Evading Destiny
Her ladies oohed and aahed over her as she stood before the full length, tri-fold mirror. She had never felt, or looked, less like herself in her life. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a tight bun, her bangs pinned back to keep them out of her face. A ruffle of black tulle surrounded the bun and made her feel slightly like a bat, especially in combination with the birdcage veil. The dress she was forced into didn't help either…
The full-length mermaid style ball gown was completely black, matching the tulle wrapped in her hair and the veil. The sleeve style was off the shoulder with sheer lace and yet more black tulle coming out from the top of the sleeve. The bodice was a sheer, mesh-type fabric everywhere except her bust, where black lace barely covered her ample chest, and a deep V-line of lace dropped to her belly button, exposing her cleavage and part of her stomach. At her hips, black satin-like fabric wrapped around her thighs, in an almost rose like swirl, until it reached her knees, where the gown suddenly flared out in yet more satin fabric and black and dark gray tulle.
She eyed herself in the mirror while her ladies gushed around her, her gaze taking in the dress in all of its glory and the ring that sat upon her left ring finger; it was as gothic as her dress. The band itself was black tungsten steel and had a square ruby sitting atop it. Surrounding the ruby were smaller rubies and black diamonds. More rubies flanked the largest gem on either side of the band. It was rather gaudy and horrible and Lucy hated it almost as much as she hated the dress she had on.
Everything about her appearance made Lucy want to run away. This was NOT the dress she wanted to wear, her hair was too severe for her liking, the engagement ring she wore upon her hand did not fit her personality at all and she hated her father for backing her into this corner. She did not want to be getting married today. She did not want to be wearing the black monstrosity for the man who would be waiting for her at the end of the aisle. She did not want to be forced into this to maintain her "title", as her father had so aptly put it. She did not want to be oohed and aahed over by women who barely even knew her when her friends had been banned from coming because her father had known they would object.
Lucy sighed silently as one of her ladies finally stepped forward and took her hand in hers. The other woman's hand was clammy and cold, a trait all ghouls possessed. Lucy wished she could roll her eyes at the woman but knew it would most likely get her in trouble with her father.
"Your Highness," she murmured, "You look absolutely stunning. I'm sure your groom will be overjoyed to see you walking down the aisle to him." Lucy nodded absently, her mind miles away from the woman as she contemplated how she had gotten here.
It had been barely four weeks ago when her father had come to her and told her she was getting married. She had ranted and raved at him for hours, screaming at him for thinking he could make her marry someone against her will. Jude had just sat in his chair, stone-faced, and took her anger in stride before he had, surprisingly calmly, told her she would do her duty to him as his heir, as one of the last born females of their race, and as the princess she was. It had taken every ounce of training her father had forced her through after her mother's death to get her to nod stiffly at him and walk out of the room without screaming some more.
She had not even known who her groom was going to be until that morning; some minor lord, Bora something or other… According to her friends, Virgo, Aries, and Aquarius, he was quite the playboy, although unlike their other friend, Loke, he was not also a gentleman about it. Lucy had been infuriated to find out Bora was her intended, but it was the day of the wedding…what could she do?
"Princess?" Lucy startled when she heard a soft, monotone voice ask. She drew herself back from her musings to blink rapidly, realizing that all of her "ladies" had left her and she was now alone in the bridal room with her good friend, Virgo.
"Virgo!" Lucy gasped, reaching forward to embrace her pink-haired friend. "I can't believe you're here! My father would kill you if he saw you here!"
"Princess," Virgo said in that same monotone voice, "do I need to be punished?"
"NO!" Lucy whisper-shouted, reeling back from Virgo's embrace with a horrified expression. "You are the weirdest nymph I have ever met! What kind of fairy asks for punishment all of the time?"
"Technically, Princess, I am not a fairy," Virgo pointed out before she critically eyed Lucy's outfit. "You know, Princess, I would never put you in such an outfit. Your wedding dress should be much more elegant and fit who you are. May I be so bold as to request permission to create your next wedding dress myself?"
Lucy eyed Virgo bemusedly. Her next wedding dress huh? Did Virgo really think Lucy would be getting married again? After all…vampires lived an exceedingly long time.
