Second Chances
The crystal chandelier sparkled under the bright lights as multi-coloured blurs whirled past him. The soothing murmur of idle chatter floated around him, but such petty details were lost on him. The gentle smell of champagne wafted over to him, the bubbles rising rapidly in the golden liquid in the glass. He took a sip, rolling the liquid across his tongue, slowly savouring the oaky taste.
Jellal raised his glass and nodded in acknowledgement as another of Edolas' elite came over to congratulate him on his coronation. He exchanged pleasantries with the nobleman for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the ball.
He had ascended to the throne two months ago but he had been too preoccupied with rebuilding the city and dealing with the aftermath of the magic loss to celebrate. It was only when the newly formed Council had finally cornered him during one meeting, claiming that Edolas tradition demanded that the new king have a coronation ball, that he had relented, although he was fairly certain that it was just another political spectacle where the noblemen could suck up to him.
The glass clinked against the marble surface as he placed it on the bannister of the grand staircase. He surveyed the room. Hughes was arguing with Sugarboy and a grin spread across Jellal's face when he spotted Hughes grabbing his partner suddenly and dragging him out onto the balcony. He could see Laxus at the far end of the ballroom, a gaggle of women surrounding the handsome blond. As if sensing Jellal's gaze on him, the captain looked up, eyes pleading with the king to save him from all of the unwanted attention. Jellal chuckled and shook his head. Better to leave Laxus to deal with it all, he didn't want those women to turn their attention to him.
The sudden shuffling of footsteps caused him to wander off in another direction. He wasn't in the mood to socialize with the upper class elite anymore. He stopped and gazed out of one of the ballroom's large windows, the pale moonlight bathing him in a soft blue hue.
He wasn't sure what the future would be like. Apart from having to deal with the loss of magic and rebuilding the city, there was also the potential threat of foreign nations invading Edolas while they were still adjusting to the new situation. Jellal turned around, eyes scanning the crowd once more. He had an army but he wasn't sure if he had their loyalty. He wasn't even sure if he had his army captains' loyalty. He had, after all, only been crowned and had yet to stabilise his power. Many still saw him as an inexperienced 20 year old who had fled his homeland for 7 years. He ran a hand through his blue locks and sighed tiredly.
A flash of red caught his attention and his eyebrows shot up when he recognised the person. He was surprised that she had come at all. It was well known that Erza Knightwalker hated social gatherings of any kind. He smiled to himself, feeling his mood lighten up at the sight of a familiar face. Hopefully it was a sign of respect and loyalty for her new king.
Jellal's eyes followed her as the female made her way over to take a flute of champagne. He wondered what kind of person she was. He had never really talked to her or socialized with her. In fact, he hadn't even had the chance to call a captain's meeting yet. The closest contact that he had with her was when he had accompanied his father to inspect the military academy and being top of her class, she had the honour of performing drills for the royal family. Even though those occasions were rare, he remembered her. He didn't understand the significance at that time and he had never dwelled on it. Not until now.
His fingers curled tighter around the stem of his glass. He didn't know what kind of person she was, but if what he had heard was true, then Erza Knightwalker was a cruel, sadistic soldier who had murdered most of the Edolas Fairy Tail members and who had tried to hurt his Earthland friends. If what he had heard was true, then she was also a loyal, capable soldier who would stand by him and Edolas for as long as she lived.
At that moment, Erza turned around, catching his eye. They locked gazes for a second before she turned away, making her way across the ballroom. For the briefest of moments, Jellal almost felt as if he had just bumped into Erza Scarlet at the Fairy Tail guild hall. A pang of nostalgia hit him and he shook his head as if to expel the thoughts out of his head. No, no she wasn't Erza Scarlet, she was Erza Knightwalker. They would never be the same person even if they shared the same face.
His fingers tapped against the glass lightly. Truth be told, he had never been particularly close to Scarlet. But then again, that was probably because he had never been close to anyone on Earthland for fear of his identity being discovered. Still, he had always admired the female mage. She was strong, loyal and loved her friends. Kindness and compassion was what had drawn him to her at first, but the subsequent discovery of her history with his counterpart had pushed him away. It was a shame, he thought to himself, she would have been a good comrade.
Knightwalker wasn't the same Erza as Scarlet but it wouldn't be fair for him to judge her before he got to know her. His eyes flickered over to where the captain was. She was engrossed in a conversation with a councilman. Doranbolt, or was it Mest? Jellal berated himself mentally. He had seen the councilman last week yet his name escaped him. He made a mental note to ask Erza later.
She started to make her way through the crowds and the sudden movement caught his eye. He noticed the eyes of numerous men following her. He couldn't fault them, after all he was doing the exact same thing, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. It was a rare sight to behold; it was not often that Erza wore a dress, even less often for other people to be able to see her in such attire. The simple dress was elegant, clinging to her every curve and showing ample cleavage. A single silver bracelet adorned her right wrist and Jellal found himself staring dumbly at her as she moved to flick a strand of hair away from her face. He knew that she could feel all the attention fixated on her and the small smirk on her face made him grin. She knew what effect she was having on all of the men in the room and she was toying with them. So arrogant, he mused to himself, but oh so beautiful.
His eyes darted around and his grin widened as he realised that no man was stupid enough to approach the most dangerous woman in Edolas. The most amusing thing was that she knew fully well that her reputation preceded her and she was teasing, taunting, daring them to make a move.
Slowly, he realised that she was making her way over to him, a glass in one hand, her eyes cold and serious. All traces of playfulness disappeared and he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. Oh, was she challenging him? Sure, he was fairly new at this whole 'rule your own kingdom at the young age of twenty' thing but still, the throne was his and his alone. He bristled indignantly at the idea.
"Your Majesty."
"Captain Knightwalker," he inclined his head, placing a chaste kiss on her hand as she stopped in front of him. He could feel her stiffen slightly at his gesture and he looked up with twinkling eyes. "How are you enjoying yourself?"
"It is a nice change of pace, Your Majesty."
"You were speaking with Councilman...?"
She smirked. "Gryder. You had a meeting with him last week."
He threw back his head in laughter, noting the thinly veiled dig she took at him. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
With a bow of his head, he offered an extended hand to her. "May I have the honour of this dance, Captain?"
She hesitated, fighting to keep her expression neutral but he remained where he was, hand outstretched, hoping that she would accept because it was not only a chance for him to get to know her better but also a chance for her to do the same.
All he was asking for was a second chance. A second chance to serve his kingdom, a second chance to get to know her all over again; and though he wouldn't realise this for a long time, a second chance to fall in love with her.
The moonlight refracted through the glass panes, the crystalline blue tinting the dance floor. She descended the grand stairs, her high heels clicking against the diamond white marble, her left hand caressing the bannister.
The Council had insisted that the king throw a ball to celebrate his ascension to the throne and she had been forced to attend, her duty to Edolas had demanded that she do so. She bit back a growl. She hated such events, where the rich and society's elite converged to rub shoulders with each other and to suck up to the powerful. It was nothing more than an excuse for the wealthy and the powerful to put on a show for each other.
She had far more important things to take care of, such as training her troops to fight without magic or to draw up new plans for their border troops in case of foreign invasions. Unfortunately, she was stuck here for a while. She took a glass of champagne from a passing server. Turning around, she caught the king staring at her. Well, at least he was enjoying the whole thing more than she was.
"Captain Knightwalker!"
Erza stopped in her tracks. "Councilman Gryder."
The councilman flashed her a charming smile. "How wonderful to see you here. I wasn't expecting your presence."
She refrained from rolling her eyes. He was certainly brave to flirt with her, but he was a fool if he thought that she would fall for any of his stupid moves. Fixing a stony glare at him, she replied stiffly, leaving no room for further conversation. "I couldn't miss our king's coronation ball. If you'll excuse me Councilman, I have something urgent that I need to speak with His Majesty about."
With a toss of her head, she whirled around and left him staring at her back.
She made her way through the crowds. She could feel the attention being focused on her and she allowed a small smirk to grace her face. She wasn't stupid, she knew of her sex appeal and it was fun when she flaunted it in the face of others, just to elicit some sort of reaction for her own amusement. And what was most amusing was that not even the king was immune to her charms. He was standing there, staring at her, confusion and admiration swirling in his eyes.
She hadn't made up her mind as to how to feel about the newly crowned king. He had abandoned his home 8 years ago in an attempt to stop his father's plans for obtaining magic. To sabotage his father's plans, plans that would save Edolas, was treason in itself. But to endanger Edolas and abandon his own duties and responsibilities in the process, that was unforgiveable. A sudden rage coursed through her and she could see him stiffen at the look in her eyes. He shifted around slightly and she almost smiled at the burning intensity in his eyes. So, he was a fighter after all.
To be fair, Jellal had returned to reclaim his birthright and to free Edolas from the control of a mad tyrant. This was not to say that she had opposed what Faust had done. He had tried to obtain eternal magic for Edolas, he had tried to do what was best for Edolas, for their home. She had respected Faust and she had been loyal to his cause but his increasing power lust and rapid descent into madness had gnawed away at her on the rare occasion. Ironically it was her loyalty and sense of duty that had often blinded her but now, she was starting to understand why Jellal had fled. It was a different sense of duty, where he had left so that he could return to save his home, both his homes, from ruin.
"Your Majesty."
"Captain Knightwalker." She stiffened slightly when he kissed her hand lightly. "How are you enjoying yourself?"
"It is a nice change of pace, Your Majesty."
"You were speaking with Councilman...?"
She smirked. So he had noticed and was that...jealousy in his eyes? "Gryder. You had a meeting with him last week."
He threw back his head in laughter, nearly eliciting a smile from him.
She wasn't sure how to feel about him. Was she angry at his betrayal? Was she glad of his return? What kind of person, what kind of king would he be?
Faint memories of a blue haired boy at the military academy stirred in her but she was snapped out of her thoughts as Jellal offered an extended hand to her with a bow of his head. "May I have the honour of this dance, Captain?"
Was it a request? Or was it an order?
She hesitated momentarily before taking his hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.
It wouldn't be fair for her to judge him before he had an opportunity to prove her wrong. She now had a chance to change for the better. It was only fair that he also have the same.
He placed a hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him as they swayed to the music, his kind eyes shining with happiness.
All he was asking for was a second chance. A second chance to serve his kingdom, a second chance to get to know her; and though he wouldn't realise this for a long time, a second chance to fall in love with her all over again.
And all she was asking for was a second chance. A second chance to serve her kingdom, a second chance to get to know him; and though she wouldn't realise this for a long time, a second chance to fall in love with him all over again.
Author's note:
So Hikari, this one's for you.
Guess I got kinda sloppy near the end, yeah this is what you get for making me stay up till 4am xD
Inspired to write this fic when this random Mystwalker author posted Enchanted (Owl City) on her tumblr (she knows who she is but she's unlikely to read this muahaha). Actually I wrote this while listening to Taylor Swift's version but yeah. It doesn't really fit with the lyrics but the song gave me so many feels that I had to write something like this. I was also inspired by recent fanfiction related events. Finishing this other story and I just thought that I never really developed the characters in a particularly good way and that I was too influenced by reading earlier fics by other authors. I just never interpreted the characters and their relationships myself. So now I'm trying something new, you know with the two of them not really acquainted when they were kids. I also toned down the feelings between them when they meet as adults, considering that they didn't know each other as kids.
Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waitin' on you.