Chapter Text
“At the monster’s demise, the city celebrated. From then on, they all lived peacefully, knowing that the monster is gone and they are safe. The end.”
Her words were met with silence.
It was very different from the reactions she got from the cities she had traveled to, where her stories are usually met with applause and cheers. This was the first time silence had completely overcome her so-called performance.
She straightened her form and looked around her audience in confusion. Her black hood slipped from her head, allowing bystanders to see more of the mysterious maiden who had traveled their land.
Her long golden hair glistened underneath the rays of the sun. With her fair white skin and plum pink lips, the crowd was mesmerized. Brown chocolate eyes stared back at the crowd and it was as if the crowd all bit back the urge to gasp, stunned at the ethereal beauty in front of them.
Meanwhile, oblivious to their thoughts is the maiden herself. She started to feel awkward about the silence and fidgeted at the discomfort of being stared at. She closed her eyes for a moment to chastise herself.
I knew it! I should have just kept to myself! This is too risky! She bit her lip at her thoughts. She really want to stay away but she loved telling stories. It was the only thing that made her feel alive.
After years of traveling, she never did wish or wanted anything for herself other than this.
Just this…
“But she isn’t evil, why was she killed?”
Surprised at the sudden voice, she opened her eyes to see a young boy stepping forward from the crowd in front of her.
The absence of the word ‘monster’ in his innocent question had not gone unnoticed.
Face softening as she addressed the boy, she answered, “Because she hurt people. They did that to keep them safe.”
“But isn’t she a victim too?” An old lady stated, and to her surprise, the people around her seems to share the same thoughts as they nodded and agreed.
The maiden’s expression melted into a wistful one.
Yes, she is.
“But at that time, all the villagers could think about is how many people she had hurt. They were afraid for their safety and thus, they thought that killing her was the best thing to do.”
“Then they were all cowards…” A man voiced out. She looked at the determined face of the man who spoke with much hate in his tone, then tilts her head slightly in interest.
“Cowards?” She repeated, attention solely focused on the man as he creased his brows and nodded.
She immediately took note of how serious his onyx-colored orbs as he stared back at her with defiance, confidence, and…warmth? She adjusted in her seat, focusing more on the man in curiosity.
“Yeah, and selfish.” He stepped forward, “In your story, the girl never did kill anyone right?”
“Yes, but she did hurt people.”
Another step, “Did she?” He shrugged, “Based on your story, even I can tell that they were caused by accidents. She directed a lost boy towards his home, but how could she know that there will be bear traps in that part of the forest? She warned teens not to venture out into the forest but they did not listen. In the end, a teenage girl was killed and her friends got badly hurt by animals they encountered. When some villagers decided to seek her out to see if the rumors are true, she did her best to hide right? But she was still discovered. Frightened by the stories of the cursed girl, they all scampered away, pushing each other until some of them fell off the stairs, scraped parts of their bodies, and got lost as they ventured through the forest. Only one man told the tale but it got twisted up, making the girl the perpetrator in the end. This, plus the tampered and misunderstood rumors spread by others, fueled the fear of the village, leading to her death…”
“But she’s still the cause-“
“That is what the girl thinks so too but look around you.” He took a step forward, before continuing, “This particular story is very different from the ones you talked about in the other cities you visited. It was not met with applause and cheers because it only shows how much fear can influence one’s way of thinking. It even shows the hidden side of people. When push comes to shove, they always turn against each other. In this case, they all blamed the consequences of their actions on the girl. The victim in this story is not the villagers, it was her.”
Another step until he was in front of her. She clenched her fist when he suddenly crouched down in front of her, pulling down his hood.
Her eyes widened at the color of his hair.
Salmon pink…
She looked down at the man but what she saw was not of a man, but a boy…
A boy she still remembers.
Natsu...
The man looked up at her and shot her a smile. “Found you..."
“You…”
"I never got to thank you for telling me where my house is…” He continued while she just sat there, speechless.
Natsu does not seem to mind this as he continued to speak, uncaring of all the people around him, as his attention is solely on the woman he searched for and finally found.
“And for the record, it was my fault why I got caught in those bear traps. I got curious. It was never your fault.”
“When I heard that you were killed and the reason behind it, I was furious. Thank goodness that was just a rumor! I found out that you were banished from the village and so, the moment I come of age, I left. I could not stay at a place like that anymore. That’s when I heard of a maiden traveling city by city, telling stories. Familiar ones that the girl and I once created when we were young.”
“Natsu…” Smiling, he looked at her.
“You remembered me!” He cheered before standing up. He then offered his hand to her.
Still cautious, she slowly put her hand on his.
“You need to let go, Luce...Remember our promise from years ago?”
.
“I promise to return tomorrow okay? Then we will create our own adventures!”
“I can't wait! See you tomorrow Natsu! Remember the way I told you!”
.
She nodded.
“You will not be alone no more. Free yourself, live. I will be with you every step of the way.”
“But--“
He shook his head, “You’re not cursed. You don’t bring misfortune to those around you and I will make you realize this as we go on our own adventure together.”
She bit her lip, still not convinced. "How can you be so sure of that?"
"How? Well..." He tightened his hold on her hand before moving closer and putting her palm on his chest, right above his beating heart. Lucy can't help but feel like she was captivated by his intense gaze.
It was full of emotions...but one that really stood out for her is the warmth.
For her.
“I trust you..." Her response received a grin and he once again cheered, earning himself a smile from her.
She will never be alone again.
A/N: There will be a continuation, but it will just be a very short one. I honestly planned to just compiled it in 1 chapter but I decided to just cut it into 2 chapters. The next part is already written but I'm just gonna see what you guys thought of this first first before continuing.
This is really just a oneshot story so expect that it will be very short.