NATSU AND LUCY ALL THE WAY! *wipes brow* Whoo, okay, now that I got that out of my system, on with the Author's Note. Been meaning to write this story for a long time, never did. But now I am.

Pairings: Mainly NaLu with slight GaLe, Jerza, and Gruvia.

Setting:

Mainly in Fiore and Magnolia, and any other towns/countries I may happen to make up as I go along.

***IMPORTANT*** This story has no set time period, partly because I don't feel like researching a certain era and all the junk that comes with it, but also because I want more creative freedom than a pre-determined time period could afford me. If you want an image for your mind, think back to when Princesses and Princes ruled alongside their Kings and Queens. Lords and Ladies filled the courts, sucking up. Knights patrolled the Kingdoms, and armies were the only defense against invaders.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Hiro Mashima, not me. I own nothing. This is unfortunate for me, thought fortunate for the characters. (Because Lord knows I would have done some crazy things with the pairings.)

She wouldn't do it. She refused to do it. She didn't care what her station in life was or what was expected of her- she wouldn't marry a man she didn't love, much less one she hadn't even met.

Lucy Heartfilia picked up her skirts and shoved her way past her personal guard, breaking into a run until her bedroom door came into sight. She yanked open the door, and before her guard could catch up and follow her, slammed it shut. She slid down until she could feel the cold wood of her floor sinking through her dress and into her bones, uncaring of the wrinkles marring her once-perfect tea gown.

Her tea gown, once her favorite dress, which she now loathed with a passion. It was beautiful; hand-stitched lace around the collar, sleeves, hem, and back, pearl pink in color, elaborate flower designs sprinkled across it. Now it only served to remind her of the worst day of her life. Tears pricked her eyes as she thought about it…

"Father!" she cried, running towards him. He opened his arms and hugged her, smiling at her exuberance. Could be blame her?

He'd been gone for months now, traveling to the capital of Fiore to report to the King on the state of Magnolia and its affairs. Being the Lord of Magnolia was hard work, she supposed, as her father always made it a point after every business trip to rant about how vexing his position was.

"How have you been?" He looked down at her and gently pried her hands off his arms. He never had been one for physical contact.

"Wonderful! Juvia, Levy, and I went shopping yesterday and I bought five new dresses!" Among other, not-considered-suitable-for-women things, but her father didn't need to know that.

A frown marred his face and he gazed sternly at her. "I hope you brought Erza along with you?"

Of course. Erza Scarlet may have been a woman, but she was the best bodyguard in Magnolia, probably in all of Fiore. The woman watched her like a hawk and Lucy had yet to be able to escape her. She voiced as much, and her father nodded.

"Good, good. She is a fitting guard, at least for now. I'll have to find you a guard with a more… appropriate disposition." What he meant was that he disapproved of a woman doing anything besides keeping house.

Lucy personally liked her better than any of the other bodyguards she'd ever had, and Erza was much more vigilant, but she'd never tell her father that.

"Shall we?" He gestured towards the garden entrance, and Lucy smiled and nodded before taking his arm. Tea time was her favorite time of day, when she could merely relax and spend time with her father. He was the only family member that she had left, and as such Lucy was of the opinion that they should spend as much time together as possible. You never knew how much time you had left with your loved ones until it was gone, a valuable lesson she had learned the hard way when her mother had died of smallpox.

They strolled through the gardens and inhaled the fresh scents the various flowers offered them. It was spring, and everything was in full bloom.

Soon enough, a table and chairs came into view, with a half-dozen servants standing unobtrusively to the side. Levy and Juvia were among them, and Lucy snuck a small wave to them. They smiled minutely, letting her know that her acknowledgement was appreciated.

A servant came up behind each chair and pulled them out so that Lucy and her father were able to sit, while others prepared the tea and sandwiches.

For a while, everything was fine. Lucy and her father talked and traded polite pleasantries with each other. They drank their tea, nibbled on their sandwiches, and gazed at the beautiful scenery.

