The Tale of Tales

Chapter 14

That evening Lucy slept on the grass. Her sleep was an uneasy one because she was debating on weather or not she should try to get the key. On one hand she felt that she owed Levy for helping her go to the ball and spend that wonderful night with the prince even if it was brief but on the other hand if she did this then she would be risking her life. It was such a dilemma. Suddenly she awoke to the sound of chopping. When she opened her eyes horror struck her heart. Three men were chopping down her beloved hazel tree.

"No! Stop! What are you doing?! Spare that tree!"

Lucy got to her feet and ran to stop them only to be restrained by two of the men while the third one continued to chop.

"Sorry young lady but by order of the queen we are to cut down this tree and burn it." One man said.

"No! Please! I beg you! Don't do this! You have no right! You have no right!"

Lucy screamed and cried and desperately tried to break away from the men holding her back. She was hysterical. Not only was that tree the only way she could communicate with Levy but it was also the last connection she had to her parents. From the moment it first sprouted from Jude and Layla's grave soil, she felt as if somehow her parent's had returned to her. Whenever she sat under it's shade she could feel their arms around her, holding her like they used to and whenever she heard the wind blowing through it's leaves she felt as if she could hear their voices whispering "We love you Lucy."

Watching the tree burn was even worse. The flames weren't even touching her and yet she felt as if they were scorching her body. Then it started to rain and the rain put out the fires, all that remained of the tree were ashes and cinder. Much like the ashes and cinders that always covered her face. She just sat there in the rain looking at the burned remains of her tree. Two of the men had left but the third one called Sting pitied the girl so he stayed behind to shield her from the rain and then he took her back to his house to warm her up.

"I'm truly sorry." He told her. "If it's any consolation I never wanted to cut down that beautiful tree."

Lucy didn't speak. She only sat in chair, staring into the fire burning in his fireplace. After an hour of silence she spoke.

"She wanted the tree destroyed because it made me happy didn't she?"

"Not exactly." Sting said. "She wanted it dead because it grew on her sister's grave and Queen Minerva hates her sister so."

"Why? Why did she hate her?"

"I honestly don't know. Listen I'm going to bed, you're welcome to stay and sleep in my guest room or leave if you'd like. Again I'm very sorry."

Sting went to bed as for Lucy, she could not sleep. She was far too angry, angry at her aunt for such a cruel act. She knew her aunt hated her and her mother so much but this was the final straw. She had taken that woman's abuse for ten years and she might have been able to get over it but destroying that tree was unforgivable. Her anger and determination to change how things were overlapped her fear of death completely and she made it her mission to free Levy. She would not let her aunt ruin someone else's life as she had ruined her own.

The next day after gathering up all her courage Lucy went back to the castle. She waited until noon to go because that's when her aunt went through her two hour long beauty treatments. She crept up the palace stairs and went into Minerva's bedchamber where she began to frantically look for the key. She checked her jewelry box, her wardrobe, her vanity, but they were no where. At last she found it underneath the queen's mattress. She was just starting to leave when she bumped right into Natsu.