Dedicated to ErzaScarletTitaniaEr, Galaxy_ChanPai, NikkiTheOtaku, and Gruviafansunite
Comment your thoughts!! They give us life!!
Juvia POV
I slipped down the staircase, knowing that Gajeel was probably already where he left me, glass of water in hand. I had to hurry.
I moved through the dining hall, where servants were clearing the tables, and out into the courtyard. The moon was climbing higher in the sky, casting deep, spooky shadows. A couple moved through, whispering to each other, then, spotting me, hurried off. I swallowed hard, wishing I had that glass of wine now. I’d down it in one gulp. Maybe it’d give me the courage I needed to face the creep. I lifted my chin and pulled back my shoulders, refusing to appear afraid, even if I was terrified inside. He knew where Levy and Lucy were.
I moved down through the ground-floor, looking left and then right, wondering if I had misunderstood him. But then I saw his silhouette in the far corner, leaning against a wall, casually waiting on me.
I stopped, a few feet off, and looked back. We were alone for the moment. “You know where Juvia’s sisters are?” I whispered in French.
“I do.” He pushed off the wall and walked around me. “You may drop your French now, Juvia. It is near perfect, but I know you are not who you pretend to be.”
I made myself stand still, to bear his stare. He didn’t touch me. But it was like he had.
“You resemble them.”
“No, Juvia does not. You are playing with Juvia. You have not seen them.” I turned to leave.
He reached out and touched my arm, deceptively gentle. “I have. They are with Phantom Lord.”
I froze, hands on my skirts. Phantom Lord. Impossible. Right? Or most probable of all…. I had convinced myself we would’ve gotten to them before they had the chance.
Slowly, I turned to face him.
“Come closer, Juvia,” he said. “What I have to tell you is for you and your sister to know alone.”
I moved closer, and he offered his hand. Reluctantly, I reached up to take it, and he pulled me into the corner, until my back was against the wall.“You did not let me finish. Lucy and Levy resemble you and your sister, not in eye or hair color, but in your personalities. It is unmistakable. Also they’ve described you both. I knew it was you as soon as I saw you.”
He stepped back, letting me absorb his words.
Two sets of boots came running into the courtyard.
Mard Geer pressed a hand against my mouth and pushed me into the wall. “Stay… still,” he hissed.
It was Gray and Gajeel, hands on the hilts of their swords, searching around madly, but they barely paused to peruse the shadows before they were off. They thought I had gone out... probably home or to the town square.
“What do you want from us? Why not take Juvia and Erza immediately to them?”
He let out a humorless laugh. “There are a hundred different reasons, silly girl. Starting with they are currently at Phantom Lord. That presents certain… challenges.”
“But you were with them. You saw them.”
“I did.”
“Then you can get Juvia and Erza to them too.”
“I could…if I chose to.”
I stared at him. What did he want?
He leaned in, his hand against the wall above me, to my right. With his left hand, he gently touched my temple, as if trying to coax a solution out of me. “Think, Juvia. What would I want from you and your sister?”
Did the guy think I would…? My face twisted in revulsion. He laughed softly, as if he could read my thoughts. “No, not that. I need something more from you.”
What could he possibly want from us that we could give-
“I want… Fairy Tail.”
I pushed him back and took a step away, unable to tolerate his proximity for a moment longer. He wanted us to sell out the people who had rescued us, fed us, sheltered us!? The people who had done nothing but show us kindness?
He laughed again, circling me like a wolf about to devour a trembling, lone lamb. I ignored him, trying to figure out a solution, something else I might give him in exchange for Lucy and Levy. “Are they prisoners? Or guests?”
“Guests, for now. Lord Jose finds them fascinating. He says they showed up among the tombs two days ago. The taller one hit her head in her struggle with the Phantom Lord’s knights, and ever since, she has been speaking of a time ahead, that she ‘traveled through time.’ And,” he added, his eyes narrowing, “she remembers nothing of your 'home’ in Bellum.”
I stared at him, hard, glad that he seemed to think that she was slightly out of it- Wait a minute! Did he say that they arrived only two days ago? But we’ve been here a full week! “She …she must be terribly injured.” I said, it wasn’t hard to feign worry since I truly was worried. “Juvia must see her!”
“And you will. The price of your reunion is but this one task: You must find a weakness in Fairy Tail that my allies can utilize.”
