She walked through the lush green landscape as though in a daze, hardly able to focus on anything. Hills and creeks and villages rolled by as Lucy followed her friends, days of hot, blinding sunlight blending into starlit nights where cool breezes dried the sweat from her brow and snapping, crackling fires sent sparks high up into the revolving sky. Wrapped in a bubble of bliss the girl took in the neat villages of lime-covered houses and cobbled streets where flowers bobbed in pots and urns and sprawling plantations, coursed through by canals or placed by a glittering lakeside. She smiled, hesitating at first, at people who to her surprise and delight willingly smiled back, their laughter and loud chatter creating a lively backdrop of sound that stood in stark contrast to the deep, peaceful silence that reigned in the deep forests. Time moved in funny ways and made a week pass by in the blink of an eye as the mages made their way deep into the country.
It was time not wasted however. The journey so far had been long and arduous. They all had wounds that pained them, bruises on the knees and blisters on the feet and between the three of them all had developed a deep resentment towards sleeping on the ground. But most of all, Lucy became aware just how tense and suspicious she had become. A plump woman pulling water from a well turned into a spy in her mind, sure to send news of their passing to any who might be interested in knowing. A merchant leading his caravan of mules down the road had all the qualifications of a sword-for-hire. Though better at hiding it, she knew that Natsu and Gray were wary too, but gradually as they ventured further into well-known territory the men began to relax. Little by little the tension in their shoulders eased away, and soon they were too busy bickering with one another to pay any attention to the roadside landscape.
It bothered Lucy at first, because how could they be so at ease just because a line on a map said they were in a different country? Being naive had cost her dearly before, and she would not be fooled into making the same mistake again! Though, it was hard to maintain that attitude when every settlement with more than a handful of houses had its own garrison, and after passing three patrols over the course of a day, even she began to relax. She began enjoying the scenery instead, soon talking excitedly about the architecture, the fashion and the accent of everyone they came across, not to mention all the foreign plants and trees. Natsu and Gray hummed and nodded every now and then, but the girl had a nagging suspicion that they weren't really listening to anything she was saying.
In time, even her sightseeing grew dull however, and she stopped asking whether this village or that town was the one they were heading for. It wasn't until Natsu stretched his arms high above the head with a yawn and a sigh of relief that she woke up from her reveries and looked more closely at the newest city they were about to enter, at first not very impressed at all. It was mediocre in size, plain looking, and she couldn't understand the blissful look of affection that spread over Natsu's entire being.
"Finally home!" the dragon cheered triumphantly as he led the way in between the first buildings, neat houses surrounded by gardens where children played and laughed with loud voices. "Man, that took ages, didn't think it'd take two months..."
"It's because you did unnecessary things instead of returning right away" the dark-haired mage grumbled, hands deep into his pockets. "I look forward to seeing you get your ass handed to you by Master for not keeping in touch."
"Like that would happen!" the dragon protested vigorously, though his voice cracked in a funny way that almost sounded nervous and his fingers were rough as they rubbed a jagged scar on the side his neck - a reminder from the fight with Gajeel. "Besides there wasn't anything unnecessary about it, it's your fault in the first place for not believing me when I said..."
"Oh, blaming me, are you! Wouldn't expect anything else from a flame-touched sack of..."
Lucy listened with only half an ear at the bickering, long since used to and tired of hearing it. She was far more interested in the city around them and kept turning her head back and forth, throwing curious glances at shops and taverns, parks, squares and the winding side-streets that branched off from the main road they were following. Despite being relatively big with plenty of people milling about there was a comfortable sense of calm about the town, stemming perhaps from the fragrant scent of flowers and food that hung in the air, the merry pastel hues of the houses or maybe the creative patterns that had been layed into the streets with multi-colored stones. 'Pastoral' was the phrase that kept returning to her, which seemed to apply to most of the country as a whole.
Although there were exceptions, most of the people they met seemed happy in a well-dressed, well-fed kind of way that showed through in kind smiles and courteous nods whenever their gazes met. Lucy saw very few beggars on the street-corners and parents were quite content to let their children run ahead of them, laughing and tumbling with other kids or barking dogs, some chasing after balls or rolling hoops as they went.
"It must be a well off town" she commented curiously as she followed the boys around a corner, quite content to let them lead the way onto a side street where the shops and pubs immediately grew smaller and a bit rougher, though far more cozy looking than the rest. Her impression of the place was rising like a paper lantern, such that a quick pattering of the heart made her feel elated and a little overwhelmed.
"Hm? Yeah, well, guess so" Natsu shrugged, interrupted in his banter. "Lots of merchants and stuff, and there's the guild too."
"What does a guild have to do with the wealth of a city?" It seemed quite a leap in logic and Lucy frowned at him with a puzzled look.
"You know how guilds are a part of the government?" Gray said, joining in the conversation - he wore a smug expression on his face, having come out on top of his argument with the dragon for once.
Lucy nodded, recalling the explanations she had received when pestering them for answers. "Mmh, the Guild League being an extension of the army as well as a controlling and gathering organization for the guilds... right?"
"Right. It means that all guilds are a bit like irregular troops spread out across the country and help maintain order in addition to taking on jobs. The guilds take a percent of the rewards offered to individual mages but in return also pay tax to the town it's located in..."
"Aha, so the bigger the guild the more money the city receives!"
"Exactly."
"Then, does that mean the two of you are government officials?" The thought was rather amusing for some reason because in the eyes of the princess these men looked nothing like the snobby, uniformed men she were accustomed to from home. She
"It's just a formality" Natsu snorted when she stifled a giggle behind a hand, fingers braided behind his head. "Mages got too rowdy and wouldn't listen to the old king, so he promised them shiny badges and titles if they stopped breaking things."
