Natsu was shoved from the back, his body slamming against a cold, stone wall. Many hands held him in place as he gritted his teeth together, feeling metal cuffs placed around his ankles.

"You best not say anything, Captain." One of the low voices snickered, a few chuckles following. Shoes scraped against the dirty floor in anticipation.

Natsu tried flinging his body forward, feeling the chains all attached to the cuffs on his body keep him from moving forward. "Fuck you." He hissed.

"I told you not to talk." Two hands squeezed his cheeks, opening his jaw wide open. A dirty, rough rag was shoved between his teeth, tightly wrapping around his face. Natsu coughed at the foul taste, angrily breathing through his nose. "We'll just keep the blindfold on too."

He kept tugging, his blood boiling within him. His words were incomprehensible, hardly understanding what he was saying himself. A crack snapped through the air once, his ears triggering at the sound.

A lash was slashed across his chest, immediately pulsing with pain. His eyes scrunched up and let out a muffled, angsty cry. Natsu hissed from the pain stinging in his body, jerking his body. Another ruthless lash violently snapped across his face, feeling hot liquid leak from his cheek.

He could smell the overwhelming scent of his own blood oozing from the whip wounds he received, enduring the pain as much as he could.

Natsu started shouting through the rag, his voice completely muffled by as he heard various footsteps walk away from him.

He heard a few clinks before silence filled his ears. "Aauuhh!" His voice horridly echoed, his body ferociously trying to break through the tight clutches.

Chains were attached to his neck, hand, and ankle cuffs to keep him from taking a step further away from the wall. Various sweat drops rolled down his body from the extreme heat and humidity, his mouth completely dry.

_________

"Please! Where are you taking me?! I don't-eep!" Lucy screamed as a hand grazed her skin, giving her thigh a light squeeze. Armed men were surrounding her as she was lead through the grand Sohona Kingdom.

She walked up dozens of stairs, through many hallways that were luxuriously designed, red carpets with gold trimmings spread across the floors. They approached a large golden colored door after walking up another set of stairs that seemed to spiral.

They unlocked the door, then forced Lucy into the room. "Wait, what is this?!" She asked before the guards closed the door.

"It's your room, the King has put a great amount of time perfecting it." The guards quickly closed and latched the door shut, locking it.

Lucy ran up and forcefully pulled on the smooth door handle, shaking it back and forth. "Let me out! You can't do this!" She slammed her palm against the surface, hearing nothing in reply. "I need to see my friends!"

A choked cry escaped her trembling body, turning around to lean her back on the door. The room was ginormous, a glistening diamond chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. It was all too much to take in, a large queen bed set to the left with pure stain white and pink sheets.

Her eyes fell on the large two glass doors that led to a small outside deck, glancing to see how far up she was.

Lucy stood up and walked to the view, gasping at how far she was. Her eyes could scan the city for miles, knowing that she couldn't escape from here. It'd be committing suicide if she tried to jump off.

She bit her lip as she walked to the bed, teardrops quickly slipping down her cheeks, following by an endless stream. Sniffles escaped as she laid down on her side, curling up into a tight ball on the edge of the bed.

She didn't want to even think about what her father would do to her friends, he'd show no mercy against them and there's nothing she can do. She couldn't protect them, and the fear of unknown haunted her thoughts. Anxiety built up tightly in her racketing figure, letting out cries she desperately tried holding in.

________

"Let me outta this damn cell!" Elfman anguished, his voice roaring throughout the collection of cells lined up. Wherever they were, it was extremely dark and only small amounts of light came through the square windows. He pounded his fists several times against the bars, racketing them.

"Shut up! We can't do anything about it, alright?!" Gray spat back, crossing his arms and let out a frustrated grunt. He paced back and forth abruptly, his footsteps heavy against the dirty floor.

"I wonder where they took the Cap'n, they didn't like him too much." Bickslow commented, finding a place in his cell to sit and chill, taking advantage of resting his legs.

Continuous murmurs scattered through the silence from the crew, worried for their leader.

Erza stood still as a statue, her eyes closed with her arms crossed against her chest. "Since he's our Captain, they might exile him just because of his status, he's more of a threat."

"No! They can't!" Lisanna gasped, silent tears cascading down her face.

