Chapter 6 - Settling

Lucy watched eagerly as Natsu shot into the guildhall. It was barely morning, the skies still a light orange as the sun peaked up from the horizon. The birds were chirping merrily, their soft tune slowly waking the residents of Magnolia. But Lucy was wide awake. She'd gone to sleep pretty early in the afternoon, and despite barely having a bed to sleep in, she was out like a light, a new warmth in her chest keeping her company throughout the night. Besides, Mirajane began cooking; she couldn't possibly resist the smell of fresh pancakes!

"Here Lucy, these are my old clothes. I don't fit them anymore, but they'll be a good fit on you until the girls and I take you out to buy some necessities!" Mirajane spoke with a small smile. Lucy had refused the shopping trip, not wanting to be a burden to the people who were now covering up her mistakes.

"No- I can't do that, Mirajane! I don't want to cause any trouble-"

"Nonsense! You're part of the family, Lucy, whether you're from this age or not. Make yourself at home; once you get your mark tomorrow, I'm sure the girls would love to tag along!"

Mirajane had then passed her a small cloth sack with clothes for the next day along with a few disposable toiletries for the night, then bid Lucy farewell. She occupied one of the guest rooms, which Master Makarov had let her borrow until she'd gotten herself settled. She'd cleaned herself up as best as she could, changing out of the nightgown on her bed, and into the clothes that Mirajane lent her the night before.

"Now.. where is that sack.. Aha!" As Lucy fiddled with the sack, still clad in her short satin night kimono (she swore they were the most comfortable thing she'd worn), she pulled out the clothes from the night before, storing them neatly near her bed. They only served to remind her of the life she lived in X2084. She sniffled, already feeling homesick- but then again, what was there for her in that age? Here, she had - dare she say - friends, her knucklehead (yet still terrifyingly scary) soulmate, and a whole mystery to uncover. 'Maybe this isn't so bad, after all… I mean, I didn't have many people fawning over me… '

That thought put a smile on her face. These strangers, whom she'd barely met, were willing to risk themselves to help her. She was so grateful!

Humming, she pulled out the clothes Mirajane pulled out for her, only for a fierce blush to coat her cheeks. Honestly, she could see how they were Mirajane's clothes; they'd totally suit her, but just… They weren't Lucy's type of clothes. Lucy was a loungewear queen, living in sweats and a T-Shirt. The most dressed up she'd been casually - as in, I have to look like an adult going to a club type of dressing up - were tight jeans and a short crop-top. That was the most revealing outfit she'd worn her entire life- not that she was insecure; she knew she was smoking hot, but… there'd never been any reason for her to do so. Now, she'd be wearing these (to put it straight, skimpy) clothes in front of everyone! She was embarrassed. But, most of the people wore very revealing clothes, too. A girl - Cana, she recalled - even straight up wore a bikini top and capris, and Gray had a stripping habit, for God's sake! 'Well.. maybe it wouldn't be too bad…'

Gathering all of her confidence, she stripped down, pulling the clothes on. She examined herself in the small mirror, satisfied with her looks. 'You look smokin' Lucy!'

It was a white and black tank top, ruffled on the sleeves. There were separated sleeves from the top, white, matching the top half of the shirt. The bottom half of the top was a black corset, and a blood red miniskirt adorned her. A silver belt held it up. She pulled on her thigh high tan boots, adjusting with little difficulty.

Though she couldn't help but lower the skirt down her thigh, she felt stunning. She attached the leather key holder she received last night (dropped off by Loke, conveniently at the exact same time she started to strip to change), to the silver belt, filing her keys into them carefully. Adorning a smile, she skipped out her room, excited to join Mirajane to breakfast.

"Hey, Mirajane!" Lucy spoke, noticing Mirajane in the kitchen behind the bar. She seated herself on one of the stools, wanting to keep her company in the still empty Guildhall.

"Oh, hello there, Lucy- Oh my gosh! You look adorable in those!" Mirajane was infront Lucy in an instant, chittering in her own little world. Lucy laughed her off, instead opting to compliment Mirajane- she was a beauty of her own!

