Chapter 1: Quests and Princesses
Morning, 5th of Bloomingdale Location: West of Ishgal, Kingdom of Fiore, Nelaeryn.
"You smell like a donkey's arse!" Jellal scrunched his nose in disgust while ruthlessly slashing a putrid creature with his silver bastard sword.
How he ended up in this situation, he could not remember. However, he did remember following a beautiful lady out of the tavern he was at. He recalled walking right behind her, the wind carrying off her scent which was heavenly, the subtle sway of her hips, the paleness of her dress contrasting the darkness of the night, and the color of her hair, it was a mixture of gold and brown, a unique color in this region. Though her face was obscured by some sort of mask, like every other person in the place. He wondered if there was an event in the tavern which he did not know of. She was beautiful, though her face was unseen, she still gave off an aura of utter beauty. Which was why he could not comprehend how everything boiled down to this predicament. Her previously golden hair that rivaled the sun suddenly turned into black, darker than the cave of the dwarves named Dorzad. The white dress she was wearing which seemed blemishless, was now filled with holes and tears, and dirtied by mud and ashes. Seeing her unmasked face was close to living his nightmares, so close that he wished she'd wear the mask again, she had ghoulish features, her skin was as pale as her dress, her eyes seemingly bloodshot though it was obvious she had no blood. Do not get him started on her scent, Oh goddess, she smells horrible, like a dying cattle, or rat, or cat, or anything awful. He wished that he had a spell which could nullify his scent of smell.
Pushing all these complaints at the back of his mind, he focused on the situation at hand. He was now battling with a vile creature named Thlimaika, at the middle of a cave, how they got there was foreign to him, he followed her into a room not some cave after all. She feasts on men of any ages, changes her façade according to the age of the men she tries to capture. If she wanted a young boy, she would become a young girl or would even impersonate a female related to the boy. If it were young men, she becomes a young lass, tempting and seducing them, until they followed her into their pending death. After leading them to her den she would transform herself into a living nightmare. She had a wraith like nature, she was holding a dagger with serrated edges. Based on the books he read recently, these daggers were tremendously poisonous, it was bathed in poison that one little cut could mean an instant death.
Jellal stopped his barrage of attack in order to catch his breath, she was undoubtedly fast. Whenever he swings his sword in order to deliver a lethal strike, the monster dissolves itself into thin air. He knows he damages it somehow but he is unsure if it's enough to kill it. He wiped his sweaty brow using the back of his leather gauntlet, and he lowered his stance a bit in order for him to easily move when needed. His gaze fell on the creature, and when it met his eyes it immediately rushed to him. Jellal had enough of this farce, he focused his magic to his sword. This activated the runes encrypted on it, the runes glowed bright blue. The Thlimaika swung the dagger to his direction wanting to slash his neck, but Jellal was hasty and leaned back then ducked in order to avoid it, after doing so he leaned forward and swung his sword which he was holding with both hands positioned on his left, to the direction of the Thlimaika. It shrieked in pain, he felt tremors underneath his feet. He met a slight resistance from the sword's blade to the Thlimaika's body, which is a good sign for him, for this means that he had successfully delivered a lethal cut. He continued pushing the blade with all of his energy until it sliced through the creature's body. The formerly floating Thlimaika was now reduced to a quivering monster on the rocky cave ground. Her body was cut in half, and the cut was oozing out black liquid, which Jellal assumed as the creature's blood.
He placed his silver sword on its sheath at his back. After sheathing his sword, he took a flask hidden in a small pouch slung on his waist, and opened it, then he knelt down in order to fill the flask with the creature's blood. He did not know of the purpose of this but it was seemingly required in order to complete the task written on the contract he found posted on the notice board. Once the flask was filled he stood up, closed it, then casted a spell on the flask in order for it not to break. He observed how the Thlimaika was holding the dagger and kept swaying it side by side in an attempt to slice his leather cladded foot. But, it had no more energy left in it.
He lifted his hand, palm facing in the direction of the creature.
"Hyrr." He uttered, fire started flowing out of his palm to the Thlimaika. The moment the flames touched the flesh of the creature, it screamed in agony. Jellal didn't know why he still felt pity for the creature that wanted to slaughter him. He felt this way probably because even at their death they could not rest peacefully, they were not relieved of the agony they felt when they were still alive. He did not want that to happen to him, they probably did not want this to happen to them either.
