Chapter 43: Rose Petals

Gajeel stood in the center of the stone gazebo, dripping blood from numerous wounds, the bullet hole in his back and the cracked ribs in his chest throbbing. The Beast lay beneath him, pinned down by his throat, chest heaving from the battle and his armor cracked in multiple places. His red eyes were still shining with bloodlust, a look that Gajeel had a feeling was reflected in his own expression.

The only thing stopping Gajeel – the only thing that could ever stop him - from ripping the monster to shreds was Levy's hands on his arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, slowly, his voice rumbling like a rockslide. He didn't dare take his eyes off the Beast, nor did he morph his hand out of its iron blade. But Levy moved into his range of vision, her hand trailing down his arm as she knelt beside the prone Beast, resting her other hand on the creature's shoulder.

"You can't kill him, Gajeel," she said, her voice shaking, though her expression remained firm. "That isn't how the story ends."

Gajeel permitted his eyes to focus on her as they widened incredulously. "You're worried about the story? The Grimm kidnapped you, had you tortured… who knows what it's been doing to the others… and you want to follow its script?"

Nothing wavered in Levy's countenance as she leaned in closer to him. "Gajeel, these stories aren't just stories. They are parables for real life. That's how they have lasted for so long, being retold and rewritten throughout time again and again. The characters and events may not be real, but the lessons are."

"I just saw a bunch of furniture fight off a rabid mob."

Levy patted the Beast's shoulder, drawing Gajeel's attention back to him. "Look at him, Gajeel. In reality, he isn't real. He is a creation of a powerful Storyteller placed before us to teach us a lesson. And the lesson is that, for all intense and purposes, this is you. The story of Beauty and the Beast was never about rescuing the Beauty. It was about saving the Beast."

The monster under Gajeel snarled, and the Iron Dragon Slayer instinctively tightened his grip on his throat to silence him. "Levy, you better start making a lot more sense," Gajeel growled. "This… this beast hurt you. Many times over. He doesn't deserve saving."

"You mean you don't deserve saving, right?" Levy insisted, her words slamming into Gajeel like the villagers' battering ram. The two of them had never spoken about Gajeel's attack on her team. Ever. She had remained silent when Jet and Droy had confronted him about it when he first joined the guild, and she never brought it up afterwards. It was a conversation he had always feared would come.

"I'm not blind, Gajeel," Levy continued. "I know how much you beat yourself up about what you did while in Phantom Lord. This is proof." She patted the Beast's shoulder again. "You haven't been fighting a beast this whole time. You've been fighting yourself. You are the Beast, Gajeel, or at least, he is a part of you. And if you kill him, it'll essential be like killing yourself."

The Beast chuckled darkly, his voice coming out raspy through the constriction around his throat. "Listen to that, Gajeel. Even she agrees. You're a monster. There's no hope for-"

"Shut it, you," Levy snapped, flicking the Beast in a crack in his nose. Gajeel highly doubted it hurt him, but the action still stunned the Beast into silence. "I'm not calling you a monster, Gajeel," Levy continued, her voice warbling with emotion, "but you have this darkness in you that will continue to manifest so long as you hold on to this anger you harbor against yourself. If either of us are ever going to be free of this Beast, you have to forgive him. In other words, you have to forgive yourself."

"No way," Gajeel said, his voice shaking as the words flew out of his mouth. "I could never-"

"I could," Levy interrupted, managing a watery smile. "I could forgive you. And I did, long ago. This… what happened here doesn't change a thing." She took her hand off the Beast and raised it to Gajeel's face, wiping a streak of blood from his cheek. "Please. I am free from that pain because of you. I want to free you as well, but I can't do that alone. You have to make the choice. Take that first step, Gajeel. Let him go."

The Beast was having a hard time breathing as Gajeel's hand gripped tighter, his sword hand trembling above him. The Dragon Slayer was shaking his head, and when he spoke, his voice was broken and unsteady. "He hurt you," he said. "I hurt you. I can't…"

Levy nodded, leaning forward to press her forehead to his. "You did," she agreed. "Once. And I forgave you. And now… now, I love you."

