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Still There: Jellal and Erza
by Down Iris
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I do not have any rights to nor make any money from the characters in this story.
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What might have happened if Jellal had not sent Erza away from the Tower of Heaven as a child.
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Please read my other Jellal and Erza stories, Continued Freedom and If Only They Had Kissed.
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Erza was crying. She had spent the last several days fighting to save Jellal, and when she found him, he seemed like a completely different person. He convinced everyone to come back to the tower and work as before. True, he was treating everyone fairly, with proper food, clothing, and days of rest. Everyone else seemed happy, but that just made it worse.
Can no one else see the monster Jellal has become? When she had tried to get other people to help convince him to let them go, he had pulled her aside and threatened to kill Sho if she did anything else to sabotage his plans. That kept her quiet, but inside she ached.
The worst part was that she missed the boy she used to know. She would see the monster wearing his face and cry. She blamed herself for how he turned out, but could not think of any way to save him. It's all my fault! Everyone is suffering, and I can't do anything about it.
The tears only came out of her left eye, because her right eye was injured behind an eye patch.
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Over the next two years, Erza distanced herself from Jellal. She couldn't believe how everyone viewed him almost as a savior, as his dark side was obvious to her. She missed the gentle boy that she had loved, and despaired at ever seeing him again. She did not make waves, as she had promised Jellal, but it was hard to bear her burden alone. What she wished for most was for the tower to be finished so they all could finally be free.
When she was thirteen, Erza noticed that Jellal seemed to be hanging around her more than he used to. She caught him looking at her numerous times, and when he caught her eye he would smile creepily. When he talked to her, she always tried to brush him off, but he became more persistent.
One day Erza was working on the fifth floor moving rocks. Having finished one load, she sat down to have a drink from her water bottle. At least we're allowed to rest and have a drink like this now. The tower under Jellal is at least a better place to be than before the revolt.
She set down the water bottle, but before she could stand up, Jellal appeared and sat down next to her. "How are you feeling today?"
he asked nonchalantly.
"I'm fine," Erza said abruptly, and started to rise. Jellal put his hand on her arm to stop her. Erza sat back down. Jellal did not remove his hand from her arm.
"What's the rush? Can't you relax for a minute?"
"You're the one who wants this tower built." She shook her arm to get rid of his hand, but he didn't take the hint.
"We never get much time to talk these days. I'm worried about you."
"Well, I've always been worried about you." She picked his hand up with her other hand and dropped it. Before he could react, she jumped up and picked up another rock.
Jellal got up after her. "Put down that rock." Confused, Erza did. Jellal looked around to see that nobody was close by, and then he leaned in toward Erza and whispered, "I'd like to continue this discussion over dinner at my place tonight. Be so good as to come at seven. And where something pretty." He stepped back with a creepy grin.
"No way," Erza replied and brushed past him.
He caught her sleeve and said, "Are you making me resort to threats to get you to come? I was thinking Sho might like to take a vacation soon."
Erza gasped, getting the implication. "Fine, I'll be there," she spit out. She picked up the rock and moved away. This time Jellal didn't stop her. He watched her walk away in merriment.
#
Erza lied her way out of eating with everyone else, and at seven she climbed up to Jellal's apartment. She had only been in it a few brief times before, but it was luxuriously laid out, having been the home of the head of the religious group who originally started building the tower.
Erza was not in a good mood, since Jellal had threated Sho's life to get her there. He opened the door when she knocked. "Ah, you've arrived, Erza-chan. Dinner's ready." She stepped into the dining room and saw two dinners laid out. They were the same boring meals that everyone else was eating, although Jellal seemed to have gotten the best portions.
"Alright, I'm here. Now what do you want?" Erza asked bluntly.
"Please, Erza, you're killing the mood. I just want to enjoy eating dinner with you. Is that a crime?" Jellal pulled out her chair.
"Fine." She sat down, but was still suspicious of a hidden motive. Jellal sat down as well.
"We used to eat dinner together every day. It wasn't much, just stale bread, moldy cheese, and emaciated vegetables, but it was enough for us. Haven't things improved since I took over?"
Erza grudgingly agreed. She started eating. She and Jellal talked while they ate, mostly Jellal asking her questions and her giving brief answers. Finally they were done.
"I'll go back downstairs now," Erza said, relieved that the evening was over. She stood up and headed for the door.
Jellal caught her hand. "Stay for a while. Let's sit on the couch." Jellal held on to her hand and pulled her over to it. He still held her hand after they sat down. Erza tried to pull it away.
"What are you after, Jellal?" Erza asked, annoyed.
"This." With his free hand, Jellal pulled her into a kiss.
