"Natsu, what is that?"

"What's what?

"That, coming towards us!" Lucy pointed towards the blurry dot far off in the sky, dark and distant and much too large to be a bird.

"Huh? Dunno, I can't see..."

A week had passed since Natsu woke up and alerted the girl to her mistake. One very long and painful week during which she had been tormented, taunted and otherwise teased with not-so-spontaneous pats on the head and declarations of 'You know, I like you too, Lucy!" that always left her beet-root red in the face and in a towering temper. It was a good thing that she now had a book and magical training to occupy herself with, or she might have been forced to dig a very deep pit somewhere to bury herself in.

Fortunately, Natsu was at least considerate enough to leave her alone when she was studying - he was almost as eager for Lucy to learn as she was herself - but he made up for it by doubling his efforts to make her flustered the rest of the time.

To Lucy's great surprise and the dragons smug self-satisfaction - "I told you so, didn't I?" - the princess got the hang of the basics almost right away. Probably more due to Levy's detailed instructions and persistent effort than any magical genius, she was able to grasp the parts of focusing and manifesting magic energy after only a few tries. The first time a soft golden glow appeared around her she was so startled that it took Natsu several long minutes to calm her down, then another good while before he had stopped laughing at her hard part came when she tried to actually use the energy for something; it required more focus and determination than she had realized, and so she had spent the rest of her time meditating and researching the potential summons. She had to find a way to really thank Levy the next time they met, the book she had received really was useful.

She had been busy memorizing the constellations when the strange dot on the horizon caught her attention. Natsu stared at it intently through the narrowed slits of his eyes as it got closer, sudden tension building within him that made Lucy wince as his grip around her tightened painfully.

"Hey, isn't that... Fuck!"

She yelped as the man suddenly swerved in the air, just in time to avoid a blast of shredding wind that came hurling towards them. Before Lucy could grasp what was going on he angled himself towards the ground and brought the wings together, dropping them into a steep dive left her screaming in fright. For all that she was used to flying by now he had never done anything like this before!

"N-Natsu!?"

"It's Gajeel!" he screamed over the howling wind, words tearing away from lips that twisted in a vicious snarl. "Can't fight him in the air like this, we gotta... Oh hell!"

Lucy screamed again and clutched his shoulders desperately when the leathery wings unfurled with a bang, bringing them to an almost standstill as Natsu kept swearing, eyes on the ground. Daring a glance towards the countryside below the blonde woman gasped as she saw a group of people milling about on and beside the road, their jeering laughs and sneering faces visible even from this distance as they watched the pair hesitate.

"Lucy, think you'll be able to run...?"

"I'm not running away on my own!" she snapped fiercely and smacked a fist into a broad, muscled shoulder. "If you're going to fight then I'll also..!" Letting go of him with one hand the girl dug into a pocket and withdrew the talismans she had made, determination almost - almost, because she couldn't deny that she was nervous - drowning out her own doubts.

She had expected him to protest, and was surprised when after a long, measuring look Natsu nodded and flashed her a wild, almost eager grin that made her heart thump harder and faster.

"Alright, let's fight! Just stay close.." And he dropped once more, urged on by the wild, vicious cackle that was approaching from above.

The people on the ground scattered as a deep breath released a giant jet-stream of blazing fire from the dragon's mouth, so hot that Lucy feared she might be incinerated then and there. Forcing herself to focus on the people around them rather than the awe at Natsu's sheer power, she readied herself as he set her down and spun around with a snarl, grateful for his presence behind her back.

Choosing a talisman from the mere handful she possessed, Lucy focused and reached for the warm glow of magic within, let it flow through her hand and into the wooden token where she had carved a small paw print. Snapping her eyes on a short, squat man that came running towards her with a lecherous grin she shouted out the summons;

"Spirit of the Small Dog - Canis!"

