The labyrinth was filled with many twists and turns, passageways that seemed endless, Natsu felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Where are we going?" He asked Erza.
"We're looking for the goblin king's sister. She's the only person I know who could get you to the castle."
"Where is she?"
"She lives somewhere around the oubliette."
"What's an oubliette?"
"An underground dudgeon."
"She lives in a dudgeon?"
"No I said that she lives around it."
"How come she lives there instead of in the castle?"
"No one really knows. I've asked her plenty of times but she doesn't like to talk about it."
"So who's this goblin king I keep hearing about?"
"He rules over the goblins and various other lands."
"What's he like?"
"Arrogant, self centered, short tempered, and feared by almost everyone in the labyrinth. I'm one of the very few who aren't afraid of him."
"Would he hurt my sister?"
"Well he does hate humans but he doesn't believe in unnecessary violence so maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't, you can never tell with him."
"He better not hurt her. If he does I'll-"
"If you try anything on him he'll reduce you to bits and pieces in just give seconds. He's very powerful you know."
Before long they reached the entrance to the oubliette where just a few feet from it was a house made from the hollow of a tree. Erza flew up to the door of the house and gave it a polite knock. The door was answered by a girl who looked like she was either Natsu's age or Juvia's. She had long blonde hair, her clothes were tattered and ragged, and she wore a mask over her face.
"Erza what brings you by?" She asked the fairy.
"I need a favor...Well actually he needs a favor."
The masked blonde looked over at Natsu.
"Who's he? A goblin?"
"I am not a goblin!" Natsu protested. "I'm a human!"
"Really? I've never seen a real live human before. Funny you're not at all what I pictured humans would look like."
"Natsu this is Lucy." Erza introduced. "The goblin king's sister. Lucy I'm sorry to bother you about this but this human needs your help."
"With what?"
"My sister Juvia." Natsu said. "She was accidentally sent to this world through some magic book and now I have to find her. She's at the castle in the goblin city but I don't know how to get there."
"You used to live there so we thought that maybe you could help us." Erza said.
"Oh no I'm not going back there." Lucy said.
"Why not?" Natsu asked. "It was your home."
"Oh please! That prison was never my home. As if I would ever go back to being locked in tower by my so called father."
"What about your brother?" Erza said. "I know your father was a jerk but from what I hear you and your brother were very close."
Lucy sighed.
"I do miss Gray but I just can't go back to that...That monster! I'm really sorry, I'd like to help but there is no way on Earth I am ever going back to that damn castle."
"But you don't understand my sister is there." Natsu protested. "If I don't find her and bring her back home I'll never be able to live with myself and my parents...I don't what they'll do."
"I'm sorry but-"
"Please! We're all she has."
Lucy huffed in frustration. On one hand she didn't want to even think about setting one foot inside that horrible castle again but as she looked into Natsu's pleading black eyes she could see how desperate he was to find Juvia and felt a small pang of guilt in her heart. She really didn't want to do this, in fact she had nightmares about going back to that place but unlike most goblins in the labyrinth she had a conscience and a kind heart.
"Alright I'll take you to the castle but right now it's gotten awfully late. If we leave now we'll be in danger of encountering some very weird and not so friendly creatures. We'll leave in the morning."
"Great." Natsu said. "So where do I sleep?"
"I'll make up a bed for you and Erza."
"So um...You've got anything to eat around here?"
"I have some leftover dried corn and berries. There used to be some salted pork but I ate the last of it for lunch."
"Oh man! Is that all you have?"
"Don't complain. Food is very hard to come by in the labyrinth especially when you don't leave in the castle."
Lucy served them dried corn and berries with few to drink for dinner that night and while they are she prepared their beds.
Erza's bed was a walnut shell with goose feathers for a mattress. Natsu slept on a bed made from leftover furs that had been skinned off the animals that Lucy used for meat. She wasn't a hunter but she worked as a maid for a very skilled goblin who hunted and he paid for her services with the meat he killed.
