Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor Walt Disney's "Aladdin".

In the heart of an enchanted city, a commoner mage named Natsu Dragneel and his mischievous blue-furred flying feline companion, Happy, battle to save the free-spirited Princess Lucy Heartfilia from the schemes of the evil Lightening Dragon Slayer, Laxus. Natsu's whole life changes with one rub of a magic ice lamp called the Ice of Wishes as the level-headed, cool-tempered Gray appears and grants him three wishes, setting him on an incredible journey of discovery. However, the relationship between the kind Princess and protective Dragon Slayer are tested as the two mysterious people watch them, hoping Lucy and Natsu are ready for an enemy that cannot be seen...

Aladdin's Fairy Tail

by

Magnafeana

Chapter Four:

Laxus Discovers His Fire in the Water

Light became to ebb away as darkness mingled in, creating a drowsy lavender color in the sky. The moon teased the eyes of the people as if flashed its body in the sky before quickly retreating with slight cowardice. The stars, however, did not care about their appearance and flaunted theirselves, sparkling in the light purple firmament. The sun continued to prowl around, unsure if it should move to another hunting ground or remain in this territory.

Deep below the palace grounds, Laxus stood arrogantly, watching red smoke struggle and twist in aggravation within crossed golden rings. Below that was a dull orb held in between two gold serpents, their noses close to touching. Thunder roared from the sanguine puffs as they grew tired of being disturbed. Bixslow ruffled his wings in uncertainty, knowing already what his vile friend was about to do.

"Couldn't we wait for a real storm?" he suggested.

Laxus glanced at him as he approached the lacrima ball with the master's ring in his hands. "Save your breath, Bixslow. I'm not going to wait for a storm in this place."

Laxus placed the ring in-between the two statue snakes daintily. Grinning, Laxus unleashed a powerful lightning bolt onto the puff of contained rosy smoke. He watched as the clouds roared over the blast and sent down a lightning strike directly onto the innocent ring. Laxus and Bixslow approach the ball, hunger in Laxus's eyes.

"With the power of the sands of time, show me my fire in the water," he prayed as he eyed the orb impatiently.

The ring vomited the absorbed lightning it previously obtained onto the lacrima ball, electrifying the magical item. After a few brief moments, a video flickered uncertainly in the sphere before it became more confident and steady. Laxus watched eagerly as the film showed him exactly what he needed to know:

He saw a pink-haired young male in a pair of white balloon pants, worn black sandals, a white-scaled scarf and black vest helping up a young woman, veiled in a brown cloak with a light brown scarf wrapped securely over her hair, on an old ladder. Narrowing his eyes, Laxus saw the Fairy Tail insignia on the upper arm of the young fellow. The blonde man grinned.

"Yes…" his hissed. "I have finally found my fire in the water…" Laxus grinned. "Let's extend him an invitation to the palace, shall we?"

Natsu led Lucy up carefully; he was unsure if the fragile-looking female knew how to climb. However, he was impressed that she had been able to keep up with him. Lucy, on the other hand, tried to hide her weariness and fatigue. Once Natsu had allowed Lucy to walk on her own, she had remarkably been able to keep up with his pace. But at a price. With each step up the ladder, her body grew sore and lethargic. Even with Natsu's acute hearing, he could not hear her stifled groans as they sprinted a safe distance away from their crime scene. He had slowed down when his instincts told him that they would not be tracked, yet carried on in silence.

Every once in a while, the veiled blonde would catch a glimpse of him either sniffing the air or looking at her with confused and curious onyx eyes. He'd catch her looking at him too, her expression of relief and innocence contradicted by the suspicion and unguarded curiosity that flickered occasionally in her eyes.

The two reached the top of a flat and bare roof, both noticing that the sky was getting darker. Happy had already flown back to the hideout, allowing his friend privacy to the blonde teen.

Feeling fed up with silence, Natsu initiated a conversation with Lucy, still unbeknownst to him of her royal title or her name. "Are you sure you know how to handle yourself out here?" he asked. He looked back to see irritation flash in her eyes and her tense up.

