Chapter 4: Welcome Home
It's been a week since the wedding. After the ceremony Freed and Lucy attended a party at the guild, Fairytail style. What was surprising was the fact that Freed's entire family attended the party and participated in the crazy. At some point during the night they had even convinced Lucy to get up in front of the guild and sing.
~ FLASHBACK ~
Freed and Lazare hopped off stage and walked over to Lucy. Freed was obviously drunk and Lazare not far off. Freed wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him before speaking in a low and dangerous tone.
"Your turn."
Lucy easily escaped from the drunken rune mage's hold and turned around to face him. Her voice firm as she spoke.
"Don't get that dark dangerous tone with me mister. There is no way I'm getting up there! If I do Gajeel will try and make me 'dance' for his 'singing'. Besides Jason is still here, it's bad enough that ONE of us went up there."
Freed's face dropped, and he started pouting.
"Please? When you sang the fairy song at Mira's wedding it was so pretty."
"Are you begging?"
Freed just pouted more and nodded, making Lucy laugh.
"Oh god, you really are drunk. I'll make a deal with you. If you sit down and sober up, then I'll get up there and sing. Deal?"
His face immediately lifted, and he hugged her tightly, his rare childish side showing.
"Deal! I'll go sit down right away."
Lucy sighed and got up on stage sitting at the piano. Lisanna was behind her sitting on a stool with her violin at the ready. Once she saw that Freed was sitting down with one of Mira's 'detoxicators' she started her performance.
"Hey everyone. I'm going to sing for you all a song that I wrote. It's dedicated to everyone in Fairytail. At Mirajane and Laxus's wedding I sang a song called 'Faerie Queen' tonight I'm going to sing a song called 'Wild Faerie Dance'."
Lucy started to play the piano in a smooth tone, soon starting to sing.
"I wandered alone to the forest one night,
Led by a music strange to hear,
And followed the glow of a shimmering light,
That seemed to grow distant as I grew near.
The woods were alive with the fragrance of spring,
But winter was everywhere clear to see,
The moon shone bright and a bat on the wing,
Beckoned me closer and said to me:
'A clearing close in the forest you'll find,
A fabulous banquet,
A fairy ball,
If you close your eyes and you open your mind,
The veil disappears, and you'll see it all.
Come and play as the wild fairies play,
In a magical circle,
A fairy ring,
You won't want to leave and forever you'll stay,
Where the vision is as bright as spring.
Come and dance the wild fairy dance,
Spin in a circle as fast as light,
Once you begin you are caught in a trance,
And the world can grow old in a single night.'
When I closed my eyes to the shimmering light,
All memory faded, and I could see,
That a mushroom circle of red and white,
And myriad fairies surrounded me."
Lisanna started to play her violin in melody with the piano, the sound coming together in a calm and soothing song. After a few notes Lucy began to sing again.
"Beyond all space and beyond all time,
On gossamer wings did the fairies fly,
With a joy unknown to a music sublime,
The fairies danced,
And there danced I.
Come and play as the wild fairies play,
In a magical circle,
A fairy ring,
You won't want to leave and forever you'll stay,
Where the vision is as bright as spring.
Come and dance the wild fairy dance,
Spin in a circle as fast as light,
Once you begin you are caught in a trance,
And the world can grow old in a single night."
Both Lucy and Lisanna sang the second part, their voice whisper like.
"'Those who seek us surely find us,
See the trail we leave behind us,
Some bewildered,
Some enlightened,
Some are brave,
Some are frightened,
Are we kind or are we vicious?
Nectar poison or delicious?
That my sweet you'll discover,
Fairy foe or fairy lover.'"
Lisanna's voice dropped out and Lucy's voice rang clear and soft.
"Come and play as the wild fairies play,
In a magical circle,
A fairy ring,
You won't want to leave and forever you'll stay,
Where the vision is as bright as spring.
Come and dance the wild fairy dance,
Spin in a circle as fast as light,
Once you begin you are caught in a trance,
And the world can grow old in a single night.
