AU Edolas fic

Outlines

The guards to the palace gates bowed as their carriage passed through. Mystogan looked out of the window, taking in the sight of the spectacular palace. It was even bigger than Princess Lucy's palace. It was a smart move on the king's part to forge an alliance with Edolas. Their kingdom was small and often susceptible to foreign attacks. Allying with Edolas in exchange for money and half of the crops they could produce in a year was a small price to pay for peace.

Feeling the carriage stop, he pushed himself off his seat and hopped off before opening the door for his charge. The princess nodded in thanks and made her way into the palace with him following closely behind. Mystogan could hear the music drifting through the open windows and he caught glimpses of gold and red as the two of them descended down the staircase to the ballroom. His eyes immediately started scanning the large ballroom for any threats.

"Why are you so tense, Captain?"

He did not answer, instead mulling over his answer for a moment and choosing his words carefully. Mystogan took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he turned to face the princess. "My apologies My Lady. My previous…encounters with the Edolas captains were less than pleasant. I deem it wise to be alert as to any possible threats. I do not trust the Edolasians."

Lucy smiled gently. "It will be alright Captain. We were invited to tonight's ball as a good will gesture of our alliance. Everything will be fine."

He nodded, not believing her. Having been a mage for so long, he had learnt to trust his instincts and he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. Still, it was up to him to keep her safe. It was his duty. He shook his head wearily and strode after her.

1…2…3…4

There were, from what he could see, numerous guards dotted around the ballroom. Security was quite lax tonight. His eyes narrowed with distrust as he saw that a few of the guards were shooting suspicious glances at them. His eyes flickered to the right, where the side doors were being closed. The click of the door lock echoed in his ears clearly, the sharp sound reaching his ears even with all the idle chatter floating around him. Now, why were they locking the two side doors?

The captain turned around casually, spotting the glass windows before the grand balcony. His mind immediately started formulating several escape plans and he instinctively shifted closer to his liege.

"Princess Lucy!"

The blonde smiled widely. "King Faust, thank you for having us. It's a lovely ball."

Faust waved a hand dismissively. "Not at all, not at all! I hope you're enjoying yourselves."

Mystogan wanted to roll his eyes but refrained from doing so. No sense in starting a diplomatic row over such foolishness. He turned his attention back towards Lucy as she spoke softly but clearly. "This is my personal guard, Captain Mystogan." She gestured at him and he bowed humbly. He straightened up just as his eyes caught the eyes of a certain red head standing behind the King.

His heart skipped a beat as he recognised her instantly.

"This is Captain Knightwalker," Faust indicated behind him and Erza returned the formality towards Lucy before shooting a smirk in his direction. "Come, come, let's talk business.

Mystogan took the chance to approach Erza as the two royal members started discussing politics. She was as beautiful as he remembered her to be, her scarlet hair vibrant as ever as she strutted over to him. He stood there motionless, his eyes raking over her body, all the way from her exposed thighs to her hips and ample breasts, drinking in the sight of her. He just couldn't get enough of her. The way she moved, graceful but sensual, the way she would flick a loose strand of hair from her face, the way she would scowl at him when he pushed her far enough. His fingers twitched slightly. What he would give to just touch her, hold her close and kiss her.

"Captain Knightwalker," his baritone voice caused her to shiver slightly.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Mystogan, ready to show me your face yet?"

He chuckled, ignoring her blatant disrespect by dropping his title. Well, two can play the game. "Charming as ever," he leant forwards and smiled. "Erza."

Erza made an indignant noise at the back of her throat. "It's Captain Knightwalker to you." She tilted her head to the side and she made a great show of looking him up and down, a hand on her hip. "Did you change your armour?"

He looked surprised. "Yes, yes I did."

After their last fight when their two kingdoms had been at war, he had traded in his standard armour for a lighter, stronger carbon-fibre reinforced graphite armour. He had also opted for loose black pants and army boots in order to boost his speed and agility.

"I really shouldn't underestimate you Captain. You have a very good memory."

She scoffed at his compliment and was about to reply when the two of them turned their attention back towards their charges at the sound of Faust's voice.

"Oh if you'll excuse me," Faust laughed nervously, "I have something I must attend to right now." He shot Erza a knowing look.

"Of course," Lucy nodded politely.

"Captain Knightwalker, it was good to see you again," Mystogan said, inclining his head in acknowledgment, his voice laced with humour.