"Look, I didn't ask for you to save me," Lucy spat. "You just decided to pull some hero act randomly to some girl you don't even know!" She gave him a furious glare. "And you called me weird!"

Natsu shook his head and frowned in confusion. "I saw trouble and reacted. Nothing for you to get mad about, sister." He drew out the word in laughter. Natsu knew she wasn't his sister, but he grinned in amusement as she huffed and crossed her arms.

He found her quite entertaining already.

She found him quite annoying already.

Natsu saw the gap in-between the building they were standing and the other across from it before glancing at Lucy. She stared back at him and frowned slightly at his mischievous smirk.

"Stay here," he ordered as he looked at the other building.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth for a scathing retort; however, her mouth remained open with no words. Natsu had sailed over the gap, his white scarf flapping behind him. He landed on the other side and smirked at her. She looked away, averting her surprised stare from his knowing gaze. She knew he knew she was impressed with his skills. But she wouldn't let him see it. She had her pride, didn't she?

Natsu, amused by her aversion, took the time to look for a long plank on the roof he was on. He busied himself looking through pieces of wood to find on of decent length. "Y'know, the streets are a dangerous place for a girl," he warned, half-serious, half-teasing.

Silence answered his remark as he pulled out a long plank. The pink-haired male looked up, yet Lucy had disappeared from the spot. Alarmed, thoughts raced through his head. Some thoughts reasoned she ran off, back to her home – rational thoughts. Some thoughts panicked that she was kidnapped by an old guy that would use her as ransom in the scheme to hunt him down – irrational thoughts.

"Ha! I'm a fast learner," a voice softly remarked, a hint of pride and smugness in their sweet voice.

Turning around, Natsu looked with wide eyes as Lucy stood there with her hands on her hips, looking at him daringly. She jerked her chin up, as though she was challenging him to say a word, and a defiant gleam lit her eyes. Natsu just grinned as she continued to impress him. She was strong, swift and smart and he didn't have any doubt that she had more secret sides of her.

The two teens continued to travel in a comfortable silence, sometimes Natsu teasing Lucy or sometimes Lucy amazing him, yet both remaining oblivious to each other's identities.

A dwindling darkness stabbed the light of the sky, blue blood spilling everywhere. With a silent cry, the light of the sun was driven out by the wild wolves of the night, knowing that tomorrow they shall reclaim their honorable place in the atmosphere. Sneering, the darkness sat comfortably in the skies, a shade of blue enveloping the skies of the Magnolia Desert and the Kingdom of Fairy Tail and allowing the dim yet illuminated stars to come out and play.

Natsu reached the entrance to his hideout and grabbed Lucy's hand as he led her through the sturdy steps of a dying hallway. Sometimes he would break the silence with warnings of the location of low-hanging beams or dips and pitfalls that hid mischievously in the floor were, Lucy murmuring a quiet "thanks" in return.

They came to the top of the steps where a cleared area had been made. Natsu watched Lucy cautiously as she took tentative steps into the hideout. He searched her gaze for any hint of sympathy or pity, but, to his shock, all he found was admiration in her beautiful brown eyes.

As Lucy made out Natsu's figure in the subtle darkness, she asked, "So… you live here?"

Natsu turned his head slightly so she was on his peripheral vision and nodded. "Yeah. Just me, Happy, my sister and her cat."

He smirked when she saw her eyes widen, seeing a flicker of surprise regardless of her shadowed face. "Does her cat fly and talk too?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes when the pink-haired dragon slayer laughed. "Yeah, she does. She talks in big words that's hard for me to understand. Most of the time she yells at me whenever I set things on fire," he added in a childish manor.

Lucy chuckled slightly at his remark then looked around, noticing the old rugs and tapestries.

When Natsu followed her gaze, he added with a shrug, "It's not much." He led her over to a curtain that covered a large exposed hole in the back wall. He grabbed the tattered sheet and pulled it aside. "But it's got some great views."

Lucy grabbed onto the ledge and looked at the miraculous view in awe. From their standpoint, she could see the gleam of the palace and most of Fairy Tail.

"Wow…" She turned to him with sparkling eyes. "This is amazing!"

Before the pinkette could answer her admiring comment, a tiny voice welcomed, "Hello…"

Both turned around to be addressed by a timid blue-haired girl, gazing up at them both with round, adorable mocha eyes. She looked at Lucy with normal curiosity, yet spoke to Natsu, "I'm glad you're home, big brother."

"'Big brother'?" Lucy repeated in confusion.

Natsu grinned, showing off his canines to her. "Yeah, she's my little sister. Weirdo," he added under his breath for only Lucy's ears.

Lucy glared in which he gave her an innocent smile.

Noticing Natsu and Lucy's encounter, the twelve year-old smiled at the blonde, revealing her similar pair of canines. "I'm Wendy. It's nice to meet you," she greeted.

The celestial spirit mage gazed at her with softened eyes. "You're so adorable," she commented, smiling at the embarrassed blush on the child's face. "I don't know how you could be related to him." Lucy nodded her head to Natsu who feigned to be offended.

Wendy laughed cutely. "It's a little hard to believe, I know, but it's true."

Natsu twiddled his thumbs boyishly. "You make it sound like you don't want to be my sister," he pouted.

Lucy laughed as Wendy tried to tell her older brother that she was happy to be is sibling while Natsu shook his head stubbornly. "Wait a second," the blonde interrupted. The two siblings looked at her, confusion etched on their faces. "So you're Wendy," pointing at the young girl. Then, she pointed at the teen male. "So who are you?" How could she have forgotten to ask for her rescuer's name? For all she knew, he could be some guy that wanted to use her to get the title of Master of the Kingdom of Fairy Tail. But from the look of it, that chance wasn't likely…

She watched the Fire Dragon Slayer grin and rolled her eyes. "I'm–"

"Get away from me, you stupid tomcat!"

There was a wail. "Charla, give me a chance!"

"Not on your life. And get those fish away from me!"

A cream-colored she-cat bounded across the room and into the arms of Wendy, followed by a blue-furred tom, with fish in his mouth. He stopped in front of her and begged in a pleading mewl, which was unmuffled regardless of the fish, "C'mon, Charla! I got these tasty fish for us to share!"

The noble she-cat wrinkled her nose in disgust and let out an unceremonious hiss. Happy still wore a cheerful expression on his face, not a trace of sadness in it. Lucy was impressed. When she treated a guy like that, he usually got the message that she was clearly not interested and would go away, upset. Yet, the blue-furred cat was clearly unfazed by Charla's behavior towards him.

Natsu clapped his hands, bringing back Lucy from her thoughts, and rubbed them together with a happy-go-lucky grin. "All right, guys! Time to chow down!"

Wendy and Happy raised a fist in the air and happily smiled. "Aye, sir!"

A fire made by Natsu was in the center of the room and the deceased fish were put onto lithe sticks as they roasted by the fire. After a while, the fish were cooked to grim perfection and the mages, and felines, hungrily ate their dinner with famished stomachs and thankful prayers.

Lucy swallowed another bit of the cooked fish, and turned to Wendy.

"So you guys live here by yourselves?"

Wendy nodded and swallowed a mouthful of her food before answering. "Yeah. Our mom and dad left seven years ago."

"We're lookin' for them actually,"Natsu added in a muffled voice, chewing hungrily on the fish.

The blonde nodded, testing the fish with a small nibble before acknowledging that it was delicious. She took a big bite out of the fish eagerly before commenting. "Do you have any clues?" she asked as she bit into the fish and chewed, swallowing it ravenously as her stomach begged for more.

Wendy thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Not yet. But we won't stop looking. Right?" She turned to her brother, who set his fish on fire and bit into it, ignorant to his sister's question. Wendy giggled adorable while Lucy lightly laughed at the boy.

