The dining hall was rowdy and loud as usual. A few dozen soldiers were heartily laughing as they ate their lunch and drank their beer. Despite the clanking of the glasses and the stench of sweat that filled the air, Juvia paid no mind to it at all. Instead, Juvia stared down at her plate with a blank expression. She absent mindedly picked at her food, clearly lacking an appetite after all that had happened during her training session with Gray.

"Your food is going to get cold," Droy said, interrupting Juvia's thoughts. "If you aren't hungry, I can help you finish your plate."

Juvia nudged her plate toward Droy, keeping her eyes down at the table. She didn't want to lock eyes with anyone during lunch. Especially Gray's eyes. To much of Juvia's relief, no one paid much attention to her, thankfully. Most of the soldiers were either too busy chatting up about the dames that strolled by the castle or too scared to talk to Juvia.

After crying in front of Gray after their morning run, she really didn't want to have any interaction with him. She felt ashamed of herself for having such an outburst, and especially doing so in front of Gray. She felt weak. It was so foreign to her and she hated how it made she did so in front of her employer. For one, assassins don't cry. Secondly, if they do cry, they would never do so in front of their enemy or client. It just wasn't good business etiquette.

Juvia took a deep breath and finally lifted her head and glanced around the dining hall. Gray was with his soldiers and they were laughing about a story a soldier was telling. Although only moments ago, Gray was holding her and telling Juvia that everything was going to be fine, he had seemed to drop the situation when they returned to lunch. No one had suspected anything was wrong. Juvia appreciated his sensibility and how he reverted to his old self when everyone had greeted them in the beginning of lunch. The last thing she needed was some petty rumor among the soldiers that she had been crying because a few girls had bullied her.

Gray's eyes met Juvia's stare across the room. He gave her a timid smile and returned to his conversation. The blunette quickly looked the other direction, feeling unusually nervous. It was the first smile that he had given her all day. But his smile didn't linger like it usually did. Was he disgusted by her and what she had said when she was crying? Juvia didn't want to think about it anymore, otherwise she would start to tear her hair out from frustration at trying to figure out the enigma known as Prince Gray. She removed herself from the dining hall to rest. She was exhausted from everything that had happened over the past few days, and decided to get some rest. She needed to focus back to the situation at hand.

She needed to talk to Jellal.

Gray couldn't help but fidget awkwardly at the table before him. To his left- a blunette assassin that stirred with his emotions much to his annoyance, to his right- a refugee ex-militia that hailed from his enemy kingdom, and in front of him- Ultear- an unexpected guest.

"What are you doing here?" Gray asked Ultear, his voice strained. He wasn't sure if he was scared that Ultear had found out about Jellal, or angry that she decided to drop by without warning.

He met Jellal and Juvia earlier at the garden, and then proceeded to move the meeting to Jellal's den. But what he didn't expect was for his dear sister to be invited to the meeting, already sitting down at the table. She shouldn't even have known about Jellal's presence in the castle. How was she able to find out about this meeting and how much did she know about Jellal's research?

"Gray," Ultear started. "Do you take me as a fool?"

"Wha- No! But..." Gray murmured, trying to escape the chokehold of his sister.

"Lyon might be blinded by your activities because he is too busy taking care of diplomatic issues and ruling our kingdom, but I have done my fair share of worrying and knew you were up to something. Besides, I am your sister. It's my job to look after you two."

"But how? How did you find out about Jellal?" Gray asked, worried that his secret wasn't as clandestine as he thought.

"I'll be honest, it was luck that let me in on your little secret. Jellal's hideout was difficult to find. You did your research thoroughly, Gray," Ultear said with pride in her voice. "But I bumped into Jellal at the library last night- I couldn't sleep and decided to do a bit of reading. Normally I wouldn't find it suspicious, but he was there at the dead of the night with a cloak over his face and seemed to be in a rush. I grabbed him and started interrogating him. He told me everything."

"Jellal!" Gray yelled with annoyance. "You know you aren't supposed to be in the library! I told you I would get any books you wanted whenever you needed it. You compromised your identity! "

"Sorry, Prince Gray. But upon receiving the monster carcass of the latest attack, I needed the book as soon as possible to try to identify what it was. I was going to go to your room, but the guards insisted that someone was dying in your arms and you couldn't be bothered."

