Lucy clicked the door shut behind her and Erza, borrowed cloak swishing around her ankles. The requip mage smiled grimly, pulling her own hood up over the distinguishable hair she had let down for the first time in ages. "You ready?" She murmured, shifting her cloak to further hide the daggers hanging from her belt. It was times like these when she wished the people in Benos fought with swords like she did instead of the small daggers that forced her into close quarters with her enemies.
Lucy nodded once, fingers wrapped around the key ring shoved into one of her apron pockets. She drew strength from the familiar warmth, determined that she would see them again by the end of the day. "Let's go," she replied, aware of the people they were leaving behind in the apartment. Her skin still burned from the touch of Natsu's hands against her chin and neck, his forehead against her own. She'd ignored the looks passed between Wendy and Gray, knowing they'd never give her an answer even if she asked.
Together, Erza and Lucy set out through the halls, using the late afternoon silence to their advantage. Lunch had ended about an hour ago, and typically no one was out and about until dinner time. Many chose to nap or to relax, while others chose to remain in the Great Hall, even if Verlane and Ajax weren't there all the time. But today… today their plan finally began. They were finally setting into motion the actions that would free this country from the sickness that had unwillingly plagued them for years. And with help from their teammates and the friends they had made, they were going to succeed. There was no possible way they couldn't.
Lucy pulled Erza into the nearest servants' passageway, knowing that most would be taking advantage of the empty hallways. The scarlet warrior cast a disdainful eye at the dark interior and tight space. "Yet another reason to dislike Verlane and Ajax. That the manor could be so spacious and grand but the servants are resigned to dingy passageways meant to keep them away from the nobles," her lip curled slightly as she shook her head, "it really is quite despicable."
The women started moving down the hall, hems of cloaks brushing against the stone floor and walls. Lucy had argued against the cloaks last night, but Gray had brought up the good point that it would keep their identities hidden if they ended up getting caught. And it also allowed them to dress differently than they were expected. Lucy took advantage of it by wearing a pair of Erza's boots and hanging her whip from her belt; Erza had simply added more weapons to her personal armory. Evia had warned them to not change completely. They still needed to blend in if worst came to worst.
Lucy took the lead, knowing the passageways well after spending seven months using them. Their breathing rang in her ears, even louder than her boots against the floor. Her nerves began to set in. What if someone was coming? What if they were found out? What if Erza couldn't do it?
A warm and heavy hand landed on her shoulder, shocking her out of her panic. "It'll be alright," Erza murmured. "Deep breaths, hmm? It's not too late. Gray or Wendy could come with me instead."
Lucy shook her head, doing as Erza suggested and inhaling deeply. "No, no, I'm good. Just nerve-wracking, you know? But I'm good. We got this. Besides, the others have their own jobs they have to do, and we have ours." She sent a smile back over her shoulder. Erza squeezed Lucy's opposite shoulder before letting her hand drop back to her side.
"Then let's keep moving. We don't have much time to waste." Still with a smile on her face, Lucy set off again, Erza close behind.
Yet after only a few minutes, they were forced to a stop again. As Lucy took a step into an intersection, another body rammed into her from the side. She stumbled back into Erza, glad for the presence of the requip mage that kept her from falling. Yet the motion knocked the hood from her head, revealing her completely to the new person in their midst.
Annea stood frozen, eyes locked on the face that had just been uncovered. She held a sheet of paper in her hands, the meals requested for dinner that night listed on the parchment. "Ashley?" She whispered, taking a small but noticeable step backward. Her gaze had moved from the maid in the cloak but instead locked on the other hidden figure behind Ashley, something metallic glinting in their hand. "Ashley, what's going on?"
Lucy raised her hand in surrender, thinking of what she knew of Annea. Not much, unfortunately. But Mak trusted her dearly. Maybe that would mean she was on their side…?
"Annea, listen to me. I need you to keep walking and pretend you didn't see us, okay?" When disbelief and wariness flooded the kitchen maid's eyes, Lucy knew she had no other choice. She flipped her hands, showing off the back of her right hand to Annea and ignoring the grunt of surprise from Erza. Lucy caught the instant Annea's gaze locked on the pink symbol, the blonde having scrubbed off all the makeup concealing her emblem earlier that morning. "You have to trust us. We're not here to hurt you, or anyone else. But please, you can't tell anyone you saw us."
