AN: I'm in the process of writing one of the hardest arcs haha. I don't know why it's hard but it just is lol. And it doesn't help that I wasn't a big fan of that Disney movie to begin with lmao.

Chapter 11

Mulan

"That's her!" Lucy shouted, still pointing at the soldier with scarlet hair. "That's Mulan!"

"Uhh, Luce? That person has red hair. That can't be Mulan," Natsu stated.

"I know, but look at the others!" the blonde exclaimed. "She's the only one in armor! Who steals armor? That's right, Mulan! And with all the people here, she's also the only one with a bun! And they're one of the best fighters here! That's her, I can feel it!"

"Alright, then let's help her out!"

Lucy nodded and reached for her keys. Though she didn't have much knowledge about them, she had a feeling the golden keys were stronger. Thus, the girl chose Taurus' key since Aquarius could only be summoned in water, she didn't know Cancer, and she wasn't sure if Virgo actually wanted to be in her care.

Just like the fight in Everlue's mansion, the key warmed in Lucy's hand and the words bubbled up to her mouth on their own.

"Open, Gate of the bull, Taurus!" the girl exclaimed. She nearly fell to her knees with how empty she felt once Taurus materialized. She didn't think she would ever get used to the feeling.

"Miss Lucy!" the bull greeted with a perverted glance. "It is nice to see you and your moooving body again!"

"Taurus, do you think you can fight for me again?" the blonde questioned, ashamed with herself. "Summoning you left me kinda weak and I still don't know how to fight…"

The bull smiled reassuringly at her and nodded. "Just sit back and relax, I'll handle this!"

Natsu grinned at the sight of Lucy using her magic. She was so scared before, it pleased him that she was slowly accepting the way of his world. Her magic was also interesting, one that he hadn't seen until Everlue summoned Virgo. She would definitely be helpful once she learned how to master it.

"Good job, Luce!" the pinkette exclaimed as he brought fire to his hands. "Happy, watch over her!"

"Aye!" the exceed replied.

Natsu nodded towards the pair before leaping beside Taurus and fighting the enemies to the bulls back. The boy grinned maniacally as he punched and kicked anyone who approached him. He always loved a good fight. His cackles filled the air. Their opponents were surprisingly weak; it was their sheer numbers that made them dangerous.

Lucy watched as Natsu delivered flaming punches to man after man, all the while having a good time. Taurus seemed to be having just as much fun swinging his oversized ax around. She had a feeling the two were having an unsaid competition. Then she began to watch Mulan.

The girl's movements were swift and fluid. She only used one sword but was knocking down anyone that stood in her path. If Lucy didn't know her story, she wouldn't have guessed that she was relatively new to fighting.

Another man was also particularly strong as he used magic of his own. It was a type of magic she didn't know how to describe. It was bright and golden, similar to when she summoned a spirit. It reminded her of stars in a night sky. The boy had bright blue hair that swished around as he continuously attacked enemies and a distinguishable face tattoo.

Mulan's gaze then landed on Natsu and Taurus in confusion. Lucy watched as she shrugged it off and focused on her enemies. No matter how many enemies Mulan cut down, their numbers weren't dwindling and the battle was unending. A bright magical circle appeared behind her, large in size, as dozens of swords appeared out of thin air.

"W-What was that?" Lucy asked Happy. "They came out of nowhere!"

"It's requip magic!" the cat answered, just as astonished as she. "Think of it as your magic, but instead of summoning people, she summons weapons and armor. And she also doesn't need a key to do it."

"I thought Mulan didn't use any magic!"

"Here in Earthland, a bunch of people use magic, even you. Just assume everyone in the book uses it!"

Lucy watched as in the blink of an eye, Mulan's swords flew towards the enemies with perfect aim and pierced them all. With all of their combined efforts, the enemies- which Lucy deduced to be mere pawns- were quickly brought down to nothing.

Taurus grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up.

"How was that, Miss Lucy?" he asked.

"That was great!" Lucy answered. "Thank you again! I promise I'll work on being more helpful! You can go back now!"

"Why don't I get a little touch of-"

"BYE!" Lucy shouted in annoyance, swiping her key and forcing the spirit to leave.

"You," an unfamiliar voice called out to her. Lucy looked up to find the man with blue hair staring at her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "You're a celestial mage."

"Y-Yeah," Lucy replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"And you forced the gate closed?"

"Umm, yes?"

"That is a surprising feat. Only strong celestial mages with great control can manage that."

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared down at Taurus' key. What she did took strength? To her it felt like nothing. The blonde smiled to herself. Perhaps she was getting the hang of things.

"Who are you?" the man questioned, bringing Lucy out of her thoughts.

"My name is Lucy Ashley," the girl answered.

"Thank you for your help, Lucy. My name is Jellal Fernandes. I am the General of these people."

Lucy's brown eyes widened as her breath hitched in her throat. The General. That meant that he was the one to kill Mulan. But why was his name Jellal rather than Shang? Shrugging it off, the blonde glanced at Mulan. After giving Jellal a respectful bow, she walked towards the other girl, who stared at her questioningly.

"Hi, Mulan," Lucy greeted in a whisper so that the other soldiers wouldn't hear her. "Can I talk to you in private for a second now that you aren't fighting?"

The redhead stared back at her in confusion before questioning, "Do I know you? I'm afraid I do not know of this Mulan you speak of."

"You don't have to lie to me, I know who you are."

"My name is Ping. I am a mage under Jellal's supervision."

"No, you're Mulan, a woman that snuck in to take her grandfather's place."

The other girl's eyes widened as she glanced around to make sure nobody was listening to them. Sure enough, Jellal was talking to the other soldiers. She then turned narrowed eyes on the blonde, ready to cut her down if she was going to spill her secret.

"You and I are going to have a chat," she said threateningly. "General, I'm going to talk to this girl here." After Jellal nodded at her, Mulan grabbed Lucy harshly by the wrist and led her far away from the others. Stopping far away from them, she requipped a sword and pointed it at the blonde. "Who are you?"

Lucy gasped and stepped away but made sure to stifle her screams. She never imagined she would be threatened by a fairytale character. But hey, there's a first for everything.

"My name is Lucy," she stated. "And I'm here to help you, Mulan."

"My name is not Mulan," the woman hissed, surprising the blonde.

"I-It's not?"

"No, my name is Erza Scarlet. Now what do you want? How do you know my secret?"

Just then, Natsu and Happy approached them.

"Is this her?" Happy asked. "Is this Mulan?"

Lucy shook her head glumly. "No, she said her name is Erza. We got the wrong person."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked in exasperation. "How many girls go around stealing their grandfather's armor and wears their hair in buns?"

"I will ask one last time," Erza began, "how do you know about that?"

"Because we're looking for someone else that did the same thing," Lucy answered, feeling deflated for finding the wrong person. Mulan could already be dead. "We thought it was you but it wasn't. Unless…"

"What is it?" Natsu asked.

Lucy's eyes widened as a wide grin settled on her face. "No, this is her! This is Mulan!"

"I already told you my name is Erza," the redhead replied. "I do not know who this Mulan is."

"No, you're Mulan and Erza!"

"Luce? I'm not understanding," Natsu said.

"Think about it! You're Flynn from Rapunzel. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind. And yet your name is not Eugene! Like the Flynn from my world! Just like how you guys look different from my world and the book, you guys also have different names!"

"So you're saying that Erza is Mulan?" Happy questioned, slowly putting the pieces together.

"Yes! And Jellal is General Shang!"

Erza eyed the trio in both suspicion and confusion.

"What are you three talking about?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Lucy answered. "Do you think you could get away from work for a bit so we could explain?"

Erza studied them long and hard before hesitantly nodding. The fact was they knew her secret, which could ruin her life and get her killed. The least she could do was have a conversation with them.

"Jellal, I will be taking these people back to their residence," Erza stated to the blue-haired man, who smiled and waved her off.

When they reached the inn, Erza watched as the three slumped on their beds in exhaustion. She took that time to study the room. They did not have many possessions, just a backpack, a book, and a blanket from the looks of it.

"Tell me everything," the redhead finally demanded, crossing her arms. Until she got answers, she wasn't going to trust them.

Lucy nodded and explained, "As I said earlier, my name is Lucy Ashley. I come from a different world called Earth. In my world, there are movies and stories of characters nobody thought was real. I bought this book here about them and I somehow teleported into Earthland."

"That story does not sound convincing at all."

"I know, but look!" Lucy flipped open the chapter to Mulan. "You are in this book! And Flynn here is too! Read it for yourself!"

Erza eyed the book before taking it into her hands and reading the story. Her eyes widened as it was strangely coinciding with her own life. When she got to the ending, her breath hitched in her throat. The General, who had to be Jellal, was going to kill her.

"T-There is no way Jellal would kill me!" Erza protested. "He may follow the rules strictly, but I know he would never kill me!"

"I know it seems like it, but that's what would happen if I didn't come," Lucy replied.

"What do you have to do with this?"

"Apparently I'm the savior. The King placed a curse over all of you, taking away your happy endings, right?" Seeing Erza nod, the blonde continued, "The ending to your story is what would happen if I didn't come. It's your unhappy ending. I'm supposed to bring you your happy ending."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Lucy chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not sure… You see, you're the first character in the book and I wasn't really given instructions so I'm kinda just making my way up as I go."

"That is ridiculous," Erza scolded. "How can I trust you with this if you don't have a plan?"

