Chapter Text
Lucy Heartfilia.
Lucy Heartfilia.
Lucy Heartfilia.
“Lady Lucy? Are you awake?" A knock disturbed her sleep and Lucy woke up slowly.
Lucy Heartfilia was the daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia. She was born a Celestial Spirit mage, born to another Celestial Spirit mage, in a line of Celestial Spirit mages. And Lucy fully intended to live her life as a Celestial Spirit mage.
"Yes, please enter,” Lucy said. She smiled at the woman who entered her room. “Thank you for walking me up, Aria.”
"It's my job, my lady,” Aria demurred. Then she closed the door, looked up, and her dark eyes twinkled.
"I suppose Father has already had his breakfast?” Lucy drawled.
"Yes. After all, his daughter stayed up late to help him. He can do no less,” Aria said, smiling. Then she started to go through her closet. Lucy huffed.
"After all the effort I have put in, I would hope he does his job," Lucy snarked, and then sighed. “Anyway, my father told me to free my morning for him so it must be important."
“Then would this dress suffice?" Aria pulled out a light pink dress, not too frilly but long and good for both daytime and sober enough to be taken seriously despite the baby pink combo. Lucy stretched before giving it her approval.
She went through her morning routine while Aria made her bed and cleaned up her room before she helped Lucy with her dress. A quick breakfast thanks to Aed, and then Lucy was off to her Father’s office. The butler informed her father of her arrival before he let her in.
“Lucy," her father greeted her after a stretch of silence.
“Father," she greeted warmly. “Good morning."
“I see you have been using your keys as usual," her father said with a disapproving furrow.
“I saw that you reduced the railway staff and implemented the early warning system I told you about," Lucy said sarcastically. Jude’s lips flattened.
The Heartfilia name was worth a lot, all thanks to her parents. Mostly, her father. But during one of her escapades while her father wasn't home, Lucy had found the grim reality of her father’s company being on the verge of bankruptcy.
At the time, Lucy didn't know how to help. With her mother dead and her father increasingly distant, Lucy only knew how to be the cherished lady of the Heartfilia and the fact that she was the descendant of a line of Celestial Spirit Wizards. So she did what she had always done- she cried about it to her spirits.
Aquarius just scolded her for crying so much, but she still said to ask Crux, who knew almost everything there was to know about the world. So Lucy asked Crux.
From there, Lucy’s world expanded.
The 88 constellations that were summonable by the Celestial Spirit Wizards were far more expansive and useful than Lucy had ever imagined. While Crux couldn't give her the locations of any of the keys, Lucy didn't necessarily need it.
All she had to do was ask her father’s staff to look for it. At first her father didn't know about this. Lucy nagged a few of them who went to different cities for work, to search for Celestial keys. As the daughter of the Heartfilia, they fondly indulged her.
From there, Lucy got three sets of Canis Minor, two sets of Leo Minor, Pyxis, and Sextans. It was around the time that she was caught by her father and yelled at. Everyone stopped indulging her whims around then, and she had to sneakily work on helping her father.
Sextans normally wouldn't have been very useful, but one of the reasons why they were on the verge of bankruptcy was because the trains would always end up with some problem or the other.
Wizards would destroy the train or the railway and would run away without informing the authorities. There would be delays in trains causing problems with their customers and destruction of property meant that there needed to be staff nearby who could work on fixing it.
It was only there that Lucy had first heard the name of the wizard guild Fairytail. They caused immense property damage and paid equally immense reparations. But because of his obvious they tended to be, at least the damage they had caused never managed to cause any accidents.
However, years ago, the start of their downfall started with an accident. A train flipped and the blame was put on the management of the railway. Apparently there was damage in the tracks that were not reported which ended up causing massive amounts of injuries and even some deaths.
Even though the Heartfilia conglomerate officially apologised and paid for everything, investigation didn't reveal anything due to the accident having damaged the area too much. Since then the Heartfilia had been bleeding money with strict inspections, safety verifications of the train and staff who could be ready for urgent repairs.
This did not cover the other businesses which still didn't earn them enough money. So Lucy had pinned up her father's map in his office and used Sextans to mark all the spots which were damaged or more worn down than others.
Sextans was a minor constellation that rarely had a use, and so it was left to rot in magic shops. When combined with the rarity of Celestial Spirit mages, it was obvious why no one had ever bought the key.
But for Lucy, it was useful.
Sextans would compare the train tracks to what was there in reality and mark the difference it found.
Despite her father's insistence that Lucy not use the keys, she kept the map up and used the key and after a while, her father started to actually use what was in front of him. Inspections were some to verify it and repairs were done quickly.
