Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. Plot line is based off of Prince and the Pauper, half the dialogue is from Princess and the Pauper. This is my interpretation if these characters were in this story.
Long ago and far away, in a village at the base of a mountain, something amazing was happening. At the same time, two identical baby girls were born.
One of the babies was a princess. King Jude and Queen Layla were overjoyed. Princess Lucy would have only the finest.
The second baby girl was named Juvia. Her parents loved her every bit as much as the king and queen loved the princess, but they were worried. They were so poor. How would they care for their little daughter?
Many years passed. The princess learned her royal duties, while Juvia worked long and hard as a seamstress for the horrible Master Jose.
With lives so different, it wasn't surprising that the princess and the pauper never met. But fate changed that.
It all started at the royal mine, where the miners informed the king that the gold had run out. The king was shocked. The kingdom was bankrupt. How would he care for his people?
He wistfully thought if only he could call on his trusted adviser Ivan. But, he was away on a long journey. King Jude, a widower, needed to do something quickly to save his kingdom.
Then, it struck him. Nearby lived a rich young king who was seeking a wife.
…..
"We're late! Late late late! We have twenty, probably twenty two minutes, for your royal fitting! And then we have to move, move, move to your speech at the Historical society! After that we have to rush, and I mean RUSH to the Horticultural Society Tea! And oh, there's your maths lessons, geography lessons, science lessons…" Horologium, Lucy's scheduler was extremely frazzled as Lucy hummed and wandered her room. All Lucy wanted was one day for herself, with nothing to do and nowhere to be. She was pining for that day to come.
Meanwhile, Juvia was up to her eyeballs in fabric.
"Juvia wishes she would have one day for herself. Not waking up with hems to sew and sleeves to press. Ugh, Juvia does not want to sew this wedding gown! There's one thousand stitches to crochet!" Juvia sighed miserably to her companion, a man named Gajeel who nailed the steel into boots for Master Jose. They both spent their days miserably in each others company.
"Master Jose!" Gajeel grunted in surprise as he appeared at the top of the stairs. Their workspace was just the dusty basement of the glamorous shop above. There were shoes, needles, threads, and fabrics strewn about the room. He eyed it with disdain.
"I don't pay you to sit here and complain, Juvia." he held contempt in his voice.
"J-Juvia is just tired. She feels like this is too much work for her to do in one week!" Juvia gestured at the partially made wedding gown for the Princess. She fantasized of one day getting married and being free of her debt.
"If you're working at this slow pace, you'll be here for another thirty-seven years!" Jose had a malicious grin on his face.
"But Juvia has already paid off more than half!" she gasped.
"Ah, but there's interest, isn't there? Your parents should have thought of that before they borrowed so much." Jose references the loans he had given her parents under the pretense it would be paid off in full. But Juvia's parents perished in an accident, and Juvia was left with the debt.
"They did it to feed Juvia!" Juvia stood from her bench.
"That was their mistake then, wasn't it?" Jose slammed the door before Juvia could reply. She crumpled back down to her bench, threading a needle with tears in her eyes.
"What would it be like to be free?" Juvia sighed.
"I wonder what it would be like to be free." Lucy said nearly the same words miles away. She was gazing out the window at someone. It was her royal guard, Natsu. She did that a lot. Sometimes he would notice her looking, and wave to her with a huge grin on his face. "If I were free, I could try all these crazy things. Like the stories Natsu tells me. And I would be able to marry who I choose…" Lucy gasped in shock as her father placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Darling, I'm sorry. But it is crucial that you marry King Gray. It's the only way we can take care of our kingdom." Jude told her softly.
"I know. It's my duty." Lucy steeled her spine and tore her eyes from her secret love.
"But look! Here's another engagement gift." Jude pointed out. Lucy nearly groaned, but she kept her discomfort on the inside. He left the room, and she began to talk aloud to herself again. She did that a lot, since she was left alone when she was not needed.
"People must think that I'm so lucky. I've got so many things. But I guess I've finally realized that presents don't come without expectations." she fondled the ribbon on the top of the box.
Juvia was fiddling with ribbons as well, but these were for the Princess's wedding dress.