"Lucy- You can call me Mira, everyone else does! I don't want it to be formal between us, either. We are friends after all!" She added with a light giggle.

Natsu ran down the streets, zipping into the guildhall with excitement. His Bound was going to be marked today! Despite his annoyance at the absence of Happy, he still found it in himself to look forward to the day.

"Sorry Natsu, but I promised Carla that I'd go on a job with her and Wendy today! I'll meet Lushie tomorrow, though, I promise!"

He entered the bare guildhall, surprised to see it so empty. He scanned the hall for the girl, finding her seated on a usually unoccupied bench at the bar. Hopping over, he greeted her with a loud-

"LUCE!"

Said blonde turned around with a large smile.

"Natsu! You're here! We can get my mark now!" She jumped off her seat, squealing excitedly before grabbing Natsu's hand in hers. She pulled him towards the bar, her laughter echoing through the building.

Natsu also laughed, but rather at her interest at such a simple matter, though it warmed him to know that she'd actually waited for him- not something a lot of others do. He joined her at the bar, chatting absentmindedly as Mira joined the duo.

"Hello there, Natsu! You're early!" Mira chirped, placing a plate of pancakes in front of both Lucy. "Hold on, let me grab you a plate!"

"No, it's alright, Mira, just mark Lucy. I can eat later. Besides, I want to go on a job with her after teaching her about magic and stuff!"

"No can do, Natsu. The girls have the dibs on her. We need to get her some clothes and weapons to get her settled. You can have her tomorrow, though!"

Groaning, but not objecting, Natsu slumped into his chair, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, ok, fine, Let's get her marked!"

Mirajane giggled at his antics, crouching down to grab the stamp.

Natsu watched Lucy as she chittered excitedly about joining Fairy Tail. Natsu was surprised she even bothered speaking to him; she had witnessed his true magic, after all. She was one of the few who'd seen; He'd thought it was safe since she barely knew anything about it.

"Alright, Lucy, where, and what colour would you like it in?" Mira spoke.

Lucy eyed the stamp warily, contemplating her choices. Suddenly, a flash of pink passed her thoughts, and a certain Red String tied on her right finger emerged. A brief blush coated her cheeks, before she dismissed it. 'Seriously? I hope no one saw that… '

"Pink, on my right hand, please!" She requested, beaming.

Natsu noticed the small blush on her face, wondering why on Earth she was embarrassed about anything. Dismissing it to her weirdness, he decided to watch the stamping. This part was always so entertaining!

Mira approved, and proceeded to place the glowing stamp on her hand.

Lucy stared at it amazingly.

"Look, Natsu! I have my mark!" She laughed, proceeding to shove her hand in his face. He laughed her off once again, deciding to begin her lessons.

"Ok, Lucy, time to begin your lessons. Anywhere you wanna be, or is here fine?"

"Actually, Natsu. I think you should take her up to her room upstairs. I don't want people harassing her just now. Once the girls take her out, she can meet the rest of the guild members. If you need anything, just call me, and I'll be right there!"

Natsu nodded, approving her idea. He grabbed Lucy, one hand under her legs and another below her shoulders, ignoring the shriek of fright from the girl now in his arms.

"Natsu- Eeek!"

He proceeded to jump up, landing on the second floor of the guildhall, right in front of Lucy's room. Natsu dropped Lucy on her feet carefully, giving her a childish grin.

"What the hell was that for, stupid!?" She yelled, attempting to punch him.

Natsu only caught the fist, chuckling.

The duo was soon comfortable seated on Lucy's bed, Lucy bundled up in her blanket on one end of Lucy's bed, with Natsu laying carelessly on a chair with his feet propped up on the bed instead.

Natsu's eyes closed gently as he recalled his knowledge - one of the most precise sources; he had been around since the beginning of Era X.

"You start off. Tell me all you know about the history of Fiore, and I'll add in everything your people missed. After that, I can teach you about magic." He spoke. Though he seemed carefree, Natsu was tense. Talking about the history may reveal to Lucy who he was, but he would be careful.

