CHAPTER 8: NIGHTSHADE

Erza's definition of a 'pleasant stay' didn't really match Lucy's. Maybe she had set her hopes up too high, but when they found the pilgrims' settlement, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

In the largest chamber of the cave were something Lucy'd call a poor campsite, at best. The wooden structures were at least a century old, built by the previous generation of Daedra worshippers. The air smelled of moldy cellar – in a twisted way, it reminded Lucy of home. Water had damaged the cellar of their house, and the potatoes and bread stored there were always stale. And when Erza said 'fireplace', she had misled Lucy to think there was actually going to be a real hearth. She had to settle with a large campfire surrounded by round stones.

Not having the guts to complain, Lucy sat in front of the fire. Her head hurt. She was still a bit beside herself, flinching at every unexcepted noise. A thin layer of frost covered the ground and walls, but at least they were sheltered from the blizzard. Warming her frozen fingers near the flames, she studied the place. There were bookshelves, tables and chairs on the wooden platforms. Some barrels, too, but their contents were most likely ruined by moisture. Abandoned bedrolls scattered the platform as well as the cave's floor, with a few locked travel chests. The troll had really scared away those who had last been there.

"Damn!"

Lucy turned her head towards the cursing fire mage. Natsu crouched near one of the chests, trying to pick its lock. A ball of light hovered above him, casting his shadow on the wall. He had been trying to open that chest for a good while now, and was visibly running out of patience. Grimacing, Natsu stood up and kicked the wooden box as hard as he could.

"Stay locked then, bitch!" His shout echoed in the cave. "Didn't wanna open you anyway!"

Erza sneered. She had taken off her armour and stretched her limbs in the campfire's warmth. Seeing her in a linen long-sleeved undershirt and pants felt strange to Lucy. Under all that steel was hidden a womanly figure she almost envied. "Do you need help, mage?" the Companion asked. "I can break the wood with my sword."

"You'd just break the stuff inside", Natsu mumbled and went through his pockets. "Fuck… I'm all out of lockpicks..."

The mage had been a little off ever since they left Clavicus's shrine. Lucy had heard the conversation Natsu had with the Daedric Prince, and she understood why he was upset. Even though Natsu had said he didn't want to find his brother, it had to be part a lie. There was nothing worse than uncertainty. But Clavicus loved toying with mortals, and couldn't be trusted. He'd tell any lies just for his own entertainment.

Natsu kicked the chest again, and to everyone's surprise, it opened. Dumbfounded, the mage stood still and stared at the cloth and gold which dropped from the box as it turned over. Then he flashed a wide smile. Natsu picked up the piece of dark clothing to examine it under the Candlelight.

"Yes! New robes with magical enchantments, exactly what I hoped for! Can't wait to get rid of these smelly College rags..."

Lucy furrowed her brow. "How do you know they're enchanted? They look like any robes to me."

"These radiate magic", the mage answered and turned the robe over so Lucy could see. She rose up and left the fire's warmth to get a better look. She peeked over Natsu's shoulder. A really faint light surrounded the robes, and if Lucy looked really close, she could see small symbols forming out of the light. "Let me see, these robes… they help magicka regenerate faster and aid with destruction spells. As if it was made for me."

Lucy didn't know how the mage could tell that just looking at the ethereal runes. To Lucy, they said nothing. She nodded and crouched next to the open chest. Would there be something for her, too? Lucy picked another piece of clothing, but it was too large. The chest had belonged to a male. Maybe the other chest would contain something more fitting for Lucy. And as Natsu had said, she'd better wear armour until she could defend herself. Today had made it exceedingly clear. Her injuries would have been much worse without the leather armour.

"Who these people were?" Lucy asked. Something glimmered on the bottom of the chest. She reached out her hand and grabbed a chain of silver. A heavy amulet hung on it, adorned with a green stone. "Is this enchanted, too?"

Ignoring her first question, Natsu took the amulet into his hand as Lucy hung it in the air. He analysed it precisely for a moment. "It's just a regular necklace, but you should keep it. We can sell it later. Might be valuable."

Lucy had sold a lot of jewellery, and knew Natsu was right. However, she had hoped it would have been a magical one. The mage let go and the amulet swung back to Lucy. She let out a disappointed sigh.

