Lucy sneezed as they were pulled into the next chapter. Immediately, there was a dizzying rush followed by a painful sensation, as if she were being stretched and pulled by multiple forces, all threatening to destroy her.

She felt her mouth open and she gasped for air, only to find herself floundering in the nothingness. Her heart accelerated at the shock, pain lacing her body as she began to suffocate. The only things she could feel were the rather familiar heat of flames and a rush of an extremely powerful magic. Just as suddenly as the pain had come, it disappeared. Her eyes opened, and a drop of rain hit her nose.

Lucy blinked.

And after that drop came another, and another, and yet another; the drizzle quickly became a fierce downpour that drenched Lucy's clothes (which she noted was a rather tasteful dress, simple yet somehow elegant- still, a cloak would really have been handy) in a matter of seconds.

In front of her was a grand, towering castle, and it looked remarkable more comfortable inside than outside in the pouring rain. The windows were glowing a warm orange, undoubtedly from some kind of warm fire that she wasn't around. She sneezed again (god, if she caught a cold in this weather, that'd just suck) and glanced around. Natsu was nowhere to be found. With a sigh and being none the wiser on what fairy tale she had landed in, Lucy stepped towards the castle in hopes that she they could spare a room...

A maid opened a small side door, pouring dirty water from a bucket outside, and Lucy took this opportunity to approach. The maid glanced up warily, but quickly relaxed when she saw that Lucy was just a tired girl who was a little worse for the wear. With a start, Lucy realized that the woman looked quite like Bisca.

"May I come in? I need somewhere to stay..." Lucy trailed off. Would the family that owned the castle be mad if they found out she was there? In all the stories that she read, it was always a secretive wanderer in a castle that couldn't afford being found out, and for all she knew, she could be risking something huge right now...

Clearly, Bisca didn't seem too apprehensive about the situation. "Oh, honey," she clucked. "You're lookin' mighty terrible! Come in, come in!" She stepped aside and ushered Lucy towards the door. Her voice was soothing, a relaxed drawl that comforted Lucy. With a grateful smile, Lucy thanked Bisca and stepped into the castle. Immediately, she was enveloped by the heat of the candles and the warm scent of bread. She inhaled deeply, making Bisca grin widely in response.

"It's not much," Bisca chuckled, tucking her green hair behind her ear, "but I'm one of the cooks of this here place. The rest are all sleepin', though, the lazy bunch." She waved about, setting the bucket on the floor and wiping her hands on her apron. "Feel free to dry yourself up by that there fire, now, ya hear?"

"Thanks," Lucy gave a relieved sigh, crouching down by the hearth. The kitchen was sizable, and Bisca freely waltzed from counter to counter, wiping the counters and chopping vegetables to put into a large pot.

Seeing as how Natsu was nowhere to be found, Lucy pushed on by herself, asking,"So, who are the owners of this castle?"

Bisca nearly dropped a dish in surprise, and quickly scrambled to catch it before sending Lucy an irritated look, as if she had dropped it herself. Lucy shrugged sheepishly.

"You don't know? Everyone knows 'round these parts." She carefully set the dish down.

"Who?" Lucy pressed.

"Why, the mighty Dragneel family." Bisca grabbed a wooden spoon and began stirring the soup, pausing to taste it.

Lucy stared in disbelief, her jaw going slack. Wait, did dragons own this castle? Was that even possible? Or were they human? What kind of fairy tale was this, anyway?

A sudden knock resounded against the wooden door. "Come in," Bisca called, her attention turned to the stew that hung, hooked over the fire where Lucy crouched, wide-eyed (she was still staring in shock from the revelation that ohmygod, real dragons might just own this castle, whatdoIdo?).

The door opened, and Alzack peeked in. Lucy noted his armor- he must be a guard- and his flushed face. "I-I was just checkin' to see that you're still doin' fine," he tripped over his words before giving Bisca a shy smile and shutting the door again with a remarkable speed.

Bemused, Lucy realized that Bisca had dropped her spoon into the pot and was staring at the door, her face red and just as bewildered as Lucy's had been.
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There was a terrifying pressure, odd and disorienting...

Just as quickly as the pain had come, it disappeared, and the weightlessness vanished, leaving him on what seemed to be a really comfy mattress and with an itchy nose. He let out a sneeze, and a large jet of fire shot from his mouth, easily setting most of the room on fire. The size of the blast and the heat were almost- almost- odd to him, after having survived a certain few fairy tales without his magic at full power.

He blinked in surprise, and a wide grin stretched over his face. Throwing the covers aside (and not caring that they were aflame), Natsu shot out of his bed, leapt onto his feet, and crowed, "Today is a freakin' amazing day!"

"Indeed it is, son!" A loud voice boomed, and Natsu's entire body locked up at the sound.

A sudden wave of uncertainty nearly crushed Natsu's chest, and the feeling was so new and unfamiliar that he faltered, and for once, he was at a loss for words. The voice was loud and confident and familiar, but it couldn't be...

...and it wasn't- not exactly. A tall, pink-haired man stepped into the room, muscular, shirtless, and with a lopsided crown adorning his head, ready to slip off. Several scars covered his body, including one on his neck, and Natsu felt his own hand instinctively jolt up to his own neck, feeling the matching, ragged scar. His eyes shot up to meet the man's, and just like his, they were an enigmatic onyx.

Natsu stared at the man. It was Igneel!

Igneel gave his son a queer look. "Wutcha doing staring at me like some kind of moron, kid? Today's the big day!" As if it were nothing, Igneel inhaled deeply, and all of the flames in the room seemed to flicker once and go out. Natsu continued to stare at Igneel, who glanced at Natsu once and then burped, patting his stomach. "As usual, your flames are decent. Could use a little work, though."

The shock of the moment was quickly replaced with a warmth that coursed through Natsu's body. A grin stretched across his face, and with a wild whoop, Natsu launched himself at his father for a tackle-hug.

Igneel calmly sidestepped the assault and smirked fondly down at Natsu, who crashed straight into the wall. "Don't try to suck up to me, son. You're not getting out of today's event whether you like it or not. And when we're done, you're going to start your training with fifty laps around the castle."

"Fifty laps?" Natsu snorted, sitting up with the silly grin still plastered on his face, rubbing his stinging cheeks. Dimly, he registered the words 'today's event' as out of place, but quickly brushed it aside in favor of snorting at his father- because clearly, that was much more important. Igneel was here! No matter that he wasn't a dragon- Igneel was Igneel, no matter what shape or size, and he was awesome. "Fifty laps is child's play!"

"That's good," Igneel rumbled humorously. "You're still a child, after all. Stupid brat."

Igneel laughed as Natsu scowled, turning to leave through the scorched door. "Oh, and by the way, kid..." He glanced at Natsu, scrunching up his nose in amused distaste. "Put on some pants before you come down for breakfast. Your sister and mother are waiting, you disrespectful squirt."

The door shut; Natsu looked down and groaned. "Oh, great, Gray's contagious."

Natsu paused, his hands clutching the scrunched-up hem of his pants, halfway in the act of tugging them on. Igneel, in this chapter... He hadn't seen him forever. Could he leave, when the time came to? Did he want to leave?

His brow furrowed; this Igneel wasn't... wasn't the Igneel. No matter how much they seemed alike, this Igneel was a fake, after all, wasn't he? And Lucy; surely she'd felt the same thing, with her mother... right?
___________________________

Lucy awoke to the sound of bustling chatter, followed by an onrush of clinks and clanks. She moaned groggily, sitting up. A cloth fell from her person as a group of people rushed into the kitchen; the blonde blinked and reached out towards it, but a foot beat her to it.

"Oh! Sorry!" Juvia's voice rang down. Lucy yawned and looked up to see Juvia, who was biting her lip apologetically and holding the blanket towards her. "Juvia did not mean to do such a thing!"

"It's fine," Lucy chuckled, taking the blanket from the flustered girl, who was clutching the hem of her maid outfit as if her life depended on it. "Really..." She inspected the cloth with amusement. Had she really fallen asleep? All she could remember that last night was being wet and the shock of being in the Dragneel's castle... "Oh, this must be Bisca's. That was nice of her..."

