A/N: HAI AGAIN LU, OMFG YOU'RE BACK. [Do you intend on updating any of your stories or are they a lost cause you bumhole?]
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail
Chapter 4: Dance of Swords
"Finally settled against their sheets and the soft, plump pillows, Jellal made up his mind; reaching over, he gently wrapped an arm around Erza's waist and pulled her against his front, effectively spooning her."
Erza's eyes widened, recognizing the name that Zeref had just dropped. But it couldn't be, could it?
A roar echoed through the room, shattering their ears and causing Juvia to gasp, startled. The trio on the other side of the 'window', too, were shocked by the loud noise, all three worrying for the safety of the women in the fortress (willingly, or unwillingly in Jellal's case). Erza readied herself, grasping her katana tightly and watching the dark shadows on the other side of the room, which seemed to be morphing and pushing against each other. Years of battle had hardened the woman into a full-blown warrior.
The floor was suddenly shaking, the forceful stomps of a great being cracking the seemingly unbreakable stone. Juvia let loose a cry of warning, reminding the redhead that this monster had wiped out villages in their entirety years before it disappeared. Of course, she didn't need a reminder, for Gray and Lyon's own family had been brutally murdered by the thing moving towards the duo at a leisurely pace.
At the same time, however, she knew that if it were to come down to her winning the fight and be given the chance to murder it, she simply couldn't take it; this was Gray's demon and Gray alone had to slay it. She knew that he would be eternally grateful over the fact she came to Juvia's aid, but he'd also hold a grudge over her head forever.
Gritting her teeth in frustration over her dilemma, she turned her upper half to face Juvia, quickly giving the girl instructions, "go right against the door, and watch to see what you should do. If I yell at you to run and not look back, I expect you to run and not look back, alright?"
"But-"
"No," Erza glared at her, communicating with her amber-brown irises; she was dead serious, and now wasn't the time for Juvia to be arguing. Realizing this, the bluenette nodded silently, all the while fearing for her friend's life. The water-woman wasn't stupid, she knew of her companion's obvious strength and ability as a fighter. At the same time, she knew of Deliora's sheer power, and the anger it could produce when it's prey didn't fall down immediately. At this point, she could only hope for Erza's survival.
And it was then that Deliora made its appearance.
A large mass of bulging black-blue muscles, one couldn't help but fear the imposing demon. Even more so, one who knows of its strength. Juvia, in pain and in worry, quivered against the wall that supported her weight. Erza, on the other hand, was already leaping forward, her arched body flying through the air with the grace of a lethal cougar defending it's family. Which, really, was what she was doing.
Growling under his breath and now under the hold of both Lyon and Ultear, Jellal struggled to pull away from their grips and go help because god damn it, she wasn't going to win this fight. Against the better part of his mind, he wanted to go and help her, but these two moronic buffoons were holding him down, blabbering about things he, at the moment, couldn't care less about. His damned wife (at the moment, their earlier fight was slipping his mind) was going to get herself killed and they expected him to stand around and let that happen?! "Let me go! Do you want her to die, you simple-minded imbeciles?!"
"Have some faith in her, you idiot!" Lyon scolded the ultramarine, all the while gluing his eyes to the screen. He, too, was worrying over the redheaded requip mage, but now, especially, wasn't the time to be questioning her ability. He was trembling in anger at the familiar sight of Deliora, the one who had taken everything from both him and Gray. The thing that had caused a rift to form between the fraternal twins that hadn't been mended until their confrontation, and Lyon resented Deliora for taking his brother away from him for so long. Granted they lived in different kingdoms, the brothers' bond was now stronger than ever. He wanted Erza to spill its blood, but at the same time, he wanted Gray to get the kill. It had been Deliora's fault that Lyon had shunned his brother, blaming their parents' death on him and leaving him to burn. He wasn't proud of his past actions and at times it came back to haunt him.
Taking in its size, Erza could only see a misty, red haze. This was the thing that caused Gray, one of her closest comrades, so much damn pain. She wanted to spill its blood, but keep it alive for Gray and Gray only to get the satisfaction and pleasure of murdering it. Her leap had brought her into the air around its head, within its hitting range. With a snarl of anger, she slashed down with her sword, effectively opening a deep laceration across Deliora's left eye.
A roar later, she knew the fight was to begin.
Grabbing the ends of one of the hanging drapes, she clung to it and deftly dodged the flying claws, swinging her way down and back to the floor. The silken sheets she hung to ripped, threads of spun silver falling to the floor in separated strands. Paying no heed, she jumped over the outreached arm, coming down hard with her katana. Black blood splattered across the exposed plains of her skin, steaming hot against the forming cold sweat. Disgusted, she growled in distaste, before leaping out of the way of a large foot.
