I'm sorry I haven't been active for a while but I've been really struggling lately with personal reasons. But I'm back now :) so hopefully the story is going to continue as normal.
~Chapter Thirteen~
"Is everything okay Lucy?" Grandine asked as she spotted her uncomfortable expression in the mirror. The two women were currently in Lucy's closet, Lucy sat down in her chair by the desk at the far corner and Grandine standing behind her, her hands entwined in her blonde locks. Today was the day. The most important day in Lucy's whole life. Coronation Day.
Naturally, Lucy had to look her best, a vision of beauty and grace for her first impression as queen. Grandine took it upon herself to pamper Lucy, wanting to make the girl more comfortable with her presence. Traditionally, the queen would be styled by a lady's maid but Grandine thought it would only stress Lucy more. The older woman was beyond thankful that Lucy had decided to grow out her hair instead of cutting it back to its short length. She lightly curled her hair, letting it flow down her back gracefully and pinned back a few strands at the side to pull focus towards her face. Grandine had also applied some light makeup to accentuate Lucy's beauty. Lucy had finally felt confident with her mismatched eye so she no longer hid it behind an eye patch. They hadn't gotten onto dressing Lucy yet, so the blonde was still sat in a white bath robe.
Lucy sighed, her eyes wandering to her hands on her lap. "I'm scared Grandine." The white haired woman frowned at Lucy in the mirror. "I imagine you must be, you're still young, you're only 24, you want to have freedom but you'll be responsible for a whole kingdom now." Lucy's expression tightened, Grandine's words making her feel more pressure. Grandine had begun pinning in diamond pins to decorate Lucy's hair. "You can look at it that way, or you can think-"
Grandine was interrupted by a male voice behind them. "I'm 24 and I'm running a damn kingdom. I'm fierce and powerful and nothing's gonna pull me down." Lucy and Grandine turned to see Igneel grinning at the pair of them. Igneel was already dressed in his own fine clothes. Lucy beamed at the visit whilst Grandine rolled her eyes at his interruption. "That's not quite what I was going to say but I guess it will do." Grandine said as Lucy got up to hug Igneel. "What brings you here?" Lucy asked but didn't really care about the answer, she was just glad he was here.
"I just came by to see you before your big day." Lucy smiled at Igneel. "Thanks Igneel, it's good to see you." The red head grinned. "Of course it is." Grandine shook her head at his cockiness. "Do you mind Igneel? I need to get Lucy dressed and you're distracting her." Igneel shrugged. "Fine fine, I'll just wait in her bedroom." Igneel closed the door behind him and Lucy returned to her seat. Grandine muttered to herself about Igneel whilst pinning in the few final decorative pins. Lucy smiled at Grandine, the petty comments taking her mind off the stress weighing on her shoulders.
"There, all done." Grandine smiled, her hands placed gently on Lucy's shoulders. Lucy grinned at her reflection, feeling the most beautiful ever before in her life. "Wow, I look amazing." Grandine didn't let the moment last too long before she went to get Lucy's coronation clothes from her own bedroom. Demeter had sent Gaia to get the best seamstresses from Earthland to create Lucy's coronation clothes and it was kept a surprise until the day came. It wasn't long before Grandine returned with a red velvet case. "Close your eyes, you can open them to see the finished look." Grandine ordered. Lucy obeyed and shut her eyes. She didn't peek, also intrigued by the suspense of what her clothes would look like.
It took all of Lucy's strength not to peak, her curiosity growing with each passing second. Grandine could sense the blonde's eagerness. With a smile, she tutted at Lucy. "No peaking now, the end result will be worth it." Lucy nodded. Lucy knew that she was in a grand dress and couldn't wait to hear Grandine pull up the back zipper, the signal that she could finally open her eyes. Lucy bit her lip to hold back her excitement. Her nerves were overpowered by the dream every little girl had of wearing a big beautiful gown fir for a queen. "You can open your eyes now." Lucy could not have opened her eyes any faster than she did, and they remained open from shock. She couldn't believe what her eyes were staring at in the mirror. "Woah..." Grandine was stood behind Lucy, her hands wiping away the tears welling up in her eyes.
