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A/N: Thought I was done with this story, but someone asked me for a companion piece/spin-off from Lucy's POV so I figured why not, it should be fun.

This is my thoughts on what was going on inside Lucy's mind throughout the story. This was only intended to be a short companion piece to the main story so I just focused on her feelings about Erza.

**********

Lucy Heartfilia had always loved fairy tales.

The fairy tales that her Mom told her, ever since she was just a small child, full of wonder and innocence, never realized how the real world could be so cruel, much crueler than the evilest witches or envious step-mothers or powerful dragons or disdainful kings. It was not until she was much older that Lucy understood more about the reality of human nature, and how good and evil were sometimes two sides of the same coin. The same with light and darkness.

But as a child, having never stepped foot outside of the big Heartfilia mansion, those tales were the only things she had as frames of reference for how the outside world should be. The ones that her Mom told her, and the ones from the books that her Dad gave her. Lucy treasured each and every single one of those dearly, fondly.

Her most favorite tales were about princes and princesses. How a fearsome monster, usually a dragon or a witch, would kidnap the princess from her home. How the princess would feel lonely and scared at a guarded tower, only for a dashing prince to come slay the beast and sweep the princess off her feet. And they would live happily ever after.

There were certain variations in each of the tales, but happily ever after always included a prince. And so that was what Lucy was used to believing in.

Until one day. Perhaps a completely normal day for other people around the world. But it was one of those days that tiny, little Lucy could recall clearly just from fragments of memory alone, no matter how many years into the future.

Because the tale her Mom told was different from any others before.

"Mommy, mommy!" Tiny Lucy ran across the room to where her Mom was reading in a chair by the window, Michelle in one hand while the other pulled at Layla's skirt. "Mommy, will you tell me a story?"

"Which one do you like to hear, little pumpkin?" Her Mom smiled and put down the book in her hand. Lucy giggled, "Mommy, I don't want to be a pumpkin! Pumpkins can only turn into carriages, and I don't want to be a carriage!"

"Then, how about a princess instead?" The tiny blonde giggled all the while as her Mom picked her up into her lap. "Alright, my little princess, do you want to hear a story about another princess today?"

"Will there be a prince in it, mommy?" At Lucy's excited grin, Layla simply smiled and shook her head fondly, "No, there won't be."

Lucy somehow managed the most adorable, tiny frown on her face, "Then who will the princess fall in love with?" Because princesses were always meant to fall for princes.

"Patience, my little star. You are getting ahead of the story." Lucy pouted, because there wouldn't be a prince in it! "Once upon a time, there was a kingdom far away by the name of..."

It was a tale much similar to any other. A kingdom on the verge of destruction, a king desperate to save his people, and a princess sacrificed herself to be the dragon's hostage so that the beast wouldn't terrorize the kingdom anymore.

Lucy was still waiting for the rest of the story, surely there would be a prince who would come and slay the dragon to save the princess. Her Mom must be mistaken!

"The dragon went to see the princess every day, just to guarantee his hostage was still inside the tower." Her Mom's voice was soothing, "There was nothing the princess could do. The dragon was strong and terrifying, and the princess was alone with no one to help her."

"But then one day, the dragon stopped coming. The princess waited and waited with bated breath, but when another day passed without anyone coming to the tower, beasts or humans alike, the princess got less fearful and more curious."

The curious frown returned on Lucy's young face. This was always the part where the prince would appear, after slaying the dragon, to take the princess back to the castle with him for their happily ever after.

Layla smiled and tapped Lucy's nose affectionately at the bewilderment in the small girl's eyes, knowing that she now had her daughter's full intention in the story. Lucy had always been a curious child, after all.

"The princess climbed down the tower and went outside. If the dragon would not come today, she would take the chance and go ask for help. Maybe something had happened with her kingdom, or maybe the dragon had gotten bored with her and moved on to another part of the world instead."

"With those thoughts in mind, the princess ventured outside, passing the woods on her way back to her home, the palace where her father was. She didn't find the dragon anywhere near the tower, there was only a knight inside the woods."

A knight? Lucy tilted her head in confusion. Layla chuckled and asked, "Do you remember what a knight is?"