“You intend to hand over Fairy Tail to Phantom Lord?” I said incredulously.
He grabbed my arm, sending shards of pain to my shoulder. “Keep your voice down,” he hissed. He looked out to the courtyard and then back to me. “If you want to be with your sisters again, you will help us gain access.”
“Every man in Fairy Tail will die defending it.”
“No,” he said dismissively. “No one’s ideals are as high as they believe. Life is too precious. They will surrender.”
I shook my head. “You do not know Fairy Tail very well then.”
“And you do not understand the intricacies of Fiore politics. Go, Juvia. Get your sisters and return to Bellum, if that is where you are truly from. Just be on your way and never look back. Leave Fiore to us.”
I considered his words. Maybe it was best for us to leave before we could mess things up even more. Erza and I had done enough damage to the upcoming marriages. Maybe I could somehow warn Gray in time, after we got Lucy and Levy back…somehow, some way, we had to find our way out again. Without selling out the good guys.
At least, all the way. “How will Juvia get word to you?”
A smile spread across his face and for the first time, I saw his white teeth, gleaming in the moonlight. “That’s a good girl. That’s a very good girl.” He leaned forward and pinched my right cheek between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll come to you at Fairy Tail. They do not yet have just cause to decline me a measure of hospitality. Be certain you have what I need when I arrive.” and with that he turned around and strode off, his dark cape fluttering behind him.
I stood tense and rigid until he was out of sight and only then did allow myself to slouch over against the wall.
The good news was that Levy and Lucy were alive and within reach.
The bad news was I had just made a pact with the devil.
I hurried back, staying near the side in case I needed to pause and hide in the shadows. Gray and Gajeel would freak if they knew I was out at night, unescorted. They were still looking for me and when they realize that I’m not in the town square, they’ll probably return to the dance, certain they’d just missed me in the crowd.
I saw them then, moving through the tunnel, toward me. I ducked into a stone doorway and froze, listening to their muffled voices echo but I was unable to tell what they were saying.
We had to leave, return to Fairy Tail on our own, and figure out a way to get to Phantom Lord and free Levy and Lucy before Mard Geer got there himself. Otherwise, we were doomed to play spy for them…and I couldn’t live with myself if I sold Fairy Tail out. I thought through my plan to reach Fairy Tail. We had to figure out where Castor and Pollux were and leave at night. It was our only chance. In the light of day, we’d never make it.
I rushed back to the Ava’s home, scurrying to get to Erza’s/my room. Hurriedly, I knocked at the door and almost immediately it’s thrown open and Erza crushes me in a hug. “Juvia! Where have you been?! Gray and Gajeel were just here, looking for you!”
“Erza, M-Mard Geer-” Maybe it was my pale expression or the scared seriousness of my voice because she immediately let go of me and held me at arms length. Something in the room shifted at that moment as Erza stared at me.
“What is it Juvia? What did that he do.” She said. “If he hurt you in any way I swear-”
I shook my head. “No, Mard Geer he knows there Lucy and Levy are! He said they were at Phantom Lord! That they appeared out of the tomb two days ago!”
“Two da- but we’re been here for a week! How did- Are you certain he wasn’t lying to you? And did you say Phantom Lord!?” She said, the hope and excitement filling with dread.
“Juvia thought so too, but he’s not!” My eyes begin to fill with tears. “He said that the only way he’ll take us to him is if we betray Fairy Tail! He wants us to find a weakness in the Fairy Tail walls! J-juvia cannot live with herself if she betrays Fairy Tail like that!”
Erza POV
Juvia's sniffles were the only noise heard for about five minutes before I wiped the tears off her face. “Turn around, we can't ride Castor and Pollux in these dresses.”
She blinked in confusion before nodding and turning around. I fumbled with the strings but managed to loosen them then she turns around and does the same to me. I slip out of the enormous gown and put on my original armor that I had now grown accustomed to, then I wrapped a bread in a cloth, and stuffed it into a satchel.
Then we rushed to the door and quietly pulled it open.
“Erza, where is your sis-”
He nearly gave me a heart attack.
Jellal and Gray stood there in the doorway, left hand on the casing above, right thumb tucked into his waistband. Natsu and Gajeel stood across the hall, arms crossed, leaning back against the wall. They looked at us, then to my satchel, and their eyes narrowed.
