This story idea started in 2015 and I'm reviving it now with a new life and different direction. The first chapter was edited and re-uploaded as well. Please enjoy! Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.


Beautiful notes danced from her harp not only in the form of music but also in auras of gold and green. The glitter danced from her fingers and floated to fill the ballroom like a starry night sky. It was a beautiful display of magic, something deemed rare and extraordinary among the commoners. The crowd sat in mesmerized silence as the tune washed over them.

The queen called from above. "You are all most certainly invited to dance to her music." The king raised an eyebrow at her decision to forgo having the prince dance alone. The statement roused a few from the crowd as they awoke from their trance. As more people broke from their own starry dream, the compliments began scattering across every ear.

"She is just like the rumors said, an angel from heaven."

"Her music is only outshined by her own beauty!"

"I wish I could hear her play if it was the last thing I would ever do!"

"She brought the stars down to earth, are you sure she's not a princess?" Rogue asked Sting in a flustered whisper. Although half his face was covered by his hair, the blonde could still see his partner's blushing cheeks.

"Aren't you glad I made you come?" Sting smiled with a playful grin and slipped away to find a dance partner before his friend had time to react. The attendees had soon found their respective partners, and flitted with them onto the ballroom floor. Their dresses and suits moved in melodic harmony with Lucy's strings. Eight pairs of eyes only eyed the musician herself intently.

Natsu was still like a statue, his mouth agape. The cute pearl beside him followed his gaze and smiled.

"I think she's gorgeous as well." The words brought Natsu back to Lisanna.

"You think so too? I thought only royalty wore cool dresses like that."

She giggled at his innocence, "Maybe she will be royalty, after all, she isn't married yet!" The girl blushed and held out her arm. "Now, would you like to dance?" Natsu's face warmed at her comment and he nodded.

Gajeel and Laxus stood stiff as the music danced in the air.

"This song…"

"I recognize it too." The princes glanced at each other before choosing partners and taking to the dance floor hesitantly. Dances continued throughout the ballroom until the great musician played the last note on her golden harp and applause erupted. The stars in the ballroom, no longer fueled, swirled and swayed until they slowly faded away with a sparkle. Lucy rose from her instrument, and curtsied in front of her new adoring fans.

The night grew old and the conversations never strayed far from the beautiful musician. She did as she was raised by responding to every compliment with humble grace and a smile. It wasn't long before the guests left and the traveling nobles retired to their quarters with wine pitchers in hand.

"My Lady, your performance was as entrancing as ever."

"Loke, you are too sweet." The musician giggled as her friend struggled to carry the harp beside her. She couldn't help but agree with him silently. Her music had brought happiness to the hearts of everyone listening. Not that they needed any, Fairy Tail appeared to always be in a remarkably good mood. Still, the thought of spreading joy was absolutely thrilling to Lucy, and her face broke out into a wholesome smile.

With her head in the clouds she climbed the stairs to her room, tracing her fingers along the cobblestone wall. As they reached the top of the steps, the blonde was surprised to see a tall prince waiting at her door. The torchlight flickered over his dark cloak and fur collar. She pulled her hand back from the wall and shielded her smudged fingers as she clasped her hands together. Her posture straightened instinctively.

"Your Highness, how may I help you?" The musician nodded in a composed manner for Loke to continue into her room, leaving the two fair haired beauties alone.

"Your performance was quite arousing, m'lady." She blushed and looked away.

"It means even more coming from a prince, Your Highness."

"Laxus, call me Laxus." He stepped towards the musician, his broad shoulders and tall figure towered over her. Lucy's eyes lowered as he drew close. Her face reddened further as she could see the outline of his muscles under the tightened dress shirt. "Only strangers use such formalities, and we, Miss Heartfilia, are no longer strangers."

"Then you can call me by my first name as well, Lucy." The prince's lip curled before his face took a slightly more serious tone.

"The songs you played tonight, where did you learn them?"

"My mother taught them to me when I was young." The musician adjusted the charm around her neck at the thought. The prince was watching her closely. "Did you enjoy the melody?"

"Hmm? Well yes, of course." The musician's blonde hair had been pulled out of its braid and fell graciously to both sides of her head, giving off a golden aura. Her figure was shaped, and quite exciting in the eyes of the handsome prince. Lucy lifted her gaze to meet with Laxus' and smiled politely.

