It seems that Lucy's past arc will take up more chapters than I first expected. Oh well, I'm pretty sure that's not a bad thing. Plus, I'd rather not just half-ass Lucy's past and not go into detail on the important parts.
A little note before we start. It may seem that I'm going to write about every day of Lucy's past but I'm not. I'm only going to go into detail on the key moments from her past so you should expects some time skips. Also, one more thing is that what I write in her past arc isn't necessarily what Lucy is saying in real life to her friends. If you don't understand, think of it like this: I'm going to describe how Lucy felt in detail and the thoughts going through her head. She's just going to describe what happened and that'll be it.
So that's cleared. Please enjoy reading!
The man was pulling his sword out of her daddy and daddy fell to the floor with a lifeless 'thump'. Lucy stared in horror, lips trembling and eyes welling with tears. He was leaving her again but this time, it was permanent. This time, she knew deep down, it was impossible for him to come back.
"Daddy… No…don't leave me…" Lucy whimpered, tears falling from her closed eyes as she tossed and turned.
"Shhh… honey, daddy's here. He's not going to leave you." It was a gentle voice, rich and soothing, full of love and compassion. It sounded a lot like her mummy and it helped to calm Lucy down.
But the man was approaching Lizzy now, his eyes filled with anger and his sword raised, ready to strike. One more step and he would be close enough to drive through Lizzy's throat. Before Lucy could even blink, Lizzy's head fell back, lifeless and her eyes were glossed. As her body landed on the floor, those soulless eyes stared straight into Lucy's. It stared and it stared.
Lucy screamed.
"NOOOO!" she shot up into a sitting position, sweat and tears all over her face. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her and she swayed, falling back into the bed.
Lucy continued to cry. Over daddy, over Lizzy. "No…please …" she choked out. She could taste her own salty tears. Something soft and warm covered her right hand and she jerked in fear and surprise.
"Shhh…honey, calm down. Mummy and daddy are here for you okay?" said the same voice from earlier.
Her world completely stopped as she registered what was being said. Mummy and daddy were here? Next to her? But that was impossible because they were both dead.
Dead, because of Lucy.
There was no way that they could be here. But where was she?
Dead.
That's right. It had to be a dream. Her wishful thinking, her imagination.
Both of them were dead.
Or maybe Lucy was dead as well as this was her happy ending in afterlife where daddy was smiling again because mummy was next to him.
"M-mummy?" Lucy stuttered, her voice small and scratchy from all the screaming she did. She stared at the bigger hand placed over her own and raised her eyes. She gasped when she saw that it was indeed her mummy sitting next to her staring at Lucy with a concerned gaze.
"That's right honey. I'm here and daddy's here too. You don't have to be afraid anymore Lucy-chan," Mummy replied back, her blonde hair almost shimmering in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Lucy stared at mummy's gentle smile and breathed in the familiar scent that felt like home. Not home as in her great big mansion but home as in where she belonged. She tore her eyes away from her mummy and stared at daddy who was sitting next to her. His face looked older and had much more wrinkles than Lucy remembered him having but at the same time, he looked the happiest she'd ever seen him. It was not anything like the tired smile or the stern business face she'd seen on him before. No, he was truly happy and content.
Before she realised what was happening, she had burst into another round of tears. But this time, she wasn't crying because of fear and sadness. She was crying because daddy and mommy were both alive and happy. She was crying because they were happy with each other, happy with life and happy with her and that's everything she had wished for: for the three of them to be a real loving family. She soon found herself wrapped in the warm embrace of her parents. She latched onto them, never wanting to let go and she basked in the warmth she had missed so much.
"Shh…Lucy-chan. Get some sleep and once you feel better, you can tell mummy and daddy about your scary dream okay?" daddy said, gently lowering Lucy back onto the mattress and pulling the duvet over her small body.
