Chapter 17
Her Challenges
Lisanna Strauss: Swan-maiden. Is the cutest thing in this story. Her hair is like clouds. Will find it socially acceptable to walk around naked. Gold is totally her thing. She loves gold. She would claw someone for gold. Gifts Lucy one of her feather which is a sign of purity and health. Lucy don't know that tho, but she wears it in her hair anyway. Will never die because she's A+ side story material.
Natsu and I were eating when the door swung open and Erza walked in, her face entirely too grim, Ultear following her in with a matching expression. I paused, meat and sauce sandwich paused mid-air, and frowned, instantly picking up on the apprehensive, worrying mood.
"What's wrong?"
Erza sighed slowly, appearing to calm herself, and collected a chair from the small set in the corner, placing it directly in front of my seat on the bed. She sat down quietly, closing her eye for a long second as I looked at her and Ultear, my voice coming out thin and concerned.
"What is it? What's happened?"
Ultear just gave me a somber smile, obviously leaving Erza up to the duty of informing me.
"Our passage through the North Glaciers has been denied. King Silver and Queen Mika believe it is not in their best interest to aid a wanted princess."
I steeled my nerves because I had been preparing for this. There was always an even chance of them saying no, just as much as they could have said yes. I could understand why Erza would worry about the prospect of sneaking through another royal's lands, but I didn't understand what could evoke such a strong reaction.
"Well, that's fair. We can't change course… so we'll just have to pass through covertly." I glanced between them for reassurance and Ultear nodded with the same smile, though her face was still slightly pale and the small lines between her eyebrows creased. I looked at Natsu next for help, confused as to why they were so… solemn.
He wore a frown and only briefly shared my look before turning his attention to Erza, whose face was the perfect picture of blank, and polite.
"Erza, what about Jellal? Will he be meeting us at the border?"
Erza visibly flinched and suddenly it began to click together. Jellal was responsible for our safe passage through the North, and now that they had denied access, his fate was unknown.
"Jellal has been put into the castle jail for aiding and abetting a royally wanted suspect. Somehow, they found out that it was you we were transporting to the Vapids." Even though she said it firmly, and adopted a matter-of-fact tone, I saw the way her one eye glowed with worry and anger, a stubborn set to her lips as if she was holding back a million other words.
"How could they possibly know?" I thought back to the scant number of times we had talked to another person. One of those times was with Loke, but I had been careful to not tell him where we were headed. We hadn't even spoken of our destination to anyone else, that I could recall.
"My mother is searching for their source as we speak. She is also working to have Jellal excused and granted a royal pardon."
"Will they do it?"
Erza glanced at Ultear who stepped forward, her beautiful features set into a focused look as she spoke, "King Silver is arrogant. And also fearful. Your land and his have been trading with one another for many years. If he thinks that Jellal will give our location up, and our plans, he will gift that information to King Jude as a gesture of goodwill."
"I can hear a but coming…" I murmured softly.
Ultear smiled slightly, the smile much more genuine than her previous attempts. "But, Queen Mika is kinder. And, like most queens, is a lot more temperamental than King Silver. She can negotiate Jellal's freedom and pardon, legally, with or without the king's consent."
"That has something to do with the religion they follow, right?"
"The Rites of Frost say that a Queen has equal power to a King, as long as they remain true to themselves," Ultear nodded, and I sighed, feeling the headache between my temples grow as my stomach twisted anxiously, wondering if Jellal was being treated decently, and if Eileen could really manage to negotiate a pardon.
"So, what do we do now?" Natsu asked, breaking the long silence. Erza took a deep breath in, her features schooled into a calm collected facade.
"As much as I would like to go collect Jellal myself, I trust that he has the situation under control, and we need to move quickly if we want to avoid a collision with the guards that the North will definitely put forward."
I admired the strength of her decision, but pitied the fact she had to make the choice in the first place.
Ultear nodded in agreement, before rolling her shoulders, and tying her damp hair back. "I'll get rid of the carriage and acquire some saddle equipment. If we need to get through quietly, then arriving with a large carriage is not the best thing to do."