The dress was far more beautiful than Lucy could ever have imagined. It had an off-shoulder neckline with white coloured chiffon sleeves and a jewelled corset. The crystals twinkled as the lights hit them. The dress had a ball gown skirt made of the same white coloured chiffon and the jewels from the corset trickled down onto the top of the skirt and lightly decorated the base of the skirt, but not too much so it wouldn't weigh down the fabric. The skirt was floor length and had a small train at the back. Grandine had also placed crystal slippers on Lucy's feet. They surprisingly felt just like regular heels. Her hands and neck were accessorised with similar crystals, just enough to not outshine the handiwork of the corset. "It's beautiful." Lucy recognised her appearance instantly. This dress was featured in one of the visions Demeter had shown her when she first set foot in the Dragon Realm.
"Demeter will be so proud of you Lucy." Grandine choked out. Lucy turned around to give the woman a hug, ever so thankful for her. "Thank you, for everything." Lucy sniffled, pulling away from Grandine. "Right, I need to get myself ready now, so unfortunately, you'll be in the company of Igneel for now." Lucy chuckled at her remark before following the woman out of her dressing room.
"How many more times Metalhead? I don't know how long they're gonna be!" As soon as Grandine opened the door, the pair of them could hear Igneel arguing with Metalicana. "What are you buffoons arguing about now?" Grandine sighed, annoyed at their childish behaviour. Igneel and Metalicana both turned their heads towards the girls and their jaws hit the floor at the sight of their future queen. "Woah..." They gasped in unison, their eyes glued to the vision before them. Lucy blushed at the attention, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "My son missed out big time." Metalicana's words earned a knock to the head from Grandine.
"I'll say." Igneel chuckled, his eyes still staring at Lucy. Grandine rolled her eyes before giving up. "I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you soon Lucy." The woman smiled at the blonde before she left the room. Now that Grandine was gone, Lucy felt a little uncomfortable with their gazes. "Alright, you can stop staring now." Lucy joked, shaking her head at their behaviour. Thankfully, they shook out of their dazes and pulled themselves together. "Sorry Luce, you're just so beautiful, you're gonna have to get used to being stared at now." Igneel grinned. Metalicana nodded his head in agreement.
"Where's Demeter?" Lucy asked them, wanting her mother figure to glimpse at her creation. "She's already outside making sure everything's in place." Metalicana answered. Lucy smiled. "Thank you." She began to walk out of the room when something caught her eye. "Wait, where are my keys?" Igneel waved his hand at Lucy. "Don't worry, Demeter has them, she's polishing them or something." Lucy raised an eyebrow at his answer, confused. Why would Demeter take my keys? She didn't say anything else before leaving her room to find Demeter, Igneel and Metalicana followed shortly after.
Lucy found Demeter easily; her magic had reduced so much lately that she was unable to transform to her human form, having to remain in her dragon form. She was taken back at all of the decorations for her coronation, everything looked so regal and elegant. "Demeter." Lucy called for her attention, making Demeter turn around. The dragon queen welled up instantly at the sight of the Lucy, the girl she considered a daughter. "I am speechless." The two exchanged smiles before Demeter's tired expression perked up. "I have a surprise for you." Demeter swirled her tail behind her, brought it forward and presented a small velvet box to Lucy.
"What is it?" Lucy asked as she gently picked it up off the ground. "Open it." Lucy bit her lip and smiled at Demeter. She slowly opened the box, anxious to see what Demeter had gifted her. She gasped as she lifted the lid. Inside the box was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but a pendant with one of Demeter's golden scales framed in an intricate silver carving, the handiwork of Metalicana, she presumed. "It's beautiful." Demeter smiled. "I'm glad you like it. You can put it on now if you'd like?" Lucy nodded happily and clasped the necklace around her neck. The pendant rested at the top of her corset, matching the dress perfectly.
"Now you have something to remember me by." Demeter smiled sadly. Lucy frowned. "What do you mean 'remember'?" Demeter sighed, a look of guilt and sorrow etched on her face. "Lucy... I-" "Princess!" Demeter was interrupted by a familiar voice. Lucy turned her head to find all of her spirits walking towards her, Loki at the front of the crowd and holding all of their keys in his hand. Forgetting the conversation with Demeter, she excused herself from Demeter and walked towards her spirits with a huge grin, overjoyed to see them. "How are you all here? I would have opened all of your gates for today but Grandine said I wasn't allowed to even lift a finger today." Lucy chuckled. Loki hugged his master tightly. "The Celestial King granted us each enough power to open our own gates to witness your coronation, apparently he was 'returning a favour to an old friend'." Loki smiled at Demeter.
