The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 5

"I want to take you outside today." Natsu tied off the end of one of the twin braids he styled Lucy's hair in, stepping back to admire his work and catching her shocked expression through the mirror. 

"...Outside? Why?" Lucy fiddled with the collar around her neck, glancing behind her at Natsu.

"My cousins are visiting from the dragon kingdom. Apparently my old man told them about ya, and they wanna meet you. You'd have to stay in 'character' though." 

In the 2 months that she'd been here, Lucy had never truly gone outside, only getting sunlight and fresh air from her trips out on the balcony of Natsu's room. She'd also never spoken to anyone other than Natsu and Happy, and the loneliness was starting to wear her down.

"I'd love to meet them! And go outside! I'm all fired up now!" She hopped around the room excitedly, not noticing the way she mimicked one of Natsu's favorite lines. Natsu did notice, however, and buried his face in his scarf to hide his blush. 

"Yea, well, they're gonna be here soon, so let's head to the gardens now, that's where we're meetin' em."

Lucy stiffened as Natsu picked up the leash that hung on a hook by his wardrobe. She'd forgotten about her role around here, especially since for the past 2 months she hadn't been treated like a servant by Natsu or Happy at all. It felt more like a constant sleepover, everyday was exciting, even though she'd only been in one room the entire time. It wasn't like the room was small, anyway.

Natsu gently attached the leash to Lucy's collar, giving her a wane smile. If this was the only way she'd be allowed outside, then so be it. She was just happy to meet new people and be in a new space. 

Natsu gently guided her out of the room, Lucy only just now realizing she'd been barefoot all this time as her feet made contact with the rug outside of his door. 

The halls seemed so foreign, seeing as she'd only walked through them once. Many servants were darting from place to place, trying to at least look like they were working. Most of them tried to steal glances of their king, giving Lucy a stink eye when they caught sight of her.

She hadn't realized, but even if she was just a concubine, she'd be the highest ranked servant. She could understand their irritation, she had been given special treatment. 

As they made it closer to the doors of the gardens, they started running into more and more guards, all of which promptly stood at attention when Natsu approached. Lucy found herself holding in a gag when she noticed the way the guards were looking at her, many whispering in disbelief about how they finally got to see her.

Once they finally made it to the gardens, Lucy gasped. She never had the chance to truly enjoy the scenery. There were flowers that she had never even heard of, all arranged in beautiful patterns. Natsu took her to the large fountain in the center, accidentally tugging on the leash whenever she got distracted. 

"Your garden is very beautiful." She said in a soft voice, this tone one Natsu hadn't heard her use before. He looked in her eyes for a moment, snatching at her leash and making her coke for a second as he said, "Quiet," in a stern voice. 

As Lucy caught her breath, Natsu turned to the guards that stayed around the gardens, already disgusted with their obvious stares at her. 

"Leave us." 

The guards said nothing as they quickly left the area, leaving the two alone. 

"I'm so sorry, Luce. I just… gotta act like that around here, I didn't hurt ya, did I?" Natsu began checking the skin around her collar, gouging her expression for any traces of pain.