It felt as though the magic was dragged out of her fingers. With a gasp Lucy watched as a cloud of swirling darkness formed in front of her, a blackness so deep that it made the stars within gleam all the brighter. It took the shape of a small, lanky dog that bared its misty teeth at the man, who already had begun to laugh at the unassuming creature when it suddenly charged and snapped its jaws around a hairy leg.

The scream that followed was so shrill and shocked that Natsu quickly threw a glance over his shoulder to see what was going on; he cackled gleefully at the sight of the thug and quickly turned back again. His fists clenched as he dealt blow after debilitating blow onto his own attackers - only half paying attention as his focus was mostly on Gajeel, who hovered in the air above waiting to see if he would be needed.

"Keep at it, Lucy!" she heard him say, knowing the proud grin was on his face even though she couldn't see it. "You're doing great!"

If she had time she might have replied, but more bandits were pressing in to replace the first, and the small spirit only managed to bite one other before it faded away, completely without a sound. Already concerned about how long many more times she would be able to do this, Lucy picked out another token and squeezed it in her hand, breathlessly mouthing new words as she waited for her magic to drain away.

"Spirit of the Chisel - Caelum!"

Like a bolt of lightning the area immediately in front of the girl lit up, a pillar of light descending from the skies that made the charging enemies scream and cover their eyes, writhing in pain that didn't appear to have a real source. It lingered for two full heartbeats before it faded, leaving Lucy breathless and staggering as fatigue washed through her.

Behind her, Natsu wasn't having nearly as much trouble. He seemed positively gleeful as he dished out punishment, teeth bared in a vicious grin as he swirled back and forth and let the bandits taste the sharp blows of his fists, tail - even the thrashing wings. Fire danced across his fingers and smoldered in the green grass, but he didn't seem to even be serious yet.

Lucy wished she had his stamina. The number of opponents had dropped rapidly but those that remained had tricks up their own sleeves. A bolt of energy grazed her right arm as she dived out of the way and made her scream, the pain intense as the residue seared and crackled across her skin. She ducked again as a jet of water came flying at her head, only to feel the air go out as a hard, metal-scaled fist drove into her stomach and made her fall to her knees.

"Lucy!" Natsu's scream was riddled with anger and worry as he spun around, charging Gajeel the moment he noticed who it was. He was far away however, their battles having led them away from one another. The black-haired rogue sneered and pulled back his claws for another blow.

"Spirit of the Northern Crown - Borealis!" Lucy gasped, barely able to get the words out.

Knuckles connected against a shield of multicolored lights, inches from the girl's pale face. Purple, blue and green hues caressed her features as she gasped for air, her limbs like led and pain eating away at her arm.

"You... won't reach me!" Clutching the wounded arm with her free hand the girl gritted her teeth and got up, staring defiantly into the eyes of the dragon when he began to look pissed. It didn't matter that her knees quivered and barely supported her, or that she felt as drained as though she had swam across an ocean. Lucy was not going to cry in front of this man again, not ever!

"The fuck..?!" Gajeel cursed as the barrier rapidly expanded and pushed him back from her, but quickly gathered himself and readied for another punch. The wall quivered and shrank at the force of the blow, making Lucy swallow nervously; another fist drew back, this time it would surely penetrate...

A roaring breath of flames collided with the metal beast and knocked him off his feet, followed by a heavy blow to the jaw as Natsu leaped after. Lucy nearly sobbed in relief and stared in awe as the dragons fought, the smacking of fists against flesh accompanied by feral snarls, growls and curses.

They didn't stay on the ground for long. Pushing the Salamander off Gajeel jumped into the air and raised himself higher with beating wings, the fire-dragon following in a heartbeat. Their battle turned into a violentl dance of dives, swerves and slashing tails, followed by bursts of speed that left droplets of blood like crimson streaks on the ground. Both had hard scales and incredible endurance, but both dragons also had hard, sharp claws designed to penetrate, rip and tear. As the amount of wounds on Natsu increased her awe faded into worry, soft brown eyes anxious as she followed his flight.

