Chapter 6

I hit 115 follows! Yay!

Hey guys, thanks for being super supportive and everything. It means a lot! I've been re-reading all of my favorite fanfictions lately, so I'm all fired up now! I wanted to release one on christmas but oh well, Here we go, chapter 6…

Lucy's POV

I gulp down shock as I stare at the red-haired woman, dressed in full body armor, standing with her hands on her hips and a glare that could kill. They found me. Oh no, please don't take me back.

"Where is he?" She demands, appraising me with disapproval written all over her face.

I stutter, terrified. Should I run? She would definitely catch me.

Thankfully, I don't have to answer, because at that moment Natsu comes down the stairs.

"Hey, Lucy, is there any—" He stops at the bottom step, noticing for the first time the open door and the furious woman standing there. "Oh, hey Erza! Long time no see, am I right?"

She just fumes, stepping inside and shutting the door with a boom. I back up against the wall, knowing that I'm a goner for sure.

"Natsu Dragneel…." She growls.

He gulps. "Oh, so it's that kind of Erza today. What did I do this time?"

I stop them both, still staying far away from the Captain of the Guard. "Wait, wait, wait. You two know each other?"

Erza unsheathes her sword, a gleaming piece of wicked sharp metal. "Natsu and I have known each other for a very long time. You're both lucky it was me who found you, Princess."

I try to shrink into the wall. It doesn't work.

"And you," She grabs Natsu, who flails madly, and hits him over the head with the butt of her sword. "HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? YOU ATTACKED AN ENTIRE REGIMENT IN PLAIN DAYLIGHT! NOT ONLY THAT BUT YOU KIDNAPPED THE PRINCESS OF FIORE! THE ENTIRE ARMY IS ON A DRAGONHUNT FOR YOU!"

She releases Natsu, who stumbles away looking as confused as ever, rubbing the large goose egg on his head. "What are you talking about? I didn't kidnap any princesses."

Erza sheathes her sword, shaking her head with fading anger. I realize that my secret is out, and decide that when this is over, I'm going to dig a hole so that I can curl up and die.

"Lucy is the princess, you idiot!" She sighs.

Natsu looks at me, dazed. "That's ridiculous. Lucy can't be a princess! She's…well, she's Lucy!"

I feel my face heat up. "No, Natsu, she's right. I'm the princess."

He crosses is arms. I expect him to start breathing fire at any moment now, after hearing him talk about barbequing my father yesterday.

"Well, why didn't you say anything?" He asks.

I'm taken aback. "Wh-What?"

"If you were a princess, you could've just said so." He states matter-of-factly.

Now it's my turn to be confused. "I…I thought that if you knew who I really was, you wouldn't let me stay here."

"Pfft. That's ridiculous. Why does it make a difference?"

Now that I think about it, it does kind of seem stupid.

"I don't know, it was kind of silly of me." I say offhandedly. "But, Natsu, how do you know Erza?"

"Erza showed up here when we were younger, just after the Great Dragon Purge. She's a mage." He says, scratching his neck. "So she hid out here for about a year, then left to find a job in the palace. And, well, now she's the Captain of the Guard."

"Oh, sure, just tell her everything." Erza says.

"Why not? She deserves to know." Natsu quips.

Erza doesn't respond, just scowls at her pink-haired friend.

"Well, come on then, princess. Lets go eat. I'm starving. We'll explain everything."

In the kitchen, over eggs and sausage, Natsu explains to me that he and Erza are part of a secret mage resistance known as Fairy Tail.

"We're based over in Magnolia. We work to help mages and dragons who are in trouble, or need somewhere to hide." He says. "Our Master, Makarov, is very protective of the guild."

I listen in silence as they tell me all of this, nodding occasionally.

"I'm sure you understand what would happen if the King found out about us?" Erza raises an eyebrow.

"I have no loyalty towards that man. You don't need to worry. I'd prefer it if I never had to see his face again." I spit, rather venomously.

Natsu looks surprised at my statement, but Erza nods, understanding completely. She works for my father, so she knows his true nature.

"So, this Fairy Tail…how long has it been around?" I ask, moving away from the subject of my father.

Natsu grins. "Well, Fairy Tail was a mage's guild, before the Great Dragon Purge. They were pretty famous, but then your dad killed off all the mages. Most of the guild members survived, though, and went into hiding."

"Smart move." I say, a little sarcastically.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'll be going. My regiment will be wondering where I'm at." Erza stands, placing her plate in the sink, where I watch in amazement as it cleans itself and flies neatly into the cupboard.

"Magic?" I ask, pointing at the sink.

Natsu looks over at the sink. "Oh, that? The sink was installed back when magic was legal. It runs on a lacrima."

I have no idea what a lacrima is, but I just nod and follow Erza into the hall to say a quick goodbye.

"You won't tell anyone where I'm at, will you?" I ask, a little worried.

She dips her head respectfully. "Your secret is safe with me, your highness. I'll even steer the King away from this area, into the west. He has ordered patrols to search every house in Fiore, so you can expect to have to hide from a few soldiers. In this castle, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thank you." I breathe, relieved.

"Princess, might I give you one word of advice?" Erza says quietly, looking into the kitchen where Natsu is.

"Yes?"

"….Be careful. The King wants Natsu dead more than he wants you back alive." She meets my eyes. "He's reckless, he doesn't think. Look out for him for me, will you?"

I nod. "Of course I will."

Two weeks later, the first patrol arrives. Natsu comes running inside a little after noon.

"Crap! Lucy! Get down here now!"

"Natsu?" I say curiously, coming out of the library to see what the fuss is about.

He grabs my hand and drags me down the hallway.

"What's happening? Where are we going? Natsu!" I protest as he pulls me down several flights of stairs, into the lower, darker levels of the castle.

He stops abruptly, making me bump into his back. "Oomph. Wha—Natsu?"

He puts a finger to my lips, making me go silent. Quickly, he puts his hand to a random spot on the wall. Flames spiral from his fingertips, illuminating a strange shape, and a door opens in the wall.

Without hesitating, he shoves me inside and quickly follows.

On the other side of the door is a small room, more like a jail cell really. There's a bench on one side, and a window to let in light, but the rest of the small room is bare.

"What's going on?" I demand.

He leans against the wall, letting out a breath. "Soldiers. Coming up the hill. They'll be inside any moment now."

I look at him. "So….why are we in here?"

"They'll be searching the whole castle. Every room. This is one of the prison cells—"

"Prison cells?!"

"Yeah. It's an old castle. Anyways, it's impossible to get in here without being a member of the Dragneel family, so we're safe." He says

"We can get out, right?" I say, a little skeptically.

He grins, sitting down with his back to the wall. "Yeah, sure. It'll be a while though."

I slide to the floor across from him, not trusting that rotten old bench to hold my weight. The sounds of footsteps echo through the halls, and they can be heard even from in here. I look across at Natsu, who has decided to take a nap. His vest is open down the front, and for the first time I notice how the muscles move with each breath, rippling and strong as steel.

I shake myself out of it. What on earth, Lucy?! Stop it!

A blush creeps into my cheeks, and I sheepishly look away.

I don't ever want to fall for anyone. From what I've seen of romance, it only tears people apart.

"Dad, momma's going to be okay, isn't she? The doctor can heal her with his magic!" I said, standing in the hallway outside the room where my mother was resting. The king shut the door carefully, so as not to wake his wife.

"Of course, Lucy. The doctor is a mage. Mages can do anything." I was too young to hear the tremble in his voice, or the way his eyes held concern and fear.

I hugged him around the waist, comforted by his hand on my head. "Daddy, I'm scared!"

He knelt down, looking me in the eyes with his loving ones. "Lucy, your mother needs both of us to be brave for her. Do you think you can do that?"

I nodded, and he wiped my tears away with a gentle hand. "Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

"Is it really, papa?" I said, voice shaking.

"I promise. No matter what the future holds, I will always be here for you." He vowed.

A month later, my mother passed away.

"Daddy, who are all of these people? Why are they here?" I asked, clinging to his hand in the courtyard. There were so many people lined up, in rows, just standing there. Guards were stationed around the perimeter. I spotted a little girl, about my age, standing with her mother. I waved at her, and she smiled and waved back. For some reason, her mother stepped in front of her and glared at me through tears.

"Daddy, why is that woman crying? What's going on?" I asked.

My father looked down at me gently. "Lucy, my dear, these are bad people. They must be dealt with accordingly."

"But Daddy, what did they do?" I said.

He put a hand under my chin. "They have betrayed our country. Someday, when you are older, you will understand. Now, go with your brother to your room and stay there until Virgo comes to get you, alright?"

"Yes Daddy."

"There's my little princess." He said.

From the nursery, my brother and I played with wooden swords while gunshots rang out in the distance.

Only later did I realize what had happened that day: Those people, that little girl, all of them were innocent. They were killed by my father because of their ability to wield magic or because of their dragon ancestry.

