Oh. My. Gosh. My Flash drive corrupted and now I'm rewriting chapter 7. Ugh. So sorry in advance that it took so long, I was trying to recover the documents. *mentally crying because that was an especially well-written chapter.*
Okay, well thank goodness I have a pretty good memory. Here goes nothing. Chapter 7, take 2.
Lucy's POV
"I still don't get why we couldn't just take the train." I grumble, kicking a pebble and causing it to skitter down the dusty road. With a big sigh, I keep trudging along.
My pink-haired companion blanches, looking down at the road in front of us. "Takes less time. Besides, walking is good for you."
"It so does not take less time, you dimwit. The train station is three minutes away." Sometimes I wonder if Natsu loves to annoy me, or if he really is just super dense. "And it will take us forever to walk all ten miles!"
He just crosses his arms. "Yeah, but this way no one will recognize you!"
"You didn't seem too worried about that when we went to town for the festival."
With an eye roll, he groans. "Jeez. Did a little walking ever kill anyone?"
As realization dawns on me, I abruptly step in front of him, causing him to bump into me.
"Hey! What's the big deal?!" He gives me a puzzled look.
I stare him down, almost laughing but catching myself. "You're afraid of trains!"
His eyes widen, and he laughs nervously. "What makes you think that?"
I grin, feeling very accomplished. "Why don't you like trains? Do you get claustrophobic? That would make sense, after all you are a dragon. No, nevermind, that wouldn't make sense…do you just not like people? No, not that…" I trail off, and realize that I've been rambling. As I tick off options in my head, one stands out. "Aha! I've got it! You get motion sickness!"
He splutters, stumbling away from me. "Wh-What!? Me? Motion sick? Woman, I am a dragon. Dragons are the most feared beasts to ever walk the earth. Dragons do not get motion sickness."
I laugh out loud. His reaction sealed my theory perfectly. "Natsu Dragneel getting motion sickness! Who would've thought!"
"Shut it, princess. I so do not." He sticks his tongue out in a very mature manner.
"Yeah, okay. You keep saying that."
He scowls at me, scrunching up his eyebrows so they meet. "Come on. Let's get moving."
"Aww, look who's all grumpy now." I tease, poking him in the side. I'm glad for the distraction from my chafing feet and the hot sun.
"I am not grumpy."
"Sure you aren't, Dragon-boy."
He stops to look at me for a second, then grins mischievously. "Alright, that's it!"
Before I can ask him what he means, he swings me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and takes off.
I scream."AAAAAAGGGHHHH NAAAAAATTTTTSSSUUUUUUU PUUUUUUUTTTT MEEE DOOOWWWNNNN!"
I can hear him laughing now, and I pound a fist into his back. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
He's still laughing after he puts me down. Now it's my turn to glare at him. "You idiot."
"Aw, come on Luce. That was funny." He puts both hands on his knees, taking a deep breath. "But jeez, I didn't know princesses were so heavy."
"You're lucky I haven't strangled you half to death by now." I inform him, resisting the urge to kick him all the way to Magnolia.
He laughs again. "I'd like to see you try."
His smile is contagious, and before I know what happened, I'm giggling too. But I resolve to get my payback later.
It takes us two hours to finally arrive in Magnolia, a large town filled with colorful shops and people. I immediately take a liking to it and its lively atmosphere. After a short walk Natsu stops in front of a pub, showcasing an old sign that reads Fairy Tail.
"This used to be our guild hall, until the army came and disbanded the guild. But most of us regrouped once everything settled down, and we've been meeting in the basement of the pub ever since." Natsu explains, shouldering his pack. "C'mon. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone!"
The second I'm through the doors, I regret my decision. There are people everywhere, crowded into booths, sitting at the counter, shouting across the room at a young, beautiful girl with white hair, who carries trays back and forth between the tables. At least half of the people are drunk, singing loudly and arguing over pointless little things.
