Hello to all! So sorry for the late update I've been really busy because I had a bio quiz and just had a math test on friday! Good news is I got 100% on my bio quiz and I'm pretty sure I got the same on my math test, so yeah! Unfortunately because I was busy I typed most of this up over the weekend when I had time. I still needed to improve on this later because I typed in such a rush. Please forgive any grammar mistakes. I wasn't really satisfied with last chapter and I wanted to add more to it but I knew I needed to update so I just settled with it. So I made this chapter which is kind of like a second half of the previous one. I also replaced Lucy with Juvia on the characters list. It's not that Lucy won't be a character but in the "prequel series" she doesn't play as big a part and since Juvia is in it a lot I thought I should maybe change that. I hope no one is mad; she plays a pretty big part in the actual series. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and, please review!
I would also love to thank all who have reviewed so far! You are all incredible people who have given me a reason to keep writing. My heart goes out to all of you lovely and gorgeous human beings!
I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's beautiful characters, Hiro Mashima has that great honor.
Levy let Juvia lead her back down the corridor, taking several steps for each of Juvia's to keep up with her. Her feet felt sore again and the her stomach was suddenly very tender; the lower half of her body was starting to feel like every wound now had a needle in it. She winced with every time her heels met the stone floor. Juvia cast a sympathetic gaze at her and, upon seeing her struggle, slowed down to a steady amble.
She could still hear the two boys fighting even as they neared her door, and her eyebrows greeted her hairline when one of the boys, the larger one, Gajeel, threatened to shove Karma Demon so far up Natsu's - um, behind? - that he'd never walk straight again.
Still contemplating on what exactly a Karma Demon was, her forehead bumped into Juvia's shoulder when the older girl came to an abrupt halt. She murmured an apology but the girl didn't even look her direction; instead taking the door handle and holding it open. Levy slipped into the room and settled near the bed's headboard, pulling her slippers off and inspected her feet. The majority of the sensitive skin was cloaked in small shiny blisters that ranged from soft pink to flaming red.
She had expected her to leave after escorting her to her room, but instead Juvia closed the door and plopped down several feet away from Levy. She crossed her ankles and stared uncomfortably at the floor, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.
"You're not a nurse, are you, Juvia." She blurted out before she could stop herself. The question almost sounded stupid as it left her mouth, after all, nurses didn't dress for battle.
Juvia's hands froze, fingers clutching the dark fabric. "Juvia hopes that Miss Levy doesn't feel like I tricked her." Her eyes were still trained on the floor, locked onto the intricate golden designs stitched into the scarlet rug. "Gajeel wanted Juvia to find out what had happened to you, and Juvia thought that it was a wise idea at the time."
"Do you do everything Gajeel tells you to?" she asked running a finger over one of the blisters before wincing; bad idea.
"I wouldn't say everything, but yes; Juvia does what Gajeel wants." She said, releasing the fabric to fold her hands into her lap.
"Why?"
Juvia straightened up a little, her eyes finding Levy's. She stared at her for several moments, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other, before a tiny smile painted itself across her lips.
"What does Miss Levy know about Metalicana?" the question completely caught her off guard, what did she know about him? She racked her brain for any information that she absolutely knew was true about Metalicana. To be honest, she could barely come up with anything! How was this possible, she'd lived her whole life in Kurogane but there was nothing she'd really heard about the king except those stories!
"He's the ruler of Kurogane." She blurted out, instantly feeling stupid with her pathetic answer, obviously he was the ruler! "Um, he has four siblings: Lady Grandeeney, and Lords Igneel, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum; who each rule over a city in Kurogane. And he has a son, but what does that have to do with-"
She was cut off by Juvia's raised brow and a knowing smile that had appeared upon hearing the word 'son'. Slowly, pieces clicked whirred and clicked together in her mind, like it was a puzzle slowly resolving itself into an answer.
Oh.
Oh!
"You mean that Gajeel is the prince of Kurogane!" She sputtered, her eyes widened to a point that she feared if they got any bigger they would pop out and land on the carpet. Juvia stared at her for a moment, then bit down on her lip and tremors that began with just the tiniest quiver of her shoulders overtook her body until she was consumed in hysterical laughter. Her arms snaked around her stomach and tears of mirth streamed down her cheeks.
"Juv-Juvia is-" her sentence was interrupted by another force of laughter so violent Levy was seriously pondering if Juvia might pass out before the onslaught of laughs had passed over.
Juvia started panting, reaching up a hand to brush away the mirth and faced Levy. "Juvia apologizes for laughing so hard, but Miss Levy must understand Juvia hadn't expected her to react like that!" Levy groaned and slumped back into the pillow's as Juvia snapped her eyes shut and continued to chuckle to herself.