Lucy was dragged out of her study when a sudden hard blow struck her over the back of her shoulders.

Squealing in shock and agony the girl fell to the ground with the talismans scattering from her hands, only realizing that her shield had disappeared when another blow landed on her back. Pain flared up in her aging bruises at the impact and made her roll around to aim a kick at the knee of her assailant, so hard that the dark-haired staggered back with a curse. Trembling and almost as angry as she was afraid she got up on hands and knees, desperately looking around for the tokens while eying the area around her.

It was such a mess.

Smoke wafted thick and dark across the field from the multitude of small fires that still burned, making her cough and wheeze whenever forced to breathe it in. The scent of it was heavy but couldn't completely mask the odor of blood and burned flesh that oozed from the men that lay crumpled on the ground, moaning and groaning in agony in the cases they were awake at all. As far as she could see no one seemed to actually be dead, but it didn't help the wave of nausea that roiled through her stomach, nor the fact that Lucy had caused at least some of the destruction.

Nor did any of these observations withdraw from the fact that one man was still standing, limping and pale-faced yet even angrier now as he came towards her again.

What was she going to do? Lucy was completely drained by now, her talismans hidden somewhere in the tall grasses, out of sight and reach. Even if she did find any she wasn't sure if she could use them again.

Staggering to her feet with the world reeling around her in her exhaustion, the woman slowly backed for every limping step that was taken towards her, eyes never moving from the bearded face of the big, fat man who glared at her with an expression that promised more than a beating if he caught up.

Natsu was too busy fighting in the air to notice what was happening, Lucy was completely drained from her first magical fight, there was no one else around to help her...

The heel of her boot caught on the leg of an unconscious bandit and sent her stumbling.

In a heartbeat the lecherous knave was over her and pushed her onto the ground, two rapid blows to the head leaving her dazed, eyes glazed over. Hard, disgusting hands raked across her body; the princess whimpered in revulsion and clawed at his face to make it stop, a new kind of panic settling like a fog over her addled brain.

Pain was not the only thing she felt as her breasts were groped, disgust too mild a word for the sensation of dirty fingers prying apart her thighs and choking around the neck. Lucy screamed, kicked, bit whenever she got a chance, not even aware of the terrified tears that rolled from her eyes.

Suddenly, between one breath and the next, the air turned the cool, pleasant chill of a summer breeze but the deep, biting, painful freeze of a midwinter night.

Ice bloomed on the skin of the bearded man and with a startled expression he was blown away from the girl as a powerful kick connected with his ribs, snapping a few in the process. Gasping in shock and terror Lucy looked up, thinking it had to be another bandit.

But rather than a big brute of unwashed thug she found a young man around her own age, the dark hair short and wild on his head, almost as black as the cold, narrow eyes. Frost glittered on the white coat and danced in the air around him as he stepped over her, only sparing a brief glance before he approached the coughing, cursing brute on the ground. Ice took shape in his hand as he drew it back, forming into a solid, heavy hammer; there was a nasty, crunching sound as he drove it with practiced efficiency into the head of the man, who immediately crumpled into a heap on the ground. Unconscious.

For several long moments Lucy simply stared at the guy, reeling from the aftermath of surprise and fear and suspicion. Wide, brown eyes followed him warily as he straightened up and turned back, orbs moving down to look at her more closely this time. Slowly the cold faded from the air, until the ice on the fallen rogue was the only evidence that anything had happened at all.

"Are you okay?"

Was she? Lucy took a deep breath and felt every bruise, wound and ache make itself reminded. Yet for all that she was hurt and bleeding there didn't seem to be any broken bones, and a quick, panicked examination showed that she was still wearing both shirt and pants, despite the thugs efforts to remove them.

She nodded, rather shakily.

"Good. But really, quite the flashy fight you're having here! Not to mention those brainless idiots..."

She followed his gaze up towards the sky and had to agree when she caught sight of the dragons. And they really were dragons now, like she had been led to think of them from stories and legends. No longer were they men with hands and feet, nor peculiar hybrids with human shape yet tailed and winged.

