The distant sight of the sunlit gardens called to her. Through the perfectly polished glass, she could see the glowing green of the trees and imagine the smell of the neatly kept flower beds. With her eyes shut tightly, she could almost feel the warm grass beneath her bare feet instead of the cold, hardwood floors. Her memory supplied the sound of her mother's light laughter as she relived a time full of carefree afternoons and hugs from the person she once cherished most in the world.

Brown eyes were once again revealed when she looked out at the empty gardens. Those happy times were long gone, replaced with days full of solitude and longing. On days like this, filled with nostalgia and loneliness, Lucy preferred to spend every available moment in those gardens. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be possible without a servant present. Having run off her previous warden, or caretaker as her father called the old hag, Lucy was trapped indoors until a new attendant could be located. It didn't make sense to the young woman that she couldn't leave her wing of the estate alone. Did her father truly believe her unable to do things like open doors on her own? She could take care of herself. It wasn't as if she hadn't been doing so since she was young.

If she were as helpless as he believed, she wouldn't have been able to build up her magic enough to bypass the wards he had a wizard place on every outdoor exit of her living quarters. It still amazed her that a man who deeply despised magic after the death of his wife would resort to using it to keep his magically inclined daughter indoors. Luckily for her, he had no idea how strong her magic had become since she began training through meditation every time she was alone. If Lucy had her way, he would never find out about her growing abilities, or her occasional nighttime escapades into the nearby forest. There was really no need for him to know about either of her most precious secrets. She was just a few months shy of being an adult and didn't need to be coddled like a helpless child. She wasn't stupid enough to put herself at the risk of being seriously injured or caught by bandits to be held for ransom. She moved through the night with extreme care to avoid any unsavory characters lurking the darkness. It was a risk she was willing to take if it meant planning her escape from her golden prison.

Several nights had passed since her last rendezvous. Her last trip had been a productive one, as she was finally able to make it to the other side of the woods in record time. Making a quick trip when she fled for good would be important in case any of the guards or servants realized she was missing and formed a search party. With a plan in place, tonight might be the perfect opportunity to make her escape. Until her father hired a new attendant, Lucy would be alone regularly and the bedroom next to hers would remain unoccupied, so there wouldn't be anyone to wake up if she made noise. Having been visited - a term she used lightly since there was very little speaking involved - by her father earlier that day, Lucy knew she would only be seeing tutors and other various servants for several days to come. Tonight would be the best night to disappear.

Sounds of a violent tussle in the hall drew the blonde's attention away from her musings. Grunts and harsh words filtered through beneath the door, making the young woman curious about what might be going on outside her bedroom. A few quick steps later, Lucy stood in the hallway facing the most interesting sight she'd seen in weeks. Two of her father's largest guards were struggling to control a maroon-haired young man wearing worn-in brown pants and a buttoned shirt that likely used to be white. It was almost amusing to see two well-trained guards having such a hard time with someone so much smaller than them.

Every ounce of humor Lucy felt at the situation quickly evaporated and was replaced by a protective rage when one of the guards wrapped both arms around their captive to hold him still while the other guard punched him hard enough to split his lip.

"Enough!" She shouted in the same regal, demanding tone she despised her father for using on her. The kinship her she felt with the man in that moment caused her gut to churn, but the guards' immediate reaction was worth the discomfort. "What is the meaning of this?"

The guard who had delivered the harsh punch stood at attention while the other continued restraining the young man. "Lady Heartfilia," the guard began with a nod, "The Master of the house instructed us to bring your new attendant to your quarters."

"And you felt the need to brutalize the poor man along the way?" Lucy asked sarcastically with her hands on both hips. She didn't miss the way the restrained man snickered under his breath when the guard's confident posture suddenly turned nervous.

"Our apologies, ma'am, but he did not come along willingly." The first guard stuttered while the second guard released his captive.