"Sure," Lucy said with a laugh, "You can absolutely create my next wedding dress."
Virgo's face lit up momentarily with a small smile before it was gone, behind her typical expressionless mask once again, "The others wanted to come see you as well, Princess, but we all agreed it would be too much of a risk." Lucy's smile faltered a little at that; she would love to see all of her friends one more time before she had to face her groom…she didn't want to do this alone.
"I understand," Lucy said with a quiet sigh. "I'm grateful that you were able to come see me at least. I…I didn't want to have to go into this feeling alone and now I don't. I'm so thankful…" Virgo eyed Lucy with understanding in her gaze. The poor blonde had never wanted the life she had been born into and really…it didn't suit her at all. Lucy was expected to be prim and proper at all times, the perfect example of a vampire princess, but she wasn't like that at all. Lucy was outspoken, adventurous, and fun; she wasn't a "proper lady" despite the multitude of trainings and classes her father had made her go through. It was beyond unfair that Jude had backed his daughter into this corner to help stabilize his powerbase…
A knock resounded through the bridal room, causing Lucy and Virgo to both freeze in place, wide eyes staring at the door.
"Your Highness?" a voice called out, the same female ghoul from before. Lucy squirmed where she stood but then stood tall and straight as she answered.
"I'll be out shortly. I just need a moment to catch my breath."
"Alright, Your Highness," the ghoul replied before they heard her steps moving away from the door.
"Do you want me to punish them, Princess?" Virgo asked, the ground beneath them beginning to slightly shift as a rumbling sound met Lucy's sensitive ears. With a sense of growing panic, Lucy fervently shook her head.
"No, no, no!" Lucy said, shaking her hands at Virgo. "I don't even understand how you have such strong powers over the earth when you're a nymph…" she said under her breath but Virgo raised an eyebrow at her anyway.
"I should leave you now, Princess," Virgo stated as she eyed the clock in the room. "You are supposed to be walking down the aisle here shortly…" Lucy looked at her pink-haired friend with unadulterated terror. She wasn't ready yet! She wasn't ready to give up her life to a man she didn't even know, even if it was to help her father. She just…wasn't ready.
"You'll see us again," Virgo said, her monotone voice shaking for once with emotion. "We will see you again, Princess." Unable to hold back a sob, Lucy leaned forward and embraced Virgo, all while being careful not to smudge her ridiculous red lipstick or dark smoky-eye makeup.
"I know," she whispered as Virgo wrapped her arms around her slim waist, a choked sob erupting from her throat. "I will see you all again. We will get to spend time together again. I won't let this marriage stop me."
"You'd better not, Princess," Virgo said with a half smile. If there was anyone, though, that could get what she wanted, Virgo knew that person was Lucy. Lucy would never give up, would never quit, especially when it came to her friends.
"Your Highness!" they both startled and jumped away from one another again when they heard the ghoul return. Virgo gave Lucy a wistful smile as she rushed back to climb up into the air vent she had entered through; she would not be the one to get Lucy in trouble on this day just because she had wanted to see Lucy before she got married.
"I will see you again, Virgo," Lucy whispered as she replaced the vent cover before rushing to open the door for the ghoul. "I'm ready," Lucy said, her voice strong and unwavering as she grabbed the red and black brooch bouquet from the table beside the door. With a nod of her head and a grin, the ghoul ushered Lucy out the door, eager to watch her princess take the next step in her life.
Jude Heartfilia was standing impatiently in the hallway down the way from Lucy's bridal room. His foot was tapping irritably as he waited on his daughter to finally get done getting ready; although he had seen her ladies leave some time earlier… The ghoul he had hired to attend her had just gone back to the room to check on her, to see if she was ready, and then left again. Jude was beginning to get irritated with his one and only child. The ceremony was set to start any minute and she was taking her sweet time!
It wasn't like Jude really wanted his daughter to be getting married today, to Bora of all people, but he didn't have much choice. His position was slipping; honestly it had been ever since the death of his wife, Layla, some years prior. He was not willing to let his position as the current ruler of the vampires go just because some younger "hot-shot" punks thought they could do better than him. He figured that by having Lucy marry Bora, one of those punks, that all of his problems would be solved. It was rather unfortunate his daughter was infuriated with him, but Jude was sure that after some time Lucy would forgive him and possibly even come to love her new husband. It was her duty as both a Heartfilia and a vampire, after all, to do as he asked.
