It's Monday! And this week we get Gray's PoV for the first time.
A couple of people have asked about Lucy's relationship break with Juvia. The bulk of the evidence is out already, but I'm guessing it's not coming across as I intended, so I'll cheat and 'splain away. It might be hard to tell because of the way I'm doing the PoV, but to Lucy, Juvia's like that neighbor you used to hang out with growing up. Come high school, interests are different enough that you don't run with the same crowd. There's no ill-will so you'll still hang out at community events, but you've sort of drifted apart. When we're in Lucy's PoV, it's a non-issue to her. She never felt like she 'dropped' Juvia, per se. (If you pay attention in future chapters, she continues to regard Juvia with a certain warmth and trust that speaks to how she feels.) For Juvia, as more of a loner, having your one friend not be available to hang out is devastating. Having them hang-out with other people who aren't you feels like rejection, so there's some resentment here. While I don't want to say that it's all in her head, she is making this issue a bigger deal than it is in real life. Or more correctly, it's a big deal to her, but not to Lucy.
guest: Thanks, I'm so glad to hear you say that! It was important to me that Juvia start somewhere reasonable and justified. Eventually, she should start to appear less reasonable to us, though not to her. (Sincerely hoping that nobody here thinks poisoned apples and attempted murder is somehow reasonable.) It just felt like bad form to start a story with "Let's assume Juvia is a raving sociopath" without some sort of reason behind it. XD Thanks for reviewing; always love hearing your thoughts!
- K. Chandler
Gray rolled his shoulders before squaring them, like he would if he were preparing to face an old foe. He settled onto the too-thin mattress, trying to get comfortable.
They hadn't even started, and his heart was already racing. Gray let out an anxious breath from between his teeth.
"Is this necessary?" Erza asked, her lips pressed in a thin, disapproving line.
"…You didn't forget the book, did you?" Gray asked, forced levity in his tone.
"Of course not," Erza grumbled, bordering on sarcastic. She flipped the notebook to the next clean page.
She was normally good at playing the stoic aide, but she opened up when the two of them were alone. For Gray, these precious moments were as close as he'd ever get to his most selfish desires.
Erza would probably disagree. She thought he was being his most selfish now. Developing a poison immunity wasn't without risk.
"Two hours after a light supper, 8pm. Lillyglove berries, dosage #1," Gray said, pausing to give Erza a moment to transcribe his words.
Gray felt a morbid thrill as he uncorked the vial, tipping a few of the glossy black spheres into his hand. He rolled the berries around on his sweaty palm.
He'd start with one, and up the dosage next time. They were always careful, but Gray knew that he was courting death with each new poison that he experimented with.
Gray popped one of the berries in his mouth and put the rest away. A sickly-sweet taste burst across his tongue. He nearly gagged. He smacked his mouth in distaste, frowning at the cloying flavor.
"Is it bad?" Erza asked, frowning. She passed him a flagon of water.
Gray shook his head. "Just wasn't expecting it to be sweet… The leaves are poisonous too, but they're bitter."
He sipped at the water carefully, swishing it around before swallowing just enough to rinse the foul taste from his mouth. He really didn't want his stomach full of water. Not when he didn't know what to expect from the lillyglove. Best to play it safe.
Gray stared at the wall, trying not to feel too anxious. He could feel Erza's hawk-sharp eyes on him as the seconds drew into minutes.
"Anything?" Erza asked after a spell.
Gray shook his head. "I'd be worried if it came on so soon."
Erza's only response was a frown, creases etching her forehead.
"Would you relax? Honestly, you're more anxious than I am," Gray said.
Ever the silent soldier, Erza didn't respond.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "This isn't the first time we've done this." Gray ran poison trials twice a month, often enough to build up the immunity he needed, but infrequently enough to give himself time to recover between rounds.
"This is the first time we've done this outside of the palace," she reminded him.
"Don't worry, I've sealed off the windows and doors. Nobody will be getting in tonight." He couldn't risk the threat of intruders while he was laid low by poison. He trusted Erza to protect him, but Gray didn't like the idea of being in a position of vulnerability. One could never be too careful.
"That's not the problem," she said.
"What then?" Gray studied her, taking in the guarded look in her eyes. "Talk to me, Erza."
Gray could feel the toxin start to work on is system, its symptoms mild at first. Just a twinge in his belly and a touch of dizziness. He let out a steadying breath. His body was fighting back. But it would get worse. How long would he last this time?
"This is the first time I've been allowed to be this concerned. I don't have that luxury back home," she said.
At home, she would be clinical and detached, taking down observations in the journal until he finally succumbed. Gray didn't have too much recollection as to what would happen after, caught in a haze of pain and illness. Just a vague sense of a caring presence, nursing him back to health.
Erza watched him carefully, her sharp eyes picking up every outward symptom of his discomfort. She frowned, a furrow lodging between her brows. "Highness, as your attendant, I understand. As me… Gray, I hate when you do this," she admitted softly.