The secret of The Demon king was one of utmost importance. If it was released to anyone, the legacy of the Mythical War would be gone to waste. History, mankind, Magic, would disappear. Natsu shivered. 'I'm not going to worry about that right now… '

Lucy began to speak, telling Natsu about the History of Fiore. She recalled the information she read from a book ages prior…

"The Recorded History Of Ishgar

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ERA VETERIS - ERA X

"The conclusion of Era Veteris occurs in V9867, and X000, the beginning of Era X is born, as the Olden Wars come to a close. The Olden Wars was a supposed civil war which lasted for centuries, a war between the people against splitting Ishgar into multiple countries, and those with it. Those supporting this decision won, and Ishgar was split into 11 nations, each being ruled by a Royal Family. Pergrande, the continent's largest nation…..

"Fiore, renowned for its Guilds, was taken into control of its first King, Mercurius Fiore, in X000, along with the others. The Royal Castle was later named after him, as a tribute to the First of Fiore's History.

"One of the most well taken attributes of Fiore was the Guilds it created. They were many scattered all throughout Fiore, the largest ones being responsible for dealing with crime and major problems. They were the most respected of Fiore, though the names and associations were lost to time, as many pieces of Ishgarian History were. The Light Guilds were funded by the Royal family. It was from Fiore that the Novus Era, X1003 onwards (this is covered in upcoming sections), adopted the idea of Police, and taking care of crime. Black (or Dark) Guilds were similar to Mafia…

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ERA NOVUS

"The practice of Guilds was completely erased during the end of Era X, as the Novus Era was born. Though the 'X' was kept in respect to the birth of Ishgar and the Eleven Nations, only the written records of Era X were kept. There were only five, now named the 'Written Five', most being charred around the edges. The oldest accounts of the Novus Era tell tales of a burnt landscape, Ishgar being consumed in raging flames, leaving nothing in its wakes. This marked the end of Era X, most proclaiming that the Wrath of the Gods was brought down upon them.

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SALVAGED KNOWLEDGE OF THE WRITTEN FIVE

"Most of the knowledge carried in the Written Five is disregarded as senseless dawdle, but I, the author, am sure this is something. The knowledge of the Written Five is limited to the public, but with intense research that I do not wish to retell, I salvaged this much information on the Eclipse Gate, a monument older than time on the Hills of Crocus, the capital of Fiore.

"The Eclipse Gate. It was one of ancient history, and one of legend. There was a common myth that circled around Crocus. The Eclipse Gate was supposedly built by Lord Zeref, a historic figure in Ishgarian History. The Demon King (whose name was unknown - and will be unknown till the end of time) was Lord Zeref's younger brother, and wielded the largest amount of raw power imaginable.

Lord Zeref's motive was one; The Uniting of Tartaros and the Realm of the Living. This meant one thing; the destruction of the human, fairy, dragon race, and every other mythical creature of light."

Lucy released her final words. She couldn't reveal any other information without… mucking up history. Despite the many holes she found in the story, as she now retold it to Natsu, she understood. This was all the Novus Era could salvage; the Written Five were barely anything to go off of.

"Well… I think you covered most of it.. Except the whole Olden Wars concept- that's rubbish! It was not a civil war!" Natsu spoke, holding in his bursts of Laughter. Tears of mirth sprouted in his eyes as he struggled not to burst out laughing.

Lucy only smiled widely.

"Yes! I knew it! I always had this weird sensation every time someone talked about the Olden Wars! I knew something was off about it! Yes! Ahaha~!" She spoke in triumph.

"Well yeah. So the Olden Wars" - Natsu paused to snicker - "were actually the Mythical Wars. So uhm- You know anything else about… Zeref?" He spoke the name slowly, as if scared it'd come out to bite him. The mood darkened.

"No, nothing other than that the Demon King and Lord Zeref were brothers… Why?"

Natsu cleared his closing throat. "He's important. Him and Mavis Vermillion, the Founder of Fairy Tail. The Mythical War began in V9000, when Zeref resurrected his brother from the dead." Natsu's tone plummeted to the ground, his eyes fell, a distant longing hidden in his voice.

