Casually started writing this in 2019 and I kept going back and forth on how I should end it and finally decided!

I watched The Princess staring Joey King and really wanted to post some princess x dragon material oop

enjoy!


The king locked the princess away many years ago after the death of his queen, not wanting to bother himself with even so much a sight of his grieving daughter or the stinging reminder her resemblance brought him.

She was sent off to live in a drab and dread castle no one bothered to remember to care for, a small estate archbishops and dukes used when traveling from kingdom to kingdom. Members of staff were employed to keep her healthy and alive; the only aspects of her life the king really cared for until the time would come when she was ready to send away, again, for marriage.

Pleasantly enough, her mother's things were also sent out of the castle along with her; books, clothing, bedsheets, crowns. Lucy had the spirit of her mother by her side, not that it helped much to dampen her feelings of loss and loneliness.

As she grew older, the staff grew smaller and smaller, and soon she was all who was left, goodbyes pardoned for the poor who received illness or those ordered to return to the main castle in Crocus, tired of being forgotten as well.

Lucy enjoyed taking care of herself, being able to do as she liked when she liked, although trained etiquette still burned true in her veins. Unlearning the proper ways to stand, eat, and walk were hard to reprogram as much as she wished they were.

She wondered someday if her father would ever send for her, or continue to keep her far beneath his reach in an old castle left to perish empty and alone. At least someone back home was thinking of her, or else her food deliveries would have stopped long ago.

"See you, Princess!" Zoldeo waved as his cart entered the distant horizon, Lucy waving back, sighing to herself as she was once again left without company.

The two always had somewhat pleasant conversations as they moved her grains, potatoes, and other perishables from the cart and into her kitchen, his words spinning tales of the constant buzzing lifestyle in the center of the kingdom. Lucy missed the busyness of the streets, horse hooves on cobblestones, children laughing and begging their parents for a treat.

She missed the festivals and fireworks, or really any sound that wasn't constant quiet wind. She wished to go back but never braved leaving farther than the garden in fear of getting lost in the surrounding woods without a guide to help her find her way out.

The princess turned on her heel as the servant was now out of sight, flinching at the sound of the leaves rustled behind her back. It was probably a bunny, she assured herself, hoping to be able to treat it with a carrot if it trusted her scent enough. A whimper revealed itself instead, whoever behind the leaves unable to breach them.

"W...Who's there? Are you alright?" Lucy called as she edged closer to the boundary of the trees, peering ever so slightly into the shaded area. She gasped, eyes casting over an injured dragon nearly twice her height, wings furled and trying to hide the gash on his side that dripped with blood.

"Oh goodness, are you alright?!" She asked as she stepped over the shrubbery to observe him more closely. He growled as she tried to carelessly touch his scales, Lucy backing away with an apology.

"Let me help you, okay? I promise I'll be gentle," Her smile was soft and she held a hand for him to sniff. His snout pat her palm as he accepted her scent, gruffing in approval to allow her to continue. Lucy thanked him as he pulled away his wing, eyes wide as she took in the entirety of his injuries.

"Let me see your eyes," She mumbled to his craning head, the color a deep yellow, his corneas muddled and shaky. "Oh goodness, you're poisoned…"

"Well, you're lucky to have made it so close to my home," She scratched the underside of his chin lightly. "Do you think you can walk? I'd be able to help you a lot better if you come inside. I've studied my mother's medicine books, so I should know what to do,"

It was a rather grueling task, one Lucy would be grateful never have to do again. She helped the dragon to his feet, wincing as he did, apologizing for stirring his pain. They hobbled around the side of her castle and aimed for the much grander front entrance through which he'd be able to fit. They plopped against the harder tile floor, Lucy groaning as she fell to her back by his side, wiping the sweat having trailed from her hairline.

"I have not carried so much as an apple basket compared to even the slightest bit of you, Sir Dragon," She puffed, receiving only but a glance as he adjusted himself. The foyer was quite large, stairs coming from either the west and east wing to meet at the center of the palace, a large painting of the late queen hanging above them. She moved to close the large wooden doors, dragon sat curled in the middle of the room.

