Everyday Life ( Fairy Tail FanFic )

Stay

Chapter 9: Stay

The King rubbed his throat and cleared it several times. He looked up at the opulent chandelier that hung above the long dining table and then to the blood red curtains of the windows that protected the room from the rays of the sun. In fact, his eyes wandered everywhere, but to the cursed plate that mocked him (in his mind). "Your Majesty, is the food not to your liking?" A maid asked, wondering why he wasn't responding to the warm, aromatic breakfast that the cook had prepared for the King. "Ah, no, but my appetite seems to be absent this morning." He sliced a piece of the omelet, and dug in half-heartedly. A pained grimaced appeared on his face when he swallowed. It felt almost like an eternity and the contents of his plate has yet to lessened. "You mustn't force yourself, if his Majesty's stomach isn't up to the task." The King muttered an apology and instructed her to notify the castle cook that the food was delicious. He reticently excused himself from the dining room, and decided to traveled down to the training hall, where his favorite female Captain might be. He imagined her terrorizing the soldiers who couldn't keep up with her and laughed silently.

He took a short cut and crossed into the garden, only to encounter Sugar Boy, who sat in a crisscross manner in front of the garden pond. In his hand was a fishing rod, and a diverse number of baits were scattered on the grass beside him. "Sugar Boy? Weren't you sick?" The armored Captain tugged on the rod. "You do realized that there are no fish present in there." Sugar Boy gave him a wide grin and set off a short snort. "Hmmm, yes. It is peaceful though, milord." Accepting the succinct response, the King was about to walk away and stepped one-foot forward, before the blonde haired Captain's voice stopped him. "If his Majesty is hunting down Erza, I saw her heading towards the Legion's Stables." He announced, without averting his eyes from the water. "Thank you, Sugar Boy."

…

Jellal massaged his throat for the umpteenth time that day. He coughed and felt a little groggy. It has been a bit chilly recently, so perhaps his body is just adjusting to it, he told himself.

The pathway was rather muddy today as a stream of murky water flowed from the direction of the stables, and he was grateful that he was wearing the proper footing attire. He trudged on cautiously as his boots flopped down onto the doughy ground.

"Hughes! Turn that off! Now!" The Legion Stables colossal doorway was partly opened and he could hear the familiar scream of Captain Knightwalker. He hurried and pushed the door opened, but a startling spray of water greeted him instead.

"Your Majesty!" Hughes recoiled his hand towards the right, spraying to the direction of Knightwalker. However, she managed to evade most of the water and charged towards the dimwitted man, snatching the hose away from him. "Like amazing, Erza. You look pretty mad." He moved backwards and tried to devise a way to escape from her wrath, but the tail of a Legion tripped him. "Really Hughes, what gave it away—Did you say, your Majesty?" She followed the idiot's finger and the angry gleam that burnt brightly in her eyes vanished. "King? What are you doing here?" For a second, the sharpness of her tone softened. Hughes handed him a towel and apologized sincerely. After that, he slowly backed away. Erza was distracted for the mean time, so he took this chance and scampered away.

"Your robes. You should get out of those now. Its rather cold outside and…" The King grinned playfully at her words. Her hands instantly reached over his hand when he began unbuttoning the buttons of his collar. "I don't mean here! You know what I mean. In your chambers, your Majesty." He chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly. "I seem to have forgotten where that is. There is a relapse in my memory. Could the Captain kindly assist me with my troubles?" He goaded. Amused, she was not, but the King wouldn't move if she didn't comply. Since when was I a pushover?

She walked out the ligneous door and made a gesture with her hands for him to move along. "Quickly." He lagged behind her. "Eager to get me out of my clothes, huh, Captain." She snarled. "Quiet."

…

Their leisurely pace irritated Knightwalker and she knew he could walk faster. What is he up to now? By the time of their arrival, his clothes would already be dry. "King, can you walk any slower?" A passing duo of maids curtly bowed to their superiors, before giggling away. They were clearly saying something about their King and his Captain. She bit down a growl. She paid no heed to the bumbling maids that spat out nonsense that didn't concern them. She didn't care…I don't care. Then, a sound of the King's harsh cough broke her thoughts. "That sounded horrible. Are you getting sick?" He dismissively waved his hand, and chortled. "Me, sick? Impossible! If you must know, your King, not one time…" He hacked out a cough, but still continued."…Has ever been ill. I pride myself in my impregnable immunity system." She could've sworn his nose just grew ten inches at his blatant boasting.

"Is that right? Well, does your throat feel like you want to dig in there and scratch it."

"Yes. How did you know?"

"And merely swallowing a glass of water becomes an arduous task." His lips formed a small "o". How did she know all this? "Does your head feel as though a ton of bricks is just sitting there, and you can't seem to shake it off." He nodded, agreeing to everything she had just mentioned. "You, dear King, are getting sick. You must have contracted the virus roaming around the castle." He wagged his finger, ignoring her list of warnings. "Simple-minded, Erza. I am not getting sick. Now, if you'll excuse me. I must change my attire." He said and entered his room.

…

The next day…

Jellal sneezed as he buried his entire body under the fortress of blankets of his toasty bed. He could hear the faint creak of his door opening and closing. "Are you sick now, King?" Humor trickled out of this person's tone. He sniffed and poked his head out of the comforter. "Erza. Hold me." That earned a weary sigh from her.

"I hate to say, I told you so."

"Don't. Please."

She settled down a tray that contained a bowl of creamy hot soup, a cup of hot honeyed lemon tea, and a small jar of honey on his bedside table. "A maid had informed me of your ailment and was carrying this. I took it off her hands." She pulled on a nearby chair and placed it near the bed. "Your little shower yesterday sealed your fate, didn't it?"

The Captain ordered him to eat since his stomach had been empty since yesterday. The King wondered how she could possibly know that, then recalled that she had kept at least one eye trained on him the day before. She waited patiently as the soup gradually petered out from the bowl. "The tea." He swallowed the drink, and it managed to slightly relax that throbbing feeling of his throat. "How's your throat?" She opened the humble lid of the jar and poured a small amount of honey into a spoon. "A bit better." A spoon was held out to his face. He paused. "Well? What are you waiting for?" His mouth took in the spoon and the warm, thick golden substance slid down his throat gingerly. "Your awfully being nice, Captain. Am I hallucinating?" Suddenly, the spoon was forcibly yanked out of his mouth. It nearly took out a column of his teeth. "My apologies. What I meant to say was, thank you."

He crashed back down on the fluffy sheets and watched her curiously. She's still here. Not that I'm complaining. "Is there anything else?" He rasped out. "No. I will leave then." His hand impulsively bolted for hers. "No!" The abrupt movement caused a sudden light-headiness and he sank back down on the bed. "Stay." Her hand was still in his.

"Fine. I will stay."