Abuse AU
Tells the story of Lucy, Juvia, and Wendy being three beautiful half sisters who are confined to the large, elegant, yet cold and lonely manor house of their neglectful polygamous father Animus, like birds in a gilded cage. Together they endure abuse and try to somehow escape their dark and unhappy lives.
Lucy - The daughter of Animus and his second wife Selene. A strong and willful girl with a fiery temper and stubborn personality. She is the one who rebels the most and will often try to fight back against her mother's physical abuse though she usually ends up failing. Because of the years of abuse and neglect she finds it hard to open up to anyone aside from her sisters which includes Natsu who harbors feelings for her. She is compared to a peacock due to her beauty coming off as regal, passionate, and full of strength.
Juvia - The daughter of Animus and his third wife Sonya. Her mother was her father's favorite wife thereby making her his favorite daughter and the object of her stepmother Selene's envy. She is kind, gentle, and will serve as a mother figure to her sisters. She goes out of her way to shield her sisters from any abuse if possible and encourages them to never lose hope while also hiding all her negative feelings from them. The only person she can truly express her pain to is Gray who she secretly loves. She is compared to a swan due to her beauty coming off graceful, loving, and romantic.
Wendy - The daughter of Aminus and his first wife Eclair. A innocent, cheerful, sweet natured girl yet she is easily frightened and has a very weak body. For that reason her older sisters are both very protective of her and are determined to keep her as innocent for as long as they can. She loves animals, music, art, and especially her sisters and mother. She has a fantasy that one day her father will stop Selene's abuse and they'll all be happy family. She is compared to a nightingale due to her beauty coming off as creative, pure, and joyful.
Eclair - Animus's caring and sickly first wife whom he was arranged to marry but she had weak health which resulted in her struggling to have children. After suffering countless miscarriages Animus lost interest in her and took a second wife though he stayed married to her so she could take care of the house. Years later she finally had her only healthy child Wendy whom she adores and dotes on, she also serves as the only mother figure to Lucy and Juvia despite them not being her daughters but is alas unable to protect them from abuse because of her fatally weak body. When she realizes that'll she soon be dying she tries to hint the abuse to the neighbors in hopes of saving the girls.
Selene - Aminus's vain, jealous, and hateful second wife who has always been desperate for her husband's love but he only married her in order to gain a child that would appease his parents. Once Lucy was born he lost interest in her and married a third time. She tyrannically rules the household while physically abusing the girls particularly Lucy for failing to win her husband's favor and Juvia for being her husband's favorite child. She will also try to sexually seduce the local boys in order to make her husband jealous and to hurt her daughter and stepdaughter.
Sonya - Aminus's lovely and delicate third wife, the only woman he ever loved. She and Eclair were friends despite the circumstances but Selene hated and envied her. She was excited about being a mother but tragically died giving birth to Juvia. Aminus never got over her death, Selene curses her memory while taunting Juvia that she killed her mother, but Eclair speaks fondly of her and will tell Juvia about her.
Aminus - Lucy, Juvia, and Wendy's father. A wealthy man who neglects his children by constantly leaving them in the house to be cared for by his wives. He only had children because his overbearing parents insisted that their family line needed heirs however he does love his daughters to some degree, particularly Juvia. He does visit them on the few times he's home and will lash Selene if he ever hears of her abusing either of the girls. But all in all he is not a good father.
Erza - The family's next door neighbor, a college student trying to earn a teaching degree who's hired to be the girls's tutor. She lives with her fiancé Jellal and her younger brother Gray who she cares for. She's intellectual, kind, patient, and learns to care for the girls. Having been an abuse victim herself, she starts to notice the signs and begins to suspect how the girls are really living but unfortunately has no evidence to go to the police with.
Gray - Erza's younger brother who befriends the girls and is the only one who knows their terrible secret. He wants to tell someone both the girls swear him to secrecy out of fear that Selene will kill one or all three of them for telling. He'll sneak into the house to visit them and over time he falls in love with Juvia which prompts him to somehow help them escape without telling their secret.
Natsu - Gray's best friend, a street kid who's hired to do the family's yard work. He is smitten with Lucy at first sight and is always trying to sincerely help her in anyway he can but she's afraid to believe that anyone other than her sisters could ever really care for her. Gray soon let's him in on his plan to rescue the girls and his street smart skills prove to be very useful in their plan.
Jellal - Erza's charming and generous lawyer fiancé who also develops a fondness for the girls, even surprising them with little gifts and new clothes. When Erza voices her suspicions of abuse he works to find evidence to prove it.