Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the story and ideas.

Edited by: The Tortured Poet

Summary: Lucy Heartfilia wants to break away from her rich girl life, and with her father pushing her into marriage; she's getting more desperate to do so. During the celebration of her eighteenth birthday, someone kidnapped her. The certain someone turned out to be her childhood friend and first love, Natsu Dragoneel. He takes her to Fairy Tail and unveils to her his secrets, his real identity, and how she fits into his life from now on.

Dragon Lover

I'm so lonely.

Why do they leave me alone?

Why do they turn their faces away from me?

Why do they kick dirt in my face and laugh?

Why am I crying so much to the point that my body shakes and I can't breathe?

Why are they so unfair to me?

Why do I think this way?

Why can't I just be like every other normal kid?

Why does it feel like I don't deserve happiness in life?

Why… Why is his smile the only thing that I live for now?

"You bastards lay one finger on Lucy and I'll turn all of you to ash!" he threatened, making them run away with their tails between their legs. He turned around to her, and smiled that lopsided genuine smile of his that always made her heart run a marathon.

"Don't cry at what they do to you Lucy, smile at what you're going to do about it!"

"Morning Lucy-sama, it's time to get out of bed now!" my maid shouted into a bullhorn, pulling my blanket away from me. It resulted in me rolling off the bed and hitting my butt on the ground.

"Ow!" I whined, as I rubbed my sore butt. She ran around the bed and looked down at me with a smile.

"Wake-y, wake-y, eggs and lacy!" she cheered.

"Lacy what?" I asked.

"Your underwear, which you're going to wear since it's your birthday ball celebration tonight!" she chirped as my eye twitched at her.

"Too much info…" I sighed and stood up, rubbing my sore behind.

"Now, your father informed me that you will not be eating breakfast since you need to watch your figure. Also, you need to somehow fit into your dress for tonight," she went on, pushing me to the bathroom.

"Did you just call me fat?" I asked.

"Yes, yes I did," she replied. I thought about it and then nodded in understanding.

"Isn't that unhealthy?"

"Who knows," she shrugged nonchalantly and slammed the door shut behind me. I sighed and looked into the mirror.

I'm Lucy Heartfilia, only child and heir to everything my father owns. Yes, that means everyone's first thought of me is that I'm a little rich girl, but I'm not. I don't want to be the spoiled little rich girl that everyone sees me to be. I want to be the girl who's always out and about on a new adventure.

I started to make faces in the mirror, giggling. It was always good to start the morning off with a smile and laugh. But then I sighed in realization of what today will bring along with it.

Since I was turning eighteen today, my father was definitely going to push me into marrying some damn rich boy to improve his life in the business world. He was hinting at it before, but now that I'm in that marriageable age everyone talks about, he's going to go all-out marriage-crazy on me.

I'm also isolated in this castle. I'm not like Fiona from Shrek, stuck on top of a tower with a dragon on guard waiting for my prince charming, oh hell no. I can't even compare myself with any typical princess.

However, since I'm stuck in this tower and probably going off soon to be married, I might be a princess in some way when it comes to a knight in shining armor.

Natsu – that was his name. He might've been small since we were only about five years old at that time, but now he was strong, with a smile that made my heart flutter. He also had pink hair, which was kind of unusual, and he always wore a white scaly scarf. I blushed and smiled at the memory of him. He left suddenly, but he promised to come back for me one day. I know it was just a childish promise and I might never see him again in my life, but the tiny hope that I possibly might see him again one day is what gets me through the day.

I turned to my side to see the door open, my maid sitting with one leg over the other.

"Look Lucy-sama, I'm an epic yoga sensei!" she stated cheerily.

"What are you doing so suddenly when I'm in serious mode?" I shouted out as she giggled and got up.

"Let's get you ready for tonight; we want everything to be perfect. Right, Lucy-sama?" she asked me with a smile as I sighed. Perfect was the last thing that I wanted.

-DL-

"You're making it too tight!" I complained as the maid tightened the corset even more. "Ouch! My poor sides! Do you want me to be as thin as a twig?"

"Don't you want a beautiful hour-glass figure, Lucy-sama?" the maid asked as I glared down at her.

"My figure already attracts perverted old men," I groaned out as my eye twitched at the memories. Oh, what horrible times…

"That's why you need a handsome young and strong man next to you to protect you-!" the maid was trying to say but I interrupted her.

"Did my father put you up to saying that to try and convince me to marry one of his rich friend's little brats at tonight's party?" I asked her seriously as she bit her lower lip.

"It was supposed to be a surprise…" the maid trailed off as I sighed.

"I don't want to get married, damn it!" I hissed out darkly as the maid gasped.

"Lucy-sama, such fowl language! What would your father say if he heard you now?"

"Off to the church to get married, that would teach you to be a lady!" I shouted, mimicking my father's tone. The maid stared up at me, and I down at her. A few seconds had passed we both burst out laughing and continued on with my fitting.

