I jerked awake, this wasn't the steady rocking of Sabertooth...it was a bit off.
I bit my lip as I remembered everything, looking around and realizing I was tied up, stretched out on a bed...on Salamanders bed. A shiver of fear ran down my spine but I tried to shake it off...he despised me. He wouldn't do that to me...he needed me "untainted" as he had said. I made a face that moved my skin, relaxing just a bit when I realized that the mask was still on my face. Sting was going to have a fit when he found out what happened. I smirked to myself. I may be the captain of Sabertooth but Salamanders biggest rival was Sting. They hated each other with a passion and for good reason. There was blood on both sides hands.
I sighed and looked around, screeching when I felt something shift on my chest and bucking my chest high. Blue fur went flying along with a wail. There was a thump and a whimper.
"Jeez Princess Lucy why'd you do that?!" A high pitched voice whined and I lifted my head as much as I could to see the exceed from last night. He rubbed his head and pouted at me and I frowned, furrowing my brows under the mask. It was so strange to be called that after two years of not even whispering my own name to myself.
"YOU WERE SLEEPING ON MY CHEST YOU PERV!" I shouted my defense and he crawled back on the bed, crossing his arms.
"Well I was told to watch you until you wake up because you've been sleeping for forever." He said haughtily and I furrowed my brows more, realizing I had actually slept, and I wasn't haunted by nightmares, and I felt...refreshed.
"Hey cat, how long was I out?" I asked and he looked at me.
"Two days." My eyes popped out of my head as he told me. "And I have a name!" He exclaimed and I raised my brow. Maybe if I got on this cat's good side I could get him to let me go.
"Oh I'm sorry, what's your name?" I asked nicely and he grinned.
"My name is Happy!" He giggled and I let out a slight one myself.
"Happy huh? Well it's nice to meet you Happy." He tilted his head.
"We've met before remember? You said you were gonna eat me!" He exclaimed and I sweat dropped.
"I thought we went over that! I wasn't gonna eat you. I love cats, and exceeds." I told him, adding the exceed part, Lector and Froche loved when they were included in the groups and referred to as what they were. He grinned slightly.
"Really? Oh yeah I forgot you had two exceeds on your ship. The red one tried to attack Charla but I chased him off." He said proudly and I tilted my head, maybe if I boost his ego it'll get him to relax more.
"Lector?" I asked curiously and he shrugged.
"He had a blue vest and red fur." I nodded at Happy.
"Yeah that was Lector...I miss him...he would let me pet him when I felt sad. His fur was really soft...not as soft as yours looks though." I said quietly and Happy seemed to frown.
"Are you sad now?" He asked, matching my quiet tone. I nodded and he looked around.
"Well...if I let you pet me would that make you feel better?" He asked and I looked at him, it was working.
"I can't though, my hands are all tied up." I said and he pulled out a tiny knife.
"I can cut you free...but you have to promise not run." He said seriously. Damn it. I sighed heavily. Could I break it? No that would go against what I stood for. Why'd the stupid cat have to say promise? If I could just be free of the ropes though...then that would be better than now.
"I promise..." He gave me a wary look and I rolled my eyes. "I'm a celestial wizard, we always keep our promises." I said and that seemed enough for him. He cut my hands free and I brought them down quickly, sighing in happiness as I felt the blood start to flow back through my arms, feeling coming back to them. He cut my feet free and I jumped up, not running but spinning around, bending my legs slightly to catch myself from nearly falling and moving my arms around, groaning in pleasure as I cracked my knees and back, putting my hands together and cracking my fingers. Happy watched me, a slight smile on his lips before I plopped down on the bed.
"You have no idea how amazing it feels to be free of restraints." I said and he climbed into my lap, letting me gently run my fingers through his fur that was actually really soft.
"Yes I do! I've never been tied up before." He said and I looked down at him.
"Exactly. So you don't have anything to compare it too. It's like...let's say our magic. We've always had it and a lot of us take it for granted. We don't know what it's like to not have it so having it just feels normal. Then let's take a person who doesn't have magic, and then give them magic. They would feel the difference." I said awkwardly, trying to explain it. He frowned slightly.
"I think I understand...but was being tied up like that, that bad?" He asked and I shook my head.
"No...but let's just say there's more than one way to restrain a person." I said softly and he stayed silent for a few seconds until my stomach growled loudly. He giggled and I frowned at him.
