Here it is, y'all, Chapter 30 of The Dragon King and Queen. This is the final chapter so I thought we'd go for soft and sweet. If y'all thought the end of last chapter was fluffy then this chapter will give you cavities. *snickers* I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I have to give many props to ShanaHollows for helping me with the end.

Now to warn you ahead of time this chapter is set about seven years in the future. If y'all have any questions all you have to do is ask, but some of the things I'm leaving open are to lead into the sequel, so go ahead, read the epilogue and I'll see y'all in the closing A/N.

Chapter 30

Dragon's Future

Normal P.O.V.

Two sets of footsteps are heard running down the carpet covered hall of the castle. One, a girl of about five years of age with long pink hair braided down her back and wearing a set of star pajamas, and the other a boy of the same age with blonde spiky hair and wearing fire themed pajamas.

They stop at an intersection where four halls meet and look back when they hear a voice call out behind them.

"Nashi Dragneel, Ryu Dragneel, get your butts back to bed this instance!"

Ryu pulls on his sister's hand causing her to stop and turn to him. "Come on, Nashi, we should listen to Mama."

She pouts and shakes her head. "I don't wanna go to bed yet, let's see if we can find somewhere to hide." She pulls him by the hand and starts running down another hall, oblivious to the shadow following them.

Out of nowhere the shadow darts in front of them and rises up in enough time for the children to be caught in a set arms.

"Hey now, your mother said it's time for bed." The voice, while deeper, eventually matches Natsu's face as he picks the kids up and walks back the way they came, one kid tucked under each arm.

Nashi pouts. "But, Dad, we're not tired!"

Natsu arches an eyebrow and looks at his daughter. "Tell you what, since you're not tired, why don't your mother and I tell you two a bedtime story?"

The kids seem to think it over and they look up when Natsu stops in front of a door that's ajar. Natsu pushes the door open with his foot to reveal a room decorated in colors from all the elements with fire and stars being the most prominent picture. A small bed sits on both sides of the room and Natsu sets Ryu down on one then Nashi on the other as a certain blonde appears in the doorway.

Lucy scowls as she watches their kids climb around on their beds. "I thought I told you two that when it's bed time you're not allowed to wander the halls?"

"But, Mama!"

Her gaze snaps to Nashi and it softens at the pout her daughter wears. "No buts, Nashi, bedtime is bedtime."

"Mama," Ryu grabs Lucy's attention from where he sits on his bed. "We might go to bed if you and Dad tell us a bedtime story."

The queen turns to her king, a glare set in place, and he shrugs, unable to deny that he had made a deal with them. Finally, she gives in with a small smile and walks over to Nashi's bed to tuck her in while Natsu does the same with Ryu.

"What story would you like to hear?" she asks, after both children are tucked into their beds.

Ryu looks hesitant and Nashi speaks up. "Tell us a new one."

Lucy taps her chin as she hums in thought, then grins and looks at Nashi as she begins her story.

"Once upon a time, a fire dragon lived on the outskirts of a small town. This fire dragon was loud and destructive, but he was also loyal, kind, and cared for those he considered family."

A blast of heat hits Lucy's back as she tells the story, but she doesn't bother to turn around, already knowing what Natsu is doing.

"The people he considered to be his family were most often found at a large building in the town that went by the name of 'Fairy Tail'. However, there was one among his family that he saw as someone much more important. He was in love with the woman, but he was too afraid to tell her."

"Why was he afraid?"

Lucy pauses in the storytelling and she can see the sparks from the latest scene fading away as she looks at Ryu.

"He was afraid because this girl was his best friend and he didn't want to ruin that friendship."

Both kids look to their father as he sits on the edge of Ryu's bed and picks up the story line.

"He loved her so much that he would rather not tell her and stay friends instead of risking it, but one day he had to."

Behind him two figures made of golden light appear in thin air.

"One day, he, his best friend, and their teammates had to go on a special mission for the leader of Fairy Tail. They went on the mission, and during a fight with some bad men the girl he loved was hurt. It looked like the battle was lost, until out nowhere there came a..."

The children's go wide when a golden dragon, almost an exact replica of Celeste, appears in the air. The dragon swoops down upon a field of black figures and they disappear in swirls of smoke as Lucy continues on.

"The dragon dove into the battle, turning the outlook for the Fairy Tail team, but at a price. It picked up the fire dragon and the girl and disappeared."

Again Natsu speaks. "Or so their teammates thought. In truth, the dragon had brought the duo to another realm entirely. This realm was filled with dragons. Some walked around and looked exactly like humans, but others wore horns, wings, a tail, and claws. Then there were even more that flew around in all their majestic glory, going about their business."

Flames hover in the air forming different dragons and the kids giggle when one of the flame dragons starts doing tricks. Lucy smiles as well and looks at her husband.

"While they were in the realm, they were asked by the dragons to help free them from a curse they had been under for many years. The curse kept them locked in the realm and they couldn't travel back to their homes in Earthland."

"Mama, why couldn't they go back?"

The scene behind her changes to an outline of a door with a drawing on it while men of black smoke stand around it.

"Because, Nashi, evil men who called themselves dragon hunters wanted to hurt the dragons and one way of doing that was to lock them away and keep them away from their families."

The picture changes to a family of three, two parents and one little child being torn apart with one of the people walking through the door. The color of the people change from a warm golden color to dark blue and the kids gasp.

"What happened?"

Natsu arches an eyebrow as he looks at the kids. "Do you really want to know?"

Nashi and Ryu nod together and Natsu picks up the story telling.

"The fire dragon and his friend went through months of training, learning each element of the dragons in the realm until they were able to open the portal between the realms and slip through. Unfortunately, the portal could only stay open for a minute and once again the dragons were sealed away. By the time they returned to Earthland the fire dragon had told his friend his feelings and they became a couple, but their friends didn't know it. So they continued on, taking missions for their guild leader and enjoying their life, until one day they came back from a mission."

Here, Lucy picks up the thread of the story again.

"When they got back, their guild leader wanted them to go on a very special mission with their teammates. This mission was to participate in an event called the 'Grand Magic Games'!" Her voice deepens in copy of an announcers and the children are entranced.

"The Grand Magic Games were a set of events where mages from all over the country could compete and show their skills, but in the end, Fairy Tail won, just as they had for a few years before."

Nashi yawns and Lucy looks over to see Ryu's eyes closing, so she hurries toward the end of the story, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"At the end of the Games, the king of the country held a special dance for the guilds that competed, even if they lost, and it was during this dance the hunters struck.

"In the middle of the night, the hunters snuck up on the girl and they stole her away from the fire dragon. They did this to lure the fire dragon to where one of the portals were hidden and they succeeded."

Natsu chuckles, and Nashi and Lucy look at him.

"What the hunters didn't expect, was for the fire dragon to bring friends, or for his friends to be just as strong as he. So, they took down the hunters and freed the girl, but in doing so activated the seal on the portal."

Nashi whimpers in fear, pulling her covers up to her eyes.

"Don't be afraid, Nashi, because they broke the seal, opening the portal and allowing the dragons to roam Earthland again."

The girl heaves a sigh of relief and Lucy creates a ball of fire in her palm, shaping it into two figures.

"After the seal was broken, the fire dragon and the girl were able to live in peace for many years, often traveling between the realms to care for matters and enjoying their family, living their happily ever after."

Nashi yawns louder than before and her eyes start to close. "I hope one day we get to have adventures like the fire dragon and the girl."

Natsu walks over, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder, and looks at his daughter with love and adoration.

"You will, Nashi, one day you and Ryu will find your own happily ever afters. Until then, sleep little dragon, and let your dreams guide your way."

When she falls asleep, Natsu pulls Lucy to her feet and they tip toe out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind them.

Lucy sighs and leans into Natsu's side, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist. "I wonder how the guild is doing."

"Do you wanna go see?"

She shakes her head in reply to his question. "No, it's too late and I don't wanna leave the kids alone. The gods know what kind of trouble they'll get into while we're gone."

He chuckles. "Y'know, they take after you in that aspect."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "Please, Mr. Fire Dragon. We both know they get it from you. I was never a hellion when I was little."

He pouts as he holds open the door to their bedroom, and she shakes her head in amusement.

"I've heard all of the stories from Igneel, Natsu, I know every little thing about how bad you were as a kid."

"Oi, don't blame it on me. Blame it in the overgrown lizard. He was the one that raised me."

She snorts in amusement, pulling back the comforter on the bed. He climbs in after her, pinning her, and kisses her.

"But you wanna know the lesson I remember to this day, and that I'm reminded of everytime I see you?"

She tilts her head and he kisses her again, then pulls away until his lips are barely hovering over her.

"Fire dragons hoard their gold with their lives and," another kiss, "they treasure their queens above all else. You, my dear queen, and our kids are the most precious treasures in my hoard."

She kisses him in return. "I may be your queen, but what is a queen without her king?"

He lies down, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzles into her neck. "I love you, Luce, I truly and utterly am in love with everything about you."

She sighs, enjoying the warmth of her dragon. "I love you too, Natsu."

There's a saying:

Every man needs a woman when his life is a mess,

Because life is like the game of chess

The queen protects the King.

In those lines, the King is protected by his queen and we forget that even the queen needs a hand.

But should the queen fumble and start to fall

You can be sure the King will likewise be there to catch her.

For those kings, there is a queen out there that will have your back. Just don't forget to have hers.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of DKQ. I will admit, this story has taken months to reach this point. Tears have been shed, points have been made and still there are things that remain to be seen and done.

