Back in Lazan City, poor Natsu was a dreadful mess. Ever since his meeting with Princess Lucy, the young man had been left feeling gloomy and miserable. His heart struggled like a snared falcon whenever he thought of the sultan's daughter, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, all he could do was just stand in front of the palace and watch the princess from afar during the day, then dream of her during the night. He had tried to forget her, after all, she was a royal princess and he was just a poor commoner from the streets. The two of them together was laughable really. But how could he forget her when she was such a blaze of charms?

She had not only beauty but intelligence, a strong-will, a great sense of humor. She wasn't anything like all those other women of title and wealth. She treated the poor like they were human beings, and she had acted so natural around him. Behaving just like a regular girl. If only she was a regular girl. But she wasn't. She was the princess. Someone like him wasn't permitted to look at her, let alone court her. He had to be satisfied with just gazing upon her face and imagining what it would be like if he actually had a chance with her.

Then one day as he was once again hiding on the side lines of the palace, just underneath the balcony, waiting to get just one glimpse of Lucy, the sultan made an important announcement. His words stabbed the heart of the young man.

"The Verdenshav Kingdom seeks a union between our realms, the prime minster and myself believe that my daughter the Princess Lucy and the kingdom's prince should be married to keep the peace and prevent any future discord. So my people, myself, the princess, and my trsuted vizier shall spend the Summer in the Magnolia Nation in hopes that she and the prince will fall in love. Until I return, I leave Lazan City in the hands of my loyal and just Captain of the guards."

Zash was present during this announcement and he the golden scarab beetle medallion he worse suddenly started to glow. That meant a descendant of Zeref was nearby. He slipped further into the crowd, going in which direction made the medallion glow brighter and it shone like a falling star when he came near Natsu.

"Married?" He thought out loud in disappointment. "She's getting married already? Couldn't they have waited for another year?"

Natsu didn't see Zash but Zash could see him and he could hear him too. He could hear the tone of his voice as he spoke those words and he could tell what it meant. This fool was pinning for the princess. How pathetic. Though, it did provide the perfect form of manipulation for him to use.

Later that night, Nebaru had returned to him once again in his parrot form, he found his master digging around in some old, dirty, and worn clothes he had swiped from the slums of the city.

"There you are!" He said impatiently. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, Selene had a job for me. I needed to assist her in her new plan to get the trident and I do believe this one will work."

"I seriously doubt that. Last time she went after it, she not only failed but was defeated by a mere brat."

"But this time it's different. She's striking at where the sea king is most vulnerable. His heart."

"What do you mean?"

"His favorite sister has fallen in love with a human and Selene has tricked the poor child into agreeing to give up her soul if she can't marry that human before the end of Summer Solstice. When she fails, she'll be at Selene's mercy and that leaves big brother willing to do anything to save his precious little sister."

"And what makes her so sure the mermaid will fail? I've seen Selene's sister in-law and she was a real beauty." Lust briefly filled his eyes. "No doubt any one of her daughters will be just as gorgeous. Not hard for a human to fall for any of them, even if they have tails."

"Ah but her niece didn't fall for just any human. She fell for the prince of the Verdenshave Kingdom who just happens to be engaged to the Princess of The Lazan City. There's no chance of that mermaid succeeding in time."

"And does Selene know that?"

"Of course she knows that. She knows the prince is destined to marry another, that's why she made the deal in the first place, because she knows her niece is doomed to fail. It's brilliant."

"It is. I always forget how crafty and devious she can be. She's the only person other than myself who knows how to use a person's love against them. Speaking of which, her niece isn't the only one dreaming of an impossible romance. As fate would have it, I have found Zeref's descendant and he's a street rat who's fallen in love with the princess like a stooge. Oh Nebaru! It couldn't be more perfect!"

And thus he proceeded to relay every aspect of his plan to the imp, then he handed the scarab charm to the imp and sent him out to locate his "pawn". Said pawn was sitting and moping around in the hovel where he lived, hating that he had met this incredible woman only to find out that she was going to marry someone else. Fate just loved to torment him, didn't it?

"Please eat something Natsu." Happy pleaded, pushing a melon against his hand. "Your almost skinny enough for me to see your rib cage."

"I'm sorry buddy but I just can't eat. I can't do anything except think about her."

"There are plenty of other women out there. Women who are just as pretty as her."

"Oh no Happy. There's no one on earth as pretty as her. She's the prettiest woman in the whole world. She's smart, she's fun, she's-"

"Royal! She's royalty, you're not. The two shall never mix. Besides, she's already spoken for."

