Chapter 8
Follow The Trail
Lucy pushed Natsu off her violently. She stood to her feet, scurrying across the room. Natsu fell to the ground, looking at the blonde. Her breathing became unsteady. Her head tilted down to the floor, she crossed her arms.
"I told you I wasn't ready, Natsu." She stared him down, her legs locked in place. She turned away from him. Natsu stood off the carpet, standing to his feet. He took a small step forward but stopped. His hand was held out slightly in front of him. He sighed and placed it back at his side.
"But you said you would help us." Natsu frowned.
"Yes, help, Natsu, not marry!" Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation. "You can't… Rush this."
Natsu crossed his arms. "I thought you trusted me."
"I do, but…" Lucy tried to look anywhere but at Natsu. "I can't control these emotions."
Natsu peered at her in curiosity, and she finally met his eyes. He stepped closer, holding out his arms. As his legs moved, Lucy moved back away. Her eyes still locked on his. Realization hit him, she was right. He came to a stop and bowed to her.
"I'm sorry… I guess I can't control mine either." He scratched the back of his neck, slowing standing up. Natsu looked to her, tears rolled down her face. His eyes widened and he rushed to her. Natsu's arm clung around her, his whispers hushed her shaking body.
Natsu sighed, Lucy could feel his breath against her neck. Lucy shoved Natsu away, tears still running down her face. "I… I need time to think."
Lucy continued to back away before she was at the door, she looked back at Natsu. His face full of concern, he didn't move as he watched her leave the room.
"Miss Lucy, this would benefit the kingdom greatly if you married him. He is much more fit to be this kingdom's king, granted he did overthrow it." Mirajane explained.
"She's right, Lucy." Levy piped in. "You can save the kingdom this way."
"I don't know…" Lucy bit her lip and looked at the floor. She wanted to be sure that marrying him would be the right for her and her kingdom.
"What other choice do you have?" Juvia stared at her across the room. "Marrying Natsu is the only way."
"I just- let me think!" Lucy put her hands to her head.
"Come on, Miss Lucy, there isn't time to think!" Mirajane took a step forward. "Your father is gathering enemy forces! You have to make a choice now!"
"What are you waiting for, this is the fate of Fiore in your hands!" Juvia clenched her hands. "We are counting on you!"
Lucy closed her eyes tightly to block out the anxious eyes of the servants surrounding her. "I can't just- we barely know each other-"
"He saved your life, didn't he?" Levy chimed in, her voice gentle but persistent. "Lucy, we're running low on options here."
"Hurry up and decide-, either you marry him or-"
"STOP!" Lucy bellowed, her eyes shooting open as angry tears built pressure behind her eyes. She glared around the room in silence before shaking her head roughly and stomping out, pushing past them in a rage-filled silence. "Get out."
The servants all shared looks before hurrying out of the room. Levy quickly shut the door behind her, leaving the princess in her thoughts. Of course she knew that marrying Natsu would benefit her kingdom, but it was too much all at once.
She grew up confined to the castle, trapped all her life- and she refused to be trapped once more in marriage. Tears pricked her eyes. She felt helpless. She didn't want to marry someone yet, she felt young and free for the first time in her life. But Natsu… Her mind drifted to the pink haired boy who somehow managed to pop into her life and change her life. Natsu.
Lucy ran a hand through her hair, changing into her nightgown and climbing into bed. She needed a good night's rest to think things over. She blinked the water from her eyes. Everything would be better in the morning… she hoped.
"We need Makarov." Natsu said, facing Gray with a hard expression. He leaned against the arm of the throne, staring at Gray.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gray questioned.
"Gray, we need as many people to fight against Jude and his army. It's going to be a war. Makarov is Fairy Tail's leader still and if anyone can give us the upper hand, it's him." Natsu responded in confidence. "But the kingdom is still loyal to Jude… If I could only marry Lucy and show them they can trust me…"
Gray wiggled his eyebrows. "Are you sure that's the only reason you want to marry Lucy?"
Natsu's eyes bulged, sputtering as he quickly straightened himself. "Ahem. Yes."
"Your face says otherwise." Gray smirked.
Natsu felt his blush burn his cheeks as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "She's… She's different than the others girls." Natsu saw the teasing look Gray was giving him. "And I know what you're thinking- but Lucy is special. She isn't a mindless, blonde bimbo, she's smart and strong and-" Natsu saw a grin sneak across Gray's face. He cleared his throat. "Anyways. This has nothing to do with our plan to bring back Makarov."
Gray chuckled at the embarrassment smeared across his best friend's face. "Yeah, the plan."
"Look, just locate Makarov and bring him here, okay? I'll take care of the rest." Natsu turned to leave.
"And where are you going?" Gray lifted an eyebrow.
"I'm going to work on gaining the kingdom's loyalty." Natsu said.
"Hmpf. Good luck with that." Gray laughed as he watched Natsu leave the throne room.
The slow moment of Lucy's eyes blinked and adjusted to the dark room around her. Parts of the room lit up from the moonlight shining through the window. A sweet smell hit her nose as she looked to her left, she had found a candlestick that looked freshly lit. Lucy sat up and leaned over the side of the bed, grabbing the handle and pulling it closer to her. On the base of the candlestick was a small folded piece of paper with her name written in cursive. She opened the small paper, holding it close to the light.
Follow the trail.
Lucy turned her head away from the paper, looking around the dim room. The moonlight didn't do much to light the room. Lucy sighed and moved the candle to see more of the room. The small flame made it a bit easier to see. As she looked around, a trail of rose petals leading out of the open door caught her attention. She set the paper down on the bed, moving her feet over the side. Lucy slid off the bed, and started walking over the petals. The rose petals continued down the corridor, growing thicker with each few steps.
Lucy came to a halt, noticing that the trail ended. Her eyes moved up, seeing the doors that led to Natsu's room. Her hand lifted, slowly moving towards the door. Her mind screamed at her to stop, but her hand kept reaching towards the handle. She grabbed it firmly, twisting the knob slowly. The door opened with a small creek, Lucy peeked inside, her eyes glancing around. She saw that the room was dark, her feet moved forward, walking all the way in the room.
She closed the door behind her, a small click alerted her telling her the door was fully closed. She continued to walk into the darkness, placing the candle on the vanity, "Natsu?"
It was silent, not a single moment or voice could be heard in the room. Warm big arms wrapped around her. Lucy shrieked loudly, only to have her mouth covered. Lucy started to panic, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Why does this keep happening to her?
"Calm down, you'll wake up the whole kingdom if you yell louder." a male voice reached her ears. Lucy recognized it almost immediately. Natsu loosened his grip on the princess. His hands fell to his side. Lucy relaxed, turning to Natsu. His head was to the floor, and he was twiddling his thumbs. Lucy looked him up and down, confusion filling her face. She wasn't sure what to do, her legs stayed in place as if weighs were attached to them.
"I'm sorry," Natsu whispered, his head still to the floor. Natsu's eyes glanced up, looking at Lucy's big brown ones. They stayed there before Lucy stepped forward, inches away from him. Natsu stood wide eyed, his mouth opened slightly, "Listen Lucy… I'm really sorry. I shouldn't force you to marry me. You haven't even been outside these walls other than when your father took you. I can't begin to imagine the pain you've been through these years. And the last thing you need is for some guy you just met to force you to marry him. I'm sorry."
He paused and glanced up to Lucy. Their eyes locked, not straying away from one another. Natsu closed his mouth, sealing away the flow of complaints that he wanted to tell her. Her hair laid carefully on her shoulders, giving it a bit of a bounce to the end of it. She had a small smile plastered on her face, and her brown eyes slightly closed. She looked like a cute mess, enough for him to want to keep her in his arms.
Before he knew, they both leaned in, locking lips. Lucy knew she couldn't resist having these feelings towards him. He made her heart flutter with his laughs and the way he looked at her. He had even saved her life twice now. Even so, she still didn't want to be married at the moment. Natsu stood shocked at first, only to quickly wrap his arms around her. He pulled her tightly, beriding any space between them. His eyes closed, enjoying her plump lips against his. A feeling of butterflies in his stomach, he deepened the kiss, tilting Lucy's head back. She followed, placing her hand on his jaw, feeling his warm skin on the palm of her hand.
The roughness of the kiss faded, Natsu and Lucy pulled away, catching their breaths. Both had felt as though they were in a trance. Lucy's eyes were stuck on his lips, realizing how soft they were when they touched hers. She moved a hand up, touching her lips. Natsu giggled lightly, leaning again to her. His forehead gently hit hers. They both laughed, as Lucy put her arms around Natsu's torso. Natsu took a deep breath, his eyes staring into Lucy's. Trying to find exactly what to say to her. He took a deep breath and pulled away a bit.
"For now, help me defend this kingdom from your father. That's my number one priority. He can't come back into power, he would plunge this kingdom back into the horrible state it was in. And when you're ready for it, marry me." He whispered out, caressing Lucy's cheek. She nodded softly before releasing her grasp on him. She intertwined her fingers with his, pulling him to the bed. His eyes widened and he gasped, "Oh my god, you're not planning to sleep with me are you?"
Lucy's head whipped around, glaring him down. "What? No, what the hell? I'm just tired," she released his hand, "For that comment, you can sleep on the damn floor."
Natsu gawked, holding his arms out, "Wait, wait, woah too far! I'm sorry! Forgive me, Luce!"
"Luce?" She asked him as she pulled the blanket down.
"Yeah, I thought it was cute. Do you not think?" He replied, folding his arms.
Lucy laughed at him and plopped down on the bed. She looked over to him and patted the empty space next to her. Willingly, Natsu moved over to her and slowly got on the bed. He wasn't even sure of himself. Why did she suddenly have a change of heart? The questions rolled over in his head, going in loops. Natsu watched as the princess laid on her back, breathing steadily. He leaned over, kissing her forehead. After a few seconds, he set his face in the pillow, a soft breathing came from next to him. Natsu turned his head back, eyeing Lucy. It was too dark for him to see, but he knew she had fallen asleep next to him.
He moved his arm, grabbing her small body and pulling it closer to him. He heard the princess sigh quietly, as he nuzzled his face in her neck. A sweet smell came to his nose, making him smile to himself. He closed his eyes one more time before keeping them shut. Natsu knew what he wanted and this was it.