But for now I've got some reviewers to reply to:

Strike, Send Yuki my apologies, I didn't mean to sound rude. *returns glare* Go on, try to challenge me, we'll see how far you can push this Grizz. *taps chin* I could always let Layla and the dragons know your coordinates, Strike, so that you can't hide. I don't know, I'm feeling a little devilish today, I mean after all this is just the start of the week of uploads so we'll see what happens by the time Friday rolls around. As for how Fiore and Earthland will react to the return of the dragons, well you'll just have to wait for the sequel to come out. *winks*

Nighthowler, NO NEED TO BE SO LOUD, I'm right here damn it. You'll get more in the sequel, for right now might I suggest checking out my other stories? Also *grins* thank you for the compliment, my ego can always use some inflation.

Shana, You and your puns are gonna be the death of me. Between here and AOO2. Which btw I still can't believe you came up 3 dozen. I just want to say thanks again for helping me come up with the closing quote. Did you enjoy the chapter?

Multyfangirl, I know it's a shame you hopped on board this ride so late but don't forget that I do have other stories on here for your viewing pleasure. I know how it is, always looking for new stories to read and when a story you're enjoying does get updated. I don't know about you but I tend to squeal and jump for joy.

Sam, *leans back from screen* Damn, son, I don't know who writes more for their review. You, Strike, or Pixie Pixel. I LOVE IT! Though I think so far it's a tie. Hunters, aye, I had fun writing them as snobbish pigs who deserved everything that came their way. So, I know I haven't out right said this the entire story but did you or anyone else maybe made the connection that Glacier's mate was a chaos dragon? As for the chant, I translated it two parts which is why it probably doesn't make mush sense. Also I did the same thing after I wrote it down, translating the parts back through and I still don't understand how it came out mangled. But *shrugs* the chant turned out awesome anyway so it doesn't matter at this point in the game. As you've already read I took a different approach with the final chapter. I wanted fluff, I wanted kids, and damn it I was gonna have fluff and kids. And since you are such an amazing reader I'm gonna give you a little hint that the story they told will be a big part in the sequel. *wink* I'll let you play around with that idea while I write out Crews. I don't know where you got a preview from, I'm just giving you the title and the summary for the sequel. And, yes, in the sequel there will be many, MANY of my main ships mentioned. Btw, *sets hands on hips and arches eyebrow* do you really think I'm gonna drop my ClarexLily ship faster then a hot rock during a summer day in Texas just because we're jumping stories? *rolls eyes* Cobra will have his ship too, I just couldn't have Kinana in the midst of the fighting because she's not a mage and would've been killed.

Guest, I'm glad you loved the chapter. As I've said in the A/N of last chapter it took me months to get the scene right so to know that everyone enjoyed it is exhilarating.

Crystalic Lotus, Is that even a real number? Because if it is I'm glad the chapter earned that high a score in your books.

SilentMockingjay, sadly I have to say that this is indeed the final chapter for DKQ. But do not be discouraged for there is a sequel in the works and I have three other stories that I will be updating every week. Plus I have one shots that come out every once in a blue moon or more often. *shrugs* depends on if I get an idea for one or not and if I can work it into something longer then a couple pages.

Pixie Pixel, Yup, I'm sure you, Strike, and Sam are tied when it comes to the length of your reviews. Y'all just continue to blow me away with how detailed they are and how you're able to pick them apart so well. (Don't tell the guys I said that, they'll never let me live it down.)

#NEVERBLAMETHESUGAR!

Motherforkers? That's a new one from you, still makes me laugh all the same though. *snorts* those pigs will never be stardust, they'll be reincarnated as dirt. Yeah, they almost died, for which the whole thing could've been avoided had the DAMN ASSHATS waited for the portal to charge naturally instead of tampering with it. *shakes head* will the evil asshats ever learn? *grins* not in my books, I have too much fun letting them get their asses kicked. Which, btw, are you as excited about LBB to come out as I am to upload it? And thanks, I had a lot of fun going back and redesigning the chapter. It took me the better part of a week to get it but once I had it down it melted together faster then the Domus Flau did when Natsu reappeared after his year away. Pixie Pixel! It doesn't matter whether your name is Blue, Pixel or Pixie, you have been one of my longest standing readers and I always enjoy when you comments or ideas about things. You, Sam, and Strike have been major motivators for my writing as well as helping me come up with ideas, especially for this story. Dude, if fluff is what we need then I can make it so fluffy that by the time you finish reading you'll have so many cavities you need to get fake teeth. Did you enjoy the first day of the week of uploads? Because things are just starting to roll.

Alright, now that that's done I'd say that it's time I give you your gift. A few weeks back I'd stated that if we could reach 175 reviews then in the closing A/N of this chapter I'd give you the title and summary of the sequel as a parting gift. Now I deliver on my promise:

Demon's Wrath

Strip a man of everything he has, everything he loves then ask him to fight. That is when you'll see the demon hidden within. That is when you'll meet your end.

I'm gonna let y'all simmer over that until Crews is over then I'll be back. This universe is far from done and I promise when y'all see me again the chapters will be crazier, questions will be answered and there will, for certainty, be twists and turns that no one would be able to see coming. So until then:

Grizzly out for the night.