A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams. –unknown

What is a word made up of 4 letters yet is also made up of 3. Although is written with 8 letters, and then with 4. Rarely consists of 6, and never is written with 5.

If you don't have the courage to change things then you might as well die! – Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

In WW2, more civilians died than soldiers.

Chapter 3

I tossed the star back and forth experimentally across the palms of my hands. It was still warm to the touch. Who knew if it would ever grow cold? A small smile of satisfaction spread across my lips. As long as the star was still warm, it meant that I had begun to break the bonds of the Phoenix court.

With absolutely no grace, I set the star down on my nightstand and collapsed backwards onto the cotton bed. I could only be like this momentarily. The light hue of my red bedspread practically invited me to fall asleep into it but I still had to eat dinner; I had to get myself out of bed and ready for dinner as soon as possible.

Somehow I managed to thrust myself up from the bed and walk over to my wooden dresser. As I walked, the soft, red carpet tickled my feet and I concentrated on the tickling sensation. It helped to distract me from how sleepy I had become.

I was unsure why, but I had been overcome with fatigue ever since I had come back to my lodging. One glance at the pastel pumpkin orange walls, the red carpet, wooden nightstand, and soft bed, had immediately made my eyelids start drooping. I did not even have the energy to go over to my desk in the corner of the room and straighten it up like I had promised myself to do so many times over the past few weeks.

Truthfully, I probably could have forced myself to clean up the desk. I should have. It was the only part of my lodging that was me. It was full of my books, the beginning of my novel, and other nick-nocks and sentimental things I possessed. It was the only thing in my lodging that I really cared about, so it really should have been cleaner.

No more thinking about my desk. I needed to get ready for dinner.

"Arg." So much work to do. Not enough time. Breathing slowly, I opened the dresser drawers and slowly scanned them. I tried to concentrate and find something nice for dinner but my eyes kept fluttering. My body kept sagging to the sides. The will to stay awake was disintegrating quickly.

Finally, I told myself that I would take a small nap before dinner. I had no idea what would happen if I napped too long and did not show up to dinner without a good excuse but my body was too tired to worry about that. I had almost turned into a living zombie.

I lumbered back towards my bed and collapsed into it, head first. Sluggishly, I climbed my way a little closer to the fluffy red pillows and pulled them closer to me. I could not summon the energy to pull up the covers and get underneath them.

Once more, my eyes fluttered but this time I let them stay shut. I quickly fell into welcomed sleep.

"Get up, by orders of The Regina," a rough and annoyingly loud voice called out. I groaned and rolled over on my bed. Whoever this person was had disturbed my much needed sleep. I was definitely not happy.

"Five more minutes, please," I said, but my words were soft and more of a noise than a language. My whole body was like a lead pillar and I could not even force myself to open my eyes and see the person I was addressing.

The loud person let out a loud sigh. "If you do not get up by choice, you will be forced up."

I could not comprehend what the person was saying. I had worked out that the deepness of the person's voice signaled it as a man, but the words that he was speaking had no meaning to me. Everything in my brain seemed to no longer work. My thoughts were not processing and I could not register anything that I was hearing, feeling, or even trying to say.

"You are being stubborn. Stupidly so." The stupid, loud voice just kept blathering on and on. "I do not wish to use force. Lucy Heartfilia of the Guard by Blood, it is against the law to ignore the order of The Regina."

If I had been awake and attentive, I would have probably gotten up right away. I could not afford to anger The Regina anymore.

Yet, sadly, I was still incoherent and unresponsive. My body just would not start moving. It mattered little to me at the time. All I wanted to do was sleep and maybe get the loud man to stop talking.

Another sigh from the loud man and then, "Crap. You really are going to make me use force." There were a few loud footsteps that approached the side of my bed. Cold and scratchy hands grabbed my sides and hoisted me up. It was very speedy and made me a little nauseous in my half asleep state. The man set me down on his shoulder, like a life sized doll that he had to carry.

I was slowly coming to my senses as the man exited my room and began the walk to the Great Hall. With effort, I was able to pry my eyelids halfway open and, from there, the rest of my body woke within a span of thirty seconds. I was hit with a strong scent of pine needles. It came from the man that carried me, so I assumed it was his cologne. My body began to register how uncomfortable it was in its bent over position on the man's shoulder and my mouth was parched. I was also quite famished, having missed dinner.

