Thank you so much for your reviews! It makes my day to read them!

I want to respond to some of the comments (that won't give away the plot of the story) and will do so here for this chapter, but I am more likely to do so with other chapters on my tumblr (clockwork-country)

I also post when I may be updating and other things, so if you want to hear more about it or know more about when updates may be coming, go ahead and check it out!

Here are some of the comments I want to address:

SleepinBeautyK:

Great observations, and they make sense! However, since, in this story, Natsu is an actual dragon / were-dragon, he has his own different kind of aging - or lack, thereof. He does have magic, but it's all dragon-based. Those who wield magic, like the fairies, pixies, mages, and all others, age slowly (or stop altogether), and at random ages. Yeahh, it probably doesn't make much sense - I know. Basically, to Lucy, the only really immortal creatures that she knew of were dragons. But more of the aging will be touched on. Thanks for your review! :)

Bakers28

I'm so glad you liked the re-visitation of Plue! I just wanted to say that when I first started writing him (since he was 17 in the first chapter), I was somewhat thinking of the character design of Bell Cranel from DanMachi / Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. It wasn't really something I meant to do, but his image was just in the back of my subconscious as I was writing. Just wanted to put that out there!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think!

Lucy sighed, lying back in the grass and closing her eyes. Natsu was making this hell for her. At least she was allowed outside, though - but only because of the faintly glimmering barrier Natsu had Levy put up just in case she tried to flee again. Of course, she wouldn't, but even after a long while, he still didn't seem to believe her.

Levy, on the other hand, did seem to believe and trust her, and felt bad about the barriers, but Lucy assured her it was all right and that she understood why they had to be up.

Just then, the sun that had been shining down on her face was being shadowed, and she opened her eyes, only to find Levy leaning over her with a bright smile.

"Hey, Lu!"

"Oh, hey, Levy," she said, sitting up. "Is the barrier wearing off?" If it were, she normally had to head back inside so that Levy could regain the power to put it up again - something she had no problem doing, as she didn't want to exhaust her friend. However, the pixie just shook her head, smiling.

"Nope! I was wondering if you wanted to do some training." Lucy blinked, eyeing the excited woman as she stood over her, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Training?"

"Yeah, with the star dress!"

"Wait… what?" Two weeks had passed since she first told Natsu that she wanted to train with the star dress, and those were two weeks of teasing and her being far too nice to him in hopes of gaining his trust more quickly, only to be so close, yet rejected each and every time with that bright, cocky grin of his.

"He didn't tell you? Well… I guess that makes sense. I doubt he'd want to come outright and tell you he trusts you, so -"

"He trusts me?" Lucy nearly squeaked, but Levy laughed.

"I don't think things have progressed that far yet, Lu, but he knows that I trust you, and… you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Great! Natsu said he was giving me permission to train with you with one of your star dresses." Lucy stood up, still taking in the information. She was finally allowed to train?

"Where is Natsu?"

"With Gajeel. They wanted to talk about a plan of action between the two of them while you and I train."

"Not another plan that will go against Erza, though, right?" Levy laughed, shaking her head.

"No, it's perfectly fine with Erza. It's more a dragon thing, like discussing when to use each of their transformations in certain scenarios when the time comes. It's nice to see they're finally trying to be a little more in sync with each other." While Levy laughed softly at the thought, Lucy looked down at her hands. Of course they probably were trying to get along - the threat of world destruction is a pretty big one, and even though Lucy had no say in what happened before or after her birth with magic, she still felt somewhat responsible, mostly because she is the determining factor in whether everyone survives or not. She looked at Levy with more determination in her eyes.

"Right. So who are we training with first?"

"I was thinking about the archer - Sagittarius. We're going to do some target practice!" Lucy nodded. It seemed simple enough, and would be a slow start to ease her into everything. She reached into the pouch at her hip and pulled out the golden key with the green marking and raised it into the air.

"Open - Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!" In a flash of brilliant gold, the spirit materialized before the two, a large longbow in hand. He placed a hand over his heart and bowed.

"Princess, it is lovely to see you again," he said, and Lucy smiled.

"It's nice to see you again, too. Sorry I haven't been summoning you guys much since I got you back."

"Do not apologize, Princess, for we know there is no dire reason for us to be here at the moment." That comforted Lucy a little, and she nodded.

"So what do you say? Up for showing me how to work the star dress? You're the first we're trying it on."

"It would be my honor - though, I must say that both Leo and Taurus were looking quite forward to being your first." Lucy let out an awkward laugh.

"Of course they'd say that… But Levy says she wants to do target practice, and you seem perfect for the job."

"Ah, such a high-praising compliment, my princess. I thank you for such kind words. Now, to activate the star dress, you must simply place the key of the spirit you wish to use upon your chest." Lucy nodded and held the golden key between her thumb and forefinger, raising her hand and placing the cool end of the key against her chest.

A warm sensation filled her and wrapped around her body, and through her closed eyelids she saw golden light. In her hand formed something, and when the gentle breeze around her settled, she opened her eyes and saw that in her hand was a bow, curved, regal, and lethal. She looked to Levy, who was wide eyed, her hands over her mouth.

"What is it?" The pixie waved her hand and right in front of Lucy formed a small, shimmering wall that was reflective enough for Lucy to see herself.

And she couldn't believe her eyes.

"What am I wearing?" she cried out, her hands going to cover her bosom. The dress was a nice green color, and she liked the way her hair was styled, but the outfit was so revealing! And…

"Where's the rest of the dress?!" Her hands shot down to her lower regions to cover the skimpy white fabric. Levy was laughing softly.

"That's just how the dress is designed, Lucy. It actually looks really nice. Hey, be careful! Don't tear those!" Lucy was tugging at the stockings, hoping to pull them further up her thighs and attempt to make them into pants.

"I can't wear this!" She turned to Sagittarius, who seemed unphased. "Is there any other dress? Or can I at least wear something other than this? Can this even be considered clothing?"

"I am afraid that is the permanent star dress for my sign." He looked slightly put out. "Do you not like it?"

"Of course I -" She wanted to tell him there was no way she could be seen in such a state of dress, but at the look on his face, she couldn't bring herself to do it, and sighed softly, "- do. It's very nice…"

"I am glad you are pleased, Princess," he said, and Lucy wondered if he was really that oblivious to her mood. "Now, shall we begin? Where are the targets?"

"Right here!" Levy said, and when the two turned to look at her, they only saw, well, her, standing with her hands on her hips and a proud look on her face.

"Wait… where? I don't see any," Lucy said, and Levy's shoulders dropped.

"I'm the target." Lucy looked appalled.

"What? Levy, there's no way I'm shooting at you!"

"I would not give yourself so much credit in the beginning, Princess. You have never shot a bow before," Sagittarius said from behind her, and the blonde had to refrain from snapping at him.

"I'll be fine, Lucy." She stepped forward and took her hand. "You said you trusted me, right?"

"Well, yeah, but -"

"And I trust you."

"But I don't trust myself with this. Levy, this is a bad idea."

"It will be fine. Here," she waved her hand again and conjured a quiver of arrows with rubber tips. "If you do manage to hit me, it won't be all that bad. Don't worry about it, okay?" Lucy was still unsure about it all, but nodded. After all, the pixie had been around for a long time and probably knew how to hold her own in many different situations. Plus, she could fly. It shouldn't be too difficult for her to avoid Lucy's beginner attempts at archery. With a sigh, she nodded.

"Okay. Let's do this. But if I hit you -"

"Then I will be very impressed," Levy finished, challenge glinting in her hazel eyes. Lucy couldn't help but laugh softly, feeling a little less tense. Translucent wings sprouted from Levy's back, but she remained in her human-sized form. "Since you're just starting out, I'll keep myself a bigger target for you."

Lucy nodded, and Levy flew out into the open. The barrier around the tower was rather sizeable, plenty of room for Levy to fly around comfortably as a moving target. She hovered a few feet above the ground then spread her arms out wide.

"Give it your best shot, Lu!" With a deep breath, Lucy raised the bow with a nocked arrow. Sagittarius came up behind her and moved her arms.

"Raise the bow - become eye level with the grip. Do not lock your elbow. Good, now hold the string hooked between your two center fingers and pull it back until it's at the corner of your eye. Steady, now, Princess. And… Release."

Surprisingly enough to Lucy, the arrow soared, but it wasn't very close to Levy at all. Lucy had lost her concentration and was gripping her left arm with her right hand after crying out.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" she heard Levy ask. Lucy removed her hand and looked at the inside of her forearm where the green of the sleeve-like garment was now torn and the skin beneath was becoming bright red, tears stinging the back of her eyes at the pain.

"The string caught you. Try to hold your left arm out just a sliver more when you shoot to prevent the string snapping against your arm. You must be careful, though, as moving it out too much will throw off your aim and where the arrow will go," Sagittarius said, and Lucy nodded. She couldn't dwell on pain. If she wanted to be a part of everyone against Avatar, then she would need to grow stronger and more resilient.

Lucy stood, determination in her eyes as she nocked another arrow and raised the bow. She shifted her left arm just slightly, but as she released the arrow, it shifted, and she winced as the string caught her arm again, but she wouldn't cower. She watched where the arrow landed - just a few feet to the left of Levy, but it still didn't quite reach the distance. When she shot again, she angled the bow upwards, but it was too far, and soared over Levy, but if she were to have the angle down a little more, it would have been a perfect shot.

And so, they trained like that for a while until Levy found herself needing to dodge the attacks, all the while cheering Lucy on. Soon enough, Lucy was shooting at her as she flew, while also dodging some of Levy's own magic to help her practice with defense as she fought.

They decided to try out practicing with Levy being smaller, though Lucy would certainly need more practice before she would be able to perfect such a shot. The sun was then beginning to set, and they decided to call it a day. Lucy returned to her normal clothes and Sagittarius took his leave as the two girls sat back in the grass.

"Levy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask how you and Gajeel met?" Lucy turned her head to look at the blunette, who smiled softly and looked down at her hands.

"Well… It was a long time ago. We actually started off sort of as enemies."

"Hold on… does everyone here start off not getting along?" Levy laughed softly.

"To be fair, Erza and Jellal started off as close friends, but… things happened, causing them to fall apart. Now, of course, they're back together. Even so, we all make mistakes. And I don't think Gajeel wanted to hurt me -"

"Wait, I'm sorry… hurt you?"

"Well, you see, at the time Gajeel and I met, he was… stuck. Not like stuck in something, but stuck as something." Lucy looked at her with furrowed brows, and the blunette continued. "He was stuck in his human form, and had been for quite some time. A dragon with the ability to take on different forms like Gajeel and Natsu cannot stay in one form for long - long being many years at a time. Gajeel had been stuck in his human form for five years at this point, I believe.

"Anyway, I was off on my own one day when I was suddenly attacked by a man, and I couldn't fight back just out of pure fear. I was so stunned by it all that I didn't know how to react. He kept demanding that I fix him and that he knew I had the power to do it. As it turns out, long ago a curse was placed upon him that would keep him in a single form, but he didn't believe the witch until he found it more and more difficult to transform. He later defeated the witch, thinking the curse would disappear with the death of the creator. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. When he told me he needed me to help him return to both his dragon and draconic forms, I knew I didn't have the knowledge to help him and told him I needed to look up if it was even possible. He locked me up in a room with books and told me I couldn't go without finding the cure."

"That's… that's awful," Lucy said, eyes wide. Levy nodded.

"It was, and I was terrified. Once I finally figured it all out, he let me go, and I believed I would never see him again… until about a year or so later. I was engrossed in an enchantment book as I walked through Fairy Tail and didn't realize I had long since left the kingdom's forest and entered dragon territory. When I figured it out, I knew I was too late. I already felt the heavy steps that rumbled the ground, and then heat on my back. I turned around and was met with… him. Well… dragon-him."

"How did you know?"

"After breaking the curse put upon him, he was quick to turn into his draconic form, and I immediately knew that he was likely an iron dragon with the black and metallic scales that began to show on his skin. Once he set me free, he flew off and I saw him transform into his full dragon form."

"I see… so you ran into him again?"

"Yes. I honestly thought he was going to eat me or something, even after he turned into his human form. But as it turns out, he wanted to apologize." A smile formed on Levy's lips as she remembered. "He was embarrassed about it, and I still tease him about it to this day."

"You forgive him for what he did to you?"

"It wasn't entirely his fault. Gajeel is an incredibly strong creature that had been trapped in an almost powerless form. As time went on, not only did he begin to lose some of his sanity, it also became very painful. He was desperate, and once he found a way to possibly be cured, he stopped at nothing until it happened. I had forgiven him the day I cured him - having already known why he was acting so awful. I just wish he would forgive himself. Sometimes he's afraid he'll hurt me again, and I have to reassure him that I know he would never do that."

