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BlackRose999

The Reluctant Royal

Chapter Five: Crossing the Line, a Daughter's defiance?

~ Lucy ~

Lucy glared at the letter in her hand, her father's unbroken crest stamped onto the folded creases. Slowly she forced herself to open it.

Lucy,

You are to return to Acalypha at once, the marriage will be called off and you will wed the Grand Duke Hades' son.

I expect your arrival in three weeks.

King Jude of Acalypha

Lucy stared at those words for a long time, realizing she had a choice. She could return to the yoke of her father and be his pawn once more, or she could be free. He'd likely disown her if she refused… She felt something solidify within her, and resolutely she summoned a page. The man arrived quickly and bowed a greeting.

"Ask his Majesty the King and his son, Prince Natsu, to meet me in the Solar. Invite my mother to attend as well. Tell them it's urgent and privacy is required." "Yes Princess." He quickly flitted off like a little bluebird, leaving her alone. She quietly got dressed; she'd been wearing her nightgown, and made her way to the Solar with her head held high.

~ Natsu ~

He'd been sparring when the page arrived; Gray, his friend, and Warded Brother, eagerly whacked his shin when his attention was drawn away by Lucy's page. "M'lord, Princess Lucy asks you to meet her in the Solar immediately. The king and Lady Astoria are also in attendance." Natsu nodded and held up a hand to halt Gray's advance, the dark-eyed man nodded and walked forward to collect his weighted wooden sword and carry them off toward the armory.

Natsu waited patiently for Gray to return and accompany him to the palace. "Everything alright?" He asked when he approached him, his sapphire blue eyes narrowed in concentration. He was an excellent swordsman and strategist, he never pulled the same trick twice, and sparring with him was always a great challenge.

"She's never summoned me before. And for both my father and her mother to attend… It's got to be something big. I worry… I fear she might have been summoned to return to Acalypha. Seems like something her bastard father would do." He snapped angrily, remembering the agonized look on her face when she'd seen her mother, a displaced Queen, draped in Widow's Black like a disgraced whore.

"Do you want me to come with you? Igneel has been a good man to me, says he sees me as a son too. I'm sure he'd allow me to listen in, and maybe give my opinion on the matter." Natsu paused, mulling it over. "Come with me. But stay outside the door until father says you may come into the room." Gray nodded and fell into step beside his "brother".

They arrived just as Igneel and Layla did, the two of them conversing about the time lost between them. Natsu smiled, Layla was relaxed, her mind opening just as Lucy's had. Their Dark Days seemed to be melting away day by day.

"Father!" He yelled, catching their attention. "Natsu, Gray!" He eyed the two of them, thick as thieves they were, almost as though they'd been born true brothers instead of a Prince and a Ward. "Did Lucy summon you too?" "Yes father, my Lady." Layla inclined her head respectfully, clothed in a simple black gown with an embroidered sheer cloak that clasped around her neck and covered her pale shoulders.

"Yeah, she sent her page a bit ago. He said it was urgent. I offered to accompany him and meet her if that's alright with you." Gray said quietly, almost apologetically. He kept his raven hair over his eyes while he felt his father figure look him over.

"I don't see why not… My lady, do you have a problem with my ward attending our meeting?" Layla smiled at him, her honey-colored eyes warm and comforting, and said gently "I have no issue with it. But perhaps we should ask my daughter what she would prefer? If this is indeed a private meeting then it should be her decision."

Gray nodded and stood to the side as Lucy strode toward them, she wore no jewelry that Natsu hadn't given her, and her hair fell freely from her head. Like her mothers elegant simplicity, she wore a raven-black gown that clung to her body and trailed behind her in silken ripples. There were no embellishments, no beading or designs sewn into the fabric. She looked… Diminished.

"Lucy this is Gray, my ward. Is it alright if he attends this meeting as well?" Igneel inquired curiously, noting her tense and agitated demeanor. Not trusting herself to speak until they were behind closed doors, she hurriedly motioned for them to enter and closed the Solar doors tightly behind them and took a breath. "I've been instructed to return to Acalypha immediately to marry elsewhere… And… with your Majesty's blessing… I'm going to refuse."

Four sets of astonished eyes stared at her calm ones, Layla raised a quaking hand to her mouth and whimpered. "You all know what will happen when I refuse… I will likely be disowned and stripped of titles." She swallowed thickly, her eyes shimmering with tears. "At that point… It would be… Unwise, to keep me betrothed to your son, your Majesty."

Lucy took a breath and a careful step in Igneel's direction. "If you wish to break the engagement between Natsu and I… and acquire more suitable arrangements… We will leave." She lowered herself to her knees and bowed her head, "But if you allow me to stay, even without a proper title and a dowry at my back… I promise to bring nothing but humble honesty and loyalty to you and your son."

Natsu felt himself begin to shake, and then he bolted forward and yanked her to her feet. "You're not going anywhere. You and Lady Layla are staying right here and goddamnit I will not take no for an answer." He whipped around and glared menacingly at his father. "You picked Lucy to be a possibility for me. Well, now I'm telling you it's a certainty. I will not marry anyone but her."

Igneel looked taken aback by his son's demand, and then he was grinning wildly. "Well then. I guess I'm backed into a corner eh?" He turned to Lucy and held out his hand toward her. "You, and your mother, are welcome here. Titles and dowry be damned. I'd be honored to call you daughter."

Lucy began to cry and rushed into Natsu's arms. "I was so scared… I didn't want to lose you." She murmured into his shoulder, causing him to smile and kiss her forehead. "You'd have to kill me first. I'm not going anywhere, you're mine, Lucy. Always."

He tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply, ignoring the grins of his father and her mother. He chose her, and she chose him. He wouldn't have it any other way.