For the first time in a very long time, the princess had woken up in high spirits. As soon as her eyes opened and adjusted to the bright light coming in from her windows, her thoughts immediately went to the dragon king and she laid in bed for a good bit just to reminisce and gush about her semi-crush on the rosy-haired dragon.

The fateful day of the negotiations have finally come and the princess couldn't even find it in herself to be worried.

Lucy had full confidence in the fact that today will go smoothly. Her and Natsu had a very strong relationship and there should be no reason why he would not want to solidify the alliance.

If last night didn't prove it, she didn't know what would.

After crying her eyes out for far too long, the two had separated. With her hands on his chest and his own still wrapped around her small figure, Lucy could only feel the warmth coming from him. With a tear stricken face, Lucy flashed him a smile, her cheeks and eyes red from crying but otherwise feeling something completely opposite of her appearance. She watched how his eyes widened slightly before his entire features softened.

This was the expression she's seen the most on the king, most specifically when he was looking at her but she did not mind at all. She actually loved it.

Nobody has ever looked at her like the dragon king has.

"Princess…" His hand reached out for her and Lucy held her breath, watching his hand still in the air. Seeing his hesitation, Natsu had gone for her hand instead, thick warm fingers gingerly holding onto her cold dainty ones. "Lucy… you know I'm here… right?"

Lucy blinked up at him, tilting her head in confusion as he gave her a pinched look. With his lips pressed together, he let out a small sigh, his head hanging slightly and his shoulder slumping with his movements.

He looked almost… defeated. As if he was struggling.

"What is it, my lord?"

"I just," he gave her fingers a slight squeeze, his head hung down where his eyes were on their conjoined hands. "I just want you to know that I am here for whatever you deem fit. I will support you in any way you desire and I want you to know that I am here."

Lucy felt like the air was sucked out of her lungs as she stared up at him in surprise.

Even without her uttering such words, it appears as if this cunning dragon was more observant than she thought.

Even if he didn't say such words to her, she knew the hidden meaning behind it. She knew what he was implying and it only made her heart squeeze painfully inside of her chest.

What a dream that could be to just forget about everything and everyone and run away with such a man. Natsu would surely take care of her and show her a life she always dreamt of. He seemed like someone who had plenty of things to show her and she had no doubt he would not bring her happiness.

But something about dreams is that the person eventually wakes up.

They wake up and realize it is not that easy to achieve such a goal. Especially something that involved her running off with Natsu.

It would result in war. She would be outcast as the princess who abandoned her title and kingdom and ran away with the dragon king. A traitor. It would create more bad blood if Natsu decides to go against the Heartfillia kingdom trying to protect her and it would end with her kingdom getting wiped.

There was no chance her kingdom could go against the Dragon kingdom. She didn't even want to think about the bloodbath that would occur.

Looking up at the handsome king, Lucy's expression softened as well and she took a step forward, abandoning his hand that held hers to bring it to his face. He flinched when he felt her cold hand touch his skin but she heard the soft inhale of his breath when she came closer.

"Thank you, Natsu." She said while looking deeply in his eyes, giving him a soft smile. "You truly are such an amazing friend."

Something flashed in his eyes and Lucy watched how his iris flickered gold before he blinked it away. She was in awe of him, feeling his warmth against her hand. He was a lot softer than expected and Lucy wanted to just lean into him again. She did not mind if he held her all night, actually. It was the most comforting place she had laid upon.

"Thank you for the gift, I will make sure I hold onto this safely." She said in a small hush before taking a step away from him. "Have a good night and I shall see you in the morning."

Natsu's hand twitched as if he wanted to reach out again but he lowered his hand as she stepped away from him. She could see his Adam's apple bob from where she stood, a shy smile appearing on her lips.

"Goodnight, Natsu."

"Goodnight… Lucy."

And then it brought her here where she couldn't stop smiling and being in such a good mood, she was even scaring her maids.

