CHAPTER FOUR | HIS HAND

All that's made me is all worth trading
Just to have one moment with you
So I will let go with all that I know
Knowing that you're here with me
For your love is changing me.
May I hold you as you fall to sleep
When the world is closing in and you can't breathe
May I love you, may I be your shield
When no one can be found may I lay you down?

All's fair in love and war, except when you're trying to get married. Servants and knights whisked Natsu in and out of his bedroom, some delivering orders, others measuring his waist, his shoulders, and anything else that would fit into his suit. Lucy caught fragments of conversation as he went, dizzy from his constant movement.

When his blur finally stopped, servants shuffled in and out, bringing fabrics and assorted sewing materials and setting them by his feet. The only woman remaining was a guest of the king. Mirajane Strauss. She rolled a pale swatch of fabric over her fingers and made a sound akin to disapproval.

She was a remarkably beautiful woman, snow-white hair tumbling down her back, blue eyes piercing and bright. A single scar parted her left eyebrow, a discoloured line sweeping down towards her cheek in a vertical crescent. It seemed everyone in this city had one scar or another, be it physical or not.

Lucy stretched her sore limbs, tense from a long, sleepless night. "I'm not no sure this is a good idea," she said.

"I think it's a great idea. In fact—" Natsu scowled. "Ow. Shit, Mira. That hurts."

Mirajane grinned, lace and pins and thread held up like weapons between her fingers. "Move again, my lord, and I'm afraid it'll hurt even worse the next time."

Lucy grinned. The Strauss siblings were famous for their skills with fabric, but more-so for their roles in the Dragneel War. Between them, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman had saved hundreds of lives. They'd retired shortly after the great battle, with Lisanna nursing grave injuries, and Elfman blaming himself. According to Mirajane, Lisanna had been quite the equestrian before the war paralysed her legs. She had taught Natsu how to ride.

Lucy had delivered flowers to their home on Igneel's behest more than once, and thought herself comfortable with the siblings. Until one of them started pointing pins at her.

Despite the short notice, Mira had jumped at the opportunity to help Natsu prepare for his wedding. Though, watching her work, Lucy couldn't help wondering if Mirajane still harbored some old resentment after the war.

"Maybe you should ease up a little bit," Lucy said.

Mira's gaze snapped to Lucy. "Don't worry, your highness. You're next."

"O-on second thought, you're fine."

Your highness. Lucy hadn't been called that in so long. After hearing the truth of her identity, the knights had each dropped to their knees, bowing and whispering in awe. Lucy couldn't stand the formality. She was but one girl in a world with thousands of others. She wanted their bonds to remain simple. She was just a girl they helped long ago, and a girl who loved them. She was one of them now.

"I almost cried when I heard the news," Mirajane said. "I could hardly believe it. Natsu Dragneel, our beloved prince, finally settling down. And in the middle of a war, no less. You sure pick your timing."

In truth, the past seven years hadn't felt much like a war. They still referred to the great battle as the Dragneel War, as though Zeref wasn't still committing horrors to the south. But this was indeed a time for war. And soon that war would be charging through their front door, clad in armour and magic Lucy didn't understand.

"Zeref always liked to make a grand entrance," Natsu said, as though plucking the name from her thoughts. "I figured he'd jump at the chance to interrupt my wedding."

Lucy pursed her lips. "You know, this is not how I pictured my wedding day."

"Oh, so you're the spoiled princess type?" he teased.

"You know, I never actually said yes. I could change my mind at any time."

Natsu barked a laugh. "Will you still marry me, princess?"

Heat bloomed in Lucy's face. She tossed a chess piece, the marble clinking hard on the stone floor. Natsu burst into laughter as he swatted it away.

Mirajane shot Lucy a stern look. "With all due respect, princess, if you can't behave then I'll have to ask you to leave. You're distracting Natsu, and it's becoming very difficult to sew like this."

Lucy patted her warm cheeks. "Forget it. I'll wait outside!"

