Nunnally Wallace: The Plant Mage of Fairy Tail
Chapter 11: Time: A Reflection of Memories (1)
"A job?" Nunnally asked confused. She couldn't imagine who on earth would request her because she wasn't exactly well known to the public and there were definitely more competent and skillful members than her, so it was strange for Nunnally to be requested out of the blue.
Master Makarov then continued to explain. "It seems that one of your previous clients is having a bit of trouble and wants you to go down there as soon as possible. I believe he said that it had to do with something called Namu." Makarov mulled over as he tried to remember the exact details.
Nunnally stood frozen in shock. 'Namu?' She thought worried. Namu was the guardian of Elysium Forest. A deity that unintentionally caused trouble for the people of Elysium Town until Nunnally and Laxus stepped in. Now something going on with that same deity, and Nunnally couldn't help but have a feeling of dread as she worried about Namu.
As Nunnally worried, Laxus glanced at her with a slightly sympathetic look. It had been almost a year since that day. Even though that deer ticked Laxus off, he couldn't help but feel a bit grateful to him. Because if it weren't for Namu, he probably wouldn't have fallen for Nunnally like he did. Namu was the reason why they went to Elysium in the first place after all.
"Well you'll be able to get the details when you head over there tomorrow. You should just rest for today; you've only just got back." Makarov said without too much worry, for he didn't know the true nature of the job.
Upon hearing this, Nunnally tried her hardest to get out a response without raising too much suspicion of her worries. "Yes, Master..." She said putting on her usual, shy smile.
The next morning, Nunnally was aboard a train with Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe. She asked Laxus if he could go with her since they had been there together before. The real reason was that she didn't know what to expect. Things could end up being more than Nunnally could handle by herself, and she wouldn't know what to do if something terrible happened to Namu. The reason for the Thunder God Tribe's being there was because of something else entirely. They have never taken on a job with Nunnally and Laxus at the same time before and wanted to use this opportunity.
All five of them sat together in one compartment with Bickslow and Laxus on one side and Nunnally, Evergreen, and Freed on the other. Evergreen and Bickslow had their usual arguments with Freed intervening once in a while, but the despite all this noise, Nunnally stayed silent while she looked out the train window. Across from her, Laxus had been quietly seated for a while as well as he stared at her, worried about Nunnally's unusual behavior.
As she quietly sat by the window, Nunnally began to remember things that she had long forgotten. Memories that she wished she had forgotten...
Nine years prior to our current story, lived a very different girl from the Nunnally we know now. Nine years ago, the Wallace Mansion stood tall and proud, and in it, a noble and prestige family that was one of the leading authorities in the Pergrande Kingdom—a large country far east of Fiore. And it was here, that Nunnally, 2nd daughter and 4th child of Grand Duke, Dimitri Wallace, lived.
Nunnally actually lived a very happy life back then, so it was hard to imagine why she would want to forget it. But certain events, however, can cause certain feelings to arise.
"Father! Father!" A young Nunnally ran across the manor's courtyard with a smile to her father and two older brothers who had just returned from inspecting the border lines on horseback.
"Nunnally!" Cyrus, the younger of the two brothers, exclaimed, stretching out his arms to her. "How is my favorite sister?" He asked as he lifted her up in his arms.
Nunnally continued smiling. "I am well, but enough about that. Did you bring me back a present?" She cutely asked him.
Her other brother, Arthur simply laughed at this. "Haha... my, my, it seems our little Nunnally looks forward to gifts more than your return Cyrus."
Arthur was the eldest son and child of the Wallace family, having been 20 years old. He was a handsome young man, and his serious nature led him to become one of his father's most trusted confidants when it came to military affairs. Cyrus, on the other hand, was still too young and inexperienced, being only 16 years old. To join the military in the Pergrande Kingdom, one must be of at least 15 years of age, but ever since Cyrus joined the ranks, he tirelessly worked to gain his father's approval but to no avail.
Cyrus looked at Arthur shocked for moment before looking back at Nunnally whom he still carried in his arms. "That's not true is it, Nunnally?" He dramatically said for laughs.
