Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 5: Invited Infiltration part 2

-A few days later-

Clang! "Silence, everyone! Her Royal Highness, Princess Hisui E. Fiore, will make an announcement at this time!" Colonel Arcadios boomed as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the ballroom in the palace, where all of the participating wizards from the Grand Magic Games were gathered. The conversations slowly petered out as the princess stepped into view on the higher balcony and gave a graceful curtsey.

"Thank you, Colonel Arcadios." The young woman began with a sweet smile. "And thank you to all of you wizards gathered here for your efforts over the past few days. Not only for your magnificent performances in the Grand Magic Games, but also for your bravery and loyalty in defending our beloved kingdom from the invasion of the savage dragons. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Fiore thanks you for your miraculous feats."

At this statement, the entire ballroom erupted in applause as everyone present congratulated each other over the events of the past week. It really had been crazy, and everyone was surprised that there was not one casualty among them.

Two wizards- hiding in the shadows of the room as much as possible- however, knew differently. With bowed heads, they recalled with sorrow the loss of their comrade and Master of their tiny Guild, the Time mage, Ultear Milkovich. She'd made the ultimate sacrifice, giving the Time of her life to save the lives of multiple wizards with bright futures ahead of all of them. Silently, the younger and shorter of the two mages turned to her 'big brother' and hugged him around the waist, burying her face in his chest and crying again quietly as he returned the embrace, bowing his head and resting his chin on her head.

"Now," The princess continued. "I have one more announcement, this one of a more personal nature to some of you." Hisui looked over the crowds of smiling faces down below, and her jade eyes rested on the two wizards trying to disappear into the shadows in the back, fearing discovery. Slowly, her smile grew wider and she winked mysteriously, causing the second-in-command of the Independent Guild to look up at her in confusion.

"I'm sure by now that most of you have heard tell of an Independent Guild that has been causing quite a stir in the Magic Community over the past seven years, eradicating entire Dark Guilds with only three members to their name. This, coupled with their heroic endeavors over the past few days, has led me to a decision regarding their status. As of this moment, I hereby absolve Crime Sorciére of their respective pasts, and grant them a full, royal pardon. No longer need they remain in the shadows, hidden from their friends and allies. Now, they are free once again to walk in the light and be with the ones they love." At this, Princess Hisui winked at the gobsmacked Guildmaster again, but this time it was more mischievous in nature, and perhaps just a bit coy as well.

After this ground-shattering announcement, murmurs and whispers erupted all around the ballroom as the gathered Guilds looked at their fellow wizards in shock and surprise, but no Guild was more surprised than Fairy Tail. Specifically, one redheaded Knight in particular as she looked over to the darkest corner of the room, right into the hazel eyes of the man she'd loved since they'd first met in the R-System island prison. A silent invitation in her eyes, she smiled at the shadowed wizards and tilted her head ever so slightly in a signal for them to quit hiding and get over here already. With a nervous exhale, Jellal Fernandes and his 'little sister' Meredy wordlessly stepped into the light of the ballroom, all eyes now on them and making them feel very self-conscious.

Meredy looked like a princess herself as she stepped out of the shadows in a primrose-colored gown that was decorated with blooming roses on the skirt and bodice, and a crown of the flowers was woven into her bubblegum hair- worn down for the occasion. At her side, Jellal was dressed as he appeared for the second day of the Grand Magic Games, though this time his mask as Mystogan was absent, as he no longer had to hide his identity. However, as a tribute to his Edolas doppelganger, he still wore the sash and staves on his back as he walked over to the convened wizards of Fairy Tail Teams A and B.

"You look incredible, Meredy!" Juvia exclaimed quietly as the shy former member of Grimoire Heart approached behind Jellal, not meeting anyone's gaze. At the Water Mage's words, however, she looked up and her cheeks darkened to match her dress, bashful at the praise.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You really do look like a prince, 'Mystogan'." Lucy grinned as she made the Heavenly Body mage blush as he looked back down at his shoes. "The Heavenly Prince and his Scarlet Knight." She giggled, making Erza go red as well as the two wizards smiled shyly at each other.

"Oo! Thank you very much! For the idea! That story would make a splendid play for my beloved theater! Thank you so very much!" The short owner of the grand theater in Onibas exclaimed with a bow, and all of the present mages from Fairy Tail groaned at the memory of that grueling catastrophe that was their last performance.

