HEY! So, here is my submission for RoLu week. I know this is SUPER late, but I wrote it for Tumblr on the actual week, I just decided to post it here too. I hope you like it :P

Princes, Frogs and Dogs

Day One: Frogs

Lucy Heartfilia had kissed many frogs in her eighteen years on this planet. Being an actual princess, she had a long lineup of real princes outside her front door. Alluring them with her gorgeous long blonde hair and warm chocolate eyes, she was easily the fairest maiden in her kingdom, Fiore. Ranging from handsome, young men to creepy, old geezers, Princess Lucy had her pick.

Of course, that's if you didn't consider another factor in her decision: her father, King Jude. Her father was an abusive, loud man. Ever since her mother, Layla's, death, her father had been power-hungry and money-obsessed. Which, of course, meant that Lucy would have to marry someone equally conceited. This also meant that she wasn't even allowed to look at the handsome, young men and was stuck choosing between some creepy, old, pervy men.

Princess Lucy laid down in her large bed, wrapped in silk sheets. She groggily opened her eyes and wiped her face with the back her hand trying to wake herself up. She groaned and threw her long legs over the side of her bed, attempting to get out. She heard one of her maids, Aries, giggle at the sight of her disheveled appearance. Lucy just smiled at the young pinkette. Unlike her other family members, she prided herself on being down to earth and kind to her servants just like her mother had been.

Lucy furrowed her brow as she tried to recall what was so important about that day. She frowned as she raked her brain, trying to come up with an answer. Then, like a lightbulb, Lucy remembered with a groan.

Today was a special day. Today would be the day that Lucy Heartfillia would finally get her fiancé. She swore to herself and to the memory of her beloved mother that she wouldn't let her father's loud mouth influence her final decision, but she knew the chances of her marrying someone for love were slim.

It goes without saying, then, that Lucy was most definitely not looking forward to that night's ball. Lucy may be a princess but she's well aware that fairy tales were fictional and that the prince never really ends up with the princess and they no one ever lives happily ever after, Those children's stories were nothing more than lies and deceitful propaganda.

The only thing that made that day slightly less bad was the fact that the Council of the Seven Dragons would be attending. Born with inhuman powers, seven people, known as Dragon Slayers, were the pride of the country. Known as the strongest magicians, they were worshiped and highly respected. They were nearly as revered as the royal family and were always invited to the important events for the crown. Lucy's best friend, Natsu, was the leader of the Dragons and had been a member of the council for as long as Lucy could remember. The princess was also close with other members like Sting, Laxus and Wendy. The other two members, Cobra and Gajeel, mostly kept to themselves during these festivities but they were polite and courteous enough to the blonde. The last member, Skiadrum, had recently disappeared and his young protégé, a mysterious teen named Rogue Cheney, was to take his place.

Lucy had been excited ever since she had heard the news from Natsu. She was eager to meet and get acquainted with the new Shadow Dragon. Even though she loved Natsu and the others, she always found the power of the Shadow Dragon to be the coolest and most powerful as well as versatile.

Several hours later, Lucy sat in front of her mirror in her dressing room. Her maids had spent the entire day waxing, shaving, plucking, cleaning, scrubbing and grooming the young heiress to an inch of her life to make her "presentable" for the occasion. Her hair was tied up with a few, soft ringlets framing her pretty face. Her makeup was done conservatively, yet perfectly. She has a bight of a cat eye on her brown orbs and some dark gray eyeshadow to make the gold in her eyes glint. A soft blush had been applied to her face to give it a rosy colour.

On her body, was a show stopping gown that had taken Virgo over a month to complete. It was a long floor length deep navy dress. Two long slits lined both of her legs, showing enough skin to make her desirable to her potential suitors but not enough to make her a scandal. Somehow, the long dress shimmered gold a little, almost making the gown seem like the night sky, forever glowing and never fading. A long train followed Lucy two steps behind her.

"It's ok," she whispered to herself over and over in the mirror, trying to calm down her nerves. "It's your choice and no one can make you do anything. You are the Princess of Fiore, the most powerful woman in the country. You fear no one."

Somehow, Lucy didn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

All too soon, the familiar coded knock rang through her room. She smiled a bit to herself at Loke (sorry, Leo)'s childishness. Even though he was the royal butler, he was only Lucy's ages and the two had been friends since early childhood.

"Ready my princess?" he asked as she swung the door open, trying her hardest not to trip on either her shoes or the train of her dress. He scanned her up and down and said, "Damn, you look hooooot!"

"Leo!" the princess playfully hit him on the arm as the started to walk down the hallway towards the ballroom together. "You're dating Aries!"

"Ha, I know. And you should know that I love her to the moon and back and that's it's totally socially acceptable to say you look pretty when you do." he rambled as they slowly went down the staircase to the main floor.

Lucy inhaled sharply once they had gotten halfway down the stairs. She could hear the rush and laughter of the higher class as every single person of importance in Fiore walked into the ball. She wanted to go, she wanted to go, she wanted to go. She didn't want to plan out her future, she didn't want to pick a life mate.

She didn't want to go.

She wanted to turn around, pull off her heels and run away, Everything inside her was begging her not to continue on her path to the ballroom but her brain fought the rest of her and reminded her it was her duty.

Sooner than she expected and sooner than she wanted, she arrived in the glorious hall. The massive space was easily larger than any other room in the kingdom and was used almost exclusively for parties like these.

Introductions were made, compliments were paid and small take was said when finally Princess Lucy was free to sit wherever she wanted. She quickly scanned the room where she finally located the Dragon Slayer's table, near the back.. They had clearly chosen the location themselves, as Lucy could see from here that they were up to no good.

The princess started to move towards them, being stopped often to be paid compliments on her dress, on her hair and even the occasional "You look so much like Queen Layla", which, of course, she appreciated and thanked them for. The blond tried to get to the back as quick as she could, trying to keep her sanity and not trip over herself in the process. She truly hated these society balls with all her heart. Especially this one.

As Lucy got closer to the table with her friends, she realized that she hadn't noticed any new faces, The old six were all seated and up to their regular mayhem but Lucy couldn't locate the phantom seventh member. She shrugged to herself and sat down in the free spot once she finally reached the table.

It took a few seconds for the Slayers to notice the young princess, but when they did, Lucy was suddenly showered with hugs and genuine compliments. They may not be related, but these seven people were the closest thing to family Lucy Heartfilia had. Even to stoic Cobra and Gajeel came out of their shells a little to pay Lucy compliments on her bravery for her pending decision. She sat there, smiling and laughing with her friends.

When she sat down, Lucy hadn't actually realized that she was sitting in someone else's seat. These sort of parties were planned down to the last detail and it should have crossed her mind that there would never be a free spot at an exclusive table like the Slayer's.

Of course, Lucy was also not expecting for someone to materialize right next to her while she sipped her champagne.

But, then again, when was life ever predictable?