Lucy was sitting across from the Queen in her room. She was preparing for bed when the regal woman knocked on her door.
"How are you doing, Lucy?"
Lucy was grateful that someone was concerned about her. It seemed that no one asked that recently, not even Natsu. She did not blame him though. He was busy and the hardly saw each other amidst the wedding preparations. Meanwhile, her father was still wandering the castle halls. He insisted on staying until the wedding. She, on the other hand, knew he had ulterior motives. He wanted to have a good relationship with the royal family to increase business ventures. He also wanted to make sure Lucy "behaved herself", as he would say. She wanted to believe that he truly wanted her to succeed in the marriage for happiness reasons, but she knew that he, again, only wanted to help his business.
"I am doing very well!" Lucy replied overly cheerful.
Grandeeney was aware that Lucy was lying through her teeth. She also knew that Lucy did that quite frequently when asked how she was.
"Lucy, we both know that you are lying. I know you wear that mask whenever you are around people. You do not have to wear it right now."
"I-uh-wha-how did you know?" Lucy was speechless.
"Sweetie," Grandeeney spoke in a soft tone, "I was in your shoes not that long ago. I know how you are feeling. It's hard, so don't pretend it's not."
Lucy looked contemplative for a moment before responding, "I just have no idea what I should be doing or feeling. Do you have any advice for me?"
"Just find people you can confide in. I will always be here for you, and Natsu is here too. I have noticed that even though you and Natsu made up, I have not seen you two together much. I know you are both busy, but do not neglect to communicate with him. Talking with him and letting him know what's going on will help you and strengthen your relationship. That will be invaluable in the long run."
Lucy sighed, "I thought you were gonna show me like a secret passageway where no one could find me."
Grandeeney laughed, "I may be biased, but I think talking with Natsu would be a better idea."
"You're right." Lucy conceded.
"But if you are interested, I can show you a secluded area to seek refuge in sometime."
A smile worked its way onto Lucy's face—a genuine one this time. "I would really like that."
"I will leave you to yourself. You have a big day tomorrow." Grandeeney flashed Lucy a smile before turning and leaving the room.
Grandeeney was glad that she was able to show Lucy some support. Before she was queen of Fiore, she was just a girl like Lucy. Although she and Igneel had married for love, it was still somewhat forced. Even still, as she walked through the winding halls, she content with what life had dealt her.
"There you are. I was wondering where you went." A certain king smiled at her.
She was more than content, she was overfilled with joy.
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The two men lurked in the shadows, one tall, one short. "There you are. I did not think that you would show up." The short one said.
"I said I would be here so I am." The taller one replied.
"You do realize there's no going back. Once you agree, you pledge your allegiance to me." The shorter one said.
"I know."
"Good. There is a large chance this will end badly."
"Not anymore. I have a plan and, come tomorrow, it will be falling perfectly into place."
The shorter one flashed a grin, "Tell me about it."
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After Grandeeney left, Lucy remembered what the next day was. It was the eve of her wedding. In forty-eight hours, she would be married. I still cannot believe this is happening to me. Lucy thought. Even though it had been almost a month since she was notified by the crown prince himself, she could not comprehend it. The more she thought, the less it made sense. Why on earth was she being given such a blessing? I guess I'll never know.
Lucy decided that overthinking wouldn't help at this point, so she got in bed and wrestled her mind to sleep.
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The next day was hectic. The morning her bridesmaids, Levy and Juvia, arrived to join Lucy and Erza.
"Oh my goodness, Lucy! You are really getting married!" Levy cheered.
"Thank you. Thank you both for agreeing to come." Lucy said in a subdued voice. I am not going to go crazy in front of Erza, She vowed.
"Juvia is excited for you Lucy."
"I am excited too." Lucy said.
"Soooooo, what's on the agenda today, Lu-chan?" Levy, despite her quiet demeanor, became quite gregarious around those she was close with.
Lucy honestly did not know so she looked over at Erza.
