Chapter III: The Fire Breathing Flammable Not-To-Smart Straw man
Unfortunately for Lucy, singing and skipping, although a fun and easy way to pass the time, wore the body out. Soon, her feet were beginning to ache, and her belly began to rumble, and the Yellow Paved Road before her just kept stretching on and on and on.
Happy lay limp on her shoulder, his little head bobbing back and forth with every step she took. He had ceased his singing long ago, and the only things uttering from him were small feeble moans of hunger.
"Luccyyyy" he whined "Stop walking. Let's find some food, please? I'm soooo hungry. I could really use some fish"
She was grateful when she took her final step and collapsed on the ground. She laid the basket in her hand on the floor, and massaged her aching legs
"How long does it take to get to this wizard of Ah? Geez, I feel like we've been going in circles!"
And it was true. They'd left Mirajane and the Exceed long ago, and the Yellow Paved Road still followed the same endless, unperturbed path. The trees on the side all looked the same from the last bunch Lucy had passed; green, happy, tall and healthy. She clicked her tongue, annoyed at the fact that they'd literally been walking all day, and she felt like they hadn't made one tiny step in the right direction. She kicked off her red shoes and massaged her toes, then, pulled Happy off of her shoulder and held him to her chest, coddling him like a cute, blue baby.
"I'm so hungry" he whined again, and his stomach grumbled along with him "We're going to die here, Lucy!"
"Hush" Lucy said "Don't say that! We won't die for missing one meal. We'll just have to keep on going until we find this Wizard of Ah, and then, we'll go home and Aunty Aquarius will have dinner ready for us and it'll all be over"
But even her words sounded fake to her own ears. Her stomach was groaning, absolutely moaning with hunger, and it reminded her of unpleasant times, right after her mother had died, when Heartphilia plantation had fallen in squalor. There'd been little to eat then, and her father was still grief stricken, blind to the world and his starving daughter. It took all of Aunty Aquarius's sassy might to keep Lucy going on then; Lucy shuddered at that memory, shuddered at the days of hunger and sorrow and loneliness. It made her miss her family all the more, and once again, she was torn between wanting to stay in this enchanting world and going back to her gray, gray world and marrying Hibiki Lates down the road. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was safe.
She fruitlessly checked the basket again, in hopes that something had magically appeared in there somehow. Even one small apple would've done. She glared at the useless keys in her hands, and questioned Mirajane's sanity; how could they help her? All they did was jungle and look pretty. Useless, absolutely useless. She wanted to chuck them far away, and never see them again.
After they rested for a time that wasn't possibly enough for her aching feet, Lucy and Happy traveled on. The night had settled, and in the darkness, this strange new world, the Land of Fairy Tail, looked all the more unreal. Up above, a cine real moon gleamed down them, turning Lucy's hair a haunting gold, and the Yellow Paved Road into a phantom trail, trailing across the land like a yellow shining snake. Lucy hugged Happy tighter, making sure to watch her every step. She wouldn't admit she was scared, but she was downright scared out of her mind. Somehow, in the night, the world, although pretty and enchanting, still took on a dark look. Like the beauty underneath was a pseudo mask for something lurking beneath its surface, something ugly, something hungry. And Lucy's head began to fill with ideas of boogeymen and monsters running after her, after her flesh. She swallowed, and felt a hard lump go down her throat.
When a blister formed on her left foot, and it opened and began to bleed, Lucy knew that walking tonight was not an option anymore. She convinced Happy that they'd have to stop, and that surely, things would take a turn for the better. She stopped, and looked around, and saw nothing but trees lining the Yellow Paved Road for miles and miles. She was reluctant about even entering the trees for shelter, but when red agony shot up her left leg, she swallowed her fear and decided that if she got eaten, at least she'd be eaten in her sleep.
They found a tree that wasn't too far away from the road, and they settled in a little groove at its base. Happy was asleep In minutes, moaning and crying about fish, but Lucy couldn't. she was too spooked, way to spooked to even close an eye. She settled on doing what she always did when she was scared; she pulled into her mind and entertained the fancies of going to a ball, dressed in the best dress anyone had ever seen, and dancing with a handsome prince, who had charms and skills, and he would certainly whisk her off her feet. Then, they'd settle in a big castle that had walls inlaid with jewels of ruby and crystal, and she'd have thirty babies for her prince and they'd live happily, ever-
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Two gleaming eyes blinked and took a cool, cautious step back. He was tall and slim, with medium length hair that spiked outwards in a floppy, lazy manner. He crossed his arms across his chest, and clicked his tongue
"are you going to keep screaming?" he asked, when Lucy had stopped, gasped for breathe, and began again
She jumped to her feet, wincing at the throbbing in her leg "Who are you, pervert!"
"Pervert?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with wounded shock "Oh, my, I would never consider myself a pervert!"
She held Happy's sleeping body out in front of her "I'm warning you. Try anything funny and I-I'll.." she stopped, thinking, then shouted "I'll throw this cat at you"
The man squinted at Happy, and sneered "Pfftt, what can an Exceed do?"
Her threat now null, Lucy backed against the tree trunk "What do you want?"
To her surprise, the man threw his head back and laughed "Me? What do I want?"
Before she could reply, he launched into a dramatic monologue "I am simply a traveler, a lover of worlds, a brave wanderer! I want nothing from anyone or anything, except of course, everything! They call me gifted, handsome, lovely, a god! Yet I am simply a Salamander. A lonely little Salamander. You may not know this little lady, but you're looking at a legend! An absolute legend"
He flipped his hair dramatically "But you don't have to call me 'majesty' or anything. Bora is just fine. And who" he ran his eyes over her "are you?"
This guy is full of himself, she thought but maybe he can help us
"Lucinda" she said, holding out her hand. She didn't like this man, but she had her manners "Lucinda Heartphilia"
Bora cocked an eyebrow and ignored her outstretched arm; after a while, she let it drop "Lucinda? What a pretty, pretty name." and then, he flipped his hair again and said "I guess you're lost right?"
She nodded "Pretty much"
"and you must be starving"
She nodded
"and tired"
Oh yes, she was tired.
"and dirty"
She glared at him; she was a little sweaty, but not dirty. How rude.
"Tell me, Lucinda, would you like to tell me where you're going?"
"The Wizard of Ah" she answered "I've been told he can help me"
He cocked another eyebrow, and his eyes gleamed "The Wizard of Ah, you say? What for?"
That she simply didn't trust him enough to tell him. She gave a vague answer about needing a favor and that was it
"and those ruby slippers, where'd you get them?"
She inverted her feet a little, feeling a blush creep on her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she was wearing a dead ladies shoes.
"Well, then, Lucinda!" Bora said "I've decided to help you. Come with me, and I'll take you straight to the Wizard of Ah!" he winked at her and said "you see, he and I are good friends"
Her heart skipped a beat; she couldn't believe her luck, she simply couldn't believe her luck. She nearly wept with joy and hugged Happy so tightly that he woke up. He voiced his anger loudly, and then, said
"Who's this bozo? Lucy did you find yourself a boyfriend?"
Bora glared at Happy, then smiled "What a cute Exceed. I must admit, I've never seen a blue Exceed though; rare. Those are rare"
"Exceed? Are you talking about those flying cats that Mira-"
Lucy clapped her hand over his face, and laughed aridly "Oh my, oh my, Happy, you've been dreaming again. Who's Mary?"
When she removed her hand, Happy obviously didn't get the hint, because he continued loudly "I didn't say Mary. I said Mira-"
Lucy pinched Happy, and laughed again "You've been dreaming too much. First Mary, now Minnie? Who else are you dreaming up"
Bora gaped at their little exchange, his eyes narrowing to slits, before he let out a loud guffaw and grabbed Lucy by the arm
"Oh, the Wizard of Ah will like you a lot Lucy!" he said, tugging her along the Yellow Paved Road, not allowing her time to collect herself. Bora threw his back once, to look at her and smile
"You're worth quite a lot, Missy"
Lucy couldn't believe how nice of a man Bora was. She reclined in her bath tub, soaking in the bubbles and making sure to rub her poor, blistered foot. She wasn't too happy with her day's adventure and was less than pleased with the fact that she was sweaty, and gross, and lost, and that a stranger had to help her. She was grateful that Bora had come along when he had, because, although Lucy had told Happy that they'd be safe, she'd been sure that they'd die of starvation or something.
There walk hadn't been nearly as long as she'd thought it be. A couple minutes of Bora's senseless babbling and self-praise, and Lucy forgot how she ended up in the little ramshackle cottage that she was currently taking a bath in. All she remembered was the Yellow Paved Road disappearing, and then tall fields of veggies and corns, like back at home, and then, poof! Comfort and hospitality.
Although, one thing did happen to be strange. She remembered, as she and Bora and Happy trespassed the sea of knee-high veggie plants and corn, there'd been a scare crow; nothing much, really. Just a straw man, hanging limply from its post, it's head dangling forward just as lifeless as any straw man. What had attracted her eye for a brief moment of time however, was the fact that the straw man had nearly...well, it was silly...but it had looked nearly..well, real. There'd been a mop of spiky pink hair gleaming in the sunlight, which all on its own, was quite odd, but, on top of it, Lucy could've sworn that the straw man for the smallest second had...twitched.