Jellal wanted to help them, but he did not know how, only monks and priests could do so. That's what most of the people say at least. He perished these thoughts, for now. He still had a lot to do after all, the jewels he would get for this was not sufficient, he had to look for other contracts. The flames reduced the Thlimaika to ashes. Jellal closed his eyes, then he curled his finger to make a fist out of his hand and placed it on his chest. He later knelt down on one knee and bowed his head.
"May thy soul reach the goddess of freedom and peace." He said earnestly. This was all he could do for them.
As Jellal's mentors told him, this phrase helped the lost souls cross over the realm of humans to the realm of the spirits, when articulated with sincerity. If the goddess of peace saw honesty behind those words she would help the lost soul and bestow peace on them forever. He stood up and dusted his trousers. When he was sure he was finished with his duties in the cave he started to look around, in attempt to leave the cave.
"By the gods, why is it so dark in here?" He wondered aloud, it was immensely he could not even see his hands.
"Illum." He casted a spell that summons a small ball of light, which allows him to navigate his path clearly.
He continued walking aimlessly around the cave, until he concluded that he was walking in circles. Whichever path he took led him towards the place where he slayed the monster. Perhaps this was made in order to perish the attempts of escape the creature's prey will have. Jellal was prepared to lose hope until he felt the cave ground shake, little rocks fell from above him, and the image of the cave began to falter. Light was finally seeping through and at the moment he blinked, he was in the middle of nowhere. Trees were surrounding him, the rocky surface of the cave was replaced by the verdant grass of the forest. He recognizes the place, it was called Ainesilver. This forest was known for its enchanted aura, it was truly beautiful, the grass was greener and more vibrant than any other place, and the trees were captivating though they were old. The forest was previously populated by elves but they soon left the forest in order to build a town where everyone could be comfortable. The forest is currently a home for nymphs, fairies and ents. He raised his arm to block the light from his eyes, though he's grateful that he's out of the cave, all of the happenings perplexed him to an extent that he thinks he's losing his mind.
"Goddess! How long was I in there?" He questioned no one but himself.
As far as he can recall, he followed the haunted damsel at night, so it must've taken him a long time to realize that he was enchanted. There were no alleys, no tavern, no houses, and most especially no people. He was enchanted the moment he stepped foot inside the forest. Jellal navigated throughout the forest expertly, he's been here for a lot of times after all. He reached the main road after a while and decided to head to Nelaeryn. It was a town north of Ainesilver, inhabited by elves and fortunately, does not prohibit humans. He started walking towards the town, it was quite far away so he assumed that he would get there before nightfall. While walking he wished that Vearethel, a potion maker, was a generous person. Jellal needed all the jewels that he can get, renting a room in an inn at Crocus was expensive after all. He pondered if he would move to Magnolia instead, he heard a lot of good rumors about the place. While walking he heard a galloping of a horse followed by the sound of wooden wheels striding on the gravel. Looking at the source of the sound he saw a trader, his cart looked wore down, there was a bunch of holes on the roof which was made of cloth, and the walls of the cart had arrows sticking out from it. An act of the bandits for sure. The trader passed by him and when he was about 5 meters away from Jellal.
"Whoa!" he said with strong imposing voice while lightly kicking the sides of the horse, bringing all the movement to a halt.
"D'you need a lift lad?" The merchant said with thick Minstrelian accent. Leave it to the Minstrelians to be kind though suffering.
"Yes! Thank the gods! I'm headed north of here, a place called Nelaeryn." Jellal exclaimed excitedly.
Now that he had a good look at the trader, he noticed that his face was quite bruised. His forehead was clumsily wrapped with bandages, Jellal assumed that the trader did it himself. He also had a dark purple bruise surrounding his left eye, his upper lip had a cut, and all things considered he was battered. Without all of these he would look like an ordinary old man, his hair was all greyed, he was sporting a gruff look because of his greying full beard and he had few wrinkles on his forehead.
"Come along then, I am headed to Nelaeryn too. Repair my cart and get medical help, hopefully." The merchant said wistfully while Jellal went inside of the carriage.
The cart creaked with Jellal's weight, but it remained sturdy nonetheless. When Jellal was settled inside the cart, the merchant moved along. The horse's hoofs dug through the gravel and moved forward at a steady pace. Jellal took all his surroundings in, the cart had barely anything inside it, and it truly was ransacked. The cart had a crateful of cloth, scattered scraps of food, and a bunch of materials that he was certain costs nil. His observation was interrupted when the merchant cleared his throat, obviously wanting his attention.
"So, what brings a young man like you to this area? You don't look like a trader." The merchant inquired curiously.
"Oh, just here to accomplish a hunt." Jellal said as briefly as possible. The trader seemed content with his vague answer and left it as that.
The rest of the journey was silent, the merchant and Jellal only exchanged a few words, sharing some of their travelling experiences, and a little small talk. It was a peaceful trip. Jellal leaned on the wall of the cart, feeling the exhaustion taking over him. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
Morning, 5th of Bloomingdale Location: South of Ishgal, Kingdom of Minstrel, Magnolia, Palace of Kings.
"Let me in!" The scarlet haired princess roared furiously.
"Your Highness, I sincerely apologize but His Majesty has instructed me to not let anyone in, while the council is in progress." A knight guarding the royal office said cowardly.
"But I am not anyone, Sir Gildarts!" The princess barked with much disdain than her first statement. Making the knights wince as if in pain.
"Princess Erza, you have to understand that the King has instructed me to strictly prohibit anyone from interrupting the session. No one can enter while the council is ongoing." Gildarts was sweating profusely, everyone in the kingdom knows that angering the princess was close to asking the Reaper for death. If not because of his head gear that effectively shielded his face, the princess would see how his lips was quivering and how his eyes betrayed him of his emotions.
"Oh? Not even the Princess herself?" Erza said in a mocking tone. Sir Gildarts may be stubborn but Erza is much worse. Scoffing when Gildarts shook his head in disapproval.
The knight had his head held down, not meeting the intense glare the princess was giving him. The other knight beside him however did not speak at all, he cowered in the corner like a sheep confronted by a wolf. Their vice grip on their spears were starting to slack. Fighting a dragon would be better than reasoning out with Princess Erza.
"There you are Princess! I was looking all over the palace for you." The princess' lady-in-waiting said cautiously, not wanting to aggravate the princess' wrath.
The exclamation of the maid was unheard, and so did the knight's statement. The fiery haired princess still did not back down, she would never, especially when it involved a grave matter. No one, not even the King, the Prince, the Knight, or anyone, could decide how she wanted to live her life. Decisions are to be made by her, not anybody else. She was her own person, she had the right to do what she loves. She most especially had the right to choose the person she would marry. Which was why when her mischievous, infuriating, and useless brother decided to tell her about the marriage the King, her father, has arranged for her, she lost it. Erza never imagined her father could be so unfair to her. No, she never imagined how life could be so unfair to her. She is expected to marry Prince Lates of Caellum, a kingdom on the west of Minstrel. The marriage was to take place in the month of Harbinger. Which was three months from today. The reason why Erza is against the marriage was because: First, she haven't met the said Prince; Second, even if they did meet she was sure she would not fall in love with him because he was known to have slept with half of the women in Ishgar, the rumors might have exaggerated it a bit, but nonetheless, being unfaithful to a lover is one of the little things Erza hates in a person; Lastly, the main reason why she did not want to marry was because she was still young, she's nineteen, marriage was the last thing on her mind. She could not even take care of herself how could she be expected to take good care of her husband and children, when she's just a child herself.
"Mira, tell these guards to make way for the Princess. Now." Erza ordered, not bothering with what Gildarts said.
"Your Highness, it might be best if we return to your chambers, the matter that you wanted to discuss can maybe wait for a while longer." Mira said slowly in a hushed voice, she looked at the princess and was startled when she saw her staring at her. When Erza did not say anything she continued.
"The council session has started moments ago, I'm sure His Majesty is sta-"
"The matter I wanted to discuss cannot wait. It is important. I do not care if my fath- "Erza caught herself and continued, "His Majesty, is in the middle of a damned council meeting, I need to speak to him!" Erza cut her off, mid-sentence. She knew all too well what Mira was supposed to say. She was going to calm her down and escort her back to her chambers and make her forget about questioning the King. Erza did not want that.