All of the tremors racking Gajeel's body suddenly stopped, every fiber of his body stilling as her words settled over him like a blanket. His eyes locked onto hers, and the full force of her trust and love wrapped around him, almost causing him to crumble. Levy, to him, was purity. She was virtue. She was something one as tainted as he could never hope to touch no matter how awfully he craved to at times. He did his best to protect her, but had never been under any illusion that he could have her. Yet here she was, offering up her whole heart to him, as unworthy as he was.

"Trust me," Levy whispered to him. "Trust me. Let him go, Gajeel. Take that step."

Gajeel did trust her. If she could love him… forgive him… then maybe… one day… he could forgive himself, too. Maybe he could start doing so. Right now.

Gajeel felt something inside of him snap like a lock that had been picked open. His iron sword changed back into a hand, and his other hand unclenched itself from the Beast's throat, all almost without him being aware of it. He fell back onto the stone path out of the gazebo, barely catching himself with his hands. His chest rose and fell rapidly, tears falling from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Levy cried out his name, falling to her knees beside him. Everything Gajeel knew was being rent apart around him, but she, at least, was solid, was sure, so he reached out for her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest.

"I love you too, Levy," he rasped, releasing the words he had kept locked away in himself like birds within a cage. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," she murmured, holding him close. "You don't have to be ever again."

Movement caught Gajeel's eye, and he looked up to see the Beast clambering to his feet. Gajeel clenched his free fist, trying to pull himself together enough to defend at least Levy from more harm. But the Beast no longer held bloodlust in his eyes. His expression was no longer drawn up in a sneer or snarl. Rather, his pierced, scaled face was thoughtful as he appraised them. He stood there for a long moment before, slowly, extending his hand toward the Dragon Slayer.

What the… Gajeel barely noticed Levy stepping out of his arm, and when he glanced at her, she nodded her head encouragingly. He remembered her words about trust. Slowly, still expecting an iron club or dagger to come flying toward his face, he raised his hand and took the Beast's.

The moment they touched, the scales on the Beast's arm began to shine and flake away, swirling around their joined hands in currents of metallic dust. The Beast's body began to glow gold, and as the current grew, it began to channel up Gajeel's arm, and soon, he was glowing as well. Gajeel's body rose into the air, along with what was left of the Beast, whisps of wind whirling around them and lifting their clothes and hair. It looked as though the creature's body was flaking away, the golden scraps winding around Gajeel, becoming a part of him. The last he saw of the beast was a fang-toothed smile that vanished in a whisp of gold the moment it appeared.

Gajeel felt power, energy, life surge through him. It was like Wendy's support magic and healing magic simultaneously flowing through him, though this magic was foreign, with no trace of the youngest dragon slayer's touch. His many wounds healed, his muscles regained strength, his clothes were changing completely. Soon, he was dressed in a suit not unlike what he wore at the Crocus Grand Ball, though this outfit was sky blue and more… frilly? He thought he could feel his very soul mending, a gaping tear he had never consciously known was there slowly closing. Light shone off his skin like he was a sun, and he thought he saw Levy raise a hand to ward the light away from her eyes. He hovered there for what felt like ages, right in the middle of a gentle twister made of gold and… were those rose petals?

He sensed it the moment the magic began to dim, his body slowly descending back to the ground. Levy, who had before been several feet below him, was drawing closer, her awed expression become more discernable, and Gajeel extended a hand to her, wanting her to feel the magic before it faded. She grabbed onto his fingers, and a shimmer of the golden magical aura that surrounded him flowed over her, her own wounds and bruises healing, her dress changing from tattered gold to white with a floral design. The magic disappeared from around Gajeel completely, and as he dropped to the ground, he staggered, and Levy stumbled beneath his weight as she tried to catch him.

