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leal-5 · 5 years

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Tomb of Time and Destiny: Chapter 4

Juvia POV

“Where are you taking us?” I asked in their weird language, scurrying to walk beside Erza as she wrenches her armored elbow from the blue haired mans grasp. “What was that- that magic that came out of your hands!?” she demanded.

One of the men, the one that shot ice at our attacker, turned and eyed me and Erza, his eyes lingering on me for a heart-stopping moment before his handsome face contorts to a mass of confusion. “You’ve never heard of magic before?”

The other man continued before we could answer.

“What are you doing inside a tomb at this hour?”

Erza and I glance around nervously, noticing the two young men behind them. They were all in their late teens, possibly early twenties.

I tried to swallow but my mouth was dry.

“More importantly,” stated one of the other men that stood behind them. “What are we going to do with them?”

“I don't know.” The tattooed one frowned as he answered.

“How will we explain them everyone?”

“I do not know.” The ice guy glanced at me again. “Who are you?”

Oh that's an easy one. 'Hi, Juvia's name is Juvia and Juvia comes from the future!'

Hmm….It might be dangerous to answer this truthfully. How else to explain our sudden weird arrival!? I glance at Erza and she nods.

There was only one way to play this.

Pulling back my shoulders, lifting my chin and summoning as much courage as possible I look him in his gorgeous onyx black eyes that draw me in and leave me breathl- AHEM- and tell him “Juvia is Juvia Lockser.”

“And I am Erza Scarlet.”

“And we are in search of our sisters.” We finish together as if we planned this small speech out.

“Miss... Scarlet,” the tattooed one said, “How is it that you have become separated from them?”

My mind ran through several believable situations but Erza came up with one quickly. “My sister and I came here searching for our sisters. They were traveling here, but they have not responded to our letters” - ‘they couldn’t even if they tried’ I mentally added- “and we think something terrible has happened to them.”

I silently congratulated her for her fast thinking. This way, if Lucy or Levy showed up, we’d have somewhat of a story. They might even help us find them!

“They traveled alone?”

We hesitated. It was obvious by his tone that that wouldn’t have been very likely in his time. “With escorts, of course.”

He frowned. “Their men were trustworthy?”

“Very much so.” I replied.

One of the other knights, a pink-haired knight, gestured for the other soldiers to go ahead, leaving just the four of us alone.

“And your own men?” The ice guy pressed. “What became of them?”

I thought fast. “Disappeared in the night, with all our possessions.”

“Your horses, too?” The tattooed one asked.

“Gone,” Erza said. Like they’d never existed.

“Blackguards,” the tattooed one muttered under his breath. “If we come across them here, rest assured they will pay for their crimes.”

We nodded, fighting back a smile. But he was still on a roll. “What are your sisters names? Perhaps we can assist you in finding them. What were you two doing inside that tomb anyway?”

I frowned. Where were Lucy and Levy anyways? Erza and I glance at each other. They had been there in the tomb with us; had they made it through this weird time travel thingy too? And if so, why weren’t they there in the tomb with us?

“We…we were lost in the woods so we found shelter last night in the tomb. We must’ve fallen asleep… the sounds of your battle woke us.” Erza mumbled loud enough for them to hear her.

“A tomb of the ancients is an odd place to shelter,” the pink haired one said while approaching us, said, followed by a huge guy with interesting red eyes and .... piercings?

“It was dark,” I returned. “We didn’t know it to be a tomb.”

“Good thing you didn’t,” he said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Or you might not have slept a wink. The ghosts might have kept you company all night.” He lifted his eyebrow and grinned.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the guy. Was he trying to scare us? Or be our friend? Beside me, Erza scoffed.

“In any case, these woods are hardly the place for a woman to be roaming about.” the iceman said. “Had you fallen into the hands of our enemies…” He inhaled and looked at away sharply.

Erza seemed a bit annoyed at his sexist remark but said nothing, much to my relief.

“Phantom Lord is hardly kind to strangers.” Rumbled the tall red eyed one.

I noticed how the tattooed guy also glanced away as if remembering some other, tragic soul. A shiver ran down my back. The ice guy returned his dark, onyx eyes to me, and, somehow, I gained comfort.

“Forgive me. I’ve forgotten proper introductions. I am Gray Fullbuster,” he said while tearing his eyes away from me. “And these are my brothers.” He motions towards the tattooed one and the two other men.

“Natsu Dragneel.” The pinkette says with a cheeky grin.

