Chapter 20

Lucy was beyond relieved when they finally arrived at the destination Amelia Swanson was aiming for. She was the first out of the car, though a fairly ill dragon slayer stumbled out close behind her, crawling away to vomit on the ground behind some shrubbery. Lucy, not wanting to be near Amelia as Erza helped her out of the car and Gray went to fetch her bags, grabbed Happy and followed after him, wearing a concerned look on her face. "Natsu? Are you alright?"

"No," he moaned, rolling onto his back. Lucy made a face. "I hate the cruel world."

Lucy only laughed softly at his words, setting Happy down. "Come on, we have to accept our pay, and then we can go back. Okay?"

"Yeah...give me a second." Natsu's face twisted, and he clutched at his stomach. Lucy crouched beside him, Happy patiently standing beside her as she waited for him to feel better, not willing to go inside just yet. Finally, he sat up, looking like he felt a little bit better.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, I feel better now." The fire dragon slayer staggered to his feet, dragging her up as well. Lucy paused to pick up Happy again as he said, "Let's hurry and get this over with...she's an annoying bitch."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "Natsu!"

"It's true," he grumbled, scowling. "Going on about how you have a duty to go back to Bosco when she doesn't even know why you left."

Lucy smiled warmly, patting his shoulder before pushing past him. "Don't worry, I don't want to go back, even if she was right about the country more than likely falling into ruins." Lies! she cried silently. I don't want to be the reason a country collapses!

Natsu kept close behind her as they made their way after Erza, Gray, and Amelia, who entered the massive house they'd arrived at without hesitation. The dragon slayer eyed the guards on either side of the door suspiciously, just daring them to try and touch any of the Fairy Tail mages. He sniffed silently, as if searching for scents he didn't like, and then stopped dead in his tracks. "Damn it!" he hissed.

Gray stopped to look at him. "The hell you doing now, Matchstick?"

"That guy who came to talk with Gramps a few weeks ago is here!" he growled back. "The one the Magic Council sent!"

"NO!" Gray groaned, looking defeated as he nearly dropped Amelia's suitcase. "Crowley Swanson...damn it!" He slammed a palm to his head. "The hell are we going to do? He's going to recognize her!"

Lucy swallowed thickly, nervous. She'd met Crowley Swanson once before, though they hadn't spoken to each other. She remembered the moment, and knew without a doubt that he would recognize her, just like Gray was worried about...

Her father smiled gently down at the young ten year old that held her mother's hand, waving towards the people before them. "Lucy," he said, voice full of a warmth that would leave it within two years' time. "This is the king of Fiore, Toma, and his daughter Hisui. She's about your age. And the man beside Toma is Crowley Swanson, one of his most important generals."

The shy young girl tightened her grip, and Layla Heartfilia gave a gentle laugh as she rested her other hand on Lucy's head. "Excuse her, Toma, she's not fond of speaking with those she doesn't know well."

Toma waved their concerns off. "Hisui is the same way."

Hisui smiled faintly from her place between Toma and Crowley, her dark eyes searching Lucy's curiously, and Lucy smiled back, relaxing slightly as the sound of the keys that hung at her mother's hip jingled softly. They always calmed her, reassured her that everything would be okay.

"Hello, your highness," Crowley greeted, kneeling so that he was at her level. "It is an honor to meet you."

Lucy blushed, glancing up at her mother. Layla murmured in encouragement, and then smiled as Lucy greeted him softly. "Hello."

"Crowley," Jude Heartfilia said firmly, "One of my wife's servants, Virgo, will take you to your room, as well as you, Toma, and Hisui. We will see you at dinner."

"Of course."

She didn't see them again after dinner that night due to leaving early in the morning with her mother on a vacation, and didn't think twice of it.

Lucy shook her head to clear it, heart aching at the thought of her mother. She took a deep breath, then smiled brightly at both of them. "Guys, it's okay. I've met him, so he'll probably recognize me, but we'll just insist that I'm not Lucy Heartfilia like we did with Amelia, alright?"

"You sure? You don't have to come in," Gray offered. "I'll tell them that Natsu was too sick to move and you decided to take care of him until we're done."

Natsu glared at him for that. "I'm not that pathetic, Gray."

"Could have fooled me," Gray sneered.

"Popsicle!"

"Matchstick!"

"Stripper!"

"You can't deny that accusation," Lucy interrupted, shaking her head in exasperation, wondering how Erza managed to keep them from clawing each other's eyes out. "Come on." She shoved Gray forward, noting that his free hand was reaching to unbutton his jeans, and Lucy smacked his hand away. "Gray, keep your clothes on. You'll prove him correct."

Gray's hand snapped up to rub the back of his head. "Shit!"

They made their way through a set of doors, Happy remaining quiet when he saw that Amelia was in there. Erza was talking firmly with an older man with hair sprinkled with gray. His blue eyes, the same color of Amelia's, were serious as he glanced over - and locked his gaze on Lucy. "...take Amelia to her room, please," he ordered a quiet man behind him.

"Yes, sir," the man agreed, and Amelia pouted as she was led from the room, looking disappointed to have been removed. The man paused only to take her luggage from Gray, and then they were gone.

Crowley Swanson turned to face Lucy completely, looking amused by the suddenly empty-handed Gray and Natsu, who had shifted so that he stood slightly in front of Lucy and Happy. "Just your movements confirm what you're trying to convince us is incorrect, Mr. Dragneel," he told him, voice strong despite his age. "The same goes for you and Miss Scarlet, Mr. Fullbuster. And you, Princess Lucy. There is hardly a reason to try and convince me otherwise."

Lucy tensed, back straightening. "Crowley," she greeted stiffly, dark eyes hardening angrily. Natsu remained where he was, and Lucy fought back a shiver when Gray's magic threatened to act up like the fire creeping along Natsu's fire-proof clothes. "It's been a while."

"It has," Crowley agreed. His gaze surveyed the young woman with a warm look before he smiled apologetically. "Nearly nine years. I apologize for my daughter's behavior. She is incredibly jealous of your position and wishes it was her own."

"She can have it," Lucy said bitterly, grip tightening around Happy nervously. "I don't want it."

"You are in a difficult position as of now, are you not?" He sighed. "King Toma certainly disagrees with King Jude's course of action over the matter we have on hand. He's going too far with his actions, and is going so far as to involve innocents."

"My father doesn't know how to stop," was all Lucy said in response, giving a shrug. "He gets what he wants, and he doesn't care who he brings down in the process." Her mind danced back to the one thing that had made her decide to run away and shuddered at the memory. "Even if it means marrying his only daughter off to a man who knows nothing but cruelty."

Erza's head snapped around. "What?"

"I guess I didn't tell you guys, huh? Told you almost everything else, can't believe I forgot… My father decided it would be a good idea to unite Bosco with the Pergrande Kingdom and offered my hand in marriage to the next in line to the throne. That's perfectly normal, but the prince I was going to marry is known for his abusive tendencies and has killed a couple dozen other women that were offered in the same way."

There was a moment of silence.

And then Natsu exploded, fire leaping to life and engulfing him in a ball of flames. "You mean he knew you would probably die and was going to hand you off anyways?!"

"Stop that," Lucy snapped, batting at the flames that threatened to burn her clothing away. "Gray! Make him stop!"

"What do you think I can do?" he snapped, "He just melts my ice!"

"Natsu, enough," Erza told him quietly. "Or I will send you back to Magnolia and tell Master that you're not capable of handling such an important job."

Natsu scowled, and the flames died down. "Well you important people can screw off," he told the amused Crowley. "She's not going anywhere."

"Oh, my - " Lucy whined, groaning in exasperation. "Natsu! You can't just say that kind of thing to people who work with the king!"

"Watch me," he retorted.

Crowley only laughed. "Have no fears, Mr. Dragneel, I have no intentions on reporting the princess to our king. I have no wish to see such a lovely lady in that situation." He smiled warmly at the startled looking Lucy. "Now. Shall we discuss your payment? I'll add on a bit more than already intended because of the trouble my daughter caused you...will one hundred thousand jewels for each of you be enough?"

Lucy sputtered, looking shocked. "Th-there's no need for-"

"Nonsense, I'd like to help you at as well," Crowley cut her off. "You deserve your happiness, and I want to help with that. Oh! I nearly forgot…" He pushed his hand into his pocket, pulled something out and offered it to her.