"Juvia knows she has almost nothing. But, someday people will gather from all over the world to see Juvia's water magic!" some beings in the land of Fiore had special talents. They were known as magicians. Juvia had the talent of being able to manipulate water. Gajeel was talented with iron. And Juvia heard somewhere that even the Princess was talented with keys.
"I'll come along. Gihi!" Gajeel laughed in his weird way. He shook his dark black mane out of his eyes and continued to tap nails into the bottom of shoes, a few of them clenched between his teeth.
"Soon, Juvia will be forever free!" she had determination shining in her dark eyes.
"I don't think I'll ever be free." Lucy walked out onto her balcony. She closed her dark eyes, sadness washing over her expression. With the outside world shielded by her eyelids, she pretended she was flying a thousand miles away. But her eyes snapped open once again. "No. I'll remain forever royal and save my kingdom. I won't run away." she turned away from the window. "Duty means that I must do things that my heart may regret. But…" she gave another longing glance at Natsu. "I'll never stop believing. After all, there's more to life than these gloves and gowns and threads and seams." Even though Lucy wished that she was born a free commoner, she had a duty. And she would not wish her responsibility on anyone else.
"Juvia must do her duty and repay her parents debt. But Juvia knows that there's more than this." she glanced sadly at her surroundings. She wished that she had been born a princess, who could travel the world and meet princes and go to balls. But Juvia would not wish her life on anyone else, because it was hers to live.
…..
"Okay, what idiot put this in here?" asked Rogue, a usually quiet person. But, around his partner he opened up a bit and seemed a bit out of character based on his appearance. His jet black hair and ruby red eyes made most people run in fear.
"Me? I'm the only other one down here." his partner, Sting, replied with an eyeroll. His blonde hair glinted in the faint light, and his violet eyes had an annoyed twinge at the corners. An angry tic appeared on Rogue's temple.
"Okay, let's review. We are stealing gold." Rogue gestured to the abandoned mine surrounding them. "Is this shiny?" he held the dull rock up to the only light source in the mine.
"No." Sting groaned.
"Valuable?" Rogue coerced.
"No!" Sting was angry at being treated like an idiot.
"Will this make the boss happy?" Rogue tried again.
"No." Sting became sheepish.
"Just, focus on getting the gold so we can get paid and get out of this town." Rogue froze as he heard a shuffling noise from further up the mine. "Someone's coming. Get down!" he hissed out, snuffing the flame from the torch as the two men hid behind the mine cart.
"Hello boys." Ivan Dreyar appeared at the fork in the mine.
"Oh, Master Ivan. You're back… here… early. Hope you had a nice journey." Sting clearly showed dislike for the man in front of him. But, he was paying them very well to find gold in the cave.
"Here. This is the last of the gold. There's nothing left." Rogue offered a tiny nugget to the man ahead of them.
"Yes, it's finally mine. After bowing and lying like a rug and waiting ten years, I've finally got the rest of this. It was just waiting here for me." a wicked grin slowly crossed his face. "I'm returning home a hero. What better husband could the princess choose?" Sting and Rogue both shuddered at the thought of the much older man marrying the princess who was just turning eighteen. "I'll bring the kingdom back to health and then I'll kill the king and get his crown. The reign of Ivan is here! Even though that blasted princess treats me so coldly, she's got an inner fire. Soon she won't be able to deny me." his eyes blazed with an evil no one had ever seen from him before.
"Right, there's just one problem, sir." Sting spoke up.
"That's King to you!" Ivan scoffed.
"Right. But, the king decided to marry the princess off to the king of Isvan next week." Sting told him dryly.
"What?! Making that decision without me?!" Ivan roared. "Who does that idiot king think he is?!"
"The king?" Sting's humor didn't help the situation.
"Silence!" Ivan shouted once again. "This is a… temporary setback." his expression filled with deviousness. "The moment that I get back I'll show them who's boss. Suppose the girl went missing." Ivan's eyes flashed. "The king decides to leave. Then I "find" her, bring her back and become a hero. The king will be so grateful that he'll pledge the heir to me. And I'll humbly tell him, "how can I refuse?"" Ivan began to cackle. "And once the ceremony is over, I'll finally take the throne. That nitwit Lucy can kiss my boot. The kingdom of Magnolia and the castle will be mine and mine alone. If the crown should fit, how can I say no?"
