Hey - guess what today is. It's apple day! Yes, this is the trope-maker chapter for Snow White. You'll see a few head-nods to Disney here, but we're going to go bit darker with it.
Liatria: Juvia is so very lost right now. I think she underappreciated her relationship with Bora. And I loved getting to make that part of the tragedy. As for Lucy, I appreciated getting to give her a moment to take a step back and share some of those insecurities. It's been a while since I've watched the anime, but Lucy seemed to be a very confident and self-assured individual (rightly or wrongly). I always wondered if there was another part of her that was a bit more insecure and rather unsure. (Of course, I wonder the same thing about Erza as well.) But now we have the culmination. We've got dark and light, two opposite personality types (equally obsessed with Gray, albeit in very different ways... one is selfish and the other selfless). Both are determined to stay the course even though neither is quite seeing reality for what it is. Thanks for reviewing!
Irina: If there was anything that would push Juvia to the point of no return, this would be it. As for Lucy, I really feel for her situation with Juvia. I can (cautiously) speak from experience here, as someone I knew ended up being a 'Juvia'... I wasn't super close with this person, but I knew him. My whole community knew him, some for many years. And initially it was hard to believe, a lot of us assumed it was a mistake or a misunderstanding. We all thought he was a nice guy, but I guess we didn't know him as well as we thought. I have friends (perfectly rational people) who were in denial until we saw it on the news had it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. As for Lucy's take on Gray, you're spot on. She is definitely forcing her views on him, and trying to turn him into a project. The concerns about Gray's sanity are mostly in Lucy's own; you can see that Natsu isn't particularly bothered by Gray's well-being. He doesn't treat him like a tragic figure or some kind of wounded animal. Thanks again :)
Guest: Thanks - glad to be here :)
Golden: It's very kind of you to say and I'll try my best to be worthy of such high praise. :) I appreciate the support!
- K. Chandler
Juvia massaged her knees and rolled her aching back. The cold was murder on her joints and being stuck in a carriage with no space to stand or move around made things worse.
But she had no choice. This was the only way to get to Lucy.
A loud crack jolted the carriage. It jostled to a stop.
Juvia pulled back the carriage curtain and craned her neck. Instead of seeing Isvan Palace, all she saw were trees and rocks.
Juvia waited for Gajeel to open the door for her, like Bora would have, but he didn't. After a few minutes, Juvia opened the door herself and stepped outside.
Relief at being able to unbend her knees was short-lived. The frozen air assaulted her like a barrage of knives. She knew that Isvan was cold, and the tattered rags she wore were insufficient protection from the elements.
They were in the middle of a snowy mountain road. And in front of them… Isvan Palace, near the top of the mountain.
She found Gajeel near the rear of the carriage.
"What is the meaning of this?" Juvia demanded. "Why have we stopped?"
"Wheel's broke. Hit a rock back there."
"You shouldn't have been so careless," Juvia complained.
Gajeel didn't respond to the jab, simply crouching to look at the wheel.
"I'm not going to be able to fix it myself," he said.
"Well, then, what do you propose we do?" Juvia asked.
"Buy another one, of course," Gajeel said impatiently, pointing down the mountain. "There's a town over that way. I'll go down and buy what I need to fix it or at least get it so I can drive this thing to a wheelwright."
Juvia looked over at the town before glancing back at Isvan Palace. She wasn't going to wait here. And she wasn't about to walk all the way down to the town and back again. And who knew how long it would take to get this fixed. She couldn't wait that long!
"Have the carriage repaired," Juvia said. "Then come back to the palace gates to pick me up. I should be finished by then."
Gajeel arched an eyebrow but didn't question. Instead, he helped Juvia retrieve her basket before carefully easing the carriage to the side of the road.
Gajeel departed down the mountain, leaving Juvia on her own.
Juvia glanced toward the peak. Isvan Palace shone like a beacon. There was where she'd find her prince and her happily ever after.
She just had to survive the climb.
Juvia sank to her knees, a whimper escaping her throat.
Her chest clenched painfully around the drumbeat of her heart. She curled on her side, tucking her knees in and hugging them to her chest while she waited for the episode to pass.