Gray coughed at Jellal's accusation, with his face burning with embarrassment. The person Jellal had been talking about was Juvia when she was wounded. Jellal wasn't at fault for compromising his identity-Gray himself was. He stole a glance at Juvia- she seemed to have no interested other than getting to the bottom of things.

"Listen," Juvia demanded angrily. "I've dealt with enough pandemonium this week, and I am truly sick of being put in the dark. Tell me what's going on- now."

The room was silent for a while, letting Juvia's voice echo throughout the area.

"Well then," Ultear's voice softening, "Why don't you start from the beginning, Jellal? Just like what you told me last night."

Juvia felt a bit guilty for shouting after hearing Ultear's soothing voice. She mumbled a quick thank you, and directed her attention to Jellal.

"Very well," Jellal nodded. "It began a while after I was promoted to Captain of the Guard. I was well equipped, and a great fighter. This didn't go unnoticed by King Jose, and soon, I was let in on his inner circle."

"King Jose was planning to attack a major port town nearby to secure stability among the seas. He assigned me to what he deemed a 'secretive mission to ensure victory for Bosco.' At first, I didn't think about it too much- my army had been conquering other towns before, and it didn't sound like anything different."

Jellal paused, and a pang of guilt washed across his face.

"However, he started inviting me to private meetings- a privilege I've never had before- and went over tactics weeks before we would raid the port. At first, he listened to my own strategies but it was clear that he didn't care too much about it. Then, he mentioned he had created something that would help my army tenfold in battle."

"What was it?" Juvia asked in a calm voice. Although the question was put forth, everyone at the table knew that what King Jose created was exactly what had attacked Juvia the night before.

"Monsters," Jellal said with a furrowed brow. "Monsters that were created from Dark Magic. I didn't understand it at first, but King Jose said that he would summon the monsters and order them to meet me at the harbor the day of the attack."

"When we finally put the town under siege, I realized just how terrifying these monsters King Jose created could be. I saw them rip apart civilians without remorse, clawing and eating away at the corpses. It was then that I realized King Jose did not send me to the port town to overtake the territory, but to watch over the monsters and ensure that they did not go out of control."

"But they must have been completely out of control, ripping apart all those innocent people!" Juvia yelled, with her fists clenched. She didn't want to even think about the lives that were taken that day.

"Well, to you and I, they might have been out of control. But it was as the King wanted. He wanted to see how much he could control the monsters to attack the enemy, and avoid attack us, the soldiers. I have cause to believe that this was the first time King Jose sent these monsters out to the public, which was why he sent my army with them- to kill any monsters that would attack us. King Jose wanted to see if the monsters could discern enemies from allies."

"Did it work?" Juvia asked nervously. Her whole body was now tense, seemingly unable to swallow the truth. Gray looked at her worriedly.

"No," Jellal stated flatly. He took a deep breath before he began again. "The monsters attacked anyone and everyone. I saw many of my men die right before my eyes, in the most gruesome and horrifying ways. When they lost control, I ran and took shelter. But I did not return to Bosco. I was a coward. I had left everything…and everyone that I loved. I knew that King Jose had been placing his efforts into something evil, and I needed to stop him. If he unleashes these monsters to the world, I'm afraid life as we know it will never be the same."

Jellal dropped his head and averted everyone's gaze. Guilt and worry was evident in his voice, and it was clear that Jellal had a heavy weight of regret upon himself. Ultear squeeze his shoulders and nodded with support.

Gray cleared his voice, and finally spoke.

"I found Jellal in the slums of our Kingdom. His mind was quite hazy when I found him, but I recognized him from his tattoo."

Juvia glanced over to Jellal. She had been so wrapped up by the ongoing events that she didn't even have time to take anything- or anyone- in. With a more focused mind, Juvia examined Jellal. He had short blue hair and was a tall, well-built man. It was obvious he was accustomed to fighting. He was undoubtedly handsome, with his defined jawline and sharp eyes. An intricate red tattoo was laced around his right eye, and it mesmerized Juvia as she traced the ink across his face.

