TO MY READERS:
Here is Chapter 4! I don't know if I've already said this, but this is definitely my favorite chapter. I hope you all like how I incorporated Erza into the show & next chapter will be just as exciting, I promise. Please enjoy & don't forget to leave a review!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belong to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.
IV - Welcome to Fairy Tail!
Though Lucy had decided to escape the Heartfilia property to enjoy the spectacle of the circus, she knew if she wanted a clean getaway she needed to go back downstairs and address the issue of her leaving unannounced. Her father would have been waiting and if he came looking for her only to find out she had left, he would be furious. So, using every ounce of courage she could muster, Lucy quickly folded the part of her dress that had been ripped and walked back down the stairs to the party.
Luckily, most of the guests had been too busy drinking, dancing, or eating to notice her sudden disappearance and she was spared the uncomfortable stares. It was fairly easy for her to find the Duke and her father as they sat beside each other at the far end of the ballroom against the wall where a few chairs had been set up should any guests get tired. As she approached them, the Duke shot up from his chair looking genuinely concerned. Lucy's father however looked less than pleased and he simply stared his daughter down as she got closer.
"Lucy-chama…" the Duke started, but Lucy raised her hand to stop him.
"No, my lord, I believe it is I who should be apologizing to you," Lucy said. Swiftly, she caught a glance of her father who looked shocked at Lucy's mature behavior. "I apologize for having stormed off. After all, it's just a…silly dress. It can most certainly be fixed." Lucy had to choke out the second to last sentence but she knew it was necessary for her to be able to get out of the house.
"Well, with that being said, I should also offer some form of justification," the Duke continued. "I should not have tried to grab you so roughly and I am sorry for that." Lucy nodded her thanks and looked at her father who's expression had lightened.
"Might we continue dancing, my lord?" Lucy asked, this time extending her hand out to the Duke. I should've been an actress. The Duke smiled and Lucy saw his eyes glance at her chest again though he snapped them back so fast Lucy could almost pretend she hadn't seen it.
"I would love nothing more," the Duke replied, escorting Lucy back onto the dance floor.
Once again, Lucy and the Duke were at the center of the ballroom, gliding to the song the orchestra was playing. Though she still hated being so close to such a short man who obviously saw her as nothing more than a "prize", she was able to put on a brave face as they waltzed on. Some of the guests even stopped to look at how beautiful the couple of the night was moving.
Finally, the Duke decided they had had enough time on the floor and brought Lucy outside to the tent where all the guests were eating. Like a greedy pig, the Duke grabbed the biggest plate he could find and began filling it as much as possible while Lucy—in a very lady-like fashion—took a simple bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. The Duke led her to the large, fancy table that had been placed to the right of the buffet and sat her down next to him while he took the head of the table. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, even while he was eating which made him appear rather disgusting.
"Lucy-chama," he said while chewing a large amount of food, "I couldn't help but think from the moment I met you how beautiful our children will look once we're married." Lucy nearly choked on a piece of penne and had to take a large gulp of wine to stop herself from coughing.
"Y—yes, my lord," she replied, wiping her mouth absent-mindedly with her napkin.
Having beautiful children requires the work of both parents and I have a feeling you won't be contributing much, she thought snidely.
The Duke proceeded to stuff his face and Lucy was able to take the chance to glance beyond the mountain where she had seen the spectacular fireworks only a moment ago. They hadn't fired off any again so Lucy hoped and prayed they were only the opening part and she would still get plenty of time to see the circus in action in just a few hours. When she moved her eyes back to the Duke, she caught sight of Ms. Spetto who gave her a concerned look. She had probably heard of Lucy storming off from one of the other servants but hadn't had a chance to check up on her herself. The guilt was written all over her face. To reassure Ms. Spetto, Lucy nodded to her slightly and offered a smile as well as a head gesture to the mountains. Ms. Spetto grinned and turned back to her work again, appearing calmer.
"Are you enjoying the ball?" the Duke asked as he bit into a piece of chicken straight from the bone. Lucy sipped some more of her wine before answering.
"I am indeed, my lord. I can't even remember the last time we had a party of this magnitude in our estate," Lucy said. As soon as the words slipped past her lips, she wished she hadn't said anything at all. The last thing she wanted was for the Duke to pry about her mother's death. It would just make the rest of her time at the party completely unbearable.
But the Duke picked up on the sadness in Lucy's voice and placed a greasy hand on hers in an odd form of affection. Lucy glared down at the hand as if it was a nasty insect that needed to be squashed but briskly changed her face to an expression of kindness.
"Your father told me about your unfortunate loss," he said softly. "I promise you, my mother will be the best mother-in-law she can possibly be. She might even be as great as your mother. She'll be a wonderful replacement."
Lucy wanted desperately to seize the chicken the Duke was eating and slap him across the face with it. Luckily, she was able to restrain herself by clenching her right hand into a tight fist though it pained her to hold it.
This Duke was a disgusting, ugly, impossibly rude pig and Lucy couldn't believe her father thought this marriage would work.
But then again, he's not thinking of your happiness, Lucy thought. He's more concerned with the Heartfilia Family line than even his own daughter's well-being.
When the Duke had finished his meal, he asked Lucy to dance again though they spent more time talking than waltzing. The Duke also seemed very self-centered in only discussing matters involving him and barely asking Lucy anything about herself. She would have rather been in her room sticking pins into her eyes and ears than spending the night with this brute.
"Lucy-chama?" the Duke asked, stopping their dance. Lucy looked at him with confusion.
"Yes, my lord?" she replied.
"I've had a wonderful evening with you thus far, but I was hoping we could perhaps take some time for ourselves for a while," he suggested. Inside, Lucy's heart leapt for joy but she had to force herself to stay composed and even look a bit saddened by the Duke's request.
"Of course, my lord," she said with a curtsy. The Duke gently took her hand and kissed it, walking into the crowd of couples. Before making her getaway, Lucy made sure the Duke and her father were out of sight before spinning on her heels and walking as quickly to the stairs as she possibly could. Some of the guests watched her go with bewilderment but she offered them a kind smile that told them she would be returning soon. They nodded and continued with their conversations, leaving Lucy to bound up the stairs and rush into her bedroom again, locking the door.
As fast she could she unbuttoned the back of the dress and laid it out on her bed, walking over to her closet to choose a simple outfit for the circus. She settled on something she knew she would never be recognized in as her father only allowed her to wear respectable dresses, even on the property. She pulled out a white short-sleeved shirt with blue stripes crossing over her front and chest with a short blue skirt and a brown belt. As she pulled the shirt over her head and flipped the collar down, she stared at herself in the mirror and felt a bit more comfortable wearing such casual attire, a much needed change from her constant dress-wearing.
But she knew she would never be able to sneak out looking just like that. So, once she had finished dressing herself with a pair of knee-length black boots and packed her leather bag with her and her mother's astrology notes, she cautiously opened the door to her bedroom and slinked down the left hallway where she would enter the attic. As silently as she could, Lucy came down to the end of the hallway where the latch door on the ceiling resided. She jumped up, grabbed the chain, and yanked on it, allowing for the stairs to descend and grant her access to the long-forgotten floor of the house.
Lucy always thought the reason her father never went up in the attic was because a lot of her mother's belongings had been stored up there after she died. Everything from her clothes to her old piano books had been packed away in boxes and thrown up inside the dark, dusty attic, never to be used again. It was almost as if her father was just trying to forget her mother even existed.
Climbing up the stairs, Lucy was able to find the chain that flipped the single lightbulb on in the room. The room having been illuminated, Lucy immediately spotted the area of the attic where all her mother's belongings now resided. At the very back, Lucy saw the large, long bureau Layla used to place all the styrofoam heads which would keep the wigs from knotting or strands from fall out. Lucy took a quick glance down the hallway again to make sure no one had come up the stairs and walked towards her.
Though she had presumed her father had just thrown everything up in the attic, Lucy was surprised to see the bureau was organized just as her mother had kept it when she was alive. The wigs were all lined up by hairstyle (long to short) and in front of the mirror were her various combs and brushes she used. The chair Layla sat in had even been slid into place. Lucy stared at all the wigs and smiled, remembering the days her mother let her help in picking out the one she would wear for that week. Lucy carefully took a seat in the chair and let her fingers glide over the various pieces of hair until she found her personal favorite: the bobbed black wig. Her mother had only worn it a few times, claiming the dark color made her look even more sickly with her pale skin. But Lucy loved it on her mother. She thought it made her look even more beautiful.
So as not to move the styrofoam head too much, Lucy vigilantly removed the wig and pulled off the hairnet her mother stored underneath all the wigs so she would never lose them. The net was black just like the color of the hair and it only took Lucy a short moment to pull her hair back and slip it perfectly underneath the net. She loved watching her mother get ready for the day when she was younger; that's how she learned to put on her makeup, as well as how to put on fake hair.
Checking that not a strand of blonde hair was loose, Lucy bowed her head and flipped the wig on. After strapping the clip underneath the fake hair to keep it from falling off, Lucy lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror. When she took a glance, she almost didn't recognize herself: the dark color of her new hair made her skin even more pale, though the blush of her makeup helped to give her a little more color. But her eyes were what caught her off guard the most. The black of her hair made the brown in her irises lighten and sparkle, even hinting at a bit of gold she had never noticed before. Her heart ached at how much she thought she looked like her mother with her wig on.
Deciding she had already wasted enough time, Lucy gently pulled a comb through her new hair, stood from the chair, and headed back down the stairs. She took one last glance at the bureau to make sure she hadn't left anything out of place. Lucky for her, the wig she had taken was on the far end so anyone who wanted to check on them had to walk all the way into the attic to notice it was gone. Happy that her plan was going well thus far, Lucy hurried down the stairs, threw up the latch door, and walked back down the hallway to the top of the staircase. She tiptoed her way down the stairs and leaned her head out from the curve to see only a few stray guests were still standing in the lobby, sipping their drinks and laughing drunkenly. Fortunately, all their backs were to her so she only had to be sure she made no noise sneaking behind them and heading out the door. She continued down the steps as carefully as possible and placed one foot at a time down to the landing, tiptoeing behind the guests and crouching a bit to avoid being spotted by anyone else beyond the lobby. Once she made it past the guests and into the hallway leading down to the front door, Lucy broke into a run and yanked on the handle of the huge door. She slowly poked her head out the door and saw only the carriages parked outside the mansion with the drivers probably having retreated to the tent for something to eat and drink. Taking the opportunity of no one hanging around, Lucy closed the door behind her and walked over to one of the horses strapped to a four-team attached to a large carriage, which she presumed to be the Duke's from the large size and a family crest adorned on one of the doors.
"How about a nice run, huh?" she asked, gently stroking one of the horse's nose. He whinnied under her hand and Lucy worked fast to unhook the stead from the carriage. The other horse's began to stomp in protest but Lucy gently shushed them, pulling her chosen stallion to the opening of the loop where all the carriages had been parked.
"I've only ever ridden a horse side saddled so be careful with me, okay?" Lucy whispered to the horse who snorted in reply. Lucy stood beside the animal, took a running start, and hopped on top of the horse, adjusting her skirt. She grabbed the reins and gripped them tightly in her sweaty hands, adrenaline pumping through her body. The horse gently galloped around in a circle for Lucy to get used to his movements and she very softly kicked her boot heel into his side.
"Let's go, boy," she said, the horse taking off down the road. The wind whipped around them so viciously, Lucy thought her wig would fly off for sure. She wanted to hold onto it but she didn't dare let go of the reins at the speed they were going. Taking a quick glance behind her, Lucy was surprised to see how far they were from the mansion. She let out a nervous laugh and whipped the horses reins as a signal for him to ride faster. The horse picked up more speed and they were soon taking the trail beyond the mountain, coming to the side of Acalypha. The setting eight o'clock sun casted beautiful shadows of purple and red along the buildings in the town.