"They better not hurt Lu either! I'll kick their butts if they do!" Levy shouted, sitting criss-crossed in her prison cell. Wendy nodded, a stream on tears running down her cheeks. "How are we gonna make it out alive?" She choked out, her voice cracking.

A hand slipped from the right cell next to hers, touching her arm. "Lucy's gonna find a way, I just know it." She smiled and took his hand, his voice comforting her. "Thanks, Romeo."

"They're so cute..." Mira adored the two younger mages, her eyes twinkling at the sight. Laxus rolled his eyes, sitting down on his ass grudgingly with his arms behind his head. "I don't think this is the best time to be excited about-"

"Shh!" Mira cut him off by waiving her arm in front of his cell, silencing him in the middle of his sentence. He shook his head and closed his eyes. That bastard better be okay.

________

"Your majesty, we've captured every person from the pirate ship, and we've also got news for you." An armed soldier saluted, seeing the man raise his eyebrow at him.

"Please continue." Jude said, raising his glass to take a sip of water. He wore a lavishing long, thick cape, fluffy gold outlining the aqua blue shade. His crown was solid gold with jewels speckled all around it. Large, flashy rings decorated his fingers.

He stood up from his luxurious chair, slowly walking to the table as he was eager to hear the soldier's words.

"Captain Natsu Dragneel had your daughter, Lucy Heartfilia in his possession."

Jude's eyes widened, immediately coughing during a sip of water. "Say what?! Is she safe?!" He demanded, slamming his glass down on a table. The water splashed over the rim, some of it spilling onto the red carpet.

The armed man nodded, his headwear shaking. "Y-Yes, she should be placed in her room by now-"

"Take me to this Captain right now." Jude's eyes narrowed, eager to see who the wretched, revolting pirate that took his daughter in custody.

He follows the soldier, wishing to wrap his hand around the pirates' neck and choke him until he begged for mercy to live. Nothing could satisfy him more than to terrorize the man that took her away.

The soldier pointed to a certain prison cell, finally letting a smirk cross Jude's face as he approached the bars.

Natsu stiffened as he heard footsteps stop nearby him, a grievous chuckle cutting the silence. "So you're the Captain that took my daughter, you disgust me."

He couldn't see what he looked like through the blindfold, but his heart quickened its pace. He knew exactly who it was.

Jude wickedly laughed at the sight, the pinkette male covered in wounds with a couple bloody slashes across his body. "I should thank you for coming here, I can promise you a death wish soon to come."

After a few more seconds, Jude left Natsu in his cell, returning back to his chair. "I want my daughter to be fed dinner in her room tonight, and tomorrow I'll have our meeting." The soldier nodded and proceeded to let others know of the Kings request.

The day slowly passed by, leaving Lucy still trapped within her room. She barely ate the food she was offered, too worried for her friends safety. As she laid under the blankets, the space next to her felt completely empty.

For the first time in a while, she felt so empty. She was used to the presence of the strong man, feeling safer the closer she was in his protective arms. No fire could replicate the warmth she'd feel against her skin radiating from his body. Bringing the blankets tighter around her, Lucy couldn't rid of the longing that pulled within her.

After a while of staring up at the moon, her tired eyes slowly drifted closed.

_________

Lucy felt a hand shake her body gently, waking her up from her deep slumber. She blinked to see a couple figures, so she rubbed her eyes to see more clearly.

"The Majesty has requested your presence. Here's some clothes for you, someone will be waiting when you're done." A brunette maid smiled, placing the clothing article before taking her leave.

Lucy sat up, brushing her hair out of her face to see how bright it was. Her arms raised above her head to stretch, her legs swinging over the side of the bed.

She took a long hot shower, hoping it would help some of the soreness in parts of her aching body. After purposefully taking her time to dry off, she grabbed the clothes that was left for her, seeing it was different than what she was used to now.

The thin sleeveless white dress was short, reaching down to her high thigh. The bottom half flowed loosely, the upper half tightly hugging her body. The top was a large v-cut, the back part meeting in the center of her back.

Lucy grumbled as she placed golden hoop earrings on, then slipping her bedazzled sandals on. She grabbed her locket and placed it around her neck, not caring if it didn't match her outfit. She wore it every day, cherishing the last gift from her mother.

"Guess they'll just have to deal with it." Lucy grumbled, her lips puckering out. She brushed her hair, deciding to let it hang down and walked out of the bathroom.

She approached the door, raising an eyebrow. How the heck was she supposed to know if someone was waiting? Sighing through her nose, she gently knocked a few times against the surface.

The door quickly opened with two guards standing there, motioning for her to follow their lead. Her nose slightly wrinkled at their strictness, disliking the silent uneasy vibes.

"Wow good morning to you too.." Lucy mumbled under her breath as she trailed behind them while glaring at their shielded armored backs.

After at least over five minutes, she was led through a large door, her eyes boggling at the sight. Her pupils expanded twice the size when noticing a very familiar figure sat in his kingly throne.

The older blonde man chuckled, smiling at his daughter. "Lucy...I'm so relieved to see my daughter made it here, you're finally safe."

Her fists clenched tightly together, her knuckles turning white. "Don't even start with that, you left me."

"It was the only choice I had. It was for your own good." Jude replied, tapping his fingertips together while his hands rested in his lap.

"How could you? I got here safe because of my friend, where is he?" Lucy asked, her heart throbbing heavily in her right chest. A tremor took over her body.

Jude's dark eyes narrowed. "Do you mean those horrid, vile pirates?" His voice hissed in disgust.

"Yes, and they're not bad. Every single one of them are friends of mine, something I didn't have any other time of my life." Lucy proceeded, a tightening of her throat and a short intake of her breath afterwards.

The man's eyes wildly pierced into hers. "You mean to tell me you befriended those scums?! What've I told you about pirat-!"

"They're different, you have to understand father!" Lucy yelled cutting off her fathers' outburst at her.

"They're all the same, that's how your mother died! Pirates teamed up with the Osydians and they destroyed everything to lay their hands on you!" Jude's voice roared, echoing throughout the room.

Her bottom lip quivered slightly, a whimper desperate to escape between her lips. "What do you mean?" Lucy gapped. "I thought mother died from sickness...that's what you told me."

Jude sighed and shook his head. "I had to hide the truth."

Lucy limply stood there, every bone in her body numb as her vision slightly blurred. "What?.."

"Lucy, you were born with a gift greater than anyone. You know what you are, but not what you're capable of." Jude continued, meeting his daughters' glistening sorrowful eyes. "I used my magic to erase your memories."

"My what?! How could you--why?!" Lucy spilled, gasping harder between each breath from her chest and lungs tightening. "All this time I thought I just couldn't remember? When in reality my own father decided to erase all the memories I had of my mother?!" She sniffled quietly, droplets threatening to fall from her eyes.

Her hand automatically crawled upwards to clutch her locket, catching Jude's eyes. "I couldn't stand the thought of my daughter being taken away."

Lucy looked back up, an angry expression written on her face. "What happened to Luke then?! Where's he now?"

The Kings pupils dilated widely in shock. "Where did you learn that?" He gasped, feeling like his air supply suddenly was gone from his body.

"I learned it from the crew, they helped me even after learning who I was." Lucy spat back.

Jude's eyebrows furrowed together. "He was your twin brother--he was taken away by the Osydians and we've been searching for him since."

"When?!" Lucy demanded, her voice on the edge of breaking down.

Jude said nothing but walked to Lucy, placing his hand gently on the front of her head. He closed his eyes, and soon a blue aura light was glowing from his hand.

Lucy's eyes glanced up to see, but her vision was quickly consumed of different scenes playing in her mind.

"These are what I took from you." Jude whispered, the energy from his palm growing.

Lucy could only stare breathlessly as memories flooded into her mind, as if they were buried for decades. She could see her mothers face more clearly, where their home was, how beautifully mystic the surrounding were-

Luke-

His face was almost identical to hers, large chocolatey brown eyes happily gazed into hers when they were just young children. His spiky blonde hair tended to stick up in all directions.

Lucy's legs almost gave out from forgotten memories seeping into her mind, tears escaping her eyes silently while her fists clenched tighter. A shaky breath escaped from her lips, following by a difficult intake of air.

"I did it to protect you, please understand that." Jude calmly stated, the blue rays glowing between his fingers.

Lucy only shook her head, blinking away the blurriness. "I can't believe it...I was living almost lifeless--you told me mom passed away because she was sick."

"That locket she gave you, it was a gift from your grandfather, Judeson. He crafted it himself, so you must keep it safe." Jude replied, his eyes glancing at the jewelry item she held in her fingers.

He pulled his hand back as Lucy looked down at her locket wide-eyed. "Is it something like the cryptic stone?"

"If could be, I'm not sure. It's most likely something special because he crafted it."

Lucy looked up into her fathers eyes. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?" Her voice was trembling in unknown, fearing if anything else was something she was hid from.

"The Heartfilia Kingdom, where you grew up. That was your home." Jude smiled, seeing how shocked Lucy's expression was.

Lucy pointed a finger at herself. "Me? I thought that was ancient history!"

He shook his head and ruffled his hair with his hand. "Most do say that, but it was too dangerous for you to live there. Heartfilia Kingdom still exists in Mesidian Sea."

"In Mesidian Sea?" Lucy barely managed to breathe, wondering if her ears heard him correctly. Natsu would be so happy to hear this, the clue to the Cryptic Stone must exist!

Jude nodded his head. "Yes, we all used to live there as a family until we were brutally ambushed. I wish I was able to save your brother and mother, but you are the last thing I could save. I couldn't let them take you, you're too special."

"How am I special?" Lucy asked.

"You'll find out when the time is right. Just know you're a Heartfilia mermaid as well, high status just from that. If any pirates got their hands on you, it'd be the end of your life." Jude darkly spat, making Lucy narrow her swollen eyes.

"You should be grateful I ran into Natsu at Riduele, I would've been dead because the letter got there too late for me to read!" Lucy yelled, angry tears falling endlessly from her eyes. "He's been nothing but a generous, helpful, protective man of me! There's something about him that's different from everyone else!"

"Why would you go with a pirate, as a matter of fact the Captain of a crew?!" Jude hissed, the words dripping from off his tongue like poison.

"That's just a name, not who they really are! Obviously you wouldn't understand because you're too judgmental from the past." Lucy daringly shouted, knowing her choice of words could be regretful. "If you met him, if you even talked to him like a regular human, you'd see he's an honest man." Her voice grew soft.

"The crew will be in prison for the rest of their lives, and as for Natsu-" his eyes pierced down into his daughters. "-he's going to be exiled."

Lucy's brown eyes immediately widened, fear striking her aching heart. "Father, no! Please, you can't!"

Jude swiftly turned around and walked to his throne. "He's a threat to everyone, especially you."

"Please don't, he's done nothing wrong to you!" Lucy pleaded, gasping for air between sobs. "He's helped me every way possible, he took me here knowing that his life was in danger!"

The King sat down in his richly throne, resting his arms on the side. "Lucy...don't you realize you're the Heartfilia Kingdom's princess?"

Lucy's feet stopped walking, freezing in place. Her heart almost stopped, along with her mind going blank. "What?"

"After I married your mother, I was placed as Heartfilia Kingdoms King, and I still am. This is why pirates desperately seek for you, they could sell you for money, keep you, they could do anything to hurt you." Jude explained, his fingers pressing against the arms of the throne.

A small smile grazed on her cherry pink lips, confusing Jude. "Natsu isn't like that, he promised me he'd never use me for what I was worth. He's treasured me for who I really am excluding my physical traits and status." Lucy felt her cheeks heat up once the words left her mouth, thinking of the Fairy Tail Captain.

Jude could only confusingly gaze at his daughter, seeing the honestly written on her face.

"Could you please let me see him? Give him a chance."

Jude pressed his lips together at his racketing, sobbing daughter. He closed his eyes, irritated at the thought, but the back of his mind had a sliver of hope. "Guards, lead her down."

Lucy's eyes glistened largely, a small smile finally forming on her lips. "Father, thank you."

The guards quickly motioned her to follow their lead once again, taking her downstairs a long ways through many prison cells.

Jude shook his head. "I'll only give him one chance to redeem himself." He muttered under his breath, still skeptical of the idea of her seeing him.

