He…

He doesn't remember me?

I stared deep into the prince's eyes, only feeling the knife dig deeper into my chest. Honestly, in hindsight, that probably would've hurt me less. We spent the last four months together, day in and day out, shared things with each other that no one else knows. Yet…He doesn't remember a second of it. Were his memories wiped again? If so…Why? And who would do such a thing? Granted, for the last couple weeks, I, too wasn't in the best shape, but how bad was Jellal to the point where he needed to have his memories wiped again?

No matter how much he remembers of me…or doesn't…That didn't mean I couldn't still protect him. That compulsion never left me. That makes one of us. And at the end of the day, my personal life aside, I was still a representative of one of the top guilds in all of Fiore. I needed to conduct myself as such. Instead of treating Jellal like he was my friend (which he still is. I don't care if he remembers or not, I will always think of him as a friend…Unless those feelings escalate.), I treated him like the royal he is.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," I bowed to him, "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail. I've heard so much about you from my guild master."

"Makarov, right?" Jellal thought, "He's a good man."

"Yes, he is…" I swallowed the lump in my throat, "I figured I should introduce myself."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Scarlet," he smiled. It's too bad I couldn't tell him we've already met. That would cause too much of an uproar for him and the last thing I wanted to do was put him in more pain.

"Please," I insisted, "You may call me Erza."

"Erza then…" Jellal nodded, "I've never met any of the other members of Fairy Tail, but I'm sure none of them are as beautiful as you…"

Now, he's a smooth talker? No. This wasn't my Jellal. My Jellal would drool over Mira before he'd drool over me. I knew better, "That's very kind of you, Your Highness, but if you'll excuse me, I need to be going."

Because I had made a grave mistake tonight. I knew I shouldn't have come here. Despite not knowing how bad Jellal had truly gotten, I could've done without that. How does he not remember me? What spell is he under? And who would dare cast something like that? Memory erasing is dark magic. Although, it has been done for noble intentions, it never ends well. Although, that would explain why Jellal gets his migraines. Mind spells often have nasty side effects.

I needed some air. Instead of going out the front door, I slipped into the palace's garden, seeking refuge in a familiar place. I remember when Jellal and I first spoke. He and I walked these gardens as if we were old friends. He confided in me his biggest secret and showed me his telepathy magic. For someone who had been slightly out of practice, he knew what he was doing. And he did it all too well. It's just too bad he doesn't remember it like I do.

"Erza…?" a familiar voice called out in the dark. As much as I wished it was Jellal with his memories suddenly returning to him, he would do just as well in these trying times.

"Master…" I could hardly speak. The tears trapped in my throat were making things difficult.

"Erza," Master sat on the retaining wall next to me, "What's wrong, my dear? I'm surprised to see you here at all, but why are you sitting out here by yourself?"

"He doesn't…" my voice broke, "He doesn't remember me, Master. Jellal…He looked at me like I was a complete stranger to him. And it hurts. It hurts so bad."

"I'm sure it does," he put his hand over mine, "But in all fairness, you didn't remember him either."

"What?" I wiped the tears from my cheeks, "What do you mean, I don't remember him?"

"Erza…" Master let out a heavy sigh, "We need to talk. This has been a conversation that's been a long time coming, but I never knew when the right moment would be. Do you remember when I asked you to the palace in the first place?"

"I do," I nodded, "The S-Class board was empty and I didn't understand why, but you offered me the job with the royal family. To be Jellal's guard in the first place."

"And do you remember specifically why I chose you to be Jellal's guard?"

"Because I would be the best fit for the job," I figured, "Because he and I both had some less than desirable pasts and we could understand each other."

"It's not just that you two have similar pasts," Master explained, staring down at the ground, "You have the exact same past."

"What do you mean?" I wondered. Master Makarov had been a little nerved up lately any time I would mention Jellal. Not to mention, he seemed like he thought I figured something out. I didn't even know there was anything to figure out. I've been meaning to ask Master some questions for a long time now, but it looks like I'm about to get my answers.

"What do you know about Jellal's past?" he asked.

"The king told me quite a bit," I admitted, "He said that he found Jellal under a dark wizard and once he was taken care of, he and the queen adopted him and brought him to the palace. But he needed to have some of his memories wiped because they didn't want him to have to live with that kind of trauma."

"That's not quite how it happened," Master clarified, "He didn't find Jellal. I did. I found Jellal huddled up in the corner with the mark on his face and beyond broken. When I found him, I told the king. He was with me on that trip. When Jellal could finally speak again, he told me to find her. To find her and get her out of there as soon as possible. She didn't deserve to be in that tower anymore. She deserves a better life. She was hurt. He told me she was a floor below him. I told the king to take Jellal and get him out of there while I went looking for the girl. And do you know who I found?"

"Who…?"

"Well…" he hid a bit of a smile on his face, holding my hand, "It was you, Erza. I know you try to forget that day as much as you can, but I'm sure you remember me finding you, don't you?"

"Of course," I remembered it all too well. The last kind face I saw before I left that tower. Master Makarov took me to have all of my wounds treated and when I woke back up, he was the first one I saw. But then, bigger realizations struck, "Are you telling me that Jellal told you to find me?"

"That's right, Erza," Master confirmed, "His Majesty took Jellal to the palace, but I took you back to the guild hall. We figured it'd be for the best if you two didn't see each other for a while. You were both too young to keep reliving that over and over. Otherwise, I would've brought Jellal to the guild, too. And at the time, the queen was wanting nothing more than a child. Unfortunately, they couldn't produce one of their own. After hearing his story, the queen fell in love with Jellal almost instantly."

"Does that mean…" The more I thought on it, the more it made my head hurt. But right now, I wanted nothing more than that pain. I wanted to feel every throb in my head. Because I knew what it meant. As much as I wanted Jellal's memories to come flooding back to him, my own were doing that instead, "Jellal…He saved me."

"And you were hired to return the favor," Master got up from the ledge, "Even though you two were split apart, destiny had other plans for you. Some force in the universe wanted you and Jellal to be again."

Without another thought, I got up, too, ready to run back inside to share the news, "Jellal!"

"Erza, no!" Master stopped me, "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" I stood my ground, "I have to!"

"That would send him spiraling down a hole you don't want him to go down," he ordered, "You handled it a lot better than I thought you would, but you don't want to do that to him. Not only would it likely trigger a migraine for him, but it could also leave him a drooling mess. I know you want to, but for Jellal's sake, don't."

Master Makarov was right. I hated that he was right, but he was right. But I couldn't keep lying to him. Not about this, "What do I do, Master?"

"Give him this," Master took a small glass bottle out of the pouch on his hip. A deep purple liquid sloshed around inside, "I wasn't the one who wiped his memories, Erza, but I know the wizard who did. This is the potion that will restore all of Jellal's memories. The ones from the time you two spent together over the last four months. But it will also restore the ones you've spent years suppressing. If that's something you'd be willing to face, then I hope you're well prepared for it. Because it won't be pretty."

"We'll get through it," I assured him. Something deep in the pit of my stomach told me we'd be ok. As long as we weren't split apart again, we'd be ok. Besides, this was the most important thing I could ever do for Jellal. He saved me from the tower. Now, I'm fully prepared to save him from himself, if I have to. He would've done the same for me.

"Be careful, Erza," Master warned me, "There's no telling what horrors he may relive."

"Yes, Master…" I knew exactly what horrors lie dormant in his mind. Because he's seen through the cracks and I've helped him through it before.

I pulled myself together and walked back into the palace on a search for His Highness. Last I saw him, Jellal was near the refreshment table. He must have moved since then. Roland. I'm sure Roland knows where he went off to. He knew where Jellal was when I got here. I have no doubt he's taken over as his security detail. At least I hope so.

"Erza Scarlet," Her Majesty caught me before I could go any further, "What are you doing here? I thought you left the palace to never return again."

"I have an invitation," I assured her, "But if you'll excuse me, Your Majesty, I'm looking for someone."

"Let me guess," she assumed, "Is it Jellal perhaps?"

"If that's alright with you," I bowed my head, showing her due respect.

"It's not," Her Majesty put her foot down, "I'd like for you to leave. You don't need to be here."

"But this is important," I argued, "I need to see him."

"No!" she growled, "You're not getting near him again. You left him."

"Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty," I was done. I understand she's the Queen of Fiore, but I had it. After hearing what Master Makarov said, I have more of a right to Jellal than she did, "But why do you have such a problem with me?"

"Excuse me?" Her Majesty gasped, clutching her chest, "What are you trying to say?"

"You know exactly what I'm saying," I stood my ground, "Ever since I came to the palace, you've always hated me. I've done nothing but faithfully serve this kingdom and keep Jellal safe. What is your problem with me?"

"You know what you've done!" she snapped, her eyes burning bright, "You know you could've saved him! You could've kept him safe then! Why should I trust you to do it now?"

"I was nine!" I argued, catching the attention of some curious onlookers, "If I could've done it then, I would've thrown myself into the fire for him time and time again. But I was nine! I was in the same situation! But instead, he saved me and gave me a better life. In return, he was given this! And he deserved it. Every second of this. You're just angry that destiny brought us back together again."

"If you couldn't protect him then," Her Majesty growled, "How could I ever expect you to protect him now? You left him because you couldn't handle it. And that was now. That was just a couple weeks ago!"

"Mother…" Jellal walked up to us, trying to smooth things over, "What's going on?"

"Erza?" His Majesty joined us, "It's lovely to see you again, but what are you doing here?"

"Jellal," I took his hand, "I have something for you, but it may not be the easiest for you to take."

"What is…"

"Guards!" Her Majesty demanded, "Escort Erza Scarlet away from the…"

"No," Jellal stopped her, "Mother, I understand you want me protected, but I don't think Miss Scarlet means me any harm. She has very kind eyes."

"She means to poison you, Jellal," she lied through her teeth, "How do we know she's not an assassin?"

"She isn't," Jellal promised, smiling at me, "Like I said, she has kind eyes. I can trust her. Besides, we met earlier this evening. You're a member of Fairy Tail, aren't you, Erza?"

"That's right," I nodded.

"So then," Jellal took the bottle from me, "What is this?"

"It's a poison potion!" Her Majesty tried taking it away from him, but he wouldn't have it, "Guards! She's trying to kill the prince!"

"Excuse me, Your Majesty…" Finally…Someone who understands I'm not trying to kill Jellal, "But I'd rather you didn't tarnish the name of one of my children like that. Erza would never do something that would hurt the prince. It goes against her nature."

"Thank you, Master Makarov," I could breathe a little easier.

"You know this has been a long time coming," Master settled the queen, "We were all on borrowed time. Maybe this was meant to be now."

While no one was looking, Jellal had already downed the potion I gave him. And immediately, he dropped to the floor, holding his head. And of course, it threw the queen into hysterics, "See?! She is trying to kill him!"

"Stay back, Your Majesty!" Master demanded, "It's going to be alright. Just let it be."

"Jellal…" I got down to his side. He was in too much pain to even think right now. So, I thought for him. I reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar orange bottle that has saved both of us on many occasions, "Here."

I handed him a tablet from the bottle and watched as he threw it down his throat, "Thank you…"

"Are you ok?" I worried. Master did say this could trigger a migraine for him, but I didn't think he'd be this bad.

"My head hurts," Jellal spoke weakly, "And my heart…It's so heavy…Erza…?"

"I'm right here," I assured him, never wanting to leave his side ever again, "What is it?"

"You were…" Tears fell to the floor, "You were so little…And so fragile…And so scared…I just wanted what was best for you. I hope you can forgive me for pushing you away then…"

"Forgive…" my heart sunk. He remembered. He remembered everything. Without another thought, I threw my arms around him, finally letting out all the tears I've been holding back for so long. For so…very, very long, "Thank you, Jellal. For saving me. You have no need to ask for forgiveness. I'm just glad to have you back."

"Mother…" Jellal wiped his eyes, "I just want one dance with her. Please. Let me have one dance with her…"

"Jellal…" Her Majesty tried to stop him. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

"Did you know?" he cut her off, "When Erza arrived at the palace, did you know she and I had a connection?"

"Yes…" she lowered her head, "I did know. I knew all about your past, but it would only hurt you, Jellal. Wizards have only hurt you. And I don't see why she'd be any different."

"Because it's Erza," Jellal explained plainly, "Not her. And not ever. I'd like to be left alone now."

"I understand." As much as the queen didn't want Jellal to go off on his own, she also knew what she did was wrong in a sense. However, I couldn't fault her for it. All she wanted to do was protect her son. And right now, he needed to be alone.

"Erza," Jellal extended his hand to me, hiding a little smile on his face, "Do you think you and I could go somewhere private?"

"Of course." Who was I to say no to him now?

"You're not going alone," Her Majesty stipulated, looking over the guards. Her eyes settled on a little one in the front, "You! What's your name?"

"Roland, Your Majesty!" he straightened up immediately.

"Go with them," she ordered, still glaring a hole through me, "In case something were to happen, I want a witness."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Roland bowed to her, "If that's ok with you, Your Highness."

"It's fine," Jellal allowed, "You're merely a friend to us, Roland. And you've served me well in Erza's absence. If you're not careful, I may knight you myself when I take over the kingdom."

Yes…A kind and just leader…And he never has to be alone ever again.