Chapter 4: A Flour for You
Gray solemnly entered into the King's office. He was surprised at the surroundings- he almost expected the King's office to be adorned in diamonds and gold, with fur carpets and large portraits of the King himself hung up. Instead, he found the office to be quite normal- luxurious still, with the large mahogany desk and silk chairs- but less ostentatious then he previously assumed.
King Heartfilia was seated in his chair, looking down at a large stack of papers before him. Gray heard the shuffling of these papers, along with the scribbles from his feathered pen. The King himself looked slightly distraught. His crown was tilted a bit beneath his long, blond hair, scruffy beard and mustache. He wore a simple outfit similar to what a soldier would wear- except with regal colors imprinted on his chest and what seemed to be more expensive and lighter cloth.
Gray waited for King Heatfilia to finish signing his last paper. Even though Gray had only met the King personally once before, he knew the King was a good ruler. His Majesty tried to keep Fiore's kingdom at peace during all times- sending out aid to local villages that needed help, keeping his kingdom safe of criminals, and having obvious love for his people. But Gray also noticed the wrinkles that outlined his face. Once, the King had a more youthful look. Gray had heard stories of the King venturing outside his palace with his daughter, to greet locals and keep in touch with the province. But, on an unsuspecting sunny day, his young child, at the tender age of 8, was abducted while playing in a flowering field while her caretaker had been occupied with preparing lunch. The search for the King's daughter lasted for years, but all efforts were futile in finding his beloved. Promptly after calling off the search, the King now only hid behind stacks of official documents and spent his time keeping order in Fiore from behind the castle walls.
"Ah, Gray. You've arrived," King Heartfilia remarked, as he looked up from the papers on his desk, and interrupting Gray's train of thought.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have successfully received the signed papers from Duke Jose himself, stating that he would like for me to be his bodyguard," Gray replied in a serious tone.
"Very good. Do you think I'm being too paranoid?" The King looked up with questioning eyes.
"No, sire. I have met the man himself, and his attitude is enough to raise anyone's suspicions," Gray recalled, with a hint of disgust in his voice.
"The Duke himself is very proud of his work. While I admit he did help the capitol blossom in ways I never would have imagined through his trading business, I'm afraid he is up to no good. As you already know, there have been alarming rates of black marketing now. Dangerous and deadly magical items being sold to criminals as we speak! Many of the advisors, and myself included, suspect Duke Jose of this recent spike in activity," the King explained. "That is why I want you to keep an eye on him. Make sure that he is legally profiting, and if otherwise, report to me immediately. We can't risk the release of dark magic upon our nation."
Gray's eyes darkened with the mention of dark magic. His family died because of this. His mentor, Ur, who taught him ice magic, was killed during a battle with a demon, sacrificing herself in order to seal the beast. Whoever had summoned the monster knew of the dark magic, and wasn't afraid to use it, causing calamity and death in the hundreds when released. Pain rushed through Gray's entire body as he remembered watching Ur shatter as she destroyed the demon with her iced shell attack, taking her own life along with the monster's.
Remembering this, Gray began to speak.
"And if I take on this special task, I will be able to seek what I am looking for?"
"Of course. I am sorry about your loss of family and your mentor. However, there is no guarantee that you will find out who released the beast that brought destruction upon your village and several others 10 years ago. By allowing you to access the files of criminal records of those in Fiore, you might have a better chance at catching the culprit. Levy, our historian, maintains these records. She might be able to help you on your quest," the King announced.
Gray nodded. He knew the chances of finding his enemy were a slim one, but this was his true mission. To bring justice to Ur. To destroy whoever killed her and his family. This was his only way of increasing his chances to find out the bastard culprit that brought death upon him. Gray had done everything he could, but in the end, everyone pointed him to the King for help, due to his expansive knowledge and records of all citizens in Fiore.
"Well then, thank you, Gray. You may speak to Levy now if you like, but remember that your time here must be short. As a bodyguard for Duke Jose, you must be with him most of the time. Remember that if you are not dedicated to keeping a watch on him, I will no longer allow you to access these documents," the King declared.
"Naturally," Gray replied. He couldn't mess up with the King's deal, or else he'd never be able to find the murderer. "I will go see Levy now. Don't worry, I'll be quick. I just want to introduce myself and start some kind of lead."
"Please do so," the King said. "I've already informed Levy of your presence, so she will be expecting you as a regular visitor from now on. She is on the 5th floor of our palace."
Gray gave a deep bow and exited the room. His blood was rushing to his head, excited that starting today, he could possibly put his past to rest.
But just before Gray exited, the king coughed.
"Um, Gray?"
"Yes, Your Majesty?" He turned around tentatively.
"You forgot your clothes."
"Shit!" Gray cursed, as he swooped up his uniform, covering his bare chest, and rushed out the office.
Juvia walked quietly home as she nibbled on the treat Gray gave her. The green tea cake was soft and fluffy, with sweet vanilla cream filling escaping into her mouth.
She thought in silence as she reminisced about Gray's kindness.
Why was he so nice to her?
But then again, now that he works for the Duke, he was obligated to be nice to her, not because he wanted to…right?
She shrugged off the thought with a loud sigh. As she arrived home, she felt a stiff silence fill the air. Her heart felt heavy and almost immediately she knew what was waiting for her.
"Juvia, my dear…" a chilling voice whispered, ringing throughout the house.
"F-father! You are still awake. W-what can I do for you?" Juvia asked, with evident fear vibrating out her mouth. A foreboding omniscient presence soon invaded the house.
"You can't do anything for me, that is obvious. First you arrive home late, then you forget to cook dinner for our lovely guest?" Duke Jose approached Juvia at a lightening fast pace. "You serve him some simple take out, even though he was sent from the KING?"
Juvia wanted to run. But fear made her feet stick to the floor, like a deer in headlights.
"How would this reflect upon me? That the mighty Duke eats petty food from the common's side of town?" the Duke roared.
"B-but, Juvia thought you liked that place. We went there all the time…"
"That was before I was appointed duke-hood! A person of such high class like me should be only dining the best! And where did you get that money? You know that all funding should go directly to me!" The Duke's eyes were now completely dark, filled with hatred and anger.
Almost too suddenly, he raised his hand in the air and slapped Juvia. Her cheek was definitely going to swell up tonight. Juvia whimpered in fear, mortified at her father's action. Another blow was coming. She raised her hands above her head to protect herself, allowing for the hit to damage her arm, rather than her face.
She noticed that this hit hurt more than it usually did. A lot more. She raised her head with distress in her eyes, only to realize that a dark purple wave of magic surrounded him.
Juvia's eyes widened in fear. He had used magic to hit her. Only one other time did he attack her like that; right after her mother had disappeared. Quickly, she looked at her arm that prevented the strike from hitting her face. Blood tricked down the small gash on her arm, with an evident bruise already forming.
"S-sorry! Please forgive me father. Juvia will make sure to never do it again!" Juvia implored, with hot streaks of tears sliding down her face.
"Very good, Juvia," the Duke cackled, with a wicked grin still plastered on his face. "Remember to not make me look like a fool next time. Set up the guestroom for that brat bodyguard when he returns, and take him around town tomorrow to familiarize him with the city. And stop that senseless third person talk while you are at it."
"I will certainly do so," Juvia said, still quaking in her voice. She tried to regain her composure.
The Duke left to sleep in his room. As soon as the blunette was sure he was upstairs, she quickly ran to the kitchen to grab the medical aid. Tending to herself, with silent tears trickling down her burning cheeks, Juvia tried to apprehend what had just happened. She knew her father could use magic, but it was rare that he ever did so in front of her. The Duke's magical ability was astounding; Juvia remember him once bragging about the power he had within the palm of his hands, unlike herself, who only knew how to use magic for simple things. Most magic users at this day and age only knew the very basics to help out with daily chores.
Juvia shuddered at the thought as she finished wrapping her arm and placing ice to her swollen cheek. She was reminded of the kids at the orphanage, and she quickly began to bake a sheppard's pie for them, trying to push away the terrifying event that just unfolded before her.
Gray walked up to the circulation desk on the fifth floor of the King's palace. The desk was messy, with books piling on top of each other endlessly, and papers disoriented everywhere.
"Hello?" Gray asked, even thought it was obvious no one was behind the desk.
But a voice rang out in response.
"Just a minute! I'll be there soon!"
A petite, blue-haired girl with short, wavy hair arrived at the desk. Following her was a short, old man with a stack of books in his hands.