Once Lucy knew she was safe from being stopped, she pulled back on the horses reins and guided him through the town. Yesterday afternoon, Lucy had read on the poster the circus would be taking place on the beach. She lead the horse through the town and turned him to the right, towards the the seashore. The sound of the horse's footfalls filled the silent town and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the line of patrons waiting to enter the big top. It stretched all the way from the ticket booth to the middle of the beach where some curious townspeople eyed Lucy oddly as she descended from her horse. There was a tall, black gate surrounding the area where the circus had been set up with a black sheath covering the inside of it so no one could sneak a peak beforehand. But the dazzling lights leaking from the top promised everyone awaiting to enter the time of their lives.
"I'll just tie you here," she said, wrapping the horse's rein on a railing of wood. She patted the horse's nose and walked over to the line of people who snapped their heads back to the front. Lucy came to stand behind a woman who offered her a kind smile.
"Excited for the carnival?" she asked. Lucy nodded vehemently.
"Very much so! It's my first circus so I'm extremely thrilled," she explained. The woman smiled again and pointed to the tall wheel moving mechanically against the sunset.
"My favorite part is the ferris wheel," the woman said. "I love the view from up top."
"I've never been on one before but I've read about them," Lucy said. The woman looked back at her and gave her an odd look. Lucy laughed and stretched the back of her neck. "I mean… I've never lived in a town where circuses were common. I—I'm just visiting Acalypha and I knew I had to come see this for myself." The woman nodded.
"I see," she said. She made a show to look behind Lucy and shifted her eyes back to her.
"Don't you have any family that wanted to come, too?" she asked.
"No," she replied, a little sullen. "I wanted to come by myself." The woman noticed Lucy's saddened expression and quickly changed the subject.
"Well, I heard the best part is going to see their famous Dragon as part of the closing ceremony!" she said. Lucy's eyes widened and her happy mood returned.
"Really?! Has this circus traveled all over Fiore?" she asked.
"I suppose so. I also heard a rumor that this is their last show for a while," the woman explained. "I guess they take the rest of the summer to go to Magnolia to practice their performances."
"We're all pretty lucky, then," Lucy added.
"Indeed we are!"
Suddenly, while Lucy and the kind woman continued to laugh, some eager patrons began to clap excitedly. Lucy and the woman turned towards the front of the line where they could see a short man climbing on top of the ticket booth with what appeared to be a or megaphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" the old man's voice boomed through the audience. "Welcome to the magical and wonderful circus known only as Fairy Tail!" The crowd cheered and clapped in delight.
"Prepare yourself for astounding shows, spectacular sights, and exhilarating magic, now that our famous circus is officially open for business!" Again, the crowd whooped and hollered their anticipation at the old man's words. "Please remain in line and await your turn to purchase a ticket and enter our show. Thank you!"
The old man descended from the roof and made his way back inside. As quickly as he returned inside the booth, the line began to move at a fast rate as the patrons received their tickets and entered the gated circus.
"This is so exciting!" the woman said cheerily. Lucy was at a loss for words when she saw how fast she became the next person in line to pay for her ticket. The woman handed the old man her money and he handed her the ticket through the slit underneath the glass separating him from the customers. She waved goodbye to Lucy as she ran inside the circus, the gates automatically parting at her movement.
"Good evening," the old man said as Lucy approached the booth. He was a very aged man with wrinkles all along his face with a mustache under his nose and he sported a large bald spot but there was still some white hair on each side of his head.
"Hello," Lucy replied, digging through her purse for a good amount of money. She slipped the money to the man and he replaced it with a ticket. Lucy graciously took the piece of paper and stared at it for a moment with its golden color and the words FAIRY TAIL written in orange cursive writing. Lucy gently placed the ticket inside her purse and looked up to see the old man gesturing for her to step in front of the giant black gate doors. Sensing her movement, a bright green light blinked on Lucy's right side and the gates swung open to allow her to enter. For a moment she just stood in the entrance, her ears filling with the joyous sounds of the circus and the laughter of people young and old. She closed her eyes and sighed, the laughter and carnival music filling her mind and body.
"Miss?" the old man in the booth said, having opened the side door to take a glance at Lucy. She snapped her head back to him and felt the blush rising in her cheeks. She also noticed how incredibly short the man was, though he was dressed elegantly in a blue and white shirt with black pants and a cape trimmed with fur, the Fairy Tail insignia sewed on his chest to the right.