Erza was so shocked she didn't react for a moment. Then she pulled back and jumped up off the couch. "What was that for?" she cried, clawing at Jellal's hand that still held her own. He wouldn't let go. Instead he pulled her back down onto his lap, grinning. He wrapped his arm around her, trapping her free arm, and pulled her into another kiss. Eventually Erza freed herself long enough to say, "Let me go, Jellal! Right now!"
"But I've finally got you just where I want you." He kissed her again. Her blood was boiling, and eventually she got a hand free. She slapped him. "Now, Erza, you're making this too hard! Why can't you just relax?"
"I don't want to have anything to do with you! Let me go!"
"Oh, you're no fun! I guess I must resort to threats once again." Erza paused, dreading what she would hear next. "I think I'll pick on Sho again. He doesn't really need all four limbs, now does he?" Jellal laughed.
Erza was shocked. "Just cooperate, and I'll leave him alone." Jellal pulled her into another kiss. This time Erza didn't try to pull away. Inside she was panicking. I can't stand kissing this monster who wears the face of the boy I used to love. But if I don't obey him, Sho will be in danger!
Erza forced herself to cooperate with Jellal, her hatred of him increasing with each minute. Eventually he seemed to have had enough. He let go of Erza, and then put his arm around her neck. He put his feet up on the coffee table and sighed. "That was wonderful, Erza. I've been wanting to try that for a while now, and I'm glad we finally did."
"Can I go now?" Erza asked plainly. Jellal laughed.
"Go? Why, we haven't even gotten started yet! You thought that was all there was to do?" He jumped up and pulled her after him. "I think it's time for a change of venue. Let's go in the bedroom."
Erza stood still in shock. Jellal laughed again. "I'm not having sex with you!" Erza spit out. Jellal continued to smile.
"Do I need to renew my earlier threat with you? If you care for Sho's life, you'll do what I say. It's that simple."
Erza decided she would have to use a different tactic. She requiped a sword into her hand and turned it on Jellal. "I'll kill you before I'll sleep with you!"
Jellal merely laughed. "Go ahead! I'd love to see you try! But before you start, you should know that I put a spell on Sho's head several months ago that requires upkeep to keep him living."
"What?" Erza gasped.
"If I don't reset the spell every week, he'll die. It's as simple as that."
Erza was horrorstruck. How am I supposed to contend with that? Jellal stood smiling at her for a while. "Now, why don't you be a good Erza and come to bed?"
Dozens of different solutions spun through her head, but eventually she was left with none that would work. I'll just have to sacrifice my honor and dignity and cooperate with this monster. She started to cry.
"You need to smile, Erza! This is the happiest day of our lives!" Jellal taunted. "Now get undressed and get in bed." He began shedding his clothes. Erza reluctantly followed.
To Erza's great surprise, Jellal turned out to be a rather gentle lover. He seemed to care as much about her experience as his own. As a result, when it was over, Erza realized that she had found it pleasant, which only made her hate Jellal more.
After they had been lying there a few minutes, Erza started to get up. "I can go now, can't I?" she asked sarcastically. However, Jellal pulled her back.
"You're not going anywhere until morning. You're going to sleep here next to me." He moved next to her under the covers and put his hand on her stomach. "Now, I think I need to make a few things clear to you. I've put a contraceptive spell on myself. If you get pregnant, I'll know you cheated on me and I'll kill anyone who might be the father. If I catch you cheating, or even acting like you might cheat, I'll kill the guy you're with. Got it?"
"I would never cheat on you!" Erza rushed out, terrified.
"Alright then. Good-night, my dear Erza."
"Good-night," she replied wearily, and then added "Monster" under her breath.
#
The next morning, Erza awoke before Jellal. She extricated herself from him and got dressed. She readjusted her eye patch. Please don't let anybody see me returning! she thought as she hurried downstairs. It seemed it was early enough to get her wish. She was almost to her room when Simon turned a corner ahead. He smiled when he saw Erza, and then stopped and frowned.
"Where did you go last night, Erza?"
"Oh, um, Jellal wanted me to have dinner with him."
"And you're just returning now in the same clothes?" Erza blushed heavily. He would have to notice that! She panicked.
"Um, well, you see…."
"Do you love Jellal?" Simon asked, sounding hurt.
"No, it's not that…."
"I get it. He's the genius behind this tower. Some people even call him our savior."
Erza started to cry. Her voice shook. "I didn't want to! He's changed into a monster in the last two years. But he threatened Sho if I didn't cooperate! I don't know what to do…."
Simon looked resolute. "I'll just have to kill him, that's what." He started walking past her. Erza grabbed his shoulder.