He was so different than the other men she had encountered. Most men sought her hand in marriage due to her beauty or her wealth; others wanted her for their own sexual pleasure. But this pink-haired mage didn't see her like that at all. He treated her like a friend, with kindness and respect. Something no man had ever shown her… Besides Loke, but he was a Celestial Spirit who playfully flirted with her.

After an hour of talking, laughter and eating, the moon was brilliantly grinning in the night sky, flanked by its loyal celestial star companions. Charla and Happy had curled up near a pile of rugs and blankets and fell asleep, their flanks rising and falling in sync. Wendy tried hard to stay awake, but gave up fighting her weariness as fluttered her eyes shut and fell asleep. Natsu gently carried his sister to her own makeshift bed consisting of old pillows and a tattered blanket, setting her down and tucking her in before murmuring soothing words. Lucy could tell the fire mage loved his little sister greatly. They were all each other had after all.

Quietly, Natsu had led Luck towards the window where they watched the dimly lit city as the pink-haired dragon slayer recalled his adventures to the blonde with ease, both of them comfortable with each other's presence.

"So what about you?" Natsu asked Lucy.

Lucy cocked her head, confused. "What about me?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer lit his thumb on fire before quickly putting it out. He grinned when he caught the look of wonder in Lucy's eyes. "Where'd you come from?" he asked as he settled into a sitting position on the ledge with the secret princess following in suit.

Lucy huffed, an irritated look in her eyes as she looked away. "What does it matter? I ran away and I am not going back," she muttered as she crossed her arms under her ample chest.

The pinkette dropped his grin and looked at the Celestial mage with concern. "Why not?" he demanded. "Can't go back?"

Lucy stood up and gazed at the palace that sat regally on its throne, the Fairy Tail Kingdom insignia imprinted on its front. The palace. Her home. Her prison. Secretly, Lucy glanced down at her hand, her eyes saddening at the pink Fairy Tail Kingdom emblem stamped on it. She had abandoned her duties as the princess and left her father and Loke behind, seeking to find her own life instead of abiding by the laws of the Kingdom of Fairy Tail.

She wanted her freedom.

"You could say that," Lucy evaded, turning to look at Natsu as he got to his feet. He followed her gaze to the palace, the intensity of his onyx eyes searching the citadel for something unknown.

"Y'know, it'd be nice to live there," Natsu commented randomly. "Servants that could take care of Wendy… People that would obey me and not scream at me…"

Lucy snorted. "People telling you where to go and how to dress," she added in an annoyed mumble.

"Here, I do the best I can, but it's not good enough to take care of my sis," the dragon slayer confessed, glancing at the sleeping blunette. "If we could be as rich as the Master, I'd be able to care for her better. And Happy and Charla too."

"But with all that wealth comes a price…" Lucy quietly argued.

"Valets, chefs," Natsu listed, close to drooling at the thought of the delicious flames the chefs would create. "Here, you're always scrapping by for food."

"You can never do what you want," the blonde mentioned to herself, ignorant to Natsu's words.

The pinkette sighed, his shoulders sagging. "In the streets, you're just…"

"You just feel so…"

"Trapped," Natsu and Lucy said in unison, staring at each other in surprise for saying the same word. The blonde smiled tenderly at the pinkette who smiled in return.

"So why can't you go back?" Natsu asked.

One thought flashed across Lucy's mind. "My father's making me get married to some guy who I won't even know," the blonde admitted.

Natsu stared at her with a frown. "You shouldn't have to though," he said bluntly. "If you don't want to do it, then don't."

Lucy sighed. "I have to. It's all a part of some stupid la—idea that's in my father's head," the blonde lied. "If I don't, he'll lose everything to his… grandson."

That was partially true. If Lucy did not wed before her eighteenth birthday, her father would continue in power until he died, in which the royal adviser, Laxus, would be in charge. Lucy cringed. She never knew Laxus well enough, but she didn't like the look in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

Natsu scratched his head, unsure on what to do. In situations where he didn't want to do something, he just didn't do it. He would never force Wendy to marry some guy that he had chosen for her. Heck, he wasn't going to allow Wendy to be with some guy until she hit her thirties. But with the wistful and sad look in this girl's eyes, it seemed like she really didn't have a choice.

"I wish I could help," he offered sincerely, scooting closer to Lucy. His warmth made her body relax from its tension.

Chocolate brown melted in the onyx orbs as the two stared at each other, a serious look on the pinkette's face and a kind smile on the blonde's.

"That's very...sweet of you," she thanked. Her body subconsciously leaned toward Natsu as she stared deep into the intense eyes of–

"There you are!" came a menacing growl. Both mages whipped around to see a furious black-haired male glaring at them with piercing red eyes.

"They're after me!" Natsu and Lucy shouted, rousing Wendy and the cats from their sleep. In surprise, the two teens looked confusedly at each other, questioning in their gazes. "They're after you?"

"Get them!" Gajeel growled, his right arm transforming into a gleaming Iron Dragon's Club as he grinned sadistically at Natsu.

The pinkette quickly shouted to Wendy as the guards flooded into the rundown home, "Get out of here! Find Mira!" Swiftly he jumped onto the ledge before holding out a hand for Lucy to take.

The blonde, however, did not understand what he was doing and watched in horror as more royal guards charged towards them eagerly. Lucy heard the mage utter a menacing growl, clearly uneasy by this many opponents in his own domicile.

"What are we going to do?" Lucy whispered as the guards came dangerously close. Lucy backed into the ledge, eyes fixated on the faces of her loyal guards. They'd take her back to the palace and she'd never be able to leave the sights of her servants again!

"Do you trust me?" came an urgent question, earning a curious and frightened gaze from the blonde.

Lucy blinked confusedly at him. "What?"

Natsu gave her a desperate look. "Do you trust me?" he repeated.

The blonde nodded, staring deep into protective onyx eyes. Sure, a teenage girl shouldn't trust some strange man they just met hours ago, but she was desperate to escape. Desperate enough to trust a completely and total strange guy that could breathe and eat fire.

Natsu grabbed Lucy's soft hand tightly. "Then jump!" he shouted as he leaped off the ledge and plunged into the darkness of below, dragging the girl with him. He brought her instinctively into his arms as she screamed in fear as the wind sailed over their skin. Natsu grinned as he heard Gajeel curse at them before rounding up his men to follow them.

That'll teach them to try and catch a Fire Dragon Slayer!

The two fell into the open roof of an abandoned building, falling unceremoniously though tattered tarps, tapestries and old rugs that were attached from wall to wall. The golden-haired girl and her pink-haired savior landed abruptly onto a mound of shifty sand, tumbling ungraciously down onto the floor, wrapped up into each other's arms.

Before either could realize the position they were in, Natsu leapt to his feet and brought Lucy up with him, searching for an exit. He sprinted towards a gap in the wall, with Lucy in tow, which led to a back alley, darkened and cursed by the moon as it shunned the alleyways of its blessing light.

"C'mon! We're going to make it," he said, flashing Lucy a happy-go-lucky grin.

Without giving the chance for Lucy to smile in kind, they both ran into something hard and immobile, forcing them both to stumble and fall backwards painfully onto their rear-ends. A large hand encased in a brown leather glove reached forward and yanked the poor boy off the rich princess, his grip suggesting that the Fire Dragon Slayer would not escape.

Gajeel grinned as smug sanguineous red clashed with hardened onyx. "Where do you think you're going, street rat?" the Iron Dragon Slayer sneered, his men laughing behind him.

Natsu growled, wanting to light his fist on fire to punch the apathetic dragon slayer. However, he resisted the urge. If he used his slayer magic on the guard, his punishment would worsen. He couldn't risk it.

Lucy, who regained her senses, widened her eyes as she saw the second captain of the guards grasp the pinkette's black vest with a smirk. How dare he! He had no right when this boy had saved her! Angered, the blonde charged at Gajeel and punched him square in the face, ignoring the searing pain her fist felt when connecting with his firm jaw. It was like punching metal.

