CHAPTER 20: CLAIRVOYANCE 1/2
Almost a minute passed in a silence so thick and awkward one could cut it with a knife – and the longer Natsu stared at the confused ice mage, the more he wanted to cut him instead.
Had the bastard followed him? And more importantly, how much had he heard? Everything? Or just the mention of High Hrothgar? The more Natsu thought about it, the more anxious he got, an ill feeling churning inside of his stomach. Could they still speak their way out of it, or would he have to beat the slipped secret out of Gray's memory?
Natsu was already squeezing his fingers into fists when Lucy finally spoke, ridding him of the responsibility to deal with the situation. Happy sensed his discomfort and began to squirm in his hold, so Natsu let him go. The cat ran straight through the stone walls, disappearing into the structures of the tower, away from their presence.
"Well, I…" Lucy started and glanced at Natsu, frowning as if she perceived his intentions to use violence. Natsu tried to force his knuckles to relax as Lucy turned back to Gray. "I… I can't go to Saarthal tomorrow. We… We have some other business. I'm sorry I didn't mention it. I thought I'd have enough time…"
Gray's dark brows furrowed and raised at the same time. The skepticism was clear as a day on his face. "Business with the Greybeards?"
Right then Natsu didn't want to know why Gray was there – he just wanted him gone. A reddish bruise adorned the corner of his narrow eye, and Natsu felt like giving him another one. From a blunt pain on his cheek he knew he had a matching mark forming, but he wouldn't mind getting more as long as he'd get Gray out of sight.
"Still none of yours –"
"Yes", Lucy said loud enough to interrupt Natsu's pissed off hiss. She looked at him again as if trying to transfer her thoughts through her gaze. Something in her eyes flickered when an idea flashed in her mind. "When we were at Ivarstead, we met a man who regularly makes supply runs to the monastery. However, his legs aren't what they used to be, and so he asked if we'd help him out."
Natsu fought away a frown. He faintly remembered overhearing a discussion between two men the morning they left Ivarstead. Perhaps Lucy had heard it too and used that as the root of her explanation.
"Klimmek was his name", Natsu told to support her, feeling like a total idiot. They were being way too obvious. If Gray would believe it, he'd be the biggest fool in the world.
Lucy gave him a sneaky nod. "I needed money, and he promised to pay us well. I agreed but said we'd have to visit the College first. Natsu had to report Igneel's death as soon as possible. Klimmek said it's fine with him because he only goes there once a month. He said that if we wouldn't appear in two weeks he'd go on his own."
"Really?" Gray questioned, his doubt persistent. "Why'd you take such a quest, not knowing how hard it is to climb there? It's called the Seven Thousand Steps, and not for nothing. Each year the mountain claims the lives of those who attempt to reach the top. The path is treacherous."
Natsu cocked his head and grinned. "I've done worse quests."
"That I surely believe", Gray grunted and turned to Lucy. "But her? She just said she doesn't stand the cold, and cold's how it gets up there. If you're so desperate for money there are easier jobs available. Go to any tavern or inn and they'd point you to… I don't know, clear our some bandit lair or something. That pays surprisingly well."
Lucy shook her head, signing her refusal. "I don't want to do any violent jobs. I just wanted to help that old man out", she answered with a firm tone in her voice. "And it's also because… my mother, she worshipped Kynareth, and Throat of the World is her sacred mountain. She always wanted to make the pilgrimage to the monastery but never had a chance. Merchants are chained to their shops, you know."
The little truth Lucy tried to sprinkle into her lie didn't make it any easier for the ice mage to swallow. Even Natsu couldn't tell if she spoke true about her mother. She hadn't mentioned the religious views of her parents before, but it would make sense… kind of.
Natsu's parents had also worshipped Kynareth, for living in Skyrim made his family adapt to the Nordic pantheon. They believed that the Throat of the World was the place where men were created by Kynareth. Thus climbing the Seven Thousand Steps held a spiritual significance for many Nords, and if Lucy's mother was one of them, it would be believable.
