A/N: I don't think I'll ever stop apologizing for how long it takes me to upload a new chapter. This time it took very long though, and a loyal fan made me aware that it was time to continue this story. I can not explain why it took me so long, as my reasons are too personal, but let's say i've been trough some rough patches. I won't promise a fast update, since I'm very busy, but i will try to at least see this story trough to the end. have a good reading!
CH 7: When everything else fails.
"Lucy."
Levy's soft voice woke Lucy from her restless sleep. She had been Gajeels slave for a few weeks now, and fortunate for her, he didn't touch her yet. Some of his men got a little handsy with her though, and even though Gajeel allways scolded them for it, it didnt stop, and therefore Lucy did not sleep well, dreaded by the thought one of them might have his way with her.
Levy shook her again as she softly whispered her name. When Lucy looked at her in the dim light of their room, that they now shared at night, she saw how tired Levy was, and realised Levy had just returned from Gajeels room. Mockingly Levy confirmed Lucy's fears.
" Gajeel fucked himself tired. He's asleep, as are his men. There's only a few guards. It's time."
The past few weeks Levy had secretely prepared for Lucy's escape, and when both girls noticed the band of robbers was getting more restless, and more than willing to dissobey Gajeel in order to have fun with Lucy and Levy, it was decided they couldn't wait any longer. Tonight they would make their escape.
Lucy slowly and silently got up, dressed herself in some decent clothing Levy gave her, and put on the soft step ins, also provided by Levy. The clothes were simple, not halfly as luxurious as the robes she was used to back in the castle; in fact, they made her look like a begger. But at least it wouldn't draw attention, her body was covered, and it would be warmer than the see troughs Gajeel made her wear.
Levy went in front and lead her trough a huge labyrinth of caves and corridors, so much Lucy was sure she never would've found her way out, and then realised that was allways Gajeels intention. No matter what he had planned for her, he definitely did not want her to leave his hideout. Lucy was almost surprised at the kindness and goodness he had shown her, not sure why she wasn't treated like a prisoner, and still not allowed to see the sky, or breathe fresh air.
After what seemed to be hours, Levy signaled Levy to halt. She peeked around the corner of the wall they were pressed against and sighed with relief.
"Just Cobra on watch."
Just Cobra? That guy alone was enough to make Lucy want to run back to their chambers. The passed two weeks he had been a constant annoyance by threathening her with all the 'fun' ideas he had to amuse himself with her. And that pet snake he kept around his neck at all times did not improve her opinion of him. But apparently Levy wasn't afraid, and Lucy thought back to her first day as servent, when Gajeel said Levy could take Cobra on. She just wondered how a little frail girl could take on Cobra, as Levy stepped around the corner, started her magic writing in the air, and shouted with the most powerfull voice Lucy ever heard from her.
" STUN!"
The magic runes flew over to Cobra, who was just fast enough to turn around, and got the runes full in his face. Without further delay, he and his pet snake dropped to the floor, and Levy took Lucy's hand, pulling her trough the rock ran trough, passed Cobra, and Lucy couldn't help but ask.
"Is he...dead?"
"No, just stunned, paralised. Be quick now ,Luce."
Recently Levy finally let go of her good manners towards Lucy and stopped calling her princess, and now just called her Luce, something that made Lucy strangely happy, because even in this bad place, it at least felt like she had a good friend.
Shortly after they passed Cobra, Levy pulled her trough a curtain of vines, and they were outside. They ran a bit of distance into the woods, and then Levy pulled Lucy to a halt. She turned Lucy to face her, and pushed a small ring into her hand.
" Wear this, it will hide your presence. Keep running in that direction.."
Levy pointed West, "till morning. Do not stop walking for the night. I will signal Loki and the others, they will find you."
Levy let go and started to walk backwards, and Lucy panicked.
"You're not going with me? Levy, please, don't leave me alone."
Levy stepped forward again and grabbed her hands.
" Lucy, I can't. Despite the fact Wendy said they are safe, you don't know what Gajeel and the Dark Lord are capable off. You have magic inside you Lucy, like your mother. Try to find it, channel it, defend yourself. But I have to go back. Hurry now!"
"He will kill you!"
"Death would be relieve, my friend. Please go!"
And, after kissing Lucy on the cheek, Levy turned around, and started to run back to the hell Gajeel created. Halfly knowing it would be of no use, Lucy still shouted after her.
"LEVYYYY!"
But Levy was gone, and Lucy was alone in the dark forrest. She had no choice. She turned her back on Levy, on Gajeel, on her prison, put the ring around her finger, and started running in the direction she was pointed.
"Someone, please save me."
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"WAKE UP, U USELESS FILTH!"
Gajeel almost jumped out of his bed, straight into the Dark Lord. Almost out of reflex he kneeled, but before he could say anything, the Dark mage slapped him in the face.
"Get up! The princess is gone! You made yourself tired with that litlle bluehaired witch, and now you let our trump card escape. Get after them, you numbskull!"
Gajeel quickly jumped to his feet and into his pants. He didn't even bother to put on a shirt and sped trough the labyrinth Lucy and Levy passed trough only ten minutes earlier. It didn't take long befor he ran into Levy, who was just on her way back to her room, and she immediately realised he was furious with her. He grabbed her by her troath and smacked her up against the wall. Levy whimpered in agony and fear, convinced he would kill her this time.
"You little idiot. Don't you understand I was trying to protect you?"
Levy looked at Gajeel, who didn't only seem angry, but also frustrated, and, to her surprise, sad and scared.
"I'm only following orders, you stupid girl! I never would've killed you. As long as you were mine, you were save."
Levy saw enough pain in him to have courage to speak, to talk back to him.
"Save to get raped over and over again, to be wounded, to never see my family again!"
"You chose that fate yourself!"
" Because you would otherwise take my sister!"
"I was testing you!"
In the brief moment of silence that followed, they were interupted by Cobra, who just came back to his senses.
"She stunned me! Kill her, or I will! She let that blonde bitch escape."
Gajeel dropped Levy to the floor, and slapped Cobra, who ended up, ironically, on the floor next to Levy. With a pained look on his face, Gajeel pulled Levy to her feet and looked at Cobra.
"Take Levy to my room. Don't you dare touch her, for I WILL have your head, and turn your snake into boots. I will punish her after I've found the princess."
Cobra nodded, but Gajeel was already on his way out.
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Lucy ran, and ran, and fell, and got up, and ran again. The only thing keeping her from taking a break, was the fear that she might be caught. And even though she felt terrible for Levy,knowing Gajeel would punish her for letting Lucy out, she couldn't help her friend by being captured.
Suddenly a cloaked man was before her, forcing her to stop. Lucy trembled with fear as she reconised the Dark mage that had been in her cell when she woke up, more than two weeks ago. He could use magic, Gajeel said so. Where did he come from?
"Hello, princess. We meet again. I think you understand, I can't let you escape. You're the key to my plan."
"How can I be important to your plan?"
Lucy's voice trembled, not knowing what he meant.
"None of your bussiness. But back you go."
He took a step towards her,and, afraid, she stepped back, away from him, afraid of what he might do to her, to make her go back.
"Please, let me go."
The cloaked man took off his hood, and revealed an older looking man, with gray hair, and a scar over his eye. With a shock Lucy realised she knew him.
"Hades?"
"You remenber me. I'm flattered, young princess. I didn't think you would. You were very young when I left."
"Left?"
Lucy was genuinly confused. She remembered this man, but why. When did he leave? Leave where? But she remebered a younger version of him. In a weird costume...
"You where our jester. You did tricks."
" I did magic, young Lucy. You liked it. Your father did not. Certainly not after your mother died. Do you never wonder, how your mother got the black pague, when nobody else did?"
Lucy shook her head.
"It wasn't the black plague, my dear."
Lucy remembered Gajeel had also hinted something like that. Seemed like he was telling the truth. But..
"Then why did my mother die?"
"Because I killed her."
Lucy's heart stopped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Why?! My mother cared about you! She was your biggest fan."
"And also my biggest critic. And if I might add, my best apprentice. Your mother was a Mage, little ignorent girl. And she was very good. Too good, because she saw I used dark magic for my own proffit. She was too late to stop me though. Shame. She had great potential. After that, it was only logical your father banished all magic, wich made him not very loved, to say the least. He did give me a nice scar to remember him."
"Why? Why did you do it?"
Hades smiled at her with a demonic grin.
"Because I wanted the throne ofcourse."
Lucy had no more chance to reply, because a massive black dragon dropped out of the sky, onto his paws and claws, right behind her. Lucy yelped and jumped away, straight into Hades arms. He felt weird to the touch, and something in her body was alarmed, but she did not know what. Hades spoke to the dragon.
"That took you long enough."
The dragon growled and roared, in what it seemed to Lucy like a protest.
"Yes, I know she's wearing a cloaker! Didn't keep me from finding her. You're still a weak piece of garbage, just like when I found you in the trash you were born in. Now get this wench to her prison."
Hades pushed her towards the dragon, who swiftly grabbed her with one of his claws, and was tensing his hind legs to set off into the air, when Hades shouted at him.
"You better punish her good, Gajeel. Or I will give you a punishment you won't forget for the rest of your live."
Lucy realised with a shock that this dragon was in fact Gajeel, and that he was taking her back to his den. She screamed as hard as she could, as he took her with him, soaring trough the night sky.
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Gajeel landed on a platform Lucy had never seen, and in a burst of smoke, he was his human self, holding her by the arm. To her shock he was entirely naked. He started dragging her inside, moving forward relentlessly as he pulled her along. After a few minutes, Gajeel grunted in irritation.
"You and Levy are both equally stupid."
Before she had a chance to ask what he meant, she saw Cobra standing in front of a door, that was apparently Gajeels room, because Cobra steppped aside, and Gajeel barched in without a word. Lucy cried out as she saw Levy chained to the wall in the far corner of the room. Levy looked up, saw Lucy and cried as well. Lucy didn't get the chance to see if Levy was injured, because Gajeel threw her on the bed, and got on top off her. Regardless of the fact that she had clothes on, he did not, and Lucy panicked. She never had a naked man on top of her, and by the look on his face, it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Gajeel, please don't do that! I'll do anything you want!"
Levy cried out to him in terror, seeing what he was intending to do. Gajeel looked over his shoulder with a snarl.
"Shut UP! I will deal with you after I teach her a lesson."
He ripped the thin clothes from Lucy's body like it was paper, and pushed her legs apart.
"I warned you, to not anger me or try to escape. This is your own fault."
Both girls screamed, though be it for different reasons, as he forced himself on Lucy.
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Lucy crawled on the floor. Her body hurt. All of it hurt. Her belly, her arms where he had squeezed her too tightly,but most of all her pride and dignity. He had ruined her. Her whole life she was destined to become Queen, married to a prince, who would be King when he would be twenty-one years old. But that couldn't happen if she wasn't a virgin. And now her whole future, her life, her virginity; all was taken by this monster, who now slowly walked over to Levy, and broke the chains. As Lucy looked at her, Levy mouthed one last word. Run.
And Lucy did. Run and run and run, trough the labyrinth, untill by accident, she ended up in the main cave. It was filled with robbers, who were at first not noticing her, but when one of them finally did, he shouted and pointed.
"Look at that, the princess is nude."
"Now that's very provoking."
"Yea, let's grab her."
The robbers all shouted their intentions, but when they came closer, Lucy's sight was suddenly blocked by dark long hair. Smoother than Gajeels. More...
"Minerva! What's the meaning of this?"
Minerva turned around and put clothes in Lucy's hands.
"Get dressed, slave. I will let you out, but only because I will not have a spoiled brat princess take my place as Dragon Queen."
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A/N: hope the chapter is long and exciting enough for you to forgive me for taking so long. Next chapter: Enter Natsu!