“Where are you going, Erza?” Jellal asked me.
“We don't have time to explain,” I said, pushing past him, Juvia hot on my heels.
He caught my arm and whirled me around, Gray doing the same to Juvia. “Wait a minute. It may be different in Bellum, but here in Fiore, only certain types of women scurry around unescorted in the night.”
We wrenched our arms from their grips and resumed our flight down the stairs, both of them right behind us. We really didn't have time for this. With trembling hands, Juvia searched for the right key for the door that led to the stables.
“No,” Gray growled, pulling the keys from her. They clattered to the ground. “You are not leaving!”
Gajeel and Natsu came down the stairs slowly, and glanced back up, as if wondering if our voices would draw a servant but Gray and Jellal only continued to stare furiously at us.
“We need to go,” I said urgently. “It is for the best. For you. For us. Please, just let us go.”
“Where are you going? You've just been introduced to people who could help you find your-“
“Back to Fairy Tail,” Juvia said. “If your father and cousin will have us. Only for a few days, until we figure out where we will go next.”
They frowned at us in confusion. “Did something happen?” Gray asked, staring at Juvia who wouldn't meet his gaze.
“No,” I said, pacing a bit. They had to stay here- if any of them showed up, back home, Mard Geer might take Lucy and Levy away, back out of the deal. I looked back up at Jellal and chewed my lip, considering what I could tell him. “I think they're back there, near your home. We want to go back.”
“You asked to come here though.” Jellal pointed out.
“And now we know they aren't here, we need to search somewhere else..”
He took a deep breath and held it. “We will ensure your safety. You can leave whenever you want..”
“You can't come with us! What would Carmen and Ava think?”
They both stepped back, as if my mentioning their names had splashed cold water in their faces.
“We'll take you, then,” Gajeel said, stepping forward.
Juvia shook her head. “We will draw far less attention if Juvia and Erza travel alone.”
“Untrue! Have you forgotten what happened the last time we traveled that road?” Gray said.
“Exactly Juvia's point. We were part of a train full of soldiers. You are like magnets, pulling your enemy forces in. They will ignore two lonely riders.”
“Hey,” Natsu said, his face uncharacteristically serious as he held up a piece of paper.
The note. It must’ve fallen from Juvia's waistband. Jellal looked at me out of the corner of his eye as Gray reached for the paper. He unfolded it and scanned it.
I braced myself for what was to come.
“What does it say?” He leaned toward Juvia. “Juvia, what does it say?”
“He knows who has our sisters,” she translated softly, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Who? Who knows?” Gray said. “Where are they? It was Mard Geer, wasn’t it? He was the one who gave you this note.”
Juvia nodded her head, eyes still closed and let out a tiny gasp when Gray took hold of her shoulders out of nowhere and shook her.
“Who has them?” he ground out, suspicion making his eyes cold, studying her. I could feel Jellal staring at me the same way. “There is only one family that would make you keep their whereabouts a secret.”
It was going to look bad in anyway we cut it. “Phantom Lord,” I whispered.
“What do they want? What are they asking for you to be reunited with your sisters?” Jellal asked
The quickest way out of a mess is to face the truth, our guardian once said
I steeled myself and made myself look at him as I said it. “They want Fairy Tail.”
Gray then released Juvia, practically shoving her in his frustration. “Gray!” Gajeel and I barked angrily, steadying Juvia with my hand. He lifted his hands, and they shook with rage as he paced away from her, then clenched them into fists. My eyes went cold and I took a step in front of her protectively.
“We weren't going to give them what they wanted,” Juvia said in a small voice, I saw a flash of regret in Grays eyes. “We were just going to make them think we were giving them access, but allow you to know the truth in time.”
Jellal glanced at me, his face a mask of fury but I never took my eyes off Gray. Over and over he shook his head. His eyes moved back and forth as if he was thinking, trying to come to a solution.
Gajeel’s voice rumbled. “If you think about it, it could be quite perfect.”
We all looked to him as if he might be going crazy.
He held up a hand. “Think about it. Phantom Lord thinks they finally may have access to Fairy Tail. Their intent will be annihilation. All previous treaties will be null and void as soon as their men enter. We would be free to kill every last one of them. Be done with them. Storm their castle and claim it, making our outpost nearly invincible. We can arrange it all, while here.”
