Erza POV

Morning came faster than I was ready for. 'Other dimension or no, I'm going to wring that stupid rooster's neck...' Personally, I think I took the other dimension news quite well. At least the magic stuff made more sense now. Sort of. 'But that doesn't explain why- Argh! one thing at a time Erza, focus on finding Lucy and Levy.'

I reluctantly roll out of bed and move over to the basin of water to splashed my face. Feeling less groggy and a bit more awake, I pick up a brush and I ran through the tangles of my hair. The sun was just peeking over the land, I edged open my door and peeked down the hallway, half expecting Jellal to have posted a sentry at our doors, given our behavior the night before. But no one was there. Only the flickering, dancing torchlight moved. Juvia likely wasn't awake yet.

I edged out the door and closed it softly behind me. I moved down the corridor on tiptoes, past the door that led to the courtyard, to one of the turrets that climbed up to the wall walk at the top. Cautiously, I eased open the wooden door, pleased to see that it was not locked.

Would they be bothered if I went up there again? Surely, Jellal or one of his brothers had warned them all by now to watch out for their crazy female houseguests, willing to scale the castle walls to escape. I snickered to myself. I moved forward, gaining confidence as I did so, barely hesitating at the top. I ducked and pushed.

Nobody was in front of me, the guard already turned the corner so I took a deep breath, appreciating the cool of the evening breeze on my hot face. I closed my eyes and breathed in the familiar scents of spicy sage and sweet forest loam and warm, dusty oak. How can this place smell so right, so much like home, and yet be so wrong?

I blinked my eyes open. I was at level with most of the forest canopy, able to see for miles, to the parapets of the Phantom Lord castle, flying it's violet flag. I leaned forward, elbows on the wall, massaging my scalp, trying to ease away the tension there. Again, I picked up the scents of oak and sage, but now I could smell ripening grain. It was no wonder that Simon, Jellal's cousin, suffered so from 'lung ailments,' as Mira mentioned once- the air was thick with life here.

I tensed when I noticed a figure appear from the corner of my eye. It was Jellal, five feet away from me, hands on the castle wall, staring outward as I was. I straightened and touched my hair, which had become tousled up from the breeze.

"Your hair, do you usually wear it down?"

"If it is not in a braid," I said after a moment. "Or pulled back."

"Ahh." He looked at me from the corners of his eyes until I felt the heat of a flush climb my neck and jaw.

I hurriedly looked back to the forest, hoping he couldn't see my blush in the waning light. I'm freaking Erza Scarlet!!! It's downright embarrassing to be a blushing mess for some..some... guy.

'A hot hunk of a guy might I sa-'

"J-Jellal," I said, interrupting my own thoughts. "I wondered if we could borrow Castor and Pollux to visit any nearby towns."

"Towns?" asked a feminine voice.

I turned, knowing who was behind me already. Carmen paraded down the allure, Ava following behind.

"Goodness, you seem to be fighting the same hair battle as your sister?" she asked with a giggle. "Of course, this summer wind does nothing to help any of us," she added.

'Right,' I thought. 'Soften that dig. Neither of us missed it, did we?'

"Well, I think it's a good idea. I also want to go for a ride into town." Carmen sniffed. She glanced up at Jellal, searching his face for some reaction, but he merely nodded, almost imperceptibly. "It's been weeks since I've been out, and I really want to see to the details of our wedding ceremony."

I smiled, wanting to appear conciliatory, hoping to set her at ease a little so maybe she'd stop constantly trying to provoke me. Life was tough enough without any unnecessary enemies. "I can only imagine," I said. "How much longer until your nuptials?"

"The fifteenth of September. Generations of my family have married on that day, and all have been blessed by good fortune and many children."

"Sounds like the right day, for sure," I said with a nod.

"Why are you eager to go into town?" Jellal said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Lucy and Levy might be there. It is the next, closest place, no?"

"I will send a messenger to look around," Jellal said. "There is no need for you or your sister to further endanger yourselves."

"Jellal," Carmen said, setting a small, delicate hand on his forearm, "You, of all people, should know the importance of family! You must allow Erza and her sister to continue their search. What if they miss their reunion by a day or two? That would be tragic."

I almost snickered out loud. 'Tragic in that we wouldn't be out of your way for good.'

