Hey everyone, it's Nikki here with a new story! I've been working on it for a little while and lately, I've been having more ideas for it so I hope to update this one more frequently.
I haven't been updating a whole lot lately and I'm terribly sorry for that, but I've been busy and rather museless but I hope to fix that soon! Enjoy this new story for now and be on the look out for more updates! Don't forget to let me know what you think of the story so far in your reviews~
Summary: Before her eighteenth birthday, Lucy Heartfilia was always kept locked up inside out of fear that something could happen to the Princess of Magnolia. Little did she know her life would change once she laid eyes on Natsu Dragneel and soon, she was thrust into a world full of feuding families, supernatural creatures, and a romance that she's willing to risk it all for.
DARK PARADISE
Glittering chandeliers and extravagant decorations adorned every inch of her parent's ballroom, music floating from the stage as attendees danced to their heart's content. The grand gala tonight was in her honor for it was her eighteenth birthday and in her family, the big one eight was extra special.
She had yet to make her grand entrance, as she was still getting ready. Her corset was in the process of being laced and it was beginning to dawn on her that she was going to be rather late for her own party.
"Mira, think you could lace just a tiny bit faster?" The blonde asked breathlessly. Her faithful family friend offered her a sorry smile in the mirror before her as she tugged as hard as she could against the girl's rising and falling ribcage. A frown was directed in Mirajane Strauss' direction as the guest of honor for the evening struggled against the tight corset.
"Suck in one last breath for me, dear." Mirajane asked, the woman before her doing as requested of her. One last hard tug of the laces and Lady Lucy Heartfilia was ready for her grand entrance. "Spin for me, please." Lucy turned to face the pale haired woman, smiling gently at her before slowly spinning. Her skirt ballooned slightly with the sudden air beneath the hem, but she paid little attention to it. She was almost ready to descend on the large staircase that led to the ballroom, but she was missing a key factor in her ensemble; her mask.
The mask was an elegant, one of a kind accessory that was made just for tonight. The mask craftsman it had been ordered from definitely did a fine job on it, Lucy noted as she gently picked it up and handed it over to Mira. She was then turned toward the mirror as Mira secured the mask to her head, two silk ribbons being tied together tightly. Her eyes fluttered closed for a few moments before they opened once again, her gaze resting on the sight in the mirror. It was her, masked and looking quite fabulous. Her dress was dark blue, nearly black silk that slowly faded into a soft sky blue as it went down her body. The bodice was tight over her torso and the tightness gave way to a beautiful slimmed down skirt that floated delicately on her legs. Adorning the dress were golden sparkles that shimmered like stars and they lessened as they went down the dress, fading as the dress went from night to day on the length of her body. Her mask was a dark blue decorated with soft golden designs around the eyes and the same golden sparkles as her dress, leaving a stunning starry night look. As she turned to face the woman behind her, she watched with bright eyes as Mirajane gasped, her hands flying to cover her gaping mouth.
"Lucy, you're so grown up! You look magnificent," The blonde laughed lightly and moved to crush Mirajane in a tight hug. "You're gonna knock 'em dead, baby!" Lucy released her friend and nodded before kissing her cheek and heading to the doors.
Emerging from her room, she was greeted by her friend and fellow princess, Levy McGarden. She was surprisingly taller than normal in a beautiful pair of high heels, but all Lucy could see was the dress. It was an elegant gunmetal color and as it went down her body, the bodice gave way to a slightly puffy skirt. It shimmered beneath the chandeliers above them and her mask was just as beautiful, soft gray swirls covering the entire mask as the same beautiful metal-like color from her dress shined beneath the designs. Levy's hair was swept up into a style similar to Lucy's, more than likely due to the same reason she had kept her hair up for her special evening. Not wanting to distract from the dress always managed to result in soft curls pulled into a pretty cluster in the back, small tendrils falling easily around their faces.
"Lu-chan, that dress is extraordinary!" Levy's ruby lips pulled back into a bright smile and Lucy was tugged into a tight hug, her light laughter filling the air.
"Thank you, Levy-chan! Have you seen your dress, however? What a gown!" She retorted, smiling right back. It was certainly true, she had never quite seen such a beautiful gown on the girl before! Her choice for tonight was definitely surprising, as it almost didn't seem like something she'd pick to wear but the little spitfire was always full of surprises.
