Hello my lovelies!
It's been so long, and I apologize for the wait.
My other collaboration takes precedence over this story, so I apologize for leaving you waiting for so long... It hasn't been easy these last few months, between doctor's visits, therapy appointments, and work I've had little time to write anything.
But I promise I will try harder! For my amazing fan base and the reviews that keep me going!
I love you all! Thank you for supporting me!
As always, I own nothing but the story.
Much Love,
BlackRose999
The Star Queen
Chapter Twenty: A Terrible Choice
In Earthland
Mira cooed at the twin children laying in their crib, babbling and giggling as though they hadn't a care in the world, and felt her heart tug painfully in her chest. The two infants before her were orphans, now that Natsu was gone. She didn't know when - or if - he would return. She sighed softly and stood away from the crib the twins rested in, she felt wrong, as though their children would never see their parents again.
She smiled once more at the twins and stepped out of the room to retrieve their bottles from the fridge in the bar, and as she stepped further into the hallway a terrible CRASH echoed from the room the twins were in. Thinking of the Yokai that had tried to impersonate her to gain access to the Dragneel children, she bolted back toward the door as she shifted into her Devil-Soul Takeover, and flung the door open with everything she had.
The children were gone.
Their crib lay smashed to bits, their bedding shredded and torn to pieces. She looked toward the window and growled when she realized it was still locked tight, making the doorway in the hall the only way into the room. She should have seen them, the ones who took the babies. But she hadn't. She hadn't even heard them open the door! Frantic, she searched the room for any signs of the babies. She found nothing.
Howling, she turned and flew down the stairs, screaming that the last two Dragneels in existence were missing. The guild fell into a panic, and everyone began searching the guild, the alleyways, the town, the forest, everywhere they could imagine. But one inkling of what had occurred became clearer, the children, like their parents, were just gone.
In the Celestial World
Lucy paced her study, listening to the argument going on behind her that featured her husband, Levy, and Leo trying to outfox the bastard who had threatened to remove her from the throne in a permanent fashion. She glared at the maps, battle plans, insights, and troop sizes. So far, none of the legendary strategist premonitions that the rulers gained in times of war came to her. She growled and turned back to her friends. Levy, seated in a wheelchair guarded by her ever-protective husband, barked at Leo.
"Look at what he did to me! This was child's play to him! Imagine what his troops would be like!"
"That's beside the point! With the entirety of the Mythological Keys at his back, we need most of the Beastial Keys and the Zodiac to outfox them! We need the numbers! Lucy's powers alone could be more than a match for him, but without the troops, she'd get nowhere near him!"
"You want to put our queen on the vanguard?!"
Leo stepped closer to her, his face twisted with frustration, and ignored the warning growl Gajeel expelled. She grimaced in her chair, trying vainly to stand. She regarded Leo with a look that Gajeel sincerely hoped to never, ever, experience himself. Leo apparently agreed as he looked miffed.
"Come off it, I merely suggested she be present to boost morale, why should the Keys fight if she won't?"
"Enough. Both of you are right… I need to make sure my armies know their Queen is worth fighting for, and that we will not die in vain."
Levy grimaced but held her tongue. She didn't want to point out that only some of them would die. It was rude. Leo caught her look, and looked away ashamed. His brethren would not die in their fight, it was impossible. Even on Earthland, if they were defeated or their magic ran out they'd be sent back to the Celestial World. But they still felt pain, and dying as a celestial mage hurt, a lot.
"Lucy… You're their trump card. Using your own magic, you could single-handedly turn the tides. Are you sure you want to be in the vanguard?"
"No. I'm not. But like you said, I am the key to winning this battle. I can use spirits even he can't fathom. I need to be upfront, controlling the battle and fighting him myself. I won't waste spirits, it's inhumane."
The men and women around her looked away, openly showing their discontentment, but refusing to argue any longer. She was the queen, and her word was law. She sighed and sat in the chair beside the desk. She was tired, exhausted mentally and physically. This life was no picnic, and she grew tired of it, her eyes tracing the outline of the journal her mother left behind for her. She hadn't read it yet, a part of her feared to. What had her mother said about her? About her sickness? What secrets had she shed in those weathered pages? She looked down, feeling tears rise in her eyes.
Like lightning he was beside her, holding her tight as she silently fell apart. The war, Levy's abuse, her mother's last words like honey in her ears, and her children on Earthland all culminating into a hurricane of emotion. If he wasn't careful she would drown in it.
"Hey, baby look at me."
Shaking, she looked up at him, pain so prevalent in her eyes he nearly choked.
"When this is all over, when the Celestial World is safe again, I'll introduce you to your children. We'll see our friends again, we'll live in our house and love the kids we brought into this world. I promise."