She stepped into the corridor, leaving the door ajar. Natsu's voice drifted out of the room, his laughter ringing pleasantly through the eastern wing. Everything had happened so quickly. Lucy couldn't really register what was going on. She'd sat on his bedroom floor all night, picking at her nails, chewing her fingers. She'd wanted to forgive him sooner. She'd tried. But the pins in her heart could not be removed by kindness alone.

She loved him. She would always love him. And this marriage was proof of her dedication to that love. But she might never forget the things he told her, the secrets he'd confessed. She couldn't blame Natsu for her own weakness, nor could she blame him for things out of his control. The frustration had almost killed her.

Rocking back on her heels, Lucy leaned against the stone wall and admired the many statues decorating the eastern wing. Igneel collected the strangest things, proclaiming art to be his secret obsession. He'd told Lucy there was no greater magic than creation. Maybe he was right. She'd once found him gazing at the wall in his study, transfixed with the stonework. It had seemed strange to her at the time. When she'd asked him why he was staring, Igneel had simply said, "Aren't castles tremendous things?"

He was right. She'd give anything to see Alvarez in its prime one last time. Every building had been a piece of art, unique to the family that built it. And the castle. Oh, how beautiful it had been. The Heartfilia home had been truly special indeed.

She remembered the castle's winding halls and the lavish blue carpets woven with splatters of iridescent silver. Growing up, Lucy had imagined walking among the stars, those little speckles of silver seeming to dance under her small feet.

More impressive was her mother's private library, and the spiraling staircase leading high into the observatory. Her mother had loved the stars. Lucy had spent so much time there, curled up in her mother's lap, falling asleep to stories of constellations, to myths of magicians from decades long past. Even her father would sometimes sneak into the tower at night and fall asleep to the sound of her mother's voice.

Lucy's heart dropped. She missed them so much.

With a promise to return with Lucy's dress, Mirajane departed the room, grinning with a terrifying satisfaction. Lucy stared at the empty corridor a while longer, shaking the fog of memories, and the subtle ache of missing home.

Was she really going to get married today? Just like that?

Of course she was.

Unable to contain her excitement, Lucy threw his door open. Natsu flinched, barely holding his pants to his naked crotch. Lucy squealed, covered her eyes, and slammed the door. And then, remembering her position as his guard, she opened it again and shuffled inside.

"It's not like you haven't seen it before," he muttered.

Lucy couldn't swallow the lump in her throat. "Stupid Natsu."

He grinned. "What's the matter, Lucy?" Didn't get a good look the first—"

Lucy kicked his side, and Natsu rolled onto the ground, laughing and holding his ribs. Lucy groaned. He really was insufferable.

"Anyway," she snapped. "Why are you naked in the first place?!"

"Mira said the success of the wedding night is determined by the undergarments, so I was changing into… What? What's with that face?"

Lucy's entire body trembled with an amalgam of heat and amusement. She choked back a laugh and, barely holding herself together, said, "She was teasing you."

Now it was Natsu who visibly blushed. "What's with everyone today?"

"First of all, we might not even get a wedding night. Second, they're happy for you. And your happiness is a distraction from the truth. All those people gathering in the courtyard, all the knights scouring the tunnels, they know they might never see you again. Most of them won't even get to see you marry."

Natsu's expression soured, his gaze dropped to the floor. It seemed he'd gotten so caught up in the wedding he'd overlooked the bigger picture. They'd rushed the wedding for one purpose: to give the people an excuse to gather in one place. A celebration of this magnitude meant they could usher people through the tunnels without raising any alerts. Zeref would find an empty city and know exactly why.

Lucy peered through the window and stared into Magnolia's heart. Knights disguised as civilians wandered the streets, participating in the customary festivities. The bait to Zeref's toxic lure. Lucy would probably never see them again.

The castle's city looked so beautiful at dawn. Orange and blue skies crested the horizon, the canals glittering like diamond encrusted walkways. None of the boats would be out today.

Silence weighed heavy on them both, raising its gavel and casting final judgement. There was no turning back.

Lucy found the long night wearing on her. She still needed to sift through her emotions. Looking at Natsu made her angry, it made her sad, but it also made her happy. She hadn't forgiven him just yet, but she also couldn't blame him. He wasn't himself, either. Whatever happened in that cave had changed them both. She knew him, and in knowing him she could trust this feeling.

She yawned and Natsu yawned with her, fingers clumsy as he buttoned up his shirt. They laughed together, and as they laughed she yawned again. The cycle continued until finally Natsu turned away.

"I was shocked when you asked me to marry you," Lucy said. "Mira's right, your timing does suck."

Natsu glanced over his shoulder. "I think I've wanted to marry you since you showed up at our door, bleeding and silent."

Lucy smiled, but something more pressing came to mind. "It's true, isn't it? Zeref's army is already on its way here."

"Yes. Erza's scouts returned this morning. Zeref's army has already cleared the breach."

Lucy mulled on that for a moment. "You know, I get that Acnologia wants the lacrima. I understand that he's out for revenge and Zeref is undoubtedly a part of his bloodline…" She couldn't quite place the thought. Something didn't feel right. "But why is he bringing the fight here?"

Natsu's original intention was to meet Zeref at the breach one last time. They were going to finish this away from the castle. Away from the livelihood of his people. But after his initial proposal, and Lucy's moment of shock, they'd sat near his little map and suddenly all of the chess pieces were in one place: the castle.

"My father said it himself this morning" he said.

Lucy chewed her bottom lip. After accepting the proposal and creating a plan, they'd discussed the stratagem with Igneel. She didn't want to be the reason Magnolia castle got destroyed, but it was highly likely that Zeref's interest had shifted. Lucy was a greater threat now, or so he thought. She was paying for Anna's heroics.

"Don't worry about it, Lucy," Natsu said, and his smile dissolved the worst of her fears. "All we have to do is win."

"Oh, sure. It's that easy."

"I'm all fired up. This time, for sure, I'll protect everyone." He said everyone, but he was looking directly at her.

"I know you will."

Though she smiled, Lucy was chained to her doubts, starved of understanding. Zeref, Acnologia, they wouldn't walk so easily into a trap. There had to be a reason. Just how quickly could the scouts spread word? It took at least six hours to reach the breach on horseback. Unhindered, Zeref would be here by noon.

Was the wedding really so tempting of a fight? Did he want bloodshed that badly? Or was it truly her fault?

Lucy chewed her lip until it bled, beads of copper-tinged concern dripping on her tongue. She sighed. Natsu noticed.

"By the way, my old man said he wanted to see you," he said.

"I can't leave you, Natsu."

Mirajane burst into the room like a ghost summoned back to life. "Actually, you should leave. You've already created too much bad luck by seeing each other before the wedding," she said, and Lucy wondered just how long she'd been listening. "Natsu, c'mere, I found the perfect little buttons and I just have to sew them on your vest."

Lucy sucked her sore lip. "I don't know…"

Mirajane took Lucy's hand and gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze. "Your grace, I fought in the Dragneel War and returned with just one scar. Your husband is safe in my care. There's nothing I can't do with these pins."

"Future husband," Natsu said, as though their wedding wasn't happening in the next hour or so.

Husband. Lucy shivered.

"I won't be long," she acquiesced, if only because she might not get the chance to speak with Igneel again.

"See that you're not," Mira said. "I have the perfect gown for you to wear."

Lucy found Igneel in his private study, stewing over parchments and books. She knocked and he beckoned her in.

"It seems our plan has changed. My son will arrive long before dusk," he said, and it felt like Lucy's whole world had crumbled. "Erza tells me his army wields unspeakable magic. Your knights live up to their reputations."

"Your majesty, if I may be so blunt as to say they are no longer my knights, but when they were, none of them could wield magic. Only the royal family of Alvarez wields the Old Magic, and it fades with every generation." She smiled, and it was a smile that knew only hardships. "Our kingdoms were divided by this fact."

The Heartfilia family was blessed with an innate magic for centuries, or perhaps it was better to view it as a curse. Their power might have saved Fiore from Acnologia once, but it brought temptation. Magnolia's people feared the lacrima when Acnologia died, and they began to fear magic all the same. They'd attempted to wipe it from history.

However, as time passed, Magnolia realised their mistake. By rejecting magic and refusing to study the lacrima fragments, by choosing ignorance, they were completely vulnerable to Alvarez. Should the Heartfilia heirs choose war: Magnolia would lose.

How could a kingdom devoid of magic not feel threatened by one that could? After years of battles and bloodshed, Lucy's ancestors had established a truce with the Dragneel families and Fiore had seen peace for a while. It seemed ironic now that the newest war was between Magnolia's own brothers instead.

Igneel didn't seem bothered by Lucy's skills, despite his family history. But of course, Igneel hadn't been the heir to the throne. His wife had. She'd barely taken her role as queen before she died, and now Igneel was simply warming the throne for his son. A Dragneel by name, nothing more.

After his sons were exposed to lacrima, he had no need to worry about Lucy's inheritance. Natsu's flames were just as deadly as the Heartfilia magic, and Zeref…

He was like Death himself.

After a long pause, Igneel let out a breath. "There is something you must see."

He turned to the vacant stone wall, and for a moment Lucy remembered their conversation about castles and history. It was the only section unperturbed by shelves of books and valuable decor. Igneel pressed a stone in the wall, the entire room quaking with unseen power. Lucy sensed the magic deep within the walls, felt it brim with life.

Impossible.

"This way." He gestured to the newly formed hole in the wall, so small Igneel had to crouch in order to enter the narrow passage.

Of course there were more tunnels in this damned labyrinth of a castle.

He led Lucy deep into the underbelly of the castle, cold air and darkness rushing to meet them. Igneel sparked a lantern and the passage roared to life, exposing a mouth at the end of the tunnel. Lucy's heart plunged through her boots. The cold steel of her armour felt suddenly sharp and thick, like blocks of ice weighing her down, cooling her blood.

They entered a tall chamber with seemingly endless walls. The base of a tower, she realised, and given the length of their walk, probably the western wing. At the centre of this tower, held in by brackets, was an enormous lacrima. And in the very centre of the crystal, shimmering beautifully in the ethernano, was a woman.

Pink hair spilled around the naked figure, her hands clasped in prayer. She wore nothing but a white scarf draped around her shoulders. She was undoubtedly dead, but the power exuding from her body, from the crystal, was unbelievable.

"He looks like her, doesn't he?" Igneel said.

Lucy couldn't speak. Couldn't think.

"His mother died in birth. It was a tragedy, truly. And it was my fault."

Lucy didn't understand. The Dragneels were throwing secrets at her like knives from each side. She was going to bleed out eventually.

"Natsu spoke of my injuries during our discussions of war," Igneel said. "It's true I almost lost my arm during their clash at the breach, but this scar isn't from Zeref. It's from the Great War of Ancients."

Lucy blinked rapidly. The Great War was Magnolia's name for the Beast's War, when Anna Heartfilia disposed of Acnologia and ended the dragons once and for all. But that was hundreds of years ago.

Igneel touched the lacrima. "Natsu was the first dragon conceived in a human womb. The lacrima calls to him, sends him into a frenzy. Zeref believes his brother is as infected as he is, but that's impossible. Dragons were created by the power left by their ancestors. Humans today cannot live through that power. The dragon seed eventually kills them. But Natsu's blood is my blood. The lacrima cannot change him, it simply pollutes what he is."

"Like a magical enhancer," she said, and then the words struck her all at once. Lucy's knees buckled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Igneel was a dragon? From Anna's timeline? And Natsu was…

"My wife could not survive the seed. My son poisoned her. She knew her fate, but she loved him anyway, even without seeing his face. She survived long enough to give birth to my boy, and he is the greatest gift she ever gave me."

"And… And you sealed her away?" Lucy managed.

"Her body crystallized and the growth could not be contained. Her soul lives on in the crystal, but I have not the power to free her." Igneel turned to Lucy. "But you can."

"But why now?" And why me?

"If Zeref wins this war, there is no telling what he would do with this kind of power. He can't have it." Igneel hesitated. "And you need it more."

"What?"

"Consider it a wedding gift. Your magic has faded over the years thanks to Acnologia's curse. Anna was exposed to the lacrima too much, and it rots your magic over generations. This lacrima will give you the power you need to win this fight."

"Shouldn't Natsu be here for this? Why are you telling me?"

"I no longer have the strength I need to transform. I put all my heart and soul into being a father to that boy. To both of them. In truth, I sensed something wrong with Zeref from the start. Acnologia's blood runs through him, but just as Acnologia started out human, so did Zeref. He is no dragon, and so I thought I could save him."

"You knew about the lacrima in the cave, didn't you?" Lucy realised.

Igneel nodded sadly. "Those boys were destined to clash, always outrunning the knights and disappearing on adventures. The lacrima uncovered Natsu's hidden magic, but it corrupted Zeref. Acnologia's powers are a curse. He kills everything he touches. And now my boy suffers the same fate, his mind warped by fragments of that man's power."

Lucy clasped a fist at her side. "I will free your wife," she said. "But under one condition."

Igneel's expression softened. "Yes, daughter?"

"When Zeref attacks, take Natsu into the tunnels and go."

Igneel stared at her a long while. "You would die to protect him?"

"Yes, if it spares him the pain of facing Zeref one last time. He's a good man, and not a man willing to defeat his brother."

"Will you kill him?" Igneel asked.

"Yes," Lucy said. "If that's what it takes."

The ceremony was fast and simple. Servants had done what they could with the ballroom in such little time, and it was as elegant as anything she'd ever seen. Lucy's gown had no trail, but the lace hugged her curves perfectly, the skirts loose enough that she could fight if she had to. It dipped low in her chest, exposing the key to her mother's observatory around her neck. It was the only thing they'd found on her body.

Lucy walked on Igneel's arm and he offered her to Natsu, his eyes filled with tears that went beyond joy. Levy pronounced them married in mere moments, and the knights who remained—Fairy Tail's strongest fighters—applauded and cheered as though their worlds weren't about to end.

Natsu took her into his arms and kissed her, and for a moment Lucy forgot all about the war.

"Are you sure we don't have time for a wedding night?" he whispered.

Lucy bit back her retort. She'd likely never have time for anything again. But he would. There was no sense in both of them dying now. This was her fight. It was her duty as a Heartfilia. And now, wielding the power of his mother, Lucy could finally stand a chance.

"I have something for you," Igneel said, when the knights began to gather around them.

Natsu embraced his father, and Igneel draped a white scarf around his neck as delicately as if he were a flower, and the slightest movement would shake off all his petals.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I know we're enduring a heatwave," Igneel said, and the knights laughed, fanning their faces. "But this belonged to your mother."

Lucy swallowed down her secrets and let them burn in the acid of her stomach. She had no reason to tell him the truth now. He could be safe and live a happy life with no regrets, and more deaths on his hands.

"They're early!" a man yelled from the doorway.

"Lucy! It's time!" Natsu said.

Lucy's gaze slid to Igneel, and the king made true to his word. He whispered something in Natsu's ear, and her new husband looked torn. He kissed her goodbye and promised to return as quickly as he could, begging the other knights to protect her. Only Igneel could make him go.

"Don't let Zeref into the castle," Lucy said, and she motioned for the knights to follow her outside.

Zeref sat alone in the courtyard, dipping bloody fingers in the fountain's basin. He smiled when he saw her coming. This wasn't a man anymore.

"Overconfidence is what killed you the first time," Lucy said, but her voice trembled, betraying layers of fear thick in her throat.

Zeref laughed, but the sound seemed almost inhuman. Looking at him now, Lucy thought he seemed gentle. He wore a black ensemble that gave his skin a sickly pale hue, as though he were just a corpse and all she had to do was bury him.

"I didn't come to fight," he said. "I don't have to."

Twelve guards appeared behind him, each one clad in a special black armour, the Dragneel crest etched into their shoulders.

"You don't intend to fight? You brought an army to our door," Erza said.

"I dismissed my army and brought only personal guards. You should be thanking me. The Spriggan Twelve are simply here to protect me, should you choose to attack unprovoked," he said.

Unprovoked? Lucy's skin bristled. Her mind flashed to the deaths of her parents. She almost lost it right there, the rage loose in her fist. She snatched it up again and, drawing her sword, stared into the man's black eyes.

"I don't need to fight. Coming here was enough, princess. I can't stop it," he said, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Look at the trees!" Erza called.

Lucy staggered backwards. Leaves burst to ash, dissolving to nothing as a sickening blackness swallowed the courtyard, killing everything it touched.

"I just wanted to see him one more time," Zeref said.

"You can't," Lucy snapped.

"Where is my brother?"

Zeref stood, and Lucy was suddenly grateful for Natsu's absence. He didn't move, but his twelve guards rushed forward, Brandish hidden among them. Steel clashed all around her.

"I won't ask you again," he said. "Bring Natsu to me."

"He's already gone," Lucy said.

"You lie!"

The rot of death swept towards her in waves, closing in at every angle.

"Forgive me, Natsu," she whispered.

Listening to the melody of swords behind her, Lucy summoned borrowed power, let it spill from her body in pulses of bright, white light. It enveloped her, and Zeref stepped back, repelled like a lone shadow.

"I am to be your adjudicator, Zeref Dragneel," she said, and the world turned to haze around her.

"Please," he said, and it was so sincere that Lucy's heart broke. But it was too late. The spell was invoked.

"Final Judgement: Fairy Law."

She saw recognition in Zeref's eyes, in Acnologia's soul, and the fearsome dragon they'd once been so afraid of screamed bloody murder. Magic exploded from Lucy's body, illuminating a single pillar in the ground, banishing death from every corner.

She collapsed to her knees, the borrowed power expunged, and wept the tears she'd held contained.

"My lord!" a voice called, and Lucy's head snapped up.

Zeref stood unscathed, checking his body in clear shock. It took him a moment to realise he was alive.

"No!" Lucy screamed. She'd failed again. "But how—"

Zeref burst into laughter, but it was a sound so dark it seemed to devour the midday sun. Lucy's strength failed her. She couldn't stand, her sword a worthless hunk of steel in her trembling fist.

"Fairy Law only works when you view the target as your enemy," he said. "And your feelings for Zeref's brother have blinded you. Your humanity, your guilt, will be your destruction."

"Acnologia!"

He raised a single hand, and the Spriggan Twelve suddenly collapsed, their bodies writhing in unspeakable pain. Magic pored through Zeref, too much for his human body, seeping out through his skin like cracks in a vase.

"I spent years training them with the lacrima," he said. "All for this."

Zeref moved so quickly Lucy couldn't even hear his steps.

"Lucy!" Erza appeared at her side, but her blade wasn't enough to stop his attack.

It was not Zeref who came down upon her now, but Acnologia's beastly form. The dragon bellowed a roar so loud it deafened everything in the vicinity. Erza threw herself over Lucy, but the beast struck and they were both sent reeling across the ground.

Lucy crashed into the fountain wall, the wind knocked clean from her lungs. She blinked away the dizziness. Erza sprawled across the ground in the distance, and Gray rushed instantly to her side.

Acnologia plucked Lucy from the ground as easy as picking out a weed, her gown hanging from the points of his sharp teeth. Lucy stared into the eyes of death and could not blink.

"You look so much like her," he said, and she knew he meant Anna. "I thought she loved me, you know. But how could a woman ever love a beast?"

She knew how, because she loved Natsu. She loved him despite knowing the truth of his blood, despite the chaos he'd caused at the breach. She loved him so much that it hurt to know she'd never see him again.

Acnologia threw Lucy into the air, and she screamed, tears streaming down her face, the fear so tight in her stomach she thought it might explode. Acnologia opened his great maw and released a blast of magic so hot it streaked like blue smoke through the sky, obscuring the castle in a murky, foul-smelling fog.

"Lucy!"

Natsu's voice bellowed from the sky. An unseen power blazed through the courtyard, flaming hot. The ground exploded. Something broke her fall, and Lucy felt her stomach drop as she ascended once more through the sky.

"Hold on," Natsu said.

Lucy's hands slid through the smoke, and suddenly she saw it clearly, the shimmer of bright, red scales. A dragon. Natsu.

"But how... You were supposed to be gone."

"How could I leave you?" he said. "We're in this together, Lucy. As long as I'm still breathing, I will never give up. So trust me."

She did. She trusted him so much that it hurt to think she'd tried to send him away. She leaned forward and grabbed where she could, tilting with him as they flew across the sky. Airborne, the clash with Acnologia truly began.

She drew in the power of the constellations, feeling the stars pass through her skin. It was now or never.

Together, they charged a spell so magnificent it could have blown apart the sky. She enveloped Natsu's flames in a light so pure it hissed where it touched, singing her exposed arms, evaporating parts of her dress.

"Together," he said.

And they dropped from the sky in a spiral of magic that tore apart the entire courtyard, taking Acnologia with it. The dragon lay defeated in the crater.

"So that's how you created the breach," Lucy realised, her voice strained as they landed close by.

"Guess so," he said, as though he hadn't just turned into a dragon and torn apart the castle grounds in one foul blow.

"We're lucky," she panted. "His strength isn't what it used to be."

"Is he dead?" Natsu asked. He didn't mean Acnologia.

"I don't know," Lucy confessed. She looked at the bodies of her friends, and of the Spriggan Twelve, who still remained unconscious. Part of her, and it was a part she longed to suppress, truly hoped that he was.

"Zeref," Natsu whispered, as much as he could within the form of a giant beast.

Acnologia's body began to tremble, and the black scales crumbled away, revealing a human host within. Zeref lie naked and bloody, but Lucy sensed a beat of magic, and knew that his curse was alive.

"He lives," Lucy said. "But Acnologia does not."

Natsu lowered her to the ground and his body returned to its human state, his tattered clothes barely clinging to his muscular frame. He collapsed against her, and Lucy held him tight.

"What do we do with him?" Lucy asked.

Natsu sighed. "I can't kill him, Lucy. He's my brother."

Lucy wiped blood and tears from her face. "Then we will simply have to find another way."

With a little help from Wendy's magic, the Spriggan Twelve regained consciousness, and Zeref was held captive in his old room. They discussed punishments for what felt like hours, but Natsu refused every single one.

"With all due respect, death isn't good enough for him anymore," Lucy said. "People can't atone in the afterlife. He deserves to live with the suffering he caused. I agree with Natsu on this one, we must avoid execution if we can."

"I will leave this place," a voice whispered in the doorway.

Natsu leapt out of his seat. Lucy stood with him, though her legs still trembled at the mere sight of Natsu's brother.

"I must thank you for saving my body, Miss Heartfilia," Zeref said.

Lucy frowned. "Actually, it's Dragneel now."

Zeref hummed his approval. "If I remain here, all of you will die before you can decide my execution."

"Nobody said anything about an execution!" Natsu roared.

"Your majesty," Erza said, standing from her seat at the table. "We cannot possibly let him leave."

"But we must," Lucy realised.

"I don't intend to escape my punishment forever. But you cannot hold me, or kill me, until this curse is lifted," Zeref said.

"So you'll just leave again?" Natsu snapped.

Zeref smiled. "I missed you, brother."

Natsu seemed like he wanted to agree, but he stood stiff, his hands clenched into fists. He clearly wanted to punch something.

"Let him go," Igneel said. "If he cannot change his curse, he will live a life of solitude. That is a punishment in itself."

"Father," Zeref said, and whatever thoughts he had drifted to silence.

