The Golden Keys (Fairy Tail Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

The sun was now completely awake and the woods were filled with sunlight. Lucy estimated that she'd been up for about four hours now. Natsu and his guild mates were nowhere to be detected for the forty five minute ride Lucy had been doing. She'd stopped and eaten from the prepped biscuits Sebastian had surprisingly packed in her back pack along with other necessities and gotten on Diablo again. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in over ten hours, so the scraps of biscuit felt like heaven to her.

Since her deviation, Lucy had enough time to settle her nerves and get herself together. This was how she planned to be from the start. Free and alone. With no one telling her to do anything she didn't want to do.

"When all of this is over, Diablo, I promise we'll go to an apple orchard and you can eat all the apples you want in the world," she said slightly laughing at the foolish idea.

Just a little more time.

But first she needed to visit Mr. Bero's place and find a way to avoid the soldiers Sebastian had warned her about. It was going to be tricky especially with the Fairy Tail people on her shoulders but she could do it. This was something she needed to do on her own.

And she could always ask Capricorn about a plan when she summoned him. The goat spirit was not only a good fighter but he was a capable strategist. Lucy was sure she could find a way to escape everyone with the help from him. Out of all her spirits, he was the most devious one.

Diablo neighed at the idea as if he was agreeing with her. She smiled and a shortcut to the Ismitch cemetery appeared through the trees. The cemetery had conveniently been built at the edge of the forest, so going back would be no problem. The only problem Lucy faced was going to the front of the cemetery where the new burials were without being seen.

Diablo crept through the cemetery seemingly not minding the dead bodies the lay beneath his feet. As they passed the headstones, Lucy couldn't help but get the chills at the gothic headstones. After minutes of riding, she could make out the mausoleum in the front. Lucy got off of him and began walking toward the pile of gravestones that had been newly dug up. It took her several minutes to get there while dodging various headstones.

Then she saw it.

Callous Bero

A loving brother and teacher.

X704-X782

Crouching down Lucy put down the wildflowers she'd picked from one of the bushes in the forest. Diablo stood next to her bowing his head in respect. "Thank you, Mr. Bero, for all that you've taught me and all that I'm going to find out because of you. I promise I'll find the rest of the Golden Keys and protect them. I..."

"It's time to go, Lucy," an urgent voice said behind Lucy startling her.

Capricorn stood behind her. His eyes were alert and he was scanning around the cemetery. "Capricorn?"

"Something's not right about this town, there's no one," Capricorn said.

That's because of father.

"Sebastian told me that Father ordered the soldiers to round up everybody."

"That's not what's wrong, Lucy. Don't you feel this dark magic? We have to get out of here now. I'm afraid Sebastian is your foe and not your ally," Capricorn said quickly.

She felt the dark magic in the town now. When she'd gotten here there was nothing and when she'd entered it. It was as almost as if it had been activated. She stared at Capricorn as realization poured into her, she was being set up by Sebastian. He was going to entrap her in the town's barriers so they could take her back to the Heartfilia mansion.

"Lucy, let's go now," Capricorn urged her. She got on top of Diablo and started to ride back to Ismitch forest. Only there was a chain of black molecules bound together preventing her from going back. She gulped and looked to Capricorn.

"You need to go to the other side of town," he instructed.

"But there'll be tons of soldiers there."

"I'll figure something out."

"You can't!"

"Lucy, I promised Layla that I would protect you. Getting a few scratches won't be a problem."

But you're going to get more than a few scratches.

He slapped the back of Diablo and the black steed neighed and ran to the entrance of the cemetery. It was open and just as Lucy assumed the road that lead them into the town that was desolate. No family members were going to visit their loved ones.

That was right. The townsfolk were together bustled around the town square in lines looking for a Lucy Heartfilia amongst them. She doubted that any of the townsfolk would want to shelter her after the harsh punishment her father was making sure they were receiving. The thought sickened her and made tears come to her eyes.

What he was doing was meant to break her. He was trying to make her surrender to him and marry a dark magic user who probably wasn't even human. Lucy didn't know much about Lord Geer other than the fact that he was a lot more powerful than she'd imagined and a high influential figure. Even if her father had a change of heart, as if it was ever going to happen, Lord Geer would still find a way for her to be his.

Diablo's hoofs hit against the stone ground of the town. Shops were closed, windows were drawn and there was no noise. It would seem like a ghost town if not for the pleas of a crowd in the town square. After several minutes of navigating her way through the town, she saw nothing but empty carriages. The town square was to the nearer front of the town. The road to the north of it was the way out of town.

She got off of Diablo and peeked from the side of a building. She sucked in a deep breath of air and prepared herself for the sight she was about to encounter. Lucy gasped aloud and stood rigid as the sight of guards holding down a boy and pressing a knife to his neck appeared.

"Where is she?" the guard yelled. "If no one 'fesses up he's dying."

"Please, stop, please," a woman begged. Her face was a mess of tears and uneven skin as she tried to grab onto the guard's shoes. Her shackled hands prevented her from doing so and she fell back into the line of the first row of townsfolk.

Despite the protests and shouts of false accusation of where Lucy was, the guards continued holding the boy down. The mother's cries were getting more hysterical and Lucy was reaching her breaking point.

I can't! I need to get out of here!

The boy screamed louder when the blade dug deeper into his neck drawing blood. Lucy instinctively reached for Cancer's key but a gust of flames stopped her in her midst. The guard was scorched and the guards holding the boy down were blown away by a wind the blunette conjured.

"My lady, you must go now," Capricorn told her as he appeared next to her. And it was then when Natsu met her eyes.

His suspicions were proven correct. She was Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial mage and fugitive of the Heartfilia mansion. She looked away, her thoughts overshadowed by the screams of the townsfolk and recurring troops of guards.

Lucy glanced to the east of her. The barrier was almost closing and she needed to get out here as fast as possible. She got on Diablo and lightly kicked his side. She rode off in the direction of the entrance of Ismitch town. The guards were there and they lined up informational style and to the front of them was Sebastian.

"Well, well, we meet again," he said a devious smile on his face, "Did you enjoy your homecoming party?"