"A knight is the one fighting other normal people for the prince. The prince only fights witches and dragons and monsters!" At least that was what Lucy could remember from all the stories before.

"Yes and no," Lucy squirmed away on her Mom's lap as Layla tickled her, light dancing in her gentle eyes, "A knight does not need only fight normal people. He can fight witches and dragons and monsters too. And this knight that the princess met, he did not fight for the prince either. He was alone, just like the princess was."

A knight who didn't fight for the prince? And alone?

"This knight, he was surprised to see the princess inside the woods. The princess asked him if he had seen a dragon close by, and the knight said he had slayed it, the beast that was haunting the princess's dream."

"The princess asked, 'Then why did you not come to the tower to get me?'. To which the knight replied, 'I did not know there was anyone there, let alone a princess.' The princess was very surprised at his answer."

Lucy was surprised at the knight's answer too, for was there any other reason to slay the dragon besides saving the princess? If the knight didn't know the princess was there, then why did he come to the dragon?

"The knight said he was a wanderer, never staying too long in one place. When he reached this area, he heard from the villagers that there was a dragon wreaking havoc in the kingdom, so he set out to slay the beast, because that was the right thing to do."

That was the first difference between a prince and a knight. A prince slayed the dragon to save the princess, but a knight slayed the dragon because it was the right thing to do.

Lucy's eyes widened at this, having never heard of such tales and such reasons before. Her Mom continued, "The knight said he was on a journey, and only intended to stay in the woods for a few more days for his wounds to heal before leaving again. The princess could see the knight had many unhealed injuries from the fight with the dragon, and from battles with other beasts on his expedition too."

Injuries? "Why did the knight have injuries, mommy? A prince never has injuries."

Layla's smile got even softer, and her eyes turned sadder as well, "A prince also has injuries. Princes and knights, they fought with the dragon, and they had injuries because the dragon hurt them. But the prince, he has advisors, healers, and all of his subjects to care about him. He is to inherit the crown, so he is important to his people. They help him immediately after the battle so his wounds healed really fast. But the knight. He was alone, remember? There was no healer with him, so the knight had to treat his injuries by himself. And he was not very good at it."

"Why didn't the villagers help him, mommy?" The knight helped them slay the dragon, the least the villagers could do was help treat his wounds!

"They didn't know, honey. The knight was prideful, headstrong, and oblivious sometimes. He believed fighting with the beast was his responsibility, and so he didn't tell the villagers he was hurt by it. He bore the injuries, so the villagers didn't have to."

"Is that why the knight was in the woods alone when the princess found him?" At her Mom's nod, Lucy grumbled angrily, "That's not right! Someone should care about him!"

"That was what the princess thought too. Even though the knight protested, the princess set out to treat his injuries, and begged him to tell her all his adventures in distant, faraway lands, and whether he had always been alone since the beginning. The knight dutifully answered her questions, and the princess was sad that the knight had no one with him on his journeys."

"So the princess went with him, vowing to do her best to heal him of all his scars and wounds. She wanted to keep him company, so he would never feel alone anymore. His tales of distant lands and adventure excited her, and she wanted to go see the world with him."

"Woa!" Lucy grinned widely, "The princess was so nice! What happened next, mommy?"

Layla chuckled, "They had many fun adventures together. The princess and the knight grew closer to each other, and they fell in love not long after."

"And they lived happily ever after?" The tiny blonde was in awe. So the princess didn't always fall for a prince? She liked princes, but now she liked knights too!

"Yes. And they lived happily ever after. All fairy tales end with happily ever after, because the knight and the princess loved each other, so no matter what happened, they would always be happy as long as they were together." Layla's gentle smile remained on her face as she held the tiny blonde in her lap tighter so Lucy wouldn't fall to the floor with all her squirming and cheering.

Little Lucy was curious about one more thing, though. If a princess could fall for a knight or a prince, then, "Mommy, is daddy your prince or your knight?" Daddy was tall and dashing like a prince, but he was often alone like a knight too...

