Chapter Twenty-Five

Captured

Cana hardly slept at all the night before, tossing and turning throughout the hours. When Granny entered to wake her, the old woman was surprised to see her already sitting up in bed, but quickly recovered and went on with her tasks as usual.

"He's really staying, isn't he?" She spoke aloud as Granny undid her braid and combed through her hair with her fingers. After oiling her locks she chose her outfit out of the clothes that Granny had brought with her, picking the long, green and pale yellow silk tunic to go with the white pants rather than the gray, blue, and silver set.

I've grown so sick of these colors. She glared at the clothing. Everything in this damn place is blue and gray or silver and sapphire or any damn combination of those dismal shades! Cana thought back to the night before and seeing Bacchus wearing silver pants and the blue tunic hanging behind him made her grit her teeth. Frustrated, she squeezed the beautiful silks in her hands, ready to tear it into a hundred pieces, only holding back so as not to upset Granny. She was suddenly overjoyed to be leaving and felt as if she couldn't stand her beautiful prison for another second.

Her food came as she was dressing and she invited Granny to share her meal. She's become less resistant to accepting the invitations and sat without a fuss. Together they enjoyed a light meal of rice with egg and lightly braised vegetables. There was a half of a salted fish on the side and a large bowl filled with chunks of a crisp melon and other assorted fruits to balance the flavor. A fragrant flower tea had also been prepared and helped to wash everything down afterward.

After, when their dishes were collected, Cana couldn't help but wonder if she was in fact being released at all with all the delays. It was already nearing the later part of the morning when her escort finally arrived. She had expected Qi Peng to be present at her door when the knock finally came, but a different man had stood in her doorway instead. For an instant his height and build confused her and she believed it to be none other than his-high-holiness-asshole Emperor Jian. At the sound of his voice, she was returned to reality and realized how badly she was mistaken.

"I am Captain Yu Ren." He spoke very fluently in Fiorian and gave a sincere smile as he bowed.

Like Qi Peng, he kept his long hair half up and tied back with the tail in a neat braid. Also like the Lieutenant, he had strange blue markings on his face, though he had a single stripe that started under his bottom lip and ran to his chin accompanied by smaller, thinner ones on either side of it that reached only halfway up.

She nodded unsure of how to react and held tight to her bag slung over her shoulder. She knew that the demure way he appeared was in no way indicative of his true power and that for certain, he was a formidable opponent and one she did not wish to engage while unable to use her magic.

The Captain said something to Granny who had suspiciously been eyeing him the entire time. I guess it's time to go. Cana turned to hug the old woman beside her, receiving a gentle embrace in return. There was a sad smile on her face and budding tears in her eyes as Granny reached for her hands, giving them a final squeeze and kissed her on the cheek. Cana clenched her fists and her chest tightened as she turned once more to her escort to follow him. I have to stay on my guard. She balled up her hands tighter and held firmly to her bag as they made their way down the hall.

They exited the palace and walked through the large courtyard toward the entrance gate. They passed by the garden, Cana had caught a glimpse of a tall man in blue and silver and an elegant woman in white walking arm in arm, but they were soon hidden by a line of trees and disappeared from her sights. Remembering her frustration, she kept on along side Captain Yu and was more than ready to finally leave the royal palace behind.

If I recall correctly, the port that Bacchus and I had initially entered the country in was at least a three-day walk if we go through the village near Shan and Mei's. The names gave her pause for a moment when the idea popped in her head. Shan and Mei! If he won't listen to me, I know he'll listen to at least one of them. Cana felt confident in her new ambition, pondering how she could get her escort to take the detour through their village until Bacchus' words from the night before rang in her head.

"Some one needs to stop this war, Cana." He had a look of determination in his eyes as he spoke to her. It was the same look he had when he had first told her of his past and of Yi Kai.

"If that means I have to stay here in Yi Kai and become part of this twisted family, even if it means saving only a few people, I'll do it."

There was no mistaking how passionate he had become about the issue of the war. He was not wrong for wanting to put an end to the bloodbath that was drowning his homeland, even if it meant self-sacrifice. Who am I to stop him, then? She felt a little less enthusiastic about her idea and began to question whether or not her intentions were more for his benefit or hers.

