"And now, for the event we have all been waiting for…"
Igneel paused for dramatic effect, observing the palpable excitement of the crowd with glee.
"Would her majesty, the Princess of Pergrande, name her opponent?"
The Dragon King gestured to the fair maiden with his good arm, his smile beaming down on her. Lucy took a step forward, away from Natsu, Grandine and Wendy, returning Igneel's excited grin with a serene smile of her own.
"I would be honored to."
She paused, turning to face the crowd, her chin held high as she scanned the many faces before her. Her gaze lingered on the special box to her right, where sat the dragon Lord Racour she had just met that morning, as well as all her dear exceed friends. Happy offered her an encouraging smile from his position between Lily and Carla, his bright expression lighting up his diminutive form. Lucy shot him a special smile in return before her gaze shifted back to Sir Racour.
"The Alagesian citizen I wish to challenge is famous amongst you. He is powerful… but not as powerful as the Prince of Dragons."
Lucy shot Natsu a mischievous grin as the dragon man pouted. 'She should've chosen me' the annoyed dragon muttered, earning him a glare from his mother and a poke in his ribs from his sister.
Lucy repressed her giggles, schooling her expression back into a formal mode.
"The being I chose is known as the Prince's most loyal and fearsome warrior on the battlefield. His right hand, so to speak…"
Lucy's gaze fixed on Lord Racour, her expression unreadable. The dragon man looked awed, his companions grinning and smirking as they slapped his back in congratulations. From the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Happy's radiant grin waver for a moment.
"The being I will name shortly, is also one of the most noble of creatures to walk this earth. He is sharp witted and intelligent. He is faithful to a fault. He is courageous, and would never give up in a fight no matter the odds, especially if he were defending those he cared for. He is a joyful, caring soul who brings happiness to all those blessed to be friends."
Lord Racour's grin faltered, as Lucy's gaze returned to his, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
"The being I wish to challenge is none other than his honorable Lord Happy - one of the best of exceeds."
The applause that erupted in the stadium was deafening. Dragons rose to their feet to honor the young exceed, as the being himself gazed bashfully down at his hands, a soft, happy smile on his lips and a faint flush on his cheeks. Carla offered him a rare look of adoration as Lily shouted out encouraging phrases by his side. Natsu beamed at his exceed friend, his gaze softening as he glanced at Lucy.
The golden-haired monarch was still holding Lord Racour's gaze with a triumphant smirk. Lord Racour looked away, grudgingly turning to the blue-furred exceed to offer his respectful congratulations. Lucy watched the exchange with a grim yet satisfied expression. As the ruckus in the stadium finally settled down, Lucy addressed her blue-furred friend directly.
"Sir Happy, do you accept my challenge?"
Happy jumped to his feet, pumping his fist into the air exuberantly.
"Aye, sir!"
Lucy laughed.
"Very well then. I will meet you on the field in ten minutes - and I warn you, sir, I will not go easy on you. This is my best chance to take revenge for all those annoying pranks and jokes you have subjected me too over the years."
Happy chortled.
"Oh, you can try Princess! I warn you, I won't be going easy on you either! You do need to work off all that extra baggage, after all…"
"...PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM, YOU INSOLENT CAT!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Princess still fumed as she stomped out into the stadium grounds, winding her long golden braid into a neat bun as she muttered threats under her breath. She glared at the source of ire as she approached him, Happy's unrepentant grin not faltering despite her fierce look. She examined the irritating exceed, taking in his cat-like, tiny body - her chagrin melting a little in the wake of her surprise.
"Do you intend to fight me in that form?"
Happy's mischievous grin only widened.
"Nope."
Lucy frowned, crossing her arms and tapping her foot rather impatiently as she watched the diminutive cat-like creature rise upon his hind legs and stretch his stubby arms out. As the assembly watched, a glittery blue cloud gradually condensed around his figure, masking him until only his outline was visible through the thick fog. Lucy watched, her impatience gone, as his silhouette morphed into something taller, slightly muscular, and far more human-like. In a bright flash of dark blue light, the cloud surrounding Happy's vanished, revealing his full form in all its glory.
Lucy's jaw almost dropped to the floor in shock. Before her stood a young man, his body entirely covered in blue fur, his well-defined abs visible through the slit of his open vest. His ornate breeches did little to hide his strong, muscular legs and his arms showed their strength in the sinewy cords. Only Happy's cheerful, wide grin and sparkling, humor-filled eyes assured the Princess that it was indeed her old friend whom she faced. Lucy gulped. So much for getting her revenge. She would be hard-pressed to last more than a few minutes against this blue-furred, annoying Adonis.
Lucy steeled herself, unwilling to give up without a good fight. She would do her best. And pray that the weapon coated in fish guts that she had hidden away would still work.
