I'm thinking of changing the rating to M... because I plan on having more adult themes.
Lots of questions are being raised in this chapter, so bare with me! :) Also I've decided on keeping a free-form update schedule, but the more reviews received, I can guarantee I'll update faster! It really keeps me motivated!
Un-beta'd, sorry! Thank you!
A Star and A Throne Of Fire
II.
A Response
The morning went how it usually did; she woke, bathed early, ate breakfast with her father, who was too busy talking with his advisors and reviewing papers to talk with her, and sorted through her closet to find the perfect gown for the day. Lucy usually took care in what she wore, since it was one of the few pleasures she was allowed, but this time her mind was too occupied to care. As she dressed in usual lingerie and a loose light blue lace dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves, all she thought about was the letter. It had only been two days, but it felt like a solid two years. Coco did need rest, but was usually so quick once she was back on the road! Was this Prince ignoring her? That idea left such a sour taste in her mouth that she frowned, hurrying to throw her long ash blond hair in a bun.
"Miss Lucy?" Lucy whirled around almost angrily, startling the young maid at the door. Deep breaths, Lucy, she thought, relaxing and folding her hands over her skirt. The maid continued, "S-sorry, miss, but Miss Levy's carriage just arrived." Right. She inhaled. Her tea parties with Levy were her highlight of the week, and this one Lucy planned strategically for. Sliding into her lacey heels, she followed the maid down winding airy hallways to the front gardens. Under the willow trees sat the clean white table, heavy with desserts and tea, with its two fancy lounge chairs occupied by a petite blue haired woman in a short yellow lace dress and a familiar white dog.
Levy looked up from her book as Lucy approached, grinning sweetly and rising to embrace her. "Lu! You look gorgeous, as always." Levy's breath tickled her neck, making her all but snuggle closely into her friend's curly nest of blue locks. Levy lived with her father, Royal Advisor McGarden, in the bustling capitol of Magnolia, almost a world apart from the calm and isolated grounds of the Heartfilia manor. Besides her secret letter route, Levy was Lucy's only public link to the outside world, and coincidentally, her first, only and best friend. Well besides Plue.
The dog hopped into her arms as she flopped onto the lounge chair opposite Levy. "I'm loving the new hem length," she teased a little, but then settled into petting Plue and trying to keep the uneasiness off her face, "but Levy, am I glad to see you…"
As any best friend would, Levy caught on immediately and placed her book down gently. She kept a low profile as she reached over for a finger cake, flicking her eyes to the maids that stood off to the side. Lucy nodded slightly and quickly dismissed the maids with a flip of her wrist. She had planned for this. It was easier to listen into conversations if they were indoors. But in garden? They had about a radius of ten feet to work with, as the guards that were ever present were stationed only so far. "Lu, you look so frazzled. Your hair isn't even brushed. What's been going on?" Levy murmured faintly, busying herself with scooping up a shining silver pin that had fallen to the cushion of her lounge chair.
Absentmindedly playing with Plue's soft ears, Lucy worried her bottom lip and met her best friend's doe-like eyes. "I received a marriage summons," she confessed after a pause, squeezing her eyes shut, "A royal one. I don't even know of the guy."
Levy's elbows landed on the fancy white table and leaned over the plates of snacks with sparkling, curious eyes. "Who?! A royal, hm? Definitely someone of the Dragon Houses! Oh, oh, oh, let me guess! It's Sting Eucliffe!" Levy gasped and clapped her hands, making Lucy frown at her friend's eagerness.
"Levy! No, it's Natsu Dragneel of Dragneel House! Besides, why are you so excited? You know I want to go to Fiore Academ – "
Crash! The nearest guards jumped into action as a cupcake tower went tumbling off of the table, shattering on the pavement, while a shell-shocked Levy sat halfway perched on over the table in shock. "Natsu Dragneel?" She gasped, stuttering as she sat back on her heels. "Shh!" Lucy waved at her forcefully, pointing to the guards who were clustered around clearing up the glass. She'd wish Levy would be a little more quiet when thoroughly shocked, because it'd definitely save her from a one-way ticket to reform school.
"Lucy!" Levy hissed, leaning again over the table, "The Salamander of Fiore? Do you know what this means?"
Her eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed in concern. "You know of him?" Lucy was a bit surprised to hear that Levy knew even so much as a nickname of sorts, while she knew zero things besides his name, title and lineage. But then again, it must be the perks of actually living in a town, let alone a city. "Well yes!" Levy snorted, plopping down on her behind and drawing her crossed ankles to the side, "He's only one of the most notorious troublemakers in the nobility! Never mind that most of the Dragon House princes have a thing for troublemaking, he's in a whole new league of his own!"