-DL-

I took a deep breath before walking through the doors and entering the ballroom. It was grand, with a light brown and cream theme. Chandeliers hung on the ceiling all around the room, the floor a smooth patterned French carpet as the off white marble dance floor in the middle reflected off of the light of the chandeliers. Tables with white linen sheets over them and mini vases with flowers were situated in the middle, and a ceiling to floor glass window on one side of the room showed off the beautiful stars of the evening. High-class men with their pampered ladies were here tonight, mingling and socializing with a mask of perfection to make their own names better in society.

I walked down the grand staircase gracefully, candles on either side of the railings to light my journey down, trying not to think about the hundred pairs of eyes currently staring me down and overanalyzing my every move. I just wanted to breathe.

After a few steps, my sides started hurting. I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, I got dizzy and the world shook around me as if I was experiencing an earthquake. I saw little mini llamas flying around me wearing little red capes that fluttered in the wind. I steadied myself, knowing full well they saw my little mishap. So I straightened my back, squared my shoulders and continued on as if nothing happened to me.

My father was at the end of the staircase and he grabbed my hand, helping me down the last few flights of stairs.

"What was that just now?" he whispered harshly into my ear as I stared in front of me, ignoring him. I was going to receive hell for that later on, though.

We both greeted a few people and I thanked them for wishing me a happy birthday, our arms locked around each other.

"Now Lucy, have an open mind about this," he whispered into my ear.

"You have a rich man's son to introduce me to as a possible candidate for my future husband, don't you?" I asked dully as if it was nothing new, and in turn he smirked down at me.

"Of course." I sighed and willed this night to end faster, even though the party had just started.

"Forrester, it's so good to see you again! You've changed since the last time I saw you… Which was a few days ago," Father stated.

The boy turned around and I quirked a brow. He was tall with shaggy dark blue hair, giving him that uncaring wild look. He had dark blue eyes to match his hair and strong muscles under his perfectly tailored tuxedo, which was complimented with a blue silk tie that hung a little loose around his neck. Somehow he looked familiar, but I don't recall ever seeing him before. And I've seen Mr. Forrester and his son; he looks absolutely nothing like him.

"People change after they find out they're engaged to a beautiful young lady like your daughter, Mr. Heartfilia," he commented smoothly while shaking my father's hand. Oh, he's good. He smiled politely at me, but it was a friendly smile, like he offered nothing more. Good, he wasn't planning on going along with this arrangement just as much as I was. He took my hand and kissed it as I curtseyed back in respect.

"Why don't you both dance together and get to know each other better. I'll just go mingle with the other guests," my father said as he walked away. I let the boy take my hand and guide me to the dance floor. As he put his arms around my waist, I saw a rustle in the bushes outside. At least I think I did. I ignored it and started dancing with the strange boy.

"I know you aren't Mr. Forrester's son, so spill already. Who are you and what have you done to the real Forrester?" I whispered in his ear as he smirked.

"Very clever. My name is Gray Fullbuster, and I am here to rescue you," he whispered back as I made a weird face.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You'll see soon," he simply said and twirled me around.

"What are you rescuing me from?" I asked when he pulled me back into his arms. I saw the bushes rustle outside again and quirked a brow at that direction. It stopped almost instantly, so I just shrugged it off as a wild animal or something.

"From yourself," he stated with a smooth smirk.

"Wow, that sounded deep. Where did you get that line from, the back of a cereal box?"

"No, from the book of 'I'm Way Cooler Than You."

"Really? You're still on that one? I'm on the last book – 'I Know I Am More Awesome Than You Are Any Day."

"I respect you for the woman you are, and if I didn't have a mate myself already, I'd probably be all over you. However, since you're already taken, I just hope we can be great friends in the near future." He bowed in front of me when the dance ended. I curtseyed in response, but kept eye contact with him.

"Mate? What are you talking about? And what do you mean I'm already taken? I'm not marrying the real Forrester, you know." He gave me a startled look, and then smirked.

"He didn't tell you? You really don't know?" he started as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. "Then you're about to find out soon. Look forward to it," he said mysteriously before disappearing into the crowd.

"Wait!" I was about to dash after him, which would have been killer to my feet in these heels, but my father came and grabbed my arm.

"Come Lucy, there is another boy I'd like to introduce you to," he said, pulling me away. I looked around and tried to spot Gray's tuft of blue hair, but he was already lost in the crowd. I sighed and was dragged along to the next possible suitor for me tonight.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, this is my daughter, Lucy Heartfilia," my father introduced. They smiled politely at me and wished me a happy birthday, and in return I curtseyed in respect and thanked them. The room started spinning again as I did.

"Lucy?" I heard my father faintly call but the world was spinning in weird directions, and the llamas! Oh heck, the llamas are back flying around my head!

