Spellbound

by dontjudgemyusername

"Hey Lucy? What do you say about leaving this place? Going on an adventure?"

Lucy kicked the dirt as she walked home, despite knowing that doing so would ruin her shoes that were already in a terrible condition even more. She managed to get a job as a baker's assistant two days ago and already got replaced. Lucy sighed heavily as she continued to walk on the dirt path that led to the small cottage she called home. It had been a rough day of getting fired and looking for a new job and she hadn't even gotten anything to make dinner with. She stopped walking when she saw her home, embarrassed to be coming home empty-handed.

I can't let him shoulder all of the burden. This is my fault after all. Lucy shook her head to get rid of all her negative thoughts and headed to the door as confidently as she could. She reached for the door handle, but before she could open the door, it swung wide open. She was greeted by two of the Queen's knights.

"C-can I help you?" she asked a bit shocked. No one knew of her house since it was located deep in the woods.

The knights laughed at her and they pushed past her. Lucy would have fallen to the ground if it had not been for the cottage wall supporting her. She stared aghast, as the knights walked off towards the main road. Her legs refused to move. Had they come to collect taxes? She didn't have anything to give them so would they take her home as collateral? Would she be kicked onto the streets? Lucy was brought out of her thoughts when a pink haired boy jumped out in front of her.

Lucy let out a small shriek, before getting mad. "Natsu, I told you to stop scaring me like that!"

"Sorry Luce, you were just standing there. It was like you were asking me to scare you." Lucy stared at her best friend in wonder. He smiled so brightly even though it was her fault they lived such terrible lives. He didn't have a reason to be as happy as he was, he didn't have a reason to stay with her. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Hey, Luce…" Natsu's voice suddenly changed from his playful tone to a more serious one. "Hey, why are you crying?" He cupped her chin and lifted her face. Lucy hadn't realized that she had started crying. He wiped away a tear with his thumb and waited until she was ready to speak.

"Why do you stay with me, Natsu? I have nothing to offer you except this sad excuse of shelter. I can never hold a job, you can't even work because no one in town will hire you –"

"Not being able to get a job in town was my fault, it has nothing to do with you. You always told me to be more careful and not to break everything I touched, but I never listened to you. If anyone is to blame here, it's me." He smiled at her again, that warm smile that never failed to make her feel better. "And I stay with you because I love you and if I weren't here, who would make you smile when you're feeling down? Now, let's get you inside and come up with a game plan for tomorrow." Natsu pushed Lucy inside. She was greeted by their cat which Natsu found when they were kids.

She bent down to pet the blue-gray cat. "Hello there, Happy. I hope you had a better day than I did." Happy purred and headed out the door for his daily adventure. He left whenever Lucy got home and would come back when dinner was ready.

"Natsu, why were those knights here?" Lucy asked as she started to prepare for dinner.

"Oh, those guys. They wanted to know if we saw some shady witch who's been terrorizing the townsfolk. Something about making dreams come true and harboring a dangerous fugitive. I'm not entirely sure what else they said because I stopped listening after 'stay away' and 'alert us if seen'. I got bored." By now, Natsu was sprawled out on his bed which was directly across from the kitchen. "Besides, I heard some rumors that she grants wishes for free. Who would be stupid enough to let some shady witch grant their 'dreams' with no cost? Nothing comes without a cost in this world."

Lucy cracked a small smile at Natsu's words as she began to cut some vegetables. Natsu watched her move around the small kitchen, thinking of what to say next.

"Hey Lucy?" Lucy looked at him from the corner of her eye. "What do you say about leaving this place? Going on an adventure?"

Lucy smiled sadly while continuing to cook the stew they were having for dinner. "You need money to go on an adventure, Natsu. Something we're lacking."

"Okay." Natsu sat up eagerly at the edge of his bed. "What if we just run away? Leave behind the safety of this life and just lose ourselves in the world?"

Lucy stopped working and turned to Natsu. "You ask me this almost every month."

"I always ask you for a reason," he muttered.

"And what's answer every time?"

"Something I don't like." Natsu fell backwards onto his bed, sighing. "I just want to make sure that when we get old, we have stories that can make other people want to enjoy life like us…"

Lucy looked down at the counter. She agreed with Natsu, but they just didn't have the means, nor security of being able to leave. Lucy always wondered what the world would be like and she always pictured herself figuring that out with Natsu by her side. They both settled back into the previous silence, thinking, hoping they could go out into the world one day.

By the time Lucy had finished making dinner, the sun had set and Natsu had gone out. He normally left around sunset to see if any local traders would give him a job. Lucy had begun to set the table when there was a knock on the door. She grabbed a knife and slowly headed to the door. No one ever came to visit her, especially at this time of night. If it was Natsu, he would have just barged in without a care in the world. She placed her ear on the door to see if she could hear the visitor. When no sounds could be detected, she slowly opened the door to find no one there. As she looked outside, the candles Natsu had lit before he left had gone out.

How strange…

She closed the door quickly and ran to get some matches. After lighting the candles once again, she finished settling the table and waited for Natsu to come back home. By now, both Natsu and Happy would have been in the middle of eating and she found it strange that neither of them were home. As the minutes ticked by, Lucy grew more and more worried.

Lucy wanted to go outside to look for the two of them, but decided against it. Not that many people knew about her cottage, but that didn't stop questionable people from roaming around. She stood up and looked out of the window. Not a soul was in sight. After taking one more look outside the window, Lucy sat back at the dining table. She felt light-headed and had a migraine. The stress got to her and she placed her head on the table hoping the coolness of the wood would calm her down.

The first rays of the sun woke Lucy. She sat up, her neck and back aching. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw that she fell asleep at the table. Natsu's bed had remained untouched and Happy was still missing. Lucy shot up and ran outside, grabbing her cloak on the way out.

"Natsu! Happy! Are either of you out here?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She looked around frantically for the both of them. It felt like Lucy had been calling out to the nothingness for hours before she decided to head back home. Her throat ached and her feet bled from running barefoot in the forest. Lucy continued to shout into the forest as she slowly walked home. She did her best to not aggravate the torn skin on the bottom of her feet any more than it already had been.

When she got home, Lucy wrapped her feet with some old, clean cloth and slid on her shoes. Although there was a gnawing pit in her stomach, Lucy hoped that Natsu would come home over everything else.

She headed to town on the same path she took every day. The sun rays were dancing through the leaves of the tree and Lucy remembered the days when she and Natsu would play in the forest – back when her parents were still alive. She smiled to herself as she remembered the good days. Her parents had found Natsu on the side of the road while coming back home from the town. Her mom didn't want to leave him there so she brought him home. The next day, her parents went in town and asked if anyone had lost a child, but no one had, so he just stayed with them. Lucy and Natsu had become inseparable ever since then. Before she knew it, Lucy had reached the outskirts of town. She took a deep breath and gathered courage to head in.

The small town of Bluebell was a popular tourist destination because of the beautiful flowers that grew there. Many people would flock here to witness these incredible blue and purple flowers that could only be found in this town. Today was busier than usual, so Lucy hoped that some shop was shorthanded and would take her on for the day.

Lucy wandered through the streets. One shop in particular caught her eye. The front door was closed and she noticed the lack of flowers in the flower bins in front of the shop. She walked over to front door and tried to open the door. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. She opened the door and stuck her head into the shop. She was instantly greeted with the sweet scent of the flowers.

"Hello, is anyone here?" she shouted inside the shop. No response. "My name is Lucy, I'm looking for a job. I know you doing have a help wanted sign, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do." Lucy entered the shop, the door slowly closing behind her. She wandered around to see if anyone was in the back. While looking around, she heard the shop door open. Lucy headed to the front of the shop hoping that the owner had walked in and forgot to lock the door the night before.

The person Lucy found was not the owner. She found a lady, maybe in her late 20s, looking at some bluebells. The lady struck Lucy with awe. She had extremely fair skin which contrasted with her long hair. Lucy didn't think black was the right color to describe her hair – it was darker than that. Her eyes matched that of her hair. She had a soft smile that made Lucy think of her mom.

"These are quite lovely flowers. I understand why many people come to see them," the lady said, cupping some flowers with her right hand. On her left arm, she was carrying a basket with some bread and something wrapped in a red cloth. The lady looked up to Lucy. "Oh my, aren't you beautiful."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you. And the bluebells are very pretty. Would you like to buy some?"

"I'm afraid that I can't. Whenever I try to care for plants, they die. It would be shameful for me to destroy such a beautiful thing." She smiled at Lucy and wandered around the shop.

Lucy removed her cloak and watched the lady from behind the counter. Before Lucy could ask her where she was from, the lady spoke.

"Well, I'm glad I made a stop here. I definitely found something that interests me. I'll be back later after I leave everything I've bought at home. It was nice to meet you," the lady said as she exited. Lucy didn't get the chance to say anything to her. There was something about her that Lucy found strange, but she let it go.

The rest of the day went by slowly. She had a couple customers every hour and when dinner time was approaching, she closed up and headed home. She never found out what happened to the owner, nor did that lady come back.

By the time Lucy got home, the sun had gone down completely. The lights in her cottage where out and she knew that Natsu had yet to return. Lucy contemplated going to search for him again, when her stomach decided her plans for her.

Lucy prepared and practically inhaled her small meal. She placed the dishes on the kitchen counter and grabbed her bag filled with some fruits and water. Just as she reached for the door knob, there was a knock. Lucy froze. She looked back at the knife on the counter – if she needed to, she could grab it easily. She slowly opened the door half expecting no one to be there again, but was instead greeted by the lady who was in the shop earlier.

"Hello beautiful! I got a little…hung up earlier and couldn't make it sooner." The lady allowed herself into the cottage. "This is a cute little place you have for yourself," she said dragging out her words as she looked around. "Two beds, you live with someone?"

Lucy stood at the door holding her bag. "Um, yeah. I was actually –"

"Truthfully, this place is a bit too bland for my taste, but if you found someone else who can stand it, good for you."

Lucy wasn't sure what to do. Everything the lady was saying was going over her head and it was like her personality did a complete one-eighty. She kept staring at the lady awkwardly until she realized something. "You said you were going to be back to the shop later. You never showed up."

"No," the lady frowned. "I said I would be back later. I never specified where."

"But you liked the flowers. You were interested in them…"

The lady nodded in agreement. "In a way. I just thought they were pretty, but I have no use for them. I also never said I was interested in them." She point at Lucy. "It's you I'm interested in."

Lucy took a small step back. "Excuse – wait how did you even find me?"

The lady took a seat in a chair at the dining table. "The wind," she said shrugging.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "The wind?" she asked quietly. "You expect me to believe an answer like that?" Her voice slowly rose in frustration.

"Last night I'm sure you heard a knock on your door. I asked the wind to help me find someone who could help me get what I want and it led me to you. Right now, I used the trees to help guide me to you. When I met you this morning, we were too public, too vulnerable to have unnecessary people getting tangled up in this."

Lucy's mind was reeling. She had no idea what any of this meant. "I don't understand…wind and trees – did you do something to Natsu?"

The lady crossed her legs. "You and your questions. Well, I guess it's better to get everything answered now. First off, your pink-haired friend. I didn't do anything to him. But I do know that his life just became a little bit better. As for 'the wind and trees'," she said with air quotes, "I'm a witch. Talking to the elements is child's play."

Lucy sank to the ground trying to process everything. "What do you mean by that? 'His life became better'?"

"Out of everything I told you, that's all you care about? When I normally tell people I'm a witch, they try to run away or start asking me for things. You really –"

"Just answer the question!" Lucy shouted. She was thinking that running away with him would have been a good idea.

"The answer to your question is not an easy one, nor is it my answer to give. All I can tell you is that your Natsu isn't going to be coming back to you," she spat.

All Lucy could think about was how she really was alone now.

"You really are a pathetic child. Your mom died and your dad abandoned you. The only person you had in your life has found something better for him–"

"Don't say that!" Lucy shouted. "Don't talk about me like I'm a defenseless puppy who's been kicked too many times. My mom died, yes, but my dad was drafted in the war. I didn't get to choose whether they could leave or stay, so this time, with Natsu, I'm choosing. I won't let him leave me either! I will find him and get the answers I need and once I've done that, I will personally deliver you to the Queen." Lucy stood up. "I'm not the pathetic child you think I am."

The witch threw her head back and laughed. "Yes, get fired up!" Once she stopped laughing, she stood. "I can help you find your boy. That is, if you let me."

"You still want to help me? Even after I threatened you?"

"I told you my dear, I'm interested in you. As for the threat, it's cute and nothing I haven't heard before. I can help you find your friend..."

Lucy watched the witch carefully. "What do you want?"

She grinned a Cheshire cat smile. "This is the best part, the thing I desire is quite small. But you needn't worry about that right now."

Lucy was going to ask her what she meant, but the world went black after the witch waved her hand in front of Lucy's face.

The next morning, Lucy woke up in her bed unaware of the events that transpired the night before. She got up and continued as if it was any other morning. Before leaving, she looked at Natsu's bed and frowned. She felt as though she was forgetting something, but wasn't sure what it was. Everything seemed so normal that Lucy was surprised to find a small crowd of people outside the flower shop when she got there. The rest of the day had been a busy one, she had more than twenty times the customers than the day before. She never thought about Natsu the entire day – it was as though he never disappeared.

Lucy skipped home, humming to herself. She never really felt this way and when she was a few miles away from her home, something hit her hard in the gut. She doubled over, grabbing the fabric of her dress that was on her stomach. Lucy felt like she was going to throw up. She used the support of a tree nearby to stand up. The world around her started to spin as she did her best to move forward. Lucy took a few steps forward and then stopped. She tried to take some deep breaths, but it only made her feel worse. Lucy sat down and closed her eyes. She tried to normalize her breathing and thought about something other than the pain.

I had a great day today, so many customers. I'll be able to cook dinner for a couple weeks now. Now I won't go hungry. And…Natsu will be happy when he… Where was he again?

NATSU!

Lucy's eyes shot open. Natsu was still missing! Lucy quickly stood up, the world still spinning. She stumbled down to the traders' road whether Natsu would look for work. She tried to move as quickly as possible, the pain not giving up its hold on her. Even though Lucy remembered Natsu still hadn't come home, she felt like she was still forgetting something.

When she got to the road, no one was there. She looked both ways before going right – the way leaving town. She had been walking for a long time – a couple hours, Lucy guessed – when she finally heard the clacking of a carriage coming from behind her. Even though it was pitch black outside, she knew the horses wouldn't run her over. Lucy stood in the middle of the road with her arms spread out.

"Excuse me," she winced from the pain that was still there. It wasn't as bad as before, but it still made her nauseous.

The horses neighed and stopped abruptly in front of her. "Whaddya think you're doing?" the coachman asked. He held the lantern hanging next to him out further so he could get a better look at Lucy.

Lucy shielded her eyes from the bright light. "I'm sorry sir, but I had a quick question."

"No, I can't give ya a ride anywhere. Now move outta the way. I have to be somewhere in the morning." The coachman got ready to start moving again, but Lucy was determined to get her answers.

"Sir, I really need to know something. I have a friend who comes down here to look for work and I was just wondering if you have seen him. He hasn't come home for the last couple of days and I'm worried."