"I'll go tell Natsu you're up and talk to Wendy about getting you some food." He said and I nodded, leaning back against my hands slightly as he flew towards the door, turning to look at me for a moment, making sure I would stay. He grinned slightly then flew out, closing the door behind him. I looked around, not seeing my keys or weapons anywhere. I sighed and got up, walking slowly to the desk where my stuff had been earlier. My hat was still clipped to my side, bumping lightly against my leg as I fingered the edge of a paper, my eyes dancing around the mess. I saw two pieces of parchment, one having a printed drawing of me from two years ago, my hair in an updo, lovely dangly earrings, a frilly pink collar on my neck and then you could see the top of pink dress I was in, I had a light smile on my face, my body tilted slightly away. I shook my head, looking over at the other one and seeing June, or technically it was Juvia from six months ago, an unhappy, determined look on her face, the top of a lovely dress shown, her hair pulled up into a perfect ponytail, two bangs hanging down the sides of her cheeks, curled at the ends. Prize money listed below both of our pictures.
"Pretty different huh?" I pulled my finger away from the paper at the sound of his voice, not turning to look at him but instead moving the papers a bit, looking at the map underneath.
"Some might even say unrecognizable...part of the reason the mask is there." I said back, keeping my tone even, hardly any emotions there.
"Mmm maybe...unfortunately for you, somehow you've managed to keep the smell of vanilla and strawberries while sleeping with pirates." His tone was bitter, barely contain venom in his voice as if my scent offended him.
"I think I spent a week total sleeping among my crew…then I was given a room with...with Yukino..." I trailed off for a moment, listening to his footsteps get closer as I stared into seemingly nothingness.
"Why haven't you tried to run yet?" He asked curiously and I turned my head over my shoulder, slowly turning my body along with it.
"You think I would leave without my spirits? You're an idiot then….and I also promised Happy I wouldn't run...for now." I said, shrugging at the last part. He frowned slightly, thinking things over in his head. He had slight dark stubble on his chin, it gave him an edge. I shook my head slightly and laughed quietly.
"Looking back now...scaling the palace walls and having my dresses ripped by the small adventures...I never would have thought we would point real swords at each other, did you?" I asked, turning and walking toward the covered window, moving the drape aside with my hand. I wasn't feeling sentimental at all, I just needed to know what buttons of his could be pushed.
"I was just following orders." He grunted behind me and my head snapped towards him.
"You and I both know you could never follow orders...do you know how much pain has been caused by you?" I hissed and he glared, his arms crossed. I was getting to him.
"Me? What about you? We were friends, then suddenly I'm being kicked out of the palace and told you never wanted to see me again! Then, years later we meet on the beach again and for half a second I almost call off the fighting, I see my old friend, the Captain Lucille of one of the most feared ships ever known, swinging her sword and spinning like she was born to do it. Then, your boyfriends blade is covered in blood." He snarled at me and I walked towards him aggressively.
"Don't you dare blame that on me! I was told you had tried to steal my crown and you were shot. I asked to see the body then they said you had slipped into the ocean. And as far as not recognizing you? I had never seen your precious pink locks and you never told me you had magic. Then what Sting did? An an eye for an eye buddy. Yukino was like my little sister and Sting's as well. Then you took her from us, it was only fair to take away your precious lizard. You know what sucks though? Going into bar and hearing people talk about Gahlunna island, how it was the Shadow and Light dragon slayers against the Iron and Fire dragon slayers, how they wiped out everything on the island over nothing. Nothing!" I yelled in his face and his fist burst into flames.
"Shut up or I will kill you." He said darkly and I met his gaze coldly, not flinching whatsoever.
"Then strike me down." I muttered, just loud enough for us to both hear. He stayed still for a second a sad smirk came from my lips.
"They say Prince charming is supposed to steal the Princess away from the dragon. But what happens when a dragon takes an ex princess away from another dragon? Who gets killed? The thief? The dragon stolen from? Or the ex Princess?" I asked and his flames slowly went out. I grabbed his wrist and moved closer, our faces two inches apart.
"Give me my keys, my sword and my gun and let me go. I'll tell Sting you changed your mind and I might be able to convince him and Rouge to not wipe you out." I said seriously and he pulled his wrist up to his face, my hand still around it.
"We have four dragon slayers on board. That's two against one." He said cockily.
"We have two dragon slayers and two God slayers." I hissed back and his face paled slightly.
"Now with that power, and three of them willing to follow Sting or I blindly, what do you think will happen?" I asked and we were silent for a second before I gasped, being pushed against the wall roughly as he snarled at me.
"I think nothing will happen because Fairy Tail has something Sabertooth never will. We have heart. We would easily die for each other and we never give up because we all take strength from each other. No matter what happens we stick together. See if that was one of our members being held captive by a known aggressive ship, we wouldn't have let that ship out of our sights until that person was safe and sound in their bunk." He grabbed my collar and pulled me closer. "You may have saved your friend by pushing her into the water like you did, but you abandoned the rest of your crew, you abandoned your country and your father. You act like I'm the bad guy when really, you're the one with your priorities mixed up." He punched me hard in the gut and I doubled over, coughing as he dropped me. The door opened a small girl walked in with a tray. Natsu slapped it out of her hands and grabbed her, ushering her out and slamming the door hard, the noise ringing in my ears.
-edited version-