Natsu sees my apprehension, and just grins, reading my mind. "Actually, this isn't the guild. This is the bar that Mira and Lisanna run, to disguise the actual guild. Everyone is downstairs."
He looks across the crowded room. "Oi, Mira! Over here!"
The girl spots us, and smiles brightly, making her way through the pools of alcohol and drunken men. "Natsu! You're back!"
She reaches us, and her smile grows when she sees me standing next to him. I notice her rather large and round belly, but don't inquire. "You must be Lucy! I'm MiraJane Dreyer, but everyone just calls me Mira."
I like her. "It's great to meet you, Mira."
Her great blue eyes twinkle warmly. "Come on! I'll introduce you to the guild. I'm sure it'll be a relief to be among other females after spending all your time with Natsu and Happy."
Natsu blinks, slightly offended, but I just giggle and give Mira a grateful nod.
We follow her behind the crowded bar to a drab little door. It looks just like a pantry or a cupboard, and when she opens it, that's exactly what I see: a rather large pantry. She slips inside and shuts the door once we're both through, and then feels along the wall to find some hidden lever. I hear a loud click, and the far wall slides away to reveal a dark staircase.
"I know it seems a little much, but you'd be surprised how many times we get searched by the military." She chimes.
I shiver as I walk down the stairwell, being careful with my steps. At one point, Natsu bumps into me in the pitch black.
"Hey! Careful!" I protest.
"Hurry up! Jeez." He complains in reply.
Somewhere further down the stairs, I hear Mira giggle.
When she opens the door at the bottom, a flood of blinding light fills my vision for several seconds. As my eyes adjust, I gasp.
I was expecting a dank, dark cellar with a single lamp and a few chairs. What greets me is a whole different setting.
It's a great big meeting hall, complete with a bar, stools, and wooden tables everywhere. The Fairy Tail emblem is displayed proudly on a banner hung from the rafters, and even though I don't see any lights, the whole room is well lit, as if by magic.
Sitting here and there are twenty or so people, lounging around the tables or drinking at the bar.
Natsu bursts through the door behind me, a big grin plastered on his face. "Guess who's back!"
Everyone looks up, and I blush at being stared at by everyone.
"Natsu! It's been a while, eh?" Some older guy calls from the bar.
"Where've ya been?"
"Who's your girlfriend?" Another jeers. I do a double take. The guy who spoke has a face covered in piercings, and long, unruly black hair. To be honest, he terrifies me, but he has his arm around a tiny blue-haired girl who looks perfectly fine.
Natsu just takes it in stride. "Lucy's not my girlfriend. She's just the princess."
I feel my cheeks flush. "Oh, sure. Just tell everyone." I hiss, purposefully stepping on his foot.
"Just the princess?!" A brunette girl in a bikini top looks up, flabbergasted, from her drink. Judging by the size of the mug, she looks like she can hold her liquor.
The blue haired girl stands up, letting the scary man's arm fall away from her tiny shoulders. "Oh, C'mon, you guys. Where are your manners?" She walks up to us with a friendly smile. "Hi, Lucy! I'm Levy Mcgarden. You'll have to excuse my guildmates, it's not every day we're visited by a princess."
I smile softly, unsure of what to say. "Nice to meet you, Levy."
I look around to see that everyone has turned back to their conversations, leaving me feeling a little more comfortable.
"So I hear you're staying with Natsu, right? How'd a royal like you end up there?" She asks.
"Now, Levy. Don't be nosy!" Mira reprimands from where she stands behind the bar.
"I don't mind. To answer your question, I ran away from home. Natsu found me a while ago and I've been staying in his castle ever since." I explain.
"Wow! You ran away?! That's so brave! I'll bet the whole army is after you!" She exclaims. "Why did you run away in the first place?"
I hesitate, my breath catching in my throat. Her bright eyes grow wide when I don't answer right away.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess that's kind of a personal question, right?"
"No, no it's okay. The king arranged a marriage between me and a prince, who was awful and cruel. So I ran. My dad is a tyrant, I don't miss him. And after everything I've learned, it's no wonder everyone hates him so much."
Levy gives me a sympathetic look. "Well, I gotta say, you were pretty brave to leave like that."
I open my mouth to let out a humble thank you, when a loud crash interrupts me.
"Oi, Gajeel! Fight me!" I suddenly hear Natsu shouting from across the room.
"Umm…what?" I gape, looking at Levy to see her reaction.
"I'm not gonna fight you, idiot. Not everyone constantly wants to throw down, you know!" Gajeel-who I guess is the intimidating guy with the piercings-shoots back.
"Oh, yeah? Well how about if I smash your face in, huh? Will you fight me then?" He yells, setting his fist on fire.
Gajeel stands up, going head to head with the pink-haired dragon-boy. "No! I won't fight you! I'll smash your thick skull!"
I am at a loss for words, but Levy just laughs as if the two men fighting is the most normal thing in the world. "Since Gray isn't here to spar with Natsu, He and Gajeel are always fighting."
"You mean to tell me this is normal?"
"Yeah, pretty much. They're both dragons so they tend to be pretty destructive." She tells me.
"Oh, and who's this Gray person? Is he member of your guild?" I ask.
Mira walks over, carrying a tray, and hands me a cup of tea. "Gray is Natsu's best friend, even though neither will admit it. He's working undercover as a guard in the palace, with Erza. She's another guild member."
I think through all the guards that I knew growing up. Were there any named Gray?
"I met her the other day." I say, remembering the scary red-haired woman. "She's pretty hard to forget."
Levy smiles. "Come on! I'll introduce you to everyone."
She drags me around the guild hall, and I meet the girl in the bikini top, whose name is Cana. While she might be kind of rude, she's pretty friendly. I decide that I like her. Next is Lisanna, who greets me with a warm hug and empathizes with me about the cons of living in a huge castle with no one but Natsu and Happy for company. She promises to come visit when she can, and reminds me to stop by any time, for any reason. Names float through my mind. Fried, Elfman, Loke, Bisca, Droy, Macao and his son, Romeo. Everyone seems so friendly. Except one, that is.
"So you're the princess, eh? Well if you ever get back home, give your old man the finger for me, okay? And you'd better not blow our cover, or I'll leave you wishing you were dead." Says Laxus, a grumpy blonde guy with a nasty scar over his eye. I find him a lot scarier than Gajeel.
"Oh, okay then." I stammer, and wish Levy would have steered me away from him.
"Laxus, be nice." A cheerful voice says from behind us. I turn to see Mira walking up to the three of us, and watch in amazement as Laxus goes from grouchy to almost kindly. I finally make the connection between MiraJane's swollen belly and the scary man in front of me.
Mira smiles as always, moving to hug Laxus from the side. "You'll have to excuse my husband, he doesn't really like newcomers."
I gape in shock. How could Mira—who is possibly the nicest person I've met in a long time—marry someone like Laxus, who seems to be the exact opposite?
But the way he looks at her protectively confirms beyond a doubt that they love each other, so I guess that makes up for it.
Without warning, a big, heavy shape flies into me, knocking me off of my feet. I land hard on the floor and look up, very annoyed, to see nothing but a mess of pink hair.
"Get off of me, you big lug." I grunt, unable to breathe, and with half a mind to kick him all the way back across the room.
Natsu rolls off of me, looking apologetic. "Oops! Sorry Luce!"
"Natsu, play nice." Levy calls. "Hey, Gajeel! Come here for a second!"
The big guy with the piercings has somehow turned his skin to metal and looks like he is in full battle mode, but he retracts his metal claws and his skin turns back to normal when he hears Levy. "Fine, but just for a sec. I've got to finish creaming the pyro."
"Lucy, this is my boyfriend, Gajeel."
She tells me, gesturing at the man. Another unlikely couple.
