Once, I thought that he had left me for good. For days, I convinced myself that he would not return. He never belonged to Feliose, and he was more than an ordinary knight he claimed to be. The border between Feliose and Thelua was never his place. He belonged to a more important place – a place where his service was needed greatly. After all, he was the Flower Knight.

And me – I decided to forget it all. Because no matter how I beg, we would not be able to meet again. Because I had more important matters to think about. Because I could not remain forever in the border.

But he came back.

A Tale from Thelua

[18] his love

Natsu's eyebrows were raised as the referee announced the winner of the match between the knight of Westwend and the knight of Gilramor. He had expected Gilramor to win, but it seemed that Westwend had its knight trained more proper this time. Natsu stifled a yawn, wondering when the event would end. He had been exchanging pleasantries with the other gentlemen since his appearance in the audience seat, with him doing more of the listening than the talking part. Honestly, if he could choose between being present at this event or to continue working on his paperwork, he would choose the latter. Obviously, he couldn't do that because this, too, was his job as a member of the royal family – as the crown prince.

Thus, Natsu had to endure it, at least until the final round. He failed to catch what the announcer said, but his eyes caught the sight of a figure with a familiar red cape on the opposite end from where the Westwend's knight was. Almost immediately, there was a hushed noise came from the ladies' seat followed by a unison of dejected sigh from the men around him.

"It's finally our first prince's turn, eh?" One of the men said out loud, particularly to no one.

"I wonder how long this round will last," another man said, followed by a laugh. "I'm afraid Oliver's skill is still not enough to beat His Highness."

"But he might receive the title if he wins."

Natsu opted not to say anything to it. If he were to say his honest opinion, the outcome could be guessed easily, and it was fixed. His eyes flew back to the ladies' seat, looking at his wife and wondering why she wasn't reacting the same as the other ladies. All she did was sparing his brother a quick glance before she returned to stare at the center of the field.

He glanced back to his brother, and only then he noticed something tied atop of his helmet. Fluttering as the wind blew past it was a ribbon. A green ribbon.

"Prince, where are you going?"

It was Gajeel's voice, asking him as he stood from his seat and was ready to walk away.

"I must return inside. I made an appointment with someone."

He lied. Without giving the count a chance to reply, Natsu bid all the gentlemen goodbye. He left his seat, quickly slipping into the shadow before anyone could spot him. Natsu made a brisk walk back into the castle, through the empty corridor, until he reached a vacant room that was initially prepared for one of the guests. As he reached for the door handle, he paused, before walking away. This time, his feet made its way to the corridor that led to his room. His and Lucy's room.

He opened his suit jacket as soon as he entered the room, loosened the ribbon tied around the collar, unbuttoned a couple of the button on his shirt and lay on the bed. Watching the ceiling as he sighed, his mind started to swim to the short exchange he had with Lucy a few days ago.

"Your brother was here."

Though her face was impassive, he noticed the slight tremble in her voice. He knew. Natsu knew that Zeref was there. He also knew that there was something going on between them. His brother would not make physical contact with anyone so easily. The Zeref he knew was a private person, rarely expressed his emotion to anyone with the exception of his family. But it was rather premature to decide that he was merely accepting Lucy as a new addition to his family with those gestures.

He didn't ask her anything about it as Lucy didn't know that he was following her secretly. But Lucy didn't mention his brother any further, not telling him what happened between them after Wendy was gone. He thought that she had no special feeling to it, to the hug. He thought that she was fine with it, treating it like how she usually treated the other gentlemen that made their move to her.

The only thing that was slightly off was the fact that their small interaction gave him the impression that Lucy and his brother had met before. Even if she addressed him in a formal manner, in a distant manner, Natsu couldn't shake the possibility of them knowing each other.

How come? Brother had been staying at the south border all this time.

Natsu had to admit – he felt uneasy. Usually, he'd let things as it was, but he couldn't stay put this time around. There was an urge to confront him, to ask what he meant by doing that, to ask what he was thinking at that time, to ask what his relationship to her was. Yet, knowing his personality, Natsu knew it would be meaningless.

The image of Lucy being hugged by his brother appeared in his mind. He didn't like it. Not a bit. The thought of having Lucy in the arm of someone else brought a bad taste in his mouth. And that thought never left him. The image his mind unconsciously created, an image of Lucy and Zeref together, replayed countless times in his head. It annoyed him.

A sigh escaped from him and he thought it sounded most pathetic. Natsu Dragneel never felt this pathetic before. It dragged on day by day, making him lose his focus and he grew spacey more often. He often found himself wondering what was in Lucy's mind, what she thought about that.

Natsu glanced at the empty space next to him, the side where she used to sleep every night after their marriage. The bedding was cold, and Natsu realized he was missing the warmth of hers. His mind flew into the night where she was crying. His hand fisted the sheet as he remembered how painful her expression was as she cried, how her sobs hurt him as if he was feeling the pain that she felt.

Sometimes he couldn't understand her. She smiled when she was angry, threw a nonchalant laugh when she had a serious thought in her head, wore an impassive mask when she was sad. Her genuine emotion – he rarely saw them. She hid them well. She turned it into her weapon, a mask against the society, against him.