Even after years, where her father had managed to reduce the losses, and started to pay back most of the loan due to her, Jude Heartfilia was still reluctant to let her keep using the Celestial keys. Even though she had proved that she could lead a normal life with it, he still tried to keep pushing her to leave them.
But who was Lucy?
Despite Jude’s insistence, he was forced to accept again and again how useful Celestial Spirit magic was, and when Lucy started to buy silver keys from other continents, Jude Heartfilia finally decided ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Now, Jude had started to implement systems that did not require Lucy using her keys- lacrima in station that automatically changed colours when enough magic was detected close to the tracks, rune magic researchers that could translate the things people did to what magic could do.
While they were all increasingly subtle, they were effective. In fact, the rune knights actually managed to come on time for incidents that happened on trains due to this, resulting in a favorable outlook for the Heartfilia conglomerate.
“Control your tongue," her father scolded, but it was mild and absentmindedly said. Without waiting for her response, he continued, "You have certainly made great contributions to the Heartfilia name, which is why you must start preparing for the next part of your life.”
Her father stood up and even though he was looking at her, it still looked like he was looking through her.
"Daughter,” he said, "You will start your bridal classes from now on. I will find you a husband. After this, you no longer have to wear the Heartfilia name.”
Lucy stared at the man in front of her with a stunned look on her face. For a long long moment, it was all she could do. Just stand in silence as if she were waiting for the punchline of the joke.
Jude Heartfilia turned around to stare outside the window.
"I don't look down on the help you have provided. And that help is why you can take your pick amongst the men that will arrive tonight. Get to know them and find someone you can spend the rest of your life with. Your son will inherit both the Heartfilia conglomerate and your future husband's business," her father kept on going.
Lucy was frozen silent.
While she had never quite thought that she would inherit the company- she had never wanted to- she had not been prepared for what her future held either.
She was young, born to a rich family, had the strength to become a rare kind of mage, and yet she had spent most of the past few years helping her father with his company because it was the only way her father would even speak to her.
She had struggled so much, talking to Crux about different things to understand why they couldn't do something or the other. She had cried so much to Aquerius and spent so much time listening to Lyra’s soothing music because she worried so much about her father that she couldn't sleep sometimes.
She had spent so much time trying to help her father…
But did he really think that she would spend the rest of her life doing it too?
Lucy couldn't find the words to speak through the sudden rage that swept through her. She had already stopped listening to whatever else he said to her.
The gist of it was this- he wanted her to marry someone to pay off the loan. They could barely stay afloat without it, but he wanted her to find someone to marry so that the company would continue to grow.
She was practically dizzy with disbelief at the words that left her father's mouth.
“I won't marry," she croaked out somehow.
“What?" Her father turned to look at her with surprised disbelief.
“I won't marry them," she repeated it more firmly, and then she turned around and walked out.
“What are you- Lucy!!" Her father called out to her, exasperated.
Lucy didn't stop.
Inside her room, Lucy leaned against the locked door. Outside, she could hear worried murmurs from the servants.
Slowly, she picked up her dress and touched the golden key tucked into the thick garter of her thigh. She pulled it out.
“Open! Gate of the crab, Cancer!" She called out.
"Need a hair cut- ebi?” Cancer said, after coming out of the golden gate. Lucy slowly sank down the door, sitting on the floor with a sad look.
"What is it, Lucy?” Cancer asked, bending down on his knees to look at her.
"Father told me to get married and give up the Heartfilia name,” Lucy whispered. Cancer froze, stunned. Lucy looked at her knees, then rubbed her eyes. "I thought after all this time he would acknowledge me as a Celestial Spirit mage. I thought he would be proud of me. I thought doing this would help.”
Lucy’s lips quivered unsteadily. Cancer stayed quiet, waiting for her. Unlike Aquarius or Taurus, Cancer tended to stay quiet and listen to her first. It didn't mean he didn't get angry, but she definitely respected Cancer a lot for bearing through her complaining for all these years.
So Lucy cried quietly, complaining to her Celestial Spirit and Cancer soothed her, gently patting her in the back. After she stopped crying, Cancer did massage her head and cut her hair.
Finally, at the end, Lucy smiled at Cancer and made a simple request. Cancer smiled and accepted it.
Lucy left her room at lunchtime. Under the worried looks of the staff, she ate a meal, and then went out to see her mother. Then after she was done saying her goodbyes, Lucy took out a silver key from her garter, swung it out in front of her.
Moments later, all the staff saw Lucy riding off on top of a Pegasus. When Jude demanded her room be searched, only an empty room with not even a curtain or bed greeted him.
The most expensive silver key that existed was undoubtedly the Pegasus.
Lucy had bought the key at an auction which had spread the news of the key far and wide, and only marginally managed to beat out the other prices. It had been so expensive that Lucy's expense for the entire year was cut down.
But it was worth it.
Eve, her Pegasus, was the sweetest thing ever. Lucy occasionally combed her hair and often circled the estate while riding her in the evenings. The sight of the sun setting while she was flying in the sky was addicting in a way very few things could be.
Of course, she had learnt to ride a horse first and had to have enough magic for Horologium. Even if she fell from the sky or was too scared to use her keys, Horologium would automatically save her from lethal damage.
Thankfully, Eve had her own kind of magic and Lucy had never fallen. It gave her the confidence to call her even after spending so much time with Cancer’s gate open.
It was true that Lucy rarely ventured out of her home, but it didn't mean that she was oblivious to the outside world. While she had started her search for keys by using the Heartfilia conglomerate, now she already had contacts with large merchants or shady dealers or even a few information brokers.
Lucy had rarely taken money for a few favors she had done for them- things like helping them by using Crux (a spirit who knew everything there was to know) and in return she only needed information about the Celestial keys.
Even if she ran away from home, she definitely wouldn't lose those relationships.
So Lucy rode her Pegasus to run away from home.
At first she was confused about what she should do. She spent her first few days in Croccus, wandering around the city, going to some of the shadier magic shops with a wary look and Taurus’ gate key in her hand. Thankfully, no one attacked her.
Lucy only saw fake keys on display with an occasional silver key that she already possessed. And tired from her futile hunt, she ended up at a nice hotel, which was also around the time she realized that she would now need to earn her own money.
But first, she had to go shopping!
She shopped around for three days, occasionally calling out Plue, her Canis Minor spirit or some of her more fashionable silver keys to hang out with. Lyra and Andromeda definitely had the best choices out of her silver spirits, and with plentiful advice, Lucy ended up exchanging her garters with twin belts to be tied around her thighs.
She had also changed her daily outfit to shorts and top, which provided easy access. The only part of her that remained the same was the necklace she wore- the only key that she left tied to her neck was that of Aquarius.
Aquarius might be irritable and prone to drowning her, but she had never let Lucy down when she actually needed her. Even though Lucy called most of her other spirits out much more often, she had always had Aquarius’ key tied to her necklace.
She had always had this blind faith as if everything would be okay if she ever got Aquarius out. After her mom died, when her father abandoned her, when she realized that her father's company was going bankrupt, and also when she finally accepted that she had to do something. Aquarius had always made everything better.
She used to suck at everything and cry a lot because of it, but Aquarius would drown her and yell at her for thinking about stupid things and not what she should be, and somehow she would feel better.
So, despite the fact that she loved Taurus and Cancer and Pegasus and Pyxis and everyone else, she had only ever kept Aquarius’ key on her necklace.
After her days of shopping, Lucy finally asked around and found a place which allowed freelancing wizards to accept quests. Most of these quests didn't give a lot of money, and tried to reward the one who accepted it with strange items. But Lucy didn't care too much.
She picked one which talked about some haunted mansion and when she tried to accept it, the receptionist told her that the quest giver was already dead. Flabbergasted, Lucy stared at the uncaring woman.
In the end, she was pushed back in favour of other people who wanted to accept the quests. Lucy looked for another quest, and she saw one which said that they were offering a Celestial key, and when she asked about the design on the key, Lucy realized it was for Pyxis.
Disappointed, she left for the day.
But the next day instead of searching for another quest, Lucy decided to check out the haunted mansion one. Lucy left the city before she flew out with Eve. The sun was ridiculously bright in her face and since they were high, it was quite bright too. But Lucy laughed at the freedom she acquired instead.
Her skin burnt at the prolonged exposure, but Lucy didn't mind it too much. Eve didn't force it either, flying leisurely as they crossed bare land. Every time they found a city, Lucy would stop and ask about a magic shop. And every time she inevitably found nothing, Lucy would mark off the city and keep going.
A few cities away, Lucy arrived in the early evening. A short meal and a brief inquiry later, Lucy went off to visit the haunted mansion.
The quest had been offered more than 10 years ago and there had been no gold offered. The quest giver had died 5 years after that too, which had basically made it an abandoned quest.
It was sheer luck that Lucy had even seen the crumpled quest paper, and only curiosity had brought her to visit the mansion. Unlike years ago, the mansion was brightly lit and welcoming. There was no sign of it being haunted. A couple lived in the mansion with a few kids and servants. Apparently, the house had been the woman’s ancestral home.
