AN: Chapter two for a late Christmas present. Pease enjoy. Another big thank you to my beta reader evil-is-here on Tumblr for being so good to me.

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome.

Chapter Two

Escalation

By the time Lucy made it to her room, her face was red and tears were streaming down her face. As soon as she closed the door behind her, her anger left her in a puff of smoke. She tried desperately to grasp it, to use it as a barrier against her other emotions, but it slipped through her fingers leaving betrayal to take its place.

How could he do that to her? Sure, he'd never had anything to do with her, but she was still his daughter. Couldn't he see there was something rotten inside the councilor?

Tears continued to pour from her eyes as she leaned against the cool wood behind her. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this. The king would never back down. He thought she was cursed and had no chance of ever being courted by another man. Without her marriage, there would be no Heartfilia heirs to take the throne. The diplomats would sooner execute their flawed princess than let her rule.

A small knock against her back drew her away from her desperate thoughts.

"Yes?" She could have hugged herself for managing to keep her voice from breaking.

A familiar comforting voice answered. "Lucy? It's me. Can I come in?"

She spun around and yanked the door open. When the blue-haired maid saw the state of her, she immediately enveloped the sobbing girl into her thin arms.

"Oh, Lucy. I heard what happened at dinner." Levy pulled away and nudged the distraught girl back into her room and closed the door behind them.

"Levy, w-what am I going to d-do? I can't m-marry H-Hades." The smaller girl wrapped her arms around her again and stroked her back as they sank down onto the plush carpet together.

Levy could understand Lucy's pain. She knew that the councilor was not a nice man. In fact, he gave her goose bumps every time she accidentally made eye-contact with him.

"Shh. It's going to be okay." The girl had a couple of ideas on how to get her friend out of this predicament but only one of them was safe. "Why don't you go talk to the king?" Lucy looked at her as though she'd grown another head.

"No. Seriously." She forced the blonde to focus on her, to try to understand where she was coming from. "The way I understand it, you didn't do a very good job of making your point at the banquet." Her tone chastised, making Lucy flush a little with embarrassment.

"Maybe if you go see him, try to talk to him, and explain your point of view…" she trailed off there, seeing comprehension in her friend's face.

"I've never really spoken with him before…" she was so uncertain and Levy couldn't help but smile a little. She sometimes forgot how vulnerable the princess really was. She'd been deprived of so much in her life, touch, conversation, a parent's love… she never let on how much it had to have affected her, but, in some ways, Lucy's growth had been stunted. Her confidence when it came to other people was one of those.

"He's still your father. It couldn't hurt to try." Levy had her doubts about the king, but surely there was a parent in there somewhere.

"I know for a fact he stays up late every night working in his study." The bluenette gave her friend a pointed look.

"Then…I guess it's worth a shot." She didn't sound like she really believed that, but gave Levy the best smile she could muster.

The maid nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, let's get you out of those stuffy clothes before you go."

Lucy let a real smile burst free. "Oh yes, please."

Roughly an hour later, Lucy was wandering the halls of the castle nervously. Not because she didn't know where she was going, she just wasn't sure she actually wanted to go there. After Levy had left she'd been tempted to just forget the entire plan and flee for the border instead, but she knew that wouldn't work. She was too inexperienced to try and face the world by herself. She'd only been outside of the castle grounds a few times and those were spent mostly evading pursuers. She didn't know if she could survive on only the knowledge she'd gained from books and her average skills at fencing. It seemed farfetched.

After long minutes trying to decide the best course of action, she did eventually leave her room. She'd been intent on marching straight to the king's study and telling him why there was no way she was marrying Hades. As the door had come into sight, ajar with dim light leaking through the crack, her feet had taken her, quite against her will, down the closest flight of stairs.

At that point, she decided it was probably best she try to work out some of her nervousness before she faced him. Lucy hadn't really had a new destination in mind when she started walking, but wasn't all that surprised when she found herself wandering deeper and deeper into the castle. She knew where she was going after she'd by-passed the kitchen, grabbing an apple on her way, and the exit into the gardens. Her curiosity was leading her towards the dungeons and the boy with the golden eyes.

She bounced the apple around in her hands absently as she strolled down the rough stone steps that led her into the bowels of her home. It was a stark contrast to the lush carpets and marbled walls of the building above. The castle was kept warm during the chilly spring nights by strategically placed hearths scattered throughout, but the lower halls were drafty and dark. The closer she got, the more it smelled like human waste and mold. She scrunched her nose up in distaste. Maybe it would be better to just forget about this. It definitely wasn't worth the stench…

But her slippered feet betrayed her thoughts and she continued to travel lower and lower. As the light began to grow brighter ahead of her, she listened closely for the expected banter of the guards. What she heard was not the drunken jokes she was expecting. There was a snap and then some harsh yelling which had her slowing her pace. Another snap and the words started to sound like questions.

