The Demon In Me

Fire blazed everywhere, the roar of the mighty dragon bellowed out. Shots fired and swords were wield ready to kill. The army of 80,000 overpowered the once fierce and dominating dragon. Their guns piercing bullets through his scales, sharp metal cut at the thin layer of skin he still had left. The salamander yelped out in pain contagiously spreading throughout the soldiers ears just before he fell to the ground in exhaustion and distress roaring out in agony. Chains wrapped around his torn up body taking him captive. The dragons eyes blurred as a sword was cut through the front centre of his body he saw a knight wearing a smug face smirking proudly before all went black.

"Princess, Master Dan has arrived back from his duty and is awaiting your presence in his room." A maid, smartly dressed in a black dress to her knees and a white overall, spoke to her mistress.

"Great..." The Princess mumbled to herself. "I'll be there shortly." She announced smiling. The maid bowed her head formally and left the room. Her Father, King of Magnolia, had arranged her and Dans marriage. The plans of her life had already been set out for her and the next event to come was a hell that one would call a wedding. She owned no freedom truly wanting to just see the world, wanting to see outside the walls, wanting to meet people who weren't obliged to talk to her, who weren't working for her, people who chose to be her friends and weren't bought by her being a princess. The marriage had been set out in hope that the nearby kingdom, which King Dan rules over, will become one of Magnolias allies. But the princess knew otherwise. Dan Straight picked her only to use her as an object in which he would use simply to make heirs. An ally was just a benefit that came with it for her Father. But, nothing of the sort was ever mentioned. The princess looked at herself in the mirror, a pink strapless dress with white frills going around her arms just below her shoulder, fair skin and blonde hair was what reflected in it. She gulped before leaving her room to see her partner.

The Princess walked through the long hallways in silence greeting maids on the way when she was greeted before opening the door to Dan Straights room.

"Ah! Lucy." The smartly dressed man said turning around to face her.

"I am glad you returned safely." She replied curtsying daintily.

"Yes, we captured the dragon successfully. Right now he has returned back to his human form and is currently locked up securely. Come, sit." Dan said gesturing towards a cushioned chair of red velvet next to a fireplace opposite his bed.

"And what are you going to do with him?" Lucy asked suddenly taking an interest in the matter.

"We shall drain his powers and use them to learn more about his kind."

"But you can't!" She protested standing up in her feet.

"And why is that?" He questioned coming closer to her so Lucy could feel his breath. But she stood her ground glaring straight into his eyes.

"You'll kill him! His power is like a lifeline to someone like him. If you take that away then he'll die! Surely a life is more important then some research."

"Oh Lucy, Lucy, Lucy," he murmured putting a finger from his right hand under her chin. "He has taken many lives of our own."

"You were the ones who attacked him! He was obviously just protecting himself!"

"I bring you back a dragon and you're still not happy! It seems as though I just can't win..." He removed her finger turning his back on her throwing his hands in the air as he spoke.

"Dan, I am a Princess my duty is to stand up for the weak!" She argued back ignoring his statement.

"Your duty is to your own people, whom he killed." He said glancing back at her. Lucy's fists clenched in anger as she couldn't say anything more. "That's right just keep quiet. Like a woman is supposed to do." He retorted snickering making Lucy stare at him in hatred but her only option was to calm herself. After all a fight would be pointless no one ever listened to her anyway.

"I want to see him." He smirked turning around.

"Who, dragon boy?" He asked laughing.

"Yes, now take me to him." She ordered. Dan was a little taken back by her words and stern face gritting his teeth. "I will study him and find a reason for you not to destroy him you'll see." Determination was set afire in her eyes as he realised that she was not going to change her mind one bit.

"Fine I will give you the chance. But if you fail, you must promise me that you will become mine willingly." The princess hesitated before nodding.

Lucy followed her unwanted husband to be to a tall tower heavily guarded by guards. Down a spiralled staircase, where torches were lit on the walls, which led to a now underground long room at the door at the end. Guards stood next to the door greeting Dan once they saw him. But he simply just dismissed them of the duties asking them to leave us. As he removed a key around his neck and unlocked the old wooden door Lucy felt her stomach tighten, she felt it go all twisty and turny sickeningly. She peered through the doorway stepping inside the cold room. It was all hard rock, a rock floor, rock walls and a rock roof. There was some straw in the corner and in the middle was an old wooden stock hanging down from the ceiling using chains. A man with messed up pink hairs head was through the hole in the middle of it, his hands through the other holes beside him. He only wore thin materials as bottoms going down to his knees leaving home topless a long scar running in a diagonal line from his chest to just above and to the side of his belly button. Dan walked round, next to the side of him and grabbed him by the hair lifting his head up to look at The Princess. Lucy gasped at the sight of his bruised face as he could only manage to open one eye as the other was blue and black.

