The moment Natsu sat on the bed next to me, I basically launched myself at him, Gripping the front of his vest tightly as I sobbed into his chest, I cried, "I'm so sorry Natsu! I'm so sorry!"

"Whoa, whoa," Natsu said incredulously, wrapping his arms around me tightly and leaning his head down close to mine. In a comforting tone, he asked, "Lucy, why on Earthland are you apologizing? What all happened?"

I had to take a moment to dry up my sobs a bit so I could speak clearly. I could feel my trembling subsiding slightly, but the tears refused to stop streaming from my eyes. I was finally able to grind my way through the story. Normally I would have just given him the basics, but my finally calming mind said that Natsu deserved to know everything, including where Xander had intentionally touched the slayer's Mark. I didn't know what all intentions Xander had, but it was clear he had no regard as to what I wanted. It was only a bit of kissing, and I thanked the stars that he hadn't managed to try anything else before Loke showed up. Not to mention I could taste the remnants of alcohol. All in all, yes, I was upset, but I had survived worse. I knew it could have been worse, and that's what began hardening my resolve to not let the attack get to me. But I still felt like I had betrayed Natsu. "I'm so sorry, Natsu! I tried to tell him about us but – "

"Lucy, grab your keys, call one of your spirits to sit here with you. I'm about to go kill that son of a bitch – "

"No, Natsu, I'm fine – !"

"Lady Lucy, Mr. Dragneel! The staff just found Prince Alexander unconscious in the Ladies' area!"

The sudden intrusion nearly made me jump from my skin, but Natsu was practically already snarling at the two unaware guards. "He's unconscious because Lucy's spirit had to knock him out! Your precious prince tried to force himself on Lucy and if you ask me the son of a bitch deserved much more than what he got!"

Both guards looked at me. Even though I was sure my eyes were puffy and red, and my nose was raw and pinkened from the constant tissues, the two men didn't seem very observant of my distress. "You attacked the crowned prince?! You are both under arrest – "

"Wait!" I yelled out, stopping Natsu before he could land his flaming fist in Jaxton's face. Standing from the bed and adjusting the skimpy robe, I approached the two and said, "How about we wait until he wakes up and see what he says? I'm sure 'someone of his standing' really wouldn't want the public knowing that the soon-to-be-wed prince sexually assaulted a Guild mage. I'm sure he'll agree, and we can come up with a way to keep it quiet. What do you say?"

It was clear that my words made the guards sweat, and their serious looks of deliberation only seemed more desperate as Natsu's fist only grew hotter. Finally, Brine swallowed thickly. "Alright. But we'll be escorting the two of you and we will not let you out of our sight until the prince awakens."

"Fine by me!" Natsu retorted viciously. "And then when he owns up to what he did I can smash his fucking face in – "

"Natsu, no!" I said loudly in a pleading tone, turning to place my hands on his arm. "It's fine. Once this is all straightened out, I'm sure he'll never bother us again. I'm not hurt and Loke defended me very well. If you attack him after the fact, then they can arrest us. Now, is it alright if I change into some real clothes, first?"

The guards, both a bit red in the face, mumbled their permission so I grabbed a change of clothes and ran into the bathroom. As much as I wanted to stay in there and hide forever, I knew that we had to get the situation under control as fast as possible, so I threw on the clothes and re-emerged from the bathroom.

Turning his sharp gaze to me, Natsu's eyes softened as he seemed to take in my expression. Turning a burning gaze back at the guards, he said, "Take us to him."

…

We were surprised to see that the prince had actually gotten the room next to ours rather than the suite I heard the counter-girl offer. That fact creeped me out a little, but my mind was buzzing way too much to really focus on that. Natsu and I sat under the watchful guards' gaze for what seemed like an eternity as the prince continued to lay motionless on the bed. Every now and then a staff member would stop by to see if we needed anything, but the guards always delivered a swift no.

I could just barely see the pink of dawn on the horizon when the prince finally began to stir. Natsu and I both made to move towards him, but Jaxton held us back with his sword held at the ready as Brine approached the finally awakened man. Neither of us mages were in much fear of the sword (Erza was a million times more frightening than that dolt any day), but we stayed in place out of principle.

Xander's voice came out a bit raspy as he looked around in confusion. "Brine... What happened?"

"Your highness – "

"WHAT?!" Natsu completely flipped, grabbing Jaxton's sword by the blade and throwing it to the side easily as he jumped to his feet. His eyes shining as dangerously as daggers, Natsu snarled, "You don't remember attacking Lucy? You don't remember her begging you to stop? What happened was one of her spirits came through and knocked your ass out! If Lucy hadn't asked me not to, I would have fucking killed you!"

The prince laid there silent for a moment as he contemplated Natsu's words with shock written across his face, and Brine looked about ready to try and take on Natsu himself. Which was laughable if the situation wasn't so dire. Human law enforcement was a joke to wizards, but they could easily turn us over to the Magic Counsel and then we'd be really screwed.