From his perch in the royal booth, Natsu studied the combatants with rapt interest. His keen eyes darted between them, sizing them up with the practiced eye of a skilled warrior. If his eyes lingered a little longer on the fair human maiden, no one could blame him. The young Princess was clothed in tight black garments that complimented her shapely form, with knee-high brown boots which accented her slender legs - her golden hair wrapped up in a tight bun with only a few wisps loose to frame her angelic face. His medallion nestled proudly in the crook of her slender neck, the chain shortened to resemble a choker. She looked like a vision. One that made the Dragon Prince's heart race and blood rush to more southerly regions of his anatomy.
After a few minutes of gauging each other, the opponents began their battle.
Natsu watched them as his lust subsided in the wake of his awe and excitement. He already knew well how his little exceed companion fought - having fought by his side for seven years of war. He knew his friend preferred to strike his enemies quickly, using his speed to its full potential. In a battle against a human - and a mock one at that - Happy would not use his full speed - but even the little that he used would render him a blur, completely untraceable by human eyes.
As Natsu predicted, Happy started with a 'taster' of his speed. He whizzed towards Lucy, the air around him whistling as he sped faster than sound. He reached the stone-still Princess in the matter of a millisecond…
Only to receive a face full of white, downy powder.
"What the fuck?! Lushi, what was that?!"
Lucy feigned innocence, a delicate hand cupping her cheek as she batted her eyelashes at the young exceed.
"I'm sorry, I forgot I had that little powder satchel up my sleeve! What a pity, you're a powdery mess now…"
Happy glared at her. "You did that on purpose!"
Lucy's innocent look faded into a smirk of triumph.
"Well, if it means I can better see you when you turn into an almost invisible blur, can you blame me for using that to my advantage? Besides, nothing in the dragon rule books says we aren't allowed to use props…"
The audience broke into a series of gasps and chuckles, Natsu included. Happy's expression of surprise slowly faded into an evil smirk of his own.
"Huh. Clever. But you're going to regret it!"
"We'll see, little one…"
The combatants squared off once more, Happy not bothering to wipe off the powder or the humongous grin from his face.
With a flourish, both pounced.
Natsu observed the young Princess with admiration, as she kept up surprisingly well with the skilled exceed warrior. Her voluptuous and soft figure was obviously not used to such intense combat - but the young woman used her intelligence to make up for what she lacked in physical strength. She dodged and twirled, throwing more obstacles the exceed's way as she endeavored to land a 'kill' blow. Her brow furrowed and her lips pressed together each time she failed just seconds away from victory.
Happy, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. The exceed moved with skill and grace as he parried and ducked, avoiding Lucy's strikes and tricks with a simple grace that had many beings in the stands applauding. Natsu noted with satisfaction that a certain white-furred exceed girl followed Happy's every move with awe and admiration. Thanks to Lucy, his exceed friend was earning brownie points with his lady love. And to Happy's credit, the talented young exceed was making Lucy look very good on the field. Natsu had noticed at least three times in the spar how Happy could have gained an upper hand unbeknownst to Lucy. The exceed could have ended the mock battle at any of those points, but he chose to ignore his lead in favor of letting Lucy catch up.
At last, it was an annoying prank on Lucy's part that prompted the exceed to end the battle.
Happy yelped as a gallon of water from a watering trough overhead doused him from head to toe - his wily foe having snapped a crack in its side with her trusty whip.
"Hey! That's cheating!"
"It was just another prop, Happy! Now quit playing around and get serious, you irritating cat!"
Happy flashed the young Princess an evil grin.
"If you insist…"
Faster than the blink of an eye, Happy lunged forward, his sword swiping at Lucy multiple times. Lucy screeched as she fell back, only barely able to dodge his furious strikes.
Or so she thought.
A few titters and mumbling from the crowd alerted Lucy to the fact that something was amiss, but it took her a few moments more to glance down to ascertain what that could be.
With a screech of pure embarrassment, Lucy covered the symbol now etched into her shirt, the cutout exposing most of the creamy skin of her stomach underneath.
Natsu gulped, trying to quell his raging blush at the sight of both the symbol and Lucy's tantalizing flesh.
"Check."
Happy gently pressed the tip of his sword to Lucy's heart, his grin wide and shit eating. Lucy gaped at him, her eyes comically wide.
"WHY DID YOU CARVE NATSU'S SYMBOL INTO MY SHIRT YOU ASININE FELINE?!"
Happy blinked, his expression one of utmost innocence.
"Why, because he's my best friend and Prince of course! And I wished to claim this victory in his name. Is that wrong?"
Lucy didn't look him in the eye, her face crimson as she struggled to salvage her dignity.
"Err… no, I did not mean to imply that. It's just that… Err… it gives others the wrong impression…"
Happy grinned, leaning in close so only Lucy could make out his words.