I wondered alone to the forest one night,
Led by a music strange to hear,
If you happen to pass when the moon is bright,
And the veils are thin,
You will find me here,
If the veils are thin you will find me here."
As the words faded so did the music. There was a soft applause throughout the guild as many were lulled to sleep by her voice. Freed had a small smile on his lips as he looked at his wife with awe.
~ END FLASHBACK ~
After she walked off the stage she walked to where Freed was sitting. He picked her up and walked out of the guild and straight to his house, him fully sobered. Once they got there Freed let her down and ushered her through the door. He led her to the living room and started the fire and they talked until Lucy fell asleep. He fell asleep soon after. Sometime during the night, the rest of Freed's family returned to his house and saw the two sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. The next morning when the couple woke up they were in bed. After breakfast that day everyone in the household left for the Foudre estate. The couple spent three days there before returning to Magnolia.
The couple was currently walking through the streets of Magnolia towards Freed's home hand in hand. Lucy's laughter filing the streets. They were about to turn onto the side street that led to Freed's house when a blue furball collided with Lucy and she could hear Natsu yelling for her.
"LUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCYYYYYYYY! WAIT UP!"
Freed sighed but stopped their progress, not wanting Natsu to know where he lived. Lucy was able to dislodge Happy from her bosoms just as Natsu caught up.
"Lucy are you okay? I visited your house once I got back from my mission, but it was empty. Are you going somewhere?"
Lucy laughed at his naivety before explaining.
"I don't live there anymore. Now that I'm married to Freed I'm living with him."
"But why Luce?"
"Because he is my husband."
"Can I still come over?"
"No Natsu."
"But…"
"You can't break into Freed's house Natsu."
"But we're partners."
Lucy sighed and looked at Freed to sort Natsu out. Freed took the hint and wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist pulling her close while narrowing his eyes at Natsu. His voice was low and threatening as he spoke to Natsu, but his touch on Lucy was comforting.
"Mine Nastu."
Nastu was slightly taken back by Freed's possessiveness. Then he saw his arms around Lucy and he got enraged. 'His? When did this happen? She is supposed to me mine!" Natsu now understood what Freed meant by 'his' and he didn't like it.
"What do you mean yours? She's MY partner!"
"She is part of your team, yes, but she is my wife. Did Igneel not teach you about love and marriage?"
"Igneel did tell me about that stuff. He said that one day I would have a mate that I would have to protect them."
"Well Lucy is my 'mate' and that is why she is living with me now, so that I can protect her."
Understanding hit Natsu like a ton of bricks, his anger turning into sadness.
"Lucy does that mean you're not going to be part of Team Natsu anymore?"
When Happy heard Natsu say that he rushed back into Lucy's bosom.
"NO LUSHY! DON'T GO!"
Lucy petted the small blue exceed.
"I'll go with you guys on short missions but most of the time I'll be either going on Missions with the Raijinshuu or traveling with Freed."
Natsu picked up Happy and left the couple alone, his eyes downcast at learning about the marriage he missed. "And I was going to tell her I loved her today too. Guess that's what I get for taking a solo mission. You had better take care of her Freed." Once Natsu was out of sight the couple continued their walk home arriving not long after.
The encounter with Natsu wasn't something Lucy was ready to face yet, and Freed could tell that it was bothering her. Her eyes were downcast, and she was silent the entire way to her new home. Once they had arrived it was a completely different story. Freed took her jacket and hung it of the rack with his own and was about to enter his study when Lucy spoke up.
"He looked so hurt, so…broken."
Freed leaned up against the doorframe of his study facing Lucy. A long sigh escaping as he thought about what to say to his wife, and friend, to brighten her mood. When nothing came to mind he opened his arms and spoke softly, trying the best he could not to hurt her more.
"Come here Lucy."
She complied and ran to him, hugging him and crying into his chest. Her sobs calming some when she felt his arms around her.
