There was a knock on his door.

Gray got up from his bed and walked over to the door. He wondered who would be outside it. Would it be Ur? Was he in trouble again? Was it Lucy? From what he heard, Lucy was going to go home today. At least she had a home. The same couldn't be said for many at the orphanage.

Gray touched the cold, metal handle of the door and turned it. There, standing in front of him, was a crying Lucy.

"Woah!" Gray wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't want to go..." she whined.

Gray sighed. She didn't understand, did she? And to think all his lectures had been for nothing!

"Don't be like that, Lucy." Gray made her face him. "You can go home."

Lucy stomped into his room and sat on his bed. "I don't want to be a princess!" She puffed her cheeks.

"Princess? What do you mea-"

"My aunt is the queen."

It took a full thirty seconds for him to contemplate the sentence.

"WHAT?!"

"I know! And, apparently, I'm going to be raised as a princess - next heir of Fiore!" Lucy began to cry again. "I don't want to be a princess!"

Gray frowned. Most people would be ecstatic about being a princess or a prince. He knew Lucy loved princesses. (She even made him cosplay a few times - as a knight rescuing the princess trapped in a tower guarded by a terrifying beast. When he said it was supposed to be a dragon, she said she loved dragons. Gray didn't object.) So why was she acting this way?

"C'mon Lucy, "Gray sat next to her. "It'll be fun! Think about it. You'll have all the chocolates in the world."

"But I won't have what I want!"

"What do you want?"

"I want a friend. I want you to be there too!"

Now, Gray understood. She was going to miss him. If she became a princess, then she wouldn't be allowed to meet him as much. But, she couldn't do this. Gray knew how sad it was to not have any relatives left in this world. He didn't want Lucy to feel the same way.

As Gray opened his mouth to say something, there was a knock on the door again. Gray went over to open it, thinking it was Ur. It wasn't.

It was Michelle. Queen Michelle of Fiore.

"Uh, um, uh," Gray stammered, "Your Majesty." He bowed.

The Queen smiled. "What a nice young man you are!"

Gray blushed.

"Lucy," the Queen's voice was cream.

"I'm not coming!" Lucy was adamant.

"Not even if this young man was allowed to come?"

"I won't- wait, what?"

The Queen smiled again. "He can come too," she turned to Gray, "that is if you want to."

"Are you kidding?" Gray was excited. "Of course, I want to! I want to be a knight!"

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked the Queen. "Can he actually come?"

"Of course," she looked at both the kids, "it can be arranged."

"Yay!" Lucy cheered along with Gray.

And the trio set out for the royal capital.

"Woah."

"Yeah, woah."

Lucy and Gray were standing in front of the extravagant castle. It was pearl white, with golden rims around the edges. The castle glistened along with the sun. The royal blue flag flew proudly on top of the magnificent roof. It was a sight to behold.

"This is she?"

A voice brought the two kids back to Earth. This voice was as smooth as marble but held venom inside. The kids could tell that the woman wasn't a kind one, even if she pretended to be one.

"Ah, Kyoka." The Queen turned and looked at the kids. "Lucy, Gray, meet Kyoka. She's the royal advisor - and my best friend."

The woman called Kyoka smiled at the kids. At first glance, she appeared as a kind and compassionate woman. But, Lucy and Gray could see the evilness she hid behind her mask of kindness. They couldn't trust this woman, they were sure of it.

"You are the new princess, aren't you?" She said 'princess' with such venom that Lucy almost cried.

"I am." Surprisingly, her voice didn't tremble.

Kyoka's eyes glowed. She smiled. A slow and eerie smile.

"Alright. Kyoka, Gray is here to train as a knight. Please show him his chambers." The Queen interrupted the silent stare.

"Very well, Michelle." Kyoka grabbed Gray's hand and dragged him with her. Kyoka's nails scratched Gray's fragile hand as she did so.

"Now then," the Queen grasped Lucy's hands. "Let's go in, shall we?"

It had been two months since Lucy and Gray had started their new lives. Lucy had manners and politics to learn while Gray was busy with swords and arrows. They both were busy. Nevertheless, they spent time together like before.

They had slight arguments from time to time. Who had more things to do? Who was more strong? Who was smarter? One thing they both agreed on was their view of Kyoka.

Kyoka... She seemed as if she was hiding a lot of secrets. Her eyes were always glowing. She always looked at Lucy in a mean way. Whenever Michelle was away, Kyoka would hiss and yell at Lucy.

Gray had a similar experience with Kyoka too.

"She's a witch," Lucy said, one evening. Gray and Lucy were currently in the garden, admiring the flowers.

"No, she isn't." Lucy looked at Gray in disbelief. "She's a demon!"

Both of them burst out in laughter.

"I wonder why Michelle is friends with her," Lucy said.

"I wonder if she's being threatened," Gray said.

A pause.

"Do you want to know what happened this afternoon, Gray?" Lucy asked.

"What?"

"Kyoka slapped me."

"What?!" Gray turned and softly held Lucy's face. He turned her head this way and that way looking for a potential bruise.

"Not too hard!" Lucy said. "She can't slap me hard. I am a princess."

"I still can't believe it!" Gray let Lucy's face go.

"Me neither."

Another pause.

"Oh!" Lucy ran over to a hedge.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Gray followed her.

"Look at this flower! I wonder what it is!"

In her hands, Lucy held a small, blue flower. Its petals folded perfectly onto each other. It smelled heavenly.

It was a blue rose.

"It's a rose," Gray said, looking smug. "Doesn't a princess know her flowers?"

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"She doesn't even have manners!" Gray was laughing now.

"You're a big, fat meanie."

"I'm not fat."

"You are too!" Lucy huffed. "I was going to give this flower to you but..."

"But?"

"You're being a meanie so I won't."

"Ha! I don't even want it!" That wasn't true. Gray loved that flower - it was his mother's favorite. He was hoping Lucy would give it to him.

"Who should I give it to?" Lucy asked out loud.

"Maybe the Queen?"

Lucy smiled, wide. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Little did she know, that a blue rose symbolized sadness.

Little did she know, that Kyoka was listening.

Little did she know, that this flower would be the root cause of every single problem that followed.