Missed me, didn't ya? XD Hey, so I don't want to hold you off from reading this for too long, I just have to apologize. First, I introduced a new plot idea, don't worry, I didn't change any of the past chapters. Just added some new things... hehe... Second, sorry if this chapter sucks. I started writing it but then my dog had a seizure which I'm sure you can imagine, distracted me (understatement). Then as I was continuing to write this today, my dog was freaking out and I couldn't focus. I was afraid he was going to have another seizure. So it might not be my best, but I hope you like it anyway.
Okay, read!
Leo stood in front of Lucy, his usual smirk playing on his lips. He eyed her up and down. She left her hair down for the meeting with the Prince, fanning out across the red dress, and she had decided to wear a necklace that she'd purchased yesterday with the girls.
"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Is it good enough?"
He whistled and she resisted the urge to kick him in between the legs. "You look great, Lucy. Very beautiful."
She nodded, shoulders relaxing. If she was to pull off her part of a minor noble, she had to look it as well. She fingered the sleeve, fighting the sudden urge to rip off the frills. Aries edged towards her from her place on the bed.
"Make sure to be polite, Lucy," Aries said timidly. Lucy resisted the urge to retaliate at her assumption that Lucy wouldn't be. Leo chuckled.
"Who knows Aries, he might even like her if she's just plain rude."
"I-I don't know," she mumbled. "Despite his personality, he still is the Prince… She shouldn't be disrespectful…"
He patted her head affectionately, smiling down at her. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior."
Lucy glared at them, not liking the fact that they were talking as if she wasn't there.
"I-'m sorry, Lucy!" Aries cried, noticing her stare. Leo just smirked again. Childhood friend or not, she wanted to sock him right in the eye.
"Alright," Lucy sighed as she stood. "Let's get this over with."
"Oh, come on Princess, you're about to meet your prince. A little more excitement and swooning would do." She scowled at Leo before stomping past him to the door.
The two followed her out of the room and down the stairs, Leo chuckling and Aries squeaking out apologies. These two really knew how to test her patience.
Lucy's eyes landed on Virgo, sitting at the bar, talking to Mirajane, the waitress. Lucy frowned. She had met Mira last night when returning from the shopping trip. She had been very nice and sweet, but Lucy couldn't fathom one reason why she would be talking to Virgo. Lucy made her way over to them and tapped Virgo on the shoulder. She looked unsurprised to see Lucy, however Mira did a double take.
"You look so beautiful!" Mira squealed. Her eyes shone as she looked over Lucy. "Why are you all dressed up, Lucy?"
Last night, before she had come in, she'd made sure to change. Fairy Tail wasn't the cleanest looking place and Lucy didn't want to get her 50,000 jewel gift dirty before meeting the Prince, as she planned on hanging out with Levy and Erza downstairs a little bit longer. Lucy bit her lip before responding.
"My cousins are taking me to meet the Prince," Lucy explained. Mira's eyebrows rose to her hairline. She glanced behind Lucy at Leo and Aries.
"Your cousins know the Prince?" she asked in disbelief. Lucy nodded.
"They work for him."
The confusion that clouded her face cleared and then she practically squealed in delight.
"You're going to meet the Prince, how romantic!" Her eyes got all glassy as she spoke, making Lucy's stomach shift uneasily. She was pretty sure she didn't want to know what was going on in her head.
"…Yeah," Lucy said before turning to Virgo. Mira didn't notice, so caught up in her daydream as she was. "I'm leaving, do you want to come?"
Virgo shook her head. "No, miss. There's something I have to do today."
Lucy cocked her head in question. "What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it, miss. What time will you be back?"
Lucy frowned but decided not to question her further. She was allowed to have her own secrets. There are things Lucy had done that even Virgo didn't know about. It was only fair that she didn't press her further.
"Maybe a few hours," she answered.
"Very well, miss. Be careful, and," she leaned closer, whispering, "remember not to get caught up in any of the Prince's charms. Remember your mission and your father." She pulled back, her eyes boring into mine. Lucy frowned at her, but nodded nonetheless. Lucy knew Virgo was saying this out of worry but it still rubbed her the wrong way. She resisted the urge to tell her that wouldn't be necessary. She wasn't the type to get swept away just because of some silly boy.
