"I don't remember you being this annoyingly nosy." Jellal deadpanned, a twitch of his lips the only give away of his amusement with his predicament.
The blunette was astride a horse which was wedged between the steads of his two former comrades. The younger, pinker-haired of the pair paused in her barrage of questions to roll her eyes at him.
"You hardly spared me a glance back in those days, Jelly! You were all silent 'doom and gloom' back then and… besides… I was dealing with a plethora of my own issues as well…"
Jellal's eye spasmed in annoyance.
"When are you going to give up on that ridiculous nickname for me?"
Meredy flashed him a mischievous grin.
"Now that I know it annoys you… never!"
Jellal groaned as he turned away from the now madly cackling mermaid to address her slightly less exuberant companion.
"Surely you can reason with her Ultear?..."
The black haired woman raised a brow, her features alight with amusement and evil mirth.
"Consider it your punishment for your former gloomy and doomy act, Jelly…"
As both girls chortled over his disgruntled expression, Jellal glanced over his shoulder at the scarlet-haired beauty seated on his horse behind him, still dozing with her soft cheek nuzzling his back. His pout faded into a look of concern and soft affection as he gently nudged the top of her head with his nose.
"Erza? Are you tired? Shall we rest for a bit?"
Erza cracked open an eye, a twinkle of mirth in her own deep brown orb.
"Nay, Jelly. Just... resting a tad after all that excitement this morning…"
Jellal snorted, but made no further comment. He pointedly ignored her use of his annoying new nickname, she was obviously fatigued and distracted and surely had not meant to use it…
"On second thought… perhaps a more appropriate moniker would be blueberry jelly?"
Ultear and Meredy roared in mirth at Jellal's expense as he threw a wounded mock-scowl at the lovely woman behind him.
"Et tu Erza? Then fall Jellal!"
Erza just giggled, wrapping her arms a little more securely around him, and leant forward to whisper in his ear.
"The reason I suggested that nickname is because you are truly delicious…"
Jellal felt his face heat up, infinitely thankful that their two companions were still too busy guffawing to notice his flushed visage.
"You protected Ultear from death at Hades hands. You stopped him from getting his hands on the Primordial source, and freed the Oracian Seis - our old comrades from the Tower of Heaven, coincidentally - in the process. As for me…You reunited me with all those old friends today morning. You have been by my side watching over, protecting, and caring for me so much over these past few weeks, indeed, you have been doing so ever since we met in Pergrande… You are so sweet… can you blame us for wishing to allude so affectionately to this truly wonderful side of yours?"
Jellal felt the glow in his chest rise and spread throughout his form as her soft, kind words washed over him. Their companions had ceased their mirth and had listened to Erza's impassioned little speech, both smiling serenely and nodding in agreement with her.
Jellal's thoughts drifted to one of the points in her praising speech. Just a few days ago, he had requested Ultear to contact what remained of the Oracian Seis. Ultear had complied a little hesitantly.
"Since you did help them escape in the end, they don't hate you for essentially enslaving them and handing them over to Hades. But that doesn't mean those criminals won't try to attack you on sight…"
"I don't care. They need to meet her. She needs to meet them. I'll take whatever risk is attached with that."
His resolve had worked out for the best, however, for the members of the Oracian Seis had been ecstatic to meet Erza again. And they had even been astonishingly forgiving towards him.
"Father - well, he was not truly my father, he had me call him that simply as a tactic to manipulate my loyalty - had me alter your memories and emotions to an extent." Midnight had confessed, his eyes guiltily avoiding the bluenettes. "In all honesty, I was not comfortable doing it. Especially not after all you and Erza had done for us in the Tower of Heaven. You saved us… and I repaid that by enslaving you. I… I was just so scared of Father… err… Brain, that is… The punishment you meted out to us after you defeated him seemed fitting, and besides… You were never really yourself after the procedure, so I can't see any of your actions afterwards as truly yours, you know?!"
Not himself indeed. Jellal shuddered whenever he recalled the empty, cold feeling within himself, which he now understood was mostly a side effect of Midnight's mind manipulation spell. Midnight's confession and apology, though gratefully received, had still left Jellal with more questions than answers. To his disappointment, the black haired young man had known nothing of Jellal's past before the Tower of Heaven. The little information regarding Jellal that Brain had possessed had died with the cruel mage - the rest of the Oracian Seis, including his self professed 'son' had been purposefully left in the dark. Midnight even admitted to Jellal that he had tried poking through his trapped memories of events that had occurred before the tower… but as Ultear had previously expressed, the raven-haired, khol-eyed young man also had to admit that the spell placed upon those memories was far too strong for normal mages such as themselves to overcome.
What they all did not know, was that one little remembrance from those impenetrable memories had returned to him - once again, thanks to his angel and soul mate, Erza. A remark she had made in passing regarding her lack of a real family, had triggered a strange scene in his mind of a time long past, when he had been but a toddling youngster - and had met an enchanting little babe with a wisp of red hair held lovingly and proudly in the arms of an awfully familiar face and figure…
"Once you have quite done drooling over your lover, could you help us set up camp?"
Ultear's amused and exasperated tone cut through Jellal's internal musings, as he stopped absentmindedly staring at Erza - as the warrior maiden tended to all their horses - and instead faced his raven-haired old friend.
"Honestly, given the mesmerizing beauty that she is, can you blame me?"
Erza blushed and shook her head as the other two women devolved into a fit of excited giggles.
"Be that as it may," Ultear said, recovering first, "I need an extra hand with these tents. And Meredy can't light a fire to save her life."
An indignant harrumph from the young woman in question interrupted Ultear. Before the mermaid could fashion a spirited rebuttal, Jellal chuckled and strode forward, gesturing to Ultear to hand him the flint and wood. Working quickly in companionable silence, the group of four soon had a temporary camp set up. Very soon they found themselves seated in front of a merry campfire, polishing off the bones of a few unlucky woodland creatures that had served as their wholesome supper. Jellal watched with amusement and satisfaction as his lover joked and laughed with the boisterous witch-mermaid duo, occasionally urging him with her eyes to join in on their merriment. Jellal always obliged her unspoken request, but found himself relapsing into silence every time after - content to sit back and enjoy the scene before him in a quiet and relaxed pose.
"But on a serious note - exactly how many years has it been since you've last been North, Erza?" Ultear gasped out, still clutching her stomach and recovering from her most recent bout of raucous laughter.
Erza wiped a tear of mirth away from the corner of her eye. "M-many years. I was but a child when I was there last. And I speak of only Alvarez - I have never visited Icegard or any of the other kingdoms in Northern Fiore."
Ultear's eyes shone with excitement. "You're in for a treat then - Icegard is a beautiful place indeed, and will make a perfect home for a powerful and talented mage such as yourself. It will be a wonderful feeling to be able to live your life out in the open - free and entirely the way you wish to, and not be forced to hide your magic anymore - don't you think?" She shot the warrior maiden a sly grin. "And now that Seigrien is thought to be 'beheaded' by all his enemies, his new persona will be free to live with you too, eh? So… when are you planning the wedding?"
Erza sputtered and blushed crimson as her mischievous female companions laughed even more at her expense. Erza shot her lover a panicked yet hopeful look, her flustered visage instantly taking on a worried tinge as she absorbed the serious and thoughtful look in the blunettes eyes.
"Er. Jellal?"
Jellal blinked. He glanced at the others a little blankly, finally settling on Erza's concerned face.
"I'm sorry. I was a bit preoccupied. What did you say, my love?"
"I was teasing her about her future in Icegard." Ultear interjected softly, glancing between the pair. "You and she are free to live any way that you wish - and you may do it together. Would it not be best to make an honest woman of her?"
Jellal smiled. "I would like nothing more than to make Erza my wife."
His friends beamed proudly at him, while his scarlet-locked lover burned the deepest shade of red she had yet.
"However," Jellal continued slowly in his gentlest voice. "There are a few matters we must discuss first. One of which is especially urgent and would be of immense interest to you, dear Erza."
The bluenette took in a deep shuddering breath as he squared his shoulders a little.
"I know your mother, Erza."
The silence that followed Jellal's stunning revelation dragged on for a good few minutes.
"W-what?!" Erza at last gasped, her eyes locked on his.
"I have met her before." Her lover continued quietly, his own gaze steady and comforting. "And I believe we will need to approach the Alvarez rebels to find her again. That is, if you wish to find her. I-I know you often wonder about your heritage - you sometimes mumble soft words in your sleep, of times long ago when your mother held you close and sang to you. But… something happened, and she chose to entrust you to that orphanage. This could be your chance to find out why."
Erza bit her lip, bowing her head as she gazed at their interlocked hands. Jellal gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
She looked up after a few moments, gazing straight into his eyes, determination and hope shining in her own deep brown orbs. Jellal had to restrain himself from jumping up from his spot beside her and crushing her to himself in a passionate embrace - that spirit of hers always excited him to no small measure.
"I would like to. On one condition."
Jellal frowned a little, wondering what she could possibly be frightened of, but nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Will you promise to always be by my side?"
Jellal let out his breath in a huff, giving into his urge to hold her close. He pulled her onto his lap, ignoring her surprised squeak of protest, as he crushed his lips onto hers, her weak, embarrassed attempts to voice a negation quickly transforming into a soft moan of delight. He reluctantly pulled away a hair's breadth to murmur a response against her luscious lips.
"Of course. I promise. Although, such a promise would truly be redundant - for I have no intention of ever letting you out of my sight again."
