The castle was starting to crumble, Acnologia observed. It was been in pristine condition not that long ago, but such was the fate of human structures when measured against a dragon's strength and lifespan. Pity. It had been a rather comfortable temporary residence. Secluded, difficult to reach, close to both the sky and good hunting grounds. It didn't compare, of course, to his true lair, but it did have something which his abode did not.

A princess.

Not exactly a true princess, but close enough to count as far as the dragon was concerned. Even if she was only the princess of the open night sky, or of this derelict castle. Even if she slept a cursed sleep, dreaming peacefully on an equally enchanted bed, her golden hair fanned out all around her.

It had been a contract that had led Acnologia to her. A contract offered only after her father had paid someone to enchant his daughter to sleep. In exchange for protecting her until her destined partner arrived, Acnologia would be granted a great deal of treasure. It had seemed like an interesting way to pass the time. Acnologia would be allowed to incinerate anyone that approached without prior notice, with a very pretty captive and a nice heap of gold to increase Acnologia's reputation and hoard. And dragons were patient beings, so even if it took years, there didn't seem to be a downside.

That being said... there was something about this arrangement that now bothered the great black and blue dragon. Three things, to be precise.

For one, no word had ever been sent ahead to him, and barely any trespassers had approached to challenge him. In fact, there had been only two that Acnologia could recall. They had been haggard, lost travelers with the stench of old blood upon them. Neither knights nor nobles, who were the standard for this sort of situation.

Secondly, it had been... far too long. The castle was now in great disrepair, and the forest had reclaimed an entire wing. Seasons were odd this high in the mountains, and Acnologia was not the best at telling time apart anyway, but the dragon was fairly certain that it had been many years past when someone should have come for the girl.

And lastly...

Well, the old dragon had found himself growing rather fond of his eternally slumbering companion over the years. She was unobtrusive, and very pretty to look at with her golden hair. Acnologia, like most dragons, had quite a weakness for the color.

With no visitors or other treasure to preoccupy his attention, Acnologia found it drifting to her often. By accident, he discovered that her slumber was far from quiet some nights. Wrapping himself around her tower, he could make out all that she said in her enchanted sleep. Oftentimes it was nonsense, fueled by sorcerous dreams. Those were comforting to listen to, like water flowing over rocks, as she babbled on about everything from the antics of friends to the stars in the sky.

Every once in a while, though, the castle would fill with her screams, and her pleas for her father to let her live out her own life. Or impassioned cries for her mother, lost long ago but still very much haunting this girl.

She had a lovely voice, even when it was hoarse with tears.

Acnologia's presence on her tower served a dual purpose as time went on and the castle deteriorated. When one of the walls collapsed one day, he discovered that his body functioned well as a windbreak for the princess. If she shivered from the cold, then Acnologia wouldn't be fulfilling his end of the contract. But it didn't hurt that it allowed him to listen to her even more than before. Dragons tended to be solitary beings, so the pseudo-companionship was new and wonderous to him.

Now with the collapse of another wall, though... It was time to reevaluate just what it was he was going out here.

His imperative was to keep her safe, but now it wasn't clear that the other end of the bargain would be kept. In which case, the contract was broken and Acnologia had no obligation to the princess. Surely her father was no longer alive anymore. Humans didn't live very long when not under a powerful enchantment.

Then again, Acnologia had no confirmation of that, either. Contract magic was an odd thing, and could lead to some unpleasant outcomes even for a dragon should he be proven incorrect.

But it clearly wasn't safe to leave her in this castle any longer, either.

What to do?

Moving her into a new castle would be difficult. Humans had originally set her up in this one, and he was too big to fit into them when they were in proper princess-protecting condition.

Removing her enchantment had merit. There were a number of ways to get it done, too.

A powerful magic user was out. Most tended to try to kill approaching dragons, and Acnologia liked living. Besides, he couldn't leave the girl unprotected for the length of time it would take to find out.

A cursebreaking item would work. But again, Acnologia couldn't hunt for one easily. He also probably wouldn't recognize one anyway.

Fulfilling the contract's condition would lift it, but a partner chosen by a dead man would probably be dead now as well. So that was out.

Which left... true love's kiss.

A truly hopeless notion from the start. Dragons didn't love very often. The fondness Acnologia felt for the girl was something of an aberration, but it definitely didn't approach what the humans thought of as true love. The kind of love that could break enchantments involved a very specific magic not endemic to dragonkind.

Furthermore, if the girl's true love were going to show up, Acnologia suspected that they would have done so by now, rather than the fates leaving her in the care of a dragon.

He was in quite the predicament.

As he watched her sleep, Acnologia continued to mull over his options. It was one of her more peaceful nights, a smile gracing her features (incapable of such expressions, Acnologia always found this one in particular fascinating), and her hair glittered under the moonlight that seeped into the tower.

The sun began to rise as he pondered, bathing the tower and the girl in golden halos of light.

She looked like a treasure to him, in that moment.

Acnologia blinked slowly, as a harebrained notion occurred to him.

Treasure.

That was the answer.

She was already treasure to him. His payment for keeping her safe... was her, herself. Her companionship, her voice.

Then why was the contract still in effect, and her enchantment with it?

Because dragons hoard their treasure.

There was a chance - a slight one - that this curse of hers and his contract would be ended if he brought her to his hoard. Contract magic was old and powerful and... odd. If he received payment for a contract completed, then it was possible that it could trick it into abolishing the enchantment.

Even if that didn't work and she continued to sleep, though, she'd still be safer there. But if she did happen to awaken...

He would likely lose her forever in that event. Humans generally did not keep the company of dragons willingly, and Acnologia doubted that he would be able to deny her heavenly voice anything at all. If she wanted to leave, he wouldn't stop her.

Her breathing remained even as he scooped her into his massive paw. "I'm going to keep you safe," he rumbled, bringing her close to his chest and spreading his wings for the long flight to his lair. "Even if it means losing the most wonderful treasure in my possession."

Prompt: “She might just be your worst nightmare.” for AcnoLu

Gravity

He doesn’t think like he used to. Each night she used to be the last thing on his mind before he went to sleep. He doesn’t sleep anymore. All he does is dream of her. Her soft skin, her silky hair, her bright eyes. He’d been warned about her before the fall, but the moment she told him to jump he did without hesitation.

Acnologia gripped the half empty bottle of whiskey and took a generous gulp. Eyes red from crying and lack of sleep. He looked over to the bed and saw her laying there, waiting for him. He approached the bed and crawled over her, leaving kisses on every inch of her skin. She hummed and reached to bring his face to hers. She looked like an angel with her blonde hair splayed out on the pillows.

“Acno. Dammit, fuckin wake up.” Erik snapped. Getting no response from the passed out man, he filled a glass with water then returned to him and splashed his face.

Acno came to sputtering and frantically looking for the woman he’d just been with. He was no longer in the bed and his hair reeked of alcohol. He looked up at the man standing above him and groaned. Another dream. Every time he slept, he dreamt of her.

“How much did you drink last night?” Erik questioned, pinching his nose.

“Not enough apparently,” he answered, hinting at how easily Erik had awakened him.

“She left you, man. You gotta get that through your damn head.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped.

Acnologia push up off the floor and stumbled to the bathroom. He turned the shower to the hottest setting and stripped down. Looking in the mirror, he took note of his haggard expression. Nearly two weeks had passed and all he’d done was mope about and feel sorry for himself. He needed to get a grip. He was better than this. Better than her.

He stepped under the hot water, hissing then turned it down some. He thought about the first time he saw Lucy. He’d gone to the club with Erik one night to look for a quick fuck when he saw her. He watched her for most of the night as she wove through the crowded dance floor. She was an ethereal being, completely at home amongst the crowd swaying her hips in time with the music. She moved from one partner to the next, regardless of gender, and after a while she’d look in his direction when she switched. As though she were daring him to enter her domain.

“She might just be your worst nightmare.” Erik’s words from that night echoed through his mind.

A nightmare isn’t what he wanted to think of her as, but that’s what she was now. He hadn’t seen her since she’d left yet she haunted his mind constantly. He was bad for someone like her, a woman with clear goals that she wanted to meet while he was simply content to live one day at a time. He remembered that she had mentioned liking that about him one time. How free he seemed to be because of it.

Guess it wasn’t enough for her to stick with him. So what had it all been for? Two fuckin years devoted to each other just to end because-

As the water beat against his skin he couldn’t recall why she walked out. All he knew was that she was gone and wasn’t coming back. To his knowledge at least. He turned the water off and ran a towel over his body then through his hair. Not caring if Erik were still at his place, he walked from the bathroom to their- his- bedroom to get dressed, unaware of the figure watching him from the living room.

Lucy stood up from her spot and walked to the bedroom. She took in his appearance and felt tears well up in her eyes. Erik had warned her that he didn’t look good but this was worse than she imagined. She had at least been trying to move on and take care of herself but in the end she still worried about him. She admitted to his friend that she may have acted a bit hasty in leaving, but she just didn’t know what else to do at the time.

“Acno,” she whispered. He froze, shirt in hand ready to throw on. She wasn’t there he told himself. She wasn’t ever going to be there, saying his name. “Acno, look at me. Please.” She was begging now. He didn’t want to believe that she was really there with him. He tried so hard not to turn around, but was unable to resist.

Their eyes met and she broke down; falling to her knees and letting the tears fall. Acnologia hesitantly walked over to the blonde and reached out for her, but he pulled his hand back before making contact. Why was she here? Why was she crying?

“Lucy. Why-” She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. She held him tightly and cried into his chest. He didn’t know what else to do besides comfort her, so his arms wound around her waist and he held her. He rested his head atop hers and let her see how much of a mess he’d become without her around.

Hid sobs shook her. In the time she’d know him, Acnologia had never cried before. Had her leaving really affected him so much, even though he’d been the one to put the idea in her head? “Acno, do you even know why I left?”

He cracked his eyes open and shook his head. There’d been too many sleepless nights and too much whiskey since that night that he could even try to remember everything that had been said between them that night.