Annea's brows furrowed slightly, returning to the figure behind Ashley. If Ashley was even her real name. "Who's that?" She asked, tilting her head forward.
Erza pulled down the hood of her cloak in one fluid motion, red hair shining in the candlelight. She offered the kitchen maid a slight smile, realizing just how frightened this girl was. "Annea, was it? I don't believe we've had the honor of meeting."
Annea pressed herself back against the wall, mind reeling at all the new information in her head. What were Ashley and Lady Scarlet doing sneaking through the servants' passageways with cloaks on? And why, oh why did Ashley have a mark on the back of her hand that resembled that of faraway guilds? Did Mak know about this?
That thought brought peace back to her mind. She straightened, fist still wrapped around the fabric of her apron. "Mak knows about all of this?"
Lucy nodded, letting her hands fall back down. "We never would have gotten this far without him."
"But what are you doing?" Annea repeated.
"We can't tell you," Erza replied with a shake of her head. "But what we can say is that it's going to help you. All of you. And hopefully, we can help the whole country too. That all depends on what you decide to do."
Courage returned to the girl. She rolled her shoulders and let go of her apron. "I believe you. And, even if I didn't, I trust Mak. Where are you going? Let me go ahead and make sure no one gets in the way."
Relief blossomed across Lucy's face. "Oh Annea, thank you. Thank you."
The kitchen maid nodded slightly before raising an eyebrow, waiting for a destination. Lucy couldn't help but grin as Erza filled Annea in on where they needed to go. I know Mak's been into me for the past several months, but how has he even seen me when Annea is so obviously such a wonderful girl? She certainly could make him happier than I ever could.
Annea wheeled on her heel, hurrying ahead of the pair with set shoulders. She'd tell anyone she saw that they needed to leave. And if they questioned her, she'd tell them the truth. Change was coming to Grimstone Manor. Change that would help them all.
XXX
"And you're sure this won't actually make me sick?" Wendy asked Evia, the two women sitting in the living room of her and Natsu's apartment. Carla sat in the Sky Maiden's lap, tail twitching anxiously as she stared at the healer across from the pair. Gray and Natsu were on opposite ends of the room, both watching Evia intently as everyone waited for her answer.
The healer nodded, finishing the tonic she had prepared. "Yes, this will only affect you for a few hours. You might not be at full strength for the remainder of the day, but it won't truly make you sick."
"But if she isn't sick, then how is Verlane supposed to find it believable?" Gray raised the same question that had been bugging Carla. But instead of appearing worried, Evia simply offered another smile.
"This will give you chills and make your skin clammy. You might also get dizzy or feel congested. But you certainly will not feel as you did a few months ago. Think of it as cold symptoms. Just play them up so he's convinced you're falling ill once more or even relapsing your sickness." She pat Wendy's leg before setting the tonic down in front of her. "Go on, drink up. By the time I return, hopefully with Verlane in tow, it will be in full effect."
Wendy picked up the small glass bottle, looking warily at the dark green mixture inside. "Can we run through the plan one more time?"
Natsu snorted, recognizing a weak attempt to put off the inevitable. "Come on Wendy. You know the plan. We probably talked it through like a million times last night!"
"There's no harm in refreshing our memory," Carla argued back. She pulled out of Wendy's arms and stood on the coffee table, finding the best angle in order to see the other four members of the room. "All the facets of this plan rely on everything running smoothly between both our group and Erza's group. And we can risk waiting a few minutes in order to make sure everyone understands what is expected of them." She shot Natsu a glance, and he muttered to himself annoyed. "I know you're worried about Lucy, so I'm going to pretend that didn't happen."
Gray barked out a laugh at the shocked expression burned across Natsu's face. "Ha! She got you there!"
"Shuddup. All of ya," he grumbled, fire dancing along his cheekbones. Gray continued to smirk, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.
"Oh what? Lucy's not here so you don't have to pretend to not have a massive crush on her?"
Wendy couldn't help but giggle as well. "It's really a wonder that she hasn't realized yet. You don't look at anyone like you look at her." And I heard your conversation last night. And your thoughts afterward. Oh Natsu, you really have it bad.
