Chapter seven
A town of Clovers.
If there was one thing Lucy found more annoying than perverts, it was bandits. Especially since they mostly happened to be perverts most of the time, as well as weak nuisances on missions with the tendency to gang up on people.
It was an unfortunate fact, however, that besides dark wizards and the guilds they belonged to laying in wait to ambush traveling groups, bandits and other non-magical highway robbers practically chocked off any rural short cut between towns. It made great hired work for legal wizarding guilds, but as far as Lucy knew, Marcus (who she had met two days ago at dinner when the three of them had first joined the troupe) hadn't taken many, if any, measures against an attack.
Maybe he thought they had strength in numbers, or that there were some decent fighters in the group (she could believe that, since many of the men were bulked up from constantly moving around heavy shipments), but it would be null and void if there was a decent mage on the opposition.
So she wasn't surprised when, on the third day of traveling, and the second night of camping out on the trail, that the bushes on either side of them exploded with men carrying weapons and armor.
(If anything, she was a bit annoyed it had taken them so long to actually do something, since they had barely managed to hide their presence within the three hours of stalking them to the ambush.)
"Defense!" Marcus commanded, acting every bit the rune knight guard captain he was twenty years ago before retiring. Instantly, the heavy-lifters (including Arcadios) engaged the first wave bandits, the sounds of steel clashing, horses whinieing, and indignant shouts echoed between the wagons. "Don't let them get to the wagons!"
Lucy didn't think that would last long. Even if they had the better quality fighters, they were out numbered almost three to one. Following the briefing Marcus had given them before leaving Era, Lucy headed towards the largest wagon where Maggie was to help ready the sleeping potions.
Hisui was already there waiting for her, perched on the wooden roof of the wagon while Maggie and two other women handed out both short daggers and thin ballons with the sleeping draught. The princess extended a hand for Lucy to grab on to, and the blonde took a running jump, using the princess's arm as a way to clamber her self up.
The green haired girl grinned, a somewhat savage expression lurking just on the edge of it. "First bandit raid! You've been in these things before, right? Who's winning?"
Lucy rolled her eyes, not at all surprised Hisui was acting like this; being in the midst of actual action must have awakened the traces of her father the girl kept locked up for a sense of decency. She hoped that the princess out grew that little bit of her nature; while battle was the perfect place for bloodlust, restraint had also found its home there.
The king, while a good and fair ruler, had never seen a battle more extreme than when the dragons had made it through the Eclipse gate. True, that battle was very intense, but the king had neither participated in the fighting, nor ever sent his country out to war, instead choosing to remain neutral like his forfathers.
It was one thing to fight what might be considered a monster, and another to fight a fellow person, made even more confusing when the line between them was blurred, or circumstances shifted who was on what side in a fight. War was definitely not the game the Royal family might believe it to be.
For all Lucy trusted Hisui as a friend, tactician, and economist (not to mention future ruler), the girl lacked conflict experience, which was why the blonde would try and keep her out of the fight for as long as possible, since engaging with the bandits was inevitable.
The Celestial wizard scanned the scene, taking in the varying ways that the groups were fighting. From her position on top of the wagon, she had an excellent view. "Hard to say at this point, but it seems like Dios is making himself indisposible out there,"
Hisui snorted, a hint of pride in her eyes. "He's the captian of our guard for a reason," the green haired girl leaned forward, eyes shaded with one hand as she scanned the throng of fighting bodies, making her blonde companion worry she might fall off. The princess pointed, and Lucy followed her gaze. "Is that Keren?"
The blonde summoner's eyes widened in surprise, confirming for herself that the black-and-white streak really was the teen who had brought them to the caravan. "It is. What's she doing? That stuff in her arms - is she pick pocketing the bandits?"
"You bet she is," Maggie shouted up towards them, her upper body angled out of the back of the wagon so that she could see the two girls. "Some of the others are out there too; small people who are light on their feet and have quick hands make a great secondary force in disarming enemies while the heavy hitters have most of their attention,"
"Makes sense," Lucy said, grudging respect creeping into her voice at the clever plan. "But what happens if they get caught?"
"We usually have some people with good aim throw different potions as a distraction," Maggie explained, pointing towards another wagon equipped what seemed to be miniature catapults, their polished metal gleaming in the sun as a pair of women prepped them for use. "Or we use those,"
Hisui quirked an eyebrow. "Let me guess - Taj?"
