Chapter 26: The Fated Parting

If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed aloud, thinking this is all one big joke. But the pointy spear directed at me and the serious hardened glare they made gave me a hint that they weren't.

I made a heavy sigh and looked pleadingly at Lahar, "What are the chances that you'll believe me when I say I have nothing to do with this kidnapping?"

My words seem to finally broke the shock trance Hisui was in, as she turned to Lahar and the rest of the Rune Knights, "There's no use lying, we found evidence in your room that you have been in contact with the Three Evil, a wanted group I might add, for them to kidnapped the princess and for you to gallantly save her in the hope of taking credit and be seen upon as the Princess Savior.

"NO!" Hisui cried, "That's a lie, it has to be. You weren't there to see him struggling to save ne,there's no way everything he did was an act."

"Forgive me Princess," said Lahar when his face and tone showed he wasn't the least apologetic, "But he's guilty unless proven otherwise and the proofs we had proofs he's anything but innocent."

Hisui looked shocked and speechless at her easy dismissal of her words as if it weigh nothing, she gazed back at me with eyes brimming with tears of helplessness and I couldn't help but smile gratefully at her attempts. I sighed and looked up at the sky in thought. Random puzzle pieces that had been neglected in my mind became clear. This was what Skovik had aimed all along. I was probably supposed to acquire the letter and he didn't expect for me to follow them that fast. But the goal was realized either way, they got me away from the party where someone might just voiced out their suspicion about me and had the knights ran through my room where fake evidence could be placed.

The Knights came up within the Jutsu Shiki and one of them had ready the Anti-Magic shackle on hand he was about to put on me when the unexpected happened.

A massive boulder landed near us and almost squashed some people if they hadn't back off on time. They stared in wonder at the sudden fall of a giant stone before they looked up and found onslaught of them was raining down. They cried in fear and began running out of the way to find someplace to take cover. Lahar had even pulled Hisui along despite her ignintant cry to take me along.

Instead of panicking as the rest, I used this chance to swiftly rewrote the Jutsu Shiki and ran past it. I paused for a moment when the rain of stones stopped and frown in wonder before I spotted the outline of a familiar giant man just beyond the horizon road with two people beside them. Three if you counted the flying cat outline. I ran up to them, surprised marred my face seeing the two slaves - nay, former-slaves as the collar they had were gone - stood side by side with Nick.

"Aniki we have to run!" He cried before taking my hand and dragging me away from the knights.

"For the love of Vasco de Gama, what is going on?!"

"They're charging you for conspiring to kidnap the Princess," Spade answered, "I don't know the exact details of the plan or who hired us, but the main point of the plan was to frame you."

"I get that already, what I'm more concern is how the hell did you escape my Teleport Loop?!"

Spade gave me a flat look before fishing out the dagger with said spell on it, "It's not much of a problem once you take the dagger with you, you should fix that loophole. I'm surprised no one has ever figured that out yet"

"...damn, I knew there was a flaw somewhere and the pun was not appreciated."

The barrage sound of clanking metal from behind raise the speed of our run. I slapped my head and muttered idiot before telling the others to join hand. While Nick and Hope did just without hesitation, Zeffik and Spade were skeptical by my request, "How's joining hand going to help? By magically escape with the power of togetherness or whatnot," Spade mocked.

"Just do it if you don't want to get caught and sentenced to jail."

He didn't respond and instead took my hand just like I asked and in a blink of an eye, we were on the back hill of my mansion where TORRI is settled. In normal circumstances they would have question what was the red box doing in the middle of the woods, but there were other question to be precedent and I cut them straight to the point.

"Okay, from the beginning. How the hell did we get here?"

The three looked at one another before retelling their tale. It started with Spade managing to outsmart my spell and met up with Zeffik on the way. He easily (or so he says) cut through the crystal that pinned him in place before they both instinctively sought up Skovik only to face with Nick and they were about to for round two when the collar they had suddenly fall of from their neck, making them paused, stunned in surprise and joy.

"Did you kill Skovik?" Spade asked to which I shook my head.

"I only got to punch The Bastard around, his death was surprisingly an accident, not like I meant to kill. I don't kill as long as it is not necessary."

Spade nodded, showing no grieve for the man and oddly looking at me, "You kept your promise."