"Not as comfortable as it could be, I know," She spoke more to herself than the dragon, if he could even understand what she was saying as she moved to ascend her staircase. "But I'm much more comfortable having you move again once we close that awful wound. Let me gather some supplies and hurry before that gets any more infected."

There was only so much the princess could do in this empty home of hers, reading being the most common and effective escape. Books were able to take her to far away lands, lead her on adventures with the friends she made every page, find ways out of sticky situations and conquer villains thought to have been unbeatable.

After reading all the fictional books she could get her hands on, there were those of a more boring genre but provided Lucy with valuable information. She enjoyed those on gardening and apothecary, taking into account which plants outside were safe for her to eat and those she could turn into salves or soaps, ointments to ale ailments she may mysteriously encounter.

She collected jars of her creations, reusing ones from her jams and marmalades, Zoldeo often arriving with empty ones she had asked for. Bandages and thick thread as well, she had a knack for sewing dresses and attempted her hand at a pillow suture, just in case. The stories she read were wonderful at sending the message to be prepared. Of course Lucy just liked learning in general and was glad if any of her skills could come in handy; but having to care for a dragon may not have been one she anticipated.

He watched as she came back with an armful of jars and white rolls, setting them down in front of him before she made her way towards her kitchen, telling him she would be needing water and rags as well.

"I'm glad it's just us here, otherwise I'm sure someone would have a fit over the mess I'm about to make," She laughed, setting down the sloshing bucket next to him. The cut wasn't long but appeared deep and possibly nicked a vein that more speedily exposed his bloodstream to the effects of the poison. She took a mortar and pestle, picking dried leaves out of several jars to crush them together in almost a near fine powder.

"I'm going to mix this into the water to help clean out anything that might be in your wound," She explained, popping open another jar with sticky white paste. "Now, is it alright if I help you fall asleep?"

He gruffed and shook his head, almost glaring at the blonde for suggesting what could be an opportunity for her to easily betray him, unable to offer much trust to the girl he just met.

"That's alright," She chuckled, smearing the paste below his nostrils with her thumb. "This should help ease the sting of me clearing your injury, don't lick it or you will fall asleep,"

"Now please, try not to hurt me while I do this," Lucy sighed with a nervous smile, petting the dragon from the base of a horn down his neck, satisfied as he released a soft purr.

She took one of the few clean rags and dipped it into the water before ringing it out above the jagged cut. He howled at the feeling, tail thwomping against the floor as she continued, gobs of clustered blood sticking to leaves and small twigs, small pebbles and rocks flooding out.

"Shh, it's okay," She reassured him and cleaned around the wound as well before preparing to stitch him up. The dragon whimpered as she pressed the edges together, dipping her needle into the remaining water before piercing through his scaled hide. Luckily, the majority of the injury was closer to the soft underbelly of his skin, making it a slightly faster process but still uncomfortable as he continued to cry out.

"Now this," She gestured to another jar of thicker, gloopy-looking ointment. "Will help heal you faster, I'll apply it every day until there's nothing but a scar,"

Lucy smiled as he became dazed, head falling by her side as she washed away the remaining blood and brushed her fingers carefully over the stitching. She stood up after pasting his bandages on, sighing at the bloody slosh around them, pushing up her sleeves as she went to retrieve fresh water and a mop.

"Let's make you something to eat, something to get rid of that poison, hmm? But not too much, I don't want your stomach pressing on your wound." She huffed and wiped the sweat from her brow, the dragon having laid still while she cleaned up the aftermath. He folded his wings as she walked away, returning some time later with a grunt or two, heaving a pot of stew in front of him.

"You sure are making a lady sweat, Sir Dragon. I hope it's not too hot, but I'm sure you won't mind it. You breathe fire, don't you?" She smiled as he nodded, dipping into the pot with a sniff. "There are a lot of herbs, to help get rid of those nasty toxins. I'd hate to know whoever tried to hurt you. Not a hunter I hope?" He shook his head, mildly lapping at the soup to curb his hunger.

"Something else in the woods?" She gasped as he nodded, Lucy's hand stroking softly against the scales of his neck as she watched him eat. "Goodness…I'll do my best to be careful going outside, hopefully whatever it was has already gone away."

"It's gotten quite late, I didn't even notice the time," She yawned gracefully behind her hand after returning from the kitchen again. The dragon had curled in on himself, eye glancing as she gave him one last scratch for the day.

