This was supposed to be up for Halloween... oops. After seeing that pic Mashima did of Vampire!Natsu and DamselInDistress!Lucy this crept into my mind. Hope you like it :)
Warnings: Violence, suggestive material, you know the deal!
"Then it is only a matter of time until the body is left a pale shell, ice-cold and lifeless, fangs stained red with-"
"Lucinda!"
The exclamation cut through the narrative like a dagger, its edges dulled by barely perceptible fear.
"You aren't to read that drivel to the children! You'll put nothing but nonsense into their heads!"
The audience in question- a group of four small children, and one young caretaker- looked up questioningly.
"My apologies, Miss Grenhilda... The children asked for a story about-"
"Nonsense! Those filthy creatures aren't anything for them to worry about, regardless of their questionable existence."
"But Miss Grenhilda," a small girl with short dark pigtails asked loudly, "if they aren't real, then what's hurting the people at the cape point? Why can't we go there?"
"Now, now. That isn't anything for you to worry about, Asuka. You can't believe everything you hear in a storybook, dear child."
"Then why-?"
"Childen, let's run along to our seats and I'll begin a lesson. Story time is over until tomorrow."
Shuffling and heavy groans of protest filled the room as little feet scampered towards the wooden desks in the adjacent room. A small hand tugged upon the hem of a heavy navy skirt.
"I thought it was a good story. I bet they're real. Right, Miss Heartfilia?"
"Shhh, run along now, Asuka. Be a good girl for me, hm?"
The caretaker winked as she smoothed out her dress.
"Okay!" Asuka giggled and ran along after the others.
Warm brown eyes appraised the stern woman who had stayed behind: Hair once raven-black now graying steadily, features as sharp as any bird. Even her heavy winter dress was black as pitch, granting the appearance of perpetual mourning to Miss Grenhilda.
"Lucy."
The younger woman bowed her head, the way in which she'd swept her long sunny hair into an updo causing her to feel oddly exposed.
"You cannot read to the children about such frivolities. I would think a girl as clever as you would know better."
"I-I... They're just myths, ma'am, so I didn't see the harm in-"
"No, no you wouldn't." The bird-like woman sighed as she rubbed thin, tapered fingers against her temples. She worked several circles into her own aged skin before continuing.
"Miss Heartfilia, do you know for certain if what you read is myth or truth?"
"It's a myth of course," Lucy replied immediately. "There's no way such things could be real. It's all a tale to keep children away from the desserted mansion up on the point of the cape. The owners died many years ago in a fire and it hasn't been inhabited since. But I don't suppose that makes it any less dangerous. Probably full of dust and rot."
"Neither myth nor truth are suitable for the children. They always want to know more, and they aren't yet matured enough to understand why some things are best left alone. Do you understand, Lucinda?"
"Yes ma'am. My apologies. I'll remember to keep the stories light-hearted from now on."
"Yes, please do. Perhaps a quaint fairy tail for tomorow, hm?"
"Of course ma'am. They'll like that. I can borrow something new from a friend of mine who runs the bookshop in town."
"Lovely! Now then, come along. The children are due for some revision in their maths."
Lucy giggled softly. She knew how much the little ones despised the ongoing drone of Miss Grenhilda teaching them their numbers. "Not their favorite thing in the world, is it?"
"Well..." Grenhilda cocked her head for a moment before displaying a rare smirk. "Just between us governesses, it was never mine, either."
They walked towards the makeshift classroom, leaving the ghosts of their laughter behind them.
"There, please don't worry about the difference." Lucy smiled as she pressed a note of currency into a warm, work-worn hand.
"But-"
"If you won't take my money then I'll happily take another warm loaf tomorrow." The governess grinned. "But either way I'm afraid you're stuck with it."
The portly baker sighed and then chuckled. "You're too kind Lucinda, really."
"Money isn't kindness Lorier. And besides, you're the best baker in this town and the next. You wouldn't have been asked to make a monstrous pastry for the ball otherwise."
"Ahh, Lucinda."
"Lucy."
"Yes, Miss Lucy."
"Lucy. I'm no one special, Lorier."
"But your father is-"
"It doesn't matter what he is. I'm his daughter. Not his shadow."
