New story? I think yes. Enjoy, and please go easy on me, this is my first Fairy Tail fanfic!

I am not the mastermind behind Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima is.

Chapter 1: The Shadow and the Pitiful

I felt a headache coming on.

"—due west, and in the region of the Layians, their political balance is shifting towards the revolutionary side. It'll hurt our alliance with them if it breaks out, especially while we're on the brink of war with the Allied. I suggest we take our enemy into the borders of our neighbors to secure them. We can't have them be infected by the spread of this 'disease'."

"I beg to differ. Applying pressure to the areas that are already ready to explode will only quicken its destruction. Let's leave them. We have a strong army, and the second we hear of an uprising, we'll use them."

"I agree with Count Volheim. We've taken too many chances; the majority worked against our favor. We cannot risk this one."

"If we don't risk it, then we wait for war to come on us? Is that how you politicians work around problems? To wait for it?"

Wrong. Wrong, all of them.

"Why don't we finally act upon the treaty we had made with Kipa? If we redirect the revolution under their conservative regime, they are sure to come crawling to us for aid, to which we can demand aid from them back."

"Queen? What is your say in this?"

The word hung like a dead corpse in the room. I picked up my eyes from the piles of papers I was mindlessly shuffling to meet each of the men's stares that bore holes in my face. What was their question again?

"Yes," I said, recalling back two seconds ago. "You all are thinking about this situation in the worst possible way."

They kept their steady facades, but I caught a twitch from the duke on my right, and the man farthest away from me straightened his spine.

"Enlighten us, my Queen."

"We're worrying about a possible civil war here, correct?" As they nod their balding heads, I intertwined my fingers together and used it as a tabletop for my chin. "Then let's do it like this. The Layian people are revolting due to the unfair system the monarch had implemented upon the people. It says here—" I managed to find a useful report amongst the thousands of papers spread out in front of me— "the work hours of the average lower class-man is never less than thirteen hours a day, for such a measly pay. The middle class is struggling to achieve their economic desires, but—" I read one of the paragraphs over— "the nobles are, not surprisingly, given the most privilege. In short, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer."

"Yes," spoke Count Volheim. "And the people are beginning to revolutionize against it. If they succeed, our own country—"

"Should revolutionize before them," I finished.

He gave me a bewildered look. They all did, as soon as the words had left my mouth.

My headache was worsening. I continued: "Why must our people be kept of the dark of this matter? It will, no doubt, reach their ears, and it is only a matter of time. Once they hear of how the social classes are not so rigid, they will want to spark a change in our society as well.

"My proposal is to beat them to it. Let's revolutionize our own country. Let's decrease the work hours, but because we unfortunately do not have all the money in the world, the pay rate must be as it is. The middle class and the nobles have always been at it, but grant them each a privilege to keep them happy, despite the numerous possibilities that they can demand for more. I will work on what those privileges are with my advisors. For now, let's do it this way."

I hated how large the meeting room was. It had, at most, held only 10 powers of the country, but it was built as if it was made to occupy hundreds. Maybe it was because each of those powers had egos and airs around them so vast it needed the extra space, or they'd all suffocate from the arrogance seeping out of their golden shoulder plates.

Still, with the large interior the four walls allowed, silence was amplified thrice. Thrice, their unspoken doubts about my decision rung loud in my ear.

"My Queen, that is very—I hate to use this, but, risky."

"Oh my, did you not say, moments ago, risk was a necessity towards success?" I said airily.

"I did, I did! But this goes far beyond my definition."

"I suppose we are all our own individual dictionaries, then." My bed. My bed was waiting for me, and so was a cold towel that would've been able to dispel of this cursed throbbing that cratered my head.

Then, one by one, the nine dukes, princes, counts, and nobles present here at the meeting began voicing their thoughts, and for the first time, they spoke in unison:

"I am against you, my Queen."

Of course they were. It was too easy for grown men to gang up against their fragile, seventeen-year old queen. I expected they would do this to me.

But I was having none of it.

