Chapter 12

It was one week since the wedding and the young couple was becoming accustomed to their new arrangements. Natsu was wake up before the sunrise and begin his day, Lucy would wake up shortly after him and go about her tasks. They would eat together but otherwise would spend their days entirely separated.

Natsu felt bad, even though there was nothing he could do. His coronation was in less than three months and his Father had to make sure that he knew the ins and outs of running a kingdom.

Lucy seemed to be adjusting well, especially since her Father left the night of the wedding. She also was preparing to lead the country as the queen. A large responsibility had fallen on her shoulders, but she was determined to bear it. And it also helped that her best friend, Levy, had come to live in the castle. Grandeeney knew how hard adjusting was so she took the initiative and invited Levy herself. Of course, Levy had readily agreed, "I won't leave my Lu-chan to brave the castle on her own!" Levy had said.

Wendy was ecstatic at having an "older sister", and most of Lucy's spare time was spent with the young princess. Wendy would drag the poor girl throughout the entire castle grounds, showing her the small creek she and Natsu used to play in, the treehouse Natsu built for her, the fruit trees and bushes; the land was so vast Lucy could not comprehend how the girl had never gotten lost.

Natsu stood and gazed out from the window of his Father's study into the garden. There was Wendy, dragging Lucy by the hand to all of her favorite flowers. He saw them stop over the tulips and snapdragons, as well as the gardenias and orchids. The garden was cultivated by Grandeeney and a select few of the best gardeners in the whole country, so it was, of course, awe-inspiring.

Natsu heard the door open and Igneel's heavy footsteps reverberated through the room until he sat down at his desk.

"Natsu," The older man spoke, "Come sit down, will you?"

Natsu followed the King's orders and sat facing him.

"What is it that you wanted to ask me, Father?" He asked.

Igneel was silent for a moment before speaking, "Well, son, as you are going to be crowned King soon, our neighboring country, Seven has requested you make a trip there to build relationship and trust."

"What? You're not going to make me go to that horrible place, are you?"

"Natsu," Igneel chided, "I do not think they are an ethical government either, but we cannot show them that. As corrupt as they may be, they have a very strong military, and they have shown in the past that they are not afraid to use it over petty skirmishes. I would not encourage your going if it weren't necessary. I think it would be best for you to go if only to appease their self-pride."

Natsu just stared at his Father for a minute. He desperately did not want to go, but what choice did he have? If he disrespected them now, they surely wouldn't hesitate to use that against them in the future.

"Okay," Natsu finally said and stood up to leave.

"Natsu, wait." Igneel interrupted.

"What else?" Natsu asked.

Igneel sighed and rubbed his eyes, "The Fuhrer has also requested that your new wife goes with you."

"No," Natsu said immediately. The Fuhrer, Sieben Von Alleinherrscher, was notorious for being especially indecent towards women. He had once even asked Igneel for Wendy's hand in marriage despite him being over twenty years older than her. Igneel, obviously declined, but it was one of the angriest Natsu had ever seen him.

"Well, Natsu, of course, I don't want her to go, but we do have to think about Sieben. How will he react to it?" Igneel questioned.

"I don't care how he reacts, Lucy is not going."

"She is going to be Queen, Natsu, and she will have to go much more dangerous places in the future, she needs to get used to it." Igneel argued.

"Dad, I know you are trying to look out for the country, but I am putting my foot down, Lucy is not going."

Igneel nodded, "Alright, it is your call."

"When do I leave?" Natsu asked.

"Tomorrow morning, and the Fuhrer didn't specify how long the visit would last.

Natsu nodded his head. He stood up and walked out. 'When did life get so complicated?' He wondered.

Z

Natsu walked out to the garden where Wendy and Lucy were. Both girls looked up at him and smiled, "Is Wendy driving you crazy?" Natsu joked.

"Hey!" Wendy defended with a grin.

"No," Lucy smiled, "It's actually quite nice to be shown around."

"I'm glad," Natsu's face changed to be more serious, "Wendy, can I talk to Lucy for a minute?"

"Of course!" Wendy said and skipped off.

"What do you need, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

Natsu groaned, "I have to go visit our wonderful neighboring country of Seven." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Why?"

"Since I'm going to be King they want to make sure they get on my good side." He said bluntly.

"I see." Lucy had heard about the country before. It was a dictatorship under the Von Alleinherrscher family. The people had poor living conditions and were subject to wrongful imprisonment. The government had promised grand things but never delivered. The current Fuhrer, Sieben Von Alleinherrscher, was rumored to be a prick and quite crude to women. Nevertheless, the military was commanded by the Fuhrer himself, and he had on multiple occasions used it against his own people.

"You don't have to go." Natsu quickly said.

Lucy shot him a puzzled glance, "Why not?" She may not have been born a royal, but she wasn't oblivious to how it works.

"That dude, Sieben, is a huge douche. You'll be excluded from all of the discussions and looked down on, he'll be a jerk to you, and he'll most likely hit on you. It's not worth it." Natsu said honestly.

She felt as if she should go but she didn't want to question Natsu. "Thank you for your honesty."

"Of course, Luce," Natsu grinned, "I can be stupid sometimes, but I know that lying never helps anything."

Lucy had to chuckle at that. He wasn't wrong, but he was certainly selling himself short.