Suddenly, her father looked up and smiled. "Lucy, I want you to pay attention now, alright? Are you listening?" He looked at her and raised his brows expectantly.

"Yes, Father, I'm listening. What is it?" She folded her hands in her lap demurely and gazed attentively at him.

"I have brought more home than exotic wares for you and thanks from our King; I have brought good news as well." He actually looked excited about the news, something Lucy hadn't witnessed in a number of years.

"You are seventeen now, and have grown into the young woman your mother and I always envisioned and hoped you would be. I have always tried to keep your best interests in mind, and strived to care for you to the best of my ability after your mother, God rest her soul, died. I have raised you by hand, as your mother wished, instead of hiring a nanny and I must say you turned out well despite this gross discrepancy."

It sounded as if she was a prized cattle or dog, and Lucy abhorred the feeling. She was a person, not a prize, and deserved to be treated as such.

'Besides,' Lucy thought, 'he may not have hired a nanny but he sure did push me off on every other available servant.' The bitterness of her thoughts surprised her. She hadn't disliked her father this much in years, and thought she'd succeeded in burying such feelings long ago.

"Your mother always wanted to see you taken care of and loved." He paused, and then added as an afterthought, "And so did I."

Seemingly satisfied with that starting statement, her father continued. "Finally, after much negotiation, I have assured you of this. I have procured for you a stable future, filled with wealth and unwavering comfort. You will be well taken care of, and given everything your heart desires."

Lucy grew even more suspicious, and a sliver of fear and alarm started crawling up her spine. What was going on? What was he talking about? Father had said he was meeting with the King, arranging business contracts for Magnolia, and things of that nature. He was supposed to be securing Magnolia's future, not hers!

"You will be married to the First Crown Prince to the Throne of Magnolia, His Highness Prince Natsu Dragneel, second-born son to His Highness the King of Magnolia. The wedding shall take place in four months, at the Royal Palace in Magnolia, and…"

Her father rattled on, but Lucy had tuned out. Married? Her? To First Crown Prince What's-his-name? She was seventeen, barely out of adolescence! Her growing pains had stopped a mere year ago, and now she was expected to marry?

And not just marry, of course, but to perform the marital duties expected of a wife! She'd be taken their wedding night, callously most likely, her virginity ripped from her and thrown to the side. He would penetrate her, uncaring of her tears and pleas to stop. He would spill his seed in her and leave her on their bed, sobbing, the red-soaked sheets proof of their activities. She would never be innocent or pure again. Afterwards, she would have to bear his children to carry on the family line. Children that would bear his name and stretch her body. She would be left alone to raise them, servants the only source of help or comfort. Her husband would never touch her except to sow the seeds for more heirs, and would afterward leave to entertain his numerous mistresses.

She knew these things to be true, as she'd heard the servants talk about such matters and witnessed them all through her mother and father's marriage.

Once, she'd seen a servant after a visiting Lord had taken her as a welcoming gift. The girl had been exceptionally beautiful, with cornflower-blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. After the man had had his way with her, all of that beauty had been for naught. She was covered in bruises, and had been cut in numerous places. Her clothes were torn and blood ran down her legs, staining the bottom half of her dress. She was sobbing and clutching her throat, which had finger-shaped bruises forming a gruesome necklace around it.

That wasn't the kind of life Lucy wanted for herself, or anybody for that matter.

A screech bit harshly through the words her so-called Father was spouting and Lucy slammed her hands on the table.

Her head was tilted downwards, with her bangs obscuring her eyes. A shadow was cast over the bottom half of her face, and the only thing visible was a single tear as it slid down.

"I don't know who you think you are, or what you're doing, or who gave you the authority to arrange such a thing for me, but I do know one thing: I will not marry this man." Lucy looked up at her father and stared him in the eye. "I refuse to marry this man."

The only hint that her father was upset was the slight downward tilt to his mouth, signaling he was mildly displeased. As if her refusal was a mere nuisance, easily fixed. In his mind, it probably was. He probably thought she was being ridiculous, and that she would cave as soon as he pushed her a little. His next words proved as much, though they came out harsher than his face would have suggested.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, making a fuss like this in front of the hired help. Are you trying to embarrass this family?" He took a sip of tea before speaking again. "Now you will sit down, and we will discuss the wedding arrangements. Because you are going to marry Prince Dragneel, as was agreed upon. This will ensure both your and Magnolia's future. This isn't just about you, Lucy, it's about keeping and assuring peace for the people we are responsible for."

So that was what it was about- Magnolia and its people. It was always that, always 'responsibility this' and 'duty that'. Her father was still speaking, and Lucy couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up! Just shut up shut up SHUT UP!" She blindly reached around and her hand grabbed the teapot. She banged it on the table in time with her screams before flinging it at her father.

Without warning she spun around and dashed back into the house…

And so here she was. Lucy took several deep breaths and straightened her shoulders. She may not have been born a man, but that didn't mean she couldn't take control of her fate.

Standing up slowly, so as not to make herself dizzy, she walked over to her closet doors and pulled them open. She went to the very back, where last season's fashions were stored, and rooted around until she found what she was looking for. Under the fur coats, behind the winter boots, stuck between the wall and jewelry box containing all the gaudy adornments she'd gotten for her sixteenth birthday. A simple non-descript brown luggage case. The handle was in need of repair, and it was beaten badly around the corners as well as sporting a worn down bottom. To her it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

A soft click reached her ears and Lucy gripped the suitcase. She couldn't afford for anyone to find her now. Her hand drifted towards the hem of her dress and she reached under it towards the thigh sheath she wore at all time. She gripped the knife and yanked it up in front of her and the suitcase. She wouldn't let anyone stop her now.

She slowly slid across the floor, careful not to make any noise, until she was in front of the closet doors. She hadn't closed them completely behind her, and could see out of the small slit left open. It wasn't much, but she could tell that someone was out there walking about in her room.

Cautiously, she sat the suitcase down and slipped her hand into the slit. On the count of three, and then she would yank open the door and confront whoever was on the other side. No matter what happened after, she promised herself that she would make it out. She had to, or else risk being caged for the rest of her life.

One. Lucy gripped the door firmly, so that her knuckles strained and fingertips dug into the wood. Two. She took a steadying breath. Whatever happened, she had to do. For her own freedom and safety. Three. This was it. She yanked the door and brought the knife up, pointing at the throat of-

"Juvia?"

Her handmaid stood there, hands clasped in front of her, staring blankly into Lucy's eyes. Juvia had always unnerved her a bit, with her blue hair, ghost doll, and wide, unblinking eyes, but never as much as she did in that moment as she stared at Lucy and the knife aimed at her creamy white throat.

Lucy let the hand holding the knife drop limply to her side. "Juvia, what… what are you doing here? Did my father send you? Because if so, then-"

"Juvia came of her own accord, to help Miss Lucy. Levy also came, and should be done with her task presently." Juvia stood there, still unmoving, as if waiting for something.

"Wha- what task? What's Levy doing?" Lucy was still a bit startled, and Juvia certainly wasn't helping matters, acting as creepy and secretive as she was.

"Miss Lucy will see. Levy should be here any minute now, and then Juvia will-"

The door opened and both women whipped around, hands flying. Lucy's came up to hold the knife in front of her, and Juvia's went to the ghost doll pinned to the neck of her dress.

Levy poked her head in and looked around. Seeing only the two women, she walked in and shut the door behind her again. Several bundles of clothes were clasped in her hands and she walked over the Lucy's bed before letting them drop onto the pristine sheets.

"That looks like everything. Lucy, do you have- oh, yes, I see you do." Levy's gaze dropped onto the suitcase sitting behind Lucy, and then slid to Juvia's still form. "Juvia, have you…?"

Juvia shook her head and spoke, deadpanned, "Not yet. Juvia was about to before Levy came in. Now Levy can help explain. Miss Lucy will probably be confused." That was another thing about Juvia; she never catered to Lucy as the other servants had done. Half the time she dropped quips that seemed to double as thinly-veiled insults, and the other time she simply ignored Lucy. It was rare that she showed emotion, and even rarer that she directly spoke to Lucy instead of merely referring to her.

"Alright, I suppose that will do." Levy rested her hands on her hips and turned towards Lucy. "We know what you're planning to do, and we're going to help you."

They knew? They knew and they still weren't going to rat her out, even though it might mean jail or a whipping from her father? Tears pooled in Lucy's eyes and she swiped at them, careful of the knife she still held.

Levy's face softened and she ran over and hugged Lucy. Even Juvia's face seemed to grow less cold, though she didn't partake in anything as drastic as touching. "Of course, Lu-chan." Levy pulled back and cupped Lucy's face in her hands. "Best friends, remember?"

She did remember. She remembered the first day her father had brought the two women home with him. At the time, they were small girls no bigger than her seven-year-old self. Both with blue hair and big eyes, but with completely different personalities. Levy was happy and bubbly, and liked to wear bright colors. She and Lucy bonded immediately, and had promised to be best friends forever within the first week of living together.

Juvia was a completely different story. She liked dark colors, particularly dark blue. She rarely smiled, and spoke scarcely. Whenever she did speak her words were harsh and biting, and when she deemed Lucy too insignificant to speak to Juvia gave her the cold shoulder, which was arguably worse. Some of the servants referred to her as the 'Rain Woman,' since it rained for a week straight after she and Levy had first arrived. Her mood seemed to fit the nickname perfectly, and the ghost doll she carried around only served to enforce her aura of darkness. It had taken months for Lucy to crack her hard exterior, and over time they'd become friends.

Both were orphans, as far as Lucy knew. Levy's parents had died while she was young, and Levy could recall only one memory: All three of them were outside in the garden, her mother holding her and singing while her father worked. Hence her last name, McGarden. Since they'd been paupers, there wasn't even a gravestone to visit.

Juvia had been the first and only child of Jose Porla, a businessman known for his ruthlessness and cunning. His wife and he had been mysteriously killed shortly after Juvia's birth, although the circumstances seemed greatly less mysterious when one took into account Jose's numerous enemies.

The two girls had found each other in the orphanage, and became fast friends despite their different personalities and upbringing. They remained that way, even now.

Lucy smiled and shook her head. She needed to concentrate on the present, not the past. She mirrored Levy's actions, cupping her face and leaning forward until their foreheads were touching.

"Thank you. Thank you both so much. I can't even fathom how much-"

A tsking sound came from Juvia, and both women looked over at her. She was looking at them haughtily, arms crossed. "Juvia thinks this is ridiculous. Of course Levy and Juvia would help Miss Lucy. We are wasting time."

Levy nodded in agreement. "Juvia's right. We have to hurry, before Erza or your father comes in here inquiring after you."

She grabbed the suitcase from the closet and sat it on the bed, where Juvia stuffed all the clothes in, save for one pair. "Here." Juvia threw the clothes at Lucy. "Put these on, and follow Juvia."

They turned around to give her some privacy and for that Lucy was grateful, even though they had helped her dress for the past twelve or so years.

Once she was properly attired she walked over to her floor-length mirror and stared. She was dressed in a modest blue and white cross shirt with a matching blue skirt. Levy handed her a pair of brown boots and a blue band to tie her hair up with. Lucy put them on and looked at herself again. She looked…

Like Mom.

The thought came to her suddenly and unexpectedly, but as she continued to stare she realized it was true. Her mother had never preferred the fancy gowns that others of their station had liked. She'd claimed the thick skirts hindered her ability to move, and that the heels were overkill on an already ridiculous outfit.

Because of this, her mom only wore the 'proper attire' when the entire family went to important social function, which was more often than she'd liked. Her opinions on social and class matters were completely unheard of and totally unique. There was no one in the entire world like her.