"So that's it? You'll just leave?" Lucy asked. "How do we know you won't come back when our guard is down?"

Zeref shrugged. "You won't. But you'll find yourselves too occupied to think of me soon enough." Lucy didn't quite understand what he meant. "Congratulations," he said. "I always knew you'd make history."

"What the hell?" Natsu spat.

"Acnologia's power was great, and it allowed me to see things I couldn't before. You'll find out soon enough why I wish to leave this place. Not just for your sake, but for the future of this family. I must go."

Natsu inhaled a sharp breath. "The future? You're still a pain in the ass."

"He's insufferable, isn't he?" Zeref said, and his gaze flickered to Lucy's stomach. "Aren't you glad there aren't two of him?"

Lucy touched her stomach, and by the time realisation hit her Zeref was gone, vanished like dust in the wind. Nobody saw him leave, and the knights chased down every hall, searching but never finding him.

"Natsu..." Lucy held her stomach in disbelief.

"Well I'll be damned," Igneel said, the pieces clicking into place. "I think this bloodline just got a little more interesting."

"How come there aren't anymore dragons, papa?"

Natsu leaned back on his throne, and Lucy watched with quiet delight as their daughter clambered into his lap. Nova wielded her mind well, but she'd inherited her father's thirst for adventure.

"Hmmm, let's see," he said, and Nova nestled in close. "I think it's because your mother ate them all."

Lucy's mouth opened, and she resisted the urge to smack him. She threaded her hands behind her back and watched from the dais as her daughter's mind went to work figuring out the truth.

"Grandpa said it's because papa hogged all the magic and now Nova doesn't get some."

Lucy bit back a laugh. After discovering her pregnancy for herself, Lucy had been forced to tell Natsu the truth of his mother's fate, and he'd been frantic with worry. To their surprise, Nova had shown no signs of what Igneel had called the dragon seed, and was born entirely human. Lucy's magic had died with Nova, and the threat of war along with her.

"Have you been listening to the ramblings of that old man again?" Natsu teased, and Nova grinned from ear-to-ear. "Do you trust him more than me?"

Nova shook her head, and Lucy couldn't contain the smile that spread onto her face. "But of course she trusts mamma more," she said.

Nova giggled. "Nope. Papa for sure."

"How is it you do that?" Lucy said, and Natsu shrugged with indifference.

"Must be something in the Heartfilia blood," he said.

For five years Lucy had watched her daughter grow, and for five years they'd worried about the powers she might develop. But such a fear had never come to fruition. And now Magnolia's castle was not a base of war but a home, where one family ruled over the rest of Fiore, keeping all of its people safe.

Erza and the other knights, together with the former Spriggan Twelve, worked hard to destroy the remaining lacrima, so that no man could be tainted by its corruption again.

"I'm sorry to interrupt such a sweet moment," a voice said.

Natsu's head snapped up and Lucy turned at once. Zeref stood in the doorway, white silk draped over his shoulders. His skin retained its pale hue, but his eyes shone with something gentle.

"Who let you in?" Lucy asked.

Zeref didn't answer.

"Brother," Natsu said, and a twisted relief painted his expression.

Nova glanced between her parents. "Papa? Who is that man?"

Natsu smiled, and he lowered Nova to the ground. "He's a dragon," he said, "and it's time we went to slay him."

He touched Lucy's back as they went, and she watched as two brothers reunited with a warm embrace. Zeref pulled Nova into his arms, and she was immediately bewitched by the Dragneel spell.

"Mamma, can we keep him?" she called.

"Yeah, mamma, can we?" Natsu said.

Lucy sighed. She was utterly outnumbered by Dragneels.

"You may punish me however you'd like," Zeref whispered.

Natsu outstretched his hand and she took it, as she always had, and always would. Zeref's smile softened, but she read only guilt in his eyes. It would take a long time to think of this man as family. Perhaps she never would. But with Natsu beside her, Lucy could do anything. She squeezed his hand, and Natsu grinned with reassurance.

"Yes," she said. "I suppose we can."