Blahh I had this written for a while but I kept changing it cause I wasn't happy with some things

I'm still not sure how I feel about this chapter but hey enjoy c:

Mira watched Lucy with an amused expression as the blonde gaped at the massive library they'd just walked into. Everywhere she turned she was met with shelves upon shelves of books just waiting to be read at every corner. And there were two floors! There were enough books for several lifetimes in here, and Lucy couldn't even begin to guess where she should start.

Staying here for eternity suddenly sounds like a dream come true, she sighed, still in awe at the sight she was currently beholding.

"Well? Impressed?" Mira joked with a knowing smile. Lucy was too enraptured with the sight to even register her words. She subconsciously made her way towards a random shelf, eager to see what new fantasy worlds lied in store for her in this newfound paradise.

Though Lucy had read every single book at the local library in town, she didn't recognize any of the titles on the shelf she was browsing, which only added to her rising excitement.

"This is amazing," She breathed, picking a random book off the shelf and reading the cover. The title was written big in the center of the cover, with a fancy font. Fairy Tail. Interesting.

"Well I suppose I'll leave you to browse our collection," Mira giggled. "Enjoy~" she mused before turning around and leaving the library through the large double doors.

The door made a sound when it closed and Lucy jumped, nearly forgetting Mira was also there. "R-right! Thank you!" She called after her and promptly returned her attention to the book she held. A soft looking sofa chair beside the shelf beckoned to her and she sat, resting the book on her lap and holding it with both hands. The hard brown leather cover was slightly damaged, the worn edges exposing the cardboard underneath. The spine made a short cracking sound as she opened the book, and she noticed while flipping through the pages that many of them had creases from being folded in the top corner. One of the page corners, towards the end, was still folded down, and she wondered if someone else was in the middle of reading this book.

Accepting for the moment that she had all the time in the world, she crossed her legs on the soft leather of the seat, flipped to page one and began to immerse herself in her first new story in months.

She sat there reading peacefully for about an hour (it could've actually been two hours, or six, she wasn't really keeping track), deeply immersed in her new book. It told a story of wizards and fairies and dragons, centered around a girl her age and the adventures she had with her best friend and his flying cat as they traveled around a world she could only dream of. Lucy couldn't bring herself to stop turning the page. She had lost herself completely in fantasy once more.

"That's my favorite book."

"AH!"

"AH!"

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin hearing the sudden voice beside her and let out a startled shriek. The high pitch squeal startled the new presence in the room, and he let out a small frightened yelp of his own. She immediately looked up at the newcomer standing a few feet away and instantly relaxed (but not really) when she saw it was Natsu, who was trying to regain his stoic expression as quickly as possible, hoping she had paid no mind to the very un-demonlike vocal reaction he just emitted. He failed, and Lucy stifled a giggle at her realization that the yelp she had heard had been Natsu. Did she really just scare big bad evil demonic Natsu with her girly squeal?

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you." She was barely holding back an amused smile. He seemed to notice it, a tiny twinge of pink appearing on his cheeks as a scowl took over his features.

"I don't get startled!" He nearly yelled back.

The door behind him swung open and Gray rushed in, immediately getting into some sort of battle stance and wildly scanning the large room. "What's going on?!" Gray exclaimed frantically, his loud voice echoing off the walls. "I heard screams!"

Natsu resisted the urge to slap a palm to his forehead. "Everything's fine. Lucy just gets scared too easily," he side-eyed the blonde, and she could've sworn she heard him mutter the word weirdo under his breath. Her jaw dropped slightly for a second and she glared at him.

"Hey! You snuck up on me!" Lucy argued. "And then got scared when I got scared," she added, holding back a laugh.

"I did not." He glanced at Gray, who was beginning to look more amused than anything else at this point.

"Did too," she giggled, suddenly very aware of the fact that they probably sounded like elementary school children.

"Well, doesn't seem like anyone's dying," Gray relaxed. He let out a light chuckle and turned to leave. "See ya!" He smiled cheerfully and bowed before leaving the same way he came in.

The demon prince closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as he slowly turned back to look at Lucy, immediately regretting it when he saw how hard she was trying to not burst into laughter.

He tried hard to hold back his own tiny smile, the corners of his lips twitching slightly before he managed to put his scowl back up. So this is what I get for trying to be nice. "Whatever. I just came to check on you to make sure you weren't doing anything shady. You're still a prisoner," he growled before swiftly turning to walk out of the large double doors Gray had just left through. The laughter bubbling up in her slowly faded as she remembered the first thing he said when he walked in.

"Wait! Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," she called out after him. "I'm really enjoying this book, you said it was your favorite?"

She felt kind of strange attempting to start a conversation with the man who probably would like nothing more than to throw her into the infamous dungeon and be done with it, but he did apologize to her for his rudeness the other day which gave her hope that maybe they could at least be cordial with each other.

Natsu stopped, slightly taken aback at the fact that she was actually attempting to talk to him. He turned his head slightly.

"Y-yeah…" he mumbled. "I've read it like 100 times."

"Really?!" she piped up excitedly. It was good to know there was another besides she and Levy who enjoyed reading their favorite books an absurd amount of times.

It seemed that was not the response he was expecting, judging by the way he turned around fully with a strange look. "Yeah. It's a really good book."

"I'm enjoying it a lot!" She beamed. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Every book on that shelf is good," he gestured to the shelf where she had picked out the book she was currently holding.

"Awesome," Lucy smiled. "I can't wait to read them," This was actually going better than she expected.

Natsu on the other hand was freaking out internally over what to say to the friendly blonde prisoner.

"W-well whatever. I don't care what you do." He decided he should leave the situation as soon as possible. Social interaction was never his strong suit. The demon turned to leave once more, not waiting for a response. "And stay out of the west wing. Mira's giving you too much freedom," he stated firmly before swiftly leaving the room.

The door slammed shut as Lucy sighed. Well, that was progress… I think. She would have never guessed Natsu had interest in reading fantasy books such as Fairy Tail, considering it was so bright and happy. She figured he spent his free time screaming at puppies or something.

He seemed to become less intimidating to her with every interaction. Somehow she knew deep down, despite his cold and demonic exterior, Natsu actually had a heart. She could see it under his piercing red eyes even when he tried to hide it. Though with it, she also noticed a familiar sadness that lurked underneath, and despite how cold he was to her she couldn't bring herself to ignore it. Knowing firsthand how horrible it was to be in a constant state of hopelessness and despair, she hated seeing others like that. She wanted to help him. Not just him, but all of them. And apparently she was the only one who could.

And stay out of the west wing. His words echoed in her thoughts.

What was in the west wing?

Natsu wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do around the prisoner anymore. Thanks to Mira and Erza he had lost his intimidating edge, and now Lucy seemed to no longer be afraid of him. She had been roaming around at her own leisure these past few days, and it was beginning to unnerve him. Especially considering the darkness concealed in the west wing. If she was going to be walking around freely like this, he had to make it known that she was not allowed to even go near there.

"You are making progress."

Natsu almost tensed until he realized it was Gray's voice, and also he refused to get startled again after what had just conspired in the library. He turned to see the demon walking down the hallways towards him, stopping when he was a few feet away and leaning to one side against the wall. Natsu rolled his eyes before turning back around to continue walking to his chambers. "It's none of your business," he muttered.

"She looks like Anna."

The demon prince stilled instantly, nostalgia mixed with deep sorrow coursing through him at the mention of his old tutor.

"You had to have noticed that by now, right?" Gray continued, noticing the sudden change in Natsu's demeanor.

After a moment Natsu merely shook his head and kept walking, leaving the other demon to stare contemplatively at his retreating form and wonder what was going through his mind.

It was true, Lucy did bear a striking resemblance to Anna, and as the days went by she looked more and more like her. Natsu had chosen to ignore it, knowing full well that Anna was gone and she was not coming back. Unlike him, she was mortal. Lucy was no Anna.

The fact that it was Lucy, the spitting image of his old tutor, that had showed up at their doorstep was merely a coincidence, nothing more.

The next week found Lucy wandering through the rose garden in the gated front area of the castle with Erza, who was enjoying a hearty slice of strawberry cake.

