Tomb Of Time And Destiny: A Fairy Tail Fanfic

Part Seventeen

Juvia POV

We went through the plan with all the knights and with the servants at least ten times. It needed to appear natural. Nothing could smell of a trap. They had to keep the battle within the courtyard, so that the Phantom Lord knights remained engaged there until the reinforcements arrived, captured, and kill them all. Also so that they wouldn’t give chase to those who were trying to breach the Phantom Lord wall and save our sisters, aka Erza and me.

Five brave servants- Bisca, Mira, Wendy, Cana and Aslak were their names- agreed to make a run from two separate corridors, and into another, making it look like the castle had really been taken by surprise. They practiced it, like actors on a hollywood movie set, timing it, men on horseback charging about, so it was all perfectly choreographed. The idea was that at first Phantom Lord men would think they’d breached the castle doors just as they had planned, surprising all inside.

Ten men were positioned along the roof, hidden behind the peaks, with bows and countless arrows. After twenty minutes of siege, they would rise and take aim at the enemies, but not before then. We wanted to be certain that our reinforcements would arrive in time to capture any that tried to escape.

“If you stay down, they’ll focus on breaching the corridor entry points,” Gajeel said, grinning madly. He was enjoying this a little too much. “And then the secondary barriers.”

All afternoon, men had been busy erecting heavy, new interior doors within four of the corridors, where Fairy Tail’s unarmed would hole up. The other corridors would be locked up tight, but if they were breached by our enemies all they would find are empty rooms.

“They’ll think we're cowards,” Some grumbled, irritated that they weren't allowed to defend the castle the moment the enemy stepped in.

“They’ll be dead by morning, and you’ll be alive,” Jellal snapped back. “Do as my cousin has planned. Nothing different. It’s a brilliant plan and an honor to him to see it done.”

They clammed up then, unable to argue with the whole dying cousin card.

I did fear that Simon was dying though and that he wouldn’t make it until daybreak. He still struggled to breathe and his poor heart won’t be able to handle much more hours of suffering. I didn’t want to leave his side to the point that Gajeel had had to drag me out of his room and in the hall. He shook me by the shoulders, his own features full of heavy misery. “I know. I know. But you said so yourself, there’s nothing more we can do but wait.”

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to pull myself together. “Right,” I said at last. He stared at me for a moment before nodding and releasing me.

I walked away to look for Erza while trying to keep my mind off of what was to come. I found her in a hidden corridor talking in hushed whispers to Jellal. My shipping senses tingled strongly so I creeped closer to eavesdrop on what they were saying, pressing myself to the wall so I wouldn’t be spotted.

So I’m a slight gossip, sue me.

“....Simon wants us to do this and I honor his wishes best by seeing them through and looking to Fairy Tail’s future, the town's future.” Jellal takes a step towards Erza and places his hands on her hips. “And ours.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, crying, and fangirling my heart and soul out. ‘IKNEWITIKNEWTIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT-’

Erza shook her head and broke away from his light hold on her hips. “I’ve been thinking about that, Jellal. You belong here, defending what you love.”

‘Erza, what are you doing?!’ I gripped the wall I was hiding behind tightly, cracking it a bit.

He gave her a gentle smile and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I belong where I can defend all that I love. I will be here at the beginning, engage in a battle or two, then retreat, barricading myself into the first corridor across the way. An empty corridor, of course. Once I see the flags of the town reinforcements, I’ll come and find you and you sisters.”