Hello everyone. If you're reading this in 2020, I hope you're staying safe and healthy and taking proper precaution during this time.
Even though I struggled to write a good ending, I never wanted to abandon this fic. When I had the chance I tried to come back and write an ending, but I could never focus enough to write one. I wrote up this draft a while ago and at the time was unhappy with it because it's shorter than I wanted. Though after writing more and editing, finally, I was able to finish. I really tried my hardest here to give this story the ending it deserved and one readers would enjoy.
Thanks for your comment Cherry Blossom Clouds. I didn't really think anyone was still reading this fic, but your comment inspired me to finally finish this!
I'm sorry it took long, but without further ado I present to you:
Chapter 17: The Final Battle Part 4: The Scepter of Light
"Open! Gate of the Ram!"
"Wool Bomb!" Aries shouted. The soldiers they overheard and the ones nearest to them were caught up in the wool, already staring ahead with dazed looks on their faces. A few others dodged their ambush, but found themselves face to face with fire instead. Even in the blizzard, Natsu's magic burned bright.
Soldiers dropped their weapons in shock and turned away, protecting their bodies from the flames. Most were caught off guard by the double surprise attacks, but there were still many who were ready to leap into action.
Two came at Lucy, but she dodged their strikes and used Aries' power to deflect their blows with her forearm and grab at one's wrist, using his strength against him to push him down. She ducked as she dodged the punch of a different soldier, who was shot with a burst of wool in his side. He fell dazed like the others, murmuring about how soft it was.
Ahead she could see Erza and Lucy Heart moving in, swords ready. Aries' magic had turned out to be perfect at subduing the large mass of enemies. Natsu used his flames to guide soldiers closer to her as they moved into Aries' range to avoid getting burned. No matter where they turned, Natsu and Lucy had them surrounded.
A minute that felt like an eternity later, the camp was swamped with the pink wool, with soldiers stuck inside caught in a trance.
"Thank you, Aries." She smiled at her spirit, who simply nodded as she went back to her realm. She turned to Natsu who offered his fist and a grin, and they shared a celebratory fist bump. "The wool won't stick around forever, so let's hurry and help them find him."
"He's over here!"
The pair jogged over to where Erza and Lucy were crouching in front of Jellal, still in a cage but smiling at the sight of everyone. Prince Gray and Prince Natsu joined them soon after as the group tried to come up with a way to get Jellal out.
"One of these guys lying around must have the key?" Gray suggested.
"No time for that!" Natsu exclaimed, rushing forward to grip the bars.
"What are you—" Erza asked, but stopped as she stared in shock at Natsu heating his hands enough to make the metal pliable. He grunted but pulled the bars apart with some effort. Jellal stepped out, woozy. He fell onto Erza, who put his arm over her shoulders and supported his weight.
"Sorry." He took a deep breath and shook his head, easing himself off of her. He seemed weak, but was able to stand on his own after a minute. Lucy Heart rushed forward with tears in her eyes and embraced her brother, hugging him tightly.
He patted her back and smiled. "Ow, don't hug me so tight, your armor hurts."
"I'll hug you as tight as I want, you're the only family I have left!"
Lucy smiled at their family reunion. Tears even pricked at her own eyes. "While we're all here, I'm going to summon Loke so he can finally properly tell us about this artifact."
With a short burst of light, the lion spirit appeared before them. He was glad to see the group together and quickly introduced himself to those he hadn't met. "Listen carefully. The Scepter of Light is an artifact from the Celestial Spirit World which only the Heart family is able to summon." He faced the long lost royal siblings, Jellal and Lucy. "For centuries your family has had strong ties with celestial magic and the spirit world, and were the only ones able to summon the scepter. With it, a mage can wield the power of the Spirit King to exercise judgement over whoever they wish."
"And what does "judgement" mean, exactly?" Erza asked.
"Judgement can be exercised upon an infinite amount of people that the wielder can imagine, and physically injures them, gives them a horrible and painful disease, or even kills. Although it is possible to state a different punishment as long as you're specific. It is, in every sense, a heavenly punishment."
Lucy gasped. With that much power, Ur would be able to wipe out her enemies with a simple wave of the scepter and be able to take over countless kingdoms. Her lust for power knew no bounds. Judging by the state of Jellal's body, she must be desperate for it.
