Here's a little crossover thing I did a while ago for Natsu/Lucy and Aladdin! It was originally going to be a multi-chapter series, but I decided to just keep it as a single one-shot. ^^ Please enjoy!
The streets were a rotten mess. The roads stunk of a stench Princess Lucy Heartfilia couldn't identify. Her prim and proper clothing hung heavily off of her shoulders, the bodice now sticky from her dripping sweat. She pushed a stray strand of hair out from over her swollen eyelids, and she looked out into the dark, lonesome street.
In the corner, she could just make out the outline of a few people sleeping on the hard concrete floor. A few rats scurried past her feet, making her more than aware of her surroundings.
How had she ended up here of all places? When she had left the castle, she was aiming towards stumbling into a middle class town, not this filthy lower-than-lowest class.
Her father had just set up yet another marriage interview for her, which meant she had to deal with yet another snobby suitor King Jude Heartfilia had picked out for her. What was with his tastes? He had never picked out someone to Lucy's liking.
Earlier that day, Lucy had finally put her foot down and ran out of the castle. Now her father was after her, but Lucy was somewhat grateful she was in a place he would never think to look.
She could feel the burning eyes of the old men on her, looking at her up and down, and probably wondering what someone as nicely dressed as her was doing in this rut of a street. She coughed once, causing them all to whistle.
This wasn't safe. Lucy's eyes widened as their eyes never left her. Some raised their glasses and others hooted and hollered.
She was scared.
What was she doing? This was no place for a princess like herself!
"Woah there, Missy," a new voice said, startling her into a short jump. Lucy quickly tried to scramble away, stopping when she felt strong arms around her.
She was then lifted into the air and carried into a dark alleyway.
"No! Get off of me!" she yelled, squirming in the person's grasp. "Please! I'm begging you! Have mercy! Have mercy!"
"The hell you talkin' about?" the voice, who she now identified as a man, said.
This was it. The end. Lucy was doomed.
"Are you alright?" the voice said, making Lucy stop. She froze in her tracks, her mouth opening and closing. She still refused to look behind her, though. "Yeezus, ya' startled me!"
Lucy gulped, quickly pulling the neckline of her cropped tube top up and running a hand through her luscious golden locks. She turned, her eyes widening as she finally took a good look at the person who had saved her from the eyes of the other men.
He wasn't very tall, Lucy noticed, but he was taller than her. His mouth was a little open, showing off his fanged teeth. He was wearing a bright purple open vest, showing off his toned chest and muscles. Loose white pants complimented the gold strip holding them up, and to top it all off, he wore a small red hat on his hair. His hair. That was the most peculiar thing about him. It was… pink. Bright pink. Or was it salmon? Lucy couldn't tell. She was gaping at him, which he definitely noticed.
Lucy gulped. "Um…"
The boy laughed. It was a short laugh, but it filled Lucy's heart with something she didn't know the name of.
"You a noble or what?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking at her up and down. "Of course you are, look at your clothes."
"Uh…"
The boy then reached out, draping a shawl over her shoulders. It was a dirty brown color, but Lucy didn't mind. It would help her in this part of town, after all.
"There ya' go! Now listen up," he said, leaning closer so he could look into her eyes. "Go down that street and take a right. There's a… better place there for ya'."
Lucy gulped, nodding once. She quickly picked up her skirt and made a break for it, leaving the strange boy who had just saved her life behind.
She didn't look back. She just ran into the street the boy and pointed to.
Her vision was immediately hurt by the bright lights and cheery sounds.
This was… amazing. Lucy gaped at the tall buildings and the people bustling around, going to and fro from the marketplace so late in the evening. She saw small families at vendor stalls, and couples cutely feeding each other in one of the benches.
She grinned heavily as she saw the children running around, playing with one another. Then she noticed a smaller child, near the brink of tears.
Lucy blinked, securing the shawl around her shoulders tightly and going up to him.
"Are you hungry?" she asked softly, reaching out to pet the small boy's hair. Her only response was a nod. Lucy twisted her lips in thought, looking around for anything. She picked up a small apple from the stall they were standing in front of, and held it out to the boy. "Here you are, little one."
The boy smiled gratefully up at her and started laughing happily. Lucy's heart burst in joy as she watched him wither around in mirth.
"I hope you have the money to pay for that," the salesperson said suddenly, coming up to her with a stick in his hand. He gave Lucy a disgruntled look.
"M-money?" Lucy questioned. She had forgotten about bringing any money with her from the castle. She never had to worry about this sort of thing. "I'm sorry, I don't have any."
"Well that just won't do," the salesperson said in a dangerously low voice. Lucy gulped as he grabbed her shoulders, lifting his stick high into the air. She prepared for the hard impact from the object, but no such feeling came.
"Stop!" a familiar voice said. Lucy opened her now clenched eyes to see someone's back looming over her. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she watched the same pink-haired boy from before stop the stick from making contact with her noble skin. The boy then turned to her again. "You found her for me!"
Lucy blinked. "What are you doing?" she hissed. The boy just grabbed her hand.
"Sorry about her. She's a little crazy," he said to the salesperson, who was looking more angry than confused. "She even thinks that cat over there is the king!"
The boy pointed to something on the floor. Lucy looked down to see a small blue cat at her feet, purring absentmindedly and looking up at her with a wicked grin. She looked up to see the boy give her a desperate look, prompting her on what to do.
With a gulp, Lucy fell to her knees, slapping her hands together in a gesture that was formally used for praying at temples.
"Oh, King Heartfilia!" she said in her most dramatic voice. She glanced up to see the boy shoot her a pleased grin, showing off his fanged teeth.
"You see? Crazy," he said, shaking his head before grabbing her hand. "Well, we best be off!"
"Get back here!" the salesperson yelled, waving his stick in the air, but was too late as Lucy and the strange boy were already far enough away from him.
Lucy glanced down at their interlocked hands, and back up to him.
"Why did you do that?" she asked, suddenly stopping them from running any further. The boy turned around and, unexpectedly, shot her a glare.
"What, no 'thank you'?" he asked, letting go of her.
Lucy looked at him. "Oh. Sorry. Thank you," she said, apologizing.
The boy's face instantly took on a much more cheerful expression.
"You're welcome!" he said. "My name's Natsu, by the way. Natsu Dragneel." He stuck out his right hand for a shake, making Lucy eye him uncomfortably.
"P-pleasure," she said, taking his hand and refusing to meet his gaze.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What's your name?" he prompted.
"Oh! It's Lucy," Lucy replied, mentally slapping herself, "Lucy Heartfilia."
Natsu immediately dropped her hand, looking at her in shock.
"Heartfilia? As in…"
"My father's the king," Lucy nodded.
Natsu didn't say anything for a while. He looked her from her head to her toes for the umpteenth time that day and then said, "Okay."
Lucy snapped. "What do you mean, 'okay'?"
Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "What do I mean? I mean okay," he said. "Tssk, Weirdo."
Lucy's eyebrow twitched. "Just so you know, you don't have to call me 'Princess' or any of that nonsense."
Natsu then grinned again. "Right. Exactly. Instead, I'm gonna call ya' Luce!"
"What?"
"Luce!"
"Why."
"Because you don't seem like one of those prim and proper princesses, ya' know?" Natsu said easily. "You're like… Luce. Not Lucy Heartfilia."
Lucy gulped. "Ah- okay."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Okay." He then looked to the blue cat from earlier. "That's Happy."
"Happy?" Lucy questioned. "You named your cat Happy? Why?"
"Because everyone was so happy when he hatched from his shell!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Um… cats don't hatch from shells," Lucy voiced. "They come in litters."
Natsu shook his head. "No no, that can't be right. Trust me, Luce, they're hatched from eggs. Happy's egg was super big and we thought he was gonna be a dragon!"
"Dragons don't exist," Lucy said, crossing her arms.
Natsu gasped, giving her a shocked look. "What?! How could you say something like that?!"
"Because it's a fact," Lucy pointed out. "This is common knowledge, Natsu Dragneel."
Natsu poured in her direction. "Don't be such a buzzkill, Luce."
Lucy looked at him, taking in his appearance once more. She grinned to herself, liking the way this conversation was going. It was nice, really, being able to talk to someone normally for once, even if the person she was conversing with was a definite weird stranger. How many people saved a lone princess wandering the streets without asking for anything in return?
That was right. There were no people like that. Of course, Lucy realized.
"So," she said, clearing her throat, "what do you want from me?"
Natsu blinked up at her, his confusion evident. "What? What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm the princess, and you just saved me from perverted old men. You must want something in return for that, right?" Lucy asked, her eyebrows raising as her patience began to wear. "Just name it quickly."
Natsu cleared his throat. "You're right. I do want something in return for my amazingly good deed."
He was mocking her, and she knew it.
"Well?" she asked. "What is it?"
Natsu then smiled at her wickedly. "I want you to come with me on a tour of the town."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No. I just want to spend with with ya', Luce!" Natsu said with his usual cheeky grin. "You probably don't get out of your giant castle much, so I'm gonna take you all over the villages and show ya' what you're missing out on!"
Lucy didn't say anything for a while.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't get out of my giant castle much."
That shut Natsu up. Her tone was suddenly different. He looked up at her with an unreadable expression clouding his eyes.
"You're… not alone," he said dumbly. "But it sounds better than living on the streets, salvaging for food every single day."
"They tell you what to wear… what to eat… how to act…"
"And no one ever trusts you with anything," Natsu continued.
"You have to live up to their expectations…"
"They're always pounding on you for everything…"
"It feels kind of…"
"It feels kind of like I'm…"
They ended with their incoherent thoughts by simultaneously saying, "Trapped?!"
Lucy whipped her head around to look at Natsu straight in the eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds, not bothering to do anything about the purring Happy by Natsu's feet.
"Say… what's a noble doing out here anyway?" Natsu suddenly asked, catching Lucy's attention once again.
Lucy closed her eyes, plopping down to the floor and bundling her knees into her chest. Natsu followed shortly after her, sitting down besides her and crossing his legs beneath him. He looked at Lucy, eagerly awaiting her answer.
"Law says I have to marry a prince," Lucy started, playing with the end of her ponytail. Natsu raised an eyebrow.
"And?" he asked, wanting to hear more.
"And?! What do you mean, 'and'?" Lucy screeched. "The law says I have to marry a prince! Some random person whom I've never even met before and probably only wants to marry me because I'm a princess!"
Natsu scoffed. "Who made this stupid law anyway?" he asked.
Lucy quieted down. "My father's grandfather. It can't be changed," she sighed out. Natsu bit his lip, unsure what to say.
"Well, have you had any marriage interviews yet?" he asked slowly.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Only about seventeen of them. They're all snobby brutes, though, that's for sure."
"There are seventeen princes in this world?"
"Oh trust me, that's not even a quarter of them," Lucy said.
Natsu rolled his tongue, testing the waters as he began to speak again. "Well, what are ya' gonna do about it, Luce?"
Lucy shook her head softly, her mouth twisting into a pained smile. "Nothing. There's nothing I can do without my father's consent. So that's why I decided to run away!"
"Run away?" Natsu prompted. "What good'll that do?"
"That's exactly my question."
Lucy sighed for the umpteenth time that day. She smiled bitterly before looking up at the strange pink-haired boy.
Lucy was feeling something weird in that moment. She didn't know exactly why, but her chest was beginning to feel awfully heavy as her mind was clouded with the vision of only Natsu's face. She was looking at him; she had been looking at him for a while now, but all he ever seemed to do was make her feel this strange feeling.
And why was her heart suddenly beating so quickly?
"Anyway," she said, gulping and pulling back from his hard gaze. "I couldn't think of anything to do, so I decided to leap out of one of the windows on the bottom floor and make a break for it."
"Wouldn't your dad be worried, though?" Natsu asked.
"Probably, and he'll also probably send his troops out to get me because of that, but still. I want to live up these last few moments in the village nicely, thank you very much. Natsu, I'm going to take you up on your offer, if it still stands!"
Natsu cocked his head to the right. "What?"
"I want to explore the villages with you!" Lucy continued strongly. "So please! Feel free to take me wherever you wish! I'm yours until my father finds and catches me!"
She had said it so easily, Lucy wondered where she got this sudden surge of newfound confidence from.
Natsu coughed awkwardly. "Err… alrighty then."
Lucy nodded. "Good! So! Where are we going first?"
Natsu then grinned. "Well, there's this really cool-"
"PRINCESS LUCY HEARTFILIA!"
Both Natsu and Lucy snapped their heads in the direction of the new voice that interrupted their conversation. Standing right in front of them were three giant guards wearing heavy suits of armor with the royal crest on their chests. Lucy gasped, quickly scrambling to her feet and hiding behind Natsu.
He turned to her. "Do you trust me?"
Lucy blinked. "What?"
"Do you trust me?"
Lucy gulped and nodded. "Of course I do!"
Natsu nodded and then noticed her fragile stance. He turned to the guards with fury blazed in his eyes.
"Who the hell are you guys?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. Lucy gripped his shoulders as she tried to hide herself from view all while sneaking a glance at the tall men clad in silver.
The guard in the middle spoke up first.
"Princess Lucy Heartfilia," he said before the three of them bowed low. They then quickly got up and raised their swords in Natsu's face. "We will help you escape from this lowly commoner! Now run! Escape! Back to the castle at once!"
"Never!" Lucy yelled back, throwing Natsu out of the way just as he was about to get into his regular fighting stance. Natsu watched in awe as the girl who was scared of these men just a few seconds ago easily stepped up to them with a snarl on her face. "You can go tell my father that he'll never be getting me back if all he wants to do is sell me off to some perverted prince who wants me for my family's money or to richen their borders or something like that!"
Lucy breathed heavily, watching the men's eyes light up in shock, frustration, annoyance, and anger. She watched as they raised their hands, politely signaling her to stop talking.
