Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Lion's Pride	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 10067 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. I make no money writing this. I do it for my own pleasure. Any lyrics are my own or I received permission from the artist.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
"All men are equal before fish." - Herbert Hoover

A/N: This chapter contains Middle English. If you're not a native speaker or simply struggling with the conversation, I can PM you a transcript of the dialogue in Modern English. I made one especially for my audience!

Chapter 9

Equal Before Fish
Lucy woke up with a headache and painful hunger gnawing her stomach. With the baby growing so rapidly, she had to eat twice as much these days. Right then, she felt like she had been fasting for a week. From another room, she heard voices.
"I have determined she is definitely the vessel we seek."
"And the child?" came a hissing tone.
"Safe. I still want the Lion if we wish to do this properly. Feed her, protect her. I shall be back."
"Take care, mistress-s-s."
Lucy moaned and reached up to her pounding head. "Oww...huh?"
That was when she felt shackles on her wrists. They were padded with something scaly but smooth so that there was no pain in wearing them, just annoyance. She was so glad Loke wasn't into bondage! She saw that her arms had gotten considerably thinner. How long had she be unconscious?
"Art thou awake, miss-s-s?"
She jolted at what sounded like a snake, although the tone itself was not menacing. She was in a normal enough room, an inn by the bland decor, and on a comfortable bed.
"Thou art half starved, yes-s-s? Wouldst thou like some vittles-s-s?"
"Huh? I'm...I'm sorry but I don't know Old Speak that well."
"Ah, humblest apologies-s-s. I am unversed in thy tongue, but I shall try. Would you...like some...food?"
From an adjoining room, a creature walked out. Lucy gasped and drew away at first. It was some sort of fishman. He stood upright with two normal legs; however, from the waist up his body was blue-gray and scaly. Where his arms would be, he had graceful fins, so that they looked like translucent wings. He covered himself in the front with a silver loincloth bearing the symbol of a fish, but nothing covered the back. Instead, he had a tightly curling tail with fins on the ends. His face was a cross between a fish and a dinosaur with a massive mouth. His wide snout had sharp teeth, and through his fat lower lip he wore a ring with a blue stone. His eyes were round and never blinked. His head had iridescent fins swooshing backwards like long, glowing hair.
"Thou hast nay...no, forgive me. You have not eaten in over a day. This is mildly inconvenient for normal people, but thou art...you are in the throes of advanced gravidity. The child within shall suck your energy relentlessly. Pleas-s-se, eat."
She frowned at the bowl. "How do I know it's not poison?" It smelled so good, her stomach gave a loud groan for her to shut up and just eat.
"What purpose is there in abducting you just to kill you? My mistress and I wish to protect you and your baby. I swear, we wish thee...wish you no harm."
"You swear?" she challenged stubbornly. "Do you swear upon your honor as a Celestial Spirit...Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish."
He tipped his head in admiration. "No wonder Leo favors you. To sense me so easily, you must be exceptionally talented."
"The lip ring gave you away. The star Fomalhaut, the Mouth of the Fish. It looks similar to Loke's blue-lacrima ring, Regulus."
"Loke? Is that the name Leo goes by these days-s-s? Intriguing," he mused softly, but quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts. "I too have assumed an alias-s-s. I am now called Haftorang. 'Tis an honor to meet the lady of my friend."
"Your friend? You stole me away from him! Some friend," she scoffed.
"Perhaps not the wisest friend," he said with a smile to his massive mouth. "About his ring of Regulus and this-s-s, Fomalhaut," he said, and a delicate finlike arm touched his fat lip, "they're not mere blue lacrima, nor are they a subtle power. They are...special."
"Special! Everyone tells me that and never explains," she grumbled in irritation.
"Is this true? Dost thou know naught about these rings-s-s? Well, perhaps I shall entertain thee...you with a story. But first..." He unlocked her handcuffs. "...eat. If your stomach growls much louder, you shan't be able to hear my words-s-s."
Lucy blushed with embarrassment and decided to eat before she passed out in hunger.
The fishman settled onto a stool. "You know about the four Royal Stars, yes-s-s? Or have those too been lost to time?"
"Loke mentioned them. Guardians of the Sky...um, Regulus in Leo, Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus, Antares in Scorpio, and Aldebaran in Taurus."
"Ah, good to know they've not been forgotten."
"Well, honestly, I'd never heard of 'Royal Stars' until he told me."
"Is that so? Not surprising, but nevertheless a shame. Those four were Guardians, proud nobles who ruled the heavens back in a time before that damn dictator took over."
"Dicta-...the Spirit King?"
