It's Monday!
ghostini: She's got a bit of a conflict going on, as you'll see. But she's definitely being frustratingly blind here. And it's about to be the last straw for somebody else. Thanks for reviewing!
- K. Chandler
"Daddy! Daddy, look. Miss Aquarius said I was to wear a new dress for my birthday!" Lucy, age seven, twirled, letting her poofy skirt float like a cloud of stardust.
"That's nice, sweetheart," Lucy's father said. "Could you play somewhere else, please?"
"But, Daddy! It's my birt—"
"Lucy, be good and play outside. Daddy's busy right now, getting ready to meet new friends from Fantasma. We can talk later."
"Okay…" Lucy bit back a frown.
Lucy skipped her way to the magnolias, trying to be cheerful. She always tried so hard to be good, but it wasn't easy. After her Mommy had died, things changed. Miss Aquarius started taking care of her, but Miss Aquarius yelled… a lot.
And Daddy? Daddy was always busy working. He didn't talk to Lucy much anymore. And nobody played with her.
It made her sad.
But she was sure that Daddy was sad too. And when she asked him about it, he said that this was something he did to be less sad. And Lucy could understand that. She didn't want Daddy to be sad.
So, if that meant spending her birthday playing outside by herself, she was okay with that.
Out in the garden, Lucy saw something she didn't expect. Another girl, about her age, was standing next to one of the flower beds. Her hands were balled into fists, and she looked like she was scared.
"Hey!" Lucy shouted, waving.
The girl flinched. "I'm sorry!" she blurted, stumbling and falling onto her butt.
"No, it's okay!" Lucy said. "You're not in trouble. I was just sayin' hi."
"Oh, good," the girl said. "Hi."
"Hi," Lucy giggled. "Are you one of the Fantasma people?"
The girl nodded, ducking her head.
Then that meant this girl was the daughter of one of the nobles or di-plow-mats. She might even be royalty!
"That's good! Daddy said new friends from Fantasma were coming over. That means that we're going to be great friends!"
"Friends?" the girl said.
Lucy nodded, stretching out a hand to help the girl. "Uh-huh. I'm Lucy. What's your name?"
"Juvia."
"Wanna go play, Juvia?"
Juvia's face lit up in a surprised grin. "Really? You want to play with Juvia?"
"Of course! Let's go!" Lucy said, taking Juvia's hand and pulling her along.
After that, Juvia was a constant presence at Magnolia Castle. Her father and King Jude met regularly, and Juvia always came along.
It was nice to have another girl to play with!
They'd have tea parties with Lucy's doll Michelle and Juvia's Teru-Teru. They'd weave little flower crowns. And sometimes, they'd just talk.
That was the best part. Having someone to talk to.
It was a little much sometimes, with Juvia being so serious. There was always something sort of sad about her, so really long talks left Lucy drained. But friendship was a two-way street. So, it was fine, mostly.
But the simplicity of childhood didn't remain. The Magnolia-Fantasma Treaty was eventually signed, the sister-cities in each kingdom were completed, keys were exchanged and the royal retinue from Fantasma didn't visit as often.
And at first, Lucy missed having her best friend around. After all, who else could she share secrets with, or have after lunch raids to sneak into the kitchens to steal cake and sample the snacks, or complain to about Miss Aquarius' lessons?
But policies changed, and kingdoms did too. King Jude's focus shifted to the Northern Alliance Trade Agreement, involving the kingdoms of Isvan and Draghi. And that piece of diplomacy brought along two other young royals: the cheeky Gray of Isvan and the hot-headed (cutie) Natsu of Draghi.
Lucy had never met anyone quite so crazy. Granted, they were boys, and she hadn't played with too many of them, but wow. Lucy found herself getting excited about days when Natsu and Gray would come over, in a way that she never had with Juvia.
Natsu, adventurous and playful, always had the best ideas on what they could do for fun. And Gray was a great listener—easy to talk to without the sort of emotional baggage that Juvia had.
Granted, she spent half her time trying to keep the boys from killing each other, but that was just part of being a good hostess while her dad handled the politics. But eventually, it became part of being a good friend. And soon her dad's visits became her own as the three of them started visiting each other's kingdoms of their own accord.
"Still in your pajamas, Gray?" Gray's steward, Lyon, shook his head. "You should be getting ready for Princess Lucy's party. Where are your clothes?"
Gray gave his steward an indulgent look. "Who said I'm going to Lucy's party?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyon asked, frowning. "You can't just decide not to show up."
"I already wished Lucy a happy birthday and gave her our sincerest regrets for missing out on her ball," Gray said, his tone clipped as he put on his formal voice that he reserved for public appearances.
