*A/N: Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the delay. If you did not catch my message before, the point of it was simply that I have not abandoned the story. I will do my best not to take so long in the future. Thank you so much to those who continue to read my story and those just joining. I hope this chapter isn't too long but I had a lot to cover before the next chapter. I was also nervous about disappointing given the long space in between chapters. I wanted to end it so many times but well you'll see. Anyway, on to the story!*

Book One: Lucy's Slumber

CHAPTER 4: A Mysterious Queen's Mystery

"My Lady, there must be something that we have not thought of yet. If you had seen them together and heard them talking I am sure…."

"Please, Mirajane…"

"Lady Heartfilia! If you could just…"

"Enough!" the woman interrupted with a tone of finality. Mirajane made as if to say something, but Layla held up a delicately gloved hand to stop her. This time, Mirajane complied. "Listen, I know this cannot be easy on you, but you must understand that if there was anything at all that I could do for Lucy, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Mirajane's eyes filled with tears. Her hair was incredibly disheveled much to Layla's surprise, and she looked like she had not slept in some time. In fact, Mirajane had stayed up most nights following Lucy and Natsu's encounter in the woods desperately trying to come up with something, anything, to help the pair. So far she had come up with nothing and Layla had noticed the girl's change in demeanor and demanded an explanation. The two had discussed at length the situation before Mirajane had lost her composure unable to accept no for an answer. It broke Layla's heart but there was truly nothing that she could do for her daughter. Deep down, Mirajane knew that if something was out there, they would not be in their current predicament.

"Lucy seemed to be doing so well lately…"

Mirajane shook her head sadly. "No, she is still fighting so hard to look well. I admit she and Natsu do some things that they probably should not but she seems so happy, I just can't…" Mirajane's voice caught in her throat.

Layla nodded her head in understanding. "Does she still have nightmares?"

"Recently, they have returned and they are much worse than before," Mirajane began. "For so long I thought they had stopped. But I don't think the dreams ever stop but maybe they are not always so bad. It is strange."

"Are you certain? Has she spoken of them?" Mirajane shook her head no. Layla sighed; Mirajane turned away from her mistress, hot tears falling freely down her cheeks. "Mirajane…"

"Please, forgive me, my Lady, I know that you would do anything for your daughter. She is your Lucky Star after all. It is just… it is difficult to accept. I feel there must be something that we must have missed, you know?"

"I know. I feel the same way. I…"

Mirajane suddenly turned and grasped Layla roughly about her arms. "Swear to me that you have tried every source, spoke to every person, and that you have left no option unturned!"

Layla was startled by the girl's sudden outburst. She studied Mirajane trembling form and was shaken by the fire in her eyes and the force in her grasp. She slowly reached up a hand to Mirajane's own hand and said in an almost expressionless voice, "There is one person."

Knock! Knock!

"Excuse me…" came a soft voice.

Lucy looked up to her bedroom door. She had been in bed all day reading feeling particularly weak that day. She wanted to go outside since it had been a few days since she last saw Natsu, but she could barely sit up in bed, so she gave in to her illness and stayed indoors.

"Come in," she croaked.

The door opened and the seamstress Aries made her way into the dimly lit room to find a coughing Lucy lying down in her bed. Her face fell, "I'm sorry, but are you okay?"

Lucy gave a weak smile and nodded in response. "Just a little cough, that's all."

Aries was about to protest but then remembered her mission. She smiled brightly at Lucy and exclaimed, "Someone is here to see you!"

"What?" Lucy was puzzled by this as the only people who she saw were her parents, Mirajane, and… Lucy jumped up in her bed. "Who is it?"

Aries was a little startled but not surprised by her reaction. "Come, I brought you a dress. Why don't you put it on and we can go see who it is together? Please?"

Lucy practically fell out of her bed with new found vigor and stumbled her way over to Aries. "Oh my stars! I can't be seen like this, Aries! What do I do? Can you imagine?" Lucy was going crazy!

Aries laughed out loud at Lucy's behavior. "Just who do you think is coming to see you, Lucy?"

Lucy paused and turned towards Aries. "Isn't it…" Lucy's face flushed with embarrassment. Of course it's not him! How could he even get here? All of her energy all but disappeared immediately at this thought and she positioned herself to allow Aries to dress her.

Aries didn't understand it, but she quietly helped Lucy hoping that she did not fail in her seemingly simple mission.

Lucy was puzzled by the loud sound of voices coming from the kitchen. She was already fairly tired but Aries had made her curious as to who her visitor could be and was even more curious as they seemed to have arrived at their destination. Why couldn't she see through walls!

Suddenly, a familiar voice came to her…

"Wow! This is really good! I wish I could bring this home with me. You should see the stuff that old man tries to feed me…"

Lucy's heart beat rapidly in her chest at the sound of the voice and excitement began to fill her as fatigue escaped her. She banged open the door. Everyone in the room turned at the sudden noise immediately thinking it was Jude Heartfilia. They began to settle at the sight of their young mistress but her expression kept them rigid.

Lucy's breaths came out roughly as she put a hand to her chest and sank to the kitchen floor. She began to cry.

All of the women in the room began to make their way to her but Virgo stopped them from interfering.

"Hey, what's wrong?" a friendly voice asked, a small but strong hand touching her shoulder.

Lucy sniffed. She jumped up into Natsu's unprepared arms embracing him tightly and the two tumbled backwards on the floor. "I missed you!"

Natsu rolled his eyes but laughed. "It hasn't even been that long."

"Are you kidding?" Lucy said in disbelief pulling away from him. "It feels like forever! How did you get here anyway?" she asked not that she really cared. She was actually wondering if his visiting her inside her home could become a regular habit.

"Well, I got a message yesterday that you were sick so I thought I would come visit you. I knew I couldn't just walk up the front door so…" Natsu paused and his cheeks became slightly tinted with pink.

"What?" Lucy pressed.

"I uh… I remembered that Mirajane brought you in this way a few times and I…"

"How did you know that?"

"Well…um…you know…I uh…I followed you…sometimes…" Lucy laughed at this pronouncement. "What? What's so funny? I was just you know worried and I followed you just in case something happened!" he explained.

The maids gave each other knowing looks, chuckling to themselves, before quietly excusing themselves from the private discussion. Virgo and Aries lingered off to the side of the kitchen quietly observing and listening to the pair.

"Okay, I believe you. Are you sure you didn't come here to eat?" she accused recalling what she had stumbled in on.

Natsu absently wiped away at imaginary crumbs on his face thinking that's what gave him away. "No, I got here and they just started feeding me."

Lucy nodded. It was not every day that a visitor, let alone a small boy, came to the manor and invited themselves into the kitchen. She knew the maids would keep her secret.

"Fine, well it's good you came in this way. My parents would flip if they saw you. Well, my dad would but I don't think my mom would mind too much."

Natsu just kind of nodded still a little embarrassed about following Lucy to her home. "So, what should we do?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "Hmm… I can't really go outside…"

"Like I would let you!"

Lucy scowled at him. "Please, it's not like you own me!"

"You're sick! You should be in bed! I mean, look at you!" Natsu said pointing at Lucy's frail figure.

Lucy gasped remembering that her appearance could not have been very good given the short notice and the effect her illness was having on her that day. She self-consciously reached up both hands to her hair trying to smooth it and with her eyes she scanned the room for a mirror. How embarrassing!

Aries and Virgo looked at each other. This was not going well! The two silently communicated with each other and decided to interfere.

"Why not take Natsu to see the antiques your father has acquired?" Virgo interjected.

"Yes, there are swords and other things that I think your friend would like to see," Aries said.

Lucy looked at them with astonishment. "Are you crazy? What if someone sees us? It's far from here and it's close to the room where mama has her guests. I thought I saw someone arriving today…"

"No!" Aries cut her off. "They must have had other business on the estate."

