It had been a month since Layla Heartfilia died and the last doctor had finally left. Not a single day did the rain let up, nor did the gloomy aura of death depart from the castle. Even now Lucy could feel it's eyes on her, like a lion to a lamb. She tended to avoid staying alone for too long or sleeping in her room. She no longer liked the way her dolls looked from up on her shelves, staring at her with lifeless black eyes. So she migrated herself to Laxus's room, not that either seemed to mind.

There was, however, times where Lucy just needed to be alone. For some reason she didn't cry after her mother died, it felt like she was crying over something stupid, like spilled milk. Instead she grew attached to company, never allowing herself to be alone except for the hours between 2-4. It was in those two hours when the rain let up just the slightest that she would slip away to the only place she could be alone and feel safe. The garden.

The garden had been like a secret sanctuary for Lucy when she had been young. Her mother had given her the key to the locked gate, despite the fact she could easily climb over it now, and they would wander through the maze of hedges and bushes for hours, admiring the pretty flowers and sweet scents. She had always felt like the garden was her safety net, and so she made it a point to slip away every day, if only to keep her sane.

Today was different though. For the first time in a month it was not raining at all, and if she listened closely she could hear the birds singing.

Lucy shifted anxiously in her seat, trying to ignore the intense urge to go outside by sticking her nose deeper in her book. Her brother was leaning against her chair on the floor, seemingly buried in his own distraction; reading. Laxus had dealt with the pain by trying to make it seem less real. He submerged himself and his sister into the world of literature and pencils. He could feel himself slip away into a book as easily as Lucy slipped into the garden. Reading was his escape, and he liked to escape.

Lucy groaned slightly, glancing longingly at the window where bright sunlight was pouring in. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at it for tempting her. Distracted by his sisters' noises, Laxus looked up to see Lucy having a staring match with the window. He raised an eyebrow curiously and watched as she shifted again, gripping the arms of the chair as if it would hold her still until 2.

"You can go now if you want," He broke the silence, startling Lucy and she whipped her head towards him. "It might not even last long enough until 2. Go now, while you can."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked uncertainly, although her heart was hammering and her body itching to go.

Laxus chuckled at his sisters indecisiveness and nodded his head. "Go on, don't waste such a pretty day."

"Well...if you insist," Lucy drawled before she shot out of her seat and down the hall like a bullet. Laxus laughed and rebuffed himself in his latest adventure.

Lucy couldn't keep the ridiculous smile off her face as she stepped into her own little world, now belonging exclusively just to her. She breathed in the strong perfume of the nearby roses and let out a content sigh, her shoulders slumping. She moved through the garden with ease, her feet leading the way as her mind wandered. She let herself drift into a fantasy world as she walked, picturing princes on white horses, beautiful princesses locked in high towers, and--

Lucy's thoughts were abruptly cut off as an angry roar sounded through the garden. She froze as fear clenched her chest and looked around, not recognizing where she was. It was all just hedges here, not a single flower in sight.

I must've taken a wrong turn at the intersection, Lucy thought as she stumbled away from the direction of the noise. Better get back before I really see where that came from.

She froze again when another, lower roar sounded, this time almost...painfully. Lucy recognized the sound of an animal hurt and her heart clenched. She gazed back at the way she came and towards the area the sound had come from. The animal cried again and Lucy made her choice, walking towards the unknown.

It would've been impossible for Lucy to miss something as big as this thing, but she looked around for another injured animal as she approached it. The animal was a lizard, a giant pink lizard that was on its back clutching its tail between its legs. Lucy stared down at the pitiful creature sadly before slowly approaching.

"Hey there little guy," she whispered and the lizard shut up, it's eyes peeling open to look at her. Lucy felt her heart stutter as onyx eyes found her's, but she refused to let the stun show on her face. First he was pink, now he had black eyes. Just what the hell was this thing?