The longer she stood outside the door of her father's royal office, the more frustrated she became.
"If you would not let me in this instant, I swear to all the gods and goddesses, I will run around the palace screaming my lungs out." She saw the knights exchange strange looks, as if mocking her, wondering if she was bluffing or not. So, to make the threat real, she inhaled deeply, and this was enough for the guards to be alarmed. Gildarts reached for the handle of the door and swung it open for her.
The Royal Council Chamber of King Makarov was a place in the palace where even her and the Prince were not allowed to enter. They were only permitted to enter the chamber if the King requested it. The chamber was a small room which was sparsely decorated. The windows that extended from the ceiling to the floor gave light into the room, dark red drapes were hanging from either side of the windows. It had a fireplace, which made the chamber warm. On the middle of the room was where the round wooden table was placed. The sigil of the Kingdom was carved on the surface, there were a lot of carved dragons on the legs of it, and there were at least ten wooden chairs around it. King Makarov was seated at the head of it, on his right was Prince Laxus, and on his left was his advisor Warrod, Duke of Hargeon, a province in Minstrel. There were other people as well but she did not recognize who they were. Even if she did, she did not care.
At her sudden intrusion all eyes were fixed upon her. Some looked at her with scorn, others had fear etched all over their face. In general, most of them were confused and irritated at the sudden interruption. Erza did not quiver under their gazes, if anything she did not feel anything at all. It must've been the adrenaline coursing through her veins that she managed to move forward without tripping or shaking. She only stopped when she reached the edge of the table. Everybody was silent, only their labored breathing could be heard. Erza looked around the table, her father's expression was the most noticeable. He held a puzzled and fearful look on his face, with that she looked away trying to compose herself. When no one spoke Makarov stood up and looked at his daughter directly.
"Princess Erza, please explain yourself." Makarov said in a gentle tone. Most of the people looked like they wanted to leave the chambers immediately, not wanting to be involved in the crossfire of father and daughter that was about to happen. Laxus observed his father and his sister, he could tell that Erza was furious, it would be obvious for even the densest of people, and she looked like nothing can calm her. His father, however, did not betray any emotion, he was stoic but gentle at the same time. He only hoped that Erza would leave before anything uneventful would happen.
"Is something the matter?" Makarov inquired. He did not know the true intensions of his daughter. He only wished it was trivial, so that he could dismiss it straightaway.
"No." Erza said while glaring at her father and her hand curled into a fist on her sides.
"Then lea-."
"No! I will not marry Prince Lates!" Laxus was shocked, this was the first time King Makarov was cut off. He bit back his groan, for he knows he's the one who's going to get scolded later. He shouldn't have told Erza. "Shit." He whispered to himself as quiet as possible.
"This council session has ended, everybody leave." Makarov ordered, he did not want the others to hear what would transpire between the two of them.
"But, Your Majes-" A council member said disapprovingly only to be cut off by none other than Makarov himself.
"But nothing! Leave." Makarov snarled viciously, with that every human and non-human in the room tried their best not to run. This was not the first time they saw their king infuriated, but it still unnerves them to the extent of wanting to crumble down on the floor. When the chamber was cleared and the only people left were Prince Laxus, King Makarov, and Princess Erza.
Erza stared at her brother and gestured him to leave, but Laxus did not. He wanted to see how this would end. Erza then turned her attention back to her father, she saw how enraged he was, but she did not care for she was furious herself. She did not even care that she had her outburst in front of the council members, as of now shame was not her priority. Erza inhaled, but before she could try to speak, Makarov went first.
"The treaty has been made. I have said what must say, you are going to wed Prince Lates whether you're against it." The sense of finality was clear in his voice, but it was unheard by Erza.
"You have to understand Erza, we have to strengthen our alliance with the east. Caellum has the best cavalry in the east. We need that cavalry if we want to- . "
"Therefore, it is alright with you to sell your own daughter like livestock to Caellum. An offering? You know all too well who Prince Lates is and yet you're still willing to let me be betrothed to him?" Erza had to prevent her voice from wavering, her tears threatening to fall but she did her best not to breakdown in front of her father. If she wept now it would mean she's already lost.