"You'll do as I say and I won't hear a word about it from you, am I clear?!" The king shouted, inches away from my tearful face. "You are not to speak to servants unless you are giving a direct order!"

"B-but she's m-my friend!" I cried, referring to the servant girl who I had been close with for years.

"NONSENSE! I will not have my daughter associating with the likes of her!" He spat angrily. "Now go to your room and don't come out until you've stopped crying!"

I ran upstairs, throwing my small body on the bed, wailing. I soon heard a soft knock on the door, and in came my big brother.

"Lucy…are you okay?" he asked quietly, sitting down beside me and putting a hand on my shoulder.

I lay there, sniveling, as my 12 year old brother tried to comfort me. Finally, after a long while, I sat up and wiped my nose on a handkerchief that he handed me.

"Ky…when do you think our family will be back to normal?" I say, using my nickname for him that our father hates.

He just sighs, looking at me with big brown eyes. "I don't know, Lucy. But we'll be okay."

"We'll be okay."

Years passed, and finally I was turning 17. The banquet was to be huge; many representatives from all the surrounding nations were to be present. Father had called me to his study to discuss something.

"Father?" I said stiffly, opening the door with care.

He looked up from where Malachi was filling out some papers for him, some 'princely duty'. My brother caught my eye, sharing a mutinous grin before going back to work. "Ah, Lucy. I see you're on time today."

"Yes, father."

"It is your seventeenth birthday today, am I correct?"

"Yes, father."

"Well, now that you're nearly a woman, it's time you began contributing to the Heartfilia family." He stated gruffly as he puffed on a pipe.

"…Father?" I said softly, as was 'proper' for a young lady.

"Yes, I've been speaking with the King of Bosco-As you know, our countries have been feuding for years-you see he will be passing soon and needs to secure the bloodline of his family." He continued, pausing to point out an error in Malachi's work.

Oh no. I thought to myself.

He coughed. "I have made the arrangements for your marriage to his son, Prince Cobra, in a peace treaty between Fiore and Bosco. He will be present at your banquet tonight, you will meet your future husband then."

I heard the sound of a pen dropping, and looked over to see Malachi staring, shocked, at the King.

My heart pounded in my chest. Marriage? No.

I cleared my throat, feeling sweat trickle down my neck. "I will not."

I flinched as my father looked at me, his eyes cold and calculating. "You have no say in the matter. I have already arranged it."

"I will not marry a man I have never met." I told him again, my breaths coming quickly in anticipation of his fury.

He leaned in close so that we were eye to eye. "Young lady, you are seventeen. It's time you stop acting like a child and do what's best for the country."

"What's best for country?" Malachi stood up, slamming his hands into the table. "Father, Prince Cobra is renowned for his cruelty. What about what's best for my sister?"

"Silence. As future King, you must understand that we need to act in the best interests of our great nation. You would do well to keep quiet." My father spoke harshly, the words like sharpened blades.

"What's best for the nation?" My brother repeated. "What, like when you slaughtered hundreds of innocent people during the Great Dragon Purge?"

He was standing face to face with the King, breathing hard. "I will not let you trade my sister away like some piece of land!"

A loud smack resounded through the marble walls. It sent Malachi reeling backwards, clutching his cheek. He clutched a chair for support, panting heavily.

I gasped in horror. My father had never hit either of us, not even in his worst moments.

"I will not tolerate insubordination in my own house. Understood?"

Neither of us spoke a word.

"Good."

It was that night, when I met my future husband, that I decided to run away.

I don't realize that there are tears running down my face until Natsu wakes up.

"Luce? What's wrong?" He says, rubbing his eyes. It's been maybe an hour that the soldiers have been searching the castle. We can still hear the footsteps above our heads.

I jump a little, startled, then reach up to touch my wet cheeks. "Oh…that…It's nothing."

"It sure doesn't look like nothing. Come on, Lucy. What's the matter?" He insists.

I wipe away the tears. "Just…thinking. About my father."

His expression turns somber. "That man? Look, Lucy, don't worry about him. No matter what happens, I won't let him get to you."

The stone beneath me is still cold as ice, making me wrap my arms tighter around myself. I attempt a smile. "Thanks, Natsu, but I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Oh, stop. We're friends, and that's what friends are for. I don't know what he did to you, but I promise I won't let him hurt you again. Got it?"

I manage a real smile. "Okay."

Thanks for reading! So there, now you know why Lucy ran away. I don't usually work with OCs, but Malachi is an exception cause I couldn't think of a character that would work as a brother.