AN: You guys are awesome. Thanks for the amazing reviews and feedback! I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying this story! Your words are what inspire me and keep this journey going! I'm updating a day early because I'm so excited to share the next set of chapters. On that note, I know a lot of you are frustrated that Natsu and Lucy haven't met yet.
And you are absolutely right.
Looking back, I really shouldn't have dragged these parts out so much. But I got so excited while writing the arcs for the other couples (Gajeevy and Jerza especially) that I kinda got side-tracked. However, to remedy this, I'm giving you guys what you asked for - by posting 6 chapters today.
This also sort of ties into my plans to take a break - there's a lot going on in my life right now, and I really need a long breather to re-organize the chaos :-P. That's why my next update after this one will be on 13th March. I'm sorry! To all those who have been reviewing this fic so devotedly, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my advance apologies for the huge gap!
(SPOILER ALERT! For those of you who just want to skip straight to the Nalu goodies, please read the last section in chapter 64, and the entirety of chapters 65 & 66 ;-) )
Part 3 - The Calm
"Grr… I've had it! We're leaving!"
Duke Lyon did not bother looking up from his engrossing game of solitaire - he had become somewhat of an expert hand over the past one month and it was a far better option to hone his exemplary skill rather than encourage his whiny cousin's tantrums…
"Did you hear me Lyon?! I've had it with this God awful place! We've been here a month - a WHOLE DAMN MONTH - and we have absolutely nothing to show for it! All we've been doing is going to those wasteful tea parties and insipid dinners where those stupid courtiers either sneer at us or cower in fear…"
"That's not entirely true." Lyon interjected cooly, as he studied the card in his hand. "There are a handful of good men and women in the lower court who have treated us well - particularly Prince Garrett and his cohorts…"
"So, we've met a handful of good people in Pergrande! What an accomplishment!"
"... Not to mention, you've become quite good friends with her highness' minister of internal affairs - Loke, am I right?"
Gray slowed his pacing, shooting his cousin a begrudging look of agreement.
"And he's a good man, despite his incessant skirt chasing - a valuable ally thanks to his proximity to the Princess…" Lyon continued a little smugly.
"But what use is a valuable ally if he can't even get me an audience with her damn, hoity-toity highness…"
A low chuckle interrupted Gray's grumpy monologue, and the pair of ice mages glanced towards the door of their chamber to see an orange-haired, meticulously dressed man waltz towards them, a jaunty smile on his lips.
"Now, now my friend. Is that anyway to talk about your gracious hostess?"
Gray shot the man a taunting smirk in return.
"Gracious, my ass. Your 'benevolent' ruler has made us wait a whole damn month! She still refuses to meet with us to reveal a truce offering that she dragged us all the way here to discuss."
Loke adopted the most innocent expression he could.
"My, has it really been a month already? How time flies when you're among friends, eh?"
Loke chuckled again at Gray's murderous expression.
"But seriously, Prince Gray." The orange haired courtier grew solemn, his smile kinder and more sympathetic. "I understand your ire, and I do see the justice of your point. That is why I've been urging my monarch to make time for you as early as possible…"
"I know, Loke." Gray grimaced, running a hand through his disheveled raven locks. "Others in the court have told me as much. And I really am grateful - in fact, I don't want you to fall out of her highnesses good graces by being too pushy about my cause. I wouldn't even be this impatient if it weren't for the fact that I've had no contact with either Juvia or Lucy despite being here for a whole month! Some of my acquaintances in Pergrande have led me to believe that the Princess is the only person who can give me answers about both of them, hence my desperation to meet her…"
Gray's brow furrowed in worry as he stared out the window. Beside him, Loke shifted uncomfortably in place before coughing gently to draw the moody Prince's attention back to the conversation.
"I come with good news, Gray. Her majesty is free tomorrow afternoon - she has requested your presence in her chambers for a private audience. Do you accept?"
Gray blinked before breaking into a bright, charming grin, his black eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Is that even a question? Of course! This is what I've been bloody waiting for…"
"Is this audience for both of us?" Lyon interjected quietly, finally placing his cards to the side completely as he turned to face the other two men in the room.
Loke shook his head, his eyes locking onto Lyons.
"Nay. Her majesty specifically requested Prince Gray, and him alone."
A look of understanding passed between Loke and Lyon, as Lyon abruptly arose from his chair.
"I have a duty to protect my Prince, sir Loke, and I am not the sort of man who shirks his duties…"
"I thought as much." Loke responded promptly, nodding respectfully to the ice mage. "That is why I offer this compromise - you will accompany Gray to the ante-chamber, and may wait for him just outside the door. But please be as silent as possible, this is not exactly per protocol, and I would prefer if my monarch did not know about this."
Lyon relaxed, shooting the minister a pompous grin.
"Never fear. Discretion is my middle name."
"I don't need a babysitter." Gray scowled at the pair. "I'm Absolute Zero for God's sake - I'm sure I can take care of myself, especially when pitted against a spoilt human Princess…"
Loke laughed out loud, clapping the raven-haired ice mage on his back - a mischievous smirk following his outburst of mirth.
"Do not underestimate our 'spoilt human Princess', oh Prince of Icegard. You are in for quite a surprise, I promise you that."
With those mysterious parting words, the dapper orange-haired man sauntered out of the Prince's chambers.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Voices rose and ebbed around the crackling fire pit, as the eclectic gathering of dragon warriors conversed and quarreled over events they had witnessed during the demon wars. The inhabitants of the all-mage village they were currently being hosted by observed them from afar - only a bold few venturing closer to the bonfire to speak with the merry gang.
No one, however, dared approach the lean, muscular figure standing a little distance away from the crackling campfire. His dark wings slightly shrouded him from the collection of dragon soldiers near the center of the village. He leaned against a mossy wall of a dilapidated house at the edge of the simple town, gazing up at the heavens - lost in thought and seemingly oblivious to the world around him.
So preoccupied was he, that he almost did not notice the lithe, dark-haired, feminine figure that tried to sneak up behind him.
Almost.
"You can drop that knife, little one, it will only shatter against my dragonhide…"
The figure behind him gasped, a clattering sound indicating the fact that she had, indeed, relinquished her weapon to the stony street at their feet.
"H-how did you k-know I was here?"
Natsu sighed, turning his head slightly to study the female who had walked closer to his side.
"Dragon senses are keen enough, but paired with my demon senses I am impossible to sneak up on."
"How fortunate for you…"
The young maiden spit out the words - the scowl she adorned as she glared at the cobblestone street marring her otherwise lovely features.
Natsu raised a brow, the young woman's venomous words not exactly unexpected, but still a little surprising in their intensity.
"Did the assassin's guild that hired you offer to reward you that handsomely? You look particularly incensed…"
She shot him a glare, her hands clenching into fists by her side.
"I am not a hired assassin…"
Natsu snorted. "And I'm a fairy's tail! Thanks to my reputation from the war, I've had at least ten assassins attempt to take my life in the past few weeks alone - you needn't feel ashamed to join that illustrious group…"
The girl gulped, looking away from him, but stubbornly stood her ground a few feet from the fearsome dragon warrior. Natsu's look softened further, as a whiff of the maiden's fright accosted his senses.
"If you are not from an assassin's guild, as you claim, then what are you doing here? Why did you wish to attack me?"
She sighed, her gaze still rooted to the floor.
"I wished to provoke you to fight…"
She trailed off, unable to continue. Natsu waited a few moments before coaxing her to speak once more.
"And?"
"I did not wish to win that fight. I meant to fail. At least, were I to perish in a battle against the infamous E.N.D himself, my townspeople would posthumously accept me as one of their own…"
Natsu let our a humorless bark of laughter, the sound reverberating in the chilly night air.
"That's the funniest reason to kill me that I've heard yet! So you see me as a trophy? A beast that, if slain, would bring glory to your name? You humans never fail to sicken me…"
"You are not a beast." The girl said quietly, looking up into his eyes. "You are just like me."
Natsu glared at her, turning fully to face her with his arms crossed menacingly across his chest.
"Oh?"
"I am a mage capable of reading any beings true emotions. And the emotions I've read from you from the moment you stepped foot in our village, are the same emotions that have haunted me my whole life - guilt, self-loathing and loneliness."
Natsu froze, a chill traveling down his spine. He looked away from the young woman, unease evident in his tense form.
"Err… you are mistaken…"
"Your soldiers fear you as much as they respect you. They either put you on a pedestal... or down in the dirt. Either way, they do not accept you for who you are. No one does. Not even your friends and family…"
"Enough." Natsu raised a hand to her lips, his breathing heavy and labored as he stared her down. The maiden's gaze held his, her own reflecting the despair in her heart so similar to his own. She gently brushed his hand aside.
"My village half fear and half respect me for my magical talent. It gives me the ability to spot the subtlest of lies… therefore, the ability to pass judgment as would a goddess. In the name of protection, I have become a prisoner in my own home. I am not permitted to leave this village without an armed escort. I am denied friends and a normal life because I must protect my person and status. At least, that is their excuse. The villager's underlying reason for isolating me is that they cannot accept me as one of them. They either see me as too gifted to approach normally… or too monstrous to be treated as a human. It is a miserable existence, and I want out."
