Stars above she was going to throw up. Her hands were sweaty and her insides felt like they were doing somersaults as they strolled through Magnolia's buzzing marketplace. Beside her, Natsu was pointing at various stores and restaurants, saying things such as "That one there does these amazing sushi rolls that Happy absolutely loves" or "That shop has the best fire resistant clothes!". Which probably came in handy, because it seemed like the fire mage had trouble controlling his flames, as Lucy witnessed one too many times in the forest.
Up ahead Lucy could see the Fairy Tail guildhall looming in the distance and the closer they got, the slower her feet moved, until eventually they were across the street and she just couldn't get them to budge. Natsu stopped talking when he noticed Lucy hadn't moved, instead looking between her and the building.
She couldn't do this. She couldn't. This was the stupidest, stupidest, thing she had ever thought of doing. They were gonna laugh in her face. Probably turn her over to the Magic Council. She wouldn't blame them.
Suddenly, piercing green eyes took over her vision, alarm clear in their gaze. Natsu did that a lot too; get in her personal space without a second thought.
"Lucy, your heart's going crazy. What's up?"
Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and she didn't think she could form an answer as her eyes focused back on the massive building behind the pink hair boy. Inside was her future - good or bad - and she wasn't sure she wanted the answer. As if sensing what was on her mind, Natsu pressed his lips in a tight line and straightened, looking back at Fairy Tail briefly before turning to the panicked blonde.
"Hey," his eyes were gentle as he gave her a wide crooked grin, "I won't let nothing bad happen, got it? We're friends. I'm going to help you. So come on," Natsu held a hand out and wiggled his fingers, his smile turning playful, "hurry up so you can join our guild."
As she stood there, looking at Natsu as he waited on her, Lucy felt all the anxiety instantly disperse from her body. Somehow, she knew that he wasn't just talking about what might happen in the guild. She was his friend. And, she supposed, he was hers. He wouldn't abandon her now.
It was a bit jarring to realize she wasn't alone anymore. Other than her Spirits, it's been just her for so long. Just… Little Lucy who was scared of her own shadow until Jude threw her into the training room, demanding she toughen up.
"Right." she grinned, and placed her hand in his. "You're right. Let's do this."
Fairy Tail was crazy.
Like, fairly insane.
Growing up, Lucy always imagined light guilds as serene and calm; with laughter in the air and friends sharing stories, with a peaceful atmosphere. And while Natsu had shared some stories about his guild that were… somewhat unhinged, Lucy just assumed he was grossly over exaggerating.
It turns out that he, in fact, was not.
The second Natsu shoved the door open, he barely had time to push Lucy out of the way as a body soared through the air in their direction, knocking the pink haired mage right back out the doorway. For a brief moment, Lucy was terrified her guildmaster had already figured out where she went and they somehow managed to show up in the middle of an attack.
That thought went right out the window a split second later as she heard Natsu manically laughing from beside her as he threw the man who had been hurled at them back into the fight before joining in himself.
"Ah, Lucy, welcome!" Erza said as she materialized beside her. "I'd ask where Natsu is, but I can see his flames have already made their way into the fray."
"Uh, yeah," Lucy watched uneasily as a big man shouted that fighting was manly and joined the brawl as well. At her guild, a fight in the guildhall was usually monitored by their master; and typically only one person would get to walk away. There was no laughing and joining in for… fun.
"Master asks that I escort you to his office right away. He hasn't spoken with the guild about you. I believe he wants the choice of whether people know your past or not be up to you." Lucy blinked, taken aback.
The difference between the two guilds was staggering, to say the least. At Black Keys, her master would gladly let everyone know if a light mage had turned to their ranks. It provoked a challenge. If they could keep up and fend off attacks from their own guildmates, then they had earned their spot in the guild. If not, well, Lucy had seen plenty of bodies get thrown out the doors.
The fact that Makarov chose not to tell people a dark mage was joining their guild out of concern for her safety… Lucy felt her throat constrict. These people were just too… nice.
Erza led her to a door along the back wall and knocked sharply. Turning to Lucy with a smile, she said, "Come find me when you're finished. I would like to hear all about your travels."
The blonde nodded. "Of course," she responded as Erza opened the door for her, and Lucy braced herself as she walked into Master Makarov's office.
Despite what Erza had told her, Lucy was sure that when she stepped into Fairy Tail's masters office, she was going to be scrutinized, interrogated, threatened, and maybe even yelled at for even daring to step over their threshold. The people in the hall had been distracted by the fight, but here it was just her and the Fairy Tail master.
However, Makarov Dreyar didn't do any of that. As he sat atop a desk with papers in hand and strewn all around him, he merely glanced at her before returning to the paper before him.
"Have a seat, Miss Heartfilia, I'll be with you in a moment." Lucy felt her heart stutter in her chest. Heartfilia. He knew who she was. Who her father was. How, she wasn't sure, as she was careful not to give her last name to Erza, Gray, or Natsu. Lucy nervously slid into the open seat in front of the desk and twisted her hands together in her lap while she waited for Makarov to address her.
"These dang brats," The old man muttered with a heavy sigh, tossing the papers to the side. "All they do is cause chaos wherever they go."
