Hello my beloved readers,
I'm sorry to say that this is the ending to The Star Queen...
It's been so great to hear from you all, to read the reviews and see the spikes in views as people read my story. I know it's not the best, but then again, it's not the worst either.
It's been a lovely time with you all, and I hope to see you again someday...
In a sequel maybe?
All my love,
BlackRose999
The Star Queen
Epilogue: A Bright Future Indeed…
Timeskip - Earthland, Seventeen Years Later
Lucy swayed softly to the music playing in their living room on Natsu's 24th birthday, almost three months to the day after her clearance to leave Porlyusica's care, relishing in this quiet moment while the twins slept upstairs. Natsu felt her calm and contentment ripple through their bond, like the tides of the sea, and in response, his hand drifted down her hip and held her tighter. A dance of a faster pace comes to mind.
Leading her as he had while at that club, he felt her pulse quicken and her breathing catch, and only when he yanked her to him and grinned at the way her left leg wrapped possessively around his waist did he kiss her.
The kind she craved-needed-wanted, always.
The kind that made her heart stop and the world around her fall away, the kind that made her moan and beg for him. They crashed to the couch, kisses heated and hands roaming frantically as they gripped each other, wrenching free of constricting clothing and coming together like a thunderclap. As they lay in the midst of the sweat and warmth of each other's embrace, a loud and piercing wail came from upstairs. Lucy smiled and nuzzled her lips against his chest. "I told you we'd have time… And unfortunately for you my love, it happens to be your turn."
He huffed half-heartedly, and smacked her ass as he stood and collected his clothing, "Yeah yeah… You better get dressed though, you know Layla. She may love me but she's a momma's girl through and through." Lucy smiled and ran her fingers through her tumbling golden hair, and when she was sure she wasn't going to send anything to him, she placed a hand on her belly and grinned.
Tonight was going to be one hell of a birthday gift.
Her mind came back from her memory as a tendril of love crept into her chest, seeming to whisper 'Don't check out yet' as Natsu winked at her before heading toward their bedroom door to get their kids ready to leave, she sighed, some things never change. "Dad! Happy stole mom's necklace again!" Lucy giggled and gave Natsu the 'shoo' gesture as he headed upstairs to assist their daughter. When she turned she saw herself in the mirror and paused to see the effects time had inflicted on her former appearance. Her once sunlight-colored hair was now a lighter blonde as she neared forty, but with it pulled up into a semi-loose bun as it was now, that was the only physical change you could see as her strict training regime with Natsu kept her in pristine condition.
That and Leo's promise that the Celestial Years she'd spent as Queen would keep her from aging prematurely.
What was shocking was that her second pregnancy had been easier than her first, even with the repeated twin children and just-returned-from-fighting exhaustion. She rolled her eyes, that was the only time she let Happy talk her into doing a mission so far away from the guild with only Natsu and her young children.
She was slow, but she learned.
Her eyes traveled down to her latest working uniform, laid out on their bed waiting for her. Deep red-brown leggings that featured a thigh-strap that was attached to her belt and contained her knives and keys. A deep maroon corset-style tank top and black leather stiletto booties, all paired with a black and gold accented leather jacket. Around her neck would be a layered black choker with a golden chain that bore three zodiac signs set into gold coins.
Two for both sets of their children and one for her Mate.
But this wouldn't do for their anniversary, now would it? She smiled and stepped into a white sundress, it opened at the knee and flowed behind her in a sheer fashion until it reached her ankles. Her necklace was a simple gold choker and matching diamond earrings.
Feet pounding down the stars made her smile, and she poked her head around the corner to spot Layla, Igneel, Ryu, and Lunessa racing Natsu to the front door. Time to play referee. Stalking them from behind she leaned against the wall to spot the game from her usual perching place, a spot that gave her a perfect view of the front door.
Layla was clever, she slipped between the bulking forms of her brothers and rushed forward, so close to the rosewood door. She hit the entryway as Lunessa's eyes dilated and a flash of light blinded Layla for a split second, letting the younger woman dart past her and out the door. "LUNA! That's CHEATING!" Layla shrieked as she rubbed her eyes, Igneel beside her using his gifts to quell the bright spots of her eyes. Ryu sauntered past them and high-fived his partner-in-crime as a reward for their 'team' winning.
Natsu raised a brow at the four of them and looked to Lucy pointedly. 'Only took him sixteen years to figure out who the ruler of the house is…' she thought with a grin and watched him roll his eyes, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She stepped forward and snapped her fingers, gaining the immediate attention of her teenagers. "Lunessa, you know the rules. If you have to use magic to win a race you technically didn't win it. Layla, whining doesn't become the greatest Fire Dragon Slayer since Natsu's prime." Both girls glowered but nodded, letting their favorite siblings growl and preen at each other.
Lunessa and Ryu had been a surprise, they hadn't expected another pregnancy so soon after her return to the living. Lunessa was a startling sight, she bore platinum blonde hair and eyes that could only be described as a mix of grey and brown. Creating a color like damp sand. Ryu was the very image of Natsu, down to his hair color and eyes. He was heavily muscled and trained with his siblings often, Lunessa had a gift for knives as Lucy did, but she had years before she could match her mother's skills.
"Come on guys, we'll be late."
Lucy motioned to Natsu with a crook of her finger, smirking at that familiar heat that tingled down her spine through the mark as he laid a hand on the small of her back. As he slipped past her she noted that the black suit covered his chest scar, and the tattoo he'd gotten when she'd returned to life. A dagger nestled in a bed of flaming roses on his left shoulder, the hand he used to hold her most of the time. His scarf had been put away in their valuables cabinet when Layla had almost set fire to it while playing with her magic one day.
Today was their wedding anniversary.