She didn't understand it, but recently the scenery outside the castle seemed to look much better compared to when she first arrived. The dead trees looked less… dead, and some now had a leaf or two on their branches. The brown, brittle grass seemed to be coming back to life, and the rose garden in the center no longer looked more like a rose graveyard, as the roses were no longer wilted and had gained a bright red color. Bushes were slightly greener. It was almost like magic. Previously, from her view outside the window the outside world constantly looked dull and dreary, but it seemed within a week it was beginning to completely turn around. It was strange, but so was everything about this place.

"Hey, Erza? Do you notice anything different about the castle recently?"

"Yes. We now have fresh strawberries," she smiled, taking another bite of her cake.

"Yes well there's that," Lucy giggled. "But it's more than that. Everything seems more… lively, wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose." She looked up from her cake for the first time since they went outside. "It seems fate has begun to take its course."

"Eh?"

Erza didn't elaborate on her cryptic response, her attention shifting to something across from her, and she did a double take. Lucy's eyes followed her stare and spotted a broody Gray sitting on a bench on the opposite side, staring at the roses. His eyes held a sad nostalgia in them as he looked down at a single red rose in his hand.

"Roses were Ur's favorite."

The blonde's eyes shifted back to Erza at the sudden statement. The demon met her gaze with a sad smile.

"Gray's old friend that used to live in town. She died decades ago," she clarified with a sad smile, replacing Lucy's bewilderment with gradual realization, followed by heartbreak.

"Oh." Right. Everyone in the house had to have known people that were dear to them prior to their secluded demon life. And everyone in the house had outlived them.

"The roses are in bloom again. They probably remind him of her," Erza continued, looking around with a nostalgic gaze of her own. The two sat in contemplative silence for several moments.

She really wanted to help them.

They had made it quite obvious the first night that she would have to be one to break them free from this curse that had been placed on them for all these years. Though even so they all were always very vague about the subject matter, giving her nothing to go off of, and no ideas of what she could do to help. She didn't want to prod them for answers, though, fearing she may anger them in some way. It seemed whatever this curse was, it was something she'd have to figure out on her own.

"Well," Erza announced suddenly, taking one final bite of strawberry cake before standing up from where they were seated and turning to the blonde. "I think it's time we head back. The sun is beginning to set."

Lucy nodded in agreement, also getting up from her seat on the bench to meet the redhead at near eye level. The demon towered over her by several inches, about as tall as Natsu.

Speaking of…

Ever since their small conversation in the library a couple days ago, she started seeing him around the castle more often. And every time she'd see him it would almost always result in him storming off and her giggling uncontrollably. He was so easy to mess with, she just couldn't help it.

She'd always catch the tiniest hint of a smile on him before he quickly hid it behind his best scowl and stomped away. It gave her a sense of satisfaction. She just wanted to see him smile, since he seemed to always look angry at any other time.

The blonde "prisoner" was no longer afraid of him suddenly sending her to the dungeon in a fit of demon rage. If he really wanted to he would have certainly done it already. She wasn't sure if it was actually Mira behind his suppressed need to throw her in a cage and lock her away, but either way it was a huge relief and she felt much more comfortable around him now than before.

They may even become friends at this rate.

Lucy nearly laughed out loud at the thought, Erza giving her a strange look as they made their way to the castle doors.

On the very first day of her arrival, Lucy was absolutely terrified of the demon prince. She was sure he'd one day kill her and feed her bones to the gargoyles outside or something. But now she was thinking she wouldn't mind becoming friends with him.

"You're suddenly very smiley," Erza noted, eyeing the blonde on her right with amusement at the fact that she seemed to be grinning at nothing in particular as they weaved through the rose garden. Lucy giggled and shook her head.

"I was just thinking." She looked up at the demonic beauty. "I've been seeing Natsu around a lot more lately," she continued, looking straight ahead and missing the way Erza's eyes widened considerably. "I think I'm finally starting to warm up to him," she giggled.