Gray pondered for a moment, sparking hope in Natsu's mind. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he wasn't up to another fistfight with the ice mage yet. Though he was wearing clothes now, the humiliation of their brief morning brawl was still strong.
"So –"
"My mother died in the dragon attack", Lucy interrupted the ice mage, speaking quietly, pain echoing in her words. She paused before lifting her gaze from the floor, raising her voice at the same. "She never got to make the pilgrimage, and I want to do it for her sake. That's why I took the job, that's why I'm going there, and that's final."
Something in Gray's eyes softened as if finally filled with understanding. "So you were there."
"I was. So was him", Lucy said. "And this conversation ends now."
Gray looked at them both, falling into silence. He was in a visible unease, like a swarm of questions dancing on his tongue aching to get out, but he kept his mouth tightly shut. Gladly.
"Anyway", he sighed then. "I meant no interrupting or anything, whatever it is you've got going on. I came here for another reason, and it was to give you this book, Lucy. It's a spell called Frostbite. Easy for novices, if you'd like to learn it."
Only then Natsu noticed the book Gray had been holding the whole time. The ice mage reached out his arms as he gave it to Lucy. Bothered by the awkwardness of the whole situation, Lucy received it with a faint, forced smile and put it on top of the other book she was carrying.
"Thanks", she said. "I appreciate it."
Knitting his brows, Natsu took a small step back. He found it strange that Gray was giving gifts to newcomers. Though, there hadn't been Nord novices in years, so maybe it was just some Nordic custom Natsu wasn't even aware of. Either way, it was very unsettling to him.
"And if you need any advice for your journey, just ask", Gray told, staring down and scratching his neck. "It's very honourable. I'm sure your mother would be proud of you. I've planned on doing the pilgrimage myself one day..."
Natsu couldn't even let Gray finish his sentence – it was enough to make his blood boil. "Don't even think about it", he snapped at the ice mage, hoping he could punch him with his glare only.
"What?"
Natsu was sure what Gray meant by that. First, giving gifts to Lucy, then announcing he'd one day want to climb that mountain too? He lowkey wanted to come with her. That was just a sneaky way of saying it.
Natsu couldn't even imagine ever being able to stand the ice mage's presence any longer than necessary, so there was absolutely no way to take him as a part of their team. Even if his knowledge would be useful.
"Asking if you could come too", Natsu answered, annoyed by how Gray pretended to be more stupid than he was. "I've heard about your little trips to Azura's shrine wearing nothing but… nothing! You've harassed her enough."
Gray let his sigh twist into a grin. "Seriously, man, what's wrong with you today? I'm just trying to be nice to a fellow apprentice." He eyed at Lucy to further clarify who he meant. "That's all."
Natsu swallowed a brutal retort – sometimes silence was the quickest way to get out of trouble, even though it took a lot of effort to stay silent. Gray took a step closer to the door and shoved his hands into his pockets. It was a rare thing to see him doing.
"Well, I…" Lucy stuttered as the ice mage went to the stairway. "Thank you… for the spell."
Gray waved his hand before closing the door. His presence lingered in the hall for a while, binding them to a moment of silence until his steps faded away.
"We totally screwed that up", Natsu sighed when he was sure Gray was gone. He collapsed on a chair and leaned his elbows to the table. "Like really really screwed up."
Lucy blinked, her focus locked on the spell tome in her hands. "I think he believed me."
"If he did, he's as stupid as a goat. Oh, wait… he actually is."
"I'd really like to know what made you hate him so much", she asked. "I just don't get it. He seems decent to me."
Natsu rolled his eyes, aware of Gray's reasons for acting decent. The ice mage was only nice when he wanted something, and Natsu knew for sure what he wanted this time. If it had been any other novice, Gray would've given them frozen pigshit and called it a powerful alchemy ingredient.
It wasn't like Natsu had fallen into that kind of a prank or anything.
"Only seems", he said, holding back every insult he had in mind for the ice mage. Even though he hated that bastard from the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to talk shit behind his back. Natsu wanted to do that straight to his face. "Anyway… About what we were talking about earlier, we should finish that later. The walls have goddamn ears."
Lucy raised her nose from the spell tome to give him a nod. "Agree", she said, burying her face into the book again.
Natsu fell quiet for a moment and let his head fell to the table. The wood felt cool against his forehead, offering a pleasant place for calming the fuck down. Natsu closed his eyes and tried to cast away the anxiety ruminating inside of him. His thoughts were running in circles, the worry about how much the ice mage had heard was driving him crazy.
If there was anything good about the situation, Gray, though he was annoying and stupid, wasn't a gossip. Whatever he had just figured out, he would keep it to himself. But if he'd use it against them when given a chance, it was yet to see. Natsu could rest knowing their travel plans would be relatively safe with the ice mage.
Natsu raised his head and sighed. He had, in fact, many ideas for their journey. Lucy probably didn't mean it when she said planning didn't suit him – she had just needed to repay for finding him on her floor this morning. However, he could share his thoughts later. What mattered now was to change her mind about going to the excavation site tomorrow. His plan would be useless if Lucy intended to stay behind. But, considering she had already cancelled the Saarthal trip, she had hopefully realized they couldn't afford to stay here now.
After browsing through the spell tome, Lucy put it on the table and continued reading the book she had originally picked. Natsu glanced at the grey-covered spell, Frostbite, and tried to recall if he had ever used it. Once maybe, heavily forced. Ice simply wasn't his element, but it would be great if Lucy'd make an effort to learn it as well. That much acknowledgement Natsu could give to Gray, but not a single crumb more.
"What are you reading?" Natsu asked, his hand he leaned to partly muffling his voice.
Lucy turned to him and placed her finger on the spot she'd stopped. "Night of Tears. This details the complete history of the Nedes, how they came to Skyrim from Atmora, and constructed the city of Saarthal", Lucy explained. "They allied with the Snow Elves, but fearing the Nedes would settle into all of Skyrim, the elves betrayed them. They sent a legion of their troops into Saarthal and slaughtered every last man, woman and child in the city… or so they thought."
Natsu didn't know how long she'd been reading that book before he arrived at the Arcanaeum, but it seemed she already knew a lot. A lot more than he ever would. Despite his lack of interest in history, he decided to listen. It would grant him the distraction he needed, putting an end to his nervousness. The discussion about their journey could wait.
"The Nedics were Nord ancestors?" Natsu asked. "I've slept on some classes…"
"Yes", Lucy answered and turned many pages, searching a particular part of the book. She found it near the end. "Ysgamor, a legendary hero, and his sons survived that night and fled back to their homeland. There they gathered an army known as the Five Hundred Companions to avenge the fallen. They returned and retook Saarthal, then waged a genocidal war against the Snow Elves and other Mer alike."
Lucy paused and closed the book. "So, that's pretty much how men populated this continent. Through blood and fear."
Natsu nodded slowly, trying to pretend he understood half of what she'd just told. He rubbed his forehead and looked at Lucy, the amusement on her face unhidden. "And that's why you Nords don't like elves?"
If not for his slightly pointed ears, he would forget he had a remnant of elven blood. Bretons were sometimes termed as a mongrel race due to their mixed heritage, but Natsu had remained unbothered by that. He had always thought of himself and others as mere humans, nothing less or more. Men, Mer and beasts were all the same to him. He judged individuals, not their races.
"Well, for the most of my life, my only experience with them was the Thalmor arranging executions at my front yard", Lucy answered. "The prejudice flows both ways."
Natsu smiled shortly, finding it funny – they had met due to one of those executions, after all. Lucy placed 'Night of Tears' on top of the spell tome and headed back to the shelves with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. The brief discussion sparked thoughts in Natsu's mind, ones he'd gladly talk more about, but he decided not to bother her for now. He wasn't sure if Lucy would appreciate his point of view anyway.
