"A new era for the kingdom."

"The new Queen of Fiore."

"Long live the queen!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, all of Crocus did and Hisui made sure they saw their new queen. She smiled but it wasn't without unease.

Hisui leaned closer to the railing of the balcony, waving to the people celebrating but behind her she heard the servants and attendants murmur.

"Are you sure she can do it?"

"Why did the king have to abdicate?"

"She is way too young and inexperienced."

They didn't have faith in her. Not after what happened at the Eclipse Project. They deserved a strong queen. Someone who could protect them in times of danger.

Not someone unreliable and weak.

"Brighten up Hisui, kabo!" her father grinned at her and was quite a bit tipsy from joy and alcohol. Maybe too much.

"Your majesty, you should cut back on the drinks. It's unbecoming of the king," reminded Darton, the minister of defence and old friend of the king. His face held the usual stern expression towards the retiring king.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Darton," Hisui's father laid an arm around him and forced him into a dance of two short old men. "Besides, I am not the king anymore. My daughter will do amazingly and I can retire in peace, kabo!"

"Wait, no dancing, the guests-"

Hisui laughed at how her father carried the entire mood of the hall. Dancing, drinking and laughing, effectively infecting everyone to do the same.

"Why so glum, princess?"

"Arcadios!" Hisui clapped her hands when she recognised the voice of Arcadios, the most loyal knight in the kingdom. Wearing his white lily armour he was the personification of a prestigious knight, ready to protect the entire kingdom by himself. "What do you mean by glum? I am quite in a jovial mood."

"Are you, I wonder?" Arcadios raised an eyebrow, they knew each other for a long time. He was the one person she trusted the most and therefore he knew when she was in a bad mood. "You are worried whether you are worthy of becoming queen, aren't you?"

Hisui failed to remain casual and tightened the grip on her dress. "How did you know?"

"It showed. Your face smiles but your browns are furrowed and sometimes sweat rolls down your cheek," he pointed out and her eyes wandered to the ground. "What are you worried about? You will do great, you know?"

"I wonder," she said meekly. "I can't stop thinking how ill-suited I am for this. Every time something bad happens to the country I am unable to do anything or I am at fault. And then someone else has to try and fix these problems, like Fairy Tail. Let's be honest, not even with the Eclipse Spirits was I any more useful. Lucy and Yukino did everything."

Arcadios nodded, listening closely to what Hisui was saying. "You are worried to be a failure of a queen, aren't you?"

Hisui was silent, she didn't respond except with a frown paired with a sad smile.

"You do know you can't carry everything alone. Do you?"

"Maybe, but I would still want to do more - no, I need to. I might not feel ready to be queen but I will do my best," the next smile was more confident and Arcadios returned it with a confident grin.

"Then as your knight, I will make sure to do anything in my power to make the kingdom prosper under your rule, my queen."

The festivities of the day continued without incident. Drinks came. Everyone danced and Hisui tried to talk to the guests as much as she could. Everything was fine until the most important ceremony of the day arrived.

The coronation.

With her father to one side holding her hand and Arcadios following closely behind her Hisui walked up to the archbishop from the zentopia church. In his hands was the crown of Fiore.

Hisui went down to one knee and presented her head. Her jade green hair billowed from her shoulders.

"Hisui E. Fiore," the archbishop began, bringing any noise coming from the crow to a halt. The silence was eerie and after a long pause, he continued solemnly. "Do you swear to protect the country, the people and every living being on these lands the moment you become queen?"

"I solemnly promise to do so," Hisui answered, feeling the hesitation in her growing.

"Will you, to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"

"I will."

The vows continued, growing heavier on Hisui with every answer she gave. She knew she wasn't the right one, and never was as she was constantly dependent on others. She was not strong enough to become queen and knew it.

Glancing over to her father who stood beside the bishop she saw him smile confidently. She knew she had to go through it, at least for him.

He held so much trust in her. Her father expected she would do well but Hisui thought otherwise. She would fail to become a reliable queen.

"For the last vow," the archbishop spoke and Hisui felt the ground crack underneath her. "Will you do the utmost of your power to protect everything this kingdom stands on? Will you not relinquish to chaos and disorder? Hisui E. Fiore, are you ready to take the crown as queen?"

"I-I" Hisui stuttered, her brain filled was filled with doubt.

She needed the courage to say yes, anything to confirm she was the right one for this position. But before she could answer the grand halls of the palace broke into disarray with the arrival of more guests.

"I'm sorry we are late but we were quite delayed," a woman laughed in a loud and venomous way. Her black hair was tied in a bun with a golden hairpin holding it in place with only her bangs framing her face.

Her golden eyes pierced like a hot furnace with per pink coloured lips curving a smile that sent shivers down your spine when you looked at her.