"I've been unable to summon it on my own. She's forced me to try for years, yet I don't even know what it looks like. I'm too weak." Jellal hung his head low in shame.
Loke shook his head. "No, no. Summoning the scepter requires an immense amount of magic power, more than any mage alone."
"That must be why her Majesty is so desperate to capture Lady Lucy now— to force her and her brother to summon the scepter together." Erza said.
"That card mage Cana told me that if we combine our power, Jellal, Lucy, we can summon the scepter for ourselves and use it to defeat Ur and her army." Lucy Heart said.
"And count Gemini in too!" Lucy said, quickly summoning the twin spirit who was already in her form. "With the four of us sharing the burden, the effects shouldn't be too bad!" They flashed a peace sign, and Prince Gray looked pretty amazed at the display of celestial magic. Lucy also recalled that using her magic seemed to be easier in this realm, which would undoubtedly be a huge advantage.
"I have a few questions still." Lucy Heart said, tapping her chin. "The summoners have to use an immense amount of power, but then anyone can use the scepter for judgement?"
"Correct. After the artifact has been summoned into this world by a Heart, pretty much anyone can take it and use it, which seemed to be Ur's plan. There's no drawback for not being the one to summon it, or even for using it while not being a member of the family."
"That's stupid. Whoever designed that thing should've put more thought into it." Natsu said.
Loke pursed his lips, then flicked Natsu's forehead. He whined, but Loke said, "Hey, you're insulting Lucy's family and the Spirit King!"
"Come on now, don't fight. We've got to find the Queen." Lucy chucked awkwardly, breaking up their spat before Natsu decided to punch him. Silently, she agreed with her partner. Ur wouldn't be such a threat if the creators of the scepter had simply thought to include more restrictions on its godlike ability. It was almost like asking for those with wicked intentions to take advantage of it, though the situation was unprecedented. She was sure no one ever imagined that the Heart family might be cruelly killed and entirely replaced like this.
After some discussion, the group realized that Ur knew of both Lyon and Ultear's condition, and had likely assumed Gray abandoned or betrayed them by now. If her goal was to find Lucy Heart, then she was currently looking for them as they spoke. The easiest way to find her would be to simply sit still themselves and broadcast their position somehow.
Through a stroke of good luck, Meredy attempted to initiate a mental Link with Erza a few minutes later. Erza quickly accepted.
"Meredy! I understand this would be difficult, but could you establish a link with every person, ally or otherwise, within your maximum radius and let them know our position?"
They watched expectantly as Erza listened to Meredy in her mind.
"Ah, Erza!" Lucy Heart said, asking permission to open up the joined in, immediately pressing fingers to her temples and squinting to stave off the pain from the oncoming headache.
She explained her plan, and Meredy confirmed she would get on it. The group circled the castle and returned to the throne room's main entrance. Soon, they all felt a throbbing in their heads and Meredy forcefully established a link with each and every one of them.
"QUEEN UR, LUCY HEART, IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE THRONE ROOM. YOU MUST COME ALONE, AS SHE WILL MEET YOU ALONE TO NEGOTIATE AND BRING A SWIFT END TO THIS FIGHTING."
Lucy had to admit that it was smart, and she would expect nothing less of the Golden Knight. This way Ur was sure to hear the message either personally or through a messenger, and she was more likely to come than ever if Lucy Heart would be alone. She might try to trick them and bring a guard or two, but in order to meet with Lucy Heart she would have to be completely alone, or there would be no deal. The plan forced her to leave herself vulnerable, and give them the upper hand.
Despite what Meredy's message had relayed, Lucy Heartfilia, Gemini, Erza, Prince Gray, and both Natsu's were hiding in the shadows of the throne room. The Golden Knight stood proud before the throne. She assumed a protective stance, with her sword planted into the ground, spiritually protecting the King and the Diamond Kingdom.
The group in hiding collectively held their breaths and watched in painful silence for Ur's arrival. Ten minutes passed where no one dared to speak, and Lucy Heart stood unmoving.
Finally, clicking heels and a creaking door alerted them to a new presence in the room. At the far end, Queen Ur had arrived alone as dictated by the message, and she held her hands up to display her supposed peaceful intentions. Lucy watched her with wary eyes, waiting for her to speak first as she approached.
"Hello there Lucy. It's been a long time." She stopped.