Curious, Lucy rang the bell.
A butler opened the door, surprised.
“Hello," Lucy greeted, giving a brief curtsy. " My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I was wondering if the owner of this mansion could spare me a moment of time."
"Please excuse me,” the man said, somewhat politely, before rushing off inside.
Lucy waited.
A couple came out to see her with the butler, surprised looks on both their faces.
“Please come in," the woman said immediately upon seeing her face. The man frowned at her words, but the woman turned to look at him with a firm shake of her head.
Lucy pretended to not see it as she entered the home. She was invited into the living room and brought tea and refreshments. The couple sat on the other side, politely quiet until she had sipped her tea.
"We welcome you, Lady Heartfilia,” the woman said with a smile. “I was not expecting to greet such a guest. You look exactly like your mother."
Lucy smiled warmly at her.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, however, I am not here as a Heartfilia," Lucy said. “I recently decided to venture out as a wizard, and I am currently unaffiliated."
“I…see,” the woman said, voice slightly strained. "Then may I ask what brought you here?”
"Naturally,” Lucy said, still polite. "I found a quest from around a decade ago and I was wondering what the cause for the haunted mansion was. If you could tell me your story, I would be much obliged."
The woman blinked in surprise a few times.
“A haunted mansion?" She asked. “I don't remember such a…oh wait!” Then she giggled. "Pardon me.”
“Please," Lucy said, smiling.
At least it didn't seem like a bad tale despite the death of the quest giver.
“A decade ago, I got my hands on an heirloom," she said, trying not to laugh at the memory. “I didn't quite know much about it but a creature from it helped me cast illusions. I would use it at night to make wailing noises on the days my father refused to let me have my way."
Lucy giggled, and the woman looked at her and started giggling too.
“You can see how that could be mistaken by my father," she said. “He used to be so jumpy about it. Once a wizard guild did come, but they didn't find anything. After some months, I got bored and stopped, and my father went bankrupt and no longer had the money to ask for help. He must have still tried."
She sounded fond and sad, speaking about her father.
“One day when we were out, my father and I were caught in a landslide. I used the illusion to ask for help from the closest knights. My father found it terribly amusing to realize that it had always been me playing tricks, but the knights still arrived too late and my father died not long after,” she grabbed her husband’s hand at that, and he squeezed her back.
"In fact, my husband was one of the knights who found us that day,” she said, raising a hand to wipe her eyes clear. "It was both a good and a bad day for me.”
"I see,” Lucy said solemnly. "I'm sorry for your loss.”
"Thank you,” she smiled. "But I don't mind a reminder of the happiness I shared with my father. Was this story all you wanted to hear?”
"Yes,” Lucy said, finishing up her tea and getting up. "Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. I hope I wasn't too much trouble.”
“No, it was nice to see you again," she smiled warmly. “Even if I no longer carry the name, I was once a proud daughter of the Koruyn Household."
“I never asked," Lucy winced, “What is your name?"
The woman curtsied, looking a bit unpracticed, “I am now Orun Mayfield."
“My name is Dan Mayfield," her husband bowed.
“It was a pleasure to meet the two of you," Lucy said. “Oh, and if it wouldn't be too much trouble, may I ask to see the magical object you owned?"
The woman tilted her head.
“Of course," she said, and they all sat back down. She called for a maid. “I normally keep it in a small jewellery box. I was terribly attached to it after my father died, but the only ability it has is that of illusion and well, I never really needed it."
“Would you mind if I call one of my Celestial spirits here to find out more about the object?" Lucy asked, curiously. If it was a ring, it would have been worn even if it wasn't very useful, and she didn't really know many strange objects which allowed you to make illusions.
The couple shared a glance.
"We wouldn't be comfortable with that,” the husband refused. "I'm sure you understand. We have children at home, after all.”
"Oh, of course,” she agreed, slightly disappointed.
The maid re-entered with a small jewellery box and offered it to the woman. Orun, in turn, opened it and showed it to Lucy.
"Huh?” She froze, eyes wide. Then she looked up at the woman and then back at the silver key. "You're a Celestial Spirit mage too?”
"A Celestial Spirit mage?” She asked, confused. The husband also leaned in to look at the silver key without recognition.
Well, that should be normal, but Lucy still found herself stunned to not have people recognise what it was. It had always been given that people around her knew what it was. Well, not like she interacted much outside of the staff and her spirits anyway.
“This is a silver key that can summon a being from the Celestial world," Lucy pointed at the silver key. Then she took out Horologium’s key from her thigh. “This is also a silver key that an summon a different being from the Celestial world."
“Celestial world?" The husband asked, following along better than the wife.
“They are the spirits of the constellations we see in the sky. Every constellation has a spirit like Aquarius, Libra, Virgo, Cancer, Capricorn. There are also minor constellations like the ones in silver keys. The one in my hand is Horologium and the one you hold is Vulpecula, the little fox," Lucy explained.
“I see," the husband said, but it was clear that both seemed out of their depth.
“I know that this might be a big request, but would it be possible for you to give me the silver key? In return, I can offer you my service as a wizard or money. If you have any problems and requests that you want a wizard to handle, I can do it,” Lucy asked eagerly.
The two of them exchanged a look, before the woman took the key back and clasped the jewellery box closed. Lucy sighed in disappointment.
“I don't intend to offend you, but we don't know the value of this key and we don't have any requests as of yet. Since you are not affiliated with a guild either, it would be difficult to reach you if we need help," the husband said.
“I understand," Lucy sighed.
“If, however," Orun started, “you wait the night, we can get it appraised by a local magic shop owner and sell it to you for a similar price."
Lucy’s eyes sparkled.
“Of course! I’ll stay the night at a nearby hotel and you can tell me confirm the price and call the hotel for me," Lucy said.
“We appreciate your patience," the husband said.
“Thank you," Orun said.
“No, thank you," Lucy said genuinely.
Happily, Lucy skipped out and stayed the night at the hotel, anticipating a silver key for tomorrow.
“Fifty thousand jewels,” the woman said.
Lucy gaped. Then she sighed deeply, massaging her forehead. Greed, of course. She shouldn't have let them set the time.
"The normal price of a silver key is around 10,000 to 20,000 jewels,” Lucy sighed.
"I heard a silver key went for 50 million jewels once,” Orun said with a frown.
The owner of the silver key that went for 50 million jewels said, "That happened because the ones bidding on it were practically royalties of the world. A normal silver key isn't nearly that expensive. Most of them go for really low prices. You can even get some of them by doing minor errands.”
The woman frowned deeply. Lucy sighed.
"How about this? I will pay you 15,000 jewels for the silver key. It's a reasonable price, I assure you. I understand that it has sentimental value for you and I don't intend to abuse the spirit. I promi-"
“20,000 and I'll accept it," the woman interrupted. Lucy sighed.
“All right," she accepted, and with that she got another silver key.
That very night, she made a contract with Vulpecula.
Vulpecula was a curious spirit. Her only condition was to call her during daylight hours and when Lucy accepted happily, Vulpecula curled up around her neck, layering an illusion to render herself weightless and unseen.
If Lucy couldn't feel the constant drain of her magic, she wouldn't even be able to tell Vulpecula was there. It was a little disturbing at first, but she got used to it. The first time they flew on Eve, Vulpecula yowled in delight and Lucy howled with her, laughing all the time. She was pretty sure Eve was laughing at them for that.
Lucy went back to take another quest, this time for money, and earned some while digging through the black market to find an item that had a list of requirements. There was a borderline charm magic on it, but unlike the regular stuff, it just made the wearer look more elegant instead of attracting people. It was also a bracelet instead of the regular ring and looked classy.
Thankfully, the quest giver seemed to like it so Lucy was paid. She heard horror stories of how she refused to pay if she didn't like the look of the bracelet. Lucy shuddered and decided not to take quests like that again.
Soon, a month then two or three went by, and Lucy learnt how to live by herself. She got scammed and learnt how to haggle. She learnt to tone up or down the illusion Vulpecula put on her to make her blend in or stand out.
Most days she spent with Vulpecula or Ember, her Leo Minor, and nights she spent with Plue or Lyra. Unlike most of the other Celestial Spirit mages she heard about, Lucy rarely had problems with summoning or retaining hers.
She often called out Cancer, and sometimes she would show off the clothes she bought and discuss what kind of outfits she might still need. He was very knowledgeable about skin and hair care so she tended to follow whatever he said was okay.
And at any point of the day, she had at least one of her spirits out with her. She travelled with her spirits and when she had to fight, she would call out Taurus and cheer for him before getting him to help her drag them to the local knights to see if they could be exchanged for money.
Basically, she was a complete loner if you ruled out all her spirits. After three months of not having a decent enough river for Aquarius, and calling her own in ponds, Lucy took a protection request to Hargeon.
It didn't pay much, as usual, but she did get a discount coupon for a restaurant. While wandering around, Lucy checked out the magic shop- useless as usual- and then walked around watching the view of the port. At least Aquarius wouldn't be mad about the water quality like the last few times.
