Prologue: Funeral for the Fairy Queen

Notes: This story branches off from "Home", where we saw a vision of Erza's death. In this reality her death was real. Canon divergence, but with some AU elements too.

This day was one of the saddest in the history of Fairy Tail. It was the day of Erza Scarlet's funeral. It was certainly the most painful day in recent memory for the normally jovial mage's guild. Erza, Queen of the Fairies, had died several days earlier at the Tower of Heaven, sacrificing her life to save many others. And now, her friends and guildmates were gathered at her gravesite to pay their final respects. The entire guild was present, except for those who were currently away on quests and couldn't make it back in time.

The dark, cloudy sky and rain added to the already gloomy ambience. Everyone present was dressed in black, and they wore their sorrow openly. Makarov Dryer, Fairy Tail's guild master, stood in front of the impressive monument to Erza. It was a statue of Erza atop a horse, weapon in hand. Makarov, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Mirajane, among others; Erza had considered them to be not only her friends, but extended family as well. And now, they stood in attendance and listened in silence while Makarov delivered the Eulogy.

"Erza Scarlet touched many lives in this world, with a heart as huge and boundless as the sky above", Makarov said.

"Her noble sword shone vibrantly as she protected those she dearly loved. She moved with the grace of a fluttering fairy. And her exquisite beauty rivaled that of mother nature herself. It's a painful reminder that love can give you strength, but losing love can render you powerless. We'll miss her. Our Fairy Tail family will never be the same."

Makarov spoke these words with tears streaming down his face, struggling to maintain his composure. The others kept their heads bowed in solemn grief. But Makarov had barely finished his speech before several members of the Magic Council appeared on the scene. Most of them were attired in dark robes and hoods, further adding to the macabre atmosphere. They were led by council member Org, who addressed the crowd.

"In the wake of this tragedy we have been left with two empty seats on the magic council. We have unanimously voted to award one of those seats to her, posthumously. I am proud to declare miss Erza Scarlet an eternal member of the ten wizard saints."

This did little to comfort the gathered Fairy Tail members though. Many of them stood there looking at the council members with pained looks on their faces. While they did appreciate seeing Erza honored like this, the only thing that could really make them feel better right now was having Erza back. But they knew that was impossible.

As Erza's friends absorbed what Org had said, Natsu Dragneel arrived on the scene. Unlike the others, he was not dressed in funeral clothes, but his usual outfit instead. It was also immediately apparent that instead of sharing the solemn grief the others felt, Natsu instead felt rage. He made no attempt to hide it.

"I've had enough!" Natsu shouted. "I can't just stand back and watch you go through with this!" Lucy, Gray, and the others were visibly taken aback by this. But even more so by what happened next. Natsu stormed over to Erza's grave and kicked the bouquet of flowers off it.

"Just what do you think you're doing young man?!" Makarov demanded.

"Please, calm down" Lucy pleaded. Gray, running over, growled, "How dare you?"

Natsu defiantly turned to them all and said, "We all know Erza isn't dead."

Lucy, unable to cope with both Erza's death and Natsu's vulgar outburst all at once, began to tear up and said, "This is already hard enough, please stop!"

But Natsu continued, "There's no way that she could be!"

Several guild members rushed over and wrestled Natsu to the ground, restraining him. Natsu struggled on the ground as his friends held him down, preventing hm from going any farther with his tirade. Lucy, distraught, cried, "Why can't you face the truth, Natsu? She's gone!"

"Let go of me!" Natsu demanded. "I know Erza's still alive!" This last part came out as an anguished cry, both enraged and heartbroken. Natsu's unexpected cry caused a chain reaction of emotion among everyone there. They could no longer contain their grief. They began crying and wailing, mourning their fallen friend, as the rain poured down around them. Makarov was right; Fairy Tail would never be the same.

End notes: I originally posted this story on another site. Several chapters are already finished. I will try to upload the rest here quickly.

Cover Image by Enrique Meseguer