Chapter 1
Lucy wasn't really sure why she was in the marble office for such a petty thing.
She looked around in awe of the tall bookshelves lining the back wall. Her hand itching to run across the backs of the leather bundles of knowledge.
She was seated to the left of the soon-to-be queen of Magnolia. Her flowing scarlet hair flowed around her shoulders as it draped over her right eye.
She was wearing a mellifluous dark purple dress that accentuated her body in all the right places. Like her hips, her bust, her slim figure.
While Lucy was wearing a simple pink silk dress that hung a bit too low and she feared of tripping constantly on a daily basis. And it went all the way around her shoulders. She had to wear a stiff cotton collar that wasn't very comfortable for a 16 year-old.
In front of the king, stood three men.
First, there was her father, Jude. He was the duke of Magnolia and he was the reason why she was forced to wear such concealing clothing. His stone hard expression didn't match his expression in his eyes. His eyes showed the small flames of care and love. But the majority of that love went away once Lucy's mother passed away when she was seven. Now, they sparked with newfound flames of irritation.
Beside him, stood stoic and handsome Gray Fullbuster. The son of the married ice sculpture artists, Ur and Silver Fullbuster. He was wearing a long flowing midnight blue cape that concealed his sword. His raven-haired locks were wild as usual with nothing to stop it.
Next to him, stood loyal and gorgeous Natsu Dragneel. Even with his fair pink hair he was still the best man in Magnolia. Along with his dark eyes and slanted eyes, it fit him the most with his dragon-like senses. He is the son of the king's master chef, Igneel Dragneel. He could tell a good meal from a bad one simply by a sniff of its aroma. He was wearing a fiery red cape which also concealed his sword that Lucy knew had been passed down to him from his grandfather. A master blacksmith that was known all throughout Magnolia for his work.
Both males were wearing skintight pants and a simple white shirt and vest. And their foreheads were touching as they were yelling nonsense at each other. Their gazes solely on the other.
"Enough!" Jellal said, slamming his fist on his throne.
"Now Jude. Please enlighten me on what you call a 'dire' situation" he spoke with such power and dignity.
"Well your highness, you see. The Dragneel hair and the Fullbuster heir have been fighting over the hand of my dearly beloved daughter, Lucy. But I already gave her hand to the Fullbuster's but Dragneel simply insists on marrying my daughter!" Jude said simply.
King Jellal eyed the two men carefully until Lucy stood.
"But father! I do not love him! I cannot marry someone I do not love! Mama taught me that!" Lucy said, her hands fisting at her sides.
"You sit down young lady!" Jude yelled at her, scolding her.
She winced and began to lower herself back into her seat. The woman sitting beside her clutching onto the arms of her chair tightly that her knuckled turned white.
"Do not talk to Lucy like that" Natsu's voice resonated in the office, his voice bouncing off the walls. He approached Lucy and stood beside her. And placed a tanned hand upon her shoulder.
"You do not have the right to touch her Dragneel!" Jude began to approach him.
"She is not something you own! She is a living being who can make her own decisions!" He yelled back, defending Lucy from the one man that kept her down.
"She is mine to deal with, not yours Dragneel!" Jude exasperated.
"The only reason why I am standing here today is for one simple reason. I love Lucy Heartfilia and I want to set her free from you, I do not love her by her looks. But by who she is, a kind, compassionate and caring person who I hold dear. So I ask again, may I have your daughter's hand in marriage" Natsu spoke with such eloquent and candid honesty and truth Lucy felt touched to the core.
"I do not give you, a mere son of a cook! The hand of my daughter!" Jude was ceming rather impatient, and the kind and the Amazonian woman watched in silence at their bickering.
"Father! You should talk to others with respect! Even if you do not care for that individual, at least show them some sort of respect" Lucy stood confidently, as she walked forward to face her father.
"I am your father! I decide what I can or cannot do about my life myself! You are the daughter that should listen to her father! You insolent brat!"
Natsu was growing impatient as well, starting to tap his finger against the hilt of his sword in anxiety. In a last effort, he strode over to where the king and his fiancé resided, and kneeled.
Lucy and her father stared at him as they withheld threats for the other.
"May I ask for an audience with the king" Natsu spoke, even Gray's interest seemed to turn onto something else.
"You may. Now tell me dear boy, what is it that you want to tell me?" Jellal's voice was filled with curiosity.
"I would like your approval over the marriage of Lady Lucy and I. By bringing to the light a rumor that has been going around Magnolia" he raised his head, his dark eyes showing no trace of dragging the king into a ruse.
"What is it?" Jellal spat, a pale hand landing on top of his calmed him down. He looked over at the Amazonian woman, to his dear Erza Scarlet. Her face showed restraint of an emotion he could not place.
But he then looked into her eyes.
"That Gray Fullbuster courted Lacy Juvia until he began courting Lady Lucy. Gray and Lady Juvia were engaed." He finished, drawing his head upwards as he heard the fast stomps of the devil himself.
"Why, you-!" Gray fisted Natsu's collar into his fist.
