Yo, long time.

...

The King of Edolas yawned tiredly. His late night training sessions with Captain Knightwalker was getting the best of him but she was right. He was getting rusty. Knowing she just wanted him to be at his top shape, he couldn't say no to her. The exercises were good for him after all. No matter how much it hurt, he would endure it all.

The creak on his shoulder made him wince. Ultear, sitting across from his desk asked him if he was all right. "I'm fine, my friend." Another big yawn came out of him and Meldy, who sat directly beside Ultear, joined him. "This yawning business is contagious." That got a chuckle from Jellal but Ultear mildly disapproved. "I wouldn't say contagious since you were up since the crack of dawn, leaving me betwixt the realm of dream and reality." Meldy sullenly shrank in her seat. "This girl comes running to my chambers because of some monster under her bed." Now, the young coral haired girl looked piqued. "It wasn't a monster, Ul! It was all in black and it told me," She hunched her back and imitated her "Monstrous black creature."

"Shhhh, don't scream, my lady."

Jellal blinked. It certainly was a polite monster. "Meldy, do you remember anything else about this monster?" Meldy rubbed her chin, trying to recall the strange event last night. "Well, it was kind of small monster. It sounded very feminine actually. Also, I don't think it meant me harm but god's bread was it frightening hovering about me in the darkness." Jellal sighed. He knew exactly who that was then. Did they really just notice the lieutenant now? "You shouldn't fret over this, Meldy. That monster was no monster at all. She is yours and Ultear's protection detail." Meldy stared at him in disbelief. "We have a protection…detail?" Jellal nodded. He could've sworn he place Erza responsible of enlightening them about the detail.

Ultear pointed to herself, shock apparent on her face. Still not believing Captain Knightwalker would ever bother with hers or Meldy's safety, she grilled Jellal about the identity of their bodyguard. "Lieutenant Miyazaki is her name. Erza assigned her to you two as soon you became Chief of Staff, Ultear. You and Meldy are on a list. I take it that Erza never discussed this with information?" They shook their heads no. Jellal shifted to the right of Ultear and she nearly jumped out of her seat when a small black clad figure appeared before them. This figure kneeled down and slid her mask down. "Lady Marin." Ultear cringed at being called that. People usually refer to her mother as "Lady Marin."

"Lieutenant Miyazaki, is it? Are you always—" Not waiting for her liege to speak, Miyazaki nodded. "Yes, I was given the task of protecting Lady Marin and Lady Nier by Captain Knightwalker. It would be easier because my ladies are nearly inseparable. I remain in the shadows as your shield and sword, ready to cut down any foes that would harm your beautiful heads." Her tone was serious as her head stayed low, avoiding eye contact with her superiors.

"I see. Well you may call me Ultear. No need for the Lady shenanigans. I speak for Meldy as well." Miyazaki's body went rigid. "By your command, my lady." They'll work on this. "Anyways, what is this list His Highness mentioned?" Miyazaki held her breath. There were orders from the Captains that this list should never reach the light of day but it does pertain to them. Reaching inside her clothes, she revealed a scroll and presented it to her liege. Jellal peaked over to see if Erza ever updated the list.

Ultear's eyes twitched. At the top of the parchment was the title:

"VVVVVVVVIP LIST"

Just how many "very" did the title, VIP, needed? She was pretty sure the other "V's" were unnecessary. Ultear touched her temples and massaged them. On one hand, it tugged at her heartstrings that Knightwalker ever cared. On the other, she was rather unnerved that this young woman followed their every movement for about half a year without any signs of her presence.

Returning the scroll to the kneeling soldier, Ultear pressed the lieutenant what she was doing last night in Meldy's room. "Forgive me. I was making sure Lady Nier was still breathing. My carelessness alerted my presence, thus ruining the change for my lady to sleep a good night's rest. I should be punished." Meldy reassured her that no harm was permanent. "Not good enough. Captain Knightwalker deemed it a mandatory action and I botched it. Lady Marin's mother is the ruler of the North while Lady Nier's family is an influential household from the North. It would be best to avoid ire from your families. It would be most damaging to our marvelous Lord King's honorable reputation." Jellal shuddered at being called marvelous by the lieutenant. She said it with an eerily gusto.

Meldy squatted in front of Miyazaki and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm still breathing, right? Don't worry about…" Miyazaki recoiled away as if burnt by a scalding stove. Ultear mulled over Captain Knightwalker's strange ability with finding interesting characters like Miyazaki. "Okay. So why isn't Jellal on this list? He should be at very top since he's kind of important." Meldy's words were like a smack on the back of Jellal's head. He'd like to say that he was more than "kind of important."

Miyazaki took out another scroll. It was aptly named, The Royal Family. Jellal's name, with his various titles was written below. "His Lord Majesty, the King of Edols, The Ruler of the Known Kingdom, The Only Heir to the Royal Throne…" Jellal drawled on as the names became more extravagant than the next. How many names did he have before his actually name cropped up?

Jellal scanned the rest of the parchment and a small area depicting the protection detail (and among other things) for the future royal heirs was carefully noted.

Protection Detail:Captain Erza Knightwalker. The Legionnaire.

Royal Heir(s): _ Male or _ Female, check?

Amount: _ Male or _ Female, tally…

Jellal's lips twisted into a frown at the next part.

Bastard(s): _ Male or _ Female, check?

Amount: _ Male or _ Female, tally…

TO BE DETERMINED…

Was Erza in charge of writing this down because that "Bastard" category kicked him right in the gut. He wasn't expecting more but the Queen's section caught his attention.

Protection Detail: Captain Erza Knightwalker. The Legionnaire.

The Queen: Reviewing candidates; TO BE DETERMINED….

_ Male or _ Female, check? [If Male, discuss with His Majesty the Royal Heir section]

Jellal blinked furiously, thinking he read that wrong. "Lieutenant Miyazaki, why is there a male or female question below the Queen. Miyazaki cleared her throat before replying. "Captain Knightwalker deemed it necessary to keep the list as open minded as possible." A grimace marred his handsome features and believing him to be in pain, Miyazaki hastily pulled out a first aid kit. "I'm not injured, Lieutenant!" What kind of training did Knightwalker put this woman through to react so extremely like that?

"A thousand reliefs, Your Grace. Is that all?" She kept her head down. "I see that Knightwalker is in charge of not only my protection but also the future Queen's. What if she's the..." Another scroll was brandished out of her clothing and they all wondered just how much room she had in there. "Worst case scenario?" Jellal screamed as he read its inappropriate heading "Sugar Boy is the head of...Hold!" Miyazaki stilled, hanging on the King's words with baited breath. "Erza planned this?" Worst case scenario aside, his Captain still readied a list for the event it ever happened. Should he be happy of its existence or disheartened that it had such a wounding name?

Suddenly, the door swung opened and in entered a stoic looking redhead. "Kagura? Why are you here? Was the woman bleeding out?" Ultear concluded that she was "the woman."

"No, Captain. No harm will come their way." Miyazaki summarized what had happened until now. "...and then you graced us with your brilliance, Captain."

Lieutenant Miyazaki wasn't afraid to throw out passionate compliments around. It was almost unsettling. Erza glanced at her king. "Then you saw the list, Jellal." He stood up with a deep frown lingering on his lips. "Worst case scenario, Erza? Don't you mean you're my best case scenario? I'm delighted that you planned it and everything but truly, the "worst case scenario" bit breaks my heart."

Knightwalker heaved out a loud sigh. His reaction was predictable. "I offer no political gain through our marriage so I see no merit with our union. However, Sugar Boy insisted that there should be a procedure anyways because of the reason about your heart not being swayed by another person." She spoke in such a nonchalant manner. He clasped his hands with hers. "But you do offer me so much more, Love." Knightwalker groaned and raised her gloved hand in dismay. "Please, Jellal. Not here." Dread crawled through her skin. She lightly rested her palm on his chest as he advanced towards her to create a space between them. He better not spill out his heart with all these witnesses around them.

"No, Jellal!" Meldy and Ultear abruptly interjected by holding him back from kneeling. Jellal struggled. "What is wrong with you two? I'm about to ask the love of my life her hand in marriage!"

"It's not time yet!" They yelled simultaneously. Erza was semi relieved that they intervened and prompted her Lieutenant to initiate "code blue." Miyazaki instantly stabbed the king with a needle on his neck. "Code...bwu?" Jellal mumbled lazily before drifting into certain unconsciousness. Knightwalker automatically caught him. Hushed moaning escaped the now slumbering king as he limply rested his heavy head on her shoulder. Ultear offered her assistance by rolling the King's lofty chair to the Captain. Jellal sank in his chair as soon as his bottom crashed on the cushioning. A trail of drool began sliding down his mouth.

Erza crossed her arms across her chest. "Tch." This was a mess. "As grateful as I am to you both, why did you stop him? I wanted the chance to say no at least thrice." So, she was going to torture the poor guy?

"Never you mind, Knightwalker. First of all, thank you. Mother isn't finished with her 2nd novel so how would she process this if there was a marriage between her favorite couple out of the blue." Erza's eyes slanted dangerously. She nearly had forgotten. After a bit of detective work, Knightwalker discovered that the nonsensical romance novel Ultear was advertising all over the royal capital was in fact written by her mother. Apparently, the villain turned good guy was based off on the Captain and the bumbling idiot of a heroine was a re-imagining of Jellal's character. "I warned you to convince your mother to drop it." She hissed.

"But...that would disappoint all your fans, Captain." Knightwalker bared her teeth threateningly, like an attack dog readying for their master's signal to lunge at the enemy. She didn't charged forward but she was tempted to strangle this woman.

If only her mother wasn't so...scary.

Jellal slumped over like a rag doll and nearly fell out of the seat. "Second of all, Captain." Ultear continued while watching Knightwalker stabilize her knocked out king. "Did you have to drug him?"

"I panicked." The redhead delivered in a deadpan tone.

"At any rate, Kagura..." She glared venomously at Ultear and eased it when changing to Meldy's way. "And you two do not mention the list to his lordship anymore. With any luck, what transpired here would slip away from his memories." There was a light thud near the vicinity of the king, forcing Miyazaki to unsheathed her blade and sending her on high alert. "At ease, Kagura." Knightwalker calmly ordered while observing Ultear bending down to pick up an item nearby Jellal's foot. "What is it—" A velvety box was enthusiastically thrust in front of Erza's face. Ultear slowly opened it.

After a period of silence, Ultear wasn't sure if the captain acknowledged it. "It's a ring, Captain."

"You don't say."

Erza bit her inner cheek to prevent a smile from breaking out. Her eyes narrowed. "Well, I was prepped on rejecting him three times. Maybe, I can lower it to a mere two and a half." Ultear shook her shoulders violently. "Why not just say yes when the time arises." She soon added, "Meaning when Mother is ready?" Knightwalker deviously grinned. "But the dejected expression on his perfect face would taste so sweet." The other woman eyed the Captain suspiciously. "You're quite elated at this revelation, aren't you Captain?" She said victoriously, seeing right through the stone faced redhead. Cheekily nudging Miyazaki with an elbow, Ultear ushered the Lieutenant to participate in the badgering. Unfamiliar with determining various facial expressions Miyazaki studied her Captain's face, until the tips of their noses connected. "Captain Knightwalker is not displaying the facial expression associated with the term happiness."

Knightwalker didn't initially push her away but her Lieutenant was starting to fluster. "Kagura, kindly remove yourself out of my face." Knightwalker gently commanded. "By your leave, Captain." Lieutenant Miyazaki gave a politely bow to Ultear and Meldy. "Lady Marin. Lady Nier." Ultear nearly had lapsed in memory about their cloak and dagger bodyguard.

"Halt, Lieutenant! We need to discuss..." Miyazaki already vanished. "...boundaries." Ultear switched to Knightwalker and vented her frustrations. "It's rather unnerving you assigned her to us without ever notifying—" The Royal Captain slapped a hand on the Chief of Staff's mouth. "Shhhh. You are aware of Kagura now. I don't see the problem. " The redhead opened the door and slid the chair of Jellal like a wheelchair, wheeling him out of the office. "You're welcome, by the way." Ultear pursed her lips in annoyance.

...

Later that night...

Jellal sat up and gasped in uneven, ragged breath, with his eyes dilated, as if he just woke up from a nightmare. His vision doubled. A wave of dizziness punched him back on the pillow. He was in his quarters."Hmmm, the dosage should be lowered." Someone mumbled but he didn't quite catch it. "Erza." Her name spilt out weakly from his lips. "What happened?" The events of the day were blurry. "Nothing much. You simply passed out." She sat by the edge of the bed and lifted a glass of water to his mouth. "Here. Drink." He raised his head and greedily swallowed the cool water.

"Erza..." He paused and snapped back to life when he saw a tiny box by his nightstand. She remained quiet as he picked it up. Jellal tenderly opened her hands and placed it on the middle of her palms. "Keep it for now. Let me know your answer when you're ready." He scooted closer so that he was situated beside her. Exposing his signature toothy smile, she couldn't bring herself to out rightly say no to him. Were her cheeks heating up? "Are you blushing, Captain?"

She growled. "Do you want to see a blush?" How could one person say that so menacingly? He laughed when she shoved him and lost his balance. "I'll show you a blush." She straddled on top of him and slithered her hands in his shirt, feeling the muscular planes of his stomach and chest. Leaning her entire body against him, she closed the distance between their faces. "It's a shame. You're unable to behold the redness of your face right now." Her scarlet tresses tickled his cheeks. She puckered her lips and air kissed his own lips.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes." Jellal replied too quickly. "Then, get up. Dinner is supposedly delicious tonight." The warmth of her body left him. She was such a tease. "Did you say tonight? How long was I out?"

…

So, due to my muses running away from me, it takes longer for me to come up with something exciting to write when it comes to Mystwalker. That's why each chapter gets crazier bit by bit. Maybe I'm just losing my mind. Thank you for sticking by the story if you're a long time reader and welcome if you're new.

Just some ranting...

Ok, seriously Mashima-sensei. Just drop the Eileen/Erza relationship already. Everybody knows Eileen is her mom. At least, that's what the manga has been hinting at. Although, I did read an interesting theory about Erza being Eileen's enchantment. She's definitely strong enough to do that but I doubt it'll go down that road.

How does everyone feel about the recent arc in the mange. I've been perusing some Fairy Tail forums and the people there are livid. It's almost comical.