Hello my dearest loves, thank you for tuning into the latest chapter of the soon-to-be-ending story of The Star Queen!

As always, I look forward to the feedback you'll give me as the story comes to a close. I have a few friends in here that are new readers, so hello my lovelies and welcome to the emotional trauma that is my story!

I hope you love it as much as I do ;)

Now on to more annoying matters: I own nothing, the story and OC's are my works, and Hiro Mashima is the greatest mastermind of anime ever.

Forever yours,

BlackRose999

The Star Queen

Chapter Twenty-Three: The End of Innocence

In the Celestial World

Her chest heaved in panic as she pressed the blade deeper into his throat, her caramel-gold eyes brimming with tears. He had used her people, brutalized her best friend, he had taken and promised to murder her children, dealt a dangerous blow to her husband in front of her for heaven's sake, but she still could not bring herself to deliver the killing blow.

She protected life, she couldn't take it.

The cretin before her could feel her reluctance, and slowly he stepped forward into the blade. His hand crept toward her arm before snatching her wrist and pulling her toward him, the sword clattered out of her hand as shock set in at being touched by someone other than her Heralds and Natsu.

"You can't do it… Can you?"

Anger flashed through her before paralyzing fear set in, his left arm wrapped itself around her waist and easily locked her into his embrace. She could feel the Celestial Light leave her eyes, returning them to their natural chocolate brown. Knowing the strength of her people no longer filled her body and protected her, he allowed his other hand to creep up her arm and cup her cheek in an almost loving manner. Slowly, her skin started to burn like someone had poured boiling liquid onto her face and chest where he touched her.

"Of course you can't… You weren't chosen to participate in a war, you were chosen to evade one. It's not your nature to hurt another living soul… but unfortunately for you… it's definitely in mine."

His fingers danced back down her cheek and grasped at her throat, smiling wickedly as her gasp for breath made it easier to constrict her trachea even more.

"You're weak. They should never have picked you for my throne, it was my right to be the next King. And they picked you instead!"

He ripped her around and slammed her against the wall, delighting in the choked squeak of pain that escaped her as her head smacked the stone ruin. Fear coursed through her body as she realized the horrible truth, she was weak, she had the chance to kill the man who had threatened her family, her friends.

And she hesitated.

'We chose you, not because you're strong, but because you see the value of life and have enough conviction to help it flourish. Your strength lies not in physical aspects or even magic, it lies in the steel of your spine and the morality of your heart. You have what he does not, the ability to love.'

Her fear evaporated as quickly as it manifested, replaced by the righteous fury of her family and the will to protect them. She felt the warmth of the Celestial Light fill her once more, replacing the weakness with the iron-clad will to defend her people and her loved ones. But with the Light came a feeling of incredible power, her skin warmed and her hair lifted around her head. Fire danced around the shimmering golden light, forcing him to release her and stagger away from the burning heat she radiated.

"My name is Lucy Dragneel, Queen of the Stars. I am the Mated wife of Natsu Dragneel and the mother of Layla and Igneel Dragneel, I am light personified, fury and flame made flesh. And you WILL NOT harm my loved ones while I still draw breath! Your rebellion is OVER Viktorian!"

Sensing her intention to fight him once more, he yanked a dagger free from his belt and raised it, hoping to plunge it into her heart before she could stop him.

Natsu, who laid some feet away from her, slowly rose to his feet and grit his teeth at the painful blood cascading down his body. He let his pain and love rush through him and then sent it along the mark. Sensing this, she felt her mark reemerge on her back, the personification of their love made flesh once more. Joining their magic through the bond, she began to emulate her husband's flames. Golden stars flowed in the flame, giving it an otherworldly look.

She radiated power, the full force of their magic seeping into her flesh. Lucy swung, hitting him in the face with her newfound strength. Sword forgotten, she met his dagger head-on, her hand gripping the blade before it could be shoved into her heart. The metal began to melt, the heat of her fire turning the cold steel an angry red color.

She glared, feeling the fire within her intensify as she advanced on him. Opening her hand, she felt the true flames of her people's magic and her husband's power gather there, and with a roar of anger, she let her power flow as she sucker-punched him in the jaw. He flew away from her, tumbling and turning as he hit the rubble that his attacks had laid waste to.

She stalked up to him, watching his face pale in terror of her, and stopped. She regarded him with a look of loathing, and her hand opened again. The power of her magic allowed her to summon the Celestial Sword once again, and as it materialized in her hand, she felt tears begin to fall freely. The realization that she would be forced to kill made her weep.

"I… Lucy Dragneel, Queen of the Stars above us, claim my right as Supreme Ruler to sentence you to death. This sentence will be carried out by my own hand."

She raised the sword, pain filling her before a sense of unending love and acceptance washed over her, and with a heavy heart, she drove the blade into his chest. She watched fear and denial creep into his face, the shock of her ending his life making him babble incoherently. As the light left his eyes, she saw something hidden away there, something akin to peace. She pulled the blade clean from his chest, wiping the blood on his clothing.

