Hello again my dearest friends, how was your guys New Years? Mine was fantastic, I spent quality time with my family, and got a little tipsy. Can't drink much, unfortunately, but it's been a hell of a year, and damnit I'm entitled to my once-a-year allowance of alcohol! Anywho you know the drill, Hiro Mashima gets all the credit.
Much Love,
BlackRose999
The Star Queen
Chapter Seventeen: Fury and Fragility
In The Celestial World
"I am Viktorian Maldrake, True King of the Celestial World, and I demand you step down."
Lucy smiled before realizing he was deathly serious. Stiffening in her throne, she watched her heralds tense, their hands at the ready to defend their friend and queen. He stepped toward her, rage crackling in the air around him like unchecked lightning.
"Now that I have your full attention, do as I have commanded, imposter."
She bolted to her feet, rage burning across her face. Clara reached for her magic, feeling the flaring of the sun above them in response to her will, and set the floor aflame in a line before them. Erza stepped forward, requiping a large bastard sword, and leveling an evil glare to his amused gaze.
"Step no further, or you will be cut down."
"Please. What will you do against me woman? Kill me?"
She smiled, a cruel gleam in her eye. She stepped forward again, out of the protection of the flames, and requipped into the Purgatory armor. Erza watched him, her eye missing nothing, not the way he reached behind his back and fingered a knife, nor the way he eyed her queen. She stepped forward quickly, swinging the blade at a distance equal to his throat. He stepped back, bending away from the blade and flicking his wrist faster than she could move. The knife soared through the air, it's intention Lucy, and stopped at the barrier around her. A golden bubble appeared around her, protecting her.
"Why do you have the protection of the throne? You are not the true queen!" He snarled angrily.
"I am the Queen. You are not the King, not yet, maybe not ever. You don't deserve the monarchy!"
"And you do?"
"No, but I did not seek it, you do. Which makes you entitled and unworthy. Otherwise, you might have gotten it before me."
He shook with rage, reaching for his magic, and growing in size rapidly. His skin took on a black shade, eyes glowing red with fury, growing wings, and a spaded tail.
"Takeover: Devil Soul."
She tensed, her body filling with Celestial Light. From her lessons, she remembered that rulers only use Celestial Light when in danger, as it is the very power of the world. The gem around her neck, The Spirit Gem, began glowing as she reached for her magic.
Clara struck first.
She wasted no time, surrounded by Sun-fire, she raised herself off the ground. Gathering a ball of fire in her hands she surged forward and caught him in the jaw with her fire, sending him flying.
"Demon Slayer Secret Art: Sun-Shot!"
He flinched, then bolted toward her and gripped her by the throat, choking the life out of her. Levy shot lightning at him, catching him squarely in the spine and forcing him to release Clara. Enraged, he turned and glared with an evil smirk on his face.
"Blackhole."
Levy began to sink into the ground rapidly, vanishing before any of them could move into a black tar-like pit. His Takeover magic left him, and he returned to his normal appearance. Lucy stood, anger on her face so prevalent that she could feel her skin burn with it.
"Give me my herald back!"
"Only if you promise to abdicate and name me your successor, majesty."
"Never!"
He giggled cruelly, clutching his face with his hand. He looked at her with predatory eyes, uncaring of her anger and fear. 'Oh yes…' He thought maniacally, 'There's plenty of fear.' Lucy felt the Celestial Sword materialize in her palm, though she wasn't very good at it, she doubted he knew.
"Ah-ah-ah… None of that now," He snapped his fingers and Levy materialized in a black cage, with an hourglass on the top of her cage. " Or your little friend's timer might just become useless."
Erza shot forward, swinging her sword at the space his neck would be, but he caught it in his hand. Blood dripped down his hand, though from his expression you couldn't tell he was in any kind of pain. He gripped the blade tightly, and as his blood dripped down the icy steel it began to erode where his blood touched it. Screaming as his blood touched her skin, it began to produce boils and disintegrate her flesh. Desperate to get it off her, Bianca reached for her inner power as a Herald and summoned a small wave to wash the blood from her skin. In agony, she dropped and clutched her arm to her chest.
"What are you!?"
"I was a Herald, like you. But my father was not as kindly as your mistress, we were diseases made flesh. I was the Herald of Doom and Destruction, my very blood made toxic to all but me. Anything I touch is doomed to a slow, painful death."
"Enough! I cast you from the Spirit World! BEGONE!"
A gate opened behind him, and ghostly arms pulled him into it. Lucy felt tears fall down her cheek, and she crumbled to her knees. "Levy… Oh god, please… What have I done?" The three girls rushed to her, hoping to calm her.
"I left her with him… I let him leave with her in his grasp!"