Lucy nodded, not quite sure of what to say. Levy was so forgiving and kind, and Lucy wondered if she could be the same way if she were put in the pixie's position.

Long, jagged, salmon-colored hair and a cocky grin appeared in her mind, but she shook her head in an attempt to clear the image. Natsu wasn't cruel to her. Unbearable at times, yes, but he wasn't treating her the same way Gajeel had treated Levy during their first encounter. Though, of course, Natsu isn't stuck in a single form.

Perhaps if the two of them could get past their differences, they could…

Lucy's eyes widened and she mentally slapped herself for the direction her mind was going, then turned to Levy to change the subject.

"So… what do they look like? Dragons, I mean. I never saw one before."

"That's right, you were probably knocked out by the time Natsu transformed into his dragon form." Lucy's mind flashed back to when she was first kidnapped. Right before she lost consciousness, it felt as though she were being held in a single, large fist, and she had heard the others talking about how foolish Natsu had been for transforming into a dragon as he kidnapped her, but she still hadn't seen it, even after she had been with him for a month.

Has it truly been a month already? she thought with widened eyes.

"But to answer your question," Levy continued, "they're… big. Really big. You can imagine all you'd like how big a dragon may be, but until you see one up close, you will never truly know. Natsu's never transformed in front of you?"

"No. I guess there's been no need for him to. He's shown me his draconic form, but that's it."

"Well, given your reaction to my draconic form, I'm not sure I want to even show you my full dragon form." Lucy started, unaware of the other presence that had been with her and Levy. She turned around and saw Natsu leaning against the tower, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"Don't just creep up on people like that!" Lucy shouted. "How long have you been there?"

Natsu just shrugged casually and Lucy's face became red. Was he there while they were training? Did… did he see her star dress? It would have been mortifying, but… she supposed she would have known if he were there. A grin formed on Natsu's lips and Lucy wasn't sure she'd like what he was about to say.

"By the way - you don't look half bad in green." Lucy yelped and buried her face in her hands. That dress was so revealing! I don't think I want to know what the other dresses look like…

"Natsu," Levy chastised. The dragon laughed.

"So Erza's free tomorrow and she said she'd like to train with you using your Cancer star dress. Jellal will be here the day after to train with your Virgo and Scorpio dresses," Natsu said.

"Both of them?" Lucy asked.

"Jellal uses multiple kinds of magic, including earth and wind. Earth will be used to train with Virgo, and since Scorpio is known to use sand attacks, he'll use his wind magic." Lucy nodded at the explanation. She knew she'd be tired tomorrow, but training was something that needed to be done rather quickly since nobody knew when the next attack would come.

"I should be heading back if you and Gajeel are done talking, then," Levy said as she stood with a smile. She turned to Lucy. "I'll be back later this week and we can continue training. You did amazing today, and I have no doubt you'll be an expert with all of your star dresses very quickly."

"Thank you, Levy. I had fun today," Lucy said. The two bid their farewells and Levy flew off, waving to Natsu before disappearing into the woods.

The princess felt eyes on her as she turned her attention to the sea in the distance where the sun was sinking beneath the horizon. When she looked upwards, she saw the stars beginning to show and smiled softly.

"My mother and I used to sneak out to the outskirts of Magnolia at around this time to see the sun set over the Calm Sea," Lucy said without exactly realizing she was speaking. "It wasn't often, but when the weather was just right, she'd find a way to distract my father if he wasn't already busy enough and she dressed me in my cloak, took my hand, and pulled me out the back of the palace.

"She'd lay out a blanket and we'd sit there and watch the sunset, then we'd lay on our backs and look at the stars. It's how she taught me about the Zodiac spirits - she showed me their constellations and told me their name and title. Then we'd just stay in silence for a while. I'd always look for shooting stars."

"What would you wish for?" Lucy jumped - she'd almost forgotten Natsu was even there. She looked over at him and noticed that he had since lied down on the ground next to her, arms folded behind his head as he looked up at the sky.

"What?"

"People normally wish for something when they see a shooting star, and they often look for them in hopes of making their wish and dreaming of it coming true. What was yours?" Lucy looked up at the sky again.

