note: This is a newer and improved Ethereal Queen. I'm revamping this, and I'm doing it now once and for all. Hopefully, I'll have most of the chapters out quickly. I don't want to go past 35 chapters for this story. The first chapter is not too long, but don't despair, they will get longer as we go.

The Ethereal Queen

.prologue.

/ I will be chasing a starlight until the end of my life /

.

She runs. She runs but she knows he will catch her, she knows that he will kill her. There is nothing for her to defend herself with, her keys are gone.

He's hunting, she knows. But there's no point in hunting someone who is blind, showered in darkness and lost. Without her keys, she can't see the stars, can't see where she runs. Her bare feet grip the moist ground beneath her, her legs spasming from the strain. Her robe brushes and rips as branches catch along, scratch her face, claim her as prey. Lucy gasps for air trying to whisper a last wish, trying to live.

"You can't escape me," the voice looms. Its feminine tilt fades like an echo when Lucy screams. Then someone catches her arms and she's pulled onto her knees. She struggles to free herself but the cold hand on her arms hardens and bruises her skin.

"I got you," a male voice whispers. She screams and screams and Lucy wakes up, startled, looking at her own hand on the arm that is bruised.

.

.chapter one.

.

There was no point in reading the letter again. Lucy hands it to Mira to examine. The silver-haired mage skims over the neat handwriting before glancing up at Lucy and offering a wry smile.

"He loved you very much," Mira says.

"I know," she replies melancholically.

The guild is loud, it's ruckus covering Lucy's grief easily. She has only shared her sentiment with Mira after she received the birthday present from her father.

The last birthday present, to be exact.

"You'll be okay," Mira responds.

"I know," Lucy says.

There is no time to be sad, so she suppresses the urge to submit to the pity swirling in the blue-orbs of the older mage. Lucy smiles.

Then everything vanishes as there's a loud slam from the second floor. The guild stills at the rumbling footsteps and the static in the air. Lucy runs a hand down her arm when the hair stands, and watches Mira roll her eyes. The air is charged and Laxus walks past the steps. Lucy catches Natsu and Gray looking at each other questioningly before Laxus lets out a low growl. It is a warning, they have all learned, so they let the angry mage walk to the bar unquestioned.

Mira wordlessly hands him a beer and he drinks it in a few gulps. Lucy looks at him, not sure if she is angry at the distraction or upset at the fact that he can so easily show his displeasure. She herself is a mess inside.

"What're you looking at?" he murmurs. Grey eyes size her up and she freezes.

"Why do you have to be rude because you're having a bad day?" It's a blunt question, but no one can tell her that the tightness in her chest is not valid. She has every right to be angry.

Behind them, the guild has resumed their noise. Lucy catches Mira studying their interaction from the end of the bar. Laxus finishes his beer with a loud pop and then he turns to fully give her his attention.

"Why do you care, blondie?" he drawls.

"Because I don't like rude people."

She holds her own milkshake wrapped in her left hand, the letter on her right. Laxus glances at her hand over the paper, noticing how protective she is of it.

"Oi," he chuckles darkly, "why should I care if you like me or not?"

"You're not the only one that has issues. It's a little self-centered to throw a tantrum, don't you think?" she banters.

Once again his eyes flash towards the piece of paper that is slightly crumpled below her hand.

"You had a bad day too, then," he says. She remains quiet, her eyes drifting to the loud conversation behind them, the smashing of a plate ringing in her ears. Mira immediately heads over to the mess, anger in her eyes. Lucy watches and Laxus imitates her actions, following her gaze. He shrugs. "They never notice," he mumbles.

Lucy turns to look at the man again, but he is no longer looking at her. He is playing with the empty bottle of beer, his wide hands twisting it along the counter, tilted. This is the most she's ever heard Laxus talk, as well as the most insightful thing he's said in her presence.

When Mira returns holding a broom, Laxus pushes away from the bar, walking towards the guild doors. His coat billows behind him, and surprisingly his Raijinshu do not follow him. Lucy sees them sitting at a corner, Freed staring at his leader as well.

He walks into the blinding sunlight and no one else seems to notice he left.

Lucy sees him disappear and realizes that maybe she should too.

"Are you alright?" Mira asks.

"Yeah," the blonde nods.

"What did he say?" Mira asks softly.

Lucy laughs, knowing the girl is looking for things unimaginable. "Not much," she says.

Mira frowns but lets it slip.

"I'm going on a mission," Lucy says after a pause.

"Oh, that's great. What are you guys doing now?"

