Chapter 5

Little Freedoms

Natsu and Lucy ran like their lives depended on it, because they did. Ducking behind shrubs and lawn ornaments, they made their way to the forest that lined the back of the building.

Once Lucy knew they were well away from the patrols that circled the castle, she asked something that had been bothering her, "Do you know where you're going?"

Natsu didn't even spare her a glance as he quietly dashed to the next bush. When he was certain it was safe he waved her over.

"I'm taking you to my village." It was simple answer but it didn't satisfy her.

"A village? But I'm a wanted criminal! I killed the king. Anyone with any loyalty will turn me in the moment they see me!"

"Trust me, there's no loyalty to the king where we're goin'." She didn't know whether that should comfort or frighten her.

"What kind of village has no one loyal to the king?" She asked, her voice a little louder as the forest loomed before them.

"A village full of criminals I guess. You're a criminal. You should fit right in." There was no change in his tone, just a simple statement of fact.

The thought of a village full of criminals made Lucy uneasy. What kind of criminals were they? Just outcasts like her new friend or serious brutes who could murder and steal at the drop of a hat? She shivered. It was her first time seeing the world outside her comfortable prison, and she was nervous anyway; add dangerous criminals to that and she would be an easy target.

As they entered the treeline, Natsu turned to her. "Don't be so nervous. I promise everyone there are good people." He turned his back to her and started forward again. "Besides, I'll keep you safe."

The last part made Lucy pause. She stared at his figure as he kept walking and wondered why he would say that. They barely knew each other and, as far as he knew, she wasn't a nice person at all. She never claimed to be.

Realising her escort was getting pretty far away, she hurried to catch up, unsure of what to talk to him about.

"So..um," her foot snagged and she stumbled a little before recovering, "...how far away is this village?" She asked as she finally sidled up beside him.

Her partner rubbed his chin in thought. "Probably two or three days if we walk the whole way."

"What do you mean? Do we have any other option?" She was confused.

Natsu gave her a mischievous grin. "Not right now, but once I get some food in my belly, probably."

Mystery after mystery had Lucy more and more interested in her pink-haired companion. He was so strange and new. Not to mention really good looking. Childish and strong, but also very nice. Maybe she should ask him some things about himself...

Then her stomach rumbled and she remembered a disheartening fact.

"Crap! Levy didn't think to send us off with any food!" She hadn't eaten anything since her arrest and the thought of another three days without food made her want to curl in on herself.

"No worries." He patted her on the back, surprising the blonde with his familiar touch. "There should be a river a couple of miles that way," he pointed to their left, "it's a little detour, but it may actually help throw them off our trail."

"What's a river have to do with food?" Sure, they could drink the water, but they couldn't eat it. She didn't understand why he looked at her like she'd grown another head.

Shaking out his pink locks, his expression cleared a little, "Fish. I'll catch us some fish. We can drink some of the water and I'll make our trail a little less obvious. We can probably spend the night there once I'm sure we aren't being followed." Lucy didn't seem like she wanted to stop when they were still so close to the castle, but he reassured her, "we're both hungry and exhausted from being locked up. I'll make sure no one follows us. We need to get our energy up before we start walking. Sound good to you?" She nodded.

"Good. Follow me. I know this forest pretty well."

A couple hours later and the sun was beginning to set but Natsu and Lucy were both cozy and full. The pink-haired man had started a fire and helped the princess learn how to properly roast a fish before they sat down and ate in a comfortable silence. Lucy decided she liked being outside and under the encroaching night sky that so resembled her cursed eyes.

As she stared up at the stars between the branches of the towering trees surrounding her, she felt at peace. Night animals chirped and a soft wind blew through the cool spring evening caressing her face like a lover. She'd never had a chance to star gaze before. Her father had enforced a strict curfew for her. As soon as the sun went down she was confined to within the castle and no guard who valued their life would let her outside after dark. But it seemed like she'd really been missing out. It felt like looking into the never ending sky helped to fill a hole in her that she hadn't known was there. The stars twinkled and shone like glitter on black velvet and it was almost like they spoke to her, calling her to reach out and touch them. It was a surreal feeling and one she thought she might grow to love.

Natsu just stared at her sprawled out on the forest floor staring up into the heavens. He admired her innocence and was consistently astounded by what she had missed out on. He touched her earlier while they (well mostly him) were fishing and her face had gone curiously shocked at the casual interaction.

"What's wrong?" He asked, backing away slightly.

She shook her head like she was clearing out some unwanted thoughts. "I'm just not used to being touched like that. Especially by strangers."

He gave her a strange look, he knew, but the concept of not being touched was foreign to him. "What d'ya mean?"

She'd smiled a little sadly before she explained, "No one wanted to touch me. In fact, people went out of their way not to touch me." She paused but at his perplexed look, continued, "I'm cursed. You can tell by how I look," she pointed at her eyes. "Someone told me that I was cursed by the night. That's why no one wants to come near me. Only Levy ever really tried."