"I… I wished for the moment to never end. I wanted to stay with my mother and never have to deal with growing up and worrying about a kingdom or my father. I wanted it to be me and Mother forever." A snort sounded from the man beside her and Lucy felt her blood begin to boil. She looked over at him with sharp eyes. "Don't you dare laugh at me, you beast. I - "

"Calm down," he said, cutting her off, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because I used to do the same. I would search for shooting stars and wish that my father and I would stay as we were."

"But you're a dragon. You don't age very quickly." Her mind was once again filled with the heavy thought of her own aging, but she pushed it back. Natsu looked over at him and Lucy was taken off guard by the way she could see centuries in those dark eyes of his - centuries filled with joy and sorrow.

"That doesn't mean everything lasts," Natsu said as he turned his attention to the sky again. "I knew my father for two thousand years. Sounds like a lot, huh? But when you age slowly, time seems to pass more quickly. Two thousand years feels more like… I don't know, five years, maybe? My sense of time is much different than that of mortals." A soft laugh escaped his lips as he spoke on, "I frustrated Igneel to no end when he was trying to explain it all to me."

Lucy nodded and looked to the stars.

"You've been looking up at the same sky for thousands of years," Lucy said in breathy wonder. She'd been looking at the same for eighteen, but to think that it was the same sky for so long amazed her.

"Almost five thousand, if you were wondering," Natsu said, and Lucy looked to him again. He was grinning at her. She blinked.

"Five thousand years?"

"Well, five thousand on the summer solstice." Her eyes widened.

"You were born on the summer solstice?"

"Sure was. Makes it easy to remember since I don't know the exact date. Why do you look so surprised?" Lucy shook her head softly.

"I… Well, that's when I was born."

"That so?" The dragon's grin widened, but he didn't say any more on it. The two were brought back into silence, and Lucy's mind began to wonder once again.

"Natsu?"

"Hmm?"

"The other day I was talking to Gray -" Natsu scoffed, but she ignored him, "- and he was telling me about aging and, I just…"

"You don't need to worry about that," Natsu said, and Lucy's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean? I feel as though I should if I'm going to stop aging. I don't know if I can be a queen for the rest of my life. There are so many people I know in Magnolia and I can't just sit around as they age and die!" Lucy felt her heart begin to beat faster as she rambled out loud. Natsu sat up next to her, not exactly sure how to calm her down. He tried to speak, but she only got louder.

So he did the first thing that came to mind and tackled her to the grass, clapping a hand over her mouth.

Her eyes widened further in surprise as she yelped at his assault.

"Lucy! Calm. Down," he said. She struggled against him, but he kept firm, leaning in so close that she froze. "I didn't tell you not to worry because I was being a jerk. I told you not to worry because it doesn't affect you. You will age as any other human being."

Confusion replaced the panicked expression in her eyes and Natsu slowly removed his hand.

"But Gray said -"

"You have magic, but you're a Heartfilia. It's not easy to explain, but to keep it simple, long ago in your line of ancestry someone broke the aging spell. That in itself is actually impossible, but somehow it happened. You're not immortal, Lucy."

"Really?"

"Yes. Are you calm now?" He wasn't going to get off of her until she was - not wanting her to run about in a frenzy. Slowly, she nodded.

"I am. Now get off of me. You smell." Natsu snorted and rolled off of her and back into the grass. Lucy sat up. Her mind was still reeling. She wasn't going to stop aging? But why? Who broke the curse?

"Hey, you said you were calm." Once again, his voice made her jump.

"Yeah… sorry. I just -"

"Stop thinking, all right? You're going to end up aging your appearance much quicker if you keep that up, and something tells me that wrinkles and gray hair doesn't exactly suit you, Princess." Natsu stood and held his hand out. "It's late and you're going to be busy tomorrow, so let's get you to bed."

Lucy looked up at him and nodded, taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet. With one last glance to the stars, she went back into the tower, hoping sleep would help ease her mind for the next day.

So I just wanna add that I will be adding/changing a few things in the sense of star dresses and how they work, but it will be explained in the chapters they are used. Also, Lucy does own all 12 Zodiac keys, but since there aren't official star dresses for, or much known about, Libra and Pisces, I won't really be touching on them too much. I apologize.

And I'm sorry this chapter took so long. It really had me stuck. But there were some NaLu moments! I know this isn't one of the best chapters - again, I'm sorry - but I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully the next chapter will be better.