The lizard started to shift and Lucy paused, waiting for it to attack or flea. Instead it tried to push itself up, however it let out another howl of pain as its right arm dropped from under it, unable to support the weight. Lucy looked down and saw three long bleeding claw marks on the dragon's forearm. She frowned apologetically.

The lizard whined again, it's leg lifting up helplessly before collapsing back in the ground with a huff. Lucy looked around the small clearing for the animal responsible, but whatever had caused the first roar was gone. She let out a relieved breath and slowly approached the reptile. It's eyes grew wide as she approached, and she could clearly see a very human emotion going through it; fear. It was afraid of her.

To confirm her thoughts, the lizard tried to roll away as she drew closer, squealing through the pain as he withered on the floor.

"Please stop! You'll only worsen the bleeding!" Lucy called out and the animal froze, turning its head towards her slowly. Lucy couldn't help but think that it's actions were very humane, which was sorta creepy, but she pushed that thought from her mind as she stepped forward tentatively. The lizard watched her unblinkingly, apparently resigned to his fate, and she carefully kneeled beside it. She held its gaze for a moment, trying to telepathically send thoughts of comfort to the lizard before looking back at its forearm. She let out a low breath as she realized the wounds weren't as deep as they had first appeared. She smiled at the lizard. "Well it looks like you'll live, but we definitely wouldn't want you to get an infection. If I get you up do you think you'll be able to follow me?" She paused and then slapped herself. She realized with astonishment that she was talking to the lizard like it was a human. What did she expect? For it to start talking to her?

The lizard watched the girl before him skeptically. He would've run by now if he could only get to his feet, but there was something about her that intrigued him. For one, she didn't seem to mind that he was a reptile or that he looked like some mutant experiment. In fact, she was talking to him like he was a person himself. The thought made his chest fill with longing.

Suddenly the girl slapped her forehead and began muttering silly things. He was slightly surprised but he decided to stay and watch this human for now. Something about her was different than the others, he just wasn't sure if that was good or bad yet. He wanted to know more.

Lucy pulled her hand away from her forehead and looked back at the lizard. Part of her expected him to have died as she mentally berated herself, but he was gazing up at her with those creepy unblinking black eyes. She'd read that reptiles didn't have eyelids, but she could've sworn he'd had his eyes closed earlier.

She shook off the thought and stood up, dusting off her knees. She was slightly dirty now, but she didn't really mind. Dirt had never been much thought to Lucy. Unlike most princesses she'd met, Lucy didn't mind getting her hands dirty. And with this giant thing in front of her, she figured she'd have to get pretty dirty.

"So I'm going to lift you up now, okay? Don't...claw me or anything or I'll leave you here," she paused, looking down to see if he understood. For a brief moment she swore he'd rolled his eyes, but she dismissed it as a trick of the sun. "Alright, here we go." Lucy let out a breath and leaned over the lizard. She let her hands run down the scales of his wounded shoulder, surprised by how smooth and strong they felt. The lizard flinched as she slipped her slim hands under his injured shoulder, but he made no move to attack her. Lucy really hoped he understood that she was helping him because this was just the easy part.

Lucy paused, making sure her hands were secure, and braced herself. With a grunt she thrust her weight backwards, pulling the lizard up with her. The lizard flailed, his back claw missing her cheek by an inch, but she managed to roll him over. The force caused her to fall back on her butt, but as soon as the lizard was on his belly she backed away. Surprise was clearly written across his features, another unnerving human emotion, but he stayed still. They sat in silence, staring at each other, while Lucy panted in exhaustion.

Finally the lizard made a sound that sounded like a car gunning and shifted into his feet. He stumbled and Lucy reached forward, afraid he'd fall over again and it would've been all for nothing, but he let out s soft growl towards her. She froze and watched stiffly as he rose to his feet again. He swayed briefly but then he stabilized. He lifted his injured leg, testing how much weight he could put on it. Lucy was once again struck with the humane quality of this animal and blatantly wondered if he was someone's pet. That was the only answer. He looked rare too, nothing like the geckos she'd seen in pet stores. In fact, she realized, he rather looked like the dragons in the story book her Mother used to read to her. Although scientists did say that lizards were just descendants of dragons. This guy clearly missed the memo that it was time to evaluationize.

