a/n. It takes me a lot of courage to post this because it has been a year since the last time I post something here. I am so nervous! Well, I hope you will enjoy the story.

I do not own Fairy Tail. I do not own any fairy tales too. Sadly.


Chapter 1: The Prisoner


It is another afternoon in Strawberry Street when three ladies are sitting together inside a celestial mage's room. What are they doing? For a good 30 minutes, a requip mage, a sky dragon slayer and an exceed listen to the celestial mage's storytelling about Snow White and The Huntsman while sometimes munching their strawberry cakes or drinking their tea.

"And thaaat's the end of the story," Lucy closes the book as she looks at her two (well, three) companions inside her room.

Wendy smiles wide, her eyes are sparkling.

Erza blinks, "So in the end, the huntsman is the one who wakes her up. What a twist…" she puts her finger on the chin.

"Yes. It is slightly different than the ordinary story," Lucy explains.

"But the main purpose of Snow White story is that the girl is awoken from a prince's kiss," Charle protests.

"I think this story is also beautiful, Charle," Wendy states, eyes still sparkling in amazement. The white exceed sighs.

"Indeed. Now that Snow White is kissed and saved by the huntsman, she doesn't need the prince," Erza says nonchalantly, "Then why did the son of the Duke even appear in the first place?"

Lucy laughs a little as she munches the strawberry cake in front of her, "Well Erza, what's a fairy tale without a prince?"

Wendy giggles, "This is rather unusual plot for a princess, right, Lucy-san?".

"Yeah, it's a surprising twist, actually," Charle drinks her tea.

"Usually, a fairy tale is about a princess being protected by a prince. Add some adventures before and after and it will be complete," Erza takes another bite of her strawberry cake.

"But Erza, don't you think that meeting someone that you will fall in love with, even though he is not a prince, is amazing? Even though he is not a prince, he is the prince of our hearts anyway… How is that?" Lucy claps her hands together and fantasizing.

"It's amazing, Lucy-san," Wendy blushes a little and giggles.

Erza blinks as she digests Lucy's words… prince… fall in love… our hearts… Erza takes one spoon of her cakes as she blushes at her thought and sweetness of the cake.

"Even so… there doesn't seem you will find any 'prince' in our guild anyway." Charle sips her tea again.

"W-Well, yeah… I think you're right," Lucy sighs as Wendy laughs a little, both are oblivious to certain red-head indwelled by her own thought about 'prince'.

"Next, I am going to read this one, Lucy-san!" Wendy pull out a book from Lucy's bookshelf.

"What story now?"

Wendy shows the cover to Lucy, "This is called, Sleeping Beauty!"


She hears twitters from outside the window. The morning sun wipes her face slowly through the small window across her bed, makes her eyes flutter open. Erza slowly sits on her bed, as her conciousness assembles itself. She looks around the room and her consciousness becomes intact all of sudden.

"What?!" she squeaks as she realizes that she is not in her room in Fairy Hills. She looks at herself and finds out that she is now wearing a brownish long gown. Judging by the color disarrangement, she knows that it used to be light brown gown, some parts has torn and some others are burnt. Erza abruptly stands up and takes a good look of her unfamiliar surrounding.

The small room with dark stone walls brings her back the sad memories of her childhood. Some of the surface is covered in dark green moss. A small window lets sunshine illuminate her room, but it is too high for her to reach and look outside. There is a dirty chimney on the corner of the small room, and a big steel door with a window on the other corner. Erza walks to the door and tries to open it, only to find it doesn't bulge even though she pushes is with all her might.

"A cell? Why am I locked in here?" Erza tiptoes on her feet, tries to peek through the door's window and all she finds is an empty narrow hall.

"Where am I actually?" she keeps the will to shout and demands an explanation of why she is locked inside a cell. Erza sits back on her small bed and tries to remember, when suddenly the sunlight from her small window is blocked. Erza turns up to hear a wing claps outside and a cat ear squeezes through the small window. The blue color is unmistakable.

"Happy?" Erza asks cautiously.

"Aye!"

Erza watches as the exceed finaly make it inside the cell, "Happy! What are you doing?"

"Oh Princess, of course I come to visit you like usual,"

Erza blinks in confusion, "Princess? Who's princess?"

The floating cat is now also blinking in confusion, "Aye, you are a princess, Princess,"

"I am not a princess, Happy," Erza glances lower to her dark brown gown, "Look, how do you call me a princess in this attire? And where are we? Where's everyone?"

"B-But you're a princess, that's what you told me when you saved me long ago!"

Erza glares at the cat feeling annoyed, "Save the weird explanation, Happy, just tell me where I am!"

The exceed floats further, "B-But… Princess Scarlet, I was telling you the truth!" Happy cowers.

"Princess… Scarlet…? What… do you… mean by… Scarlet?" Erza slowly grasps the fact that this world is… different.

"T-That's your name, Princess, at least that's what you told me…" Happy floats further.

Erza puts her finger to her chin, "Something is definitely not right here…" she mumbles to herself. Somehow the setting is familiar to her, like, very familiar. Slowly, she sits back and tries to remember again.

