**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. Mashima owns them.

Alright, here's chapter 13. The end is now in sight. Don't forget to vote for which story you'd like to see posted next on my profile poll. FYI I will eventually write all of those stories, and I've actually started most of them. The poll is just for the one that I start posting next.

Read and review as always**

You have to hold on Natsu! Please! Wendy looked down at the older dragon slayer who lay on the floor of the Windrider V, the fastest airship in all Fiore. When she first came in and awakened the sleeping crew, they were very reticent to wake from their slumber and start up the airship. But being the ward of the crown prince had its perks, and it hadn't taken long for her to convince them to fly.

But would it be enough? The same question seemed to be in the minds of Carla and Happy. Happy's quietness betrayed his worry. The normally rambunctious exceed barely spoke a word since their departure. Carla was a little harder to read, but her slight frown looked less surreptitious than usual. Also, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly, and her eyes never left the pink-haired man on the ship's deck.

And at this moment it was all Wendy could do to hold herself together. Her composure held on by an ever-thinning string, threatening to snap at once and allow her barely contained emotions to come pouring out. Half of her wished Carla and Happy had the magic stamina to carry them all the way to Porlyusica's cottage themselves, but she knew that was too much to ask of the exceeds.

It didn't help that Natsu's body was behaving strangely. In the last 10 minutes, the light had begun pulsing, like a bomb that was getting ready to explode. Her young imagination saw pieces of Natsu flying everywhere as a ball of blue energy exploded from within him. The images terrified her. Even though Natsu was still there right in front of her, she couldn't shake them from her mind.

Normally she would've brought Hisui, but the princess couldn't travel. She wasn't even really supposed to be out of bed yet. Wendy could only hope that she didn't try to follow them when she discovered Natsu was still in trouble.

Of course, it's not like the Garou knights would let her. Wendy felt some sense of comfort in their presence with the princess and the newborn baby. Despite being a little weird, even creepy at times, they were very loyal to the crown.

After what seemed an eternity the airship landed as near as they could get to Porlyusica's cottage. The old healer opened the door as Wendy pounded on it, looking at her with the most annoyed expression she'd ever given the bluenette.

"What on earthland are you waking me at this ungodly hour for, human?" She asked, sounding even more annoyed than she looked.

"It's Natsu!" Wendy said, still barely holding her tears back. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

Porlyusica remained silent for several moments, her expression unreadable before she finally tsked at the girl. "If it'll get you to leave me alone, I'll look at the boy."

Wendy quickly called for Happy and Carla to bring Natsu over. Porlyusica took one look at his cracked, glowing body and looked at Wendy. "How did this happen?"

"He was fighting Acnologia and he ate his breath attack," Wendy said. "Then he killed the dragon, but ever since then his body's been like this…"

"Take him back to the palace," Porlyusica said. "There's nothing I can do." She turned, starting to shut the door, but Wendy caught it before she could.

"WAIT!" She yelled at the healer. "At least tell me what's wrong with him!"

The healer looked at her, then spoke in an irritated voice again. "This one time I'll let this behavior slide, only out of the respect I have for Grandine. The problem is really very simple. The idiot consumed more power than his body could handle, and the reason his body looks all cracked and is glowing is because the only thing holding it together right now is his sheer willpower. He'll remain like that till one of three things happens."

"What things?" Wendy pleaded desperately.

"His will gives out and he explodes, his body adapts to the power level of the attack he consumes and absorbs the magic, or the excess magic power is drained from him. Of course, the last possibility is extremely difficult and could easily result in his death, or other permanent damage."

"B-but… What if he can't absorb it?"

Porlyusica shrugged. "If I were you I'd keep him away from people – or contained in a powerful magic containment field – till you know for sure." With that she pushed Wendy's hand out of the door and closed it all the way, leaving Wendy to return to the airship with the exceeds and Natsu.

~~~~~~At the palace~~~~~~

With the battle over, Hisui could only wait in her room for news of her beloved dragon slayer. She'd seen the beast fall from the sky some time ago, but nobody, not even Wendy or Happy, had come in to give her any news of the outcome. She was beginning to worry for Natsu's well being. Did something happen to him during the fight?

She wanted to get out of bed and run to him. She needed to be sure he was still ok. But her body still ached when she moved. Her limbs felt weak, and on the few occasions she did get out of bed every step exhausted her. And besides, she had to take care of little Igneel. She couldn't leave him here alone, and she certainly couldn't risk trying to carry him in her current weakened state.

It seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only a couple hours before Arcadios appeared in her room, bowing his head respectfully before her.

"They've brought the prince back, your highness," he said. "He's currently with Wendy, Happy, and Carla in the palace infirmary."

Hisui breathed a sigh of relief. "That's wonderful news, thanks Arcadios." She moved slowly to stand up. "Please assist me so I can see my husband."

Arcadios took a step back and shook his head. "I'm sorry your highness, but nobody can have contact with him right now. Even Wendy, Carla, Happy, and your father are kept at a distance."

At this point the princess realized her relief may have been premature. "Why can't I go near my husband?" She asked, a hint of trepidation and annoyance in her voice.

"The prince's body is… volatile," Arcadios said, not meeting her eyes. "He appears do have done something rather foolish during the battle, and as a result he could… Well, for lack of a better way to put this… explode."

"What?" Hisui, who had been sitting on the side of her bed, jumped to her feet. Then instantly collapsed back to the bed as her momentary adrenaline rush was overcome by her body's need for rest. She buried her head in her hands. "Natsu…"

"You should focus on what's important, your highness," Arcadios told her. "Despite his foolish actions, the prince managed to overthrow the dragon king. That means you and your child are still safe. We can always find you another husband, but we couldn't replace you or the heir to the kingdom."

Hisui's thin patience snapped at this point. Somewhere deep down, she knew the knight was trying, in his own way, to give her positive options to focus on. But to suggest that Natsu could just be replaced like an old garment?

"How dare you even suggest that?" She glared at the knight, wishing with all her heart that she didn't still feel so weak. "Get out of my sight."

She could see that her words hurt the knight, her long time friend. But she didn't care. "But your highness…" He started to protest.

"I said out. That's a command, not a request." She looked away from him, not caring to see his reaction.

"As you command, your highness," came the terse voice of Arcadios. She heard the door open and close as he left, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

As happy as she was to hear that Natsu was safe, discovering that his current condition could end badly for him, and for anyone who was too close to him, disconcerted her. She knew from talking to him that the dragon slayer had survived hundreds of situations that shouldn't have been possible for him. But this was different. She knew he was never in a situation like this before.

It was then that she remembered the levitation chair – the small device left for her in case she absolutely needed to get around without someone to help her. She wouldn't even have to worry about carrying Igneel since she would be sitting. She could keep him happy in her lap. And as far as she remembered the infirmary was on the same floor.

Sliding carefully out of bed she made her way to the levitation chair one slow step at a time. Once she sat down it activated automatically. Now, if she recalled correctly, all she needed to do was think about where she needed to go and the chair would follow her directions.

It took a few minutes to get the hang of it. At first she focused her mind on moving to the bed, wanting to pick up Igneel, but the chair didn't budge an inch. Eventually she figured out that she had to focus on going toward the bed. A subtle difference, maybe, but apparently enough to make the difference of actually being able to move or not.

Once she mastered the chair and had Igneel on her lap, she made her way over to the door and opened it. Then she headed out into the hall and started toward the infirmary. A couple guards watched her as she passed, but she didn't see anyone else in the halls.

She had just reached the door to the infirmary when she paused, hearing voices inside. Once sounded like Darton, the defense minister, and the other sounded like Chiro, the new captain of the guard recently appointed by the minister of defense.

