She sat there in the grass, skirt spread out around her with her favorite book in her lap. The grass in the meadow just outside the castle walls was softer than that inside the walls, and Levy preferred it out here. She was surrounded by brightly colored meadow flowers, and birdsong filled the wind while she read. She never went too far beyond the castle walls; she was told repeatedly it wasn't safe, and one unlucky adventure had proven that was quite the case. She still bore the scar. But she couldn't resist coming out here whenever she was able to escape to read with one of her favorite books.
Today she was reading the story of Scheherazade. It was her favorite out of all of her collection, and she hoped to one day be as cunning a woman and Queen as Scheherazade had been. As she always was, she was so engrossed in her story that she didn't notice the footsteps approaching her. She didn't notice the large dark man in armor approaching her, until the wind changed direction, and she smelled something off. She didn't know, at that moment, that she'd smelled the man's blood. For he was so covered in blood that it was a surprise he could still stand, let alone approach her.
Levy glanced up in surprise, and her gaze met with that of the tall man in armor. He was beat all to hell, looking like he had barely survived whatever fight he'd been in. He didn't look like he was from her kingdom; all of the men and women in her kingdom were of lighter colored hair, and his was as black as the night sky without the moon or stars to light it. It was a wild mess flowing down his back over his cape, and she could see that it, too, was matted with blood. His sword hung by his side in one hand, and his dark purple cape billowed out, tattered, behind him with the next gust of wind.
"You….Who are you?" Levy was startled, but also intrigued. She was wondering whether to worry and help or to run, for this was not the face of a man she knew, nor the armor of any of the Royal Guard.
"A fairy? What are y-" He collapsed, his thick accent making Levy pause at what he'd just said. Did he call her a fairy? She put that out of her mind and rushed up to help him, book forgotten in the grass where she had been sitting. She decided she would help, for he clearly was in no condition to bring her any harm, and had looked as surprised as she was to find her sitting there in the grass reading.
"Don't faint, please! If you do, you might die! Please, don't die on me! Open your eyes!" Her face was contorted with worry, and the man's eyes cracked open briefly, her face filling his field of vision.
Maybe dying in her arms wouldn't be so bad? Her voice was calming and nostalgic, and he felt he could die in peace here in the blue fairy's arms. He was surprisingly at peace after the battle he had waged, and as his eyes closed once more, he welcomed death should it find him. He had nothing left, after all.
"I won't let you die! Hang on, just keep holding on. Don't give up on me, please." It was a mantra she spoke as she heaved the much larger man onto her back and begun to drag him back towards the palace. She bent down and tucked her book into the folds of her dress quickly where it wouldn't be bled on and would stay clean and try, and heaved forward towards the castle walls. Levy would talk to the man as she dragged him, trying to keep him conscious, or at least from dying. She didn't know if he understood a word she was saying, as many of the neighboring kingdoms either didn't speak their language at all, or spoke very little. But maybe, she thought, the sound of her voice would keep him going.
She kept talking even as it began to rain, and when the sky opened up to drench them, she could finally see the castle gates. Levy was grateful she had tucked the book away when she did, as it was staying dry despite the rain pounding down on the pair. She had had to take several breaks whilst dragging the man back to the castle, considering his size and the amount of armor on him. Her dress was ruined, and the ends of her hair were matted with his blood. How could one man bleed so much? She was beginning to worry as they neared the gate, because he was bleeding less and less. Either he was bleeding out, or the bleeding was stopping itself. Levy felt it was probably the former, and she hurried as best she could to the gates where her personal guard and best friend, Lucy, was waiting for her, worry all over her face.
"Oh my goodness! What are you doing out this late, Princess? Where were you? Look at you, you're soaked through!" Lucy hurried over to Levy with a towel in hand, despite the fact it was still raining, and now soaking them both. She looked so worried, and Levy would have to apologize later, for they had other worries right now.
"Never mind that, Lu-chan, get a room ready for our guest! And find Wendy, he needs a healer fast!" Levy grunted under the weight of the man on her back, and shifted his weight more to her other side. She must look ridiculous under the man's enormous body, but she didn't care. She was grateful that the courtyard was empty save for the three of them and the gate guards, who gave them a strange look.
"Guest, what-?" Lucy gasped, finally noticing what the huge thing Levy was carrying actually was. "Y-you mean him? What? How did you even carry him all the way here?!"
"He's going to die if we don't get him inside! Come on, Lu-chan, help me get him inside out of the rain then go find Wendy." Levy used her no nonsense I-am-the-Princess voice to make sure Lucy knew she meant business here, despite the oddity of it.
"What about your uncle, the King? Won't he want to know about this?"
"Uncle Makarov can wait for now, I'm sure he'll understand. First things first, we need Wendy," Levy insisted as Lucy shouldered some of the weight from Levy, helping the smaller girl carry him into the Castle.