"P-Princess?" Happy floats nearer.

Erza looks back to herself, dressed like peasant, kept inside a cell. She glances back to Happy, who called her 'princess'. "Happy?"

"Aye!"

"What's my name again?"

"Princess Scarlet! Scarlet White!"

"Scarlet White?"

"Aye!"

"And how did I meet you?"

"Aye! My wing was broken and you helped me back then!"

Erza cannot help but feeling a lot more familiar with the setting right now. Just another question to know that her feeling is true. "Happy, how did I end up in this cell?"

The floating creature tilts his head, "What happened with you, Princess? How did you forget?"

"Just answer me, Happy!"

"A-A-Aye!" Happy wails in fear, "Y-You were thrown here after your father's throne is taken away!"

Erza smirks a bit, she is definitely inside the last story she read together with Lucy and Wendy.

"A-And then…" Happy tries to continue.

"And then my step mother is sucking young girl's beauty to keep her youth, isn't it?"

"A-Aye!"

"And the land is dying because of the step mother, right?"

"A...Aye?" the exceed tilt his head in confusion, which is not seen by the red head.

"Hmph, Snow White, huh?"

"No, Princess, your name is Scarlet White, Princess!"

"Scarlet White, huh? So I am the main character of the story, then…"

"Story?"

"How did I end up like this, actually? Am I dreaming? No, this is too real of a dream. Somebody must have thrown me inside the story or something," Erza mumbles to herself.

The exceed watches her in confusion.

"And Happy doesn't seem to have any recollection of the real world. Could it be that I am the only one who realizes that this is not real?". Erza stands up and walks to the locked door, "If I am not mistaken, there will be a girl thrown inside that cell soon enough," Erza stares to the empty hall.

Soon enough, clanking sounds are heard through the hall. Happy quickly floats to her bed and hides beneath the blanket. Erza hides herself without losing her sight to the hall. She remembers that according to Lucy's story, there will be a girl thrown inside the cell in front of hers. The girl will soon realizes that Erza is her lost princess and—

—"Quick! On your feet!" someone's shout is echoed through the hall. Erza waits in anticipation. She remembers that Snow White will have to abandon the girl and run to her freedom, but she will never do that. She will take the girl together with her. As the guards' silhouttee comes into view, Erza can catch the glimpse of the prisoner and three guards. She narrows her eyes to get a better view. The prisoner is quite tall, maybe taller than her, dressed in dusty black robes and veil.

"She is such a quite girl," Erza mutters to herself as the prisoner's face come into view. Erza finally catches a glimpse of blue hair… and a red tattoo…

Jellal?! Erza gasps. Her heart suddenly races, a lot of questions pop up in her head. Why is Jellal here? Isn't it supposed to be a girl that is thrown to the cell? What if this is actually not Snow White story? And worse, what if Jellal is a girl inside this story?! Erza slams her head to the door, purposefully to drive out any crazy thought inside her head, but it also drives the attention of the guards and the new prisoner to her.

"Hey! What are you doing there?" a guard comes to her door.

Erza turns up to see the guard but his face is covered by black mask. Erza peeks to see that Jellal is also looking at her. She confirms that he is still a guy and she silently feels relieved.

"Hey! Answer when you're asked!" the guard punches the door, make it shaken in front of her face. She steps back in surprise and the guard laughs at her, "So lame!" then he walks back to Jellal and opens the door. Erza stares at the men as they throw her 'supposed-to-be-friend' inside the cell across of hers. After booing and laughing at him some more, the guards leave Jellal and Erza inside their respective cells.


Erza peeks at the newly inhabited cell as she waits until the guards are not heard anymore. Happy floats to her side, "Are you okay, Princess?"

"Yeah, thanks Happy," Erza flashes him a smile, and the exceed looks relieved.

Erza assures herself that the guards have really gone and clears her throat, "Helloo?"

No answer.

"Helloooo? Can you hear me?" Erza calls again.

Still no answer.

Erza shakes her head and clear her throat again, "Jellal? You're there?"

"Wait! What?! Jellal?!" Happy squeaks. Erza turns to the exceed questioningly. Happy screeches, "He is the hunted man! The kingdom has hunted him for years!"

"Hunted man?" Erza asks slowly. She sighs in silence, even in a story like this, Jellal is still a wanted man afterall. But wait, why call him 'hunted-man' rather than 'wanted-man'? Could it be that the title of this story has changed into Scarlet White and The Hunted-man? Erza sweatdrops. "But… if the title changes into that, doesn't it mean that he and I will… will…" she blushed deep red.

"Title? Change?" Happy tilts his head.

Erza abruptly wakes up from her own world and stutters, "N-N-Nothing!"

A faint rustle sound is heard. Erza and Happy peek to the cell across them and soon the blue head is seen, "You. How do you know my name?"

Erza smiles a little, of course Jellal also doesn't recognize her, so she decides to tag along with the story, "I just happen to know,"

"A man like you, how come this earth doesn't know? Jellal the hunted-man!" Happy half-screams.

