To say that it was a bloodbath would be an understatement. It was far worse than that. Erza had always thought of her husband as an extremely dangerous and an unpredictable opponent, but that was the first time she had almost feared him, almost.
She tried hard to shield the eyes of her children from the extreme bloodshed. Even though he had warned his opponents once, it did not go through their thick skulls and all of them raised their arms against him.
Jellal's calculations were almost always perfect, so he would never overexert himself and would finish the jobs with minimal effort. She could recall only one time when he truly lost control.
It was a few days post their honeymoon and the two of them took a minor quest. It was an extremely simple D-class quest, but they were ambushed from all directions.
Jellal took offense while Erza chose to defend - their usual pattern, but two of the raiders managed to strike her from behind and one gave her a massive slash across her abdomen.
Erza could not remember anything for the next few seconds, but then almost instantly she could feel a feral aura and saw her husband repeatedly slam the face of her attacker on the floor.
She still remembered that look on his face. Not wanting him to turn back to a monster, Erza rushed forward and pulled her husband away from the other man, but he was far from done and was slowly overpowering her.
He only calmed down when started to place kisses on his neck and chest after which he hugged the daylights out of her. Even after he had calmed down, she could still feel that murderous aura - the same aura she was seeing at the moment.
"Didn't I tell you people to leave me alone?", he sighed as he ran his hand through his silky hair. Jellal started to approach the fat man who began to panic.
"Stop! Stop! Don't you dare touch me. You don't know who is backing me. That man is dangerous, and say goodbye to your freedom. You just killed five people! Why did you that?", he started to whine. The man was sweating profusely and his finger was wobbling as he pointed at Jellal accusingly. The Meteor mage bent down to pick his coat and wore it rolling the sleeves up to make them appear like three fourth sleeves and swept the hair away from his face.
Erza knew she had no rights to ogle at her husband after what she had done to him, but she could not stop herself from doing so. If he wasn't already handsome enough, it was as if he had gotten far more handsome in the couple of years.
"Do not worry. I will not kill you", Jellal stated and the man sighed in relief. The next moment however, a sharp pain hit his stomach, and he stared down. To his shock, a knife was protruding from his fat belly and saw the face of the crying woman who had stabbed him.
"You bitch!", he roared to grab her neck, but another sharp pain hit his neck. The second woman screamed and tore his jugular vein, causing the man to mumble curses before dropping down dead. The two women took turns stabbing the man as they cursed him through their tears and Jellal walked towards the exit before turning towards the two women.
"What do you want?", the older one asked as she stood protectively in front of the younger woman.
"Nothing of that sort. Don't trust anyone and you will be fine", he told her throwing the clothes of the dead warriors as he made his way to the exit.
The guard's hands were wobbling as he gathered his courage to tell Jellal that he had to be handcuffed. Realising what was supposed to be done, Jellal offered his hands and the guard handcuffed them.
"We...We can be on our way to the court", he stated and Jellal nodded his head. As the guard turned, Jellal locked his waist almost as if he were hugging the man from behind.
"W...W...What-"
"I'm taking us there in a few seconds. I'm not hurting you or kidnapping you. Close your mouth, shut your ears and don't you dare open your eyes or you will go into shock", he stated and the guard complied instantly.
In less than a minute, the duo were at the court and Jellal walked towards the stand. All of them were present at the moment, and could see Jellal frown as they stared at him. The said man however, focused on the queen who did not meet his eyes. Whispers ran through the entire hall and Jellal could feel the heat of hundreds of eyes focused on him. His instincts were begging him to turn towards the audience, but Hisui thankfully covered for him by clearing her throat, earning the silence of the audience.
"Jellal Fernandes, you were accused of attempted murder and attempted mass genocide and were sentenced to death. However, to our horror, we found out with sufficient evidence that our assumptions were far from true. With that, I offer my most sincere apology", she whispered and bowed her head.
"Do not bow, your Majesty", Jellal sighed and stared at her face. Hisui, however refused to meet his eyes.
"You have passed countless judgements and Fiore has prevailed and grown with your decisions. I cannot say that I don't hold this against you or that it is all water under the bridge, but please do not bow down to me", he requested and it was more than obvious that Hisui was displeased with herself and with the fact that she had to tarnish the image of a man who was hell bent on absolving himself of crimes that he had committed against his will.
"If you would like to meet the actual perpetrators..."
"Pardon my interruption and possibly my lack of manners, but would you mind if I leave? I have had a tough couple of years, and I doubt anything can improve my situation right now. I would like some time to myself", Jellal interrupted her and it was more than obvious that he still felt like a criminal. Hisui instantly complied to his request and Jellal turned to leave.
"I know this is not the right way to compensate, but..if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask", she informed. Jellal stared at her for a moment.
"I don't want anything, but if they need something...please do the needful, and one more thing. I...I would appreciate some privacy, and even if a problem occurs and that involves me or requires my presence, I would appreciate it if I were to be informed, otherwise, I believe I am not in a state to entertain it", he requested, silently referring to Erza and his children before leaving the stand. Once again, as he walked down the path, all eyes were fixed on him. Most importantly, it was the second half of his request. He directly asked Hisui to leave him alone and not approach him at all, as civilised as possible.
Perhaps it was the fear of freedom after living in captivity and in a place where everyone hated him, but Jellal knew that he was not ready to handle everyone outside.
Bowing his head, he walked towards the exit deftly avoiding the eyes of the people. But of course, there would be someone who was willing to go the extra mile.
A loud thud was heard a few metres away from him and Jellal felt the jolts of electricity from the distance. It was no rocket science to find out who that man was.
"Do...Do WHATEVER you want to me, Jellal!", he screamed with his head bowed down and fists clenched. Hearing that from a man as prideful as Laxus was the equivalent of prostrating in front of the entire world. Laxus never could apologise well, but his friends knew it when he wanted to do so, and a part of him hurt seeing his former friend with his head bowed down like a criminal. This "offer" of Laxus was in the same line. But he was not strong enough to forgive at the moment. Jellal could hear the vigorous scratching of pads and the sounds of cameras clicking. Newspapers were going to have a field day with the headlines and captions - that was a given.
"Please...just...kick me or punch me or do SOMETHING", Laxus pleaded his former friend who refused to answer. Jellal stepped forward and pressed his first slightly against Laxus' cheek. Laxus was prepared to face whatever Jellal had decided to do with him, but Mirajane was entirely different story. Even from a few metres away, Jellal could feel her fear. Of course she would be worried! Her husband was putting himself in danger while she was sitting in the sidelines like some princess. Just when she had made up her mind to request or if things go worse, even beg of Jellal to split the punishment between the two of them, the Meteor mage sighed and stared at their child for a split second before turning his attention back towards Laxus.
"I forgive you", he whispered with an overly sweet smile and walked away. Laxus bolted towards him again and caught Jellal's shoulders. That smile...that one did not deserve to exist on Jellal's face. It was obscenely fake and almost caused Laxus to gag.
"I hit you in front of EVERYONE, Jellal! I betrayed you! Aren't you pissed at me? I wasn't there for you when you needed me! Just...Just say something, man! I am begging you", he pleaded his former friend and Jellal turned towards Mirajane and her child who was crying, reaching out towards Laxus.
"Even if I did want to hit you, I wouldn't do it in front of your kid, and please don't make me repeat myself, Mr. Dreyar. I forgive you. I don't want to hold any sort of grudge against you, and don't worry, Fairy Tail won't suffer again because of me", he smiled again and walked away from him before turning towards Laxus for one last time.
"In return, I won't step inside Fairy Tail and I don't want to do anything with its guild members. That way you guys can avoid further suspicion of harbouring a suspect, and it would resonate with everyone's wishes. Goodbye, Dreyar", he shot back at Laxus who didn't have the courage to see his face. Laxus bowed down and dropped to his knees. The man would have gladly accepted a solid punch or even a few life threatening attacks, and even though he did expect a similar response from Jellal, a part of him prayed that the man would be a bit different and things MIGHT go back to being normal. But obviously, it had an ice cube's chance in hell.
As he walked past Laxus, he felt a small tug on his pants. Jellal sighed and was ready to tell the person off until he saw crystal clear emerald eyes brimming with joy and curiosity.
"Papa!", Azure squealed in joy and hugged his waist. For a few seconds, Jellal couldn't hear anything, and before he knew it, his cheeks were wet.
"Welcome home, Papa", she softly giggled as she tightened her grip around his waist and Jellal dropped down to his knees. It was almost instictual to hug his daughter, but another set of instincts took over and the second his finger touched Azure, Jellal's hand shot back instantly. He could not understand why, but the feeling of fear lurked into his mind.
"Come here, come out in front", Azure whispered and Jellal could see a small pair of hands hugging her waist and a soft whine. Azure grasped the small hand and pulled the little boy to her side. Jellal and Cerulean stared at each other for a solid minute with no evident facial expression before Cerulean pointed a chubby finger towards Jellal's face and smiled.
"Papa. My...My name is...Shooweeyan", he smiled as he adorably mispronounced his name and began to babble with only a select coherent words being understood by those listening to him.
He heard the familiar clacking of shoes and the sweet smell of strawberries, vanilla and mild lavender filled his nostrils.
"Azure, Cerulean, let's go home", Erza whispered to her children. Jellal did not raise his head and continued to stare at the ground.
"Will you please come back home?", Erza asked Jellal but did not meet his eyes. Jellal saw her biting her lips trying hard to fight her tears. Even if he shot him down like a fly, Jellal looked at Laxus' face and considered his presence, but it appeared as if he didn't care about Erza's existence. Jellal looked up and flashed her the same sweet smile. On the outside, it looked like a smile of a professional model, but the juxtaposition of his angelic smile against his lifeless eyes tore her inside out. It was so painfully fake that Erza could not look at his face for more than a second.
It appeared as if Jellal was staring at an insignificant rock. She knew that he was blatantly lying. She feared for their future as any sane person would have screamed at her, or ignored her or even assaulted her. Jellal did none, which directly gave off the implication that she no longer mattered to him. Erza was as insignificant to him as a random person on the road.
The captain envied Laxus. The man could openly apologise and beg of his best friend to forgive him, but she had a more strict image to maintain. She wanted to scream an apology, and even if things looked far from bright for them, she wanted them to try and be happy once again.
"There is something I have to check before I come home. You can go before me", he stated and walked away, but not before flashing a small smile to the children. That smile was once again, as fake as a travelling merchant's guarantee, but Erza was just satisfied over the fact that he was willing to respond to her.
"When is Papa coming home?", the toddler asked Erza innocently and the older woman gently kissed his forehead.
"Soon, darling", she whispered as they saw his retreating form.
"Will you help me prepare dinner tonight?", she asked the two little ones in another attempt to avoid the topic.
"Yeaaaaah!", two sweet voices instantly echoed.
To be continued...