Again, this is unedited and pretty rough…but after months I've finally updated, so that's good. I lost access to my account for a while there, but I've got it back now and am back to updating. So I hope you guys enjoy it and sorry that it's been so long.

~Chapter 6~

Betrayed Anna

I felt heavy and exhausted…but mostly heavy. My eyes slid open. It was strange how I could feel my long eyelashes lightly brush against my cheek as my eyes fluttered open.

It was dark outside, the only light in the room coming from a gently flickering candle. I instantly knew where I was. I was back at Fairy Tail, the same room that everyone had lent me before. I still wasn't fully awake, but I could tell something had changed.

Fairy Tail felt different now, less homey. Where I could normally hear sounds of life from beyond the door, there was only quiet. It seemed solemn, depressing…more like a rebel lair, and I hated it.

And then I realized why I felt so heavy. Unconscious on my chest was the most important reason why the rebel betrayal hurt me so badly. I wanted him to be the person I thought he was, the person who'd rescued me from that stupid castle and who made my heart beat and my face flush, who made me so wonderfully uneasy. But he wasn't that person. That had become clear to me when he'd vanished right as I needed him the most, moments after promising me that he would be there for me, would protect me.

That's what stung the most: the fact that he'd gone back on his word so quickly. And yet I could still remember how easily he had calmed me down, the hold over my heart that he had. It quite honestly alarmed me. I'd never really felt that connected to a single person since dad.

My heart beat so loudly I thought it'd wake Natsu up as I slowly lifted my hand. I waited a moment, watching his chest expand and collapse almost silently and his eyelashes flutter in his sleep. I touched a lock of his hair, tracing where it fell along the side of his face and then following his jawline with the tip of my fingers. He twitched and I froze.

I noticed that Happy was asleep on top of Natsu, rising and falling with each of Natsu's breaths. I didn't bother to question why the two of them were sleeping in the same bed as me. I freaked out for a moment when I first realized it, but that feeling was gone now…it was slowly being replaced with anger.

No matter how I felt about Natsu, I couldn't deny the truth: he'd left me. When I really needed him, he'd abandoned me. I wanted to forgive him for that, to wake him up and ask for some sort of explanation. There must have been one, right? But I didn't dare. I didn't want to face those fiery eyes of his, the ones that always lit a little candle of hope somewhere in my heart that whatever it was I was going through would all be all right in the end.

So I inched away from him slowly, easing his head down onto the bed and sliding out from underneath the sheets. The floor was cold on my bare feet and I shivered. An alarmingly large part of me told me to slip back into bed with Natsu, to stay close to the comforting warmth, but an even larger part told me to go.

I had to face the cold, because at least in the cold I didn't risk being betrayed again. I didn't want to feel that ever again. I didn't want to have to endure the aching in my chest any longer, so I distanced myself from Natsu. I tiptoed to the other side of the room where the door leading outside was. I clasped the knob, but didn't twist it.

I paused and turned around, taking one last long look at Natsu. He sighed in his sleep, shifting to stretch out his long legs and exposing his stomach. I shook my head and angrily walked back to where he was, pulling the blankets silently back over him to keep him from catching a cold. He mumbled something in his sleep and the aching returned. I stared down at him. It hadn't occurred to me that what I was doing was definitely creepy, so I didn't leave. Instead, on impulse, I leaned down, my hair brushing Natsu's face, and kissed his forehead.

And with that goodbye I turned around, opened the door, and stepped outside. There was no one around in the night, and I walked the streets of Magnolia in silence, listening to the nothingness and breathing in the chilly night air. Away from the candlelight and Natsu's warmth, my fears crept up my spine and lurked at the back of my head.

What had happened to me? I couldn't remember anything other than how terrifying I had looked and felt and the gruesome sight of the dead wyvern. I had killed it…that much was obvious. But how? Was that what magic felt like? But I was certain I wasn't magic. I had never done magic before, and it didn't seem like something someone like me would be capable of. And yet…

I'd been so angry and afraid. Maybe the sheer force of my emotions had caused that green light in the sky. The pillar of energy that had erupted from my body must have meant something. Maybe if I'd stayed at Fairy Tail I would have been able to find the answer to all my questions…I erased that thought.

But more questions kept popping into my consciousness. Why had Natsu left? Who was behind that voice that had spoken to me so many times? What was that red light that I was sure I had seen after everything that had happened? It had looked so much like mine…

My fear only intensified.

I turned to corner to see an ally way, exactly the sort of shady place that I wouldn't want to walk through in the middle of the night. But my brain was so caught up in other things that I simply shuffled on in silence. Immersed in my thoughts, I didn't even notice when someone appeared at the end of the alley. I froze, panicking for a moment. Wasn't it bad when someone dark and mysterious blocked your path in a place like this? My heart suddenly raced a mile a minute and I turned to run.

Before I could take off, though, a strong, warm hand clasped my wrist and pulled me backwards. I stumbled a lost my balance, squeaking as I fell. Before I hit the ground, though, arms encircled my waists and held me upright.

I was enveloped in a familiar smell, and the feel of his arms felt so natural. "How did you find me?" I asked.

"I followed your smell," he said smugly.

I tried to turn around in his arms, but they tightened. I looked up at him, "That's creepy."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You followed my scent?"

"You smell a little like cinnamon. Did you know that?" he asked, grinning.

"I don't care," I growled, squirming in his arms. But he was a million times stronger than I was. I was conflicted. I was glad that he'd come after me while simultaneously feeling like I absolutely had to get away from him.

"Let me go, Natsu," I said quietly.

"No," he responded immediately.

"Natsu, seriously," I said, getting angrier.

"I don't want to."

I covered my face with my hands. I couldn't deal with this. Not now. Not when I had so many unanswered questions, many of which were about him. I felt the familiar sting of tears at the back of my eyes and blinked a few times to keep them from falling.

"I don't understand," I murmured.

"Understand what?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly serious. If anything, he sounded worried. Or maybe that was just my imagination…

"I thought…you told me you'd protect me, Natsu. You said you'd keep me safe, and then you—" My words were instantly cut off along with my breath. Natsu's arms tightened even more around my waist and I could barely breath. He hid his face in my shoulder and I froze up awkwardly. Oh no, did he notice?

"You were panicking, Anna. You should have seen yourself. You were white as snow and shaking like a leaf. It was my fault for bringing you on the job. It was all my fault, and I didn't want you to see the wyvern. I thought that if I could kill it before you saw it, it'd spare you of that experience. But instead you ran off into the forest and…and you had to go through so much worse." His voice was steady. It sounded almost rehearsed, though, like he'd been practicing what he was going to say to me. "I'm so sorry, Anna…for making you go through that."

I couldn't help it. The tears openly fell now. They slid down my face and landed on Natsu's arms. His arms looked so tanned compared to my pale ones, so strong and muscular. My heart beat sped up with his words.

"I thought you…abandoned me there. I thought I was…alone again," I sobbed.

"No, Anna. I won't leave you alone. I won't abandon you," he said quietly, twisting me around in his arms. My hair fell down over my eye, but I was grateful for it. My eyes were probably already red from crying. Natsu put a hand on my head and smiled widely. "Come back to Fairy Tail?" he asked.

As soon as he asked me, I realized that the only reason I'd left…the only real reason…was Natsu. I thought Natsu had rejected me, left me there, and that stung. It wasn't because I thought the rebels were dangerous. I'd had plenty of opportunities to leave earlier if that was the case. It wasn't because of that strange voice or the terrifying magical experience I'd had. It was because of Natsu.

I whimpered at his kind eyes and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly and shaking a little. He hesitated for a moment and then hugged me back. "Man, you were really worried about it, huh?" he asked.

"Of course I was, you jerk," I replied. He laughed, and I could feel his chest shake against mine. I squeezed him tighter and then pulled away. I slid my hand along his arm and took his hand, "Um, so I don't know where I am. Show me the way back to Fairy Tail?"

He smiled and squeezed my hand tightly. He bowed, "Leave it to me, Princess Anna."

I frowned, "I really don't like it when you call me tha—"

Natsu froze up and clapped a hand over my mouth, "Smell that?"

"Uh, no," I deadpanned, but my words were muffled by his hand.

"It smells like—"

In that instance, black shapes jetted across my vision. They were so fast they appeared like blurs. In the moment that they paused or stood still, I could barely make out that they were people, dressed completely in black. Natsu fire suddenly illuminated the entire alley. I backed away from him instinctively, thinking that I was going to get burned. "Anna, wait," he said, reaching for me with his unlit hand. But he was too late. I'd been stupid.

The moment I stepped away from him, a black arm wrapped around my neck and pulled me forcefully against my attacker's chest. I cried out and grabbed the person's arm, but I was so weak compared to seemingly everyone in Fiore. I couldn't break free.

"Anna!" Natsu shouted, and then his eyes lit up with anger, "Give. Her. Back." His intense expression even scared me a little, and I wasn't the one that it was meant for.

"Princess Annabeth of Fiore, we have been sent by His Majesty of Roccia to rescue you from the rebel force known as Fairy Tail. Do not be afraid," said the man's deep, gravelly voice. I growled.

"What?" I practically shouted, "Who in their right mind rescues someone like this? And why are you dressed like ninjas?!"

"Let go of Anna!" Natsu shouted, "Don't touch her!" He launched towards us, flaming fists and all, but as he got closer to me my ninja's arm got tighter and I began to have trouble breathing. Natsu must have noticed it and hesitated, because he paused long enough for the two other ninja people to close in on him.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" I shouted, but they'd already launched their attacks. They were so fast that, before Natsu could dodge, they landed a series of quick jabs on what I guess were pressure points, because Natsu immediately collapses to the ground.

"What did you do?" I practically screamed, struggling even harder to break free from my ninja's arms. This time, I dug my nails deep into his skin and he flinched away. I bolted to where Natsu lay and touched my hands to either side of his face. He looked strangely content, like he was just having a little cat nap in the middle of the creepy ally. I frowned and pulled his head onto my lap, touching his soft hair.

"Calm yourself, Princess. He is only sleeping." My ninja slowly stepped forward and kneeled beside me. I glared at him and I swear I heard a little puff like he was laughing at me.

"Forgive me, Princess, for the use of force, but I am under strict orders," he said. I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but that's the last thing I remember. I don't even remember blackness, just waking up.

It was probably the most unpleasant awakening I'd ever experienced, which is ironic because it was in the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. As soon as I woke, I remembered Natsu and how he'd collapsed to the ground. I bolted upright, breathing hard and clutching my necklace.

There was no one in the room. I rubbed my eyes, my vision still a bit blurry, and looked around. The room I was in was definitely very fancy. I was sitting on a princess bed, red velvet curtains dripping from the frame. I held my necklace tightly for comfort as I stood. The rest of the room was similarly furnished. Fabulously carved and adorned bookshelves stood against the opposite wall next to a large, white marble fireplace. A large painting of a man hung on the wall above the hearth. He was handsome, wearing shining red armor. It was clear that he was wealthy because jewels were scattered around his person, large rubies embedded in even his jewelry.

I sighed and walked over to the vanity table, sitting down and resting my arms on it. I still wasn't used to seeing this beautiful version of myself, but I could tell that there was a difference from usual. I looked worried, tired. Understandably, I suppose. Despite not having even made an attempt at looking decent, I still managed to look gorgeous.

I looked down at my hands and something caught my attention. Sitting on the table was a book. I picked it up, drawing my brows together in confusion. It didn't have a title, but it was clearly expertly made, it bindings lined with gold designs that spilled over the cover, twisting and entangling around the book.

I opened it to a random page and read a few lines.