"Wow, that's.. Quite a plan." Sting replied, slightly shocked at the crazy man.
"Yes. I suppose you'd better get the roses and champagne ready for the party I'll throw when my brilliant plan is over." Ivan's cackle echoed throughout the mine. Both Sting and Rogue shivered, not getting a good feeling from the plan.
…..
"King Gray, are you sure about this?" King Gray's royal ambassador, Lyon asked as they sat inside the carriage outside the Kingdom of Magnolia's castle.
"Of course I'm sure." Gray scoffed.
"Alright then. Come with me." Lyon jumped out of the carriage and approached the guards to the castle. "I am Ambassador Lyon, here by invitation of the King." Lyon announced, and was quickly led into a sitting room. "Nice place here." he murmured to Gray.
"Yes. I can only hope that my fiance is just as nice." he had a wistful tone.
"Princess!" Natsu barged into Princess Lucy's room without knocking. He never did. She turned from her desk with a sigh.
"Oh, hello Natsu." she smiled kindly at him. "Look at this. This was found in the mines, it's called iron pyrite."
"Looks expensive." Natsu gave a low whistle.
"It's very pretty." she giggled. "But it's not considered valuable." she placed a magnifying glass down next to the sample.
"Really? It looks just like gold." Natsu furrowed his brow as if it would help him to identify the rock.
"It is commonly mistaken for that. But, it's called fools gold. It's virtually worthless. It's all that's left in the mine." she gave a sigh.
"Wow, good job your highness! You're really smart!" Natsu smiled at her, but did not hug her as he usually would when she made a discovery.
"Your highness?" she frowned. "Why the formality? It's only me."
"Well, I'm here on business from the king. The ambassador arrived with a gift." at Natsu's words, Lucy stood up. She was slightly afraid, and slightly excited. This wedding was happening much too fast for her tastes. Natsu gave a mournful nod and escorted her down to the sitting room, where two men were waiting.
"Natsu, why are there two?" she whispered. He merely shrugged before turning to the two strangers.
"I'd like to announce princess Lucy of the kingdom of Magnolia." he bowed to all three before going to stand guard at the door. Lucy walked slightly forward, tipping her head to them as they bowed. Her father appeared next to Lucy.
"On behalf of King Gray of the Kingdom of Isvan, I present this engagement gift to you." Gray came forward, a box offered to Lucy. Jude took it from Gray's hands.
"Thank you, ambassador! Lucy is quite pleased." Jude replied to him. Lucy said nothing, just kept smiling politely.
"May I enquire, your excellency," Lyon addressed the king, "if you've set a date for the wedding?"
"Will a week from today do?" King Jude replied to Lyon this time. Gray backed away as Lyon conversed with the king. He was disappointed that he could not give the gift directly to Lucy. But, he noticed that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. So that was something.
"Ah! Next week?" Ivan, who had been standing at the edge of the room until this moment, burst out. Everyone turned to look at him. "That's… a most wise and thoughtful decision, your majesty." He bowed to King Jude when he saw the confused looks everyone was giving him.
"Excellent. I will, er, send for King Gray, so that he may finally meet his bride." Lyon nearly gave Gray's true identity away. There were a few more words exchanged before Jude sent Lucy away with Natsu. Even though it was her future being discussed, it seemed she need not be present.
"What do you think King Gray will be like?" Lucy asked Natsu as they left the room. He thought for a moment.
"Eh, he'll probably be kind of lame. But, I guess most royalty is." Lucy smacked his arm at that. "Hey, I didn't mean you!" he laughed, stretching his arms behind his head. His pink hair was tousled from the action, dark eyes giving off a thoughtful look that was rare for him.
"I know that it's the right thing to marry him." Lucy sighed. "But sometimes I wish… well…" she gave another longing look to her guard.
"Apparently he likes sculpting. He's talented with ice and stuff." Natsu grinned, remembering his own talent for controlling fire. "Luce, you're gonna need your cape."