"The boy is a mechanical genius," Maggie said with no little pride, watching as said orange haired boy loaded and released one of his catapults at a small group of bandits that managed to break from the line of fighting. The potion-filled ballon hit one dead in the face, and immediately he and his two cohorts dropped, the sleeping liquid having splashed on both of them as well.
"That I don't doubt," Hisui said, having to raise her voice to be heard over a sudden wave of shouting from the bandits. "But I saw how many of those potions we had stocked; it's not enough to keep ninety-some-odd bandits in line,"
"I know, but Marcus- Keren!" Maggie cut off, and both girls whipped around to see the young teen being by the root of her hair by a large bandit, the weapons she had lifted off his allies on the ground in front of her and finding their way back into the fight.
Next to Lucy, Hisui gasped, and before the blonde could do anything, the green haired princess had launched herself off the top of the wagon and in front of the offending bandit, in the center of their forces.
Lucy swore under her breath before she too leaped into the fray, enough power in her legs to clear the twenty foot jump, and deliver a devistating flying kick to the man that held Keren hostage. He dropped her, the momentum of the blow causing him to fly back into several of his allies.
The blonde fell into a defensive stance, eyes trying to pick out which enemy would attack first while Hisui helped Keren back to her feet. "Is she okay?"
"I'm good," the young teen replied, sorely rubbing her scalp as the princess held her other elbow to steady her. "Thanks,"
The blonde didn't reply, a twinge of annoyance at the Royal jade's actions in her chest as she spun around the blow of a bandit's sword, disarming him and throwing him over her shoulder and back at his friends. Hisui should have known better than blindly charging into a fight - her first real fight without a second thought.
An hour later, with many shouts, sleeping potions, and ropes later, the bandits had been knocked out and tied up, with a few people having gone a head to the next town fifteen minutes ahead to fetch the police and file the incident reports.
Lucy stiffly turned to face Hisui, having just finished securing the knot on a bandit, Arcadios standing behind her. "What were you thinking!? You don't jump into a situation like that without warning, Jade!"
The green haired girl recoiled, clearly not expecting the blonde to blow up at her. "What? I was helping Keren; she was in trouble, Lucy!"
"And her brother had a potion set and ready to be fired in her defense," the summoner stated dryly, arms crossed. "I know you've seen fighting before, and I know that you can fight Jade, but you've never fought outside of a controlled environment. You can't just jump in to a free-for-all and expect things to turn out alright!"
And what she said was true; Lucy had seen times when her guild mates, the weaker, less known ones, tried to imitate the stronger members like Natsu, or Erza and rush into a fight they had to be bailed out of five seconds later. If Lucy knew the princess had as much power - and confiedence in her skills - as any of Fairy Tail's top members, she wouldn't have been raising such a fuss.
But as it was, the only people Hisui had ever sparred were soilders and enchanted dummies, both of which were nothing compared to the real world brawls the princess would have to be a part of now that she was out of the palace.
Lucy was...disappointed, probably, at the lack of judgement her friend had displayed when the girl was usually concise and rational, not to mention mindful of her position as the freaking heiress of Fiore.
"Really, Lucy? You of all people are yelling at me about this, even with your G- where you come from?" The princess protested, disbelief obvious in her voice even as she hurriedly her near slip up.
"It exactly because of where I come from that I can scold you! I've seen what it takes to pull off what you just tried to do, and I don't care if you think you were justified; yes it's great that Keren is safe, but the situation was already covered,"
"You're being unreasonable," Hisui said, looking over to Arcadios for support. The guard captian remained neutral, and even Keren, who had been looking over the argument with a decided frown avoided eye contact with the stunned princess.
"Fine," the Royal Jade said coldly, turning on her heels and walking away. "I'll be with Maggie, if you guys need me,"
"Jade..." Kere said, taking a step after the older teen when Arcadios's hand on her shoulder stopped her. The tall man shook his head.
"Let her be for now. Jade-san...has had a life sheltered from most forms of conflict. What she specializes in is more mental work than physical, and it would seem some of her confidence has been misplaced," he stated, taking his hand off Keren's shoulder, eyes following his ruler's retreating form before turning and watching her blonde counterpart head in the opposite direction.
"But she didn't do anything wrong, and we didn't get hurt," Keren protested weakly.
Arcadios sighed. "That's not the point, Keren-san, and like this it's better for her to think about what she's done from Lucy's point of view, and for Lucy to do the same."