"What, so this turned from going over the plan to take down this manor into making fun of Natsu?" He glared at Gray and Carla, knowing Wendy didn't have any bad motivation. None of them ever did. Well, maybe Gray did. But he knew all Wendy wanted was for him to finally tell Lucy how he felt. Even if it was way too hard to do so without feeling the urge to puke. Yeah, that wasn't something he felt like doing anytime soon.
"He's right," Evia said, taking pity on the poor boy. She placed her extra materials into her bag, sending her gaze over the kids. "Now, after you take this tonic," she said with a pointed glance at Wendy, "I'll go and find Lord Verlane with a message from you, saying that you've taken ill again and won't be able to attend court or dinner."
"Don't forget to mention that Natsu wants to talk to Ajax," Gray added. "He wants to discuss how he can pay them back for everything they've done."
"And that should hopefully get both Verlane and Ajax here, away from the possibility of them running into Erza and Lucy downstairs," Wendy finished, looking proud of herself and yet hesitant at the same time.
Carla nodded, glad everyone was on the same page. "Good. Now I'll go with Evia, staying in the ventilation so I won't be seen. If something by chance goes wrong, I'll meet up with Happy who's with Lucy, and we'll figure something out."
Wendy smiled, feeling confident again. She beamed over at Natsu, happy when the expression was returned. Then he raised an eyebrow, nodding at the still full bottle in front of the Sky Maiden.
"You gonna drink?"
Wendy groaned, leaning her head back against the couch before she picked up the glass bottle and downed the contents in one go. She grimaced, coughing slightly and slamming the empty bottle back down on the table. Evia shook her head at the girl with a smile, sweeping the bottle into her still overflowing bag.
The effects weren't quite immediate to the observers, but Wendy felt it. She tugged at her bodice, heat rolling through her bones like an inferno. She gasped for breath, running a hand along her neck and pressing her heaps of hair against her head. "It's definitely working," she wheezed, wiggling uncomfortably in her dark green dress.
Gray watched Wendy in concern. "Evia, how about you get going? Let's not make Wendy have to suffer more than she has to."
The healer nodded, pushing herself to her feet with a groan. "Of course. I'll be back as soon as I can, but be warned, I do not know where Ajax or Verlane might be, so I can't guarantee that I'll return soon."
Natsu waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, just do what you can. Make sure you find them before they head downstairs, yeah?"
Evia smiled at the young man, dipping her head in acknowledgement before slipping from the apartment, leaving the four wizards in her search of the lords of the manor.
XXX
Lucy peeked her head out of the door, glancing around the empty hallway for any signs of people. When she saw nothing but Annea at the end of the hall, she stepped out, Erza close on her heels. She thought she heard a clatter from the ceiling above their heads and couldn't help but smile to herself. Leave it to Happy to be as loud as possible.
Annea stopped by the end of the hall, leaning around the corner and catching sight of the two guards standing by the stairwell she had never so much as seen before. She smiled to herself when she noted Mak standing there, staring straight ahead and yet somehow catching her gaze out of the corner of his eye. Although there was some distance between them, she swore his eyes widened in surprise. Her smile widened when his head actually turned fractionally toward her.
She turned to tell Lucy and Lady Scarlet that it was all clear only to have her heart jump into her mouth when she realized both women stood directly behind her. Annea placed her hand over her chest, pulse fluttering rapidly even as Lucy whispered an apology.
"It's just Mak and Juca. Is, is Juca part of your plan for whatever is going on?"
"Mak said that we could trust who he was on call with, so I assume so."
"Not to mention that we don't have much of a choice at this point. This is happening today." With those words, Erza strode past the other two women, immediately drawing the attention of the guards farther down the hall.
"Who goes there?" An unfamiliar voice called.
Juca, then, Erza decided before pushing back the hood of her cloak. Mak relaxed at once when her red hair became evident, motioning for his friend to stand down as well. Erza nodded at Mak, glad they had figured out this plan last night. It certainly made everything run a lot faster.
Without another word, she walked past the two guards and began the descent down the forbidden staircase, only sparing Lucy one last smile. The Celestial Spirit mage smiled back tightly, hoping her friend would return soon. It irked her to no end that she couldn't join the requip mage downstairs, but it did make sense, even if she didn't want it to. She would stand right here and wait, either for some signal from Erza or from Happy if something went wrong. God, she truly hoped everything went according to plan. Didn't they deserve it?
