It was dim, late twilight, the final rays of the setting sun casting golden shadows across the floor of the hall. "Remember…" Mira had whispered, making his hair stand on end. "Remember what this is all about. This is the most important thing you've ever done in all your life." Right. The most important thing.

All those battles he'd fought and won, all the laws he had helped enact, all the good he had done for this kingdom…none of it compared to this moment. The most important thing.

"Your majesty," Freed said, crossing his arms. "The princess and her entourage have arrived. The others have set out to meet them."

"They'll be led here." The old man in the throne next to where Laxus stood, pressed his hands together. Laxus gritted his teeth, crossing his arms. The suit he had been instructed to wear felt tight. White dress pants and a white coat, with gold edging. The red tie felt like a bit much, but Evergreen had insisted red was a traditional color. He felt like some sort of décor for a festival, with his hair slicked back and his buttons shined. This is ridiculous. Couldn't he have worn his normal clothes? His grandfather was also dressed in royal fashion, and Freed—Laxus's number one—stood in his best suit.

He felt like he had been thrown into a whirlwind. Not one decision that had been made so far was up to him … not one … except that first one. He bit his lip, tasting blood. That first choice, months ago. Long ago, the kingdom of Fiore was split in two, with a war between the dragons. Now, hundreds of years later, the dragon slayers continued the war. How many lives had been lost in honor of the dragons? As Prince of West Fiore, Laxus was destined to continue that fight against East Fiore. At least… that was what his father taught him. "When you become King, it will be your duty to win this war, to destroy East Fiore, to wipe them from the map." But, Makarov, Laxus's grandfather, had offered him another option—another choice: "There's another way to stop this bloodshed," he had said. The plan had been relayed, and he had agreed. I said yes.

After all … it couldn't be that bad, could it? And it would make everyone happy. And … maybe he would be happy. The idea of … happiness seemed so foreign. With all this war, who knows what happiness truly is. But now, months later, he was wondering if he would live to regret saying yes. It felt like he was blocking himself from freedom, locking himself in a cage. His choice stripped away… Standing … in his stupid suit, waiting for the throne room doors to burst open, the caller to announce the arrival of the Princess from the East. A dragon slayer like him. He balled his hands into fists. He knew all about her … from books, and descriptions. He knew what people said of her power and her beauty, but he had never met her in all his life. Who are you, really?

"Are you ready, Laxus?" Freed asked, nodding towards the golden gilded doors on the other side of the room. Laxus didn't have time to answer before the doors soundlessly swung open.

"Her Majesty…" the caller began, "Princess Hisui of East Fiore."

And for the first time in his life, Laxus looked into the eyes of their enemies while not on the battlefield. There were two he recognized—dragon slayers he had met on the battlefield. One a fire dragon slayer with a head of pink hair, and the other an iron dragon slayer with piercings and a glint of sharp teeth in his smile. Of course, they would come to keep the princess safe. He knew Princess Hisui must have fought on the battlefield but he had never come face-to-face with her. A celestial dragon slayer, huh? They said her power was overwhelming.

And there she was, between the two guest dragon slayers. For one moment Laxus forgot how to breathe, and his tight collar felt even more suffocating then before. Hisui Fiore … he had seen her in paintings before, but never like this. Her hair was pulled back into a braided bun, and she was robbed in a beautiful golden gown, shimmering stars dotting the sheer sleeves and her golden crown. Her eyelids had been brushed with gold, her cheeks flushed, her emerald eyes full of a power beyond Laxus's understanding. She was the most radiant thing he had ever seen.

She approached the throne, her bodyguards just behind her, and knelt down, bowing her head. Laxus was entranced. This … is the power of the celestial dragon slayer? Was it some sort of mind magic or … something that made his heart race …? What kind of spell had she put him under?

"Rise," Makarov said, standing from his throne. Laxus glanced over at his grandfather and then at Freed. They both seemed to be acting normal. Was it just him? Why? "You are a guest here in West Fiore. There is no need for such formalities, Princess Hisui." Makarov smiled a little, and Laxus saw genuine kindness in his eyes. "Thank you for agreeing to come to West Fiore to continue preparations."