"Will you be alright sleeping by yourself? Do you need a blanket?" His chest seemed to rise with a chuckle and another shake of his head, his eyes closing as they rested against his claws.

"I'll be upstairs if you need anything...do you have a name? I think it's a bit rude to simply call you 'Dragon'. Although I doubt you can answer," She giggled, kneeling to his side. "Shall I call you Gonzales?"

He seemed to turn sour at the name, disagreeing instantly as she pouted.

"No one likes that name, I personally think it's cute," She humphed. "How about... Hono? It means flame,"

He shook his head again, gesturing to a tapestry hanging above her with a large sun needle-pointed into it.

"The sun? Taiyo?"

He disagreed, continuing to nod towards the tapestry in suggestion.

"Summer, maybe? Natsu?" She laughed as he nodded, clapping her hands together.

"Natsu it is! Well then, goodnight, Natsu." Lucy gave him a chaste kiss upon the tip of his snout before gracefully taking her leave to her room upstairs, happy to finally take off her dampened and heavy dress, greatly in need of a soothing and scented bath.

She yawned as the sun shone brightly on her edge of the woods, coaxing her to move out of bed and get ready for the day. The princess dressed in much lighter clothing this time, excited as she skipped down her stairs to the one she was taking care of.

"Good morning, Natsu!" She chirped as she opened the curtains, the dragon grunting as the sunlight flooded in. "It's a bit improper to be so loud, but I never get to greet anyone in the morning." The princess sighed as he lifted himself for her to inspect his eyes.

"Oh good, they're not so murky anymore. I'll make us some breakfast and then give you a bath, hmm? That should help make you feel better. Some more ointment and fresh bandages too."

Natsu seemed too tired to care either way as she walked off to conduct their day. He lazily opened an eye as she came back with another soup again in its large pot, listing their ingredients and benefits before going to fetch a bucket of water, bringing down a whole collection of jars again to mix bubbly water and began to scrub him with a content smile.

"Do you like that? What a good boy," She giggled as he purred, Lucy brushing along his tail, the dragon wagging it and turning to nudge her with his snout. The bristles continued to stimulate his scales, Natsu almost ready to roll over at the tickling sensation. He licked her cheek lightly as she moved along his back and over the patterned spikes, Lucy laughing and caressing his head as it rested on her shoulder. He mumbled and pressed against her as she made her way up his horns, sighing delightfully under the soothing attention.

"Now that we're done," The blonde hummed as she pasted on his clean bandages. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"This one is one of my favorites," Lucy sighed as she set down a stack of books she was all too eager to bring down and share with the dragon. "Although I don't think you'd be too happy that the prince tries to defeat the dragon, hmm?" She giggled as he shook his head.

"It's a lovely story I always thought, my mother would read it to me whenever I was upset. I think it's wonderful when he rescues his princess at the end,"

"Oh, goodness, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" She smiled as she stood from her place at his side, taking the edges of her skirt to offer a deep curtsy.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia of Fiore," His eyes seemed to widen as she bowed to him. "My father sent me here after my mother's passing if you're curious as to why I'm so far from home." The conversation fell short as she sat back down, pulling a book from the stack as she turned to him with a smile.

"This is a story about my best friends. My mother wrote it for me,"

And so, Lucy spent her days eager to finally wake up with someone by her side, not literally, but caring for the dragon was enough to fill the loneliness she had been experiencing all these years. They would eat together and she would redress his wound, occasionally give him baths as well. The two spent most of their time curled with Lucy leaning against his neck, the princess going on to read him each of her favorite books, dramatizing the adventures and trying her best to make them come to life, thoroughly embarrassed when all the dragon would do was look at her with a sideways glance.

There were nights she fell asleep against the dragon while she was in the middle of reading, his tail always covering her in lieu of a blanket. She'd wake up dreary and warm, quick to apologize for drooling on his scales, not that he seemed to mind.

One night, the princess woke up to a loud thumping from the floor below her, startled as a howling rose and traveled through the halls. She gasped and jumped out of bed, tripping over the train of her nightgown as she grabbed a lit lantern and rushed to the dragon's aid.

