Chapter 26: You're Lucy
[Previously:]
A figure looked down from the highest point of the castle with an emotionless face, eyeing each mage that went off before turning on a lacrima. "They went off exploring the Kingdom, Sir. Tomorrow morning, they head home… The time is almost near for the Dragon-King festival," The voice told the figure in the lacrima.
"Good… Learn more and keep me updated," They responded, the mysterious person nodding at the assigned mission. Shutting off the lacrima, the figure glanced outside the window and stared specifically at Natsu and Lucy as they flew over the Kingdom. Tsking, they put down the magical barrier that prevented mind-readers and every dragon's hearing… Striding down the hallway.
Everyone was doing their own thing… The Kingdom was as lively as ever—Each mage had the time of their lives, no one questioned if they were human or dragon, but they DID scrunch their snout at the different scent that was otherworldly.
Meanwhile, within the castle walls, everyone was in a hurry to get the decorations up, food prepared, outfits designed, and music set-up.
"I want the floors polished, the crowns shining, and the food making your mouth water at the mere sight of it—YOU! What are you just standing around for?! Get to work!" A female dragonborn angry shouted at servants, wearing the finest armor that was created by dragon-scales.
Master Makarov and Porlyusica watched everything with keen interest, staring at the hybrid growling orders. "She reminds me of Erza… Scary," Makarov mumbled, turning his back toward the humanoid-dragon.
Only to shiver in fear when feeling a steel blade resting upon his shoulder, inches from his neck. "Dragonborn are not full dragons, but we still have excellent hearing… So I dare you to repeat that word, unless you wish to die headless from my blade," She hissed more like a snake than dragon.
Makarov didn't even have to look into her eyes to know she wasn't kidding, silently pleading at Porlyusica for help. The healer scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Now, now, Bellona. Is that any way to treat the Princesses' guests?" Celeste stated, smirking playfully as she walked into the grand ballroom.
The dragonborn that was named Bellona, immediately retracted the sword, and dropped it as if the blade scorched her hand. Eyes widening, Bellona kneeled on the floor in a warrior fashion, "I-I apologize Celeste-sama. I did not know these people were the princesses' guests… Punish me if you must."
The action alone made both the healers and guild master's eyes widen, sweatdropping as a similar thought crossed their minds.
'She really IS like Erza…'
Celeste laughed in amusement, offering a hand to the dragonborn, "I was just messing with you, B—No punishment, and I already said to drop the honorifics. Celeste by itself is fine with me." Bellona nodded, getting off the ground and walking back to give orders.
"This ball… What's so special about a party that you need to go through all this to prepare?" Porlyusica questioned, irritated that she'll have to attend such a crowded and loud environment—She just wanted to go home without people or dragons, dammit!
Celeste scrunched in confusion for a second, crossing her arms and smiling a toothy grin, "Why else? This ball is to welcome home the princesses and lost children of the main elemental dragons. They are the next generation to the future of this kingdom, and once citizens know they're here to stay, it'll finally bring peace to their minds that the next heir to the crown will be absolute!"
The celestial dragon finished with a beaming smile, engulfing both the humans in a hug, not realizing how stiff their bodies were at the explanation. "Thank you for taking care of them, now… They can all come home," Celeste muttered, releasing them, and leaving to go alert the King and Queen of her return.
Makarov looked downright heartbroken—They might be idiots, annoying, and always breaking every town they come across… but they were still HIS brats. Even Porlyusica was devastated at the news, she watched most of them grow up into fine wizards… She hated to admit it, but they were family, and she knew all too well what it was like to lose family.
The two stood in silence, until Makarov glanced down at his hand, making a familiar hand-sign. One index finger standing tall above the rest with an index finger held out… The pink haired woman watched with a sad gaze.
'No matter how far you may be… I will always be watching over you—Family doesn't hold you back, if I must let you brats ago, I'll do it… No matter how much it pains me to do so,' Makarov thought sadly, his eyes beginning to water the longer he stared at Fairy Tail's hand-sign.