If today went as planned then they would be successful in the future and if it didn't… Lucy wasn't sure what was really going to happen. But she had good hopes in this since the dragons were nothing but kind and Natsu had not once mentioned that they may not want to sign the treaty. He actually made it seem like he wanted the treaty more than anything.

In the beginning she was very confused why the dragons may want to sign a peace treaty with them but finding out about their magical healing waters, she now understood why. It made her wonder what other hidden properties the Heartfillia kingdom may have.

There were so many things she wanted to ask the dragon king during their little tea time a week ago but she did not have the chance to. And then she got so caught up within themselves yesterday that it didn't even cross her mind. He did say he did not want to talk about work anyways so it wasn't her fault she forgot.

And then she was forced into trying on many dresses and criticized in each and every one so she definitely was not even thinking about asking the dragon king anything. Her step-mother didn't help in anything besides pointing out all the areas she did not look good in.

Though they were successful in finding a dress for her, Lucy did not even want to think about it or even look at it till the day she had to wear it again.

The simple thought of wearing a wedding dress she did not even favor and having to wear it for a man like the duke only made her feel sick.

And yet again, she was receiving all sorts of gifts from the man who drugged her and tried to have his way with her. And with no apology at that.

Either that man had no common sense or he truly was that cruel of a man.

Once Mrs. Spetto had finished getting the princess ready and fitted into a beautiful lavender gown with all sorts of lace and florals stitched into the fabric, Lucy was ready to go. She had kept her hair down today with soft curls hanging off her back and framing her beautiful face in an elegant manner. Her delicate hands were protected by satin pearl white gloves that reached her elbows.

Lucy had no idea how today was going to go but all she could do was pray it would go smoothly.

Having the duke, king, queen, and the dragon king in one big old room was set up for disaster but she hoped that they would behave themselves for the sake of the treaty. Especially two fiery spirits that were none other than her fiancé and dragon king.

Every single time those two have met, something went south and someone ended up upset. More times than none was it the duke but Lucy definitely did not want him to speak out of line, especially today.

And since Natsu knew about the duke's distaste for his kind and the terrible things he had done to her, she just hoped that Natsu would be on his best behavior and just sign the treaty.

Hopefully since there will be more nobles in attendance to this since it was a very big thing for the kingdom, these two would keep themselves in line.

At least, the duke would, with the many watchful eyes from the kingdom.

Her footsteps felt heavy and extra loud today as she made her way down the massive halls. She kept her head up and rehearsed what she would say, the treaty tightly clutched in her hands.

She didn't know why her heart was pounding so much. Maybe it had to be the fact she was going to see the dragon king again. Or the fact that the negotiations were today. Or that she would be seeing the duke in person today for the first time. Or just being in a room with the king and queen.

So many dizzying stressful moments were coming right for the princess and Lucy wished she had something to eat before she were to walk into this room.

But it was simply too late and she could not be bloated at a time like this.

Entering into the room, Lucy was greeted by the sight of the king and queen already there. The duke was sitting right besides the king at the large table and Lucy simply curtsied towards the three, greeting them.

She avoided the duke as much as possible, not even giving him a glance as she took the seat furthest away from him.

"Have you prepared everything?" The king asked which Lucy simply nodded in response.

"I believe it is in our favor and I am highly confident the dragons will sign."

"You better hope so," the queen said, a sharp look on her face. "Or it will be on you."

Lucy tried her best to not seem rattled but she could only clench her fists that laid on her lap.

There was no reason why the dragons would not sign the treaty. They have been here for nearly a month and no trouble has been caused nor should there have been a reason for them to hesitate or second guess. The Heartfillia kingdom had been nothing but kind and giving to their out of town guests and she hoped that with the relationship she was forming with the dragon king, it would lead to success.

And she had been building a very close relationship with him so he would surely not disagree to signing anything.

Natsu wouldn't let her down… would he?