"Unfortunately," Jellal said, "word reached me this evening that there are mini Phantom Lord armies all about us. Until they clear up we cannot allow anyone to leave."

"Might I remind you that my sister and I are neither a member of this household or bound to your care," I said carefully, pulling my shoulders back and lifting my head. "We're very thankful for your help, but we remain free to choose when and where we go."

A/N: Goddamn Erza!!!! Level down on the savagery!!!

His mouth dropped open a bit, and then he clamped it shut. "Be that as it may," he said, waving a dismissive hand through the air, "you are an unaccompanied female, and it is our duty to look after you."

'LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE-'

I bit my tongue hard to keep from spewing obscenities. It would be best just to disappear when we decided the time was right. This time without any shadows. My eagerness to leave seemed to soften Carmen a bit. She studied me a moment and then said, "Won't you come and join us for the morning reading?"

Morning reading? That sounded more like Levy's thing...listening to poetry or whatever they read wasn't my idea of kickin' back and relaxing. "I thank you for your kind invitation, but I think I'm going to check up on my sister soon. Perhaps I could join you next time?"

"As you wish," she said coolly, turning and then pausing at the turret doorway. "Will you be so kind as to accompany me?" she said to Jellal.

He pulled his warm, brown eyes from me and turned to follow her. Mollified, she disappeared, Ava following behind her, but Jellal hovered in the doorway. "There aren't coils of rope hidden beneath that armor of yours right?" he said lowly.

I let a smile spread across my face and gave a little shake of my head. "No."

"I have your word? You won't not step outside the castle?"

Man, he was stubborn. "Not today," I reasoned.

With that, he turned and followed his bride-to-be.

Juvia POV

I awakened, surprisingly not to the sound of a rooster, but to men preparing for battle. Horses whinnying, leather creaking, metal clanking together. I threw back my covers and opened the door to my room, curious to find out what the commotion was all about. Mira stood there with her hand raised mid-knock.

"Miss me?" she said teasingly. I smiled at her and moved to the side to let her in.

"What's happening?" I asked. "Who is preparing to ride?"

"Our knights. For once it's not Phantom Lord, but some other band of criminals. They took a small village under the protection of Fairy Tail, not far from here."

I frowned. That didn't sound good. Who were these guys, some sort of gang, making the most of this latest Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord conflict? I sighed and blew out my cheeks. No matter the dimension, there were always guys ready to swoop in and take advantage of a situation.

We arrived in the courtyard just as the men had mounted up. Gray was leaning down, accepting a flower from Ava, then he straightened to bark orders at his men as she backed away. The horses, excited by the scent of battle on the wind, circled endlessly, fighting their masters. Gray wheeled his gelding around and caught my eye, held it for a moment as if silently asking, 'You'll stay here, right?'

I frowned a little but gave him a tiny nod. The last thing he needed right now was to be worrying over me.

Gray and his brothers returned their attention to the men. They raised their arms, pointing to the sky, and the men came into formation. Two by two, all eighteen of them galloped out the gates, and I felt the ground beneath my feet rumble.

'Juvia will die if she has to spend another moment cooped up in her room.' I thought, walking in the opposite direction of where our bedrooms were. Since I couldn't go out to search for Lucy and Levy in town, what should I do? Hang out with Ava and her posse?

"Juvia would rather die." I muttered. Up ahead I spotted Ava chatting away with her girls. "Nope, Juvia's gon' die."

I picked up the pace and quickly found myself lost. I tentatively knocked on a few doors, but they were all empty. "What?" I muttered, glancing around. "Does Juvia have the plague or something?"

I could still hear Ava's voice from the courtyard. I shivered and kept moving. I couldn't get through this hallway fast enough. I raced to the next nearest door, relieved when I unlatched it and escaped. I ducked into the next corridor, expecting another row of rooms. But it was a massive, dimly lit room.

In the corner, a fire smoldered in the hearth, having chased away the morning's brief chill. Two big windows let the morning light in. We had stepped into the inviting room before I spotted him, lounging on a large horsehair settee, staring back at us with mild interest.

"Mister Simon!" I said, horrified to be discovered snooping. This must be Simon's sickroom.