Sobbing, she threw her arms around him and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Gajeel touched Levy's shoulder, careful to not startle her, and stood. He walked over to Lucy, mindful of the low growl Natsu emitted, and knelt to her level.
"Listen here Bunnygirl, this is not the end. This is a chapter, and the next one will be in Earthland with your family. I can feel it. And if this is the end, if this is our last chapter, then let's go out with a bang. Make your reign mean something, end the abuse of spirits. Do something and open the eyes of all the Celestial mages out there."
She nodded, feeling calm. She wiped her eyes, and something in her solidified. She felt a kind of rock-steady strength in herself that she'd never felt before.
"Get me a pen and paper. And summon each of the Keys."
Leo looked startled but smiled, bowing and immediately heading to the summoning bells. Lucy sat at the grand mahogany desk in her study and began writing. She wrote for some time, before standing and heading to the balcony overlooking the grand courtyard where the Keys would assemble. She waited patiently for every Key, and when they'd all gathered she stood tall and spoke clearly.
"Welcome, tonight I have summoned you to bear witness to a new law that will pass into effect immediately, with no exceptions."
Murmurs echoed through the courtyard, and the spirits shifted anxiously.
"I do not make this Law lightly, but I make it with the hope that I can save you. Save you from abuse, mistreatment, pain, and suffering. I made this Law to protect you."
She felt the magic building, and with the strength of the people below her filling her with their fire, she lifted her arms wide, letting the golden light of her magic seep into the air as she Proclaimed her Law.
"From here on, all Celestial Keys of any kind may terminate their contracts if their Holder is cruel, abusive, or harmful to the spirit. They DO NOT need their Holder's consent! If they terminate their contract their key shall be recalled back to the Celestial World and given the Choice to be given a specific Holder or sent back to Earthland, where hopefully a worthy Holder may find them! I MAKE THIS LAW WITH ALL THE AUTHORITY OF THE RIGHTS AS QUEEN, AS I WILL IT, SO MOTE IT BE!"
A blast of warm golden magic echoed throughout the land, and when she looked down she saw tearful faces filled with hope. She let her arms fall, golden orbs still coming off her, and looked out to the sea of faces below her. She hoped, prayed even, that her law would make being a Key easier. She turned back to the study and looked at the proud faces of her Nakama, and felt a bit of joy fill her. She'd made a difference. It was enough.
"That's my girl…"
She looked at Natsu with pride and felt her soul soften. She loved him, needed him to balance her out now that she was an all-powerful Queen. She was brave because of him. She was strong because of him. He was her rock, and without him, she was unsteady and weak, it was high time she became the woman he could call his partner. With newfound strength filling her, she vowed to be a partner he could be proud of, he could depend on, and he could call his equal. No more Crybaby Lucy.
She was the Queen of the Stars, Mated wife of the only living Fire Dragon Slayer in existence, and the Mother of his children.
Her thoughts were silenced by a knock on the door, where Leo answered. Aquarius stood behind the door, a grim expression on her face. "Lucy… You need to come down to the Throne Room, there's someone there with Information you need to know."
She cast a wary glance at Natsu and her Heralds, who immediately moved to follow her. She entered the Throne Room cautiously but was shocked to find naught but a single person in the room, and it wasn't Viktorian. Hydra stood before her, shame and fear written all over his face.
"My Queen… I have betrayed you."
"Hydra? What is it, what have you done?"
He shuffled uncomfortably, but with an angry glance from Aquarius, he found the strength to speak.
"Viktorian Maldrake was my Holder. And he made me do terrible things. He made me bind and care for Herald Levy, while he brutalized and raped her… He made me keep watch and report to him your whereabouts and the people with you. He was most interested in the fact that your husband was with you, and that…."
He faltered, and tears began dripping down his face. Lucy got a horrible feeling in her soul, and suddenly what he could not say became clear. Natsu acted first, he rushed forward and gripped Hydra by his suit, shaking him harshly.
"TELL ME YOU DIDN'T!"
He struck Hydra hard across the face, and as Lucy stood stock still in shock, he pulled the shorter man up to eye level. Murderous rage scorched through the bond, and it woke Lucy. She stepped forward, calm singing through the mark like a songbird in the morning light. A gentle hand laid itself on Natsu's shoulder, and slowly he put Hydra down. He still shook with fear and rage, but he made no move to assault Hydra again.
"Tell me. I want to hear you say it."
He looked at her pleadingly but met stony eyes. She would not bend now, and if her fears were realized, the war would come sooner than planned.
"I… I let him in… I let him into your world… and… And! He stole them! He stole your children!"
The last sentence was screamed, tears flowing freely down his face, and he dropped to his knees with his head in his hands. She stood still, fear replaced by righteous anger. A hateful tear slipped down her face, but she wiped it away. She would not let emotion cloud her judgment now.
"Come. We have a war to plan. And you Hydra, will be my spy now."