It's Monday!
I12Bfree: I'm glad you're enjoying it! The good part starts next week. We'll have some fun with this one. :) Thanks!
- K. Chandler
Juvia's hands twitched in irritation as Lucy crooned over Prince Gray.
According to her, Gray was 'amazing.' He was also strong and funny and charming and clever. On one hand, Lucy seemed to be absolutely right. On the other, if Juvia had to endure five more minutes of Lucy giggling, "Gray's just amazing. Isn't he amazing, Juvia?" then Juvia might just have to strangle her.
Of course, it wasn't his fault. Gray didn't seem to have too many faults… Juvia never thought that perfection existed, but here it was, in the form of Prince Gray of Isvan.
"Natsu's next," Lucy said. "What's your question?"
"For Gray, right?" Natsu frowned, thinking hard. Then his expression lit up. "…What color's your underwear?"
"Natsu!" Lucy scolded, prodding him with her foot. "That's it! You're banned. No more questions from you."
Natsu grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Unbelievable…" Lucy sighed.
"How come you banned him, but you won't ban me?" Gray asked.
"Because… wait. Gray? Have you been giving crappy answers on purpose?" Lucy asked through gritted teeth.
"…Of course not."
"Gray!" Lucy complained. "Give me something to work with here!"
"What was the question again?"
"What you do in your spare time," Lucy said, biting back a sigh.
Gray crossed his arms. "I don't have that much spare time. That's all there is to it."
"Juvia! Juvia… Show this guy how it's done," Lucy said. "You have hobbies, right?"
"Not many," Juvia admitted. "I dabble in herbs, and I know a little about medicine! But that's not really a hobby…"
Lucy sighed. "Clearly, you two were made for each other…"
Juvia looked away to hide her frown. Was that sarcasm? And coming from this pampered princess, someone who had no responsibilities? Lucy had probably never done a day's work in her life!
"It's a lot of work ruling a kingdom," Juvia said defensively. Especially one that hated you…
"How are you finding it?" Gray asked, his voice softening.
Gray's sensitivity touched her, making her anger abate.
"Succeeding my father was something that I don't think I was prepared for," Juvia admitted.
"It's not easy, that's for sure," Gray said, nodding sympathetically. "There's more responsibility than most people would imagine."
Juvia's eyes widened as Gray rushed to her defense. "You speak like someone who knows," Juvia said, studying him.
"I… took the throne at an early age. I'm really more Prince Regent than just a prince," Gray said, shrugging.
Then she and Gray were so very alike! No wonder it felt like he understood her in a way that no one had before.
"Why not become king? Drop the regent?" Juvia asked.
Gray blinked.
"Sorry, that was forward," Juvia said, her face heating up in embarrassment. She was so bad at these things. She didn't have a lot of visitors, so it wasn't like she had much opportunity to practice.
"No, no. I just… wow, um. So, I'm putting off my coronation until I'm ready to take a bride," Gray said. "That's sort of an expectation in my kingdom."
"And why don't you? Take a bride, that is," Juvia asked curiously. She would have thought that women from all over the kingdom would be lining up to marry the prince. And if not them, the high-born women from other kingdoms, surely.
"Now that was forward," Gray said. "And besides, it's Lucy's turn."
"And why don't you?" Lucy echoed innocently before grinning. Was she trying to hint at something?
Gray glared.
"Ah, ah, ah… you have to answer," Lucy reminded him, wagging her finger at him. "Those are the rules. No getting out of it now."
"I'm just not in a rush to become king," Gray said. "I mean, who cares what people call me? I can rule the country just fine as regent."
"How come?" Lucy pestered.
"Because I don't really care for titles," Gray shrugged. "Kinda pointless, don't you think? I'll answer to pretty much whatever."
"I mean, why aren't you looking to get married?" Lucy asked.
"Is that another question?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, I guess," Lucy said.
"Will you look at that? We've hit twenty! Sorry, you're out of questions," Gray announced, looking slightly triumphant.