It made Lucy smile. She thought her mom would have been proud to see her like this. Finally breaking free, finally daring to be herself.

She turned back around to face Juvia and Levy. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's do this."

The two women smiled and nodded. They grabbed her hands and led her to the hanging portrait of her mother that Lucy had commissioned two years ago. She was about to ask what they were doing when they lifted to painting and opened a portion of the wall.

Of course. Lucy should have known; there were servant entrances, tunnels, and exits all over her home. After all, her father believed that servants should be seen only when needed.

They led her through a series of winding passages before coming into the kitchens. No one spared them a second glance, and those that did quickly found something else to occupy themselves with after being faced with Juvia's glare.

Soon she was outside and being led towards a rickety-looking carriage attached to a downtrodden horse. The driver looked and them and grunted, jerking his finger towards the carriage door. Lucy supposed that counted as a signal to get in.

She did, albeit carefully. Once in, she turned around to help the other two up. Juvia took her hand and seated herself, looking regal despite her dubious surroundings. Lucy held her hand out to Levy, who shook her head and waved Lucy's hand off.

"Not this time. I have to stay here and keep Erza and your father distracted long enough for you to disappear. Juvia will go with you to ensure your safety- she's better with that sort of stuff anyway." As if to back up Levy's words, Juvia held up her umbrella that doubled as a sword. Lucy hadn't even been aware it was on Juvia's person.

Levy handed up her suitcase. "Now don't worry. Everything will be fine. Juvia will escort you to the capital, where some friends of mine have arranged a job for you. I'll join you later, once the coast is clear." She nodded once more and shut the door with finality.

As the carriage bumbled along the road, Lucy looked back just in time to see Levy wave once more before disappearing into the kitchens.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy turned back around. This was it. No more rules, no more marriage, no more unrealistic expectations. All her problems were about to be solved.

She was free.

Oh, Lucy. *shakes head* If only she knew.

Review, review, REVIEW or I'll run away like Lucy!

Alright, so I imagine there are a few things I need to address.

#1: Lucy may seem a little OOC, but in this fanfic she's a bit desperate to avoid marriage because of the experiences that she associates with them. She thinks matrimony is painful and degrading, to put it in a nutshell.

Also, I realize her arming herself with a knife and preparing to gut someone is extreme, but hey- the girl's pretty desperate at this point. Cut her some slack.

Another point to remember is that she is a bit naïve at this point, and does believe that all her problems will be solved by running away. This is not true, as she will find out later.

#2: All Lucy knows at this point is that she's getting a job in the capital; she does not know it's in the castle or that she's going to be working with/for Natsu. Also remember that she didn't really pay attention to her suitor's name.

#3: As mentioned before, this fanfic has no specific time period, but is set in the past. It will have kings and queens, as well as knights and lords and ladies and such things. No fancy electronics or central lighting and heating. Classes and society will be mentioned, as will some old-fashioned ideals and traditional views of gender roles.

If you have any questions about things I have not covered, send me a review (which are GREATLY appreciated) or a PM.

Characters we've met so far:

Lucy Heartfilia- Daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, only child. Lady of Magnolia. Engaged to Natsu Dragneel, First Crown Prince of Fiore. Living.

Levy McGarden- Orphaned only child. Employed by Jude Heartfilia. Companion to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.

Juvia Lockser- Orphaned only child of Jose Porla and OC. Employed by Jude Heartfilia. Companion to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.

Jude Heartfilia- Husband to Layla Heartfilia, father to Lucy Heartfilia. Lord of Magnolia. Living.

Layla Heartfilia- Wife to Jude Heartfilia, mother to Lucy Heartfilia. Lady of Magnolia. Deceased.

Natsu Dragneel- Second son of Igneel Dragneel, King of Fiore, and OC. First Crown Prince of Fiore. Engaged to Lucy Heartfilia, Lady of Magnolia. Living.

Jose Porla- Father to Juvia Lockser. Deceased.

Erza Scarlet- First Bodyguard to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.