Chapter 10
By the time sparring is over, the blonde has proven she can shoot a bow rather well. When the session ends, she accompanies Natsu with the rest of his princely duties simply because he requests she does. She finishes her letter to Juvia and a messenger named Droy says he will ride out now that he has it. He assures her he will take Jet, the fastest horse in the royal stable, and reach Fiore as quickly as possible.
Once the pinkette's princely duties and dinner are over, some people find their way into a lounging room with a cozy feel to it. With warm flames in the fireplace because of Natsu's handiwork, he is sprawled out on one of the couches with his cat curled up on him. The dark-haired guy is in the furthest chair from the fire with a book in hand. Unlike the others, Lucy is walking around the room, looking at what lies on the shelves. There is one thing not resting on any shelf that catches her attention.
A wooden harp off to the side is practically beckoning her, begging to be played. Among all of her princess lessons, learning to play the harp was the only type of lessons she ever truly enjoys. She glances around at the others.
Gray is too deep into the novel to notice. The pinkette is occupied with petting Happy, watching the feline's ears flick to and fro.
The blonde seizes the opportunity and steps over to the instrument before picking it up. She carries it over to a free spot on the couch across from the second prince.
Natsu is the first to notice. "Gonna provide us with some entertainment?" he jests playfully.
"Oh, hush," she says as she tunes the harp. When she finishes the task, Lucy sits upright and holds it correctly, her fingers moving gracefully across the strings. The instrument comes to life at her touch, filling the room with music. Then the blonde begins singing the words she knows…
I can see you there
Right by my side as always
You've never left or let my down, my friend
I can feel you there
Close to my heart as always
Your soul and mine share a bond made of love
So as the skies turn grey
And the clouds gather above
Trying to fight back your tears
Feeling so lost and alone
I am the star that burns for you
Shining through the night
Just follow me
I will guide you home
And when you're feeling lost at sea
Listen for my song
Calling you back to the shore
The song comes to an end and the music fades away eventually. The room is silent except for the crackling of the fire.
"Can ya play another one?" the pinkette inquires, his eyes remaining closed.
The dark-haired guy jumps in surprise at the sound of his voice, having thought the second prince fell asleep. He normally became so bored while listening to music that he would doze off and start snoring at some point.
"Do you have a request?" Lucy asks.
x-X-x
Night has fallen over the castle and the blonde is currently being escorted to where she is residing by a certain second prince of the kingdom. Of course, Gray is keeping his distance so they can have some privacy.
"Today was most interesting," she comments.
"Can't have ya bored while you're staying here," Natsu jests, lightly bumping into her right shoulder with his body.
She bumps him back. "You have done well. Although, I could have done without that scare from when you did that trick on Ember."
He grins from ear to ear. "But ya gotta admit it was pretty awesome to see."
She chuckles. "I am not sure if that is how I would describe it…"
"Awww, c'mon. It was great! Have ya seen something like that before?"
"I have not," she admits.
"There ya go! I'm awesome!"
Lucy laughs. "Again, I am not sure if that is how I would describe you!"
They stop in front of the door that will lead into her temporary bedchamber.
"I'll have Wendy check on ya in the morning," the pinkette informs her. "Just to make sure you're healing properly."
"Thank you."
"No problem." Then he bows dramatically. "Sleep well, Luce."
She curtsies to him. "And you do the same." Then she opens the door and steps inside the room, turning around to face him. She waves using her fingers before she closes the door and backs away. The blonde turns yet again and walks towards the bed before collapsing onto it, landing on her back. She grabs a pillow and squeezes it against her torso.
Her heart flutters as she holds in a squeal, not wanting anyone to hear her. Already after a day she has developed feelings for the second prince and she cannot place when they first began. However, that is not the point because he is the one Lucy is not betrothed to. Even knowing that, she cannot help her feelings. He is quite charming and caring, unlike some other royals she has met who did not even have the status of being a prince. He has a smile that is so contagious she wants to smile when she sees it. His wonderful sense of humor that has never failed to make her laugh.