To him, it seemed that Nords thought of themselves and all their fathers and forefathers and mothers and foremothers as one unity. The pains of their ancestors were their pains as well – and their enemies too.
Even Lucy, despite being as kind as she was, owned the collective mindset of an age-old hatred. Natsu hoped she could one day understand that most elves were innocent of the crimes of their predecessors, and didn't deserve to be hated for that. At least she wasn't like Gray, who despised everyone who wasn't a Nord.
However, compared to that, Natsu felt almost rootless. He couldn't recall the deeds of his ancestors, not even their names. All he knew was that his grandparents had come to Skyrim from High Rock around the time Winterhold collapsed into the sea. The only history he had was a small farmhouse in the forest, and his only enemies were the spiders of the nearby marshlands. Well, Gray too, but he didn't count as a family fiend.
But not once had he considered digging deeper into his bloodline. It simply didn't matter to him. He had his own life to live, his own path to walk, and he didn't want the shadows of those who had already passed to guide him into directions he wasn't supposed to go.
The sound of an opening door broke the trail of Natsu's thoughts, followed by gentle steps of someone small. Levy the Librarian returned from her lunch. The blue-haired woman dressed in a yellow tunic walked in and paid them both a friendly nod.
"Good day", Levy greeted and stopped close to Lucy, who had collected another pile of books into her arms. Even Lucy looked tall compared to her – after Makarov, Levy was the shortest member of the College, and she didn't like when people made fun of it. "Have you found what you came looking for, or is there anything I can help you with?"
Lucy held a small silence. "Yes", she said, then smiled. "But I haven't been here for long, and I was still trying to find some spell tomes."
Natsu realized he hadn't told Lucy the customs of the Arcanaeum. Every book on the shelves could be borrowed, but not bought. Spells, in the other hand, had to be purchased. The College had the largest collection of available spell tomes in all of Skyrim, and the prices were cheap for apprentices compared to what they'd be when bought from regular court wizards. Those prices were robbery.
Levy also sold robes, enchanted items, staffs, soul gems and other useful things for a mage. Most teachers used to sell them, but for a few years, they had outsourced the selling to Levy. Everything was at once place, making it easier for apprentices to get what they needed.
Levy gazed at her for a moment, her sharp eyes analyzing the blonde apprentice. "I haven't seen you before. You're one of the novices?" Lucy nodded, and so the librarian continued. "Then welcome to the College. I can show you around the Arcanaeum if you'd like. I trust your friend here won't be much of help when it comes to books…"
Natsu was half expecting her to joke about his widely-known attitude towards reading. Unlike his brother, he didn't have his nose buried in books. Zeref had practically lived in the Arcanaeum. But Levy had only been the librarian for about four years, and was one of the few who hadn't known Zeref, which was a relief.
Natsu didn't want to be constantly reminded about how his brother was so much smarter, stronger, braver, whatever more than he was, or would ever be.
"You're never wrong, Levy", Natsu said and turned back to Lucy. "I'll hang around meanwhile."
Lucy nodded and then disappeared behind the shelves with the librarian, leaving Natsu wondering since when had he hung around in a damn library.
Chatter filled the hall as Lucy and Levy conversed, and if instant friends existed, it was those two. They talked all about magic, spells, and when they switched into legends and stories Natsu had already fallen off the wagon. Of course, he didn't mean to pry on them, but Lucy spoke surprisingly loud when she got excited.
To keep himself from boring to death, Natsu picked a random book from the closest shelf. If someone had told him a month ago that he'd read for his entertainment he would've laughed at their face. Burning a pile of books would've been more like his kind of fun, but Levy would tear his head off if he'd do so.
Soon after Levy had arrived, Happy had returned from his little trip. With a stomach full of mice he slept on Natsu's lap, offering him a warm fur to twiddle while he read. As he had assumed, there wasn't much entertainment among the pages. 'Alduin is Real' was the book's name, and its spelling and grammar were even worse than his. If he understood right, the writer tried to deny the false notion if Akatosh and Alduin being the same thing.
