Part III

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A war broke out.

Between Dragons and Goblins, it appeared that they had attempted to take away the life of King Igneel who was now critically injured, the crown prince, Zeref Dragneel declared war on Goblins and each of its allies but they really were at the losing side because there was a traitor among the Dragons, Sol his name was apparently, had divulged in insider information to bring downfall and Chaos over Dragnof.

When the war was declared, all creatures that were not Dragons disappeared from Dragnof to their respective lands which is why Lucy was snatched away from Natsu arms and a second later, they felt the loss in a foreboding sense.

Eclair hadn't been visited by Lucy but a note was delivered to her at the dead of night.

"Thank you, Vera."

"Anytime, Headmistress."

She opened the sealed envelop as removed the note.

In elegant cursive was written,

Left for the royal kingdom. Won't know when I'll return. Take care, bye.

She merely blinked at the notions that presented itself.

What. In. Heavens.

-•-

Natsu fell to his feet behind his cover for safety.

He was brutally injured, it's what happens if one fights for three days without rest and he knew he needed to sleep or recuperate in some means or the other. Lucy's protective spell could go only go for so long, his gaze dropped to the emerald ring shining through the dark.

If this war was to kill him, he just hoped Lucy knew he would never stop loving her, he regretted not telling her that in the first place.

He groaned as he accidentally put pressure on his wound.

"Natsu!" Gajeel came through, strong on his feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Debatable."

"Jeez, what kind of idiot charges into battle for three days without any resources?"

"I reckon someone like me."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, being helped to this feet, Natsu wondered how long it would be until the war was over.

And he lost sight of everything as the world turned black.

-•-

Zeref sat down on the chair, alone in the war cabinet room, staring at the entire map of Dragnof. Clay models of Dragons were dotted all over it but they were now accompanied with tiny specks of dirt models which were Goblins. Moving anywhere would be a blunder.

He furrowed his brows in tension.

Perhaps, the main army could be moved eastwards. He thought as he moved the red clay models to that direction.

"That would be a blunder." a voice registered.

"How so, Erza?"

"Moving eastwards would allow a link-up of the opposite forces of the West and South, therefore, closing in on the Centre. They would easily pillage the capital and it would swift victory after they capture your castle. Checkmate, then." The voice replied as he considered her remark.

"Oh and I'm not Erza."

His eyes snapped up to see a blonde-haired girl, her hair reaching to her ankles with a fair crown on her pretty head.

"Hello," She smiled politely. "I'm Mavis Vermillion, the Fae Queen."

Taken aback by her politeness which the situation oddly didn't demand and her designation, Zeref merely raised a brow. "The borders are-"

"-Strong? Yes, they are strong, just not strong enough to deny a Queen but don't worry I fixed them as soon as I entered." She grinned.

"Why are you here?" He asked, carefully. He had heard marvellous tales about the mischievous Fae Queen, never had he thought he'd see her in the flesh.

Mavis lifted her head, taking in a critical analysis of the man in front of her.

"I have a proposal,"

"Which is?"

She smiled.

"A wartime alliance between Faes and Dragons."

-•-

"This eludes me. Why are we to fight a war on their behalf?" Evergreen argued, protectively over the fate of her race.

"Because if one race falls than the rest of us fall as well," Lucy responded calmly.

"Do you think Faes would be safe from Bloodhounds and Goblins as they hurt the nation of Dragons? Who do you think would be next on their list? Do you really want another Great war?"

Everyone stared at Lucy who had been outrightly spoken of Faes joining the fight.

"Whoa Whoa. Hang in there, firebird." Evergreen said, furrowing her brows at Lucy's defence. "Why are you so in favour of those lizards?"

"Because I've met a few of them and they were genuinely nice people if we made an effort now to remove this prejudice between the Fae and Dragon community then it's gonna cost both race, so, please. Participate in this war."

The Faes around her, both old and new felt uncertain of this request made by Queen Mavis, what if it cost Faes half their population? But what if it caused the beginning of another Great war?

With Faes, there would be many other allies like the Sirens, Vampires, Werewolves, definitely Centaurs and perhaps Sorcerers as well.

"Please, I implore you," Lucy said aloud in the crowd, "help."

The days would bleed to lengths into night time until most Faes would finally pick their defence armours and staffs to fight along the side of their sworn enemies against a common detriment.

-•-

Lucy looked at the mirror before she would head out for war.

She clutched her necklace as she stared at her reflection and almost felt Natsu right next to her.

"When this is over." She spoke solemnly to the winds listening. "I promise I'll find you," Lucy kissed it before breathing deeply again.

And to war, she went.

-•-

Natsu blasted a whole trail of Goblins as he sunk in warrior reflexes.

"Fire dragon roar!"

That took out the last of them in the fields, those who were still alive were taken as prisoners back to the camp. The changes in the past few years were astonishing as the Faes joined them in War. What brought this change? He didn't know but if he knew Lucy half as much as he did then, she was out here fighting for the Dragons, fighting for him.

As poetic as it was, he hoped for her well-being.

Battlegrounds were no place for Faes, they were creatures of light really.

"Natsu Dragneel." A Goblin called out from the cages at the centre of the camp, he ignored its call.

"You have a wonderful maiden for yourself." It gnawed out through its teeth.

Gajeel stopped working with Freed, a Rune Fae ass everyone's attention dragged to the centre of the camp to Natsu who turned to face the Goblin.

"What?" Natsu asked, a spark of annoyance growing in him.

"The one with your insignia, silly Dragon. She's pretty blonde thing isn't she?"

He closed his palm in a fist and Gajeel recognised that as a warning to a very angry Dragon.

"She slew brothers of mine on far south just a month back. Quite a fiesty bitch you've got eh, Dragon?"

There were two things that came to Natsu's mind, first being relief that she was alive, he thanked his stars that she was still fighting.

And Second?

Pure blinding rage.

"I wanted to touch her and see how she—

Natsu opened the cage and dragged the Goblin out of it by the neck, he lifted it up with absolute wrath snaring out of his eyes and Gajeel knew death was on his lips.

"Why don't you try and say something about her again?"

"Like what—

The Goblin wailed in pain when he opened his mouth smoke drew out of it. His tongue had been burnt into ashes.

"You know I could kill you right now with no remorse whatsoever," Natsu said casually as he threw the Goblin on the ground.

"But she wouldn't want me to."

He crouched down.

"So the next time you think of her, remember exactly why you can't speak anymore."

Natsu got up to his feet before the Goblin was shut back to his cage.

Freed, who by far was appalled at this demonstration, looked towards Gajeel.

"Your commander-in-chief is very protective."

"I'm surprised Natsu didn't torture him to death instead. God, he must be crazy for whoever that girl is."

"Yes, surely enough to burn someone's tongue for it, that's barbaric." Freed protested. "There's a quality in exercising control."

Dragons around him laughed in chorus.

"Word from the wise, Freed, Dragons have no susceptibility to an insult against themselves," Gajeel said as a part of his face turned sharp iron, Freed backed away immediately.

"What makes you think they'd bear a word against their family?"

-•-

Lucy rested on the bed, her right arm had been severely hurt and her magic had been exhausted.

She had been bandaged everywhere, fighting with magic for days with keeping one or the other gate open had drained her and now demanded rest.

Lucy tried to sit up but was helped by a nurse to do so, a pillow was placed behind her for a proper backrest.

"You're a Fae." The Dragon took into account.

"And so I am."

"Why're you fighting it? The war?" She asked as she sat down, her blue hair tied in a neat bun.

"I want it to be different." She said, nostalgically, " And because I'm scared for my kind, for yours and for him."

The nurse cocked her head to the side as she tried to comprehend. "You have a lover who is of the Dragon race?!" She asked surprised with eyes wide.

"Yes, a man. An annoying man albeit." Lucy smiled, remembering Natsu's ridiculously pink hair and how they felt when she first kissed him.

"Oh well, th-that's a surprise, do you know how he is?"

"Haven't heard from him since the war started."

"Goodness me, that would be seven years. How are you surviving?"

"With the hope that I'll see him on the other side," Lucy responded, eyes softening.

"And if you die?"

"Then it will be with his name on my lips."

The Dragoness was taken aback. "Just how in love are you?"

"Enough to know that my heartbeat is in line with his."

The Dragoness simply stared in shock before excusing herself to the kitchens.

"Wendy?" Erza called her out.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if—" Erza cut herself off, frowning at the little one's disposition. "Is everything okay, Wendy?"

"Erza, if you love someone you're supposed to hate, is that their sin or a crime against the law that supposes you to hurt them?"

"A pretty tricky question. But perhaps then you know that your love, by all means, is pure. Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing, I just met someone who made me think that way."

-•-

It was over.

Finally, Gajeel thought, he wasn't a fan of blood and fighting no matter what his race suggested.

The skies look cleared of red clouds and the white hues returned. The Fae clan had helped the whole lot of them which surprisingly made even the most orthodox dragons come out of their shell to appreciate them. Even if it was done grudgingly.

Igneel personally thanked Mavis Vermillion, Queen of Faes and grinned at her when she said that they were welcome to visit.

"You think he's gonna take her up on that?" Zeref asked as the helpers draped his robes round.

Natsu grinned, "He might take you and visit the Fae world."

"It's not that I mind but Mavis—

"You're on first-name basis?"

" I meant Queen Vermillion of the Faes," he quickly corrected himself.

"Brother, " Natsu asked critically as he entertained that spare doubt in his head. "Do you have a crush on the Queen of Faes?"

"Can you not put it that way?!"

Natsu laughed joyfully at how much like a beetroot his brother could resemble.

"C'mon we need to leave, this ball is for the victory of the Dragons, and celebrations of a fruitful alliance," Zeref said as he opened the doors.

They appeared at the entrance of the stairs and descended as royals of the Dragon race.

"Natsu! Zeref!" Wendy said cheerfully as she jumped into their arms.

"She called my name first, she likes me more, Zeref." Natsu bragged as his brother shook his head.

"Shut up."

"Can't believe I actually faced a war in my lifetime," Gajeel said.

"Igneel face two of them. He's been gloating about it since the morning it ended." Erza laughed in reply.

"Well, I can't believe that Faes actually helped us. They're pretty nice folks, most of them are quite decent." Gray added as Mira nodded in agreement.

"Yeah most of them are there around the corner, " Laki stated, pointing.

Natsu looked around for a familiar blonde but he couldn't find her scent, his heart sank deep.

"Brother, are you alright?" Zeref asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I need some air." He snuck out of the hall into the balcony which earned more worry from his brother.

The doors opened to greet a few more Faes, the ones who were most honoured to their efforts in the war.

Gajeel blinked in recognition.

"Bunny girl." He pointed out at Lucy draped in a tea-length velvet dress burning in colours of fiery red.

"That's Lucy Heartfilia." Zeref informed. "One of the most powerful Faes to exist. Partly, the reason why Mavis was willing for an alliance for the first place."

"Beg pardon?" Laki asked as Mira mirrored her image.

"She convinced most Faes to fight and contributed a lot to the war." Zeref stated before recalling. "Do you remember the Seige of the Westward Summer Palace?"

"The one that had almost fallen to the hands of the Goblins?"

"Yes, she's the one who led the army of Faes and Dragons. Quite a clever Fae really, though I've never personally met her."

"We have," Gajeel, Mira and Laki said together out of scepticism.

"So has Salamander, he even went to the Fae world twice to retrieve a trinket that she had stolen from him."

Zeref raised a brow, "Well that sounds like a tale to tell during dinner."

Natsu came back to Zeref's side in the hope of launching a search team for his dear fae and he felt a scent in its faintest reach his senses.

Natsu gasped for the air as though he had been drowning.

"Brother?" Zeref said, slightly over concerned.

"Where is she?" Natsu asked, searching wildly for her in the horde of people as his heartbeat sped.

He found her, at the centre of the hall putting her hand on her chest as if to calm her heart down.

Lucy looked up and felt deja vu recur.

Across the sea of people, their eyes met.

And they fell in love all over again.

"Excuse me." She said, turning away from a conversation as she waded through tides of people.

Possessed, Natsu merely pushed people out of his way as he made his path to her.

When the people grew less, Lucy sprinted into his arms and Natsu picked her up to the skies and twirling her around before engulfing her in a hug.

"Natsu." She cried out locked in a tight embrace before he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Natsu Dragneel."

"I love you too, Luna Heartley."

Lucy giggled through a teardrop.

"That's not going away anytime soon, is it?"

"You bet." He said before capturing her lips, relief flooded through his veins. She was real, not a figment of his tired imagination, she was here in his arms, safe.

Lucy smiled through the kiss.

I've been missing a piece of me for so long, she thought as they broke and he rested the tip of his head.

They were home. Finally.

Lucy remembered a detail from her memory.

"By the way, at what point were you supposed to tell me that you're the Prince of the Dragon realm."

"Uh well, about that," Natsu said, sheepishly. "I think we have a lot to explain for." He gestured towards everyone staring at them.

Lucy groaned. She wasn't about to take the burden of dealing with her friends and everything else when she just reunited with the love of her life.

"Can we hold it off until tomorrow morning?"

Natsu raised a brow.

"I'm game but how're you gonna avoid them right now? I can see your folks and mine teaming up for a roasting session."

"Take my hand," Lucy said.

He held it and then thoughtfully looked at it.

"You know I'm never letting you go right?"

Lucy smiled, "I'm glad."

And they disappeared from the Hall at once.

The End.

I just divided one chapter into three because some of my reviewers pointed out that reading an 18k+ words chapter is kinda not very favourable. And I agreed. So here we are.