Nunnally Wallace: The Plant Mage of Fairy Tail

Chapter 01: A Flower Blooms in the Forest

"What do you want old man? What'd you call me down here for?" Laxus complained to his grandfather, Guild Master Makarov. By the look of Laxus' face, it was obvious that he was not happy with his grandfather calling the 19-year-old out of the blue.

"Laxus!" Makarov sternly began as he sat on the bar counter. Makarov Dreyar was the Fairy Tail Guild's master and one of its most powerful and formidable members. On most days, he would be found drinking with a lighthearted smile near the bar, but today, Master Makarov wore such a serious look that Laxus couldn't help but be a bit wary of the elderly man. "I have a job for you." He calmly finished as he suddenly held out a job request.

"A job?" He asked with a bored expression. "This is what you called me down here for? To ask me to go on a job? Geez..." He huffed in annoyance. Truthfully, Laxus hardly minded going out on missions. In fact, he usually enjoyed the thrill of them, but the fact that it was his grandfather ordering him to do so felt quite irksome to the young man. "I've got better things to do, old man, so call me when you actually have something important to say." Finished, the blonde man turned to take his leave, but, before he could even take a few steps, he was immediately halted by a loud, booming voice.

"LAXUS!" Makarov angrily yelled.

Laxus stopped as ordered but turned his head only to show his grandfather a scowling expression of irritation. "You got something else to say, old man?

"I'm not asking you Laxus; I'm telling you. NOW TAKE IT." Master Makarov ordered, holding out the job request once more.

Laxus glared at his grandfather for a few more moments before making an audibly irritated sound. "Tsk, fine..." He quickly swiped the sheet of paper from his grandfather's hand and inspected its contents. "A bandit, huh?" It was not but a moment after he said that that Laxus suddenly crumpled the flyer in his hand, more irritated than before. "Hey, old man! What the hell is this!? What's the deal with sending me on a lame ass mission like this!?"

"Well you can't expect me to send Nunnally out there all alone, can you?" Master Makarov calmly responded as if it were obvious.

"Nunnally?" The mention of her name caused the S-Class Mage to give an expression of complete bewilderment, for he couldn't help but wonder what she had to do with any of this.

"She's like a princess! I can't expect her to handle this kind of job on her own!" Makarov continued, fuming with passion.

"Now you're asking me to babysit?" Laxus asked, growing more and more annoyed by the second. It was bad enough for Laxus that his grandfather was making him go on a job he didn't want in the first place, but now he had to play nanny? "You know what, old man? Forget this. I'm leaving, so ask someone else."

Before Laxus even got the chance to turn around this time, Master Makarov called his name in the harshest tone he ever heard his grandfather use. "LAXUS!" Makarov's hard and furious demeanor cause the young man to flinch just before he slowly looked his grandfather in the eye with another expression of irritation. "Everyone in the guild has their own work to do." The Master began to explain with a harsh glare. "I'm only asking you because you've just been loitering around the guild hall lately. Now, since it seems you have nothing better to do with your time, I want YOU to escort Nunnally."

Not even trying to put up a fight anymore, Laxus let out a tired sigh. "Can't you just send her off on her own, old man?"

"I was considering that, but she hasn't had much experience on missions." Master tearfully replied before suddenly standing up from the bar counter with resolve. "So it's only natural for her to start gaining experience! Isn't that right, Nunnally?" He dotingly asked Nunnally, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes, Master..." She calmly agreed with an obvious meekness in her voice. Nunnally, with her long, golden brown hair and elegant militaristic dress, was an obvious beauty to most of the guild. However, many of the guild members also considered her to be an oddity. She was a shy girl and rarely spoke to anyone, and most of the conversations she did have were almost exclusively held with plants, contributing to her oddball nature. Laxus, though, didn't care much for her either way due to her meek and frail appearance, for, in his eyes, she was nothing more than a weakling—a nuisance.

Laxus, ignoring Nunnally's presence, quickly interrupted. "You've got to be kidding me; I might as well go by myself. A weakling like her will just get in the way." As soon as he said this, Nunnally silently looked down at the floor, hurt by his cruel yet truthful words.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR BLASTED WHINING, LAXUS!" Master Makarov barked as he was fed up with his grandson's poor and disrespectful attitude. "It's not a request; it's an order! Now you WILL take Nunnally with you! END OF DISCUSSION!" He finished and immediately left towards one of the back rooms to show his grandson that he was through with words.

The Master's sudden exit left the two teens standing next to each other in deafening silence. It was quite evident that the blonde youth was more than angry, so Nunnally simply continued to gaze down at the strong, wooden floor as a means to avoid his piercing glare.

