Lucy couldn't say she wasn't nervous about meeting everyone that Natsu claimed was so excited to meet her. She had never met another dragon before and having to be presented to Natsu's subjects made her even more nervous than standing before her very own queen. Would they welcome her with open arms? Would they sneer at her as they realize she wasn't what they were expecting? Would Natsu get negative attention because of her?
All these dark thoughts plagued the princess and she didn't even realize they had come to a stop till she ran into the side of Natsu. She yelped softly and looked up, her wide doe eyes staring into his dark ones.
"What is the matter?" He asked softly and she bit down on her bottom lip, dropping her gaze.
"What if… nobody likes me?"
The look of surprise flashed across his face before confusion. He turned to face her and reached for her hands, holding them gently as he dipped his head down to find her eyes. She followed him up, looking back up at him as he gave her a soft sigh.
"What is there not to like about you?" He asked, giving her a smile. "You are funny, strong, beautiful, and witty. You are more than you believe to be and I wish you could see that," he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze and she could feel her bottom lip wobbling. "Everyone will adore you. They already do."
"You speak about me?"
"And Happy," Natsu grinned, which made her beam at the idea of seeing her furry companion. "He really likes you."
"I.. really like him, too." Her cheeks flushed at her confession and Natsu's lips just stretched wider.
"Well, come on, then!" He yanked at her hand, his entire face beaming with joy and excitement. "He's waiting for ya!"
Natsu tugged her into a very large room where a long extended table that could fit nearly thirty people sat with more people she had ever seen gathered in one room. She was stunned to see such a rambunctious set of people, loud chatter and shouts filling the air as the younger ones shoved and shouted at one another. Adults who chatted idly without a care in the world filled the room, those of all different types of builds and colored hair.
The most surprising thing about it to the princess was how close everyone seemed. Back in her own kingdom, nobody ever truly sat around to eat like this nor would they participate in such chatter.
Maybe it really was a dragon thing.
"Our majesty, the dragon king, welcome!" The stewardess announced making the entire room grow hush. Lucy grew stiff when she felt everyone shift their eyes towards her and she felt her skin flush in embarrassment, her gaze shifting to look at Natsu.
"Attention everyone!" He brought her closer, slinging his arm over her waist. "I want you all to meet Princess Lucy Heartfillia from the Heartfillia kingdom!"
Lucy startled when roars of cheers and welcome echoed in the air and she moved closer into Natsu's grasp, shyly dipping her head down while she dropped into a curtsy.
"Thank you for welcoming me into your kingdom."
"Wow, Natsu, where'd you find her?" A wide-eyed little boy around the age of twelve came bouncing over, sharp canines and wild black hair unlike the dragon kings.
Lucy was in shock hearing this little boy call the dragon king by his first name and she blinked stupidly at the interaction.
"I met her back when I traveled to the Heartfillia kingdom," he had a proud smile on his face, his arm still wrapped around her small waist. "Isn't she radiant?"
"She reminds me of a sunflower!"
Lucy bashfully smiled at the grinning boy, seeing how Natsu ruffled his hair with a grin of his own.
"Luuuucy!" A wail echoed before the princess was caught off guard and thrown back. Luckily, Natsu held her in place as she realized a blue furry cat latched onto her chest, his claws dug into the fabric to cling onto the woman. "I missed you soooo much!"
"Happy!" Lucy cried out before her own arms wrapped around him, holding him close against her. "I missed you, too!"
"You've gotten so thin, Lucy!" Happy gasped, looking up at the princess who's smile dropped. "You know, you don't have to keep dieting! Dragons like meat! Especially Natsu!"
The tips of her ears burned, all the way down to her chest and she was gawking at the sly cat who was snickering behind his paw. She could hear the soft chuckle that was coming from the dragon king beside her and she scowled, shooting him a glare as he smirked.
"Speaking of… come," his voice was commanding yet gentle. "Let us start this feast! I am sure the princess is famished."
"Famished?" One of them piped up. "She's obviously starving!"
Laughter tinkered into the air and Lucy felt embarrassed about the mention of her thin body but Natsu didn't allow herself to curl in as he held her tightly. He pressed a kiss into her hair, giving her a reassuring smile that she could only smile softly at.
Natsu had brought her to the head of the table where his seat was, dragging an empty chair to have her sit right beside him. She tried to protest and she said she shouldn't be at the head with him but he declared since she was royalty she shall be sitting in a throne right beside him.