"That's great!" Lucy went around her other spirits, hugging them tightly. "Are you nervous Miss Lucy?" Aries asked, worried about her master's emotions. A coronation is a stressful event after all. Lucy beamed at Aries, nodding her head. "A little bit but it's nothing to worry about, I'm sure anyone would have jitters." A few of the spirits nodded and murmured in agreement. The sound of heavy footsteps pulled Lucy from her conversation, turning to find Demeter standing over her. "Come walk with me." Her voice was soft but left no room for disagreement.
Lucy said goodbye to her spirits and began her aimless wander with Demeter. "Where are we going?" The blonde asked, craning her head to get a glimpse of Demeter's face. The dragon smiled and shrugged. "Nowhere. Anywhere. I thought perhaps a walk would help your nerves." Lucy smiled at the sentiment. "Thank you, it does." Demeter lead the pair into the forest they were still pretty close to the coronation site, not wanting to wander too far away.
"I want to thank you Lucy." The blonde raised an eyebrow at the dragon, utterly confused. "Why? I haven't done anything." Demeter smiled and brought their walk to a stop, opting to sit down so not to tire herself or Lucy out. "You gave me everything you had to offer. You put your heart and soul into your training. You accepted a future full of duties and responsibilities. You secured the future of the Dragon Realm. And for that, I thank you. I know you'll be a wonderful queen." Lucy frowned. "None of this wouldn't have been possible it if wasn't for you Demeter... I just did what you told me to." Lucy looked at the ground, unable to look at Demeter. Demeter soon mirrored Lucy's frown and sighed. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
Lucy raised her head to face Demeter. "What does that mean?" Demeter smiled, lowering her head to get closer to Lucy. "It means all of this was because of you. Nobody had forced you to stay or train or become a very important piece of this family. You could have left anytime you liked, but you didn't. You persevered because deep down, you know how powerful you are. You have a whole kingdom who adores you even before being their queen." Lucy beamed at Demeter, getting a boost of confidence and inspiration from her mother figure. "Thank you. But I still couldn't have done any of this without you." Lucy reached up to hug Demeter's head.
"Come, you wouldn't want to miss your own coronation, would you?" Demeter smiled down at the blonde as she moved to stand up, trailing back out the forest. "It looks like the seats are filling up now, I think your coronation will be starting soon." Lucy glanced up at Demeter with a hidden smile as they made it towards the ceremony space. "Go on now, I'll be watching you with pride in my heart." Demeter gently nudged Lucy towards the aisle as the orchestra had begun to play a traditional coronation hymn. "Rise in the presence of your future queen."
Lucy felt her heart beat a mile a minute with each feeble step she took down the row of chairs and piercing gazes. She kept her eyes straight, not wanting to make accidental eye contact and panic. She could feel her palms accumulate with sweat, her confidence suddenly dropping. She had thought she was ready for this huge commitment, but apparently she was wrong.
'...You have a whole kingdom who adores you...' '...I'm 24 and I'm running a damn kingdom...' Lucy smiled slightly to herself. Her family's words echoing in her mind, encouraging her. They were right. 'I'm 24 and I'm a queen for god's sake! I'm an Elemental Dragon Slayer! Why am I so afraid? I've got this.' From that moment on, she felt a heaviness leave her and she let out a large breath of relief. As she made her way to the steps of the stage, the orchestra quietened and the reverend spoke. "Is your Majesty willing to take the Oath?" Lucy took her final steps and sighed. "I am willing."
"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"
"I will."
"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the Laws of the Dragons?"
"I will."
"Will you to your power serve, protect and nourish the subjects and the land of your kingdom?"
"To all of this I will do."
There was a small silence as the crown and scepter were presented to the reverend. Lucy tilted her head slightly as the reverend placed the crown upon her head. It was made of diamond with gems of all colours embedded into it's intricate design. To Lucy's surprise, it didn't weigh her head down too much. "May I present the Queen of the Dragon Realm; her Majesty, Queen Lucy Hearfilia!" The crowd that had been so silent had now erupted into cheers and whistles. The reverend handed Lucy the scepter, which appeared to be made out of gold, a dragon carved to look as though it was crawling to the top of the scepter, its scales made of diamonds and its eyes made of rubies. Lucy turned around to face her subjects, tears brimming at her eyes.
She glanced around the open space to see spirits, humans, dragons and creatures of all kinds grinning and cheering before her. She felt adored and prized. Gripping the scepter, she felt a surge of power flood through her, travelling through her veins. A blinding white light surrounded Lucy, the Dragon Realm gifting her untold powers in return for her devotion. Words could not describe how Lucy felt in that moment, but one thing was for sure.
This was a moment she would remember until the end of time.