Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Artemis Fowl
Right now, Lucy couldn't even be amused by the irony of the kid's last name. Fowl was one of the foulest people she had ever met, and he was still only a kid. She had nearly had a heart attack when he claimed she was supposed to be his wife. What kind of parents just did that anyway? Sure, she'd expect it out of her father, but whoever this Artemis guy was, he had to have been heartless to sell his unborn child away like that. The younger Artemis now holding her captive didn't even seem to care.
That was the other confusing thing to keep straight. From the boy himself, she had learned that he was also Artemis Fowl. Two guys with the same name, though Lucy couldn't help but wonder how hopeless his search really was. To go this far just to find one person was admirable in a weird way, but there were limits to what was acceptable for things like this. If Artemis had to kidnap and interrogate others to find his father, then it just wasn't worth it. In fact, if it had been as long as the kid said it was, the elder Artemis was probably dead.
Still, she didn't have the heart to tell it to him. At the moment, Lucy was resting in her designated cell. Though, calling the room a cell would be a bit absurd. Artemis referred to it as such, but it was pretty impressive even for a room. From the outside, Lucy had known Fowl Manor wreaked of wealth. First of all, the entire castle-like building was surrounded by massive, thick stone walls. An iron gate was the only gap in the wall, likely controlled by something within to open. Within the borders of the wall, the castle sat in an open field, resting on high ground with hills sloping downward on all sides. With so many windows, Lucy was not surprised that the interior had more rooms than she could count. It probably even rivaled her old home's size, which was difficult for anyone to manage.
While they had not gone anywhere near it, Lucy had seen another smaller building in the distance, still enclosed within the walls of the manor. She had sensed an odd magic from that place, but Artemis had been too concerned about guiding her inside to let her investigate it further. "Now, I am not as heartless as I seem. You have tonight to adjust, Ms. Heartfilia. Tomorrow, we will begin in earnest." That had been all the boy told her before shutting her in this room, making her wonder exactly what to expect.
It wasn't like she really knew anything about her father's business. True, she did grow up hearing her father talk about nothing other than that, but it didn't mean she payed close attention. Lucy had hated hearing about the business, and she almost always tried to convince her father to do something else. At least, that was when he actually spoke to her about anything back then. Maybe she could give Artemis a few of their competitors from back then, but it likely had nothing to do with his father. If it happened on his way to meeting Jude, Lucy was almost certain some third party was involved.
Glancing around her room, Lucy wondered how much longer she would be waiting. That monstrous man had brought her food earlier, and she still didn't know what to make of him. He didn't speak much, not unless Artemis asked him something. She was almost certain that he was the only reason they managed to get ahold of her. Artemis didn't strike her as someone who would get his hands dirty, after all. Even his home was immaculate, an impressive feat considering the size. Her room was mostly occupied by a queen sized bed with a massive white canopy hanging over it. After sleeping on it, she knew that the sheer fabric gave an impression almost like clouds hanging above her head. With pale yellow walls and a light gray carpet, the room even had a bright feel to it. A single window overlooked the outside grounds of Fowl Manor, giving Lucy the wondrous view of the wall that kept her here. Even with her arms untied, Lucy wouldn't be able to get out of this place without the help of at least Virgo. She once again couldn't help but mourn the fact that her keys were probably still on her bathroom floor. Likely, Aquarius was going to kill her for this too.
Sitting on the floor rather than the bed, Lucy tried to think of a way out of this. Fairy Tail would be looking for her, but Artemis had a point. It wasn't like Natsu could track down her scent if it was miles above the ground. Were there even any other clues back in her apartment about this? Her parents hadn't even told her that she was supposed to be in an arranged marriage. The thought made her simmer for a moment, before taking a deep breath and realizing that it was probably because her mother was still trying to find a way out of it. Either way, it wasn't like the kid seemed to have any interest in that either. Artemis was one weird kid, and right now, Lucy didn't even know how he had managed to sneak up on her like this.