Ur couldn't see it, but her eyebrow twitched. There was an immeasurable distance between them psychologically, since Lucy had learned a lot and grown stronger since leaving the Heart Kingdom. But physically the woman was only a few meters away now, and her malicious aura was oppressive. Looking into those eyes, Lucy felt like a little girl all over again.
A game of hide and seek. Laughing for once in her then miserable life, and being struck with the back of a hand. Again and again, until she was bruised and bloody and wondering what she had done to deserve it. She knew now that the answer was nothing. No child could ever deserve such cruel abuse. Her hand tensed on the hilt of her sword. She had to protect her kingdom, her lineage, and of course, Natsu.
She had to be strong!
"My, that's a dark look in your eyes. I see you've gained some affluence in King Igneel's court. But let me tell you something Lucy." The Queen lowered her voice to a whisper. "To me, you'll always be a little servant girl, living a lie."
"You're wrong." Lucy Heart was able to look Ur right in the eye and for the first time, genuinely smile at her. "Between the two of us, you're the fraud."
"What?" Queen Ur was taken aback, though she quickly masked her expression with indifference. "What does that mean?"
"I know everything now. The truth about what you want and who I am. I know about Jellal," her eyes widened, "and the Scepter of Light."
"What do you want? I came here under the impression that this would be a negotiation. Are you going to offer yourself to me in exchange for your kingdom?"
"My life's not up for negotiation, Ur."
She took her sword and pointed it at the Queen's throat, holding the blade in place and staring her down. The Queen scowled and Lucy stood her ground even as her body erupted into flames, her power swelling and enveloping the room from floor to ceiling.
The flames were sucked up by one particular Dragon Slayer, who grimaced at the awful taste and wiped his mouth. From the smoke, the figures of the team appeared besides Lucy Heart, bewildering the Queen.
"Your fire won't work here." Natsu Dragneel smiled.
"Quickly!" Lucy Heartfilia called out.
The Golden Knight, Jellal, Lucy, and Gemini stood side by side with clasped hands, connecting their spirits and hearts as they pooled their magic power together, reaching into the far realm known as the Celestial Spirit World, and conjuring the Scepter of Light. The Queen was in awe of their combined power and only watched silently as a gentle light grew brighter and brighter from the center of their formation, nearly blinding the others in the room.
A beam of light shot out from the four mages, and it condensed into a long shape. The light became solid and formed a long staff adorned with glittering gemstones. At the tip was a floating orb which looked like the heavens themselves, as if the whole galaxy was captured within the sphere.
Lucy and Jellal Heart took the Scepter of Light together and pointed it at Queen Ur, who was reduced to a quivering, whimpering mess. She held her arms up in surrender and begged for their mercy, but the siblings were steadfast.
Their eyes glowed golden with celestial magic. "We enact judgement upon you, Queen Ur, and those who are loyal to you, and undo your curse on the Heart Kingdom in the name of the Spirit King!"
Ur's screams were cut off in an instant. A blinding light enveloped the room, pulling each of the scepter's summoners into a pleasant memory.
When Lucy heart first arrived in the Kingdom of Diamonds with Erza, the benevolent King Igneel allowed them to stay and employed them as servants. She was ordered to clean the stables on the day of Prince Natsu's first riding lesson. She'd heard very little about the Prince, and didn't know much about him. She'd never even seen him. She had only just arrived at the castle with Erza a few months ago, and was grateful for the King's generosity.
As she swept the stables, a new figure came into view. She expected it to be the Prince's teacher, but it was the Prince himself. In her shock, she dropped her broom and suddenly dipped into a bow, stuttering a greeting.
"Good morning." He said.
"Your Highness!"
He smiled awkwardly, raising his hand. "No need to bow. You are Lucy, correct?"
"Yes, that's me." She blushed, unused to being addressed so directly by the Prince. She tried a smile, which he returned enthusiastically. She noticed that there weren't many children around. Besides herself and Erza, she hadn't seen anyone on palace grounds close to their age. She suddenly had the thought that it would be nice if they could be friends, but quickly shook her head to dismiss it. What was she thinking? He was the Prince of Diamonds. She was a runaway servant girl. Royal and subject. Anything more would be…
"You have a nice smile." He said suddenly. Then his eyes widened. "Um, well—"
"You think so?" She asked. No one had ever told her so.