The first time she had felt her pulse speed up, Juvia hadn't known what was happening. She had panicked, freezing in place. Her tunneling vision had forced her to sit down in the snow, sucking in deep breaths to try to calm her racing heart, and trying desperately not to faint by the side of the road.
Her health had never been problem for her, but now even this a small amount of exertion was enough to strain her. Juvia hadn't anticipated the toll that this form would take. Between that and her damaged lungs, she was starting to believe that she spent more time recovering than actually traveling.
Juvia couldn't imagine having to make a second climb. She hurt everywhere. Her back. Her chest. Every arthritic joint her in her body.
And for the briefest moment, Juvia wondered if this were really worth it. What was she really trying to accomplish with any of this?
But then, Juvia remembered the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were clear and bright, like a sky that she could only imagine when she was living in Fantasma.
Clinging to that thought, Juvia forced herself to uncurl. She pushed to a sitting position, massaging her chest and waiting for the crushing sensation to pass.
If she got to the top of the mountain, nothing else mattered. There would be no second climb. The next time, she wouldn't be arriving on foot, sneaking in like some sort of a thief. No, next time, she'd be conducted to Isvan Palace in a gilded carriage. She'd soon be the new Queen of Isvan. Gray's queen. He'd be here to care for her, holding her gently like he had held Lucy. Whispering words of comfort against her ear when she hurt.
Gray. She did this for Gray.
This wasn't pain. This was the proof that she would endure anything for his love.
She was fine. Perfectly fine.
"Gray, darling," Juvia croaked. "You and Juvia will be together very soon."
Juvia got to her feet.
The palace was just ahead. Almost within reach. Lucy was almost within reach.
"I'm stepping out for a minute," Natsu said with a tight smile. "You going to be okay by yourself?"
Lucy nodded, her expression equally forced.
"Back soon," he said.
"No hurry," Lucy said.
Natsu gave her a friendly punch in the arm before shuffling out of the room.
Awkward…
Natsu had only avoided her for a couple of days. After that, he'd sought her out, trying so hard to treat her 'normally' like nothing was wrong. It left this awkward tension, a silence that screamed wrongness until one of them found an excuse to step away for a few minutes.
Between Natsu's fight with Gray and his newfound distance with Lucy, their little trio had never been so strained. She missed the banter and Natsu's easy smiles. She missed the boys' antics as they harassed each other. Would things ever be the same again?
Lucy tried to tell herself that this was temporary and that their friendship was strong enough to help them find new footing. Or maybe they'd drift apart, like people always did.
Raised voices pulled Lucy from her thoughts. It was coming from outside. From the window, she could see two women having an argument in the courtyard.
Both of them looked like panhandlers, but Lucy recognized the younger one as one of the palace guards. She was loud, lazy, and always seemed to be drunk. Lucy wasn't sure why Gray kept her around.
"Sorry, can't let you in," the guard insisted. "Prince's orders."
"Do you not know who I am?" a snowy-haired woman asked in her sandpaper voice. Lucy couldn't tell how old she was, but she seemed old enough to have grandchildren or maybe great-grandchildren.
"Well, no, seeing as you didn't introduce yourself," the guard said. "Am I supposed to recognize you?"
"I'm the—I mean… I'm just a traveling peddler," the woman said.
"No solicitations," the guard said.
"Why are you treating me with such suspicion? I haven't done anything wrong."
"I'm not suspicious," the guard said. "That's just policy. The palace is closed to outsiders, so I'm not allowed to let you in. Plus, solicitors were never allowed to begin with. Keep it up, and I'll have to forcibly remove you."
"I'm not soliciting, exactly. I'm here with a delivery. Think of me as a messenger," the woman said.
"What's the message?"
"I'm selling these fine apples."
"That's solicitation." The guard plucked one of the apples from the old woman's basket, polishing it on her sleeve before eying it up.
"Hey! Give that back!"
The guard tossed the apple back like it was worthless.
"Excuse me. What's going on down there?" Lucy called.