"You're against me?" I asked, my voice steady and calm.

"Yes," Count Volheim answered. "It is a valiant effort, your excellency, and in a perfect world, it would work. However, our—your kingdom is at stake, and I would like to believe that you do not make rash decisions."

"I assure you, nothing about my decision is rash. I have thought about it for a while, and our country has thrived with being able to adapt and change based on the current events."

"Yes, but—"

"My father and mother have worked day and night to make the crown bend to the people's will! They made sure to implant it in the crown that those who watch over this country must watch over the citizen's welfare. Do you, my dear Count, seek to go against my late father and mother's wishes?"

At that, Volheim grew silent. He was a good friend of my father. They all were. Bitter were their hearts when they heard that the reigning king and queen had died, and taking their place was the unworthy princess, famed to be incompetent. It was no matter. When I took the crown on my head, there was only one thing that burned in my vision. Keep Filia happy. To keep the people happy was to keep the country alive.

"I would never dare, my Queen. But I also made a promise to the king and queen to help guide your way."

I sighed. "My path does not need guiding. I know exactly where I am going, and how I will get there. And when I arrive at my destination, the country of Filia will be the leading nation of all the world's nations." I was at my limit. My headache demanded to be treated, and I couldn't ignore it any longer. Pushing my seat back and rising to my feet, I added, "I will let you all think about it, but whatever you may think, my decision is final. Excuse me."

They rose as I gathered my papers in my arms and circled around my chair to exit. Behind me was a wave of clinking metals things, expensive boots shuffling in tiny steps.

"My God, she is worse than I expected."

"Pity. Filia is marching to its death."

Their whispers were anything but. A servant grabbed hold of the metal knob—my freedom—as I approached. A cold air blew past my tired face open opening. Nothing felt better.

I made sure to smile in regards to the servant. "Thank you, Neil," I said, gliding past him and into the quiet, drab hallway.

Neil, as always, was startled at the fact of me remembering his name. "O-O-Of course, m-my Queen!" he stuttered. Before he closed the door, rattling the handle with all his excitement, I took a last glance at Count Volheim, with which he also took a last glance at me. He almost seemed sad. And apologetic. Mostly pensive.

The gap was closed. The light from the meeting room disappeared from inside, and so I was left to roam back to my room in the dark. The only source of brightness, however dim, was the moon in the night sky. It shone through the windows to my right, accompanying me step by step. Piece by piece.

Upon reaching my room, I immediately stripped of the overbearing dress I wore and exposed myself to the loneliness around me. Funny as it was, being near-naked and conceding goosebumps to the chills made me feel more unpleasant, despite my mind raging for my body to feel so. The meeting room was too cold; everyone's scents were strangling the dead life within me. Another second in there, I would've long gone left Earth. The hall was too cold, as well. We really shouldn't have opened the windows at night. Though I was all for fresh air, I could've done without the cold that came with it.

It all was simply too cold.

I wanted warmth. I wanted heat.

I proceeded to my bed. Leaping for the last five feet, I landed on my soft—oh, so ever soft—mattress with an easy thud. The cotton engulfed me, taking in all parts of my body and adjusting to its curves to draw me into slumber even further.

I couldn't, though.

It had only been two weeks since my parents left me.

Their memories still haunted me during this time of the night.

Mother, Father, I thought to myself. Why did you go? Why did you leave me?

I couldn't lead people, at least, not as well as they did. I couldn't run a country. How did I solve problems? Did I even make the right choice back there? It had only been two weeks since I was forced to take upon myself the title of Queen, but if I wasn't granted the ability to tell time, I definitely would say it had been years. Millenniums. I was already so tired. My strength left me long before the meeting started. Maybe it was when I shipped overseas to sign a treaty in the morning, or when I was managing ship ports and the trading they did this afternoon.

I needed them back so much as Filia did. This Queen facade was an act I was growing desperately too drained for. It was how the men said earlier: I was incompetent. I wasn't fit to rule. I was only seventeen. I had no experience.

