A/N: I apologize for the long Author's Note but since I already had this typed out, I might as well post it. I'm in a little bit of a writer's block so hopefully the... what's the word... the relief (i guess) of updating will help. By the way, what I forgot to mention in the last chapter was that this is one of those 'Lucy leaves to get stronger' stories like I blatantly stated in the summary (lol). But there's a small twist in mine.

I like reading these kind of stories, however, sometimes, they make Lucy waaaaay too over-powered. So, I'm sticking to a more... realistic (sorry if that offends anyone) approach to what I believe would actually happen. I try to keep stories like these as canon as I can. So if I can't see it happening in the actual story, I don't usually write them. But I do keep an open mind because it'll probably happen more often than not.

But enough of my ranting! Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire

Disclaimer: All characters (Plot, setting, etc.) within Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima and their respective producers.

Chapter 2-

Year x791. Onibas, Fiore. Train Station

Lucy stepped off of the train, determination shining deep in her eyes. Happy snored slightly, curling up further in the Celestial mage's embrace. She sent the blue exceed an affectionate sigh before heading towards the entrance of the station.

Might as well let him sleep, Lucy thought as she stretched, happy to be able to walk around. I guess I'll wake him when the actual job starts.

With that thought in mind, the blonde pulled to a stop and used her free hand to pull out the flyer. The job was simple and, like she said earlier, an easy 200,000 jewels. Apparently, the cargo they had to escort was too fragile to go in the train so they had to be shipped by foot. By request of the client, the items inside the shipment were to be left unknown. The task was to guard the cargo from the town of Onibas to the outskirts of Oshibana. Lucy considered this job to be perfect, not only for her rent, but also for Happy and Natsu. However, the salmon haired mage hadn't attended.

It wasn't until recently (give or take a month) that cargo from this client and a few others had been disappearing. Actually, disappearing isn't quite the right word, more like raided. Some suspect it's just teenagers playing pranks but in actuality, the work has been committed by a Dark Guild. There are no leads on what guild it is or how many there are, but it's a known fact that they're dangerous. Some workers came back with serious injuries while others are still missing. Pursing her lips, Lucy folded the flyer and tucked it back into her pocket.

She would be lying if she she said she wasn't even a little bit nervous. Honestly, she felt absolutely terrified. She knew her weaknesses and fighting was definitely one of them. Sure, she could hold her own but she hoped that this could be one of her 'lucky' moments and prayed that the situation could be evaded. There was a chance that she wouldn't run into any of the Dark Guild members but if she did, she would probably come back with more than just a bruise.

If I come back at all, the blond mage thought darkly. Sighing, Lucy shook the thought out of her head and gently slapped her cheek with her free hand. No dark thoughts, keep a positive attitude. I'm going to make it home whether with a few cuts or not, I'm going back to Fairy Tail.

"Mm," Happy stirred, rubbing his eye tiredly, "Lushy? Where are we?"

"We're in Onibas," the mage replied vaguely, keeping her gaze forward. In effort to control her rampant thoughts, she let out a deep breath. "The client said to meet in front the warehouse at the edge of town. As soon as we arrive, they should be getting everything ready to depart." Lucy looked down at the blue exceed and tried out her best smile, "You can go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when we're ready to go."

"Okay," Happy yawned and closed his eyes. "You can be nice sometimes, Lushy."

Lucy's smile turned tight in anger as she restrained herself from strangling the cat. Nevertheless, she held her smile for a second longer before she cast her eyes forward and felt it drop. The blonde mage shifted Happy into her left arm and grabbed her suitcase with her right. Deciding that sooner was better than later, Lucy strolled down the cobbled walkway towards the edge of town. Soon enough, she made it towards the tree-line where the flyer said to meet and in rapid succession, she found the entrance to the old warehouse and in front of it was an elderly man.

"Ah!" an elderly man exclaimed, twirling his white mustache between his forefinger and his thumb.

He was barely half her size in height, fondly reminding her of Master Makarov. He was completely bald, excluding the hair of his mustache, Lucy noted. The man didn't even have eyebrows. Just a mustache and eyes that were wrinkled shut with age. He was draped in what looked like khaki pants and long, age weathered robes. This man, however, had a very nice smile and surprisingly had all of his teeth.

"You must be the Mage that accepted my request, dear."

