A Prince

Chapter 17. Worse Thing That Happened

A week had passed since Erza's two friends had arrived. It was relaxing for everyone but Jellal. He had finished putting on his tux and was outside, inviting the guests. Natsu and Lisanna were in the first row and Lucy was on the opposite side. 

"Hey! Erza, Millianna is coming in just a minute, she said she had something to do," Kagura said as she sat down next to Erza.

Erza seemed to have a big smile on her face and the ornaments in her hair sparkled in the light of the chandelier. The crowd had a bunch of the two families and their friends. Erza could see Grandpa Rob and Makarov talking together.

Natsu looked over at her and she was too busy admiring the inside. He hung his head down as Lisanna stroked his arm. Jellal ended up in the church, waiting for his bride. "Hey, what's taking so long?" Jellal shrugged. 

He took it as a chance to rethink his life and if this was the right thing to do. 

Ultear walked in with her big white dress. The dress had only two layers and it flowed to the ground. There was a tiara in her hair to hold up the veil. Jellal could see both her parents wiping away tears.

The priest had begun to talk and all Jellal could do was look back and forth from the crowd and his future wife. Milliana had stealthily entered the church and sat next to Erza.

"Do you, Ultear Milkovich, take Jellal as your beloved husband?" 

"Jellal! Wait up!" Erza yelled at him. Her small body was running after him. They were both wearing thin clothes and were carrying wood for a fire. Jellal waited for her.

"I thought you were meant to be strong," Jellal teased her. Erza had a huge pile of logs in her arms and Jellal thought she might collapse. He ended up taking away a few from her and adding it on to his.

"You didn't need to do that!" Erza said. She had an eyepatch on one of her eyes. They were peasants and it fitted them.

"Yeah, I did," Jellal said. "Hey, Erza?" Jellal asked him.

"Yeah, what?" Erza asked him.

"Where do you want to be when you're older?" Jellal asked her.

"I want to work at the castle," Erza said. She had expected him to snap at her.

"I'll work with you! What, what if I get married?" Jellal asked. He had been betrothed to Ultear since that day.

"I'll be at that wedding!" 

"Yes," Ultear said almost straight away.

"Jellal, you're hurt!" Erza said. They were in the fields and all his equipment had fell onto the grass and he was trying to get back up. Erza glared at him. They were thirteen and were training by themselves. Makarov had replaced Erza's eye with a fake one.

"No, I'm not!" Jellal said. "I need to get up and carry on training," Jellal winced in pain after Erza touched his knee. 

"Even the strongest people need to heal! Come on, I'll take you back to Wendy," Erza said. She helped him up and helped him walk. Jellal watched her determined face.

"The equipment!" Jellal suddenly remembered. Erza scowled.

"You're like the Prince! Natsu will understand and let you off the hook," Erza said. She kicked the equipment onto one of her feet and walked on her heel on that foot.

"That must hurt," Jellal whispered.

"Think of it as training," 

"Do you, Jellal Fernandez, take Ultear as your wife?"

"Erza, you've been hanging out a lot with Gray," Jellal said to her. They were in the garden and watching the guards fight.

"And? He is my partner, you know. We have to protect the Prince, I'm sorry that I haven't had enough time to see you," Erza said to him. The first soldier dodged the sword.

"You don't need to feel sorry, it's just I feel so...so..."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Natsu and see if he can change my time table so I can talk to you," Erza said. The man got stuck down onto the floor without a sword in hand. 

"You don't need to do that!" Jellal said.

"Anything for you, after all, we are friends," 

"No," Jellal said. The crowd was full of gasps and people holding their breaths. 

"Jellal, what are you doing? Sir, ask it again!" Ultear said to the priest.

"Do you take Ultear as you wife?" The man asked once again. The room was silence once again.

"No, I said no," Jellal said.

"Jellal, what are you doing!" Erza said from the crowd. She had stood up from her seat and everyone looked at her.

"I..."

"Can't you see? He doesn't want to get married to her!" Levy stood up from her seat. Lisanna held onto Natsu.

"Guys..."

"He likes you," Lucy smirked as she stood up.

"Thanks..."

Erza sat back on her seat as Ultear gathered all the info back in her head. "Jellal, to be honest with you, I didn't want to get marries, either. Could we stay friends?" She asked and Jellal slowly nodded. "Go to your girlfriend, I think she needs you talk to her," She said to him. Meredy walked over to Ultear and talked to her.

Jellal slowly walked over to Erza. He knelt onto the floor and took her hand. "Was it true, that you liked me..." Erza cried. Her knuckles were clenched and was covering her face.

"Yes..." Jellal muttered.

"Why did you do that, that, that was the worse thing that happened to me," That hit him hard. He didn't expect his confession to be on his wedding day and her to respond with a no.

"I didn't, my heart did. I don't care if it was the worse thing that happened to you, because if I got married, I would have lost you," Jellal whispered.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked him. She showed him her face. He had never saw her cry before.

"If I got married, I would have had to leave the kingdom, leave you," Jellal said. Erza's sobs became louder. "I just have one question, why was it the worse thing that happened," He asked.

"Because, I only thought of you as a friend! I tried to deny all this and you end up doing this!"