Nunnally simply looked away innocently as she answered. "Father says I do not have to answer insignating questions."
Her father joined in on the laughs as he finished dismounting his horse. "You fumbled there a bit Nunnally!" He heartily laughed. "The word you were looking for was 'instigating', but I'm impressed that you tried using it at your age! How old are you now? Five? Six?" He teased.
"Father, I am 7 years old and you know it!" Nunnally pouted upset.
"Sorry, sorry, my dear. Just having a bit of fun." Dimitri apologized to his daughter before scanning the courtyard. "Now, where is your sister, Abelia? I thought she would surely be here by now."
"Father" Arthur called out in a serious manner, trying to remind him what they needed to do.
"Right..." Dimitri replied a bit aggravated. "Cyrus! Come help us with our things!"
Cyrus then put Nunnally down as he replied. "Yes Father."
Before moving to get their equipment, Dimitri bent down to his daughter's level and presented a small bag to her. "I made sure to get you the finest sweets I could find." He said as Nunnally smiled excited. "Now be sure to share with your brothers and sisters. We'll be right in; we just need to fetch our things."
Just as Nunnally was about to nod, she stopped herself as she remembered something. "But what about Mother's gift?" Nunnally loved her mother more than anyone else in the world, and she always wanted her mother to be happy, but sadly for her, there were times she found her mother crying alone. Thinking that she was lonely without her husband, Nunnally always made sure to share all the presents from her father's travels with her so that she could always have him with her.
"Don't you worry about that. I'll be sure to hand her gift to her personally." He said smiling gently at his daughter.
Nunnally's smile grew wider as she nodded before running back into the manor to look for Abelia—her 13-year-old, elder sister.
"Abelia?" Nunnally called out as she opened the door to the study.
"Nunnally, how many times do I have to tell you not to bother me while I'm reading?" Abelia scolded her as she closed her book. Abelia was the eldest daughter of the Wallace Family, and if it weren't for Abelia's black hair and bold personality, Nunnally would be the spitting image of her sister.
"But Father has returned..." Nunnally shyly said.
Abelia looked stunned for a moment before regaining her senses. "If Father is back, then that means..." She said, mostly to herself. Nunnally stared at her confused before Abeila turned to her. "Nunnally!"
"Y-Yes!" Nunnally nervously answered.
"Let's hurry up to Grandfather's room. I want to hear the news Father brought back." Abelia declared with no restraint.
Nunnally looked at her unsure. "But Mother says it's not good to eavesdrop on people."
Upon hearing this, Abelia harshly flicked Nunnally's forehead causing her to flinch. "Foolish little sister." Abelia scolded as Nunnally rubbed her forehead with both hands in pain. "Do you not understand? Father will surely be talking about the war. Why else would he go to the border? I want to know what he has found."
Nunnally tilted her head confused. "But Father told us we needn't worry about things like that."
This caused Abelia to flick Nunnally's forehead harder. "He only says that because we are women!" Abelia fumed. "In two years I will be old enough join the military, and it is then that I will show Father what I can do."
As Nunnally still held her forehead in pain, she looked up at Abelia, tearing up a bit. "I thought women were forbidden from joining the military?"
"And why do you think that is?" Abelia looked at her sister upset. "It is because of pig-headed men and their old fashioned views on women! Honestly…" She sighed. "I've read that even smaller countries like Fiore allow their women more freedom! That is why I want to show Father that we women are just as capable as men! He has power to change this unfair gender gap, and I'll be the one to make sure he does!" Abelia passionately said. The Pergrande Kingdom had always been a male dominant country, but Abelia couldn't accept that. She wanted to start a radical movement where women would be able to have say in both military and political affairs.
Nunnally, however, couldn't understand why her sister was so passionate about it. But she was still too young to understand anything in this world—especially the true horrors of war. Abelia experienced this with the loss of her mother seven years ago. Unknown to Nunnally, she and Abelia were only half-sisters—sharing different mothers. When her father married Nunnally's mother, it felt like a betrayal. Abelia knew that his marriage to her own mother was only a political one with no say on her part. There was no real love between them, but because she was the wife of the Grand Duke, it made her a prime target to the enemy. Now it was the same with Nunnally's mother. This caused Abelia to think that women were only pawns in the game of war, and she wanted to change that.