"No, no," he said, gesturing at me as if to say calm down. "It is quite all right, Miss Lockser." He lowered his book to his lap, and when he smiled, I realized just how down he looked. I wondered if he was thinking about his cousins, galloping off to a battle that should have been his own, if it wasn't for his sickness. He may as well have been a patient in the cancer wing of a hospital, simply biding his time.

A wave of sympathy washed over me. He was obviously a sweet guy, and not much older than me. "Juvia will leave you to your reading." I started to back away.

"I think I'd prefer your company for a moment. Please." He gestured to a chair beside his. I met his gaze and realized that despite his frail appearance, he had the bearing of a young lord. There would be no arguing with him. I moved to the chair and folded my hands in my lap, staring at him as boldly as he was staring at me.

"You probably wonder why I don't ride with my cousins." he said, each word a sigh of long-held frustration.

"No, Juvia means...you are obviously not well..."

"Indeed I am not." Even in those few words, I could hear the wheeze in his breath. He chuckled lightly. "The way you speak is amusing. Is it common in Bellum?"

I frowned a little and looked away, embarrassed. "I-it is not. J-Juvia apologises, it is just her manner of speaking."

"Please don't apologize! I didn't mean it in a rude way! I think it's very interesting!"

My eyes widened slightly but I still smiled at him. "May Juvia ask...what is it that bothers you?"

"Are you educated in the art of medicine?"

Yeah, the art of Walgreens and Urgent Care. "A bit," I hedged.

"Lung trouble. The doctors say that I am full of water."

"Ahh," I said, as if I understood what the heck he was talking about. "If you don't mind, can you tell Juvia what your symptoms are?"

He smiled and laid his book on a small table beside him. "Surely a lady as comely as yourself wouldn't want to speak of such things."

"Try Juvia."

He stared at me, confusion lowering his brow. Maybe not all slang phrases have reached this dimension.

I translated. "Juvia is most interested to know. Maybe she might find some small way to help you."

He looked at me hard then and shook his head a little. "I am not seeking a bride."

He thought I was after him? For what, his money? I raised my brows. "That is of great relief to Juvia since she is not seeking a husband, she has no intentions of staying here for long. Juvia only wants to locate her sisters."

His brows lifted, and he smiled a little, as if he had never heard such a thing from an unattached female. Perhaps he hadn't. Not seeking a husband? What else did the girls here have going for them? No studies, no working. It made me feel a little sorry for Ava. Maybe I should cut her some slack...

"When I wake up in the morning I can barely breathe," he began to tell me, staring back at the fire again, "My servant has to thump my back to break up the mucous, to which I cough so hard that sometimes I wish for death."

Hmm. Sounds a bit like the asthma Levy and I had as kids. I remembered well the horrific feeling of suffocation... I shook my head at the memory. I sure am glad that we outgrew it years ago.

He leaned back and returned his gaze to me, as if that might be enough to make me run for the hills, but I simply stared back.

"As the morning goes on," he finally went on, "the coughing eases, but this dreaded wheeze stays with me, reminding me of my illness with every breath of every day."

"Does your nose run? Do your eyes water?"

He nodded, clearly puzzled by my questions. His eyes were ringed with deep purple, testimony to his nightly battles to breathe-and possibly to allergies that set him off in the first place. Or it might have been caused by his sleep being so disrupted...

"Do you run a fever? Are you hot?"

He shook his head, then shrugged one shoulder. "I sweat a lot when I cough so violently. But it is not a fever."

"And your appetite? Do you want to eat?"

"At times, but my breathing makes it a chore." He lifted an arm and studied it, as if seeing for the first time how bony he had become.

"What have the doctors told you to do?"

He shrugged and glanced at the fire. "Not much, though they are more than happy to take my uncle's gold for every visit."

"Does steam help at all?" I thought of our old guardian, tenting our heads with a towel and making us sit over a bowl of boiling water when we were all stopped up. It was uncomfortable, but it did get things moving again.

"They never suggested such a thing." he said, studying me with an edge of hope in his eyes.

I eyed the chair on which he lounged. "How often are you on that seat each day?"

He raised one brow. "Most of the day, everyday I'd say."

"Do your symptoms change depending on where you are? Do they get worse when you come in here from your bedroom?"

He thinks my questions over. "My nose and eyes tend to run, but I assumed it was from the smoke."

