Animal, Person...Or Dragon
Winston Churchill: Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Chapter 9
The End of the Beginning
"Uh-oh." The duo whispered simultaneously, slouching further down into the bushes as two card soldiers came in closer adjacency to them.
"What do we do?" Lucy whispered, hoping Natsu had a plan.
"How do I know? You're the person with more knowledge on this book." Natsu muttered back with as much anxiety as his friend.
"MEOW." Happy purred loudly much to the couple's dread. Natsu quickly put his hand over feline's mouth, shushing it. But it was too late, they heard the soldiers cry,
"Over there! Get them!"
Lucy and Natsu tried to run away silently, but they were moments too late. Each card soldier grasped them by the hand, then handcuffing their hands behind their backs. The handcuffs were strange...they were alive. It was no surprise to Lucy since she had read the book and knew that when the Queen played croquet, the ball was a hedgehog and the sticks were flamingos. Also, she used pigs for her aching feet and monkeys to hold up her chair. Let's just say the Queen would never become vegetarian. The handcuffs were reptilian snakes that intertwined their wrists painfully. They worked pretty well considering..
The soldiers marched them to the queen, shoving them in front of her feet. As they got back up from the ground, the Red Queen screeched like a teenage girl.
"How dare you infiltrate my castle and spy on me?!"
Lucy glared at Natsu, silently telling him that it was a good idea for her to talk...not him. "I am greatly sorry oh majestic beautifully great headed queen." She stated with ecstasy (fake of course). Natsu just watched, with a wielded look on his visage, not complying with Lucy's complements towards the Queen.
"Lucy what are you talking about? She doesn't look─" His consequence for talking his mind was a hard jab in the ribs.
"Oh yes! My head is splendid!" The Queen of Hearts remarked, touching her head with glee. "But...OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" She shrilled like a squealing pig.
Just as the soldiers started to take them away, Lucy tried to save herself and Natsu by using her most prized possession...her brain.
"Wait! What if I give you something so precious that you will have to let us go?" She said, raising her eyebrow.
The Queen pondered, wanting to know what Lucy had that was so precious. "Guards! Bring them back! This ugly small headed girl has something to show me." She then spoke to Lucy. "I will only let you go if I love what you want to give me as compensation."
Lucy rummaged through her pocket, taking out her beautiful keys. "I will give you these. No one in all of Wonderland has these type of keys...not even your sister, the White Queen." She smirked, handing the keys to the Red Queen.
Natsu didn't like where this was going. Lucy was giving away her most precious possession and he was just standing there, doing absolutely nothing. "Lucy, we'll find another way, don't give her your keys."
The blonde only smiled sweetly. "It's okay, I'd rather do this than lose my head." Natsu backed away, knowing that Lucy was too stubborn to listen to him.
"They are beautiful, and I want my sister to be jealous, showing her that I am better than her, even if Mummy loved her more...Fine, leave me before I change my mind!"
"Please before we go, is the White Rabbit here?" Lucy asked, getting closer to the Queen.
"The Rabbit! I hated him, banished him from the castle for being late! NOW LEAVE!"
Lucy sighed, happy she didn't kill the rabbit for being tardy. Natsu pulled Lucy away as quickly as possible, scared that the Queen would change her mind at any moment.
Once back in the maze, Natsu once again used his amazing tracking skills to follow their own footprints back to the entrance. Once out, Lucy collapsed on the grass, under a large tree, pondering on how to find the White Rabbit. Natsu, however, still couldn't accept that she gave away her keys to save him and herself.
"Luce, aren't you sad, loosing your most prized possession?" He asked, sitting next to her.
She shook her head, grinning expeditiously. "Don't fret about that." She said, holding up her keys in front of Natsu's face.
His eyes grew wider. "Wha─"
"When I asked the Queen whether the Rabbit was there, she became so distracted, thinking how she hated him that I swiped them without her knowing." She smiled, putting them back in her pocket. "Did you really think I would give them away without getting them back?" She asked.
"Well, that's what it seemed." He said shrugging. "So, do you know where the White Rabbit is now?"
"Wonderland is a big place, it's hard to guess." She sighed. The young man's eyes drooped, along with his heart. "But...there might be someone we can ask, I know where he is!" The woman exclaimed, jumping up.
"Really? Who?"
"Absolem. He's a blue hookah-smoking caterpillar who seems to be wise and knows everything about this world." She explained. "He lives on a large mushroom...that way. I'm sure of it."
