Good day to you! I hope you are all doing well! I have been working really hard on new chapters, and I hope this one is really enjoyable for you! I would like to thank my reviewers for their critiques, and I am able to often go back and fix them, so thanks a whole lot! Hope you enjoy! Please leave a review with any comments you have, and follow this story to get notified when I update! Love you all loads, till we meet again :) ~naluhedgehogs
Natsu held the ribbon in his hand tightly as he sampled the air. No sign of her being anywhere near him recently. He growled under his breath. 'Cmon Natsu, think. The princess needs help. Where could she have... The letter!' He quickly stuffed the ribbon back in his pack, and looked at the letter yet again. A magic shop. It said she was going to visit a magic shop! He looked around. No magic shop in sight, but tucked away in a corner not far up the road, he saw a quaint little bookstore. If Lucy liked to read, there is no way she would pass up a place like that.
The book store was a lot more mysterious on the inside than it looked. While it appeared to be small, the room was easily large enough to house half a library, and shelves of many sizes were lined in disorganized rows, creating what looked to be a maze. Bare bulbs of a faint blue-ish color ran around the interior walls, criss-crossing above the shelves from the wooden ceiling beams. The room was cast in an almost ethereal glow, and, as far as he could see, no one else was present.
The bulbs provided some light, but the room was still rather dim. Thankfully, his senses, as a dragon slayer, were quite good, and he could see with relative ease, though it was beyond him how any normal person would be able to read anything in this place. He sampled the air as he winded through the maze of bookshelves, but the musty scent of the old pages blocked out any other traces that could have lingered there. He cursed under his breath.
It took a lot of weaving through the shelves, but eventually he reached the back of the shop. There, at a small table, complete with a register and a silver bell, sat a small old man. Similar in size, maybe a slight bit larger than Master Makarov, the old man had a scruffy grey beard that reached to his elbows along with bushy eyebrows and distinct blue eyes. For a minute, the man didn't seem to notice the pink haired teen, but just before Natsu opened his mouth, the man spoke. "You're a strange looking fellow" he quirked, laughing at the slightly-offended look Natsu presented. "Please, I didnt mean no harm to ya. Tell me, what can I do ya for?" His accent was rough, but he was seemingly pleasant. "Have you seen a girl recently, golden hair, brown eyes? Lucy. Her name was Lucy." The old man stopped for a minute, and seemed to ponder. "Ah yes, ya are referrin' to the Princess? Actually, I'z expecting her, but that was three days ago. Kind soul, she is. Often helps me round the shop. Been 'ere many a time, she has. But no' recently. Sorry lad. Why'd ya question?" Natsu swallowed the bit of worry that was slowly building in the back of his mind. "Haven't you heard?!" (Okay maybe he hadn't swallowed ALL of the worry) "Lucy. She's gone." The old man stared at him for a minute, before it set in. "No..." The man shook his head in disbelief. His accent broke. "No. Not Lucy. Not my darling granddaughter Lucy..."
Alrighty O! Stopping point for today! Yes, this chapter was shorter. I know, I'm sorry. I am striving for longer and yes, I know that basically nothing happened in this chapter. But this was a nice stopping point. Do not fear my darlings, I will not keep you for very long, I do hope! Please be patient! Please leave a review telling me your thoughts, maybe a favorite or a follow if you enjoy it? Much love! See you next time xoxo
~naluhedgehogs