Jellal quietly followed the two guards that were leading him through the winding halls of the prison making sure to stare straight ahead and ignore the glances that were cautiously being thrown at him every few seconds. He took the heavy coat that they had given him in his cell and slipped it on, the rustling the cloth made as it settled around his shoulders startled them so badly they jumped and pointed their weapons at him menacingly. He didn't move, he just calmly raised a single teal eyebrow and watched as they hesitantly lowered their weapons and kept walking. He knew that they were frightened of him; his power, or rather, Siegrain's power as a wizard saint was well known throughout Fiore. Nevertheless he couldn't help but feel slightly insulted by their attitude, just how stupid did they think he was? Very, apparently, since attacking the guards in the middle of the labyrinth like dungeons of Era's top security prison without even the slightest clue of how to get out was quite possibly the stupidest thing a man in his position could possibly do. The dungeons were built so that even if a prisoner could somehow overpower the guards that were escorting them they'd be hard pressed to actually find their way to an exit.
The corridors seemed to drag out indefinitely and he'd completely lost track of how many turns they'd taken or how many flights of stairs they'd climbed but he did notice that security was becoming steadily slacker the farther they went: there were no more passwords being asked as they went through doorways and he began to actually catch glimpses of some rec-rooms and visiting rooms. He could sense the beginning of a headache making its presence known and he considered asking how much farther but eventually decided against it; he was pretty sure that if he spoke up suddenly now the shock might actually kill the guards. However he didn't have to wait long until they sped up their pace and he was led off into a smaller and dimmer corridor. It was much darker than the hall they had just left and the temperature itself seemed to drop as they marched quickly to the end where he was ushered through one last door.
This room was barely larger than the cell he had been kept in so his eye was quick to settle on the lone figure in the room looking out the small window. She was propped up against the window pane facing away from him and he could just make out a small part of her face that wasn't obscured by her hair. He had no idea what time it was when they had taken him from his cell but now he saw that it was near dawn, the whole room was bathed in orange-red light which quickly distinguished it from the cold cell he had been brought from; her armor was gleaming with it.
"Erza." He called out. She turned to face him and her lips curled up into a barely present smile.
"There you are." She said walking over to stand a few paces from him. "I was wondering what was taking so long." He smiled back and shrugged one of his shoulders.
"You'd be surprised how long it takes to get here from my-" he stopped for a moment, she seemed to cringe slightly and look away from him. "-from my cell." He finished. They were quiet for a moment.
"I see." She turned to him again and took a step closer. She reached a hand out and proceeded to smooth out some stray wrinkles that had formed on his shoulders. The thick fabric was slow to respond to her efforts.
"It's a good fit." She mumbled as she finished patting down the dark fabric and removed her hand. He nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for getting it for me." he answered. One of the guards coughed, she put some more distance between them and, summoning all her authority, turned to the guards.
"Right, we should get going." She said firmly. The guards nodded quickly. If he'd thought they were scared of him they were absolutely terrified of Erza, even though it seemed to be laced with varying amounts of admiration.
"Head down that hall and you'll reach a small exit that's only used by us guards." The shorter of the two directed. He was apparently reluctant to be in their presence any longer than necessary.
Jellal nodded his head in thanks and turned to leave. They had left the room and started down the hall when the silence was interrupted by a shout.
"Wait!" they both turned around to see that the other guard was the one who spoke up for the first time. Jellal found it amusing that despite speaking only one syllable his voice still somehow managed to break embarrassingly. Erza was the one who actually answered.
"Yes?" She asked calmly causing the guard to get a goofy half-grin on his face that he desperately tried to hide. He stuttered unintelligibly for a few moments before finally managing to get a reasonable sentence out.
"Can I have your autograph?"
He had always felt a strange and unjustified loathing for the city which had been the home of his thought projection for such a long time; a loathing which he supposed was partially due to his hatred towards the fools from the council. The streets of Era were surprisingly empty, Jellal noted as they trudged along. The hood of his cloak was pulled up and he made sure the right side of his face was hidden by its shadow so that his tattoo would not attract any unwanted attention to them. Apparently it had been requested by the council that he leave the prison early and if possible without being recognized and frankly he didn't mind since he much preferred going unnoticed. The sun had now risen to leave only a slight dusting of color on the few clouds that hung in the sky and the only activity he could sense in the city came from the bakeries and some of the restaurants and cafés that were getting ready to open for the early customers. Both he and Erza simultaneously sped up, hoping to leave the city's walls before the early risers spilled into the streets.
It felt good to use his muscles again after so long in that prison, it was a warm and calming feeling for him which went quite well with the heat of the sun which was foretelling that it would be a scorching day. However, it wasn't long before the strain of spending such a long time in forced lethargy began to take its toll on him but he said nothing and forced himself to accommodate Erza's steady pace. It wasn't until they'd left the city behind and walked well into the morning that he finally allowed himself to rest in the shade of a tree by a river. He slid down its trunk and stretched his legs out to let them rest. He flipped the hood of the cloak off his head and welcomed the cooling air across his forehead. A contented sigh escaped his lips as he fully relaxed. Erza stood in front of him and towered over him.
"You should have said something if you were so tired." she scolded gently as she handed him a bottle of water. He shrugged while taking it gratefully. Erza sat down across from him and opened another bottle but she didn't drink and just stared at him. He met her gaze and shrugged again.
"Don't worry about me." He said with a comforting smile. "It's been a while is all." He stretched like a cat and poured some of the water on his head. Erza huffed but smiled all the same.
"You haven't changed." She murmured. "You're still the same boy from back then."
"Am I?" he asked watching the river drag on sluggishly. He still couldn't quite get certain unpleasant memories to leave him now that he'd remembered. She took a hold of his arm and the sudden contact drove him to look at her.
"Maybe not quite the same. We've changed… you as well as me." He thought over what she said. It was true, in some ways she'd turned into a completely different person; she was no longer shy or scared to take action when it came to defending her convictions… To put it simply she had become strong. Even her body language was completely different to the girl he'd known all those years ago.
"But when I look at you I can tell that you're just as kind and that you still value justice and freedom the same as you did back then. All the things I admired about you are still there. That has to count for something, doesn't it?" She smiled when she finished speaking and for a second he caught a glimpse of her face when she was much younger. It was the same smile she had worn countless times during their days of slavery, the one she seemed to automatically use to make him feel better even when there was no possible way she could have known that he was feeling scared or angry or tired. After all, even he would fall into despair every now and then in the tower, he just never showed it for fear of scaring the others. Erza had always had a sort of sixth sense that she wasn't even aware of for those moments. Seeing that smile on her face again after so long encouraged him, he felt more hopeful than he had since he had regained his memories.
"If you say so..." He yielded to her. If she was so sure about his true self then he would just have to believe her.
They rested for a while under the shade of the tree which provided adequate shelter from the scorching midday sun. The pleasant heat that seemed to radiate towards them combined with the soothing sound of the running water from the river soon lulled Jellal into a daze. He was startled to attention when Erza stood up and glanced off into the distance, one hand on her hips and the other blocking the sun from her eyes.
"If you're ready we should get going. I told Lucy and the rest that I'd be back in two days. I'm worried that if I don't show up they might wreck half of Fiore looking for me." He stood up as well and noticed the sun had moved farther west than he had expected. He did not doubt that Erza's nakama would tear whole cities up looking for her and that no matter how much they did to get him out of jail that they did not trust him completely.
"Ok. Let's go." He brushed off his pants and they set off once again. Erza spent most of their journey telling him about the guild and its members and stories of the many fights that had gone down in it. They reached the rocky hills that overlooked Magnolia with a few hours of sunlight to spare and allowed themselves to slow their pace. The road that went down to the town was deserted and dust flew with every step they took so that both their boots and his pants were soon covered in it. The heat was beating down hard and every time he stole a glance at her Jellal couldn't help but wonder how Erza could stand it with her armor. He sighed in relief as they reached the outskirts of town and the shade the houses had to offer.
Unlike Era, Magnolia's streets were bustling with life and activity, so much so that they couldn't go more than a couple of steps without bumping into someone. Erza, who was still regaling him with tales of Fairy Tail, was constantly being interrupted by the townspeople who greeted her happily and sent a smile his way as well. His hood was on again so that only the lower half of his face could be seen but he still smiled back pleasantly and nodded in greeting at the friendly faces. By then Erza's stories had turned into a flood of advice which, if memory served him right could be summed up in a not so small list which went on for quite a while and concerned almost every single Fairy Tail member. By the time they were a few blocks from the guild there was only one thing left to say.
"And remember, what happens in the second floor stays in the second floor." He had to admit, that last one made him burn with curiosity but when asked she refused to mention the cause for that rule.