"Hey" Laxus suddenly called, surprising the 15-year-old girl. "Look at me." Doing as he instructed, Nunnally slowly lifted her head, and, just as she felt, Laxus looked down at her with a cold expression, causing Nunnally to flinch under the weight of his icy gaze. "I'm only going to say this once." His looming figure roughly whispered before glaring down at her. "You better not get in my way."

She didn't say anything right away, for Nunnally simply did not have the courage to do so, but she quickly pushed away all of her uncertainties and earnestly replied. "I assure you… that is the last thing I want."

Irritated, Laxus looked away, scoffing at her words before walking past her and out the guild hall doors. As he walked away, Nunnally simply watched him as she tightly gripped the strap of the small, leather messenger bag she prepared earlier that morning before realizing that she needed to leave as well, thus followed after him in haste.

Δ

The two made their way to the station in complete silence, but, when they arrived, Laxus looked on at the train with utter dismay. Noticing this, Nunnally asked the blonde man if something was wrong, but he immediately brushed off her words and boarded in silence.

It wasn't until after the train began its departure that Nunnally noticed that Laxus, who sat across from her, appeared rather ill (although she did not know why at the time) and, concerned for his well-being, spoke up—all while carefully choosing her words. "Laxus, do you... Do you, perhaps, have motion sickness?" He, however, did not answer and, instead, scowled before looking away—unintentionally proving to her of his apparent ailment.

Considering his macho exterior, Laxus' motion sickness came as a bit of a shocker to Nunnally. She had always thought that he would be able to handle anything, but that didn't seem to be the case, so, in order to help the poor boy, Nunnally brought out a small, glass vial filled with a pale, pink liquid from her bag and held it out to the blonde man. "Here..." She cautiously gestured. "It won't cure your ailment, but it should make this trip more bearable."

Still scowling, Laxus looked back at her and asked, "Am I supposed to drink it?"

Nunnally shook her head as she casually replied. "No…" She averted her gaze. "You would likely be poisoned if you did." Nunnally then opened the vial and continued to speak as a soothing aroma reached their noses. "It's aromatherapy."

"Aroma… therapy?" Laxus questioned.

Nunnally nodded with a small, meek smile. "Yes, often times, humans and animals will feel more at ease in an uncomfortable setting if they have something that can relax their minds. It's not much, but, if you want, I can give you this?" She finished as she placed the tiny vial in his large, callused hand.

Laxus briefly looked at her smiling face before asking another question that pressed his mind. "You made this?"

Before answering, Nunnally gave another shy smile as she looked away in embarrassment, and this sole action caused the young Dragon's heart to skip a beat. "Yes, I was experimenting with fragrances and found that this scent best soothes unsettled stomachs. Do you feel better, Laxus?" She asked with a gentle smile.

Her question left Laxus stunned for a brief moment before he quickly regained his senses and answered. "I do…" He paused. He wasn't used to having people worrying about him so openly, so Laxus felt a bit uncomfortable by Nunnally's gesture, but he didn't hate it. It just felt… strange… "Thanks..." Whatever troubled Laxus before, whether it was Nunnally or his grandfather, no longer upset him; he was genuinely relaxed now. It was as if all his pent-up rage and frustrations vanished all at once but, at the same time, sudden tiredness quickly overtook his mind. This weary feeling wasn't enough for him to nod off into a peaceful slumber, but, in this clouded state, Laxus could no longer process his surroundings.

As Laxus sat in a trance-like state, Nunnally continued to speak in a calm and gentle manner—although he could not comprehend her words. "Aromatherapy can take many forms. The oils are most often used in massages and are rarely consumed. This particular method, however, is most effective when inhaled. Your head may feel a bit clouded, but do not worry..." She paused for a moment and stared at Laxus' dazed face. "It's just a small side-effect..."

It was strange to him. Her words were muffled, and he could not understand a word she said, but all his anger disappeared, and he felt completely at ease. Time was at a standstill for Laxus, and it felt like there was a peace in his heart that seemed to last an eternity—that was until someone gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Laxus, we've reached our destination." Startled by Nunnally's touch, Laxus quickly returned to his senses. "Are you alright?" She worriedly asked.

"Y-Yeah..." He answered with slight nervousness before regaining his composure, and, just as quickly as he replied, Laxus immediately arose from his seat with a stern expression and exited the train cart with Nunnally following close behind him.

