Chapter 18
Her Amusement
Prince Gray Fullbuster: A prince with an attitude. Lost his betrothed to a plague in the water a year ago, has been a touchy broody baby since. Has both Akhlut blood and Amarok in him, which makes him a scary huge ass orca wolf. Enjoys making tiny snowflakes and is actually a smol good guy, but too much pain in his life has made him hurty. Arch-nemesis of Natsu Dragneel after a mishap involving a volcano. Needs to be protected asap.
When I woke up a small tent had been pitched, although the wind had picked up and it was barely standing up against it. I was leaning against the same tree, but a blanket had been wrapped around my shoulders and I was blissfully warm.
I glanced around wearily, blinking a few times, to accustom myself to the dim light of a fire a few metres away. Ultear and Natsu both stood near it, crouching over some object that remained blurry.
"Guys," I called gently, coughing when my voice came out hoarse. I tried to stand but my legs were weak, the cold stunting my circulation as Natsu walked over to me, offering his help. I allowed it, letting him support my weight until my legs decided to work again.
"How are you feeling?"
"Sore. Tired." I murmured quietly, before leaning closer to him, "Cold."
He smiled only slightly, "Come sit by the fire. I'll get you something to eat."
"Where is Erza?"
"She's establishing a perimeter. The weather took a turn for the worse when you were out, we can't travel tonight." He informed me, leading me over to the fire. The ground was unsteady, branches and leaves crunching underneath my boots as the blurry figure suddenly became clear.
Prince Gray looked similar to what he had looked like as a young boy, a mop of dark hair on his head, glazing silver eyes, perpetually furrowed eyebrows. But his features had filled out into a strong jaw, high cheekbones and other subtle older changes.
His lips were parted, a thick rag between his teeth as an intricate design of ropes kept him immobilised.
He said something and Ultear slapped him over the back of the head, apparently understanding his mumbled speech.
"What did he say?" I asked, sitting down on a log opposite him, holding my hands out so the fire could warm them.
"Nothing of importance." Ultear smiled sweetly, before giving me a quick look over, "Honestly Lucy, when Erza said jab the pointy end into someone, she didn't mean yourself."
"And yet, without my act of bravery, we would be caught in the storm." I glared at her playfully, and she laughed.
"True enough."
Natsu returned from the horses, holding a wrapped piece of bread and handed it to me. It was a touch stale, but I persevered, suddenly famished for food.
"Other than holding a royal captive, and avoiding a storm, what else has happened since I fainted?"
"Well, Natsu made sweet love to your leg."
I blinked, opening my mouth to retort but nothing came out. I had assumed that I could get over Ultear's teasing eventually but she always had a new repertoire every day, and it was always horrifyingly better than the last.
She laughed at my gaping expression as Natsu sighed, "I healed you."
"He had to stop a few times because he was getting, you know…" She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and the implication was there, making my cheeks flush brightly, as she finished, "Excited."
"Ultear, stop telling lies. I had to stop a few times because you were getting your ass kicked by the seahorse."
Said 'seahorse' made an affronted noise and struggled a little, but Ultear ignored him so I tried to as well, chewing on my bread quietly as she snorted.
"Now you are telling lies. I would never get any part of me kicked by Gray."
"So, you admit that you were telling lies, to begin with?" Natsu plopped into the seat beside me, wearing a sly grin, "Interesting."
Ultear wore a blank face for a long moment before smiling, obviously amused, "You got me there. Impressive."
"It was nothing."
"Humility is an admirable trait," I mumbled, accepting Natsu's weight against mine as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. His touch soothed me, replenished my spirit and left me warm from my toes to my ears.
"Hey, no touchy shit here. We are trying to look imposing to our prisoner." Ultear poked at Prince Gray's ear, watching in amusement when he flinched back, glaring at her harder. Natsu and I watched, my body cuddled against him, as she licked her finger and tried to stick it into his ear.
"That is unsanitary." I crinkled my nose, trying to stop the laugh from bubbling out at Gray's wild thrashing, which wasn't wild at all from the abundance of ropes binding him to to the rock at his back.
