A Series of Fortunate Events
Chapter 2
"If your heart is strong, then the monsters will never be able to take your spirit."
Scarlet:
She hadn't been counting the number of days and years she'd been stuck in the prison. It was all one, giant, big, horrible nightmare after she had gotten kidnapped and she wished that it were all just a dream. But the events that happened to her were real – but they weren't all bad.
"What's your name?" He had come up to her after the slaves had been locked back behind the bars.
Even in the small, dank cage, his blue hair stuck out from all the other dull, dark colors. "I'm Jellal. Jellal Fernandes." And he stuck out his hand with the metal shackle and red buzzer around it for her to shake.
As if it was normal for slaves to shake hands like normal people. She looked up behind a curtain of red hair and eyed his hand like it was some of foreign object.
For a second, she hesitated. "Erza." She muttered and turned away. What a strange guy.
He had to pick up a lock of her hair – of course – and he peered at it curiously. She stiffened and didn't dare to move.
A look of wonder filled his face and he dropped her hair and patted her head gently.
She turned to face him and he smiled. It was such a look of hope – and the first smile of happiness – that she'd seen inside the tower for days and she stared stupidly at it.
"I'll never remember your name if you don't have a last name!" He tapped a finger on his chin in thought. "I got it!"
He exclaimed. "Your last name will be Scarlet. Erza Scarlet!"
Erza raised her hand and stroked her brilliant red hair. "Scarlet…"
Over a period of days, she opened up to her "cage-mates", as she called them.
There was Sho, the small blonde boy who had the widest, most innocent eyes she'd ever seen. He followed her around and affectionately called her "sister".
Then there was Millianna – a little girl with short brown hair and an undying love for cats.
Her friend Wally was like a sibling to Millianna and he had a defiant streak that ran in his genes like the scrawny face and jet-black hair he had.
Simon was one of the most mature of the kids and he was older than Sho, Millianna, and Wally. He was nice and quiet to Erza and his other friends, and he had to act as the peacemaker between some of Wally and Sho's arguments.
Rob – Grandpa Rob, as he liked them to call him, was way older than all of them. When Erza had asked him how old he was, he had answered, "ancient."
Despite the age difference between them, the kids grew close to the old man who comforted them in their times of need. He also had a strange black tattoo on his back that intrigued them and always made for a great bedtime story to tell.
The tales of magic, guilds, and adventure never failed to lift up their spirits when they felt down.
Of course, there was also Jellal. Jellal Fernandes… was possibly the most hopeful, optimistic, and rebellious person out of all of them.
Even Wally couldn't keep up with Jellal's constant tricks and tips to escape from extra labor and outmaneuver the guards and patrol animals.
The blue haired boy even came up with a plan that actually worked to get more rations from the gullible guards! However, he never came up with an escape plan, of course.
Despite people plotting and attempting to run away, every time it happened the escapees would get caught and killed in front of their fellow slaves as a lesson to the others that escape was impossible from the Tower of Heaven.
It was funny how the constructors had named it the Tower of Heaven. How could heaven ever be so… cruel and torturous?
Erza never had any hope to escape form this place. She only prayed that one day, she, Sho, Wally, Millianna, Simon, Jellal, the other kids in the cells a few doors away, Grandpa Rob, and everyone else could finish their work on the tower and get freed.
It wasn't until Wally was shocked to unconsciousness after "a slip of the button" that he began to plot his master plan – Escape From the Tower of Heaven.
After Wally had woken up and was able to move, the six kids huddled in the back corner of the cage and talked of secret strategies to get the shockers off their wrists and escape through a tunnel.
Erza was worried, though. "But Jellal," She whispered in hush-hush. "What if we get caught?"
The troop leader shook his head and pointed at himself. "I'll take the blame, but we won't get caught!"
Erza opened her mouth to protest but Jellal intervened. "Do you trust me?" He outstretched his hand to her, the horrid metal shackle still encircling it, and she was reminded of the day they met.