Juvia watched, gazing in admiration at her close friend as she moved around the room, opening various cuts along Deliora's body and then some. She was truly beautiful, like a vicious dove. One of Magnolia's best by far, no other female fighter could hold a candle to her burning flames.
Jellal stared, shocked to his core, as he watched Erza dance her dance of swords, effectively cutting down the massive demon despite her own, petite form. Now, however, he knew she wasn't just petite; she was lithe and could use lethal weapons as if it was the damned easiest thing in the world. He could now see why Lyon had been less stressed than he and his sister had been.
"S-She's amazing," Ultear breathed, watching the redhead with sheer fascination as she never let up with her tirade of attacks, her facial expression still calm as a stilled sea. Really, Ultear had known that Erza possessed an inner strength that wasn't exactly comprehensible, but this was completely out of the question.
Erza ignored all the awed comments around her, concentrating on the task at hand. Deep down, she knew she couldn't prolong this fight any longer than necessary, mostly because she had to get Juvia some medical attention as soon as possible.
"Lyon," she called, waiting for the confirmation that he heard her, which she got immediately after. "I need to anchor a portal to you, may I? It won't hurt, it'll simply be uncomfortable."
"Of course," Lyon knew of Magnolia's council-members' portal systems, and how it worked. It was a brilliantly plotted-out idea, and Erza most definitely needed one now. Feeling the familiar pull of her charm, he let his magic loose for her to manipulate.
With the portal forming somewhere behind her, she snarled in resistance once Deliora was finally able to grab her whilst she had been distracted with checking up on Juvia. With a vice-like grip, she couldn't hold back the cry that came forth when it squeezed, effectively breaking a few ribs and collapsing her lung. Coughing, she noticed the specks of red now staining the floor.
Stabbing his meaty claws with her sword, she relished the roar of pain that fell from the beast's lips, before breaking out of its hold and landing on the floor in a crouching position. She knew already what she wanted to do at this point, and so decided to go along with her plan. Gripping her katana fiercely with both hands, she sent it flying towards the ground, watching it slide through as if the hard rock was simply butter.
Cracks spread across the vast flooring, spinning and weaving themselves like a spider's web. With the floor's foundation slowly crumbling, it couldn't support the weight of the monster standing upon it no longer, and Deliora fell through the floor, screaming the whole way down. Smirking, she turned to Juvia, who stood beside the now completed portal, laughing at her friend's choice of escape.
All along the way, she broke the floor, slashing the walls as best she could and causing the whole room to start falling down. She reached Juvia, and surveyed her work, satisfied with the damage she managed to cause. She grabbed Juvia's hand to calm her friend down and assure her that she was indeed fine, before deciding to finish the job she had started.
Breaking through the marble at their feet with one, final downwards slice, Erza shattered the last full piece of the floor, chunks of obsidian flying through the air. Grabbing Juvia's hand once again, she jumped through the mortal, just as gigantic pieces of marble fell exactly where they were standing. To say they shrieked (but Erza would firmly deny it if asked about it later on), would be an understatement; Erza grunted in pain as her leg hit Juvia's leg with bone-shattering force. Breathing hard, Juvia clung to her saviour, letting Erza comfort her to the best of her ability. A few, short seconds later, the duo found themselves in the gardens of Sorciere's castle, standing in front of the royal trio who stared at them in shock.
"Juvia! Erza!" Lyon cried, relief flooding through him like a wildfire. Stumbling across the patch of grass, he grabbed their arms and made sure that they were the real thing. With dark magic at play, you'd never know. He, too, knew of the strange powers their enemy possessed, being on the receiving ends one too many times. "Thank the heavens you're both alright!"
Erza, still having difficulty breathing, nodded, smiling slightly with her mouth parted. Jellal moved forward, his cloak billowing, and ignored the curious (and angered) look she shot her, simply resolving to ease the blue-haired woman, who was clearly pregnant, out of his wife's hold and handing her to Ultear, who obediently took hold of her. Paying no heed to Erza's curses that came under her short breaths, he latched his right arm under her knees, effectively picking her up bridal-style and holding her precariously. Now, she was protesting out-loud, so he gave her a cold look filled with disbelief (was she really arguing now, of all times?), and responded. "Your left lung has obviously collapsed and you're having trouble both breathing and staying awake. I suggest you quiet down before you start coughing up more blood."
Deflating, she allowed him to start walking up the path, Lyon and Ultear, who was still holding Juvia, in tow. Against the better part of his mind, he let his eyes travel down her barely concealed form; those damned bandages that normally hid her cleavage from prying eyes were tattered and falling apart, revealing way too much for his liking. Not that Lyon, who was the only other male in the party, was staring at her, but more so Jellal's own eyes were glued to her curvaceous form. This didn't escape Erza's observations, and she felt like squirming under his burning gaze. For crying out loud, she felt as if it, his gaze, was leaving paths of fire on her bruised skin.
Jellal pulled the girl farther into his arms, letting the ends of his cape fall around her to shield her form the cold, evening winds and possible, prying eyes. He was being too overprotective for a man who wanted to distance himself from his wife, but nonetheless he couldn't help it; sighing angrily at himself, he walked up the stairs and entered the castle, where his servants were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their queen. They had been aware of the fact she had left in a haste, and later had been informed by their king that she had indeed gotten into a fight and will probably need medical attention.
Upon the grand doors opening, they were set into motion immediately; two of the older, elderly maids reached for Erza, taking her out of Jellal's increasingly tight grasp, and brought her into the infirmary. Followed by them were Ultear and Juvia, who was suddenly having stabbing pains in her stomach. Unsure of what was going on, fear released itself on her mind.
And so began her personal Apocalypse.
Erza was startled back into reality about an hour later from the lulling darkness the medicine they provided her with by an ear-piercing scream that ripped her heart to shreds. Juvia was on the bed beside her's, screaming out in pain as the nurses and doctors hastened to hold her down. Upon hearing the scream, both Lyon and Jellal, who had been waiting on the outside, threw the door open, staring in horror at the writhing body of Magnolia's councilwoman.
"What's wrong with her?!" Erza cried, gazing up at the doctor with a look of pain and fear. Normally, she'd fear for her friends' health, but Juvia was in a delicate condition already; what if there was something wrong with the baby? What would Gray say? How would she even forgive herself, if she could've had the chance to save both the mother and the unborn baby, but had failed miserably?
Moving quickly, one of the nurses gave her what seemed to be a sleep pill, one that knocked the screaming woman out instantly. She fell against the pillows, a soft 'thump' echoing through the room, before everyone released a sigh of relief.
The old doctor stared down at his queen, taking in the look of keen attentiveness and the worry she was obviously displaying over her friend's condition. She reminded him so much of the late queen, and he couldn't help but wonder if that's why Jellal had chosen the redhead to be his. Most of his cryptic actions, really, were easy to decipher; at least for the old man who had delivered and help raise the boy. This choice, though, was one he couldn't really figure out. At least, not until Jellal had raced into the room and basically thrown himself at Erza's bed, his eyes hungrily roaming over her form in the most protective way the old man had ever seen the boy scrutinize someone.
"Is she okay, Grandpa Rob?" The boy's soft, scared voice thoroughly shocked him. When was Jellal ever so soft-spoken anymore? The boy had been traumatized, broken even, by what had happened to him, him and his sister. Ultear, however, had healed once she had met and opened up to her husband, Lyon, but Jellal had never given himself the chance to fall in love. At least, Rob mused, not until now.
He smiled kindly at both faces staring up at him, observing the rosy blush now covering his queen's cheeks. He could tell Jellal had already, true to his temperamental anger, had gotten into an argument with his newlywed. The girl, too, was still rather uncomfortable with the king's protectiveness, which was another blatantly obvious fact. "She'll be fine, we gave her the proper medicine she need, m'boy. We also healed her lung, and cleared it of any liquid that could've gotten into it. Now all she needs is rest and supervision to make sure she'll be fine and there's no lasting aftereffects of the injuries. I suggest you get her up to your chambers and stay by her side to make sure she doesn't ever do something so reckless again."
Lyon looked over from where he leaned against the door, an arm around his own wife who snuggled into his side, snorting and smirking. If he had just heard correctly, their head doctor had just implied that what Erza had just done was her most reckless feat yet which was most certainly not the case. Memories of all the dangerous things her and her team had committed back in the day flashed through his mind and despite himself, he chuckled. "This is probably the least reckless thing Erza's ever done, and I can attest to that."
The woman in question shot a glare at her friend, too exhausted to do more. Too exhausted to stop Jellal from lifting her up again, the same position as before. It was only then that she realized someone, while she had been asleep, had changed her into a white nightgown made of shimmery material that ended a few inches below her butt. Jellal made sure to hold down the floating material as he gave everyone a curt nod before leaving out the door to make sure she didn't accidentally flash someone. Clinging to her husband's cloak and throwing her anger and her bountiful pride to the farthest recesses of her mind for the time being, she nestled into his warmth, letting it wash over her and reheat her toes and fingers.