"It should be called 'wanted-man', not 'hunted-man'!" Erza says, "And Happy, you don't have to scream! It echoes, you know?"

Happy gasps, "I am very sorry, Princess! I am sorry!"

"Happy, no scream!"

"Princess?" Jellal's eyes widen as he hears Happy's words.

Erza turns to the other cell, she opens her mouth to say something.

"Are you the princess? You're still alive?!" Jellal tries to poke his head through the cell.

"Well, my name is Scarlet White if you're willing to know," Erza states as she sees Jellal's eyes pierce her, "My step-mother has locked me here,"

Jellal's face turns weird, "Step-mother?"

"Yes,"

Jellal blinks for some times.

"What?" Erza stares at his confusion.

"But Princess, you don't have a step-mother," Jellal says astonished.

"WHATT?!" Erza shout to him astonished.

The other prisoner lets out a heavy breath, "Then you're not the real princess if you don't know that," with that, Jellal disappears from their sight into his cell.

With a vein pops out her head, Erza turns to the exceed, "What… does… this… mean… Happy?!"

"Aiiiieeee! I didn't remember I ever state about step-mother!" Happy floats away.

"But you say yes when I mention step-mother!" Erza shouts in embarassment.

"I didn't say yes, My Princess!"

"You said that!"

"No! I didn't say 'yes', I said 'aye!'"

Hearing that, Erza slams her fist to the stone wall and makes the whole cell shudders. Happy screams in horror and squeeze out from the cell through the small window. Shouting the last 'I am sorry, Princess,', Happy flies away to the sunny sky.

Erza heaves out a breath. What is this world? What did she get herself into? She tries to calm helself down as she peeks back to the Jellal's cell. She has to know. She feels like she has to know. "Jellal!"

No answer.

"Jellal! Tell me about this kingdom! "

No answer.

"Jellal? You're there?"

No answer.

"Fine! Do as you wish!" Erza angrily steps away into her cell. If she remembers correctly, Snow White will be able to escape soon after another prisoner has come. But how? Erza paces back and forth, trying to remember how Snow White escapes from the prison.

"Damn, I can't remember," she mutters, "And with no step-mother, doesn't it mean that this is not Snow White story?" she groans in annoyance. "I have to escape! Somehow," Erza decides. She concentrates herself and tries to feel any of her magic, but fails, "Yeah, no magic, huh?" Erza sighs. She examines her cell carefully, trying to find a clue of what to do next, when another rustle sound is heard.

Soon she watches three previous guards are running to Jellal's cell and carelessly open the locked door, "He's gone! The prisoner's escaped!"

Erza's eyes turns wider as she hears that. When did he…

"We have to go report this back to the king?!"

The king? Erza is confused. The king is alive? Shouldn't it be her step-mother who rules the land? But wait, Jellal said there is no step mother. Erza groans in annoyance.

"You two go now! I will inspect the other prisoners!" two other guards nod in agreement and leave a sole guard in the hall, in front of her cell. Erza looks at the masked face in anticipation. This is her chance, she has to do something to escape. But how?

The guard steps closer to her cell and Erza resists the urge to say anything. She stares as the guard stands right in front of her door. Erza holds her breathe when the guard opens the cell's lock and the steel door creaks open.

Erza waits until the man is fully on her view and catches the glimpse of blue hair from him… "J-Jellal?," she hears a chuckle, as the man opens his mask. The red tattoo and more blue hair come into view.

"I don't know whether you're a princess or not, but everyone needs freedom. Go, Scarlet White," the 'hunted-man' tells her.

"Of course I will go, but how did you escape?"

Jellal turns his gaze to her and smirks, "Of course I use the apple,"

Erza looks at the blue head dumbfounded, "A-Apple?"

"Look, we don't have time to chat. Go to that direction and you will find an exit," Jellal points to the hall and walks away to the opposite direction.

"Jellal, where are you going?"

The tattoo-ed man stops his leg, "I will escape from different route," and then he resumes his steps.

Erza looks at him questioningly. She gets a hunch that their path is going to meet again. If, this story is really Scarlet White and the Hunted-man instead of Snow White and The Huntsman, Erza mutters to herself then blushes. Surprised by her own action, she shakes her head furiously and takes a deep breathe. Taking the last glance to the fake guard, Erza runs to her freedom. She must escape.


to be continued in Chapter 2: The Scary Brother


a/n. Phew I hope I did it well. I got the idea when I re-watched Snow White and The Huntsman. That story is definitely the source of my idea for this fic but I want to make something different from it too. Well, all the seriousness in that movie is not 100% in match with craziness in Fairy Tail, right? Hehe :p

About why Erza and not other girl, hmm.. actually I have made stories about Natsu, Lucy, and Juvia so far so I wanted to challenge myself a bit by writing about Erza. So far, she is an interesting character to write. Sure, the only pairing for Erza is Jerza, mind you *grin*

Anyway, sorry for any grammatical error because I haven't done thorough proofread and it's been forever since I wrote a fic. Please tell me what you think of the story :)