"You have got ta be kiddin' me."

Natsu stared in horror down at the horseshoe on the ground, then to the gray stallion that was snorting and turning his head away, as if he felt guilty.

"How did this happen?" Natsu said crossly, pointing at the abandoned piece of iron. "Dammit, Plue, I told ya not ta clomp around so much!"

Ignoring the whinny in response, the stable boy sighed and reached down for it. "How on earth did ya manage ta crack this thing? I don' 'ave any extras and…" Natsu's heart screeched to a halt. "And the lady is comin' in two hours."

Letting slip a stream of swear words from his mouth, he spun around, agitated hand taking off his floppy, brown hat and running through his pink hair, eyes frantically searching the bright stable. The morning dew had yet to completely rise from the summer grass, and wafted a moist, cool scent from the double doors. Horses lined both sides in their stalls, contentedly munching on their oats or hay that had carefully been dished and pitched out by Natsu about an hour earlier. The stone floor had been swept and scrubbed, stalls mucked, and everything fit for the lady's arrival. Except this.

He gritted his teeth. He was pretty sure Gajeel wouldn't have a spare, considering how Natsu had just ordered some from him yesterday in foresight. But maybe he'd finished one…?

Rather than saddle up one of the horses and exhaust the poor creatures, Natsu took off out the stable doors and down the hill, white, scaly scarf billowing behind him. He captured his hat before it could blow away. The castle loomed behind to his left, an impressive, thick-walled fortress decorated with the flags of the Heartfilia noble family. Soldiers roamed the parapet walk, though Natsu knew they were often rather bored; in his ten years of life here, not one force had ever dared attack.

Panting, he slowed to a halt by the doors of a warm, little shack. While Natsu was in extremely good shape due to his mandatory defense training and chores, he had run faster than usual. A loud clanging sounded from inside; Gajeel was clearly hard at work.

Natsu pounded on the door. "Redfox! Got any of them horseshoes?!"

The clanging paused, and now he heard a sigh. After a couple of heavy footsteps, the door was lazily swung open. A boy Natsu's age leaned up against the frame. He was in the same uniform as Natsu, a loose, plain tunic bearing the Heartfilia emblem, breeches and a belt. However, Gajeel's was black, with several smithe tools hanging from the belt; Natsu's tan outfit only bore his dagger and an extra rope. Re-stringing up his long, black hair in its ponytail, Gajeel said, "Whaddya want, now, fire freak?"

"When is this fire thing going to end?" Natsu muttered with a glare. "That was only one time!"

"One time!" the blacksmith roared. "Ya burned down this whole shack, and half the stables!"

"No one told me them rocks would light a fire!"

"So why would you try it, ya moron?! Mavis, I can' believe I'm related to ya-"

"Look, would ya shut up? The lady is comin' in two hours an' 'er horse needs a shoe!"

Gajeel paused in his scowl, a slow smirk forming. "Ah. So that's why ya got yer havin' a cow - yer lady is coming."

"I said shut up!" Natsu snapped. "I'm not the only one who's gonna get hell if 'er horse hurts 'imself on her daily ride!"

"Fine, fine…" Gajeel pushed the door back to let him in. "I haven' gotten 'em done - the lord's sword takes priority."

"Why don't Erza fix the sword?" Natsu asked, puzzled. "She's the one who made it."

"Titania's outta town deliverin' to the knights, remember? Why don' ya just tell the lady that she can't ride today? She'd understan'."

"I can't do that…" Natsu muttered. As if he'd be able to bear that disappointed look as she told him it was fine, that she could go without her ride for a day. He knew full well that the ride was her only escape from the pressures and frustrations of her life… "I'll make it m'self. Gimme a hammer."

"I'm probably gonna regre' this," Gajeel muttered, handing over the hammer and waving Natsu over to the anvil. "Have at it; don' light more stuff on fire."

Muttering to himself darkly, he snatched up an iron rod, getting out the mold to shape it around. Natsu's hands worked all on their own; he'd worked in the shack with Gajeel for years until he'd been put in the stables instead due to how he kept starting fires. Of course, he had started that one in the stables - It was an accident, okay? - but after a sound whipping, the lord Jude had still chosen to keep him as the stable boy, saying he was good with animals. Then again, the lord said it was because Natsu was "practically an animal himself - such an uncivilized boy".

That had been rather uncalled for, in Natsu's opinion, especially while blood had been soaking his back.

The horseshoe, along with its nails, took over an hour to make, and was still hot when he thanked his cousin and bolted off up the hill. It was poorly made, but it would just have to do for now.

The other servants bustled about down the pathway to the town, collecting supplies for the castle, waving to Natsu and calling greetings as he ran on.

He snatched up his farrier supplies upon entry, rushing to Plue's stall and grabbing his foot. "Now hold still, buddy… You know I won' hurt ya…" Natsu murmured soothingly, continuing to talk to the horse as he worked. Happy, Natsu's cat, prowled up along the barred window of the stall. As a barn cat, he was supposed to be chasing mice, but Natsu knew he only liked fish.

Finally, the shoe was on, and Natsu stepped back with a sigh of relief. But the lady was still coming in only a half of an hour; her horse had to be groomed.

Grooming was one of his favorite parts - it was a slow, calming work allowed him to fully breathe in the sweet smell of the oats, the horses, the apples, the wind wafting from the nearby field, daydream about Igneel finally coming back for him...

Humming as he worked, Natsu brushed the dirt from Plue's coat, untangled the snarls of his tail and mane. "She's on 'er way ta see ya, Plue," he said absently, adding a little braid to Plue's mane. He heard footsteps, but didn't let himself be bothered by them. It was probably the lady, and she didn't mind how he talked to the horses. "She's gonna think ya look so nice; you know 'ow Lucy likes it when yer all shiny-"

"You dare refer to my daughter on such familiar terms? Step out, boy."

