Author's Note: A hearty thanks to all those who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. And a quick note to the following reviewers:

FireShifter - Very eloquently put! Thank you!
Valerioux - Yup! Let the good times begin! :-D
Sistershook - Yeah, I like fanfics that focus on Erza and Lucy's sisterly bond. There are plenty that emphasize Levy and Lucy's close friendship, but I feel like a few more with the former pair would be cool.

Silence dominated the little clearing, the sounds of the surrounding wood the only source of noise as the minutes dragged by.

At last, Lucy forced herself to speak.

"Erza… I need to know what you've been keeping from me. Please."

Erza lifted her gaze from her feet to her friend's kind, sorrowful eyes. She could feel tears forming in her own, gently overflowing from only her left eye.

"I will tell you all. But I warn you, it is not a happy tale. And I would not blame you in the slightest if you choose to shun me after you know…"

"I would never… Please, Erza. Just tell us."

"Very well. As Gray has pointed out," she nodded briefly to the black-haired lad, "I am from Alvarez. There has been a brutal civil war raging in that country for quite a few years - and many lives have fallen victim to it, including those of my parents. I cannot recollect ever being with them, my earliest memories are those of the orphanage in which I was raised…" She offered Lucy a wane smile. "Those were happy times. Even though the war was a constant backdrop in our lives, granny - the old lady who owned the orphanage - always ensured that we were reasonably well-fed and cared for. She even taught us basic defensive techniques in case our village was ever struck by a 'royal raid'. That was what we called it when the unscrupulous soldiers of our tyrannical king rode through a town, stealing from, attacking and laying waste to it as they passed. Her forethought proved life-saving - for when I was eight, our village was indeed the victim of a raid. Those of us from the orphanage who could fight managed to escape their clutches and the raging fire they started to burn our homes to the ground." Erza paused, her voice faltering. Lucy instinctively reached out for her, ducking out of Natsu's hold and approaching Erza. She grasped her friend's hands in her own and gave them a comforting squeeze. Erza took strength from the simple, sympathetic gesture, inhaling a shaky breath before continuing. "We fled into the nearby forest and hid there for many days. It was… challenging, living in those woods. But the few of us who had escaped banded together and helped each other survive. We journeyed for almost a month, searching for a town that had not been destroyed in a raid, with no luck. It was when we were making an expedition to a town at the border of Alvarez and Icegard that we were captured…" Erza closed her eyes, her expression darkening and her hold on Lucy's hands tightening enough to make the young maiden wince. "My friends and I were transported to a dark and gloomy tower where we were put in an underground prison, stripped of what little belongings we still had, and forced into slavery. Ironically enough, the name of this structure was 'The Tower of Heaven'. The owners of this tower were constructing it illegally, and we were the laborers forcibly recruited to help them realize their goal. Some of the slaves were tasked with growing crops for our master's meals while the rest were charged with mining rock and sand for construction. The unluckiest of us were those who had to carry the mined rocks from the base of the tower to the top of the half-built structure. One side faced a steep cliff drop and one too many a time, when the harsh sea winds buffeted the structure, a slave would fall to their deaths. We were brought to replace a few that had been lost in that manner." Erza paused, dropping Lucy's hands, her gaze drifting to a far-away vision of her dark nightmares. "I worked in that hell for three years. During that time, the only reason I kept going, the only thing that could keep me rising every morning to face each horrendous day, was a boy - nay, an angel in child's form. His name was Jellal. He was the strength behind us all, the wind underneath our sails, the soul within our lifeless, empty bodies. He had the gift of heartfelt speech - when he talked, our worries melted away. His voice soothed and calmed us. He… He was my idol. He was an idol to us all. It was he who gave us hope… It was he who finally formed a plan of escape. He wished to destroy the tower in the process of our flight, for he had discovered that the purpose that it would serve on its completion would only bring misery and destruction to the citizens of Alvarez, and even the continent of Fiore. I supported him. We all did. We… we agreed to his plan, and decided the day we would put it into action." Erza's gaze returned to Lucy's, locking onto hers. "On that fateful day, Jellal lead a revolt against the tower guards. It was so sudden and had been so carefully prepared that it took them by surprise. We initially thought we would win. However, the guards had weapons we had not foreseen, and it resulted in a stalemate of sorts. Determined not to lose sight of his ultimate goal, Jellal approached me with a modified plan - he wished me to lead the children of my orphanage along with some of the more elderly slaves to the border of Fiore, where we could beg sanctuary from our neighbors. He intended to set fire to the tower and join us at a later point. However… I… I could not do it. I could not leave him behind, alone and with such a risky task upon his shoulders. I asked one of the elders to lead the children and the others to safety and then… I followed him. He did not know I was behind him. And unfortunately, I did not know that I was being followed as well. One of the guards had caught me sneaking into the building, and snuck in after me. When Jellal was about to light the fuse of the explosives he had gathered in the dungeons of the tower, my stalker caught up with me and held me at knife-point - using me as a hostage to force Jellal to stand down. He did. To save me. And a moment later, when the guard relaxed his hold on me, Jellal struck out. Between both of us, we managed to subdue him. We tied him up, and I pleaded with Jellal to abandon this part of his plan and come away from the tower with me, but instead… he killed the guard who had been holding me hostage. In cold blood. He asked me to leave immediately. And this time, I did. For as ashamed as I am to admit it, I was frightened of him… of the look in his eyes… he looked… crazed, almost insane with wrath. I ran away, praying he would follow me once he had done his task, and return to the beautiful, gentle boy I knew before. Before I could make it a few paces, the tower behind me blew up… I was thrown at least ten feet away by the impact of the blast. A sharp rock pierced my left eye, permanently damaging it, and I lost consciousness. But of one thing I was certain - there was no way Jellal could have made it out of that alive."

