Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Natsu woke up the next morning in a slight daze. He noticed that he was still hugging Lucy, and she was still asleep. He smiled, but it faded as soon as he saw that their clothes were on the floor. He came to a terrible realization, and felt ashamed of himself. Natsu gave into his impulses, and possibly hurt Lucy in doing so.
Natsu's faced became florid, as he rushed to pick up his clothes, and take a bath. Lucy woke up to see that Natsu was sitting at the table facing the other way, having already taken his bath.
"Please hurry, Lucy. It's not decent for a man to see his wife naked on the day of his wedding like this." Natsu said.
"Natsu... did we really do it, last night?" Lucy said.
"Please, Lucy, hurry and take a bath. It hurts to think about what I've done to you." Natsu said, with tears almost coming to his eyes.
Suddenly, Lucy hugged him from behind, despite being naked. Natsu felt embarrassed at the scene and feeling.
"Lucy, this isn't right! We can't do this on our wedding day!" Natsu said, allowing himself a few tears.
"Natsu, please. I don't want you to feel that you've caused me any pain. In fact, I feel ecstatic. We might have our first baby sooner than we thought. Even though I yelled at you and Happy whenever you picked on me, I never felt that you were making me suffer. So don't be so hard on yourself. Be a little more like you used to be. I miss the reckless, devil-may-care Natsu. You can't expect to be able to fix every person's problems." Lucy said, as she started walking into the bathroom.
When she shut the door, Natsu whispered to himself, "I worry, because I don't want those predictions Deira made to come true. I couldn't live with myself if you had to suffer when I could have done something. I'll be that great power that can change fate."
Natsu wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and waited for an hour before his best man (Gray), father, and Sorian arrived. They briefed him on the wedding procedures on the way to the Dragon Temple. He was to be sanctified in holy water by the priest, Girozo, and dressed in the groom's chamber, and would wait until he was called, so the ceremony could begin. Natsu left a note for Lucy saying that his mother, Deira, her maid of honor (Erza), and the other Fairy Tail bridesmaids would come for her later on.
As if on cue, the bride's escort arrived as soon as Lucy finished reading the note. Farienne explained that the bride would arrive at the altar before the groom, to declare her a full-fledged married woman, freeing her from the vow of chastity she was to have taken at twelve years of age. She would wear what Fiore brides called a wedding dress, in order to emphasize her purity and virginity. Lucy would then, traditionally, be led down the aisle by her father, but in her case, Makarov would take that role. After the initial ceremony, she would be taken into the bride's chamber, in which her bridesmaids would dress her in her gown and adorn her with jewels. The maid of honor would lead her to meet the groom at the altar, all the while having a veil conceal her face.
After putting on her gown of purity, as Farienne called it, Lucy was led to the Dragon Temple in a procession. The townspeople cheered and whistled. Even the two men from the canal wished Lucy well. She was showered with flower petals while the procession marched towards the Temple. It was a tiring march, but Juvia cleared Lucy's sweat from her body, and Wendy covered the scent with a perfume dispersed by her Wind Magic.
When Lucy entered the Temple, she felt like she was walking into the guild. She was surrounded by friends and allies who would fight with her to the end. She felt safe, and at home. When she reached the first arch, she met with Makarov.
"Despite having never had a daughter, I feel as though I am letting go of one right now. You, Lucy Heartfilia, have been an invaluable asset to the guild in your time. Go now, as Lucy Heartfilia, and come back as Lucy d'Elorien." Makarov said, with some shaking in his voice.
Lucy laughed a little, "Thank you, Master. You have been like a second father to me along with everyone else at the guild, and helped me along when my actual father passed away. It elates me that you're here today, along with everyone else, to celebrate my wedding."
"Now, now, Lucy. Don't get sententious on me, yet. You sound like you're speaking at your funeral. Now, chin up, it's time to go forward, into the future." Makarov said.
Lucy passed down the center of the restored Dragon Temple, which was like a gold and silver palace, with a foundation of marble. Everything shined beautifully, and held the sanctity of a church, yet the profound silence and emotion of a temple that had endured the winds of time. The altar was centered around a fire pit that blazed brightly, with its tips reaching fifteen feet in the air. It was built from the floor up to seven feet off the ground. Father Girozo, Deira, and the other nun sat solemnly at the top, waiting to anoint the bride.
Makarov, when he had to let go of Lucy's hand, found himself hesitating, but built up the strength to let go without crying. Members of the audience and the bridesmaids shed tears as Lucy ascended to the apex of the altar, to womanhood.
While the anointing ceremony took place, Natsu paced around in the groom's chamber in his scarlet and golden robes, adorned with a crown of silver laurels.
"What if she gets ambushed by someone on the way? What if she gets lost? What if her dress is ruined!?" Natsu said.
"Stop stressing out. There's no need to sweat over the small stuff. Lucy will be fine, and she has her Celestial Spirits to help her if something happens. More importantly, she has us. This is your wedding day. Loosen up!" Gray said, encouragingly.
Natsu sighed, and sat down. He thought about all the wedding guests. All of the people in his family had come to celebrate the wedding of the once long-lost second prince. His mother, father, and Sorian, would be in the front row, silently watching him become a man by marrying the woman he loved, not the one picked out for him. All of his guildmates were here, and also the allies he fought alongside when Acnologia came to destroy Tenrou Island. His mind wandered all over the place, and especially lingered over the fact he might have made Lucy pregnant. He remembered Lucy's advice, and tried to stop blaming things on himself, and to be the Natsu that decried guilt every time.
Suddenly, he noticed a dark shadow in the window that let light in the room. He felt an unearthly presence. He wouldn't allow a single person to ruin this day, especially for Lucy. The Order of Shadows that Minerva had mentioned... He was going to destroy them all.
Then, he heard Gray's voice in the midst of his thinking. Gray was telling him that it was time to go to Lucy. Gray wished him luck, saying that he was right behind Natsu. Gray held Lucy's wedding band for Natsu to put on her hand, and would hand it off to him after the vows were made.
When Natsu went out of his chamber, he was met with a wave of applause. He smiled as he ascended the stairs to the top of the altar, and saw Lucy dressed in a flowing dress of crimson and gold silk, with intricate filigree designs, and her neck and ears were adorned with golden earrings and an intricately designed ruby pendant suspended by a gold chain. Natsu's face became flushed with red, and heard Gray snicker slightly behind him. Erza stood behind Lucy, with Natsu's band in her palm. The audience then stood up to listen to the priest's proclamations.
"Gathered friends and family: we are here to bind the destinies of two lovers in the sanctity of the dragons that have walked these halls! Once I ordain this marriage, their vows cannot be undone! Are there any who object to this union?" Father Girozo said from atop the altar.
The room was silent. No objections were made.
"Very well. Do you, Natsu d'Elorien, Second Prince of the Empire of Elorien, son of Emperor Rizael and Empress Farienne, promise to protect and cherish Lucy Heartfilia? To keep her close to you, even in times of despair and chaos? Do you promise to keep this vow until the end of your days?" Girozo said to Natsu.
"I do." Natsu said, his heart beginning to beat faster. The moment of truth was approaching.
"And do you, Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, founders of Heartfilia Railways, vow to support and love Natsu d'Elorien? Will you be at his side, even when the world seems bleak, and the skies turn to fire? Do you promise to keep this vow until the end of your days?" Girozo said to Lucy.
"I do." Lucy said.
Nodding his head, Girozo said, "Now, gathered friends and family, let us seal these vows in the flames of the Dragon God Veratos. May he grace this union with happiness and perpetuity."
Lucy and Natsu stepped into the flame of the altar, which parted at their feet. Natsu embraced Lucy and kissed her, causing the flames to fly throughout the Temple, illuminating every corner of the room. The crowd erupted into cheering and tears, as euphoria overflowed. The new couple slipped each other's wedding band onto the other's finger. The sheer joy that permeated people's hearts in the room was suddenly shattered by the breaking of a window above the altar.
"How sentimental! A wedding, the union of two souls in holy matrimony... What a bunch of bullshit." the voice said in a high, deranged voice.
The man that stood above everyone was dressed in garish, unsightly clothing. He looked like a jester, a clown. His face was scarred in several places.
"Who are you, and how dare you desecrate this place!" Farienne demanded.
"I am none other than Erius, the deposed prince of Halrat! You should remember, my dear Empress! You were the one who told the advisors to suggest I abdicate! They said I was too violent, too deranged... So, now, I'm going to get payback for what they did, what you did! I'm going to help our leader drown the world in the true darkness!" he said maniacally, as he descended from the windowsill. He walked toward the crowd, which slowly backed away. He fired blasts of dark lightning, bringing parts of the ceiling down, and began shooting green blasts of magic energy.
"Erius! You'd better get out of here or you're going to get burned to a crisp!" Natsu threatened.
The dark wizard chuckled, as he jumped up to the altar, and grabbed Lucy at her torso and said, "Ah, my liege, young Prince Natsu! Excuse my appearance, but allow me to extend my congratulations to you on your wedding. She is a quite a catch isn't she?"
"Get your hands off her! Gray, help me out!" Natsu growled, while charging his fists with fire. Gray readied his Ice Make Magic.
"Oh, just let me leave you with one teensy gift! I imagine you want a baby soon, so I'm going to let you have one, now! Hand of Demise: The Wheel of Misfortune!" Erius said, sinking his fingers into Lucy, while his hand was covered in dark energy.
Lucy screamed in agony, and was thrust toward Natsu. Erius laughed hysterically, as he jumped back up to the window.
"It will all be consumed in the chaos and destruction that will come from freeing the Fallen and using the teachings of Zeref! Destroy..., destroy..., destroy everything! Nothing can exist in true happiness! It is illusory, for the only truth is death and darkness!" he said, before leaving.
The Temple once again lay in ruins. People scrambled out of the Temple, while some stayed to help remedy the damage. Wendy and Mirajane came quickly to help administer medical attention.
"What's wrong with her? What did that bastard do to Lucy!?" Natsu yelled.
"This isn't good, Natsu. Lucy's been afflicted with some sort of spell that messes with her body functions." Mira said.
After a few minutes, Wendy gasped. The group stood in silence, as they waited for her to speak.
"Natsu... Lucy's... pregnant. And by the looks of it, six months in. Erius's magic accelerated gestational growth. Lucy is going to suffer unimaginable pain, with the pregnancy rushed this way. Master always said the miracle of life shouldn't be tampered with. There's nothing I can do." Wendy said tearfully.
Natsu was speechless. His impulsiveness had caused Lucy to become pregnant. And now a dark wizard had somehow made her pregnancy go faster! Everything was spiraling out of control. Deira's first prediction came true: the first birth would dramatic and unexpected. The first of many trials had begun for the newlyweds Natsu and Lucy d'Elorien.
Note: Kind of sucky ending. I'm not terribly proud of it, but at least I got across what I needed. BTW, if you don't know or didn't notice, Erius is reminiscent of Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy VI. It was kind of unconscious, and by the time I'd noticed it, I wasn't willing to change it. Reviews, please! I really appreciate the positive comments so far!