"Gajeel!" she exclaimed as he steadied himself, holding onto her shoulders for support. "Are you alright?"

Gajeel straightened, gasping for breath. The absence of the golden magic had completely drained him, leaving him exhausted. But as he looked up and met Levy's eyes, he felt some energy return to his limbs.

"Yeah," he said, still breathing heavily as he brushed her face with his fingers, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm great… never been better…"

Levy's face was drawing closer to his, and before Gajeel could realize what he was doing, he had captured her lips in a kiss.

As their lips connected, Gajeel's soul soared higher than that golden magic could have ever taken him. Levy immediately responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself into him, and Gajeel picked her up by her waist as the kiss deepened. They eventually drew apart, and they realized the night sky had suddenly turned to day, sunlight bathing them and the castle around them. But the castle no longer looked the same. The dark grey stone now shone white as beach sand. The crumbled bridges and towers were repaired, the gargoyles became angels and knights. Looking down, the pair saw the plants on the grounds change from dying to blossoming, like winter fast-forwarded to spring. It was as though a curse had been lifted away from the entire castle.

"The heck is goin' on?" Gajeel muttered. Still in his arms, Levy bounced excitedly.

"The curse has been broken!" she cried, grabbing his hand and dragging him back across the bridge. With her guiding the way, they made their way back to the Beast's room, which was mended from a tattered wreck to fully functional royal living quarters. And on the same dias where Gajeel had found Levy was the rose in the bell jar, completely whole and healthy. Gajeel remembered the flower petals from earlier and suddenly understood.

"Doesn't the story go along the lines of, something has to happen before the last petals falls to break the curse?"

Levy nodded, gripping Gajeel's hand in both of hers as she beamed up at him. "In the original story, the beast had to fall in love with someone, and receive their love in return. But here, what broke the curse was you accepting your past and forgiving yourself."

That didn't sit right with Gajeel. How was he supposed to break a curse that he hadn't known existed until after it was broken? And he wasn't sure he had completely forgiven himself yet, though he didn't dare say that aloud in case that brought the 'curse' back in full force. Instead, he shrugged and said, "Eh, I like the first one better."

Levy beamed at him, her smile brighter than the newly dawned sun. She went up on her toes and gently grabbed Gajeel's collar to pull him down to her, but before their lips could connect, the doors to the chamber burst open, startling them apart. They whirled around, and Gajeel recognized the candelabra, grandfather clock, and teapot from earlier running into the room. As they approached, however, the magic that had healed Gajeel surrounded each of them in turn. The candelabra rose into the air on golden light, and with a burst, he turned into a full-grown man with a golden uniform and a white wig. The clock was next, transforming into a much older man with the same uniform and wig, as well as a mustache sharp as the pointers on a clock face. The teapot was last, growing into a short, plump woman wearing a head housekeeper's dress designed similarly to how her teapot had been painted.

"Madam Levy!" the former candelabra exclaimed joyously, running toward them. "Monsieur Gajeel! You did it! You broke the spell!"

"We're human again!" cheered the old man. "Oh, how good it is to have appendages!"

The teapot lady rushed to Levy, enveloping her in a warm, grandmotherly hug. "Oh, my dear, how good it is to see you well again! We were all so worried." She reached over and grabbed Gajeel's hand, much to his surprise. "Well done, dear," she beamed, a twinkle in her wrinkly eyes. "Thank you for saving us."

"Wait a minute!" Gajeel yelled, goggling at the three people. "So all of the furniture down there… you were all people this whole time?"

"Under the same curse as you, yes," confirmed the candle. "My name is Lumiere, and this is Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts."

"What happened to the villagers?" Gajeel asked, remembering the battle from before. "Did they leave?"

"Part of the curse was that everyone forgot we existed!" said Mrs. Potts. "But now that the spell has been lifted, they remember! Everyone is waiting downstairs to greet you both!"

