Next chapter!
Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I do NOT own Fairy Tail or it's characters. They belong to Master Hiro Mashima. I only own the plot! Enjoy!
Chapter 6
I was floating…..on a cloud. It was the nicest cloud I've ever felt. Was I dead? Because it felt too good to be alive. I moaned. Warm sunlight hit my back. It felt….it felt….it hurt actually. My back started stinging from the heat, confirming that I wasn't dead. Memories of the whipping surged back with a sudden gasp and reality finally began to settle in.
I opened my eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. I was on a grand bed surrounded by glossy furnishings. I spotted a balcony overlooking the beautiful garden nearby, indicating I was most likely in the Big House. I rolled over and sat up. My back ached and burned, but I ignored it. It wasn't anything new after all. I looked around some more and saw a couch across from the bed with a smiling pink haired stranger sitting on it. The young master…
"You know, you shouldn't be sitting up. The medicine will have a harder time going into effect," he said, sauntering over to me. I looked down to my lap, staying silent.
"Well, my name is Natsu, as you may have guessed. How about you? What's your name?" he asked enthusiastically, sitting down on the side. I cringed a little from the movement. I turned back around onto my stomach and lay back down, immediately getting relief. I sighed into the pillows feeling self-conscious that I, a slave, was in a huge bed that belonged to my future Master.
In front him…
The young Master….
Oh crap.
I jumped from the bed, ignoring the searing pain in my back. I ran to the corner of the room, my back facing the wall. The young Master gave me a confused expression.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
I didn't answer. Rule number one: never speak unless spoken to when in front of the Master, or anyone of similar ranking in society.
"Can you speak?" he asked uncertainly. I nodded slightly. He brightened at my reaction.
"Then come on now! What's your name?" he asked, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Gray Fullbuster," I replied. I felt my voice waver, no matter how much I tried to compose myself.
"Gray! Cool name!" My heart fluttered a little when he said that.
"Well, Gray, come back here and rest. You were given medicine on your back to heal your wounds. I don't understand why they didn't get help immediately. The doctor said if you stay in bed and apply the medicine every few hours, your scars will fade. Isn't that great?" I didn't answer. I mean, how do you respond to these situations?
"Come here and lay down," the young Master ordered, snapping me out of my thoughts. I walked back reluctantly.
"It's time for your medicine too." I was on my stomach now as he went over to the desk. He picked a large silver tube. I closed my eyes and got comfortable. A few seconds later, coldness was spread across my back. I shivered and felt my face heat up a little from his touch.
"So, how do you feel?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders, and cringed.
"Come on, talk."
I sighed. "Fine," I replied quietly.
He snorted. "You don't look fine. Come on, I'm trying to have a conversation with you. Nothing bad is going to happen if you talk to me. I told the other slaves to leave us be until I called for them. Are you hungry? I can get you some food." Involuntarily, my stomach growled loudly in response. He laughed.
"I'll take that as a yes." He went over to the wall and pulled on a rope that rang a faint bell. "Some servants will come up in a minute." He then continued rubbing my back but I refused to relax.
A sharp knock came on the door a few minutes later. Natsu stopped rubbing the ointment and went to open the door. No words were exchanged as it closed a few seconds later. I opened my eyes and sat up.
I looked at what was to be my lunch. I WAS expecting regular slave's lunch which consisted of water, stale bread and a slab of something that was supposed to be our meat. Instead I received something I would only imagine a king would eat.
It was a bowl of soup with some lumps of chicken and vegetables in it. A shining glass of clean water was set next to it along with a silver spoon. I slowly reached out my hand and too hold of the utensil and ate.
"Whoa, man, slow down. You'll get sick," Natsu said his hands up in a 'calm down' position. I couldn't help it. I've never eaten something so satisfying.
I felt my stomach expanding only a quarter of the way in, but I kept going, making sure I took every bite of this meal as I could get. When I finished, I sat back and sat right back up again. I looked up and saw the young Master giving me an intrigued stare. I glanced down.
He laughed. It had a nice ring to it. "You sure know how to enjoy a simple meal. And I see you're feeling better. The color is starting to come back to your face already." A loud knock came on the door. He sighed and went over to open it.
"Natsu, is it true-"I heard the Master stop suddenly. I peeked up slightly to see him standing there in the doorway, a slave behind him holding a stack of papers.
"Why is there a slave in your bed?" he asked. He didn't seem too angry, just confused. "What happened, Natsu? Midnight said that this slave assaulted Angel and received some minor whippings, and yet you took him in. What's going on?"
"It wasn't any minor whippings, dad, his back was completely bloody with several infected wounds. I don't trust Midnight or his team. Look at his back." The young Master grabbed the Master's arm and pulled him over to me. He gently turned me around, show casing my bare back. I heard the Master gasp.
"It doesn't look infected-"
"It was before. Ask the doctor."
"It definitely does look different compared to Midnight's description," he continued. "What's your name, boy?" I assumed he was talking to me now.
"Gray Fullbuster," I whispered.
"Look at me when you talk." I raised my head and looked him in the eyes. "Who whipped you? And speak up."
"Angel Spirit," I said.
"For what reasons?" I stayed silent.
"I said, for what reasons?"
"She tried to force herself on me the night before, but I didn't let her."
"I see," was all he said to me. He then directed his attention to his heir. "Assist him and the servants to a guest room." Natsu nodded enthusiastically. "He will stay here until this gets all sorted out. I will go talk to the cabin later." He then walked over to the rope the young Master pulled earlier and tugged it. He nodded to the young Master before leaving.
Soon enough, some other slaves came to take me to another room on a back board. This room had the same style, but wasn't quite as big as the young Master's. Either way, it was still an upgrade.
I was placed on the bed on my belly. I lay my head down and closed my eyes, drifting off as the door closed softly behind the young Master.
I spent the next week in my new room with the luxury of hot meals and baths. Every morning, the young Master came to me with breakfast. He always brought a tray of soup or something similar. He then applied the ointment afterwards before leaving for his duties. I felt my back getting better each day to the point where I can comfortably sit up.
Overall, it was an amazing change. I felt extremely guilty for doing it.
I constantly reminded myself of the cabin and how everyone was still stuck working but I couldn't get myself to speak with the young Master on normal terms. I never spoke unless asked to and I kept my head down. Today he commented on it.
"You're very quiet, you know. Why is that?" he asked. He was sitting on the side of my bed, twirling a loose thread of string from the blanket. He had left some paper work I assumed he had to do on his desk, but for some reason he found me more interesting.
"I don't know," I answered.
"I doubt that. I'm always the one who's talking about random things. I bet you're a little sick of me now." Not really. In fact, I was rather fascinated with his lifestyle. "Tell me about what it's like being a slave."
That was a…..painful question.
"I'd rather not talk about that, young Master," I replied.
"Is that how you normally address me? The young Master? Wow. You know what, just call me Natsu." He gave me a wide, goofy grin.
"I don't mind calling you young Master, sir."
"No." I shifted uncomfortably. He sighed.
"Fine. How about Natsu-sama?" That made me feel a little bit better. I nodded and he grinned.
A knock came on the door. Natsu-sama went over and opened it, revealing his father.
"Good morning boys. How is your back Gray?"
"Better, sir," I answered.
"That's good, because I have a task for you." He stopped and went over to the couch across the room. "But first, I came to inform you that after the incident with Angel, I'm having her fired." I stared at him wide-eyed. What?
"Now, as for my task. Natsu seems to enjoy going to visit you. He rushes through his breakfast faster than normal just to go see you. So, because he enjoys your company, how would you like to accompany him to the Heartfilia Plantation to meet up with his future wife? As a way to repay us back for our hospitality. I'll provide you with proper clothing. If all goes well, you might be promoted to working with my son, rather than in the fields." My heart sank.
"So," the Master continued. "Do you accept?" Honestly, it felt more like an order than an option, but that wasn't anything new to me.
"Yes, Master. Thank you for your generosity," I replied.
"Very good. You'll be leaving this afternoon. Go bathe and when you're finished I'll have spare clothes waiting for you. Natsu, go get into your nice suit. When you're done, I want to have a talk with you. Come into my office when you're all dressed."
"Yes, sir," Natsu-sama replied. Then he left, leaving Natsu and me alone for a few seconds.
"Well, I'll leave you to your bath. See you in a few hours." He waved and left the room, closing the door behind him.
I went into the bathroom and came back out soon after. A slave's grey shirt and pants were laid out on the bed. I got on the pants easily, but the shirt took some time. When I was dressed, I waited about an hour before Natsu-sama finally showed up.
"It's time to go," he said, his eyes downcast, dread apparent in his voice.
I got up and walked behind him as he led me to the front of the mansion, where a carriage waited for us. He seemed reluctant to go in. He practically had to be pushed inside by the driver. I followed afterward.