"Still, if there's a war we'd have to join the troops", Gray noted, "and we do have the right to arrest thugs if it's during a job - at least within the borders."
"Who would be so stupid as to start a war against us?" The dragon grinned widely. "Everyone knows the mages of Isval are the strongest..."
"Oh, you never know" Lucy interjected, still laughing. "There are more mad people on thrones than you want to know - I could tell you a thousand years worth of horror stories from Firoe, Boscor and Minstral..."
"Why do you know stuff like that?" Gray raised a quizzical brow.
"Someone needs to remember, so mistakes won't be repeated" the girl replied serenely. "Apparently that's the role of the queen, while the king gets to make all the real decisions."
"Well, no need for stuff like that anymore. You're Lucy from Isval now, and in a moment you'll be Lucy the guild mage. We've arrived!"
Natsu grinned as he stopped before a large building that rose majestically from the center of a square, cobbled for the most part but lined with tall chestnut trees that cast pleasant shade over the surrounding streets. It was a rather plain house all in all with a tavern and a large bookstore occupying the bottom floor, but from the open windows on the remaining two levels came a sound of rancorous music and laughter that was far more inviting than any tempered orchestra Lucy had ever heard.
Pushing open the door to the tavern he led the way inside a large room with paneled walls, a large counter at the far end of the hall and several tables, chairs and benches littered across the floor without any particular order. A wooden staircase off to one side led up towards the upper floors, while a door behind it seemed to lead into kitchens and other utilitarian spaces. Even though it was only early afternoon the room was already half full of people, many of whom looked up and broke out in wide grins and boisterous cheers at the sight of the newcomers.
"Yo, Natsu! so you've found your way back, eh" "'Bout damn time, did ya get lost or somethin'?" "Haha bet'cha anything he's been wreakin havoc every second on the way."
"Hey Gray, welcome back! How'd the job go, any luck?"
"You bet, it was hardly worth the effort to get there!" The ice-mage broke off from their little group and headed off towards one of the tables to sit down. Natsu quipped back at the rude comments but with a glitter of smiling amusement to the bared teeth that didn't fool anyone.
Lucy's sense of being overwhelmed only grew from the sheer number of people that shouted back and forth, the volume steadily rising as more and more heads turned. Color dusted across her face when no few comments and speculations about her presence were raised, but no one outright asked anything so the girl simply gazed back at the curious people, wishing she knew what to do with herself.
It was rather pathetic really, but the princess was so far out of her comfort zone by now that she simply assumed that she had no idea about the workings of anything, from money to rules to common sense. None of the things she had been taught were useful, few of the books she'd read had been accurate - it had been an unpleasant realization and the girl was still recovering, her confidence quite thoroughly crushed. Rebuilding it with new knowledge and new ways of thinking was a slow and painful progress, but she was as determined to learn as she was patient. Maybe she could at least try to talk to some of the men and women that stared at her? Like the tall, curly haired brunette that sat clutching a bottle by the counter, or the tiny little gray-haired man that had stopped pestering the bar-maid to laugh at the raucous crowd. With a determined breath she steeled herself, took a step forward...
"NATSU!"
A booming voice suddenly cut through the racket, hard and gravely and decidedly not pleased. The young dragon flinched and turned to gaze at the man that came stomping down the stair, suddenly sweaty faced and more anxious than she had ever seen him before.
Lucy stared too and stopped dead in her tracks. The man looked exactly like an older, bigger and more sharp-edged Natsu. Tall and broad shouldered he sported a heavy stubble and a mass of deep crimson hair that flowed down the back, rivaling the elaborate gold-embroidered coat in luminosity. His hands were big, the brow tucked into a frown and the eyes that flashed angrily were a bright, glowing yellow that looked just about able to set something on fire with an off look. She wondered why her friend wasn't reduced to ashes already...
"Yo, dad, I'm back." Natsu tried to appear calm and relaxed but his voice betrayed him, cracking nervously every other syllable. From his chair safely out of the way Lucy saw GRay break out into an expectant grin - uwah so cold, no wonder his magic had to do with ice! Lucy hadn't even been acknowledged and she still felt a strong desire to run and hide somewhere. She could definitely believe that this person was a dragon, definitely the father of her hot-headed best friend.
"It's not 'dad' to you, boy, it's Master Igneel! And I don't want to hear 'Yo I'm back, either! Explanations, Natsu, that's what I want! Where the hell have you been for two months, how did the job go and who, in particular, is that?"
It was Lucy's turn to flinch as hard eyes landed on her; swallowing nervously she inched in behind Natsu, wishing she'd been more confident that he really could shield her from this. Maybe hiding behind his particular back wasn't such a good idea.
"The job went fine, I got the reward, no problems. As for the rest..." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, eying the room where all other conversations had died down for the pleasure of staring at the dragons. He took a deep breath, then plunged into it before he could change his mind.
"I broke into the castle in Firoe and stole their princess and to avoid getting caught we had to cross the Teeth and dodge Trackers all across Galunar, and then we ran into Gajeel and things got a bit complicated so we had to stick to the small roads and it all took longer than I expected..."
There was a roaring silence. A needle dropping would have sounded like a gong being struck, the nervous cough an explosion in a room where all other noises had died away. Eyes turned as one from Natsu to Igneel and then landed on Lucy, wide and curious and filled with varying degrees of comprehension.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to smack herself, her friend or the ogling crowd - so much for keeping a bloody secret!