Only at Lucy's pleading eyes did Levy go on, leaving the blond is a satisfied tingle that shot down her spine at the idea of hearing what exactly her future betrothed was like. "Well unlike the rest of the young royal males in this Kingdom, he doesn't have much of an appetite for women. Just, you know, fire. Like his father, the King Dragneel," both of them said their long lives hurriedly before continuing, "he practices fire Dragon Slayer magic. It's astounding! Really breath taking, but destructive beyond reason. He's nearly destroyed half of the villages in the Isles of Fire, but as he is their Duke, those demented people adore him. Must be their Draconian sides. But, well, he does do some good…"
The frown previously gracing Lucy's lovely features lifted lightly, encouraging Levy to continue. "He's passionate and cares about life, even from when he was young. He helped the Extalia race be lifted from Royal game status to Royal companions, and has pardoned tons of young criminals for favoring of hiring them. And…" Levy smiled slyly, pausing her monologue to swirl a fork Lucy's way, "he's cute."
Lucy blinked, pouting a little. "Well you can't just stop at that! What does he look like, Levy?" Unconsciously she had gently leaned in over the table as well, Plue wiggling in discomfort under the pressure of her ample chest, "Hell, if it's you talking, he might as well look like some hardened, scary giant of a man!" Levy protested all too quickly, sending both girls into miniature fits of laughter.
"Well because of that jab, I won't tell you! You'll have to find out yourself! Shame you'll have to wait until the wedding day…" Levy frowned, tugging at her lacey gloves daintily. Immediately, Lucy's bottom lip disappeared under her front teeth. "Well," she started quietly, "maybe it will be a bit sooner than the wedding day when I'll meet him. It really depends on his reply…"
Lucy counted an eight second pause before Levy's gloved hand shot up and covered her gaping mouth, "You didn't." Suddenly Plue's fur seemed far more interesting to inspect compared to her best friend's astonished face. Unfortunately Plue was the only one of her company that was happy with her sudden close petting. "Lucy… Mavis, Lu. I don't even want to know how you managed to think that was a good idea. If your father finds out…If the King's Cabinet finds out…" Levy's words sounded deadly, reminding Lucy that her petite friend was a mage and that this must be how Levy's opponents feel when that famous shout solid-scripted them into putty.
Plue gently licked her fingers, trying to soothe the distress he must've felt rolling off of her. But before she could even put in a word to explain, let alone defend herself, a guard stepped forward and interrupted them with a gentle cough. Her first thought when she turned was that she had never seen this guard before, whose spikey orange hair stuck out from under the hat that almost purposefully obstructed his face, and the second was that he held out an envelope with the royal wax seal shining on its front. Lucy hadn't even processed that she took it from the strange guard until it was heavy in her hands, and she could feel the scorch marks that burned brown in the corners of the letter. Her thumb passed over the red wax as she turned, as if in slow motion, the letter over to reveal the sender, just as the mystery soldier spoke. "The Prince apologizes for the burnt edges."
Levy's gasp was loud, and Lucy's shoulders stiffened but the man disappeared into thin air when they both whipped around to look at him. She would've continued to reel over the words the man said if her fingers weren't so eager to rip the letter's seal. The nervous butterflies in her stomach were let loose and she gulped, thinking back to what Levy had said. What if the Prince had told his father's Cabinet? Or worse… her father? Plue's soft fur pushed against her chest in comfort, and a small hand touched her own from across the table. Levy's brown eyes were soft and encouraging, holding fear for her but also intense support. "Go on…" Her blue haired friend urged, nodding at the letter. Lucy's fingers didn't hesitant, though her heart skipped a couple beats.
Magnolia Palace
Desk of the Royal Prince Natsu Dragneel, Duke of the Isles of Fire
Lucy,
Marrying someone I know nothing about wouldn't be ideal either. Coco will be taken care of. Tomorrow at Magnolia marketplace, wait by the bridge over the canal unaccompanied an hour before noon. Don't be nervous about being unaccompanied, I will protect you.
Natsu Dragneel
His handwriting was scratchy, and he wrote in incomplete and appallingly informal sentences, but it sent a warm sensation through her fingertips when she read his last four words. Sure she was scared, but the possibility of adventure was so tempting. And perhaps this Prince wasn't so bad after all.
• • •
Natsu Dragneel was a resourceful Prince. He often got a joke or two about how empty his head could be, due to his tendency to destroy things, but he was the Sovereign Prince currently for a reason. He made good friends wherever he could, nobility or not, inviting them to stay at his wing in the Palace for long periods of time. That's how his father the King won the allegiance of his Knights and Cabinet, and how Natsu would do the same. He believed in his friends, and they believed in him.