Not even a second passed before she firmly placed her hand in his and nodded. "Yeah!" Seeing the second eldest agree with their leader, the four other kids quickly jumped aboard the bandwagon and it soon set off.
The day came when there was a terrific opportunity. A large group of other slaves tried to escape and all the guards were caught up in catching them.
No one would notice if another much smaller group of kids tried to sneak out – right? That's what Jellal thought as he ushered the five other kids before him into the small tunnel they had dug in the cage.
He looked around the seemingly empty cage and slid into the hole. Then, he rolled the small boulder over the hole to conceal the tunnel beneath.
Unfortunately, the other end of the tunnel was patrolled and the guards had already caught the five others who had crawled out of the tunnel. And after Jellal strode out straight into the open, they caught the leader as well.
"Spill it. Who planned the escape?" The guard strolled in front of the six kids. Millianna hugged Wally and Sho, and Simon hugged the three trembling kids.
Erza covered her ears as the guard yelled and cracked a whip on the ground in front of them.
Only Jellal seemed unafraid as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"I promise, if you tell me," The guard leaned forward with a gruesome smile on his face and winked menacingly. "Only the leader will get punished."
Erza found a new resolve and spoke up. "I-It-"
"It was me." Jellal intervened and glared at the guard. The masked man only laughed before nodding to his associate.
"No, it wasn't you." He pointed to Erza. "She planned it."
They dragged her away while Jellal screamed and thrashed at Grandpa Rob's unrelenting arms.
She couldn't move anymore. Even a tiny pip of air against her face would make her thrash in pain. But it took too much energy to even thrash. Or scream. No more…
"Erza?" Jellal… The boy ran into the chamber, dropping the giant spear he carried on the floor. "Don't worry! I've come to rescue you."
He scrambled over to the wooden pole in the center of the room and untied the rope around the scarlet haired girl's wrists. Wounds dotted her body and he sighed in relief. It wasn't too bad.
Or so he thought, until her face came into view.
No! "E-Erza! Those bastards? How could they do this? To you?! We have to fight. Now is the time… to make our stand." He hugged her close and she couldn't even make a sound to warn him of the guards creeping up behind him.
Simon ran over to her after she was tossed back into the cage. "Erza! Where's Jellal?" He saw her eye and his own grew wide. "I-I…" He stuttered.
"Leave the girl alone." Grandpa Rob knelt down besides Erza and ripped a piece of fabric off his shirt. He gently placed the white cloth over Erza's mutilated eye and tied it around her head with a length of loose thread. "She's suffered."
"Jellal…" Sho began to cry softly but it steadily grew louder.
"Hey! Shut up in there!" A masked guard rattled the bars of the cage but Sho only wailed louder. Grandpa Rob moved over to the sobbing boy and tried to calm him but Sho wouldn't stop.
"I SAID SHUT IT!" The guard entered the cage and began to beat the small boy with a whip.
Erza turned and watched as her friend suffered. Suddenly, Jellal's words echoed in her mind. We have to fight. Now is the time… to make our stand.
BAM. The guard slumped to the floor and Erza straightened up, now holding the whip and a spear that was on the guard's belt.
Only shocked faces of the other slaves in the cage with the open door surrounded her and she lifted her spear.
"Now is the time to fight! Knock the guards out and take their weapons! It's time to rebel against the ones who took away our freedom and made us suffer! AS ONE, WE CAN SUCCEED!" She screamed, her voice echoing in the entire tower.
Cheers arose from every cell on every floor of the dreaded prison.
"The slaves are rebelling!" Guards attempted to fight back against the rebels, but the slaves just kept coming.
They overwhelmed the guards with their numbers and strength from toiling for years.
"KEEP ON COMING! WE CAN DO THIS!" Erza shouted and encouraged her fellow slaves. It certainly seemed like they were going to win.
Until glowing circles appeared on the ground and the magic troops popped out.
Blonde:
They were all a depressing bunch, but they certainly fought well. She looked to the group of kids around her.