The rapid glower that had decended onto Lucy's visage lasted a mere moment before settling back into a serene expression. "Thank you for the bread. I'll enjoy it to the last crumb!"
Lorier couldn't help but flush in return. "Anytime, Lucy!"
A loss of warmth stunned the young woman as cool crisp air clashed with the comforting heat that wafted from within the bakery. Though it was still autumn and a russet rainbow of leaves decorated the roads there was an undeniable nip that seemed to whisper of winter's arrival. If one were to wake up early enough they could see the whole of Magnolia aglow, frost-bitten leaves glimmering in the sunrise. Lucy often did just that, parting balcony doors and shivering as the cold cut against her pale skin and danced along the hem of her nightgown. It was one of the few times in which she truly felt at peace- as if the world and everything in it had gone utterly still. And then, of course, the day would begin and break the spell.
"Levy!"
Lucy burst into a shop, setting off a forlorn groan from its old wooden door. Brown eyes scanned the many shelves lining the space from floor to ceiling. They overflowed with books of every color, shape, and age imaginable. Some were even piled into stacks that served as a place for stray knick-knacks, or simply as towers that threatened to topple yet somehow never did.
"In the back, Lu!"
Lucy followed the sound of a sweet, high voice before spotting a fairy on a ladder. Or what could have been mistaken for one, with a tiny frame and ocean hair that swept artfully in all directions.
"Is that any way to treat a customer, you little bookworm?"
"Hmmm. If making hot cocoa in anticipation of your arrival is what you mean, then yes. I think it's a fine way to treat them."
Levy slid off of the ladder gracefully, taming the ruffles of her buttercup yellow dress once her feet touched the wooden floor. "You've got the sweet bread, I presume?"
Lucy grinned. "What, me, leave my best friend's famous cocoa without a pair? I would never. I'm surprised you have it ready. Usually I have to yank your nose out of some literature."
Levy scoffed slyly. "Nothing wrong with a bit of romance every now and again. I don't hear you protest when I loan a book or two to you, hm?"
Lucy set the bag of bread on an oaken table, wary of the lit candle near one corner. There was a soft clamor as Levy disapeared and then reappeared with a set of delicate tea cups and a pot, all embossed with tiny amber flowers.
"Shall we break bread?"
Levy poured the first cup and smiled "Never ask, Lu. Just break."
It was some time later that Lucy had finished telling her friend of the scolding she'd gotten from Miss Grenhilda. "And that, Levy, is why I need a good book of fairy tales for tomorrow. Something... very non-threatening."
"Oh Lu," Levy shook her head with a giggle. "Why on earth would you read them that to begin with?"
Lucy dipped a piece of bread into her hot cocoa (why this was called a peasants dessert she couldn't imagine; it was delicious!) and let it melt in her mouth. "Because the children seem to think that there are vampires at the cape point, Levy. Vampires. It's ridiculous, and just as much a story as any other, so I read them what they wanted to hear. It did them no harm, besides a scare or two."
"Well Lucy," the young woman hummed thoughtfully, "there have been a few odd tales about that old place. Of people coming back and never returning... Restless spirits haunting its very walls... Laughs heard in the dead of night. But I very much doubt any of it has merit. People are swift to believe anything, aren't they?"
Levy plucked a small book bound in sturdy leather and gold leaf. "Why not try this one? It's a book of old stories; look here: 'Merry Merry and the Trumpeting tree.' 'The day the Lion's roar was stolen.' 'Pup who got no sup.' I loved the one about the lion. Quite lovely for a children's story."
"This'll do nicely, Levy. Thank you!"
"Oh of course. Can't have you failing at your job now can we, governess in training? Since you absolutely insisted on refusing your father's fortune... Although I can't say that I blame you. You've done well on your own. I'm rather proud of you for making your own choices."
Lucy's eyes stared into her cup, watching stray crumbs of bread float across its surface. "You're lucky, Levy. I have to admit, I envy that about you. You took over the book shop in your parent's stead, but you love it. You were born right into the place you most want to be. Where you belong. And I still don't know what that means for me."
"Lucinda Heartfilia, you have never once let your place be decided for you. Maybe being a governess isn't your path, but I'll always be here to help you find a new one."