"Maybe things will work out yet," she heard Darton say quietly to the captain of the guard. "The buffoon was good for something after all, taking down Acnologia, but it looks like we may at least be spared suffering him as king."

"Can you imagine it? 'Look at me, I'm king flames for brains. All I know how to do is fight, and I'm not even that good at that. Bow before me, my flaming subjects.'" The captain snickered at his impression.

"That's probably about right," Darton said, though if he was amused it didn't show in his voice. "But more importantly, this could be a chance for you to be married to the princess."

"I know that grandfather," Chiro said quietly. "In fact, I've got a better chance than anyone else at that position. I think the princess is already attracted to me."

Hisui fumed inwardly, feeling her blood begin to boil in anger. Sure, she was as polite to the captain as to any other knight, but she certainly didn't find him any more attractive than the next guy. And now he had absolutely 0 chance with her. Even if Natsu didn't make it, which she hoped with all her being that he did, Chiro had just become the last 'eligible' young man she would consider marrying.

But all that didn't matter, because Natsu was going to make it. She knew he would. He had to. Igneel needed to grow up knowing his father, the man who had now twice saved Fiore. No, three times. He was the one responsible for defeating Zeref, after all.

And if he could do that, surely he could survive this… thing… that was happening to him now.

Not feeling as reassured as she would've liked, the princess continued into the infirmary. Even before she came into their view, she heard the defense minister and the man now identified as his grandson change their topic of conversation quickly, 'mourning' the young prince's condition. She noticed Wendy glaring at the pair from the far side of the room and shook her head, remembering the dragon slayer's enhanced senses. The girl had most likely heard every word of their conversation, and who knows what else they said when they thought nobody was listening.

Other nobles were scattered around, and a team of the most powerful wizards they had at their disposal. This team seemed to be working on a barrier that stood around Natsu. A barrier that she could only guess was meant to contain the potential explosion Arcadios spoke of previously.

But nothing could prepare her for what she saw when she actually looked at Natsu. He lay there, absolutely still on the bed they'd prepared for him. But his bare torso, neck, and face were covered with glowing, bluish purple cracks. The light seemed to pulse and throb, dimming and getting brighter again, and all she could do was watch. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. After the final battle she was supposed to have Natsu again. To have him to herself, with no more secrets or barriers between them.

A soft cry diverted her attention to her lap, and she realized Igneel was awake. She rocked the infant gently in her lap as Wendy started to approach, apparently just noticing her presence. Wendy's face was concerned as she approached, with Happy and Carla close behind.

"You shouldn't really be out of bed, your highness," the girl said quietly. "Natsu-nii wouldn't be happy if he knew we allowed you to strain yourself so soon after the birth."

"As you can see I'm not straining myself," Hisui replied, meeting the girl's eyes squarely. "I just needed to see Natsu for myself."

Wendy sighed and nodded, turning back toward the pink-haired dragon slayer. "He'll make it," she said quietly, though Hisui wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure.

"I'm sure he will," she said with a confidence she didn't fully feel.

Wendy turned back to her. "But you still need to get back to bed Hisui. Even if you're not walking around, your body still needs rest. You should spend more time lying down and sleeping."

Hisui couldn't help being amused as she was lectured by the girl who was still only 14. "Alright, alright." She said. "I'll behave, on one condition."

"What's that?" Wendy looked at her, a little suspiciously.

Hisui turned serious. "I need you to keep an eye on the defense minister and the guy he's talking to right now. I overheard some of their conversation before I decided to come in, and I must admit it didn't sound like they were too loyal to the prince." She paused for a moment before adding, "and I would appreciate it if you would also remain in this room overnight to watch him."

Wendy nodded, looking past Hisui toward the duo that were behind her. Hisui watched her eyes darken and guessed that much of their conversation had been similar to the snippet she heard coming in. "That's one condition I can certainly live with, your highness."

Hisui nodded. "Then I can rest easier when I go back…" She stretched out her arms, indicating she wanted Wendy to hug her. The girl quickly obliged, her face softening as she then leaned down to give little Igneel a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Then Hisui slowly brought the chair back out and down the hall to her room.