"You're being horribly rude, Gray."
"Watch yourself, Vastia. We may have grown up together, but I do not give you leave to address me so informally."
"Forgive me, Highness," Lyon retorted, the barest hint of sarcasm in his tone. "But as your steward, I maintain that it's importance for you to put in an appearance."
"Did you not hear what happened to Erza last night?" Gray said. "Given Lucy's lack of censure, my lack of attendance would be justifiable."
"You do realize that this reflects badly on you and on Isvan."
"I don't care if it reflects badly on me," Gray said. "That said, we have the kingdom's reputation to think about." Gray heaved a long sigh. "…I suppose we could come up with a compromise."
"So, you'll attend, then?" Lyon pressed.
"No," Gray said. "You will."
Lyon blinked. "Me?"
"Why not? You represent me in other formal settings," Gray shrugged. "I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. It's perfect."
"What makes you say that?" Lyon asked.
"It gives Isvan representation. I make my point to Lucy by not attending. Erza gets another day to recover before we head home. And you get to make an appearance at the party that you're so desperate to attend," Gray said, ticking each item off on his fingers. "Admit it. It's perfect."
Lyon didn't respond right away, likely shocked by the turn of events.
"Problem?" Gray asked. "I can send Mirajane if you'd prefer, since you dragged her all the way out here..."
"No, not at all," Lyon said quickly. "I'd be happy to take this on. Thank you, Gray."
"Don't thank me yet," Gray said. "I have selfish reasons for this too."
"Obviously," Lyon said. "What do you want me to do about Queen Juvia?"
"I'd like to hold her accountable." Gray clenched his fist. "…But I have no desire for conflict with Fantasma. She's a dangerous ally and an even more dangerous enemy."
"I agree," Lyon said. "Staying on friendly terms with them is important."
Gray snorted.
"What is it?" Lyon asked.
"'Friendly'," Gray said, making air quotes. "You're so transparent."
"What do you mean?" Lyon asked.
"I don't care what you want to do in your personal life," Gray said. "Just make sure it's clear when you represent Isvan's interests and when you represent your own."
It wasn't every day that a princess reached her majority. The Kingdom of Magnolia spared no expense celebrating the occasion. A grand gala was held at the castle and anyone who was anyone came to celebrate Princess Lucy's arrival to adulthood.
Despite this being a milestone birthday, for Lucy this year was like was like the ones that came before it. Her father did his duty and presented her to the guests before disappearing without so much as a 'Happy Birthday.' But she was used to it by now.
Lucy's father wasn't the only one who stepped away from the festivities. Where was Gray? Was he really not coming?
It didn't bother her. Not one bit. There were plenty of other people who wanted to celebrate her special day with her.
Scanning the sea of unfamiliar faces, Lucy made her way through the throng. The weather was beautiful, and the magnolias smelled especially sweet today. Lucy floated onto the terrace and through the garden, a butterfly amongst her guests. She gave polite greetings to each of the lords and ladies from kingdoms near and far. She curtsied politely with the older men, fluttered her lashes at the young ones and patiently let little old ladies coo over how 'darling' and 'radiant' she was.
"Heya, Lucy!" Natsu bounded over like an over-eager puppy. "How's our birthday girl?"
"Natsu!" Lucy felt a giddy flutter radiate down to her core.
"Guess what I got?" He dangled something shiny in front of her face. "Check it out!"
Lucy arched back, trying to bring the object into focus. "Way too close, Natsu. What—"
"Let me see something," Natsu said, grabbing her hand.
The warmth of his touch made skin prickle delightfully. She liked it.
She wasn't supposed to like it.
Natsu fastened something around her wrist, a teasing grin lighting his features. "Looks like it does fit!" He withdrew so she could see his contribution—a bracelet with star-shaped charms.
Lucy's breath hitched, the lump in her throat making it hard to breathe. Natsu had never gotten her jewelry before.
"You like?" he asked.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"Good. After all your lectures about courtly romance, I was afraid I'd missed the mark with his one. I mean, it's not a hair ball…"
Lucy smacked him playfully. "You doofus!"
"Hey, I'm just asking," Natsu said, putting a hand up to ward off her blows.
"Yes, this is better than a hair ball," Lucy sighed, laughing softly. "Thanks. I love it."
Lucy opened her arms for a quick hug, pulling away before things got serious. Even this brief contact doubled her heart rate.
"Better than Gray's present?" Natsu asked.
"I-I haven't seen Gray," Lucy said in a small voice. "Not since we fought yesterday."
"You know Gray's not the kind to hold a grudge," Natsu said. "Just give him some time."