One tiny but strong hand wrapped around a larger palm and squeezed. Lucy smiled in relief. "Where would I be without you?"
"Betrothed and eating dry bread with no cocoa!" Levy snickered adorably, Lucinda soon joining in.
"Say," the blonde began with a feral grin, "has Mister Mysterious asked you to this year's ball?"
A rosy flush tinged the slight woman's face until her ears were practically incandescent.
"He told me that he can't go... But that he'd like to have dinner together. What do you think, Lu?"
"I think he likes you and you're being a fool. I mean I won't have my favorite confidant with me anymore... But I'm not about to get in the way of true love. I hope you'll let me meet him soon."
Levy smiled and happiness churned in her eyes. "I want you to! Eventually, anyway."
"I'm sure I will when the time is right." Lucinda peered down at her empty cup. "I ought to get going. I have to prepare for tomorrow. And I'm sure some word of the ball will get to me as well."
"I'll be seeing you soon then. And I expect detail this time, McGarden."
Levy giggled as her long time friend gathered her belongings. "Only if you earn them. And feed me more bread."
"You have a deal!"
Lucy arrived at a small cottage near the edge of Magnolia; it was the place she'd decided to call home. Surrounded by trees and rose bushes that had been planted long ago, it was quaint but charming. Nothing like the lavish mansion her father owned...
"It feels like so long ago." Lucy smiled softly to herself as she entered her little sanctuary. She had abandoned her birthright and had no intention of looking back. But fowards was another matter altogether as she spotted a white silk bag resting upon one of the seats in the parlour. There was a note attatched with her name embossed in bright gold lettering, and she recognized the print immediately: it was one that her father's assistant penned beautifully every time a gift (or bribe) was sent out.
A flash of agitation tugged at the corners of the governess' lips as she opened the bag and yanked out what was inside. Heavy, luxurious fabrics slid against her chilled fingers as a carmine dress came into view. The bust was lined with fine cream lace, the sleeves slashed so that more of it could peep through, while the middle was cinched with a thick golden sash. Lucy knew right away that it was made to her exact measurements, just as all of her clothing had been. At least before she'd left home. A note peeked out from within the silken garment bag and she set the dress down in order to examine it.
Harsh lettering in a rich black ink read:
'Lucinda. My patience grows thin. I expect you to don this dress and represent your heritage appropriately. We will speak further at the Harvest ball.
-Jude Heartfilia'
She could feel her hand shake as her fingers wrapped around the note and clenched tightly. How dare he? After everything that had ever happened... After mother... Who the hell was her father to tell her how she ought to live? Rage boiled in her stomach, threatening to make her go sick. Lucinda tossed the note onto the ground in disgust and stomped towards a tin tub in the hopes that a hot bath would wash all of it away.
In the days following up until the ball Lucinda wrestled with her own apprehension. She was both excited to attend the event on her own and dreading the appearance of her father. There would be no avoiding him- as being the town's richest resident- he was known for hosting said party annually. Jude Heartfilia made certain of two things: that his guests experienced utter oppulence, and that every single one acknowledged just what a powerful man he was.
But his arrogance was the least of Lucy's worries. It was his intentions that had her on edge until the very last moment. As Lucy prepared for the solstice she looked into a mirror in her bedroom. She saw supple skin and long blonde hair trailing along her back. Beautiful curves and aristocratic features. She was the mirror image of her late mother Layla, and she was both proud and sad of it.
Lucy immediately decided against a corset (the damn things hurt her full figured frame) in favor of a cream satin slip. She then pulled on the red demand that her father had tailored to look like a gift. It fit perfectly, and she was neither pleased nor surprised. Settled in front of the vanity like a living doll she used a steady hand to rouge her lips minimally. And as she painted her mouth, Lucy found that she had also donned a fierce amount of resolve to match the bold color.
Tonight would be a night to remember.
The carriage that arrived to fetch her was drawn by several of the best Heartfilia thorough breds. Lucinda could recognize them all as she approached: Peaches, her childhood filly of pale beige hide. Thunderstorm, a pure black beast who had chased and been rejected by Peaches each rutting season. Aquarius, a gray stallion that had belonged to Layla. And Orion, the first-born of Peaches and Aquarius, who was of a curious blue-gray hide and now fully grown.