"It's why they are called promise y'now. Anyway, you can thank me later, what happened then?"

They continued explaining that since they were free, they were no longer Nick's enemy and even offered to help. It was them when amidst their talk that Nick reminded Spade of my name as Roy Jurenelle since he has pictured my name as The Captain this whole time, and revealing how the kidnapping was a ruse to framed me. At this revelation, Nick agreed to hide them from the Rune Knights to witness prove of his claim and they work together to get me out before they could arrest me.

"Aniki...what are we going to do now?"

"Off course we go back and explain things right?" Hope asked, "If we explain what exactly that happened, I'm sure they would understand."

I made a forced smile at Hope's optimistic view, and shook my head. "It's too late for that. They already saw how we all tried to escape so it didn't win us any points. Plus, I can't rule out the possibility of this mysterious 'Employer' to have bribed a few knights into his back pockets to make sure I look anything but innocent.

"Then what will you do?" Spade asked.

I looked back at TORRI, still resting in silence and back at him, "Only one thing we can do; run."

"Aniki, and you're fine with that?! You're leaving your home, your family, Lucy!"

"I know," I sighed resignedly, "and I don't like it as much as you do...but I have to do this because of them. I can't off the chance they'll be charge in the offense of hiding me if I contact them in any way. If we're leaving, we're leaving now."

Before Nick could say anything else. There was the sound of oh the galloping horse that made our back straight, but the worry etched on us was wiped away when we realized it was the sound of one horse, and one horse particular.

Rebecca propped out of Courage and dashed toward me so she could give me a tight hug I was familiar, "Oh thank God they haven't captured you and OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

I look down at myself and I have forgotten how injured I was, looking pretty raggedy and beat up. Rebecca scanned the two strangers next to me with fiery demanding eyes. When she spotted that one of them was obviously looking very guilty with his eyes turning away and scratching the back of his neck, his hands and legs were fidgeting. With looks that could burn, she marched toward him and slapped him so hard, I winced at the sound that rang she makes.

"Oooow, what was that for?" Spade asked her while rubbing his red hand marked cheek.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Rebecca jerked her hand toward my miserable state. Spade winced and looking like he wanted to bolt but the vice grip she had on her shoulder did not let him off. Giving her an apologetic grin and said, "To be fair we were instructed to let him live so if I had known who he is, I would have let him off just a smidge."

That wasn't the right thing to say if the second punch to the nose was any telling.

She swerved back to me and checked from head to toe for the usual would that would need immediate attention, but it wholly on luck and the Swordsman's temperament that I got to survive with less wound than necessary.

I shrugged her off telling her I'm fine before pulling her out of the rest's earshot and told her about my predicament, which she was already aware of by the line of Rune Knights that appeared shortly after I was gone and conducted the investigation and why when she spotted Courage alone did she had him find me by excusing herself and without letting anyone noticing she was gone.

My heart clenched at what I'm about to request from her, but decided what was at stake and told her my order as Roy, her friend and one she regard as a little brother along with Nicks, but as Roy Jurenelle of the Jurenelle Nobility, her Master.

When I told her that, I knew she was chewing her cheek to bite back a retort at the order I'm giving her that needed her to stay here at the mansion and not follow me out as I run as a fugitive. What surprised me was the tears she ended up shedding and how she furiously tried to hide it away by quickly wiping it with her sleeves, but it kept pouring out and I soften.

"I don't want to...why can't I follow you...I have no one else other than you and Nick."

My eyes soften and I pulled her into a hug, making her surprise but didn't question as she buried her face to my shoulder, muffling her cry. "I know and I'm so so sorry to ask you of this Rebecca, but I can't ever come back if you don't at least stay and do that for me. It would need our utmost discretion or everything will fall apart and I trust you more with this than anyone else. Can you do that?"

She didn't like it, it was obviously telling but I waited for her response and when she nodded, I sagged in relief. I frown when she didn't lift her head back up and had her lift her chin so she would meet my eyes. Being 16, I had my growth spurt so now I was an inch or two taller than her.

"Hey, I'll be back. I promise you that okay?"

Again she nodded and finally she said, "I'll wait for you then."

