Here's a new chapter with the Lords you all so love :)
Zeref had been searching for Fairy Tail for almost a week now, they visited town after town looking for everything and everything related to Fairy Tail. Eventually towns started being expectant of them and they hid in their houses, that didn't protect them, however Sting and Rouge were beginning to be hesitant of their method.
"I know you really want to find the Princess, Zeref but aren't we taking it a bit too far?" Sting asks, he was carrying Lector on his shoulder, the meerkat was moving it head around at every slightest noise.
"Do I need to remind you it is the Princess we are looking for?"
"Of course not" Sting tries to say.
"Bandits kidnapped her! Filthy bandits dared kidnapped a royal, we cannot let this go unpunished" Zeref spits, Acnologia gripped tighter on his shoulder so he wasn't flung off.
"I understand" Sting apologises.
"Do we have any more leads?" Rouge asks in his calm voice, Froshe was sitting at his feet.
"Jellal and Lyon believe they have abandoned whatever headquarters they were using and are retreating inland, we just need to find where, I don't care if we have to herd them all the way to the eastern ocean but eventually they will be cornered" Cobra and Zancrow return from their search of the lower town.
"Have you found anything?" Zeref questions.
"Actually yes, we 'talked' to a homeless man who said an odd group came through a few days ago"
"Define odd" Rouge says.
"He says a rather contrasting group came through, a tall strong blond man with a lightning scar, a lean shirtless black haired man, a busty blond woman, a young girl with purple pigtails and a hooded girl whose face he never saw but he said she walked barefoot"
"That may be nothing" Sting says critically.
"I'd agree except he saw they came from a caravan left outside the town, where there was a man covered in piercings and, get this, a pink haired man" Cobra says.
"You don't think?" Sting wonders.
"Natsu Dragneel" Zeref says immediately.
"Do you think the cloaked girl was Princess Levy?'
"I don't know much about the Princess but I do know she's been confined to the castle for the past two years, she most likely hasn't worn shoes in that time" Zeref says thinking.
"Well the man we talked to and a few others say the girl went around to a lot of them and gave them food and water"
"A bleeding heart Princess, it makes sense" Zeref muses.
"What's this?" Jellal asks coming upon them with Lyon.
"We have a lead" Zeref says, repeating everything for them, Jellal nods at the end.
"If the Princess felt bad for the beggars it makes sense she'd try and help them, what is surprising though is the group let her, that doesn't sound like something you'd let a prisoner do"
"Maybe they are trying to gain her trust" Rouge speculates.
"Perhaps, let's not focus on that now, which way did the caravan go?" Zeref ask.
"The man said he didn't know, trust me he would have told us if he did" Zancrow says.
"Alright we'll have to make educated guesses, they are still trying to outrun us so that gives us a fair idea" Zeref says.
"Didn't you say they gave the beggars food and water?" Lyon says.
"Yes" Cobra confirms.
"Then they'll need more water, there is no well in this town they would have to head for the next and that's east"
"Good work Lyon, let's go" Jellal says, they head out and begin their journey to the next destination.
Jellal stopped their procession suddenly a few hours later, they stopped and turned looking where he was, a man was racing toward them on a camel, he came to a stop in front of them.
"Excuse me Lords Zeref, Sting and Rouge, hunters Jellal and Lyon, I have a message from the Sultan to be relayed to you"
"How'd you find us?" Cobra demands, he didn't care he wasn't called out, he was used to that but he didn't trust sudden messengers.
"With respect my lords, you have not been subtle in your search for the Princess" the messenger says bowing his head.
"Fair enough" Sting agrees.
"What's the message?" Zeref demands.
"My lord Sultan has taken stock of his workers and discovered one other is missing, the Princess's servant and the only servant allowed in her quarters"
"Why was this not discovered sooner?!" Jellal demands.
"The Sultan did not think of her until he ordered the check of the castle for all servants"
"Who is this servant?" Rouge asks.
"Her name is Lucy Heartfillia the Princess's handmaiden, she is a blonde haired girl with brown eyes"
"Do you think that was the busty blonde from the last town?" Sting wonders.
"I'd bet on it, she was helping the bandits, no wonder they managed to take the Princess so easily, they had an inside woman!"
"Is there anything else the Sultan wished to add?" Lyon asks the messenger.
"Only that you continue your job to find and destroy Fairy Tail"
"That won't be a problem, tell the Sultan this, Fairy Tail is as good as crushed" Zeref orders, the messenger bows the cross scar on his cheek tightening.
"As you wish my lords" he says, he turns the camel around and races it back the way he came.
"Another name on the list and we have descriptions of another four members" Sting says, Rouge nods.
"At this rate there will be nowhere for them to hide"
"We'll make sure of that" Zeref says, they begin moving again, gaining on their prey.
Fairy Tail is slowly being unmasked, the Lords are on their tail can they outrun them? Review what you think! :)