After going through many prison cell hallways, the guards stopped suddenly, making Lucy immediately come to a halt. One of them jiggled out a keychain, shuffling through them until picking out one specific key.

He cranked open the cell. "We'll be outside the hallway waiting for you." Lucy slightly nodded in agreement, finding herself all alone after they skittered away.

She tip toed silently to the cell, opening the bar door enough for her to slip in. Her eyes glanced up, immediately widening in shock from the sight.

"Natsu--!" Lucy's breath gasped, quickly running over to the Fairy Tails Captain.

Natsu's head lifted, hearing the well-known angelic voice ringing in his ears.

"Natsu, what'd they do to you?" Lucy choked out, tears welled from deep inside and coursed down her cheeks. She ripped off the rag that was in his mouth, her hands cupping his face.

"Luce..." Natsu coughed out, his voice scratchy and hoarse. "I'm fine."

Lucy shook her head as her fingers trailed to the back of the black cloth that covered his eyes. "I was so worried about you." She bit her lip once her fingers finally unknotted the cloth, throwing it aside to meet his onyx eyes. Her eyes rested on the thick iron clasp around his neck, disgusted by the way they treated him.

Natsu looked at her, completely flustered by how different she looked. His chest twisted on the inside from seeing the beautiful maiden in front of him.

"I was worried more about you." Natsu mumbled, a light smile spreading across his dry lips. His forehead leaned against hers, feeling her hands gently rest on the sides of his face again.

Lucy's finger grazed over the slash sound across his cheek, streaks of tears flowing down her face faster than her racing heartbeat. "I'm sorry that they hurt you, I just want you to be okay."

"Don't cry, I'm still here." Natsu mumbled, wishing he could raise his hands to wipe away the endless amounts of tears escaping her eyes. His eyebrows slightly furrowed, seeing the distressed look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I-I just found out some things, that's all." Lucy softly replied, letting her arms wrap around his torso snuggly. He nuzzled onto the left side of her neck as she rested her head against his chest.

"My father wants to exile you."

"I'm not surprised." Natsu jokingly replied, lightly smiling.

"He's mad at me because of being with you and the crew, I keep telling him to give you a chance." Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.

Natsu leaned closer to her, desperately wanting to shatter the iron bonds around his wrists to hold her in his arms. "Thank you. I owe you everything if I manage to fucking survive."

Lucy shook her head, her nose rubbing against his toned chest. "It's okay, you don't owe me anything. I still owe you from saving me at Riduele."

She bit her bottom lip, feeling his calm, hot breath against her skin. Her eyes scanned the gashes across his chest. "They didn't need to go this far." She raised her left hand and grazed it over his chest, not even thinking about what she was doing.

"No kidding." Natsu mumbled back, letting himself lean against her cheek. A hot flash rose up in his chest and face after feeling her soothing touch. "I'll make it out alive somehow, I'm Fairy Tail's Captain after all."

Lucy looked up with tears eyes and softly smiled at him. "I hope. My father told me that the Heartfilia Kingdom does still exist in Mesidian Sea, so if we can somehow manage to get you out of here, at least we'll know the clue is there for certain." She explained, seeing a smirk play on his lips.

"Yeah...definitely." Natsu breathed, pink sprouting onto his cheeks as their noses were barely apart from touching. Lucy finally realized how close they were, her cheeks coloring a rosy red.

She shifted her gaze down a little, embarrassed. He nudged her gently to look up, tilting his head a little bit.

Lucy could barley manage to look up into his gaze, seeing a different emotion swirl in his onyx orbs. Her rich brown eyes widened, seeing him glance down a second, then back up.

"Hey! I think it's time, we were waiting forever!" One of the guards yelled, scaring Lucy to almost jump out of her skin.

"I-I think I gotta go." Lucy said, stumbling over her words. She couldn't tame the blush from showing on the apples of her rosy cheeks.

Natsu felt his whole inside drop like a bag of bullet powder, but smiled instead. "I'll be fine, Luce. Don't worry about me."

"That's not something I can do." Lucy lightly laughed, cheekily smiling back. She met his eyes that seemed to smile on their own, not having a second thought about her next action. She raised onto her tip toes, her hands softly resting against his hips.