Erza's gaze fell upon each other occupant of the glade, her eyes holding a depth of grief and guilt that made their hearts ache for her.

"I was later found by an official of the Pergrande army, and he took me in and nursed me back to health. My benefactor allowed me to work in his barracks, and let me train with the army's old weaponry in my spare time. After two years, he brought me back to his homeland and enlisted the help of a dear friend to fashion me a new eye." Erza gestured to her left orb. "It was then that he told me I would be a battle companion for her hi… err… that is, Milady Lucy." She turned to Lucy, her smile genuine despite the grief lining her features. "I have felt truly blessed ever since I have come into your service, Lucy. Your friendship means so much to me… I cannot help but feel I do not deserve it. For haven't I already betrayed a friend in this lifetime? Had I listened to Jellal - had I not entered that building - he might not have been forced to kill that guard. His plan would not have gone awry. He… he would probably still be alive. It is my fault he is dead..."

She was halted by a white and gold blur, as Lucy launched herself into her arms, hugging her tightly and shaking with sobs of her own.

"Don't. Ever. Think. That. Way." Lucy blurted out between sobs. Drawing back slightly to look Erza in the eyes, she added softly, "What happened that day was terrible, but in no way was it your fault. 'What ifs' will exist all through our lives... But to hold ourselves responsible for something which we truly had no control over is wrong. Besides, would Jellal have wanted you to live like this? Brooding constantly in guilt and grief? I'm sure not! So please… please don't think that way!"

Erza sucked in a breath, hugging Lucy close and trembling with emotion.

"I wish I could stop. I just can't help feeling like the worst human in existence."

"You're wrong." Gray suddenly blurted out. "You aren't the worst human by a long shot. It's obvious that you disobeyed your friend with honorable, good intentions. You cared for him, and wanted to make sure he was safe while he executed his plan. It was fate's cruel trick that led to his death." Gray let out a shaky exhale. "If anyone deserves that title, it would be me."

The two girls looked at him, curiosity evident in their eyes. Natsu merely clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

With that gesture, Gray pulled himself up proudly to his full height, gazing at the two pretty girls in front of him and preparing to bare his soul.

"As you know now, I am from Icegard. We are a small militaristic nation, thanks to the fact that we border both Alvarez and the demon kingdom of Zarnade. We did not have much trouble with the latter until a few years ago, when they started to become surprisingly aggressive towards us. Rumor was that their ruler Zeref had disappeared, and an usurper was driving these attacks, but being the notoriously private and closed kingdom that Zarnade has always been, we have been unable to discover the truth…" Gray frowned, steeling himself for the rest of his tale. "They launched numerous assaults at their border with us. It was in one such attack, more than a year ago, that my mother died. We… We heard of how bravely she fought to defend the travelers she had been accompanying. She was a powerful snow mage, and she almost single handedly defeated the demon contingent that attacked them until their leader, Deliora, entered the fray." Gray grit his teeth and glowered at the ground, his entire body tensing at what came next. "The coward attacked her from behind, while she was distracted. He killed her, and then mutilated her body. He then proceeded to do the same to every human traveler on the trail with her… He didn't even spare the children. Needless to say, Icegard declared war on Zarnade the very next day." Gray's gaze locked on Erza's, a haunted look in his eyes. "Just like you, I too had a person who was my only anchor in the hell after my mother's demise. It was my teacher, Ur. She… She forced me to continue living. Around her I could effect a semblance of normality, but I could never truly rid myself of the rage I felt inside. I wanted revenge. I wanted Deliora to die by my hand, and suffer the same fate my mother had. I trained harder in ice magic with Ur, keeping this drive a secret from her." Gray sighed. "But I didn't fool her. She knew what I had in my heart. So when I snuck out of my home one day a few months ago, to confront the demon I so desperately wanted to kill, she followed. I had received intelligence that Deliora had arrived in Icegard alone, and had set up camp in the nearby woods. I headed straight there. I was driven by rage and arrogance - I thought the training I had received would be enough to defeat him… But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Barely a few minutes into our battle, I was already ready to drop in exhaustion, and Deliora had barely broken a sweat." Gray bowed his head, trying to hide the tears that escaped his eyes and fell freely down his face. "It was then that Ur stepped in to save me. Even she could not fully keep up with him. In the end she was forced to resort to a defensive technique, one of the most dangerous spells in ice magic… A spell called iced shell…"

Natsu involuntarily sucked in a breath. "Isn't that the spell in which the body of the castor becomes living ice?"

