Lucy POV

I was walking the castle grounds, watching the buzz of activity and life of all the servants and soldiers-in-training. Listening to the grunts of effort and clang of iron on iron in the training arena, I couldn't help the hesitation in the pit of my stomach.

"General Heartfilia! General Heartfilia! Message for General Heartfilia!"

I turned to see my grandfather's, King Makarov's, personal messenger Coco coming my way, a small piece of parchment clutched tightly in her left hand.

"Oh, hello, Coco. How are you doing today?" i asked, feeling a warm affection for the young teen in front of me welling up in my chest.

…

"General, you're always so kind! You'll make a wonderful Supreme General!"

"Thank you, Coco. I'll report to Prince Laxus as soon as I complete my tour of the grounds." Glancing over at the young teen, I felt another surge of protectiveness overcome me. Other than Cana, General Clives' daughter, Coco has always treated me like an actual person. Something my own father can't even do.

"Well I'll let him know then General! I hope I get to see you again soon!"

I couldn't stop myself from reaching out to stop the girl from speedin off to deliver her message.

As Coco looked up to me, confused but utterly trusting, I let the words I had been wanting to say tumble from my mouth, unbidden, "Coco, meet me in my chambers later. I need to speak to you privately about some important matters. No one is to know that you are coming though. This information is crucial and you will be the first person to know. Do you understand?"

"Yes General. I promise that I will be there." I looked back down to Coco and saw that she had a quiet sparkle in her eye.

Smirking, I said, "Good. Now, go deliver your message. It wouldn't do to keep His Highness waiting, now would it?"

"Oh no, General, absolutely not!" She gave a mock salute and used the speed shoes I had given her for her 10th birthday to run off toward the Castle Proper.

Looking back out over the training grounds, I quickly make my rounds before making my way to Laxus's office (mini throne room, the egotistical bastard) to report.

"Ah, look who finally decided to make an appearance. You know, usually when a Prince says 'come', you come."

'You only wish, asshole. Maybe your bed partners would leave more satisfied if it were so simple.' Utilizing every drop of discipline in my body, it took everything to not break my bearing and let slip my sarcasm, "I came as soon as I could, Your Highness. My daily tours are extremely important for the maintenance of safety regulations and the upkeep of troop moral."

"I don't give two shits about 'troop moral'," Laxus began with his usual condescending tone, "when I say 'come see me' that means now."

I could feel the blood in my veins boil. Ever since Ivan's banishment, Laxus has begun to slowly emulate his murderous father and I hated him for it, "Understood, Your Highness."

"Good Now, the reason why I called you here is on behalf of your father, who, as you know, is out of country right now. And so, as your closest family, as well as the one with the most power, I am here to introduce you to your future husband."

At his last words, I froze. Husband? I had known that my father was trying to marry me off, but I had no clue that he would go so far as to write out a marriage contract without my knowledge, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Future. Husband."

"And if I may ask, who is it that I am to be marrying?" I still couldn't properly process the fact that we were talking about my own marriage.

"Some guy named Lord Junelle. You'll get to meet him tomorrow, so don't worry that pretty little head of yours too much."

"Understood, Your Highness."

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

"Giving a quick bow at his dismissal, all I heard as I left was the clanging of my armor as it shifted with each of my movements.

…

After the small fiasco that was always dinner, I found myself in my room, simply waiting for Coco to show up. Looking into my full length mirror that hung on my door, I saw the loose shirt and shorts that I often found myself wearing to bed. I thought of the few times that my father had seen me in almost these exact outfits, and how he had once told me that he better never see me wearing such "whorish outfits" in public. That "no daughter of his" would look like this if he had any say in it. I never wore these outfits outside my chambers after that. I got enough flak for my armors. It's almost like my father refuses to accept that I am a warrior and a woman of my own right.

Suddenly a small slip of paper emerged from underneath my door and I picked it up quickly, already knowing who it was from. 'As requested' were the only two words, and I didn't even attempt to stop the smile that marred my usual poker face.

Opening the door, I quickly glanced around before grabbing Coco by her small hand and dragging her into my chambers.

"General! What is this all about? I know a lot has been going on lately, but why are you telling me of all people?"

"Please, Coco, when we're talking one-on-one like this, you know to just call me Lucy." I smiled down at the girl I would consider a little sister if I could.

