Hey! The next chapter, as promised. Sorry if this one sucks, I'm sick. Kept waking up at night because I couldn't breathe because of my stuffed nose. Ugh. Well, I hope you enjoy despite my miserable-ness. ;p
Enjoy!
Lucy peered up at Virgo who was in the midst of shaking Lucy awake. Moaning in exhaustion Lucy turned over, drawing the covers over her head.
"You have to get up, miss, we're to leave soon."
That made Lucy pause. Most of last night had been spent thinking of the trip to come, what it would entail. For the first time, Lucy would be out of her father's range of control. Virgo would be there of course, but Lucy was convinced Virgo was more her own friend than Jude's.
Lucy could practically feel her insides vibrating with excitement. She could walk the streets without a purpose, she wouldn't have to keep a constant eye on her surroundings for potential threats. She decided not to think about the Prince part just yet. Lucy grinned up at Virgo.
Without warning, Lucy hopped out of bed and rushed around her room to get read. Once she was dressed and had a bag full of clothes and supplies, Lucy rushed up the stairs, Virgo following at a steady pace. When Lucy reached the level with fathers study, she stopped. Would he want to see her off? Most likely not. Shaking the thought she continued up the stairs, but this time slower than before. Capricorn met them outside with his usual stern expression.
"Make sure to be careful on your trip, miss." Lucy shifted the pack on her back as she stared up at him. Lucy could tell he wanted to go with us, to make sure they stayed out of trouble, but her father had only allowed Virgo to accompany Lucy.
"Don't worry; I'm capable of protecting myself just fine." She flashed a confident grin in the hopes of reassuring him. The sword that rested on her hip and the knives hidden in her clothing could attest to that. He nodded.
"Make sure when you do the job, to do it quick. He's not someone you want to fight," he warned. Lucy smiled at him despite the nervous flurries in her stomach. Kill the Prince… She pushed the thought from her head.
"I always do," Lucy said quickly.
"Also, Mr. Heartfilia wanted to let you know you're walking to Magnolia."
Lucy's eyes widened in alarm and disbelief. Walk all the way there? Until now she had thought they would be provided with a driver, or at least horses. "Why?" Lucy choked out. Capricorn scowled.
"He described it as a type of training." Noticing her look of anger he smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry, Virgo is with you. She has enough money with her to buy horses when you leave Bornsting." Lucy's shoulders slumped in defeat. Riding horses the entire way to Magnolia was a sure fire way to make her sore and grumpy. Even though she had reservations about riding a horse that long, at least she wouldn't have to walk the entire way.
"Alright," Lucy sighed in defeat. "See you soon, Capricorn."
Smiling kindly he patted her on the head. Turning to Virgo, he said, "Keep her safe." Virgo nodded seriously. Fighting off the urge to roll her eyes, Lucy motioned at Virgo and the two walked ahead not glancing back.
After about five minutes of walking, they entered the market area, and Lucy heard someone call her name.
"Going somewhere?"
Lucy found herself smiling at Patricia as she walked towards her, glancing inquisitively at her travel sack. Patricia glanced at Virgo before slapping them back to Lucy.
"Yes," Lucy admitted. "I'll be gone for…" Lucy frowned. She hadn't really thought on how long this job would take. "Maybe a month," Lucy tried. Patricia sighed, hands resting on her hips. She didn't ask where they were going – that was for the best.
"You'll be sorely missed, you're my favorite customer." She shook her head. "Very well, if you must go, then go. Make sure to be safe though." In a moment of silence, her eyes widened as if she remembered something and she motioned for Lucy to stay put. Hurrying back to her booth she grabbed something with her back turned, stuffed it in a cloth bag, and rushed back. She shoved the bag in Lucy's hands.
Lucy glanced down at the bag with a frown before a bright smile lit her face. Five apples snuggled closely in the bag. She tried to say something but Patricia wasn't having it.
"Yes, yes, I know you'll miss me and all that," she dismissed. "Get going."
Resisting the urge to hug the woman, Lucy nodded and compromised with settling a small kiss on the merchant's cheek. Patricia may be an old woman with rough edges, but truthfully, underneath she was just a softie.
"Thank you, really, it means a lot." Blushing, she grunted. "I'll see you when I get back."
Lucy smiled and waved goodbye, clutching the apples to her chest like a lifeline and walked away. Virgo glanced at the grinning girl out of the corner of her eye.
"Who was that?" Virgo questioned carefully.
"Oh!" she gasped. "I forgot to introduce you, I'm sorry!"
"How do you know her, miss?" she asked. Lucy's eyes turned down at her question. The events leading up to their meeting had not been a happy one.