"Gray! You can't just leave us hanging like this…!" she whined, sounding like the spoiled child she was.
"Those are the rules, aren't they?" he shrugged. "It's someone else's turn."
"Fine," Lucy huffed. "Okay, then it's Juvia's turn! Go on, Gray. What do we want to know about the lovely Queen Juvia?"
Gray frowned, looking thoughtful. "How many people on your castle staff?" Gray asked.
"Gray!" Lucy scolded.
"What? That's the best I could come up with."
"Fine," Lucy said. "Answer the question, Juvia."
"A dozen, maybe. Less," Juvia said. "A chef, a gardener, my aide, and my driver," she started to list. "Who else…?"
"No security detail?" Gray asked, frowning.
"There aren't too many people who want to get into Fantasma Castle," Juvia said with a sad smile. "It's sort of gloomy… Nobody wants to be in a kingdom that's always raining."
"Rain can be pretty too," Gray said.
"You think so?" Juvia asked.
"Sure," Gray said. "Every kingdom has something beautiful about it. You just have to know where to look."
"That's very wise," Lucy said. "Look at you, all philosophical!"
"What would be wise is to beef up security…" Gray reminded them.
It was sweet of him to care. Maybe Juvia would do that. She could assign the role to Gajeel. The Draghi man was certainly intimidating enough.
It was Lucy's turn to ask a question next.
"Let's skip me," Lucy said. "I sort of cheated when I asked about Juvia's hobbies earlier. Why don't you go again, Gray?"
"What's Fantasma's most important industry?" Gray asked.
"Agriculture," Juvia said. "We produce a lot rice and grains. There are a lot of plants that prefer a wetter climate that grow nowhere else."
"See? One good thing about the rain," Gray said.
"You're right," Juvia said, smiling. She'd never thought about it that way before, but somehow Gray had a way of making things better.
Juvia hated to admit it, but as the afternoon wore on, she felt like she knew Gray a lot better. Lucy's game was really helping. And with the few times that she had seen Gray in her scrying bowl, she was starting to feel like she had known him her whole life.
"Next question for Juvia. Ask her something personal," Lucy said to Gray.
"All right… what's your opinion on the Oración Kingdom's throwing their support behind the Crime Sorcière mercenaries?" asked Gray.
"That's your idea of personal?" Lucy asked. "I'm rejecting that question."
Gray sputtered adorably. "Wha—? You… You were the one who said anything goes!"
"Rejected. Try again," Lucy said.
"Do you, personally, believe in the use of mercenaries?" Gray rephrased.
Lucy groaned. "You're so hopeless!"
Soon the evening drew to a close. Gray and Natsu said their good-byes, each returning to their respective kingdoms.
Lucy waited with Juvia as Gajeel brought the carriage around to the castle gates.
"Did you have fun?" Lucy asked.
"It was a lovely party," Juvia said politely. "Thank you for introducing me to your new friends," she added, so she wouldn't sound too curt. She was starting to understand why she had been replaced.
"Gray seemed to have a good time," Lucy said, nodding.
Juvia tried to keep the irritation from her face.
"It's nice when he smiles," Lucy said. "After his parents died, he took it really hard. Gray didn't just lose his family. He ended up with the weight of the world on his shoulders and an entire kingdom to look after. Now, he spends his days all alone in that big, lonely, palace of his."
"How terrible," Juvia said.
Juvia imagined Gray in a dank, gloomy castle, like hers, mourning the loss of his family. He was just like she was. Alone, bearing a burden that he couldn't share. She knew what he was going through.
He probably understood her too. And more than that, he had been kind to her. He was polite and considerate, not at all judgmental about her situation.
"He really needs someone to look after him," Lucy said, her voice lowering conspiratorially. "Like a nice girl or something."
Juvia's spine stiffened. "Is that right?" she asked. As if it wasn't obvious that Lucy was all over him.
