Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.
Lucy's eyes shot open to see hands around her neck. The window at the end of the canopy bed highlighted the silhouette on top of her: a hulking man with a shaggy mane. As she realized she couldn't breathe, the blonde struggled for her life in the darkness. Her arms flailed at the masked attacker to no avail; her nails tore the cloth along his arms.
"Hades sends his regards, Your Majesty." A husky voice sneered at her from above. His wild hair cascaded around her face as he leaned closer and pressed her deeper into the mattress. The hot breath sent shivers down her spine. Black spots appeared on her vision as the burning in her lungs became unbearable.
The blonde ignored his words as the blood rushed to her ears and desperation flooded her body. "No, not like this. I can't die like this." Memories of her mother flashed before her eyes. The woman's warmth, her spirit, her strength. It was all up to Lucy to carry on that legacy. She could remember fragments from the fateful day her mother had passed on her necklace as she lay on her deathbed.
"...I hope I've raised you to be strong and follow your heart." Her mother had squeezed her hand with strength that lasted long enough to express more than words could say. "I'll always be with you, Lucy."
With all of her strength, the musician shoved her palm into her attacker's chin, staggering him briefly. She had created an opening large enough to squirm out of his grasp and tumble onto the rug below. The blonde gasped and wheezed as she massaged her bruised throat. The shadowed invader watched her from the bed and tilted his head with a dark grin plastered ear to ear.
Lucy felt time slow as she scrambled back to her feet and her eyes drew in her attacker's features: a golden mane and glowing red eyes peered from the darkness. The musician slowly turned to run and froze with a petrifying scream as she felt a blade run through her from behind. The shiny steel blurred in front of her as she clutched her stomach and felt the warm liquid seep through her fingers. "There were two? How unfair." The blonde collapsed as she watched the bloody blade in her abdomen pull back out. She felt wind rush past her and footsteps fading in the distance. Then, she was alone. How long was it, five seconds, ten minutes? The pain was gone. Her feeling was gone. Lucy felt her life slipping away when the sound of footsteps reached her room. The door slammed open. The blonde heard a familiar voice curse, and her body warmed as darkness clouded her vision.
"Lucy! No!" Laxus saw the woman slumped in a pool of her own blood; her white nightgown was colored crimson. The burly man rushed to fall beside her and gently lifted her dress to reveal the wound. The prince stopped dead in his tracks as his heart skipped a beat. It was then Natsu and Gajeel caught up to him. At the sight of the musician almost bare and covered in blood they stiffened in the doorway.
Laxus traced his calloused fingers over her wound and stared in awe. He could hear Natsu growling at the horrific scene before him. "No, it's okay," he reassured his brother quietly. The blonde prince's eyes filled with emotion and a lump caught in his throat as he witnessed the life return to the woman in front of him. Her wound was healing right before his eyes. And there, dancing across her bloodstained skin was a glowing lightning dragon, his lightning dragon. "How?" Laxus watched in wonder as it swirled and spun around the gash until all that was left was a small scar with the same bright yellow scales as the creature. His dragon saved Lucy. The prince relaxed as he felt a massive boulder roll off his chest. She was safe, and that was all that mattered. A small part of him wondered why he felt that way, but he wouldn't dwell on it long. "She's going to be okay." Natsu and Gajeel hesitantly joined Laxus at Lucy's side.
"Hey, that's your dragon, isn't it?" Gajeel pointed lightning dragon was glowing on her skin, wrapped in a sleeping position over her ribcage. The princes could see the rise and fall of its breathing form. Lucy let out a light moan that drew attention to her bruised neck. All three princes stiffened.
"What the hell is going on, Laxus?" Natsu's face was dark and his voice lowered. "Why would they be after her? And how did she take your dragon?"
"Hey, I know just as much as you, dimwit," the blonde retorted. The pinkette rolled his eyes and rolled his fingers on his temples in thought. After a few brief seconds he kneeled by the unconscious musician and scooped her into his arms with one smooth motion. Laxus' eyes widened as he saw his brother stumble for a moment. He instantly recalled the moment he first touched Lucy; the electric jolt that vibrated his skin still left ghost tingles. "Natsu, are you-"
"I'm fine," he hissed. He steadied himself with the unconscious blonde in his arms. "Just gonna get her some real help." The prince ran out the door with his cloak swinging behind him.
"Tch, didn't know that brat was so weak. Nearly fell over with that dainty girl in his arms and all!" Gajeel chuckled in an attempt to raise the mood. Laxus stood up stiffly.
"That idiot. I could have told him that touching her was dangerous." Gajeel blinked at his words.
"Well maybe you should have mentioned it sooner!" He growled.
"I'm serious, man! Don't touch her until we figure out what's going on." Laxus clenched his fists.
"Whatever, I wasn't planning on it anyway," Gajeel huffed and looked away from his brother's steely gaze.
Laxus glanced at the red smear across the ground and his blood reignited. "Come on, let's get moving and make sure the bastard that hurt Lucy isn't still in the castle."
Natsu gasped and fell to his knees as he arrived at the infirmary. He wrapped Lucy in his cloak and cradled her gently. The warmth sank into his chest as he rapped on the door fervently. His mind was a mess. The sensations he felt the moment he picked up the woman had him reeling. The jolt was still dancing across his skin. Every time his eyes glanced at her neck a fire caught ablaze in his chest. The prince wanted nothing more than to obliterate the bastard who hurt her.
The door slowly opened to reveal another pinkette; the old woman was extremely annoyed and standing in her nightgown. The woman's scowl immediately softened at the sight of the two in front of her. "Come in, quickly child." Natsu obliged. The room was spacious with a few beds lining both sides. The prince gently placed Lucy on the mattress and immediately took a seat beside her, his eyes never drifting from her form.
"What happened, Natsu?" The old woman inquired. She was delicately examining the marks on the musician's neck.
"We don't know." He gripped the bed sheets tightly. "Whoever they are, they're gonna pay." Silence hung between the two, only interrupted by the sound of Porlyusica dabbing ointment.
"There are temporary changes of clothing in the back, would you mind grabbing them for me?" Natsu nodded and left to retrieve the simple clothing. The moment he broke contact with the musician he could have sworn he felt an icy chill pass through him. Her presence had the strangest effect on the prince and he was absolutely stumped as to what it was or why it was happening to him. The prince returned with the clothing in hand.
The physician had pulled the cloak off Lucy, and was watching the blonde's form slowly rise and fall. Natsu watched her freeze curiously, and realized he could see a warm light coming from in front of the pink haired woman. He stepped up beside her and gasped. The red-orange glow was coming from the unconscious blonde. Along her shoulder, dancing and twirling, was his red dragon. Its scales sparkled and rippled with movement. As realization dawned, Natsu looked down at his shoulder and confirmed that his dragon had disappeared.
"Why?" He asked no one. The man's fist clenched and he recalled the moment Lucy overwhelmed his sensations. "First Laxus, now me? Why is she having this effect on us?" The older woman's eyes widened as she realized what she was witnessing.
"The Dragon Queen." The words came out with a tone of disbelief. Natsu immediately whipped to raise an eyebrow at Porlyusica.
"Tell me what you know."
"Of course Natsu, just, wouldn't you rather hear the truth from your father? He was going to explain everything when the time came, if the time came." Natsu growled at hearing his dad had kept something this important from him. He must have had a good reason to keep it a secret. There was no way the prince would accept his dad had withheld the truth from him otherwise.
"I need answers NOW!" The voice echoed down the hall as Porlyusica watched the prince sprint out the door. The old woman shook her head at his impatience and gave a concerned glance towards the sleeping blonde.
"Layla, how did you know she would be the one?" She gently pulled the sheets over the musician's battered form. A slight 'coo' fell out of Lucy's lips and made the old woman chuckle. "Those poor boys."
Natsu sprinted down the hall towards his parent's chambers. His footsteps echoed through the corridors as he passed torch after torch. As he got closer to the door his breath hitched and the smell of blood scorched his airway.
*Earlier*
The castle was quiet when Jellal and Cobra first arrived. The maroon haired man stood nearby in silence as his partner relayed the intel to the two eldest princes. There was going to be an assassination attempt here at the castle tonight. Out of the many traveling lords and ladies, the options for victims were among the hundreds.
"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Laxus asked gruffly underneath his cloak.
"Look, we only just found out the attack itself is taking place tonight. There isn't anything we can do to warn the people without causing panic," Jellal stated matter-of-factly.
"How can we help?" Gajeel asked.
"I need you both to stay at this end of the castle in case the visiting nobles are the ones targeted. Cobra and I will head to the other side and keep watch over there. The great Titania will be joining us shortly so I'm not worried." The blunette glanced up with a knowing smile. The four men stood in silence for a few seconds before Cobra turned and started towards his end of the castle. Jellal eyed his partner before giving some final advice, "Keep your eyes out for each other and Natsu whenever he shows up. There's something that needs to be addressed when we have the time, but for now we just need to stay focused on the mission." Jellal sighed in relief as the princes nodded without further explanation. Without another word he turned and ran into the shadows after his partner.
Jellal continued running until he reached the end of the corridor. Cobra stood waiting in the darkness. His eyes glimmered in the faint light coming from the torch mounted on the wall. "Titania is arriving, I can hear her footsteps." The man paused as he leaned with his ear pointing down the hall. "She brought a friend as well."
Torchlight pierced the darkness as two cloaked figures joined the two in waiting. The navy cloaks were uniform and hung low across their dark boots. The kingdom's sigil was woven into the fabric in silver across their backs. "Jellal, is it?" The female voice removed her hood to reveal her scarlet hair. "I heard the time table was moved up. Who are these mongrels targeting?" Cobra nearly chuckled at the direct manner of the legendary knight. Jellal glanced towards the redhead.
"We don't know. As long as we're prepared I think we can minimize casualties." He said quietly.
"You should have let everyone know." Gray growled.
"Tch, we honestly didn't have time to tell anyone, but it's better this way. The festival can continue and no one will be the wiser." Gray stiffened at his casual tone.
"Where do you need us?" Erza quickly asked.
"Thank you, Titania." Jellal smiled. "Please, go to the King and Queen's chambers and stand guard. Your friend should go with you." The red head nodded and grabbed Gray's arm before he could protest. Their cloaks bellowed out behind them as Erza dragged her companion full speed towards the royal chambers.
The usual guards were missing when Erza and Gray arrived. The door stood closed with no sign of disturbance. The two could see light coming from underneath the door; the eerie glow flickered warmly. The late hour and unusual scene set Erza on edge as she brazenly began pounding on the decorative door. "Your Majesty? Are you alright?" A shadow moved in front of the light streaming under the door. "Your Majesty?" Her pounding increased before she readied herself to slam into the wooden panels. Her muscles relaxed as she saw the door open slowly, with the frail visage of the king standing in the doorway. His hair was tossed from rolling in bed and his robe sagged across half his body as he struggled to dress the other half.
"Erza? Dear Mavis, what are you doing slamming into the door in the middle of the night? I nearly lost my head!" He slumped with exasperation and rubbed his eyes. The knights outside had stiffened and lowered their heads in respect, but the king could still see relief on Erza's face. "Will one of you tell me what's going on?"
"Sir, the attack on the castle is happening tonight, quite possibly now. We were only just informed." The king's face fell into a deep frown at her words.
"We just wanted to keep you both safe, Your Majesty." Gray bowed as Erza was reminded of her confusion.
"The light under your door concerned us. Why are you still awake at this hour?"
"Well, I wasn't until some very loud knocking nearly made my heart jump from my chest!" The king grumbled as he turned back to look at his wife. Her sleeping form amazed him. "You're damn lucky you didn't wake the Queen. Now, if I let you stand guard, will you both promise to let us sleep?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. We have everything covered out here so please rest your eyes." The king rolled his eyes at the redhead's formality and shut the door. The light peering under the door vanished seconds later.
Gray grumbled and leaned against the wall, "Next time you plan on embarrassing yourself in front of the king please leave me out of it."
"You are just as glad as I am that they're safe, don't pretend otherwise." She turned to her comrade and smiled with a light blush. Her eyes sparkled with kindness. Gray felt chills go down his back. "This lady is scary as hell."
"Please don't smile at me like that again." He whimpered as Erza chuckled. The two sat in silence as Gray thought about his pink headed prince getting into trouble elsewhere. Minutes later the echo of a shrill scream faintly reached their ears. The light voice rebounded across the castle in a sharp tone of agony. Gray and Erza instantly tensed as their hands went to their hilts. "Who the hell was that, Erza?" The corridor was silent again as the gravity of the situation settled onto the knights.
"Probably whoever the attack was for. I'm sure someone is on their way to rescue them." The redhead nodded as she relaxed and pulled her hand away from her sword.
"Are you serious, Erza? Are you really just going to ignore that scream?"
"We cannot leave, Gray. Someone must stand watch over the king and queen."
"Well you just said it! It only takes one of us to defend a door no one is going to come after anyway." Gray stripped off his breastplate and reattached his cloak around his soon bare torso. "I'm going to help." The knight prepared himself to take off in a sprint before he was yanked backwards suddenly onto the ground. His cloak was in Erza's grasp as she stared down at her friend with no emotion.
"You are staying here. Don't try to leave again or I will cripple you." Gray scowled at his comrade as his emotions balanced between rage and fear. He stopped struggling and resigned himself to leaning back on the wall next to her. "Evil will not win tonight. Have faith that those who wish our kingdom harm will be dead by the morning, and the ones who are not will be dead by our hands not long after." Erza smiled at her raven haired friend before her gaze drifted to the floor below. The light was streaming underneath the door once again.
Her body stiffened as she felt sudden and instinctive terror. The knight whipped towards the door and opened it while drawing her sword as Gray watched with concern. The candlelight flickered on the table across from the door. Erza could see the sleeping silhouettes of her king and queen across the room. Her heart lightened with relief once again before her eyes drifted to the dark silhouette standing at the head of the king's bed. The curtain bulged with the size of a large beast on its hind legs. The shape rustled quietly behind the fabric.