"They might have been necromancers", Natsu said suddenly. Lucy's eyes flit from the jewel to him. "They wear black, hooded robes like this, and they often raid burial sites to use jewellery in their rituals. That would explain this amount of gold, too. I thought about vampires at first, but vampires wouldn't have any food with them. They drink blood, you know."

Lucy blinked. Even though she didn't really like necromancy, she'd rather cross paths with them than vampires. Vampires scared her. "But what were necromancers doing here?"

"Probably came to ask something from Clavicus."

Natsu collected the coins into a small purse. Maybe they could buy something enchanted with that amount of gold. Lucy glanced at him while he focused on collecting every piece from the chest and the ground. His hair was spiky and messy, and he kept wiping his locks from his eyes every now and then. He could use a haircut once they'd reach a town. The bruises on his cheeks made Lucy feel bad for him – they looked really painful. Why didn't he use magic to heal himself? Lucy was sure he could heal his blackened eyes in a second.

A question dawdled on Lucy's tongue. She had been wondering that alone since yesterday, but didn't dare to ask. But now, as Clavicus had brought the subject back, she gathered her courage and let it out with a shaky voice,

"Did your brother have pink hair as you do?"

"No", Natsu said straight up, shaking his head a bit. Dried troll blood formed black spots on his hair and forehead. "His hair's black as night. Why do you ask?"

The mage raised his gaze from the gold to hers. Lucy saw her own reflection in his large, dark-green eyes. Regretting her question, she lowered her head to avert his look.

"Just wondering… Many travellers passed through Helgen and visited our store. I thought that if he had hair like you I'd remember him..."

"Have you ever seen anyone with hair like me?"

Then Lucy realised the flaw in her logic. Her cheeks flared up in embarrassment. Gladly, Natsu's Candlelight expired, hiding her blush in darkness. "Well, not actually..."

Natsu chuckled. "You're not the first to point that out."

Despite her awkwardness, she felt curious. Had felt since she saw him among the prisoners arriving Helgen. If she wasn't the first to note his unusual hair colour, maybe he wouldn't mind if she wanted to know more.

"Does one of your parents have pink hair?" Lucy asked. "Or… is it a mix of red and fair hair?"

The mage shook his head again, seeming to be in slight discomfort. "My brother had my father's raven hair, but my mother's was fair. Like yours. And there's this thing, my mother, she… she was a bit ill from the head", Natsu said and moved his knees closer to his chest, leaning into them. Bringing his hands under his chin, he squeezed his eyes closed. "Damn, who am I lying to? My mom was fucking nuts. Mad as Sheogorath. Or not as much, but either way, she wasn't alright."

Lucy's heart stung. She definitely didn't want to bring up anything too painful, but too late now.

"What happened?" Lucy asked quietly and looked into Natsu's eyes. He bit his lower lip but decided to tell the story anyway. He probably hadn't told it too many times.

"When she found out she was expecting me, she flipped", he started, sighing. "The frost had ruined most of the crops, and it was going to be long and cold winter with less than half of their regular harvest. She was getting old and father already had Rockjoint. They already had my brother to feed, and mom thought we wouldn't make it. So she tried to take fate into her own hands. She went to the nearest graveyard, picked a bunch of Nightshades and ate them."

"Nightshades?" she gasped. Nightshade was generally known as a potent component of many poisons. "How did… how did both of you survive?"

"By some miracle, I think. Or maybe fate had something planned for me. But when I was born the next summer, my hair was like this. The colour of the Nightshade."

Lucy smiled at him, but her smile died fast. Though the story of his hair colour wasn't happy by any means, it was unique, at least. Like him. Lucy remembered what Natsu had told yesterday, of his mother worrying herself to death. Yet bottomless worry truly took its toll, it rarely killed anyone.

"You said your mother died when you were just thirteen. Did her death have something with her… illness?"

Natsu was quiet awfully long.

"She stopped eating", he whispered then. A voice any louder would reveal how close he was to cry. "It took so fucking long for her to starve to death I was relieved when she finally died. It was… tough to watch. She looked like a Draugr in the end."

Lucy's stomach sunk with a pressuring ache spreading on her chest. She had never seen a Draugr, but she could imagine what starving to death looked like. She had lost her own mother in a matter of a few minutes. It had felt so horrible, it still did, but slow goodbyes wouldn't be any less painful. Sudden death or not, losing a mother was always a tragedy for the child.