"The Princess requested to see you. So be grateful, an abomination like you never gets this chance!" The man looked at Lucy as she looked down at the floor, so this was the women's voice he had heard moments ago? He smirked thinking about how pathetic she was, not even looking him in the eye. How was she going to be of any help?

"Well she's seen me so she can leave." He said still staring into her eyes intently as she avoided to return it. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she took a quick glance at the state he was in gulping in guilt.

"Watch your tongue salamander! You want me to give you another one of those scars on your chest huh pink hair?" He threatened tugging at his hair even more. Lucy was taken aback by those words gasping.

"You mean you gave him that scar? And what about all those bruises huh? Was that really necessary?" Lucy shouted angrily in surprise stepping forward.

"You talk of him as if he isn't a murderer." He answered letting go off the pink hair.

"That's because he's not Dan!" She shouted back at him.

"It's not pink, it's salmon..." The dragon boy muttered to himself.

"What was that salamander?"

"It's fucking salmon!" He shouted jumping up and smacking the top of his head against Dan Straights chin causing him to fall back onto his backside.

"You little shit! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" Dan drew his sword and cut the chains holding the stock up then returned it back in. The battered man fell straight to the floor his head and hands still locked up.

"Dan don't!" Lucy screamed out. But Dan took no notice of his fiancé. He kicked the prisoner in the stomach repeatedly. "Stop it! I demand you to stop immediately!" The blonde begged running over to stop her partner. She grabbed him around his waist trying to pull him away from the defenceless man lying on the floor in an attempt to refrain him which failed miserably. Violently being pushed back and hitting the cold rigid stone. The blondes view went hazy all of a sudden from the impact, as if she had just gotten up to fast from her seat. Once she had grasped her sight back a tall man stood in front of her looking down at the frightened lady left abashed on the floor. He leaned down and grabbed her arm forcefully pulling the maiden up from the ground. But only for her to be pressed up to the wall again a tight grip around her neck. Princess Lucy reached her feet to the floor begging her tippy toes to touch, so she could at least almost stand up on her own two feet. But all she could manage was for the skin at the very bottom of her toes to stroke the ground in the position of a ballet dancer. Of course, her shoes being a layer between.

"L-Let me go." She squeezed out between her lips, lifting her hand to loosen Dans which only gripped tighter as she felt her body go limp.

"Honey, just remember that what you do now will decide how I treat you when we're married." He spoke sternly giving Lucy a hugely dangerous stare. But she ignored that look biting one of his fingers around her neck forcing blood to be drawn. He stepped back clutching his hand, setting her free as she fell onto her knees. "You worthless bitch!" He cried out slapping her. A sting electrified through the side of her face as it turned red. But she definitely wasn't going to stop this from her reply.

"Just because the wedding has been planned doesn't mean I'll say I do." The princess devilishly smiled up at him.

"Well unfortunately for you there will be no need for you to anyway, and don't forget our deal Lucy. Good luck finding a reason for scum like him to live." Her face filled with rage as she fell silent staring at him. He left the room slamming the door as he stormed off. Lucy waited a couple of seconds before speaking.

"Well I guess that's what it's gonna be like waking up to his ugly ass every morning." She stumbled getting up to rub off the dirt on her dress ripping her dress in process. "Shit!" She whispered.

"You could say that but his ugly ass still knows how to hit, hard." The princess looked up to see an extremely muscular, tall man standing up on his own two feet, with his hand rubbing off the blood seeping through his lips and, what was supposed to keep him restricted, lying on the floor. She couldn't keep her eyes off him.

"What are you?" She muttered to herself.

"What?" He stared at her unimpressed.

"Oh uh nothing..." Lucy stuttered out getting embarrassed.

"Whatever..."

"Wait how did you? How did you get out of the stock?!"

"Well I wasn't doing nothing whilst your fiancé was kicking the shit out of you..." He coughed rubbing his hair. "By the way are you... Alright?" He said looking up at her.

"I'm fine, used to it."

"Damn even a princess can't live a decent life... I don't get humanity..." Although the way he spoke sounded gruff and crass she could still hear the kindness in his voice, that he clearly attempted to cover up, and giggled quietly to herself.

"Yeah well there ain't nothing you can do about it so there is no point in wasting time focusing on the bad stuff." She smiled.

"Whatever you say..." He sighed back to her, muttering under his breath.

"What's your name?" Lucy asked. But it followed with a sneer coming from a face covered in distaste. "I don't see what's so amusing. After all you are the one locked up here." She stated crossing her arms frowning at the man.

"Oh I'm sorry your royal highness didn't mean to offend the ever so noble nobility." He replied bowing down in an offensive manner making the women before him roll her eyes. She honestly couldn't understand how he could act like this whilst being in a jail cell awaiting an execution for 'research'. But what kind of research could they do when he's dead? Surely it would be better to study his transformation, special abilities and behaviour with him alive, wait for him to pass and then they could look into the biographic side of things. Well in her opinion that would be best. He could even answer the questions the scientists asked. But instead they chose to suck his power out?

"I just find it disgusting how you people come in and destroy half of my hometown, then take me in and don't even know my name." He answered earnestly interrupting her thoughts.

"Well now I am asking." He sighed.

"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel."

"It's nice to meet you I'm Lucy." She said with a big grin on her face stretching out her hand.

"Um... What are you doing?" The salamander looked at her puzzled as if she was some idiot.

"It's a handshake, you hold each other's hands and shake. It's a way of greeting." He looked at her hand as if he was mastering the action in his head.

"Right," the reply came hesitantly as did his hand gently holding hers and shaking as he was instructed to.

"Good. Now I'm going to be researching you and learning more about your kind like what your civilisations are like etc. etc." Natsu yawned as she went over what he already had heard in a different building a while ago. "So would you please cooperate with me?"

"Yeah sure whatever." He replied waving her off.

"I'll come by everyday." She insisted. After a few seconds of awkwardly looking at each other Lucy broke the silence. "Well I have to get going now I'm having tea in the gardens." She said as her face lit up. It always made her happy having tea outside in the summer with the breeze and birds singing. It was the only time she had to herself. Before her mother passed she always had tea with her in a special place no one knew about, apart from her closest maid Mirajane who had to know where she was all times anyway, she would sometimes pretend that she was in the presence of her own mother. She would tell her how her day was, her troubles, everything. Of course she never had a reply but that didn't sadden her one bit.

"If only I could understand." Natsu answered making Lucy laugh lightly.

"Bye!" She grinned happily lifting her hand up and flying out the door. Natsu didn't understand. 5 minutes ago she was being slapped and abused next she was cursing and now she was smiling. What the hell? He thought.

As Lucy waltzed out of the long room and began going up the dark twirling stairs she bumped into a dark haired man carrying food and a drink on a tray.

"Hey Grey!"

"Hello Miss Heartfillia," he addressed her formally.

"for the last time just call me Lucy! We've known each other too long." And it was true her and Grey had known each other since they were kids, like most of the other servants her age, her father had paid his family for him to stay in the castle and befriend Lucy. Although, to Lucy it more or less sounded like buying him.

"No can do I'm afraid. Your father doesn't like it."

"Yeah well screw my Father he only truly cares about money." She said crossing her arms.

"yeah well it's pretty understandable because he is King of Magnolia..." He reasoned.

"Who's side are you on?!" Lucy abruptly questioned with her hands on her hips.

"Y-Yours of course," he stuttered a little intimidated if he was honest. "But he is the one who has put a roof on my head since I was 5."

"I guess I get where you're coming from... You hear for a prisoner then?" She asked.

"Yeah, Your Father has assigned me to take care of the salamander." Grey replied with a tired sigh along with it.

"He's called Natsu Dragneel. He's a bit of a jerk if I'm an honest, doesn't appreciate what he's got or understand anything about how things are run. Also don't blame him if he's in a bad mood."

"Yeah well I can't exactly blame him I over heard one of the soldiers saying that they burned the whole village after he blacked out."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Not that I know of sounds like he gave himself up to protect everyone, so that they could get out. Pretty admiring if you ask me but I doubt like Dan Straight and his army would care if anyone did get hurt." He replied.

"Yeah..." Lucy answered absentmindedly.

"Well I gotta get going before he starves see ya round Lucy." He said easing his way round her with the tray.

Lucy sighed staring down at the stare still lost in thought about Greys story, and wondering most of all if it was indeed... True.