Chapter 8
Lucy was torn.
She had good reason to be! In her mind, there were two very different paths she could make and they were both very clear-cut. The first one was simple. She could run. She could force Loki to 'return' back to her world and she would be back home—all in one piece—in a jiffy. In the second option, she could stay and take her chances with Priscilla, but a favorable outcome seemed to be very slim…
"So? Have you decided?" asked Loki. He had turned towards her, awaiting her decision, but was still casually leaning against the rail. To Lucy, he seemed way too calm for this sort of situation.
"I've decided…that I'm not a coward," said Lucy, determined to keep her voice from wavering. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off the shining light that seemed to be moving closer and closer.
"You sure? I'd say you still have about 10 se—"
"I'm sure." She took a deep breath to stabilize herself. 'I can do this, I can do this,' she chanted inwardly to herself, curling her palms into tight balls. She wasn't going to back down and this definitely seemed like a "now or never" moment.
The corner of Loki's lips curved upwards into a grin of approval. "'Atta girl."
Suddenly, there was a faint pop as the brilliant star seemed to wink out of the sky, leaving a halo of light in its place. Lucy began to imagine herself being hacked into pieces...and then, the balcony door began to slide open. Two hands began to spread the doors apart, their fire-engine red nails glinting brightly in the starlight. The toe of a black leather boot eased out, its 4 inch stiletto heel making a slight click on the wooden deck as a shapely leg followed.
"Priscilla," said Loki. There was a hint of disinterest in his voice but it was suavely hidden. "Long time no see."
"I know! " said Priscilla, finally emerging onto the balcony. She had long, gleaming, platinum blond hair that she wore loosely draped around her shoulders. Her legs were sheathed in tight, white pants and she wore a thin jacket that seemed to be lined in fleece (This seemed to be the trademark of their house). Her lips were painted bright red, but what was most curious about them was that they were pulled up what seemed to be a genuine smile. "Seriously, Loki. Its been so long, I promised the next time I sensed you near, I'd come and say hello! I can't stay too long, I'm late for a strategy briefing." Priscilla turned a questioning gaze towards Lucy. "Oh? Who is this?"
"Priscilla, meet Lucy, my owner. Luce, this is Priscilla the White, of the First House."
"Oh, that's too formal," said Priscilla, who was instantly shaking Lucy's hand, "Lucy, no one calls me that except Loki and my father. My friends call me Cilla."
"Err—nice to meet you," said Lucy. It was so strange…she had been psyching herself to do battle with this woman but she seemed so nice! If they had met another way, she would have thought that the two of them could have been friends.
"You do know she's not supposed to be here, with the magic law and everything," said Cilla, frowning slightly, "Its rather hazardous for her health."
"We're within the time limit," said Loki, "Plus, I had to show her the view."
"True! You'll be okay, Lucy. Plus, I'll speak to Father and maybe I can finagle a pass or a visa of some sorts. Sound good?" Cilla winked, waving her hands in excitement. Lucy couldn't help but notice the giant diamond on the spirit's ring finger.
Cilla dropped into a low crouch. "Oh! And once you gain permission for a longer stay in our world, you have to come over for tea, alright?"
"Sure," said Lucy, who couldn't help but smile a little.
"Alrighties then, ciao," said Cilla the White, and she vanished into a cloud of sparkling white dust. Lucy heard the popping again and in the distance, a white star blinked back into existence, speeding quickly across the night sky.
"Wow," said Lucy, who was actually rather speechless, "She seems…"
"Conniving. Manipulative. Fake," said Loki. The words rolled smoothly off his tongue but it was as if he spat them.
"What? Really? But she just seems so—"
"Never let yourself be alone with her, do you understand me?" he said rather gruffly, taking her by the hand and pulling her back inside the apartment. He quickly shut the balcony door and closed the shutters. "She's not who she seems to be."
"I won't. What did she do to ma—" said Lucy, but she was instantly overcome with a mind-wracking headache. She was instantly disoriented and before she knew it, she was overcome with vertigo and sensed that she was falling. Before her head smacked into the floors, strong arms grasped her shoulders. She could hear him saying something urgent but it was muffled, and everything was starting to fade into white…
"UGH," groaned Lucy. She was stretched out on her couch with what felt like the worst hangover she'd ever experienced. Her head pounded and her stomach was unsettled. What a crazy night! Except she didn't remember drinking anything at all… Suddenly, it came back to her—the stars, Loki, Priscilla, fainting. Lucy bolted upwards, then instantly regretted it. She groaned some more as she gently eased herself down.
"It's the consequences of the magic law," said someone in her kitchen. It was a familiar male voice, not Loki's or Natsu's, and it had a rather scholarly tone to it. "You'll have the worst headache imaginable but it won't kill you.
"…Sagittarius? Is that you?" said Lucy. It must be him, she thought, because there was a bow and arrow hanging on her coat rack.
"Yes." A giant horse head peeked at her from behind the fridge. "Loki asked me to fix you up, he went back to the spirit world for some business."
"Oh thank the heavens, there's a cure?" Lucy cried out in relief, listening to the clinking of a wooden spoon stirring something in a pot.
"Well, not quite. This will help ease your discomfort, it's going to have to pass on its own," he said, coming over with a spoon and a bowl of soup that smelled faintly of carrots. Lucy was amused that he was wearing her apron.
"So why do I feel like this?" she winced, taking a sip. Yech. It might smell pleasant but it still tasted undeniably like a tonic.
Sagittarius dutifully presented her with another spoonful. "The magic law. Humans are not allowed in the spirit world and the longer you stay, the worse you feel. How long were you there?"
"I dunno. An hour?" She really didn't want to take any more of this horrible concoction but Lucy could feel her headache starting to fade.
"That's pretty long," mused the centaur spirit, "If you had a pass, you could stay in the spirit world for about a day at a time. No human has earned one in the past thousand years, though."
Lucy instantly thought of long blond hair and fleece. "Oh! Priscilla—Cilla said she was going to get one for me. I don't know why she'd go out of her way to do that, though."
Sagittarius faltered momentarily, "You met Priscilla the White? And Loki was there?" His reaction seemed to be a mixture of shock, awe, and…pity?
"Yes. She seemed really nice, but Loki said she was fake and that I should never be alone with her."
The horse head nodded. "Mmm, yes. The Ram and the Lion have always had a complicated history and that was BEFORE Priscilla and Loki."
"What?" Lucy eased herself upwards, intrigued by this new development. Perhaps this was the key to solving the puzzle?
Sagittarius was openly hesitant. "I'm not sure this is something we should discuss…"
"Please, its important. No one will tell me anything and I feel like I need to know what I'm up against."
He paused. "You have feelings for him, and they are real. Genuine."
Lucy didn't have to think twice. "Yes."
Sagittarius sighed. "Alright. We of the Ninth house have always been loyal to the Leo, and you have always been a good owner to me. AND I guess it is better you hear this from me instead of that gossip, Aquarius."
"Thank you," said Lucy. She finally felt like she was getting somewhere!
"Well, as you know, once all of the noble houses were at war," the Archer started, untying the apron, "It was a civil war within this galaxy and it was every house for itself. Suddenly, a child appeared on the field one day. She was clad in white and couldn't have been more then sixteen. She stood before us all and declared that there had been too much bloodshed; refusing to fight against the one she called her true love-a boy from her rival's house. The Spirit King was moved enough to step in. He bonded the houses together, and so forth."
"Wait, Aquarius explained that to me, but she made it seem like it was generations ago."
Sagittarius nodded. "It was. We are spirits. We do 'age' in a sense, but it happens very slowly."
Lucy had a strange feeling in her stomach and she was quite sure that it wasn't from the aftereffects of the law. "Let me guess. That was Cilla, wasn't it." She was picturing a girl, slim and beautiful in armor. Her rapier had been thrown on the side, hastily discarded. She was crying at the feet of a young man. He was also armor-clad, and on his finger there was a brilliant ruby.
"Yes."
Lucy closed her eyes, knowing the truth in her heart. "And her true love…" In her mind, she could see the face of that young man. His eyes were intense, a dark shade of amber and he seemed to have a mane of hair like a Lion. "…it was Loki, right?"
A/N: Sorry for all the [imaginary] history lessons! I'll try to stop now. x_X