The female captain did not miss the dangerous glint in his eyes. What a fool. He was an open book, a reminder that he would always be weak in her eyes. She regarded him for a moment and said skeptically, "I wish I could say the same." She smirked haughtily. "I hope you'll excuse me but I have to attend to my lord."

Mystogan bit back a frustrated growl as she shoved past him. It was at that moment when alarm bells sounded in his head. He didn't know what had triggered it. It could have been years of fighting experience or the sudden flash of metal glinting in the light but somehow, his body had moved on its own. The next minute, he found himself barreling through the glass window, his shoulder and arms shielding Lucy within his embrace as he leapt over the balcony railing and hurtled downwards.

Twisting deftly in mid-air so that he was underneath Lucy, his eyes widened as he saw Erza pursuing them, her famous Ten Commandments spear in one hand and her crimson hair glistening under the moonlight.

He cursed loudly as the two of them plummeted downwards. "Hold on!" He shouted over the howling wind.

The two of them crashed into the ground, Lucy safe in Mystogan's embrace. The captain let out a painful groan, momentarily stunned. Forcing himself to move, he struggled to his feet with the princess in his arms, pieces of rubble tumbling off him.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" He grunted, lowering her to the ground.

Lucy nodded at him, eyes wide with fear. "What's happening?"

He sprang out of the way, dragging Lucy by the arm, just as Knightwalker stabbed her spear into the spot where they had been moments ago. Mystogan cursed once more, recognising the spear's Silfarion form.

In one swift motion, he stabbed his three staves into the ground, forming a perfect line in front of him. His lips formed soundless words as he pressed both palms onto the ground, erecting an expanding purple barrier across the open space.

"Go!" He shouted at Lucy. "Go now! Take the horses and run!"

"But what about you?"

"Just go!" He shouted, struggling to keep his focus on the barrier.

Mystogan could see Erza advancing towards him slowly, twirling her spear with her fingers expertly. He looked up at her and he could see the sadistic glint in her eyes. She grinned in an almost feral manner and raised her spear.

His eyes widened. "You…what are you…"

The female stabbed down onto the barrier. He could feel the shield giving way and he pushed back with all his might. He needed to buy Lucy some time to flee. The sound of pounding footsteps informed him of the arriving Edolas soldiers. At the same time, he could see a web of cracks slowly forming on his barrier.

"Fuck!" Mystogan swore loudly.

Erza narrowed her eyes, pushing down on the barrier with all her might. With an almighty roar, the spear penetrated, promptly shattering the barrier into countless purple shards, sending Mystogan flying backwards. She surged forwards quickly, aiming a quick swipe at his head but he leapt backwards, using the momentum to propel himself behind the trees. Fuck, his staves were still behind her.

"So, did you like my Sealing Spear form, Rune Save?" She cried out mockingly. "It can cut through magic."

He ignored her, instead concentrating magic in his right palm. The soft rustle of footsteps on grass whispered in his ear and he sprang out from behind the tree, thrusting out his palm at her chest. Using her left hand, Erza pushed his arm away from her and slammed a foot down on his exposed leg.

Mystogan stumbled backwards, swallowing a painful scream as Erza smiled at the sickening crunch that sounded as she broke his leg. His back connected with the tree trunk painfully, his breath coming out in short gasps. Damn it, he had miscalculated the speed of his strike. He berated himself inwardly for the rookie mistake.

Fuck. Now was not the time to be distracted.

He could see her entire body tense, like a coiled snake poised to strike. His eyes flickered over to his staves. Damn it, he needed them to perform a large scale strike. His heart sank at the thought. Erza was an exceptional soldier, she would definitely expect him to do exactly that. His hands balled into fists, resigned to his defeat. There was no other way. He needed to ensure that Lucy got away.

He could see a soldier edge towards his staves and a soft glow surrounded his right hand as he concentrated his magic in his hand. At that moment, Erza shot towards him and he closed his hand into a fist, crushing the small sphere of magic, unleashing a blinding light.

With a large heave, his entire body shaking with the effort, he pushed off from the tree using his good leg and slid across the floor, successfully snagging one of his staves. He stabbed it into the ground forcefully, cracking the earth and a powerful shockwave swept across the area. One by one, the soldiers collapsed unconscious, the concentrated energy overwhelming them.

The side of the Ten Commandments' blade smashed into the side of his head and he crashed down, skidding across the ground. Blood trickled down the side of his face and he blinked rapidly, feeling his eyes sting from the salty liquid. He couldn't help but smile. As expected, she had predicted his course of action.