"No, now move it or I'll just run ya over."

Something had taken over Lucy. Something was telling her to keep asking this man questions. "Please, he has spiky hair that's a pink color and black eyes, about," Lucy gestured with her hands, "this tall. Have you seen him?" A small breeze went by. Lucy tried not to shiver.

The coachman was about to yell at Lucy again, when something stuck him. "Are you talk about Natsu Dragneel? Second son of King Dragneel who was kidnapped as a child?"

Lucy brought her arms down, unsure about if this Natsu Dragneel was her Natsu. "Um, my friend never knew his family. My parents found him on the side of the road when he was a kid. He was about –"

"–five years old," they both said.

The coachman grinned. "I suppose I do know him. The King's lost son came home a couple days ago. There's been a celebration every day since."

Lucy sighed a breath of relief. The pain in her stomach was gone. She smiled at the coachman. "Do you think you can direct me in the direction of the kingdom?"

The coach man stared at Lucy. He didn't say anything for what seemed like several minutes. "Your friend…you believe him to the be the prince?"

Lucy nodded. "Well, no!" She looked down. "I'm not sure. I just want to see if this the same man as my friend."

The coachman chuckled. "Well, not too many people fit that description. Why don't ya hop on in the carriage? I'll give you a ride to the kingdom."

Lucy was unsure if she could trust the man. "I thank you for that kind offer –"

Something stopped Lucy from saying any more. She wanted to ask him for the directions and that she would get there herself, but the words weren't forming. She walked over to the side of the carriage. Before she opened the door, she looked at the coachman once more.

"No one is in there, I dropped the passengers off in the last town. Make yourself comfortable," he told Lucy while readjusting the lantern.

Lucy climbed in, unaware of what had just come over her. She got as comfortable as she could on the slightly padded seats. Lucy didn't realize how tired she had been. Once the carriage start moving again, she fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, Lucy woke up to the noise of people yelling and the smell of the sea. She slowly sat up, her body aching from the position she slept in.

Guess I laid down when I was asleep. After she stretched a bit, she flattened her hair and opened the carriage door.

Lucy was instantly greeted by the warm sunshine and hit by the smell of fish. She looked around and noticed she was at some sort of port. She got out of the carriage, grabbing her bag, and looked around for the coachman. He wasn't anywhere near her, so Lucy decided to investigate. She walked around the port, taking in everything she was seeing. Men were unloading fish from giant nets on one side of the port and on the other side, guards were lined up. Lucy started walking to the guards without knowing what her body was doing.

"I see you're up little missy." Lucy looked behind her to find the coachman. "I didn't want to wake you, so I just let you sleep while I changed the horses."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you so much. I can take it from here. Where do I need to go to get to the castle, or wherever Natsu is?"

"You need to go through the slums to get there. I can take you, missy. It won't be safe for a pretty lady like yourself to go alone." The coachman took off his hat and ruffled his hair. "You want something to eat before we continue? It'll take a while to reach."

Lucy was hungry, but the fact that she was close to seeing Natsu again replaced her hunger with giddiness. "No, I just want to see him as soon as I can if you don't mind."

The coachman chuckled. "I get it. Let me pay the harbor fee, then we can get going." The coachman walked over to a small shack that was next to the guards.

Lucy headed back to the carriage without giving the guards another glance. She was so close. If this was the right person. But the coachman was right, not too many people would fit that description. And the name? Natsu wasn't a household name. When Lucy sat back in the carriage, her body started to ache again.

Just a little bit longer.

Lucy felt the coachman get onto the carriage. "Ya ready, miss?"

"Yes," Lucy said smiling. The coachman didn't reply, nor did they start moving.

"Little missy? You in there?" the coachman asked. Lucy didn't know what to do. She looked around. She thought about opening the carriage door, but there were too many people around for her to do that. Lucy knocked on the wall of the carriage in front of her. She could hear the coachman laugh.

The carriage started moving with a sudden jolt. Lucy moved the curtains back from the window. She looked out into the crowd of people and watched as they slowly got smaller and smaller. The road they were travelling was uphill and bumpy. The ride started to make Lucy feel a little sick, but within several minutes, they were on even surfacing once again.

Lucy noticed how the scenery began to get less cheerful as they went further inland. The building were rundown and old. Many people were wearing old, worn-out clothing. The children playing on the street were dirty. Some of them were running from adults, some were running from each other. Lucy noticed how the slums were starting to fade into the better part of town. She slowly grew nervous. What would she say to him? She couldn't just ask him to leave with her if he finally found his family.

The carriage came to a stop, but Lucy hadn't noticed until the coachman opened the door. "Missy, this is as far as I can take you."

Lucy got out of the carriage. She looked around, taking in all the color and vibrancy of the kingdom. She turned back to the coachman. "Thank you so much. I never got your name. I'm Lucy."

"Name's Sting, missy. And not a problem. Glad to help ya." Sting smiled brightly. "The castle is thataway," he said jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "Now, it will be difficult to get into the castle, but I'm sure a smart miss like you could manage. Now I need to get back to work before me boss yells at me. Good luck Lucy." Sting ran off before Lucy had a chance to say anything else.