Lucy silently nodded, afraid that she would start crying again if she opened her mouth. She watched as her parents left the room, closing the old wooden door after them softly. Looking around the room curiously, she immediately realised that wherever she was, she wasn't at the Heartfilia mansion. Instead of the floor being made of shiny marble, it was made of sturdy looking rocks, with the walls being pretty much the same. She could tell that the furniture was not of extreme high quality as the bed she was lying on gave a little squeak every time she shifted even the slightest bit. But even more than the appearance, it was the atmosphere of the room that made Lucy certain that she was not in the mansion. Everything here felt so cosy and just… right. It was a hard feeling to describe and put into words, especially for a five year old, smart as she may be.
So what was she doing here? In fact, what were her parents, who were supposed to be dead doing here? She wanted to say that she was simply dreaming but she knew deep down in her gut that that wasn't the case. While most five year olds in her situation would accept everything and be content, Lucy wasn't one of them. Even though she was ecstatic that her parents were there, alive and healthy, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that everything was just so wrong. As if her very existence in this world was wrong.
"I see you are finally awake, child."
Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. She had almost forgotten about Shari.
"Shari… where…where am I?" she asked in a small voice. The answer seemed obvious: she was in someone's house but something compelled Lucy to ask.
Shari gave a somewhat amused hum. "I see you've caught on already. You really are sharp. Are you sure you're only five years old?"
Lucy nodded, confused at the question. Of course she was. She knew her own age. "Yeah, but where am I? I don't feel like I'm at home. What happened? Is this a dream? Was daddy really killed by the man?" she asked, quickly firing one question after another without pausing for breath.
"Slow down child. Let me answer one question at a time. First of all, this is most certainly not a dream. The fact that I can talk to you right now proves that. As for where you are…well that's where things get really interesting. Although I have a 0.01 percent chance of being wrong, if my theory is correct, we are in a different world."
"A different world…?" Lucy repeated with wide eyes. "I don't really get it…"
"A different world. Different reality, different dimension. Basically, you are not in Earthland anymore," Shari explained.
And somehow, Lucy understood. It was a concept so difficult to grasp yet an explanation so easy to understand, so easy to accept. Somehow, everything made more sense. It explained why her supposedly dead parents were no longer dead. It explained why they were living in an old house and why they seemed so different. It explained why everything seemed so wrong.
"But…how?" she asked.
"You fell unconscious while this happened so you probably don't remember but just as the sword was about to pierce you, I temporarily took control of your magic and attempted to create a protective shield around you. However, your emotions were all over the place and I couldn't control how much magic I put into the shield and therefore ended up using an overwhelming amount. The force of the power caused a small crack in the space-time fabric, which you fell through. The next thing I knew, you were lying unconscious in front of this house and your parents came rushing out and took you inside. Things took an interesting turn, I must say. When I fused with you, I never expected anything like this to happen," Shari finished off with a small laugh.
Lucy only understood a little of what was said but she stored it away to the back of her mind.
"So…" she started hesitantly. "So my parents just now, they're not my real parents?" It broke her fragile heart in simply uttering that sentence.
"They are essentially still your parents. Just not your parents from Earthland."
Yes, because her parents from Earthland were dead.
"Wha-what do I do now?" Lucy asked, suddenly feeling very scared and insecure. She was in a different, unfamiliar world with no one but the voice in her head to go to. At that moment, lying in the bed and thinking about the bleak future made her feel incredibly lonely. What would she do really? Pretend that nothing was wrong and live in this world and forget about her past? But that would mean that her whole life would be filled with lies. Her very existence would be a lie.
"I suggest you go along with everything for a while until we find out more about this world. Then, we can come up with a plan and see if we can somehow go back to your world," Shari replied calmly, without a pause and without any wavering. Lucy admired and envied Shari's confidence. All she was feeling at the moment was fear and more fear. And hopelessness. She felt so lost. Even if she were to go back to Earthland, what would she do without her parents? Where would she live? What was she going to do with the rest of her life? She didn't know and the unknown, dark future did nothing but bring more fear in her.
