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

Chapter Eighteen: Adventures at Grimstone

"Come on Lucy!" Mak stood by the door, waiting for the young woman to finally catch up with him. She laughed, picking her skirts up and hurrying after him. Blonde hair shone like gold in the sunlight, giant windows letting in the morning rays that transformed the hallways into a masterpiece of pinks and oranges. Mak's attention was drawn to the necklace that bounced against her chest as she walked, the fascinating crystal catching the red and gold of the sun and amplifying it tenfold against her dress. He hadn't seen Lucy without it for the past month, and it made him curious as to who had given it to her. It had probably been for her birthday last month, but who here would have given a maid such a gift? Not that she didn't deserve it.

A lot had changed in the past month, and yet nothing had really happened. Lucy informed him a few weeks ago about her nickname, and he immediately was in favor of Lucy over Ashley. Not that both names weren't pretty. She was just more of a Lucy than an Ashley. It suited her better. Mistress Shelia's health had only declined, and Lucy spent nearly every night in her mistress's room. Mrs. Mava had griped and complained, but she understood why the maid could no longer work as much as she used to. But while Lucy spent more time with her ailing mistress, Lord Drago, Lord Silver, and his wife spent more and more time at court or wandering through the manor. It baffled him. He would never understand why Mistress Shelia's own father and aunt and uncle would choose to not be by her side while her health decreased rapidly, but then again, he would never understand the ways of nobles.

Lucy finally caught up with him, still smiling while she brushed a lock of hair from her face. She had pulled it all back into a simple braid today, and she hoped that it would stay neat for the next several days. She truly didn't feel like dealing with her hair at the moment. She loved her long hair, but parts of her wished she could summon Cancer to trim it back, or at least find a good pair of scissors. But alas.

"What was it that you wanted to show me?" She asked, fingers of her right hand wrapping around her pendant as had become her habit in the past five weeks. Mak gave her hand a curious glance, and she looked down to find her makeup faded, streaks of pink showing up against her skin. Lucy quickly shoved her hand behind her back, smiling tightly. "Uh, just a birthmark."

He nodded with a slight creased brow, brushing it off. He had grown used to discovering things about Lucy and her nobles that didn't quite add up. He was used to moving on and forgetting about it. He pulled the door open, motioning her forward. "Go and see for yourself."

Lucy stepped forward with a puzzled expression, left hand moving up to clutch her necklace again. On the chain underneath her dress, Loki's key stuck to her skin, pressed between her breasts to keep from creating a weird shape on her chest. He was surely smirking right now from his place amongst the heavens. Rolling her eyes and reminding herself to set him in his place next time they met, she looked around the room she had just entered. Breath whooshed out of her lungs in a gasp, and her brown eyes widened as she turned to glance back at Mak. "Oh wow... Mak, this is amazing!"

XXX

Gray woke to a room full of morning light. He groaned, pushing himself up to elbows and looking around the bedroom. The bed was empty on the other side, the sheets pushed back from where Erza's form had lain all night. A good two feet separated them while they slept, but it always made him uncomfortable to be so close to Erza at night. He would've thought that the past three months of sleeping in the same bed with her would have made him less awkward, but he still wasn't used to it. She terrified him, even if he never said so. Fear of Erza Scarlet was ingrained too deeply into him at this point.

The same scarlet warrior stood by the window, hands still wrapped around the heavy drapes she had only just pulled open. Her red hair tumbled down her back in slightly tangled waves, her thin nightgown clinging to her body with sweat from the night. Gray couldn't deny that she was a very beautiful woman. She just wasn't his woman.