Juvia bit her lip, leaning towards Lucy, who leaned back against the stone of the hearth uncomfortably. The blue-haired maid's gaze was intent and searching, tracing every detail of Lucy's until the blonde thought that she was trying to memorize it.

"Juvia does not think she has seen you before," she said at last.

"Um, that's... because..." Lucy shifted awkwardly. Shoot! What was she supposed to say in this kind of situation? Even worse, could she risk getting Bisca in trouble?

Instantly, Juvia's demeanor shifted. "You must be here for the huge event today! Oohhh, Juvia is so excited!"

Lucy opened her mouth to ask what event Juvia was talking about, but Erza suddenly stepped into the kitchen, and the group of cooks that had been chattering and laughing immediately fell silent.

"E-Erza!" Juvia squeaked, shooting to her feet. The scarlet-haired woman regarded Juvia coolly.

"Get to work. We have a busy day today." She gave a jerky nod; Juvia leapt to her feet and sprinted towards some distant corner of the kitchen, and the rest of the kitchen staff followed suit. Erza nodded her approval, oblivious to the overpowering aura she was exuding. "Now, we'll start with the hams. You," she pointed to someone without even glancing at them, "take care of the salad. I'll be in charge of the cake."

"How many cakes do we have to bake, ma'am?" A small voice warbled from the crowd.

Erza briefly contemplated the question. "I suppose twenty-five strawberry cakes and one vanilla cake will do. Though the vanilla one must be topped with strawberries."

Lucy shrank back against the wall.

The awkward silence was quickly broken when the door slammed open, and Bisca jogged in, jamming a white chef's hat on her green mane. Erza whipped around to glare dangerously at Bisca, who chuckled nervously and closed the door as quietly as she could before scooting to hide behind Lucy. The said blonde was preoccupied with trying to curl up and appear as small as possible.

Erza's attention turned to Lucy; the blonde flinched under the woman's scrutiny. Bisca continued her awkward laughter, side-stepping ever-so-subtly to hide Lucy.

"Bisca..." Erza began slowly, "Would you care to explain who this is?"

Bisca gulped audibly. "Well, uh... you see, ma'am, this here is..." She glanced at Lucy and blurted, "She's here for today's special choosing, ma'am!"

"Yes, I am," Lucy spoke up with a confident tone she hadn't known she could muster. Bisca looked at her in surprise before her stunned expression morphed into an amused one at the 'coincidence'.

Erza appraised Lucy for a moment. Lucy beamed and tried her best to look dignified and whatever-the-hell-she-was-supposed-to-be-for-this-'special choosing'-thing. After a tense moment, Erza swung her gaze back to Bisca.

"I see. I understand that she might be curious as to the kitchen's activities, but this is not her place. Please escort Lady..." She paused.

"Heartfilia," Lucy stammered out. "Lucy Heartfilia."

Erza pursed her lips and offered a small smile of amusement. "Please escort Lady Heatphilia to a spare room, Bisca."

Bisca breathed a sigh of relief as Erza's features softened and beamed at Lucy. She turned to Lucy with a grateful smile, her hand reaching up to tug the white chef's hat off. "You heard the lady, Lucy. Let's get a move on, shall we?" She grabbed Lucy's hand and the two flew out the door, closing it behind them before Erza could reprimand Bisca for not addressing Lucy formally.

They slowed to a slow walk as soon as they were out of earshot, and Bisca turned to Lucy with a sheepish grin. "Sorry there, Lucy. I didn't even ask who you were last night, and then I went'n just put ya in a spot of trouble. Didn't know you were a Princess or anything."

"No, no, it's alright- wait, trouble?" She frowned, stopping in the corridor. Bisca tilted her head, as if why she was now in trouble were an obvious thing; Lucy sighed. "What's so bad about this 'event' that's happening today, anyway?"

Bisca stared for a moment and then chuckled, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Oh, I thought you already knew! What with ya stumblin' round like a lost puppy outside them castle walls and all. Princess, it's The Choosing. The Prince of the castle has come of age and is ready to be wed."

Lucy gave a start, and took a moment to fumble for words in her sudden shock before they poured out in a flood. "A choosing? W-wait, for a wedding? I-I mean, um, there's others who will be trying to be chosen, right? But why make such a big deal out of it?"

Bisca gave her a queer look. "You really aren't from 'round these parts, are you, Princess?" She took Lucy by the hand, guiding her to one of the windows that lined the stone hallway, and gestured towards the mountains. "The Dragneels own all the land 'till them yonder mountains. They're the richest folks 'round here- everyone knows that."

Bisca paused, turning to cast a cautious stare on Lucy, who chuckled nervously. "Everyone 'cept you," the cook said softly. She shook her head once and guided Lucy up an extensive spiral staircase. Lucy wanted to look up, but the dizzying spiral of the stairs did little to help her jumbled thoughts, so she kept her eyes glued to the ground, trying to calm herself. Left foot, right foot, left, right...

"So, um, this choosing," Lucy said carefully. "How does it work?"

Bisca shrugged. "I don't know much, Milady. Just that they do a buncha tests and judge if you're ladylike or anything, and if you pass their standards, you move on to the next test."

"And you're sure that you don't know anything about these tests?" Lucy asked, trying her best not to sound desperate.

Bisca simply shrugged. "This is the first time we've had The Choosing."

Bisca continued to chatter aimlessly, clearly avoiding any suspicions she had about Lucy's questionable origins, and led her up to a long hallway with countless doors.

"These're the guest quarters," Bisca said respectfully, leading Lucy to a door on the far end. "The Ladies stay here, waiting for The Choosing to start. Why don't you rest a while? The Choosing won't start for another hour, and," she gave Lucy a once over, giving her a wry smile, "the closet should have some spare gowns should you be needing a clean one to change into."

Flushing a fierce crimson, Lucy quickly stepped inside the chamber and shut the door.
___________________________

Natsu's jaw went slack- two fish, five breadsticks, a slice of cheese, and several grapes all rolled out from his mouth and onto the floor. A maid who was setting another dish onto the dining table flinched away with a comical grimace.

"I'M GETTING MARRIED?" Natsu choked (oh, wait- there was still another grape in there. That certainly explained a lot).

Igneel raised an eyebrow, downing a goblet of wine and stuffing a sweetmeat into his mouth. "Yew mind your mfanners, you bittle bwaht," Igneel snorted, spewing breadcrumbs everywhere. By his side, Grandine sighed, running a hand through her cascading ivory locks. Across from Natsu, Wendy giggled, delicately picking up a few crackers spread with cheese and nibbling on them.

"Like father, like son, right Momma?" Wendy grinned, popping another cracker into her mouth.

"Igneel is right, hun," Grandine grinned, slicing a piece of ham with her silverware. "You need to mind your manners. Have to give a good impression for your future wife and all."

"But you told me that marriage sucks," Natsu moped, losing his appetite for the first time in his life. "You said that women are bossy and make you pick up clothes and do work and stuff."

Grandine shot her husband a dirty look- Igneel laughed nervously, shooting a glare at Natsu before gulping audibly and saying, "Now, now, where'd'ya hear that? Marriage is a wonderful thing. 'Specially if you get married to some eye candy. Now there's an incentive for marriage for ya- ow!" Igneel swore under his breath as Grandine smoothly elbowed Igneel's side, returning to her meal as he hunched over, muttering curses.

A fleeting image of Lucy smiling popped up in Natsu's mind; Natsu scowled, wondering how his mind had screwed up the word 'marriage' for 'Lucy'. Quite obviously, they were not related in any way. An odd feeling of frustration rose up in his chest, and his appetite returned tenfold- he stuffed his mouth with food again, eager to avoid his weird thoughts.

"Don't choke," Wendy fretted, setting down her fork. "You'll disappoint all those pretty ladies, and then what?"

Natsu froze mid-swallow, choked, hacked for a moment, and swallowed. Pretty ladies... Was it possible that Lucy was here? Wait, was Lucy a pretty lady? He opened his mouth to ask if his parents had perhaps seen a blonde running around, waiting to get married to him-

"Uh," Natsu said intelligently, and was decidedly unable to say anything after that.

Just then, a green-haired maid he recognized as Bisca walked in, setting down a cup of coffee in front of him with a soft sigh. "Coffee, just as you requested, m'lord," she said, careful not to slosh the contents.

Natsu immediately recognized the smell- it was the scent of Lucy's apartment, full of rich, warm scents that often flooded her room in the morning to the point that there was a caffeine buzz. "Half-skinny half- 1 percent extra hot split quad shot- two shots decaf, two shots regular- with whip cream, just how you like it."

Natsu momentarily wondered if such things existed in medieval times anyway, but the drink had quite a delicious scent despite his innate dislike of coffee, and it smelled so Lucy that he graciously took it and gulped the drink down, feeling as if it were burning his tongue and yet simultaneously feeling that it wasn't hot enough.

"Hope you find a lady that catches your eye during The Choosing, sir," Bisca murmured, bending over to retrieve an empty plate. "There is an awfully odd blonde lady you'll want to avoid, though. I have my doubts 'bout that one, I do."

Natsu choked for the third time that morning, spurting coffee across the table and towards Wendy; his sister sneezed in a rather timely manner and sent a huge gust that had the coffee splattering onto the table and getting a few drops on Natsu's shirt and Bisca's dress. Bisca cried out in dismay, but Natsu easily ignored the stains, scratching his wind-tossed hair.

"A blonde, huh?" He asked. He didn't recall any tale that seemed familiar to this one thus far, but surely Lucy would have figured it out by now. "Say, do you know her name-?"

"My son has a taste for blondes, eh?" Igneel's voice boomed, chuckling heartily. "Jeez, that boy! He's a walking cliché, that's what he is!"

Natsu frowned, torn between further questioning Bisca and asking his father what a 'cliché' was, but Bisca had already escaped, no doubt to wash the coffee stain off her dress.

"I'm sure you'll find a pretty girl," Wendy said soothingly as he bashed his head against the table.

To his family's immense surprise, Natsu leapt from his chair, knocking it over in the process, and sped in the direction Bisca had likely gone. As luck would have it, he also kicked the table and porridge flew straight onto Igneel's face, covering him from temple to chin.

Igneel blinked. "Well, wudduya know? Maybe he has a thing for people with grass-hair."

He doubled over in pain when a fork miraculously stabbed him of its own accord. Next to him, Grandine didn't bat an eye.
___________________________

All the women in the kitchen let out a high pitched shriek as the door banged open (as well as some of the men, but they would never testify to that), revealing their Prince, his entire face livid.

"Where... is... Bisca?" He seethed out.

The entire staff took one look at his flaming fist and swung their arms to point at Bisca, who was staring open-mouthed at their Prince, a ladle dripping soup trembling in her fingers.

"Um..." She bit her lip. "Did you not enjoy your coffee, Prince Natsu?"

To the surprise of the kitchen staff, the flame immediately vanished and a large grin spread over his face. In two, easy bounds, he was at Bisca's side, putting a large hand on her shoulder.

"Actually," he said cheerfully, all trace of anger gone (which was as utterly weird as it was in character- the kitchen staff shrugged and went back to work), "I really liked the coffee for some reason. Anyway, that's not why I'm here." He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Bisca. "That blonde you were talking about. What's her name?"

Bisca frowned. "Lucy Heartfilia. Why?"

Natsu blinked, and then to Bisca's further surprise, a sly grin spread over his face. "Oh, nothing," he chuckled, already making his way out the door. "How much longer until The Choosing starts, hm?"

Bisca glanced at a clock and let out an anxious wail as Natsu laughed, leaving the kitchen to the wrath of Erza, whose began spouting commands at a breakneck pace.
___________________________

Lucy flinched as the maid attending to her tugged the dress on- it was too tight! Sure, it was pretty to look at, but the bodice was being strung to the point that she was practically suffocating, and jeez, her normal waist line was perfectly fine, thank you very much!

As if reading her thoughts, the maid looked up. As luck would have it, it was Virgo, who was adjusting the dress to be even tighter with a completely monotonous expression. "I apologize, Princess, but the Dragneels specifically ordered all the Ladies to have their dresses strewn tightly. With all due respect, your waist is too fat for the average Princess."

"I. am. NOT. FAT."

Virgo offered a sympathetic expression (which, for her, was the almost imperceptible downwards twitch of her lips). "If you wish, you may punish me, Princess."

"I don't want to punish you!" Lucy wailed, trying her best to breathe without inhaling harsh breaths. She was suffocating. This was way too much like her home at the Heartfilia residence-

Virgo got, bowing once and turning to leave. "You are the last one I have attended to. The Choosing starts soon. You are to follow the others into the banquet hall for further instructions. I wish you luck, Milady."

"Wait," Lucy's hand went up hesitantly, reaching towards Virgo. Virgo turned; despite that Lucy recognized everything about Virgo and her mage senses were tingling, alerting her to a magical presence, this Virgo appeared to have absolutely no recognition of her. But surely she was still the same person... "Can I have a hint at least? Something to go on, just the teeniest bit of help?"

Virgo stared at her. Lucy beamed.

After a moment, the maid's lips moved. "I can only tell you that things are never as they seem, Princess."

And with those recondite words, Virgo left the room.

Lucy sighed- of course, it just had to be something she would never figure out- and glanced at the vanity, making sure that her hair and dress were perfect, and with a deep breath, she stepped out the door.

She saw the other doors in the hallway open as well as Virgo poked her head in and out, murmuring a few words before leaving the corridor altogether. The first person Lucy saw was Lisanna, who was quickly joined by, Mirajane, Cana, and Levy, among a number of other women that she didn't recognize. She gulped- they all looked so... superior (and rather snobby, she admitted).

The last woman she saw had her jaw gaping open in the most unladylike manner possible- out of the door closest to hers in the hallway stepped Ultear.

And it wasn't Ultear in her battle gear, with a sadistic sneer, and it wasn't Ultear with the immensely powerful magic; Lucy saw Ultear, a beautiful, womanly Princess who was entirely in a league of her own, besting all the others.

Including herself, Lucy realized with a sinking heart as the women began their descent down the stairs towards the banquet hall. Truth be told, she was probably the least flattering of all the women present- Lisanna and Mirajane were radiant in their beauty, and Levy was easily as cute as she was graceful. Even Cana managed to look beautiful despite her less-than-nimble gait and messy hair (though honestly, Cana still looked positively drunk). Every single one of the Ladies there were elegant and held themselves with a confident air. She'd long forgotten how to do that.

Still... her lips tugged upwards. She was grateful for it. Fairy Tail had done it, after all.

They ambled into the large hall, passing the large, ligneous table that had been pushed a little to the side, and lined up in front of the two large chairs that rested at the head of the room.

The first person that caught Lucy's eye was the man sitting on the right chair; tousled pink hair crowned a regal face, as rough and angular as it was handsome. There were multiple scars across his face and poking out from sleeves, but the one that stuck out the most to her was a jagged line that marred his neck. The only thing that marked him as royalty was a lopsided crown almost buried in pink tangles.

He looked absolutely bored to death.

And he looked so much like Natsu that she wanted to go up to him and punch him for not being with her when she had no idea that it was apparently his family that owned the castle-

"I assume that you all know why you are here," the woman sitting next to the pink-haired man spoke up, and Lucy's attention was drawn to her for the first time; her words were not a question, but a commanding statement. She was rather pretty, in a feral sort of way "You are to seat yourselves at the table for a meal. You seven haven't had breakfast yet, have you, Ladies?"

The said women looked at her and, simultaneously (in fact, it was as if it were practically rehearsed, and Lucy wanted to burst into tears) intoned, "No, Your Highness."

Lucy quickly echoed their statement, but she was a little too late, and her voice lingered. All of the present people glanced at her; Lucy bit down on her lip, hearing her voice echo in her head. Oh, crap...

She breathed a sigh of relief when the woman turned away to address all of them once more: "Go and seat yourselves. The Prince will be out in a moment. You may talk amongst yourselves."