"That was stupid," he started, his voice flat albeit quiet. He had been running over what he'd say to her in his mind for quite some time to be honest, and yet he still stumbled over his words. He was contented by the fact she decided against fighting against him for now, but he knew her anger would return as soon as she had him alone. This, in their case, would be in a few more minutes. "You could've died."
"I think not," she snorted in response, staring at the wall as they proceeded up the stairs. She felt cornered, but didn't know why; was it because of Jellal? Most definitely. His hands burned through the thin material of her nightgown, and with a shock, looking out the window, she realized it was past sundown, as the sky was an inky blue. Had they really spent away the day already? "That thing killed one of my best friend's family, and Lyon's; it doesn't deserve to live."
"But you didn't kill it." Jellal was now opening the door to their suite, careful now that he was carrying the redhead with nothing more than one of his arms. Granted she was a slight being and didn't need much support, he still made sure he didn't jostle her too much. Closing the door behind them, he walked over to the middle of the room, settling her down on the dark blue sheets before stripping himself of his cloak and boots, followed by his shirt. It took all of Erza's willpower to stop herself from drooling at the sight of his damned washboard abs. His pants hung low on his hips, revealing delicious hip bones that disappeared under the black cloth of his pants.
Jellal, too, was having a hard time concentrating on her face rather than her body. The nightgown was extremely short, but the way she was sitting caused the slippery material to slide up, bunching up around her hips. Not only that, but the dress was only a V-neck, the cut of the top revealing way more than it should. And there was so much goddamn lace. Mentally berating himself for having such dirty thoughts about his wife (his mind kept telling him there wasn't really anybody else he could have dirty thoughts about), he continued with his earlier statement. "Why didn't you kill it?"
"That's Gray's job," her soft response came immediately. Nodding in acceptance, he stretched and slid into bed, his mind spinning with all the possibilities. Aiding her, they carefully lifted the multitude of sheets up and slid under, squirming in discomfort over the fact that this was their first night of many. Finally settled against their sheets and the soft, plump pillows, Jellal made up his mind; reaching over, he gently wrapped an arm around Erza's waist and pulled her against his front, effectively spooning her.
On her part, she didn't scream, squeak, or make any sort of noise; she thought, nimbly, that she deserved some sort of reward or medal. Instead, she blinked a few times, processing the fact that he had pulled her against himself and was soon radiating heat, her cheeks on fire. "W-What're you doing?"
He smirked, amused by the fact that she had stuttered. What had happened to the headstrong warrior that had so passionately defied him on so many occasions already? What was she doing, taking a break? The thought caused him to chuckle lowly, a sound Erza found (despite herself) extremely arousing. "This, my dear, is to make sure you don't escape in the middle of the night to cleave off the heads of my poor villagers."
Rolling around in his hold as best as she could, she glared up at him once they were face to face, before becoming immediately aware of their proximity. Jellal, too, was suddenly aware of the fact that somehow, his other arm had come up to pull her even closer against his form, relishing the softness of her skin against his own.
"I would not cleave off the heads of the innocent," she protested crossly, pouting up at him. "You, though, I'm not so sure of. What happened to your assumption of my 'whore' status, Your Highness?"
Her anger was back and there was no stopping her now. How dare he assume such vulgar things about her immediately; twice, even, in the same day! Some part of her mind, the weaker part she deemed, was telling her to hear him out; for his face displayed such regret and pain that she stumbled in her tirade for a moment, unsure of how to continue. Just what the hell went on in that head of his?
"Erza, I…" Jellal was quiet, because he knew he deserved hell and worse for his behaviour. Reflecting on his actions, he knew there was probably a better way to have reacted to the situation with Zeref, the situation of his kingdom, but he chose the easiest way and ending up hurting someone who didn't belong in such a dark, dark world. "I shouldn't have said the things I did. I was trying to protect you."
"By insulting me?"
"Precisely," he sighed, and running on instinct, buried her face into her fiery-red locks, breathing in the comforting scent of sakura petals and vanilla. He was ecstatic when she brought her arms up to hold him closer rather than push him away, letting her bury herself further into his embrace as her way of telling him to continue with what he was saying. "I…you remember how earlier today I ran off to deal with Zeref, yes?"
Was that only earlier today? It was like centuries ago. Pressed into his body, she nodded, knowing he could feel it and silently indicating for him to continue. So he did.
"Well, he…presented a few threats earlier," his anger burned brightly at the mere thoughts of what the bastard had said earlier. How dare he bring the concept of 'rape' into his threats, on top of what he had presented numerous times beforehand! "And, well, the only way to keep you safe from him would be to keep you farther away from me. Distance between us would be necessary for me to keep you safe."