Lucy…

The door was knocked, a clean triple rap that rang clearly in the empty room. A glance at the clock, Natsu decided that the event must have finished by now and that he wasn't aware of how time passed so quickly when he was deep in thought. Natsu got up, buttoned his shirt and walked to the door. "Lucy?"

No, Lucy won't bother knocking her own room.

"It's me, Natsu," there was a feminine voice called from the other side, "Lisanna."

He closed his eyes, thinking if he could just ignore her, but then, she continued, "I have something important to tell you."

Natsu sighed, remembering that things would get nowhere if he ignored her. He opened the door slightly. "What?"

"I've been wanting to see you."

He frowned, pushing the door to close it. "If that's all you're going to say, please return now."

"Natsu! Wait!" The duchess placed a hand on the door, preventing it to be closed. "I've missed you."

He stared at her, eyes narrowing before he pulled open the door and left the room. He walked through the corridor, feeling more irritated than before. He needed to go somewhere, someplace that was quiet and empty. But the sound of heels clicking against the floor stopped him. Glancing back, he stared at the woman.

"Don't follow me," he said, "or are you trying to make a secret love affair with me?"

Lisanna didn't reply to his question. It was harsh, he thought, but it could be her intention. Natsu wondered if this was still the same girl he knew from his childhood. Had the nobility changed her?

"You are not even happy with her." The woman in front of him looked at him, eyes gleaming, burning. "Maybe you should reconsider some things before it's too late," she continued, smiling a bit, "about your wife, I mean."

Natsu's frown deepened. "What are you trying to say?"

"I heard she had agreed on taking the first dance tonight as the present of the winner of the joust." Her smile widened. "The first prince personally asked her for it."

…Brother?

"Wha–"

"I wonder if she's still going to agree if he were to ask for her company him in his room?"

Onyx eyes widened. "Lisanna!"

He was shouting. It echoed throughout the empty corridor, but he didn't care if someone heard it. The woman had crossed the line, far beyond it, and Natsu regretted thinking that she was still the same girl that he knew. His hand fisted, nails dug into his skin, making it bleed, but he didn't care.

"Is this the important thing that you have for me?" He growled. The duchess went quiet. Natsu eyed the hand that was holding a black fan – it was trembling slightly. "I could sentence you for the crime of insulting a member of the royal family," he added. "But then, I will trouble him more than I already have. You should be grateful to have him as your husband."

She flinched visibly as if the words had turned into a sharp knife that stabbed her. "Tell me," Natsu continued, "did you marry Laxus just to live like this?"

Her answer never came, and without wasting another moment, he walked away. It was clear that she was provoking him, but he knew he shouldn't listen to her. She was not the Lisanna he knew. She had changed; the innocent girl he knew since his childhood had long gone. And now, what went along with it was the remains of the longing feeling he had for her.

His feet led him to all empty places, trying to find the right place for him to think, yet none of the places seemed right. When he caught the sight of a discarded heel shoe in the middle of the corridor that led to the garden, only then he allowed himself to sigh, releasing all the tension he had. A sense of déjà vu caught him as he found the other pair was lying on the garden that led to the bench with the wisteria arch.

Lucy…

He wanted to see her now. To see her smile, to hear her voice, to be near her. Somehow the thought of being with her could calm him. He approached the other shoe, picked it up, and headed to the bench. Something told him that she was there, and these shoes were not a false hint either.

But what he found wasn't a woman who was openly complaining about the whole event like he imagined her to be. Sitting on the bench, the woman with bright, sun-kissed hair was shedding tears. They fell to her cheek one by one as she stared at nothing. She glanced at him, startled by the sound of his footsteps as he approached her.

"N-Natsu?"

It took him no longer than three seconds to pull her into him and caged her within his arm. "Why are you crying?" he whispered.

He could feel her shaking her head. "I'm not sure…"

"Is it him?" Natsu found himself asking. "Brother?"

And he could feel her stiffen. "H-How did you know?" She choked a sob. Natsu felt her dainty fingers grasping the back of his shirt. "I don't know what to think."

Ah… I see…

"Don't think of anything," he said.

That green ribbon. It is for her, isn't it?

"I don't want to feel this way," she whispered.

It's love that he has for her.

"Lucy," he called. "Look at me."

She was hesitant – burying her face deeper into his chest. Natsu placed a hand on her jaw and softly tilting it upward. Her brown eyes looked like melted chocolate, glossy and red. It screamed pain, confusion, fear.

He didn't like it.

His thumb brushed gently against her wet cheek, brushing off the trail of tears as he dove into her, placing a kiss on her forehead, on her cheek, on her nose. His eyes met hers, sucking in all her mixed feeling, all her pain. She closed her eyes, letting one lone tear fell to her cheek and Natsu leaned to her.

He suddenly remembered how cold it was when he first kissed her. On their marriage ceremony, when all felt like one big lie that he made for himself, the kiss they shared was cold. There was nothing in that kiss.

He thought that if she was with him, if she shared the same destiny with him, then all would go just fine. Love was never promised in this marriage, and Natsu knew that she, too, understand it. He never expected love in this marriage. But now, as his lips found hers, he realized it – the warmth, the shudder, the emotion.

Brother loves her… and I have fallen for her as well.