The Tale of Tales

Chapter 26

Minerva had seen Natsu and Lucy's escape through the eyes of her raven and she was furious.

"Those stupid! Idiotic! Worthless! Trolls! I should have known that they wouldn't be smart enough to get rid of her!"

"If I may ask." Sting said. "Why do you hate Lucy so much? I mean from what I know she never really did anything to you."

"I don't know! Because she's gorgeous! Because she's too stupid to know her place! Because she had the audacity to go after my prince! Because she's just like Layla! Ugh! I hate Layla! And anyone who reminds me of her!"

"Why? I know your father was awful but I thought Layla loved you."

"It was all just an act! She never really loved me! If she did then she wouldn't have taken what should have been mine! Jude was supposed to marry me! That's what our father had arranged! But he married my sister instead! I met him first! I loved him first! But no he wanted my pretty sister!"

"Don't you think it's time you let that go? Okay so he married your sister but you married the king."

"He never loved me! He never stopped loving his first wife even though she was dead! He only married me so he could have someone to play nursemaid to his little brat!"

"I think you need to calm down your majesty."

"And I think you need to leave before I cut off your head!"

Sting gulped then left her alone with only her magic mirror.

"My queen bad news for you fear

For worse trouble is drawing near." The mirror said.

"Oh what now?!"

"Lucy is journeying from one place to another

To seek out her fairy godmother."

"Levy? No fear of that. I had her sealed away years ago."

"Oh how wrong thou be

For Lucy has taken the key."

"What? Impossible!" But when Minerva went to check her hiding spot for the key she found that it was indeed gone. "That little thief!"

"Should they free the fairy called Levy

Then they will find the one weapon which can end me."

"What weapon?"

"I can only be shattered by the weapon which is of ash and cinder on the outside

But of the purest of all gold on the inside."

"Does this weapon have a name?"

"Alas the weapon's name is the only knowledge I have yet to gain."

"Then it is doubly urgent that Lucy be destroyed. I'll find someway to kill her before she frees Levy!"

Meanwhile after their exciting evening at the pub and their dangerous encounter with the trolls, Lucy had come to an important decision.

"I want you to teach me how to fight." She told Natsu.

"What?"

"From what I've heard you're the greatest swordsman there ever was so I want you to teach me how to sword fight. Can you teach me?"

"Of course but what would a maid need a sword for?"

"You said so yourself that this forest was a dangerous place right? So before we go any further I need to learn how to defend myself."