400 years

11

A sense of excited calls drew me back to my surroundings. 'Hmm?' A crowd of waving and cheering women had lined up at the gate to welcome Sting and Rogue. Sting dismounted his horse and walked towards the crowd of women. One in particular stuck out the most, a young woman with short light blue hair that frames her face. Her dark blue kimono is decorated in stars. 'She looks completely smitten by him.' Still sitting on Rogue's horse, I watched them astonished. 'So he's a big sweetheart and NOT an ultra-stiff paranoiac?'

Rogue, who hadn't dismounted yet, glances back and says, "I know what your thinking, that's how he normally is. I guess your just special."

"He's nice to everyone but me. How exactly does this make me special?"

"It goes both ways. There aren't many women who don't fall for Sting at first sight. So, who are you, really?"

Having said this, Rogue looked at me curiously. There was a gleam in his left eye as he got closer, I stiffened up. But just then—

"Welcome back, Lord Rogue, Lord Sting."

'Oh!! Saved by the Gray! I guess he returned with Natsu. Wait who's that next to him?' Rogue, seeing Gray and a much younger man up ahead, turned to me and smiled. "Even Romeo came out to say hi, that's rare."

"Who?" 'Not to sure who this one is..'

"Right there, actually he's the sourpuss one next to Gray. You should take this chance to say hi."

Rogue helped me off his horse and lead me by hand through the throng of Sting's admirers. We stopped at the gate where Gray and the other man 'boy!?' waited.

"I've been expecting your arrival, Lady Lucy."

"Gray, I'm not in the mood to see-."

"She looks pitiful." Before I could finish what I was saying, the man/boy Romeo, standing next to Gray talked right over me. Delivering his harsh assessment with a disappointing frown.

"So your Lucy."

"Yes and your Romeo?"

"Yeah, what if a am?"

"What if you are, what?"

Romeo kept his ice cold eyes fixed on me. 'Well he's a bit of a snot, though I guess it's expected when your surrounded by men such as these.' Two older men came into view as they leisurely approached from behind Romeo.

The man on Romeo's left side has a receding hair line of brown hair, his eyes almost seem shut and he's smoking a pipe. The man on the right seems to be of the same age of the other, though his hair is a dark blue and slicked back. Both men wrap and arm around Romeo's shoulders with wryly smiles.

The guy with slicked back hair, "Romeo my boy, that's no way to greet someone. At least give them a smile."

The Pipe smoker while sending the other man a mischievous grin. "Can he? I'm not sure I haven't seen it in a while, Macao. What does his smile look like?"

Oddly enough Romeo's cheeks flushed. "Knock if off Wakaba! Why does that even matter right now!?"

"Because boy! There's a beautiful woman in front of you, use your manners! Don't be unsociable." Macao said.

With that the two men took their fingers into Romeo's sides and gave way at tickling him. Romeo scrunched his face, holding back his laughter and scrambled out from under the two men's grasps.

"S-Stop it! Dad, Wakaba, your both annoying me!" Romeo cried out with embarrassment.

I watched in aw as they carried on playfully, 'Ah ok, so he's his father..' Gray who'd been standing next to me leaned over and spoke in a low voice.

"That's Lord Wakaba Mine, (He gestured with his hand.) and Lord Macao Conbolt, Romeo's father. They also are allies with Lord Natsu. They all came at once, hearing of the assassination attempt."

"So that's why theirs some many warlords running around here."

"Precisely."

With that, Gray ushered everyone into the castle. Ignoring my earlier refusal, Gray advises me of my room that'd been prepared for me.