She could see her Mom's eyes got brighter at the mention of him. One day, she would grow up and meet her prince or knight, and she would love him the same way her Mom loved her Dad! "He is my knight. I left my castle to go with him, and we had so many fun adventures together. He was hurt so much in the past, but I helped him heal most of his wounds. Your dad is a little rough around the edge, and awkward sometimes, but he cares so deeply. It is endearing."

Lucy nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as she was trying really hard to think about her future, "Then I will fall in love with a knight too. Just like you, mommy!"

Layla only smiled at the declaration from the young girl, "Maybe you will. Or perhaps you will like a prince more. A prince or a knight doesn't matter, my little star. The most important thing is that you will find happiness whenever you are with him. That is what matters the most."

Right! And they would live happily ever after, just like Mommy and Daddy!

------------------------------

The thing was, her Mom didn't tell her what happened after the 'happily ever after' part. And Lucy didn't think to ask.

Because 'happily ever after' didn't last. Her Mom died, and it broke something in her Dad.

They were happy when they were together. But her Mom was not here anymore, and so her Dad's wounds were split open once more. He became cruel to Lucy, towards everyone around him, and Lucy was old enough to fight back.

She tried to fill the gaping hole her Mom left behind first, by caring for him as much as possible. She didn't want him to be alone, and she hoped she could heal his wounds the way her Mom had been able to. They were family, if her Dad loved her Mom so much, shouldn't he love Lucy since she was their child, the product of their love too?

But her Dad was cruel, so cruel, and Lucy could only endure so much before she snapped. Her Dad didn't want her close, so she left.

He was never the same after her Mom died, but how could he not see Lucy was hurting, too.

She was sixteen when she left her Dad, along with any association with the Heartfilia name.

Lucy was sixteen and a half when she met her first love while she was drifting from town to town, seeking adventures. Her first love had been a boy, handsome and strong and kind. He saved her when she was almost assaulted while on the streets and provided her with shelter, with love and care, with affection. He taught her self-defense, how to handle herself against thieves and the like, and how to be firm with other people when she needed to be.

He was everything a prince should be. Dashing, proud, gallant, and attentive. He chased all the monsters away from her thoughts, from her dreams, and Lucy thought perhaps he was the one she had been waiting for all this time.

But he wasn't. He was a prince, and he had responsibility to his family, his siblings, and the people around him. He could never go with her on any adventure outside of his realm. And Lucy was too curious about the rest of the world to let anything stop her from exploring more of it first. So they broke up and went their separate ways.

It should have been Lucy's first indicator that she was never meant to fall for a prince. But the blonde didn't think too much of it at the time. She was more excited about the prospect of adventures ahead.

------------------------------

The first time Lucy Hearfilia met her, she thought Erza Scarlet was a prince, too.

Erza was dashing and beautiful the same way a prince should be. She was proud and gallant and attentive the same way a prince should be. She commanded attention and respect from everyone around her the same way a prince should. Her orders were to be obeyed with absolute adherence from each and every one of them the same way a prince's orders were to be adhered to by his subjects. People held her in high regard, almost to the point of worshipping, the same way villagers were taught to fear and distance themselves from the prince.

And Lucy was drawn to her instantly, the same way she had been drawn to her first boyfriend, a prince.

But the thing was, her Mom forgot to mention that sometimes a prince could be a knight and sometimes a knight could be a prince, too.

Because Erza Scarlet was an enigma.

Because Erza said, "That is why I was so angry with you, you know. You intentionally put yourself in danger beyond your ability to defend yourself. And it makes me anxious to think that I won't be able to reach you in time." Those were not the words of a prince. A prince would happily let people around him be weak because he would always save them. He would not mind people heading into danger, for danger was the way he could prove himself to the princess and his subjects.

Because Erza used to be a slave, and was hurt so much. She was proud and stubborn and oblivious to people's frustration when she didn't let them help. She was self-destructive sometimes, and thought the weight of the world rested solely on her shoulders. She was used to hiding her scars, her wounds with everyone around her. Those were not the things a prince would do. A prince was royalty, no one would dare hurt him because he had his knights to protect him against any threat. He would welcome the help of his healers and his subjects. He could never be self-destructive, for he was to be the one who inherited the crown and became the next king. He could not afford to die or sacrifice himself, no matter the reason.

Because Erza was alone most of the time. Even though she was surrounded by friends and family, her mind retreated to dark places often, her scars and her injuries and other things haunting her from the past. She was used to keeping her emotions to herself only, and had built almost impenetrable walls around her heart. Those were not what made a prince. A prince should be emotionally available to people around him, especially his advisors because the entire kingdom would one day rely on his thoughts and actions. A prince would need his subjects to understand his heart, for no one would follow a king if they weren't sure about his intentions and feelings.

Those were not what a prince should be. Those were the things that made up a knight, and Lucy was even more mesmerized with Erza Scarlet, with this wonderful, amazing girl who was both a prince and a knight at the same time.

She was attracted to her, really much so, and hence Lucy set out to get closer to Erza, deeply curious about what more she could uncover about the Requip mage, and whether she could create an entirely new fairy tale for herself, where the princess fell for a person who was both a prince and a knight instead.

Erza was skittish about everything emotion-related, that much Lucy could see, as clear as the Sun shining high above their head. However, Lucy was nothing but patient and determined, once she had set a goal for herself.

Erza Scarlet was an enigma, a puzzle, and Lucy wanted to get closer. She just had to be methodological and careful about it, so her actions and intentions wouldn't spook Erza away before the blonde could truly understand what exactly she was feeling about this girl.

------------------------------

The first thing to do was gather as much information about Erza as possible. There was a limit to what kinds of questions she could ask the redhead herself, so Lucy changed direction and asked other people who were considered close to Erza instead.

Natsu and Gray spoke highly of her. They were afraid of Erza, but from what they could tell her, Lucy understood that they were actually afraid of Erza getting hurt again, be it from anyone from her past or new adversaries in the future. They were both extremely protective of Erza, not overtly because it would suffocate the redhead, but Natsu and Gray would kill anyone if they dared touch a single thread of Erza's hair.

Lucy suspected there were more to the stories about Erza that Natsu and Gray were not telling her, perhaps personal reasons why they were so apprehensive and protective of the Requip mage. Lucy didn't pry, for they were personal memories, thoughts, and feelings of the boys about Erza. One thing she was sure of, was that neither of the boys harbored any romantic attraction to Erza, ever since they were just kids and even now.

Mirajane was another story.

The Take Over mage was close to Erza in a different way from Natsu and Gray. Their bond was not a sibling bond, and Lucy frowned just the slightest bit as she listened to Mirajane explain exactly what Erza's likes and dislikes were, how each of the redhead's actions could be interpreted in certain ways, and how the Requip mage showed her caring side to the white-haired girl in a more subtle, gentler way compared to the boys, perhaps indicative of an intention other than familial love.

Lucy was too busy asking questions about what all of those things between Mirajane and Erza meant to notice the cheeky, knowing smile Mirajane was giving her the entire time.

In the meantime, Lucy somehow managed to get closer to Erza, enough to call herself a close friend of the redhead and not simply her guildmate anymore. From what she could gather about Erza, Natsu and Gray didn't really seem like the kinds of person Erza would be romantically interested in, but Mirajane could be.

Lucy couldn't be sure, so she tried her best at subtly asking Erza questions about her relationship with Mirajane. But she now got the sense that the Take Over mage already knew about her feelings for Erza, with all the questions Lucy had asked. She didn't mind Mirajane knowing about them, and to be completely honest with herself, perhaps subconsciously she had intentionally let it slip to the eldest Strauss sibling just to gauge her reactions.

------------------------------

Lucy forgot to account for Jellal Fernandes.

She didn't forget about his terrible actions and the scars imprinting on Erza's soul, per se. It made her blood boil just thinking about it. And she didn't forget about the close bond between the man and Erza either, how they were each other's rock in the darkness of time. It soothed her soul to know Erza had at least some good memories of her oldest friend. So all in all, Lucy had somewhat mixed feelings about Jellal.