"Natsu! Natsu, are you okay?!" Lucy called as she ran through the long hallway, catching her breath at the top of the stairs as she held the light, trying to see him from over the balcony. She heard the thumping resonate from his position below, the dragon letting out a loud whine that called her forward.

She whisked down the steps and fell to his side, holding the light to his face, sighing in somewhat relief as she saw his eyes shut tightly. His tail continued to thump against the marble flooring and his paws grappled with the air and wings twitching, wanting to open up. Lucy moved to observe his wound, glad to see that it was still bandaged and the stitches hadn't come undone.

"Goodness...just a bad dream. Don't worry, I'm here now," She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, cooing as she tried to soothe him back to sleep. His tossing and twitching quickly calmed at her touch, Lucy's hand running softly along his scales as his head fell to her shoulder. His warmth was enough to lull her back to a night of comfortable sleep, both nodding off quickly.

Natsu woke up the next morning with a relieved feeling settled on his chest, curious as to why the girl was wrapped around his neck. He poked her thigh with his muzzle, stirring the princess awake.

"...mmn...is it morning already?" Lucy yawned, stretching her arms and smacking her lips as she watched Natsu nod.

"You were having a bad dream last night, are you okay?" She giggled as the dragon licked her cheek and sighed as she scratched lightly under his jaw. "I'll take that as a yes."

"I'll go get dressed and make us some breakfast," As Lucy stood up, Natsu found his eyes lingering on her nightgown-clad form. The sun broke through the curtains and illuminated the white and thin fabric. The gown was long and reached her toes, the shadow of her body showing through. the curve of her legs, plump of her behind, the silhouette of her back. The dragon rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes for another moment as he waited for her return.

It wasn't long before she came back down in one of her usual ball gowns before whisking herself away to the kitchen, humming all the while she cooked. Natsu's stomach growled as the smell of meat wafted under his nose.

"I thought that you should start regaining your strength, so something more filling is good for you," She giggled as he practically drooled over the steak and eggs she'd prepared for him and a quarter the size of his portion made for her. "I think today is a good day for us to go out, hmm? I think your wound should be closed well enough now,"

Lucy giggled as Natsu nodded while stuffing his snout in the small mountain of food she made him.

After finishing her own meal, Lucy unraveled the previous day's bandages and sighed with a smile as she looked upon the pinkened and healthy skin of his underbelly.

"Oh, wonderful! Your injury is practically almost healed! It's still tender so I don't recommend moving around too much, but it'll be good to start walking,"

She smiled as he nodded, already taking the initiative to stand on his feet, slowly stretching his underworked limbs.

"Take your time, okay? I'm going to go pick some strawberries. We can make a cake to celebrate your recovery! Explore the castle all you want while I'm out."

Natsu growled, lifting his snout from his meal. He shook his head and nipped at the end of her dress in an attempt to pull her back.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long." She pat him lightly on the head, smiling as she shook her skirt loose.

Lucy exited through the servant's entrance in the kitchen, taking a large basket out along with her. She laughed to herself, hoping that Natsu wouldn't get too lonely without her.

And it wasn't like she was going anywhere too far away, the strawberry bushes were just around the other side of the castle. She'd be back inside in a few minutes, getting their cake ready and maybe a picnic lunch. Natsu's portion would be tough to carry, but the fresh air would do him some good. Maybe he'd been wanting to stretch out, to make use of his wings. Surely the dragon couldn't stand being cooped up for so long.

"Maybe he'll take off as soon as he can," She sighed solemnly to herself, trying to avoid the pessimistic thoughts that had been occupying her mind for a while now.

There was no doubt that he had his own home…his own family, his own friends. Lucy was just a convenient stop on his way back to them. And she couldn't stop him from wanting to live his life.

Lucy took her time combing through the bushes for the brightest berries, wanting their dessert to be as perfect as possible.

She hummed to herself, unaware of the shadows shifting between the trees, her back turned to any suspicious behavior.

She stood up straight. Letting out a huff as she stretched her stiffened back, smiling at the berries collected from this one bush.

"Onto the ne—"

"Oi, Kinana, I was right," Lucy paled at the sight of the gigantic purple snake slithering out from the woods, lips quivering underneath the sudden palm that silenced her voice. "This freaky little human has him cooped up inside!"