The guild, which could be seen from far away above the rooftops of the other houses, towered over the rest of the buildings near it, to Jellal it was terrifyingly imposing and as he watched it steadily grow nearer he felt a strong urge to just turn around and avoid any confrontation. The closer they got the stronger the urge grew. Erza seemed to sense his discomfort and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"They all helped get you out of that jail cell." She told him quietly. By then he could see the guild's sign painted on the large wooden doors.
"Yes, but they didn't do it for me." He muttered. "Whatever it is they did, they did it for you." He once again thanked whatever entity he could think of that she had managed to find herself such an amazing guild.
"Then they'll make you feel at ease for me as well." She smiled reassuringly then stepped forward and pushed the doors open wide. He briefly wondered if the overly dramatic creaking of the doors was just in his imagination before he was dragged by Erza into the guild.
The silence that greeted them in the beer hall they had walked into was not his imagination, that much he was certain of. Most of room's occupants were frozen in various poses, some of them so eccentric that he honestly couldn't work out how they could defy physics in such a way as to not topple over. Most of the guild member's eyes flitted quickly between him and Erza. After a pregnant pause he sighed and lifted his hand to pull back his hood. A nervous cough was the only difference in the hall. Each second that passed seemed to constrict his chest a bit more than the last and once again he felt that it was about to be too much.
"Welcome back." A white haired woman he recognized as Mirajane seemed to just magically pop out from behind the bar and suddenly the room seemed slightly more animated. At least he could hear people breathing again. Mirajane seemed almost blissfully unaware of the suffocating atmosphere that had flooded the guild; she just smiled and waved happily.
"Is the master here?" Erza asked, hand on her hips. Jellal stared eyebrow quirked as the two women seemed to fall into some sort of routine. They spoke casually and with what would appear to be well practiced lines.
"No, he went out for a bit. We were expecting you a bit later." Mira's quiet voice answered. She took out a rag and started wiping the counter near her, the smile never leaving her face. "You two must be tired. Can I get you anything?" She gestured for them to sit on two of the bar stools and without so much as waiting for an answer slipped under the bar and reappeared with two glasses. He hesitantly took a seat but could feels hundreds of eyes staring at the back of his head. Apparently so could Erza who had already settled down beside him. She turned around and shot a warning look at the whole room and he managed to turn around just in time to see all the other guild members' frightened faces before they hurriedly turned away.
By then Mirajane had retrieved a pitcher full of water from only god knew where and filled both glasses, then sent them their way. They each caught their glass deftly and he mumbled a thanks which seemed to make her smile widen, if that was even possible. While he drank the water he let his gaze wander along the beer hall, taking in every detail. He recognized many of the guild members easily enough; many of them were very well know as delinquents as far as the council was concerned, others were less notorious and he was surprised to realize that there were a lot more members than he had expected. The hall was actually big enough for them all to fit comfortably at their own tables and most of them were seated in small groups of two or three which he supposed were for the most part divided according to the different teams. He settled his glass down on the bar, the guild members seemed to have gotten slightly more accustomed to his presence in the short period of time and the sound of voices soon filled the room once more. It was actually quite a nice atmosphere. He slowly let his guard down and propped his chin on one of his arms and listened absently while Erza and Mira discussed a sudden uprising of dark guilds to the northwest in hushed voices. He let his guard down so much that he didn't hear the sudden opening of the guild's doors or the pounding footsteps, he barely managed to catch the shouts but he definitely felt the fist that suddenly collided with the side of his face and sent him airborne and six feet from where he had been seated. He'd know that fist anywhere.
He stood up, brushed the rubble from his clothes and hair and gingerly rubbed the spot where he had been hit while turning to face his aggressor.
"Jellal!" the fire dragon slayer roared as he stalked towards him. "Fight me!" His fists were raised and flames spread around them. Behind him the blond celestial spirit mage sighed exasperatedly while the blue and white cats floated lazily beside her head. The ice mage muttered a random insult under his breath and the young sky dragon looked worried.
"I'm not here to fight you, Natsu Dragneel." Jellal spoke calmly, watching him carefully and hoping he would simmer down. Natsu gritted his teeth.
"Fight. Me." He growled as the flames grew to envelop his whole arms.
"No."
A feral snarl left Natsu as he lunged forward. Jellal sidestepped the attack and the raging fire dragon sped past him, not without swinging his leg back in hope of landing the hit. No luck, Jellal ducked and it flew over him without touching a single hair on his head. The guild had once again fallen completely silent as they all watched the fight. Natsu spun around and sent a fireball at him but he jumped out of the way and rolled into a crouched position on the floor. Natsu prepared to throw another batch of flames at him but a shudder went through his spine and he froze. Jellal stared for a moment wondering what had gotten into him until he saw that Erza had risen from her seat and stepped between the two of them. He righted himself and watched as a silent exchange took place between the two. Natsu just glared, his eyes flitted from him then back to Erza. She wore a serious expression as Natsu repeated the motion two or three times. Eventually after what appeared to be careful consideration she nodded her head once solemnly and stepped back. She turned to him.
"Fight him." She told him quietly. His eyes widened. Natsu grinned maliciously while cracking his knuckles.
"I'm all fired up." He laughed before lunging at him once again. Jellal once again avoided all contact by jumping as far away from Natsu as he could.
"You already beat me once! Isn't that enough for you, you lunatic?" he shouted as he landed on a table in the middle of the guild. Natsu jumped so that he too was standing on a table close to the bar sending a bunch of objects to the floor and ignoring the protests of the table's occupants.
"That wasn't you. You weren't being serious." His eyes widened once again. He remembered uttering similar words to Natsu in the tower. Natsu swung his right arm two or three times as if warming it up. "I want to judge for myself what the real you is made of." He continued.
Jellal stared at him for a moment, weighing his options. He was fairly certain that one usually didn't pick fight with the members of a guild one intended to join and yet here he was, being forced to fight Natsu against his will. Fine then, if he wanted a fight he'd give him a fight.
"Alright…" he sighed. Natsu's grin widened and he lunged forward again. Jellal readied a punch he didn't expect to make contact-
"Ugh!"
-and was surprised when he felt it collide with Natsu's face hard enough to send him toppling to the floor. He had been so sure that his attack would be avoided that he didn't know how to react once Natsu laid in a heap on the floor and he just stared stupidly at him for a couple of seconds. Meanwhile, Gray managed to express what the rest of the guild members where thinking.
"Dumbass."
A slight twitch from Natsu was what finally snapped him out of his daze.
"You idiot!" he said wrapping one of his fists around Natsu's vest and lifting him clean of the floor. "How could you not dodge that? I barely even moved! I thought we were being serious!" When it became obvious that Natsu was in no condition to answer he let go and watched him crash down on the floor again. He stalked to the bar where Erza and the rest of the team had been watching the exchange and sat down while crossing his arms in a huff. Erza went to drag Natsu over so that Wendy could tend to him and he asked Mira for a drink.
"Preferably alcoholic." He muttered.
"Atta boy!" came a drunken cry from the other side of the bar where Cana sat enjoying her barrel. Jellal spared a glance that way but decided that he already had enough Fairy Tail mages to handle at the moment; he'd probably go mad if he didn't pace himself.
Mira placed a mug of beer in front of him and he sat down beside the blond, Lucy. On her other side sat Wendy and Gray had settled down at the far end, drinking iced water and wearing nothing but his boxers. Just as Lucy was informing him of that fact Erza dropped Natsu none too delicately at Wendy's feet asking her to heal him. She began to get up but Gray stopped her. He poured his glass of water on Natsu's face and got an immediate reaction as he spluttered, got up searching for the culprit and started picking a fight.
"What was that for, pervert?" He shouted butting heads with Gray who refused to back off.
"For being a moron! Got a problem with it buddy?"
"Oh, yeah? You wanna fight, ice bastard?"
"You sure you can handle it flame-brain? You just got your ass handed to you."
Natsu opened his mouth to answer but seemed to change his mind and turned his back on Gray who seemed pretty pissed off at being ignored all of a sudden.
"Jellal Fight m-"
"Forget it." Jellal cut him off taking another sip of his beer and marveling at how easy it was to slip into the madness that was Fairy Tail, while at the same time questioning his sanity. "We just fought and you didn't even dodge a single half-assed punch. Go pick a fight with someone else." He ignored Natsu's protests and was relieved when he finally went off to finish his fight with Gray. He heard the fight get steadily louder as more people began to get involved but didn't bother to turn around. He sensed an object that was speeding towards the back of his head but he just barely tilted to the side, watching as whatever the object was shattered against the wall in front of him and rained down in pieces onto Lucy and Wendy who had decided to seek shelter behind the bar.
Yes, he mused as he finally turned around to watch the chaos unfold, it was truly amazing how quickly one could assimilate the insanity.
AN:/ There it is, Chapter 2. I wanted to get to the guild so that next chapter we can get a lot more characters in here. It did take me a while though, huh? I'd like to hear what you guys think Erza told him about Fairy Tail, just basic rules like "don't challenge Cana to a drinking contest." There could be some great ficlets that could come from those…