"I know!" She giggled, "It's just that I respect you so much! Anf you always take care of me after, well…"

"It's okay, Coco, you don't have to talk about that right this moment. Just tell me, did he do anything after delivered that message?"

She looked down towards her toes with her hands held behind her back, "No, Lucy. But he did seem really angry that you were going to finish actually doing your job before reporting to him."

"Yes, he was rather upset. But Coco, what I called you here to tell you isn't about that."

Jumping onto my bed with practiced motions, Coco looked at me and smiled, "Well I figured that much, Lucy. So what is it that you needed to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, I figured it best not to beat around the bush, "I'm leaving this place, Coco, and I need you to deliver one last message from me to my grandfather. Tonight if you could. Or first thing in the morning."

"WHAT!?" Lucy you ca-!" I cut her off as quickly as I could.

"Shhh!" Keeping my hand over her mouth, I listened intently to the silence outside my chambers for long moments before releasing her once more before pinning her with my famous 'listen to me now or so help me' look. When she silently nodded her head, I softened my face into what I could assume was a sad smile from the look she gave me in return.

"Listen to me, Coco. I can no longer stay here. My father has written a marriage contract behind my back and the man he set it up with is to arrive tomorrow. I refuse to accept that and so I must leave."

But Lucy! You turn 21 next week! You'll finally be the Supreme Commander. Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course it matters, Coco. I have only ever wanted to be like my mother in every way possible, but the way things are going, with Laxus acting like his father, and my own father having his own designs on my destiny, I cannot stay here, Coco. The only thing I truly regret about this decision is that I won't be able to be there for you anymore." I sat heavily next to her on the bed, finally allowing quiet tears to fall.

"Who says that you won't be able to be there for me?"

My head whipped up to see a sly smile scrawled across her gentle features, "Coco, I'm leaving this place. How could I be there?" I had an idea of what she meant, and while my heart fluttered with hope, I also didn't want her to have to leave everything she had ever known just to stay with me.

"Lucy, you're my protector. And I've always thought of you as a big sister. You take care of me and other than the King, you're the only one who cares about me at all. The Prince hates me, he's always calling me worthless and electrocuting me when he thinks that I'm not moving fast enough."

"Coco…"

"So I decided a long time ago, that wherever you went, I would follow!" She jumped off my bed in a flash and looked at me with a face so determined that it shocked me, and placed her fist over her heart, "whether you became Supreme General, or overthrew the Prince, I promised myself, and hereby promise you that I will support you through thick and thin! Where you lead, I will follow, and when you stumble, I will pick you up!"

Slowly, I stood up, and made my way to stand right in front of her. I could feel the tears of joy sliding down my face, and it was taking everything to hold back my sobs.

"Lucy?" I felt her hand on my arm, gentle as always.

"Thank you." my voice cracked as it came out, and I wanted to cringe from how vulnerable it sounded.

Coco POV

"Thank you." I heard Lucy mutter, the sound of her voice so quiet that it was hard to make out what she was saying.

Lucy jerked then the next thing I knew, her arms were wrapped around my neck and I could feel, more than hear, her sobs, "Lucy, it's okay. It's okay. We've always got each other now, right?"

"R-right!"

I could feel the smile pull at my lips, my own tears gathering in my eyes. I finally had the big sister I had always wanted. I turned my head and nuzzled my face into the crook between her neck and shoulder. I could smell her lily shampoo and body wash from where she had bathed earlier.

"So you said that we need to leave tonight right? And you said something about delivering a final message?"

Lucy pulled away from me, to my own disappointment before smiling down at me. Her cheeks were flushed red from crying, but I could see the affection and mirth in her eyes.

"Yeah. Just help me pack up some stuff okay? After that, I'm going to head out into town under cover. I'll give you the message to deliver to my grandfather, then once you've done that, get the hell out of dodge and meet me by the statue of Anna Heartfilia by the edge of town. Make sure to bring at least a week's worth of outfits and the armor that I had made for you for your 14th birthday."

"Okay. But why do I need the armor?"

Lucy looked over to me, a small smile and a creepy sparkle in her eyes, "Training of course."

