Solitary Princess - Nalu ✔️

Chapter 37

The next day was filled with overwhelming anxiety. Most of it was spent simply waiting for dusk becayse they planned to move in the night.

The guilds had formed a pact of sorts since they all had a common enemy and Levy told Lucy that she'd never seen them get along so well.  was a bit confused by that as she watched Natsu and a similarly-dressed blonde man wrestling on the ground.

The guild leaders slowly left Fairy Tail as the sun started to lower behind the mountains. They would rally their forces and meet in the cover of the dark and gather just out of view from the castle walls.

When the last ray of light disappeared from sight, all the Fairy Tail members, Gildarts and his soldiers, Virgo, and Lucy began to carefully make their way through the forest to the back of the castle using Pantherlily as a scout to ensure that they wouldn't run into any unwanted company.

Lucy held her breath, jumping at every breeze that moved the trees and every distant call of a coyote. She felt like an elephant moving next to the surprisingly silent group. Natsu had assured her that if she followed directly behind him and matched where he put his feet, she'd not have to worry about the noise. But as Lucy stepped on her eighth stick, she began to question if anyone else weighed more than a small cat.

They didn't really need to be that quiet since they were still a good ways away from the castle walls, but the princess still wondered if she'd screw everything up with her lack of battle experience.

She tried to shake the thoughts from her mind, but she only had the sounds of her breathing to distract herself. Well, that and Natsu's broad back. She watched as he moved effortlessly through the brush, careful to not let branches swing back and hit her.

The blonde was so glad that she had him there with her. He'd protected her, stood up for her, and comforted her in ways she didn't know she needed. She knew that she'd be safe going into battle with him. When he'd tried to insist that she stay out of the battle, the princess gave him an earful about how important it was for her to be a part of this battle and how he shouldn't doubt her. She did her best to bring up reasonable points like how she needed to demonstrate leadership to people who had been let down by her father, but her real reason was that she could never forgive herself if she let her friends go into battle alone, risking their lives to carry out her will. She had to fight with them. After all she'd learned and all they'd helped her with, she needed to.

Her face set in a determined expression as she focused on her best friend's back, having faith that they'd make it out together.

...

Natsu's pov:

Natsu moved through the forest easily, watching his pace to make sure his princess could keep up. He heard her slightly labored breathing and was glad for all the work they'd done to get her into shape before this whole disaster.

A chill went down his spine as he thanked the stars again that Lucy had left the castle to go after him. He had no idea how he'd live without her. She had become his purpose and watching her become herself again- no, watching her become the woman she was meant to be made Natsu fully realize that his purpose was by her side. He wasn't sure what to call their friendship, but it was something that didn't need a name. They both knew it meant the world and more.

But now he had a fresh set of worries. What if something happened to her in battle? What if he couldn't stay by her side to protect her? The what-ifs ran on for days and he tried to ignore the feeling of impending doom with every step he took towards the castle.

...

Eventually, they came to a river about a mile from the castle. Natsu held out a hand before the group could step into the clearing, signaling for them to pause. He scanned along the river, listening for a cry from Pantherlily. When there was none, he signaled for the bird to come down, trusting that the coast was clear. There shouldn't have been extra guards along the stream since they were still far from the castle walls.