Lucy mechanically followed the others to the table- really, the smell was delicious- and awkwardly seated herself, almost missing the chair and stumbling onto the floor in her anxiousness. Mirajane and Cana sat next to her; across from Lucy, Ultear sat herself, her posture ramrod straight and expression blank. The rest of the Princesses quickly took their seat.

"Hello," Mirajane sang from next to her. "I haven't seen you before. Did you arrive late?"

"Y-yes," Lucy stammered, trying not to slurp the soup loudly. Damn it, she was raised in this kind of environment- the nerves were an unwelcome and alien experience. At the very least, Mirajane's gentle presence was comforting... Lucy forced herself to relax, and the two began to converse more naturally.

"You think the Prince is going to be late?" Mirajane tilted her head, curious eyes wide and searching. "I haven't seen a single glance of him yet-"

As if on cue, Natsu jumped into the room, let out a battle cry, and launched himself at his father, foot blazing with a bright fire.

"You damn brat!" The crowned man Lucy had found intriguing jumped up and ducked- Natsu crashed into the wall and fell onto the chair, toppling headfirst onto the floor with a pained groan.

"What was that for?" Natsu whined, flopping onto his stomach. Lucy barely suppressed the giggle that threatened to escape her lips- Natsu was Natsu, no matter when or where (and she noted that he had opened up the royal robes so that his chest was bared to the world, and for some reason, she was turning that damnable shade of red).

"The hell?" The man scowled, running through his salmon locks, and Lucy really did have to hold in a laugh here, because Natsu was doing the exact same thing. "You're the one who attacked me, kid!"

"Only cuz you made me run laps before eating more, Igneel!" Natsu grouched, standing up and dusting himself off. "Man, I can't believe you even sent Wendy to do them. She still has, like, thirty more to go!"

Lucy bit her lip. If this man was Igneel, his father, that would mean that the castle wasn't owned by dragons! What a relief (although she had already suspected that a real dragon wouldn't be able to avoid burning the castle down, anyway). In any case, it would explain why he and Natsu looked so alike in every way.

And if this Igneel was... Igneel, then how would Natsu bear to be torn from this chapter?

Unwilling to think such thoughts, Lucy averted her gaze from the scene and looked down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers. Igneel really was a roguish sort of charming. If Natsu grew up to look like him...

She choked on her spit, causing several heads to turn and look at her. Mirajane patted her on the back comfortingly as Lisanna giggled.

"The Prince is really sort of good-looking, isn't he?" Mirajane said slyly. The blonde could barely hear the older woman over Natsu's shouts.

"I-Is he?" Lucy coughed, and amended, "I-I mean, sure, he is."

Mirajane chuckled at Lucy's response. "Relax. I'm not here to take him. I'm mostly here to accompany my younger sister. I believe Lisanna would be much more suited for Natsu than I would be, and he's too young for me anyhow."

Lisanna's ears perked up, hearing her name; straightening her back, she smiled warmly at Lucy. Lucy did her best to smile back, flinching as Igneel and Natsu's shouts became markedly louder.

Cana snorted loudly from the stellar mage's left. "He's way too young for me. He probably hasn't even hit drinking age yet." (The spirit mage noted that Cana had yet to eat anything, and was attacking the wine instead.) "He has a nice body though, I'll give him that." She smirked appreciatively, and Lucy had to take a moment to prevent her self from choking her spit again.

"Go eat, brat!" Igneel hissed, grabbing Natsu by the arm and shoving him off towards the table. "Your future wife is there, somewhere, waiting for you, and you're certainly not making a good impression!"

"Honey, you're not helping," Grandine said, rubbing her temple. She flicked her wrist towards her husband, and a gale resulted, pushing Igneel off his feet and into the wall despite Igneel's protests of "Grandineee-uhhh!"

Lucy gulped; Lisanna merely giggled.

Natsu stumbled over to the table, and didn't even bother noticing Lucy, instead grabbing for a drumstick and popping it in his mouth.

Levy was silent throughout the meal, glancing once at Natsu and never looking up from her plate again. Lucy knew that she was likely lost in thought, daydreaming about some book she'd read... Lucy desperately wanted to ask her what book it was, but they were strangers in this world, after all. She pushed her lower lip out; the situation was rather irritating. She wanted to be able to talk to her friend, dang it-

Natsu looked up, and his eyes locked onto her figure. "OH, LUCY!"

Lucy flinched when all the other women gave her uncomfortable stares; Natsu ignored the awkward atmosphere and sprinted onto the table, running straight towards Lucy, grabbing food along the way to stuff into his mouth before they were trampled under his feet.

"I've found you!" Natsu cackled, tackling her in a hug, and effectively toppling the chair so that they were both collapsed on the floor.

His face. Was buried. In her bosom. And this was soooo not happening. Lifting his head from her assets, he gave her a cheeky grin that somehow immediately claimed her forgiveness.

"Hey," she grinned. "Nice to see you, too."

"What is the meaning of this?" Ultear stood up, voice monotonous "You can't decide who you shall wed without having gone through the tests."

Lucy frowned at Ultear, and realized that Natsu's words could be interpreted as if he had already found and chosen his wife. The implications had her face heating up to uncomfortable levels, and not just because of Natsu's close proximity.

"Oh, right!" Natsu said, as if he had completely forgotten that he was about to get married off. "The tests!"

"Seat yourselves," Grandine spoke, her voice barely tinged with... amusement? Ultear shot a glare at Lucy and slowly sat down.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when Natsu got off of her and silently admitted to herself that she missed his heat before grabbing the chair and hoisting herself back up.

The rest of the meal went by pretty smoothly, excluding the glares that Ultear constantly sent Lucy's way, Levy's thoughtful silence, the disgusting noises Natsu was making the entire time he was eating (which was kind of endearing, but still!), and...

...and her trembling hands, which wouldn't stop shaking. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous! She was raised to be prim and proper! For crying out loud, she was Lucy freakin' Heartfilia, and she was supposed to be in her zone!

And she... could feel Igneel and Grandine staring at her back. Awkward.

Nevertheless, her 'zone' was seriously betraying herself right now, and Lucy found herself enjoying the food way too much (she hadn't eaten properly in ages!). This resulted in the slurping of soup, flying breadcrumbs, stains on her dress, a really awkward piece of lamb that dropped into her dress, and a... something that somehow ended up splattered on her face.

Lucy twitched.

Looking up, she saw Ultear looking right back at her, not even bothering to hide the satisfied smirk gracing her features. Oh, the NERVE of that woman-!

"That's enough," Grandine's voice came. "Return to your chambers."

Lucy seethed, wishing for a moment that she had Natsu's strength so she could do something to Ultear, but stood up, brushed off as much of the food as she could from her dress, and followed the rest towards the stairs.

"Wait!" Natsu called, bounding up to her in a few easy leaps. Lucy sighed miserably, glancing at Igneel and Grandine, whose hard stares were boring right through her, and did her best not to wince as she smiled.

"What is it?"

"Your face," Natsu grinned wickedly, reaching up to poke her cheek. His finger came off with a red, sticky substance she recognized as jam. Licking his lips anticipatorily, Natsu popped his finger in his mouth and licked the jam off eagerly. Lucy scoffed- how typicalof Natsu.

"Yes," Lucy groaned. "I know my face looks stupid with jam on it."

"Actually," Natsu said brightly, "The jam is great! It tastes really good."

And then he leaned over and licked her.

Lucy barely managed to stifle the shriek that shot up through her throat- and quite frankly, she wouldn't have been able to were it not for Igneel and Grandine's terrifying presences- and stood statue-still as Natsu proceeded to grab her arms and lick the jam off of her face. Which may or may not have been that bad if it weren't for the fact that Natsu obviously had no idea of the implications of what he was doing to her face!

Which was, by the way, heating up to at least a million degrees, and she wouldn't be surprised if it was literally on fire, because it was Natsu who was licking her, and... and his tongue was actually quite warm. A little rough, but warm, and his breath was sending shivers up her spine, but it would probably be no different if he kissed her-

-at that thought, Lucy broke away from Natsu with a yelp and untangled herself from a puzzled Natsu, whose arms were left suspended in air, and his tongue poking out from between his lips. The sight would have been comical if Lucy had taken the time to notice it, but as it was, she was too busy fleeing from Grandine's harsh stare. She quickly stepped out of the hall and jerkily climbed the stairs.

Natsu rose an eyebrow, turning to his parents. "What's up with her?"

Grandine looked amused; Igneel, more so. "Good choice, son." He laughed, throwing his head back, and eyed Grandine. "She wasn't very lady-like, was she, Grandine?"

"No," Grandine said with the small, upwards curving of her lips. "She wasn't."

A puffing sound was heard from the end of the hall- Wendy stumbled in, gasping for air. "I... finished the fifty laps... Daddy..." Throwing a curious glance at Natsu, who was still standing in the middle of the hall, and then at her parents, who looked appropriately amused, she asked, "Did I... miss something?"

Natsu merely grinned and licked his lips.
___________________________

The second she got back to her room, Lucy tore off her dress, revealing the white undergarments under the thick fabric. Breathing a huge sigh of relief now that the damned corset was off, she threw herself onto the bed.

Natsu. Natsu, Natsu, Natsu. What was she going to do with him?

She had yet to read a fairy tale that was like this so far, but then again most of the fairy tales had been severely warped so far, and for all she knew, this was just a classic folk tale that had been skewed by the presence of the insane Fairy Tail members.

But what she found even more vexing than that was her heart, which wouldn't stop thumping erratically despite all of her attempts to steady it. She thought she'd come to terms with her feelings with the eccentric dragonslayer! And despite that, he'd gone and done something and sent her tumbling into a whirl of confusion and she couldn't think straight, for god's sake.

Liking Natsu, she decided, was a lot more complicated than it sounded. Just when she thought she'd seen it all, just when she thought she'd pinned down a miniscule of his weird pattern of behavior, he'd gone and thrown a curveball at her. That was to say, she liked him enough that she had accepted it, and (this was the hardest part to admit) she wanted to do something about it.

But the terrifying thing was deciding what to do because Natsu was an impressively oblivious moron.

Lucy's scrambled thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Rolling over onto her back, Lucy quickly shoved on her previous, plainer dress (and it was much more comfortable), and muttered, "Come in."

Virgo poked her head through the door, and stepped inside. "How are you, Princess?"

"Been better," Lucy murmured, putting a hand on her cheek. It was still warm.

"I have come to inform you that you are one of the three who were chosen to pass on to the next test," Virgo said, with the tiniest hint of a smile. "Congratulations, Princess."

"What?" The blonde shot up, squashing the relief that threatened to overwhelm her. Damn it, this was the Dragneel family, and if they were Natsu's parents, there would undoubtedly be harder tests. The storm hadn't passed yet. "You're saying that I spilled my food everywhere, got jam on my face, made a spectacularly embarrassing scene, and yet I passed? Are you kidding me?"

The pink-haired maid cocked her head. "Do you wish to punish me, Princess?"

"What? No, no!" Lucy bit down on her lip, and let out a sigh. Just take it for now, Lucy. You passed the first round- that's enough. "Thank you so much, Virgo!"

"You are welcome, Princess." Virgo bowed and shut the door.

Lucy stared at the door long after Virgo had gone and let out a victorious whoop, jumping around the room. So she hadn't screwed it up, after all! So far, the quickest way out of the chapters had been following the storyline set out in front of her, and this seemed to be it. No matter that it was obvious that Natsu's parents' standards were severely skewed, but she had a chance to marry him!

Lucy hesitated, her smile drooping; since when had she wanted to get married to Natsu so much? Sure, she liked the guy (okay, a lot), but did she like him enough to marry him?

With a groan, she realized that she had practically come full circle in her thoughts.

She pursed her lips when an additional thought struck her- Igneel. Natsu had bonds with him, no doubt. She herself had felt the same thing with her mother, but the sense of closure combined with the knowledge that her mother was already... deceased was enough to bring peace to her departure. But Natsu believed very strongly that Igneel was still alive. What if-?

The said thoughts were once again interrupted by three, quick raps on the door. Blinking, Lucy reached out towards the handle, fingers wrapping around the wood. "Virgo, did you forget something-?"

The door opened; the blonde mage's brown eyes met with startling dark ones, staring at her with no expression.

"Ultear?" Lucy managed a half-hearted smile. "Um... do you need something?"

Ultear took strong, broad steps towards Lucy, who backed up in response, surprised. The door shut behind Ultear, who regarded the blonde with contempt.

"Listen," she hissed lowly. The warm evening light wasn't exactly intimidating, but somehow, the warm sun that was hitting Ultear's face at just the right angle was much more frightening than any melodramatic lightning or moonlight. "I need this marriage, and I don't care if you and Dragneel have some odd sort of bond, but you will not interfere. I've lost too much to get here, and I'll be damned if I don't accomplish my goal."

"What?" Lucy spluttered, prickling. "Who are you to march in and tell me that I can't be friendly with my best friend?"

Ultear's eyes flashed dangerously. "Like I said, I don't care. Heartfilia, is it not? My family has been raising me for this moment. We are in desperate need of the power, both politically and financially, and you would do well to not get in the way."

The feeling that Lucy had harbored against her father- an odd combination of teenage rebellion and a freedom that gave her a rush she absolutely loved- rose up in her, and Lucy straightened her back, her lips hardening into a firm line.

"You obviously don't understand," Lucy murmured, mustering all her courage and stepping forward so that she was exactly eye-to-eye with Ultear, "That I am not a pawn, and you cannot tell me what to do. If I want to be close to my friend, then I will do so. If I want to pass a test, then I will do so. And if I wish to ignore your demands, I will do so, and you may- no- will not oppress me."

Ultear's eyes narrowed. "You are a foolish little girl," She said, and the powerful aura that the older woman was suddenly emanating nearly overwhelmed Lucy. And it would have, had she not gone and faced her father all those months ago, and stood up to that very same presence. And she had her friends to thank for it. A small smile curved her lips.

This didn't go unnoticed by Ultear, who scoffed. "And you think that you could stop me from getting what I want?"

"No," Lucy shook her head with an insane confidence she hadn't known she possessed. "I know so."

The raven-haired beauty regarded the younger girl for a long, tense moment before turning to leave. Lucy breathed a silent sigh of relief. Ultear paused at the door, her fingers lingering on the handle.

"You would do well to know," Ultear said quietly, "That it is clear that if the two of us fought, I would emerge the victor. I am a powerful mage from a prestigious family. I could do lasting harm to your own, politically and... physically."

Lucy allowed the threat to hang in the air for a moment, and turned away.

Ultear left.

The second the door closed, Lucy allowed a small chuckle to escape her lips. As frightening as Ultear had been, it wasn't as if the woman knew that Lucy did not, in fact, belong in this world, and rather, was a visitor who would be leaving once the story's plot was all said and done.

It was all quite silly, really, to think that Ultear's intimidating threat was completely null and void. And her willpower! She hadn't thought that she could have stood up to such a scary person like that. She threw herself on the bed, buried her head in her pillow, and laughed. Natsu would be proud, she thought to herself.

Still...

Grim, Lucy knew that Ultear's magical presence was overwhelmingly powerful, and it was very likely that it ever came to actual combat, she would lose. She didn't even know where her keys were, and considering that Virgo was an actual character rather than her spirit, Lucy felt naked in her defenselessness.

She crossed her fingers. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
___________________________

Natsu sat on his sooty blankets, smiling down at Wendy, who was sitting in his lap, fingering strands of delicate pink locks.

"Don't tell me that Mum and Dad were right in thinking that you've already chosen," Wendy said absently.

"Who?" He blinked down at her; she rolled her eyes.

"You know. That blonde girl you made such a fuss over."

"Mmm." Natsu hummed. "I'm going to marry that girl."

Wendy giggled her approval, and Natsu briefly wondered if it was for the sake of escaping the fairy tale or if he actually...

...well, it didn't matter at the moment, so screw that. Natsu abandoned the thought just in time to watch Wendy sneeze and blow off his shirt.
___________________________

The following day was torturous. Rather than the simple 'test' of eating (which Lucy, for the most part, enjoyed because of all the spectacular food), there was archery, followed by a dreadfully long swim (in underwear, of course), a shower under freezing cold water, and then dancing in high heels that made Lucy's feet hurt just looking at them.

And currently, they were donning those very same shoes and trying to navigate an obstacle course.

"I," Lisanna puffed out- of the seven that had started out, only she, Ultear, and Lucy remained- "I don't get why they're making us do all this. Is the point to see how ladylike our demeanor remains while we are climbing monkey bars above really sharp-looking spikes?"

Lucy merely gave a sympathetic wince- from the corner of her eye, she spotted Ultear, who leapt onto the bars (which were slick with oil) and walked on top of them as if she were taking a stroll in the park. She turned around, sending an evil smirk towards Lucy, and the words that were playing in her eyes were as loud as if she had shouted them to Lucy.

Dragneel is mine, little girl, Ultear didn't say.

Lucy glared right back, making sure Ultear received her own message: Back off, you hag.

Ultear whipped her head back around and Lucy coughed awkwardly; Lisanna gave Lucy an odd look, and shrugged. "I'll take the longer course. Longer, but less painful." She wrinkled her delicate nose and turned back towards the beginning. "You coming, Heartphilia?"

Lucy seethed at the direction Ultear had gone off, and against her better judgment, against everything her sanity was screaming for her to do, against everything that was Lucy Heartfilia...

Dragneel's mine, little girl.

"No," Lucy grit out slowly, feeling the most incensed she had felt since she entered the book. "I think I'll keep going."

Lisanna shrugged, and with a light "Good luck, then, Lucy!", she went off.

Lucy let out a deep sigh and checked to see how much of the obstacle course still remained.

...It was...long. Lucy set her jaw taut, and fists clenched, she began.
___________________________

By the time Lucy stumbled out of the end of the course, the blue of the sky had started to fade into a softer, peach hue and warm glow. The absence of the beating sun was a welcome change to Lucy, who was literally dripping sweat everywhere as she cleared the last part of the course (which was a very well-built rock wall made of hot coals).

She collapsed onto the ground, savoring the cool dampness of the grass, not even caring that her dress was torn to shreds, revealing an unflattering amount of skin, and she was covered with bruises and burns. She was so tired she could have fallen asleep right there, with her face buried in the dirt.

It wouldn't have been as bad if it weren't for Igneel, Grandine, Natsu, Lisanna, and Ultear all watching her with wide eyes.

Loathing the fact that she had to be on her stomach while the others were standing tall, Lucy forced herself to her feet, wondering exactly what had possessed herself to go off and actually follow Ultear past iron spikes, swinging axes, flamethrowers, falling stones, and hot coals. It was a testament to her luck that she survived at all (really, after all the dangerous adventures she'd had with Fairy Tail, her luck was practically a trained trait).

"Are you alright?" Lisanna rushed to Lucy's side to help steady her as Natsu walked up, surprise etched on his face.

"Hey, Lucy! You look like you went off training or something!" He grinned cheekily. Lucy took one look at him, buried her head in the crook of Lisanna's neck, and cried out loud.

"Looks like you made it," Ultear looked smug. Lucy noted there was barely a single scratch on her person; torn between asking her how she had done it and clawing her eyes out, the blonde 'Princess' instead settled for clutching Lisanna in a tight hug and biting down on her lip.

"We've made our decision," Grandine said, stepping forward to put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Lisanna, I regretfully inform you that you will not be moving on for the final test."

Lisanna blinked, and Lucy saw the sting of rejection in her crystal eyes briefly flicker and clear instantly; the girl smiled brightly, bowing down and accepting the decision.

"Honestly," she whispered to Lucy as she curled a finger in her white strands, moving to walk back to the castle, "I think it's because I took the easy way. The last part was a swing set, of all things!"

Lucy laughed. "How ever did you manage it?"

Lisanna put a delicate finger to her mouth, humming. "You know, I wouldn't have gone the long way if it weren't for this weird pink-haired maid that popped up and told me it was easier. Thanks to her, I'm not injured or anything." Seeing Lucy's theatrical wince, she amended, "Well, it's not that I'm glad you were hurt, but I'm just happy I avoided that, you know? I don't think I'm as physically apt as either of you."

Lucy stared, surprised at the sudden compliment (and more so at the supposed intervention of Virgo), and smiled to herself as the white-haired Princess left, calling, "Good luck!"

Turning to look at Ultear, she steeled herself for the next, undoubtedly painfully difficult task; the raven-haired Princess seemed equally determined.

To both of their surprise, Igneel clapped his hands together and said, "It's time for bed, kids!"

And suddenly, with a sinking feeling, Lucy thought that she knew what fairy tale this was.
___________________________

Natsu watched as two maids appeared and escorted his potential wives away, and not without some consternation.

"Hey, hey," Natsu grumbled to his father. "What is the next test?"

Igneel raised an eyebrow. "Now, look here, kid. I know you've had this really weird fascination with that blonde chick, but you can't be biased and give her hints. Remember, these tests were designed to see who was more suitable for you. They test the delicacy of the Princess. It's for your own good."

The pink-haired boy pushed out his lower lip, plopping onto the floor and staring at the obstacle course. "She got hurt," Natsu mouthed to himself. Was it his fault again? Had he, once again, inadvertently put his beloved nakama in danger? He was always the protector, not the one who threatened their safety...

And especially not Lucy's. God, she was frustrating. Every single time he thought of her lately, the thoughts were a piled heap of shit, like some kind of garbage dump. And he was sure that under that pile of crap, there would be a Eureka moment, something tangible that he could comprehend and grasp. He just had to find it.

Brow furrowed in concentration, Natsu never saw his father shake his head, wondering exactly what weird analogies his son was using in his rare moment of contemplation.

As Igneel and Grandine walked back to the castle, Igneel murmured to his wife, "He's totally a sucker for the blondes."

Grandine responded with a fond smile of her own and a sharp jab to his gut.
___________________________

And oh, she had been right. She had been so utterly, dreadfully right.

"Y'know, Virgo..." Lucy squeaked breathlessly as they entered the colossal room. "I'm terrified of heights. Do I have to do this?" All thoughts of questioning Virgo's interference with the test flew out the window with this new, terrifying prospect.

Virgo swiveled her head in a distinctly owl-like manner (and with the same expression, too! Lucy couldn't decide whether to shudder or chuckle) and bowed. "I apologize, Princess, but you must go through with it. You may punish me if you wish, however."

"No, it's okay," Lucy sighed, and made her way towards the ladder in the center of the room, which scaled up twenty, thick mattresses. Virgo handed her a nightgown that Lucy graciously accepted.

Virgo bowed and left while Lucy had the Lucy-equivalent of a panic attack, changing her clothes shakily.

She shakily clutched the side, stepping carefully- carefully!- on each and every rung on the ladder, making she that the beds wouldn't topple over on her or something as she made her ascent.

She knew that at the very bottom of the twenty mattresses, there would be a tiny, single pea (and quite honestly, it was ridiculous! Who would feel a pea under twenty freakin' beds?), but she really didn't want to scale down half the ladder just to satisfy her curiosity when she was almost there.

The blonde finally made it to the top with shaky breaths and an exhausted sigh, and did her best not to fling herself onto the mattress and go crashing down to her doom or whatever.

But, the bed really was comfortable- wait, no! Bisca had said that the tale tested the Princess' delicacy, and if that was true, then perhaps she stood a chance against Ultear after all!

...Still, if she wanted to claim that she'd had 'an absolutely terrible night with no sleep' because of a tiny little vegetable at the bottom of her bed, she'd have to play the part. That'd mean she would have to force herself to stay awake!

Lucy yawned. Perhaps she could stay awake tomorrow; the sheets were fluffy and soft and she was practically melting into the bed...

And, chastising herself the entire time, Lucy fell asleep.

Virgo's odd advice to Lisanna was the furthest thing from her mind.
___________________________

Natsu shifted in his bed, unable to sleep despite the comforting smell of the burnt sheets.

Igneel. The focus of his entire life, practically presented to him on a silver platter with this chapter... and despite the undeniable happiness that Natsu felt and the fatherly presence Igneel held, there was... something irrevocably wrong.

He wrinkled his nose. His scent.

Of course. This wasn't his Igneel- for all he knew, it was just some... weird product of his imagination. This Igneel didn't smell like trees and dirt and fire and the sun, and... and it wasn't the same. It was as if every chapter in the book was just a dream, and the only real thing was-

Lucy.

That idiot had gotten herself sucked into the book with him, so of course she was real. Natsu nodded, satisfied at his own logic, and shifted onto his other side, a new determination settling in.

I'll get out of this damned book with Lucy... and I'll find you for real, Igneel. Just you wait.
___________________________

She was in a white gown with a long train, and Natsu was smiling, and behind him were his parents, smiling their approval of the wedding, and they were getting married, um what.

Lucy watched smugly as Ultear sobbed to herself in a corner and bawled about how terribly non-scary she was and how Lucy hadn't been in denial when she said she wasn't scared out of her mind of Ultear. Lucy took Natsu's hand, and he leaned in for a kiss. She found her lids fluttering shut, her lips puckering ever so slightly...

...and something flashed, and suddenly, she was back on Earthland in Natsu's house, and she was holding a tiny little bundle. The bundle was wailing. Lucy regarded it with surprise, and, heart beating in excitement, pushed aside the blanket to reveal-

"A blue cat?" She gawked. "Wait, H-Happy?"

"I'm home, honey," Natsu cooed, stepping through the door and ruining her moment of abruptly newfound motherhood. Lucy rushed to his side, grabbing his hand with her right hand and cuddling the baby- why the hell did it look like Happy?- with the other. "How was the baby?" Natsu whispered in her ear.

"Oh, simply divine!" Lucy gushed, and a part of her mind wondered who the hell said the word 'divine' anymore, but apparently she did, because she had just said it, and Natsu was smiling and he was sparkling, for crying out loud-!

And they were holding babies, and Natsu was the most handsome thing she had ever laid eyes on. Disturbingly enough, the babies were multiplying, but she couldn't seem to care less, because his eyes were like... a warm sort of fiery liquid, hypnotizing and she was being drawn into them and she couldn't look away, even as they were being buried by tiny little blue cats that smelled like baby powder...

...Lucy jolted up in her bed, screeching, flailed around for a moment, nearly toppling off the bed and plummeting to her doom. It took a moment to scramble back onto the covers, clutching at the blankets for her dear life, and another moment to realize that she'd been dreaming.

Oh crap, she'd been DREAMING.

Lucy, with as much caution as possible, rushed down the ladder (almost tripping and breaking her head in the process) and scampered out the door. Sure enough, the windows in the hall were gleaming with rays of sun.

Very, very slowly, she shut the door.

The blonde slumped against the wall and curled up, trying her best not to scream in frustration or something. She'd fallen asleep, and now what? It would show that she'd had a wonderful night of sleep, and in 'The Princess and the Pea', the main character was so delicate that she was unable to fall asleep because of the pea underneath the mattresses, and now she was doomed because she'd been careless!

Lucy flushed uncomfortably, remembering her dream. And that. What the heck had that been? The last time she'd had any thoughts as weird as that was when she'd thought Natsu had liked her back on Earthland and had asked her to go to meet him under the town's cherry tree, and...

She blinked, tapping her fingers on the ground, a thought abruptly striking her. Was it possible that her subconscious was telling her that Natsu liked her? Could she even dare to hope that he wasn't as idiotic and oblivious as he seemed and actually, even if only a little, reciprocated her feelings?

The stellar spirit mage scowled a bit. Her thoughts were starting to sound an awful lot like some of her cornier romance novels. But even with that disgruntling thought, she couldn't bear to think about what it would be like if Ultear married...

She gagged at the thought.

The door creaked open, and to Lucy's surprise, Bisca stepped in, and gave a surprised start when she saw that Lucy was on the floor and not soundly asleep in bed.

"Bisca?" Lucy asked blearily, voice still heavy with sleep. "Wuddarya doing here?"

"Oh!" Bisca blushed a bright red, and scratched the back of her neck nervously with a sheepish smile. "I... I wanted to apologize, Milady."

That woke Lucy up a little- awkwardly steadying herself as she stood up, Lucy queried, "What would you have to apologize for?"

Bisca gave her a small smile and for the first time, Lucy noticed the pan that Bisca was holding, and since it actually had food on it and wasn't poised threateningly, it seemed safe enough... "Actually, I... I had some mighty strange assumptions 'bout you at first, but seeing as how you've made it this far, I... I was in the wrong, wasn't I?"

Actually, Lucy thought amusedly, you were completely right in thinking I wasn't a Princess.

"Well," she said awkwardly, "It's not like-"

"Here!" Bisca held out the pan, looking at her feet. "I know it's weird'n all, the food still bein' in a pan'n everythin', but I rushed right over the second the food was done, 'n I never even gave a thought to a plate or anythin'..."

Lucy felt a delicate pink wash over her face, embarrassed at the kind gesture. "That's... that's okay, Bisca. Thank you." She beamed at the cook, who smiled tentatively in response. "I really appreciate it."

Bisca smiled, handing the pan over to Lucy. "Well, I'd best be goin' now. You'd better prepare yourself 'n everything, too. The final part of The Choosing is gon' start soon". And with that, the door clacked shut behind her.

Lucy looked at the pan- it smelled amazing- and prodded the contents with the small fork on the side. Some eggs, some vegetables that seemed to have been thrown on the side, and slices of beef that had her mouth watering, along with various fish and some fruit.

Lucy eagerly stabbed some food with the fork and brought it to her lips, but the door opened again suddenly, hitting her. The movement jostled her arm; the pan gave a jolt and the food spilled, uneaten, onto the dirty floor.

The blonde mage gaped openly at the wasted food, feeling tears springing to her eyes. All that, gone to waste! She whirled around, ready to give an earful to the unknowing offender who had even dared to waste such a wonderful-smelling meal, but forced herself to relax when she saw that it was Virgo.

"Oh, I'm sorry Princess," the maid frowned at her mistake, and bowed low. "I assumed you were still asleep. Shall I be punished now?"

"It's okay," Lucy mumbled, glancing forlornly at the spilled food before sighing. "I ought to return this pan to Bisca."

"I'm afraid you don't have the time, Milady," Virgo shook her head. "You and Ultear have been called to the main hall."

Lucy frowned in consternation. "Now? I just woke up."

Virgo only bowed, which Lucy took as a yes. With a sigh, she clutched the pan's handle- perhaps she'd run into Bisca on the way?- and allowed Virgo to change her into another uncomfortable dress.
___________________________

"Four-hundred fifty... Four-hundred fifty-one..."

"You're supposed to be closer to the ground," Igneel barked. "Do it over!"

Natsu stuck out his tongue but did as told (training was training, after all! Especially from Igneel), putting his fist on the floor and balancing on it. Slowly, he lowered himself so that his head was a mere inch from the ground, and then straightened his arm. "One..."

Sitting in her mother's lap on the throne, Wendy cocked her head, watching her brother sweat bullets on the royal carpet of the throne room. "Momma, why are they training while they wait?"

"Because they're men, and men are idiots," Grandine murmured at the same time Igneel shouted, "Because girls like to see a hot and sweaty guy!"

Grandine raised a delicate eyebrow and lifted a delicate hand. Igneel flinched.

"W-wait, ahaha, now honey, you know that's not what I meant-"

Much to Natsu's disappointment, his father was saved when the entrance of Lucy and Ultear distracted his mother. Igneel prodded his son with his foot; the pink-haired boy grunted and stood up shakily to face the two Princesses.

Frankly, he thought, he wasn't worried at all, because he honestly didn't think that Ultear stood a chance against Lucy. He knew what the tests' purpose was, and he also knew that while it would be a close match between the two, he felt safe putting his trust in Lucy.

