you can get some from the flower above that one," Natsu suggested, pointing to a pink, bell-shaped flora above the winter kingdom fairy.

Inspired, Juvia snatched up a fallen leaf from the nearest weed and gestured for Natsu to fly to the flower he'd spoken of. Shrugging, he did so, quietly making his way down to the plant. Juvia tried not to roll her eyes at how he'd wrapped his scarf around his face to "channel the ninja". (A truly ridiculous clan of ancient human warriors.)

So that the winter fairy wouldn't see, Juvia slowly dropped onto the flower, making sure not to shake or wobble it. Holding up her leaf, she nodded to Natsu, who happily tipped the flower over to let the drops of water dribble out, fall onto Juvia's leaf, and trickle right beside the winter fairy.

Juvia carefully watched from behind petals as the boy blinked in surprise and reached towards the small puddle, scooping up a droplet and drinking it from his hand. He breathed out a satisfied sigh, and she heard him say in a deep, wonderful voice, "Thank you, guardian angel."

Juvia watched him for a minute through dreaming, blue eyes. Regretfully, she tore her gaze from him eventually to watch the sun sink lower on the horizon. It was time she got back.

"Goodbye, my winter prince," she whispered, lightly rising on the flower and zipping up before he could notice with Natsu close behind.

And as she looked down at his silhouette from afar, Juvia promised to always be his guardian angel.

Levy really didn't mind walking.

When her wings were tired, a stroll through the woods before another bout of flying rejuvenated her wonder with her world. The towering trees and rapid streams would always fill her with respect for the nature she was a part of protecting.

Of course, flying was much faster. A fairy's most powerful trait was their flight speed, rocketing in twenty minutes an expanse that would take a human days to travel. Walking was slow now, but she'd start up in the sky soon, and her delivery was set for several days yet.

The priceless book she held in her bag was to be taken to the Spring Kingdom library. While the feud with winter could possibly never end, spring and fall always got along moderately well with summer.

Levy's friends, Jet and Droy, had wanted to come with her as guards along her journey, but she'd slipped away as to not endure their bickering. Admittedly, she knew she should be with a few fairies more equipped to fight with all the troll raids happening lately along with the usual danger of werewolf packs, phantoms, and centaurs in the forest, but she'd fly most of the way to avoid them. One little fairy would hardly be noticed, or enough of meal to bother with.

She pushed some short, blue hair over her pointed ear and giggled at the chickadees chasing one another around a bush so that their wingbeats rustled her orange dress. Deliveries really were wonderful; the part of her that yearned for adventure managed to be satisfied with her errands to other kingdoms.

Eventually, she came across an expansive bridge over a wider stream. A larger creature might have been able to wade across, but Levy would get pulled right under the tide. The bridges these days were dangerous with the trolls, but that was more during nighttime. Surely she could make her way past quickly enough.

She skipped along onto the wooden planks, enjoying the simplicity of the clip clop across the way. Enjoying so much that she didn't hear the faint scraping noise from under the bridge until the troll had leapt in front of her.

She let out a small shriek and instantly pushed upward, spreading her wings-

A heavy net was flung over her, slamming her back onto the boards weighted by metal spheres lining the edges. Her head hit the ground, flooding her with dizziness so that she didn't realize that her bag had been snatched up.

Trolls were nasty little creatures with gray, lumpy skin, large noses, beady, black eyes, and about two feet taller than herself. They traveled in hoards, overwhelming their victims simply for the sake of protecting their nests' territory. Stealing, however, was not like them, which had been the concerning issue of the time.

"In the name of the King of this land, I demand you set me free and return my belongings at once!" Levy shouted out, struggling under the ropes. Her wings and tail were at an awkward angle, pained and wrinkled. Oh, she was in for a sore flight home…

"Save your silly protests, little fairy," cackled the closest one in a high, reedy voice. "We only want your things-not your life."

"The cargo is valuable to both the kingdoms of summer and spring," Levy hissed. "Both royal forces will hunt you down!"

"I'm not more afraid of a buncha little fairies wielding toothpicks than the master," another troll scoffed, rifling through the bag. "Valuable, eh? He'll like this for his hoard…"

"You… have a master? With a hoard?" Levy asked hesitantly, ceasing her struggles.