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be", Natsu consoled, faking a smile. "It was five years ago, and I'm not sad about it… anymore. I think she's finally at peace. She used to cry all the time after my brother stopped sending those letters. She didn't even speak anymore, she just cried until her last breath."

Natsu ran his fingers through his hair, nervously groping his neck. Lucy shivered as she realised why he had been so rude to her earlier, when she had cried over her dead parents. He couldn't handle it when women cried because it reminded him of his own mother. Lucy did the quick math in her head, summing that Natsu was eighteen now. Only a year older than her, and he had already lived so much more. And the more Lucy knew, the more she felt like she shouldn't envy him for that.

"What's your brother's name?" Lucy asked, gently switching the subject before the mood got too dark. "You haven't mentioned it at all."

Natsu looked at her blankly for a moment, as if he had to dig the name from the depths of his memory.

"Zeref", he said. "His name is Zeref. I haven't spoken his name in… years. They always talk about 'your brother did this and that back in his time' in the College, and so I've started to speak of him as 'my brother'. It's like a taboo to say his name."

Lucy nodded, understanding.

"How do you know he's still alive if he has been missing for so many years?"

Natsu looked down, hiding his faint smile. "He conjured a cat when he was still in College. Its name is Happy, and it's a really nice cat. Everyone loves it. As long as the cat exists, it means he's still alive. Usually conjured animals expire within a short time, but my brother, he's the strongest mage I know. He has kept the cat's gate open for six years and counting."

Lucy's eyed widened. Her tiny wolf had lived for half a minute before it dissolved, and she still hadn't been able to summon it again. If Natsu's brother was that powerful, how powerful would he be in ten years? He was already so skilled.

"Doesn't the cat know where he is? Can it speak? Is it a Daedric cat?"

"No, unfortunately. It's like any other cat, but a lot smarter. He keeps making little pranks to everyone. But I think it's waiting for my brother to come back. He's often on the roof, keeping an eye out for the bridge."

Lucy couldn't wait to reach the College. It seemed such a magical place. Lucy liked cats a lot, and couldn't wait to meet Happy. A conjured cat? That had to be awesome.

"Why didn't you take Clavicus's offer?" she asked. It bothered her as well. Why didn't he want to know about his brother? Didn't he want to see him ever again?

"He's a liar. He turned a man into a troll, just to have fun. I wouldn't believe a word he says", Natsu answered reluctantly. He spun a coin in his fingers. "That Molag Bal thing… that had to be a joke. My brother is too smart to meddle with the Daedra. He knows they're up to no good. At least I hope he knows. You're lucky you don't have any siblings. They're a pain in the ass."

Lucy looked down and silenced for a moment. Natsu's gaze lingered on her, telling he had realised he said something wrong.

"My parents were married for almost a decade before I was born", Lucy started. "They were so disappointed when I was a girl. While your mother tried to kill you in the womb, my parents desperately wanted more children. Boys, to be exact. The shop had passed down from father to son for generations, and I couldn't help but feel that my parents would sell me for a son."

"I don't think any parent would. And even though my mother didn't want to keep me at first, she still loved me. All mothers love their children. Even the insane ones."

Lucy smiled a little, frowning. "My mother wasn't insane."

"I didn't mean -"

"I know. My mom, she was a good woman. I loved and adored her. My father, though, he was… a strict man. Sometimes I thought my mother would have let me leave for the College, but didn't dare to say it. Father's word was always stronger than hers."

"Sounds familiar." Natsu looked down into his hands. His fingers were thin and stained in dirt. When he pressed the coin into his fist, his veins came visible on the back of his hand. The sight reminded Lucy of her father, and his hard-working hands.

"You said your father is still alive", Lucy said. "Have you been in any contact with him?"

Natsu shook his head. "I didn't leave in very good terms. Well, I actually ran away, and the old man couldn't catch me. Rockjoint made that bastard slow. But maybe I should visit him sometime. He has to be calmed down by now..."

"I'm sure he is."

The mage raised his shoulders and fell silent. The silence lasted long enough to mark the conversation ended. Natsu stood up, stretching his limbs. The other chest remained unopened. They had completely forgotten about it.

"Do you have any lockpicks?"

Natsu didn't know where Lucy had found lockpicks, or how she knew how to use them, but eventually, the other chest opened. By that time, his stomach rumbled from hunger. He was more than happy to see the box filled with bread, dried meat and bottles of mead. There were even honey-nut treats. Though he was a bit disappointed for not finding any riches, edible food was always more valuable. Even Erza approved their findings. She had been writing her notes all that time.

The mage carried the chest to the fireplace. Lucy spread her bedroll in front of the fire and Erza followed her example. Natsu picked up one bread and left the women to eat and rest. He wanted to change into fresh clothes before going to sleep, but first, he needed to clean up. Troll blood felt nasty on his skin.

While munching the bread, he searched for a kettle. He cast a Candlelight when he wandered too far from the fire, and could no longer see in the dark. The spell enlighted the cave and the built structures well enough. Natsu climbed on one of the wooden platforms. Rusty bloodstains had absorbed to the boards, and they creaked as he walked on them. There was a half-burned candle on the table, and Natsu lit it with a small touch of his fingertip.

Natsu's eyes fixated on a thin book. A quill and an inkwell stood next to it, implying it was someone's old journal. He put the rest of the bread to his mouth and picked up the book. To his surprise, it was empty. Only a date had been written to the upper corner of the first page. 17th of Last Seed, 4E 201.

"Hey, which day is it today?" Natsu hollered at the girls. He had lost the track of time. It happened often.

"19th of Last Seed", Erza answered. "Why?"

Natsu lowered his gaze back to the journal. These people had left two days ago, the same day Helgen got hit by a dragon. Then Natsu got an idea. He took the quill in his left hand, dipped it into the ink and began to write.

'Almost got executed in Helgen. A dragon saved my ass, but lost Igneel. Miss him. Found this girl, Lucy. She wants to be a mage. Going back to College with her.'

Natsu looked at his handwriting and remembered why he hadn't kept a journal. Igneel had documented their journey so far, but now his journal was Imperial property. Before the ink got to dry, Natsu messed it with his finger, knowing he wouldn't have the time or patience to write about his days. When the day was done, all he wanted to do was sleep. Writing routines? Not for him.

"Lucy, are you a writer?" he asked. Erza had a notebook already, but Lucy didn't. "Here's an empty journal if you want to keep it."

From the distance, Natsu couldn't read her expression. She kept a thinking pause. "Okay", she answered then. "Leave it there, I'll check it after I've eaten."

Natsu nodded. He continued to search for a kettle so he could warm some water, but found only a wooden bucket. It sufficed, for he was too tired to keep searching. He put the clean clothes into the bucket. There had been an underground stream closer to Clavicus's shrine, so Natsu headed there. He'd was himself in the stream, even though the water was frigid. Then he'd bring a bucketful of water to the girls, in case they wanted to clean up or have a drink.

The stream was so far away in the cave that Natsu didn't even hear the girls' voices when he found it. Gladly. He didn't really like to strip in front of other people, especially women – unlike Gray. Without hesitating any further, he took off the fur cloak and slipped out of his robes. Already shivering, he released his feet from his boots and wool socks, dyed red with blood. He crouched by the running groundwater and filled the bucket. Then he braced himself by taking a deep breath, and poured the bucketful of icy cold water on himself.

"SHIT!" he screamed, shuddering. Frigid water ran down his naked skin causing a terrible, painful tingling. As fast as he could, he rubbed his scalp, hair and face, trying to wash away the blood. With his teeth chattering, he filled the bucket again. Already cursing, he rinsed his body once more. It felt like a being pricked by a thousand pins.

While jumping up and down from the cold, Natsu's eyes caught something shiny in the stream. A strange warmth replaced the tingling. Natsu reached for the gleaming thing before the rushing waters took it away. He felt it with his fingers, recognising it as a ring. It had a purple stone implanted into it. Taking a better look under his Candlelight, he realised it was enchanted to significantly fortify one's magicka. A treasure.

Natsu closed the ring into his fist and stepped out of the stream. He couldn't feel his feet anymore. Quickly, he dried himself with his old rags before dressing into new underpants, robes and wool socks. He secured a belt around his waist and checked if his dagger was safely fastened. Natsu slid the ring into his pocket, filled up the bucket one more time and then headed back. The frigid wash made him drowsy, but otherwise, he felt surprisingly good. Refreshed, at least. Maybe in a little less pain.

The last discussion with Clavicus had made his blood boil. He hated it how the Daedra even dared to make such a joke, but talking to Lucy had calmed him down. Opening up about his past wasn't usually the easiest thing to do. So far, Igneel had been the only person he had shared his family history with. 'Hey dumbass, why's your hair like that?' Igneel had asked him the first time they talked. The Dark Elf kept teasing him about his hair colour for months, until Natsu had finally told him the truth.

