It has been a while since I last updated. I was just waiting for the holidays. I may update the other story also this week. Thx to all the support that all of you have given me. Also, thx a lot for the faves and follows. Please do keep reviewing. I will appreciate that.
Crocus
5 days has passed since the catastrophe. No one in the Kingdom dared to speak about the fire on the castle. The pride of the Kingdom was indeed tampered with. The glorious saga of the invincible empire became a vanity to the beholders. Martial law and curfew were strictly imposed to deal with suspicious loiterers who had high chances to turn out to be the spies of internal or external factions.
The citizens never saw their King anymore. It was announced publicly the day after the fire that he barely survived and was bed-ridden. But nobody except His Excellency was allowed to meet him in his chambers. Rumors spread like wild fire about a blonde being sighted suspiciously when the fire was engulfing the castle and people whispered in each other's ears that it could be General Laxus Dreyar himself to usurp the throne.
"But isn't he the right hand man of His Highness?" asked one while sending smoke through his hookah.
"Shhhhhhhhh ", said a middle-aged man putting his index finger on his lip. "If you want to live for more days, reduce your voice. "Then he said in a very low voice which was audible to only his fellow-men, "don't you know about that Duchess with whom his majesty fell in love with? It seems that Commander-in-chief was in odds with him ever since that incident as he is a great friend of Queen's family."
"But what will he gain by lighting up the castle?" asked the first one twitching his brows.
"Power, mate! Now, he is the governor of the country with no one to question him. He can execute the sick King any time from now, re-marry the Queen and usurp the throne. It is all so simple."
A patrol of guards soon came to the area and as soon as the citizens saw them, they quickly dispersed.
The sergeants on top of the castle had heard the conversation of people. One of them sat on the floor leaning his back to the wall and asked the other with a glum face. "Droy, do you really think that General Laxus has bitten the hands which fed him and turned tails?"
The fat sergeant shrugged and said after a while, "mate, do remember that even walls have ears. Any single word from our mouth would be considered as acts of treason. I pray that his highness recover soon to clear the mess up."
Immediately, the castle doors were opened and a battalion of soldiers marched out and then suddenly halted following the command of Lieutenant General Rufus. Soon, a white horse appeared with a rider that no one expected of – Prince Sting accompanied by Mirajane Strauss. He soon stood before the forces and roared. "His Highness has regained his consciousness and he ordered to bring the traitor Laxus Dreyar before him – dead or alive. So, march onward soldiers. Show me where your true loyalty lies."
The soldiers saluted the Prince in unison and followed him leaving trails of dust behind.
Meanwhile, a tall middle-aged man with grey hair, blue cassock and glasses was watching all this from the balcony with amusement on his face. He then turned his attention towards the charred human lying on the bed who was covered in a blanket.
Clenching his teeth he muttered, "Jellal Fernandez, how dare you try to rise above me and be the sovereign of the nation? Having lost your ability to speak or even sense anything I will show you how it is to be a puppet and how a skillful master could convert even a nearly dead puppet to an active one and play behind the scenes without others noticing."
Right then a lady with partly white and black short hair came in and bowed.
"His Excellency, Cardinal Lapointe, the Council of Ministers wants to hear a word or two from you."
"Alright, Mary Hughes. I'm on the way." He said with a cold smirk and followed her.
Royal court
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm glad to announce that the King has recovered; but he had to pay a heavy price for it. He cannot talk or walk at all. At the moment, the royal medic suggests me to stay with him always to calm his nerves by reading the scriptures. He has written in paper and shown about the betrayal of the Commander-in-chief and asked me to take action against him which I did by delegating Prince Sting and Mirajane Strauss to capture him back with Rufus. As soon as he is captured, he'll be presented before the court. I am proposing the name of Prince Sting as the next King owing to the predicament of the current King. I promise that I will stay in the palace and guide his way up to be a great ruler like his brother." Cardinal Lapointe stopped his little speech with satisfaction.