Gray stopped his pacing and turned to us. He began to walk towards us but my facial expression stopped him. 'Do not come near Juvia.’ Something flickered in his eyes when he looked over my shoulder to Juvia, who wouldn't meet his gaze, before they went back to normal. “Can you keep up the act? See it all the way through?” Jellal asked, tone was calmer now, as if his fear for us returned. “If Phantom Lord- or Mard Geer- find out that you intend to double-cross them, they will kill you and your sister’s.” He shook his head. “There will be no second chance.”
'Over my dead body.’ My eyes darkened for a moment before I stared back at him. “Juvia is prepared to do anything to get her sisters back.”
I nodded in agreement. “Just, let us be off. They’re more likely to believe we sneaked away from Fairy Tail.”
“But why would they believe that we let you return, alone?”
“We'll will say we escaped, in the dark of night, while you all were still at the ball.”
“We’ve seen firsthand how good they are with a rope,” Gajeel said.
“But wouldn’t they expect us to come after you? Or at least send some men?”
“Not if you want them gone,” Natsu said softly. “Erza is coming between you and Carmen. Your goal is to get their other sisters back and and run away.” Natsu finished, looking triumphant.
“Natsu-san should write stories.” Juvia whisper giggled.
Jellal's eyes were warm again, searching mine. He seemed to struggle to swallow, then he took a slight step closer. “It is an enormous, grave risk.”
My face flushed even more and I looked the other way. “Erm.. Well….We're getting used to it to it.”
From the corner of my eye I see Juvia pulling Natsu somewhere, Gajeel following close behind with Gray just as Jellal reached up and touched my face.
“Erza,” Jellal whispered, shaking his head. “I’ve never met a woman like you. If we had met before-“
“Your wedding with Carmen has been in motion for too long for us to stop it.” I turn my head as I say this, but he held me still and stared at me until I dared to look back into his eyes.
“I'll never forget you.”
“I don't think I could forget about you even if I wanted to, not after that show of magic from the first time we met.” I grinned at him, trying to desperately lighten the mood but his handsome face was a mask of anguish, he leaned down, closer and in my mind I panicked.
'He isn't seriously going to…’ My eyes widen when I realized that he really was going to-
But then Natsu, Gray, Juvia and Gajeel ran back in. “Sorry to cut this short but they need to get going.”
Jellal straightened with a nod and released me.
That's when we heard it.
People, laughing, talking, shouting. Returning.
“Gajeel and I will try to keep people from going back here.”
Jellal grabbed the keys from the ground, swiftly cycled through them, and shoved the right one in the lock. He and Gray lead us through the stables to Castor and Pollux. They whinnied excitedly when they saw us. “Send us word through Mira.” Jellal whispered hastily to use as we removed the side saddles and mounted our horses.
“Trust no one else. We’ll be nearby in three days. Tell Phantom Lord to attack in four.” Gray said with urgency. Juvia just nods without looking at him as she pulls on Pollux's reigns to turn him around. “Juvia...I-”
“They're coming!” Natsu hissed. Gray fisted his hand and hurried to the door behind Jellal. We could hear a muffled conversation.
“You left me behind at the ball.” I could practically see Carmen pouting as she said that.
“Yes, it was a horror!” Ava said dramatically, beside me Juvia snickers quietly.
“My apologies,” Jellal said lowly. “It won't happen again.”
No, I thought. It won't. I would see to it myself. No more interference with his or anyone else's hopes, his family’s dreams of security. We would free our ‘sisters’, and we would be away.
Juvia offered me a small smile of comfort but I frowned at her worried. “Juvia… Are you okay?”
She bit her lip. She knew I was talking about earlier with Gray. “Juvia's fine. Right now we need to focus.” She said with a nod, probably blocking it out of her mind.
I nod and just as I'm about to squeeze Castors flanks, Gajeel and Natsu show up, dressed to ride. “What are you doing?” I said. “I thought we agreed it was best we go alone.”
“You thought it was best. We thought it was foolish.” Gajeel put a hand up, palm facing me. “If two of us ride in different directions, we’ll still not be as likely to draw attention. And if stopped, we can claim to be married, traveling through the night.”
“Juvia doesn’t think that is-“
“They won’t let you out the town gates without us. Also we need to plan the battle plan with you.” Natsu interrupted.