With a disgruntled sigh, Jude turned his head to see the ghoul back at the bridal room, leading his daughter out. Jude let out a small gasp as he took in the sight of his daughter. She absolutely looked like the vampiric royalty she was in her black wedding dress, dark makeup, and blood red lips. Jude found himself feeling completely unsettled as he stared at her looking him over with a regal expression on her face. But this is what he had trained her for…to be the lady, the princess, she truly was. He found himself feeling oddly nostalgic, somehow angry, and completely unprepared for what was about to happen. Why had he agreed to marry of his only child, again? Was it really just because he thought he couldn't keep his position otherwise?
"Father," Lucy said stiffly once she stood not two feet from him. He inclined his head to her before he held his right arm out for her to grasp. With an inaudible sigh, Lucy stepped forward and wrapped her left hand around his arm, the ruby engagement ring glittering upon her finger in the low light. Together, they stepped forward and began walking down the hallway to the double doors where Lucy would be joining Bora in holy matrimony.
As they approached the double doors hiding the throngs of people waiting to watch her get married, Lucy felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. It was a disconcerting feeling for the vampiress, something she had never really felt before. She was only twenty-three years old, in human standards, for heaven's sake! How could she be getting married? And to someone she barely knew for the rest of their incredibly long lives? Why was her father forcing her into this?
She glanced at Jude from the corner of her eye and noticed the firm line of his mouth and the tension in his jaw. Is he angry? Lucy thought incredulously, her lips parting slightly in surprise. Did he really not want her to get married?
"Daddy…" Lucy whispered as they finally reached the double doors and Jude was about to gesture to the ghoul before them to open the door. Startled, Jude turned to her with an eyebrow raised, dropping his hand back down to his side while the ghoul watched them with interest.
"Lucy?" he asked, feeling even more off balance to hear her call him "Daddy" when she had not called him that since her mother's death.
"Do you…do you really wish this of me?" she started hesitantly, fearfully meeting her father's gaze. This man, this man who was her father, had once looked upon her with nothing but love and joy in his eyes. Ever since her mother's death, though, he had looked at her as though her very existence pained him. She crushed the hurt that threatened to rise up in her when the look in his eyes did not waver.
"You will do your duty to your father and your king," Jude said harshly, rejecting the nostalgic feelings her initial appearance had given him. He had worked too hard and for far too long to give up his position just because his daughter wanted to be an ungrateful bitch. "You will do this and you will provide me with a grandchild to cement our position as the rulers of our kind. You will do this without complaint and you will be happy to do so."
Lucy shook with unrestrained fury as Jude once again gestured to the ghoul to open the doors. Without hesitation, the woman followed his orders before Jude started forward again, practically dragging his reluctant and infuriated daughter with him. As the two entered the grand ballroom, people stood all around them as the bridal march resounded through the room. There were people Lucy had never even met before staring at her with unrestrained greed in their eyes while others tearfully wiped away the dampness accumulating on their cheeks.
In an incensed daze, Lucy began marching down the aisle with her father, even as her eyes roamed over all of the people in attendance. All of these people were here to watch her wed Bora, to cement a new partnership between her family and his, and to hopefully, for her father at least, bolster his wavering grasp as king. None of them knew her. None of them knew her heart or her dreams. None of them had ever taken a moment to even get to know her. If they had, they would all know this was not what she wanted.
She eyed Bora as they reached roughly the halfway mark of the aisle. The man looked quite handsome, she had to admit, albeit grudgingly. He looked utterly bored, though, and barely glanced her way as she walked down the aisle before moving his gaze to other women in the vicinity. Lucy glared at him, utterly disgusted with his behavior. Here it was, their wedding day, and he couldn't even be bothered to pretend that he was interested in her?
Rage like Lucy had never known suddenly flowed through her in that moment with that realization. He wasn't even going to try and be a good, faithful husband, was he? Was he even going to acknowledge her in their marriage? Was he going to try and support her, and by extension her father? Did it matter to him at all that she was giving up her life to be with him, to be a good princess who did as she was told? Did she even matter to him?
