DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fairy Tail!
"Sllloowwww dooownnn!" Lucy screamed, tears in her eyes. The sound whizzed behind them, unheard. Happy was running at what felt like 200 kilometers per hour, and she didn't have anything to hold onto with her hand's tied behind her back. Luckily, Natsu held onto her, pinning them all down to the horse. She screamed again.
Within minutes, the group was standing in front of a large, red-and-white castle with huge spires, with a humongous entrance that was at least Lucy's height times seven. Spirit gazed up at the monument, in slight awe. Happy finally slowed down to a trot, and a dozen servants waited at the gate for Prince Dragneel. Lucy breathed in and out, trying to calm her speeding heart.
"Good afternoon, Prince. Shall I take Happy to the stables?" Natsu hopped down from the horse, taking Michelle and placing her in a slumped position on the ground. Lucy slipped off, watching the assistants warily. Natsu handed the servant the reins and the male assistant took three steps back, bowed, and then turned down a small, smooth path to get to the stables, Happy following obediently.
"Sir, would you like me to take your cloak? It may require washing." The pink-haired prince handed him the dirty blue cloak, skillfully keeping hold of Lucy. With his other arm, he scooped up an unconscious Michelle. The servants eyebrows quirked up, but only one dared speak.
"Sir, may I take the child to the dungeons for you?" Lucy sent him a harsh, frozen glare, and it took the man all his willpower not to flinch. Natsu tugged the girl back, like pulling the leash on a dog.
"No." He told him. "I'll be fine. Could you tell the rest of the Dragneel's to go to the Grand Room?" The servants bowed respectfully.
Natsu took the girl, half-pulling, half-dragging the Golden Spirit up to the grand room, where his whole family was waiting. Instantly, Wendy caught on the little girl in his arms and rushed forwards, seeing her injuries. The Prince placed her on her table, and the Sky Dragon Slayer went to work. Lucy watched her carefully and intensively.
"I brought home a criminal!" he announced with a cheeky grin. His parents frowned.
"Why did you 'bring home' a criminal, son?" Lucy guessed that the large, red-headed man was Lord Igneel Dragneel, head of the Dragneel family.
"Well, her sister was hurt and I didn't have enough time to bring them to some jail cell so I brought them here so Wendy could heal Michelle and I'll finally put some use to those dungeons we had put in. They're getting kinda rusty, don't you think?" The parent's glanced at each other.
"Well, it is true. They haven't been used in years." Grandine admitted.
"What did this particular criminal do, Natsu?" Igneel indicated Lucy, still tied up and in the prince's strong grip.
"She's been stealing." Lucy gave them a sheepish grin. "She's known as the Golden Spirit." Grandine and Igneel's eyes widened a fraction.
"She's been a thorn in our side for years." The Lord stood up. "Good job son!" he walked towards the two and leaned in front of Lucy, black eyes searching her face. Lucy fought the urge to attempt to make a break for it, knowing it would be futile. Those black eyes seemed to be peering into her soul, her very being. Spirit was instantly afraid of this man, because behind his eyes was a wild, feral beast contained inside a man. She swallowed roughly.
"You've been stealing food from the mighty Igneel's kingdom," he said it slowly, letting the words sink in. She almost started shaking, fearing what he was going to do to her. Cut off her head, sprinkle hot pepper into her eyes, cook her over a spitfire and eat her for a sna—!
"How'd you managed to do that!" he grinned, scarily similar to his son's grin, and she couldn't believe it for a second. Lucy let out a huff of air.
"I'm... uh, talented?" she answered slowly, wondering if Lord Igneel was just a fluke. She swore she got a tic in her eye.
"Well, good job!" he patted her on the back with a giant hand, and she nearly tipped forward from the force of it. Behind his figure, she saw Queen Grandine roll her eyes.
"Well, put her into the dungeons." Natsu started tugging her again, but when she resisted it for a moment, he turned to stare at her.
"Wait!" Igneel turned an eye towards her. She bowed quickly but respectfully. "Michelle didn't do anything. Oh please, after you're done healing her, please let her go. It was all me who stole the food, not her. Please don't put her into a dungeon!" Igneel hrm-ed thoughtfully.