"Until then, we're all going to be walking on eggshells," the black haired teen said with a roll of her blue eyes. "Fun,"
Lucy closed the book she had been reading with a sigh, reaching over her shoulder to putting it back on the shelf she was sitting up against. Her argument with Hisui yesterday was killing any concentration she might have had as her thoughts circled around the events like a vulture.
She just didn't understand how someone like Hisui could suddenly forget the fact that she had to remain unharmed, since not only did the green haired girl's lively hood depend on it, the entire freaking kingdom's did as well. No matter how justified the act was, it didn't change the fact that Keren was fine.
Lucy stood up from her seat against the bookshelf, and wandered instead out towards the courtyard of the magic college she had chosen to visit in her free time, thinking that the academic environment would calm her nerves.
Instead her mood seemed to be ruining it for her.
Stepping out into the fresh air, Lucy noticed a small group of children in the opposite side of the field, a single elderly wizard watching over them as they repeatedly practiced a single, familiar motion. She moved closer.
"Very good," Lucy could hear the the old woman croon. "You'll all be summoning spirits within the week!"
The blonde summoner bit back a snort; the kids didn't have the magic levels needed to bridge the rift between Earthland and the Spirit Realm just yet, even if they were just summoning a Canis Minor.
"And who might you be?" The woman asked Lucy, as she left her class behind to engage the blonde. "You're a bit old for my class...are you one of their siblings? A parent?"
Lucy's eyebrow twitched at the 'parent' comment. She was two months away from being nineteen; the kids had to be at least eight, at the very youngest, and twelve at the oldest. The blonde was way to young to be considered their parents.
"Neither," the celestial mage said tersly, one hand patting the key pouch on her hip. She had cleverly surrounded her golden keys with the several silver ones she had, so she wasn't too concerned about the woman identifying her. Not to mention, she had on a blue gypsy face mask. "I'm just watching."
"Ah, a fellow Celestial Wizard!" The woman exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing both the attention of her students and Lucy's arm. "Would you mind giving the kiddies some pointers? As someone who clearly has contracts with many spirits, you can show them how it's done. An example, perhaps,"
As Lucy was about to respond with a solid 'no', the took not of their conversation, and each one seemed eager to express their opinion on a new teacher.
"Really?"
"She's going to summon something?"
"Please, miss? Pretty, pretty please?"
"With a cherry on top?"
Who would Lucy be to say no to the mass of pleading eyes known as children? Resigning herself, Lucy mentally took note which silver spirits her contacts would allow her to summon, and she pleasently noticed that Lyra was open.
In a single motion, Lucy detatched the key from the ring, and in a downward swipe opened the gate. "Gate of the Harp, I open thee! Lyra!"
In a cloud of pink smoke, the music spirit manifested, and immediately glomped her owner. "Luuu! You haven't summoned me in forever!" She whined, and the children watched with excitement as the two girls interacted.
"Sorry, Lyra, but it's been neither the time nor place for a while," the blonde apologized, as the spirit released her. "And I did summon you for all three of your open days each month for a while not too long ago,"
"I know, but still," the harp player pouted. "So what did you summon me for today? Are we going to train again?"
"No," Lucy shook her head, then pointed towards the gaping group of children. The spirit followed her gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw they were all holding a silver key. "We somehow got roped into helping them summon a Nickola, or at least demonstrating how to summon a spirit."
Lyra cocked her head in confusion. "So why did you summon me instead of Plue-chan?"
"You also have a Nickola spirit?" The woman chimed in, and the spirit and owner both looked to her. "Do you mind if you summoned that please? My contract with Kota - my Nickola - is void on Tuesdays,"
Lucy sighed, but grabbed Plue's key anyway. She didn't even say the chant, as she was more familiar with the little white spirit, and her magic was strong enough to bypass such steps. "Plue!"
The carrot-nosed dog poofed into existence next to Lyra, and the old teacher's eyes bugged out of her skull.
"T-two spirits at once!" She stated, and Lucy blinked at her. The impact of what she had just done in the eyes of the other wizard slowly sinking in.
Lucy had totally forgotten that summoning two spirits at once was one of the most difficult things a celestial mage could accomplish. She hardly noticed the strain on her magic with keeping both Plue and Lyra's gates open, since they were silver keys and therefore didn't require as much magic as their gold counterparts.
And she had enough magic and experience to summon three spirits at once (all of which had been gold, might she add), even if she was never going to do that again. For very obvious reasons.
The kids didn't seem to understand what was so impressive, though.
