When Chelia was 13 years old, she joined the Lamia Scale guild to be reunited with her older cousin, the only family she had left after Deliora’s ferocious attack on their village. They’d been separated for years, but through the guild’s information network, Sherry had been able to find her. They were all each other had, and shared a sisterly bond from the time they were children. This didn’t change despite their estrangement. Upon her induction into the guild, she met Lyon, and was instantly taken with him.
Everyone talked about Fairy Tail, and how far it had fallen. She never knew the Fairy Tail mages that went missing, but she could see the way her friends desperately longed for their return. Lyon, on one particular mission, looked forlornly out at the sea for hours, and she worried after him. Sherry advised her not to bother him, as he was still grieving the loss of his friend, someone who might as well have been his blood-born brother. Chelia secretly believed that she was wrong. He wasn’t grieving; he was waiting. He had faith, and thus, so did she.
This was love, and it was worth waiting for.
Some of the most powerful mages on the continent were on that island, and if she knew anything about magic, and the proud legacy of the Fairy Tail guild, as told through Jura, Sherry, and her beloved Lyon, they would never have given up so easily. She watched Lyon age into a man, his eyes sharper, his resolve stronger, and she drew strength from the profundity of his love for his friend. He continued to stare out at the sea.
It was a long two years after she joined the guild, that Fairy Tail’s missing wizards finally returned. She could feel the swelling surge of hope that returned to the magic world. Everything seemed brighter. Mirth seeped into Lyon’s smile. Sherry gushed endlessly about her engagement to her boyfriend of nearly 7 years. News circulated that Fairy Tail would be entering the Grand Magic games. Lyon seemed to buzz with excitement as he pleaded their master to let him enter. “Finally worth your time, is it?” Jura had asked. Lyon had smiled, a goofy, genuine smile for the first time since she had known him. Her heart filled near to bursting with love.
And then she’d met Wendy. For someone two years her junior, she was fierce. She refused to give up, even knowing that she was younger, and less experienced. She was kind, and clumsy, and their magic was almost identical. She had never connected so powerfully to an opponent, no less in the heat of battle. Heart racing, she had asked for her friendship, giddy at the prospect of a friend around her age. Wendy fascinated her. They were fast friends, compatible, but still able to challenge one another.
It hurt to part ways so quickly, but Chelia conceded defeat to the Fairy Tail wizards. Their win was much deserved. Chelia once again felt her heart soaring with love, a new, tender warmth in her chest.
They wrote letters when they couldn’t see each other, which was unfortunately, most of the time. She would feel anxious awaiting Wendy’s replies, especially when the other girl would go on long missions.
The strongest dark guild made its move. Tartaros consumed everything in its wake. All but one of the previous council members were brutally murdered. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and as always, Fairy Tail was right in the middle of it.
She tried to hide her worry, but Sherry and Lyon could see it, having known her so long. “Your love will reach her, little one.” Sherry had said, petting her hair, and holding her as she cried.
Lyon ruffled her hair when he caught her staring off into space, and she felt the dying sparks of her first love. She looked up to Lyon, and loved him, undoubtedly, but not in the way that she had before. He was a pillar of strength, and a reminder of hope.
Wendy came to her, her guild disbanded, its members strewn to the winds. She and Carla needed to find work, and the loss of the presence of many of her closest friends left Wendy’s heart shattered and raw.
Tartaros was defeated, and Chelia cheered and squealed over Wendy’s stories chronicling their victory. “You’re amazing, Wendy!” And Wendy had blushed and stammered, her hands nervously waving away the compliment.
Wendy fit seamlessly into the team dynamic at Lamia Scale, and Chelia woke each day with the happiness of having her best friend so near to her. “The Sky Sisters”, the guild called them. They were so in sync, finishing each other’s sentences, and the two of them, with Carla, carved out something that felt like home.
Chelia felt selfish for wanting to hold her hand, and to be around her all the time. Wendy was a bright and shining beacon of love that she felt eclipsed by. Days passed like the ticking of an unwatched clock, fast and unstoppable. She felt it slipping through her fingers, as Fairy Tail’s comeback was inevitable.
Chelia was selfish. She wanted to keep Wendy by her side, but she could never cage her: she was a soul that wished to fly amongst dragons. They had promised, and there was no negotiating—Wendy and Carla would return to Fairy Tail, and in one fell swoop she would be divided from her two closest friends.