"You can go inside now," he said gently.
"Oh, yes, of course," Lucy stammered, tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear and taking her first step into the circus. She could hear the old man laughing as she entered and even as the gates groaned, closing behind her.
If Lucy hadn't already been able to hear the sounds of the circus outside the gated area she most definitely could hear it all now. Upon stepping inside the large carnival, Lucy was taken away by the breathtaking arrangement of the show. A beautiful carousel was set up for all patrons to see when they entered, spinning with the colorful horses, unicorns, mermaids, lions, and lambs. Small children and their parents rode the magnificent piece of art with the calliope playing soft music as the ride twirled round and round. Concession stands selling popcorn and cotton candy stood a few feet away from the carousel, its wheels dug deeply into the sand to prevent it from falling over. Lucy's stomach growled a bit but she knew there had to be more food stands placed around the circus: right then, she was set on seeing as many shows as possible.
Tents of varying sizes and colors were scattered all around, alluring patrons in with signs detailing which shows they had inside. But some were being performed outside as well, and Lucy caught a glimpse of a shining sword fly up in the air with shouts of excitement following its descent. She immediately made a run through the sand to see what all the fuss was about, bypassing the carousel and making a left between two tents. In the space separating the two was a long and spacious wooden platform with a sign placed above it, the words The Amazing Titania, Erza flashing in red and blue lights. Below the sign and standing atop the makeshift stage was an incredibly beautiful woman with long, red hair, styled in large bun sitting atop her head while the rest of her hair hung down to her waist. The woman wore a beautiful purple kimono bespeckled with lilac-colored flowers and a dark purple belt wrapped around her thin waist with a giant bow tied at the back, reenforced by a thin light brown string. The robe came up mid-thigh, a dangerously short length, though she wore high brown boots. The garment was tied around her neck and showed off the size of her chest, the long, billowing sleeves tied to her arms by ribbon colored the same as the belt reenforcement.
Lucy gawked at Erza's beauty as she bowed with two swords in hand. The menacing weapons were designed with zigzagging black and silver colors going down the blade to the sharp point. She smiled and turned her head to the blue-haired man standing off to the side, near the back of the stage where a curtain sectioned it off. He clapped along with the audience and moved to the front of the stage as Erza went to hide behind the curtain.
"Wasn't she amazing, folks?!" the blue-haired man asked, getting the crowd to applaud even louder. Some of the men in the audience whistled their pleasure and Lucy could see the man's face harden, even from her distance.
"And now, please encourage our terrifying Titania as she performs her most dangerous and death-defying stunt ever to be showcased at our circus!" the man said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Heaven's Wheel!"
Just as swiftly as she had disappeared behind the curtain, Erza ran out from behind the red tapestry and jumped into the air to front flip back on the stage, sporting a new, heavy-looking armor. This one was made entirely of silver metal, a feather designed breastplate covering her chest with a blue stone in the middle and large wings stretching out behind her, attached to her back and strapped to the sides of her body. Her skirt flowed at the bottom though it was covered with a metal sheath at her waist, exposing her midriff. Underneath her skirt were two silver boots adorned with metal wings spreading out from her heels and pointed at the toe. Erza's hair was now completely free and flowing behind her, a headband wrapped underneath her bangs that gave her the appearance of an angel with the silver feathers poking out from under her bright red hair. She also gripped two different swords with the design of feathers on the handles and blue adornments on the blades, her arms and hands protected by long sleeves of metal gloves gripping her skin with intertwining straps scaling up to her shoulders. Erza looked like a military-clad angel of war.
With very little effort, despite how heavy her new armor appeared, Erza jumped high in the air, her wings flapping with great effort to keep her from falling back on the stage which was now a good ten feet below her.
"Dance, my swords," Erza commanded, spreading her arms and swords out to her sides. The man on stage quickly moved to the rack of weapons and carefully threw up sixteen blades in total towards Erza who moved them into a giant circle around her with slow movements of the weapons already gripped in her hands. Once all sixteen swords had been placed, Erza closed her eyes in concentration and the circle of weapons began spinning rapidly, creating a blue ring flashing at all sides.
