~A Dragon Never Truly Leaves~

Song; Gravity of Love

~I love to read comments from everyone telling how they felt and what's on their mind about these chapters. It makes me so happy and gives me more courage to write when I hear from you all~

Lucy never thought she would be doing this. Never in a million years would she ever have imagined herself doing this. Doing something so...vile...evil...necessary. Lucy never thought she was about to poison someone. About to kill someone.

But, her she was. Pouring the transparent killing liquid into a glass filled with red wine. Red wine that was about to trickle down someone's throat. Red wine filled with the most violent of poisons.

Atropa belladonna;
Deadly Nightshade

Evil.
Cruel.
Necessary.

Lucy Heartfilia was going to kill Mard Geer.

On their wedding day. Lucy stared down at the wine with leached brown eyes. It was strange. Her hand that held the small, empty vile that once held the poison, was still as a statue. Her heart lay dormant in her chest, beating normally. Calmly. Lucy Heartfilia was scarily untroubled.

She knew something was wrong with her. She knew she should be curled up somewhere crying, shaking, heartbroken...Anything but calm and collected. Shattered and broken? Yes. Pouring a deadly liquid into her fiancé's drink? No.

Lucy looked slowly up into a large mirror hanging above her desk. Her reflection showed her the fancy wedding dress she wore. White silk engulfed her body and extravagant designs were embroidered into the fabric. Her shoulders were bare but her arms were once again concealed by white gloves. Lucy brought her hand that had her Fairy Tail Mark to her chest.

She wondered if Natsu and his Nest Mates had made it to Fairy Tail by now. She wondered what he was saying about her to his family. Perhaps he was telling them about her betrayal, the broken trust, and her fake kindness. Lucy closed her eyes while releasing a shuddering breath. This time she would not be frail.
She would not taste the bitterness of failure. She would not be defeated.

"Lu-chan?" Lucy slid open her eyes and stared at Levy's reflection in the mirror. "A-are you ready?" Her friend's voice quivered and shook. As if she were the one who was going to lose her freedom. Her home.
Her everything. Lucy looked away from her friend's watering eyes. Instead she chose to look out her window at the slowly setting sun.

After a few moments of air stealing silence, the Princess breathed out, and spoke softly. "Do you know what is sad?" Lucy shifted to the side, shielding her eyes with her blond hair that cascaded down her back. "Levy-chan?" The Solid Script Mage quietly shook her head, Lucy's shoulders drooped, and she turned to face the Mage.

"Love." She whispered, brushing past Levy with hooded eyes. "Love is sad."

Lucy Heartfilia left with the poisonous drink cradled in her hands and determination clouding her eyes.

🔥🌟

Lucy's eyes were overtaken by shadows as she glided down the aisle toward the man she wished to see dead. She clenched her hands tightly around the neck of the cup she held. Darkly yearning that it was a neck of flesh beneath her nails. Lucy kept her eyes downcast, she did not want anyone to see the rage and dark hate glistening in her eyes. The murderous intent shining in her eyes could rival a killer's.

Which Lucy was about to become.

She could feel the Demon Lord's cold eyes wash over her, chilling her to the bone. She clenched her jaw. Her vision blurred. Her eyes closed. Lucy focused on her breathing as she allowed her eyes to open a bit. Her shallow breathing was the only thing she could hear. Lucy had to find her peace again.

She needed to be stable and clear minded...Laughter filled her ears. Her breath hitched. Eyes made of jade flashed in the darkness of her mind. Lucy latched onto the image before it could flicker out. The gleam of a smile bathed in light zipped through her mind. Lucy smiled behind the veil that hid her face. The remembrance of warmth encased her. She had found her safe place.

Lucy's eyes flittered up to catch a glimpse of the man touched by darkness. He was watching her still. His ever present smirk on his pale face. He thought that he had won. Pity. Lucy did not even gift her father a glance as she breezed past him. He did not deserve to be in her eyes.

There were few people in the fourth floor of the castle where Lucy's special day was being held. The rows of seats were vacant and the air was devoid of any kind of light. Only a heaviness could be felt. Happy, along with Plue, had vanished without a trace the night before. Lucy knew that the blue Exceed must have gone with his Dragon Slayer, but Plue was still a mystery. Lucy had not seen her dog since she had yelled at him to go and fetch Levy. Neither of them had shown up.

The Strauss siblings had gone, nobody knew where they were anymore. Except for Lucy, she thought that they had gone back with Natsu and the others to where they belonged. Where Lucy should be at this moment.

Fairy Tail.

Lucy took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, rustling her veil slightly. She had yet to lay her eyes upon Captain Scarlet or Gray and Juvia. They were also all gone... It seems as if everyone I care for is slipping away without even realizing how much they will be missed...or who they are leaving behind.

Only Levy and Loke had stayed with her thus far. Lucy had to hold her personal guard back when she had informed him of what was to come. She had never seen him act so ferocious and wild. In that moment Lucy could see why Natsu and Gray had nicknamed him the Lion.

Not even Loke, lion or not, could stop or help her now. At least he could be here for emotional support though, along with Levy. However, at the same time, Lucy wished that they were not attending this devilish ceremony. She did not want them to see what she was about to do. See what lay in her eyes. Or rather what wasn't. There would be no sympathy or regret to be found in Lucy when Mard Geer's body hit the ground.

That, Lucy could be certain of.

A part of her soul slipped away when Lucy stepped up to stand beside the Underworld King. Her back was ridged and her head was once again held high. She would not bow down to his cruelty. Lucy was not weak.
She would show them all.

The priest, a older man, that was to marry them, began to recite the formal words to them. It didn't take long for the priest's words to fade away and become nothing more than a buzzing sound in Lucy's ears.

His words did not matter to her. Words of marriage, love, loyalty, and such were nothing more than lies. Well, the 'until death do us part' bit was quite true. Lucy glanced down at the rippling wine in her hands. Death would be coming all too soon for this marriage.

What was supposed to be a long speech was over much too quickly for Lucy's liking. All too soon it was time for the 'I do's' and for the rings to be slid onto fingers. Mard Geer went first, saying his two words without care, and grabbing Lucy's hand. When he went to take her glove off, she clenched her fingers against the palm of her hand.

Mard Geer looked at her but he could not see her through the cloth that concealed her face from his dead eyes.
The action was clear. He would not be touching her skin. Instead, he slipped the ring over her glove covered ring finger. For the first time that day, Lucy felt nauseous. The simple ring felt much too heavy on her finger, dragging her down. She couldn't wait to rip the damned thing off and chuck it at his smug face.

Patience, a warm voice whispered in her frantic mind, stilling her heartbeat, and easing away her sickness. Don't give yourself away, Luce. Be careful. Be smart. Be safe. Another release of a breath chased away her worries and she located her focus once more. Lucy could do this.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia of the Celestial Kingdom, do you take Mard Geer, the Underworld King of Tartaros, to be your husband?" The words burned her ears and her mouth dried. The Demon King looked at her expectingly, his eyes latched onto her shadowed face. You cannot make me bow. "I do," the words were acid on Lucy Heartfilia's tongue.

Mard Geer seemed pleased and he reached for the end of her veil to seal their new life together with a kiss that would taste like toxin to her. Before the Demon could go through with his action, Lucy quickly slipped the wine cup in front of them, stopping his hands. "I should think that before a kiss there should be wine coating the other's lips."

Mard Geer didn't blink before he got his own cup of wine and brought it to Lucy's lips. There arms were bent around one another's at the elbow so they both could allow the other to drink from each other's cups. "Indeed," Mard Geer agreed as Lucy tipped the cup for him, he did the same for her. Simultaneously the red liquid, one poisoned, one not, touched both Princess and Demon's lips.

Mard Geer's eyes flashed before he drunk everything the cup held. Lucy only took a small sip from her's. She was never much of a wine girl. The Nightshade was a fast acting poison that could kill a man in seconds if given the right amount. And Lucy had put more than enough in Mard Geer's drink. Any moment now he was going to be on the floor twitching and vomiting at her feet. Then he would see who the real ruler was. Who the real Demon was.

Mard Geer smiled and swiped his tongue along his reddened lips. "Wine and poison taste horrid together." The Underworld King smiled, "Princess." Lucy's eyes widened and her heart stopped just as the doors slammed open. All eyes in the room swung to where a figure shrouded in smoke came stalking through the destroyed entrance.

A lone, cloaked covered figure swept into the room.

"I heard that there was a wedding going down at the castle," the person beneath the cloak muttered. "Shame I wasn't invited." The hidden person lifted up their head, a roguish smirk flashing beneath the folds. "I just had to check out my competition," and fire burst out around him in a fit of power. With a smooth sweep of their hand, the cloak was ripped off, and the person underneath was revealed.

Natsu Dragneel stood before them all with a savage grin on his face and fire roaring around him. "Surprise!" Natsu yelled, jabbing a flame covered finger at Mard Geer who was looking down at him with an unhappy face. "I bet ya thought you'd seen the last of me, ya princely bastard!"

The Dragon's smile showed off his fangs. "Get outta my way! I'm a Dragon, dammit!"  Natsu roared, blasting a few spurts of fire in the air to make the small crowd of screaming people flee the room. Lucy could only stare at Natsu as he made his way to them with a challenging smile.

Her breathing had become ragged and airy. Her lungs ached for more air but she just couldn't give them what they wanted. Her eyes and mind couldn't make sense of what she was seeing. Who she was seeing. Shock was what made a tear slide down her cheek

and happiness made her almost lose her balance as she leaped forward.

Lucy needed to touch him. She needed to make sure that she was not hallucinating. That this joy in her heart was not fake. She needed to know. Lucy took off running towards him, tears blurring her vision. She almost tripped on her wedding dress that flowed out behind her like wings. She did not stop running. She never would until she reached him.

When Natsu saw her coming he tensed, his eyes widening. "L-Lucy," he tried, bring up his hands defensively. "I-I can explain-" But it was too late. Lucy threw herself into his arms and wrapped herself around him. She clawed at his back and buried her tear stained face into his scarf. Lucy was safe.

"I-I'm so s-sorry." She cried, tightening her grip around him. "It was all M-Mard Geer! He made me say those t-things to you!" Lucy wailed. "If I-I-I didn't then he would-would have taken you away! I'm sorry!" She may have been choking the life out of him in that moment but she was also draining away the hurt that she had caused him. Natsu's chest rose and fell sharply, not quite believing what was happening right then. Lucy...was hugging him... Not yelling. Not shoving. Not screaming hateful names at him. Not loathing him. But holding him and apologizing.

Natsu released a shaky breath before hesitantly putting his arms around her. He was half fearful that she would flinch away from his touch but she just kept on blubbering apologies against his neck. So, Natsu closed his eyes, and allowed a smile to come across his face. Because she was finally back in his arms that had never felt so empty without her in them.

Natsu was her Dragon again.

"Ah," Natsu chuckled. "Don't you know, Luce? A Dragon never truly leaves." All the built up emotion and the regret seemed to melt away when she heard her nickname fall from his lips. She smiled through her tears.

The sound of clapping echoed throughout the silent room.

Natsu lifted his head to glare at Mard Geer, still calmly slapping his hands together. "Just when I thought I had finally gotten rid of you." The Demon King sighed, putting a hand to his cheek, "You come crawling back like a cockroach." Natsu felt his lips curl back into a snarl. "I'll always come back, bastard." Absentmindedly tightening his hold on the girl in his arms.

Mard Geer heard the silent message. I'll always come back for her.

The powerful Demon blinked slowly. "I suppose you will..." It happened in an instant. Emerald green vines with red barbs came shooting out of the ground at the Demon's feet. The vines shot forward at alarming speed and wrapped around Lucy's waist.

Lucy froze and whispered uncertainly, "Natsu?" Then she was gone. Ripped from the Dragon's arms by the vines that went back to their master with their prize. Mard Geer fixed Natsu with a smirk as Lucy writhed against the harsh vines. "Lucy!" Natsu roared, fire erupting around him to give light to his rage.

"Mard Geer!" The Dragon seethed, taking a threatening step forward. "If you hurt what's mine, I'll tear you apart, and burn what's left into ash." Natsu warned lowly, his eyes blazing with promise.

"Oh? Then allow me to do something about that little problem." Mard Geer snapped his fingers and the Curse controlling the vines ordered the vegetation to slam into the wall behind him. The wall crumbled and shattered due to the impact. There was only a second where Mard Geer and Natsu made eye contact.

The Demon did not need Lucy any longer.

The Underworld King smiled, "Catch."
The vine holding Lucy chucked her out the broken wall. Her heart dropped as she, for only a moment, stayed suspended in the air; then Lucy dropped.

"Princess!" Loke screamed, reaching uselessly for her. "Lu-chan!" Levy cried, running toward her falling friend. "Lucy!" King Jude called in horror. They would all be too late. They couldn't catch her.
But a Dragon could.

Shock and terror clashed together in a wild show to express Natsu's emotions as blond wisps of Lucy's hair vanished from his sight.

"No!" Natsu bellowed, dashing forward, knocking Mard Geer out of his way. Without so much as a pause he jumped. The Demon King did not pause either. With a thrust of his arm, a vine shot forward, and buried its barbed thorns into Natsu's chest and back. The spikes tore and mauled his flesh but it didn't stop his descent.

The Dragon's hair whipped in his eyes along with his scarf as he battled against the force of the wind. Tears stung his eyes, making his sight blurry. He quickly blinked them away and caught a glimpse of Lucy. Her back was facing the ground and she was reaching for him. Her mouth moved, forming his name, calling out to him.

Natsu gritted his teeth. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his own blood fly by his face. The wound he had suffered burned and left him cold at the same time. He threw out his hand to her, desperately reaching for her, ignoring his pulsing wound. Lucy reached for him as well, straining against the lashing wind.

With a yell Natsu surged forward and ate up the distance between them. Their fingers brushed...Then his hand wrapped securely around her wrist and Lucy followed suit.

He yanked her close to him and crushed her against him. Relief washed over him and he held her close. Lucy was experiencing the same emotions that he was. She held him in a death grip and squeezed her eyes shut against the cold wind.

It's strange...Lucy thought as Natsu and her plummeted to earth. I'm not that afraid anymore. Lucy found herself smiling a bit against his neck. I knew you wouldn't let me fall. She tightened her grip on him. You said you wouldn't.

Natsu eyed the distance between them and the earth. With a start he realized that they weren't going to hit the ground. They were going to hit the moat surrounding the castle. A flash of realization flashed through him. He would not have any time to let his Dragon Force take over. With a grunt that irritated his wound, Natsu spun around in the air so his back was to the water. He placed a hand on the back of her head and held her tight-

There was a bone snapping sound as both Natsu and Lucy hit the water at full force, the Dragon taking the brunt of it all.

Lucy's eyes slowly opened against the cold water. Blue and white filled her eyes, the icy cold water chilling her skin terribly. Fishes of different shape and vibrant colors swam inches from her face. Light danced on the water's stilling surface, shining down upon Lucy. It was surreally beautiful...and deadly.

A shock went through Lucy when she felt Natsu's arms beginning to limply slip away from her. She frantically whipped her head through the water, searching through her mass of hair for him. Lucy's mouth opened in heart stopping worry when she saw Natsu's still face. His eyes were closed and his lips were parted slightly, bubbles slipped passed his lips, brushing past Lucy's horrified face.

It was only then that she noticed the thickening of blood in the water around them. The blood was turning the water a sickening red and even the fish swam far from it. Lucy swiftly closed her mouth before her air left her and wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist. He was sinking and fast. Lucy grit her teeth. She wouldn't let the dark depths have him.

Lucy's white dress billowed out behind her, obscuring the sun's light in bright flashes. She pressed her face into his chest and started kicking her legs through the water. The fish scattered away from her harsh movements and the water churned aggressively around her.

Come on, Natsu! Lucy screamed in her mind, tugging on him. Don't you dare leave me! Slowly, ever so slowly Lucy began to get them to the surface. But, she knew she wasn't going to make it. Her dress and Natsu's weight were dragging her down. Her precious air was leaving her and Lucy was afraid that the water had already infiltrated Natsu's lungs and had filled them to the brim.