Her eyes once again met hers, a warm smile blossoming on her face like the petals of a particularly jovial flower. Levy was almost about to crack one back when her smile faltered and replaced by a seriousness that seemed an impossibility for someone who had just been so convivial. Before Levy could even squeak Juvia had a firm grip on her shoulder, rendering her immobile.
"Miss Levy, you're bleeding." She murmured in a voice so quiet Levy hadn't even known if she'd heard correctly. She craned her neck, her chin digging into her chest to get a proper look at her stomach. A small amount of blood was leaking onto her dress, sluggishly spreading the way ink did when it met paper. She remembered when the boy - Natsu - had knocked into her. She'd felt pain shoot along the side of her stomach but she'd been too surprised to be concerned about it.
Juvia clicked her tongue before pulling Levy up back into a sitting position. "Juvia may not be a nurse, but I know when a washing is necessary before rebandaging a wound. If Miss Levy would follow Juvia, she will take her to the washroom."
Levy reached down, pulled on her slippers, and slid herself off the bed to followed Juvia out of the room. The cold from the hard stone leaked into her feet through the thin fabric of the footwear, providing a small amount of relief to her throbbing heels.
They traveled down more hallways than Levy could count, all of which were verging on identical with their torches and iron weapons that adorned the walls. Not a word was spoken between them as they walked, and Levy was starting to feel an awkwardness that was growing thicker with every step they took to a point where she thought she could slice it with knife. They finally made it to an old wooden door, which Juvia explained led into the servant's washroom. She nodded and opened the door, slipping into a rather dark room with the only inhabitants being a middle aged woman and large wooden basin.
"Go to the kitchens and bring back some hot water for Miss Levy." Juvia addresses the woman, who barely spared Levy a second glance before she strode out of the room, the tattered hem of her ashen dress skimming along the ground, adding to a collection of clinging dust bunnies.
Levy breathed in the damp, musty air and turned to face the wall, noticing for the first time an old cracked mirror with edges that were tinged copper from the rust. Her eyes widened when she saw the girl gaping back at her through the reflection: large brown eyes nearly concealed underneath a jagged mop of hair that practically swallowed her head. She gawked at the reflection in amazement; she recalled many times when her mother complained about her hair being too unruly but at least then it had been even and unruly! 'Where had all these choppy clumps come from!' she wondered as she ran a hand through the tangled disaster of hair.
"Unfortunately the fire did some damage to your hair, Miss Levy." Juvia explained, a kittenish smile appeared on her pale lips. "It will probably look better once it's been washed, perhaps even flattering at some angles."
Levy couldn't comprehend how a jagged blue mop threatening to swallow her head whole could ever be flattering, but she just nodded and continued to gaze at the reflective surface. The woman returned, along with three others trailing behind her, each hauling two buckets filled to the brim with water that were so heavy they bent the backs of each woman. They each took turns unloading the buckets into the basin until it was nearly brimming over when the last woman finished. Each woman bowed their heads politely at Juvia before taking their leave. Levy stared at the bluenette who in return flashed a smile and gestured invitingly to the tub.
She reached over her shoulder towards the buttons sewn along the back of her dress, fiddling for several moments before finally popping one out after the other. She slid off the dress and the thin layer of bandages, she took a moment to examine the pale flesh of her stomach. The area that had been previously bleeding had stopped, leaving behind a thin crusty trail of dried blood that outlined the wound and the skin around it.
She lifted one foot into the basin before following it with the other, and sat down one the wooden floor. A gasp of surprise escaped her throat as the hot water sloshed against her skin, but it ended as more of a moan of pleasure. Juvia echoed the strange sound with a chuckle, before approaching her and picking up a cloth that was laid over the basin's side.
Juvia bent over and picked up a pale bar from the ground, rubbing it against the cloth until a white froth caked the surface. Levy wasn't sure what the bar was, but it smelled unexplainably good. She held her hand out towards the cloth when Juvia moved forward to wash her hair.
"You don't have to do this, Juvia. I know how." She smiled up the girl, who returned it with a frown that had Levy wondering if she'd done something wrong.
"Juvia wanted to help, though." She pouted, staring at the cloth in her hands. "Juvia's never had a younger sister…" She trailed off, eyes still locked on the sudsy rag.
That caught Levy off guard. A tiny chuckle of laughter to escape her lips, what a strange thought that was. It was also strange how she went from composed and serious to a child younger than Levy herself. She turned back around and could almost feel Juvia's happiness as she felt her hands push her head back into the water.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Juvia's hands scrub and massage her scalp, she had never bathed in hot water before. During the warmer seasons she would bathe in a pond a ways off from her home, and in the winter her mother had her fill a bucket of snow and heat over a fire until it reached a lukewarm temperature and she could wash her face and hair with that.
"Why don't you tell me about yourself, Miss Levy."
"Levy's fine, Juvia, there's no need for formalities." She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, where cracks snaked across the surface like a river, her eyes traced each of the cracks and as she tried to think of what to say. "My father was a scribe, he would translate and record runes of different languages. We only had a few books though, he taught how to read using those when he wasn't busy. Most of the time I was with my mother, though, she was always having me sweep the floor and prepare supper." Her mind traveled to those times as she spoke, she could still remember her father's hands stained with ink, and her mother's long blue hair tied back as she scrubbed all traces of grime out of old pots.
"It sounds like Levy preferred reading." Juvia's soft voice rang in her ear, drawing her out of her dream. She craned her neck back as Juvia rinsed out her hair. Juvia's hand found her back, gently pushing her back into a sitting position before she began to ring out her hair.
"I was, um, pretty sickly when I was a baby. I came too early and my parents thought I wouldn't make it through my first night, Mother nearly died too. I got better but Mother still didn't like me leaving the house until I was almost seven, she was so worried I'd get sick again if I was exposed to anything. So when I wasn't cleaning Father would let me watch him work and he started to teach me after a while. We read those stories over and over and never got tired of it. He was going to teach me other languages, too. It was so much fun being with him." Her voice shook as tears welled up behind her eyes and blurred her vision. Her throat tightened until she couldn't even form words and she sobbed quietly into her hands.
Juvia's hands had untangled themselves from her hair, and Levy glanced over her shoulder through teary eyes. Juvia stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before grasping her by the shoulders and pulling her into a tight embrace. Levy was completely stiff for a moment, her knees pressed against the tub's side, she relaxed and rested her chin on her shoulder.
After the embrace Juvia helped her out of the bath and back into her clothes. Levy noticed that parts of her wound were flaking, revealing a new layer of soft pink skin. Juvia informed her that was good news since the skin looked healthy with no signs of infection present. Her old dress clung stubbornly to her damp skin as Juvia pulled it over her head. They left the room together and headed back towards her room, hand in hand. When they reached it Juvia left only to rejoin her several minutes later, with new clothes and some more bandages just in case.
The light blue dress was a better fit, it still felt loose but there was no need to roll up the sleeves since they reached just before her elbows. Tiny golden designs were embroidered along the neckline, as was the hem of the skirt. A strip of black fabric still remained on her bed. She had assumed it was a sash for her waist but it wasn't long enough.
"For Levy's hair, when it dries." Juvia explained. Levy nodded, reaching out to grasp the silk fabric. "Juvia should be going but she'll check up on Levy later," she smiled at her before opening the door. "Juvia will tell someone to bring you dinner." She said before leaving.
Levy fiddled with the fabric in her hands. She liked Juvia. She was a strange girl but that was good, how boring life would be without strangeness. She wanted to laugh at that thought, her life was anything but dull at this point. She pushed back her bangs until they laid as obediently as they would allow along her scalp, tying them in place with the headband before they had a chance to fall back into their usual place hanging over her eyes like a cerulean curtain.
Her dinner was served to her, a roll and a large helping of mutton. She was to it that it was gone in seconds. She splayed out on the bed, revelling in the softness of the quilt on her skin, smiling to herself. It had been a good day, she decided. She closed her eyes, suddenly very drowsy.
She woke to the sound of a door closing. She sat up immediately, wondering if perhaps breakfast was there for her. There was no knew food, though, and her dishes from earlier were still on the table. She ran a hand over her hair, the damp strands reassured her she hadn't been sleeping long.
Something caught the corner of her eye. She looked over towards her table, while it was empty, besides her dishes, the chair definitely wasn't. Three familiar rectangular shapes piled on top of each other now occupied the stool.
She almost fell out of the bed getting out, scrambling into the correct position before she splayed out on the floor like the bear rug she had spotted on her walk with Juvia. She clumsily staggered over towards the table and fell to her knees in front of the chair. Three books, each with a similar dark leather cover, now occupied themselves on the stools circular surface. She carefully ran a hand over them, like they precious glass that would break at the slightest slip of hand.
She recalled the books her father had given her to read, old and torn with some words so faded you'd have to shove your faces in the pages to make it out. So different from the shininess of the leather that these books possessed. She gathered them into her arms, hugging them to her chest. Who could have given her these? She smiled, of course, there was only one person who possibly could've.
Thank you, Juvia.