The Knight and the Beast
Chapter Eleven: The Choice to Save You
I don't understand why you're leaving me here, Natsu growled.
Lucy sighed as she hastily placed her blonde hair into twin tails. She turned around and picked up her two daggers, placing them in the holsters on her belt. She walked out to the balcony where Natsu was hovering.
"Jellal is very weak right now. He can't defend the castle on his own if it comes to it."
Then take me with you! It'll be faster Luce!
"Fairy Tail will be defenceless without at least one of us here Natsu! You're the head of the guard, you should know this better than anyone."
Natsu growled and glared at Lucy, whose brown eyes were glaring back into the dragon's onyx eyes. Her expression was serious; she wasn't going to let him slide with this. Natsu breathed out heavily, turning his head away.
I know…I'm sorry Luce.
Lucy's face softened and she reached out her hand to his jaw; "Thank you for understanding Natsu."
Natsu grinned and wrapped his tail around Lucy's waist. He brought her onto his back and glided down to the stables. Gajeel, Levy, and Gray were waiting for them. Levy held Plue's reigns; Lucy took them and lead the white unicorn out of the stables. She swung her leg over the saddle and mounted up.
"I'll be as quick as I can. Make sure Jellal stays safe and doesn't do anything reckless," Lucy said. "He's already in bad shape, I don't want him to get any worst."
"Yes Lucy," Gray said.
Please, stay safe Luce, Natsu said. His eyes pleading.
Lucy nodded and smiled softly; "I will. Plue, let's go!" The girl flicked the reigns and they took off across the stone bridge over the lake, into the forest.
Hurry Lu-chan, Levy thought. The book looked up to a window on the western part of the castle. We don't have much time left.
{Line Skip}
You would think that they would forget after two months! Lucy angrily thought as she dashed through the village streets.
Plue avoided the various items that were thrown at them to the best of his ability. Lucy had a stream of blood on her cheek from some bastard throwing a rock at her head. Natsu wasn't going to have a field day with this.
The villagers of Erza's town were on the edge of the street or in their homes on looking from the window. They called her a witch as the blonde rode through the town, passing them.
It's been months since I was here with Natsu. How could they hold a grudge for so long?!
"Hurry Plue!" Lucy called. The unicorn picked up his speed and Lucy looked to the orange sky.
The sun was beginning to set over the mountainous terrain of Fiore. It was around seven; Lucy only had five hours to get Erza and bring her in time to save Jellal. She doubted that they were going to make it on time to be honest; it took her barely five hours to get here. She knew it would've been better to taken a ride from Natsu, but Lucy knew better. He needed to stay behind and protect Fairy Tail.
Lucy saw a lone house outside of town. She saw a redheaded figure standing outside on the porch. The figure held a mirror, a mirror that Lucy knew belonged to.
"ERZA!" Lucy yelled.
Said girl looked up and saw Lucy riding towards her home. "Lucy?" Erza ran off the porch and over to Lucy. "What are you doing here?!"
"There's a problem!" Lucy slid off Plue and met up with Erza in the middle. "Jellal's in trouble."
"What?"
"Erza?" Makarov came outside of the house with Laxus and Freed behind them. "What's going on?" He saw Lucy standing next to Erza. "It's you…"
"Sir, I understand that you just reunited but I need her to come back to the castle with me."
"What's wrong with Jellal?" Erza asked.
"The curse had something else added to it," Lucy said. "If Jellal doesn't fall in love with someone and that same person doesn't fall in love with him back, everyone in the castle will-"
"Stay the way as they are. You told me that Lucy," Erza said.
"Yes, the servants will. But Jellal will die."
Erza's brown eyes widened. Jellal…Will die?
The redhead couldn't believe it. Erza couldn't let that happen. He meant too much for her to loose. Even if he did let her go to be with he grandfather.
"Did…Did Jellal let me go…so I could be happy?" Erza asked in a quiet whisper.
Lucy smiled sadly. "Yes. He let you go so that you could be happy because he loves you and wants for you to smile everyday."
Erza smiled. "I was happy with you. With the others." Erza looked up to Lucy's eyes. "I was happy with him."
"Erza."
The girl turned around to see her grandfather standing behind her with her friends. She walked over to them and kneeled before the old man.
"Grandfather…I…I need to go back. He needs me and I need him," she said.
Makarov smiled before placing a hand on her face. "I know. Go now, before times runs out."
Erza nodded and gave him a hug before standing up. "I have to get something and then we can-"
"Well, my girl's back from who knows where." On the dirt road in front of Erza's home was the entire village and Midnight in front with his croons. "I missed ya, you know."
"Midnight…" Laxus growled.
"This guy again," Lucy said, looking annoyed. "Go away. I've had it with this mob."
"Gonna call your dragon on us Witch?!" Angel scoffed.
Lucy had a hand on one of her daggers. The blonde had an angry scowl on her face. "You're not even worth calling on Natsu."
"The witch has a name for the dragon."