"Have fun!" Mira cried, seeming to have snapped out of her daydream. Lucy smiled kindly at her before waving. Aries and Leo led Lucy out of Fairy Tail and took her to the left, deeper into the heart of the city. They passed a library somewhere along the way and Lucy took note of its location for future reference.
The streets of Magnolia were like a labyrinth, in Lucy's opinion. They took so many twists and turns that it astounded her when Aries and Leo said they had memorized the streets. Magnolia was huge, larger than Hargeon and she felt a sudden sense of loss, knowing that this place, this world, is what she had missed out on her entire life. An older man with a strange shaped mustache and a very tall chef hat tried to get Lucy to come and sit in his restaurant where the female waitresses were dressed like maids. Lucy politely declined, though she yearned to go in. A mouthwatering smell was coming through the windows.
As they got to the castle she felt her insides clench in anticipation. She was going to meet the Prince, and determine whether he was something this kingdom really needed. Lucy wondered briefly if one meeting would be enough to determine it. Probably not, this was his life after all. Or maybe she was just stalling.
They approached a gate that stood tall in front of the castle, made entirely out of iron. A few guards posted on either side of the entrance stared hard at the group. Leo stepped forward and pulled something out of his pocket. The guard studied it before nodding. Leo pocketed before she could get a proper look.
The guards walked to the middle of the gate and started to push it in. They opened with a loud scrape that made her flinch. They waited until they were open fully before advancing in. The castle was gigantic, looming over the three. When they approached the giant doors Leo approached another guard and flashed something that she still couldn't see. The guard nodded and pulled open the doors.
Her mind went blank as they walked in. Never had she seen anything so beautiful.
The floors looked like marble, but not like any she had ever seen before. It was a mix of reds and yellows, oranges and pinks that made her eyes swirl. Each flicker of color on the ground looked like a masterpiece. Despite the fact that it was just a floor, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking on fire.
The ceilings were tall and hanging from the walls were torches lighting the way through the hallway. Leo and Aries walked ahead of Lucy with confident strides.
She could tell just by watching them that they knew this castle like the back of their hands.
The hallway eventually led to a large circular room with couches and chairs set on the sides.
"You can wait here," Leo said. "I have to find the Prince."
Aries took a seat on one of the couches and patted the cushion next to her, looking at Lucy imploringly. Lucy sat down next to her, her eyes once again drifting to the floor. Why was it so extravagant?
Aries noticed her line of sight.
"A-are you curious why it looks so different?" she asked hesitantly. Lucy nodded, glancing back up to her. She giggled at her confusion and blushed. "It's because of a fairy tale."
Lucy gaped at her, taken back. "A fairy tale?" she repeated incredulously. "Why would someone put a floor in like this because of a fairy tale?"
She hummed thoughtfully, her eyes traveling to the floor. "It does seem silly, doesn't it?" she murmured. Her eyes snapped back up to Lucy. "The floor isn't a natural stone, like you probably think it is. This floor has been here since the castle has been built, which is said to be thousands of years ago. When dragons existed."
"Dragons?" Lucy raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you saying dragons created this castle?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm saying they created the stone and forged it out of their fire."
"How would you make stone out of fire?"
Aries shrugged.
"Okay," Lucy hesitated, knowing she would probably regret this later. "What's the fairy tale?"
Her eyes brightened at Luyc's question. She glanced around the room, her eyes going to the door Leo had used to leave. "I suppose we have time," she murmured. "I doubt Natsu will be coming any time soon…"
This was the first time she had heard the Prince be addressed by his first name coming from Aries's lips. She didn't comment though, not wanting to fluster the girl. But the thought of the Prince keeping Lucy waiting didn't sit well with her.
"O-okay," she said turning back to Lucy, "if you're sure it's okay." She nodded and urged her to continue. Taking a deep breath, she started the story.
"A long time ago, it was said that there were once dragons. They were fierce, made of scales tougher than a one hundred foot thick wall, as giant as this castle, maybe even bigger. They were wiser than any creature, and had magic powers. It's said that dragons used to live here, and more specifically, fire dragons. The dragons protected the land from humans. I suppose they were convinced that we would destroy it and leave nothing in our wake. One day though, a traveling human came and approached the king of the fire dragons. He proposed to the dragon that he grant him powers and in turn, the human would protect the dragons and keep humans away from their lands.