"That is possible." A familiar voice said from the door. "Or you might be allergic to horses. And lounges covered in horse hair."

"Erza!" I said in delightful surprise.

Simon looked towards the doorway where Erza was leaning on. "Allergic?"

Hmm, maybe that word isn't in use... "It simply means that being near horses or couches made with their skins might irritate you and your lungs."

His eyes opened wider with understanding.

"You can be allergic to horses, or hay, or cats, or pollen." Erza continued while stepping in and surveying the room.

"Pollen?"

'This dimension doesn't even know pollen?'

"Erm.. That fine dust from the trees that is so thick this time of year. Even grass or weeds. Maybe your doctors have not yet heard of this. It is quite common in Bellum." Yes, we were lying through our teeth, but we wanted him to give our words some weight in case we could actually help him.

I rose and went to the small bookshelf, running my hand over the thick, odd goat-leather bindings. It took me a moment of staring at the covers before I realized that I could actually read this wierd language too.

"Do you read, Miss Lockser?" he asked, interrupting my reverie.

"Well, yes," I said, before I thought it through. I dragged my eyes toward him. Being schooled enough to read in this era was probably rare, even for the guys. "But not as much as my sister Levy."

But he was smiling in delighted surprise. "Books are my constant companion. My uncle has little use for them. My cousin's can read only a few pages before they fall asleep each night. "

Erza and I chuckled.

He regarded us and then took a slow, wheezy breath. "Do tell, how does one avoid daily things such as horses when one lives in a castle? Or dust from the trees?"

I took a survey of the room before I responded his question. "It is difficult. But Juvia thinks she and her sister know of some measures that might bring you some relief. Are you willing to try one or two of them?"

"I don't see why not."

"Great!" I said with a small bounce, my exuberant response shocking him a little. "Juvia means, very well. We shall begin tomorrow!"

"Why not now?"

I blinked in surprise. "Well, all right. Please, summon someone who can assist us." We're gonna need a little help in here.

He reached behind himself and pulled a rope. My eyes followed it to the ceiling, where it disappeared through a small hole. In a few moments, a footman appeared.

"Macao, Juvia and Erza going to help me today."

The servant did not react. Perhaps that was what they strived for-no reaction, just obedience.

"Don't be shy, tell him what to do."

Erza tapped her lips, thinking. "Is this where you like to spend your days? Is there another room with more air? More windows?"

"No, I'm afraid this is the best, and I'll admit, it's my favorite."

"All right, then. I will need you to do exactly as we say for a week, no matter how crazy it sounds. Are you willing to give us that much time?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I might be dead tomorrow, but whatever time I have left is yours."

Erza returned his subtly flirtatious smile. They weren't serious about it, of course. It was just for fun. "Good. Then Macao here better get some help. We need this room cleared out, from top to bottom, and then the maids will need to come and wash every inch of it, from top to bottom, with hot, hot water, and some sort of cleanser... What do you use to disinfect?"

Both men stared at Erza blankly. "She means when there's been something messy, what do the maids use to clean, make it safe again?" I amended.

"Ah, lye is what you're after. And vinegar."

"Excellent!" I said, remembering. Lye was still the main ingredient in a lot of soaps. "Yes, hot, hot water, vinegar and lye. The same for your bedroom, you're going to have to empty it and bring back only the barest of essentials." I began to pace.

"The horsehair settee has to go, for example. You'll need to find a hardwood chair for the week." Erza stated.

"Is this treatment or punishment?"

I smiled. "We are trying to help you. Remember that. Please do not bring any of these woolens back in. Let's remove the tapestries, just for the week."

Erza added quickly. "I saw women working upon a loom in the courtyard. Bring that new blanket in, fresh from the loom."

I leaned closer to him. "Our doctors believe that things like dust get lodged in linens, and therefore, if that is what irritates your lungs, you are beneath one, huge irritant."

He nodded as if he understood me, but I could see a little of the 'These Chick's are Crazy' look in his eyes.

"What about myself? All this is well and good for the room, but I thought your aim was to help me. Also," He leaned closer to me. "Your sister wouldn't happen to be looking for a husband would she?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye, that flash of flirtation and humor there again. In that moment, I could see the resemblance to his cousins, the glimpse of the young man he was supposed to be. I laughed and swatted his shoulder lightly, from the corner of my eye I could see Erza roll her eyes but nonetheless grinning. We paced, trying to recollect old herbs used as treatment for allergies.