Bubbles escaped from her mouth and she watched them float up to the light.
Why...?
Lucy's eyes slowly began to slide shut.
Why do they get to be free..?
Her legs stilled.
And we don't?
The last of Lucy's air formed bubbles and she watched them as they floated up to their freedom.
Oh...How very unfair...
Lucy with her arms still tightly wrapped around her Dragon began to fade away. The dark depths calling to her with coldness and death.

Natsu's eyes shot open; Lucy's weak heartbeat in his ears.

The force of the impact had knocked him out and panic was eating away at his heart. He couldn't breath. His lungs had lit themselves on fire. Natsu's eyes latched onto Lucy's weak face and his heart dropped. He had to get her out.

His dark eyes flashed upward and he allowed the Dragon to take over. Fire and ash both swirled in the water as scales erupted out of his skin. Horns protruded from his skull. A thrashing tail came out of his lower back. Finally, wings shot out from between his shoulder blades, completing his Dragon form.

With a burst of speed brought on by lighting his feet on fire, Natsu with Lucy in his arms, bolted out of the water in a shower of droplets. Natsu quickly unfolded his wings and with a harsh flap, flew them over to a clearing near the castle and woods.

Water burned his eyes and his overflowing lungs were beginning to shut down, his brain following close behind. Natsu clutched onto Lucy tighter as he clung onto his consciousness. The top of the trees brushed against his tail and he looked down to try to find a safe place to land. Only, when he did that, his vision failed him, and so did the rest of him.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes rolled into the back of his head and suddenly they were free falling from the sky.

Lucy's echoing scream snapped him into action in the last second. With the last bit of his energy, Natsu folded his wings around them both just before they hit the ground in a shower of dust. They rolled along the rocky ground, the harsh earth succeeding in tearing into the Dragon Slayer's wings. After what seemed like agonizing hours; they stopped rolling.

Natsu's wings flopped open limply and Lucy was revealed. Safe, unhurt, and drenched. Much like Natsu himself, her lungs were on fire and slowly burning her from the inside. She rolled onto her side and coughed up mouthfuls of cold water. Lucy gasped. Her head was pounding and-

Lucy shot up and turned to the Dragon who was breathing shallowly. "Natsu!" She cried, grabbing onto his shoulders. With a huff she turned him onto his side and pounding his back with her palm. His back suddenly arched and then water poured out of his mouth. Breathing heavily, he rolled onto his back.

"Natsu? Can you hear me? Can you breath okay?" Lucy hurriedly asked, her throat raw. Natsu's eyes slid open a bit and he smiled tiredly. "I'm...fine," he breathed. "Are you?" Lucy ignored the question, too busy looking over the nasty wound he had taken.

The front of his shirt was caked with crimson liquid. His chest had been slashed and thorns were embedded into his flesh. She would have to get them out before they did anymore damage- Natsu reached up and grabbed her wrist. "I asked if you were alright?" He rasped. Lucy stared down at him with teary eyes and slowly nodded. "I-I will be."

However, before she could do anything more to help him, Natsu's scales began to shift and move. They crawled over his skin, heading toward the gruesome wound.

The ruby scales swirled around the slash before slithering over the wound. Lucy watched, in a state of awe, as they went on top of his wound, and sealed it shut by locking together tightly. The thorns slid down his skin from where his scales had squeezed them out. Even though Lucy had seen this happen before, it was still shocking to see it once more.

She looked up, "A-are you alright now?" Natsu's eyes had closed due to his deep concentration. After another second of silence and deep breathing. They flashed open with a fiery gleam. He nodded and tried to sit up, which Lucy helped him do. Natsu leaned against Lucy, looked to the castle, and growled, his eyes blazing.
"This is war."

🔥🌟

The Dragon, after experiencing utter heartbreak, has shown himself again. For he could not leave the Princess...no matter how much she shattered him. Only for him to discover that all she had previously said to him was all just to protect him. Now, hurt, bleeding out, and with vengefulness clouding his mind; the Dragon has never felt so loved.
Now to save her and her Kingdom, the Dragon now must go up against Demons. However, if it is to save her, he will go to battle on the front lines.

Perhaps it is true that a Dragon never truly leaves a Princess' heart.

Let the Adventure Continue!

This chapter is for
fangirls_too_much