Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy.
Founded 2000 years ago by three great wizards under the order of the First King, the academy was meant to be a place where young Wizardess and Wizards could come to learn and grow their magical abilities. With a rich history behind it and the title as the best academic institution for magic in all the world, it is incredibly difficult to get into.
It's the place where my late mother attended in her youth and it is also where my story begins.
It had been a rough year for Lucy Heartfilia since her father had passed away. They were never very close, their relationship especially strained after her mother had died, but near the end her father had made sure she knew he loved her in his own way. That didn't mean much for her now that she was alone, however. One of the reasons for Jude Heartfilia's death was the loss of his business, his empire. They had lost their home-frankly too much space for only two people, Lucy had always thought-and after all the expenses from the funeral, the pithy sum she had been left with was now gone.
With no other choice, Lucy had been forced to take up a job to support herself and her childhood dream of attending a magic academy were put on hold.
That's right, Lucy Heartfilia was a wizardess of her own making. In her lonely childhood she had taken up reading her mother's old magic tomes and memorized the spells within them. Casting them successfully was another matter entirely, yes, but at least she knew the words and thus she considered herself a wizardess. Going to an academy would the only thing to give her the official title however and that was now out of sight.
Instead of moping about it, Lucy focused her attentions on her work and keeping a roof over her head. Unfortunately, this is where her struggles came in. She was barely paid what could be called a wage and the long hours made it hard to have any spare time for studying the tomes. She had even had to sell a few to even eat when things got tighter. It was disheartening to think just a few years back, she was overly dressed in elaborate gowns and jewels, eating the finest foods the country had to offer in her family's lavish dining room. She had never loved living so extravagantly but she admitted now, as she poked at a flimsy sandwich on her lunch break, that she had taken it for granted.
A sigh escaped Lucy. How long were things going to continue like this? She knew it wouldn't be easy on her own, of course. She just wished that she could catch a break for once.
The door to the break room opened then and her manager came in, wearing a scowl that could scare a baby. Lucy wondered is she should have knocked on wood. "What are you doing back here?" Her manager practically spat in her face when he approached her.
Lucy bit her tongue to hold back her immediate reply. This was her third job now and she couldn't lose it now. "I'm on lunch, sir." She answered calmly as she could.
"Who said you could go on lunch?"
"Sir, I asked your permission before taking it."
He seemed taken off guard momentarily before his brows returned to their angry arch. "Hurry back to the front now, we have customers waiting."
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Lucy nodded her affirmation. "Yes, sir."
This seemed to appease him, as he turned and exited the room just as quickly as he came and in just as much a huff as before. Lucy let loose another sigh and got to her feet. She still had half her meal left but she had lost her appetite anyway. She went to return to her post.
Oh, but fate was not on her side today. At least, not yet. Not soon after she had turned to her position behind the counter of the small shop, an incident had occurred. The customer had thought Lucy had made a mistake about the price of an item and demanded that the manager be brought over. It may have been resolved easily enough but it escalated into something much worse despite how many apologizes she had choked out. It all happened in a blur. Termination was the result.
"Here is your final pay." Her manager said, slapping a thin envelope onto his desk. He glared at her as she picked it up and sneered when she put it in her pocket. "Get out of here." He barked, making her jolt. Without so much as a word, Lucy turned heel and left the office. Not out of fear but anger. She was furious, in fact. She couldn't however, let that get a hold of her. She had to hang onto her manners that had been drilled into her since youth. It would serve her no good to let her emotions get a hold of her now.
She exited the little shop, not so much as giving a glance back and stepped out in to the thick crowds lining the streets. From her pocket she pulled out her final pay. Even without opening it she could tell that it would not be enough to cover her upcoming rent. She would need to find another job and fast. With set determination, she squared her shoulders and walked now with purpose. She couldn't waste a single moment.
Lucy was about to place her pay back into her pocket when someone bumped into her, knocking the envelope out of her hand and onto the ground. She quickly reached for it, only to have a sudden gust blow it into the busy road. "No!" She cried, pushing people out of the way and ran into the street. A shout followed her but she couldn't let that envelope out of her sight.
