Here we are. The penultimate chapter.

Don't know what penultimate means?

Search it up on the dictionary.

Oh. Too lazy? We want our story don't we? Haha, I'm just kidding.

Penultimate means the next to the last, meaning there will be one chapter after this before the story ends.

But I've talked far too much. Without further ado-Chapter 9!

Enjoy!

Erza raced back on the horse she had borrowed from Porlyusica as fast as she could. She knew that every second could make a difference, a difference that could mean life or death for Jellal. It was of utmost importance that she got back in time.

Approaching the Fiore castle, she shouted as loud as she could, "Open the gates! I am Erza Scarlet, and I have come back to cure Jellal!"

The guards quickly created a clear path for Erza, where she then jumped off her horse and started to run through the castle, desperately wanting to get to her love. She dashed into the Jellal's bedchamber and stopped, sucking in a sharp breath.

Jellal lay among mountains of pillows, his eyes closed. His ashen gray face was skin and bones and Erza couldn't see any movement at all.

She frantically started to shake his shoulder, crying out, "Jellal! Jellal.. wake up! I've come back with Porlyusica's famous cure! Come on!"

There was no response. Jellal's features were as frozen as a statue's. Erza started to panic. "Jellal! Come back to me! Jellal!"

She tenderly touched his forehead with the tip of her fingers, and whispered, "Is this really the end?" Her fingers traveled down to rest on the bridge of his nose. "Is this really happening?"

Erza straightened up and reached inside her coat pocket for Porlyusica's cure. She uncapped the bottle and gently opened up Jellal's mouth. "This will work, this will work…" she muttered to herself, as she poured the contents of the bottle down his throat.

Nothing happened. As the minutes ticked by, and Erza became more and more dispirited, Jellal's body did not give even one sign that the cure had helped him in some way. Hopelessness sank on Erza. Why did she even think that this whole gamble would work, anyways? She had gone to find Porlyusica, only to return to a corpse. In fact, by going on the quest of hers, she had missed the most important person in her world's dying moments. Jellal had probably died all alone, with no one to comfort him at all. Why did Erza even think for a second that getting the cure would actually cure him? She collapsed to the floor and started to cry.

"...Erza. Erza… Erza, is that you? Are you crying?" A voice croaked from above her. She turned her head quickly and stared at the source of the sound.

"Jellal? Jellal? You're alive?!" Erza exclaimed. She sprang onto the bed and cupped her hands around Jellal's face, pulling his head to hers. "I thought you were dead! I thought… I thought…"

Jellal smiled weakly at her. "Erza, how could I ever do that? Do you really think so lowly of me? I will never go down as easily as that..."

Erza bowed her head, but as Jellal continued to speak, her eyes slowly opened wider and wider.

"Erza," he murmured. "Erza, didn't I say before that I would continue to live, just for you? I do recall you saying that you wouldn't know what to do without me… Erza, listen. I said I loved you before, and I still do. I will always stay with you, until the end of our time. You're the one who stayed with me through this war, and never let go. You're the one who refused to admit I was done for when Cobra poisoned me, and you were right. Thanks to you, Erza, I am alive right now."

Her eyes glowing, Erza swiftly wrapped her arms around Jellal. "I love you too, Jellal… Yes, I wouldn't know what to you without you. Stay with me forever…"

Jellal gingerly sat up in the bed. "Erza," he said, suddenly serious. "Get off the bed. Go stand on that rug over there." He gestured to the plush violet rug on the floor, approximately five yards from the bed.

Erza was worried, and she tried to figure out why Jellal was commanding her around all so suddenly. "Jellal? What? Why-"

"No questions. Just go stand over there."

She carefully obeyed his instructions, but worry was etched in every line on her face.

Jellal shakily got off the big bed and stood swaying on the carpet. He slowly walked over to Erza, exhaustion clearly shown on his face.

Erza's intuition got the best of her, and she blurted out, "Get back into bed! You're not fully recovered yet- you might injure yourself-"

She suddenly stopped as Jellal fell to the rug in front of her, and was struggling to get back up. She shouted, "Jellal! Are you okay..?"

He shrugged off her helping hands. "I'm fine Erza." He got onto one knee and got out a plush jewelry box. "What's more important is… Erza Scarlet. I know I've only known you for a couple weeks, but I've had more fun with you than anybody else before. I've never had this feeling of love with anybody, and this just tells me that you're the one I want to stay with. Erza… yes, I will stay with you forever, into eternity, if only you say yes to this one question: Will you marry me?"

Erza gasped, and her face turned crimson. She hurried to say, "Of course! Yes! A million times over, yes…" She dropped to her knees at Jellal's level, where she let Jellal ease the diamond ring onto her finger. "Jellal… we shall stay together… forever..."

The two lovers swiftly kissed, each supporting the other, whether it be mentally or physically. Behind them, the sun was just setting, basking the room with golden light, and a peaceful yet romantic silence settled over the castle room.

Honestly, if someone else were writing this, and ended it here, I wouldn't blame them.

But we have one last chapter in store, so hang on a little longer guys!

-Crimsonflames2862