Hello everybody! This chapter was a bit of a doozy for me. Mainly because it was already almost done, but then inspiration came and bit me in the tush and caused me to tweak and add a little more to it! Whew- this turned out way longer than I had expected it to!
Though, I guess that's a good thing- as I have been told that my chapters could use getting a bit more length to them. Also, a certain Guest reviewer asked a very good question from the last chapter. I wish I could have sent you a reply, but since you weren't logged in I can't! I just hope this update answers some of your questions.
Anyway, please enjoy the chapter and remember, I still don't own a thing... well.. except for that little addition I made, but... you'll see when it gets there. (Unless you follow me on Tumblr. You may already know then. ;) )
-CGP
The first night in the saddle led to Lucy's worst morning by far. Never-minding the embarrassment of waking to Natsu's snores in the crook of her neck or the war arms that still held her again him. The sight of Mirajane and Cana smirking at her as they woke her was where her true mortification began. For once, Natsu was not woken to her angry shrieks, but her shocked flailing had sent him off the horse either way.
"Ow, what was that for?" He had groggily asked, never noticing the brilliant shade of red that adorned the girl's face.
Lucy didn't even want to begin thinking about the way his voice, rough from sleep, had caused her spine to tingle pleasantly. Instead, she stuttered an uncharacteristic apology that caused the two women to share a glance before they whisked her from the horse to help prepare breakfast.
She never noticed the way Natsu's eyes became sharp as he watched her leave or the grin that split his face after.
The rest of the day was much the same as the last. Only most of the caravan watched Lucy's every move- mindful of her weakened leg. "I'm getting worried." Wendy said in the afternoon. She had been passing out fresh blankets with Mirajane while Lucy was forced to sit in one of the wagons to rest after their midday meal. "She's needing to rest more than I would have thought."
"Let's not forget that she's also sore from riding that horse all night." Mirajane replied softly, never breaking her stride.
Wendy considered this, but she did not relax. "Most leg wounds I heal are already gone by now."
This gave Mirajane a reason to pause. "...now that you mention it, the wound has closed up,but she is still having to use that cane... could it be mental trauma affecting her?"
"Maybe..." The smaller girl cast her eyes upward and sighed, "but I think it's more than that. Sometimes, I think I feel her magic resisting me. I just wish there was more I could do for her."
"Give it time."Mira advised, "while we wait, I'll mention it to Makarov."
"Thank you." Though concerned, this seemed to finally ease the small healer.
Lucy's body felt as if it were on fire and dunked in icy water all at once. She was grateful that a wagon had been secured for her during the day and many of her fellow Roma's visited with her as she sat along the back of it. Her muscles screamed every second that ticked by. The stiffness that came from long rides on a horse gripped her and she mourned the loss of her old ability to ride for days with little to no discomfort.
If there ever came a time she was traveling alone again, Lucy vowed she would secure herself a horse. If only to ensure she never had to face this pain again. Miserable, she tried to focus on more positive things- like the beauty of the fall leaves or the sight of Natsu rushing through the train of Roma with a halo of golds and reds stuck in his hair.
Wait what? She looked again sure enough, her has had not deceived her. "How did you get so many leaves in your hair?" She asked when he was close enough for her to also notice the ragged breathes he was taking and the way his vest was siding off his shoulders.
"What are you talking about?"He asked, puzzled. Before she could answer, is fingers fell upon one of the many stuck in his pink tresses and he grimaced. "Dammit, this is the snowflake's fault, I'm sure of it!"
Watching his struggle to remove a particularly stubborn twig from the top of his head, Lucy erupted into giggles. He looked so silly with his face screwed up in concentration all the while grunting every time he pulled his hair instead. Her trill made him freeze as he glanced at her, surprised at her amusement. "Come here, you look ridiculous." When he didn't budge, she motioned for him instead, "I'm going to help you, now come here!"
His eyes were wary when he finally moved closer and she wasted no time in gently untangling the twiggy crown from his hair. It was surprisingly soft and her fingers sifted through it with ease. For a moment, his shoulders sagged as she worked and a soft sigh escaped him. Natsu's steps fumbled for a moment causing her fingers to come loose and he grumbled as he tried to reset his pace to that of the wagon.
"You know," Lucy said after a second, "you could just sit on the wagon with me. I'm almost done and it could help me reach the back easier."
The way his relaxed stare turned to a suddenly nervous expression was odd to Lucy, but the Romni didn't have to ask before he was quickly denying her. "Nope, I'm good. Wagon's make me sick. In fact, most things moving make me sick. Best if I stay down here!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow, "...but you road a horse just fine..."
"The horse isn't a moving thing, Lucy." He replied, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. An awkward silence fell between them after that, with the Romni too baffled to say much else as she continued to work with his hair. The Draconis, watched her with unreadable eyes that made the hairs on her skin rise. For someone as silly as this Roma, his eyes were the most intense things she'd ever felt staring at her. It was unnerving.
"... you're different." He said after a time, drawing her from her thoughts.
Confused, she hummed in response to him while she tilted his head to get at a leaf hiding just at the nape of his neck. He did not resist her, but she was now leaning over him to get a better look as his breath ghosted over her neck like a soft caress.
"You're nicer somehow." He continued, voice lower than he intended. "And you haven't been loud once today. Are you sick?"
It was a good question. With how she'd been shutting him out at every turn, of course her actions today would be curious. The leaf at his neck snagged on a strand of his hair and he hissed, causing her to immediately soothe the skin with soft fingers as a string of apologies escaped her.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you." She said, all the while forcing him to tilt his head again. "I'll be more careful this time." When he grumbled his response, but didn't move, she considered that to be accepting her apology and she continued. "I probably am being a little different." She conceded, "but that's because I realized I was being unfair to you... so I'm giving you a chance."
She was surprised when he suddenly took her hand in his much larger one and more so when he met her eyes with his onyx ones. They glittered with something in the depths that Lucy couldn't name, but it made her breath shorten. "Is that so?"
Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but no sounds came out, so lost in the gaze he was giving her that all words seemed to fall short. Instead, she nodded her head and he seemed in no hurry to speak either. Instead, the wagon continued to move and Natsu's footsteps padded softly in the dirt. It was a quiet moment that the blonde realized she was comfortable, at ease and she wanted to relax in the moment as long as she could.
The calls of dinner shattered the silence and Natsu's attention was immediately drawn away as he smiled bright enough for his fangs to glint. Had time passed enough for it to be dinner already? Lucy hadn't realized... expecting to see the Roma rush off, as she noticed he did every time food was mentioned, she was shocked to see him waving Gray and Mirajane down instead.
"Hey! Bring dinner over here!" He shouted, eyes alight in excitement. "Lucy should join us for the bonfire this time!" Moving in a whirlwind that she couldn't keep up with, he whipped his head to her and his fanged grin pinned her where she sat. "We usually have small groups for dinner while we ride and a lot of us tell stories while we walk and talk. You can go to bed after, right?"
His intentions struck her and Lucy realized, yet again, just how unfair she had been in the past few weeks. Every night she had ate alone and went to bed soon after, never joining in their late night talks around the campfires. Though he called it a bonfire now, she was certain none would be lit while they were traveling, but the point had been made. He wanted her to stay with them tonight, not hiding away to sleep and be alone.
It made her heart clench in a pain she could only describe as happiness. "Okay Natsu, I'll stay this time."
It took no time at all for Mirajane to join them with Gray, Wendy and Cana. A few others joined as well and Lucy was certain she spied little Romeo standing off to Natsu's side as they walked, ate and spoke with one another in loud voices that rose above the trees. They stayed by the wagon, keeping her in their circle and soon she was laughing and talking with the rest of them.
As the sun set the happy chatter soon died down to somber tone of stories and tales that each member took turns to tell the others. Lucy hadn't expected this and realized she had missed much in her self-caused isolation. Natsu and Gray tried to boast of stories that brandished their prowess at hunting, horse back riding or how they beat the other senseless and Mirajane told tales of ghosts and spirits that left Wendy burying her face in her hands. Cana, drunk and boisterous, tried to tell a tale or two, but the moment she opened her mouth, breath thick with booze, she was quickly silenced.
"There are kids here, we don't need to hear what you have to say!" Gray told her, cheeks lightly pink, though he pretended he wasn't affected.
"Maybe Lucy can tell a story instead." Romeo interrupted, looking to the golden-haired girl with a curious gleam in his eye. "You were from a Celestial Romani group right? I bet they had some interesting stories about the stars!"
The amount of eyes that turned to look at her caused Lucy to squirm and a coldness to settle in her limbs. Romeo wasn't wrong in his assumption- there were many stories her clan told, but could she dig one up, let alone tell it to them?
Seeming to notice her hesitation, Mirajane smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to if you don't want to... If you're not ready that is. No one will force you."
The younger Roma deflated at Mira's words and frowned. "Oh..sorry, that was insensitive wasn't it? You don't have too, I guess..."
"Well... " Lucy struggled with her words, wondering if perhaps she was making a poor decision but... "It's hard.. to think of stories my Parents and Clan once told me. Yet, maybe telling you all one will help ease the pain a little."
The resounding cheer and grins that met her made the heaviness in her heart lift just a little and Lucy's eyes fell on Natsu's as he smiled. Something akin to pride surrounded his being as he gave her a thumbs up. "Ya, just give it a shot Lucy!"
Glancing to the sky, alight in the shimmering lights of the stars, Lucy found strength enough to nod her head. "Okay, I will, but I'm going to do this the way my Clan did, so no interrupting. The story tellers could get really feisty if you didn't let them finish and I'll treat this the same way, got it?" Smiling at them, the group nodded, anxious for her to start.
She took a breath. Two breaths and her shoulders relaxed while her mind sifted through the many stories she had heard growing up. The story tellers of her clan were entertainers, bringing children and adults alike into a stunned silence that weaved tales into real life. Lucy had no delusion that she could do the same, but for them, for this group that had welcomed her into the fold, she would try. When she finally began, her voice was soft, luring them in like a trap and her words hung in the air much as smoke did from the cooking fires.
'It has been said that the stars in our sky were once like us; Beings who lived and breathed even as they walked the cosmos. They loved and hated until their lives became etched into Legends. Ask me of them and I will tell you of the bold lion, Leo. Speak of Aquarius and I will paint you a tidal wave of power. Beg to know the love of the lion and the ram- I will give you a romance to squeeze the darkness from your heart.
-but when I ask for your knowledge of the Sun and the Moon, will you answer? Of course not, for their story is long before our time and before our stars became the shining lights we gaze upon each night. Time has lost their tale until their names are no longer remembered. Listen well, my friends, as I spin my tale of memories lost beyond the legends.
They begin before time, older than the spirits and they wandered through space alone, but happy. The Sun, in his brilliance, loved to view the worlds and overwhelm others with his brilliant light. The Moon, in turn, loved to watch the worlds grow and smiled at all things created. They circled and walked until they found our land, so new that humans had no existing words. Wonders were viewed from a distance until at last, their paths crossed.
The Sun was bright and burning, but the Moon absorbed and reflected his radiance in her cool glow and it is said that is when Love first ignited in the cosmos. The two stopped their explorations to stare at one another, connecting in a way that left them breathless. In awe, the Sun spoke to her and she, shy, answered back.
They spoke for time immeasurable, as I have said, time did not yet exist. Minutes, hours, days, months, years could have passed but neither he nor she felt the compulsion to stop. They grew to love one another, bedazzled by the light they both created.
Alas, it was not to be. For the Sun's rays were scorching and the Moon too delicate to hold his flames. Her life was with the stars, in the cool darkness of space that granted peace, while he was all-consuming. As they grew closer, she began to fade. Her soft glow dimmed and her body fell into the warm arms of the Sun.
Frantic by her sudden change, his hands burned her skin and her screams crushed his very soul. Too much to bear, his light began to over come her and in her soft sweetness, she succumbed.
"How can I fix this?" The Sun cried, terrified of the pain he had caused. Smiling through her pain, she did not answer- she did not have one to give. Her silence left him in shambles, for how could a never ending fire ease the pain of one burned?