"Stand down Gray" Jellal said, "Lucy, I see your dilemma very clearly now."
Erza looked at her fiancé in amiable silence.
"I will give you the choice of either marrying Gray, becoming a nun or execution" he spoke, sighing as Erza rose from her seat and left the room, the door slamming shut. The hand she had been over, started to turn cold since the heat source had departed.
"Y-Your highness, I don't understand!" Lucy yelled, Natsu staring at her expression. Her eyes showed her worry, her mouth which was agape showed how speechless she is, and Natsu thought of approaching her, but knew it was out of place to do so.
"You heard me clearly Hearfilia. Now if you excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." He stood, staring at the girl's face.
"You have until my wedding to decide" and he left the room at that.
"Come, Fullbuster. We must speak in private" Jude left the room with Gray in tow.
"Natsu.." Lucy began to cry as Natsu finally approached her, leaning her head on his chest with his right hand.
"It's okay Lucy... It's okay" he soothed her sobs as best as he could, stroking her head softly.
"But Natsu! We can't be together even though we love one another!" Lucy's crying face looked at him. Her chocolate brown eyes full with tears as she stared at his face.
"I'll find a way. I promise, and you know how I always keep my promises. Especially to you." Natsu began wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
He leaned into her slowly and kissed her, sealing his promise with his lips.
-ψω Choices must be made ψω-
Gray scratched the back of his head as he walked the busy Main Street of Magnolia, buzzing with activity from around the world. Magnolia was a very popular trading city and it seemed to have many visitors throughout the year. Gray passed colorful clay and marble homes. Watching kids frolic as they dragged their parents to famous Magnolia Park where the rainbow cherry blossoms resided.
He was heading to a famous bakery known throughout town, and it was through the market. Which he passed through nonchalantly, all he hoped for was one of their specialties, caramade franks.
"Gray-sama!" he could hear her voice over any crowd any day.
"Juvia? What are you doing in town? I thought you were doing something with your parents?" he asked her, not questioning as she hooked her arm in his.
"I was looking for you, it ended up being cancelled." She spoke like a lady, eloquent and confident.
"And why would you waste time on finding me of all people?" he replied, taking a moment to side-glance at her.
They were nearing the bakery now, the crowd thickening with every step.
And as they had just gotten to about three feet of the doors, men started to make way for Gray's beautiful 'escort'.
He could tell why they thought that. With Juvia's long curling blue hair, her deep blue eyes, her perfect legs that show with every step. And her personality didn't help much either. Her caring, pure, innocent, and curious personality made it simply too easy to simply start up a conversation. She was a devoted woman; she had a slim waist and a nice bust. She was the woman that many men sought out for. But she locked her gaze on him.
Gray had finally managed to get them through the doors, and ordered them both a Caramade Frank for each of them.
He stood there in thought as Juvia began idle chitchat with one of the bakers that were on her lunch break.
Gray wasn't courting Juvia was he? The only thing Gray sought out from Juvia was a companion, a friend to have. Gray simply needs Juvia for the sole reason of someone to understand someone, for Gray to go to someone when he has no one to go to.
Was it the way he acted? Gray didn't really think so. He acted like his real self around Juvia, and held barely any restraint for her even though she was a lady. Was it the way she acted? She did act strangely around him, but he didn't care much of it.
One of the bakers handed Gray a pouch and he paid the man the correct amount of Jewels, grabbed Juvia's elbow and led her out the door. He then took a right, the other way that they had come from, and entered Market Square.
They passed a large variety of vendors and little shops with large assortments of materials. They passed food vendors, jewelers, tailors and the like. Juvia insisted on stopping to swift through some of the fresh produce so she could return and buy some for her family. They had finally made it out of the shopping district of Magnolia just as the sun was setting.
Juvia hadn't said a word ever since she spotted something at a jeweler, throughout the rest of their promenade consisted of comfortable silence. And Gray enjoyed the silence so he could swim through his thoughts about him courting Juvia. Even though it was a fact Juvia and he were engaged, but that was in the past, they were young teenagers.
They approached a fountain as they tried to find a suitable space for the both of them to sit.
Fountain Square is quite the landmark in the city. With its marble cupids, the children of Eros and Aphrodite, shooting water from their mouths into the water glittering with coins. The pool of shallow water seemed to be a sparkling pond that shone like diamonds in the sun.
Gray helped Juvia settle herself upon the cobblestone of the pool. And he sat down besides her, handing her a wrapped caramade frank. Getting a small 'thank you' from her lips, Gray took off the wrapping and took a bite out of his. He watched Juvia attempt to get an angle to which she can eat from, but to no luck. Caramel kept dripping from the side as Juvia simply persisted in eating it elegantly.
Gray laughed at her antics.
"What is it?" Juvia inquired, her cheeks a faint pink.
"You aren't supposed to eat these lady-like, here I'll show you" Gray settled himself beside her, their knees touching every so often.
He then began to spend the rest of his evening teaching her how to eat something unladylike for once.