"I wanted to try something different. You like it?" She watched as Levy giggled, twirling gently to give Lucy the full look. The back was certainly something to behold! It dipped down to rest on her lower back and the same soft gray swirls started at the border of the back and slowly worked their way around to the front of the dress before going down the entire length of the dress, fading in color until they disappeared at the bottom. She noticed, upon closer inspection, that the swirls almost seemed to be moving. With every movement Levy made, the designs seemed to dance on the fabric. The blue haired girl turned back to face her and Lucy was quick to open her mouth to express her admiration for the dress.
"I've never seen anything like it. It's beautiful, Levy. So you, in fact!" They exchanged another smile before moving toward the large double doors that led to the gala. Lucy could feel her heart pounding and she could hear Levy's clearly in her ears. Their nerves were definitely getting the better of them. Lucy couldn't seem to stand still, however. She was anxious; she had no idea who could be attending tonight. Lucy knew of her father's wishes to have her wed within the next year and thus, multiple suitors were more than likely crawling within the ballroom. She had heard rumors from the maids working within the castle that the neighboring kingdom's royal family would be attending and honestly, she felt a bit uneasy about this. Their kingdoms haven't gotten along for centuries, what made her father believe inviting them was a great idea?
They were said to be a strange family. Almost no one saw them for a week during each month and it seemed strange to her. Who stayed inside their castle for a week without any human contact? It was almost eerie, especially with the reports of some attacks that happened a few months ago. They were written off as animal attacks, but nothing within those woods had ever been reported as vicious in the slightest! Perhaps she could ask someone about it... She would, however, save that for a later date as she was now being shuffled into the ballroom. Levy went in before her and now, it was her time to make her entrance.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Grand Ballroom of the Love and Lucky castle, home of the hosts for this evening: The Heartfilias! We're thankful you have all joined us in order to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of the prestigious princess of Magnolia. Please join me in welcoming Miss Lucy Heartfilia!"
She blushed at the introduction her family's faithful butler, Capricorn, delivered before slowly making her way through the now open doors. Her head was held high and her chocolate eyes quickly swept across the room, making note of just how many people were in the extravagant ballroom. Her eyes landed on pink locks and she found herself raising an eyebrow at the rather odd hair color. She then proceeded to take in the full appearance of the pink haired person, noticing that it was indeed a male. He cleaned up rather nicely it seemed, although the scarf was perhaps even odder than the color of his hair. She straightened up a bit when she noticed his eyes were trained on her, their eyes locking for a mere moment.
Everything around them seemed to stop and they were the only two people in the ballroom as they continued to look at each other. She felt her cheeks growing red under his gaze, those almost piercing onyx eyes causing her to feel completely and downright naked. His face was one of intensity, not an emotion fully shown. He almost seemed lost in thought and she was only in his line of sight. Yeah, that had to be it! She shrugged it off and turn her head away, breaking the eye contact as soon as she averted her eyes. 'Perhaps I'll see him later on...' She couldn't deny that she didn't want to at least know his name or even talk to him, but this was her party and she had other guests to attend to.
The room erupted into applause upon her climbing the small set of stairs leading to the stage where Capricorn was currently standing. He offered her a hand and she graciously took it, smiling brightly as he led her to the microphone. His other hand rested on the small of her back, just above where the back of her dress began. Once she felt his touch on her, she tensed slightly as the feeling of someone watching her became overwhelming. She knew everyone in the room was waiting for her to make it to the microphone and that would then cause their eyes to be on her, but it was the intense feeling this gaze left her with. Turning her head, she caught sight of the male she had been looking at before. His face was tense and she noticed his hands balled up into fists, his eyes seeming to be ablaze. He was... Angry? She blinked once before facing forward, approaching the microphone with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming to celebrate with my family and I. It's truly an honor to host such a lovely masquerade tonight! Ladies and gentlemen, please have a great time and enjoy the party," She stepped back once she was finished and couldn't help but grin brightly as the entire room cheered and clapped for their princess. She was guided to the stairs by Capricorn and they went their separate ways once they left the stairs.
Making her way through the crowd, Lucy Heartfilia found herself searching for that mysterious pink haired male. Of course, it wouldn't be hard to spot him even with a mask on what with the pink hair he sported, but there was just so many people! Turning around, she caught sight of pink hair just as the person out onto the balcony. Great, she was going on a wild goose chase for one guy! She carefully picked the hem of her dress up and crossed the ballroom floor with little effort, her strides rather long despite being unable to fully jog in heels.