By chance, a smaller star was close by. A little Nikola who heard the pain of his Mistress. Quickly, with small feet, he alerted the larger spirits to come to the Moon's aide as they all loved her dearly.
Before the Sun could comprehend, brave Leo took The Moon from his sight and the Mother in Pisces soothed her with cool waters. The Sun watched, amazed as the higher spirits banded together and brought her fading light back to a flickering glow that hummed weakly under her pale skin. Yet her body still shook and threatened to crumble.
Far less kinder than the others, Aquarius scornfully spoke, "This is your fault. Your light is too bright and it will kill her!"
The painful truth caused The Sun to weep, even as his tears evaporated against his very skin. "If If it were possible, believe me, I would stop it!"
"Stop it?" The water-bearer laughed, her hatred seething. "You can not change who you are. Only what you do. Wonder away now, before your light kills us all!"
Leo silenced her, but his eyes were hard as he looked to the sun. "I am sorry, but you must go if she is to survive."
In his guilt and sorrow, the Sun fled before the Moon could call to him- wanting desperately to ease his mind despite her pain. He ran to escape her in hopes his light would not devour her. He ran and never looked back, traveling once more until he visited all the wonders he had seen before, but they gave him no solace. Before he knew it, his path crossed hers once more, in the very place they had first met, but the stars were there, waiting with grim faces.
"Continue forward." They told him. "She has yet to heal and your approach robs her of her very breath. Begone!"
Three times he ran.
Three times he returned.
Three times they sent him back.
On his fourth return, the Sun fell into a rage that would threaten to burn them all if denied once more. Despair and guilt had ate away at him until his own glow shriveled in a horrid, black heat.
But the stars were not not there to deny him. They were silenced, instead, by the Celestial Spirit King standing to greet him in his magnificence.
"My Old Friend- I have heard of your plight and it pains me to see you like this."
Without preamble, the Sun asked like an animal growling, "Can I see her? Is she well?"
"She is strong." The King replied, "her Spirit has lasted long despite the damages caused by your heat, but her life will still fade. I have come to bid her farewell."
The roar of The Sun's devastation rent the skies of the newborn Earth and all but shattered the very galaxy. "Please, tell me if there is anything that can be done. What ever it is, no matter how small or great, I will do it!"
"To save The Moon?" The King asked, eyes full of pity. "You may die for her."
It was then the Sun learned of the Spirit King's power. Taking half the soul of both the Sun and Moon, the Spirit King would bind them to the new world below, forcing them to circle the days for it's inhabitants. The Sun would rule the day, giving light and heat and slowly dying as the night would descend, smothering him until his brightness only knew that of cold dark. For a being as radiant as he, the pain would be unimaginable, but his power would Guide the Moon through the night, living as he lost his breathe until morning came to begin again.
"She would live, but it would be half a life," The Sun realized and the realization left a bitterness in his heart.
"As would you." The King answered. "You both will sustain the other and provide light and life for the new world. I have spoken with your love and she has agreed... as long as you do the same."
A burning resolve to see her smile gave the Sun his answer. "I would die for her daily so that she may live, but I have one request."
"Name it, old friend, and I will grant it."
There are many things he could ask for and many others would say he asked for more than he could have, but his request was truly simple. To see her one last time. To tell his love, The Moon, good bye. The Celestial Spirit King granted this wish by surrounding the Sun in the hisvery own cloak to shroud the power of the brilliant heat. It would protect her from his harsh light.
When he came upon her, pale and fragile, the Sun fell to his knees in a fit of apologies. His guilt could hardly face her. But the Moon, never once blaming him for his brilliant gift, embraced him with her cool touch and whispered her love until he could hardly breathe.
They bonded together, making love for the first time in conjoined luminescence that connected their souls before the Spirit King could remove them. Only when they could no longer shed tears and words had been long spent, did the King return. "Are you prepared?" He asked with a heavy heart, but was surprised by the tragic smiles on their faces.
"Yes," The Sun and Moon replied in unison.
Their courage brought the King to sorrow, but with careful hands,he removed the Sun's shroud and struck them down with his mighty blade- cleaving the souls from their very bodies. The joined souls were cast to the Earth, crashing through the depth-less oceans.