But she had thought Jellal was not going to be in the picture anymore, after the whole ordeal with Oracion Seis and he was taken away by the Magic Council for life imprisonment. But then he came back, after they returned from Tenrou Island, and Erza's eyes lighted up just the slightest bit at the sight of him.

By now, Lucy was familiar enough to recognize when Erza was happy about something. And at that moment, the redhead was happy Jellal was back, even though he had illegally escaped from prison and the Magic Council would surely punish Fairy Tail if they found out their guild had contacts with the criminal.

Before this happened, Lucy and Erza had gotten even closer than ever before, or at least that was what the blonde hoped. Erza didn't shield away from her affections, and Lucy had somehow gotten permission to touch the redhead freely without having to announce her intention in advance.

Erza had held her and stayed by her side when her Dad died. Erza's eyes were softer whenever she looked at Lucy, completely different from the way she looked at anyone around them. Erza was playful with her sometimes. And Erza didn't object to them being physically closer and closer with every passing day.

Lucy cared about her scars, her past, and her heart. And Erza let her. She let her! That had to account for something.

Lucy dared hope that Erza at least somewhat liked her too, just enough for their attraction to grow from both sides. She had time, she could wait.

But then Jellal returned, just a fleeting appearance, and he was the kind of person Erza could fall for, too. They had history together.

This thing between Lucy and Erza, it was still so new, and pure, and precious, and Lucy was scared this flickering fire between the two of them would burn away before it could even have the chance to grow.

But Erza indulged her questions and inquiries. The Requip mage reassured her that Jellal was only a friend to her, then and even now. Erza's words were determined and sure, soft and intentional, and Lucy thought maybe this was Erza's way of saying her feelings were reciprocated, if the gentle and affectionate look in Erza's eyes were anything to go by.

It should have been enough, and Lucy was content with letting this thing between them brew a little bit longer. But Gray's near death and Juvia's cries of both anguish and relief scared her.

It scared her, to know it could be her and Erza too, at any given moment they were on the battlefield, at death's door without knowing exactly how the other felt. And so Lucy didn't fight back her emotions this time and let the desire to be with Erza direct her actions.

Erza held her again, and whispered the prettiest of words into her ears, the confessions and reciprocation danced around them like a song note held inside for too long, given wings and freedom by the strings of their hearts.

Lucy wondered whether this was the happiness that her Mom spoke of, how the affection in her voice shone through whenever she talked about her Dad. Lucy had never thought to ask her about how they got together, and their feelings before and after it. But if she had to guess, it must feel somewhat similar to how she was feeling right now, with Erza's arms securely around her and the promise of a date on the horizon.

She was her parents' child, after all.

------------------------------

They were together now, and Lucy got special privileges to other parts of Erza that the redhead had never let anyone see before, or perhaps Erza didn't even know there were things to let other people see about herself in the first place.

It still baffled Lucy sometimes, that no one had ever approached Erza or expressed any romantic inclination towards the redhead. Mirajane had said so, and Lucy just couldn't believe how come no one see how loveable Erza was. Lucy was already drawn to her in just a few seconds of meeting Erza for the first time.

Something else baffled Lucy, too. The more she understood Erza, the less of an enigma the redhead became to her, but the more Lucy's confusion grew.

Because Erza was not a prince, nor was she a knight, nor was she anything in between.

Erza was sheepish sometimes, whenever she wanted to express something she felt strongly about that was not related to the guild or magic. Like her cakes, mementos, or affinity for erotic manga. She was playful with her guildmates, and Lucy's earlier impression proved to be wrong because people loved to tease Erza about the things they deemed safe to do so. Even Natsu and Gray were not too deterred to go against her sometimes, especially when the three of them were locked in a stupid competition once in a while.

Erza cared, so deeply. And she did not always slay monsters by herself, sometimes she was content with letting other people do that for her. She let Natsu take her place because she believed in him, she let Gray get away with most of his complains and grumbles because she knew that was how he cared. And she let Lucy fight enemies in her stead because that was how Erza was leaving space for the blonde to grow into her own person.

Erza's preferred method of overcoming people's adversaries was to never coddle them and slay the beast herself, but rather provide guidance and help should anyone need her to be there for them.