Ever since he showed up in that bar, all I've wanted to do was help him find out how to get rid of his nightmares. And now that he doesn't want my cards to guide him any more, I feel as if... as if he doesn't want me either. Cana was sore to admit it, even to herself at that moment. The Bacchus she knew, or at least the one she thought she knew, had truly never been anyone else but Emperor Jian. He was not the drunken, witty, fool she had engaged in countless drinking contests with at the bars; he was not the deviously grinning, cunning, cocky and powerful mage she had met in Crocus; he was not the smooth-talking, easy-going man whose company she had enjoyed when he came to visit her in Magnolia, nor the spirited and hard-working crew member slaving away at the decks while they were aboard Captain Wu's ship. He was once, maybe. But now he can't be.

She didn't pity him. No, pity was not what you were supposed to feel at a time like this. Cana did not pity him for taking responsibility that he was meant to take. She only felt...

"Lost?" The voice pulled her from her thoughts as she looked up to see him leaning against the large pillar connected to the gate.

"Come to see me off after all?" Cana stopped and quirked her brow at the man before her.

"But of course. It is only customary that I bid farewell to all of the palace guests upon their departure." Qi Peng flashed her a charming grin, his dark eyes shining like fresh ink.

"What do you want?" She snorted and frowned at him. Cana was not in the mood to delay her journey home any further, especially if he was responsible for holding her up.

"I believe these belong to you." He handed her a small pouch. The weight instantly registered in her head as she closed her hand around her enclosed deck. "But I also must collect something from you."

Cana looked up from her hand to him, suspicious of his words. He glanced at the chain around her neck.

"You can have it." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Never wanted it from the start."

Qi Peng stepped closer to her, leaving only a small gap between them. She quickly went on the defensive and leaned back away from him. He chuckled as his hand reached up and tapped the clawed foot pendant that sat in the middle of her chest. Instantly, she could feel the chain lengthen and fall from her neck as her magic flooded back into her body. Her heart pounded a single beat loud enough to deafen her and knock the air out of her lungs almost doubling her over. When she drew in a gasping breath, she felt heavier, her body surging with a power like electricity was sent in waves from her chest to the tips of her fingers and toes. It was a similar feeling to moving her leg after it fell asleep from sitting on it too long, but with a much higher sensitivity and throughout every part of her being.

Then, just as suddenly as she had it returned to her, she felt her magic bottled and capped down inside her once more. She pulled her lips back in a snarl as she snatched her wrist from Qi Peng's grasp.

"This is only a temporary suppression." He assured her, putting his hands up to show his palms. "Though it should last until after you have reached the ship at the port village for precautionary purposes. I am sure you can understand the reason." The slimy way he looked down at her made her skin crawl and her anger rise up as a lump in her throat. She pulled back her sleeve to look at her wrist where Qi Peng had held her. There was a black design in the shape of wispy smoke clouds that flowed completely around it. It looked like a tattoo of sorts the way it sat in her skin.

Cana could not speak when she looked up, her eyes completely focused on the man in front of her. She could feel her blood boil and her trapped magic desperately trying to unleash itself.

"Now then. You must want to be on your way." The Lieutenant General turned and spoke to her escort in Yikani briefly. Take care of our guest. The words were like whispers that echoed in her head as Captain Yu shouted up to the guards standing in the towers on either side of the large doors to open the gate and let them pass. As the large doors opened outward, Qi Peng called out to her. She turned to look at him, giving him her most poisonous glare.

"I wish you safe passage, Cana Alberona, Fairy Tail wizard." He stood in place with his arms crossed over his chest, returning her glare with his typical menacing grin. There was an uneasy feeling in her gut as the doors closed behind them with a cloud of dust.

Waiting for them just a few steps ahead was a man with two horses, saddled and ready to ride. Cana wasn't certain how well her body was going to take to the next few days on horseback, but settled for the simple fact that it would be faster and less painful than walking. Once mounted, they wound their way through the village streets toward the foothills of the mountains that guarded the royal city. There were people bustling around happily selling goods, offering them samples of their fresh food, children playing, and plenty of citizens casually chatting in the streets. War has not yet touched this deceitfully peaceful place. She watched a young couple walk by, a small infant held in the woman's arms. And now with Bacchus ending the war, hopefully it never will.

It was near sunset by the time they had reached the pass where she and Bacchus had been captured. The shop was half in ruins still from their fight with Qi Peng, but the owners managed to carry on. They stopped there to water the horses and continued roughly a mile on foot outside of the small town to a pocket just off of the main road afterward.