"No! He's put a spell on Sho that will kill him if he doesn't update it every week!"
"That bastard!"
"Please, Simon, don't do anything to make him hurt you! I couldn't bear it! Promise me!"
"Alright, I promise. I'll wait for an opportunity."
"Thank you." Erza hurried back to her room to change for breakfast.
#
After that, Jellal called Erza to dinner every few days. She became numb to being used, and luckily no one else suspected. Almost a year later, everyone celebrated Erza's fourteenth birthday at dinner. There, Jellal whispered to Erza to come up afterwards, which almost ruined her celebration.
Once she arrived, Jellal sat with her on the couch. On the table were two glasses and a bottle. "What's that?"
"It's wine. You've never had it before, have you?"
"No. Where'd you get it?"
"I had the supply ship bring it for this special occasion. This really is a special occasion, isn't it?"
"You mean my birthday?" Erza asked in disbelief. It didn't seem like all that special of an occasion.
Jellal poured the wine and handed her a glass. "How about we make a toast. To your fourteenth birthday…and our engagement!"
Erza sat forward so fast she sloshed the wine out of the glass. "WHAT?!" She looked at Jellal's smiling face in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"I think fourteen is old enough to marry, don't you think? Tomorrow we'll tell everyone the good news, and in three days we can have Benito perform the ceremony. He used to be a priest."
Erza recovered from the shock enough to talk back. "There is no way I'm going to marry you!"
"Oh, I think you will. I think I'll have Sho be my best man. But of course, if we aren't getting married, then I won't have need of a best man, will I?"
The same threat always crumpled Erza defenses. "Why do you want to marry me? I'm sure there are several girls on this island who would love to marry you. Why are you forcing me?"
"Because I don't want any other girl. I love you and only you. I want you all to myself, forever."
"Yours is a twisted love."
#
Three days later, they had their wedding ceremony. Many people were shocked when they heard about the engagement, but everyone congratulated them warmly, except Simon. He was the only one who knew the truth. Erza almost burst out crying when Sho hugged her and told her how happy he was for her. She was going crazy pretending to be happy all the time, but Jellal had threatened her to appear happy.
Life resumed as normal, except that Erza moved completely into Jellal's apartment. Work went on at the tower, and five years passed.
Every day, Erza took some time off to practice sword fighting. She kept the twelve swords she had recovered during the revolt where she could requip with them. Jellal had expressed interest as to why she would need to have such skills, but she replied that one never knows what will happen in the future. She developed her magical abilities as well to aid with her sword fighting.
One day after five years, Jellal declared the tower finished. Everyone partied the rest of the day. Eventually Jellal drew Erza away. He surprised her by leading her farther up the tower than she'd ever gone before, to the very top.
"Isn't this a magnificent view?" Jellal asked. Erza did not seem that impressed.
"You can't see anything but ocean."
"In just a few minutes, there will be a spectacular view. The best you'll ever see." Jellal smiled cryptically.
"So why are we up here?"
"We're waiting for the view, of course."
"Fine." Erza gazed absentmindedly out at the ocean.
Several minutes later, Jellal became excited. "Look straight up and don't blink." Erza craned her neck up. Suddenly a huge light descended upon them, and crashed into the tower before Erza could scream. Everything seemed hazy for a moment, and when she could focus again, the tower had turned into a giant crystal.
"What is this?" Erza asked in shock.
"This is the true nature of the tower of heaven. That burst was magic energy that is now stored in this lacrima. All that awaits to bring Zeref back to life is the human sacrifice." Jellal turned to Erza. "I'm afraid that will have to be you." He smiled and grabbed her.
Erza struggled away from him. "Sacrifice? No way!" She started to run to the stairs, but her legs quit obeying her, soon followed by her arms. Erza stood helplessly.
"I put a binding snake on you just now. Just relax as you are absorbed by the lacrima." Jellal put his arms around her and kissed her. "I'll always love you, Erza." He pushed her against the lacrima and she started to be absorbed.
"Wait! What about everyone else?"
"Who knows? Maybe they'll make it, maybe they won't." Jellal laughed.
"Please, at least take the spell off of Sho!"
Jellal laughed harder. "There never was any spell on Sho! I just said that to keep you docile! And you told Simon, just as I'd hoped. It kept him off my back as well. Just think! You could have killed me at any time! Isn't that hilarious?"
"Why, you…!" Erza got out before she was completely absorbed by the lacrima.
#
Erza awoke slowly. Am I dead? I thought going into the lacrima would be the end of me, but I still feel alive. She opened her eye. She checked to make sure her eye patch was still on. Above her was a stormy sky. She realized that she was lying on sand. What's going on? She turned her head to the left and saw a long expanse of beach. Did I wash ashore?
Turning her head to the right, she was shocked to see Jellal sitting a few feet away from her, with his head in his hands. What is he doing here? Was Zeref not revived? She sat up. She saw several sets of footprints on either side of them, and it looked like Jellal had pulled her out of the waves. What is going on?
Jellal noticed that she was up. "You're awake!" He seemed overjoyed. Erza was not forgiving, however.
"What are we doing here?" she asked icily.
Jellal looked pained. "I was hoping you could tell me. You see, I don't remember anything." He hung his head in his hands again.
Erza jumped up. She requiped a sword and pointed it at Jellal's throat. Jellal looked at her calmly. "You expect me to forgive you after all you've done? I couldn't kill you before, but nothing's stopping me now!" Erza stood, unable to strike.
Jellal looked at her earnestly. "If I've done something that merits you killing me, I won't resist, but first, would you at least tell me my name?"
Erza looked at Jellal and started to cry. It's like he's the same gentle boy I knew all those years ago. Has he really forgotten? Erza requiped her sword and hung on to Jellal's neck, and continued to sob. Jellal hesitantly put his arms around her. Eventually Erza had cried all her tears out. She pulled back from Jellal and sat down.
Jellal looked like he wanted to speak but was afraid to. Erza looked at him. "Jellal…."
Jellal lit up. "Is that my name?"
"Er, yes. You really don't remember anything?"
"I woke up some time ago farther down the beach. I saw you in the distance, so I came and pulled you out of the water. I wandered up and down the beach a ways, but I couldn't see anything else around. I was hoping you would know who I was," Jellal continued eagerly.
"I wonder how we got here…. I was sure I was going to die. And where is everyone else? Did they survive?" Erza wondered out loud.
Jellal looked sad. "So you don't know how we got here either?"
Erza turned to face him. "I'm sorry, no."
Jellal frowned for a minute while Erza thought, and then he smiled again. "But you do know who I am?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, you're Jellal, my husband."
Jellal looked shocked. "I…We're…married?" Erza held up her left hand to show him her ring. He looked down at his own left hand and saw his ring, with matching engravings.
Erza had always taken her marriage vows seriously, even though they had been forced upon her. It suddenly occurred to her that she could just leave Jellal on that beach and go off to live her own life. I have no obligation to him. I can be free now.
"Can you tell me more about myself? And about you?" Jellal asked eagerly. Looking at the smile on his face, she flashbacked to the boy he had been at eleven, the kind boy she had loved, before he was possessed by the ghost of Zeref. Maybe he's not possessed anymore? Is he back to his old self? Can such a miracle really have happened? Erza smiled. I might be able to save him now, like I couldn't before.
"We should start moving first. We can't stay here forever. Let's get going." Erza was starting to think about the future.
"Where are we going to go?"
"We need to find food and a place to stay tonight. Let's just start walking through this forest until we find a road." They left the beach and entered the forest that bordered it.
Erza started telling Jellal a censored version of their life together. He readily took in every detail and asked many questions. Erza found herself forced to tell contradictory things in response to some of them, but Jellal didn't seem to notice.
Eventually she had said everything she thought important. Jellal looked like he had absorbed all he could as well. Erza had tried to shield Jellal from the parts that made him look bad, to keep from shocking him. She thought it would be too much to handle all at once. Over the next few days, she would fill in the gaps.
Erza was very worried about what had happened to everyone else. She could think of no way to find out more about them, though, since she didn't even know where the Tower of Heaven was on a map.
After walking for an hour, they finally found a road. It headed away from the beach at an angle. Eventually they left the forest and entered farmland. After walking through many fields, they finally spied a house in the distance.
"I don't know much about adult life outside of the island. I haven't encountered any strangers in years, so I'm just going to wing it. Let me do the talking, and don't let anyone know that you lost your memory."
"Alright." Jellal followed her lead. Erza knocked on the door.
A minute later a middle-aged woman answered it. "Yes?" she asked grumpily, looking disapprovingly at their tattered clothing.
"We were shipwrecked on the beach near here a few hours ago, and we were hoping you could help us. Where are we?"
"We're at the south of the kingdom of Fiore."
"Could you direct us to the nearest town?"
"Follow that road until you hit a crossroads, then turn left. Kern is about a two hour walk."
"Could you give us something to eat or drink?"
"Do you have money?"
"Er, no." Erza had forgotten that food was not common property.
The woman snorted. "You can get a drink from that well, but I'm not giving you any food without money." She pointed at a well in the distance, and then turned and went back inside.
They headed to the well. "I forgot about money. At least we can drink, and we know how to get to a town."