I hadn’t thought of the town gates. “Fine, be quick.” I said in irritation, knowing they had us.
They grinned. “Do you have your swords?”
I patted my hip strap and Juvia pointed to her shoulder strap. We prefered it like this than to the ones on the saddle. It gave us faster access and was pretty well hidden.
They mounted their horses and peeked out the double doors of the stables, Gajeel nodded once and we were off. I wonder, if they came along to watch over us or to watch us. About ten minutes after we crossed through the gates we came across a fork in the road and separated, Juvia with Gajeel and Natsu with me.
We encountered no one on the way home to Fairy Tail. It was almost eerie how well our plan worked. No bands of rogue knights or Phantom Lord, and the road was visible enough for us in the moonlight to make good time.
“You should travel by night more often,” I said to Natsu. “It seems safer compared to what happened on our way to town.”
“Some days are better than others.” he said, as if referring to our battles as the good day. Phantom Lord came into view with the morning light, Gajeel and Juvia were already there waiting for us. “This is where you’re on your own. If you don’t show up by sundown, We’re coming for you and your sisters.”
“No,” I insisted again. “Give us until sundown tomorrow.”
“No,” Gajeel said. “It will either work or it will not. If it works, they’ll believe you to be an ally and allow you to leave. If they don’t, you will be their prisoner. Why languish a day in their dungeon?”
“But if you’re going to defeat them, don’t we need to learn as much about their weaknesses just like they want to know about yours? That might take some time.” Juvia pointed out.
He nodded, lips clenched. “Take care. Both of you.”
Natsu nodded seriously. “We’ll be at Fairy Tail, waiting.”
We grinned. “We’ll do our best.” I wheeled my horse around, and we crossed the shallow creek that formed the border between the Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail lands.
It wasn’t long before two knights came trotting down the road toward us, Phantom Lord purple clearly displayed. Two other knights emerged on the road behind us. I pulled back on Castors reins. He circled, agitated by the four new horses, but I made him stop, facing the castle.
“State your name and business,” said the man closest to me.
“Erza Scarlet and my sister Juvia Lockser. Mard Geer sent us to speak to your master.”
The two knights shared a look. “Mard Geer, you said.”
“Mard Geer,” I confirmed.
“You are alone?” His eyes moved down the road.
“We are now. But we’re expected back at Fairy Tail by sundown.”
He stared at us a moment longer. “Come ahead, then.”
We rode up to the castle gates, a far steeper entry than Fairy Tail’s. But it did not boast as many towers as Fairy Tail. Only two were visible from this side, but they looked formidable.
Heavy gates were cranked open, and we moved inside.
‘Lord’ Jose was immediately striding toward me, a hulking knight and three others right behind him. I recognized them from the tombs and our battle the following day. “Ah, I take it, you’ve seen the error of your ways and have come to seek shelter in a castle of real men.”
I already want to leave.
“Mard Geer sent you?” he asked, as two of his men grabbed our arms after we slid off our horses.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a cold voice, resisting the urge to flip the guards over my head.
He snapped his fingers and two knights stepped closer and slowly untied our capes, pulling it from our shoulders and dropping it to the stones at his feet. With wise eyes, he stared at our sheaths for a moment, then nodded once again at his knights and they unbuckled them.
“My men returned with tales of female warriors wielding swords. It appears they were telling the truth,” he said, lifting a delighted brow. I was already longing for the comforting weight of the sword on my back. Juvia stayed wisely quiet, letting me do the talking.
“You have my weapons,” I said. “Keep them. I’m here for one reason.”
Jose smiled then. “You are both beautiful,” he said, tucking a knuckle under my chin, “just like your sisters said.”
He did have them. My heart sped up, and we glanced around, as if we might spot Lucy or Levy wandering the ramparts. “Where are they?”
“Resting,” he said. “Come. We have much to discuss. If you give me what I seek, you will see your sister today.”
He motioned us to follow him and the guards dropped their hold on us and after a moment’s hesitation, we did. As the doors closed behind me, I stifled the desire to scream. Why did I feel as if we just made a fatal error in judgment? That we should have broken away and done our best to escape?