"Yeah, so Kazumi-sensei?" A boy stated. "Yukino of Sabertooth and Lucy of Fairy Tail did that during the Grand Magic Games last time,"
"And those two girls are magical juggernauts of two of the strongest guilds in the country. They can be considered celestial wizards among celestial wizards; the cream of the crop," the woman, now identified as Kazumi-sensei, stated. "If lesser wizards tried the same thing, they would die of magic exhaustion,"
Lucy blushed under her gauzy gypsy face mask at the indirect praise, Lyra discreetly nudging her with her elbow. The spirit smirked at her owner's embarrassment. "Yeah, they're very powerfully, not to mention nice to their spirits,"
"So you're strong?" A little girl asked, tugging on her skirt and looking up at Lucy with what might have been a hero worship in her big puppy dog eyes. "Lu-sensei?"
The other kids joined her, gathering around her until she was blocked in on all sides by little bodies. Thankfully, Kazumi interveined before Lucy was overwhelmed, pointedly telling the kids that Lucy would take her spirits and leave if they weren't on their best behavior.
"Now let's see if any of you can summon a Nickola!" The older mage said with a clap of her hand, cutting off the children's protests. "You saw how Lu-sensei channeled her magic earlier; see if you can copy that,"
There was a resonating response of 'yes' as the kids did as instructed, shouting over themselves as they wildly swung their arms and attempted to summon something through sheer will power.
"I don't think this is going to work," Lyra whispered into Lucy's ear. "Even if Nickola is an easy gate to open, they simply don't have enough magic for it,"
"Or they do but they can't mould it the right way," the blonde replied, watching as several of the kids surged with magic, but didn't channel it towards the key in their hand. A sudden wailing pierced the air, startling the two from their hushed conversation. They whipped their heads towards the noise, and saw a girl with a good-sized knot on her head, bawling, and a nervous looking boy next to her.
"I should have guessed someone would get hit like that," Lucy sighed, walking over to the two with Lyra and Plue right behind her as Kazumi directed the attention of the other kids back to the task at hand.
She knelt down next to the crying girl, and gently pried her hands away from her face, tilting her head to better see the bruise. "Hmm...it's not that bad. Some ice later and it will be gone in the morning,"
Luckily, the girl's crying dimmed, but instead of stopping altogether and going back to the lesson like Lucy hoped, the girl instead directed her watery eyes towards the boy who had accidently hit her.
"S-say sor-rry Toru," she hiccuped.
The boy scowled in reply, and Lucy's hopes of this incident ending without further conflict fell apart. "No. I won't apologize to a cry-baby like you, Mami,"
"Say it!"
"No!"
"Say it! Now!"
"NO!"
"That's enough!" Lucy cut in, and both of the kids flinched at her sharp tone. She kept them under her glare for a second longer before continuing. "Now both of you need to say you're sorry,"
"What! But I didn't do anything!" Toru protested, his own eyes water at the injustice.
"Even if it was an accident, you should have apologized for hitting her. And it's not nice to call people a cry baby, Toru. Mami, yelling at people won't make them do the things you want. You have to ask politely," Lucy said sternly, but not unkindly. "Now apologize to each other. I won't ask again."
Toru huffed, and spinned so that his back was to the two girls. Lucy felt a twinge of annoyance at the boy's rudeness, but didn't act on it by grabbing him by the ear and giving him a good tongue-lashing (no matter how much she wanted to). Yelling at him would get her nowhere.
"She has to say it first! Otherwise, I ain't doing it!" The boy stated, obstinately crossing his arms.
"Un... Lu-sensei..." Mami whimpered, eyes welling up again. Lucy rubbed the bridge of her nose to attempt to release her on coming headache. She collected herself, giving the girl a reassuring smile and pat on the head.
"It's ok, Mami-chan. Sometimes you have to be brave, and be the bigger person to apologize," the blonde said, though not without feeling like a total hypocrite. She wasn't worng to feel angry at Hisui. But she hated the feeling of being angry and frustrated from grief, and she also missed talking with her friend, even if it had only been a day.
And Lucy had long ago come to the conclusion that what Hisui had done hadn't been as bad as she had made it out to be; while it was foolish to jump into a battle against those kinds of numbers, and while Keren had been already covered by the catapults, the royal Jade had also been under the protection of flying sleeping potions.
If anything, Lucy jumping in after her might have just added onto the problem even more. Watching the little girl gather her strength and walk over to the boy to do as Lucy had advised, the blonde summoner firmly resolved to do the same as soon as she saw her friend.
