Chapter Two: Their Request, His Promise, and Her Resolve.

The dream that plagued Lucy in her sleep was truly a strange one. Talking flying cats, a rabbit that turned into a woman, and a dirty half dressed man had mistaken her for her mother. She opened her eyes just a bit, expecting to be back in her in her bedroom, but the roof that she was staring at was unfamiliar. The Princess quickly sat up, causing the cold washcloth on her head to fall into her lap. She looked around the room in silent shock, unable to recognize anything at all. Everything was white and apart from a few other beds, the room seemed empty. Perhaps what happened wasn't a dream after all. Realizing this, she panicked and frantically searched for her mother's key. The last thing she remembered was talking to that boy...and then...nothing. After all that to get it back, had she lost it for good?

"You shouldn't move so much. You'll get a headache." a young girls voice announced before Lucy saw her stroll into the room. The girl had long blue hair, a white ruffled dress and the same symbol she saw on the boy was on her shoulder as well.

"Where am I?" Lucy asked at once, leaning over on the bed she was placed in.

"The Medical Ward. I'm Wendy," the young girl greeted with a sweet smile. She approached Lucy's bedside and held out the key for her, "This belongs to you, right?"

Lucy took the key in her hands gently and held it close to her chest with a relieved smile, "Oh, thank goodness..." she breathed happily.

Wendy stared at her for a moment or two with an anxious expression as she wrung her hands. Clearly, there was something she wanted to say, but seemed uncertain of herself.

"Umm..." Wendy started nervously.

Lucy turned her gaze to the young girl now, "Yes?"

"...Well...um...-"

"She's awake!" Natsu announced happily as he ran into the room and cutting Wendy off. Lucy was taken aback to see him again, especially now that he seemed to be cleaned up and fully dressed. His white pants were still dirty, but he was now wearing what looked like a military uniformed shirt double breasted and buttoned down. He rushed to Lucy's bed side and sniffed the air around her.
"You don't smell like Layla anymore." he confirmed with a serious gaze, "so now I know what you smell like, luigi."

"My name is Lucy!" she replied hotly, "Lucy Heartfilia."

"So you are Layla's daughter." Wendy said quietly.

"That means that you can use the key?" Natsu asked as he leaned in close with a wide grin.

"What?" asked Lucy, leaning back as Natsu got closer.

"I tried to use it, but Erza said only a gate keeper could use it." He said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest with a nod of his head.

"I've been very patient," Lucy interrupted, sliding herself from the bed and gripping the key close to her chest, "but I need to know where I am and what any of this has to do with my mother," she insisted, standing there in her now dirt stained, pink ruffled gown.

Natsu stared at her blankly for a moment before he and Wendy exchanged looks.
"You're in Fairy Tail," Natsu answered simply, "I brought you back here after Trixie knocked you out."

"Trixie?" Lucy repeated.

"That rabbit girl. Her name's Trixie. She's from Tartaros." answered Natsu, with a look of contempt lacing across his face now, "the land that borders ours. She was after the key."

"...my mothers key?" asked Lucy. There was so much that she didn't understand here, but her focus was mainly on her mother. It was probably the only thing that she might be able to make sense of.

Natsu and Wendy exchanged looks once more. Finally, Wendy stepped forward to address Lucy.

"There is someone here who would like to speak with you. Her name is Erza. She can tell you everything you need to know," said Wendy.

"...Okay. Well than...take me to her." Lucy agreed, but kept her guard up. It seemed like they were hiding something from her and she didn't like that feeling.

"I'll take ya to her," Natsu offered cheerfully as he grabbed her hand and began pulling her from the room without waiting for her answer. Lucy could only allow herself to be dragged along. Ever since she woke up, it seemed that a wave was carrying her off and somehow she knew that struggling was pointless. She could kick and scream, she could demand to go home, she could run away if she wanted, but deep down...did she want to go home? Her mother was gone and her father cared for nothing. Lucy always dreamed of running away and living on her own, but something kept her in that castle.

Natsu glanced back at the princess over his shoulder and he gripped her hand a little tighter before stopping in front of a large, double door entrance way.
"It's gonna be okay. You're among friends here," he said with a smile.

Lucy glanced up at him. His smile was infectious to say the least. Not much made sense at all and the wave that dragged her along was a strong one, but he seemed to set her at ease a little. Perhaps it was the care-free way that he carried himself. She nodded just a little before the doors opened slowly to reveal a rather large throne room.

Banner's hung from the ceiling with that strange symbol that Natsu had on his shoulder. Beautiful fountains lined the carpet path that led to the single throne at the top of a small mound of marble steps. The fountains were all statues of faeries, and the throne that sat empty had crystal wings coming from the back. If she had time, Lucy would have liked to explore this room more. It was all a little mesmerizing, but as she and Natsu approached the throne, something rushed by Lucy in a blur and took Natsu from her. In the blink of an eye, Natsu was pinned to the opposite wall with a sword. He seemed nervous, but not too alarmed, whereas Lucy gasped and tried to approach him.

