All for Erza
Author's Note: Tada! My first ever multi-chapter fic for Fairy Tail! My plan is to upload a new chapter each month so that I will have time to write said chapters. I love Mystwalker so much. *O*
Disclaimer: The idea for this fic is the product of my imagination and Fairy Tail is product of Hiro Mashima. This is the only disclaimer I shall write for this fic because it applies to future chapters as well.
Fated Meeting
He had been so young when he had first met her, maybe four years old at the time, but fifteen years later, he could still recall it as clearly as if it were yesterday, even if he remembered nothing else about that day. His mother, the sociable and lively pink-haired queen, had still been alive then and he had spent most of the evening with her, hiding behind her dress from all the important-looking people who had attended the ball and wanted to stare at him. He still didn't understand how this was a ball since he didn't see any, just a bunch of people dancing. Nonetheless, he had been separated from his mother and introduced to the girl by his father, King Faust. She looked like she was his age and his father told him that she was of the Knightwalker clan. He knew of them. They had quite a long history of generals and war-heroes, but this didn't impress him much. What struck him the most about the girl was her hair, her very pretty scarlet-red hair. He would never forget it.
"Prince, I am Erza Knightwalker, daughter of General Lord Laxus Knightwalker," the redhead said as she got down on her knees and bowed her head, "It is my honor to serve you. I will do everything in my power to protect you, or die trying."
The blue-haired prince tilted his head slightly as he stared at the girl kneeling prostrate before him. This girl, she... she wasn't going to become a part of his personal guard, was she? "Th-There's no need for that-"
"You insult me, my Lord," she interrupted him forcefully and her head shot up to glare at him with her hazel eyes, "You don't understand what a tremendous honor it is to serve under the royal family!" Then her eyes widened in horror and she dropped her head again, "Forgive my outburst, your Majesty. You may punish me in a manner befitting of my crime."
Before the prince could wrap his head around what had just happened, his father started laughing and he clapped his hand on the General's shoulder and said, "You've trained your daughter mighty well, Lord Laxus. If only my own Jellal were so rigorously trained as well." Said prince froze and stared up at his father in confusion. What did he mean by that? Did he do something wrong?
"Nonsense, your Highness," Lord Laxus said with a casual wave of his hand, "I'm merely training her for the position that she is to accede to, a general of your royal army at the very least. Your son will inherit a far more different position that will have to account for many aspects of governing besides the militia." Jellal had long-since stopped listening, though the fear of disappointment still gripped him. His attention was back on the girl in front of him.
"My punishment?" she prompted, her voice a little impatient.
She wanted punishment? That didn't make any sense so Jellal shook his head, "No punishment."
Erza raised her head once more, looking outraged, "That is unacceptable! I must be punished!"
Jellal didn't know any kids his own age and he wasn't very familiar with people being mad at him unless that person was his father. She hadn't done anything wrong as far as he could tell (for that had to be why she wanted to be punished). So Jellal drew in a deep breath and said, as importantly as he could, "I order you to forgive yourself." Her angry expression changed and now she looked confused. "I am the prince, right? If you want to serve me, then you have to follow my orders. So I'm ordering you to forgive yourself," he explained, "If you forgive yourself, then you won't have to be punished, right?"
Erza looked flustered and she tried to think of a comeback, but couldn't. "I... that is, you..."
She stopped when Jellal held his hand out to her and smiled jovially at her, "Let's be friends, Erza."
Erza didn't quite know how to react. Some part of her wanted to accept his hand, but... this couldn't be allowed. This seemed like too informal a gesture. Surely this wouldn't be acceptable. It couldn't be. But... as she stared into his sincere, green eyes, she couldn't help herself. She reached out and took hold of his proffered hand. If Jellal had been smiling before, he was positively beaming now and his smile was so infectious, that even Erza's lips twitched upward slightly. He had made his first friend.
Their fathers had fallen silent to watch the exchange between their children and when Erza took Jellal's hand, Laxus elbowed Faust in the side with a meaningful wink and a smirk. Nobody but Laxus would have been able to get away with such a gesture towards his Highness, but they had been friends for a long time and the Knightwalker clan had been loyal to the throne of Edolas since the commencement of the Nebrin (the current) Dynasty after the Rehv-Quess Rebellion of X552, 217 years ago. Years ago, half-jokingly, they had discussed a possible future alliance between the House of Nebrin and the House of Knightwalker. It didn't seem like such a far-fetched thought anymore.
And thus, the adorable Prince of Edolas meets Erza Knightwalker. My God, they are too cute! XD I decided to make Edo-Laxus be Knightwalker's father because the anime seemed to allude that Faust might have been the Edo-Makarov, so it fit to me. Besides, having Edo-Laxus being Knightwalker's father makes the Mystogan vs Laxus battle (and the conversation before about Scarlet) even more interesting, yes? XD It would be like Laxus (Knightwalker) saying that his daughter is weak and Mystogan would be defending his girl from her father's criticisms.