~*****~
The city is already so busted up when we leave the palace. I just hope there was an evacuation beforehand. I make way for the center of the town, snatching small torches along the way and tossing down the little flames like candy-- really, really spicy candy. I never really smelled another dragon other than Acnologia, and he smelt like blood. But these dragons smell like different types of landscapes. And it was about time someone taught them some manners.
There's a large fire dragon towering over my guild, igniting that protective instinct inside of me. I slam into the back of the fire dragons' neck, my knees bringing it to the ground effortlessly. "Can you hear me?!" I hear Natsu's voice ring out from the roaring flames around me. "Let's quit playin' around and use our Dragon Slayer magic!"
"Way ahead of ya!" I shout upwards.
"Aw hell yeah!" Natsu roars. "There are seven dragons! And we got eight Dragon Slayers! We can do this! It's what we were born for! Our whole lives had led to this day! Let's use our powers and slay from freakin' dragons! Who's with me?! 'Cause I'm goin' Dragon hunting!"
I leap off of the dragon as it stirs and lets out a mighty bellow. "What are you guys waiting for?!" I shout back at Laxus and Gajeel.
"I ain't gonna let you out do me, Ice Princess!" Gajeel roared.
"No kidding, you're not getting all the fun that easy!" Laxus agreed.
"I'll leave this beast to you, Laxus! Gajeel, let's go kick some ass!" I exclaim.
Gajeel and I split up over the roofs. And as I make my way towards one of the dragons rampaging through town, something hard and metallic swallows me up. Then my face is pressed against something squishy. I let out a bellow of confusion that's muffled.
My stomach roils as the metallic structure rolls and bounces and hits everything in sight. Once it hits the ground, I flop out of the opening and groan, trying to focus my vision so it would stop spinning. "Can this day be over now?" I hear Lucy whine.
"My head--" I groan. "Why does this shit keep happening to me?"
"What's your deal?" Natsu complains as I manage to roll over and stand up. I stumble to the side as the ringing in my head. "I'm starting to think that you like fighting naked." Natsu comments.
I groan again and peel off my overcoat. "Here..." I sigh. "Stop taking your clothes off during a fight."
"I DIDN'T TAKE THEM OFF!" Lucy bellows as me as she manages to tug on the overcoat. "But shouldn't you find something? Your top is about to snap."
I rub at my head irritably. "It doesn't matter, unlike you, I'm not shy about my body." I mention. "Besides, I don't take off my clothes like you do--" My head starts reeling as Lucy clocks me upside the head.
"Did we interrupt something?" Ballad squeaks.
I snort loudly. "No, I was just getting beaten up by Fairy Tail's resident flasher!"
"Cork it, jerk! A dragon did this, FYI!" Lucy bellows at me. "Where's your sympathy?"
I groan. "About as far as the bell conked us around." I murmur.
"Here, Lucy! I grabbed your keys!" Happy chirps.
"At least someone is considerate," Lucy chirped as she accept the keys from Happy.
I shake my head and turn my gaze onto Natsu. "What's wrong?"
"I bet he's waiting for your top to snap!" Ballad chirped.
She wailed as I flicked her in the nose and leaned over to Natsu. "Let me guess. That Rogue up there's you more trouble than you thought he would."
Natsu snorted. "No, he ain't that tough! I can take him!" Natsu goes silent for a moment. "But how? He's definitely strong. No doubt there. And that Dragon he's riding isn't playing around either."
"I know," Happy sighs.
"I wouldn't say that any of these dragons are necessarily playing around. They're all out for blood. Or whatever they can get." Lucy explains. "You saw what Zirconis did. He stripped me! Then he tried to make me an hors d'oeuvre."
I hum delicately, gripping my chin in thought. "So they've got an appetite, huh?" I trail off, staring at the ground. I flinch in shock as Natsu grasps my arms and starts shaking me.
"I've figured out how to take them down!" Natsu exclaims. "This'll be awesome! It may be my best idea ever!" He keeps shaking me and I feel the snap of my top finally giving way. "Hey, where'd your shirt go? Are you trying to copy Lucy?"
Natsu hits the ground as we slam our fists into his head. "Pervert." Lucy and I chirp.
"Would you summon Virgo already? It's cold and you still have my jacket." I snap at Lucy.
She sighs loudly and nods.
~*****~
"Quite a fashion statement, Princess. Are you two doing a boudoir shoot?" Virgo asks.
