Erza POV
I shivered as a light breeze picked up on our ride back, rustling the brown autumn leaves, testimony to our month's long absence. Natsu rambled on incessantly behind me to Lucy, telling her about a blue cat he found in the forest. Gajeel and Levy were riding silently together, too shy to look at each other, especially Levy once the realization of her actions caught up to her.
Gray and Juvia were riding together on Pollux so Laxus could ride back on Gray's horse. Pollux had been against it at first, but a bit of coddling and the promise of apples on Juvia's part quickly changed his mind. It had been quite funny, witnessing Gray blushingly request that Juvia ride side saddle while trying to avoid looking at her bare legs on the horse. The hilariousness of the situation doubled when Juvia almost slipped off of Pollux- because she didn't have a proper side saddle- and Gray panicked and hugged her to him so now she's practically riding in his lap with her face pressed into his chest in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
Honestly, they're making it hard for me not to squeal.
A heavy cloak landing on my shoulders startles me out of my thoughts.
"Thank you, Jellal." I smiled warmly at him as he leaned over and pressed his lips to my forehead, the action was so unexpected and tender I almost started tearing up.
"Are you here for good now, Erza?" he asked, pulling away to look at me.
"I-I don't know," I said, forcing the words from my lips. I wanted to say yes, Mavis, I really wanted to say yes, but I couldn't, not yet.
He frowned, although it looked more like a pout. "Why not? Juvia is healed, your sisters are safe, you all have a home here with Fairy Tail, what else do you need?"
"I don't need anything else," I reassured him, placing my hand on his arm. "but my sisters, it's a lot to ask of them."
Jellal looked dejected for a moment before saying, "We'll just have to prove to them that you all belong here."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his determined face. "Well that's easier said than done."
"Well, in case you forgot, Fairy Tail can be very convincing," he said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and smiled back at him. "No, Jellal. I haven't."
We rode in a comfortable silence for a while before Levy finally got over some of her embarrassment and mustered up the courage to break the silence.
"Um, Gajeel?"
"Yeah?"
"What are witch hunters?"
Gajeel and the others stiffened.
"They're exactly what they sound like, they're mages that specialize in tracking down and neutralizing witches."
Lucy's eyes widened. "When you say neutralize, do you mean they kill them?"
Their silence was answer enough.
Levy shoots Juvia a look but Juvia shakes her head slightly, pleading with her eyes that she not mention anything. Levy presses her lips together but Lucy beats her to the punch.
"Are you familiar with a witch hunter named Zancrow?"
Natsu immediately stops and turns Lucy around in the saddle, ignoring her startled protests. "What."
Startled by the severity of his expression Lucy stutters, "Z-Zancrow the witch hunter."
Jellal and the others also stopped and stared at her in horror.
"Where did you hear of him?" Jellal asked slowly.
"Is he that dangerous?" I asked.
"He's one of the top witch hunters in Fiore." Gray responded, "He has never failed in a hunt and is notorious for toying with his targets, letting them escape and tracking them until he catches them. It's said that his fire power is on par with Natsu's."
Natsu's eyes widened in horror as Lucy fidgeted under his intense gaze. "You saw him didn't you? That's what the smoke in the trees was from wasn't it?
"U-uh..."
"Lucy," The desperation in Natsu's voice caused Lucy's eyes to snap up to his as his hand found her waist, "did he see you?"
"N-no," Lucy shook her head frantically, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "we were all hiding when he fought Juvi-"
Lucy realized her mistake too late.
The air temperature suddenly dropped several degrees and the edges of the tree leaves began to freeze.
"He fought you?" Gray seethed through clenched teeth, his grip tightening on Juvia. "Why didn't you hide?"
Juvia shrank into herself, thinking he was furious at her again like last time, "Juvia was too far out into the creek to hide. Besides, he had already heard us and was coming our way, Juvia couldn't let them see us and risk getting captured. He ran off when he heard you guys approaching."
"No way, he never hesitates to finish a job." Gajeel said.
"He said that Juvia wasn't his main target though!" Levy said. "And he also mentioned that he couldn't be seen."
Natsu cursed. "He's gone rogue, then."
"Rogue?" Lucy questioned.
"Legal witch hunting is dangerous and heavily monitored by the Grand council, but there have been instances where witch hunters go rogue and take on personal hunting tasks or illegal ones in exchange for money."
Levy was silent for a moment, "Do- do you think that his main target could be Erza?"
"Where do his loyalties lie?" I asked. If he was allied with Fairy Tail then maybe we wouldn't need to worry….
"Phantom Lords most trusted allies, Grimoire Heart." Gray said, "We've caught several spies looking for a weakness within the Fairy Tail walls and looking for you four. They've even sent people to capture you in Bellum."
Our eyes widened in surprise.
