A Lost Boy

Chapter 24

On board the pirate ship Natsu, Romeo, and the lost boys were thrown on to the floor, all huddled up and still with their wrists binded by rope. They struggled and resisted for as long as they could but in the end it proved futile. They went white when they saw the pirates Yomazu and Kawazu preparing a certain plank of wood. They knew very well what that plank was going to be used for. Hades intended to force them to walk on and them plummet from it into the water with their hands bound so they could not swim and would eventually drown.

Juvia however was not in their little huddle. She had been tied to the mast of the ship and Captain Hades stepped toward her with that same malicious smile on his face that made her both afraid and disgusted. 

"There's still room for a storyteller." He said as his hand stroked her face. 

"I'd rather die." She said scornfully.

For a moment he looked as if he appeared to be having a flashback or thinking back to something. Something that made him look very unsettling, but it didn't last and he regained his composure. 

"What a shame."  He said.

"Captain!" Capricorn said going to his side. "Look at the sky."

He did as did every other pirate. The sky had become so dark, there wasn't even any stars to be seen. The water became frozen all around and rapid snow began to fall and blow in a harsh winter wind, in the mist of it an anguished cry could be heard and Hades recognized it as Gray's. The sound pleased him.

"He is dead." He declared triumphantly.

"No!" Shouted the lost boys in horrified disbelief. "No! No! Impossible! He can't be dead!"

But as the atmosphere of Tendrou Island became more cold and dark they found themselves being convinced that it was true. The pirates on the other hand cheered in victory but Hades raised his hand to silence them. Though thrilled at his apparent success at killing his foe, he still had some formalities and respect.

"Hats off!" He ordered. "A moment of silence for our fallen enemy."

The pirates did as he commanded. The children were stunned with grief by these news. Poor Juvia felt as if once again an arrow had been shot at her only this time it did strike her heart. Struck it and broke it into a million pieces, the boy who had become so dear to her was dead. Now she would die and her brothers would die and the other boys would die. They would all die. She had never been so scared in her entire life. Scared or heartbroken. What hurt most of all to her was that she and Gray would die without reconciliation, and she and her brothers would die without ever seeing their parents again.

"We sail at dawn!" Hades announced which granted his crew permission to cheer.

Now as you all know Gray was not dead but he was in sorrow and that could also trigger the bleak climate change in the island. His sorrow was so deep over the fact that his fairy Meredy was dying. He didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life he actually felt helpless. He wanted to stop Meredy from dying but he did not know how. There was only one thing he could think of that might save her. Faith. If enough children believed in fairies it could help her recover but were no children there and it was night time in the real world. Still he had to try.

"I do believe in fairies. I do. I do." He whispered. "I do believe in fairies. I do. I do."

He kept repeating it over and over again. It started out quiet but soon became louder and louder and louder. He stood up, flung out his arms, recited that phrase hoping it would reach out to any children.

"I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!"

It was a plea, a prayer that anyone who heard him would have the belief in fairies if only to save Meredy's life. His prayer reached Juvia first. She didn't hear it but somehow she felt it and cried out loud for all to hear: