Chapter 9

Are they as Fluffy as They Look?

"You have to convince her that she cannot work with the enemy. I'm paying you a lot to not mess this up, Mystogan." Jude said, staring across at Mystogan. The pair stood in an empty meeting room, a bag of coins sitting on the table between them.

"Now that's just for your daughter. I'm going to need a little extra for killing the salamander." Mystogan slammed his dagger into the table, the blade digging into the wood as he spun in lazily in front of him. The metal gleamed in the torchlight as his fingers gripped the hilt. Jude's eyes followed the blade dancing across the table, gulping thickly as he nodded quickly.

"Of-of course. The rest will be paid once the job is done. Consider this, an incentive." Jude pushed the bag of coins across the wooden table. His eyes never left the knife. Mystogan took the bag, the coins jingled with the harsh movement. He stood and glared at the former king.

"Y'know it's too bad that you can't even do the dirty work yourself." He scoffed. "Some king you turned out to be."


"Last night, when Natsu and I were talking, he said he was going to get the kingdom's loyalty. Do you think he is just using Lucy or is there something more to it?" Gray questioned Erza. She shrugged her shoulders, not sure what to think at all.

The doors to the throne room slid open. Natsu and Lucy walked through them, holding hands, giggling lightly to themselves. Gray's shocked expression grew, Erza turned around trying to see what Gray was staring at

She gasped, turning back to Gray, "Uhh, I would take that as in he means it."

"Holy shit, he actually did it." He said, expression unchanged.

Natsu smiled brightly at his friends, "Good morning!"

Gray and Erza murmured a reply, still surprised to see Natsu so cheery. Natsu sauntered up to the throne, releasing Lucy before collapsing into the large chair. He leaned back and took a deep sigh of contentment. Lucy stood by his side, smiling happily for the first time in awhile.

Gray's stunned face slowly melted into a knowing smirk. He raised his eyebrows and leaned close so only Natsu could hear him, "So. You uh, earned the kingdom's loyalty, huh?"

Natsu choked, regaining his composure. "Ah- kind of."

Gray's smirk widened. "Are they as fluffy as they look?"

"First of all, no. We didn't do anything. Second, we are dating, kind of." Natsu glanced towards Lucy with a small smile. She leaned towards him, giving a tiny kiss on the cheek.

All Erza could do was point blankly, not knowing exactly what was happening. She closed her mouth and cleared her throat loudly. The three people in front of her turned to her. "Could we please carry on with the meeting, Natsu?"

Natsu cleared his throat, readjusting his position. "Ah- yes, right. Send in Makarov."

Near the doors, Mirajane bowed to Natsu's request. Both Mirajane and Levy opened the doors, a small man was behind them. He walked through, greeting the maids as he passed. They nodded in reply, keeping quiet to themselves. As he reached the throne, he bowed.

"You don't have to treat me like that, Gramps." Natsu stood to greet the old man. He looked up, seeing Natsu with his arms out to him.

"It baffles me that you succeeded. In any case, congrats." Makarov said happily. He hugged Natsu, they pulled away. Erza and Gray greeted him afterwards. "It's nice to see you guys too."

Makarov stepped back, looking at the people in front of him. He cleared his throat, "Now why do you need the guild members to help you in this 'war' of yours?"

Natsu sighed, "Well, uhh, you see Jude has allied with the neighboring kingdom. The Straights."

Makarov thought for a moment before looking to Gray and Erza, "Are you okay with him doing this?"

They shared looks, Gray looked to Natsu before turning back to Makarov. "All three of us had agreed from the beginning that Jude had run this kingdom to shit. So yeah, I would say that we are okay with it."

Makarov turned his back to them, taking a few steps forward. "I don't know that I want to get Fairy Tail involved. Not all of them have the same opinion on how Jude ran the kingdom. Some of them may like how he ran it or some will dislike it. It's the whole reason why I didn't let Fairy Tail help you the first time."

"Listen, Gramps, I know it is hard for you to not want them, but what if Natsu talks to them himself?" Erza questioned him. She stepped forward, throwing her arms out in front of her. "Gramps, we had to do something, Jude was making this kingdom go to hell! It didn't matter what happened to anyone, but him! I'm sure that Lucy could speak for part of it!"

Lucy put her hand on Erza's shoulder, the redhead turned around, staring at the girl. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. Lucy stepped forward, staring at Makarov's eyes. "My father wasn't the best king. He was rude and violent, even towards the servants. He never let me out of this very castle. Natsu and his friends have probably been the best thing to happen to this kingdom in a while. Even if they threatened to kill me."

Makarov was taken aback, his eyebrows rising as he looked at the princess. She was on Natsu's side? This was surprising. He cleared his throat. "Alright, well, you can try talking to them, Natsu."

Natsu stood, suddenly jumping up and down. "Hell yeah! Thank you, Gramps!"

He grabbed Makarov in a tight hug, squeezing the man till he couldn't breathe. He coughed lightly, hitting the back of Natsu. Only then did Natsu realize the old man couldn't breathe. He let him go, Makarov fell to his feet. Gray rushed to help the poor man up. Erza came up behind Natsu, smacking the back of his head. He yelped, quickly rubbing the spot.

Lucy giggled, it bounced off the walls, making it louder. "You know it is going to take something to make the kingdom loyal to you, Natsu."

Natsu turned, facing Lucy, "Yeah… I have thought about that. What if we do a ball?"

The others turned to him, the idea running through their heads. Gray stepped up to the throne, spinning Natsu to face him. "Why a ball? Who are you and what the hell did you do to my best friend?"

Natsu laughed it off, "I'm still you're best friend, I just thought that a ball was something the people would want to attend. Sorry for trying to be a king."

Lucy came up behind Natsu, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I think that will be a great idea, Natsu. Why don't we talk about the plans later? For now, I'm feeling a stroll in the garden will help me think of some ideas."

She kissed his cheek, "See you tonight," She whispered in his ear, walking away. "See you guys later!"

Natsu stared her down, his mouth wide open. Gray took his hand and hits Natsu's jaw lightly, "You're drooling a bit there buddy."


Lucy smiled as the warm sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees over her. Various plants covered the floor of the garden, bugs flitting among them. She sighed dreamily as she felt the sun on her back. She enjoyed moments like this; left alone to her thoughts without the kingdom to worry about. And the freedom.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air. It reminded her of simpler times… Back when her mother was still alive. Her mother gifted her a doll named Michelle in this garden. Lucy suddenly frowned. Her father, Jude, threw out Michelle once her mother died.

The sun moved behind a cloud, casting a dark gloom over the garden. Lucy wandered deeper into the plants, her eyes drifting over the various flowers. She bent down to inspect a flower she didn't recognize. It was a small plant with tiny white flowers decorating it. She gently took it by its root and tore it from the ground, holding it closer to her face. It looked delicate and had intricate designs. She pulled it even closer and took a big whiff.

Lucy felt a wave of nausea wash over her, her eyes blinking hard as she tried to keep her balance. The world tilted around her as she suddenly fell backwards. Lucy's fall was cushioned, as she looked around, she saw more of the pretty white flowers. They were everywhere, surrounding her. Lucy felt something running down her chin. She swiped at her mouth, finding herself drooling thick gobs of saliva. Her eyes widened in shock. Her skin began to itch against the plant, her muscles seeming to locken up and stiffen. Panic fluttered in her chest as her skin began to swell up like a balloon almost instantly. Her heartbeat began to increase rapidly, her breathing hiccuping slightly. Her limbs felt like concrete. Her head throbbed. Suddenly, her heart began to slow just as fast. Dots swirled before her vision.

"Wha-... Some… So… S… Ssss…" Lucy sputtered, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth. Everything was turning bright. Too bright. She felt another brief jolt of fear flash through her before the world left her in a vision of white.


Lucy felt the world come back to her in pieces. She felt rope pressed tightly against her skin. Her eyes squinted in the darkness around her. It took all her energy to keep her eyelids open, exhaustion holding her down. She was sitting in a chair, her limbs bound tightly to the chair. A cold breeze suddenly reached places it shouldn't. Lucy's eyes shot open. Her clothes were missing. A tight rope coiled itself around her chest, keeping her stuck upright to the backrest.

"What- what is this?" Lucy blinked in the grim blackness around her. "Where… Where am…"

Her words were slurred slightly. Her head felt like mush. She looked around in a daze. She was in the dungeon… Again.

"Nat- NATSU!" Lucy screamed, her voice echoing in the cold walls. "NA-"

A slimy and moist hand clamped itself over her mouth, clenching around her cheeks. Lucy whimpered weakly against the captor's hold on her. Sweat built across her brow as she was trapped imobile in the chair. She was powerless. She shut her eyes and hoped that whatever happened would be over quick.

"Keep that mouth shut, princess. Or I'll cut that pretty little throat of your's." The man hissed in her ear. A sharp object was pushed against her neck. Lucy stiffened in fear. The captor slowly released his hold over her mouth, but kept the knife in place. "Nothing personal, but a man's gotta make money somehow."

Lucy snarled, "Why are you doing this?!"

The man laughed darkly and began to slide the knife gently across her skin, leaving a thin red line. "A certain somebody wants you to go back home."

"My father?" Lucy scoffed. "He really paid for you to do this?"

"Ehhh maybe not this way, but hey, it's the way I work." He removed the knife from her neck. "Look, princess, you're on the wrong side here. This is your chance to join the winning side. It's your choice. Either stay with this man, marry him, have a few kids and then be thrown out like trash… Or go home to your father and live the life you always wanted."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "So you're just gonna keep throwing me lies? Thinking that's gonna make me want to go home?"

"Talking might not…" The captor snickered. "But I have other ways to… Persuade you."

Lucy feels like something is lodged in the back of her throat. She tries to swallow, but her throat feels too dry. The man moves in front of her, the shadow casting above her.

He moves quickly, grabbing her breast violently. A wet trail started from her neck, leading down her body. The cold air hitting the wet spots made her shiver. She didn't want her innocence to be taken. Not by some random man.

Suddenly, a row of teeth clamped her nipple, pulling hard on the sensitive skin. She whimpered in pain, wanting to scream. The man started sucking, making the pain more intense. Her hands shook violently, trying to desperately get him off of her body. "P-please… stop…"

The pain fell away as he lightened up, pulling his mouth off her breast. "Oh, you have no choice. Then again, this isn't what I was paid for."

His shadow cast over her again, his arm moving in the air. Slamming down hard, it collided with her cheek. The smack echoed throughout the dungeon. She shrieked, only to have her mouth covered. "I thought I told you no noise."

"I don't want this… please just let me go…" She begged. Tears fell off her face, hitting her thighs.

He laughed an evil laugh, "You're not going anywhere, so just sit tight and try not to scream."

Lucy felt herself trembling, still feeling his tongue on her skin and the feel of his saliva. The captor moved to stand in front of her, taking a seat in the chair across from her. The captor had blue hair that fell into his green eyes. A blackish red tattoo took up most of his right face. He pulled out a stone and began to sharpen his knife, watching the sparks fly off the metal.

"The… Poison…" Lucy murmured. "What was it?"

The man didn't look up as he continued to sharpen his blade. "Hemlock. Deadliest plant in Fiore."

"And I'm still alive?" Lucy questioned.

"I had the antidote." He grunted.

Lucy suddenly saw it all connect. "Jellal?" A memory flashed through her mind when she met Jellal, a best friend of Dan.

"Guess again, sweetheart. I'm the better version." The captor finally looked up at her with a creepy glint in his eye. "The name's Mystogan."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "So how much is he paying you?"
"Enough." Mystogan grinned. "You're never getting out."

He stood, giving her a bored glance before heading for the exit.

"HEY! Get back here!" Lucy called as he walked away. "HEY!"

Mystogan left her alone in the hot, sticky dungeon. Lucy felt her eyes grow wet with tears.