The Tale of Tales

Chapter 53

As they were all getting ready to rest for the big day a terrible voice screeched out.  

"WHERE IS LUCY?!"

All eyes turned to the source of the voice and they  were horrified by the figure that stood before her. She stood tall at a height that was almost unreal, her hair was whispy and it seemed to be moving on her own, her skin was scaly and green, her nose long and crooked, her nails long and sharp enough to be mistaken for knives, and her teeth were like a thousand needles. They had never seen a woman more frightening in her entire life. 

"Who...or what are you?" Erza asked.

"I see you no longer recognize your queen peasant!" 

"Stepmother?" Juvia said trembling. 

"Minerva what have you done to yourself?" Lucy asked. 

"Oh but it's not what I've done! It's what you've done you wretch! You did this to me!" 

"What are you talking about? I've never done anything to you!"

"You have inflicted this curse upon me! You made me into this creature! But once I dispose of you all we be as it was before!" 

"She's been taken over by the mirror!" Levy gasped in realization. 

"Oh dear! What do we do?" Juvia asked. 

"I sense that she's still connected to the mirror and that it's around here somewhere. If we find it and destroy it then it's power will be lost." 

Erza pulled out two swords and stood bravely before the deranged sorceress. 

"You all go look for that mirror and destroy it! I'll take care of her!" Erza said. 

 "We can't just leave you to fight her alone!" Natsu said. 

"Yes you can! Don't worry I'll be fine! Now go!" 

"But-" Lucy objected. 

"I said go! Hurry!" 

Lucy and her allies quickly fled off to search for the mirror. Erza faced her appointment and positioned herself to attack. Minerva let out a laugh that didn't even sound remotely human before lunging after her. Erza dodged her attacks and swiped her swords at her, managing to strike her skin in the process but she didn't bleed. 

"Impressive." Minerva said. "You'll live to regret that but not for long!" 

"Why are you doing this?" Erza asked. "Why must you hurt so many people? Why must you harbor such hatred?" 

"It was Lucy who filled my heart with such hatred! It's her fault that I've become this hideous creature! Her fault and my sister's!" 

"You couldn't be more wrong your majesty! There is only one person to blame for your misfortune and that's yourself! You have let jealousy, greed, and hatred run your life! And now it has made as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside!" 

Minerva underestimated how strong and powerful Erza was. She fought like a lioness, never once wavering despite the numerous blows she suffered from her attacks. Minerva wondered how one woman could be so strong and determined without any magical powers.

As they fought Jellal and his pack quickly went to her aid. The wolves came running, they each tackled the horrid woman biting and clawing at her. Erza's blade and the claws and fangs of the wolves clashed with Minerva's skin leaving many cuts and gashes yet she still didn't bleed and she didn't seem to be feeling any pain. She then surprised them by knocking all the wolves away with one swipe causing them to get knocked out then she seized Erza by her neck. Erza struggled to breathe as the evil woman choked her with her talons. 

"Struggle all you wish you worthless peasant! In the end you will die!" 

Minerva tightened her grip and prepared to snap her neck in just one more squeeze only to let out a screech when something struck her. It was Jellal, the green eyed wolf sank his teeth into her leg and bit her as hard as he could. Blood ran from her leg but not red blood, a deep, tarry black stuff. It oozed on to the ground and the pain of it was so bad that Minerva dropped Erza. She then grabbed Jellal by his throat, yanked him off of her leg and threw him with all her great strength. He crashed against a large stone resulting in him being too hurt to move and allowing Minerva to plunge her talons into his chest. 

When she was finished with him she saw that Erza was lying motionless on the ground and believed her to be dead so she left her there but Erza had only lost consciousness. When Erza came to she saw her dear wolf companion lying on the ground, bleeding from his chest. 

"Jellal!" Erza screamed in horror.

She rushed to the wolf's side and gently laid his head in her lap. He whimpered and panted from the pain.

"Hold on." She told him. "You'll be alright." 

The poor wolf could only stare at her. She took off her shawl and tried to use it to stop the bleeding coming from his chest. 

"Stay strong Jellal. Just stay strong." 

She desperately tried to do everything she could to save him. She couldn't lose him. Not again. She had just got him back. After ten years of mourning him and blaming herself for his supposed death, she had finally found him alive and she had hoped that maybe she could free him from his curse and when this was over maybe, just maybe they could have a life together. Just two of them and her grandmother. It wouldn't be much but they would have been happy.

"Please don't cry Erza." She looked down to see that Jellal had transformed back into his human form and looked weaker and was in more pain than in his wolf form. "Don't cry Erza. I hate it when you cry."

It wasn't until he weakly raised his hand up to wipe the tears from her cheeks that she was indeed crying. Crying a flood of tears that were dropping on to his face.

"You always look more beautiful when you're smiling." His voice sounded so very weak yet at the same time it sounded like it was fighting to stay stronger.

"I'll get help." She told him.

"No." His hand grasped her arm gently. "Stay with me."

"But look at you. You need help! I have to get Makarov!"

"It won't make any difference. If you go now then by the time you get back I'll be gone. I want your face to be the last thing I see before I go."

"No! Don't say that! Don't you dare say things like that! You're not going to die! You hear me?! You're not going to die!"

"Her nails were like five daggers stabbing into my body. They punctured so many places...I don't think that... There's any hope for me."

"No. I refuse to let you die. I won't let you die! Not after we found each other! I lost you once! I won't lose you again!"

Jellal pressed his hand to the side of her face, she held it there.

"You never could bring yourself to give up on anyone could you?" He sighed. "Seeing you again after all these years was the happiest moment of my life. I loved you, I have always loved you, ever since we were kids and I never once thought that you were a horrible witch. So many people said so many horrible things about you but I never believed any of them. From the very moment I saw you I knew what kind of person you were. I knew that you were brave and kind and smart and so...So beautiful."

"Jellal...I...I love you too. I loved you back then and I love you now."

"Oh Erza...That...Makes me so...Happy."

She felt his hand go limp and saw his eyes close. Erza buried her face into his chest and began to sob bitterly against him. Her heart once again shattered by the loss of her true love.