A meeting of outcasts and a run away.

I own nothing.

The pirate ship Red dragon, location: 32 miles north of magnolia. 15 miles south of Teneru. Year 10 Magnolian, 1668 Alvearen

The red painted Frigate tore through the waves at nearly 12 knots as her captain, Natsu the Dragonslayer, contentedly starred out on the horizon. He loved the sea, the salt air, and most of all, his ship. For many years that was all he wanted or needed, now though, a certain blonde weirdo threatened to , no, had already become one of those needs.

She'd started as a shipwrecked and starving rescue, then an irreplaceable member of his crew, then finally, his first mate and lover. Now Natsu had a question to ask, and both had some decisions to make.

His mind began to wander through his memories of the last year and he smiled as he happily strode through memory lane.

(Authors note: it has come to my attention that I tend to put at least one of these in every chapter, they will contain information about the world, languages, religions, and other fun facts that I want to share, some will be partly important to the story, and some not, it's obviously up to you if you read them or not, but I found that I worked out things about this world that,although not needed, I still wanted to share(the limit is 3 per chapter) (I'm a world building nut, cut me some slack) anyway, enjoy)

Mythrik island: 3,489 miles west of Teneru. The frigate Red Dragon. 1 year ago.

Natsu was swearing, his mast was broken by that damn hurricane four days ago, that had also nearly slammed them on top of a full treasure fleet armed to the crows nest and with a bone in their teeth. Lucky for him and his crew, the enemy captains were too busy with the storm itself to pay the red dragon much mind. He wondered vaguely what had happened to them, but he'd lost sight of their lights not long after the last rouge wave he'd crested. It didn't really matter.

"Captain!" Shouted one of the men near the boats. "They're ready sir." Gesturing at the long boats.

Natsu nodded as his flow of profanity slowed to a few choice curses at the storm before joining the shore party. As he drew closer, he checked his vest for the two six barrel pepper-box pistols that hung there, then checked the pair of dueling pistols hooked to his belt. All there. Those pistols had made him famous, well them and the twin scimitars on his back, but they were one of the reasons why his crew was among the most terrifying in these waters.

Before he could stop himself he glanced upward at the flag waving from the fore mast and old Jolly Roger grind back at him over the pair of crossed swords. An odd black pattern on his forehead matched the tattoo on all of his crew, and a half dozen other crews as well. It was the mark of magnolias defiant banners, but more importantly, it was part of who they were.

He pulled himself back into the moment and grabbed the rope the boson offered him and heaved in time with the others, and together, they lowered the boat to the lagoon below.

The trip to the beach took longer than they would have imagined, rip currents fought them for every inch as they struggled to find a place to land. It was almost an hour before the three boats were unloaded and dragged beyond the tide line.

"Tie them up, then get the axes. Boats, you Mathis, Thomas, and Edward, come with me. There may be others on this island, and I want to know if they'll have a problem with us being here!" Natsu spoke loudly to make sure all his men heard him. "Stumpy, your in charge."

Stumpy wasn't her real name, but she'd lost three of her fingers to an Alvearen crewmen's short axe a long time ago, and the nickname stuck.

"Why her, I'm the best talker, why shouldn't I be in charge?" Momma S. Complained, just loud enough for her captain to hear. She was an older hand on his ship, and she had a bad habit of trying to mother anyone younger than herself, but her efforts there were genuine.

"Because if anyone comes near enough to hear you, they'll shoot you just for some peace." She grinned at his little joke and went about her work setting up the fire.

"Scouting party, let's get going! I wanna be back by dinner!" The rest of the party cheered as they drew their machetes and began hacking their way through the thick jungle.

On a ridge about a mile from the beach, a pair of chocolate brown eyes watched the ship with a mixture of relief and panic. It looked like a Feorie vessel, the odd mix of rectangular and triangular sails that she'd seen during the brief glimpse of the aft mast. The wind had been blowing the wrong way to see her flag though, and now one of the massive trees hid it from view.

She didn't know how long she'd been here, months at least, but she knew it was long enough. She just had to be sure the ship didn't belong to an Alvearen trader before going aboard. Anything else would do... Almost, if it belonged to one of the cowards... Well she'd wait and see.

She stood and tried to adjust the now-too-big-dress on her boney frame, another part of the silk fell away from the rest of the half rotten old thing and she prayed that she'd get something else to wear, even if it were just a shift.

Sighing, she grabbed the remnants of the once fine gown and nearly ran to her camp to get the only weapon she had been able to salvage from the dead hull of The Royal, an antique old cutlass, then set out to find out who her unfortunate possible saviors were.

It was the crashing that alerted him to the presence of another human coming his way, and the fact that he'd heard them meant it wasn't one of the scouts,or a member of the shore group either. All had been woodsmen before seamen, and none in his whole crew were that loud, not even Peggy. and she only had one leg. No this was someone else, someone to be wary of.