Lucy's palms were sweaty as Fairy Tail's master finally turned his attention on her and regarded her silently for a heartbeat before he did something she did not expect.
He smiled.
"Erza tells me you ran away from your guild?" The blonde nodded stiffly. "Then I have to apologize, as I believe she also mentioned it was our fault."
Lucy opened and closed her mouth, stunned. This was not how she thought this conversation would go. She thought Makarov would be disgusted with her for even daring to step foot in his guildhall.
Makarov apologizing was the last thing she expected.
Before she could reply, Makarov continued, "I also believe you have a request to make."
Lucy licked her lips and clenched her fists, palms stinging as her nails dug in harshly. "Yes," she breathed, and then cleared her throat.
These people, she decided, were to be trusted immensely, because the second she had asked the three Fairy Tail mages for help they had done exactly that. Help. There was no reason for her to worry. Makarov would listen to her request. And if he couldn't help, Lucy had no doubt in her mind he would point her in the direction of someone who would.
Steeling herself, Lucy sat up straighter and lifted her chin slightly.
"I would like to request your help, Fairy Tail's help, in taking down the Balam Alliance."
The small man in front of her was silent for a beat before a chuckle escaped. "That's a mighty big request, Miss Heartfilia. What makes you think Fairy Tail can help with that?"
"Lucy, please. Just Lucy." Lucy shook her head, refocusing her thoughts. "I've heard that Fairy Tail is not one to ever back down from a fight, no matter the enemy. If someone is in trouble, they find a way to help them. I was hoping that's true." She glanced down at her hands. "I've been… stuck - for a long time, but now I'm ready to help rid the world of the Alliance, and the three guilds that run it. I couldn't do that before; I needed to be around people I could trust to help me." Lucy bit her lip as her brows furrowed briefly. "I don't- I don't know, yet, how much I trust them, but Natsu, Erza, and Gray did me a favor by listening to me and letting me come here. And Natsu… He said he'd help whether you agreed or not."
Makarov barked out a laugh at that, and Lucy lifted her gaze to his once more and saw admiration in his eyes. "That boy loves a good challenge."
Lucy worried her lower lip between her teeth and shifted in her seat. She felt like she should explain more. Maybe express how she wanted the Alliance gone so that she could hopefully get her father back from the man that created a dark guild and demanded she call him master. As she opened her mouth to make her intentions more clear, Makarov spoke up.
"I accept your request, Lucy." Her breath caught in her throat.
"I didn't explain myself well enough," She choked out.
"You don't need to. I know more than you think I do." Makarov smiled as he climbed from the desk, moving to stand beside her chair instead. Lucy turned to face him. "You're welcome to join our guild. You'll be safe here. I'll ensure no harm comes to you." He paused before gently adding, "Your old master will not be able to hurt you here."
Lucy found she couldn't speak as hot tears slid down her cheeks. With a sob, she buried her face in her hands and nodded furiously, a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders.
For the first time in a very long time, Lucy felt safe.
Makarov kept quiet as Lucy's emotions washed over her, the man never leaving her side for a moment, and when the celestial mage finally was able to collect herself, the two talked for a while longer. She decided against letting the guild know where she had come from. Makarov agreed it was probably for the best, some people weren't as welcoming to ex-dark mages as others, and he wanted her to feel as safe as possible in her new home. She recalled Gray's reaction to her and hastily agreed. The name Heartfilia would not be attached to her.
Makarov left his office to give her privacy to remove the Black Keys emblem from her thigh. As Lucy brushed her fingertips over the pair of crossed keys, she called forth her magic, and watched as the guildmark faded from view. She sighed heavily, the burden of carrying the mark was gone, and she was now free to become a member of Fairy Tail. She thought that with it gone, she'd feel a sense of loss, but instead Lucy could only feel overwhelming freedom.
When she finally emerged from Makarov's office, Natsu was waving at her from the bar.
"Lucy! Hey, Lucy! Over here!" She flushed slightly as heads turned and whispers started, and she hurried to sit beside him, shushing him as she slid onto the barstool. She fidgeted as she felt the stares on her back. "How'd it go?" He asked, bouncing on his seat.
The barmaid, a beautiful woman with long silver hair and the brightest blue eyes Lucy thought she'd ever seen, smiled at the pair and moved in their direction.
"Hi there!" She cheerfully greeted. "I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira. Who might you be?"
"Her name's Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed before she could respond, his face full of excitement as he turned to the blonde. "So?" She blinked.
"So what?"
"Are you joining Fairy Tail or not ya weirdo?" Across the bar, Mira's eyes lit up at the prospect and Lucy shifted under her gaze.
Lucy felt like the blush would never leave her cheeks as she nodded meekly and Natsu let out a loud cheer. Mira laughed at his reaction and moved away with a promise she'd be right back.
Fighting back a smile, Lucy quickly looked behind her and noticed eyes still focused on her. A brunette that was clad scantily in a bikini top and hugging a barrel of booze to her side was giving her a particularly hard glare, and Lucy swallowed thickly as she turned back to the grinning boy beside her.