"Huh? What for?" she questioned him.
"It's a nice day out and I think we need a change of scenery." his grin was contagious. She smiled back and off they went into the town. She covered her blonde hair with the hood from her cape once they got within the city limits.
"It feels so good to be outside the castle. Nobody knows who I am." Lucy basked in the sunlight that came in through the carriage windows. "So, which house was yours?" she asked, curious.
"Well, more of a room, really. We couldn't afford a house." Natsu was referencing he and his stepfather, Igneel. Igneel had disappeared a few years back, and so Natsu was trained in the castle to be a royal guard. On his fifteenth birthday he was issued to Lucy because he did so well at training.
"Oh, I didn't mean…" Lucy felt ashamed that she knew next to nothing about the past of the man she loved.
"I know." Natsu was unbothered. He shot her another grin before helping her out of the carriage. He gripped her hand tightly, causing butterflies to tingle all over her body. Natsu led her to a shabby looking building and gestured to one of the windows above. "Third floor on the left. Igneel taught me almost everything I know up there." he held a wistful tone, and Lucy's heart ached for him. Natsu led her through the streets, stopping in front of a stand that sold roses. He picked up a pink flower and smelled it, offering the blush rose to her.
"My favorite." she smiled shyly. "But, you knew that." Natsu had brought her flowers many a time before. On any occasion he saw fit, he brought her a blush pink rose. It soon became her favorite scent, and he realized it soon enough because she always smelled of them. She even perfumed her stationary with rosewater perfume. "It's beautiful." she sighed as she held the flower to her nose. Natsu paid for it and they walked a few more steps. Suddenly, Natsu's stomach growled.
"Sorry." he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you smell that?" Lucy asked as the delicious scent of stew wafted through the air.
"I'll be right back." he grinned, barely giving Lucy time to blink before he wandered off. She felt a little lost, alone in the crowd, but she saw a gathering of people ahead of her. Lucy decided to go and see what it was about. There was a girl in a blue cloak, very similar to Lucy's, and she had three cups of water in front of her. Lucy stared in awe as the girl did magic. The water in the cups floated out into the air and she began to juggle the orbs of liquid. Many people oohed and aahed as they put money into the dish in front of her.
"Playing with magic?" a man appeared, sneering at the girl. He bent down and snatched all the money out of the dish in front of her as the crowd dissipated, her tricks now over.
"Master Jose!" the girl cried. "Wait, Juvia earned that!" she reached out to grab the money back, but the man just held it out of her reach.
"And, you owe me. Do you really think you'll make a living as a magician? Get back to work, or there will be trouble." he sneered at her again before whisking away, taking all the girl's money with him. Lucy was outraged, but she did not want to make a scene with the man. That would only lead to trouble.
"That was an amazing trick." Lucy approached the sniffling girl, placing a few gold coins into her dish.
"Thank you. Juvia's mother taught it… to… huh?" the two girls stared at each other in shock. Each in their soft blue cloak, their hoods were both up, revealing their very similar features. Save for their eye colors, they were almost identical. Juvia's eyes were a bit more slanted than Lucy's, but they each had dark irises and pale skin.
"We could be sisters." Lucy was awed.
"What's your name?" they both asked at the same time.
"You first." Juvia giggled.
"Um, you can call me Lucy." she smiled at her.
"Lucy? You have the same name as the princess." Juvia smiled at the thought of the beautiful girl who lived in the beautiful castle who would soon be wearing another of Juvia's beautiful dresses.
"Well…" Lucy giggled.
"Your highness! Juvia thinks you should be inside the castle. It is not safe for you out here!" she gasped to the blonde. Lucy was confused as to why the girl spoke in the third person, but she decided she liked the quirk.
"Well, I'm savoring my first and last taste of freedom before getting married… to a total stranger." Lucy held a slightly petulant tone, but quickly shook it off.
"At least you don't live as an indentured servant." Juvia skulked.
"Indentured servant?" Lucy was appalled.
"Well," Juvia sighed, "it is like this. If Juvia wants her breakfast hot Master Jose makes Juvia pay. And Juvia has to fetch the eggs from the barn a mile down the road." she looked upset at this. "It is cold and wet, but Juvia still gets an omelet on her plate. But in Juvia's head she is back in bed snuggled up and sleeping until noon."