"Let him go!" Lucy demanded, ready to punch Black Steel Gajeel once more with her uninjured hand. She wasn't going to let him take that man away from her. And she wasn't about to go down without a fight either.

Instead of bruising her, Gajeel simply laughed and kicked her to her feet, knocking her out of breath. "Aw, so the little street rat has a little street mouse?" he jeered, earning a glare from the pinkette.

Coughing, wounded, Lucy stabilized herself as she got to her feet. Mustering all her courage, the commanding and refined gleam in her eyes returned as she drew back her hood, revealing her whole face.

"Let him go," she commanded firmly, "in order of the princess."

For a moment, the guards laughed at the foolish girl's imposing tone, knowing that the princess was back at the palace, sleeping. Yet after eying the girl more closely, they all gasped. Even Gajeel narrowed his eyes, trying to maintain his cool as surprise flickered in his gaze. There among them stood a proud and beautiful blonde woman with fiery deep brown eyes, concealed in tattered brown rags as though she was a commoner.

Her speech and facial expression said it all: she was Princess Lucy.

"The princess…" Gajeel murmured, sounding dazed.

Natsu stopped his struggling to gaze back at the blonde woman, astonishment making his eyes widen slightly. "The princess…" he repeated intelligently, unable to form comprehensible sentences. He had been helping the princess of Fairy Tail? That was her? The princess? What exactly was going on?

From atop the roof, a blue-furred tomcat and white-furred she-cat and a youthful blue-haired twelve year-old girl looked at the scene with shock. "The princess?" they asked together in puzzlement.

As if automatic, the guards automatically kneeled before her, Gajeel forcing Natsu into a kneeling position as well, in respect to her majesty.

"Your Highness," the raven-haired dragon slayer hissed softly. "I apologize for not recognizing you sooner. Forgive me."

Inwardly, the pinkette grinned idiotically. Never would he see the day when Black Steel Gajeel would bow to anyone. Externally, Natsu was in shock. The princess? He had been talking to the princess? Mentally, Natsu groaned. All those things he had said to her… He must have sounded completely stupid!

Lucy frowned, recoiling at the awed and ashamed eyes of the royal guardians. She knew they blamed themselves for not recognizing her. Her gaze lingered over the pinkette for a moment, disheartened by his dumbstruck look. She didn't have time to explain, but she hoped she could at least get him out of his situation.

"Why aren't you in the palace, Princess Lucy?" Gajeel asked, grumbling the inquisition while he eyed the blonde suspiciously.

Fortunately for Lucy, she had practiced her response for that very question. She had reluctantly came to the conclusion the night she ran away that there was a chance she would get caught. She decided she had ought to prepare a lie to be told to avoid all punishments her father could have for her.

"I wanted to explore the city a little more before my arranged marriage. I apologize for not allowing the guards to accompany me; however, I was sure I would attract too much attention to myself," she pardoned. She winced when apathetic red eyes of the Iron Dragon Slayer narrowed. She knew Gajeel wouldn't have been fooled so easily, yet she could tell the guards blindly saw reason and thought they heard truth in her words.

Gajeel growled. "Whatever. Let's get you back to the palace before your father sends more guards. And as for you"—he turned his head to the glaring pink-haired mage, grinning sadistically—"I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun with you, street rat."

Natsu growled, feeling his body rise in temperature. Gajeel was taunting him to start a brawl, but if he did, he'd instantly be punished for starting a fight with a guard. Deep down inside, the Fire Dragon Slayer was more embarrassed than angry. He had called the princess weird, taken her to his home, and talked to her as though she was just another person! He knew that he was sometimes stupid, and, sure, he wasn't the smartest person when it came to words, but still! She was the princess! And he was a lowly mage!

But how could he have turned away from her? When he first saw her, her scent and her eyes captured his interest. And maybe she didn't have enough street smarts or common sense, but still, she seemed simply enchanting to him. And now that he had a good look of her, her voluptuous body was a plus as well. She seemed cool, collected and fun to talk to; someone who would make an awesome best friend…

But she was the princess…

"I demand you release him immediately."