"Because she already brought back somebody's happy ending," Natsu informed the redhead. "Back in Shirotsume. They were barely surviving and she fixed it. She makes it up as she goes along."

"And it worked?"

"Yep. Looks like Lucy has some good instincts. King Clive already gave us his trust so I don't think you really have a choice."

Erza glared at the dragon slayer before sighing and nodding her head. "I see. Well then, Lucy, please bring me my happy ending."

The blonde perked up and nodded. "Of course! I'm guessing that your happy ending is supposed to be the ending of the stories from my world. Though, it's just a guess for now. I'll figure it out as we go."

"And how is my ending back in your world?"

"You and the General fall in love after he finds out your secret, save China, and get married."

The redhead's eyes widened as she took in the information. "What is China? And Jellal doesn't get mad at me after finding out my secret?"

"China is a country. And well, he does get mad but he forgives you," Lucy explained. "Okay, I think our first step is to get some background information. Jellal is a strict rule follower, right?"

"Correct."

"And women aren't allowed to fight here anymore as of recently according to King Clive. That means that something happened to change the rules. Do you know what that is?"

Erza frowned and cupped her chin in thought. "Nobody really knows for sure. Though, there are rumors that King Dreyar was in love with a woman who was a soldier and something happened to her, presumably death. That made him change apparently."

"What is up with the kings around here?" Lucy exasperatingly asked. "First one curses his kingdom because of the death of his wife and now another gets overly protective by banning women from fighting."

"What do you suggest we do?"

Lucy sighed. "I don't really know… I'm not sure if we would be able to talk to this King Dreyar guy and change his mind."

"The King doesn't really see visitors much. He is a kind ruler, truly. It is just that some of his beliefs are mistaken."

"Tell me about who you were fighting against," the blonde stated. "I'm guessing here they aren't called the Huns?"

Erza arched a brow and shook her head. "No, they go by Raven Tail, led by the King's father."

"What? So a father and son are going against each other?"

"Yes. His father is corrupt and evil. This war has lasted a very long time. Before the current King was in his position, his grandfather was King. Because Ivan, the King's father, was corrupt and unjust, he was not given the crown and it was instead given to his son. That is what sparked the war."

"I see… I have an idea," Lucy stated, biting her lower lip in anxiety. "But it's risky. Very risky."

"I like the sound of that," Natsu replied with a fanged grin.

"What do we have to do?" Happy questioned.

"Well, in the story from my world, Mulan defeated the Hun's ruler and most of the army herself," Lucy explained. I think that if Erza defeats Raven Tail and shows the King that women can fight among the men, he should come to his senses. Then Jellal won't be ordered to kill you and then you can fall in love!"

Erza's cheeks matched her hair as she repeated, "L-Love? M-Me and Jellal? In love? H-How absurd."

Lucy giggled and replied, "It's true and you know it."

"Ignoring all that love crap," Natsu began, "how do you expect her to beat the whole army? I mean, she's strong, but I doubt she's that strong."

"It's true," the redhead added. "There is no way that I would be able to beat them on my own. We were up against the pawns and I was eventually losing energy. There are some mages though that are simply too strong for me to handle all together. Perhaps individually."

"Natsu and I can help," Lucy suggested. "How many of the strong ones are there?"

"Five," Erza answered. "One of them being Ivan himself."

"There's only four of us. But… I think if Jellal is as understanding as you say, maybe he'll help."

"You want me to tell him? I'm afraid I cannot do that."

"You love him, right? You need to trust him. Now that I'm here, he won't hurt you. I won't let him!"

"It's not my life I fear for, it is my grandfather's," the redhead informed them. "The only reason he doesn't have to fight is because I'm here to take his place. If something happens to me, they'll either kill him for deceiving them or force him to fight."

"I'm telling you none of that will happen!" Lucy replied desperately. "Please, if you just trust us, things will be alright!"

"How can you be so sure?"

Lucy clenched her fists and answered, "Because I'm the savior! As much as I hated it at first, that is the truth! If I'm here to save everyone, then that is exactly what I'm going to do!"

Natsu and Happy grinned at the blonde while Erza stood stunned by her determination. The girl had a feeling that the three were going to help her whether or not she refused. Besides, if her story ended in her death either way, she might as well at least try.

"Alright," Erza said. "I will trust you, Lucy. What do we do first?"

Lucy beamed at the redhead and answered, "We talk to your true love. We have to talk to Jellal."

AN: A lot of talking in this chapter, sorry! I'm pretty sure the next chapter has a lot of talking too lol. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed that! Erza is now on board! :D And now they're going to talk to Jellal. How will he take it? :D

Thanks to these reviewers: TheDigitalDork, KittyCrow12, IndianaCombs, Soul Eater Maka, Alexa60765, Nalulove, Lunahartz, Avhaskake. As always, you guys are awesome! :D