…
Jellal stopped. Earlier, Captain Sugar Boy had requested that he deliver a bag over to someone in the soldier's barracks because he had to attend a funeral. A strange favor to ask your King, especially if said request is instead befitting to some common errand boy. However, he agreed anyways. He is a friend above all else. Besides anything to get out of paper work, he rationalized.
Passing soldiers politely greeted their King, not at all questioning his presence in their barracks. "Now I am to give this to a Donovan. Maybe I could ask one of the—"
From behind, a hand covered the King's mouth and abruptly pulled him into a darkened room. Something soft touched his back. Two soft humps to be exact. "Shh." The woman placed a finger on his lips to hush him. His back was suddenly thrown against the wall. Jellal knocked over something that sounded like a thud of a broomstick hitting the floor. A closet? The space was cramped but it was enough for him to move around his hand and touch the shoulder of his "assailant." Dark as the room was, it wasn't a hard guess to figure out who this woman was.
His eyes squinted when she nudged the door slightly open and took a gander outside. Her father turned his head to and fro, as if he was searching for someone. He scratched his heavy beard with one hand and arched his brow in confusion. "Odd," Jellal could faintly hear the old man's deep voice from where he stood. "I could've sworn that boy went in here."
The woman sighed. "Good, he didn't see you go in here." Her tone sounded relieved. "Erza, is there something you'd like to impart to me?" Knightwalker plastered her palm on his mouth. "Not so loud. My father has sonar hearing. Listen, just be mute for a little bit until my distraction arrives." An exasperated exhalation escaped her. Under her breath she muttered, "Why in the world did they choose here?" Jellal wasn't sure if she intended for him to hear that.
After a couple of minutes had passed, Ricard finally gave up on his hunt and turned his heel, but before he could be on his merry way, two figures approached the old man. Two certain individuals the King would notice any day.
"Ah, Miss Ultear." Jellal's head was on top of Erza's, as they watching the scene before them. She blinked twice. While their situation seemed harmless enough, if someone were to catch the King of Edolas and his trusted Captain behaving so suspiciously, an explanation for this would be hard to produce. "And Florence!" Ricard turned to other person, who happened to be Sugar Boy. Jellal frowned. Didn't he say he would be at a funeral today?
"How are you? Have you seen your King around here? I'd like to have a civil conversation with him." Civil. Right.
The old man's accent was thick and even though Jellal still haven't gotten used to it, there was no mistaking that he did say, Florence.
"Florence?" The pair whispered simultaneously. "Sugar Boy's name is Florence?" Her incredulous tone made him chuckle. "I suppose so." Then, he remembered her words from before. "What did you mean distraction? Do you mean those two?" A short yes was the respond he received from her. "My father has been breathing down my neck, playing the age card every chance he gets. We both know why he's doing it." That he does. The senior Knightwalker hasn't left his daughter alone for quite some time now, leaving Jellal rather 'Erza-deprived," as he would like to call it, because of her absence.
"So…?" He asked, trying to fish more out of her.
"So just shut up and wait." He was about to whine in way that only she has seen until they noticed Ultear and Sugar Boy had managed to get her father to agree into whatever grandiose plan they had mustered up in the morning. "All right then. I'll tag along. I suppose I'll catch up with the lad at another time." The blonde captain grinned and took the elder man's arm, leading the patriarch towards the exit of the building. When his attention was else where, Ultear shifted a bit to the side and faced the direction of the room the two was hiding in. She winked and nodded, prompting them to flee the area at once.
"There it is. Come on." Knightwalker grabbed his hand and dashed out as inconspicuously as one can get.
"Erza, okay. What is going on?" He gazed at their linked hands.
"I'm kidnapping you." She uttered with a straight face.
"You are…what?"
"Kidnapping you. It isn't easy to abduct the ruler of this Kingdom."
He smirked wickedly. "And if I were to resist?"
"Then, I'd have to apply…" She stalled for a bit. "…Deadly force." His mouth felt dry. It was like his tongue wasn't where it should be.
After sneaking past several oblivious maids and soldiers, they finally reached the Legion stables, where Hughes awaited with a readied Legion. "Hey, cool. Finally! I was starting to itch." She patted her fellow Captain twice on the back gratefully.
"Get on, Jellal."
"G-get on? Right." Where in the world is she taking me? And Ultear, Sugar Boy and Hughes are all in on this? She clicked her tongue thrice and the Legion fan out his wings.
"Hey Captain E, what do I tell Byro if he asks where his Majesty is." He shouted. "Make up something…" She quickly added, "believable."
"Okay! Be home by eight!" Hughes instinctively closed his eyes at the sudden burst of wind coming his way. He was sure they didn't hear him. "Something believable, huh? Tummy ache? No! Toothache! He had to go to the dentist! That's totally an amazing and believable story. Genius!" If Captain Knightwalker heard this, all she would do is shake her head.
…
"Erza."
"What?" She was perched at the top of her beast's head in a cross-legged fashion. "So where is my kidnapper taking me to?" She couldn't help but smile, albeit a small one, but the changes in her expressions are always a welcoming sight. "You'll see." As secretive as she was about her plans, it was nice to be out in the open.
The winged creature grunted softly and banked left. They arrived at a mountainous terrain where the growth of indigenous flowers and purely green mountain shrubs laid on its body. The mountains circled around a small blue lake. One of the taller mountains spewed out water from its mouth, creating an aesthetic feeling to this secluded haven. He could make out a grassy patch of land with high trees as its roof from the sun. The place appeared as though it hasn't been touch by human hands before and if it was, it camouflaged the evidence really well.
"This place is beautiful." Jellal peered down. "Yeah. I come here when I find the castle suffocating. I haven't visited in a while though." He couldn't take his eyes of off the lush environment and only the shifting of clothes did he glance at Erza again.
"A wha-wha…Gah…Kaw!" She eyed him quizzically. "Are you reciting some sort of incantation?" The Legion growled. "C'mon! Take of your clothes. Pocco is getting restless staying in flight for this long." She removed the leather leggings that covered her long legs and folded it up. Next, she unbuckled the metallic guard that adorned her right shoulder. One by one, a piece of clothing was removed except the undergarments that hid her assets. Jellal raised his hand to his nose. Is this some kind of strip tease?
"Oh for heavens sake. We're not going to do whatever it is you're imagining about. We are going to jump." She was giddy with excitement. "C'mon. Hey, are you still there?"
Barely.
Of course she wasn't a mind reader but she could take a hint. "Jellal. Hurry. Up. Take. Off. Now." She spoke slowly, carefully enunciating every syllable as if he couldn't understand her. "Uh-huh." When he finally returned to his senses, he positioned himself in front of her once his garbs were peeled off.
He cautiously glanced down. "You sure this is safe?" She snaked her arms around his neck. "Would I bring you here if it wasn't. I have done this a plethora amount of times. Just not with somebody." She pressed her chest up against his and usually, he would listen to every work that comes out of her mouth, but in his defense, there are two causes of distraction that is making it very difficult to focus.
"It's not too high up. We'll be fine."
"I trust you." He smiled. She tugged his body and soon they were falling. He buried his face in her neck and waited for the uncomfortable impact of the dive. Cold water pricked his skin but it wasn't as painful as he was expecting.
They were underwater. He opened his eyes to find her observing him. She leaned over and pecked him on the lips before guiding him to the surface for some much needed oxygen. He gasped for breath. "See, wasn't that fun." They relaxed in the water for a while until she started to head for the shore. Nearby, her legion was curled up in the ball, resting from the long flight. Not wanting to disturb her winged friend, she noiselessly reached over to his side and unfastened a sizable brown bag.
"Food? You thought of everything." She threw him a towel. " A towel, as well." He laughed.
"I've always wanted to have a picnic." Erza said. She organized down the food stuffs on a blue cloth and opened a container for a sandwich. She bit on it. A piece of tomato strayed from its position and now hanged in between her teeth.
He moved closer and wrapped his larger hands around her wrist.
"What?"
He laid her down so that he was poised on top of her. He caressed her cheek. However, the only thing that was making this less romantic was her constant nibbling on the food in her hand. "Can you stop eating?"
She took another bite.
A warmhearted, loving smile spread across his lips.
"I love you."
Knightwalker coughed harshly and felt her ears burning. She shoved the rest of bitten sandwich in his mouth and pushed him off. "Why don't we race?" He flinched at the splash of water she generate and chewed slowly. Before she jumped in, he took notice the tint of red that invaded half of her neck. Cute.
"Hey, I'm going to win, you know!" She called out from the water. "That's cheating!" Jellal joined her. He knew he wouldn't hear those words from her. Not today. It wasn't her style.
But he knows. He knows how she felt. How could he not?
…
And there we go.
Rant: Rearing on a tangent here, from the manga/anime whatever, we know that Erza K.'s armor was…well non-existent. I had written a story about how it distracted Mystogan so much that he laid out some kind of Captain uniform that bundled Erza to the neck down. It had no premise (much like this story) except for the fact that every time he would look at Erza, he feels a slight tingle down in his nether area. It was kinda perverted now that I think of it…lolz. I was planning on adding it in the series (in a form of a flashback) when I remembered it. Problem is, I can't find the stupid flash drive I stored it in. It'll show up eventually…like every item in my house. XD Okay that's about it for my mindless ranting.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you all for the constant reviews and the like. Have a wonderful day XD
P.S. I wrote this while listening to "A whole new world" WTF I know :D
