Lucy took a deep, shuddering breath, eyes closed. She was glad to finally be on the ground, as the flight to the palace had been less than enjoyable. They were immediately bombarded by mages sworn to protect the city, and it had been only by Natsu's agile flying and the fact that the mages were reluctant to harm her that allowed them to enter unscathed.
Shoulders down, chin up. Be strong. Be confident.
She opened her eyes, meeting those of the horrified spectators around her. The inner part of the city where the palace sat was nearly devoid of mages. Their efforts, the king had decided, were best concentrated on the perimeter. Luckily for Lucy and Natsu, the foolish king had never imagined anyone would be able to get inside.
She stepped forward, infusing all twenty-odd years of trained grace into every movement. In the distance, someone screamed and people practically sprinted out of her way. She knew it wasn't her they were afraid of; it was the towering demon only a single pace behind her.
Of course, she was quite the vision herself. Her hair was done up elegantly, with a diamond and onyx tiara perched on her crown. She wore a positively regal black gown with golden embroidery displaying the Tartaros symbol along the hem. The dress clung to her waist like a second skin, and the sweetheart neckline put her voluptuous chest on display. Her golden keys hung off her hip, proof that Zeref had not "declawed" his bride. She was made to look both intimidating and desirable, an appropriate mate for the dark mage.
She walked like the queen she was supposed to be, her face expressionless as she glided to the palace doors. Guards scurried towards the entrance, calling desperately for backup while their knees knocked together in fear. They pointed their sharp spears and swords at her, eliciting a menacing growl from Natsu. A shiver ran down Lucy's spine; she'd never heard him sound like that before, at least, not in person.
"Stand down, END," she said, her voice almost unrecognizable even to herself. She sounded…powerful.
The wide-eyed guards glanced nervously from her to the demon, whose face was still in a dangerous glare.
"I wish to speak to the king," she said as if it were a completely reasonable request to want to enter the palace with a demon in tow.
"We cannot let you pass," one guard said, his voice shaky but he didn't stutter. Privately, Lucy applauded his bravery.
"Either you let us in willingly, or END will burn down this door and anyone who stands in my way," Lucy said.
She could feel herself slipping deeper and deeper into the role of the black mage's wife, far away from the pathetic little girl who used to have to beg for the king's attention. It was intoxicating, especially since she'd been ignored and ridiculed for so long.
But she had to keep her head on. She wasn't here for any kind of vengeance or to settle a vendetta against the court. She was here for the same reason she'd always come here: to fight for the people.
"W-we can't let you pass, Lady Heartfilia," the guard repeated.
She inwardly sighed. She'd already instructed Natsu not to hurt anyone too badly if it came to violence, but she really didn't want it to go that far. She could feel the demon behind her set himself ablaze with his signature fire as a show of strength. Just as he began to step forward, they heard something from the other side.
"…them in! The king has ordered to let them in!" a wheezy old voice said.
The guards looked to each other for confirmation before obliging the orders. With a loud groan, the heavy doors were opened. Lucy flashed them a heart-stopping smile before proceeding to enter to palace while Natsu extinguished the flames with a scowl.
"L-Lady Heartfilia…" the king's advisor began, but he didn't seem to know how to finish that sentence. Everyone, for that matter, was speechless. The entrance hall was full of nobles whose faces displayed varying degrees of terror, all turned to gawk at her as she strolled into their midst. Natsu hung back a bit, giving Lucy a bit more space now that the guards were further away, but he was still only a few steps away from her at all time, eyeing the crowd warily for anyone who might want to harm her.
With almost unnatural grace, Lucy walked to the throne room, ignoring everyone else. She looked completely calm and unaffected, but Natsu could hear her heart pounding in her chest even feet away. He wanted to hold her hand and remind her that he would protect her, but he knew he couldn't, not here and now, and that hurt.
The king looked half ready to piss himself as he sat upon his golden throne. Despite his straight face, even from a distance Lucy could practically smell his fear. She had a feeling that the only reason he had let her in was to avoid the reputation-shattering image of a demon burning down the door to the kingdom. This way, he at least felt he was still in control, even if they all knew that was a lie.
"Lady Heartfilia," he greeted coldly. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here. After you were captured by Tartaros, well, I was afraid we'd seen the last of you." He didn't sound too heartbroken.
Lucy nodded her head in acknowledgement but didn't bow. You're there negotiating as an equal, Zeref had told her. She did, however, smile kindly.
"That would be my fault, King Fiore. My husband and I decided to keep our relationship secret for a while as we had more important matters to handle. As pleasurable as it would be, I admit I'm not here on a social call."
The poor king looked like he didn't know what to do with such a loaded statement. There were so many parts to pick at, so many questions barely raised and yet unanswered. He decided, finally, to go for the most obvious one.
"Your husband?" he asked incredulously, daring a meek glance at the demon behind her.
"Yes," Lucy said. "My husband, Zeref Dragneel."
The sudden silence in the room was deafening. It was as if everyone had stopped breathing and their hearts stopped beating. The king gaped openly for a moment before composing himself as much as possible.
"Your husband…Zeref?" he asked rather stupidly, and Lucy smiled.
"Yes," she stepped forward slightly before turning and pacing back towards Natsu. "I understand your shock. Even I can still hardly believe that I should have fallen in love with such an unlikely character. However, today is not the day to explain why I have given my heart and soul to a mage that I've grown up hearing horror stories about."
She reached her hand out to Natsu. Only his perceptive eyes could see the slight tremble, the way her eyes were dilated with nervousness. He reached into a bag they'd brought with them and extracted a scroll. As he passed it over to the blonde, he let his hand slide against hers slightly, their eyes meeting for the briefest of seconds. He tried to send her encouragement, but admittedly he just got lost in her chocolate eyes, loving the way they seemed to wrap him up in warmth and make him feel secure.
Unbeknownst to him, his efforts were not in vain. Lucy took another deep breath and turned around with the scroll, boldly walking up to the king with newfound courage.
"My husband has a proposal for you, King Fiore. One that I implore you to accept, thus my reasoning for being here today. This war has lasted nearly four hundred years. Countless lives have been lost, and for what? The maintenance of a state which suppresses the very citizens that protect it?
"I cannot bear to see more lives sacrificed for nothing, to protect against an enemy that has been built in our minds. Zeref is not evil. He is no more evil than any other mage, he is simply more powerful and as a result he has been ruthlessly pursued by generations of kings who seek to harness that power for their own selfish gain."
It was clear that Lucy wasn't just speaking to the king, but to everyone in the hall. She trailed around the room, standing tall and proud while her black skirt swayed around her. She was thankful for the merciless hours of training Zeref had put her through that made all of this feel like second nature.
"I admit, when he and I first met I was fearful. I too had grown up hearing about his evil deeds, believing them to be selfish acts of a greedy and sadistic man who wanted nothing more than to watch the world and everything good in it burn. Why else create monstrous demons to attack innocent villagers? Like you, I had never imagined it was in self-defense.
"As we spent more time together, I came to realize that the man I'd imagined all my life was not the man in front of me. The Zeref I know is powerful, no doubt, but kind and devoted to justice. He longs for peace and safety, especially for the mages who fight your war for you.
"King Fiore, this is Zeref's proposal: a treaty that will establish a new kingdom, built upon a region of Fiore, which will exist peacefully alongside this one. You will retain full sovereignty of the remaining land, and Zeref and I will jointly rule the new country, which will allow full rights and protections for mages, something you have adamantly denied them."
She gave him a hard look, one full of fire and determination.
"All we ask for is to be left alone with the lands we already hold. All violence will end, your people can sleep easy at night, parents can return home to their children. We all know that you cannot continue to fund this war much longer. It is exhausting the country's resources. Why die a sad, miserable death when you could flourish again?"
Her words hung in the air, both a tempting offer and a threat. The king glowered down at her silently from his perch before speaking.
"Peace runs both ways, Lady Heartfilia. How can I ensure that you will not attack us again when our guard is down?" he asked.
"Peace relies on trust, of which my husband has admittedly inspired little over the years. Your trust, King Fiore, lies with me and my judgment. I have long fought for mages, and I do so now. It is in my interest to see this war ended and peace between us all, and it is in that interest that I am here today. Zeref and I will serve as equal rulers of this new land. There will be no forces that he can order I cannot likewise influence."
"If you think Zeref will ever consider you an equal, my lady, you are mistaken!" the king said harshly.
Behind her, END's wings fluttered uneasily at the king's words, which rang true.
"I love Zeref," she said, her voice like a clear crystal pool. END shuddered at how convincing she sounded, as if she believed the words herself. "And so I trust him. I know I will never be his equal in power, and thus never able to guarantee that he will not betray me. But this treaty offers a chance at peace, a chance which is otherwise lost! King Fiore, hear me now. This is the best offer you will receive. Reject it, and you lead what remains of this country to ruins."
She glared, looking powerful wrapped up in Zeref's black and gold. The king said nothing.
"Take this contract and study it, but know you do not study it alone. Copies have been posted all over the kingdom, so that your people understand the choice you are making on their behalf. I encourage you to consider how the resolve of your mages will be affected, knowing you passed an opportunity for peace," she said ominously, standing so close to the king as she held out the document that she could see him tremble. "I will return tomorrow for your answer."
She spun on her heel and exited the room, END on her heels. They marched through the front gates where they'd landed. A curious crowd of people, mages and non-mages alike, had gathered. Their voices were angry and confused, shouting things like "traitor" and "demon whore", while others simply asked out "why?". Lucy wanted to stop and speak to them, but she knew this wasn't the time or place, and she would never be able to speak over that crowd.
Instead, she touched END's arm. He looked down at her, his angry expression softening as their eyes met.
"Let's go," she said quietly, her strength rapidly waning. He nodded and, taking her in his arms, flew off. Some of the people let out startled shouts and screams as he took flight, but he ignored them. He could smell the light scent of Lucy's tears gathering, and begged his wings to fly faster. When they were outside of the city, he descended into an area of dense forest, landing on a tree before gliding down the ground. He set Lucy down and she nearly collapsed, holding on to both his arm and rough tree trunk to stay standing.
"Luce?" he asked, his voice not even trying to mask his concern.
"I'm fine," she said with a sniffle. A few of the tears had leaked on to her face but she still hadn't given into them. "I've always been ridiculed, but never so openly…hated."
She took in a shuddering breath.
"They don't hate you," he said. "They fear you."
She looked up at him. "Just like you," she said, her voice full of a deep sadness, as if she were contemplating what it must have been like to be so feared and loathed for hundreds of years. He should be cold and cruel by now, not warm and caring. "How do you do it?"
Natsu looked up at her, his eyes full of something she couldn't define but that made her heart ache. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.
She nodded slowly, not sure she was telling the truth.
"I don't actually remember," he said strangely. "I think I hid inside myself, my body on a kind of auto-pilot. As I was ordered to do all those terrible things, I buried myself inside my mind. I locked "Natsu" away and became "END" instead. In a way, I've been asleep for four hundred years. It wasn't until I started talking to you that I started waking up."
It sounded absurd, but Lucy knew it had to be true. It explained how he could be so old, and yet still seem so youthful when they talked, like there weren't centuries between them.
"I can't do that, Natsu," she said, stepping closer to him and hugging onto his arm.
"You don't have to," he replied quietly. "You're not alone."
The silent forest was peaceful around them as their eyes scoured each other's. Without either realizing it, they leaned forward until their lips pressed against each other in a soft, chaste kiss. They broke a part, just a few inches before Lucy let out a soft gasp as she processed what she'd just done. Immediately she knew, she wanted to do it again.
More boldly than the first time, she pressed her lips against his, letting her arms reach up to wrap around his neck while his hands slid down to her curvy waist. They breathed against each other, their lips dancing with the passion that had been smoldering between them the whole time. How had they not done this earlier?
Natsu nipped lightly at her lip with his fang, careful not to cut her. She opened her mouth slightly and his tongue dove in, sweeping around her mouth and playing with her tongue. Light grunts passed between them, a kind of instinctual language that they both seemed to understand. Their hands began to roam, Natsu feeling her frustratingly clothed curves and Lucy winding her hands up into his hair and hooking her fingers around his horns. He hummed at the sensation of her scratching at his scalp while they continued to meld together.