And then came the first sunrise of the first day on Earth- when time was created. His heat granted life and comfort and all things began to grow, but his light diminished as he crossed the sky and he slowly felt the pain of the moon as his own light turned against him, consuming him to cinders. In his pain, he saw the moon rise, smiling her sad love as they passed before the night took over and she ruled it with her soft glow.
Even now, as we see the Sky and count the stars- The Sun still sustains the Moon as they pass. On days of the Solar Eclipse, they see each other again much as they did when they bid their farewells and every passing second is a gift they forever cherish.
It is said, that the halves of their souls, bound to the Earth became more than just energy. That they formed into new beings that wandered through time, just as their original selves did, forever searching for their other half, forever hoping to be bonded once more.
I end this tale now, with you quiet and and in thought, with only the parting words of a soul touched by this tale. Remember this story once forgotten- remember and respect the sacrifice of the Sun, who chose to die every night, to let his dear Moon breathe.'
The silence of the group was deafening when Lucy finished and she worried that her story was not something they could enjoy. Twiddling her fingers, she watched their faces, blank in emotions she couldn't fathom before a slow applaud over took them and even Cana wiped her eyes.
"That.. that was amazing." Wendy whispered, tears freely spilling down her face. "I've never heard a story like that before."
Just like that, the silence broke and the group spoke in unison, complimenting the Romni as she flushed in pleasure. She truly was not as good as her story tellers, but it had been a favorite story of hers. To share it with them, and receive such nice responses, was more than she could handle.
The tale spread down the caravan like a wildfire and soon many were stopping by the wagons to to compliment her. Some wondered how her clan had come across it, or of the way she told it, but Lucy gave them no answers, still unsure of speaking too much about her old life. By the time the Moon was high in the sky and many others had finally retired for the night, she herself felt just as spent, lolling her head back against the wooden rest of the wagon she sat on.
Natsu, suspiciously quiet, removed her from it with gentle arms and brought her back to the horse she had ridden the night before. "You'll fall off if I leave you there." He said to her unspoken question. "There's too much on the wagon for you to hold yourself up for sleeping anyway..."
The sight of the mare brought a frown to her face, still sore from the night before, but Lucy remembered her decision to fight through the pain and learn to ride again. Exhausted from the day and mentally tired in ways she couldn't begin to explain, she allowed Natsu to help her up and didn't complain when he took her cane. Only when he joined her on the horse did she finally voice her thoughts.
"...you're riding with me again?" She asked, not sure if she should allow it as easily as she had the night before. Instead of answering, he pulled her against him, heat seeping into her clothes even as he grabbed the rains and let the horse calmly sway her.
"I'll stop when you can sleep and not fall off." He answered. She could feel him grinning against her hair and she wondered if maybe she had misjudged him. "That story was great, you know. But sad. Do you know any happy ones?"
She hummed her response, exhaustion slowly taking over her mind. "A few, yes.. but that one was my favorite... my Mother used to tell it to me... and call me her little moon."
"Did you have a Sun?" The question came quickly, but Lucy only shook her head.
"No. Maybe some day, but this moon is still traveling."
She fell silent then, allowing his heat to lull her as it did the night before. Natsu stayed awake long after sleep had claimed her as he looked to the sky and counted the stars in his mind. The moon was full, glowing brightly and casting the caravan in a soft light that calmed him, but the pit of his stomach churned as the story circled in his brain.
"Just don't get burned this time." He ordered, unaware that his quiet thoughts had been made known to the world around him, but only the horse could hear him. "That Sun would probably kill himself if he hurt you again..."
The mere thought made his muscles tense and a growl rumbled in his throat. The idea tasted like rotting meat in his mouth and he frowned. He could relate to the Sun, in burning fire that could hurt others, he could understand the pain of hurting those you care for. It made his insides burn. No, Natsu did not like that at all.
He gripped the girl tighter to him, moving her head to rest below his chin and the caravan moved on.
There we go! I'm so happy I got this finished and I am very happy that I was able to put the Sun and Moon legend into this story. There are a lot of ideas I have for this story and I'm going to have SO much fun with this! I hope you enjoy it as well!
