Chapter 2

"Mother, please, calm down," Juvia watched as her mother paced around their dining room. "I promise you I tried."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," the older woman seethed. Queen Naida had the skirt of her glamorous puffy blue dress clutched in her fists. "My own daughter can't seduce the right man!"

"I didn't seduce Gray, he has a fiance!" Juvia tried to argue but the glare she received from her mother wasn't worth it. She tried to reason with her mother that perhaps Prince Lyon wasn't the right man for her, of course, she left out the detail of him being in love with a barmaid.

Naida sighed, "you have failed me once again, Juvia. Go to your room and think about what you have done!"

Juvia nodded and swiftly exited the dining room. She was heavy breathing and clutching her chest, although she knew her mother was in the wrong, but she felt awful for disobeying her. She had disappointed the only family she had left.

Once in her room, Juvia sat by her window and watched the moon reflecting off the water. Sighing, she unclipped her hair from its dainty up-do and let it swoop down her back is large curls. She was conflicted between feeling guilty for disappointing her mother and feeling happy for forming somewhat of a friendship with Gray and Lucy.

"You know," the sudden voice of her best friend made her jump. Natsu was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed staring at her solemnly. "You could have lied."

Juvia shook her head and looked her her folded hands as they lay in the pools of midnight blue fabric.

"Look, I get it she's your mother by blood but she's hardly treated you like a daughter. I don't know why you take her disappointment to heart when she only cares about herself," Natsu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It kinda scares me when I see you wanting to obey her orders to you."

"But you obey her every order, why can't I as well?" Juvia watched as he contemplated her question and his shrug.

"Because you aren't a servant. You're her flesh and blood who deserves to be cherished," the boy shook his head slowly and closed his eyes as if he was disappointed in the princess. "You should invite Gray and Lucy to the palace. Make friends with them and finally find yourself."

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you," he bowed and walked out her door, closing it softly behind him.

Juvia was then left in silence and thought. She had been thinking about inviting her newly made acquaintances to her home but did not quite know how to ask her mother's permission. Thoughts about the past few days whirlpooled in her head, stressing out about pleasing her mother, and Gray and Lucy's similar situation.

"What has Juvia gotten herself into…" she sighed and climbed into bed. Hoping that a good night sleep would resolve her brain.

#

"JUVIA, WAKE UP! COME ON!" After the loud voice screamed, the princess felt her body being lifted and carried. The person who had taken her was running.

"What's…" she opened her eyes to see Natsu's face pulled into an expression she had never seen from him before. Pure, unadulterated terror.

"I tried to save your antiques but I could only save your moonstone necklace and that paper holder thing," he panted, continuing to run with the freshly awoken princess in his arms. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Juvia tried keeping her eyes open but was slowly drowsing off in his arms. "Juvia is… Huh?"

"The palace is flooding. I don't know how that's possible in a Marina Kingdom, but it's happening," he turned his body to push open one of the palace's side doors with his shoulder.

"Flooding?" Juvia's brain still too scrambled to keep up with what he was saying.

Natsu laid her down in a carriage and nodded to the driver who took off immediately. "We're going North, to find Lucy, I'm sure she would be able to give you a place to stay in the meantime. Your mother has already been taken away from the palace."

Juvia sat up straighter and let the situation dawn on her. "All Juvia's father's things were in there, Natsu." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Fate is so cruel."

He placed his arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer to him. "I know." He lifted a small blue box that was placed beside the two and handed it to her. "Here."

Juvia wiped under her eyes and gratefully took the box. Inside lay her moonstone necklace, the one her father gave her as a baby for when she was older, to wear with pride and beauty, and also lay a paperweight, she had made herself with glass and filled with water from her kingdom's docks. For times like this, she would always have a piece of home with her.

"Thank you," she lay her head on her best friend's shoulder and let the dread of losing her home and possesions take her over before they reached wherever Natsu was taking them.

#

"I still can't thank you enough, Lucy," Natsu whispered as he brushed Juvia's hair. The blue-haired princess had remained silent ever since their carriage ride.

"No problem at all, you guys are my friends and I know you would do the same for me," the blonde watched the two as Natsu helped Juvia get ready for the day. "Are you both okay though? It must have been a shock."

"Yeah, scary as hell. I didn't know if I would reach Juvia in time, and we still don't know what started the flood," Natsu sighed and placed the hairbrush onto the vanity in front of Juvia.

"I know, I reached out to Gray after you guys arrived last night and he is currently looking into the whole affair. Apparently, Queen Naida arrived at his palace last night in a thoroughly soaked nightgown and in tears," Natsu and Juvia exchanged a knowing look at this fact. "I'm assuming she is still trying to force you into seducing Lyon?"

"She is," Juvia spoke up for the first time since entering the Apollo Palace. "We got into an argument last night because I told her Lyon already has women to pick from. I disappointed her."

Lucy looked at Juvia in understanding. She walked over to the other princess and softly touched her hands.

"You're safe here, both of you," she glanced to Natsu. "I'm so thankful that I met you guys last week or you would be trapped in the North Castle with her and Lyon, instead of being properly taken care of here."

"Will you join us when mother comes to take us with her?" Juvia suddenly asked. Lucy looked at her in question.

"If you want me to I will, Gray is my betrothed do I have the excuse of visiting him," the three then walked out of Juvia's temporary bedroom. "Do you think your mother will come for you soon?"

"Even if she doesn't we should head to her, she gets weird if Juvia is left alone for too long," Natsu explained. Lucy simply nodded her head and bit her lip in thought.

"We could get to the North Castle by tomorrow morning if we leave now, Gray should have some answers by now as to what happened," Lucy suddenly stopped in the middle of the wide corridor. "But, Lyon will be there along with your mother."

Juvia gulped and felt Natsu's hand rest on her shoulder.

"Juvia will deal with that when the time comes," she nodded at Lucy and covered Natsu's hand with her own.

"Alright, follow me."

Juvia's heart felt like it was in her throat by the time they had reached the stable's. In the next twenty-four hours, she will have met the man her mother was trying to manipulate. And she was terrified.