"Anyway, I should get going, I have a meeting with Erza but I wanted to talk to you first."

"Thank you for letting me know."

And with that, he turned and started towards the exit of the garden.

"Oh, wait, Natsu!" Lucy called, running to catch up with him.

Natsu quickly turned around, "Yeah?"

"When do you leave?" She asked.

"Tomorrow." He said, and he thought he saw a flash of disappointment on her face before deciding that he imagined it.

"Alright, I'll see you at dinner then!" And a smile worked its way onto both of their faces.

"Yup!" Natsu replied.

That night he walked into his and Lucy's bedroom and was surprised that she hadn't gone to bed yet. She was sitting at her vanity brushing her hair. 'She does have beautiful hair.' Natsu thought.

"What're you doing up?"

"Wendy wanted to go outside to watch the sunset and we got lost on our way back since it was dark." Lucy explained.

His eyes narrowed, "Are you okay?" He was… concerned?

"Yes, I'm fine. We had a good laugh about it once we got back." Lucy smiled.

Natsu stared at her for a while and she started getting self-conscious.

"Y'know, you're pretty alright, Luce." Natsu told her.

She couldn't figure out if it was a compliment or an insult, but knowing Natsu it was probably his version of a compliment.

"Thank you."

"Anyway, I'm goin' to bed." And with that, he disappeared into the closet only to come out a minute later in a plain shirt and pants. He fell onto the bed and was out before Lucy could even walk over herself.

Lucy pulled back the covers on her side and slid in. She observed her new husband who had saved her from Jude, albeit unknowingly, but Lucy still felt indebted to him. She hadn't known him very long, but she had learned quite a bit about him; he was an open book, so to say. He was not the smartest person in the world, but he was the most loyal, honorable person she had ever met, and that made up for the lack of intelligence.

The next morning Lucy woke to find, to her surprise, her head resting on Natsu's chest. The shock woke her up faster than Erza could. Nervousness permeated through her body. 'How did this happen?' She asked herself. She looked up to find a tranquil look on his face, he looked to still be asleep. Slowly, she began to lift her head and scooch away from him. She rolled over and prayed that he wasn't awake yet.

Lucy willed her face to cool. She stood up and decided to get dressed for the day. She walked into her closet that could be a room and dressed. When she walked back into the room she looked at the bed to find that Natsu was up and dressing as well. Lucy paused, 'When did he wake up? Did I disturb him?' The thoughts rushed through her head.

"Mornin', Luce, did'ya sleep well?" He asked, startling Lucy out of her reverie.

"Y-yeah," She stuttered, "I did. H-how about you?"

"I slept great!" He flashed her his typical toothy grin. "Do you want to go to breakfast?"

Lucy nodded, not wanting to speak any more than necessary for fear that her voice would betray her.

Breakfast was normal, with light conversation flowing between the five royals and the occasional servant.

After breakfast, Natsu was set to head off to Seven, for who knows how long.

The family stood on the steps of the grand castle to say their goodbyes. He went down the line, from Igneel to Grandeeney and then Wendy, giving hugs and getting encouragement. He was dreading the whole trip, but especially the carriage ride that would take a day and a half.

When he got to Lucy, he smiled and told her, "I am sorry that I have to leave so soon."

"I know." She responded with a smile.

Natsu noticed the carriage pull up, "I guess that's my cue."

"I'll see you when you get back." Lucy said.

And without warning, Natsu swooped down and kissed her. It wasn't anything crazy or scandalous, especially for a married couple saying goodbye for an indefinite amount of time, but it still took Lucy aback. She quickly recovered, hoping she had a neutral expression on and not one of stupefaction.

Natsu quickly made his way to the carriage and began his journey.

Lucy almost chased after him to question him, but she realized she wouldn't know what to ask.

As the carriage got small on the horizon, the family trio turned to reenter the castle and Lucy followed their lead.

Wendy wanted to spend time with Lucy, but her mother insisted on going to the library to read.

Lucy loved the young girl dearly, but she did require some time alone too. Lucy became conscious of the fact that her day was a blank slate, and since she did need some alone time she settled on a horseback ride.

She walked to the stables and, with much protest from the stable hand, tacked up Carla, and headed out. She chose an easy trail since she was on her own, and after a while, she remembered that this was the trail that Natsu had taken her on the first time they spent time together after their engagement. It felt like so long ago but only a month had passed.

Lucy traversed the well-beaten trail and came upon the well recognizable lake. She dismounted and led her horse to drink as she spread out a blanket and sat down. Even six weeks ago if you had told her she would be right there, right then, she would have no doubt laughed in your face.

She pulled out her favorite book and began to read. She had read these words hundreds, if not thousands of times. Her mother would read it to her when she was young, and once her Mother passed she read it herself. Books were her escape from the world. She relished the peace that they brought.

Silently she bowed her head and began to pray, to give thanks that everything was working out. Sure, she was flying blind to the future, but it was definitely looking up for her.

A/N: How are y'all doing? Well, I'm feeling great to have gotten the 12th chapter out. I did change my name, if anyone's wondering. I figured a fun name is better than a boring ol' name. As always, if anyone has anything they would like to say about the story please leave a review or PM me, it really helps me out. You cannot even imagine the smile on my face when I read them!

I hope you all are feeling wonderful and healthy! If anyone ever needs to talk, just lmk.

Love, Leanne