When they return to Earthland they find themselves in a forest Lucy recognized as being just outside her ancestral lands.
"What happened Loke? Are you okay?" Concerned, she finds him clutching his head a bit.
"Yeah I'm fine." he waves off. "It seems like because you aren't inside your fathers magic barrier I can't go through it."
"Oh okay. Thank you for getting us this far, we can walk the rest of the way. We aren't far."
"If you're sure, then I'll see you soon Princess." Loke takes a small bow and sparkles away.
Turning to Natsu she explains. " I hope you don't mind. Bringing us this far was a pretty big drain on his magic."
"I don't mind." Natsu shrugs.
They wander down a well worn road a bit before coming across a particularly large tree. Lucy places her palm on it, activating a lacrima screen. She enters a few codes and a large doorway seems to open out of nowhere to allow them in.
She looks back at him sheepishly. "I've picked up his codes just in case. I never imagined I would be using it to break in."
This earns her a chuckle and an amused grin. "We'll make a rogue of you yet."
She giggles "The good thing is it only goes one way." A dark look passes her face. "Or at least the only thing it's keyed to keep in were my bracelets." Pointing, she indicates a hill that is about half a mile away. "We're almost there, it's just below that hill over there."
They begin making their way, but Natsu reaches out and catches her arm, noticing she's taken on a limp.
"Hey, I can take us the rest of the way. It would only take a few moments and I'm sure you could use a break off your feet."
Relief and gratitude flit across her face. "Oh, if you're sure. I would really appreciate it. How do you want to do it?"
Instead of answering he took off the cloak and tunic he had been wearing. Spluttering, Lucy peeks between her fingers. "Wha-at are you doing?"
Snickering, he hands her his things. "I wouldn't want to ruin the nice clothes you picked out for me." He shoots her a wink as she takes his things, loving the blush that spreads across her cheeks. Snickering when he notices the furtive glances at his chest. Without prompt he lets his wings loose, unfurling and snapping out, earning a gasp of surprise as she takes them in. He revels in a burst of pride as she takes them in with awe. The fingers are all dark red scales, the webbing a pink similar to his hair.
"They're beautiful." She tells him breathlessly. Without thinking she reaches out to touch them, only to pull back when she realizes what she's doing.
"Thank you." He whispers, stepping closer to her and reaching his wing towards her. She looks to him and with a nod of confirmation, she runs her hand along one side, surprised that despite the scales, his wings are rather soft. She would almost describe them as silky except instead of cold like she might expect from something reptilian, he was incredibly warm.
Natsu stood still, overwhelmed by her touch. He hadn't realized how intimate her soft caress would be. To touch one's wings was a special privilege not many dragons gave and he found that he was happy to let her.
A very near and loud hoot startled them. Deciding the moment was broken, Natsu scooped her up bridal style and shot into the sky, cackling as she clung to him and screamed.
"You could have given me a warning!" She shouted, scrambling for any purchase she could get.
"Relax weirdo, I've got you." He leveled them off, gliding along the wind current.
A few moments later, Lucy realizes that she's not falling and dares to take a peek from behind his shoulder, breath stolen as she takes in the wonder before her. The sky had bloomed around them, no longer hidden by the dark forest. Sparkling stars twinkled their joy at her against a rich navy blue sky. Everything below was ethereal, bathed in the silver light of the full moon. The magic of it all made her feel like she could just reach up and run her fingers through the night.
"Wow." She whispered.
"There's nothing else like flying is there?" He asks, the soft timber of his voice reminding her just how close they are. She realizes her arm is clenched around his neck in a death grip, while the other is clinging tightly to his clothes. Calming herself, she loosens her grip and leans back to look at him. She returns his soft smile when he glances over to check on her. Feeling bold, she runs her hand up and cups his face, gently kissing his cheek. Amused when a small gasp leaves him.
"Thank you." She whispers happily, wrapping her arm back around his shoulder and snuggling into the crook of his neck. He hugged her tighter in response and they continued the flight in comfortable silence.