~~~~~~A little later~~~~~~

Wendy sighed, nestled into her perch some distance from Darton and his grandson, Chiro. So far their conversation didn't give her anything actionable. Sure, it was pretty clear they didn't like Natsu much. They thought of him as a dense idiot who would be the worst king in the history of Fiore. But so far they didn't seem to actually be plotting anything.

But as the evening wore on, and everyone except the duo and Wendy were gone, the two headed for the exit. Once the door was closed, Wendy heard the low, almost whispered tones outside belonging to Darton.

"Take this powder after everyone's asleep and make sure the prince inhales it."

"But why? Isn't he going to die anyway? And what does the powder do?"

"Every day that goes by gives him a better chance of survival. If we want you to marry the princess and become the next king, we need to help the process along a little. This powder is like an adrenaline shot for magic. Once he inhales it, any magic contained in his body will be amplified as much as 3 times, depending on how much of the powder he inhales. Needless to say, this would push his body past the breaking point and take care of the whole mess for us."

"But what about the barrier?" Chiro's voice returned quietly.

"The barrier is made to hold in an explosion, not prevent a few dust particles from going in," Darton answered. "And make absolutely sure there are no witnesses."

"Of course," Chiro sounded irritated. "I'm not an idiot."

With that the two appeared to part ways, two separate sets of footsteps fading in opposite directions down the hall. Wendy waited till she was absolutely sure they were gone before nudging Happy and Carla, who were starting to drift off on the floor. With a few whispers she told them what she overheard, and together they came up with a plan.

~~~~~~Late that night~~~~~~

"Do you think he chickened out?" Carla whispered, causing Wendy to jolt up as she was starting to nod off a little again.

The girl and the two exceeds were huddled under Natsu's bed, well hidden by the bedskirts but able to see when someone was approaching. It was well past midnight at this point, and Chiro still hadn't made his appearance.

"He's probably just trying to make absolutely sure nobody sees him," she whispered back, slapping her cheeks lightly in an attempt to help her keep awake. She was beginning to wish she hadn't insisted on being their for the birth 2 nights ago and staying up with Natsu to watch over him the previous night. Now she struggled to keep her eyes open, and only Carla's frequent nudging, which she was beginning to think was done on purpose, kept her from nodding off each time.

Finally the door latch clicked, and the soft sound of the door opening reached her ears. Silent, stealthy footsteps crept across the room, and Wendy put her plan into action. "Sky Dragon's Wind Barrier," she whispered, creating an invisible, but impenetrable barrier of wind just inside the shield that surrounded Natsu. Soon afterward the footsteps came to a stop at the edge of the shield.

"Well, nothing personal my 'prince,'" she heard him say, putting a heavy sarcastic emphasis on the word prince. "But you're in the way of my kingdom. And my woman."

She cautiously peeked out enough to watch his actions at this point, knowing that she needed to see what was happening if she was to be a witness later. He was so engrossed in the action to notice, so she watched as he sprinkled the dust slowly over Natsu's face, a small smirk visible even in the dark room. Then he let out a surprised hiss as the particles were caught by the wind barrier. The wind, at Wendy's command, transported the powder to a small container she held in her hand, which she then sealed.

"Carla, go get the king," she instructed as she prepared to fight the captain of the guard.

Fortunately, without his rune knight equipment to help mitigate magic, Chiro wasn't much of a challenge, and Wendy had him subdued in seconds. Now all she had to do was wait till the king came in, closely trailed by the guard that usually slept outside his chambers.

"Why am I being summoned at this hour, Wendy?" Toma asked before seeing Chiro, handcuffed and sitting near the bed. "And why is the new captain of the guard in handcuffs."

"Your majesty," Wendy said, bowing deeply before him. "I'm afraid that I must accuse captain Chiro of treason and conspiracy against the crown."

"What?" Toma's eyes shot wide open. "What do you mean?! What's going on, Chiro?"

"I don't know what the girl's talking about, your majesty," the young man replied sullenly.

"Your Majesty," Wendy said, handing him the vial. "I caught this man attempting to drop this over the prince's face. If you analyze it I believe you will find it to be a magic enhancer, which given Prince Natsu's current condition would most certainly have been deadly."

Toma looked at Chiro. "What do you have to say about this, Chiro?"

"I have nothing to say, Your Majesty. I have no idea what's in that vial."

"Are you saying that the girl is lying?"

"I won't accuse her of anything, your majesty, but I did come in to find her and her little cat friend alone in this room with his highness. And let's not forget that, as his guardian, she would receive a substantial portion of the treasury as well as a castle and a title when she came of age."

Wendy ground her teeth. "That doesn't explain why you were trying to force-feed this to the prince," she said.

"It's your word against mine, little girl," he sneered. "And you still haven't explained what you were doing here."

Wendy sighed. "If you must know, the princess asked me to keep an eye out here in case somebody tried to use this opportunity to get Natsu out of the way. If you need to confirm this, just ask Hisui-nee."

"That won't be necessary," Wendy looked up to see the defense minister standing there. He didn't look at Chiro at all as he spoke. "The princess should remain in bed and get as much rest as she can, isn't that right Wendy?"