And Erza needed saving, too. Their friends saved her from monsters and dragons and witches and the like as well. She was not always the one doing the saving, which was not how a prince or a knight should be.

Those were the things that differentiated Erza from a prince or a knight. And Lucy wondered how was that she was falling even harder for the redhead. Maybe her Mom had forgotten to mention someone else for the princess to fall for. Someone who was not a prince or a knight.

It didn't hit her until the battle with Tartaros ended and Lucy found Erza standing on top of the hill, the Sun casting a halo upon her form, tall and strong and kind and gentle. While Lucy was barely holding it together after Aquarius's departure from her life, how she had to lose a precious part of her past, of the last things her mother left behind for her.

Lucy was not a princess. Perhaps she had never been one. She had left the monster guarding her and climbed down the tower by herself. Her father's kingdom was not under threat from a beast, she did not need anyone to save her from the dragon, and she was stronger than any damsel in distress could ever be. She was the one who saved all of their friends, by giving away a part of her soul that could never heal in the future, no matter how much time would pass.

She was Lucy Heartfilia, and the one she loved was Erza Scarlet.

Princesses were meant to fall for princes and knights. But maybe Lucy was always meant to fall for Erza instead.

Erza was just a person, with her own burdens and scars. She was not an idea, nor a dream, and yet she was the happily ever after Lucy had spent her entire life searching for.

But happily ever after might not last, because people left. Lucy was terrified when she remembered how her Mom died and something in her Dad broke.

If Erza was to leave her...

That would not happen. Lucy would never let that happen, not until her last dying breath. She just needed to know if Erza desired the same thing, too. She wanted to know if Erza was willing to be with her forever, and maybe it was selfish of Lucy to wish so, but Erza indulged her, as always.

Erza promised she would never leave, as long as Lucy wouldn't leave her first. And Lucy only clung to her girlfriend tighter.

A realization. That this desperate need to be close to the other wasn't solely on her. Erza wanted to belong somewhere, too, and she was willing to let Lucy hold on to her till the end of time. It was not indulgence that Erza had shown to Lucy, but rather the redhead's own needs and volition which had bound them together as one, hearts and souls.

Because Erza was in love with her, too. Lucy could feel it, in the way Erza held her tight during her sleep, in the way brown eyes shone with affection and cherish every day, in the way the redhead let Lucy eat her cakes without any complains, and in the way each word Erza muttered to her was filled with awe and wonderment, as if her feelings were overwhelming her and she had never met anyone like Lucy ever before.

It was in the way Erza let the blonde touch and possess parts of her body, heart, and soul. And responded back just in kind.

------------------------------

Erza's mother reminded Lucy of her own father, hurt and lashed out and failed to remember that they were supposed to show their children they loved them in a gentler way, and the blonde didn't know whether it was a good thing or not.

But it was alright, Lucy would be with her all the way. Now that they had found each other, there was no other place she would rather be. No matter what happened, they would tackle everything together.

'Happily ever after' didn't always include a prince or a knight or even a princess. It was always about two people in love being together till the end of time.

And looking up into Erza's gentle brown eyes, filled with so much love and longing for a future with her, amidst their friends and family's cheering and congratulation on their engagement, Lucy was sure of one thing.

Fairy tales were just tales of oldest times. But this was the reality, and this was their own story.

Fairy tales always ended with 'happily ever after'. But 'happily ever after' was where their story was meant to begin. Now, together.

**********

A/N: Alternative title: I don't really like the 'princess and knight' troupe commonly used for Lucy and Erza so I set out to dispel it.

I used male pronouns for princes and knights for the sake of simplicity, but personally I think people in Fairy Tail don't really care much about gender when it comes to romantic/sexual attraction. They are mages, their lives are constantly in danger everyday, they have other things to worry about (dark guilds, Zeref, dragons, death, other guilds, etc) than the sex of their partner.

One more thing, my headcanon is that people can conceive children through magic and not just from conventional means like in the reality. Remember Zeref and Mavis kissed once and she somehow got pregnant with their child? Fairy Tail is a world filled with magic so anything can be possible.

Votes and comments are welcome!