Ultear laughed wickedly and gave up, instead crouching over to look right into his eyes, "Honestly Gray, this is what you get for attacking Lucy and trying to put me down."
"Did he hurt you?"
"Hardly." Ultear straightened, crossing her arms over her chest, "He tried to bind me to the earth using his ice magic. Unfortunately, my mother is his tutor in some ways and I was able to break free with the strength of a wee lamb."
Prince Gray growled angrily and I assumed that being accused of not having enough strength to hold a lamb was somewhat of an insult to a wolf.
"Which leads me to the question, why is he not allowed to speak?"
Natsu and Ultear both went quiet and the bound prince glared at both of them, obviously waiting for an answer to that himself.
Ultear cleared her throat, "Erza didn't trust Natsu with speaking to Gray."
"Bullshit! She said, and I'm quoting here, 'The pair of you will probably act like children and attempt to intimidate him. As far as we know, this is not an interrogation, but a hostage situation. So keep the gag around his mouth and limit interaction with Prince Gray."
I pressed a hand to my mouth to stop the laughter bubbling up, my shoulders shaking from the sheer restraint as Ultear sniffed, looking down at Gray superiorly. Natsu's arm tightened around my shoulders, and a giggle burst through. I threw the wrapping from my bread into the fire and rubbed my fingers.
"Well luckily, I'm awake now and would like to talk to Prince Gray."
Ultear straightened, "Are you going to pull rank on Erza?" Her eyes sparkled with delight and excitement as I glanced at Natsu, giving him an evil little grin.
"I suppose I am."
"What exactly was the point of letting him speak if he won't speak?" Natsu kicked at the rock, and to my amazement, it moved an inch.
Ultear pulled on Gray's hair, and his eye twitched but his mouth remained stubbornly shut. I sighed, watching the pair of them and agreeing with Erza.
These two couldn't intimidate a chipmunk, let alone a Prince.
"Guys, can we try to avoid bickering in front of him? Let's act like professionals, please."
"We are being professional. We are professional bickerers."
Natsu nodded in agreement and I shook my head, fighting the smile as I walked over to our captive, crouching down to look at him curiously.
"Do you remember me?"
His head jerked slightly in a nod, and I sighed, "Do you believe whatever lies my father is spreading?"
He hesitated for a long second, before looking down which could mean yes or no. Honestly, Gray's ability to remain blank and ambivalent was a real treat to try and decipher, but I treated it like a non-answer.
"How did you find us?"
He glanced at Ultear and Natsu for a long moment before grinding out through his teeth, obviously not wanting to speak with them near.
"I was just going on a run then I smelt foreign scents. I tracked them to you."
"But we aren't in your borders yet."
"You are close enough for me to protect my land if I need to." He replied, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously and I stood up, placing my hands on my hips with a frown.
"I'm sorry, but what about me peeing makes you feel the need to attack me? What impact does that have on your land?"
I was surprised to see his pale ears turn vaguely pink and his face screwed up in indignation, obviously realising he was out of line in that respect. Unfortunately, he had me beat on the second point.
"There is a warrant out for you. I am within my rights as a Fiora citizen, Prince to my clan, to attempt to capture you and return your person to the Star Lands."
I couldn't argue with that, but I could appeal to his softer side - although, I didn't know him well enough to know if he had one or not - and ran my hand across my mouth in thought, choosing my words carefully.
"So, you would attack an unarmed princess, chain her up and return her to a land she left willingly…" I murmured thoughtfully and the tips of his ears burnt brighter, accompanying the slight flush on his cheeks. I gave him a long scrutinizing look before turning away, smiling weakly at Natsu.
"Does Erza know what we are going to do with him?"
"We will have to discuss it, but one thing we cannot allow is him returning to the castle." Erza's voice made all of us turn as her horse trotted towards us. Once it stopped, she slid off with ease and tied the reins to a nearby tree, stretching the leather a little to ensure it would hold.
She didn't seem surprised that Gray's mouth was ungagged and just tossed a pair of binoculars to Ultear, "The area is without creature. It seems most of the guards have returned to the castle to avoid the storm."
"So, ideally, the best time to sneak through would be right now…" Ultear murmured, looping the binoculars through her belt with a small piece of fabric. I looked around at the chaotic scene of trees bending, the wind roaring as the fire continued to keep us warm and safe. Strangely enough, I couldn't feel the wind that I could see rippling through the leaves.
When I glanced at Natsu for a silent explanation, "Ultear has put a shield up to protect this area from most of the wind. If you walk five steps west and stick your hand out, you'll see how bad the storm is."
I did as he said, curious and the minute my hand was out, the force of the wind made me snap it back in. I pressed my fingers into a fist, wincing in pain at how quickly they became cold and tight. When I wandered back over, I offered my hand to Natsu sheepishly, sighing when his warmth slid over my skin, his lips pressing against my cold hand.
"The weather is treacherous but it's not impossible. Before we decide if we should move and risk it, we need to come to an agreement on what to do with Prince Gray."
"Release me."
Ultear snorted, rolling her eyes, "How stupid do you think we are, Gray? The minute we cut you free, you'll run home and tell your father of our plans."
"He already knows your plans. Why do you think he has guards stationed?"
"Had guards, twinkle prince. Had. As Erza said, the storm has made them all take shelter for the time being." Natsu smirked, eyes glaring when Prince Gray made a movement to jump, but the ropes cut into his chest and stopped his movement.
"I agree with Ultear, no good will come out of your release. It will only cause more problems.
"We could leave him here," Natsu suggested and I looked out of the protective shield, wincing at the ferocious wind and black sky.
"In these conditions? He'll freeze to death."
"He was born in ice, so I doubt that." Natsu scoffed angrily, and I linked my fingers through him, giving him a slight tug so he would step closer to my body. He followed the movement, and I wrapped my hands around his bicep, keeping him anchored to me. Erza sent me a thankful look, obviously also feeling Natsu's animosity and I simply smiled back.
"Whether he will freeze to death or not, leaving him isn't an option. It will be seen as an insult, as well as an endangerment to a royal member in his land." Erza sighed, massaging her temples as Ultear nodded in agreement.
"People of the north have killed for less."
"Have you forgotten that you came from the North, Ultear?"
Prince Gray's words made Ultear laugh, not taking offence to his horrid tone at all as she turned to him, wearing a smug, self-satisfied grin, "No, Gray. But it appears, during my time away, you have still yet to grow a backbone against your father."
"That's King Silver, to you."
"Then it's Dame Milkovich, to you." She replied back snootily before crouching down, balancing her body easily as Prince Gray glared at her defiantly.
"You know that he was wrong to imprison Jellal, who has saved my life countless times," she said lowly, her voice vibrating with anger. "If you had stood up, and spoken, we would be meeting Jellal right now, and travelling to the Vapids together."
"Knight Fernandez was put to trial privately in the court. I had no voice in that circumstance."
"You never do, Gray. Ever since Juvia died, you never do."
"Don't say her fucking name," Prince Gray growled, the tone making me flinch as Natsu placed his hand on one of my mine, lending me his strength. Prince Gray stared at Ultear like he wanted to rip her jugular out for even mentioning the name. Ultear stared back defiantly, refusing to be intimidated by those angry, ice-cold eyes.
"Then it is settled." Erza's voice made me jolt. I turned to find her carefully blank mask in place on her features once more. "We will bring Gray with us. If need be, we will use him as a hostage and move through the North with him as a shield."
"Is that… legal?"
"Technically, no. But we never cared for technicalities." Ultear stood, giving the prince a fierce glare, before smiling bitterly.
"Welcome to the gang, Gray."
Ultear moved away from him towards us and Erza followed until we were a few metres away, although if Gray had wolf hearing, I doubt it mattered.
Still, we kept our voices low.
"Are you sure we can't leave him here?" Natsu grumbled.
"If we do, and some patrols happen to find him, our chance of a clean break is almost impossible," Erza stated, before shaking her head. "I don't like this any more than you do but given the circumstances, we will have to bring him along with us."
"If you think we can handle the extra person, I agree," I offered, before asking, "Will we leave tonight?"
Ultear and Erza exchanged a glance. "It would be risky to wait for morning, especially if the King and Queen have already noticed Gray's disappearance. However, I don't want to fool anybody. The wind is tough and the terrain is horrid. If we do go now, it will not be easy."
"If you think we can do it, then let's do it."
"Lucy… I don't want to undermine your resolve, but you struggled with the wind coming here. This is ten times worse than that." Erza stated softly, and I smiled, shaking my head, tightening my fists instinctively.
"We can do this. I can do it. Trust me, when I say… I will do it and I will remain strong."
Erza waited for a second before smiling, "If you say you can do it, then we shall. Ultear, pack up the camp. Natsu, sit down and recharge Lucy."
"I feel fine." I waved my hands, wanting to help out, as Erza laughed softly.
"I know. But, we will not be stopping for a while and you will need all the strength and comfort you can get."
I had no choice but bite my lip and nod, agreeing with her words as Natsu lead me back to the log opposite Gray. Ultear was moving in and out of the protective bubble, sliding all sorts of supplies into bags as Erza began to take down the small tent.
I slipped my bracelet off, running my hands through my hair to loosen the braid. Natsu smiled and leant closer, his fingers replacing mine and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath in.
A shy feeling of awe fluttered through me, and it made me smile, enjoying the small, light tugs on my scalp. I leant closer and fed off the warmth of his chest, the comfort in his skin and the strength in his power. The link reached out, like two old friends clasping hands, before it flared with our added feelings for each other.
Then it intensified, the link behaving like two lovers embracing in a hug that was a long time coming. That warm candle dripped wax down my spine, sending every thought of mine spiralling until all I could feel was the touch of his skin on mine, and the warm haze his power left on my skin, tingling with energy.
I looked up into his eyes and he removed one hand from my hair to lightly brush against the skin of my cheek. It burnt and soothed me at the same time, leaving me to tilt my face up to the touch.
"Lucy… I'm sorry for not giving you a choice before," Natsu breathed, his thumb brushing my lower lip delicately. I struggled to pay attention to his words, relaxation and bliss making my thought processes slower.
"Before…?"
"When you stabbed yourself in the leg. It was wrong of me to snap at you and take away your right to choose. I let my emotions get the better of me and-" I lifted my hands and pressed my index finger against his upper lip delicately, hushing him.
"Whilst I don't like and won't tolerate people taking my choices from me, and I equally don't like hurting you, I can admit my mistakes. You were right after all. Maybe you weren't gentle in the way you said it, but you were definitely right."
He nodded slowly, his shoulders relaxing and I wondered how long he had felt that way. I made a mental note to start to push at his feelings and attempt to strengthen the bridge between us, so I could feel his emotions also.
I leant forward and brushed my lips against his, carefully sticking to a soft peck. I was dimly aware that Ultear, Erza, and even Prince Gray, were watching us. I wrapped my arms around his torso, giving him a firm squeeze.
"But I accept your apology. Thank you."
I felt him sigh against me and smiled, glad I could relieve some of his stress as he wrapped his arms around me also, our chests rubbing together at his movement.
"You're welcome."
"Why do I have to take him?" Natsu groaned, tugging Gray along by a rope that connected his hands. I stifled my laughter, finding it difficult, since Ultear was openly cackling madly.
Erza threw some gloves at me, and I quickly pulled them on, looking down at my bundled up, multi-layered body. I pulled my hair into a tight, high bun before stepping out into the wild weather. The wind was so strong, I could barely hear myself think, let alone the heated words of my comrades.
I stretched my arms before adjusting my hood and the sash over my mouth, securely covering my nose and mouth.
"Alright!"
Erza had apparently silenced Natsu and his objections to riding with Prince Gray because she called out to us over the wind.
"Keep an eye out for unsteady ground and rotting trees. If we stick along this track, the first mountains should block most of the wind!" We all nodded, listening intently to her firm, loud voice, battling against the storm currently wreaking havoc on this part of the forest.
"Lucy, stick between Ultear and I. Natsu will have his hands full with the prince."
"Looks like you have competition Lucy," Ultear crowed playfully and I laughed, walking over to Natsu who was engaged in a rather childish glare off with Prince Gray. I had already known that Gray and Natsu were what you might call 'frenemies,' but I didn't realise it was to such an extent.
