AN: Thanks to all those who favorited and followed this story!
Stavroula99 - There are going to be a lot of separate Lucy and Natsu scenes in the coming chapters - enjoy!
valerioux - You're very welcome :-D And nice guess, but no. The friend she helped was physically closer than Levy was… And it's going to be a long wait to find that out, sorry :-( Things are going to get tougher for our favourite pink-haired dragon, but he's going to come out of all this stronger and more bad-ass than ever!
ABT4Life - Lucy's going to start kicking butt right now! You're going to like this chapter ;-)
blackbutterfly15 - Thank you! :-D
Selugimin - Thank you for all your compliments! I really enjoyed writing Levy's part in the last chapter too - I initially planned on it being a little more dramatic, and sort of like Levy plays a bit of a damsel-in-distress role while Lucy saves her… But I wanted to bring out Levy's brave, smart side in the end. And so the last chapter was born :-D This chapter is going to be more of a third person pov as you'll see, but we do get to see what Lucy and the others are all upto. There's another time-skip too.
SistershoOk - :-D Lovely reaction.
FireShifter - He he. Yeah, considering this is a Nalu story, it's not hard to guess. But I'll put in a few twists and turns to troll you guys a little bit ;-) the path to true love must be filled with obstacles, after all! And nah, in my headcannon Levy is so relieved that Lucy's been the good guy all along that she'll forgive her for all her secrecy. Plus she'll see first hand how difficult it has been for Lucy to run the kingdom practically single-handedly, that she'll do everything in her power to help her human friend.
SarangehaeYo15 - Thanks! I guess it's because this is my first fan-fic? I'm really glad you've taken the time to review - hope you enjoy the rest of this mini-novel!
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Three years later
The men crouched behind the treeline as they observed the village in the valley below, their eyes nervously darting back to the three cloaked figures standing a little farther away.
"So… we go down there at midnight?" One of the men, a hefty ruffian, queried the hooded forms in a gruff voice - his harsh tone attempting to mask his unease.
All he received by way of an answer was a long drawn hiss from below the garment of the tallest, bulkiest form. The man gulped, hastily averting his gaze from the eerie silhouettes behind him. He grimaced at his companions, the remaining members of his small but effective mercenary band, all of whom returned his expression with dark looks of their own.
None of them liked this job. Certainly, the coin was excellent - more than they had ever been offered before in their lives, but the entire operation just felt… off. As if there was some very important fact they were missing…
A rustle in the tree to their left was all the warning they had.
An arrow whizzed past the corpulent leader, skewering one of his men, while two more followed in quick succession, pinning two more of his troop to the trees behind them.
With a curse, the leader fumbled to his feet, reaching for the magical weapon he had procured for this mission. An involuntary gasp issued from him when he felt the weapon-laden hand suddenly get yanked backwards, pinned to trunk at his side with an arrow through the flesh of his forearm. With a howl of pain he attempted to wrench the arrow out, internally panicking over the skill of an enemy that could shoot so precisely even in the darkness enveloping them. He ceased his thrashing when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.
A nimble figure leapt out of the tree above, landing in a neat crouch before them. She was swathed in tight-fitting black garments from head to toe, only her dark eyes visible through a horizontal slit in her mask. Her shapely figure was the only real give away of her femininity, the silhouette itself so tantalizing that the man found himself licking his dry lips despite the gravity of his situation. Circling her hip was a weapons belt, laden with throwing knives, a whip, and three strange needle-like tools which widened at one end and seemed to contain some sort of liquid. Around her clothed neck was a chain with a fierce looking medallion…
"The Dragoness!..."
The startled cry of one of his companions was short-lived, as a throwing knife lodged itself in his throat before the clumsy lad could utter another word. The man grit his teeth, reaching for the knife hidden in his boot, prepared to fight even if it was only a girl. She was, after all, a girl with deadly aim and a hidden, arrow-wielding friend.
The girl, however, ignored him, her focus shifting immediately to the three figures standing in the shadows, unmoving and inhumanly still. An air of giddy anticipation enveloped them, a stark contrast to the jeering boredom they had exuded only moments before.