"If that is all Your Highness, I must retire for the evening." She curtsied and brushed past him; her hand brushing his thigh for a fraction of a second.

A jolt shot through the prince and he took a step back in surprise. His heartbeat quickened and he turned to see the musician walking away from him naturally. Laxus discreetly braced himself against the wall, and cursed at the ground. Nothing seemed out of place besides the fire stirring in his veins and tingles vibrating his skin as he turned to see a blazing golden aura moving out of arm's reach.

"Good night." The light spoke to him. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Lucy was there smiling at him.

"I-um, yeah. Good night."


The festivities had already reached their peak and it was only the end of the first day. Nothing could ever possibly top that woman's performance, Lucy Heartfilia's performance. Gray relished the memory as he strolled down the street, replaying it again and again. It was a once in a lifetime experience. As a knight, he had seen a few forms of magic used in duels and tournaments, but the magic-born bloodlines were all nearly extinct now, thanks to Acnologia's devastation hundreds of years ago. The Dragneel bloodline was one of the last he knew of to have ties to magic, although that fact had almost ascended to legend itself. No one in the kingdom had seen magic from the royal family in many generations. Those who were blessed with magic traditionally used it to hold power and fight other men's wars. Lucy Heartfilia was the only magic user he knew of who used her talent in magic for fame in such an alluring and seductive way.

Gray paused and smirked at the thought of that woman having an ego. However, it really was the only explanation. He had seen how all the men fawned over her even after her performance, the princes included. Though they never approached her, their eyes were trained on the beautiful musician the entire night. It was unbelievable the power she had, and there was no way she wasn't aware of her sway on men. Though, could he really blame her for using her beauty and magic to her advantage? He briefly imagined himself swooning women shirtless and slapped himself at the thought.

It wasn't long before the knight reached his destination. His commoner's attire had let him slip through the streets easily, and he only had to dodge two drunken festival goers on his way. Once entering the bar, he was slammed by another drunken man, but this one appeared to be unconscious before he was thrown. Gray grunted and pushed him to the ground before focusing on the culprit at the bar. Pink tufts of hair were sticking out under a hooded figure's cloak. He was rotating his shoulder as if winding down. "That idiot's not fooling anyone."

A figure stepped in front of him, scarlet red hair draping down her barkeep outfit; the buttoned vest pulled tightly around her chest as it was barely contained in the dress. "Gray, leave him be."

"What? That idiot could have hurt someone." He sputtered angrily while gesturing at the slumped form. "Also, why are you wearing that outfit?" The subject changed quickly.

"Oh this?" The redhead quickly posed with a nearby tray of mugs. "I just thought it was the best undercover outfit for the occasion." She glanced at the hooded prince.

Gray chuckled as he walked towards the bar, "Yeah, because no one can recognize you as the 'Fearsome Redhead Titania' in that outfit, Erza." He felt her eyes stare a hole into his back as he joined his hooded friend. "You okay?"

"I could smell you coming." His voice was gravelly and his head hung low.

"Okay, weirdo." The knight swiveled himself until his back was to the bar, and leaned on his elbows. The rest of the room was still filled with laughter and smiles among friends. There were a few faces he recognized, but most he didn't. The voices traveled over to the bar where Gray and Natsu sat in silence as the prince nursed his drink.

"Did you see Miss Heartfilia perform? I did! It was amazing!"

"What? You lucky bastard! I could just barely hear the music from down the street!" Two younger men drunkenly conversed a short distance away.

"It was worth every penny! She's one tall drink, you know. Oh the things I'd do to a woman like that; she'd be moaning for more." The knight felt the table thud beneath him and was surprised to see his prince's hand clenched in a fist next to him. "What could he be upset about?"

"How dare you disrespect Miss Heartfilia like that. You should be ashamed." The drunk men cowered in fear at the intimidating redhead in front of them. She had a sword level with their eyes.

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am." They both stuttered and fell out of their seats. "How was she hiding that sword under her dress?" Gray curiously peeked a glance at Natsu and saw his muscles relax. The prince grabbed his drink and downed it. "He was upset that the bastard insulted her, wasn't he?" The raven-haired soldier had trouble hiding his baffled look. What was going on? Lucy Heartfilia was pretty but she certainly wasn't worth this much attention.