She grasped the dragon warrior's hand, taking another step forward, her gaze still locked on his.
"Perhaps we can both get what we want? If we fight, and you slay me, I will get what I desire… and you can claim that a goddess attacked and injured you, gaining their sympathy…"
"Nay." Natsu responded gruffly, taking a step back from her. "Your plan may get you what you think you desire, but it would do me no good…"
"Then out of pity!" She exclaimed, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed, her entire frame trembling with the strength of her emotions. "Kill me out of pity, oh Prince of Dragons."
Natsu regarded her for a long moment, before letting out a soft sigh.
"No. Death is never the answer. Whatever your past or present, it is your duty to do your best with the life you've been given. It is precious. Too precious to be thrown away willingly…"
The girl looked up from her hands, abruptly halting her sobs. She stared at Natsu unblinkingly until the fire dragon started to squirm with unease.
At long last, she let out a manic peal of laughter.
Natsu gulped, discreetly looking about him for an excuse to escape, when the next words from the maiden's lips froze him in place.
"Those were the exact words uttered by the Princess of Pergrande…"
Natsu blinked, willing his slow wits to catch up with the conversation he was sure he had missed.
"Err. Excuse me?"
"That speech. It was almost entirely in substance… Nay, almost word-for-word the exact same speech the Princess delivered when I… Err…"
"Attempted to assassinate her too?"
"... Yes. You're not the only universally feared figure, you know! And she came to our village first."
"I do not know whether to be honored or offended that you see me as an equal of the Princess of Pergrande." Natsu deadpanned.
"That is your choice." The maiden answered him seriously. "But you might be better off choosing the first - she feels exactly the same as you and I, you see…"
Natsu stared at her, an unwilling dredge of respect for the infamous Princess arising within him, along with a tiny feeling of kinship…
"Hmph. Will you heed the advice of two extremely wise royals then, young maiden? And abandon your quest for self-destruction?"
The young woman cracked a small, hesitant smile.
"I suppose I don't have much choice anymore, do I? Can't top trying to kill the Princess and END…"
The fire dragon Prince let out a roar of genuine laughter, grasping her hand as he coaxed her away from the edge of the village and towards the group gathered around the campfire.
"Agreed. So let us both heed my own advice and make the best of the time we have now, eh? Dance with me, young maiden?"
The maiden graced him with a genuine smile of her own.
"Michelle. My name is Michelle."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gray fumbled with the collar of his high, stuffy waistcoat. How the men of the south managed to wear so many layers in such sweltering weather mystified him no end. With another unhappy sigh, he tugged at his collar again.
"You tear that excellent garment, and I'll tear you Gray."
Gray grinned unrepentantly at his disgruntled cousin.
"You could try, Lyon. I'd take you out before you took one step."
Lyon rolled his eyes, deigning not to reply as he quickened his pace. Gray followed suit with a chuckle.
"What's the hurry, cousin? Didn't Loke ask us to meet him at the foyer at high noon? We still have a half hour more."
"Loke said there were a few crucial security matters he wanted to discuss with me - you can wait in the foyer like a good boy while I sort all this out."
Gray scowled, crossing his arms over his chest as he came to an abrupt halt.
"Lyon, as much as I appreciate your looking out for me, this unreasonable level of protection irritates me no end. I was in a bloody war for God's sakes man! Do you honestly believe this Princess is worse than the numerous deadly foes I have faced during the demon wars?!"
Lyon considered his cousin, his gaze searching and critical. At last he let out a sigh, stepping closer to his Prince and glancing around surreptitiously before speaking in a hushed, hurried tone.
"Gray, in a sense she is." Lyon ignored his cousin's snort of disbelieving mirth. "Understand this, cousin. Not all your enemies will be as skilled as you in honest battle - some are simply far shrewder and more despicable than you could ever hope to be. It is these foes whom you have no experience with, and who could ultimately triumph over you. As Prince of Icegard, you must learn how to tackle them, and learn this fast - least our country be put in danger. As your cousin and minister, the best I can do is protect you until the day comes when you can surmount this danger all on your own… or you gain an intelligent partner who can aid you in this regard."
Lyon leaned back, taking in Gray's wary and stunned expression with grim satisfaction. Gray frowned, trying to wrap his head around Lyon's semi-cryptic words. Lyon led him to a door and took a step back.
"This is the chamber you have been asked to wait in. Once I've rendezvoused with sir Loke, I will be nearby, but out of sight. Remember my words, cousin, and take care."
With an encouraging clap on his cousin's back, Lyon stepped away, briskly heading down the corridor in the opposite direction. Gray watched him walk away, befuddled and confused as he took a deep breath and entered the chamber to wait.