"I'm sorry, Princess Lucy," another one of them said. "But unfortunately the King's orders surpass your own. You have no say in this matter."
The three of them grabbed Lucy's shoulders, tugging her further and further away from Natsu. Unfortunately for them, Natsu wasn't too pleased by this.
"Oi! Get back 'ere you losers!" he yelled, jumping up from where Lucy had pushed him away and beginning to walk up in a menacing way to the guards. "How dare ya' treat the princess like that?! How rude! I'll have ya' know that Luce doesn't like it when you do that, if you couldn't already tell."
"Luce?" the third guard blanched. "You filthy little lowlife! Addressing the princess in such a horrendous manner without consent is a crime by law! I'll have you punished for that!"
Natsu rolled his eyes. "But I do have her permission," he said, making the guards' eyes go wide. "Right, Luce?"
Lucy smiled, trying to wiggle out from the soldier's hard grasp. "Yes," she confirmed.
"B-but Princess Lucy!" the first guard said again, trying to make his princess see reason.
"Let me go!" Lucy screamed, slapping the soldier's backs hard. "I don't want to go with you, can't you see? I want to keep talking to Natsu! Let me go! Let me go!"
Natsu, however, could recognize a lost cause when he saw one. He shot Lucy a sad smile, something which she had never seen before, and quietly turned away, avoiding her gaze.
"Bye, Luce," he said quietly, sulking off to the side.
Lucy gasped. "Natsu! Natsu, I-"
"Enough!" the guards roared.
Lucy gulped as she was swiftly taken away from the strange boy she had just met.
The boy that made her heart run wild.
…
"Father, let me explain," Lucy started, fiddling with the hem of her frilly dress. She looked up at the king with pleading eyes. "I just wanted to get away! Is that such a crime?!"
King Jude rubbed his temples, clearly not in the mood to deal with his troublesome teenage princess daughter. He sighed, shaking his head in her general direction.
"Lucy, I have been over this. You are to attend the marriage interviews, do your best to impress the groomsmen, and then come back and continue your harp and sewing lessons. Is that really so much to ask from you?"
"Yes! It is!" Lucy screeched. "Father, I don't want to marry some prince I've never even met before! I want to fall in love for myself! As a father, your daughter's happiness should come above all else!"
Jude shook his head. "Lucy, I'd love to allow you to go off and fall in love for yourself, but your great-grandfather made this law for a reason. You must marry a prince! It is your duty!"
"I don't want to ruin my life for some stupid traditional law!" Lucy retorted. "My life's been a mess so far, and I want to marry the man I fell in love with!"
Jude's left eye twitched. "Fell in love with? Lucy, have you fallen in love with someone?"
Lucy huffed. "And so what if I have?! I'm not saying that I'm in love or anything, but so what if I am?!"
"Lucy…"
"Father! Please! See reason just this once!"
Jude turned away. "Go up to your room, Lucy. We will not talk on this subject any further for now."
"For now?" Lucy yelled back. "So you just don't want to deal with the truth, is that it?"
"Lucy!"
"Father!" Lucy said with just as much force. "I just… I don't want to do this anymore…"
"Lucy…" Jude started again, walking up to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Listen… it's not only about this law."
Lucy looked up. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"You see, I'm not going to be around for much longer, and I just want to make sure that you're taken care of… that you'll have someone to look after you for when I won't be able to fend for you any longer."
Lucy gasped. "What are you saying, Father!? How can you talk about things like that so easily?!" She breathed heavily. "Don't you understand what you're doing to me?! Father! It isn't… it isn't fair…" Lucy sniffed. "If I'm going to marry, I want to do it for love. I don't want to do it just for sake of getting myself a husband."
Jude looked away. "We will talk about this at a later date, Lucy. For now, go upstairs and try to get some rest."
Lucy could only nod. She hung her head she exited the room, going upstairs and into her bedroom. She was instantly greeted by her white tiger, Plue.
Plue instantly snuggled up to her, letting out a soft growl as she sat down on her bed and leaned forwards, looking out the window.
She sighed, "Natsu…"
…
"Well that sucks, right Happy?" Natsu said as he strolled through a forgotten part of town. His cat was by his side, scowling at the insects that tried to land on his nose or sting him. Natsu chuckled at the blue feline, preferring to find joy in his pain.
Happy looked up at Natsu with a worried look- something Natsu easily recognized.
"Aww, buddy, ya' don't have to feel so down! Trust me, it was for the better," he tried to console, but missing the purpose of Happy's look completely. "I know you miss her, but things will get better!"
Natsu groaned, deciding it would be best not to continue lying to himself.
"Oh who am I kidding…" he mumbled, stopping in the middle of the isolated street and dropping to the floor. Natsu sulked to himself, allowing his cat to rub his back along his leg but not paying much mind to it. "I don't even know where we are anymore. I'm hopeless…"
Natsu got up and stalked to the corner of the streets, Happy quickly trailing behind him and basking in his worry. Of course, Natsu was sure he knew why he was feeling like this. It was obviously because of the princess, he decided. She must have done something to his feelings when he was away.
Natsu had no idea what she could have done, though, so he just resumed his walk with his shoulders bagging down at his sides.
Suddenly, his foot got caught in a patch of brown leaves. Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at his leg and shaking it absentmindedly. He groaned as he tried to unclasp it from whatever was holding it back, but he failed every time he made a move to loosen the damage.
Then, he fell. Somehow, the trap had completely collapsed and now he was about to fall under.
Natsu yelled loudly, flailing his arms wildly around his face as he tried to reach for the first thing he could, which just so happened to be Happy. He grabbed his cat by his paws and the two began to tumble down the cold cave.
"Ouch…" Natsu moaned, rubbing his head as he finally stopped rolling. Happy immediately curled up in a ball at his feet and Natsu looked around him, taking in their surroundings. "Hey, this place is softer than I thought!"
Natsu looked down to see why the floor was so comfortable, but stopped short once he saw where he was sitting.
It was a patch of purple cloth. It had bright yellow, blue, and red embroidery with yellow hinges on the corners. Natsu blinked, quickly getting up and looking at it closer.
"Oi, Happy! Come check this out," he said, prompting Happy to get up and begin to paw the fabric.
Then, the unexpected happened. The fabric moved. Not just by a little bit, but by a lot. It practically jumped up upon contact with Happy's sharp claws and then seemed to be staring straight at the pink-haired boy and his companion.
Natsu's jaw dropped. "It's…" he started, not daring to believe his eyes. "It's a magic carpet!" Natsu's eyes glistened as he stared at the friendly carpet, who had just begun circling around him. "This is awesome! This is so cool!"
The carpet then bent down low, forming the shape of stairs. Natsu blinked, not understanding what to do. The carpet then used its corner to make a beckoning notion. Natsu's eyes widened as he slowly climbed up the set of three steps and sat on the platform the carpet provided. Natsu quickly picked Happy up from the ground, much to his displeasure, and nestled him into his lap.
The carpet then took a few steps back, before a burst of speed took over it and Natsu and Happy found themselves flying through the dark cave.
The wind felt great to Natsu. He grinned down at his cat and allowed himself to enjoy what was happening to him. He never expected a normal day like today would turn out so brilliantly. First, he met the princess, and now he was flying on a magical carpet in God-knows-where place!
The carpet came to a slow stop, and Natsu raised an eyebrow as his fun ride came to an end. He slowly got off the carpet, watching as it jumped over to a raised platform and held out the corners of its fabric.
Natsu walked up to the platform, instantly having to shield his eyes from the bright light that followed shortly after. He watched in awe as he was presented with a slightly dusty golden lamp.
Natsu's jaw dropped when he saw it. Carefully, he reached out to take it into his hands and gaze at it.
"Woah… what's this?" he asked the carpet. Happy lept up onto his shoulders to take a closer look. "There looks like there's some kind of writing on it… but… I can't make it out…"
To see if he could see the writing any better, Natsu raised his hand to gently rub away some of the dirt from the base of the lamp.
Just as he did this, the lamp exploded in his hands and bursts of color went off in the once-dark cave. Natsu and Happy watched in awe and the carpet looked awfully smug about something as bright explosions and rainbows started appearing out of nowhere.
"What the hell is going on…?" Natsu muttered just as some wispy thing came out from the lamp's head.
Natsu gulped, watching as the wisp materialized and a few seconds later, a man was standing there.
Well, if you could classify him as a man.
He was tall- taller than Natsu, at least. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the bottom half of his body was the wisp from before. He had a disgruntled look on his face, and his arms were flatly crossed on his toned chest. He had unruly black hair and was wearing a necklace around his neck.
"Pfft, about time someone let me out of that thing," he said, before lifting his arms and stretching them above his head. "It's been like, what, ten-thousand years or something? Agh I think I have a crick in my neck."
Natsu blinked, watching the strange 'man' as he continued to ramble on and on about something.
He came closer to Natsu.
"You're my new master, eh? Ugh couldn't they have done any better? Fortune is just not on my side today, it is? Wow you're short. What's your name, boy?"
"Natsu," Natsu said, still trying to make sense of this whole situation.
The weird person nodded. "Stupid name for a stupid face. I gotcha," he said, crossing his arms again. "I'm Gray. Gray the Genie of the Lamp at your service." He held out his hand with a giant smirk on his face.
Natsu took it before saying, "What kind of name is Gray?"
"Better name than Natsu, that's for sure," Gray said, blowing a stray strand of hair out from his eyes. "The full name's 'Graynie', but who likes that?"
Natsu tried to hold back his laugh, but failed miserable. "Graynie! Bahaha! Priceless!"
Gray did not look amused.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm not gonna let someone with a name like Natsu make fun of my name."
"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing that should interest you!"
"GRRR GRAYNIE YOU WANNA GO?!"
"DON'T CALL ME GRAYNIE!"
Natsu smirked. "So, now what? What's the point of you anyway?"
Gray's left eyebrow twitched. "You little… gah, nevermind. Now you have three wishes that I must grant you blah blah the whole shindig. So tell me your wishes quickly so I can get away from you."
"Wishes? What do ya' mean?" Natsu asked, now curious.
Gray sighed and facepalmed. "Why'd I have to get such a clueless one this time around?" he muttered under his breath before saying in a louder voice, "Just wish for three things and I have to grant them."
That cheered Natsu right up.
"Really? So I can wish for anything I want and you have no choice but to grant it for me?"
Gray rolled his eyes. "Well, there are some rules…"
Natsu then remembered something. He shot Happy a mischievous grin. "Pfft, this loser calls himself a genie who can grant wishes. What a joke."
Happy nodded.
Gray's ears went red. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO-"
"I mean, he couldn't even get us out of this cave," Natsu continued, looking thoughtful.
"OKAY YOU KNOW WHAT, FINE!" Gray yelled, snapping his fingers. The carpet then moved up to him and he quickly flew on. He turned to Natsu. "Well? Are you getting on or what?"
Natsu grinned. He grabbed Happy into his arms and quickly climbed up onto the carpet, sitting down and grinning cheekily up at Gray, who in return was giving him a disgruntled expression.
Gray snapped his fingers, before the three of them began moving through the cave and popping up and outside.
Natsu chuckled as they landed in a secluded part of the forest. He quickly took Happy off the carpet with him and looked back up to Gray.
"Cool!" he said.
Gray shrugged. "Well now you only have two wishes left."
Natsu exchanged a quick glance with Happy. "What're ya' talking about? I never used up my first wish."
Gray blanched at him. "What the hell? You just wished to get out of the cave, and I granted it! What are you spouting on about?"
Natsu furrowed his eyebrows cutely. "What are you spoutin' on about? That wasn't a wish! I never said it was a wish! You did that out of the goodness in your heart!"
Gray saw red. He began sputtering out, trying to make sense of his words. "WHAT THE HELL?! I DIDN'T DO THAT FOR YOU-"
"Quit yellin'! You'll hurt my fragile ears!" Natsu said. He was mocking him, and Gray knew it.
"WHY YOU LITTLE-"
"So, I can wish for whatever I want?"
That quieted the genie down. "There are three rules, though. One, I can't kill anyone. Two, I can't make anyone fall in love with anyone, and three, I can't make someone come back from the dead."
He had said it so bluntly, Natsu had to say it, "You're such a rock."
Gray looked at him. "A rock?"
"A blunder."
"Don't you mean boulder-"
"You have no personality at all, Graynie! You're just a stupid wispy cloud thing who can't grant good wishes and doesn't have a shirt on. You're clearly just an exhibitionist!"
"I told you not to call me Graynie! And I'm not an exhibitionist you-"
"Too bad, Graynie!"
"I will not grant your wishes if you keep-"
"Aww but I thought I was your master!" Natsu squealed. "Hey! I'm your master! Cool!" He looked around, spotting a patch of bananas on the tall tree they were standing in front of. "Get that fruit for your master, Servant Graynie!"
Gray didn't say anything. He looked down at Happy. "Is he always like this?" He turned to Natsu. "And stop interrupting my senten-"
"So you're not getting me the fruit?"
"AGHH YOU'RE JUST A LITTLE PUNK WHO DOESN'T APPRECIATE-"
"AND YOU'RE JUST SOME STUPID EXHIBITIONIST WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ANYTHING!"
"STOP INTERRUPTING ME WHEN I'M TRYING TO-"
"Okay I'm gonna wish for something now!"
Gray fell to the ground, exasperated from the day's events.
"What is it. Make it quick," he said, sitting up and crossing his arms across his chest. Natsu shot him a quick smirk, before his expression changed into something a lot more serious.
"You see… there's this girl…" Natsu started.
Gray immediately shot him down. "I can't make anyone fall in love with you. Rule number two, remember?"
"I know I know, I never said that I liked her like that!" Natsu said, throwing his arms into the air.
Gray didn't look too amused. He and the carpet exchanged a look.
"Uh huh," Gray said.
"Make dragons exist!"
Gray blinked. "Huh?"
"Dragons! Make them exist!"
Gray leaned back. "There are so many things wrong with that," he stated. "What the actual heck is wrong with your brain? Did you get hit too many times as a child?"
"Oi! That isn't very nice!" Natsu exclaimed back.
"Well, I, am not, a very, nice genie," Gray said, stopping every few words for extra emphasis.
Natsu snorted. "Yeah, ya' think."
"Hey!"
"Alright then! Don't make dragons exist. Make every single food on this earth have double the hot sauce on it!"
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You really must have a few screws loose," he decided with finality. "That's it. I'm going insane. There's no way someone like you actually exists in this world. Nope. I refuse to believe it."
"This isn't fair! You aren't granting any of my awesome wishes!"
"They aren't even wishes! They're unreasonable demands!"
"Make animals talk!"
"Animals don't talk!"
"Give Happy and me wings!"
"I can only imagine the kind of destruction that would cause."
"Grrr GRAYNIEEE!"
Gray scoffed. "I told you to stop calling me that horrid name! Gah, I should have never told you about my real name," he said. "Anyway, weren't you talking about a girl?"
Natsu immediately brightened up, something that did not go unnoticed by Gray.
"Right! Princess Lucy Heartfilia of Fiore!"
Gray stopped.
He blinked.
He blinked again.
Then he doubled over in laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh my God… hahaha! I was right! You really are mentally challenged! The princess of this land?! Bahaha this is great…"
Natsu didn't look to amused. "Ehhh? What's so funny?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe that fact that you're in love with the princess! Haha! A street urchin like you?! I'm dying!"
"I'm not in love with her! Jeez!" Natsu exclaimed, pouting and looking away. "I just… wanna spend more time with her, that's all."
Gray snorted. "Uh huh. And what are ya' gonna do about that?"
Natsu smirked. "The real question is, what are you going to do about it?"
"Huh?"
"I wish to be a prince!"
"No! Holy crap, no way-" Gray started, but to his despair, his hands started snapping on their own. "Gah! You figured out the magic words for wishes!"
Natsu watched in delight as his ragtag outfit was switched to a beautiful, white suit. His unruly pink hair was hidden underneath a large hat. He grinned heavily, shooting Gray a thumbs up.
"Awesome!"
Gray groaned, unable to stop himself from continuing what he started.
"Whatever. You're now Prince Nat Dragion of Alvarez."
"Alvarez?" Natsu asked curiously.
"It's a neighboring country," Gray explained.
"Oh."
"You are to woo Princess Lucy Heartfilia into your love," Gray kept going. "I dunno how she's gonna fall for you, so I really wish you the best of luck."
"I don't love her-"
"Oh don't even bother denying it," Gray said with an eye roll. "It'll save us all a bit of time. Right, Happy?"
Happy nodded.
"Oi, Happy! I thought you were on my side!" Natsu exclaimed roughly, putting his hands on his hips and making his new look seem even more childish than it originally was. He frowned. "Okay… maybe I like her like that just a bit."
"Just a bit?"
"Okay okay! A lot more than just a bit!"
Gray sighed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "I'm pretty much done with you by this point," he said. "Just go."
Natsu grinned. "Coolio," he said happily. "C'mon, magic carpet!"
"Rub my lamp whenever you wanna summon me," Gray said simply.
Natsu turned to Gray. "Nahh you can stay in there for as long as ya' want as long as I get my other two wishes!"
"I really don't like you," Gray said with a sweet glare.
Natsu grinned. "Yes, but you don't have a choice, do ya'? For I am your master and prince Nat Dragion!"
Gray coughed once, before swiftly disappearing back into his golden lamp.
Natsu turned to Happy, and then the magic carpet. Quickly, he climbed onto the carpet and told it where to go.
"To the Heartfilia Castle!"
…
Natsu never imagined how beautiful the palace could be. It was truly magnificent and breathtaking, and he made sure to fully appreciate it as he walked through the large halls, earning bows of respect from the servants and the guards.
Natsu entered the main hall of the castle with a bang, startling the attendants and everyone around him. He grinned, clearly satisfied with the attention he was receiving.
"My name's Prince Nat Dragion of Alvarez!" he exclaimed, bowing low.
A man who he quickly recognized as the king, Jude Heartfilia, stepped up to him.
"What business does the prince of Alvarez have here in Fiore?"
Natsu grinned. "I'm here for a marriage interview with your daughter, Princess Lucy."
Jude stopped. He stared at Natsu, who in return smiled up to him.
"The last time I checked, Alvarez wasn't interested," Jude said suspiciously. "What caused the change in heart?"
Natsu didn't notice a familiar blonde enter the room at that moment.
"Change in heart? The reason I said no before was because I was still unsure on if I wanted to actually get married or not!" Natsu explained, stepping closer to the king. "Your Majesty, I am a wealthy, very handsome prince that will surely make your beautiful daughter happy."
Jude twisted his lips. "You came here uninvited."
"Did I need an invite?"
"That would have been nice, yes."
Natsu clicked his tongue. "Well, no matter. I will be happy to take over your fortune and-"
"What is going on in here?"
Natsu whirled around to see Lucy standing behind him with her hands on her hips. She was wearing much more revealing clothing than when they first met, but Natsu didn't pay much attention to her attire.
"Princess Lucy-sama!" he said, instantly kneeling down low out of respect. Thank Mavis he also remembered to use the proper honorific.
Lucy, however, did not look very happy to see him.
"Father, what's going on here?" she said, completely ignoring the kneeling man in front of her.
Jude smiled. "A compatible suitor from Alvarez who is asking for your hand in marriage, Lucy dearest!" Jude was obviously impressed by Natsu's politeness towards his only daughter, which definitely raised his points.
Lucy snorted, crossing her arms underneath her bosom and lifting her nose high. "Oh really now. Because I just walked in on this prince talking all about my wealth and beauty."
Natsu gulped. He forgot about Lucy's sensitivity towards the subject. "I didn't mean it like that, Lucy-sama!" he exclaimed immediately, lifting himself off of the floor and taking her hands in his. "I promise you! All I want is one chance!"
Lucy scoffed, pulling her hands away from his grasp. "Forget it!" she yelled, turning on her heel and disappearing into the castle walls.
Natsu groaned, mentally slapping himself. He quietly turned to Jude.
"I… I'm sorry, but I really didn't mean it like that," he apologized quietly.
Jude, however, didn't look as angry as Natsu thought he would.
"Don't worry about her. She's always like that," Jude nodded. "Spetto! Get Prince Dragion a room for the night. He will stay overnight and we will discuss this tomorrow morning."
Natsu instantly brightened up. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much, King Jude-sama!"
Jude chuckled. "Just make sure you go and talk to her, alright?"
Natsu nodded. "Okay, I will."
