Chapter 26! So sorry I'm late but Assignments! Assignments everywhere! The next week I doubt I will be able to post anything I'm sorry but then Uni is over for the year and I should be able to focus on writing.

"Are you feeling okay Princess?" Rouge asks Levy, Levy was seated as far from her uncle as she could be while still being in the great hall, guests who names she had no idea of milled around, some dancing to the musicians who played, while Levy just felt unwell, she'd just signed herself away and she felt awful.

"I'm fine" she says unbelievingly, Rouge looks at her in sympathy looking over to her new husband who was trying to drown himself at the bar, Rouge sits next to Levy, gaining her attention.

"Princess, I've known Sting since I was five and Zeref since I was thirteen we've been friends for a long time, we know more about each other than anyone else even Cobra and Zancrow who have followed Zeref for years. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you, I swear it on my own life" he tells her passionately, Froshe his desert fox sat at Levy's feet nuzzling her leg.

"Thank you" she says with a small smile. Rogue sits with her watching the crowd as the sultan's voice gets louder and louder the more he drinks, they sit there silently even with Levy being the bride no one approaches too wrapped up in their own worlds, it was the first time Rouge had ever felt unhappy about being born privileged because right here, right now he could see nothing but the greed and fake beauty that surrounded these people and like Princess Levy he felt sick.

"What's wrong Gray?" Natsu asks the silent shirtless man who was staring at the palace.

"Something's wrong" he answers without looking at Natsu.

"Yeah, I had the same feeling, but we have a plan for tomorrow…"

"Somethings wrong now" Gray says looking to Natsu the pinkette nods in understanding.

"Should we bust in?"

"You can't they'd recognise you, me however they couldn't know who I am"

"You can't go alone" Natsu says.

"The less people there are, the less likely I'll be caught" he argues.

"Juvia will go too" both men jump at the girl's sudden appearance next to them.

"Jeez, Juvia you gave me a heart attack!" Natsu complains holding his chest.

"Juvia is sorry" she says in the same melancholy tone.

"Are you sure?" Gray asks.

"Juvia will have your back" she assures him, Gray nods.

"Alright then, we're sneaking in now, the suns setting it'll be easier for us to get in unnoticed hopefully"

"What should I do?" Natsu asks.

"Cover for us" Gray slapping him on the shoulder.

"Lucy's going to kill me" Natsu groans, Gray grins and with Juvia on his six they start running for the city.

"Sting you've had enough stop" Rouges hard voice filters through Sting's brain, he looks up from his chair.

"Whhhhyyy youu beein' a spppoilllllll spooorrt?!" he asks drunkenly.

"IIIII just gotttt *hiccup* marrrrieddd! Comme onnn you'reee my besssst mannnn!"

"Sting you're making a fool of yourself and that also means a fool of the Princess, she deserves better than that on her wedding day" Rouge says stiffly, Sting banged his glass down on the table.

"Finnee thenn, we'lll go, is that what you want?" Rouge glared at his best friend when his voice got better he had the idea he wasn't as drunk as he was acting, though he had drunk a lot, Sting could hold his liquor much better than himself.

"Personally I'd love to go back to the Ivory City tonight but we can't until tomorrow, so we're stuck here so be a gentleman and take the princess out of here before the sultan does something stupid like demand a bedding" Sting paled and stumbled to his feet, Zeref was playing chess in a corner with people Sting didn't recognise, Zancrow and Cobra with him.

"'Kay, I'm going, say goodnight to Z for me"

"Will do" Rouge says, Sting finishes the last of his drink ignoring the look from Rouge.

He walks over to the Princess who was staring mutely down at her bare feet, he'd really come to recognise her as the barefoot princess, trying to smile even though his stomach was lurching, he cleared his throat to get her attention, she looked up at him and Sting was pinned by her gaze.

"Why don't we get out of here?" he asks, she nods her head and accepts his hand to leave, they manage to leave without the sultan seeing, Lector, Stings meerkat followed behind them.

Sting has to steer them towards the room prepared for them tonight, Levy enters first the room was lit up by candles, Sting reluctantly followed her in closing the door, Levy went to the window and looked out, it was larger than the one in her room, but it wasn't as high up from the ground.

"I'm sorry" Sting says, taking a seat on a lounge chair, Levy looks to him, the sun had set a few hours ago and the moon was slowly rising in the sky.

"For what exactly?" she asks sharply, he winced despite himself.

"For finding you at that oasis, for chasing you in Magnoila, forcing you to come back here, not protecting you from the sultan, for volunteering to marry you, for marrying you…I'm just sorry for everything, I'm sorry I even left my home to come here, I don't know what I was thinking, being in the running to marry a princess! It meant nothing to me, but you…you're nothing like I thought a princess would be. You're strong, defiant, kind, beautiful…I know who I am Princess and never in my life would I deserve someone like you" Levy was shocked at his words, never had anyone said anything like that to her she didn't know how to respond.

"I'm not that special" she finds herself saying.

"I've bene a prisoner in this palace my whole life, I finally got out and saw what the world really was like and ruined everything by acting foolishly, I don't deserve your praise Lord Sting, I failed" Sting wanted nothing more in the world to go to her and hug her but he also didn't want to freak her out any more than she was, so he stayed where he was.

"Since we're married now, I guess I'm a Prince, but I promise you Princess Levy I will never touch you without your permission, I don't care what anyone says, I'll protect you" Levy looks at him her blue eyes swimming, she nods once and goes back to the window, sitting on the lounge under it she stared out the window…and that's how they stayed for the remainder of the night.

Oh my darling Levy! I hate myself for what I'm putting you through I'm sorry! *cries*

I'll be back soon with more chapters just have to get through this week.