"Circle Sword!" Erza shouted, raising her two swords above her head and slashing them across her body. The ring of sixteen swords then shifted to become a disk enclosing Erza in the middle until it bursted outward, sending each of the swords flying into the audience. Some of the patrons became scared and looked around the audience, Lucy included. But upon seeing Erza's calm face as well as the man on stage, it appeared everyone knew the dangerously enclosing weapons were all part of the act. Steadily, each of the swords came to land in between the awestruck townspeople, proving to be not the least bit threatening as they safely stuck themselves into the sand.
After all of the swords fell into the earth, Erza landed heavily back on the wooden platform, the audience completely silent from shock. When Erza placed a foot in front of her and took a bow the audience finally applauded, cheering and screaming her name at the marvelous spectacle.
"The amazing Erza!"
"The terrifying Titania!"
"Incredible!"
"Imagine if anyone had moved!"
"We would've been skewered!"
Lucy gaped in awe as the beautiful Erza smiled for the crowd and gestured with an arm for her assistant to join her but he simply stood next to her to clap for her as well. Lucy smiled brightly and clapped as hard as she could in congratulations, the crowd slowly dissipating as Erza turned to go back behind the curtain.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" the man said through the microphone once again. "And please don't forget to stick around for later this evening when our troupers bid you all goodnight with our closing ceremony, beginning with Fairy Tail's very own Dragon, Natsu! Enjoy the rest of your night!"
The man stepped down from the stage and began walking around to grab the swords from the ground, catching Lucy's eyes as she was the only person left standing in front of the stage.
"That was amazing!" she gushed. Up close, Lucy could see the blue-haired man had a strange red tattoo from the top of his left eyebrow to the middle of his left cheek. He tucked the swords under his arm, his upper body protected with a long breastplate decorated with the Fairy Tail insignia, and smiled at Lucy.
"Thank you," he replied. "Erza will be out in a moment if you'd like to congratulate the real performer. I'm just her assistant."
"Jellal?" The stern but kind voice of Erza startled Lucy whose face began to burn as the amazing swordswoman descended from the stage and came towards Lucy and her assistant—Jellal. Without her armor on, Erza's body was very curvaceous but hardened with muscles that appeared on her arms and legs. She wore a short sleeved white shirt with ruffles down the front, a blue bowtie underneath the collar, and a matching blue skirt that came down to almost the upper part of her knees with black-heeled boots folded at the top, reaching up only a few inches from her skirt.
"T—that was amazing, Ms. Erza!" Lucy stammered, clutching her hands and bringing them to her chest. Erza smiled and folded her arms under her chest, clearly enjoying the praise.
"Thank you," she replied. "I was quite nervous about performing that last segment but it turned out perfect." She turned to Jellal with a grin who smiled back and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I just wanted to say how incredible I thought your show was," Lucy said, becoming a little uncomfortable as Erza and Jellal continued to stare at each other. Erza snapped herself back to Lucy and blushed from embarrassment.
"T—thank you again, Miss—um…" she began, gesturing for Lucy to give her name. Not wanting give her identity away, Lucy quickly blurted out the name, "Layla", hoping neither Erza nor Jellal would recognize the name from around town.
"Well, Layla," Erza began again, "I appreciate your comment. It's always wonderful to hear from the audience personally after the show.
"But I can assure you, I'm not the only incredible performer here. In fact, I'm pretty sure Gray and Juvia's performance is going on right," she said, looking to Jellal for conformation. He nodded and Erza smiled back at Lucy.
"Great! Thank you and I hope to see you again," Lucy said.
"Have a good night, Layla," Erza said in reply, turning on her heel and heading behind the stage. Jellal was quick to follow and Lucy shifted her head to her right to see the icy blue tent Erza's stage stood next to, a large sign read The Water and Ice Lovers Duo in blue-painted cursive. Lucy remembered the flyer describing the two's names as Gray and Juvia, the two Erza had just mentioned.
Lucy couldn't wait to witness another astounding show.
A/N: I really hope you guys loved this chapter as much I loved writing it. Chapter 5 will be up this time next week & please leave me a review because it always means so much to me. And thank you all so much for supporting me thus far. It truly means the world!