So he did what his instincts told him to, find them. Learn about them. And if necessary, kill them. He set off to do just that.

He caught up to the stranger and learned three things instantly. She was a she, she had been here a while, and she was sick. Her dress was falling to pieces with her in it and she was thin as a rope, her dirty and tangled hair might once have been golden blonde but was now nearly black with filth, but it was the old cutlass in her hand that drew his attention.

It was a Feorie design, and one he knew. He glanced at her hand and saw she knew how to use a sword, just not that one, but she could still be dangerous with it.

He pulled one of his pepper-boxes from his vest and checked it for blockages, nothing. He then calmly fired a round into a tree to his left to get her attention. It worked, just a bit too well.

The moment she heard the solid thud of a pistol she turned toward it and charged, hoping that her attacker didn't have another, if they did, she was dead.

She saw him only a few milliseconds after she turned and made a b-line for him. Her cutlass felt strange in her hand as she raised it for a slash at his throat. All she saw was a flicker of movement and her blade crashed into his upraised blade before she even knew it was out, the shock of steel on steel jolted her whole arm, nearly breaking her hold on her weapon, and she jumped back to avoid the counter blow that she was sure would come.

It never did.

The blonde woman stared at the strange man and began to notice some oddities. First, he had a pair of dueling pistols at his waist and a repeating six barreled monster on his chest, as well as one in his left hand. Secondly, he had a pair of scimitars, one in his right hand and the other on his back, presumably awaiting his left, and thirdly, he had pink hair!

The last alone turned the otherwise dangerous looking young man, into an interesting and exotic specimen, that was also kinda cute. His deep, reddish black eyes gave him a half tamed look that, she theorized, would do so even in the most fashionable nobleman's suit.

"Par lay?" The mans low baritone seemed to be like the flow of a river, despite his gross mispronunciation of the word. She found herself nodding in assent.

"Do you speak Feor?" He asked, with a Magnolian accent with a mix of salt on his tongue.

Her first instinct was to lie, but she wasn't very good at Alvearen, at least, not good enough to pass a native speaker. "Yes. Are you among the crew of that ship in the lagoon?"

"You could say that. When were you shipwrecked?"

His evasion was odd, but that was normal for lower crewmen on any ship, which surly he must be at his age, but it tweaked her interest.

"I don't know, months maybe. What happened to your ship, if I might be so bold?"

"Hurricane, the basterd came outa the west and gave us and a treasure fleet a good thrashin." His grin split his face, revealing abnormally sharp k9s. It turned out to be incredibly infectious.

The blonde fought herself as hard as she could, but a small smile broke through her efforts. She felt, soothed by his presence for some reason. Maybe it was the familiar accent, maybe it was his hair, but either way she did, and it surprised her.

"So, where were you when She fell?" The question wiped the smile from her face. Her confusion lasted the merest moment though. The girl could hear the capital s, and magnolians only had one She. He meant Magnolia herself.

She thought back to the day she now knew her home had burned, and was proud of where she'd intended to go.

"Sowed away on a ship bound for the city. My father was one of the cowards that abandoned Her though." Even now, nearly a decade later, she couldn't forgive the man, or the others that had abandoned the city of fairies and cherry blossoms. "What about you?"

"The line, I was a deck boy." His voice held such emotion the girl felt his pain.

"If your part of the crew, the ships not owned by one of the cowards, is it." The girl knew the answer and the boy contented himself by spitting out the side of his mouth. "That means I can trust you, to some extent at least. What is your name?"

Most people would have asked that first, magnolians on the other hand, had never been a "normal" people. Such oddities often get more pronounced after your home burning though. Before, you could run into someone, fight them, get hammered, and only ask their name after the pair of you have barfed all over the pub. Nowadays most will be your best friend before even asking, what this girl had done was considered rushing an introduction. But not answering was about the greatest insult one person could give another, and not asking in return was.

"Natsu." He answered after a moment. "What's yours?" He blamed her haste on her long exile on this island hell.

"Lucy."

Natsu started slightly, in the language of fairies her name meant light, it was considered a near royal name among their people. It was a name rarely given at all, and always to a happy, and brave child.

The shear unlikeliness of the name, along with it being well known to outsiders, made him suspicious. Not as much as at other times, or even other women, but his gut said she was being honest. However, it's always better safe, than sorry.

(Authors note. The naming of a child in magnolia happened at 3. Before then they are known as "little one". Also magnolian children are taught 2 languages from birth, the fairy tongue, and Feor. The first for religious and private use, the second for public use. If someone starts "talking fairy" to someone else, it's either intensely personal, quite private, or to identify one another in times of strife. No outsider has ever been able to talk fairy, traitors, lawbreakers, and oath breakers often forget the language(will be explained later, but it is particularly because of magic))

He smiled. "It's always nice to have some fire around." It was to odd, a girl named Lucy just happened to fall into his lap, no it wasn't very-.