"We were hoping we would run into you, Abulea."
The mercenary leader let out a strangled gasp when the three figures suddenly discarded their cloaks.
Demons. The hideous forms they had been concealing beneath their robes sent a violent shiver down his spine, the leader struggling even more against the arrow embedded in his arm as his instincts screamed at him to run as far away as he could from the horrendous, gruesome apparitions. His struggles ceased, however, when the lithe, feminine figure that had not yet spoken a word, walked coolly past him, straight towards the horrors he was trying to escape from.
The three male demons leered as she approached, their eyes narrowing into slits as they took in her curvaceous form.
Without warning, she pounced. She cracked her whip, distracting the demons from her real attack of several throwing knives lodged in crucial parts of their anatomy. The demons hardly flinched, and instead moved with inhuman speed towards the young maiden, their talons raised and greedy, crazed smiles on their twisted faces.
The girl stood her ground. Her wily whip caught two of the monsters by surprise, snagging them by their ankles and hoisting them a good five feet off the ground. The beasts scowled, struggling against the glowing weapon and howling in agony when their restraints only tightened the more they moved and clawed at it. The remaining demon - the tallest and heftiest and presumably the leader - ignored his companions in favor of observing his opponent more closely.
The female had fallen back, a short dagger poised threateningly in the demon leader's direction as she too warily sized up her remaining foe. The demon growled something under his breath, the sound surprisingly soft though his lecherous gaze belied his gentle tone. The woman before him paid no heed to his words or look. Her eyes blazed with fiery determination as she attacked the devil once more. The demon parried her blows effortlessly but returned them with lethargy and unease. Strangely enough, the demon man seemed unwilling to strike her. This fact only seemed to enrage the girl more, as she continued her relentless barrage of blows on the hapless demon. Finally, something in the demon seemed to snap. With an enraged roar, he charged forward, his eyes now only holding blazing fury. The woman neatly side-stepped, her hand drifting to the array of weapons on her shapely hip almost casually. Before the devil could react, she had stabbed him in the gut with one of the needle-like weapons.
The effect was instantaneous.
The demon exploded with a loud and resounding bang. His companions fell to the ground as the glowing whip faded away at that instant, their looks of horror turning to fury the moment they landed on the hard forest floor. They whipped up from their prostate positions, moving with inhuman speed towards the exhausted black-clad girl leaning against a tree. They did not make it more than a few steps however, before they were forcefully yanked back, the suddenness of the motion causing their heads to snap back as they howled in pain.
Another female figure, equally curvaceous but with well-defined muscles and sinew, stood behind the remaining two enemies, her grip on the demons still strong. The pair whirled about to face her, but before they could do anything more, the younger female behind them stabbed them both in the gut with the two remaining needle-weapons. As the last two devils exploded, the weary younger woman fell to the ground panting, her eyes seeking out her saviour with gratitude.
The newest arrival was also clad in a tight-fitting outfit, but hers was a soft blue that could have blended well with the sunny sky. Her face was covered save for her eyes, the emerald green orbs gazing in concern at the younger female as she struggled to catch her breath.
The mercenary leader decided this was as good a time as any to escape.
With a battle-cry, the man wrenched the arrow out of his arm, raising the magical weapon in his other hand and aiming it at the latest arrival.
"SKY DRAGONESS GALE FORCE ROAR!"
With a shrill scream the man flew into the air, suspended like a grotesque mannequin for a few seconds, before he plummeted down the steep crag bordering the valley, dead by the time he reached the bottom. The vultures circling up ahead eyed their new meal with interest.
The young woman scrambled to her feet, taking in a deep breath before she tentatively unwound the black cloth bound around her head and face.
"Thank you, Grandine. That could have gotten out of hand."
Her blue-clad companion let out a frustrated huff as she too unwound the garment covering most of her face.
"Why did you not call for my aid, Lucy? I had to track your scent to find you."
Lucy shot her a sheepish smile. "I assumed I could handle it. There were only three demons, and for some odd reason demons don't seem to attack me with as much ferocity as they do any of the other Protectors…"
Grandine sighed, a slight frown marring her beautiful face as she scanned the golden-haired maiden for injuries.
"There were human men as well! You could have been overpowered..."
"Oh, I asked Sagittarius to help me with that! He took out most of the men from his perch over there…" Lucy waved in the direction of a clump of trees a few good yards away from where they stood. "It was an ingenious idea of Levy's really, to have him situated there. He was able to aid me as well as Cana, Juvia and Erza from just one spot! I honestly must thank her when I get back to the castle. This, and her excellent research into guerilla warfare tactics helped us so much when Erza and I first planned this attack..."
Lucy halted abruptly as she felt a warm glow on her arm. Grandine murmured soft words under her breath as she let her magic flow over a particularly deep and harsh gash. The maiden let out a sigh of relief as the familiar, gentle enchantment washed over the throbbing laceration, leaving a healing coolness in its wake. She smiled at the older dragoness, the action far more relaxed and genuine than before.
Grandine shook her head and clucked her tongue, a soft rebuke prepared on her lips.
"I know well that it was primarily you who planned this retaliation - and as much as I admire your talent at organizing these raids and predicting the best possible use of the warriors at your disposal, I do not appreciate the way you take on far too much of the burden yourself. You excel at strategizing and scheming - would it not be wiser and more prudent to focus your attention on this aspect of our war? There are many others at your disposal who would gladly take on the role of warrior in your stead..."
The girl's look softened, her smile growing gentle yet sad.
"But what kind of leader would I be, Grandine, if I hid in my castle whilst others fought for me?"
Grandine opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut the very next second without uttering a word. As much as she hated to see the precious child put herself in harm's way, she understood and admired the golden haired maiden's sense of duty. It was exactly like her own responsibility to Alagesia.
"...I see your point, my little one. And as much as I love your courage, I still fear for your safety…"
She was halted by Lucy's warm embrace, the girl burrowing her face in Grandine's neck with a soft sigh of contentment.
"Thank you for worrying about me. I-It means so much to me to have such a good friend."
Grandine sighed, the last of her anger and worry fading away, as she hugged the young maiden back.
"Of course I worry about you. And I am not the only one. The others who fight by your side fret about you as well. We all care for you Lucy, and we do not wish you to take on too much of this burden alone. This is not only your fight, you know."
Lucy drew back, a shadow falling over her face as she gazed at the twisted remains of the demons splattered against the trees around them.
"No, it is not. But these monsters continue to try to harm those who are under my protection. And for that, they will pay dearly. I will always strive to protect those who depend on me..."
She turned back to Grandine, her gaze bright and fierce.
"No matter the cost."
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Gajeel whirled around, cutting down the demons blocking his path in one swell swoop. His sword-shaped right arm slashed with deadly precision while the steel club he wielded in his left smashed the skulls of his foes. A little farther behind, two furry figures, kept up their own deadly dance - blocking and parrying blows whilst delivering killing strikes to their enemies. Gajeel, however, paid the two figures little heed. His focus was not truly on the devils he was currently annihilating either. Instead, his attention was mostly occupied by the lean, muscular half-dragonoid form cloaked in radiant red and black flames just a few yards ahead.
With a slight frown, Gajeel watched intently as his cousin incinerated yet another wave of demons with a well-placed flame dragon king roar. To the untrained eye, it would have appeared that Natsu had performed his roar with very little strain or effort - he barely had a sheen of sweat and his figure stood tall and straight among the embers of his own destructive attack - but Gajeel had been his lieutenant long enough to know the truth was otherwise.
"You should probably stand down for a bit - that last attack should've taken a lot out of you."
"Don't mother me, you metal pansy. I can go for a few more rounds before taking a break."
Gajeel did not miss his cousin's discreet glance to the side. He grit his teeth, opting to send a glare in the same direction, focused on the three aloof Northern dragons mounted on horses and waiting a good distance away from the battle. Today was their 'observation day' - a day that Field Marshal Herschel would send a few of their superior officers to watch their progress in battle and decide if they were being utilized 'effectively'. Gajeel knew well that the degrading practice was just the Marshall's way of trying to 'control' Natsu. Whether the haughty northerner admitted it or not, everyone could see the increasing wariness with which he treated Natsu. And with good reason.
Natsu was an upstanding and inspiring leader. Most of the magical alliance troops - especially the other dark races such as the giants, strigoi and imps - respected and liked him far more than they did the Dragon's Field Marshal. In battle, his fire breathing cousin was ferocious and surprisingly shrewd - Natsu's playful, prankster nature helped him think out of the box and get his contingent out of many a sticky situation. His own subordinates adored him, some even bordering on hero worship for the ferocious flame wielding dragon. Tempered with a healthy dose of fear, of course. For Natsu was still considered a wild card - many in the magical alliance feared his demonic side could take over without warning at any time. Or at least, that was the excuse the Field Marshal used to justify his act of 'keeping an eye' on him.
Natsu was surprisingly cooperative with the Field Marshall's intrusiveness. He did not mind the extra scrutiny, even going above and beyond to prove to his observers that he was a stalwart warrior. Gajeel knew it was partly Natsu's own guilt that drove him to be so docile - he felt that the fear so many bore towards him was justified, and yearned to earn their trust.
Gajeel was abruptly drawn out of his musings when the raging flames he had been monitoring from the corner of his eye began shifting from a deep maroon to a threatening midnight black. With a swear, Gajeel swiftly silenced his current opponents and abandoned his own post to flit to Natsu's side. As he had feared, his cousin's eyes were now a deep blood red, a far cry from his usual bright emerald, and the fire dragon's attacks were far more vicious and far less controlled. His demon powers were steadily trying to overtake his dragon side, and the struggle in his kin's eyes was evident.
"That's enough, Natsu!" Gajeel hissed, not bothering to hide the panic in his tone. "You need to rest. Right now!"
Natsu seemed to struggle immensely to halt his current attack, his breathing labored and his look haggard as he turned to his cousin.
"Yea. You're right. I-I'll stand down, you and Happy and Lily can…"
"What do you mean, General Natsu? You are in an excellent position to end this battle right now, why would you stop?"
Gajeel snapped before Natsu could turn around to face the three officers who had finally rode up to the frontline.
"Because he's been pushing himself non-stop for the past few days, and he's liable to completely breakdown if he doesn't get some damn rest!"
The three bristled, offended by Gajeel's tone and language. The irate metal dragon ignored them, turning to his quiet kin instead.
Before he could speak another word, a loud blast sounded from a few feet away. The sudden gust of wind hurled the three dragon officials off their horses as Natsu and Gajeel fell to their knees, straining against the strong gale. As soon as the wind abated, the cousins leapt to their feet, taking in the sight of the blast with apprehension.
To their horror, from a gaping hole in the ground, poured hundreds of demons - an underground ilk that differed from their cousins housed above. Gajeel groaned, stepping forward.
"I can handle this, cousin. Get your lousy hide out of here, Salamander."
"NO! Are you crazy?! He must stay! He's the only weapon capable of…"
"WEAPON?! My cousin is NOT your bloody weapon! He. Needs. To. Leave."
"Lieutenant General Gajeel. Are you disobeying your superiors orders?" The cold tone of the commanding official slightly doused the temper of the heated ore dragon.
Gajeel grit his teeth, willing himself to calm down.
"No sir, but…"
"Then stand aside, and let him fulfill his only purpose."
Natsu gave his cousin a small smile, and an encouraging pat on the back.
"It's okay," He said with forced cheer, "I'll be fine. You've got my back, right?"
Gajeel gave him a slow nod. He waited a few moments as the fire dragon strode away towards the blast site, before promptly taking a few steps after him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Gajeel felt his teeth almost shatter from the force with which he grit them.
"To support my General in battle, sir."
"He shouldn't need it. Take one more step and you are dismissed from this army, Lieutenant."
Gajeel froze, whirling around to glare in disbelief at the official. The repulsive commanding dragon had a leer on his face, reveling in Gajeel's obvious pain. His subordinates looked far more nervous, refusing to meet the metal dragon in the eye.
"...So be it."
The official's smirk transformed into a scowl as the ore dragon stomped forward into the flames after his Prince and kin.