"Child, calm down. There is no need to fear. I will always be here to help you until you grow old enough to fend for yourself. I am still not too clear on the maturity level of a five year old but I can see that you're intellect and perceptiveness far exceed what is expected of your age group. I suspect that you will have to mature faster than other children your age. Just try and adjust to the changes as best as you can and you'll soon figure out what to do."
Lucy nodded and forced the tears back determinedly. Shari was right. She would have to try her best to adapt to the changes and figure out a plan. There was no point wailing and sobbing about it. With a new-found determination, she slid out from beneath her duvet and got out of bed. She put her shoes on and padded softly to the door. She opened it and walked down the wooden stairs until she reached a bigger room with a couch and a dining table and chairs. Her parents, who were sitting on the couch and seemingly in a discussion, snapped their head up when they heard her walking into the room hesitantly.
"What's wrong honey?" mummy asked gently with a reassuring smile. Lucy relaxed at the familiar gesture and ventured further into the room. When she reached the couch, her daddy pulled her in to sit her between him and mummy and he wrapped a protective arm around her petite shoulders.
"No-nothing… I just wanted to see you," Lucy answered shyly, ducking her head.
Daddy gave her shoulders a small squeeze. "Do you want to talk about your scary dream, Lucy-chan?" he asked.
Lucy shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm not scared anymore 'cause mummy and daddy are here now."
"That's good to hear. Now, what shall we eat for dinner?" mummy asked brightly, getting up from the couch and approaching the kitchen.
Daddy pulled out various fun board games and opened them up to play with Lucy. She won a lot of the games, probably because daddy let her win on purpose but she always lost in the chess games because daddy was too proud of his skills in chess to even let his daughter win. And as mummy walked in with the dinner and daddy sprang from the couch to set the table, Lucy thought to herself that she could definitely get used to this.
000
She easily settled into a daily routine. Her day would begin with an early wakeup call from daddy and a delicious breakfast from mummy. Then, she would get changed and go to the local school in the area since her parents didn't have enough money to afford a private tutor. Lucy was fine with that though because the school was really fun and had a HUGE library filled with books. It turned out she didn't have much friends at her school and nobody really talked to her but she was fine with that. She was used to being by herself so rather than moping about it, she took advantage of her spare time by practically living in the school library and reading books on this new world called Earth. She also read about magic and guilds and how people with magic helped people who couldn't use magic. It sounded all so wonderful and Lucy wondered what it would be like to join a guild.
Since her daddy and mummy from this world couldn't use magic, Lucy had to practice hers in secret. Sometimes, she would bring out the keys her real mummy had given her and try to summon a spirit but she never succeeded.
She continued to read books, visiting the local library outside of school most weekends and focused on her learning. Her classmates would call her a freak, a loner and other hurtful names but Lucy never told her parents about it since that would make them worry. There were days when she would feel like she was alone in this world and in those days, Lucy practically buried herself with magic theory books to drown out the loneliness. It worked most of the time.
A year seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and Lucy had already turned six. By this time, she had almost forgotten that she wasn't really from this world and that her parents weren't really her real parents. But a month after her sixth birthday, a single comment from her daddy had caused her comfortable world to come crashing around her and she had gotten a harsh reality check. It was a Thursday and she had once again brought back a test paper with full marks and her parents had been extremely happy and proud of her and had hugged her fiercely. Lucy had been grinning widely, proud of herself and happy that her parents were so proud of her too.
Daddy had ruffled her hair and had fondly said, "You've grown so much without us knowing Lucy-chan. Look at you and how smart you are. I've always known that you would become someone great ever since you uttered your first word as a baby."
And mummy had added, "We're so proud of you honey. You've always been our precious only child and it will stay that way forever. Don't forget that, Lucy-chan."
It was like a slap to the face.
The Lucy Heartfilia they thought her to be wasn't actually her.
The Lucy Heartfilia they loved so much and would do anything for wasn't her.
She was lying to her parents, to these people who had looked after her with unconditional love for the past year; to these people who had never once made her doubt their love for Lucy.
She was pretending to be someone she wasn't and the realisation made her feel sick.
An immeasurable amount of guilt settled within her.
For the following week, every display of affection her parents showed her made her avert her eyes; every loving embrace they wrapped her in made her want to cry and every single second spent with them was a reminder that everything was a lie.
It wasn't long before the guilt became too much and she decided to reveal the truth. She gathered her parents on the couch and explained everything to them: about how she came from another world and how her real parents were long dead.
"Lucy-chan," Layla Heartfilia started with an understanding gaze. "We both knew that you weren't our real daughter from the start."
Lucy stared at them with wide disbelieving eyes. She asked why they had pretended nothing was wrong if that had been the case.
Jude Heartfilia smiled sadly. "Lucy-chan… our Lucy-chan died when she was three years old from an unknown illness and it broke our heart. She meant the world to us and ever since she died, we were thrown into despair. But a year ago, we found you lying unconscious in front of our door and when we took you in, we were shocked to see the strong resemblance between you and our daughter. You kept calling out for your mum and dad while you were asleep and we just… we thought that maybe, this was our second chance."
"We foolishly hoped that this was some kind of miracle. I'm sorry if we weren't fair on you, Lucy-chan," Layla finished, reaching out and giving Lucy's hands a small squeeze.
"I… I'm sorry too, for not saying anything. I just- I just wanted to be happy with my parents again," Lucy choked, tears freely falling down her cheeks. She was immediately pulled into a warm hug by both Jude and Layla as she sobbed.
"You can… you can still stay with us if you'd like. We still consider you as our daughter Lucy-chan, even if you are not the same as the Lucy-chan we knew as a baby," Layla offered, once Lucy's cries had quietened down.
Lucy wanted to say yes. She wanted to cling to her parents and beg them to stay and continue to love her like before. But she knew that doing so wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be fair on both Jude and Layla but most importantly, it wouldn't be fair to her. So even though she wanted to desperately stay, she knew that this wasn't where she belonged.
She pulled away and shook her head. "No… I don't think I should stay here." She offered no further explanation because no words would do her feelings justice. Her reason wasn't something she could convey with her words, it was an intuition, a gut- feeling and it didn't make any sense to her.
"If that's what you want Lucy-chan, we won't stop you. But stay here with us for one more week and we'll send you off with clothes and food."
"Okay, mommy, daddy," she said and Jude and Layla both smiled.
She cherished her last week with her parents who seemed to put extra effort into spending time with Lucy and making her feel welcomed and loved. During the last week, they had sat her down and announced that they were going to try and give birth to another child. Lucy had beamed at the great news, happy that they were starting to move on from their first daughter's death. Towards the end of the week, Jude bought Lucy a large rucksack and with Layla's help, the three of them packed various clothing and food for Lucy's journey. When it was time for her to finally leave, they gathered in front of the house early in the morning and with one last final hug, Jude and Layla sent her off with tears in their eyes and a promise that she was welcome to come back anytime. Lucy too, sadly waved goodbye and ventured in the direction of the nearby town Oshibana.
"What's your plan now?" Shari asked.
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I'll explore the town and then I'll book a room at an inn and leave my stuff there, I think."
Lucy wandered around the town aimlessly, drifting from one place to another and simply taking everything in. She could tell that she was getting weird looks from some people and paid them no mind. She supposed a six year old walking around town alone with a huge rucksack isn't an everyday sight here in Oshibana. When evening came, she found an inn on the outskirt of the town and near her parents' house. She entered and approached the front desk where a middle-aged woman was sitting and reading a book.
"Um…excuse me," Lucy called out. The woman looked up and put her book away to the side.
"Hello little one, what are you doing here? Are you lost?" the woman asked.
"No, I was wondering if there was a room free," Lucy asked, pulling out a bag of jewels Layla had kindly packed for her.
The woman looked at her sceptically. "Aren't you a little too young to be renting a room by yourself?"
"I'm six years old," Lucy defended with a huff.
The woman chuckled, as if amused by Lucy's actions. She raised her hands in a surrendering manner. "Alright, alright. One room for one night?" Lucy nodded and handed the woman her bag of jewels.
The woman stared at the bag and then promptly burst out laughing. "You don't need that much jewels to pay for one night." She took the bag, opened it and picked out only a small amount. "There. I'll give you a little discount for being the first customer tonight. That, and for providing a little bit of entertainment around here."
She handed Lucy a silver key. "Your room is on the second floor. Have a nice stay," she said with a smile. Lucy took the key as well as her bag of jewels and with a grateful bow, headed upstairs to her room. It was small and had the bare necessities: a bed and a small coffee table but it was more than enough.
She dropped her rucksack onto the coffee table and pulled out a copy of the Sorcerer Magazine she had bought from a shop nearby during the day. She dropped onto her bed and began to read. Even though she didn't have a solid plan yet, she knew that she wanted to join a guild. That's why she had bought a Sorcerer Magazine since they provided information on many famous guilds and she could get a vague idea of what being in a guild is like.
The front cover was a picture of a guild called Blue Pegasus. At the foreground of the photo was a chubby man wearing dark pink dress and a pair of white wings. At first, Lucy couldn't really tell if the person was a man or a woman but she eventually went with the man option. She opened up the magazine and started reading. There were various interviews with different guild members and Lucy could tell that they all enjoyed being part of a guild, from the way they responded. Must be nice, she thought. Helping out people and being with people you can trust and rely on.
"Fairy…Tail…?" she mumbled, squinting at the writing. There was a small picture of the guild members, all huddled together and grinning. They seem like nice people, Lucy thought with a smile. She read the article and smiled at how obviously excited the writer was as he talked about the 'awesome' members and their skills. Towards the end, the writer dubbed Fairy Tail as the 'strongest magic guild in all of Fiore'.
She turned to the next page and when she saw what was on it, she immediately snapped it shut with a blush. On the next page had been a full A4 sized gravure picture with a brunette wearing a revealing bikini and sitting in a suggestive pose. Although the woman was really pretty, Lucy's innocent eyes just weren't ready for those kinds of images.
Lucy placed her magazine back onto the coffee table and climbed into her bed. She stared at the ceiling as she contemplated her choices.
There was no way she could just wander around forever. She needed to settle down somewhere. Maybe she really should join a guild. But how do you even go about joining a guild in the first place? Do you have to take a test to see if you're qualified to join? But Lucy wasn't terribly good at her magic so she doubted that she would pass if that was the case. Besides, which guild would she join? Blue Pegasus? Lamia Scale? Phantom Lord? Fairy tail?
She had no idea. At this point, she doubted her decision to be independent. Maybe she should have just took Layla and Jude's offer and stayed at their house. She would be better off if she had stayed. She wouldn't have to worry about a place to sleep, things to do and food to eat. She was six years old for gods' sake. What can a six year old do by herself? No one would take her seriously.
Lucy sighed, tears of frustration threatening to fall. Maybe she really should have stayed.
And with that final thought, she drifted asleep.
000
The next morning, Lucy woke up early and headed downstairs. The weather outside was good and she figured she could take a little walk to clear her mind. Just as she reached the last step, she heard hushed voiced of two women gossiping. One of them, Lucy recognised, was the woman behind the desk from yesterday. She quietly made her way into the space and, her curiosity getting the better of her, sat down at a nearby table to listen in.
"Did you hear about the awful news?" a woman holding a large basket asked the woman behind the desk.
"What news?"
"On my way here, I've heard people say that the nearby village had been attacked by a group of vicious bandits last night. They ransacked all the houses, stole all belongings and killed many of the residents."
"My! How horrendous! And to think that it happened so nearby. It's a blessing that they didn't reach my inn."
But Lucy wasn't listening anymore. She sat frozen in her chair. The nearby village. Vicious bandits. Killed many of the residents. These words kept on repeating itself in her head. She connected the dots and her eyes widened.