"You must be, Mr. Miya," Lucy smiled, holding her right hand out. The man, Mr. Miya, smiled and reached out to shake her hand. "My name is Lucy and this is my partner for the day, Happy."

"What a strange name, dear!"

"My nakama was young when he named him," Lucy explained with a small sigh.

"I meant you, dear!" Mr. Miya laughed jovially. Lucy sweat-dropped after the old man started to shake his head. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding, dear."

Giving the man a false laugh, the blonde felt her shoulders droop, her energy leaving her quickly. This man reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Clutching her hand, she decided it wasn't even worth the thought. However, in a small (and fairly unkind) part of her brain, she hoped that the man wouldn't be traveling with them. But if he was...

This is going to be a long day, Lucy thought dryly.

Year x791. Magnolia, Fiore. Fairy Tail guild hall.

Wendy walked up to the bar where Mirajane stood, her head tipped to the side in confusion. Carla, her white exceed, trailed slowly after the Dragon slayer. They glanced around the guild hall every so often, as if on alert.

"Good evening, Wendy," the barmaid greeted, the corner of her lips falling in concern, "Is something wrong?"

"Good evening, Mira-san," the Dragon slayer greeted meekly. "Nothing is wrong, but have you seen Lucy-san today?"

"She actually just left to complete a job," Mira replied, her small frown remained. The young bluenette sighed in disappointment. "Why? Did you need something from her?"

"Ah, no. Not really," Wendy shook her head and pulled a book from behind her back, "I was just returning this. She let me borrow it from the first time I went to her house."

"But that was months ago!" Mira exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Well," the bluenette muttered dejectedly, looking at her feet, "I'm not a strong reader."

"Yet," Carla added, hopping onto the counter.

"You don't have to worry about that," Mira smiled brightly, quickly trying to correct her outburst, "Was it interesting at least?"

"Yes," Wendy replied politely, offering a small smile before sliding onto a barstool. She placed the book gently on the countertop, "I enjoyed it."

"That's all that matters," the take-over mage nodded, "Do you want anything to drink or eat? Juice?" Wendy smiled gratefully before shaking her head. "Alright then," Mira smiled, taking a glance at the book, "What is it called?"

"It's called 'The Dragon's Elemental Legend'," Wendy replied.

"Ooh! I read that story!" Levy exclaimed, popping up out of nowhere and took a seat beside Wendy. "Sorry, I was just walking past and I overheard you," the older bluenette smiled bashfully.

"It's okay, Levy-chan," Wendy smiled back.

Mira grinned at the extra company and leaned forward on her elbows. Her eyes darted between the two bluenettes, "So what is it about?"

"You can explain, Levy-chan," Wendy blushed, gently pushing the book towards Levy, "I'm not sure if I can clearly explain."

"Are you sure?" The bluenette asked, unsure. At Wendy's smile, Levy tapped her chin. "So basically, this story is about a prince who ran away from his kingdom. His father ordered a full search for his son, under the impression that the prince was kidnapped. But... that obviously wasn't the case. Anyway, as the prince ducked to escape another patrol, he found himself lost in the Labyrinth Forest."

"Labyrinth Forest," Mira mulled, "That sounds familiar."

"Doesn't it?" Levy asked excitedly, "It's actually a forest on a continent off of the coast of Hargeon." At the girls' wonder filled glance, she added; "I researched it." Wendy and Mira let out a noise of understanding while Carla folded her arms and sat down. "But moving on. Inside the forest, the prince found a small log cabin. At first, it seemed abandoned, but after sticking around for an hour or two, because he was sure the army was still looking for him, a woman walked out with a woven basket. She caught him hiding in the bushes and in her attempt to investigate, she accidentally knocked him out."

"Accidentally?" Mira blurted in surprise. The pair nodded in reply. "How can you accidentally knock someone out?"

"The book says that she tripped on a root," Wendy explained, "She was holding a rock for a weapon, just in case he would have attacked her or something."

"But then she realized that the intruder was a prince, tried to stop and the rest is history," Carla shrugged, letting out a puff of air, "It's quite a childish story, but interesting to say the least."

"Oh!" the white-haired woman clapped excitedly, surprising the group, "So then she brought him back to nurse his wound and they fell in love!"

"Uh, well," Levy hummed, a smile threatening to slip. The two bluenettes shared an amused look. "Not exactly. See, this woman, she actually hates the royal family."