"Lucy, you are able to ride horseback?"
"I had lessons when I was a kid, it shouldn't be too difficult to remember," I said, as I thought back to the scant inch of freedom my father had given me when I was younger. He had refused to let me learn carriage driving, but after enough begging and pleading had won me basic horse-riding lessons.
Erza nodded once, a pleased expression on her features as she turned to Natsu. "Sell the things that aren't a necessity. And find some clothes. I could employ Ultear to do it, but…"
"She'd get something that'd sparkle and you want my lack of fashion sense to shine through." Natsu apparently knew the situation well enough that he went along with Erza's orders without so much as an eye-blink. Erza handed him a small square of paper, which I recognized as an international right-to-sell license, and realized that Eileen must have anticipated the need for this course of action and given it to Erza for this exact reason.
She had foreseen that we would need to pack the bare necessities, to move quickly.
"Be back here in an hour. I hope everyone has gotten a suitable amount of rest, we will have to cut our stay in this town short," Erza told them just as they left, before she walked over to her own bag of clothes, to decide what could be sold.
I stood up and moved over to her, placing a soft hand on her shoulder as I murmured, "He will be fine."
She glanced back and gave me a small, confident smile. "I know he will be. If they harm one hair on his head, I will bring their castle down."
"And I'll help. It'll be a scream," I joked lightly, glad that I got a small bark of laughter from her in return and we shared a smile before I headed to the bathroom, hoping to wash up before we set off.
I pulled the dark leather trousers over my hips with difficulty, buttoning them up with a little grunt as Ultear threw me a cream-coloured shirt, long-sleeved, with brown ties going up the arms and two over my bust. Erza moved past me, her boots clicking against the wooden floor as she shoved a few more clothes into a bag.
Once I had pulled on the shirt, Natsu entered and glanced at all of us. "The horses are ready to go."
Erza, who had been tying her hair back, stated, "Pack your horse, and wait for us. We will be done in a few minutes."
Natsu nodded, but moved across the room to me, which made Ultear and Erza both stop. My breathing deepened when he lightly touched my face, narrowing his eyes at me. I stared back before sighing, a smile sliding onto my lips, "Are you checking my emotional state?"
"Maybe. I got a sense of frustration a moment ago."
My cheeks began to fill with pink and I looked away for a moment, struggling to get the words out through tightened teeth, "I was frustrated with my pants." When I spared a glance in his direction, he was looking at my pants, probably trying to understand the reason why, before looking into my eyes for an explanation.
"Hips," I murmured dryly, feeling embarrassed.
He glanced down again and slowly, amusement slid over his face, which made me groan and pull away from his warm fingertips, crossing my arms stubbornly. When he made a low sound that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, I waved him away, "Can you go and do what Erza asked already?"
"Yes, Princess." His tone told me that he wouldn't be forgetting my obsession with my hips anytime soon. When he turned to walk out, I glanced over my shoulder and shouted.
"You don't need to continuously check up on my moods, you know!"
A chuckle was his response and I immediately became flustered. I was annoyed for a moment, but then shook my head with a smile, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in my stomach at him caring.
"How long will it take for us to reach the border?" I asked, doing up the laces of my shoes, as Ultear rummaged through a bag and pulled out three cloaks.
"It will take a day, possibly a few hours short of that," Erza stated, pulling her long red hair back, running her fingers through her fringe before rearranging it over the patch covering her eye.
"We will avoid taking breaks. King Silver will send out guards to the border, but the land is so large, we will have a small window of opportunity to sneak through undetected. I can guide us through, but there is a large expanse of land where we will be without cover and in perilous conditions." Ultear said, handing me a black cloak and a deep red sash.
Having been used to hiding my appearance, wrapping the sash around my mouth by myself was second nature by this point. Erza was doing the same with hers, leaving only one part of her face able to be seen once she pulled the hood up.
"What are the chances we run into the army from the North?" I controlled my voice so that it wouldn't shake, though the idea of fighting anyone on the way to a potentially dangerous land was frightening.
Erza and Ultear shared a look before Ultear cleared her throat. "Very high. But hopefully, we can evade the brunt of it."