My eyes widened. I had heard, and seen for myself, the kind of regime that Lucy kept when she was training recruits. She was known as The Ironclad Amazon for damn good reason. I could remember a time when she had decided to join the troops for their morning physical training and by the end of the workout, only some of the more legendary individuals, like The Demon, Salamander, Ice-Devil, and Titania herself had survived, and even they barely made it out. Surprisingly enough, Cana Alberona had joined them for the training, as a favor to Lucy herself, and had come out of the training perfectly composed, right alongside Lucy.

I gulped, "B-but Lucy, why would I need to train? I'm an athletic mage! I'm about speed and agility, not power!"

"And you think that I'm not? I work with spirits and weapons, my magic, like yours, isn't good for defensive maneuvers. Therefore, it is important that you learn how to move just as quickly and easily under greater weight. At first you'll find that you feel slower, but if you can get yourself to the same level that you are right now, only with armor and other weights on? You'll be even faster, even more agile, and ultimately more powerful while still retaining the basis of your magic's abilities. Does that make sense?"

I couldn't help but stare at her a moment. She knew so much about my magic, about everything, that I was often left in awe. Lucy is more often than not underestimated because of her smaller stature, just like I am, but her strength, I was fully realizing now, was in her mind. She had the kind of strategic mind that was quick as the whip she often wielded. Her ability to strategize and have four different plans that are up to 10 steps ahead at any given time made her hard to read and harder to beat.

"Yes, Lucy."

"Good. Now, go pack. I'll write up my goodbye message to my grandfather. It's…" She reached over to her charm bracelet and gripped a small silver charm in the shape of a grandfather clock, "10 o'clock right now. Meet in the Western Garden in an hour. I'll give you the message and take your bag from you so that you don't look too suspicious and take it with me to the rendezvous point. RP2 will be told in case of emergency when we get to the Western Garden. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Lucy chuckled and put her hand atop my head and rubbed my hair into a small mess, "Hey!"

"Alright kid. Let's get this party started, eh?"

"Right!"

…

I reached my small quarters that I shared with another of the servants. I could see that, as usual, she was missing. I knew exactly where she was, and I couldn't help but shudder at the thought. She may have been willing, as she had made clear with their conversations on multiple counts, but that the crowned prince would use not only her but all the servant girls in such a way was disgusting. As far as I had ever heard, he hadn't forced himself on any girls, but yet the way he treated them was heinous. Not to mention that much like her "roommate", most were under 18. I doubt, though, that he even knew that. Doubt that he said much else than orders to take clothes off.

Looking over into the far right corner, I saw the beautiful armor that Lucy had had commissioned for me for my 14th birthday. The armor was made of the highest grade steel and leather that could be found in the kingdom. The breastplate had the crest of Lucy's bloodline on the top right corner: a swirl of gold stars originating from an onyx crescent moon surrounding a tree of life. The leather was all dyed green because that was my favorite color and Lucy always tended to spoil me. The breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves were all made of steel, while the plackart was made of hardened green leather. The connective leather was also all green, as well as the leather pants that I could wear underneath.

Looking at the clock hanging up above the small fire stove that we used to keep the room warm in the winter, I realized that nearly 20 minutes had passed and that I had better hurry.

I turned and quickly packed up all of the clothes that I had that were best suited for hiking and a few other outfits that I could train in. As soon as I was done wit that, I took my armor and packed it away as well before lifting up my mattress and getting all my savings from my hiding place. Slipping out of the room, I took a single glance back at the only home I had known since my parents had passed away. Back when King Makarov had found me starving in the streets, a simple pickpocket who had been infamous in the slums for her speed. The king had found me stealing a loaf of bread from one of his soldiers. He had been the only one to ever catch me when I ran. Well, that is until I met Lucy.

I had only been 9 years old at the time, and Lucy had just turned 16. I had always looked up to her, even before I had actually known her. By they time I had moved to the castle, Lucy had long since earned the moniker of "The Ironclad Amazon". I had been boasting of my speed to some of the soldiers, claiming that I could easily outrun any of them. Lucy had overheard me and said that she would be glad to test my mettle herself. Foolishly, I had accepted, and had promptly been out stripped by the woman I called my role model. I had expected Lucy to brag or maybe tell me to learn my place. Instead, she had smiled down at me and told me to keep working as hard as I could until I could beat her. I can still remember her smile, how sincere she was, and it was then that I swore to myself that I would follow her anywhere she went. Learn everything she could teach me.