She could see it in Wendy’s eyes, how desperately she missed the company of her old guild-mates. “I love it here.” She had confessed to Chelia, late one night as they stared up at the starry sky. Carla rested comfortably on Wendy’s chest, soundly sleeping.
Chelia had twined her fingers around Wendy’s, lying prone on the ground between their bodies. She hoped that in the dark Wendy couldn’t see the flush to her face. Chelia could feel the end of Wendy’s statement rushing in, the inevitable “but”.
“I love it too.” Chelia answered, before Wendy could continue. The night was cool, and she was so peaceful, that she didn’t want to spoil it with the thoughts of Wendy leaving.
They had a show later on that night, and Chelia was unprepared when Lucy and Natsu barged in to steal Wendy and Carla away. She knew it was coming, the goodbye, but it still stung. It happened so fast, and Chelia knew she would be reeling from the loss for months to come. She refused to cry, and feigned strength as they walked away. This was another side of love. The soul-deep, bitter, pain of separation.
Her hand still felt warm from grasping Wendy’s.
“It’s okay to cry if you want.” Lyon had said, “She’s out of sight now.” She fell into his arms, and he and Sherry soothed her until the tears stopped. It would be quite some time before they met again.
Chelia was only 16 when she met Dimaria on the battlefield. Her power, seemingly free and boundless, failed her. She was faced with the nearly indomitable will of a God, the likes of which she had been trained to slay, but she was not enough.
She was nearly naked, her logical mind tripping over itself to tip the scales in her favor when Wendy and Carla appeared.
Wendy’s eyes were on fire. Chelia was wrapped in the welcoming warmth of Wendy’s magic, and the familiar scent of her coat. Her heart surged forth, fighting spirit awakened as her soul called out to like kind. They could beat her together. As far as she was concerned, if Wendy was by her side, they could do anything and defeat anyone.
Their teamwork was effortless as they fell in step beside each other, but against a god, fighting children was akin to batting away insects. The unthinkable happened, and Carla took an attack intended for Wendy, and Chelia screamed as she watched the color fade from her face. She was too young for this. They were only children.
And then hope came in the form of a woman Chelia had never met. A chance to win. A sacrifice. One they were both willing to make, but Chelia would not allow Wendy to lose her magic forever. She reasoned that a god-slayer would have the best chance to defeat a God, but this was a boast.
She was terrified. She wouldn’t let Carla lose her life. She wouldn’t steal away Wendy’s smile. If she could preserve that, then anything would be worth it. Magic doesn’t hold a candle to love. “The whole reason I came here was to save you!” Wendy screamed at her.
You did. Her heart answered.
Heart in her hands, she poured every ounce of magic she had, or would ever have, into an attack to defeat the spriggan. She felt the magic drain from her body. She felt, rather than heard, Wendy’s answering cries. Carla’s voice. ‘I will endure this for you.’ She thought, as Wendy and Carla fell onto her in tears.
Without magic, she never would have been reunited with Sherry. She never would have found the support of a brother in Lyon. She never would have been amongst a community of friends without Lamia scale. And without her magic, she never would have met Wendy. It was only fitting that the best thing magic ever brought her could only be preserved by its loss. “Magic doesn’t hold a candle to love.” She spoke, and her voice did not waver.
Chelia worried over her standing with Lamia Scale. She no longer had magic power, and could be of little use with her limited combat skills. Obaa made no move to remove her from the guild, so she wasted weeks of time in Magnolia, with Wendy and Porlyusica, tending to the injured, and grieving the dead. She felt useless as she watched Wendy nearly collapse from the overuse of her magic. All she could do now was watch as she struggled.
The war didn’t last long. Each of Zeref’s soldiers fell to the collective will of the continent’s light guilds. Zeref faded into obscurity again, and a tentative sense of peace washed through the magic world.
She felt useless. She aimlessly tagged along with Sherry on jobs, sharing in the profits, but feeling guilty about her meager contributions. She could see it in the eyes of her guild-mates: pity.
She didn’t withdraw from the guild, but she took a break. She pleaded with Porlyusica to train her in the medical arts. She refused to be a burden to her friends. Perhaps it was the burning resolve in her eyes that convinced her to take the girl under her wing.
“This won’t be easy. “ She warned, her voice as gruff and unfriendly as ever. Chelia had swore to herself, so she simply nodded.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Granny Porlyusica.” She had said, the barest hint of a smile on her mouth. Porlyusica whapped her on the head with her cane.