No. It couldn't be. There was no way. Right?
No. It was impossible.
No!
She shakily got to her feet and ran out of the front door, ignoring the shout of greeting from the woman behind the desk.
There was absolutely no way.
It must be just some baseless rumour. There were lots of villages nearby. That's a lie.
She had to check. She just had to check.
It was impossible.
She ran blindly. She wasn't even certain which direction she was heading and her brain was fuzzy. She just ran and ran where her feet took her. Her lungs burned and her legs ached but she continued to run until she reached her destination.
Her legs gave out beneath her and her knees hit the hard ground. Her wide eyes took in the situation.
Houses burnt everywhere. People shivering in thin blankets and shaking and crying. Children clutching their parents, some alone and crying. There were lots of men in uniform bustling around. She frantically searched the area with her eyes, desperately hoping to find what she was looking for. Eventually, one of the men in uniform approached her.
"Hello little girl, my name is Mark. Are you looking for something?" he asked.
She opened her mouth. The first time, her throat constricted and she couldn't say anything. She swallowed thickly and tried once again. "Is there… is there anyone with the surname Heartfilia who survived?"
Please. Please say yes. Please please please.
The man scratched his head. "Hmm…not sure about the names. We won't know until we do more interviews with the people around here. Though they're not really in a state to answer any questions right now. Are you looking for your parents?"
Lucy nodded numbly. Her vision swam and her eyes burned.
Just then, another voiced called out to Mark. "Oi! We've found two more corpses beneath a pile of debris! Tried to see if they still had a chance but it was no good. They died a long time ago."
Lucy froze. She tried to stop herself from shaking so much. Please don't let it be them. Please don't let it be them.
Mark sighed as he stood up and faced the other man. "Did you find out their names?"
"Urr…yeah. Lemme see…" he mumbled, shifting through a messy bunch of papers. "Ah! Here it is. Turned out they were quite popular around here so it was easy to get their names. Layla and Jude Heartfilia, wife and husband."
Lucy choked on her breath. No. It couldn't be. Why was it them?! Why?! She abruptly stood up and ran away. She couldn't take it anymore. Just the sight of the ruined houses and the devastated people was killing her on the inside. But hearing that her parents were dead? There was no way she could stay there and listen to two men talk about them with pity. This was the second time dammit!
What were the men doing while the bandits were attacking? If they had been there earlier, her parents might not be dead.
It tore her apart to think of how excited they had been when they told her that they were thinking of having another baby. They had been so kind and caring towards Lucy. They didn't deserve such a meaningless death. Why had it been them of all people? Why couldn't they have survived?
The world really was a cruel place.
She continued to run until she reached the inn. She was sure that her face was marred with tears and she probably looked like a ghost but she didn't care. Before the woman behind the desk could even call out to her, she scrambled up the stairs and shut herself in her room. As soon as the door was closed, she slumped to the floor and bawled. She punched the wall repeatedly until her hands were bruised and blood was trickling down from her knuckles. She screamed and cried until she was too exhausted to continue.
If she had stayed at the house for one more night, would she have died too?
Probably.
But she couldn't bring herself to be relieved about that at all. Not when the cost of her survival had been the death of the only people who had loved her.
Dammit! If only someone had been strong enough to defeat the bandits. If only there had been someone to stop the attacks.
She could have been that someone. But she was too weak. What could a mere six year old do? If she had faced the bandits, she would have died in less than a second.
If only she was strong enough to protect the people she cared about.
From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the Sorcerer Magazine lying on the coffee table.
A guild. That's right. She would join a guild and become strong. Strong enough to defeat bandits. Strong enough to help other people and prevent more innocent people from dying. To do that, she would join a guild. But which guild?
Then, she remembered.
'Strongest magic guild in all of Fiore…'
Lucy wiped away her tears and got to her feet. She would join a guild.
She would join Fairy Tail.
