Prince Jellal, first born son and only child of King Lysander and Queen Hermia, heir to the throne of Northern Fiore. He took his position very seriously and cared very much for his people with s desire to one day become a great king. There was just two problems. Problem number one, although his parents doted and adored him they were very overprotective of him. He wasn't allowed to leave the castle without an escort which bothered him because how could he lead and serve his subjects if he couldn't even get to know them? Thus he began disguising himself as castle guard so he could sneak out and observe the peasantry without being noticed.

Then there was problem number two, his parents insisting that he marry before he take the throne. Two times his parents had arranged for him to marry someone. The first time it was when he was just an infant or toddler, his parents had decided to have him marry the newborn daughter of a nobleman once they reached the proper age but shortly after that said nobleman was killed and his wife and child both disappeared. Now they had arranged for him to wed Princess Mirajane of Southern Fiore. But the thing was Jellal wasn't ready to get married. He wanted to focus on becoming a good king first. 

And he was very determined to accomplish that goal. He always paid attention to his lessons, he studied the history of his kingdom and the royal family, he learned how to make trades with other lands, he did his best to always be moral and honorable, when he was a boy he even got a tattoo over his eye of the royal crest to show his devotion to his kingdom which pleased his father but horrified his mother. All in all he was everything that was expected of a future heir save for the fact that he would not agree to an arranged marriage at this time or stay confined to the castle.

"But son Princess Mirajane would make a perfect wife." His father told him that evening. "She's beautiful, talented, impeccable, and in desperate need of a husband."

"But I'm not ready for that Father. Besides if she's so wonderful why am I her only suitor? Shouldn't a princess like her have more?"

"She should but there aren't many takers. Apparently there's some ridiculous rumor that her mother married a giant and that she has a brother who was born a giant."

"You don't believe in giants Father?"

"Yes but I don't believe someone of the royal family would marry one."

"Well no one thought Mother would marry you."

"That's different son, we're both human."

"Father why is so important that I get married now? What's wrong with that?"

"It's tradition. I was your age when I married your mother, your grandfather was your age when he married your grandmother, and so on and so on."

"But I'm not you or my grandfather. I have plenty of time for that."

"Time goes by quicker than you think and I don't want you to waste it."

"Be honest Father this isn't about tradition. You're worried that I won't be able to handle being king so you want someone more experienced to help me. Am I right? After all Princess Mirajane has been ruling her kingdom since her parents died for almost two years."

"It has nothing to do with that."

"Yes it does."

"It doesn't and we will discuss this later but right now I have to attend a meeting with my council. In the mean time visit your mother. She hasn't seen you all day."

Jellal huffed in frustration but put on a smile for his mother's sake and went to visit her in her bed chamber. She had recently become ill and was instructed to stay in bed until she recovered. 

Knock-knock!

"Who is it?" Asked the royal physician from inside. 

"It's Prince Jellal. I'd like to see my mother please?" 

"I'm sorry my lord but her majesty cannot see anyone right now. She needs her rest."

"Oh nonsense." He heard the frail voice of the queen say. "I'm never too tired to see my son. Let him in."

The door opened and he walked over to the queen's bedside.

"How are you feeling Mother?" He asked.

"No better but no worse either." She answered. "You had another disagreement with your father again."

"How did you guess?"

"A wife and mother knows these things. So what was it about this time?"

"What do you think? Father is pressuring me to get married again."

"Try not to be too angry with him over it dear. He's only doing what he believes is best for you."

"But it's my life. Not his."

"I understand your frustration with this but the thing is your father and I aren't as young as we used to be and we won't be around forever. We'll have to go eventually, you'll become king, and we both fear that when that time comes you'll be-"

"Unprepared?"

"Lonely." She said. "Your father thinks you're more than capable of running the kingdom but he's afraid that you'll be alone. When we first got married a war had broken out between Northern and Southern Fiore. We couldn't think about having children at that time, we had a kingdom to defend. By the time the war ended and we could finally think about starting a family we had gotten so much older. We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to have a child. By a miracle we were able to have you but due to our ages we knew our time with you would be limited and I could never get pregnant again which meant you would have no siblings to be with you when we passed on."

"Oh Mother." He said gently taking her hand.