"What's wrong, Lushi? Do you not like belonging to Natsu?"
Lucy gaped again, sighing in resignation as she turned away from her friend. She refused to answer the smirking exceed, instead turning to King Igneel in the stands.
"I admit defeat at Sir Happy's hands. Alagesia has won this match."
The cheer that arose shook the stadium as words of praise showered upon both the combatants in equal measure. In the midst of the chaos, Happy returned to his diminutive form with a tiny pop.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Lucy. I was just teasing you and Natsu." Happy's smile was fond and sheepish, a sincere note of apology coloring his tone.
Lucy melted. She gathered the exceed in her arms and squeezed him tight, giggling when he squirmed and yelped.
"That's quite all right Happy. I honestly didn't mind. I am his treasure after all, aren't I?" Lucy replied, her tone soft and affectionate as she nuzzled the little cat creature.
From the stands, Natsu watched the pair with a glow of happiness. His two most favorite beings in the world cared for each other as much as he cared for them, and that knowledge was enough to make his heart burst with joy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Next Day
It was late morning when Lucy found herself on the training grounds once again. A bout between the Fire Prince and the Drake of the Ore Dragons had just completed - a good portion of the stadium smoldering in a melted heap whilst the rest was strewn with twisted metallic contraptions and metal shavings. Most of the draconic audience had taken off after the fight, Lucy herself waiting for her dragon friend and his furry blue companion to escort her to the kingdom's main square where more festivities were planned.
As she gazed about her, in awe of all the colorful draconic forms in the sky, a heavy hand fell on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie.
"Freed and I'll be heading back now." Laxus began without preamble.
Lucy frowned, jarred out of her pleasant thoughts.
"So soon? I thought you said you would stay for a few more days?"
Laxus grunted, a faint blush coating his cheeks.
"Freed wanted to head back early. Said he and I have some… Err… catching up to do."
Lucy's expression morphed into a lascivious, teasing grin.
"Oh, then by all means, do leave right away! I'd hate to be the cause of any delay in your process of catching up…"
The merciless girl snickered as her discomfited cousin grew even redder. With a warning scowl, Laxus turned on his heel - abruptly ending the conversation before she could tease him any further. Lucy watched with amusement as her cousin and his gang of close magical friends sauntered away.
"What's with that strange look on your face, Luce?"
Lucy tilted her head, taking in her handsome dragon best friend with appreciation. She winked at the cat perched on his shoulder before addressing his mount.
"Merely congratulating myself on being the shrewd and kind cousin that I am."
Natsu raised a brow before shaking his head with a sigh and a chuckle.
"You're a vain creature, little Princess. And not nearly as clever as you think."
"Aye. Especially the clever part. But what could you expect from someone who likes fruit more than fish, Natsu?"
Lucy stuck out her tongue at the pair, yelping when Natsu wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close. He chuckled at her look of shock and embarrassment, ignoring her struggles to free herself. He licked his lips as he leaned forward to whisper a challenge in her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down the young woman's spine.
"Fight me, Princess. I'd love to see more of those ingenious tricks you used on Happy…"
"HEY FLAMING RETARD!"
Natsu ground his teeth and hissed in frustration. He leaned away from Lucy, whipping his head in the direction of the irritating interruption.
"YOU'VE GOT SHITTY TIMING YOU FROZEN STRIPPER! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!"
An irate Gray stormed onto the field, a confused Juvia close on his heels, followed by a smug looking Lyon who was blissfully ignoring a lovestruck fire dragoness trailing behind him. Bringing up the rear of this strange procession was a defeated looking Chelia, who kept throwing venomous looks at Lyon, and aggrieved looks at the pink-haired fire dragoness fawning over the oblivious Lyon.
Lucy accepted the distraction gratefully, slipping out of Natsu's hold and taking a few steps back as she tried to curb the frantic pace of her traitorous heart.
"What's wrong Gray?" She enquired softly, her gaze darting between him and the bewildered looking Juvia.
Gray acknowledged Lucy with a grim nod, but addressed Natsu instead.
"When we were children, your parents used to talk about the 'fight for rights' did they not?"
"Err… yes…"
"But only dragons can do that, right?"
"Well, technically no. Any being in Alagesia has the right to request such a battle…"
"Ah ha!" Lyon cried out in triumph. "Then I have the right to fight you just as I wished!"
"ALRIGHT THEN, BRING IT!"
Juvia squeaked, standing between the two cousins, vigorously shaking her head at both.
"Don't do this! You two are so close, you both must not fight for such a silly reason…"
"HE DARED TO PROPOSE TO YOU, JUVIA!"
"You are a Neanderthal, Gray. Juvia is a free being. She has a right to know her options - you may finally have realized your love for her, but that does not mean you own her."