"Second flight of stairs, last door to your right," Jude informed. "Then again, she might have the door locked. You might want to keep that in mind."
"I will!" Natsu repeated, quickly picking himself up and running in the direction Lucy had left in.
...
Lucy was tired. She ran her fingers through her tiger Plue's mane and sighed to herself. On her mouth was a permanent frown as she continued to stroke her animal, trying to comfort herself.
How dare that stupid self absorbed prince come and demand for her hand in marriage like that?!
She exhaled deeply, before hearing something ruffling from her balcony. Lucy loomed up curiously, unsure what was going on.
"Is there someone over there?" she called out, eating up and pushing the curtain separating the balcony from her room aside. What she saw, though, was something she never expected.
A boy. More specifically, Prince Nat Dragion was currently perched on her balcony railing and was looking down at her with a cheeky grin.
"What are you doing here?!" she screeched, unable to tear her eyes away.
The prince offered her a smile, jumping down from the railing and grinning. "Hey! Look, I know we got off the wrong foot and all, but-"
"Stop! I have no desire in speaking to you!"
Natsu gulped. "Please, Princess, just… give me a chance!" He reached up, taking off his hat and pressing it to his chest in a pleading manner.
Lucy's eyes widened as she looked upon him for the first time.
"Have we… have we met before?" she asked, stepping forward ever so slightly.
Natsu shook his head immediately. "No! No, we haven't. I'm a prince! There's no way!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I could have sworn that I met someone who looks exactly like you in the marketplace…"
Natsu coughed. "Uh… what? I've never been to the marketplace! I have servants who go the marketplace for me! I even have servants who go to the marketplace for my… servants," he said dumbly, fumbling around with the hat in his hands. He quickly reached up and put it back in place on his head.
Lucy deflated. "Oh… of course. There's no way you could be him."
Natsu coughed awkwardly, wondering what to do next.
"So… will you give me a chance?"
"Absolutely not! All you want is my father's blessing so you can go off and get the money and become the next king! I'm just a toy who you all play around with and-"
"You know what, you're right."
Lucy's eyes shot up to meet with his. He was looking at her with this strange look in his eyes that he couldn't identify.
"What did you say?" she asked softly.
Natsu took a deep breath, stepping forwards and offering her a sad smile. "You're right. You should be able to make your own decisions and not have to marry for the wealth of your kingdom. It's wrong, and we both know it." He sighed, perching back onto the balcony railing. "Well, see ya' Luce!"
Lucy's breath got caught in her throat when he said that. Now she knew. He had to be him. No matter what he told her.
"W-wait!" she said just as he fell back and off of the railing. "No!" Lucy yelled, fearing the worst. "Prince Nat!"
And to her utmost surprise, his head shot up from outside the balcony.
"You called?" he said childishly.
Lucy gaped at him. "How are you… doing that?"
Natsu smirked. "Magic carpet," he said as if it explained everything. He then rose up so Lucy could see the carpet at his feet. Lucy's eyes widened as she marveled in its beauty.
"Wow…" she breathed. "I thought those were just a legend. How did you get one?"
"I know a guy," was all he said back.
Lucy couldn't stop herself from giggling ever so slightly. Natsu noticed, and beamed in his victory.
"Hey, Princess?" he asked, flying closer on the carpet. Lucy looked up at him with curious eyes.
"Yeah?"
Natsu reached out his hand.
"Let's go on an adventure!"
Lucy's mouth opened in wonder as she tried to search for the right words to say.
"I…"
"Do you trust me?"
Lucy's head snapped up. She gaped at him for the millionth time that day.
"I… yes," she said, reaching out and taking his warm hand. He grinned and pulled her up into his embrace. Lucy laughed as he gently placed her on the carpet and sat behind her, wrapping his legs around her middle.
"Let's go then," Natsu whispered into her ear, just a second before they both took off into the air.
If there was one word that could describe her feelings right now, it would be free.
Lucy felt free.
I can show you the world
She looked back, staring into Natsu's eyes as he was talking to her about the different landmarks they were crossing.
Shining, shimmering, splendid
The world was dazzling. She looked down into the streets, the villages, and smiled amazingly brightly while she drowned in the sweet sound of Natsu's voice.
Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?
All those laws set out by her father kept her trapped and hidden from this amazing feeling. Everything she ever knew was kept inside the castle, and she was never allowed once to go outside. She was never able to make her own decisions, and if she was, she may have been able to experience his a lot sooner.
I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder
"You see over there?" Natsu asked, pointing to a small house in the outskirts of one of the smaller towns. "That's where I was born."
Lucy smiled.
Over, sideways, and under on a magic carpet ride
"Hold on!" Natsu said, just as the carpet began picking up speed.
"This is amazing!" Lucy yelled as the wind blew through her hair.
The carpet began twisting and turning, allowing the two occupants to fully feel the ride.
A whole new world
She felt alive.
A new fantastic point of view
She felt whole.
No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming
She never knew about anything life had to offer, but ever since Natsu so carelessly waltzed into her life, she was experiencing new things every second of her life. It was something new to her, but she loved it.
Unbelievable sights
They were coming across places Lucy had only imagined in her dreams.
Shops, deserts, different houses, and so many more. Lucy could even smell the delicious local delicacies from the food stalls.
Indescribable feelings
Excitement clouded her mind, along with emotions such as happiness, joy, and even a little fear.
What would she do once this dreamlike night was over? Would she go back to the castle like nothing had ever happened?
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling through an endless diamond sky
It was beautiful.
A whole new world
Magnificent.
A hundred thousand things to see
Simply splendid.
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
How far away from the castle were they? Lucy didn't know, and frankly, she couldn't care less.
I can't go back to where I used to be
Natsu leaned in closer, his grip around her waist tightening. Lucy closed her eyes, leaning back into his strong chest and allowing herself to feel his warm arms around her.
His face was in her hair, and she could faintly hear his breathing by her ear. It sent uncontrollable shivers down her spine and gave her the familiar feeling of warmth.
A whole new world
With new horizons to pursue
Natsu began to slow down the carpet as they stopped in front of a tall building. They landed on the roof, and he quickly held out his hand to help Lucy off of the carpet.
Lucy smiled as the two took a seat side by side on the roof with their feet dangling off of the edge.
I'll chase them everywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you
Lucy leaned her head onto Natsu's shoulder, smiling in content and nestling into the crook between his neck and shoulder.
She looked up to see his smiling face looking down at her.
A whole new world
They locked eyes.
That's where we'll be
Natsu leaned down.
A thrilling chase
Lucy leaned up.
A wonderous place
Their eyes slid to a close.
For you and me
And just as they were about to close the gap between them, Lucy stopped, opening her eyes and leaning back suddenly.
"I bet Happy was sad he had to miss out on all of this," she said slyly.
It was funny, the way Natsu's face suddenly stopped moving. His eye twitched and Lucy had to fight the urge to laugh out loud.
Natsu started coughing loudly, trying to cover up his obvious kiss attempt with something else. His eyes shot open and he stared at her.