Truth always brought people closer.

"I brought some water", Natsu said when he was back in their camp. Only the warrior was sitting by the fire. Natsu glanced around and found Lucy writing that journal. He smiled inwardly. Back in Embershard mine's storage room, Lucy had glanced through the books. Natsu had figured out she liked reading. Readers often liked to write, too.

Erza glared at his wet hair while drinking some mead. "You washed your hair? You'll freeze your brain."

He grinned as a response. "That damage is already done."

Natsu put the water next to the fire, hoping it would warm up a bit. He spread his bedroll on the ground and sat down. His tense muscles relaxed in an instant, and his limbs started to feel heavy. Natsu took a bottle of mead and honey-nut treat from the chest. Usually, he didn't like sweets, but now he was so hungry and tired he'd eat anything. He opened the bottle, took a sip and almost spit it out.

"Ugh, Nord mead", he mumbled, closed the bottle and put it away. Nord mead with juniper was the only version he liked. "That's disgusting."

"You mean delicious?" Erza smirked. Natsu hadn't seen her smiling often. She was always so serious, but maybe mead helped her relax.

"Tastes like goat's piss."

"You've tasted some?"

Natsu snorted, not bothering to answer. He took a bite of the nut treat to hide the mead's taste. Lucy was done with her journaling. She returned to them, carrying the notebook and the writing implements with her.

"Thanks for the water", she said as she sat down. "I don't like mead either. Vilod, our neighbour, made mead with juniper berries. That was okay, but my parents didn't let me drink too much. It wasn't ladylike to drink."

"Juniper mead was brewed in Helgen?" Natsu asked, and immediately realised what it meant. "Damn..."

"Not ladylike to drink mead? Ha!" Erza laughed. Her voice grew louder the emptier her bottle became. "They should have visited Jorrvaskar. Our heaviest drinker is a woman. No-one drinks as much as our Cana does. She's always drunk."

Natsu was secretly glad Lucy didn't drink. He could never tell how a woman behaved when drunk, and his both eyes were already black. If he needed to have a strong drink and a fistfight with a woman to know her, he'd rather not know them at all. Luckily, Erza didn't open another bottle.

"I'll go check if the troll-man has kept his word", the warrior said when her drink was finished. "If he hasn't, I'm going to punish him."

Lucy chuckled silently but hid her mouth when Erza noticed her laughing. She dressed her steel armour back on with astonishing speed and left. Lucy filled the empty mead bottle with water and drank it whole, twitching her face at the aftertaste. Then she filled again and splashed some on her hair and forehead, to wash away the blood. She flinched from the cold.

"Don't freeze your brain", Natsu said, grinning. He took the bottle from her hand and warmed it with a flame before giving it back. "Here."

"Thanks."

Natsu watched as she washed the rusty stripes from her collarbone-lenght hair, and revealed her fair skin under the dirt and blood. The injuries had left only faint bruises behind. They would fade in a day or two. The mage put his hands into the pockets, and felt the cool silvery ring in his fingers. He had almost forgotten about it.

"Hey, Lucy", he started and pulled his hand back, keeping the ring tight in his fist. Tempted to keep it himself, he almost retreated from saying what he was going to – but when he looked at Lucy, he knew it was the right thing to do. Lucy put the bottle down, and Natsu opened his fingers. "I found this while I gathered water. It's strongly enchanted. Fortifies magicka. You should take it."

Before Lucy even answered, Natsu tossed the ring to her. Awestruck, Lucy caught it by a reflex. The girl stared at him in loss of words.

"But… But… Don't you want to have it?" she asked.

"You need it more. It'll help you cast more spells."

Lucy smiled as an answer and put the ring in her right index finger.

"Want to summon a wolf?" Natsu asked. "Let's see if that thing's any good."

One could never have too many friends in Skyrim.

A/N: I realised I haven't made any notes on this site! Anyway, thanks to everyone who has read this fic, let me know what you think :) I really appreciate your reviews!

And Natsu didn't propose her with that ring thing, that was purely platonic (at least for now haha :D). Skyrim's wedding and marriage traditions differ a lot from ours. A person looking for a marriage wears an amulet of Mara to show that they're available, and so on. They only get matching rings after they've been married.