Rise Together

Chapter 1

A woman of scarlet hair and deep brown eyes sat on her throne. Her head rested against her fist with a look of boredom filling her lovely features. A crown of silver lay against her perfect red locks as she stared out the window. The land has been so peaceful that it left her with nothing to do. The second throne next to her stood empty and unclaimed. She sighed, loneliness is something she should have been accustomed to by now.

The pure white walls hung with medals and awards that she had won for bravery and strength many years ago. She had aided in the war against the dark mage Zeref and his minions thus resulting in peace across the land. She would never wish for war once more, but she did wish that she had some other purpose. She was only created to be a fighter, to protect the land and the people who lived there. She was worshiped all around, people bowed to her from far below.

She was the Goddess of Protection, and thus people believed in her. People prayed to her in hopes of seeking her protection in life. The ones she once fought beside, all moved on. Each having their own lives to live and their own purpose to fill. She missed them dearly, the ones she calls her friends.

The bright light that lit the large throne room was suddenly snuffed out. Darkness took over as a cackle echoed throughout. The goddess rose from her seat and looked around, trying to find the source. A dark shadow loomed in front of her, everything black except for the hatred filled brown eyes. The red heads own eyes widened once she realized who was there. Fear, worry and shock swelled inside her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. And just as quickly as the shadow appeared, it vanished.

The lights came back on and it seemed as if it had never occurred before. She placed a palm over her racing heart as she wished that what she saw was nothing more than a mere illusion. But she knew deep down that it really happened, and she also knew what that meant.

"Guards!" The scarlet haired beauty's voice rose over the hall before the large grand double doors swung open revealing the men dressed in armor. They quickly bowed before her, their armor clanking with each movement.

"Yes, milady." Their eyes stayed to the floor as a form of respect that the goddess neither preferred nor liked. But no matter what she says, she could never convince them to address her otherwise.

"Prepare the castle for guests. I must call the mages. I need to arrange an emergency meeting right away." She announced. She quickly turned and walked behind the two thrones, spotting the stand that held a single large red button. Dread consumed her as she stared at the button. Oh how she wished that she didn't have to do this. Upon taking a deep breath, her trembling hand reached forward and pressed it.

A young man with deep blue eyes and crown of ice that adorned his raven hair stood atop the frozen lake. He slid across the ice and spun on the tips of his toes. Small snow flakes fell from the all white sky as he continued his skating. He glided across the ice with such expertise that it looked as if he was dancing to an unheard rhythm. His dark eyes remained closed as he moved, basking in the feeling of his soon to be short lived freedom.

A large castle gleamed in the distance. The ice that it was built from sparkled in the light and appeared as if it were made of diamonds. The man paid no attention to this though, for he hated that stuffy castle. Its walls confined him to a life of solitude and he was able to sneak out only on occasion to enjoy the fresh ice that formed over the lake.

He was the God of Winter, he had control of all things cold. His favorite thing to do was to ice skate. He remembered when he was still a child, living a life of his own with his teacher and fellow apprentice. They always skated after training, and eventually it became one of his favorite past times. He had been chosen over four hundred years ago to aid in the battle to save the planet. Little did he know that choosing to help would forever bind him to an eternity of solitude.

He had given up his life, his family and happiness for the sake of mankind and now he lived in the grand castle with no one but himself and the men who guarded him. As if he needed to be protected. Do they believe that he could not handle himself? He scoffed at the idea before leaping into the air as he pulled his arms in and spun. A moment later he was back on the ice after a graceful landing.

At the highest point of the castle, a red light began to flash. Dark blue eyes narrowed at the light before he quickly shot off the ice and removed the skates. Throwing his heavy black boots back on, he stormed towards the castle. Several of his guards were rushing towards him, their ice spears held tightly in their hands.

"Sir! It's the Goddess of Protection! She is calling an emergency meeting for all the protectors." The guard panted once he finally reached the dark haired man.

"Erza? What has happened?"

"We do not know sir, she did not explain. All she said was to come to her kingdom immediately."

The sound of wings flapping fell over the lush green meadow. A beautiful girl with chocolate eyes and hair the color of sunshine fluttered about as her pink wings sparkled in the light. Upon her head rested a crown of pink roses and only added to the innocence of her beauty.

"Oh the meadow is gorgeous this time of year, is it not?" She asked of the tiny flying figures surrounding her. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she flew over the colorful flowers, she breathed in deeply as their floral scent reached her button like nose. She couldn't help but smile as she enjoyed roaming the many fields in her palace. The gardens were exquisite and something anyone would be amazed by.

