"They're coming!" Minerva whispered hoarsely, springing up from the ground. In her haste, the bowl of half-finished beef stew was knocked over. The dark liquid oozed into the ground. It looked like blood. 

Romeo set down his tin of stew and looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know?"

Wendy sighed with resignation. "She's a Seer, Romeo."

The man immediately stood up. "Prepare to defend the camp." A couple of nearby Druids nodded and hurried away to warn the others. Women picked up their children and men began gathering their weapons. Romeo stood up, rolling his eyes, and put out the fire that was lit under the enormous cauldron of stew.

"I'm so, so sorry," Minerva said quietly, watching the Druids bustle about.

"It's not your fault," Wendy said sadly, touching the other girl's elbow gently. "You need to stay here."

"Wendy," the man said, his voice uneven. "Take Minerva out of the camp."

"What?"

"Do it now!" he hissed.

~ ~ ~

"Is this really right?" I asked for the fiftieth time. "I mean- think about it. Is killing the way to get Minerva back? And don't you think we kind of...jumped to conclusion?"

If Jellal was truly the man that would allow magic, then he would stop the killing of innocents..right?

"Father's orders," he said in that helpless monotone voice of his.

I sighed. 

Jellal put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

I brushed off his hand, careful not to do it too hard. I wasn't angry, but I wouldn't be appeased so easily. "No..you're right..we need to do this.."

The words were painful to say.

~ ~ ~

"Sir Macao?" I asked, dismounting my horse and following the senior knights' into the clearing of the camp. "What's wrong."

Macao stared at the camp blankly. "It's abandoned. Look."

He was right. Nothing, not a single animal, existed in the small, orderly camp.

"We have a spy among us," Jellal accused, examining us one by one.

No one flinched.

"Sir Macao, Sir Gildarts, and Sir Wakaba," Jellal mouthed. "Attack."

They ran into the middle of the camp, yelling and waving their weapons.

Nothing happened.

"Attack!" yelled someone else.

Druids' were everywhere. Some held weapons. Others had magic.

"We're surrounded!" Gray yelled, knocking down a Druid with the hilt of his sword.

I smiled to myself. Gray wasn't a killer.

Jellal, on the other hand, slashed furiously. Druids were on the ground, everywhere. Knights I had never seen in my life lay motionless on the ground, begging me to help them and tend to their wounds. They were dying, everyone was dying. 

A man with an ax came from behind Jellal.

I sprinted to the nearest tree ducked behind it. Very carefully, making sure my accuracy was spot on, I whispered, "Iqra."

The ax disappeared and the Druid man stared at his hands in disbelief.

Jellal whirled around and punched the man unconscious.Blood spurted from the stranger's nose and I felt something tighten in my stomach.

Another boy came after Jellal, a wooden sword in his hand. His face was screwed up with determination, but his eyes told a different story.

A pang of guilt went through me as I whispered, "Leave..."

The boy's eyes widened. 

I smiled triumphantly. My telepathy had worked.

"Zarina..Where are you?" 

"Leave..Now!"

The boy turned around and fled.

~ ~ ~

"Minerva!" Jellal yelled exasperatedly. "Bring us Minerva, and we'll stop!"

No one said anything.

Then I spotted Wendy, holding Minerva's hand. They were escaping the camp, those clever, clever girls.

Wendy was a friend. Kind of. I had saved her life once. 

I whispered. "Lillith icthum."

Wendy tripped and fell over, causing Minerva to slow her pace.

Knights surrounded the two of them.

I quickly ducked away, hoping Wendy wouldn't see me. The knights grabbed Minerva roughly and brought her Jellal. 

"Druthyium!" Wendy yelled. The knights surrounding her fell over, gasping.

Wendy ran.

But she turned around and faced me.

"I shall never forgive this, Zarina. And I shall never forget."

~ ~ ~

The double doors opened and Lady Minerva walked into the throne room. Her face had been scrubbed clean, her dress freshly washed. She smiled as King Faust walked up to her. Hugged her. Tears running down his cheeks.

"Minerva," he said softly. "I thought..you were dead."

Minerva smiled, hugging him back. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Faust held her tighter. "I love you, Minerva. You are the daughter I never had."

"And you are the father I don't remember," she responded. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away his tears.

As Minerva turned away, her smile faded. The Druids had helped her get over the fact she had magic. Wendy and Romeo and all those innocent Druid children were injured. Their camp was destroyed. Minerva might not have been a knight, but she knew it was Faust who wanted this. 

When she turned around to wave goodbye to Faust, she smiled once more, but her eyes remained cold.

Eyes. They were the open window to a human's soul.

She had helped Wendy, once. Then Wendy had helped her. It was time to help the Druids once more. And she needed help. More help.

~ ~ ~

"And then these puny little kids came running to us," Natsu said, stifling a laugh. "Seriously? The Druids send their kids to attack?"

A couple knights snickered.

I didn't laugh.

I didn't smile.

The Druids' had no camp. Some were dead. They thought I, Zarina, was a hero of a great destiny. Meanwhile, Jellal and the knights were joking around. But they didn't have the burden a destiny. Well, Jellal did. But he didn't know it. I needed to talk to Igneel.

Then I remembered. Igneel cared for himself only.

I sighed. I was alone once again.

"Well I saved Lady Minerva," Gajeel said, causing the conversation to take a completely different turn.

"No," Gray interrupted. "I did!"

"It doesn't matter," Jellal said wisely. "Everyone did well. Except for Scarlet. She hid behind a tree the whole time."

"Rytha," I murmured softly.

Jellal slipped and fell face-forward into the mud.

The knights laughed harder.

"Clumsy, huh?" I asked. "Princeling."

Jellal got up and glared at me. "I'm a crown prince. If anyone is a princeling, it's Siegrain."

I glared back.

"If Siegrain is a princeling...than being a princeling should be a compliment."

Suddenly he smiled and I feared for my training session with him tomorrow. I should've kept quiet.

"I'm going to clean off," he said. "You guys meet me outside the gates of the Inner Sector."

Jellal walked away, lightly brushing against my shoulder. It was a warning.

Today had been a long day. Minerva was back. The Druid Camp destroyed. Wendy..

Despite the darker turn of events, the knot within me loosened, as I stared after the crown prince wistfully.