“Jellal Fernandes” The tattooed one states, glancing at me for a moment before looking back at a slightly blushing Erza.

'I’ll have to ask about that later.'

“Gajeel Redfox.” Rumble the biggest one while crossing his arms over his chest.

We smile and nod politely at their introductions.

Gray put a boot on a large stone, and then let his eyes look us over from head to toe. I struggled not to try to hide myself, as if I were suddenly naked. Well, I definitely felt more naked in this dress with these two enormous slits down the sides! “You two are clearly not from around here. I've never seen a woman in armor or clothing as such. Is this common attire where you're from?"

"U-um, well, Juvia's not so sure about common, but it's not u-unusual..." I answered hesitantly, I mean, how the hell was I supposed I know?! Also, I didn’t appreciate these four, staring at me like I was a cut of beef from the butcher. I could only imagine how Erza was feeling.

They stood there regarding us quietly for a few more moments. They all looked like they wanted to bombard us with more questions but instead they decided to move away a few feet to discuss the battle.

Eager to avoid any more questions or probing looks, we wandered a bit away from them as they talked about the battle. Even with several fat oakes between us, I could feel Gray’s curious gaze. Cheeks flaming, I turn away and stare at the castle in the distance. Of course I find the man of my dreams like, 600 years in the past.

Erza looks from my flaming cheeks to Gray and smirks smugly. Gritting my teeth in embarrassment and irritation I glance over at Jellal, who *cough* just happened to be looking in her direction *cough* and grin wickedly in return when she timidly glances away.

‘What is Juvia doing?! We don’t have time to be fantasizing and teasing each other!!!We need to figure out a way to find Lucy and Levy and get back to our time!! Besides, I can always fantasize and make fun of Erza-san later ^w^’

“Miss Scarlet and Miss Lockser,” Jellal said, gesturing toward the clearing ahead. “Gajeel brought along mounts for you, we will assist you shortly.”

We nod and walk ahead a bit towards the clearing. There, two large horses, one black and the other dark brown, eyed us warily. I smiled and approached the large black horse bringing my hand up a few inches from his nose and held it there, waiting for him to catch my scent. We love animals.

He stood there for a few moments, his dark eyes staring at me as if he could see into my soul. I was begining to think he was going to bite my hand, but instead he stepped forward so that my hand came in contact with his nose.

I accidentally giggled when my horse nuzzled my cheek and snorted softly onto my neck. I patted his neck and ran my fingers through his thick black mane. Glancing at Erza, I could see that she too had easily won over her horse as well. She was smiling brightly, stroking the bottom of the horses jaw, her forehead pressed against him. What the image even more lovely was that both Erza and the horse had their eyes closed. Not wanting to intrude on their moment, I turn my attention back to my own horse, who was now curiously sniffing my hat.

Suddenly, both our horses tense up and look towards the forest where we came from. Both my and Erza's horse nudge us to their side so that they're standing in front of us protectively. A few heartbeats later thundering footsteps are heard.

"JUVIA!!!"

"ERZA!!!"

"STAY AWAY FROM CASTOR AND POLLUX THEY'RE-!!"

Skidding to a halt, both Gray and Jellal find themselves nose to nose with our horses, who rudely snort in their faces and begin to advance forward, fully entending to trample them and anyone else who seemed like a threat to us.

"Pollux! Pollux!" I guessed his name as I scrambled forward, throwing myself in front of him. I must've been right because he immediately stopped be looked at me. "It's okay! It's just Gray! See!"

I move to the side slightly so he can see that it truly was Gray. I could see a flicker of recognition in his eyes before it melted into disinterest. 'Hmm guess he's not a big fan of Gray's' I thought with a chuckle as Pollux came closer and nuzzled my cheek once again.

"Castor you should know better." Erza lightly chided while stroking Castor's face lovingly, Castor seeming to enjoy every moment.

Behind us, someone cleared their throat, prompting us to turn around and face their gawking faces. Erza and I glance at each other before looking back at them in confusion.

"I-is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong?! IS SOMETHING WRONG?!?!" Natsu yelled while pointing an accusatory finger at us. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG!!!! I TRY FOR YEARS TO WIN OVER THOSE TWO HORSES AND YOU TWO DO IT IN A MATTER OF SECONDS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY APPLE TREES I'VE FALLEN OUT OF?!"

Gray and Jellal we're much more civilized with their jaws hanging slack from shock. Jellal was the first to recover.

"H-how did you-" he motions at us and the horses. We blink at him and glance at the horses, who were lightly resting their heads on our shoulders.

