Disclaimer: Me no own Fairytail
"At long last, ground!" Natsu cried as he stumbled out of a train. He began hugging the pavement while recovering from his motion sickness "I'm never riding a train again!" He continued. Train rides were already unbearable for Natsu, but a 13 hour train ride? The others had to secretly admit that it was a myrical that he could speak at all, especially since he was puking the whole time.
"C-cold." Lucy shivered. She remembered her jacket this time, but it didn't seem to be doing much good. At least, not until her body temperature had warmed it up some. She took in her surroundings briefly, it was dark and cloudless. The weather was freezing and a thin layer of snow, frozen solid, coated everything. There were few people around the train station, but even from her location about a mile outside of the main town bright lights and the slight murmur of people could be heard. Getting into town would be a simple task, they just had to walk straight ahead.
Erza took pity on Natsu and rather than taking advantage of cheap horse carriages placed conveniently at the train station said, "We'll walk." The other members of team Natsu were grateful for the opportunity to stretch their legs.
Their walk was silent and slow going. Their train had arrived at 9:00 AM, and when traveling a good deep sleep is hard to come by. In their exhausted state nobody could think of a conversation topic. None of them dared to complain, for fear it would damage their pride. Even little Wendy knew it would be a bad idea, and while Natsu normally wasn't so reserved in his own moans of pain and fatigue, he kept quiet in order to fully recover from the motion sickness.
As team Natsu neared the center of town the crowd gradually thickened. "Hey, what's up with all these flower buds?" Gray suddenly said.
"Whoa!" Wendy gasped. Thousands upon thousands of dark purple flower buds grew from every crevice, hole, and pot. Even in the freezing soil they thrived, growing straight through sheets of ice. The buds all appeared to be around the size of Gray's fist, promising huge flowers.
"I'll admit that's a bit creepy." Lucy said sheepishly.
"Yeah." Natsu added.
Erza inspected them closely. "How peculiar. I'll have to ask the client about that later." And, when Natsu failed to stifle his giggles which arose because he thought Erza sounded funny saying peculiar, he gained a nice bump on his head. "Anyways." She continued, "We're in a pretty crowded area now. There are bound to be some maps somewhere... there!" She headed straight towards what appeared to be a stack of maps, oblivious to the crowd around her. If someone was in her path, they were shoved out of the way by her.
"Alright. According to the flyer, this is their address... so, it should be over there!" And she pointed to a large, brown-red colored building not too far away.
"Okay! Let's go!" Natsu cheered and energetically began running towards the building.
"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy shouted. He stopped and sent her a confused look. "Don't go ahead of us! Jeez, it'd be too easy to get lost with all of these people around." He opened his mouth to protest, but the deadly glare Lucy sent his way silenced him. Together, team Natsu trekked through the crowd towards the building.
Up close, it was easy to see how the weather had worn down the once magnificent building. Faded red bricks made up the structure, many cracked and chipped. What must have one been a grand door with a shining brass knocker was now a piece of weak looking wood with a mark showing where the knocker once was. It was depressing to see something so worn and abandoned.
Erza approached the door and carefully raised her fist.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
One minute passed, then two. The whole group began to wonder if they had the right address when the door slowly opened. Standing in the door way was a man who was most likely in his 70's. He stood hunched, his gray beard dangling several inches below his chin. He was completely bald, and wore an old style of clothing. "Are you the mages?" He asked in a raspy voice. Team Natsu responded by nodding and showing their guild marks. "Good. Follow me." He said, leading them into the building.
The inside was set up like a huge house. As they slowly made their way towards whatever destination the old man had in store, they passed through what appeared to be a kitchen, and after that a living room. While the outside of the building appeared trashy and broken down, the inside was far nicer. Stainless white carpet covered the floors in most of the house, while scratch-free hardwood floors covered most of the other part. The walls invariably had no stains and an even coating of paint. The furniture that they passed appeared expensive and was well maintained. Overall, the inside of the building had a nice homely feel to it.
The old man finally stopped in what appeared to be the basement. The floor was made of smooth cement, there was little furniture, and it was fairly dark. Erza and Gray shared uneasy glances as the client just stood there, no longer acknowledging the mages. He opened his mouth wide and bellowed, "We're here!" In a strong, clear voice.
It was far too suspicious. The mages got into semi-fight stances. Except for one, completely oblivious dragon slayer. "Old man ya didn't need to shout! We're right here!" He complained.
"I wasn't talking to you." The man said calmly, his voice no longer feeble. He turned to the wizards with a grin and a large puff of purple smoke appeared around him. In his place was a now youthful black haired man wearing a dark blue suit. He shifted his confident gaze towards Lucy, and her specifically. Behind him, about a dozen mages emerged from various hiding places. Dropping from the ceiling, crawling out of a couch, or even out of the floor. The mages were all quite unique looking, but there was one trait they all shared: A guild mark, one which depicted a skull biting down on a heart.
"I am Kail! One of the most powerful mages of my guild!" The black haired man began with an overly dramatic voice. "We are Whitedeath! The most powerful dark guild! And sworn enemies to Fairytail. It would do you well to avoid us." He proudly puffed out his chest and struck a pose which just screamed, 'I'm superior to you.'
He began laughing. "You fools actually took the bait! The mission was a fake, a hoax. Now because you were so desperate for a few extra jewels, you have the honor of being taken out by me, the mo-" Kail's voice was suddenly silenced when Erza flung herself at him, knocking him out without even requiring a weapon. Natsu and Gray quickly dispatched the other mages without being told to do so. The 'battle' hardly lasted ten seconds.
Meanwhile Lucy was stressing out in the background. "A hoax, a hoax?! What'll I do! My rent's almost due! And I came, but it's so cold! Ohhhh, maybe if I do this, or this..." And she schemed, trying to find a method to gain some jewels.
"Lucy, I think it'll be fine." Wendy said nervously, her attempts at comforting awkward. Lucy apparently didn't notice as she was hyperventilating in the corner.
"Since this mission's fake, I see no reason to stay here. Alright, we're going to find a hotel and stay here for one night!" Erza exclaimed proudly. Once Lucy was able to think straight again, team Natsu left the building.
The mages were all settled into the hotel room, each making their own plans for the day.
Plunk! Lucy frowned at her bag. She had thrown it at her bed, and never intended for it to land on the ground right next to it. "Oh well." She sighed. "Okay, I'm going to go outside! I need to find out why so many people are in such a small town. Oh, I'll ask about those flowers while I'm at it."
"Hey Lucy! I'm coming with you!" Natsu said, approaching her.
"No you're not." She responded curtly.
"Huh? Why not?" He was confused. On a normal day, Lucy would never refuse him.
"Because, you really need a shower. I can tell you haven't bathed in days! You stink, and the mustache is still there!"
"You're probably right!" Natsu shouted. "Alright then, be careful Luce." And he wandered off in search of a towel.
Lucy shook off the annoyed feeling she got when Natsu told her to be careful and giggled, because it also made her feel a bit warm inside to know that someone cared about her enough to wish her well.
She grabbed a small purse and some cash and left the hotel. Her coat was nice and heated up, she had never taken it off, but it still felt a bit chilly. "I'm still tired from earlier. I guess first up on the agenda is getting some coffee." For Lucy, coffee was a rare treat. She needed it to wake up properly though, and she was curious about the town and whatever event was going on.
As Lucy walked through the town, there was an extremely festive mood in the air. People were sipping hot drinks, eating sweets, dressing up in bright (even by earthland's standards) clothing, and everyone was happy. The scent of flowers wafted throughout the village, and Lucy was getting more and more curious about just what was going on.
Finally, she spotted a cafe. Surprisingly, it didn't appear too crowded. At least, not from the outside.
The inside of the cafe turned out to be just as empty as she had thought. She sat down absently at a table and was approached by a beautiful young waitress. She had super thick, wavy waist length chocolate brown hair. Her eyes were a unique shade of brown flecked with green. "Hey miss, can I get you anything?" She asked.
Lucy smiled and placed her order. As the waitress turned to leave, she said, "Wait!" Fortunately the waitress heard, and stepped closer to the table with a confused stare. "Um, I was just wondering, why are there so many people in this town? And also, what's up with the flower?"
The waitress' gaze softened. "You're not from around here, are you? It's a long story to tell, are you sure you want to hear?" Lucy nodded. "Alright, I'll drop off you order first. There isn't much business right now, so there's no harm if I explain the festival to you!" And she rushed out of sight, eager to be the one to enlighten a traveler.
Lucy was surprised, to say the least, at the waitress' behavior. She said something about a festival. Though... that makes sense with all the commotion going on.
A few minutes later the waitress returned, excitedly plopping down on the seat across from Lucy at her table.
"Where to begin... oh, I know! My name is Mimi." Lucy could tell she had a bubbly personality, and she just met the girl. "I suppose that doesn't really matter though, does it? Anyways, I'll just start at the beginning."
"You probably haven't noticed, but tomorrow's the winter solstice. For one week before the solstice, all of Troine holds a festival. We traditionally make lavender tea and baked goods filled with poppy seeds. We also dress up in bright costumes to celebrate the full day without sunlight and the appearance of a moon and the stars. Without the moon and the stars, we'd have absolutely no reason to celebrate the festival, and that'd just be depressing!
Now the flower buds you see everywhere directly relate to the festival. They bloom for 24 hours before dying and leaving their seeds behind, and if you haven't figured it out yet they bloom on the solstice! Oh, by the way, we call the flowers Moon drop flowers. Obviously, it's primarily because they bloom on the only day without sunlight. But that's not the full story. Nope, these flowers have magic! It's hard to explain, but when they bloom a trail of magic wafts out of each flower continuously until it dies. Scientists say that these flowers have a type of magic similar to celestial magic, and while I'm no expert in the magical field, I do know that the magic calms people and makes them happy. It has even been known to heal small wounds...
Oh, Moon drop flowers only grow in Troine. Nobody really know's why, but some think that it's 'cause, being so far up north and all, we get hit the most directly by the moons rays. And maybe Moon drop flowers need a high concentration of moon light to grow, or something like that. Sadly they can't be harvested. I'm not sure why, but even if they only exist in this small area, there are lots of them. It's good though, because they are very pretty!"
Lucy blinked. Mimi had spoken so fast it was hard to understand her, and she was out of breath. But she understood most of what she was told, and it put her at ease to know what was going on. "Thanks for letting me know, that sounds like a sight to behold."
"Mmhm, it is!" Mimi nodded. Just then a voice called the waitress' name, and she quickly got up. "Bye bye!" She said in a high pitched voice before once again moving where Lucy couldn't see her.
That was a bit odd, but at least I understand what's going on. This could be fun! Mimi returned with Lucy's coffee, and she quickly drank it. She left her jewels on the table with a considerate tip and exited the cafe, shocked momentarily once again by the sudden shift in temperature.
In another part of town, Wendy and Erza pushed through the crowds together. An awkward silence permeated the air between the two.
What do I do? I rarely ever talk to her, this is sort of scary! Wendy thought. "S-so, Erza, where are we going?" She stammered nervously.
Erza smiled down at her, easing Wendy's tense nerves. "I thought it might be a good idea to check out the clothing stores around here. People are wearing such interesting outfits, I wonder where they get them?"
Now, Wendy was excited. She could spot a clothing store with her enhanced vision. "I see one! A store, that is." She announced.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Lucy began moving towards the outskirts of town. She hummed a made up tune while smiling at the sight of more flower buds. I hope we can see them bloom before we go.
Suddenly, Lucy felt very tired. What...? She stopped walking and began to sway. Eventually, the feeling overwhelmed her and she collapsed. Images around her began to gradually blur and grow darker. In the line of her sight, she could make out a grinning woman approaching her. Behind that woman a girl stared at the scene. Those were the last things Lucy saw before she succumbed to her sudden exhaustion and all was dark.
As always, reviews are appreciated.
In this story, Earthland doesn't celebrate Christmas. Why not, it's another world.
~Until next time