He smiled when her eyes met his; she was holding a frying pan. Now how awesome was that? It smelled wonderful, but to his disappointment, there wasn't any food. He slouched, sulking. Still, it wasn't everyday that you saw a Princess holding a freakin' pan in front of their soon-to-be-well-actually-it-was-supposed-to-be-'possible'-but-he-had-placed-his-full-trust-in-Lucy-so-it-was-'soon-to-be'-in laws. The two women walked silently towards the throne; Ultear seemed bored. Lucy seemed agitated.

Humming contentedly to himself, he plopped onto the floor to watch the final event unfurl. Lucy always knew what to do. Surely she knew how they could escape the book.

"Ladies," Grandine acknowledged with a nod, allowing Wendy to slip off her lap and run off to play. "How was your night? Did you sleep well?"

There was a deafening silence that suddenly permeated the atmosphere. Lucy shifted uncomfortably under Natsu's heated stare. Igneel jabbed his son and hissed into his ear, "Save it for the wedding night."

Grandine rolled her eyes and waited.

"Your Highness," Ultear finally said after a pause, sending a victorious smirk towards Lucy. "I slept terribly." Her voice was confident, her tone making it clear that she believed her answer was correct. There was something odd about her behavior, Lucy noted... she kept glancing at Lucy with anticipation, as if she expected something to happen, or... or, whatever, but still!

Lucy twitched. That... that witch! She'd stolen her answer while Lucy was still caught in the clutches of wracked nerves and-and- well, it wasn't like the answer belonged to her, but still!

The rebellious feeling in Lucy roused her. She could either repeat Ultear's answer and risk both going against the fairy tale and looking like a fool that only repeated what others said for lack of ability to come up with something else...

...or, she could have a moment of badassery and go completely against Ultear, crash their wedding, and- and- she didn't know what would happen, but she knew that she absolutely did not want another woman marrying Natsu.

"I had a wonderful night of sleep," Lucy murmured, bowing low. "Thank you for your wonderful accommodations, Your Highness."

Natsu showed no reaction to her answer (figured- he probably didn't even know what fairy tale they were in), and Ultear seemed amused while Grandine merely blinked. Ultear glanced at Lucy.

I found the pea under the beds, Ultear didn't crow. I'm willing to bet that my answer is the correct one.

Lucy glared right back, allowing her eyes to convey her thoughts. I'm willing to bet that you're wrong.

Grandine cleared her throat. "Under the given circumstances..."

There was a tense moment of anticipation. Lucy and Ultear were still locked in a heated mental battle; the blonde spirit mage clenched her clammy hands, watching as Ultear reciprocated the movement...

"Lucy Heartfilia," the Queen said, "You are to marry my son."

Lucy let out a whoop, and realizing that her conduct was probably inappropriate, she slammed her hand over her hand and chuckled sheepishly, but Natsu shrugged it off and laughed boisterously.

Ultear was clearly irked. "Your Highness, with all due respect, I was under the assumption that the tests were to measure our delicacy and poise as a Princess, no matter the circumstances."

The royal family took one look at her and burst out laughing.

"You're right," Grandine chuckled. "The purpose of these odd trials was to test your delicacy."

"But they were meant to see if you were too delicate for our son," Igneel picked up where his wife left off. "They were testing to see if you Princesses were delicate. The ones that were too girly and weak were sent home."

Ultear and Lucy stared, jaws open.

"Because," Igneel continued, pounding his chest with a fist proudly, "We are a freakin' badass royal family, and we need a badass wife for my badass son."

The two Princesses stared openly as Natsu grinned widely and tackled his father in a hug. Igneel allowed it for a moment, patting his son on the back, before throwing him off and demanding that he do "One thousand more push-ups or you'll never get laid when you're older!"

Lucy couldn't resist the smile that was spreading over her face. She was getting married to Natsu! Albeit, the manner in which she had gotten her was a little (severely) twisted, and it was in a book and everything, but still! She couldn't deny the warmth spreading through her body.

Ultear, on the other hand, was livid. "This shouldn't have happened!" She whirled on Lucy, jabbing a finger in her direction. "I put a spell on Bisca! I poisoned the food in the pan, and you ate it! How are you not dead, or dreadfully ill, or unconscious, or-?"

"Oh, this?" Lucy grinned, holding up the pan. "I didn't eat it. The food spilled on the floor." It was actually good luck, the blonde mage realized with a start, that Virgo had opened the door and hit Lucy. How odd.

"What?" Natsu leapt to his feet. "You spilled something that smells that good onto the floor? Oh, man! What a waste of food, Lucy! How could you?"

"W-what?" Lucy spluttered. "It was an accident! I would have eaten it otherwise!"

Natsu merely shook his head sadly. "You're a food murderer."

"I am not!"

"Food murderer!"

"Yes, a murderer of all that is gourmet," Igneel said tearfully. "How dreadful."

"Enough!" Ultear snarled. She ripped off her dress, tearing the fabric in one smooth movement, revealing the battle suit that Lucy glimpsed but a few times, back on Earthland; her body tensed with fear as a result.

Natsu was shouting something, but Ultear was too fast, and she was already charging towards Lucy, fist drawn back and glowing. The air was humming, nearly vibrating with the power of her magical force. Lucy flinched, squeezing her eyes shut and raising her hands protectively in front of her. If only she had her keys...

BAM!

...

The pain never came. Lucy opened one eye hesitantly, and then the other. A mere few feet away, Ultear was crumpled on the ground, unconscious.

The stellar spirit mage took one look and burst out laughing, realizing what had happened. She had still been holding the pan, and Ultear had charged headfirst into it, and in a completely unexpected twist, had knocked herself out.

Even Natsu seemed surprised. Igneel was merely laughing and patting his son on the back, saying, "You sure chose well, son! Turns out the blondie is both hot and pretty damn badass, huh?", only to be sent flying by his wife a moment later.

Natsu hopped over to Lucy, crouching next to her with a frown. "Are you alright?"

"Um..." She glanced at the frying pan. "Yes?"

A wide smile suddenly broke over Natsu's face. "Great! 'Cuz I'm tellin' ya, that was really cool! It was all like woosh! and BAM! and CLANG and stuff!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. This was all so surreal. Who would have thought that she, Lucy Hearfilia, could have beaten Ultear of the 7 Kin of Purgatory with a frying pan?

"Blah, blah, blah." Igneel shook his head. "Talk is boring. Now, now, the wedding won't be for another month or so, so we can just settle for a kiss to seal the deal for now."

"W-w-what?" Lucy squeaked, voice breaking over an impressive two octaves at the same time Natsu asked, "Why?"

Lucy stared at Grandine helplessly, who shrugged, a small smile on her face. "Why not?"

Natsu swiveled his head to look at Lucy. She gulped, averting her gaze. Surely he wouldn't! Natsu was dense, but even he had to know the significance of a kiss-

"Let's just blow this joint and get outta here," Natsu hissed to her quietly. "Out of this book and back to Earthland, to return to kicking Gray's ass and finding Igneel. This should do it, right?" His face was dangerously near, and she wasn't sure if the warmth she was feeling was from her blush or his heat.

Lucy nodded jerkily, squashing the feeling of rejection that welled up (so he didn't really want to kiss her, did he? It was just for the sake of getting out of the book... was it?) and squeezed her eyes shut. His breath was ragged, blowing warmly across her skin and sending goose bumps down her spine. Really, even if it was just to escape a magical book's clutches, this kiss would be as good as any, and it was a decent place to start...

But she never received one. Instead, she felt the now-familiar pressure of the book's magic, pinpointing her magical presence and tugging on it, sucking it into the next chapter. Briefly, she caught a glimpse of Igneel and Grandine's shocked faces, their features bathed in the warm glow of the book's magic, but what really caught her eye was Natsu.

His lips were puckered up, and he looked like a fish out of water, with his eyes squeezed tightly, and his entire face sucked in. His eyebrows were furrowed, and beads of sweat were forming in his concentration. Just like he did with everything else, Natsu was willing to give his all to this one, silly kiss.

And he looked so utterly, ridiculously adorable, that Lucy couldn't help but laugh as they passed into the next chapter, and decided that taking it slowly was okay, too.