"I bet this is one of those poachers Jellal told us about, she probably nabbed him while he was bleedin' out! The witch!" She struggled for breath, anxiously hyperventilating as the snake nodded along to whoever had her restrained. Her hands shook at her side, Lucy unsure of what was going on. Were they talking about Natsu? What poachers? She barely knew dragons were real save for the one she'd been nursing over the past month.

"I'll go look for him, so you—"

"Get the hell off of her, Cobra!" Another voice entered from behind them, ripping the strange man from her person as they both shouted. "What do you think you're doin'?!"

"Saving your ass, duh! This witch was keeping you locked up!" Lucy was knocked onto her behind as this 'Cobra' was torn from her, fear still squared on her shoulders as the snake glared at her.

"She's not a witch, quit saying that! And Kinana, you're freakin' her out! Shrink down already!"

"I-I'm sorry!" A lavender cloud of smoke cleared to reveal a peasant-looking girl, tears welling in her eyes as she sank to her knees.

"We were so worried! When I went home to get help, I forgot where I left you! Jellal got mad, saying you could've been stolen and that scared us even more!"

"That's no reason to grab a girl like that, idiots," The voice grumbled as he approached them, Lucy slowly turning her head to face a tuft of pink hair crouched at her side. "Lucy's a princess, not a witch."

"Princess? Macbeth said those were worse than witches," Cobra shuddered as he approached to comfort Kinana. "Where are all the knights? I thought they killed dragons for fun,"

"There…there are no knights…" Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat, nervously looking around as her heart hammered in her chest. "And even if there were…I'd never let them hurt an innocent creature."

"Doubt it," Cobra huffed as he met her eyes. "The only reason Natsu got hurt was because some freak poacher in the woods tried to take Kinana for himself. Humans rarely ever have boundaries."

"...Natsu?" She blinked, the pink-haired boy waving a sheepish hand.

"I was havin' a hard time being able to transform," He chuckled awkwardly. "Otherwise I woulda said somethin' a lot sooner,"

"You're…Natsu…?" She blanched, Cobra raising an eyebrow as he sensed a slight air of tension.

"Maybe she's not a poacher. I don't think they're this dumb."

"Lucy isn't dumb! She helped me out and nursed me back to health. She's a really nice person, so don't go grabbin' her out of nowhere again." There was a slight growl in his words, Cobra raising his hands defensively as he nodded his head.

"Fine, Fine! I'm not tryna start a fight, okay? But you're better, right? Let's go home then, everyone's been lookin' all over for ya. They'll be glad to see you're okay."

Lucy gulped as Natsu helped her to her feet, the woven basket staying forgotten on the ground.

"Oh, yes, if your family is worried, you should definitely go," She wanted to take those words back, but his place wasn't here. And neither was her's, really. One day she'd have a family of her own, whenever her father decided to make it so. "I was just saying so this morning, hm? Your wound is all better now,"

"Luce," She stiffened at his voice, not used to the fact her silent companion could actually speak. That he had eyes and lips just like hers, that he could express such sorrow that she almost hoped he'd stay with her. "I don't want to leave you here all by yourself."

"I've been alone for a while now," She laughed, pushing her feelings further behind a fake smile. "It's okay, I know you have to go."

"We're not opposed to outsiders," Kinana spoke up, noticing the way Natsu wouldn't let go of her hand. "And having a real princess around would be so much fun! None of the other dragons have ever been able to steal a real princess!"

"That's because that crap's a myth!" Cobra hissed at her, pouting as he folded his arms. "But she's right, this place looks like it sucks anyways."

"Please? You'd like it there, I just know it. I have all the books you could ever read and a garden you can do whatever you'd like with? Your father doesn't deserve to have you waiting around for him anymore," Natsu raised her hand in his hold, Lucy blushing at the intensity of his gaze. "I've been wanting to ask you to come home with me for a while now, I'm sorry I couldn't say it sooner."

"Really?" Lucy's smile brightened as he nodded quickly.

"Really! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone else, they'll just love you!"


It feels a little weird to post something that doesn't sound familiar since I feel like my writing style is completely different compared to 2019 loool so no judgement

Please check out more of my work if you're interested! I'm also on tumblr and a03!