Gray coughed, noticing that Juvia's eyes lingered on Jellal for too long. Was she here to stare at Jellal or listen to the story? Mavis, she had been the one who wouldn't stop complaining about hearing the truth!

"Juvia," Gray scolded, a bit aggressively.

Juvia snapped her head away from Jellal, and returned her attention to Gray. She sighed, for it was the first time she had given her mind some rest, only to be sucked back into reality.

"Sorry, I am just a bit tired. I am still here with you, so please do continue," Juvia said apologetically.

Gray continued, but only before giving a warning glance to Jellal, who had no idea what was going on. Ultear rolled her eyes.

"I brought him back to the castle, thinking he was an enemy spy. But once he told me the truth of King Jose's plans, I allowed him to stay here and do some research. He is now on our side in trying to stop the tyrant."

"I've been making progress," Jellal replied. "From the several carcasses I've examined and books I've read so far, it seems that Dark Magic is indeed responsible for the creation of these wolf-like monsters. Unfortunately, from the latest carcass that attacked Juvia, it seems as if King Jose can now successfully have complete control of these monsters."

"I've done some research with Jellal as well," Ultear explained. "The King is able to use Dark Magic from a book called E.N.D. It is an ancient relic, and apparently the book contains even more powerful types of Dark Magic."

"So what now?" Juvia asked, scared to hear the answer.

"For now, we can deal with the current wolf-like monsters he summons. Although King Jose is powerful, even his own magic as limits. I think it will take a long time for him to master further, more advanced magic from E.N.D.," Jellal replied.

"So that means we still have time," Gray said. He looked over at Juvia. "We suspect King Jose will try to attack us during the Royal Ball. We've invited all our allied Kingdoms to join us, so many nobles will be there. It's a perfect time to invade for Bosco."

"Then I will help defend the premise," Juvia replied, already thinking of potential ways to stop the attacks without causing a frenzy among the guests.

"I will help you as well," Gray said. "Our goal is to eliminate any threat without letting any of the guests know what is going on. I won't allow our Ball to turn into a chaotic event."

"But you are the Prince," Juvia replied. "You need to be inside the Ball dancing with everyone to give them a sense of security. You can't be outside guarding the entrances."

"And I won't," Gray responded. "There is still the threat of enemies inside the Ball too. I'll be guarding in secret from the inside. As will you."

Juvia looked at him with confusion. She couldn't be inside the Ball- she would stick out like a sore thumb in her black assassin outfit. That would blow their cover, and- oh.

"N-n-no!" Juvia stammered. "You want me to go in disguised as a Royal Guest? I can't even dance, let alone walk in an adorned dress!"

"Hey, you can't complain. I'm paying you for this, and plus, no one will ever expect a lady to be undercover," Gray said convincingly.

He was right. Juvia couldn't say no. He housed her, fed her, and trained her. This would be her first mission directed by Gray. She gave a small pout that signaled defeat.

"You all must be on your guards that night. I'm certain that King Jose will try to summon a dark monster to the Royal Ball," Jellal commanded. "The Ball is a week away. In the meantime, I'll be looking up counter-attacks against King Jose."

Juvia fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably. She stopped listening to the conversation and filled her own thoughts with worry. How was she supposed to fight in a pompous dress? She couldn't even dance- it would be hard to convince anyone she was of nobility at the Ball. Panic rose through Juvia's body- most girls rush into a frenzy because of what dress they would wear to the Ball, but Juvia was panicking because she had to wear a dress to the Ball.

Ultear must have noticed Juvia's eyes bulge out, because she rose from her seat and spoke aloud.

"Juvia, my dear, please don't worry. Although I'm not the best fighter and won't be of much help guarding the Ball, I can still help in other ways," Ultear said soothingly.

"What do you mean, Princess Ultear?" Juvia asked vexingly.

Gray sighed loudly and threw his hands up in the air, already knowing what would happen.

"I'll help you look perfect at the Royal Ball! All while making sure you can do damage in case anything happens," Ultear said giddily, with a vicious smirk on her face. She grabbed Juvia by the shoulders and began to push her to the doorway. "Quickly, we have no time to lose! We must have you fitted so we can customize your outfits. Oh! And I have just the hairpin to match your dark blue eyes!"