"Come, come, now, no time to lose!" insisted Cogsworth, urging them along. Lumiere came and guided a giggling Levy while Mrs. Potts, with surprising strength, dragged along a protesting Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer wanted nothing more than to get himself and Levy out of the storybook world and return to Fairy Tail. But before he knew it, they were at the top of the stairs leading into the same entry hall where the battle had taken place. He recognized Lefou at the front of the group of villagers leading the cheering and applause. The curse seemed to have changed all of them as well, because the women were wearing light dresses and the men black suits. All of the enmity from before was completely gone. Other people with wigs and uniforms similar to Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts were also gathered around them, all of whom were presumably the furniture turned back into their human selves. Levy grabbed Gajeel's arm, laughing and smiling at the crowd as the descended the stairs. A small boy ran into Mrs. Potts's arms, followed quickly by an old villager who gave the house maid a kiss. Another maid approached Lumiere and gave him a passionate kiss, while an older village lady hobbled over to an apprehensive looking Cogsworth for an embrace.

"Levy! Levy!" a voice cried over the din of the applause. From the midst of the villagers burst Jet, who ran forward straight to Levy, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried."

"J-Jet?" Levy stammered in shot, looking to Gajeel for an answer. Gajeel smirked.

"Apparently he's your brother in this story," he explained to her in a low voice. She gave an apologetic wince, though she also seemed to be trying not to laugh.

Finally extricating himself from the woman Gajeel assumed to be his wife, Cogsworth turned and declared, "Come, everyone! Let us adjourn to the ballroom for a proper celebration of the end of the curse!"

"Hah?!" Gajeel exclaimed, but he was drowned out by the rest of the crowd's cheers. Before he knew it, he and Levy were being pushed ahead of the group, lead by Cogsworth, through the repaired castle to a grand ballroom that was covered in crystal, gold, and marble, with a beautiful mural on the ceiling. Some of the uniformed people immediately went to the edge of the room, where a pianoforte and some string instruments resided, and villagers and castle employees alike grabbed partners to bring onto the dance floor, where Gajeel and Levy found themselves in the very center.

"Do we really have time for this?" Gajeel grumbled. "I just want to get out of here!"

"Aw, let's stick around for just a moment!" Levy encouraged. "It's not every day we get to live in a fairy tale!"

"It's literally our guild's name," Gajeel deadpanned. "I'm not much of a dancer, anyway."

Levy pursed her lips at him. "Even when it's with me?"

Gajeel couldn't argue with that. Especially with his heart melting at how adorable she was. So with a smile, he took up Levy's arms and started guided her through the dance as the music started. It wasn't like the dance they did at Lucy's little practice gig. This one had more turns and moves. Gajeel wasn't even sure how he knew it, just that everyone else was doing it. Was the Grimm getting inside his head again? He really didn't like that thought, but he pushed through it, wanting to give Levy a nice time.

Besides, he was having a hard time being mad at the Grimm now. It had brought him and Levy together in a way he had never dared hope he could be. It was hard to be upset with that.

As the song drew to an end, Gajeel pulled Levy in close, wrapping his arms around her. She gazed up at him and asked, "So how do we get home?"

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" As enjoyable as this time with Levy was, Gajeel was raring to go. But he didn't want to force her out if she wanted to linger. But she nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready. I want to see if Lu-chan and the others made it out alright."

"Very well, then," said Gajeel with a toothy smile. "All I need to do then is say the magic words."

"What magic words?"

Gajeel raised his hands to cup her face, bending low so their faces were just inches apart. His breath fanning over her face, he whispered, "And they all lived happily ever after."

And they joined their lips in a kiss as, this time, white light encircled them to bring them home.

"Tale as old as time.
Tune as old as song.
Bitter sweet and strange,
Finding you can change,
Learning you were wrong.

"Certain as the sun
Rising in the east,
Tale as old as time,
Song as old as rhyme,
Beauty and the Beast"

~"Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast