Part 1 - The Beginning

Bright afternoon rays streamed through the intricate glass-stained windows, bathing the room in a soft glow and highlighting the various toys and trinkets lining the shelves along the walls. In a corner of the room sat a handsome mahogany desk and a rigid high-backed chair, occupied by a tiny figure in a pretty pink gown. Golden hair cascaded down her back as she hunched over the desk, a quill in her hand and her small pink tongue sticking out as her brow furrowed in concentration. She gently placed the quill to the parchment on the desk and endeavored to do what her (rather strict) governess had just instructed her to do. The only problem was, she had not exactly been paying full heed to her governess (it was just such a lovely day out, just look at that blue sky beckoning to her from her balcony!) and she had no clue exactly what she was supposed to do. She chanced a surreptitious glance at her governess. The tall and stern Lady Aquarius narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Well, get on with it. We don't have all day."

The little girl gulped. With the most innocent look she could muster, she turned to face the lady whose legendary temper had high knights of the palace shivering in fear.

"P-Pardon me milady, but I don't think I caught the last part. May I have the sonnet again?"

"No"

"V-very well, I… I suppose I remember it now."

She turned back to the desk, nibbling the end of her quill.

"And take that out of your mouth."

"Y-Y-Yes milady"

She took a deep breath, dipped her quill in the inkwell, and prepared to face her doom.

At that moment, a soft click rebounded in the room and the door opened to reveal a tall man with silver hair, a strong physique, and an impressive monocle. He gazed at the Lady Aquarius, his grim and stiff stance belied by the kind twinkle in his eye.

He bowed to the majestic governess.

"Lady Aquarius."

"Lord Capricorn."

"Pardon the interruption milady, but his grace the Duke Everlue has requested your assistance. He has a particularly difficult epistle he is trying to compose to the King and he would like your input."

The Lady Aquarius's brow twitched and her magnificent nostrils flared. She suddenly exuded such a wrathful menace that her little ward visibly shrunk into her chair, very much glad that she was not the recipient of her governess' ire.

"That pompous little ass can figure out his atrocious grammar on his own. Do I look like a common-servant? Does he not know his place?"

"Errrr… he is a guest of his Majesty, perhaps it would be wise to inform him of his limitations in person?"

Aquarius glared at the serious man. Gnashing her teeth, she abruptly turned to the little girl who had been squirming in place throughout the exchange.

"You are a fortunate little brat, Princess. That ends our lesson for today, I have more important matters to deal with."

Lucy shuddered, sending out a silent prayer for the unlucky Duke who had incurred Lady Aquarius' fury. Without a backward glance, Aquarius swept out of the room. Lord Capricorn turned his attention to the little Princess.

"You may proceed to the garden for lunch your highness, the servants have already arranged it in the usual corner."

Lucy clambered out of her chair and lowered herself into a graceful curtsy in response.

"Thank you, my Lord."

Capricorn returned the gesture with an equally formal bow and a soft smile, closing the door with a click as he exited.

Lucy sighed. As relieved as she was about the early respite, she had mixed feelings about the rest of her day. Of her daily schedule, the afternoon and evening she spent in her garden after lunch always proved to be the most boring… and lonely. She sighed as her thoughts drifted to the monotony of her daily life.