"A lot of this plan is running on hope," I mumble, a pinch of stress and anxiety beginning to bubble inside of me. When Erza opened her mouth, probably to give me a courageous pep talk, I laughed a little.
"Hope is one of the strongest good emotions I have inside of me." I gave them both a tremulous smile, summoning the courage inside of me, so my voice came out firm and resolute. "So, if we are depending on hope, let's do it. I can't think of a better feeling to live on."
Erza smiled at my words and gave a nod as Ultear wiped a pretend tear away, sending me a playful wink, "Our girl. Grows up so fast. Erza, give her a sword or something, I think she's ready to stab a few baddies."
I laughed at her words, shaking my hands to dissuade that horrible idea when Erza's face turned thoughtful, "Perhaps, that isn't such a bad idea."
"Huh?" For the first time ever, Ultear looked dumbfounded, mirroring the emotions I'm sure my own face was displaying.
"If we gave Lucy a weapon to defend herself, I would feel better — mostly because she wouldn't have to depend on only her power-which she has yet to control."
"I'm haven't done any weapons training… I wouldn't even know where to start!"
"You jab them with the pointy end, it's fairly straightforward." The fact that Erza made a joke just frightened me more, seconded in Ultear as she let out a small pitiful laugh. Erza rifled through her bag before coming out with weapon in a mid-sized leather sheath.
She handed it to me before continuing to comb through the bag of things she had kept for travel. Well, that bag and two others; Erza wasn't a light packer.
"I don't keep a lot of weapons in the real world, because when I obtain a new one, it's almost immediately added to my magical arsenal. However," she pulled out the blade I had borrowed when performing the ritual with Natsu and handed it to me.
It's just shy of the length of my forearm, a few centimetres shorter, and slightly curved, the handle a dark red that almost matched her hair. A minute later, I'm standing there, allowing her to wrap the sheath strings around my waist and clicking the tags into the buckle of my pants.
"I haven't had the chance to add this and it seems rather fitting that you should borrow it for the duration of our mission," Erza spoke with a proud smile, holding out her hand for the dagger — or was it a cleaver? — which I gave to her silently.
Slipping the blade into the leather holder, she stepped back and gave me a long look, nodding once as if satisfied with her work.
Honestly, the only thing she really did was give an inexperienced person a sharp object.
Ultear wandered over to me and shook her head, "Nothing we can do about it now… Welcome to the pointy weapon club, soon you'll be eating your foot on the edge of a scythe."
"Erza doesn't have a scythe in her arsenal," I murmured, giving her a sceptical look which she returned with a raised eyebrow.
"You know Erza well enough to know that if she saw a scythe of sale, she would definitely buy it."
I was sad to say, she was absolutely right. But the thought of Erza wielding a scythe, especially in the outfit she wore now, was one of the scariest things my mind could have conjured up.
I steered my horse closer to Erza's, situating myself firmly between her and Natsu, just as she asked me to. My legs were cramping slightly, and my knuckles were killing me from holding onto the reins, but the only other option was to fall right off with the wild vibrations that were going through us from the insane speed at which we were travelling.
I kept my head down slightly, eyes watering at the gusts of wind slapping me in the face. The further we rode, the colder the atmosphere became.
Erza's turned her head back and shouted, "Ultear says there is a path right ahead. It's rough and it will go right along the border. Think we can handle it?"
I nodded in response, and she glanced at Natsu who was bringing up the rear. Only the sound of a thundering stride behind me, let me know that he was still there.
Erza turned back around, and I jerked the reins quickly, taking the sharp veer with a little more force than necessary, but my lovely horse compensated easily, as though it knew I was a horrible rider.
After what felt like hours, Erza signalled us to stop and we all slowed, the brisk wind making my hood billow even at a stand-still, despite the metal clips holding it to my hair.
Ultear hopped off her horse and stated loudly, "Take a break. Five minutes. Lucy, go pee."
My cheeks went red at the mention of my pitiful bladder, which was currently the size of a small coin. They burned brighter when I realised that I really did need to pee.