And she didn't want to argue with him when she was in his kingdom and she did not know what type of customs that may carry here.
There was so much noise that Lucy had a hard time grasping reality. The meals started to come out and more food she had ever laid her eyes on got laid out with roast meats, vegetables, salads, rolls, and desserts. The smell alone got the princess' mouth salivating and her stomach grumbled loudly but she waited her turn as she watched the servants fill the table till there was no space left over.
Lucy stiffened in her spot when she watched the entire ton turn and look right at her, making her grow rigid and stare back wide-eyed.
"W—why is everyone looking at me?" Lucy leaned in to whisper and Natsu laughed, seeing how he was also waiting for her.
"Sorry, I should have mentioned it prior," the king chuckled, grinning at her. "In the Dragon Kingdom, the women are the ones who are to begin the meal and grab their fill before anyone else. Normally, it would be me but since you are a princess and second highest in this room, you are the first to dig in."
The princess was baffled at the information the dragon king rattled off to her and she was stunned by the customs they enforced. Especially since she was taught to believe that women were supposedly the 'weaker' bunch and weren't all that important back in her homeland. She was always raised to be a 'good wife' or 'daughter' in the eyes of a man and a man's word was always taken seriously over a woman.
"I did not realize dragons were so… untraditional."
"I wouldn't say it's untraditional," Natsu said as he grabbed her plate, deciding to plate her own food for her since she wasn't making a move to do so herself. "We respect and care for the dragoness' in our kingdom. Without them, there would be no life nor nurture nor would there be a future for us. Woman and man are seen as equals here but with certain customs that hold women to a higher degree, it could be debatable."
Setting down a very full plate of food in front of the princess, Lucy stared at it with wide eyes, wondering how he expected her to eat this much. But Natsu never seemed to care if the princess could eat everything or not as he always bought her this and shove that into her mouth.
And as she picked up her fork to dig into the sweet potatoes, she hesitantly brought it to her mouth where flavors of brown sugar, butter, and the smooth creamy sweet potato came together to bring tears to her eyes.
"This is…" she swallowed, looking at Natsu with wide gleaming eyes. "..really good."
A wide grin stretched across his lips and Natsu was barking out into laughter, "I'm really glad to hear, Luce," he set his own plate down. "Now, dig in everybody! Let us all welcome dear princess Lucy to our own home!"
Choruses of cheers and shouts filled the air and as everyone got their own share of food and fought over this or that, the princess could only feel warmth fill her as she shared a longing look with the one and only, dragon king.
Oh how grateful she was to be here with him.
"Princess Lucy?" A small timid voice brought her attention away from her plate and she turned to see a wide-eyed blue haired girl standing beside her.
Setting her fork down, Lucy turned to face the younger girl and offered a soft smile. "Yes? Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"My name is Princess Wendy Marvell of the Dragon Kingdom." She curtsied towards her and Lucy's eyebrow rose, turning over to look at Natsu who was ripping through a giant turkey leg.
"You have a sister?"
"Nope," Natsu responded while his mouth and chin shined from the juices.
"Natsu and I are cousins," Wendy finished for the rosy-haired one and Lucy nodded. "I have never met another princess so I am super excited to meet you!"
"Not as happy as I am," Lucy smiled, poking at her nose where Wendy flushed and looked at her bashfully.
"Are you going to be our new queen?"
Lucy sputtered, suddenly caught off guard by the question she was asked and she had no idea how to even respond to that.
Natsu had asked for her hand in marriage but she had rejected him on that offer. He professed his love for her but that didn't mean he still wanted her to be his bride… did he? They haven't even talked about anything of this sort since everything was happening at once and fast. Where did she even stand in the eyes of the Dragon Kingdom? In front of the dragon king?
Uncertainty and confusion swirled inside of her and Lucy felt like it was a punch to the gut.
Natsu must have seen the panic in her face since he came to her rescue.
"Wendy, Lucy had a very long and tiring day. Let's just let her eat and then we can discuss this another time, okay?"
Thankfully, the smaller princess agreed pretty easily and then started to ask her more questions. "So, how did you and Natsu meet?"
Lucy felt herself relaxing a bit more at her next question, grateful this was a topic she could speak about. "We met back in my kingdom, he had come for a visit to negotiate a treaty with us."
