Child of Magic | jerza

The Unicorn's Curse [5]

"Shh," I whispered to my horse, stroking his dark mane gently. "If Jellal catches us, he'll have my head for sure!"

I followed the prince, making sure my horse and I were far enough to hide if he suddenly decided to turn around.

How does he know where he's going?

Jellal stopped and looked ahead, staring at the huge, stone wall in front of him.

A maze? When did this appear?

He slid off his horse and walked into the maze.

"Stay here," I whispered, patting my black horse on the flank.

I hurried after the prince.

Jellal ran through the maze like a maniac, his sword unsheathed and in his hand.

Isn't he scared?

I was about to step into the maze when a hand grabbed my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream, but another gloved hand covered my mouth.

"Hush, child."

I blinked rapidly, my eyes not quite adjusted to the light. Squirming out of his grip I gasped, "What.."

"I believe your friend is looking for me."

"You're the Keeper!" I whispered, my dark eyes lighting up in recognition.

The old man smiled, his small, beady eyes crinkling, "Yes, indeed."

"But Jellal.." I whispered. I looked around "Where am I?"

"I transported us to the center of the maze," he said.

"Oh."

I scanned my surroundings, surprised by the fact it looked more like a beach than the center of a maze. There was a low, wooden table and two glass goblets sitting on it. I strode over to the table, brushing my fingertips along the side. 

"Scarlet?" Jellal yelled in confusion. "What in Fiore are you doing here?!"

"I..um.." I stammered, my hand jerking back quickly.

"I brought her here," said the Unicorn Keeper, grabbing my forearm possessively. 

"You!" he snarled, pointing at the man furiously. "Release Fiore from your damn curse! And keep your hands off of Scarlet!"

"Only if you pass this test," the man said, releasing me from his strong grip.

"I'm done with your silly tests!" Jellal said firmly.

"Then go home," the man said. 

"I'll take the test," I chimed in.

"No, I'll take the test," Jellal said quickly.

"Shut up, you dollop head," I snapped. "You said you didn't want to."

His mouth twitched with amusement, "Can't stop you, can I Scarlet?"

"Nope," I responded, pleased with myself.

"Both of you, have a seat," the Keeper said, motioning to the table.

We both sat down.

"One goblet has poison, one goblet has water," the man whispered. "Both of you must choose a goblet and drink from it. No exceptions."

"But then one of us dies!" I murmured.

The Keeper nodded solemnly.

I peered into my goblet, hoping that it would be easy to distinguish the goblet with water from the goblet with poison. In Bosconian stories, poison was always a dark red or black.

"The liquid in my goblet is clear," Jellal announced.

I sighed, a sinking feeling of dread in my stomach, "Mine is also clear."

"I'll miss arguing with you, Scarlet," Jellal said.

Before I could react, he snatched my goblet out of my hand and drank it.

"Jellal!" I screamed, leaning forward and reaching for his arm.

His green eyes met mine, as he drank the liquid from his goblet as well. He gasped and sunk to the ground instantly, a stone falling to the bottom of the ocean.

"IDIOT!" I yelled, kicking the table aside and kneeling beside him. Jellal twitched and writhed and agony, choking. He clawed the air, kicking and punching nothingness.

"Unfortunately, this seems to be his destiny-"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT STUPID DESTINIES!" I roared, pulling out my sword.

"What are you waiting for?" the man asked, still standing there calmly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Don't pretend," the man chuckled. "You have magic. So what are you waiting for? Cure him!"

"How?" I asked, looking at his even paler complexion.

"Yurith Galathynius," he whispered.

"Yurith Galathynius," I repeated, placing my palm over his throat.

"You had the ability to save Fiore, all along," the man whispered, slowly fading away. "One day you will be Fiore's hero. One day you'll be a legend. I look forward to that day, Erza Scarlet."

Jellal's eyes flew open. "Scarlet? If you're here, this surely can't be heaven. Am I in hell?"

I smiled. "Get up, you lazy bastard."

He smiled back and slowly pulled himself off the ground. The prince clutched his stomach, and gasped with pain. "What happened?"

"Uh..the poison...didn't affect you," I lied. "You..were strong enough to fight it."

The lies. How many lies would I have to tell?

"Ha! I can't wait to tell Sieg!"