At her cue, Erza cut in, "This morning we are going to make sure your dresses fit based upon the measurements you provided, then we are going to have a lunch for you to meet Natsu and the groomsmen. This afternoon we are going to visit the florist and get you two's bouquets personalized. Then this evening we are going to have the rehearsal and dinner with the families and wedding party."
"Wow, that seems like a lot of things to do." Levy said.
"It is all necessary to ensure the wedding flows smoothly." Erza reasoned.
"Juvia is fine with it. As long as Juvia gets to spend time with Lucy, Juvia is happy."
"Yeah, you're right, Juvia." Levy agreed.
"Thank you both for your support. And thank you Erza, for being so organized and making sure I'm where I need to be." Lucy expressed her gratitude.
"Of course, Lu-chan! We are always here for you!" Levy said and Juvia nodded her head in agreement.
"Lucy, I am glad to assist you in any way possible." Erza said. "Now, we have to get to the seamstress so we do not get behind in our schedule."
Classic Erza. I am glad she is on top of this, though. I have no clue what I would've done these past few weeks without her guidance. Lucy thought.
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The appointment with the seamstress went as planned. The dresses fit almost perfectly, but there were a few minor adjustments to make. Luckily those would only take her but a few minutes. Now they were on their way to the luncheon with the groomsmen.
They walked into the large room where the other participants already were. There was a large rectangular table with eight seats at it. It had a white tablecloth on it as well as white dishes with gold embroidery on them. The napkins were a pale red color with ornate silverware. There was also a bouquet of roses in the center.
As soon as they walked in, Erza took charge. She introduced everyone to each other. The best man was a man named Gray. Gray looked to be of average height and lean build. He had navy blue hair and droopy eyes. He seemed to be acting indifferent towards the whole situation. The other two groomsmen were named Gajeel, whom Lucy recognized as a guard from around the castle, and Elfman, who was Lisanna's sister. Gajeel was tall and stocky, with red eyes and spiky, black hair that fell to his mid-back. He was adorned with metal piercings everywhere that Lucy could see. Elfman was tall, so tall that he towered over Gajeel. Elfman had white hair and blue eyes like Lisanna did. Elfman was also the strongest looking man Lucy had ever laid eyes on. He looks jumbo-sized. Lucy thought.
Erza then guided everyone to the assigned seats. There were three seats on either side with a chair at each head. Natsu was at one head with Lucy at his right hand. Everyone was next to who they would be walking down the aisle with.
There was an awkward silence where everyone was waiting for someone else to talk.
Finally Erza spoke up, "How have the preparations been going for you all?"
Gray answered, "It's going well. It would be going better if this flame-brain didn't try to eat the food for the rehearsal dinner earlier!"
"Wait a minute," Natsu interrupted, "Elfman was the one who gave it to me!" He defended.
They then launched into a full-fledged argument. From what Lucy could understand Natsu had complained about being hungry (as he often did), and Elfman had seen some fresh baked bread in the kitchen and taken some for Natsu. Gray had noticed it right before Natsu bit into it and grabbed it out of his hands. Natsu thought Gray was messing with him and gotten annoyed. Lucy could not follow anything after that point.
Finally Erza settled everyone down and steered the conversation towards a more civil discussion. They talked about how they knew Natsu and Lucy, Levy's previous association with the 'contest', they shared stories and laughs. They came to the topic of family, and Gray asked Lucy about hers.
"My mother died when I was young and it has been my father and I ever since." Lucy explained.
"I am sorry to hear that." Gray said, "I have never met Mr. Heartfilia, but I have heard lots about him and his business. From firsthand knowledge, what is he like?"
Lucy knew she shouldn't, no, couldn't answer that. How would she say that her father was an angry, evil man? If he found out that she spoke poorly about him he would definitely retaliate. As she formulated her answer she realized that the only person at the table that knew about her father was Levy. She glanced at Levy and noticed the stressed expression on her face. Levy had hardly spoken the entire night, so Lucy figured she was alone in her response.