Lucy smiled as her hand immediately reached out for Peaches' muzzle, the horse whining upon recognizing its owner.
"She misses you dearly, young miss." The coach driver smiled as he tipped his hat. He was older now, long beard wiry and thinned yet well-kempt. "As do we who serve the manor."
"Thank you, Phineas." Lucy curtsied and gently swatted at her equine's wandering teeth once they got too close to the white fur of her shawl. "I miss you all as well. I grew up with all of you, why wouldn't I?"
"Ah, miss, they will be touched when I tell them you've said so. But come now, allow me to-"
"I can open a coach door myself, Phin." Lucy huffed as she made her way towards it and yanked it open easily. "Just don't tell father, alright?" She winked and soon was enveloped by the darkness of the coach and her driver's gruff laughter.
The world was aglow with stars and candlelight as one approached the stark white of the Heartfilia manor. Coaches lined the entrance to the grounds as aristocrats from near and far made their way inside. Those less fortunate merely walked on foot. Although it set a decadent ambiance it hardly mattered how one arrived; rich, poor, and all in between would meld into the shadows together as they enjoyed a tradition older than the town itself.
Lucy blinked at the sight of a small pond that lay before the gigantic house; so many fond memories of smuggling crumbs to feed to a stray duck or goose. As her coach came to a halt she allowed Phineas to free her of the wooden prison her father had sent. She set one laced white heel onto the ground and then the other, the deep clack of shoes upon cobblestone ringing in her ears as the blonde waved good-bye to her driver and ascended a long set of stairs.
Large burgundy doors were held open by servants that the governess recognized immediately: Peryn and Leo, both men older than she, capable, and very kind. Peryn had been around to watch her grow, while Leo had trained beneath him and been dealt a welt to the back of the head anytime he'd say anything akin to courting to a younger Lucy.
She beamed at the pair and they broke their rigid stances to wave back happily. Leo puffed out his chest just a bit, his mane of tangerine hair granting him the appearance of a proud lion. Lucy merely giggled and shook her head. Leo had grown up to be as handsome as she was beautiful but he would only ever be a childhood friend of whom she was very fond.
A cacophany of voices filled the mansion, the dull roar of polite conversation punctuated by squeals of delight or gasps of feigned disgust. Whispers of gossip hissed across the halls, slithering into the ears of any keen enough to welcome it. Once or twice an elite would catch her eye and Lucinda would immediately sink into a proper curtsey. But as each glance grew colder and more dissaproving she stopped, choosing instead to ignore them and move on. There were several of the townspeople she knew gathered around a table of hors d'ouvres: tarts and fruit and enough wine (both red and white) to drown in.
"Your dinner better be the most amazing night of your life thus far, Levy." Lucy whispered to herself with a smile as she strode over to the assortment of food. Her fingers fell upon a small baked apple tart that she had no doubt Lorier had made with care. It smelled of sugar and cinnamon, and melted as soon it touched her tongue.
It would be the only merciful encounter of the night.
Heeled steps drowned out by the festivities, Lucy made her way towards a more barren corner of the ball room. The chandelier in the middle of the ceiling sparkled in its gold-cum-crystal splendor, and the days when she'd be draped over her mother's shoulder staring up and asking if the dangling gems were stars flashed before her eyes. Nostalgia filled Lucy until it very nearly hurt. It was only broken by the deep timbre spoken behind her.
"Lucinda."
With a swift turn Lucy faced him and sank into a curtsey out of sheer habit. She bit her lip, wishing she had stayed still and cursing the noble behavior she'd been forced to absorb as a child. As she rose back up she appraised him; long hair and beard a dark honey with a sprinkling of gray, a perfectly tailored black velvet suit, and eyes so cold that she wondered just how this man could have sired her.
"It's been a few years now, daughter. I see you wore the dress I had made for you. I very nearly expected you to wear rags, just for the sake of spiting me."
Wishing she had, the blonde did her best to keep a neutral expression.
"Thank you, father. It is a very fine dress."
"Yet still plain, compared to what you'll wear as a bride."
A wary stance.