"Where's uh, where's your friend Happy?" She asked, hoping to alleviate some of the anxiety she could feel creeping up her shoulders. She never did like being the center of attention.
Beside her, Natsu slumped slightly. "He's out with Wendy and Carla. Carla's an exceed just like him and he's been trying to get her to go out with him for a long time." He snorted. "Poor guy. She won't give him the time of day or whatever. Which is dumb, he knows how to read a clock if he really needed to know." The pink haired mage shrugged.
Mira returned then with a small black box in her hand.
"Where would you like your guild mark and what color, Lucy?" She asked as she set the box down and opened it to reveal a large stamp of the Fairy Tail guild symbol. Lucy's hands flexed as her mouth dried.
She couldn't turn away now.
But, as she looked at Natsu's excited grin and Mira's awaiting gaze, Lucy realized she didn't want to. As scary as this was, leaving Black Keys and joining Fairy Tail, Lucy thought that this might be the most thrilling thing to ever happen to her.
With a deep breath, she thrust the back of her right hand towards Mira and said, "Pink."
She found herself happily returning Natsu's smile as Mira pressed the stamp to her skin.
After getting her stamp, Lucy let Natsu lead her all around the guild, introducing her to various members. She met Mira's brother, Elfman, who had been the one to say that fighting was manly. Wakaba and Macao were two older members of the guild, and with them was the drunk brunette, Cana. Lucy found out she was only glaring at her to find out if she was real. Apparently she was shocked Natsu had come to the guild with, in her slurred words, 'such a bombshell of a babe'.
She also met Levy, a book enthusiast, and when Lucy had mentioned her love for reading the blue hair girl's eyes lit up and she made Lucy promise to find her later to talk about their favorite novels.
Eventually she told Natsu that she had promised Erza they'd talk after her meeting with Makarov, so the fire mage promptly ushered her over to the table where the redhead and Gray were currently seated. The ice mage watched the two with wariness in his eyes, but Erza smiled as she placed down a fork and pushed aside an empty plate.
"Ah, Lucy! Natsu! Join us." She gestured to the empty bench on the other side of the table. "We would love to hear about your journey back."
The pair settled onto the bench and Natsu launched into a - rather tall - tale of their travel back. Her lips quirked in amusement as she didn't bother to interject with facts, instead she focused on her hand in her lap.
The pink of the Fairy Tail mark was vibrant against her pale skin. Growing up, pink had been her favorite color. Her room was once covered floor to ceiling in the vibrant color; her wardrobe matching with frilly lace pink dresses.
When Jude converted the Heartfilia Estate into the Black Keys guildhall, he had her room stripped bare, leaving only an empty mattress and oak dresser. 'It was a room of a child', he stated when a ten year old Lucy burst into his office in tears. 'You are a member of the top dark guild in Fiore. Get your head out of the books and grow up, Lucy'.
She remembered getting the Black Keys guildmark, her master standing behind her with his arms crossed as she sniffled at her reflection in the mirror. 'Stop sniveling. It makes you look weak and pathetic. Other member's will think you are an easy target, and as master of this guild I can't have that.' He sneered when she said she didn't like the mark that sat upon her skin, and Jude grasped Lucy by the arm and thrust her towards the mirror, causing the child to gasp and sob harder as he pointed at the symbol. 'Be proud of the mark you bare, Lucy, or I will throw you out of my guild. Now get to training'. He spat as he left the room, the door slamming behind him.
Lucy brushed her thumb across her new mark, tears welling up. She was always appreciative that the placement of the Black Keys guildmark was on her thigh, out of her own sight and easy to hide from others should she choose to do so. Around her master, Lucy had always made sure it showed, so he would think her a proud member of his guild.
The celestial mage purposely made sure Mira placed the Fairy Tail symbol on her hand. She wanted to be able to see the proof of her freedom.
Beside her, Natsu gently nudged her with his shoulder, causing the blonde to jolt in alarm. He was looking at her in concern, and her eyes flickered to an amused Erza and bored-looking Gray.
"What?" Her voice cracked as she blinked back the wetness in her eyes, and Natsu's brows furrowed.
"I asked if you enjoyed your travels, Lucy." The requip mage answered. Beside her, Gray rolled his eyes as Lucy sniffed and cleared her throat.
"Y-yeah. Yeah. We had a good time." She shot Gray a sly smile and the ice mage shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I hear you've been arrested because you tend to walk around naked?"
Laughter erupted from Natsu and Erza, and Gray shouted obscenities at Natsu as he lunged across the table, knocking the pink haired fire mage down in a flurry of fists.
A lot had changed in the last week, Lucy mused as she rested her cheek against her hand. But as she watched Natsu pull back a flaming fist with a sharp-tooth grin, she didn't think she'd ever come to regret this decision.
A/N: Yay! Lucy's officially joined Fairy Tail! And a little tiny look into her life growing up with a dark guildmaster as a dad.
Next chapter Lucy gets to meet Happy! Their relationship is one of my favorites so I hope I do it justice. It's just super hard to write snappy responses as well as Happy lol
As always, a big big thank you to everyone who took the time to read/review/favorite/follow, I appreciate you all!