When the door to her room opened, Lucy glanced up. Standing there, she saw Artemis and the massive man from before, walking inside. "Good afternoon, Ms. Heartfilia. Have you taken the time to grow accustomed to your accommodations?"
This kid just might have a larger vocabulary than hers. It annoyed her, just like his clean business suit did. He was wearing one yesterday too, and now that she looked closer, she could see a slightly different stitching pattern on the one he wore now. How many suits did one kid own? "As accustomed as a prisoner can get, I guess." Lucy saw him smile, as if amused with her mild sarcasm.
"Very good. And did you enjoy the meal I had Butler prepare for you? I do apologize if it was insufficient; without knowledge of your regular meal habits, I selected foods that contained as few common allergens as possible and then made use of common preferences in taste based on the sales of various food groups in your area." Had he really thought that hard about making her breakfast? Lucy hadn't really thought much of it, simply enjoying the oatmeal and not complaining. She didn't even realize she had the right to make a request for something different.
Smirking, Lucy leaned towards the boy. "I didn't realize you were trying to be so hospitable. After all, I am nothing more than a ransom card for you, right? Just keep me until Fairy Tail does your dirty work for you." She saw him purse his lips, his blue eyes flashing towards her for a moment.
"I suppose things could turn that direction, however I do hope you will be more cooperative. Would you really wish for your friends to encounter the same danger my father was facing?" Considering it was only one man that had been taken, Lucy was more than confident that Fairy Tail could deal with it. "Now, for future reference, would you mind complying and providing us a list of any food allergens to keep in mind while preparing your meals? Also, any preferences and dislikes would be acceptable." Artemis held out a pen and paper, leaving Lucy blinking at him in surprise. He wasn't seriously asking her to do this, right? It just wasn't normal kidnapper behavior. It almost made Artemis seem like he had a conscience to some degree.
Deciding that she actually wouldn't mind having some say in her meals, Lucy took the pen and paper and began writing. "Fine. It's not like you can do any harm with the information anyway." Pausing, Lucy frowned as she remembered something in his earlier comment. "And do you really know someone named Butler? Isn't that just a job title or something?"
The large man standing by Artemis smiled down at her. "Actually, that is my name. My family has been serving as bodyguards for generations, and it is tradition for us to only be known by our last name." That seemed to bring back some slight memories. Lucy had read something about the Butlers once, in Sorcerer Weekly. The magazine had done a special on the entire family, featuring them and their magic for the edition. Basically, the Butlers were always high in demand. No wizard could defeat them in battle, and their combat skills were legendary. Rumors stated that even the wizard saint Jura had attempted to spar with one of them as a training exercise, but he had been defeated in minutes.
Knowing that this man was a Butler made Lucy stiffen, leaning back slightly. That explained the kid's confidence, at least. "Oh…you were one of the Butlers featured in that edition…" Looking at him now, she could almost recognize his features. While his hair in the magazine had been almost bald, he now seemed to have a slight amount of blond hair growing on his head. She wanted to say he had grown, but really, it was hard to tell as he had been just as monstrous in the magazine as he was in front of her now. From what she could remember, he was a requip mage, but any details beyond that were kept hidden due to the nature of their profession.
"Indeed, so I suppose I do not need to waste time explaining the various methods my companion can utilize to…convince you to be more forthcoming?" Artemis' comment was accented with a smile while Lucy hugged her legs tighter to her chest. He was almost scarier than Butler, and he hadn't even done anything beyond talk. "Good. Now, if you would pass your requests towards Butler, we can begin in proper." No longer feeling as comfortable in irritating the kid, Lucy simply nodded and handed the sheet over. Butler folded it and placed it in his pocket, standing guard at the door behind his charge. "First off, I wish to clarify a few things. Seven years ago, all accounts state you vanished entirely. Some even state that you and your companions had perished. Yet, clearly that is not the case. What I wish to know is what truly happened. It will help ascertain if you can even provide me with relevant information on the matter at hand."