"What's money?" Jellal asked naively.
"It's little pieces of metal that are exchanged for things like objects or work. We're going to need to get some to survive. I'll have to think about that." They started walking toward the town.
"What are we going to do when we get to Kern?" Jellal asked some time later.
"I was thinking I could sell one of the swords I have to get money. Then we could buy food and a place to stay. And nicer clothing." She looked down at her ripped dress.
"Where are these swords? I saw the one earlier, but you don't seem to be carrying one."
"Oh, I have a magic power to move things in my hands into another dimension. It's called requiping. See?" She pulled a sword into her hand.
"Amazing! Do I have any magic powers?"
"Yes, but we'll talk about those later." They walked in silence until lights started appearing in the distance. "That must be Kern." When they reached it, Erza requiped her least favorite sword. She flagged down the first person they encountered. "Excuse me, but do you know where I could sell this sword?"
He brushed past them without replying. Erza tried the next person, but the woman didn't have an answer. Luckily the third person could direct them. "You want to go to Tolliver's place. Go three more streets and make a left. It's the fifth store on the right." Erza thanked him and he left. They followed his directions to a blacksmith's shop.
After selling the sword, Erza was left with a bag of coins. She had the bright idea of requiping the money, after giving a few coins to Jellal just in case. They enjoyed a simple meal at a café, and then they visited the marketplace and gained new clothes and other necessities.
"I think we should find someplace to stay now, and change clothes," Erza said, and asked for directions. They ended up in a clean but worn room in a local inn. "Look at the size of that tub!" Erza exclaimed, looking into the bathroom. "I'm going to have a soak, to get all the salt off. Is it okay if I go first?"
"Um, no problem." Jellal was looking warily at the bed, but Erza didn't notice.
Erza came out after her bath dressed in her new clothes. "It's all yours."
Jellal looked uncomfortable. "I don't remember what to do, actually…." Erza stifled her laugh and gave him general directions. When he returned, dressed in new clothes as well, he asked, "What do we do now?"
"I think we need to talk about our future beyond day to day. We need to find some way to make money. We are both good wizards, so we might consider joining a wizard guild."
"I don't remember my magic, though."
"It will come back, and I can help you train. Our friend Rob, who died in the revolt at the tower, was a member of Fairy Tail. That's where I think we should go. What do you think?"
"Whatever you say. I don't have any ideas."
"Alright, let's go downstairs and eat some more, and ask directions."
After they had ordered dinner, Erza starting asking questions of the waitress.
"Do you know the wizard guild Fairy Tail?"
"Yes, they've got quite a reputation."
"Do you know where they are located?"
"In the town of Magnolia, up north a ways."
"How would we get there?"
"You'd need to hire a carriage to take you to Erid, and then you can just take the train."
"Thank you." With full stomachs and plans for the next day, they returned to their room. "Are you ready to sleep?" Erza asked Jellal.
"I suppose."
"Okay, let's get ready." Erza headed into the bathroom. When she came back out she took off her clothes and got in the bed.
"I was afraid to ask before, but…are we going to sleep in the same bed?" Jellal asked uncomfortably.
"Of course. We're married." Erza smiled to herself. This Jellal was definitely not the one she had lived with for the past five years.
Jellal went into the bathroom. When he came out he hesitated, then took off his shirt and pants, but left on his underwear. He got into the other side of the bed. He lay as far away from Erza as he could, and they finally fell asleep.
#
The next morning Jellal woke up slowly. He couldn't remember where he was or really who he was. He opened his eyes and nearly jumped. During the night, he had moved next to Erza and put his hand on her stomach. He quickly scooted away, in the process jostling Erza. She woke up and turned over. She didn't notice Jellal's blushing face. She stared at him for a few seconds, different emotions playing over her face. Finally she smiled and said simply, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Jellal sheepishly replied.
Erza thought for a moment. "You know, this is the first really good morning I've had in a long time." She slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom. She walked out of it some time later, still naked from sleeping. She walked over to their pile of belongings and started routing through it.
Jellal's silence caused her to look up. He was looking at her, but when she caught his eye, he turned away and blushed. She picked up a shirt. "I'm sorry, I'm used to walking around naked in front of you. I didn't think anything of it. I'll get dressed." She pulled on the shirt. "You know, though, you are allowed to look. We are married, after all."
"It just doesn't seem that way to me," Jellal replied, still blushing.
#
They hired a carriage after breakfast to take them to Erid. They didn't say much because Erza didn't want the driver to overhear about their situation. Once they were in Erid, they bought train tickets to Magnolia for the next morning, and checked into another inn.
When they were finally alone, Erza decided to tell Jellal more about himself. She had been thinking about what to say the whole trip.
"Jellal, there are some details I left out when I told you about yourself yesterday. I think I should fill some of them in."
Jellal looked attentive. Erza took a deep breath and started talking about how he had been possessed by the ghost of Zeref, and some of the bad things he had done. She was worried about how he would take it, with good reason. He seemed in shock and disbelief at first, and eventually he started to cry.
"I did all that?"
"But it wasn't really you!" she tried to stress. "You're back to your old self now, free of Zeref." She had left out the details of their courtship for now. "I just wanted to let you know, in case you start remembering those things. Look at me." Jellal looked up and she stared into his eyes. "I want you to promise me that you won't leave me even if you remember bad things, okay? You might want to go off on your own, but I want you to stay with me, no matter what happened in the past. Promise me that."
Jellal paused, and then said, "I promise. I wouldn't go anywhere, because you're the only person I know."
"Okay, good." Erza smiled. She had started worrying that he might try to leave her if he remembered some of the bad things he had done to her.
Erza realized that their roles in the relationship had switched. Jellal had always dominated, threatening Erza to comply with him. Now she was in charge, with Jellal meekly following after her. She thought she liked the change.
That night, things were less awkward between them, but Jellal was still obviously uncomfortable. Erza wondered if he would get over his shyness or get his memories back first.
#
The train ride to Magnolia went without a hitch. Again they spoke little for fear of being overheard. On arriving at Magnolia, they asked for directions to Fairy Tail. While walking there, Erza went over the plan again.
"I'll do all the talking, just leave that to me. Don't let people know that you can't remember. Hopefully the master is in. We'll tell as little of our history as possible."
"Right." Jellal followed Erza into the guild hall. They both looked around in wonder until a woman with silver hair came up to them.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail. What brings you here?"
"We were hoping to join. We're both wizards."
"Oh, then nice to meet you. Our master's not here right now, but he should be back soon. Would you like something to eat?"
"Certainly." They sat down and made their order. They observed the chaos going on around them.
Some time later, as they were eating their food, the door opened. A small old man came in. He greeted some people, and then saw the two of them. A look of horror showed on his face.
"Siegrain!" he cried. Jellal and Erza looked at each other. The man approached. "What in the world are you doing here, Siegrain? Don't you know the whole kingdom is out for your head?"
"Pardon?" Jellal looked to Erza for help.
"His name is Jellal Fernandez, not Siegrain." Erza looked worried. How could this man know Jellal? And by a different name?
The man calmed down some. "Are you sure? You look just like him, down to the tattoo."
"Who is this Siegrain?"
"He was a member of the Magic Council until recently, when he disappeared amidst a scandal."
"Well, Jellal hasn't left the island we lived on together for more than a decade, so it couldn't be him. Maybe you have a twin?" Erza looked at Jellal but expected no response.
"Anyway, let me introduce myself. I'm Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail. What brings you here?"
"I'm Erza Scarlet. We were forced off of our island and were hoping to join this guild." Jellal gave Erza a funny look.
"I don't know how easy that would be. People will be coming after you to arrest you, since you look just like Siegrain. They probably wouldn't believe you if you said you weren't him. You'll probably need to go into hiding."
This crushed all of Erza's hopes. They talked some more, and then they left.
Once in a room at an inn, they discussed the meeting.
"How can you be a wanted man, when you haven't left the island? This is horrible!"
"I'm sorry," Jellal said sheepishly.
"It's not your fault. You must have a twin! What trouble he's causing us!" Erza ranted for a few minutes without coming up with anything productive.
Jellal finally got up the nerve to ask the question that had been bothering him since Fairy Tail. "Erza, if we're married, why do we have different last names?"
Erza stopped in her tracks. "I guess I never really thought about it before. We never used our last names on the island, so it just never came up. And you're the one who gave me the last name of Scarlet."
Jellal smiled. "Really?"
They spent the next two days trying to figure out what to do next. Jellal stayed in the inn room while Erza went out for food and supplies. On the second day she came back with two cloaks that had deep hoods.
They finally settled on fleeing the country. After conversations with various people in town, they decided to travel first to Bosco. They could walk to it, which Erza thought would be less conspicuous than trying to take a boat.
They set off the next day to hire a wagon as far as possible.
#
After five days of walking, riding, and inns, they found themselves in the town of Gourd for the night. It was still light out, and Erza and Jellal headed for an inn. Erza walked past a man in uniform, who turned and stopped Jellal. Erza turned back in panic.
"Who might you be?" The policeman asked.
"Parker Knott." That was the name they had invented.
"Where are you from?"
"Magnolia."
"What brings you to Gourd?"
