Life in Zeref's castle was interesting, to say the least. It was clear that the dark mage was withholding no expense to make sure Lucy felt at home. Though the serving staff was a bit unsophisticated and the whole palace seemed perpetually drenched in darkness, she found that neither of those things bothered her as much as she might have expected. Perhaps it was because she'd spent her whole life in a pretty, furnished cage. At least here, she felt like she was really doing something.

Her days were long and busy as the newly-wedded couple prepared to present their plan to the king. Zeref went through the document with her in full, discussing finer details and their legal implications. He was surprised by how smart she was. He'd known her to be an activist, of course, but he hadn't expected her to be so genuinely intelligent. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her; an intelligent companion was preferable to a dim-witted one, but much harder to control.

Lucy rehearsed her presentation to the king nearly a thousand times over before the fortnight came to a close. Everything, every word and pause, glance and step was carefully planned. It was exhausting, and her only moments of reprieve were when she retired to her room at night. She thoroughly enjoyed all of it, though, especially when it came to learning more about her mysterious husband.

Zeref was more patient and precise than she could ever have imagined. As he trained her how to speak and present herself, she realized that these tips were coming straight from his own playbook. The deliberate manipulation of language, the balance of charisma and mystery, the careful concealing of interests and intentions, all of it was the accumulation of centuries of life and war. Instinctually she knew more than ever that he was not the young man he looked. Even if she spent her whole life by his side, she doubted she would ever learn to read him.

Luckily for her, their inherent differences were harder to spot from afar, and she felt confident that she could sell their relationship to the people.

The only person she was with more than Zeref was Natsu. The demon had apparently been given orders to stalk her absolutely everywhere she went, something that didn't bother her too much when she saw the sly looks of the other demons. Natsu was very…stoic. Lucy had tried engaging him in conversation a few times, but he always answered her gruffly and to the point. He even went so far as to avoid looking at her, which hurt her pride a bit.

Sooner than she ever would have believed, the fire demon's presence felt natural, comforting almost in her foreign home. She could tell that he truly meant her no harm, something she still couldn't decipher about his master. She didn't fail to notice his protective stance when other demons were near, nor the way his eyes seemed to linger on her when he thought she wasn't looking. Even if he only protected her because of his orders, it made her feel safer.

However there seemed to be a divide between them that he clearly wasn't interested in closing. Perhaps Zeref had ordered him to keep his distance? Or maybe he was just tired of playing baby-sitter. He was a powerful and widely-feared demon, after all. Surely he felt he had better things to do besides following around some weak human heiress…

"My lady?" a gentle voice asked.

Lucy glanced up to see the servant girl, Meredy, looking at her with concern, holding a tray of food. Lucy regularly took her food in her room; it was a time for her to wind down from the long days, away from the prying eyes of demons and servants alike. She understood why they were all so curious about her, but it didn't make her feel any less like a zoo animal.

"Come in," Lucy said with a smile.

The pink haired girl entered the room, shutting the door lightly behind her. As the door shut, Lucy could just make out one of Natsu wings from his post outside her room. Meredy crossed over to the desk where Lucy sat and placed the tray in front of her. She looked at the younger girl carefully before speaking.

"How did you come to work here?" Lucy asked, hoping it wasn't too sensitive a topic.

For a moment, the girl seemed taken by surprise. Lucy hadn't spoken much to anyone besides Zeref, partially because she didn't trust them and partially because they didn't trust her. However, it was time to start building those bonds; after all, she was going to be here for a long, long time.

"My sister, well adopted sister, I suppose, brought me here. She is a captain in his army, very talented with disguise and the forgotten time magic," she said proudly, her hazy blue-green eyes gleaming. "Anyway, she found me when I was very young and took care of me. I don't remember much of my life before her."

"I never had a sister, though I always wanted one," Lucy mused with a smile. "Do you like it here?"

"Well enough," Meredy said before quickly glancing behind her shoulder, aware of the demon outside the door. "I have a home and a job, and a family whenever Ultear returns. So I guess it's all I could really ask for."

Lucy turned to stare out the small window in the wall at the stars. She wondered if she'd really had a family at all after her mother died. It seemed selfish to complain about abandonment when she had been abandoned in luxury, but the heart didn't care how many dresses she had or how soft her bed was; the sting of neglect was the same.

"I'm sure you'll like it here in time," Meredy offered hearteningly. Lucy spun to look at her and gave a small smile.

"If I can help bring this war to a close, then that is all that matters," she said. "Then one day your sister can stay with you instead of marching off to battle."

Lucy tried not to think too deeply about what 'marching off to battle' meant. That in truth the girl's sister left her to terrorize people who only wanted to live in peace, to kill magicians that were already deprived of natural rights, all under the orders of her morally-ambiguous husband.

Meredy smiled widely and bowed. "I would be forever grateful, my lady."

"Now go, you must be tired, and I'll not need anything for the rest of the night."

"Thank you, my lady. Have a pleasant evening."

With that, the slip of a girl slid out the door. Lucy sat down and picked at her dinner. The fire cackled brightly behind her, the only sound in the solemn palace. She tried writing a bit, but she was too tired to catch on to any inspiration and ended up just crumbling the paper and throwing it away. Then she glanced at the door with an idea.

"Natsu!" she called.

The demon opened the door and entered the room. He wasn't too much taller than she was, but wings and all he looked massive. His eyes twinkled in the firelight as they scanned the room for an explanation to him being called.

