A/N: I'm sorry I'm so late with my updates, life is being a bitch and kicking me in the ass. Thank god its winter break, so I'll have time to catch up.
heads up, some OOC in this chapter, and probably for the rest of the story.
thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following.
please disregard the spelling errors in this chapter. I'll fix it later!
Chapter Two: Beauty of Nature
"What's your name?"
She blinked and looked up, wiping the strands of red hair out of her face. The person who spoke to her, a young blonde woman with wide brown eyes, leaned over her with a curious look in her eyes, her lips pursed.
"My name?" The red haired woman asked, her mind fuzzy. "Erza Scarlet."
The blonde smiled warmly. "Erza Scarlet," she murmured, bending down and sitting next to the redhead. "What a beautiful name. Just like you."
Erza looked around. She was in a small, featureless room, the lights dim. She was wearing a plain, white cotton dress, which was grimy and blood spattered. Erza could feel a dull aching pain in her head, and when she put her hand up to her temple, she felt warm liquid seeping down her face. When she brought her hand away, it was stained red. Red with blood.
"Wh-" her voice broke and she coughed, hacking. The other woman patted her back and handed her a canteen.
"Drink, Scarlet. You haven't drank since last night."
Erza accepted the water gratefully and gulped down the cool water, easing the dryness in her parched throat. She looked hazily at the blonde woman.
"What happened?" she rasped. She looked around the room, just noticing that she was laying on a simple cot, and that she had a bandage on her right shoulder.\
"You don't remember, huh?" The blonde asked.
Erza shook her head. "Something happened the other night, that much I'm sure of. But for some reason, my mind blanks when I try and remember."
The blonde reached out a hand. "Well, first off, let me introduce myself. My name is Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia. As of where we are, and what happened, well," she sighed and swallowed.
"We've been kidnapped by the Pergrande Army, and are now the king's slaves."
Erza's eyes widened, and suddenly, her memories flooded back to her.
"Mother! Father!" Erza screamed, reaching her hands out and running forward, even though a soldier was grabbing her arms and yanking her back. Her eyes were wide and filled with horror as a second soldier smiled harshly in front of her, pulling his sword out of her father's chest. Her father choked and coughed up blood, his hands weakly reaching out for Erza and her mother.
"Father!" Erza screamed, tears flooding out of her eyes. Her father fell to his knees, blood pouring out of his mouth. His eyes, which were closing rapidly, locked with Erza's. "I love you, my Scarlet," he whispered, before closing his eyes and falling to the ground with a thump.
"No!" Erza's mother screamed, flying forward and landing next to her dead husband. "Why are you doing this? Please, stop!"
"Father!" Erza screamed, trying in vain to pry herself away from the soldier holding her captive. She kicked and screamed, her hair flying into her face.
"Shut up," the soldier said coldly, whipping a dagger out and pressing it against the pulse of her throat. The action was so abrupt, and so cold, that Erza froze, the blood in her body chilling.
Her mother's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. "What...What are you doing? Why are you doing this?" she gasped.
The soldier who had killed her father laughed, pointing his bloody blade at Erza's mother. "Pergrande is a big country," he cackled. "We have a big capital. And with a big capital, there's a big castle that needs cleaning."
"You took my husband," Erza's mother screamed, tears pouring down her face. "Don't take my daughter, please-"
"Don't worry," the soldier sneered. "You can join your beloved husband. Your daughter won't be needing you anymore."
Erza's eyes widened at the same time her mother's did. The soldier raised his sword.
"Mother," Erza whispered.
Her mother smiled sadly at her. Her hands clenched the front of her husband's blood soaked shirt.
The sword fell.
Erza blinked, trying to shake off the memory. She remember being dragged from her house, the soldier throwing a lit torch through the door and setting the house ablaze. Her town, the town when she grew up, was in flames. People were screaming, and she remembered other girls and children being dragged out of their homes.
She remembered being dragged into a large room and thrown to the ground, amongst other people. But that was it. It didn't explain the amnesia and the wound on her forehead.
"Remember?" Lucy asked. "You grabbed a soldier's sword and actually began to fight. Quite well, to be honest. But then another soldier hit you on the forehead."
Erza's mind was fuzzy, but she vaguely remembered a fight. Her father had taught her some sword skills when she was younger, but he had stopped once she had turned sixteen. He forgot, however, to get rid of his katana. She had taken it and practiced behind the house whenever he was working. She never thought she'd have to use those skill.
How wrong she was.
Lucy grasped her hand. "You fought wonderfully," the blonde whispered. "I don't know how you learned to fight like that, but whatever it was, you put up one hell of a fight."