She looked like she had more to say, but Gray knew that she wouldn't.
"C'mere." Gray waved her over, motioning for her to sit next to him. Obediently, she rose. "Bring the book," he reminded her.
Erza made a face, glaring at the offending object. She picked it up with two fingers, depositing it onto the bed as she settled down beside him.
He tucked an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She let her head fall against his shoulder.
"I'm right here," he said. "And I'm fine."
"That doesn't make it any easier. Do you know how cruel you're being?"
"I'm sorry. But know that there's no one I'd rather have by my side when I—" Gray broke off with a shuddering breath, shutting his eyes.
"Gray?"
"Sorry… I think… I think my heart just sped up," he breathed.
"I know. I can hear it," Erza said with grim irony.
"Yeah, 'cause you're sitting right next to me."
"No, I'd be able to hear it if I was still across the room," she said, frowning as she placed her hand over his chest. "Does it hurt?"
Gray shook his head. "What time is it?"
"We're twenty-eight minutes in."
"That's not a bad baseline," Gray said. "How does that compare to first run on cowbell root?"
Erza consulted the records. "That's better than last time. You baselined that at twenty-five."
That wasn't much.
Gray nodded, shutting his eyes. "You taking notes?"
"Symptoms?" she prompted.
"Light headedness. Elevated body temperature. Mild stomach pain. Increased heart rate."
Erza jotted the symptoms down in the journal.
Gray groaned, wrapping an arm around his middle. "And, ow… cramp."
"Is there anything I can do?" Erza asked, placing a gentle hand on his elbow.
Gray shook his head. "I just have to ride it out," he said. "Keep writing."
The dizziness was making his vision was starting to blur. He reported that as well.
Stoically, Gray continued to describe his experience for Erza to record until the twisting in his gut was too much to bear. The pressure increased, vise-like, against his temples and all he wanted was to lie down.
"All right," Gray breathed, his eyes pinching shut. "That's enough for today. No longer able to continue functioning as normal. Time?"
"Forty… no, forty-one minutes."
After she took down the last conclusion and ended the experiment, Gray let Erza help him into bed. He curled up on his side, trying to ignore the waves of pain that clawed through his gut.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked.
Gray nodded, humming an affirmative.
Erza's hands were steady as she brushed the hair off his forehead. It was a comforting gesture, and it reminded Gray a little of his mother.
"That's nice..." Gray murmured, leaning into her touch. "I wish we could do this more often."
"You're insane," she muttered, still carding through his hair.
"Hm?"
Erza's hand stilled, hovering above his head. "I hate seeing you in pain."
"I didn't mean the poison," Gray said. He reached for her, fingers tangling with hers as he urged her to continue. "It's not like I do this every night."
"Thank goodness," Erza said dryly, continuing her ministrations. "Twice a month is already more than plenty."
"Sorry," he said. "I know I shouldn't be putting you through this. This really is necessary, though."
"I know," Erza said.
Gray opened his eyes to a darkened sky. A slate-colored canopy hung above him, draped across the posts of his bed. He was back in his own bed. How strange. He didn't remember coming home.
Gray slid out from under the covers. He shivered, his toes curling as his feet touched the icy stone floor. The cold didn't bother him much, but the sudden change in temperature was never pleasant.
"Erza?" he called.
There was a polite knock before Erza stuck her head in the room. There was something different about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Did she do something with her hair? Somehow, it made her look a lot younger.
"Forgive me, Highness. I didn't expect you to be up so early." She helped him into a woolen robe and a pair of slippers, both warm from being toasted at the hearth.
"Morning, Erza. What's on the agenda for today?"
"Just a two o'clock training session with Mister Vastia."
A clear schedule?
"…No paperwork? No bills to review, invitations to answer, budgets to approve?"
Erza gave him a confused frown. "No, Highness. None."
Gray couldn't remember the last time he had a clear schedule.
"Well, that's a welcome change," Gray said. "And you don't have to call me that. There's no one here to hear us."
Confusion marred Erza's features, though she didn't argue. Gray had thought that she had gotten over their difference in station. She still hesitated to use his name, on occasion, but she had left the titles behind long ago.
"Actually, there is one thing," Erza said. "There's a guest list that you need to review."
"Which event is this for?" Gray asked.
"Your birthday celebration, of course," Erza said. "The queen asked me to remind you that the ball is only two weeks away and she'll need time to have invitations sent."
Gray blinked. "The queen," he repeated. Isvan didn't have a queen—not since his parents were murdered.
"Yes. Your mother," Erza said.
"My mother?" Gray choked, shaking his head. What was going on here?
"What's the date?" he asked.
"Are you feeling all right?" Erza asked, frowning.
"What's the date?!"
Eyes wide and startled, Erza took a step back. "I-it's the 6th of November. A fortnight before your birthday," Erza said.
