Solitary Princess - Nalu ✔️

Chapter 33

While Natsu slept, Lucy and everyone else was briefed on what had happened during the attack.

All was normal two nights ago, until a sudden ambush was sprung onto the small group of people. At first, there was a huge storm of people, and the unguarded fought as well as they could with what little they had to work with.

After a few got injured in the confusion, they sent the letter Natsu received, asking for assistance from the people in the castle.

However, even though they could've easily been overwhelmed before reinforcements arrived, their enemies simply retreated. When Natsu and everyone else finally arrived near the break of dawn, people were already being tended to, and no terrible injuries had been obtained.

They speculated what was going on until another attack was unleashed the next night. Arrows started to be shot from the trees, and after people rushed indoors for protection, a man ran into the clearing and threw an oil lamp to an exposed patch of wood on the building.

It caught fire immediately and the arrows continued for a few minutes and then stopped. People tried to rush out, but the fire started at the infirmary, so they each tried to grab an injured person and take them to safety.

By then, the fire was spreading at an alarming rate, and a little girl was trapped inside the burning room. Natsu rushed through the flames to save her, but the entrance to the room collapsed after he made it inside. He wrapped his body around her and luckily protected her from most of the smoke which was enough to save her until the fire got put out. As a result though, he wasn't protecting his own lungs and got the full brunt of smoke.

Lucy and their group arrived just in time. Any later, and Natsu and the little girl would be dead.

Lucy heard the mother sob into her daughter's hair as Erza finished filling them in. She glanced over and saw how tight they held to each other. They were both sitting over one of the men she had tended to, and were dressed in western-looking outfits. She guessed the healing man before them was the father because the little girl had the same hair as him, but her eyes and skin we're like her mother's. Lucy's heart clenched at the thought of them being separated and was thankful to Natsu.

The princess looked back down at Natsu, who's head was resting in her lap. He was so selfless. He rescued that girl without any thought of his own well being. Even though his family had met the same fate he almost did, he still rushed into the flames. Maybe it was because his family died that way. Maybe he didn't want to regret not doing something again.

Lucy's hands had finally stopped shaking from adrenaline, so she gently stroked her fingers through his soft hair, trying to knock away some of the ash. She raked her eyes across his face, looking at the small cuts that were evident after she cleaned his skin off with a wet rag.

Her heart ached, but she felt relief that he was safe and resting peacefully in her arms.

Lucy felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and looked up to see Levy smiling softly at her, "How are you doing?"

Lucy smiled sadly back, "I'm good. Safe and sound. Just glad nobody's hurt too badly." The blonde looked down at Natsu again, watching his face for any signs of dreams.

Levy spoke softly again, kneeling next to the blonde and fidgeting with her fingers, "Thank you Lucy."

The princess' eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "For what?"

"Thank you for standing up when I didn't and taking me along with you. I honestly didn't think we'd be much help, but just the fact that we came to help despite that- it feels good to do the right thing," Lucy watched Levy study the ground, "But actually, if you hadn't showed up, we wouldn't have made it with our home still standing."

Lucy smiled over at her friend, pulling her fiddling hands apart and squeezing the bluenette's fingers gently, "Levy, I'm just glad I could help. I would do anything to help my friends," she paused in thought, before meeting her eyes again, "That includes you."

The librarian's eyes watered and her lip started to quiver. She threw her arms around the princess' shoulders, careful to avoid the resting pinkette, "Lucyyyyy," she sobbed into her friend's large chest.

Lucy laughed and hugged Levy back gently. She felt like herself again- her old self that she hadn't seen in years. Smiles came easily and even though there were hardships, she would be able to get through them. She had friends again. People she cared about who cared about her. She felt fulfilled. Helping others really is what she was always meant to do.

...

A few hours later, Lucy had left Natsu on a makeshift bed to rest while she helped assess the damage done to the building. She was glad she brought the extra help of the soldiers as she watched them lift one of the heavy collapsed beams together.

The burned parts of the building had cooled rather quickly due to the colder weather. Lucy fought off a shiver as she stepped through a ruined doorway and picked up wood from the floor to move it outside onto the heap of rubbish. They were trying to clear the area so they could start to rebuild as soon as possible.

A few people stood guard just in case the gang decided to attack again, but Lucy was impressed at their high moral. She saw few frowns and most claimed they were just happy everyone was alive.

After a few more hours of pulling apart the ruined building, they had made a lot of progress. Everyone agreed to relax for the night, and Lucy looked around at the strange people who called this place home. Everyone stood out as different from the people she had grown up around, and she could see it in their eyes that they each had a story.

Lucy smiled softly as she silently wiped off an injured person's forehead. Luckily the worst of injuries were still treatable and many were resting peacefully.

The princess thought she was only taught the basic medics, but everyone told her that she was extremely skilled for someone who didn't call themselves a nurse. Capricorn seemed to have focused on medical skills for some reason, and Lucy made a mental note to thank him for that.

She wondered what was going on back at the castle. How were people reacting with the princess' sudden disappearance? She hadn't really thought about her return process or the repercussions she might get from leaving.

Lucy bit her lip as she worried to herself. What if her father became even worse after she returned? Scratch that, he would definately be much more strict after she went back. She'd never been so disobedient before and she was already treated like a delicate imprisoned flower. She couldn't imagine how little freedom she'd have when she returned.

She ignored the anxiety and returned her focus back to redressing a wound on a green haired woman's upper arm. It looked like it had been sliced open with a sharp knife, but Lucy figured it was an arrow because of it's depth and angle.

The princess wondered why the gang retreated the first time only to return with different tactics the next night. Maybe they had an attack on their own base at the same time? Then why bother attacking again right after?

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tied the last knot, thinking of possible scenarios that would lead to the decisions the enemy made, but was interrupted by someone calling out her name.

"Lucy, right?" She made eye contact with a scrawny man and he continued, "Natsu's awake and asking for you."