Her Faithful Shadow
Lady Countryrose
Ch. 10
Everyone had gathered around Lacy's kitchen table. Surprisingly it was Bickslow. Who was cooking for everyone, while Evergreen watched over his shoulder. Making sure he was putting together the right foods that would go together.
Lucy was sitting next to her sister with a worried look in her eyes. "Sorry that you had to get fired, knowing that we were coming."
Lacy waved her hand, letting Lucy know to drop it as she took a drink of her tea. "Stop Lucy, it was bound to happen." Her eyes were pleading for her to understand. "Everyone tends to fear my gifts more than anything." She placed her cup down, as she glanced into it. Hoping to be able to see what fate had in store for her. "Father was the only man, who didn't."
Lucy smiled, "Did you know anything about a clock, which I had to solve…?" She gave a thoughtful look for a moment. "About a few months ago."
The red-headed woman smiled, "I knew of it but it wasn't anything father wanted me to solve." She shook her head. "You know, he never gave up hope on you." Seeing the surprised look in the blonde's eyes. "Knowing that Fairy Tail was the guild that gave his daughter a backbone."
"I had gotten his letter," Lucy nodded. She glanced up towards her sister. "Why didn't come and see me?"
"I did." Seeing the confused look, not just on Lucy's face but also the others. "I think it was right after the Grand Magic Games that I came to your guild. It was lively," she giggled.
She remembered walking through the doors of the guild. People drinking, shouting. Even outdoing each other with some kind of strength or magic. Lacy had hoped that she would run into her sister, without having to take another day off work to do it. But she had found no such luck, as she glanced throughout the lively guild.
"I talked with barmaid that day. She said that you had some issues with your keys...or something close to that." Lacy saw understanding in her sister's eyes. "So what happened, the Spirit World went to war or something?"
The blonde woman glanced down with sadness in her eyes. "That's pretty close to what had happened…" Her brown eyes nearly teared up when they glanced into the red head's blue-green eyes. "My keys got corrupted after the Eclipse Gate, causing every one of them to go dark…" She shook her head. "It was hard seeing them like that, it pained me."
Bickslow laughed in the background, "From what I've heard from Gajeel. Nearly everyone turned into star clusters."
Freed turned towards his friend after seeing the uncomfortable look in Lucy's eyes. "That's not funny, Bickslow. How would you like seeing your friends be possessed by your magic without your consent?"
"Now you put it that way," stated the foolish looking knight. "My bad…"
Lacy felt bad for bringing something dark that happened to her sister's keys. Then someone popped into her head that caused her to ask, "Can I see my water spirit?"
The blonde woman gasped. Nearly forgetting that one over spirits was her sister's favorite. "I don't know Lacy…"
"Please Lucy," her voice sounding a bit of a plea. The tone of voice that she always used when they were younger.
"Grrrr," Lucy glared at her once younger sister. "Have I told you that I hate you?"
Everyone in the room; who weren't the sisters, were shocked. They never heard or seen Lucy be hateful towards anyone. Then again; it might because of the mermaid, who washes Lucy away a lot of times.
Lacy gave a cheeky smile, "We all know that you could never hate anyone." Her voice brightened, then her eyes became dark as she shivered. "Unless it's the sickly duke that father tried to marry you off." She shivered from her chair. "Yuck, I was happy when father went into bankruptcy before marrying me off." Causing her to shiver even more.
"Who did father…?"
Lacy shook her head. "Lucy…," she growled out.
"It couldn't be that bad." She then saw the look in her sister's eyes and saw fear behind them. "Lacy," she asked with worry in her voice.
"H...have you...heard of," her eyes teared up. "...of Lahar?"
"WHAT," cried out everyone in the little house.
"Yeah," she squeaked. "Father got into a lot of trouble over Phantom Lord issue; with you, Lucy. It was enough that he was losing his business partners. After hearing from the Rune Knights coming to the house. Father was going to throw me to Lahar to sweep the issue under the rug."
Laxus had been quiet up to that moment. "What did the four-eyed sourpuss had to say?"
"I won't soil my hard work image on children." She giggled softly. "I never thought I would be pleased after hearing such words from him." Lacy gave a haunting smile. "Told father that not even a marriage contract would erase his wrongdoings."
Everyone was beside themselves. As they heard what Lacy was telling her sister about their father. It was enough to cause a few to want to hit something. Or in Bickslow's case, something more drastic than that.
"Wow," gasped Lucy. "With all the run-ins we've had with him. I would never have thought that I might want to hug the man."
Lacy glanced around for a moment. "Can you please bring Aquarius out, please? I would like to see her again."
"Oh," Lucy glanced around for a moment. "Do you have a place big enough to summon her...that's not in the house?"