The estimated five trolls standing around her froze, before the one wearing a green loincloth whapped the one that had spoken over the head. "You moron!"

It hit her like a boulder. Of course! It was the only explanation as to why they'd started thieving out of the blue. Someone had scared them into serving him… or her. Someone with a hoard.

Granted, there were several creatures that gathered hoards. Demons tended to gather gold and skeletons, but the only demon that preferred to live above the underworld and have access to trolls was that fire one on the border of the forest that the fairies avoided. The scouts would have sensed if he'd ever come this far in the forest, but they'd only ever reported him walking along the border of the desert or staying in his cave. Dwarves sort of had a hoard, what with their collected precious gems that they used to make their wares. Goblins stole almost anything possible.

But a creature that took only the most valuable items… items weren't just jewels?

"Dragon," Levy whispered.

The little beasts around her groaned in defeat, but her mind was whirling. Dragons hadn't been seen for decades; they were good at hiding, being able to change into an elfish form in which they couldn't be recognized for what they were. Unlike demons, that was the only other form they could take, but it was enough to keep them hidden from the world. Nests were well known locations and avoided, while lone dragons kept to themselves and didn't bother anyone more than the occasional deer, centaur, or werewolf for dinner. Now, one was getting trolls to steal for his hoard. Clever, but not clever enough to evade her.

If Levy wanted to be free and get her book back, all she had to do was scroll words through the Trolls' minds until they begged her to stop and set her free. But Levy had cracked the code, discovered the nasty dragon's secret. Dragons were reasonable creatures, and with her size, he wouldn't bother to hurt her. Someone had to make this banditry stop, or at least gather some information on this new menace.

"Take me to your master," she declared, pushing herself up on her elbows. "I wish to bargain for my cargo."

They scratched their heads in unison, one of them giving a shrug. "She's a pretty little thing. He may even want to keep her. We can't have her babbling on us, anyway, and she's goin' willingly."

Responding with shrugs of their own, they inched chains under the net and tied them around her wrists.

They weren't too rough with her, lazily tugging her along behind them as they marched back through the forest.

After over an hour of twisting paths that she'd never travelled herself, the little band came across a lonesome, gaping cave at the base of the Forbidden Mountain. The cold altitude always kept the Summer fairies far away, which made it a great location for someone who wanted to remain unseen. The cave was only visible when they approached slowly past a group of low trees and peered downward to a sloping, rocky ground. It looked like a snake den.

A chill ran its finger up Levy's spine, making her hands clench and shoulders tighten. The closer they got to the mouth of the cave, the more the idea that she really hadn't thought this through well enough filtered through her head. She would just have to wing it… against a dragon.

Damn her stupid pride.

The cave was cold, or at least far too cold for her short dress. Levy would have hugged herself in vain attempt to stay warm, but the chains prevented that option. Instead, she listened to the wet clap of their feet on the damp floor and the stalactites dripping in a constant metronome of warning.

After taking two turns in a fork, a flickering fire appeared at the end of the tunnel, illuminating a great cavern. The hoard was likely elsewhere, but here rested what seemed to be another mountain of gleaming silver scales and a body that was far too large to be conceivable for her five-inch tall body. She was already short for her kind and this... Her tiny heart was nearly overwhelmed in fear of the massive power that lay before her, sleeping with breaths that could probably carry her away with one exhale.

"Well… are you gonna wake 'im?" the front troll said, shifting on his big, hairy feet anxiously.

"What kinda idiot are you?" whispered the one holding her chains harshly. "Never tickle a sleeping dragon!"

"I wasn't sayin' we should tickle 'im!"

"It doesn't matter how you wake the beast, you nitwit-"

"Who dares disturb my slumber?" The impossibly deep voice made the ground tremble, and Levy wobbled on already shaking knees.

"S-Sorry, Master Drake, sir!" the head troll stammered. "We g-greatly apologize; we did not mean to wake you-"

"This had better be important, little servant," growled the dragon. "Because you know how hungry I am when I awaken…" His magnificent head rose, towering over them so that she had to look straight up. His pearly white teeth were longer than her body. His eyes were a piercing red, black metal lining them and trailing along his snout, down his back, to his pointy tail. The monster was easily over forty feet long.

