A/N: Got a nice short chapter for you today. Sorry, but I had to get out of Lucy's head quickly to make room for the next chapter. And I've probably said too much. ENJOY.

Lucy wasn't sure why her head was hurting, or why she was suddenly so hot. She felt like she was kneeling on bricks, which was ridiculous because she had her new ball gown on. She must have fallen asleep somewhere outside, probably on one of the terraces.

She tried opening her eyes, only to shut them again quickly. Something was falling down into her right eye; something too thick to be sweat and inconsistent to be rain. Bringing her hand to her forehead, she opened her left eye and swiped at the wetness. As she lowered her hand, she looked down, seeing deep red. Oh. It's blood.

All at once, the events of the night came back to her: the party, her leaving the palace to wander the town, the men following her and leading her to this alley. Their cat-calls echoing in her brain, their promises of what they were going to do to her making her scream on the inside.

A blast of heat and a sharp grunt of pain brought her back to the present, and she had no idea what exactly was unfolding in front of her. Two of the men torturing her were laying on the ground, barely moving, if at all. The sharp grunt of pain she had just heard had come from another of them being thrown against the alley wall, and now, the fourth was preparing to run.

The cause of the fallen bodies? A single man, dressed in a heavy cloak, wielding no weapons she could see.

Lucy attempted to stand, something inside of her warning that if he could do this to four men, he could easily do much worse to her, but as she rose, her legs buckled beneath her, sending her back down.

She looked up just in time to see the lone man whip his head over to her, his eyes somehow glowing. The fourth man took his distraction as a means to retreat, running through the alley back towards the palace, no doubt to call for guards.

Great, because that's what she needed right now. To be found in an alley in town, bleeding and surrounded by three unconscious guys who had just happened to be guests of her father. She tried the standing thing again, and luckily her legs held strong.

Too bad she lost her balance again when a hand suddenly appeared around her waist, but at least she didn't scream.

Lucy looked up into the eyes of the strange man, who, lucky for her, was currently holding her up. She could see a strand of hair peeking out from under his hood, and the color reminded her of her favorite pink roses. His eyes seemed a lot softer than they were just a second ago, and she noted that the irises were completely black.

"Are you alright?" His voice shocked her, coming out soft and light despite how deep it was. She stared at him for a few seconds, wondering who he was and why she had never seen him before. "Miss? Are you okay?"

Oh, right, he was talking to her. Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but in that instant, they both heard a sound that could only have been men shouting. Boots pounding on pavement came next, followed by more shouting that was getting closer. Crap.

"Shit." The man's curse brought her attention back to him, and before she could tell him that she had to go, that she couldn't get caught, he grabbed her hand and started running in the opposite direction. He all but dragged her through the back alleys of the town, keeping them out of sight and, for the most part, quiet. They made it to the merchant's square rather quickly, and she was thankful that he at least knew where he was going, because she had never traveled this far.

He slowed down, and she saw him staring across the square at a booth that still had its torches burning. Lucy opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, why they were waiting, when more shouting erupted from behind them. How the hell did they catch up to them so quickly?

"Shit!" The man cursed again, loudly, took one last look at the merchant's booth and grasped her hand tighter, forcing her to run even faster.

She followed silently, not that there was much of a choice, since he had an iron grip on her hand, but still, she went without complaint. He obviously wanted to get as far from the palace guards as she did, so wherever he was going, she was willing to follow. Her father had never let her even entertain the notion of traveling outside the town, and as the man pulled her over the stone bridge that signified their exit of the city, she felt a rush of adrenaline.

Never mind that he might actually be kidnapping her.

Lucy finally gets her freedom!...Sort of.

Natsu will take care of her, right? Right?