She watched as her little fairies leaped gracefully from flower to flower, each one blooming upon their touch. A giggle escaped her lips as one of them sneezed slightly when a puff of pollen flew up. She spun around in the air, enjoying the feeling of the summer sunshine once again. It was her favorite time of year, well that and spring.

A large castle of pearl white stood in the distance with the same flowers surrounding it. Oh how she enjoyed the feeling of the summer breeze under her wings as it helped to give her flight. She had willingly gave up her life of solitude to help with the protection of the planet and she never once looked back. The freedom she had here was nothing like back on earth, where her mother no longer resided in her life and a greedy father did nothing but try to control her. It can be lonely here but she had her fairies for company.

She frowned before quickly brushing it off with a wave knowing that these kinds of thoughts did nothing but upset her. She had her chibi fairies and that's all she needs. They were her friends and her family. They worked with her, were there for her and they just enjoyed being in each others company.

Her own powers vary depending on the need of them but overall she wasn't much help during the battle all those years ago but none the less she tried. She wanted to be of use, to help the ones that fought long and hard to win over the freedom of the world once again. She glanced down at the pink stamp that covered the top of her right hand. The symbol greatly resembled that of a fairy which just made her smile more.

More of the chibi fairies came forward in a hurry as the blond stood over the small stream that ran through the middle of the meadow. "What is it? Is something wrong?" She asked them as they frantically began trying to explain to her in words that anyone else would not be able to understand.

Her chocolate brown eyes widened before her face turned to look towards the castle to verify what they were telling her. Sure enough, at the tip of the castle stood the red flashing light that could only mean one thing. And it was never a good thing. "We must hurry!"

She flew as fast as her lovely wings would allow as she entered the grand castle. A man with bright orange hair that resembled a lions mane ran forward, his dark eyes wide and full of concern.

"Princess! It's Erza, she is calling for a meeting between all of the protectors."

"I understand Loke, thank you very much. Call the others spirits and let them know the situation. Inform that they will need to rest up for there is a chance that I may be in need of your powers and call upon you." The spirit bowed before wishing his master good luck. With a last goodbye, she flew out of the castle with the chibi fairies following behind her.

After several hours of flight, they finally reached the kingdom of the scarlet mage. Her heart raced as she approached as quickly as she could. Her tiny feet clad in white flats with gold lining landed swiftly upon the grand marble staircase. She raced inside the building and saw the people gathering in the main meeting room.

Each person held the familiar face of one of her comrades but she couldn't let her joy for seeing them again show. The circumstances were not good if she was called at all let alone each one of them.

"Lucy, I am glad that you could make it. Please take a seat and we will start discussing matters shortly." The scarlet haired goddess said as she gestured to the seat on her right. The blond fairy nodded before taking her seat. She smiled warmly at her friends but it wasn't her usual cheery smile. The god of winter returned the smile before turning back to the woman at the head of the table.

The red head looked at the two mages in front of her with worrisome eyes. Startled, Lucy wasn't sure what to make of the brown eyes looking between them. She had never before seen such a look in Erza's eyes, not even while facing the dark mage Zeref and no one is stronger than him. So what could possibly have her so worried?

"Third master, I have news." A tiny girl with long flowing blond locks floated down from above and landed on her bare feet in front of the gruff yet short old man. His dark eyes widened slightly wondering what her sudden arrival meant.

"What is it first?" His eyes met with the bluish green eyes of the original ruler. Her sheer will kept her contained to this place where she has proven herself helpful on more than one occasion. The older man sat upon his large oak desk, his white hair was brushed back and hidden under an orange and white striped hat. His small hand rose and stroked his mustache as he waited for this news that the first master came with.

"Soon a new member will be joining the protectors in this upcoming battle between gods and dark magic. Makarov, it's just as the legend claimed it would be. Another dark mage has risen under the influence of the dark lord and wishes to revive him. But this new member will join us and prevent the fall of mankind. Our victory depends on him." The older mans brow furrowed as he thought over who else could possibly join them. His mind seemed to be pulling a blank. He glanced back up at the first master with confusion written upon his face.

"Who is it Mavis?" Her delicately pale hand rose and began to emit a pale yellow light. The image of a man began to form as the dark eyes of Makarov widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. How was this possible? Him of all people?