Chapter Two: Orchid & Delphine
The group gazed awestruck by the sight. The girl was maybe 19, with a full figure. She looked tall with red-brown hair to her knees and peridot eyes set in to a pale face. The violets that was in her hair matched her purple striped scarf around her neck. Dusty soil looked like it had been powdered onto her cheeks. Small rivers of tears had been frozen on her face. Her gray dress was stained with mud as were her feet. Her left hand reached out for something or someone long gone from here. Whoever she was, Lucy and Wendy felt sorry for her.
Happy circled the encased girl. "Hey, Natsu, who do you think she could be? Why she frozen in ice?"
Natsu scratched his head. "She could be some ninja thief that got caught in a booby trap!"
Gray stared at the girl. He reached out and touched the ice-like case. It was cool, but definitely not Ice Magic. "She isn't trapped in ice. That much I can tell."
Carla stared at the girl intently. Her eyes grew wide as images hit her.
The girl cried silently by a battered Lucy's side. A great dragon-like shadow was cast across Magnolia. Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and the girl faced down an unknown man. The guild engulfed in flames.
Carla came back to her senses when a high pitched voice resounded in the cave.
"Hands off the Treasure!" the obviously female voices screamed. The team looked up to see a flying exceed wearing a green bandana on her head and a white dress. Her fur was orange and she had brown tiger-like markings. The mysterious exceed's rounded ears twitched in annoyance as her simple white dress fluttered slightly. Pointing a brown paw at the group, she glared. "I will slice you into pieces if you touch her again."
Gajeel looked at the small exceed. "Gihee," he laughed, glancing at Panther Lily. "Lily."
Lily looked at his Dragon Slayer and smile. Panther Lily grew in size until he reached his bigger form. "Care to repeat that?"
The mysterious female exceed smirked. "Oh, so the black he-cat can grow bigger too. Fantastic!" The mysterious exceed grew until she gained human size. With her athletic figure and steel-like claws, she readied herself for any oncoming attacks.
Happy flew closer. "You're an exceed. Were you sent here like me and Carla?"
The orange exceed narrowed her eyes. "Exceed? Is that what my race is called? Exceed?" She could barely contain her laughter. "Exceed! I, the brilliant guardian of Astraea's Treasure, Tigress Orchid, am supposedly an exceed."
Happy looked between Tigress Orchid and Panther Lily. He notice Lily blushing ever so slightly, causing Happy to do his signature joke. "He liiiikes her," Happy purred, his weird look on his face.
"Shut up!" Tigress Orchid and Lily yelled.
Erza stepped forward. "We are from Fairy Tail, a Wizards' guild. We found a 14 year old request that lead us here."
Tigress Orchid's eyebrows lifted. "You're Fairy Tail? Then Astraea's journal was right. You really came."
"Astraea's journal?" the team exclaimed.
The orange exceed nodded. "When I hatched from my shell, I stumbled across piles of journals all owned by Astraea. Since I am a genius, I've been able take care of myself and read since day one. I came across 38 journals that were about her treasure, that girl. And in the last entry in the last journal, she mentioned sending a request to Fairy Tail. As I read, I took it upon myself to watch over the treasure. No one has left this place with their memories intact."
Lucy had a thoughtful look. "So, this Astraea wanted us to set that girl free?"
"Yes," replied Tigress Orchid. "She said she planned to seal the girl in a spell called Infinite Statsis, a magic unique to Astraea, on July 7, X777. She never stated her reasons behind it though."
Natsu grinned. "I'm all fired up!" Natsu charged toward the spell trapped girl. But as he closed in, the orange exceed intercepted him.
"What do you think you're doing? That spell can only be broken by Dragon Slayer magic, not force!"
"Guess you're in luck," Natsu said. "I'm the Fire Dragon Slayer." And with that, he pushed Tigress Orchid to the side. "Fire Dragon Roar!"
Natsu's breath attack hit the Infinte Statsis, causing it to shatter.
"-MA ASTRAEA!" a voice screamed as the earth shook beneath their feet. The newly unfrozen girl sobbed until the Dragon Slayers got to their feet. Drying her tears, she glared at her saviors. "Who are you? Where is Astraea?" she roared.
"Is that how you treat the people who freed you, glass girl?" Gajeel asked.
"Glass girl? I'll have you know I have a name," the girl exclaimed.
Erza got up and looked the girl in the eyes. "And what is your name?"
The girl let out a chuckle. "From my view point, you are intruders. It'd be polite to introduce yourselves first."
"Very well," Erza said. "I am Erza Scarlet, a S-Class wizard of the wizard guild, Fairy Tail."
"Lucy Heartfilia, also a wizard of Fairy Tail."
"I'm Wendy Marvel."
"Carla."
"I'm Happy!"
"Panther Lily."
"Gajeel Redfox."
"Natsu Dragneel."
"Tigress Orchid."
"I'm Gray Fullbuster," Gray said, naked once again.
"Gray, your clothes." Ezra pointed out.
"Gah!"
The girl blushed furiously at the sight of Gray and shrieked. "Earth Dragon's Flourishing Fist!" As she said the spell, rocks and leaves swirled around her left fist very much the same way fire engulfed Natsu's usually. The girl hit Gray and sent him flying. Everyone stood in shock.
"You're a Dragon Slayer?" Natsu said, serious as he could be.
The girl straightened. "Yes. I'm the proud daughter of the Earth Dragon, Astraea, the Earth Dragon Slayer, Delphine Moonbriar."
Airi: I'm back!
Delphine: Hey, Airi-chan. You never told me about that exceed, Tigress Orchid.
Airi: Orchid is someone I came up with in my sleep. I think she is so CUTE!
Orchid(menacing aura): Who is cute?
Airi: Calm down, Orchid. You are cute yet fierce. The perfect exceed companion for Del.
Delphine: Yay! I get a exceed friend!
Orchid: I've been waiting 12 years for you, Milady.
Airi: Oh. How sweet! Now, who wants to do the disclaimer?
Orchid: I guess I shall. Airi-dono doesn't own Fairy Tail. The only characters she can claim as hers are myself and Milady.
Airi: Auf Wiedersehen!