Next chapter! Back from camping, our team won a 24 hr bike race of mixed 4's (I was the manager) I'm tired from all the driving (614km) all round but as promised Arabian Nights has returned.
The dragon disappeared and in its place her uncle stood!
"I've found you" he spit, Levy was terrified and backed away.
"I'm dragging you back to your room! How dare you defy me! I killed your father! What makes you think I will not do the same to you?!" he spits going after her, Levy scurries away.
"You will do everything I say! You will marry who I say! Do you understand?! I own you!"
"I'm sorry!" she cries backed into a wall.
"You will be" he promises.
"Fairy Tail will be executed, I will tax the poor to hell for what you've done!"
"No please! Do whatever you want with me but leave them alone!" she begs.
"No such luck! They will all suffer and it will be your fault!"
"No!" Levy screams jumping to her feet.
"I won't let you!" she screams.
"You can't stop me! I am the King! I am the Sultan! No one can defy me!"
"I can! I will! I am Princess Levy, rightful heir to the throne and I defy you!" Levy screams, the Sultan stops his verbal attack and looks thoughtfully at her, he disappears like an apparition and the dragon returns.
"Well done" it says.
"Wait that wasn't real?" she asks.
"No but you passed Princess, however I have another trial for you"
"What is it?" she asks hesitantly she really had believed it was her uncle she had been scared out of her mind, she wasn't sure if she could go up against something like that again.
"I want you to choose" he says she turns with him back inside three pedestals are there, on one is a piece of parchment, on the second is a dagger and on the last pedestal is her anklet? Levy looks down to her ankle, when did she lose that?
"What are these meant to mean?" she asks walking up to them, she looks at the parchment first it was laid out like a contract, the dagger was ornamental but bloodstained and her anklet innocently lay in the centre of the third.
"The parchment is peace, you could go back, sign over your life to the Lord who choses you and make peace in this land, the dagger is war, the blood that will be spilt into the sands should you fight a war and your symbol of hope. Fairy Tail is a resistance bent on helping people, their powers are limited but their heart is strong, they use their bond to grow stronger together, their friendship is unbreakable they bring hope wherever they go. What will you chose Princess? Sign for peace, fight for war, or hold onto hope and friendship?"
"Is hope and friendship enough?" she asks sadly.
"That, is up to you" the dragon says, Levy closes her eyes, she could do it, beg her uncle's forgiveness, sign away her life and marry a lord. She could fight, overthrow her uncle perhaps and take over the throne by force but people would die. Her third option was much like Gramps had said, she could become a Princess this kingdom needed, someone that gives them hope, Levy would have the friendship of Fairy Tail and everyone in it. Levy thought of all the people she's met in Fairy Tail, the people in the towns she'd tried to feed with what little she had, could she really risk everything on hope? Levy took a deep breath and trusted herself, she took her anklet, returning it to her ankle.
"The choice is made" the dragon says, spiralling into smoke and disappearing.
"Now what?" she asks the empty cave.
"Drink from the falls" the dragon's voice echoed, Levy turned back to the opening, crawling back out, she jumps back into the pool bellow, just as the water turned red, Levy looks shocked up at the moon it had turned red!, Levy cups her hand in the falls and takes a drink of the water, she really didn't know if it did anything but the water was really nice and cool, the water turned back to normal as did the moon, Levy stayed in the water.
Had she passed? Failed? What was the red water meant to do? She met a dragon!
Levy soaked in the water, wondering how long she could stay before she had to return and if Lucy would kill her.
"Woah sorry! I did not see you" a voice says, Levy turns her head to the shocked blond haired man who quickly turned around.
"Rouge stop, a lady bathing there" he says pushing the guy who had been following him, back and turning him around.
Rouge?
Levy heard not the Lord surly?
Would that make the blond haired man Sting?
Great she'd been found unintentionally.
"No I'm sorry" Levy says, getting out of the water, Levy didn't have anything to dry herself.
"Here" Sting throws a cloth over his shoulder, still not looking but he wasn't leaving either.
"Thank you" she says, drying herself and slipping on her dress.
"I'm decent" she says rather nervous, the two men turn back around, Sting looking her up and down in appreciation.
"What's a girl like you doing here alone?" he asks.
"I felt like going for a ride" she says with a light shrug, she needed to get out of here fast.
"And a late night dip?" Rouge questions.
"Why not?" she says with a smile.
"Why not?!" Sting echoes with a laugh, Levy steps past them going for the camel but trying not to seem like she was in a rush.
"So who are you?" Sting asks, following.
"I'm just a girl" she says throwing a smile over her shoulder, if she acted nice maybe they would let her go without fuss.
"Hmm well I'm just a guy then, my name is Sting" he says, Rouge following him, Levy saw a meerkat was on his shoulder. A meerkat!
"I'm Rouge" Rouge puts in.
"Nice to meet you, is that a meerkat?" she asks.
"Yep, Lector and that's Froshe" he points down a desert fox was walking next to Rouge.
"They're cute" Levy comments still trying to get away but they were following her closely.
"Yeah I guess, so mysterious, nameless, barefoot, girl where are you headed?"
"Would I still be mysterious if I told?"
"I guess not" Sting laughs, they escape the oasis to Levy's camel, Levy also sees they weren't alone, three others were seated on camels a distance away, Sting and Rouge must have jumped off to investigate her camel being here.
"I guess I'll say goodbye then, Sting, Rouge" she says.
"Wait you can't be running around the desert this late at night" Sting say gently touching her arm.
"You are" she comments.
"We're in a group you're alone" Rouge says.
"I'll be fine, my home's not far" she lies.
"Then let us escort you" Sting says.
"I thank you for your offer but, if there is one thing I do know it is not to run off with strangers" Sting shoots a grin.
"Well we're not that much of stranger's right?" he asks hopefully, Levy can't help but smile, he was charming.
"We insist, please" Rouge says, he was sweet, Levy decided.
"Again I thank you but…"
"What's this?" a new person interrupts, the three had dismounted their camels and come over, Levy had to hope they didn't recognise her.
"Zeref, this beautiful stranger was just heading home, I just wanted to make sure she got there safely" Sting says.
"We are on a bit of a deadline" Zeref reminds him but he looks to Levy, he was only a little taller than her, but he was a year or so older.
"It is nice to meet you anyway, I'm Lord Zeref of the Ivory City" he says with a bow, Levy stopped herself from automatically curtsying.
"I'm…honoured" she says stopping herself from saying her name.
"This is Jellal and my bodyguard Zancrow" Zeref introduces, Levy waves feeling crowded Wasn't there two more?
She remembers, Cobra and Lyon.
"It's nice to meet you honestly, but I need to go now" she say turning from them to untie her camel.
"I don't say this often but Sting's right, let us escort you" Zeref says.
"Hey" Sting says looking slightly offended.
"Where do you live?" Jellal asks, Levy bites her lip, she couldn't take them back to the caravan, she'd have to make something up.
"Magnolia" she answers.
"You're a fair way" Rouge says.
"It was day when I left" Levy defends even though it was a lie as well.
"Well lucky we're headed for the same place, let me help you up" Sting says, holding his hands out to give Levy a lift, Levy accepts the help and swings onto her camel.
"Alright" she has to agree there was no way they'd let her go alone, she'd have to lose them in Magnolia, Lucy was going to freak when she woke up!
I could have split this up into two chapters (this was originally also with the previous chapter until I split them) but I didn't so, Review what you think!