"I made it very clear when I abandoned my inheritance that I have no intention to marry."
"So you still don't see how much this will benefit us?" Jude's voice nearly growled
"Us? You. It will benefit you, father, and the legacy that you value beyond anything and anyone else. I won't help you grow your obsession."
The man glowered. "An obsession, is it? You dare mock the very foundations of my work, what fed and clothed and made you a lady? Or did you think it came from thin air?"
"You can have it all. The cloth on my body included, father."
"How dare y-"
"Lucinda!"
A wiry body very quickly wedged itself between the pair and startled them both. Dressed in fine midnight velveteen with her hair pulled up into a severe bun stood a frantic Grenhilda.
"M-miss! I didn't know you would be here."
"There isn't time to address what I do with the time I keep, Lucinda. Asuka has gone missing. Have you seen her anywhere at all?"
"No... How long has it been since Lord Alzack and Lady Bisca noticed?"
"Oh dear, not long. Less than a day. The children began a game of hide and seek. Asuka was the last, but then she never came out of hiding and the hours went by... Oh, what if we can't find her?"
"So this is what you've chosen, Lucinda?" Jude's voice interrupted harshly. "The life of a governess to those beneath you? Chasing children for the rest of your life?"
"You know nothing!" Lucy's eyes were blazing with fresh fury. "The Lord and Lady love their children! They may have less money than you do, but they treat Miss Grenhilda and I like family. So you're plans to marry me off will have to wait... Indefinitely."
Grabbing a startled Grenhilda by the hand Lucy marched through the crowds of pacified, inebriated guests. She shook her head and broke into a run. She knew exactly where to look for Asuka, as well as how to get there.
"The mansion? But you can't be serious." Miss Grenhilda was a wreck. She flitted about so nervously that Lucy was certain she would never look more like a bird than she did at that moment..
"It has to be. I read them that story. So it's my fault if that's where Asuka went. At the very least I have to be certain."
The elder governess shook her head. "No, no, child. Do not put the burden of blame solely unto yourself. I thought them to be playing an innocent game. I never imagined Asuka would be planning any kind of escape. If I'd kept a better eye on her-"
"I'll find her, Miss Grenhilda." The resolve on Lucy's face seemed to calm the woman down. "Please tell the Lord and Lady I'll find her no matter what."
Grenhilda nodded as a sad smile overcame her. "Please be safe, Lucinda... I can't imagine... Well, the children won't like anyone else but you, now that you've come along."
The compliment had caught her off guard, making her sputter. "I w-will ma'am!"
The world grew wondrously dark as Magnolia's charming cottages became sparse, bleeding into the dense vegetation of the town's outskirts. Lucinda sat quietly within her father's coach as it sped towards a place she'd only ever fancied visiting in her imagination. The old mansion on the cape had belonged to a tremendously wealthy man several hundred years ago, and rumor had it that though he'd been of a generous nature his face had never been seen. It never would, Lucy shuddered, for the mansion had caught fire and only stood standing thanks to the rains that had put it out. But how much of that old tale could she really believe?
Thick shrubbery was beginning to give way to wisps of grass dusted with sand. The air caught a touch of the ocean chill and Lucy shuddered as it crept up her neck. As the deep clamor of horse hooves on earth echoed all around her the governess wondered just what she had gotten herself into. Soon the mansion came into view and answered.
"It's enormous!" Lucinda whispered to no one.
It was impossible to tell what color it might have been once, as the exterior of the grand home remained charred beyond measure. Cracked glass, and warped doors were all that adorned it. As they entered the grounds it became apparent that marble statues and empty fountains littered the area, all obscured by the growth of ivy and passage of time.
An abrupt halt punctured by four distinct whinies startled Lucinda. "Young Miss!" Phineas called from outside.
The blonde opened her door and clamored outside. "What has happened?"
"The horses won't go any further, Miss, no matter how I bade them. I wish you wouldn't go in there. Some evil must wander about to frighten them so."
"And if some evil has Asuka? She is little, Phineas, and by the time anyone else decides to join me it could be too late! I have to try."
"Then I shall wait for your return, Miss. If too much time should pass, I will fetch help as quickly as these horses can take me."
Lucy smiled shakily. "Thank you."
TBC