"It was shortly after," Lucy hesitated, "Aquarius…"
Virgo kept quiet, obviously expecting Lucy to go on. Lucy held her tongue though – now was not the time or place. Lucy's eyes flickered to their surroundings. They were just leaving Bornsting and were now on the main road that traveled to another town called Hargeon.
Lucy was in good shape – she had to be for her jobs – but after a mile of walking she was already exhausted and annoyed. When they reached the third mile she was ready to collapse in exhaustion or annoyance, she wasn't sure. Around mile four a strange sort of anxiousness started to set in. It clutched her insides with a solid grip.
Lucy found her eyes darting from everything, to the trees that sat on both sides of the road, to the dirt that coated the ground. She wasn't sure what she was watching for. There was, of course, nothing. She was going crazy.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Virgo remained unaware of her anxiety.
A few hours later, after countless deep breaths, they finally reached the halfway mark. Lucy resisted the urge to cry in frustration. How long was this road?
Virgo finally noticed the sweat beading on her master's forehead and suggested they take a seat and eat something. Lucy heartily agreed. She eagerly pulled a few loafs of bread, a knife, and some butter from her sack. Bread and butter might be a simple meal, but to an exhausted assassin, it was one of the world's 8th wonders.
As Lucy and Virgo began to dig in, it occurred to both of them that they were out of Bornsting. For Virgo this wasn't as exciting, but for Lucy it was different. She was terrified and thrilled and ready for adventure. Lucy suddenly turned and clasped Virgo's hands, startling the servant.
"I want to go to a library!" Lucy said, eyes glinting in excitement. Virgo blinked in surprise and confusion. Reading had always been a guilty pleasure of Lucy's, an escape from her pressing reality; it goes without saying that her father had no idea of her secret love. And never would he find out about her love for writing – that in the darkest nights she dreamed of a different life, one where she was in a family that loved her, going on adventures, saving instead of taking lives, and writing about it before she went to sleep.
Just mentioning that dream to him would cause a rage so wrathful it would shake the earth.
"Virgo, we must go! I've never been to a large library and I think Hargeon has one." Lucy stared at her with wide, pleading eyes. Lucy could probably go without her consent, but she was her friend, and Lucy doubted she would be able to shake the woman.
"If you wish to, miss," Virgo said. "Will you punish me now?"
Lucy giggled in delight, deciding to ignore her eccentricity.
Grinning, Lucy stood, stretched, and glanced back down at Virgo. "Well, we might as well get going." Nodding she packed up the food and returned the pack to her back. As we started walking again, Lucy started to hum.
Lucy was finally out of the clutches of her father, even if for a short amount of time, and she was going to a library! She was holding a delicious bag of apples that she was saving for alter, and her friend was next to her.
This mood kept up until they reached the town. When the blonde set her eyes upon it, they widened considerably. It was a large town, larger than their own. It didn't seem like there was a single empty space, each piece of ground crammed with buildings.
The streets weren't full of people like Bornsting's usually were, giving her a full view of every shop and house. Only a few people loitered around outside. Virgo and Lucy walked the streets, the former staring ahead without interest, the latter wide eyed and gaping.
Lucy couldn't exactly explain why this made her ogle, but it did. Maybe it was the fact that there weren't many people sitting in the streets begging for food, like there were in Bornsting, or maybe it was the lack of dirt, so different than the usually coated streets of Bornsting.
"Virgo," Lucy began hesitantly. "Are all towns like this?"
She frowned at her. "I'm not sure what you mean, miss."
"I mean… so clean and," Lucy glanced at the shining shop window showing off expensive clothing, "nice." Virgo nodded.
"I noticed the same thing in the past, miss. I believe it is because of Masters influence upon the city."
She didn't need to elaborate; Lucy knew what she meant without saying it. Father didn't care enough about the people to help anyone. He got money out of people and used his powers to control others. That left the society of Bornsting standing on only one leg.
The idea didn't sit well with Lucy. The reason Bornsting was so poor was because of her father, and she was aiding him in this. She'd always assumed that all towns were like hers, but clearly that was not the truth. She frowned down at the ground.
Virgo interrupted her thoughts.
"Shall we find some place to stay?"
Comments, suggestions, reviews? Yes, no, maybe so?
So I ended up deleting 200 words of this and rewriting because I realized it was probably too soon to bring THAT in... *evil cackle* I still feel pretty awful, so you should be awesome and review to make me feel better! Pleeasseeeeeee :)
Oh well, if you don't that's okay (psych), I still love you! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend/spring break/week/year/life!
Oh, by the way, I must send by complete and utter gratitude to you lovelies for your reviews! Just knowing your enthusiasm for this story inspires more happiness and encouragement for me! Thank you!
See ya next chapter! XD