"Well, if it isn't the pretty princess," Lucy tensed as soon as the voice made itself known. It was definitely a male, but was it who she was looking for? Turning to face the direction it came from, she gasped slightly as she saw the pink haired male in the process of taking his mask off, mere inches from her face.
"What the hell?" She heard his deep rumble of laughter and huffed, crossing her arms over her ample chest. He had some nerve to stick his face so close, especially since this happened to be her first time meeting him!
"You're weird." The blonde scoffed, her pink lips turning into a frown. Her reaction earned a grin from the male before her, his lips spreading to the point where he was practically grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm not weird! You're the one with pink hair!" She watched as his facial expression quickly changed into a frown. 'A frown doesn't suit him,' She found herself thinking as she gazed at him. She barely even knew him, though! How was she supposed to know if a frown is fitting for him or not?
"That's insulting, princess! My pink hair is better than that yellow thing you call hair," He seemed awfully proud of that retort, she noted, as he resumed grinning. Her hand moved up to touch her hair and she found herself suddenly self-conscious about her up-do. Did it really look weird? Biting her lip, she continued to gently pat the cluster of curls resting just above the nape of her neck. Occasionally, she'd glance up and catch the guy before her staring, but her eyes then traveled back down to the floor. She could've sworn this hairstyle was perfect for this evening, however! It showed her elegance, yet was rather flirty with the stray curly pieces that fell just right. Not to mention the entirety of her back and upper torso were exposed! How did that not win points with him? Was he even a guy or did he happen to not be interested in women?
"My hair is very fitting for this occasion, so if you'll excuse me, I have an event to get back to." She went to move around him and quickly grabbed her wrist, his grip gentle yet firm. This certainly caught her attention, drawing a gasp from her slightly parted lips as she turned to face him once again.
"Why're you leaving, weirdo?" Lucy blinked at him, her chocolate eyes showing nothing but confusion. He really had no idea that she didn't want to stand around and continue to be insulted by some guy with pink hair?
"I have a party to be attending. News flash, it's my birthday party! I'd rather not spend the majority of the night standing on the balcony with some pink haired dolt who insists on calling me a weirdo," Of course, upon noticing how his eyes suddenly darkened and he tugged his hand away from her, she realized she had made a mistake. He refused to even look at her! She hadn't been expecting him to give up so easily, that's for sure.
"My father wanted me to attempt to make peace with you and this dumb kingdom, but I didn't realize you were just like the rest of those stupid stuck-up princesses who thinks the world revolves around them!" She knew her mouth was hanging open a bit, but she didn't quite care at the moment. She was far too occupied with the fact that no one had ever talked to her like that! She was used to everyone seeming to walk on eggshells around her, afraid that she'll break if something were to upset her. This obviously wasn't the case with the male before her, who was currently scowling up a storm.
"I..." She was hesitant, his intense gaze now causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach. "I'm sorry..." He didn't expect her to say that, she noticed from how his eyes grew wider at her words. Of course he wouldn't have! Normally, she wouldn't have even attempted to mutter the apology to anyone unless she was completely in the wrong, but he was just so... Different.
"...Why?" His voice was slightly scratchy and she gazed up just as he stepped closer, his eyes seeming to hold her in a trance. She couldn't look away even if she tried, for she was almost afraid that if she did, she'd crumble. His hand came up to brush a few stray curly strands out of her face and that calloused palm came to rest on her cheek. Her face grew warm quickly and she found her eyes fluttering slightly. She leaned forward a bit and she was met with warm lips pressed against her own. As soon as it had happened, it was over, however. The moment ended and he was already moving away from her, slipping his mask back on without a second glance.
"Wait! I..." He paused for a moment, turning to look back at her. "What's your name?" She was unsure if she wanted to know or not. Did she truly want to know? What would happen if she did? Did she expect them to meet again after the ball was over? She would be foolish to expect such a thing to happen, even if they did kiss.
"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." His voice snapped her from her thoughts and she watched as he flashed her the goofiest grin before disappearing back into the ballroom.
Later on in the evening, she had danced with him a few times and she felt as though her skin was on fire with just the simplest of touches. His fingers felt like hot feathers on the smooth skin of her back, his hand pressed hotly to her lower back as they moved among the other pairs on the floor. She hadn't seen him after the one dance where he pressed a soft kiss to her temple and looking back on it the next day, she had wished she at least got to say goodbye to him. Little did she know, she'd be seeing him again very soon and then... The chaos would begin to unfold.