It was around then that she heard some women gathering around shrieking about Salamander. Curious, she peaked and found a charming guy in the middle. She blushed. He was quite good looking actually. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
For a moment, Lucy found the thought odd and frowned. Then someone bumped into her.
“Igneel!” A guy yelled, and then with the attention of everyone on him, he deadpanned, "Who are you?”
Lucy blinked at the pinkette.
"If I said Salamander, would that ring a bell?” The man at the center of attention said, and Lucy sneered, realising that she had just fallen under a charm spell, and a really strong one at that.
She looked around discreetly as the pinkette walked away and a crowd of women beat him up. There were dozens just gathered around. To have put so many people under his thrall, he couldn't be a completely weak mage.
After giving the beaten up guy an autograph and inviting everyone to a party at his ship, he left.
“Who the heck was that guy?" The pink haired guy said, looking confused.
“What a scumbag, right?" Lucy said, offering him a hand. The guy took it and stood up. “Thanks for the save. I'm Lucy!"
“I’m Natsu, and he's Happy!" The pinkette said.
“Hmm. How about I pay for your meal as thanks?" Lucy offered.
Natsu immediately agreed and Lucy took them to the place she had a coupon for. Immediately availing it turned out to be the right choice since that day ended up being the last day it was usable. But in less than half an hour, Natsu and Happy had eaten through the discounted price and kept eating more.
Lucy laughed sheepishly, not too bothered by the messy way they ate. She had seen worse in the last three months.
"You're really nice,” Natsu would say between his food when he got some time to breathe while Lucy worried about them choking. She filled up their glasses and avoided the pieces of food that came towards her.
Not minding his words too much, Lucy spoke, “Well, the reason I said he's a scumbag was because he was using charm magic. I mean, it's really not natural to have a guy be surrounded by so many women. The sale of charmed magic was banned years ago so I'm really glad you came by. I got caught by it cause it was kind of strong."
Lucy laughed sheepishly, “It had to be today too! See, I'm a Celestial Spirit mage, which means I can summon spirits who have different abilities. I was about to summon one of them when I ran into that guy!”
She took out a silver key and silently summoned Vulpecula before putting the key back into the pouch in her thigh.
"This is Vulpecula, but you can call her Vulpex!” Lucy gently scratched below her chin, and the fox acted cutely before jumping up on her shoulder and turning invisible. "She does that sometimes, so don't worry about it.” She reassured Natsu and Happy quickly.
Happy didn't seem like a pet nor did Natsu seem like he grew up in luxury. She didn't see any big scars though. Well, not like it was a good indication of being a mage anyway. There were so many girls in Fairytail who didn't have too many of those.
"Well, I've been looking for a guild to join. I hope I get in the one I want. Freelancing has been fun but honestly, I just really want to go on adventures with people other than my spirits too!” Lucy said excitedly.
The two of them finished eating.
"By the way, you seemed like you were looking for someone?” Lucy asked.
"Aye, Igneel!” Happy answered her.
"I’d heard that a salamander had come to this town, so it's good we checked it out,” Natsu said, chewing much more calmly now. “But it seems like someone else."
“He didn't look like a salamander," Happy said. Lucy sweatdropped.
“They're fire dragons, so I really thought it would be Igneel," Natsu said, considering it seriously.
“What kind of human looks like a fire dragon?” Lucy asked, confused.
Natsu looked at her confused, "He's not human. Igneel’s an actual dragon.”
"Huh?” Lucy exclaimed.
“Aye, he's a fire dragon!" Happy added.
“Huh?" Lucy exclaimed. “Why would a dragon be in the middle of a city?!"
Both Natsu and Happy looked surprised. She breathed out a quiet laugh.
“I can't believe you only realized that now!" She said exasperated. “If you're really looking for a fire dragon, shouldn't they be sleeping in volcanoes or something? Igneel could even be in a different country! Dragons are so rare, we haven't even seen any in a few centuries. But it could be different in other countries.”
Then her mind wandered back to the guy who called himself Salamander, and she looked outside at daylight.
"Well, I have something to do today. I hope we can meet again soon!” Lucy said, dropping the extra cash at the table. She waved off before leaving, only the woman opening the gate looked behind her, startled. She turned around and was shocked to see both of them formally bowing to her.
“We appreciate your kindness!" Natsu said formally.
“Kindness!" Happy repeated.
Lucy sheepishly calmed them down, feeling embarrassed at their sudden about face.
“But we weren't trying to save you or anything…" Natsu admitted, easily.
“Aye, no payment needed," Happy agreed.