Kazomere Roccia's strength was known by his subjects, so despite his occasionally unsatisfactory rule there was never any possibility of an uprisings or coup d'état.

I frowned a pulled my hair out of my eyes. That name sounded familiar for some reason. It occurred to me after a moment that Roccia was the name of the other kingdom in this world. Roccia was where the prince I was supposed to marry was from, where the wyvern had been killed, where those ninjas said they were going to take me.

I must have been in Roccia now, and that's why there was a history book sitting on the table. I turned a few of the pages. They were clearly aged, slightly yellow around the edges, and seemed pretty delicate. I paused on one page, staring at the illustration there. The scene was familiar.

"The dragon," I breathed, running my fingers along its emerald scales as if I could really feel their roughness against my fingertips. I hadn't really looked that closely at it when I saw it portrayed on the tapestry in the palace, but it was elegant. This specific image of it made it look powerful and dangerous, but also somehow beautiful. The man who I'd seen on the tapestry was also here, wearing the same flowing red cloth.

Beneath the picture were a few sentences I couldn't quite understand.

The mother dragon Vitruvius promptly refused King Roccia's demand to wed her daughter as a means to protect his country. Vitruvius believed that the wedlock method of summoning the guardian was the most unreliable, but the King was desperate and felt bereft of time.

I was reminded of what I'd seen when that banner came to life in front of me before I met Natsu. It still seemed impossible that the banner had actually moved, but I'd seen enough to realize that it probably wasn't just my imagination. This new information, about the dragon and the man, seemed to fit with what I'd seen. The man's anger and desperation and the dragon's denial made a bit more sense. Still, I didn't know what this Guardian was. It was just more information that I didn't get.

I gently shut the book, feeling the beginnings of a headache just in time for a knock on the door. I had to stay calm, despite not really knowing how I'd gotten to what was probably the Roccia royal palace, what exactly was happening to me, or, most prominently in my mind, where Natsu was.

I hesitated, then choked out a, "Come in?"

The door opened and a man stepped inside. He had short, dark hair and a scar across his lip. His had deep brown eyes partially hidden by long eyelashes. He looked to be in his early twenties and was wearing some sort of armor with a scarlet crest on it in the shape of a sword. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing to me. I stood up, feeling awkward and not sure if I was supposed to curtsy of something. I was seriously out of my league with the whole princess thing. It made me miss the Rebels even more.

The man straightened and spoke again, "The Crowned Prince of Roccia wishes to meet with you as soon as possible." I grimaced and then quickly forced my face to remain neutral. I was pretty sure I was still engaged to this person, and I didn't think I was in danger. The fact that I wasn't sitting in a rat-infested prison and was instead still being treated like a delicate flower meant that no one here was going to hurt me. At least, I think it did.

A thought occurred to me. "Do you know what happened to Natsu?" I asked him, approaching him. He looked down at me, clearly a little surprised that I'd asked that.

"You want to know where the rebel is?" he asked.

I nodded, quickly remembering that I wasn't supposed to actually be friends with rebels. Technically, I had been kidnapped…though to me it was just running away. Still, I needed my answer and decided to lie in order to find out the truth. No matter what, I needed to know Natsu was alive. "I just feel that if I knew where he was, that he was locked away, I would feel safer. It would truly give me a piece of mind."

Understanding flashed in the man's eyes and he nodded, "The rebel by the name of Natsu Dragneel has been bound with magic-restricting cuffs and is currently secured in Roccia's royal dungeons. I assure you that there is no threat to your safety."

I nodded, hugging myself. Crap. Despite whatever authority I possessed her, I doubted I'd be able to get him out. I wasn't sure if I even had power, for that matter, or if I was simply a pawn. "Thank you," I said.

"The Prince awaits you in his royal chambers, Your Majesty," he said.

I closed my eyes for a moment. It seemed there wasn't really much of a choice in this situation. I gently touched my necklace again and stepped forward, "I'll see him now."

Thanks for reading and leave me a review if you deem me worthy. :P