A short time later, they arrived at her home and she directed him to her balcony. Once inside, she led him through the halls to her father's study. The door was locked, but Natsu simply burned the lock and slammed the door open. Lucy grimaced at the noise, but reminded herself that the servant quarters were on the other side of the house and it was likely they were asleep. They spent some time looking around until finally Lucy pulled on a painting and it opened like a door, revealing a safe.
"Here, let's try this one." He nodded and placed his hands around the lock, heating up the metal until it glowed, doing the best he could to keep the heat just on the door and frame so he didn't damage what's inside. Once it grew hot enough he grabbed the handle and tore the whole locking mechanism off, letting it drop to the floor with a loud clang.
Spotting the keys, he snatches Lucy's hand before she can burn herself. "I'll get them." She nods and steps back, waiting patiently. Pulling the door open, he ignores the various piles of jewel and documents and picks up a golden ring of gold and silver keys. The three gold keys were intricately forged with the symbols of Leo, Virgo and Aquarius stamped on them. A handful of silver keys with names he wasn't familiar with accompanied them. Handing them over he's overwhelmed with affection as he watches her cradle them to her chest and talk to them.
Lucy takes each one fondly and tells them how much she has missed them and that she will summon them soon for a proper reunion. They warm in her hands, returning her love, one especially is almost burning. Lucy had forgotten how temperamental Aquarius could be.
Natsu is distracted by a familiar scent and a shiver of terror runs down his spine. "It can't be." Turning to the safe, he frantically rummages through it trying to figure out where it came from.
Lucy notices his distress, and watches as he flings things about until finally, he pulls out a rolled up piece of parchment. His hands are shaking as he unravels it, eyes furiously roving the page until a dark look comes over his face and the letter goes up in flames. His hand is clenched and his eyes close as he tries to calm himself, leaning his fist against the wall.
Tentatively, Lucy reaches out, "Natsu?". He raises his hand, asking for a moment. Finally, he takes a big breath and lets it out and looks at her. His eyes are stormy and she can tell he is still plagued by whatever affected him.
"I'm sorry." He croaks, trying to clear his throat.
"Are you okay?" She reaches out, and this time he lets her, wrapping his hand around her elbow and using her touch to ground himself.
Eventually, he answers. "Physically yes, but we should leave as soon as possible. You aren't safe here."
"Wha-" she wants to ask more questions, but his eyes are pleading with her to just trust him. He's Loke's friend and he has done nothing but help me. Making her decision she squeezes his arm. "Okay. Let me change and get packed and we can go." He nods, his relief palpable and follows her to her room.
Once they arrive back, Natsu goes out onto the balcony and Lucy goes to her closet to try and decide what she's going to take. Grabbing her keys, her giddiness returns, and can't be quashed by Natsu's strange mood.
"Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" A bright flash lights up and Virgo is there, smiling at her. Her happiness overwhelms her and she hugs Virgo tightly, trying to stem the flow of tears.
Virgo returns the hug and with one last squeeze, lets her go. "You are free Princess, things will only get better from here. Let's get you ready for your big adventure."
Nodding, Lucy gives her a watery smile. "Thank you Virgo. I think we have to do it quickly though." Lucy could already feel her power draining from just a few minutes of having Virgo there. Working quickly, They gather what clothes and necessities she would need, packing them into a large black duffle bag. Lucy picked several items up and put them back down. A soft sigh leaving her lips. Noticing this, Virgo questions her. "Are you thinking of bringing those things Princess?"
Fighting the wave of melancholy that washes over her, she takes a moment to collect herself before answering. "I would like to, but I can't. I don't have the space." She traced the silver filigree on the mirror she held. It was one of many things that belonged to her mother that she had managed to rescue from her father. "They're just things, they can be replaced." Slowly, she laid it down and turned away to keep packing.
Not fooled in the least, Virgo takes her hand. "Princess, it would be my honor to keep any things of importance to you until you are able to settle somewhere."
Lucy's face crumples, "I would be grateful," she sobbed, no longer able to hold back the emotions the night had put her through.
"You are very welcome Princess." Virgo says, rubbing her back comfortingly. Little by little they were able to gather all her precious belongings, the last being the outfit she had worn that night. Virgo helped her out of it, gathering up all the jewelry and released her hair from the bun. Giving her one last smile, she disappeared.