"I don't think you should ask her that." Natsu spoke, "I get asked that question about my father all the time and I don't know what to say. To you he's the king, but to me he's just dad. Same with Lucy. I've met him and to me he seems like a normal guy."
"I guess that's fair." Gray said, and the conversation turned to the best type of pen, leaving the previous topic forgotten. Lucy looked at Natsu and gave him the most grateful look she could muster. Natsu grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed to show understanding. Then he let go and joined in the conversation, saying why he thought that the newer fountain pens were much better than old-school quills, "You have to keep dipping quills into ink. It's so much easier to use pens." Lucy chuckled in agreement. Her mind quickly left her father behind her.
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After the luncheon, they parted ways with their male counterparts and Erza directed them to the florist. They personalized their bouquets while still sticking to the theme and bid their thanks to the florist. Erza then reminded them that they had to get ready for the rehearsal and dinner. "This will be much more formal." She reminded. They all four entered into the room to prepare for the night. Juvia and Erza were in the midst of a conversation, leaving Levy and Lucy to speak.
"Lucy, I am so sorry for not helping you at lunch." Levy said.
"Levy, you have no reason to feel bad. It all turned out good in the end anyway." Lucy said.
"I know," Levy said, "but I am your best friend, your maid of honor, I should have helped you in such a difficult situation."
"I know why you feel that way, but it's unnecessary to waste mental energy on something that was outside your control. You had no idea Gray was going to bring it up. It shocked you just as much as it shocked me. I accept your apology because I know it will make you feel better, but just know that you were not in the wrong at all." Lucy tried to reason.
"Thank you Lucy. What about Natsu answering Gray for you? Did you tell him yet?" Levy inquired.
Lucy sighed, "I haven't told him exactly what happened, but he knows that something is up. We actually had a big fight about it just a week and a half ago."
"Lu-chan," Levy spoke, "you have to tell him soon. You are going to be married tomorrow."
"I know. But I do not want to."
"I know. But you have to. Imagine telling him soon, he'll know it's because you didn't feel comfortable telling a virtual stranger about it. Now imagine telling him years in the future. You will no longer be strangers so you'll have no excuse."
"You are right. I just have to get up the courage to do it." Lucy said.
"The courage to do what?" Erza asked, now looking at them. Apparently Erza and Juvia's conversation had ended.
"The courage to cut her hair short." Levy explained, "Wouldn't she look so good with chin-length hair?" Lucy was lucky that Levy was a quick thinker.
"Juvia thinks Lucy looks good with long hair."
"I do too." Erza agreed.
"Okay, okay, maybe I won't." Lucy said. "Anyway, what do you want us to wear?"
Erza directed each of them to their dress and grabbed her own. They all got dressed into beautiful dresses, Lucy in a navy blue princess dress, Levy in a buttercup yellow semi-fitted dress, Juvia in muted red a-line dress, and Erza in a black sheath dress. A servant came in and braided their hair. Erza had a low ponytail, Levy had a chignon bun, Juvia had a crown braid, and Lucy had a half bun. They all look gorgeous. Lucy thought. There is no way I was picked to marry Natsu when there are so many other beautiful people in the kingdom. Lucy noticed them all staring at her as the servant left.
"What?" She asked, "I don't look horrible, do I?"
"No, not at all." Levy quickly said. Too quick. Lucy thought.
"On the contrary," Erza said, "you look lovely."
"Juvia concurs."
"Thank you all!" The blonde said.
"Of course, Lucy." Levy said.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Erza turned, "That means it's time to go."
They all stood up and following the scarlet haired woman outside where they would take a carriage to the cathedral right down the street and have the rehearsal. The cathedral had a banquet room behind the hall where the wedding would take place.
The carriage ride was barely ten minutes.
When they got there, they were greeted by the king, queen, and princess. But not Jude Heartfilia. Lucy retorted in her head.