"Abelia?" Nunnally worriedly looked at her sister, for she looked as if she would cry at any moment.
Abelia then put on her usual upset face as she spoke Nunnally. "Come on now! Let us see what Father has to say to Grandfather!" Even though having Nunnally with her would only heighten the chances of them getting caught, Abelia wanted her there since, if by the off chance they did get caught for eavesdropping, the punishment would be less severe.
The two girls then slowly crept up to their grandfather's room and peeked in through a small crack in the door.
"And what of the west?" They heard a stern voice speak. It was their grandfather Ivann (ee-vAAn), the previous Grand Duke and most respected man in all of the kingdom. He had always seemed to have an angry look on his face when it came to military affairs, but when it came to his grandchildren he always lightened up. Ivann had always been a powerful man who looked like he could defeat any enemy, but for the past few years, however, his health had been deteriorating leaving him bedridden.
Dimitri cleared his throat. "It seems that there is no movement. I believe that they are waiting to make their move once we call back our troops."
Ivann looked irritated. "Tsk, what cowards... If they wish to attack us, they should do so now instead of cowering in fear!"
"Grandfather, if I may be so bold-" Cyrus spoke out of turn before being silenced by his brother.
Cyrus looked down upset before his father spoke. "No boy. Speak your mind. We are all men here. What is it that you have to say?"
His father's words caused Cyrus' face to light up as he spoke. "I-It's just that I don't believe that it's cowardice at all. They are cunningly waiting until we let our guard down in order to make their move. Not all battles can be won with brute strength alone. I believe we should pull back our troops long enough for the enemy to make their appearance. Then make a decisive blow and eliminate them all together."
His grandfather didn't say anything, but Cyrus' audacity surprised Arthur as their father spoke. "I see..." Dimitri mulled Cyrus' words over. "Arthur! Cyrus! I will send you two to the front lines!" He said before being interrupted by Ivann.
"DIMITRI!" Ivann looked at his son coldly. "I need to speak with you... ALONE..." He calmly said with the same coldness before getting up from bed and walking towards his window.
"Grandfather, your health!" Arthur exclaimed worriedly.
"Arthur. Cyrus." Ivann ignored him as he stared out the window. "Please leave. Your father and I will be discussing the rest of this matter by ourselves."
"But Grandfather!" Cyrus yelled trying to get him to change his mind before Arthur grabbed him by the shoulder. The look his brother gave him indicated to him that they should just obey and thus reluctantly walked out of the room.
Noticing that they were about to be caught, Nunnally and Abelia quickly hid behind a nearby pillar. Nunnally saw the upset look on Cyrus' face and wanted to cheer him up, but stayed put in fear of her sister's wrath. As soon as Arthur and Cyrus were out of sight, Abelia returned to eavesdropping on her father and grandfather.
"You plan to send two children to the front lines?" Ivann asked his son.
Dimitri simply looked at his father upset by his obvious disapproval. "Cyrus and Arthur are more than capabl-"
"THEY ARE CHILDREN!" Ivann interrupted. "Arthur is only 20 years old! Cyrus is not much younger either. Those two still have their entire lives ahead of them, AND YOU PLAN TO SEND THEM TO WASTE?!"
"FATHER!" Dimitri yelled in return before his father interrupted once more.
"WE WILL NOT BE DISCUSSING THIS ANY FURTHER! I FORBID YOU FROM SENDING THEM!"
The friction between the two was more than Abelia could bear, so she led Nunnally away from their arguing. Once they were far enough, Nunnally spoke. "Abelia? Why did Grandfather not want Arthur and Cyrus to go?" Nunnally innocently asked her sister.
Abelia appeared agitated for a before moment before answering. "Never mind that! You'll understand when you're older!"
