Another lovely multi- chapter fanfic!

Lucy fidgeted around in the long dress she was wearing. It was hot enough, even with the windows open. She didn't need to wear a dress! She looked longingly at the view in front of her. The stream, the hills, the grass. If only she could go-

"Lucy-sama! Pay attention!" Lucy's instructor glared at her, waving her pointer around.

"My apologies."

"Now, on with the lesson!"

After enduring several hours of etiquette and usual unnecessary history of the Heartfilia family, Lucy was free to go. The moment her instructor dismissed her, she ran like a madwoman through the marble halls of her house. Free at last!

"Lucy-sama! Your father has requested that you come to his office," a servant girl told her.

"Tell me I'm coming," the blonde answered.

The servant girl quickly nodded her head and walked away.

Lucy sighed. Just when she thought she had free time, her father had to see her. She climbed the marble stairs that led upstairs. She stopped in front of her bedroom door. Should she change? Her father would be disappointed to see "an improper young lady". With a sigh, she opened the door and changed into another suffocating, ankle length dress. With a quick twist, her hair had been styled into a bun. She shoved her already sore feet into another pair of heels and walked to her father's office.

"Ah, Lucy. I see you are here," Lucy's father began.

"Indeed I am," Lucy softly replied. In the back of her head, she was screaming, OBVIOUSLY!

"It's time to talk about marriage."

"Pardon? Marriage?" She was only a teenager, for goodness' sake!

"Yes. I do believe Hibiki Lates was interested in courting you."

"Father, I deeply apologize, but I will not marry!"

Jude Heartfilia was a man not to be messed with it. He refused to be denied. He would negotiate, bribe, barter, anything, but he refused to be denied. This was new to him. His own daughter, who was so obedient, disobeyed his orders? Not on his watch!

"Lucy. You must. It's the best for the family," he replied.

"Family?! What family?!" Lucy was confused. Did he have another one?

"Us. The Lates are wealthy! We can add even more to our growing fortune!" It was Jude's turn to be confused. What didn't Lucy see in his plan?

"For us?! You don't even care about me! I'm just another pawn of yours!" Lucy was torn between anger and sadness. "Forget the marriage!"

The young Heartfilia ran out the room, while her father called after her.

"Lucy-sama."

"Oh, hello, Capricorn." Capricorn was the butler of the house. He had served the Heartfilia's for many years.

"Miss Scarlet is here to see you."

"Ah, thank you!" Lucy dashed off to change. Her feet cried out in agony, but she ignored their protests. The only thing in her mind was that Erza was coming.

As soon as she was in her room, she kicked off her shoes and peeled off the dress. Then, she flung open her closet and slipped into a light purple dress. She ripped off the ribbon holding her bun and styled her blonde hair into her usual side ponytail. Quickly, she ran a comb through the rest of her slightly messy hair.

Lucy ran down the stairs, barefoot. She ignored the "Lucy-sama!" from servants, regarding her bare feet.

"Hey, Erza!" Lucy had made it to the front lawn. Erza was wearing her traditional white blouse and blue skirt.

"Hello Lucy," Erza greeted.

"So, wanna take a walk? I need a break from my life."

"Alright. To the village!"

The two girls strolled into the village Erza lived in. As a privileged girl, Lucy lived on the outskirts of town in a mansion.

"So, is everything okay?" Lucy asked.

"Everything is fine. None of the missions have been difficult," Erza answered. Erza had been recently knighted, the first woman in history. The king had regarded her swordsmanship and Erza had passed the test with flying colors. "How's your father?"

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should tell her friend. Well, why not? She took a deep breath and began. "He wants me to marry Hibiki Lates! For money!"

"WHAT?!" Erza was an independent woman, but she hated it when woman were treated unfairly. Arranged marriage... It made her blood boil.

"Yeah... If only I could do something about it..." Lucy sighed.

"Why don't you run away?" Erza asked.

"Great idea! Okay, so I need to pack-"

"I was joking!"

"I know, but still... Even if I didn't have to marry him, my life would be dull."

"True, life here isn't very exciting. We could run, if we wanted to."

"Wait, what about being a knight? You can't leave!"

"The king recognizes my swordsmanship, but I get the small missions. As in a tour guide to foreign visitors."

"You want to leave?"

"There's nothing left in the village for me. I'd most likely would end up in an arranged marriage."

Lucy smiled. "So, what time?"

Back at home, Lucy packed away clothes. Some dresses, a couple blouses and skirts, and shoes. Somehow, she managed to fit all of the items into a fairly small backpack. Anything else to pack? She glanced around the room, looking for other things to pack. Her eyes fell on her unused vanity table. A brush and her mother's collection of elegant keys. She hesitantly packed both items, not wanting to leave her mother's keepsake behind and because she knew her hair would be a mess.

The grandfather clock downstairs chimed eleven times. Lucy still had time to finish packing. The most difficult task: to sneak food out of the house. She tiptoed downstairs, grateful for marble floors that didn't make any noise. She quietly opened the kitchen door. The best part about living in a huge house was that everyone was in another wing sleeping. Lucy opened a cabinet, searching for nonperishable items. She grabbed two packs of crackers and a loaf of bread. Four water bottles were taken from the fridge. What else to take? The blonde blindly felt her way around the kitchen, not sure what else to pack. Her hand hit the pantry door and she eagerly opened it. Inside, packets of dried fruit and trail mix lay forgotten. Lucy took some and decided that it should be enough.

"Lucy-sama, what are doing at this time?"

Lucy jumped at the voice and the lights turned on. She blinked a couple times to adjust her eyes. Capricorn stood at the doorway.

"Capricorn, I'm leaving. I can't take it anymore here. Father never cares about me, only his money. And he's forcing me to marry! I can't stay-"

"Capricorn cut her off with a hug and whispered, "I understand. I can help you pack if you like."

"No, I'll be fine. I need to leave soon. Please don't tell my father. I'll leave a note in my room," Lucy replied.

"Please back soon, child. We'll all miss you."

"Same here, Capricorn."

Lucy, with all the food in her arms, left the kitchen and quietly went up to her room. She opened the backpack and stuffed all the items inside. She glanced at the clock on her bedside. It read 11:27. Almost time. Lucy changed into a black shirt and leggings. She then wrote the note to her father:

Dear Father,

I have decided to leave home. I can't take it here anymore. Arranged marriage was too much. I tolerated the lessons, my limited freedom, and you, but now, it's too much. Don't look for me. I'll be fine. I'm not sure where I'm heading, but I'm hoping that you'll understand my situation.

Your daughter,

Lucy

For 20 minutes, she fidgeted around her room, waiting to leave. When it was almost midnight, she grabbed her backpack and left the estate.

Lucy walked to the bridge leading to the mountains. She and Erza agreed to meet here.

"Lucy! I'm here!" a voice whispered.

Lucy turned around to face Erza, dressed all in black. Her backpack, which was twice the size of Lucy's, was strapped onto her shoulders. The sword she been given from the king was in her hand.

"Hi. We should probably head off now," Lucy whispered back.

"We should. I brought everything I had. I hope you don't mind."

"It's fine. You brought food, right? I'm not sure how long mine's will last."

"I did. Let's go."

Wow, this is a pretty long chapter. No guarantee that all of them will be like this.