"We're traveling to visit my wife's sister in Swift." Jellal looked at Erza for help, and the policeman noticed her for the first time.
"So you're his wife?" the policeman asked Erza.
"Yes."
"What's this sister's name?"
"Samantha Keb."
"What does she do?"
"She and her husband have a wheat farm."
The policeman asked several more questions, which Erza answered readily. Eventually he said, "Alright, move along," and left. Erza and Jellal breathed sighs of relief. They hurried to hide themselves in an inn.
Erza went out to bring back dinner. Soon after she returned, a knock came on the door. "Who is it?" Erza asked.
"Open up in the name of the Council!" came a shout. Erza quickly gathered their things and requiped them, and then she requiped a sword.
"We'll have to fight our way out. Just stay close to me," Erza whispered.
Erza's years of practice with a sword were about to be put to the test. She had never fought against an opponent before, and she had made up all her moves herself. She had magic on her side at least, but so would the people on the other side of the door, types of magic that she'd never heard of. And she couldn't count on Jellal at all. He had been a great wizard, but he could hardly use magic in his state. Erza would have the added disadvantage of protecting someone else.
Erza slammed the door open and charged out, with Jellal following close behind. There were five men in uniform. Erza knocked two down with one swipe, but she knew it was because she took them by surprise. Another threw balls of magic at her, which she deflected with her sword into a fourth man, who collapsed. The fifth man created weapons out of ice that flew at her. She deflected these as well. She rushed forward and took out the third man, and turned just in time to flash her sword up to deflect an ice weapon from stabbing Jellal in the chest. She rushed at that man and knocked him down.
With all of her opponents momentarily down, she grabbed Jellal's arm. "Hurry!" They were soon out in the street. They ducked into an alley, and Erza requiped their cloaks.
"What do we do now?" Jellal asked as he threw on his cloak.
"I guess we need to get out of town, but I doubt that will be easy. I think we're closest to the north side of town. We'll just walk casually."
They did that. Once they heard running feet ahead, so they ducked down an alley. After a strained stroll, they were in the woods near the town without incident. Erza sat down and tried to relax. Jellal seemed more confused than scared.
"Who were those men?"
"They were from the Magic Council. They wanted to arrest you. Although they may have been given permission to kill you, seeing how the one guy almost shot you. We need to be a lot more careful." Erza thought for a minute. "And now they know I'm traveling with you. We really stick out, a blue-haired man with a facial tattoo and a red-haired woman with an eye patch. We'll need to avoid towns as much as possible." Erza stood up. "I guess we'd better get going."
"Going where?" Jellal stood up as well.
"We need to put plenty of distance between us and this town before we can rest." They set out into the woods. It had just turned dark.
#
They traveled in secret for several days, keeping to back woods, buying food at farms, and sleeping in the woods. On the fifth day, after they bought some food at a farm, Erza realized they were going to need to get more money soon.
"We're almost out of money," Erza said to Jellal as they walked from the farm.
"How are we going to get more?"
"I can sell another sword, but that means going into a town."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"Yes, but we don't have much choice. You'd have to wait outside, because you're the one they're after, and it will be easier for me to battle by myself, without having to protect you too."
Jellal looked uneasy, but simply said, "If that's what you think is best."
#
They asked for directions at the next farm they passed. Once they got to the town, they waited until nightfall in the woods. Then Jellal hid at a rendezvous spot in the woods. Erza entered the town alone. She got directions and made her way to a blacksmith without incident. She was walking back out of town, feeling relieved, when she walked past two people hidden in the shadows.
"Hey, isn't that her?" Erza barely heard one whisper. She started walking faster.
"Hey you, stop!" another voice cried. Erza took off running without looking back. She could hear the sounds of two people chasing her. She kept running toward the edge of town, but in a different direction than where Jellal was.
Eventually one of her pursuers fell behind, but the other was catching up to her. Erza decided to turn and fight. She quickly requiped a sword and spun around. She took her pursuer by surprise, and slashed him across his right bicep. Seemingly undeterred, however, he pulled out a sword and blocked her next move. They exchanged a few blows until she knocked him down. Seeing her chance, she took off. She did not hear anyone chasing after her.
She reached the edge of town and then the woods without hearing anyone chasing her. Once in the woods, she turned around and scanned behind her for any pursuers. After a few minutes, she quietly walked back to Jellal.
Jellal jumped up with a smile on his face as soon as he saw her. "Did everything go well?"
"Almost. I was chased out of town and had to fight to get away. We should get moving."
"Alright."
#
After many more days, Erza and Jellal neared the border of Fiore and Bosco. They asked at a farm, and were told that the border was five miles east on the road they were on.
"I think we should parallel the road in the woods until we get closer and can see what's waiting for us at the border," Erza said. She led Jellal through the forest until they could hear the sound of people. Erza walked farther into the woods. "Wait here, and I'll go check it out."
"Be careful."
She snuck closer to the road and peeked out. Farther up the road, several soldiers stood at what looked like a symbolic gate, with no walls on either side. There were several buildings, but not enough for a town. She went father back into the forest while heading towards the border. Suddenly she sensed strong magic ahead. She returned to where she had left Jellal.
"There's a magical field across the border. We can pass through it, but it will signal somebody that we're there. I think we should follow it away from the road until it gets dark, and then try to get through. I'm sure someone will show up to fight."
"Whatever you think is best."
They walked east until Erza felt the magical field, and then walked south just outside of its range. A few hours later, night fell.
"I guess it's now or never. I'll probably need to fight any wizards who show up. Running away from them won't work. Stay close to me," Erza said, and requiped two swords.
"Good luck," Jellal said, sounding worried.
"Let's go," she said, and started running. Jellal hurried behind.
Soon after, a man appeared in the distance before them. Erza headed right towards him. Suddenly they were enveloped in a large ball of water. Erza didn't hesitate, but swept her swords around, cutting the water, and kept running. Jellal was close behind her.
Drops of water zoomed at them, but Erza deflected each one with her swords. Then she came to the man. "Swords can't hurt me," he said, and held up his hand.
"Then you've never felt my swords," Erza grunted as she swung. The man looked shocked and crumpled. Erza continued on, still leading Jellal.
"Sirius!" a woman's voice shouted from ahead, and suddenly a huge black dog appeared before Erza. She fought with it for some time until she saw something flash by the corner of her eye. She followed it to see Jellal some distance away, standing over a man on the ground, knocked out. A gun lay nearby.
"What was that?" he asked, shocked. Erza turned back to the dog.
"That must have been Meteor, one of your magics," Erza shot back over her shoulder. What a time to remember it! I hope he figured out how to use it, and didn't just do it on instinct.
Erza heard the sounds of other people arriving, but she was occupied with the dog. She saw Jellal flashing around, and heard cries of pain follow him.
A lightning bolt came straight at Erza. She reacted in time to stick out one of her swords, and managed to absorb most of the energy into it. She staggered back from shock, however, and when she looked in the direction the lightning had come from, she again saw Jellal standing over a man on the ground. After a few more strokes, she finished off the dog. She took stock of her surroundings. Jellal had knocked out about a dozen people, and no one else was nearby.
"Let's run!" Erza cried as she heard more people coming. She took several strides, but then fell to one knee in pain. She looked down to see a large slash on her leg, caused by the dog's claw. She felt exhausted from the lightning strike. But they needed to keep moving. As she struggled back up, Jellal grabbed her around the waist.
Suddenly they were one hundred meters away from where they were. Then another hundred, and another. Erza realized Jellal was using his Meteor to get away. Erza looked up to his face to see him concentrating hard. She decided not to distract him by talking.
After about ten minutes, Jellal stopped, panting hard. "I think that's as far as I can go," he said apologetically as he set her down and sat beside her.
"That was amazing! You remembered that in the middle of the battle?"
"Well, I saw the first man pointing a gun at you, and I knew I needed to protect you. I started running toward him and suddenly found myself running into him hard and knocking him down. After you called it Meteor, I seemed to understand how to use it, and I knocked down several more people. Then you seemed about to collapse, and I realized how to get us out of there."
"You saved my life!" Erza said gratefully.
"Well, you saved mine too," Jellal said shyly. Then he saw her leg. "But we need to do something about your leg!" Erza requiped some bandages, and Jellal tied up her leg.
"I don't think I can walk much on this leg, and you seem exhausted from Meteor. I think we're far enough into Bosco for tonight. Let's just sleep here."
"Alright."
#
The next day, Erza was still unable to walk much. They spent the day switching between Jellal using Meteor to move them farther into Bosco, and periods of rest.
Over several more days, they went further into Bosco.
"I think we're far enough away from Fiore to stay at an inn tonight at last," Erza said one day.
"That would be nice, if you think it's safe."
"I wouldn't mind a shower. And we can get information on what country to go to next in town," she said. They stopped that night in the next town.
#
Erza woke up before Jellal the next morning. She was sitting at the desk looking at the information she had gathered when Jellal suddenly gasped. She looked over as he sat up and looked back at her, the light dancing in his eyes.
"I remember!" he exclaimed, smiling.
Erza was thrilled. "What did you remember?" she asked excitedly.
"I remember loving you!"
#