Loke escorted Princess Heartfilia through the torchlit halls of the castle, ensuring her safe arrival to her quarters while hosting so many guests that had yet to prove themselves trustworthy. Of course, a few added minutes of quality time with the Princess did not hurt, either. While Loke was busy offering up compliments and charm, Lucy was far more concerned with the events of the evening and what tomorrow's tournament held in store for her. When Lucy finally began to focus on the idle conversation she was in the midst of, Loke was glancing back at her with his trademark smile.
"And your hair, Princess, absolutely stunning! You shimmer even brighter than my armor, even in these dim halls." Loke had never been one to hold back when it came to flattery. Even hours earlier, hearing the Captain of the Guard say such things would have made her weak in the knees, but for some reason his words seemed a touch pedestrian in comparison to all the other things she'd seen this evening.
"Why, thank you, Captain," she said with a nod and halfhearted smile, "But this is the part where I take my leave, and you prepare for tomorrow." They arrived at an ornate door, protected by two guards; the Princess's room.
"My lady, are you certain you'd not like me to check your room for-"
"No Loke, you've done enough for one evening, thank you. Get some rest, Lord Redfox will surely be itching for a fight by the time you're in front of him on field. He doesn't strike me as a man who will waste any time waving to the crowd." And with that, Lucy entered her room and shut the door behind her, locking it with a grin before breathing a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, a certain king from the North was weaving his way through the halls, muttering and cursing under his breath. Gajeel Redfox was a man of action, a warrior king who had staked his claim to his throne with his own blood, sweat, and tears. Yet, on this evening, he was left frustrated by the unresolved scuffle with the Southern knight with pink hair. "Spiky headed prick," Gajeel murmured, "with that stupid grin and obnoxious voice." Not far behind, trailing the foreign king with an uncanny amount of stealth, was the Royal Scribe, Levy McGarden. She eyed Gajeel with a curious wonder, though the curiosity was not without purpose. What the petite scribe couldn't see however, was Gajeel's travel companion Juvia clutching the collar of Gray's coat and pulling him towards her, the two staring back at one another with lust filled eyes.
"Damn, Juvia," Gajeel muttered under his breath, "That woman sure moves fast." He placed a palm over his face and rubbed his forehead with a groan, then turned to climb the flight of spiraling stairs in the opposing direction of the apparent lovers. Levy was quick to give chase, only catching a glimpse of Gray being dragged into one of the guest rooms. As she ascended the tower, she noticed that there were no echoing footsteps, no sign of the man she'd been pursuing. Reaching the top of the tower, she found the door leading to the allure, the wall-walk on which guards would patrol the courtyard from the top of the stone walls which encircled the keep. She was hesitant to push the door open, fully aware that she'd have no place to take cover if Gajeel were standing outside. It was as she weighed her options that the northern king's low, hushed voice came from over her shoulder. "Looking for me?" Levy spun about on her heel, more composed than any mere scribe should have been in that situation. Gajeel stepped forward, backing her into the door. While one hand braced over her shoulder, trapping her in place, his other grabbed her wrist – the one attached to the hand that had instantly reached into her robes to retrieve a hidden dagger. "So it's true," Gajeel whispered.
"What's true?" Levy said with a huff, eyes focused on the grinning lips of the man who'd caught her.
Gajeel released her wrist and brought his hand to her chin, lifting it so that he could look her in the eyes. "I heard a rumor not too long ago, about the Spy Master that served the Heartfilia family. I was told that she was small, deadly, beautiful...and would be watching me very carefully." Levy's grasp on her blade eased as her cheeks began to turn a shade of red not far from the same as the torch hanging on the wall next to them. "You have no need to worry about me, I don't want your kingdom, or your princess. You've spent so much time worrying about threats from outside, you've overlooked the ones coming from within, little spy."
"I...I don't..." Levy shook her head, as if trying to shed the frustration filling it now. "Listen, Lord Redfox, you shouldn't be wandering the halls at this hour, someone may assume you're up to no good."
"Tch, I'm not the one stalking some poor, lost, ignorant heathen from the northern lands!" Gajeel said, playing the victim with an unintentionally hilarious voice.
"Stalking!?"
"Hush! If you make too much noise-" The clanking of guards hustling towards the door cut Gajeel off, and forced a growl out of him. "Looks like our date is cut short. Cheer for me tomorrow, eh shrimp?"
With a smile on his face, Gajeel slipped into the darkness once again, leaving a dumbstruck Levy to her own devices. As two guards entered the tower, asking questions, Levy stared into the dark, tracing her fingers over her chin.
It was around this time that the Princess had finished dressing down and into her silk nightgown for the evening. Weary from an evening of politicking and meeting more than her fair share of would-be suitors, Lucy pulled back the canopy of her massive bed with a yawn before finally fixating her eyes on the curious lump in the middle of her bed. She held her breath, terrified in that moment that perhaps something sinister awaited her beneath the sheets, but a loud snore shattered those concerns. Scowling, she ripped the covers off her bed to find Sir Natsu Dragneel spread out right in the center of the mattress, entirely nude.
It seemed that Lucy's slumber would be further delayed, much to her dismay.