'Now I hope you understand the problim. Akatosh is good. Everyone, from Nord to Imperial noes that. But Alduin? He ent good! He's the oposit of good! That Alduin is evil thrue and thrue. So you see, Akatosh and Alduin cant be one and the seim.'
Natsu chuckled at himself, then grew suddenly serious. Alduin? Where had he heard it before? Had Lucy mentioned it?
It might had been that. Brows knitting together, he tried to make sense of the gibberish. Lucy and Erza had discussed about some end-time prophecy, something about the appearance of the World-Eater and the Last Dragonborn. Lucy had even pondered if he'd be the Dragonborn, which Natsu had shoved aside as a silly joke. Ironic to think about it now.
But something about the name Alduin bothered him. A blurry memory of it lured somewhere in the back of his mind, as if said in a voice born of shadow and fear.
'Akatosh is some kind of spirit dragon I think, wen he bothers to be a dragon at all (and not a god livin in sum kind of god plac like Obliviun). But Alduin is a real dragon, with flesh and teeth and a mean streak longer than the White River. And there was a time when Alduin tried to rool over all of Skyrim with his other dragons. In the end, it took sum mitey strong heroes to finally kill Alduin and be dun with his holy sorry story. So I got to ask - does that sound like Akatosh to you? No, friend. No it does not.'
It wasn't that he didn't like reading. He enjoyed stories, yes, but only if someone else read them to him. Like Zeref often did when they were kids. Zeref had tried to teach him to read and write, but his job was left unfinished when he left home. It had been Father who eventually managed to sink the alphabet into his son's rock-hard head, but the process had needed some violence to complete.
When he read, the words kept jumping one each other and the lines switched places, making his eyes and head hurt. He had learned most of his spells through hands-on practice instead of following the written instructions. He liked to think it gave his spells a unique touch.
'And so I, Thromgar Iron-Head do firmly say, with the utmost connvicshun, that Alduin is real, and he ent Akatosh!'
Natsu put the book down as he finished the last page, glad it was finally over. He glanced around and glimpsed a green dot among the shelves on the other side of the hall, knowing it was Lucy in her new robes.
A pile of books kept growing on a shelf made of her arms. She would soon need a milkwagon to move them to her quarters. Not to even talk about how many books she intended to take with her to their journey. He'd have to convince her to only take the spell tomes with her – if he'd succeed to convince her to leave the Arcanaeum first.
Natsu leaned his chin to his arms, letting out a sigh. Levy walked across the hall, briefly stopping next to him. He turned his eyes to the woman. Light danced on her sky-blue hair and the orange ribbons framing her round face. Originally a scholar from Cyrodiil, she was young but exceedingly talented for her age.
It had been said that those with azure hair were descendants of an ancient priest who made a covenant with Kynareth. The power of that covenant passed down to her offspring, and eventually took many forms of different blessings. Levy's was to read faster than anyone, and she absorbed knowledge like a sponge. She was like a living archive herself.
"Hey", she said softly and sat down on the chair next to him. "Sorry for your loss."
Natsu was growing tired of hearing that, but he gave her a nonchalant smile. Happy woke up to her voice, meowed a bit and then fell asleep again as Natsu petted his back.
"Our loss", he corrected. "He was a brother to us all."
A moment of silence passed. Levy hadn't been close with Igneel, but she was an empathic one, even though she preferred not to show it. She didn't give more condolences than that, didn't try to touch him or anything, which was good enough. The hug from Mirajane yesterday had only made him so much sadder.
"It seems like our new apprentice is having a good impact on you", Levy said then with a strange smirk on her lips.
Natsu glanced at her with his brows furrowing. "It isn't like she taught me to read or anything."
"You're trying to impress her, then?"
"What? No", he said, looking down and shaking his head. "Just spending time."
Levy smiled and rose as Lucy approached them. "Well, a mage is only as good as he knows. It's good you're finally understanding that."