"We just want to make sure that after we're gone you'll be loved." She said. "Can you at least meet the young lady and try to get to know her? Your father intends to invite her and her sister to stay with us for the Summer. Humor him a little will you?"

"Very well." He agreed reluctantly. 

"Wonderful." She kissed his forehead. "You better get back to your studies now."

"I will. Have a good night Mother."

"Same to you as well my son."

He left the royal bed chamber and went to his own. He tried to focus on studying the books and articles he had on his kingdom's politics but he found himself unable to do so because he couldn't stop thinking about Erza. She was unlike any woman he had ever met. She wasn't just beautiful she was brave, compassionate, full of spirit, and probably the best dancer he had ever seen. He hoped that he would be able to see her again.

As for his father, when the meeting ended after a few hours he went to join his wife in bed.

"How are you darling?" He asked her.

"Just tired that's all. How was the meeting?" She asked back. 

"We're having difficulty securing a trade with this kingdom." He said.

"Why is that?"

"Apparently the princess of this land isn't interested in land or land or anything. All she wants is to kill a man."

"Why?"

"No one knows but I'm grateful that we didn't choose this princess as a potential wife for our son."

"Speaking of which do you suppose we're doing the right thing by pushing him to marry Mirajane?"

"Why do you ask? Do you not think she'd make a good wife?"

"No. I think she would make a fine wife but from what I know of her she and our son don't really have that much in common. Yes they're both equals in knowledge of diplomacy and responsibility to their kingdoms but interest wise they're very different. She prefers painting, opera, poetry, and playing instruments and our boy likes to ride horses, travel, dance, and explore. I'm not sure if they'd be compatible."

"She's the best option we could find. Unmarried and decent young women of royalty or nobility are quite rare nowadays. Remember what happened to first bride we chose for him?"

"Oh yes the poor thing. She and her mother both vanished without a trace when she was just a baby and on the very same night her father died."

"How did he perish anyway?"

"No one knows for sure. Most people say it was a heart attack but others suspected dark magic."

Hmm...I wonder whatever happened to his wife and child."

"Who knows?"

...

Nasha didn't talk much during her session with Dr. Fernandes. She just sat across from him, staring at him silently. But he expected that considering her age and her backstory so he decided to be patient and not push her to talk.

"What exactly are you trying to find out about me?" She finally spoke.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well I'm in here because you're trying to find out if I'm psycho or not right?"

"No not at all."

"Then why am I here?"

"Why do you think you're here?"

"Alright how can you expect me to answer your questions if you won't answer mine?"

"Good point. Alright then. You're here because your foster mother wants to understand you better."

"Why?"

"I can't say for sure but I think it's because she believes that she can be a better parent to you if she understands you more."

"Look doc, can I call you doc?"

"You can call me whatever you like."

"The thing is doc I do like Elkis and I appreciate her trying so hard to help me she doesn't need to try to be my mother."

"I don't think that's her intention. But if it was, would it be so bad if she was your mother? Say she wanted to legally adopt you. Would you like that?"

"She'd never adopt me. She can't and she wouldn't want to."

"Why do you say that?" .

"Because no one could ever want me. I'm too much trouble. I mean if my own mother didn't want me why would anyone else want me?"

"Is that how you feel about being put up for adoption? You feel that it was because your biological parents didn't want you?"

"Duh."

"Do you know for sure that's why they gave you up?"

"No but they left me on a roadside. What am I supposed to think? I mean who leaves a newborn on the side of a freeway? They could have at least left me at a hospital."

"Do you ever want to find your parents? Just so you can know the whole story about how you ended up there?"

"Not really. It's probably worse than I think."

"Worse how?"

"I don't know. Maybe the plan wasn't even to give me up. They left me there hoping I'd get hit by a car or something." She sighed. "The truth is I don't want a family. I mean I do I just don't want to hope for it anymore. I've been rejected by every family I know since I was born. What's the point of getting my hopes up if I'm just going to get rejected again."

"I see." He said with a kind and understanding tone. "Your feelings are understandable and normal. They're nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about."

"Are you going to tell Elkis I said all this?"

"I think it would be best if I did but I won't say a word if you don't want me to. I can't. It's against the law."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay you can tell her but don't tell anyone else."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

An hour later it was time for Greige's session and he was much more open.

