The Phoenix Initiative

Chapter 3:

Plans

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It was quiet. Lucy didn't like it. It felt too intimate, too personal. Sunlight poured through the window that sat beside her, tickling her skin in the warm rays that almost comforted her. She stood in the solitude of her home, staring at the leather bag that laid half empty on her bed. She found herself losing more and more motivation to continue her work; something about being back home, being back in the sweet silence she always loved behind these walls just changed her. At least, the silence used to be sweet.

Now it just bore a painful reminder. Natsu had lived in this house before he had even met her, and she always found it funnily ironic how such a loudmouth like him would find solace in a quiet little place like this. She found it endearing, cute even. He was always the one to brighten it up anyways, he was his own noise.

The beating silence felt like a crude mockery to her now. Lucy felt like she was being teased, like there was something tickling her neck, flicking her ear, whispering laughs into it. She shut out those thoughts. They had clouded her ever since she arrived back at her home, they nearly suffocated her, and she couldn't believe that she actually wanted to get out of the place she once called home.

Her real home was long gone, she supposed then. With a sword in his heart.

Lucy had found herself distracted from packing her bag. Among the pile of clothes and supplies she had gathered on her bed, her eyes were frozen on a certain slip of fabric hidden underneath a pillow. She picked it out, slowly, hesitantly, and she recognized it right away as Natsu's tunic. He always wore it around the house, whether when fixing certain cracks or leaks, or simply sleeping next to her, Lucy recognized the pattern of rips and shreds of the cloth he always refused to let her sew up.

The shirt felt flimsy between her fingers, the fabric was thin and worn and it only took a few seconds of fiddling with it before her finger poked out from a hole, but the mere feeling of it sent tingles through her fingers. She remembered the feeling of Natsu's skin underneath this shirt, how many times she would have to shed it off of him in this bed and how many times his head would get caught in the midst of it. It was cheaply made, but he loved it.

Lucy absently brought the cloth to her face, burying her nose in it deeply. She inhaled the familiar scent of him, the rich smoky waves that always seemed to air off of him filling her senses. Her stomach knotted at this longingly, and she felt a sudden sting behind her eyes. She remembered this all to vividly, how distinct he smelled, like how every human did. She couldn't explain it, how he could smell so earthy and sweet at the same time, but she felt her fingers tremble as she fisted the cloth. She took the shirt away from her then, deciding she didn't need to be putting herself through this, and held it in her hands.

Lucy stared at it for a moment before stuffing it in her bag, and continued to pack up her own things. She sighed out the last of what she inhaled and cleared her head, remembering to focus on what she had to do.

On what she agreed to do.

She had accepted Brandish's deal on finding The Phoenix Initiative, or whatever it was that she needed to find. She refused to go back to that dungeon, back to the dark oblivion that was her mind and have no way of escaping again. Magnolia was in ruins with Brandish's army, and Lucy had to accept the fact that no one was coming to save them. Her friends were probably either dead or imprisoned, and it was obvious it would take an army of her own to even get past the barricades Brandish had set up around the towns borders.

Lucy had to accept the fact that she was Magnolia's best chance of surviving. The warriors were overthrown easily and she was the only one allowed outside these walls without an arrow in her chest. She couldn't pass up this chance to get the upper hand. Even if it might cost her life.

Lucy grabbed her leather bag and left to go meet with Brandish one last time before she set off. She only got as far as her front door though, before it was thrown open in her face with an impatient knock. She stumbled back a step, startled, and her eyes immediately fell on Mard Geer standing with a stone cold gaze.

Lucy felt an wave of disgust wash over her at the sight of him, an obvious flash of hatred crossing her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, bitterly. She shoved her way past him, refusing to even make eye contact with the man that murdered her husband. She threw on the last strap of her bag as she continued her walk, and heard his slow footsteps trace her path.

"For some reason or another, Lady Brandish is entrusting you with this mission. Unfortunately to say though," he grabbed Lucy's arm roughly, forcing her eyes to his, "I don't have that much confidence in you."

Lucy gritted her teeth, yanking her arm back as he stepped in closer to her. "I will not lose this chance to master this spell and neither will the Lady. We both know that this type of task is far out of your area of expertise, not that you even have one other than crying and shouting. Back down now and save everyone from your failure, I will not let the Lady be vulnerable to your disappointment."

Lucy couldn't help but feel like she wanted to explode. She couldn't believe he would just come out and say those things to her, yet she should've known better than to believe that he would've just trusted her to do this mission. And she couldn't deny that he might be right.

He might be right. But it didn't mean she couldn't do it, it didn't mean she couldn't try. Mard Geer was doing this purely for himself, he didn't care about her or Brandish, he just wanted this spell and was too scared to do it himself. Which, was pathetically ironic, considering he killed her husband in an attempt to prove his bravery.

Lucy kept her lips pressed tightly together, and something gleamed in her eye that exposed she knew his words were true. She sighed out of her nose despite, quieting her voice darkly.

"Touch me again and I'll end you."

With that, she turned again and continued down the dirt path. Lucy didn't feel right about that, the words tasted bitter on her tongue, but she refused to turn back. If anyone here deserved to die, itwould be him. She had no idea if it would be her hand to hold the sword that would inevitably go through him, though she knew one thing: if it came down to her, and her alone, she wouldn't regret it.

The air still smelled of the storm that passed the day before. The streets were still darkened by the recently fallen rain and the dirt still sunk beneath Lucy's boots as she crossed her way towards the entrance of town. She saw up ahead a long line of soldiers waiting for her arrival. She passed by them warily, discomforted by how lifeless their eyes seemed to be. Brandish stood a few feet away from her then, and it was strange to see her anywhere else other than her throne.

"Have you everything you need?" she asked.

Lucy nodded, trying to hide the grim clouds she felt hanging above her. Lady Brandish either didn't notice or didn't care. She stepped out from Lucy's path then, and opened up her view towards the gate that led out of the town.

"Right well, on your way then." she waved her forward, an excited, child-like smile curled on her lips.

Lucy continued on and stepped out of the gates onto the dirt road that led towards one of the larger cities. She glanced back to Brandish and her army staring at her, catching the mischievous glint that swam through her eyes.

"Oh, and don't worry about spreading the news about Magnolia's fall. It's already been done." She spoke up, with a tilt of her head, "You get me that spell though, and you won't have to worry about me ever again. Magnolia and your husband, will be yours again."

Lucy's heart thumped heavily. She left without another word or gesture, the cold eyes of Mard Geer that sat behind the Lady were enough to get her going out of there as quickly as she could. She felt like she just needed to go, get on with this task and finish it. Quick and simple. She had wondered for hours after she agreed to Brandish's offer about how she would even complete this. She hadn't a simple clue where to even start with this. She was looking for a spell in a magicless country, it was like the equivalent to looking for a non-existent needle in a haystack.

Lucy knew one thing for sure though, and that was if she were looking for something secretive, the place to go would the Balsam Library. It was the most extravagant of all libraries in Fiore, as Balsam had a reputation for such things, though it was also very sensitive to their visitors. Some of the worlds oldest books and documents were kept there, and Lucy bet that they kept some sort of information about sorcery hidden away in there.

She knew little about if the library truly did hold those things, though as she realized this was her only lead, she decided to head there nonetheless. She remembered she had an old friend that lived there as well, back when she used to travel the country and all the tiny towns of Fiore. She hoped her friend still lived there, last she heard of her she was a mere greetings person for Balsam Library. Lucy hoped over the amount of time she was gone, her clearance level might have upgraded, if needed. She doubted they would let just anyone enter and learn about sorcery, if it were even real.

Lucy estimated it was about a three day trip to walk to Balsam. She did so the first day, the long and winding dirt paths that connected each town were quiet and quaint, and she even managed to find an inn to stay overnight. Brandish had supplied her with enough money, though where she had gotten so much Ishguardian currency, she will never know.

Lucy took this time to ponder over how she planned to handle this. She couldn't help but doubt everything Brandish had told her. She couldn't believe that there was an entire continent of people hiding away magic from the rest of the world, it was too outrageous. She felt so conflicted about her beliefs. When she was a girl she wanted to believe in magic, but now it just seemed surreal to even consider the possibility.

If the spell were fake, why would Brandish just send her off with this crazy idea then? Lucy wondered if she was just cast out on a wild goose chase, just something to keep her busy while Brandish planned something else behind her back.

But, that didn't make sense. If she wanted her gone, she could have locked her up, or even killed her. It wasn't like she was a threat, Lucy knew this, she was just a pawn apart of a despicable scheme.

Lucy wondered if she should be the threat no one took her for. She was free, she could go anywhere and get help, get an army to take back Magnolia. There was no trusting Brandish's word, no one knew what she would do once she got what she wanted. Lucy didn't know if that was the best plan either. She was on a deadline, as told by Brandish after she accepted her deal, and if this were true…she could have Natsu back.

Lucy couldn't imagine the feeling she would have if Natsu came back. Everything would change, she just knew it. She would be able to win this battle if she had him by her side again. Maybe she could plan this out accordingly. Do both strategies at the same time.

Lucy doubted magic, but she would never risk the chance of passing by an opportunity to bring her husband back. She would get the Phoenix Initiative and defeat Brandish. When she got Natsu back, then that's when things would finally turn up. She didn't have any expertise when it came to war, Natsu did. With him, they could change the tide.

Lucy found a nice man in the morning taking cargo towards a town near Balsam. She rode with him until they split their separate ways, and she arrived around mid-day. The town was quite serene. It was a hotspot for travelers considering the natural hotsprings that were open for the public. The setting was flourished with foliage and greenery, being settled on the edge of a rather dreary swamp that surrounded it.

She continued her trek and found the building, surprised at how luxurious the place was compared to the last time she saw it. A grand set of stairs led up to giant doors with guards posted outside, and that unusual scene was something that concerned her. She came up to the doors and carefully opened it, being exposed to an entire section lined with even more men, and a counter that stopped in the middle of the pathway towards the library.

Lucy approached the counter warily, a tiny old maiden perched atop a seat with a nasty frown on her lips.

"How do I enter the library?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"Identification?" the maiden droned, reading a thick book in her hand.

Her eyes gleamed confusion, "Sorry?"

The lady sighed and slapped the book shut, giving an irritated glare to the widow. "You need a Royal Guard identification pass to enter the library. If you are not a noblewoman, leave. There is nothing for you here."

"You wish not to leave? Fine. I can just call those guards and have you thrown out instead. Please, do not cause a scene." the maiden spoke over Lucy, before a single word could come from her mouth.

Lucy watched as she motioned towards at least seven strong guards lined against the walls, them all turning to look at her warily. She feared this.

"I just need to search for a book, please–"

"Guards!" The maiden yelled, looking back to her book at hand.

Lucy's heart jumped as all those men came at her, stumbling back on her feet. She held up her hands though, panic bubbling up and through her. "Wait!"

They slowed, but didn't stop until Lucy backed up into the corner, "Wait! Please! I will leave okay?"

They halted at this, surrounding her and she stared at them intensely, irritation flooding her eyes. She sighed out of her nose then and parted her way through the sea of soldiers, leaving peacefully.

Lucy couldn't help but feel lost as she was locked outside the doors. She felt a headache coming as she realized she probably had to do something she much rather not do. She had to find another way in. And not get caught.

She could only imagine what would happen if she were.

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to be continued...

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short and sweet, basically just a chapter to set the stage for the upcoming chapters. sorry for the super long wait!