The double doors had opened up for the dragons to enter. Their presence was hot and heavy with builds like no other. It was the first time Lucy had ever really had a chance to take in all the other dragon representatives and she wondered what type of magic they held.

All sorts of things rattled inside of her brain after Natsu had spoken about his homeland. It fascinated her and she wanted to become more acquainted with them.

One that was dark and brooding like a shadow stood quietly in the back and someone quite opposite of him with blonde hair like herself and a scar on his eyebrow. The third one was the biggest with a build twice the size of even Natsu. With blonde spiky hair and also a scar down his eye (was this a dragon thing?) He stood tall and broad.

As her eyes finally found Natsu's, she could only feel her cheeks heat up. Memories of their day and even from last night flooded her head and she quickly dipped her chin down, trying to hide the blush that was crawling up her chest.

She even made sure to wear the earrings he got her and she tucked her hair behind her ear to show him, a bright smile appearing on his lips once he caught sight of them.

The princess bit down on her bottom lip to hide her smile while the king began to speak.

"Welcome in, your majesty, the dragon king. Please, have a seat and get comfortable."

"Thank you everyone for coming and welcoming us with such open arms," Natsu sat himself down while the three lingered behind him. "The Heartfillia kingdom has truly been nothing but kind to me and my family."

"We are happy to hear, your majesty." The queen offered a smile his way and Natsu simply gave her a dismissive glance before his eyes found the princess again.

"Now, shall we begin?"

All eyes had turned on the princess and Lucy tried not to feel uncomfortable with all the stares. She reorganized her stacks of paper and cleared her throat, keeping her eyes down to read off the scripts.

"I'd like to start by declaring the proposal of the Heartfillia kingdom and for you and the Dragon kingdom… First, we will be helping your people by disbanding the slave trades when it comes to dragon kind. We are still in the process of finding slave laborers and transportation that handle this kind of illegal trading and will push it in the dragon's favor."

Natsu sat back in his seat with his hands laced together, his eyes pinned on the princess while she spoke of their proposal.

"And of course we will be lending you some parts of our eastern territories for an indefinite amount of time so you may use it as a trade route as well as including some parts of your profits to our kingdom. It would be split sixty-forty and if you have any questions on that, we can further discuss."

Natsu stayed quiet, almost as if he was amused, he tilted his head, watching her.

It made Lucy squirm in her spot but she simply just cleared her throat again and went back to reading off the terms.

"With this alliance, the dragons would be providing protection and their support to the Heartfillia kingdom. The Heartfillia kingdom will also be providing their own protection and support if and when the time comes. With this treaty, our doors would be open to the dragons and vice versa."

"You would love the dragon kingdom, princess, it is truly a magnificent kingdom. Maybe one day, you could come visit for yourself?"

Lucy grew stiff at the casual question he was asking her and she could feel the many questioning eyes shift her way.

What was he thinking and why was he acting this way in front of such important people? Especially with her fiancé seated right across from him, Natsu was being shameless. But what else did she expect from the same man who sucked on her fingers in broad daylight?

It made her grow irritated and she let out a small huff, sitting up straighter in her seat.

"That sounds lovely, your majesty," Lucy kept her eyes down and her voice leveled. "That being said, with our land and your land conjoining together, we would be unified—"

"I understand," Natsu cut her off, holding his hand up to cease the conversation. Lucy looked at him in surprise, seeing how he scooted up in his seat to plant his elbows on the table, looking right at her and her only. "In that case, I will accept the terms and conditions declared by the princess and sign the peace agreement."

Estonished chatter filled the air, seeing how the dragon king was so quick to agree to the treaty without even allowing the princess to finish her speech. Especially with a room full of representatives and the king and queen, Natsu was being brazen and careless once again.

Lucy bit down on her tongue, looking at him with a wary expression but he simply grinned at her.

