A Cinderella Story

Chapter 2

Natsu quickly snuck into the palace stables, the smell of musty hay invading his nostrils and the quiet shuffling and snorting of horses could be heard. His mind still back on the street with that girl. She was stunning. When he saw her sitting there on the ground, her beautiful blonde hair ruffled, with that gorgeous creamy skin and her big chocolate eyes staring up at him and that adorable shocked expression on her face his heart skipped a beat. She literally took his breath away. He had never felt that way about a girl before. Ever. When her hand touched his it was like someone electrocuted him.

What on earth is wrong with me? Well, at least she didn't seem to recognise me...Fortunately not many people do when I'm not in my crown... Yep, you guessed it. He's the prince. Who has a tendency to sneak out. Natsu quickly slipped through the back door and managed to creep back into his room without his parents catching him. Although Natsu had seen it so many times he barely noticed anymore, the craftsmanship of the palace was stunning.

Most of the walls were painted pristine white, the polished floorboards gleamed and every rug was plush and spotless. Gold embellishments were present in almost every room, on table and chair legs, on the bottoms of support pillars, every candelabra was made from pure gold, unless it was made from pure silver. The huge oak doors and their doorknobs – yes gold – gleamed. The huge windows never had a speck of dirt, and the curtains were made from only the finest material. A huge crystal chandelier glittered at the roof of almost every room. The huge marble staircases were polished to perfection.

Large portraits adorned almost every wall, not just the portrait hall, which had the portraits of every royal of the Fairy Tail kingdom, past and present, including his. It took him hours of standing painstakingly still before the artist was finally satisfied. One thing you should know about Natsu. He DID NOT like standing still for long periods of time. At all.

Natsu tiptoed up a marble staircase and slipped into his room. He had made sure everything in his room was red, since it was his favourite colour. All of the walls, except the ceiling which was white, were painted red. The dresser and large wardrobe were expertly crafted – of course – and made from expensive highly polished oak. An oak sofa with a red cushion was positioned in one corner. A large open window with red curtains which were swaying slightly in the breeze was set in the wall to his right. The only thing that was left was his bed, a majestic oak master bed with hanging red drapes, a red duvet and pillows and snow white sheets.

That was all in his room. His mom tried to keep the amount of furniture to a minimum, as he often burnt most of it down. How? He was a mage. A fire dragon slayer to be exact. He was one of the few mages left in Fairy Tail kingdom. Dragon slayers were really rare as well. His dad was a fire dragon slayer too, and his mom was a sky dragon slayer. His dad had taught him everything he knew at an early age.

His room also had an en suite bathroom; complete with a large shower and a bath that was more like a pool. Well, a round one. He sighed, pulled of his jacket, tossed it on the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He seriously needed a shower.

•••

After his shower, he felt a lot more refreshed, changed and made his way to the extravagant dining room for dinner. His father, as always, was positioned at the head of the table, his mother right beside him. "Hey guys" he said, kissing his mother on the cheek – since she liked that – and sat down on the other side of his father. "Good evening dear" his mother Grandine replied, looking up from where she had been buttering a bread roll. His mother had always been described as a beauty. Her face was ageless, not a wrinkle in sight, she had big bright blue eyes and dark blue hair that us tied up in a tight bun. Despite being a Queen, she was wearing a simple white dress and no jewellery, bar small diamond earrings and a thin silver necklace.

His father, meanwhile, lowered the newspaper he had been reading and barked "You're late". Natsu sighed and slouched back in his chair. "Sorry Dad won't happen again". His father frowned at him. "You say that every time" he huffed, going back to his newspaper. His father, like his mother, had an ageless face with no wrinkles. His eyes were the exact same dark onyx colour as Natsu's. In fact, Natsu and his father were almost identical, except Igneel's hair was dark red, while Natsu's was pink.

"So son", his father said, folding his newspaper and setting it on the table. His folded his hands under his chin and stared at Natsu. Here we go. Natsu slouched down even more in the chair. "Yes?" "Your mother and I were having a chat and we both agree that it's about time you got yourself a wife". Natsu almost spat out the water he was drinking. "What?!" "Natsu, you're going to be 20 in a week" his mother said gently. "It's about time you settled down and got married". "No to mention we need an heir to the kingdom" his father added.

"Uh, I don't want to get married!" Natsu groaned. "Those girls you keep forcing me to meet are all so boring! If I have to get married I want it to be to someone I actually want to spend my life with, and have a family with!" For some reason Natsu's mind jumped back to that blonde girl. He frowned. Huh, weird... Igneel and Grandine shared a glance then turned back to Natsu. "Well...How about we have a ball on your birthday, and we invite all the eligible young ladies in the kingdom" Igneel started. "No" Natsu said bluntly. "You know I hate balls".

"Well, then how about you go to this ball, and if you do find a young lady that catches your eye..." Natsu snorted. His mother glared at him before continuing. "Then you can get to know her better or just marry her the next day, and if you don't find anyone then we'll leave you to sort out your love life by yourself" Natsu's ears pricked up at that. His parents had been pestering him for months about getting married. Having them off his case would be nice... "But, if you don't go to the ball, we're going to choose a wife for you" she ended. "Deal, I'll go" Natsu replied instantly. "Are we done" he said picking up his fork. "We're done" Igneel said, glancing at his wife. She grinned at him, them both thinking the same thing. He's bound to find someone...