The Celestial Princess and Her Suitors

Chapter Twenty: The End

Lucy sat on the front porch of Minnie's house, staring at the mess that the fight a week ago had caused. It was a good thing that no houses were close enough to be destroyed. She sighed, remembering what had followed after the fight.

Gray thanked Minnie for healing his injuries and turned to an also healed Lucy. They were waiting for the Rune Knights to arrive, who Minnie had called immediately after the fight. The ice-make mage asked, "are you in a guild?"

Lucy blushed at his smile and shook her head, answering, "I've been conflicted about that."

Gray raised an eyebrow, asking, "what do you mean?"

Lucy sighed and sat on the porch before she looked up at Gray and patted the spot next to her and waited for him to take a seat by her side. She then explained, "well, I've been pretty torn between joining Fairy Tail or Sabertooth. However, I've also been conflicted about if I want to stay here in Crocus or join a guild."

Gray stared out at the damage. After a few moments of silence, he said, "I don't really know what to say, honestly. I'm not good at advice. But, I can tell you that you will figure out what you want to do. Just be patient with yourself and don't stress yourself out. Okay?'"

Lucy smiled at him and muttered, "thanks, Gray." She then leaned toward him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, watching with an amused smirk as a blush spread across his face and he looked away, coughing into his fist. Lucy chuckled lightly and turned her head away as well in an attempt to hide her own blush.

Gray then stood up and offered his hand to help her to her feet. Lucy accepted the help and asked, "going back to Fairy Tail?"

Gray nodded, responding, "yeah, once I turn Kit over to the Rune Knights and get the reward money. How much of it do you want?"

Lucy blinked a few times, surprised that he was offering to give her a part of the reward money. She then answered, "I don't want any of it."

Gray insisted, "you helped. It's only fair that I give you some of it."

Lucy shook her head. "No, No, I really don't want any of it."

The pair went back and forth a bit before Gray finally gave up. He then said, "if you choose Fairy Tail, then maybe we can go on a date sometime."

Lucy blushed and responded, "yeah, maybe."

They then said goodbye and Gray walked away to retrieve the job request from his hotel room before returning to give Kit over to the Rune Knights. Lucy walked inside the house and closed the door, sighing as she leaned against it. She stayed there for a few moments before she called to Minnie that she was going to bed and made her way upstairs to her bedroom.

Lucy sighed once again. She heard the front door open and close before Minnie remarked, "you've been out here for an hour." The older woman then sat next to her.

A short period of silence followed before Lucy asked, "you're a wizard?" She looked over at Minnie to see her nod, looking back at her. The blonde then inquired, "are you in a guild?"

Minnie shook her head. She looked away and answered in an almost whisper, "I was part of a dark guild."

Lucy gasped, eyes widening. She blurted, "you were a dark mage?!"

Minnie nodded, looking back at Lucy with a sad smile and regret in her purple eyes, "I'm not proud of it, but yes, I was a dark mage. I've committed a lot of crimes, murder being just one. One day I was captured by a wizard from Lamia Scale and put in jail. While I was imprisoned, the wizard that captured me visited me often. She managed to get me to reform, and after I was released, I left the dark guild I was in and ended up here."

Lucy stared at Minnie, shocked at the information that had been revealed to her. She found it difficult to imagine Minnie being a dark mage that would commit such horrible crimes. She then said, "I'm proud of you for changing."

Minnie looked over at her before she smiled and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug, which Lucy happily returned. They then pulled away and the blonde grinned as she said, "I  think I know what I want to do with my life."

Minnie raised an eyebrow, responding, "really? What's your decision?"

Lucy jumped to her feet and rushed inside, calling behind her, "I'll tell you while I help you make lunch." She heard Minnie laugh as she stood up and followed her inside the house and into the kitchen.

Lucy hooked her keyring onto her belt and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled at herself, observing how pretty she looked in her form-fitting, white shirt and black pants that hugged her curves very well. She knew that she no longer had to take her keys to work with her, but she found that she couldn't leave without them.

The celestial wizard looked around her bedroom before she looked back at her reflection. The house didn't make her as distressed as it did at first, an improvement that Minnie had been helping her toward.

She had also decided that she would stay in Crocus with Minnie, working at her bakery and cafe, for a few more months before she would go to Magnolia Town and join Fairy Tail. She wasn't fond of seeing the mages from Fairy Tail that she was attracted to, which had caused her distress, but she also liked the idea of befriending them. Maybe she would even fall in love with one of them and move on from her attraction toward the rest.

She was excited to join a guild, but at that moment, she was focusing on enjoying her now peaceful life in Crocus. As she was about to head out of her bedroom, Lucy heard Minnie call from downstairs, "Lucy, dear, come on! We don't want to be late!" Lucy smiled and rushed out to walk to work with her surrogate mother.

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That is the end. I hope you enjoyed this story. If you're interested in reading my other story, then go on to it. "Quest for the Eighty-Eight Keys." Just please read the warnings part first. It's very important.