Jellal shook his head, "Did he give any indication that he was after Erza specifically? Or that he would go after Juvia next? Rogue witch hunters don't usually take jobs without a reward or a bounty over the witches head."
"He said 'Until next time, little witch.' Before setting the trees on fire."
"B-but he didn't see Juvia's face! Juvia was careful to stay in the shadows, his fire never reached Juvia."
"Juvia you don't understand, once he's handled his target he's going to be hunting you down next." Gajeel warned.
Jellal cursed and wheeled his horse around. "We need to get to Fairy Tail now. It's not safe to talk out in the open like this."
He was right. We rode hard for Fairy Tail, not slowing down until we reached the gates
Guards, twice the number as there had been when we left, lowered their weapons when they saw the Fairy Tail red and I saw the moment Elfman recognized my red hair and cried out, "It's the she-wolves!"
"None other," Natsu said with a laugh, putting up a silly facade. "Open the gates!"
"Open the gates!" Redus repeated jovially.
We heard the metallic slide of the giant reinforced crossbeam and the clanking of the gates being lifted.
I smiled as the courtyard came into my view, bustling with activity. Clearly, there were many visitors from the nearby town and beyond. Fairy Tail was like a center for politicians, soldiers, and merchants alike. Far more than when we first arrived, but it's been three months.
We pulled to a stop and dismounted, holding back a squeal when Gajeel had to help Levy down from his large horse.
Beside me Juvia was giving Laxus a basic rundown of where and how things worked here before she gave a tiny gasp. Confused, Laxus looked in the direction she was staring at and that's when I saw her, across the clearing, on the arm of another dimly familiar man, heading our way.
Carmen.
Jellal's ex-fiance and possible indirect perpetrator of Juvia's poisoning.
I stopped and glanced at Jellal.
"We'll explain." He gave me a pleading look, "We're no longer promised to each other, but something else happened..."
"Erza," she said when she was just a few feet away, smiling just a bit too sweetly. "What a lovely surprise."
"Carmen," I said, trying my best to give her a civil nod. Had she given the doctor the directive to poison Juvia? Was she even aware of what the doctor was doing?
"We welcome your return," said the man beside her.
Our eyes shifted to him and widened.
"Simon!" Juvia and I smiled brightly at him. He'd changed so much, I hadn't recognized him.
"Juvia's so happy to see you're doing better!" Juvia exclaimed, blinking back tears of joy.
"It is good to be so well," he returned with a nod. "We have continued the treatments you prescribed, and I have enjoyed far better health."
"I am so glad," I said, wishing I could go to him and hug him.
"I'm so glad you are safe with your sisters, who is your friend?" he asked, looking beyond me and Juvia towards Laxus, who stood behind us.
"This is our escort Laxus, a very close family friend we had the pleasure of reuniting with."
"A pleasure to meet you, Laxus, I am Simon." Simon gestured to Carmen. "And this is my wife-to-be, Carmen."
We froze.
I had to have heard that wrong, there must've been some kind of mistake. There's no way that-
'…We're no longer promised to each other, but something else happened...'
Carmen smiled up at him, "We'd always been fond of each other, and since Fairy Tail still needed our alliance and Simon made such excellent gains on his health, it wasn't long before he arrived to the perfect solution."
Levy, Lucy, Juvia and I shared a skeptical look but smiled nonetheless and said nothing.
"What of Carmen's family doctor?" Levy asked lightly, "Was he ever found?"
"He was a blackguard," Gajeel growled, still mad. "An agent from Grimoire Heart,"
"My father discovered the treachery," Carmen said. "He went to Makarov, and they captured both the doctor and Bora as they tried to escape to Grimoire Heart."
Simon nodded. "People will think twice before betraying Fairy Tail."
The doctor and Bora had been close to Carmen's family for years. My eyes flicked over Carmen, who was adoringly looking up at Simon. How could they have been conned for so long?
I wasn't buying it, and by the looks of it, neither were Lucy and Levy, but Simon seemed earnest, like he was trying to reassure us with this news. I glanced at Juvia, but she just shrugged. Maybe Carmen was innocent after all…
Laxus furrowed his eyebrows "So, where are they now then?"
Gray spoke up. "They're being transported to the capital to face trial."
Jellal stepped closer to me and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and from the corner of my eye I saw Carmen's smile stiffen. "Don't worry though, they are already far away from here. No one will harm you or any of your sisters again. Not if Fairy Tail can help it."
They were beautiful, warm words. But I knew that no person could protect another from death. Life was unpredictable, I mean, Juvia was poisoned while everyone was dancing right in the same room!
My eyes moved to Carmen. Fairy Tail still might have a devil within her gates, a serious threat. Staring at her—pretty, demure, all Girl in Love—I knew I had to be right.