"She didn't do anything?"
"No, it was all me who stole the food. She just stayed at the campsite. I swear she's never taken something from anyone else in her entire life. She can barely kill a fly. I'm begging you, put me in a dungeon and cut off my head, just don't put her behind bars." She started to sniffle, but held the tears back.
Lord Igneel hesitated, and at that moment, Michelle woke up. She bolted upwards, shouting, "Lucy!" accidently bonking her head against Princess Wendy's.
"Ow!" they cried, wiping their foreheads. They stared at each other for a few moments. Both began to giggle, despite that.
"Are you okay?" Michelle asked her, holding her head awkwardly.
"Y-yeah, you?" Wendy rubbed her forehead, one eye closed slightly.
"I'm fine." The girls erupted into giggles again. The older members of the family's watched them curiously.
"What's your name?" Michelle asked.
The bluenette smiled. "I'm Princess Wendy. And you?"
"Michelle. I wish I had a pretty name like yours," the blonde girl admitted.
"Aw, but I want a name like yours!" Wendy cried. "Wanna be friends?"
"Sure!"
The adults [or near adult in Lucy's case,] started to smirk, despite the differences between the two. Wendy turned to her father. "Please, please, could Michelle stay here for a bit? We promise we won't be too loud!" Michelle finally looked around, and saw the room she was in. Her gaze traveled around, noting the two large adults in the room, but fixed on Spirit, being held by the dumb prince.
"Lucy!" she cried, getting off the table and running towards her fearfully. Wendy turned around.
"Michelle! You shouldn't walk yet. You're too weak." Just then, before the blonde reached her sister, she collapsed. Lucy couldn't do anything but watch, because Natsu wouldn't let his grip go.
Wendy went next to the other girl, but Michelle pulled away fast, scrambling away. "You're with Prince Natsu... I don't like you!" Wendy frowned.
Her eyes filled with tears. "Prince Natsu caught L- Spirit and it's all his fault. Anyone who's with him, I don't like." Michelle pouted.
Wendy understood. "Okay. I get it." the bluenette turned to her parents. "Could Michelle stay with me, and she can visit Spirit every day?" Michelle brightened up, but didn't speak.
Lucy did though. "Uh, Princess Wendy, Michelle has to leave, because..." damn, lying to children wasn't her thing. "She can't be here."
Igneel and Grandine shared glances, knowing their daughter wouldn't let go on this one. She didn't get many friends anyway, stuck in a castle all day.
"Fine, Michelle can stay over as a playmate." Wendy let out a cry.
"Michelle, you can stay over!" the older girl took Michelle, lifted her up gently, and helped her walk. "First I'll show you my room, and then I can show you around the castle, and then—" her voice faded.
Natsu started pulling Lucy away, who had started to struggle. Spirit snarled at him, finally showing some resistance. But, despite her efforts, he effortlessly dragged her to the entrance to a staircase. "I'll go put her in the dungeon, could someone get a guard for her?" He waved to his parents. Lucy tried to snap at him.
"Let Michelle go!" Spirit's efforts were wasted, because Natsu took her over his shoulder, hauling her like a sack of potatoes. She cried out and he started going down the staircase, easily climbing down like she was a featherweight. She kicked and struggled.
At the bottom, it was grim. Two charmed torches, spelled so that they burned forever, hung on the bleak, gray concrete walls. There were four cells, all with partially rusted metal bars, and inside each cell was a single, moth eaten foam sheet, a sink with a water lacyrima, and a bathroom. On the other side of the room was a plain wooden door.
For a moment, curiosity took over. "What's on the other side of that door?"
"The torture room," he replied simply. She stiffened. "Re-lax, we haven't used it in years."
She let out a sigh, and Natsu opened the gate to one of the holding cells. It opened with a loud, noisy creak. "Let my sister go." Spirit said determinedly. Natsu went inside the cell and deposited her on the ground. He closed the gate behind him, locking the door. He tugged on it loosely to check. The metal rattled.
"Wendy's just keeping her as a playmate, not keeping her in a cell. Relax." Lucy glared murderously at him on the other side of the bars.