Once she said it, she turned her back and thought she would approached Nick to say her goodbye to him, she surprised me when she instead approached the two stooges. Rebecca looked up and down at them with a calculative yet knowing glint.

"What will you do now?" She asked.

They look taken aback by the question, not sure they had expected that and I was just as surprised. The surprising look from Spade quickly washed away as he step up to stand upon me and kneeled in one knee, turning my surprise to one of shock.

"Spade...wha…"

"I had long but lost of my myself as I succumb to my goal that I live for nothing else. I had led me being put down to nothing and being no different to a dog who barks and obeys his master. But fighting you made me remembered that I am more than that, that people can do more than just cruelty. So let me pledge you this…" he took out his sword and stabbed it to the ground, making my eyes go round at the familiar form and the significant it had, "...I pledge my sword and my loyalty, now and forever, to you. I am your subject, your sword, and I am yours to command."

It was a knight pledge, and it wasn't so much of the surprise that he was a knight but more of the fact he was pledging his allegiance to me! There isn't a lot of things that could make me speechless and mentally, I congratulate him for successfully doing it.

While I was rendered speechless, Rebecca came up to him and spoke as if in my name, "You will swear that you will protect him with everything you have and won't let anything happened to him?"

"I swear."

She huffed and crossed her arm at this, "Good luck with that, Master Roy is not an easy person to protect with all the trouble he'd be involved."

"Hey, I take offense to that, I can take care of myself!"

"With how much you try looking for trouble, I doubt that."

I huffed, slightly offended by her remark but didn't exactly say she was wrong.

"Is there any point you're making from this?" asked Spade.

"My point being made is that protecting Master Roy would be one of the hardest job to do, and if you're expecting a few knights trying to arrest him then you should take back this very second."

Spade raised an eyebrow and glanced skeptically between the two of us, "What exactly should I be expecting then?"

"Oh," I raise my voice, "travelling to the unknown, angry mob chasing us, fighting giant serpent and all other monsters, and lots and lots of running involved, think you can handle that?"

Spade had his jaw dropped at my admission before laughing out aloud, "Well, I guess things won't be boring with you around."

My grin came out wider at his response before switching my attention to Zeffik, who had been silence all the while, "You know...my ship would need a doctor on board. Think you could fill that spot for us?"

The Half-Giant looked shock at my request, possibly he wasn't expecting to be bought along in all this craziness. Yet I knew he needs a new purpose in his life after being a slave for so long, and what better way than by granting him his dream. He looked like he had many questions, but his focus instead went to one point, "You have a ship?"

My grin became a bit more mischievous as I tilt my head toward the red phone box, "See for yourself." I went over and opened the door slightly enough so they couldn't see inside but enough for them to slide in.

Nick was the first to question my sanity, "Uh...no offense Aniki, but that doesn't look like a ship to me."

"Then why don't you go inside and see for yourself?"

While Rebecca stood by with Courage and made a resign sigh, the three of my companions looked at one another, unsure written on their faces before they got up inside TORRI. I said my goodbye to Rebecca before closing the door and went off to our runaway voyage as fugitive of the nation.

Four months had passed and news has spread across Fiore about the wanted fugitive, Roy Jurenelle.

When Lucy first saw the paper of such headlines she ripped it apart without care on who saw her rampage. It was ridiculous for her, that someone as selfless as him, who saved people in his spare time and laughed at the face of danger would ever try to do anything to harm anyone. She was on the verge of laughing hysterically from the fact but instead cried herself to sleep.

Lucy waited long for any signs, for any message, for anything that could point out to Roy's wellbeing. Yet days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and nothing. As time passed, Lucy would scarce herself from eating and sleeping that even her maids became quite worry for her. Yet, she couldn't help it. Roy and TORRI had been her solace whenever living with her father had been too overbearing for her and needed an escape. Most of all, her journeys made her life more significant. Here as Lucky Lucy of the Heartfilia, she felt like an heiress with nothing to boast off. But as Goldilocks, she could tell you how she fought alongside pirates, saved a country from a civil war, and befriended a mermaid.

However, even though she misses her adventure, it didn't stop her worries for Roy.

On her 15th Birthday there was nothing much to celebrate. Her father had long forgotten it and never celebrate it with her. Unlike her maids who would secretly made a birthday cake every year and celebrate it with her at night and gave her birthday gifts. It's one of the reason why she loved them all so much.