"Lucy, aren't you working on a novel back in Magnolia? Maybe you could- um- write down our story for this gentleman as a script? It could give you more practice, at the very least." Jellal suggested quietly, still a bit self-conscious from all of the staring.

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea! And you guys' story is filled with all kinds of interesting twists and turns people will never see coming!" The Heartfilia heiress squeaked happily, her eyes turning into stars.

"Not to mention all the love. It's just like all those classic romances that people talk about all the time!" Meredy giggled, giving her 'big brother' a gentle elbow in the arm and laughing louder when he blushed again.

"I think I'll call it- hm. I want it to be a good title, one that captures the reader's attention right away, but something that doesn't give away the plot. You have any suggestions, you two? After all, you're the two main characters." Lucy asked with an encouraging smile. Jellal merely smiled back softly and shrugged. He had read many books over the years, but no good title ideas were coming to him at the moment.

"How about 'Incarcerated Innocence'? It's to the point, grabs attention right away, and it leaves the plot a mystery." Erza mused, half to herself and half aloud. "Then you can think of a way to have each chapter start with a word or words that begin with 'I'." She smiled.

"Hey, hey yeah! That's a great idea, Erza! Oo, I can't wait to start working on it!" The former debutante practically jumped up and down in excitement. "I'm gonna need all of the details, though, just fair warning." She half-teased as she playfully poked her best friend's true love on the bicep, giggling merrily when the simple action triggered another easy blush from the twenty-four-year-old wizard.

"Just remember that you asked for it, when you feel all the heartache from my story." Jellal smiled wryly. "It's not for the faint-hearted."

"It might not have a happy beginning or middle, but every Fairy Tail has to have a happy ending." Meredy smiled, putting an arm around her 'big brother' in a gentle side-hug and making him blush for what seemed to him like the hundredth time that evening. "And I said it like that on purpose." She giggled as she winked at her gathered group of friends.

"Exactly. Besides, who doesn't love a little drama in a story?" A new voice chimed in as a familiar cat mage approached with one of her guildmates on her arm, the other young woman wearing a highly decorated dress uniform that looked like it belonged with the military more than a wizard's guild. "And I can't think of a better happy ending than to have the hero and his friend officially join the very Guild that he's fought alongside all these years. Yes, I know about that, Mystogan." Millianna smirked victoriously when she received several shocked looks.

"Yeah, it's about time you officially joined the family you 'infiltrated' about six years ago." Gray chuckled as he walked up, Juvia clinging to his arm and both holding small glasses of punch. "Not that we mind, mind you. It was really great of you to just about singlehandedly keep our Guild afloat for all the years we were gone." He grinned, clapping a hand on the former Wizard Saint's shoulder in a friendly, manly gesture. "We're always looking for a few good men and women to join our Fairy Tail family. And all three of you will make powerful additions to the gang. Join us. I can promise there will never be a dull moment in our crazy Guild." He laughed, causing the gathered wizards to smile at the memories they'd shared over the years.

"Thank you for your kind words- um- Gray." Jellal smiled softly, and Meredy echoed his expression. "We will think about your generous offer."

"Whaddya mean, 'think about it'? I'm all for joining right now! I dunno about you, but I'm tired of running all over Fiore and hiding in caves! It's time Crime Sorciére finally stepped into the light once and for all." Meredy huffed, making a face at their all-too-frequent stays in less-than-appealing living arrangements.

"Speaking of your Guild, where is Ultear, anyway? This party's 'cause of her too." Gray mused aloud, looking around for his beloved master's daughter and 'adopted sister'. He had a sneaking suspicion that half of Fairy Tail wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the Time mage, himself included.

"We haven't seen her. She's probably just waiting for us somewhere outside the city. We are fugitives, after all." Jellal lied, putting his hands in his pockets and looking back down at his feet, unable to meet anyone's eyes all of a sudden. He knew exactly where she was, and that she was lost to them forever. Well, until the time came for all of them to join her on the other side of the Mortal Veil.

"Not anymore, you're not." Kagura smiled wryly. "Did you already forget about your pardon? You're free as a bird now."

"Crime Sorciére may be pardoned, but that doesn't absolve us of all our sins. As far as I'm concerned, I'll carry the guilt of my past till the end of my days." Jellal muttered, his morose voice barely above a whisper. "Everything that I've done can't be erased by a single pardon. Especially my worst crime of all:" He looked up at Kagura through his eyelashes, guilt burning in his hazel eyes like real flames. "A royal pardon can't bring back the dead."

But then Kagura did something that no one ever expected. She smiled. At him! "Millianna's told me the whole story." She explained. "That wasn't really you. You were possessed. Simon was like a brother to you, right? The real you would never hurt someone close to your heart." She put her left hand on the hilt of her sealed blade, and everyone present tensed. "I swore to kill you with this sword, but now, I see that my rage was misdirected. It's Zeref that deserves to die for all his crimes against humanity, not you." She dropped her hand back to her side for a moment, then held out her right hand to silently ask for his. Jellal was confused for a moment, but then smiled softly and gently shook it with his own right hand. "It's nice to meet you, 'Onee-chan's boyfriend'." Kagura smiled kindly and just a little shyly.

Jellal looked surprised at the title, but then smiled again, this time slightly shyly. "Um, it's a little more complicated than that, but it's an honor to meet you as well, 'little sister of my best friend'."

"What's so complicated about it? You love her, don't you? And she loves you. It couldn't be simpler." Meredy winked mischievously at the 'Prince' and his 'Knight', making them both blush again.

"Oh, he's just being stubborn again. He's convinced that he 'can't allow himself to fall in love with those who walk in the light', because of his dark past." Erza smiled wryly, shoving his shoulder back playfully.

"Well, now that you've been pardoned, that excuse goes out the window. You don't have any more reasons not to join Fairy Tail and be with your friends and the woman you love." Millianna smiled as she elbowed her 'big brother' playfully.

Grimacing half-heartedly that all the girls were ganging up on him, Jellal surrendered and bowed his head in a silent admission of defeat. "Fine. You win. As acting Guildmaster, I hereby dissolve Crime Sorciére as an Independent Guild, and declare that its members will be joining the Fairy Tail Guild, as long as its Master agrees." Two members. He silently corrected himself. He couldn't tell them the truth just yet. Clearing his expression, he smiled sheepishly at Makarov, who was entertaining little Asuka over by the nearby dessert table. The short man looked over and beamed, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of gaining new powerful wizards for their somewhat struggling Guild. The group took that smile to mean that he had no problems whatsoever with Jellal's proposal, then everyone turned to face the highest balcony as the king walked out of the shadows to address his subjects and the wizard Guilds that he so favored. To everyone's shock and surprise- and to Fairy Tail's eternal embarrassment- Natsu finally arrived at the party, decked out in the full royal regalia and wearing the king's crown on his own head. As one, every wizard in the room sweat-dropped, and most of Fairy Tail facepalmed at their most brazen and reckless Dragonslayer.

Fortunately for Fairy Tail's reputation, the king was a very forgiving man and took Natsu's little stunt in stride and withheld punishment- at least the severe one that everyone expected. Instead, both Hisui and Natsu were only commanded to wear pumpkin heads for the remainder of the evening, and refer to everyone that they spoke with as 'punkin'.

-A few days later-

"So, now that Crime Sorciére's been disbanded, are you two gonna come back to Fairy Tail with us?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow as Erza talked with a local coach business that could take them all the way from Crocus to Magnolia, so they wouldn't have to walk so much. Natsu was adamantly against the carriage, insisting that he'd run alongside the 'death trap' if needed, just so that he wouldn't have to ride it and get sick all over the place. Again.

Jellal smiled softly and looked down at the dirt road under his feet. "Eventually. I wouldn't want to complicate things between your team by riding home with you, and Meredy- well-" He looked sadly over at his rose-haired companion, who was staring off into space and constantly wiping away the tears that were coursing down her face. They had finally found Ultear, or- more accurately- what remained of their tiny Guild's Master. Meredy had yet to stop crying for the loss of her surrogate mother, and Jellal- though a bit more stoic than his guildmate- also felt the void in his heart that her death had left.

"She needs more time." Natsu guessed, and Jellal nodded. "I understand. Took me forever to man up after Igneel vanished, and he was pretty much my Dad in everything but blood. It's not exactly the same, but-" He trailed off awkwardly.

"Yeah, I get it." Jellal nodded again with a small smile of gratitude. "Igneel raised you for a good part of your life. It's only natural that you'd feel such a bond with him, despite the fact that he was a dragon and you're human. It didn't matter that you weren't related by blood. Anyone can be a father, but it takes a really special being to be a Dad. Not that I would know." He laughed once in a small bit of self-deprecating humor. "Closest I ever had to a Dad was Grandpa Rob in the Tower. Then I was possessed- and-" He trailed off awkwardly. "Well, you remember what happened after that. You were there to knock some sense into me." He laughed. "Literally!"

Natsu snorted at the memory. "Yeah, I guess I could've gone a little easier on ya. Holdin' back ain't exactly my strong suit. As you've probably noticed by now." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly in a nonverbal apology, then looked over at the carriage that was to take him and his team home to Magnolia. The rest of Fairy Tail had already departed the previous day. Near the front of the boar-drawn vehicle, Lucy waved to the boys in a signal that they were getting ready to leave, and the Fire Dragonslayer groaned in despair. A whole day of riding in that tiny box on wheels? He didn't know if his stomach could take it.

Just then, a crazy idea came to the former Wizard Saint. "Hey, Natsu. You don't feel sick when you ride on animals or anything living, right? It's just vehicles that make you nauseous, isn't it?" He asked, and Natsu grunted in the affirmative.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." He groused, putting his hands in his pockets and glaring over at that doom machine waiting just fifty feet away.

"Well- this is just a crazy thought I just had, but- maybe you could sit on the animal's back while it pulls the carriage with your friends? Then you wouldn't have to walk the whole way and tire yourself out. And you'd still be pretty close to your team and could still join in the conversations if you wished." Jellal shrugged, voicing his spontaneous suggestion for the Dragonslayer to ponder.

Natsu crossed his arms and frowned at the ground, thinking for a moment. "Hey- hey, yeah! That's perfect! You're a freakin' genius, Jellal! Man, why did I never think of that?!" He laughed uproariously, literally bouncing over to the carriage and hopping right on the working animal's back. The large beast snorted a little at the extra weight, but then shrugged as it shifted its rider's weight more evenly across its back. Jellal smiled over at the Salamander, who was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect that he'd never have to feel motion sickness again. Unless they had to take a train or boat somewhere for a Job Request. Jellal was glad that he'd been able to help one of the wizards to whom he owed so much for setting him on the right path again. Now if only he could find a way to repay the others for everything they'd done for him.

I'll probably spend the rest of my life atoning for my crimes and repaying everyone for their kindness, so I might as well get used to it. Jellal thought to himself as he mirrored Natsu's earlier action and put his hands in his pockets. The carriage bearing Fairy Tail Team A finally rumbled off toward home, and Jellal raised a hand in farewell as his scarlet angel and her friends disappeared down the dirt road. As he watched them go, Meredy slowly approached from behind him and stopped at his right side, her tears finally spent as she managed a small smile. That's what Ultear would have wanted, anyway. She wouldn't want her two closest friends to mourn her passing for the rest of their lives. She would have wanted them to live in happiness and walk in the light.

And from now on, that was exactly what Meredy Milkovich and Jellal Fernandes intended to do.

-End of the Dragon King Festival-

A few days after Fairy Tail had left Crocus, homeward bound, Jellal gently asked his young companion if she wanted to accompany him on his own journey. It was time that he put his past behind him and looked to the future, and he thought that the young woman who stood at his side could benefit from that outlook as well. With a slow nod, Meredy agreed to journey from the Capital to the home of the victors of the Grand Magic Games: the picturesque and bustling town of Magnolia. It was time for a fresh start for both of them, and a brand new Guild to call home.

-Months later-

"So- that was you? You were the one who was-"

"Stealing your more dangerous Jobs off the Request Board and sending half of the reward back to help pay the bills? Yep." Jellal laughed with a slightly sheepish blush dusting his cheeks and nose. It was amazing just how infectious Fairy Tail's optimism could be. Within just a few weeks of officially joining the Guild, Jellal found himself laughing and genuinely enjoying himself more than he ever had before in his life. Now- only a few months after the Grand Magic Games- the one-time fugitive from the law felt just as much a part of the Fairy Tail family as anyone here in the Guild. Friendship truly was a beautiful thing.