"Peppermint," Erza told the servant with a snap of her finger. "More hot water. The finest, thinnest cloth you can obtain."

I nodded and turned to Simon. "In the meantime, Juvia needs you to bathe, head to toe, and wear a dressing gown, again, of the finest possible cloth."

He flashed me a grin. "Will you and your sister be seeing to my bath yourselves?"

"No," We said, lifting our eyebrows and smiling back. "I believe that Macao is more than capable of seeing you through that." Erza said. I liked the color their flirting game brought to his cheeks, even if we both knew it was futile. When he said he might be dead by tomorrow, he wasn't joking. His skin was so ashen, his bones poking at his flesh that he looked like he belonged in hospital. But in the meantime, we could give him some hope.

Simon disappeared on the arm of Macao, moving slowly.

More servants were brought in, and the room was quickly emptied. Tapestries were rolled up and removed. Furniture was carried out. The books were lovingly wrapped in linens and placed in trunks. Levy herself would've been heartwarmed at the sight.

"What is going on here?"

I turned to see Mira enter the room, and smiled at her rounded eyes and pink cheeks. "Hello, Mira. My sister and I learned a bit of doctoring in Bellum, so Simon has asked us to do what we can for him."

"Oh, wonderful! But, do be careful!" She said lowly, waving a finger. "He was quite the playboy before the illness got the best of him."

Erza and I glanced at each other sweatdropping. He felt far from any kind of Romeo to me. I mean, if he wasn't on the verge of death, it might be different... But we nodded in understanding.

"We'll take care." Erza said after a moment. "May I ask you for something for him?"

Her brow furrowed.

"I wonder if we might give him good soups in a clear broth for the next week. Chicken would be best. Lots of vegetables and meat. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Certainly," she said, as if offended. "I could do that in my sleep."

"Wonderful. The more simple and hearty, the better. Let's feed him five times a day."

"Five times a day?" she blustered. "He barely eats once!"

"Yes, well, Juvia and Erza will see an end to that." I interjected. No one could get better on such rations. If we could get him to even eat a cup of it every few hours, it'd give his body the energy to fight whatever was slowly killing him.

"If that's what he's asked for..."

"Yes," Erza said simply, speaking for him. Five maids arrived, steaming buckets of water in each hand. I looked about the empty room. "First, let's sweep it out and put out that fire."

"Can you fetch some brooms? We will aid you." Erza said.

They glanced at each other, and I knew we'd crossed a weird line. "Fine, fine," she said in irritation. "Do it yourselves. We must hurry, though. I want the water to stay hot."

Two scurried out and returned in short order. In minutes they'd swept the room, piling the dust and then carrying it outside. Another poured water on the fire and cleaned the embers from the fireplace and carried it out. I gazed around. "All right, now. Let's start up high. Like this." I picked up a bucket and threw the water in a massive arc, so it went to the top of the ten-foot walls in a graceful manner, even reaching a portion of the ceiling. The maids twittered and giggled, but I ignored them. They were just nervous. "Like that. Every wall. Then the floor."

They went about their business. In half an hour, lye had been spread, more buckets of water had been splashed, and all of it had been sopped up and carried out. We returned from the hallway and surveyed their work, hands on hips. "Nice work, ladies!" We crooned in english.

They looked at us, wide-eyed.

"Erm, good job" I corrected. "This is perfect."

"Now we need those wooden chairs for Simon, a bucket of boiling water, and a clean, clean cloth. Can you fetch that for me, please?" Erza asked.

"Yes, mam," they all said, bobbing and moving out like a line of housekeeping soldiers. "Juvia's beginning to like this." I whispered jokingly to Erza who giggled.

The furniture returned, two simple wooden chairs, a table, and a more elaborate wooden settee. They hardly looked comfortable for reclining, but there was no way around it. If we were after a non-allergic room, this was it. They brought back the tapestries and crates of books, but I held up my hand. "Juvia apologizes," I said, choosing my words carefully. "But, for a week, could you put those in another room?"

Eyes wide with confusion, the servants turned and left, speaking in hushed whispers to those behind them, passing on the word. "Sorry, Simon," I muttered. "It's hardly a cozy den without them, but you wanted our help..."