There's the slamming of a body on the floor and a chair thudding against the wall. Mira glowers angrily but does not leave the bar.

"I think I'm going by myself," Lucy says.

"Oh," Mira says, surprise in her baby-blue eyes. "Really?"

Lucy doesn't like the surprise in her voice but she hides the displeasure it gives her. "Yeah. I want to do something on my own, away from all this," she gestures to the mess and fighting in the background. Mira smiles softly, understanding in her eyes. "Well, I hope you're successful."

Lucy smiles at her in a pleasing manner, her girlishness returning to mask her inner musings. "Thank you."

She avoids getting hit while her comrades fight each other and effectively reaches the message board. Everything hard seems to be taken, but then again she is not searching for something hard. She's just searching for an excuse to be alone.

The multi-colored Fairy Tail banners shift, she can hear Cana yelling for another barrel of rum. Lucy sighs because this is not where she is meant to be at the moment. She grabs a random mission, coded yellow for difficulty, and then turns on her heels to walk towards the sunlight, just like Laxus did minutes ago. She has to pack.

.

.

Taking the train was never her favorite thing to do. Lucy arrived late at night to the small town, and so she checked in at a hotel and didn't unpack. The morning finds her still groggy and tired, but she has to head out to complete her job, after all.

There is nothing exceptional about the dreary autumn day, so she pulls on a green sweater and a jean skirt. She grabs her belt, plus bag, and her boots, puts on a jacket and heads out the door, still fixing her hair up into a ponytail. Lucy called the town mayor yesterday so she could get the details on her mission. All she has to do is track a group of bandits and turn them in. Only one of the bandits is reported to be a mage. She's more tired than she is concerned about her job.

The blonde walks down the stairs of her second-floor room and sees no one. After all, it is early morning. The town is still asleep and the sky is slowly shifting colors as she heads outside. Barely any light hits the roofs of the townhomes as she walks to the end of town, where the bandits have supposedly been hiding. The town of Clover is surrounded by woods, a small but rusticly charming area. However, Lucy knows that, unfortunately, it means that the bandits could be hidden anywhere. Her only hint was that they had been attacking by the main trade routes in early morning and nightfall.

She absentmindedly laces her fingers through the cold metal of her keys, a tingling hum telling her that they're content. Her spirits are resting by her hips, a tingling sound comforting her while she walks alone in the early morning. There's the rustling of leaves, and a couple of dry ones fall around her as she walks on the middle of the road. The crisp morning air makes the foliage shed more of itself, and the blonde silently considers questioningly how there can be thieves in such a peaceful place.

There is a clearing by the side of the road and Lucy hears a trade cart coming by. The work day is beginning, so this might be the best time to watch for incidents. Lucy decides to rest by the outskirts of town, facing the clearing and the carts that are incoming in the distance. There is a small tea shop facing the road ahead, so Lucy walks towards it with the intention of settling outside, seeing the owner drifting indoors. Mornings are Lucy's favorite part of the day, after all, so she walks happily towards the tea shop. Being away from Magnolia and her team feels almost liberating. Thankfully they didn't question her decision to do a job on her own, not when Erza was covering an S-Class herself, not when the news of her father dying is so recent.

The breeze shifts lazily and Lucy opens the door to the small tea shop, bowing her head and smiling at the owner. The old man has crows feet around his eyes and he offers her a polite salute.

"How can I help you today?" he asks, going around the counter.

The store is decorated with rare trinkets along the walls, the odd coloring of oranges and reds along with the hardwood floors matching the outside world. Lucy smiles politely and asks for chamomile tea. She seats herself by the window and watches as time slows down and people begin drifting by. When the tea shop owner comes by again with a steaming cup of tea Lucy begins to wonder if maybe this morning will go without incident.

"Are you new to the town?" the old man asks. Lucy turns her face to look at him and shakes her head.

"I'm a mage," she replies. "From Fairy Tail."

The old man nods. "My name is Elazar, young miss."

"Thank you for the tea, Elazar." She replies in kind. "I'm Lucy."

"I'm guessing you're here because of the rogue mages, Miss Lucy?"

She nods and takes a gentle sip on her drink. The old man wipes his hands on his apron and starts moving around the shop. Another customer comes in, a little girl with the woman in tow. Lucy smiles at the family, a feeling settling low in her heart. It is not malicious, but it is not happy.

"Good luck, Miss Lucy," Elazar says before he heads over to take care of his shop.

Lucy acknowledges his answer but does not respond, instead choosing to focus on the events going on outside her window.

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