Was that what this was all about, me missing dinner? As the man carried me, I tried to see what was going on around me, but my neck ached every time I tried to lift it up so it was most comfortable for my head to lie limply downwards, staring at the dull, yellow carpeting that lead to the Great Hall. I could make out faint rays of sunshine reflecting on the shiny white tiles in the corners of the floor that were not covered by carpeting. It was probably about nine or ten in the morning right now, judging by the sunlight.

The man carrying me grunted and tried to shift me around on his shoulder, "Ah, Lucy Heartfilia, you really had to go and make this hard for me, huh? The Regina calls for you and you do not even want to go. I have to force you!" This was followed by a string of mumbled complaints about always doing other people's dirty work.

"Wha coes he regea wept." I tried to form words, but my mouth was still half asleep and felt kind of numb. My attempt at speaking made me sound like a baby learning to talk.

"What are you trying to say?" the man asked.

"What does The Regina want?" The feeling was slowly coming back to my mouth. The forming of words became easier, along with better comprehension of what was going on.

The man chuckled. "How should I know? I only follow orders. I do not ask why I follow them or even why they are issued." The man shifted me a little more on his shoulder. "It would do you some good to listen to The Regina's orders as well. Trouble is not something that you should want to bring upon yourself."

Now it was my turn to chuckle. "I seem to do it anyway." From there, I was carried in silence.

We arrived at the Great Hall shortly after that, and I was set down onto the floor with a small plop. The large doors that looked like the entrance to a castle loomed over me and the man that had carried me.

A small panic overcame me, for I had forgotten something important. "I do not have my blue cloak!"

I turned around to face the man that had carried me, but he was already halfway down the hallway and heading back to wherever he came from. I did not even get to know his name or see his face. It did not matter right now; I needed to get my blue cloak. The Regina already disliked me, and she had also found out about my whole Fairy Tail thing. If I walked into the Great Hall without my blue cloak on, who knows what the consequences would be?

The blue cloak was a sign that you were below The Regina. If you went in without one on, it was like saying that you thought nothing of The Regina and that you thought of yourself better than her. Even the royal gardeners that watered the plants in the Great Hall every single day had to wear the blue cloaks. The only people who did not wear them were The Regina herself, the Council, and the guards that stood at the foot of the Great Hall. The guards wore a yellow cloak that said that they were higher ranking than a normal person, but not Council ranking or higher. The council wore orange cloaks that symbolized that the only person with power over them was The Regina or another Council member. The Regina wore no cloak at all. She always wore a dress of the color red, which was the color of Phoenix royalty.

I took a slow, calming breath. My heart was beating erratically and I was weighing my choices. I could go into the Great Hall without my cloak and be on time, or I could run back to my lodging and get my cloak. This would cause me to be late and either way I would make The Regina unhappy.

And then a thought struck me.

Was this really about me missing dinner last night, or could it be the delivering of a punishment for mingling with mages? Whatever the reason I was called, it could not be a good one and The Regina was probably already unhappy with me anyways. So I picked the option that was the lesser of the two evils.

I walked right in without a cloak on.

The large door opened and closed without a sound, and I stood at the very front of the Great Hall. My feet were bare, I realized, as I noticed the slick feel of satin against my feet. My bare feet would probably get me in even more trouble. Phoenix's have bare feet all the time unless they are in the presence of The Regina. Which I was.

I forced my feet to walk down the length of the red and orange carpet. Every step I took reminded me that I had no shoes on. My body felt bare without the blue cloak. I tried to keep my eyes focused forwards, towards the tremendous throne that sat at the end of the carpet. Upon the throne was The Regina.

As I slowly approached, I could make out The Regina's auburn hair tied up into an intricate bun. It made her look menacing. Unlike last time I was here—which was just yesterday but seemed like years ago—The Regina's hair normally hung down in regal curls that framed her face; this look always numbed the sharpness of her features. A small shot of fear surged through me. The Regina's blue eyes seemed to pierce through my soul. Amplified by the angular face and pulled-back hair, The Regina looked like a harpy from hell.

I was three feet away from the throne now. Thestartling bright red of The Regina's floor-length dress practically forced me to look at it. The small heart neckline of the dress, the puffy short sleeves, along with a small golden lining around the edges of the dress was like a lure. The dress invited you to come closer. It seemed magical and strange and unusual and made The Regina have a mysterious aura.

Finally, I was, approximately, six inches away from the throne. Away from The Regina. As swiftly as I could, I dropped into a kneeling position. I averted my eyes towards the carpet and concentrated on the silk pattern. Red, orange, red, orange, red, orange all the way along the span of the seventy foot carpet.