Lucy noticed. She shifted, unsure of what to do.

"Zeref was the one who taught Mavis magic, and that was how she created Fairy Tail. So, in a way, Zeref was one of the founders, too. Tch- that Bastard. They were even engaged." Natsu looked out the window. It was about mid morning now. "Anyway, when Zeref brought m- uhm, his younger brother back as E.N.D, the Fates were mad. Every Dragon, Fairy, and Mythical being opposed his idea of bringing people back from the dead, and he was cursed to live an eternal life where the more he cared about life, the more things died around him. They called it the Curse of Ankhseram. To stop this curse, he had to forget the beauty of life- so he did. He disregarded life. Viewed everything as a battlefield." Natsu was fiddling with the ends of his vest again- a bad habit.

"He thought it was unfair, so he waged a war. He used E.N.D. as a killing machine. He wanted to eradicate the world of all Light Mythics, as he called them, and repopulate it with the Demons from the Books Of Zeref- demons he created. But, the catch was, the demons were linked to his life source. If he died, everything would end, but he was immortal. The point of the Mythical Wars was to kill Zeref. There was a way, but… I can't talk about it, I-" Natsu was dying to claw his throat out, unable to stop it from constricting painfully. He was not going to cry! Not even if he was talking about the death of his brother. Zeref was a psycho, and he would not give that psycho love. Even as he repeated those words like a mantra, though, Mavis's face came to mind. She was able to love a psychopath, and that was ultimately what killed him. The love Mavis held for him overpowered the hate he held for himself. That was how the battle ended- It was a tragic tale of a mutual, forbidden love.

"All I can say is.. Mavis, she- She loved Zeref more than he hated himself, ultimately killing him. Zeref loved Mavis without condition, and that killed her, too."

"Anyway, once that was done, E.N.D was still alive, since he was someone brought back from the dead. He had his own soul, but it was trapped in a book, called the Book Of E.N.D. Igneel, the Fire Dragon King, my father, killed E.N.D., destroyed his book. Once E.N.D d-died, the Mythical Wars came to a close and Era Veteris ended. Then it was X000, Era X, which is now, yada yada yada~ you know the deal!" Natsu, though still hurting from recalling his past, put on a fake smile. He gathered courage to look Lucy in the eye, only to find-

"LUCY! What's wrong! Why are you crying!?" He shrieked, ungracefully toppling off his chair, landing in a heap on the floor. He jolted up immediately, rushing to comfort the dishevelled blonde.

"Nothing- I, I dunno why I'm crying, it's just that-" Lucy choked on her tears, letting out a sob as tears came tumbling out. "I- E.N.D, he-" She paused again, letting out a few tears. "The Demon King didn't deserve to die! You literally told me that he was being used- how could Igneel kill him? Zeref was dead anyway, so his magic would have run out- and, if his magic had run out, E.N.D wouldn't have been a demon and would have been normal and- Natsu, why did your dad kill him!?" She continued to sob, awkwardly wrapping her arms around Natsu for comfort.

Natsu, on the other hand, stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what the little blonde was rambling. Did this girl just proclaim that E.N.D. didn't deserve to die? His heart melted, tears threatening to spill. Nobody- and he meant nobody, not a single soul, not a fly, had ever spoken such words about the Demon King. Even the Dragons who took him in, swearing to keep his identity a secret, ever considered him a part of their nest, their minds still lingering on the lives Natsu had taken.

"L-Lucy, you don't get it. The Demon King, he- he was a murderer, Lucy, a mindless murderer. He took hundreds of thousands of lives- he was not innocent. He never wil- would be."

"No, Natsu! You said it yourself- He was mindless! Zeref's ideals were probably forced- You know what?" She pulled herself gently away from Natsu, wiping away her tears and snot. "I'm good. Is the History lesson over? Let's get to magic…" She hopped off the bed, standing next to Natsu, who was still stunned.

He curled the corner of his mouth.

Lucy was.. Weird.