Natsu grimaced, swallowing. So it was Jude that had walked in. He knew he shouldn't have said her name again when he wasn't absolutely sure he was with her in private, but he just couldn't help but love the sound of it…

Doing as told, he put down the brush, walking from the stall with his head bowed. "My… lord."

Every time he said it, it was more difficult, the bitter taste ever the more pronounced in his mouth. Oh, how he hated to bow to anyone…

As expected, Natsu received the clout across the face, cheek stinging hot with the strike. But he'd gotten worse before from a brawl with Gray before breakfast, so he made no sound.

"If I hear you use such disrespect again," Jude said deliberately, moustache twitching, "It'll be twenty lashes. Do you understand?"

"Yes, m'lord." Natsu tried to hide the shaking anger in his voice. Usually, he didn't let Jude get to him. After all, if Jude made him angry over something like that, then that only meant Jude had more control over him. But today was different.

Today was his birthday. Not that he bothered telling anyone, but today, he was eighteen. He was a man now, and really didn't feel up to letting people push him around anymore.

But she rounded the corner, and all anger drifted away…

Lucy wore a red gown today; Natsu's favorite, in fact. Her golden hair rested gently on her shoulders as she hurried inside, eyes shining. "Ooo, Plue, time for- Oh, father! Good afternoon."

She curtsied, and Natsu watched her stand straight. He barely noticed the knight and squire that entered behind her, the red-haired Loke in his usual, noble dressing complete with gold trim and cape, sword at his belt, while Gray outfitted in slightly lesser wear.

Gray's dark eyes flashed to Natsu, offering him a nod which was returned. Jude looked down on his daughter, not even smiling. "There is something I wish to discuss with you, Lucy. I will be accompanying you on your ride today, along with Sir Loke. Gray will remain here." Jude offered Natsu a distasteful glance. "Saddle up our horses, boy. And quickly."

Natsu went off to do so, trying to ignore the battle of euphoria at seeing her and anger at his lord waging in his chest. The horses didn't take long to prepare; Natsu had done it hundreds of times before.

The stable boy finished the lord's first, and Loke shooed him away from his own. "I can do it," Loke said. "You go work on the lady's."

Natsu felt his breath catch when he saw that Lucy was waiting in the stall, cooing and stroking Plue's nose. Her skin shone especially brightly this morning, it seemed. Then again, he noticed something new every day. Gulping, he averted his eyes, lifting the saddle and tying it on underneath.

Finally, as he secured the halter about Plue's snout, the lady spoke, "Good afternoon, Natsu. You have Plue looking so lovely today. You're always so good and gentle to him."

Now his heart was already racing. "A-afternoon, m'lady. Thankie much."

After peering over the stall and seeing Jude chatting with Loke she sighed out, tone sliding from proper to the voice she usually used when alone with Natsu, "Ugh, well this is just perfect. Now he's coming on my ride too…"

Frowning in sympathy, Natsu finished with the reins. "I wouldn't worry, m'lady. It's likely just this once, yeah?"

"You don't have to sound so formal," she giggled to herself, and Natsu melted. "Didn't I ask you to call me Lucy? About a few hundred times?"

Natsu turned away at this, running a hand down the horse's neck and murmuring, "I doubt yer father would be much- I mean, be very pleased with that, m'lady."

She was quiet for a moment, then said, "So now he's ruining that too… I-I mean… I was just hoping after all these years… that we were friends." Her big, brown eyes were doing that shining thing again.

Natsu felt his face warm. He knew this; she came to him often in her frustrations or when lonely to talk to, and he had no greater joy than making her laugh. Adjusting his scarf as if to not be so breathless, he stuttered, "O-of course we are. As you wish."

Her smile made his world spin, but then Jude appeared. "Well? What's taking so long? Lazy boy - get the horse out here."

Quickly obliging, Natsu tugged Plue from the stall, halting him and offering a hand to Lucy for her to climb on. But just as her fingers nearly touched his, Jude snapped, "Loke, help her up. A lady shouldn't have to get her hands dirty."

Shooting an apologetic glance in Natsu's direction, Loke followed orders and helped her on. Natsu ground his teeth, backing away and feeling his heart sink. He looked down at his hands; they were indeed filthy, coated in soot from the smith's shack and dirt from his cleaning, not to mention how they were covered in scars and calluses. It was to be assumed that his face probably looked the same. Natsu knew he must reek of sweat and coal and stable. No, it surely wouldn't be right of Lucy to dirty herself by touching him.

Feeling eyes on him, he looked up to see Lucy. She seemed sad, mouthing, I'm sorry about that.

Reason 153 that he was completely, unfathomably in love with her: she didn't care that he was just a stable boy. To her, he was a person.

But the thought only made his chest ache ever the more painfully as she rode off into the sunlight. Oh, what he wouldn't give to go on one ride with her. Just one, and he'd be satisfied for the rest of his life.

Of course, he had nothing to give in the first place; he was just a servant, after all. And a filthy one at that.

With a couple of footsteps, he saw Gray step to his side. "Heya, fire boy. Watching your lady love ride off across the meadow, eh?"

Natsu punched him in the gut, but only muttered, "Dunno what yer talkin' about."

"Oh please." Gray rolled his eyes, leaning back against the stable door, wind whipping through his black hair. "The only ones in this Mavisforsaken fiefdom that haven't noticed your puppy eyes following her everywhere are her and her father, luckily for you."

"Shut up."

"I'm serious. Just exactly when you're gonna snap and confess your undying passion is a common dinner conversation."

"I said stuff it," Natsu snarled. "It's not worth talkin' about."

"Nah, it's not," Gray agreed with a nod. "You're the stable boy and she's a noble. There's no chance of anything happening."

"Yeah, I totally needed a reminder - thanks," Natsu hissed, turning on his heel and striding back into the stable, preparing to groom all of the other horses. "Got any useful purpose here, Fullbuster, or do ya 'ave a death wish?"

"Other than to bring to your attention that you literally smell like a pile of manure?" Gray queried. "Nah." He yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Ugh, I gotta go train with Gildarts soon… Already so sore from yesterday. It's total torture-"

Considering how Natsu was already having a terrible day, this was just the last straw. Natsu threw the curry comb down, clattering to the floor, and shouted, "Stop your stupid whining! You're training to be a knight! You should be fucking grateful that you're not stuck scooping horse shit out of a stall all the days a' your life and, and you can go where ya want, eat whatever the hell ya want, get an education, not have people slap you and whip you for callin' someone by their first name an' l-love and' m-marry whoever you want…"

Natsu choked in his rage, and with a yell, kicked the wall. Hard. "I hate this place! I should be a knight! I'm the best jouster an' dagger fighter there is in this whole freakin' kingdom! My dad is Sir Igneel, dammit! I'm not lyin'!" Grinding his teeth, Natsu dropped onto a hay bale, gripping his hat.

It was silent for a minute, after which Gray said quietly, "I know. I believe you."

Natsu relaxed; he'd forgotten why he actually liked being around Gray.

Natsu should be a knight. He knew it. He wasn't lying. And other than his cousins, Gajeel and Wendy, Gray, Erza, and Lucy were only ones that had believed him.

But Natsu didn't say anything, slightly embarrassed by his outburst. Maybe Jude was right; maybe he was just some sort of animal…

"Hey." Gray sat down beside him and bumped Natsu's shoulder with his own. "The guys and I were gonna go down to the usual place to get a drink tonight. How about you and Gajeel tag along, yeah? We'll say you're just coming to watch our horses, as always."

Natsu thought about saying no. Saying Gray could go screw off and leave him alone to wallow in his own misery. But Natsu heard Igneel's low, gentle voice remind him, an echo from all those years ago…

Hey, what do you do when you're sad? I taught you, didn't I?

Yeah, Natsu remembered.

So do it. Stand up.

Okay.

So these people wouldn't let him be a knight? He'd just have to prove himself until Igneel returned for him.

Igneel would return. He had to.

Natsu stood, brushing off his breeches. "Yeah, I'll come. I'm fired up now!"

To look convincing, Natsu and Gajeel had to walk alongside the horses of the two knights, the squire, and the woodsman. But the way the two servants were kept included in the conversation along the way to the town of Magnolia made Natsu forget about his status. It was the Fairy Tail tavern that they tied the horses outside, hearing the rowdy laughter from inside and grinning as the boys all pushed open the oaken door.

As always, the lights were bright and the company was loud and welcoming. The pretty barmaid, Mira, stood up at the bar, filling the mugs from the barrel keg and passing them to the men with a smile.

She spotted them, and gave a cheerful wave. "Hello, boys! Come from that mighty castle for a pint?"

Laxus sat up into a seat beside the regular, town drinking champion, Cana Alberona. "That's right, Miss. The usual, if you please."

She nodded. "Good evening, brother. How's Lisanna?"

Elfman, still with an ax over his back, answered, while sitting beside Laxus, "She's well - her cooking is magnificent as ever. Have some brandy for a man?"

She slid him some of his request before turning to the last three. "Sir Loke, Gray. Hope you're well. Oh, Natsu and Gajeel! It's been a while."

"Heya Mira!" Natsu said, sitting between his cousin and Gray. "Yeah, managed to escape today."

"Oh dear," sighed the maid, lowering her mug as she looked him up and down. "Natsu, you're absolutely filthy. Again. Gajeel, you're just as bad - have you no soap?"

Natsu shrugged. "I'll just get dirty again tomorrow." His cousin grunted in agreement.

"You know what my sister would say," Mira told him with a small grin. "With a look and smell like that, you'll never get the ladies to like you."

Pretty sure his face was matching his hair, he muttered, "Yeah, well pleasin' people with my smell an' looks ain't really my goals in life. If they don' like it, that's not my prob'm."

"Woman like the look of a hard workin' man!" Elfman insisted.

"Hear, hear," Gajeel said to that, raising his drink. "And who cares what they think, anyway? In any case, we ain't gettin' no ladies anytime - ain't got no time for that bullshit, an' we jus' servants."

"No offense, Mirajane, but most women are nothin' but trouble," Gray murmured, raising his drink to his lips.

Loke snorted. "Nah, you just say that because the one in love with you practically stalks you everywhere. You love the attention, of course-"

"No I don't-!"

"-and maybe you should ask her to stop, if you don't like it," Loke finished. "All my experience with women turned out quite well."

"That don't count - you're Sir Loke of Ladies," Gajeel pointed out.

Loke sighed, flipping back his hair. "True, true."

The boys laughed, and delved further into their mugs.

An hour later, Natsu was rather unaware of just how many drinks he'd consumed, and he didn't really care. Neither did the other guys. They were laughing a lot louder than before, and at things that weren't necessarily even funny.

After a few more minutes, Laxus sighed, "Not that this isn't admittedly slightly enjoyable, but why the hell did Gray take us all here to get completely wasted?"

"Didn' take ya here to be wasted," Gray slurred. "Natsu was upset - took him to get wasted."

The others laughed, but Natsu lowered his cup. "Wait, you planned this 'cause I was upset?"

Gray only nodded. "Yup. You got seeeerious issues, man."

Natsu chugged some more. "Didn't ask fer your opinon, Fullbuster."

"Ya do, though," laughed Gajeel. "More than me! I mean, we're both a' noble birth and yet stuck in this place, but now ya fell for one'a the only woman in the castle that you can't 'ave."

"An' that's what ya call ironic," Loke sighed, cheeks rosy.

"You mean you guys believe that 'son of Sir Igneel' bullshit that he always says?" Laxus scoffed.

Natsu slammed down his mug. "It's true, dammit!"

Gajeel ground his teeth. "And my dad was Sir Metalicana, Igneel's brother. I know he's tellin' the truth."

"I remember when those two showed up in the court," Loke laughed. "Runty, wet little things, Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy. Sayin' they'd walked for days to get help and they were of noble birth…"

"And that dumbshit Jude didn' believe us," snapped his cousin. "Made us his damn servants!"

"Gajeel!" Mira scolded. "Don't say that so loud!"

Laxus shrugged. "It's true. I may be his knight but he's a slimy bastard."

"Yeah," Loke muttered. "Treatin' Natsu like that and trying to make Lucy marry me to get land from my dad… Such a jerk…"

Natsu dropped his cup, and it spilled over the bar. "What?!"

Loke frowned into his mug as the other boys stared at him in shock. "I… was not supposed to say that. Dammit, I knew I shouldn't drink so much…"

Mira sighed, standing the cup up and wiping down Natsu's mess. The boy was too focused on Loke's words, a strange haze and buzzing in his mind that had nothing to do with the alcohol. He'd known it would be coming soon, of course: the arranged marriage. The terrifying fact just never seemed fully real until now; if Igneel didn't return in time, Natsu would have to watch Lucy marry another man. The idea made his stomach flip and he suddenly got the strong urge to vomit. "Is… that why 'e wanted a ride alone with you two, today?"

Slowly, the knight nodded. "Natsu… I'm not going to accept. She's a good friend and fun to guard, but I just don' feel that way about her. She don't feel that way about me either."

"Won't your dad be angry at turning down Lord Jude?" Gray asked, leaning heavily on the bar.

"I don't care," muttered Loke. "I… I got a girl back home. I'll run if I have to, take 'er with me."

"Just one girl?" Laxus asked with a smirk.

"Yes, one," snapped Loke, straightening his cape. "But she's a maid in my castle. I just... don't care."

"At least you can run," Natsu said miserably. "And Gajeel can marry that bookkeeper that he flirts with and won't admit he's in love with in the castle no problem. Elfman can court that seamstress, Evergreen. Laxus can do his thing and Gray can finally stop being a bastard and admit he likes that stalker 'a his. I have to wait for my dad to come back, and then maybe…"

"Geez, never thought you'd be the depressed type'a drunk. Besides, he's not comin' back," Gajeel grumbled. "None of 'em are. Get that into yer thick head - we're gonna be stuck here as peasants forever."

On complete impulse, Natsu punched him in the face. "Igneel is comin' back fer me! I know it!"

"If they planned on comin' back, then why did they abandon us in a huge castle and take all the servants and guards, huh? Without even a note? They wanted ta get rid of us!"

Natsu hesitated. Granted, their castle had been small, bright, and humble. It was surely a wreck, now. But they'd only had a total of ten servants (treated about a hundred times better than this place), and fifty guards. Their land was extensive, but in their peaceful part of the country, no one had ever tried to take it. It was probably easy for them to pack up and take off in one night, leaving Natsu only with a scarf, a quillon dagger, and a broken heart.

"Igneel said he loved me," Natsu muttered, hands clenched into white fists. "He'll come back. You'll see."

The others said nothing, and he could tell they didn't believe him.

As the night went on, the mouths became even more active, until Gray was saying, "Yep. Saw my dad murdered by that Deliora guy from Tartarus. Mum too. Was taken in by a woman and she was killed by the same guy."

Natsu's mouth dropped open. "I didn' know that."

"Yup," he sighed. "Still get nightmares. Luckily, when I got here, I had my family papers, unlike these poor bastards." Gray gestured halfheartedly to Gajeel and Natsu.

"At least yer dads are decent folks," Laxus said, nearly falling out of his chair. "Mine gave me this scar and tried to kill ma' grandpa."

"Wait, you serious?" Loke choked. "Makarov? The owner of this place?"

"That's the one," confirmed Laxus. "Mad at grandpa for "disgracing the family" by startin' a bar after retirement. What a load a' bull - this place is more than Ivan ever accomplished."

Elfman hiccuped. "Well, my folks were hanged for devil worshipping and we were chased from our town."

The boys winced simultaneously in sympathy. Gray laughed after that. "Man, our lives are totally fucked up."

They all burst into laughter.

Well, it was better than crying about it.

Natsu barely remembered the bar fight that made his body ache in the morning when he woke in his hay cot in his stall that was reserved as his bedroom. That, however, happened to be the least of his worries.

He was woken by Lord Jude himself himself, a bucket of water poured on his head. "Get up, you lazy, disrespectful, disgusting boy! I need my horse and you are to wake at sunrise!"

Falling out of bed and coughing the water from his lungs, he stumbled to his feet, ignoring his headache. It was lucky he could hold his liquor better than the other boys. Loke was there beside the lord, and Natsu could tell he was in extreme pain.

As he rushed to saddle up the lord's tall, bay stallion, he muttered to himself, "Dammit, dammit… can't believe I woke up late…" Lucy would be coming in likely three hours based on the sun's position, and the stable had yet to be mucked, horses yet to be fed. If only someone had told him the lord would need his horse in the morning… but he should have been awake anyway.

He received yet another smack in the head when he hurried out with the horse, and when the lord hiked himself up, he glared down at Natsu with distaste. "Come with me."

Natsu clenched his jaw. He knew exactly what was coming.

Loke winced beside him, own hands curling into fists. He took his own horse and galloped away without explanation.

Sure enough, Jude took him to the post in the center of the main bailey, where Bixlow was waiting with a grimace and a whip.

Jude swung off of his horse, taking Natsu by the back of the shirt and pushing him up to the pole. He glanced to Bixlow. "You know what to do. This time, it's twenty."

Bixlow choked. "T-twenty, m'lord?"

Jude's gaze was chilled. "Is there a problem?"

"I-I just think more scars may defect his ease of movement, m'lord," Bixlow said quickly, and Natsu knew he was trying his best to avoid the situation. "It would make his work slower. If I might suggest, my lord… maybe just… more cleaning duties for him?"

"Cleaning," the lord scoffed. "That is not the extent of the lesson he needs to learn. I doubt his slowness could possibly increase, due to how he's plenty stupid already. Assume the position, boy."

There was nothing else for him to do; Natsu did as told, pulling his shirt off, hat from his head, scarf off of his neck, and stepping up to the post. With shaking hands, Bixlow clamped the iron cuffs around his wrists above him. Natsu made fists, wanting to get this over with.

As he always did, Jude felt the need to walk out in front of Natsu, hands behind his back. "Do you know for what reasons you are being punished?"

He was feeling far too rebellious today, and said snidely, "Because it's my fault that humans sleep."

Hearing Bixlow's attempt not to laugh, Jude gritted his teeth and stepped closer, grabbing Natsu by the hair and snarling at him, "Not only have you been lazy and neglectful of the simple work assigned to you by the lord that protects you, feeds you, and shelters you, but you insist on speaking to and staring longingly at his daughter."

Natsu's fists slackened as his eyes widened in horror, heat rushing to his face. He looked away.

Jude had a laugh that Natsu wanted to strangle. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? Henceforth, you will not speak to her unless she requires something from you, and next time I see you stealing gazes of a woman of higher status than yourself, it'll be far worse than this. I will have eyes watching to make sure this is enforced. Am I understood?"

Natsu stared him levelly in the eye, absolute loathing coursing through his veins. This man took his pride, his dreams, and now the measly moments of the day in which Natsu could speak with the girl he loved. He'd never wanted to hit someone so much. "Much to my annoyance, yes."

"Ten more!" Jude roared at Bixlow. "And I shall watch to insure that you do not go easy on him." Shooting another look of hatred in Natsu's direction, he hissed, "You're lucky I don't banish you. I'll be expecting a thank you when I next am forced to see you."

Bixlow whispered to Natsu, "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"

Breathing out and gnashing his teeth together, Natsu muttered, "I know. Just do it."

The first lash was always the worst, the whip burning into his skin and making him shudder as it tore through his other scars. He knew it could be worse; Bixlow was going as lightly as possible.

Then another, and another. Then Jude gave the order to go harder. And deeper. More blood.

Natsu clenched his arms around the pole in his usual position, his eyelids fluttering as he tried his best not to make any noise. A small crowd had gathered around by his tenth, murmuring and averting their eyes before hurrying away.

Five more. Natsu's muscles trembled in effort not to scream, legs stiff in attempt to stay standing strong. Blood was already running in streams down his spine and staining his belt. He'd always told Bixlow to go as fast as possible, but now Bixlow paused to let Natsu breathe out with a shiver of agony.

"Why are you stopping?" Jude demanded. "Continue!"

Natsu heard Bixlow swear under his breath, raising the whip again -

"My lord!" Loke's voice sounded loudly with the gallops of footsteps on the stone pathways. "Barbarians! Attacking from the back entrance!"

"What?!" Jude roared, drawing his sword. "Take me there!"

"Yes, lord!"

Bixlow breathed a sigh of relief. Natsu allowed himself a small moan as he leaned his forehead against the pole; now he'd have to wait for Jude to come back and see the rest through. Then he wouldn't get time to prepare for Lucy in the stable, or see her. His heart clenched, not only with despair but in worry - what if she saw him like this? Torn, bloody, filthy. Like a mangled animal. Weak.

No, he couldn't stand for that.

Before Natsu was aware of it, someone's hand slammed on the pole and a knife was drawn. Admittedly, he let out a yelp, only to be shushed by the man he hadn't noticed arrive: Gajeel.

"Stay still," said his cousin quietly, glancing about the courtyard. With that, he shoved his knife into a certain chink in the chains, and the cuffs let Natsu free. His wrists were red and raw, and he rubbed them soothingly.

"What are you doin'?" Natsu hissed. "You could get put in the stocks for that!

"Better than thirty lashes fer a hangover. Now c'mon; Loke and Fullbuster's distraction won't last long..."

"What?" Natsu asked, bewildered.

Gajeel picked Natsu's shirt, hat, and scarf up off the pathway, pressing the shirt to his back. Natsu cried out at the surprise of the pain, and Gajeel only muttered, "We need ta stop the bleedin'. Now, long story short, Loke ran off to Gildarts and Fullbuster and me when he heard you was gonna be flogged. They gathered some a' their buddies and put on some masks and are stagin' an attack on the castle now so that I can get ya. Got it?"

Predictably, Bixlow was making no move to stop them. His head was bowed, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"I made you promise," Natsu said, trying for a weak smile. "It's not your fault."

Bixlow was one of the enforcers in the castle, and while his job usually just entailed strolling around, greeting people and making sure things got done, sometimes that also meant he had to deal out the punishments. He'd intended to refuse Jude when he asked to whip them, but Natsu and Gajeel insisted that he follow the orders; Bixlow was engaged to Lisanna, and if he were fired or not paid, she wouldn't be supported.

Gajeel hurried Natsu away, grabbing his arm and pulling him back up whenever he tripped. He knew where they were going now: Wendy.

"I-isn't Wendy u-up at the castle?" asked Natsu with a hiss of pain.

"We told 'er to wait by the waterfall with some supplies," his cousin grunted. "Need to wash you down."

"I hope Bixlow doesn't get in trouble," Natsu mumbled back, "I wanna go ta the stables. Need ta clean before the lady-"

"Shut up!" Gajeel snapped. "You moron - you're bleeding and 'urt. The lady can wait. And Bixlow's not stupid; he'll make somethin' up."

It was a twenty minute walk to the forest, by which time Natsu had black spots widening in his vision. He'd been whipped many times, but it wasn't like it still didn't hurt.

He winced when they came across the gently trickling waterfall. This was truly the part he hated most about being lashed. It wasn't that he didn't love to see Wendy: he adored her like a little sister. No, what he hated was that it always made her cry.

Her little white dress rustled, blue hair flowed behind her as she ran forward, taking Natsu's other arm over her shoulders; his feet were practically dragging.

"Oh, Natsu," she said, teardrops welling up. "Why does he keep doing this to you?"

Natsu paused as they reached the waterfall and she made him sit on a rock at its base. The cool water about his feet once he took off his boots relaxed him, and he sighed. "Please don't cry. It's not so bad…"

"He was gonna give ya thirty lashes for wakin' up late!" Gajeel said, aghast. "He wouldn't do that to the rest of us; did you do something else?"

"He found out, okay?" growled Natsu, breathing in sharply when Wendy put the cloth at his back to clean the wounds. "He found out about how I care for his daughter."

Wendy's hand stopped, and Gajeel only stared blankly at him.

After a few moments, Gajeel shouted suddenly, "You shittin' me?! He makes ya nearly bleed out because you fell in love with someone? I always hated this place, but this is just," he kicked a rock, "complete," he threw another at a tree, "BULLSHIT!"

Though he was surprised and slightly touched at Gajeel's outburst, Natsu said quickly, "Oi! Watch yer mouth around Wendy, wouldya?!"

The blacksmith froze, remembering, and muttered, "Right. Sorry, kid. Don' say that word, yeah?"

"Okay," she whispered, swallowing back her tears as Natsu flinched at the cloth. "Natsu, you need to wash off now, under the falls. Here's some soap, and try to be careful of your back." She handed over a pile of new outfit, a drying cloth, and some soap. "Call to us when you're done and wearing your breeches."

They wandered off to give him privacy, and he sighed. Jude was a clean freak, insisting that the servants take a bath at least once a week. It had been five days since his last, and now his movement was so restricted…

But he did it anyway as Wendy said, stripping down and standing under the falls, making sure the downpour didn't directly hit his back. When he reached back with the soap, he could feel the wide, burning wounds, and he quickly drew his hand back at the spike of pain.

The water was cold. He saw dirt and blood trickle from his body and down to be forgotten in the river. The soap smelled good, like the beeswax from the lilac field.

"I'm done!" he shouted into the trees as he finished tying up his pants, rubbing the cloth in his hair to dry.

When Wendy returned, she went through the usual procedure, wiping off any excess blood, putting her homemade, healing herbs onto the cuts, wrapping up the worst of them with bandages. Natsu bit into and squeezed his scarf the whole time to keep from making any noise.

"How's that?" she asked him, twisting her hands together.

"Better," Natsu assured her. "Thankie much."

She washed her hands with the soap in the waterfall. "Please don't work yourself over; I'm sure someone will help you lift and clean things for a while so that you don't start bleeding again."

But he only waved her off. "I'll be fine. Alright." Tugging his boots on, he announced, "I'm goin' back to the stable. I need ta work fast if I'm gonna-"

"Shut up about the cleanin'," Gajeel muttered, "And c'mon. We're not goin' fast; we're gonna walk ya careful and you gonna sleep. I'll stay and wake ya if the lord is comin'."

Though they argued about this the whole way back, when Natsu entered his stable, he stopped at its entrance, jaw dropping. It was perfectly spotless, with Gray and Elfman finishing with the stalls.

"So this is why that fire maniac still manages to stay in shape when he doesn't have knights' training," Gray was panting as he scooped another shovelful into the wheelbarrow. "Horse crap is so much heavier than I thought… He was right about how I should be grateful that I don't do this every day."

"This is the job of a real man," Elfman agreed, throwing hay off of a pitchfork.

"What's... goin' on?" Natsu asked.

They looked up, and he saw flickers of smiles all around. "Well, ya know, we got bored." The squire shrugged. "Thought we may as well… clean a stable…?"

Slowly, a grin widened on Natsu's face. "You guys are idiots."

"Look who's talkin'!" they chorused, and Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Natsu?" a familiar voice said uncertainly around the doorway. "Do you think… I can ride today?"

He spun around, jarring his back, but he could care less about that now. It was Lucy, biting her lip in that light blue dress and looking at him hopefully.

Clearing his throat to make it work again, he stammered, "O-of course!" The other boys quickly dropped their tools and wandered around as if trying to make it look like Natsu had cleaned the place himself. "Yeah… I'll go… get Plue ready." He laughed when she hopped in excitement and followed him to the stall.

But it was then that he remembered Jude's warning: Henceforth, you will not speak to her unless she requires something from you, and next time I see you stealing gazes of a woman of higher status than yourself, it'll be far worse than this. I will have eyes watching to make sure this is enforced.

Feeling his gut clench, he breathed out. Once he stopped speaking to her, she'd hate him… Just as Jude wanted, Natsu supposed.

"How are you today, Natsu?" she asked cheerfully, petting Plue as Natsu fastened the reins. "I was looking for you here after supper last night, but I didn't see you…"

"I apologize for not being available to assist you, m'lady," he said as formally as possible. There were barred windows on the stalls, and he was unsure if any of Jude's ears could be listening. "I was watchin' horses for the knights in the town last night."

"Oh no, it's fine!" she assured him as he achingly draped the blanket over Plue's back. "I was worried, that's all. And you know I enjoy… I enjoy my time with you."

Though he'd been trying very hard not to look at her, he couldn't help but to so now, staring with wide eyes. She was slightly flushed, having muttered the last words. He could only say, "Really?"

"Of course," she said, crossing her arms. "We're friends, remember?"

"Y-yes," he said quickly, feeling his stomach drop again. She surely wouldn't want to be his friend for long.

Natsu, to his irritation, heard whispering outside of the stall; the boys must be eavesdropping.

But now Natsu had a problem; he had to lift the saddle. He steeled his body - he had to do this. He knew Lucy was probably upset about the attempted arranging of marriage, and she needed her ride.

Wrapping his hands around the seat and the horn, he lifted it onto his knee. His back stung horribly, but he gritted his teeth and pulled up…

"Ah!" he gasped and dropped it with a huge thump! on the stone floor. He hadn't meant to make a sound, but he was pretty sure some of the scabs on his back had split, especially since he heard Lucy stifle a sound of alarm.

"Your back! Is that… blood?!"

Natsu groaned as the three guys rushed into the stall, Gajeel snatching the saddle away and Gray snarling, "You idiot! Don't lift saddles with your back all-"

"Shut up!" Natsu cut him off, glancing towards Lucy. "Don't shout in front of the lady."

Gajeel snorted, "Well, ain't you the gentleman."

"What's wrong with his back?" Lucy then demanded, hands on her hips. The boys flinched back. She could be a little… scary, somehow.

Natsu gulped. "I-I just got a little scraped while cleanin' today, m'lady. Nothin' to worry about, I promise-"

"Show me."

Simultaneously, all the men shifted uncomfortably. "Uhh…"

"It... looks worse than it is," Natsu supplied. "Still nothin' to fret about; wouldn't be kind to show it to a lady, though-"

"I said. Show. Me."

They exchanged glances, and finally, Gray breathed out, "Just show 'er, Natsu. She'll find out one'a these days anyway."

"Find out about what?"

Wordlessly, Gajeel put down the saddle and spun Natsu around, lifting up the back of his shirt. The stable boy grimaced at how it must look; Wendy hadn't enough bandages to cover them all.

Lucy made a choking sound, stumbling back into the doors. "Oh Mavis… are those… whip lashes?"

"Yup," Gray said nonchalantly, though Natsu saw his white-knuckled fists.

"Put my shirt down, jerk!" Natsu commanded, trying to punch Gajeel's stomach.

"What happened to the rest of his back?" she asked quietly, and Natsu grabbed the shirt himself, feeling more blood soak the bandages, and pulled it down.

"It ain't so bad," he repeated. "Please don' let it bother ya, m'lady."

"You're only sayin' that 'cause ya had worse!" his cousin shot back. "That's where the other scars are from, m'lady."

"Worse?" Lucy whispered, and Natsu internally begged them to stop.

"Got thirty-five once when he accidently burned part of the stables, and again with Gajeel's shack when he was fourteen," Gray jumped in. "Nearly died that time."

"I did not!" Natsu protested. "Don't listen to 'em, please, m'lady. I just-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said in a dangerous tone. "Who ordered this to happen? What on earth could you possibly have done to be treated as so?!"

Natsu was about to play it down again, but Gajeel clamped a hand over his mouth. "Yer father. He gave 'im thirty lashes for wakin' up late and talkin' to ya too much."

"Stop!" Natsu said loudly. "Nono, I only woke late. A-an' he only ended up givin' me fifteen. I gotten worse scrapes in a fight with Gray! It's fine - you done nothin' wrong-"

The lady hesitated, seeming to be choking back her disbelief. "H-he wouldn't hurt… He can be harsh but he wouldn't…"

"He's done it fer years," Gajeel cut her off. "Yer totally in denial, no offense, m'lady."

"Leave 'er alone, wouldya?" Natsu snapped. "It's not her fault."

"I'll… I'll speak to my father!" Lucy said with sudden zeal. "I will not let him harm-!"

"If you do that, then he'll only have Natsu flogged again," Gray sighed, "for telling you."

They were all silent for a time, Natsu burning with anger and humiliation. Ignoring his friends, he threw the saddle up on the horse, tying it underneath as always.

Finally, Lucy managed, "I… I suppose I shouldn't speak to you more…"

All at once, Elfman, Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu shouted, "NO!"

"But you'll get hurt!" Tears pricked her eyes, and Natsu hated it.

"He'd rather talk to ya and get whipped than not," Gajeel spoke for Natsu, leaning back against the stall wall.

"He's a real man," Elfman added.

"But maybe we'll have to… talk little less," Natsu compensated with a heavy heart.

"Oh," she whispered.

"Only because if I get whipped too much," he continued, "then it might take me longer to lift yer saddle and have the place clean for ya, m'lady. I wouldn't want ta cut into your ridin' time."

At this, she began to cry, and the boys took a step back in horror.

"S-sorry," she sniffled. "I-I don't usually cry… B-but… oh, you're so stupid. So sweet of you to say…"

Gray patted her head. "Um. It's okay."

"Not really," Gajeel said with a shrug.

Natsu kicked him.

"Uuuugh…"

Natsu woke with a throbbing in his back, needing several attempts to push himself out of bed, fasten his belt, and jam on his hat. With the wounds from yesterday, sleeping had been difficult.

But no time to focus on pain now; it was time for the same old routine. Feed the horses, feed himself, muck the stalls, sweep the floor, check over the horses for injury or need of new shoes, bring some out to pasture, groom the ones that were to be used, polish some saddles…

Outside of his stall room, he heard something crash, and muffled curses. Eyes widening, he drew his dagger, slipping around the corner. No one messed with his horses.

He froze and breathed out in relief when he saw Gray, Loke, Gajeel, Elfman, and Laxus bustling around, picking up all the reins Natsu had arranged neatly only two days before. Laxus leaned up against the wall by the opened front doors as if he were some kind of overseer, while the others attempted to sweep and muck some more. Well, Gajeel and Elfman more knew what they were doing, but it was amusing to watch the noblemen attempt stable duties.

"What are you doing?" he sighed, leaning back and crossing his feet.

"Dammit, Loke, ya clumsy bastard!" Gajeel said, smacking the knight. "Ya woke 'im up!"

"You didn't tell me that oat bag would be that heavy! I wasn't ready for it, and that's why I tripped!"

"Oh I'm sorry," Gajeel drawled. "Were you unaware that peasants have ta carry heavy things, or was you just thinkin' that only fancy knights 'ad some muscle to 'em?"

"No, but I do think that fancy knights can speak as if they're not illiterate-"

"What's that supposed ta mean?! It ain't my fault flamehead and I can't read!"

"Oi! I can read!" Natsu protested. "Erza taught me! An' I want some credit for that, 'cause it was terrifyin'!" They all indeed grimaced in sympathy before continuing in their pursuits, leaving Natsu's question unanswered. So he repeated, "Seriously, what you guys doin'?"

"We got bored again," Gray supplied quickly.

"And I have a job for you today," Loke added, dropping the burlap bag back into the corner. "You won't have time for your chores."

Natsu frowned. "A… job?"