She woke up every day just before dawn and began a long primping session with her maids-in-waiting. Once that ended, she would be ushered down to breakfast with her governess, Lady Aquarius. That was usually a nerve-racking affair, as Lady Aquarius would use it as an opportunity to correct her posture, rebuke her on her table-manners and generally chide her 'bratty ways'. After breakfast, she would have a sewing lesson with the Master of Wardrobe - a gentle and apologetic girl named Lady Aries - followed by a music lesson with Lady Lyra. She would then practice her painting skills while she waited for Lady Aquarius to begin their reading and writing lesson. Lucy was somewhat of a prodigy with most art-based forms. Her skills in painting had been so exemplary that her painting master had declared her ready to venture out onto her own into the world of the masters after just two fortnights of lessons. Her music mistress fawned over her mastery of the harp, Lucy being able to perform beautiful arias within just days of it being introduced to her. Lady Aries always praised her beautifully embroidered tapestries, amidst apologies for her pricked fingers. And even Lady Aquarius had to begrudgingly admit to her little pupil's skill in composing fanciful stories and beautiful poetry. As talented as Lucy was in the arts, she could not reproduce an ounce of such skill in more serious pursuits such as arithmetic, a Kingdom's administration details or battle tactics. In fact, the sonnets she had been struggling with were a part of a composition regarding the history of Pergrande's military accomplishments that her governess had hoped would be easier to learn given the poetic nature of the work. It had been easier than reading plain prose, but not by much. Now that her lesson with her governess was over, just as every other day, she would be sent to the foyer in the garden to partake of her lunch and then allowed time to 'exercise' in the palace's spacious garden. Although her mornings were hectic and (when Lady Aquarius was involved) a little stressful, Lucy enjoyed the company of her staff - who honestly felt more like her family. After her mother had passed away when she was barely a few years old, it was the staff who had raised her, being her strongest support for the past ten years of her life. The post-lunch session was always a little boring as she had no playmates, all the palace staff being far too busy attending to their daily chores to entertain her. She was forced to roam around aimlessly most of the time.

Lucy carefully made her way down to the garden. She listlessly picked at the lunch laid out for her, managing a few bites of the bread and drinking a little of the scrumptious soup but ignoring the fish entirely. It looked as delicious as all of Sir Cancer's delectable dishes, but the sight of it made Lucy nauseous.

For the past few months, she had been fed copious amounts of meat in all forms, in the hopes that it would add a little more flesh to her delicate frame. Apparently, she was to start more physical pursuits in a few months time, and her current stature would have been to her disadvantage. The Marshal of the castle had informed her that he would soon be teaching her horseback riding, and she would also be receiving lessons in combat from the Steward. The change in diet had felt like an ordeal to the dainty little princess, whose favorite foods were all varieties of fruits and vegetables. Her absolute favorite fruit, the star fruit, was so rich in nutrients that it would have served as an excellent substitute for meat. However, it was extremely rare and even rumored to be magical. She had only had it on a few occasions, usually when she managed to sneak down to the stables and run into Sir Loke, a charming stable hand. He claimed to have 'magical contacts' and would occasionally gift her the coveted star fruit. Lucy flinched. Even in the safety of her own mind, she felt guilty thinking about magic. It had been banned for centuries in all human kingdoms and her father, the King of Pergrande, was particularly against it. He especially detested dragons, having once waged a bitter war against them and lost - or so the rumors went. According to palace gossip, the feeling of hatred was mutual - for soon after that war, the fabled dragons had cast a spell around their entire kingdom cursing any human who dared approach their lands to die a horrible death. But dragons and all other magical races had been out of sight of the human race for so long that stories of them seemed like myths and fairy tales. The only reminder of the existence of magic in their world were… Mages. Though they were almost as mystical as the magical races themselves, there was more concrete proof of their existence, whispers of outlying kingdoms ruled by these powerful, magical humans.

Deep in her heart, Lucy was fascinated by magic and hoped to meet a magical being someday.

With that bold thought in mind, Lucy glanced about her to see what the lunch maids were doing. The two who were supposed to be attending to her were busy chatting with each other - neither really paying attention to her. She was considered a sweet, obedient child by most of the inhabitants of the castle (except probably Aquarius… and her father) so she was usually given more freedom to do as she pleased within the palace grounds. A fact that her mischievous side took full advantage of. With another sly glance at the distracted maids, Lucy deftly slipped the fish under the table. With practiced movements, she wrapped it in her lace handkerchief and hid it within the folds of her petticoat.

"I am done. Kindly convey my compliments to Chef Cancer!" She hopped off her stool and dipped into a low curtsy, addressing the maids.

They glanced at the table, taking in the empty plate of fish with satisfaction. "Of course your highness! It is wonderful to see you begin to finally eat your meat, you have been wiping your plate clean for the past few days now!"