"I heard what you did." A woman's voice announced from the other side of the room. Lucy turned at once to see a beautiful, scarlet haired woman clad in silver armor with wings.

"E-Erza...I did what you asked!" Natsu tried with a nervous smile.

"I asked you to keep an eye on Trixies cell...and not only did she get out, you allowed her to get through the gate and steal from Layla's daughter..." Erza replied in an accusatory tone, striding over to Natsu and gripping the handle of the sword that held him to the wall by his collar, "isn't that right?"

Natsu averted his eyes from her gaze in a nervous panic, visibly sweating.
"...m-maybe..." he answered quietly.

"Uh-" Lucy started, interrupting the two and causing Erza to turn her attention away from Natsu, "...you're Erza?"

Erza's stern expression quickly became warm as she approached Lucy and took her hands, leaving Natsu against the wall with no remorse.
"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy Heartfilia. My name is Erza Scarlet. I apologize for the way you have been hurt."

"That wasn't my fault!" Natsu insisted. Erza glared at him at once and with a small 'eep,' Natsu was silent once more.

Erza turned back to Lucy with a sweet smile and guided her by the hand towards the throne. Lucy was a little nervous now. Erza seemed rather intense and she was actually finding herself afraid to say something wrong and end up on the wrong side of a sword.

"Lucy?" Erza asked, noticing the young girls anxious expression.

"Yes?!" Lucy replied quickly.

"No need to fret. Natsu will not cause any more harm." said Erza with a glowing smile. Lucy actually laughed internally at that. Erza seemed blissfully unaware of the real reason she was nervous, but that fact seemed to soften the image of this warrior woman.

"No, um, he didn't cause me any harm. ...he said that you would be able to tell me about my mother? ...Everyone keeps mentioning her...as if..." Lucy's voice trailed off as she stared down at the golden key in her hands. Everyone talked about her mother as if they knew her, but Lucy had no idea who any of these people were and she never heard of Fairy Tail. She was young when her mother passed, but still, to have so much unknown about her...it hurt a little.

"...Lady Layla was a wonderful woman," Erza began gently as she released Lucy's hands and stepped up to the nearest fountain, "but I think that her story will be better told by Aquarius."

"Aquarius? The constellation?" asked Lucy.

Erza nodded and waited as Lucy joined her next to the fountain, "Your mother was a descendant of Gate Keepers, or, Celestial Mages. She was the soul master of the twelve golden gates. Aquarius was her most treasured friend and spirit guardian...and she passed her onto you," Erza pointed to the golden key in Lucy's hands and the princess looked at her in disbelief.

"Wh-what? My mother...was some sort of...mage? No. I would have-"

"Magic does not exist where you come from," Erza continued. "There...a key is just a key and your mother was just a regular woman. Here...that key is an important spirit and your mother was the last in a line of Celestial wizards. There are many worlds and when Layla found yours, she fell in love with your father and decided to stay. She only returned once more...when we were at war. It was then that our ruler, Mavis, was sealed away...and your mother...was murdered by a member of Tartaros." Erza finished solemnly, knowing this was not something that Lucy was prepared to hear.

"...in a war? ...n-no. She was sick! Mother died fro-" Lucy felt ill. She had been told her mother was sick and passed away from a long illness...but when she thought about it, she never saw her mother ill. In fact, she wasn't allowed to see her mother for over a month before she was told that she died. Her hands trembled and she felt her eyes begin to burn as tears formed. Why would her father lie? Why wouldn't he tell her any of this? Why wouldn't her mother have mentioned anything? It was all a little too much at once.

Erza placed her hands against Lucy's shoulders and offered her a sympathetic gaze.
"I know this is a lot to take in. ...but fate has seen fit to bring you here. ...and I'm afraid...we must ask for your help."

"...my help?" Lucy repeated, barely able to process all this.

"Yes. ...You are Layla's daughter. That means that you should be able to open and control the twelve Celestial gates. Tartaros lost their ruler when Mavis was sealed away, but somehow...they have figured out that the twelve gates can revive him. That is why Trixie was after your key. Your mother scattered the keys long ago to keep Tartaros from reviving Zeref. She even left Aquarius in your world...thinking they couldn't get to it, but clearly...that was not the case..." Erza pointed at the golden key, "...you are the only one that can find the keys and keep the gates safe from Tartaros."

"Stop! Just stop!" Lucy shouted now, her hands trembling as she closed her eyes tight, "Just-I don't believe-" stumbling on her words, Lucy couldn't seem to get a handle on what Erza was telling her. This brand new information...it was all a little hard to believe.

"Lucy..." Natsu began gently. He had since gotten loose from the sword at the expense of his shirt. He pulled an photo from his pocket and held it out for her to see as he placed his hand on her head gently. Lucy looked down at the picture and she covered her mouth with her palm. It was a very old picture of herself and her mother. A picture she had taken with her just a few months before she passed. Lucy took the picture from Natsu slowly and she felt her tears flow down her cheeks now.

"I know this is hard..." Erza began again, "...but your mother's last wish was that the gates were kept out of Tartaros' reach and Mavis was saved. ...I wouldn't ask you...if there were any other choice..." Erza said sincerely with a troubled expression. She didn't want to put this on Lucy so quickly, but they were running out of time. Now that Trixie had tracked down one key, how long would it be before they found the others?

Lucy stared at the picture in silence for a while and Natsu was beside her, waiting patiently for her to let it sink in. Her mother was murdered by Tartaros because they wanted her keys? They took her mother away for something like that? The Princess took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She would have plenty of time to cry later. All of her life she was taken care of by servants, neglected by her father, and clinging to the key that was her last reminder of her loving mother. Now, this world...this Fairy tail that was her mothers home, needed her help? Tartaros took her mother from her and now she had the chance to get revenge, no matter what she believed or how hard it was to process at once, one thing was clear to her now. If this was her mother's last wish...if these keys were precious to her...Lucy would be the one to help her mother's wish come true. She was not about to let Tartaros get their way. In this crazy new world, with all the new information being thrown at her, she was able to keep her sanity by focusing on this one fact; Tartaros could not be allowed to win. She would find the one that killed her mother and get revenge. If she could just focus on that path, all the craziness around her didn't matter at all.

"...I'll help you. Just tell me where to start..." Lucy replied finally, looking up at Erza with a determined gaze.

Erza smiled and placed her hand against Lucy's back, gently leading her from the room so that they could talk a little more privately. Natsu didn't follow them right away. He stared at their backs as the two walked off slowly and he placed his hands at the back of his head. Lucy didn't seem to question why he had that photograph and a part of him was grateful for that. Thinking back, he could remember very clearly how he came to own that picture...

Natsu was a young boy, living in the palace as an orphan. Layla had always been a frequent visitor there and even as word of war was getting around, she was always smiling and took the time to visit all the children in the palace.

"Natsu!" Layla exclaimed with excitement as she held the photograph in her hands and knelt down to meet the young boys eyes, "Look, look! It's my daughter. I named her Lucy. ...isn't she just lovely?"

Natsu seemed uninterested at first, but as he continued to look at the little girl in the picture, he smiled a little.

"I'm going to bring her here to meet all of you. I know she'd just love you all as much as I do." said Layla happily as she handed Natsu the picture, "When I bring her, she may be a little scared, so you have to make sure she smiles a lot, okay?"

Natsu nodded his head and grinned happily, "Yeah! I won't let her be sad."

"I'm counting on you," Layla finished with a giggle. Just then, a loud bang was heard in the distance and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Layla held Natsu's shoulders as a knee jerk reaction to keep him steady, but once the rumbling stopped, she stood and looked towards the direction of the bang. Layla suddenly looked serious and it alarmed Natsu a little. She always had a smile on her face, so seeing her like this was a bit troublesome.

"Layla?" he started, looking up at the woman.

Layla quickly smiled again and looked down at Natsu, "I'm going to go and see what that was," she replied, keeping her voice even and clearly doing her best to remain calm for his sake. Turning and heading for the door, Natsu grabbed her dress and held out the photograph.

"Your picture!" he called out so she wouldn't forget it.

She stopped and knelt back down to speak with Natsu once more, "Hey...can you keep that safe for me until I get back?" she asked happily, "I wouldn't want to lose it while I'm running around."

Natsu seemed excited to be trusted with it and he nodded his head again. Layla kissed his cheek and stood up again to head for the door.

"It's a promise. Keep it safe!" She shouted to him happily just before she left the room.

Little Natsu waved to her as she left his sight and once she was gone from the room, he looked at the picture in his hands. Looking at the happy little girl, he smiled again. He was excited to meet her and he couldn't wait to make her smile lots and lots. He had no idea then, that he would never see Layla again, but he kept his promise and kept the photo safe for her ever since.

Natsu closed his eyes and smiled as he thought back on it. When he found out yesterday that Lucy was really Layla's daughter, he had rummaged through his room to find that picture so he could show it to her. He had finally gotten the chance to meet Lucy and now that he had, he intended to keep the other promise that he made to her mother.

"I'll protect Lucy's smile, Layla..." Natsu said to himself softly just before he began to follow after them with a smile of his own.

A/N: Well that's the end of Chapter two. I'm sorry it took so long, but a lot is going on over here and I haven't had much time to really sit down and focus. Admittedly, I stuffed a lot in this chapter, but I'm happy with it. Hope that you are too.
Thanks for reading and I'll be sure to post Chapter three as soon as I can. :)