"I know that things with Natsu did not turn out how you wished them to, and I am so sorry that some of that is due to me, but we cannot dwell on it. All we can do is try our best to make things easier, for us and Natsu."
"How?"
"We treat him as we always have, and you continue to go on some missions with your old team."
"I think I can do that."
Freed them picked her up and carried her up the stairs and to their bedroom, lying her down on the soft mattress before kissing her forehead.
"Today has been a tiring day, get some rest okay? I'll be up in a bit. I have some things I need to do for father."
"Okay."
"Oh, and Lucy, one more thing."
"Hmm?"
"I know that now it may be difficult to believe, but I do love you Lucy. I have for a while."
"I love you to Freed. Even though I can't say exactly when I started to love you, my feelings are also genuine."
Freed smiled and kissed her on the forehead once more. Just as he turned to leave Lucy clutched his sleeve.
"Please, stay Freed, I'll help you tomorrow with whatever father needed."
Freed thought about it for a moment and decided that Lucy needed him more than inheritance papers. He quickly changed into some sleep pants and crawled into bed with Lucy, pulling her close to him. They were almost asleep when an urgent knocking was heard downstairs. Freed instantly untangled himself from Lucy and went to go see who was visiting so late, stopping briefly at the door.
"You can stay here if you want, I'll see what is going on."
"Okay, call if you need me to come down."
Freed smiled and went to answer the door, he was not expecting what he saw. Standing in front of him were two females. One was about Lucy's height and had brown hair and dark green eyes. She looked like she was in her mid-forties. Next to her was a girl about the size of Wendy and had blonde hair and light green eyes. She was no older then thirteen and had a cute pair of black neko ears on her head.
"Can I help you?"
The older woman was the one to speak.
"Please sir, we need help. Everyone keeps turning us away. Please."
Freed thought about it for a minute and realized he couldn't turn them away, so he opened the door and gestured them inside.
"Come in, It's freezing out there."
The two forms quickly entered and Freed shut the door behind him.
"Follow me."
He then led the duo to the living room and told them to make themselves at home. He then went to go make tea. Upstairs, Lucy heard unfamiliar voices and decided to investigate. She quickly grabbed her keys and Freed's rapier before wrapped herself in a robe and heading downstairs. When she entered the living room she saw the two girls and heard Freed in the kitchen. Lucy smiled brightly and introduced herself, setting Freed's weapon down on the table.
"Hello! My name is Lucy. I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting before."
The older woman smiled and spoke softly.
"No, however I know of you. I'm so sorry to intrude at this hour Ms. Lucy. We were so panicked I didn't even realize that he had knock on a guild mage's home. Thank God we did. My name is Veseria and this is my daughter, Mika. Thank you so much for accepting us into your home."
Just then Freed entered with four drinks, tea for the adults and a glass of milk for Vera. Once everyone was served he took his rapier off the table and sat down, speaking elegantly to their late-night guests.
"Never mind that Ms. Veseria. What has me worried as to why you were in such a panic, and why it has led you to knocking on complete stranger's doors in the middle of the night?"
Veseria signed and downcast her eyes.
"It is because of my ex-husband. As you can probably tell, I am a foreigner. I am from the Orientals, Joya to be specific. When I was younger a Fiorian came to my hometown in his travels. I was a foolish girl and fell in love, married him, and came here to Fiore. Not long after my daughter here was born. For the longest time I thought everything was okay, that we were happy. However last year I found out the truth. My husband had been raping and beating my daughter. I didn't know anything until she came crying to my one day saying how she couldn't take it anymore and showing me all the bruises, her father had given her."
A small whimper was heard next to her.
"Mommy no, please."
Lucy now understood why the young girl was so shaken up. She stood up and put a huge smile on her face, trying her best to reign in her emotions.
"Hey Mika, would you like to see something really cute?"
The young girl's mood instantly improved.
"Yes please Ms. Lucy-sama."
"You can just call me Lucy, that goes for you too Veseria. If you don't mind were going to go upstairs."
Veseria nodded and Lucy led Vera upstairs and to a guest bedroom. She then summoned Plue and Lyra. Mika immediately took a liking to Plue and they started to play together. As the girl and spirit played Lyra began to play a soft melody and sing, the music filling the entire house and setting everyone at ease. Only Lucy recognized it from when they had they party in the spirit world.
"I can see you there,
Right by my side as always,
You've never left or let me down,
My friend,
I can feel you there,
Close to my heart as always,
Your soul and mine share a bond made of love,
So as the skies turn grey,
And the clouds gather above,
Trying to fight back your tears,
Feeling so lost and alone,
I am the star that burns for you,
Shining through the night,
Just follow me,
I will guide you home,
And when you're feeling lost at sea,
Listen for my song,
Calling you back to the shore."
Lucy noticed that Mika was beginning to calm down as Lyra finished humming along with the end of the song. She gave Lyra a silent signal to sing one more and the spirit gave her a soft smile and nod, beginning the next one after only a couple seconds of ending the first. Lucy once again recognized it from when she, Natsu, and Gray were on the moon drip mission.
"Words are born into air,
And quickly fade out in the wind,
But they find their way inside you,
Where they live on forevermore,
When the skies are dark and full of rain,
Look inside your heart,
The light, so warm, will come and glow,
Shining just like the sun,
You can see,
Just how much you've grown,
How strong you are,
A love will open to you,
And it starts from the day that you first heard those words."
Lyra returned to the spirit world as she played the last few notes, Mika sound asleep from the soft melody. Lucy gently picked up the sleeping girl and laid her in bed before asking Plue to watch over her and heading back downstairs. When she arrived Veseria was mid-sentence and Freed looked deep in thought. She stayed out of their conversation, simply observing and allowing her husband to take care of things.
"I don't know what to do to protect her."
"At the moment you're her legal guardian correct?"
"Yes. I have full custody."
"Then there is something you can do that is not an uncommon practice."
"And what is that?"
"It is within your rights to give temporary guardianship of your daughter to us. Noble families do it quite often when a child wishes to become a guild mage. As a matter of fact, Fairytail's guild master became my temporary guardian until I came of age. Doing so you would still have full rights as her guardian, and mother, and you have the options of either revoking the temporary guardianship when everything is cleared up or let her come of age in the temporary guardian's home."
"If I do that then I can return to my home country and get things set up for us while she stayed her in the safety of a mage's home."
"Correct, but before you decide I would talk with your daughter; speaking of which, Lucy where is the child?"
Lucy moved from her spot by the stairs to sit in one of the recliners. Her voice soft as she spoke.
"She's fast asleep in one of the guest rooms. You are both welcome to stay the night, and how ever long you may need."
"Thank you, both of you, for everything."
With that the conversation ended. Lucy led Veseria to where Mika was sleeping, sending Plue back to the spirit world and leaving the mother alone with her child. She then went to her own room only to see Freed already in bed, trying his hardest to deny the sleep that wanted to overtake him. Lucy giggled, knowing that she was about to play a mean joke.
"Going to sleep without me, and here I thought you loved me."
"I apologize for my drowsiness love, however know that you were right about waiting until tomorrow to take care of that blasted paperwork."
Lucy then realized how tired he really was and felt bad for teasing him. Once she was back in bed she snuggled into her husband who easily wrapped his arms around her and started to drift off.
"Oh Freed, I was only teasing you. By the way you forgot to braid your hair."
All Lucy heard was a muffled 'too tired' before Freed was sound asleep. Lucy smiled as she thought to herself 'I'll just brush it out for him in the morning, now that he trusts me enough to touch it. I swear this man is too overprotective with his hair.' After a couple minutes Lucy too fell into a deep slumber, the warmth her husband provided successfully lulling her to dreamland. Little did they know that right outside of their home's protective barriers assassins lurked, waiting for their house guests to leave.