Still, the soreness of not getting even a 'Happy Birthday' from her own father will never disappear. She expected the whole day will be one depressing day until she would celebrate her birthday with the rest of her servants. That is...until a familiar red box was standing at the middle of her room and made her jaw drop and the wind on her lungs felt being knocked out.

"This is a really good story. You should really published this, I think a lot of people would pay good buck for this." She whipped her head to the side and saw Roy, looking as if he hadn't just disappear on her for four months, reading her written works of her adventures throughout Ishgar with him. Lucy was stuck in a whirlwind of emotion seeing him so nonchalant in her room. When she was silent for too long, Roy frowned and stepped up toward her, "Lucy are you okay?"

'Am I okay? He's asking me AM I FREAKING OKAY?!'

In response Lucy slapped him across her cheek, Roy didn't look surprised and only hissed at the stinging pain he was given, "I guess I deserve that."

"No duh. What happened? Why are there words that you plan the kidnapping? Where have you been all these months?"

"Wow, wow slow down there and try not to shout because I'm risking myself meeting you and I don't have a lot of time."

There was a lot of things Lucy was confused of and lining up in her head were tens of question she wanted to ask but instead she held his arm and demanded one thing, "Then take me with you." Roy was surprised by her admission before a sad frown came over him and she knew what he was about to say, "I don't need answer, I don't care what people say of you. I can't stand being here, I hate living with my father and being reminded everyday how much he doesn't care about me. Please take me with you."

"Oh Lucy. You are fantastic, you know that? Never let others thinks you are otherwise. You are one of the most amazing girl I know- which is why I can't bring you."

"Why? Roy, you're not making any sense."

"I know Lucy, but you're so, so much more important than you realize. There are people who needs you as much as you'll need them, and you will become so much more amazing than you are now and I can't rob off your chance like that. I know you don't understand what I'm saying right now, but trust me, in time you will."

Tears brimmed in her eyes and Roy lifted his hand to gently wiped the tears away.

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. This isn't goodbye, not really. We'll meet again, I can assure you that. When we do, we'll both have our own tales to look forward to by then."

Lucy choked in a sob and nodded, believing for even moment that his words is true and managed a smile.

"There's that smile I know and love. Anyway, I can't stay long. I don't know if the Rune Knights are watching over my acquaintances. All I can say for now that I'll handle the problem no matter how long it takes and once everything blows over, I'll come and explain everything because...I don't know how the hell did I got here so wait for me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Also here," Roy shuffled inside his inside pocket jacket and pulled out a thick brown leather book, "Happy birthday Lucy."

"What's this?"

"It's a book...from your mother," Lucy head shot up in shock, her mouth gaping and the question was evident without her voicing it, "It has everything inside concerning magic involving celestial magic, spirit magic, spatial magic, and time magic. Dated from many Heartfilias from generation to generation for the last 400 years...your mother entrusted it with me before she died, telling me to give it to you when I think it's time and after spending the kind of craziness we experienced together and saw first hand how much you've grown I say there's no better time than now."

Still looking confused, she looked up at him quizzically, "But...why did she give it to you?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure myself Maybe she saw something trustworthy in me. So...are you going to take it or do I have to put it back?" Roy gestured to put back the book but Lucy lunge to take it, followed by a cry of "No!" that made Roy chuckled.

"Then consider this rightfully yours," he said.

Lucy looked down at the book, softly caressing it like a precious item before hugging it tightly to her chest, "Thank you Roy," Lucy whispered. "For this, for everything."

"Anything for you." Feeling how close of a parting they were, Roy turned away and was about to board TORRI but stopped for a moment before turning back to her. "Just out of curiosity, do you have a title yet for your story?" Lucy shook her head and gave her a familiar grin when he was about to say something stupid or amazing or an inside joke he only knew, "Then how about titling it Captain Who? I'm sure that would be a catchy title."

"Captain Who? That's a strange title."

"Perfect for a strange guy like me, yeah? Just...think about it alright."

"I will, see you later Captain."

He smirked, "See ya Goldilocks."

And then he was gone.

Lucy finally broke down crying to the floor, unknown to her, Roy smile had dropped, sliding down the door with a single tear slide down his cheek.