Gray did not respond, merely jerking his head in a semblance of a nod.

A long moment passed, while Gray struggled to regain his composure, his eyes still locked on the ground at his feet. He was suddenly surprised by the sight of two armor clad feet in his line of vision, and equally as startled by a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you Gray. For sharing this with us. With me. Now we both know one important fact… we are not alone."

Gray's head whipped up, his eyes swirling with his anger, guilt and misery.

"No. Our stories are entirely different. Where you were motivated by your love and concern for your friend, I was driven by my ego, anger and…"

"Your love for your mother." Erza returned his gaze, her eyes soft with empathy. "And your desire to protect the rest of those you cared for. Yes, fate played a cruel trick upon you. But as Lucy said, and I am forced to accept myself… It was not our fault."

Gray broke down. A great deal of the guilt, anger, misery and fear he had been holding in his heart dissipated. He sobbed openly, clinging to the girl who shared a story so similar to his own, offering comfort and drawing it from her.

Natsu and Lucy watched them from the side, unable and unwilling to interrupt the poignant scene.

A few moments later, Gray extricated himself from Erza's embrace, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He offered her a determined look, and turned to the somber faced dragon.

"You tell anyone in Alagesia of what has transpired here today, and I will pummel you so badly you won't be able to get out of bed for a month, ash brains."

Natsu's lips slowly turned up in a joyful smirk.

"Dream on, snowy bastard."

"Mind your language, dragon! You are in the presence of ladies."

"Huh? I don't see any ladies around here. Just a fluffy prude and a knight wannabe."

"..."

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT?!"

"So you question my skills as a warrior?" Erza's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes flashing with excitement. "Perhaps we should spar then? I would adore the opportunity to practice my requip magic."

Natsu grinned, his canines glinting in the first rays of twilight. "Nay, wouldn't feel fair. You're a human girl after all, and I'm a dragon."

"So? I observed your fighting style when I first entered the glade. I am more than confident I can take you on. In fact, I wager I could defeat you and Gray at the same time."

Gray raised his eyebrows, a smirk forming on his face as well. "Those are proud words, Erza. And maybe a little foolish too. I may not have been able to defeat Deliora, but I am still considered the youngest Master of ice magic on this continent." He paused. "And Pyro here isn't too shabby either."

"I stand by my words. I will engage you both in battle, and shall emerge victorious."

"Well, I tried to warn you…"

"Alright! I'm all fired up!"

Lucy paled and slowly inched her way backward to the treeline at the edge of the clearing, unnoticed by the three exuberant children in the center. This was one game they could leave her out of, thank you very much! She enjoyed having all her limbs intact and functioning, and had no plans of being mauled by three monsters today. She honestly had no idea how their three way tournament would end, although she had a gut feeling that the scarlet menace would be the victor. Gray was obviously talented, and Natsu was… well, 'fired up', but Erza was… ERZA. As those boys were soon to discover.

Lucy scrambled up the nearest tree, secretly thanking the last month and a half training with the scarlet menace for helping her do it so quickly and quietly, and settled into a crook between two branches to watch the show.

The three combatants prepared their battle stances, sizing each other up.

And then they attacked.

Lucy sighed as she wiggled into a more comfortable position to observe the carnage ensuing below. This was going to be a long evening.

Hundreds of miles away, a cry filled with fear, angst, and terror filled the air - very different from the joyful and enthusiastic battle cries of the children in the glade.

A cold gust of wind tore through the room as the human from whom the heart wrenching cry had issued, breathed his last.

A hooded figure watched the body, writhing in its death throes, with avid interest. As the body finally stilled, the figure turned away, walking briskly out the door and down the darkened hallway. It paused at a door at the end, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

The silhouette of a man against the window had the figure straightening up and coughing delicately.

"Father, the spy has been eliminated."

"Has he?"

"I saw to it myself."

The older man turned to the younger one, a grim expression on his face.

"King Faust is not pleased. It is now certain that the rebels know our most classified plans, and it is too late to alter most of them."

The younger man hesitated, before tentatively speaking.

"They do not know about Jellal."

"Nay, Midnight. But our ace card has also been in a stasis that you induced him into, for over two years now. With no signs of waking up. All thanks to your ineptitude, once again."

The younger man bowed his head, his tone turning miserable and fearful.

"Father…"

"You will not address me as such, being the disappointment that you are. Understood?"

"Yes, sir Brain."

"I am tired of cleaning up your messes. You will at least bring me one good piece of news to pass on to that irritating king. By the end of this fortnight, Jellal must awaken. His mind must be stable and his memories sufficiently altered. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"Good. Now go, and woe betide you if you ever fail me again."

The younger man hurried out of the chamber, as the elder continued to contemplate the rising moon visible from the window.