"You knew?!"
Lucy scoffed. "Like I would go on a magic carpet ride with a complete stranger. What kind of girl do you take me as?!"
"Just the beautiful and intelligent kind," Natsu replied without a second of hesitation.
Lucy's face flushed bright red. She shot him a look.
"I can't believe you lied to me!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. "Now tell me the truth about what's really going on. Only the truth."
She surveyed his face as he struggled to answer her. Lucy clicked her tongue impatiently as she waited for his response.
Finally, he said, "I... sometimes… dress as a commoner and visit the marketplace," he said slowly, with a hint of unsureness. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Sound familiar?" Natsu continued, now a lot more confident as he bumped her shoulder.
Lucy smiled. Sure. She would just have to go with this story of his for now.
"Kind of," she laughed, shyly looking away. "So… should I call you Prince Nat?"
"No way! Call me Natsu," Natsu nodded.
"Okay." Lucy looked up at the sky. "What a beautiful night."
"Mhm," Natsu hummed in agreement.
She sighed. "We better get back to the castle. Father will worry about my whereabouts if we're out for too long."
"Alright," Natsu replied.
And thus began their silent journey on the magic carpet back to the castle.
When they arrived back on Lucy's balcony, Natsu helped her onto the platform, while he stayed on the carpet. She turned to him once again.
"Thank you, Natsu," she said with a soft smile, leaning on the railing and looking down at him with a soft smile. "This was… amazing. It was the best night of my life."
Natsu shot her a cheeky grin. "No need ta' thank me!"
"I better get back to my father."
Natsu cocked his head to the side. "Why?"
Lucy just smiled. "Well, I have to tell him that I've found my suitor, right?"
Natsu's mouth opened in shock.
"Y-you mean it?!"
"Of course I do!"
He stared at her.
She stared back at him.
And then, suddenly, the magic carpet jolted up, pushing his face right onto hers. Their lips connected.
Neither of them moved away.
…
"She loves me! She loves me! Me! Loves me! She loves me! She loves me! She-"
"I swear, if you don't shut up right this instant, I will tie you to a tree with my magic, gag you, and refuse to let you go till you say 'Gray the Genie is my role model and I aspire to be just like him!' fifty thousand times."
"Oi! Don't be so mean!"
Gray facepalmed, rubbing his temples out of exasperation in the process. Natsu grinned up at him.
"Why didn't you tell Princess Lucy the truth?" Gray asked, crossing his arms and giving his master a pointed look. "Now you've just yourself into a bigger mess."
Natsu frowned. "Well, she wouldn't have kissed me like that if she knew the truth!"
"Yes, she would have."
"Oh what do you know?!" Natsu said, throwing his hands into the air. He sighed, resting his head on his arms. "That was amazing."
"What, the kiss?"
"That, and the magic carpet ride!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm so happy I got to experience that with her!"
"Yeah, by lying your way into it!"
"You make it sound like I did a bad thing!"
"You kinda did!"
"What? But she loves me!"
"Not for much longer!"
"Oh what do you know?! You're just a stupid exhibitionist genie who can only grant me three measly wishes!"
Gray gasped. "Excuse me, but who made you a prince again?"
"Happy!" Natsu huffed, bending low to pet his cat behind the ears.
"Oh really. Happy made you a prince. Your cat made you a prince. You really are just plain stupid, aren't you."
"I ain't the stupid one! You are!"
"Why you little-"
Happy purred, as if telling the two to stop their mindless bickering. Gray coughed, and Natsu looked away.
"I couldn't tell her, idiot… she's never gonna be able to be with me if I'm not a prince," he muttered.
Gray twisted his lips uncomfortably.
"You should still tell her though," he said. "You don't wanna go into this marriage with all this guilt in you. You know that won't be good for you."
Natsu looked up. "Aww so you do care."
"Shut up!"
"PRINCE NAT DRAGION!" a chorus of voices yelled, catching both Natsu and Gray's attention.
"Quick! Back in the lamp!" Natsu said, ushering the genie back into his habitat. Once Gray was safely hidden, Natsu slipped the lamp into his cloak and quickly fixed his hat.
A few guards entered his room. Natsu turned to them, waiting for an explanation.
"You are under arrest."
…
"What the hell?!" Natsu yelled as he was chained to the bars in the dungeons of the castle. "What did I do?"
"For taking Princess Lucy out of her room in the middle of the night without proper consent," one of the guards said, reading off of a scroll. "Section four article six clearly states that the princess must always be under strict supervision under her father's orders, and by law."
"What a stupid law! I got her back safe and sound!" Natsu protested. "And I'm her husband to be! I have this much authority at least!"
"You are?" The guards looked between each other. "We haven't been informed of this, so we have no evidence to believe you."
"Luce must not have gotten the chance to tell her father, then!" Natsu said.
"How dare you adress the princess with such informality and lack of proper honorific!"
"I dare because I'm her husband!"
"You are not. Princess Lucy rejects every single one of her suitors. Everyone in the kingdom knows that."
"Well, she didn't reject me!" Natsu yelled, trying to break free from the chains.
It was no use. He was stuck there, and no one was going to come and save him. The guards finally left, leaving him alone, still chained.
This wasn't fair. He had just returned from a magnificent night with the princess and now he was stuck behind bars because of some stupid law.
Now he understood how Lucy felt. She had to go through this all her life without anyone there for her.
Suddenly, something soft rubbed against his leg. Natsu's gaze shot down to see his bright blue cat purring on his foot. His eyes widened as he got an idea.
"Happy! Can you rub the lamp like you're doing right now?" Natsu said, jumping slightly so the lamp dropped out of his cloak pocket. Happy looked at it, before running up it and beginning to lick it. "Happy! Oi! I said to rub it, not lick it!" As if he heard Natsu, Happy followed his owner's orders and began to rub himself on the golden lamp.
Queue a bunch of swirly light effects and smoke.
"I was in the middle of a very peaceful nap, you know!" Gray said upon appearing in front of Natsu. Once he noticed what was going on, he immediately sobered up. "Welp. What mess did you get yourself in now?"
"Shut up Graynie and help me!"
"Not with that attitude! And I told you to stop calling me that!"
"Just help me! Quickly! I have to go tell Lucy the truth!"
Gray couldn't stop himself from grinning ear to ear. "Finally! You've come to your senses about this whole thing!"
"Are ya' helping me or not?"
Gray smirked. "Not unless you wish on it. No more freebies!"
Natsu groaned. "Dammit, I wanted to trick ya' again."
"Yeah, nope," Gray replied, crossing his arms. "Now quick. You know the magic words, don't you?"
Natsu huffed, before saying, "I wish for you to help me out of this place."
And with a snap of Gray's fingers, Natsu was released.
"Now go tell your girl the truth!" Gray urged, pushing Natsu in the direction of the stairs that led them out of the dungeons.
Natsu nodded, quickly breaking into a run and almost flying up the steps.
He made his way to the main living room, where Lucy and Jude currently were.
"This is amazing, Lucy!" he heard Jude saying to his daughter. Natsu peeked in to see the father and daughter in a tight embrace. "You have finally found yourself a husband!"
"Yes, Father!" Lucy exclaimed. "I want to marry Nats- I mean, Prince Nat!"
Natsu gulped, taking this as his entrance.
"King Jude," he said, stepping into view. Lucy gasped, turning around and grinning broadly upon seeing him. Natsu gave her a smile. "Luce," he greeted. "I have to tell you something."
Jude smiled softly when he heard Natsu's nickname for his daughter.
"Natsu? What is it?" Lucy asked, her tone dripping with worry.
Jude raised an eyebrow. "Natsu? Is that your nickname for him, Lucy?"
Natsu gulped. "Actually… that's what I wanted to talk to you guys about."
"What?" Jude asked.
"I've been… lying to you, Luce," Natsu said, turning to Lucy. "There's something you need to know. Last night on the carpet ride… you asked for the truth."
Lucy nodded. "Right. You told me that-"
"-that I dress up as a commoner sometimes and visit the marketplace sometimes. That was a lie."
Lucy's eyes widened. "What?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.
"The truth is actually the complete opposite," Natsu continued, taking his hat off and pressing it to his chest. "I'm actually a commoner, a street rat, who dressed up like a prince to get you for myself."
Lucy's jaw dropped to the floor. Jude let out a small gasp.
"You what?!" Jude said, about to step up to him when Lucy suddenly raised her hand to stop him. Jude watched as his daughter got up and began walking over to Natsu. Jude stayed silent as he watched them.
"Luce…"
"You lied to me," Lucy accused, raising her pointed finger in Natsu's face. Her voice broke slightly as she spoke. "Not once, but twice."
"I…"
"You made a scene of marrying me for my wealth in front of my father," Lucy continued, ignoring Natsu's calls.
"Luce, I just-"
"You disguised yourself as a prince and asked for my hand in marriage without even telling me the truth about yourself."
"Luce, I'm so sorry."
Lucy's eyes welled up with soft tears. "But… you also took me on a magic carpet ride around Fiore in the middle of the night and made me feel things I never thought I could feel."
Natsu blinked in astonishment. "Lucy?"
"Even though you knew I was a noble when we first met, you still treated me kindly and helped me get out of that horrible neighborhood filled with perverted old men."
Natsu gulped. "I was just…"
"You even gave me my first kiss…"
Natsu looked down at her with something in his eyes she couldn't read. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Natsu spoke.
"Of course I did these things. I like you, Luce. Maybe even love," he said easily. "I don't know which one it is for now, but I know you're the kind of girl I wanna spend my entire life with."
Lucy blinked back her tears. "I love you too," she said in a quiet voice, reaching up to grab his face with both of her hands and pull him down roughly onto her.
Their lips met in the middle and Lucy immediately tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Natsu's hands travelled down to her waist as he pulled her closer, and Lucy's fingers found themselves tangled in his bright pink hair.
Someone cleared their throat from behind them, resulting in them pulling away from each other and looking back to see Jude standing their with a raised eyebrow.
"Ehh…" Natsu laughed nervously, running a hand through his now messy hair. Lucy put her hands behind her back and looked down to her feet.
"Father," she started. "I love Natsu. I know he's no prince or anything, but I really really love him." Her words surprised everyone, including herself. "I want to marry him, Father. I know I can't, but I want you to know how I feel about him."
That was enough for Natsu. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms tightly around her middle and embracing her fully.
"Bye, Luce," he said quietly, but Jude still heard him. "I'm… gonna miss you."
Lucy returned his hug. "I will too."
"Not so fast," Jude's voice came, startling them both. They turned to him, watching in awe as he walked up to them, taking Natsu's hand in his and placing them in Lucy's. "Natsu, do you love my daughter?"
Natsu nodded. "I do."
"Lucy, you love him, I presume?"
Lucy nodded. "I do."
Jude smiled softly as the couple before them. "Then, as the king, I will change the law. From now on, the princess will be able to marry whomever she chooses and rule alongside her husband as his equal."
Lucy's hands flew to her mouth and tears fell from her eyes. She looked at her father with disbelieving eyes.
"Father, are you serious?!" she exclaimed in a breathy tone.
Jude nodded. "Yes, Lucy. I am."
"Awesome, King Jude!" Natsu said, pumping his fist into the air. Then, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Graynie!" He rummaged through his cloak, taking out the lamp and rubbing it.
As soon as Gray appeared, Natsu turned to Jude and Lucy, who were staring at him with wide eyes.
"This is Graynie the Genie of the Lamp! He made me a prince," Natsu introduced. He turned to Gray. "Graynie, this is King Jude Heartfilia, my soon-to-be father-in-law, and this is Princess Lucy, my soon-to-be wife."
Lucy blushed at the comment.
Gray grinned down at Lucy. "I'm surprised, Princess. What did this bastard have to do to get you as his wife?"
"Oi!" Natsu exclaimed.
Lucy laughed. "Oh, nothing much," she drawled, winking at Natsu.
Gray then turned to Natsu. "Two things. One, for Mavis' sake, stop calling me Graynie! And two, you still have one wish left."
Natsu smirked, having already thought of this. "First, I'm never going to stop calling you Graynie. Even when you get your legs."
Gray's eyes widened. "What?"
Natsu grinned. "Graynie, I wish to set you free!"
And just like that, with a blast of smoke, Gray was whirled to the ground, but there was something different about him. Instead of a wisp of air for a bottom, Gray had legs.
"What the hell did you do?!" Gray exclaimed, gaping in awe at his new look.
"I set you free from the confinements of that lamp!" Natsu replied with a nonchalant shrug.
"You have… got… to be… kidding me…" Gray said with wide eyes. "Natsu…?"
Natsu just grinned again. "You're welcome!"
"But… why?" Gray asked. "Why would you do this for me?"
"Well, Graynie, I don't wanna hafta rub that stupid lamp o' yours to be able to summon ya'!"
Gray gulped. "I… thanks," he said in a very quiet voice.
Natsu smirked. "What was that?"
Gray looked away quickly. "Thanks," he said in a voice a little louder.
"I didn't hear you!"
"Oh for the love of magic," Gray said, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, okay? I owe you one."
"I'll be holding ya' against that," Natsu teased, before turning back to Lucy, who was looking at him with an amazed look.
"That was amazing, Natsu," she said with a soft smile.
"What?" Natsu said.
"You gave him his freedom," Lucy explained. "You're an incredible person."
Natsu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Hey, that freak did enough for me to deserve that much at least."
Gray grinned, walking up to Natsu and patting his back.
"These legs are gonna take some time to get used to, but I love 'em," he laughed.
Jude clapped his hands, coming up to the group and raising his left hand.
"Alright, I guess it's time to make the announcement of my daughter's engagement."
And for the next week, the kingdom rejoiced in their princess' happy news, but no one ever found out how a street urchin got his hands on the princess of Fiore.