hello everyone! decided after my most recent rereading of Child of Heaven to start my own Fairy Tail retelling! the main plot's going to remain mostly the same with the exception of when it comes to the dragons. (As that's one of the few parts i haven't enjoyed when it comes to the original story.) Enjoy!

Lucy walked down the pier with a slight pout on her face, one of her hands tucking her blonde hair behind an ear in order to keep the strands out of her view. under normal circumstances she would have loved to see the ocean view, as she had almost never seen its bright blue waters in her childhood, but with the situation being what it was she couldn't help but feel annoyance over the situation. If only she had managed to locate at least some information on the "Salamander" that she had come to the port city in order to find she would have been able to take her time and enjoy the sight of ships coming and going from the bay but as things stood now she would be forced to abandon this lead, as the trail was growing colder each and every day.

Lucy sighed once more before turning back to the city proper, her white sundress billowing in the ocean breeze. While the person herself wasn't aware of it, she was drawing quite a large amount of attention from the sailors and fishermen that walked past her. With her waist length golden blonde hair, her slightly pale unblemished skin, and above average bust size she ended drawing more than her fair share of leers. But luckily for her not a single man would dare to approach her due to two specific items on her person that would make anyone wary.

On her back was an impressive looking longbow,swirl-like patterns carved along its length. but strangely enough there was no quiver anywhere on the girls body, most likely to think that she was simply too ditsy to remember arrows but those with a more magical oriented background would realize that the bow was likely a magical weapon of some sort.

On her right arm she wore a silver bracer that was even more impressive piece of magical equipment than the one that was strapped to her back. The silver gleamed in the mid day sunlight, speaking volumes of how well cared for the piece of armor was. Carved on its surface were various depictions of nature's elements. A flame, a bolt of thunder, a tornado, a ocean wave, a ray of light, a orb of darkness, and a jagged rock respectfully. Next to each carving was a circular indent that was clearly meant to hold some sort of lacrima but only four of the indents held such gems. A red orb next to the flame, a blue orb alongside the wave, a brown orb close to the rock, and finally a green orb next to the tornado. Each orb glowed faintly from within, making a casual onlooker think they were simple lacrima when they were so much more.

Lucy stared down at the wind orb as she thought back to earlier that week when she had obtained it. The elderly woman who had explained that she was its guardian had broken out into sobs when Lucy presented her with the Bracer, marking her as a worthy summoner. And after paying a hefty but ultimately inconsequential sum of Jewels the elder handed the stone over and waved as Lucy left, thanking the blonde for finally completing her families duty.

"It's a shame though that no Elemental has made itself known to me yet. Water and earth had already sent lesser spirits to my side after this long when I got them." Lucy mused out loud, the blue and brown orbs glowing brighter as she mentioned them. "...But now I must make a choice, this Salamander has been particularly subtle these last few days compared to the rumors that spoke about him. And if i cannot find him soon...then I might have to just take a ship to Bosco." Lucy thought out loud as she stared up into the sky, watching as a few seagulls flew lazily on the ocean breeze.

For the past two years of Lucy's life she had been searching for any mention of strange creatures or rumors pertaining to them, pursuing them with a single minded determination that most would find strange. Most of the time the rumors lead nowhere or simply leading to those with less than noble intentions. But as this mission was her mothers last request she couldn't exactly ignore any leads she got no matter how far-fetched they seemed, hence her presence in Hargeon.

"Perhaps I should simply move on…" Lucy murmured sadly as she stared out at the sea, thinking of the ocean based country she had no interest in seeing. But before she could come to a conclusion two women screaming drew her attention, Lucy's eyes quickly finding the squealing women in question as they rushed deeper into the town.

"Did you hear? The Salamander is in town!" one of the girls squealed in delight.

"I did! They say he's a very famous wizard!" the other shouted as the two ran past a building, vanishing from sight.

The Salamanders just out in the open and pretending to be a famous mage? What would they gain from that? And why would they come out into the open now after all this time?Lucy questioned as she followed after the two girls, curious if this Salamander was the one she was looking for.

Lucy followed the two girls from a distance for a while before realizing that she could simply track their destination by the sounds of all hysterical when the screaming finally reached a fever pitch Lucy finally found what appeared to be every young girl in the town along with a very unimpressive looking man in the center of the crowd that had formed. The man wore a cape that he swirled continuously around himself as he struck various poses, causing the surrounding woman to squeal in delight each and every time he did so. Lucy however couldn't see anything even remotely impressive about the man, not his looks nor his magic.

Is this really a Salamander? Lucy questioned as she continued to stare passively at the man as he turned to look at her, smiling strangely and brandishing on of his hands. It was then that her eyes went wide in fear as she realized what exactly was happening. The man was using a charm ring to enthrall the nearby woman, something that Lucy was easily able to shrug off as his level of magical energy was simply too weak to effect her. but that wasn't the issue that had caused panic to begin taking hold in her heart.

"It" had noticed the foreign magic attempting to infiltrate her mind and had already begun to assess the threat, it's cold and calculating thoughts beginning to formulate an attack strategy.

No...NO! I can't let it take control over something so menial! Lucy panicked as she tried desperately to suppress "It", even though she knew "It" was only taking action to prevent her from being harmed in any way. That was its purpose after all.

Luckily, aid came from an unexpected source when a pink haired boy pushed his way through the crowd with a happy grin on his face, smiling brightly at the purple haired man.

"Igneel is it really you?" He shouted out as he looked at the man with the charm ring, who stared back at the boy with a confused look on his face and therefor had his concentration broken. Even if the boy didn't know it, his timely entrance was just the distraction Lucy needed to remain in control, as "It" instantly turned its attention away from the charm ring man to focus on the newcomer for a second before deciding he was no threat and returning to general area threat assessment.

"Oh thank the gods…" Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as the horde of woman mercilessly attacked the pink haired man, who had apparently offended the charm wearer in some way and incited the crowd's wrath before they began to dissipate.

Lucy approached the boy, who was still sitting and glaring at the man who flew away using his pinkish flames. "Who the Hell was that?" he questioned to the blue cat that Lucy had just noticed standing alongside the pink haired boy, a cat that was standing on two legs and talking back to the boy. something that Lucy considered a curious sight but otherwise didn't bother her at all.

"The crowd referred to him as the "Salamander"...although I can't confirm or deny that claim at this time." Lucy commented, drawing the boy's and the cat's curious gazes. "Hello, my name is Lucy. Would you two like to join me for lunch?" Lucy introduced herself and asked with a formal curtsy, only causing the two to stare at her with an even stranger gaze before smiling brightly.

"Sure, why not. But why invite us? Or is do ya just do this for everybody?" The boy asked as he accepted Lucy's outstretched hand, the blonde pulling him to his feet in a single motion.

"You helped me out just now, and my mother always said I should repay those who help me." Lucy explained as she began to move to the nearest restaurant, the two boys quickly following her.

"Wow ,you're really nice lady...even if you are a weirdo!" The cat declared with a snicker as he walked alongside them.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion, not really sure what she had done to warrant being called weird, but decided not to draw attention to the strange statement. "So what are your names?If you don't mind me asking."

"I'm Natsu, and the blue feline here is Happy." The boy introduced himself before pointing at the once snickering cat, who was now pouting about the fact that Lucy had simply ignored his jab.

The three eventually reached a family dinner and settled into a booth, Lucy informing them that the two could order whatever they wanted as she would be paying the bill, something that caused tears of happiness to flow from their eyes. The moment the waitress approached them the two ordered two of everything containing meat on the menu, digging into the food like animals the moment it arrived.

Well one of them is an animal so I guess its fine to eat like that. Lucy thought to herself as she carefully dodged bits of flying food. "So what brings you two mages to Hargeon? Are you here on a job or something similar?" Lucy questioned in between bites of her own meager meal.

Natsu stopped devouring his food to stare at her, a strange look on his face. "Wait...how'd ya know we're mages?"

"I can detect magic to a certain degree, and I can feel plenty from you two, far more than any non mage could have." Lucy explained as she sipped her tea. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Oh, 're here looking for Igneel and thought that it might be that Salamander guy, but it doesn't look like it is." Happy explained as he devoured another fish.

"Ya that guy didn't even look like a dragon at all. I bet he can't even breathe fire or fly." Natsu grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms in disappointment.

"Indeed, I was disappointed in him myself." Lucy agreed before what Natsu said finally registered. "…Wait, are you looking for someone who looks like a dragon?"

"No nothing like that, Igneel is a dragon." Natsu explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world, Happy nodding in agreement.

Lucy's eyes went wide and she blinked slowly in surprise. That was a shock; I didn't think they would be searching for dragons too...But I can't be sure of their motives so I can't exactly share information with them as of now. Lucy instantly stood and, after placing a hefty sum of Jewel on the table, began to walk away. Now wary of the two possible foes. "Well it was nice to meet you, Natsu and Happy. I hope you find the person you're looking for."

Lucy was beginning to make her way to the restaurants exit but stopped when the waitress to her side made a strange noise at something behind her back, causing Lucy to turn around and find that both Happy and Natsu were now on the ground, their heads lowered to the ground in reverence.

"Thank you very much for the food!" The two shouted out with barely contained emotion coloring their voice.

Lucy blinked in surprise once again as she stared at the two, remembering after a second to smile diplomatically. "It's fine. Like I said, you helped me so I helped you. Well then, until next time." And with a wave Lucy walked out of the door and back into the sunlight.

Lucy eventually made her way to a nearby park where she sat down and pulled a map of Fiore from the bag at her side, all but glaring at the various red X's that dotted the map. this piece of paper represented the last few years of her life and all the failures that had accumulated in the course of her mission. She may have managed to learn some things, as noted by a few circled areas, but otherwise she had come up empty at nearly every turn and now Hargeon joined her many failures.

I would have liked to ask why their looking for the dragons too, but i doubt i would have been able to secure such information without alerting them. Mom did warn me about trusting my information with those who are unrelated to it... But oh well, at least I can be decently sure that there are no dragons present in Hargeon as of now.

"Excuse me miss, but I've been looking for you." A vaguely familiar voice pulled Lucy from her thoughts. Looking up, Lucy was met with the sight of the charm holder man standing right before her, staring down at her with an arrogant smile.

"Yes? Is there something I can do for you?" Lucy questioned passively as she lowered the map, "It" no longer even registering the man's magic as a threat and therefore Lucy herself deciding that he could do her no harm.

"Well, I would like to personally invite you to a party upon my private yacht as you are quite clearly the most beautiful flower in this town I would be saddened if I failed to obtain your presence at the party." The man said as he waved the hand that held the charm ring right in front of Lucy's face. He was clearly trying to get the charm spell to affect her mind once again but apparently hadn't realized that she was already aware of its existence and therefore unable to be effected by it.

Lucy frowned as she weighed her options. She was fairly sure that the man was no dragon in disguise as she initially believed him to be, but at the same time she couldn't just outright dismiss the possibility that he was simply hiding his strength from others and that this was his invitation to discuss the truth of his situation with her.

Oh well, even if it turns out to be false information again it's not like he or any of his associates could harm me even if they tried. Lucy finally decided as she smiled at the man. "Of course, I would be honored to be at the party of such a famous mage such as yourself."

The man chuckled, clearly believing that his charm had worked its magic. "Good my dear, then I shall be expecting you tonight. Until then!" the man said and with a wave of his hand and a burst of flames flew off into the sky.

"Oh well, might as well get prepared for tonight I guess." Lucy said with a shrug as she started to make her way to the hotel she had been using as a home base for the last few days, not all that hopeful that the coming night would bring anything but more disappointment.

When the night finally arrived Lucy couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the yacht that the party was being held in, growing even paler than she was normally as she noticed it rocking back and forth. Two of the man's attendants, looking far too thuggish for such a party, informed her that the man was waiting for her down below decks and that they would be casting off momentarily, Lucy internally grimacing but smiling and nodding.

When Lucy arrived down below the deck she found the man sitting at a table, two glasses of champagne sitting on the table and making his intentions clearly known. "Ah, welcome Milady. Would you like to partake of some refreshment before the party begins?"

Lucy flinched at the thought of drinking anything with her seasickness already begin to upset her stomach but she didn't wish to upset the possible dragon by refusing. "Thank you, I would love to." She replied as she sat down opposite the man and sipped on her drink. Almost instantly noticing the sleeping magic placed on the drink but neither Lucy herself or "It" reacting to it, its strength not nearly enough to dull her senses in the slightest.

Lucy waited for a moment before looking at the man with a disbelieving gaze, her eyes narrowing and her magical energy swelling in mild anger. "So then, would you like to explain why you have tried to drug me?"

The Man Smirked arrogantly as he rose to his feet. "Ah, as I believed you truly are a powerful mage. All the more reason for me to kidnap you then I suppose." He chuckled and with a snap of his fingers called his henchmen in, each carrying an unconscious woman. "I regret to inform you that this is my slave ship, and you are one of my newly acquired if you would be so kind as to remain quiet as we brand you and imprison you I would be grateful."

Lucy simply stared disappointingly at the man, a long sigh escaping her lips as she stood. "Well I did suspect this would happen, but this is still disappointing." And Lucy raised her right arm in preparation for magic.

For a second neither side moved, each waiting for the other to attack first before engaging in combat. But before either could attack the ceiling exploded in a shower of wooden shrapnel, revealing a angry pink haired boy and a blue cat who jumped down into the room.

Lucy instantly recognized the man as the mage she had shared a lunch with earlier that day, her recognition doing nothing to lessen her confusion. "Natsu? What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned as she looked between the two of them, her two lunch companions each staring at her with the same confused expression she was likely wearing.

"I could ask you the same question Lucy." Happy questioned as wings appeared on his back, Lucy blinking owlishly as the cat began to hover around eye level.

But Lucy had no time to question as to why the cat was flying, as Natsu turned to the cat with a serious expression."Happy! Get Lucy out of here!" He yelled as his face started to turn green, the boy clearly dealing with some seasickness of his own.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied and ,before Lucy could even argue, wrapped his tail around her stomach and pulled her into the air.

The charm ring man fired off bursts of flames in order to shoot them out of the sky but Happy appeared to be more agile than his appearance would lead others to believe, as the magical feline easily dodging each and every fireball sent their way. However, when they were about halfway to the shore, he looked down at Lucy with a nervous expression. "We've got a problem Lucy! My transformations up!" he shouted, his wings vanishing from his back and causing the two to begin to fall back towards the surface of the ocean.

However, before they could hit the water, Lucy held her bracer up and closed her eyes. "Oh ever flowing water, manifest your champion before me. Come forth Nyneve!" she shouted, the blue gem's glow glowing even brighter than the starlight that illuminated the night. In the next second a woman appeared falling next to Lucy. The woman had light blue curly hair that was even longer than Lucy's flowing down to her feet, or it would if it weren't for the fact that the three were falling fast. She wore an ancient dark blue dress that seemed to flow around her body like waves on a lake.

The woman stared at Lucy with bright blue eyes, smiling as the three continued to fall. "Ah Lucy, what can I do for you today?"

Lucy didn't answer immediately, instead focusing on landing successfully. She waited until the water was a few feet away before righting herself and rolling across the surface of the water, the surface of he ocean bouncing back up like a sheet of rubber the moment she impacted . Happy too simply bounced off the surface, the blue cat staring down at the water in both confusion and shock before his face transformed into one of amusement.

