Hello, my lovelies! Welcome back to Chapter 15 of the Star Queen! I know I said I'd take some time, but it's looking like I may not be able to take this next term because I can't afford the stupid textbook... Go figure. So without further adieu, I give you Chapter 15!
As always I don't own anything but the story. All Characters, Locations, Most of the powers, etc. belong to the great Hiro Mashima!
Much Love and Adoration,
BlackRose999
The Star Queen
Chapter Fifteen: Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
In Earthland
Natsu had never been so low, he refused to look at his children, refused most food and drink, and refused to sleep. He moped around the house, opting to stay in the livingroom rather than his bed, as her side was still coated in her vanilla perfume. He couldn't bear the thought of smelling her now, not when his mind still needed to cope with the loss of her. His Nakama watched in horror as the outgoing and always-positive mage slowly became a shell of who he once was.
Happy could do nothing, only offer himself as a listening ear as he too grieved the loss of his best friend. One morning, somehow finding the strength to stand, he made his way to the guildhall. But stopped at the door, knowing she wouldn't be there to greet him.
"Natsu?... Are you ok?" Happy spoke quietly, hoping to not startle him.
"No... I'm not ok Happy…" Tears dripped down his face, his body shaking as he tried to hide his pain from the world. He shook with agony, his soul broken. He could feel the loss of her like a massive hole in his chest like she'd been half of his heart and a living piece of his soul.
"What do you need Natsu?"
"Lucy… I need Lucy back."
"I can't raise the dead Natsu… If I could I would. Just for you."
"I know little buddy, thank you..."
The duo made their way into the painfully-silent guild, none of them talking or being rambunctious. Gray and Bianca sat by themselves at their usual table, quietly talking amongst themselves. They looked up at the entrance of Natsu, he looked horrible, the sorrow so evident on his face it seemed to make him glow with agonized torture.
Erza came up to him, her armor clinking softly, and pulled him into a teary-eyed hug. For the first time since Lucy's death, he allowed himself to be touched. He held her back, weeping brokenly onto her shoulder. She held onto him for some time, letting him get the majority of his pain out before she brought his attention to his children, who needed him.
"Natsu, you have children who need you, can you keep yourself together enough to see them?"
He nodded, steeling himself, and looked at her with eyes that were clearer than they had been for several days. He made his way to the back rooms, where Mira and Levy sat with his children and hers. The three of them were in their own bassinets, hidden away in the safety of the guild. He was drawn to his baby girl first, Layla, he remembered. He touched her cheek, eyeing the wispy pink hair, as his rough fingers felt the soft skin of his and Lucy's child. His eyes went to his golden-haired son, who waved his little fists in the air and gurgled.
"A fighter… Just like me."
A soft wail came from Layla, and when she opened her eyes he nearly took a step back in shock. Her eyes were taken directly from her mother, the deep chocolate eyes pinning him in place. Silently, he turned to look at Mira's soft apologetic smile.
"I should have warned you about her eyes... I'm sorry Natsu."
"No… I'm sorry, for what I did to you the day I lost her.."
She looked confused for a moment, as if unsure of what he meant.
"I-I'm sure it was nothing. Do you want to hold her?"
Stilling, he subtly took a deep inhale through his nose, and then turned and punched her square in the jaw, sending her flying back into the wall. Levy dove for her son, appalled at his actions.
"NATSU! What in Fiore are you doing?!"
"That's not Mira."
She clutched her son tighter to her chest, moving away from 'Mirajane' and putting herself between both of them and the children. Natsu glared at the person pretending to be Mirajane Strauss, his body becoming draconic as he felt the need to protect the only remaining piece of his wife.
"Who are you? What do you think you're doing in here?"
'Mira' smirked, her eyes darkening to pitch-black orbs and her skin gaining a sickly pallor, her fingers elongated, forming sharp claws that complimented razor-sharp teeth. She smiled at Natsu, revealing her teeth, he didn't even flinch.
Levy, however, shrieked.
Gajeel came pounding up the stairs, her fear and confusion burning their mark like stomach acid in his throat. Throwing open the door, he took in the Yokai and immediately moved to defend the babies and his mate. It wasn't necessary.