Just as frightening as she was was also the army of men and women behind her, wearing an assortment of red and black armour, finished up with white masks. In their hands, they held no weapons but anyone knew that coming close to them would bring nothing but pain.

"Who are you and how dare you interfere in this important ceremony!" Darton yelled, approaching the scary woman with poise. He wasn't afraid and came closer to her while everyone else stood frozen in place. "I demand answers, how did you enter this place? Who are you?"

"Who we are?" the woman laughed stridently and everyone took a step back from her. "My name is Azula, remember it well because I am your new queen and Firelord," her eyes locked on to Hisui who instinctively flinched. "Step down girlie, you are not fit to be queen."

Her laugh reverberated from the grand halls and struck terror in Hisui. She wouldn't be able to step up against that woman if she valued her life.

"Guards, apprehend this vile woman!" ordered Darton and the guards immediately stepped up and pointed their weapons at Azula who felt underwhelmed by it.

She wasn't faced by their bravado as her own army moved forth and conjured fire from their fists.

Cutting two large lines of fire into the halls the guards were defeated without effort and the guests broke out in cries and screams and ran to the nearest exit.

What then came next was even more horrible. In Azula's palm, she held a tiny blue flame which she shot right at Darton. It quickly expanded into a massive fireball that exploded upon contact and enveloped the ground and walls in bright flames.

"Ho, there seems to be someone quite capable." She referred to Arcadios who protected Darton with his body. His white armour was partially scorched black and the cape was gone into a pile of ash.

Whatever magic spell Azula used was almost as strong as Natsu's flames, concluded Hisui.

"We need to run, let's go," her father grabbed her by the hand and they found themselves running only to find all exits blocked by more soldiers from the fire nation.

They were trapped and what they saw next was Arcadios being catapulted right into the wall next to them. A spray of blue fire scorched away his armour and made his body smoke.

He could barely stand on his feet but continued to hold up his silvery sword nonetheless. "I will not let you take her!" Arcadios bellowed and unleashed a series of sword strikes.

Unlike the larger man, Azula was quick and agile on her feet, taunting Arcadios as she duck and dodged every one of his attacks. "How cute but nothing but worthless effort." Her dance arched lightning and out of her fingertips the lightning bolt pierced Arcadios' broken armour and out of his body, shattering the windows behind him and ultimately defeating him.

"Now to you, queenie," Azula laughed and sat down on the throne, enjoying how her soldiers brought Hisui and her father before her and on their knees.

"Please, spare my daughter," Hisui's father begged as Hisui stood paralyzed before Azula. "Do what you will with me. Just… just spare my daughter."

Azula didn't listen and grinned. Lighting flew and she struck Hisui down, enjoying the screams and pain the dethroned queen let out. Her green dress and jacket turned black, smoking from the heat.

She fell to the ground with the tips of her green hair singed.

"Hisui!"

"Princess!"

Hugging the ground Hisui could barely breathe or move as her body twitched. Her ears rang and blocked out her father's wails.

"Wh-what have you done?" her father watched in disbelief as his daughter was repeatedly tortured with lightning and screamed her throat out.

On that day Hisui's world broke apart and her consciousness was gone. She was dethroned right before she could fully become queen. She failed right before she could prove herself. Prove she could do well but Azula was right, she was powerless and unfit for the throne.

— —

A dragon's roar shattered Hisui's ears. Vertigo set in and she lost balance but was caught by Arcadios. Her body couldn't move as she watched the Eclipse Gate open wide for a long azure dragon to ascend to the sky.

Its shimmering scales and white belly glinted in the dark sky. Dark horns protruded from its head, and wings as long spread far and wide, encompassing the entire palace. Its powerful jaw was filled with sharp jagged teeth, directed right at Hisui and ready to swallow her in the most gruesome way she could imagine.

"It's coming towards us!"

"Protect the Princess!"

"Don't retreat- ARGH!"

Hisui saw the soldiers fight the dragon but they were incinerated by its blue flames, leaving behind nothing but ash scattered in the wind.

"How do we close the door?!" Lucy shook Hisui by the shoulders, a desperate look plastered on the mage's face but Hisui muttered only nonsense, struck with fear as usual. "Quick! This is no time to freeze up!"

The azure dragon landed, spurred up the paved ground and stared at Hisui's wide and dark green eyes. The dragon laughed in the voice of a woman. "You are not a queen," spoke the dragon and licked its shark-like teeth. "You are weak and worthless for the title of a queen. Disappear."

Shooting lightning from its maw Hisui awoke with a scalding and jolting pain travelling up her spine and spreading out through her body. Her scream was stuck in her throat but broke free when it became unbearable.

It was painful, more than she could endure. Feeling like an eternity before her screams finally died down. Her body was left twitching and prone on the cold rough ground of the cell she was in.

Breathing was hard, her heart was beating irregularly and not one of her muscles listened to her. She felt helplessly out of control.