"No time for jokes, it's an emergency," Lucy whines. "We need some new clothes, pronto!"
"I think you two are fine as is," Virgo mentions.
"That's what I said, but--" Natsu trails off. I snap my gaze at him. "R-Right--" Natsu stammers as he pushes his finger against the ground.
"I may have something that will suit your needs, Princess," Virgo chirped as she held up a strange outfit. "It's the latest craze in the celestial world. When I tried one on for size, it actually brought big brother to tears."
"That doesn't sound good," I murmur.
"Lucy! Aria! I'm goin' on ahead!" I hear Natsu call. I shoot my glance up and grimace. "Throw the thing on and catch up!"
"It won't take us that long to change!" Lucy cried.
Happy says something about girls taking forever and I sigh loudly. "Thanks a lot, jerk wads." I mention irritably. "Anyway, how the hell do I put this thing on?" I hold up the scrap of stretchy material.
"Like a one piece bathing suit!" Virgo chirped.
I sigh loudly and shrug my pants and underwear off. "Honestly, that plan is the worst," I comment as I tug up the suit and shrug my pants back on.
"He's always rushing into battle without a strategy." Lucy complains.
"You gotta admit, it is fun to play it by ear!" I comment. "You ready to go, Ballad?" I ask the still sullen cat. Ballad perks up and nods.
"Let's go, miss!" Ballad chirped and grasped onto the back of my top.
"Catch up, Lucy! We're heading in!" I call out.
"Don't have too much fun without me!" Lucy cries.
Ballad catches up to Natsu easily. "So you plan on eating it?!" I ask loudly.
Natsu grins over his shoulder. "Hey, it's a meal for two! I can't eat that much!" Natsu beams.
I grimace. "I just got rid of the burning feeling in my mouth..." I complain. "Oh well... Time to eat, I guess."
"All right! Drop us like a bomb!" Natsu ordered as we soar about the large fire dragon.
"Aye, Sir!" Happy and Ballad chirp.
"This is so not what I planned on doing today!" I shout as we slam onto the back of the dragon.
"Who are you pests!" The fire dragon bellowed.
"I'm Natsu Dragneel! And we're the wizards who's gonna eat ya!" Natsu cheered.
I grimace again and sigh. "Bottoms up--" I slam my teeth into the dragons hide and I'm assaulted by the overwhelmingly spicy taste as we start sucking down the flames.
"You? Eat me?" The fire dragon asked before he started barking out a laugh. "You can't be serious!"
"Oh, I'm dead serious! And your fire tastes delicious!" Natsu cheered with a mouthful. I just whined in absolute agony.
"Get off me!" The fire dragon roared as he soared through the city, trying to shake us off.
"No way!" Natsu barks.
"Natsu! Aria! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Laxus shouts.
"What the hell does it look like?!" I shout back, tears brimming my eyes. "Get to the castle right now! Wendy needs back up!" I exclaim before relatching my teeth onto the dragon. "Spicy--" I complain.
"Hey! You sure you guys can handle this one?!" Laxus called out.
"Yeah! And after we eat him up, we should have tons of power!" Natsu exclaims.
"And ulcers--" I whine.
"Well, let's get going," Laxus sighs.
"You cats get going!" I shout.
"Aye!" Ballad and Happy chirp.
"This will be your final meal, you brats!" The dragon exclaimed. "You'll taste my fury!"
It feels like we've been munching on him for hours-- what with the burning in my lips and tongue. When the dragon stops fussing, he speaks again. "Boy--" Natsu's head flinches upwards. "You have some connection to Igneel, do you not?"
"Hold on just a sec--" I snap as I sit upright. "You know Igneel?"
"He's King of the fire Dragons, and my friend!" The flame dragon snaps.
"No way! I know him pretty well, too!" Natsu chirps. "He's actually my dad!"
"Look at that, Natsu, you're totally royalty!" I laugh.
"You think Everest was like the king of ice dragons?" Natsu asks curiously.
I snort. "Wouldn't it be queen? She's a lady—"
"Everest is the only known Ice Dragon," The flame dragon snapped. "And Igneel's greatest ally."
I snort again. "Then would you mind helping us? The Fire Dragon King's kid and the only Ice Dragon's kid?"
The flame dragon snorted. "I am Atlus Flame. And I will do my best."
"All right!" Natsu cheered.