She sighs heavily. "I hope I do not miss him much when I leave this place…"
x-X-x
Time has passed since the blonde first attempted to fall asleep. Her mind will not let her be at ease. She is worried about the Thunder Legion. There has been no sign of them since the last time she saw them. Evergreen had a head injury and she was not sure about the other members. Then again, she is not sure what became of them since she fled the scene on horseback.
Perhaps she will try searching for them tomorrow. Maybe Natsu shall let her borrow a horse–
The door to the room opens slowly.
She sits up. "Natsu?" she asks.
"Guess again," another voice answers, their face coming into view from the candle they are holding.
She is surprised. "Gray?"
He slips inside the room and closes the door behind him. Then he walks towards her without a word.
"What are you doing?" Lucy asks, allowing her legs to hang over the right side of the bed.
Catching her completely off-guard, the dark-haired guy unsheathes his sword and raises it to her throat, nearly touching her skin. "Who are you?" he demands.
A/N Part 1: Jet and Droy from the series have been introduced even though they have a very minor moment. And one of them isn't even a human XD I was thinking Natsu would send the messenger with the fastest horse. Then I thought of Jet because he's the fastest in the guild. So I made him a horse XD And since he's buddies with Droy, I made Droy the one to need him to deliver the message! Buuuuuuuuuuut I'm sure that's what y'all aren't focusing on because of how I ended this chapter! All you have to do is wait until the next chapter to find out why Gray is doing what he's doing! *cue evil laughter* (but if you're a Patron of mine, that chapter has already been posted!)
A/N Part 2: The song Lucy played is from "Lyra's Song of the Stars (English) - Fairy Tail" on YouTube it's by TheEacusM. But, you know, with Lucy singing it instead. The song is from the anime when one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits plays it for them! I needed a song for Lucy to play on the harp and thought it would be a good fit! :3
A/N Part 3: WE REACHED CHAPTER 10! I feel accomplished XD As always, thank you all for the attention MTAP as received! All of the Reviews, Favs, and Followers are much appreciated! :D
Melime14 and samuel (.felixs (it won't let me use your full username): Since both of y'all pointed this out I'm combining it. I did go back into the last chapter and edited some things. I think they make more sense now for the spar scene (And when it came down to sparring, she wasn't doing super fancy moves, but simple in place or just stepping forward/backwards.). Anyways. As for her dress, I totally thought it was shorter but I checked back in Chapter 5 (I totalllllly wrote it hid her toes). So I had Lucy hold it with her free hand.
amandayingying1: Yay I'm happy you like this story :D
fanficlove2014: Needless to say, he was the impressed one XD
03102001: Thanks!
12Rayne: Aye, sir! That's for sure! The sparring scene was different to write from the other chapters. I tried keeping it basic and simple for sure! But yes, Kemokemo was great. A touching scene with him for sure!
Rose Tiger: Aye, sir!
Uchida Akira: Yay, I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far ^-^
DIGIKO12: That she can XD
TokyoTeddyWolf: Haha, her Lucy Kick is a secret weapon XD I guess you did! It was a good day for me to update :P
Rainbowpoptartcat: Sleep is important! Keep up with it XD I'm not sure how the nickname started. I only have Natsu call her it. And since they were out riding, Natsu has been calling her that.
StellaHeartfilia: Yeeeeeep! But now Gray is asking who she is!
FireShifter: You do have a point there! And thank you :3
Compucles: I like that description! "This is no delicate flower. This rose has thorns." Gah, I should know better by now! I like present tense because the reader is into the moment of the story, not something that already happened. I always proofread before I submit but I know some things I get by. I'm super dyslexic and should read out loud so I hear any mistakes, but family is always around unless I'm in my room :P
Celestialite: Wait. What am I being thanked for? XD
Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! There is always room for improvement for sure!