Virgo threw Aries a look. "Please, Lady Lucy, trust us that it is perfectly safe for you to venture that way. In fact, Aries and I will go ahead and distract anyone you see. Don't worry."

Lucy seemed unsure but Natsu had been bursting with excitement at the thought of seeing ancient swords. "Come on, let's go check it out! It would be cool!"

Of course, Lucy needed no further encouragement.

Natsu and Lucy had been making their way through the manor to the large display room that her maids had suggested. As promised, the pair did not run into anyone. Lucy could not understand why Virgo suggested they venture about, and she was even more puzzled that Aries had encouraged this behavior. Her thoughts when interrupted when she bumped into Natsu's body with her own.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Natsu said turning to Lucy.

Lucy strained her ears to listen. She shook her head, "I don't hear anything." She tried to peer around him to see if she could spot anything.

"Oh, maybe I was just…"

"Wait! I see something!"

Natsu looked at her confused. He turned to look down the incredibly long hallway they were approaching but could not make out the shadows at the end. He couldn't see anything close by other than the line of tall flower vases and the various décor adorning the hallway. "Um okay… let's go."

Natsu grabbed her hand, placing himself in her line of sight so she was unable to see anything anymore. She was sure she had seen two women bowing to each other towards the end of the hallway.

"I am honored and delighted that you could come all this way to my home," Layla said with a small curtsy to the woman before her.

"I am honored that you have requested my presence. Forgive my abrupt arrival and lack of announcement. I trust that you understand?" a very soft almost youthful voice said in response, also curtsying to Layla.

Layla looked up in surprise, unsure how to take the woman's question. She chose the simplest answer understanding the double meaning in the woman's words. She knew the real "difficulty" lied in her impatience to be there. "Of course, it must be difficult for you and I understand your discretion."

The woman rose to her full height which was considerably shorter than Layla's. "I thank you."

"Shall we go to a more private space?"

"Not quite yet. Perhaps we could share a few words here? I did not see anyone else about."

Layla was once again startled by this woman. She had no idea what the woman could be thinking but she had no reason not to trust her. "If that is your wish," she replied with a nod of her head.

The woman smiled from beneath her hood. "Let us not be so formal. Say my full title to help you gather your thoughts but I think it best that we speak plainly given the circumstance, don't you?"

Layla was growing beyond frustrated; she knew there was always a purpose in everything the woman before her said but she was not always quick enough to catch it. Why do I always behave like this in front of her? Get a hold of yourself, Layla Heartfilia! She did as she was told and fell into a deep curtsy.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mavis Vermillion of Fiore, my deepest gratitude for journeying to my home. Your presence this day honors me, your Majesty."

Mavis smiled and reached out to Layla's chin to angle her face towards hers. "How could I not come when my beloved daughter has called for my aid?"

Layla fell to her knees and embraced her mother in a tight embrace. "Mother…" she said softly crying in her mother's arms.

"I know, my precious one, I know," Mavis gently soothed.

Mavis looked up over Layla's shoulder to focus her dark green eyes on two children who had been spying on the women from behind a very large vase of roses. She captured a pair of brown eyes in her deep emerald ones and stared at them intently.

"Natsu, we shouldn't get too close! We shouldn't even be trying to listen." Lucy said concerned about being caught.

"Relax; let's just be close enough for you to hear. Look! We'll hide behind those flowers there. They won't notice us. Now, come on!" Natsu ran quickly but quietly pulling Lucy by her little arms until they were well hidden by the large pot of flowers.

When Natsu paused and placed Lucy protectively by his side, an arm around her slim waist, Lucy thought to further protest about their spying activity. She stopped herself when she realized their position and Lucy blushed slightly at the contact. She saw that Natsu was calmly studying the scene before him and when she lifted her big brown eyes to look at the two women, Lucy was startled beyond belief.

Before her were two women, one of whom she knew very well. Her mother was elegantly dressed in a rich blue gown with an exquisitely embroidered white rose pattern on the skirt and soft white lace tying up the bodice; she had her usual pair of white silk gloves and a golden bracelet Lucy had never seen before. Her hair sat elegantly on top of her head in an elaborate twist with tiny white rose pins holding her hair in place; her bangs here swept to the left of her face slightly covering her left eye.

However, it was neither her mother nor the bracelet that caught Lucy's attention. Rather it was the more simply dressed woman who gave off a regal air equal to that of her mother. Lucy could not make her out very well for she wore a dark brown cloak and the hood covered her face, but she could tell that the woman was small in height and had a slim frame. Suddenly, the woman lifted the hood from her face to reveal long, flowing blond hair, soft youthful features, and deep green eyes.

I know her! was Lucy's last thought before she passed out in Natsu's waiting arms. The last thing she heard was:

"Your Majesty, Queen Mavis Vermillion of Fiore, my deepest gratitude for journeying to my home. Your presence this day honors me, your Majesty."

While Lucy had been taking in the features of the two women, Natsu had been staring intently at the figure hidden beneath the cloak. She was speaking to him…or at least he assumed it was her voice he heard in his head

"Hello, Natsu. I am so happy to meet you. Do not worry. You and Lucy are why I am here today. Hold Lucy tightly in your arms; she needs to rest now. Oh! Just a moment too late!"

Suddenly, Natsu felt the slight difference in weight in his arms, arms that he did not even realize he had put out, and saw that Lucy had fallen asleep. He looked back up at the woman in the brown cloak with astonishment. She was leaning over the other woman and staring at him intently with mystifying green eyes.

"I have so much to tell you."

Layla led her mother into her private sitting room, having mostly recovered from her sudden emotional moment. She was not certain what had caused it, but she had an idea of who caused it. Layla took a seat on the couch across from her mother, and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

The Queen looked at her with an innocent look on her face. She had sat on a couch with several fluffy cushions after removing her brown travel cloak. She absently smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles on her simple peach dress that completely bared her arms and neck. Her pale skin was clear of make up yet her cheeks were perfectly rosy. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief.

Mavis grew impatient with her daughter's silence and initiated the conversation. "You know, that I already know what you want to say. Just speak plainly for goodness sake!"

Layla was not surprised, but it still bothered her all the same. "How did you come to be here?"

"You know how," Mavis smiled. "Ask me about my plans."

Layla sighed. "What are your plans?"

Mavis smiled good-naturedly. "Naturally, I have a most excellent plan! First, you must tell me a little about Lucy."

"Surely, you do not really need me to; I know you know." Mavis gave her a look. "Very well. What do you wish to know?"

"I need to know how bad her condition is, dear."

"I am sure you saw her." Layla frowned suddenly overwhelmed with the thought of Lucy's growing frailty. "She is getting worse, but I do not know why there is such a sudden change in her health. She has had no changes for years. Do you think…?" Layla paused, too worried to voice her concern out loud. It was the only happiness in her daughter's life; she could not bear to take it away from her.

Mavis shook her head. "No, the boy is nothing but good for her. That will never change, I promise." Layla was not convinced but settled down. "Now, the most important thing… Has she…"

Layla was surprised to hear her mother stumble this way. "Your majesty?" she asked with concern.

Mavis rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you cannot even address me properly. How is a mother supposed to feel?"

Now, it was Layla's turn to be annoyed. "Always with your tricks! Fine… Mother! What is most important that you need to know?"

Mavis smiled wickedly. "Of course, I need to know if she has shown any signs of it."

Layla was puzzled. "Any signs of what?"

"Honestly, Layla! Does our little Lucy have the gift of sight?"

Layla gasped and placed a gloved hand to her chest. "No! Why would you think that?"

Mavis seemed surprised at this response. "Even if you had to give up some of your power, you were still born with it and she should have inherited it. There must be… Are you certain, Layla? This is crucial information."

"I am certain."

"You have heard nothing at all that would suggest she has the gift?" Mavis pressed.

"No, mother. I am absolutely…" Layla paused.