Natsu halted his glaring to accept the kiss I placed on his lips, smiling up at him from beneath my hood. He kept one hand on Gray's ropes but bent down, pressing his warm lips against mine once more.
"For good luck!" I laughed and he grinned, sending me a dirty wink.
"We won't need it!"
His courage and confidence strengthened mine, and I gave him one more smile before marching away to my horse. Once I was up, seated, and hypothetically strapped in, I ran a hand down my horse's neck and give it a soft pat.
Lend me your strength, noble beast.
"Alright! Here we go! Stick together!" Erza urges the horse with a soft kick to the abdomen and I follow her lead, slipping into place between she and Ultear, embarking on the next leg of our journey, the dark, angry forest the only barrier between us, and the border of the North.
As we raced towards the storm, pushing against the rough wind, I wondered what secrets this part of our journey held us.
Hola friends!
You guys hit 35 comments in little over a day, so omg what on earth are you doing reviewing this piece of garbage?
To all the questions mentioning Juvia being alive or assuming Juvia is here… I'm sorry D:
Srs.
If you'd like to see an Akhlut, I posted a picture on my tumblr! You can go check it out if it pleases you!
Question Time!
Did you know that bunnies scream? *attempts to catch hint but ends up imagining the poor bunnies doing the screaming*
Can't get the oh-so-awkward image of Gray's orca-wolf form out of my head. What happens if they get too fat? do their little wolf legs just flail as they slide around on their immense orca stomachs? Like if Gray pulled a Droy and ate his feelings, would he be shunned from the wolf side, but more respected as an orca? For whales of any kind, surely fat would be revered, for its insulating usefulness...Does Gray cry at night feeling like he's not quite a wolf, and not quite an orca? and not quite a normal human? and what form does Juvia take then? Use your amazing imagination ohohoho
If I post 35 guest reviews will you post a new chapter? That's like… cheating
It's totally Acnologia following them, isn't it? Unless it's Good Serena? ;)
You do realise that you have given a new meaning to 'keeping it fresh'? My one aspiration in life is finally complete
Is the dragon in the woods Acnologia? Yeah nah nah yeah nahhh
Why Lucy has to suffer so much? Because through suffering comes strength? O man, i dunno
Will Gray have moments w Lucy now or just become their companion? Answered in this chapter mostly ^
Is it bad that I can't stop picturing Gray as a hairy Orca with legs? If anyone would like to see an Akhlut (the name of Gray's creature) you can go to my tumblr to see!
I wonder if Gray is going to accompany them through his land or try to persuade his parents to let them through? All will be revealed soon!
How did you come up with Gray's transformation beast thing? There is a creature in Inuit mythology that is called an Akhlut. I briefly mentioned his creature before in a previous chapter :)
Lucy screamed when the blade was pulled out but that doesn't count...? The rag muffled her scream, so when she bit down on it, it was a way to keep it down
Will Jellal be okay? Who knows ;)
How bad was Jude's emotional abuse for Lucy to be that self-conscious? Jude is NOT a good guy, let's just make this 100% clear
AND WHY WAS HER FIRST REACTION TO STAB A SWORD INTO HER THIGH?! Couldn't she have just cut her leg or something? My love is all about her dramatics fam
HOW COULD YOU BE SUCH A TEASE!? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A GOOD AUTHOR!? I'M SORRY OKAY DON'T YELL AT ME
Which could be why Natsu is so entranced with her and why her power was able to bring out his demon side? That is a verrrry interesting idea ;)
Is her scream of pain just a normal scream or is it laced with power? Like are trees in the near vicinity going to just start toppling over? It has power but not enough to cause that reaction ~ plus she was fighting against it
Also, I can't remember but has erza witnessed how natsu heals lucy yet? She has not seen it but she does know how it works thanks to previous chapters. She just has to deal with the licking ;)
Shoutout to Tabasco Devil for listening to When It's all Over, the inspiration for this fic!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It's 35 comments for an earlier update, and I'll see you all soon!
Stay fresh dearies
xo freshprincess