The ministers were satisfied and failed to notice the mysterious eye-communication between Cardinal Lapointe and Viceroy Iwan Dreyar.
Three days back, Fullbuster Castle
"Gray, what are you talking of? I cannot….. believe….." She collapsed into the chair unconscious.
"Sis, sis… maids bring some water", he screamed. He knew that it was not good to inform her the news in her current condition. But owing to the situation in the capital, he had to do it anyway as any moment from now, she will be needed at the capital.
He sprayed water on to her face and applied a neatly soaked cloth on her fore-head. He asked the maids to move apart so that she will get the air. He lifted her in his strong arms and laid her on the couch.
After a few minutes, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Gray, His Highness... I want to see him. Take me to the capital soon." She pleaded clutching on his shirt. Then she arched her brow and mumbled, "I shouldn't have left him alone. This wouldn't have happened had I been there. It's all my fault." Her voice cracked.
"It's not your fault, sis. Don't worry. I will take you to the palace so that you can meet His Highness soon." Gray said warmly kissing her palm.
"Will you take me now itself, Gray. My heart is beating at its all time high. I fear I will have a panic attack soon."
"You are not going anywhere, Tear." In came a tall well-built man with spiky black hair resembling his son. He had a long battle scar on his face from his fore-head to lower left ear. He was wearing a black closely fitting shirt with a grey furred collar with light grey over-sleeves almost reaching his shoulders. He wore black gloves, hand-guards and black pants. A silky brown cape was covering his back.
Both of them stood up as soon as they saw him and looked at him questioningly.
"His highness has sent his associate here and asked us to meet him at Flavia graveyard a week from now, at 10 o'clock sharp. His Highness has sworn that he'll reach there anyhow, if he has the tiniest bit of consciousness. So, I will advise you Tear to hold your panic attack until then. It is not safe for you to go to the capital as wolves are waiting there to chew you and your kid. So unless I meet His Highness personally, I won't send you back." He hugged her and patted her shoulder in assurance.
"Tear, be brave. After all, you are the Queen and not an ordinary woman and you need to stand up to him." Silver Fullbuster said with a smile.
Ultear just put a smiling face to assure her father and brother. But deep inside, she cursed the moment when she was chosen to be the Queen as it totally took away her freedom and peace.
Six days from the fire, Lorentzia
The market was extremely busy in the evening. Since the streets were narrow, it was difficult to move to either side when there is a crowd in the market. But it was the weekend sale and hence people had flocked in large numbers. They asked their children who came with them to play in a small playground adjacent to the market which they readily obeyed.
The children were so immersed in their play that they did not notice a chariot coming towards them at a faster pace. When the chariot was about to reach them, one of them just noticed it and screamed to others to run away. But it was too late. The chariot hit two children and its wheels bathed in their blood.
The chariot stopped immediately. Out came Lord Everlue and his chief body guard.
At that moment, the mother of one of the child who was hit came running and held her in her lap and she cried aloud, "Tia, get up. We have to go home. Come on Tia, get up, I say."
Her husband came and squeezed her shoulder and said, "Sherry, she is dead. Let's give her a proper burial."
Sherry's face contorted. She laughed like a maniac and then started crying hopelessly. Then she ran and caught Everlue's coat and screamed. "Monster, give me back my daughter."
Everlue slapped her and ordered his guards to whip her heavily for touching his clothes and making it dirty. Her husband Ren pleaded for mercy. In the end, both of them were tied up and were about to be whipped publicly. The guard started with an iron whip with pointed edges. Crimson fluid oozed out and horrible shrieks filled the environment. But Everlue was motionless and was in fact enjoying it.
The guard raised his hand for the next; but alas, there came a black stallion at full throttle, stopped at the venue and within a flash, the guards fell back as a sword had gone through their bodies. Then the rider cut the ropes with which both Sherry and Ren were tied and freed them. Everlue could do nothing but stare in awe.
