VERiTY (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

30. Little Red

"Rosemary Village? I haven't heard of it in so long... I'm so sorry Erza, I can't quite remember anymore."

An old granny travelling by coach finds a girl wandering along the same route, and graciously invites her to ride along the way. Perhaps she had bad eyes, but she made no mention of the girl's condition, from the ripped clothes to the bloodshot eyes to the many, many wounds she shivered under.

"Is... is that so..."

The granny's accompanying knight-- a butler? Or perhaps a mage? had quietly dressed her wounds-- yet, he didn't ask anything beyond if the bandages were too tightly bound, or if she had any other injuries he couldn't see.

Erza had shied away from him at first, but his cold demeanor fascinated her.

He was skeptical of her, yet he had respected the granny's wishes, so Erza could be comfortable and treated like a guest. He didn't ask, didn't pry, and protected not just granny, but Erza as well.

(A loyal knight, who fights to protect. Despite his own emotions, he follows his creed to the very end.)

(Erza wonders if someone like that would have led the Tower of Heaven's rebellion to a prompt victory, instead of the devastating-- the devastating everything that came after.)

"I do remember it was near the valleys of Crocus, however."

And Erza drinks up the information quickly.

Mountains, near Crocus.

"W- Where is this... Crocus?" she shrinks a little, but curls up tightly into the warmth of the blanket around her shoulders. "If I may, uhm, ask?"

The granny simply smiles. "Well, dearie, you're in luck. We're just headed that way. There is a tournament for Mage Guilds being held there, so you might get more information if you ask around."

That's the best news she's heard in... in her life, probably.

So Erza nods. "Thank you, granny."

-

And they make their way to Crocus, where Erza immediately excuses herself and wanders off to find the city map, hoping the capital country would have a more complete chart of the villages.

(It didn't.)

"I finally made it..." she whispers. Looking around, noticing the various looks-- she squirms in her spot, ducking into an alley.

The granny had given her a shawl to cover up the more-ripped portions of her top, but it's not enough to hide how ragged her slave dress is, much less the multiple scrapes, bruises, and of course, the bare feet and sunken wrists. Has she mentioned the eyepatch yet?

After waking up on the beach and finding a way to get out of her shackles, Erza had made it to the nearest city to realize at least she's still in Ishgar.

(So is the Tower of Heaven in Ishgar? She's not sure.)

But where is Rosemary Village? Maybe if she can't find anything, she can find home.

And she doesn't know. She's learned a lot in her life, definitely the map of the town as well. But those memories, along with the things she wants to forget, pretends to forget, and can't forget-- she's lost in the present and not sure where to wander.