I Don't Need a Fairy Tale

NaLu

Lucy looks of into space, the credits for a standard princess movie highlighting her room. Sighing, she flops back on her bead and stares at the ceiling, thinking about the handsome lead in the movie. Her thoughts drift around, combining with random elements until suddenly she can see herself in the damsel's role, held tower high above by a wicked sorcerer.

She can see the whole set-up! She'll be bored in that tower, long ago stolen away from her loving family by the sorcerer. Forced to spin wool everyday, life will become boring. Just when she thinks she can take no more, her handsome price will come. He'll be tall, strong, dashing, and care about her like no one else. He'll sneak into talk to her, bravely vowing to face the sorcerer's wrath just to make her happy all because he loves her.

Of course, the sorcerer will find out soon and be furious, getting ready to take it out on Lucy since the prince won't be there. She'll be able to dodge the spells for a little while, but there's only so much you can do in the small room she was imprisoned in. She'll eventually get cornered, the sorcerer smiling triumphantly over her as he aims his spell.

The prince will come in the nick of time, pushing the sorcerer away. He'll draw his sword and attack, Lucy cheering him on from the sidelines. The sorcerer will hit his sword with a spell, turning it to dust, but the price of course has a back-up plan.

Before the sorcerer would even blink, he'd run towards the window of the tower, grabbing Lucy on the way. They leap and…

Lucy's writer's brain kicks in.

They can't land on a horse! It'd kill them. And for that matter, how did the price get up there in the first place? Hmm… A dragon! That's it! They jump on the dragon, named Salamander, and fly off into the sunset happily.

But suddenly, that doesn't seem so exciting anymore. It's too cliché for Lucy. Why not have the dragon just be the prince, letting him change from dragon to human?

The story would obviously be different but so much better. The prince would become more impulsive, teasing, and playful. He'd be handsome, sure, but fun to be around. Instead of Salamander…why not make his name be N-

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu yells, bursting into her room with a poster. Lucy snaps out of her thoughts, fighting down a blush at what she'd just been thinking about. "I found a job for us! Let's go!"

Natsu runs back out of the room, leaving Lucy to turn off the TV and start after him. The story lingers in her brain, drawing out a smile. It was far from typical in the direction it was headed, just like her life. Instead of the fairy tale it started as, it became so much more.

Besides, who needs a fairy tale when the real thing is right in front of you?