Gaining Courage: The Search for the Lost Keys (a Fairytail Galu story)

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Doing What's Right

It had taken over a week for Gajeel to be satisfied that I had gotten the required rest and con the local healer into giving me a clean bill of health. Of course he then wouldn't hear of me walking for any length of time and so I was forced to call out Argo. I was dead set on travelling straight back to Kalum City to visit the client's house and getting rid of the Staff as soon as possible.

Considering how convoluted our path to finding the Staff was the trip back on Argo only took us half a day. After they dropped us outside the city and it didn't take us long to arrive at the client's house. I was happy to see that everything looked to be in order this time. Straightening my clothes I tossed a quick look at Gajeel before I rapped on the door.

Robson Quail himself answered and once seeing me hastily invited us in. He gestured to the same room as last time only now it was a tastefully decorated study. I could see he was anxious to hear about the Staff so not wanting to delay anything I silently called out Virgo who knowing why she would be called brought the Staff with her. Upon seeing what he assumed was the Staff of Shonen Robson Quail started crying. Both Gajeel and I were shocked and didn't know what to do.

Reaching out Robson took the Staff and without saying anything to us walked into the next room. Because he'd left the doors open as he left Gajeel and I were able to see what looked like a little girl's bedroom painted in pink and yellow; this I thought was peculiar as it was on the ground floor of a three story mansion. Hearing someone giggling next door Gajeel had just made a comment about rudeness when the screaming started.

Rushing in both Gajeel and I were horrified to see the client holding the Staff and using it on a little brown haired girl perched on a chair by the bed. Before they could stop him the white light did what it had before and moved from the one to the other. As I rushed across the room to him, Robson Quail started lurching about where he stood as the light covered his body. I tried to get him to let go of the Staff but he wouldn't. Before Gajeel could come over from checking the girl, the light vanished and Robson Quail stopped screaming and collapsed to the floor. While Gajeel finished seeing to the girl I discovered Quail was still alive, barely but alive. Before I could do more I heard Gajeel cry out in shock.

"Bunny this is a wheelchair."

Showing his confusion he glanced over at me and then gestured to the chair. When I stood and got a closer look I saw what Gajeel meant, the girl was perched in a wheelchair, an expensive lacrima chair but still what everyone knew was a wheelchair; that was when everything clicked. This was the reason the client wanted the Staff and why he didn't care how long it took. This was the reason he was so desperate and why the bedroom was situated on the ground floor.

In the time I had been searching for the Staff I had learned a lot about the Mashima people and what sort of artefacts they collected. With what I knew and what Crux had finally translated from the Temple walls I could take a pretty good guess at what he had done: a free exchange of energy, a balance maintained. As Crux told me before we went in, it was the Temple of Righteousness.

It took Robson Quail twenty minutes to wake up and it seemed it would be even longer for his daughter. Once he was conscious and able to speak I had Gajeel carry him over to the bed and then move the little girl next to him. Once he had hugged her close I helped him get settled and then we finally got the whole story.

"When the War broke out my daughter Sophie and her mother my wife Narenn had been in Hargeon shopping. Before they could be evacuated the wizard Wall Eehto arrived. When he sent that decimating attack it destroyed one of the buildings the people were hiding in. My wife didn't make it, while Sophie who was five years old at the time had lain trapped under the destroyed building. She suffered spinal damage that because of the timeframe between cause and being found was permanent. Paralysed from the waist down with no cure magic or normal I searched out any form of hope for my daughter."

At this point he reached over and smoothed down Sophie's hair. I watched as he wiped away the tears that had fallen and then once more looked back at us.

"I had dozens of experts going through ancient texts and manuscripts looking for a cure. It was months before one of them stumbled on an account of an ancient wizard called Shonen who travelled the land using his Staff to help cure the sick and injured. I had known from the beginning that in order to use the Staff there had to be a sacrifice and I have gladly taken on my daughter's burden. I would have done much more; this is nothing to see her have the chance at a normal life."

When the little girl woke up Gajeel and I could only watch the joy on both the Quail's faces. I quietly called out Ara in scanning mode to check on the both of them, when she reported that the Staff had done its job I was happy and sad as Ara had confirmed to me there was nothing anyone could do about the damage to the spine. Not wanting to intrude on what no doubt was going to be an emotional day I accepted the reward and Gajeel and I started to leave. Before we'd made it out the door into the hall Robson Quail spoke.

"Miss Heartfilia please take the Staff with you. It is much too dangerous to be left out in the world. The damage it could do, I wouldn't want anyone to suffer as my family has."

A whisper of Virgo's name had her return and I softly told her to keep the Staff in the spirit world and to in fact give it to moustache man for safe keeping. Once more bidding the client farewell and good luck Gajeel and I headed out thanking Robson's for his generous offer of a night in the local spa and hotel. As we walked towards the inn I finally took a look at my new key. It took several minutes for me to identify the silver key as that of Triangulum the northern triangle. What caused my heart to speed up was there was a rumour in spirit lore about this key, a rumour that if true could make my quest for Aquarius finally come full circle.