"An' here I thought that Mystogan somehow came back to this world an' was helping us out, like the old days." Macao groaned, feigning disappointment, but in reality nearly bursting with gratitude at the young man's thoughtfulness. Master Mavis was right. He really did have a heart of gold in tune with the members of Fairy Tail. And his new Guild mark was physical proof of that. However, in keeping with his secretive nature, no one but the Master knew where he had put the emblem on his body. There were a few bets going around the Guild Hall as to where the sigil was located, but Jellal and Makarov both never confirmed nor denied any of the guesses.

[If you guess it right in a review, I might just reveal where and what color I think it is!]

"Well, that certainly sounds like something he'd do, but I don't think it's possible to leave Edolas. At least, not anymore." Jellal smiled, thinking about all the stories he'd heard about his true doppelganger and basing his assumption on that. "Besides, he's the king, isn't he? He's probably swamped with his own problems over there." He chuckled.

"Yeah. Probably." Macao agreed, fingering his mug. "Y'know, I still can't believe it, even after all these years. Mystogan was a prince of a whole other world, and we had no idea." The older gentleman laughed as he took another swig from his tankard of beer that he'd ordered from the bar. Jellal just stuck to good-old coffee. He didn't want to deal with a hangover tomorrow on top of everything else. Erza was due back tomorrow with Gray and Lucy, and he had a very important question to ask her, something that would change both of their lives forever.

"And the only reason he kept his face covered was because he'd heard about what happened between us in the Tower of Heaven, and he didn't want to hurt Erza unnecessarily." Jellal nodded, his respect for his double rising as he smiled gently. Then he chuckled. "Of course, Laxus kinda ruined it during the Battle of Fairy Tail when he shot him right in the face with lightning." He smirked, shooting a raised eyebrow over at the Lightning Dragonslayer- who had been eavesdropping. Laxus Dreyar grimaced and quickly looked away, slightly abashed.

"Ah, knock it off, Fernandes." The Master's grandson growled. "You're one to talk about past mistakes. If I could apologize to him, I would. But I can't. I know I was a ֏₳¢₭₳$$, and everybody here still forgave me. Heh. Buncha softies." He smirked somewhat fondly, grinning sheepishly when his wandering gaze met Mira's lovely countenance briefly, but then both S-Class mages looked away with slightly pink faces.

"Well, Gramps is still pretty salty about it, but he holds a grudge like nobody's business." Natsu interjected as he passed their two tables in the Guild Hall. "Though, I'm pretty sure that- underneath it all- he's real proud of what you've become." The boy smiled proudly, grinning at the older man he used to idolize. Still did, come to think of it.

"When'd you get so wise, Dragneel?" Laxus teased, visibly amused. "Guess I gotta stop calling you kids 'kids' and 'brats' now. Now yer older pains in my behind." He chuckled, trying to get a rise out of the hot-headed Fire wizard and grinning in triumph when the first-gen Dragonslayer went volcanic.

"Alright, that's it! You an' me, Laxus. Behind the Guild. Right now!" The young man challenged, both fists aflame as he growled at his opponent, sounding very much like his foster father as he did so.

"Bring it on, Pinkie." Laxus laughed, using his magic to bolt over to the door ahead of Natsu and stepped out the back door. "Ya comin', slowpoke?" He razzed, egging on the enraged dragon even more with the biggest grin anyone had ever seen on his face. He was having way too much fun with this.

"I told you guys a billion times! It's not pink, it's really really light red!" The incensed Dragonslayer roared, clearly insulted.

"It's pink." laughed most of the rest of the Guild, not even bothering to hide the fact that they'd been listening to the whole thing. Jellal put a fist in front of his mouth to stifle his snickering, but he couldn't keep it all in. Natsu was way too easy to rile up.

Up on the second story rampart, Makarov watched two of his children- one a blood relative and one not- as they proceeded to beat the snot out of each other with both their magic and their limbs. A sweat-drop as big as his head appeared in the air next to him as the third and sixth Master closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "You kids are gonna drive me to an early grave!" He groaned as he took a swig of wine from a tankard he'd brought up with him from the bar.

-The next day-

"We're home!" Lucy called happily as she and the rest of her team stepped through the double oak doors of the Guild Hall, glad to be back in the town they all loved.

"Welcome back, you three!" Mira called from the second story, a broom* in her hand as she helped Kinana with some cleaning up around the Hall. With how lively their Guild was, the simple cleaning tool would have to be used pretty much every day to clean up the multitude of messes the crazy bunch of mages would create. "How did it go?" The Takeover mage beamed sweetly.

