Chapter 2: There Are Better Places To Take A Nap
A burst of dark light, the tempting words of a vile evil, a sound of a lightning spell finding it's target, and the parting words that seemed so distant and strange, yet familiar and heart breaking were some of many things that she recalled at that moment of darkness. The words though, still rang in her eyes like a bell echoing off church steeples.
"This was not...your fault..."
The thud of a body hitting the floor and the parting words made her panic. The world was getting darker than before, choking what little life she grasped at. She might have been better off holding fast to twine that was about to break. Those words, that voice, who did they belong to?
Who were they for?
She didn't have time to answer as she drifted into a dreamless state of nothingness. She wasn't supposed to happen. Her birth was a mistake, and no one could convince her opposite of that fact. Her existence was a watermark on so many other's perfect lives. She had tainted them just by not letting herself die on the end of that blade some many moons ago.
The only problem was, she couldn't quite recall why she was thinking such ideas. These images that swam through her head after the words spoken pulled her under were fading and disappearing. Each second, she lost more and more of those missing pieces of the puzzle that was her supposed life.
Did she even live a life yet?
The darkness was engulfing her now. The world around her tugged at her coat and pulled at her hair. Invisible ties reached out to her, but she didn't reach back. Her mind was still fighting while her body refused to go back to the world she came.
The vile voice snaked back to her, wrapping her in it's web of deceit and hateful scorn. And before she knew it, she smiled with the voice too.
She fell to darkness and had no hope of return.
"Natsu! We have to do something!"
What's this?
"I know, but what if we hurt her?"
Was that another person speaking?
"Lucy! I think she's waking up!"
Lucy...perhaps it's time to stop sleeping.
Opening her eyes, she saw two figures hunched over her. The figures were hazy and unclear at having her eyes closed for so long. They adjusted, though, to the sight of two individuals. One had pink hair that was reminiscent of spring time. The words "fire" and "beware" came instantly to mind. It was most definitely a boy despite the color of locks. The other was certainly a girl with bright yellow waves atop her own head. Her eyes shimmered a lovely doe brown. A feeling of comfort crossed her mind right away, beside the fact the two had never met before.
The bickering pair stopped fighting when they saw their subject's eyes wonder over their features. They became all smiles at the girl's confused looks. The blonde spoke first in a soothing, motherly voice.
"Hey there. You okay sleepy head?"
She didn't know how to respond to someone asking her a question, so she just gave her a polite answer.
"I-I guess..."
The boy extended his hand. "You really shouldn't sleep on the ground like that. Igneel says that's how people get dead!"
His girl companion squealed and smacked him in the back of his head. The boy protested and rubbed his aching blow vigorously.
"OW! That hurt Luce!"
"And you need to be nicer! This girl must have been here for hours and that's how you treat her?"
The girl in question gasped. She didn't want to impose on anyone. Did she really have them that worried? She decided to ease them both by sitting up and waving her hands in front of them, saying "It's really nothing! I didn't mean to worry you two!"
The pair of children stopped fighting again and looked back at her. The blood that rushed to her face made her feel like a bright red tomato. Even so, the boy she assumed was Natsu grinned.
"See Lucy, she's just fine."
The girl, Lucy huffed and turned her nose up to the boy. Her attention went back to the girl they found through. "My name is Lucy." Lucy pulled the girl up to her feet, making the girl wobble on unsteady legs. The strange boy anchored her through as she found her gravity.
"And I'm Natsu. What's your name?"
The nameless girl stood and pondered for a moment. Her mind was a complete blank except for random words, books, tactics, and languages that floated around her head. Other than that, she really had no personal information about herself to recall. She had to shrug and inform the two of the news.
"I'm sorry, but it seems I forgot my name."
Both stared at one another for a moment before nodding and returning to the girl. "No memories, eh?" Natsu inquired. "Well, that's fine. You can be our friend and live in our castle, too!" Lucy said, outstretching her hand to the nameless one.
She was frightened through and half stepped back from Natsu and Lucy. "I-I can't! I don't want to impose! Besides...for all you know, I could be a spy!"
That's when Natsu doubled over in laughter. He clutched his stomach while hooting and hollering at Naga for the girl's sanity. Lucy just chuckled lightly into her closed fist; It was a symbol of a lady's fine training to control herself.
"If you were a spy, then you would have killed us already. You are Pelgian, are you not?" Lucy asked, motioning her hand to the girl.
The girl looked at her dress. It was black with purple lines making patterns on the dress with gold and silvery embroidery on the edges of the sleeves and hem. Her shoes were brown riding boots with a buckled belt at the ankles. She also had a bandage over her left hand that she wanted to keep on for some nagging reason. A knapsack was the finishing touch, bulging and with the seal of Pelagia on it.
It was certainly what a Plegian would wear, but there was another thing.
"Aren't Pelgains disliked in other parts of the world?" the nameless one asked.
Natsu chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, you seem pretty nice, so you're welcome to stay in Ylisse forever!" he finished by opening his arms to the grassy field around the three children.
"For...ever?"
A loud bang from a church bell awoke Levy from her sleep. She shot up, and after a moment realize what the bell was ringing for, ran out of her study. As the door slammed shut, some papers that were ready to fall from her desk went through with their action.
Levy dashed down the stairs saying over and over "Not today! Not today, please Naga, not today!" Alas, her tiny legs could only go so fast down the hall to make a sharp turn to continue the young woman's race to her destination.
Her speed was gaining as she weaved between passersby in the palace's grand hallways. Each of them reacted differently in some way. Other's moved, other's scolded, some moved while saying "You better hurry!" in the midst of her charge.
Finally, there was only one flight of stairs in the way of Levy and her desired location. She had two options, take the right staircase and have to cross the room, or take the left but have to risk falling down the broken step again.
She chose left, opting to try skipping steps and pray she missed the odd step that Lucy promised to get fixed one day, but never got around to doing.
Halfway down, her prayers were not answered that day. As soon as she hit the fifthteenth step, she went tumbling down with a scream. Levy rolled like a Baby Pig trying to climb on top of it's mother only to fail and face the harshness of letting go.
Once she crashed to the ground, she picked herself up and ran as fast as she could to the double doors at the back of the royal courtroom that lead to the open practice area/garden.
She didn't have time to notice how the flowers were in bloom or the sword sparring area was neatly cleaned. The kingdom's tactician had places to be at the moment.
Making her way through the garden, she tried to reach a certain area that she was instructed to come to at that time. It only took her a minute more to realize that she was going the wrong way. Levy backtracked and found herself sprinting hard once again.
Then the place she needed to be was in her sights. A green haired man sitting on a metal chair facing in towards a teapot with one cup resting near the seat across from him. Another was being used by him to enjoy some early morning tea.
Levy skidded to a halt before she could make more out of her bad luck today. Her cheeks were flushed, legs were numb, and her tiny lungs gasping for air. The man was blissfully sipping his drink while the girl beside him was trying to cling to what little life she had left in her body.
He chuckled as she took the seat across from him and greedily poured a tall cup of earl grey. His left eye was hidden behind a sweeping side bang while his right glinted with humour.
"Late start today, Miss Tactician?" he asked with a cheshire smile.
"Sort...of." Levy huffed, her breathing returning to normal. She was thankful she had forgotten her coat she wore constantly like a second skin. The sun may have just begun to rise, but it still burned her after her warm up.
The man nodded and sipped silently one last bit of his tea. He set down his cup to refill right away. "So, are you ready to continue your training?" he asked, right eye once again glinting with a plan.
Both of Levy's eyes meet her mentor's, her bandaged left arm twitched in anticipation for a fight. "You're on."