"Of course it is," Wendy said. "But I hardly think asking her—"

"You hardly think waking her up and telling her Natsu's life is in danger will put undue stress on her?" Darton cut her off. "Perhaps even cause her to attempt to come herself, risking weakness or even death if she pushes herself too hard?"

"No, I just think—"

"Or maybe that's exactly what Wendy Marvell Dragneel wants," Darton cut her off again. "Perhaps this is just the elaborate scheme of a young woman with a brother complex. Or would it be a father complex now that he's your official guardian?" He asked, his voice never rising a decibel.

Wendy flushed dark red at the implications of what the defense minister was saying. "Are you suggesting I'm trying to take Natsu for myself?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," the defense minister said, keeping his tone even. "If we want motive, you have plenty of it. Not only are there plenty who would be willing to speak of your… adoration… of this dragon slayer, making the princess an ideal target for you, but you also stand to gain everything if he dies, making him also an ideal target for you. Either way, you're the most likely culprit here."

"I'm telling you just ask the princess. She'll confirm what I said." Wendy protested. "Carla and Happy both heard her as well."

"Aye sir!" Happy said. Carla just nodded.

"Your majesty, this really isn't the time to sort this out," Darton said, turning to the king. "Now I suggest we put them both back in their rooms for the night. Post guards outside the door so neither of them can get back out, and the whole problem is solved."

"I suppose that could work," the king said, stroking his chin.

Wendy's eyes widened in fear. Darton was in on the whole plan too. And with her out of the way, there would be nobody to stop him from finishing it. "Then we should post a guard in here too!" She said. "Perhaps even the Garou knights!"

"An excellent idea," Darton replied. "The Garou knights won't be necessary, but I will hand pick an elite guard to keep the prince safe till the morning."

"That won't be necessary," Hisui's voice came from the door.

"Hisui!" Wendy exclaimed, running up to the princess worriedly. "You should still be in bed!"

"I'm fine, Wendy," the princess smiled at her from the levitation chair. Then her expression became darker as she turned her attention toward Darton and Chiro. "But I can confirm that I requested that Wendy stay in here to guard my husband for the night. She was the only one I was sure I could trust, you see…"

She then turned to her father. "Father, when I came down here earlier today, I stopped outside the door for a few minutes before coming in. While I was there, I overheard a small portion of a conversation between defense minister Darton and his grandson."

"His grandson?" Toma asked, surprised.

"Yes father," Hisui said. "You see, it appears that defense minister Darton, and his grandson, were leveraging for the throne. Before my engagement to Natsu was announced, the defense minister had arranged for his grandson to be brought to Fiore as a high ranking officer in the guard. The aim was to eventually get you to agree to a marriage arrangement between them, but when my engagement to Natsu was announced it destroyed their plans…"

"How?..." Wendy started. Hisui just put her hand up, indicating she would explain how she came by this information later.

"But of course," Hisui said, "when Natsu battled Acnologia and came back in such a volatile state, they saw their opportunity to take the throne again. All he needed was a little push to ensure that he didn't recover from his battle, and that push was to be delivered tonight."

"Unfortunately for them," Hisui continued, "I overheard them talking about the prince before I came in. I felt something was wrong, so I asked Wendy to keep an eye – and an ear – on them, as well as guard Natsu for the night just in case anything happened. Additionally, I went and talked to a few people in the castle who make it their business to know things that aren't supposed to be common knowledge. They're a little expensive, of course," she said a little ruefully, "but in this case certainly worth it."

During her speech, Chiro had turned as white as a sheet. Darton remained silent, not reacting as obviously to Hisui's information.

Toma looked at the pair, glowering. "Take him away," he said, pointing to Chiro. He then turned to Darton. "I know well enough that I have nothing on you at this time, but from now on I'll be monitoring your every move so long as you stay in Fiore. In the meantime, consider yourself fired."

"Thanks Hisui," Wendy said quietly. "I have no idea what would've happened if you didn't come…"

Hisui smiled at her. "It's a good thing I had the night guard come inform me if anything happened in here tonight," she said. "Otherwise I may never have known until it was too late for Natsu…"

"He's not back with us yet," Wendy said quietly, looking at the dragon slayer who lay on the bed inside the barrier.

"No," Hisui said, "but we've made sure he still gets another day to fight…" Then she grunted slightly, holding her stomach in pain.

"Hisui!" Wendy quickly ran her hands over the princess, healing any strains that she found. "We need to get you back to bed!"

Hisui just nodded as they headed out, going back to the princess's bedchambers. The princess had the Garou knights watch Natsu after that, figuring they could be trusted since Darton reacted negatively to the suggestion of posting them as a guard.

After dropping the princess off, Wendy was finally able to return to her room. She had mixed feelings as she drifted off to sleep. It had been a few very long days, and Natsu was still not out of the woods.

And that's chapter 13. I think the next chapter will be the last one. Till next time, and don't forget to drop a review!