The lizard gently leaned on his foot and turned towards Lucy. There was an expectant look in his eyes, but Lucy didn't understand what he wanted. He huffed, a cloud of smoke coming from his nose, and he lifted his injured arm for evidence. "Oh, you want me to fix you up? Yeah, follow me," Lucy realized, stumbling to her feet. She started towards the exit, glancing back to see if he was following. Sure enough he crept after her, slowly but surely. She realized this was going to take a while, but part of her didn't mind. This weird lizard made her curious, and if her Mother taught her anything it was that curios things should be followed after and studied. Lucy definitely wanted to study this thing, but first things first, She needed to make sure he lived so she could study him.

Slowly the odd duo made their way through the maze and back to the castle. Lucy was still a little surprised to know there were parts of the maze she was unfamiliar with, and swore that she would learn the layout of it no matter what.

Her company was rather silent as they walked, and she got the feeling he was sullen about being taken care by her. She didn't really care, he should be grateful she was helping him at all, but it made her wonder again what kind of animal could've done this sort of harm. The lizard was huge, probably weighed over eighty pounds that fatty, and the silence allowed her imagination to picture up his enemy. She shuddered as a picture came to mind, but pushed it away. She had one giant monster to deal with, no need to imagine another.

A few turns later, the castle came into view. Lucy smiled slightly, glad to see that the guards were still kept away. She doubted they'd take kindly to finding an oversized lizard with the young princess.

"You stay here and out of view in case any guards come by. I'll go grab some supplies and come right back," she promised him, giving him a stern look. She got the feeling that this was one of those free spirit types of animals but at least she could say that she'd told him so. Like she expected, the lizard didn't seem to have heard her, finding a low hanging rose much more interesting than her warning. Lucy sighed in defeat and turned away, running back to the castle.

Lucy managed to slip through the castle undetected and grabbed the small medicine bin from her room. She had a tendency to get hurt and the maids had kept a box at the ready for all cases. Luke joked that it should be called Lucy aid instead of first aid. The maids had to use the Lucy Aid after she was done with him.

"Alright, I've got the medicine," Lucy called out, trotting into the square. She froze when she saw no giant lizards nearby and felt her stomach drop. She turned around, searching for where he went, when she spotted the rose he'd been sniffing before. She should've expected that he'd be hungry, especially after a fight, but she was surprised to find the rose and stem alike gone, only a few petals signaling that it's ever been there. "You've gotta be kidding me," Lucy sighed, starting after the trail of discarded petals.

Lucy followed the trail into a small clearing with a fountain and stone benches. Her and her mom used to come there to have picnics, pretending to be presumptuous proper women while they donned on ham sandwiches and grape juice. She smiled at the memory, feeling a slight twinge of sadness in her chest. The familiar choking sensation of tears clogged her throat, and for a terrifying moment she thought she would break, but then a sound like a horn came from the other side of the fountain.

Lucy climbed around the fountain and found the lizard leaning against it, a bunch of petals scattered around him. Lucy realized with a giggle that the sound had been a burp.

The lizard looked up at the sound of her laughter and stared at her. She smiled down at him and approached, holding out the box of supplies like an offering. She no longer felt like he would run away from her, but she still wasn't sure about his claws. Those things looked sharp and definitely something her mother would've scolded her for playing with.

"Ready to be fixed?" Lucy asked, kneeling in front of him. She avoided looking at the sharp claws and pulled out some disinfectant. She didn't know how much it would help, but she doubted it could hurt. "Alright, this might sting a little," she warned, uncapping it. The lizard sighed as if to say I can handle it, so she positioned the bottle and sprayed.

