Sitting in the very corner where she'd run from the evening before, Lucy stared at the clock with her book resting on her lap. The other's were gathered around the piano watching as Éclair danced and sang to the melody being played.
Natsu seemed to enjoy her company.
I wanted to run from the room. From Fairy Tail. From everything that reminded me of him. I wanted to Cry out "Why do you punish me when all I did was love you?"
The two began to dance together with everyone else admiring them. Wendy, of course, had also taken refuge at the table of sweets but was watching with a lauding look at the couple. Everyone was.
It was torcher to listen to them sing together, but when the other guest requested a game, Lucy had to walk around the room to cool herself off when Éclair and Natsu decided to play as a team.
The game started harmlessly. Two people pantomimed an action or thing, and the others had to guess what it was. A couple had to act out a cat catching a fish, a horse pulling a carriage, and one about the story of Noah's Ark.
But when it was Natsu's turn, Lucy could help but try guessing herself for no other reason then there was no other way to pass the time. Or at least that's what she told herself.
He came up with Éclair, who draped a white table cloth over her head. The two put their hand together and stared out vacantly.
"Praying?" Éclair's mother asked.
"Yes, but why?" Natsu said, and he and Éclair did another pose, one where he was kissing her hand.
"Wedding?" A man asked.
"Almost there," Éclair laughed heartedly.
A man who was playing around indecently with a woman? Lucy thought to herself. A man who wanted to marry a girl with money and beauty. Oh, she could have gone on and on, with guesses like a couple going to church, no, on second thought it was a little too bold for that. A man in love? Ha! Natsu in love, didn't he think such a thing ludicrous?
"A um, happy couple?" Someone shouted.
"Yes!" Both Natsu and Éclair said, giggling and laughing, as the others clapped for the winner who guessed right.
Lady Éclair's mother waved over one of her other daughters. Speaking over the others, she said. "Three months and there will be a wedding. You have my word."
Did these people not see Lucy? She seemed to hear everything they wanted to discuss quietly, everything that made her feel like screaming.
It wasn't till the late afternoon that the party finally started to die down and the guest all began to talk while enjoying refreshments, their voices jolly, but soft. It was amazing how much they seemed to chat, considering some of their voices sounded hoarse. It was a joyous sight to see Natsu started to spend a little more time with Wendy by his side, but didn't stray far from his guest.
Lucy began to sketch to pass the time, but even her dedication to blocking out the party couldn't prevent her, and everyone else, from hearing Porlyusica call out, "Sire Dragneel," Following behind her was a giant of a man. He towered over all the guest; even the doorway was to low for him to pass through without crouching down. The male's hair was pure white styled upwards with spikes, his eyes dark. He was all muscle, yet didn't look menacing at all.
"Master Elfman has come from the city to see you."
The room grew quiet, and Lucy dared look up from her sketching and nearly choked. Natsu didn't look all that happy to see Elfman. In fact, his eyes burned with hatred. But he got up and shook hands with the man.
He turned to the others and excused himself, leading the giant of a man out of the room.
The other guest looked around helplessly. Éclair walked up to Wendy and sighed. "Well, what are we to do now?"
Lucy smiled a bit. Natsu was away from her, and she acted like a lost puppy. It was a bit amusing.
That is till a scream woke her up in the middle of the night.
Lucy had been sleeping peacefully in her room, when she heard a man scream from the floor above and a grunt that sounded like a female, only it was like an animal than a human.
She could make out someone calling out for help, obviously in distress.
Alarmingly a few minutes later, Natsu knocked on her door. "Lucy, Lucy are you awake?"
"Yes," Lucy whispered.
"Then get dressed quickly, I need your help."
Lucy did as he asked and grabbed a dress from her closet and just tossed the gown over her head. In a rush, Lucy didn't even bother with her hair, and just hurried out the door where Natsu was standing, holding a candle.
One of the doors down the hall opened, and Éclair stepped out looking as confused as Lucy.
"What's the matter? and who's screaming like that?"
Lucy glanced at Natsu, who just looked like he was dealing with something normal. "Just one of the servants. They had a bad dream and fell out of bed. I need Miss Heartfilia to help calm them down."
Lucy could almost have bought the story, Natsu didn't seem in a panic, and it made Lucy feel less scared. Only she knew what he was saying was a lie. Natsu wouldn't need her if a servant was in need of a simple thing such as comfort after a nightmare.
"Come on Lucy, Éclair you can go back to bed." Natsu took off down the hall, and Lucy followed, hearing Éclair give a huff and close her bedroom door.
The two of them climbed up to a small bedroom on the third floor, where Elfman laid on a bed bleeding from his shoulder. Lucy was frozen. What could harm such a strong looking man?
"I hope your not afraid of blood," Natsu mumbled.
Snapping into action, Lucy hurried over to Elfman's side and began to clean his wounds. Praying his cut wouldn't get infected. The giant of a man was sweaty and looked like he'd just come from a street fight.
"She...S-She bit me like some..." He shook violently as he thought back to just the hour before.
"I told you to listen." Natsu snapped. He looked ready to scream, and Lucy now noticed his disheveled hair and unbuttoned shirt.
"I-I thought I could help-"
"Well, I don't need your help!" Both Elfman and I flinched when he raised his voice. Letting out a sigh he turned and started to leave. "I'll be back with a doctor. Will you stay with him?" He asked her.
Lucy nodded. "Of course I will."
Some of the tension in Natsu's face eased. "What would I do without you, Luce."
I wanted to say, "You need not be without me," but Éclair might well become his wife.
Lucy continued to nurse Elfman, she managed to stop the bleeding in his shoulder, and after a while, the white-haired giant passed out from blood loss and exhaustion, allowing Lucy time to breathe and relax against the bedpost. The blood on her hands made them sticky, and the smell was dizzying.
The sudden flicker of a flame made Lucy gasp. She turned only to hear what seemed like footsteps, only they were slow, uneven, and appeared as if they belonged to someone of enormous size. The sounds that followed were wood creaking eerily. Alarmed, Lucy stood up, looking for the source of the sounds, and a possible weapon if she'd need any. The groans and squeals became louder as they got closer. The footsteps slowed.
They came from the hall.
Tiptoeing to the door, Lucy's blood chilled as she but barely pressed her ear to the door before the knob was turned and the lock clicked. Eyes wide, Lucy slowly backed away, making sure she stayed hidden behind the wood. Candlelight emitted from the entrance; the shadows masked an older looking woman, whose face, and head was covered by a bonnet.
With her back pressed up to the stone wall, all Lucy could do what watch as the strange person bend down next to Elfman; with one hand holding the candlestick, the other reached out to wrap around the sleeping man's neck. For a moment Lucy thought the woman was going to strangle him right there in front of her.
Should she scream? Would the woman try and kill her too? Where was Natsu?
Jerking away, the woman suddenly rushed off as if she were being chased...only there was no one else around, and Lucy swore the woman never saw her hiding behind the door.
Why had she dashed away?
Elfman's head rolled to the side from the loss of support and for a moment seemed lifeless, till Lucy saw his chest rise and fall.
Waiting a good thirty seconds before moving. She dashed to Elfman's side and checked his injuries. Relief flooded over her when he seemed perfectly fine, the cloth over his bloody wound was untouched, and his face looked relaxed.
The door swung open again. Lucy yelped, moving her body so that she stood in front of the bed, shielding off the giant from any would-be-attackers.
Natsu's browed furrowed when he saw Lucy's pale and frightened face. "What is it, Luce? What's the matter?" He set the supplied he had retrieved from the kitchen on a nearby table and held Lucy's shoulders in an effort to calm her down.
"I-I saw her," The blonde managed to say, despite her trembling lips. "She came into the room. I saw Cana Alberona, I swear. I thought she was going to kill him."
Natsu cursed under his breath. "I'm so sorry, I should have never left you alone, but you're perfectly safe, believe me."
"How can I be safe while she is left in this house? Nobody is safe while she is here; you must send her away before she does something to another poor soul."
Tugging on his coat, Natsu shook his head. "I will do something I promise, but we must get Elfman to the carriage. Can you help me?"
Nodding Lucy watched as Natsu grip Elfman's shirt, and hoisted him over his shoulder and for once she noted that Natsu looked just as afraid as she. "Come on Luce." He beckoned her towards the door.
For now, Lucy told herself, she would not worry. Elfman needs medical treatment, and Natsu looked like he was having a hard time carrying him. She would have to ask Natsu about Cana later and pray that she would no longer worry about the mysterious servant.
But Lucy could only see those pale fingers wrapped about Elfman's neck, and she shivered when the giant's image changed into her own.
What secrets did this house, and its lord hide?