"Yeah, uh. I'll bring lunch for us. You better stay here, I'll bring Gray, I'll see if his stalker of a wife is there, too… Erza and Jellal, Mira.. maybe Lisanna and- dang it! Wendy isn't here.. Oh and Levy, of course! Maybe the Metalhead too, if he isn't on a job… " he dawdled off, listing names he thought fit the scenario. "They can show you their magic! Maybe we can summon Loke, too, he'll be helpful."

Natsu was convinced fate couldn't have chosen a better partner for him. This girl… she was way too kind. Much to kind for someone who was tainted with the souls of Millions. He did not deserve such a pure human. He did not wish to taint her- nor get her killed. He was certain she'd figure his identity out soon; She was smart.

"So you're telling me that you don't have Guilds in your time? That's crazy!" Gray shouted, having finished with his food. Juvia was sat next to him, laughing at her husband's outburst. "You still have Cotton Candy but you don't have Guilds? What is this crap!?"

Lucy giggled, taking the last bite of her food. "Thank you to Mira, this is delicious!" She said, wiping her mouth.

Natsu, Gray, Juvia and herself were sitting in Lucy's room, eating to their heart's content. The door shot open, more people filing into the space.

"Hey guys!" A small voice spoke. Lucy looked over. Short blue hair, glasses, a headband- 'Levy?' She barely noticed the large man behind her, his face littered in piercings. 'I assume that's the metalhead Natsu was talking about… '

"Oh my gosh, is that the Lucy everyone's going crazy about?!" The small girl rushed to Lucy's side.

"Uh yeah, I guess! Nice to meet you!" Lucy said, giggling at the excited girl.

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Levy McGarden, and this big lug" - she paused to gesture to the man behind her, who was turning to leave - "is Gajeel Redfox. He's my Fiancé!"

Lucy greeted the others, excited to be meeting more of Fairy Tail.

"Hey Natsu, Erza and Jellal, and Lisanna said they couldn't come. Master sent them on a job to Crocus to fill Sabertooth in on Lucy's situation. Yukino was at the Gate at the time, so they didn't want them reporting to the council what happened."

Natsu nodded at Levy, eyebrows furrowing at the mention of the Magic Council. They were a bunch of power hungry bastards.

Natsu rather focused his attention on Lucy. "Okay, you wanna learn about magic now, Luce? Call Loke up!"

Lucy broke off from her conversation with Gray to reply to him. She reached into the leather case strapped to her belt and touched the Lion's Key. "Loke? Uhhm.. Come here?" She spoke awkwardly. What was she supposed to do, swing it around like a mad woman, screaming at him to get his ass over here?

Her request seemed to work though, as he popped into existence in a flash of the familiar golden light, a cloud of mist erupting where he stood.

"Hey, Princess! I'll teach you the incantations soon. That was a bit awkward… And I could sense your hesitation. Be confident. Actually.. Once we flood your body with Ethernano, I'll teach you how to use your magic and you can actually call us with your power. Yeah.. Natsu, you help with that. " Loke rambled, a hand under chin as if he was deep in thought.

"Yo Loke!" Gray said, breaking him out of his trance.

"Gray! Oh! What's everyone doing here?"

Lucy chuckled, and explained Natsu's plan to him.

"That's awesome! This way, you'll gather more Eth- Hold on, you don't know much about that either, do you? Ok so… " Loke sat down next to her, and explained the basics of magic gathering and building up magical reserves. He explained the concept of Ethernano, and that she had to meditate to gather it.

"You should meditate for half an hour every night, that helps a lot. Maybe go on some jobs with Natsu, too, and you can absorb more ethernano that way. Though he may not look it, " - Loke's eyes brushed over Natsu, sensing his irritation - "Natsu's a great teacher. He'll help you much better than I ever could- In terms of honing magical power, of course."

"There are a lot of different types of Magic, too. For example, Your Bound, here, is a Fire Dragon, and practices Dragon Slaying Magic. Gajeel does too, but he's an Iron Dragon. Levy uses Solid Script magic, Gray uses Maker Magic in Ice, though he is also an Ice Demon Slayer. There's a lot of depth into this so… " Loke waved his hand in the air, and a book materialised in front of Lucy's eyes. "Here you go! Read this when you can!" He held the book out for Lucy, nodding in approval as she safely tucked it into the drawers of her nightstand. "It's got a lot of information about your magic, too, Lucy. You are a Celestial Wizard. Remember that!"