"Yep."

Fingering his scarf, he shifted his feet. "Th-thanks, I guess…For everything. And yesterday. With the fake siege and every thing too… You coulda gotten hurt real bad, ya know."

"Dunno what you're talkin' about," Laxus said. "It was the most fun I've had in years. You shoulda seen the lord, wavin' his sword around. We escaped into the forest before he even knew what happened. Probably the most active and useful event of his life, and it wasn' even real."

The other boys snickered, and Natsu did manage a smile. Thankfully knowing not to touch his back too much, Elfman put a hand on his head and ruffled it. "A man needs his rest after injury. Go take a seat."

"And try to laugh and do something ridiculous," Loke muttered. "It's weird when you're all solemn like that."

Natsu knew Loke was right; he'd hardly ever let something get him down. Sure, he'd gotten angry, but it never lasted for more than about an hour. If anything could heal his scars, it was the old Natsu.

A slow grin stretching on his face, he said, "Somethin' ridiculous, huh?"

The boys looked up with wide eyes, Gray muttering, "Loke, you idiot - you should not have said that."

"It had better not have something to do with fire," Laxus warned.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Natsu commented, tugging a rope beside him so that the barrel of water stored on the ceiling splashed down where Gajeel was hanging up the reins, soaking him to the bone.

Despite the slices up his back, the brawl seemed just as fun as usual. Hay and oats may have been thrown and punches exchanged, and when Lucy walked in for her ride, Natsu had Gray in a headlock while Gajeel dumped a bucket of water on their heads. Laxus, Loke, and Elfman stopped swordfighting with riding crops and stood straight.

Natsu shook the water from his hair. "Sorry, m'lady! We was just, em, defense training! Yeah! I'll go get Plue and Sir Loke's horse-"

"Actually, Natsu," Loke interrupted as Lucy laughed and again hurried to the stall, "remember that job I have for you? I'll need you to saddle up my horse, yes, but I won't be riding."

"Why?" asked the stable boy. Gajeel lifted and tied the saddle while Natsu secured the reins.

"Well, you see," sighed Loke dramatically. "I'm busy with training today. Totally swamped. And Plue has been acting up lately! He needs a good horse master with him, and I am not that. It seems as if I won't be able to guard the lady on her ride…"

Natsu turned in alarm from where he was leading out Loke's horse. "B-but she needs someone to keep 'er safe-!"

"Exactly my point," Loke quipped. "I told the lord I'd have a capable knight look after her. I've chosen you for the job."

Natsu dropped the blanket for the horse's back. "I'm not… I'm not a knight! And the lord would be furious with ya-"

"Can't imagine why," cut off the knight, leaning back against the stall and checking his fingernails. "After all, you're good with the horses, the best dagger and jouster in the kingdom of Fiore, and as it happens, the lord is in his study at the moment. In fact, he will be for a while."

Natsu stared, and Lucy grabbed his arm. "Really, Loke?" she questioned curiously. "Best with the dagger and jousting in the kingdom? I didn't know that…"

"Of course!" said Loke loudly, shooting her a grin. "You should see him help us train - completely demolished us in those two fields. Even though I creamed him in sword fighting-"

"No you didn't-!"

"-he's more than capable to guard you on your ride. Would you agree, my lady?"

"I knew the guy was a damn flirt, but I didn' know 'e was good enough to flirt for Natsu," he heard Gajeel say under his breath to Gray, who sniggered.

Lucy nodded very fast, blonde curls bouncing, not seeming to have heard Gajeel's comment. "Oh yes, it would be lovely! Well, as long as my father didn't see…"

"You know," Laxus chimed in, "you should take the scenic route. There's this path out back west. Strange - even Lord Jude can't see it from his study window. Nice place to work on trainin' up that horse."

"Ah, that might take a while," said Gray with a sliver of a smile. "Might take so long that you'll miss supper. Good thing Lisanna packed this," he drew out saddlebags stuffed with food, "for Elfman and Gajeel and they're… not hungry."

Elfman's stomach rumbled loudly.

His cousin then twirled an iron mallet in his fingers. "An' if you happen ta see a poor bastard all tied up outside the stable, don' let it bother ya. Had a little conversation with him an' he mentioned that our lord was payin' him ta keep and eye on ya... He happened to annoy me, so I may have hit him in the head with a hammer." Natsu stared between all of them, and all of whom were trying to hide smiles. "Well?" Gajeel said, crossing his arms. "Get goin' already, stable boy."

With a little help from his friends, Natsu managed to get onto Loke's chestnut mare without too much pain, and Lucy swung up onto her snow-colored stallion. He could barely breathe out of wonder, taking off his hat to better feel the wind rustle his hair as the horse clopped out of Natsu's wooden prison. Gray, Loke, Gajeel, Elfman, and Laxus waved from the door of the stable with knowing eyes and a wolf-whistle or two.

Laughing, Natsu spurred on the horse, spreading out his arms and indulging in the feeling of soaring away from the castle with Lucy close at his side. Whether he was whipped to death for it or not, he looked over at her. She was bent low on the saddle, eyes alight and golden hair streaming back like the sun's rays. Lucy seemed to feel his gaze and turned to him. She smiled.

Oh, he did love his lady.

But let whatever God looked down upon him forbid he ever go a day without his lads.

Heya lovelies,

A little oneshot I wrote up for Tumblr's Fairy Tail Week day two prompt: Lads. I dunno why a Medieval AU… Just what popped into my head. *shrug*

It has too much telling vs. showing, I know… Oh well. And I could have done the story better, but I wanted to focus mostly on the boys' bond. Anyway, hope it cheered you up from last chapter! Because I'm still internally sob/screaming! (Which is why I don't sound like my cheery/smartass self - sorry)

For those of you who read The Keys of Fire, the next chapter won't be out until later this week. Sorry.. Exams this week… O.o

Image coloring credit for this goes to Sora-D Ciel on deviantART. :)

Mizpah,

~LoneStorm