"It's okay to lose sometimes, Coco. Failure is the teacher of the grandest lessons and as long as you learn from it, then you will always come back stronger than ever before. Remember that success isn't in simply winning invariably, but is in learning from failed attempts."

Rushing as quietly as I could through the corridors, I managed to make it to the Western Gardens just in time to meet Lucy.

"You were almost late, Coco. With all that speed, you must have been dawdling." She smiled down at me, making it obvious she was joking.

"Sorry, but that armor is already being a pain." I laughed quietly with her.

"Alright. Give me your bags. Here is the letter for my grandfather. Please, hurry. I'll wait at the place until dawn at the latest. But if you aren't at the stone at 3 o'clock I'll be moving to the place where I gave you your 12th birthday gift. Understood?"

"Alright. I understand. I should only be 2 hours at most. I'll go to deliver the package 10 minutes after I see you leave."

"Good." Lucy came forward, placing her hand on top of my head in an affectionate gesture she often did. I leaned forward into her touch, taking as much comfort as I could from the woman I considered my big sister. She leaned down and placed her forehead against mine, "be safe. I don't want you taking unnecessary risks, okay? Take this. It's a flare. If you need me to come back, find an open area and send this up. I'll come running, no hesitation. Are you okay?"

I giggled. She was always worrying so much, "I'm fine, Lucy. I'll find you at the rendezvous soon. Promise."

"Okay…" Giving me one last worried glance, she turned and started jogging to the edge of the gardens before hopping on top of the wall and disappearing into the night.

Keeping my word, I waited the alloted 10 minutes before taking off towards the King's Chambers. When I came to the last few corridors I heard heavy footsteps. I hid around one of the pillars, keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen.

"That stupid old man. He's too lenient. Our country is falling apart and it's all because of his damn weakness. One of these days he's gonna croak and then it's all over. I'll eradicate all the weaklings that have infested this country if it's the last thing I do."

I realized that it was Prince Laxus talking to his guard, the Raijinshu. I couldn't help the horror I felt at the thought of Laxus actually becoming King, much less the way he was talking about the King dying.

I carefully stayed hidden from view until I could no longer hear his receding footsteps and slipped quietly down the last corridors until I found myself standing at the large door to the King's Royal Chambers. I took a deep breath and knocked the special knock I used specifically for an emergency message for the King: knock-knock, knock-knock, knock.

"Come in, child." I heard him call. Pushing open the heavy oak door just enough to slip inside, I closed it and made my way to King Makarov, who was sitting in a plush red cushioned seat in front of the fireplace.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I have a message for you from General Heartfilia. She told me to tell you 'look to the stars, and I shall too'." with that I held out the piece of parchment holding Lucy's final letter to her grandfather.

Looking at the parchment with sadness in his eyes, he reached out and I placed it gently in his hand. I remained quiet while he read through it, and by the time he looked back up to me, he had tears in his eyes, "I had no idea this was happening. Tell her that I am so sorry that I couldn't see her hardships and that I couldn't do anything for her. Also, tell her that I understand and will handle things as best I can on this end. Try to keep them off her back for as long as I can."

"I will, Your Majesty."

"Am I right to assume that you will be going with her? You two are as thick as thieves after all."

I smiled at him when I saw the gentle touch in his eyes, a similar gentleness that Lucy's eyes shone with when she let her guard down, "Yes, Your Majesty. I don't know where we're going, or how we're getting there. But I think this is for the best. General Heartfilia has been miserable these years, even long before I was ever here. I made a promise to myself that wherever she would go, I would follow. She's my role model, and my hero."

"I understand, Coco, though I will miss hearing you run back and forth across the grounds."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We'll stay safe. Make sure that you do too. I overheard Prince Laxus in the corridor on my way here and it sounded like he was planning something against you."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for the word of warning. Now, I'm sure that Lucy has you on some kind of time schedule?"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation, "Yes, she does, so I must be going Your Highness."

"Goodbye, child."

I turned around as I opened the door and prepared to walk out, to see him still watching me with a small smile. I sent him one last grin before taking off down the corridor toward the West Gardens, ready to follow Lucy wherever she took us.