Lucy sighed, before being handed the signature which she firmly refused and walked away quickly from. Then she went to a park and summoned Leo Minor, Ember, onto her lap.
For some reason, Vulpecula rarely got off her shoulder. She wouldn't even come down for scratches or pets, so Lucy normally summoned Ember when she wanted another furry warm body on her lap.
Ember loved her scratches at least!
With Ember on her lap, Lucy read a recent magazine she had picked up, laughing at the antics Fairytail got up to.
"Man, Fairytail is really so much fun, aren't they, Ember?” Lucy giggled. Ember mewled in her lap. "I really wanna join it. I wonder if I should just walk up to them and ask.”
As if she was calling the devil, the man who called himself Salamander walked out from the bushes and invited her to the party. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, before she relaxed her expression, looked at the ring and agreed. Salamander went off to say that he was Fairytail’s Salamander and Lucy’s eyes practically twinkled as she asked if she could join.
Honestly, she didn't know if he really was Fairytail’s Salamander or not, but if he was doing anything illegal, she was definitely going to bring him down! Charm magic by itself was bad enough, but announcing a party after using it? Yeah, no way was she letting anyone else fall for something scary!
"You'll come with me, won't you, Ember?” Lucy asked, scratching between his ears. Ember mewled, a spark of flame running over his fur before it disappeared.
Worst case scenario, Ember burns down the ship and Aquarius saves everyone!
"All right! Let's go!” Lucy said, cheerfully.
That evening, Lucy dressed up in one of her evening gowns and got Ember in as a pet cat. Immediately, Salamander invited her into a private room and Lucy had to work to keep her face straight.
She wanted to see if this was going to be an actual party or not! Not hang out with a creep!
She still made some polite talk before asking about joining Fairytail, which set him off. With a wide grin, he exposed his plan of human trafficking the women on his boat to Bosco. The moment she took out a key from the case strapped to her thigh, the man hit her wrist with a whip of solid flame and made her drop it.
“So you're Celestial Spirit mage? It's useless without a contract then,” the man scoffed at Taurus’ key, kicking it away with his feet.
Lucy’s arms were captured by the men around her and she had to stifle the murderous urge to drown everyone into the sea. Her face was covered by her hair, while the man mocked her.
That was when the roof burst and Natsu dropped between them all.
“Natsu!" She called out, surprised. But then the next moment, the ship swayed and he bent over with a green tinge in his face.
“As I thought, it's not use…" Natsu muttered.
“Lucy, what are you doing?" Happy asked.
“That guy said he could help me join Fairytail! Never mind that. Since when could you fly??" Lucy asked. Then, “Actually, forget that too, just take Natsu away! I'm gonna burn this place down! Ember!”
Ember, who was being quiet immediately burst into flames, growling fiercely at the men.
“Guess what's made of wood and burns well?" Lucy asked, grinning a little bloodthirstily. “You can forget about going to Bosco!"
Ember scratched at the wood and fire burst from her nails, cutting through the floor. The slave tranders yelled, their grip on Lucy loosening as their floor shattered in two. Ember yowled, burning even more fiercely before clawing the ship in half.
“Lucy!" Happy yelled, reaching for her.
“No, grab Natsu!" Lucy yelled back, jumping off one side of the ship to reach the water faster. She pulled off her necklace, holding the golden key in her hand as she dove into the sea.
Between the two ships, the water lit up gold and Lucy rose up spluttering with Aquarius.
“A fish!" Happy exclaimed, carrying Natsu.
“She's not a fish!" Lucy yelled back. Then she turned to Aquarius. “We need to get everyone to the port!" Then her face darkened for a moment, “and Taurus' key!"
“Hmph! Take care of your keys! If anyone stomps on mine, you're dead," Aquarius glared at her.
Lucy flinched, but Aquarius first handed Taurus' key to her before the huge wave building up behind them swept everyone back into the land.
Spluttering, Lucy sighed in relief to see she still had all her keys. Of course Aquarius could never be careless, but still.
In front of her the broken ship lay in two pieces and the girls were all swept off the ship already. On the ship, a drenched Happy and Natsu were on one side and the men trying to do human trafficking were on the other.
"Natsu!” She called out worriedly.
"Aquarius, can’t you knock them all out?!" Lucy asked, annoyed. Aquarius scowled even more fiercely, before she used the jar to swirl water with a murderous look in her eyes. "Don't kill them, don't kill them!” She yelled hurriedly, while Aquarius yelled, throwing another boatload of water crashing right down at the men.
Lucy yelled, holding her cheeks in shock.
“Aquarius, no!" She sobbed in dismay. Aquarius scoffed.
