King Mystogan
First of all, I would like to all thank you for your reviews! So many reviews! I was so happy! Thank you, you people are amazing, I love you!
Now that this is said, I wish you all a happy new year (OK, it's a bit late!).
And now, I would like to say sorry for the delay. I know I made you all wait a lot, I'm very sorry. I already know the whole story with the ending and everything, but I had some difficulties in writing because seriously, I felt like shit and I was really, really depressed. So that's why your reviews made me really happy. Please keep reviewing! :)
Now, about Fairy Tail itself...
Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own. Oh, and is it me or Gajeel with messy hair is just damn HOT? Him and Levy are just perfect together! And I was so happy to see Jellal in the anime! Just a bit disappointed because he had a voice slightly less deeper than usually (yeah, because deep voice=emo or evil, and normal voice=hero or good, and Jellal just switched into the 'good' category). And why the Hell did they put him a shirt on when he was in his coffin? Oh, and I don't even want to speak about Erigor. This idiot shouldn't have been here in the first place. Anyway, I loved Jellal's speach to Erza, especially in the end when he ends up whispering (such a beautiful voice!).
Ok, never mind. I wanted to say something about my fic, because there's a little mistake in the third chapter. Yeah, while speaking of Sugarboy's haircut, I used the word "banana". That's because in my birth language, that's how we do call quiffs. Then it gave me an idea for this chapter, because, well, as said wolfteam000, 'banana' can evocate something else as well. And so I couldn't help making a stupid joke about it in this chapter…the problem is, that this haircut is called quiff, and not banana…but well, if I change it, Mystogan's joke doesn't make any sense…so be it. I'll leave it this way…and yes, it's Mystogan and not Erza, who makes the joke!
Now, on with the fourth chapter! And hugs to everybody. For those I usually send PM, please bear with me a little more, when I'll feel better I'll reply to you. For now, I send you loads of hugs and this chapter I hope you will like!
4. Lovers
He did not want to get up. He kept his eyes closed, even if he was wide-awake. He did not want to speak to her, and he knew she had to go and train her soldiers –maybe they were even already waiting for her in the yard. Surely she would get up soon, dress up and leave, and they would never speak of this again.
He wanted her; her beautiful, full body, her burning eyes, her warm mouth against his. As he pushed her on his bed, he paused for an instant to take in her naked body. Erza looked up at him smugly, fully aware of her beauty, and opened her legs, inviting him in. He roughly held her by her rear and entered her, biting back a cry of pleasure as her heat spread onto him, into his stomach and all the way up his chest and heart.
"You're blushing," she said mockingly.
Mystogan felt his cheeks burning even more, and he pushed deeper into her, making her gasp softly. She raised her arms and gently reached for his shoulders, bringing him closer, and he felt his control snap when he felt her wrap her legs around his waist.
He wanted her; she had to be his, entirely his. And he tried hard to mark her as his, kissing her and caressing her, making her tremble and moan. He was on top, but he had lost control. He was on top, but he was the one who cried out her name, while she just let out a sharp breath, her nails digging into his shoulder blades.
He panted, carefully leaning on her, his forehead against her chest, before slowly withdrawing from her. She looked as tired as him, and was already closing her eyes, her arms sliding down his shoulders to his waist. Relishing her embrace he looked up at her, kissing her on the mouth, making her look at him between heavy eyelashes.
"Be my lover."
She blinked, as if not registering his words. Then she kissed him, sleepily;
"Let's talk about this tomorrow, shall we? When your mind will be fresh and clear."
He sighed and buried his face in her neck, closing his eyes and allowing his exhaustion to drift him off to sleep. He vaguely registered that he could feel under his hand her heart thumping swiftly, that he could smell her delicious, womanly scent, and that her arms were still wrapped around his waist, her legs around his, her cheek against his temple.
At this moment, they were one.
It was a mistake. He could not ask her to be his lover when she didn't even love him. He had to find another way to break through her armor, for even when they made love, she did not loosen her defenses.
He felt her stir against his back, then start and sit up with a horrified cry;
"Shit! What am I doing here?"
Great. He closed his eyes tighter. He did not want to speak to her. Every time he did, they only ended up arguing. If only she had accepted his offer last night, when she had seemed so close…
He shivered and almost gasped when he felt her fingers gently caress his neck and his nape, curling into his hair, and he felt her lean against him, her breath on his temple, and then her mouth on his cheekbone, kissing him softly.
"You are blushing", she whispered. "Quit pretending you're asleep, Your Highness."
Her fingers stroke their way down his chest, passing over his bandages, and she pressed her mouth against his neck, kissing him harder, gently sucking on his sensitive skin. And suddenly he realized she was marking him, and his eyes snapped open.
"Stop that!"
She chuckled and sat up, before hopping out of the bed.
"I knew you weren't sleeping."
Mystogan stood up to study himself in the mirror, and he gritted his teeth: on his neck was a beautiful, red hickey, so visible there was no way the whole castle wouldn't guess about last night!
"Nice ass," crooned Erza from behind him.
She was a total pain in the neck! Blushing even harder, Mystogan seized his dressing-gown and put it on, swiftly tying the cord around his waist before glancing up at the mirror: he could see his own cheeks of a very much red color, and behind him, a few meters away, Erza who was dressing up with a complete lack of shame. He inhaled deeply, hoping that his flushed cheeks would revert back to normal. But he didn't have this chance.
"I'm leaving, your Grumpiness," announced Erza.
Wh-what? She was the one who made him grumpy! He turned over, anger gathering in his chest.
"You are not to disrespect your King, Erza Knightwalker!"
"My…why aren't you calling me General Knightwalker for once?" she mocked him.
He felt lost, he was losing his balance, and he recalled with horror that last night he had cried out her name. He bit his inside cheeks and replied;
"The fact that you are in my bedroom right now does not come under your status of General, therefore I will not call you as General Knightwalker."
He was satisfied with his answer, and felt as if he had regained some of his dignity. But Erza burst out laughing.
"Ha! Well, I am relieved to learn it is not part of a General's duty to sleep with you, my King. I really could not picture you with Hughes or Sugarboy!"
At first Mystogan felt mortified, and the color drained out of his face, effectively shutting down his blush. But then he realized she was laughing, really laughing, and not trying to get under his skin. And the sudden image of Sugarboy naked crossed his mind –yes, he had already seen him naked, for there was a time he went to the public bath of the castle for the first and the last time-, and he felt something rolling up his throat –a laugh. He pressed his hand against his mouth to muffle it, replying dryly;
"That was disgusting, Erza Knightwalker."
"I have to agree with that. Hughes can be cute, but I'd rather kill myself than sleep with Sugarboy."
She smiled at him and bowed her head.
"Now, if you will excuse me, my King, I'll take my leave. My soldiers are waiting for me, I am training them today."
He had to call her back. They had not solved the complicated problem of their missed up relationship! But she beat him again, stopping at the moment he opened his mouth to call her back;
"Oh! About Sugarboy!"
He frowned.
"What about him?"
"Can't you forbid him to wear this ridiculous haircut? This big, sagging banana is infuriating!"
The answer left his lips before he had the chance to stop himself. But how could he blame himself, when she had put in his mind the image of Sugarboy naked?
"I cannot. It would castrate him."
For a whole minute, Erza just stared at him, eyes-wide, mouth agape. And that was the perfect opportunity to walk on her, trap her in his arms, pressing her hard against the door and kiss her, rushing his tongue into her open mouth. Her hands gripped his dressing-gown as he explored her, and she tried to push out his invading tongue with her own –but they just ended kissing passionately until they had no more oxygen, and they had to break up to breath.
"Erza, will you be my lover?"
She was still panting, and her fingers loosened her grip on his dressing-gown. She stared at the floor and finally, answered in a trembling voice;
"Yes. If that's what you wish, my King, yes. I will. Gladly. Just…"
And she laughed again, real happiness swarming from her eyes and her smile;
"Just don't speak of Sugarboy again, never, ever! You're giving me dreadful mental images of him, seriously!"
He nuzzled her neck, his tight hold on her slowly converting into a gentle embrace. She shivered as he began to place butterfly kisses on the soft skin of her neck. With this simple "yes" word, she had appeased him, and the only thing he craved for at this moment was her soft, warm presence. He wanted to keep her close to him, to feel her breath and soul under his lips; she was opening up to him, he almost could reach for her heart.
But Erza wouldn't handle it to him yet. She firmly pushed him away.
"I have to go now."
"I'll see you at the meeting, then," he answered softly, concealing his deception behind a blank face.
Erza zipped her collar up to her chin to hide the marks he had left on her the last night, and with a proud, dynamic gait strode to the door, and he felt his heart leapt when her low content hum reached his ears.
"Oh," she suddenly said, stopping dead in her tracks before swiftly turning to face him, her scarlet hair whipping the air. "I have a condition, though."
"A condition?" repeated Mystogan, stirring from his almost reverie.
She bored her brown eyes in his.
"Yes. I want to wear my old armors. Not these heavy things that make me feel like a sardine."
He blinked, and it took him a while to understand what she was speaking of.
"Oh," he finally said. "I can't allow you to do that, Erza."
"Why not? Are you such a jealous man that you want to keep my whole body to yourself?" she mocked.
He felt his cheeks burn up and inwardly cursed himself for this. He tried to contain his embarrassment by frowning, but apparently she found it rather comical as she openly smirked at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"My reasons are not selfish, General Knightwalker," he answered curtly. "This is a world without magic. It is very easy to get killed. Your magic isn't here to cover you. Do you think I would have been shot down by mere arrows if I still had my magic? I cannot allow you to go uncovered. As sharp as your instincts are, they do not replace magic. You are dismissed."
Erza frowned and glared at him, obviously displeased by his response.
"Fine, Your Grumpiness, I leave. Oh, and don't forget to wear a scarf for the meeting."
As she closed the door behind her, he hurriedly turned to have a look at himself in the mirror, anxious. What did she mean? Oh…right…that damn hickey. Curse her !
And…how did they end up arguing again?
With a growl, Mystogan sat on his bed, holding his head with both hands, trying to hold back a massive headache. But then, the door flew open, making him start and gasp with surprise, and Coco barged into the room like an overactive puppy.
"YOUR HIGHNESS! Good morning, Your Highness! Coco brought you your breakfast! Do you want it in bed or in the living-room?"
Mystogan put a hand on his pounding heart.
"Coco, please calm down! I swear, you're going to kill me some time!"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness!" she chirped, and he knew she was not sorry at all –in fact the girl enjoyed teasing him in an even more annoying way than Erza- "I'll put your breakfast on the table, then."
She left the bedroom, singing childish songs in her usual high-pitched piping. Mystogan allowed himself five minutes of calm, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, shutting out all disturbing thoughts off his mind. He reorganized his thoughts and reviewed all the matters he had to deal with for the day. When he was done, he stood up and went into his bathroom to take a short shower, grimacing as the warm water made his cicatrizing wounds burn. Stepping out of the shower about ten minutes later, he almost slipped on the wet floor at the sight of Coco waiting for him with a big smile on her face, a big red fluffy towel in her hands, and he was thankful for the abundance of steam which hid his body.
"Coco! You little-"
"Here you are Your Highness!" cut the little girl, throwing the towel around his waist. She seized his wrist and pulled him to the stool she had placed in front of the sink. "Coco will take care of your wounds!"
"Coco, I'm okay. I don't need to…and where's my towel?"
She grinned, forcing him to sit down on the stool.
"This is your towel, Your Highness. Now don't move," she added with the happy smile of a girl playing doctors with her favorite doll –and maybe she was after all playing doctors, just why did she have to play it with him?
He winced as she pressed the damp cotton against his chest, the alcohol burning his flesh.
"My towel has always been blue, Coco."
"Really? I thought red would suit you better," crooned Coco.
She bandaged him carefully, sticking out her tongue in her concentration. Mystogan wondered if she would have chosen a pink towel if by a sad fate Erza would have had pink hair. Picturing Erza with pink hair was actually quite amusing, and he had to stop the chuckle from leaving his throat. Coco stood up and clapped in her hands;
"Perfect! Have you seen, Your Highness? Coco is a good nurse!"
He smiled to her. After all, it was the first time she did help him for this. Until yesterday, it was still these annoying doctors and their even more annoying maids that came to attend him.
"Thank you, Coco. You did a good job."
"Yes, didn't I! Wait for me, I'm coming right back!"