"Yeah, by a prince." Natsu said in a tone expressing envy. "I don't get it. Why does she have to marry this prince? What makes him so special? What does he have that I don't?"

"Let's see, money, his own kingdom, his own castle, class, an education, better hygiene."

"Okay, okay, I see your point." He sighed. "I know it's hopeless Happy. She was just so terrific and for awhile there, I was thinking that maybe she and I...Stupid. Stupid, stupid."

"Don't take it too hard. You're not the first man to fall for a woman who's way out of your league. I once fell for a purebred and boy are they picky. Can't mate with any crossbreeds because they don't know what kind of genes we could carry. Hmmph! Well at least we have longer lifespans."

"Do you think she'll remember me?"

"Probably. You've always been very unforgettable."

"Do you think if I had been born a prince or if she had been born a peasant, could she have loved me?"

"Any woman could love you Natsu. But from what I've seen in Lazan City, love isn't enough for these people. You need money and a title to officially tie the knot. Now while you have something better than both, no one like the Sultan is going to take the time to recognize that."

Natsu nodded and gave Happy a pat on the head.

"But don't worry, you'll find someone else who can bring you love."

"I don't think so Happy. If I can't marry Lucy then I can't marry anyone. Oh, what's the point of still dreaming? I'll never see her again and nothing can change that."

"Perhaps not boy."

Suddenly a startled Happy jumped into Natsu's arms when two realized that a stranger had entered their hovel. He appeared to be a crippled old man dressed in rags, frail and feeble. Hideous, decaying, looking like he had one foot in the grave.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked. "How did you get in here?"

"There's no door in the hovel fool, that's how I could get in." The old man said. "As for who I am, just call me the answer to your prayers."

"How do you mean?"

"Tell me boy, do you know of the ancient lamp that lies within a mysterious cave?"

"Yeah, have you been talking to that crazy fortune teller lady?"

"I'm an old family friend of hers. For years I've longed desired to have the lamp that is contained within that cave but alas I am too old to get it on my own and I am not a descendant of Zeref. Only Zeref's descendant can enter the cave and return alive. She tells me that Zeref's blood flows through your veins."

"Did she also tell you that I don't have a death wish? I'm not going down in that cave. It's guarded by a dragon."

"But it won't harm you."

"It won't."

"No. The dragons adored Zeref for being the first to show them any compassion and respect. They wouldn't dare harm anyone related to him. That's why only his descendants can go down there and come back. Anyone else would be burnt to a crisp, except for you and if you help me retrieve the lamp then I shall tell you the secret to collect the treasure buried in the cave with it. Treasure grand enough to make you a possible candidate for the princess's hand."

"But I thought she was supposed to marry a prince?"

"The prince of Verdenshav rules a fine kingdom but his fortune is nothing impressive. Not compared to the treasure in this cave. If you were to appear before the sultan, with more gold and jewels than any king's son has, he'll practically beg you to marry his daughter."

"Really? Is that how it works?"

"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you? Whoever has the gold makes the rules. So here's the deal, you help me get what I want and I help you get your princess. Simple as that."

The idea was appealing to Natsu but Happy was suspicious. Something didn't smell right about this old man.

"Natsu I think we should get away from this guy." The cat told him. "He seems a little crooked to me. Besides, why would he want an old lamp when there's apparently treasure in this cave?"

Happy had a point. The old man's deal seemed a bit too easy, a bit too good to be true. There had to be strings attached or something that the old coot wasn't telling him. Nothing was ever that easy. But to have a chance at courting the princess. A chance to win her heart and to someday marry her, he risk anything for that. Now that he had met Lucy, he had nothing to lose. He had no family, no home, no future, no love, just a long life of misery on the streets. Marrying the woman he had fallen for was the only light he'd ever know.

"Alright." He agreed. "I'll help you get this lamp."

"Excellent." The man chuckled. "We shall leave now."

"Now?"

"Yes. It must be now. Today marks the seventh day of the seventh month, on the night of a seventh full moon. If not now then it will be another seven months, seven days, and seven moons."

"Again, why so many sevens?" Natsu wondered. "Okay, let's get going."

Happy really didn't like this. His feline senses told him that they were headed straight for trouble. But He knew that it was no use trying to talk Natsu out of it. He was a man in love, and men in love always did the most foolish things. Which meant that all Happy could do was follow along and try to help his master however he could.

"We're going to regret this." Happy told Natsu as they started their journey. "And when we do, I'm going to blame you."