Lucy ran her fingers through her hair as she sat up in the bed. She glanced around the large room she was in, noting how incredibly large it was.
"Where am I?" She thought out loud, running her hands along the plush black comforter.
"Have you already forgotten?" A raspy voice replied, causing Lucy to scream and shoot her leg out to kick whoever this intruder was.
She watched as a pink haired man fell off the right side of the bed. He stayed on the ground, his face smack against the dark, sleek wooden floor, for a few moments. Lucy noticed the man was in just his boxers… and the boxers were decorated with dragon decals. She would've giggled if she hadn't noticed her own state of undress, for she was completely nude under the covers.
"What the hell were you doing in bed with me?!" The blonde demanded as she scooted further away from the side of the bed from which he fell.
"Well it's my bed… I let you sleep in it and this is how you thank me? Real classy, Luigi." The man grumbled as he rubbed at his face.
Lucy's eyes widened, her mind reeling to the night before. She'd woken up in a garden, been surrounded by guards, tortured, and then bathed… bathed by this man… the king.
She jumped out of the bed and kneeled down on her hands and knees, bowing before the man.
"I'm sorry! It completely slipped my mind, please forgive me, er… Lord END."
Natsu stood up, now looking down at the girl. He noted that he didn't like hearing her speak to him that way, but it wasn't like he ever liked being spoken to as if his soul held more meaning than others. He examined her body, mostly making sure that all of the wounds healed properly. He noticed the way her long blonde hair covered her face as she bowed, part of it hanging across her shoulders. From this angle, he'd also noticed she had an amazing figure, he'd have to keep an eye out for her to be sure none of the guards tried anything.
"Don't worry 'bout it. How 'you feelin'? Do ya have any of your memories?"
He grabbed Lucy by the forearm and guided her to sit next to him on the bed. She shifted so her body faced slightly away from him and lifted her arms to try and cover her large breasts.
"I… I still don't remember anything… Why have you healed me? And why are you keeping me here?"
Lucy's big brown eyes bore into his, and Natsu couldn't help but think that paired with her flushed face was very cute.
"You'll have to excuse my guards, they tend to have a strange infatuation with cruel and unusual punishment. I didn't think you deserved that, so I took you here. The ointments I used were given to me by my little cousin, she's very skilled in that kind of thing. I'm glad you've healed nicely."
He flashed Lucy a smile, and she admired it for a moment before raising a brow, definitely noticing his change in demeanor and how he spoke much more formally than before.
"Oh… Well, thank you. What do you want with me now?" Lucy raised a hand up to fidget with the collar around her neck. Natsu's eyes followed the motion, and he fought the urge to remove the collar himself. He couldn't understand why, but he already felt like he could trust this woman.
"You've entered my castle. You have no title, no rank, no backstory, so you're mine now. You'll be joining my court as one of my servants."
Lucy looked down at the ground. It wasn't like she had many options, but she did not feel safe in this castle. She sighed as she turned towards the king.
"No."
Natsu stared at her for a moment before erupting into laughter. He shook his head as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"It wasn't a question. You will be a servant here. Unless you'd want me to send you back to the dungeon..?"
Lucy shook her head, pleading as she grasped his hands. "Please, anything but that! It's just… I don't feel safe here, I don't think the other's care about what happens to me. I mean, you saw how they watched me get tortured!"
Natsu nodded, he couldn't argue with that. He grinned widely at her, snickering a little at her confused expression.
"Don't worry about that. You'll be a chamber maiden, so you'll be staying in here with me. No one will bother you."
Natsu choked as he caught her small fist. Had she just tried to hit him!? And after he'd been so kind, too.
"What do you take me for? A 'chamber maiden'!? Did you think I lost my dignity along with my memories? I may not know where I came from, but I do know I'm not going to give up my body so easily, so find a new role for me. I'd rather feel unsafe than undignified." Natsu watched in awe as the fuming blonde scoffed and turned her head in disgust, folding her arms indignantly.
Had she forgotten where she was? She was demanding a king to pick a different role to give her as a servant? Natsu had never seen such insubordination from anyone except...himself. He couldn't fight the smile that formed on his face.
"I ain't gonna have sex with ya, calm down. You're just gonna be an actual chamber maiden, like cleanin' and stuff. None of that kinky shit… unless you want it, that is."
Lucy flushed bright red at Natsu's innuendo and suggestive smirk, puffing out her cheeks at him.
"Why do you keep doing that? One second you're talking all formal, and the next you're speaking completely improperly, like how you were just now." Natsu's eyes widened.
"Really? Damn, I didn't even notice… I gotta talk like that in public, something bout keeping up a 'reputation' or whatever."
"But you don't care about your reputation whilst speaking with me?" Natsu didn't hesitate to shake his head at her question.
"Nah, I don't feel like I should. You did just try to hit me, and then started giving me orders, you're pretty weird, yknow."
The blonde blushed and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh gods… I'm so sorry! I don't know why I keep doing that…"
Natsu chuckled, waving off her apology. "Don't worry bout it. You were probably a boxer or something before you lost your memories," his laughter grew as she rolled her eyes, "besides, s'not like you could actually hurt me. I like you, Luigi, you're different. Weird, but different."
Lucy blushed at his words, mumbling a "thanks… I guess." Before she turned to him fully, adding "it's Lucy, by the way."
Natsu smiled, this was probably the most he'd ever smiled in one morning since he was a kid.
"Right, and you can just call me Natsu. But not in public, you'd be crucified if someone heard you."
He snickered at the way her eyes widened. Lucy fidgeted with her collar a bit more before standing and walking towards the large dresser beneath the TV. She rummaged around a bit before pulling out a black silk robe. She walked towards the large vanity mirror in the corner of the room and began tying the robe so it fit along her curves nicely. It was baggy in most areas, mainly the sleeves, but it suited her. The front was cut in a deep V, giving a perfect view of her cleavage as she tied the silk black belt tight around her waist.
"This'll have to do until I can get some proper clothes." She said to herself as she examined her look in the mirror. "Do you have a hair brush or tie I could use?"
She turned to Natsu, noticing that he'd been watching her the whole time she dressed herself, but decided not to comment on it.
"You're supposed to be working, not dolling yourself up." He grumbled as he walked over to her and threaded his fingers through her hair.
He brushed it with his hands for a bit before dividing it into 3 parts. He gently braided her hair, all the way down to the strains that ran down her back, leaving her bangs untouched.
When he finished, Lucy examined the braid with an awestruck look. "Wow! You're good at that!" She beamed at him through the mirror, and Natsu decided that expression suited her the best.
He flushed and ducked his face where his scarf would be as he rubbed the back of his neck. "An old friend of mine taught me how to do that when I was like 10. Said something bout needing to know how for when I had a daughter someday," he rolled his eyes at the memory, Erza was always so crazy, "390 years later and no kids, but I like to braid my little cousin's hair whenever I see her."
"Well, I'm sure when you do have a daughter, she'll never have a bad hair day." Natsu's blush worsened when he caught her wink, but Lucy paid no mind as she sauntered into the bathroom to search for cleaning supplies.
Natsu ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't met someone like Lucy since he'd been to the Fairy Kingdom. She was refreshing to talk to, and they'd only really had a single conversation. He was drawn to her feisty personality, and he could see she was likely a very kind person, too.
He wasn't sure if she'd still be here once her memories came back, but Natsu found himself hoping she would.