"My fifteenth… birthday…?" Gray guessed. He swallowed hard against a dry throat that tightened painfully.
Erza nodded.
Gray swore, jerking away like he had been burned.
Because today was The Day. In two weeks, he wouldn't be celebrating his birthday… No, in two weeks, Gray would be burying his parents and bringing their killer to justice.
"Please, Highness. What's going on?" Erza asked, a tentative hand hovering above his shoulder.
"I… I don't know!" Gray blurted, stumbling into the hall. "I have to go."
"But… you haven't even changed yet!"
"There's no time for that!" he shouted, the thin soles of his slippers pattering as he tore down the hall.
Today was The Day.
Gray raced past the main hall, where he'd one day post a twenty-four-hour guard. He cut through the hall where he would insist that all of his staff train in swordsmanship, archery, or hand-to-hand combat.
Faster. Faster! Why couldn't he go faster?
Gray felt like he was running through molasses or swimming upstream. He was moving as fast as he could, but the scenery dragged by slowly.
Gray pounded on the door of his father's study. It wasn't until much later that he would learn that the king had an unscheduled meeting with one of the provincial lords that fateful afternoon.
At 3:07, his father would be found dead in his chambers with a dagger in his heart and a pattern of lines that zigzagged in the blood on the floor. Only later would he know its meaning. It was a capital Z. The sign of Zeref.
The entire Kingdom of Isvan would mourn. Citizens would travel to pay their respects to their beloved monarch and leave tokens of sympathy and comfort for the king's grieving widow and son.
On fourth morning one of the mourners would be carrying a basket filled with flowers, fruit, and nuts. This basket would look just like all the others, but it was filled with the queen's favorite fruit. In her grief, the queen had stopped eating, so Gray would bring her this basket.
That was the day his mother collapsed. At first, Gray had assumed it was simple exhaustion and grief, but her condition deteriorated before his eyes. Caught between pain and delirium, she started to mistake Gray for his father. After that, she didn't recognize him at all.
The doctors could do nothing to help. She begged for death, and she was in so much agony that Gray prayed for anything that would relieve her from her suffering. At 11:57, three minutes to midnight, the queen would take her last, merciful, faltering breath.
And only then would someone notice the calling card that had been left at the bottom of one of the baskets. Another capital Z. The sign of Zeref.
Gray would hold back his tears as he crushed the card in his fist. He knew that if he didn't act quickly, there would be a third death. His own.
Enlisting the help of his most trusted servants and advisors, Gray would learn of the intruder who had visited his father. It had been the Lord Del of Liora, who had stopped by unannounced. He was visiting without the knowledge of anyone on the staff. He would learn that the Lord of Liora was one of the last members of a cult that Gray's father had put a stop to.
Gray would learn of the Lord of Liora's treachery and his involvement in Zeref's cult. Then Gray would deliver justice and sentence him to death.
But Gray didn't know any of it yet, since it hadn't happened, but he would learn. Or, at least, he hadn't known any of it back then, but Gray knew it now.
And that meant that he could do something. He could stop this meeting. He could end all of it before it was too late.
Gray pounded on the door again. "Dad? Are you in there? I need to talk to you. Dad?"
There was a shuffling behind the door before it opened, revealing the King of Isvan.
"Gray?"
A lump rose in Gray's throat at the sight of his father's face. It was a sight he hadn't seen in such a long time. But now wasn't the time for sentiment.
"…Dad. I… I need to talk to you," Gray said.
"What are you doing here? And in your underwear?! Go get dressed."
Gray looked down. He could have sworn that he had a robe on, but somehow, he didn't. But he couldn't worry about that.
"This is important!" Gray said.
"Can it wait?" asked his father.
"No… It can't," Gray said.
"I'm in a meeting right now. But I'll find you afterwards. Go get dressed."
"Wait. I just need a minute," Gray begged, reaching for the door and wedging it open.
His stomach plummeted as he glanced over his father's shoulder, locking eyes with a cold, dead gaze.
In his father's study stood the Lord of Liora.
Gray was too late.
Lucy doesn't know the half of what Gray's been up to, but given some of what was mentioned here, is it any wonder that she's worried about him?
One thing that might stick out is that the Lillyglove mentioned here bears a strong resemblance to the Nightlock berries from the Hunger Games. I believe Nightlock is a fictional combination of Deadly Nightshade (Belladonna) and Hemlock, both of which are poisonous. Given that I also borrowed from Belladonna (but I combined it with something different), the resemblance makes sense.
So, one of the odd factoids that I came across while I was researching this story was that belladonna can cause a loud heartbeat that could be heard from several feet away. That was weird and slightly uncomfortable, so I thought it would make an interesting detail.
Also, any thoughts on Gray and Erza's relationship here? Things are a bit complicated for them. We'll pick up with them next week and also bring Juvia back into the fold.
Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