Later that day, Nunnally played outside with her three younger siblings as their mother, Isabella, watched. She was a beautiful woman who adored both her own children and her step-children, and she lived a peaceful life in the Wallace Mansion for the seven years she resided there, but things, however, weren't always well for Isabella. There were many times when sadness and depression would consume her and not even her own children could be of comfort to her.
"IT'S MINE!" Isabella suddenly heard one of her sons' yell.
"NO FAIR! IT'S MY TURN!"
Seeing her boys argue with each other, Isabella, intervened. "Viktor! Lucas! Stop arguing this instant!"
"HE STARTED IT!" They yelled simultaneously as they pointed at each other. Viktor and Lucas were two healthy, 5-year-old, twin boys. They always seemed to get into some sort of trouble, much to their mother's dismay, but despite their unruly behavior, Isabella loved them unconditionally.
"Honestly..." She sighed. "Why can't you two boys play nicely like your sisters?" She said as she glanced at Nunnally and her 4-year-old sister, Sofia, with a smile. The two girls were happily playing house, with Nunnally acting as the mother and Sofia as the child.
This was how Nunnally's life had always been- with days filled with fun and happiness while unaware of the turmoil within her own family, and things stayed like this until one fateful day...
It was near evening that day with a peaceful, red sun setting on the horizon. It was on an evening like this that Nunnally played with a toy ball by herself in the courtyard when her toy suddenly bounced away into the dark and secluded bushes, and that is where young Nunnally met HER.
A strange woman, who wore a long black cloak that hid her eyes and only revealed her mouth, stood lurking in the shadows. "My, my... what do we have here?" She said in a sweet voice.
Nunnally stood frozen with frightened eyes as she looked this cloaked woman. Nunnally could tell that she was a beautiful woman, so what reason did she need to hide her appearance? Not to mention that the strange mirror she held made Nunnally even more curious. "W-Who are you?" Nunnally asked, afraid of the stranger that entered her family's property without permission.
The woman simply chuckled softly as she answered. "Please do not worry, my child. Simply gaze deeply into my mirror." She ominously said as Nunnally stared at her reflection.
At that moment, everything went black for Nunnally. The next thing she remembered was standing inside the mansion with a metallic scent in the air. Nunnally felt something sticky on her face and when she reached to wipe it off, the moonlight streaming from the large window illuminated her hand to reveal a dark, red color. Seeing this, she then looked down to floor where she saw her mother lay mutilated.
Nunnally immediately screamed and grabbed her head frightened. She didn't know what happened, but the sight was too much to bear. Everything was covered in blood, and the stench was so strong, she wanted it all just to be a bad dream, but it wasn't. Everyone... Everyone was gone in just a few short hours and Nunnally couldn't remember what happened in that short amount of time. As she tried to process this, Nunnally continued to scream, and her wails filled the room with a mixture of both fear and anguish.
"Mother! MOTHER!" Nunnally screamed with tears streaming down her face as she nudged her mother as if she were merely asleep. "MAAAAMAAAA!"
As this happened, an evil chuckle echoed in the distance. "My, my... such a good girl..."
Now we return to the current story with Nunnally awakening from her sleep. It seemed that she fell asleep on the train and gasped awake, startling Laxus.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked Nunnally as she looked around at him and the others.
The moment he asked that, Nunnally began to cry silently as she shook.
"Milady!" Freed called worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing... It was all just a dream..." She said mostly to comfort herself. "All just a bad dream..."
They all tried to stop Nunnally's tears as that same evil chuckle rung inside her head.
"My, my... such a good girl..."
To Be Continued...
Author's Note:
Well that was quite the surprise at the end wasn't it? That was actually pretty hard to write, not because I had writer's block, but because I can get pretty into my writing. It is a thing I do where I feel my character's emotions to write better, and I can tell you that I'm feeling pretty ill and anxious right now.
But I am so glad that you all stuck around to read this. I have been writing several (what some people would consider) side chapters lately, but now I have finally gotten back into the main story line. I really appreciate the support and hope to see you all around next chapter.
See you next time!