Crimzon: Alright guys, here's the next chapter. Um I just realized that I've been typing Charla's name wrong and putting Charlie so I changed it for this chapter haha. Too lazy to fix the other chapters. Um, when I asked to go and guess what kind of mage Nora is . . . you need to be more specific haha but yeah. Anyway, this chapter gets into more detail about what's going on . . . but remember, there's still a lot of mysteries left. So read, review and Enjoy and I do NOT own Fairy Tail!

The Price to Remember~

~Lucy's POV~

I couldn't remember anything except for a dark cave and then, extreme pain. Where was I? I don't know. It was dark and dreary and I felt a burning sensation around my arms and legs. I tried to remember the very last thing before I lost consciousness . . . what was it? Images flashed in my mind. Long white hair and gold eyes, one of which had a scar.

"Seven days . . ." A voice. The same voice from before . . . the one that haunted my dreams.

"Seven days?" I repeated, meaning it for it to be a question.

"Seven more days before . . ."

"Before what?" I asked again.

"The end . . ." It was then that I felt cold. This nightmare seemed familiar, like the ones from before only it was a different conversation, but one thing stayed the same: the horrible screams that filled the empty void. My ears hurt as I fell to my knees, hoping I would wake up soon so I wouldn't have to suffer this torture and then, just like that, the screaming stopped and it was dead quiet. Slowly, I looked around me, wondering why I hadn't awakened yet.

"Seven more days, Lucy." I looked up and there was a silhouette of a person standing before me.

"What?" I asked, not sure of what else to say. For some reason, this voice was familiar, but at the same time, deadly.

"You need to remember . . ." was the last thing it said as it faded into the black.

~General POV~

Lucy woke up in an empty room that looked like an infirmary. She wasn't sure of what happened and was having a hard time trying to remember. She tried to remember the very last thing before losing consciousness but it came out as a blank. She tried to remember who had probably brought her to this room . . . but that too came as a blank. She sat there on the cot, eyes glazed over. At that moment, Erza, Gray, Happy and Natsu walked in with Wendy and Charla trailing behind.

"Hey, she's awake," noted Natsu once he saw the celestial mage sitting up.

"How are you feeling, Lucy? Any pain?" asked Wendy as she walked over to examine the bandages around her arms. Lucy stared at her, no recognition in her eyes. Natsu noticed something seemed off with Lucy and immediately got a bad feeling.

"Lucy?" he asked again. Erza noticed something seemed off too and had walked over to sit on the empty chair by Lucy.

"Is everything ok, Lucy?" she asked. They all stayed silent as she stared at them with a blank expression. She then turned her head towards Erza and started muttering to herself and finally, a name came to her mind.

"E-Eliza?" she mumbled. The four mages stared at her in disbelief.

"Lucy, what's wrong with you? She's Erza!" snapped Natsu, fearful something is happening to his dear friend. It was then that Lucy's eyes regained their usual appearance. Getting back to her senses, she shook her head and noticed everyone staring at her.

"Oh, hey guys . . . is something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Lucy, you forgot my name," stated Erza. Lucy's head jerked in Erza's direction, shock in her eyes.

"I'd never do such a thing!" she defended.

"But you did, Lucy. You called her Eliza," stated Gray. Lucy stared at them in disbelief.

"But I don't know anyone by that name," she defended. As she said that, she was hit with another headache.

"Of course you do, Lucy," muttered the voice. It was different from the one in her dreams, but she still felt frightened. As she tried to ignore the pain, the others were calling out to her, asking if she was okay.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" questioned Natsu, this time, more frantic. Gray, Erza and Wendy were asking her the same, but none of them got a response.

"Yelling at her isn't going to get you an answer. Just wait for it to pass," said Nora. The mages turned and found her standing nonchalantly at the doorway. Natsu already felt the anger well up in his veins.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"To protect Lucy, obviously," she answered as she walked over and stood at the end of the cot. Seconds passed without anyone saying a word. Finally, the pain in Lucy's head passed and she noticed Nora in the room.

"You're from . . . before," she said in a shaky voice.

~Nora's POV~

I looked right at her and it didn't take me long to figure out that the countdown has already started. She has about a week before . . .

"Protect her from what?" I came out of my mental ranting to hear Gray's question. I stared down at the sheets, trying to find the right words to explain.