Lucy looked up to where Sting told her to go. She gawked at the castle. How in the world am I supposed to get in there? The security is too tight, I need to find a way to blend in. Lucy looked down at her dress. It was tattered and old – she needed a new dress. Lucy's eyes shot open when she remembered the money from the flower shop. She never dropped the money off at home, it was still with her. She knew that the first thing she needed to do was get a new dress. She couldn't risk meeting the king in something like that.

Lucy walked around the town square, looking for a clothing store that fir her budget. After about fifteen minutes of searching, she found one. Lucy wandered in hoping to find what she was looking for. While looking through the dresses, she overheard two people talking about the celebration. Lucy continued to eavesdrop as they spoke about how long it had been going on and where it usually happened. After finding a nice lavender gown with long sleeves that hugged her at the top and become loose from her waist down, Lucy picked up some simple silk shoes with a small heel, and paid for everything. She changed into her new clothes and headed back out.

Lucy continued to wander around the town square in hopes that the festivities mentioned earlier would begin soon. She sat down on a bench and watched as the people walked by. She enjoyed seeing them laugh and play. She smiled and finally felt like things were going her way…until she saw the witch. The witch smiled at her and faded into the crowd. Lucy jumped up and ran after her. She pushed by the people and tried to keep an eye on the witch. Lucy finally caught up to her and followed her into a desolated area in town.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

The witch was leaning against a wall. "Well, when my spell on you didn't work, I grew concerned. You have a strong will, my dear. As noble as that is, I loathe it. Your determination is helpful in your quest, but it is a hole in my plan. I can't help you if you don't let me."

"What do you mean? What spell?"

"Oh right. Well, when I met you, I took something that I believed would help me later on. With it in my custody you can still control your actions, which is rather peculiar. So I had to see what was happening for myself. That pain you were feeling was because your body was rejecting my spell. I can't tell you how infuriating that is, but at the same time, I'm excited."

"You – you put a spell on me…And I didn't even know." Lucy thought about the events that took place. "Did you erase my memories? And what did you take?!"

The witch laughed. "So many questions…Just one more thing before I leave – next time I try to place a spell on you, try not to reject it." The witch disappeared in a haze of smoke, leaving Lucy by herself. She heard the witch's voice in her head telling her to head back to town square. Lucy obediently listened, walking in a confusing haze. She was aware of her actions, but her body just wouldn't listen to her.

Lucy made it back to find a bigger crowd than before. She tried to see what everyone was gathering around, but no one would move for her. She managed to find a tree that was short but sturdy and decided that the only way to see what was happening was to climb the tree. It was hard to hoist herself, but she soon found the proper footing and managed to get to a branch that seemed strong enough to hold her weight. Lucy was shocked when she saw what everyone was gathering for. Or rather who.

It was Natsu. Her Natsu.

Lucy smiled and waved to him, hoping he would see her. She watched as he smiled at everyone and joined in the festivities. The group started to lose momentum and Lucy knew this was her chance to get to him.

She started to climb down the tree, but her dress caused her to lose her footing, resulting in an ungraceful fall down the tree. Lucy sat up, rubbing the back of her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw Sting standing in front of her with his hand out in front of her.

She grabbed it, allowing him to help her up. "Thank you."

"That was pretty unlady-like. Never gonna blend in like that. Fortunately for you, I'm done working for the day. I can help you get close to your friend." Sting smiled and lead the way through the crowd. When they made it to the front of the crowd, Sting turned to Lucy. "Is that him?"

Lucy nodded. "Natsu!" she shouted as loud as possible.

Natsu turned around, surprised to find Lucy. "Luce? What are you doing here?"

Lucy was dumbfounded. "What am I doing here?" she asked quietly. "I came to see you."

"But you didn't have to. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I'm fine. I would have come home eventually to tell you everything." He gave her a toothy grin. Lucy gaped at him.

"You haven't come home for three days, and you ask me what I'm doing here. You didn't tell me anything and disappeared and you tell me I didn't have to come here. YOU LEFT ME ALL ALONE AND YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE COME HOME EVENTUALLY." At this point, Lucy was crying. Everything she was holding in, finally came out. Her frustration, her anger, her sadness – she couldn't hold it back anymore. "I thought something bad had happened to you so I came looking for you. I was so worried." Lucy wiped the tear that fell down her cheek. "But I can see that clearly isn't the case. I shouldn't have cared at all. Did you ever mean anything you told me? Did you ever want to explore the world?"

Lucy looked over to Natsu's brother and father. "Your highness," she said bowing her slightly, "I'm sorry that you lost all this time with your son. I assure you, you didn't miss anything important."

She turned back to a stunned Natsu. "Don't bother coming back home. There isn't anything left for you there anymore." Lucy turned around and started to walk away. She pushed her way out of the crowd who had calmed down considerably after her breakdown. Lucy felt extremely tired all of a sudden. She collapsed on the side of a building, away from the lively part of town. She raised a hand to her face, ashamed by her actions.

"Well missy, that's not how I expected you to react, finally finding your childhood friend."

Lucy had no energy to fight Sting. She didn't even know why she said all those words. "I don't want to talk about it," she told him after several moments of silence.