“Please, sit.” He gestured to a two settees and waited until we obeyed, then he took a chair with a high back directly across from it. He folded his hands. “We’re not properly introduced. But you have to understand, I thought you two were some sort of witch! With such odd clothing that day at the tombs. Our women wear nothing like it. Also your hair, well, can you blame me for thinking you were witches?”
“Can we see them?” Juvia finally spoke up.
“In time, in time. As I’m certain Mard Geer explained to you, there is only one thing I will trade you in exchange for your sisters. Access to Fairy Tail.”
“And we will not even consider such a betrayal, until we know for certain that you have our sisters and that they are well.”
He smiled. “Oh, they’re very well. I think you will find them quite content here.” He leaned forward. “We are not the monsters Fairy Tail make us out to be.”
We waited him out, determined to say nothing until we knew they were okay.
“I see that you two are uncommonly resilient. Far more stubborn than your sisters. They’re rather…” He played with the horsehair on his chair’s arm- “dovelike.”
Apparently, he didn’t know my ‘sister’s’ that well yet. Still, we waited. If he's harmed even a hair on their head, I swear I’ll-
He rose. “Come. I will show you the dungeon where your sisters are kept.”
Dungeon? Juvia and I glanced at each other sharply, but he laughed and I caught the glint of teasing in his eyes. “Come along,” he said over his shoulder.
We moved to a grand staircase that curved up one side of the grand salon and then down a hallway to the last room. He knocked at a massive, ornately carved door. Was this a game? I held my breath.
“Yes?” came a feminine voice from the other side. Levy. My eyes nearly filled with tears at the sound of her voice.
“It’s me! Lord Jose! I have a visitors with me who I think you both would like to greet.”
They opened the door and their brown eyes went wide with excitement when they saw us. Juvia and I immediately pulled them into our arms, never more happy to see them in my life.
They were here. With us. We were together.
Which was both good and bad news.
“Could we…” Juvia swallowed. “Could we have a moment?”
“Of course,” he said, gesturing into the room. “But come and speak with me in an hour, will you?” He gave us a look that told us not to argue.
“An hour,” I confirmed.
He closed the door behind us, and we drew Levy and Lucy deeper into the room.
“Where have you been?” Lucy and Levy asked us in english at the same time.
“Juvia could ask the same of you!” Juvia said in a hushed whisper. “Juvia and Erza arrived a week ago. But Juvia heard that you arrived just two days ago?”
“Right. We landed in that tomb, but you were nowhere around. We wandered over here to the castle….” Levy gave us a sorry look. “Also-”
“What are you wearing?” We asked each other at the exact same time while pointing at each others clothing.
“Is that armor!?”
“Wow, Juvia I never knew how long your legs were”
“Levy-chan you look so cute with that orange dress!”
“Those are some long boots, Lucy.”
We paused and bursted out laughing, wiping tears from our eyes as we hunched over from lack of oxygen. Hearing English again was like a hug from home. A step closer to being there!
“When Erza and Juvia stepped out of the tunnel they were wearing this!”
“Us too! You should have seen Lucy freak out and call the tomb a pervert.” Levy snickered.
Our smiles faded away after a moment. “You told them…you were from the future?”
Lucy nodded, looking embarrassed at her foolishness. “Lord Jose told us he’d seen you, but you’d been taken away by the horrible Fairy Tail.”
“Horrible? No, they’re wonderful. Juvia-”
“How did you get here so far ahead of us?” Levy asked, shaking her head in confusion. “We were together, our hands on those prints, and then you were gone a second ahead of us.”
Lucy nodded. “It was as if you became dust before our eyes. And then when we arrived and you weren’t with us- I thought we’d lost you for sure.”
I shook my head, remembering that moment. “I think it has to do with when we pulled our hands from the prints. Ours was a split-second ahead of yours was the equivalent of days, almost a week, here.”
“We need to get back to the tomb.” Juvia said with urgency. “We think we all need to be there. If we put our hands on the prints again, maybe we’ll fast forward, back to our own time.”
“Or…will we go deeper? Into history.” Levy shivered and crossed her arms. “I don’t know about you, but this is about as deep as I want to go.”
I smiled. “Can you imagine Professor Gildarts here?”
“Oh, he’d go crazy,” Lucy said.
I nodded and my smile faded. “We have to try.”
They both nodded too. “You’re right, of course.”
“So how can we get you out of here?”
Lucy frowned. “Get us out? Let’s just tell Lord Jose we are heading out on a stroll, and make our way down to the tombs.”
“Juvia…doesn’t think it’s going to be that easy. He’s made you feel a guest in his home. But he is using you two as a pawn. He wants us to betray Fairy Tail in exchange for your freedom.”
Levy frowned. “Then we must escape. Right away.” They stood up and looked back at me.
I nodded, but couldn’t seem to move.
It took all of two seconds for them to figure out my reason for hesitating. They gasped.
“Don’t tell me-”
“Oh my-”
“Could it be?!”
“Our dear sweet Erza has-”
“Met someone?!”
They slowly advanced towards me as if closing in on their prey.
“No!.....Yes.” I admitted with a flaming face. “Not anyone I can have, on like, a hundred different levels.”
“Ahhh. The unattainable. Always the most attractive.” Lucy said with a smirk.
Levy frowned. “ He is a knight at Fairy Tail?”
“Erm… More like son of the head of Fairy Tail.” Juvia said.. “And soon to be married.”
She sucked in her breath, bringing her fingers to her mouth. “You really gotta stop aiming so high, girl.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over.” I sighed.
“But it began?” Lucy pressed.
“Before it began.” I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but lucky for me they moved on to Juvia.
“What about you Juvia?” Levy said with a smirk. “Got anything you want to tell us.”
“Wha- N-no!” Juvia stuttered, knowing the spotlight was on her.
They advanced towards her in a similar manner as they did to me and studied her face carefully, waiting for her to cave in. A few moments later her face was burning brighter than my hair and she used her hands to try and hide it.
“OH MY-”
“BOTH OF YOU-”
“OUR PRECIOUS JUVIA-”
“Wait.”
“Don’t tell me he’s-”
“Unavailable too!!!”
Juvia’s silence was enough answer for them. They groaned as if in physical pain for us. “You two really know how to pick’em don’t you.”
Juvia shook her head. “He was never interested.” Juvia insisted with a sad smile.
“You have a lot more connecting you here than we do,” Levy said. “we’ll gather our things, and we’ll be off.”
“I for one want to meet your crushes before we leave them behind forever. It will help me spot the right kind of guy for you in our real time.” Lucy said and Levy nodded in agreement.
We stared at them. “You still don’t get it, do you? We are in the middle of what’s about to be a warzone.”
Their eyes widened in shock.
“Fairy Tail has every intention of taking down Phantom Lord. Soon”
“Then we have to get out of here,” Lucy said, wringing her hands.
“We have a plan, but it means you’re going to have to lay low till we come for you. Fairy Tail is going to break you out.”
Their eyes widened in disbelief. Then Levy strode over to a wall and ran her delicate fingers over two swords and a bow. “I dunno,” she said. “Find us some arrows, and methinks we could fight our way out.”
Juvia giggled at her lame medieval-speak. “We’ve had to the same this past week.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “You’ve used a sword? In battle?”
“Twice. We tried to bring them with us in here, but they caught us. As soon as you can, secure some arrows to go with that. Tell Jose you want to practice. Pretend you’re beginners, so he has no idea how good you are. Appeal to his sense of pride and generosity. Flirt with him if you have to.”
She shivered. “Ugh. Hell no!”
“You have to do what you need to do. We are in a fight for our lives, whether you feel it yet or not.”
To my surprise they stayed steel-eyed. “They will try to kill us?”
“As soon as they realize we’ve double-crossed them,” I whispered.
“Really? Lord Jose has been nothing but kind to us. Giving us more food than we want, books, this room-”
“It’s all a ruse. He’d kill you in front of us if he knew it’d make us give him what he wanted.”
They paled, and I regretted my frank words. But they had to know. Had to know what we were up against. Had to be ready. “And… and you’re sure there is no other way out?” Levy asked.
“Not that we’ve seen yet,” Juvia said.
“Okay, then,” she said, patting her knees and rising. “Hurry. The faster you go, the faster you can get back to us.”
I pulled them both into my arms. “Be ready. Day or night, be ready. All right?”
They nodded and my heart swelled with pride. We could do this, everything will be fine. I stepped back to let Juvia hug them.
We moved down the hall, down the stairs, and back into the den, where Jose waited for us before I gave in to the impulse to take their hands and try and run out of this place together now. He must have heard us coming, but he did not turn from his place in front of the map of Phantom Lord land.
