Solitary Princess - Nalu ✔️

Chapter 40: Adulthood

2 months later:

Lucy sighed as she looked in the mirror, smoothing her dress with callused hands.

She much preferred pants, but Queens had to keep appearances up in court, and tonight was a big night for her kingdom.

She was about to hold a court with nearby kingdom representatives to introduce the idea of a matriarchy to the more close-minded rulers.

Lucy knew there'd be a bit of an uproar, but she hoped that all the positive changes she'd made in the past few months might ease the blow.

She'd been working on outreach- rebuilding her kingdom home by home and farm by farm. The people were hesitant at first, but the first spark of hope lit a flame, and now everyone knew that their queen had returned. Although this time, her name wasn't Layla.

Still, she wondered if other rulers would view her kindness to her people as weakness. She'd heard of some more cruel than even her father.

Her worries went to the back of her mind when her bathroom door opened. A freshly washed Natsu stepped out, immediately grinning at her.

"Ya ready?" he spoke, moving behind the Queen to wrap his arms around her. He looked at the blonde through the mirror, "You look great, Luce."

Lucy smiled at him, her hand finding his and squeezing it gently. She thought for a moment, then sighed, "What if it doesn't work? What if they all get angry and declare war or something?"

Natsu frowned slightly before turning her around and cupping her face in his warm hands, "That's not gonna happen. Everyone and their lizard knows that you're the only ruler for this kingdom. If anyone deserves the position, it's you. You've worked so hard to turn things around, there's no way anybody will have a single negative thing to say," he looked into Lucy's worried eyes, "Even if they do, we have all of Fiore on our side, guilds and all. There's not a single kingdom that could bring us down."

Lucy stared ahead, remembering how Gajeel and Laxus had gotten the gates opened just in time. She was told that all the guilds fought together like they were close comrads to take out the Dark Wizard's forces. The Queen hoped she wouldn't have to witness it herself, but she was comforted to know that everyone had her back if she needed it.

The blonde looked into Natsu's eyes for another moment, before nuzzling into his neck, gripping his shirt tightly. She inhaled his scent comfortingly and released a breath before nodding silently against him.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

The two made their way down the hallway to eat breakfast, hand in hand. Lucy found that Natsu's touch was her most reliable form of comfort and the new Queen needed all the comfort she could get. Especially since she would soon be thrown to the wolves that made up the royals.

She was no stranger to all the customs, and now she was grateful to her old tutor for helping her learn everything that she'd need- even when she thought she'd never actually get to use it.

Speak of the devil, the old man was walking into the dining room with a grumpy Gildarts.

Lucy tried not to let her eyes linger on his eyepatch as he paused, looking down at her hand in Natsu's and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Lucy fought an eyeroll. Even if they weren't fully official, everyone knew that her and her general were somewhat romantically involved- though they'd never admit it out loud. The Queen had much more important things to worry about. She could focus on romance after her kingdom matters were fully settled.

Gildarts grunted at something Capricorn whispered before rolling his eyes and stepping forward to ruffle Natsu's pink locks with a mischievous grin.

Natsu scowled and Lucy giggled at the slight pink on his cheeks as he brushed his old mentor to the side.