"However," his eyes flickered over to where the king, queen, and duke sat. "I demand proof of trust from the Heartfillia kingdom to proceed with such a proposal. It only seems fair since it seems as if this treaty is more of an advantage to the Heartfillia kingdom than the dragons… no?"

Murmurs erupted in the conference room and Lucy stared at him with wide eyes, wondering what he was expecting even after all that was exchanged.

Her eyes flickered over towards where the king and queen sat and she could see the duke seething with anger, his hand clenched into a fist while trying his best not to glare at the dragon king. She caught the glance her step-mother tossed her way and it was enough to have her shrinking down in her seat, her small hands also curling into tight fists.

What more could he want? The Heartfillia kingdom couldn't afford to give more without it hurting their own society and she only hoped that what he requested was do-able.

Considering how important this treaty was, she was sure the king would agree to any terms.

With a smirk slowly curling to the dragon's lips, his dark golden eyes dragged across the room to look at the many wary faces of the nobles and when they had locked back onto hers, Lucy could only freeze and hold her breath.

"Nothing like a marriage between each party to strengthen the bond between kingdoms…" Her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. "I would like to take the princess of the Heartfillia kingdom as my bride."

The entire room grew deadly silent for a moment and Lucy could only hold her breath before chaos erupted, her own representatives shooting out of their seats and the duke being the one being the loudest.

"H—how ridiculous of a request to be utter in such a place!" He sputtered, his face growing red as he looked around to his fellow members. "Why, I never—"

"Duke Porla, please find your seat." The queen spoke softly which he only snapped his head over to give her a shocked look.

"Your majesty—!" He tried to shout again but once he caught the glare she gave his way, he swallowed thickly and hesitated, looking back at the dragon king once again. But the dark look on his face only further supported him where he quickly sat back down, cruses and grumbles spilling from his dark lips.

"Your highness, while that would be perfectly fine in any other situations," The queen began to speak, a bright smile to her face with her hands clasped together. "The princess is actually already engaged to the Duke of our kingdom. We would be more than happy to offer another bride in exchange?"

"Who would be a better bride for the dragon king than the princess of the Heartfillia kingdom herself?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side with a playful grin to his lips. "Surely you won't be marrying me to further strengthen our bond, yeah?"

Lucy wanted to shout at him for being so rude and crass, especially towards the king and queen. Her jaw was wanting to drop at the brazen behavior and as her eyes darted from each and every baffled face of her kingdom's representatives, the red-faced angered expression of the duke stood out to her the most.

Her father didn't look happy at the comment Natsu had made but he didn't really say anything but pressed his lips together, watching silently from his seat.

The dragons weren't even saying anything either besides standing right behind Natsu, watching and listening with straight faces.

How could she turn this back into her own favor? There is no way this was happening. She was still dreaming, right? There was no way the dragon king had just demanded for her hand in marriage.

Lucy felt nauseous all over again as she sat there listening to the back and forth that was going on. The duke was a second away from blowing a fuse and she did not know how to command such a place with such powerful people.

"Your majesty," the king spoke, his deep voice rumbling off to hush the other voices. "The princess is already engaged to the duke. We have a contract with him and cannot accept such a demand. Like the queen mentioned, the Heartfillia kingdom has a lot of suitable brides for a man like yourself. We will be more than happy to help you in that field."

The smug look on the duke's face was clear as day.

Natsu looked bored as he didn't allow any of their reactions or words to affect him. He just let out a small sigh before turning back to the younger blonde, "What do you think about this, princess? I'd like to hear your thoughts on my proposal."

"The princess does not have a say—!" The duke stood back up to shout but once Natsu snapped his head over to glare at him, the room suddenly felt hotter and heavier.

Even Lucy could feel how commanding his stare could be and he wasn't even looking at her.

She shivered in her spot, her hands fisting into her dress.

"Are you to tell me that the princess does not have a say in what goes on in her life? Especially her love life?" Natsu asked, leaning back against his seat once again. "I did not realize the Heartfillia kingdom was so traditional within their own culture. I would have thought that maybe the princess could have a say in such a big decision like marriage."

Natsu was stirring the pot and Lucy was panicking. He clearly did not care what anyone else had to say and he was putting her in a position where she would most likely be chastised for.

Why is he speaking about her and why is he trying so hard?

"Pardon my rudeness, your majesty, but what could someone of your age know about such traditions that have been going on for hundreds and thousands of years!"

Lucy felt like she was hallucinating as she sat at the massive table surrounded by some of the most important people around. Was this really happening? Where was the duke's shame?

"Your majesty, please, this is very out of topic and we would all like to get back to the proposal—"

"No," Natsu immediately shut her down, making her blink up in surprise. "The duke seems to want to know what someone my age would know about such traditions."

The king looked flustered at the question as his eyes darted up and down the large long table. He could see others avoiding the golden eyes of the dragon as they squirmed and cleared their throats. Even the queen looked affected by the way Lucy could see her closed fists on her lap.

The air was hot and heavy, almost electric in a way. Sweat clung onto her skin and she wasn't sure if it was because she was nervous or because it felt like someone had lit the fireplace on fire times four.

"It seems to me that you are a bit uneducated in the lives of us dragons. Makes sense since you are..." Natsu just ran his eyes down his figure before giving him a sneer. "But allow me to educate you on traditions."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, hoping nothing drastic happened and prayed to the stars to keep them safe.

"My father and his father before that and his very own father before that, we started traditions. We dragons have roamed the very earth before you humans came and destroyed the very place. We created boundaires and laws. We have culture. We are the ones who ruled these lands and have every right to claim it as ours. You should thank the very stars that protect your lands that we did not come in and take it by force!"

Natsu's voice echoed off the walls and smoke was pouring out of his mouth and nose. It was such a sight to see the dragon king so angry. For some odd reason, she couldn't find it in herself to fear him like the nobles besides her but be in awe, watching with wide eyes.

"You are the very reason why this kingdom may as well perish," Natsu spat, baring his teeth at the duke who shrank back in partial fear. "And not like it matters to you since you do not care about age," Natsu sneered at him, leaning back against his seat. "I am four hundred and nineteen years old," he smirked, cocking his head to the side. "So in a way, you are correct. I am still considered young in dragon age so maybe I could be the ignorant one here."

Shocked expressions were littered around and even Lucy found herself gasping in surprise.

He was over four hundred years old and he's claiming to be young?

What was with her and attracting men that were a lot older than her? But at least Natsu didn't look four hundred and nineteen years old.

"What do you think, princess?" Natsu turned back to ask once again.

Lucy was too baffled to speak, seeing how the attention was brought back to her once again.

Just what was the dragon king scheming? Why is he acting this way? Did he think this was a game?

Lucy simply turned her head and let out a small huff of annoyance, fisting her hands into her lap. Oh how she desperately wished she could speak her mind but with the presence of the king, queen, and everyone else, Lucy could only bite her tongue.

After a moment of silence and Natsu staring down the princess, Jude had finally given in and let out a sigh, cradling his head in his gloved palm.

"With our kingdom being centuries old, yes, we do uphold certain traditions as I am sure you do as well in your own kingdom. In this matter, the princess is doing a great duty by marrying Duke Porla. He is not only one of our top nobles who help run this society, he also is one of the almighty saints in our kingdom. He provides support and protection as well as helping profits grow. He has proven his worth and continues to do so."

"So, what you're telling me is that you basically sold off your daughter in exchange to earn an upper hand in your economy and have protection from…" his eyes dragged over to the red-faced Jose. "..Duke Porla?"

"Your majesty!" Lucy cried out, holding a hand up to her chest in shock. "You—"

"Am I wrong?" Natsu let out a small chuckle as he held his hand up, twisting his wrist in the air. His leg crossed over his knee while he comfortably sat back against his chair, a slight amused expression crossing his features.

Everyone else was too baffled to say or do anything. The king's behavior was shocking and nobody would have thought he would be so brazen.

Nobody but the princess but this scene was also something the princess did not expect.

She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he had asked for her hand in marriage and now this had turned into an argument, straying away from the main focus.

Couldn't he have at least mentioned something and given her a heads up? Now she was caught off guard and had to struggle to come up with damage control.

"If you put it in that way, your majesty, the dragon king, yes… we did." Jude admitted which only had Lucy looking over at him with wide eyes. "But like I mentioned, the princess is doing a great duty to our kingdom by uniting with the duke in a marriage."

"Wouldn't it be better if the princess were to marry someone of higher status? Perhaps a king of another kingdom?" Natsu suggested, a slight smile to his lips. "I assure you that I would be all the protection you will need and I can guarantee we could help as much or even more than the duke."

"I cannot sit here any longer and allow this… this… brute insult me and my kingdom like this!" The duke slammed his fist down as a dark purple aura began to seep out of him. He shot out of his seat, glaring menacingly at the calm dragon king while trembling from anger. "Dragon king or not, peace treaty or not, I cannot sit here and have you insult us any longer! I knew from the start that you wanted to take the princess for yourself! Have some manners and respect! The princess is my betrothed and you cannot force her to be your bride!"

"Force?" Natsu echoed, a mocking laugh escaping his lips before his expression darkened. "Funny how you mention forcing the princess to do anything. It seems like she is being forced to do plenty by the likes of you. At least I had the decency to ask the princess what she thinks about my proposal. What about you? Have you ever asked the princess what she desires?"

The temperature rose in the conference room once more to the point where Lucy could feel sweat beginning to outline her forehead and lick at her skin. Smoke was puffing out of his flared nostrils while the duke and him stared each other down, daring one of them to make the first move. A deep dark red aura also began to seep out of Natsu and as the room grew hot and stuffy, the king slammed his fist onto the table.

"Enough!" He bellowed, ceasing all types of hostility. "It appears we were not fully prepared for today's negotiations. How about we take some time to recollect our thoughts and revisit this in a couple of days?"

"Sounds good to me," Natsu shoved his chair away from the table to rise. "As I mentioned before, your majesty, my kingdom is prepared to support and protect yours and is fully prepared to commit to you and this treaty." His eyes flickered over to the princess one last time before turning towards the angered duke. "But my conditions still stand and I will not be accepting the terms unless I receive my proof of trust."

"You filthy—" Duke was about to go off again but the king threw his arm out in front of him, startling the duke and ceasing his words.

"We will take all of this into consideration. Thank you for your time, your highness."

Everyone was dismissed from the room and Lucy was quick to shuffle out of there, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire or even be stuck in a room with people she did not want to be around.

She was panicking on the inside as she kept replaying the scene over and over again. She truly thought the dragon king and the duke would have fought and ruined this entire treaty but they were lucky enough that Natsu did not throw away everything right then and there.

Why did he want her? Out of everyone in the world and her own kingdom, why does he want her specifically? There was nothing special about her and she couldn't even harbor her own magical abilities—why would he want someone as weak and pathetic as her?

Was this his plan from the start? Was he trying to butter her up so he could snatch her up in the end?

I think you're worth more than you think.

Lucy's cheeks flamed as she quickly made her way down the hall. She needed time to think and breathe after everything this morning and she had to come up with a new plan to help settle this conflict.

Natsu was very clear in what he wanted but what if there was something else they could offer him?

As nice as it would be to be engaged to Natsu instead of the duke, Lucy had plans.

And this shameless dragon who seemed to only spew nonsense was getting in the way of her plans.