“You will deliver what has been asked of you?”
“Is there no other way? Nothing else we could give you in exchange for our sister’s life?”
He looked down at the table before him for a long moment, then turned to face us. “There is nothing else.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. If we showed no hesitation, he might doubt us. In truth, it wasn’t difficult to work up. He looked from my hands, up to my face.
“Apologies, but there is no way around it. I must use the tools I have at hand.”
“Women are hardly tools.”
“They are at times. A man will live and die for the right woman.” He moved forward, circling me as Mard Geer had. “Jellal…I wager you have caught his eye, have you not?”
“He is promised to Carmen.”
“Carmen represents nothing but an alliance for his family.” He shook his head and rubbed his chin. “No, you must have caught his eye.”
“I know no such thing.”
“Don’t play with me, Erza. I know men. And I’ve known my share of women. And you aren’t as innocent as your other sisters- I can tell that much.”
I stared straight ahead for a moment, then looked to the ground. “I may have caught his eye.”
“Good, good,” he crooned. “Then he will be blinded by love, never suspecting that I have found a hole in the corner of his chicken coop. Keep leading him on. Use his weakness for our strength.”
I nodded, feigning misery.
He again put a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted it, forcing my eyes to his. “Ahh, he has spun his web around you as well. You are in love with him?” His eyes hardened with suspicion.
“Honestly, I thought I was in love,” I said. I pulled away from his hand and went to the picture window, with its view of the courtyard. “But he sent me away. He said that I was interfering with his alliance with Carmen’s family. There was no other way than for me to leave. The timing, however, was providential. He had no idea I would be coming straight to you.”
He moved over and placed his big hands on my shoulders. “I am sorry for your pain.” Slowly he turned me around, his hands still on my shoulders. I dared to look him in the eye. Was he trying to comfort me?
No, he was testing me, trying to sort out what was truth, what was lie, but I could see he wanted to believe me.
“Use your pain,” he said, a sick smile twisting on his lips. “Turn it into anger, vengeance, Erza Scarlet and you will get your reward. Not only your sisters, but horses, and a chest full of gold to see you safely on your way. I’ll even send four guards with you, as far as the border of Fiore, but we’ll wait until Jellal and his brothers return home. I want them to be there to witness it, when I breach Fairy Tails defenses at last. With it gone, no other can stand in my way.”
I looked back at him, as if considering his words. Then after the right amount of time, I simply said, “Agreed.”
He finally let go of me. From the corner of my eye I see Juvia relax.
“You do understand that if you double cross me, I will hunt you both down and kill you. But not before you see your sisters suffer in ways that you have never imagined.”
I felt something rising in me, but I pushed it down. If I’d had a sword I would’ve run the man through right then. “You dare to lay a hand on her-“
“You are hardly in the position to make threats. Do you understand me? Are you ready to serve me as your lord?”
I clenched my teeth and nodded along with Juvia, unable to speak. For a moment, I considered charging upstairs and trying Levy's lame plan for escape by fighting our way out. Better to die fighting than to die via torture. But I knew Fairy Tail, I knew I could trust them and that they would do everything in their power to get them out of this place. Also, we’d have a far better chance with Fairy Tail beside us.
“Thank you for your visit. Return to me with the information I seek, or your sisters will be ushered out of her room and into a far less appealing room, one with chains and all sorts of unsavory tools.” He said delightedly as he ushered us to the door.
I turned toward him, but he shut the door in my face, a smile on his lips. Did he half hope we proved to be his enemy so he could take it out on Levy and Lucy? I shook my head, trembling at the thought. The hulking knight led us forward to Castor and Pollux, who had a pile of ripped shirts surrounding them, but I felt too numb to feel proud
Two knights opened the gates, and we plotted out, glancing back over my shoulder to Levy and Lucy's narrow window. They were there, watching us.
Juvia raised we hand to wave, but then they were shutting the gates.
Shutting us out.
Shutting them in.
🍜🍚🍘🍙🍥🍣🍱🍤🍛🍝🍖🍗🍟🍔
Happy 50 followers!!! 🎉🎊 Whoo!!
You're so lame that's not even impressive.
Shut up! I'm shocked we even have one follower -3-.
We hope you take this as an apology for not having the chapter for my other story ready yet!!! Apologies!!!