Natsu noticed during all that time of preparing dinner and fixing up beds, Lucy never once took off her mask. He wondered why she wore that mask? What was she hiding? People didn't wear masks unless they had a secret or something.
"Excuse me." He said to her. "What's the mask for?"
"None of your business." She said.
"Hey no need to get upset. I'm just curious."
"Curiosity can be a very dangerous thing. I have my reasons for wearing this mask and let's leave it at that."
"Whatever you say."
"I'm going to bed now, stay out of my room or you'll be sorry."
With that said she walked into the other room and closed the door.
"Hmm...Touchy."
"Try not to hold it against her." Erza said. "She's been through a lot. I don't know all the details but I know that she's had it hard."
"Living in a castle doesn't seem that hard to me."
"Just because she used to live in a luxurious place doesn't mean she was happy. If she was why would she leave said castle to live in a tree?"
"I guess you have a point there. But why does she wear a mask?"
"That I don't know and right now I'm very tired so let's get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Right."
Back at the castle, Juvia was so tired from the work she had been doing. So tired and so very hungry.
"I'm going into the kitchen to get us something to eat." She told Frosch. "You just rest here until I get back."
"Okay."
Frosch curled up on to Juvia's bed and quickly fell asleep while she went downstairs and started looking for the kitchen. She didn't exactly know her way around the castle well so she wasn't sure where to go.
"Excuse me." She called to someone she saw walking down the hallway. It was Briar. "I'm sorry to bother you but could you tell me where the kitchen is?"
Briar looked down at Juvia with eyes of contempt making the young girl feel a brief shiver down her spine. But then Briar smiled.
"You're that human girl his majesty has making the tapestry correct?"
"Ye-yes. I am."
"I am Briar, royal sorceress to the goblin king and the owl priest."
"I'm Juvia Lockser.
"Why do you want to find the kitchen?"
"Well I...I was hungry and I was wondering if the kitchen has any leftovers they could spare."
"Sorry but the help has to find their own food not mooch off us."
"I see...Where do I find food?"
"Outside the castle and in the woods there are plenty of roots and berries to eat. Of course they're rather bitter tasting."
"In the woods? But it's gotten so dark now. If I were to go in there now I would probably get lost."
"Then I guess you'll just have to go hungry tonight. Oh and stay out of the kitchen if his majesty finds you there he'll probably lose his patients with you and send you to the obuliette."
With a twisted smirk Briar walked away. As soon as she was gone Juvia felt her stomach growl. She was so terribly hungry and she wasn't going to ask for much. Just some leftover bread, how could they just expect the servants to work without pay or food being provided? Was Gray really that heartless?
Juvia went back to the tower to tell Frosch that would have to go hungry tonight but when she reached her room she found him drinking from VA bowl of milk while a tray was left by her door. On the tray was a bowl of hot beef stew, fresh bread, and a goblet of an unknown liquid.
"What's this?" She asked.
"I don't know." Frosch said. "It just appeared out of nowhere."
Juvia was confused but not so confused that she would ignore a meal. She ate the stew, split the bread with Frosch, and drank the mysterious drink in the goblet. It was juice made from a fruit that she didn't recognize in taste but it was the sweetest yet also most tart fruit juice she had ever drank.
After she had finished her dinner she found a night gown laid out on her bed. Relieved that she wouldn't have to sleep in dirty clothes, she changed out of her outfit and into her nightgown. She turned out the light of her lantern, crawled into bed, and quickly fell asleep with Frosch curled up on a pillow that laid at her feet.
In the morning she awoke to find a bowl of unusual looking but very delicious fruit for breakfast. What surprised her the most was that she also found a tub in her room that was filled with water, a bar of soap and towel on her window sill, and her clothes from yesterday had been washed.
"I wonder where all this came from." The thought.
She stepped into the tub and using the soap she proceeded to bathe herself. The water was perfect temperature and when she came out of the tub she dried herself off and changed back into her clothes.
"Frosch did you see anyone come in here last night?" Juvia asked.
"No. I was asleep."
"Hmm...Oh dear I better to get to work on spinning this flax into thread."
"I know where we can find a spinning wheel. Follow me."