What Erza needed most right now was time.
She had been spending a lot of time alone since the incident. At times like these, she couldn't help but remember her first lonely months at the guild, those months of sitting and crying all by herself at the riverbank.
She wasn't crying now. There were no more tears left in her after that sorrowful scarlet morning. No tears, just memories flooding her mind.
The blue guild mark on her arm signified her role as a Fairy Tail mage first and foremost. The guild was her family; they'd taken her in when she'd had nowhere else to go. She owed them everything, and yet…the choice had been the hardest one of her whole life. Family or…or…
It was the color of your hair.
Recalling those words caused her to bite her lip hard. Why did he have to say that before he was shut up in the darkness again? And his expression while saying it had been completely devoid of accusation even though she was the one who had allowed him to be taken away. It was an expression that she couldn't forget even if she tried. The innocent smile, that old sparkle in his eyes—for a moment, she'd seen the old Jellal resurface from the depths of his muddled mind.
And then she'd had to watch that Jellal disappear again, to stare at his back while he fearlessly took that fateful step into the Magic Council's carriage. The echo of his boot on the carriage floor had reverberated deep inside her heart, telling her that she would never see him again.
She gazed at her reflection in the river. Her long, beautiful scarlet hair framed her face and waved gently in the breeze. Erza Scarlet. As long as she had this name, she would be connected to him by the red thread of fate.
"Jellal…" she whispered, hoping that the wind would carry the word to him.
Her grieving period was abruptly interrupted by a familiar voice. "Erza!"
She stood quickly and turned around to see Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy there. Lucy appeared to be a little winded, so Erza could tell that they'd come here in a hurry. From the looks on their faces, she could also deduce that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" she addressed her team.
Natsu, who was the one who'd called out to her, was clutching today's newspaper in his hand. He handed it to her wordlessly.
Erza's heart nearly stopped when her eyes caught the headline and the accompanying picture.
"S-CLASS CRIMINAL JELLAL FERNANDES TO BE EXECUTED," read the black, bold lettering. Underneath was a photograph of the Magic Council's armed forces arresting Jellal.
Executed? No, he'd just gone to jail…they couldn't have sentenced him to death that quickly. This had to be a horrible nightmare or some kind of joke. Erza shut her eyes tightly for a few seconds and then opened them again, but the accursed words still remained. Her fingers fell limp and released their grip on the newspaper, letting it drift to the ground.
Lucy laid a hand on her shoulder softly. "Erza…I'm so sorry," she murmured.
"Let's go kick the Council's asses!" roared Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer had that dangerous gleam in his eye, the one he got when he was all fired up.
Gray was more measured in his response. "It's not your choice to make, Natsu. It's Erza's." Having said that, he turned to Erza. "So, what will you do, Erza?"
"We'll follow your lead," Natsu proclaimed, conceding. He hated when Gray was right.
Happy agreed with a signature "Aye sir!"