Gray took a deep calming breath. "It's just that both Castor and Pollux have a reputation of being one of the most brutal horses in Fiore! And yet here they are nuzzling and sniffing you!"

Something flashed in his eyes amidst all the shock and wonder as he said that, but it was gone before I could figure out what it was.

'Fiore....? Juvia's not familiar with that name... Juvia better look at a map later'

"We need to get moving," The large one, Gajeel, rumbled. "It's already dark."

Seeming to just realize it, they all move. Gajeel and Natsu to grab Gray, Jellal's and their own horses while Gray and Jellal move to help us mount our horses.

We waited for them to cup their hands so we could boost ourselves up- the way we did as kids to help each other (mostly Levy) to get a leg up over the horse, but instead, I find myself biting back a shriek as Gray took my waist in his hands and lifted me upward. Jellal doing the same for Erza.

Now, I’m no featherweight and neither is Erza (you should see the number of strawberry cakes she can eat), but they didn’t even grunt with effort at all!

“Is everything alright?” he asked, studying my face.

I nodded while looking everywhere but at him, unable to come up with any reasonable excuse. I look at Erza with a slight tinge of panic.

‘How are we supposed to ride without falling off?!’

We weren’t accustomed to riding side-saddle, and Pollux seemed to agree with me from the way he kept shifting from foot to foot, seeming to know he couldn't run full speed with me seated like this. If it weren’t for Grays hands holding me in place I probably would have accidentally slid off.

‘Grays hands holding me in place….’

GRAYS.

HANDS.

ARE.

HOLDING.

ME.

IN.

PLACE.

Seeming to realize it at the same time as I did, Gray’s hands immediately leave my waist as if I burned him, his cold touch lingering. Face aflame, I take hold of the reins with one hand and shifted a little, trying to feel a bit less precarious. “Uh, G-Gray.”

“Yes?” Gray said, not looking at me he mounted his horse.

“Juvia…uh, Juvia and Erza are accustomed to someone leading them. Usually our reins are tied to the leaders mount. Perhaps it is done differently here?” I fidget with the reins and don’t look up, I felt rather than saw Erza's shoulders slump down in relief.

“Of course,” he said in understatement, easing his horse over to mine. Jellal doing the same for Erza. Our horses tensed a bit when their horses came a bit too close for comfort, but we soothingly stroked their necks to calm them down.

Gray took the reins from me, and I took a deep breath. At least now I had two hands with which to grip the Pollux's mane and saddle. 'If Pollux and Castor are as ruthless as they say then how did they manage to get a saddle on them? They're probably just exaggerating, Juvia's never met a sweeter horse in her life.'

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avid-author-activist · 5 years

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Steel and Shadow Pt. 1

You are a daughter of fangs and steel. What are you meant for, if not to rule? Twin serpents hiss around my legs, drawing closer and closer. They’ve whispered to me in my dreams and from Mother’s arm before, but never like this. Never in the nursery, with only me and Nurse. Nurse is watching from a distance, trying to stay away from the snakes.

If she is afraid of them, then I should be, too. I scramble backwards, but they keep coming. One of them brushes against me, cold green scales against bare skin. I whimper. The snake winds itself around my legs. Fangs and steel, it hisses. Rule. I try to back away, but the serpent trips me and I tumble to the ground with a scream.

A glinting shred of metal peels away from the wall and slices the first snake right through the eye. It slumps to the floor. I shriek and run to Nurse, barely missing the second snake with my flailing feet. Nurse holds me as I tremble into her arms.

Tolly comes thundering into the room, his knife in his hand. “Evie!” He stops in the door, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Are you okay?” He notices the snakes on the ground and suddenly stiffens.

“What is the meaning of this?” Mother’s voice is barely raised above a whisper as she stands behind Tolly in the doorway. She sounds like the snakes. Tolly jumps to attention, and Mother rounds on him. “Get back to your Training,” she snaps, and he backs out of the room. Mother sweeps into the room, ignoring me and Nurse. She stands over her snakes, crooning over the dead one. It makes me shiver.

“Well,” she says. “Nurse!”

My Nurse gets to her feet. “My- my lady?”

“Were your orders not to explain to Evangeline that my creatures will not harm her?”

“Yes, my lady.” Nurse doesn’t meet my mother’s eyes. I look between them. Mother seems enraged.

I jump in front of Nurse. “It’s not her fault!”