The passionate kiss that his solemn, sincere words inspired had the blue-haired man letting out a wanton moan of his own, his arms further tightening around his beloved.
ahem
Erza flung herself away from Jellal, her cheeks burning crimson once more as she turned to their other two companions with an apologetic look.
Jellal merely glared at the amused pair.
"Can't you see we were having a moment, here?! What happened to discretion? Surely, whatever you want can wait…"
Meredy shook her head, an uncharacteristically solemn look in her eyes.
"No, Jellal. If your next plan is truly to approach the rebels once more, then a discussion is of utmost urgency. Have you forgotten what happened last time we faced them?"
Jellal ducked his head, scowling at the ground instead. He remained stubbornly silent, whilst Erza looked curiously between the gang of old comrades.
"What happened?"
Ultear sighed. "Jellal and I attacked them. Meredy was backup, along with a small cohort of Alvarez soldiers. We were outnumbered and outclassed, and yet we inflicted quite a lot of damage on them. I doubt that they would have forgotten or forgiven that battle so quickly…"
"Most importantly," Meredy interrupted, her eyes blazing with fury. "Ultear almost died that day! Those rebels almost killed her - we cannot take such a risk again. I refuse to lose Ultear. However much we may like and trust you now, Jellal, we cannot follow you on such a suicidal quest."
"They almost killed you too, child." Ultear chided softly.
Meredy scoffed, directing a glare at her dearest friend. "You should've let that arrow pierce me. It was meant for me, and by taking it you saved my life almost at the expense of yours! What is the guarantee you won't try something just as foolhardy again?!"
"There is no guarantee." Jellal interrupted gruffly. "But at least this time, we won't be approaching them as enemies - but as neutral beings. If they attack, then our goal will not be to destroy them like the last time - but to protect our loved ones and escape intact. That being said - I did not expect you and Ultear to accompany us, Meredy. This is something that I must do for Erza… you two are under no obligation to come."
Ultear reached out and tweaked the scowling mermaid's nose, promoting an indignant hey! and a swat at her hand.
"Stop worrying so much, little one! I will be fine. As you will be. I promise to take care of you, just as I know you will take care of me. We cannot let these two clueless lovebirds take on such a monumental task on their own! Let's go along and have some fun…" Ultear grinned at her beloved mermaid, encasing the pinkette in a warm hug as she spoke. She rested her chin on the top of the young maiden's head, gazing at the quiet pair on the opposite side of the quickly fading fire. A solemn look of agreement passed between the raven-haired witch and her two human companions. Their next stop would be…
The Alvarez rebel camp.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The lean yet muscular dragon man stalked through the camp, his gait graceful yet eerily predatory. Most beings he passed avoided his eyes, fearfully whispering words of respectful greeting whilst studying the uneven ground at their feet. The dragon man barely acknowledged them, intent on reaching his destination undisturbed. He paused at the entrance of a large tent, his clawed fingers playing with the clasp of the thick curtain covering it. After a few moments, with a deep sigh, he pushed aside the heavy fabric, stepping into the dimmer, cavernous temporary chamber. He took in the scene that met his eyes with a soft, sad smile upon his face. A number of white-clad beings bustled about the tent, offering food and comfort to the many ailing beings of all races and kinds resting in almost every available corner of the large enclosed space. Amongst these beings were a handful of busier blue-clad individuals - running from pillar to post, healing broken bones here, mixing salves to apply on minor wounds there, and in general adding to the efficient chaos that ran the infirmary tent. At the center of this hustle and bustle, two distinct figures stood out - one with bright pink hair and clad in pristine white, awkwardly serving a large group of war refugees their mid-day meal, and another in soft baby-blue robes - moving about gracefully amongst the same group, checking a being's temperature here, offering words of advice and solace there, and in general being an angel of mercy.
The pink-haired dragon man effortlessly weaved his way through the remaining occupants of the tent, making his way to the pair at the center.
"It's him!"
"Is that?..."
"Yes! The new emperor of the demons…"
"Emperor? Him? Of those creatures? Nay, he's just the wretched keeper of those filthy scum. And he's not their emperor - they all call him E.N.D…"
The dragon man halted his approach abruptly, his keen hearing unable to block out the morbidly excited whisperer's not-so-quiet words. As he turned to face the wood elf, the unthinking whisperer paled, scrambling up from his seat on the ground to bow low to Natsu.
"M-my lord, Prince of the Dragons…"
"That was not what you called me just moments before. Use that title instead."
The elf shivered at the sound of Natsu's low, menacing tone.
"M-my lord?"
"Say it."
The elf-man, now thoroughly frightened, just whimpered, looking to his companions for help. Before any of them could react, Natsu had stepped forward, grabbing the hapless elf by the collar of his thick woolen shirt.
"Etherious. Natsu. Dragneel." Natsu growled, his face inches from the now terrified elf's visage.
"Dragneel means 'son of the dragon Igneel' in the demon tongue. Etherious is the demon's ultimate title of strength. And Natsu…" Natsu's lips twisted into a cruel grin as his hold on the elf steadily grew choking, the whimpering male flailing in his grip.
"Natsu is the name of the most powerful, strong and vicious dragon-demon to have ever walked this earth."
The pinkette promptly dropped the elf, the man immediately scrambling away as he grasped at his throat, taking in deep, raspy gasps of precious air.
"Oh, Natsu… You only had to warn him to show respect. You did not have to frighten him so..."
Natsu sighed, his head drooping slightly as he turned around to face his gentle admonisher.
"But Wendy…"
"No buts." Wendy interrupted, her voice soft but firm. "When Father supported your decision to stay behind here, he did not do so expecting you to bully our recovering soldiers and refugees of war."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "I don't pick on 'em unless they pick on me first."
"Still a toddler, eh, mighty E.N.D?"
His fellow pinkette came to stand by Wendy, leaning casually on her lover's shoulder as she leveled a mock glare at the fierce dragon Prince. Natsu just chuckled.
"Hey, when I was a toddler I was far worse! At least now, I give 'em a chance to say sorry first."
Chelia rolled her eyes, just as Wendy sighed in defeat.
"You're hopeless. What would Mother say when she sees you?"
Natsu shrugged, walking past the pair towards the opposite end of the tent.
"Would you two have a moment to spare now? One of the dragon generals told me that you were asking around for me, thought I'd drop by to see why…"
Wendy nodded, grabbing Chelia's hand and her brother's forearm to steer them out the back entrance of the tent. Once outside, she led them to the edge of the wintery woods, taking a seat on a broken log and gesturing to her two companions to do the same. She gazed at her fidgety fingers before finally looking up with a determined look in her eye.
"Natsu…" She began softly, her gaze fixed on her brother. "I think it is time we return home."
Natsu sighed. "I told you so a long time ago, Wendy! You should've returned to Alagesia when our Father did, in fact. But no matter. I'll make arrangements for a royal escort for you, Chelia and Carla, of course, to leave by the day after tomorrow…"
"No, Natsu." Wendy sighed. "When I said 'we' I did not mean just Chelia, Carla and I. I meant you and Happy too."
Natsu stiffened.
"Happy's welcome to go back with you if he so chooses…"
Chelia let out an impatient huff. "Quit stalling, Natsu! We want you to come back too, you stubborn flamer!"
"No."
"But why?" Wendy and Chelia chorused, both dragon women crossing their arms over their chests and glaring at the dragon man.
Natsu winced. The thought of facing both his sisters' wrath at once was highly unappealing.
"You two know why. I still haven't found Acnologia…"
"There's nothing left to find!" Chelia groaned, at wits end with her pig-headed brother-in-law. "He's dead, Natsu! The prophecy was wrong! You killed him, with that freaky display of golden fire power, and his body fell into the ocean where it was probably swallowed up by a sea serpent!"
"We don't know that for sure." Natsu responded quietly.
Chelia let out a noise of frustration, rubbing her temples as she took deep breaths to calm her quickly rising temper. Wendy smiled, beginning to rub soothing circles into her bonded's back, as her short-tempered lover immediately relaxed into her touch.
"Natsu, the water and sky dragons, along with many other manner of magical beings, have searched high and low for his remains. We've found nothing. Surely that means he's gone for good?"
"Even the demons have moved on from him, Natsu." Chelia interjected more calmly. "They hail you as their savior and leader now - surely that means he is gone?"
Natsu sat still, his gaze rooted on the ground at his feet.
"I-I still do not feel ready to go home."
Wendy and Chelia exchanged concerned glances. They rose from their spots on the log opposite, to take a seat on either side of him. Wendy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Why not, brother?"
Natsu sighed. "Alagesia will see me as a monster. Fairy Tail will be wary of me. All of our old friends would probably be too…"
"Most of our friends came to war with us, and they've accepted you just fine." Wendy coaxed softly.
Natsu did not respond, merely curling up as he hugged himself, his gaze still stubbornly fixed on the dirt floor of the wood's edge. A heavy silence settled over the three dragons as Wendy and Chelia exchanged helpless looks above Natsu's hunched form.
At last Wendy let out a forlorn sigh, understanding the wordless conversation that had passed between her and her pink haired sweetheart.
"Very well then, brother. Come home when you are ready. Chelia, Carla and I would like to leave as soon as we can, though. And you are welcome to join us if you change your mind…"
Natsu quietly rose from his seat, casting a forced smile over his shoulder at his two little sisters, as he slowly trudged back to camp.
Wendy and Chelia watched him leave, all the grief on his behalf that raged in their hearts, evident in their lovely eyes.