"We will stop here tonight." Yu said and tied off his horse to a nearby tree. Cana did the same and helped him to collect firewood. Once the flames started, night had come to blanket the sky. She pulled out her deck and started to shuffle the cards. After having been away from them for so long, the familiar feeling was gladly welcomed.

"Drink?" He held out a skin to her as they sat on their rolled out mats.

"Thanks." She muttered as she accepted the offering. It was a stronger rice wine than the one she had drank herself sick on after she ran out on Bacchus.

"You are a mage correct?" Yu peered over the flames at her when she resumed her shuffling. "What kind of magic do you use?"

"Card reading." She raised the deck in her hand to show him and took another sip of the drink before handing it back to him. He didn't seem to understand by the curious look he gave her.

"Cards like fortune cards?" He asked, taking a drink for himself. Cana nodded and took a bite of the salted beef she had packed with her.

"Does this help you in battle?" Came his next question.

"They have their uses." She settled the cards into place on her leg and started to skim through them, checking for any missing ones.

"Have I given offense?" The next question made her look back up at him. Cana furrowed her brows at him, unsure of what he had meant. "That is, you have hardly spoken since we left the palace." He took a bite of his own salted meat, his eyes still on her. "And we have yet another three days to go before reaching the port."

"No." Cana shook her head. "Nothing like that." She absently ran her thumb along the side of her deck. "I suppose I am just anxious to return to Fiore."

"You have been gone a while?" Yu handed her the skin once more.

"Over a month now." She drank deep this time and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was already starting to feel the effects of the drink coursing through her. The lack of consuming any alcohol since that night had lowered her tolerance, if only a little. The potency of the alcohol was of no help either.

"If I may ask then, why did you come with his majesty to Yi Kai?" The question was likely not meant as anything invasive, but Cana couldn't help the look that must have twisted her lips into a slight frown. "I apologize if I ask too much." Yu quickly said after.

"It's alright." She returned the skin to him while looking into the dancing flames. "I came because I was guiding him with my cards. But we had no idea the answers that awaited him here."

"By that, you mean his parentage."

She scoffed and returned her deck to the pouch they were returned in. "That and more."

They talked more of how she and Bacchus came to Yi Kai and their journey to the palace. She explained to him about how she enchanted a comb he had been given and how that eventually led to her drinking contest with a pirate. Captain Yu seemed amused by her slight boasting over her tolerance, telling her that she did not seem the drinking type. She told him them of Fiore, of her guild and guild mates. He listened intently to her anecdotes of their wild adventures and quests, adding in his own stories of battle here and there.

"The one you call Erza sounds like a powerful mage. Are there others within your guild who are her equal?"

"There are." Cana looked into the flames of their campfire, thinking about her father and the other S-Class wizards. "Our guild was named the number one guild in all of Fiore not long ago. That is where I met Bacc-, er, Jian."

"It would seem you are quite fond of your comrades. I am sure they are eager for you to return."

"They're my family. I'm sure they missed me."

"What a shame it is then." Yu said as he tilted his head back to finish off the contents of the skin.

"What is?" Cana felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck as her suspicions grew.

"That you will not see them again." He rose to his feet with a sigh. Cana stood from her spot as he did and took a step back.

"You would betray your emperor." She hissed at him, holding tight to the deck in her hand.

"He is no emperor of mine." Yu's eyes narrowed at her as he took a step forward.

"I see. How long did it take for a lowly snake of a rebel to claw his way up into the rank of Captain?" Cana stood still, waiting to judge his movements.

"I was already Captain when I joined Qi Peng and the rest." The man shrugged.

"Qi Peng?" Cana backed up from him until she was pressed against a tree.

"He was the one to enlighten me of the true faces of the remaining royal family. And now that the runaway prince has finally come, thanks to you, we can rid this country of the remaining royal scum once and for all." The light from the small fire flicked and danced on his face, giving him a menacing look.

"You're bluffing. What would my capture prove?"

""It takes three days to get to the port. There is still a war rampaging throughout the kingdom and with rebels hiding under every rock, there's simply no telling when they might attack and capture a foreign woman. Especially one of great value to the emperor. Surely he would do anything to assure your safety. Killing his bride and her sister for example. If he survives his wedding night that is. Accidents do happen when an individual drinks too much."

"I hate to tell you this, but your plan isn't going to work." Cana boldly crossed her arms and stared Yu down. "You and whoever thought of this foolish plan seemed to have overlooked a few critical details."

