Merry Christmas!

Epilogue

Though, that's not really the end. Now is it? What happened next? Well, a lot. But at the same time: not much. It depends on what you want to know. What happened according to the Queen? Well, she covered her ass, of course. We were all gone with the wind. No way to track us and they must have figured we ran for a border. She had the Workshop burned to the ground. The newspapers said all the workers died in the fire. We don't know if anyone actually died in the fire. We hope not, but… Let's not think about that. Now, I guess you're wondering why I say "we". I was one of the workers. I have the burn. Those who didn't, got it tattooed on their body. But I was in the story. One of the ones you read about. I'm not Levy- I've heard and read all the stories in letters and got explicit permission to publish the story. Who am I? The answer may not be who you expect, but it's not far-fetched if you know what to look for.

You may be wondering why I wrote my name as Lucy. That's because I'm technically not Lucy anymore. She died in the fire. Along with Natsu, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Gray, Wendy, Erza, and the rest of her family. She was the daughter of a businessman. She was a heiress. She was entitled to a mansion and the surrounding hills. That is not me. I do not claim to be her anymore. Lucky Lucy Heartfilia is gone, and in the rubble stands Layla Judith Frey. Author, publisher, and innovator of Astrology. She owns the old Heartfilia Estate, but kept the name. Enough about me. My life isn't the one you were looking for, I'll bet.

We all changed our names. Most of those who escaped kept in touch. Bisca and Alzack got married as soon as they changed their names. There wasn't a ceremony, they just picked the same last name, then had a daughter a few years ago. A lot of us have gotten married, and to each other. It's hard to be with someone that doesn't know what it's like to be… what were we? Locked up? In a weird family? I don't know, but whatever it is- almost no one chose to forget it, even if we wished we could. As for the weddings themselves, they were a bit complicated. So few of us have family, or family that know we're alive. Few women had any fathers to give them away. But we all tried to be there for each other, and attended as many weddings as possible.

Juvia and Gray had their wedding in winter, at their house. Surprisingly, Natsu was Gray's best man and I was a bridesmaid. Gajeel gave Juvia away, and it wasn't a surprise to anyone. They live on a lakefront up north. It's small, but they're content there. It was where they landed when they left the estate all those years ago. They say they built their cabin themselves, and I don't doubt it. Gray's a carpenter now, and Juvia is a school teacher.

Evergreen and Elfman had their wedding in a ballroom in a town on the other side of Fiore. Mira was the maid of honor and Laxus was the best man, while Bixlow gave her away. Evergreen is now a wedding planner and Elfman is a contractor. He and Gray do business together all the time. A lot of us are connected that way as well, and a lot of us have started our own businesses.

Eventually, Cana and Laxus broke it off. Laxus married Mirajane and they live in the same town as Ever and Elfman. Lisanna was the Maid of Honor and Bickslow and Freed were the best men. Elfman gave Mira away. Mira is a baker and Laxus is their region's Head Enforcement Officer. Cana went on to open a tavern with her father, Gildarts. They named it Cornelia. She married the owner of a bar around the corner from her. Her husband's name is Bacchus. She was the first to marry an outsider, but he's a part of the family now.

Lisanna opened the first pet store in Fiore for over a hundred years. The Strausses moved to the town they live in now, and per Ever's request Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow moved there too. It's how Ever made sure Laxus recovered from his breakup and he and Mira got close. But it's also how Bickslow started working with Lisanna. They now co-own the shop as a married couple. Freed and Laxus were the best men and Elfman gave Lisanna away. Ever planned the wedding and Mira was the maid of honor.

After their wedding, Natsu proposed to me- the second time. The first was after Juvia and Gray tied the knot. But it was just out of competition with Gray, so I said I'd buy him a cat and call it a day. His name is Happy. But after the last Strauss married, I said yes. We haven't officially gotten married, yet, but it will be happening soon. Levy is my maid of honor and Capricorn- a friend of my mother, apparently, is set to give me away. Gray is the best man, which should make this fun. Natsu actually proposed with a recycled gift: the only artifact from Fairy Tail. The LUCE pen he made me. For now, we're living in the Estate together. We squatted there for a few months, then got jobs. Natsu started a pyrotechnics company, and I wrote my first book- followed by multiple more. We started fixing it up on the outside, then made it official with the government, which wasn't hard. Turns out we have friends in high places.

As for Levy, if Mira is right, she may not be a maid for much longer. She, Erza, and Gajeel left the Estate and accomplished their dreams. Erza is now Titania Scarlet Knightwalker. Everyone knows her story- she usurped the Queen and changed all the rules back to the way they were. She brought us out of the dark ages, one step at a time. She met a man who turned out to be another survivor of her old Workshop. After two years of courting, King Jellal Fernandez heads the Queen's council. I'm not belittling her story, but it's widely known that she won against the Queen's challenge. The Queen dared to challenge her to a duel. It didn't end well for the Queen. What a lot of people don't know is the story of her Strategist and Chief of Enforcement. Well- they do now. Levy and Gajeel are still together- and could be getting married very soon. They found Gajeel's old cat at the pound and he re-adopted him as soon as he could. His name is PantherLily, and you would think he's a person, the way Gajeel talks about him. After they helped Erza take down the Queen, they bought Levy's old house. Apparently her mother put it up for sale. Gray and Juvia had to take a vacation to come down to Magnolia while Levy met with her mother. Gajeel demanded he be there, so Gray and Juvia were there as restrains. Thank goodness they were.

Wendy bounced around for a while. She stayed with us for a very long time, but there was a span of a month that we had to move out of the Estate to be able to legally transfer it into our names. So, she moved in with Juvia and Gray for that time. But, then they got married and she decided it was time to go. She considered moving in with Cana, but she was high school age at that point. She didn't want to have to move again in the next four years. Levy and Gajeel had just gotten the house at that point, so when Juvia and Gray came down, they brought Wendy. She moved into the house with them and Levy helped her find the best school in the area. Knightwalker High was where she landed. It wasn't the most challenging- in Levy's words- but it was where Romeo went to school. And everyone got a kick out of Wendy going to a school named after Erza. Wendy was like a child to all of us. She ended up getting certain perks because of it. Her school's ball was held in the palace's ballroom. The one we escaped from, years ago. Her and Romeo went together. They're going to Fiore College together, too. They're gonna be the brightest this family has to offer and we're all so proud- especially Macao, Enno, and all those who housed Wendy.

Their graduation ceremony was a month ago. It was held in the Palace's gardens with numerous "random" special guest speakers in attendance. The principal was baffled by the generosity of the Queen. The whole Workshop was there and the only place they could find that fit all the people for Wendy's graduation party was (conveniently) the finished product of Elfman, Gray, Levy, Erza, Juvia, and Gajeel's work. Everyone pitched in really. But that monstrosity on 73rd street? Right at the edge of town? Most of the readers will remember it. That was where Fairy Tail Workshop used to be. It's an exact replica, and a museum now. Go take a look. You know where everything is. It's a free flow museum, so do as you like. But be careful, those walls hold more secrets than you know.

Thank you.