EDIT: Sorry for the confusion, guys! Looks like we're having some posting issues... but if you're seeing this, then it's fixed. Thanks to Rook and Shana for letting me know.

It's Monday! This week, we welcome you back to Isvan Palace, and it's a very different place when viewed from someone else's PoV.

Since I've given us a lot of time in Gray's PoV, he seems to be the most sympathetic one right now. He probably feels like the sane one right now, but he's got his own flavor of crazy fixated too. (Keep in mind, this is the same Gray who thinks that ingesting poison is the right response to potential threats.) The next couple of chapters will give us a different take on Gray and his brand of vigilance.

- K. Chandler


Lucy retracted every nice thing she ever thought about Gray and his kingdom. The palace itself was lovely with tall columns and airy spires made of clean white marble. The brightly lit rooms made it gleam like a jewel, but against the snow-covered landscape, all the white was cold and impersonal… Sterile.

When they first arrived, Gray showed Lucy to one of the large guest rooms. He posted guards outside of her door before disappearing into his study, only emerging at mealtimes.

Gray had guards everywhere. In the halls, by the doors, on the stairs. When she tried to confront Gray about it, she found that even her own room was locked from the outside.

A little piece of heaven? More like a prison!

Lucy could not accept this. This could not be good for Gray's mental health, and it definitely wasn't good for her.

Still, Lucy wouldn't be swayed. She knocked and surprisingly, one of the guards answered. When she demanded to see Gray, they had been glad to oblige by escorting her to Gray's study.

Lucy sighed, knocking on Gray's door.

"Who is it?" he called.

"It's Lucy."

"Hold on."

Lucy heard clattering on the other side of the door again and again. It sounded like Gray was unlocking something more than once. How many locks did he need? Lucy wondered.

"Okay, it's open. Come on in," he called.

Lucy marched inside, her arms folded over her chest.

"Hey, Lucy. What brings you here?" Gray asked.

"Can we talk about these arrangements?" Lucy asked.

"Something wrong with them?"

Lucy blinked, surprised. Did he really have no idea? If he couldn't see the problem for his own sake, maybe he'd see it for hers.

"What's wrong with them?! Gray, I come all the way to Isvan, and you won't let me step foot outside of my room!"

"I won't be able to protect you if you're wandering around," he said.

Lucy rolled her eyes. Unlike Natsu, Gray had been pretty calm about everything after the whole corset incident. But Natsu had said that the overblown Protect Lucy plans had been Gray's idea.

"Am I a prisoner?"

"What? No, of course not!" Gray said. He actually laughed at that. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Then, why am I locked in my room?"

"That's for your own safety," Gray said, like it was the reasonable.

"Keeping me inside?"

"Keeping other people out."

Typical Gray, keeping people at a distance. Except, now he was doing it literally by locking them out of rooms. Every time he opened his mouth, he kept going back to this idea of safety and protection, like he was afraid of being attacked. This was worse than she thought.

Lucy could remember a time when she visited Isvan, and the palace had been lively and warm. That was a distant memory.

She needed to prove to Gray that his way of thinking was wrong. Nobody was going to die if they stepped foot outside of Isvan Palace without a dozen armed guards. He needed to see that it was safe. Maybe that would get him to relax a little and stop jumping at the sight of his own shadow.

The first thing she had to do was break out of prison. And for that, she needed a key.

Where would Gray keep a key? Someone paranoid would keep it on his person. If that were the case, she wasn't getting out unless she wanted to frisk him. No, thank you…

Maybe there was another way?

"Please, Gray, I'm so bored!" Lucy complained. "There's a festival in town, and you've got me under house arrest!"

"All right, we can fix that," Gray said. "What is it that you want? I can have someone go into town to buy it for you. Some souvenirs and some sweets maybe? We have these sweet pastries that'll blow your mind when they're fresh out of the oven."

Lucy made a face. She wasn't some child that Gray could bribe with toys and candy.

"I want to go to the festival," Lucy suggested. "It sounded really fun."

"Look, if you really want to go that badly, I'll take you myself," Gray said.

Progress!

"That's great!" she said.

"We can go tonight," Gray decided. "I have a couple more meetings this afternoon and some documents to review, but I can finish a little early."

Lucy pouted. "I want to go now…" she whined. She was a little worried about sounding like a childish brat, but she was willing to do it if it meant breaking out of her prison and breaking Gray out of his paranoid shell.

"I think some of the girls had talked about wanting to stop down tonight. It might be fun if we all went as a group. It's better at night anyways," Gray continued, either missing her dismay or just ignoring it. "They light things up and there's music and food. I can show you all the best stalls. You'll get an experience that only a local can give. How does that sound?"

Sounded like code for a plainclothes security detail.

"…Okay."

Lucy followed the guard back to her room, trying to think of another plan.

She almost kicked herself when the guard locked her in with a click. So that's where the key was! Stealing it would be a no-go.

She groaned, flopping down on the bed. Gray was his own worst enemy, feeding his paranoia with militaristic restrictions. It was border-line delusional!

He needed to see the truth. If she went to the festival by herself and nothing horrible happened, then he'd have to accept how ridiculous he was being. Maybe he'd give normalcy a chance.

And maybe, just maybe, he could open up. And let others in. And stop locking all his doors. And he'd be the Gray they all used to know instead of the one that hid inside the icy walls of his palace.

She had to break out.

At the window, Lucy looked down the icy walls of this prisonous castle. The ground wasn't that far away. Maybe she could…?

"Bedsheets," she said, snapping her fingers.

The best thing about the nice suites in a castle was just how much bedding there was. It made for a comfortable night, and it was always helpful for sneaking out of her room when she wasn't supposed to.

Except, she wasn't really sneaking out. Sure, Gray may not have wanted her to wander out on her own, but he had never explicitly ordered her not to leave. He even said that she wasn't a prisoner. That meant she was free to come and go as she pleased, out the window if she had to, since he'd left her with no other choice.

Feeling like a kid again, Lucy lashed together bedding and drapes, feeding her makeshift rope out the window.

Lucy took off all the jewelry she was wearing, except the charm bracelet from Natsu. She wanted nothing that would identify her as a member of Magnolia's royal family, or even as a guest of Gray's. She fixed her hair like she had seen some of the females in the palace wearing it. Then, Lucy put on her winter jacket and descended from the window.

"Brr!" She hunched her shoulders.

The air was crisp and nippy as she strolled through the streets of the Isvanian capital, Deigh. Lucy couldn't imagine living here. Her fingers were numb after a few minutes of being outside. She had no idea how the flowers managed it.

The snowy capital city came alive as the citizens celebrated the return of warmer weather and the start of the growing season during the Festival of Colors. Of course, warmer was relative. In Isvan, it never warmed enough to go out without a jacket.

Citizens bundled up (though not as much as Lucy had), cheerful as they hawked their wares: everything from leatherwork and pottery to cuckoo clocks and clothing. Artisans had one-of-a-kind handcrafts laid out at little booths. And then there was food! Hot food.

"Perfumes! Exotic scents! Perfumes and colognes!"

"You, there! A gift for your wife, sir? Wouldn't this look lovely in the missus' hair?"

"Fresh turnovers! Ready in five minutes! Get them piping hot! Five more minutes!"

Lucy sampled some buttery pastries, a local stew that warmed her through, and even some fruit preserves. Finally, she nursed a steaming cup of spiced hot chocolate that warmed her stiff fingers as she browsed the stalls.

"Hats and gloves and scarves, all made from the softest wool! Guaranteed never to fade, never to shrink. They'll be warm as the day you bought 'em."

"Perfumes! Colognes and perfumes. Exotic scents from faraway lands!"

"Pots and pans, same as used by the prince's own kitchen! You know it's quality when that's what's used to cook for royalty. Have a look! You'll find nothing like it."

Lucy shopped for souvenirs and trinkets for friends and family back in Magnolia. There was a new scarf for her father and golden keychains for each of her twelve favorite servants. For Juvia, Lucy selected an elegant hair-stick with dangling embellishments that would complement her beautiful curls. That would be a good way to let Juvia know that there were no hard feelings over the corset accident. It would give them a chance to talk about why one shouldn't run away after accidents happened.

Of course, if she were buying patch-up presents, there was someone she really needed to make up with. Natsu. If she'd just kept her stupid mouth shut, he'd be here with her now.

It would be nice to have a peace offering for the next time she saw him.

Lucy came across a tailor who seemed to have some interesting…

"Buttons?" Lucy bent over a small clam-shell box with two bronze studs, each with a dragon etched in relief on the face. Natsu would love these!

"No, miss. They're cuff-links," the tailor said, pinching the fabric of his own sleeve for emphasis.

"They're perfect! I'll take them."

There was so much to see, and Lucy could only imagine what the festival looked like at night. Gray had said it was more exciting. Lucy found herself looking forward to seeing it again with Gray that night. He'd probably be mad at her for sneaking out, though, even if her intentions were good.

She should get him a present too. Since Isvan was his home, it wouldn't be anything too exotic or special, but it would be a thoughtful gesture, nonetheless.

Gray had explained how Isvan's short growing season made fresh fruit a luxury. Jams and fruit leathers seemed to be popular, as were fruits made into wine or jarred with spices. Would a bottle of wine be insensitive after the whole 'poisoned' wine debacle in Magnolia?

Maybe jam would be better… Lucy thought.

"Perfumes! Exotic scents from faraway lands!" The merchant turned towards her. "What about you, Princess? Try on a fragrance?"

"Me?" Lucy said. "I mean, I'm no princess," she corrected quickly. She was supposed to be in disguise, after all.

"All beautiful flowers are princesses in my book," the merchant said with a smile. "You seem like you're from out of town. Did you come for the festival?"

"I'm visiting a friend," Lucy said.

"How fortunate," the man said. "You're catching the biggest celebration in Isvan. The festivities in Deigh are said to be among the most impressive, being the capital and all."

"And to think, he didn't want me to come," Lucy said.

"How selfish of him," the man said. "Maybe your friend just wanted you all to himself."

"Maybe," Lucy said.

Gray definitely didn't want that, but this guy didn't know any better.

"Enough of that," the man said. "It's good that you got to experience it! You should look around. Shop. Try the food. Maybe buy something to take home so you'll never forget today."

"That's a really good idea," Lucy said, holding up her bag. "I've actually started doing just that."

"Would you like to try a perfume?" The merchant held up a small pink bottle. He sprayed some of the scent, leaving the air between them smelling like a fresh, spring bouquet. "This is a fragrance fit for a queen."

"Oh, wow. That's pretty," she said.

"It's popular here since the growing season is so short," he said. "Try another."

As Lucy tested each of the fragrances, she was surprised at how many different emotions they evoked. A perfume could really take you to such faraway places. She just wished that one of those places was closer to Natsu.

"What about this one?" Lucy said, pointing at a small, gilded bottle. It didn't have a sprayer. Instead, it was capped with a stopper.

"You have a discerning eye." The merchant caressed the bottle, cradling it near his chest. "This is no ordinary perfume. It's special."

"Some sort of mystical witch's brew?" Lucy teased.

"You might say that," the man said.

Lucy nodded, giving him an indulgent smile. He was a salesman. He was supposed to make his wares sound grander than they were. And he seemed like a decent guy. The least she could do was play along.

"Tell me more about this magical fragrance," Lucy said.

"To the outside observer, this scent will make the wearer more beautiful than any other. With this, you'll be able to win the heart of any man and make him stay forever."

"Forever?" Lucy asked.

She knew a line when she heard it. This perfume wasn't really a magic love potion. But she couldn't help but wonder if Natsu would like it on her.

"Try it out," the man said, uncorking it and holding it out to her. "I think this will really be a good scent on you."

Lucy sniffed at the fragrance as it wafted from the bottle. A warm, fruity scent tickled her nose.

"Well?" he asked, expectantly. "What do you think?"

The perfume reminded her of something, but Lucy just couldn't put her finger on it.

"It's lovely!" Lucy said, pulling out her coin purse. After having taken up so much of the man's time, it felt like she should buy something. "How much?"

"For you, my dear? No charge," he said, flashing her a toothy grin.

"Oh, I couldn't!" Lucy said.

"It would be an honor for such a lovely lady to wear one of my fragrances. And besides, I've enjoyed our conversation. It's not every day that I get to talk with someone so engaging," he said. "Take the perfume, my dear. Enjoy it."

"Thank you," Lucy said. "I'm sure I will."

Lucy sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. The freezing cold was starting to get to her. Maybe it was time to go home.

The walk back to the castle left Lucy tired and achy. There was a pressure behind her eyes that spoke to an impending headache. She was probably coming down with a cold or something. That sucked. But it was to be expected with Isvan's horrible weather.

Still, sneaking out had been so worth it. She had presents for everyone. Nothing terrible happened. She was right and Gray was wrong. Now Gray had to ease up.

Lucy found her bedsheet rope right where she had left it. She was half expecting someone would find it and rat her out. Clearly Gray's obsessive security wasn't foolproof. She tied her bag of purchases to the bottom of the rope before shimmying up to her room. Then she pulled everything back inside.

She couldn't wait to give Gray his present. He'd be so surprised at what she'd managed to do without the guards and the security and the locks. He might freak out first, but after he calmed down, they could talk about it.

Back in her room, Lucy pulled out the little gilded bottle again. She couldn't wait to try out her new perfume! She uncorked the bottle, taking in the fruity scent again. She wondered what Natsu would think of it.

Natsu…

Lucy knew that the perfume wouldn't really make her more attractive. That was silly.

But would it help Natsu keep loving her, even if she couldn't do the relationship thing? Would it keep the people she loved most from leaving? Would they stay forever?

Things would have been different if her mother had been able to stay with them forever.

Lucy tipped the bottle, daubing a small amount on her wrists and rubbing them together. It really was a lovely scent. But when she went to cap the bottle back up, the glass slipped from her fingers. It overturned onto the table with a thunk.

"Oh, no!"

The perfume spilled from the bottle, flowing across the table and dripping into the carpet. She needed to clean this up before it damaged anything.

Lucy grabbed the towel and basin that the servants had left for her to wash her face with. She mopped up the scented liquid with the towel, cleaning up the worst of it. Lucy flipped the soggy cloth into the basin, wiping her hands on her dress.

The bottle was empty. What a shame to have wasted such a nice perfume! At least the room smelled nice.

Lucy's head was starting to pound. Ugh, stupid cold. It was making her sleepy.

Lucy staggered to the bed. She was achy and bleary-eyed. After all the excitement of the morning, she was ready a nap.

But if she had known what was about to happen next, she would never have let herself sleep.


Gray's behavior speaks volumes about the sort of trauma he's been through.

Three guesses on who our mysterious merchant is (and the first two don't count!)

Grimms' Queen's second attempt on Snow's life was a comb (a bejeweled hair-ornament). It was (surprise!) poisoned. Of course, they pulled the same magically revives upon removal trick, which wasn't going to fly here. People don't typically magically revive from poison.

So there is suffering in store for Lucy, the likes of which we've gotten the barest glimpse of with Juvia.

Next time, in Toxic, suffering: Lucy gasped, clawing at her chest with a shaking hand. It hurt. She could feel the staccato thudding of her heart beneath her fingers, like a horse's gallop.

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.