Erza quickly regained composure, getting over the initial shock at Lucy's words and actions, and the meaning behind them. Just as they suspected, Lucy could actually be the one they had waited all these years for. She smiled fondly at the blonde. "It seems he's taken a liking towards you," she clarified, assuring Lucy further. "You don't have to be intimidated by him. Though he just likes to give the illusion of being menacing, it's quite easy to beat him down," Erza said with a mischievous glint in her eye. Lucy believed her words were spoken more literally than one might think.

She made a mental note to never get on Erza's bad side.

Lucy had gotten over her intimidation fairly recently. For most of her time here she assumed Natsu hated her with a passion, but it did seem like the animosity towards her that he emanated in waves was diminishing. He even apologized that one day for acting so rude to her when she had first arrived. "I'll keep that in mind," she smiled.

When they arrived back at the castle Lucy immediately went up to her room and flopped face first into the pale pink sheets, exhausted from the long day she spent exploring every inch of the gardens.

"Ahh I love her!" Lisanna squealed from her seat in one of the common areas of the castle. "She's so sweet, and kind, and generous, and thoughtful, and caring, an-"

"Yes, she's lovely," Mira interjected, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder knowing how much Lisanna could (and would) go on. Ever since Lucy arrived at the castle, things had gradually begun getting better for everyone, including the castle itself. There was not a single dead plant or cobweb in sight, everyone seemed much more lively, and most importantly Natsu had upgraded from angry-demon-prince-that-wants-to-kill-you to slightly-less-angry-demon-prince-that-probably-still-wants-to-kill-you-but-would-be-ok-with-just-glaring-at-you-angrily-from-across-the-hall, which in her book was significant progress.

"Yeah, way too good for that hothead," Gray muttered from his seat, staring at the fire pit with a small smirk.

"Lucy is very beautiful, but are we not gonna talk about how all the plants outside suddenly went from very dead to practically oozing with life almost overnight?" Loke waved both hands in the air from his spot by Lisanna, leaning on the side table.

"Juvia finds it very peculiar," the blue-haired demon added. Strange as it was however, she couldn't wait to start watering all the suddenly very alive plants in the garden. She smiled as she stared out the window on the far wall.

"Maybe it is fate telling us we're moving in the right direction," Mira smiled slightly.

She had noticed that Natsu and Lucy had been interacting more than usual over the past few days. It was also during this time that all the flowers, trees and bushes that had been dead for decades suddenly bloomed vibrantly in the daylight in a single day. There must have been some correlation.

"She kind of looks like…" Lisanna sat up and turned to face her sister. "It's probably really unlikely, but am I the only one who thinks she kind of looks like Anna?"

Mira looked down at her hands on her lap in thought. "I did notice that. Though I think it would be entirely too coincidental for them to somehow be related."

"Would it?" Gray interjected, remembering his interaction with Natsu. "Anna lived in town, she commuted to the castle. And didn't she have a child?"

"She did." Loke knew for a fact that the woman had a daughter. She would mention it every time he attempted to flirt with the older woman.

"How curious," Mira admitted. "Though that would explain even more why Natsu is growing increasingly fond of Lucy."

"There's no way he doesn't see the resemblance." Lisanna grinned, recalling the lady in question. "Natsu loved that woman."

Loke smirked. "I'd have never expected this."

"To be honest though, I don't think I'd have it any other way," Mira beamed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh my," a shady man with long black hair lurked in the shadows along the perimeter of the castle, eyeing the new ubiquitous greenery with his special mirror in hand. "It seems my hunch was correct."

"Lucy's in there?" Dan Straight glared at the large building in the distance.

"Aye. See for yourself." The shady man lifted his mirror to give him a view of its reflective surface, where it showed a young blonde woman sleeping peacefully on a bed of pink sheets. "She has been here for several weeks."

The lighter haired male scowled, roughly standing up from his bent-knee position, but an unnaturally bony yet strong hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him in place. "Not yet," he said simply, gaze fixed on the grand castle in the distance. "Now is not the right time."

"When is the right time then?" Dan growled impatiently.

"Soon," the man said simply. "It is time to go back. You asked for proof that I knew of the girl's whereabouts, and I delivered. Now you are going to help me."

"What are you even planning on doing?"

"I am going to stop fate in its tracks."