A/N: major OOC in this chapter, just giving you guys a heads up. I'm sorry ahead of time if you don't like it.
on a brighter note, 120 reviews! Oh my god. Thank you, minna san!
Jellal and his companions were ushered into the throne room of King Osamu, king of Bosco. The journey had taken two days, rendering the blue haired man exhausted and winded.
Their guards stopped them about 50 feet away from the dais, where a man sat, his back straight, a golden crown on his head, and a massive, bejeweled sword resting across his lap. The man narrowed his eyes at his visitors, recognizing the bluenet standing before him.
"Jellal Fernandes, King of Fiore," The man said in a deep booming voice, getting up from his throne. He walked down the steps and faced Jellal, looking at him with a stern gaze. Jellal stared back at him evenly, not flinching. He inclined his head, as one king would to another. Next to him, Laxus and Natsu bowed.
"King Osamu, I am humbled that you will see me on such a short notice." Jellal said, reaching out a hand. Osamu nodded and clasped Jellal's hand, shaking it firmly. "Of course. Now, what brings you to my domain? Is there anything that I can be of assistance?"
Jellal nodded. "If it's not any trouble, sir, could we maybe find a more comfortable place to talk? My men and I are quite fatigued. We had a long journey."
Osamu nodded. "Come," he said, turning around and heading for a side door. "We can talk in my office. I'll send some servant's to prepare you and your men rooms and a hot meal."
Behind him, Jellal heard Natsu sigh in relief.
Jellal nodded, and gestured for Laxus and Natsu to follow him. As silent as shadows, the accompanied him across the room, to where Osamu waited patiently.
"What if something goes wrong? What if-"
"We can't waste our time asking 'what ifs, Erza. What's done is done." Gray said, looking over at the redhead, who was glaring straight ahead of her. They were walking down a forest path, skirting the main road. Before, when they had tailed Freed, they had followed closely enough to not be bothered, but since Freed wasn't there, both Erza and Gray decided it was best to avoid others.
Erza had her hood up, concealing her face, and her vibrant red hair. If Shigeru sent any troops out, looking for any fugitives, her hair would be a dead giveaway.
She eyed Gray. He was a tad further ahead of her. His bent down and stroked his horse's neck slowly. His shaggy black hair fell into his eyes.
Erza frowned, deep in thought. Gray and Jellal, two extremely powerful men, with extremely different kisses. Where Jellal's kiss was fierce and passionate, Gray's was reserved, yet sweet.
Erza shook her head. Wonderful, she thought to herself. Now I probably gave that poor man thoughts thinking he could have a chance.
To Erza, that kiss meant two things: the first being a means for safety. It prevented the soldiers from recognizing them. And second, the reason why Erza kissed Gray was because she felt comfortable enough to actually kiss Gray. Someone like Laxus? Hell no. At least, if it was Laxus with her if the soldiers caught them, well, it'd be a fun fight. Not really a fight though, more like a massacre.
Suddenly, Gray yelled in panic. Erza, before she was completely focused, had Benizakura drawn and had yanked hard at the reins of her horse.
A net dropped on Gray, tangling him and pulling him off of his horse. The animal panicked and kicked out, before trotting to stand a few feet away, where it deemed the area to be safe. While Erza was daydreaming, she had allowed Gray to get ahead, and now she was at least 100 yards behind.
A blue shadow shot down from the trees, and landed heavily on Gray.
"Shit!" Erza gasped, jumping off her horse and sprinting over to Gray and the unnamed figure.
The person raised a small sword, aiming it at Gray's face. He couldn't move, the person had his arms pinned against his body. He couldn't reach his sword.
The person straddled his legs, and raised a small sword high over his face. Through the net, Gray was able to make out a pair of blue eyes, and blue hair falling out of the recesses of the hood. The sword came down.
"Back off!" A voice suddenly yelled, and the blue haired figure was thrown off of Gray. He sat up immediately, yanking off the next that restrained him. He looked up, a hand on his sword, and saw Erza fighting the other person, their swords clashing. Erza had the advantage, with her katana having a longer reach, but her enemy was quick, dodging Erza's blows effectively.
Suddenly Erza reached out, and grabbed the person by their hood as they tried to dodge. She yanked the fabric off of their head, revealing a young woman with deep blue eyes, a pale face, and long blue hair. She narrowed her eyes, raising her sword, but stopped, recognizing Erza's face. Erza too, dropped her sword arm and gazed wide eyed at her opponent.
"Juvia?"
"What exactly are you asking me to do?" Osamu said, taking a sip from his wine glass. Jellal sat across from him, an identical glass in his hand. Laxus and Natsu stood behind him, their bodies tense and alert.
Jellal leaned forward, setting his drink on the table that separated him from Osamu. "I'm asking you to lend me some troops, to drive Shigeru out of my kingdom." He murmured. "Please, King Osamu. You and my father were good friends. In his name, I promise to reward you greatly if you help me."
"I thought you and Shigeru had worked out a treaty. What happened?"
"We think he was planning to take over the kingdom for a while now, your excellency," Natsu said. "His daughter, and Jellal's wife, Mistress Ultear, tried to poison my lord. We think she was getting rid of him so her father could seize the throne."
Jellal nodded. "With me out of the way, it would be an easy victory."
Osamu folded his hands, resting his elbows on the smooth mahogany desk. His eyes narrowed, and he bit his lip. It looked familiar to Jellal, but he didn't know why.
Osamu looked at him. "Shigeru is and very powerful foe. I am on good terms with him at this moment in time. Supporting you would be a bad move on my part. I don't want to drag my country into a war."
Jellal's shoulders deflated. "Sir.." he began, rapidly losing hope once he saw the firm decision in Osamu's eyes.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a man in full armor stormed in. "My lord!" He gasped.
Osamu looked up, suddenly on high alert. "Commander, what is the problem?"
"Sir," the man gasped. "A patrol just came back from the border with Seven. They came back with a Seven soldier. He says that Veronica took over, and killed the king. Right after the patrol found the man, they were attacked by Veronicans. There's a whole army encamped at the border right now, as we speak!"
Jellal turned to Osamu, and stood up. "Sir, with all due respect, you say you can't jeopardize the future of your country by starting a war. Well, sir, whether you like it or not, you're already in it. This war started when Veronican took over Seven and attacked your men. You can't not get involved now. So I ask you again: will you help me?"
Osamu sighed. He looked at his commander, then back at Jellal. Jellal stared into his eyes, unblinking. He was determined to get Osamu to say yes.
Osamu looked at his commander. "Send troops to the border of Seven, and secure the border. Make sure that no Veronicans get through, and ready the rest of the army." He leaned forward, an intense look in his eyes.
"We're going to Fiore."
"Thank you once again, your majesty," Jellal murmured, walking next to Osamu. The king of Bosco sighed. "That was the only option. I'm not going to have my kingdom fall to the hands of Shigeru. I've lost too much already."
"I'm sorry about your late wife." Jellal murmured, remembering that Osamu's wife died recently. He sincerely felt sorry for the king.
Osamu nodded, reaching into his pocket, as if to search for a hankerchief. A small slip of paper fell out.
Jellal bent down, picking it off the ground. He looked at it, and his heart stopped.
It was a small picture of a woman, with long, scarlet hair, and deep brown eyes. She had a regal air about her, and she was dressed in a deep purple gown. The picture caught her looking off into the distance, a small smile on her face. She was beautiful. Stunning. Magnificent.
It was Erza.
Jellal looked at Osamu, his eyes wide. Osamu took the picture out of Jellal's hands, a tender look in his eyes. "My beautiful daughter. She'd be 20 this year. I miss her so much. She had gone on a trip a few years ago, to visit a friend in a nearby principality. She never came back. My men found her carriage in a ravine several weeks after her disappearance. When Asuka, my late wife, heard the news, she broke down. She was never the same again. And I, well, I lost my baby."
He looked at Jellal, and narrowed his eyes. Jellal was still in shock, staring at the photo with wide eyes. He looked at Osamu. "My lord," he began, his voice shaking. "What was her name?"
Osamu blinked. "Her name was Erza. Erza-"
"Scarlet." Jellal finished. "Princess of Bosco."
Erza stared in shock at the blue haired woman standing before her. She knew her, from her many years at Fairy Tail. The woman's dress was torn, revealing the faint tattoo of a fairy stamped on her upper thigh.
"Juvia?" She murmured.
The blue haired woman's eyes widened, recognizing Erza's famous red hair. "Erza…Red, is that you?" She gasped, lowering her sword.
Erza smiled, reaching out to grasp onto Juvia's free hand. Juvia smiled, and squeezed Erza's hand. "It's been a long time." Erza whispered. Juvia nodded. "Five years, to be exact."
"Excuse me, but you could at least introduce me to the woman who tried to take my head off, since you seem to know her so well, Erza," Gray said behind the redhead. Erza rolled her eyes, and turned to face him.
"Trust me, that would have been the most humane way to die at my hands, Mr-"
"Gray Fullbuster, Fioran Army Commander. Pleasure to meet you."
Juvia grinned at him. "Gray fullbuster, eh? I've heard about you. They say you're a tough opponent. Care to test your skills?"
Gray's eyes narrowed. "With-"
"Hold it!" Erza interrupted, going to stand in between the two. She glared sternly at each one of them. "Gray," she said, looking in his direction. "Shut up for a minute, if you can. And Juvia," she turned to the bluenet, "what the hell are you doing here? I thought you retired from this kind of life a long time ago."
Juvia put a hand on her hip, and narrowed her eyes. "So did I. That is, until some very annoying people bearing the Veronican crest came sauntering into my house one day."
She raised her sword. "So I did what I did best."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "And that is, exactly?"
Juvia slammed her fist into the nearest tree. Seconds later, Erza heard rustling, and then something shot out of the tree, landing centimeters in front of Gray. He jumped back in alarm and stared wide eyed at the quivering trident that had and most taken out his foot.
Juvia smirked. "What do you think?" She said, and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Erza shook her head. "Back to your usual antics, Oceania?" She asked, referring to Juvia's nickname. Juvia snickered.
Erza's eyes softened as she gazed at her friend. Juvia was a well known warrior in Fairy Tail when Erza first arrived, and she wss the one who had taught Erza how to "interrogate" someone. It was brutal work, but someone had to do it.
Juvia was a mysterious woman. She never talked about her past, and hid her personality behind layers and layers of cold emotion. That's what being an assassin does to you, Erza thought. It turns you into an emotionless killer.
Juvia walked past Erza and yanked her trident out of the dirt, along with snatching up the next that had first trapped Gray. Her choice if weapons lead to her name, Oceania. For she used weapons of the sea.
"Well, then Gray-sama," Juvia said, laying on thick sarcasm in his name. "I am Oceania, also known as Juvia of the Great Seas. Former member of Fairy Tail. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about earlier. I thought you were more Veronican scum."
"You really don't like them at all," he mumbled.
Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Try getting your house invaded and see how you like it," she challenged.
"Check," Erza said, sliding Benizakura back in its sheath. Juvia turned to look at her. "Yes, I heard something along the lines of King Shigeru trying to take over. The men I defeated had a photo of of King Jellal, with a message from a Commander Zeref saying to find him and capture him." Juvia said.
"Shigeru and his men invaded the castle the other day," Gray began. "Jellal's wife tried to poison him. We barely managed to escape with our lives."
Juvia looked at Erza. "How are you involved in this?" She asked the redhead.
Erza folded her arms. "I was working in the castle. I was the one who stopped Ultear- Jellal's wife- from slicing his throat."
"Where is the king now?" Juvia asked.
"Hopefully in Bosco, asking for help from King Osamu." Gray said.
Erza stiffened, her body tensing when she heard that name. Suddenly, her head throbbed, and she groaned in pain, falling to her knees.
"Erza?" Gray called. She fell forward.
"Oi! Red! Titania!" Juvia screamed. Then the dark curtain rose and swallowed Erza whole, pulling her into the shadows.
Where, where am I? Erza thought blearily. She looked around, her eyesight getting accustomed to her surroundings.
She wss in a carriage, which seemed to be bumping along a rocky path. The carriage interior was furnished with expensive tapestries, the cushions firm and covered with beautiful fabrics. Erza herself was decked in finery. She wss wearing a blue satin dress, with black lace. Her hair was done up in a french twist, and she wore expensive jewelry.
"Where am I? Who am I?" She whispered to herself.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and then the door was yanked open. A man dressed in all back stormed in, grabbing her and yanking her roughly out of the carriage. Erza screamed and thrashed, but she couldn't fight back.
She was dumped out onto the road. Lying on the ground next to her was a man in a suit. He was laying in a puddle of blood. Erza could see the slash in his throat.
She was laying on what seemed to be a mountain road, which dropped off the side of a cliff. With eyes filled with dread, she watched as a man kicked at the carriage, sending it down the rocky precipice.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Such a pretty thing, lost and alone in the woods." A man said.
Erza looked up, and froze, terror stilling her limbs. She wss surrounded by four men, each with a sickly grin on their face and a large knife in their hands. Then man who spoke had a huge scar across his left eye.
He bent down and ran his finger over Erza's face, down her neck, and stopping at the neckline of her dress, tracing her curves. Erza couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
"She'll fetch a high price. The slave dealers with pay handsomely for her." He whispered.
"How will they tell if they can't see the rest of her body, eh, Scar?" One of the others said.
Erza narrowed her eyes. "Don't…touch me," she whispered.
The man named Scar grinned evily. He gestured to one of his men, and the man came forward, picking Erza up. She flailed, but he held her firmly, one arm around her neck, the other holding her hands behind her back.
Scar stood before her, eyeing her figure appreciatively, twirling his knife in his hand. "It would be wise," he breathed, "to make sure the merchandise is in perfect condition."
He slashed down the front of her dress, ripping it apart, and exposing her body to the world. Erza gasped and screamed, struggling to get away from the man holding her captive. He didn't budge.
Scar whistled appreciatively and yanked at her head, ripping her bun out. Her hair cascaded around her face, and she felt her jewelry being torn off her body. She bit her lip.
Scar leaned in next to her face, pressing his dirty lips against her ear. "I'm going to make you scream my name," he whispered. A tear leaked out of Erza's eyes.
Scar pulled away from her. His knife came up again and rested on centerpiece of her bra. He pressed slightly, and Erza whimpered, feeling the blade slice through the fabric. Behind Scar the other men laughed.
Erza grew desperate. I will not become a toy for them, she thought angrily.
She slammed her head back, feeling her skull crush the nose of the man holding her. He yelled in pain, letting go of her, and Erza jumped, kicking Scar away from her, sending him flying into his companions. Erza didn't waste any time. She took off.
She raced down the road, slicing her feet on sharp rocks and sticks, gashing her face on tree branches. She didn't care. Just get as far away from them as possible. She turned and looked back. Scar and his men were still on the ground.
Suddenly Erza tripped on rock. She fell, sprawling out on the ground. She rose, but the pain in her legs was too much. She collapsed forward.
Her body tumbled right off the side of the cliff. She plunged into the ravine.
Her sight went dark. Her mind exploded with pain , and then she knew nothing more.
A/N: yep. That is exactly how I'm ending this chapter. It'll leave you guys guessing.
So yes, I know, Juvia is extremely OOC. But to be honest, I liked her more when she was with Phantom. I mean, sure, she was bad, and cold, and mean, but she was a freaking badass. Come on, you have to admit it. She was a freaking a class mage, with awesome powers. ever since she fell for gray (no offense, mashima!) She's become kinda weak. Like, she doesn't really show off her badassery ( would that even be a word?). So what I did here was simply bring out her tough, badass side out more. To me, if mashima balanced out her obsession with Gray with her awesome power, she'd be a great character.
Ok, that's enough blabbing for me-wait! One more thing. From what I said above, let me say one more thing: I DO LIKE JUVIA! SHE IS AN AMAZING CHARACTER! SHE IS AWESOME! Ok? Just in case some of you take offense to me hating on her obsessive personality.
Well, now I'm done. See ya soon!
-Wolf