"What are you?" Another snap.

She thought she heard a different voice murmur something indistinct, but couldn't be certain.

"Your eyes give you away, beast!" Another snap, "now, answer!" Close enough to peek around the corner, Lucy almost lost her balance as she took in the scene.

The pink-haired boy from before was there, shirtless, his wrists bound by a chain that dangled from above his head. Two guards stood tense in front of him, glaring, while another stood behind, a leather whip wrapped around his knuckles.

They were torturing him. Because of his eyes…

"I said answer, monster!" The man who spoke raised his hand in signal and the guard with the whip poised to send it hurling at what she knew must already be a shredded back.

Before they could move, she stepped out from her hiding spot and cleared her throat with more confidence than she felt. The sound drew the attention of everyone in the room, including the stranger hanging from the ceiling.

"Princess!" Three heads bowed in acknowledgment but the prisoner's face remained blank.

She quickly removed her eyes from him, not wanting to get lost in his gaze again.

"What's going on here?" Lucy tried to project authority that she didn't have, but they didn't know that.

Never lifting their heads, the smallest one answered. "Interrogating the prisoner, as the king ordered."

The king had ordered this torture? She really shouldn't have been so shocked. He had never given her any reason to think he wasn't cold and brutal.

Now what? She was here, but she didn't know what to do. She wanted to be alone with the strange boy who piqued her curiosity and made her feel things she'd never felt before.

Then, an idea formed.

"I'm certain you all must be hungry. There is food sat out in the kitchen for you." That wasn't a lie, she'd seen there was in fact food waiting to be eaten when she was walking through.

The men all shifted nervously. "Princess, we can't leave the prisoner unguarded. He's dangerous."

She gave the man in question a good once-over and decided he didn't really look all that threatening hanging from some chains and bleeding like he was.

"Then I suggest you make it quick. I will stay and make sure he doesn't attempt to escape." Not that she thought he could, or that she could do anything about it if he did.

"But Princess…"

"That's an order. We can't have our soldiers down here starving all night." She heard a stomach growl and knew she had won.

With three deep bows they promised to only be gone a few minutes and quickly rushed off to feed their empty guts. Lucy was beside herself with pride at her accomplishment which almost distracted her from the original reason she needed them gone until she heard the jangle of metal chains and remembered the presence of the battered boy.

She approached cautiously, careful not to make direct eye-contact. She wasn't certain he had been close enough to see her cursed eyes before, but he definitely was now and she didn't want to risk her own life just to satiate her curiosity.

She walked around to his back and gasped at his injuries. There were multiple raised welts across his bare shoulders, but a few of them had actually opened and were steadily oozing blood. Instinctively, she reached out a hand for them, but snatched it back when she caught herself. Instead, she just gazed at them sadly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered it under her breath but saw the boy jerk like she'd yelled it at him.

"S'no big deal." Despite knowing that he'd heard her, Lucy hadn't expected a response, but she covered her surprise well.

"I'm sure it's painful." She began walking towards his front, examining his architecture and deciding it was beautiful, in spite of the injuries. He was lean muscle and tan skin lightly dappled with scars from old wounds that were barely visible in the dim torch light.

"I've had worse." She made her way to stand in front of him, still shamelessly examining him. She was confused by her feelings. His body was making her stomach feel strange, like there was a flock of birds flapping around inside of it. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest restlessly.

Lucy drew her eyes from his washboard abs to dare a look at his face. To her surprise, he was smirking down at her.

"You enjoying the view?" His question had Lucy blushing and sputtering ineptly.

"I was just- it's just- hmph!" She crossed her arms in indignation.

The pink-haired man laughed at her. Laughed at her! All those wounds and he was laughing? It was enough to make her forget her frustration and just listen to the wonderful sound.

"How can you be happy?" It was a mystery to her. "You're chained to the ceiling and bleeding, but you can still laugh?"

His laughter died down but a smile lingered. "I won't be here long." He yanked on his bindings, "something like this can't hold me."

She gave him an incredulous look. "How could you possibly get out of chains?"

"I have my ways." His eyes seemed to flash, drawing Lucy to look into them against her better judgment.

She could feel them pull her in. At this distance, they weren't just gold. They were a gold-laced green at the iris and faded to rich amber at the edges. They were vibrant and alive. They were like a meadow on a warm summer day. She could feel herself become a little envious of those eyes.

"You have really pretty eyes." She was surprised that those words didn't belong to her, but to him.

