Author's Note: Credits to Riikani ^_^


Chapter 2

"To marry?" Mavis asked astonished. "But why?" she asked.

Lucy shrugged. "Well, because you have the right age..." she started but Mavis shook her head.

"No, why can't I make my own choice. I want to marry the one I love. And who said I wanted to marry this soon?" she cried.

Lucy looked stern, "You know that Mavis. Because you're the princess, the King's daughter. And your husband will be king, so he has to be suitable. You just have to learn to love him in your own way," Lucy said.

Mavis knew she was right and sighed defeated, "That's all what tonight is about?" she asked.

Lucy shook her head, "No, if you had let me finish before then you would have known already".

Mavis waved it away, "Go on already."

Lucy raised a brow, "Sure...well, the first commando's that will go war will get your fathers blessing tonight, so it's going to be a promising night for sure," she said shining.

Suddenly, the image of the green-haired boy from the afternoon flashed through Mavis's mind.

"I'm just a commoner, princess."

Mavis's mood sobered even more, "For you yeah," she said darkly.

Lucy pulled her tongue at Mavis, "It isn't that bad Mavis." She threw Mavis a second look. Mavis was almost completely dressed in a frilly yellow dress. There obviously had been sewers working on it for weeks, seeing all the pink patterns, but Mavis didn't look all too happy in it.

"Or maybe on second thought, it is," she mumbled.

Mavis stayed silent. "Hey Lucy? Do you think you'll ever marry, out of love I mean?" she suddenly asked softly.

To her surprise she heard Lucy chuckle, "I doubt it," she said.

Mavis raised a brow, while the maid bound the straps around her arms. "Why? You aren't ugly or something," she asked serious.

Lucy sniggered, "There is a reason though. I'm the fourth girl home. My oldest sister can't afford to pay the brides-treasure for all three of us," she said.

Finally, Mavis was done dressing and sat down next to Lucy. "So, you're my best friend. Men should be waiting in line for you," she said. Lucy frowned and Mavis pulled out her tongue at her.

It was not like as if those two shared any grudges towards each other, even if Lucy was a preselected friend and Mavis the princess.

Lucy sighed, "I've got quite a fiery attitude. I doubt, men will be waiting for a disobedient wife," she said.

Mavis giggled, "Shall we trade? You the arranged marriage. I the marriage-less life?" she joked.

"No way!" Lucy responded. It didn't take too long before the two were rolling of laughter on the bed.

"Mavis, behave yourself," a hard voice said. Lucy stood up quickly and made a courtance. Mavis pressed herself up lazily, seeing her father in the door opening.

He wasn't smiling at all, and looked disapproving of their behavior.

Mavis knew it wasn't really his fault. Years ago, he would even have joined them in the fun. But that was before his wife, Mavis's mother, died of a disease. They had tried everything, but in the end she had died. Romeo had been too young to really remember but Mavis certainly remembered her mother's voice and smile.

Back then her father had been happy every day. But he had become bitter and deadly serious. Nothing Mavis ever did was good enough for him it seemed. It even seemed as if Mavis reminded him too much of his passed away wife.

"We have to go down-stairs, and I expect you to behave like a lady," he said.

Mavis limply obeyed and followed her father. She knew Lucy would come later. As usual.

"As you know, there are some men to meet you. They might become your husband so don't speak out yourself to them. And besides that, I don't you to interact with the soldiers. They might be good men, but a little too rough for you," her father said emotionless.

Mavis suppressed a chuckle as she thought: 'Well, at least I broke that rule already'. She had no intention to be friendly to her future owners, which they would be. They would just have to accept her as she was.

They entered the main-hall, which now served as mess hall seeing the amount of people. Mavis guessed at about 300 people. Excluding the extra 'guests', of course.

"Hail, to the king and his daughter," they roared as they walked to the front. Mavis did a slight eye-roll and got nudged by her younger brother Romeo.

"You look like you're like you're enjoying yourself already," he said.

"Yeah, completely. Give me a knife and I swear, I would commit suicide right now," Mavis said darkly. He chuckled, "You're about to enjoy yourself even more. The possible candidates you're about to meet are a bunch of weak slimes," he whispered.

