Lucy sighed as she adjusted her skirt in the mirror. She basked in the silence that permeated through the morning light, knowing soon the hustle and bustle of the town would begin with just the crow of a rooster. Lucy picked up the basket that held a delicately bound book with a ratty old cover and dog-eared pages. She had thumbed through it at least five times this week, nearly memorizing the story. It was an epic of magic, romance, and history that never failed to make her heart beat faster. But alas, she would return it to the pitiful library and hopefully find new pages to peruse. Lucy decided to leave for the morning, and she opened the door to her small home and stepped out into the dewy morning, running her palm along the railing of her tiny porch. As she hopped down the steps the cock crowed, sending the villager's doors flying open almost simultaneously.
"Bonjour Lucy!" the baker called to her, displaying his tray of goods to her. "Would you like anything this morning?"
"Bonjour sir. I'll just take these, please." the blonde dropped a few ecu into his hand and chose a beignet and a loaf of bread from his tray. She placed them into her basket and waved a farewell, slipping her way through the townspeople towards the "library." Lucy did not notice the people around her whispering and staring. This was a common occurrence, for it was not proper for a lady to educate herself. It was not normal for the men of the town, even. But Lucy did not care. All that mattered to her was exploring the world and learning new things. So when she slipped into the library, those who had been whispering about her openly spoke.
"I can't believe that girl, she's going to end up a hag. Reading is an ugly people's pastime." a dark haired woman scoffed. Her two companions nodded in agreement.
"Unlike you, miss!" one crowed, twirling a curly brunette lock around her finger. "You have men seeking you out all over town!"
"But not the one that really matters." the first woman sighed dreamily, gazing upon a man entering the town on horseback. Hanging from the saddlebags were a multitude of rabbit carcasses that would soon be sold to the butcher. Gajeel had returned from his morning hunt, his close friend Juvia not far behind.
"Go bring these to the butcher for me. I'm going to look for Lucy." Gajeel, a notorious and cruel womanizer instructed his aide.
"Yes, Gajeel." Juvia scampered off with the rabbits. There was a collective sigh as Gajeel shrugged off his coat and pushed his midnight black hair back. He prodded his horse towards the stables and adjusted his ponytail. All of the townspeople loved him, all the women wanted him (as well as a few men) and others wanted to be him. The women in the town would have clawed Juvia's eyes out if it weren't common knowledge that she was his cousin. All except one. But we can get back to her in a moment. Gajeel strutted his way towards the flower booth, the entire town watching as he purchased and extravagant bouquet. He sent a smirk out at the crowds of women ogling him, giving each and every one of them false hope he was giving it to them. But, Gajeel had set his eyes on Lucy earlier in the month, and was planning to ask for her hand in marriage. Who could blame him? She was a curvy blonde with a sweet smile and wide, innocent chocolate colored eyes. Anyone could see her appeal. Even those who disliked her.
Lucy was just now getting finished with Levy, the local librarian. Levy held the small stockpile of books the town had, and she also was the only seamstress in town. So even though Levy was one of the few readers, she was an essential worker that no one would dare shun in fear of her refusing service.
"Well I am glad you enjoyed that book, but I'm afraid there are no new ones this week. I have high hopes for next week, though, there's news of a merchant coming through towns and selling some texts." Levy called from under a pile of skirts and aprons.
"Thank you Levy! I think I'll just take another romance." Lucy sighed, plucking a book from the only shelf that held books.
"Is that a sign?" Levy grinned from around her seamstress work.
"A sign that I do not want to marry Gajeel! He is not my type. I'd prefer a… a princely type. One who can understand me and loves me for me." Lucy smiled, hugging her book to her chest.
"I understand. My father keeps pushing me to marry Droy, but… I have eyes for someone else." Levy sighed, daydreaming about someone tall, dark and handsome.
"I'll see you later Levy, I have some work to do at home before my father leaves for the city." Lucy waved to her. The short seamstress gestured back, a needle clenched between her teeth and her eyes narrowed at a fraying string. The door shut with a bang and Lucy was reintroduced to the chatter of Magnolia. She slipped the book into her wicker basket and balanced along the short wall next to the canal. Lucy held her arms out for balance and skipped closer to her home. She was almost within reach when a large hand brandishing an even larger bouquet was thrust in front of her.
"Lucy." Gajeel smirked at her as she stopped in front of him.
"Gajeel." she kept her face straight and her body still.
"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me for dinner tonight." he pulled his hand back a bit and let her path open once again. She hurriedly scampered towards her front gate, opening it and closing it behind her.
"No offense to your ego, but I won't ever be free for a dinner with you." Lucy dryly remarked, and rolled her eyes when she heard the gate open behind her.
"I think I can get you to change your mind. Flowers?" he pushed the flowers in front of her again, but she just sidestepped them.
"They're gorgeous, really Gajeel. But I'm not sure I want the strings attached to accepting them." Lucy's hand was on the doorknob and relief from him was a moment away.
"You say that now, but one dinner with me may change your mind." Gajeel came up behind her as she opened the door. She quickly jumped inside, closing the door almost completely on him but he had stuck his foot in the door.
"Once I make up my mind, it takes a miracle from heaven to change it." Lucy kicked his boot out of the way and slammed the door in his face. Gajeel snarled at the door before composing himself.
"What is wrong with that girl." He grumbled, leaving Lucy's cottage, a few flowers escaping the expensive bouquet. He grimaced at the flamboyant thing and tossed it, a few lucky women catching it with shrieks. Juvia reappeared.
"Any luck, Gajeel?" she asked as he stomped through the mud.
"I won't even dignify that with a response." Gajeel snorted. Juvia jumped away from a particularly nasty looking mud splash.
"Maybe you should try someone else?" Juvia suggested. Gajeel just shot her a glare and they made the rest of their trek in silence.
"Papa?" Lucy called out in her home.
"Yes, yes, in here." her father sounded from the next room. She picked up her sweet treat from the morning and her book before following the sound of his voice.
"Are you almost ready for your trip?" Lucy asked her father. Jude Heartfilia ran a hand through his thinning hair. His face looked tired, but his eyes lit up as soon as he saw his beautiful daughter.
"Ah, physically yes. Mentally, no. I hate leaving you behind every year. Any requests on what you'd want from the city?" Jude wiped his hands on a rag. In front of him was a beautiful array of gilded jewelry. Each piece glinted the color of his daughter's hair. His life's work was dedicated to creating beautiful pieces that would keep Lucy living comfortably. Once a year he would travel to Paris to sell his craft, a week's worth of handcrafted jewelry that the higher ups absolutely loved. Once they were gone, he used a part of his profit to go antiquing and get older pieces he could renovate and sell the next year. After the death of his wife, his life revolved around making sure Lucy would live a long and happy life.
"Just you to come safely home. And maybe a rose." Lucy sighed.
"You ask for the same thing every year."
"But this year it's more important to me. You know I'm of marrying age, and you must pick a suitable husband for me." Lucy grimaced.
"Lucy, dear, I trust your judgement." Jude laughed.
"Yes, but I don't trust my willpower. It's taking all of my energy to avoid Gajeel." Lucy groaned. She and Jude hated Gajeel Redfox. Gajeel was not always such an awful man, but something happened that turned him downright evil a few years back. Jude had seen his sins firsthand. He always said that as long as he was living, Lucy would never marry Gajeel.
So that was how Gajeel formed the plan in his mind to get rid of Jude once and for all. That evening, Jude was well on his way to Paris when he heard a growl behind him. Unbeknownst to him, Gajeel had planted a perfect, fragrant snack in one of his saddlebags. Not for Jude. For the wolves. They were attracted by the smell of the freshly skinned rabbit, and once they appeared, Jude was unaware as to why. He had never encountered wolves on this trail before. Jude nudged his horse to go a bit faster, but it was too late. Jude was surrounded by the glowing eyes of the wolves, each of them growling and snapping hungrily at the air.
"Come on boy, get us out of here." Jude murmured to his steed, nudging it into a gallop. A wolf cried behind him and suddenly there was a high speed chase. The trees blurred around them and the wolves closed in. Jude was frightened for his life. He was ready to accept his fate when he saw an escape. The path ahead was split, one side showing the distant spire of a tower. He took a chance and steered his mount towards the tower. "Please be helpful." he whispered, the wolves continuing to howl and snap behind him.
He finally made it to the base of the tower, which had ended up being a huge castle. Jude dismounted and walked up to the door.
"Hello?" he called out. There was no answer. Jude stumbled up the stairs and knocked. The air outside this castle was frigid; Jude would have to find some sort of shelter for the evening. He knocked again, but this time the door creaked open. He called out again, yet there still was no answer. He hesitantly stepped into the doorway, the door creaking shut behind him. There was a fire roaring in the mantle, and he hurriedly went over to it.. "Thank you for your hospitality, whomever you are!" he called out as he warmed his hands by the fireplace. He sat on the rug, stilling as he heard a noise from the other room. It was a very tinny, ceramic sort of noise. It sounded again, and Jude decided to investigate. His eyes widened as he happened upon the dining room of the caste. At least a hundred chairs lined the table, but there only one place set. His stomach let out a loud, unpleasant gurgle. "A bite of bread wouldn't hurt…" he said to himself. Jude quickly took a seat and tore off a hunk from the large, warm baguette on the table.
"What… do you think… you are doing!" a roar startled him. Jude turned, and the face of a monster was the last thing he saw before he passed out from fear.
Meanwhile, Lucy was encountering trouble in the town. After Wendy, a young girl, came up to her and asked for reading lessons, a mob had formed and shunned Lucy from the town square. Gajeel had, unfortunately come to the rescue. Lucy had just gotten rid of the menace when her father's horse came galloping into their yard, eyes wild and nostrils flaring.
"Whoa boy! Whoa there… what's going on?" Lucy asked frantically, as if the horse could answer. He just tossed his head wildly and whinnied. Lucy then made a quick decision. It may not have been the smartest, but she had to find her father. "Take me to him!" she cried, and the horse broke into a gallop. Sweat prickled on the back of her neck, as she was feeling nervous. Dread pooled in her stomach as she caught sight of wolf tracks. She noticed that they were headed in the same direction she was going.
She was so focused on the ground it came as a surprise when their gallop halted in front of an impressive castle. "What in the world…" she gawked. The castle door loomed above her, by far the largest building she had ever seen in her eighteen years. The gears in her mind almost ground to a halt as she thought of how many rooms there were to explore, all the people… She shook off the distraction. Lucy knocked harshly on the door. The horse toed nervously at the ground behind her, and she knew that her father had to be here. When there was no answer, she pounded against the door again, but this time it swung open in the darkness. She stepped inside, her boot making a slight slap against the marble flooring. She had to stop herself from gaping at the interior. Sure, it was gloomy and dim, but… it was gorgeous. As a person who had lived in the same small town her whole life, this place was like heaven to her. She quickly made her way down the hallway.
"Hello?" Lucy called out. There was no answer, but she heard whispering to her right. "I can hear you, you know." the whispers stopped. Lucy made her way over to a light source. A candelabra was glowing in the entryway, and she felt as if she should pick it up. She heard a scurrying noise near a stairwell, and she turned towards it. When she looked back for the candelabra, it was gone. "Is anybody here?" she called out again. She saw a light moving near the stairwell, and she hurried towards it. "I could have sworn…" she trailed off as she made her way up a narrow stairwell. She paused as she saw what seemed to be an identical candelabra near the top of the stairs. But she soon forgot that as she saw a familiar face being lit by it. "Papa!" Lucy gasped.
"Lucy! You can't be here!" Jude whispered to her. Lucy rushed forwards, clenching her hands angrily around the bars keeping her from her father.
"Who did this to you? What happened?" her voice shook with both anger and fear. One of her only adventures outside the town was ruined by this event.
"Lucy, you have to leave. The monster, he will get you!" Jude was frightened out of his mind at the thought of his beloved daughter being harmed by this… beast that had captured him.
"What do you mean? I am going to get you out of here." she said, searching for the release of the cage.
"There's no time to explain, you have to leave. Now!" Jude cried.
"I won't leave you here!" Lucy exclaimed before a rough hand grabbed her wrist, tossing her from her father.
"What are you doing here?" a low growl resonated through the stone corridor. Lucy stood on shaking feet.
"Who's there? Who are you?" Lucy's eyes searched the small space for whoever had spoken. Her eyes landed upon a shadowy figure that was impossible to make out in the dim light.
"No, please, just let her be!" Jude pleaded. Lucy, however, stood her ground. Her knees may have been knocking at the hulking figure, but to her it was just a large man threatening her. And she had had enough of men telling her what to do.
"I am the master of this castle." the mysterious figure hissed at her, a growl following his words. He sounded animalistic.
"I have come for my father. Please, let him out." her voice came out shaky, but a strong, defiant undertone carried with her words.
"You mean the thief?" the figure grunted out.
"He is no thief. My father is a good man." Lucy had to physically keep herself from stomping her foot like a petulant child.
"He broke into my castle and stole food from my table. That is the definition of a thief. Those who steal from me will stay here for eternity!" the man roared, making Lucy wince. His loud tone in such a small space was almost unbearable.
"Eternity?! For a bit of food and shelter?! You're insane!" she yelled back at him.
"Lucy, just leave! Please, beast, let her go!"
"I am not leaving you to die here, Papa!" Lucy cried back to him.
"There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner." the man skulked back in the door frame.
"Please, I'll do anything! There must be some way I can… wait!" she called out to him as he began to withdraw. She knew what she had to do to save her father. "Take me instead."
"You!" the man roared. "You would... Take his place?"
"Lucy, no! You don't know what you're doing!" Jude pleaded.
"If I did, would you let him go?" Lucy sounded hopeful at this.
"Yes. But… you must promise to stay here forever." the mysterious figure had stepped closer to the light. Lucy could now see his outline clearer than before. But the sight… confused her.
"Come into the light." Lucy commanded as she saw the light from the candelabra waver over his figure. She watched a clawed, scaled foot descend onto the floor. She held back her gasp. The figure moved even closer, revealing more scaled skin and talons. A long, spiked tail curled at his ankles. And as his face was revealed, she could not hide her shock. A loud breath escaped her lips as she saw him. His face was covered in scales like a dragon, with long, ivory horns protruding from his head. A fur trimmed coat was laid over his shoulders and brushed the floor at his feet, just barely hiding his leathery wings. His scales were almost gold, and would have been beautiful if not for their terrifying nature. His eyes were an intense steel blue that made her breath catch in her throat. His expression was stony, as if he expected her reaction. "Y-you… have my word." Lucy gasped out before burying her face in her hands.
"Done!" he roared, rushing over and freeing Jude from the cell, throwing Lucy inside.
"Wait, no! You can't do this to her, she's so young!" Jude protested as the beast dragged him down the stairs. Lucy backed against the wall and slid down it, a sob escaping her. What had she done? The beast didn't return. She was locked in this cold, dark cellar and she was alone. For eternity.
"Hello, miss! What is your name?" Lucy heard from outside her cell. She stopped her crying and looked out the grate to see only the candelabra.
"Who's there?" she felt even warier this time when she asked. When the candelabra moved, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"I'm Natsu!" the candlestick hopped towards her. She fell backwards with a shriek.
"You… you can talk?!" she cried out.
"Of course I can. We all can! Gray, come on out here!" the candelabra, that had a face, gestured at a clock. The clock the walked over to them.
"I'm going crazy." Lucy let out a fearful laugh. "How long have I been here to go this mad?!" she cried out.
"You've been here ten minutes." The clock named Gray replied. Did every inanimate object have a face?
"Alright then. I asked for a name, mademoiselle?" Natsu, the candelabra repeated.
"It's Lucy."
"Luigi? That's a weird name." the candlestick laughed.
"It's Lucy, wax-for-brains." the clock retorted.
"Hey! At least I'm not always taking off my hands!" Natsu shot back.
"Just let her out, flame-head!" Gray shouted.
"Oh, yeah! Come on Luigi, let's go to your new room!" Natsu pulled the lever that released the locking mechanism and Lucy hesitantly stepped out.
"New room?" she was a bit confused.
"Well, you are here for eternity. We think you deserve your own room." Gray shrugged.
"Alright…" Lucy followed them up a different flight of stairs, this one grand and beautiful. They pulled her into an empty, musty room, and Natsu went to work lighting up all of the candles. "Oh, wow." Lucy breathed. The gold canopy bed was the first thing to catch her sight, with red velvet drapings and a crimson bedspread. A matching velvet chaise lounge was near the window. She passingly noticed it was snowing outside. The marble floors were dripping with white fur rugs and the ceilings had beautiful frescoes painted across them.
"It's a bit dingy, but I can get Lisanna in her to clean it up." Natsu grinned at her.
"Dingy? This is…" Lucy felt her eyes tear up at the beauty of the room.
"Uhh, Natsu? What did you do?" Gray asked.
"I don't know!" he hissed back.
"Thank you both, so much. I've never seen anything so… beautiful." she told them.
"It's just a room, I don't get why you're getting so worked up about it." Natsu hopped over to the wardrobe. "Oi, Erza! Wake up, you've got a guest!" huge eyes opened and stared at her.
"A fine specimen to dress. Shall we get started?" Erza's doors opened and a pair of scarves latched onto Lucy's forearms, reeling her closer to the wardrobe.
"Not just yet Erza!" a voice hollered before a cart burst the door open. "I've invited the master up for tea!" A teapot shouted gleefully.
"A tea party would be manly!" A chipped tea cup shouted as well.
"Lucy, this is Mirajane and Elfman." Natsu introduced. "And the lovely Lisanna!" Natsu cheered as a feather duster floated in, quickly swiping over all the surfaces in the room.
"We all think you are very brave for what you've done for your father." Mirajane smiled.
"The master will be here soon, so I would suggest getting prepared." Lisanna warned.
"Why is he - why would you invite him up here?" Lucy seemed nervous.
"Well we needed to tell him that you are now staying in this room. So what better way than to have a nice cup of tea?" Mirajane said as she poured some of the steaming brew into Elfman. "Careful miss, it's hot!" Mirajane warned before Lucy took an awkward sip.
"I'm not sure how I feel about every utensil being alive here." she laughed. Suddenly, a footstool ran in.
"He's coming! The master is angry!" the footstool shouted.
"Thanks Happy!" Natsu replied. The footstool's name was Happy? Lucy had a hard time believing that one.
"E-everyone out!" Lucy shouted, suddenly fearful. The "people" in the room stopped to look at her before she began to push them out. "Come on, out! I don't want any visitors right now." Lucy had to find a way out of this mess. She slammed the door behind them, immediately feeling bad. But Erza the wardrobe was already asleep. Lucy saw the window and skittered towards it, planning on escaping. The howling wind and blizzard didn't give her a great feeling about her escape, but that was a problem for later. A bunch of scarves had been spewed when Erza opened her doors earlier, so Lucy decided she would tie them together and rappel down the wall. Just as she was working on her first knot, there was pounding on the door.
"You will join me for dinner!" she heard the beast roar. She froze in terror before realizing he wasn't going to come in. She worked faster on knotting all of the fabrics together.
"Will you please join me for dinner." the beast said in a calmer tone with a lighter knock.
"No!" she shouted defiantly, immediately regretting it.
"What!" he roared.
"I would never eat with you in a million years! You're keeping me here against my will as prisoner, and my father is alone in the cold because of you!" she yelled back.
"If you don't eat with me, you're not eating at all!" his roar echoed through the door so loudly that her ears began to ring. She huffed and continued her knots. She was just throwing her makeshift rope out the window when the door opened again. She spun around, startled, attempting to hide her escape plan, but relaxed a bit when she was it was Mirajane and Elfman.
"Oh, we thought you might be hungry. It would be best to eat up before you go." Mirajane smiled innocently at her, as if she wanted Lucy to escape. "Natsu has a meal waiting downstairs if you're up for it." Lucy hesitated near the window.
"I guess I can come down…" Lucy trailed off, thinking that they prepared food for her and that it would be rude to let it go to waste. The only person they've had in this castle for years was the beast, and he didn't seem like a fun guest to have. So Lucy followed Mirajane down the corridor, marvelling at the ease with which the cart maneuvered the stairs. Mirajane and Elfman led Lucy into the dining room, but it was difficult to see her surroundings because every candle seemed to be unlit in the entire castle.
"Just a moment dear, I'll go tell Natsu to get started." Mirajane sweetly smiled as she showed Lucy to her seat at the table. The blonde waited a moment before taking a seat, slightly scooting her seat in. A grand clock ticked in the corner of the room as she waited in silence, nearly echoing in the quiet atmosphere. Suddenly, the dark dining room burst into life as Natsu and his companions rushed into the room. They served her a delicious meal on silver platters, but it seemed each extravagant course was taken from her too soon.
Natsu and his friends had reasons behind their hospitality towards Lucy. You see, their master, the beast, was cursed ten years prior. His father was the one who had done it to him. The beast was once known as a Prince, and the palace in which he still resided was known as Fairy Tail. The King, Makarov, was his grandfather. He was one of the greatest rulers in the kingdom's history, and led the people in the surrounding townships wonderfully. Everyone loved him, but his son, Jose grew envious of his father's reign.
Next in line for the throne, Jose was a man who had seen a lot in his life. His wife was lost to the plague when his son was just eight years of age, and so Jose's unkind influence affected his son greatly. But Jose was not content with just controlling his son's life. He feigned accusations that Makarov was unfit to rule in his old age, and created fake evidence with the help of a dark wizard. The dark wizard took Makarov away, and no one had heard from him since.
Unfortunately, the Prince was just ten years old at the time, and was easily influenced by his greedy father. He became a carbon copy of the selfish King, extremely arrogant and unnecessarily cruel. So when Jose's time to pay his debts came along, and he was taken by the dark wizard as well. The Prince was just barely sixteen, and he was running the castle with help from his servants. It was no surprise when he began to host extravagant parties for the royalty of France just to pass the time. He had a lot of time and money to waste.
Years later during one of these extravagant parties, an unexpected, unimportant visitor arrived. What appeared to be an ugly homeless woman appeared at the door, seeking shelter from the snowstorm that ravaged the forest around the castle. The Prince just laughed in her face and told her that only the beautiful were allowed at his parties. She pleaded with him again, and he cruelly denied her access to the castle. The hag suddenly cursed him, and he merely laughed until he realized her curse was real. As his body morphed into one of a monster, all of his servants were transformed as well. His guests ran, terrified from the castle, but the witch Porlyusica made sure to wipe their memories of any castle existing in the forest.
Her curse was designed well. She told her newly created beast that if he could get someone to love him the way that he was now, the curse would be lifted. But, if he failed to get someone to love him before the last petal on an enchanted rose fell, the curse would become permanent and he would never return to his former self. And so the beast would spend the next ten years wallowing in self hatred, awaiting the day the hag returned so he could get some revenge on her. He didn't age, nor did the help around the house, and so he knew that the curse would last an eternity.
So now that Lucy was in the castle, Mirajane made the suggestion that if they could get Lucy to fall in love with their master, he would be free from the curse and become happy. They really did care for him, enough that it no longer mattered about their own futures. They just wanted to see the happy little boy they knew return.
Lucy was unaware of the agenda that the servers held, but after a short conversation with Mirajane it became known to her that all of the living furniture were once human beings. Mirajane explained that they had been cursed, but made no mention as to why. And so Lucy made it her personal mission to free these people from the awful beast.
"Is there any way to break the curse?" she inquired.
"When we know, we'll tell you." Gray chimed in to the conversation.
"I think it's time for you to go to bed. It's pretty late." Natsu read the time on Gray's face.
"Get out of here, wick-head." Gray insulted the candelabra.
"Who are you calling wick-head, gear-head!" Natsu shot back.
"That's enough you two!" Mirajane scolded. "It would be a good idea to get some rest… that is, if you're staying?" she slyly baited Lucy. With her jaw set strongly and her chocolate eyes blazing something fierce, Lucy nodded.
"There's no way I can leave you behind. You are all my friends, and I promise I will find a way to help." these people were extremely hospitable and friendly towards Lucy, and she would not take that for granted. She felt that they deserved freedom. "I'll go up to my room then." she gave them all a wave as a goodbye before hurrying back to her room. She glanced longingly at the rope hanging out her bedroom window before she decided to put it away - for now. Escaping wasn't entirely out of the question, but Lucy knew where her loyalties would lie for the moment. After all, she did give her word to the beast that she would serve her father's imprisonment. For eternity. Lucy sighed before crawling into her bed, wondering what she would be doing the next day.