My mother barely spares me a glance. “Don’t be foolish, Evangeline.” She looks at Nurse. “You are dismissed, effective immediately. Pack your things and move out of this house.” Mother sweeps out of the nursery, emerald cloak billowing behind her.

<>-<>-<>

That night at dinner, Father invites me to sit by his side. “I am told you displayed your ability today,” he rumbles. I sip from my glass of water.

“Ability?”

“You controlled metal, and a few months before Ptolemus managed it, too.”

I puff out my chest, proud.

Suddenly, all the pride leaks away as I remember what else happened today, too. “Will Nurse be okay?”

Father begins slicing his steak. “She is not worth your worrying,” is all he says.

Near the end of dinner, Mother and Father stand. “A toast to our daughter,” Father rumbles. “Future heiress to House Samos!” I don’t know what heiress means, but I manage to smile and nod at the Samos cousins that raise their glasses to me.

Father sits back down. “Tomorrow,” he says to Tolly, “I want you to take Evangeline to Training with you.”

My brother chokes on his food. “Training? She’s only six!”

Father’s brows knit together. Tolly drops his gaze. “Of course, Father.”

<>-<>-<>

The next day, I wake to Tolly pounding on the door of my room. I squint out the window. “The sun’s not even up yet,” I whine.

He opens the door. “Yes, it is,” he says, pointing out the window. “Last I checked, that little half circle on the horizon is called The Sun.”

Tolly shows me how to put on special black and silver clothing he calls a Training suit. It feels tight against my skin. A servant ties my hair back, and he leads me down the hallway. My room is connected to the main part of the Ridge House, while he has larger rooms facing east, separated from us by a set of metal walkways. Tolly takes me down, past the receiving chambers, until we arrive at a set of metal doors set underneath the earth. He furrows his brow and wills the doors to open. I gasp.

We’re looking into a huge underground room. An arena stands in the very middle, lined with lots of machines. “Welcome to the Samos Training rooms.” Tolly grins. He leads me over to a man in military dress, black and silver. With a start, I recognize Uncle Nikon. He looks like Father, except slightly heavier, with a more open expression.

He turns and squats down to look at me. “If it isn’t Evangeline Samos. Your father tells me your ability recently manifested itself.”

“Yes, sir.” I don’t know what else to say.

He gives me a small smile. “Please, call me Uncle. We are family, after all.” He turns to Ptolemus. “Laps,” he barks. Tolly races off, and I start after him. Uncle calls me back.

“Not you, Evangeline.”

“Yes, sir,” I say again.

He claps his hands together. “Very good. Now, surely your parents have impressed upon you the importance of two things in Silver life.” He pauses. Waiting for a response, I realize.

“Strength,” I answer. “Power.”

Uncle gives me another small smile. “Excellent. In Training, you will begin on your path to both of those things.” He leads me into a small room. There are targets mounted to the far wall. On the table in front of me are dozens upon dozens of bullet rounds, but I see no guns. Several other Samos kids, all of who I recognize, sit in chairs at the table. I take the only open seat. Uncle takes a place at the front of the table.

“We have a new daughter of House Samos joining us today. Surely all of you recognize Lady Evangeline?” Lady Evangeline. The title sounds formal. I am a lady.

To my shock, he gestures to me first. “We’ll start with you today. Levitate a bullet, please.”

I realize that this is why there aren’t any guns. Why use a weapon when your ability is weapon enough? I stare at the bullet closest to me and will it to do something, anything. Nothing happens. Uncle doesn’t look mad.

“Focus. Extend your mind.”

I clear my head and gaze at the bullet again. I order it to rise. It is metal, and I am a magnetron. I control it.

The bullet rises a few inches off the table. I flush, happy with myself, and it drops again.

Uncle beams. “Very good! Pollux, you next.” The boy to my right stares at a bullet. He has a much easier time of it than I did, and it rises far into the air. I realize that I’m younger than anyone else here by at least a few years. They’ve all been training for longer than I have.

“Another,” Uncle orders. The boy complies.

“Another.”

Pollux finally wavers at sixteen bullets. My mouth opens a little bit. Wow.

“Can anyone tell me what Pollux did wrong?” Uncle prompts. Hands go up immediately, but I have no idea. “Go ahead, Argenta.”

“The bullets were of different heights,” one of the oldest girls says. “His focus wasn’t even enough.”

Everyone at the table takes a turn. They all manage ten or more bullets. Cousin Atticus sends the contents of the whole table spinning into the air in shards of glinting copper. I gape openly at what our ability can do. Strength. Power.

Someone enters the room. Uncle jumps to his feet. “Lord Volo! I was expecting you.” I whip around, wanting to meet my father’s gaze, but he doesn’t look in our direction.

“My daughter is in this class, and I expect her to have the best Training possible.” Uncle nods along with him.

“May I?” Father asks. It sounds more like a demand and less like a question.

“Of course,” Uncle says. “Take all the time you need.” He leaves the room. A thrill runs down my spine. Father will be teaching me.

“These rounds,” Father says quietly, “could mean the difference between life and death for every one of you someday.” His eyes land on me, and I sit straighter in my chair. “House Samos is a house of warriors, and each of you will see combat during your lifetime.”

He holds up a small bullet. “This bullet is the most common in Norta. It is not used by the military, but many civilians will use them. Likely, you will encounter this round when training with a firearm, but not in active combat.”

He reaches for another bullet, of about the same size. “The King’s snipers utilize this bullet, slightly larger than the previous one. I would certainly hope that none of you will find yourselves on the receiving end of the snipers in question, but it is best to be prepared.”

Father goes on and on. I soak it all up. “Most bullets are coated in a hard metal. Nortan bullets generally have copper jackets, with cores of tin, tungsten, or lead. Copper isn’t particularly strong, of course, but it is very common.”

When Father stands up to leave, he hands me a bullet. “Wear this around your neck,” he orders. “Never forget what it feels like.”

I nod solemnly. “Yes, sir.”

<>-<>-<>

I honestly don’t know how long this is going to be but here’s the first part of my Evangeline/Elane slowburn fic! Evangeline’s inner monologue is clearly not that of a six year old’s, but it’s slightly less advanced than her storytelling at 16 or 19. I did take pains to have her act more or less like a six year old, though.

I’ll probably post this to my wattpad sometime (you can find me on wattpad at @/soph_lin) and potentially also on ao3!

#red queen #evangeline samos #volo samos #ptolemus samos #elane haven #evane #victoria aveyard #fanfiction #steel and shadow

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leal-5 · 5 years

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Tomb of Time Destiny: Chapter 11

Erza POV

I moved out of the room and out the corridor door to the courtyard. The men swirled, like leaves caught in a whirlwind, still hollering about their victory as if they'd won the World Cup or something. I quickly counted. All eighteen of them were back, plus two captives.

"They put up a small fight, then scattered like dogs," Natsu said proudly to his father as he dismounted. I struggled to hear over the noise, but I didn't want to get too close, to interfere. Also, Carmen and Ava were already on the move, heading to their men. I wasn't going to get in the middle of that.

"We captured these two," I heard Jellal say as he motioned towards two men tied by the hand to a horse.

"Well done, my sons, well done," Makarov said, patting patting them on the back. "Have they revealed who was behind the attack?"

"Nothing, yet."

"We shall get it out of them soon enough. Once we have their master's name, we'll get them into town," he said to his sons, who nodded in return.

"Town?" I said, hope obvious in my tone of voice. "Could Juvia and I go with you? We might find Lucy and Levy!"

Jellal and Gray frowned. "The woods are filled with bands of robbers like these, taking advantage of the conflict between Fairy Tail and Phantom." Jellal said with a shake of his head.

"That unrest could go on for weeks, months!" I said, barely managing to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Jellal," Carmen said, turning to flutter her eyelashes at him. "I agree with Miss Scarlet. If I were separated from my sisters for so long, not knowing where they were, I'd go crazy. And as I've expressed, I, too, would like to go into to town. Our wedding is not very far away, and there are many plans I must attend to."

"So you want us to escort four women to town now?" he asked in irritation, knowing Ava would want to come too. "In the middle of the worst times we've had in decades?"

We both stared at him, waiting him out. Who'd have guessed I'd ever be on the same side as Carmen?

"Fine," Jellal said, throwing up his hands. "We'll leave tomorrow. But only because my father wants us to take these men into town. And that's if they give us the information we need." He turned on his heel and walked off. And I turned away with a triumphant grin, resisting the urge to see if Carmen shared my feeling of victory.

Juvia POV

"How do you feel?" I asked, pausing in the doorway the next morning with Erza.

Simon looked toward me. He had more color, despite his surly glance. "That was the most uncomfortable night I've ever spent but, I feel better than I have in weeks." He patted his chest. "Today, I can breathe again. Really breathe." He smiled, the spark in his eye made him resemble his cousins even more.

"It's truly a miracle," he said. "I am most grateful for your methods. You've done more for me in one day than all the doctors my uncle has ever brought."