"Lucy is not a witch," Erza said, standing in front of the blonde. "And you aren't welcomed here. Leave us be."
"Can't do that Erza," Midnight said. "You see, there's a legend that says whichever village slays a dragon and their master will inherit great treasures beyond belief. And, with our village going into ruins, might as well try it out to see if folk tales are really true to their word."
"Natsu wouldn't let you dare touch Jellal and neither will I," Lucy spat.
"Natsu's the dragon and I'm guessing Jellal's the master."
"You can't defeat this being Midnight," Makarov said. "He is too powerful to be ended by the likes of you and your goons."
"I'd like to see if he can defeat me," Midnight said.
"I'll show you." Erza looked to Lucy with the mirror tightly clenched in her grip. The blonde nodded and Erza brought the mirror up to her face. "Show me Jellal."
The mirror fogged up and glowed on the edges. The image revealed Jellal in his beastly form, roaring powerfully and loudly. The villagers backed up in fear and mumbled amongst themselves.
"That's the dragon's master?"
"He looks dangerous."
"Can Midnight really defeat him?"
"Of course I can. And I will!" Midnight yelled.
"I won't let you touch him Midnight!" Erza yelled.
Midnight looked at Erza and realized something. "You love this beast…Don't you?"
Everyone looked at Erza, either with disapproving looks or disgusted looks. Her friends waited for her answer. Makarov and Lucy knew what she felt and knew what she was going to say.
Erza looked around and glared into Midnight's eyes. "He's not a beast, Midnight. And yes, I do love him. That's why you won't hurt him."
"Lock them up!"
A few of the village men grabbed Erza, Laxus, Freed, and Bickslow and pushed them back into the house. Someone threw Makarov through the door, colliding with Freed's face. Lucy was grabbed by the arm and she fought her way out of the man's grip.
"Not that girl," Midnight said. He walked over to her and lifted her chin up. "She can show me where the beast lives."
"Lucy!"
"Erza!"
Midnight picked up Lucy and threw her over his shoulder. "Let's go Boys. We have a dragon to slay and a beast to kill!"
As the group of men and Lucy walked away, Plue started to trot over to them.
"No Plue! Stay with Erza!" Lucy yelled. "She'll know what to do…" Whispering the last part, Lucy disappeared into the forest.
{Line Skip}
Life, Erza concluded, wasn't fair. First, her grandfather was taken from her, twice. Second, she's forced to stay in a castle filled with a creepy prince and strange servants. Third, she fell in love with the prince but left him. And now, Jellal's dying, Lucy's kidnapped, and she's locked up in her own house!
The boys were pounding against the door, hoping that it would fall eventually. Makarov sat on the railing and Erza sat on a chair thinking over some things.
I have to get out of here! She got up and walked up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Makarov asked her.
"I'm getting changed." Erza looked up. "I'm going after them." She ran up the stairs and went to her room.
She grabbed the bag from the castle and opened it up. Erza searched through it until she found the suit of armour from Jellal. She started to put it on and tightened it. There was a knock at the door and Makarov walked in.
"Grandfather…"
"Erza, this will be quick. After your father and mother died, I promised that I would take care of you until someone else could do that for me. Will he do that?"
"I know he will Grandfather. But I have to save him first."
Makarov nodded. "You better help the boys with the door."
"Yes." Erza grabbed her father's sword and tied it around her waist. "I'll be back for you." She ran down the stairs.
"You're taking too long Freed!" Laxus yelled.
"I'm thinking Laxus. You should try it sometime."
"You don't need to think to knock shit down," Bickslow said.
"Yes you do-"
"You guys are taking too long!" Erza yelled. She pushed through the boys and kicked the door down. "Honestly, did any of you decide to kick the door?"
A moment of silence.
"…No…"
Erza sighed. A neigh echoed through the air. "Plue?" The unicorn ran up to her and bit her sleeve, pulling her along. "Take me to Fairy Tail." She mounted the unicorn and turned to the boys. "Mount up; we have a castle to save."
{Line Skip}
Four-and-a-half later, and the angry mob were at the beginning of the bridge. Lucy was getting tired of the perverted looks that the men were giving her. It was almost time that the last petal would fall and Jellal would die. She didn't have time to entertain these lechers.
"You did good for showing us this place," Midnight said.
Sure, Lucy thought, looking down to her bloody arms and legs. After giving me so many wonderful gifts, how could I not?
Natsu wasn't going to be happy. She had promised him that she would stay safe. Now she lost a lot of blood along the way.
"Now, call your dragon so we could end it here and gain what is ours."
"Like hell I would," Lucy spat.
"I could kill you right now, you know," Midnight said, holding a sword up to her throat.
"You don't have the speed to."
"Just try me!" Midnight raised his sword to swing.
"NATSU!" Lucy yelled, closing her brown eyes.
A roar echoed through the air. Smoke clouded the eyes. Fire heated the space. Something landing on the bridge caused the ground to rumble. It was a dragon, Lucy's red dragon. And he didn't like what he saw happened to the blonde beauty.