Now everyone would know who she was and without doubt the rumor would spread like wildfire until every sentient creature from here to Boscor knew exactly where the missing heir to Firoe's throne was hiding. Her mind was already conjuring up scenarios of soldiers marching across the green fields towards the borders of Isval, a slightly hysteric desire to giggle bubbling up inside.
Didn't need to be a raving lunatic to cause a war, oh no! Just listen to anything a dragon says and the world start crumbling around her feet, brick after brick after bloody fucking...
Lucy had been waiting for a reaction but still jumped on the spot when the big red-haired man suddenly burst out laughing. Laughing!? The thunderous mirth was so unexpected that she simply stared at him for a long time, along with everyone else in the tavern. Gradually others began to join in with the laughter, hesitant at first but louder and louder as the hilarity of the situation sunk in.
"You blundering idiot!" Igneel rumbled once he had calmed down, sinking down into a nearby chair with the harsh (but somehow still handsome) face nearly split by a toothy smirk. "Good thing you weren't caught or I might've had to start a war to bring you home. And? What are you planning to do now?"
"Well..." Natsu scratched his chin and glanced over the shoulder at the girl, who slowly straightned up from her cowering hunch. "We figure that Firoe won't want her back if she becomes a mage..."
"Hmmmm. I see. But... are you really sure about that...?" The older dragon's mutter was very low, barely intelligible.
"Huh, you said something?
"Nah, nevermind. It's a good theory at least, I'll give ya that. Come here girl! What's your name?"
Lucy approached the Master nervously, using every trick in the book to keep herself tall and straight and held together, though knew she had to be failing horribly.
"Lucy Heartfilia of Firoe. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Guild Master." And since the introduction warranted it and she already wore a skirt, the princess topped it off with a perfect curtsy that wouldn't have been out of place at any court. That at least wasn't something she'd forget in a hurry. It was like... like... flying with a dragon. You simply did not forget it.
"No need to be so formal" the man chuckled and waved for her to sit down by the table. "Are you in agreement with this plan? I don't condone kidnapping so if you want to go home..."
Lucy was grateful when Natsu came over to stand behind her, his mere presence instilling a sense of safety and strength into her that made breathing easier. "I have no desire to go back" she replied softly, eyes downcast. "There have been several opportunities to do so already, but... I'd much rather be my own person."
"I see. Then, do you want to join the guild?"
The girl blinked as she looked up, taken aback. "I'm not very good at magic" she said slowly, "and I'm not a citizen of this land..."
"That's not what I'm asking, all that is just detail. Do you want to join our guild? That's the interesting part."
Yellow eyes were almost as uncomfortable as onyx when they stared this intensely, and right now she was the focus of both pairs. If the pressure she'd felt that night in the garden had been hard to resist then Lucy practically crumbled now, to the point where her nod became hasty and quick, almost violent in its eagerness.
"Yes, yes I do!"
"Good!" Igneel slapped a hand into the table with a loud bang that made her jump, a new grin breaking through the seriousness that had settled over the face for a while. "There're some papers to fill out before it's completely settled but for now, welcome to Dreyar, the official mage guild of Nolia!"
The people of the tavern cheered and raised their cups into the air and Lucy turned red in the face as she looked around, smiling shyly at everyone as mixed feelings bubbled within. Was it really this easy? A simple 'yes' and she was already a member, even though she could barely save her own skin in a fight? But Gray was cheering and Igneel looked pleased and Natsu was smiling so happily that her doubts were stifled, at least for the time being.
"This is great Lucy, now we can go on jobs!" Natsu said cheerfully as he sank down in the chair beside her, looking more relaxed and at ease than she had ever seen him.
"Yeah. I really need money if I want a place to stay" she agreed, perking up at the thought. "I need a room and clothes and..."
"But you're staying with us, aren't you!?" the boy protested, looking puzzled. "I thought..."
"I can't do that!" she exclaimed, suddenly blushing furiously. "Camping is one thing, sharing a house is another. Besides... I've been looking forward to having a place of my own."
"What's the fun in that?" Natsu whined, looking so disappointed that the girl felt a prick of guilt. "I'd rather..."
"If I'm not mistaken" Igneel interjected lazily, drawing the attention of the two friends, "there's a small guest house on our land that might be of interest. It's only a few rooms but it's functional and close, and the rent would be quite reasonable. What do you say?"
Lucy nodded eagerly before Natsu had a chance to say anything, happily ignoring the sulky scowl. "That sounds perfect! Thank you, Master!"
"Mmmmh, it's settled then. We can talk details later. For now, rest and get something to eat - I'm sure you have plenty to talk about." The dragon rose and left them alone by the table as he went back up the stairs.
Lucy wondered briefly what was on the upper floors but pushed her curiosity aside to focus on Natsu, who seemed displeased where he sat.
"Please don't be like that" she pleaded tiredly. "It's not like I don't want you around, but I need a place to be on my own sometimes. Choose when I wake up and what to wear or not clean my room for a week or..."
"I get it" the man mumbled, features relaxing slightly. "You want to be free, I know. Then, let's form a team at least!"
"A team?" she asked, tilting the head at the suddenly bright grin.
"For jobs. Some people go on their own, others like Levy and them join up for company and support..."
"Ah, I see! Sounds great, I'm in!" Lucy smiled brightly and was glad to see Natsu's good mood return right away. They bumped their fists together and laughed, spending the rest of the time chatting after the dragon had ordered some food.
There was so much to be done all of a sudden. Filling out forms and signing contracts was quick work compared to cleaning out the cabin that sat next to the Dragneel's house on the outskirts of town. The large plot of land with its wild-grown garden and big house had surprised her quite a lot, but while she appreciated the offer Lucy was very happy to settle into her small, cozy and very decently sized house. It was only one floor with a four rooms, a living-room, bedroom and kitchen with sanitary solutions that included a very luxurious bath. Natsu just shook his head at her blissful smile and kept to the background as the girl picked out furniture, crockery, clothes and other more or less necessary items, savoring the scent of fresh wood and leather and fragrant soaps while hands eagerly sought out the cool smoothness of clay pots and wrought-iron pans and kettles, only to delightedly relish in the touch of coarse wool, supple linen and the flow of silk like water through her fingers.
It took them a fair while, but by the time Lucy declared herself done she looked so happy that the dragon didn't have the heart to complain about how much it all had cost him. He had decided to pay for the party, and if it made her smile like that...
"I can pay you back!" Lucy offered one day as they sat by the guild, just about finished with dinner. She felt clean and fresh and perfectly content in her new clothes, the vast majority made up of tight-fitting trousers, blouses and half-length coats - she had gotten used to them and found the long skirts increasingly annoying to move around in.
"Nah, don't worry about it" Natsu shrugged and scraped up the last bit of sauce from his plate with a piece of bread, popping it into the mouth. "You'll be buying the food once we get our first reward though, so be prepared."
"Haha fair enough. Speaking of rewards, are there any interesting jobs around here?"
"Usually capturing thieves or bandits, guarding caravans and stuff like that" he replied. "If you want the big ones it often comes with long travels - the one I was on last was down in Boscor."
"I'd prefer something easy and close to home for the first few times" the girl mumbled, clutching the cup of cider between her hands. "Not really confident I can be of use yet.."
"You'll do fine! You haven't stopped practicing for even a day, even I can tell you're getting better." He grinned a bit, emptying his cup. "You have all those chips too, though I have no idea what half of them do..."
"Yeah well, they're of no help if I can't summon more than once or twice" she snorted, thinking back on her first and most recent fight with a shudder. "I need to build stamina, and for that..."
"You need to get some action! Good, great, come on!" The dragon stood and ushered her along towards the stair, barely giving Lucy time to drain her cup and set it away before he dragged her up to the second floor and off towards a wall completely covered in notes, advertisements and request posters.
She had seen it all a few times before already; the board, the many comfortably furbished rooms where people sat chatting and working, reading or even sleeping, the sprawling labyrinth of shelves within the research room as well as the massive worship that occupied the third floor, full of materials for the guilds mages to use freely. She had spent some time there herself while making new tokens for her summoning and found it both practical and comfortable, the friendly and helpful attitude of the other guild members a true pleasure to come across.
Together they scoured the fliers and pointed out the ones that looked interesting, until finally they managed to agree on a simple job that involved transporting an expensive item from one location to another - it was sought after by thieves, so Natsu eventually approved with the prospect of getting to 'cut loose' a bit.
"Just a bit further!" Her fingers brushed over something and desperately grabbed hold of it, flinging her arm back towards the thief in a sudden jerk. A sharp deafening crack was heard and all of a sudden the pressure on her legs disappeared as the man recoiled, howling in pain with a hand pressed over a long bleeding gash that had appeared on a cheek.
Lucy rolled off and got to her feet, disheveled hair falling like golden tassels in front of her eyes, immediately prepared for another blow - but the man hesitated and she suddenly understood why as she looked down upon the item in her hand, almost as startled herself. It was a whip, and not just any whip either. Braided leather coiled like a shiny black snake from the solid handle in her palm, longer than her outstretched arms and with a viciously thin metal chain at the very tip, that probably had caused the wound. that she had been able to hit anything at all was sheer dumb luck, but the thug must be thinking that she was an expert because when the girl raised her hand threateningly he suddenly scampered backwards again.
It made her grin, sudden confidence surging through her with a taste of courage and competence - that wasn't entirely warranted but felt good nevertheless. Slowly - unwilling to hurt herself - Lucy began to swing the long tail around herself, drawing a circle of whispering wind that shrilled into a threatening 'whoosh, whoosh' as the pace increased. The handle of the whip felt almost natural in her hand, as though it belonged there and she had done this her entire life. She took a step forward, then another, then made a jerk as though she was about to rush the pale-faced guy. He flinched, gave up a yelp - and then he actually turned and ran, straight into the fist of the dragon mage that knocked him out cold. The damn guy wasn't even winded when he straightened up and brushed dust from his sleeves.
"You alright, Lucy?" He eyed the whip with a raised brow as the girl let the dangerous spinning slow down until it landed in the grass, by some miracle without taking anyones eye out. "What's up with that thing?"
"I don't even really know" she said and looked down on the weapon, still smiling widely. "Just caught hold of it and got in a lucky shot, but... Hey Natsu, don't you think it could be kinda neat to carry this around?" She brought her hand back and forth until the snake-like leather rattled and thrashed like a reptile in the grass.
Natsu laughed. "Sure, why not. It looked pretty damn dangerous when you were swinging it around. Better learn how to use it properly if you're gonna bring it though."
"Of course!" she huffed, feeling like a child on her birthday as she began to roll the weapon up in her hands. "I got lucky this time, I'll admit that, but the next guy who try to lay a hand on me will be very sorry!" Her laugh was so evil that even Natsu flinched, taking a hasty step back with hands warily in the air.
"Uhuh, that's great. You still got the necklace?"
