The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 18

The two took in a deep breath as they entered the Alvarez castle hand-in-hand. Happy rested on Lucy's shoulder, nervous but keeping quiet. 

In the entrance room, Lucy took the time to take in her surroundings. This castle was much different from the others she'd been in, there wasn't more than two guards that welcomed them upon arrival. The entrance room was silent, and Lucy could make out the sound of footsteps growing near.

"Hello, Natsu." 

Natsu released her hand to approach the man that greeted him, and Lucy found herself shrinking back where she stood. The man had a dark aura around him, and his face was oddly blank. As she looked around, she realized that this was the same man in one of the murals that hung up in the center of the wall. 

"This is Natsu's brother? This is… Zeref?"

As angel kin, being in the same room as the infamous Zeref Dragneel was terrifying, and Lucy didn't know if she should be glad that he didn't acknowledge her or not. 

"It's good to see you, though I wish it could've been under different circumstances." Zeref's expression flashed a half smile for a second as he spoke, but Natsu caught it and returned the gesture. 

"Yea, thanks for watching after Lucy… I'm really dreading this." 

Zeref nodded as he led them further into the castle, stopping once they reached a seating room. 

Lucy flinched when a guard attached a bracelet to her wrist, and she realized it was a magic-sealing device. It was a little annoying, but much more tolerable than a collar around her neck. The guard locked eyes with her, and Lucy couldn't shake the feeling that the green haired woman was familiar. 

"How do you plan on getting rid of the invading angels?" Zeref said in a voice that Lucy found was uncomfortably monotone.

"I'm gonna try and talk to 'em first. If they don't leave peacefully then we'll have to force them out, but I'll give them a day before attacking. I really don't feel like starting some war over something stupid. 

Zeref simply nodded, mumbling about how Natsu's approach was uncharacteristically pacifist, but the room's attention was drawn elsewhere when a woman knocked on the ajar door. 

"Hey, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The petite blonde smiled brightly at everyone in the room, walking in to join Zeref when he gestured for her to sit. 

"Hey, Mavis! Long time no see!" Natsu grinned brightly at her, and Lucy's eyes widened when she registered who this was. This was not how she imagined queen Mavis would look, Natsu wasn't kidding when he said she and Zeref were opposites. When she glanced down at Mavis' swollen belly, Lucy couldn't help her flush. Mavis was so tiny, and her stomach was so big- she looked like she'd pop any second! Lucy found herself imagining her stomach being as big as Mavis' in a few months, and she idly ran a hand over her abdomen. 

"So, I hear you're trying to take a peaceful approach?" Mavis asked her brother-in-law before looking over to Lucy, giving her a kind smile. 

"Yeah, I really don't feel like dealing with all the drama…" Natsu quirked his brow at the way Mavis looked at Lucy, but said nothing as he nodded to Happy and stood. 

"We should probably get going now. Please keep Lucy safe, she's got a bug and has been throwing up a lot lately. See you guys." They all exchanged farewells, and Lucy hugged Natsu and Happy, giving her king a soft kiss before he was on his way. 

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lucy!" The blonde jolted when the queen approached her, and she quickly bowed. "It's an honour, your highness."

"No need for the formalities. Y'know, you're a lot prettier than I expected! I knew all we needed to do was to let Natsu pick his concubine himself!" Lucy flushed at the compliment, fidgeting in her spot before she caught sight of Zeref silently leaving the room, not addressing her at all.