The strong winds teased her by blowing the envelope this way and that, Lucy narrowly dodging traffic all the while. At one moment she thought she'd lost it for good but out of the corner of her eye she saw it blow into an alleyway where the wind's hold on it weren't so strong. She dodged between the buildings in pursuit of it, her eyes searching the ground but met nothing.
A hopelessness settled over Lucy. The envelope was gone. There was no way she would be able to pay her rent now and she wouldn't be able work enough in time to replace what had been lost. She dropped to her knees and held them. What would she do now?
That is when she felt a hollow tap on her head.
"Huh?" She said in a weak voice, looking up. Her brows furrowed. There was nothing there. Then she felt the tap again and she turned her head completely upward.
Floating above her was a scroll. It seemed to sparkle and there was a neatly tied ribbon around it. Curious, she reach for it. As soon as her finger tips made contact, the scroll came to life, unrolling to reveal the neatly written words and wax seal within. "What is this?" She mumbled, getting to her feet. The scroll scroll still hung in the air before her, no wires or tricks in sight.
"Is this magic?" Lucy reached for the scroll again, this time retracting her hand in surprise as a voice from nowhere began to speak.
"I am not to manhandled!" The voice shouted, then it seem to clear its throat and spoke more calmly. "Ahem. I am the Acceptance Letter from Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy."
Lucy blinked once. Twice. Did a letter just speak? No, more importantly, did the letter really just say what she thought it did? Her mind ran blank.
"Well, don't just gawk like that."
Lucy stared pie-eyed at the scroll. "I'm just surprised. Did you say you're...you're from Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy?"
"Yes, that is what I said. Weren't you listening?" The letter haughtily replied.
Lucy took a moment to process the words. Had she finally found a spot of good luck? She couldn't believe she was going to ask what she did next. "Are you my acceptance letter? Am I really accepted to the Academy?"
"I hope you're not this daft all the time. I can't imagine how you got accepted otherwise." The letter sighed before moving in what might have been a nod. "Yes, you have been accepted."
Ignoring the insult, Lucy felt a smile tugging on her lips. The hopelessness she had felt before was now replaced with excitement. Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy was one of the most prestigious magic academies around. It's where her mother went and now, Lucy could follow in her footsteps. It was a dream come true.
The letter spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. "We received your application and it was approved after much discussion."
Lucy paused. "My application?" She echoed. She had never sent one there. It cost money to apply, which she didn't have to spare. How could they possibly have an application from her then? She worked through the possibilities when she recalled something. Her father. He must have been the one to do it. Tears came to her eyes, an affection filling her heart. She hadn't completely forgiven the man for his treatment over the years but he did love her and this was his final gift to her.
"When do I get to go?" Lucy asked after a moment, wiping her eyes dry.
"First thing tomorrow morning we depart."
"Tomorrow?!"
"Really now, do I have to repeat everything to you!" The letter sniffed.
"But that is so sudden." The blonde protested.
The letter once again made an action that Lucy could only assume was a shrug this time. "That is when the semester begins. Make sure to pack everything you'll need, there is no going back if you forget something."
This was a lot for Lucy to take in. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about her rent but there was another concern weighing on her mind. "How will I pay for my tuition?" She asked the Acceptance Letter.
"Oh, did I forget to mention? You have a full scholarship." It replied but before Lucy could react to this amazing news, she was hit with a curveball. "That is, if you can pass the Judgement."
Lucy tilted her head in worry. She had a bad feeling about this already. "And what do I have to do to pass this judgement?"
"You'll have a two month trial as a provisional student to prove yourself and at the end, if you're worthy, you'll be able to stay at the Academy. If you cannot, you'll be sent home for good." The letter seemed to sneer at her here; she wondered if it disliked her. "It's an incredibly difficult task to pass, only few succeed. Are you still up the challenge?"
Lucy pushed back her doubts. If her mother could do it, then so could she. With determination, she gave a firm nod. "I'll do it."
I recently drew a crossover piece with NaLu and the otome game Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart and couldn't get the idea of a fic out of my head. It's been awhile since I've written anything so I went for it. I've only made it through one story line in the game so far (Randy's) so some inaccuracies are bound to come up (let's just call them creative liberties). Watch out for Natsu's appearance next chapter. My goal is at least 10-15 chapters? But we'll see where this story takes us.
Also, I might write a companion fic for the other ships after I finish this one but for now, this one will only focus on NaLu and NaLu alone.