"Yeah, thankfully. These guys were darn persistent though don't you think? I mean, it is pretty valuable but..." She gave the golden links around her neck a dubious look, unconvinced.
"You heard the client, it's supposed to be magical" Natsu shrugged as he set off towards the road, stepping over his victims as he went. "Better not relax yet, there's still a half days walk before we're there."
"Mmh, I guess. Seems awfully over the top to me, but..."
Raising her hands in a slight shrug the girl fastened the whip to her belt, fished up the bag of tokens that had been taken from her and then hurried after her partner, feeling rather pleased with herself. Never mind that she had pilfered someone else's property, it should be clear to everyone that the weapon suited her better than whatever idiot it had been that dropped it. Not only that, but she had been able to save herself - it was a clear step up from the result of the previous fights!
Lucy straightened out her hair and clothes as they headed off down the road again, thinking back over the past days. The request in itself was simple enough, they had received the necklace along with instructions to bring it safely to a new owner that lived quite a distance away. Promised to receive a decent reward once it arrived they had set off thinking it would be a qinch - Natsu had even had the gall to call it boring and too easy. But the client had been entirely correct in suspecting that the ugly pendant would be targeted because the mages had barely left the city before they were ambushed by a group of small-time thieves. Lucy hadn't even had time to reach for her pouch of tokens before the dragon had knocked them out cold, but they had been sorely mistaken in thinking that was the end of it. Over the following two days they had been ambushed, stalked, terrorized at night and warded off several attempts to nick the desired item, being so persistent that Lucy eventually had agreed to her friends suggestion of wearing the damn thing.
While she was getting plenty of practice with summoning and they were doing fairly well despite lack of sleep and rest, the girl couldn't help but wonder why so many thugs were after this particular object. The client hadn't been very specific on the manner of magic the necklace was supposed to have, but if so many people were after it...
"Hey Lucy, heads up!"
Startled she looked up when Natsu called out, eyes widening in stunned disbelief when another group of thieves spilled onto the road from a cluster of trees up ahead, cackling amongst themselves as they cracked knuckles and popped necks from side to side.
"Don't these people ever learn?" Annoyance heated into anger as she roughly shoved a hand into the pouch and rummaged for a suitable summon. Natsu muttered something under breath and ignited his fist with a weary roll of the eyes - but before he could set off Lucy flung out a hand and made him stop, a half curious, half annoyed look on his face.
"What?"
"I wanna try something" she said, a dangerous glint in the eyes as she pulled out a metal chip that glittered in the sunlight as she spun it around the fingers.
"Lucy this isn't the time to experiment" the man said, eying the bandits that was getting closer by the minute. "Let me..."
"No, let me." Her voice was firm, gaze never leaving the bandits as she counted to see how many there were. "I want to see how much impact this one has."
Taking a breath she called on the magical energy that flowed inside and let it seep into her arm, gathering up almost painful amounts - this spirit was supposed to be strong, it would drain a lot of magic to use it.
Natsu hesitated, then nodded and took a step back to give the woman space. "Alright, show me what you can do!" He was starting to grin now and Lucy smiled too, excitement bubbling up within. Blood raced hot and electric through her veins as she allowed the rogues to come closer, counting to five, no six of them. Lucy sucked in a deep breath as she held up the token, focused her mind and called out;
"Sign of the Lion - LEO!"
It was nothing like summoning the lesser spirits. All her gathered magic was drained through her fingers in a single heartbeat and caused the talisman to glow, pulsating with golden light that grew larger and larger for each beat. The thieves stopped dead in their tracks as they realized what was going on, they spun around and began to run to get out of reach.
With a roar that made the ground vibrate a huge golden lion leaped from the dazzling light and charged the fleeing men, its ethereal body so radiant it was hard to look at. In a fraction of a second it had leaped onto the back of the slowest man and knocked him down, a heavy paw swiping with practiced efficiency across the head. No sooner had the lion disabled the first man than it set off after the rest, taking down bandit after bandit with a ferocious ease that left Lucy dry in the mouth. Somewhere behind her she could make out Natsu's excited cheers, but all she heard when the lion felled the last of the rogues was the sound of her own pulse drumming in the ears.
Slowly, with all the dignity befitting of such a royal beast, the lion turned and came padding back on silent paws, steps shaking the earth without leaving a print on the dusty road. The girl held her breath as it came to a halt before her and liquid eyes gazed down into her own; the weight of the spirits mere presence was enough to make her shiver, quake after quake clamoring across the skin. For the longest time girl and spirit simply gazed at one another, until finally the beast began to disintegrate, returning in a cloud of dust that rose towards the sky. A deep, soft, whispering voice ghosted across her consciousness, words that left her with an ache of happiness and gratitude in the chest.
'May the blessings of the stars be with you.'
Then it was gone. The token in her hand had turned into gold, the crude carving of a lions head replaced by an ivory relief so lifelike she thought the strands of the mane had to ripple in the breeze.
Lucy might have simply stood there for the rest of the day in dumbfounded haze, but after only a minute or so the dragon grew impatient and shook her by the shoulder, grinning widely when she slowly turned the head to look at him.
"That was amazing!" he said eagerly. "Damn that thing was strong - YOU are strong!"
Color crept up her face at the unusual praise, and with a deep breath she blinked away the fog from her mind and smiled back.
"Really tiring though" she admitted, grimacing at a sudden ache in her limbs. "I probably couldn't summon it more than once a day." But then she laughed. "Really, once a day should be plenty to deal with most problems, right?"
"Yeah, and if it still isn't enough then I'll lend you a hand" Natsu grinned as he slung an arm around her shoulder and led her on. "No complaints about that, right?"
The girl laughed as she let her own hand settle between his shoulders, secretly enjoying the way muscles moved beneath her fingers. "None at all. I know how much you love playing the hero, so..."
"No I don't" he pouted, "but I can't let you take all the fun parts, can I?"
"Ha, am I likely to.."
"You will... regret it."
A wheezing groan made dragon and princess turn their heads just as one of the thugs raised his head from the ground, mud brown eyes unfocused and barely conscious - yet he was talking as though he had an army marching up behind him, ready to avenge his defeat.
"Regret what?" The dragon sounded supremely disinterested.
"Hand over.. the necklace.. She won't.. forgive..." The eyes rolled back into his skull and with a muffled thud the man fell back to the ground.
Natsu and Lucy exchanged puzzled looks, his arm falling from her shoulders. "'She'? What the hell is he talking about?"
"Dunno. I don't know, but... Don't you think there are too many robbers along this road to be acting independently? What if they have a leader somewhere?" Lucy blew a strand of hair from her lips, frowning.
"Not impossible. What I find strange is how they knew we would be coming this way..."
"Information must have leaked somewhere" the girl sighed. "Our client is a rich man with lots of servants, and I have never met a maid that wouldn't gossip about anything and everything the employers do."
"Mrrh. Well, nothing much we can do now at any rate. Let's just finish the job and be done with it."
"Mh, you're right. Let's go."
The rest of the way they only came across one other group willing to fight, because apparently the rumor of their strength had spread to the point where most of the ambushers turned tail and ran once Natsu's flames appeared. They reached the mansion they were to deliver the necklace to just as the sun began to set, and were greeted with praise and gratitude and a table groaning under piles of delicious food. After eating, bathing and a change of clothes Lucy felt her fatigue drain away. She stretched out like a cat on the couch that stood in the lounge that separated their borrowed rooms, enjoying the feeling of the light silky dress against her skin.
"It's really nice if them to let us stay the night" she purred contently. "I missed my bed so much..."
"You're getting spoiled again" Natsu snorted. "Hang out in places like this and you'll be reverting to a lady in no time."
"Nothing wrong with pampering myself every now and then." She waved a hand imperiously. "As far as manners go I'm only glad that I'm not sinking to your level."
The dragon flinched visibly, face turning unreadable for a second before twisting into an expression she hadn't seen before.
"Hey hey, that's mean." He popped a grape into his mouth and padded across the room with languid steps, a smirk on his face that made Lucy quite nervous. Soft brown eyes followed his progress until he stopped by the coach and leaned over, calloused hands supporting his weight on either side of her face.
"Natsu, what are you doing", she mumbled, trying to sound calm - his eyes were intense, their glitter not entirely from mischief.
"Oh, nothing unexpected" he murmured. "Just being rude and unrefined, like you said..."
The cushions shifted beneath the added weight as he clambered onto the seat, knees sinking into the plush material. He straddled her legs and grinned as her throat moved in a nervous swallow, dark charcoal eyes roaming over her body in a way Lucy had never seen him do before.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" She hated herself for blushing, loathed the way her pulse had begun to race. Being eyed like that had always made her feel so uncomfortable, Natsu knew that, so why was he now ogling like he'd never seen her before?
"Just looking" he said, the innocent tone of voice clashing horribly with the expression on the face. "Never saw you in that dress before..."
Lucy shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't thought the line of the neck too deep when she tried it on in the store, nor had she been bothered with the thin material. But under the dragons gaze she suddenly wished that her generous cleavage wasn't quite so uncovered, and maybe it would have been better if the powder blue silk had been a bit heavier, not quite so flimsy and light where it fell around her body, held together below the bust with a length of white lace.
"It looks good on you. I'm very glad I let you buy it..."
"Wha-what's that supposed to..."
Natsu bent down and pressed his face into the nape of her neck, ignoring her shocked gasp or the hands that tried to push him back by the shoulders. He breathed in deeply and it was as though her skin had come alive with shivers as air whispered across it, the slow sigh searing her with hot breath. Her mouth was dry, the eyes were wide and thinking was growing very hard indeed.
"Natsu!?"
"You smell nice" he mumbled. "I noticed right from the start, the scent came drifting with the wind from the moment I entered the castle. Didn't know what it was until you appeared in front of me though..." He drew another deep breath and Lucy stiffened, paralyzed by the surge of electricity that shot through her, caused by the movement of lips against her skin. Her stomach was a den of a thousand butterflies, all trying to escape at the same time.
"N-Natsu please..."
"Hmm? Please what?" The man looked up and his face was suddenly very close, consuming her entire field of vision until the world had shrunk and consisted solely of smoldering black eyes and the slow, sly smirk that stretched across his face.
"You're... too close." A pink tongue flitted nervously over her mouth and his eyes darted down, lingering on the lips for a long time.
"Really? Odd... I don't think I'm close enough." Slowly the man leaned in towards her face and Lucy forgot how to breathe. The world swam before her eyes as thoughts danced a conga through her head, hysterical desires to giggle buffeted around by disbelief and denial and a sudden overwhelming need to run and hide. This wasn't happening, Natsu was not hovering over her like some wild beast over prey and he most definitely wasn't trying to kiss her, right. Right? But even when she squeezed her eyes shut she couldn't deny that his breath was hot on her cheek or that it smelled of wood smoke and cherry liquor and for one heart-stopping, wild moment she wanted to know if she would be able to feel the taste of grape juice on his lips...