"WE'RE ENGAGED, YOU ASSHOLE!"
"All the more reason to intervene before it is too late and you are wed!"
"GRRR"
Natsu stepped forward, locking Gray in a hold before the enraged devil slayer could launch himself at his fellow ice wielder.
Lucy stepped forward as well, a gentle smile on her face as she addressed Lyon directly.
"Sir Lyon, I understand that you expressed interest in our lovely Juvia?"
Lyon bowed. "Yes, your majesty. Surely you - as one of her dearest friends - understands why I wish to pursue her. She is so perfect - she deserves the right to a choice."
"But Juvia does not want a choice, Sir Lyon!" Juvia almost groaned in frustration, sending Lucy a panicked glance. Lucy smiled back at her friend, addressing Lyon with a soft, wistful note to her voice.
"Is this truly about saving Juvia, Sir Lyon? Or perhaps something far more personal…"
Lucy took a step towards the ice mage, placing a comforting hand on the man's arm, her brown eyes filled with gentility, kindness and understanding. Lyon gazed back at her, his defensive pose relaxing unconsciously under her soft look.
"N-no. I suppose you are right, your majesty, there is a little more to it than just a desire to save the lovely Juvia and teach my dastardly cousin a lesson…"
"Lucy." The smiling Princess said firmly. "Call me Lucy. You are my friend too, Lyon."
Lyon smiled back, his gaze softening as well. Natsu abruptly let go of Gray, a growl growing in his chest at the look Lyon was now directing at Lucy, and the young monarch's proximity with the ice mage. Before he could take a step forward to break the pair up, a resounding screech echoed in the nearly empty stadium.
"AH HA! SO YOU ARE MY TRUE LOVE RIVAL!"
Lucy blinked. She stared at the speaker, taking in her long pink locks and her proximity to Chelia with surprise.
"Who are you?"
Chelia offered Lucy a wan but friendly smile before answering her query.
"This is my sister Sherry. And she thinks she's in love with Lyon…" Chelia threw another nasty glare in the man's direction, which the oblivious ice mage ignored, his contemplative gaze still fixed on Lucy.
"Lucy? Perhaps you are the woman I am meant to pursue…"
"WHAT?!" Lucy gaped at Lyon.
"Well, why not?" Lyon continued conversationally. "Wouldn't an alliance with Icegard be to your advantage? And I'm still a member of the royal family, even if I am not a Prince. You could do worse."
Lucy grimaced. "Well, I can't argue with that last point…"
"LOVE RIVAL!"
Lucy groaned, massaging her temples as she looked to Juvia for help. The mermaid was struggling to contain her mirth, whilst Gray looked confused. Happy, still perched on Natsu's shoulder, looked utterly bemused, whilst his silent mount's expression was unreadable thanks to the bangs covering his eyes…
"If you're quite done being ridiculous, sister, can we go back home now? Wendy will be back soon…" Chelia attempted to intervene, placing a placating hand on her sibling's shoulder.
"Challenge her to a fight for right, Sherry."
Natsu's declaration caused all the beings around him to still immediately.
Sherry was the first to recover.
"Excellent suggestion, my Prince! I challenge you, Princess Lucy, to a fight for my right to pursue Sir Lyon!"
"B-but I don't care if you want to pursue him and I don't want to fight you…"
"It certainly doesn't look like the former is true from where I stand - and as for the latter, are you too scared to fight a dragon Lucy?! Wise choice, considering you couldn't hold your own against an exceed warrior who obviously went easy on you."
Natsu's voice had a hint of anger to it below the teasing tone he endeavored to accost her with. Lucy's eyes flashed with a moment of hurt, her lower lip trembling with fury at his mocking words. Wordlessly, she turned to Sherry.
"I accept your challenge."
"NO!"
Juvia's outburst stunned the gathered beings, her eyes wide with fear as she lunged forward to grab Lucy.
"Don't you remember what day it is?" She hissed. "Lucy cannot fight today. Today is the anniversary of that day, and Lucy is always more prone to having an att..."
"Step aside, Juvia." Lucy bit out through grit teeth, interrupting her curtly. "I must fight, no matter the day. I must prove that I am not weak." The last words were uttered with a glance at the stoic Dragon Prince. Natsu's brow furrowed, his face flickering with guilt and doubt as he took in Lucy's pale face and Juvia's trembling form.
"The challenge has been accepted." Sherry interjected energetically. "It cannot be refused now! Unless you wish to face disgrace in Alagesia's eyes."
Lucy whirled on Sherry, her chin held high and proud.
"Meet me on the battlefield in a quarter hour. I will show you that the strength of Pergrande is not to be trifled with."
With a lofty air, the Princess turned on her heel, marching to the changing rooms in the back of the stadium, a nervous, worried Juvia following close behind, leaving a group of mystified beings in their wake.