Natsu's irritation spiked. "Shut up Loke- I'm a much better teacher than you, not just in honing magical power. "

Lucy, uncomfortable in the midst of the two boy's bickering, cleared her throat, getting their attention.

"So uhh… I get everything about magic and stuff, but, about the Soulmates, is there anything to learn about that?" She asked, he cheeks slightly reddening at her request.

Natsu chuckled at her embarrassment. "Well first of all, stop calling them Soulmates. Nobody's gonna know what you're talking about- You're weird enough, Lucy!" Natsu ignored her light growl of irritation, continuing with his monologue.

"Being Bound doesn't mean that they have half a soul, or the significant other having the other half of one's soul; that's a load of rubbish. You can't be human with just half a soul; you'll be a walking breathing… shell, of a kind. When you are Bound, the Red String, as you can call it, acts to intertwine your soul with another's. Kinda like mixing two colours of clay together. It's pretty much impossible to remove the two colours, isn't it?"

"Not everybody is Bound, but most with magical power, are. It's pretty rare for someone born without Magic to be Bound, and even rarer for them to be Bound to a Wizard. There are certain souls which the Fates decided to Bind, though. For example, Mavis and Zeref. Mavis was not born with Magic, but Zeref was, and when Mavis's magical power began to increase, their binding was visible- They were always Bound, but never knew it, because of Mavis's lack of Ether at the time. So for you to have bound with me at first sight- which is extremely rare, may I add, means you're either crazy powerful, or our binding was Blessed. I'll go into more detail about that later." 'Honestly, I think our Binding was Blessed, since Lucy barely has any Magic as of now. Which raises more questions…'

Natsu's gaze flickered darkly to Loke's, knowing he had the answers to all of this. He knew he did too, but the damned Celestials had stolen his own knowledge from him. 'Cowardly fools!'

"So, is anyone here Bound?" Lucy asked, excited.

"Well, Gray-sama and I are, Lucy!" Juvia said, fawning over her husband again. "We were meditating together when it happened. It was about 413 years ago; oh the beauty! Our string was a dark blue!"

"Wait, strings can be different colours? "

"Yep! They reflect your magical aura. If I can recall correctly, yours was crimson, am I right? " Juvia asked.

"Yeah, it was."

"There are some perks to being Bound to someone, Lucy. Again, there is information in the book I gave you, but that was the basic information." Loke paused, adjusting his glasses. "Hold on- you guys haven't completely Bound yet!" He blurted, dropping his hands to his sides. 'I can't believe I forgot! Well, guess being around since the birth of humanity does take a toll on things...'

He then grabbed Lucy and Natsu's right hands, feeding his magic into them both. The Crimson String began to flicker, it's form materialising before their eyes.

"Repeat after me." He said, not releasing his hold on them. "Ligabis Ad Me Anima Mea"

Natsu said the words strongly, his voice never faltering, and Lucy did so after him. There was a flare of magic in the room, as Natsu and Lucy both clenched their eyes shut, shielding themselves from the strong flash of light. It soon dimmed, returning into itself as if it never happened.

"Done!" Loke exclaimed cheerily, his voice like a pebble dropped into a clear pond.

Natsu and Lucy stared at each other, then at Loke, who was smiling creepily at the pair.

"What.. exactly happened?" Lucy spoke.

"Nothing, I just completed the binding for you two. You wouldn't have done it yourself, so I did it for you. It's for the best, don't worry, Princess!" Loke exclaimed, not a care in the world.

Natsu simply shrugged, laying backwards onto the floor. "Anything else you wanna know, Luce?"

"Hmm.. No, actually."

"Then! Time for girl's night out!" Levy and Mira exclaimed, their faces lighting up with joy.

Author Notes

Chappies are getting even longer! Almost 5k words! Expect most chapters to be around this length from now!