Lucy stopped in the middle of the aisle, staring down at the black and red aisle runner as she clutched onto her bouquet with one hand. Her other hand slid from her father's arm to clench into a fist at her side. All she could think in that matter was how dare he? How dare both of them! This was her life, not theirs, and yet here she was letting them dictate what she was to do like she was still a child! She might be a princess, but she was also a vampire, a vampire who had fully grown into her powers several years ago. She was about to start acting like one. Her mother never would have stood for this, and in that moment Lucy realized she wouldn't either.
With a sudden rush of power, Lucy released all of the emotions she had been feeling since finding out she was getting married against her will. Her canines elongated into inch long fangs while her nails sharpened and lengthened. Rolling her shoulders as her power rushed through her, Lucy sighed contentedly as her eyes turned from her normal warm brown to a deep, piercing black and beautiful, black, bat-like wings burst from her back. Mmm, she thought, it's been far too long since I've fully let go.
With a toothy grin, Lucy took in the gasps of the people all around her, while her father stared at her, utterly flabbergasted. He had never actually seen her true form, now that she thought about it, and it made her giggle internally to see the shock and awe on his face. In that moment, she knew she must look like her mother at her most powerful, because she heard him whimper a barely audible, "Layla…"
"I'll be taking my leave now," Lucy said with a smirk as she used her wings to launch herself into the air, heading for the ballroom's skylight. It was going to hurt, to crash through the window, but it was so going to be worth it to get away from them, to get away from it all. "I won't be coming back. Have a nice life," she laughed as she thrust first her hands through the glass, shattering it while simultaneously cutting her hands to hell, and then folding her wings in tightly to her body to keep them from getting too injured. When she was fully through the skylight, she unfurled her wings again and took off into the night, ignoring the cuts adorning her body and the tears in her wedding dress.
Freedom…was that what she was feeling as she spiraled up into the air and away from the ridiculously large mansion in the middle of the woods? Was freedom even a feeling? If it wasn't, it should be, because Lucy was certain that was what she was feeling. She flew for what felt like hours before her body was on the brink of exhaustion. With an annoyed sigh, Lucy set down in the middle of the forest, miles and miles away from where she had left her flabbergasted father, groom, and guests. With a bubbly laugh, Lucy let go of her power, feeling drained as her eyes, teeth, and nails returned to normal and her wings folded back into her body, leaving her shoulders bare and smooth once again.
As Lucy laughed about getting away from her terrible situation, and loving every second of it, she realized she had no idea where to go. She had no money, had just very thoroughly cut ties with her father in a very public fashion, and had no idea where she was. This was not…not good.
"Where the hell am I?" Lucy wondered as she turned in a circle, breathing deeply to try and identify the various scents floating through the air. All she smelled was pine, moss, and moist dirt. Nothing really unique to help her identify where she had ended up…but she wasn't about to let that stop her.
With a grumble, she reached down to grip the fabric of her dress where it flared out at her knees. A satisfying sense of rightness entered her as she ripped the fabric all the way around, completely removing the part of her dress that made it a "mermaid". Once that was out of the way, she ripped the fabric on the right side of her dress up to her mid-thigh, hoping that it would allow her better range of motion. That and she had always preferred shorter skirts. Looking behind her, knowing that somewhere back there was the only life she had ever known. Grinning maniacally, despite her less than desirable situation, Lucy knew she had made the right decision for her. For once in her life, she was making her own decisions, the decisions she wanted to make, and it felt amazing.
With no real sense of where the hell she was going, Lucy began walking in a straight line. She was fairly certain no one was pursuing her. If they had been, she would have had a fight on her hands long before now. After a few minutes, Lucy became highly disgruntled at trying to walk in her ridiculous high heels and chucked them off, far into the forest, with a powerful kick. Ignoring the needles and dirt pushing into her feet, she continued her walk despite her exhaustion.
Lucy had been walking for maybe ten minutes when she heard a sound she recognized quite well…the sound of an engine. Her exhaustion suddenly forgotten, she raced forward with all the strength she had left; if she was hearing an engine, that meant there were cars, and if there were cars, there was a highway and she could get a ride to the nearest town or city. Once in the city, she would be able to call Virgo or Aquarius or any of her other friends…
Lucy burst through some foliage onto a deserted highway, and she almost cried in disappointment. She was sure she had heard a car, but she guessed she had not been fast enough. Allowing her disappointment and fatigue to catch up to her, she collapsed on the side of the road with her head in her hands. How had she come so far, finally standing up to her father and doing what she had always wanted to, leave, to fail now? Tears began to make tracks down her face as she sobbed on the side of the road. It just wasn't fair!
"Um…excuse me, miss?" her head snapped up when she heard a voice speaking to her. In her despairing state she had not even heard someone approach her, let alone the car idling not five hundred feet from her. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the handsome stranger's appearance.
The man had a sheepish grin upon his face, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at her. She could not contain her astonishment at seeing a man, a man, with vibrantly pink, spiky hair. She also couldn't really stop herself from realizing this man was, hands down, the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. And the way he smelled…he was just delicious and Lucy felt her mouth water slightly, thoroughly embarrassing her even though there was no way for him to tell that.
"So I saw you on the side of the road and was wondering if you needed any help…" the man continued, his hand now moving to tug on the white scarf around his neck. "You see there isn't much around here and I couldn't just leave a pretty girl on the side of the road… I mean! I just wanted to see if I could help! You know, be a good Samaritan and all!" he suddenly started shouting, obviously embarrassed now, as he continued off on a tangent about how he wasn't some creep or anything he was just concerned since she seemed to be all alone and stuff.
"My name is Lucy," Lucy said softly as she eyed the pink-haired man before her. Startled, he turned back to her, having turned his face away to hide his red cheeks, before a wide grin took over his face.
"Nice to meet you, Luigi! My name's Natsu!" he cried, reaching forward to grasp her hand in both of his, shaking it enthusiastically.
"My name isn't Luigi!" she hissed, glaring at where his hands clasped hers, "It's Lucy!"
"Oh. Sorry. Well then, Lucy, is there anything I can do to help you? Are you here all alone?" Natsu asked sincerely, finally releasing her hand. Lucy held it to her chest, her heart beating erratically from the contact. How could just one touch send her heart rate skyrocketing and her blood boiling?
"Actually…I could use some help," she admitted quietly. She had no money, no idea where she was, and she desperately needed to eat to replenish the energy she had lost when she had…escaped her own wedding.
"Well I'm willing to help you out!" Natsu said, pumping his fist ecstatically. "That's my car over there. Do you know where you want to go? I could take you there!"
Lucy could not help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat at Natsu's enthusiasm. She had only just met the man, and yet he was willing to help her? He was incredible.
"I'm not actually sure where I am right now," she confessed, "I um…I kind of ran away from a bad situation and now am lost."
"Oh," was all Natsu said at first before he grinned and grabbed her wrist, dragging her towards his car, "Well that's okay! I'll bring you home, where it's safe! I'm sure you'll like it. I live and work with a whole bunch of other people and we call our home Fairy Tail! It's totally awesome there and I think you'll fit right in, Luce!"
Stunned by his sudden change in attitude, Lucy couldn't help but begin to feel excited about the prospect of going to his home. Yes it was totally crazy and yes she had only just met him, but everything about him, everything about this Natsu, screamed right to her. A giddy excitement began to build within her as she made her decision. Everything in her screamed to go with him, to build a new life at this Fairy Tail, possibly even a new life with him… This was the chance of a lifetime; she could just feel it. And she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass her by, no matter how insane it might make her. She was a vampire, after all, which in and of itself was slightly insane… And besides…what was life without a little risk? With a grin to rival his own, she turned her wrist so that she was clasping his hand in hers and nodded excitedly.
"Alright, Natsu!" she said, that same wide grin on her face, "Take me to Fairy Tail!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay second story! And yeah I know…more weddings, but I can't help myself! Weddings are fun! Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm going to make this multi-chapter or not…I kind of like where this one ended, so for now I'm going to label it as "complete". I haven't seen too many stories out there where Lucy is a vampire, and certainly not like this, so I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it! As always, I do not own Fairy Tail, although if I did it would be stupendous.