The lizard yelped pitifully as the disinfectant made contact with his cut and scrambled away. His claws skidded on the stone and he half slid away from her. Lucy tried to hold in her laughter at the humorous scene, but when he collided with the fountain and fell down she couldn't Keep it in. She burst out laughing, true and pure laughter that echoed through the garden. The lizard froze and watched her as she laughed. There was an indescribable look on his face, a mix of surprise and longing, but it disappeared into anger as he realized she was laughing at him. He huffed his annoyance and turned away.

"No, no, don't run away! I'm sorry, really, it's just that you reminded me of..." Lucy drew off, her smile falling. The lizard turned and frowned as he saw the sad look on the little girls face. He turned around and headed back, plopping down in front of her. Lucy looked up in surprise, a small smile on her face. The lizard rolled its eyes, Lucy was positive this time, and showed her his injured arm in offering. Lucy sniffed, although there were no tears, and dug up a white tube. The lizard stared at it uncertainly and Lucy laughed slightly, catching his look.

"Don't worry, this one won't sting, although it might be a little cold," she warned, uncapping it and squeezing some only her finger. To him it smelled like cherry blossoms and fresh water, like spring. It was quite a contrast to the vanilla and sugary scent that surrounded the little girl. "My mom made this herself. It's made from a rare blossom that only blooms once every twenty years. It's extremely effective," she assured him, smoothing the cream over his injury. It felt cold at first, but that soon turned into warm tingles that rocked his whole body. The relief was instantaneous, cooling the fire he hadn't even realized was coming from his arm. He sighed and the girl giggled, recalling the magic formula. "Feels nice, doesn't it?"

Lucy placed the tube back in the case and brought out a roll of soft bandages. The lizard grunted in confusion, wondering what else he needed. "You'll need to wear this for a few days. It'll keep the wound from bleeding more and prevent infection. I know normal lizards can grown back their limbs, but I doubt normal lizard behavior applies to you," she said, placing the bandage on his arm and beginning to wrap it. She wrapped it tight enough to stay, but not so tight as to be uncomfortable. The pressure was actually rather comfortable to the dragon. He stared at his arm and then leaned forward. Lucy stiffened at the sudden movement, sure he was about to bite off her head, but she flinched when something warm and wet flicked across her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly, staring at the lizard in confusion while touching her cheek. She realized with astonishment that he'd licked her. The lizard let out a series of huffs that she recognized as laughter. She dropped her hand from her cheek and frowned at him. "You really aren't a normal lizard, are you?"

The lizard gave her a look as if to say well duh before he nuzzled her hand. Her limb moved on its own accord, running over the scales on his neck and back. His body vibrated under her touch and she realized he was purring. Lucy laughed at the feeling, petting him with more confidence. "You're more like a cat." The lizard grumbled arguably at that comment, but continued to let her pet him.

Lucy and the lizard stayed like that for the rest of the evening, sitting there and enjoying each other's company. Only after it had fallen dark and the maids began calling to her did she leave, regrettably pulling herself away from him.

"Will I see you again tomorrow?" She asked. A silence followed her question, the only sound was that of the crickets chirping and the distant voices of people calling out to her. After another moment the lizard gave a sure bob of his head and sat down, his eyes turning towards the direction of the voices. Lucy smiled and quickly planted a kiss on his smooth head, turning and dashing away. "Alright, see you tomorrow Pinky." Lucy laughed as she could hear his growl all the way across the courtyard.

From that day forward it didn't rain a single time and Lucy continued to go out to the garden to visit her reptilian friend. Her sadness and fear of being alone seemed to shrink up and disappear, replaced by the need to be by her dragon's side. For eleven years Lucy lived beside her lizard, through up and down, left and right. From that point on, Lucy Heartfilia was never alone. She was in complete bliss.

But like her mother told her many times before, all good things must come to an end, and Lucy was about to have the explosion of all endings.