DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, or any of the characters mentioned in the fanfic, Hiro Mashima does. The plot is loosely based off of Merlin. 

~ ~ ~

It's been about seven years since my brother died. Seven years since Mira Jane Strauss and I left Bosco in search of a better life. Finally, after years of training, I was here. Fiore. If I beat the prince in a sword fight, I would receive the honor of being a knight. It was as simple as that.

Well..not really.

There was that one minor rule about men being on the battlefield..and when I say men, I mean only men.

Oh well.

"Think fast!" Mira said suddenly, thrusting her hand out and aiming for my stomach. I swiftly stepped out of the way and she smiled serenely. "You're getting really good!"

"Thanks," I said, forcing a smile. The prince wasn't going to be easy to beat. From what the village girls said, he was cocky, arrogant, and drop-dead gorgeous.

Sensing my nervousness, Mira patted my shoulder and gave me a winning smile.

We soon approached the gates of the castle, and Mira handed me a hair tie, "Tie up your hair and put on your helmet. You'll look a bit sketchy, but it should do the trick."

~ ~ ~

"I don't stand a chance," I muttered, looking at all of the other competitors.  All young boys, staring at the king in admiration. Mira patted my shoulder once more before joining the other spectators. I quickly weaved my way through the crowd and blended in with the other competitors.

Armor. Sword. Check

Fake birth certificate, turned in on time. Check.

"If you can defeat my son," the king yelled suddenly, jolting me out of my trance. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at the castle's stone balcony, where the aging king regally stood. "then you will be rewarded. If you are unable to do so, you will face the consequences."

"Buchanan, Wally," the prince said, reading off a scroll a knight had handed him. A young, black haired man stepped up nervously. 

"Ready?" the prince asked, throwing the parchment to the side. They both stepped into the ring.

It wasn't half as grand as I imagined, the fighting ring. It consisted of mostly packed dirt, surrounded by a wired fence. Four wooden bleachers caged us in like wild animals.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The prince put on his helmet, readied his sword, and charged.

Let's just say it didn't end well.

"Call the doctor," the king ordered, waving his arm casually.

I shuddered, suddenly feeling sick. 

"King Faust used to have gladiators," the boy beside me whispered in my ear. "They fought to the death for his entertainment. Scary, eh?"

My stomach churned uneasily. 

The crown prince's identical twin walked over and read off the list, "Dragneel, Natsu."

A salmon-haired man walked up to the prince and smiled cheerfully, "I'm the youngest son of the Dragneel Dynasty." He looked up at the balcony where the king stood and bowed his head respectfully.

The king nodded with approval, "Excellent."

"That's not fair!" I whispered. "Just 'cause he's royal doesn't mean he get's to be a knight!"

The boy beside me shrugged, "They must really need knights."

"Scarlet, Riko," the king yelled.

No one budged.

From the stands, Mira nodded her towards the crown prince.

Oh.

"What kind of name is Riko?" I whispered to myself indignantly. I scrambled up from my seat, almost tripping over my wooden sword and made my way towards the center of the ring. Almost forgetting, I hastily bowed to the king and his eldest son, the crown prince.

"Ready?"

I nodded.

He smirked, "Not much of a talker are you?"

I shook my head.

The prince raised his sword and lunged.

I sidestepped him and slashed wildly.

He dodged and attacked.

I dodged and attacked.

He dodged and attacked.

I dodged and attacked.

"Do something, already," he hissed. His blue hair was plastered to his forehead, I quickly noticed. "This is getting boring!"

I bit back the urge to throw my sword aside and punch him. Then I smiled to myself. He lunged, and this time I didn't move. The sword hit against my armor, and the impact easily knocked me over. The prince smiled with victory and sheathed his sword.

But I wasn't done.

I jumped up and pushed him from behind, shoving his chest plate so he toppled over and landed on his face in the mud.

"Not fair!" he yelled, scrambling to his knees.

The king chuckled as I go on top of him, pinning him down with both of my legs. One hand on his upper back, one hand behind his head.

Eat dirt, princeling.

"I surrender," he grumbled after a long thirty seconds, much of which involved writhing, cursing, and a whole lot of mud.

"We have a new knight!" the king announced. "May I announce, Riko Scarlet!"

"Riko Scarlet!" the crowd repeated.

That's when things went wrong.

I smiled triumphantly, watching as a senior handed me the scroll of honor. Finally. My dream had come true.

"Any boy who can push my eldest son in the mud is worthy of being a knight," the king told the crowd from up above.

"You're a girl," the prince whispered, staring at me through my helmet. I stared at him, surprised. How long had he been staring at me?

I shook my head, even as he got up from the dirt, brushed himself off, and approached me. Cautiously.

"No guy can move that gracefully," he mused. "No guy is that flexible. It's just not in our genes, you know?" He reached over and removed my helmet swiftly. I stared helplessly across the ring, at Mira, as my long, scarlet hair fell out of its ponytail and flowed down my back. 

"Girls can't be knights," the king said, marching down from the castle balcony. "You're disqualified."

Two knights grabbed me roughly by the shoulders. The third yanked the scroll from my hands and threw it to the ground. 

The crowd booed. I should've known. I should've planned things out.

"Cut your hair," Mira had insisted.

"It's sentimental," I had replied stubbornly. "I can't just cut it."

"Wait," the elder prince said. "She beat me."

"Very embarrassing," the younger prince agreed, much to the other's dismay.

"She should be a knight. She could...teach me."

"How absurd!" the king said, but suddenly stopping in his tracks. I watched as he frowned, still contemplating the idea.

"She could be a good spy for us," he continued. Was he defending me? After the bruises I had just given him? "A good ally. Against the Dreyar Kingdom."

The king stared at me, "She's a girl. Girl's are weak. They're meant to stay at home."

The prince narrowed his eyes, pondering. "If girls' are weak, what am I?"

His father had no answer to this.

"This weak girl beat me. Give her a chance."

"Very well."

I could hardly believe my ears. I watched as Mira jumped up and down in silent happiness.

"What's your real name?" the prince asked, facing me. He was a good deal taller than me, and it took all my determination not to look away from those bright, green eyes of his.

"Riko," I said.

"I mean, for real."

"Erza. Erza Scarlet."

"You better teach me all your tricks, got it?" he teased.

"Of course, Prince Jellal," I said, winking.

~ ~ ~

"One wrong move and you're dead, y'hear me?" King Faust whispered, brushing past me as he hurried to who-knows-where.

I nodded, eager to stay out of his way.

"Jellal, show her where the trainee knights stay," he yelled over his shoulder, still briskly walking down the corridor. "And take Dragneel with you."

"Come on Scarlet," Jellal said, leading me into the castle.

"That's not fair!" Natsu said. "She's a girl! Why does she get to be a knight?"

"At least I actually did something. At least I actually beat the prince," I retorted, glancing at Prince Jellal.

Not looking back at us, the crown prince agreed. "She's got a point."

"Oh yeah?" Natsu growled. "Well then fight-"

"I accept!" another knight replied, shoving Natsu to the side.

"Who do you think you are?" Natsu spat, adjusting his white scarf and raising his fists.

"Gray Fullbuster!" he announced pompously, adjusting his worn-out jacket proudly.

"Go back to sleep, Gray," Prince Jellal said, obviously annoyed.

Gray narrowed his eyes, "You're not saying this idiot is becoming a knight, right?"

"Your room is on the left," the prince said to Natsu. "Follow me, Scarlet."

"Are you serious!?" Gray yelled after Prince Jellal. "That idiot is a knight?"

"Not my fault he's part of the Dragneel Dynasty!" the prince shouted back. "And how can you say he's an idiot if you don't know him?"

Gray stormed off. It was just us two now, and the prince seemed to be in a great hurry. What was with the Fernandes' family?

"How many knights are there?" I asked.

"Hm..There's Fullbuster, Dragneel, and you..and Redfox and a couple of others.."

"Oh."

"So what made you come to Fiore, disguise as a boy, and attempt to become knight," he asked. "Mulan?"

"Shut up," I muttered. 

"Do you not know who I am?" asked Prince Jellal.

"Do you not know I am?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Remind me never to mess with you."

"I'll remind you." 

I entered my room alone and looked around. It was a simple room, with the bare necessities: a bed tucked away in the corner of the chamber, a bookshelf with no books, a dresser accompanied with a mirror, and a bathroom. My travelling bag and fake birth certificate were also placed on the bed.

A plate of piping hot peanut butter cookies sat on my dresser.

"This is so exciting!" Mira said, the second I stepped inside.

"Mira!" I said in surprise. "They allowed you in?"

"I got a job as the Lady Orland's maid," she said happily. "My room is in the other section of the castle."

"The Lady  Orland's maid?" I asked. "How..?"

"I came for an interview last month. And she's only the king's ward, not a real princess," Mira said bashfully. "Anyway, Prince Siegrain told me to tell you that you are to meet him and Prince Jellal at the back of the castle. For training."

Prince Siegrain. That must be the other prince. Prince Jellal's twin. Legend says Jellal beat Siegrain to the crown by only five minutes.

"Okay," I reply, still eyeing the cookies.

Mira smiled and walked over to my bed. "Everything is so luxurious compared to home! It's going to be so fun living in a castle! Elfman and Lisanna would be so jealous!"

"Imagine the king's quarters!"

"The Lady's chamber is beautiful! Silk everywhere!"

"Silk?" I echo excitedly. "I can ima-"

Mira had gotten up from the bed and knocked over the vase. Almost automatically, my hand shot out and I muttered, "Wa azio!"

The vase immediately shot up from midair and flew back to the side table. It was an instinct that had developed at the age of twelve. Back in the corrupt kingdom of Bosco, it was not an issue. But here..a kingdom that feared and rejected anything "abnormal.."

Mira gaped at me. "Erza! You're not supposed to use-"

"I'm sorry.."

The same two words.

I'm sorry I killed the roses in the garden.

I'm sorry I broke the plate.

I'm sorry I paralyzed the horse.

I'm sorry.

"If King Faust, Prince Siegrain, Prince Jellal, or anyone else finds out, you'll be executed for magic!"

"I don't see why magic is considered a curse in Fiore," I whispered sadly. "I'm not a bad person, Mira. You know that!"

"Well, you can't change that," Mira said, standing next to me. "But..you can always hide it. And for once, Erza Scarlet, you'll have to obey the rules. Okay? Promise me!"

"Promise."

Mira Jane's big blue eyes began to water. "If..anything happens to you.."

Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Ding~

"What's that?" I asked, rushing out my room, and looking for the source of the noise.

"I have to go!" Mira said, drying her eyes and following all of the other maids out of the castle.

"The bells are ringing!" Natsu said, appearing at my shoulder.

"Obviously!" I snapped. "But why?"

"They only ring if there's something wrong," Gray chimed in. The doors to each of the trainee knight's chambers flew open, and all at once, they flooded the corridor.

"Like an attack?"

"Wait- what's happening?"

"Or an execution," another knight said gravely.

"For what?"

"Theft, murder..but these days it's usually for using magic," Gray told me. "Gajeel, where's the prince?"

"He's out in the Town Square."

We rushed out of the castle and the prince signaled for us to come.

"Please! No! Please!" a young woman was crying. "Not Lisanna! Not Lisanna! She didn't mean to! Please!"

It was Mira.

And her little sister.

Lisanna Strauss.