I've been working on this since New Years Eve 2019 bruh
I've been slowly working on it for a while, and honestly it wasn't until recently that I figured out how to end it!
please please please enjoy!
Lucy was a princess born in Fiore, to Queen Layla Heartfilia and her king, Jude Heartfilia. She was the first princess and only heir to inherit the throne, as the queen's constitution could not withstand another pregnancy.
The kingdom's hope for the future rested on the life of the young princess, who, unfortunately, had yet to open her eyes.
Her breath was steady, her skin was healthy, and her body was warm. But she was still and refused to open her eyes, even at the behest of her mother's comforting voice whispering into her ear.
Priests and holy mages tried their best to provoke any response from the baby girl, but nothing seemed to work. She was completely healthy by all means, leaving her symptoms a complete mystery.
It was as if her soul wasn't ready to enter their realm, that it was still on its journey down from the heavens, leaving her vessel waiting and ready for the day it finally arrived.
The king was not satisfied with this theory and refused to leave his daughter in a frozen state. Especially after seeing what his wife had to go through to give birth. She would surely fall ill again worrying about their poor daughter.
There was no one in the kingdom able to wake the princess, even the most ancient holy magic failing this task. This forced the king's aides to suggest the only other way they knew to stir her from this odd slumber, to rely on the demon's kingdom, Tartaros.
Their magic was more advanced…more destructive. It had been hundreds of years since humans and demons were at war, a peace treaty enacted to keep their respective country's tranquil and prosperous.
But it was not as if the demons were kind or trustworthy. There was no knowing what the barren wastelands of Tartaros, filled with obscene beings, would provide for a king who never offered any aid of his own.
The queen was against taking their weak daughter on such a long journey, but they truly had no other choice. Two months since her birth and she had yet to even move a pinky.
"I promise that when I return, my love, our daughter will be awake."
Only a select few were allowed to accompany his highness on the expedition, it would cause too much of a stir if anyone realized just where they were going. The people of Fiore wouldn't look too kindly on a princess who received treatment from a demon. As far as anyone else knew, they were going to the edge of Frost to seek out another holy mage.
A messenger had been sent ahead of them, requesting an audience with the king, Igneel Dragneel.
The demons were not eager to accept the humans into their country, especially with the unnecessary amount of high-class mages in accompaniment. They were the real monsters, arrogant folk who strived to be nothing more than to be the best among the best.
Standing before the king of Tartaros in his throne room blooming with flames, Jude kneeled with Lucy in his hands, gently holding her up.
"My kingdom is at a crossroads, King Dragneel. My daughter, born two months ago, has yet to open her eyes. My priests say that it appears as though her soul is lost within our cosmic universe. She will continue to age but become sick over time; my priests can only keep her healthy for so long. My queen almost gave her life to bear this child...so please...do you know of a way to save her?"
It was quiet for the next few moments, as Igneel pondered the request. He motioned for his aid to lean in, in order to hear him whisper. The man quickly left the room after being excused, returning fairly quickly with a bundle held carefully in his arms.
"I know of a way to save your daughter," Igneel began, rising from his throne to collect the child that Jude held. "But the solution comes at a price."
"I'll pay you anything you demand, as long as you help my Lucy." He begged in one breath.
The demon king chuckled and shook his head as the aid approached him. "Please stand, King Jude,"
Jude stared down at the boy the aid held, pink hair atop his head, eyes vibrant and staring at just about everything he could settle his gaze upon. If he weren't swaddled so tightly, his hands surely would have been grasping at the air curiously.
"I will give your daughter half of my son's heart and soul. They should successfully light a beacon and guide her spiritual being to its proper place."
"And the price?" He watched in awe as Igneel waved a hand over the young prince, a wisp of fire rising from his parted lips. The bright flame settled in the center of his palm, hovering above the blonde princess.
"When her soul returns to her body, it will offer half of itself to my son. Something like this is a customary ritual in our kingdom," Igneel continued, his eyes set lovingly on his son. "Sharing souls will bind them together in a way beyond the understanding of humans or magic. They will seek one another out as they grow, it is an inevitable result as I tie them together."
Jude felt his blood run cold, swallowing the anxious lump in his throat. "I'm not sure if that's something I'm willing to decide without the proper con-" The demon king cut him off rather quickly with a low growl.
"You either agree to save your daughter now or wait for the day she may or may not open her eyes! My son does not deserve this fate any more than your daughter does. I am offering you the only way I see fit to help."
"...You have my thanks, Demon King," Jude cleared his throat, a slight embarrassment present on his cheeks. "Please…continue."
Igneel nodded, taking the flame within his thumb and forefinger. He settled the bobble over Lucy's stomach before dropping it. It phased through her blanket and soaked into her skin, a yellow light pinging across her face for a brief moment.
"It may take some for her body to adjust to his soul and her own, but she should open her eyes soon," Igneel explained as he handed the human king his princess. "Be mindful in remembering that my son will find his way to your daughter one day. There is no reversing this pact we've now sealed."
The carriage ride back to the kingdom of Fiore felt slow and time gnawed at the king's mind. His daughter had yet to open her eyes, squirm, or make a burble rise from her rosy lips. He sat alone and held her close, whispering prayers, hoping that he had not just been deceived by the demon king of Tartaros.
It took a week to once again pass through the gates of his palace, Jude dreading to take even the smallest step from his carriage. Lucy had yet to open her eyes.
His anger towards King Igneel was smothered by the grief he felt, to face his wife still on bed rest.
He sighed and grimaced as the footman opened the door for the king, knights and maids frowning with looks of disdain. Jude walked past them with his head hung low, their quiet princess held close to his chest. It was quiet, as if a funeral procession were being conducted, the subjects refusing to make a single sound.
As he faced the tall doors of the castle entrance the servants had yet to open, a sudden yawn swam into his ears.
It was small and delicate, quickly followed by a subtle coo and whine. He felt the small bundle squirm in his hold, the king slowly bringing the princess away from his chest.
Bright brown eyes stared into his, water pricking their corners. Lucy was quick to begin crying, her legs kicking in the swaddle.
"T...The princess…" A wave of relief washed over all who was able to hear her cries, a joyous hurrah quaking throughout the crowd that stood behind him.
The king ran into the castle, tearful himself as he quickly made his way up to the queen's chambers.
Layla gasped as the doors were thrown open, her husband rushing towards her with the blubbering baby in his arms.
"Oh...oh, my darling Lucy...you're finally awake," She cried, shaking arms moving to cradle her child close to her bosom.
The kingdom rejoiced with the news of their princess finally having opened her eyes. Citizens were thankful someone was finally able to save their dear princess, their prayers finally answered. Festivals and banquets would be held for a month long, everyone refusing to stop the celebration of her newfound life.
Jude decided to keep the knowledge of the bond between his daughter and the demon prince, hoping that if he was careful enough, the princess would never come in contact with said boy.
He was unsure what the soul of the demon would do to her as she grew up, but Lucy seemed just fine.
She was bright and smart, kind and poise, and a stunning replication of her mother.
For all Jude knew, maybe a bond hadn't been created. His daughter didn't yearn for the boy as she grew up, so what was there to worry about?
Nothing, from what Lucy learned throughout her life and its many harrowing experiences because she was being carefully watched over. Natsu would prove to be attentive and protective as the years went on, no one ever the wiser to the relationship forming between their princess and the demon prince.
that and this was going to be a really long one-shot, but it worked out a lot better to write it with multiple chapters! so I hope the flow isn't uncomfortable or anything going forward, please let me know if you ever have any questions!
I have all of the chapters done and ready to go, ill be posting once or twice a couple of weeks at a time!