The Dragon and the Princess - a Fairy Tail, NaLu Tale [Completed]

Three - Marking

NATSU
I blink a few times to make sure I see this right. Lucy... she's more beautiful than usual in that light pink dress. My cheeks turn pink as I accidentally have dirty thoughts.

"Natsu, do you like it?" Grandine asks.

Wendy claps her hands as I smirk. "Yeah it's cute," I say as I try to hide my weakness; her beauty.

"You liiiiiiiike her Natsu!" My cat, Happy, rolls his tongue.

I hit him a top his head. "Shut up."

Wendy starts to do Lucy's hair. "Do you want it up or over your shoulders?" Wendy asks in her small voice.

"Up, please." Lucy says.

"Grandine, why do I have to be here when all you're doing is making Luce look prettier?" I bite my tongue right away. I'm so stupid.

Lucy smiles as she hears my words. "If you don't want to be here, by all means leave." She says. Then looks down as Wendy puts her hair in a fancy bun. "Though I like you being here." She mumbles very quietly, though I heard it.

I sigh and cross my arms. "When are you going to be done, Wendy? I want to head down to the ball room."

Grandine hits me lightly on the side. "You have to clean up to," The dragon tells me.

I growl. "I. Hate. This." I stomp my way to my wardrobe and I look through the clothing. "Wearing fancy stuff is such a hassle." I change behind a paper wall.

{he puts on the outfit from the picture at beginning of chapter. Lucy wearing different dress from last chapter} I move my arms a little then sigh in defeat. I always look good in these gentlemen clothes, it makes me look older and sharper. But it also makes me feel more like a fairy tale character.

I walk out from my changing spot and keep fiddling with the collar, but then as I look up, I see Lucy and my hands drop. I didn't really see her fully before, but the dress shows her top curves and the dress poofs out at the waist.

Lucy's hair is up high {done like in the photo}. And her skin is almost... glowing, or sparking? So beautiful. I can't help but let my mouth open slightly.

"N-Natsu? Are you okay?" Lucy walks up to me and waves a hand in front of my face.

My face flushes the color of Erza's scarlet hair. "Sorry... you're just... beautiful." I physically hit myself in the head. "Don't tell anyone I said that." I demand her.

Lucy giggles and kisses me on the cheek. "Don't worry, prince, you look handsome yourself." Her smile is bright and I can't help but return the smile.

"Shall we be off?" I ask, holding my arm out for her.

She links her arm to mine. "Hai!"

+++

It doesn't help she's like really cute when she is pissed off. Though, I'm also pissed off so I barely notice.

"Sting, she said leave her alone." I snarl.

Sting Eucliffe smiles devilishly. "C'mon Natsu, maybe we can share her a bit?" Sting take Lucy's hand and kisses it. A blush finds its way to Lucy's cheeks. Sting keeps smiling and flicks his white tail strongly like a whip. "She smells good..." Sting observes as he steps closer and smells her. Jealousy rises in my chest.

"I-I don't like people smelling me!" Lucy snaps, stepping away. Her cheeks are still red, this pisses me off more.

I step in front of her, between the white dragon-boy and the human-nymph. "Leave her alone, Sting, I've already talked to her about the marking and she thinks it's crazy."

Sting steps intimidatingly closer to me. "I have the record of mistakenly marking woman. So why not another?" He tilts his head childishly. 

"Because I have dibs." I growl lowly, hoping Lucy doesn't hear.

Sting rolls his eyes. "Fine, I'll come back for her if you don't have it done in a month."

Lucy jumps in finally. "The war is happening. There's no way anyone could... what ever you said. Just leave me be." Her gaze down-casts to the floor. "Plus I'm pretty much human. Disgusting human."

Sting laughs. "That's what makes it so much more fun!" He stalks away snickering.

I turn around and look at Lucy pitifully. "Don't say that about yourself. You're beautiful." I caress her cheek and whisper in her ear, "The human makes you more unique and precious."

Her cheeks turn more red. "Y-you don't need to try to flatter me..." She whispers back.

I pull away and hold out my hand. "I didn't even notice I was flattering you. I was just saying all truth."

Her face is slowly turning red. She takes my hand and I put a hand on her hips as she places one of her hands on my shoulder. I lace our linked hands and blush myself.

"What were you and Sting talking about? Marking?" She asks after minutes of comfortable silence, with other fantasy creatures roaming around us.

I sigh. "It's when a dragon, ah, bites a woman or man, depending on your sexuality, and um... well marks them, telling other dragons or even humans or any living thing that they're your mate."

"And Sting wanted... to mark me?" She asks with many emotions in her voice. "Like hell to the no!" Lucy puffs her cheeks out and mumbles, "The only dragon I'd be fine with doing that is you."

I choke on air. "W-what?" I stop moving. We were dancing but now I'm standing there staring at her confused.

Lucy says, "I get it if you do no-"

"Midnight. Meet me at the gates, say that I gave you permission to leave." I say and let go of her. "Go dance with Gray or something." I call as I jog out of the ball room.

I get to the gates and slide through the slightly ajar bars. "And what are you doing, Natsu?" A sweet, but chilly, voice asks me. I look behind me and curse.

"Hey Mira!" I say like nothing is happening. I just hope I don't awaken her demon. Because you can clearly see her demon wings but her body transforms when her demon is unleashed by anger. It's scary.

"Natsu, where are you going? There is a royal dance right now. Aren't you supposed to be attending?" She asks, linking her hands in front of her 'innocently'.

I can't lie now. "I need to set up the whole 'marking' thingy. You know, Laxus did it to you." I tell her. I guess Mirajane would understand considering that she loves to match up certain people.

Mira stares at me for a while. "Who is it?" She asks with a dark smile dancing on her face.

"Lucy." I mumble. "Can I go or are you going to make stand here and explain everything?"

Mira smiles. "Do you want me to tell Igneel that you're marking her when you're gone for a while?"

I nod. The marking always takes a week long. That I didn't tell Lucy. First you have to gain your mate's trust, second you need to make sure they know you care for them, and third you need to truly love them.

"Well off you go!" Mira sings and flies off.

I sigh deeply and say out loud, "Love is where the flowers grow." My father used to say it that when I was younger and then he'd add, "But if the sun sets there is no other place to go, but the dragon chamber to where others marked their own." I bite my lower lip but continue my way to the cave.

I remember at a young age learning about the marking. I'm pretty sure I threw up a few times. I smile remembering as a child, always telling girls "I will mark you! You are pretty!" Then my father would like step on me and apologize to the confused girls.

I spread my wings and fly up to a high rock cave entrance. I step in and smile. Oh god how much I'll love this. There's blankets, firewood, a magical wardrobe where apparently who ever is marking here clothing their size gets set in it, a natural hot-spring, and weapons, I have to show my skills to Lucy to prove I'm strong. I mumble a retort about how Sting will regret even daring me to do this. Well it's not really a dare, I want to mark Lucy.

"Salamander?" I hear somebody ask from the entrance of the cave. I turn around to see Gajeel.

I cross my arms. "I was here first dude."

"Okay, geez. I didn't really plan on doing marking, I just wanted to see the chamber." Gajeel says. "What are you doing here?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Getting ready to mark someone." I say.

Gajeel smirks. "Good luck. You're a hard one to fall in love with, Salamander." He flies off with his iron tail behind him.

I grumble bad things about Gajeel for a while as I set up everything for the next week. "Done..." I let a heavy breath out of my mouth.

I fly back to the gates and wait for Lucy. Midnight is in five minutes.