I meant to post this at midnight LOL but I was busy writing something else!
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Lucy was a princess who few knew stepped into the country of demons, a defenseless baby that was in the same room as the Demon King.
While no one was aware of the sacrifice the prince made for her, there were still a select few knights who assumed her life was somehow dependent on that kingdom. While the assumption was somewhat correct, there was no way to say Lucy wasn't Lucy. The demon prince sacrificed his soul to save her own, not that Jude could tell anyone.
He was unaware of the small growing faction within his kingdom, followers who saw the princess as a demon living in place of their ruler.
It was a small group that decided to put itself together, made up of a few soldiers who had escorted the king into Tartaros all those years ago. They refused to believe she wasn't a product of evil, that she was a spy in the form of their former princess. She would only grow to follow the Demon King's influence, to betray the kingdom of Fiore once she took the throne.
They set their plan into action whilst the princess made her way back from an outing one day.
She only wanted to take a carriage to the nearby raspberry fields to pick a basket for some tarts, so the mediocre knights were given the assignment to follow beside her.
The fields were still within castle territory, however it was much too long of a walk for the princess. Jude was not keen on letting his weak, shining star, walk through slightly hot weather.
Lucy didn't mind, and simply hummed by her lonesome as she sat in the carriage.
It was a stretch of about three miles through a bevy of trees. Which would provide a perfect cover for their plan to come to fruition.
The guard would prove to be worthless, as his loyalties lay elsewhere, currently sat beside the cart driver waiting for his signal.
Once a sharp bird whistle rang through the air, the coachman was knocked out by an elbow colliding with his temple.
Lucy sat in the windowless carriage, curiously looking around as they came to a sudden stop. She waited patiently for them to begin moving again, jumping as a loud thud sounded from the other side of her door.
"What…?" She questioned the noise, shrieking as the carriage began to shake. The princess shouted as her body was thrown to the floor, the jostling refusing to settle.
"Pardon...pardon me? But is everything alright out there?" She asked, patiently waiting for an answer.
Lucy was met with silence, not even the whiney of a horse.
She gulped as she stood up, carefully reaching for the door handle with an unsteady breath.
The soldiers worked quickly as they chopped the wheels off of the vehicle, chucking the scraps around the damaged cart. They piled extra wood they brought along at its sides, pouring barrels of oil to construct their perfect trap.
They ran away, tossing a single match into the puddle of oil that began to stream away from its source.
The princess shook the handle, trying to open the door of her carriage. Tears spilled from her eyes at the sound of maniacal laughter and the tearing of wood. Whoever it was out there must have jammed the door shut, the reason still unknown to her.
"What's going on out there?!" Lucy shouted, now kicking the door to try and free herself. She grunted, taking off her heel to try and jimmy it between the door and the hinge.
There was suddenly silence around her, not a peep to be heard, even by the birds.
She huffed and fell backward, her energy quickly exerted from her desperate effort to get free. The princess wiped away the sweat from her brow, wondering just when she began to perspire so much. And when her dress became this stuffy, way too stuffy to even think about wearing anymore.
"Oh...oh my goodness!" She gasped, pressing her hand to the wall and quickly pulling it away with a hiss. A fire was enveloping around her at all sides, the floor too hot for her to continue sitting on.
Lucy jumped up and curled herself on the seated edge, cringing as the wooden surface slowly began to crack under the heat.
The princess coughed as her nose began to burn with the smell of smoke, her fingers twitching back as they almost brushed against the surrounding flames.
She gasped, coughing again as she sucked in the bitter air, the lack of oxygen becoming painfully obvious. She pulled herself onto her knees, hissing as she held the back of her head.
She stood up, moving carefully as the wood creaked beneath her. The outside of the carriage was lit with flames that slowly began to seep in.
She panicked, grabbing the brass handle, only to scream as the hot metal nearly burned her. The princess pushed on the door with her shoulder, knowing her attempts to escape were only growing more and more futile.
She coughed and gasped as the air was quickly eaten away by the angry flames, trapping her in a whirlwind of carbon dioxide. Her hand wrapped softly around her throat as she struggled to breathe, the door cracking apart as the fire began to enter the room.
Her eyes began to waver, the blurry sight of smoke clouding her vision from anything else. When her consciousness began to drift in and out, Lucy heard a voice rise from somewhere in the back of her mind.
"...uce...Luce...oi, c'mon, Lucy…!" The voice steadily grew in volume, shocking her awake from her near slumber. It seemed to echo in her head, the view in front of her becoming dim.
"You can breathe, trust me! It's in your blood, in through your nose and out through your teeth. It'll hurt at first but you have to do it, you have to!"
She hastily obeyed, not certain who it was that spoke to her, but she trusted them all the same.
"In…and out...c'mon…in and out...you got it, don't give up!" Her eyes were forced to close, not used to the burning sensation of the smoke against them. She breathed slowly, uncomfortable as her throat felt like it was shredding against the intense heat.
"Salamander is almost there, just hold on another minute," She nodded and seethed through the smoke that flowed down her lungs, confused as to why her body began accepting it.
Not used to the warmth that began to swarm around within her, she became feverish and weak. The air was breathable but too hard on her body to withstand for great amounts of time.
Lucy huffed as the smoke burned her lungs, the blonde coughing through the pain.
"Goddamnit where is he?! Luce, please, try again. For me? I can't go save you, so you gotta breathe, just breathe."
She closed her eyes, trying her best to concentrate, strangely feeling safe with the voice instructing her. She felt the world begin to disappear around her, sensation falling away as her lungs refused to burn under the strain. She had no idea how she would be able to breathe as the oxygen continued to diminish, but trusted the voice nonetheless.
Her body was caught before it fell to the crackling floor, the strong arms of an unknown person quickly lifting her up and carrying her out.
Barely conscious at this point, the princess could feel as the air became clean again. The smoke rose from her lips and slowly began to fade, her head falling to rest against her savior's chest.
Lucy groaned, her discomfort lessened by a gentle hand caressing her forehead. She nuzzled slightly into their palm, knowing she was safe.
She felt warm, and not just because of the fire. Whoever held her gave her a warmth that had been missing from the center of her soul. She craved the return of it to her, to feel the blaze of something run through her blood and seep into her bones.
She looked to the side, seeing the figure who watched over her. A slight gasp passed through her lips, staring into a face with no face. He was made of flames, reds and yellows burning and swirling together.
"Salamander…?" She coughed through a hoarse voice, wanting to laugh at his rapid head nod. She reached out for him, their fingers twinning together as she slowly fell back asleep. "Please...don't go."
She didn't want them to leave, she wanted to be held, even if just for a moment longer.
When Lucy opened her eyes again, it was to the view of her bedroom ceiling and the sound of her weeping mother. The maids and nurses began shouting and scrambling as they noticed her eyes open.
The burning smell had vanished from her nose, and she was able to take even breaths without feeling smoke chafe her lungs. But her desired warmth had vanished, somehow making her feel oh so lonely.
"Princess! Oh, Princess, you're awake!" Spetto cried as she stepped into the room, seeing Lucy sat up.
"I must...I must fetch the doctor. Your mother and the king too," She said as she wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, quickly standing up to leave before Lucy could get a word in.
She sighed and laid back down, her eyes lazily wandering around her bedroom.
The fire was still lit in the fireplace, making Lucy purse her lips slightly.
While she had just been trapped in a box of fire, she wasn't afraid of it in the slightest. Most would be after such a traumatic event, but there was still a voice lingering in her head. One that reminded her she was safe, that fire was her strength.
Before she knew it, her parents had burst through the door and ran to her side, scrambling to reach her for a long-awaited embrace.
"Did I worry you two that much?" She giggled, her heart gone soft as her mother tucked her head against her chest. "I feel just fine, so please don't be sad,"
"My daughter," King Jude sighed as he loosened his hold on her. "Please forgive me, I can't believe I let such a thing happen...I couldn't protect you,"
Lucy told them everything she could remember, but conveniently left out the part about Salamander. Since no one had yet to mention him, she wasn't sure if they saw him at all.
"My brave Lucy," Layla sniffled as she buried Lucy into her chest. "I can't believe you escaped such a dire situation, all on your own, my love! All on your own...!"
"I can't say that I remember how," Lucy sighed as her mother smothered her cheeks with kisses. "I'm glad to be home safe as well,"
Jude gulped silently off to the side, half-listening to the doctor informing him of Lucy's symptoms. From what the knight's first on scene reported, was the remnants of the burning carriage and the princess fainted in the grass a ways away.
They took note of the carriage, inspecting one of the walls that had been kicked away with a hefty amount of force, something that should've been impossible for such a weak-natured princess. Her dominant foot should have sustained some sort of injury, especially since she never had any sort of combat or endurance experience.
They chalked it up to a surge of adrenaline, just thankful they found their princess without any serious injuries.
But the king knew that it couldn't possibly be the result of her own efforts. Somehow...somehow that boy was involved. He was grateful that Lucy was safe, but scared knowing the Demon King had not lied. Her soul was combined with the Prince's, and he'd surely come to claim her soon.
Lucy sighed later that night, sipping on a cup of herbal tea that had been prescribed by the doctor. Her memories were pretty fuzzy, the princess unable to recollect anything to explain to the royal guards besides passing out. She barely remembered who it was that trapped her in the first place.
But her body retained the memory of her core partner, the emptiness dragging her down quite a bit. She warmed herself by the fire, a calm smile gracing her lips.
"I don't know why," She said to herself, eyes looking into the blazing red and yellow flames. "But I really want to thank you right now."
Somewhere on the other end of the flame was a solemn smiling boy, wishing he could reach through and hold his precious fiancee. If only he could be by her side.
And somewhere in the deep woods of Fiore was the fire spirit taking great care of those who tried to harm his other half. A faction of the rebellion would never be found, their ashes blowing away in the gentle breeze.
maybe I should add teasers? so you know what might be going on next time but I like keeping yall in suspense
thank you! until next time!