Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo
He moved his hands to cup her jaw and keep her close, smashing his lips to hers before she could stop him.
She fought against him at first, beating against his shoulders with her fists. But the longer he kissed her, the weaker her struggle became.
Natsu pulled back slowly, his expression becoming slightly pained as he caught sight of her clenched fists. He looked back up to her face, but her eyes remained tightly shut.
His hands were still cupping her jaw, and he ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear that had fallen, "Lucy…you're my person. And I won't let you leave me."
The blonde opened her eyes just in time to see the prince's face fill with determination. He reached down to grasp one of her wrists, using his grip to begin dragging her behind him as he took off in the direction of the palace's stables.
Lucy didn't struggle against him, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened to respond.
She'd woken up this morning, determined to help Natsu change. Then she'd seen that vision of him killing Gray and Juvia, an image that was sure to haunt her for years, whether it became a reality or not. She couldn't help but feel anger and fear after seeing him laughing over their bloodied bodies.
But then he had kissed her.
And after that…she wasn't quite sure how she felt about him.
Loke had been sitting in the palace courtyard since he'd stormed out of their 'family dinner.' He was still overwhelmed with contempt for his mother and Laxus, disgusted by the fact that they would ask Natsu to murder his own brother.
He'd gone to the courtyard to stargaze, something that always had an unexplainable calming effect on the prince.
His attention was drawn downwards when the sound of hooves slapping against the ground began echoing around the courtyard.
Loke's brows furrowed in confusion as the horseman sped past him and through the palace gates, a small blonde sitting in front him on the horse, "Natsu? Lucy?"
"That's not possible. You must've seen wrong."
Loke sighed heavily as Sting shook his head in disbelief. The orange haired prince had gone straight to his older brother after he had seen Natsu and Lucy.
"Lucy isn't allowed to leave the palace. So how could she have gone through the gates?" the blonde prince asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Loke sighed again, "I'm certain that it was Lucy. Do you think that I wouldn't be able to recognize her? I even checked with the gate keeper. Natsu sped past before he could do anything to stop him."
Sting slammed his fist down on his desk, "What the hell are they thinking? Lucy's not allowed to leave the palace."
"I don't think that she went with Natsu willingly. I think that he took her by force." The orange haired prince's voice was barely above a whisper as he breathed out, "If they get caught…Lucy will certainly be executed." Loke's face suddenly filled with determination, "Sting, we have to go after them! Let's get our horses and-"
"No. You stay here," Sting cut him off.
"What? Why?"
The blonde prince stood and began gathering various items from around his desk, "It won't be good for you to go after them this late at night. So return to the palace. I'll go after them."
Loke scoffed, "I may the youngest prince, but I'm not a child anymore. Thanks for your concern, but there's no way I can just go back to the palace. If the King finds out that Lucy left…there's no stopping what he'll do to her. That's a risk I'm not willing to take. We should go find them together."
Sting sighed, his lips momentarily quirking in a small smile, "Alright. I still thought of you as a young child…but I guess you really have grown up." He set a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, "I trust you. So let's go."
Natsu and Lucy rode throughout the entire night, arriving on one of Hargeon's beaches just as the sun began appearing over the horizon.
The prince's hand was still clutched around her waist, even though the horse had been standing idle for quite some time.
The blonde kept her eyes focused on the sunrise, "Neither of us will be safe anymore, Your Highness. I'm not supposed to leave the palace, and now you've taken me miles away from it."
Natsu leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder, angling his head so that his mouth was close to her ear, "Should we just run away together then? If you wanted to, I would do it without hesitation."
Lucy didn't respond, she only dropped her gaze and sighed heavily.
The salmon haired prince lifted his chin and leaned back, turning his gaze to the sunrise, "I've wanted to bring you here for a long time. Whenever I came here in the past, I was always forced to leave sooner than I would have liked, and it was all because of false rumors. I don't bring misfortune. I don't slaughter animals for fun. I don't use my sword so carelessly either."
He held Lucy's gaze when she finally turned over her shoulder to look at him, "Do you…do you still want me to leave?"
The blonde swallowed heavily, "All I want is for you to live with your heart at ease, Your Highness. Even if that means that you have to live away from the palace...I want you to live happily without being wronged or having to spill blood."
Lucy's words were more than just an attempt at preventing him from turning into the tyrant that Gwangjong was. She truly wanted him to live happily, away from the politics and greed that surrounded the throne.
Natsu lips quirked in a small smile, "The only way I'll leave…is if you come with me."
The blonde shook her head, "I'm a court lady. I have to live in the palace."