"Hello Nyneve, if you wouldn't mind would you please wash that ship back to shore? Gently if at all possible as there are civilians aboard." Lucy asked with a curtsy, causing the blue haired woman to giggle in delight.

"Of course I would Lucy, it would be quite unbecoming for a elemental to disobey an order after all." Nyneve answered before looking up at the ship with a glare on her face. Nyneve slowly raised her hand and, after sweeping her palm through the air like a king ordering a prisoners execution, created a wave that washed the boat back to shore.

"Wow Lucy! You're a mage too? And you can walk on water? That's so cool!" Happy exclaimed as he tested the waters surface, finding it just as solid as anything else he normally walked on.

Lucy smiled down at the blue cat before picking him up, Happy seemingly content with allowing her to pick him up. "Only when Nyneve answers my summons, her control over water is second to none after all." Lucy explained as she began to casually walk back to shore, Nyneve hovering just to her left as the elemental watched the two in amusment.

The three eventually made it back to the shore to find Natsu standing on the top of the now grounded ship, glaring menacingly down at the charm man and his henchmen as they scrambled out of various holes in the hull. "So you're a mage of Fairy Tail huh?"

"I am, and what's it to you boy?" the charm man growled out as he sent some of his henchman to deal with the pink haired child, who promptly smacked them away with little effort.

"Well I'm a mage of Fairy Tail, and I've never seen you're face before!" Natsu shouted as he began to walk forward, the air around his body beginning to shimmer due to heat.

Fairy Tail… a mage guild known for their more destructive tendencies. Lucy recalled as she narrowed her eyes at Natsu, feeling his magical energy beginning to rise.

"Hmmm...it appears that you no longer require my presence here Lucy, so I shall take my leave for now. Until next time." Nyneve decided and, after receiving a nod of agreement from Lucy, disappeared into a blue glow.

Lucy looked back up in time to see Natsu devouring the flames of the kidnapper, something that caused everyone around besides Lucy and Happy to stare at him in shock while Lucy simply blinked in surprise once again.

"Happy…what kind of magic does Natsu use?" Lucy asked carefully, trying to confirm what she already suspected.

"Why Dragon slayer magic of course! Natsu's can eat anyone's fire!" Happy declared as Natsu knocked the man clear across town, striking a bell and causing more than a few buildings to collapse due to the fierceness of their battle.

Natsus'...a dragon slayer? Then...then don't i need to let him know everything? B-but Mom...no, I cant, I cant risk letting him know now. Not until I can confirm the truth of what I've discovered. Lucy thought to herself, at first in a panic before calm washed over her mind, "It" suppressing her emotions before she became too unstable from meeting a slayer.

When the fighting finally stopped Lucy and Happy walked up to where Natsu was standing, the slayer in question grinning over the fact that he had gotten two free meals and a great fight in a single day, something he had only thought could happen at Fairy Tail when Mira was being particularly kind and Gray was being...Grayish. Unfortunately it was at that moment that the military decided to show up, clearly having been called in to make someone answer for destroying the port.

Deciding that she had no interest in being detained, Lucy decided that it was about time to make her way away from the destruction, but before she could even take a single step her wrist was grabbed by Natsu, who promptly began to flee with all his might as the military pursued them, Happy flying over their heads all the while.

"Ummm…Natsu? Why are you kidnapping me now?" Lucy questioned passively, making no move to remove herself from the dragon slayer's grip despite not understanding what was happening.

"I've decided…with you being so weird you should join Fairy Tail! It'll be awesome! You'll see!" He said with a massive grin, Happy mirroring Natsu's expression as the two Fairy Tail members looked at her.

Lucy blinked and stared blankly at the two before shrugging her shoulders. Oh well, I guess there's nothing wrong with joining a guild with a dragon slayer. Who knows, maybe he can help me in my search. She thought to herself as Natsu continued to drag her away from the now pursuing military, completely unaware of how much her life was about to change.