Natsu gazed in subtle shock at the fierce determination igniting in the deep brown eyes of the Princess. What surprised him more was when Gajeel winced slightly at the authoritative tone in her voice. Never had he'd seen Natsu afraid of anyone.

"I am sorry, my princess, but that is not my call," Gajeel admitted, backing away at the frustrated look in the princess's eyes. She could be as scary as Captain Erza when she tried. "It was Laxus's call to find him. You'll have to take it up with him." With a quick nod, Gajeel turned on his heel and led the guards away, dragging Natsu with him.

Before the Fire Dragon Slayer could be out of sight, Natsu glanced back at Lucy, seeing seething rage and sadness glistening in her unwavering stare.

Under his breath, he murmured, "See ya, princess."

Wendy watched in panic as her brother was taken away from her, seeing the angry and confused faces of the two felines. The pretty blonde girl Natsu introduced to them was the… princess?

There was a growl. "Whatever. Let's get you back to the palace before your father sends more guards. And as for you"–Wendy's breathing hitched when she caught a glimpse of the sadistic grin on Gajeel's face—"I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun with you, street rat."

All three of the small group glared angrily at the Iron Dragon Slayer. He was insulting Natsu and was begging for a fight; anyone could see that. Wendy wished she could use her Sky Dragon's Roar and get those filthy guards away from her brother, yet restrained herself. Natsu always told her to never attack guards first. She could see the pinkette struggling to keep himself in control as he glowered at Gajeel.

Lucy seemed so nice and friendly and kind and beautiful, even with the cloak that she hid herself in. She laughed with them, ate with them, talked with them as if they had been friends forever. But she wasn't as regal or refined as Wendy thought the royal and rich would be. She seemed caring and kind and desperately searching for something. She seemed…real…

"I demand you release him immediately," the princess commanded firmly, her eyes narrowing when Gajeel involuntarily flinched. That made Wendy smile in satisfaction. She could even see the lips of Natsu and Lucy twitch, indicating that they both found it indeed amusing. The raven-haired meanie was tough and strong, but to see him cower before an angry seventeen year-old was quite a sight.

"I am sorry, my princess, but that is not my call," Gajeel confessed, averting his eyes slightly at the heated look in Lucy's eyes. Inwardly, Wendy cheered. Lucy was really scaring this man! "It was Laxus's call to find him. You'll have to take it up with him."

Wendy, Charla and Happy observed Natsu being taken away by the royal guards. However, they failed to notice the shocked and sad look in the pinkette's eyes as well as the furious and crestfallen expression on the blonde. Instead, they formulated a plan.

"They're not getting away with this," Happy growled, his tail flicking in anger as the guards began to turn down another street.

Charla nodded, the snooty pride replaced with prickling irritation. "You're right, Happy. Wendy, let's go," she ordered as she and Happy sprouted angelic wings.

With a nod of understanding, Wendy let herself be carried off by the cream-furred she-cat, her eyes glued to the pack of guards and their victim.

We're coming Natsu…

Lucy watched the guards walk out of the broken building, her eyes lingering over Natsu's retreating figure. She saw Natsu glance back at her, her own emotions reflecting in his onyx eyes.

She tensed.

She wasn't going to let him go. This was all Laxus' fault. She wasn't going to allow her newest and real friend—aside from Loke – be forced out of her life. She liked this boy, even though she didn't know his identity. He was protective, loyal, caring, affectionate and kind, not to mention dense and impulsive. He saved her from a man who was going to skewer her just for feeding a young, hungry boy! He talked with her like a regular person! He was her symbol of freedom…

And she would not let that go.

Lucy sighed deeply, closed her eyes.

"It was Laxus's call to find him. You'll have to take it up with him."

When the blonde reopened her eyes, burning determination and passion gleamed in those chocolate orbs. She murmured to no one in particular, "Believe me, I will."