I tried to look up at my father, trying to breath, but everything felt so hard to do. I didn't even know how to explain this feeling. It felt like I was going to faint. I saw him looking toward the direction of the window with a horrified expression. What was going on? What was he looking at? Why did everyone start screaming?

Then suddenly a deafening roar bounced off the walls of the ballroom, shattering the glass of the window, and that's when everyone started running around screaming. My dad pushed me away and started running to save his own life. I fell to the ground, sweating profoundly and breathing hard. Right before I passed out, I felt warm hands around me, and he whispered into my ear.

"I finally came back for you," he informed soothingly. Then the world went dark.

-DL-

"Oh my gosh, Jesse McCartney is on the radio!" someone screamed, waking me up instantly.

"Bitch please, if you think Jesse McCartney is better than Paul McCartney, we're through!" a man shouted after her as she laughed her butt off in return. I rubbed my eyes, trying to find out where I was.

"But his voice is like an angel's!"

"I want a divorce."

"We're not even married!" I stretched my limbs and blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust my eyes to my surroundings.

"Then I want to break up."

"You can't leave me, we're mates. Remember?"

"Well tickle me pink and screw me sideways," he whispered back sarcastically as a roar of laughter followed up. I looked around to see that I was sitting on a futon in someone's tent.

"Be a man!" another guy screamed out, making me jump in startle.

'Where the heck am I?' I thought to myself in a sudden adrenaline panic. I got up and looked around to find out where I can escape from without being noticed. 'Was I kidnapped when I fainted? Was there an attack on the castle during my birthday celebration?' Questions raced through my mind rapidly as I searched through the tent.

The tent was big enough for a person of average height to stand up without hitting their head on the roof, with furniture like desk and chair and a chest for putting personal belongings into, and a bunch of other things that my mind could not comprehend. I looked around hastily and my vision blurred from my nervousness. I was in someone's living chambers, which meant only one thing.

Pirates kidnapped me.

"Pass me the beer dude!" someone shouted, making me smiled in satisfaction. Definitely pirates.

I heard footsteps coming closer to the tent, and so I picked up the first thing I could and stood on the other side of the entrance. I looked at my weapon and saw it was a lamp. I shrugged; it was better than a pillow.

"Did you have to hug her so close during the party?" a guy growled as his partner snickered.

"I didn't understand why you were so obsessed with her for all these years and I personally got annoyed since you never did shut up about her, but now I see why. I've got to say dude, I respect you a little more now because of her," the other man said.

'I recognize that voice,' I thought as the footsteps stopped right at the entrances of the tent.

"Are you shitting me?" the first guy asked as the other guy seemed to have a smirk in his tone.

"Believe it or not, I now have 0.0000001% respect for you man," the voice I recognized from somewhere stated.

"I still have zero for you, you really need to boot up your points or I might win at this game against you."

"Bring it on!"

"Well anyways, I'm just going to check to see if she woke up yet or not. Save me some meat, will you?"

"Hell no!" The guy chuckled and entered the tent, which was my queue to whack him over the head with the lamp. Which I did, somehow managing to succeed.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he shouted at me. I clutched the lamp and was about to make a run for it, when suddenly I took a good look at him. He was a tall muscular man with black eyes and pink spiked hair. However, what caught my attention the most was the white scaly scarf wrapped comfortably around his neck.

"Natsu?" I asked suddenly with wide-eyed. He smiled broadly up at me, despite the fact that I just hit him and chuckled. Shouldn't he be bleeding now? What the hell was his head made of, bricks?

"Told you I'd come back for you," he said. I put the lamp down and hugged him tightly.

"Lucy, you're crushing me in your boobs," he said, muffled, and I would have been offended if I wasn't so happy about seeing him. He laughed and hugged me back tightly.

"I missed you," I whispered as he pulled away from the hug and looked down at me. He caressed my cheek and smiled softly.

"I missed you too."

"But," I started as he quirked a brow at me. "Where the hell did you bring me to? When I imagined you coming back for me, kidnapping wasn't really on my list of how you would sweep me off my feet." He smiled like he knew a secret that I didn't, and then lead me out of the tent.

My eyes widened at the scenery. We were in a large type of cave, but the top, was about more than forty feet tall, also had holes in the ceiling that let in rays of light here and there, and it was as wide as a couple of whales. Okay, it wasn't technically a cave but it looked kind of like one since the walls were made of rocks. There were tents all around, with people partying and decorations everywhere. There were vendors and dancers, flowers and magic, bubbles and confetti. Everything just looked fun and perfect.

Perfect – the exact word the maid used for my failure of a birthday ball. This was more perfect than that was, any day.

"What… What is this place?" I asked with an excited smile. Natsu smiled lopsidedly and gestured to it all.

"This is Fairy Tail!"

A/N: I'm not planning on making this a long story, but I hoped you're all enjoying it so far. R&R. Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapters.