Long time no see. (err...read)
…
Erza's eyes lingered on her King's face, zoning out the animated and somewhat one-sided conversation he was having with her. It wasn't that she found him dull. In fact, she was captivated with his words…perhaps. No, what caught her attention was the tiny little bug fluttering its way towards his right cheek. Chestnut eyes trailed along the small insect's path as it readied itself to feast on Jellal's royal blood. Now, she doesn't quite understand how the little thing could remain undetected by him but it somehow flies under his radar. No one could blame her if she were to swat the little bugger away from him, right?
She propped her elbow on the stack of papers that covered the entirety of his desk and lightly patted his cheek. As a result, he flinched, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Instinctively, his head recoiled backwards, in fear of getting slapped by her. It has happened before, out of nowhere mind you. However, what should have been the stinging sensation of her sharp claws was the feeling of her gloved hands smoothing out the surface of his skin, like a person fondly caressing the face of their lover. This was different from any wallop she had given him.
Peeking one eye open, her face was close to his. The passive exterior she readily wore in public was replaced with shock. "There was…" She sheepishly turned her neck to the side. "…never mind." Mopping his cheek with her thumb, she wiped away all evidence of the murder and leaned back against her chair. Telling him about the pest normally wouldn't be a concern but that would only tip him off that she wasn't paying attention to him. He had a small fit about that before.
She clicked her tongue, releasing a rather annoyed "tsk". It wasn't her fault she was sidetracked. Whether the source of the distraction was a bug near his face or his actual face, how could she be blamed for her preoccupation? Presently, her trembling hands wanted to slap him.
Needing to lift the awkwardness that settled between them, Erza noted that the King had missed something in one of the documents he worked on. "Your signature is missing." Saying his thanks, he peered closely at her face and wondered what was her deal. She seemed almost flustered.
Wait. A thought clicked on his head. Was she about to kiss him? Affectionate acts from her were incredibly more rare than a blue moon but maybe just this once she wanted to initiate it and he ruined it!
"Erza, I…" Like a hit to the stomach, the door of his office swung open, revealing two frazzled soldiers.
"Captain Knightwalker, there is an incident at the stables. Please come quick." She cocked her head to the side and stood up. "What did you idiots do this time?" Relief flooded her. "We shall continue later, Your Majesty." As a formality around her soldiers, she bowed her head to the King and walked out the door. The soldiers copied her. "A thousand pardons, milord, for interrupting your discussion."
"Worry not. See to it that the incident is resolved." They saluted and hastily left for the stables.
Later that day, Jellal's head was wracked with regret. Wishing to clear his head, he relocated to the Gardens, hoping that the steady sound of the fountain and the rustling of trees beneath the spring wind would grant him solace but alas his mind was caught in a blaze of fire. How could he destroy such a momentous event? All she wanted to do was to kiss him. I am sorry my beloved.
"Jellal, there you are." Ultear finally tracked down the elusive king and sat next to him on the wooden bench. "The preparations are almost complete…why is your face the look of a man who just lost something quite dear to him?" His face was now buried in his hands. "She wanted to kiss me!" His friend gasped and grabbed his shoulder. "Who? Give me the details."
When Erza's name fell from his lips, Ultear's shoulder sunk down in disappointment. "So why does that cause you anguish?"
"I turned her away! Her hand was on my cheek, stroking it ever so tenderly."
Ultear smiled in satisfaction. The ongoing drama between the redheaded Captain and the King of Edolas are better than her soaps and she loved them for it. "Well. Why did you shy away from her?" Jellal slapped his hands on his lap. "In my defense, I believed she was about to hit me. It's not uncommon."
She crossed her legs and thought of an idea that could return him to the Captain's good graces. "That does sound like a problem but it could easily be rectified by a flattering gift a woman of her standards would enjoy. Then, explain to her that you made a grave error and give her permission to invade your lips at any moment of her choosing." His ears perked up.
"The gift part. She isn't like you, Ultear."
"I beg your pardon, Sir." He chuckled. "You're right. It should lessen the blow. Very well. I will take you up on your advice. Thank you." She lowered head for a bow, mimicking the courteous formality servants and soldiers alike displayed to their King. "I am happy to serve you, Sir." Jellal tilted his head. "Will you be using "Sir" to refer to me now?"
"It's much shorter than your name." Under his breath, he mumbled, "Great."
"Sometimes Erza uses "Sir" to mock me." A small laugh managed to worm its way out of his friend.
"Aren't you two such a loving couple?" For a moment, he thought she was being serious. "Really?" However, it soon dawned on him that she was being sarcastic. "Wait. Was that sarcasm?"
"Perish the thought. Anyways, visit Byro. He wishes to speak to you about the arrangements." He nodded. But first, he must search a gift for his Captain.
…
After careful deliberations, he finally procured the perfect gift and stopped by in the courtyard. "Sugar Boy." Jellal approached the blonde Captain who was making a wooden statue of Hughes. Without uttering anything, Sugar Boy spouted the information he needed. "Most likely, Erza is in your office." He always knew Erza's whereabouts for some reason. "Thank you, Sugar Boy." The king stared at the motionless Hughes and his pose wasn't comfortable.
"Hmmmm…Hughes, do not to move. Do not even breathe!"
"Okay, Sugar Boy!"
Sugar Boy raised his hands in defeat. "We have to start over again."
"I'll leave you to it, Captain Sugar Boy." Jellal bid him a short farewell and raced to his office.
Knightwalker jumped back when the door almost slammed her face. "Jellal, I was about to look for you." She noticed his dazed expression and the long metallic black box he was carrying.
"For you…" He handed her the peculiar container.
She unbuckled the lock, exposing a set of polished knives to the cool air of the room. "Oh, I needed new knifes. I keep misplacing my old ones because of..." She paused."Not important." She flashed him a suspicious look. She appreciated useful gifts but this was unexpected. "This morning, Erza…" He stumbled around himself. "I am sorry. I was just scared and uhh…I didn't know until…I made a fool of myself." She was taken aback by his admission. He has a phobia of bugs? Perhaps his fear was derived from an allergic reaction to certain kinds of critters. Why hasn't she taken that to account? Those things are worst than assassins if that was the case. She gritted her teeth.
"No apologies or gifts are necessary, Jellal. I will not hesitate next time. I just didn't want to interrupt." He shook his head. "Interrupt away, Captain. I absolutely do not mind." He beamed. "I am grateful you brought this up, Jellal"
The king took a short step to his chair and was doubly elated at the result of their conversation. Nothing could sour his mood. "Oh, Byro had these for you." The mountain of documents to be reviewed piled up again. "I'll help you sort through them."
…
The Next Day…
Ultear met up with the King and he had a spring in his step. "You seem more spirited than yesterday, Jellal. I assume everything went well with her." He gave her a thumbs up. "Indeed."
"Your next problem is to discern a slap from a kiss." The King paled. "She must have a tell. Study her closely at all times, I suppose." He smiled at her sound recommendation.
"Oh before you leave." His arms grew heavier, like she had shackled a ball and chain onto his wrists. A stack of documents and folders had encumbered and prevented him from fleeing. "From Byro. Have fun." Suddenly, the spring in his step broke. "Thank you." He said but there was no gratitude in his tone. He trudged onwards and left for the confines of his office.
Ultear sauntered towards the main entrance of the castle where she discovered a dozen burly men with tools on their backs that could only be attributed to what looked like a flamethrower. Some men had tattoos on their arms. Some had scars on their faces, arms, legs...tongue. Bottom line was, they all had the visage of men who often stayed at the jailhouse more than their actually houses. Among the group, she chanced upon the bright red hair of a certain royal captain. She managed to capture Knightwalker's attention. "Erza, who are these men and what are they all holding?"
"They are exterminators, of the insect variety." There was no humor in her voice. "His Majesty is frightened of insects and he might also be allergic to them. I cannot eliminate all stressful stimuli from his living environment but I can do this. This I can accomplish." Ultear pointed to the device strapped on their backs that she could only surmise was their bug spray. "I'm not an expert but those do not look like the customary bug exterminating equipment. These men also do not match ordinary bug exterminators."
"Today, they're bug exterminators." Knightwalker responded in a succinct manner.
Ultear nervously giggled. Today? What are they usually?
"I checked them and their equipment. They spray chemicals that can destroy those tiny assassins and then some. I will not put Jellal in risk." Ultear's lips broadened. "You sure are quite doting at times."
"Not doting. I am just cautious. One of those flying creatures tried to dine on him like he was some sort of 5-star restaurant. I was so careless. What if he had a reaction? I deserve to be hit for my cavalier attitude." Certainly, Ultear wasn't going to take a jab at the Captain that's for sure. This might sound crazy but having four limbs was more desirable to her.
"You're overreacting, Captain Knightwalker. Just a tad though." That was a lie. She scratched her head. Although Knightwalker always had this overprotective nature when the King was involved, where did this bug thing originated from? "Was Jellal attacked by a bug recently?" Erza nodded. "Yesterday. It landed on his cheek. I killed it before it did any damage."
Ultear tried to muffle her mouth, in fear of letting out her guffaw. Could this be related to the incident Jellal was fretting about yesterday? "Oh, there was a bug? You didn't want to…kiss him?" Knightwalker arched her brow. "No. How did you reach that conclusion?" Ultear waved both her hands and told the Captain to disregard what she had said.
"Sure. If you say so."
There was a sound of glass shattering. "Dammit, what are those fools doing?" The redhead patted the other woman on the back. "Keep your wits about you, Ultear." She chased after the bug exterminators roaming the Royal Grounds.
The raven-haired woman could hear Erza yelling, "You all will pay with your limbs, should you allow those assassins to puncture your King's skin. Burn them all." She massaged her temples. If overboard wasn't Knightwalker's middle name, it should be from now on. All Erza wanted was to swat away a bug but Jellal somehow twisted it to fit his delusion. By some means, Knightwalker was convinced His Majesty was fearful and/or allergic to said bugs. In the end, those two simply misunderstood each other and now...
Screams from the maids saturated the hallways.
What lovable dorks.
It will be quite rowdy in the castle today, all because of a simple misunderstanding.
...
Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Whenever you have the time, tell me what you think! Have a nice day!
Now below this will be my ranting about the Anime/Manga Fairy Tail so if you are not caught up with one or the other, please stop reading because there will be spoilers. Thank you. (but really, if you're a fan of Fairy Tail, why aren't you caught up with at least the manga? HUH? Do we need to have a chat?)
Side note: Thank god Anime Fairy Tail finished the filler episodes. Not that they're not amusing because Kemo-Kemo's episodes had some feels and Fairy Tail of the Dead Meeeeen was just so cringeworthy but at same, I couldn't stop watching. Erza turning into Ichiya...oh god. And Laxus...GOD that episode killed me. Cannot...unsee!
With that awful note, I just want to watch the Tartaros Arc. Is that so much to ask for?
Over by the manga side, was anybody surprised Gray turned evil? I was not. I was like "Surprise, surprise." Natsu needs to just go ahead and one-shot that ice boy and his Avatar buddies. I know he can. (lol...maybe)
And where do you think Erza went? With Jellal and his guild perhaps? That may be wishful thinking on my part. She's most likely with Mermaind Heel, since she is buddies with Milliana and Kagura. (Speaking of Kagura, she might be making a cameo in Everyday Lives. I just had a funny idea.) Cross your fingers those two (Jellal and Erza, I mean) had some kind of development.
Anyways, you must be really bored if you read through my ranting. Thanks for reading. :D