"The king at first didn't like the idea, saying the dragons could protect the land and themselves and he sent the traveler away. The traveler came back three days later and offered the same deal. The king still refused. Then one day, something changed. Humans declared war on the fire dragons, demanding that this was their land by right. The dragons roared in retaliation and attacked the humans with vigor. It didn't take long though for the dragons to realize that they weren't any real match for the humans. The humans were all mages, and powerful ones at that. They easily brought down the smaller dragons, but the one they couldn't seem to beat was the king.
"The king knew what he had to do. He was prideful, but not enough to let his entire race die. So the king summoned the traveler and asked him, 'If I give you some of my fire magic, will that be enough to stop the humans?' The traveler immediately agreed, knowing that combining his own and the dragon's magic would make him powerful enough to stop an entire army. And that is exactly what he did."
Aries paused to take a breath, but Lucy barely noticed. She was entranced with the story.
"Well," she continued, "it took about two weeks with the combined efforts of the traveler, the king, and whatever was left of the dragons before they finally won the battle. After this, it was established that the traveler was the hero of the story and they officially titled him the Dragon Protector. The king and the Dragon Protector used their magic to create the castle we are sitting in now, and the floor we stand on with their magic. They decided to rule the land together."
Her eyes darkened as she began the next part. "But things turned sour soon after. The human turned on the dragons, for what reason is unknown, and started attacking all of the fire dragons and killing them. The entire race of fire dragons was dead except for the king. The Dragon Protector couldn't seem to kill the king, no more than the king could kill the traveler. But still, they fought. The king and the Dragon Protector eventually realized that if they continued their fight then both would perish. So they both fled the scene, never to be seen again.
"Rumor is they made a deal, coming to the conclusion that they were both too powerful for the world and they decided to part ways and never be seen or heard from again. The Dragon Protector officially became known as the Dragon Slayer and the fire dragons went extinct, except for the king who was in hiding. They were never seen again.
"Soon after the humans took over the castle and claimed this land as their own. Mages are, as you know, not exactly large in numbers lately. Most are shunned by society, and others don't acknowledge their powers."
Lucy shifted uncomfortably, biting her lip. She knew that part all too well.
Aries sighed. "I suppose it could just be a fairy tale. There have been no sightings of the Dragon Slayer or the dragon king. All the other dragon races seemed to have disappear too."
Lucy relaxed back in the chair, staring at the stone beneath her. Could this have really been the work of a dragon and a human? It seemed unlikely, just like the fact that dragons ever existed seemed unlikely.
The two settled into a comfortable silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
The longer they sat there the more her annoyance grew. Where was the Prince? Now she was just insulted. Scowling, she crossed her arms.
Aries cast Lucy an apologetic look. "S-sorry about them," she said meekly. "He can be a little…" she trailed off looking at a loss for words. A few minutes later Leo strode in through the door, looking slightly disheveled.
"Sorry it took so long," he sighed, coming to stand in front of them. "This castle is so big and there are so many hiding places." Lucy cocked an eyebrow, wondering how old this prince really was.
"Well, where is he?" she asked impatiently. Then she heard a meow. Frowning, Lucy looked down only to have her eyes widen to the size of saucers.
No way.
"Oh, that's the Princes cat, Happy," Leo said. "The Prince shouldn't be too far behind."
No.
Lucy glanced up when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked back down at the cat who was rubbing himself against her leg, praying against all hopes that there was more than one blue cat in Fiore named Happy.
"So, where's the girl you wanted me to meet?" a voice that was all-too familiar asked. Her stomach dropped.
No freaking way.
Slowly, her eyes moved upwards, taking in the sandals, the puffy pants, the open vest, and up to onyx eyes that stared curiously at Lucy with that obnoxious pink hair standing up in the exact same way it had been in Hargeon.
The first words out of Lucy's mouth caused Aries to gasp.
"Shit."
Comments, suggestions, reviews? Yes, no, maybe so?
I really did miss you all. Thanks for the reviews, they made me so happy :D Oh, by the way, do you guys have any advice for this story? I noticed that the viewing goes down the more chapters there are. Once it was at 81. I'm just wondering if you guys think I'm doing something wrong? I don't mean it like 'oo this story is bad because it isn't famous', more like I want to know what I'm doing wrong for future reference. Got any ideas, advice? Just the story not appealing to most people out there? Oh well, anyway thanks for being awesome!
See ya next chapter :DD
