The door from the gardens swung open with a bang. Makarov, sultan of Magnolia, was so startled that the feather on the front of his turban flopped over and dangled in his face, tickling his nose.
"I've never been so insulted in my life!"
Makarov pushed the feather back up before it made him sneeze. "You're already leaving? So... soon?"
The prince stalked away indignantly, a gaping hole in the seat of his pants showing off the pink heart pattern of his undershorts. "Good luck finding someone to marry her!"
Makarov sighed and headed for the garden.
"Lucy? Lucy!" He jumped as a tawny lion appeared in front of him, growling, with a scrap of cloth from the prince's pants in its teeth. "Drop it, Loke..." He tried to tug the scrap from the lion's mouth.
Loke treated it as if they were having a tug of war, finally pulling away with just a shred left.
Makarov fell over holding the rest of the cloth. He pushed his feather up again and scowled. "So this is why Prince Bora left."
"Oh, Gramps," sighed the blond princess. "Loke was just having fun with him. Right, Loke?"
The lion walked over and let her take the last shred from his teeth.
She tossed it aside and fondled the lion's head. "You were just playing around with that boring, self-absorbed jerk, weren't you?" The lion made a noise that sounded like laughing, and Lucy laughed with him. Then she noticed the sultan wasn't amused. "Um, sorry..."
Makarov sighed. "Child, you can't keep rejecting all your suitors like this. The law says you must marry a prince..."
"...By my next birthday," Lucy finished, rolling her eyes. She got up and walked over to a large, fancy birdcage full of doves. "It's such a stupid law," she groaned, opening the door and reaching in.
"Your birthday is in three days," Makarov reminded her.
"I don't want to get married yet," Lucy protested. She took one of the doves and held it to her cheek.
"Lucy," said Makarov gently. "If something were to happen to me, like it did to your father..." He took the dove and put in back in the cage, carefully shutting the door. "I want you to be provided for."
Lucy sat down by the pond and swirled her finger through the water, brushing up against the tiny fish in it. "But I never get to do anything worthwhile! I don't have any friends..."
Loke let out an objecting growl.
"Except you, Loke," Lucy said quickly. "I've never even been out of the palace," she went on.
"But you're a princess, Lucy. Princesses can't just wander around wherever they please; it isn't safe."
Lucy huffed loudly. "Well, I didn't ask to be a princess!" she cried, slapping her hand against the water. A few drops splashed out of the pond onto Loke. The lion looked a little disgruntled, but he just shook the wet out of his mane as best he could.
Makarov decided he wasn't getting anywhere with this, and went back inside before Lucy made him even more irritated with her.
Still frustrated, Lucy ran over to the bird cage and flung its door wide open. The startled doves flew off, and Lucy felt a little better. At least the birds could enjoy a bit of freedom, even if they just flew home to the cage afterward. She wondered if she could find a way to let the fish loose too.