I cleared my throat as softly as I could. "I, Lucy Heartfilia of the Guard by Blood, am here as you requested. Et fortunae bona valetudo*. Tibi.**" I gave the traditional greeting when summoned by The Regina. The words sounded extremely forced, but that was because they were.

"Tsk." The Regina sounded melodious and a bit joyful. Her tone took me aback. It was unexpected and any ideas I had about what might happen during this meeting had vanished, "You, Lucy-ipsum***, seem to have a death wish for yourself." The words that come out of The Regina's mouth did not match her light and cheery tone.

I remained silent, but inwardly fumed. She called me an ipsum. Ipsum! Damn her. Damn her all the way to the deepest pits of her harpy hell.

The Regina continued, "You admit to conversing and even visiting mages. You are not stupid enough to not know that this is a colossal crime against me. Then, when you are summoned to another meeting with your superior, you show up with bare feet, with no cloak, and the same outfit you wore yesterday."

I glanced down at my clothes. On my legs were still my brown Capri pants and my torso was covered with a red tank top that was covered with my orange smock that was used in the Charm Inscriber. I had forgotten that I had not changed my clothes from yesterday; it was like I was saying that I did not respect the queen enough to even change my clothes for her.

There was no time for me to ask for permission to say anything to The Regina. She had already begun talking again, "Your disrespect for me is very high. Like mother like daughter. Tell me, Heartfilia spawn; are all the women in your family ipsums? Or is it just something you picked up from your ipsum mother?"

I clenched my fists.

"Oh, wait a second. There are no other family members of yours, are there?" The Regina sounded apologetic in the fakest way. "No matter. It is time for you to know why you were called here. I have better things to do than attend to disrespecting ipsums like you, Lucy of the Guard by Blood."

I dared not to move. If I looked up, The Regina might take it as a sign of disrespect. Although, my thoughts were starting to border on not caring what The Regina said or did and just punching her in the face. This would get me into more trouble than I needed, though.

"I called a brief meeting with the Council late last night," The Regina said. "I told them your story and my opinion on it. I also called out a punishment that I saw fit. The Council readily agreed to what I proposed and within seconds the matter was closed and dealt with. I could have skipped the whole meeting with the Council, but who am I to break the long traditions of the Phoenix court? It matters naught. The Council always agrees with the Regina."

There was a rustling of The Regina's long red dress. I dared to look up and saw that The Regina was no longer sitting on her throne. She was now standing in front of it and pulling out a folded piece of parchment from a pocket in her gown. Within seconds, the piece of parchment had been unfolded and I knew what it was right away. I also began to panic.

It was a royal decree. Whatever that piece of parchment said was now a high-held law, even if it only implied to one person. The punishment for breaking the law was immediate death.

I held my breath and hoped with my whole being that I would get out of the next few moments in one piece. The chances that whatever The Regina was going to say was in my favor were absolutely minimal.

A wicked smile crossed the auburn-haired ruler's face. "Before I read this to you, I want you to know exactly why this punishment was chosen." I cringed. "When deciding what fate should befall you, I first thought about exile. I quickly realized that that was not a punishment. I know what you want, Lucy Heartfilia. You want to be free from the Phoenix court. That cannot happen. You would give away our hard-kept secret."

The Regina stepped down from her throne and was now a mere three inches in front of my face. My eyes would no longer avert down, so I concentrated them on the piercing blue eyes of The Regina.

"So, I knew that there was only one real punishment for you. I cannot kill you physically, for the law that you broke does not allow that type of punishment"—I breathed a sigh—"but I can kill your soul. I have decided that the only way to truly punish you is to never give you a chance at being away from the Phoenix court."

The auburn-haired ruler now looked at the royal decree and cleared her throat, clearly trying to be theatrical, "As of the date of today, May 18, Lucy Heartfilia of the Guard by Blood is subjected to a life sentence in the prison cellars. She is to be kept alive and given the necessary amounts of food and water to survive. If the stated person does not serve her sentence, she will be punished in the way stated in the law: Broken Royal Decree section 4. This states that a broken royal decree is punishable by death."

With those words, The Regina rolled up the parchment and put it back in her pocket.

I was stunned. My brain did not understand this. Why was I being sentenced to eternal hell? Forever in the Phoenix court with no sunlight and flying was probably the equivalent of dying. Just the thought of never being able to get out and spread my alae again brought an ache to the red feathered alae.

Emotions swirled though my chest. Anger, hate, sadness and disbelief were all like a hurricane in my stomach. My whole world felt rattled. I could not even decide what emotion was the strongest that I felt, but my body seemed to like the idea of sadness. Tears began to pour out of my eyes in never ending swells.

"W-Why must you be so horrible to me?" I choked it out. I was speaking out of turn and I looked like a depressed fool but I did not care. I needed to know why I was being treated like I was an assassin.

There was a snort from The Regina. "You do not deserve an answer. You do not even deserve your name! Your title is: of the Guard by Blood but you do it no honor. You want to run away from what you are supposed to Guard! It is in your blood to do so but you want to ignore that blood. Your job, ipsum, was supposed to be part of the elite Guard squad. Your mother's job was too, hence why you have the blood of a guard. You turned down the most elite position of non-political work just because you are a stubborn mule. I am disgusted by someone who cannot even live up to their given title."

That struck a small blow to me. Tears stopped coming in swells and started to come in tsunamis, practically suffocating me in my own sadness. I remembered when I turned down the Guard job. It was because I could not stand to protect a place that I did not like.

"Why do you not wish to be a Guard? Why? It is in your blood! It is your very being!" The Regina's Guard, Neofore, yelled at me. He had been training me before my late afternoon job at the Charm Inscriber every day for the past year. Neofore had always said that when my alae had grown in that I could stop working at the Charm Inscriber and become a member of the Guard.

Now, my alae had grown in and I did not want to be a part of the Guard. Neofore continued his rant, his black mustache bunching up around his mouth in anger. "I have wasted the last year of my life training a Guard by Blood that does not wish to be a Guard? You disgrace your blood. Your poor ancestors will look down on you from heaven and curse your name! Did you ever think that there was a reason that you were so good at everything I taught you? Did you never think about what your title meant? You dishonor everything I have ever stood for. Everything!"

I was slowly cowering away from Neofore. Being only fourteen, a tall, broad man with a black Mohawk like Neofore made me want to bolt from the room. I tried with all my might to stand my ground, like Neofore himself had taught me, but my will was melting into a puddle of ashes.

Neofore rubbed his head tenderly before giving me a deep glare with his coal black eyes. "At least tell me why you do not wish to join the Guard. It is every Phoenix commoner's dream except yours! Why are you the only commoner that does not?"

I had to think about that for a moment. Honestly, I was not sure why. My heart kept telling me that this was something that I did not want to do. It was one of my split second decisions that I was horrible at but, for once, I think I would not regret this one. "I don't— I-I mean I do not—…because…I do not wish to be a Guard because—" I had to pause and gather my thoughts a little more. How was I supposed to put this? "Because my heart is telling me not to."

It sounded cliché and stupid. The words that came out of my mouth did not satisfy Neofore, or even me for that matter, and he slammed his hand into the wall angrily. Before I could even contemplate another action, Neofore grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me. The yellow beaded necklaces around his neck rattle and swing into my face as he does so, causing me to twist and turn away from him, but the burly man kept his grip on my shoulders.

"Your heart? How about you use your head? When I met you last year, you always listened to your head. You used your head. What has gone wrong with you?" Neofore was harsh. The man always was, but now it was to the max. The cheery yellow cargo pants and muscle shirt that Neofore wore seemed to make his angry face look tomato red. That had to be impossible though. No one could turn that shade of red, even if they were as angry as Neofore.

I felt like I needed to respond to Neofore's fit of rage. "Things do change, Neofore. I have changed." These words made me feel older and wiser than just fourteen.

Neofore only scoffed.

"Just sprouted your alae and you think that you are smarter than me? Wiser? I know well that things change, people do change especially fast, but people do not become stupider. Except for maybe you. No smart person would turn down their title. Every time, from this day forward, that some calls you by your true title, it will be a dig into your conscience. Soon, you will regret not following what you were born to be. When people say your title, all they will think is that you failed to become a Guard. You cannot change your title! You will forever be known as Lucy Heartfilia of the Guard by Blood, a failure who could not live up to her namesake."

With those words, Neofore gave me a shove and stomped away.

I leaned against the stone wall of the Guard training room and sank down onto the orange training mats that adorned the floor. This would be the last time that I would enter this room, and I had just sealed my fate as forever part of the Charm Inscriber, but I was not a failure. What I had just done, what I had just achieved, was me staying true to myself.

Even as the minutes ticked by and I sat in the training room of the Guards, I could not shake some of my conversation with Neofore. I did not regret any of it, but there was one thing that bothered me a little bit. I did not truly know why I did not want to be part of the Guard.