Erza looked around. "What now?" she asked, hoping to get off the topic of her sword skills. In her mind, if she didn't come out the victor, then she didn't do well. Erza Scarlet was a proud girl, wanting only the best.
As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and a tall woman walked in. She had long black hair, and she was wearing a shining blue dress. A silver crown was nestled among the locks of her raven hair, and she glared down haughtily at Erza with dark green eyes.
The color of Envy.
"Bow to the princess Minerva!" a man's voice boomed out, and Erza narrowed her eyes. Next to her, Lucy lowered her head and slapped Erza's hand to do the same. Even though she didn't want to, Erza bowed.
"What do we have here? A ginger?" a cool voice asked, feminine and proud. Erza had no trouble in figuring out who spoke.
"On the contrary, your highness," Erza spoke out, through gritted teeth. "It's red. Scarlet, if you wish. Not ginger."
There was a moment of silence, and Erza braced herself. From the tension in the air, punishment was inevitable.
She winced as Lucy was suddenly pushed to the side, and then a hand seized the collar of her shirt and yanked her head up. Her dark brown eyes met Minerva's cold green ones, blazing with fury.
"What a pitiful little bitch," Minerva hissed scathingly. Her hand tightened its grip on Erza's throat. The red head gritted her teeth, but held herself still.
Minerva looked into her eyes. "No fear," the princess murmured. She suddenly let go of Erza's shirt, and backed away. Erza leaned over, coughing and pounding her chest, trying to get air into her tight lungs.
"You're one proud girl," Minerva said, walking away. She looked over her shoulder at Erza and Lucy. "It'll be a pleasure breaking your spirit."
Three weeks later
Erza sighed, pushing the hair out of her eyes. With an exaggerated roll of the eyes, she pulled the unruly locks away from her face and tied them back in a messy bun.
She looked around, frowning. She was standing in the washroom of the palace, folding the clean linens of princess Minerva. The washroom itself was hot and sticky, leaving Erza hot and sweaty.
"Erza?" A voice asked, and the redhead turned. She smiled upon seeing Lucy enter the room, a basket of clean laundry in her arms.
"Hi there, Lucy," Erza murmured, folding the last towel and placing it in her laundry basket. "How are you?"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I forgot that the king asked for his golden blankets be washed and laundered. I have to put these away and then run up to get the right linens. How about you?"
Erza hefted the basket of laundry, wincing. "I have to bring these up to Minerva, otherwise she'll have my head."
Lucy smiled faintly. Erza could see the fatigue in the blonde's eyes, and felt a twinge of pity for her. Ever since the encounter with Minerva a few weeks ago, Erza and Lucy had been given the most menial of tasks, making them the drudges of the castle.
Erza walked forward and patted Lucy on the shoulder. "I'll see you later," the redhead promised. The two of them usually ate lunch together in their shared room, a cramped little space that was large enough to fit two beds and a desk.
"Sure thing. I'll see if I can get Yajima to give us a few extra loaves of bread," Lucy said, turning to watch Erza's receding back.
Erza trudged up the stairs, heading through the courtyard. She noticed a small opening near the bottom of the wall, but paid it no mind. It had caught her attention, but she'd investigate later.
She shivered and looked up at the sky, noticing the stormy clouds above, tinted yellow. "Looks like snow," she whispered, pulling her cloak tighter around her body.
She made her way to the princess's chambers, knocking politely and waiting for permission to enter. Once she was given the ok, she opened the door and walked through the entrance.
Minerva was laying on her large, queen sized bed, reading a book. She eyed Erza when she came in, but didn't say a word. Erza, in turn, ignored the princess's presence and walked over to the large closet, dumping the basket on the ground.
"Miss Scarlet," Minerva called over, looking up from her novel. "If you would please, try and be quiet over there. I am trying to read."
Erza looked over at the princess and felt a sudden urge to throw the basket at her. Despite her consciousness screaming at her to do so, she nodded politely and bent down, taking the linens and placing them neatly in the closet.
Erza hated being and servant. She wanted her old life back, working in the fields with her father, making dinner with her mother, playing with the other children in the town.
There was a boy from her town, a boy called Simon. They had grown up together, and many people in the town has seen them as lovers. Rumors had spread about the two, and to Erza it felt like the town wanted the two of them to elope.
She had known that Simon had had feelings for her, but she wasn't so sure she reciprocated. They had kissed once- it was a sheer accident they were thrown into such as coincidental situation. Erza had felt no romantic feelings for him.
And now, he was dead. Granted, she didn't seem him die, but deep in her gut, she knew that he was gone.