Natsu moved first, his body coating itself in superheated flames, he gripped it by the throat, snarling as he lifted the evil creature up and squeezing as hard as he could. It flailed, cutting him, but Natsu made no sound, no acknowledgment that it had even touched him. He held it until it went still, and then allowed his flames to snake up his arm and burn it to ashes. Gajeel watched him kill with a sick stomach, noticing how hateful and dark he was becoming.
He prayed silently that he could be saved before he became the very thing they hunted so ruthlessly: a dark mage.
Throwing the burnt corpse from his person in disgust, he regarded Gajeel with cold, somber eyes. He quietly moved to hold his daughter in his arms, a serene calm coming off him in waves.
"Protect her. You don't want to know what the loss of her feels like…"
Gajeel nodded, feeling Levy's fear and apprehension through his bond. He sent back calm, reassuring comfort. A scream came from below, and the three of them bolted downstairs. Gajeel groaned and snapped "What now?".
They arrived in time to see some of the girls of Fairy Tail vanishing in golden hues of light, Erza, Bianca, and Clara vanished before their very eyes, screaming in fear the whole way.
"Gajeel!"
Gajeel turned in time to see a teary-eyed Levy glow with golden light, and as he ran to her, she vanished too. Scrambling to catch their son, he dove and landed hard, with his son in the safety of his arms. Screaming, he grasped at the air where her outstretched hand had been. Natsu and Gajeel stared at the empty space she'd previously been in, smelling the stardust that perforated the air.
"What's going on!? Where'd the girls go?!"
Cries went up around the guild, angry screams, and fearful tears. Nobody understood what happened, and with no Celestial Mage to explain, they had nothing to go on.
They had no idea where they'd gone, or if they were safe.
All they could do was wait, and pray for their return.
The duo stared in complete shock, despair in their hearts. Suddenly Gajeel snapped his head up and looked at the sky in shock. "I can still feel her!" His cries brought the other slayers to attention, and suddenly they discovered they could feel their partners too. Gajeel felt Panic-Horror-Relief-Awe though his bond with Levy. He felt nothing but confusion and decided that as long as he could feel her, even if it was only fleeting, he would trust that she lived.
But he would hunt her down, trace every wisp of information he could find, and have her back in his arms again. He felt the promise like a weighted anchor, holding him firmly in place. Natsu suddenly gasped and dropped to his knees. As Gajeel turned to look at him, he met wild eyes filled with the first emotion he'd seen in days that wasn't utter despair, he saw hope.
"I feel her… I feel her!"
In The Celestial World
Lucy woke quietly, finding herself dozing in the chair beside a lit fireplace, and sighed. Another day without her husband, another day she had to live with her broken heart. Standing, she removed her dress and went to bathe, finding a deep claw-footed tub filled with warm water in her bathroom. She felt herself beginning to tear up, having been here a month already. Leo had told her the rules of time here in the Celestial World, while mere days pass in Earthland, they pass as months in the Celestial world.
She moped around the castle, slowly making her way to the throne room. Today was the day she chose her Heralds, and she had the feeling they'd be celestial spirits. She wore a skin-colored slender evening gown in the ever-darkened Celestial World, with branches and bluebirds embroidered into the perfectly half-sheer fabric. It featured no sleeves but had sheer white fabric over her arms in a cascading fashion. She sported a small tiara, with golden leaves and tiny crystals inlaid into the gold material.
She walked into the throne room, barely paying attention to the horde of spirits gathered there, and quietly sat on her throne. She regarded her subjects with a look of calm sadness, her heart broken.
"Today, I claim the right to chose my Heralds."
Cheers rang up, and the keys allowed their candidates to come forward. She looked over them, feeling in her soul that something wasn't right. They were all too… Something. Too bloodthirsty, too weak, too strong. She needed their strength in battle, but their gentleness in life. She needed their bloodthirst when necessary, but she also needed their restraint. She needed friends she could trust with her life, who also was not afraid to tell her the brutal truth. Turning, she beckoned Leo to her, and quietly asked "Must I choose only from the candidates? Or can I choose elsewhere?"
"You may choose whomever you wish, from anywhere you wish, including Earthland."
Her heart stopped, and she looked at him with tearstained eyes. She stood, excitement in her voice.
"I will take my heralds from my homeworld, where I can be sure of their intentions and their worthiness. I choose Bianca Lyona, Clara Valerious, Erza Scarlett, and Levy Redfox from Earthland."
Murmurs went up among the spirits, and a male spirit from the Mythological Keys stepped forward, naming himself as Hydra. Surprisingly, he had only one head.
"So you would forsake the honor of a Heraldic Key, for mere mortals on Earthland?"
She looked at him, her eyes shimmering with Celestial light. She stepped down off the dais, her gown dragging behind her a little. She walked up to Hydra, her eyes cold.
"I would forsake all, for the lives of mere mortals. I would forsake honor, for the lives of those I've sworn to defend. And that vow includes Earthland."
Bowing to her calm demeanor, he stepped back, though angered embarrassment shone on his face. She walked back toward her throne, taking a seat upon it once more to keep herself in a calm, rationalized state. Leo came up to her, in his hand a starglass. She looked at it, seeing her guildmates inside it. She felt the magic of the Celestial world fill her, brightening her eyes until they shone like molten gold. She touched the smooth glassy surface, and whispered into it "Take my heralds, bring them to me…"
One by one, the golden light of the Celestial World filled the room and gave her her Heralds. At first, they were terrified, screaming in fear. But they quieted when they saw the familiar face of their friend sitting atop her throne.
"Lucy?... I-Is that you?..."
Lucy looked at the face of her friends and smiled, a single tear running down her face. She slowly stood and walked up to her Nakama.
"It's been so long… I'm glad you remember me."
Weeping, her friends enveloped her in a hug, which she happily returned. She had never felt herself more in tune with her own heart than she did now, with familiar faces to hold and cherish.
"How are you here? You died!"
Sadly, she shook her head, stepping back toward her throne in an effort to quell the lump in her throat.
"I died in Earthland, and my soul was taken here, where my new body was waiting for me. They'd been taking magic from me for months, building a new body for my soul to come home to…"
"Why were they taking your magic, Lu? Why do you look so regal?"
Turning away from them, she regarded her throne thoughtfully.
"I was born to succeed my mother, and her mother before her, as Queen of the Stars. I reign over the Zodiac, the Myths, and the Silvrine Keys here. My family has been the ruler of the stars for quite some time, generation after generation."
She fingered the engraved designs of the throne, loving the sensations it gave her.
"My family has reigned over the Celestial World for millennia, they chose me to be the next queen well before my wedding. The pains I felt on Earthland were them drawing my magic from me, in an attempt to create my new body here where they could ferry my soul to inhabit it. I am the Lucy you once knew, but I am also the queen they need me to be."
She turned and looked at them, feeling the Ceststial Magic fill her and set her aglow. Stepping toward them, she held out her hand, letting golden energy fill her palm.
"You were brought here to be my Heralds. My confidants and protectors. You can choose this life, or you can walk away. Your memories will be wiped if you choose to leave, so you will have no recollection of what has transpired here today. You must each make the choice."
Clara stepped forward first, her eyes full of pain.
"I am a mated partner to Laxus, as Levy and Bianca are, will they die if we stay here?"
Lucy felt pain course through her at her mentioning of their mates, her heart burning with the desire to see her beloved husband once again, to see him without the aid of the palace starglass, to smell his scent and feel his hand in hers once more. Her mark was so silent it made her heart hurt. Even though she lived, she could not share his pain and his love anymore.
"They will live, for you still live, do you not?"
Clara looked around and nodded, taking a knee and fisting her hand over her heart. The other three women did the same, with Levy being the last. She feared how Gajeel would fare with their son, now that she was no longer in the picture. Sensing their fears, she walked over and placed a delicate hand on Levy's shoulder.
"He'll be ok Levy, give him time, he'll figure things out while you're here with me."
Tears dripping down her face, Levy looked up at her and grasped her hand tightly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Tell me… Tell me I'll go home to him and our son one day. Make me believe it."
Kneeling to her level, something that made the spirits around her gasp in shock, she touched her friend's face and wiped away a tear.
"I promise, one day, when there is peace here in the Celestial World, you'll go home to Gajeel and Laurie. I swear it before the Stars above me."
Weeping, Levy leaned forward and enveloped her in a hug, which she gladly returned. Pulling apart, Levy smiled sheepishly, wiping her eyes. Lucy looked over to the other mages, who nodded solemnly. Standing tall, she moved back to sit on her throne and addressed her subjects.
"I, Lucy Dragneel, reigning Queen of the Stars, declare the four mages before me as my Heraldic Mages, they hold the power of my authority, and also the responsibility of protecting our future. I name them thusly, Bianca Lyona, you will be the Herald of the Moon, gifted with its serene power over the tides and rivers."
Bianca stood, feeling a new sense of power gently caress her body. And as she looked down, she saw her skin ripple like the tiny waves of a sunken pebble. Her skin warmed and cooled, a sensation she'd never felt before. As she looked at Lucy, she felt the rippling magic dance up her neck and flow into her eyes, lighting them with astonishing blue hues.
"Clara Valerious, you will be the Herald of the Sun, gifted with its fiery fury and gentle rays."
Clara stood and felt her body heat up in a flash of pure fire, the licking tongues rocketing up her body and forming a fiery ring in her emerald eyes. Erza was next, and as she regarded Lucy, she saw the blonde woman smile serenely.
"Erza Scarlett, you will be the Herald of the Earth, gifted with its calamitous nature and it's breath of life."
Erza stood, suddenly smelling the rain on the grass behind them in the courtyard, the chirps of birds, and the strength of the soil beneath the trees, her dark eyes gaining a shimmery green glow.
Levy, being the last, looked up at her with soulful brown eyes, wondering what power she'd be given. "And to you, Levy Redfox, I name you Herald of the Skies, gifted with its stormy nature and it's gentle breezes." Lightning came down and struck her, but to her surprise, it didn't hurt one bit. She felt the electricity stinging up her body and giving her eyes a milky white hue, she felt the wind lift her deep blue hair and breathed in the breeze so deeply her lungs felt icy.
"Rise as my heralds, my guards, and my friends. Let it be known that I have chosen and that my reign is secured."
She stepped forward and welcomed them into her arms, not noticing the looks the Mythological spirits were giving her. They were angry and for good reason. Their next candidate had been passed over, the line of succession uprooted by her designation as the next queen. Their choice should have reigned first, not her. And they intended to make it known.
Somewhere in Earthland
He was angry.
So angry that his knuckles were white. His eyes darkened dangerously, and his fingers tightened around the key in his hand. They had stolen everything from him, his place as the next king, his family's heritage, and his divine right to rule.
Viktorian Maldrake was not a patient man, nor was he forgiving. His anger over this slight against him was palpable, and his spirits feared him. Hydra trembled, his pale white eyes narrowed, watching his master with fearful orbs. He could not be used to harm the queen, that much was made clear as she reigned directly over him, but he could be used as a spy for his master.
"Hydra."
Bowing, Hydra looked up to meet his master's cold ruthless gaze.
"Give me every decision, every scrap of information you can gather, and every minor detail. I want to know everything that she says and does. You will act as my spy, I demand it."
Hydra nodded solemnly, as he was trained to do. He never dared to say no to his master, knowing that he could do nothing since he was the keyholder. He was the strongest of the keys, designating himself as their master's whipping boy to protect the others.
"Your wish is my command, Master."
"Good," Viktorian leveled golden eyes onto his, his expression filled with rage. "Because if you don't, I will not hesitate to make you wish I'd never found you in that ruin you called home."
Hydra flinched, thinking of his previous, kindly mistress, and silently wishing he could have been found by someone other than Viktorian. He felt his master send him back to the celestial world, silently thanking him for removing him from his sight.
"Well, what's the verdict?"
Moncernos looked at her friend kindly, her golden horn shimmering gently in the starlight. He looked at her with tired eyes, knowing she could be trusted to share his feelings with.
"He wants us to watch her, give him every detail and every nuance of information we can gather… Truthfully I don't want to do it. She seemed kind and trustworthy at the Choosing Ceremony. I want to trust her… But what if she is like the Master?"
"We won't know until we try, come, let me heal your lashes. He hit you again today, and it shows."
Nodding, he sat beside her, letting her healing hands work their magic over his bleeding gashes. The whip had landed hard today. But he knew if he failed, or resisted, it would fall even harder. So he did what he could do, keep his head down, and do what he was told.
Even if it wasn't right.