The Natsu she was used to seeing was gone.

He had been replaced by a crimson lizard the size of a large horse, whose scales glittered and gleamed like burning gems in the sunlight. Sharp teeth shone white and dangerous in the jaws of the wedge-shaped head, stained with the same red liquid that covered claws and seeped from numerous cuts in the hide. Gajeel had become similarly transformed and retaliated with equal ferocity for every blow that landed on the metallic scales. They seemed oblivious to anything except the opponent, the roars of pain and fury so loud that she could feel the air vibrate. They struck a chord deep within her soul. Awe, terror, veneration... there was no word that could accurately describe it.

"Natsu!" A particularly nasty bite to the side of the red dragon's neck made the girl wince and push herself up on her elbows in worry.

The man beside her just shook his head and hunched down, appearing less than concerned.

"Nothing to do but wait until they're done" he grunted. "That flame-brain won't go down easily, but the scrapheap ain't no weakling either - this might take a while."

"You know Natsu?" Lucy didn't even know why she got surprised anymore. Pushing herself up so she could sit she cradled her injured arm and eyed the black-haired man with some interest - the simple fact that he had saved her would normally warrant curiosity, and a possible connection with her best friend only made it grow.

"Unfortunately. We've known each other since we were kids - not that we get along or anything." A slight grimace followed after another glance at the fighting dragons, after which he promptly turned his back on them and eyed herself more intently.

"Uhm... thank you, for saving me" the girl said after a while and pushed the tangled hair from her face, feeling a bit awkward under the close scrutiny. "It was a close call..."

"Eh, don't mention it." There was a minuscule tug on his mouth that might have been a smile, but it faded away just as quickly, returning the expression face to what seemed to be a regular scowl.

"How come you arrived in such a timely manner?" Gradually Lucy felt her wariness settle in face of his calm demeanor, supported by the gratuitous feeling of not being alone in the sea of destruction. She remained where she were even as the guy pulled a napkin from a pocket and began tying it around her bleeding arm, accepting the kind gesture with a smile.

"Heard the battle as I walking down the road" he replied, nudging a chin towards the trail that cut through the fields, broad enough for a wagon where it wound through the landscape. "Thought I wouldn't get involved, but then I saw those guys and figured I'd see what was going on."

"I see. Well, I'm grateful! Really, thank you!" Her smile widened as she spoke, bright and honest and almost happy despite the ugly bruises that colored her face. "I'm Lucy... What's your name?"

The man turned away from the beaming girl with an awkward expression, not quite sure what to do with himself.

"Gray.." It was barely more than a mutter, but Lucy heard and nodded quite happily.

It was a strange scene if the princess had ever seen one.

Sitting in casual conversation on a battlefield while dragons tore each other to pieces in the sky above - was this what it meant to be a mage? Gray clearly was one if the ice had been any indicator, and he seemed perfectly content where he sat, if perhaps a bit wary whenever a thug showed signs of wanting to get up.

Her own focus turned on Natsu as he raged on with undiminished ferocity. Despite what the ice-mage said she couldn't help but worry at the sight of all the blood, flinches and shudders wracking her whenever her friend was the one taking damage. As time wore on however it grew increasingly clear that the metal dragon was pushed back, forced to retreat time and again to avoid the blazing fire.

Finally a hard whip of a crimson tail tore up a long gash along the ribs, and with a furious roar of frustration Gajeel whipped around in the air and flew off, intent on escaping. Natsu followed with stubborn determination for a while, but when a stream of fire scorched a metal tail without a reaction, he eventually turned back and landed on the ground with a heavy thud that sent tremors through the earth.

Quicker than a thought Lucy was on her feet and hurried down the slope towards him, ignoring Gray's call to take it easy.