XXX
Evia arrived at the hallway containing the chambers of the two lords of the manor, and her heart practically leapt out of her mouth. She may have been rebelling against Lord Ajax and Verlane for the past several months, but that had been silent and really didn't do any harm. Yet there was no coming back from what she was about to do. Distracting the lords so they wouldn't come across Lucy or Erza was practically just as bad as shouting out her intentions to the world. She prayed her children would be okay if her part in the plan was discovered. Ajax wouldn't do anything awful to innocents, would he?
The healer continued to walk down the hall, counting the doors she passed until she reached the one leading to Verlane's suite. She raised her hand to knock, only to be interrupted by a voice calling her name from further down the hall.
"Evia! Mrs. Evia!"
She looked over her right shoulder and found one of the chambermaids hurrying to her, smiling tightly while dragging a large bag of linens behind her. Evia smiled back, wishing she was younger and able to help the girl. "Hello Dina."
"Mrs. Evia," the girl repeated, dipping her head respectfully. Evia fought the urge to roll her eyes at the formality.
"Is there something you needed, Dina? Another headache? Did your cramps worsen?"
"No, thank you though. I just wished to tell you that the Lord Verlane and Lord Ajax are not in their rooms right now."
"Oh?" Evia asked, stomach dropping and twisting into knots. Then where the hell are they?!
Dina nodded emphatically. "Yes, they left a few minutes ago. That's why I'm here, to clean their rooms while they are out. They always leave around this time of the day. I'm not sure why though. Do you know?"
"No," Evia ground out, swallowing down her panic. "No, I don't know why. I assume that means you don't know where they are now?"
Dina shook her head, hefting the bag of linens higher over her shoulder. "No, sorry Mrs. Evia. I can wait until they return and give them a message for you?"
"Er, thank you. Can you inform Lord Verlane that Mistress Shelia has taken ill again and won't be able to attend dinner tonight or court tomorrow? And Lord Drago has requested to meet with Lord Ajax in order to discuss how he can pay him back for his generosity." She smiled at the maid, not letting the girl see how thrown off she was.
Dina beamed back, dipping into a slight curtsy. "Yes Mrs. Evia. Thank you. I'll give your message to them as soon as possible. Thank you again. Have a wonderful day." Evia nodded at the rambling girl, turning on her heel and setting off back the way she came. She slipped into the nearest doorway to the servants' passage, looking up at the ceiling.
"Carla? Are you there, dear?"
"Yes, I'm here," came the echoing response. "I heard it all. What are you going to do?"
"I think I am going to try and find them. There's still a chance this can work. But if I don't find them within the next twenty minutes or so, you should return to Happy so he can warn the girls. I hope this doesn't all go downhill. Dear God, not after we've come so far."
XXX
Lucy paced impatiently in front of the staircase, cloak fluttering around her form as she turned every twelve steps. Mak had grown dizzy long ago by watching her, and instead stared at Annea, the young woman hovering by the opposite wall. She smiled at him every so often, wanting to ask more questions about what was going on yet also wanting to get as far away as she could.
"I'm sorry, but could someone actually explain what's going on?" Juca finally spoke up, tired of waiting for someone to talk.
Lucy paused in her rounds, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry Juca. How much has Mak told you?"
The guard shrugged, dark green hair brushing over his shoulders. "That when you and Lady Scarlet showed up, we were supposed to let you go downstairs and not tell Lord Verlane or Lord Ajax if they came around." Then he narrowed his eyes, taking in the whip at the maid's side. "Are… are you planning on fighting someone? The lords? What brought you here, Ashley?"
"Lucy," she corrected quietly. "Not Ashley. Lucy Heartfilia." And she lifted her right hand, letting the candlelight of the hallway illuminate the pink emblem that identified her as a wizard of Fairy Tail, someone spoken about in legends and campfire stories. Certainly not someone they expected to see in the basement of their home.
If not for the wall behind him, Juca might have fallen over in surprise. As it were, he almost dropped his sword at the same time his jaw fell open. "But, but, but that's, that's the Fairy Tail mark."
Lucy grinned, digging around in her apron pocket and fishing out the key ring she held so dearly. She swung it on her finger, enjoying the look of complete and utter shock and awe crossing her companions' faces. "Yes. It is. I'm Lucy of Fairy Tail, and I've come here with my team to help you. And after today, there will be magic in this country. Just as there should be."
But Juca shook his head. "Magic's a myth here. You are a myth here. And, and, who does that make Lady Scarl…" He trailed off, the connection immediately clicking. "That was Erza Scarlet," he whispered, eyes wide as saucers. "That was the Erza Scarlet. You mean to tell me that Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, and probably the rest of your team has been here at Grimstone Manor for, well, for months, and no one's noticed? I mean, how is that even possible?"
The Celestial mage laughed, opening her mouth to respond before she was interrupted by a loud thud from above. The four of them flinched reflexively. Lucy frowned, casting a glance around before starting to walk down the hall. "I, uh, I'll be right back."
She walked swiftly down the hall, ignoring the quiet questions from her companions. Yet she didn't get more than a few feet forward before she heard a familiar sound. She wasn't quite sure where it was coming from, but it brought back the tendrils of icy freeze that had laid claim to her heart and bones only weeks ago. Boots clicked on cold stone, and the voices of the two men she least wanted to see assaulted her ears.
"Shit," she breathed, whirling around and racing back to her friends. Her eyes stretched wide, chest beginning to rise and fall rapidly in fear. "Verlane and Ajax, they're coming."
"What?! But Evia was supposed to-"
"There's no time for that," Lucy interrupted Mak, reaching up and unhooking her cloak. "They're almost here, and that means we gotta improvise." She grinned, pushing down her nerves and channeling her inner Mavis. "We only have one chance to get this right. And it means that all of us have to play our role perfectly.
XXX
"Lord Ajax! Lord Verlane!" The two lords looked down the hall and away from each other, both noticing the young maid hurrying toward them. Ajax raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the girl and also not understanding why she seemed so panicked. "Lord Ajax!" She repeated, breathing heavily as she skidded to a stop. She curtsied, pressing a hand to her chest and looking up with nervous eyes. "My lords, Mak and Juca, they're the guards on duty at the stairwell today, and they, they've apprehended someone trying to go downstairs!"
"What?!" Ajax hissed, and the girl cowered before him. Ajax blew past her, Verlane hot on his heels as they nearly ran down the remainder of the hall and into the main hallway. They slowed when they saw the scene the maid had warned them of.
The two guards held a struggling woman, restraining her arms behind her back even as she kicked and writhed. Ajax recognized the blonde hair and curvaceous form as belonging to Drago's maid. His anger paused for a moment to really look at her again. I'm not surprised he's been taking her to bed. With a body like that… It's a shame she has committed this horrendous sin. His attraction to her melted away as he remembered why she stood before him, held in place by two guards whose names he couldn't be bothered to remember. He glowered, fury rising up inside of him like a tidal wave. "What is the meaning of this?" He growled, Verlane just as rigid and cold beside him.
Ashely glared right back, standing up as tall as she could before spitting at Ajax's feet. His hand was on her chin in an instant, squeezing tightly and pulling her toward him. She couldn't help but gasp at the sudden pain as she attempted to wriggle away.
"This is Shelia's maid," Verlane murmured, ignoring the discomfort plain on the woman's face. "What the hell is Shelia's maid doing down here?"
"Taking you down," she hissed through the uncomfortable position her mouth was in. Ajax narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but she pressed forward. "You're not that subtle, you know? Fiore's been sending wizards for decades, all of them focused on restoring this beautiful country you've been hellbent on destroying."
Ajax dropped his hand, stepping backward in surprise. But he recovered quickly, delivering a smart slap across her face. She cried out in surprise and pain, but Ajax couldn't have cared less. He grabbed her arm, jerking her away from the guards. Then he glanced over at the maid who'd gained his attention.
"You. Get the word out. I want everyone in the Great Hall in an hour. That includes all nobles, guards and servants that can be spared, everyone. Go." She curtsied before racing off without a second glance. Then he turned to the guards. "Good work in apprehending her. Stay here. Don't let anyone else get near." They snapped to attention. Ajax looked back at Verlane. "Come with me. I assume we both have some questions that only Ms. Ashley can answer."
Ahh things are finally happening! I'm so sorry it's taken so long, but the action is beginning! Let's hope their plan succeeds... then again, does it ever work out as they plan it?