The rider pulled the harness and stared at Everlue from that distance. He was dressed in black completely covering all his features and only his eyes were visible outside. He alighted from the horse and took the whip in his hand from the 'dead' guard and slowly walked to Everlue.
"Would you like to know the taste of the whip? Or would you want me to kill someone in your family and then whip you? Answer soon. Else I will ask those who are the victims to state a punishment for you." The rider closed the distance and whispered in his ears, "Shame on you Everlue. Calling yourself a Lord and torturing your subjects? How disgusting!"
"Who are you? " Everlue was shivering with fear.
The rider moved closer and removed the muffler from his face in a quick manner and then tied it back. Everlue became speechless and turned ghastly.
The rider turned to look at the small crowd gathered there and roared. "He wouldn't have done this to you had you had unity amongst you. What are you waiting for? Raise your weapons and fight against injustice. Remember, you are the ones who are paying the tribute and deciding who should rule you. It is for your welfare that they are there and not the other way round. If you are ready for the crusade, meet me tomorrow at Clover town." Then without paying attention to the cheering crowd or half-dead Everlue, he sprang upon his horse and rode off.
"Who is that?" asked Ren in surprise.
"Vince Gale. That is his name. He is always there to protect the poor from shadows since last year. Never expected him to come this way," replied Hibiki, who was Ren's friend.
Vince Gale rode the horse in lightning speed and reached an armory shop.
"You are late, Vince Gale. Her ladyship has gone tired waiting for you." It was the voice of a sexy young lady in a dancer outfit which highlighted her curves and bosoms.
"Cana, where is she?" He asked softly.
"She is there in her usual place and here is your daily quota of booze." He took the mug from her and downed the contents into his mouth. Then wiping his mouth, he climbed the stairs to meet his visitor.
She was wearing a cloak covering her body. A hood covered her face partly. Upon seeing him, she removed it and her scarlet hair cascaded down.
"Mission successful, Vince. Thanks to your message, I was able to shift before the castle was lit. Nobody thinks that we are the culprits. I hope the King is safe with you." She continued with a smirk on her face. "In fact, everyone believes that General Laxus is behind the fire. It seems that Lapointe has sent forces to arrest him. "
Vince Gale moved close to her and whispered in her ears. "You hid something very important from me, Duchess. Isn't there a meeting of the loyalists at Flavia graveyard tomorrow? Like others say, are you in love with him?"
She moved closer to him and held his toned fore-arms, "Vince, you know that my loyalty is strictly with you. I admire your motive to help others and rid the nation of slavery and war. I thought that since the King has been kidnapped by us, the meeting won't be held."
Vince Gale replied. "Our King's orders are absolute and the meeting won't be suspended. It is a golden opportunity to meet his loyalists and stall them with our requests in exchange for the King's life. So, I think we should definitely go."
"But Vince…"
He gestured her to stop and follow him. When they came down, a young girl of 12 ran up to him and asked. "Brother, when you come back, will you take me for a ride?" He lifted her and kissed her fore-head. "Of course, honey. By the time I return, you will have wonderful toys to play."
Erza mused about her meeting with Vince. She had seen him working for the poor and helping the needy. He hated wars like her and also was a staunch opponent of injustice. He has fought with many nobles and made them succumb to rule for the welfare of people. Public rallied with him wherever he went and he never took credit for his deeds. Their welfare was his aim and driving force. He was such a selfless person and a champion of humanity. Is there any reason for him to be like this? Any tragic back-story? She wondered while riding her way to Flavia.
His Excellency's chambers, Crocus
The Deca conglomerate had gathered in his room. The nobles who were presented were Duke Jiemma Orlando, Arch Duke Grand Doma, Lord Crawford Seam, Lord Org, Baroness Daphne, Count Michello, Earl Leiji, Arch Duke Jose Porla and Lady Kagura Mikazuchi along with Viceroy Iwan Dreyar. They toasted at their victory of burning the castle and rendering the King out of commission.
"I never thought all of this could have been so easy." Gran Doma said while playing with his long beard.