At the time, Phoenix life was still somewhat new to me. Only a few weeks later had I noticed how truly dull it was, especially now without the Guard training. The same question still haunted me though. Why did I not join the Phoenix Guard? Especially if it was in my Blood like so many people claimed?

It would not be for another year until I realized the answer to my question.

I clenched my teeth and gave The Regina a hard stare. "Do you hate me so just because I did not follow my title? If that is true, then this is ridiculous. Do you wish to know why I did not join the Guard?"

"Humor me." The Regina was now emotionless.

"I could not stand to protect a place that I did not like."

My words had no obvious impact on the woman across from me. She did not raise her voice, but it sounded menacing enough without it being amplified. "You may not like the Phoenix court, but it is your origin. It is where your blood is from. You can try to deny your blood. Just like your mother, but it will always be a part of you!

"The first step of denial was to turn away being part of the Guard. Lucy Heartfilia of the Guard by Blood"—Now The Regina's voice became louder—"Your mother was part of the Guard before being exiled for treason against me. The only reason you were allowed back in is because the Phoenix court law does not hold a mother's crimes against her child."

She was avoiding my question! "You still have not answered me. Why do you hate me?"

"A commoner like you has no right to be asking questions of her ruler."

"Apparently I am not a commoner anymore. I am a criminal forced to her eternal hell in a cage." I stood up from my kneeling position, adrenalin pumping through my veins, and spread my alae as far as they could reach. I no longer kept them neatly tucked behind my back, which was the proper way to have them. I spread my alae free, mostly because it would probably be the last time that I would be in a room larger than ten feet.

"Criminals have even more reason to listen to their rulers. You no longer have normal rights. I can do anything to you now. Any smart person would start praising the ground I walk upon." The Regina went back to her throne and sat upon it. She had 'smug and victorious' practically tattooed across her forehead.

I started to lightly flap my alae. This would be the last time for me. Soon I would never have the chance to see Levy again. I would never even be able to hope to visit Fairy Tail. I would never fly again.

Unless I tried to escape now.

Suspiciously, and as inconspicuously as possible, I surveyed the Great Hall. There were three high ranking guards at the door, and probably more waiting outside, but they were all wearing their cloaks. The cloaks would slow down their alae while my alae would be unrestrained. I would be faster. I would have the upper hand and a chance at freedom.

Then I eyed The Regina. If I got caught, I would be dead. There was no doubt about it. This might just be a risk worth taking though. I would never have to live in the Phoenix court again. Never have the same boring routines. Never see The Regina again.

"Guards, take Lucy to the cellars!" The Regina's voice rang throughout the Great Hall. I had to make my decision in seconds, before the Guards reached me.

My thoughts continued in over drive.

I would miss Levy though. I would never be able to see her again; I will not even be able to say goodbye to her. Would she ever forgive me?

Frantically, I looked towards the approaching Guards who were about thirty feet away. My horrible split second decision skills might just be the death of me. I glanced towards the door, and then at the glass ceiling of the Great Hall. I knew for a fact that there was a small latch on the glass ceiling that opened it up like a window. I could escape from there.

But could I really leave Levy behind? I also realized that I left my clay star in my lodging. My first sign of difference and I would never get to see it again. That disappointed me. It would probably be thrown out of my lodging as soon as I was gone anyway.

Panic poured through my body, accompanied by more adrenalin, some fear, and a dash of hope. No matter what the outcome was, I would not return to the Great Hall ever again. I would not see anyone else of the Phoenix race.

The Guards were two paces away.

I made my decision.

Big thanks to PantherLily1 for reviewing chapter one,
and GoldenRoseTanya for reviewing chapter two.

A/N- Today it rained! I love the rain. It's so calming and great to just sit and watch. It's beautiful, really. I'm writing chapter ten as this is posted, and I think the weather fits the mood of that chapter pretty well. Of course, none of you know what I'm talking about, so now you have to wait till I get to chapter 10.

Algae- Wings

Regina- Queen

* Et fortunae bona valetudo- Good fortune and Health

** Tibi- to you

*** Ipsum- Bitch

A Note about the Phoenix language- It is not a language like English, Spanish, French, etc. I take Latin words (Thank you Google translate) and put them in the story, but Phoenix language is not a language you use all the time like English, Spanish, etc. It is only with certain words, greetings, during charms, and other special times but not with every single word you say. It is like when people speak English and they say hola of bonjour. They aren't English words, but people use them randomly during the day. It is sort of like that with Phoenix language