~*****~
Just as Atlus Flame gets close enough to Mother Glare, we hear Future Rogue giving a monologue. "We got no use for your crappy light!" Natsu shouts.
Future Rogue sighs. "Again?" He groans before he turns his gaze over his shoulder.
"Because we got our own!" Natsu continues as Future Rogue stares in shock at Atlus Flame. "Shinin' right out of our hearts! And I guarantee it's a million times brighter than whatever you've got!"
Atlus Flame slams his head into Mother Glare's with a low growl. "How can you be riding a dragon like that?!" Future Rogue snaps. "Atlus Flame, why have you betrayed me?!"
"I merely listened to my heart." Atlus Flame growled.
"What?!"
"This boy is the son of Igneel. His mate is the daughter of Everest, two of my dearest friends--" Atlus Flame snaps.
"Mate? Hey, hold on--" I exclaim in embarrassment.
"We appreciate the help! Thanks, Uncle!" Natsu cheers.
"U-Uncle?" The dragon stammers. I sigh and palm at my face as Natsu continues to look so happy about it.
"But this dragon should be under my control!" Future Rogue growls. "What have you done, Natsu?!"
"Your magic that clouded my mind is gone." Atlus Flame growled.
"It's simple, we just became friends with him!" Natsu exclaimed. "Right?"
Atlus Flame hums. "You and that dragon... are friends?" Future Rogue asks in disbelief.
"C'mon, Uncle! Let's get him!" Natsu cheers.
Atlus Flame roars in response before latching his mouth around Mother Glare's neck. "Awesome! Get behind 'em like that!" I cheer.
"Don't turn your back to them! Move, Mother Glare!" Future Rogue orders.
Thankfully, Atlus Flame is able to avoid the attack from Mother Glare's maw, but it decimates a mountain in the distance. "Hey, are you feelin' okay after that?" Natsu asks.
"My body is pure flame. Breath attacks can't hurt me!" Atlus Flame shouts.
"And no flame could ever burn my adamantine body." Mother Glare hums.
"You've never felt my Hellfire, have you?!" Atlus Flame growls. "It burns as intensely as flames from the pits of hell!" Natsu leaps into the air, fire roaring around him. I watch in amazement. "And this young man whom I call my friend has consumed it! He has it raging in his belly!"
Natsu gives a wild roar as he slams his fist into the back of Mother Glare. The great dragon gives a great bellow of pain. I use the opportunity to leap off of the Atlus Flame and rush Future Rogue.
"I gotta admit, you're tougher than I thought," I mention irritably. "But I'm getting tired of this defensive play you're puttin' up! Bring it on!"
"You can't stop me! My will is iron!" Future Rogue barks at me.
"Metal shatters under my frigid ice!" I shout at him.
The dragon does a quick maneuver that shunts me off its back. Thankfully Atlus and Natsu are near to catch me. "Yeah, that's it!" Natsu roars as I clutch onto Atlus' back. "Good job, uncle!"
"Attack from above!" Future Rogue orders. Mother Glare soars into the air and makes a quick dive towards us. It collides and slams us into the ground, but Atlus is just getting started. He launches a counterattack and slams into Mother Glare's side. The dragons continue to fight with one another. And it's hard to keep hold with the two fighting. But something strange happened, causing me to leap into action.
"Keep your head in the game, pal!" I shout as I leap off of Atlus Flame and slam my fist into Future Rogue's face. "We told you that we have a promise to keep!"
"What promise?! What do you mean?!" Future Rogue barks.
"We made a promise to the Lucy that came from the future!" Natsu snapped.
The battle rages onward until Natsu and I are knocked off Mother Glare. "Hey!" I shout at Natsu. "You need to let me take charge of things!" I exclaim as we pull ourselves upwards. "You're exhausted!"
"So are you!" Natsu snapped at me. "You think I don't notice it? That hellfire's kickin' up quite the storm in your body!"
"I can handle it!" I snap back. Future Rogue just chuckles at us. "What happened to Frosch?" I snap up at him.
Future Rogue stops his laughter and a frown replaces the smirk on his face. "Frosch is dead!"
"Not today! And, like everybody else, I'm sure your friend is terrified!" Natsu growls. "All because of what you're doing."
Future Rogue grunts irritably. "One year from now, Frosch dies."
"And you couldn't do anything about it?!" I shout.
"No, it was unavoidable." Future Rogue retorts.
"So what? Frosch is alive now!" I bark.
"That doesn't matter to me! Because the Rogue that used to waste time playing around with his cat is dead as well!" Future Rogue shouts.
"You can change that!" Natsu shouts as he runs in to attack.
"You don't understand that I'm going to change everything! After all the pain and suffering I've seen, I know our only hope is through total destruction!" Future Rogue exclaims, his fist lighting up with magic.
"That doesn't sound like hope to me!" Natsu barks. He slips on his hand and bounces away to avoid the shadow and light attack. "All you're gonna do is cause more pain!"
"And that's the price that must be paid to secure my future!" Future Rogue shouts. "You want happiness for everyone, but it will never happen!"
"I will never stop trying!" Natsu barks. "I will never stop fighting for my future and everyone else's! The world that we all live in is what we make of it! It's not just up to you!"
"Natsu!" Atlus Flame barks. I watch in amazement as he's enveloped in Atlus' hellfire.
"No matter what's gonna happen tomorrow... I'm gonna keep fighting to live today!" Natsu shouts. He tackles Future Rogue violently, sending them hurtling towards the Eclipse Gate. I'm thrown from the dragon's back and thankfully caught by Atlus. I leap out of his grasp, wincing at the horrible drawback burning in my body.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" I bellow down at the group near the gate. "MOVE! OR YOU'LL DIE!"
I land harshly on the surrounding walls of the palace and slip down the side as the entire thing shatters from the resulting explosion of Natsu and Rogue hitting the gate. It crumbles under the attack and falls, completely destroyed. I limp towards the gate tiredly. "Natsu totally destroyed the gate!" Happy cheered.
"For once there's some appreciation into wrecking the joint," I mention as I flop onto my butt once I see Future Rogue is unconscious. "Nice work, dragon rider!"
"I don't believe it!" Colonel Arcadios gasps. "The gate was designed to be indestructible!"
"What do you think is going to happen now?" Princess Hisui asked.
"If we were correct, the Eclipse should cease to exist in the future as well." Yukino hums.
"Which means Rogue can't use it to travel back to our time," Pantherlily states.
"Then things should go back to normal?" Ballad asked.
Mother Glare began to glow vividly. "The dragon is starting to glow!" Happy said softly.
"What's happening?" Lucy stammered.
I grimace before I curl over my body, tightening against the ache tearing through me. The dragons finally disappear back to their own times. "Thank the gods," I groan. "This has been a horrible start to the day."
"I may not know Rogue very well, but he'll never become you." Natsu snaps. I manage to sling myself upwards to stare at Future Rogue as he disappears.
"The shadow," Future Rogue hums. "The shadow will continue to follow me. He's relentless. And he won't be satisfied until he's swallowed me whole. And then, on that fateful day that I lose Frosch, it will finally happen. I will be swallowed by the darkness forever."
"That's not gonna happen," Natsu states firmly.
"It most certainly will. One year from now. You must warn the Rogue from your time, to protect Frosch one year from now." Future Rogue states. "For it is Gray Fullbuster that kills Frosch."
I stare at the spot where he disappeared with shocked look on my face. The shock turns into a bark of irritation as Natsu hauls me upwards, his hand pressing against a harsh burn on my side. "Watch it! I'm burning up and now I've got injuries to deal with!"
"Don't be so grumpy, let me help ya get comfortable," Natsu complains. "It's totally my fault you're burnin' up anyway."
"Wait-- what the hell are you doin'?!" I shout as he rips at my top.
"Don't get so handsy, Natsu!" Laxus shouts. "You're in public, you know!"
"Goodness, I didn't think Laxus would be so openly jealous," Ballad teased.
"Don't make me knock you out, cat!" Laxus shouts as I'm swept off of my feet. I give another roar of irritation before I ultimately slump as the pain in my belly returns ten fold.
~*****~
After several days of rest, I finally feel better. My chilly temperature and ice magic as all returned, with the addition of the occasional blue flame sprouting from my lips. Currently, I wished I had all of it to burn the dress Lucy put me in. "Get this thing off of me!" I hiss angrily.
"No way, you look adorable!" Lucy chirped.
I growl loudly. "It's itchy!" I shout.
"Don't be so grouchy," Mira coos. "Natsu will drop dead at the sight of you!"
Lisanna giggled. "I think he'd prefer vagabond Aria," She mentioned impishly.
I shout again before I'm being dragged to the ballroom. I rage violently at Gajeel as he laughs at my large poofy dress. "It's certainly better than your stupid hair style, metal head!" I bellow, grasping my skirt and stomping around.
"At least I ain't wearin' a large freakin' tutu!" Gajeel roars in laughter.
"You should go look for Levy!" I tease loudly. "I can totally smell the attraction for her!"
"It's not-- WHO SAID I WAS?!" Gajeel barks at me.
"ME! NOW GET GOING BEFORE I BREAK YOUR LEGS!" I throw him into the hallway and snap the door shut behind him. I giggle as I swipe my hands together.
"Honestly, putting a skirt on Aria is like arming a bomb." Ballad mentioned.
"I just wanna know where the hell Natsu went. It's not fair he gets to skip while I gotta prance around in this stupid floosy dress."
"Natsu hasn't shown up?" Bickslow asked as he and the rest of the Thunder Legion approached.
"That would explain why the night has been relatively peaceful," Evergreen mentioned.
"That's too bad," Laxus chirped as he leaned his elbow on my shoulder. "It's quite the sight to see you all dolled up."
I snort at him irritably and grasp his elbow. "Aria! Get your hands off of him this instant!" I hear Freed complain.
Laxus and I just stare at him in annoyance. "You act like I'm squeezing his biceps." I mention irritably. "Man, that jerk just had to skip it!"
I storm off. "C'mon! I owe Natsu a drink!" Sting cheers as I feel an arm hook around my shoulders.
"Salamander ain't here, pal." Gajeel hums as he snags the arm around my shoulders and pries it off. "And hands off, don't be puttin' your paws on her."
"Awe, man! After all this fighting, I was trying to do something nice for a change." Sting commented.
"Guess the plans a bust, then," Lector sighed.
"Well, better luck next time," Frosch chirped.
I pluck Frosch off of the ground and cuddle him into my chest. "You're just the cutest thing in the world!" I coo. "Although, you don't hold a candle to my sweet Ballad!"
"Liaos," Gajeel greeted as Rogue approached.
"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to be called Rogue," He retorted.
"You need to watch yourself," Gajeel warned. "The you from the future was a real piece of work."
"Yes, I know." Rogue admits sheepishly. "And that would be putting it extremely lightly. I'm not him. I will never become that man. I swear it."
"Of course he won't," I mention as I slap my arm around his neck and tug him downwards. "Buddy's got a heart of gold, so quit it with the third degree, Gajeel."
Gajeel snorts and tilts his head when he relents. "Whatever, just don't be using that freaky magic to see my heart."
"Too late~" I chirp as I squeeze at Rogue's face. "Look at his face, he's just adorable! He could totally be your little, more handsome brother! Don't you dare get any piercings, got it? Otherwise you'd look like that salty old dog."
"YOU WANNA FIGHT, PRINCESS?!" Gajeel barked at me.
"Bring it, Metal Head!" I bark back.
"Instead of that, since Natsu didn't show up, I guess that you guys are close enough!" Sting chirps as he holds up the bottle he'd been holding.
"What are we, leftovers?" I ask irritably.
"Yeah, we're close enough to knockin' your teeth in." Gajeel agrees.
"Cut him some slack! He's still pretty new at bein' friendly!" Lector chimes.
I snort at the little cat. "And so are you, you haven't apologized to Ballad for callin' her dumb lookin' yet, have you?" I comment. "You know, Pantherlily looks out for her, you might not want him to hear what you said~"
Lector gave a frightened gasp. "I'll do that right now! I'm sorry--" He barked as he flew off.
I snort and accept the glass Sting holds out for me. "This alcoholic?" I ask curiously.
"Only the strongest!" Sting grins. "A toast. To the Fairies and Tigers!"
I hum as I swig at the drink. "Look who's here!" Frosch chirped.
We turn our gazes onto the group of girls and I grimace. "Sorry. I don't think I can do this right now." Yukino stammers.
"Wait--" Sting says quickly. "Please, stick around for a little while at least." He pleads. "The master and milady are gone for good. They won't be here." My brows quirk as I stare at him. "Look, I'm sorry for the way we treated you. But we're starting everything over from scratch. The way we were... was wrong. But the old Sabertooth guild is history now. From here on out, we'll be the kind of guild that treats our members like family."
Yukino hums before adverting her gaze. "Well, then I wish you the best of luck with all of that."
"I know that the wounds are still fresh. But I'd love it if you were part of it again." Sting states.
"Are you kidding me? Don't be such an idiot!" I hear a drunken slur.
"Whoa, Kagura knows how to party!" I chirp.
"Did everybody just forget that her life is in my hands? So since I'm the one making the rules here, I say she's gotta join Mermaid Heel." Kagura slurs.
"You're completely wasted!" Sting complains.
"It doesn't matter! She belongs with us and you can't stop it!" Kagura exclaims.
I chuckle. "Okay guys, quit with the bickering. We won't stand by while you decide her fate!"
"Yeah! We're manly!" Elfman roars.
"That's right! And if she chooses to be in any guild, it had better be ours!" Lucy chimes in.
"Yeah!" Gray nods.
"Personally, I think there are already too many girls in Fairy Tail to compete for Gray's attention." Juvia mentions.
"And she's too much like me," Lisanna groans.
"Yeah! You, Aria, and Yukino are both the little sister types with the exact same hair!" Romeo explains.
I pinch at the bridge of my nose. "I never thought about joining Fairy Tail," Yukino stammers.
"No way. A woman as beautiful as you are." Eve hums.
"Deserves nothing less than the most beautiful guild," Hibiki states.
"So join us," Ren adds.
"You've such an intoxicating parfum." Ichiya coos.
"We'd love to have you~" Jenny chirps.
"If she wants to be with the best guild, there's no question she should become part of Lamia Scale." Lyon comments.
"Let's not get involved with this," Jura chimes in.
"GET IN OUR GUILD, NOW!" Toby barks.
"Don't be rude," Yuka admonishes him.
"We've always been totally macho, but I think Quattro Cerberus could use a womanly touch!" Bacchus drunkenly cheered. "I know that we lost the Grand Magic Games, but there ain't no way in hell we're gonna lose this battle!"
The other members of his guild cheer in response. I sigh again and pat at Yukino's shoulders. "Let's go get some drinks while they fight it out," I mention.
"B-But--" Yukino stammered.
We both hid under one of the tables, sipping at wine as they wrecked the whole room. "Don't be so emotional about it," I mention to her as I stretch my legs out in front of me. "I'd say every guild has their wackos, but they've all got hearts of gold if you look close enough."
Yukino sniffles and nods. "I know..."
I palm at her head tenderly. "Whatever guild you choose, we'll still love you all the same. Although, I was just totally trying to stop the bickering at first."
Yukino smiles brightly and nods. "Thank you. You're very kind."
I snort. "I keep hearing that." I mention impishly.
Yukino laughs again before we hear Arcadios' voice ring out. "Everyone stop! This instant!" He barks over the fighting. There's a loud thud from his sword making contact with the stone that does halt the fighting, surprisingly. "In honor of your performances during the games, and for your bravery facing the greatest danger this kingdom has ever known, his majesty would like to personally deliver this message to you." Arcadios explained. Yukino and I shared a confused look before we crawled out from under the table. "Pay heed!"
"Hi mister King!" I hear Asca chirp.
I shake my head with a chuckle as the doors behind to open. Although, who appears makes me bellow out in laughter. "Loyal subjects, shut up and listen!" Natsu roars. The entire crowd shouts in shock. "ALL HAIL KING NATSU! NEW RULER OF FIORE!"
I keep laughing loudly and pointing up at him. "That's enough, okay!" The pumpkin cheers.
"Why's the pumpkin up there?" I ask curiously.
"Aw, come on! After all, we won your little games!" Natsu complains to it.
"Please give it back!" The pumpkin cries.
"For the rest of today, I am your king! Now do what I say!" Natsu exclaims.
"Well, we'll never be invited back to the kingdom, that's for sure!" I laugh.
"We should've expected this out of him," Lucy sighs.
Natsu eventually does give the crown back to the pumpkin-- which I learned was the King this whole time, which shocked me to no end-- and put on an appropriate black suit that fit him very well. Even when he was choking on food he kept scarfing down like it was going out of style. I sigh loudly and hold out a glass of water. "You know, if you keep on eating like you're starving, you're probably gonna meet your untimely death, via chicken leg." I comment.
Natsu chugs the water and sighs in relief. "Probably will, but I'm gonna have fun on the way, right?" Natsu beams. I feel my face flush as I sigh.