"That is great!" Erza said, unable to suppress a grin. The hope on his face filled us with joy. We'd never done anything that had really helped someone like this before. It made me feel bad about what we had to tell him, so I just plunged forward with, "Juvia and her sister are leaving the castle today-"

"Leave? You cannot leave! I'm just now getting better!" I could see beneath his panic was a slight twing of saddness. "You two are the only ones who keep me company aside from my cousins. Everyone else is too scared to approach me because they think they'll get what I have."

"Don't worry too much yet! We're just going into town to look for our sisters there. It's not certain that we'll leave for sure yet! If we don't find our sister's there then I'm certain you cousins will drag us back here. Even if we didn't want to." Erza muttered that last part in english.

"What do my cousins say of this plan?" he asked. "I was told that the woods were full of bands of robbers."

"They say the same, but they and your uncle feel it's important to take their prisoners to town if they find out who their master is." I shuddered.

"But surely my cousins wouldn't allow a woman to such a long and tediouos ri-"

"Don't worry over us Simon. Once we arrive in town, we will be safe." Erza reasurred.

"The nearest town is a six hours ride from here."

'Six hours?! Did someone just decide to put two castles in the middle of the forest?!'

"So, we'll just have to ride fast enough to make it in three, faster than any robbers or thugs." I said, more jauntily than I felt. I didn't want him to worry. It might send him into an asthma attack or something. "Juvia and her sister are fairly good with a sword," I said, walking to the only adornment to the room we'd allowed back into the room, six swords crossed in Xs on one wall. I ran my hand along one edge.

"Do not tell me that you two can wield swords as well as read."

"We can," Erza said, grinning at him over her shoulder.

"They raise women in Bellum quite differently than in Fiore."

"Very. Simon, Could Juvia and Erza borrow this one? We'd feel better if we were armed. Anyone who dared to attack us would be as surprised as you are to find us bringing a sword against them. It would give Juvia and Erza an advantage."

"Those are uncommonly heavy," he said. "They were my grandfather's."

'Trust me, that won't be a problem.'

"Better than nothing," Erza pressed. After what happened two nights ago, we didn't dare try to steal from the armory and recover the short broadswords and daggers we'd worn before. "I could return it to you with one of your cousins if we don't return."

"If you must," he said doubtfully.

I smile with gratitude. "And another thing, Juvia asks you to continue on with what we have recommended. Work up to solid foods as soon as you can, and when weak, return to the soup."

"You can add blankets and other comforts and examine if they interfere at all with your breathing. If they do, remove them again. Understood?" Erza said with a slight authorative voice.

He nodded. "We never did get back to our reading," he said, fiddling with a splinter in the arm of his wooden settee. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. He was so desperately lonely. How would I feel if my friends left me each day, with nothing but books to keep me company? At least we had Internet.

A/N: That sounds like heaven to me personally

"If we don't return, perhaps we'll meet again and we'll have the opportunity to read more together," I offered.

"That would be a delight," he said, his eyes meeting ours.

And with that we turned and left the room before I bursted into tears then and there. Oh, the irony. Juvia Lockser. Able to take down a large, strong man in a sword fight but can't handle simple goodbyes.

In the courtyard, Gray and his men were bent over in a circle. Jellal was drawing with a stick in the dust. A plan, I sensed; they were making a plan. My heart lifted when I heard the familiar sound of Pollux's hooves on the courtyard stone floor. He trotted towards me in excitement, the longing in his eyes visible. He immediatly placed his head on my shoulder so I could properly wrap my arms around his neck and stroke his mane. "Hello, Pollux! Did you miss Juvia?"

His response was to nibble on the collar of my shirt lightly, coaxing a giggle from me. He proceeded to once again tousle my hair by lifting my hat and plopping it back down on my head. It's almost as if he knew I had an apple up there for him. "Okay, okay! But only if you've been a good boy!" He bobbed his head up and down as if he understood me. I grinned and removed my hat to get the apple that was balanced on my head. Pollux shifted from foot to foot like an excited but impatient child.

"Steady...."I said as I placed the apple to balance on his forehead. Pollux held my gaze without moving. I grin and snap my fingers and almost immediatly he jerks his head up, catching and eating the apple mid-air. At that moment, Carmen and Ava emerged from the dining hall, accompanied by Makarov, Bora, and their ladies in-waiting. The girls looked a bit warry at the prospect of riding out in the middle of such danger. I turned away so they wouldn't see me rolling my eyes, and tried to feel compassion for her.

Macao arrived and lifted two sheaths to Erza and me. "Courtesy of Simon," he said. He quickly handed them to us, and I slid my sword inside. "If he continues with this I'll be a crying mess before we even leave the castle gates." I muttered in english as I hid the sword in the bag on Pollux's saddle that was probably meant to carry clothes and other toiletries. Erza barked out a loud laugh, surprising anyone nearby.

At that moment Gray and Jellal appear beside us. They lean down, and once again without warning I find myself biting back a shriek as he grips my waist and lifts me up to the saddle."No bareback riding today."

"Juvia realizes that," I bit back, unable to control my irritation. I mean, can't he give a warning?! 'Hey, I'm about to lift all hundred and something pounds of you onto your horse without so much as a grunt!'

He paused and looked up at me. "We have enough to deal with guarding Ava, Carmen, and their ladies in waiting. Our knights are charged with the prisoners as well. You will ride beside Gajeel, right behind me. If you break formation or do anything to try my patience at all, I'll send you back here immediately and refuse to take you to town for a month. Understood?"

'Excuse Juvia? This boy is crazy if he thinks he can keep Juvia here for a whole month!'

I clenched my lips and glared at him. "Could you be any more clear?"

He looked puzzled at my sarcasm.

"Juvia understood," I finally said. He left me then, even as Gajeel rode up. With his long black hair and dangerous red eyes, I immediately pair him up with Levy in my mind. Don't ask me why! It just seemed like it would be super cute! I giggled and he looked at me like I was crazy.

'Nothing Juvia's not used to by now.'

"We've already told you," Carmen said to Jellal, her tone sweet but her words unbending. "It is unseemly for us to travel without our ladies in waiting. They are willing to take the risk."

I glanced behind us, back to the women two rows behind me. They did not appear at all willing.

'Selfish girl! Making those poor ladies do something they clearly don't want to do!' I looked back to Gray and Ava. Erza followed my line of sight and shool her head slightly. It was not our place to speak. 'Blend into the walls, Juv's.' I reminded myself again. 'Make them forget about you.'

"Take close care, my children," Makarov said. "We will be anxiously waiting for your return."

"Aw! don't worry pops! We'll send a message as soon as we arrive in town!" Natsu said with his signature grin.

My eyes shifted back to a mule that was tied behind the last two guards. Cages with pigeons rested on either side of the mount. Homing pigeons, or messenger pigeons to be exact.

Makarov nodded and we immediately set off. I glanced at Ava and Carmen, who both had no problem at all in their saddles. I pouted at the unfairness and shifted uncomfortably, hoping to find peace with my own span of cursed leather. 'Perhaps Juvia's and Erza's rears are that much bigger than theirs,' I thought. The things in this time and dimension were probably meant for size fives, not our much more... curvaceous figure.

"Oi, you okay?" Gajeel rumbled beside me.

"Juvia will live," I muttered. I glanced at him, but his eyes were already tracing the forest, alert to any attackers huddling there. I looked down the line and saw that the other sixteen knights did the same. A shiver ran down my back. I was glad for the sword in the sheath hidden in the satchel.

Hours passed and we saw no sign of any robbers so we all relaxed a bit, enjoying the warming morning sun. In front of me, Gray and Ava were talking, and I realized they had some semblance of an honest relationship. She smiled at something he said, and he- sort of- smiled back. (It looked more like a grimance really, but lets give the guy some credit for trying.) Maybe they were actually in love. Who was I to judge? I had no idea, really, how love affairs were conducted in this place. I thought back to all the pointed looks Erza would give me every time Gray and I interacted, implying that he was interested in me.

I shook my head. It doesn't matter anyway. We were soon going to disappear.

About another hour or more into our ride, everyone seemed to settle down. There was something about being halfway there that made us feel like we were going to be okay. A scout that Jellal had sent ahead returned, and they brought us to a halt. The man reported a clear road, no sign of the rogue bands of robbers or Phantom Lord.

Gray shook his head and glanced back at Natsu. "It makes no sense. Phantom Lord could not have missed that we are on our way to town. They always have spies out, watching the road."

Gajeel did a quick three-sixty, and then his red eyes widened. "Get down!"

Everyone immediately ducked, instinct taking over. I could hear the singing whistle of arrows. I glanced to my left. Gajeel tugged me down from the saddle, using our two horses as shields. 'They are shooting at us,' I thought distantly, as if I wasn't in my own body. Ambush.