She ran out of the bathroom and barged in a few seconds later, his clothes in her petite arms.
"Here are your clothes, Your Highness!"
He blinked.
"Coco, you really are a kind little girl, but I can dress up myself. And I would appreciate that next time I take a shower, you don't come in before I ask you so."
"But Coco wants to help you!" she replied stubbornly, taking his arm and stuffing it in the awaiting sleeve of his shirt.
He sighed. He would let her have her way for once. She seemed so happy that he hadn't the heart to stop her. She was humming joyfully, and made sure he was dressed impeccably. She even insisted in combing his hair, and Mystogan seriously began to wonder if she had all her mind.
"Coco, is there something special today?"
"Oh, no, not at all!" she laughed at loud. "But Your Highness should be gorgeous at all times! Ha, here you are!" she concluded, adjusting his collar.
Mystogan shot a glance to the mirror, and the first thing he saw was, of course, the hickey Erza had given him this morning. He stood up hastily, frowning, and put his hand over his neck.
"Coco, can you find me a suitable scarf, please?"
"Why?" she asked innocently, the mischief clearly showing in her eyes.
The girl obviously had seen the thing and what's more, knew who had made it. Apparently, she had decided that the whole castle just HAD to see it as well.
"Because," replied dryly Mystogan.
She pouted and left the bathroom, before coming back with a white scarf. She handled it to him, her expression sullen. Mystogan swiftly wrapped it around his neck, carefully watching his reflection in the mirror.
"If I may," said Coco, her voice solemn, "I do not think it wise to try and hide your relation with Erza, Your Highness. You are the King, you should be aware you will never have a private life. If you try avoiding that, people will be even more willing to stick their nose into your business."
He eyed her, knowing she was now ready to speak of more serious matters.
"I'll think about it. Now, what about Rosie Stormbringer?"
"Her certificate of birth has been destroyed during the war against Lord Dragneel, but she has now official papers. I already gave them to General Knightwalker, I met her in your living-room this morning."
He smiled. Coco was very efficient and had not lost time in creating a new citizen perfectly in order. He sat at his table, and took a piece of bread. Coco watched him.
"About the names, Coco," he added after swallowing, "I only have three. I would like you to investigate on them the most discreetly possible, two of them are in the Council."
"In the Council?" frowned Coco.
"Yes. One is Duke Everlue, supposedly providing weapons."
"Duke Everlue," repeated Coco, nodding.
"The second is the son of a rich merchant, Cyan Tumbleweed."
"Oh, counselor Cyan?" exclaimed Coco, "I cannot believe that! He admires you the most, and defends you at every meeting!"
"You never know, Coco. Please investigate on him."
"Yes, Your Highness," bowed Coco, saddened by the thought. "And who is the last one?"
"He is not part of the Council. He's named Midnight. I am afraid it might be a code name."
"It might be, yes," agreed Coco. "I will try my best, Your Highness."
She left him while he made his way to his study. It was a very tiring morning; Mystogan was still making most of the work his counselors should have been doing. But he did not trust them enough yet to give them more power than they already had.
Counselor Ur was one of the few who had his trust, and who worked on her own, only coming in his study to present him her work before announcing it to the council on the next meeting. Never had Mystogan criticized her work nor did he refuse to apply her new measures, as she thought exactly the way he did, and made the reforms he had in mind.
Mystogan stopped his work for a moment, feeling his headache coming back with a new force. Reading all these reports, records, and text laws was very tiring, not to say mind-killing. His eyes closed, he waited for the pain to withdraw. Then, the door opened and he opened his eyes with a sigh.
"Your Highness, counselor Ur is here," announced the soldier guarding his door, bowing respectfully.
"Let her in."
Ur entered, a big smile on her face. Next to her was her beloved daughter, Ultear, holding in her arms a pile of paperwork. Mother and daughter were both dressed in a modern way, with shirts and pants. Ur's hair was cut short, almost like a man, whereas Ultear's was long and kept in her back by a hairband, bangs sticking out on her forehead.
"Good morning, Your Highness," greeted the two women, bowing their head.
"Good morning, Counselor Ur, Miss Ultear."
"It is almost time for the meeting, so I came to show you the fruit of my labor," smiled Ur.
Mystogan pushed aside his own papers and invited her to take place facing him.