She rolled up her sleeves and hit the books, so to speak. She consumed Porlyusica’s entire library of medical texts in mere months. It wasn’t long before she could assist in minor surgeries.
Porlyusica didn’t exactly have patients, she had a swinging door open only for wizards, or those with magic related ailments. Given her previous guild affiliation, most of those she treated were Fairy Tail wizards. For this Chelia was grateful, as it meant that every time one of the guild’s mages came to Porlyusica for treatment, Wendy and Carla would accompany them.
They didn’t have to, and at times, Wendy felt she was overstepping her boundaries, but not only did she share a bond with the crotchety old woman, Chelia was arguably her best female friend, and she worried after her.
After a particularly stressful job, Jet came back to the guild a bit worse for wear, and had a slight case of magic deficiency. Wendy and Carla were tasked with bringing him to Porlyusica’s hobble for treatment. The master knew what the brief visits meant for the sky slayer. “Tell that old hag she needs to live closer to Magnolia!” He laughed, and patted Wendy on the shoulder.
She left, excited at the prospect of seeing her friend, whom she had been away from for almost 6 months.
Jet could walk, but not run, as was typical for him, and they made many stops along the way so that he could gather his strength. Wendy used her sky magic to restore him as much as she could, but by the time they reached Porlyusica’s doorstep, they were all exhausted, particularly Wendy, whose magic had been taxed the entire journey.
“Come inside, child.” Porlyusica said, her voice somehow gentler. Chelia rushed forth to catch the swaying Jet. “I wasn’t expecting two patients tonight. This had better be quick.” She quipped, glaring down at Wendy and the white exceed she held.
Wendy laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head as she let Carla down to the floor. “I guess I got a little carried away, miss Porlyusica.” Chelia, having lead Jet to the cot meant for their charges, returned, wiping her forehead of sweat. It was a hot night, and Jet had a good 50 pounds on her.
“Wendy!” She cried, rushing forth, finally able to embrace her friend, “You’ve grown taller!” And she had, but the younger girl simply shook her head.
“I haven’t changed at all!” She was flushed in the face, probably from exertion, but Chelia secretly hoped it was for her. “Your hair, Chelia! It’s gotten so long!” Chelia touched at the frayed ends of her pigtail and laughed.
“I guess it has! I didn’t really notice!” Wendy was touching her hair then, a gentle curve to her mouth. Chelia pulled her into another hug, laughing into her shoulder. “You look exhausted, let me treat you.”
Wendy sniffled a little into her shoulder, and though she tried to hide it, Chelia could feel the weight of her pity. “Thank you, Chelia.”
Carla looked between them and seemed to notice something shift. She frowned. Something had changed.
“Be careful, Wendy.” Chelia whispered as they left the next afternoon. She seemed to debate for a moment as she pulled away from their hug. “Take care of Carla.” She felt the words on the back of her tongue, but couldn’t say them. “I’ll see you later.” She smiled. She leaned forward one last time and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Goodbye.” Wendy murmured back, bewildered. The door shut and Carla, now in her human form, tapped her shoulder.
“Are you ready to go?” She asked, unsure. Jet was already down a ways from the little house. Wendy wiped furiously at her eyes.
“Yeah.” She walked ahead of Carla then entire way home, and though neither she nor Jet could hear her, Carla had the sense that she was crying.
Wendy was only 15, and she wasn’t invincible. Inevitably she would get hurt. Carla hadn’t seen a vision this time, and when she fell to the ground, Carla had never heard such a sickening crunch.
She wasn’t gravely injured, but she had broken her right arm, her clavicle, two ribs, and her right eye was swollen shut. Carla, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Happy were seated beside her infirmary bed when Porlyusica and Chelia arrived. She was too hurt to transport safely, so Makarov had summoned them to the guild.
She was sleeping when they came, and Chelia could feel the nervous energy of Wendy’s teammates. At the sight of her, prone and small in her cot, Chelia had to force back her tears. “I told you to be careful.” She said aloud, kneeling beside the bed. “You silly girl.”
“Don’t be angry with her.” Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder. “It was my fault. I didn’t protect her.” His eyes were rimmed with red and he looked like he’d been crying. Chelia simply shook her head as she finally let a few tears fall.
“We both know that when Wendy makes up her mind, there’s not interfering. ” Chelia wiped her eyes and stood. “You guys have to leave for now, I’m going to treat her.” Porlyusica nodded at her, something like pride in her expression.
“Please take care of her.” Carla asked her, a slight bow to her posture. She could see how guilty Carla felt.