"There are some people out there that want her dead. I was sent here to stop them," I explained. They gave me an expression of anger and confusion.

"Who would want to kill Lucy?" asked the young girl, Wendy. I let out a sigh and slouched forward, resting my arms on the metal railings at the end of the cot.

"Maybe I should start from the beginning?" I asked, meaning for it to rhetorical.

"Yes, that'd be very helpful," Erza commented sarcastically. Then she added, "If someone's after Lucy, we want to help."

Before I started saying anything, I looked back at Lucy. She was staring down at her lap, clutching the bed sheets in frustration.

"Well, it's a long story so you better get comfortable," I said. Then I felt another presence in the room. "If you want to listen too, Gajeel, I suggest you get in here," I called to the doorway. I heard a loud 'Tch' sound then he came out from the shadows.

"How'd you know I was there?" he asked, mostly annoyed.

"Just shut it and listen to what I have to say," I snapped. Everyone had a wary glance, but had no complaints. Gajeel walked over and stood in the corner by the chair Wendy had sat down in with his arms crossed. Charla and Happy sat on the bed while Natsu sat at the end next to the railings. Gray leaned up against the wall.

"Well first off . . ." I stared over at Gray. "Put your shirt back on." I stated bluntly. He looked down and noticed his shirt missing.

"Heh? When the fuck did I-?" he gasped as he scampered around trying to find it. I let out a sigh and started the explanation.

"Have any of you ever heard of the story called The Three Dragons of Trinity?"

"I remember Grandeeny telling me that story when I was little," commented Wendy.

"Yeah, Igneel told me that story once too," added Natsu. I looked over to Gajeel and noticed him nodding.

"Metalicana told it to me once too."

"I've heard of that story once too," stated Erza. Then Gray walked over, putting on his shirt.

"Yeah, I me too. I remember Ur telling it as a bed time story," added Gray. I looked over to Lucy and noticed her nodding.

"I remember reading it in a book when I was little."

"Well then, let me just say this: the version you guys know isnt the actual story." They all stared at me, confused. "The one you were all told had a happy ending, right?" I asked. They all gave each other a look and nodded. I then looked to each dragon slayer in the room. "Your dragons know the real story, but told you the kiddie version of it. The story goes that there was once three great dragons that protected the Earth from evil, but one of them never really agreed with the other while the third just wanted to keep the peace. The two dragons faught constantly and without any choice left, the third saught out the help of three humans. Teaching them Dragon Slayer magic, they were able to tame the two dragons and the first dragon slayers were born." I stopped a moment then sighed, "That's the version you all know, right?" I asked. They all nodded. Before I could continue with my story, Natsu jumped up from his seat.

"Alright, I'm sick of waiting. What the hell does this stupid story have to do with Lucy?"

"If you would sit your ass down and calm yourself for a moment then I can explain," I calmly stated. "Now, the real version of the story may shock you, but it might clear things up a bit." I pulled up a chair and sat down.

"A long time ago, before Fiore ever existed, there was a small nameless kingdom. During this time, Dragons were not unheard of and were spotted daily. Two great dragons were said to protect the land, but that didn't last. They'd constantly feud and put innocent people in harms way. With every battle, they'd leave nothing but destruction in their wake. One dragon was said to have control over the surrounding earth and air, but was mostly well known for it's fiery temper: The Sun Dragon. The second dragon controlled the seas and anything relating to darkness, but was mostly know for it's cold and icy demeanor: The Moon Dragon." I stopped a moment to collect my thoughts, then continued, "Like in the story you all know, there was a third dragon. Always neutral and wanting nothing more but peace. He was the one who always managed to break up their fights before causing irriversable damage. Known as the protector of life and healer of the wounded: The Spirit Dragon.

As days went by, he realized that their fights were never going to end and did something any desperate dragon would do; seek help from a human. He taught him everything he knew making him the first Dragon Slayer, but no matter the strength the human had, he knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the Sun and Moon. He asked the human to find him two others willing to risk their lives to stop them. Not long after that, the human returned to the dragon with the two who would be burdened with the task."

"What task?" asked Erza.