"Please take a sit."
Ur sat on the chair while Ultear kept standing next to her. The young girl carefully laid the pile on the desk and watched as her mother took sheet by sheet, explaining them to their King.
Mystogan felt his headache miraculously subside. Ur had a way of explaining things which made it crystal clear, and it was really refreshing to hear someone speaking the same ideas than his own. He nodded to everything she said and when she was done, gave her his consent. Ur smiled, the satisfaction of being rewarded for her hard work clearly painted on her kind features.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Now it is almost time for the meeting, shall we go?"
"Yes, just wait a minute, I am coming with you."
Mystogan stood up, reaching for his own paperwork, and called for a maid to come and pick it up. He was relieved to see Coco barging in, as he did not like other maids to look at it.
Coco and Ultear silently followed their King and the counselor Ur.
"Your Highness, I heard this morning General Reitei wanted to rise up the case of the Raijinshuu."
"The Raijinshuu?" repeated Mystogan, frowning. "Does he want them to get out of prison again?"
"Most certainly, yes. The General Reitei has got family in Fairy Tail, so it is only natural he would speak in their name."
"I am not sure that freeing the Raijinshuu is a good idea," sighed Mystogan. "I respect the Fairy Tail guild, but the Raijinshuu is another matter. Laxus has not forgotten how his grandfather, the master of the guild, was killed by our previous Grand General."
"The Raijinshuu took him down before the Fairy Hunter captured them, their vengeance has been completed. Surely they can reach to an agreement with you, Your Highness."
"If we free them, Laxus will take the lead of the guild. He isn't a wise a person. I would not bet on an easy agreement."
"Prison changes people, Your Highness. In bad ways as well as in good ways, or so I hope."
Mystogan nodded and their conversation stopped there as they passed the doors of the meeting room. The counselors immediately stood up to bow with a sickly false respect for their King. Mystogan sat down, and the chairman of the Council facing him at the end of the table gave the signal for them to sit. After the usual greetings, the meeting was opened, and Mystogan was careful not to look at Erza, who would undoubtedly distract him from his thoughts.
As usual, Ur encountered a lot of criticisms from the other counselors. Counselor Cyan was one of the few counselors who defended her, but that was to be expected. Mystogan watched silently as she exposed with an unfailing calm her work, while being cut at any moment by the others, mainly led by the chairman of the Council. The Generals weren't kind either: the Grand General of the Internal Guard, Rahal, was as always particularly critical.
Mystogan knew a few faces and names from Earthland. First, the chairman, Guran Doma, who was also the chairman of the Earthland wizard council. Then, the counselors Kageyama, Bora, Everlue, Vidaldus, Sherry, and of course Ur. Whithin the generals, he knew Rahal, Lyon Reitei, Erigor, Totomaru, and of course Erza. The others were unknown faces and names, but Mystogan didn't know which was best.
Knowing the counterparts of these people wasn't always helping; it could even be dangerous. Even if the soul deep down remained the same, the character of the person could drastically change: he just had to have a look to Edoras' Fairy Tail to understand it. The person could end up being the complete opposite of what they were in Earthland, and that was very tricky. Mystogan felt inclined to trust some people who could easily be traitors, as well as he could distrust others who could be loyal. It was a very delicate matter, and he was still struggling with it.
"I would like to speak now of a request from the guild Fairy Tail," said Lyon, stirring Mystogan from his short absence.
"Again Fairy Tail!" exclaimed a counselor. "For God's sake, the whole world seems to be revolving around them!"
"Silence!" snapped Mystogan. "You may speak, General Reitei."
"Thank you, your Highness. Fairy Tail is currently without any leader, and they are asking if their Master's heir could be released, as well as his personal guard, the Raijinshuu."
From the corner of his eye Mystogan saw Erza stand up and bang her armored fist on the table, her eyes throwing daggers at Lyon, who flinched under her hard glare.
"Release the Raijinshuu! Are you out of your mind, General Reitei? Making Fairy Tail official is one thing, but freeing criminals like the Raijinshuu is another! These four people have killed the previous Grand General, have you forgotten it?"
"They only fought back because the Grand General had killed their Master! That's the power of…love!" answered Lyon, raising his hands to the ceiling in a romance-fashion way as he declaimed the last words.
Next to him, the ice-lady Sherry sighed, ignoring this love-thing that was without any doubt aimed at her.
"Their Master was at that moment an outlaw! Whatever their motives were, they remain criminals! They are dangerous people who should not be freed like this! Not to mention Laxus, whom we already know the brutality, Bixlow is a sick-minded wizard who played with souls, and the four of them used forbidden magic objects!"
"General Knightwalker, please sit down and discuss with calm," said Mystogan softly.
Erza gritted her teeth and glared at him with such hateful eyes that he actually wondered if last night had been a dream. But happily, the chairman rang the bell and stood up.
"Your Highness, my Generals, Counselors, it is time. The meeting is over. General Reitei, your proposition will be reconsidered next time."
The counselors rapidly scattered and Mystogan sighed, looking at his pile of documents he had wanted to expose. As always, the Chairman had managed to keep the whole discussion focused on details and on harsh critics so Ur would be slowed down until there was no more time left to discuss anything else. Well, he should just go back to his office and polish his work, so that they wouldn't have anything to object –but he highly doubt they wouldn't object.
This was bound to be a very boring and tiring afternoon, but it turned out to be otherwise. In the evening, a young guard he recognized as Edwin Stormbringer, the soldier who had accompanied Erza, had entered his office and bowed, announcing him that a messenger from the Southern harbor citadel, Gardamonde, had asked for an audience. Mystogan's heart had leapt with joy, for this was the land that was under the care of his cousin, Simon, who held the precious name of his mother –Gardamonde. The young duke was also known under the nickname of The Corsair Prince, as he was the one who had protected Edoras' seas and harbors.
"Let him enter," Mystogan said, trying not to look too eager.
Edwin bowed again, and stepped back into the corridor to call the messenger;
"Sir Shou, the King awaits you. Please give me your saber before entering."
A young man entered, his looks and clothes clashing with those of the palace; he had dark skin with blonde spiky hair, a snaky tattoo on his left jaw and an earring on his left ear – sign that as a sailor, he had crossed the Marvell Cape, which separated the known world from the unexplored. He wore white straight pants from the marine uniform and a long maroon oriental coat, held at his waist by a large belt which certainly was used to strap his saber.
Shou's green eyes scanned Mystogan with defiance, before he bowed to salute him.
"Please stand up," hastily said Mystogan. "You have a message from Duke Simon?"
"Yes, Your Highness," answered Shou, bowing again. "My Lord has entrusted me with an oral message."
Standing up, he looked at Mystogan in the eye.
"My Lord, Duke Simon of Gardamonde, announces to Your Majesty that his ship, the Bakeneko, will be arriving in the capital harbor in a couple of days, where it will be decking for a few weeks. He is coming back from his expedition against the pirates, and decided to stop by to present his King his respects. Counting that he will need a whole day to ride from the capital harbor to the Capital itself, he will be there in three days, maybe four."
Mystogan could have grinned. There was no word to describe the feeling of happiness he felt. He and Simon were the same age. He had met him when he had been sent to his uncle's castle at Gardamonde, after the accident that had killed his mother and almost cost him his own life. Pantherlily, his savior, had been entrusted with the Prince's safety, and became his godfather, responsible of his training as a knight.
The Prince had been educated with his cousin until they were ten, the both of them squires. Then they had been sent to the Capital to directly serve the King, and, for the young Prince, to learn how to rule a kingdom. That was the time they both met Erza Knightwalker for the first time; she was a squire as well, but they did not see her often, for they were princes whereas she was from a very modest noble family.
These two years were, with the period following his mother's death, the worst years of his life. He truly hated his father and despised the way Faust ruled his kingdom. He had a very conflicted relationship with his father, and it did not help that the old Byro actually hated him and spoke behind his back to Faust, fanning the flames of their dispute. Without Pantherlily and his cousin, Mystogan doubted he would have stood it all.
Finally, he got twelve and left for Earthland, decided to wipe off any anima that would dare appear. Simon did not follow him there; they had gotten into an argument and they had parted without even saying good-bye to each other. It was a very childish thing to do, and Mystogan felt a little bit nervous to meet his cousin again, but he knew that Simon would never hold grudges against him for such a trivial thing.