Sting took a few steps closer to her. "I don't believe you have a place to stay…"

Lucy turned around and gave Sting a weak smile. Sting smiled back, but she could tell he was hurting for her. Sting led the way back to his place. She noticed how he became more quiet, as if he had something to say, but was too scared to say anything.

They headed away from the castle, closer to where they originally entered the city from. Sting finally stopped walking in front of a small, run down house. It was about four stories tall with almost no space between the two houses on either sides. Lucy was surprised that it was such a decent home for someone who basically worked as a chauffeur. Sting opened the door and motioned for Lucy to follow him.

Once Sting lit some candles, Lucy saw that there was a staircase right in front of her with a narrow hallway on the left. There was nothing on the walls. Lucy followed Sting upstairs to the third floor. There were two doors on her left, right next to each other.

Sting opened the door on the left. "This room has been empty for a while. I can clean it up and have it ready in a bit. You can sit downstairs if you want, or eat something. I don't have much since I'm alone and always traveling, but it's something…" Sting's focus slowly moved from Lucy's face to his feet. His voice got quieter and Lucy knew that she shouldn't leave him alone.

Lucy stood at the doorway watching Sting dust the bed sheets. She could tell that his mind was somewhere else while he was cleaning.

"Did someone recently move out?" Lucy asked hoping to get to the bottom of this.

After a couple minutes of silence, Sting answered. "You could say that, but it wasn't that recent."

When Sting didn't add anything, Lucy began to pry. "Was it a good friend? How long ago was it? Why did they leave?"

Sting stopped moving. "He was my best friend. He left a couple years ago after we got into a big fight. Kind of like the one you got in with Prince Natsu. It was over something stupid too. I don't even remember, that's how insignificant it was. Your yelling reminded me of it actually." Sting went back to making the bed.

"Our fight? Please don't remind me about it. I don't even know what came over me. I just…couldn't stop. The words wouldn't stop coming out, even though I kept trying to stop talking."

Sting walked over to Lucy. "You should talk to him. If I had even the slightest chance of talking to Rogue again, I would take it in a heartbeat. If you don't, you'll regret it. Anyway, rest up. I can prepare dinner. Come down if ya get hungry. You know where my room is, so knock if you need anything." With that, Sting headed down to the kitchen, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts.

She knew Sting was right. She should talk to Natsu, but for some reason though; she couldn't manage to think of anything to say to him. No apology came to her mind. She even tried to practice, but no words would come out of her mouth. A sudden sleep wave hit Lucy. All the traveling from the day wore her down without her realizing. The minute Lucy's head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

As far as Lucy knew, she had a dreamless sleep. She was enjoying not having anything to worry about until she was woken up violently. She opened her eyes and found Sting hovering over her.

"We have to go now. Get up and follow me." Sting quickly headed downstairs without a reason as to why she had to leave suddenly. She sat in the bed trying to process what happened. Lucy was contemplating whether she should get up or not when she heard a loud booming noise from outside followed by the ground shaking. Lucy jumped out of bed, grabbing her bag and cloak from the corner of the room, and ran downstairs.

Sting was waiting at the door for her, peeking out. He looked at her and held a finger to his mouth signaling her to be quiet. He opened the door a bit wider, examining the outside situation. When he believed everything was okay, he quickly slipped out the front door with Lucy following right after. They moved through the streets quietly. Lucy was horrified to find the children she saw earlier playing, now dead on the streets in a bloody mess. She stopped running, fear taking over her body, paralyzing her. Sting grabbed her arm, pulling her along after him.

"We have to get outta here. Anovia is attacking. They knew our guard would be down since Prince Natsu finally came back home. They managed to strike when the kingdom was weak. You have to get outta here." Sting was navigating Lucy though the streets. The fear Lucy felt had managed to cool down a bit, adrenaline now taking its place.

"But I can't leave you or Natsu," Lucy said as another loud boom echoed through the empty streets.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me. And Natsu has the royal army protecting him. He's safe." Sting stopped running when he go to a T-intersection. He peered around the corner. He grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her back the way they came. "I'm taking ya back to Bluebell. You'll be safe there. You can talk to the prince after this war ends."

They continued to run. The town square she had been in yesterday was a stark contrast of what she witnessed the day before. It was desolated and abandoned. There were a few dead bodies littering the streets and building were burning. Some people had been running pasted them, screaming and crying. Lucy wondered if what she was doing was right. She wanted to help fight, but she didn't want to get in the way. She knew she was strong, but she didn't know if she was strong enough.

They managed to make it to where Sting's carriage was with only a few scratches. No one had let out the horses from their stables. Sting released all of them, except the two he saddled up to the carriage.

"Get in Lucy, and hold on tight." Sting was almost done in front. Lucy got in, hoping that everything would be alright. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the carriage started moving with a huge jolt. She grabbed onto the edge of the seat to prevent being thrown off. Lucy kept the curtains on the carriage closed. She knew she wouldn't be able to leave if she kept seeing all the people on the street helplessly. She didn't want to leave them, but she had no choice. She needed to survive this so she could talk to Natsu again.

