Mirajane kept her eyes down as she was led to Laxus' tower. His bodyguards were following after them, eyeing her curiously, and in Evergreen's case, petulantly. They still did not know the reason she was being led away from the dungeons, and she did not think they would approve much if they found out why. Scornfully, she imagined Laxus bragging that she'd begged him to spare her on her hands and knees, offering anything. That seemed the only likely way for him to play it off, lest he openly admit he might have felt a shred of pity for someone.

The dark halls felt suffocating as she followed Laxus' broad figure. She could not see his face, as he walked directly in front of her, but she felt an aura of tenseness in this group as they walked. It only seemed to increase as they walked past a ballroom, full of noisy laughter and music even at the late hour. It wasn't totally unlike Fairy Tail, she mused, though the atmosphere promised something more sinister than friendly. Through a crack in the large wooden doors, she saw a glimpse of Ivan, presiding over the raucousness. If she had to guess, he had left as soon as he'd heard about her presence, probably hoping to interrogate her himself. Even his brief presence had been enough for her.

Thankfully, they soon started to ascend a spiral staircase at the end of a long hallway, and emerged on a mid level landing. Three doors stood across from them, and Laxus turned to his guards, gesturing for them to go into them. It seemed to be each one's personal quarters, and Bixlow and Evergreen seemed reluctant, but obedient. Freed, however, didn't turn to obey, eyeing her suspiciously instead. "My lord, are you certain you wouldn't have us there with her in case she tries to attack? Evergreen mentioned her power started to gather somewhat, earlier."

Mira was taken aback. Didn't Freed know her beyond her rebellious days as a teen? She was ballsy, but no longer that ballsy. Even if she did get her power back, there was no guarantee she would be strong enough to defeat Laxus, which would've been hard even in her peak condition. Laxus seemed to share her thoughts, as he looked her up and down, decidedly unconcerned. "She can certainly try, Freed, but I don't see her taking me down anytime soon."

"But what if she tricks you, my-"

"Freed, it'll be fine," Laxus said, draping an arm over her as if he'd done it several times. "Mira and I have some catching up to do." She looked to the floor, hoping to hide the blush dusting her cheeks. She had seen his guards' reactions, and she didn't want them to stare at her. Evergreen scowled, Bixlow smirked wickedly, and Freed seemed confused. They probably understood the original mission, and didn't quite know how it turned up like this.

"Very well," Freed spoke, still eyeing her suspiciously, before turning and heading to his quarters. Mira glared at Laxus, but he ignored it, promptly dropping all pretenses. With one last look to confirm his guards were where they were supposed to be, he started to ascend the stairs once again, gesturing for her to follow.

"There's a few more suites, meant for guests. Those losers get the ones down there so they don't bother me as much," he explained casually, as if he'd explained it a thousand times. Mira frowned, crossing her arms.

"And how many other guests am I going to run into up there, hmm? I've heard stories about the mistresses here, that they're nothing but conniving and manipulative," she asked, trying to figure out what she was getting herself into.

"None, I don't have time for 'em. Some of them are bad like you said, especially the ones associated with the king, but most are whiny and hoping you'll fall in love with them and marry them and shit," he said dully. "All they care about is whose dick they have to suck to get power and money."

"Oh great. And I suppose every man in this castle will think that of me as well?" she sniffed haughtily.

"Probably," he agreed, "But they won't fuck with you while I'm around. I'm the most powerful mage in this castle, and I'm not known to share."

"But what if they don't know or you aren't around?" Mira asked testily, hating the idea of relying on his protection. They came to the next landing, and both paused. Frustratingly, Laxus seemed unperturbed by the question.

"Oh they'll know. As soon as you take residence in this suite, the entire castle will know who you're connected to. Plus, I plan to make it very clear," he explained with a smirk, gesturing again to make her continue following.

"That still doesn't answer my second question, what happens if you aren't here? I understand that's the case a majority of the time," she insisted, on his heels. "Your father said if I cause a problem I'm dead."

He didn't reply right away, opening four different doors. "We both know you can handle yourself, Mirajane. The only reason I am even allowing this hoax is because you used to be somewhat competent, and more tolerable than Scarlet. Stay in the tower if you have to. But I swear, if you start demanding to know when I'll be home and all that, I'll abandon you in the wing with the lesser noblemen's mistresses." He then turned to her and gestured to the open doors. "Now, pick your suite. I let Evergreen decorate them, so I don't know what they look like, but I'm being uncharacteristically nice so you'd better hurry."

She quickly glanced in each doorway, finding the decorating rather gaudy. He watched her cross the hall and inspect each, seemingly more impatient with each second. With a sigh, she picked the least opulent room, the one that she figured Evergreen probably wasn't finished with yet. Which was just fine, in her opinion, she could always change it if necessary.

