The Tale of Tales

Chapter 17

"Last chance to back out your highness." Lucy said when the horses carrying her and Natsu arrived at the entrance of the forest. "You sure you want to go in there with me?"

"Why not? It could be fun." Natsu said.

"If you think I'm doing this purely for enjoyment then you're wrong. This isn't some vacation. There is real danger in there."

"I know, I just hope you know that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing except you don't look like the type to go marching off into danger."

"And you do Mr. Have everything handed to him on a silver platter?"

"For your information I've been through these woods before."

"You have? But don't royals normally avoid going through places like this."

"Most but I find it thrilling and exciting. Now then are we going in or not?"

For three hours their horses carried them through the woods. When they came upon a stream they stopped to let their horses rest and drink for awhile also they stopped because Natsu had become very hungry. He opened his satchel to get some bread he had packed.

"You hungry?" He asked Lucy.

"No thank you." She said.

"Suit yourself."

As he searched for the bread he accidentally dropped something out of his bag. It was the golden slipper he had found at the ball.

"Where did you get this?" Lucy asked him when she saw it.

"I found it on the steps of the palace. It belongs to a beautiful young woman I met at the ball."

"Oh...Was she a princess?"

"She said she wasn't a royal or a noble but if she's a commoner then she's the loveliest commoner I've ever seen."

Lucy blushed and desperately tried to hide it.

"So if I may ask why are you carrying her shoe?"

"Well I don't know her name and I've tried to think of alternate ways to find her but nobody knows who she is. So I've decided to use this slipper to find her."

"How is a slipper going to help you find someone?"

"Simple I plan to have every woman in Fiore try it on and whoever it fits is the girl I'm looking for."

"Yeah but there's one problem with your theory. That slipper could fit any woman."

"I thought about that so I went to see a scholar friend of mine who lives Fiore and also happens to be an expert on magic and he told me that this slipper was made by fairy magic and will only fit the rightful owner."

"Even so why do you want to find this girl?"

"If I tell you you'll laugh at me."

"No I won't."

"Yes you will because it's stupid."