"Is it true that one of the knights refuses to wear plate armor just because he has a...stripping habit?" Lucy Heartfilia whispered into the ear of her Royal Scribe, Levy McGarden, with a raised eyebrow and mischievous eyes.
"W-well, according to our information that does seem to be the case," Levy McGarden stammered, cheeks red with embarrassment at her princess' lack of restraint, "But all of the participants in the tournament appear to have some unique qualities. You're already familiar with the Golden Lion, Ser Loke."
The scribe gestured across the dining hall at Ser Loke, who stood at a stained glass window with an entourage of young maidens, all marveling at the fine red and gold silk that lined his attire for the evening's feast. He stood among the magnificent tapestries and curtains, practically glowing against the hardwood floors and stone walls. Indeed, the handsome Captain of the Guard was someone whom Princess Lucy had set her gaze upon more than once, more now than ever as she approached her coming of age festival. In honor of her eighteenth birthday, King Makarov saw to it that a festival would be held not only to celebrate his niece's coming of age, but to acquaint her with potential suitors. Not that the princess had any intention of actually marrying one of these fellows, mind you, but as she would put it – a little window shopping never hurt anyone.
"Won't you be joining us for the feast, Levy?" Lucy asked while peering over the parchment in Levy's hand, the scribe's quill fast at work.
"As Royal Scribe, I am tasked with chronicling the events of the evening," Levy said without missing a beat with her writing, "This is a historic event, my lady, one that will be talked about for decades to come! It's also a good way to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of some of the strongest knights from neighboring kingdoms."
"Seems an odd thing for a scribe to say," Lucy said whilst eying Levy suspiciously, a coy grin soon to follow.
"Princess, I assure you-"
A sudden outburst of arguing from down the hall caused Levy's words to trail off as the attention of the room was drawn towards the two men who had just entered, fists clenched towards one another as they barked insults back and forth.
"I told you, Happy is a rare breed from the South, not that you'd ever cross our borders you cold blooded stripper!" Shouted a pink haired knight wearing unusual black and gold robes, with one sleeve and an open front revealing an ironic amount of skin.
"Rare breed my ass, it's blue! Or are awkward dye jobs the norm wherever you come from, Pinky?" The black haired knight growled with a raised fist before glancing around the dining hall, which was equally captivated and amused by their bickering. Slicking his disheveled hair back and adjusting his high collared black and silver coat the knight opted to drop the argument. "Tch, you're making me look bad, kid. Beat it."
From her seat at far end of the room, at a row of seats designated for royalty and their personal guests, Lucy Heartfilia had quite the vantage point. The princess was nothing short of amused, giggling into her hand as Levy was fast at work, ink coating page after page. "Natsu Dragneel, hailing from the Southern Kingdoms, and Gray Fullbuster, an unaffiliated knight with no allegiances. They are scheduled to duel in tomorrow's tournament," Levy paused from her writing, "And it is as Natsu claimed, Gray is the knight with a penchant for...disrobing."
"From the looks of it, he's already halfway there," Lucy murmured, eyes fixated on Gray as he took his seat at one of the tables, the furthest he could get from Natsu, "I do like his hair though. He looks..."
"Dangerous?" Loke's familiar voice chimed in as he approached the front of Lucy's table, "I've heard some very interesting things about some of your dinner guests, my princess, but there's no need to fret, I may be attending this feast as one of the participants in tomorrow's tournament, but the Captain of the Guard never rests. I've taken measures to ensure that you're just as safe during this festival as you would be on any other day."
"I'd expect no less from Fiore's Golden Lion," Lucy said with a bright smile, "Were you worried I didn't notice how nice your mane looks this evening?"
Loke wasn't expecting such a direct counter attack. "Why, Princess, thank yo-"
"Don't thank me just yet, I also noticed your flock of fans you were holding court with earlier. Is chatting up a dozen damsels one of your extra precautions, or simply a reflection of what you do in your free time, Loke?" Her eyes pierced him like daggers, the knight stammering back and clutching his chest.
"M-my lady, of course not, I was merely discussing how lovely your dress is this evening. The ladies are all fawning over your exquisite taste!"