This was my first time go out of the Plantation in years. When we left, I took in everything I could lay my eyes on. It was all so colorful and well-trimmed. I looked over to Natsu-sama to share my enthusiasm but when I saw him my smile fell. My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
He was on his back, holding his mouth, his face taking on a greenish hue. He threw his upper body out the window and gagged.
"Why couldn't we just walk?" he moaned when he was in the coach again. He looked to the side, noticing my confusion.
"Motion sickness." he answered the unsaid question, before he clamped his hand over his mouth and hurled out the window. I looked away, not wanting to see what he had for breakfast.
"Hey driver, how long until we get there?" he asked.
"Eh, twenty, twenty-five minutes," he replied. Natsu-sama groaned.
"Too loooooong." He laid down holding his stomach with one hand, his mouth with the other. He promptly fell over, head in my lap. I blushed at the proximity. My heart fluttered and I felt the urge to run my fingers through his hair.
I found this quite strange, which through me off. I couldn't quite place the reason as to why I felt so close to him, why I was quickly growing comfortable with his presence. I didn't know if I should fight these feelings or go along with them…
…..
We got to the Heartfilia Plantation in about fifteen minutes. Good thing too, because Natsu-sama looked as though he was about to die. Or lose whatever was left in his stomach. Whichever came first. I stood in front of the mansion staring wide eyed at the size. Not quite as big as the Dragneel's, but still very grand. I waited for Natsu-sama, who was hanging onto the carriage for support until he felt good enough to walk. Some waiting guards escorted us to the large front doors and allowed us in.
It was just as big on the inside as it was on the outside. There was a grand staircase and above was a large painting of a grim man and a beautiful blonde girl. On either side of the room were statues, paintings and fake plants. All was polished marble aside from the tiled floor that was so shiny, I could easily see my reflection.
Our footsteps echoed as we made our way to the staircase. We followed the butler and the guards down several corridors until we reached a simple white door that lead to a small living area where the girl from the portrait sat. Mistress Lucy Heartfilia.
She was dressed in a red knee length dress, her straight golden locks of hair falling past her shoulders. I have to admit, she was more beautiful in person than in her portrait. He soft dark brown eyes gazed at Natsu-sama, a kind smile on her face. She then glanced over to me momentarily. Behind us, the guards walked out and closed the door silently.
"Good afternoon Natsu. How are you?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"Very well, Lucy, thank you," he replied formally. "And let me introduce you to my servant, Gray Fullbuster." He gestured to me. Mistress Heartfilia looked over to me with curiosity.
"Hello, Gray. It's very nice to meet you."
Instead of answering, I bowed low in respect. When I straightened up, she looked like she was about to laugh.
"Dear Gray, you don't have to bow to me. A simple hello would've been sufficed." She smiled widely.
She gestured to the couch in front of her. "Well come on, sit down already. Have some tea." She picked up the pot that was on the coffee table and poured two cups of tea into them. I followed Natsu-sama to the couch and sat down with him. He grabbed his cup and sipped. He hummed in pleasure and set his cup down on its plate.
"That's delicious, Lucy. Did you make it?" he asked enthusiastically. Mistress Heartfilia smiled widely and nodded.
"Jasmine tea. We have a greenhouse on the east side of the Plantation. I like to go there to write every day. We should go there while we're on our walk later." She kept going on like that, while I just tuned her out and sat there politely. I honestly didn't think it was appropriate for me to be here since it was supposed to be her and Natsu-sama's time. A soft knock came on the door some time later followed by a timid voice.
"Lucy-sama. It's me, Levy. Your father sent me to accompany you just as the other is accompanying Master Dragneel."
"Come in, Levy," Mistress Heartfilia called. The door opened and in came a small girl with light blue, disheveled hair held back by a grey ribbon and wearing the mandatory slave outfit. She shuffled to the couches and bowed low to Natsu-sama. She then took her place beside the Mistress and folded her hands on her lap, keeping her eyes slightly downcast. Mistress Heartfilia smiled then continued the conversation.
I watched Levy the entire time. She never twitched a muscle, just sat there patiently. There was something off about her though. Something I couldn't quite place; like she knew something I didn't.
Raise you hand if you were relieved that Gray's scars are going away.
Me: (raises hand)
Raise you hand if you can't wait until next chapter
Me: (raises hand)
Raise your hand it you want to know what Levy knows (wink wink)
Me: (raises hand)
Boring... Probably. But I'll tell you a little secret. Something big is coming next chapter. Something huge! What is it?...I can't tell you yet. That'll spoil the surprise. I'll post soon! And thank you all for your reviews! I love you all! Keeping commenting and do tell me if there's anything i can do better! See you soon!