The maids missed the flash of guilt on Lucy's face. "May I be excused?"

"Certainly your highness. Do be back before supper."

With another careful curtsy, Lucy ran off towards the gardens, making a beeline for the imposing maze at the center. Over the years, she had roamed the maze so many times, that she knew every twist and turn in her sleep. She entered it confidently, making her way to a particular dead end with a pretty little peach tree. This tree had a hole in its trunk. Lucy dropped to her knees beside the tree and reached into the hole, drawing out another silk handkerchief with a piece of meat wrapped in it. This was Sir Cancer's delicious attempt the day before, and Lucy was surprised to see it still looked fresh. She added the fish to the already occupied handkerchief and placed the packet back in the trunk. She then picked up her now soiled handkerchief, as she made her way out of the maze to the other end.

A few minutes later she emerged from the maze to face a fountain. This part of the garden looked more wild and unkempt, for it was rare for anyone to make it through the entire maze to the end to see it. This was Lucy's favorite spot. The fountain in the center looked old and worn, but the fish that swam in it were golden koi - some of the most beautiful fish she had ever seen. Sitting on the ledge, she dipped her handkerchief in the water, careful not to disturb the fish. Once the cloth looked clean she laid it out on the ledge and plopped down on the grass beside the fountain, staring up at the beautiful blue sky. She began singing softly to herself, not noticing a little creature slink in from underneath the shrubbery bordering the garden. She continued to relax under the sun for at least half an hour before deciding she would need to stretch her limbs again.

As Lucy prepared to head back into the maze, she heard a rather loud splash from the fountain behind her. Curious, she turned around, looking for the spot where the noise had come from. To her surprise, balanced on the edge of the fountain, was the most curious looking cat she had ever seen. It was blue. A bright, ocean-on-a-calm-day blue. At her gasp of shock, the feline turned its head towards her. She was stunned by the intelligence in its eyes. It regarded her with a look that could only be described as mischievous. Holding her gaze, it skillfully held out a paw, and with a loud splash almost snagged one of the golden fish that had passed it by. Lucy glared at the little cat, her hands on her hips.

"Don't do that! Those fish are special, they are not meant to be eaten!"

The little cat hissed at her but retracted his paw. However, as he gazed after his escaped prey with a look of longing in his eyes, Lucy's eyes softened and her strict stance disappeared.

"You are hungry, aren't you?"

The cat turned to her and gave her another look. Obviously, it seemed to say.

"Would you wait here a moment then? I have a fish you are welcome to eat, just please don't attack any fish in the pond!"

The cat sat back on its haunches and began leisurely licking its paw. With one last look at the perfectly content feline, Lucy ran as fast as her legs would carry her back to the spot in the maze where she had stashed the fish. She pulled out her handkerchief and packed the fish in it along with the spicy meat cutlet that still seemed to taste fine. She was sure the cat could find a friend to finish it off. Or it would eat it itself. It seemed like a rather hungry cat.

She returned to the fountain moments later, to find the cat exactly in the same spot she had left it, in the same relaxed stance. Walking cautiously closer, she opened her handkerchief and laid out her spoils for its inspection. The cat gave a little purr of satisfaction at the sight of the fish and seemed to give a nod to the cutlet as well. It skillfully grabbed the edges of the handkerchief in its mouth, hopped off the ledge of the fountain, and began trotting towards the tall shrubbery bordering the woods at the edge of the garden. Just before reaching the foliage it turned back to Lucy and gave her a look. Aren't you coming? it seemed to say. Lucy gulped, a little nervous. She knew what lay beyond the edge of her garden. Her staff had warned her of the enchanted woods that were said to curse anyone wicked who dared venture into it. But she wasn't wicked, right? And if a little blue cat was brave enough to venture into it, shouldn't she be as well? And besides, the alternative would have been to spend the remainder of the afternoon walking through the maze again.

Yes. She would follow the cat.

30 minutes later, and after quite a few stumbles and falls, Lucy had begun to question her decision. Perhaps she should have just stayed in the garden, memorizing her maze again - it seemed far more entertaining than following this exasperating cat through the almost impossible-to-navigate woods. Although she wasn't really sure what was annoying her more - the mysterious woods, or the infuriating cat leading her through them.

The cat. Definitely the cat.

The little brute seemed to be enjoying watching her trip and fall and struggle through the woods, even stopping at times just to absorb the sight of her floundering. When instead, it could have helped her. She had suspected the cat was magical when she had first seen it, but now - after watching it prance with such ease through the magical woods - she was positively certain it was. The way it seemed to gracefully navigate the forest floor littered with debris almost as if it was flying, and the intelligence in its eyes as it gave her looks to encourage her down the 'right' path were solid indicators of its mystical nature. It could do more than just purr and walk. She knew it. And the darn little cat did too. It just enjoyed watching her suffer.

So caught up in her thoughts of self-pity, Lucy did not notice that the cat had finally led her to a little clearing in the woods. At first, the sudden light streaming in from the hole in the forest's thick canopy blinded her, and she blinked to adjust her vision. The little cat had trotted forward and settled down next to a figure leaning against a boulder and facing a tiny stream in the center of the clearing. Blinking a little more, she hesitantly took a step forward. The cat had laid out her handkerchief next to the figure. She gasped and froze as she observed the hand that stretched out to pet the cat. It had bright red scales on the back from the fingertips to the wrist, and the nails were more like claws. The arm was covered in tan skin from the wrist upwards where the rest of the creature was hidden behind the boulder. She almost turned and fled immediately, but froze again the very next instant when she heard a distinct sound come from the creature behind the boulder.

sob

"H-hey Happy. sniff Whatcha got there boy?"

Lucy relaxed, her gaze softening as she took in the sight before her. Whoever was hidden behind the boulder was obviously upset. Unhappy. Maybe even lonely. And those were emotions she knew far too well. She felt them every time her father returned home, only sparing a glance her way to convey his stern disapproval of her very existence. She was a girl after all, and her father had been expecting his only heir to be male. She had disappointed him by her birth and continued to do so by her inability to learn useful military strategies and administration methods.

Shaking her head to clear her morose thoughts, Lucy took a deep breath and focused once again on the cat and the figure. The cat had temporarily forgotten her, enjoying the petting session its master was giving it as it hummed in contentment. She lifted the hem of her skirt to help her traverse the fresh green grass cloaking the clearing, and took a few more tentative steps forward. A slight breeze blew through, billowing her poofy skirt. The scaled hand petting the little blue feline froze when the breeze wafted past. In the blink of an eye, the figure rose from its hidden spot and lunged towards the unsuspecting girl. Lucy barely had a second to catch her breath before she stood face to face with a young boy, not much taller than she. The rich red scales she had noticed on his hands covered his feet, shoulders and the sides of his face as well. His smooth tan skin covered the rest of his toned, muscular (mostly exposed) body, only marred by a patch of what looked like a black burn wound, extending from his right elbow to a few inches below his shoulder. He had a head of salmon pink hair, from which rose two twisted horns. From her vantage point, she could also make out the outline of wings emerging from his back. A scaled red tail rested by his feet. He wore nothing but a simple pair of black harem pants and an open black vest, both with gold trim.

Lucy shuddered when she took in the look on his face - ferocious, challenging and tense. But in that very moment, she also noticed the tear tracks that had not yet dried on his tan cheeks and the look of sadness hidden within the depths of his brilliant jade eyes. Her own brown orbs widened, her hands raised in a placating gesture of surrender. He frowned, staring into her eyes.

"You're human."

An impatient purr at Lucy's feet distracted her. She glanced down at the little cat as it wound around her legs, rubbing against the soft silk of her dress.

At the sight of his cat greeting the girl so fondly, the boy visibly relaxed, his expression changing to one of open curiosity instead.

"But Happy seems to like you. So I suppose you are not evil."

Ignoring the 'evil' comment, Lucy focused on the first part of the strange boy's statement.

"Happy? Is that his name?" She swept the squirming cat up into her arms. "What a strange name for a cat."

"But I'm not a cat! I'm an exceed!"

It took a second for Lucy to realize that the high-pitched squeaky voice had issued from the cat in her arms, who was looking up at her with a put upon pout and a glint of merriment in his eyes.

Lucy screeched, abruptly dropping the creature and flinging herself backward as far away from it as she could.

"YOU CAN TALK?!"

In her haste to escape she tripped over the long hem of her skirt and landed quite hard on her rump.

The two males blinked at her for a moment and then began roaring with laughter.

Lucy fumed. Not only had they surprised her so rudely, but they had also laughed at her unfortunate accident. Before she could rebuke them, the boy spoke.

"You're so strange."

This seemed to snap what little was left of Lucy's patience. She scrambled to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at the odd boy.

"And you are the RUDEST boy I have ever had the misfortune to meet! How dare you call me strange when you look like this and have a talking cat. A TALKING CAT. I've never heard of an exceed, and that creature looks and acts awfully like a CAT. You and that CAT owe me an apology! That CAT mocked me the entire way here! And what sort of boy just stands there and laughs while a girl trips and falls right before him?! A gentleman would have offered his sympathies and assistance! Er… gentle-boy in your case. Wait, you're obviously not even a boy! So just what are you?!"

"I'm a dragon."

"Of cou - wait. Did you say you are a dragon?"

The boy gave her a huge grin, his sharp canines glinting in the sunlight.

"Yeah! Are you hard of hearing?"

"Wha… NO, I AM NOT, ugh, I can hear perfectly fine! I was just… surprised. I've heard that dragons are huge and vicious, and well… you don't look like either."

The dragon boy frowned. "You've heard of dragons but not of exceeds?"

Lucy hung her head, guilt writ on her face. "Knowledge of the magical races and indeed, magic itself, is forbidden in Pergrande. What little I know is from rumors and hearsay."

The dragon boy just nodded, as if expecting this answer. "The rumors are not entirely untrue. This is not my full form. I can be huge. And I am vicious to my enemies." He cocked his head, observing her with a critical look.

"But you are funny. And strange. I would like to be your friend. That is… If-if you would like to be mine." Contrary to his previous confident pose, the little boy suddenly shrunk away, refusing to look her in the eyes. The memory of a sad event seemed to plague him as he gazed forlornly at a spot on the ground.

The exceed who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, piped up.

"It's okay Natsu, I'm sure she will be our friend - she's nice! Even if she is a little strange… She gave me that fish and meat I brought you. And I didn't even have to ask her for it!"

"You gave Happy this meal?" He turned his head towards the handkerchief and took a whiff. "It smells delicious! Thanks!"

Lucy could feel her cheeks heat up as the dragon boy turned to her with a brilliant grin on his face. He really had a beautiful smile.

"Natsu doesn't have many friends among the dragon hatchlings. So would you be our friend, human?"

She looked between the hopeful faces of the dragon and his exceed friend. Her eyes softened, and she gave them a gentle smile.

"I would be honored to be your friend. And my name is Lucy."

"Yay! Hear that Happy?! Luigi is our friend!"

"LUCY. I just told you my name is Lucy!"

"Aye! Luigi will have to let me fish in that fancy pond she guards, now that she's our friend!"

"MY NAME IS LUCY YOU INFERNAL FELINE. And I will NOT let you fish there even though we may be friends! And why would you think I was guarding that fountain?"

"Well, what else could you be doing? You looked far too dumb to be doing anything else."

"... THAT'S IT! I WILL KILL YOU, YOU DEVIL IN CATS FORM! COME HERE AND ACCEPT YOUR DOOM!"

With a hearty battle cry, Lucy hitched up her skirt and lunged at the little cat. With a yelp, the feline sprouted a pair of downy white wings and gracefully took to the air, taunting and teasing Lucy even more as he hovered safely out of her reach. Lucy gawked at him, while Natsu rolled on the ground in laughter, amused by the antics of the two. With a mischievous smirk, Lucy changed targets. She whirled around, grabbing Natsu's horn and giving it a swift tug before running out of his reach.

"Tag! You're it!"