The two quickly left the meeting room, while Juvia whimpered in fear as Ultear took her back to the castle. Ultear's chatter and squeals could be heard from down the hallway. Gray sighed once more and rose from his chair.

"That's my sister for you," he shrugged. He bid his farewell to Jellal and took off to follow his sister and his assassin.

The next week was chaotic. The palace was bustling with life as the Royal Ball grew closer. Servants were busy making the castle look spotless, the chefs were ordering vast quantities of food, and the maids were decorating the palace with beautiful curtains and linens for the event. Normally, Juvia would see this as frivolous and excessive, but she had come to realize that the Royal Ball was more than just a dance to the citizens of Fiore. It was symbol- a symbol that the Kingdom would not relinquish their cultures and traditions under the fierce attacks from the Kingdom of Bosco and King Jose. It returned a sense of normalcy to the people and gave them something they could be excited for, even during these bleak times. She could notice how much lighter the atmosphere was, and everyone in the palace was brighter as the day neared.

Juvia couldn't help but bring it up to conversation during one of the many exercise routines she had with Gray.

"The palace seems a lot livelier, doesn't it?" she asked Gray as they ran through the woods.

"Of course. Everyone has been looking forward to this, and this is one of our biggest traditions here in Fiore," Gray said with a proud smile. "Although I think this one will be particularly special, as I get to see you try to dance." His laugh echoed through the woods.

Juvia gave Gray a playful shove and glared at Gray. "I can't help the way that I dance! I've never been taught how to do so, and I'll look like a fool during the Ball." She hid her face in her hands in a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

"Well, I could teach you how," Gray said, as they slowed down their pace to a complete stop.

Juvia's head peeked from her hands, but now her face had a pink blush spread across her cheeks.

"B-but," Juvia stammered. Then she remembered the incident with the two girls who they met last time they ran together. Her eyes cast down to the floor with a look of defeat on her face. "I'm sure your date to the Ball wouldn't appreciate her Prince dancing with an ex-slave and a commoner."

"Hey, don't say that," Gray spoke softly. He knew she was dwelling on what the girls before had said. Not wanting to see her upset again, he gently lifted her chin up with his hand and looked deep into her eyes. "You're with me now, so don't think like that."

Juvia's breath stopped short as she felt his rough hand on her face. They looked into each other's eyes for only a moment, but it felt like a lifetime for the both of them.

Gray's ears started to burn, and he realized he was looking at her for too long. Unable to deal with the tension, he quickly removed his hand from her chin and continued to where they left off.

"I mean, uh," Gray mumbled, trying to place his thoughts together, "I don't have a date to the ball."

Juvia, lost in Gray's eyes, quickly snapped back into reality and away from any delusions that crossed her mind.

She lifted her eyebrows. "The Prince…doesn't have a date?" She couldn't understand it- girls were literally throwing themselves at him. "Don't you have a lot of options? I mean, the whole kingdom is yours to choose from!" She gestured her hands towards the town.

"Well," Gray said, embarrassed. He ran a hand through his hair in a flustered manner. "I can't just pick any girl, what if she turns out to be crazy? I can't know for sure."

Juvia tilted her head in curiosity. "Then why not ask a girl you know well?"

At this point, Gray began to look extremely uncomfortable. He also became extremely focused on the rock that laid on the floor, and started kicking it lightly. "I'm a busy guy, you know? Running the Kingdom and making sure there aren't any enemy invasions…it doesn't leave much time to keep company with many companions. Unless you count my soldiers."

"Not even one girl?" Juvia asked in awe. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and she was still unable to process the fact that Prince Gray hadn't courted any lady to the Ball. She was sure that he was a lady killer the first time she met him.

Gray's body tensed, and he began to take defense. "I don't see you making friends with everyone you meet at the palace!" After Gray said that, he realized he was pretty glad that she wasn't being buddy buddy with every guy she met. Especially with his brother.

Juvia giggled at his response. "Well, you got me there. It definitely takes me a while to forge friendships. But Juvia understands, and I think its fine that you don't have a date. It's not like you are breaking any rules."

"Well, unless you wanna go with me to the Ball…" Gray said quietly. Gray blinked a few times, in disbelief of what he had just said aloud. What was he thinking? He realized, in fact, that he wasn't thinking, and just blurted it out. He was about to take back what he said until he looked a Juvia.