Makarov was at loss of words, he did not want her to think that way. She is still his daughter, and he may have heard stories about Prince Lates' unfaithfulness but there is absolutely no way those rumors told the truth. Laxus sat uncomfortably at Erza's sudden proclamation. He wanted to speak but he couldn't it seemed like his throat grew dry. Erza heard no response from her father, she then decided to continue.
"Why couldn't it be Laxus?"
"King Bob has no daughters."
"Then have him marry a kingdom that has princesses." They continued to banter until Makarov grew tired of it.
"Laxus is going to rule this Kingdom, he has no time to be married off to some princess. He has to train to become a king. Erza, be that as it may, but I have already promised to have you marry Prince Lates."
"And I have time to be married off to some prince? I'm nineteen, immature and young…." She trailed off, her voice growing weak, her tears were flowing freely, and she lost all hope. Her shoulders were slumped and her head bowed down. Whatever she says she knew her father wouldn't listen. She hated it.
"Is it because I'm not of your own blood? Is that the reason why it seems pleasing to you for me to be shipped off to some kingdom? Was it bec-" Erza immediately looked up, her eyes widening with surprise on the things she had just said. She also noticed her father's posture grew rigid, even Laxus was shocked by the declaration. Erza knew she went too far, her father did not want discussing this. The discussion of her being an orphan was a taboo.
"I s-sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. Perhaps you're right. I should be married to Prince Lates." Erza said hurriedly, wanting to dismiss the topic as soon as it permits her. Making her notion of leaving noticeable, she hastily walked in the direction of the door.
"Erza." Makarov called calmly. Erza heard it and stopped her movement. Her back was facing him. She was crying, that's why. She did not want them to see how weak she looks right now. Makarov saw how Erza stopped moving, her labored breathing obvious, he knew she was crying. After a short moment, he continued.
"I'm sorry. I should've thought about how you felt. Do not worry child, I'll cancel the betrothal. I sincerely ask for your apology. It's just that the threat of Alvarez was terrifying, I wanted our forces to be ready sooner. I did not know you felt that way." Makarov hoped that his sentiments reached his daughter.
"I apologize for my outburst as well. And thank you for understanding. But is it really fine to cancel it?" Erza now looking at her father. She was beaming.
"Yes. King Bob and I are good friends. I'm sure it would be fine with him to not have the wedding pushed through." Makarov said approvingly. Erza made her way back to the door but stopped when her father continued speaking.
"Well, could you at least attend the feast when they arrive the Capital? Talk to him for a while." Makarov smiled, he was elated that they have ended the argument peacefully.
"Alright. But if I do not like to be in his presence may I leave?" Erza asked and tilted her head sideways. Her eyebrows raised questioningly.
"Do as you please, child." Makarov sighed, it is most probable that Erza would not attend the feast at all. It only makes him wonder why he loves his stubborn children so dearly. Erza clasped her hands together, as if delighted on what has transpired and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you for gracing me of your time, Your Majesty." Erza looked at Laxus with a look which he found irritating. Laxus knew that his sister knew what would happen if she left. He groaned when he saw his sister opening the door. He should've left when Erza told him to do so.
The sound of the door closing was the last thing Laxus and Makarov heard.
"It is best if I left as well." Laxus said cautiously, knowing his father would scold him. He stood up and proceeded to head to the door. He hoped his father forgot about the anger he felt moments ago.
"Where do you think you're going young man? Sit down." Laxus shuddered, his father's voice was booming in his ears. So, as a good boy, he went back to his chair and sat down. Muttering the word he seemingly said repeatedly this morning.
"Shit."
AN: New story, I know...I haven't been updating the others, which I apologize for. I'll probably update them soon. This idea suddenly came to me after I played a game which involves kingdoms and such, and I thought I just had to write it. Lol... It was fascinating, soooo I hope you like this. Just testing though. If you want updates please tell me in the review section, tell me your comments about this too, like improvements and such. Thanks for reading. R&R :D (P.S. I apologize for the long chapter I had a hard time illustrating the scenarios.)