Lucy had met all of Natsu's friends thanks to Gray. She had also noticed things about them that he hadn't mentioned. When she left the hall a while ago, she could make out a few words through the walls. But all the words she put together didn't make sense at all. "Er, Lucy, are you the one heating the room?" Jellal asked. Juvia shoved her elbow into Jellal's chest. A sudden rush of heat hit her harder than a brick. Gray cooled down the room with his magic. 

"What were you thinking about?" Levy asked.

"Er, nothing important, I think," Lucy murmured. Mira-Jane had given her ID to her in pink on the back of her right hand. 

"Well, who are you waiting for?" Gray asked.

"Vote?" Lucy asked.

"Every year, there's an exceed race. The winners get to punch the two princes!" Levy laughed. 

"Oh, I've seen that on TV! I'm voting for that poor blue one that's always last," Lucy said.

"I'm voting for Carla. She's new to the Kingdom and deserves that much," Jellal said.

"PantherLily," Levy said through the books. "He's really strong! Give's him and excuse if he gives the two Princes amnesia!" She laughed.

Natsu and Wendy impatiently waited for their older brother to speak. Zeref had been staring out the window for quite a while now. "This silence..." Wendy muttered and covered her mouth. She had remembered the silence allowed both her brothers to hear her.

"You changed the guard posts, why?" Natsu asked. Zeref looked away from his window. 

"To see how long I could stay without you knowing," Zeref said.

"Okay, then, how long were you here for?" Natsu asked.

"Five days," Zeref answered quickly and swiftly. "Yeah, you were away on a trip, giving me those five days," Zeref smirked.

"This is a game?" Wendy asked herself.

"Now, I haven't heard of those soldiers in that fort get a punishment," Zeref said.

"Not a game," Wendy whispered quickly.

"Because, I thought six months of being injured was enough," Natsu scowled.

"Not for me, I'll make a proper punishment, now, I see you found yourself a girl?" Zeref asked. Natsu looked at Wendy.

"I didn't say anything! I swear on eating pickled plums!" Wendy said.

"No need, I have my ways of knowing, bring her to me, now," Zeref ordered. His attendant swiftly exited the room in silence. Natsu didn't realise the man was in the room with them. 

"You Pig! Why do you want to speak to her!" Natsu growled. 

"You're the pig, you eat a lot," Zeref smirked.

"Wendy, wait outside, I want to speak with my Baby Sister after," Zeref said. Wendy's eyes sparkled in delight as Natsu left the room.

Lucy sighed after entering the hall. She didn't particularly like the conversation she had with the Prince. But, she didn't want it to get in the way of the big event. Lucy watched the exceeds march in through the gates. She could see the blue exceed eating a fish with PantherLily and Carla. "What did you talk about?" Natsu asked from behind her.

"Nothing important! Those exceeds, they're all doing the race?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I want the blue cat to win, I think his name's Happy," Natsu said, "And I know, I'm gonna get hit by him," He grumbled. He had ended up next to her, watching the crowd of cats together.

"Me too!" Lucy smiled. Natsu perked up and urgently looked at her.

"You want to talk to talk to them? I could find a way to," Natsu said. Lucy quickly shook her head.

"Now I know something's wrong," Natsu said seriously.

"Nothing's wrong! I just don't want to distract them," Lucy whispered. Natsu slowly nodded his head and they started to talk forwards through the courtyard. "Anyways, I might end up talking to one. Since I'm part of the Royal Court, I have to help set up, not you, of course, you're a Prince with a pile of paper on his desk," Lucy smirked. Lucy pushed him into a separate hallway and slammed the door shut.

One by one, papers flew to a separate pile. Gray and Erza watched Natsu fly through all the papers and sign all of them. "What up with him?" Erza asked him.

"He talked with Lucy and she was working hard, he wanted to do harder. He always wants to win," Gray said. "You can say she's the best motivator he had in years!" Gray laughed.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked. Gray looked at the two piles and realised he was almost finished.

"Nothing..." Gray and Erza said together. Natsu sighed and lay his head down on his desk. His eyes were pretty sleepy.

"Should I ask Lucy to come?" Erza asked.

"NO!" Natsu stood up quickly from his chair. "I need to be someone she can't laugh at! Someone she can trust, I can't stop now,"

"What a wonderful speech," Gajeel clapped from the balcony behind him. Natsu had forgotten he asked him to stay in his office. He had walked in so fast and went straight to work he didn't realise he was there.

"You oaf! You scared me!" Natsu said with flames covering his whole body.

"Natsu..." Erza said calmly, "Stop it, you might set your work on flames!" 

"Eh?" Natsu asked. He looked down and realised the carpet had started to burn. He started to blow on it to try and take it out.

"You can eat it..." Gajeel said from behind him. Natsu stopped for a few seconds and ate the whole thing.

"Ugh! I'm gonna work! Erza, Gray, you go help Lucy and the others, Gajeel, you can leave if you want," Natsu sighed. They were already heading for the doors. "That was fast!" Natsu hissed. The door shut before him and he was alone.