A/N: Here you go, another chapter for you xD And we are going to snap right back to Jellal and the crew. I seriously thought I had uploaded more chapters. Well, no worries, I've got chapters to spare.
I also did a small doodle of Jellal on my DeviantArt. Do take a look here: .com/art/Wounded-Jellal-281591574
Thanks to Fooster26 for the review :D I'm happy to see that others share my love for the character xD

As soon as we had left Rosemary village with Meredy, our group headed south. The young girl led us down hidden forest paths and through deep mountain caves. I was beginning to find it a bit tedious, sneaking around the way we were. I knew we should not be taking any risks, especially since we deliberately had broken the rules of Fairy Tail.

But even though the entire premise of our journey was rather glum, no one seemed to mind. Lucy and Meredy were happily chatting away up front. Happy and Natsu were behind them, the latter proudly stating how he was going to "kick Zeref's butt" once we found him. It seemed that I was alone in being in a dark mood.

"Cheer up, man! You haven't said a word since we left the village." With a hard pat to my back, Gray had caught my attention. Judging by his grinning face, he was not feeling the mood.

"Well, for one it's hard to talk while wearing this mask," I grumbled and shot him an irritated look. He did not catch on to that either.

"Sorry, what did you say again? It's kind of hard to hear what you're saying when you've got that thing covering your face," he laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. I had had about enough. With one move, I ripped the mask off my face.

"See, that's exactly what I mean. I can't have a normal conversation when you can't even hear what I'm saying!" I almost spat out the words. "And what's up with this cheerful atmosphere? This isn't some family trip. We're going into a battle we might actually lose our lives in."

"Calm down," Gray sneered, making sure the ones up front had not heard my complaint before continuing. "You've been having some crazy mood swings ever since you showed up. Believe me, we all know what's at stake here, but if we let our worries get the best of us, we'd lose for sure." Easening up a little, he elbowed my ribs. "You're just nervous since you'll see Ultear again."

So he had noticed something after all. I shrugged slightly, which only made him laugh again. Sure I was nervous. To be honest, I was afraid. The woman in question had been manipulating me for years. To top it off, she probably would not even know that I had tagged along with this group.

"Okay, this is it." At the sound of Meredy's voice we all turned towards her. She was pointing at the exit of the thick forest further ahead. "Miss Ultear should have a boat prepared for us down at the shore. We can go to Tenrou Island from there."

Relieved that we had finally made it this far, we all went to the exit. Our relief was then immediately replaced by panic. For some reason, the peaceful harbor town nearby was heavily guarded: Guarded by soldiers from one of the Magic Council's elite squads.

"What is the Council doing here?" Lucy asked, shocked. "Did the Master turn us in? There is no way we're going to get past those guys! We're all doomed!"

"Something's definitely off," Gray mumbled, narrowing his eyes. "Those are elite soldiers, not average guards. If they're here, there has got to be a better reason behind it than a couple of Fairy Tail wizards running off again."

"You are absolutely right. They have very specific orders from the Council." Turning towards the voice coming from behind us, we saw a cloaked woman coming out from a pair of bushes. I instantly knew that it was Ultear. Lifting the hood from her head, she revealed herself to us and Meredy flung herself at her mentor. She was in return given a very loving hug before Ultear once again looked at us.

"What orders?" Natsu asked, his face showing the fury he was fighting to hold back. I felt my blood freeze over. I had a very bad feeling about this whole setup. It was no coincidence that the Council had stationed their soldiers here.

"The orders were simple: Capture Jellal Fernandes at all costs." My heart skipped a beat when Ultear looked directly at me. "They are intent on keeping you from going to Tenrou Island." She smiled wholeheartedly. "If you were to join forces with Zeref, it would certainly put the Council in a terrible position."

"I have no intention of doing so," I stated bitterly, staring straight into Ultear's eyes. She was upsetting me just by being here and yet I felt relieved to see that she was fine. That did not mean that I was completely comfortable. She was showing no surprise at all to see me alive and well.

"There is no reason to get upset now. I realize that your intentions are much different," she insisted. "I always knew that you survived back then. Or perhaps I should say I always believed it. There was always something unusual about you." Sensing my discomfort, she added: "I have a feeling that you and I are going to have a long conversation sometime soon."

""Soon" sounds better than now," Gray cut in. "Would you mind telling us why we're here?" The heavy atmosphere was lifted slightly as our thoughts were brought back to the matter at hand.

"Very well. I will keep this short. It's only a matter of time before we are found out. There are Council soldiers everywhere." Ultear let go of Meredy and looked back at the rest of us. "Tenrou is not completely abandoned. There is life out there. Magic as well. I cannot tell whether it is Zeref or not, but there is someone."

While everyone else was shocked at Ultear's revelation, it did not come as a surprise to me. Someone had called me to the island and it was most likely that "someone" who was out there. Whoever it was, I was determined to find out.

"Alright!" Natsu exclaimed. "Maybe it's Zeref out there! That means we get to fight that guy again!"

"Or maybe it's a gigantic fish! Yummy!" Happy joined in, causing Lucy to shake her head at the both of them. Those three certainly knew how to lighten the mood.

"That's all well and good, I get that," Gray said, scratching his cheek. "Problem is we can't get out there because of those Council bastards swarming the entire town. They'll notice us if we even try to go near the island."

That remark quickly killed the mood. It was true. Without a boat, we could not get to the island. Glancing over at Ultear, I hoped deep down that she had taken that into consideration already and no sooner had I thought it before she spoke again.

"You needn't worry about that. I have moved the boat a fair way from the town." She smirked at me. "And about the guards... you can leave them to me. You are not alone on the Council's list of wanted people."

A/N: Aaaaand... Ultear is back xD Still don't really like her, but at least she got better, partially thanks to Gray. He's almost at Natsu-level when it comes to saving people now. Okay, maybe not xD
Moody Jellal is moody x3 Good thing there are people there to cheer him up 8D