"Thank you for the help, Levy-Chan!" The old nodded in appreciation and walked out.
"No problem, Makarov! Tell me how those books are!" Levy replied with a sweet smile.
Levy's attention soon diverted to Gray.
"That was Makarov, the King's advisor. Although he cannot use magic, he's always interested and looking into books about that. And you must be Gray. I've been expecting you for some time this week. My name is Levy, and I'm the palace's historian, but I also keep track of many records, including criminal ones."
"Yes, I'm looking for any leads on who might have destroyed my village. The monster was called Deliora. Do you have any records or criminal evidence I can look into?" Gray said with a hardened tone.
"I can look that up for you, but it will take a while for me to enter into the criminal system and put them together. This will be a long process, but I will keep you updated as much as possible," Levy answered. "Oh, and please take this!"
Levy handed Gray a small piece of triangular crystal that shined a vibrant and resilient blue. It was hanging from a silver chain.
Gray examined the item for a while, then looked up at Levy.
"I have no idea what this is."
Levy giggled, putting her small hand over her mouth.
"It's a magical messenger. This necklace allows me to locate you at any time." She then pointed to a similar necklace on her neck. "With this, we can both relay messages back and forth. All you need to do is place the crystal on the paper once you are done. The paper will then transport itself to me immediately. But don't lose it, I only have one pair!" Levy explained.
Gray nodded as he placed the necklace over his head.
"Are you sure? I can always just visit you instead of sending out letters."
"No, no, no! That won't do. You are supposed to look after Duke Jose-" Her eyebrows raised with suspicion- "and you coming to the castle all the time will make the Duke question your intentions. Besides, I work better alone," Levy said cheerfully.
"Alright…Well, I'll leave you to your work. I must be going back now, as it is already late." Gray said his thanks and left. Levy waved goodbye with her sweet smile and hasted back to her books.
Gray entered the Duke's home. The halls were dark, all except the single bright light that shone from the kitchen. He peaked in to find Juvia in an apron humming quietly while baking some sort of pie.
"Juvia?" His voice rang in the midst of the silence.
Juvia jumped and turned around to find Gray standing in the kitchen.
"Gray-san! Welcome home!" Juvia replied, in a quiet whisper. "But please be a bit more quiet, father is sleeping! We don't want to wake him up."
"Sorry," he replied, lowering his voice down. "What are you doing?"
"I'm baking a sheppard's pie for tomorrow," Juvia explained, as she seated Gray down on the kitchen table. "I was told to show you around Crocus tomorrow by father."
"Thanks, that'd be great. I get lost-" Gray stopped midsentence. "What happened to your arm?"
The two stared at Juvia's arm as she pulled up a chair for Gray. There was a bit of dry blood seeping through the white bandages.
"N-nothing. Juvia fell, that is all." Juvia's voice started to quake in fear, as it did earlier today.
Gray grabbed her tiny wrist and pulled her closer to him. He examined the injury and gently stroked his hand over her wound.
Juvia, surprised by Gray's forwardness, felt her knees slightly shaking and her heart pumping rapidly.
"You're lying," Gray accused. "There's no way a fall could have led to this gash. And your cheek is slightly swollen." He placed his cold hands against her tender, fleshed cheek.
His icy hands immediately withdrew any throbbing pain that still lingered in her cheek. She wanted his hand to stay on her wound until the end of time, but just as soon as he placed his hand on her face, he receded. It was a friendly gesture, but it made Juvia squirm nonetheless.
"Anoo…Well…"
The maiden was surprised at Gray's keen ability to deduce the situation. But then again, she was never a good liar.
But Gray began to place the pieces together- The Duke's harsh attitude to Juvia and the bruises on her arms.
"Did that bastard Duke do that to you?" Gray asked loudly, his voice growling.
Tears began forming into Juvia's eyes as she turned away from Gray. She didn't want to be seen as a weakling in front of Gray. She just tired of the pity stares and disgusted looks she got from people. She just wanted to be seen as a regular person, perhaps even respected by Gray-san.
Gray sensed her tenseness and decided to let it go.
"Well, don't worry. I'll be here now, and I'll make sure nothing like that happens to you again," he said reassuringly.
The words warmed her heart, as well as her flushed cheeks. Was she really hearing correctly? That someone could actually be concerned with her? With that, Juvia turned back to Gray and gave him a big smile.