She shook her head, "They're cursed. Not like yours." Again she caught herself reaching out to touch his skin and again she pulled herself back. He gave her a strange look.

"Cursed? That's stupid."

Her gaze thinned into a glare. "It's not stupid. It's the truth."

He rolled his own eyes at her. "They're eyes. How can they be cursed?" He thought for a moment "you can see out of them, right?"

She nodded, confused.

"Then they aren't cursed. They're working just like they should. Besides, I can see stars in them. It's actually really cool." His blunt statement caused the red to return to her cheeks. No one had ever complimented her eyes before.

Not knowing how to respond, she changed the subject, leaning back a little to regain some personal space. "So, why are you down here? What did you do?"

He looked offended. "I didn't do anything. They just lugged me in here 'cause they're afraid of me."

Lucy didn't understand. "Why would they be afraid of you if you haven't done anything wrong?" That didn't seem right.

He looked directly into her eyes, her soul, before he said, "I'm different from you and them. I'm an animal."

That caught her off guard and she took a step away. His face had been so cold, so blank when he said that. It was a far departure from the person who was laughing just a little while ago.

"I don't understand…" Before he could explain, Lucy heard the clanking armor of the guards returning from their break.

She glanced at him quickly, "I want to know your name."

It was his turn to be surprised, but only for a moment before he gave her a warm grin. "I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

"Princess! You shouldn't stand so close to him!" Before she knew it, one of the guards was standing between her and the prisoner.

"You're right, of course." Lucy was still staring at the boy whose face had returned to a mask of indifference. "I should….really be going." Though she really didn't want to.

"Have a good night, your highness."

"Ah…yes. You too."

They continued to look at each other until she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Lucy knew she had to put the strange boy out of her mind. The whole point of going out was to talk to the king and it was getting late. She hoped he hadn't already retired for the night. If she missed this chance, she'd probably lose her nerve.

Deep breaths. The worst he can say is no. She tried to convince herself that he couldn't do anything too bad. He was very intimidating but he was technically still her father.

The hallways were dark, but not entirely deserted. As she approached the corridor that would take her to the king's study she ran into a servant, knocking the tray she'd been carrying out of her hands with a crash.

"I'm so sorry!" The blonde dropped to her knees and began gathering up the discarded bits of glass that had broken upon impact with the cold marble floor.

"Oh no, Princess. It's my fault! I should've been paying more attention!" The voice was familiar and Lucy squinted through the dark to make out the face. She almost fell face-first into the mess when she realized who she had the bad luck to run into.

It was Hades most trusted servant, Ultear. Rumor had it she was far more than a maid for the councilor. They said she had mysterious powers that she used to wipe out enemies of the state. Some even said she was Hades's lover. Lucy didn't put much stock in rumors, but it didn't make the elegant woman any less intimidating. She had sharp brown eyes that seemed to miss nothing. Her hair was long and cut in severe straight lines. Her pale skin was offset by the bright red lipstick she always wore. Tall and curvy, she'd be intimidating to any woman.

"Uh…no. It was definitely me not watching where I was going." Lucy laughed nervously and continued picking up the shards of cups. She hissed when one sliced into the sensitive tip of her finger.

"You leave this to me, Princess." Ultear took both her hands in her own, pulling the blonde off the floor.

"But…" Lucy really didn't feel comfortable leaving the other woman to clean up the mess she'd help make.

"I insist." She pushed her a step back.

"Okay. If you're sure…?" Lucy absently wiped some blood onto her skirt.

Ultear made a shooing motion. "Go bandage your finger. I can clean this up." Lucy nodded and slowly made her way past the other woman. She didn't think she seemed as bad as everyone said she was.

Just a few more steps and Lucy was at the door to the study, light seeping from beneath it telling her the room was still occupied. Taking a couple of steadying breaths, she knocked before she could back down.

"Enter." A deep voice answered her.

Softly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Oh my god!" The scream woke Lucy from her trance, but everything was still foggy.

What was she doing? She looked around.

The study.

Right. She was talking to the king. What was that about again?

People started piling into room, mostly dressed in clanging armor with swords which they pointed at her, but there were also servants peeking around the door frame with shocked looks on their faces.

What was going on? Why was everyone so surprised to see her?

She looked down at her hands.

They were red, covered in something sticky and warm.

Blood?

She felt sick. She was spinning in a circle, taking in the unbelievable scene around her.

It was a blood bath. Everywhere she looked there was red. On the walls, on the desk, the floor…her dress. It was on her clothes, up her arms, soaking into her hair.

She wretched in the middle of the king's study in front of a plethora of morbid onlookers. Falling to her knees, she saw someone on the floor to her right and knew immediately who it was.

Her father.

The king.

He was dead and she was sitting in his blood.