"What? She does?" Mira asked in confusion. At Levy's nod, her confusion multiplied, "If she hates them so much, then why did she stop?"

"She may not like them, but she was smart enough to stop. Well... try to stop, at least," Levy shrugged, "She can silently dislike them all she wants, but that's not worth what they'd do to her if she was actually caught assaulting a member of the Royal family. That kind of crime would be considered treason and she'd most likely be executed."

"I guess that's true," Mira sighed dejectedly, "I thought it would at least be a little more romantic." The white-haired take-over mage swished her hand back and forth, dismissing the thought, "Anyway, what happened next?"

"Well, the woman did nurse him back to health," Levy replied, supporting her chin with her hand. She tapped the book with her free hand and frowned, "It's weird though. The book was written in what seemed like diary entries, however, next part completely changed from that of a diary entry to a letter. And it seems that the letter was for the prince. It read, 'They have found you. Hide. I will do what I can to distract them. If I do not return by sun-rise, they have caught me. Do. Not. Pursue.' and that was the end of it."

"The end?!" Mira exclaimed slightly, "There must have been something else?"

"I don't know," Levy sighed, "The book that I borrowed from the Grand Library cut off right there."

"So did Lucy-san's book," Wendy added, pulling the book towards her and flipping it to the back. "There were blank pages after that though. I think that there was supposed to be something there." Her fingers nimbly gripped at the blank pages, flipping them quickly.

"Wow. Can I see?" Wendy nodded and gently pushed the book over to the older girl. Levy breathed reaching for the book, "It's so old." Her fingers brushed the age stained pages. "The book is quite beat up, compared to the one I had from the library. It's charred significantly, but it's still legible. And you can even feel the indentions of the letters! Such precision..."

The script mage stared at it in amazement, her hand quickly and carefully examining the book. Hazel eyes taking in every detail. Wendy and Mira shared a look of confusion as Carla sighed. The white exceed placed both paws on her hips and leaned toward the bluenette that seemed lost in her own world.

"What does that mean?"

"This book..." Levy trailed off, muttering incoherently. Suddenly, the script mage slammed the book closed, startling the other three. Her fingers gripped the leather bound book, her eyes flying wildly between their small group.

"Levy-chan...?" Wendy proceeded cautiously.

"This book," the older bluenette muttered again, "Could very well be the original book."

"But why would Lucy have something like that?" Mira asked in confusion.

"Lucy-san said that this was a story that her mother would read to her every night before she passed away," Wendy explained.

"But that doesn't explain how and why Lu-chan has it," Levy sighed.

"Well," Carla spoke up from where she was standing. Mira, Levy and Wendy turned to look at the white exceed. "We'll just have to ask her when she gets back."

"Hey, Shrimp," a deep voice grated, making the bluenette turn at the sound.

Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer, was probably the only one who called her that so she knew who it was long before she turned. He was carrying a whole stack of books and even though it didn't seem like a lot, his muscles strained just a tad bit (Not that he would admit it. Especially to Levy). There was a slight frown on his pierced face as he looked down at Levy who just stared back at him questioningly. When he figured she wasn't going to answer verbally, Gajeel let out an exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes at her.

"Look, walking around with a bunch of books is not my idea of a good time." It was Levy's turn to roll her eyes causing Gajeel to grin. "Where d'ya want me to drop these, I gotta go on a mission with Lily soon."

"Oh, ah," Levy muttered, "You can just drop them at the table."

"What table?" Gajeel asked, letting his eyes lazily scan the almost empty guild before turning back to her, "If you hadn't noticed Shrimp, there are a lot of tables."

"You know what table, Gajeel," Levy glared, "Don't act stupid. I already know you are."

"Gihi," The Iron slayer chuckled, not offended in the least.

He released one of his holds, somehow managing to balance the impossible stack of books in one hand, and roughly messed up the bluenette's hair before walking off with the books in his arms. Levy grumbled, fixing her hair. Mira smiled brightly, clasping her hands in front of her heart. Wendy blushed a little at Levy's choice of vocabulary while Carla just smirked knowingly.

"So," Levy announced, ignoring the other girls' teasing stare, "Everyone who thinks we should interrogate Lucy when she gets back, say 'I'."

The other three smiled before raising their hand (paw for Carla) in the air.

"Aye!"