((AN: Hello and welcome to my first Fairy Tail story! This is half inspired by a story I read a long long time ago and half by my own imagination. I hope you enjoy and any questions, comments, concerns, leave them in a review! Thanks! ~Minx))
Through Leaps and Bounds
It was only four months ago that Lucy Heartfillia had packed her bags and moved across the country to live in a strange house with strange people she knew nothing about. A sigh escaped her lips as she stared out the carriage window.
"Lucy! Cheer up, it's your first party!" Levy spoke up beside the blonde. Lucy smiled at her new friend and nodded. She then looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. Earlier that morning, she was woken and taken on a whirlwind of bathing, perfumes and corsets. She was now wearing a gown, which was choking the life out of her, but made her look amazing nonetheless. It was a pale blue, pale enough to look white, the neck line was square, coming to the tips of her shoulders before turning into sheer sleeves trailing down her arms. The skirt was full, with at least two petticoats underneath the blue embroidered material, creating a dramatic difference between Lucy's tiny corseted waist.
Levy was a similarly styled gown, however her's was a rich burgundy color. Her blue hair pulled into a curled bun with bejeweled pins. Lucy's blonde hair was left down, in large curls, pulled away from her face with simple pins. Erza, while only being a few years older than the girls she boarded, made sure each girl was up to standards when it came to parties. She truly cared about the girls she had taken under her wing, and from the stories Lucy had heard in the last few months, there were many girls who had found husbands while living with the redheaded Lady.
"Oh, Lu-Chan! This is going to be so fun!" Levy giggled before composing herself, though her wringing hands gave her nervousness away. The carriage came to a halt and the door opened, hand extended to help the girls down. Erza and the three other boarders were already waiting. Lucy couldn't help but be jealous of the beautiful girls, who had been to more parties and events than she could count.
There was Juvia Lockser, a blue-haired beauty from a country across the sea, where the speech pattern was interesting. Juvia referred to herself in the third-person, and no amount of coaching from Erza or tutors could break the girl of her habit.
Next to her was Cana Alberona, daughter of a wealthy business owner. She was older, and had a slight drinking problem, which was why one of the girls had to be Cana at all times or the brunette would be at the bottom of a barrel or bottle before one could blink.
And finally there was Lisanna Strauss, the white haired, youngest daughter of one of the most prestigious noble families in the kingdom. The only reason Lisanna was boarding with Erza was because of her reputation, and the fact that the Scarlett and Strauss families were very close.
Lucy felt she paled in comparison to the others, and things only got worse when she realized that her first party not only included royals, but was in honor of the Prince himself. Lucy had heard stories of the young royal, who trained with knights and refused to ride in carriages. But even with his, well, rambunctious reputation every girl in the kingdom would kill for a chance to be his bride.
Once all the girls were assembled and petticoats fluffed from the carriage ride, Lady Erza offered each of them a rare smile, and a few words of encouragement.
"Screw anything up and heads will roll." The girls could only nod, fear evident on their faces.
"Good, now come on, before the night wears on." Lady Erza headed up the very long staircase to the palace like she owned them, not even turning to see the five girls scramble to catch up. Lucy couldn't help but stare in awe as they entered the home of the royal family.
Everything was marble, from the floors to the pillars; even the ceilings seemed to be the beautiful stone. The decorations were the colors of fire, reds, oranges and yellows everywhere. And this was just the entrance hall. Up another flight of stairs and down one long marble hall was the grand ballroom, where tonight's party was taking place.
"Lady Erza Scarlett, and guests!" A squire called as the group moved to the front of the cue entering the hall. Lucy was thankful all their names were not called out in such a fashion. The group made it's way down yet another flight of stairs, and entered the throng of people gathered around the hall.
At the head of the hall sat the King and Queen, with two extra thrones on either side of the pair, each for the Prince and Princess. When it seemed no formal introduction of the royal family would take place, the orchestra commenced and the party began.