Natsu snickered from behind me. One glance back made him press his lips together, but the mirth in those forest green eyes wasn't so easily suppressed. It took me a few tries, but I managed to get off my horse without getting tangled in the saddle and walked over to Ultear so I could gift her my frostiest glare.
To which she just laughed, before gracing me with a pat on the head.
"It's been a few hours since our last break," Erza stated, checking out the route map, "We are making exceptional time."
"We've been on the road with minimal breaks for thirteen hours," Natsu smirked, clearly having a one track mind when it came to aggravating Erza, which he proved with his next words, "Sure you weren't a slave driver in a past life?"
Erza glared at him heatedly, narrowing her eyes. "Not in a past life, no. But I do have this odd streak of beating dragons senseless."
I gave way to some laughter before hobbling off, listening to Ultear intervene and change the subject. Once I found a respectful bush, I glanced around warily before sighing, imagining my facilities at home, instead of a shrub.
Squatting down, I did my business, although a strange sensation of being watched was none too comfortable. I reached into my pocket where I kept the small tissues Erza had gifted to me for situations such as this.
I wiped my privates with a visible cringe before straightening up, fixing my pants back over my hips and adjusting the sheath. A loud crack made me look up, the noise echoing through my senses and I barely had enough time to clumsily dodge the large creature advancing towards me.
I cried out in pain when my side collided with the bark of a tree, scraping my already over-sensitised cold skin. When I opened my eyes, a gasp ripped out of my throat at the being before me.
A thick orca body with razor-sharp teeth and a large black fin sticking up on his back were enough to make my heart race wildly, but the two large wolf ears, four thick legs and a bushy black tail were downright terrifying.
Because the only person I had been told could change into this was…
The creature bared its razor sharp teeth at me before dashing forward, a dark intent captured in its silver eyes. I fumbled between us, grabbing the weapon Erza had given me and holding back the Shriek that was building in my throat, ready to attack.
The bracelet's power was still very weak, but adrenaline stupidly made me forget that fact. So when I opened my mouth to call for help, yanking the dagger from its sheath, the Shriek pushed on me, roaring up, and It brought to mind everything I had feared.
If I screamed now, the north would know we were here.
If I screamed, there was no chance we would get through undiscovered.
Without an anchor to ground me, I was hopeless in stopping it. My hand reared up before I could stop it, and the next move I made, was enough to stop the creature in its tracks. I plunged the blade deep into my thigh, and the pain distracted my power for that one second of control I needed.
It was just long enough to see a massive body slam into the creature, a white, ragged scarf flying through my vision as I clenched my teeth. The urge to scream from the pain made my power flare against my control. But for the most part, the searing pain was working for me, helping me contain the sound built-up in me.
It was driving back that power, muddling my senses, making me incapable of thinking of anything besides the agony I had just subjected myself to.
The blade bit into my skin tightly, making my nerves twitch as a cold hand wrapped around the edge, Erza and Ultear appearing beside me. The fight was escalating, but through my tear-filled eyes, I could only make out Natsu, grabbing the fin protruding from the creature's back and swinging his body around so the monster smacked into a nearby tree, breaking down the trunk with its weight.
"Natsu, don't kill him!" Ultear shouted as Erza attempted to yank the blade from the muscle, ligaments and tissue I had embedded into it. I jerked when it resisted, yanking the dark crimson sash down, inserting it into my mouth. I bit down and screamed into the fabric, which was enough to make Ultear jolt, turning to me as Erza steadied me with a strong hand on her shoulder.
Natsu growled lowly, and fire lit up the area, encasing his fists, crawling up his arms.
"You are dead."
"Ultear, intervene. If he kills the prince, we will have more on our plates than being enemies of the state!" I heard Erza's voice state calmly, through the fog of pain and was vehemently glad that she has things under control. My hands gripped at my thigh, blood seeping from the wound, my body shaking at the pain I was suffering.
"Lucy, I need to pull the blade out. How deep is it? Can you feel it against your bone?"
Her words made my stomach churn and I pushed her to the side, leaning over, removing the cloth from my mouth in favour of throwing-up.