They didn't know how long they stood there kissing each other like it was their last day on Earthland, but finally their need for oxygen broke them apart. They held onto each other, their bodies leaned against one another as they gulped in air. Lucy's corset felt immensely too tight as she panted, but Natsu's arms were enough to hold her upright.
As she started to calm down, she dragged her hands down from his scalp and neck and around his shoulders, making a teasing trail across his broad, hardened chest before slipping her hands around his waist. He wore an odd kind of shirt that was open in the back for his wings, and she let her fingers run up and down the ridges where the large, leathery appendages met his hot skin. Meanwhile, she leaned into him, letting her lips press against his neck, moving up and down to jaw and shoulder, leaving feathery kisses along his scales. Natsu purred against her, a kind of rumbling she doubted a human could imitate.
Natsu, for his part, squeezed her as tightly to him as he could without crushing the life out of her. He wondered how he had gone four hundred years without this beautiful woman, without being kissed like that. Even more, he wondered just what was wrong with her that she would dare to kiss something like him in the first place, much less touch those parts of him that did nothing but remind him how inhuman he was.
As she continued to lavish him in affection, he felt increasingly hot. He was a fire dragon demon, so of course he was always hot, but there was a heat inside of him that even he found sweltering, and he knew it had everything to do with the woman in his arms. He wasn't sure if demons could love, if he could love, but that flame inside of him was undeniable. He'd gone centuries without feeling a thing, and the sudden presence of so much emotion was both dizzying and daunting.
And yet, despite how much all of this scared him he couldn't help but feel safe in Lucy's arms. To the naked eye, he was the powerful one with his muscles and fire, but he knew that the girl holding him was the truly powerful one, protecting him from himself, helping separate the boy Natsu from the monster END. He felt that as long as he had her by his side, nothing – not even his brother – could stop him.
Lucy pulled her lips from his magically heated skin and leaned against his sturdy chest, appreciating the warmth that soaked even through his oddly-designed shirt. She felt like she was floating, her head spinning and her heart still racing, though now settling into a softer thump thump thump.
For a while neither of them said anything – nothing needed to be said. They could both feel the nearly tangible connection between them, like a blanket that swaddled them up together. They both knew they were supposed to be here together, like two halves of a whole whose power was only just awakening now that they were together. It seemed strange to think that they could have been strangers just a few weeks ago. How could they have ever been strangers?
Lucy sighed as her thoughts began to wander.
"Maybe I made a mistake, Natsu. Maybe I really am becoming the bad guy. I mean, all those horrible things that Zeref made you do…I want to believe that he's had a change of heart, or a change of intentions, at least, but…" she trailed off, her voice pained. "I just want to do the right thing."
"There's no such thing as 'the right thing', Luce," he said fiercely. "All you can do is the best that you can with what you know at the moment. If you didn't do this, the war would continue and Zeref would wipe Fiore off the map. I don't know what his plan is now, but your interference can't be worse than certain death. You truly love your people, even those who don't love you back. I don't know how that could be so wrong."
"But what if I was wrong? What if I just make everything worse?" she asked, frustrated by her confusion. She hated not being certain of anything.
Natsu pulled back slightly so that their eyes met, their arms still tight around each other.
"Then we'll just have to fix it," he said as if it were obvious. He moved one hand up to her cheek and she leaned into his clawed palm. He tilted her head upwards, his green gem-like eyes searching hers. He seemed so sure, so hopeful, and Lucy envied him.
"How can you be so relaxed about this?" she asked incredulously, and he smirked.
"Because I have you," he said shamelessly. "And there's no way a life with you in it could be worse than the past four hundred years."
Lucy was speechless, but she felt her cheeks heating up at his confession. He had a point, though. When you're at rock bottom, there's only one direction you can go.
"Ready for our second stop of the day?" he asked, his voice low and relaxing.
Ah, yes. The second stop, Lucy remembered. "As ready as ever," she muttered, unwilling to end their time alone together. But she knew she had other things to do.
"Alright, then. Hold on," he said as he held her firmly and pushed off from the ground with considerable force. Lucy squeaked slightly at the sudden pressure, but wasn't afraid – she knew instinctively that Natsu would never hurt her. "Magnolia, here we come."
Magnolia, she thought nervously. Home of the mages.