Truly wasn't going to post until Tuesday but I'm in the E.R and all alone bc I'm away for school and just feel super lonely right now and could use your reviews to cheer me up ;-;
Please enjoy!
Things began with Lucy's simple interest in fire.
She was an infant, the wisps caught her eye, dancing and swaying in a medley of colors that piqued her interest more than any toy could.
There was a knowing comfort hidden somewhere in there, something that reached out to her, a voice akin to the solace her parents gave her.
Her nanny held her, feeding her a bottle beside the roaring fire in the hearth. Her eyes were glued to the fantastic colors, feeling the warmth tickle her skin as if to say hello. She wanted to grab it and play with it as if it were sand.
The fascination grew, her hands awfully curious to feel the soft-looking embers. One day, a few months after her fourth birthday, Lucy had been left alone. She was playing with a doll in her crib when her nanny left for a short while to fetch a snack.
There was a tinkling sound that called to her from the fireplace, like the light bells that followed a fairy.
Lucy stood at the sound, intrigued and excited. It continued to chime, as if beckoning her to approach. The princess was nimble and smart by this point of her early life, and already knew how to get out of her crib safely. It was a simple matter of tossing out her pillow first and sliding down the thin bars she could wrap her hands around. Where this strange energetic side of their daughter came from, her mother would never know.
She toddled over to the bright and swaying beauty, giggling when the bells became louder. She plopped down and crawled forward, listening to the strange music that seemed to call to her.
The princess reached out, trying to grasp at the bouncing colors, only to be swiftly pulled away by her frantic nanny.
"Princess! Oh, princess, you could have burned yourself! My goodness, how did you ever get out of your crib?" She quickly looked over the stiff toddler who let her flustered caretaker check for any wounds or singed clothing.
Lucy only frowned as she walked them away from the fire, the light laugh of the flames still active and happy.
"I wanted to play…"
"That's not something a princess should play with,"
Where Lucy got her stubbornness from, again, her mother would never know. Her twisted lips and knotted brows were surely a feature she must have picked up from her stressed father.
How was it so impossibly hard for her to be left alone long enough for her to play with the fire? Lucy was upset and refused to smile, her pout persistent and her arms often crossed.
Her teachers scolded her to be more ladylike and poise, but because of her weaker constitution as a baby, her parents and the kingdom let her behave however she wanted.
"It wants to be my friend, Michelle! I have to greet them, but nanny won't let me get closer…"
"Eh? Wait until she goes when I sleep? I dunno…"
But Michelle had been right, she was a smart doll, of course. There was a small fire always left burning to keep her warm, and the guards never entered her room unless they heard anything alarming.
So the princess eagerly climbed out of her crib again, rushing over to the fire with her little legs.
Her heart beat excitedly, the grin on her face stretching as far as it could go.
The fire seemed to dance more brilliantly as she approached it, as if it were jumping up in excitement at her appearance. It twinkled and chimed, faux words she was yet able to understand coaxing her to further approach.
Lucy experimentally reached out her hand, unconsciously knowing that such a cute thing could never hurt her.
The wisps met and tickled her palm, edges branching out and upwards to wrap around her small fingers. She gasped and giggled as it snuggly warmed up to her skin, flames licking as though it were a dog.
Lucy was clever, even at this young age, so she knew it was best to keep this a secret.
Every so often she'd greet the spirit and tell them about her day, especially when her parents were too busy to entertain her.
She read to them, knowing that somehow, it was absorbing every word she spoke. The flames responded to her every word, like a distant friend sitting right at her side.
And when the little princess turned eight, she decided to give them a name.
"Salamander, I'm back," She would smile after her busy day of tutoring sessions. They read together whenever Lucy had the time, knowing her dear friend was waiting for her return.
Lucy would stare through the flames at times, wondering if Salamander was looking right at her, swearing at times that she could see a pair of sweet onyx eyes.
The day when all good things had to come to an end eventually came; when the princess would forget these wonderful things and her childlike wonder.
It was an important task for a princess to grow up, start taking lessons and mold herself into a perfect lady of high society.
Ladies of high society did not read adventure stories, they did not talk to themselves, and they most certainly did not stray from the path of their perfectly crafted educational plan.
While Lucy tried her best at that age to continue reading to Salamander, she was simply too tired most nights to do anything but wish him a good night.
There was never any time to sit in front of the fire, especially when she had to practice intense posture training.
Nor was there time to stay in the library after lessons because there were tea parties to attend in a few months and she needed to get a handle on proper etiquette.
She would strain her eyes by candlelight for tests she had to study for, unaware of the gaze set on her from the other side of the small wisp.
Her loneliness was forgotten as time increased by her mother's side, the princess studying with her most days. And so she began to forget about the entity that continued to protect her, memories fading away like old dreams.
If not for her mother's company, she had the ladies from her social gatherings to write letters to. And they always met up once a month for tea and gossip.
There was Lady Levy, daughter of Earl McGarden. Her family worked closely with her own, the McGarden's a long line of scholarly aids to the crown.
Lady Juvia, daughter of Marquess Lockser and betrothed to the Ice Prince in the South.
There was also Lady Erza, daughter of the late Duchess Irene Belserion. She was to be crowned Duchess herself when she turned eighteen, currently under strict supervision by her faithful knight, Jellal Fernandes.
They never talked about anything, in particular, Juvia often led the conversation by fawning over her fiancee. It was rare for a human to be married into a magical kingdom, but it would be her sacrifice to maintain a good relationship with the kingdom of Frost.
They met once when they were younger, and Juvia instantly fell in love. She said he was apathetic and stoic, but the type who was easy to blush as well. They exchanged letters back and forth, Gray's not as frequent as her own, but that wasn't surprising. Juvia could talk about nothing for hours on end and he was much more reserved.
She imagined what their reunion would be like when she came of age, how desperate he probably was to see her.
Erza would discuss the matter of how Jellal often trained her in secret, teaching her how to sword fight, and how to control the strength behind her fist.
Levy's father endorsed her interests to instead become a scholar than worry about high society, although he preferred that she keep her connections by attending events like this. Not that she minded, of course, since these four had grown so close over time.
Lucy was the only one who couldn't break away from her reality, who didn't have a place to escape to when she was alone. There was simply no time for her to be anything but a princess.
tbh this chapter was supposed to be longer but I decided to cut out a portion that just made the future of the story a little wary
I'll probably double post in a week instead of every two weeks so I don't overwhelm yall