Simon returned then, looking more pale than before. He was in a thin white dressing gown, shivering, even though it was a good seventy degrees. It was going to be a hot one today, but he, obviously, was not yet feeling it. Erza and I went to the opposite side of him and helped his servant get him to the chair.

"Where's are all my stuff?" he asked.

"It's all in your room for now. Remember, you gave us a week. I'll go and get any book you wish, but we need to be careful what we add to this room. The idea, after all, is to make you feel better." Erza said slowly.

He nodded. Mira arrived with the first of his soup, and I explained to him our hope- that he would try to eat constantly through the day, at least a cup of it, five times. He began the task gamely, but after a few bites, sat back, looking at me as if he might throw up.

"All right, all right. Next time," I said, leaning closer to Mira I whisper "Let's just do the broth." She nods and departs. Another servant arrived, with a fresh bucket of boiling water, a dancing coil of steam rising from the sloshing top.

"Right here." I gestured toward Simon's feet. She set it down and handed me a yard of clean, gauze like silk cloth.

"Do you have access to more of this? A lot of it? It's perfect for him, unlikely to disrupt his health." Erza said.

"We could also use it to pad the wooden settee. He was already shifting uncomfortably, probably because he has so little fat or muscle." I whispered to Erza. She nodded in agreement and surveyed the room once more. "Also, we could use more to block off the windows, allowing air in but hopefully keeping some of the pollen out."

We told as much to the servant and she bobbed a curtsy and set off to do as Erza asked. I walked over to the table where the basket of supplies they'd brought me from the kitchen was. Erza cut a lemon in half and selected some peppermint from a basket of herbs. Simon regarded us with suspicious, worried eyes, as did his servant.

"Don't worry," I said. "We aren't going to harm you."

"No, just remove any comfort I have left."

"Our goal," Erza said with scolding eyes, a little irked with him, "is to see you to better health. Try to remember that, all right?"

"I'll remember...with every creak of this bench," he said, waving at us tiredly.

Erza squeezed the lemon into the water and then let the rind float atop it. I tore the oblong mint into the steaming water, watching the pieces drift across the surface for a moment until the water at last stilled. Honestly, I had no idea if these would do anything more than make it smell good. Were we remembering it right? That mint had calming properties? Well, at least it's something. I looked up at Simon. "Do you still feel sick to your stomach?"

He shook his head weakly.

"Here," I said, waving him forward. "You must sit with your head above the steam, so you feel it upon your face. Breathe it in as much as you can. Juvia is going to use this," I said, reaching for the yard of cloth, "to stretch across your head, making a form of tent, which will keep the steam coming your way. All right?"

His servant looked at us with distrustful eyes and then around the room, as if catching himself. Erza ignored him and placed a hand on Simon's back. "How are you doing?"

He nodded in response.

"If it gets too much, if you're feeling faint, please sit back and take in some fresh air, all right?" Erza said in a worried tone.

He nodded again.

Erza bit her lip and glanced at me. He was so terribly weak. If we were in our time,- and dimension- he'd definitely be in the hospital. He probably needed a transfusion or something. An IV, for sure. We needed to get as much liquid into him as we could. Water. Tea. Broth. That would go a long way in making him feel better. And hopefully our weak attempt at a breathing treatment would help him too. If only we had access to a nebulizer and inhalers, we could fix him right up...

He sat back, the cloth about his head and shoulders, panting, but within fifteen minutes the steam had brought some color to his cheeks. "Good, good," I soothed. "You're doing well."

"It makes my nose run faster, but I think it's helping my lungs."

"Yes," I said with a smile, encouraged. "That's what we want. To loosen the phlegm inside your lungs so you can breathe better."

"How many more times will we do this?"

"As much as we can; all day if that's what it takes," Erza said. "Then, if you improve, less. But it's worth a try, no?"

He nodded again, so tired, and then bent forward over the bucket, determined to keep at it.

The thunder of hoofbeats and the muffled shouts of men told us that Gray and his brothers were back.

Erza shifted from foot to foot anxiously. Simon said, looking out from beneath his tented cloth, "Go. But come back and tell me of their victory."

Erza smiled gratefully and glanced at me.

"Juvia will stay here and watch over him a bit longer."

She nodded and fled the room