If Erza thought it was difficult to breathe upstairs, she didn't know how to describe the claustrophobic warren she forced herself to stumble through. Each time she exhaled, her next inhale was a little smaller, her rib cage seemingly constricting more and more with each breath. And the damn dress certainly didn't help.

"Well," she muttered, reaching up to undo her cloak. "At least I know I'm getting close. That's what we figured with Wendy, right? The worse she felt, the closer we were. And I feel like absolute shit right now."

Speaking out loud brought her comfort, as did letting her cloak drop, pooling around her feet before she stepped out of the circle of black fabric. She rolled her shoulders. "Much better. Maybe I won't be weighed down any more."

She'd spoken too soon. By the time she made it to the next intersection, her hair stuck to her neck with sweat. She cursed the heavy fabric of the dark blue gown she wore; she'd chosen it specifically because it was the lightest of her dresses and it contained the most hidden sheaths. Not to mention, it matched the color of her guild mark. Yet while she didn't mind the weight of her armor, these gowns were simply crushing her.

Erza decided to take matters into her own hands. "If it worked for Lucy, it can work for me." But she took things a step farther. She undid her belt, the leather dropping to the ground with a loud clang as daggers rattled against the stone. Then she reached back, drawing the sword laying against her spine and propping it against the nearest wall. Then she set about undoing her dress, twisting and turning to tear the seams and simply cutting through the unnecessary ties and constraints.

Within a matter of minutes, Erza mutilated her gown enough that it lay in scraps at her feet, leaving her in only her thin white shift. And while the freedom it gave her was glorious… she couldn't help but be reminded of her misadventures from eleven years. Trials whose scars still remained. Scars that would never fade, no matter how much time passed.

She shuddered, her right eye twitching as the phantom touch of a whip stung her back. Her wrists ached and she rubbed them, fingers running over thick ridges.

Grandpa Rob crumbling away in front of her.

Jellal tied to the same post he'd rescued her from.

Her half-blind view of the world.

She gasped, hands clutching at her head as the memories pounded against her skull, threatening to overwhelm her and leave her broken and choking for air.

Lines of red crossing Jellal's beautiful eyes.

Shô whimpering in fear. "Leave me alone!"

Simon standing before her, a massive hole in his chest.

The flashbacks had never been this intense before. Even during her retelling of those awful days, she hadn't felt like the remaining pain would devour her as it wanted to now. Her nails dug into her palm, attempting to ground herself while drowning in the endless sea of painful memories.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."

Millianna and Wally hiding from the guards.

"Now I'm never gonna forget your name. All I gotta do is think about your pretty hair."

Her eyes flew open at the memory of his words. Erza took a deep, shuddering breath, replaying his voice over and over again to calm her racing heart. She smiled tightly when it worked.

"There's no time to dwell on the past." Picking up her sword and stepping out of the remains of her dress, she squared her shoulders and began to walk again. "I must look forward to tomorrow. For only tomorrow can give me the strength to do what I must now. I cannot fail. Not with so much resting on my shoulders. Chin up, Erza. Keep going." And with one hand on the wall for support and the other brandishing her sword before her, she pressed on. If not for the strength in her bones, she continued for the sake of her friends, the friends she hadn't seen in years but had suffered alongside for too long. For Millianna. For Wally. For Shô. For Simon. For… for Jellal.

XXX

Lucy sat in a chair, her arms tied behind her to the wooden back. Her legs were also restrained to the legs of the chair after several attempts to kick the men circling her with furious expressions. But her dress was pulled up around her knees in order to do so, something she could have used to her advantage if her natural good looks and charm actually worked on the two men. Well they did, at least a little bit. Ajax and Verlane's eyes constantly dropped to the bare expanse of leg she was unwillingly showing. Yet it was more the moral of the thing; she refused to lower herself so much that she would actually flirt with these two despicable human beings. Even if it led to the failure of the quest, she wouldn't do it. Her friends would surely understand, wouldn't they?

"Now, Ms. Ashley, are you ready to cooperate yet?"

She raised her chin while shifting her right hand, hiding the Fairy Tail emblem from sight. If they guessed at who she was, then they might wonder if the rest of her team was there with her. And that would completely, royally screw them.

"If we're going to be real with each other, then maybe you should start by getting rid of that name, huh? You obviously expect the truth from me." She shook her head, golden tresses flinging across her shoulders and down her back.

Ajax raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall. She shivered at the cold he radiated. But she refused to lower her gaze, no matter how icy his stare. "Well? Your name then?"

Lucy snorted. "What? You thought I was talking about my name? I mean, it's as fake as they come, sure, but I was talking about your name. There's no way it's actually Ajax, right? Or is your name as dumb as you?"

Her head whipped to the side as he delivered another stinging slap, rings cutting into her skin and drawing blood. She hissed through her teeth, clamping down on all other sounds. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

Verlane shifted uncomfortably on the other side of the small room, not quite knowing how he felt about this situation. He heard the telltale sounds of the Great Hall filling up next-door, but the soundproof walls meant that Ashley could like scream bloody murder and no one would be the wiser. But her predicament didn't bother him, nor did the fact that she had somehow discovered their secret. What really got to him was that this was Shelia's maid. Shelia, the woman he had become quite taken with over the past two months. But if Shelia's maid was actually a wizard from Fiore, what did that make Shelia? Or was she just as oblivious to the situation as the rest of them?

He opened his mouth to voice the question, but Ajax was already speaking. "Speak your name now, girl, or you will know pain unlike you've ever known before."

Lucy grinned wildly, channeling her inner Natsu. "Try me. I think you'll find I'm a lot tougher than you could ever imagine." Ajax, never once taking his eyes from her's, reached behind him for the confiscated whip hanging on the wall. Her mouth dried when she realized what he meant for her. She forced her grin to widen, leaning her head back and looking over at Verlane. "Your dad really means business, huh? Fine, I'll tell you my name. Lucy. Lucy of Fiore. And I've come to defeat you."

"You've said that," Verlane muttered, "yet I doubt you alone are capable. You must have brought some friends along with you? Maybe Drago? Shelia? Silver?"

Lucy shook her head, knowing she couldn't deny too much without making the men suspicious. "Whatever you may think, I was sent here alone. Drago and his family were in Coracre for a period of time, and there I used memory magic to write myself into their lives. They don't deserve any punishment for being oblivious to my intentions."

Verlane seemed to agree, but Ajax clearly thought otherwise. He glowered, and she gulped at the whip in his hands. She had never once used her whip on another human being in the violent manner he intended; she'd never drawn blood or left scars. Yet now she found herself terrified of the tool, terrified of what he had in store for her.

"Simply by being connected to you, they are deserving of punishment. All of them. But if you continue to cooperate with us, then perhaps we could reach an arrangement that benefits them, hmm?" He traced a finger over the leather whip, smirking at the way her eyes followed. But she raised her chin, refusing to appear weak.

"I may not have been with them since I was born, but I have come to care for them. So the instant you threaten their safety is the moment I refuse to say anything. That's not how you can get to me. Besides, you might be the ruler at this manor, but I'm sure your son would have some complaints about harming Shelia. So go ahead and try. Show Grimstone your true nature by harming innocents. It just makes my job easier."

"And what exactly is your job?" Verlane questioned, trying to draw Ajax's attention away from the nobles Lucy had accompanied.

She rolled her eyes, looking at him over her shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? I was sent here to bring magic back to Benos."

"Magic doesn't exist here," Verlane shot back.

She snorted once more. "Magic exists everywhere. And the only reason it isn't here is because of whatever you have in your basement." She struggled to sit up straighter, glaring fiercely at the men. "I have no idea why you have taken the ethernano from this country, but you've obviously benefitted since you are standing here, straight and tall and healthier than anyone else. But people are suffering, and they have been for the past century. People are dying, for goodness sake! They starve because the land cannot provide, they grow sick due to lack of ethernano, but they are kept poor by rich assholes like the pair of you, and therefore they can't leave. I've met so many good people here in this country, and not a single one of them has escaped the reaches of what you've done! Look at Evia! Her poor daughter died at only eleven, all because she should have been a powerful mage if not for you! Maybe you could be good people, but you are utterly and completely unredeemable to me. Maybe Shelia could have had a chance with you," she aimed at Verlane, "if not for the fact that you are a despicable human being."

He glared at the woman, suddenly understanding Ajax's urge to harm her. Up on her soapbox, she acted better than them. Maybe she was. But he could truly care less for her statements, her truths. They hadn't made it this far by caring about the lives they affected. A million more people could suffer as long as him and Ajax remained as they were.

Ajax put a finger under her chin, raising her head and letting his gaze dance over her features. She stared right back, ignoring the whip still dangling from his other hand. "You're quite a beautiful woman. It's a shame that after today, no one will find you stunning. That will be a fitting punishment for what you've done, don't you think? Maybe after you've confessed your crimes, I'll cut that tongue right out of your mouth so you can never speak of what you've learned. Of course, you still haven't told us how you've learned about what we've done. If you tell me quickly without complaint, then maybe I'll leave your eyes in your pretty head."

"Drago and Shelia still think I'm their maid, and they won't believe otherwise unless I'm the one who says so. But I know for a fact that if you mutilate me beyond repair, you will never make them believe me." She continued to glare up at Ajax, hoping her reasoning got through to him.

He smirked. "You're right, of course. But that doesn't stop me from bloodying you up a bit."

XXX

Wendy leaned against Natsu's arm, the pair of them standing near the center of the Great Hall with Gray and Evia. The tonic still ran through her system, making her chest hurt and her head spin every so often. And it certainly didn't help that her stomach churned with nerves, and that Gray's heart pounding beside her. The situation they were in terrified her. What the hell had gone wrong? Evia obviously hadn't been able to find Verlane and Ajax, but did that mean they found Erza and Lucy? Was the plan done for? Did they lose after coming so close? Was it even possible?

Natsu squeezed her hand even as his gaze ran over every person in the hall. There were hundreds, so many servants and guards he had never seen before. But not one of them was Lucy. Or Erza. What the hell was going on?

Gray leaned over to Evia. "Do you know why they gathered us here?"

The healer shook her head, wringing her apron between her hands. "No. This hasn't happened in many years. Last time… a servant didn't bow to Lord Klark, and Lord Ajax decided he needed to be made an example of." She shuddered, remembering the lashes she had spent thirteen relentless hours tending to. Then her heart skipped a beat. "Oh god. I hope this isn't like last time."

Wendy swallowed harder, pressing herself tighter against Natsu. "I hope so too," she whispered, fear for Lucy and fear for Erza beginning to pump through her veins.

"I can smell Lucy," Natsu muttered, eyes still darting through the room. "No Erza. I can't tell if that's good or not."

"You don't see her?" Gray asked.

Both Wendy and Natsu shook their heads, the Sky Maiden now alert to the faint traces of citrus lingering at the edge of her senses. She looked up at Natsu, knowing he was more sensitive to the Celestial Mage's presence. "Any idea."

"No," he grumbled, discernibly growing anxious. She pat his arm in a slight attempt to calm him, yet she knew she couldn't do much. He likely wouldn't relax until Lucy was back at his side.

A slight noise drew her attention upwards. She tried to hide the motion as she glanced upward, but she couldn't hide the catch in her breath when she noticed both Happy and Carla hidden in the rafters. She nudged Natsu slightly, making him aware of their friends above.

"What's Happy doing here?" He hissed, frowning and staring openly at the Exceeds. "He's supposed to be with Lucy and Erza."

"I don't know, but stop looking up like an idiot." Gray glared at the Fire Dragon Slayer until he frowned back, Wendy taking a step forward to interrupt their intense stare.

"Can you two stop fighting like brothers?" Gray frowned at Wendy instead, having no words for her with so many people so close by.

Then the doors swung wide open. The crowd instantly formed a semicircle, facing Verlane as he stalked into the room, gaze immediately locking on Shelia between her two relatives. Natsu's nostrils flared at the sharp tang of blood lingering on the lord's hands. He all but launched himself forward when Ajax strode into the room next, throwing a woman forward and letting her hit the stone floor with a solid thud.

"What," Evia breathed, eyes wide in shock. Murmurs went through the room, gasps and whispers from curious and surprised nobles and servants and guards alike. Natsu and Gray both started to pull forward, but Wendy kept a tight grip on their arms, holding them in place even if her heart dropped and constricted painfully. It was too similar to the Grand Magic Games. Why did they always end up in these situations? Why was it always her?

"I'm okay, I'm fine, I'm not hurt bad. Come on, just roll with it. Don't give us away. Erza's still down there, she's so close, come on Natsu, don't freak out. I'm fine, I promise. I'm tough, I still have my keys, it's okay. Come on, we have to give Erza time. Roll with what I say, okay?"

Wendy dug her nails into the arms of the men on either side of her, her stomach knotting and flipping as the faint whispered words continued to roll against her ears. Neither seemed to notice, only struggling against her hold as the blonde lifted her head.

Cuts marred her cheeks, evidence of the countless times Ajax's rings dug into her pale skin. Her dress was torn at one leg, the tattered remains of fabric hanging down brokenly and revealing most of one pale thigh. Her neckline was torn as well, thin scratches welling beads of blood decorating her collarbone like a necklace. Natsu heard her grunt of pain as she shifted, and his gaze locked on her torso, one hand pressed there as if sheltering a wound. Every breath he took only brought the smell of citrus mingled with blood deeper into his lungs. Only his respect for her demand and the knowledge that Erza was still going kept him back. Even though his muscles trembled with the force required to stand still.

"I know many of you are wondering what is happening here," Ajax announced, pausing by the battered Lucy. She glared up at him, that alone earning many whispers from the crowd. Ajax continued, ignoring the girl at his feet. "This here is not Ashley Alberona. She is not who she claimed to be. She has come into my manor, under my jurisdiction, and she tried to undermine my rule! After all that has been done for her, she came to Grimstone like the lying, wily seductress she is and attempted to dethrone me over petty lies and nonsense! I will not stand for this, no sir!" He aimed a kick at Lucy, hitting her right where her hand had been covering only moments prior. She cried out slightly, falling over and landing a foot or so away. Natsu couldn't stand it anymore.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He shouted, shaking off Wendy's arm and stepping forward, not bothering to hide the fire likely burning in his eyes.

Ajax and Verlane, along with the entirety of the room. turned to look at him. Ajax narrowed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists. "I'd like to hear that from you."

"Lord Ajax, we have no idea of what's going on right now." Wendy came up beside Natsu, knowing he needed help before he blew their cover that Lucy had obviously fought so hard to keep. She felt Gray on her other side, and she drew from their strength. "Please, what have you done to Ashley? I can't imagine her ever doing something meant to harm. I won't sit back and let any more harm befall her. She's my friend, and I beg of you, please, tell us what is happening here."

Some of the nobles scattered throughout the room were outright shocked at the declaration from the young girl. Who was this noble calling her maid a friend? What in the world was going on?

Ajax rolled his shoulders, spinning the tale to his own liking. "An hour ago, this girl was apprehended by the staircase on the bottom floor, the one forbidden to all but myself and my son. Likely, she was looking for some information or knowledge in order to take Verlane and I down, but she was thwarted all too easily. You may call this girl a friend, but she is no better than the lowly stock out there in the village, or even than the prisoners beneath our feet." He turned to the room like a preacher on a pulpit. "Can we allow this? If we do, how many more will attempt to rise up after her? I've been a just ruler, haven't I? So who is this stranger to claim otherwise?!"

He stared down every single man in the room, and it was for this reason that he didn't notice the little girl stepping forward with trembling hands. Her mother reached forward to grab her, but Racel ducked out of the way and stared up at Ajax. "My lord? I agree with you, but, but, hasn't Ashley been with Mistress Shelia since she was born? So how could she not be Ashley Alberona?"

Wendy wanted to hug the girl later. But now she wished she could leap in front of her and protect her from the burning gaze of Ajax. Racel shrunk, locking her eyes on the knees of the lord.

"She brings up a good point," Gray interjected, hoping to draw away the furious lord's attention from the nine-year-old. Thankfully, it worked. Gray pushed on, heart hammering. "We've been with Drago and Shelia for like seven years, and Ashley has always been there. How in Earthland could she not be herself?"

Ajax glowered, but Verlane stepped in smoothly. "We didn't learn the whole story from her, but I believe what my father is trying to say is that she has betrayed us, and in lying to all of us and you, she has been hiding her true self."

"Yes, exactly Verlane," Ajax interrupted. "Which brings me to my next point. Was she lying to everyone, or did you know the truth? Are you entirely innocent?"

That accusation sent the crowd into near hysteria. There were shouts and whispers, all unbelieving that Lord Ajax just accused Lord Drago and his family of working with the maid against Grimstone Manor.

Natsu pulled himself to his full height, Lucy's whispers still ringing in his head. Play along, turn the tables on them, you're innocent. Give me an opportunity to speak, I can tell everyone the truth about them. Please, this can work.

"We've done nothing against you. And, as far as we actually know, neither has Ashley. After that outrageous accusation, why should we take your word for what has happened? Let her talk. Let her tell everyone what actually happened. If you were right, then yeah, I'll apologize, whatever. But if she's been turned into a scapegoat just so you can take me and my family down somehow, then I can warn you now that the end result will not be pretty."

The room grew silent, wondering how Ajax or Verlane would respond to that threat. Lucy pushed herself back up on her arms again, sitting up and hiding her smile as she looked at the lords. That smile hid itself when she tasted the blood still leaking from her lips. It's a good thing Verlane isn't as ruthless as his dad, she thought. Otherwise I'd definitely be in much worse shape right now.

Verlane realized they couldn't stay silent much longer without drawing inquiries down on their heads. He opened his mouth, but Ajax was already speaking, his entire body shaking with concealed rage.

"You presume a lot, Drago. After all I've done for your daughter, for you, these past few months. And is this how you respond? With threats? Your words speak louder than her's could ever. Obviously you were working in tandem with her, and therefore you must all be punished."

"Father," Verlane said with a start.

"Don't you touch them!" Lucy staggered to her feet, glaring ferociously as she put herself between her friends and the lords before her. Despite the situation, Natsu wanted to grin. He might worry about her, but it was times like these when he really remembered just how capable she was of defending herself, magic or no magic.

"You dare speak out of turn?!" Ajax roared, and suddenly his foot was up and slamming into her torso. She flew through the air, the crowd parting and watching as she hit the wall with a crack before slumping to the ground, red beginning to dye her blonde hair.

The room grew devoid of sound. High above, Happy and Carla held paws, together in their solitude as they looked down on a scene they couldn't change. Wendy clamped her hand over her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes as she stared at the crumpled form of her friend lying by the wall. Gray staggered back a step, mouth dropping slightly with a gasp. Evia whispered the girl's fake name, throat burning. There was too much force behind that blow. Way too much. There was no way… no way she was…

Natsu zeroed in on the Celestial Mage, breathing faster and faster each time. His fists clenched, and if it weren't for the hand Wendy still wrapped around his forearm, he likely would've already launched himself at the lord who was just now lowering his leg to the ground.

But then he smiled, a wild and feral thing. The sound of her skull hitting the stone wall would forever haunt his every waking hour. But while that was the moment Ashley died, the quiet maid forever gone, it was the same moment that Lucy emerged for good, never to be pushed down again.

Welp, Lucy is suffering again. This poor girl, I really am mean to her and Wendy. But everything's started, and once things start, you know they can never change or go back... Let's hope our heroes can make it through unscathed, hmm?

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Until next time!