When There's Nothing Left: Chapter 1
Hey guys! Midnight Dreamer here! So this is my first fanfiction, and I'm very excited to share it with you! Constructive criticism is welcome.
The sweltering heat already had Erza Scarlet in a bad mood, and Natsu and Gray's bickering sure wasn't helping. The only thing keeping her from bashing their heads together was the fact that Princess Hisui E. Fiore was standing a mere five feet from her. Oh how irritated she was. The promising thought of beating them to a pulp when they got back to the guild was quite literally the only reason Erza was staying sane.
"Quiet, you imbeciles!" Erza hissed under her breath. "Her majesty is right there!"
The two instantly shut their mouths when they saw the princess smiling at them. Erza was impressed that they actually stopped talking. Who knew all it took was the sweet smile of a princess.
Why Makarov chose Natsu and Gray to accompany her on this mission was beyond Erza. Perhaps he thought a mission to keep Hisui safe on her travels would force them to grow up. As if. Those two will continue to fight each other until they were old and grey.
"Thank you for being here. The carriage ride should only be about an hour, but these roads are infested with dark guilds. One can never be too careful," Hisui said.
Dark guilds. There were so many of them lately. Erza couldn't help but wonder if Jellal's guild was nearby. It would make sense. After all, the sole purpose of his guild is to wipe out all traces of darkness in Fiore. She could only hope he was keeping safe in such dangerous times. The threat of Zeref was ever present.
Erza was shaken out of her thoughts when Natsu spoke up.
"We have to walk a whole hour without stopping for food? How am I supposed to do that?"
"You'll survive, Flame Brain. It's about time you learned how to manage your food intake," Gray snickered.
"How 'bout you shut up and mind your own damn business, snow cone!"
"Maybe I will when your stupidity finally stops interfering with our missions!"
"ENOUGH!" Erza roared. "I apologize for their behavior, your majesty."
Hisui waved off the apology with a smile. "It's all right. Boys will be boys. We should be off now, though. The sooner we get to my destination, the better."
Hisui climbed into her carriage, and Natsu, Gray, and Erza walked along the sides. The grumbling of the fire dragonslayer did nothing to ease Erza's short temper. She wished more with every passing second that Lucy was there to keep Natsu in check. Alas, the poor celestial mage had come down with a cold and was currently on bed rest. Erza found it miraculous how Lucy was capable of calming such a reckless wizard like Natsu. Erza's method of intimidation was barely enough to keep them from clawing each other's throats out. Lucy truly has a gift with words.
The two boys once again began shouting insults at each other, and Erza did nothing to stop them. The intense heat from the sun left sweat dripping down her arms, leaving her in no mood to put up with their nonsense.
A soft breeze had Erza sighing with relief, as the air gently tickled her heated skin. Scarlet tresses flowed behind her as she spread her arms wide, welcoming the zephyr. For a moment she could imagine herself soaring above the clouds, reveling in the wind as it blew all of her stress away. Perhaps Jellal would be there too, whispering into her ear, his voice as gentle and smooth as the breeze. His words and the wind combined would rejuvenate her entire being.
She opened her eyes and shook herself out if her fantasy. This wasn't the time for daydreaming about Jellal. She had a mission to fulfill. Not to mention two immature boys to babysit.
Natsu began to complain after about ten minutes. "I wish Luce was here! She's more interesting than you two!"
"Well she's sick, and it's better that she's resting at home," Erza told him.
"How did she get sick? I never get sick!"
"That's because your inhuman, fire ball," Gray retorted.
"Who are you calling inhuman, popsicle? I'm more human than you!"
"Says the dragon boy."
"Shut your trap, would ya?"
"Why should I? Insulting dense idiots like you is fun!"
"Boys!" Erza warned, "you two need to shut up and look out for dark guilds. The safety of the princess is much more important than your dispute."
Natsu and Gray reluctantly stopped arguing and continued walking alongside the rolling carriage. Erza sighed with relief. It was about time she got some peace and quiet.
The carriage rolled along into the forest. It became clear why dark guilds were large in numbers here: the trees provided perfect cover to hide and attack unsuspecting travelers and caravans. The evergreens loomed over the group like glowering gods. The stillness of the wood created an air of mystery than made Erza uneasy. Only a fool wouldn't be able to tell that something was off. Erza couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, or worse, followed. She figured a dark guild was lurking around, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The re-quip mage had her hand ready to summon a sword at a moment's notice.
"Hey Erza!" Natsu yelled, "see anything?"
Erza shook her head. "No, but I definitely sense the presence of dark forces. Be on your guard."
The silence was deafening as the group lumbered down the path. Erza thought she might get whiplash from all the times she swung her head around, thinking she heard something. Every little tickle on her skin got her heart racing as if she were in the midst of battle. Even Natsu and Gray were silent, cautiously treading along and keeping a constant watch on their surroundings.
The tense environment was broken in a single instant when a dagger came flying toward Erza from the left. She quickly equipped her sword and smacked the blade out of the air before it shattered the carriage window.
"We've got company!" Erza shouted to Natsu and Gray.
Gray stayed back to watch the princess while Natsu and Erza took off running, magic ready, towards the direction the dagger came from. The two stumbled through the trees, looking for whoever had thrown the knife. Their efforts, however, were fruitless. The culprit seemed to have vanished completely.
"He couldn't have gone far!" Natsu panted, "so where the hell is he!"
"I don't know, but we should probably turn back. It's not worth chasing this guy if Gray might be in trouble back at the carria-"
Erza was cut off when a second dagger, dropped from above, landed mere inches from her right foot. She snapped her head up to see a sneering, crooked face looking down at her from his perch on a tree branch. Erza snarled at the knife thrower. How dare this scoundrel throw not one, but two daggers at her!
"Heaven's wheel!" she shouted, and her body glowed golden as her regular armor was replaced with heaven's wheel armor. "Circle sword!" Her arm shot up in the direction of her target, and a volley of ten swords flew up to strike down the man. He screamed and leapt from his branch moments before a blade came in contact with his face. Erza and Natsu both cringed as he landed on the ground next to them with a sickening crunch.
Now that the mysterious figure was writhing in pain at her feet, Erza was able to get a good look at him. His leg was twisted in an unnatural position from his fifteen-foot drop. Deep purple robes adorned his figure, and his gargantuan nose and bulging eyes were half-hidden by a gold-rimmed hood. Erza bent down and dragged him up by his collar. Now that his face was completely visible, Erza and Natsu could see just how hideous his face really was. Erza thought he looked like a cross between a troll and blob fish.
"You. What's your name?"
"S-Seth," the man spat in pain.
"And what business do you have throwing daggers at travelers?"
"It's not my fault! Please, don't hurt me!"
"Why do you say it's not your fault? It was your arm that threw the knife," Erza said while scrutinizing his odd face. He really did have a rather large nose.
"I was ordered to ambush anyone who came by on this road. I had no choice, I swear! Have mercy and release me!" Seth begged.
Erza frowned. "By whom?"
"Huh?"
"Who ordered you to attack travelers?"
"H-he said his name was Jellal. Jellal Fernandez. If I didn't do it, he said he'd kill me and my family."
Erza was stunned into silence. There was no way Seth was talking about her Jellal. She had no way of telling if Seth was truthful, but there weren't many people around named Jellal Fernandez. It didn't make sense. What could this possibly mean? Jellal would never do something like that. Had darkness once again taken control of his mind? All of these thoughts spun around in Erza's head like a tornado. What had happened to her dearest Jellal?
Well that's it for the first chapter! Don't forget to leave a review!