She felt felt a cool wetness on her cheeks and raised a hand. She started when she felt a the cool tears, and hurriedly brushed them away. She couldn't cry here. There was no point in crying over someone who was already gone.
She placed the last towel on the shelf, then picked up the basket and backed out of the closet, closing the door firmly behind her. She gave a hurried bow to Minerva, who paid no attention. She sighed and proceeded to step out the doorway, when the princess spoke up.
"Miss Scarlet," came the cold, feminine voice. Erza gritted her teeth and turned, preparing to receive whatever grueling task Minerva had planned for her now.
"Yes, your highness?" She asked with forced politeness.
Minerva looked at her through narrowed green eyes. "Do me a favor," she said, stretching languishly. "Go to the garden greenhouse and cut me a bouquet of red roses. I want to decorate my room a bit. Run along now."
Erza bowed, maybe a bit too low to be considered genuine, and said, "why of course, your majesty," in a voice dripping with sarcasm. She stepped out the door and closed it and it harder than usual before stomping down the hall.
Once she made It downstairs, she entered the courtyard. The sudden blast of cold wind chilled her, and with dismay, she saw the first snowflakes come tumbling down.
She raced through the courtyard, running for the greenhouse, which was situated on the opposite side of the yard. With cold fingers, she yanked open the door and slipped inside, reveling in the warmth. The greenhouse smelled of warm dirt and plants, of new life growing.
There was a space off to the side, full of blooming rose bushes. Erza walked over, a smile on her face as she took in the beautiful flowers. She bent down and inhaled deeply, the sweet scent of the roses permeating her nostrils.
She reached for a pair of clippers, which were hanging on the wall next to her, and cut several roses, their long slim stems falling into her palms lightly. The thorns stung slightly, but Erza handled the roses carefully, making sure not to get pricked.
Once she had a dozen or so in her hand, she straightened, placing them in her apron, making sure their heads weren't smooshed. She turned and pulled her wrap close to her, preparing for the wintery mix outside.
The snow was falling lightly, looking like small puffs of feathers floating down from the sky, which had darkened to an ominous gray. Erza's breath puffed out in front of her as she breathed, and she felt like she was breathing in pure ice.
As she was walking quickly, she passed by the opening once more, noticing for the first time, that it was barred. She looked around, spying no guards, and crept closer, her curiosity peaking.
It was too dark to see anything. In the dimness, she was able to make out what seemed to be metal door facing her, but not much else. From this angle, she could not see the floor or the surrounding walls.
"Hey, hey you!" she suddenly heard, and she whirled, noticing a guard striding towards her with an angry look on his face. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest.
"What are you doing out here?" the guard asked her, stopping a few feet away. Erza's legs trembled, but she stood firm.
"I'm sorry," she began, putting a scared tone to her voice. She gestured to the little barred window by the ground. "A mouse jumped out at me from here. I was scared."
The guard snorted. "Figures. All you women are scared of stupid things. Where are you headed?"
Erza pointed towards Minerva's chambers. "To the princess," she said. "Princess Minerva asked me to bring her roses to decorate her rooms."
The guard reached forward. "Well then," he began, taking Erza roughly by the arm and pulling her forward. "Let me escort you so you don't get scared by little rodents then, shall we?" He yanked her forward, jostling her slightly, and pulled her in the direction of the princess's bedroom.
If I had a weapon, Erza thought angrily, I'd be shoving it up your ass. Me, scared? In your dreams.
As she was being towed away, she didn't see the one rose fall from her apron and land lightly on the ground. It quivered there, the redness of it's petals contrasting with the pale white of the freshly fallen snow dusting.
A sudden gust of wind picked up. The delicate flower spun in the air, the petals remarkably staying connected to the flower as the wind tossed it to and fro. The wind died, not before sending the flower flying through the barred window.
Jellal blinked, feeling the sudden gust of wind wake him up from his slumber- doze really. He shivered, bringing his tattered blanket closer to his grimy body, wishing he had something more sustainable to warm him.
His eyes narrowed when something flew in through the barred window, landing lightly before him.
It was a dark red rose, freshly cut. The flower itself was magnificent, ruby red and luscious, in the prime of its beauty. Jellal leaned forward and plucked the flower from the floor of his cell, and brought it close to his nose. The flower smelled delicious, fresh and sweet.
There was something caught between the thorns on the stem, and Jellal frowned, untangling it. When he held It up, his eyes narrowed.
It was a strand of hair, as red as the petals of the flower.
A/N: R&R, please?
hope you liked it, and I promise to update all my other stories soon! Promise!
that new Manga chapter. Anybody? Let me just scream my feels out. I swear to god, Mashima is trying to kill me with the feels. I'm done.
-Wolf