Preparations… for…? That's right. This … this was the woman he was promised to marry. An alliance through marriage, for peace. No more bloodshed between West and East Fiore. A union. He felt his face grow hot again, almost feverish. I'm marrying THIS WOMAN!? Her magic was making his heart race once more, his palms feel sweaty. And then Mira's words entered his mind once more: "This is the most important thing you've ever done …" He took a breath, and cleared his head. I'm only doing this for the people. Besides, we were enemies once … she probably can't even stand to look at me.

"And this …" Makarov was saying, gesturing towards Laxus, "Is my grandson, Crown Prince Laxus, heir of West Fiore." Princess Hisui lifted the shimmering gold skirt of her dress and curtseyed. Laxus bowed, gritting his teeth. This is all just a big show.

"Princess …" he managed to say, but that was all he could get out before his grandfather interrupted.

"Our first meeting for preparations will be tomorrow, of course."

Another thing I didn't get a say in. Would it be meetings and preparations from here on out? It's for the peace of our nations, Laxus. He supposed that for things as big as that, sacrifices had to be made.

"Laxus will lead you to the guest wing of the palace." Wait, what? "There, I hope you'll find everything to your satisfaction. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask, your majesty." Makarov said.

"Thank you," Princess Hisui nodded. Her voice was softer than Laxus imagined.

"Right this way, Princess," he said, moving down the steps to lead her back out of the main hall. Maybe, over time, it would get better. But for now, it felt like they were enemies playing a game of pretend … put on a show, bring about peace, all at the cost of their freedom.

He was not what she had been expecting. She remembered her soldiers, those warriors that fought bravely for a fight that no longer had any meaning … they had described him as a maniac. Heartless. Cruel. Vicious. They had told her that he was a monster. But this man … was quiet … and handsome. Blond hair slicked back, stunning golden eyes—she had never seen orange eyes before, but his were beautiful.

He was taller, and broader than she imagined. But silent as he lead them through the confusing halls of the capitol of West Fiore. Maybe things will be alright. But his silence was worrying her. In a month's time I'll be married to this man. And what if they couldn't tolerate each other? What if he hated her, hated her people …? She wanted to get to know him, to one day see him as more than just a tool for peace. She wanted to see him as her husband. Even if it was an arranged marriage. Even if it was loveless. They could be a team, right?

They reached a spiraling flight of stairs. "Here's the last leg of our journey," Crown Prince Laxus said, "The guest wing is just above …" He held out his arm for Hisui to take. She knew Natsu and Gajeel were probably bristling behind them, eyes never leaving Prince Laxus, just to make sure he didn't hurt her. But she didn't hesitate. She rested her arm on his and with her other hand pulled up her golden skirts to move up the stairs.

"Thank you, Prince Laxus," she said, glancing down at the stone steps as they walked.

"Uh … just Laxus is fine." Laxus said, glancing away, his brows furrowed. There was a moment of silence and then Laxus took in a deep breath, "My grandfather has all these meetings planned for us. To prepare …" he paused, and they stood on the stairs, "… for the wedding." There was another long moment of silence as she met his eyes. Our wedding.

"It doesn't have to all be boring," she smiled a little, "We could meet together sometimes to get to know each other …" And then she smirked a little, "Maybe we don't have to go to all the meetings. I'd love to see the city—"

"Are you joking?" He scoffed. And Hisui's blinked. Laxus's eyes were dark with irritation.

"Wh-what?"

"I said is this a joke to you?" His orange eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed. "Everything that's happening—it's all a show. Some sort of game. We're just playing make-believe. And the goal is to convince everyone in the kingdom it was meant to be, that we're in love, all in the name of peace, right? The last choice I was ever given was when they asked me if I would be willing to marry you. And I said, yes. Since then, nothing has been the same."

"I'm s-sorry, I just thought—" She felt tears filling her eyes, "We are getting married and I just thought it might be nice to get to know each other a little—"

"This is all just for the people of our kingdoms," Laxus whispered, his gold eyes falling back to stare at the floor, his shoulders slumping. "That's all it is. Just a game."