*[Yes, it's Max's favorite broom. XD]

"Great. Our client was real happy with how fast and hard we worked." Gray grinned, proud of his team and how well they all were able to work together. Then he chuckled and glanced sideways over to his 'big sister'. "I told you that you wouldn't need to bring all that junk with us on that job. It was just in Hosenka." He teased lightly, making the Requip Knight roll her eyes and scowl at him in mock irritation.

"That may be true, Gray, but it never hurts to be prepared for anything." She countered with a playful, light punch to the young man's shoulder. "Too much is always better than not enough, considering the only thing you brought along was yourself and a single pair of underwear. The ones you were wearing." She teased with a devilish grin that didn't belong on her angelic face.

"Gah! Not again!" Gray exclaimed, apparently just now noticing that he was once again wearing nothing but his boxers. "Why didn't you tell me I did it again, Lucy?" He accused, looking over at the Celestial Wizard with a slightly hurt pout on his face.

Lucy just laughed at his expression. "I just figured it's second-nature for you to strip at the most inopportune times at this point, so I just went with it. Besides, it's the middle of summer, and we were in a Hot Spring Resort for most of our trip. I figured you were too warm to wear anything else." She teased, causing the Ice Make wizard to turn slightly pink with embarrassment.

"You still could've told me." He groused, but let it slide, walking over to where the lockers were kept in the Guild Hall to see if he'd left any of his clothes in there from previous experiences.

"Erza?" A deep, somewhat shy voice suddenly sounded from one of the nearby tables, and the scarlet Knight looked over to see her 'prince' smiling back at her. "W-welcome home, first of all- and- there's- there's something I need to ask you. It's really important." He stammered, more flustered than anyone could ever remember seeing him.

"What is it?" The clueless mage asked the man she loved, and her confusion grew when he stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down on one knee when he was just a few feet in front of her.

That's not to say that everyone in the Guild Hall was clueless about the current situation. Gajeel and Laxus both spat out the drinks they had been enjoying in unison, utterly shocked by this sudden turn of events. Most of the rest of the Guild's mouths dropped open in dumbfounded incredulity, and Lucy's and Mira's 'squee!' of ecstasy could be heard echoing from even outside of the town limits, several miles away. They knew perfectly well what was happening, and both young women couldn't be happier for their flame-haired best friend.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away, of course, but- I just want to tell you how I feel." Jellal continued, wisely deciding to ignore his rather immature comrades. Good thing Meredy was out on a job with Juvia and Wendy, otherwise she would've been squealing in delight with the other girls. And giving him a headache in the process. That girl's voice was so high pitched when she squealed that she could shatter glass if she wanted to.

"Erza, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life, even considering that we met under some of the worst possible circumstances. I- I love you, Titania, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life- however long or short it may be. I know how cheesy that sounds, but I'm trying to be as sincere as possible. I- I guess- what I'm asking is: Erza Titania Scarlet, will you marry me?"

Whump.

The Heavenly Body mage blinked a few times in surprise when he suddenly found Titania lying on the ground, unconscious. He looked around the Guild Hall at the myriad of equally stunned faces, all eyes on either him or the fainted wizard at his feet. With a small snort of amusement, Lucy carefully put Erza's arm over both her shoulders and stood up with her, dragging her over to the nearest chair and gently setting her down so she would be more comfortable when she woke up from her little surprise-induced siesta.

The Celestial wizard grinned over at the hapless Heavenly Body mage and bit her bottom lip in an effort to rein in her giggles. "I think you can take that as a 'Yes'." She winked, and Jellal's face broke into a beaming smile that lit up the entire Guild Hall.

He'd been seven years old when he was kidnapped and imprisoned in the Tower of Heaven, then was a slave to Ultear's influence for ten long years until he was freed by the young woman he loved and her friends. A few months later found him a prisoner of retrograde amnesia, his own memories barred from him as he fought to protect his new and old friends from the terror of Master Zero and the Oracion Seis. Then he was arrested and jailed for months for his crimes against Era and the Magic Council, though these were not truly his sins. And now, finally, six long years later, Jellal Fernandes once again found himself imprisoned- just another inmate and prisoner of the highest security prison ever devised by mankind: A prisoner of love. This was one incarceration that he didn't mind being a part of, though, so long as he got to share his imprisonment with his scarlet angel.

And that's how it would stay, to the end of Time.

End of Chapter 5

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm