Chapter 7: The Girl in the Castle
"Prince Natsu!" A castle guard yelled, banging on the door outside his room.
Natsu groaned and shifted his eyes to the door. He had a pounding headache, and it was only made worse by the pounding on the door.
Wait, Prince?
Natsu's lazy gaze instantly transformed into a glare as he mentally prepared to send whoever dared disrespect him to the dungeon for the next five years. No, make that twenty.
Angrily, he flung his covers off and hopped out of bed, only to find himself tumbling to the ground. A small oof escaped his lips as he collided with the hard floor. He looked to his now scratched palms and was surprised to find they were smaller than usual and did not hurt at all.
...oh, this must be a dream.
"Prince Natsu!" The voice repeated. "Your father is requesting you join him. Now!"
Natsu stuck his tongue out at the door and hurried over to his window. As the door burst open, he took a leap of faith and jumped out of the window.
The wind whipped at his face as he hurdled toward the ground. He allowed himself to relish in the exhilarating feeling of free falling, not at all fazed by the encroaching land below, which was leaping closer and closer with every passing second.
Right before it was too late, he shut his eyes and began to fly with ease. He soared into the clouds, the fluffy white balls of condensation tickling him as he passed through them. The people below looked like little ants from this distance. Without a care in the world, he sped over the castle, continuing to dip in and out of the clouds as he danced in the sky.
His carefree journey came to abrupt end as soon as he spotted a familiar golden head of hair.
It was that girl!
Less than two seconds later he was standing in front of her. Though he'd literally just fallen from the sky, she didn't seem surprised to see him at all. Even more puzzling to Natsu was that her face seemed to be blurred out.
"Catch me if you can!" She cheerfully declared as she darted off toward the forest surrounding the castle.
Natsu charged after her fleeing figure, doing his best to tail her as she zig-zagged through the vast expanse of tree trunks.
She was surprisingly fast, but he was incredibly determined.
The strange girl slowed to a stop at the edge of a cliff in front of his family's miniature waterfall. She stared intently into the lake below, refusing to look at the boy as he approached her. The crashing water tickled his nose, creating a mist that clouded his vision.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked, approaching her carefully. "Why can't I see your face?"
The young girl turned ever so slowly. "Well, that's because..."
-o-o-o-o-
Natsu sat up in his bed, panting and out of breath. It was mostly dark in his room, but the initial signs of sunrise were beginning to spill in from his open window.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't feel rested at all. These dreams always left him more tired and confused than before he went to sleep. Even more frustrating, he woke up before he could get a straight answer.
"Fucking hell." With a groan he hopped out of bed to prepare for the day. As he walked across the cold stone floor of his bedroom, sincerely hoped that Lucy would actually join him for breakfast. If not... he didn't know what he'd do.
xOoxoOx
Birds chirped lightly outside of her windowsill as Lucy snuggled into her soft satin pillowcase. Her blankets felt all too warm, and she found herself wanting just five more minutes.
"Queen Lucy…"
Lucy tossed and turned in her sheets at the new voice intruding on her psyche. Perhaps if she ignored whoever it was, they would go away.
"My Queen…" The person shook her ever so slightly. Lucy frowned, but continued to chase her rest.
"Queen Lucy-sama!"
"Ugh, what?" Lucy said finally, sitting up. Standing in front of her was Virgo, who was currently in a full 90-degree bow. Now she felt bad. "H-Hey you don't have to do that! Please, stand up straight."
"Will you punish me for waking you, Queen?"
"N-No?!" Lucy exclaimed. She placed her head in her hands. "This woman has a few screws loose…" She murmured. Once her eyes had adjusted to the world of the living, she looked Virgo in the eyes. "I assume you have come to wake me up for breakfast?"
Virgo nodded. "Yes, my Queen. King Dragneel awaits you in the Great Hall."
Lucy groaned and hopped out of bed. Immediately, Virgo presented her two dresses: a floral off-white dress and a pink dress. "Please pick one, my Queen."
"I-I'll go with the floral one." Lucy said awkwardly.
"As you wish." Before Lucy could protest, Virgo stripped her of her nightgown and expertly placed her in the pretty white dress and a pair of crystal blue heels. She then affixed her hair in a high bun with a crystal barrette.
Lucy examined herself in her golden mirror. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places and felt absolutely divine against her skin. Even still, Lucy couldn't help but hold disdain for the royal treatment.
"Is it to your liking?" Virgo asked.
Against her stubborn ways, a smile crept to her face. "Absolutely. Thank you, Virgo."
"It is my pleasure, Queen." Virgo bowed again. "Well then, if you would kindly follow me…"
Lucy took a deep breath before following her out the door.
xoxoxox
Natsu tapped impatiently as he sat alone in the Great Hall. Two of his guards stood watch at the door as the chefs wheeled in today's breakfast. To his delight, it was toast, quail eggs, ham and a fruit salad. Though the selection was delectable, he did not have much of an appetite due to her absence. Again.
Right as he was falling into the depths of despair, the doors to the Great Hall opened. Upon seeing his visitor, Natsu sat straight up in his chair. She came after all! Moreover, his new Queen looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Realizing how dumb he must've looked, he quickly fixed his face into a neutral expression that mirrored the one she held.
"King Natsu." She greeted with a light curtsy.
"Just Natsu is fine, Lucy." He said.
She nodded and sat down at the opposite end of the table, forcing out a smile as the chefs served her breakfast.
Neither said another word, opting to eat in silence instead.
Natsu felt utterly conflicted. To his delight, Lucy did in fact join him for breakfast. To his chagrin, they were trapped in an awkward, tensely charged silence. But, ask and you shall receive, right?
-0-0-o-0-0-
Lucy quietly observed Natsu as she munched on her toast. She raised an eyebrow as a castle servant brought in a bundle of papers, placing one directly by Natsu, setting a huge bundle of them in the center of the table, and then placing one in front of her. An additional servant brought him an archaic looking scroll—perhaps it was his daily briefing? She glanced down to the newspaper in front of her and frowned at the headline which read, "Our Dearest Royal Majesty Selects His Darling Queen."
Lucy had to stifle the bitter laugh threatening to bubble in her throat. This writer was clearly spineless or being sarcastic. Regardless, she was upset by how quickly the news had spread. From what she could tell, her name was not in the article. However, she wasn't about to pick it up and find out either.
After what seemed like an eternity of silent munching, Lucy cleared her breakfast completely.
"May I be excused?" She asked. It sounded more like a statement than a request.
"Ah, sure, my lady." Natsu replied, barely looking up from his paper.
Lucy bowed slightly before standing and heading for the doors, leaving him at the table all alone. Natsu watched sadly as she left. No sooner than the doors closed, he squeezed his paper with deadly force.
xoxox
Lucy approached her room and was surprised to find two guards standing in front of the door. Undeterred, she reached for the handle but was immediately blocked.
"Um, excuse me?" She said, crossing her arms. "I'd like to enter my room."
"We have been instructed not to let you in." One of the guards said.
"What?" She asked. A growl bubbled within her throat. "And why not?"
"Until you learn how to interact with your husband," an all too familiar voice said from behind her, "You are only allowed in your room after nightfall."
Annoyed, Lucy turned to see Mard Geer standing with Virgo by his side. She looked stone faced as usual.
"These are my orders, by the way. But I am certain the King would not object."
"I bet he wouldn't." Lucy seethed.
Mard narrowed his eyes. "I will warn you only once to watch yourself, Lucy—ahem, Your Majesty."
Something about that statement did not sit right with her. She swallowed.
"Virgo here will show you around the castle. Perhaps you might learn to love it here if you just gave it a chance."
Lucy forced a smile, opting for silence instead of sarcasm.
"If you'll excuse me." Mard said with a small bow. Lucy watched as he grew smaller and smaller until he rounded a corner and was completely out of sight.
"It is my honor to escort you, my Queen." Virgo said, breaking the silence.
Lucy sighed. "Could I at least get a more comfortable pair of shoes?"
"Of course."
o-o-o-o
Minutes later, Lucy walked closely behind Virgo as they traversed the gigantic castle. Much like her first day here, servants, maids, and guards bustled every which direction. The castle walls seemed to house a unique little ecosystem. She couldn't help but frown at the way people seemed to avoid her gaze. She couldn't say she was surprised, however.
Through a little window, she spotted a beautiful patch of flowers.
"Virgo, can we see the flowers?" Lucy asked excitedly.
Virgo paused to consider it. "I am unsure if I can take you outside."
"What? Don't tell me that you think I'll run away."
For once, Virgo showed a little bit of expression as she gave Lucy a look.
"C'mon, how am I going to escape in broad daylight? And I don't even know the area…"
Virgo continued to just stare at her, seemingly unimpressed.
"Please, Virgo? I swear I won't do anything funny."
Virgo shrugged her shoulders and turned away. "Follow me, my Queen."