"I don't believe anyone would with the way you two were behaving." She snapped back with her eyes narrowed. When the guards didn't leave immediately, Lucy stepped forward and made a shooing motion in their direction. "Well, you can go back to wherever you came from. I have no use for you here. If my father chose this man as my attendant, I can take things from here."

As soon as the guards were out of sight, Lucy turned to her newest unlucky servant with a sigh. She was slightly surprised her father enlisted a male attendant to replace the last. Her father believed her to be a virtuous young woman patiently awaiting her next birthday, marking her passage into adulthood and inevitable marriage to some man, young or old, with a substantial fortune. Clearly, this new attendant didn't want to be there as much as she didn't want him there, so she might not have to do much to run him off. It had taken awhile and quite a few ridiculous stunts to get the last attendant to demand she be relieved of her duties. The memory of the distraught woman crying over her rapidly thinning hair brought a devious smirk to Lucy's lips.

A snort from the young man drew her attention back to him. Maybe he found the situation strange enough to amuse him? With a shake of her head, she ignored the odd behavior and started walking back towards her bedroom as she said, "Come on. I'll clean up your lip and show you where you'll be staying."

Without paying much attention to whether or not he followed along, Lucy made her way across her bedroom and into her large bathroom. She opened a storage cabinet and pushed all the towels to the side, revealing a small first aid kit. Her father would never approve of her treating her own wounds, but he also wouldn't approve of how she got them, so she didn't bring it up during their rare meals together. It was better for both their sanity if she kept her midnight runs into the forest to herself.

When she returned to her bedroom, she found her new attendant standing in the doorway looking reserved and uncomfortable. Patting her bed, she said, "Come and sit so I can look at that lip."

He nodded and made his way slowly over to the bed. If he was against the idea of sitting on a young woman's bed, he didn't show it. Lucy set the kit down next to him and rifled through until she found the alcohol wipes. As she wiped the cut clean, she noticed how he didn't flinch from the sting of alcohol in the wound as she expected him to. How could he be used to pain like that?

Again ignoring the strange behavior, she let her mind wander to her plans for the night. The young man before her didn't seem all that interested in his duties as an attendant, so maybe she could easily slip out once he settled for the night. Judging by his attitude, he less likely to be a fairly paid worker and was probably an indentured servant, or possibly in some other position she didn't want to dwell on. Some of her father's dealings were more underhanded than he'd ever admit.

A sliver of guilt wormed its way into her heart when she thought of how her father would react to her sneaking away under the new attendant's watch, especially if he was already here against his will. Jude Heartfilia wasn't known for being merciful and wouldn't likely start offering grace to a servant here off the record. Lucy resigned herself to accepting that she'd be stuck in the Heartfilia Estate awhile longer, at least until this man was transferred to another post.

Lucy did her best to ignore the dark eyes staring at her with an unwavering intensity as she stood to put away the first aid materials and return the kit to its hiding spot. When she made it back to her bedroom, the young man had moved to stand in front of the very window she'd been standing in front of earlier. His expression reflected the same longing she felt when she stood in that spot. Where had her father found this young man? He wasn't anything like the attendants she had previously. They were always professional women with experience. The way he stared out the window, he seemed to want to escape as much as she did.

Feeling bad for the way she was about to break the calm that had settled over her newest companion but knowing he needed to be in uniform before her tutor showed up, Lucy said, "Come on. I'll show you to your room and you can get changed into a uniform."

He nodded and simply turned to follow her out of the room. It was unusual to be the one giving directions and doing all the talking. Usually a new attendant would be chattering away in a fruitless attempt to get to know her and her schedule. Those conversations were always unwelcome and one-sided.

When they entered the door to the next room, Lucy immediately noticed the garment bag lying on the bed. "It seems father had your clothing delivered earlier." Under her breath, she mumbled quietly, "Obviously, he knew about this early today. It would have been nice to be informed when the jerk was here."

The young man laughed quietly, much to Lucy's confusion. She was sure he couldn't have heard her, but she once again ignored his behavior and left the room. She waited patiently in the hallway for several minutes, assuming her attendant would exit the room when he finished dressing. The attendants always followed her around like they were attached by an invisible string. When a few more minutes passed, Lucy grew curious and made her way back to the door. After knocking quietly, she asked, "Is everything alright?"

A moment passed in silence before she heard a gravelly voice answer, "No."

Unsure of what to say to the unexpected answer, Lucy hesitated before saying, "Can I come in?"

When no answer was given after a few seconds, she pushed the door open slowly, not wanting to surprise him, and was slightly amused to see him struggling with the tie. "Do you need some help?"

She had never received a glare quite like the one she was getting from the young man at that moment, but it didn't stop her from laughing. The combination of his disheveled suit and the hardened expression just didn't mix well. Through her giggles, she managed to say, "I'm not very good at tying the knot, but I think I can do better than whatever you've done there."

The young man rolled his eyes but allowed Lucy to fix his tie. She hadn't been lying, she really didn't do a very good job, but at least it wasn't twisted together and hanging loosely from his neck anymore. When she finished, she stepped back to inspect the rest of his tuxedo and motioned towards the lapel as she said, "You have this all wrong, too."

Quite a few uncomfortable minutes passed as Lucy dressed him like a child. Strangely, she was enjoying herself. Taking care of someone else wasn't something she'd ever had to do, especially not someone being paid – or so she hoped – to take care of her. She didn't mind, though. It was a nice change.

Once she finished buttoning his jacket, Lucy said, "My tutor will be here soon, if she isn't already. I have to go to the study for my lessons. You can go with me or stay here. It doesn't matter to me."

The only response she received was a nod, so Lucy turned to leave the room. Just before closing the door behind her, she looked back at her new attendant. "I just realized I don't know what your name is."

The young man stared into her eyes for a few seconds too long, making her feel like he was looking into her soul to determine whether or not to answer her. When he finally spoke, it was simply one word. "Erik"

With a nod, she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Midday quickly became evening after that. Her academic lessons were completed by late afternoon, leaving Lucy to decide if she would take dinner in her quarters or join her father in the main dining hall. Unwillingly to spend the next few hours in the company of that man, even if she did have several questions for him about her new attendant, Lucy decided she would have dinner in her rooms.

The mealtime began in weighted silence. Her almost-friend, a maid named Anissa, hadn't delivered her meal that evening, so there was no one to talk to. Instead, it had been delivered by the cook's son, a disgusting man in his early twenties that made Lucy's skin crawl. She'd been glad her attendant was at her side when the man delivered her food. The presence of another male seemed to ward off his usual attempts at flirting and casual touching.

A few bites into her food, Lucy looked to her side where her attendant stood, once against staring out a window. Did he crave freedom as much as she did? It was an interesting thought, one that had her mind going to a dangerous place. Could they help each other escape this life? Sharing her plan with him would be risky. What if he said no and then told her father? The act of loyalty to the Master of the Heartfilia Estate might get him out of whatever situation had landed him in unwillingly servitude. But what if he didn't tell anyone and could help her? He was bound to have more knowledge of the outside world than she did. She'd never been allowed to go anywhere without her father or a trusted servant in attendance, and even those outings had been limited to business deals or social events. Picking a path through the forest was one thing, but covering her identity and living a life outside the estate was something else entirely.

Attempting to focus her mind on anything other than her current thoughts, Lucy's eyes landed on Erik's covered plate. She wondered if he was hungry, he had to be with how skinny he was, but he hadn't made a move to sit and eat with her. Maybe he was the type of attendant that believed he couldn't eat with his charge? Lucy wouldn't have that. She'd never treated her attendants as if they were beneath her, even if she wasn't very friendly with them.

"Erik, you're welcome to sit with me and eat." She said softly, keeping her eyes forward but noticing how his head turned sharply in her direction. After a moment of hesitation, Erik sat himself at the table next to Lucy and removed the domed cover from his plate of food. She was surprised by the way he ate as if he hadn't seen food in days, though she realized she shouldn't have been. When she helped him fix his suit earlier, Lucy noticed the way his ribs rested a bit too noticeably beneath the lapel as she buttoned it and his clavicle seemed too pronounced as she adjusted the tie.

With a small giggle, she said, "You can slow down a little. No one is going to steal your food from you. I certainly don't want it. The cooks always give me more than I can eat, anyway, so I'll have some leftover that you can have."

He shot her a glare similar to the one he'd given her when she'd helped with his tie, but it had less heat this time. Maybe he was getting used to being around her. The doubts she had about sharing her plans with him lessened as the meal went on. It wasn't as if he spoke to her to ease those fears. He still hadn't uttered more than the two words he'd spoken earlier that day, but something about him made her relax. Instinctively, she felt as if she could trust him. She may come to regret it, but she decided to take a leap of faith.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Erik looked up at Lucy, initiating eye contact with her for the first time since they met. The way he stared at her was unnerving, like he knew everything she was thinking and they were somehow communicating in that moment. When he nodded to her unvoiced thoughts, she sucked in a breath, wondering if she was crazy or if he really knew what she was thinking.

He put his finger to his lips in the worldwide symbol for staying quiet. Understanding, Lucy nodded, though she was still awestruck at the current situation. When he was sure she'd stay quiet, Erik motioned widely to the room around them with one hand and then pointed at his ears. A confused look settled over Lucy for a moment, wondering what that could mean. And then it dawned on her. He wanted her to be quiet because someone or something around the room was listening in. Did that mean he could really hear her thoughts and had just prevented her from spilling her plan to whoever was spying on them?!

When he nodded again, Lucy nearly fell out of her chair in shock. He could hear her thoughts! This was amazing and terrifying and all around fantastic. He'd just saved her from outing herself! Too many emotions had Lucy feeling a bit manic and it all tumbled out in a fit of laughter. Erik eyed her as if she'd lost her mind and maybe she had. She had a new attendant that could read her mind. Was the solitude getting to her? She had to test this out.

Erik rolled his eyes at her and sighed in defeat, knowing he'd have to play along with her little game for now. Of course, she started off with Can you hear me? Hadn't they already established that? He nodded anyway. She squealed again, much to his distaste, but he could only glare at her. Saying what he was thinking would give away that he was indeed not a trained servant. Though, it seemed she'd already figured that out. The next few minutes were filled with Lucy thinking random things at Erik, like asking for the salt shaker, and him responding by fulfilling the request. When she'd finally accepted he could hear her, she finally asked the question he'd been waiting for.

Do you want to go with me tonight?

He didn't answer right away. Not because he didn't know the answer but simply because he enjoyed her discomfort. Her thoughts were racing wildly and it was the most amusement he'd found in awhile. When she was really starting to doubt herself, he finally nodded in agreement. The squeal that followed earned her another eye roll. With another gesture, he reminded her that someone could hear everything. Realizing it was odd of her to squeal when they weren't speaking, Lucy quickly said, "Thank you so much for killing the beetle."

"You're welcome." Erik answered, glad she'd come up with an excuse for the noise. At least she wasn't stupid.

Time seemed to come to a crawl after dinner. It would be more than three hours before the pair could slip out unnoticed. She did her best to follow her usual nightly routine but had a hard time focusing on anything except the time. Even her favorite form of relaxation, a warm bath, didn't settle her nerves. It didn't seem to matter to her busy mind that she'd successfully snuck out countless times in the past. The permanence of her trip tonight had her on edge. After her long bath, she dried her hair and spent a ridiculous amount of time styling it different ways until she finally settled on a ponytail. When she finished dressing, she pulled a nightgown on over her mini skirt and top in case another servant popped up. As much as she wanted to have her boots on her feet for a quick exit, she knew wearing them around would only cause suspicion if anyone saw her.

It surprised her how calm Erik seemed through her whirlwind of excitement. He hadn't spoken to her again, so his word count was still only up to four words. Why didn't he ever talk? It wasn't as if they had to talk about their plans. And why wasn't he as jittery as she was? Lucy didn't understand how he could be kneeling in front of the fireplace as if the two of them weren't planning to runaway in two short hours. He went on acting like the good little attendant he was pretending to be, dropping her dirty clothes down the laundry chute for the maids to tend, putting out the fire for the night, turning down her sheets as if she'd be crawling into them any minute.

Lucy stomped her way over to stand in front of Erik and huffed in irritation, "You're possibly the most boring attendant I've ever had."

With an infuriating smirk, Erik bowed slightly with a hand over his heart as he said, "Apologies, my lady. Would you like to play a board game?" His tone was even and would sound polite to anyone listening in, but Lucy could feel the sarcasm rolling off of him. Not one to be outdone, she curtsied and very politely said, "Yes, that would be lovely."

And that's how they spent the last two hours waiting for the guard rotation to take place. During their three games of chess, Lucy discovered Erik was highly competitive but horrible at chess. It didn't take him long to catch onto the game. She beat him each time but only by a few moves in the last game, so she assumed he must be fairly intelligent. The glare she received after that thought made her grin.

With the lights dimmed for the night, Lucy went to her bed and Erik left her room to return to his own. Lucy lay there silently, her anxiety getting the best of her as her mind conjured up every possible negative outcome for the night. She chastised herself for being so nervous. She'd been made it out many times and this time would be exactly the same, but she wouldn't be coming back. An excited giggle almost slipped out as soon as that thought crossed her mind. She'd finally be free in a few hours.

Erik returned to Lucy's room at exactly 11:45pm, ten minutes before they'd make their escape. He moved so quietly that she didn't hear him come in and nearly startled her into squealing again. With a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, he shook his head. When she nodded in understanding, he released her and moved back to let her stand up. Lucy noticed he was wearing the same tattered outfit he'd arrived in, which was much more suitable for traveling, and made quick work of the nightgown before slipping on her boots. With a quick wave to Erik, she motioned for him to come over to her jewelry stand, where they both pocketed as much as they could carry.

He didn't understand why she trusted him so much. It seemed so foolish. Not only did she mentally lay out her escape route with no qualms about how he may betray her, she also handed him an assortment of jewelry worth more than any fortune he'd ever seen in his life. He could easily ditch her somewhere or knock her out and take the jewelry she carried. He could even sell her off to bandits for a cut of the ransom money. The girl didn't make sense to him, but he also felt a need to protect her. Mostly from herself. They were so much alike but different in so many ways. The familiarity unsettled him but he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind to focus on the task at hand.

Pockets full of jewelry, the two quietly made their way to the back exit of Lucy's living quarters. This time of night, no one ever used that entrance, as it was normally only used by the kitchen staff. The same wards Erik had seen painted over the front entrance were shown here at the back, but they didn't so much as glow when Lucy stepped through. Being intimately familiar with magic that kept a prisoner from escaping, he was certain those wards were meant to keep her inside, but she'd passed right through. It was clear she could use magic too, but he wasn't sure what type. He'd have to ask her about that later.

It didn't take long for them to wind their way through the gardens. When they reached the end of the manicured path, they paused to look around. Just as Lucy expected, no guards were nearby when they sprinted across the open field that stretched from the gardens to the tree line. So far the night was going just as all the others had. As soon as they were under the cover of the shadows, the two stopped for a moment to catch their breath. The walk through the dark forest would be easy. The next challenge would be scaling the wall, and then they had to make it past the town before sunrise. Her fear of trying to get through the town on her own had kept her from trying this sooner, but maybe it'd be possible with Erik's ability to hear thoughts.

Lucy looked over at him, wondering if he'd been listening in. When he nodded, she wasn't sure if it was to say he had been listening or that he could get them through town, but it didn't matter all that much. Just having him there was reassuring. Was this what it was like to have a friend? Embarrassed by her trail of thought, she shoved that thought down as far as she could while praying he hadn't heard her. Admitting she'd never had a friend would be horrifying. The truth was she'd never even spent time around anyone her age outside formal events.

A quick peek told her he wasn't staring at her like she was a crazy, so maybe he hadn't been paying attention. She tugged on his sleeve and started walking along the path she'd memorized. He followed closely behind her, doing his best to pay attention to her movements in the dark forest. They moved quickly, avoiding most of the underbrush and only gaining a few scratches along the way.

Just over an hour later, they broke through on the other side of the small forest behind the Heartfilia Estate and were now facing the wall surrounding it. This was the furthest Lucy had ever gone. She'd done some research about the geography of the land between the wall and the closest town, but she'd never gone to look for herself. Fear constricted her movements as she realized how close she was to actually being free.

Noticing Lucy's building panic, Erik grabbed her hand and tugged her forward as he whispered, "Come on. We're almost there. Don't chicken out now."

Too shocked to continue feeling panic, Lucy looked at Erik with wide eyes and whisper-yelled, "Look at that! You can talk like a normal person."

"Shut up and let's go." He grumbled as he roughly dropped her hand. "I don't feel like getting caught and sent back."

That was enough to get Lucy moving. Stretching on her toes, she was barely able to reach the top of the stone. Even with a few pathetic jumps, she couldn't get herself onto the wall. Erik pulled himself up easily and turned his body so he was lying on his stomach with a hand stretched out to Lucy. Once again grateful for his help, she gave him a bright smile before gripping his hand tightly and using it to help pull herself up. When they dropped down to the other side, Lucy whispered a quick "thanks" before looking ahead of at the open countryside.

Excitement unlike any she'd felt before coursed through her body. She was finally free! With the world stretching before her, she grabbed Erik's hand and pulled him along as she broke out into a jog. Her voice held a light giggle as she whispered, "Let's get out of here."

The pair jogged a little ways until they reached the cover of another group of trees. Lucy doubled over with her hands on her knees, huffing from exhaustion. It was clear to Erik that she'd never done much physical exercise. He gave her a couple minutes to catch her breath since he could tell no one was around. When he started to get antsy from being in one place too long, he grunted, "You'll have to suck it up and keep moving, Fugitive. You can rest later."

"Fuck off." She forced out through her struggled breathing.

"Oh, the princess has a personality." He said snarkily as he started walking away. "I thought maybe you were just a stuffy, pompous bitch like the rest of them."

Lucy jogged a few steps to catch up and said, "I have plenty of personality. I just had to play daddy's good girl to avoid punishment." They walked a bit further in silence before she worked up the nerve to ask, "So, what's your story? It's obvious you're not trained in servitude."

Erik looked at her for a second before deciding to answer. It wasn't as if he had to keep their secrets now. "I was there as a test from your father. He planned to hire my guild – well, now former guild – for an undercover job but he wanted to see how trustworthy we were. If I could get through taking care of his most prized possession without ruining it, he could trust us with his job."

Disgust twisted Lucy's features into an ugly scowl. "Are you serious?!"

"Shhh!" Erik nearly shouted at her, "Keep it down, unless you want to get caught. What do you think will happen to me if I'm caught outside the estate with the Heartfilia heiress in tow?"

Effectively chastised, Lucy whispered, "Oh, sorry. So, why are you running away from your guild?"

His only response was an indecipherable grunt before he barked, "Less talking, more walking. I want to get past the town before your out of shape ass collapses."

Huffing with a dramatic roll of her eyes, Lucy decided to obediently follow along, but it would only be temporary. She'd be getting answers out of him and she hoped he was listening in on her thoughts hard enough to expect it coming. His quiet snort reassured her he was.