The fierce February sun beat down unrelentlessly on the fine carriage, the twin horses tossing their heads to fight the swarm of flies attacking their sweaty hides. Iron-shod hooves clipped on the worn cobblestones, the familiar sound nearly drowned out by the clatter of the carriage wheels behind them. Unfamiliar crests adorned the side of the doors, and people of the town muttered to each other, wondering who these new nobles could be. Probably just strangers here to bring more problems to Grimstone Manor.
A wagon followed the intricate carriage, piled high with trunks and bags and suitcases, all likely filled with finery. A young woman sat at the head of the wagon, hands coated in makeup and clenched around the reins as she kept her eyes focused on the backs of the horses pulling her forward through the impoverished town. Blonde hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, the strands brushing the bench she sat on and the skirts covering her legs. Her dress consisted of plain black skirts, a white apron tying around the waist and blending with the white bodice, the sleeves cutting off at her elbows. Unlike the poor farmers of the town, her dress was made of gentle cotton, her skin was pale, and her hands uncalloused and smooth. That itself spoke volumes of these new nobles. Even their maid wore nicer clothes than all the members of the town, and she had an air about her that she had never seen a long day of manual labor.
Perhaps the only surprising part of this party was their lack of guards or protection. Besides the driver of the carriage and the maid guiding the wagon, the only others of the group were the nobles, and their indeterminable numbers were a topic of conversation for the town members for a multitude of days. No one stepped outside while the vehicles clattered down the streets, so they missed the fluttering of the curtains in the carriage, a head of dark blue hair peeking out at the town around her.
"Sit still, Wendy," Erza muttered, smoothing the silk skirts of her deep purple gown. She was glad for the carriage keeping out the heat; the amount of fabric encasing her body nearly suffocated her even in the shade. But according to Seck and his agents, this was the fashion of the nobles in Benos. It reminded her of the dress she wore to the ball the King had thrown in thanks for their win against the dragons from the past. Yet the dress she wore now was so much finer, a gown truly worthy of a noblewoman. It clung to her torso, flaring out slightly at the hips and falling to the ground loosely. She was just glad that the fabric flowed and moved as she did; if the dress had been stiff and firm, she might have torn it off after a few minutes. As it were, the bodice of the dress clung to her and accentuated her figure, something accomplished by squeezing her ribcage. But instead of the long sleeves she had dreaded, the fabric bunched around her shoulders, leaving her arms free to breathe. Erza shifted, rolling her neck as the weight of the hair piled on top of her head started to affect her. "I really don't know how Lucy wore these things for years."
Gray grunted in agreement, pulling at the collar of his shirt almost immediately after. Both men were dressed similarly; the only real difference was color and that Natsu's waistcoat had been chucked across the carriage as soon as the vehicle started moving. Dark pants, light button-up shirts, and dark waistcoats with matching ties completed their outfits. Gray was having a real hard time keeping everything on, even though he was consciously aware of the punishment Erza would enact the minute his tie loosened. This freaking heat doesn't help matters... I don't know how Lucy's sitting out there in the sun and not melting. Or the guy driving this thing.
Wendy bit back a moan, focusing on the sweat running down her back. Her own hair was done up in a simple fashion, keeping the heavy strands from dragging across her sticky skin. She was positively thankful that her mint green dress did not cling to her skin like Erza's did—especially since she didn't have anywhere near the same curvaceous form as the scarlet warrior—but instead was cinched at her waist with a white ribbon, remaining loose everywhere else, even at the soft sleeves gathered up around her shoulders. The only upside to this ride was that apparently Benos had motion-sickness medicine, and now she and Natsu were able to sit in this carriage without puking their guts out. Well, without the vehicle making her want to puke. Even with Seck's ministrations, Wendy still felt awful. She wasn't surprised. The closer their carriage drew to the manor, the more her stomach turned and twisted. If not for the fear of ruining her beautiful new dress as well as everyone else's, she would've been lying on the floor by now. As it were, coughs still forced their way out, disrupting the quiet and sending bolts of pity through the other occupants of the carriage. She longed for Carla, but both Exceeds were concealed in the luggage that was piled high in the wagon Lucy drove.
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Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}
FanfictionFairy Tail's strongest team has embarked on the Century Quest, a job that no one has been able to complete in a hundred years, not even Gildarts. But they have something else no one before them has had: a team of powerful wizards. So when the matter...