She could not abandon the Heartfillia kingdom like this. She made a promise to herself that she would be seeing this through and ensuring her kingdom would prosper even without her presence. But why was Natsu making it so difficult? All he had to do was agree but he had to throw that curveball at them and force them into a position that nobody seemed to want to be in.

She didn't know what world Natsu was living in but it certainly was not this one because what was going on in his head? What made him think he could just demand her hand in marriage when she was already engaged and not even talk to her about it? Was his way of asking her when he said he was there for her?

Lucy felt like she was spiraling out of control. She felt dizzy and nauseous about the entire situation and she wondered how everyone was reacting right now.

The duke was livid and she could feel the crushing weight of his magic threatening to spill out and even with Natsu's energy, it was so much heavier and darker than the duke's was.

She had no idea who was stronger but she knew that even in the end, Natsu would come out victorious.

Anyone who went up against a dragon was signing a death wish and the dragon king of all people? Jose wouldn't stand a chance.

But the repeating question that kept coming was why.

Why does the dragon king want her? Why is he being so difficult? Why is he coming into her life and kingdom like this and causing mayhem when all he should have done was come peacefully and return back to his kingdom?

Why? Why? Why?

"Princess!"

Lucy spun on her heels, turning to see who had called for her and as soon as she saw Natsu's rosy locks, she let out a frustrated huff before turning back to continue her walk.

Feeling such anger and frustration towards someone like Natsu made her heart squeeze painfully but if he didn't act the way he did and speak out like that, none of this would have happened and she wouldn't have been put in this position.

For someone who normally brought her such peace and joy, today he had completely flipped the script and forced her to be in this mood. And it sucked because she woke up in such high spirits today but knowing Natsu was the reason behind all these emotions made her want to scream out till she shattered all the glass in the kingdom.

Now the duke knows that the dragon king wants her and Lucy just knew things were going to be worse from here on out. Especially if her kingdom agrees to such conditions.

"Lucy, wait!"

Lucy jerked her wrist away from his touch when she felt his warm fingertips brush against her and she stumbled back, turning back to look at him.

"Lucy—"

"No," Lucy spoke, cutting him off. She could see his shoulders slump and his brow furrow, seeing how he clamped his mouth shut for her to continue. "How dare you?" She said through clenched teeth, finding the anger rising inside of her chest. "You come here and pretend to be some kind, compassionate person and make the princess believe you were just some nice guy but this whole time, you were just scheming, weren't you?"

The look of confusion crossed his face and he reeled back. "What? No—what? Lucy, I—"

"This has been your plan this entire time, wasn't it?!" Lucy started to raise her voice, taking a step forward. "Get on the princess' good side, find her weaknesses, make everyone believe the treaty would be signed, and then demand for the princess' hand in marriage? You knew that I was engaged from the start! I did not hide that from you! You know what kind of position I am in! And yet you sit there and make things worse and demand such things as if it will not cause an uproar in the kingdom?"

"Do not speak about me as if you know what is going on in my head!" Natsu shouted right back at her. "What is wrong with you?! I thought you would be glad to hear about my proposal!"

"Glad?!" Lucy could almost laugh, sneering at the man in front of her. "Why would I be glad that you just dropped such a bomb like that in front of everyone! In front of the king and queen? The Duke? You just made everything worse! You did not even have the decency to run this by me prior to the negotiations!"

"I was trying to help you, why can't you see that?"

"I never asked for your help!" Her voice rose and echoed down the large empty halls. It bounced off the walls, rattling the windows and sending her very words down to her core. She was trembling from the anger and emotions she was feeling and she could see Natsu was upset as well as he stood in front of her, scowling.

Natsu rarely ever shows her anything but positivity but after the stunt he pulled today… the princess truly did not know what to think.

How could she trust what he was saying? How could she believe his words that he is trying to help her and trying to make things better but end up making them worse?

How is she supposed to sit here and go against such traditions and her own father for something as trivial as a peace treaty with one of the most powerful and influential kingdoms in the world?