She'd switched to fairy talk. "You think me a fool? Answer in kind, you half wit pink troll!"

His shock was so great he barely registered the insult. But it struck home soon enough.

"I had to be sure, most can do the act, all slow to say names and such. But no fake stone I've met can speak in this tongue, know that if you are false I will cut out your tongue, you blonde haired half sprite!" He grinned and switched back to Feor. "You must be starving, why don't you come to our camp? We have plenty of food."

Lucy hesitated, glancing at his hands. He still held his sword and pepper box, and had no intention of putting them away until the meal truce was struck. If she agreed, the pistol would be back where it belonged, if not... He'd hate to ruin one of the worlds masterpieces. Sure she didn't look it now, but he could tell she was at least outwardly pretty.

"A decent meal would be quite welcome. Thank you." And she smiled. He couldn't help but smile back.

"This is amazing!" Lucy bubbled happily over her bowl of rice and some kind of mushroom-cream mixture. "How do you make it, if I might inquire?" Her words slipping into a somewhat formal tone, as was proper for asking a chef for her secrets.

The woman named Momma S. Smiled warmly at the girl as she ate from her own bowl. She had a motherly face, and a motherly sort of softness in her figure as well, though the scar on her left cheek spoiled the image slightly. Given her title, she normally wouldn't be aboard a ship. Probably she would be in town, a cloth in one hand, and a spoon in the other. One for her tables, and the spoon would come down on any fool that tried to fondle one of her serving girls.

"It's not all that special dear." Her smile told everyone around her that she'd decided Lucy was now one of her children, just like them. "If I were able to get some chicken, maybe some bacon as well, id have you drooling down your front! This is just the bare bones of the dish."

Lucy smiled, if this was 'bare bones', she couldn't wait to try the real stuff. Someone laugh caught her attention and she looked in their direction, only to find Natsu and two kids coming her way. He seemed to treat them like younger siblings, but she doubted they were related.

"Momma S., who are the children with Natsu?" The question left her lips before she'd even realized she had it.

Momma S. Glanced over at them and her face grew a little stern. "Romeo and Wendy, the little fools must have stowed away in one of the empty water barrels." Her manor was one of a mother preparing to give out some spankings.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them.

Before to much longer, Natsu and the kids arrived at their fire and sat almost as one. Then Natsu introduced the pair to Lucy. Romeo was a tall boy, with black hair and eyes. Wendy was nearly his opposite, short, brown eyed and blue haired. But they both had a gleam of mischief in their eyes, and near identical smiles that would send any teacher hunting for a switch.

"Romeo is our cabin boy, and Wendy's the apprentice navigator. By the way, if you get pranked, and it involves water. Hunt for Romeo here, anything else is likely my little sisters fault." He grinned at the two, both putting on too innocent expressions. That was when she noticed Wendy was holding something.

Natsu followed her eyes and spoke at the same time. "Those are some shirts, pants and other things that might fit you. Stumpy went over and gathered them up while the rest of us were eating." He looked over at Momma S. "Remind me to ask you next time, Stumpy can't seem to say no to these little trouble makers."

Momma S. Just smiled and ladled out a bowl for the three newcomers. Lucy however, was trying to understand something.

"Your sister?" She asked, a bit hesitantly.

"Huh?"

"Is she your sister?" She clarified, gesturing at the young girl.

"Yep, and Romeo might as well be my little brother, as well as for most of the crews. Except Momma S., Stumpy, and Boats. To them he's more one of their kids, pretty much goes for the rest of us as well." He grinned at her suddenly. "You too, if you want to join up."

Lucy, not quite seeing what he meant, stared at him in confusion. "What?" She said at last.

"I'm offering you a place in my crew. Your obviously good with a blade, we just gotta find you the right one."

Lucy stiffened, she still wasn't sure he'd really made the offer, but it was slowly sinking in.

She started to list the reasons why it was a bad idea, and while many, she found herself with two overwhelming reasons too join him, and a lesser one. She would be a fugitive if she joined, but she would be free. If she was captured they would kill her, but she would be fighting the Alvearens. She might be killed, but she'd be out of her father's reach.

And that was the straw to break the camels back.

"If you need some time, you have till we ne-"

"I'm in!" She said, her voice firm and her mind made up.

"You sure?" Natsu asked, just to make it clear that it was her choice.

"Never more so."

"Alright then, welcome aboard." He spat on his hand and offered it to her, and she spat on her own before taking it. His callused, swordsman's hand griped hers firmly, and then let go.

"Glad to join you." She said, and smiled at him.