"To think that His Highness Jellal Fernandez is just a piece of charcoal," laughed Baroness Daphne maniacally.
At that moment, the door opened and His Excellency, Cardinal Lapointe came in with a glum face.
"It seems that we have been played with." His body was shivering. "It is not what Blondie told us. The castle was not lit by his assistant, but by Vince Gale and his associates."
All of them stood up in awe. "But why and how did they do it?" They asked in unison.
Cardinal twitched his brow and said. "One of his associates was working as a spy in royal palace. That spy might have provided him the layout of the palace for his plans to work."
"But why did they light up the palace?"
"To give us warning to not mess with the Public and also to kidnap the King." Lapointe wiped the sweat beads on his fore-head.
"So, the charred human with us is…."
"Yes, he is the associate of Blondie whom we tasked with lighting the castle. The real King is missing and I believe, he is with Vince Gale." Lapointe said worriedly.
Blood drained from the faces of the nobles while Kagura mumbled softly in her mind, "If so, he won't live long. My sword will cut him down and I don't care even if I lose my life."
Flavia Graveyard
All the people were assembled there except Laxus and Erza. Vince Gale and Erza reached there soon. Erza showed him a hiding place to watch the meeting. But Vince Gale declined and went straight away to the meeting place despite Erza's protests. The King's loyalists were awe-struck at his arrival. They looked at each other and murmured something in the other's ears. Cobra stood up removing his sword from the scabbard followed by Azuma and Gray Fullbuster. Natsu and Gajeel just looked at each other thinking what to do next. But Silver Fullbuster asked them to wait through a gesture.
"Vince Gale, what are you doing here?" Cobra roared.
"What am I doing here? I came here to meet all of you." Vince Gale replied nonchalantly.
"Why do you want to meet us, the King's supporters? Or do you want to book yourself a ticket to prison?" Azuma asked calmly.
"Why would I go to prison when what I do is to right the wrongs of the rulers?" Vince Gale mocked. "I should in fact be receiving praises from the loyal supporters of King for what I do."
Now this was the limit. Cobra and Azuma drew their swords and surrounded him. Vince Gale narrowed his eyes. But within a minute or two, both of their swords were floored and they were at his mercy.
"Both of you lack training. Are you going to shoulder an empire with such weak arms? Shame on you to be known as King's elite soldiers." He scoffed.
Cobra and Azuma looked down in shame.
Vince Gale continued. "By the way where is Doranbolt? Didn't he promise to come here?"
Silver Fullbuster now stood up and asked. "How dare you address the Prime Minister by name? You might be strong and also a revolutionary. But that does not make you different from any ordinary citizen of the country. If you are living in this country, you have to respect the laws. Prepare to fight. This time I will be your opponent."
"Count me in too, Grand Duke Fullbuster. After all, it is a matter of our pride, the King's loyalists." Atlas Flame joined in, drawing his sword.
Natsu, Gajeel and Gray also came forward drawing their swords but were asked to move back by Atlas Flame. "It is our pride that is at stake now and both of us know how to deal with it. So move back, youngsters. We will show him the real power of the Imperial Sword."
Vince Gale moved back and put his sword back in his scabbard. He was amused. "Fullbuster and Atlas Flame, good to know that both of you haven't lost any of your valor though you've aged a bit. I will be in trouble if I face any one of you single-handedly. I mean, the fight could go either way if it is a one-on-one fight of me with either of you. So, how am I supposed to face both of you combined? So, I decline from the fight."
"That is not for you to decide", roared Atlas Flame pointing his sword to Vince's neck.
Vince Gale moved back, climbed on top of a grave and removed his muffler. The reddish black tattoo on his face symbolizing the royal crest shone brightly in the moonlight.
"Unbelievable", exclaimed Silver Fullbuster. "So Vince Gale is none other than His Highness! " Everyone stood up with their mouth wide-opened and Erza Scarlet felt like the soil underneath her feet was being washed away.