She darted forwards, her spear aiming for his heart but he unsheathed his sword, deflecting the deadly blow to the side. His sword slid along her spear towards her throat but she pulled away at the last moment and retaliated with a vacuum wave, blasting him across the area.

Erza closed the distance immediately, planting a foot on his broken form. She laughed.

"You've gotten soft, Mystogan. You're not even a challenge anymore."

"What are you doing, Knightwalker. We have an alliance," he snarled breathlessly.

She leant forwards slightly. "And now we're breaking it," she retorted and brought the back of her spear down heavily. He twisted at the last second and he could feel the spear connect with his nose. A thin film of blood coated his armour and he gasped for air, unable to breath through his broken nose. Seeing his predicament, Erza pressed down with her foot even harder, squeezing out the remaining air in his lungs. She smiled, her eyes sparkling with sadistic glee as he gasped for breath. Looking up through the haze of pain, Mystogan swore inwardly as Erza brought down the back of her spear once more.

This time, she did not miss.

He blinked drearily, his head heavy and with the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He could feel the dry blood crusted on his face and he shifted from his position slightly. Feeling the cold steel around his arms, he pulled at the chains, his biceps straining, but they were chained to the wall so tightly that he could not move at all. His broken leg throbbed painfully and he grimaced at the sight of it being bent at a grotesque angle.

"Nice to see you now, Mystogan." He shivered at the sound of her voice.

"You always were a sadistic bitch," he bit out tersely, not looking at her. He heard a soft thump as Erza dropped the bag she was carrying onto the floor.

He stiffened as he felt her lips brush against his ear lobe. "Well, I'm glad that you're providing me with sufficient entertainment." She whispered into his ear, her breath hot on his skin.

Her fingers curled around the edge of his mask and she smiled gleefully as he tensed. Slowly, she pulled it down, exposing his face. "Well, you're not half bad," she taunted.

Despite the predicament he was in, Mystogan found himself mesmerized by her as she turned around and rummaged through the bag. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of her and he wet his lips, his eyes roaming over her entire body. His heart skipped a beat as she stole a glance at him.

Seemingly having found what she was looking for, she sauntered over to him, her hips swaying from side to side enticingly. He could feel the heat creeping up his neck and he fought to keep from blushing.

She ran her fingers up his right arm, her body pressed against his. He swallowed nervously at the contact. "What are you doing?" He breathed, his eyes fixated on her.

Erza looked into his eyes and smirked deviously. "Why don't you," she said as she slowly slipped the knife she was holding between the crack in his armour, "tell me where the Princess is now?"

"Logic dictates that she's under heavy guard in her palace, no?"

She twisted the knife, cracking his breastplate. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid Mystogan. I know that there's a safehouse within your kingdom."

He stared at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She looked up at him as she started to strip off his armour. "Don't make me do this the hard way."

"What, no whips or waterboarding?" He retorted, trying to rotate his wrists to loosen the chains.

Tossing the chest plate onto the floor, she shook her head. "Unfortunately for you, I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry today. Now, tell me where she is."

He did not answer her. Hearing his silence, Erza grinned. She did like breaking people. She placed the tip of the knife on his chest and pressed down gently, causing the skin to break. A trickle of blood dripped down his chest and Mystogan groaned as the tip of the knife slowly made its way into his chest.

"Tell me Mystogan, tell me what I need to know."

"N-nh…I don't know, Knightwalker…stop…" he strained at his bonds, his fists clenching and unclenching.

She ignored his gasps of pain. "You know what I need."

"She's gone! You've failed!" He shouted, his eyes squeezed shut in pain as the knife was pushed deeper into his chest cavity. His heavy gasps echoed around the dungeon.

She slapped him across the face before turning his face to face her. "Tell me! Or do you want me to rip out your heart?"

He jerked away from her hand and she could see a mixture of unidentifiable emotions his eyes. "Like you would care, you've always been doing that."

Was that disappointment in his eyes? Was it anger? Or was it pain? Erza hesitated at that comment. "What?" She hissed venomously, her eyes narrowing into slits.

He chuckled bitterly. "Guess you never noticed." He suddenly jerked forward and taken by surprise, Erza found the entire blade lodged into his chest, with only the hilt sticking out.

"No!" Erza extracted the blade quickly. "Damn it!"

Blood splattered onto the floor, staining her armour and the white cloth around her waist as he coughed. Retching, shoulders heaving with the exertion, he looked up through watery eyes and grinned, his eyes slowly glazing over. "See you in hell, Erza."