He nodded, twiddling his thumbs. "Yes... I've seen you around, running errands and whatnot. You always look so gloomy. Er, I don't mean that as an insult."
She chuckled and bent down to pick up the broom she dropped. "Don't worry, Your Highness. No offense taken." It was true, after all. Except for when she saw her friend Erza, this was probably the most she'd smiled in a long time. Her cheeks were even starting to hurt.
A moment of silence passed as Lucy cleaned and Natsu continued to wait for his teacher, who was now running late. "I've never been horseback riding before." Prince Natsu admitted.
"Me neither." She said, though that was expected.
"If you'd like, I can take you sometime! After I've had a few lessons, of course."
She knew proper decorum, she knew this sort of friendship was forbidden, but Lucy couldn't help but smile. If he was asking her, then she'd gladly agree. She'd like nothing more in this world than to be Natsu's friend.
"I'd like that."
When the blinding light finally dimmed down and everyone could see again, the Scepter had vanished. Gemini had returned to their world, and Natsu was helping Lucy sit down against the wall to rest. Jellal had fallen backwards, though luckily Erza had been quick to catch him.
Lucy Heart was leaning on her prince, which should've been inappropriate according to the rules of the court, but neither of them cared at this moment. They could only be relieved that the battle they'd been fearing for so long was finally over. It only took their entire worlds being turned upside down, of course, but at least the final blow had been quick.
Natsu Diamond cupped her face. Her eyes were lidded, and she was slow to speak, but she smiled. "I protected you, Natsu."
"Of course you did, Lucy."
He looked in her eyes for a silent approval. They knew how they felt for each other without words. All it took was a single glance for him to lean forward and finally press their lips together like they'd been wanting to do for years. This time, Lucy felt no guilt over their positions, no worry over the King's approval. All she could think was that this felt right.
As they deepened their kiss, Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel had turned away with bright red cheeks, unable to look each other in the eye. Erza smiled fondly and Prince Gray whistled, making a comment she punched him in the shoulder over.
Finally, things were as they should be.
Epilogue: A Wonderland Wedding
Lucy Heartfilia stood in the hallway alone, checking her face in the mirror. Cancer had helped with her hair, doing it up in a pretty updo with curls framing her face wonderfully, but it didn't help if that face had nasty cuts and bruises starting to show through. Her body wasn't much better, but her makeup hadn't worn off there.
She reapplied some to her cheek, patting it with blush.
"Whatcha doing?"
She jumped, dropping her brush. Great. She picked it up and scowled, pointing it at the offender.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She reprimanded.
Natsu grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I just wanted to know where my date had gone."
She felt a twinge of embarrassment at his casual usage of the word "date", but said nothing. It was true after all, since they were each other's plus one to the wedding of Princess Lucy Heart and Prince Natsu Diamond. It was kind of strange to be attending the wedding of their own counterparts, but stranger things had happened in Lucy's life. Much stranger. At least a wedding was fun.
Natsu cleaned up well, matching her emerald green dress with green accents on a simple suit. She had even made him sit for a trim with Cancer, so he had a fresh haircut to boot. They looked like a couple. Their matching outfits just drove the point home further, making Lucy's heart ache because even after all this time, they were still stuck in this strange limbo. Their relationship was special and she'd like to say it was beyond words, but after watching those sweet vows, damn would she like to put it into words!
"I'm just touching up my makeup, since I have a lot of ugly injuries."
"Aw, but battle scars are cool."
"I don't want to be cool, I need to look pretty and presentable. This is a wedding!"
"You look pretty no matter what." He said nonchalantly. Lucy almost dropped her brush again.
She made eye contact with him in the mirror. His eyes didn't betray any kind of teasing intention, so he said it genuinely. Lucy argued with herself, wondering if it was worth it to ask, or maybe if she should just let it be. But doing that also meant suffering even more, and she was getting pretty tired of it.
"I wonder what you mean when you say things like that."
"Huh?"
"You know, calling me pretty and stuff, saying sappy things to make me blush. What do you mean by it?"
"I don't mean anything by it, it's just how I feel."
She mulled over the answer, and finally laughed softly. It was pretty Natsu-like— direct, genuine, and still made her question everything just the same. Their Wonderland counterparts were so eloquent, especially in their vows. The two of them waxed poetic about loving and protecting each other with beautiful words that brought tears to her eyes and had Natsu comforting her. She knew they could never be like that. Even if she was a writer, she had a hard time putting her feelings into words. And Natsu was as blunt as he was strong.