"The Spirit Dragon had a plan, but needed two pure hearted humans for it to work. Their task was to seal the Sun and Moon away within the two humans. He taught them the Dragon Slayer magic and not long after that, he challenged his two old friends and once they were weakened, he sealed them away inside the two humans. He expected them to die, but they didn't. Not long after, the Spirit Dragon was drastically weakened and fell into an eternal slumber leaving his friend with one last request. The human didn't hesitate and took the duty without complaint. His last request? For him to take on the role that he had. To protect the living and heal the injured."

"What of the other two?" asked Erza.

"Well, the nameless kingdom had no leader and when they saw what the three had done, they saw them as their heros and named them their rulers and protectors. The nameless kingdom was soon named Trinity. The one who sealed away the Moon was named King. His name was Malum Locke. The one who trained with the Spirit dragon was named the head Priest. His name was Fallon Keyes." I stopped a moment then looked right at Lucy, "The one who sealed away the Sun was named Queen. Her name was Luciana Heartfillia."

The room went completely silent as the information I gave them sank in. Their eyes were wide with shock when they heard the Queen's name.

"The reason to this story is that Luciana was said to have been corrupted and betrayed Trinity, but others say different."

"What do you mean?" asked Wendy.

"The events that took place back then, no one is sure of what really happened. Some say that she betrayed everyone and went on a rampage because she lost control of her magic . . . others say that it was the kingdom that betrayed her. No one is really sure, but my master believes Luciana was a great Dragon Slayer and there was a reason behind her actions that day." I stopped a moment and looked back at Lucy, "You resemble Luciana as well as the fact that she's your ancestor. Those who believe that she betrayed Trinity think that Lucy is her reincarnation and that she'll follow in Luciana's footsteps."

"That's the thing, I cant because I'm not a Dragon Slayer," stated Lucy. I chuckled at her statement.

"Yeah well, not for long."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The dreams you've been having along with the most recent one. The countdown has begun. In a week's time, your memories of the past will return. I'm here to make sure she's safe until the seventh day where her memories return and we'll know the truth. The ones out to kill her don't want her remembering since they think she'll lose control and destory all of Fiore like Trinity."

"So, you're saying that in seven days, Lucy will gain the memories of her ancestor Luciana?"

"Yep, pretty much. Um, theres also one more thing. Natsu, can I talk to you?" I got up from my seat as I motioned for Natsu to follow me out the door. The serious expression never faltered as he followed me. Just when we were out of ear shot, I told him.

"There's just one problem with her recieveing Luciana's memories . . . there is a price." His eyes started to widen as he was probably thinking what was going to happen to his friend. "The price to remember . . . it's to forget. As it gets closer to the seventh day, her memories are slowly going to be replaced. At midnight on the seventh day . . . her current memories will be gone and replaced with Luciana's." just when I finish that statement, Natsu grabs onto my shirt then slams me into the wall.

"This is your fault! None of this would be happening if you didn't come here!" he snapped. I let out a sigh, giving him a sad expression.

"I did nothing to trigger this. The only reason this is happening now is because on the seventh day, it'll be the exact same day in which the kingdom of Trinity was destroyed. I was sent here by my master who knew this day was coming." Natsu losened his grip on me just a bit as a shadow covered the look in his eyes when he lowered his head to look at the ground.

"Will Lucy be able to remember us again?" he asked.

"I really don't know what to tell you. For now, I suggest you guys stay close to her and make this last week as enjoyable as possible."

"Why . . . why is this happening? Who the hell are you?" he snapped again, tears slipping past his eyes.

"I'm surprized you havent figured it out by my scent. What kind of Dragon Slayer are you?" I laughed then composed myself to answer his question.

"The King and Queen of Trinity had a guard of four that protected them. Their guard was made up of Dragon Slayers that were close to their element. For example, Luciana was the Sun Dragon Slayer so fire, air, earth and iron were her element . . . the Earth Dragon Slayer who served under her was my ancestor . . . if you cant put two and two together now then that's just sad."

"You're a Dragon Slayer."

"That's correct, Salamander."

Crimzon: Ugh, wording this was a pain but whatever.

Nora: What do you mean by that?

Crimzon: I HAVE TO KEEP THIS AS MYSTERIOUS AS POSSIBLE!

Nora: … alrighty then. READ AND REVIEW PEOPLE!