"Lucy?"

Unable to hide her tears any longer, she looked at Natsu with such a broken expression that it pulled him to his knees beside her. He gathered her up in his arms, careful that she didn't press into the wound, and let her bawl into his shoulder. They stayed like that until Leo arrived and summoned Moncernos, asking her to heal him. When his body was returned to normal, aside from the star-shaped scar from where Viktorian's hand had been buried in his stomach, he held her tighter.

He was worried for her, she'd never taken death well. And the knowledge that the monster laying beside her had forced her to end his life herself could destroy her kind heart worse than anything that has hurt her before. Her friends gathered around her, clothes torn and bodies bruised and bloody from the fighting, and each sat in front of her and blocked her view of Viktorian's corpse. When she was finished crying out, when her body sagged against Natsu's and her eyes closed due to sheer mental exhaustion, they helped Natsu carry her back to the palace and into her bed.

They hoped she wouldn't be too hard on herself.

But they knew Lucy, they knew her soul and her heart better than anyone else. They knew she would blame herself, blame Viktorian, blame the world and Fate itself for forcing her to go against her moral compass.

They knew the storm was brewing, and when it finally broke, the fallout would be catastrophic.

In Earthland

Leo and Virgo searched what had been Viktorian's stronghold, turning over every nook and cranny, searching for the stolen babies. They found nothing. No sign the children had ever been there, no sound of crying or any trace of magic. Virgo had been obsessively looking for hidden passages, trapdoors, cellars, anything that had a secret to hide. Finally, her determination paid off.

"Leo!"

Her shout pulled him from the desk he'd been ransacking, prompting him to rush over to her at the urgency of her tone. What they saw horrified them. The Dragneel twins were sick, very sick. The room they'd been concealed in had been soundproofed by magic which allowed airflow, but the room was dank and humid. A breeding ground for bacteria that would turn into a deadly upper lung infection if not treated immediately. Without prompting, they scooped up a baby in each arm and vanished back to the Celestial World as fast as they'd arrived.

They had no time to warn the Queen and her husband of their findings, and as they rushed to the infirmary they noticed that the Heralds and their mates saw the babies and booked it after them, feeling the spirits panic and urgency they thankfully asked no questions.

Yet.

The Celestial World - Lucy and Natsu

She woke slowly, her entire body numb and her eyes red from crying in her sleep as the memory of murdering Viktorian replayed. Natsu lay beside her, sleeping soundly, and she slowly climbed out of the bed. He'd changed her clothes she realized, she wore a pale cream-colored robe that fell mid-thigh and featured long sleeves with lacy ends. She blinked, and found herself at her boudoir mirror, sitting quietly and staring at her mother's journal. With shaking hands, she forced herself to open it, there were no dates as time worked differently in the Celestial World.

'My name is Layla, wife of Jude Heartfilia and mother to my sweet little Lucy. I was taken here upon my death on Earthland, a death I now understand to be Fated and ensured by the spirits here. It pains me to know I've left her behind, that she's in the hands of a man I now know is filled with neglect and greed. Jude wasn't like that before the money and grandeur, he was kind and empathetic, and he always had a soft word to say to those he loved.

I have seen him. For the first time with eyes that aren't rose-tinted, I have seen the horrors and abuses she will be subjected to.

By both friend and foe.

I can only pray that when her time comes and she takes my place as Queen of the Stars, she'll forgive me for leaving her alone to face all of it.

And maybe one day she'll tell me everything she's written in those letters of hers.

The ones she could never send.'

Lucy stared at the words teary eyes. Her mother hadn't wanted to die so young and leave her, she'd been forced, like Lucy. That time she'd seen her face upon her deathbed wasn't happiness, it was resignation. She had accepted her death, she had known it was coming and decided not to fight it. Lucy hadn't known… But she made a vow that little Layla Dragneel, and all future generations of her family, would.

No more secrets.

Viktorian came back to her, his face as he died, the coppery smell of his blood on her hands. She looked at her hands and cried out when she saw them still coated in his blood. Why hadn't Natsu washed it off?! She wiped at her hands, growing frantic and desperate, soon she was smacking at her hands, rubbing them with cloth and whimpering when she realized it wasn't coming off. Natsu felt her panic surge through him and bolted awake, taking in the sight of his wife on her knees rubbing her hands raw, he jumped out of bed and ripped her hands apart.

"Stop! Lucy, stop!"

She stared at him in shock as he held her hands, her bloodied hands in his perfect ones, and tried to wrench her hands out of his. "No! No, don't touch me! It's everywhere! Why didn't you wash it off?!" Uncomprehendingly, he watched her continue to try and fight him off before he pulled her against him with her back to his chest. He pressed his cheek against hers and held her tight while she screamed and tried harder to keep him away from her.

