Natsu remembered training with Igneel as clearly as he remembered what Happy's fur felt like. The memories always resided in his mind, never leaving and never forgotten. He wouldn't want it any other way. Igneel had been a hard teacher, true. He had made Natsu run till he nearly passed out from exhaustion. Though hard, he helped Natsu build up his muscles and he made Natsu understand the difference between giving in and giving up. Igneel was Natsu's father as far as he was concerned. He had enjoyed learning to be a soldier, so much that he always begged Gramps or Erza to let him in on the fighting that took place in Fiore sometimes.
What he did not enjoy though was to see Lucy running outside behind the castle with Erza yelling at her to pick up the pace. The moment Lucy had showed up for her special training with Erza, Erza had transformed from her good-natured self to the Titania, fierce and without mercy. They had first started off with Lucy telling Erza quietly - out of Natsu's earshot to his annoyance – of her experience and abilities.
Then, they had started from there.
No, Natsu was not happy at all.
When Lucy had finally confessed that she was going to be training he had been shocked, and then angry.
"You are not doing this, Lucy!" Natsu practically growled. His eyes were glowing in denial. Lucy scowled at him.
"Natsu, you can't tell me what to do. This is my decision," she snapped back. Natsu ground his teeth together to keep from shouting. He kept imagining her in a soldier's uniform as she held a sword, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she faced off against an opponent three times her size. He didn't like it.
"But why is it your decision?" he asked desperately. "It doesn't make any sense!"
She pursed her lips and looked away. "Reasons that I can't explain just yet, that's all."
His arms were crossed as he watched the blonde jog in circles, sweat running down her temples. Erza moved to stand beside him but with a more casual air about her. She was in her element.
"Natsu, you can't stay here during the entire training," she admonished him. Natsu huffed in annoyance.
"I'm the Prince, I can do what I want," he replied but without venom.
From across the field they heard Lucy shout, "Natsu! Stop watching me like a creep and go do something princely!"
Natsu flushed a dark red and pouted at the girl. Erza chuckled low in her throat before moving forward to reprimand the girl for being distracted from her training. "I wasn't being a creep, was I Happy?" Natsu muttered down to the cat that was currently sitting on his foot.
Happy stared back up at him with wide eyes. Natsu scowled some more while muttering, "Traitor."
"Come on then," Natsu sighed as he started to walk away, grimacing. "Let's go do some princely things."
Even the cat scrunched up his nose at the words.
Lucy was used to being trained hard. Aquarius – when training her – had worked her to the point of total exhaustion. She forced Lucy to run through alleyways and hide in the shadows to keep out of sight. She was made to play a hide-and-seek game where Aquarius prowled the city trying to find her and she had to find a good place where she would never find her. It was meant to exercise her assassin skills.
She always did find Lucy, and Bornsting wasn't exactly a small city.
Lucy was taught different ways to attack a person and defend herself from attacks. She could put a man two times her size on his back in a matter of seconds and she knew how to handle countless weapons. She was fairly athletic if she did say so herself; she had even impressed Virgo which was a feat in of itself.
But, Lucy did have limits.
For example, one of those limits was being told to run fifty laps and then scale a wall as if she was at full energy. Lucy grit her teeth as she hefted herself on to the top of the wall. She glanced down at Erza who nodded approvingly back. Lucy's shoulders slumped in relief. Noticing Erza's wave, she slowly made my way down the wall and planted her feet in the grass. That had felt too much like the night she'd had tried to escape for her liking.
After running, Erza had led her to a large clearing a while away from the castle. You could barely go a few feet without seeing a person training or exercising in some kind of way. Men ran through obstacles that were lain out on the ground, their knees bouncing into the air as high as their waist. From the occasional shouts of orders to the replies of "Yes sir!" it reminded her more of a military camp than anything else.
Erza, as they were walking towards it earlier, had called it the Practice Grounds. It was definitely that, and a whole lot more.
Lucy sighed as she wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand, eyes observing the soldiers. Fiore was known for its strong army and soldiers and she knew that Erza had a lot to do with that by the way her sharp eyes scanned the masses.
"Erza," Lucy said, drawing her attention back to Lucy. She bit her lip and then shook her head quickly. "Nothing, never mind," Lucy said to Erza's raised eyebrows. Realizing Lucy's discomfort she nodded.
And so, they continued.
Later, when she was weary to the bone and received a warning to not show up late tomorrow, Lucy headed off towards the castle. She was hoping to gain at last glance of Natsu before retiring for the night. Barely seeing him today had left her feeling slightly lonely, not that she would ever admit that.
She didn't really care to change from her sweat soaked clothes; he had seen her earlier when running so she doubt he really cared. Besides, Lucy had no reason to impress him. After a long walk full of heat bearing down on her and low mutters being uttered from her mouth she finally arrived at the castle. Lucy's feet ached.
This time, to her surprise, Marvin wasn't at the gate. Standing on the left was the younger soldier from before and a new one about the same age on the right. They both observed Lucy with narrowed eyes.
The left side asked, "Do you have proof that you are allowed in the castle?"
Lucy frowned at him, knowing he meant the golden dragon. "No, I left it in my rooms. Where's Marvin?"
"Gone," the left replied tersely.
"What do you mean gone?" she snapped. He shrugged carelessly.