She winked at her. “Don’t beat yourself up. I’m glad you’re safe, and so is Wendy.” As the last of them left, and the door shut behind them, Chelia began dressing Wendy’s wounds, gently dabbing with a wet, soapy cloth at a nasty cut on her cheek. Purple veins had burst beneath the skin, leaving Wendy looking like a canvas smeared with violet paint.
Wendy awoke violently as Chelia reset the bone in her arm. She screamed, and Chelia winced in sympathy. “I’m sorry!” She said quickly, gingerly placing Wendy’s arm back to rest on the bed. “I figured it would be best to reset it while you were sleeping so that you wouldn’t tense up!”
Wendy was breathing heavily, and her good eye focused blearily on Chelia. “Chelia!” She spoke, her voice raspy and thick. She tried to lean up, and then immediately laid back instead. “Wow, ouch.” She murmured, closing her eyes again. “It’s okay, you’re right, that would’ve been way worse if I’d been expecting it.” She laughed softly, biting her lip at the pain it caused. “I got pretty banged up.” Wendy said, looking over to Chelia again, who was now washing the blood away from the younger girl’s arm.
“Understatement of the century.” Chelia laughed, but she felt no humor in the statement. Wendy looked at her again, and Chelia could feel it, the burden of her weakness. She couldn’t protect Wendy. She could only be there to pick up the broken pieces.
“I’m sorry.” Wendy whispered, and Chelia grit her teeth in anger. Wendy reached her undamaged hand to grasp at Chelia’s own. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
“You’re not invincible.” Chelia spat out, shaking her hand out of Wendy’s grip and standing. “You can’t just throw yourself into fights that you can’t win.” The anger of the past two years began to spill out.
“Chelia, what’s wrong?” Wendy asked her, her voice sounding tiny and scared. “Did I do something wrong?” Chelia’s tears fell down he face uninhibited now.
“Just because you have magic doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt!’ She shouted, falling into the chair beside the bed. She put her head in her hands. “And I can’t protect you anymore, but I’m not useless. I can see it. You pity me.”
“Chelia, I don’t-“ Wendy’s face looked hurt, and now she was crying too.
“Listen to me, Wendy. I may not have magic anymore, but just because you do doesn’t mean that you can just risk your life in every fight.” Chelia sighed in resignation. “Without magic, there are things that I can’t do. Wounds I can’t heal. People need you, Wendy.” She reached her hand out and cupped Wendy’s cheek, gently so as not to aggravate the bruises. “I need you.”
Wendy’s lip trembled. “I need you too.” Her hand trailed up to cover Chelia’s and she leaned into the touch. Her tears were warm. “I would never think you’re useless, and I don’t pity you.” She continued, and Chelia listened, rapt. “I know how much you loved magic, and I’m sorry you had to give it up for me. “
“I would give up anything for you, Wendy.” She said, honest.
Wendy smiled, “I’m so grateful for what you did. Without you, I wouldn’t have Carla anymore, but I was willing to make the sacrifice too. Why didn’t you let me?” Wendy asked, her voice quiet and unsure.
“Because of love, silly.” In what capacity, she couldn’t say. “I love Carla just like you do.” It was the truth, technically, but it wasn’t the whole story. Wendy looked like she didn’t quite understand. Chelia took a deep breath, heart in her throat, “I believe that love is the most powerful magic of all. And that’s the only magic I can’t live without.” She finished, searching for acceptance in the brown eyes she had come to love so much.
“Chelia?” Wendy asked, her eyebrows knitting down. “I never really said it, did I? Thank you.”
Chelia shook her head. “You didn’t have to.” And Chelia could almost feel the magic of wind exiting her lungs as Wendy leaned up to kiss her.
She hadn’t lost her magic; it had simply changed into a different form. Chelia’s eyes closed and she kissed back, albeit gently, trying to avoid pressing too hard against Wendy’s split lip.
It couldn’t last long, as Wendy hardly had the strength to keep herself awake, let alone upright. As her head craned back onto the pillow, Chelia was endeared by the soft flush to her cheeks. “You should rest.” She said, moving Wendy’s arm to lay at her side. Through some sort of magic, her voice didn’t shake.
“I love you.” Wendy said, a cute little smile on her face, which Chelia returned.
The trapped words welled up in her throat until they burst free. “I love you too.” Wendy closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep. Chelia held her hand and watched over her, willing the power of the only magic she had left to aid her recovery.