She stood there, blushing furiously and fiddling with the hem of her tunic. They were both momentarily silent.

"We can't," Juvia said meekly. "I mean, because of the mission and all. We need to be scouting the ball in different areas." She started taking interest in the rock on the floor as well.

"You're right," Gray said quickly. She was right- it would completely compromise the mission if they were together because they would cover less ground that way. But Gray couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment as she spoke those words.

"But…" Juvia said shyly, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "It doesn't mean you can't teach me how to dance. I'll still need to know how to do that, or else the whole mission will fail."

Gray laughed and nodded.

"Then I'll show you now," he said. He took her soft hand in his and placed his other hand on the small of her back. Juvia gasped, but didn't reject the idea. Their bodies were only inches away from each other, and they could feel each other's breath. Gray looked into Juvia's deep blue eyes. She looked right back at him. He worried that she could feel his heart racing against his chest, but he didn't care. Again, they were lost in one another, but this time Gray wouldn't break the tension.

"All you need to do is follow my lead…" Gray whispered, in a barely audible voice. Juvia slowly nodded, still locking her eyes with his.

But before they could take their first step, a familiar figure appeared.

"Hey Juvia!"

The two immediately stepped away from each other. Juvia grabbed her dagger and swiveled her head to the voice. Gray just stood there, sighing loudly with his fists balled up.

"Prince Lyon! What are you doing here?" Juvia asked, trying to regain her composure. She released her grip on the dagger instantaneously.

"Well, my little brother is running late for our meeting. I figured I would grab him. What were you two doing?" Lyon asked curiously, with his brow raised.

"We were running," Gray said from behind clenched teeth. "It's part of our training session."

"That didn't look like training to me…" Lyon replied, further annoying Gray.

Juvia, who realized that Lyon probably took the situation in a different light, tried to set the picture straight.

"It was training!" Juvia responded hastily. "Prince Gray was teaching me how to dance. I'm acting as undercover security within the Ball."

"Undercover security?" Lyon asked quizzically. "I don't think we've ever implemented that before."

Juvia quickly realized her mistake. Lyon did not know anything about the mysterious attacks and this would only lead to further complications. He would tell Lyon about the the monsters, Jellal, and the mission soon enough, just not this very moment.

"Yeah, well extra security never can hurt. Especially since Wendy will be having her own date this year," Gray said.

"Oh yeah," Lyon replied. "That kind of security is definitely needed. And if I see that guy trying anything sly on Wendy…" Lyon's face scrunched up at the thought of that. "But to think Juvia will be wearing a dress- that's a dream come true for me." Lyon blushed as he imagined dancing with Juvia in a beautiful outfit.

"Anyway," he continued, "If you want to learn how to dance, then I will gladly teach you. Gray can't dance to save his life. If you want to be a top notch undercover guard, you'll have to dance with me.

Gray shoved his hands into his pockets and only glared at his brother. Lyon was right- Gray wasn't much of a dancer, not compared to his brother anyway. But did he have to come at this moment? He could only stand there in silence and wish that he and Juvia had taken a different running route.

"Uh…sure?" Juvia responded to Lyon, not sure whether that was a suggestion or an order. "But I think Gray can dance just fine…"

"Don't be silly! I'll teach you. But for now, Gray and I have to head out to our meeting. We will see you later!" Lyon replied, who was now exponentially more excited for the ball.

Juvia gave a clumsy curtsey to the two royals as they departed. Gray only looked at her once more before following his brother back into the palace.

She sighed, watching them walk off. Her heart was still racing, even though the moment was interrupted by Prince Lyon. Her thoughts drifted back to that moment over and over again, as she finished up her run without Gray by her side.

Hey all- first of all I would like to apologize for such a long release time. It was a combination of my computer breaking (I had to buy a new one, and that took a while) and me going through a very difficult time in my life.

So, this chapter is a lot of plot development. I know a lot of you look for the gruvia feels, but my first focus is writing a good story and plot- I promise the romance will come in time and be rewarding (or at least I hope so!).

Again, thank you all for being patient. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please favorite and review!