Δ

As they both made their way through town, Nunnally and Laxus noticed how eerily quiet it was. The streets were empty, all businesses were closed, and there wasn't a single sign of human presence. This deeply worried Nunnally, but Laxus did not seem concerned by it at all. "We need to talk to the client." He announced before remembering something else. "Oh, and don't forget to stay out of my way. The last thing I need is some kid meddling in." With those words, Laxus seemed as cold as ever before—no longer relaxed like before.

"Yes..." She quietly trailed off, hurt by his painfully cruel words. Although she was only four years younger than Laxus, Nunnally was still just a child in his eyes, but she bore no ill will towards his rude behavior, for it had been only two years since his father's expulsion from the guild, and, although she could not exactly relate, Nunnally understood how much pain Laxus was still in. That was how she was able to still sympathize with him while the other guild members could no longer tolerate his poor behavior.

"Are you the Fairy Tail wizards?" An old withered voice suddenly called out, catching their complete and utter attention.

It was at that moment that Nunnally and Laxus stopped dead in their tracks only to stand before a small and well-dressed, elderly man. His appearance was venerable at the least, for this gentleman seemed to have lived a long yet difficult life, but the look on his face, while tired and weary, was hopeful that Nunnally and Laxus were the people he called for help.

"Yes, Sir. That is correct." Nunnally politely responded as she stood in the middle of the empty deserted street.

"Oh, our prayers have been answered!" He teared up with joy. "Please, follow me! There's much to discuss." Urging the two wizards, the old man led them inside his home to explain the situation.

"Please, have a seat. I'm Eugene—the mayor of this town." He began, carefully seating himself in an antique armchair as Nunnally and Laxus followed suit. "I'm so happy that someone finally came. You don't know how grateful I am." The old man, who was revealed to be the mayor of Elysium Town, teared up once more.

The way Eugene acted, though, seemed a bit off to Nunnally. She didn't think that a mere bandit could cause someone so much grief, so she felt compelled to ask him what weighed heavily on her mind. "Sir Eugene, has something happened?" She paused for a moment—treading lightly on the subject. "You called us here to arrest the bandit that's been terrorizing this town, but there's something else that's troubling you, isn't there?"

Laxus looked at Nunnally, a bit surprised by her sudden question before quickly turning back to Eugene with a glare. "Well?" He curtly added. "Is there something else?"

The mayor grimly looked down at their words, as if in shame, before slowly explaining all that happened in the past five months.

Δ

"FIVE MONTHS!?" Nunnally exclaimed in complete shock. "Sir Eugene, why didn't you call for help sooner?"

"I was afraid of what he would do. He said he would return the girls to us if we did what he asked, but then he..." The mayor paused as he tried to stomach his next words. "He took their lives!" Eugene suddenly broke down in tears. "He even took my precious grand-daughter from me!" Nunnally simply looked on at Eugene with pity before he desperately began to plead to the two mages. "Please! Please, Fairy Tail Wizards! You have to help us!"

Suddenly, Laxus, who sat silent for quite some time, interrupted. "Well, what do we get out of this? As I recall, you originally called us down here to get rid of some bandit—not a serial killer." He brusquely said with a smirk. "I don't really see myself helping someone out if I don't get anything out of the deal. You understand, right?"

Nunnally stayed quiet as she, from the corner of her eye, witnessed Laxus demand better payment. The teenage girl didn't approve of this behavior, but she didn't have the courage to speak out against it either. All she could do was remain silent as she vigilantly watched Eugene's and Laxus' exchange.

"I'LL PAY ANY PRICE YOU ASK! I'll pay double- no, triple the original amount! Just, please... I beg of you! HELP US!"

Laxus couldn't help but give a sly smile at the old man's words. "Well, now we're talking!" He then raised his right hand to hold up all five of his fingers. "Pay five times as much, and you got yourself a deal. That is... if you can. But if you can't, we can always go ho-"

"I'LL PAY!" Mayor Eugene interrupted in desperation. "I said any price, and I meant it." It was almost heartbreaking for Nunnally to see an old man like Eugene look so desperate for help. She didn't like how Laxus was taking advantage of the situation, but what else could she do about it? She was already terrified of Laxus' cold and cruel self as it was, but to go against him? That kind of thing was out of the question for a timid girl like Nunnally Wallace.

Laxus remained silent for a moment, but seeing the elderly mayor's desperation caused a smirk of amusement on the handsome youth's face. "Well, it looks like you understand that I'm not here to play games. Getting rid of this guy shouldn't take too long." He said as he stood up from his seat and walked straight towards the front door. "Expect to pay up when I get back."

Seeing Laxus take his leave, Nunnally immediately followed suit, but just before she reached the large, wooden door, the teenage Wizard quickly turned back towards Mayor Eugene with a look of sympathy. "We will do our best." She briefly reassured, leaving Eugene to break down in tears of gratitude behind her.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU, FAIRY TAIL WIZARDS! Thank you..."

Δ

Not long after Nunnally and Laxus left the mayor's estate, the two teens headed towards Elysium Forest—the place where this whole mess began.

Elysium Forest, as Eugene described, was a place shrouded in mystery. It was the boundary between this world and the next, and it was said that those who entered the forest might never find their way out again, and it was because of this, that Nunnally thought it was strange how a man began taking the women of the town into this forest as tribute. If it was true that humans disappeared in Elysium Forest, it wouldn't make sense for a man to keep coming in and out of it with ease. There was something more to all this, something that Nunnally couldn't tell Laxus just yet—not until she was certain.

The two walked for what seemed like an eternity in that forest. The air had been clear when Nunnally and Laxus first entered, but as they journeyed further in, a thick haze quickly engulfed them.

"What's up with this mist? It was fine just a second ago." Laxus looked around in confusion—uncertain of what to make of this eerie change in mood.

"Perhaps the legend surrounding this forest has something to do with it…" Nunnally quietly replied with a ponderous expression.

"You saying that the reason people never make it out of here is because of this mist?"

Laxus' quick response startled the young Plant Mage for a brief moment before she quickly averted her gaze and answered. "I am not certain, but… that is most likely the case."

With those words, the blonde man cautiously looked around as he tried to figure out which direction they should go. "Well, whatever..." He sighed. "This mist has got nothing to with us. We just need to find that psychotic bastard and take him down. That's it." While Laxus may have acted callous about the whole situation, he was genuinely worried about the townspeople that disappeared—even if he didn't show it. It was just part of his nature.

"Yes, you're right," Nunnally replied, still worried about the truth behind this mission. 'But will defeating this man really solve this town's problems?' She thought with uncertainty.

Δ

While the two traveled further into the now gloomy forest, it wasn't long before Nunnally and Laxus reached a clearing that appeared to be located right in the heart of Elysium Forest.

"How odd..." Nunnally muttered without a second thought.

Hearing those words, Laxus turned to her in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"This haze... It's… It's dissipating." She briefly explained as she took note of the receding mist—making their surroundings much clearer than just a few, short moments ago.

"You're right..."

Laxus found this strange phenomenon quite odd as well. The thick fog left just as quickly as it came—adding to the eeriness of the dark woods, and just as Laxus was about to say something else, a wicked laughter suddenly echoed in the disappearing fog until a maniacal looking man appeared right before them.

"HEY! You the guy who killed all those girls from town?" Laxus called out with a glare. There wasn't anything odd about the way this man was dressed. If anything, he looked quite normal—not at all like the typical villain, but there was something about that disturbing grin he wore that was more than cause for alarm.

"That's right; the name's Amalric." He replied before giving them a disgusting smirk. "And I do have to say, those girls..." Amalric's grin grew wider as euphoric bliss trailed in his words. "They were the perfect offerings... And now… It looks like I have one more." He finished, gazing straight at Nunnally.

"Offerings?" Nunnally quietly questioned before another thought struck her mind.

"You're seriously giving us your name? Man…" Laxus began with an irritated smirk. The fact that someone would just outright brag about killing people like it was some big feat was even more irksome to Laxus than having his grandfather order him around. "Like handing yourself over on a silver platter. Well, looks like we found just the man we're looking for."

"I'm just going to tell you right now..." Amalric smirked right back at Laxus. "I'm not in the least bit interested in anything you have to say. The only thing I'm interested in is that girl you've brought there with you, so you I suggest you leave before things get ugly."

"Oh yeah? That so?" Laxus returned his smiling glare as small sparks of electricity shot out from his body. Despite having just met, the hostile tension was enough to kill. Amalric found men like Laxus to be an annoying nuisance, and Laxus just wanted to beat the crap out of Amalric for speaking so lightly about something as heinous and evil as murder. The Lightning Mage wasn't exactly sure if he was a good guy himself, but Laxus was definitely certain one thing—that there was no way he was anywhere near as evil as this lunatic, and it was just as he thought this that, without any warning, Laxus immediately made his move to punch out Amalric in one blow. "YOU OCCULT FREAKS MUST REALLY LIKE TO SPEW CRAP TO HEAR YOURSELVES TALK, HUH!?"

"LAXUS, NO! STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Nunnally cried out as she tried to warn him of an important thing she noticed, but it was too late. Amalric quickly dodged the blonde man's attack and lashed a small, sharp blade at Laxus' arm in retaliation.

The moment Amalric his blade made contact, Laxus immediately retreated away before opening his mouth speak. "HA! YOU THINK A LITTLE THING LIKE THAT… is going… to…" Before he could finish his sentence, however, the S-Class Wizard suddenly clenched his arm as he slowly fell to the ground—yelling in excruciating pain.

"LAXUS!" Nunnally cried again before quickly running to his side. "Laxus, everything will be alright, but, please, don't move!"

"Get away from me!" Laxus tried to push her aside as he struggled to pick himself up. "I-I'm going to make him pay for whatever he did to me!"

"No! STAY STILL!" She ordered as she immediately placed her hand on his chest, putting the blonde Wizard under a powerful paralysis spell.

It was with that one fluid motion, that Laxus couldn't budge an inch. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" He yelled as he struggled to move his body, but, no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to move.

"I'm sorry, Laxus, but I can't allow you to move!" Nunnally objected without any explanation. The meek 15-year-old knew that Laxus wouldn't take this mutiny hands down, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She'd accept her punishment later, but she needed to use her most powerful paralysis spell on him because right now-

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Amalric laughed at this new surprising turn of events. "Attacking your own comrade? Well, that's new, but no matter... This makes it easier for m-"

"YOU!" Nunnally angrily interrupted as she arose from the ground, and it was those actions that caused Laxus to halt his struggles to move as the angry expression on the young girl's face was a shocking surprise to see, for he never thought that Nunnally, of all people, could act like that. "I… I detest violence, but you've hurt my comrade… My friend…" She continued with a piercing glare. "So I will make you pay dearly for this."

Her words caused Amalric to let out another laugh. "I'd like to see you try. I'll just do the same to you as I did to that annoying boyfriend of yours."

"Very well... You'll regret those words soon enough…" Nunnally ominously began as her entire body slowly dispersed into free-flowing, pink petals. "For I won't even give you the chance."

"What!?" Amalric suddenly exclaimed in shock. "W-What is this!?"

Nunnally was still inexperienced in battle, but even she had an ace up her sleeve. Her abilities and high affinity with plant life allowed her to easily transform her body into pale, pink petals—into cherry blossoms. This kind of complex spell usually took several years to master, but for someone who only ever spent her time with plants, it was hardly any trouble at all for our flower maiden.

"Sir Amalric..." Nunnally's voice echoed as scattered petals flowed in the passing breeze and enveloped Amalric completely. "You've taken the lives of innocent girls and sought my dear friend's life as well."

Amalric quickly looked around as Nunnally's body continuously materialized and scattered over and over around him.

"For this..."

The moment she said that, Laxus recognized a familiar scent that came from Nunnally's dematerialized body. "This is…"

Meanwhile, Amalric, dazed by this pleasant aroma, passively stood motionless as he appeared awe-stricken by the many petals scattered around him. "It's so… beautiful…" It was just as he said this, that Nunnally finally rematerialized one last time before landing just a couple of meters of Laxus when, out of nowhere, a giant carnivorous plant completely encased her body as if trapping a rat.

Laxus, who still laid paralyzed, quickly grew silent as he appeared shocked by the horrifying scene he had just witnessed. He wasn't quite sure what to think. A giant plant swallowed Nunnally alive, making Laxus believe that she was dead, and, although only a few minutes passed, it seemed to be an eternity for Laxus, but, just as he tried to figure out whether she was still alive or not, the monstrous bear trap finally opened up to reveal Nunnally, who had been clothed so modestly, wearing a short dress made entirely out of flower petals that proudly exposed their guild's emblem on her right thigh. This once shy and meek girl didn't seem like the Nunnally Laxus knew at all, for it was as if Nunnally, herself, had become a completely different person.

"For this..." Nunnally repeated. "I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!"

To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

Hello, Readers! As you may know, I'm The Quiet Comic, and I would first like to say thank you for reading my story. I'm not exactly good at introductions, but I hope you guys stick around.

However, there is something I would like to clarify about Nunnally's "elegant militaristic dress". In general, it's hard for me to describe characters as opposed to the setting, so I just opted for that to be suitable for her character, but what I really had in mind was something like this: Nunnally_s_Clothes. It turns out the style of clothing I had in mind was something called "Military Lolita". I didn't even know that existed, but I think it's cute.

Thanks again for reading guys.

I really appreciate it.