Hey guys! Sorry it took FOREVER to get this posted. This fic probably won't be updated as often as Snap Crackle and Pop, but I will try my best.
Also, just wanted to say that the stuff on contracts breaking if a Celestial mage gets arrested, I actually found on Wikia. I originally wanted it to be something she put in her contracts, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered "Wait, isn't that already a thing?" So I looked it up and it is a thing! Yay for things! Unless you're Lucy right now.
I also didn't really know what to do about the Magic Council, so I honestly didn't go into much detail with that. You'll see. I'm a lazy bum.
Thank you to those that have fav/followed/reviewed. I appreciate all of you!
Lucy stared dejectedly at the floor of her cell. Mest had carried her on his back the entire trip back to Era. He even tried convincing Lahar to keep her in his office instead of an actual cell, but the man had steadily refused.
"We can't give her special treatment just because she is your friend, Doranbolt." He had stated matter-of-factly.
She wondered what it was that she had done for this man to hate her so much. Was he really that upset that there was some damage to the town? It really wasn't all of her fault! The requester had failed to mention that the bandits were mages. The fight had been intense, and she almost lost. But then, in a last-ditch effort, she had summoned Aquarius from her water bottle. The mermaid was so angry, she flooded the entire town. But it had the desired effect, as it had washed away the remaining bandits as well.
Above all, Lucy was more concerned about regaining her contracts. It was common knowledge among Celestial Spirit mages that contracts between Spirit's and their mages can be broken if that mage releases them, dies… or is arrested.
She hoped that her Spirit's felt the same way she did, and viewed her as family.
Lucy was honestly terrified of losing them, and didn't know what she would do if she did.
All she knew was that when she got out of this place and got her keys back, she had a lot of groveling to do.
"Lucy? You doing ok? Do you need anything?"
The blonde looked up and met the concerned turquoise eyes of her only friend in the godforsaken place.
"I'm fine. A little sore. Any word on when Master and Wendy will get here?" She asked softly.
He had informed her right away that when the guild was called, there was an uproar. Mest had made sure to pipe in that she had injuries, but was refusing treatment for the time being. Apparently, Wendy had thrown a fit and had all-but demanded that she go with Master. He said Makarov was too afraid of the normally soft-spoken bluenette to refuse her.
Lucy didn't want to be treated for her injuries. Not here anyway. In all honesty, she had suffered worse and could suck it up for the time being. The only thing she had accepted was some painkillers. Her ribs were aching terribly, and she was starting to think one or two of them were broken.
Mest crouched down so he was at her level. "We just received word from Mira that Wendy and Makarov left the guild as soon as your team was restrained and got on the first available train. They should be here in a few hours."
She nodded at him and continued her study of the floor. "Thank you."
A few moments passed and she looked up to find him still there, a contemplative look on his face.
"Was there something else?" She asked, and the man jumped, startled out of whatever plagued him.
"Well yeah…" He started hesitantly.
"Ok? Go ahead, Mest."
The raven-haired man sighed. "Look…Lahar isn't. He's not…ugh. Believe it or not, Lahar is my best friend. He really isn't a bad guy, or else I wouldn't be friends with him. But when it comes to work, he's a huge stickler for the rules. In his eyes, Fairy Tail helps, yes, but they destroy things on a near daily basis. He acknowledges all the good you guys do, he really does, but he can't get past the amount of destruction you guys have also caused and continue to cause. All he sees, is a group of mages who reap destruction and get away with it without so much as a slap on the wrist. He thinks you guys don't even care.
"All he wants if for Fairy Tail to understand that actions have consequences. That the rubble around you after a fight used to be someone's home. Or maybe a business they had spent their entire lives working to achieve."
Lucy stared at him with wide watery eyes, guilt coursing through her.
How many homes? How many lives had they unintentionally destroyed?
Image after image of the destruction left in the wake of Team Natsu flashed through her mind, and it made Lucy feel like she deserved to be exactly where she was.
Mest shook his head, as if knowing where her thoughts were heading.
"Lucy, no. While I agree to an extent, Lahar went too far this time. Even the mayor of that town is against your arrest and has been here raising hell since he found out, along with some of the townspeople. We actually had to raise our security because of all the trouble Lahar has brought on by his actions. Sabertooth is pissed. Blue Pegasus is pissed. Lamia Scale is pissed. Mermaid Heel is pissed. Even Quatro Cerberus is angry, something about the drunk of your guild being in a relationship with the drunk of their guild, so he's mad because she's mad. There's even a rumor floating around that the Princess herself is furious.
"It's safe to say that you will be released as soon as Makarov gets here…" he trailed off.
Lucy was stunned. That many people were upset over this? That many people cared about her?
Warmth flooded her chest, but the look on Mest's face said there was more he wasn't telling her.
"There's something else, isn't there?" She asked and he looked up at her surprised.
"Well you see, since there's this much of a backlash over your arrest, the Council isn't happy. They don't want this escalating any more than it has, and that means they have to do something about it. And since Lahar was the one who made the arrest…"
Lucy gasped, and he nodded sadly.
"They want to see him privately as soon as you've been released."
"But that isn't right!" She cried.
Sure, the man had arrested her for something minor in comparison to what her gildmates had done in the past. Sure, she had made perfectly clear what would happen if he went through with it. But she trusted Mest, and if he said he was a good person underneath it all, she believed him. Not only that, but she could see where Lahar was coming from.
She vowed right then and there that she would be more conscious of her surroundings in battle, and she would work to make her friends do the same.
Lucy stood, wincing when the movement jarred her ribs, and looked at Mest with determination.
Seeing her expression, Mest scrambled to his feet, pitying whoever would have to face her later on.
"Mest, after I am released I need you to stall the meeting until I get there. I don't know what I'm going to do just yet, but I am going to fix this." She declared.
The raven-haired man smiled at the small blonde, his worries over his friend lessening. Looking into her determined brown eyes, he just knew she would do exactly that.
"I'll do my best, Lucy."
}{}{}{
Captain Lahar resisted the urge to pace outside of the door. He wasn't an imbecile. He knew exactly what was going to happen. But he still had his dignity.
So instead of pacing, he took a seat in one of the stiff chairs that lined the corridor and held his head high.
It wasn't right. He knew that the arrest he made was well within his rights to do so. It was absurd that the Council would stoop to pleasing the masses instead of following the law. All because of one little girl. Well, woman. While small, even he couldn't deny her maturity.
But that was beside the point.
Lahar knew that her arrest would upset Fairy Tail, but he never would have guessed this many other guilds and the Princess of all people would rise to her defense.
Mages had started gathering in crowds in mere hours after Makarov was contacted.
Guilds from all over, banding together, roaring for her release. Even deep within headquarters, he could hear them as they cried for her freedom.
It was infuriating.
He had known the moment Makarov arrived before he had even entered the building because their cries of outrage turned into cheers and applause.
"Captain Lahar, It's time."
Looking up, he was surprised to find his partner leaving the room he was about to enter.
Doranbolt gave him a sad smile before hurrying down the hall.
Lahar nodded and rose to his feet, silently following behind the employee.
Despite his resolve to keep his dignity intact, he felt his hands begin to tremble.
He didn't want to lose his job. It was really the only thing he had. If he lost this, he didn't have a clue what he would do with his life.
The employee led him to stand in the center of the room in front of the imposing figures that sat in their Council seats.
Their chairs were large and placed on individual platforms, and they looked at him with stern and disappointed faces. In all honesty, he felt like a child about to be scolded and he hated it.
There was a silence as they all stared him down before one of them finally spoke.
"I believe you know why you're here, Captain Lahar."
Not trusting his voice, he gave a curt nod.
The woman seated next to him continued. "While we believe your actions were justified, and that Fairy Tail is a problem, we cannot leave this country in an uproar. Even if we could somehow manage the backlash of all major guilds among others, Princess Hisui E. Fiore has made it clear that Miss Lucy Heartfilia is an outstanding citizen and mage. She claims that if it wasn't for her, there would've been more than just those seven dragons during the Eclipse Gate debacle and that should be reason enough to overlook her current transgressions. She has also made it clear, that she would have no problem making her opinion on the matter made known to the public, should we ignore her."
The man who spoke first straightened in his seat before speaking again.
"We have also discussed at length that your drive to thwart Fairy Tail has hindered your ability to make clear judgement. We have ignored this in the past, but now it has caused too much damage.
"It has become quite evident that bringing Lucy Heartfilia to a proper trial would cause more trouble than it would solve. Unfortunately, that also means we must make a point not only to release her, but also take action to rectify the situation. So, by Council decision, you will hereby be stripped of your-"
"Wait!"
Lahar jolted and whirled to face the feminine voice that dared to interrupt a Council meeting in such a manor.
The current bane of his existence, the entire reason he was about to be fired, stood panting behind him where she had thrown open the doors.
The blonde had an arm wrapped around her ribs and her legs shook, but there was a determined fire in her eyes that he would have never expected from a woman like her.
Lahar knew she had refused treatment, and from the looks of it she still hadn't received any. It made him wonder why she still hadn't had her injuries tended to, much less why she was here to begin with.
"Miss Heartfilia, what is the meaning of this?" The woman demanded angrily.
Lucy took a shaky step forward, and Lahar fought against the instinct to assist her. He had a feeling that she had run here when she clearly shouldn't have, but it was of her own doing.
"I know that bursting in here is wrong and I'm sorry, but so is the decision you are about to make."
His eyes widened in shock at her words. She was here to defend him?
"Miss Heartfilia, this is a Council matter and you have done enough. If you would please leave-"
"I'm sorry but I can't. Captain Lahar was only doing his duty and doesn't deserve this! If you still wish for him to atone for my wrongdoings to please all the guilds that came to my defense, I have another way." She said with conviction.
The Rune Knight could do nothing but stand there in shock and slight awe at the woman in front of him. To have the audacity to do what she was doing was astounding, and he wasn't sure if he should feel disapproving of her actions or applaud them.
He heard the members of the Council talk quietly amongst themselves for a moment.
"We're listening." Someone declared, and he was starting to question everyone's sanity. Why on Earthland would they agree to listen to what she had to say after all of this?
Lucy stood a little straighter, ignoring the pain that flared in her ribs and looked each Council member in the eye.
"Make him join Fairy Tail."