"Did we disturb you? Sorry. Just some beggar woman," the guard said, grabbing the woman by the arm. She started to drag her away from the castle "I'll have her removed."
The old woman went still. "I… don't feel good…" She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.
"I… I don't…" She trailed off, shaking her head. She gave a sharp gasp, clutching at her heaving chest with gnarled hands. "Hurts…"
"That's enough of that," the guard said, clamping down on the poor old woman's shoulders. "I've seen better acting in the town square plays…"
The old woman drooped, sagging to the side. The guard's grip the only thing keeping her upright.
Panic rose in Lucy's stomach. "Are you okay? Hey. Can you still hear me? What's wrong?" Lucy asked.
"My... my heart," the woman whispered, her eyes fluttering shut as her knees gave out.
The guard snorted, dropping the old woman in a heap. She lay in the snow, gasping for breath…
A chill ran through Lucy. That had been her the other night. Suffocating. Dying. With no one to help.
"What are you doing?" Lucy shrieked, her stomach churning.
The guard looked bored. "The prince said—"
"I don't care what Gray said. That poor old lady just collapsed in the cold. I think she's having a heart attack!"
"She's obviously faking," the guard said, kicking the old woman with her toe. "Can't you tell?"
Lucy sucked in a breath at the guard's mistreatment of this poor elderly person. "What an awful thing to say! Bring her inside, right this instant!"
"Are you ordering me to?" the guard asked.
"Yes! Now, hurry up. You can put her in the sitting room downstairs. Respectfully. I'll be down in a minute."
Lucy took the stairs two at a time, stopping only to order a servant to stoke the fire and bring hot tea and blankets for the patient.
Lucy glared when the guard entered, dragging the woman like a sack of potatoes.
"Lay her on the sofa," Lucy said. "Gently."
The guard rolled her eyes, carelessly depositing the old woman where Lucy had indicated.
Gray would be hearing about her poor conduct.
"Odd that she managed to hold on to her basket," the guard said. "Isn't she supposed to be unconscious?"
Of all the things to worry about at a time like this! Lucy shooed the lazy guard from the room.
Lucy covered the woman with blankets. She was still freezing, but she seemed to be doing better now that she was inside. Her breathing was less labored. Lucy reached to check on the woman's pulse.
The woman clamped her hand with frozen fingers, making Lucy jump. She moved quickly for someone who was supposed to be unconscious. She must have been coming around.
Sure enough, the woman's eyes fluttered opened moments later.
"Wh-where am I?" the old woman asked weakly.
"You're safe. This is Isvan Palace," Lucy said, giving the woman's frozen fingers a reassuring squeeze.
"Isvan Palace…" the old woman whispered. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she started to sit up.
"Careful!" Lucy said.
The old woman waved her off. "I'm all right now."
"Are you sure? You really had me scared," Lucy said. "I'll send for Wendy, just to be safe. She's a healer."
"N-no. J-Juv—I'm… I'm all right now," she said as she straightened, taking a shaky breath. "It's going away. I have a weak constitution, so this happens sometimes."
"Still, we should probably get you checked out," Lucy said.
"I said, no." Her voice was steely as her grip, which had turned vise-like. She wasn't as strong as Natsu's, but still really scary for an old woman.
"O-okay… if you're sure," Lucy said, frowning.
Why is she so familiar?
"What's wrong?" the old woman asked, sipping at the tea that Lucy handed her.
"Do I… know you?" Lucy asked curiously.
"What makes you think that we know each other?" the old woman asked, her gaze unblinking.
"I don't know. Just a feeling, I guess. Silly, huh?"
The woman smiled, the expression eerily familiar. "I don't know you at all," she said. "You seemed like such a sweet girl."
"What brings you to the palace?" Lucy asked.
"Just a feeling, I guess," the woman said mysteriously. "I was on my way to the marketplace when I had the sudden urge to stop by the palace. I suppose part of me knew that something was going to happen today. It sure was lucky that I ran into you."
"It was the least I could do," Lucy said. "Honestly, that guard made me so mad when she just stood there."
"I'd like to reward you for all you've done," the old woman said.
"Oh, no. You don't have to do that," Lucy said. "That's not necessary."
The woman set her teacup down. "It's very necessary. Now, where's that basket?" She patted the sofa cushion next to her, her eyes widening in panic. "Where's the basket? What happened to my basket!?"
"It's right here," Lucy said, handing it to her. "We just put it on the floor so nothing would happen to it."
The old woman breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is the basket very important to you?" Lucy asked.
"This fruit is very precious," the old woman said. "Like no other."
"Fruit?" Lucy echoed. That must have been the woman's livelihood. No wonder she had panicked.
"That's right," the woman said. "Here, look." She lifted the corner of the handkerchief covering her basket. The reddest, shiniest, apples peeked out.
Lucy's mouth watered. She hadn't seen fresh fruit since she left Magnolia.
"You look surprised," the woman said.
"Gray said it was too cold to get much in the way of produce."
"That's why you import it from other kingdoms."
"That sounds expensive."
"It'll fetch a good price at market." The woman plucked a deep red apple from the top of the pile. "You must try one. They're to die for."
"I couldn't," Lucy said.
The woman pressed the apple into Lucy's hand. "Consider it a gift. Payback for everything you've done."
Lucy turned the fruit over, wondering if she should refuse. The last gift she had accepted from a stranger had ended badly.
But this was just an apple. An ordinary piece of fruit, not some mysterious concoction. And it wasn't like she refused the food placed in front of her at mealtimes. Even Gray's paranoia didn't go that far.
"Something the matter?" the woman asked.
"Not at all." Lucy shook her head, biting into the apple eagerly. The juices hitting her tongue, the flavor horribly wrong. She made a face. "It's bitter…"
"Impossible," the woman said, frowning. "Are you saying that my fruit's bad?"
"What? Oh, no," Lucy said. "I'm sure it's fine." She took another bite out of politeness, her jaw growing tight and achy as she chewed.
The bitterness was unmistakable this time. She swallowed, her tongue feeling too big for her mouth. Her neck was starting to hurt too, the muscles pulling like lutestrings. Lucy lowered the fruit to her lap.
"Eat some more."
"…I'm not all that hungry right now," Lucy said. "But thank you, though."
"What's wrong?" the old woman asked, her eyes cold as she stared unblinking into Lucy's face. That familiar sharp aspect was returning to her expression.
Lucy inhaled sharply, suppressing a shudder. Her pulse raced. There was something unsettling about this old woman.
"Nothing… It was really good. It's hard to get apples in Isvan this time of year. It was nice of you to share. Ow…"
Lucy massaged a cramp in her leg. Her muscles were starting to tighten and twitch. Her leg. Her back. Even her face felt impossibly tight.
"Yes," the old woman said. "And I hope it's been a valuable lesson."
Lucy's arm jerked. The apple fell from her fingers, falling to the floor with a dull thunk before rolling away. Every muscle contracted at the same time. Lucy whimpered.
What was happening to her?
She pitched forward, hitting the floor. Spasms ripped through her. Her body jackknifed, folding in half before snapping back into a tight arch.
A cry tore from her lips. It was agony. And Lucy could do nothing but ride out the convulsions in a body that was no longer under her control.
Okay, so who wants Natsu to come and rescue his lady love? XD (Because of course, this would happen in the two minutes where Natsu walked out of the room.)
As for Juvia... just keep in mind that this road that she's taking is the same one that Gray and Lucy were on. Y'know, the one where Gray was all like: 'Look at the sky and the beauty of Isvan. I love my kingdom and its people!' Not that a random backroad necessarily proves anything, but it makes me wonder at how good a Queen of Isvan Juvia would have made...
Next time, in Toxic, just imagine what Natsu will walk in on: It didn't matter the distance or the type of trouble. From the time Lucy had contracted scarlet fever when they were eleven to the time she had broken her ankle and two ribs being thrown from her horse last year, at the first sign of trouble, Natsu knew.The same sinking feeling had summoned him after their fight, so he had rushed to , that anxious feeling had taken residence in the pit of Natsu's stomach again.
Stop back for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