"Yeah."
"Want me to beat him up for you?" Natsu asked with a crooked grin. "I'd be happy to do it."
"I'm not upset with him," Lucy said. "Our fight yesterday was sort of my fault."
She wondered if Gray had gone home. Or maybe he was just skipping. She'd really screwed up last night, so she wouldn't blame him. She'd have to work on patching up with Gray later. But she didn't really want to think about that right now.
"Do-you-want-to-dance-with-me?" Natsu asked, without pausing between words.
"Huh?"
"Dance?" Natsu offered out his hand. "With me? Do you want to?"
Should she?
Lucy only hesitated for a moment before taking Natsu's hand. His touch was warm and steady as he led her out onto the dance floor. Her hand fit perfectly in his, like it belonged there.
His other hand found its way to the small of her back.
This…
She wanted this so badly that her heart ached. She knew she shouldn't. She knew she was flirting with disappointment. She knew that people always left her —especially the people she loved most. Lucy knew all of this, but she couldn't help herself.
Surely just one dance was harmless, right? Just for today. After this, they could go back to keeping a friendly distance.
She gave in and let herself enjoy the sensation of dancing with Natsu. It was just like being enveloped in candle flame. A gentle warmth filled her, and everything glowed golden. Especially him.
Natsu whisked her around the room, a frown of concentration on his face.
"You're a surprisingly good dancer," Lucy said. "I didn't realize that the Draghi had ballroom dances."
Draghi dancing was very different. It was always done in large groups, never in pairs, and involved a lot of stomping and kicking with dancers shouting hey! as they sashayed down the line.
Natsu grinned, his expression relaxing. "You're right. We don't normally do this sort of thing. But I've been practicing… to surprise you." He dipped her backwards in a playful motion that made her breath hitch.
"You learned the Aeris… just for me?" Lucy's heart melted.
Natsu shrugged, not meeting her gaze. "No big deal. I would do a lot more than that."
Lucy stumbled, stepping on Natsu's toes. "Sorry!"
"My bad. Guess I'm not very good at this yet," Natsu said. "But I hope to get better and get a lot more practice in the future."
"The future?" Lucy swallowed hard, her heart hammering.
Was he suggesting…?
Natsu cleared his throat. "Do you ever think about the future, Lucy?"
"Sometimes," Lucy said. "Don't we all?"
"I guess. I've been thinking more often lately. Because everything's changing now. With both of us having reached majority."
"Nothing's changed," Lucy said. "We're still the best of friends."
Natsu's grip seemed to tighten. "Then maybe I'm the one who's changed. Over the years, I've started to think about us differently. Us. As in you and me."
Natsu's candle flame had turned into suffocating heat. This conversation was getting too serious for her.
"Whew, it's getting warm in here with all the dancing. Let's take a break." Lucy pulled away, retreating to the side of the room.
"Aw, was I really that terrible?" Natsu asked.
"It's not you. It's me," Lucy said, hoping he'd get the hint. "Besides, dancing is overrated. Hanging out in a group with other friends is way more fun. Look, there's Juvia. Let me see if she wants to stand over here with us."
"Lucy, wait. I—"
Suddenly, Natsu was just way too close. Lucy pulled away, struck by the overwhelming need to put some distance between them.
"Please. Don't." Lucy shook her head furiously, her heart pounding in her ears. "Don't say it."
"Say what? What's wrong?" Natsu asked.
Could she tell him? She wasn't brave enough. But it wasn't fair to leave him hanging either.
"I get the feeling you're about to say something that we won't be able to come back from…" Lucy blurted. "We've been friends for a long time. I don't want anything to change."
"Friends…?" Natsu said. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Look-there's-Juvia-maybe-she's-seen-Gray," Lucy said. She was barely aware of the words pouring from her mouth unchecked.
She had a feeling that was the wrong thing to say. But she had to say something. Anything to get away.
Natsu huffed a noisy sigh through his noise. "Lucy…can we go five minutes without you fussing ov—?"
"I have to go," she muttered around the lump rising in her throat. "I'm sorry."
Lucy could feel Natsu's disappointed gaze on her back as she retreated, ducking around a corner.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!
Lucy raked an agitated hand through her hair. What was she doing? Why was she like this? She dropped her face into her hands.
Natsu's look of disappointment still burned in her mind. It had been so selfish to encourage him and unfair to give him hope when she knew it was a risk she couldn't take.
Oof.
Next time, in Toxic, the girls are alone: She just wanted to scare Lucy. That was all. It wasn't Juvia's fault! As if that would change what had happened. What Juvia had done.
Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