"I… I do not want your help nor anyone else's for the matter," Lucy said through clenched teeth, her head dipped down while tears started to prick her eyes."It is too late for me. I do not need anyone's pity—"

"I fear it is not pity I feel for you, princess," Natsu announced, making her open her eyes to stare down at the space between them with wide eyes.

The silence was loud between them and Lucy could only hear the pounding of her heart.

What does that even mean?

Could he possibly mean he feels more for her than a friend?

"Why is it so difficult for you to ask for help? If you just simply ask—" Natsu cut himself off, his tongue clicking in disappointment as he let out a sigh. "Why do you claim it is too late?"

"That is none of your concern—!"

"Why, Lucy?" He asked again, taking a step towards her.

"Why are you trying to ruin my life?!"

"Ruin?" Natsu let out a bitter laugh, scoffing into the air. "If you believe I am ruining your life by trying to help then so be it. I want to ruin your life, princess, and I will. If only you would allow me." He looked desperate and Lucy was shaking in her spot. "Why are you forcing yourself to live such a life like this? Why can't you just ask for help? I would have—"

"And what would you have done, your majesty?" Lucy spat out at him, her hands clenched into fists as they trembled by her side. "Ask for my hand in marriage? Whisked me away from this kingdom and gave me what freedom and liberty taste like? This is not some fairytale where you are the almighty dragon who comes and protects the damsel in distress who is the princess!" She sounded bitter as she let out a laugh, hot tears rushing down her cheeks. "This will result in war!"

"Then so be it!" Natsu's voice matched hers as he roared, rattling the windows and echoing down the massive hall.

Lucy reeled back from the volume of his voice, being the first time he has ever raised his voice at her.

She stood there staring at him, giving him an incredulous look.

Natsu seemed worked up again as his chest heaved and puffed out towards her, heat radiating off his figure in waves.

"If it means you will be safe and happy in my posession, I will do anything in my power to keep it that way. Even if it results in war."

Lucy knew deep down that the dragon king was not bluffing. The way he stared her down and promised her with such a commanding voice and presence, she could feel it deep within her that he meant it.

But Lucy knew she couldn't latch onto that small sliver of hope because it was too late for her. She couldn't let her kingdom crumble because of her silly little crush.

Dragon king or not, Lucy had a duty to withhold and she could not throw everything away now.

What would her mother think? How selfish of her to abandon her very own kingdom. Her family.

"None of it matters, anyways." Lucy twisted her head to the side, clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut. "I won't be around for much longer."

Natsu's hand clamped down on her wrist when she tried to leave and she turned over her shoulder to look right at him.

His face was twisted in mild confusion but anger, his dark eyes boring into hers. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself—"

"What does that mean, Lucy?" He asked again, his grip tightening on her. Lucy winced at the strength and he immediately let her go. "I apologize. I did not mean to harm you."

"It is fine, your highness," Lucy dipped her chin down again as she rubbed at her wrist. "I have taken enough of your time. If you'll excuse me—"

"Lucy, please," the king pleaded, making her stop from walking away. Her back continued to face him but she couldn't bring herself to walk away just yet. "Just… think about it. I want to help you. I'm here. With you and for you… I'm here. Please."

He sounded so desperate, so sure of himself as he confessed his feelings. But it only made the ache in her chest grow stronger and the bitter taste in her mouth taste even worse.

If he only knew how hard this was for her. If only he knew how much she wanted his help and wanted him to take her away from this place she had to call home. If only…

"Thank you, your majesty," Lucy spoke softly, her eyes feeling hot. "If that is how you truly feel, sign the proposal and let us move forward."

Her heels echoed down the hall as she walked away and as she could feel the hot pricks of tears welling again in her already swollen orbs, his hot gaze burned.

No one in this twisted world could help her. Not even the one man she wished for. She could not be a burden to anyone else any longer.

Especially to someone as dear to her as Natsu was.