The Celestial Princess (A NaLu Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Chapter 16

The whole ballroom just stood there and stared dumbfounded at the person standing there in the doorway. No one dared to even make a sound, almost as if the guests had simply lost their voices. It was so quiet, the ticking of a grand clock could be heard throughout the large ballroom. They couldn't believe what they were seeing, it just seemed impossible. Everybody had thought they'd never see them again, that they had died out there in wilderness. The whole world had eventually labeled them dead, but apparently not. Queen Erza stared in bewilderment, wondering how in the the world could this person possibly be here at this time? This can't be real, I'm dreaming. I must be, what other explanation is there?, the scarlet haired queen thought in her head, not believing what her eyes were seeing. Gray could only stare with absolutely nothing in his head. No thought, no emotions, just nothing. It was as if his mind shut down from the sudden shock, and who really could blame him. After all, that's what was happening to almost everybody at the moment. Natsu and Happy couldn't take their eyes off of the person standing at the doorway, the two friends had and idea of what to expect but this was was a little bit unexpected. "Hello. I'm sorry I'm late, but it took a while to get here. I hope you all can understand" Lucy said as she stood there in the doorway. Natsu couldn't take his eyes off her, she was just breathtaking. Her blond hair was tied up into a neat bun with her bangs framing the sides of her face, an elegant headband acting as a crown. Her dress consisted of light pink for the skirt, and hot pink for the top and over skirt. There was white frilling on the hem of the over skirt, the cut of the top, and a trail going up the middle of the top where it met the cut, a rose was placed where the two points met. The sleeves were separate from the dress, the white frilling at the top cut just below the shoulder. Once the hot pink reached her elbows, it seemed to hang off her arms. And the light pink skirt was poofed out a little, with a white bow at the waistline. It was the same ball gown Lucy wore when he first proposed. The blond haired woman walked across the ballroom over to her lover, who was nervous at just the sight of her. "Would you like to dance?" Lucy calmly asked Natsu as she held out her hand. "Sure" the pink haired dragon slayer said, trying not to show how timid he was at the moment. Natsu took his lovers hand in his own as soft piano music started to play, and he pulled Lucy out into the ballroom floor. As the couple continued dancing, Natsu began to feel more comfortable and one by one the guests started to talk again, only about the supposedly dead Princess Lucy. "So Luce, how did you get here" Natsu asked as he and Lucy danced to a new song. Since the moon had only risen a bit ago, he had to wonder how she had gotten here so quickly. "Well I flew here with Wendy carrying me" the blond haired celestial wizard said with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Wow! Wendy's that strong?! She seemed kinda weak right now with her wing in a cast and all," Natsu said with a surprised look in his eyes. "No! I walked here on foot, how else?" Lucy told Natsu as she was twirled, her dress flaring out around her. "Well, I'm glad you at least made it here safely Luce" Natsu said as he pulled Lucy back towards him. "Me too" Lucy said as she looked into Natsu's onyx eyes. As he looked into her brown doe eyes, the fire dragon noticed that something was off about them. He didn't know what it was but they seemed hazy and distant. Almost like a figure in a fog. And on top of that her scent was different in a way. It was still the same, but with a hint of something almost magical added to it. Like a spell or something. "Hey Lucy, are you alright?" Natsu asked. The blond woman's calm and happy expression didn't falter even a bit. "Of course silly. Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy told tighter as squeezing his hand a tiny bit tighter. Natsu let out a sigh, as the current song they were dancing to ended. "Alright if you say so" Natsu said which caused Lucy to smile brighter. Maybe he was just nervous about Mard Geer, Lucy appeared to be fine. A bit calmer than usual, but fine. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her but he'd keep his eye on her just in case. Meanwhile, Mard Geer was walking inside one of the castle's many hallways. He was a demon on a mission, if his plan was going to work, he had to collect a few things that had been stolen from him many years ago. "Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?!" a guard asked as he came from a corner behind the underworld king. Mard Geer clicked his tongue as he turned around with a board expression on his face. Once he saw the human, his eyes showed nothing but disgust. "For once I hoped I wouldn't have to shed any blood on this matter. But I can't afford to have a pathetic human know I'm here only so he can attempt to warn his comrades" the raven haired demon said as he swiped his hand into a tilted upward position. Suddenly a thick vines covered in razor sharp thorns came out from the ground and wrapped itself around them guard's throat and wrists. "But since I'm here and I simply can not have any witnesses, I might as well have fun with this" Mard Geer said as he clenched his hand into a fist, which made the vines tighten their grip on the guards wrists and throat. The royal guard gasped for air and gripped the vines as he felt the air and blood escaping him. Mard Geer couldn't help but smile. Meanwhile, Natsu was still dancing with Lucy in the grand ballroom. As much as the pink haired man was enjoying this, he was wondering when the two were going to start forming a plan of attack. He really wanted to kick Mard Geer's butt so this could all be over. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it in his stomach. Then again that could also just mean that I'm hungry, Natsu thought as he stopped dancing. "Hey Lucy, I was just wondering. When are we going to ask for help in defeating that demon? Don't you think that we should start forming a plan before it's too late?" Natsu asked Lucy, whose expression didn't falter. But he could of swore that he saw something flash in her eyes. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it something. But what? "Natsu, I've been labeled as dead for five months, and trapped at an abandoned castle. And you've been training and worrying that whole time, I don't think a small brake would hurt us. Now, let's eat" Lucy said as she took his hand in hers and lead him over to the desserts table. Natsu's eyes widened, as he walked with Lucy. Know he knew for a fact that something was up. The Lucy he knew would have agreed and walked straight to Erza dragging him along with her and got down to business. That feeling in his stomach grew, and he could tell it wasn't his hunger. It felt like tornado was rampaging through it, tearing him apart. When he reached the dessert table he shot Happy a look that meant " we need to talk now" Happy nodded and flew over to his friend, floating by him. "What is it Natsu?" Happy whispered, sounding alert yet nervous. "Somethings up with Lucy, it's like that no really her or something" Natsu whispered back, being careful so that the blond haired women couldn't hear as she ate whatever she had put on her plate. "What do you mean?" the blue exeed asked as he eyed her carefully. "She's acting different. My nose says it is her, but I'm not sure, she seems to calm, distant, like she's under a spell" Natsu explained to his best friend. Happy nodded his head in agreement. As dense as Natsu was at times, he had a point. Lucy did seem too calm, calm just wasn't her style. Plus he knew just how much Lucy wanted to defeat the underworld king, she wouldn't be wasting time like this. "What are you two talking about?" Lucy asked suddenly from behind the two friends. Natsu and Happy jumped at the voice of Lucy, not expecting it. "Nothing! Nothing at all!" Natsu and Happy said at the same, trying to convince the celestial wizard. Lucy shrugged her shoulders as he turned around. The fire dragon and blue exeed sighed, happy that she didn't ask any further questions. All of a sudden the candles were blown out, leaving the room to be lit up by the soft moon light through the glass. And all eyes turned their attention towards the ballroom doors that flew open, revealing a tall dark figure that made the whole room gasp out in surprise. "I'm truely sorry I'm late, but I ran into someone while I was on my way to pick up my belongings" he said as he held a book that contained the unimaginable curses of demons. "And furthermore, you'll want to make sure that there's an opening for a royal guard" Mard Geer said sinisterly as he smiled.