That wasn't something she wanted to remember further. Not only was Grimoire Heart bad enough, but she had been so convinced that they were all about to die together when Acnologia came. "I…that's a bit of a long story."
Artemis took a seat on the ground in front of her, nodding and frowning slightly. "I did not expect otherwise. Considering the circumstances, I do believe we have plenty of time as well."
Avoiding his gaze, Lucy frowned and nodded. "Right. Well, I guess what you're really asking about is the end of it all. Our guild had been working on our S-Class wizard trials. Then, the island we were performing the trials on was attacked. A dark guild known as Grimoire Heart arrived—"
"Grimoire Heart?" Artemis sat up straighter, his eyes locking onto hers. "Are you certain this is the guild that came?"
Nodding, Lucy smiled. "Yeah, one of the most powerful dark guilds in existence. Doesn't surprise me that you've heard of them." The boy looked away, his brow furrowing. For a moment, he looked stressed. Then, he seemed to gain his composure after just a moment, nodding and returning his focus to her.
"Of course, pardon my interruption. The name simply surprised me, that is all." However, Lucy had a feeling there was more to it than that. This kid was too good at controlling his expressions for that minor slip to come from something small like a name.
Keeping her suspicions to herself, Lucy nodded and continued on. "Anyway, our guild members were fighting them. Grimoire Heart had come…well, I guess that's where things kinda get ridiculous. Supposedly, they came for the legendary Black Wizard Zeref, believing he was alive and on our guild's island." There was a very faint smile on Artemis' face, likely due to the fact that Lucy had seemed to miss his slip up earlier. "A lot of people were hurt in those battles…but in the end, we won. We thought that was the end of it…defeating Grimoire Heart…but we couldn't have been more wrong."
Taking a deep breath, Lucy tried to pull her mind out of the flashing memories of black scales and that roaring voice echoing in the air. "A different enemy came, one that no one could possibly survive against. Acnologia…an actual dragon attacked Tenrou Island. In order to keep ourselves alive, one of the three great spells of the guild was activated: Fairy Sphere. It protected us, but the energy it took…it made the entire island vanish out of time for seven years. For us, it felt like the attack had been just yesterday, but to everyone else…we had been missing for so long."
"So you truly are unaware of recent events." Artemis paused for a moment, frowning. "And Grimoire Heart…you claim they've been defeated. Does that mean they are dead, or simply disbanded?"
"You think a guild like that has some interest in your father?" Considering what they did, it was unlikely. "It's not like your family is filled with big shot wizards, kid. Grimoire Heart wouldn't bother with someone like him."
The boy did not reply, instead narrowing his eyes slightly. "That was not an answer to my question, Ms. Heartfilia."
Rolling her eyes, Lucy shrugged. "Whatever. I guess just disbanded. I mean, Fairy Tail may be violent and destructive, but we aren't that out of line. I don't think any of us has intentionally killed an enemy before, not even one like Grimoire Heart. Since I haven't heard anything about them since returning, I'm guessing they fell apart after their attempt to take us down on Tenrou Island."
"And any business contacts of your father…I suppose that makes them irrelevant, since you would not be aware of anything from more recent years." Artemis pinched the bridge of his nose, rising to his feet. "Regardless, I suppose I must thank you for your time, Ms. Heartfilia. You've given me much to think about…though I do believe it just may be time for your friends to play their part in the search as well." Before Lucy could object, Artemis nodded towards Butler and the two began to leave the room. Thinking back to her words, Lucy wondered exactly what kind of hint she had given him. If Grimoire Heart had disbanded, why was he so interested in them? What made him think his father had some connection to a guild as dark as theirs? More importantly, how was she going to stop him from endangering her friends by sending them on some insane mission to find a man that was likely dead?
Thank you to all my readers for the feedback! I'm glad to see so many of you enjoying this story thus far. We've got a little bit more interaction between Lucy and Artemis...plus, the future involvement of the rest of Fairy Tail is coming soon. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!