"Shhh... Baby stop. There's nothing there... Calm down. It's not real."

Her fighting grew weaker as his words started getting through to her, and slowly she leaned back into him as sobs wracked through her petite frame. "It's on my hands… Please… Please let me get it off!" Natsu pulled her hands toward them, rubbing the flesh over her knuckles gently. "Look. Lucy, stop, look at your hands." She stopped fighting, though tears still streamed down her face and her chest heaved with each breath. The smell of iron and metallic-laced paper caught his attention for a brief second, but Lucy's cries quickly reminded him of what was important right now.

"That's it… Calm down. Look at your hand's baby girl... See? Just flesh, no blood."

Lucy whimpered and shakily brought her hand to the other, rubbing the skin over the back of her hand. Natsu rocked her back and forth gently, calmly reminding her that her hands were fine, that she was clean. Eventually, he convinced her to stop rubbing the skin of her hand raw, and just held her as she calmed her hysterical tears. When they were sure Natsu wouldn't kill them for trying to interfere, Levy and Gajeel made their way over to them. Levy had been allowed out of her wheelchair a few days before the battle, but she was still under constant supervision by Gajeel. Like Natsu, Gajeel kept an eye on his Mate while retaining some distance.

After what Levy had gone through it was understandable that Gajeel would be there for her but remain at a distance she had deemed comfortable, he said he'd promised to take it slow. To be gentle with her always.

Natsu would now be forced to do the same.

TimeSkip: One Celestial Week (Still in the Celestial World)

Natsu damned Viktorian again and again as Lucy struggled with the mental repercussions of her forcible murder, he hated that word, murder. She hadn't murdered him, at least in everyone's opinion but hers; she had protected her family, her people, and her friends. Lucy, however, did not see it that way.

At first, he'd tried reminding her that Viktorian had been an enemy, that he'd done horrible things to others, including Levy.

"Look at Gajeel, can you tell me his actions as a teen are any different than Viktorian's? Gajeel changed… Why couldn't Viktorian?"

Then he'd tried to reason with her, reminding her that they had killed others before while on Earthland.

"In some ways they deserved it, we saved who we could. Viktorian was brought up wrong and abused into being who he was, we could've saved him."

He'd stopped trying after that, deciding to let her come to terms with it herself. She still had flashes of hallucinatory visions, mostly blood on her hands, so he stayed close by to remind her that she was ok. For a while, she would shake and rub her hands frantically as if trying to rip the skin off, her eyes brimming with tears all the while. Natsu did the same thing each time, he pulled her into his arms and showed her that her creamy hands were clean. He did this multiple times a day for the first three days until soon she began to calm herself enough to see that her mind was playing tricks on her. She still rubbed her hands at times, but he could merely take her hand in his and it would calm her and remind her it wasn't real.

Then all new trauma erupted in the palace.

Leo came up to them one day in the gardens, not knowing that Lucy was just coming out of an episode, and informed them of the status of their children. Lucy's head had shot up and Natsu had stood from his place beside her, bewilderment and barely-concealed terror on their faces.

"They're here?! And you didn't tell me?" Lucy shrieked at him as she stood, trying not to trip over the hem of her slim-yet-flowy gown. She didn't wait for his explanation, she picked up her skirts and bolted toward the infirmary as fast as her heels would allow. Natsu watched her run off and leveled Leo with a withering glare. "She's healing… She's accepting what's happened and you drop a nuke on her like that? What the hell Leo?!"

Leo winced and had the grace to look as ashamed as he felt. "We tried to hide it, but the worse they got from being away from their parents the more we worried about them. If they weren't in such conditions we wouldn't have said anything at all… The plan had been to hold off until they were healthy enough to be presented to you two when she was ready to return to Earthland."

Natsu's anger began to evaporate as hope blossomed in his chest. Home… They could go home. With their friends, their kids, and be whole again. Lucy could forget about the horrors she'd endured here, she could let the good memories engulf the bad ones until they're so faded they're unrecognizable.

"When?" He asked quietly, making the auburn-haired man smile a little. "Soon," He said just as softly, understanding what was going through his mind. "She's so close to being sound enough mentally to go home. And when we're sure the kids are perfectly fine, we'll open the Starglass and send you all home where you truly belong. But Natsu…"

Natsu looked at him, knowing what he'd end up saying. "I know… She knows. Eventually, Layla will be here. But she won't be in the dark about it. No one in our family will be, Lucy and I won't allow any more secrets in this family. Losing her was like dying, only I was stuck in an eternal void with her presence everywhere around me. I won't let Layla's future partner feel the same way without knowing she'll come home eventually."

As he turned to walk away after his wife, he looked back at Leo and addressed him one last time. "I hope you know she'll take a while to forgive you for keeping her in the dark for so long, for taking her away from her loved ones without a warning."

Leo nodded and watched him walk away. He knew it would take time, he understood.

But his heart still hurts like hell for her suffering at his hands.