That is, if Hisui would stop avoiding her for less than an hour.
...and if Lyra would stop teasing her about being so motherly for five minutes.
Two days. That's how long the shouting had been going on for, more or less. Truthfully, Grey had reached the guild long after it had gotten underway, having accepted a rare mission with his girlfriend out of the country, so they hadn't been there when it started.
As soon as news had reached their ears via a faulty connection over the Lacrima Makarov had given them (which also explained why they weren't already at the guild previous to the call), they had high tailed it over there as fast as they could.
So they had been listening to the screams for sixteen hours, and not forty-five like the rest of their nakama.
Grey scowled from his spot in a back corner of the guild, looking over the thick crowd of Mages, two things not as they should be. First, Natsu was standing in a corner in the opposite side of the room, a blank and dull look on his face as his mind was obviously elsewhere. If the Ice mage didn't know the situation surrounding the severe change in behavior (and dress. Since when did the flame-brain have a god damned ponytail?) then he would have assumed he was looking at Natsu's long-lost broody twin instead of the Slayer himself.
Second, and the entire reason for the pink haired fire mage's obvious depression, was that Lucy wasn't there. Even Gildarts of all people was present, yet she wasn't with them as they listened to the screams, and wouldn't be there as they celebrated a new scream taking the place of the old one.
It wasn't right.
It was because of their stupidity, their choices that Lucy was missing an event she had been looking forward to probably the most out of all of them. She and Erza were as close as sisters, after all.
"Grey-sama," Juvia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, the blue haired woman's eyebrows scrunched together in concern. "Are you okay? If you want, Juvia could get you an iced water,"
Grey smiled, despite himself. This was why he loved his girlfriend - she could read him like an open book, and knew just how to respond to him without Grey having to tell her anything. She knew when he felt like throwing in the towel on the search for Lucy, and she would gently bring him out of whatever destructive rage he worked himself into at the thought of another of his precious people being gone.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Juvia," he replied, letting out a deep breath and leaning his head against the corner. He moved over a bit so that she could stand next to him, another raw scream sounding from the infirmary making them both flinch,
"Juvia has to say, she has great endurance," the water mage said simply, watching a flustered Wendy scurry over to Mira and grab a pile of clean clothes before rushing back to her mentor in the infirmary.
"It's Erza we're talking about," Grey stated dryly. "She wouldn't be called Titania if she couldn't withstand pain of this level,"
"You're making it sound like she's up and walking, not bed ridden and screaming her head off,"
Grey sweatdropped, unable to tell if it was sarcasm in his girlfriend's words, or blunt honesty. Even if at the start of their relationship she had literally melted in his arms whenever he did something as simple as pull her in for a hug, the woman had slowly gotten over her extreme reactions around him. Enough so that she could be right next to him, give him sass, and speak her mind at the same time.
And he kinda liked it. It was a nice change of pace from other guild members giving him pitying looks and gloomy condolences.
There was the sound of something snapping, and then a new scream ripped through the air, this one deeper, more masculine, and obviously in pain. Grey felt a shiver run up his spine, having probably a vague idea of what had just happened.
"She broke his hand," he stated, feeling a sense of dread for the future.
"This is Erza-san we're taking about," Juvia repeated her boyfriend's words back at him, a deadpan look on her face even as the trace amounts of humor and concern tightened the skin around her eyes. "Juvia just wishes Lucy was here with us. Without her here, this doesn't feel like the celebration it should be,"
Grey nodded, watching through half-lidded eyes as wizards talked and chuckled while they waited. But every conversation was muted, as though they were afraid of talking too loud and breaking the fragile light hearted front that they had managed to put up even in the face of the glaring absence.
There wasn't much to be done about it, though. Even if they all loved and missed Lucy, even if they missed the one chance to find her, there really was no place every guild member of Fairy Tail would rather be at that moment. As sad as it was, this event took priority over finding the blonde.
Hell, they only thing this didn't take priority over was if they got word that one of their members was in immediate danger; then Erza would yell at all of them, not just Jellal, to go and save the person, probably saying something along the lines being able to wait on them until then.
But there wasn't a point in that now, since they knew that in two months - hell or high water be damned - they would either have Lucy, or they would beat the answer out of the old man. And then the blonde could catch up with the new members of their family, all the while celebrating another win in the Daimatou Enbu.
Grey took Juvia's hand as a final scream, louder than the others, came from the infirmary, a huge smile on her face as they listened as a new, higher wail broke the hush in the guild hall.
And then in typical Fairy Tail fashion, they proceeded to party like there was no tomorrow. Like none of the last few months had happened. Like they already had Lucy back with them.
Hisui managed to hold out on talking to Lucy until halfway through their stay in Clover town. When she was young, she used to play hide and seek with her (unwilling) maids before big events, so the princess knew how to hide, as years of noble children coming under their watch had turned the palace staff into a squad of bloodhounds when a game of hide and seek was in session.
She wondered the cobblestone streets of Clover Town, enjoying the festive air as the citizens prepared their annual spring celebration, bright colors and obviously clover themed decorations making her forget that - for one moment - she was in the middle of an argument with her best friend. That she had forgotten herself and almost got her country's only heir hurt.
She imagined how that would go over with her father, if she got injured. He would probably throw a fit and attempt to have a Lucy and Arcadios thrown into the dungeons under the castle (again). But she would never know, because she hadn't gotten hurt in the first place. Lucy had seen to that, as Hisui knew she would.
Growing up as the heart of Fiore's political sphere, the royal Jade had to know who she was placing her trust in at all times. And she trusted Lucy as much as she trusted Arcadios and her other advisors, if not more so.
So it had stung when the blonde gypsy had suddenly given her a verbal lashing about something Hisui knew Lucy would do without a second thought. It made her feel like the trust she had placed in the summoner wasn't reciprocated.
But that was absolutely stupid. Lucy and everyone from Fairy Tail was loyal to a fault, as all their adventures Hisui read about before their seven year absence and the events of the last Diamatou Enbu showed quite clearly. But they were also well known for being rash and bold, a combination that had gotten them into many of the fights they were famous for.
Hisui continued walking, finally allowing herself to see what had happened from Lucy's point of view. Truthfully, she was fed up with acting like a kid and giving the person she was having trouble with the cold shoulder; heck, she was more mature than that a six!
She had no actual right to question a more experienced fighter, not even if she was the next ruler of the country, and no matter how much practice she had, it didn't trump how much time Lucy had activly been out there trying to keep herself and her friends alive.
A shiver ran down the Royal jade's back as she came to a halt in the middle of a park, her aimless wondering taking her away from the hustle of the town and to a more secluded place to think. Hisui unceremoniously sat on the clover covered earth, and began idly pulling the grass under her fingers into a woven crown.
What she had done had been stupid, all because she had allowed herself to be caught up in the moment and hadn't taken the situation as seriously as she should have. She knew she was wrong, so why, just why couldn't she bring herself to face a the blonde and apologize?
"You should put stubborn pride like that aside," a cool voice spoke, and the princess turned in time to see Taj take a seat next to her, a mass of wires and gears already being spinning in his hands as he crafted something she couldn't identify. "It'll just ruin your friendship."
"I know, but..." Hisui said weakly, putting the clover crown down in frustration. "I've been acting like a little brat. I wouldn't want to talk to someone who was acting like that, so why would she even bother to listen to my apology?"
"Hmm...you're right," Taj said casually, and Hisui felt her heart stop. "Who wants to listen to a spoiled little girl who can't even follow simple directions directions? Your friends might even be better off without someone like you slowing them down."
Hisui clutched the clover crown tightly, suddenly feeling cold as the orange haired man basically confirmed all the insecurities she had been going over in her head. To make it worse, the Royal jade had definitely developed a crush on him - something about enigmatic boy that appealed to her, even as the majority of her thoughts were about the bandit raid.
"...or at least, that's what I'd say if Lucy wasn't running around the caravan all day everyday, trying to apologize to you. And if you actually were a princess who didn't do a single damned thing to help out, I'd mean what I said," the tinkerer stated, eyes focused solely on the device in his hands. "But you're not, so it doesn't matter."
Hisui blushed at the princess comment, extremely glad the boy had no idea how close to the truth he had just come, but also a little relieved to hear that Lucy was over their fight, and from the sound of it had been for a few days.
The green haired girl gave herself a helpless laugh, shaking her head. "I've been so stupid to avoid her,"
"You'll just have to make up for that as well." Taj nodded, and for the first time since he joined her, looked the princess in the eye. The direct eye contact made Hisui's face regain its healthy pink hue from earlier. "But, uh, anyway I should be thanking you, so...thanks, I guess. For saving Keren, I mean,"
Maybe it was the kind of bashful, embarrassed way he said it, or the awkward yet adorable crease in his eyebrows and pout on his face, but Hisui suddenly could not process more than single syllable words at that moment. Heck, for all she knew, her checks really were on fire, and she wasn't just blushing.
"Erm, um, ah," the Princess tried, but she literally had to shake her head to get her mouth to process the words she wanted to say. "I didn't do much - Lucy did, and even if she did go after me, I shouldn't have jumped in in the first place,"
The saffron haired man shrugged, absently flipping several cogs into place. "But still, you did something. Me and Keren, we've only had each other for close to seven years. I get why she has to be out there on a raid, but if she ever got hurt I'd probably lose my mind out of worry,"
"Your parents...passed?" Hisui guessed hesitantly, trying not to dredge up any painful memories for him. She scooted closer to him, and continued working on the woven crown she had put aside earlier.
"No, we...ran away, I guess," Taj replied, and if it hadn't been for his fingers moving faster than before, Hisui would have assumed wasn't bothered by talking about it. But as it was, she had always been observant, so she didn't continue to push the issue. Instead, they sat in companible silence, each content to work on their own project.
They stayed like that for what might have been ten minutes, before a loud, earth-shaking roar echoed from the center of town to the park, startling the two wonderers to their feet. Immediately, they headed towards the loud sound, screams and surprised shouts also audible.
What they found upon reaching the source of the commotion, was not what either was expecting.
"The hell is that!?" Taj asked, blue eyes wide as he took in the image of the huge, lumiscent lion that was glaring down at a man caught under its massive paws. Then he saw something beyond the lion that caught his attention. "Keren! Lucy! Maggie - what are they doing!?"
"It looks like someone started something," Hisui stated, watching the furious tilt to Lucy's eyes and movements as the blonde gypsy fended off what appeared to be the guards of the man trapped by the lion, how Keren nursed one cheek, and how Maggie huddled protectivly next to her. The green haired princess gave a smirk, arms folding under her chest. "And that Lucy is finishing it,"
"She summoned the lion!?" Taj said in disbelief, hardly noticing that Hisui was pulling him through the crowd towards their other companions. He was too focused on the giant lion, which had released its prey in order to fend off several of the guards. "Those dots on the ground...but that can only be done by a -"
"Gypsy Mage? The leading Gyspy Mage?" The Royal Jade cut him off, a sense of pride selling in her chest as she watched Lucy take out three fully grown men like they were rag dolls. Looks like their hours of practice had paid off. "That she is, Taj. But she wouldn't summon Leo in such an archaic form unless the idiot she's fighting did something really bad,"
"Jade, Taj," Maggie said, looking up to the two teens as they come closer. "Do you think you could help Lucy? That man, the one the lion had wasn't too keen on sharing the street with us traveling merchants and after a small disagreement, slapped Keren. The rest, well, you can guess..."
"That motherf-"
"Taj, help your sister," Hisui cut his swear off, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I think I owe it to Lucy to help her with a fight we can handle."
Before the others could mutter a protest, Hisui jumped into the fray, deflecting a man with a sword coming up behind the blonde. Hisui smirked at her friend's look of surprise, and then confusion as the green haired princess tossed the clover crown at her.
"An apology gift," Hisui said. "For me acting like a little brat and ignoring you, and jumping into a fight I didn't belong in,"
Lucy raised an eyebrow, and neither girl seemed to notice the giant lion swipe at several guards that were coming up behind them. "And yet here we are again,"
"Hey, they're the guards for a local Duke," Hisui protested, pointing out the emblem on an unconscious guard's uniform. "This is totally my fight. Besides, their boss hit Keren. Keren, Lucy. What did she do, accidentally bump into him?"
The blonde summoner sighed, but the exasperated edge to it gave the green haired girl the answer she needed. "Yes, she did, and then he called us 'gypsy sluts' when she turned to apologize."
Hisui growled, eyeing the duke standing behind a wall of guards like the coward he was. Oh, she was so going to knock him down several pegs. Nobody had the right to say that to a random girl, especially not when that girl was fifteen for God's sake. Lucy apparently noticed her plans, and grabbed Hisui's shoulder, doubt but agreement in her eyes.
"While I agree that our fight earlier was stupid and that this prick deserves a good thrashing, are you really going to tell him your identity?"
Hisui thought about that for a second, then a bright idea came to mind. So much for Taj thinking she wasn't a princess. The green haired girl smirked, enjoying the delightful embarassment she was about to dish out. "Nope, not me. Here's the plan..."
"...that's pretty mean of you, but this guy deserves it." Lucy grinned, and twirled the clover crown on her finger before placing it in Hisui's head and giving the girl a nudge. "A princess needs a crown. Now go; I'll get Dios."
Then, over her shoulder at the lion, she yelled before disappearing into the crowd. "Loke! Hold them off until I get back, okay?"
The great, glittering beast gave another ear-shattering roar as a reply, before batting aside several combatants like they were oversized mice.
Shaking her head, the Royal Jade turned towards her own opponents. She wasn't as fast or powerful as Lucy, and the girl might not have had any magic going for her, but she could still kick some ass, if she did say so herself.
She took out some stragglers Leo had left, and then began trying to seperate the duke from his guards. But even if she couldn't the whole point of her plan was to get close enough that he had a chance to see her face. And then Arcadios would come in.
Finally managing to get past the guards (really, they shouldn't have even been called that for how bad they were) Hisui stood in front of the duke, giving him a mock salute and the best shit-eating grin she could muster. "Good afternoon, Duke Bayton. And how are you this fine day?"
Bayton's face turned an unattractive shade of pruce, and he grabbed Hisui by the front of her shirt, having completely no recognition of her, not that he should, since the dukes were hardly ever granted an audience with the Royal family.
"Now listen here, you little harlot -"
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!? SOILDERS, DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!" Arcadios's voice boomed over the sounds of the Duke and the fighting. Without question, the palace-trained guards dropped their weapons and stood at attention as the hulking figure of the Royal guard captain strode onto the scene, Lucy following two steps behind.
The duke seemed surprised to see the man, so much so that he forgot he still had the front of Hisui's shirt in his grasp as he adressed the glowering giant. "Oh, captain Arcadios-sama of the Royal palace. What, er, are you doing here?"
Arcadios fixed the man a flat stare, and Hisui noticed that while the guards around them seemed to be distinctly nervous, and the crowd both shocked and confused, Lucy and her sphere hardly able to contain their laughter.
"A vacation of sorts. The princess wanted to get away from Mercutios for a while with a friend. I am their escort and guard, although," he gave both girls a strained glare, to which Lucy replied with a sheepish shrug. "Both of them are very capable of protecting themselves, as they keep telling me."
"It's true, Arcadios," Hisui said simply. "Though we do appreciate your efforts,"
The man gave a long suffering sigh, and Lucy giggled. "I would hope so, Ojou-sama,"
"O-Ojou-sama..." Duke Bayton stuttered, looking along with everyone in the plaza in horror at the girl whose shirt he had a hold of. "Y-you don't mean..."
"Allow me to introduce you to her majesty, crowned princess of Fiore, Hisui E. Fiore herself," Lucy snickered as the duke immediately released his grip on the princess's shirt and hastily backed away from her, as though she was a ticking time bomb.
"Y-your m-majesty, I, I, had no idea, and..."
Hisui held up a hand to silence the man. "Enough. I will not tolerate such a blatant misuse of authority in my presence. And while I was enjoying my time on the road," Hisui spared a quick look at Taj, Maggie, and Keren, and felt her heart squeeze at the shock on their faces. She schooled her face though, and turned to face the duke again. "I think I shall take this matter to my father as soon as possible. Arcadios, arrest him on the grounds of assault and disturbing the peace,"
Arcadios gave a salute over his heart, then moved to secure the protesting duke, ordering the other guards to send word ahead to the palace and to bring a chariot for them to ride in.
In the bustle of bodies that followed, the princess turned once more to look at the three travelers she had befriended with Lucy, and gave them a small, sad smile before waving goodbye, and expecting to never see them again after the carriage arrived, despite how much Lucy was going to tease her once she found out about the princess and the mechanic.
So two announcements - one, I've been thinking of putting out another story, and there is a poll on my profile on which you can vote what story I write. Chances are that I'm going to write these stories anyway, but I want to know what most of you (as a lot of you guys added me to their author alerts) would read.
Second, because these chapters (6 and 7) were unplanned and written after I had finished the notes for the next chapters, there aren't going to be many mentions of Lucy and Hisui's sojourn with the caravan, except for a passing statement.
So I dont want to hear that I just abandoned them - they will come again, but not for a while. In the mean time, I think the reason for Makarov calling all his Mages back is rather obvious, but in case you missed it, you'll see in the next chapter, when Lucy goes back to Magnolia :)