A loud crash echoed from somewhere in the building and the door to the lounge flew open. They flew up from the couch as though pulled by strings and stared at the host that came stumbling inside, Lucy peony red in the face while Natsu looked slightly miffed.
"Intruders... Thieves! They're taking the.. err.. uh.. did I interrupt something?"
"Ye..."
"NO!" Lucy flew up on her feet and shook her head furiously, both to rid herself of the fog in her mind and to deny what had almost just happened. "Thieves, what thieves? What happened?" The blonde refused to look at Natsu and was relieved when the pudgy old man remembered why he had ran up all those stairs.
"Right! Come quick!"
Lucy grabbed the pouch with her tokens from the table and hurried off without waiting to see whether the pink-haired man was coming or not. Her mind was reeling with implications and fears and worries and it was incredibly hard to focus enough to listen to the rich man's explanation, but somehow she managed to grasp the general idea. The cook had screamed when people barged in through the kitchen entrance, guards were currently trying to stave off the intruders from the room that held the treasured necklace but there were many of them and there was at least one mage, so come quickly.
Right. Better hurry then, she thought as she sped up, leaving the others behind.
The girl skidded to a halt at the entrance to the corridor outside the treasure room and took in the scene with a single glance. Four guards lay sprawled across the floor trying to get up, one man was standing before the door muttering words that likely were meant to break through the magically sealed gate and two other thugs were grappling with more guards while a woman dressed in a heavy blue gown that seemed much too hot for the middle of summer stood quite calmly in the center of it all, looking bored. Outside the windows rain poured down from an overcast sky, and Lucy couldn't understand it because the heavens had been filled with glittering diamond stars last time she looked out.
Not even hesitating she pulled a token from the pouch and spoke the summon, "Spirit of the Sails, Vela!"
Stars glittered in the coiling ropes of the net that burst from her outstretched hand, flying towards the group like a giant cobweb. It should have ensnared all the men - including the guards, but whatever - and kept them immobile, but for some reason the astral fabric passed right through the woman and caught only the thugs. Lucy frowned and stared as she turned, the pretty face surprisingly young and annoyingly impassive as she noticed the appearance of the blonde. Gritting her teeth around her own unstable emotions Lucy pulled back the hand that held the token and made the net haul in her prisoners and dump them where guards could put on better restraints. Allowing the spirit to dissolve she quickly grabbed for another token when a surge of water appeared from nowhere and knocked her backwards, leaving her sopping wet and utterly bewildered on the floor.
Not even a hit of a smile reached the downcast lips of the woman as she began to walk towards Lucy, as casually as if she was strolling in a park.
"It would be better to leave before you get hurt" she said impassively. "Juvia is not good at holding back."
"No one would run just because you tell them to!" Lucy quipped, finally finding the talisman she had been looking for. "Sign of the Small Dog - Canis!"
The fierce little terrier appeared in a cloud of darkness and starlight and flung itself at the thief, but instead of digging its sharp fangs into the leg of the jaws snapped shut around nothing but water with a soundless echo that nevertheless reverberated in the hallway.
"Physical attacks cannot harm Juvia" the dark-haired lady said, not even batting a lid when the spirit attempted another attack. "Juvia's body is made of water..."
Lucy stared as her spirit faded away, chest heaving from the strain. First Leo, then two minor spirits on top of running and fighting and summoning earlier in the day - she was running out of steam quickly.
"Then, I'll..!" She reached for the pouch for a third time but before she could even put her fingers on it water surged up around her and captured the girl in a bubble, one that held her in the center no matter how hard she fought to reach the surface.
"Hey, let her go!" A sudden burst of flame made the water-mage look up and dart out of the way, a minuscule frown touching the elegant brows as Natsu appeared in the corridor, fire licking over his hands. He looked extremely irritated as he conjured another ball of crimson heat and chucked it towards Juvia without sparing a thought on what might happen to the surroundings if he missed. And missed he did, insofar as he didn't hit the woman, but the fire did collide with the hovering sphere of water and made it oscillate violently, raising the temperature of the water. Hey hey, was he trying to boil her alive?
More fire blazed across the hall and Juvia was definitely distracted now. With an indifferent flick of a finger she released the spell and sent Lucy crashing to the floor for the second time, coughing and hacking as she sucked in sweet, precious breath.
"Who the hell are you, why're you after that necklace?" Natsu snarled as he rushed in, so swept away by his own rage that he unconsciously began to transform. Crimson glittered on his hands as he raised them to deal a blow - Juvia's eyes widened in surprise and with a single graceful movement she ducked, rolled and retreated towards a window.
"No matter now" Lucy heard her say quietly to herself. "Juvia found something much better."
"Hey, wait the fuck up!"
There was a crash, lots of screaming and then she was gone, swallowed up by the night. Gradually the rain slowed and ceased completely, a mellow breeze scattering the gray clouds until the skies were clear again, dark and deep and gleaming with stars.
Natsu clipped off long oaths as he stared through the broken window, seething for several minutes until he finally calmed down enough to extinguish the flames and return to his usual guise. Guards and thugs alike had retreated once the magic battles began so the dragon and the princess were quite alone in the corridor, but despite that the man looked around with narrowed eyes as he removed the scales, as though reluctant to be seen.
"You okay?" he asked eventually, turning back to Lucy.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She took a deep breath and accepted the hand that reached down to help her up, staggering to her feet looking like a drenched cat. The dress was completely ruined and lay like a film against her skin, thankfully not transparent because of the water yet leaving nothing to imagination even so. The woman flung her arms around herself and avoided the dragon's gaze, too embarrassed to even speak. There was a soft sigh and the sound of movement; then the lights went out as a big shirt was pulled down over her head, long enough to reach her halfway down the thighs once it was put on properly.
Lucy looked up in surprise but this time it was Natsu's turn to look away. He looked red in the face, but whether it was from anger or the heat of battle or something else was impossible to tell.
"Thank you" she mumbled nonetheless, grateful despite her awkward feelings. He nodded shortly, then turned and went back to talk to the owner of the mansion, leaving Lucy quite alone with her thoughts.
It would have been better to be distracted. All the way back to her room she wobbled from topic to topic like a drunkard bouncing between house walls, trying to think about anything that didn't have to do with the dragon or what they had almost done. Yet as she slipped the door close behind her and leaned against it with a heavy sigh, that was exactly where her thoughts returned to, repainting the scene in greater detail than she wanted to recall.
How warm he had been even though they barely touched, the way his fingers had tugged painfully at soft blonde hair when they pressed down beside her head. The way his knee had felt pressed against her thigh, leaving a sensation like a scalding burn that she could still feel if she closed her eyes. His lips had touched her neck when he spoke, and when Lucy touched the spot with quivering fingertips she felt an echo of the electrical surge shoot down along her spine, kindling a spark within that she didn't know how to handle. His lips. Natsu's mouth... Wincing softly Lucy felt her knees buckle and she slid down onto the floor, pulling her knees tightly against the chest.
This wasn't.. it wasn't... why did he have to be a dragon? Why, oh why was he not the man he pretended to be, a real human with real hands and... It wasn't fair that the only one who had ever shown her kindness, trust, honesty and affection was a big, scary, fire-breathing dragon! She remembered the sight of it as though it was still there before her very eyes, the regal majesty of every limb, every glistening scale. She liked Natsu, she really did, but he was supposed to be her friend! Silly and selfish and occasionally so stupid that it was hard to believe he was actually capable, strong and reliable but a dragon and a friend. Not more, never more!
So why had he tried to kiss her? A prank, a game, some kind of test? Lucy didn't know and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear his reasons either, because all she could think of was how he was a dragon and she was human and feeling more than friendship for someone that wasn't even of the same species was just...
There was a knock on the door, two gentle taps she remembered all too well from mornings at inns, taverns, the entrance to her own home.
"Lucy?"
She took a deep breath and scooted aside before reaching up to press down the handle, knowing fully well that if she didn't open now he would find some other way in - less convenient ways. Like through a window, or maybe a wall.
Natsu pushed open the door and blinked when he saw her on the floor instead of standing in front of him. For a while he hesitated, then slipped inside and closed it before sinking down beside her, leaning back against the wooden frame.
"Everything alright?" He was so quiet, almost concerned. Lucy felt his eyes on her and tried to smile, knowing it came out weak and half-hearted.
"I don't know. Is it?"
Finally she raised her gaze to his face, searching his eyes for something, anything that could make it easier to understand. But his eyes were dark well that swallowed her up without releasing any light, and the mouth was a straight line that revealed nothing of what was going on inside.
Very carefully Natsu raised a hand and pulled wet hair away from her face, picking up strand after strand with such slow determination that she didn't resist, realizing it was futile. Even now her heart rate could pick up, even when her head was a tangled web that made no sense her breath caught when he leaned close, shuddering to a halt when his cheek settled against hers.
She thought he would speak, say something, deliver some explanation or declaration of who knows what. But as minutes dragged by and she remained still and stiff as a board nothing, absolutely nothing, happened.
When he withdrew it was with a quiet sigh, tired and resigned.
"I still scare you, don't I." It was not a question. He didn't even sound angry or bitter, just... she didn't know. Worn, maybe, like he was fighting a battle that was dragging on longer than he had thought it would. It didn't matter, Lucy still felt guilty about it because she couldn't deny it. For all that he was her best friend...
"I don't want to be scared" she said quietly and lowered her gaze, tracing the ugly stains on the dress. "In my head I know there's no reason to be, but sometimes..."
"Is there anything I can do to...?"
"Don't know. I... probably, just need time. So much has happened these two months, I haven't had time to catch up to it all yet. Haven't had time to think."
"You think too much."
There was no humor in his voice but Lucy smiled anyway, soft and sad. "I know. It's how I work."
"I know."
Darkness came alive around them as they sat there side by side, close but not touching. It padded around in catlike silence and stroked against their skin, swallowing any further attempts to speak before an words could shatter the stillness.
For the longest time they simply were, together like always but very aware of the rift that still remained between them, a void so narrow yet so deep that none of the rocks they threw in managed to fill it. When Lucy fell asleep it was there in her dreams ready to swallow her up, and when she woke up it still remained despite the arm around her shoulder and the rosy head that rested against the poll of her head that should have been able to bridge it, despite her own cheek that lay so securely on a warm, broad shoulder. If only this friendly comfort had been able to close the gap... But it wasn't, and it would take a long time before she forgot the taste of it, of her own fear that the rift would always remain.
Hello everyone!
I'm back after a very long break! It was much needed, but now I'm back on track again and ready to start writing! As an apology for the long wait, have a double chapter! I hope you like it, we are now venturing onto a path of new adventures, new mysteries and new familiar faces, though some might appear in unexpected places. Let me warn you, the story is only just beginning and if you noticed any plot threads dangling about or have unanswered questions; don't fret! They shall be addressed, in due time ~ *evil laughter*Well then, Enjoy! I'll be back before long with more updates. 3