"Who are you? Show yourself, intruder, or die by my hand now!" Her sword was aimed towards the center of the beast. The fabric slowly peeled back as the king and queen woke, startled. A massive head peered from behind the curtain and began muttering.
"Kain, Kain, Kain, Kain, KAIN." The shirtless barbarian burst from the curtain with a battle-axe in hand, swinging wildly at the swordswoman. Erza deflected with her own blade and slammed into the stone wall behind her from the force of the blow, yelping in pain. She glanced up to see the axe swinging inches from her face before an icy blade struck her attacker's shoulder with the full weight of its raven haired knight behind it. The giant stumbled in front of the hearth as the king and queen took cover behind their protectors. With a scream of rage he grabbed his axe with his uninjured arm and swung at Gray. The knight let go of his still embedded sword and ducked under the strike. Losing no time, Erza appeared behind the two with lightning speed and slashed dozens of strikes quickly at the invader's heels. The man hollered in pain as crimson liquid splattered onto the floor. He dropped to his knees and flailed with his weapon wildly, daring anyone to step near him. Erza and Gray watched with pure hatred burning in their eyes.
"Your Majesty, this assassin was here to kill you. Please, allow me to execute him now." Erza snarled as she leveled her sword. The giant roared as he continued swinging wildly on the floor. The king looked on with solemn expression as he stared at the blood slowly pooling in front of his hearth. He turned to his wife and steadied her slightly shaken form. She nodded with absolute certainty.
"If you cannot disarm him safely, it is simply the only choice," the king wearily admitted. As the last words left his lips, Titania jumped back into action, parrying the assassin's axe strikes multiple times in quick succession. Each clash of blades fueled the knight as her fury grew with every swing. With a mighty shout she ducked under his swinging arm and thrusted her blade into his chest. His breath left his lungs with a wheeze as the warrior pierced deeper and deeper; her red hair was only barely visible under his massive form. The axe fell from his limp fingers and clattered to the floor. Gray's jaw dropped as he watched his friend shove the giant off her and onto the floor, dead.
Footsteps echoed in the hall before Natsu burst into the chamber, eyes wide with fear. He saw his battered friends standing over the body of a giant, blood splattered across the room. "What happened? Where are they?"
"Why does everyone always think the worst?" The king chuckled from behind him. Natsu spun and rushed to give his father a hug. The queen smiled with relief as they embraced. King Igneel soon pulled back and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "This, however, is troubling to say the least." He winced as he stared at the corpse. "Our lives could have ended tonight."
"Not only yours." Natsu's fists tensed. "They attacked Lucy as well." Gray whipped around in shock.
"That scream earlier, that was her? There were more of those bastards?!" The raven-haired knight suppressed a growl as he watched the prince nod. "Is she okay?" The prince hesitated to answer before sighing with exasperation.
"I can't think of any person that would be okay after being run through by a blade and left to die, but yeah, she's alive, if that's what you were asking." Silence blanketed the room. Erza removed her blade with a sickening squelch before dislodging her comrade's icy sword and returning it to him. Gray watched his prince with concern; the strange feelings Natsu had felt for the musician and now her failed assassination, it just couldn't be a coincidence.
"That poor girl." The queen spoke softly. She looked towards her husband and placed her arm on his in agreement to an unspoken question.
"Lady Heartfilia will be put under the castle's protection until further notice. Her life may certainly still be in danger. Scarlet, find Jellal and have him see me." The knight silently nodded and left the bedroom, covered in blood.
"Dad, who's the Dragon Queen?" The pinkette asked with a straight face, judging his father's reaction. The old man sighed.
"She's a myth, Natsu. A story passed down our family for generations. I don't see how any of that is relevant now-" Natsu revealed his shoulder to his father with a look of exasperation.
"Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with this, pops?" He glanced up to see his father's shocked expression. He traced his hand over the blank space on Natsu's skin.
"How?" The king paused in disbelief, before it quickly transitioned into sympathy. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?" A look of confusion briefly crossed the prince's face before it transformed into a scowl.
"I feel fine, just tell me what's going on." His fists clenched. The king's face softened.
"Come," the old man stretched his arm towards the hall. "I shall show you what I know. Hopefully the magister won't mind being woken up this late." He laughed awkwardly as the room quietened and the gravity of the situation settled. The prince stared at his father stiffly and stepped forward in silent agreement. "Fullbuster, please take care of him." The king eyed the fallen assassin with a look of revulsion. The knight nodded and they all left the blood-spattered chamber together.
Let me know what you think so far!