Lunessa, who was 16 like Ryu, was decked out in black and gold, hanging from her ears were golden tasseled star earrings like her mother's, but they featured her star sign on the outside of her ears and the tasseled stars in the back. She bore skin-tight; but strangely stretchy, leather shorts and a glittery black corset-style top under a maroon jacket with gold accents. Black stiletto heels covered her feet, making Lucy wonder how the hell she'd managed to fight so well in them.
She also had a black lace choker with a gold multi-strand necklace that featured Aquarius's shattered key at the end. Lunessa and Ryu both fell under Aquarius's sign, for they had been born in late January, and after hearing Lucy's story of Aquarius's sacrifice she'd taken the remains of her key and fastened it to a tiered chain and never taken it off.
She appeared to take her sacrifice personally and had vowed to find her key and learn to summon her.
Layla, newly 17 with Igneel, seemed to favor a red and black color scheme, her large bust; an unwanted gift from her mother… was covered by a reddish-pink lace crop-top covered by a black leather jacket and paired with a snug black leather skirt that fell mid-thigh. The skirt featured a gold chain 'belt' with a small crescent moon dangling halfway down the skirt by her right thigh. She had rectangular gold earrings that dangled halfway down her neck and a gold leaf choker that featured a faceted ruby attached with a short gold chain. She also wore black stiletto heels, but hers were thicker and cuffed at the ankle to allow better traction.
The boys both wore black pants and boots, a red and black leather jacket over a black or red tank top, and some type of gold jewelry to represent their mother. Ryu, Lunessa's twin, bore gold cuffed earrings and a simple gold chain around his neck. Igneel went for a red and gold bracelet.
They walked through Magnolia and caught up to Laurie and Vasilisa, Gajeel and Levy's kids. They both bore blueish black hair and wore a mix of both blue and black, Laurie had Gajeel's eyes and Vasilisa had Levy's. But strangely, Vasilisa had proven to be Gajeel's successor while Laurie possessed SolidScript magic imbued with shadows.
Like Levy, 16-year-old Vasilisa had cropped blue-black hair and pecan eyes. She was a tad bigger in the bust department but often used push-up tops to make them appear larger. She wore black heeled combat boots and black embroidered leggings with barely-visible flowers, a black twist crop top under her blue leather jacket, and a black ribbon choker over a dual-tier gold chain with an aquamarine gemstone attached to the top chain. Her ears were adorned with three tiny hoops along the top of the sides of her ears and large triangular earrings to complete the look.
Laurie, now 17, wore dark blue jeans, combat boots, a black tank top, and a blue and black leather jacket. He was as pierced as his father. He was taller than all of them, standing at about 6'5 and muscled as hell.
"Lisa! Rie! Hold up!" Layla and Igneel rushed forward and caught up to them, talking excitedly as Lunessa and Ryu rolled their eyes before spotting Larissa and Rose, Laxus's 16-year-old daughter and Erza's 17-year-old daughter respectively. Larissa was a dark auburn-haired beauty with emerald eyes, she wore the same twist top as her best friend Vasilisa but paired it with a deep red cropped jacket with gold accents, black cut-off jeans, gold triangular earrings and bracelets, and a ruby pendant. Reddish-black heels covered her feet and made her long legs stand out.
Rose, dressed in a lacy black V-necked sleeveless top and dark red skirt, grinned when she saw Lunessa and Ryu, whom Lucy suspected she had a minor crush on. Rose was every inch Erza's daughter, she bore her red hair and dark eyes, but her jewelry was blue like her father's hair. She stood at 5'6 in heels, but like her mother, she was not one to be trifled with. Rose was escorting 14-year-old Guinevere, Gray's daughter, to her school near the guildhall.
Guinevere was stunning, even for a young teen. She had blue-green eyes and raven hair, she was slim and evenly endowed. She wore a black blazer over a white blouse with a royal blue ribbon around the collar, and a dark blue skirt with black flats. She had shaved the left side of her head and allowed the rest to hang freely over the right side of her face, showing off her father's cross and the diamond earrings in her lobes.
The group talked while Natsu and Lucy hung back, hands clasped and bond singing their love and happiness. Contentment whispered in when the kids in front of them began hollering their excitement about taking their first mission together next year when they reached the ages of unsupervised missions. The elder ones could technically take missions now, but they'd all decided to wait until the kids a year younger reached the age limit and could join them. This was fine with the parents, they preferred their children together where they could be safe and guarded by others.
The party went well, there was dancing and drinking, card games and superiority fights, nothing was off-limits. Except for alcohol when it came to the youths, they were given cider. When the party died down and the adults sectioned off and began to talk amongst friends, Natsu and Lucy joined their old team and invited Gajeel and Levy over too.
"They're leaving next year… Can't believe they've grown so much, so quickly." Lucy murmured, her head leaning on Natsu's chest as they nestled in the corner booth to view the boisterous kids with mirth. Levy smiled, and just as softly said "They'll be fine, they're all very powerful and intelligent, they won't get into trouble they don't know how to handle." "Gihihi… Shrimp, they're my kids, I guarantee they'll bite off more than they can chew at some point." Levy grinned and quipped slyly "They're my kids too, which means they've got a bit more sense than you do, muscle-brain."
The group laughed at the vaguely offended and amused expression Gajeel wore, and then Levy stiffened and turned bright red as Gajeel no doubt whispered something into her mind through the Mark. Lucy sniggered, and then stiffened when she felt Natsu's hand drift lower to her abdomen and whispered in her ear "I think they need another sibling…" She allowed her nervousness and confusion through the bond, and then her heart stuttered and she felt her soul fill with hope.
"You sure about this?"
"Maybe… Let's talk about it tonight ok?" She hummed and nuzzled further into him, her mind alight with the possibilities of the future Leo had promised them seventeen years ago.