Finally lifting his head to look at me, Xander said with remorse in his eyes, "I'm... I'm sorry, Lucy. I had a bit too much to drink in the spring, and I... I had hoped you might have felt the same as me. I feel as though I'm in a situation such as you were, being forced to get married to someone I don't even know. I thought... I thought you would understand..."

"I do understand," I said vehemently, standing to my feet as well to glare down at the prince. "But that doesn't give you the right to do what you did! I said stop and you wouldn't! I'm sorry you were knocked out so hard, but my spirits are very protective and you crossed a major line!"

The prince hung his head in what appeared to be shame as Natsu continued. "And you're lucky it was one of her spirits and not me! You dared lay a hand on my mate and in Slayer culture, that's a sentence worthy of death."

Well, there. It was finally said aloud, and to people not from the guild for once. Though we had not actually "mated," I was still his mate for all intents and purposes. I was his true mate. That may as well have said that we were married, just without the consummation part.

Oh, God. Natsu! If he and I had actually gone through with the mating, he would have gained extra power. But if the prince had finished what he tried, Natsu would have lost that power! If I wasn't so positive of my feelings, it could have killed him!

"Oh, Natsu..." I suddenly said softly, covering my mouth and clenching my eyes shut as I found purchase in my seat again. "That could have... Oh, God, I didn't even think about how it could have affected you... I was so stupid – "

"You two are mates?" Xander asked, interrupting my revelation. His expression was one of shock and fear.

"Well, not officially..."

"Yeah, we are!" Natsu snarled, stalking over to me and pulling me to my feet gently by the hand. Suddenly spinning me around, Natsu pulled the collar of my robe over to show the mark he had made. "That's my name in ancient Draconian. It means she's my one true mate, the greatest treasure that I'll ever have... and no one ever steals from a dragon's horde."

Straightening my robe back out while trying not to focus too much on Natsu's endearing words, I said with finality, "Listen, Prince. We will overlook this debacle as long as you promise to stay away from us. We won't go to the press, you don't arrest us and leave our guild alone as well."

Xander looked between both his guards before landing his sights back on us. "Please excuse my guards and myself so we may discuss this – "

"Hell no!" Natsu snapped, baring his teeth. "The second we leave this room, we're grabbing our stuff and leaving. You better make your decision, quick."

Steeling his expression, the prince began to speak but was cut off by Jaxton, who bowed lowly. "Your highness, they attacked a member of the Crown. They must be punished."

Xander only took a moment to ponder his guard's words, but apparently disagreed. Turning back to look at me, he said, "Very well, Lucy. I shall leave you and your guild be in exchange for your silence. I swear to uphold my end of the deal as long as you do so as well."

"No problems there," I responded with a glare. Grabbing the fuming Natsu by the hand, the two of us stormed out of the room and back to our own.

Once I slammed the door shut behind us, I couldn't hold back the infuriated snarl that ripped from my throat. "That pompous asshole! How dare he think it's okay to kiss a girl he barely knows just because of a little bit of alcohol and a hunch?! He's royalty! He should know better!" Turning around, huffing after my small rant, I saw the most bizarre look on Natsu's face. "What?" I almost snapped.

Natsu's face split into a grin before he suddenly launched himself at me. Wrapping his strong arms impossibly tight around my shoulders, he bent his neck down to touch his forehead to mine. "Nothing," he said in amusement. "You just never cease to amaze me. You're incredible, you know that right?"

Quickly losing my steam as I took in the pink-haired man before me, I looked up and gave Natsu a small smile as I returned his embrace. "Why would you say that?"

"Because," he said, finally pulling back from me to start grabbing up our belongings. I followed suit while he continued. "Even after everything you've been through, being attacked like that three times in the course of just a couple months, you managed to still stand up and fight it. You... I was really scared when Loke told me what happened. You should never have to go through stuff like that, but you have three times and... and instead of breaking down, you stood tall. Not many people have that kind of strength."

Pausing with my bag in my hands, I cocked my head curiously at him. "But it's only happened twice. Faebridge and just now..."

Natsu froze, not removing his eyes from the map he had just picked up. Slowly, he said in a bit of a morose tone, "And Dragoste."

Those words nearly blindsided me, causing me to drop my bag as I took in a sharp breath. I hadn't considered Dragoste at all, but I really felt as though it didn't count. What happened between Natsu and myself seemed completely different to me than the other instances. As I thought on it, my heart broke a little for Natsu. He still seemed to blame himself for what happened on that island, no matter how many times I told him I wanted it, regardless of the spell.

"Natsu..." I said softly, standing up straight to look at the Slayer. Natsu's eyes flickered briefly before meeting mine, showing a sadness I wasn't accustomed to seeing in him. Approaching him and wrapping my arms around his waist, I laid my head on his chest and said, "I have told you over and over again. What happened under the spell wasn't anyone's fault. I wanted you. I still do. I will never consider what happened on that island as being attacked by you. What those men in Faebridge did and Xander, those were attacks. I didn't want them. But I wanted you, even without that spell. So please, believe me when I say that I have not and never will consider what you and I did as being attacked. I see it as my first time kissing my mate." I looked up and gave Natsu a dazzling smile.

