The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 3

Lucy ran her fingers through her hair as she sat up in the bed. She glanced around the large room she was in, noting how incredibly large it was. 

"Where am I?" She thought out loud, running her hands along the plush black comforter. 

"Have you already forgotten?" A raspy voice replied, causing Lucy to scream and shoot her leg out to kick whoever this intruder was. 

She watched as a pink haired man fell off the right side of the bed. He stayed on the ground, his face smack against the dark, sleek wooden floor, for a few moments. Lucy noticed the man was in just his boxers… and the boxers were decorated with dragon decals. She would've giggled if she hadn't noticed her own state of undress, for she was completely nude under the covers. 

"What the hell were you doing in bed with me?!" The blonde demanded as she scooted further away from the side of the bed from which he fell. 

"Well it's my bed… I let you sleep in it and this is how you thank me? Real classy, Luigi." The man grumbled as he rubbed at his face. 

Lucy's eyes widened, her mind reeling to the night before. She'd woken up in a garden, been surrounded by guards, tortured, and then bathed… bathed by this man… the king.

She jumped out of the bed and kneeled down on her hands and knees, bowing before the man.

"I'm sorry! It completely slipped my mind, please forgive me, er… Lord END." 

Natsu stood up, now looking down at the girl. He noted that he didn't like hearing her speak to him that way, but it wasn't like he ever liked being spoken to as if his soul held more meaning than others. He examined her body, mostly making sure that all of the wounds healed properly. He noticed the way her long blonde hair covered her face as she bowed, part of it hanging across her shoulders. From this angle, he'd also noticed she had an amazing figure, he'd have to keep an eye out for her to be sure none of the guards tried anything. 

"Don't worry 'bout it. How 'you feelin'? Do ya have any of your memories?" 

He grabbed Lucy by the forearm and guided her to sit next to him on the bed. She shifted so her body faced slightly away from him and lifted her arms to try and cover her large breasts. 

"I… I still don't remember anything… Why have you healed me? And why are you keeping me here?"

Lucy's big brown eyes bore into his, and Natsu couldn't help but think that paired with her flushed face was very cute.

"You'll have to excuse my guards, they tend to have a strange infatuation with cruel and unusual punishment. I didn't think you deserved that, so I took you here. The ointments I used were given to me by my little cousin, she's very skilled in that kind of thing. I'm glad you've healed nicely."

He flashed Lucy a smile, and she admired it for a moment before raising a brow, definitely noticing his change in demeanor and how he spoke much more formally than before. 

"Oh… Well, thank you. What do you want with me now?"  Lucy raised a hand up to fidget with the collar around her neck. Natsu's eyes followed the motion, and he fought the urge to remove the collar himself. He couldn't understand why, but he already felt like he could trust this woman. 

"You've entered my castle. You have no title, no rank, no backstory, so you're mine now. You'll be joining my court as one of my servants." 

Lucy looked down at the ground. It wasn't like she had many options, but she did not feel safe in this castle. She sighed as she turned towards the king. 

"No."

Natsu stared at her for a moment before erupting into laughter. He shook his head as he wiped the tears from his eyes.