Chapter 3. First Journey
Time passed, and after a couple of days in which his father had locked himself away with the high commanders of the magical nations —apparently to plan, according to his mother, the best way to retake control of Britain—, the moment finally arrived for Naruto to head off, together with his favorite stepmother, Miray Dragneel, on a shopping trip to British territory.
From what the pink-haired, green-eyed woman had explained, it was more of an inspection mission than anything else —a way to confirm the current state of the English magical economy.
He wasn't exactly thrilled about being used as a tool for political purposes; but as long as he wasn't forced to marry a British girl —unless she happened to be one of the Pendragon women, whom he objectively found incredibly beautiful—, he would do whatever his father ordered. Besides, as part-merfolk, and though he would never admit it aloud, he was genuinely curious about the fashion of one of the oldest magical countries in the world. He just hoped Mordred had exaggerated, and that they didn't actually wear those bulky, cumbersome robes all the time.
Putting that aside, the young prince of Alfheim was sitting in his private living room, waiting for his stepmother to arrive so they could begin their shopping trip. At least he wasn't bored or alone; to his good fortune —and although Milim had returned home to spend some father-daughter time—, one of his oldest friends, who had come along with the patriarch of her house to attend the meetings with his father, had agreed to accompany him to Britain. Mostly because, according to her, they hadn't had much time to play together that year —and that, in her opinion, made this the perfect first date.
How she had come to the conclusion that a school-shopping trip with his stepmother acting as chaperone qualified as a romantic date was something he would never understand. But Juvia had always been a peculiar girl, prone to interpreting things however they suited her. He liked her and felt a sincere fondness for her, but she still struck him as a little odd.
"So… what there is in Britain? Juvia is hearink that non-magicals rule big part of land?"
asked the blue-haired girl, her heavy accent turning every sentence she spoke into a curious mix of elegance and clumsy phrasing.
The question pulled Naruto out of his thoughts, and he gave her a contemplative look. Truth be told, he didn't really know what there was to see in the British magical community.
Unlike Russia, China, Mexico, or the United States, Great Britain had very little virgin territory —lands that, by ancient treaties, older even than his maternal grandfather, were the true settlements of the magical races. That was why nations whose populations were concentrated in small areas tended to show remarkable natural beauty in their national parks, such as Yellowstone, which was protected by a powerful magical community.
"Considering the crazy goat they have as political leader… the non-magicals have probably destroyed every natural wonder the country had," Naruto said with a sigh and a shrug.
As an elf, it saddened him. His kind had always been deeply connected to nature. But there wasn't much he could do —even for magic, repairing the damage caused by pollution was difficult, especially when the non-magicals kept ruining any progress again and again.
"Durak," muttered the blue-haired princess with a disdainful grimace.
Naruto rolled his eyes. He didn't understand why she insisted on using her mother tongue to curse when she knew perfectly well that, as a merfolk, he could understand and speak every language in the world without the slightest trouble.
"Indeed… the old fool is a durak," Miray commented with a playful smile.
And, as if fate itself wanted to get her young companion into trouble, she chose that exact moment to enter the room. Her gaze, full of amusement, immediately landed on the Grand Duchess, who couldn't help but blush deeply at being caught while someone uttered such an improper word in her presence.
"A thousand apologies," Juvia said at once, turning her eyes away from the pink-haired woman, unable to meet them out of pure embarrassment.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I was a little girl once too, you know?" Miray replied kindly, though the sparkle of amusement in her eyes was barely hidden. After all, she wasn't about to scold the girl for overhearing a swear word; she herself had been quite a sharp-tongued child. It was perfectly natural for children—especially among the nobility—to start cursing at an early age. Naruto, for instance, had a surprisingly colorful vocabulary when he got angry.
"Still, Juvia must apologizink. Father say insult in other's home not proper for lady,"
the girl declared, now a little less embarrassed, though her cheeks remained faintly flushed.
Miray simply nodded in acceptance. She wasn't going to argue with the little one—mostly because she saw no real reason to, and partly because it was good for them to learn to recognize their mistakes early. Otherwise, they would end up as spoiled and irreverent brats.
True, they were spoiled and pampered, yes… but not ill-mannered.
After Juvia's apology, the room fell into a long, comfortable silence that lasted until the blue-haired girl finally stood from her seat and gave a polite curtsy to her best friend's stepmother.
"Thank you for allowink Juvia to come with you," she said, following the etiquette lessons her mother had taught her; after all, it was the duty of a lady to thank for invitations and to show gratitude even among close friends.
"No problem, darling… of all Naruto's girlfriends, you're the one I like best," Miray replied matter-of-factly. Kushina might have preferred Charlie, but personally, Miray found the girl's habit of bursting into song at the slightest provocation quite irritating—and Juvia, in her not-so-humble opinion, was an absolute delight.
"We're not dating," ñNaruto said, rolling his eyes again.
"Not yet," Miray added knowingly; after all, as a prince, he would have to form his coven before turning eighteen—and Juvia was definitely the candidate she would support most passionately. "Anyway, we've got a long day ahead, so let's get this over with."
With that declaration, both youngsters approached the woman, and after taking the hand of the daughter of House Dragneel, she activated her teleportation ritual.
With the loudest, most unnecessarily dramatic boom she could possibly produce—an obvious act of protest toward her husband for forcing his son to study ten months a year away from his family—the three vanished from the palace.
—A few moments later, Imperial Palace of Camelot—
The Palace of Camelot, located in a place so secret that only the ten major families knew its exact location, was—and always would be—the most imposing symbol of the nation's pride. And yet, like some tragic parody, it was in as pitiful a state as Britain itself, at least in the opinion of the two young travelers who, after quite some time, finally managed to regain their sight and clear their heads following such a long space-time jump.
Or, in Naruto's case, after his inner ear finally stopped protesting from the explosion.
Neither of them had ever been there before. They were far too young to have witnessed the splendor that palace had once possessed. Yet, judging from the estates of their own families—and knowing that the Pendragons descended from the great king of the previous era—there was no doubt it must once have been a place of dazzling beauty, filled with wonders in every corner.
Now, however, it was nothing but a shadow of what it had been.
"There is dust on top of dust," Juvia said with a grimace of disgust. "One would think that bein' part of ten great families, Pendragon at least keep better ancestral palace."
"There are reasons for that… none that you need to worry about," Miray replied, calmly observing what, according to her parents, had once been the most glamorous ballroom of them all.
"Would you like to have a palace of your own, sweetheart?" she added with a teasing smile, knowing full well that Naruto was currently the only one with enough wealth to buy and restore an ancestral palace—and that Artoria held no particular affection for this one.
"Not in Britain," Naruto said dryly.
Damn it, it was supposed to be summer, and yet he was freezing… though that might have had more to do with the fact that the place had been closed for years, had almost no furniture, and was, essentially, a long-abandoned mansion.
"Would be terrible place to raise family," Juvia remarked. Though still a child, she dreamed of having a large family one day. After all, she had no siblings, and if not for the good relations between her family and the highest noble houses of her world, she might well have grown up entirely alone in her family's palace.
"A shame," Miray said with a sigh before waving her fingers lightly over her two young companions. Both began to glow softly, and a moment later they were dressed in tasteful attire—though entirely unlike traditional noble fashion. After all, their goal was to attract as little attention as possible.
"Why not doink this before?" Juvia asked, slightly confused and clearly uncomfortable. She didn't like skirts; growing up in Russia had made her fond of pants and thick leggings. Skirts and stockings simply weren't her thing.
"Because I would've had to change you twice," Miray replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. After all, they'd both been covered in dust upon arrival, and dressing them before the trip would only have meant doing it again here.
"Now, let's go over how you're supposed to behave," she added, using a bit of magic to clean off a pair of armchairs.
End of Chapter.