When Worlds Collide

Chapter 2

If one positive thing could be said about the hovel where Natsu lived, it was that it came with a great view of the royal palace. A colossal estate that seemed to tall enough to reach the heavens above and was filled with countless rooms that held more riches than anyone could ever dream of. But the most precious jewel that resided in that palace was not a stone or a coin of material worth. Not it was a jewel of flesh and blood. A jewel that was called Lucy.

She was the sultan's daughter and the princess of Lazan City. An attractive young woman who's hair and skin was said to be of the purest gold, who's wide brown eyes could shimmer in a way that shamed diamonds, and who's cherry red lips  enticed even a holy man. A pretty face and a sunny smile, born just to delight and bred to behave, that's how many would describe her. But just like Natsu, she was so much more than what others thought of her at first glance.

Though very pretty, that wasn't her only quality. She was smart, had a fair and just personality, and was a very talented artist. The palace walls were almost completely decorated in murals that she had painted herself, and the way she used color and design was almost like magic. All she needed was a brush and some paint, then her imagination would take shape on the marble canvas. This was a skill that she had learned from her late mother, the Sultana Layla.

What a remarkable woman the Sultana had been. Wise, fair, good, and very loving toward her daughter. The two would often ride their fine horses through the city during the day and at night, just after dinner, they would paint the white walls together. This would then be followed by the Sultana tucking the little princess into bed and kissing her goodnight, leaving the girl to fall asleep with a smile on her face. Yes indeed, when the Sultana was alive the princess only knew happiness. But alas, happiness cannot always last long.

When Lucy was still just a child, her mother went out riding in the city alone and it was on that morning in which bandits of the desert came rioting into Lazan. The innocent woman lost her life when one bandit fatally stabbed her in order to steal her jewelry. The murderer was captured and executed for his crime, but this did nothing to bring back Lazan's beloved Sultana. The loyal citizens were all devastated by her death but no one more so than her husband, Lucy's father, the Sultana Jude.

Layla was the light of his life and with that light snuffed out, the poor sultan could not cope. His wife's demise caused him to fear the outside world and believe that danger lurked at every corner and no one could ever be trusted. So his daughter became secluded and isolated. Her father hardly ever allowed her to leave the palace for he could not bear the thought of losing his only child just as he had lost the love of his life.

However the older Lucy grew, the more she yearned for freedom. She desperately longed to go out and explore. To see what else there was in the world besides the Lazan City. To see what kinds of other people and creatures there were. Oh she tried her best to keep these desires under wraps and to be satisfied with just her paintings of the outside world, but by the time she reached her seventeenth year, it was no longer enough.

"Don't you ever wonder what's out there Aries?" The princess asked her handmaiden the next morning, as was looking out the window of her bedchamber, just to gaze at her thriving city. "Beyond the palace walls and past the boarder of our land?"

"Beasts and savages I imagine." Aries responded, helping her mistress dress into her silken shalwar   and silken robe.

"There must be more to the world than that."

"Why would you want to leave your good home?"

"Because it's not the same home anymore." She mumbled quietly. "It hasn't been for a long time."

"What's that my lady?" Aries asked due to only hearing a little of what she said.

"Nothing." She sighed. "Nothing at all."