"Great, now that's yours. If you care about your stupid guild, I recommend you stay there and don't try to run away, or you'll definitely be seen as a spy. I'll send Evergreen in the morning to handle clothes and shit like that. You'll need to look incredible, or nobody will be convinced that I'm keeping you," he explained, starting to turn to the most impressive door at the end of the corridor, clearly ready to be done with her for the night.

"Keep me? I'm not a pet, Laxus," she said with a frown. "I don't want to be put on display in front of the court like your puppet. I didn't want any of this! All I want…is to be with my brother and sister."

With a deeply annoyed sigh, he shoved her into her suite and shut the door, crossing his arms. She gaped angrily, as he started speaking lowly, trying to keep calm. "Listen, I don't want this shit either. I don't have mistresses for a fucking reason, Mirajane. They're annoying, and I'm already convinced your presence will be especially annoying, since you'll get all the perks of the position with none of work, because I'm a nice guy protecting you-"

"You put me in this position in the first place!" she cried, angry tears forming in her eyes. She cursed herself internally for appearing weak in front of him. "You don't get to paint yourself the hero when you basically caused this situation!"

"I was following orders! But it's too late to change that now! What's done is done, and now we just have to deal with it. Maybe in a few months, I'll say I got bored of ya, that I sent you packing-"

"You know I can't leave, now that I know what the king is after!" she insisted snidely, tears flowing freely as she considered the reality of her life now.

"Would you stop with the shrieking? You need to stop speaking like you aren't in the king's castle, full of the king's spies. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd kill you if you were a problem. How do you think your brother and sister would feel if they heard?"

"You leave them out of this!" she hissed, her finger pointed threateningly in his face, as if she had the ability to threaten him.

"I'll try to arrange a visit with them for you, but you need to be on your best behavior. My kindness and patience only extends so far," he said lowly, in a slightly threatening tone. "But this is your best chance of staying alive to see them at the moment, so play your part."

She turned away from him, fists clenched. "Fine," she relented. "But I will not allow you to take advantage of me."

"You'll probably take more advantage of me. That's how mistresses operate around here. You'll learn quickly, I'm sure," he said, opening the door and stepping out. "I'm going to bed now. Behave."

As soon as he left, she sighed and sank to the floor, tears streaming. It was quite late, almost dawn, she noted. Normally, she'd be getting up soon to go open the guild. They'd probably discover her missing within a few hours if they didn't know already. How was the guild going to react? What if they thought she ran away?

Lisanna would blame herself no matter what they suspected, and Elfman would fall apart. How unfair for him to regain his sister, before losing the other. She couldn't believe this was happening. Who knew how long she'd have to stay here? What if he took a wife? What if he needed an heir?

Beginning to panic, she stood, looking for a bathroom. After mistaking a rather large closet for it, she found the room, and was cowed by the grand nature of it. The bathtub alone was bigger than her bed at home. She glared at herself in the mirror. How dare the men in this castle try to keep the women complacent and fuckable with material goods and fancy rooms! How it was a disgrace to the Uniter Queen! She wasn't an idiot. Even though Laxus claimed he expected nothing from her, he probably wouldn't attempt to prevent anything happening between them. She'd have to be on her guard at all times, especially around Ivan. Even though she was completely pissed off at Laxus, someone barely a part of the guild she called home, she could not betray their arrangement. For now, it was the best she could do.

Sighing wearily, she strolled back into the parlor, looking for a desk with paper. Perhaps he would allow her to send a message that would stay the guild's hand? That would reassure her siblings? How would she write it without revealing too much, though? How could she assure them it was her writing to them? Finding no desk, she finally entered the bedroom. As she expected, there was a massive bed, and to her relief a desk. Rifling through the drawers, she found no paper or writing utensils, however. Frustrated, she opened the door on the other side of the room, finding an even larger closet for the massive wardrobe Laxus apparently expected her to need. There were a couple dresses that seemed like they'd fit decently, and some plain shoes in a variety of sizes. Towards the back, there was a shelf with some basic, but finely made jewelry. Evergreen had certainly tried to be prepared for any occasion. Growing exhausted, she pulled a nightie out, smaller than she liked, and changed quickly, leaving her dress on the floor. She was sure Evergreen would try to throw it away anyhow.

Too tired to think anymore, she laid down on the bed, finding it too comfortable for her liking. Thinking sadly one last time of her siblings, she closed her eyes, and finally fell asleep.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I had a busy semester, and I work quite a bit. Thanks for the support, though, I hope you enjoy!