Once I was finished, she pushed me softly, letting me rest my back on the tree as exhaustion swam through me. My body longed for rest, but the pain was enough to keep me awake.
"I'm sorry Lucy, but I need to know if it's touching the bone."
I shook my head slowly and closed my eyes as a shudder of agony ripped through me, the feeling searing through my senses. I don't know exactly what a blade would feel like when it touched the bone, but I'm fairly certain it's not there yet.
A loud crack made us both turn to look at the fight, and I gasped when Ultear stepped between Natsu and the Northern Prince, her orb glowing as magic power poured out of her body. The creature stops in its tracks, and I could almost see recognition in those dark eyes.
"Natsu, go look after Lucy. I will take care of him." Ultear's voice was distinctly pissed, as the orb multiplied into five, then six, then seven. They began to vibrate, and she opened her hands, spreading her fingertips through the cold atmosphere.
An explosion right at the feet of the prince sent him careening backwards, and Ultear followed after him slowly, smirking darkly. "Let's have a little talk, Gray."
My attention was torn away from them when Natsu crouched down beside me, his eyes tight with concern and anger.
"Natsu, she's lodged the blade pretty deep."
"Can you pull it out?"
"Not without severe muscle damage."
"Let me worry about that," Natsu replied, keeping his eyes on me, and I shook my head with a whimper of pain, clenching my teeth around the positioned sash in my mouth, trying to convey that I didn't want him to heal me.
It would only hurt him.
"There's no arguing about this Lucy. An injury at this point in the mission is not an option. I'm going to heal you, and then I'm going to stab Gray exactly where you did. Maybe, I'll be poetic and make him stab himself. Either way, this is not something I am going to budge on." I glared at him for a long moment before looking away, closing my eyes tightly as a wave of shame washed over me.
What use was I if I couldn't Shriek without hurting people?
What use could I possibly be if I had to continue to hurt myself to protect people?
"Lucy, take a deep breath in. This is going to hurt."
I nodded, my eyes still closed as I sucked in a large lungful of air. I could feel the moment when Erza grabbed a hold of the handle again, and flinched, my body shuddering with it. The minute she pulled on it, I clenched my teeth and screamed.
Then my body finally gave out.
Darkness swam over me like a mindless gaze of nothing, pulling me deeper into the abyss that welcomed my abused, exhausted body eagerly.
I'm late! I know! I knooooow!
I'm sorry, but the mightiest block of all blocks attacked me and it had me beaten, bruised and bummed. Luckily, I had a fresh wave of freshness and am back on my feet!
To all the people who left amazing supportive comments, I thank you! You guys are fantastic, maybe I should just let you write the book for me
The chapter is now deleted, (not the whole book lmao)
Question Time!
When will you show her? Aquarius is a tricky character fam, so as of now, she's not on my guideline yet. I know she will be introduced by adding her to a scene is a little difficult.
Also their ritual thing are they like married Ni nymph tradition? Noooo. Okay, so a lot of questions have arised if they are married because they have a companionship. This is NOT the case. In this world, a companionship CAN be formed between friends. It's about comfort, and safety - remember, Nymphs require human-touch to survive which is why the companionship link is offered but I never said the touch had to be sexual - so the only reason why Natsu's and Lucy's connection feels equivalent to marriage is because they have the feels for each other. The joke about marriage was critical to Ultear's character, but that's all it was, a simple (very funny if I do say so myself) joke.
Why isn't Lucy ticklish because she's sensitive? Because that would lead to scenes that would lead to sex, and there's only so much that I can cockblock with.
Does that mean Lucy is equal if a goddess? Aphe, the goddess that handles the Nymphs and all that, is a kind goddess, as I've said before. Of course, there's a lot of theories that can be worked from the fact that she allowed Lucy to make a companionship; so don't assume it's because she may or may not be equal to a goddess. There could be the fact she's royal blood, and Aphe could sense that. Or that she has some nymph tendencies and it interested Aphe to the point where she allowed it. Like I said, unless you see or read that Aphe 'stumbled back in surprise, at the creature commanding, summarising that she must be in equal power' then don't assume :) It makes an ass out of you and me, after all ;)
Is the guy that was watching Lucy maybe part of the group after Lucy? Oh dear, what if he was? How do you explain him mysteriously vanishing, AND the fact that he's a dragon? :O (forgets that I'm the damn writer of this trash)
When are they gonna get hitched? (Long time off, or not so much?) First, it was smut, now it's marriage, damn yall.