"That so?"

"My guild." She straightened her posture proudly. "They're waiting for me to return and if I don't come back," Cana paused to gauge his reaction. "Then they come here." She gave a cocky smirk when Captain Yu raised his eyebrow at her.

"That would be troublesome." He sighed and shrugged. "It is a good thing that that is exactly what we want." The feral look on his face returned.

"What?" Her eyes widened at his response.

"After those sisters get what they want out of him and kill that bastard emperor for us, a report will be sent to your precious friends to tell them that you had been captured by the royal army and held captive shortly after your release. Unfortunately for you, you will have been gravely injured in the battle that led to your kidnapping and after a week of confinement, finally succumbed to your wounds. We will whisper that your murderers, as well as the ones likely responsible for death of the short-lived Emperor Jian, are suspected to be none other than the newly elected empress and her sister."

"Bastard!" She tightened her hands into fists. "Using my guild for your advantage. How cowardly are you that you cannot face the sisters and emperor head on?"

"What better way to rid this country of an unwelcomed new dynasty than to rally Fiore's most powerful guild to our side by convincing them that they are seeking vengeance for their fallen comrade?"

The way he looked at her while drawing the sword from his side made her step back further until a tree met her back. Damn. Cana glanced to either side for an escape, but knew that in the dark she ran the risk of injuring herself in running through the woods.

"Damn you!" Her magic rumbled inside of her, trying to release itself to defend her, but she could not conjure it. Her body braced itself and her arms crossed over her head as Captain Yu raised his sword over his head, wielding it with both hands. He bellowed out something as he brought down the blade to crash down through Cana's arms and head. The sound of metal on metal sliced through the air, making Cana open her eyes. A cloaked figure had charged from the shadows to pary Yu's near-fatal attack with a dagger.

"Who are you?" The Captain snarled at her defendant, but he did not answer. Yu lunged into an attack once more. The mystery fighter pushed Cana out of the way and despite his size, easily dodged, slipping under the blade and sliced at Yu's back. But he was not a captain with lack of reasoning and caught the smaller blade with his own, pushing the other man back. The dance went one for a few more turns, both men lunging, swiping and hacking away at one another.

Another attack and dodge positioned the cloaked man in front of Cana once again, the two of them facing a heavily breathing Yu. A vulpine smirk curled his lips upward as he charged.

"Die!" He roared as he charged. Captain Yu had only taken a few steps when a sickening thunk came from behind, giving him pause, his yell seemingly caught in his throat. He fell to his knees after the second and third came. He dropped his sword in front of him, and slowly went to reach for his throat. Small trickles of blood spilled from the sides of his mouth, running alongside the blue lines beneath him lip, as he coughed out a large bubble of blood. His eyes remained open as he fell face forward into the dirt and the leaves. Dark blood seeped from the two daggers in his back that ran along his spine with an oddly familiar third one sticking out from the back of his neck. The silver blade had a black leather-wrapped handle and a snakehead with emerald eyes as the pommel. This is…

"Did you miss me, Can-Can?" A woman's husky voice called from the shadows behind the trees. Cana's head snapped up to see the petite figure of the basilisk hunter slowly come forth into the light of the fire.

"Yan-Yan!" Cana stood in complete shock as the half Yikani captain pulled her dagger from Yu's neck.

"It's good to see you again." She gave her blade a swift flick of her wrist to rid it of the excess blood before wiping the rest off on her pant leg.

"Exchange your pleasantries later." The cloaked man said as he removed his hood.

"Aiguo?" Cana stared hard at the grinning first mate.

"He's right. Burn the body." Captain Yanti Wu looked Cana in the eye and gripped her by her shoulders. "Cana, come with us. We need to leave. Now." The urgency was clear in her voice.

A/N: HAPPY FRIDAY! I am so, so thrilled to announce that this story has reached over 4.2k views since it's first publishing back in April!

Words cannot express my excitement over this and I seriously could NOT have done it without you readers!

On another note, I realize now that I had changed the names of the two princesses from their original ones (Daiyu and Yanyu) that I had used back in chapter seventeen, Onward. After some more research and better plot planning, I decided on better ones (Fei Shi and Zi Yu) and have edited it since. Hopefully that will make sense to you all for future reference.

Anyway, thank you so much for the new favorites and follows!

I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter upload!

And as always, until next week,

Betty B.