The newer one finally spoke. "Sorry lady but this isn't public property. Unless you have verification we can't let you in."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She pointed at the one on the left. "You've seen me come in here plenty of times before! I don't understand why you won't let me in."
"No verification, no entry," he said stiffly. Lucy glared at his figure. She hadn't taken the time before but now she studied his features. He looked to be in his twenties with brown hair and some stubble on his jaw. His dark green eyes bore into Lucy's. He wore the usual soldier outfit: a long red sleeved shirt with a white and blue coat thrown over it and resting on his head was a tall white hat that looked vaguely like a blooming flower. The one on the right wore the same uniform though he looked slightly older and had blonde hair with a very clean shaven face.
Lucy ground her teeth. "Oh come on!"
"Listen here you-," the left growled but stopped when the right shot him a warning glance. He closed his eyes as if to master himself before speaking again. "We can't allow you to pass without verification for the safety of the Prince and Princess."
She sighed and rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. She considered going to get the dragon but quickly dismissed it. It would take too long and by the time she got back it would be late. Lucy scowled at the men but it was hard to hate them, they were just trying to protect Natsu and Wendy.
"Fine," she sighed. Without further comment Lucy spun around and made her way back to Fairy Tail. She frowned as she walked, purposefully ignoring her aching muscles. Where would Marvin have gone? Something prickled unpleasantly in the back of her mind but before she could investigate it suddenly the ground was getting closer and closer to her.
It took Lucy a moment to realize she was falling and another to realize she had hit the ground. Someone yelped, "Sorry!" really loudly. People continued to pass us by and thankfully avoided her figure as she lay sprawled on the ground. Lucy winced as she sat up, looking up into the face of her attacker.
Lucy blinked. "Wendy?"
Her wide eyes stared at Lucy, frozen, before she rushed towards her and grabbed Lucy's hand, pulling her up. "I'm sorry Lucy, I didn't see you!"
Lucy shook her head, trying to shake the confusion, and frowned at her. "It's alright. What are you doing out here?"
She flushed red and looked down. "Actually, I was coming to find you. Natsu, when he got back yesterday, wouldn't tell me what happened, and he seemed a little angry. I was worried," she admitted.
Lucy's insides warmed as she looked at her. Making a split second decision Lucy said, "Well it's getting late. We can talk as I walk you back to the castle."
She pouted and Lucy felt like pouting with her. She didn't want to go back to those two guards but she couldn't let Wendy wander out here alone, it was dangerous. Lucy held out her hand and she grabbed without thought.
"So," she began, peering warily up at Lucy from behind her bangs as they started to walk. "Are you alright?"
"Alright?" Lucy repeated. She took a moment to consider. "Yes, I suppose I am."
She smiled in relief. "So you don't feel like crying anymore?"
"No, not really," Lucy replied. Wendy hesitated and Lucy smiled, tightening her grip on the girl's hand. "You want to know why I was crying, don't you."
Wendy's eyes widened in panic as she stuttered, "N-not really! I-I was just…" Wendy trailed off into silence, biting her lips. She was never very good at lying.
"It's alright, I don't mind telling you," Lucy said gently. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I've come to the realization that my destiny is my own to choose – up until now I'd always given it to my father." Lucy grimaced. "But there will be consequences of course. So for the time being I'll stay here."
Wendy's face filled with barely restrained glee. It lasted a few seconds before it transformed into a somber expression. "Are you in danger?" she asked hesitantly.
Lucy nodded, still unsure of how much to tell her. "I won't be able to visit as much anymore though," she told her quietly. They were getting closer to the castle.
She frowned. "Why?"
With Lucy's free hand she brushed a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. It was up just like it usually was when she was out on a job. Images of John Lorne and that man she was sent to kill as a message flashed behind her eyes. The screams echoed in her ears.
"I'm training to be a soldier under Erza," Lucy admitted. Wendy blinked, cocking her head. Confusion spread over her features.
"A… soldier?"
"I'll explain one day," she promised her as they came to a stop in front of the gates. The two guards glared at Lucy suspiciously before looking at Wendy. Their eyes widened.
"Princess!" the right one exclaimed in alarm. "What are you doing out here?"
Wendy shifted nervously, biting her lip. "I-I just needed to get out," she said meekly.
"Princess, you can't just leave the castle without an escort," the left said. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, not liking his tone. Wendy looked down at her feet, her ears tinted red.
"Well she's back now, so what does it matter?" Lucy said in her defense. "Just open the gates to let her in."
The left curled his lip in distaste at taking orders from me but began to push it open nonetheless. Wendy cast Lucy a grateful look. "Thanks for walking me home Lucy," she said.
Lucy ruffled her head, smiling affectionately. "Any time."
Waving she skipped through the gates and entered the castle, her blue hair fluttering behind her. The gates shut behind her to assure no one followed her, namely being Lucy. Once she was out of sight Lucy sighed and once again turned and walked back to Fairy Tail, ignoring the looks the one on the left kept casting her. The right's face remained without emotion.
Lucy rubbed her forehead wearily. She could feel the souls of the dead trailing her. It had been a long day.
Comments, suggestions, reviews? Yes, no, maybe so?
2 chapters are coming out this Monday... who's ready to cry with me? *clutches tissue box* *Prepares for the tidal wave of feels*