They didn't need fancy words though. They had been at each other's side through countless ordeals. He knew her heart, and she knew his. That was enough. She turned around and she looped her arm through his.
"Let's get back to the wedding party."
"Yeah, I still haven't tried the chocolate fountain!"
"There's a chocolate fountain?" They rushed inside a bit faster.
Inside, many of the Wonderland counterparts of the mages they knew were in attendance, dancing to the cheerful music of the band. This included the Fairy Tail Court, and members of the Kingdoms of Spades and Clubs. King Igneel was seated, watching over the event with a fatherly, proud smile. There were still bandages wrapped around his torso, and Erza had reportedly tried to force him to stay in bed, but he insisted on coming. It wasn't everyday one's son got married to a newly reinstated princess. Thanks to healers, his condition had improved exponentially, so it was deemed alright as long as he didn't dance. Though his feet were tapping to the rhythm.
"Yo Cana! Happy!" Natsu called out, leading them over to the card mage. Happy was perched on her shoulder, smiling at the pair. She gingerly held a cup of water in her hands, slowly sipping at it.
"What, no alcohol?" Natsu asked.
Cana grimaced. "My aunt Ursula was an alcoholic, so I've developed something like an aversion to it." She finished her water and smiled at them. "Luckily my vision came to pass. The Princess herself told me of your victory."
"Your vision?" Lucy asked.
Cana simply waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. Go enjoy the party."
By the banquet table, Lucy found Jellal picking foods and arranging a plate for himself. He greeted them cheerfully, though Lucy was hyper aware of the fact that despite being familiar faces, they didn't really know each other. Still, summoning a powerful magic artifact to defeat an evil queen together had proven to be more than enough bonding for them. His injuries had been treated as well, and now that he was reunited with his sister he was radiant.
"How do you do, King Jellal?" She curtsied, and Natsu bowed his head. Jellal waved his hands, embarrassed, and asked them to stop.
"I'm not really used to my new title yet— or the special treatment that comes with being King." He admitted. At that moment, a palace servant came to take his plate for him and set it at his seat.
"What are you planning to do now?" Natsu asked.
"I've got a lot of damage to fix back home," he sighed, "though with the help of the princess and my newly appointed head advisor, it shouldn't be that hard." He smiled.
"Head advisor?"
He tilted his head to the dance floor. A few feet away, the former Prince Gray, now head advisor to the King of Hearts, was dancing with Queen Juvia. Lucy stifled a giggle behind her hand, supposing that sweethearts were sweethearts, even in another world. She was happy that Gray earned that title and that Jellal was watching out for him, just as he had done.
Erza approached their group, greeting them with a stiff hand wave. Her movements were strangely robotic, and she avoided eye contact but turned to face the King of Hearts.
"I apologize if this is too forward of me, perhaps even inappropriate and I would understand if—"
"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" He interrupted, extending a hand.
Erza smiled and accepted his invitation. The pair left them behind to join the festivities on the dance floor.
The married couple themselves were dancing in the center of it all, staring into each other's eyes like they were the only two in the world.
Natsu and Lucy only had a single day left, since Erza promised to take them to the cell where the monocled mage was being held and have him use the stolen pocket watch's power to get back to Earthland. That just meant they had to make the most of this night.
Natsu nudged Lucy's shoulder and glanced at the dance floor. "I guess there's only one thing left for us to do. Shall we?"
"We shall."
I hope you've enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll admit, my original plans were much different. I wanted to have more involvement from other kingdoms and explore more of Wonderland and some side characters. All these things would've made the plot more complex, and the fic longer, but because of that I avoided them. I am kind of a coward, but also I believe I'm not a skilled enough writer to write such a complex fic like that so I reigned it in. A lot.
This is my first full length fic, and writing this has taught me a lot. If I wrote this again, there would definitely be a lot I'd change. I sincerely thank you for reading Wonderland and sticking with it if you've been here a while. Really, thank you so much! When you put stuff out there on the internet it's always scary to see how it will be received, but I had a great experience with this story, even if I took forever finishing it (oops).
(Eventually I will be editing some chapters since I have spotted some errors, but this fic is pretty much completed.)