She only slowed down once she came close enough to realize just how freaking big the dragon was. Wide eyes took in the long, muscular body and the powerful legs that ended in five-fingered paws, followed the curve of the spiked neck from the heavy head to the very tip of the long tail. Red scales shimmered even when cracked and stained with blood, moving in supple waves as the chest heaved for each ragged breath. Heat stood like a shimmering wall around the beast, heat that seared her mouth and lungs for each bated breath... and the eyes, deep dark pits of black burned like hot coals as they fell on her, wild and dangerous... and rather familiar.

"N-Natsu..?"

She couldn't remember when she had stopped, just knew that she had to fight a sudden urge to run screaming when the dragon lowered the head towards her, eyes closing slowly in a lazy blink. Was that a grin that stretched across the scaly lips? Could dragon's smile? Lucy raised a trembling hand and reached for the crimson hide, only to pause in sudden trepidation, inches from a narrow, scale-covered nose.

He was so warm, would she burn herself? Would he even allow it? Those razor-sharp teeth were so very close, could snap around her arm before she even had time to react...

"You scared, Lucy?"

The fair-haired girl gasped, flinching violently where she stood. It was Natsu's voice, but it came from the throat of the dragon like a deep, voluminous purr the girl thought had to echo across the landscape - yet it reached her ears like a soft whisper, teasing and kind all at once as the familiar question slipped from draconian lips.

"M-maybe... a little." The laughter was as faint and breathless as she, weak and tired and full of wonder. "You... really are Natsu, aren't you?"

Gazing into the darkness of his eyes Lucy searched for a trace of her friend, any hint of the man she had spent so much time with. It was hard to accept that this was his true shape rather than the human guise she had come to expect, and yet... the smile that stretched across wide jaws was as glittering and sharply toothy as the mans, the crease of narrow eyes exactly the same - and the laugh he gave was so warm and comfortable and familiar that all doubt suddenly washed away.

"Yeah, I'm still me. More me than before, actually. Still scared?"

Terrified, actually. But rather than give in to the feeling she slowly lowered her hand and placed it carefully on the scaly hide, fingers twitching nervously over the hot, sharp, crimson scales. Tears rose in her eyes, fear and anger and relief that the battle was over finally too much to hold back.

"Only a little."

Before she could change her mind Lucy flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around the powerful neck, sobbing helplessly. Natsu seemed surprised but didn't move, instead just stood there quietly as she leaned into him for safety and support. Only when the heave of her shoulders slowed did he shift, dangerous claws very careful as a leg draped over her back, holding the girl close against a broad chest.

"It's alright Lucy, it's over now" he rumbled quietly, more gentle than she had heard him before. "Are you hurt?"

"Mmh, not badly" she sniffed, shaking the blonde head. "I got some help... You're not one to talk anyway, you're so cut up!"

Blood really was everywhere, both his own and Gajeel's. It seeped slowly from scrapes and tears, dripping quietly into the grass. There was blood on her hands too, and on her face and the clothes where she leaned against him, until the once white shirt had taken on almost the same red shade as his scales.

"Nothing major, I'll be fine" Natsu reassured, so confidently that it made Lucy even more worried. "More importantly, you got help? Help from whom?"

"If you payed attention to more than what's right in front of you, you'd know already, idiot!"

Dragon and princess turned as one to look at Gray as he came strolling down the hill, hands in the deep pockets of his pants. For some reason he had taken his coat off, leaving him in only shirt sleeves as he stopped, looking mildly curious as he eyed the scene. Lucy felt her face go red and started to back away, but was brought straight back into the embrace by the dragon's paw.

"Why are you here, Gray?" Natsu quipped in a casually insulting tone, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at the human. "I thought you had broken an arm and couldn't work for a while."

"That was a month ago, you stupid ass. I thought you were supposed to be back before then, so why are you here playing around with these small-fries?" He nudged a boot into a nearby thug, making the mans head loll about on the ground.

"Ran into a bit of trouble, we had to cross the Teeth instead of going through Minstral as planned." The shrug of massive shoulders would have set Lucy stumbling to the ground if he hadn't held onto her, but she still glared up at him indignantly.

Sensing that she wasn't in a mood to be manhandled, the dragon shifted - it was the strangest thing to feel him shrink and shift beneath her touch, so foreign it almost made her scream - until he stood in the half-human guise, bruised and bleeding yet somehow fully clothed (she reminded herself to have a talk about torn shirts and naked chests later). He still kept an arm stubbornly around her shoulders, but the change was still an improvement as far as Lucy was concerned.

"What kind of trouble?" Gray's eyes narrowed suspiciously, arms rising to fold across the chest. "Don't tell me..."

"I got into the castle just like I said" the rosy-haired man smirked smugly, eyes glittering with mischief. "You said you wanted proof... so I nicked myself a princess, since she was the most interesting thing around."

The ice-mage stood lost for words, mouth open as he looked from Natsu to Lucy and back again. When the girl nodded in confirmation Gray brought a hand to his face in tired despair, looking so devastated that Lucy had to stifle a giggle.

"Then, you've been dodging soldiers and Trackers until now?"

"It's been a bit anxious" Natsu nodded cheerfully. "But I figure it'll calm down once we get to Isval.."

"You realize that Master will have your head for this, don't you? All the countries around Firoe is in an uproar because they've closed down the borders. No one gets in and out now, and mages are interrogated if they get within a mile of the place."

Guilt struck like a bolt of lightning. Lucy shifted uncomfortably with a heavy heart, lowering her gaze to her feet - or would have, if scaly fingers hadn't hooked beneath her chin and made her gaze up at Natsu.

"Not your fault" he said firmly. "I'm the one who took you away, remember?"

"Yeah, well technically..." Gray started, only to be faced with a glare so dark that he actually closed his mouth, a brow raised in query.

"No. Just leave it, Gray."

"Fine, it's your neck." The man shrugged and looked away, suddenly eying the battlefield as if he saw it for the first time. "Either way, we should get going before anyone comes. Would be embarrassing to explain this... for you."

"We? What, you're coming along?" Natsu sounded miffed, frowning when the ice-mage shot him a wry grin.

"Hey, I'm heading back as well. No point in splitting up this close to the border."

"You can't fly!" the dragon complained, a whiny edge to the voice. "It'll take days..."

"More time for some people to recover - or are you planning on sowing blood all the way to Isval?"

Natsu snorted and looked away, but didn't retort. It made Lucy wonder if he really was as fine as he said, and as they began to walk back up the hill towards the road she kept a close eye on the man. There was a slight limp to his step but aside from that and a hand pressed against the cut in the neck he looked fine and sounded fine, continuously bickering with Gray as they went.

In contrast Lucy was far worse off; she was so tired she could barely set one foot before the other and felt so bruised and battered that it didn't matter whether she had one injury or a hundred. When they reached a small shelter along the road she gratefully slipped onto the ground and leaned back against the wall, unable to comprehend why the sun was still high in the sky and shining like nothing was wrong.

"Sure you're not hurt anywhere else?" Natsu frowned as he hunched before her, looking worried.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Even talking was a pain, her lips didn't seem to want to move.

"No wonder. It was your first time using magic for real... You did really well though, Lucy!" He pushed a strand of golden hair from her eyes, expression so proud and boastful that the girl had to smile.

"I need more practice" she admitted, "but... it felt good, being able to do something myself."

"You'll get better" he promised readily. "Next time you'll take out guys like those on your own, no problem."

He stood and went off to patch himself up and help Gray with the fire, leaving Lucy to her own thoughts.

While he probably was exaggerating, it nevertheless felt incredibly good to hear such faith in her abilities. They were still so new, so fresh and untested - the girl didn't even want to call herself a mage, not yet. Maybe the day when she would remain standing after a battle, having saved instead of being rescued...

Until then she would study hard and keep doing her best, so that no one would be able to take away this precious new freedom she had tasted and grown so very fond of.