They always come riding in, to slay the dragon and save the princess; but what if, sometimes, the dragon is just trying to protect the princess? (It's a slow day for me, who wants an extra chapter today?)

I own only the plot of this story.

He was walking through the grounds, his hands held loosely behind his back. Next to him was a woman, with brown eyes that sparkled as she spoke with her hands, her yellow hair falling in waves down her back. He couldn't hear the words; he only knew that he could listen to her talk for hours.

Then they were kissing, hiding just off the path behind a large willow. They'd snuck off just after rounding a bush in the path. Her guard was yelling for her in the distance, but they didn't care. They just enjoyed the moment, alone in their own little world. He was careful, so careful, as he held her in his arms and softly kissed her lips. When he pulled away, she looked up at him with pink cheeks and so much love in her eyes that he felt his heart swell in his chest.

He was alone, sitting and staring at a brick wall, upset and confused. He'd asked his beloved's father for permission to marry her, but the king had said no. The king had said he wasn't good enough for the princess, he would never be a fit husband for her and he would never see her again. If he didn't leave on his own, the king would banish him, brand him a traitor, and call for his head. He was so confused, he didn't know what to do.

Pain.

So much pain.

He was on his back, screaming as his body burned. It was dark, but the fire was all around him. He could feel it in every nerve he had. He felt the shackles on his wrists fall off and the melted steel pool under his hands. He opened his eyes and looked at the woman standing nearby.

She had done this to him.

"Someday," she said. "You will find eachother again."

Natsu roared as he woke, still feeling the anger and the pain from his dream.

Someone was in his home. He sense a presence, could feel them touching his tail. He stood and whipped towards the intruder, fire burning on his tongue. He put his face in front of them and roared, fire licking the sides of his mouth.

The human female was frozen, staring up at him. His sudden movement had caused the cloaks around her to fall off, and she was on her hands and knees.

The woman… In his dream there had been a woman who looked just like the one before him. The same colored hair, the same colored eyes… she'd even been wearing a blue dress the same shade as the one in front of him wore. The only other person he'd ever seen in his dreams before was the mage. Why had this woman been there? As he stared at her, he felt something shift in his chest.

New emotions rose up, blocking out the distress from his dream, and he felt… happy. For a moment, he felt himself soar high, as high as he'd ever felt, the same feeling he got when he was flying high above the clouds, alone in the night with the wind beneath his wings.

Shutting his mouth, he plunged the cave into darkness once more. Shaking his head, he ignored the feeling in his chest. It was just a dream, one her presence had obviously influenced. The feelings would wear off as they always did. He watched her as she processed his actions. He waited for her hysteria as she finally realized she was alone with a dragon.

A dragon. Lucy couldn't wrap her mind around it. She was in a dragon's nest. Not only that, the dragon had saved her from her kidnapper and not eaten her, as most rumors suggested about the beasts. What had he done to the man who'd taken her, though? Had he taken her and just let the man go? If he had, perhaps that was why she couldn't find her keys.

She got the sense she was being watched and assumed the dragon's eyesight was not affected by the darkness. Still not sure how she felt about being a dragon's prisoner - because really, what else could she be classified as in this situation? - she decided she wasn't going to wait for the beast to offer answers.

"So you're a dragon?"

"Yes."

"Can you see in the dark?"

"Yes."

"Do you actually breathe fire?"

"Yes, that's what red dragons do."

She swallowed. "Do you eat people?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Are you going to eat me?" she asked, her voice lower and shaky.

"I don't know yet."

"What… how are you going to decide?"

"I don't know."

Natsu answered her questions offhandedly. This woman surprised him. He had just roared in her face, spitting fire, and shown her that she was being held by a dragon, the most terrifying beast in the world. Incredibly, instead of getting scared, she'd started asking questions. She hadn't started looking really scared until he said he ate people, and that fear had eased when he'd said he wasn't sure if he was going to eat her.

"Did you eat the man I was with?"

"And his horse. Horse is my favorite."

"Then why did you not eat me, too?"

"I don't know." His voice kept moving around, so she assumed he was moving his head. She clutched the cloaks in her hands then pulled them over her shoulders. That must be how they fell on her, he must have used his mouth to give them to her.

Suddenly, the warm hardness was next to her again. It wrapped around her slightly, touching her sides and back. Lucy lifted her hand to touch it. It was hard and smooth. As she ran her hand across it, she noticed repeating bumps, like scales. Her hand froze. "Is… is this your body?"

"My tail. It looked like you were cold. I assume that was why you moved into my nest to sleep next to me."

She felt her face heat up. "I didn't know I was laying next to you."

"Be that as it may, you did." After a beat. "Are you warm enough?"

She could hear annoyance in his voice as he asked. "Yes, I'm alright."

Natsu was growing irritated with himself. Why did he care if she was warm enough? Whether she was or not, she'd still taste the same if he decided to eat her. He was still tired, but since he'd gone to sleep late, that didn't mean it wasn't night time. He always woke up at the same time, right as the sun set, so he could go out as long as possible.

He carefully lifted his tail, trying not to scare her again. Not that he cared. "I have to check the time."

She blinked into the darkness as she felt his tail move. "Wait, wait, where are you going?"

"I'll be back."

"Wait!" she called. There was no response. After a moment, it was silent. He'd said he'd be back, she reassured herself. She should wait.

Or should she?