"Yes… my lady?" he said, clearly tacking on the title at the last moment.

"I'm bored."

She could have sworn his eyebrows rose slightly as if to say "that's not my problem". However, he kept himself composed.

"Bored, my lady?"

"Yes, I want you to talk to me. Or have you been forbidden from speaking to me?"

"Why would I be forbidden from speaking to you?" he asked innocently, and Lucy could have sworn she heard Zeref in his question. His eyes darted around the room, avoiding her completely as always.

"Well you never do."

"Perhaps I don't want to."

Lucy blushed a bit in embarrassment and hung her head shamefully.

"I-I don't mean that there's anything wrong with you in particular, my lady, only that…" he trailed off. She turned her head up to meet his troubled green eyes that finished that sentence before he quickly looked away again.

"Only that you don't expect I'll live long?"

He grimaced slightly.

"I didn't say that."

And indeed he really didn't mean it either. Lucy had proved she was strong in the face of fear and solitude, much stronger than anyone might have expected from a pampered heiress. Except Zeref, but he had a knack for planning these things. However, Natsu knew better than to get attached to anyone.

"Do you think I made a mistake in coming here?" she asked candidly.

He chewed on the inside of his cheeks, unsure of how to answer her. In truth, even he wasn't sure what Zeref had planned yet, and besides, she had already made her choice. There was no point in making her doubt herself after-the-fact.

"That's not for me to decide," he said diplomatically, his eyes looking towards the fire.

Lucy smirked.

"Good job avoiding that question," she said, and he blushed slightly, but not enough for her to notice against his already red scales.

"Zeref may be my brother, but above all he's my master. It is not for me to question his judgment, nor yours."

"Are you happy with that?" Lucy asked, and Natsu's eyes widened a bit at the bold question, but they kept their gaze towards the fire.

Happy? He couldn't remember the last time he was happy with anything. He couldn't bring herself to answer her.

"I've heard stories about you," she confessed, and he visibly winced at that. "About how you burn entire cities to the ground leaving only blackened bones and ash behind. People fear you almost more than your brother. All kinds of fantastic stories about you ripping people apart and eating their hearts still beating or laughing as you kill children in front of their parents."

"I don't eat people," he said to the fire, slightly disgusted at the thought.

"Oh?" Lucy probed, interested in what the fearsome demon had to say.

He turned his green gaze up to meet her curious one for just a moment before it fled again to the flames.

"I was designed to take orders from my master absolutely," he said stiffly yet with a kind of pleading. He didn't want her to think he enjoyed carrying out Zeref's sickening demands. He was unsure of why exactly he wanted Lucy to like him or why the thought of her fearing and hating him hurt. "My own feelings have nothing to do with it."

The blonde was silent for a moment as she took that in. He didn't deny doing those things she accused him of (well, except for eating people), but at the same time, he didn't seem to take any kind of sadistic satisfaction from it. In fact, he looked…ashamed.

His words played in her head. Designed to take orders absolutely. He was a prisoner trapped in his own body and forced to do the bidding of his brother, forced to stand idly by while his body carried out atrocious orders. She shuddered at the thought. It explained how he could have such an awful reputation and yet seem less than cruel in person.

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered, feeling more and more guilty for dragging him into this conversation, which was clearly uncomfortable for him.

"It's not your fault," he said almost kindly. "And to be honest, I don't know what Zeref wants from you. Peace, a kingdom of his own, these are things he's never expressed much interest in before, but that doesn't mean he's not genuine. He's a brilliant strategist. Maybe he just sees a better way to get what he wants, whatever that may be."

He continued to stare at the flames as if he were speaking to them, so he didn't even notice as Lucy crossed the room to him. She placed her hand on his cheek and drew his gaze to her.

"Why won't you look at me?" she asked openly, and she could have sworn she saw him blush.

"I-I…" he choked out as he tripped over his own tongue. "You-you're very beautiful." His words were almost a whisper, and the scales on his cheek heated up to the touch.

Lucy smiled softly and dropped her hand, taking a step back to give him much needed space.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked with the tiniest of smirks.

"Of course not!" he said quickly, as if afraid to offend her, but as he caught sight of her grin he turned his face back to the flames. "I'm a monster…" He said it as if it were an explanation, and Lucy understood what he meant.

"I've met far worse monsters that look much more human than you," she said simply. "Besides, I think your scales are kind of cute."

At that, Natsu was sure he'd set the room on fire. He held his tongue and tried not to sputter like a school boy.

"Y-you should get some sleep," he said. "I'll just be...outside…yeah."

He turned to exit the room, but Lucy placed her hand on his arm.

"Natsu?" she said.

He turned and let his blazing green eyes meet hers. "Yes?" he said, far more breathlessly than he'd intended.

"I like talking to you," she said quietly.

"I like talking to you too," he returned, matching her tone.

He left the room, his heart pounding more ferociously than it had in years for anything other than fear. He tried not to let himself read too much into it, not to let himself hope that maybe she liked him… A princess liking a demon? Maybe it could happen. The whole world was crazy and upside down, so maybe even this could happen. He couldn't help the small smile on his face as he took his post by her door, and he felt more awake than ever.

Inside the room, Lucy glanced at the door. He was so much different than she'd thought he'd be, and she found herself playing their conversation in her head over and over again. Even as she got dressed and turned out the light, she kept thinking of the pink-haired demon and his flaming green eyes that burned into her soul, and she couldn't wait to talk to him again.