Chapter 18

Lucy knew that there would be no escape from the dark expanse of her room. Not when her father was keeping such a close eye on her. But that didn't stop her from at least trying.

She first tried to convince the guards to let her out. When they inevitably didn't budge, and she was thrown back into her room, she moved on to the window. It was only then that she found out that her father must've had metal bars placed within the frame. They were so tightly placed that she could barely slide her wrist through them.

Sighing, Lucy stormed over to her bed before taking a seat on the edge. Her eyes roamed over her room, taking in the random pieces of clothing and objects that were strewn about, along with the opened closet and drawers. It may have seemed to soon, but she was finally ready to admit that there was nothing she could do. Her father had gone off to do who knows what, while the rest of Fairy Tail was probably preparing to fight Phantom Lord.

She fell back onto her bed, her arm coming up to rest across her forehead. Had there really been anything she could have done? She had run away from the only real family she had left, all in a desperate attempt to try and convince her father to do what? He never did anything except for what he wanted, so why would he have finally listened to her now.

Lucy kept replaying those thoughts in her mind, cursing herself over and over for her foolishness. She should've known better, but then again, it had been her actions that had put her guild in this situation to begin with.

She blinked rapidly, doing her best to try and get rid of the tears building up in her eyes, but it was futile, and soon enough she was beginning to sniffle. There was nothing she could do. She would just have to sit and watch as her father tried to destroy her guild. Turning her wrist, she found herself staring at the Fairy Tail symbol. The bright pink color stood out to her more than ever, and she was overcome with a sudden pang of sadness.

The time passed slowly, and she had eventually fallen asleep. When she awoke, the sun was setting far on the horizon, and the sounds coming from the estate outside were much livelier than they had been throughout the past morning. There were shouts from the guards, the ringing of steel on steel, and the sounds of different spells being cast.

Her back ached when she sat back up. There was a small tray placed at the end of the bed, with a glass and a bowl of soup that had long since gone cold. She stood, leaning back to rid herself of the pain when the door to her room suddenly opened. She stood up straighter, but once again found herself withering under her father's glare.

"You're awake," he grumbled. "Good. The maid shall help you get ready, and then you shall join me in the hall."

He was gone as quickly as he came, and she was soon being ushered over to her closet by the maid. She had to jump and step over some of the items on the ground, but the maid paid them no heed. Before she had a moment to gather herself, the maid was already handing her a new yellow dress and a set of slippers to replace her dirtied clothing and boots. If there was one definitive thing that could be said about her father, it was that he had always had an expensive taste.

After she slipped out of her old outfit and threw on the dress at the insistence of the maid's constant prodding, she was pushed back onto the edge of her bed. The maid pulled a brush out of her pocket, before attempting to make her hair as nice as possible, which was a task as futile as her possibility for escape. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had actually spent time to take care of herself, having been on the road with Fairy Tail for weeks, and then running off to make her way here. Her eyes stung of tears once more, but she did her best to hide them from the maid.

The maid eventually stepped back, humming quietly to herself as she shoved the brush back into her apron. "Alright," she muttered, placing a finger on her lips. "That's the best I'll be able to do. At least you look somewhat presentable."

Lucy remained quiet as she stood. There was a mirror in the corner of the room, and part of her was tempted to go and peek. But, before she could, the maid grabbed her arm and was leading her out of the room. The guards that had been placed by her door fell in line with them as they moved through the estate. They were soon standing outside of the grand doors that led into the hall. The maid stepped away quietly and waved her inside as the guards pushed the doors open.

Her father was sitting at the head of the grand table, seated in a large oak chair. It had been specially made to look like a throne. The host should always sit above his guests, her father had once said. She couldn't help but be disgusted by how wrong he was.

There were a few others sat around the table. The white-haired man she had seen when she had first arrived back at the estate sat right beside her father. He had been listening as her father spoke to one of the others about some old tale, but as soon as she had stepped into the room, his eyes had shifted to her. She met his red eyes only for a moment before turning away. There was something about him that unnerved her.

"Lucy," her father called out. The seat to his left was empty as he patted it. "Come, take a seat."

She hesitated, only to be pushed forward by one of the guards behind her. She shuffled over to the seat, eyes trained on the ground as she tried to ignore all the different stares. But when she was just a few steps from her own seat, she froze. Sitting in the seat beside it was a face that she hadn't seen for a while but remembered all to clearly.

"Hello, Lucy," Racer began. He wore a slight smirk, but bowed his head slightly, nonetheless. "It's a pleasure to properly meet you."

She was rooted in her spot, trembling slightly as she stared at the man. There was a loud sigh, and a man with purple hair leaned back in the seat beside Racer. When he grinned, his longer canines glinted in the candlelight, and she jumped when a snake made its way out from beneath his seat.

"Cubellios is interested in you." Lucy rushed over to her seat, sitting herself down and turning to face her father just so she didn't have to look at the others. The purple-haired man simply sighed again. "Now you've offended her."

The red-eyed man watched her the entire time with an unreadable expression, yet simply said, "Tell your pet to quiet down, Cobra. If you can't keep it under control, then I shall send it back outside where it belongs."