The ride wasn't like the first one. It was bumpy and rough. She felt as though the carriage might break several times. When the shouting had faded a bit, Lucy looked outside. She didn't recognize this road. While Lucy was unsure about where they were going, she felt a little more at ease now that she couldn't hear the screams of innocent people, nor was the ground trembling. Just when she started feeling better, the carriage jerked forward. Lucy didn't know what to grab to brace herself as the carriage flew sideways and turned over. When it stopped moving, Lucy's hands were above her head to prevent her skull from being crushed by the pressure of her body and the upside down carriage. She slowly managed to open the door and climb out.

Lucy saw Sting lying on the ground, clutching his leg and a horse with an arrow in its hind leg.

"Sting! Are you –" Sting put a finger to his lips. Lucy walked over to him as fast as she could. His face had a few scratches, but other than his leg, there wasn't any major damage.

"Lucy, I think I hurt my ankle. You need to get outta here before the soldiers from Anovia get here. They will kill you without hesitation. You need to run as fast as you can. Follow this trail until you reach a river. Ya have to walk a bit upstream to find the bridge and once you cross, run straight. You'll reach a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom. There, someone will be able to give ya directions to get to Bluebell. But you need to hurry so no one can catch up to you." Lucy didn't know what to do. She couldn't leave Sting there to die. "Lucy, don't worry about me. I'm gonna to let the horses go and then hide. Please just get out of here. I need you to listen to me. Just go!" Sting pushed Lucy away from him and tossed his sheathed sword towards her. She fell backwards and grabbed the sword once she heard the voices of soldiers coming near.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she ran away. Lucy's tears made her vision blurry causing her to fall several times, but she managed to keep moving forward. Lucy calmed down a bit after running for several minutes. All the running had taken its toll on her, and she couldn't move her legs properly anymore. Adrenaline was still coursing through her – the only thing that kept her moving.

Lucy stopped running and sat down at the base of a tree. She tried to catch her breath so she could start moving again. The faint sound of water assured her that she was almost there. Lucy focused on her surroundings the minute she heard a rustle in the bushes around her. She slowly got up, using the tree as support. Lucy turned around to run once she realized someone else was with her, but was greeted by a sword at her throat.

"Luce?" Lucy took her eyes off the sword when she heard her name. She saw Natsu in front of her. He dropped his sword to the ground and pulled her in for a hug.

"Are you okay? Your head…it's bleeding! What happened to you? You shouldn't be here, Luce. It's dangerous." Natsu found a small handkerchief to clean her face with. He wasn't wearing any armor or any other sort of protection. He just had a sword to protect himself with.

"Natsu…" Lucy didn't know what to say to him. She finally had the chance to apologize to him, but again, her words were failing her.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here." Natsu placed his left arm around her waist after picking up his sword and continued to hold the handkerchief to her forehead. He walked her towards the river as they moved together in silence for a while.

"Thank you," Lucy finally managed to get out.

Natsu looked at her surprised. "Why are you thanking me?"

"You still helped me after everything I said to you and I can't bring myself to…So thank you. For always being so kind." Lucy smiled weakly at the ground.

"You were right Lucy. I was wrong. I shouldn't have left without telling you what happened. I just got caught in the moment I guess and I'm sorry about that. I just want you to know, I meant what I said. I want to get lost in the world with you." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "But let's talk about that later. I need to get you somewhere safe right now. I'm on my way to a village on the outskirts of the kingdom. I want to make sure everyone is okay there. I'll keep you safe Luce, I promise."

"But," Lucy hesitated. She wasn't feeling right.

"But what?"

"What if there is no later?" Lucy stopped walking, earning a questioning look from Natsu. In that instant, Lucy's hand grabbed the hilt of Sting's sword and pulled it out of its sheath.

Natsu managed to move out of the way just in time. "Lucy, what are you doing?"

Lucy managed to nick Natsu in the face. Lucy didn't reply. She slowly walked around Natsu, waiting to make her next move. Lucy tried to control her actions, but her body was failing her. It was as if her brain was disconnected from the rest of her. All she could do was watch in horror as she attacked her best friend without an ounce of control.

Lucy tried to tell him to leave, but her mouth wouldn't open. It was like she was being controlled. She knew the look on her face didn't convey how she felt. She knew she looked mad, but she felt scared.

"Luce this is crazy. I'm not going to fight you. Tell me what's wrong." Natsu stood in front of her with one knee bent. His hand was resting lazily on the hilt of his sword. Lucy took this as an opportunity to strike.

She ran forward, jabbing her sword at Natsu. Natsu managed to jump out of the way at the last second. Lucy spun around and slashed Natsu across the chest. Natsu winced from the pain but managed to grab the blade of the sword, pulling it out of Lucy's hands. Lucy fell forward and landed on her hands and knees. Natsu kneeled down to check on Lucy.

"The hell, Luce?! You haven't been yourself lately. That girl who was yelling at me yesterday wasn't you! What the hell's going on?! I can't help you if you don't talk to me! Who's making you do this?!" Natsu did his best to contain his anger. He sighed. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder. Lucy continued to look at the ground, her hair shielding her face from Natsu.