"Don't call me for a while. I'll be on vacation with my boyfriend,” she said, turning away. "With my boyfriend.”
"Don't emphasize that!” Lucy yelled back while Aquarius left with an elegant sweep of her tail. Lucy quickly tied the necklace back on, the key tucked between her chest.
"Natsu! Happy! Are you okay?” She yelled.
"We're okay,” Happy said, yelling back.
"Come down, both of you!" Lucy said, and there was a flash of fire. Only then did she realize that there was someone still awake from the guys Aquarius had just tried to drown.
“You!" Lucy scowled at the one who called himself Salamander.
“I can't believe there is such a strong spirit," the dark haired man coughed. “But no matter! You're tired right? I'll end you quickly!"
For some reason, Happy alone flew down to her side.
“Hey, you. You're a Fairytail wizard?" Natsu asked, looking furious.
“What's with him?" Lucy asked, surprised, a silver key between her fingers.
"Sorry, I didn't tell you! Actually, Natsu’s a wizard too!” Happy said cheerfully.
“What, seriously?" Lucy blinked a few times in surprise.
"Aye!" Happy said cheerfully.
She ran over each moment she had with him- him getting beaten by a bunch of women, him in a dogeza after eating like he hadn't eaten all well, him crash landing into a ship and then almost fainting.
“Are you sure?" She asked, deadpanning.
“Aye!" Happy said equally cheerfully, chewing on a fish despite her doubt.
“Take a good look at this face!" Natsu said, throwing off his open shirt. “I’m Natsu of Fairytail, and I ain't never seen you before!”
On his right bicep was the insignia of Fairytail in red.
“He's a Fairytail wizard?" Lucy exclaimed, but the undercurrent of relief was too strong.
Honestly, she had been scared that that guy really was from Fairytail. Then she would have had to dedicate her life to tearing down something that corrupted.
Natsu, despite everything, had never raised his hand on the weak, to the point that Lucy hadn't even realized that Natsu was a wizard at all.
“I dunno whether you're a bad guy or a good guy…but I ain't gonna let you get away with pretending to be from Fairytail!” Natsu walked towards the other guy, and the steam was practically rolling off his skin.
"Fire…” Lucy whispered.
"Aye!” Happy said, "Natsu's a fire mage!”
The guy threw out a wave of fire, and Lucy had to refrain from defending Natsu. Lucy may be a complete amateur, but even she could tell that Natsu looked confident in his ability to take the guy down.
The fire whirled around, and with an odd slurping sound, Natsu opened his mouth and ate it.
He ate the fire.
"Gross. Are you really a fire wizard? I can't believe how gross this fire tastes,” Natsu commented.
"Holy shit,” Lucy whispered while the other guy stumbled backwards, stuttering in fear.
Natsu lit his hands up with fire, rushing right at the guy who shrieked in fear, using his fire to try to run away. Lucy watched in shock.
"I can't believe he actually ate the fire,” she whispered. Then she frowned thinking about what Natsu had said. "Ember’s fire will definitely be delicious though!”
Happy did a double take.
“You're weird, Lucy!" Happy said.
“You're the last one who should say that," Lucy said, annoyed. She picked him up and squeezed his cheeks. "So tell me what magic Natsu is using!”
"Natsu~” Happy cried pitifully. “I'm being bullied!"
“He's busy now," Lucy said, gently squeezing his whispered cheeks. “Now tell me!"
Behind them, Natsu punched the other guy over a building, flames lit up around his hands. The other guy just tried his best to survive the onslaught of rage and flame.
"A dragon’s lungs to breathe flames, a dragon’s scales to dissolve flames, a dragon's claws to wrap in flames…It's magic that transforms your own body parts into those of a dragon’s- an ancient magic. It was originally meant to deal with dragons- Dragon Slaying magic. Igneel taught it to Natsu," Happy told her.
“That's crazy," Lucy breathed, watching with wide eyes as Natsu defeated the other guy. Then she did a double take at the property damage around her. “He really is a Fairytail wizard, huh?" She burst into disbelieving laughter.
“Aye!" Happy said, flying.
After the gong ran with the defeat of the slave trader, Natsu jumped towards them, grabbing Lucy’s wrist and running with her.
“Why are you taking me?!" Lucy yelled, sending wide eyed looks at the military rushing scarily behind them.
"Well, you wanted to join our guild, right?” Natsu asked. Lucy’s eyes caught Natsu's cheerful one, before she broke out into a wide grin. “Come with me!"
"Yeah, okay!” She agreed, running with him.
Natsu was definitely weird but that was okay, she didn't think she minded his kind of weird at all!