Lucy didn't seem to notice the chilliness in her voice.
"He's a good ruler," Lucy said. "Thoughtful and fair, though little too serious. He'll make a fantastic king, someday. All he needs is a queen to stand by his side. I wonder who that might be…" she added with a coy little smirk.
Juvia didn't answer, saying nothing as she waited for the carriage to arrive. Finally, Gajeel pulled up, reining the horses to a stop. He got out and opened the door.
Juvia forced a smile as she entered, bidding Lucy a polite farewell and waiting until she was safely out of sight for her expression to sour.
Whoever Gray married, it had better not be Lucy… Please, don't let her take him too. The idea filled her chest with the deepest ache.
"Bora," she called. "Fetch me my washbasin."
"At once, my queen." He bowed deeply before departing.
Bora returned momentarily, handing the silver bowl to her with a smart bow.
Taking the silver bowl from him, Juvia dismissed her servant with a wave.
Juvia set the bowl down on her desk, peering into it hesitantly. Normally, when she was upset, she always asked to see Princess Lucy so she could bask vicariously in the sunlight of Magnolia Kingdom. But Juvia didn't want to today. She might just gag if she had to see that witch's face again.
Instead, there was another voice that she longed to hear.
Juvia glanced out the window at the layer of grey clouds that spotted the sky. Juvia wasn't sure if it were reality or just her imagination, but the days had been less rainy as of late and the skies seemed less dark. Everything had seemed less dark. Ever since she had met Gray.
Today, Juvia filled her basin with her own water magic.
Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his handsome face.
Dark curls. Strong cut jaw. Eyes as blue as the ocean and clear as the sky.
Gray…
Juvia couldn't keep him out of her mind.
"Show me Gray. Show me my beloved," she commanded.
Juvia's stomach gave a dizzying lurch of anticipation.
A brightly lit room with airy, high ceilings rippled into view. There, sitting behind a large, mahogany desk was…
"Gray," Juvia whispered.
He was so perfect that he took her breath away.
The Prince of Isvan was hunched a stack of documents, scratching away at it with a quill. Deft movements of his wrist produced bold but even ribbons of ink on parchment. Dark hair fell over his left eye. Gray flicked it aside with two fingers.
Gray seemed so close, close enough that she could touch him, if only she just tried. Juvia reached out, as if to brush her hand against his, but all she got was ripples and water. So near, but yet so far.
Her stomach clenched in disappointment. She wanted him so badly that it hurt.
Juvia knew that no matter what it took, she would be the one to win Gray's heart.
So... does this count as creeper-stalking? Now the fun begins! XD
I hope I'm selling Juvia's social-awkwardness here. We've all felt uncomfortable and out of our depth at times, but with the way I'm writing Juvia here, there's a little more to it. Juvia continuously fails to realize when she's crossed a socially-acceptable line in canon. Normally, we just laugh it off and call it funny or criticize Mashima's writing or some such. For this story, I wanted a slightly deeper explanation.
At first, I wondered if it could be a cultural difference; different countries have different norms around personal space, eye-contact, gender roles, etc. While that might have been interesting, I didn't represent a lot of different social norms between Gray, Natsu and Lucy's kingdoms, so making Juvia the odd one out didn't quite work for me. The next best option was playing up the idea that Juvia has so few friends that she doesn't understand social settings; she's misreading the cues left and right. This indifference or inability to read cues or identify boundaries is commonly part of the profile for the type of personality that Juvia becomes.
My personal favorite bit was Gray's very political deflection of Intrusive Question Game? It might be more fanon than canon, but I've seen a lot of writers portray Gray as someone who sidesteps questions and avoids things he doesn't want to talk about. That's totally a headcanon for me.
Next time, in Toxic, let's find more about Gray's real hobbies (and get some backstory!): They were always careful, but Gray knew that he was courting death with each new poison that he experimented with.
Gray may not be entirely forthcoming with Lucy, but little wonder she's concerned about him...
Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