Cobra grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest as Cubellios slithered back under his chair. There was a moment of silence, before her father clapped his hands and a swarm of maids filled the hall. They carried all sorts of plates and dishes. The smell of the food that Lucy used to eat everyday filled the air, and she felt a pang of hunger in her stomach. It must have been nearly a day since she had last eaten, and despite her stomach yearning for the food, she forced herself to keep her gaze averted as the rest of the table began to eat.

"Lucy," her father said in between bites. "You must eat."

When she did nothing, her father just shook his head before continuing his meal. There was nothing except for the sounds of silverware clinking and eating for a while, but eventually Racer spoke up once more.

"Can we hurry this up a bit? The food is good and all, but I have things to do."

Cobra hummed in agreement while he fed Cubellios a bit of meat. Lucy still refused to look up, but she could sense the gaze of the white-haired man on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her father dab the edges of his mouth with a cloth.

"Fine," her father said. "Let us discuss."

A gruff voice spoke up from across the table, and Lucy slumped in relief when the man's gaze finally left her. It wasn't much relief however, as her father reached under the table to grip her hand tightly, warning her.

"The deal," the man spoke. His voice was deep—much deeper than even her fathers and she could sense a certain power behind it. It even seemed to put Racer and Cobra on edge. "I wish to discuss the terms."

"The terms?" Her father frowned. "I thought that we had an agreement. I gave you your war between the guilds, and you would help secure our estate and the railways across Fiore."

"We had," the man agreed. He smiled now, one that only showed the slightest of teeth. Lucy shivered as he turned back to her. "Yet, I didn't know that you had such a valuable prize under your control."

Her father was silent for a moment, looking between her and the man. Suddenly, he gripped the arms of his chair and lurched to his feet. The guards at the doorway suddenly seemed on edge, pulling out their blades and holding them at the ready.

Cobra glanced at them tiredly, yawning. "I hate to agree with him, but Racer is right. Hurry this show up."

"Patience, you two," the white-haired man chided.

Her father's face was reddening, fists clenched. Lucy didn't think she had seen him so angry before. "You dare to speak of my daughter in such a manner? She is the heir to the Heartfilia Estate, and you shall not disrespect us in our home. I thought you would know better, Brain."

Typically, Lucy thought that a child would feel relieved to have their parent defend them in such a manner. Yet, it brought her nothing but grief for what it meant. Her gaze flittered to the white-haired man. So, his name was Brain. She thought it odd, but looking over his companions, it was no stranger than theirs. Besides, the oddity of their names were the least of her worries.

"Relax." Brain looked up at her father, lips pinched and a glare in his eye. "You had a celestial wizard for a daughter, and never cared to share that information with us. You could imagine my surprise when Racer returned to report that he had fought one a while back."

Her father looked ready to explode. The guards beside the door were glancing warily at each other. The power in the air was palpable. Brain clearly wasn't a man that you wanted to anger willingly.

"You have no right!" Her father pointed a finger at Brain, who just raised an eyebrow. "You have no right to question me. She is my daughter, and not something I will just trade away!"

"I would say that I have all the right."

The guards by the door cried out, collapsing to the ground. Cubellios curled up around them, blood dripping from her fangs. Her father spluttered, but the next moment, he was pushed to the ground and shackled by Racer. He tried to shout something but was quickly gagged. There was a crazed look in his eye as he continued to fight against the restraints.

"Now, perhaps we can talk in peace…Lucy, was it?"

Lucy nodded; eyes trained on Cobra while he moved to stand next to Cubellios. He pushed one of the smaller tables in front of the door, barring it. She could already hear the rest of the guards banging on the door from the outside. Racer stood beside her father, smirking at the man with his hands buried deep in his pockets. Brain was simply watching her, a strange glint still evident in his eyes.

She had never felt fear like this before.

"It would seem that you lost these," Brain continued. He held out his hand, and Lucy spotted her keyring in his hand. Her father's muffled shouting got even louder. "Here."

Brain tossed them to her, which she lunged out to catch. She clutched them against her chest, fingers already tightening on one of the keys. She wouldn't be able to win in a fight, not against all three, but at least she would go out trying. The thought didn't do anything to reassure her, and she couldn't stop the trembling in her hand.

"Well," Brain sighed. "I suppose that this is where our deal ends, Mr. Heartfilia. It's unfortunate, as we could've used you for a while longer, but your daughter's allegiance to Fairy Tail changes things a tad."

Her father's shouting never ceased. Cobra sighed at the other end of the room. "Let's go," he said. "This screaming is hurting my ears."

Brain turned to her. "You have a choice here, Lucy. I have handed you the keys to your magic. Now, you can either come with us willingly, or I will have Racer tie you up and drag you along."

Lucy remained quiet, her lips refusing to move. Brain took a step closer and she took one back. Her gaze flicked between her father and Brain. Her father was watching her, shaking his head and pleading with his gaze.

"Well," he demanded. "Which is it?"

"I will go."

Her words were nothing more than a whisper, but he heard, nonetheless, as his lips curled up into a pleased smile. "Good."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Now, we finally start digging in as to what role the Oracion Seis have been playing thus far.

Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews(Awareness Bringer, FireShifter)!