The Celestial Spirit World:
(Note: Takes place directly after the last chapter)
Loki and Azazel materialized in the throne room of the Spirit Kings castle. Azazels clothes changed from his humble human looking ones to regal white robes with gold embroidery. He sank into the Spirit Kings throne with a victorious laugh and put his feet up.
The blue light in Loki's hands glowed and grew. It expanded until it formed the shape of a person in his arms. She was completely naked except for a long white checkered scarf which she clutched in her hand. Loki took off his coat and covered her, hiding the scarf before Azazel could see it. He was surprised it had made the transition with them.
"Finally. Everything is going to plan" Azazel cooed. He snapped his fingers and Aries appeared with a glass of champagne. She shrieked and dropped it when she saw the woman in Loki's arms.
"Lucy!" She exclaimed and tried to run to her side.
"Oh stop it" The prince said annoyed. "There's no need to use that tone. She's not dead after all."
"She's not alive either." Loki hissed venomously, tearing his eyes away from the girl in his arms only to glare up at the young man.
"You mean she's…..Oh, Lucy!" Aries sobbed, tears welling as her hands covered her face.
"She's' as alive as you or me." Azazel said cockily. "Honestly, you act like this is a bad thing when really all I've done is help."
"Help!" Loki was enraged "You took away her humanity! You separated her soul from her body and then tossed it in the river like a bag of garbage. You make me sick!"
"No no no, Leo" Azazel tsked, waving his index finger at him "It's your hands that have her blood on them. Literally."
Loki looked down and saw his blood stained hand in stark contrast as it was wrapped around her new undamaged form. Her new body was completely unharmed, even her old scars disappearing. The only blemish to her porcelain skin was the guild mark on the back of her hand.
"You Bastard!" Loki cursed, tears leaking from behind his glasses. "Why?"
Azazel smiled coldly at his own memories as he talked.
"My father has ruled this world for thousands of years, and in that time I have become a Joke. A punch-line to all of you! Oh look, prince Azazels broken out again, wonder how long it will take to get him back this time? My Father didn't take me seriously, my brothers didn't take me seriously, none of you saw me for ruler I am! And then I found it; after years of searching I found the Pendant of Lunas. Ha ha ha, you see me now!" He laughed manically.
Aries stumbled back and hid behind Loki, barely poking her head out from behind his shoulder.
"With the pendant I took the throne in mere minutes, my father didn't even fight me. It felt so good to see him and my brothers looking at me from behind the very bars they imprisoned me behind for so many years. Finally, I am the ruler of the Spirit Realm!"
"But why Lucy?" Loki asked. He looked down at the sleeping girl and tucked a loose lock of blond hair behind her ear "What did she ever do to you?"
"I'd heard about her" Azazel said, getting up and walking over to the spot where Loki held her. "Even from my prison cell, I heard whispers about the great Lucy Heartfilia; the Celestial mage whose love for her spirits was only matched by their love for her." He reached out as if to touch her, but Loki gripped her tighter and pulled her out of his reach.
"I knew you would never accept me as your sovereign. So being the kind and generous person I am, I devised a plan to make the transition a little easier for you; my subjects. I figured obeying me as your prince would be a little bit easier if my wife was someone you already loved."
"Wife!" Squeaked Aries in alarm.
"Yes. Originally, I had planned to marry her in the human world and then afterward bring her here. But that annoying boy Dragneel got in the way and broke my love charm. I had to separate her soul and change it on the spot. I made her into a celestial spirit, one of us….. and from now on Lucy will no longer be your master, but your princess." He smiled.
"I have to admit after we met the prospect of marring her became much more….desirable" There was a lustful look in his eyes as he looked over Lucy's naked body, barely covered by Loki's jacket.
"Never. I'll never let you near her" Loki growled.
"Come on now Leo, let's think this through." He said and slung his arm around the fairy tail wizard as if they were best buddies. If Loki hadn't had his arms full carrying Lucy, he would have hit him.
"If you try and resist me, two things will happen" Azazel explained "One; you will fail. The pendant allows me complete control over any celestial spirit I want. Two; I'd have to banish you and forbid you from ever seeing her again. If that happened, you wouldn't be around to protect her." His tone grew soft, almost pleading. "I have a lot of enemies Leo, many of whom would jump at the chance of hurting my wife."
Loki felt the hate bubble over, choking him from the inside.
"She'll never marry you, she'll hate you from taking her away from her friends."
Azazel smiled and before Loki could pull her out of the way, he reached out and grabbed Lucy's head. The dark haze that had covered Natsu spread out over her and her eyes fluttered rapidly. It lasted less than a second and when he was done the girls breathing returned to normal.
"What did you do to her?" Loki demanded.
"I changed her memories. When she wakes she won't remember her life as a human" Or that pink haired idiot. Azazel added to himself. "She'll think she's lived her whole life as a celestial spirit, and that she's madly in love with me. I've left her friendship with you and her other spirits as a gift."
Loki sighed in defeat. He felt like he was betraying her, but he had no choice. There was no way he could abandon Lucy now when she needed him the most, and he couldn't fight Azazel for fear he would separate her from him. Aries placed a soft hand on Loki's shoulder, silently communicating and sharing her own feelings.
We'll figure something out, her soft yet determined expression told him. But right now we have no choice but to go along.
"Look at the time!" Azazel exclaimed, glancing up at a clock on the wall that had far too many hands. "I have one more errand to run before I shut the gates to Earthland for a couple hundred years, just to be safe"
He grinned to himself, looking forward to the look on Natsu Dragneels face when he was convicted of murder and his friends and family turned on him. Then with a flash he was gone.
Loki hugged Lucy's motionless new body close to him, murmuring an apology over and over again until Aries reached out to him. She took his arm and led him from the hall, the sleeping girl oblivious in his arms.