Natsu was a little shocked to say the least, but he supposed he could understand. His own looks had caused him no shortage of problems throughout his life, but once he joined the people in his village, they were never an issue. Being raised in the same place with the man who had stigmatized anything magical or otherworldly would be an entirely different ball game. It kinda pissed him off.

"They were wrong. All of 'em." He gently touched her shoulder to make sure she was paying attention. "I told you before - your eyes aren't cursed. They work just fine. As a matter of fact, they probably mean you're something pretty special."

"How could that be?" She sounded so lost that he had to restrain himself from pulling her against his chest and stroking her hair like a mother. That would probably freak her out.

"Look, I'm no expert." He raised his hand up to divert any misconceptions. "But in my village there's a guy who is. He's really short and old as hell," she giggled a little and he smiled, "but he's super smart and strong. He knows all about this kind of stuff. You should talk to him when we get there. I'll bet he knows exactly why your eyes are so different."

"You really think they mean I'm special?" Natsu could tell she needed encouragement and he was happy to provide it.

"Of course. They're too pretty not to be a good thing." He didn't fail to notice the blush that stained her cheeks at his compliment. "Gramps actually told me once that the eyes are windows to the soul. You can tell a lot about a person through their eyes. I never really understood it, but I think your eyes are telling me that you're a good person." And he meant it. Her eyes, to him, conjured up memories of laying on a blanket in a field on a warm summer night just staring at the sky. They made him feel like he was home.

The smile Lucy gave him after his speech caused a warm little flame to ignite in his chest everytime he pictured it. It made him want to make her smile more.

And touch her.

He wanted to run his fingers across her cheek and see if it made her smile bigger, warmer. His instincts were telling him that it probably would, that she would appreciate the affectionate gesture, but his mind told him that she wasn't ready for something so intimate.

Instead he contented himself by just watching her. The awe in her expression every time she saw something new was really inspiring. On their way here she'd been full of questions about the trees and the plants. Every animal that crossed their path had elicited an excited gasp and a telling of how she'd read about them in 'such-and-such' book and she was 'so amazed' that the books didn't do them justice. Natsu had never met anyone like her before.

He was drawn out of his distracting thoughts when he noticed a shiver run down his companion's body. She didn't complain about the chilly air, but he knew it had to affect her more than him. He glanced around and remembered they didn't have any supplies, including blankets. The tiny fire he'd made to roast fish wasn't going to stave off the cool air. He had an idea and looked down at himself only to realize he wasn't wearing a shirt. They'd removed it when they'd captured him. His fingers reflexively reached to his throat searching for something that wasn't there. He'd left it back in the village. Dammit. How was he supposed to make sure she didn't get sick or something? It was still mid-spring and the nights could get pretty cold.

He stood up and went to sit next to the distracted girl.

"You're cold." She opened her mouth and he could see she was going to try and deny it but he held up his hand to stop her. "Don't lie. I saw you shaking over here." She sat up and looked at her body like it was a traitor.

"I'll be fine. It's really not all that cold out here." Lucy tried to wave him off.

"I have an idea." He pointed to a nearby tree, close enough to feel the warmth of the fire, but far enough away to be safe from the flames. "How about we sleep against that tree?" At first, he thought just laying down and holding her for warmth was a good idea, but he figured that might make her uncomfortable.

"Um, what do you mean?" Clearly confused, he offered her his hand and led her to the place he'd pointed out. He sat down first, leaning against the trunk before gesturing for her to take the seat beside him. Carefully, she sat down, trying not to touch her companion. He draped one strong arm around her shoulders and felt her stiffen for a minute before her body relaxed and she unconsciously scooted closer to his warmth.

"See? It's better than sleeping on the cold ground." She nodded hesitantly and stared into the fire.

Meanwhile, Lucy felt like her face was going to melt off and not just because of the heat from the flames. She'd never been touched by a man before, at least not a touch she enjoyed, and this was not just touching. This was pretty much an embrace. She knew it was just to keep her warm, but it still made her stomach do flips. It didn't help that Natsu was so nice and-her blush deepened at the thought-attractive.

Ever since she first met him he'd been making her feel better, doing everything in his power to comfort her. He even helped her escape a fate worse than death. No one but Levy had ever been so kind to her. She worried her bottom lip as she thought about her friend. What happened after they left? Did Gajeel get her out? She felt Natsu's muscular arm tighten around her thin shoulders.

"Stop worrying and try to sleep. Gajeel can be a real bastard, but when he says he's gonna do something, he does it."

"How did you know I was thinking about Levy?" She felt him shrug.

"Dunno. Just a feeling I guess. Now try to sleep. You'll see your friend again."

She smiled a little, "Another feeling of yours?" She teased.

"No. That one I know for sure. I trust Gajeel." His words were comforting and she could feel the exhaustion from the last couple of days catching up with her as her head tilted to rest on his strong shoulder.

"You're really warm." She mumbled as sleep pulled her in.

She wasn't sure if she heard him answer her or if she dreamed it, but she thought he mumbled something like, "Just another one of the advantages to being a beast."

"Master Hades." Ultear bowed deeply.

"Have you finished it?" Hades asked from his place atop the throne of Fiore. He'd spent all morning listening to the pleas of the men who had allowed his princess to escape but they'd fallen on deaf ears. He would see to it that every one of them would be executed.

"Yes." She raised her head standing straight and proud. Hades always respected her back bone and her cunning. Ultear knew just what needed to be done and how to do it. A practitioner of some of the most dangerous forbidden arts, she was a handy addition to his followers. It helped that she was beautiful and sly enough to be in the public eye at his side, unlike some of the others.

"With even the small amount of blood I had I was able to cast a tracking spell. No matter where the princess goes, we will find her." Confident and deadly, that was the woman who he trusted with his life.

"It's amazing what you can do with just a few drops of blood," he noted absently.

Her eyes narrowed, "yes, most spells only require a single drop. Old, fresh, it generally does not matter." Her red lips arched up into a sinister smile.

"So, I've seen. You've done well, Ultear." He rarely praised the woman but she had really outdone herself the past few days. "I will have the princess and, once I'm done with her, I will give you what's left." That was the manner of their current deal. Hades would take what he wanted from the girl and then hand her over to his servant to complete their task. By the time they were finished, the brat would wish for death. He rubbed his sore thumb in anticipation.

The smile on the woman's face grew, becoming something terrible, "There will be no problems. Once she's stopped moving, I will send Zancrow to retrieve her and destroy her accomplices."

"Very good. Not a single one of them can live. I'm told the pink-haired prisoner escaped with her?"

"Yes, master."

He laughed a little. The former king was so foolish. "Had they known from the beginning what he was, they would've killed him before he ever reached our gates. I will not make the same mistake. He and his kind are a danger to our plans."

"I agree, master. I will make sure they are eliminated. We, your servants, should be more than enough to wipe them out." She was cold and decisive, as always.

"Hmm. Make sure Zancrow does not go alone on this mission. He can be too unpredictable. Once you have a location, send out my best soldiers. With a dragon on her side, we may need a backup plan."

The look on her face told him she did not agree but she kept her objections to herself.

"Yes, master." With that, she turned and left.

Hades grinned as he watched her leave. He had a feeling he knew exactly where the princess was heading. Things were about to get very interesting.

"Gajeel! Put me down! I mean it!" Levy didn't dare squirm for fear of falling, but she let her words attempt to do what her body could not: get her to the ground safely.

"No can do. This is the fastest way back to the village. We'll probably beat Salamander and your blonde friend there at this rate." He had to yell above the sound of the wind in their ears.

Levy was confused, "Why wouldn't they just fly? Isn't he just like you?"

Gajeel scoffed. "He's a wimp compared to me. I doubt he's got what it takes to transform right now. He spent a while gettin' beaten and locked up. They're probably stuck walkin'."

The bluenette got nervous at the thought of her best friend walking for days alone with a stranger who could easily kill her. Her grip on Gajeel's shoulders tightened.

"Couldn't we go get them? I mean, we can fly them back to your village."

He looked at her like she was crazy, "you expect me to carry three people back? Not likely." Levy's face fell.

"Don't worry, shrimp. Salamander may not be runnin' on full but he's got more than enough steam to take care of her."

Levy wasn't convinced. "Can I really trust him with her?"

The man of steel almost dropped her mid-air. "You afraid he's gonna hurt her or somthin'?" The look on her face told him she did. "Salamander is strong, but he wouldn't hurt someone who didn't deserve it." She still didn't look like she believed him so he tried a different approach.

"Besides, I think he's got a thing for blondie." Anxiety changed to shock so fast that Gajeel couldn't help but give her a cocky smirk.

"What do you mean?" Suspicion laced the small girl's voice.

"He told me when I busted him out that blondie was goin' with us. He didn't ask. Makes me think he's likes her at least a little." He gave the girl in his arms a grin, "Enough to keep her safe I'd say."

Levy's eyes narrowed, "Pretty perceptive of you."

Gajeel was offended by her lack of faith, "hey, I've known that flame brain for years. I can tell somethin' is different about him and her."

She just waved him off, "sure, sure." His leathery wings paused for a moment as he bristled but quickly resumed their flight.

"So, you trust him?" The question was quiet and gave away how concerned she really was.

"I do." And he meant it.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this, but I do think that I don't feel real well about this chapter. I read it over so many times that I had to just let it go. I have to throw out a huge thank you to glitter-spires on tumblr for being my beta.

Reviews and critiques are always welcome because I want to keep improving! All my readers have been so nice, and I really appreciate it.

I'm going to go out her and warn you guys, the rating of this story will likely change in the future. As of right now, I'm planning some NSFW, but I will not change the rating until it is written.

Thank you!