WHERE'S HAPPY? I direct you to Chapter 3 (or 4?) where Erza says Happy can accompany them to Fairy Vella but he can't come on the trip.
So how would this be different for Natsu and Lucy's case? There was a large paragraph attached to this question that wrestled with the fact that how the hell Lucy could get 'married' to Natsu so quickly and since I'm sure none of you want my long answer, I'll keep it short and sweet so the person asking it can understand. I direct you to answer number 1 above. Additionally, this is a world where magic resides. I think you are limiting yourself to perceiving it to be… normal like the world we live in. It might be challenging for some people but try to open your mind to the fact that Natsu and Lucy have a bond. What seems like trivial and madness to you, isn't too clearly share a connection and those feelings are what caused Lucy to think it over (which she did in numerous chapters) and then decide that she would do it. I know it's hard to conceive that but in this world, there are a lot of different variables to consider so liking it to your own experiences/life isn't the best course of action if you want to enjoy this book. Like I said before in countless other chapters, you have to let go of real life to really understand how this world works. (in where I say short and sweet and decide to piss everywhere with my philosophical shit)
To the same reviewer who left me that humongous critical review, I understand what you said and I'm not offended at all :) But most of it is strictly your opinion, and I can't argue against it. If you read my story and think all those things, then you are more than welcome to! Of course, I don't agree with some but thanks for letting me know your views! As for your suggestions, I won't be bringing any sort of sister to Lucy's story, ( it doesn't quite fit with my plan) and as for the romance angle for Lucy and Natsu, they have enough future problems that I'm not going to make things harder and more complicated for them.
IS LUCY A TYPE OF CREATURE THAT CAN SORT OR CAMOUFLAGE INTO OTHER CREATURES THAT SHE KNOWS ENOUGH ABOUT? OR ARE ALL THESE THINGS EFFECTS SHE CAME TAKE ON AS A BANSHEE? THE INTENSITY OF THE QUESTION WANTS ME TO ANSWER IT BUT DAMMIT, I CAN'T! ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT BANSHEE'S HAVE POWER.
Why do I have the feeling the closest we'll ever get to anything intimate and/or smutty is Lucy and Natsu shoving a coin beneath their skin? And the award for the review that made Fresh snort and cackle like a madwoman this time goes tooooooo ~
Woot, go Lucy! beat the banshee and make it your bitch! Not even a question but hey ho, yeahhhh Lucy, do that shit
#MARRYTEAMLUCY ! YASSSSS GIRL
Is the gold piece usually smaller and less... painful? Smaller, yes. Painful, they usually have a remedy that numbs the body.
Is the dragon in the woods someone we know or a new character? A new character in the book, but you know him from the anime.
Lastly, does Lucy's brain and shit heal after these scream incidents? Because with all the damage it's causing she's gonna end up brain dead if they don't figure this shit out. I mean, is brain self-healing part of her magic that she doesn't know yet? It's more like a phantom feeling if anything ~ she can feel it because her power is punishing her, but it's not actually happening. The worst she's experiencing physically is the symptoms of blood running from her eyes, nose and ears.
is Ezra going to eventually get something done about her eye like she does in the Manga/anime, or will she forever be Erza the pirate? Erza forever the Pirate sounds like a great OVA name.
Why do I feel as if Acnologia is stocking them? What is he stocking them with? ;)
So are Banshees demons? That is an interesting theory ;)
I am finally back on track after that shitty block so the next chapter is written and being edited!
Thanks for all the massive support on my chapter/ and rant, without you guys, this book wouldn't be possible (or nearly as much fun to tease you with)
As always it is 35 reviews for an earlier update (which will definitely come this time!)
Thanks guys, stay fresh to death ;)
xo freshprincess