And great.

Now I was crying.

I turned my head to wipe my stupid tears off, in hopes of not having to lift up my arms. As I opened my eyes, I did not see the empty darkness of my room in my vision, but rather, a face.

Wait.

A face?

It took a rather long time for my brain to process the information my eyes were trying to warn me of. Then, without realizing it, a scream left my mouth in descending and ascending notes, while my entire body moved to push me away from the stranger that had somehow intruded my quarters. How in the world did he get past the guards?

Wait, again. I just screamed. Why weren't the guards coming?

I kept going back until I fell off my bed in an ungraceful descent, but I still didn't stop there. I quickly and clumsily jumbled on my feet, grabbing anything I deemed as a weapon. To my distain, I realized that what I had taken hold of was a pillow. A damn pillow.

Whatever. Let's do it like this.

"Okay," I began. Father's words drowned my ears—act superior even if you and God both know that you aren't. "Do not be hasty. Think about why you're doing this."

The figure, once crouched beside my bed, was now standing. It had a muscular silhouette that outlined the body. I usually wasn't judgmental of how people were built, for everyone was perfect under Him, but I was so sure this intruder was male. The shadows favored the him, however, so I was granted no chances to make out the his face.

"I can get you money. Whatever you want. But killing me will only end you up in jail. If you let me go now, I won't hold anything against you. I, in return, will let you go." The Heartfilia's were truly a pitiful family. The parents were killed, and two weeks later, their daughter was negotiating between life and death.

"Money?" His voice was rough, but underneath it was a hint of buoyancy. "I don't want that."

I held my pillow up and ready. The shadows around his brow redirected, and I knew he cocked his eyebrows at me. He was probably thinking of my stupidity and how a dumb pillow was or wasn't responsible for saving my life. I knew, because I was thinking the same thing.

"Then what do you want?" I asked.

"You."

"Me?"

I didn't even have time to blink as the man left his position to be suddenly in front of me within less than a second.

"Wha—!" I yelped.

He snatched the pillow from me and threw it to the ground. I tried to get away once more, but my legs were inferior to his—he caged me in his arms the next step, ridding me of any movement in the most humiliating way possible. How his skin touched mine reminded me that I was in my undergarments. Great!

"Shh," he whispered in my ears. "I knocked your guards out already, so don't scream so loud, or else they'll hear and save you in their dreams." His laughter filled my ears, but with it was his hot breathe against my neck and my cheek. At first, I found comfort at the warmth, for it was what I had wished for before, despite the circumstance of how I received it.

Then, common sense regained hold of me again, and I begun to struggle even more. "Letph—Mmph—Go!" I strained to shout underneath the hand he covered my mouth with. I was not going out like this, not in this demeaning, embarrassing, dishonorable way—

A sharp, eruptive pain exploded in my stomach, followed by a numb tingling and the same warmth on my skin that the man's breathe tricked me with. Abruptly, my surroundings were starting to turn black, my own breathe fading from my lips.

"Sorry, Princess."

He had turned me around, and it was then that I noticed the moon light had finally decided to reveal who this was. Pink hair. Toothy smile too childish for someone of what I thought was his age. He looked young. Was he as old as me? How I wanted my last view of him to be depicted as ruthless and evil—for taking the life of a child whose parents had their own life taken away from them not long before—but his grin compelled me to think so otherwise. Assassins these days were evolving: they didn't even allow their victims to feel malice against them. How cruel.

As if on cue, Father, again, materialized in my head, his words following suit. Act superior even if you and God both know that you aren't.

I was going under. Falling limp in his arms, I managed to say, "It's . . . Queen . . . to you . . ."

Don't worry. He just knocked her out with a quickie to the stomach. All is well!

Well, sort of.

I'm sure you guys have questions, but I assure you I will try to answer all of them in the upcoming chapters. This was just an opening chapter, so all the fun will begin next chapter. Look forward to it~

I hoped you guys liked this and I'm so very exicted to go on this journey with you all! See you next update! :3