Lucy looked up at Natsu. She was scared, but she still couldn't tell him. Her mouth refused to open. She reached out, her hand piercing through Natsu's chest.

Natsu gasped. "Luce…what –"

Lucy ripped her hand back out, holding Natsu's heart in her hand. Natsu grabbed his chest where Lucy's hand came out from. There wasn't a hole, in fact, there was no sign that anything happened to him besides the cut across his chest. Natsu stared at Lucy in terror.

"Lucy, what do you think you're doing?" Natsu was worried. He was fixated on Lucy's tears. Her tears were pooling in her eyes, but she no longer had any emotion on her face. She gently squeezed Natsu's heart. Natsu fell over clutching his chest where his heart should have been. "Lucy," Natsu choked. "Please stop." It was becoming more difficult for him to breathe.

Suddenly, Natsu heard laughter. The witch revealed herself standing by a tree. She walked over to where Natsu was on the ground.

"Who are you and what did you do to Lucy?!" Natsu was in pain, but he wasn't just going to let someone get away with hurting Lucy.

"I can see why she wanted you back so bad," the witch said, ignoring Natsu's questions. She squatted to talk to Natsu at his eye level. "But as amused I am by your begging, she can't hear you. Or rather, she can, she just can't respond to you." The witch got up and turned her back to Natsu. "It's quite sad how easy it was for me to control her. At first, her body rejected the spell. I tried again, casting it on her heart rather than a doll with her hair. I have to say, I haven't been this excited in a long time." She had a wicked grin on her face. Her beauty slowly started to fade, her mask falling off as she got closer and closer to what she was after.

Natsu managed to stand up while the witch was talking. He unsheathed his sword and ran over to her. Natsu swung at the witch without thinking about his actions. He was angry and all he could think about was helping Lucy.

The witch vanished in a haze of smoke before Natsu had the chance to cut her. Natsu clutched his heart again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, when I said I cast a spell on her heart…" Natsu turned to look at the witch who was now behind him, next to Lucy. "I was quite literal." In the witch's hand was another heart. It was glowing a bright red color with one imperfection. It looked like a black dot. "Do you see it? A slight consequence for what I need. Shame that she won't be pure anymore. I hate destroying such beautiful things, but sometimes it can't be helped."

"What is that?" Natsu managed to ask.

"I'm glad you asked boy. See, her heart is pure. She's done no wrong in her life. Except now. She's going to do something that will turn her pure heart dark. It must be done in order to get what I want. It was too easy getting this from her. I just grabbed it after putting her to sleep. Like taking candy from a baby, as simple as that. This small object allows me to control her words and actions." The witch leaned down to Lucy. "I held up my end of the deal. I got you your friend back. Now it's time I collect what's mine." The witch brought Lucy's heart up to her face. "Kill him slowly," she said to the heart.

In that instant Lucy started to squeeze Natsu's heart tighter. Slowly, she tightened her grip on it, watching Natsu grovel in front of her. He was trying to say something to her, but the pain wouldn't allow anything but screams of agony to escape his lips. Before she realized, her hand was now a fist containing dust that was once Natsu's heart.

Lucy blinked. The control over her was gone and she was free to do and say as she pleased. Natsu laid a few feet away from her, unmoving. Lucy scrambled over to him. "NATSU!"

Lucy turned him over so his head was in her lap. "Natsu! You have to wake up! I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop myself! Natsu!" Lucy was clutching Natsu's, whaling into his chest.

The witch smiled at the dark spot on Lucy's heart, watching it grow a little bigger. She pierced her hand through Lucy's back, causing Lucy to sit straight. She pulled her hand out after returning Lucy's heart and placed a small vial under Lucy's chin. She collected Lucy's tears – the tears of true pain and despair. The witch had almost gotten it right several times before, but Lucy's tears were absolutely perfect. The witch vanished after thanking Lucy, but Lucy didn't care.

Lucy held a lifeless Natsu in her arms. She pressed his head to her chest, hoping and praying that this was a cruel joke. "I didn't mean anything I said to you in the town square. I was mad, but I didn't mean to say those things. I didn't want to hurt you, I could never hurt you. I tried stopping myself, but my body wasn't listening. I saw how much I hurt you and I'm so, so sorry. I'm stupid enough to let some shady witch grant my dreams." Lucy stopped crying for a moment while she processed the information. "I…killed you…" she said slowly. Lucy sat in shock as silent tears continued to flow. "I came to make sure you were okay, and I killed you…"

Lucy looked at Natsu one last time. "I'm so sorry Natsu. All I wanted was to get lost in the world with you…" Lucy kissed his forehead and gently placed his body on the ground. Lucy sat next to the lifeless body, defeated. Happy walked up from behind her.

She watched as the cat walked over to Natsu and nudged his hand. When the cat didn't get a response, the cat nudged it again and again. Lucy turned away from the scene, trying to stop her tears, knowing she would never be able forgive herself for what she had just done.

Lucy sat, clutching Natsu's body until the sun began to set. She looked up and found Sting standing in front of her shocked. She was covered in blood from the cut across Natsu's chest. Sting slowly hobbled over to the empty shell of the once vibrant girl he met in the middle of the night. And for the first time since Rogue left, he cried.