"Thank you, Gray-san." Juvia's features brightened and her eyes dazzled toward Gray.
With that, Gray laughed.
"What's so funny?" Juvia questioned, confused.
"You have flour smeared across your forehead."
Embarrassment always found a way to Juvia. She blushed madly and tried to wipe of the flour with her hands, only to realize that her hands had previously been kneading the dough. As a result, her face had even more flour than before.
Gray laughed harder. He held his stomach for support as he watched Juvia become more and more flustered, futilely pawing off the flour from her face with her pale hands. It wasn't until he felt a small impact on his face that he broke from his laugh.
Juvia, giggling, had just flicked some flour onto Gray's face.
"There. Now you can't laugh at me because your face has flour too," Juvia said triumphantly, with her hands at her waist.
Gray smirked as he flicked the fine crumbs off his jawline. He grabbed some flour in a bowl that was sitting on the counter table, knowing very well what he was going to do next. Chasing Juvia, he threw some onto her apple cheeks.
Laughter ensued.
Juvia squealed, running away from Gray, while Gray laughed as he hunted her down like a predator after his prey. The two danced around the kitchen table like fairies, forgetting all their worries while trying to splatter each other like children in a snowball fight.
Gray finally grabbed Juvia around the waist from the front and held her tightly with his laughing eyes.
"Gotcha." He whispered his hot breath into her ear.
Juvia lifted her head to face him, with her feet dangling from the ground as he held her.
'Oh sweet goddess of Crocus, he is too close to me. His dreamy eyes and strong grip…' Juvia thought. Her face began to flush red, and she squirmed in shyness. As he leaned in closer, Juvia began to panic. She didn't know what else to do.
So she did what any girl would do.
She grabbed the remaining flour and caked his incoming face with it. Gray released her immediately.
"Ahaha…" Juvia laughed nervously, her cheeks beet red. Her heart was beating wildly, unable to focus on anything else except the close proximity of Gray's face before she hit him with flour.
Gray coughed at the flour that was shoved in his face and throat.
"Well, w-what a night!" Juvia stammered, still nervous and twitching from their brief and intimate hug. She shuffled her feet back away from Gray. "Gray-san must be so tired. Please go shower and rest in your guest room on the second floor," Juvia's voice was rushed, with a slight tinge of hysteria.
"But the mess-" Gray spoke hoarsely, still at a loss at why he had almost suffocated to death by flour.
"N-no, no, Juvia will take care of that."
She pushed Gray out of the kitchen, almost too forcefully, and directed him to his room by extending her arm.
"G-good night Gray-san!" Juvia bowed awkwardly, still laughing nervously.
She shut the kitchen door in front of his face. Clutching her heart, she leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor. 'That was close. Juvia almost though Gray-san was going to kiss her!' Juvia thought. Her hands were shaking slightly by the thought of it as she pinched herself.
She wasn't dreaming. Nevertheless, Juvia began to think about her and Gray running through a field of flowers together, hand in hand, and letting her fantasies soothe her as she slowly steadied her heartbeat.
Gray stood outside the kitchen door, entirely discombobulated and confused at what just happened.
"What the hell?" He murmured in a low voice, brushing his hand over his flour-coated hair. He turned around to shower and sleep.
'What a strange girl...' he thought to himself, coughing the last bits of flour as he ascended the stairs.
Hey guys!
Don't kill me for updating so late! I had finals (boo) and then I had spring break. Then school started again and I had to buy textbooks etc, etc… And well, that leads me to this point in time. I'll be trying to update more often though, I promise!
Anyway, thanks for being awesome. Your reviews make me jump up and down and scream at my computer screen like an untamed excited gorilla. Hehe. Shorter chapter, but I hope you did enjoy the super cheesy part at the end.
I hope the story line isn't getting a bit dull…I've still got a lot to learn.
Since I categorized this as a "Romance/Adventure," you guys should be expected some more of the latter, but I'm getting there, I promise! It might take a lot more chapters to reach the adventure that our heroes will encounter, but I hope it will satisfy you all.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
PS: I just got my new coat shipped in! It reminded me a lot of Juvia, so I had to get it. :) I want to show you all, except I don't think i'm able to post up direct links here :(
Until the next chapter,
GreenTeaCake