"Lucy there was nothing we could do, he would have killed us all!"
"And now he can kill her!"
Weeping, she allowed her friends to comfort her, offering gentle words of hope. Clara pulled her face from her arms gently, forcing Lucy to look at her.
"Get ahold of yourself, he wants war Lucy, he wants a fight so he has the chance to hurt you for real. Levy will be fine, she has an immunity to Iron attacks and high resistance to its opposing element. Which is her gift."
Nodding, Lucy stood, finding the strength to ease her fears. A flash of pain filled her face as she remembered Erza's wounds, and without words, she extended her hand and retrieved a key with a golden cross on it.
"Open, Gate of the Unicorn, Moncernos!"
A thunder of hooves rang through the air and a white-haired horse appeared, sporting a golden horn and white-feathered wings. The creature fixed its black eyes on Erza's wound, and with the lowering of his head, he healed her wounds with a flash of green energy.
Suddenly, a jolt of genius passed through her. Reaching out, she watched the Starglass remove itself from the ceiling and lay in her open palm.
"Show me the Dragon and Demon slayers."
The glass shivered as the four slayers appeared before her in its cold reflection.
"Dearest friends, bring them to me."
"Will you be safe while we're gone?"
"Of course, I have unlimited access to every key in existence here, including my own."
Bowing, her three remaining heralds turned and waited patiently for the portal to open once more, letting them leave her alone in the throne room, watching them go with sad eyes and a terrified heart.
In Earthland
Natsu rocked his children, contentment on his face for the first time in almost a month. The girls' disappearance had shocked the guild, and for weeks they searched for them. Nothing was found, no bodies, no secret hideaways, or anything concrete. They were simply gone. Gajeel had very nearly sunk into the same funk Natsu had been in, his heart sinking the longer his mate was gone. He, however, knew better than to give up hope and kept his heart full of it in order to prevent his death.
He was beginning to hope, though the gentle phantom tugs of his mark lessened as it died. He was tired, both physically and mentally. Tired from dancing around the idea that his mate may just be alive, and tired of the heartache such thoughts brought him. A small sound, almost like a snap, held his attention. Placing his children in their crib, he stood, wary of the sound and justifiably so.
Footsteps, heeled ones he noted, came across the floor to the door. And suddenly a voice full of recognition spoke through the door.
"Oh stand down you rabid pack animal."
Clara! Bolting to the door, he whipped open the door and stopped in his tracks. The smell was different, she now smelled like charcoal and stardust, instead of ash and winter breezes. Narrowing his eyes in distrust, he looked over her outfit and suddenly realized that she was very different from her disappearance nearly a month ago.
She wore a red skinsuit that stopped at her breasts and her crotch, leaving a fair amount of skin showing. A black lacy glove covered her left arm, bejeweled with a golden bracelet adorned with rubies, her right side was covered by a half-jacket that extended far below her fingers on her right hand. A three-tiered golden belt held the jacket to her body, and her thigh-high black boots completed the look.
"Where have you been?! We spent weeks looking for you! Is everyone else with you?"
She shook her head, sadness filling her eyes. "No Natsu, they're gathering the others."
Her words perplexed him, and it was only when she held out her hand did he grasp what her meaning was. He looked at her, wariness written endlessly in his dark eyes.
"What others?"
She smiled, keeping her features soft, almost loving. Slowly, not wanting to startle him further, she laid a hand on his cheek.
"The others, like you."
He frowned, her meaning catching up to him. As his eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock, she felt her magic surge and golden light surrounded him. The light was warm, filling him with gentle security. He opened his eyes after it dimmed and died, and took in the white marble and golden trim, the stone steps, and the gilded throne that was erected there. His eye fell on the woman seated there, now cautiously rising and locking chocolate eyes with his own dark orbs.
She was blonde, golden hair so long is fell in waves down her back, stopping just shy of her hips. Her slender frame covered in a white tulle gown, golden stitching making designs he had no interest in discovering, for his eyes knew who stood before him. She took a tentative step, her eyes full of worry and fear. He looked at her, really looked at her, and his heart caught in his throat. He stepped toward her, arm raised as though a singular touch could confirm his recognition.
"Natsu…"
Her voice, full of tenderness and hope, broke him. He rushed to her, swinging her around in his arms as he finally felt her in his arms once more, breathing deeply her vanilla-stardust scent. She allowed herself to be put down in front of him, her head resting comfortably in the crook of his neck, and listened to the sound of his beating heart.
"Are you real?" She asked quietly, as if afraid to break the spell around them.
"I'm real… I'm here, Lucy."
She allowed herself to cry, though they were not tears of pain nor fear. They were tears of the hope she felt, the love she gave back to him, and the promise of a new dawn.