"Really?" Lucy was shocked at this.
"Really, but it is alright." Juvia smiled. "Juvia is used to it. And for Lucy?" she coerced the blonde into revealing some of her life.
"Okay, so. If I want some eggs I ring a little bell and my maid runs in the room. And she serves them on a silver tray and she brings a cookie tin." she felt a bit embarrassed at her much more lavish lifestyle. "And while I eat she gives me a foot rub and some musicians play for me. But, I would rather be in my library reading books all day." Lucy had never revealed her thoughts like these to a stranger before. Maybe not even to anyone other than Natsu.
"Juvia is just like you." the girl smiled at Lucy.
"You are?" Lucy cocked her head to the side.
"You're just like Juvia. There is somewhere else that Lucy and Juvia would like to be. Somewhere that is for Lucy, somewhere that dreams come true." Lucy had to admit that kind of world did sound nice. "Yes, Juvia is a girl like Lucy." Juvia seemed happy to reveal this.
"That does sound like fun." Lucy laughed.
"People would never think that it was like this, but now Juvia has met you and she knows. It's plain as day, sure as the sky is blue." Juvia was completely right in Lucy's eyes.
"So," Lucy wanted to know more about this girl. "You're a magician?"
"No. Juvia works at Master Jose's penitentiary." Juvia sniffed. "Uh, Juvia means Dress Emporium."
"No way! Master Jose's Shoe and Dress Emporium? I love those dresses!" Lucy squealed.
"Juvia made the one that you are wearing. And Juvia's friend Gajeel made the matching shoes." Juvia smiled, gesturing to Lucy's outfit.
"You made this dress?" Lucy looked down at the pink gown she wore. "It's my favorite. The design, though. It looks so complicated!" she was becoming more and more surprised with the girl.
"Oh, but it isn't. Juvia simply chooses a fabric from the rack and pins the pattern. Then Juvia stitches it in the front and back and it becomes a gown!" she described.
"I wear this gown without my crown and dance around my room." Lucy giggled when she revealed this. "And I imagine life without the strife of an unfamiliar husband." Natsu's face flashed into her mind. "But, I would never let my father know!" she panicked slightly. "I wouldn't want to disappoint him…" Lucy sighed.
"Juvia understands." the girl was sympathetic towards the princess. "Juvia is just like you, after all."
"Yes." Lucy smiled back. "We're just alike. We take responsibility and carry through to do what we need to."
"Anyone can see." Juvia said softly. They giggled at each other.
"We really could be twins." Lucy was still shocked by their appearances. They pulled their hoods down, but were met with disappointment. "Except for the hair." Lucy's bright blonde locks shone golden in the sunlight, but Juvia's dark blue hair seemed to absorb all the light around it. They still had the same features, though. "What about this birthmark?" Lucy pulled the shoulder of her gown down a bit, revealing a star shaped birthmark on the edge of her clavicle.
"Juvia has no such birthmark." Juvia pulled her gown aside as well, showing the unblemished skin. They smiled at each other again before pulling their hoods back up.
"Luce!" Natsu appeared, but abruptly stopped when he saw that there were two. "Uhhh…. Two princesses?" he nearly dropped the cups of stew he held, but managed to hold on. He glanced between the two cautiously.
"Natsu, this is Juvia." Lucy revealed which was her and pointed out her new friend.
"You guys look… Identical!" Natsu was awed at this. Juvia let out a chuckle.
"Well, Juvia must be getting back to the Dress Emporium. Do not forget about Juvia, your highness. And good luck with the marriage."
"Juvia, one day you must come and do your tricks at the palace!" Lucy went to the girl and grabbed her hands.
"Really?" Juvia seemed excited at the prospect.
"Yes! I'll send someone for you." Lucy smiled at her new friend.
"Juvia will be at Master Jose's." the bluenette sighed.
"Goodbye, Juvia! I won't forget."
"Goodbye, Lucy!" and so Juvia disappeared more quickly than the sun could go behind a cloud.