He glared at the name. "He is not my king. Then again, I come from an older time, a more peaceful era," he sighed with a nostalgic hiss. "The Royal Stars and the constellations lucky enough to have them were at our peak. The Lion was to the north, I was to the south, two friends watching each other's backs, equal and opposite, but...always equal in my eyes-s-s," he said warmly, despite the hissing tone. "Of course, this was back when the Great Southern Fish was amongst the leading constellations, the consort of Aquarius. You are the master to Aquarius, yes-s-s? How is she?"
"Cantankerous!" Lucy growled petulantly. "It's a miracle she hasn't killed me."
Haftorang opened his massive mouth and laughed loudly. "Yes, that's her! Is she well? Is she happy? Has she found another mate?"
"Um, well..." Lucy cringed, reluctant to be the one to give him bad news. "I hate to say it but...yeah, she's dating Scorpio."
"Is she? Good, good," he said with a sad but thankful expression. "They were always close. He's a good man, one of the ancient nobles, so I trust him. It's good to know he was able to move on after all that happened to us. And my child and grandchild, Pisces?" he asked eagerly.
"Huh? Pisces is your...? Wow! I...I didn't realize that. Sorry, but I don't have that Gold Key yet."
"Yet? Ambitious-s-s!"
"Oh!" Lucy squeaked, realizing what she said. "No, not really. It's not like I'm out to collect them all like some bad marketing scheme."
"Madame, every Spirit Mage instinctively craves all twelve. Pisces-s-s," Haftorang sighed in a hiss. "My daughter and cute grandson. I miss them, even if they think I'm a traitor who died centuries ago."
"Traitor?" She gulped her soup hard. "Why would they think that?"
He rose fast and adjusted the silver loincloth. "My mistress has questions-s-s. Eat your fill. There's more." Then he abruptly left.
Once the fishman was gone, Lucy gave up on spooning the soup and tipped the whole bowl back. She was starving! She licked the bowl clean and still felt like she had an empty stomach. Before she could check for more food, the door opened and the woman in purple stepped in with the fishman following at a subservient distance.
"Most humbly I greet thee, Lucy Heartfilia, Princess of Magnolia," the dark-haired lady said loftily.
"Whoa, wait, what?" Lucy gawked. "I know they like to call me that, but really, I'm no princess."
"Ah, much apologies. Perhaps the honorifics are different these days," the woman mused. "Thou hast already met my companion, Haftorang, the Celestial Spirit of Piscis Austrinus. Haftorang, more soup for our guest."
"Of course, mistress-s-s." He bowed from his human waist, took the bowl, and went to the other room.
"And you are?" Lucy asked hesitantly.
"I am Yamataikoku No Kefira, Shaman-Queen of Kohinur."
"Kohinur?" Lucy exclaimed. "That place is beyond the Pergrande Kingdom, on the other side of Earthland. You came halfway around the world just to abduct me?"
Haftorang brought her another bowl of soup and half a loaf of fresh bread. "Well worth the trouble, if we can save you," he said solemnly.
"Save me?" Lucy glared at them. "For a couple of kidnappers, you sound like you truly think you're doing me a service."
"Are we not?" Queen Kefira asked in a smooth tone. "If thou hadst stayed thither in the arms of thy lover, how long ere the Spirit King came for thee?"
"You're talking weird again," Lucy grumbled with a pout.
"Mistress, she doth not speak the dialect of our days-s-s," Haftorang warned.
"And I speak not hers!" Queen Kefira snapped, dismissing the language barrier. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Celestial Spirit King," she warned loftily. "Thou couldst not deny him...nay, thou wouldst not even be able to stand before him without thy knees collapsing in trembles."
"Yeah, ya see," Lucy sassed, "I've met that Mustache-Man, too. Sure, he's big and scary, but he's a nice guy."
Haftorang tilted his head in surprise and awe. "At thy tender age, hast thou truly stood before the King himself?"
"Sure, a couple times," Lucy said with her mouth already full of a hunk of bread dipped in the thick, delicious soup. "When I saved Loke's life and when he invited me and my friends to the Spirit World."
"Thou...in the Spirit World?" Kefira gave a musical laugh. "Now I know thou art lying. 'Tis common knowledge: no Human can go to the Spirit World."
"Well, I did," Lucy said stubbornly, folding her arms and pouting. "And I'm not telling you how I did it."
"Lies. But...who is Loke?" asked the queen.
"Leo's current moniker," the fishman explained.
"That's right!" said Lucy. "And I saved him from the Spirit King's judgment. He was impressed, so a while later he invited me to the Spirit World and called me his friend. He said I was the first they'd ever invited. So see, we're good buddies, the Spirit King and I. If he came again..."
"Perchance once thou couldst have avoided his wrath," Haftorang hissed, "but surely not twice!"
Lucy glared at him hard. "As many times as it takes, Fish-Head."
Queen Kefira chuckled at her audacity. "I believe thee, only because thou art too simple to lie so grandly. Thine experience is indeed great, and barely more than a youth! Thou art not one to be underestimated. 'Tis no wonder Leo fell in love with thee. Tell me," she smiled craftily, "dost thou already possess the Key to his Heart?"
"Key to his heart?" she asked with a full mouth.
"Think not that I'm dumb, child. Surely thou hast not become the mate of the Lion without knowing about his Heart."
"Heart...of the Lion? Do you mean Regulus? Seriously, what's up with everyone and Regulus?" Lucy whined. "It's just a star!"
"Just a star!" Kefira laughed, daintily covering her mouth. "Hear thee that, Haftorang? The youth believeth that Regulus is just a star."
"Mistress, the people of this age do not even know about the Royal Stars-s-s. The fact that she can name them putteth her a step wiser than the rest."
"Verily, was so much forgotten?" she asked in sudden disappointment. "A pity! So then, truly, thou hast no knowledge of the Key to the Heart of the Lion?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, are we talking about some riddle for romance, or do you mean a physical key, like one of the Spirit Keys? Because I've never heard of key for individual stars. Keys are for the Spirits of the constellations. Can a single star really also have its own Celestial Spirit?"
Queen Kefira's eyes narrowed spiteful. "Ignorant waif! How dare thou givest the great Leo a child when he telleth thee naught about such a vital thing! If Leo truly loved thee, he would tell thee all his secrets, especially this. Thou art not a true beloved one. Thou art...some wench he slept with who happened to latch onto his seed. Harlot!" She raised her hand to slap Lucy.
"Mistress-s-s!" Haftorang shouted. "I said we would take her only if we protected her." His determination fixated on her, and slowly he insisted, "Thou shalt not harm her."
Queen Kefira held back her hand and glared at him. "Just who is the mistress and who is naught but a fallen star?" Her raised hand slapped him instead. Her hand print left a purple mark on his blue-gray scales. Then she swirled away and stormed out of the room.
"What a bitch!" Lucy exclaimed in disgust.
"Forgive her," Haftorang sighed wearily in a long hiss. The fishman rubbed back the iridescent hair-like fins on his head. "Kefira was not always like this-s-s. Time was unkind to her mental state. Her recent obsession only made her worse."
"He'll come for me," Lucy pouted stubbornly. "Loke will hunt you to the end of the world if he has to."
"I hope so," Haftorang smiled sadly. "I dearly miss that old wildcat. Nevertheless, his proximity to thee is a risk. He cannot remain forever by thy side. When his time is nigh, would he rather have thee watch the agony of him dying, or simply return to face judgment? If he was forced to open his gate near thee, thou wouldst suffer greatly. For thine own safety, we removed thee. Yet if the Lion doth come for thee, I wish to help him live longer in this world. Thou...you," Haftorang smiled, realizing he had gone back to his normal way of speaking, although Lucy was having an easier time comprehending him now. "You seem like a good woman. You are a beacon of light in his life, and I hope he is a faithful mate who will seek you out, because...I'm his only hope for surviving this unfair punishment," he said in a sad tone. "For my old friend, I would help."
"Old friend, huh?" Lucy mumbled as she scraped the bottom of the bowl with the last chunk of bread. She could hardly believe she just ate half a loaf and still felt hungry. "That Mustache-Man called Loke 'old friend' too, but then wanted him to die."
"My friendship with the Lion predates the Spirit King, and the last thing I want is the Lion to fall into eternal oblivion. Don't think badly of him for not telling you everything. He merely wished to spare you from the turbulent past he and I shared."
"The Royal Stars?" she asked.
"Aye. If he told you only that Regulus was one of those nobles-s-s, then that's enough."
Lucy looked down at her massive stomach. What sort of secrets was Loke hiding? What happened with the Royal Stars? If they were nobles of heaven, why were they not anymore? She owned Leo, Taurus, and Scorpio, and they had never mentioned anything like this. They did not act like royalty. In fact, her mind refused to wrap itself around the image of that pervy bull being a regal nobleman. She shuddered at the thought!
Now, here was the fourth, the Southern Fish. Why was Piscis Austrinus here? He was not a Gold Key, so...was he a Silver Key? How could a Celestial Spirit who was once the owner of a Royal Star be reduced to serving her soup and following some outdated hag? Why did the Royal Stars lose their titles, and why was Pisces a Zodiac and not their father?
Lucy decided to ask at least one thing that troubled her. "How...how exactly did you have Pisces? I mean, I know I've got this," she said, pointing to her huge belly, "but I heard that Celestial Spirits weren't supposed to be able to have children. Yet you say you're Pisces' father, and Pisces...well...they're mother and son, so...I'm confused now."
"That was the belief, but I guess that all depends on how one became a Spirit."
Lucy leaned in closer with intrigue. "How you...became...a Spirit?"
The door opened, and the woman in purple floated in on soft slippered steps. "We've been detected by enemies. We must make haste!"
"Understood, Mistress Kefira." Haftorang helped Lucy up. "We must go."
Lucy folded her arms and stamped her foot to hold her ground. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"If you refuse to walk, I'll be forced to carry you in my mouth. It's efficient but not pleasant on the nose, I'm told."
"Eww!" She cringed, looking at the massive mouth and sharp teeth. "No thanks."
"Then walk. 'Tis not far."

End of Chapter 9

Rhov's Corner:
Lots of notes, but I wrote some confusing stuff...sorry. ^_^'
Early Modern English (AKA: "Shakespearean English" or "King James' English," erroneously called Middle English)
Thou/Thee = you (thou is nominative, thee is objective: "Thou shalt see how I see thee.")

Thy/Thine = your (If the next word begins with a vowel, use thine: "thy face," "thine eyes." Same rule applies to my/mine: "my face," "mine eyes")
Conjugation in a nutshell:

If the pronoun is "thou," the verb ends in -est (or -st if it ends in a vowel). If you'd double the last consonant for "-ing" then double it for "-est."

(You do=Thou dost; you know=thou knowest; you put=thou puttest)
Third person singular (he/she/it): end with -eth/-th.

(He does=He doth; she knows=she knoweth; it puts=it putteth)
Verb "to have": You have=Thou hast; She has=She hath; "I/we/they have" stays the same.
Thou art = You are

'Tis = It's. Cut the "I" off of IT instead of IS.

Naught = Nothing

Nigh = Near

Ere = Before

Verily = Really/Truly

Perchance = Perhaps

Hither and thither = Here and There
If any dialogue confuses you, please ask for clarification. I tried real hard to keep this to a simplified version of the more widely known Shakespearean dialect, but half of my readers come from countries where English is not the official language, and even in English-speaking countries, many schools don't teach Shakespeare until high school. I'm sure there are some who are utterly lost in reading Queen Kefira and Haftorang's archaic speech. I took the time to make a dialog-only transcript in Modern English just in case. I can PM it to anyone, no problem!

I once warned you that I'm fanatical with names and their meanings. Now you get to see that I wasn't joking!

Haftorang, AKA "Piscis Austrinus" with the ring of Fomalhaut

http://bit.ly/1yPTcFG
Piscis Austrinus: The Southern Fish. Today, Pisces is better known, yet in ancient times the Great Fish was important, and Pisces were his children (changed to mother and son in the manga; I have had to rewrite Pisces' role three times as the manga slowly unfolds). As the link above shows, the constellation appears with its large mouth open to guzzle the water Aquarius pours out. Because of this association, I'm hinting that the two had a relationship. If this was an anime, Aquarius would be a mermaid and Piscis Austrinus would be opposite, man legs but a fish's body.
Fomalhaut: The Mouth of the Fish (Arabic فم الحوت fum al-ḥawt; pronounced "FOH-mahl-hout" ... I jokingly call it "foam-a-lot") first-magnitude star located on the tip of the mouth of Piscis Austrinus; NASA pictures have given it the nickname "Eye of Sauron" (google "Fomalhaut" for pics, they're awesome!)
Haftorang: HAHF-tohr-ahng, not "haft orange" ^_^ Also spelled "Hastorang," Persian name of Fomalhaut. In Persian mythology, Haftorang was a Royal Star known as "The Solitary One" and "Watcher of the South" because it's the only first-magnitude star in an otherwise empty area of sky. It's linked with immortality and associated with the Syrian god Dagon. Lovecraft fans, be in awe!

Yamataikoku No Kefira, Shaman-Queen of Kohinur
Yamataikoku – Sino-Japanese name of an ancient country in Wa (Japan) during the late Yayoi period, home of the shaman-queen Himiko.
No – Japanese possessive, の. Before the rise of feudalism, "no" was used in clan naming, similar to the German aristocratic "von." Japanese naming went surname/"no"/given name. I like to think of "no" as an apostrophe-S. She's therefore "Clan Yamataikoku's Kefira."
Kefira – feminine form of the Hebrew name meaning "young lion." No, she isn't Loke's sister, daughter, aunt, or mother. It's just her name.
Kohinur – from Persian کوه نور Kōh-i Nūr, "Mountain of Light," also spelled Koh-i-Noor, name of one of the British Crown Jewels and supposedly cursed. The legend goes, the man who wears the Koh-i-Noor diamond may rule the world but will know all the sorrows of the world, so it can only be worn by a god or a woman. To date, the only ruling monarchs to have worn it without tragedy are Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
Yes, I take naming characters seriously. Names hold power. A person's name is their soul, builds their personality, reflects their traits, tells the world what type of person they are! (So says the lady with a weird name like Rhov!)
- 8
- 9
- 10
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lion's Pride