And Mavis did they come in handy sometimes. Hibiki Lates, Count of the House of Lord Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, was the first to help dig up a portrait. It was from one of the archives of Reedus Jonah, the famous nobility painter, and was of Lucy Heartfilia when she was sixteen. The second Hibiki sauntered up with a smirk on his handsome face; Natsu knew what he was in for. She was blond with milky skin and large brown eyes, and, as every hot-blooded male in the common room declared, stunningly hot. "If she was that gorgeous two years ago…" Loke, a Knight under his reign, scratched his chin and grinned, as if the messenger task Natsu had given him wasn't that bad of a job anymore.
"Then, go ahead." Natsu snorted and passed his letter, freshly stamped with wax, Loke's way. That earned a few laughs from the room as the regulus magic Knight threw his famous lion pelt camp over his shoulder and stalked from the room with his usually self-satisfied smirk. "Sure that's a good idea, Salamander?" The gruff voice from the shadows to his left startled no one but the guards. Gajeel Redfox was an intimidating man, of board stature and offender-like impression which surprised everyone who did not know he was son of King Igneel's brother, General Metalicana Redfox of the Fiore Army.
Natsu sat up in his high-back fancy chair and threw back a glass of his favorite fire whiskey with a gulp, crown sliding a bit forward to droop his pink spikey fringe into his face. "Loke knows his place," He half-shrugged in response, "He wouldn't try it seriously with a possible betrothed of the Dragon Houses." Especially with a future King. The words hung in the air, unspoken by him but heard by everyone. It was a haughty statement, if anything, but Natsu couldn't care less. If Lucy Heartfilia were his mate, and future Queen, if the circumstances allow, then no one would touch her. Simple as that.
From the shadows around Gajeel, another tall black mass emerged and quickly startled the poor guardsmen even further. A large Exceed, black furred and stocky shouldered, pushed itself against Gajeel Redfox's thigh in a sign of affection, its white wings folded carefully. The Iron Dragon's left hand extended to press his palm against the Exceed's heavy head, his iron rings glinting in the light of the room. Almost immediately, Natsu's own Exceed shot through the open balcony and bounded across the room to swoop down and sit with Pantherlily. The contrast between Happy and Lily was obvious, especially as Pantherlily placed a large black paw on the top of Happy's head to push him away from clawing at Pantherlily's white muzzle.
Natsu turned away from watching the Exceeds interact, down to the desk he had his boots resting atop. It, like everything else in the room, was oak wood and lined with gold. Ever since the hunting trip, he had been almost happily preoccupied with the situation at hand that the coronation and their Kingdom's current Sovereign Prince issue had settled into the back of his mind. A nice distraction from a difficult situation, he would say, if he didn't have the sinking suspicion that something was going on in the background. And Natsu Dragneel always trusted his gut.
With a flick of his wrist he captured Gajeel's attention without alerting anyone else in the room and rose to exit the common room as quickly as possible. The airy hallway had no left wall and instead had columns that circled around an open courtyard with a large Magnolia blossom tree in the center. The summer heat sizzled off the marble and gold of the hallway and a tiny hot breeze made the bells nestled in the tree's branches chime softly. It was exactly to the Queen's style, like most of the Palace was, since all she seemed to do was renovate the large castle to fit her ever-changing taste. Regardless of the over-zealous and rich flair of his Palace wing, the courtyard was his favorite. There were plenty of memories chasing Wendy around the tree, blossoms falling around the beautiful Queen Grandeeney and her ladies-in-waiting as they watched and read from scrolls of gold trim parchment. And now those pleasant memories were being replaced by more desperate ones.
Gajeel appeared from behind a pillar, black-feathered cape brushing over the quartz walkway. "I need a spy." Natsu stated abruptly, he was never one to beat around the brush, "Do you know anyone?"
"Maybe." That was Gajeel's word for yes, and paired with the half-shrug, it looked like the Iron Dragon already had someone in mind. "You need to play the field, Salamander? Awfully cowardly of you."
Well that got his fire riled up. Growling, Natsu frowned and waved a finger at him. "Playing the field is how we get anything in this world, Redfox!"
There was a pause between them before Gajeel looked away. "Ain't that the truth." He grumbled, and stuck his hands deep in his pockets. That caused Natsu to frown, because last he checked Gajeel was one to spitfire and bare fists, not mope. He strode over to his taller cousin, and clapped him on the shoulder once. "Oi, let's hit the ring tomorrow. I bet I could wipe the floor with you." Natsu smirked. The smirk widened when Gajeel smirked back, the double studs in his chin flashing with the movement, "You're gonna regret that, Salamander."