He jolted awake, his breathing laboured and sweat covering his muscular torso. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room and he dragged a hand across his forehead as he realised that it was only a dream. The soft rustle of sheets beside him snapped him out of his stupor. Tousled red hair greeted his eyes as Erza poked her head from under the covers.

She placed a warm hand over his clammy one. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

He threw the covers off and padded over to the bathroom, stepping over the undergarments strewed all across the floor. The door clicked shut behind him and he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He reached to turn on the faucet with a shaking hand. The cool water soon filled up the basin and he plunged his head into it.

The world became silent and for the briefest of moments, he felt calm. A few bubbles escaped through his nostrils.

He gasped for air, unable to breath through his broken nose. Seeing his predicament, Erza pressed down with her foot even harder, squeezing out the remaining air in his lungs. She smiled, her eyes sparkling with sadistic glee as he gasped for breath.

He released his breath and jerked upwards, sending water droplets flying everywhere. He stumbled backwards, his legs weak. Everything seemed so real. The pain, the sensation of being suffocated, her smiling face. He slammed backwards against the wall, sliding onto the floor. He was shaking, cold sweat covering him.

Someone pounded on the door.

"You alright?" Her voice drifted through the door.

Jellal scrambled to his feet. "Yeah, yeah. Just slipped."

He shuffled over to the door. The wood felt cool against his burning forehead. He had stopped shaking but the pounding in his heart still echoed in his ears. He had no idea what was going on. It was just a nightmare, nothing more, nothing less; he mentally berated himself.

"Come on, get a grip man." He muttered under his breath.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Erza looked up from the bed. She was in the process of slipping on her leg gauntlets. The metal was caught by the sunlight streaming in between the curtains and the flash of bright light blinded him momentarily.

Alarm bells sounded in his head. He didn't know what had triggered it. It could have been years of fighting experience or the sudden flash of metal glinting in the light but somehow, his body had moved on its own.

Jellal took a step backwards, his breath hitched in his throat.

At that moment, Erza shot towards him and he closed his hand into a fist, crushing the small sphere of magic, unleashing a blinding light.

Erza stared at him, a frown marring her face. She could hear his breathing speed up. "Jellal, what are you doing?"

"I…I just need to spar…right now."

She flashed him an uncertain grin. "Che, I won't go easy on you. So get your head together and let's go."

"Yeah, you go ahead." He mumbled, his eyes fixated on his armour.

She slowly slipped the knife she was holding between the crack in his armour and twisted the knife, cracking his breastplate.

His fingers ghosted across it, feeling the smooth texture.

Carbon-fibre reinforced graphite armour.

His boots squelched against the muddy ground. The torrential downpour left him soaked from head to toe and the howling wind battered him. She was already there, going through the warm up regime. Mystogan stood at a distance and simply stared at her.

Something tugged at his heart; was it doubt? He flexed his fingers, they already felt numb from the cold rain. A shudder ran through him. This wasn't like him. He was stronger than this. He wasn't weak. He could feel her intense gaze burning into him and he shuddered again. By the gods, he felt so useless, so helpless and he didn't know why.

She was completely soaked, with her hair plastered to her forehead and the white waist cloth clinging to her form, accenting her curves. He shook his head wearily and sprang forwards.

It caught her by surprise but Erza managed to dodge his initial strike. He had opted not to use any weapons, instead unleashing a fury of punches. She parried each and every one with her spear and lashed out with it, managing to land a blow behind his knees.

His knees buckled and Mystogan sank to his knees. He responded by tripping her and bringing up his leg, landing a strong blow to her gut. Erza doubled over and he brought up both hands and slammed it down on her back. She collapsed but the Ten Commandments glowed and changed form, blasting him away with a wind blast.

She pulled away at the last moment and retaliated with a vacuum wave, blasting him across the area.

His head cracked against the tree and he collapsed into a broken heap face down on the ground. Erza picked herself up painfully and made her way to him.

"Jellal?" She called out. "Are you serious?"

He didn't move.

He could vaguely feel her hands moving across his chest. It was a bit hard to tell, with his body growing numb from the blood loss. He coughed again, the blood spilling out from his mouth.

Erza focused all of her magic on his chest. Damn it, she couldn't lose him. She needed information and if he wasn't willing to give it to her, then she would turn him. The torn muscles and tissues slowly pulled together, knitting itself back. She let out a breath that she did not know she had been holding when the wound finally closed up.

A sudden fit of anger flooded through her and she grabbed him by the head. Her palm started to glow as the magic flowed towards him once more.

"What are you…" Mystogan asked breathlessly as a sudden pang of pain invaded his head. "Stop it…Get out. Of. My. Head!"

Her grip tightened and the pain grew, blinding him and he found himself swallowed up by a bright light.

His fingers curled around the dirt around him and slowly, he pushed himself off the ground. The muddy waters were pooling around his knees, where he had sunk to the ground, but he ignored it. He was shaking again, his eyes unfocused. He could hear her calling his name but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Mystogan stared at Lucy emotionlessly. Without a word, he plunged his hand through her chest. She died instantly, he was certain. He turned around at her laughter. She was killing off the rest of the soldiers as the palace went up in flames around them, causing the shadows to dance around them. Just like the way he was dancing with the Reaper.

He was shaking so much and he flinched visibly as Erza placed a hand on his shoulder. She drew back immediately. He looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. What had he done? What had possessed him to do those things? What had happened to him? He was not on Erza's side…what…

For once in her life, Erza did not know how to react. She had been one of the few people to have seen the many sides of Jellal. He was an excellent and loyal soldier, one who got his strength from his love and concern for the people around him. It was only in rare instances when he lost his temper or control. But never had she seen him experience genuine fear before. He was the guy who always knew what to do, no matter how dire the situation. She sank down on one knee. No, he had always been the calm and collected one. She had never seen him so scared before, not even the time when she had been stabbed from behind from a rogue operative and lay dying in his arms.

She couldn't move, the pain in her chest was too great. Even breathing was starting to seem like a burden. She saw him kneel down beside her, eyes emotionless.

"Stay with me, Knightwalker."

There was no feeling in her body, having grown completely numb as her body started to shut down from the shock. She could see him pull out the blood sword slowly, the glow of magic illuminating his face. He was healing her wound.

"It's…good to have you…on my side, Mystogan."

His ragged gasps tore at her heart. A muddy hand pressed against his left eye, his fingers digging into his scalp. Hot tears escaped from his eyes. He suddenly felt so tired, completely drained of all his energy.

"Jellal…" She rose to her feet, taking a step back.

He grabbed her by the scarf roughly and slammed her against the wall. He left a trail of hot kisses down her neck as he tore at her clothes, eliciting a moan from the female. She tilted her head, allowing him full access to her neck and her fingers tangled in his hair, gasping when he bit down on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

"Jellal…" she bit her lip to keep from screaming his name.

She shoved him backwards and ripped off her top. He complied with her unspoken request eagerly, shrugging off his armour. Her eyes roamed across his bare chest appreciatively. His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her to his chest. The warm hands on her waist sent shivers down her spine. She opened her mouth to speak but found it covered by his. His teeth scrapped against her lower lip none too gently and she kissed him back with the same ferocity. Her fingers scramble to unbuckle his belt and they broke apart long enough for him to discard his pants.

With a wicked smile, she pushed him onto the poster bed and she straddled him, smiling as she pressed down on his growing erection, his breathy moan ringing in her ears. Sensing his distraction, she looped the belt around his wrists, securing them around one of the bed poles. His startled reaction made it even more satisfying and initially, he struggled for a while, that was until she started stroking his throbbing cock. A gasp escaped his lips and his back arched upwards in an attempt to relieve himself.

"N-n, fuck…Erza…"

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, confusion in his haunted eyes. All the blood had drained from his face. Erza nearly dropped her spear at the realisation of what had transpired.

With his sobs having subsided, he remained kneeling in front of her. Despite the wind and rain, a complete silence engulfed them as they remained in their respective positions for the longest of times, with her towering over his kneeling form. His warm hazel eyes melted into a dark brown.

"What have you done to me?" He whispered.

Author's note:

Sorry it's so late. Sorry it's not really what you wanted (you probably hate the outcome too). Sorry and I'll make it up to you. Sorry but happy belated birthday.

The official title of this fic is Outlines because I'm obsessed with that song (by All Time Low) but seriously, I just refer to this fic as Mind Fuck.

And because it's a fairly confusing plot, here's a little explanation.

The first bit (where Mystogan accompanies Lucy to the ball) is real. Mystogan is captured by Edolas and he refuses to give Erza information and tries to commit suicide rather than be a prisoner of war. Erza saves his life but uses her magic to turn him to the Edolas side because he's a great fighter and because she likes him. The rest of the story deals with how the magic is wearing off, so Jellal thinks it's a dream at first but then more flashbacks come and the magic finally breaks and he knows that it's all a lie.