Lucy smiled and tailed Virgo down the long hallways. Eventually, they reached a back entrance.
Lucy relished in the fresh air, the smell of flowers already wafting into her nose. Several feet out from the castle walls was a tiny little garden full of exotic looking flowers. Her eyes landed on one type in particularly, a beautiful ruby red flower with golden tips. Its wild buds fanned out in every which direction, and it had a strong fragrance that was sweet yet spicy. It reminded her of cinnamon, but with a little something extra.
"That's a Dragon's Bud." Virgo said, leaning over her shoulder. "It is the signature flower of the royal family."
"Oh, is that so?" Lucy mused. "…Can I pick one?"
"I'm sorry, my Queen, but pulling from the flower garden's is expressly forbidden."
"Oh. Okay." Lucy pulled her hand back, opting to stare at it instead.
o-o-o-o
Not too far away, Natsu gazed down at Lucy from his study, which had the perfect view of the flower gardens. He couldn't help but notice how her face suddenly fell. She stared at the flowers for a little longer before she and Virgo headed back inside.
"Oi, Fullbuster."
"Yes, King Dragneel?" Gray replied, putting the paper he was looking at onto Natsu's desk. He had a feeling his next words would be very annoying.
"Go find out what it was Lucy wanted with the flower garden."
His insight never ceased to amaze him. Gray sighed and approached the window, stopping by Natsu's side. "I'm sure she was admiring the Dragon's Buds, sire. They are in season, after all."
Natsu stroked his chin. "Do you think she would appreciate a bouquet of them?"
Gray's mouth fell into a little o shape. He quickly composed himself. "I-I mean, probably. But we expressly forbidden from damaging those flowers?"
Natsu shot him a fearsome glare.
"Alright, alright," Gray conceded, throwing up his hands, "I will have the gardener prepare his finest arrangement of those flowers immediately." He stepped away from the window and mumbled, "Hopefully he doesn't have a heart attack from such a request…"
"Excuse me? I didn't quite catch that, Fullbuster."
"N-Nothing at all, King Dragneel. If you'll excuse me."
Gray quickly hurried from the room, lest he incur Natsu's moody wrath.
oxOooxooOxo
Before Lucy knew it, the entire day had passed. After she left the garden, she ended up in the Royal Library. To her delight, it was stacked wall to ceiling with an incredible number of books—many of which were incredibly rare copies of long forgotten texts—and lots of little corners to hide in. She hadn't intended to spend the entire day there, but she couldn't resist a good book—or forty. Best of all, the room seemed to be completely forgotten. Not one soul bothered her while she was in there.
As she walked back to her room with Virgo, she decided she would escape to the library whenever they forced her out of her room. That way, she could hide away from all the nuisances of her newfound life.
Virgo opened the door for her, and Lucy was instantly greeted by a smell she'd only encountered once before: Dragon's Buds.
Virgo looked a bit shocked at the beautiful arrangement of Dragon's Buds and White Star Lilies in a porcelain blue vase on the windowsill. Lucy picked up a flower and inhaled deeply.
"Virgo, I thought you couldn't cut these…?"
"Forgive me my Queen, you cannot. I am as surprised as you are. Will you punish me?"
Lucy shook her head lightly. "No. There's no need for that."
Virgo bowed. "If you are certain, my Queen."
She furrowed her brows a bit and turned to the pink haired woman. "Did you mention my interest in these flowers to anyone?"
"No, I did not my Queen."
"Huh." She replied, turning back to the bouquet. She brushed the delicate petals of the flower in her hand. This was… a surprisingly nice gesture. The tiniest hint of a smile formed on her face.
Virgo watched as Lucy gazed at her flower bundle. "May I help you into your pajamas?"
"Sure."
Lucy stepped away from the window and allowed Virgo to dress her in an orange colored silk pajama set. After making sure Lucy didn't need anything further, she bid her farewell and left the room.
Lucy crawled under her covers and allowed the smell of Dragon's Buds to lull her to sleep.
ox0OoO0xo
A/N: Hello everyone! To those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! It's been awhile but I'm happy to get this out to you. Good news is school is almost over for the semester. Bad news is… finals seasonnnn. So, I won't be able to work on this until after finals, but hopefully I can push out another chapter as soon as possible.
It seems that he may have chipped her armor a little—or has he? Find out next time ;)
I hope this update finds you well. Let me know your thoughts on the story so far :D I've been failing at replying to reviews, but I am going to reply to everyone this chapter.
Until next time,
AF1-Chan