At that moment, another guard came down, dressed in a simple blue uniform. "Hey Natsu." Lucy inspected him. This was her guard, eh? She was slightly surprised that he was talking so smoothly to the prince, being a paid guard, but she didn't think about it too much.
The guard was lithe but strong, wearing a normal fitting blue uniform with a thick brown belt on his hips. There was a thick dagger in it. He had dark hair and dark blue eyes. Natsu bro-fisted him. "Hey Gray."
The guard glanced at Spirit, and she gave him a long, slow stare, trying to unnerve him. The guard didn't even flinch. Natsu decided to introduce them.
"L-Spirit, this is Gray, Gray, Spirit." She didn't speak, just let out a snort and spun around, back facing them. The guard blinked and sweatdropped.
He leaned over. "Is she usually like this?" he asked quietly. A vein popped in Lucy's head.
"I can hear you, you 'know," she hissed. Natsu and Gray flinched.
"Well, she's a little pissed at us cause we're keeping her sister here." Natsu replied.
Lucy, just to annoy them, starting talking the loudest she could, "blah, blah, blah, blah—!"
They covered their ears. "Lucy! Don't make me go in there!" Natsu yelled over the noise.
"What? I can't hear you!" she continued making as much noise as she could, back still turned. Gray and Natsu glanced at each other, silently agreeing.
"Ice Make; gag!" Lucy's mouth was covered in a frozen, icy barrier. She was silenced for a moment, spinning around, looking up startlingly at the two mages.
"Hr hehel oh!" she tried to snarl, but it came out blubber. She leered at them, trying to pick off the ice with already cold fingers. It wasn't too cold, unlike regular ice, but it was definitely harder to break. She guessed that this was Magic Ice, most likely created from Gray.
"What she say?" Gray scratched the back of his head, while Lucy glowered at him.
Natsu thought for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "I want food! That's what she said." She shook her head in annoyance, still trying to break off the ice.
"Hu-et hich-elle wo." She said it slowly, but there was an edge of anger.
"Met Natsu ago?" Gray sounded out, frowning. Lucy stood up and hit her head against the wall repetitively. Gray and Natsu didn't get it.
Luckily, the ice shattered slightly, and she peeled it off, wincing at the stinging sensation it left behind. "Let. Michelle. Go!" she snapped.
"Ohhh." The boys nodded in understanding.
"So that's what she was saying..!" Natsu grinned, and Lucy honestly hated him.
"Who's Michelle?"
"Oh, her little sister." The Prince explained.
Oh screw it. Lucy took off her boot and threw it through the bars, hitting Natsu's face. Luckily, the leather sole hit him head-on. Gray spun around, but smirked. "Nice aim." Her other boot hit him too. They fell back, twitching, and Lucy sat down, now shoe-less, but content with her accomplishment.
Natsu finally left the dungeons, leaving her alone with Gray. He sat on a chair, watching her, already bored. Her back was facing him, and she was still wearing her black one-piece.
"So," he started, trying to make conversation, "how are you?"
For a moment, she didn't answer, making him wonder if she was partially deaf. Suddenly, she cocked her head. "Hey, I thought I heard something. It was really quiet. I think it was just a bug." She turned back to her position.
Gray scowled, but stopped talking to her. He didn't know that Lucy was determined on ignoring him until they let Michelle go. She didn't trust them and never would, especially with her sister.
"Are you gonna talk to me at some point?" he asked.
She shook her head, looking around accusingly. "That damn bug."
The guard got the point. He threw up his hands, rolling his eyes.
Heh, this chapter was fun to write for some reason. I guess it's because i'm in a good mood.
Lucky love of life: Thank you! *give's cookie*
TheBeastHunter: yeah, I just wanted to switch it up a little, you know? thank you for reviewing! 3
1fairytaillover: that was what I was aiming for! ya, I decided to make Happy a horse because I kinda needed him to be able to pick up more than one person at a time, you know? and besides, this story is medieval times, and I decided to give the pink prince a blue horse!
Person: I hope this is satisfactory! thank you!
sofia: thanks! 3
sofia3: YES, I WILL! THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! [don't you love Caps lock... :3 ]