She shuddered at the idea and eased herself deeper into the water. She was tired, and aching all over like she never had before. She couldn't wait to sleep, and then, go home. Although, even that thought plucked a chord of nostalgia in her heart, as if she already knew the land of Fairy Tail and she didn't want to leave
Stupid, she thought this isn't my home.
But then again, why did it already feel like it?
When her bath was done, she dried and slipped back into her old clothes. She found herself, half way through slipping on her underwear, being peeped at. She could've sworn that the tiny bathroom window had a pair of gleaming black eyes that were directed right at her, and when she whipped around to catch the pervert in the act, it was gone.
"Huh," she said to herself, and slipped on her panties "How weird"
"What's weird?"
she shrieked, and whirled on Happy, who had sat himself upon the bathroom counter. He had a big fat fish in his hands and he was eating with ravenous mouthfuls.
"Happy!" she exclaimed "How long have you been here?"
"I was here long enough to catch you ogling yourself"
She tsked "I wasn't ogling myself! That's just vain. But I could've sworn that someone was..." she trailed off and pointed an accusing finger at Happy "You were peeping at me, you little perv!"
Happy stopped his chewing "Do you hear yourself, Lucy? I've seen you change a lot of times before. And besides, I'm a cat"
Her logic flawed, Lucy blushed "and what does that have to do with anything"
he stopped chewing again "That means even if I did see you naked, it's not like I'd care."
After she had successfully chucked Happy out of the bathroom window, she found herself in the kitchen, a small, quaint place with Bora. He had a modest dinner of bread and cheese placed before them. She didn't care if it was gold she had to eat, just as long as it was food to fill the empty void in her belly. She ate like a wolf, abandoning all manners until her stomach felt like it would pop. She hiccuped slightly, and then, dabbed her mouth delicately like any lady should
"So, you liked it?" Bora asked. He placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, providing a sort of bridge for his chin to rest on
"Yes," Lucy replied "Yes I did. It was delicious. One of the best meals I ever had" and it was true. After being so hungry, it didn't matter what the food had tasted like. Just as long as it had been food.
"I suggest we get some rest, Lucy. And then tomorrow, we'll head over to the Wizard." he stood, cleaning the table, and then offered "Would you like some wine?"
She blushed, and said "I-I don't think that'd be right"
Bora waved his hand "nonsense! You've got to live a little, right?" and with that he was gone, whisking away somewhere in the little cottage. He was back shortly, holding an ancient bottle of wine in his hand; it was covered in fine dust.
He poured a small amount for Lucy in a cup, and then brought the bottle to his lips
"To us!" he toasted, and chugged
Lucy took one sip, and instantly thought the wine was the most disgusting thing she'd ever had the misfortune to ingest. But she couldn't bring herself to tell Bora that, and continued to drink, until her head got woozy and the world got tipsy. And then, her curiosity, no longer restrained by a rational head, got the better of her
"Bora" she said "This is a nice place you have. Have you lived here long"
Bora, who had a delicate blush on his nose, hiccuped "As long as I can remember." he said, and took another swig from the bottle
"What exactly do you do?" she asked
at this, Bora paused, then split into a smile "Why, I'm a traveler, little miss! I roam the seas far and wide, and trade all sorts of things" he stopped, drank again, and continued "You name it, I sell it. Clothes, Jewelry, Delicate Objects," and in a soft hush, he added "even pretty girls"
Lucy, still drunk from the wine, had barely caught on to what he said
"What, what?"
"Nothing! Nothing!" said Bora "I think it's time you head to bed, miss Lucy!" he said
she tried to protest with a feeble "But I'm not..." and before she could say it, a wave of exhaustion passed over her, and she found her head hitting the table. The glass slipped from her fingertips, and she felt like sleep was dragging her down. She panicked briefly, because she didn't remember being this tired, and a warning flashed in her mind, before she was fast asleep.
She dreamed about many things. She dreamed about Aunty Aquarious knitting her a sweater; she dreamed about finding Happy for the first time, and she dreamed about having wings and being able to fly. They were all vivid dreams, and they made her want to cry. Except, for one. In her sleep, she awoke in a dark room. Slumber was still clinging to her, and she knew she'd be dragged back, but for a little while, as she rolled over on whatever surface she was on, she dreamt that the straw man she'd seen before in the fields of veggies and corn had come to life, and he was sitting right smack in the middle of the room, leg's crossed indian style, hands on his knees. His eyes looked familiar, like the eyes she'd thought had been peeping in on her, and in the darkness, his bright pink hair shone like a halo. He glared at her when she caught him staring, and because it was obviously such a silly dream, she smiled back at him and said "Hello. Aren't you cute?", and before she was sleep again, he replied with a sour "Keh! I ain't cute!"
When she awoke for real this time, she found herself in the same room of her dreams, only except, there was no pink haired straw man. Only a silly Happy who was curled up besides her on the bed she was in. the bed felt awfully cramped, and warm, and Lucy wondered if she'd slept right underneath a window, when she rolled over and came face to face wit a pair of hauntingly familiar black eyes
"AHHHHHH!" she shrieked, and fell out of the bed. Happy popped up in the air, his wings unfurling to keep him adrift and rubbed his eyes "What is it, Lucy?" he asked
She pointed at the man in the bed. No, not just any man
The straw man. The pink haired straw man!
Happy looked at the straw man in the bed, and shrugged "Oh, him. Yeah, I saw him crawl into the bed next to you"
"And you didn't wake me up?!" she exclaimed
Happy shrugged again "I thought he was a guy who llllllliiiikkkkkkeeeeddddd you. Another boyfriend"
Oh, she was going to kill that stupid, blue cat!
The guy sat up and rubbed his head, stretching his arms out. He looked enough like a real person, why, he even had skin. But all across his skin, there were stitching's and markings where he'd been sown together, which, all in all, was just plain creepy. He was cute alright, and he didn't really look like a man. He looked about Lucy's age, maybe older. He patted his ear, and some straw fell out
"Alright, buddy!" Lucy said "Who the heck are you! And why were you..." she shuddered "spooning me"
In the background, Happy snickered
He gave her a funny look "Spooning?" he said "What the heck is that? You were in my bed. I could say you were spooning me"
Lucy's face was tomato red; why, she'd never spoon anyone, nonetheless, some freaky half-straw half human guy!
"You're bed?" she sneered "Hah! Nice try, invader, but this is Bora's house"
"You mean that jerk who went and trespassed on my property" he growled, slamming his fists together "I gotta give him a piece of my mind! First he breaks in, eats my food, and then he brings some girl-"
he stopped, and looked at Lucy "Who the hell are you?"
She never met someone so rude as him before. With great emphasis on her words, she said "I'm Lucinda Heartphilia, of the Heartphilia Plantation!"
He yawned "Sounds boring...that names too long. How about Lucy or Luce for short?"
She gaped, feeling herself bristle at the casual toss of her nickname "You can call me Lucinda" she said
He threw his legs over the side "Sure thing, Lucy" he said
she growled "and who are you?"
He blinked and then said "Me? Oh, I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. See, that's not a long and weird name like your's now is it?"
"My name isn't long, and it isn't weird! Why, who's named Natsu nowadays anyway?"
He frowned, and patted his head again "I guess you're right. But, that's the name I have, and I like it"
There was a pop! And Happy fell on the floor. Lucy bent over to scoop him up. Natsu squinted at Happy, who stared back, and cracked into a smile "Nice cat" he said "Hey there!"
Happy, who Lucy had expected to reply with some snarky come back, simply said "Hi." She glared down at him; he'd failed her once again. Stupid cat.
"Look, Mr. Natsu" he gave her a funny look "You shouldn't be here, Bora's going to find you and it isn't nice to trespass on people's property. So, why don't you skedaddle on and you won't be hurt or anything? I'd hate to see you get hurt"
He stared at her, and then smiled "You know, you're real sweet."
She flushed, her mouth gone dry "What?"
He rubbed his head again and said "I said, you're real sweet. And nice. I haven't seen someone like you before, Lucy."
Her blush came back ten times stronger
"Ohhhhh..." Happy whispered "They llliiiikkkkeee each other"
She 'accidentally' let him drop to the floor. He groaned softly, and staggered to his feet "It's not my fault you've got two boyfriends!" he said, and Lucy contemplated kicking Happy to the moon
"Boy friend?" Natsu said "I don't know about this boyfriend drama of yours, but tell you what, Lucy. I won't kick you out of my house! I'll just beat the crap outta that Bora guy and then, if you want, you can stay"
She huffed "How many times do I have to tell you?" she said "This is Bora's house!"
Natsu clicked his tongue "Are you deaf or something?" he said "I'm not the smartest guy around or nuthin'" clearly he wasn't, Lucy registered, since he just used the word nuthin' "But even I know a Crownie when I see one. That Bora guy isn't trying to help you or anything. He's going to sell you and make you a slave."
And, just to prove the point, since Lucy wouldn't have believed Natsu, the door to the room creaked open, and Bora stepped in
"Such a sad thing" he sighed, flipping his hair dramatically "Why'd you have to get involved, Straw man? If you had just minded your own bussiness like a good idiot, then lovely miss Lucy would've been much, much easier to sell."
Authors Note: Thanks for reading? Want more? Drop a review!