[NaLu AU] The Kingdom's Crown

Betrayel

My shoes make patter noises as I walk down the hall. Father told me to wait by the balcony until I was called into the ballroom. I'm a little nervous about tonight and meeting people but Sting told me he would be there so I'm a little more at ease.

I haven't talked to Natsu since our little argument earlier and to be honest it's making me a little uneasy. Although we don't get along sometimes, he's a close friend since childhood and it hurts me to think about how I acted. I really need to apologize.

Twisting one of the earrings Sting gave me, I try to think of a plausible way to apologize. Crunching my silver gown, I tap my feet nervously and thoughts begin exploding into my mind.

I'm sorry, I don't how to apologize. It's not something I'm really good at but I'll try...

"Princess."

I turn around and see it's Natsu. He's holding a small yellow box in his hand with a pink ribbon tied around it. His ruffled pink hair glistens in the moonlight and I smile softly at him.

"Natsu! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down there with everyone else?" I ask, but a bit relieved to see him.

He sighs. "The king requested me to escort you down. He doesn't want you to walk down alone."

"But why?" I frown and cross my arms. "We're in the palace, I think I will be fine walking down the stairs."

"That's true." He replies. "But remember, the room is full of guests that could end up being our enemies. It's always good to be careful."

I lower my head in defeat. "I suppose."

"Here, Princess." He hands me the box in his hand. "It's a small birthday gift for you, nothing big." I tentatively take it from him and begin to unravel the string. "Arigatō, Natsu."

"Dōitashimashite, Hime."

Opening the box, I gasp in amazement when I see a beautiful pink clip with flowers on top inside. The surface is smooth and I marvel at it's delicacy.

When I look up, Natsu is smiling at me and it surprises me a bit. It's been a long time since I've seen him smile like that and I grin back at him.

"I hope you like it." He starts and clears his throat. "But I also wanted to apologize for the way I was speaking to you earlier, Princess." He lowers his head. "I had no right to speak to you that wa-."

"No, Natsu." I stop him. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I took advantage of who I am and spoke rudely." Twisting my necklace, I look shyly up at him. "I'm sorry, you were only trying to help me."

"Hmm...so the Princess does have manners." He jokes but there's a small smile in the corner of his mouth.

I punch his shoulder. "Shut up!"