Author's Note: Enjoy! Don't forget to review ;D ~


Chapter 3

"And thus, I have come to the conclusion, none of you pathetic excuses for men are suitable for my daughter," King Makarov said, his voice deadly calm.

They had moved to a smaller room and the six men had been called in. Mavis had told her father how they had followed her and at one point they had even started unfastening the ribbons on the dress.

It had happened after Zeref had left and they had cornered her, drunk.

Needless to say, King Makarov was furious.

The only reason nothing further had happened was because of Romeo, who had come looking for her. Although he was young, his ability to handle the sword was commonly known, and all six had realized that when he threatened to chop off their heads, he would be able to do it.

"Now, leave this place and make sure I never see your face around here," Makarov growled, he took this as a personal insult. His daughter wasn't an ordinary whore.

In no time the men were gone. Makarov sighed and leaned with his head in his hand. "I'm sorry, Mavis. That I couldn't find you a suitable husband yet," he said tiredly.

Mavis kneeled before her father. "It's not that bad, father. It can wait," she said.

"But I wanted you to marry before the war had reached its height," Makarov whined. Sometimes he had really childish features.

Mavis quickly thought up an excuse. "Father, if the enemy found out, who I would marry to, they would kill him anyway. And if I had started to like this man, it would destroy me too. So believe me father, my marriage can wait," she convinced him.

King Makarov sighed, "You are probably right, my daughter," he said. Then he turned to Romeo, "My thanks is big, son. You have protected your sister greatly," he said.

Then he stood up, "Please go both to your rooms and sleep," he said. Mavis and Romeo nodded and exited the room. The hallways were empty, deserted, as if the castle itself wanted to hold his secrets to his own.

"Hey Romeo, thank you again," Mavis said as they walked up the stairs to the personal quarters.

Romeo shrugged, "I didn't trust them anyway," he muttered. But then he threw a mischievous glance at Mavis, "Or did I protect you for someone else?" he asked.

Mavis looked confused back at him, and Romeo reached up to the rose, grabbing it. "Can you say with a straight face that you gave this to yourself?" he said chuckling.

Mavis grabbed the rose back, "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said that that's the case?" she asked.

Romeo shook his head, a smirk at the ends of lips, "Nope," he said smugly.

Mavis sighed, "He's just a friend, don't worry about me," she said as she put the rose back in her hair. Romeo looked as if he was thinking.

"It isn't one of those six men, not some servant, because that I would have noticed," he said striking away possibilities. "So he's a soldier that was here tonight," he said, grinning. Romeo sure was a cheeky one.

Mavis waved her hands in front of her face to stop Romeo, but there was no stopping to it anymore. "You definitely aren't charmed of the older soldiers, so he has to be young, not much older than yourself," Romeo continued.

The he grinned, and Mavis's nightmares came to life, "It's Zeref Dragneel," he said, looking very proud of himself.

Mavis raised a brow, "How do you know him?" she asked suspicious.

Romeo pumped a fist in the air, "Yes, I was right!" he shouted, now even more proud of himself. Mavis still looked questionably at him so Romeo scraped his throat and laughed.

"It's pretty clear you know. He's the youngest of them, handsome, and a proven genius. Of course I knew it had to be him," he said. Then he shrugged, "Besides that, once in a while I practice with him."

Mavis sweat dropped, "And I didn't know that because of...?" she asked.

Romeo raised a brow, "You haven't been interested in anyone since, well, I don't know, your whole life?!" he said.

Mavis pouted an then sighed, "You don't have to worry anyway. He's gone to war and the only time I'll probably see him back is when he comes back horizontal. If he hasn't died on enemy grounds that is," she said gloomy.

Romeo eyed her suspicious, "You like him?" he asked.

Mavis huffed, "I don't like him, not in my life," she said.

Romeo shrugged, "Don't go and say things when the story hasn't been written yet. Who knows what could happen," he said, before he pushed open the door to his own livings.

"Lock your door Mavis, I can't stand for your safety if you don't," Romeo said.