Natsu grumbled and stood up. That was their cue to leave. Erza made eye contact with Gray before nodding and starting to move. "Hey Erza, do you mind if I talk to Gray alone for a bit?" The question came out half heartedly and brought a flash of concern to the red haired woman's face before she nodded again. Gray raised an eyebrow before following his prince out the door.

The pinkette led the two through the streets in silence before arriving at a fountain on the outskirts of the palace. He lowered his hood with a look of utter defeat. "I don't know what to do. Everything feels wrong." The knight crossed his arms and awaited further explanation. "Ever since the first time I saw her, I've felt that there was something different about her, and back at the bar I started to feel weird too."

"Miss Heartfilia?" Natsu gave his friend a look of surprise. "Yeah I'm more observant than you thought, flame brain. What, is it a crush or something?" The pinkette leaned over his reflection in the moonlit fountain. Without answering, he slowly took off his cloak to reveal his choice clothing of a vest and white scarf with baggy pants. Gray's eyes widened as he saw the tattoo on Natsu's shoulder. Normally, this red tattoo depicted a brilliant fire dragon, as it had as long as Gray had known him. Now, it was glowing and squirming across his arm. The raven haired soldier stepped closer to see that the dragon on the prince's arm was alive, curling its tail and flapping its wings. "Woah, that's magic, isn't it?"

"I guess, yeah." Natsu's eyes burned red in the reflection of his tattoo. "This is the first time I've seen it too. I'm telling you man, that Luigi lady did something weird to me."

Gray still managed to roll his eyes at the prince. "It's Lucy, Your Highness, and are you sure you're not just calling her weird because you think she's pretty? I mean, I would agree with you if that were the case because she certainly is easy on the eyes."

"What?" The prince stared at Gray with a look of confusion. "Being pretty isn't weird."

"Nevermind," Gray groaned at his response. "I think you should hurry and talk to your brothers about this," he pointed towards the living ink. "Don't they all have tattoos like yours?"

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. Thanks ice pop!" He threw on his cloak again, covering the glowing light, and threw a smile at his friend before jogging away towards the palace.

"That was one time!" The soldier facepalmed before his brows furrowed with worry. Could that woman actually be a danger to the kingdom? A danger to his idiot prince? He silently reminisced on the night he took up his master's position at the side of the Dragneel family. An oath to protect and serve. "I've got this Ur, don't worry. I'll protect them no matter what."


Cobra stumbled out of the bar, panting. The cold air soothed his buzzing skin briefly, before the tingling remained only on his left bicep. The maroon-haired man slid into the nearby alley while furiously rubbing his arm. He quickly peeled off his shirt, revealing a purple glow in the darkness. His eyes widened before he slumped against the wall with a defeated smile. The purple dragon tattoo that had been wrapped around his arm as long as he had known was circling slowly. The dragon scales sparkled in the moonlight. "So, it's finally time, huh? I was beginning to think I would die alone." He chuckled to himself at the irony and looked skyward. He had grown up listening to the tales of the dragons as it was part of his lineage, however, he never expected the tales to translate so literally. He began citing from memory."...and so comes the day when the stars will walk among us and the Dragon Queen returns to claim what is hers. The dragons will awaken to be bound." The man glanced down at his moving tattoo and clenched his jaw. "I don't care who she is, I won't roll over so easily."

"What are you mumbling about over there?" Cobra looked up to see Jellal stepping around the corner into the alley.

"Wait, how long were you listening?" Jellal shrugged, and eyed the glowing tattoo without saying a word.

"Are you ready to go? Our informant told the guild that the attack will take place tonight." Cobra ripped the lower part of his cloak and wrapped it around his arm to cover any traces of the light.

"I don't like the idea of using the royal family as bait."

"I'm sorry."

"Tch, that's all you have to say, Jellal?"

The blunette smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be there to step in. Just stick to the plan, okay?" Cobra grumbled while putting his shirt back on and the two soon stealthily made their way inside the castle walls.


Gajeel rolled his neck in the dim torchlight. Jellal had arrived with his partner mere minutes ago, though he found it odd he could smell that information before he saw their faces. The blunette had confirmed their job was to lie in wait for the intruder to reveal themselves. The two had disappeared into the castle promptly after that. Those guild members might be bothersome but their insider knowledge on the dark guilds was unmatched. At least it was supposed to be.