She couldn't think of anything to say. Maybe it was true what they said about him—that he was heartless. He was doing this for the same reasons she was, for the kingdom—for peace, but he had no interest in seeing her as his wife. I'm just a tool for peace. She spluttered for a moment, and then finally spoke, ice in her voice, "I have been hopeful," she whispered, "That when I arrived here, when we were married, we could work together as a team, that we might one day find happiness together—as husband and wife. But clearly, you don't feel the same way."

"Wait, I—"

"If I'm just a means to an end … fine. We have the same goal. We'll do it your way. We'll play pretend." She spun around, hiking up her dress to move up the stairs, and then turned back to face him, several steps above him, trying to hide the tears in her emerald eyes, "If I'm just a means to an end … you're as heartless as they said you were!" She spun around rushing up the stairs, behind her she heard Laxus let out a growl and then move to chase her.

"Wait—"

"I think you've done enough," Gajeel snapped, following after her.

All Hisui could think of was that they signed up for this. They both did … Did I just ruin our chances of even tolerating each other?

Goddammit. Laxus let out another growl, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He had been irritated enough with the whole ordeal to completely screw it up. Now for sure she won't even want to look at me. The most radiant being in the world, and she didn't want anything to do with him. Clearly she had wanted to work together. And he had been dumb enough to ruin everything.

He spun around with a yell and punched the wall of the old hall, leaving a dent in the plaster. Electricity pulsed across his skin, sparking at his fingertips.

"Ah, I thought I heard you," Freed came around the corner, crossing his arms. "What's wrong now?" Beside him stood Laxus's two other friends—his only friends in all the world.

"I wish we could have been in the throne room!" Ever gasped, rushing to meet him. "I saw the princess from the balcony in the library. Even so far away she looked beautiful! That's lucky! Aren't you excited to get to know her?"

"I wouldn't call it luck" he growled, rolling his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Freed asked again, blue eyes full of genuine concern.

"I screwed everything up." Laxus said, kicking the wall half-heartedly. "I don't know what was going through my head."

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Evergreen said, her voice softer.

"In the hall … when she first arrived," Laxus groaned, clutching his head, "I had no idea celestial magic could be so powerful."

Freed frowned, "Uh… what."

"The magic, Freed, didn't you feel it? It was overwhelming." Laxus gasped, clutching at his chest.

Freed glanced at Ever and then back at Laxus. "What … did it feel like?"

"You're telling me you didn't feel it?! My heart was pounding, and it got so hot … She was … ethereal. Normal people aren't just ethereal … Something was doing it. Her magic. Making me feel weak—Ever, why are you laughing?!"

"Laxus!" She snorted. "That's not magic."

Laxus glanced up from where he was practically pacing a path into the stone floor. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't feel anything like that," Freed said, looking as confused as Laxus felt.

"It's not magic," Evergreen scoffed again. "It's… Obviously… I mean, obviously you're—"

"You've got the hots for the princess, we get it," Bickslow shrugged his shoulders. "Normal reaction considering the circumstances. She is gonna be your wife after all."

"I… what?" Laxus spluttered, his face going hot again.

"She must have looked so lovely coming into the throne room. She was wearing gold, right? She must have been beautiful!" Evergreen sighed.

"I…" Laxus frowned, thinking back to the moment, thinking how beautiful she really had been. And then he remembered how he had really screwed everything up. "Ugh!" He rubbed his forehead.

"It's okay, Laxus," Bickslow said, resting his hand on Laxus's shoulder, "We get it. Girls."

"Tsk," Laxus scoffed, shaking his head, "You all are unbelievable."

He stood at the edge of his bed, suit finally tossed aside, he felt like he could breathe again. He thought back to the stairs, to how beautiful she was, to how it ached to see tears in her stunning eyes, to see anger furrowing her brow. My emotions are getting the best of me. He crossed his room to the wide window looking out over the courtyards below. The stars were out, each constellation shimmering in the inky blue of the midnight sky, and shedding light on his windowsill. He clutched the wood of the window frame, eyes tracing the pale, jagged scars along his skin, across his chest, landing on that first scar from so long ago, the jagged discolored lightning bolt across his eye, courtesy of his father … Burns, broken bones, bruises … all the blood he had shed … it could all end. If Princess Hisui and I work together, all that can finally be in the past. Damn, he had really screwed up. Tomorrow, I'll try and fix things. He gritted his teeth. We can get through this. For the peace.