Mavis looked further on the table and saw about 6 men in their best outfits. "You're quite right with the description Romeo," she said. Her brother never failed to amaze her with his excellent observing ability.

"Status report?" Mavis ordered.

Romeo rolled his eyes, "the soldiers are the most decent people here. Just before you came in they were making some extremely vulgar jokes. I'm used to quite something, but I almost killed them right at that moment," he said.

Mavis relooked at the men. They were shamelessly observing her, making her sick with their stares. No doubt they were already imaging the wedding-night. 'I'm SIXTEEN FOR GOD'S SAKE!' she roared inside.

"You know what, I don't even need a knife to kill myself right now, I'll do it bare-handed," she whispered back. Romeo only chuckled.

At that moment a bell rang, to get everybody's attention. "May I have your attention!" the king said loudly. People looked at the rising man, interested or annoyed.

"First I want to welcome all people here and I thank you for coming. Then as second, I want to wish every soldier here, good luck and..."

Zeref listened to the mindless jabbering of the king without interest.

How could someone talk so much but say so little? He almost felt as if he would fall asleep.

"Sheesh Dragneel, pay at least a little respect, would ya?" his commander hissed and a harsh poke in his ribs made Zeref wide awake again. Yet he couldn't help he wasn't paying attention.

Like he cared about previous victories or losses. It was the present battle that counted.

His eyes wandered over the people out of their own. 'Hey, that's the princess from the afternoon. What the heck did they pull on her?' he thought when he saw Mavis.

'No wonder she ran away, that dress looks really uncomfortable,' he thought. Zeref noted how she was shifting in her chair uncomfortably, as if multiple were shamelessly watching her.

His eyes moved on and found the cause of the shifting. The six men at the end of the table, were taking her in as if she was theirs already.

Zeref rolled his eyes, 'Some people always get what they want, no matter what rank they are,' he thought.

He pulled his attention back to the speech of the king with a lot of effort. "...and with that I end my speech. Please enjoy yourself this evening!" he ended.

'Finally,' Zeref thought. The men around him dug in on the food before them Zeref wasn't really hungry and only grabbed a pork-rib.

"Dragneel, this is the one time you can eat, then eat! No wonder you're so thin," the men on the other side of him said, while hitting him on his shoulder.

Zeref sighed and continued chewing.

"Man, the princess is hot! Don't you think so?" Some soldiers further on the table said. Zeref slowly shifted his eyes over to them.

Annoyed he saw the men shamelessly staring at the princess as well. 'So rude', he thought at the staring.

It was funny though, the princess had stood up for herself this afternoon, now she looked as if she was a little child that didn't want to be left alone.

"She's beautiful, eh?" a voice said.

Caught off-guard, Zeref turned to the men on his side. "What?" he snarled. This was the one man in the whole army he really hated. Other people were just nuisances, but this man hit a trigger within Zeref.

Gar was his name. The man liked everything God had forbidden. Liquor, whores, gambling and a never ending longing for power. He was commander in the army, his rank being captain.

Gar looked amused at the cold soldier that was at least 40 years younger than him. "The princess of course. Gosh, what I wouldn't give to have her next to me..." he chuckled sickly, "...in my bed."

Zeref looked with a disgust at the man. Even though he was his superior. Zeref couldn't hide the intense hatred he felt towards the man. "You're sick," he said.

Gar raised a brow, "It's because it's a happy evening, otherwise you would have paid for that comment," he said.

Zeref clenched his teeth. The man's eyes flickered with intense lust, "Or I suppose you want the same as I do," he chuckled.

"There is nothing the same in what we want or think," Zeref growled.

Gar laughed, "not even the princess?" he asked.

Zeref supposed that in his eyes, a boy of his age, 17 years, must have already had his first girl, and without a doubt his first bastard-child. Zeref could honestly say he didn't. Which was probably one of the reasons why he was so disgusted with Commander Gar.

"I'd rather tame a wild horse, thank you," Zeref said, holding back his anger.