Gajeel grins. When he speaks, his voice is rough and grating. "You're Natsu's girl, huh? Well if Levy thinks you're cool, I guess I can overlook that. Welcome to Fairy Tail, princess."
I bristle a little at the title of 'Natsu's girl,' but I shrug it off. Overall, Fairy Tail seems like a pretty great group of people.
"Oh, I forgot!" Natsu stands, brushing off his vest. "Where's gramps? I need to talk to him about something."
"Right here, Natsu." Someone says from the doorway. I look to see a short old man. Behind him are a blue-haired girl, maybe 14, a white she-cat, and Happy, who flew ahead of us to do some things.
"Hey, gramps! Wendy, Carla." Natsu greets them. "Gramps, do you have a moment?"
The old man waves a hand. "Come on into my office, child." He says. "Bring the princess, too."
I exchange a glance with Natsu, and he grins. "Come on, princess!"
I follow him into a small back room, with a desk and a few chairs. I sit next to Natsu on the couch.
The master gives me a smile. "Hello, your highness. Erza has told me about you. Welcome to Fairy Tail, I'm Master Makarov."
I smile in return. "You can just call me Lucy. I'm not really the princess anymore."
He nods. "Natsu?"
"Right. The reason that we came here today was to warn you about increased patrols in this area." The dragon-boy says, getting right to the point. "The King is trying to find both of us. Just the other day, my castle was searched by soldiers."
The master raises two white, bushy eyebrows. "And did they see Lucy?"
Natsu shakes his head. "No. We hid in the dungeons. They maybe found a few belongings, but nothing that would give us away. Not unless they were using some kind of tracking magic, which I doubt they would. There aren't too many mages in the army anymore."
He strokes his mustache thoughtfully. "But they'll be back."
"I know. Which is why I'm asking Fried to set up a magic security enchantment around the estate."
"A smart move. I just hope Erza has enough influence to keep most of the army away from this region. King Jude is going full force in this operation. He never did do anything halfway."
"You act like you know him." I say. Porlyusica and her friendship with my mother comes to mind.
He chuckles in the way that only old people can. "Your father and I were good friends in our younger years. He and Layla were closely associated with Fairy Tail at one point."
"What happened?" I ask.
He shuts his eyes tightly. "Layla was put under a curse by a dark guild. Jude called upon one of our best mages to break the curse, but it did no good. Layla died, and Jude was never the same man. It was a tragedy, and he blames us for it. All of us."
"Oh." I breath, remembering the death of my mother and the toll it took on my father.
"Thanks for the heads up, Natsu. We'll have to keep a lookout for soldiers." Makarov says.
"Good." Natsu's expression is serious.
Back in the guild hall, we say goodbye to everyone. I'm glad I got to meet them all, and Levy tells me that she'll drop by to chat sometime. By the time we get back, I feel a little less alone in the world.
But despite my newly formed friendships, there is a knot forming in my stomach. I can't escape the feeling that I'm not safe, and I never will be safe. Everyone around me is in danger, because it's only a matter of time. He'll find me.
It won't be long
So…yeah. This was kind of a filler chapter because I wanted to introduce Lucy to the guild. Things are a little less crazy without Erza and Gray around, but they'll come in later in the story.
What did you think of the MiraxLaxus pairing? I was pretty hesitant to use it because it's not canon and I personally prefer CanaxLaxus, but I figured more people ship them. Anyways, since it's not a huge part of the story I'm not too worried about it.
Once again I apologize for this taking so long. Not only did my flash drive corrupt, but I lost it too. Add in some good-old writers block, and it's amazing I even got this done. My entire chapter-by-chapter plot is gone, which is pretty much the lifeline for the whole story. I managed to redo most of it by memory, (thank god I have photographic memory), and that was today, so I finished this really fast. I still can't find my flash drive but it's okay because I rewrote all the important documents, so no more setbacks. (Unless water spills on this laptop or something, I think if that happened I would just go die.)
So yeah. Just a week in the life of a writer.
Thanks for reading!