[Gajeel, Levy, & Panther Lily:]
Levy, Gajeel, and Panther Lily walked into what appeared to be a small-old bookstore. However, their eyes widen to see it was humongous on the inside, books flyin' off shelves to another and dragonborn flying high in the air to search for their books on the highest point.
"Wow…" Levy awed breathlessly, eyes sparkling at all the knowledge these books contained. Not wasting time, she ran through the library with a quiet Gajeel hot on her heels. While Panther Lily decided to explore as well, 'Maybe they'll have a book on Exceeds,' He hummed in thought, spreading his wings and going in the opposite direction of the couple.
…Hours passed, Levy and Gajeel had found themselves a quiet and dim section of the library on the fifth floor. The solid-script mage had books stacked up, reading them without her Gale-Force reading glasses, wanting to enjoy the peacefulness. Gajeel sat nearby, feet propped on the table and an open book covering his face, snores being heard from him.
Many of the crowds were near the lower or higher floors, so it was just them both. Until a voice broke the silence, making Levy squeal in surprise… Gajeel immediately falls off his chair in alert, eyes wide awake and a growl erupts deep within his chest, trying to sense possible danger.
A low chuckle reached their ears, the mysterious stranger showing himself, "Your mate is quite protective… Though that's normal since he is near mating season. I apologize if I startled you both," An old man spoke with such gentleness, eyes white… Almost like a cloudy storm. He had this ancient vibe to him, and from the scar above one eye, it seemed he had his fair share of fights in a battle too.
"Ah… Gomen, sir! I-I mean, it's fine!" Levy babbled, still reeling from the startle this dragon gave her. Gajeel grunted out a simple greeting, starting to grumble to himself about being woken up for nothing.
"From the books you have spread out, it seems you love to read and gain more knowledge. Reminds me of the lost princess, in fact, I believe her sister loved to read as well. But she mostly had a passion for writing stories instead," The man stated with a tiny smile, not once moving from his spot. "How did you—" Levy gestured to the table of books behind her in a nervous manner. Only to be interrupted…
"Know? My dear, I may be blind, but even this old man has a nose that works—My name is Tatsuya, I am the ancient dragon… Guardian of Knowledge," Tatsuya politely bowed. Levy's eyes widened more at this piece of information, "Guardian… of Knowledge? OH! It's an honor, sir! I-I mean—It's a pleasure! I-I mean… Oh Mavis, do I bow?! Would it be considered rude NOT to bow?!" Levy blurted out, ending up babbling and talking to herself near the end. Her arms gestured around frantically as her nerves shot up.
Not wasting time, Levy was about to bow on the floor until a gentle talon stopped her. "You don't need to do that, young-one," He stopped her with a chuckle, even Gajeel stared at his mate in amusement.
Levy and Tatsuya chatted for a few more minutes until a loud roar shook the Kingdom, echoing in the building like a speaker. For some reason, the roar was clear on what was being said.
"Please make your way to the Kingdom's castle, the ball is about to start soon!" The tone was commanding, Levy pouting knowing she had to go and quickly gathered her bag as Gajeel stood.
"I wish to stay longer but I have some place to be. It was such an honor to meet you Tatsuya-chan!" Levy bowed politely, sincerity in her tone. "Please, it was lovely to meet you… Take the books as a gift from me, it was such a pleasure to know someone else that thrives on knowledge," Tatsuya smiled with a soft nod.
"Oh thank you so much! I won't—Gajeel, don't eat that!" Levy hissed, almost startling the older man as she lectured the dragon slayer, preventing him from eating an iron-pillar. Apologizing on behalf of Gajeel, Levy immediately took the books and shoved them in her small bag, the purse being chanted enough to hold multiple things. As the two headed for the exit, they found Panther Lily along the way… and surprisingly, he was with Rufus and Orga. The Exceed having run into them.
[Laxus and Mirajane:]
"This place smells funny," Laxus frowned, nose scrunching as Mirajane rolled her eyes, both having walked into an antique store.
"Stop being such a baby, Laxus," Mirajane said, Laxus scoffing at the comment… Almost pouting—The couple made their way throughout the whole store, Mirajane's eyes lighting up every time she found something interesting or what she believed her siblings would like.
It was only a matter of minutes to the She-Devil, but reality, hours flew by… Laxus watches Mirajane with a soft gaze in his eyes, despite appearing intimidating at first glance. Even cracking a grin whenever Mirajane shrieked in excitement, grabbing an object to show him—Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention… Hesitating, Laxus glanced back at Mirajane as she went further into the store.
'It will just be a second,' Laxus thought, quickly turning to grab an object that was in eyesight, heading straight to the salesperson.
When Laxus headed back to his original spot where he last saw Mirajane, he silently panicked to see her nowhere in sight. Huffing, Laxus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sniffing the air to pinpoint her scent.
Once the scent of jasmine, sweets, and a hint of whiskey reached his senses, Laxus was off in a certain direction like lightning. However, smelling another scent close to his mate did Laxus speed up and growl darkly.
He walked to the sight of Mirajane glaring at an arrogant dragonborn that kept getting too close for comfort as he backed her into a corner. Laxus immediately threw him off her before Mirajane could defend herself, a growl rumbling in his chest. The man flinched but tried putting on his best poker-face.
"What's your problem?" The stranger hissed, but there was a hint of fear in his tone and eyes. "I could ask you the same thing—What do you think you're doing, putting your hands on MY mate, jackass," Laxus sneered, the man's eyes widening… Trembling at the aura Laxus was giving off, whimpering as lightning cackled and licked up his body—He was a main elemental dragon…
"Laxus, it's okay… Let's go," Mirajane beamed, innocently smiling as a crowd started to form, the poor dragonborn appearing like he was going to pee himself. Yet, Laxus refused to budge, continuing to growl and show dominance.
Although when a roar was heard outside, the announcement traveling, did Laxus break out of his trance and scoff at the man on the ground. Taking off his coat, he draped it over Mirajane's shoulder, shocking her for a bit as Laxus wrapped an arm around her. He was about to pull her to the exit until Mirajane halted him, turning back to the dragonborn with an innocent smile, "Next time a girl says no… It means no. I better not hear you harassing another girl, or else," Mirajane beamed, a crack forming near her eye.
The dragonborn eyes widened in realization, paling—She was a demon! It didn't seem anyone else saw this action, Mirajane practically skipping back to Laxus as the two left… Everyone stared at the man on the floor with pity for almost facing the wrath of messing with someone's mate.
[Lyon & Meredy, Gray & Juvia:]
Lyon sighed in disappointment, watching the interaction with his brother and the first girl he loved—They sat farther away, Juvia beaming in joy with hearts in her eyes, while Gray sat in boredom but the closer you looked… There was a hint of a smile that he tried to hide, eating quietly, and listening to Juvia talk.
Meredy sipped her drink in silence, a small frown upon her face to see Lyon in pain. Though a soft smile formed to see Juvia having the time of her life, "You know… If it makes you feel any better, she's in good hands. Gray… He may not say or show it, but he does love her. I felt it once, when I was connected to his feelings—It wasn't as strong then, but I'm sure it got stronger over time."
Lyon's head snapped to her instantly, frowning on how he was acting—Ignoring a beautiful girl and watching another in longing… Ur didn't raise him like this, to treat a woman rudely. Sighing, Lyon ran a hand through his silver hair, "I'm sorry… Ur didn't raise me to be this rude and I've been completely ignoring you this whole time. It's… It's just—"
"Hard? Yeah, I know… Juvia is special. I admire her, like my own big sister—However, if you truly love Juvia, then you need to let her be free with the man she loves. I can show you to ease your mind how strong it is… Their feelings, I mean," Meredy said, wiggling her fingers.
Lyon looked at Meredy in confusion, not understanding, only to see a bracelet seal with a heart connected to their wrists—Lyon gasped, but not out of pain, suddenly holding his chest… A rush of emotions coming from the couple hit him hard. It felt like he couldn't breathe…
It was warm and fuzzy.
Strong and powerful.
Fearless and lively.
Most importantly… It felt like something you'd live for, something you could only dream of finding for yourself.
Once Meredy released the sensory-link, Lyon stared for a moment before laughing… His whole body shaking as Meredy sadly smiled, understanding where this was going. Lyon's laughter became broken, tears falling.
Meredy left her side of the booth, sitting down next to him without hesitation to comfort him, "I know, it's okay… I know it hurts, but you'll get through this. You just need time and trust me; You'll find someone who'll love you back just as much eventually."
After a while, Lyon stopped crying, taking a deep breath, and nodding to himself, "Thank you," He mumbled with a small smile. The pink-haired mage beamed at him, glad that she was able to help him in some way.
Lyon and Meredy talked for hours, the latter trying to distract the ice-wizard as they laughed together. Discussing random things, both telling each other the pranks they would do on others, specifically Jellal and Gray. Meredy didn't even bother going back to her original seat, giggling next to Lyon, swearing she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. Only Ultear was able to make her laugh this much.
Lyon looked at Meredy with such a softness, only to see Gray staring at him from the corner of his eye—Making eye-contact, it seemed Gray was the only one that noticed earlier of Meredy's sensory-link. Gray smiled at his brother, Lyon returning it with a sad one but nodding, nonetheless.
The message was clear… 'I wish you nothing but the best—Just don't fuck this up.'
When a roar was heard, the couples, even Jet and Droy, walked out of the restaurant together. The six walked toward the castle, and Lyon didn't even look at Juvia once. His eyes never strayed from how Meredy's eyes lit up anytime she saw something amazing.
'Maybe she's right… I can get past this.'
[Sting and Yukino:]
"Sting-kun! Look how pretty and exotic these flowers are!" Yukino awed, running to the white dragon slayer after plucking a flower that seemed to be in the shape of a butterfly.
"Woah, that's so freakin' cool Yukino!" Sting shouted in amazement, only to pause with a frown.
"Wait a second… It's not going to eat me, right? The last time I saw something cool, I almost got eaten," Sting questioned cautiously, shivering at the memory of his trip on Tenrou Island, "Oh my god… It is, isn't it? It's gonna eat me!" He screamed, drawing the attention of folks walking by as they stared at the weird couple. Their snouts scrunched.
"Sting! Look at these cool flowers that Yukino and I found," Lector suddenly flew into the conversation, holding more of the "scary" flowers as Sting panicked, shielding himself.
Yukino rolled her eyes, Lector staring at his best friend in confusion, "It's not going to attack you, Sting—See?" The celestial mage frowned, putting the flower in her white hair. Sting watching with wide, fearful, eyes… Not being able to stop himself, "Yukino, no! It could hurt you!" He shouted.
Sting ended up tripping, falling on top of Yukino as a yelp left her mouth—Sting immediately realizing his mistake seeing Yukino's face burst into a beautiful shade of red, Lecter merely grinning as he flew off to where Frosch was playing near the fountain with Rogue and Kagura. The two even kept an eye on Romeo, Wendy, Chelia, as well as Happy and Carla that were on the playground with other dragon-kin.
"Aw dammit, man, I-I am so sorry Yukino!" Sting stuttered in embarrassment, quickly scrambling to his feet, and offering a hand. "It's okay…" Yukino muttered shyly, cheeks still flushed.
"W-Would you like to go for a walk?" Sting offered, cheekily smiling when noticing Lector is with Rogue. Yukino nodded, smiling nervously as the two walked together along the power, pinking flowers off the ground and showing one another.
Nobody noticed how much time passed until a loud roar was heard in the sky—The group of friends grinning and laughing as they shoved each other on the way back.
[Erza and Jellal:]
The smell of baked goods made Erza's mouth water when she entered the bakery. Eyes roaming the glass case full of sweets like a child on Christmas, Jellal gazed in amusement at the sight.
However the scarlet haired mage slumped in detection, pouting at the prices and forgetting to ask for money from Lucy—She knew the celestial blonde wouldn't mind if you requested to charge it to the royal castle, but Erza didn't wish to be disrespectful. With a dark cloud lingering above her head, Erza went to sit in the farthest corner by the window, putting her head in her arms… Depressed.
Jellal frowned at the sight of Erza in such a state—You could practically see the mini thunderstorm. Sighing, Jellal could only watch knowing if he sat down next to her, Erza would just bring up the fiancée lie again.
He knew that she wasn't actually mad, just teasing… But that didn't stop the guilt that was eating him away.
"You love her, don't you?" A feminine voice said in a dreamy sigh, Jellal flinching at the sudden presence and question, "Apologizes… I didn't mean to startle you, young-man," She laughed.
Jellal waved a hand, his way to say it was alright, before turning his full attention to the older woman that was smiling. "Yeah I do… but I messed up. Not recently, but it might as well have been—I have too many sins weighed upon my shoulder… I cannot ask her to bear them with me," Jellal sighed, eyes on the floor now.
"Well that shouldn't stop you from at least trying! Listen, I'm going to give you some advice, boy—Loving someone is all about sharing your burdens because you both are in it together. It's not fun going into a situation alone, it's actually lonely and nerve-wracking… Believe me. It's better to share the weight with someone since they'll provide you with the strength to lift those burdens and keep on living," The woman said, her pink-colored eyes softening as she stared at a man, who was working at the cashier… Her mate, more than likely.
Jellal blinked, quite surprised, and chuckled, "You know… She said the exact same thing to me once. How you live for the ones you love, not die for them," He smiled at the memory, the first time he's seen her scarlet hair since being arrested.
"Well, us women, do know what we're talking about! How about this… I'm giving you something on-the-house and sweet for her. I noticed her pout earlier; Do you perhaps know her favorite?" She asked eagerly, full of excitement while grabbing a pen and paper to write the special order down. Jellal's nose scrunched, but accepted the offer and didn't hesitate to name out Erza's favorite.
It was nearly an hour before the lady dragon returned with a box that held a whole cake inside. Smiling giddily, she gestured to Erza… Sighing happily at the sight to see the blue-haired man head over in a nervous fashion.
"Playing matchmaker again, love?" A male teasingly spoke, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Oh shut up… I can feel it! Those two are meant to be," She shushed her mate playfully, watching as the scarlet haired female lit up at the sight of her favorite strawberry shortcake, Jellal smiling fondly.
"You say that about everyone," He laughed, looking at the couple for a second before gesturing to the whole bakery that was filled with dragons and dragonborn staring at their own mates with pure love.
"Oh please, you can't diss fate's love. I should know! I'm the—" The dragon straightened proudly, only to be interrupted.
"Yeah, yeah, I know… You're the Dragon of Love—Protector of Soulmates… I've heard it all before, beloved. Now let's move on, we got orders to take," The man lovingly pecked his mate's cheek, leaving to take orders as the woman peacefully sighed, seeing and feeling the love everywhere. She smiled at the couple that walked out of the bakery, before going to work.
[Natsu and Lucy:]
"Natsuu, where are we going? I'm getting tired! You already know I'm still not used to this whole-dragon thing," Lucy whined, following Natsu in the air, only to scream when losing control of her wings.
However before she could fall, Natsu caught her in his arms, "I don't know why you scream all the time weirdo, you know I'll always be there to catch you," He said with a grin as Lucy huffed. A blush creeping onto her cheeks.
A clearing approached over the forest, Natsu landing in the middle of it, sniffing the air as he set a confused Lucy down. "It's over here! Come on, Lucy," Natsu said, smiling widely and grabbing her hand, pulling Lucy along as he followed his nose.