The Librarian walked to the counter with Lucy, who lowered her books to the desk. She glanced over her shoulder while Levy made her notes, as if she was apologizing for taking so long.
When Levy was done, she slid the pile of books to Lucy. Then she walked to the locked bookcases behind her, searched for a while and returned with three other tomes. "Here are the spells I mentioned", she explained, adding them to the stack. "Clairvoyance, Fast Healing and Sparks. I think they'd be the most useful to you now. Consider them as a joining gift."
All novices got three free spells from Levy. The spells she gave varied, but this time she'd made good work on figuring out the spells Lucy would need the most. Natsu didn't know everything they had talked about, but perhaps Lucy had mentioned they'd go on a journey soon.
Clairvoyance was an Illusion spell that showed the path to the caster's next destination. Natsu couldn't cast it himself, but Igneel sometimes used it when they got lost in a fog. Fast Healing would most likely come in handy too, but Sparks? Natsu just hoped Lucy wouldn't use it on him. That spell stung.
"Really? Thanks!" Lucy answered with a wide smile. "I can't wait to master all of them."
Levy blinked at her. "That's the right attitude."
Lucy gathered the books into her arms again and carried them to Natsu. She leaned her chin on the stack to support it and keep it from falling. For a moment he wondered how could she carry so many books at once, but then realized that she probably carried all kinds of heavy loads as a merchant.
"What were you reading?" Lucy asked as she halted, eyeing at the tome on the table. Natsu turned it around so she could see the title.
"Something about the dragons", he answered.
Pinching her brows, Lucy stole the book from his hands and placed it atop of the others. "Is it okay if I take this too?" she hollered to Levy, who answered with a nod. She didn't even mind signing that. Judging from the amount of dust it had gathered, no one had read it in years.
"So, were we supposed to finish the tour we skipped yesterday?" Lucy asked, but continued before Natsu said anything. "Well, I've already seen the Hall of the Elements, this library, our living tower… What's left? Some secret dungeons? The roof? Show me around! But oh, wait, let's drop these books into my room first…"
Natsu chuckled. Lucy's magic had truly replenished since last night, the girl so full of energy that he envied her. "I can carry them", he said as he stood up, dropping the ghost cat to the ground.
Lucy cast him a quick smile. "I don't need a servant. I got them, just open the doors for me, would you? Besides, your arm still needs to rest."
If Lucy hadn't reminded him, he would've already forgotten his wound. The spells and potions of Windhelm's court wizard had truly done their trick. A few more days and then his arm would be almost as good as it was, provide that he wouldn't brawl with Gray again.
"As you say", Natsu answered with a grin. "Anyway, let's get outta here. No offence, Levy, of course."
As they passed by the windows of the entry, the long shadows and orange light let them know the sun was already setting. The days were short up north. Gladly, there wasn't much left to tour about, except for the Hall of Countenance. Lucy had once mentioned her desire to learn alchemy and enchanting too, and the quarters for those arcane arts were located there.
Natsu opened the door for Lucy, letting her and Happy disappear into the stairway. "You'd like to see the alchemist's quarters?"
A/N: Hi guys! The second part of this chapter will come out in a few days. I've kept writing and writing this and it just keeps getting longer and longer and never finished, so I decided to cut it in half. It's also easier for me to edit instead of a 10k monster chapter :D
I also felt like I used the word books a million times in this part but gladly they're out of the library now xD
In the future, would you prefer shorter chapters (like parts of one chapter) in about every two weeks or a longer chapter (a whole chapter) once a month? At this writing rate I can get around one long chapter done in a month, but I could also publish halves more often.
Why do you think Natsu hates Gray so much? Will he be able to overcome his hate one day? (Hint: he'll have to)
For those who know Skyrim, I've made some changes into the College. For example, I've changed the system spells and items are purchased, because it doesn't make sense to me how a teacher is having all the books and staffs in his pockets everywhere he goes. I try to make everything as logical and lore-friendly as possible, but if something feels out of place, let me know! I'm all open for constructive criticism.
Thank you so much for reading and supporting