"Yeah, I have a stream...just in the back." Lacy had gotten to her feet and grabbed Lucy before dragging her out back, where a stream ran across in the back area.
The blonde woman glanced at her sister before kneeling in front of the moving water. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her beating heart. Knowing that whenever she called her spirit, something usually goes bad. With one more glanced towards her sister, she knew she needed to do this for her. So without another thought, she called out for her water spirit.
"What do you want BRAT," the blue mermaid called to the small blonde woman.
"Aqua," cried out Lacy before rushing towards the spirit at a full run. Causing the angered mermaid to turn before being tackled to the ground.
"Lacy," asked the mermaid in disbelief, before looking towards Lucy. She wrapped her arms around the woman in her arms with tears in her eyes. After a few moments of allowing their tears to leak out of their eyes, Aquarius pulled the woman. "You've grown...beautifully."
"Aqua," gasped Lacy as more tears leaked out of her eyes. "I missed you...I wish father didn't chase Lucy away." She glanced down as despair came out of her voice. "I wish I was able to talk to you...during the years that you were all gone."
"I heard," growled the blue mermaid. "I didn't understand that it was you that was talking to Lucy… But I heard what Jude had done." She shook her head. "If that man was around...I don't think the king would have stopped me from killing him."
Tears leaked out of her eyes as she glanced at her mother figure. Even though as a child, Lacy knew that she was a spirit that only Lucy could call out. "You know, I've been so angry with you, Lucy."
Lucy gasped, she didn't know that Lacy had issues with her. Sure she knew that she wasn't the most loving sister. But she had no idea that Lacy was angry with her.
She turned to see her sister with sorrow eyes. "I hated that you didn't want to spend time with me." Lucy's heart nearly broke, after hearing what she had done. "You didn't allow Aqua to come out that often. And lastly, I hated that you left me with father…"
Lucy came and wrapped her own arms around Lacy, allowing Aquarius to hug both of them. "I'm sorry too, Lacy." The blonde was shaking from the things that she learned. "If only I had known, I would have taken you with me."
It was at that moment that Freed and Bickslow came out to where the girls were. Still hugging one another with the water spirit with them. If the guys were, to be honest, which may not happen often. But they were intimidated by her, because of the glare she gave them as they made their way closer to them.
"Well girls," stated the mermaid, causing everyone to focus on her for a moment. "I enjoyed the family gets together, but I need to get back… This would have been the only time I've held on a date with Scorpio." She saw the happiness that she saw within their eyes. "But I'm willing to come out again...soon. Maybe a girls day?"
Lucy smile, causing a bit of tears to leak out. "I would like that," she then glanced at Lacy. Seeing that her eyes had popped, making her laugh. "Oh, I would like that indeed!"
"I'm glad to see you two together again," her smile brightened as she noticed that both of them had smiled warmly. "I'll see you soon." With a swirl of gold sparkling light, she was gone.
"Are you alright," asked Lucy with a broken sounding voice. As she tried not to cry any more than she had.
"Yeah," stated Lacy, as she battled the same thing.
Bickslow and Freed glanced at one another. Before wrapping their arms around their desired girls. Lacy was surprised to find a man wrapping his arms around her. She glanced towards Lucy to see that she had a smile. Letting Lacy know that she was in good hands.
"Dinner is about ready," stated Bickslow, as he was trying to lead them back into the house.
The girls allowed the guys to lead them back inside and into their seats. Evergreen had started dishing the meal out to everyone. After dinner; everyone, even Lacy exited the house to hunt down the dark mages. The Fairy Tail mages had allowed her to lead them where she believed that the dark mages would hit. Since she had lived in the area, at least that was what Laxus had made them believe anyway.
She had led them to the edge of town that she had known them to have entered. She glanced around, seeing that the sun has already made its way over the mountains.
"They should be within the hour," she stated as her eyes glanced across the treeline in front of her.
Bickslow had been at her side, nearly most of the night. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. "I'll stay close to you. I wouldn't want to get harm by working alongside us."
She gave him a look that told many that she wasn't sure about him. Then she turned her eyes towards her sister with a raised eyebrow. "Sister," she asked with a hint of uneasiness to it.
Lucy giggled, "Don't worry, Lacy. Bickslow is harmless." She saw the glare coming from the man in question, making her giggle even harder. "But he tends to get into people's bubbles without meaning to."
Evergreen sighed as she walked up to them, hitting Bickslow in the back of his head with her fan. (Ouch!) "I swear, I can't take you anywhere." She shook her head before turning toward the red-headed woman with a smile. "He just doesn't know how to express his feelings without hanging all over a woman."
