((AN: I say thank you so much in this story. And I really really really mean it! I don't think I've ever gotten such a response for any of the stories I have posted to this site so far. It really makes me smile after I post a chapter and see ten new emails from reviews and follows and favorites so THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! And this story was just added to a community! And not by me either! Like, happiness is just raining down upon me and making me write! Now, reviewers!

DarkXFeatheredCosmic: Thank you so much! While Natsu is a royal, he's still Natsu and I've come to feel that Igneel and Grandine are still parents, even though they are royal. Grandine has at least come to terms with her son's infatuation. Igneel is a different story however, you'll be seeing his side soon. Lucy's parents would be extremely happy for her to be associated with the royal family, wouldn't you? Thank you again! Hope you enjoy!

dog's paw burning in hot ash: Thank you! Enjoy it!

AngelsFairyTail: Thank you! I think so too! Enjoy!

Yuni-sama: Not quite love but a strong feeling yes. Thank you!

Cat Goliath: Yeah, Natsu tends to be excitable at times. Thank you for the correction! You're welcome! I just copy and paste the reviews so I can answer them; sorry you're last this time, just means you reviewed first! Hope you enjoy it!

blissfulme: Thank you! Enjoy the new chapter!

PARADISE.x: Yeah, that's Natsu for you. Thank you so much! No more waiting for you!

Once more, I don't own Fairy Tail.))

The royal stables stood a bit away from the main palace and the gardens, so it was a bit of a walk for Lucy, who was wearing heels as well as breathing through an incredibly tight corset. Natsu didn't seem to notice though as he pulled her along. Once inside, Natsu started naming the horses.

"That's Gajeel's mustang, Pantherlily." Natsu pointed to a black mustang with a white snout and crescent shaped mark next to his left eye.

"Here's Carla, Wendy's mare." Carla was a pure white palomino and on her tail was a pink ribbon.

And at the end of the row of stables, Natsu stopped, "This is Happy! I've had him since he was a colt." The odd thing about Happy was that his mane and tail were blue. Not tinted blue, but purely blue, his coat was a cream-white color, but it continued to shock Lucy. She had never seen a horse with blue hair.

"Is…is that natural?" She asked, pointed to Happy's mane.

Natsu laughed and opened the stall, starting to brush his horse, "Yeah, he was born that way. No one else wanted him; cause people called it a defect. You know what I call it?" He smirked, "Originality."

Lucy giggled softly and pet Happy's nose, "He seems to really love you."

Natsu began to saddle his horse, "Wanna go for a ride?"

"What? But…but I'm not properly dressed…" Lucy said, gesturing to her fancy dress. Natsu frowned, "Well, you could borrow some of my riding clothes if you want…"

Lucy blinked, a blush forming on her cheeks, "Your…riding clothes?"

"Yeah, I always keep extra in the stables." He led her and Happy out of the stall and found some extra trousers and a shirt. He handed the clothes to Lucy and smiled, "Go get changed!"

Lucy felt her eye twitch but nodded and went to another stall to change. She slipped the pants on under her skirt, then frowned, realizing that she couldn't take her dress off by herself.

"Na…Natsu? Um…could you…possibly…help?" She managed to squeak out, turning so the tight laces on her dress faced him. Natsu blinked, before understanding what the blonde asked him.

"Oh…oh! Right!" He stepped close to her and tried to loosen the laces, "Geez, how tight is this thing…" He murmured in frustration, shaky fingers slipping as he tried to pull the laces. He growled slightly before giving up, walking away from the blushing girl and grabbing a simple hunting knife, "Hold still." He said, after getting a nod, he proceeded to cut the laces to her dress, causing it to sag around her shoulders.

"Natsu! You…you just cut my dress! How am I going to put it back on later!" She yelled, quickly pulling on the shirt as to not show the male before her too much of her skin. Natsu blinked, he hadn't thought about the fact that she had to put back on the dress again, "Oh…"

Lucy sighed and tightened the belt that Natsu gave her around the pants before hanging her dress over the side of the stall, "Do you have any riding boots?" She asked, pointing to the heels on her feet. The salmon haired royal nodded and quickly found some boots, which happened to be his mothers. Lucy quickly pulled them on.

"Which horse should I ride?" She asked. Natsu smirked, "Come here." He took her wrist again and led her a few stalls over. Inside the stall was a beautiful golden colored bay stallion, "This is Loke."

Lucy smiled and patted Loke's nose, "He's beautiful."

"Yeah, he's definitely a female lover. He won't let me, my dad or Gajeel anywhere near him, but Wendy or my mom, fawns all over them. He'll take care of you." Natsu said, getting a saddle down from the rack. Lucy helped saddled the golden horse and hosted herself on his back, with slight trouble; she had forgotten she was still wearing the corset underneath Natsu's shirt.

"Come on, there's a great tail down by the river." Natsu said, already mounted on Happy and trotting out of the stables.

The palace grounds were amazing. Tree and plants of every size, shape and color were everywhere. Lucy could barely take it all in, and all the while Natsu was laughing and begging Lucy to race him. Lucy smiled, and giggled. How could someone raised to be so proper, raised to run a country, but so free-spirited and cute?

Lucy blushed at her own thoughts, she couldn't be falling for Natsu, they had only spent one night together. It was an amazing night though, one, Lucy had thought at the time, that she could go through again and again and never get bored of it.

"Lucy!" Natsu pulled the blonde from her thoughts. She shook her head and looked at her companion, "What?" She asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"I was saying, wouldn't it be nice to be able to do this all day? Not care about lessons or parties or lunches. Just be free, with friends and enjoy life?" Natsu said, with a smile on his lips.

Lucy could only stare in wonder at the salmon haired male next to her. He was purely an enigma of a human being. And she liked it that way.