"Breath," an old but gentle voice told her. "Even if it hurts, stomach it and let it flow out. Follow my lead, breath."

The old man made a breathing noise from his nose. It was short and deep before he exhaled for an eternity. Hisui tried to follow suit but her lungs stung. She cried out but felt the pain gradually ease and the feeling in her fingertips return.

"You're doing great, keep it up," the voice told her gently and Hisui did just that until she calmed down.

"Where am I?" asked Hisui, propping herself up weakly. The room was small, dark and cold. There was a single metal door where a dim light was pouring out.

Her beautiful dress was gone and replaced by dirty rags for clothes, barely covering her legs and partially torn at where her neckline was.

Her hair hung over her face, wild and unkempt with the tips charred black than the usual bright green. A cut was long overdue, and a wash, and something for her to eat.

"How long was I out?" she wondered, smacking her dried lips and coughing from how parched her throat was. Holding a hand over her stomach she felt a gurgling pit form inside. She can't remember when the last time was when she ate something.

"A week, you are lucky to be alive," said the old man from the other side of the stone wall to Hisui's right.

"I don't feel lucky," answered Hisui, hugging her knees and leaning on the cold stone wall.

"Luck comes in many forms. Maybe you don't feel lucky to be here but you can be lucky to be alive."

Hisui shut her ears, trying to tune out the voice of the old man who tried to cheer her up.

Days went by or even weeks without a way to count and Hisui felt distraught from sitting in this tiny cell without knowing how everyone is or what happened to Crocus.

She felt lost as if her powerlessness lead all up to this. A worthless queen losing it all and putting an even heavier burden on her people.

"You shouldn't weigh yourself down with what has happened. You had no control over it, rather you need to focus on what you want to do now."

"But I could have stopped it, if I was only stronger," Hisui sobbed, unable to stop worrying about what happened to everyone. "I am a failure who can only rely on others. If only I had the power to stand up against her-"

"Power is overrated," the old man interrupted her. "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again. Only this time, more wisely. You know your mistakes and you can make them better."

"How? This feels like a dead end," Hisui complained. "I already lost everything, the respect of my people, my family and…," she sobbed. "My honour as a queen is gone."

"You sound like my nephew," the old man let out a deep sigh, sounding like he understood more of her burden than she thought. "Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving... you will come to a better place," the old man sounded somewhat relieved and Hisui imagined him smiling, albeit faintly. "Although moving here is a bit hard for both of us, don't you think?"

The old man laughed and Hisui couldn't suppress her giggle. She wasn't happy being in this cell but she was grateful she had someone to talk to and listen to.

Making her feel less alone in this dark space.

"And then there was this one flower I found and I kept wondering. Delectable tea or deadly poison?" the old man exaggerated his voice when telling the tale to Hisui, forcing a chuckle out of her.

"And what was it?" she asked curiously, playing along.

"Definitely not delectable, I had an itch for a week! My nephew warned me but I couldn't resist!"

The two of them laughed and alarmed the guards. They immediately quieted down and pretended to have lost their minds to fool them as the old man suggested.

"Thank you," Hisui said. "I don't know what I would have done without you. Maybe I would have lost hope already."

"Oh I don't think so," he responded. "You are plenty strong, you just don't know it yet."

Hisui nodded. She knew it wasn't true but was glad he believed in her. "Can I ask you something? What is your name?"

"Iroh, call me Iroh."

"Iroh, thank you, Uncle Iroh," Hisui said, feeling more familiar with the old man than before but the next day when she woke up she didn't hear another word from the old man.

She cried out for him, fearing the worst but didn't hear anything. When the guard approached from the racket she was doing Hisui jumped to the door, desperately trying to find out why Iroh was gone.

The guard then told her something she didn't expect to hear. "There was never an old man here."

Hisui was left alone. She let her head hang and was utterly alone with nothing but her nagging voice reminding her of her failure.

After more senseless time in her cell had passed. One night, or day, she couldn't tell, Hisui found a wooden tile on the floor of her cell.

"What is this?" she picked up the wooden tile, wondering what it was doing here. "A white lotus?"

"Hey, what are you doing here- ARGH!" Hisui heard a commotion outside and fire spraying behind the little window of her iron door. Holding the tile in her hand she tried to see what was happening only to hear the rough voice of a young man.

"Stand back, I will get you out of here!" he yelled and Hisui did as he said and backed away against the wall. Fire sprouted between the cracks of the door and was kicked open violently.

What she didn't expect to stand face to face with was the figure of a lean young man, face hidden by a blue demon mask and twin swords in either hand.

She wasn't sure if he was her saviour or not.


This Crossover setting was created by alex-kellar/art/The-royal-choicee-writing-contest-930534789

The plot and ideas are from me.

I have no idea what I was thinking when writing this, I blacked out. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story, BYE!