"Who were those people?" Lyon asked curiously.

"They were… acquaintances of ours back in our world," Erza said carefully. "They're a part of the Magic Council, and they are eager to help us in order to find a way to get back to our home. They, however, insist on working on the sidelines, so you can consider them as our allies."

Frey, Lyon, and Kyle registered this information in their minds.

"What bothers me, though," Erza continued, her countenance dimming slightly, "is that if they are able to get to this world as well, then there surely must be others. Like rogue mages, for example."

"That's worrying," Lyon said in concern, her mind already conjuring the consequences of possible criminals from another world scouring their lands. She turned to Frey, her eyes imploring. "Let's talk about it with Ferid later, okay, Prince?"

Frey nodded in agreement. Kyle as well, who was already planning on informing the other Queen's Knights for tightening security behind Falena's walls.

"Anyway, the Rune shop is in the westernmost part of town," Lyon said as they trudged down the left flight of stairs. "It will take us about five or six minutes at most."

Natsu felt a wriggle on his back and grinned. "Oh, Happy? You awake now?"

The blue cat rubbed at his eyes as his head popped out from the confines of Natsu's vest. "Hm? Natsu? Where are we?" he asked sleepily.

"We're goin' to some shop! Did you get a good rest?"

"Yes, but…" Happy looked downcast. "I can't use my magic anymore… it's like something's preventing me from using it…"

"Just like what we felt back in the outskirts of Lordlake," Erza realized. "But how could you have been able to use magic earlier?"

"I don't know, either…" Happy muttered.

"Hey, maybe that Rune Shop babe can help you guys out!" Kyle suggested eagerly. "I've heard she knows almost everything about Runes, and Runes are our ultimate source of magic, so maybe she can do something about your predicament."

Erza smiled. "That idea is sound. Then we shall make haste."

After crossing a few bridges and passing houses, they came upon an item shop. The four mages wanted to check it out, so Frey and the others allowed them, albeit with a slightly impatient Kyle in tow.

"I—Is th—that…?" Erza suddenly stuttered, her cheeks pink.

Lyon looked at the direction she was staring at. "Oh, those are cheesecakes, Lady Erza," she told the older woman. "We use them to recover our energy."

"Uh oh," Gray jested.

"So cute," Kyle mused, grinning. "Do you want them?"

"Yes! B—But…" Erza stared at her wallet, looking crestfallen. "The money we use in our world can't be used here…"

"Here," Frey said, smiling gently as he bought her three cheesecakes.

Erza's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "P—P—P—Prince Frey! It's all right, you sh—shouldn't have—"

Lyon smiled. "Take it as a token of our gratitude for helping us."

"But…" Erza stared at the cheesecakes on her hands in dismay, yet her eyes had a tiny hint of an excited sparkle in them. "We're the ones who asked you for help…"

"You are helping us as well," Frey assured her.

Erza stared at him in determination. "Thank you so much. I shall never forget this debt!"

"Too bad those things are sweet," Natsu grumbled. "Maybe they taste good with hot sauce…"

Gray bonked him on the head. "No, they don't."

"HEY! You want a piece of me?!"

All of them now went to the Rune Shop with Erza looking giddy behind them as well as Gray and Natsu having their usual bicker.

"Anybody here?" Kyle called out in a somewhat singsong voice, the others trailing behind him as they went through the door.

A plain-looking woman dressed in the standard grey vendor uniform turned around at Kyle's voice. "Welcome to—" Her voice cut off when she caught sight of her customers. "Ack! Queen's Knights… and the Prince?! Oh, my goodness!" She took a step towards them eagerly. "H—Have you come to shop for Runes?!"

Kyle's voice was smooth. "Hey, take it easy. Relax. We just want to ask you something… Where's that really hot girl that works here?"

Lyon resisted the urge to face-palm.

Meanwhile, the four mages were utterly uninterested.

"This doesn't look like a magic shop," Natsu remarked. "Looks kinda dreary to me."

Erza glanced at the firelight that was one of the two things that lit up the room. "It does seem kind of dim here…"

Gray appeared intrigued by the glowing gem that was on the counter, placed comfortably on a lavish-looking purple pillow with gold trimmings at the sides. "Is that what they call a Rune?"

"Whoa, that?" Natsu looked enthralled and excited by the sight of the brightly-glowing Rune. "Awesome!"

"Hey, hey, what does it do?" Happy asked eagerly from his place on Natsu's shoulder.

Their excitement was brought to a temporary halt at the vendor woman's responding sigh.

"You, too, huh? Even the Prince and a Queen's Knight…" She seemed to deflate at the disappointing information. "The owner is off today."

"Oh, come on!" Kyle complained. "Are you serious?"

"Kyle!" Lyon chastised. She then turned to the vendor with sympathy in her eyes. "We're sorry to have bothered you."

The woman gave a small, weary smile. "No, that's all right. It's just… this is a Rune shop, not a club or a sideshow. No one ever buys anything here. They just come to… look!"

Frey stepped forward. "Actually, I might be in need of your skills, miss," he implored softly, gesturing towards the four mages who were standing a little ways behind them. "These people are my comrades. They belong to a land far away from here, and they cannot use their magic at the moment. Would it be rude of me to suddenly ask of your services?"

The woman instantly looked flushed and flustered. "Oh, my! Prince Frey, it is of no consequence at all! I am glad to be of service!" Hastily, she went towards the four.

"Please," Erza said, bowing.

"I would like to borrow your hand for a moment, dear," the woman said pleasantly.

"Of course." Without further ado, Erza offered up her hand. Natsu, Gray, and Happy inched a little closer, curious as to what would happen.

"You say you can use magic?" the woman asked with a hint of bewilderment to her tone.

Erza gave a nod.

"How is that possible, when you do not have a Rune? Perhaps that is why you cannot use them at the moment. Have you lost it anywhere?"

Erza looked uncertain. "I… have not used a Rune in my life. It is only when my companions and I have… traveled here that our magic has stopped working."

"Hmm… but wait, I can sense something from inside you," the woman mused, her eyes focused. "Then let us try this: focus the magic power inside of you into this hand of yours. Do not let anything come to mind, only focus on that power and assemble them on this one point. Do you understand?"

Erza gave a determined nod. "Yes, ma'am." She then closed her eyes and immediately did as she was told.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Gray, Natsu, and Happy were staring so hard at Erza's hand that they felt like their eyeballs were going to pop out. Frey, Lyon, and Kyle were on the other side of Erza, also curious as to how things would unfold.

After what seemed like an eternity, it happened.

Erza's body glowed red, as if millions of particles of magic gathered and enveloped around her form. It was then that they slowly moved towards the focal point which was Erza's right hand, assembling and accumulating at that same place.

All of them saw what looked like a red gem absorbing itself into Erza's hand, and then disappearing.

The woman grinned. "How do you feel?" she asked. "Do you feel your Rune now, young lady?"

Erza blinked. This magic felt completely foreign, as if it were an alien cell in her body. But, at the same time, it felt fulfilling, as if she felt like something leveled up inside of her.

Quickly, she lifted her right arm. "Requip!" she exclaimed, along with a consequent red glow on her hand.

Then gold light coalesced into her skin and brought forth a stunning look to her appearance.

Almost every part of her armor was seemingly made of silver metal. The upper part of the armor only consisted of a small breastplate that was composed of feather-shaped plates pointing upwards with a large metal flower on the front which extended along her hips. Her biceps were covered by metal straps and her very large plated gauntlets sported feather-shaped plates at the edges.

Her waist was circled by large, decorated plates reminiscent of feathers that lie on a long skirt. She wore a pair of plated boots which was partially hidden under her skirt, each sporting metal ornaments shaped like wings. She also wore a neck guard made of feather-like plates and a tiara with prominent metal wings. The armor also sported two pairs of large metal wings which adorned her back, composed of metal feathers which got longer and larger at the edges.

"Oh, wow!" Lyon gushed, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "Your Rune is magnificent, Lady Erza!"

Kyle whistled. "A rockin' bod, I'll say."

"Whoa! I'll try it, too!" Natsu said excitedly, already in the middle of focusing his magic into his hand.

"What a magnificent Rune!" the vendor exclaimed in awe. "I have never seen such magic like that before! Where did you get it, young lady?"

Erza's smile was soft. "I've had it ever since I was a child."

"Oh yeah!" Natsu's boisterous voice interjected, his fists glowing with flames. "My power's back!"

"And mine as well," Gray said, smirking as he conjured an ice symbol of Fairy Tail.

"Yahoo~!" Happy cheered as wings spurted out magically from his back, allowing him to fly back and forth across the room.

Frey, Lyon, and Kyle's mouths were agape with fascination as they watched their comrades' bubbling excitement at having their magic back. Then, realizing his manners, the prince turned to the vendor, giving her a small, grateful smile as he did so.

"I thank you for your most helpful association," he told her formally, bowing in respect.

"Oh, my! Prince Frey! You need not bow to such a lowly servant like me!" the woman assured him hastily. "I am glad to be of service!"

"Thanks again," Lyon said, bowing to her too before they all went out of the shop.

"Happy, perhaps it would be best if you perch on Natsu's shoulder again for the meantime and dispel your magic," Erza told the cat after promptly making her own requip form disappear. "This world is different from ours; some citizens here might become wary if they see magic that is not usually of their own."

Happy deflated a bit, but obeyed. "Aw, I was just getting into it, too…"

"The lady Erza does have a point, little fur ball," Kyle interjected, already having moderately figured out who these foreigners were. Then, his face turned glum. "That Rune Shop babe wasn't there! Ugh…"

"Kyle…" Lyon sighed, about to scold him when all of them suddenly heard an angry yell.

"Oh, yeah?! Well, you can go to hell!"

"What did you just say to me?!"

Then a woman's scream.

And a man's. "Hey! Somebody's going to get hurt! Quit it!"

Kyle's eyes narrowed and he turned to Frey. "Hey, Prince, I'm gonna go check this out. Lyon, can you watch him for a minute?"

Before Frey could get a chance to reply, Kyle was already dashing towards the direction of the uproar, leaving the young prince in a state of contemplation.

"Huh, what could the commotion be about?" Gray wondered aloud.

"Is it a fight?!" Natsu said excitedly, cracking his knuckles. "If it is, then I'll—"

"I'm going, too" was what Frey said in determination before running after Kyle, surprising Erza as he passed her by.

"Hey! Prince?" Lyon cried, flabbergasted, yet still followed him dutifully.

"H—Hey! We're coming, too!" Natsu yelled before he, Gray, and Erza followed suit.

When they got there, there was a small crowd of onlookers overseeing what seemed to be six men erupting into a huge disagreement. There were exactly six of them, with three at each opposing side.

"Prince?!" Kyle, who had already been fingering the hilt of his sword, exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, what's happenin' here?" Natsu said, catching up to them.

"What's going on?!" Lyon almost demanded.

Kyle gave a wry smile as he turned back to the arguing men. "It's called a fight. Heh. They look old enough to know better…"

One thug was roaring, "No one talks bad about the Queen! Not in our town! We're gonna kill ya!"

"Yeah, just try it! Come on!"

Kyle looked faintly amused. "At least they're fighting for a 'noble cause', eh?" He turned towards Frey, who was looking at the fight in contemplation. "Your Highness, how do you want to handle this?"

"I say we go pound them to a pulp!" Natsu exclaimed, still eager for a fight.

"Go, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

Gray sighed, grabbing Natsu by the collar. "Is fighting all you ever think about?"

"…The patrol guards can handle it," Frey said softly.

"Whaaaat?! We can't get to try some action?!" Natsu complained.

"Natsu, have you forgotten that he is the prince of this country?" Erza said sternly. "He must maintain proper decorum despite any odds so his family won't lose face."

Natsu frowned. "That sounds boring. Everybody's gotta have freedom of their own!"

Lyon stepped up. "It's also because the Prince doesn't like conflict. He's a non-confrontational person," she said gently, looking at Frey's direction. "Besides, this isn't something for the Prince to handle by himself."

Kyle looked the slightest bit disappointed. "Yeah, you're probably right, Prince. If we butt in, you might get hurt. Too bad, though…"

"Besides, they're making a lot of noise. The patrol guards ought to come running any second now…" Lyon said.

The sound of rushed footsteps met their ears, and they turned to see uniformed men coming their way.

"Well, well, speak of the devil…" Kyle said. "Let's leave the rest to them."

The guards wasted no time in apprehending the causes of the ruckus.

"Hey, that hurts! Dammit! Let go of me!"

"Just relax and keep quiet!" a patrol guard snapped at his charge.

"It wasn't our fault!" one thug tried to negotiate. "Those guys hit us first!"

"Yeah, yeah. You can tell us all about it in the guard room. Move!"

Kyle finished speaking with a guard and ran back to the others. "Well, I found the gist of it," he said, turning towards the direction where the thugs were being dragged away. "Apparently, those guys with the swords were ex-mercenaries from Stormfist. They got smashed at the tavern and started badmouthing the Queen. That pissed off some other customers, and there you have it."

Lyon shook her head. "They were wrong to insult the Queen, but that's no reason to start a brawl..."

"It's not just the nobles who are on edge these days. That kind of tension always spills out into the streets," Kyle said.

Lyon turned to Frey. "Prince, we don't want anything else to happen. Should we head back?"

"Yeah. That beautiful Rune mistress isn't around today anyway…" Kyle sighed.

Lyon glared at him. "Kyle…"

"Okay, okay." Kyle held up his hands as a form of surrender.

As they walked, Frey, Lyon, and Kyle still allowed the four mages to see the sights.

Then Gray was stopped by a woman.

"You look a little like my son," she told him with a small smile.

"Uh… Really?" Gray said dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

The woman continued on. "My husband… I lost him in the fighting. Her Majesty's done everything she can to help widows like me, and orphans as well. Her kindness has been such a blessing." Her eyes dimmed. "So… I can't understand why our gentle Queen would do that to Lordlake."

Gray said his goodbye and frowned as he caught up with Natsu and the others. The Sun Rune… he thought to himself. It must be pretty powerful. And the Queen was hailed as a benevolent ruler by many of her people, but started to change after equipping that Rune.

Why… won't she take it off, then?

Gray knew better than to bring this up with Frey and Lyon. He knew that it was sort of a sensitive topic for them no matter how kind they both were.

He felt sorry for Frey. It must hurt knowing that his mother was under the judgment of so many people, including even her own soldiers.

An old townsman was talking to Frey. "Far be it for me to say anything against your grandparents, Your Highness… But Queen Falzrahm wasn't the best of queens, and her husband, Kauss, had about as much clout as a mouse. Even so, Queen Arshtat and Lady Sialeeds have both grown up to be fine women. Yup, fine women indeed! I don't mean to be rude, but it's kind of like a donkey giving birth to a dragon horse!"

Gray did not miss the troubled look on Frey's face.

They went back to the Sun Palace.