Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Sixteen: Mak

"Thank you Evia. I'll stop by in a few days." Lucy beamed at the healer as she closed the door, a large bag slung over her shoulder. The glass bottles inside clinked together as the liquid sloshed, the satchel weighing her down slightly. Still it was nothing compared to the dozens of times she had carried Natsu or any of the other Fairy Tail members when they'd been injured or exhausted. So she sighed, rolling her shoulders and walking towards the kitchen.

Five and a half weeks they'd been here. Five and a half weeks of catering to the needs of snobby, spoiled nobles instead of helping her friends try and uncover the reason why they had come to Grimstone Manor in the first place. She was run ragged every single night, barely having the strength to change clothes at the end of the day before she collapsed on her cot, Natsu's cloak wrapped tightly around her shivering frame. All she wanted to do was curl up on a couch with a thick book and a cup of something warm, and yet she only spent an hour at most with her friends each day. She hated to admit it, but she would give almost anything to be back in Magnolia, even if that meant her teammates were constantly breaking into her apartment.

At least she had been given the rest of the night off. Natsu apparently was just as annoyed that she had barely spent any time with them in almost six weeks, and he had told her yesterday that she was going to stay with them for the evening since they all missed her. And, he had confided extremely quietly, Wendy wanted another girl around who wouldn't be so aggressively kind. That had made Lucy laugh, especially the look of terror on Natsu's face as he avoided looking at Erza. Mrs. Mava had been understanding, saying that she deserved a day off after all of her hard work. Of course, it hadn't been said in that gentle tone, but that's what Lucy got out of the terrifying woman's words.

So Lucy had collected new medicine for Wendy from Evia, and now she was on her way to the kitchens to bring dinner trays upstairs for her friends. How she was going to manage all those flights of steep stairs with not even a free finger, she really didn't know. But she was certainly not going to take more than one trip, not when her thighs and calves already burned from all the flights she climbed in a day.

Yet now that she stood in the kitchens, four trays arrayed on a table before her, she seriously began to doubt her earlier statement. Groaning inwardly, she grabbed two, knowing that she could probably hold the other two but never make it more than a few feet. She sighed, resigning herself to the fate of two trips.

"Ms. Ashley?" Lucy looked up from her grumbling and came face-to-face with Mak, the purple-haired guard who had been so kind to her their first day here.

"Hello Mak. What can I help you with?" He shifted slightly, taking in her full hands before grinning.

"It's more like what can I help you with? Going upstairs?" Lucy nodded, switching her weight from one foot to another. "Do you need assistance? I have some time before my next shift starts."

Lucy's face split into a smile, relief pouring from her eyes. "Oh would you? I really wasn't looking forward to multiple trips. Thank you so much Mak, this is a huge help!" The guard grinned back at her, sweeping up the two extra trays and holding the door open for her.

Together they swiftly left the kitchens, aiming for the closest entrance to the servants' passages. With no nobles in sight, Mak hummed quietly, the tune an unfamiliar one. Lucy glanced over, actually taking him in fully for the first time. Pale skin peeked out from under heavy leather armor in only a few places, mainly his face, wrists, and neck. Unlike so many of the guards back at Crocus, his hair was messy and long, a few strands brushing his eyebrows and hiding parts of his light brown eyes from view. How it didn't constantly annoy the crap out of him, she had no clue. But he was about the same height as Natsu, if not a little shorter, and he likely had a similar body structure under his armor. But from the little that Lucy really knew of him, she decided she was going to like him.