"W-we have a captive, sir. The little miss was carrying a valuable fairy book. It smells of complicated magic. She was delivering it all on her lonesome when we apprehended her, and we, em, caught her. Resisting her many magically skilled struggles."

Despite the terror in her chest, Levy managed to roll her eyes. The dragon raised iron eyebrows almost in an amused fashion. "Oh really? Put up a fight? Might seem impressive if I could see the thing. Is that it, in the chains?"

Indignant, Levy couldn't help but protest, "She! I am not an it. My name is Levy McGarden, guardian of the written word and chief librarian of the Summer Kingdom."

The dragon stared for a moment, then let out a booming laugh that seemed to cause an earthquake. Levy fell backwards, flailing, which only made the laughing harder. With a frustrated huff, she pushed herself back up and spread her feet and wings for better balance.

"What a funny little treasure you've brought me," the drake mused. "Let me get a closer look."

Levy's mouth dropped open when she watched his body shrink, his scales replaced with tanned, scarred skin and head shortening, smoothing down to one like hers, until he looked like the perfect replica of an elf. He was tall, lean, a mane of coal black hair tangling all the way down his back. He was wearing a breastplate that resembled his scales, a pair of leather trousers and a thick belt. His eyes remained the bloody crimson and his grin remained deadly.

The drake crouched down and squinted at her in the firelight. His voice was only slightly less intimidating. Gravelly.

"Nice little trinket for my collection," he said, poking her face with a hard finger. "I've always wanted to know if fairies had tails. I think I have a golden cage perfect for this one."

Her heart clenched. "I told you that my name is Levy and I have not come here to be a part of your hoard. I've come to ask to keep my book. It is essential to every inhabitant of the Binding World. You must let me deliver it."

"If it's so important to ya," hummed the dragon, "then you shouldn't have been walking alone with it in the forest. Nasty things can happen to little fairies who don't keep to the air… You're lucky my trolls came across you before something worse happened."

"I can't think of much worse than you," snapped Levy in her frustration.

That only provoked another laugh. "She amuses me! You've made a good find, and you shall be rewarded."

"I am not a find!"

"Listen, pipsqueak," the drake sighed, standing back up as the trolls tittered excitedly. "If the little magical book is so important to our world, then who better to protect it than the Black Steel, the Iron Drake? I'm in the world too, so I don't see why I can't claim it just as much as your little kingdoms. If my trolls or I find it, it's mine."

"I could take it by force, if you'd rather," Levy offered, magic building up within her.

"A fairy challenging a dragon," Black Steel snorted, turning away from her. "You'd only entertain me by trying."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Levy focused on the beings around her, seeking out the words floating across their thoughts…

And she set them spinning.

Screams erupted, everyone in the vicinity clutched their heads and cursed. She could feel their thoughts being shrieked in their heads, and Levy projected every book and poem and song passage she could remember into their minds, the mere invasion of her thoughts bringing them to their knees. She'd perfected the technique over the years, but had never quite used it as a way to fight.

Into one troll's mind, she shouted to let her loose over and over until he tore off her chains, after which she snatched her bag and leapt into air, unfurling her wings.

Levy had paid attention to their turns on the way in, so she prepared to zoom left when-

An impossibly strong hand clamped around her body, all her breath erased instantly. "If you don't stop that little mind trick of yours, I'll rip your wings off." It was the dragon, eyes pained but terrifying as ever.

Instantly, Levy released them of her magic and closed her eyes in trepidation. His hand loosened slightly-enough to let her breathe, but not escape.

"Well, Levy," Black Steel chuckled as he turned back to where they'd come from. "Welcome to my territory, and I will not underestimate you again."

The darkness of the cave swallowed her whole.

Yooo new story bros!

Really excited for this one; always wanted to write a fantasy AU. I knoooow I have a lot of other stuff I should be updating, but hey, I can't control which inspiration strikes. Of course, I'll make my own inspiration when necessary, but when it comes along naturally, you gotta grab it.

This was inspired at first by a really cute fanart by nanashiart. Then it kinda turned into this. Hope you're liking it; the next two girls introduced next chapter! Image was done by our one and only Hiro Mashima. :)

See ya… later! I'm finally on Christmas break so I'll have more time.

Mizpah,

~LoneStorm