Chapter 16: Not Just for Fun
When Lucy and Freed arrived at the Foudre estate they immediately got to work securing the runes that were already there and filling in those who needed to be filled in. They were not taking any risks this time around. As extra measure Lazare invited Princess Hisui E. Fiore, making her aware the secondary nature of the party. The Princess had been more then thrilled to attend and lend her guards assistance in the matter. Lazare was just hanging up with the Princess when Lucy and Freed came in, returning from refortifying the runes around the estate.
"Ah, perfect timing as always. I just got off the comm with Princess Hisui. She will be attending and has commanded her guards to assist us in capturing whomever is after our little angel."
Lucy stood with her mouth agape. 'How did he get the Princess to agree to this?!' It took her a minute to regain her composure but when she did she asked the real question on her mind.
"I didn't realize our family had such close ties with the royal house."
Lazare gave a light chuckle.
"Lucy my dear child, while our family does have very close ties to the royal family, since we were in Fiore much longer then they. We simply had no desire to rule so we let them do it, to put it simply, the Princess is not attending because I asked her to. She's attending for her dear friend Lucy Heartfilia, whom she feels she failed by forcing her into a marriage, no matter how good of a match for her it was. Lucy the Princess considers you a friend, heavens know how that happened, and is going out of her way to protect her friend's child because she couldn't protect her friend not once, but twice. She may not say it, but I can see it. I've known that girl since she was a child, shes stricken with guilt but too strong willed to admit it. She vowed to find a way to protect you from that Duke and in her mind, failed. Can you imagine what's happening to her right now?"
Lucy's head dropped, Hisui was a celestial wizard. She knew that what she was going through right now was more then likely interfering with her magic, and it was all because of her.
"She's a celestial wizard like me. Her word is everything."
"Exactly. This is her way to make up for that. Don't feel guilty Lucy, it's not your burden to bear. She chose that burden, let her bear it with pride like your bear yours. Give her that respect as the mage she is, and when she gets her greet her brightly and with a smile. Show her how much you appreciate her because I know you do."
She looked up at Lazare with a newfound respect. He understood and knew so much. She smiled brightly.
"Your right I do! She's a precious friend. We actually write all the time, I always appreciated it how she always found the time to send me a letter no matter how busy she was, never once has she forgotten to respond."
Lazare smiled gently. Lucy was a kind-hearted person. Freed was the next one to speak up his voice stern.
"As much as I would love to continue this, we need to discuss what's going to happen. We reinforced the runes yes, but we also added more to them. First, we added that anyone with malicious intent would not be permitted access. Second, we added that if anyone was denied access an alarm would sound. Third we added if anyone was denied access they would be magically contained. The rune contains have their one set of rules. Rule one, no one contained may move. Rule two no one contained may leave containment. Rule three, no one may enter containment that is not an authorized induvial aka part of the team. Rule four. No one contained may use magic. Rule five. No one contained may speak until spoken to by an authorized individual. Rule six. No harm shall come to anyone contained even by the person contained."
"Well son sounds like you covered your bases."
"Yes, however that will only stop assassins or captures or whatever you want to call them, not her father. The runes will allow anyone with an invitation, regardless of intention into the estate. It is the fault of the magic."
Lazare furred his brow and leaned back in his chair. They had people, plenty of people. All the legal guilds coming had been briefed. They knew to be on the lookout, to have fun and enjoy but to also be on guard for little girl snatchers. The princesses royal guard would be getting the same briefing. The problem is that they were at a stale mate with this person's identity. Yes, he had gone to Joya nine years ago, but a lot of people went to Joya nine years ago. Plus, who's to say he didn't leave earlier and made a pit stop in Bosco. The travel records wouldn't suffice. If someone got a divorce, then Fiorian Law sealed the original marriage records in case a new spouse was the 'avenging honor mage' type. The law had saved thousands of lives over the years, so he didn't oppose it but, in this case, it wasn't very convenient. The Princess could override the law in certain circumstances, but they had no solid proof it was the father, just hearsay. Hearsay didn't hold up in court. 'WAIT! Freed could have his runes mark the person as they enter…'
"Freed could your runes mark a person f they have an intent?"
"Elaborate?"
"If someone entered the grounds with the intent to leave the grounds with Mika, could your runes somehow leave a mark on that person to identify them."
"In theory. It would need to be tested."
"Then let's test. It. But before that. Let's get these troops assigned."
~Noon the next day~
It was time to test his father's theory. If it worked then they had a way to possibly locate Mika's biological father without directly exposing her. If it didn't work, or no one was marked as they entered, they had to go to plan B, and plan B could possibly traumatize their little girl. Freed had spent four hours writing out the runes around the estate to test this theory, and he had prayed to every entity he thought might listen that it would work. Lucy would be the tester. She would enter the estate with every intention to take Mika out of it, to go shopping, but its still an intention to take her out of the estate. Freed had not been specific about when he wrote the runes, he had simply written them as "mark someone if they have the intention to take Mika out of the estate." Plain and simple. No way to bypass it. Lucy looked and freed and Lazare and they nodded; so, she began to walk, she passed the runes and…nothing. The runes failed. Freed's heart sank, and Lazare patted his shoulder.
"Wait…maybe its not specific enough! Let me rewrite them!"
And that's what he did. He went around the entire estate within twenty minutes adding another rule specific to shopping. Freed and Lazare Starred at Lucy and nodded, signaling for her to go again. Hoping and praying that it is working this time. She took one purposeful step after the other, intent on taking the little girl from the estate for a shopping trip, she passed the runes and…nothing. This time it was Lazare's face that fell, Freed was too dishearten to show anything. He had failed; but who he didn't know. Was it his father, himself, Lucy, or his darling daughter? 'You failed them all, the real question is which one did you fail more…' He sighed and boke away from the group, removing the runes he had so hopefully laid. They would have to expose their beautiful little girl to the horror that was her biological father, just to protect her from him.
~One week later~
People from the different guilds across Fiore had been arriving all week. Fairytail members had arrived first and Lazare had set them up at the main house with the family. Sabertooth was next to arrive, Lazare was going to give them the secondary estate, but they said no need since they didn't technically travel anywhere. Next was Mermaid Heel once again Lazare was going to give them accommodations, but they had already made them before they arrived at a local hotel. Lamia Scale was next on the list, they too had made their own accommodations. One by one the rest of the guilds followed suit each of them having already been well prepared for the occasion.
Princess Hisui would be arriving the day before the nobles would to prepare her troops, and the nobles and upper-class family would be arriving the day of the party. The entire Foudre house was biting with anxiety at the event that was just three days away, they were going over every plan twenty times a day to make sure they didn't miss a single detail. Lucy and Freed were ecstatic that they were able to show their friends what they had planned instead of just tell them poorly and hope they got it. Each guild in attendance had donated two members to be "guards" for the party in addition to the princesses' guard. Freed and Lucy were busy showing them where the easiest places would be to get away with the young girl and where they needed to be.
Overall everyone was starting to bring Freed and Lucy's hope back up after the failed rune attempt. They were in this to win it and win it they would. This party wasn't just for fun.