Appeased with rattling Loke's cage enough to get his charms in check, Lucy waved off his concern. "No need to flatter me, I'm merely having a bit of fun. Now, I'd very much like to know who it is you'll be dueling in tomorrow's tournament. I was unaware you'd be participating as well."
"But of course, the prize is one that I simply cannot resist."
"Ah, right. That." Lucy hid her reddening cheeks behind a cup of wine in hopes that the embarrassment would pass. The aforementioned prize for the winner of the tournament was a kiss from the princess, her first kiss, actually. It sounded great in theory, but as the day of the tournament drew nearer, the princess became increasingly embarrassed by the thought. It was nothing that an unladylike gulp of wine couldn't drown out, of course. "Who is it that you're scheduled to face first, Ser Loke?"
"Lord Gajeel Redfox, from the northernmost edge of the continent. I was under the impression that royalty was banned from participating in the tournament, but all men bleed the same in my experience."
"He's no mere king," Levy chimed in, placing the parchment and quill down next to her inkwell, "Before Lord Redfox took the throne, there was a new king ruling with each change of the season. His reign has been five years and counting."
Loke crossed his arms, unamused. "So he's a strong fighter, able to defeat all of his challengers. There are plenty of talented knights among us this evening."
"That's not entirely accurate, Ser Loke. The truth is, no one has challenged him since taking the throne." Levy quipped before falling silent as Loke waved a hand dismissively, unaware of a rather large, dark figure approaching behind him.
"It takes a lot more than rumors of strength and power to intimidate me, dear scribe. So he's beaten warriors in the North, I've done the same in every part of the continent in order to earn my place here in the capital." Loke scoffed, his pride blinding him to the man who now stood glaring over his shoulder.
"Where I come from, it's considered poor form to boast in such a gaudy, pretentious manner on the eve of battle. Doubly so if one does it in front of women." Gajeel Redfox growled over Loke's shoulder, leaning forward so he could speak in his ear. "Scram, little lion."
Loke, who was only slightly startled, turned around to eye his opponent he'd be facing off with the next day. The black fur that lined Gajeel's robes matched his hair, long with a braid on the side. An assortment of piercings decorated his face, along with scars that surely didn't stop at his neckline. Of all the attendees, it was this Lord of the North that looked the most menacing. With a huff, Loke turned to the Princess, bowed, and took his leave without another word. With Loke gone, Gajeel stepped before Lucy and Levy, offering an almost unsettling grin before bowing slightly.
"Forgive the intrusion, Princess. I wanted to come and introduce myself as soon as I arrived, so that I might get through the formalities and drink as much of your wine and eat as much of your food as I can before the evening is through." Gajeel said with a surprising amount of tact for a warrior king.
"It is quite alright, Lord Redfox. It is a pleasure to meet you, and by all means, have your fill! It is a feast, after all." Lucy said, relieved that Gajeel didn't seem to be quite as uncouth as he appeared. "Our Royal Scribe was just telling me about you."
"I saw," he said, to their surprise, "Well, I mean, I read the little one's lips." He turned his sights to Levy and stared her right in the eyes. "You see, I was told that there's quite a bit of talking here in Fiore, whispers, rumors, and the like. I'm not one for playing the game that you royal types play, but I can certainly tell when someone is saying my name."
"M-my lips?" Levy pressed her fingers to her lips, a dash of red coming to her cheeks.
"Of course, I'd assume you of all people would be aware of that. Regardless, I've a dinner date with my goblet to tend to. I hope to put on quite the show for you tomorrow, Lady Heartfilia, Lady McGarden." With another slight bow, Gajeel made his way into the fray of the dining hall, taking a seat beside a melancholy looking woman with blue, shoulder length hair who wore a navy coat with white fur lining.
"Lady McGarden, doesn't that sound nice?" Lucy clasped her hands together to soak in the look of shock on Levy's face. "He wasn't nearly as scary as you made him out to be."
"Yes, but...yes. He was nice." Levy's shock wasn't entirely out of embarrassment however. She couldn't help but wonder just how Gajeel happened to know her name without a proper introduction. Just how much did this King from the northern lands know about Fiore and those residing in the capital?