Natsu urged her to continue eating so Lucy had done just that, trying a little bit of everything that covered her plate while Wendy continued to linger beside her.
"Is that where you two fell in love?"
Lucy was back to sputtering and she was now coughing, the food going down the wrong hole for her to pound on her chest. Natsu was trying to help her by also hitting his palm against her back, a cup of water being slid over to the red faced princess.
Wendy continued to stand there and blink in her direction, seemingly waiting for her response while Lucy tried to compose herself.
At least she knew that it wasn't just the dragon king who was shameless.
And seeing how Natsu was not coming to her rescue for this one, Lucy could only feel the embarrassment swell inside of her as she cleared her throat.
"Yes," she decided to admit out loud.
Natsu had mentioned that dragons are very honest and don't beat around the bush so why should she be any different? She knew these people probably knew some things about what had happened and if they were all so excited to meet her, Natsu must have said something for them to know why she was here.
Wendy's eyes widened with glee, sparkling in delight and making Lucy grow even redder. She didn't even want to look at Natsu to see what type of expression he had.
"How did you know you were in love?"
Now a lot of others were looking in their direction and Lucy was finding herself gaping like a goldfish, unsure how to talk about such a thing.
"Wendy," Natsu said, making her turn and face him. "You should eat and allow Lucy to eat her meal, too. She had a very long day. I promise we can talk more when she is in better condition."
"Okay," Wendy pouted in a way that reminded her of Natsu and Lucy was blinking seeing her dip her chin down.
Opening her mouth to reassure her, Natsu had beat her to it and her heart warmed at the sight of the dragon king coming over to kneel in front of the younger princess. He spoke so softly that she couldn't hear since there was so much chatter but the young princess' face beamed not too long after and Wendy was skipping away from the two to return back to her seat.
Once Natsu found his seat, Lucy turned to him to see him look right back at her.
"What did you say to her?"
"Nothing important," Natsu reached for his half-eaten turkey leg. "Eat up, Luce." He urged her to continue her meal, seeing how she was falling behind. "Do not be afraid to indulge yourself here. I made sure to prepare only the best for you, my star."
Lucy felt her cheeks heating up at his words but the grin he gave her only had her smiling back. While her nerves made it hard for her to eat so openly, Lucy allowed herself to eat as much as she could till she felt like she would burst. There was nobody here to watch and judge her on how much she ate or what she ate considering she was in a room full of dragons whose appetite could rival pigs.
She was glad that it wasn't just Natsu who was like this but everyone else. The dragons were extraordinary creatures with amazing abilities and being a princess who had been locked away in her own kingdom for the last twenty years of her life, everything was eye-opening for her.
Meeting new people, being in a new place, and even experiencing such wonderful things brought the princess' spirits up higher than she ever thought possible.
And even with such a lively bunch of people, Lucy wondered if everyone here was part of the palace or were part of the royal family in one way.
Her eyes shifted down the massive table to catch the faces of those around and she was surprised she even recognized a few of them when they had come to her own kingdom with their king. She wondered what they thought of her since they had seen her back at her own kingdom and she also wondered what these people thought of her.
She clearly was brought here by their king, did nobody think to ask why?
Dinner went by quickly and smoothly without any more potential heart attacks and as Lucy was too full to even indulge in dessert, Natsu had escorted her out of the packed room and back down the empty halls of his palace. His hand was warm and comforting as it held hers and she could only feel the apples of her cheeks bloom in color while she walked beside him.
"Did you get to eat enough?" Natsu asked, ripping her out of her thoughts as she looked up at him.
He looked dashing with a smile to his face and dark eyes pinned on her, she could only nod, feeling bashful under his heated gaze.
"It was delicious, thank you."
"I am glad," his hand tightened around her fingers and she noticed the pinch look on his face. "If there is anything you ever want or need, Lucy… do not be afraid to ask for it."
Feeling her bottom lip begin to wobble, Lucy bit down on it, a curt nod being the only thing she could do.
Natsu brought her back down the halls and into an empty drawing room, couches and a table set scattered around with a desk pushed towards the middle of the room. A nice fireplace flickered orange and yellow hues, bringing a warmth to the room.
"Where are we?" Lucy asked as Natsu brought her over towards the chairs and had her sit down.
"This is one of the drawing rooms," Natsu explained as he looked down at her, dropping her hand.
"And what are we doing here?"
Her question was answered for her immediately when the door opened and Wendy emerged with Happy floating right beside her. The young princess beamed at the sight of Lucy and Happy flew right into her arms, purring loudly and contently where it had her giggling.
"Luuucy!" Wendy cried happily, practically running over to her as well with a wide grin to her face.
"Wendy!" She offered a bright smile as the small child bounced over. "What are you doing here?"
"Natsu asked me to come heal with you after dinner."
Lucy was stunned with her words as she had completely forgotten about her bruises she still had on her body. Everything was so overwhelming for her that she had forgotten a big part where Natsu had said he would have someone heal them for her but she wasn't expecting it to be Wendy of all people.
She looked far too young to be a healer!
"H—how could you do that?"
"Remember how I told you that only the direct bloodline welds fire?" Natsu spoke up, making her turn to look at him. "Wendy is royalty as well, just not in direct bloodline with me. She welds sky magic which also comes with healing abilities. It's part of her bloodline."
Lucy was shocked at the knowledge that was given to her and she was in awe while staring at the two dragons who stood before her grinning.
"And it won't hurt," Natsu quickly added.
Lucy didn't know if she should laugh at the look of concern on Natsu's face but she simply smiled, giving him such a warm gaze his worry sizzled away.
"Now let's see the injury," Wendy came closer where Lucy nodded. She felt nervous about exposing her bruises towards Happy and Wendy but she knew Natsu had asked her to do this for her because of his concerns. She wondered if they would judge her for being so weak and gaining such injuries as she pushed her sleeve up, avoiding their eyes.
She could hear Wendy's soft hiss at the sight of the dark bruise and the slight rise of temperature which made her know Natsu was brewing in anger once again.
"How did you get hurt, Lucy?" Happy asked while he was seated in her lap. Lucy visibly tensed in her seat as she could feel Wendy and Natsu's eyes shift on her as well and she dipped her chin down, feeling a bit awkward.
"Um…"
"It's not important," Natsu said curtly and it sounded as if he was saying it through clenched teeth. "I'll deal with it. Could you just please get rid of that? I hate seeing it on her."
"Aye," Happy agreed as quickly.
Lucy watched in full curiosity as Wendy came closer towards her and lifted her small hands, hovering them over her bruises. Seeing how a soft blue glow began to surround her palms, Lucy instantly felt the warmth touch her skin and such a tingly sensation prickle. It was magical as the princess watched her bruises begin to fade ever so slowly, disappearing little by little where soon it was just pale smooth skin.
She was in awe at the ability, never seeing such a thing back in her own kingdom nor ever seeing someone as young as Wendy weld such powerful magic.
"You are amazing, Wendy," Lucy said with wide sparkly eyes. "Thank you."
"No problem!" Wendy said with a smile of her own. "That was nothing! Barely took anything out of me!"
"I am grateful nonetheless."
Lucy was surprised when Wendy suddenly launched herself into her arms, wrapping her arms around her in a tight grip. The princess nearly gasped out, feeling such a small and warm body clinging onto her and having Happy squirm around on her lap since Wendy had squished herself between him.
"I am so happy you are here," Wendy admitted and Lucy felt frozen in place. "Thank you."
When Wendy pulled away, Lucy was even more confused than before, looking up at Natsu who just shrugged his shoulders, a slight smile to his own lips.
"Can we play tomorrow?" Wendy asked her, looking up at her with wide doe eyes that were almost impossible to say no to.
Lucy could feel her cheeks heating up as Natsu chuckled beside her, a soft smile spreading across her lips. "Uh, sure!"
The bright expression on her face made her giggle softly, offering a smile towards the young princess who gathered Happy into her arms. She waved enthusiastically towards Lucy, promising to see her tomorrow while she left. Natsu held his hand out once again, making Lucy place hers on top of his as he hauled her to her feet.
"You must be exhausted," Natsu said while he was guiding her through the long halls again. They zipped through the many hallways where Lucy took in the decor and gazed upon the palace in awe. "Let's get you to bed and we shall recap tomorrow."
The dragon king had brought her inside a bedroom, a massive space with a large king bed pressed against the wall. A vanity was pushed into the corner wall, a table set and a nice loveseat placed in the middle of the room. Dark red velvet drapes hung against the wall, keeping whatever light outside away, and a massive chandelier hung above them.