The pale haired girl who stared out from the bars of the cage at passing birds, the dark haired boy who curled up into a ball and never slept, the weird crimson haired boy who kept to himself, the pudgy boy who was constantly looking for his brother, and the small, nimble boy who always tried to outrace the guard monitors.
She didn't get the chance to get to know them and they never interacted with each other or her. But now, they were in the midst of a slave rebellion and she took the opportunity to speak.
"Watch out!" She pushed the pudgy boy out of the way and scrambled underneath the guard who stumbled. "Now!"
The dark haired boy and the crimson haired boy leaped at the occupied guard and they socked him in the stomach.
As the unfortunate man bent over, the white haired girl sneaked up behind him and smashed a rock against his skull. The man collapsed onto the floor and the six kids stripped him of weapons.
"Thanks," The boy she saved nodded in appreciation. "I'm Richard."
She strode to him and whacked him on the head. "Don't dream off in battle!" She reprimanded him as he wailed and clutched at his forehead.
Sighing, she turned and behind a clump of filthy, blonde hair, she saw the other four kids staring at her. "What?" She snapped at them.
"I'm Sorano." The white haired girl stepped forward and brushed the clump of hair away from her face. She stiffened and recoiled immediately.
After she patted her hair and made sure that her keys were still hidden underneath the tangled mess of blonde strands, she whirled around. "Please, don't touch my hair."
Sorano muttered apologies and bowed, much to the blonde's amusement. "This is Eric and this is Macbeth." She pointed to the crimson haired boy and the dark haired boy. "What's your-"
"OVER THERE!" A small group of guards stomped towards them and the blonde thanked them for interrupting Sorano.
She grabbed the white haired girl's hand and pulled her along as she ran. "Come on you slowpokes!" The boys ran after them, the small group of kids being chased by the stampede of guards.
They were herded to the outer courtyard of the tower where most of the other slaves were fighting. A scarlet-headed girl stood on a cluster of boulders with some other kids, fighting off any guards that attempted to climb up.
The ground shook suddenly and magic circles appeared. Within seconds, the magic troops arrived and the tide of the battle turned.
A large magic circle formed, facing the cluster of boulders where the group of kids where fighting.
The blonde's eyes widened. The other group of kids was oblivious to the danger. All of them were occupied with fighting except for the scarlet, who had just spotted the new threat.
There was no time to wait as the blonde jumped into action. "MOVE IT!" She yelled as she pulled a shiny gold key out from her tangle of hair.
With a swipe of the key and a mysterious appearance of a golden magic circle, a golden bull appeared out of thin air and leaped into battle.
He launched himself into the group of enemy wizards who were casting the spell, and with the distraction, the magic circle disappeared.
"Good job, Taurus! Go back now!" She slumped to the ground, exhausted from the single summoning. She still wasn't used to this.
As she huffed and puffed on the ground, an explosion caught her attention. "No!" She struggled to stand up as the sight came into view.
It seemed that there was another magic circle that she hadn't noticed and it had been intercepted by an old man.
He laid on the ground, cradled in the arms of the scarlet haired girl, and spoke a few final words to her before falling still.
Scarlet:
The blood pounded in her ears as she clutched Grandpa Rob's hand. It was cold and pale, unlike the other version of the hand she had held before.
A battle cry emerged from the throats of the magic troops, but the girl hardly noticed it.
She stood up and screamed as a red magic circle appeared below her. Discarded weapons on the ground suddenly lifted up and launched themselves at the enemy troops. One after one, they fell to the ground and the slaves cheered triumphantly.
However, she didn't celebrate with them. Instead, she headed back into the tower to search for Jellal.
Blue Dude:
"You should be grateful and honored to be sacrificed to resurrect our master!"
"Be glad for your importance, puny human."
Hatred… He had an enormous, unrelenting hatred for the men who had enslaved them for their purpose to revive their "master".
Those fools are so funny. He lifted his head up in shock as a red haze filled the room. "Who's in here?" It was hard to breath.
You are a lucky one, Jellal. The red mist swirled around and condensed to from a jellylike, red blob on the ground. Blue veins spurted from its body and Jellal shuddered.
Do not be afraid, Jellal. I will help you to get revenge on those horrid men – for you have been chosen by their god, Zeref. The blob stood up and Jellal's eyes widened.
With a flash, the blob merged with his eye and then, there was no Jellal anymore.
Blonde:
There was a dark presence in the tower – she was sure of it. After all, her brighter magic reacted to it and recoiled almost instantly.
It seemed the most condensed…around the top of the tower, so that was where she sneaked up to.
Scarlet:
"Jellal?" She entered the torture chamber at the top of the tower and rushed over to her friend.
He hung limply on the wooden pole and for a second, she feared the worst.
She untied the rope that bound his hands to the pole and with a creepy grin Jellal stood up.
"Erza… Is that you?" He tilted his head and looked at her.
She cupped his cheek and smiled at him gently. Surely nothing was wrong. "Are you okay? We have to get out of here before more guards arrive. The others are waiting for us on the ship!"
Jellal shook his head. "Oh, no, Erza." He spread his arms wide. "We have to stay here and finish building the tower."
The scarlet stared at him, eyes wide, and spoke up. "But… we rebelled to escape, Jellal. Why would you even consider-"
"Those men were fools." He stood up and marched to the archway where Erza had knocked the two men out. In one smooth motion, he picked up both by the neck with invisible ropes and strangled them.
"Jellal!" She gasped as her friend killed the two men with a grin on his face.
The boy walked back into the chamber and gripped her arm. "They had it coming. Together, Erza, we can finish this tower and go to heaven."
His eyes shone with feverish excitement.
Erza backed away and attempted to calm him. "That's a lie. Come on, Jellal. We need to leave now." She touched his arm and he snarled at her.
"It's either leave or me. Choose."
Tears formed in Erza's uncovered eye and she bit her lip. "We're not leaving without you!"
BAM. With a scream of pain, Erza bounced down the steps and slammed into the wall. Jellal casually walked down the stairs and approached.
He knelt down to eye level and spoke a threat. "Leave. The others shall stay here and I will treat them well and provide them with all their necessities in exchange for them finishing the tower."
He leaned even closer to the frightened and heartbroken girl. "Speak a word to anyone about the tower and I will know. Then, they will die and you will too."
"JELLAL-" He knocked her out.
Blonde:
She saw everything. When the creepy blue haired boy left, she carried the girl piggyback to the backside of the tower. From there, she saw the smoke that rose in the sky from the burning ships.
"Oof!" She almost lost her grip on Erza, but managed to regain it. "Who are you?" The boy she bumped into looked at her and then to the girl on her back.
"Hey! What did you do to Erza?" He swung a punch at her and she blocked it with her hand.
"Calm down. I'm saving her since Jellal went all crazy and threated to kill her."
The boy frowned. "Jellal wouldn't do that. I was looking for Erza since there's a mob of people around wanting her blood."
"Why?" She asked him.
He shrugged. "Apparently, she burned the boats. They were our only escape option."
"That's not true!" The blonde cried.
"I know, I know. I don't believe it either. But still… Jellal…"
She patted his back and gave him some wise advice. "Just trust me, pal." And she leaped into the ocean.
Author's Note:
Yes! I updated! Even though Manga Chapter 422 was amazing and tried to hog all the attention!
I have to say... LUCY HEARTFILIA IS AMAZING! And Hiro Mashima is awesome for giving Lucy cool magic. Don't underestimate her, Natsu! Honestly, those two are my OTP in Fairy Tail.
Anyways... I'm apologize if this chapter is confusing. The switching of P.O.V.'s was kind of challenging to do since I didn't want to make the speaker completely obvious, but I also wanted to make it easy to understand.
The next chapter will explain more about what happened to Erza and then the next few chapters will be little, short "character glimpses".
Thanks for the reviews and love, everyone!
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Auf wiedersehen und wieder sehen!
~Nora