Memoirs of a Fated Past

Chapter 20: Relief

“Wah! It’s snowing! It’s very beautiful Dada!”, Lucy joyfully shouted scooping the snow with her hands.

“ Be careful not to get any frostbite. Put your hood on, it’s quite cold”, Ryo said worriedly.

“’kay!”, replied Lucy. Lucy is running around in the snow, feeling the cold for the first time.

“That child sure is happy huh?”, Rito give a smack at Ryo’s side, teasing him as they watch her.

“Must be her first time seeing snow. At least she’s happy”, Ryo said.

“Juvia, are you cold?”, Rito suddenly asked me.

“Ah, no, don’t worry, I’m fine”, I said to him. I feel very awkward talking to him since my meeting with the Dark Lord.

“We should hurry and get to an inn past town, it’s getting late. Lucy! It’s time to go!” Rito exclaimed.

“Right, coming!”, Lucy runs back to us.

We took shelter to the inn past Kandria. This town is no good either, no sign of Prince Gray nor any hint about my past. That night was extremely cold. We used three blankets just to help us get warm. Lucy is even starting to shiver as she sleeps. I tried to warm her up by folding our blankets into two folds as I sit at the edge of the bed. I can’t bring myself to sleep that night. The thing about Rito is really bugging me.

I leap off the bed and went to the living room. The fire feels so warm I don’t want to move any farther away from it. I feel a sudden cold wind which made me shiver. Suddenly, a blanket is laid over my shoulders.

“It’s rather cold, so you can’t sleep too Princess?”, it was Rito, he sat next to me at the couch.

“Oh, not again. You promised you wouldn’t call me that right?”, I reminded him.

“Oh, right. Sorry”, he said.

It took us not longer than a minute of silence before I decided to tell him about my newly discovered powers.

“You know, I found out that I can travel through time”, I began.

“Woah, seriously? How? When? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”, he asked. For sure my words took him by surprise.

“I just found out when we were still at Sakura Village. I met a time traveller whom I later found out was one of my friends when I was very young. She taught me how to control it. She told me that time travellers were almost extinct. She was very nice”, I explained.

“Who is it?”, he asked.

“Levy McGarden”

“Levy? The daughter of the baker in Extalia?”, he said. How did he knew that? I swear I didn’t even shared any stories about her to Lucy, I just knew it when Levy herself was the one who told me.

“How did you know? I thought you said you came to Extalia when I was 12 or so”, I asked.

“Oh…..ah…..I heard rumours…..yeah….just rumours. So tell me, did you try time travelling?”, he changed the subject. It was obvious that he was hiding something. I will let this off, just this once, I thought to myself.

“Yeah, and I retrieved a fragment of my past”, I said.

“What? Mind if you tell me?”

“It was a necklace. I saw a necklace upon my travel, though I don’t know where it was. I wish I can see it again. I saw my mother gave it to me as a present or something”, I told him, testing him if he would buy it.

“Well, actually Juvia, I know. I have it”, he suddenly said.

WHAT?!! Did I actually hear that? I actually thought he would change the topic again but he confessed that the necklace the Dark Lord had shown me was really in his possession and now is ready to give me. I can’t believe this. As hard as the thought of it hit me I had the most relieving sensation I felt as soon as he told me that. That just means that he’s not deceiving me right? He was waiting for the right moment to give it to me. Thank goodness it’s not true.

“Ummm….what is it that you’re talking about “I have it?”, how did you get it?” I asked, pretending like I don’t know what he’s talking about.

“Well, it’s a long story. “ Rito said.

“I want to know, what is there to hide? I’ll probably know it anyway, what’s the hold-up? Are you trying to keep something from me?”, I said.

“If I give this to you, it should probably uncover your past, I’m sorry for keeping it from you. You weren’t ready yet just as you are now.”, Rito explained.

“What?! You mean you have a way to recover my memories but you didn’t even tried to tell me earlier?”, I asked angrily.

“You have to understand, you were not yet ready before. You are yet to discover your powers. Well, now that you can control some of it, I guess it’s time for you to know”, he said arms stretched in a defensive manner.

“Now is perfectly the time for me to know about my past. I am able to control my powers now. I am ready to face the truth, my past, my previous home, my parents, my friends, my powers, everything! Now that we are almost in Extalia why won’t you even let me know about it!  I wasn’t even able to communicate to my parents back in Fairy Tail. I can’t even assure myself that you are not deceiving me! If it wasn’t for the Dark Lord I……”, I said cutting off mid-sentence.

“You met the Dark Lord?! Juvia, when?! Where! How did you meet him? Did he do anything to you?!”, Rito asked worriedly.

“Yesterday night when I was arranging our stuffs. He showed himself to me and told me that you were deceiving me all this time because you have a way of unlocking my past yet you hid it from me!”, I said a little annoyed.

“I’m sorry. I might have been really deceiving you all this time. Alright, since we’ve come this far, and the Dark Lord has knowledge of your existence, I should probably keep my promise to your mother two years ago.”, Rito exclaimed.

“What? Promise with my mother?”, I confusedly asked.

“Yes, wait here, I’ll get your necklace. That would probably answer your questions”, Rito said as he stood and drifted towards the room.

A few breaks of wood from the fireplace, Rito came out holding out the object which is the key to my past. He led it out to my awaiting hands. I held it, it was heavier than it looks like and far more dazzling than any jewellery I’ve ever seen. The fire illuminating from the fireplace was extravagant as it reflected to the locket frame.

“Princess, let me tell you how I got that necklace. It was two years ago”, Rito began.