The prince sighed heavily, turning his gaze back to the sunrise, "That settles it then. I'm not leaving. You've been my person since the day I first called you that, after Minerva had been beating you. You saw me for who I was. There was no need for excuses or explanations. You're the only person that I have on my side. So I don't feel sorry for anything. Not for kissing you or for bringing you out here."
He reached into the waist belt of his hanbok, pulling out a small hairpin. He ran his fingers over it as it rested in his palm, happy with his choice. The pin consisted of a shiny white peony with several small green gems that resembled leaves winding away from the flower in various directions. A few red and purple gems that looked like berries were also attached to the leaves, adding vibrant splashes of color to the pin.
Natsu held the pin out to the blonde in front of him, "Take it. I've wanted to give you something like this for a long time."
Lucy looked over her shoulder at him, shaking her head softly, "I was only trying to help you, Your Highness. I…I never asked for your heart."
The prince gently grabbed one of her wrists and placed the hairpin in her palm, "You can throw it away if you want. But promise me you'll at least let me see you wearing it once before you do so."
Sting and Loke pulled their speeding horses to a halt as they rounded a bend in the path and caught sight of Natsu and Lucy traveling towards them. The salmon haired prince pulled his horse to a stop as well when he saw them, but the blonde's gaze remained downcast, focused on something in her hand.
She looked up when Loke called her name, her brows furrowing, "How…why are you here? Are they already looking for me at the palace?"
The orange haired prince turned his focus to Natsu, furiously glaring at his brother, "Thankfully, Sting and I are the only ones that know. But others will find out soon. Come get on my horse so we can go back."
Natsu tightened his grip on the blonde's waist, his eyes daring Loke to come closer.
The orange haired prince scoffed, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I brought her out, so I'll be the one who takes her back."
"If anyone sees you two coming back together," Sting suddenly cut in, glaring at Natsu as well, "rumors will spread."
"And how is her going back with you any different?" Natsu raised a brow. "The King has already given her to me. It's only right that I take responsibility."
"Given her to you?" Sting repeated, his voice deathly calm.
Lucy decided to intervene before the brothers could start fighting, turning her gaze to Loke and Sting, "I'll go with the Fourth Prince. Don't worry about me and head back to Magnolia. He says he'll take responsibility…so you guys can go back."
Natsu smirked victoriously.
Sting only continued to glare at his brother, "You better not go back on your word. You can't let Lucy get hurt."
"I don't want that to happen either," the salmon haired prince started. "So trust me when I say that I'll do everything can to make sure it won't."
Natsu kicked his horse before either of his brothers could protest, prompting it to move forward once more.
Loke turned to Sting as they rode past and disappeared around a bend in the path, "Are you really going to let them go? There's no guarantee that Natsu will take her back to the palace like he said he would."
The blonde prince's lips formed a thin line, "I won't let him get away with it if he doesn't."
Aquarius clenched her jaw as she saw Lucy following behind Natsu as he walked over the flat bridge that stretched across one of the palace's many ponds. The blonde court lady hadn't checked in with her that morning, and the woman should have known that she would be with the Fourth Prince.
Lucy's eyes widened as she caught sight of her superior standing at the other end of the bridge, rushing to bow to her, "Court Lady Aquarius, I-"
"I dragged Lucy out unexpectedly early this morning," Natsu explained for her. "So don't blame her."
Aquarius raised a brow angrily, "Are you saying that she left the palace?"
"The King gave me a task to complete, and I had no other choice," the prince lied, his voice steady.
"Nevertheless, taking one of the King's court ladies away could be seen as an act of defiance." Aquarius looked to the prince, "You should go back inside, Your Highness. There'll be less to explain to the others if you're not here."
Natsu softly nodded his head, "I trust that you'll take care of the situation well, Court Lady Aquarius."
The prince looked to Lucy briefly before he left, smiling gently at her as he did so.
"Your small act of kindness has moved the Fourth Prince's heart in a big way," Aquarius remarked as she watched him disappear around the corner of one of the palace's many buildings. "He took you outside of the palace. If anyone else had found out about this before I did, you could have ended up being executed. And who knows what would have happened to the prince. This is why I told you that you don't belong in the palace. You mustn't show kindness too easily to anyone that you meet here. You must take every step as if you are walking on very thin ice. That's the only way to survive in this place."
Lucy swallowed heavily, "I…I don't know what I should do from now on…"
Aquarius gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You'll have to wait until Prince Natsu's feelings to cool down. I think it would be wise to avoid him for the time being."
The blonde sighed to herself, 'My head is telling me now to get involved…but my heart tells me that I can make things better…can I really change Natsu's fate?'
AN
Thank you so much for reading!