Mavis smiled, "Be assured, you're not the first to tell me that," she said. Romeo nodded, and with wishing her good night, he closed the door.

With a raised step Mavis continued her way as silence encircled her. Finally she reached her own quarters. Quickly she closed the door behind her and locked it tightly.

Turning around, she found Lucy sitting on the bed with crossed arms. "And where have you been all evening?" she asked sternly.

Mavis scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Uhm, at the great table, being chased around the castle by the chosen admirers, with Zeref, being chased again. In the meeting room..." Mavis summed up.

"Wait! Feedback! With Zeref? Who the hell is that?" Lucy asked curiously. But then she saw the rose in Mavis's hair, and she chuckled. "Your Lover?" she said, with a voice that almost left nothing for imagination.

Mavis turned red, visibly flustered as the image of Zeref as her lover crossed her mind. It was weird to say the least. "No way, just a friend," she said.

Lucy laughed, "Boys of our age always think of one thing," she winked as to prove her point.

Mavis clenched her teeth and slapped a hand against her forehead, "Why does everyone remind me of that?" she grunted.

Lucy laughed and pinched Mavis's cheek, "Because you are so cute, my dearest," she said. They kept a straight face for a second before bursting out in laughter.

"No., but serious. I'm not kidding," Lucy said when they had regained their breath.

Mavis tapped her chin. "It just doesn't sound like Zeref. He kept on warning me all the time about the real world." she pondered out loud.

"What is he like?"

This put Mavis to think, "Uhm, well he's a soldier, and I think he has been through much. He's rude and kind at the same moment," Mavis scowled at the memory how he talked to her. "Romeo says he's a genius and..."

"Whoa, hold on girl, That's not quite what I meant," Lucy interfered. Mavis raised a brow. "I meant, how does he look like?" Lucy asked. Despite her behavior and looks, she could act like a girl once in a while.

Mavis thought again for a second, "I don't really..." but then she got smacked by Lucy on her head.

"You are a girl, by the gods, and yet you're saying you don't know how he looks?" she said, unbelievingly.

Mavis kept her hands before her face in a defensive way, "Alright, alright," she gave in. "Well. he is taller than the both of us, but that tall as the most soldiers are. He's young but looks almost like an adult, without the stone muscles," Mavis said. 'Though he is really muscular,' she mentally noted as she smacked herself mentally for thinking that way.

If she thought about it, someone built like Zeref as lover, wasn't such a bad idea. Hey! A girl can dream, but not in this way.

"Go on," Lucy continued her. Mavis looked annoyed at Lucy, who looked unfazed as ever, so she continued. "He has dark hair, and darkish... almost red eyes?"

"What kind of black?" Lucy interrupted.

Mavis sighed, it was so detailed, it became even difficult to describe the guy. "I think, his hair had the color of midnight, I guess," she said.

"And his eyes?" Lucy asked. Mavis looked around, trying to think of a suitable color when her eye fell on one of her jewellery pieces.

"Ruby!" she exclaimed.

"Huh?" Lucy replied, confused by the spontaneous exclamation. "Ruby, his eyes," Mavis explained, "his eyes have the color of ruby."

Lucy blinked and then grabbed Mavis's hands, "you're in love with a complete eye-catcher," she exclaimed.

"I do not!" Mavis fumed, angry at the wrong assumption.

Lucy waved it away, "Please, if you only heard yourself talk," she said lightly.

Mavis huffed, "and why are you so delighted? You are never this kind of a happy girl," she retorted. When Lucy turned red Mavis began to suspect something. Even she wasn't that dense.

"Confess up," she ordered.

Lucy threw her an angry look, "There's nothing to confess," she said angrily.

Mavis rolled her eyes and let herself fall on the bed. "Like hell there is nothing," she said, obviously not caring about if Lucy wanted to keep a secret or not.

"Alright, then I tell, your Highness," Lucy scowled, for which she got glared at. "When you disappeared, I went to find some company myself," she told.

Mavis sat up on the bed, in for a promising story.

