I looked at myself in the mirror, not really seeing my reflection. There was just a girl standing on a stool in a white wedding gown. The gown was beautiful in itself, a large skirt with a corset top, dazzling pearls and diamonds placed here and there to bring attention to the body's curve. The ends were lines with intricate blues, yellows and purples, the country's colors. The lace that wound its way around the dress was shimmered with gold dust. On the front intricate yellow swirls wound their way up, curling just shy from the heart top end. The girl in the mirror was beautiful, but I didn't know her. Her dress had no sleeves, nothing above her collar bones but pale skin, and just under them, on her exposed chest there was a deep pink 'X' shaped scar.

My hand went to it, my fingers grazing it. That was my scar. I had done that. I had taken a knife and ripped my flesh open, an open insult to the Sabertooth name. At the time, I had thought of it as my own Fairy Tail mark.

"Don't worry Princess Lucy, we will have your make up artist cover the scar for your wedding," a maid assured me and I snapped out of my haze, looking at the young girl. The power struggle in my head paused, Lucille taking charge. My hand acted before I gave it an order to, grabbing the girl who looked around 15 by the face with one hand, pulling her close and forcing her on her tip toes.

"No one will cover it. I wear this mark proudly, it is beautiful. It is my promise. How dare you suggest it be covered," I snarled, rage running through my veins, my vision going hazy ever so slightly, my neck throbbing. The servant had a look of pure fear. I squeezed her face a bit more, narrowing my eyes, "I will bear all scars I've been given. They show that I'm capable of surviving hell. Tell me, would you try and challenge a woman who can survive cutting her own chest open?" I barked and she squirmed in my grasp. The many servants in the room had stilled with complete fear at my tone.

"N-no mam! I'm so sorry! I did not mean to offend you, I just...I just thought that maybe it brought back painful memories! Please Princess, forgive me!" The girl blubbered and my lips twitched. I released her and she fell to the ground, holding her face and looking up at me in fear. I looked at her a for a long time.

Pink hair and dazzling eyes. A white scarf billowing in the wind as heat rolled over the winter air and seemed to cause it to dance. An enraged cry as a man with bumps rising on his skin had a knife shoved into his arm, using the other to burn the body and throw him to the side.

Warm arms around me, holding me close and watching over me as I slept, body still frozen from the freezing waters.

"You have nightmares about that day too?" Close touches, whispered memories.

I turned, looking at the maid over my shoulder. "Pain keeps you on edge. The day I'm completely safe is the day that I dance in flames while the stars descend and reign hell on those who move to hurt me. Take a lesson girl. Get hurt young, the more it happens the less it hurts and the easier it becomes to know what's real," I said and she looked at me in shock, her jaw open. I took a deep breath, looking back at the mirror. I looked at myself once more. I loved the dress. It was gorgeous without a doubt and it satisfied my hidden need for girly and beautiful things. However the man I'd walk to wasn't who I cared about. A flicker in the corner of the mirror made me nearly choke. But instead I kept a straight face, watching that part of the mirror closely. When I saw it again I took in a deep breath, Lucifer throwing elbows to jump in the driver's seat.

"Everyone leave me," I said loudly, causing everyone to still once more, looking uncertain. I turned, watching them. "I said leave me for a moment. I wish to be alone right now," I snapped and after witnessing how I lashed out at the younger girl the servants moved at a brisk walk, almost run to get out of my room. The oldest maid, one that had been with me when I was child paused in the doorway, settling her eyes on me. Guilt ran through me, I shouldn't be cold to her. She had always been kind to me throughout the years, helping me get through my mother's death and the loss of my best friend.

"If you need anything Princess, I'll be in the hall," she said and pain welled in my chest.

"Thank you...Meredith," I said and she nodded, closing the doors to my room. I was still as a statue for a solid thirty seconds before I gathered the dress in my hands and ran across the room, a blue ball of fur meeting me halfway, cannoning into my chest.

"Oh my God Happy...oh my God," I whispered, holding him tight as he hugged me as well. Tears welled in my eyes and I could hear his quiet sobs as well. "I was so scared that I wouldn't ever see you again, I didn't know if you had survived or not, it killed me to watch you all disappear," I told him. He pulled away slightly, looking at me.

"We all made it, I went after you guys to find out here the secret passage was and I got back to camp when they announced the deaths. Ideas and plans have been thrown around all week, everyone's trying to cope and move on with the war at the same time...people are falling apart and there's already talk of abandoning ship. The others can lead and are respected, but they're not the ones who lead the march from city to city and rallied everyone together. Then there's rumors of a monster on a rampage heading this way," Happy told me, his voice shaking with fear and heartbreak. I frowned.

"A monster…?" I asked and he nodded.

"We've only heard whispers from civilians, every time it shows up, any of our men stationed there go silent. We're not sure if they abandoned post after finding about Natsu's death or if they were wiped out. We can't even send aid because we need as many possible here for the attack on the city," Happy said and I took in a deep breath, my mind racing through the hazy plan I had been working on through the past few nights.

"We're running out of time Happy. I might be able to help from inside. My father and Sting won't let me anywhere near the war room or the plans, they still don't trust me. But after...after the wedding...there's a planned parade through the city. To show off the future King and Queen. I can open the main gate for you all and let you flood in. You could also flow in through the secret passage. Once you're in the city it will be only a matter of hours before it falls," I whispered and Happy gave me a confused look.

"How would you manage that?" He asked and I bit my lip.

"I just need you to trust me," I said and he shook his head.

"You know that won't fly, they're going to want to hear a plan," He said and I sighed heavily, my mind racing a mile a minute.

"Look, I can't tell you how right now, but I can tell you that I will get that gate open for you guys-" I froze when the doors swung open, Happy swooping behind me. Sting strolled in, armed guards on either side of him, Lector floating at his shoulder. He shook his head.

"Just when I was starting to believe I had you back. Ah well, it's not often the royals actually love each other. However, we can't have you running off and helping the city be over run. We have allies on the way. They'll be here in a month to destroy the rebellion. Of course they wouldn't help if there was nothing left to help, so I'm afraid we can't let you win," Sting shook his head, sighing at me. I had frozen, feeling like a 15 year old again under my father's wrathful gaze. "You belong to me," He said and any of the fire I had had in my body minutes ago was gone, Lucifer being shattered, Lucy taking the reigns. Happy curled his lips back and flattened his ears to his head.

"She doesn't belong to you! Lucifer is her own person! The only thing she belongs to is Fairy Tail!" Happy hissed. My chest fluttered at his words. Lucifer belonged to Fairy Tail, but the question was….where is she?

"Fairy Tail is about to be obliterated! I will finish the job of my previous Master and wipe the from existence damn it!" Sting yelled, taking a step forward and holding his fist up. "I will hunt down every fairy there is! Every generation! I will erase the very idea of them from any and all records! Anyone who belongs to Fairy Tail will be slaughtered, just like Sabertooth was!" He snarled, fangs getting bigger as his temper rose. My breathing deepened, emotions swirling inside of me. Should I fear him? Bow down and submit to appease his anger and make it through another day? Should I curl up in a corner and spit and scratch to piss him off more? Should I give into my coldness and go back in time? Despite everything, I still had memories that I cherished of our time together. He hadn't always been like this. He had been funny, charming, sometimes even sweet, before Yukino died.

"Fairy Tail is stronger than you! Just one of our mages could take you down!" Happy spat, I was faintly aware that he was clinging to me tightly, his claws digging into my shoulder. Sting took another step forward.

"I fear no Fairies, I broke their wings when I killed the dragon. Your little flies have lost your voice, the man who rallied you together. And I will obliterate any thoughts you have of taking his mate back. She's no longer his," I took a step back as he continued to advance, a crazed look in his eyes, salivating dripping from his teeth. That's when it clicked, the sight of Sting looking at my like I was nothing but gold for his hoard. Lucifer kicked and punched, sealing Lucille and Lucy into their cage.

I lifted my chin, meeting Sting's gaze.

"I belong to no one. Salamander has held my heart since I held him in the dungeons as a child. Sting. I am not Yukino," I said firmly and Sting looked like he had been slapped, shock on his face before pure rage twisted his face.

"No. You're not. But if Salamander can kill my mate...then I'll take his mate, and fuck her over his grave so that he rolls in it," He snarled and I made my move, shoving my hands forward quickly, grabbing him out of nowhere and using his surprise to throw him to the side. There was nothing he could take from me. And if I didn't escape, I'd piss him off until he killed me.

"Happy!" I said and I felt a tail wrap around my waist, lifting me off the ground. He swung us around, speeding towards the window. Once we were air borne we'd most likely be safe. Just from having seen them in battle before and watching them in their day to day lives I knew Happy was way more agile, faster and better at maneuvering. That and I knew I weighed less than what Salamander would weigh. We were out the room, on the balcony and getting higher.

I let out a yelp as claws dug into my ankle, looking down as we were stopped. Sting was in full dragon force, his claws drawing blood from my leg. He let out a yell, tugging us down and forcing both Happy and I down to the ground. The air left my body but I scrambled anyway, refusing to get up.

"Break the fleabags wings!" Sting roared and guards rushed forward, pinning Happy down. I felt a foot on my back, forcing me back to the ground. I gasped, looking up in horror as Happy struggled, being held tightly, trying to withdraw his wings as fast as he could. He wasn't fast enough. Armoured hands gripped them, forcing them down in the middle. Happy let out a shriek of agony, writhing in their grasp before he was dropped onto the ground, landing with a painful 'thud' and a sob. There was a hand in my hair and I hissed, being yanked up and spun. Sting was in my face, growling.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way Lucy." He snarled, his grip unrelenting even as I scratched at his skin, digging my nails in and drawing blood. Fury welled up inside of me, rage for Juvia, for Salamander, for Fairy Tail. I puckered my lips, jerking the few centimeters I could before spitting in his face. Sting reared back, letting out a roar that sounded like a human's rage, not quite animalistic. I smirked at him.

"Fairies don't bow before an extinct species, Sabertooth scum," I sneered and for a moment I saw death in his eyes. He lunged and I held my breath. If this was how I'd go down then so be it. Let it be bloody. But, he didn't kill me.

Agony washed over me, liquid fire running through my veins. A scream ripped through my lungs, sounding inhuman, like a soul that had been in hell for countless centuries and had finally been chosen by the devil to be his own personal play thing.

Sting's teeth sunk deeper into my neck, exactly where Salamanders mark was. My vision was spotty, another scream ripping from my body. The torture from Sabertooth was nothing like this. Another wave of what felt like muscle melting venom passed through me and my body moved on it's own accord, thrashing under Sting. Thoughts were fuzzy, but one thing that stood out, even as I started to slip away, was the fact he was marking me as his own, over Salamanders mark. He wasn't killing me, he gloating over the fact he was stronger. He was gloating over the lives he took. And all I could think as I slipped into unconsciousness, was that it pissed me off.

A/N

Woah. Bet you guys thought I died. Well, I did not. And I'm here to finish the story. For real this time. I don't want to go into detail but I've been extraordinarily busy and dealing with a lot of stuff, but I plan on finishing this within the next two weeks. I will be posting this story on AO3, as I've made an account on there. I'll be slowly shifting everything onto that sight, so if you would like to follow me or see anything I've posted there here's a link /users/DevilsgotStories/works I've posted more voltron there than I have Fairy Tail, but new stories will be posted there before here.

Thank you to everyone who left comments in my absence! One of the reasons that did attribute to my absence was the fact I broke my laptop but I got your messages on mobile! Also, to that person who said they liked my work but it went to shit as soon as Natsu and Juvia died, dude chill out. I'm sorry your feelings got hurt but if you think insulting me will make me do what you want you're wrong. You said you liked my story up until Natsu died? Maybe have some faith that I know how to write an ending that will please your royal ass. I was able to keep you hooked for this long, so I can't be that bad lol.

Also thanks to ManderNaner for your comment! You really made me smile and inspired me/ guilted me into getting my ass up and deciding to finally finish this. And my hands ARE healed of burns, thank you for your concern and your lovely comment