Before Natsu could say anything else, his eyes drastically widened to feel something gently peck against his cheek. His lips were parted in surprise as he mindlessly gazed at her last smile, watching her leave.

He let his body hang loosely on the chains, barely being able to stand straight up. A giddily, loving smile spread on his face as he looked at the ground.

She's beautiful

He didn't keep track of how much time passed since that treasuring moment, feeling his spirits sky rocketing into the positives. All he could think about was just her.

Sometime much later, he looked up at the sound of the bar door creaking open, seeing the same familiar man from earlier. So if I want to stay alive, don't piss him off.

"My daughter tells me you're a friend of hers." The King darkly spat, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Natsu nodded, standing up straight for better composure.

"Why would you have any intentions of befriending Lucy?" Jude asked, his foot occasionally tapping the dirty floor.

"I met her at Riduele, your highness." Natsu confidently spoke, letting his sore arms rest behind him. "I was only there for purchasing goods, and we bumped into each other. A few men, I assume trackers of some sort, were chasing her to capture her." He looked up to see Jude barely nod.

Natsu dryly gulped, but continued. "I saved her and asked her why she was so important, and at the end of the conversation it seemed like she knew a lot of information about the cryptic stone and the Mesidian Sea. I asked her to help me find the hidden clue that lead to the stone."

Jude sternly narrowed his eyes at the fit Captain, seeing that he was telling the truth. "Why are you after the stone my father crafted?"

"To find my own father. I promised Lucy I'd help her find her brother too." Natsu replied, feeling his throats become extremely scratchy from the lack of not having water in the past day. He was completely dehydrated and exhausted.

Jude's lips pressed together. "You're obviously very important to my daughter, I couldn't tell you why exactly. I've been planning to execute you, but she's repeatedly begged me to set you free." He roughly sighed through his mouth, a stern expression on his face.

"She informed me of your plans." Natsu commented.

"Do you realize I'm the King of the Heartfilia Kingdom right now? What does that make my daughter then?" Jude demanded, his piercing glare meeting the Captain's eyes.

Natsu dumbly stood there for a few seconds, almost wanting to ask why it mattered until realization hit him like a baseball meeting a ball. His eyes snapped wide open. "You don't mean-?!"

Jude nodded as Natsu's jaw dropped open. "She's the princess of my Kingdom, and it's hard for me to hand her over to a Captain leading a ship of pirates."

Lucy's a fucking princess?! More like the princess of Heartfilia Kingdom. "Your majesty, I wouldn't dare hurt her. I swear on my life I'll protect her." Natsu blurted, pulling on the chains attached to his wrist.

Jude stared into his promising onyx eyes, having a thought in the back of his head that this pirate was different from the others. "It'll take me time to think about it, but it's hard when her mother was murdered by the Osydians."

Natsu nodded his head, emotions stirring within his tightened chest. "I have one question I'd like to ask."

Jude raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

Natsu took a deep breath. "How did you know people were going to attack Riduele?" The question was constantly nagging at the back of his brain ever since Sting informed them about what happened.

"A tall, muscular pirate wearing mostly black. He was wearing many rich items, he infiltrated the Sohona Kingdom to ask me face to face where Lucy was. I didn't tell him of course, but he promised he'd completely destroy Riduele, so that's when I quickly took action to send a letter." Jude explained, seeing Natsu's eyes scanning for more answers.

It couldn't be him...

"Can you tell me more of what he looked like?" Natsu demanded, his voice more edgy this time.

The king nodded, shifting his weight. "He had long black and red hair, pale white skin, one of his eyes was covered with a black eyepatch-"

No way

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared at the king, knowing exactly who it was that was after Lucy. Who led an entire army to attack Riduele, the three men chasing her-?!

"Do you know something about this that I don't?" Jude sternly questioned after seeing the Captains expression change dramatically.

Natsu nodded. "I know who's after her, that bastard."

"What's his name?" Jude asked, his own eyes widening as Natsu looked up at him.

"His name's Draxyn, Draxyn Zelgius. He's the Captain of the Osydians."

_________

SHOCKER 😱😱😱

Lmao is anyone's mind blown

It's okay, it wasn't that dramatic--maybe just a little--whatever way you interpret it.

Thank you guys for reading ❤️💕❤️💕