“You idiot.” Lucy pulled away from him and held his face between her hands. “You shut me out, Acno.”

He just stared into her eyes. Had he? This woman that had made him fall so hard and so fast, he’d pushed her away? Yes, he was starting to remember now. She’d shown him her weaknesses and had forced his own to reveal themselves to her and he hated that. He’d never fallen for anyone. Had never loved anyone before her.

“I fucked up, Lu,” he confessed.

“We both did.” She leaned in and kissed him. “I think we need to talk about what was said that night, but at a later time when you’re sober.”

He nodded at her, understanding that talking didn’t mean things would be fixed between the two of them. Still, it meant that there was hope and he needed that. He needed to hope that falling wasn’t going to kill him.

I love both of these ships to death.

MardLu:

1. Demon King x Celestial Queen aesthetic.  I am so here for it.

2. Mard seemed legitimately impressed with Lucy for surviving Allegria.  To the point of placing a bounty on her for fun with a relatively high reward for his minions.  It’s a twisted sort of respect, but I somewhat enjoy that.

3. Twisted aspects of the relationship.  It can be pretty rewarding to explore those in fanfiction, both writing and reading, and I very much appreciate the sheer amount of opportunity this ship provides for it.

4. They’re both such snarky people, I would have loved to see them interact face to face.

5. The battle with the celestial king, and Mard’s speeches during it, made me think he has quite the history with celestial spirits and celestial wizards as a result.

6. Capricious as he is, I could see Mard taking an instant like to her.

7. ANGST ANGST ANGST.

AcnoLu:

1. SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL ANGST.

2. Big Bad x Main Heroine is a fun ship combination in general.

3. Exploring Acnologia’s past isn’t something we really got a whole lot of in canon, but with the setup regarding Anna and the Heartfilias, it opens up some interesting doors on that front.

4. They’re an aesthetically pleasing pairing to look at.

She stared at his hand extended towards her, the bright bluemarkings glowing in the fading light of sun in an otherworldly hue.  It would be so easy to take it, sheknew.  This man she’d found after thefinal battle against the black dragon.  Adragon with markings so similar to this man’s, and with only one arm.  Lucy hadn’t known what had possessed her,when she’d taken him in, and helped him heal. It went against everything they had all fought for.  But he’d been… so lost.  So tired after it all.  In his eyes, she’d seen an echo of herself,and she hadn’t been able to abandon him.

“You found me when I was lost,” he told her, his hand stilloutstretched towards her despite her clear hesitation.  “So I’ll repay you by protecting you with mylife.”

Would it be okay, to take that hand?  To accept what he was offering her?  Or would it be a betrayal?  Of herself, of her friends?

Of the world?

“And,” he continued, “if you let me… I will love you, too.”

Chapter 3: Complications And Missing Places

Pairing: Acnologia x Lucy

On FFN:

On AO3:

Summary:  Lucy has lost everything she ever cared for, all thanks to the black dragon of the apocalypse. So, with the help of two old journals belonging to her ancestor Anna and a dragon slayer 400 years dead, she will find out the secret to Acnologia’s defeat. No matter the personal cost.

Chapter 3 of the giveaway fic for @momocheww

Sorry this took so long to get out!  I finished it a while ago, but I only just got around to editing it.  Also, I cried while writing this chapter.  A lot.  Lucy’s still got some growing to do in this fic, but she’ll get there eventually.

“I’ll fight for you.”

It was such an innocuous statement.  Something from a fairy tale, or a comicbook.  Not something that people said inreal life.  Or at least… not say it and mean it.

Lucy had never heard those words, growing up.  Her mother’s death was not something herfather could protect her from, so he never tried.  Eventually he became a person she neededprotection from.  While he may never have physically hurt her,the scars inflicted by his neglect ran deep.

There were so very few people in her corner for so manyyears, that she never believed that people like that existed outside of hernovels.

When the members of Fairy Tail said it, and more to thepoint proved it to her when PhantomLord attacked because of her, she had been so overcome with emotion that thememory still brought tears to hereyes.  That memory was one of her mostcherished possessions, kept close to her heart always.

And now she had the opportunity to say it to someoneelse.  That she was in their corner.  That come what may, she’d be on thebattlefield in their name, swinging her whip until her hands bled and she couldno longer stand up.

Judging from his expression, it was something he’d neverheard before, either.  After four hundredyears, he had probably never expected to. After all, who would even feel the need to?  He was the dragon of the apocalypse.  He wasn’t a creature that needed defending,he was a monster to defend against.  Evenbefore then, he’d been a dragon slayer, wielding power immense enough to slaycountless dragons.

But before even that, Lucy knew, he’d been a defenselesschild.  Scared and alone, looking for themonsters that destroyed his life, and since no one else would, saving himselffrom them by annihilating them wholesale. It wasn’t a solution Lucy agreed with, but she understood the emotionsbehind it.  Was far too familiar withthem.

She could feel hiseyes boring into her, trying to comprehend what she felt so deeply for him in thatmoment that could lead her to say something like that.

“I’ll fight for you.”

It was a powerful, powerful sentiment.