"Father..." We both turn our gazes onto Princess Hisui.
"Hisui," King Toma hums in response.
"I beg your forgiveness." Princess Hisui stated softly. "My actions brought shame to the kingdom. Once the festivities are over, I will accept whatever punishment you see fit."
"Please wait," Arcadios called out.
I shifted closer to Natsu and whispered about how this is dramatic. He choked on more food in an attempt to stave off the giggles. "Colonel Arcadios!" Princess Hisui gasped.
"With all due respect, I must intercede on the Princess' behalf." Arcadios stated. "The Eclipse began as a means to defeat Zeref. The debacle with the Eclipse Two was the result of that time travelers deception. Due to his other accurate predictions, she was led to believe it was the only way to save Fiore from total annihilation."
"That's true. Her intentions were pure," Darton comments. "All for the sake of the kingdom."
"Darton," Princess Hisui hummed.
"It was more than that!" Lucy called out. "The Princess did whatever she could to protect the future of the entire world!"
"Yes. She has done nothing wrong." Erza adds.
"She had the best intentions in mind," Jura mentions.
"I implore you to forgive your transgressions." Ichiya chummed.
"Punish her or not, it won't change what happened," Natsu said with a mouthful of food. "Besides, she was able to get every wizard in Fiore to work as a team."
"Aye, Sir!" Happy and Ballad cheered.
"Yeah, that's a good point," Laxus stated.
"If not for the Princess' actions, Fiore may have very well remained a kingdom divided." Jura states.
I hold up my glass. "Yeah, she's got a heart of gold, there ain't nothin' evil about her intentions!" I exclaim.
Princess Hisui cups her mouth at everyone's kind words. "Thank you." She gasps lightly.
"Gray and I had drifted apart, but now we're two hearts beating as one!" Juvia cheered.
"Can you please contain your insanity for second?" Gray complained.
"It's true. We've all gained so much from this," Sting mentioned.
"Yes. Notably, a new sense of purpose." Rogue agrees.
"Yeah, I think so too!" Frosch chirps.
"Things are awesome!" Lector chimes. "I mean, even the knuckleheads in Sabertooth have started gettin' along!"
"Listen everyone! By the power vested in me! I declare the Princess not guilty!" Kagura exclaims drunkenly.
"She makes the rules as far as I'm concerned," Lislie chuckles.
"That's right~" The rest of Mermaid Heel agrees.
"You should probably stay out of this," Erza warns softly.
"Or get some rest, you're blasted," I add.
"Blasted? I ain't blasted--" Kagura chirps with a hiccup.
"Silence! You are in the presence of his majesty!" Arcadios exclaimed.
The room was silenced with another thud of his sword-- which caused my ears to ring from the proximity. "I have considered all of your arguments." King Toma hummed. "However, she is accountable."
"Your majesty, I will accept all the blame." Colonel Arcadios butt in.
"Majesty, I am the one who should be punished for this," Darton followed suit.
"You should just go ahead and punish all of us, too!" Lucy exclaimed.
King Toma looked around for a moment. "Arcadios' loyalty to Hisui, and Darton's loyalty to the kingdom. These both please me greatly. But what pleases me most of all... are the brave wizards assembled here that worked tirelessly for peace." King Toma explained.
"Father..." Princess Hisui cooed.
"In light of all this, I've conceived a suitable punishment." King Toma continued before plopping a large pumpkin head on Princess Hisui's head. "You must wear the pumpkin head for an entire week!" He chirped in the pumpkin voice.
"Your majesty. This is the punishment?" Colonel Arcadios asked.
"This is all she's required to do?" Darton added.
"A dose of humility. Once this week is over, the slate will be clean. My sweet Hisui." King Toma chirped.
"That's wonderful. Aren't you happy?" Lucy giggled.
"Yes... Punkin~" Princess Hisui cooed. She trailed over to us and offered a kind smile. "Listen, I'd like to thank you for everything you've done, punkins."
"This has gotta be just a little embarrassing. Punkin!" Lucy giggled.
"Nah, it seems like a lot of fun to me. Punkin!" Natsu cheered.
"Awe yeah, I think so too, Punkin!" Happy chirped.
"I do have extras if you'd like to wear one, too!" King Toma beamed.
"Aw, hell yeah!" I exclaim excitedly.
"Pumpkin Party!" We cheer as we don the pumpkin heads.
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