The men had been covered with gray cloth, blending into the granite boulders above us. But the archers were only the first volley. They were now swarming down over the rocks, like an army of Gollums with uncanny agility. Gray frowned at them and made a sound of frustration. He looked to Jellal.

"They purchased his loyalty," he said, jutting his chin toward the scout, who scurried over to the boulders.

I let out a humorless laugh. Some things never changed. For the right amount of money, one could always find a traitor.

They were getting closer.

Jellal looked back at Erza and I with alarm. "Can you keep your seat?"

"What?

"Can you keep your seat, on your saddle?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"I need you to ride ahead with the women. Your only chance is to outride any that give you chase. We'll send two men with you, but your best chance is to ride fast."

Erza and I nodded, not feeling it, but seeing no opportunity to disagree.

Gajeel tossed me- literally- back up to the saddle as Natsu did the same with Erza. They smacked our horses on the behind, and the animals lurched forward, nearly unseating me. I glanced back. The brothers were pressing through the knights and horses behind them, trying to get to Ava's and Carmens's ladies in waiting, to free them, too. Our horses, sensing the urgency, were churning down the road, and from the side, determined to keep us safe. I saw more men coming down the hill toward us, attempting to cut us off. "Ride faster!" Erza yelled to Carmen and Ava, who we had just caught up to.

They looked back over their shoulders and screamed toward their ladies in waiting to hurry. I leaned forward on my saddle, knowing speed was truly our only ally. We were more than halfway to town. If the forest was similar to what it was in our dimension back in the day, it should give way to farmland outside the town gates, we might reach safety sooner than we thought. Or at least someone to help us.

The last of the archer's on foot missed us by a only eight feet, roaring in dismay, but then turning to wave their arms, attempting to make the other approaching horses turn so they could capture the ladies in waiting behind us. Carmen and Ava pulled up on their reins at the next bend of the road. No one came into sight. "We cannot leave them," Ava sputtered, her horse prancing in a nervous circle around mine.

"You must get to safety! There are knights with your ladies in waiting. They will do their best to protect them." I really hated saying this but we had no other choice.

Still, she hesitated.

"You do them no good by getting captured yourselves!" Erza reminded. The pounding of hoofbeats grew closer, then, behind us.

"Go!" I urged.

In response, they lifted their reins and pressed their horses into action, Erza and I hot on their tail, trusting the knights to protect their ladies in waiting. One benefit of the sidesaddle, was that it's easier to see both in front and behind. I glanced back to see who it was, behind us.

One. One Fairy Tail knight.

Fantastic. Hardly reinforcements. I wished it had been Gray or one of his brothers. Then I might have been able to breathe. But at least it was better than none.

We turned around another bend in the road, and I sensed Carmen and Ava pulling up before I saw them. Another group of men, six of them. Three on the road, hands on their hips, three on either side. Just waiting for us. Ava jumped off her horse. "Come with us," she said lowly, then pushed into the woods, Carmen followed her.

Erza and I groaned. They had disappeared through a small gap in the trees. We pulled out our swords and slid off of Pollux and Castor, telling them to go get help. Bending as low as we could, well aware that men were charging up the road, toward us, we followed her, as did the knight behind us. My eyes searched the forest for a glimpse of my leader. I ducked under one branch after another, finally catching sight of the gold of the cloth of her dress.

But then, there she was, in a clearing before me, eyes wide in frustration and fear. We were in some ancient limestone canyon, blocked on three sides by twenty-foot cliffs. I looked back. The path in was filled by the knight, who looked around and groaned as soon as he saw our predicament. We could all hear the men crashing toward us.

"Climb, ladies," the lone knight said. "I'll hold them at bay. It is your only hope."

I had to hand it to Ava and Carmen. I thought they were far too prissy for such things, but they were immediately off. Ava helped Carmen to the top of the first boulder, and she turned to help her up. They turned to us and frantically waved us over. "Come! Hurry!"

"No," I said, with a shake of my head. "We will stay and assist him," I said, gesturing over my shoulder to the knight. The first of our attackers was now just ten feet away from him. "He cannot do it alone, and if he breaks, you two will be caught as well. Climb," Erza growled, unseathing her sword.

Carmen's and Ava's eye's all but popped out of their heads. They were brought back to reality when the clang of metal on metal was heard and they quickly turned and scrambled up another rock, and then another.

"You cannot hold us off alone!" barked a Phantom Lord knight, showing his allegiance with his violet colors. "Surrender or die."

"He is not alone," I said, heaving the sword into the air. "You'll have to get through us two as well."

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