Between The Pages

Chapter 14

The hedge maze was a bright, neatly cultivated section of the Labyrinth, notable for its air of order and calm. It features a large, stone paved courtyard that features a range of topiary figures and hedges. A very peaceful area where danger wasn't really something to consider.

"Just so we're clear there are no cleaners or anything else with blades up here right?" Natsu asked.

"No we should be safe up here." Lucy said.

"Okay I can breathe now. So how do you know where you're going in the place? Everything looks the same."

"When I first left I figured that I might want to come back for some bizarre reason so I made markings on the bricks of the maze floor."

"Pretty smart."

"Thank you."

"I wish I had thought of something like that when I got lost on that camping trip I took in seventh grade."

"What's seventh grade?"

"Something that you're lucky you avoided. Believe me it's nothing good."

They took many twists and turns in the maze, following the markings that were left on the brick paths.

"Are you sure that we're going the right way?" Natsu asked. "I feel like we've been walking for hours."

"Trust me I know where I'm going."

After a while they reached two doors with knockers.

"Now let's see which door did I go through last time?" Lucy asked herself. "The right or the left?"

"Well look who it is!" One of the knockers spoke. It was the one on the left door. "Princess Lucy."

"Whoa! They talk!" Natsu said in amazement.

"We didn't expect to ever see you again your highness." The knocker on the right door said.

"I didn't expect to ever come back." She said. "I'm trying to get back to my brother's castle but to do that I have to go through the fiery forest. Which one of you guys lead to that place?"

"That would be the left one."  The right one said.

"If I may ask princess, why is it that you wish to return to the castle?" The left one asked.

"It's very complicated and I don't have the time to explain it all right now."

"Very well but would it have anything to do with that human girl? The one staying at the castle."

"That's my sister!" Natsu said. "You guys know about her? Is she okay?"

"Calm down. We only know what rumors say." The right one said. "And according to rumors, she's a real beauty and the goblin king has taken a very strong liking to her."

"What do you mean liking?"

"We don't know all the details."

"Hey if he's getting any funny ideas about her-"

"We can discuss this later." Lucy said. "We have to keep going."

 Lucy knocked on the left door which opened to what appeared to be a most peculiar forest. It was very foggy, shady, and mysterious like. As Natsu walked through the forest he couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him. He didn't see anybody but that didn't make the feeling go away. 

"What is this place?" Natsu asked.

"The fiery forest." Erza said. 

"It's a little weird looking. Then again pretty much everything in this whole place is weird looking."