During the seven years Mystogan spent on Earthland learning to be a powerful mage, Simon was dubbed knight, and after his father's death, was named Duke of Gardamonde.
At the time Mystogan was crowned King of Edoras, Simon was still fighting in the southern seas on his famous ship, the Bakeneko. For a whole year, Simon had been wandering through the seas, determined to wipe off a very dangerous and notorious pirate who used to pillage all the coast of Edoras, even from times to times sailing up the river to loot the capital harbor itself. The news of Simon's victory against the pirates had been spread a month ago, and since then Mystogan had been waiting for Simon to finally come back.
When the night came, Mystogan was dizzy with happiness, and he asked Coco to call Erza for him. He was, for the first time since a long time, feeling confident and fortunate, and he wanted to share his joy with someone close to him. Since Erza knew Simon as well, she was the most indicated person –and she was supposed to be his lover as well.
But Erza wasn't really the kind of person who liked to be called for no apparent reason. She came fully armored, her spear in her hand, and a big frown on her face. Mystogan dismissed Coco and invited Erza in.
"What a lovely night, isn't it, Erza? Please sit with me."
Erza frowned even more at the simple "Erza", and she answered curtly;
"Why did you call me, King Mystogan?"
He should have noticed the difference in her tone and in the way she had addressed him –she was still resenting him because of the meeting this morning- but he was floating in his little world, and he was almost humming as he took from his cupboard a bottle of wine, answering her in a cheerful tone;
"Did you know that Duke Simon was arriving in a few days, Erza?"
"Yes, I met Shou this evening," she answered, her face softening.
He put the bottle of wine on the table and took two glasses, before turning around to watch her, noticing the warm tint in her eyes.
"Do you know him? Sir Shou, I mean."
"Yes, he was a neighbor of mine. I was the one who trained him and introduced him to Sir Simon."
"I see."
He gestured her to come and sit, but Erza frowned again and glared at him.
"Just why am I supposed to stay with you? You already had me last night," she said in a sharp tone.
Mystogan looked at her with disbelief, the bottle of wine in his hand, his excitement dying down.
"You're mistaken, Erza. I'm merely inviting you to stay for the night."
"I don't understand you," said Erza, her stance defensive. "What's the point of having me here if not to sleep with you?"
"You will be sleeping with me," retorted Mystogan, filling two glasses of red wine.
She rolled her eyes.
"You know what I meant, Your Highness. What I mean is that I am your lover, not your wife! I do not see why we should spend time together apart from-"
"So you're telling me you prefer being considered like a piece of meat?" cut coldly Mystogan.
His hold tightened around his glass. He had known since the beginning it would never work, that Erza would not surrender, would not want to see him as a person. She did not want to spend time with him apart from 'that'. She did not want to get emotionally involved.
Her eyes narrowed, she was feeling insulted and he knew it.
"What did you say?" she said dangerously.
"You heard me," snapped Mystogan.
He could not bear the tight knot in his chest anymore, and he gulped down his wine, relishing the burning sensation that spread through his throat and in his chest. Yes, maybe he could get drunk tonight, maybe then he would forget all about this infuriating Erza!
"Why you little…" began Erza, stepping forwards.
He did not hear any more of her words. Suddenly, the burning sensation of alcohol left the place to a terrible, painful shock, and he dropped his glass. It fell on the floor and burst into a thousand million shards, and Erza froze, her face changing into a shocked one as she watched him stumble.
What was happening? What the Hell was happening? Mystogan could not breathe, could not move, his whole body throbbing with an agonizing pain. The floor seemed to waver under his feet. He could not hear Erza anymore, and he could feel his limbs turning numb.
He could not breathe, and he realized with horror that the wine had been poisoned. And the venom was so fast and so strong that there were no way his doctors would succeed in curing him.
He could not breathe! He gripped his own throat in his hands and fell on his knees. Erza's voice reached his ears, deformed and extended, doubled with a dizzying echo.
"Mystogan! Mystogan !"
Then his stomach clenched painfully and he felt the bile rushing up his throat and spitting out of his mouth. He collapsed in Erza's arms and the last thing he saw was her bright flowing hair, hanging like a proud scarlet banner.
To be continued...
Reviews make me happy!