"So Greige what do you think of Elkis?" Siegrain asked him.

"She's nice." He said. "She doesn't tease me about my book like my last foster parents did."

"Yes this book of yours, tell me about it. If you want to that is."

Greige pulled it out from his backpack and showed it to the therapist.

"My mom gave it to me. It's the only clue I have that will help me find her."

"Do you know anything about your mother? Or your father?"

"No but I do know that she loved me and that she used to sing to me. I can't remember the words to her song but whenever I get sad or scared or angry I hum the music of it to calm myself down."

"Do you get those feelings often?"

"I get sad and scared sometimes but I can't get angry."

"It's okay to get a little angry once in awhile."

"No it's not. Not for me."

"Why not you?"

"Because if I get too angry bad things happen."

"What kind of bad things?"

"If I tell you will I get into trouble?"

"No. No you won't."

"Okay. Sometimes when I get angry I'll break things without touching them."

"What do you mean?"

"At my last foster home one of the big kids tried to tear out all the pages in my book. I told him to stop but he didn't, I just got so angry and then the ceiling fan in our room fell on top of him."

"But Greige that doesn't mean you did it."

"Yes I did. But I didn't mean to and I didn't wanna hurt him. I started crying and I when one of my tears landed on him the fan got fixed and he got better. His bumps and scratches were gone and he didn't remember anything."

"Uh-huh. So you're so saying you can break and fix things without touching them? Like magic?"

"I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were."

"But you're thinking it right?"

"No I'm not."

"I know it doesn't make any sense but I feel like there's something inside of me that's good and something inside of me that's bad."

"Well we all have those feelings Greige. They're known as our inner voices."

"They're not voices. They're... They're like an ability or a power or something. Magic. It's like magic."

"It can feel like that sometimes."

"Can I ask you something doctor?"

"Sure."

"Why are adults so quick dismiss things they don't understand as non-existent? I mean think about. Adults say that magic isn't real but that's only because they can't understand it. Right?"

"No it's because you can't scientifically proven it exists."

"Really? Can you scientifically prove that love exists?"

"Well no."

"But you know it's real right?"

"Of course."

"That's but there's no scientific evidence that it's real but you understand it so despite that you believe in it."

"That's not...I mean... It's not the same."

"Are you sure because it's been said that love is another form of magic and not just any form, the most powerful form of all magic."

Poor Siegrain, the boy's words were making his head hurt. At the end of his session he gave Elkis his report on both of them.

"Nasha seems to be suffering from fear of rejection and abandonment." He explained to her. "She doesn't want to open up to you because she's afraid that eventually you'll send her back to the agency."

"But I won't. I thought I proved that to her when I fought to keep them." Elkis said.

"It's going to take sometime. Remember this little girl as spent her whole life unwanted and unloved. She's not quick to trust anyone. You must be patient."

"Very well. What about Greige?"

"He's very eager to have a family and he's hopeful for one but he may have some repressed emotions. He says that he can't get angry because when he does bad things happen. Tell me was he treated well at his last few fosters homes?"

"According to his file he was bullied by older kids like Nasha was but unlike her he never lashed out at them. He just tried to ignore it and block it out by reading that book of his." She said. "Nasha said that he should get rid of it. That it's messing with his head. What do you think?"

"Hard to say. I think he told me that he believes in magic but considering his age and how lonely he is I think the book, the stories, they give him hope. Hope that he won't be alone and unwanted forever. Let him keep the book. Once he establishes secure relationships with people he won't cling to it so much anymore."

"Okay. Thank you Dr. Fernandes."

"You're welcome Miss Scarlet. Would you like for them to keep seeing me?"

"I would but I can't afford it. Not now. I'm looking for a job and government checks are so-"

"I could give you some complimentary sessions."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I like you and I like your kids and I want to help you."

"Thank you but you really don't have to."

"But I want to."

"If you insist then okay."

They shook on it and again they felt that familiar connection.

"I'm sorry Miss Scarlet but...Have we met?" He asked.

"No." She answered. "No we have not."

"I figured it's just that you look so familiar I... Nevermind. It's silly. Have a good day Miss Scarlet."

"You too Dr. Fernandes."

With that said she left his office and took the kids back to Nakku's apartment.