Erza shifted, shocked by this relevance. So, by hurting her, he was trying to keep her away from himself and his problems? It was sweet, to an extent, but incredibly stupid beyond that. She could keep herself safe, damn it. "Jellal, despite your good intentions, this wasn't necessary. I can keep myself safe."
"You don't know what you're dealing with," he growled in insistence. "Zeref…he's real bad news Erza. This isn't child-play anymore."
"Neither is war, Jellal, which I had been fully involved in prior to this arranged marriage!" Her cry of indigence was louder than it should've been but she was past the point of caring who heard her and who didn't. "I still am involved, whether you like and support it or not, and that is something you will never be able to change no matter how much you cut me down."
"I realize that now," he pulled his face out her hair, opting to stare down at her instead. She stared back, pain from his earlier comments flashing through her eyes. Again, he felt remorse and shame flash hot-white throughout him; how could he have said and done what he did to her? "I apologize, Erza, I really don't know what I was hoping to accomplish with what I said anymore."
He sighed, placing a soft, tender kiss to her temple, startling her into drawing in a sharp breath. How could she resist the perfection of the moment? Pushing herself even further into his hold, she wished she could just fall asleep and run away from this conversation. After a silence that had stretched on for minutes, she decided to respond.
"I can see why you did it," she looked up at him, a soft smile of weariness making its way onto her face. "And its fine, you were attempting, rather pathetically, to protect me."
He laughed, tilting his head back. She was a fiery ball of power that demanded your respect, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her as if he was a moth. Maybe, just maybe…this could end up as something beautiful. "No offence to that statement."
"Well damn, I was aiming for offence."
He gave her a playful glare, smiling. "Go to bed, you fiery ball of energy. Or do I have to knock you out?"
She gazed at him softly for a moment, sympathy within her amber-brown irises, before reaching up and touching his face with tentative hands, stroking the tanned flesh and running her hand over the curious tattoo that ran through his eye. "Your smile…there's pain behind it."
She knew Lyon told her not to pry, but how could she not? It was clear as day that Jellal had demons haunting him; it was alive in his smiles for crying out loud!
He stared down at Erza, unsure of how to respond to what she had just stated. Was it that obvious that he was hurting? Looking away, he felt the wounds reopen, spreading fresh pain through his body only to be quelled by Erza's heat, still there and warming him in the best way. How was he to respond, really? He knew, with time, he'd probably end up telling her, but…to tell her so soon? He still couldn't admit it to himself, how could he admit to the only other human being outside his immediate family (prior to any sort of agreement) to show him such care and affection? Not only that, but the fact that it was his wife, someone who, already, made him burn with desire whenever she was near. The person he'd end up spending the rest of his life with.
How was he to admit it to her?
"It's nothing," his respond was lighthearted, but she could hear the darkness underneath his tone.
She glanced up at him to find him clenching his jaw, a vacant look in his eyes. Knowing all too well what it was like to be unable to speak of one's past, Erza opted to simply offer her comfort, anchoring herself to Jellal and pressing her face into his left pectoral.
He smiled down at her, placing under soft kiss against the crown of her head, resting his own against it. The moonlight that filtered through the drapes was slight, casting an ethereal glow across her porcelain skin that was dotted with an occasional bruise or crusted cut. In his opinion, they only added to her appeal.
Stroking her exposed arms under the covers, he absentmindedly thought of formally introducing her to his staff tomorrow. Personally, he hated the thought of 'servants'; his workers were properly cared for and were paid fully for their work.
A knock on the door broke the silence of the room, and Jellal lifted his head up, resisting the urge to curse whoever was on that side of the door to the higher Heavens. "Come in," his voice was grumpy, and he heard Erza chuckle at his moodiness.
Lyon entered, laughing, and paused at the sight laid out before his eyes. There was Jellal, the cold, stoic man with an anger to fit a god, and Erza, a fiery, stubborn woman who could castrate any man with whatever given, cuddling under the sheets, holding each other near. Now he could see why the man was irritable; how often did this occur?
"I apologize for interrupting your, ah, activities," he gave them a sly smirk, "but Erza, your family's here."
A/N: Agh, I promise you all two chapters this week, each 5,000 words long! Review with your love to keep me going? :) I love reading through them all! Thank you for whoever faved, followed, and reviewed (especially you guys, aha) the story so far! I didn't except to get such a response! :D Next time on 'This Kingdom We Protect', we get a look at Juvia's condition, and a meeting with her old family (huh, guess they couldn't stay away, huh?). Whatcha think about Juvia? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Review with your thoughts :)