The Royal Palace. Not for nothing, but I expected something bigger. Why? I'm not sure. When I think of royalty, I think of lavishness on an unnecessary level. The postcards made it look so much bigger. Oh, well. Who was I to judge? Master Makarov and I were greeted at the front gate by more palace security and were immediately escorted to the throne room. The king and queen sat on their respective thrones, looking regal as ever to no one's surprise. Although, one would think there would be three sitting there.

"Hello, Makarov," His Majesty greeted us while we knelt at his feet.

"Your Majesty," Master rose. I followed suit.

"I see you've brought a friend, Makarov," Her Majesty noticed me standing next to him, "Who might this be?"

"This is Erza Scarlet," he introduced me, "She is one of the strongest my guild has to offer."

"She's a wizard?" she looked me over. In her defense, I was out of my armor for this meeting. Perhaps I should've changed before we came in.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I took a bow, "It's an honor to meet you."

"Erza Scarlet…" His Majesty repeated, "I've heard of your reputation. You're not only strong, but you're also highly respected. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," I confirmed, "I do my best and settle for nothing less."

"Why have you brought her along, Makarov?" Her Majesty asked.

"Because," Master explained, "I offer Erza Scarlet as protection for His Royal Highness."

"Interesting," she nodded, "We appreciate the offer. However, we also told you we were looking for knights to guard the prince, not a wizard."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," he defended me, "That hasn't exactly been working out for you, has it?"

"You'd be wise to mind your tongue," she glared, "Remember your place, Makarov."

"Darling," His Majesty settled her, "Let's hear him out. Perhaps he's onto something. Now, explain yourself, Makarov. Why should we consider Ms. Scarlet over a knight?"

"Erza's strength is unmatched," Master talked me up, "I would put ten of your knights poised to fight against her and ask them what kind of polish they use to get the blood off their armor. That is, if they're conscious enough to give me an answer. Besides, every great future king needs a powerful wizard by his side, does he not? If His Highness is going to have one, why not have the best?"

The king and queen deliberated for a brief moment before the queen spoke again, a hint of a smile on her face, "You speak of Ms. Scarlet as if she were your own, Makarov. Perhaps this is favoritism speaking for you."

"She may not be my blood," Master looked up at me from the corner of his eye, "But she's been in my care since she was nine years old. I know who she is and exactly what she's capable of. This is not favoritism, Majesty. It's truth."

If we weren't in mixed company of the highest order, I may have shed a tear or two. I never knew Master Makarov felt so strongly about me. The king rose to his feet, "Erza Scarlet…"

"Yes, Your Majesty," I took my bow.

"Do you truly believe in your ability to protect our son?" he asked, looming over me. There was no doubt he was attempting to intimidate me. And I'd be lying if I said it wasn't working, but nothing I couldn't handle.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Can you keep him safe?" His Majesty went on, "Even if it means offering your own life, so that he may live on?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." I didn't even hesitate. I'm already living on borrowed time. Giving my life to protect another would only seem fair.

"Then, rise, Erza Scarlet," he ordered, "And protect the prince with every ounce of strength you possess. Make sure no harm ever befalls him."

"It would be my greatest honor, Your Majesty," I stood back up again. Although, my curiosity started to get the best of me, "Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn, but where is His Highness now? Shouldn't he be here as well?"

"The prince is likely sleeping," Her Majesty reported, "He requires more than the average person. It's nothing for him to be taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon."

"We'll have someone show you to your quarters immediately," His Majesty assured, summoning my escort.

"I'll be living in the palace?" I wondered. That was unexpected.

"Of course," he insisted, "You'll be guarding the prince. How are you going to do that if you're somewhere else?"

"That's very generous, Your Majesty," I smiled, "Thank you."

"It's a small price to pay," His Majesty nodded, an attendant appearing behind him.

"You called for me, Your Majesty?" he stood at full attention.

"Please escort Ms. Scarlet to her room," he ordered, "Ms. Scarlet…?"

"Please, sir," I clarified, "You may call me Erza."

"Erza then," His Majesty nodded, "You and Makarov are close, are you not?"

"Yes, sir."

He looked over at Master Makarov, then back at me. And a little smile crept across his face, "Come, my queen. We should give them a moment alone to say their goodbyes. Whenever you're ready, Erza, the attendant will be outside the throne room."

"Thank you." My heart swelled. Our king had proven to be so kind, yet so firm all the same. It was nice of him to allow me this one kindness.

"Erza…" Master kept his voice down, "I don't know how long you're going to be here. I didn't know how long this job would keep you. I certainly didn't know it would require you moving into the palace. But hopefully, this can get you out of your head for a while. And if you ever have some time off…"

"Don't worry, Master," I took his hands, "I won't forget about the guild. This may be where I'll be living for the foreseeable future, but Fairy Tail will always be my home."

He lowered his head, just enough to hide his face from me. All of a sudden, Master started shaking, "I…I never doubted that, Erza. Not for a single second. And once you're done here, be sure you come straight home."

"It'd be my pleasure," I hugged him tight, fighting back tears of my own, "Can you let the others down easy?"

"If you see smoke coming from the guild hall later," Master teased, "Don't be surprised if they come running."

"I wouldn't be surprised," I assured, "But they did have my strict instructions to play nice until I got back. And I will be back…Right, Master?"

"I wish I could tell you yes with certainty," he admitted, "But right now, I don't know. This is further above my head than anything I've ever had to face before, Erza. This is beyond the power of the Magic Council and above the Wizard Saints. This is entirely out of my hands. You may be back to the guild hall one day, but this may be permanent. It all depends on if the king allows you to walk away."

"I couldn't do that," I stood my ground, "The job wouldn't be done."

"That's the Erza I know and love," Master approved, "And you know what? I know someone else that would have probably said the same thing."

"Thank you, Master," I knew what he meant. Him. He'd be so proud of me right now. I could almost hear his voice in my head. Keep him safe, Erza. Even if it means your life. It would be ok.

"This may be the hardest job you've ever faced alone," he prepared me, "But I know you can do it."

"Like I told the king," I reiterated, "I'll do my best. And settle for nothing less."

"That's my girl," Master picked himself up, "Well, I should be off then. I have an entire guild hall to break the news to. Good luck, Erza. You may need it."

It hurt to see Master go like that, but I could cry later. For now, I had a job to do. And that involved finding the king's attendant. I walked out of the throne room and followed him down the hall. The palace didn't look like much from the outside, but inside was where all the lavish extravagance was kept. Stone and marble columns lined the staircase and smooth, polished cobblestone covered the floor. From an architectural standpoint, this palace was beautiful.

"This will be your room, Ms. Scarlet," the attendant bowed to me.

"Thank you," I gave him a little polite smile, "What's your name?"

"Roland, Ms. Scarlet."

"Roland," I looked him over. He wasn't much. If he wasn't careful, he'd blow away in the wind. Yet, there was something familiar in his eyes. A certain fire I've seen only once before, "You don't need to be so formal with me. You can call me Erza as well."

"Oh, no," Roland shook his head. The poor thing could snap his neck like that, "I couldn't do that. I'm to be your squire."

"You're my squire?" I asked, "But I'm not even a full fledged knight."

"His Majesty told me personally that I was to be your squire," he told me, "Anything you may need, just ask and I'll get it for you."

"So," I figured, "You're my assistant then?"

"In the simplest terms."

"Alright then," I don't think I'd need the assistant, but I'm sure the company won't be so bad. Especially while the prince takes his naps throughout the day, "But I'm still giving you my express permission to call me Erza."

"Are you sure?" Roland winced, "It wouldn't be disrespectful to you?"

"Not at all," I allowed, "Although, I think I'm going to turn in for the evening. Thank you for showing me to my room. Go on. I'm done with you for the day."

"Yes, ma'am." Roland bowed to me and took off in the opposite direction. He's a sweet kid. Might be a little much to deal with sometimes, but at least he's eager to learn. I'm not sure how keen I am on the idea of a shadow, though. If Roland asks too many questions, he may be more of a distraction than a student. We can manage.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door into my new bedroom. And to no surprise, every inch of this room dripped with luxe, just like the rest of the palace. Even for (for lack of a better word) servant's quarters, this was very nice. This was bigger than my bedroom at the guild hall, too. And my bedroom at the guild hall didn't have a bathroom attached to it either. After a long day of guarding the prince, I'm sure that bathtub and I are going to have a very close relationship. I could daydream of long, hot baths and an extremely comfortable bed some other time. If I remember correctly, the prince's room was just next door.

I tried to peek through the window cut in the door, but unfortunately, I wasn't tall enough. No matter. I had a job to do. I pulled a chair out of my bedroom and put it outside the prince's bedroom door. For the next week, that was my routine. I'd wake up, get some breakfast from one of the maids, and sit outside His Highness's bedroom. Hardly anyone ever went in or out. Maybe a butler a couple times a day, but aside from that, the prince didn't even make an appearance. One night, my curiosity struck up.

"Hey, Roland," I asked, "Is the prince alright? Do you know?"

"It doesn't take much for him to ever fall ill," Roland told me, "I heard some of the maids talking one day about him. They say it's because of his time before the king and queen adopted him. He gets the worst headaches. They called them…Mi…Mi…something."

"Migraines," I cringed, "I know how he feels. Sometimes, I get them, too."

"What are they like?" he wondered.

"Well," I thought it over, "Sometimes, they're intense pain in your head. Sometimes, that pain gets so bad, it blinds you. Or sometimes, it will make you horrendously nauseous. Sometimes, they'll make any noise, even the slightest pin drop, sound like a freight train plowing through your head. The mere thought of moving makes you want nothing more than for it to end. I wouldn't wish migraines on anyone."

"Neither would I," Roland squirmed a bit, "I thought they were just bad headaches."

"No, no, no," I shook my head, "They're much worse than that. I wonder if I could bring him anything…I am supposed to be the one guarding him."

"And you're doing a marvelous job, Ms. Scarlet," His Highness's usual butler joined us, "But that would put me out of a job."

"Forgive me," I apologized, "Do you think you could send him my well wishes, though?"

"It'd be my pleasure," he bowed to me, opening the door. I tried to peek in the crack, but I couldn't see much. Just an outline of the prince lying in bed. The poor thing…I knew what kind of misery those migraines could bring and how debilitating they can be. It must be even harder for him, given he also has royal duties to attend to. I bet the butler helps take care of them. Someone has to. There's no way the prince was so sickly and still did what needed to be done. He needs the rest. Although, I had to wonder…

Will I ever meet him? I've been at the palace for a week now and the closest I've ever gotten was when the house staff would go in and out of his room. But I understand if he's not feeling well. That's not something for me to push. I knew better than that. The next day, I dosed off for a moment or two, not thinking much of it. It's not like there was anything going on. The halls were quiet and the rain outside made the palace quite peaceful. The prince would be fine. Besides, even the slightest noise would've woken me up. Everything would be fine.

Creeeeak…

"Um…Excuse me," a deep, yet gentle voice woke me, "Are you the new guard for the prince?"

"Yes," I got a look at his face. He looked so…So innocent. His deep blue eyes held a certain sorrow only matched by the long flannel pajamas that hung loosely off him, "Yes, I am. My name is Erza. It's lovely to meet you."

"Forgive my appearance, Erza," the boy bowed to me, "It's nice to meet you, too. My name is Prince Jellal…"