"You have thought of something!" Mavis exclaimed triumphantly.

"Well," Layla began still thinking, "…there was an occasion where Lucy asked me about the village."

"Explain."

"She just asked me about it one day. It was the way that she asked me that caught my attention. It sounded as if she knew for certain that the people were there."

"Why shouldn't she know?" Mavis asked not following her daughter's words.

"Mother, Lucy does not know about anything outside of this manor. Jude makes certain of it, you know that." Mavis gave a disgusted look but motioned for her to continue. "Well, of course, I assumed that Mirajane accidentally told her but she did not. Lucy often looks out of her window, and I was thinking that perhaps she…that she saw people from her window." Layla looked away embarrassed at her seemingly silly idea. "Of course, that's impossible. It's far more likely that she had a vision and did not realize it, yes?"

Mavis was about to laugh it off, but then she about it. Lucy's room was on an upper floor but regardless the manor itself was a few miles away from the village. She had also felt that Lucy had been watching her as she entered the estate, and that alone was a very fair distance away. Mavis's head fell into her hands and she began to laugh. Her laugh was bitter and with little humor.

"Mother?" Layla was not sure what to make of the laughter and was terrified of what it could mean. "Mother, please, what is it?"

Mavis stopped laughing and gave her daughter a dark look.

"It means, my dear Layla, that he has a very twisted sense of humor," she said darkly.

"What are you talking about?" Layla said not understanding the suddenly dark side of her mother.

Mavis let out a huff of breath and sank ungracefully into the cushions of the couch her dark mood gone. "Lucy is obviously under a curse. Someone was clearly intending to take away Lucy's gift of sight, but that would make little sense given that both you and I can also see the future. Mine is infinitely stronger than either of yours will ever be. Why attack her?"

"Mother… Well, before you said he, does this mean who know did it?"

Mavis jumped in her seat and continued her train of thought, purposely ignoring Layla's question. "Of course, it is possible that something went wrong and the spell backfired, but… It can't be possible!" Mavis was speaking more to herself than Layla at this point, too caught up in her thoughts. Layla just listened aware that her mother was paying her little attention. "Although it would explain so much about the situation. Lucy cannot see into the future but instead she can see far ahead of her. Her health must be failing because of the severe "ill" intentions of the curse offset by you trying to save her, which would explain how she has managed to live for so long in the same condition." Mavis paused further sinking into the cushions. She put a hand to her face and let out a deep sigh. She shook her head in slight annoyance. "No, it doesn't make any sense."

Layla thought this might be a good time to put herself back into the conversation. "Please, a green rose for your thoughts?"

Mavis smiled lightly at Layla's words. A green rose was very rare to find and was a very precious flower to Mavis; it was even rarer that Mavis willingly let people in to her mind.

"I have the gift of sight among other things and so do you. Lucy is my granddaughter so of course she should have some of my power flowing through her. She is too young to really be aware of her power and what with no guidance from myself…" Mavis trailed off as she realized that Layla's patience had been wearing thin. "Okay, long story short! Well, the intended curse failed so everything, the purposes of the caster, has been twisted, so to speak… While I am honestly not sure why it failed or why it turned out this way, there is still one piece of the puzzle missing."

"What piece is missing?"

"The intention of the curse was to take away her gift, yes? That intent "backfired" so essentially, Lucy cannot see into the future. She should, however, still have the gift of sight but it is different from yours and mine." Mavis sat up straight in her seat and stared fixedly into Layla's eyes. "Lucy can see into the past."

Layla was surprised and immediately denied Mavis's assertion. "No, Lucy cannot see anything like that. She is only seven years of age; I am sure she would have spoken of something so strange to her. I am not even certain that she can see into the distance with regular sight!"

"Oh, but I am absolutely certain that she has the eyes of an eagle. Do you know honestly think there is nothing that I do not know especially concerning you and Lucy?"

Layla bolted up out of her seat and stood upright over her mother's sitting form. "No! That's why I don't understand why you insist on these games. I know you know everything! Why do you keep it from me?"

Mavis shook her head sadly. "No, I don't know everything. My gift showed me that Lucy has two of the three things that led me to suspect what is wrong with her. I then had a vision of Lucy seeing me today and recognizing me, though she was too young at the time to remember me now. I came here to see if the third one was something that I could not see. You confirmed for me, however, that my thoughts were wrong. If I was right then I could fix it, but I am not so there is nothing I can do. A curse cannot be played with lightly and I am certain that Lucy is cursed."

Layla's eyes began to burn with tears. "How could you say that? You play with everyone on your own! Do you even care about her?"

Now it was Mavis's turn to jump out of her seat in anger, although her short figure was not quite as imposing as Layla's taller one. "How could you accuse me of such a thing? I assure you I have worked equally as hard these past years trying to help my granddaughter. I came because I thought I figured it out. Do you know how heartbreaking it is to realize I was wrong?" Mavis all but yelled her last words, her cheeks pink with the anger and frustration of things not turning out the way she had thought.

Layla sank back into her seat and lifted her hands to her face. She softly cried into her palms feeling that all hope was lost for her daughter. If mother cannot help me, then no one can, she thought to herself. "I fear that she grows closer to death. Mirajane tells me that these past few days, her nightmares have grown worse. She tosses and turns, but she doesn't make a sound. When she wakes, she doesn't remember a thing."

Mavis perked up at this news. "Nightmares you say? They only just started?"

Layla sniffed and wiped her eyes and turned her tear stained face to her mother. "I thought you knew all."

Mavis stamped her foot at Layla's sassy words. "I cannot see what a person dreams; dreams are not real! You should know well my limits as they are your own. It is much more difficult now because of h— Things are not as they were, Layla."

"I can only see the absolute and no more than a few days ahead; that still does not compare at all to your own gift." Layla thought for a moment and sighed. "Fine, you are right, of course. I believe they started almost as soon as she was taken ill. They ceased a little after you left, but when I brought in Mirajane, they started again. I recall once that Lucy tried to tell her about them but they made little sense, and then Lucy stopped speaking of it." Layla gave a shrug of her shoulders. "We both thought that she didn't have them anymore, and I thought that perhaps death was that much further from her. Then, a few days ago, Mirajane said Lucy's nightmares returned, far worse than they had been before."

Mavis was frozen for a moment and said in an almost lifeless voice, "A few days ago…"

Layla looked at her mother, confused about her sudden change in state. "Yes…maybe three or four days ago."

Mavis suddenly ran up to Layla and squeezed her arms with great strength; her eyes were glowing a very bright but deep green with golden flecks like dust, and her now iridescent skin shimmered as if it was inlaid with glitter. Layla tried to open her mouth to scream in shock and pain, but Mavis had apparently sealed her mouth. "The day I decided to come was four days ago and I set out immediately the following day. I know and understand now the full nature of Lucy's curse." Mavis finally released Layla, her skin returning to normal but her eyes still glowed. Mavis turned away from Layla, unable to look at her "I cannot cure her, but I know who can. Lucy will be healed and restored to full health; it will be as if she was never ill. Lucy's eyesight will return to normal but I will have the healer cast a spell of perception to aid her later. It will take a little time, but that would be better so as to make it seem like a gradual "miracle" of a recovery."

Layla wanted to speak but found that she still could not.

"I cast a barrier spell; if you speak, it is broken."

Mavis turned her head slightly to focus her gaze once more on her beloved daughter, her glowing green eyes filled with sadness and regret. It was then that Layla realized that Mavis had not been speaking out loud, but instead she had been communicating telepathically.

"I am the one to blame for Lucy's suffering and so much more than you could ever know. I hope that one day you can understand and..."

Layla began to cry but she did not know why.

Mavis fully turned to place a hand on Layla's pink, tearstained cheek. "I hope that one day you can forgive me." Layla's body filled with sudden warmth and her vision filled with a soft but bright golden light as Mavis cast another spell.

"Now, I will reveal all that I know and all that I have seen."

Meanwhile...

Natsu had been pacing back and forth in Lucy's room since the two had arrived in her room. He was so filled with the thoughts that the queen had left him with that he had barely registered anything going on around him. Thankfully, he hadn't needed to acknowledge Mirajane who had been waiting for the pair to arrive.

Mirajane had had her own encounter with the queen's overwhelming power. A somewhat familiar voice had filled her head while she was visiting with her brother telling her that she was needed at the manor. She was to head straight to Lucy's room and wait there for Natsu and Lucy to arrive. She apologized to her brother for the short visit, and quickly made her way to the manor. She arrived with just enough time to settle herself. At the appropriate time, she opened the door when Natsu had arrived carrying Lucy, and had proceeded to lift Lucy from his arms and placed her carefully beneath the covers of her bed.

"Natsu…" Mirajane started, growing wary of Natsu's behavior.

Suddenly, Natsu spun and slammed his leg onto the rocking chair Mirajane normally sat in, effectively breaking the chair in half.

"Natsu!" Mirajane squealed in astonished horror. She watched his body throbbing with rage, his eyes burning with passion, and… Are those tears falling down his face?

Natsu sank to his knees and fell forward to pound his fists on the floor of Lucy's room. "Why?" he sobbed. "Why would she say those things to me? How can she put so much…so much…"

Natsu let out a great roar of frustration before pounding his fists once more onto the floor. He looked up at Mirajane, who stood frozen in shock and despair at the sight of him.

"Mira, how am I supposed to save her? I'm just a kid! What am I supposed to do? I made a promise, Mira, to Lucy but now..." Natsu looked from his fists to the chair he had broken back to his fists and then finally rested his eyes on Lucy's sleeping figure. "I'm sorry, Lucy, I…"

Before Mirajane realized it, Natsu had gotten up and ran from the room.

"Natsu, wait!" she called after him.

In the forest, Natsu collapsed onto the grass and cried. He lay there for a long time feeling weak and broken.

"I hope you were not trying to run away from me."

Natsu looked up to the owner of the soft voice speaking to him. It was the woman in the cloak who had turned his world upside down. She had called herself a queen and identified herself as Lucy's grandmother. Natsu was too tired to speak so he just looked at her and listened.

"I knew that you would try to run." Mavis studied Natsu for a moment before continuing. "Natsu, you are not weak but you do still have much to learn, my child. Igneel has taught you well thought you may not agree with me. Tell me this: do you care for Lucy?"

Natsu had not moved and remained frozen on the ground lying on his side in the grass; his gaze was resting blankly on Mavis. Mavis understood him, however, though he had used no words.

"I thought as much. Please, speak with me this night. I am not certain that I will have the chance to do so again in time for it to matter." Mavis knelt down on her knees in the grass, and bowed with her head on top of her hands. "Please, I beg of you!"

Natsu thought for a moment amazed that this woman would speak to him this way.

"No, Natsu, I cannot make you that promise," she whispered answering his unspoken question. She lifted her head to look at him. "It is possible but I cannot promise you that it will not happen."

Mavis sat up straight and listened to his thoughts. "Lucy will understand no matter your choice. She is young but wise. You will not always be friends and you will not always be together." Mavis gave a soft laugh. "I know; they are not comforting words. It is all I can offer you. Still, I ask that you listen." Mavis leaned in close to Natsu holding him and comforting him with her magic. "No more tears. Listen, please, and I will share with you a great secret that I am forbidden by… It is forbidden but I feel you must know."

*A/N: So I edited this late in the evening after tedious Math work so I hope there are not too many errors. Hope you were not disappointed! I hope your curiosity has been piqued and that you will continue to read! In the next chapter, new characters will be introduced and there will be just some happy fluff. I would say that I started working on the next chapter but I actually took it out and included it here because I wanted to devote a chapter to Lucy and...well you will see! Thank you for reading!*