"Tomorrow you will be my sister! Are you excited for the wedding?" The young highness asked.
"I am very excited!" Lucy replied.
They all walked further inside and Lucy saw everyone that would be in the ceremony.
The minister that would be marrying them was named Makarov. He was a short man. So short, in fact, that he required a stool on the stage to stand on during the ceremony.
He gave directions to everyone. Jude would walk down the aisle first with Wendy, then the monarchs would come, followed by the groomsmen and groom, then the bridesmaids, and, finally, the bride. They went through the ceremony, and after the ceremony Natsu and Lucy would walk down first, then Gray and Levy, Elfman and Juvia, and Gajeel and Erza.
They rehearsed quite a few times, and by the time they were done Lucy was famished.
Natsu and Lucy walked together to the dining area with everyone. She felt much more intimate with Natsu, even though they really had no interaction aside from the rehearsal. It must be because weddings bring out emotion in people. Lucy rationalized.
The dinner went according to plan. There were, luckily, no shenanigans from Jude.
Natsu had joked throughout the evening with Lucy. To an outsider it looked as if they were truly in love.
As everyone was preparing to leave, Lucy big Natsu a good night.
"Good night, Natsu. I will see you tomorrow."
"Why don't we ride home together?" Natsu asked.
"I-" Lucy began but was cut off by Erza, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. The groomsmen can ride back with us and Lucy can ride back in yours. Our carriage is big enough."
Lucy could be brave, but she wasn't that brave. I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to stand up to Erza. She thought.
Natsu held his hand out to Lucy to help her into the carriage, doing the job that the footman had done on the way there. Regardless of what people thought about Natsu, he was truly a respectful gentleman. Lucy gave her thanks to Natsu.
"Of course! We are going to get married tomorrow." He smirked as he himself boarded.
"Yeah." She spoke softly.
"Lucy." He said.
Lucy looked at him and saw intensity in his eyes, "Yes?"
"Are you sure that you want to go through with this? It's not too late to change your mind."
Lucy contemplated for a moment. She already knew what her answer was, but she was surprised that he was so considerate. "Yes, I am sure, Natsu. I know we don't know each other very well, but I figure we have the rest of our lives to." She said.
Natsu smiled at her, "Okay, I just want to make sure."
She smiled back, "Thank you for that."
They fell into a companionable silence until they made it back to the castle, where Natsu again displaced the footman. The others were just a few minutes behind them.
Natsu took her hand, "Would you allow me to escort you to your room?"
Lucy, ever impressed by his manner, took him up on his offer. Natsu kept her hand in his and walked with her to her room. When they reached the door Lucy looked at him and said 'goodnight'.
"Goodnight to you too, Lucy." He responded.
Luc was about to turn away when he spoke.
"See you tomorrow." He said softly.
Lucy gave him a small smile and a nod. Natsu turned and walked down the hallway away from her. Lucy entered her room and took her dress off. The next day would be a lot of pampering. As excited as Lucy was, when she hit the mattress she passed out nearly immediately.
A/N: Soooooooo it has been awhile. I have a few excuses though; 1- My browser quit working and I had to use another that I for the life of me couldn't figure out. 2- I had no clue what to do with this chapter AT ALL. I literally had 127468 ideas to work with and it took me a long time to whittle them down. 3- Sports started. I know, lame excuse, but I have to support my teams. And sports is just one of the things that has made me busier than before.
Anywho, I hope y'all enjoy it. This is by far the longest chapter I have written to date. I spent like 6 hours off and on on it. Although it was probably only like 2 of actual writing. I get distracted easily lol. I was listening to the radio while writing, and can I just say that even though she is 74, Dolly Parton still has an incredible voice. She did a song with Zach Williams called 'There was Jesus', and she absolutely kills it.
As always, please review! It gives me the much needed motivation to write. It was because of one person who reviewed and gave me some ideas that this chapter even happened. I will talk to you next time! I love you all!
Love,
Leanne xoxoxo