After a few hours of searching...and getting lost, the Alice impersonator finally recognised Absolem's mushroom from the pictures she had seen in the book. They were out of luck because the caterpillar was nowhere to be seen. However...one the other hand, someone else sat on the mushroom. The tardy White Rabbit. Luck was on their side.
"You! Give me my watch back!" Natsu said, going up to the shaking rabbit.
"Oh my, Oh my, I'm terribly sorry! I just needed a watch because the March Hare dropped mine in a cup of tea, breaking it." He said, giving the watch back quickly.
Natsu snatched it away, inspecting it for any dents or scratches, and then hung on to it, not wanting to drop it again.
"Excuse me Mr. Rabbit, but why are you sitting on Absolum the blue caterpillar's mushroom? Do you know where he is by any chance?" Lucy asked nicely, because she didn't want the twitching rabbit to flee.
"Blue caterpillar? No, Absolum is a man…he left a few months ago, giving me his mushroom to guard." He then looked specifically at Natsu, mumbling to himself. "Pink hair…pink hair…Oh yes! Absolum told me that someday a pink haired man would come along, and he told me something I had to do when you came along."
When Natsu heard this, he cheered up, knowing the White Rabbit was talking about his father, but all hope vanished when the rabbit said that his father was gone. It was like déjà-vu; when in Oz. Natsu let the rabbit continue.
The rabbit, took out a parchment, putting his glasses on. Let's see…Ah! Here it is. He told me to tell you that you have two options; to go home or stay here, continuing your journey. If you decide to go, eat the mushroom on the right side. If you stay, you will never know when you will be able to go back home." The rabbit finished, placing the parchment back into his inner waist coat pocket.
Natsu looked at Lucy, watching her reaction. He wanted to stay. Nothing could stop him from finding his father, Lucy however was different. He knew she had a job and a life. Probably even dreams for her future. He wasn't important enough for her to stay, didn't expect her to stay either. Reuniting with his father was his task to accomplish, not hers. He went up to the mushroom, taking one piece, and going up to Lucy.
"Natsu? You want to leave? What about your father?" Lucy asked, not knowing that the morsel was for her.
"This isn't for me. It's for you. I know you want to leave. You've only known me a day." He said, trying to sound cheerful.
Lucy's logic told her to eat the mushroom and continue on with her life. Whatever Natsu chose to do was none of her business. However, her heart was judging the situation differently. It wanted to stay, take a risk and help Natsu find his father. She chose to follow her heart.
"I decline. Don't you dare try and choose for me Dragneel." The writer said, pointing her finger close to his face.
"B─but, your book!" Natsu stuttered, not understanding what was going on in her mind.
"Scratch it…for now. I am willing to put my life on hold to help you. I want to help! I know we haven't been friends long, but you have already taken a place in my heart, even if you annoy me sometimes." She said sincerely, smiling.
Natsu's heart leapt out of his chest, feeling the kindness of Lucy's heart enveloping his. Happiness stirred inside him, someone actually cared for him so much that they decided to give up something dear to them for a while; being a author.
"I will never be able to thank you enough Lucy." He gave her a bone crunching hug, voice filled with intense emotion. "You have also entered my heart, and will never leave it." He added.
Lucy smirked, taking hold of his hand tightly, differently than all the other times before. "Shall we re-start our journey?
"Aye! Let's finish this! Together...always?" Natsu asked, biting his lip.
"Of course…together…always." Lucy said, chuckling, knowing she would never be able to walk away from this outrageous yet warm hearted guy.
Their adventure might have just started, or might be the beginning of the end, but the only thing they needed to know was that they were going to get through everything…together. And it all started because of Lucy getting lost in the woods. Now looking back on her lost dilemma, Lucy found her situation rather lucky. If it wasn't for her broken automobile and the bear looking bush…she would have never met her soul mate. Albeit she hadn't realised it…yet. Maybe on their next adventure to a strange land.
On the table, in Natsu's house, words started appearing, depicting the beginning of Happy, Lucy and Natsu's adventure, for it had just begun…
Not THE END, but ONCE UPON A TIME…
Don't be sad that this is the last chapter! I will probably do a sequel that will explore more of the couple's relationship and the finding of Natsu's father. Don't forget to watch out for it. I will PM everybody who has followed or favorited this as soon as I have posted the first chapter. I promise.
Until next time...
welshcanadian14