"Cmon, man I'm literally itching to go here. When do I get to cut someone down?" He growled into the darkness while rubbing his shoulder. The prince had convinced himself that the tingling sensation he had been feeling for the past hour was from lack of movement, or maybe a bite from a critter. "Hey, are you even awake?" The blonde prince was staring blankly at the wall in front of him, his arms crossed. "Laxus?" Gajeel reached over to push his brother before recoiling. There were beads of sweat across the blonde's brow. His jaw was clenched in concentration and his face was flushed.

"It's nothing."

"Hell it isn't, you're about to pass out!"

"I'm fine. Just stay focused." Laxus kept his voice firm. Sweat dripped down his neck while he tried to keep his mind off the problem at hand. Well, his problem. Since the moment he had touched her, his skin was set aflame. All he could smell was her. Like a beacon he could tell exactly where the scent would lead him, to the sleeping blonde goddess in her tower. If he closed his eyes he could swear he could hear her resting heartbeat, feel the sheets against her skin. It was unbearable. When would this feeling go away? "Gajeel, have you felt strange at all tonight?" The pierced prince clutched his arm for a moment before relaxing.

"Not strange enough to have that shitty look on your face." He chuckled. "Why? Did something happen?"

"I went to see Lucy... not too long ago." He put his head in his hands. "I don't know what happened but as soon as she brushed my leg it felt like I was struck by lightning."

"Oh? She brushed your leg, did she?" Laxus was surprised to hear jealousy in his brother's voice.

"It was just an accident, dammit." He growled. "Shit, Natsu's here." The door slammed open on cue.

"You could smell me too, Laxus?" The pinkette's eyes were wide with excitement as he casually joined his brothers under the torchlight.

"Too? You mean-"

"I smelled the flame brat coming as well." Gajeel added quietly. Laxus looked up in slight shock.

"You know what this means? We're all powered up now! Super princes!" Natsu posed wildly with his fist in the air.

"Hearing and smelling more isn't really a power." Gajeel added as he shrugged.

"No, it's a fucking curse." Laxus growled stiffly without explanation.

"Okay, weirdo." Natsu ignored the dark tone. "What about this though? This has gotta mean something." The pinkette pulled off his cloak revealing his glowing fire dragon tattoo. "What do you guys think?"

"What the hell? Magic?" Gajeel suddenly grabbed his arm. His eyes widened at the living creature. "This is serious Natsu, what did you get involved with?"

Natsu slumped. "I was hoping you would know." He straightened as a thought hit him. "Wait, what about your dragons? Gajeel? Laxus?" He looked at both of them expectantly.

"There's nothing wrong with m-" Gajeel interrupted himself as he remembered the tingling he had been feeling on his shoulder recently. The prince suddenly started stripping to reveal his bare skin. There, on his left shoulder, was the metallic tattoo of a great iron dragon. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The dragon was moving, flying, glowing across his studded arm. Its shining scales clinked with more satisfaction than any armor plating he had seen before. "H-He's alive." Gajeel smiled giddily.

Natsu had very little reaction as he crossed his arms and shrugged. "Well it seems you really don't know anything about it. Looks cool though, I guess. What about you Laxus?" He turned to his blonde sibling. Laxus was frozen, staring down at his bare chest with his back to the others. "Laxus?"

"My dragon, it's gone."

Gajeel and Natsu both yelled in surprise, "What?!" The pinkette pulled his Laxus' shoulder back so he would face them. Veins were bulging from his forehead. Sure enough, the spot over his left rib cage was blank. The prince's lightning dragon was gone.

The blonde cursed and put his head back in his hands. His eyes shut, and his siblings' voices faded away as his heart searched for hers. It came to him like waves crashing along the shore: *thump…thump* *thump...thump*. He could feel the warmth of the blanket on her smooth legs and the softness of the bed. The cool air danced across her face. Feeling what she felt soothed his fiery veins. Hearing her heartbeat and feeling her draw every breath brought him closer to a state of rest. How long was he lost in her sleeping form? He didn't care to know.

Then something changed, and the timeless moment was over. Laxus felt cold air on her legs, and then heavy pressure on her body. Sudden weight slammed onto her neck and her muscles began to burn with the fire of life or death. That's what this was. Life or death. Laxus snapped out of his trance and grabbed his cloak while signaling for his brothers to follow him.

"Lucy is in danger!" He broke into a sprint while Natsu and Gajeel followed him, giving each other skeptical looks. A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the passageways not ten seconds later, erasing all uncertainty. "Shit, we're too late!"