Hugging herself, Lucy took one last look around her room. It felt bare now that all the things that mattered to her were gone. Her previous attempts at leaving had felt so desperate and she realized now that she hadn't actually expected to be able to leave and not be dragged back. Hope bloomed in her chest that this would finally work, that she could truly be free.
Her balcony door opened as she was tying up her boots. She had chosen black jeans and a blue wool sweater. To her side sat her dark purple parka. She loved its many pockets and fleece lining. It was a bit much for this time of year, but she would rather be too warm than cold since she had no idea where she would be going. Looking up, she watched Natsu crossover the room and sit next to her.
Sensing he was gathering his words, she waited while he collected his thoughts. Taking her hand, he held it in his lap, rubbing it with his thumb. When he eventually spoke, his eyes were distant, memories burning just below the surface.
"I've been alive a long time, and in that time I have dealt with some very bad people. I've fought many battles and have won more than I can count. Very little scares me at this point." Squeezing her hand he paused. "Only one person has ever truly terrified me and when I opened your father's safe, I smelled him." Meeting her eyes, she could see how the terror still lingered there and she felt herself begin to panic. Her breaths grew short.
Seeing this, he grasped her other hand and held them tightly. "I am not going to let anything happen to you." Determination burned in his eyes and she believed him, so she nodded. "I don't entirely know what is going on, but I want to take you somewhere safe." She knew her father dealt in a lot of shady things, but she never imagined he would work with anyone that could scare someone like Natsu, let alone put her in danger. Nodding at her acceptance, he continued. "You know Loke and I are friends. We met at a guild called Fairy Tail several years ago and it's full of very powerful mages. You would be safe there. They could also help you learn about your magic." Taking a breath, his voice grew softer, more urgent. "Even if you don't decide to go there, I just ask that you let me take you wherever you want to go."
She took a few moments to think over what he told her. She extracted her hands from his grip and stood. A few things made a bit more sense with what he said. Her father had been gone a lot more lately and the security had tightened on her considerably. She knew the only reason she had been able to leave tonight had been because her cousin had bugged him and he felt sure that she wouldn't try to leave without her keys. He would have been right had Natsu not become a factor.
The idea of going to Fairy Tail sounded amazing. Loke had mentioned it a few times in his stories and he had always seemed so happy there. She decided then that she would be glad to go there, but one thing still nagged at her.
Turning back to him, she hugged herself, not entirely sure she wanted the answer to what she was going to ask. Meeting his eyes, she steeled herself. "What did the letter say?" He took a moment before answering, observing her and must have found what he was looking for.
"He needed a celestial wizard for something he was working on. He made a very generous offer to your father for your magic and a marriage proposal."
Rage burned through her, boiling until it exploded. "That fucking bastard!" she screamed, stomping around the room. "It isn't bad enough that he wants to use my body, but he wants my magic too?! The magic he wouldn't even let me use because it was hers?" Grabbing the closest thing, a bottle of perfume he had insisted she wear once, she launched it into the large mirror hanging on the wall with a shout. It burst into hundreds of pieces, crashing to the floor with the force of it. The cloying scent of perfume choked her as she fell to the floor, sobs wracking her body as she wailed her frustration.
Natsu had watched all this quietly, having had his own versions of this many times in the past. Sliding off the bench, he crawled over to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"I hate him." Her fists clenched against his chest as she cried.
"I know." He answered simply, rubbing her back.
"Why?" She lamented after a time. "Why would he do this to me? He used to love me, we used to be a family." She wept, unable to quell the hurt. "I don't deserve this." She finally whispered.
"No you don't," Pushing her up so he could see her face, he gently cupped her face with one hand and wiped away her tears. "And you no longer have to stay and suffer. Your life is yours now, you can do whatever you want."
Lifting her hand up she held his and strengthening her resolve, nodded. "Let's go."
I'm sorry for such a long hiatus. I never forgot this story, but decided I could make it a lot better if I spent some more time on it. I have a lot planned and can't wait to share it with you! Reviews or feedback are very appreciated. Have a great day!