Commander Gar laughed, "Ah, so you've heard about the fire Princess Mavis is supposed to have?" he asked. 'I've experienced it for myself,' Zeref thought, but decided wisely not to tell his upper-man this.

"She would know what to do with that attitude if she was mine," Gar said. "I would quickly dispose of it," he winked.

Zeref felt the urge of throwing up. "What's the fun of that?" he asked instead, but then realized how that sounded.

The commander apparently thought they were getting on one line, "I like my women soft and obedient. She had to please me and keep my house clean, and for the rest, just to shut up." He announced.

Zeref turned away, he wasn't sure what he would do if he kept looking at the man.

"Well, I'm off. Maybe there are some court-ladies who would love my company," Gar said and waggled off.

Zeref took a deep calming breath and took a drank from his mug. 'Ugh, beer,' he thought frowning. Yet he knew that that was something he should have expected. After all, the youngest in these commando's after him was 25 years old.

Zeref sighed and leaned with his elbows on the table. This was going to be a long night.


Mavis just couldn't take it any longer! What did those men want her to do to just disappear. She was convinced that they would keep stalking her until she finally would undo herself off her dress.

'Not going to happen,' she thought.

But she had in fact tried everything! Not eating neatly, being rude and childish. She had even threatened to stab them.

But they had just snickered and told her they would get rid of that attitude and make a lovely wife of her.

'Yeah, right' she thought and set off again at a run.

Suddenly she saw the boy from the afternoon and hid behind him. He looked at her curiously and Mavis looked up at him desperately, "Please don't tell them I'm here," she pleaded as she hid in the shadows behind him.

Zeref hadn't even the time to respond.

"Hey, you scum!" one of the six escorts yelled.

Zeref turned around at them with a raised brow, "Sorry?" he said.

One of the men rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you, you piece of shit. Have you seen the princess?"

Zeref smirked, even if he had intended to tell them the exact place of the princess, he wasn't about to do it now! "She ran off to the gardens," he said nonchalant.

The man threw one last dirty look at him before running off.

"I'm sorry I had to bother you like this," Mavis apologized as she crept from behind Zeref.

Zeref smirked, "The way they talked to me made me decide not to tell them anything. Even if they had asked me where to pee," he said dryly.

Mavis giggled, "You know where to pee then?" she asked, not caring if she was a lady.

Zeref raised a brow, "That's not how a princess should talk, but no, in fact I don't. I'm not that familiar with this side of the castle," he said.

Mavis groaned, "Don't remind me of being a princess," she said.

Zeref smirked, "But you are, and apparently not an all too ugly one, I guess opinions differ a lot" he said.

Mavis blushed, whether because of the insult or compliment, "I almost wished I was a commoner, you know. Just doing normal things like milking cows or preparing dinner. And in the evening a rough but warm bed waiting for me," she said going off in dreamland.

Zeref frowned and grabbed her arm tightly, "You're pretending like it's all a lovey-dovey life. Well let me tell you this, princess. Normal people don't have a cow. Those who are lucky have food to eat at the end of the day and a roof above their heads. You princess? You wouldn't last the night. A warm bed you say? Warm it is certainly is, but you would be sore between your legs every morning. Believe me, princess, I know," he said harshly.

Mavis pouted, "Please call me Mavis."

Zeref laughed, "It's the second time you say that, princess."

Mavis huffed, "And it's the second time you don't listen," she said.

Zeref smirked, "I got to go, princess. There's a war I have to attend to and I don't plan on dying the first day because of loss of sleep," he said.

Mavis smiled, "You better not to, I don't want a friend to die," she said softly. Suddenly she felt her hair move. Mavis reached up and felt the soft leaves of a flower. In the reflection of the window by the torches and the dark sky, she saw that Zeref had put a rose in her hair.

"Then I'd better not, right, Princess Mavis?" she said softly before turning around and walking away lazily.

"Oh, and princess? Make sure you lock your room tonight. A lot of men have drank a lot," Zeref called back. Then he was gone.

Mavis reached up to the flower, "Thanks, Zeref," she muttered.


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