"I ended up in the stalls. I was sure nobody would be there and that nobody would mind if I were there with the horses. I was wrong. There was a boy there. About our age, salmon coloured spiked hair. Chocolate brown eyes. Not that bad to see actually. Well he heard me enter, but he didn't seem surprised I was there".


(Flashback)

"Hey there!" he called.

Lucy turned around when the boy had called. She looked around but saw nobody else. "Me?" she asked.

The boy smiled a goofy smile. "Yep. Come over here, so we can talk. It's apparently much easier than yelling," he said.

Lucy laughed, If you put it that way, ok," she said as she came standing by the boy. "I'm Natsu, by the way," he said.

"Lucy," Lucy said shortly. She disliked her name big time but Natsu thought differently.

"Lucy? It has a nice sound to it," he stated.

His attention returned to the horse he had been petting. "This is Happy, by the way,"

Lucy reached out and patted the blueish silver horse on its nose. Natsu looked surprised, "Well, that's a first-timer. Happy usually doesn't like people touching him," he said laughing.

Lucy eyed the boy. He didn't look like a real lord or something. "What are you?" she asked bluntly but Natsu didn't seem fazed by it.

Instead he grinned, "I'm the master of the stables, pleased to meet you," he made huge bow and gave Lucy a hand kiss. Lucy suppressed a blush, she happened to know that the stable-master was an old bald fat geezer.

"Are you joking with me?" she asked.

Natsu pulled a face, "Aw man, I got caught. Why does nobody believe me?" he whined, but then he shrugged, "I'm the stable-boy around these quarters," he said.

He eyed her curiously, "Mind telling me what the female escort of the princess is doing here? I'm curious," he asked.

'He does know who I am after all,' Lucy thought and sighed. "Her royal pain in the butt is right now too busy. I was just looking for some company," she admitted.

Mentally she slapped herself, 'why did I tell him that?' she groaned on the inside.

Natsu grinned, "I'm sure Happy wouldn't mind your company," he said. Lucy sweat dropped at the denseness of the boy, the horse was not the kind of company she meant.

"Uhm, ok?" she said at loss of words.

"Hey, Lu, would you mind going on a ride with me and Happy?" Natsu suddenly asked. Lucy's head snapped up.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Natsu shrugged, "I asked if you wanted...,"

"No, I meant, how did you call me?" she asked, a sharp edge to her voice.

Natsu winced, "Lu. Are you angry with me now? Shouldn't I call you that?" he asked nervously.

Lucy pondered this for awhile. "No, it's fine I guess," she said with a small smile.

Natsu grinned, "well, do you want to go?" he asked. Lucy shrugged, "Why not?"

Before long, Lucy was seated behind Natsu on Happy.

'Hey Natsu, why are you such a fan of this horse?" Lucy asked. Natsu shrugged at that, as he went on a lazy pace to the green fields, shimmering in the dark night.

"I don't really see him as just a horse. before all he's my partner. Besides that, I'm one of the few who can actually ride him," he said.

Lucy grew a tad nervous, "Why is that?" she asked as Happy stepped in the clear night, he shone blue under the moon's glow.

'Because he can be a tad...uncontrollable," he said, a grin on his face. Right at that moment, Happy reared. Natsu, who was used to it, kept right in place.

Lucy however, wasn't and fell right off the horse.

"Lu? Are you alright?" Natsu called out as he jumped of the horse, hurriedly.

Lucy sat a bit dazed on the ground: "I guess, I am," she muttered. Natsu crouched down in front of her and their eyes met. One moment there was silence before they started laughing.

"Natsu, you're dumb," Lucy snickered.

Natsu scratched the back of his head, "You know, I hear that a lot," he said sheepishly as they continued laughing.


Lucy remembered how funny it must have looked as she finished the story. She saw Mavis almost falling asleep, but the girl was trying to keep awake for her story.

"That sounds great, Lucy," Mavis said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Lucy grinned herself, "Go to sleep, Mavis," she said before opening the door that lead to her own room.

But Mavis was already asleep.


Author's Note: I can't stop imagining Mavis being a cute chibi

Reviieeww please~