"Natsu," Lucy gave his hand a squeeze, making him stop and turn back to look at her. She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling nervous about asking him about her kingdom while casting her head down. She let out a small gasp when she felt Natsu's hand grab at her chin, tipping her head up to force her to look up at him. All the air felt as if it was sucked out of her as her eyes pinned on the dark eyes of the dragon king, mesmerized.
"You are a princess," he spoke softly, keeping her chin tilted up. "Keep your chin up while you speak, do not be afraid nor ashamed to ask me anything."
Her cheeks bloomed in color and she wanted to turn her head away but his fingers kept her in place.
Swallowing thickly, she slowly nodded. "I… what is going to happen with me?"
Natsu blinked at her, clearly confused about her question.
"I mean, what is to happen to my kingdom and I since you brought me here. What is going to happen?"
The dragon king nodded as soon as he understood her question and he dropped her hand to venture further into the room while Lucy stood there in confusion. She watched him go over to a small dresser pushed against the bed, digging through the drawer till he pulled out what looked like a nightgown. He approached her once again, staring down at her with such a calm expression, she couldn't find it in herself to feel so nervous about his answer.
"Do not fret about such things right now, princess, it will only stress you out." He placed the nightgown in her possession, smiling softly at her blinking eyes. "We shall go over everything tomorrow once you are well rested, my star." He brushed her hair behind her ear, a soft pink hue dusting her cheeks once again. "This will be your chambers from now on."
Continuing to blink owlishly, Lucy looked around to take in the sight of her own room. The stark contrast of the colors and size alone surprised her since her own bedroom back at her kingdom wasn't this lavish.
"I am just across the hall," he continued to speak, making her turn back to look at him. "If you need anything… do not hesitate to call for me."
A slight disappointment rushed through her when she realized she would not be with the dragon king. She thought she would be staying with him and while it was crass of her to even think that way, the dragon king had already tainted her to be shameless and selfish in a way.
They have already shared a bed and seen each other naked. Would it be so wrong to share a bed now?
"Why do you look so down?" Natsu asked, his warm palm brushing against her skin making her flinch. Color bloomed where he touched and she shyly looked up at him, fidgeting in her spot. "Lucy?"
"C—could I…" She bit down on her bottom lip, dipping her head down to watch her fingers fiddle with one another. "Could we…"
Natsu tilted her head up by her chin, forcing her to face him and look up at him with wide eyes.
"Look at me when you are demanding things from me, Lucy," he spoke, his dark eyes swimming with mirth. "You are a princess. Speak to me like so."
It was harder to ask him to share a bed with her when she had to look at him and she knew she probably looked like a goldfish out of water. How could anyone speak so freely when Natsu was staring into their soul like he was with her? He made her knees feel like jello and her heart pound as if it was trying to escape.
"I don't want to be alone," she blurted out, feeling her chest and face grow hot with embarrassment. Natsu quirked a brow up, continuing to stare at her and wait for her to speak. "I… want to be with you…"
A small smile curled on his lips and Lucy was a bit surprised to see the small dusting of pink on his own cheeks. He stroked the side of her face with his thumb, leaning in to press a kiss on her forehead which made her heart stutter.
"Why didn't you just say so?" He chuckled and it further flustered her. "I shall join you once I get dressed and ready for bed."
Taking a step back, Lucy's arm shot out to fist into the material and it surprised her as much as it surprised the king, the both of them staring at her hand that was extended out. She quickly tried to pull her hand away but Natsu grabbed at her wrist, encouraging her with his eyes and silence to say what she wanted.
"P—pr—promise?" She felt like a little kid and she was embarrassed how pathetic she was being.
But she was in a completely new place and new kingdom without the knowledge of her own kingdom and she was afraid. She was exhausted beyond belief after the wild day she had but she knew these thoughts would plague her and force her into nightmares she did not want to participate in. And she knew the only thing, the only person that could help her was none other than the dragon king himself.
She trusted him and trusted he would have everything handled for her. She knew he wouldn't ever put her in a position to hurt her or have her do anything against her will. She felt safest near him and if she was going to be in a kingdom where she was inside of a literal volcano with all sorts of dragons surrounding her, she knew she would want to be beside Natsu.
Even if it meant she had to be pathetic and practically beg him to stay with her, she didn't care.
"I promise, my love," he brought her dainty hand up to kiss the back of her palm, warmth spreading down her hand and shooting through her thin body. "Would you like anything in the time being to help soothe you? Perhaps a book? Or some tea? I could ask someone to run a bath for you."
"I—I am alright, my lord, no need to worry."
"Alright then," he grinned at her. "I shall meet you shortly. Everything you shall need is in the bathroom." He nudged his head over towards the closed door beside the bed frame and Lucy just nodded, smiling at him. "See you soon, my star." He brushed his hand across her face once more before finally leaving her to her own chambers.
Lucy was rooted to her spot, cheeks blazing hot and heart racing. She could only smell the scent of the dragon king lingering in her chambers and as she finally let her eyes wander, she could not believe where she was at the moment. This had to be some crazy wild dream.
She did not think this was how her wedding day was going to go nor did she think she would still be alive as night fell. Especially standing inside of the Dragon Kingdom and having such a whimsical moment of feasting and getting dressed, all if it was a stark contrast to her life back at the Heartfillia Kingdom.
How could she have gotten so lucky? How did this happen to her? Were the stars finally listening to her pleas and helping her get to where she was now?
The thought of her kingdom made her heart squeeze a bit painfully and the earlier worries came back roaring to life.
What was to happen to her and her kingdom now? What was going to happen to the duke? Were they going to come after her? After Natsu?
While having these suffocating thoughts that made the princess even more jittery, Lucy quickly went inside of her bathroom to get dressed for bed.
Even her own bathroom was lavish and beautiful with the dark marble flooring and ruby red walls. She had her own clawfoot tub with beautiful golden feet and dark, obsidian stone. A double vanity with a round mirror was placed beside it and Lucy rushed to take a look at herself. She had yet to do so nearly all day and she had no idea how she looked without the privy eyes of the dragon king.
She knew Natsu was hurting when he was looking at her. She could never forget how rough his voice sounded or how hard his eyes became when she had become bare in front of him. The shaking of his hands and the heat that came from him whenever his emotions slipped was all she focused on when she was exposed.
Lucy never wanted Natsu to ever see her that way. Beatened, battered, weak, and pathetic. She was covered in bruises and scratches and not to mention how thin she had become in the last coming weeks, she just knew Natsu probably thought indifferently about her now.
Men prefer women with nice, smooth skin. Thin body and clear skin is key to winning attention and affection from men.
Even now, away from the negativity of her own kingdom and peers, Lucy could hear her step-mother's words ring inside of her head.
Does Natsu still find her attractive? Did he find her disgusting and ugly now that she was so thin her bones protrude out and her hair was so coarse and dry. Did he find her weak and pathetic for allowing the duke to take advantage of her like that? Did he think of her as some damsel in distress and he was just merely doing these out of duty?
I love you, Lucy.
Could it all be a lie..?
With shaking hands, Lucy splashed her face with some cold water to get rid of the tear stains and dirt. She tried to calm herself down as she kept spiraling out of control. She felt as if she was almost choking once again, harsh breaths leaving her mouth and leaving her trembling in her spot.
Her body was growing heavy and with her eyelids drooping, Lucy could feel the day dragging her down. Crying and feeling sorry for oneself always was a draining act Lucy desperately wanted to detach herself from but it was always so hard, their massive claws latched deep onto her.
The nightgown was thin and almost the same as hers back at home but the only difference was the material. While her kingdom was known for more of their cotton, the Dragon kingdom seemed to prefer silk.
The princess didn't mind so much since it felt cool against her skin and the material looked much better, slipping against her body like a waterfall.
And she also noticed that the dragons definitely preferred clothing that was more revealing, deep necklines, short dresses, slits and holes all over their clothing… The princess did not mind so much since she never had a chance to wear such clothing like this but it still made her feel flustered.
The nightgown hung off her body as if it was too big for her and while her chest had no problem filling out the material, it was loose everywhere else.
It felt like all her clothing felt this way and granted she did not have any clothes here except for the ones Natsu had been handing her, she wondered what type of style and fashion the female dragons had in their very own kingdom.
Looking at herself in the mirror, the short, strapless nightgown that hung off her body was racy and suggestive. Her breasts nearly spilled out from the neckline and the slit on the side exposed all the way up to her hips. While the material hung down to mid-thigh, Lucy still felt embarrassed to be in front of anyone looking like this. Could Natsu have done this on purpose? Was he trying to suggest something?