"Feelings," squeaked Lacy with uneasiness before looking into the man's eyes. At least she tried with the visor on his face. "But you don't know anything about me!"
Laxus chuckled from where he stood, while his eyes raked across the forest around them. "It doesn't matter to Bickslow. If he believes you're worth his time. He'll invest his time with you." He then glanced towards the group around him. "I hear someone coming…"
Lucy, Lacy, and Bickslow stood behind everyone else. Getting ready for the upcoming attack. They were no longer going to use the blonde woman as bait, not after seeing the anger coming off of her husband.
They heard footsteps. Telling the Fairy Tail mages that there was definitely more. Than one person coming towards them. From the sound of things, they were not hiding the fact that they were coming.
When the footsteps became louder and louder. Until a group of people came out of the forest and into their line of sight. The group of five people in dark clothes, shown themselves. Each one of them with a wild look in their eyes. Letting the Fairy Tail mages know that they had found those that they were looking for.
"The Heartfilia girls," stated a deep dark voice. Causing the two girls to look at each other with worry in their eyes. "One that hasn't changed, while the other had grown gracefully…" The voiced chuckled darkly. While his green eyes shone with hunger in them.
"Lucy," whispered Lacy with fear in her voice. She had never had to go up against people like them before.
"There is a price on your heads," the man spoke again, causing cold chills to run down everyone's spines. "That's why we've been hunting keys, opening to draw at least one of you out." He glanced towards the light mages before him. "But I wasn't expecting for you to have company."
Laxus growled but glanced towards his friend beside him. "What do you think Freed?" It was then he saw that his friend was struggling to keep his right state of mind.
"Fight...now," the minted-haired man struggled to speak. "Talk...later." Just after he spoke, his darkness took over and threw himself into the fight.
It was then that everyone had found themselves going into battle. Lacy stayed between Lucy and Bickslow, who one had whipped anyone had gotten close. While the other had sicked his totems around them.
While the two were busy with their own opponent, one of the dark mages had gotten close and tried to grabbed Lacy. It was when she stepped hard on the man's foot before going after him with a punch into the stomach. Causing the man to fall to the ground. Lacy glared at the man until an arm wrapped around her waist. She tried to get out of the hold until she heard a voice, "It's me, Lacy."
The red-haired woman glanced over her shoulder and saw the foolish knight at her side. Causing her to take a deep breath. "Sorry," she gasped out.
"It's alright," he chuckled. He brought her closer, seeing that all the dark mages were being tied up. Bickslow gave a peck on her forehead, feeling relieved that she was alright.
"Bickslow, Freed. Take the girls back to the house," ordered Laxus, as he looked around. "We'll call the Rune Knights and we'll meet up after we're done here."
"Will you and Evergreen be alright," asked Freed as he shook off of his darkness form.
"Just go," piped up Evergreen, as she hit one of the mages with her fan. "We can handle things from here."
"Alright," sighed Bickslow. He leaned into Lacy, whispering, "I'm glad she's hitting them and not me."
Lacy giggled as she tried to hid her lips behind her hand. "You're affel."
Freed shook his head, as he walked towards the three with a smile. "Come, love," he glanced towards Lucy, as he took her hand. "Let's get away from all this drama."
The group of four, along with the floating totems had made it back to Lacy's house. Where they sat around the sitting room. Lacy allowed Bickslow to hold her since she was having a hard time dealing with the night's events.
"So," breathed Bickslow. "Where did you learn to fight?" He was trying to get her mind off of what happened. It wouldn't do her well to remember much of what happened.
"Father," Lacy answered with a small smile. "I was only able to learn the basics." She took a deep breath, as she lost herself in her mind with memories. "He believed that his daughters had to at least get themselves out of trouble." She shook her head and laughed. "His eyes popped out. When he found out that I was able to do the basics within a couple of weeks."
Lucy gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry Lacy...father wanted us to protect ourselves to a point." She shook her head, allowing a sigh to leave her lips. "He never wanted us to travel the world...to find ourselves."
Freed smiled fondly towards the blonde woman. "Don't allow it to eat you alive, my love." He kissed her forehead. "Don't allow the past to overshadow your happiness for the future."
"You're right, Freed." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, allowing him to hold her close to him. She glanced towards her sister, seeing her being a little uneasy. But also trying to feel comfortable being in Bickslow's arms. "I just wish for her happiness," she whispered to where only Freed could hear her.
As the four sat around the sitting room. They didn't have to wait long until Laxus and Evergreen had come back. Stating that the dark mages were handed over to the Rune Knights. All agreed that Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow will go to the hotel, while the rest would stay at Lacy's for the night. Agreeing that they will head back to Magnolia after seeing the mayor in the morning.