"Close to where? Natsu, where are you taking me?" Lucy questioned, frowning and half expecting a mugger or monster to jump out of the forest trees like back home. "It's a surprise!" Natsu stated, Lucy scoffing… The last time Natsu surprised her, the kitchen caught fire.
Lucy gasped when they screeched to a halt at an opening—It was beautiful… The sound of a waterfall reached your ears, trees folded in on themselves like a shield on the top and flowers decorating the open-field. There seemed to be homemade decorations of vines and flowers decorated everywhere, with dusty objects scattered like ruins.
"Wow… What is this place?" Lucy awed, almost breathlessly, at the scenery. She stepped away from Natsu to look around. "I don't know actually… I saw this place in a memory, and I was able to pick up a scent. It's faint, nearly gone, but I know it's ours!" Natsu said proudly, walking around as well.
Suddenly a crack was heard, like something breaking underneath Lucy's boot. The celestial mage tilted her head in curiosity, kneeling to brush away the leaves and finding a homemade, now broken, frame. Lucy's eyes softened at the picture inside.
It was a younger her and Natsu in front of the waterfall… Little Lucy was on Natsu's back with her arms secured tightly around his neck, a familiar scarf worn around her own neck. Little Natsu seemed to be holding whatever object that took the picture, gazing at Lucy with a bright smile and tiny blush.
"Hey Natsu… Come look at this," Lucy mumbled, eyes never leaving the picture as she felt Natsu approach and sat next to her. "Oh cool! It's a younger version of us!" Natsu shouted excitedly, taking the frame into his hand to have a closer look.
"So it's true then… There's no way this could be some mistake," Lucy sighed, Natsu immediately sensing his partner's charge of mood and frowning. He never did like seeing Lucy look sad.
"What's wrong, Luce? Aren't you happy that we knew each other at a young age?" Natsu asked, taking her sadness the wrong way.
Lucy shook her head, laying down on the healthy grass with Natsu following her action. "No… No, it's not that, Natsu. It's just… Everyone is happening too fast! I guess, I'm just feeling overwhelmed with everything… I… I don't even know who I am anymore," Lucy muttered, tears coming into her eyes. Having whispered the last part more to herself but Natsu's sharp hearing was able to hear it.
"Your Lucy," Natsu stated confidently, no hesitation whatsoever that caught the blonde's attention, "Your still the weird Lucy that Happy and I partnered up with at the guild when we first met… The same Lucy that would give up her life with no regrets for her spirits—Though you wouldn't have to, you know I'll always come and save you Lucy," He said seriously, stroking her guild mark with his thumb as Lucy chuckled.
Natsu sighed, running a hand through his salmon-colored hair, "Look Lucy… I may not be the brightest and I know, I do stupid things sometimes… Okay! All the time—You don't need to give me that look. But I do know one thing! We'll get through this together because we're partners, and now, mates. As long as we're together, there isn't an adventure we couldn't handle," Th fire dragon slayer smiled softly.
Lucy was shocked, a tear finally sliding down her cheek, Natsu wiping it away. Quickly, Lucy snapped back to reality and let out a meaningful laugh, "When did you get so wise Natsu?"
The comment brought a scowl to Natsu's face, the expression making Lucy laugh harder than before. Her grip unconsciously tightening in Natsu's hold—After a while, the two fell in comfortable silence, enjoying the feel of being near each other and the sound of the waterfall.
Turning her head, Lucy noticed Natsu had fallen asleep… The blonde tried to remove her hand, only for him to growl in his sleep before snoring once more. Smiling to herself, Lucy brought their intertwined hands to her lips, shyly kissing them before letting them rest on the grass.
Using her free hand, Lucy traced the mating mark… Feeling her anxiety disappear as it brought warmth and comfort—Unknown to Lucy, Natsu wasn't actually asleep, twitching in a pleasant smile.
'I know what I must do…' Lucy thought, closing her eyes and smiling at the guild memories that passed through her head.