Lucy watched how her entire face grew red, seeing her flustered expression in the mirror, she placed her palms against her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head back and forth, trying to rid of the lewd images she had.
She couldn't possibly do anything tonight… on her… wedding night? With another man? But this was Natsu… she already had been intimate with him so it's not so weird… is it?
Realizing she had been in the bathroom for a while, Lucy wondered if the dragon king had returned from his own chambers and she cried out internally for putting herself in such a position. She should have hurried and been in bed so she didn't have to deal with the awkwardness of flaunting her assets in front of another man.
With her teeth brushed and her face washed, the princess peeked out from behind the door to see if anyone was inside her room. She slowly came out of her bathroom, looking around to see if anyone else was in her room but she failed to notice the lump in her bed. She took in every crook and cranny of the bedroom, trying to see if anything was out of the ordinary and as she circled back towards her mattress, she yelped when she felt a pair of hands grab at her and yank her back.
Panic rose inside of her but as soon as she smelt his scent, Lucy relaxed back against his chest, feeling all the hard ridges and warmth melt against her body.
"You nearly scared me to death," Lucy shoved his hand away, trying to sit up but Natsu pulled her deeper into the bed, purring against her backside. She giggled softly, feeling as if she had some kind of animal nuzzling against her and she squirmed as he buried his face into her hair, inhaling deeply.
"Don't you know that dragons are natural born predators? You had your back to me and my instinct was screaming at me to snatch you up."
Her cheeks were flushed once more as Natsu flipped her on her back, facing her. He had a wide grin to his face, his hair messy and bangs flopping against his eyes. She was surprised to see his own sleepwear wasn't anything special as it seemed as if he only owned t-shirts and joggers.
"Does your kingdom only force the women to wear such racy clothing while the men are… just in casual clothes?" Lucy asked as the stark contrast between their clothes were more than concerning.
"Not at all," Natsu waved his hand in the air as he laid beside her, his head resting against his hand. "There are no rules to what the dragons have to wear. I simply provided these clothes to you because I thought you would look nice in them."
"So these are all mine?"
"Yep. Made for you, especially."
"Then how come none of them fit? I know you know my measurements. You have bought me a dress before!" Lucy looked at him accusingly, the blush refusing to leave her skin.
His dark eyes trailed down her body and as she laid on her back on the mattress, Lucy hugged herself, scowling at the shameless sight of him drinking her in.
And still, oddly enough, she never found it disgusting or offensive like she usually did when a man did it.
"I had them made in the right measurements, princess," he purred at her, smirking at her confused expression. "You will eventually fill them out, like I mentioned before… do not worry. You are nearly halfway there." His eyes dropped down to look at her breasts and Lucy yanked at the comforter, trying to wrap herself around it. "Do you not like it?"
"I—it is not that," Lucy looked away bashfully, biting down on her bottom lip. "I just never worn anything like this before and it is… embarrassing."
"Nothing to be embarrassed about," he twirled a piece of her hair on his finger, the golden locks slipping from his hand. "Like I mentioned before, I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on."
The compliment shot down her body and sent a tingle down her spine, the familiar pulse of her cunt bringing her body to life and making it seem as if she was dropping into a pit of lava. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide away from the feelings the dragon king openly exclaims but when she felt him lift the blankets away from her, she could only blink up at him.
"Why are you trying to hide away from me?" He asked, scooting closer towards her with a playful grin to his face. "Are you not the one who asked me to stay?"
"Y—yes, but I—"
"But, nothing," he grabbed at her, pulling her into his chest where she came in contact with hard warmth. "Come here, Lucy, I need you in my arms."
Lucy felt his arms curl around her body and hold her making her melt into his embrace. She felt comfortable and relaxed, breathing in the unique scent of her lover. She truly felt as if nothing could happen to her as long as she was in his arms and as she felt his hand run up and down her back, she could only press herself against him even more.
Her eyes felt heavy and they fluttered, the warmth surrounding her like a safety blanket. She could hear the soft hums rumble from the dragon king which lulled her to sleep even more.
"Sleep, Lucy," his soft whisper filled her ears while she was slipping into unconsciousness pretty quickly. "I will be here when you wake."
"Promise?" She muttered blurrily and as she felt his chest vibrate softly with his chuckles, his large hand cradled her head against his chest.
"I promise."