As Natsu looked down at me, I could see indecision in his gaze, but it finally seemed to melt away into a smile and he descended his lips upon mine.

I was sure I'd never get used to the absolute electric feeling I got every time we kissed, but his lips seemed to zap my entire being down to my toes as his lips ran softly against mine. I pulled him closer and applied more pressure into the kiss, pressing my body against him as I heard what sounded like a contented growl come from deep within Natsu's chest. One of his hands tangled into my hair as the other was placed on the small of my back, pulling me to him even though there was no way we could get any closer. Finally needing air, I pulled away and gasped, eyes shining as they looked up at my dragon.

"We... We should probably go..." I said breathlessly, running a hand through my tangled mane.

Natsu seemed reluctant to release his hold on me, but with a pained look in his eye he managed to wrench himself away. "Yeah. Right. Let's go."

…

Natsu and I were forced to adjust our coordinates a bit, determined to not go to Snowkeep on the chance that we might run into Prince Alexander there. Instead, we began heading a bit more northwest towards a city called Crystal Icemeet. According to Natsu, it had the biggest library in the Western Hemisphere, which immediately got me giddy. It was only a day's walk farther than Snowkeep, so I was willing to make the sacrifice.

The night before we could make it into the city found Natsu and me in our usual routine of camping. Natsu had found a small cave, which I was overly grateful for. The further north we traveled, the more frigid and icy it became. For the three days prior, we had been trudging through several feet of snow, the icy element only building higher the more we walked. A snow storm had been brewing, and it had steadily been wearing us down to nothing, so when Natsu announced that he had found an abandoned cave, I nearly squealed with joy. Or, well, screamed. Either way, it made Natsu genuinely worry for a moment, thinking I was upset and crying. He finally figured it out after I hugged him excitedly and kissed him on the cheek. My lips were like ice on his always warmed skin.

Grabbing my hand, Natsu took off at a light run and pulled me along, navigating the snow-thickened air and ground. The temperature was low enough that I could feel my lungs burn with each breath, and Natsu even seemed to be emitting steam as the beyond frigid air came near his skin. The snow that was coming down in droves made it impossible for me to see, and the wind made it impossible to hear. All I could focus on was how cold I was and how warm Natsu's hand was in comparison as he led me to the cave.

Within just a few minutes, we finally made it through the entryway of the cave with heaving sighs of relief. Immediately, I dropped to the hard ground and wrapped myself up in a ball. With my voice muffled by my layers of clothes, I chattered, "I-t's imp-possi-b-ble t-t-to s-surviv-ve in-n th-th-these cond-d-ditions! Th-the p-people who l-l-live up-p h-here m-m-must b-be insane!" I was trembling from head to toe, my body so tense that it was beginning to hurt quite a bit.

"Shit, Lucy," Natsu said in slight panic as he tossed our bags to the ground and basically jumped me. He immediately started stripping, but my trembling prevented me from asking him what the hell he was doing. Next thing I knew, Natsu had laid me back onto the ground with his body flush against mine, only wearing his pants. Leaning his head in, Natsu rested it in the crook of my neck as his hands moved expertly through my layers of clothing. When he finally found bare skin, I gasped quietly as his heated hands and arms completely wrapped around my midsection and held me tight. Most of my torso was touching his hot, bare skin and it felt more incredible than anything in the world at the moment. We stayed like that for at least a few minutes, my tremors slowly subsiding as Natsu's heat seeped into me.

"Take your boots off. If your feet get too cold they'll get frostbitten."

So far I had been enjoying everything Natsu had been doing, so I didn't question him as I kicked my boots off, one after the other. Once I was done, Natsu leaned up to look at me in slight concern and asked, "Are you warm enough for me to let go for just a minute?"

Not bothering to say anything to try and prevent my teeth from chattering, I cocked a curious eyebrow at him as I nodded my head. I felt the chill of the air rush back to me as Natsu moved away, but my discomfort was short lived as I felt magnificently warm hands suddenly start massaging my frozen feet. I hadn't even really realized how cold they were until that point, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time anyone had given me a foot rub. Without my permission, a long, wanton moan escaped my lips.

It was actually a bit embarrassing, especially when Natsu paused for a moment before continuing his ministrations. I was too embarrassed to look at his expression. Trying to keep my sounds of pleasure to myself, I bit my lip and tried to keep my squirming down to a minimum as the slayer worked both my feet.

It didn't last long enough.

"Okay, Luce," Natsu said, his voice slightly raspy for some reason, slipping my boots back onto my feet for me. "Stay here while I get some firewood, then I'll help you dry off. It's only going to get colder the darker it gets, and I'm worried that you might already be getting sick."

Again, trying to keep my composure by not speaking, I nodded to him. And with a brief grin, he was gone.

"Well, I see I was right about you and the hot-head." Turning to look, I saw none other than Loke himself, smirking as he adjusted his glasses. "How's it going, Princess? It's been a while. I believe you have a lot of explaining to do, yeah?"

Please R&R! The reviews are what keep my hands typing!