Lucy's eyes went wide at the sight of the object he offered her. "That's-"

"One of your mother's keys," he confirmed. She took it gingerly, eyes soft as she caressed the metal, which heated beneath her touch. She recognized the sign at the top of it. Cancer… "Your mother was a powerful celestial mage, though not many were aware of that. She was the only one until you came along. She once held all twelve of these golden keys, but I've heard that another mage who learned the magic now has two of them. Most of them were stolen from the Heartfilia Estate and sold off to various places, and when I came across this one, I figured it would be smart to grab it while I could."

"Thank you," Lucy said, holding the key to her heart with a warm smile. "That's very kind of you, Crowley. And thank you for agreeing to not tell the king of Fiore or my father about this."

"Of course," Crowley laughed. "Now...shall we get you your prize money?"

"Do you remember your mother doing anything with the keys?"

Lucy examined the golden key in her hand, shaking her head as she did so. "Not that I know of. "I didn't...I didn't even remember her having them until I really thought about it," Lucy admitted, glancing up at Erza. The scarlet-haired woman was seating on the couch, between Gray and Natsu. Happy sat on the back of it beside her head, looking amazed yet again that she'd been able to call someone in such a way. She'd summoned Cancer the second they were in the door, and she adored the strange Spirit, and she knew that Erza had been impressed as well.

"You didn't know your mom was a mage?" Gray demanded. "How?"

Lucy pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "My mother died seven years ago, on July 7th in the year of X777. I was young, naive, and childish for a twelve year old, though I think that had to do with being a princess. I wouldn't have been mature enough to take her seriously, and knowing my father...he wouldn't have cared to tell me because it would have given me a reason to leave. To defy him." She shrugged.

Natsu, who'd been inhaling some food that he'd dug out of the fridge, choked, nearly spitting it out everywhere. "July 7th?" he rasped, wheezing for air. "X777?"

"Yeah." Lucy eyed him curiously. "My mother died of illness that day. Why?"

"That's the day Igneel and every other dragon in Fiore vanished," Nasu choked out, his eyes narrowing. "Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeney, even Sting and Rogue's dragons. Every one of them vanished on July 7th, X777."

"Interesting," Erza murmured, looking thoughtful..

"What kind of illness?" Gray questioned, folding his hands behind his head as he leaned back, eyes focused on Lucy. "Maybe her death had something to do with the dragons' disappearance?"

"No, it couldn't have," Lucy said, shaking her head. "She had some form of blood disease...it wasn't treatable. It struck quickly, and she died within a week."

"Jeez," the ice-make mage muttered. "That sucks. Sorry," he added hastily, as if realizing he wasn't being the nicest person in the world at the moment. "So nothing to do with the dragons then…"

"Well there's nothing we can do about any of that," Erza said firmly, then suddenly held out a stack of Jewels. "Take this. It's our portion of the prize money from the escort job."

"I can't," Lucy protested.

"Nonsense," Erza scoffed, glaring now. "We want you to have it, Lucy. The sooner you move to Magnolia, the better for all of us. We want you there, and at the rate you're going, it'll take forever. Plus, if you have this, you can move immediately. We'll help you, of course, and you'll have money to buy whatever you need."

"...he gave us each a hundred thousand jewels extra," Lucy mumbled. "I can't take nearly six hundred thousand jewels, Erza!"

"You need it more," Erza said simply.

"Just take the money," Gray agreed, giving her a huge grin. "Trust me, Juvia's constantly shoving money down my throat in hopes that I'll ask her to move in with me and then won't take it back. I don't need it."

"And we have our own place," Happy added, "So we don't have to pay rent, Lucy!"

"What he said," Natsu mumbled with a mouthful of food.

Lucy shook her head, fighting the urge to tear up out of happiness. She really needed to get that under control. It was getting ridiculous. "Thank you," she told them, hesitantly taking the jewels. "You guys are awesome."

Erza waved her off. "You're our nakama," she told her, "And we prefer to help our nakama out when possible. Come on, let's get you packed. You can drive your car, correct?"

"I wouldn't have it if I couldn't," Lucy said drily. "But I think it can handle a drive to Magnolia. Do you guys want a ride there?"

Natsu blanched. "Screw that. Happy and I'll meet you there."

"I fly Natsu around when it's a long trip he has to take," Happy explained to Lucy.

"Can't blame him." Lucy said with a shrug.

Erza beamed. "Then we leave in the morning."

Lucy fought the urge to squeal in her excitement.

Finally, she was moving to Magnolia!