"I swear..."Jellal muttered. "Did you grow up in a circus?"

I smiled. "Juggling is easy. Pure talent."

And using pure magic of course..

"Unbelievable," the prince said. "You'll have to teach me someday."

I nodded. "Someday."

"See you during training," Jellal replied. "You never cease to surprise me, Erza."

~ ~ ~

"That was a good party," Siegrain commented. "Will you get Father back to his chambers? He's still a little weak, you know."

"Yeah.."

Siegrain looked at his twin curiously. "Did you drink too much again?"

Jellal shook his head. "Not too much. You go help the circus people pack up and leave. I'll take Father upstairs."

~ ~ ~

Jellal was the Crown Prince. He would never admit to being drunk. Even if he felt a little bit dizzy.

"You're not going to get into bed?" Jellal slurred.

Faust looked at his son tiredly. "I'll sit here."

"You're not going to become silent again, right?" Jellal cried.

"I should've been a better Father. Better to you guys and better to..Minerva."

"But-"

"Please be quiet or leave."

Jellal sat in the chair beside his father and closed his eyes.

~ ~ ~

One..Two..Three...

Siegrain pointed them out, one by one. Three jesters. Three jugglers. Four clowns. Seven dancers.

But where was the knife-thrower?

~ ~ ~

"For you, my lady," the knife-thrower breathed. "Anything for you."

The man opened the door to the king's chambers and drew his sword.

Jellal flew up from his chair and drew his sword uneasily. He felt sick and dizzy. Maybe Siegrain was right..

"No match for me, young prince," the knife-thrower whispered. "Especially a drunk prince."

The prince fought fiercely, but his sword felt heavy in his hands. How many knife-throwers were there? Two? Three? Or was he hallucinating? All he cared about was killing this man. No man would hurt his frail father.

But Faust wouldn't allow his son to be stabbed. The king pulled out his own sword and pushed Jellal back. Jellal easily gave way and fell to the ground screaming, "Guards! Guards!"

King Faust hadn't fought in months. He was rusty, alright. But for his beloved eldest son, he'd do anything.

Even if it meant being stabbed in the shin by a poisoned dagger.

~ ~ ~

"Can't trust anyone," Siegrain whispered angrily. "Can't trust contestants in contests, can't trust members of a circus."

"How's Father?" Jellal asked weakly. 

"In a coma," Porlyusica replied. "He's in his bed. He's alive for now."

"I should've been able to protect him-"

"Nonsense," Sieg interjected. "They obviously spiked your drink with a drug or something."

"Where were the guards?" I asked.

"Unconscious," Siegrain sighed. "All of this happening on our birthday.."

"Well twenty-six is unlucky," I blurted out. "You know. Thirteen times two."

Jellal stared at me.

"Never mind," I muttered.

"Look at them," Siegrain said, walking over to the dark window.

Outside, hundreds of people were standing vigil, holding candles.

"They're acting as if he's dead," Jellal spat. "Father's going to get better!"

"If we get a cure for the poison," Porlyusica corrected.

"We'll do anything," the twins said in unison.

"Magic will be needed," the physician whispered. "But..that is impossible in this kingdom."

"You're right," Sieg added. "No magic."

But Jellal was silent.

And that gave me a brilliant idea.

~ ~ ~

"Zarina is your destiny...and she is your doom.."

Minerva lurched upright in her bed.

Zarina? Who was Zarina? There was another sorceress..stronger than her?

But that was impossible. Minerva was a High Priestess. Even though her beloved Morgause was gone, Morgause had given her a gift. A stone. She had no idea what the stone was, but it was important.

And now..the stone had triggered a dream?

"I will find you Zarina..Whoever you are," Minerva growled. "And I will kill you."

"Zarina sounds like a Druid name, my lady," Minerva's soldier said weakly.

"Druid name?" Minerva whispered thoughtfully.

"My lady," a man whispered, kneeling before Minerva.

Minerva had a lovely castle, on the outskirts of Bosco.

King Laxus had forbidden her to enter Bosco, which made her mad. But making a castle right on the border..

"My lady," the man repeated. "King Faust is dying."

"Good."

The man turned away and suddenly Minerva snapped, "Wait."

If Zarina was her enemy..then surely Zarina was working for Fiore?

"Put this necklace on Faust."

The man nodded and took the necklace. The necklace was cursed, of course. If Zarina were real..If Zarina tried to use magic to heal Faust..

Faust would die.

~ ~ ~

"Magic to heal him," I insisted, as Porlyusica and I hovered over Faust. Porlyusica had just cleaned his wound on his thigh, but the king still wasn't looking good. Faust was looking deathly pale. The poison was now travelling deep within his veins.

"Do you think the king would open his eyes," Porlyusica began to ask. "and figure out the only reason he's alive is because of magic? Do you think he'd be happy?"

"But what about Jellal?" I pleaded. "Today's his birthday!"

The old woman sighed. "There is a way to save the king. But it's very hard."

"A powerful healing charm?" I asked, hopeful. "I can do it!"

"No, the healing is easy," Porlyusica corrected. "You'll need to disguise yourself. As an old woman perhaps. An old sorceress. And we need to convince Jellal to go 'find' you."

"So.." I whispered. "Convince Jellal to find a sorceress. Take him to the woods. And disguise as an old woman...But that doesn't work. What about me? He'll want me to accompany him! I can't be two people at once!"

"You'll work it out," the physician said. "Go get your spell book from under your bed and start studying!"

~ ~ ~

"Miht dagan, beþecce me. Adeadaþ þisne gast min freondum ond min feondum!" I whispered, throwing powder into my cauldron.

"I said spells not-" Porlyusica froze. She chuckled, "Well, Erza. You definitely made that potion right!"

"Shut up!" I said, in an old woman's voice. I quickly walked over to the mirror and stared at myself. I was an eighty year old woman, alright. I had long, white hair which surprised me. I was also older then Porlyusica, much to her delight.

"Turn back into normal," the physician said. "We need to talk to Jellal first."

~ ~ ~

"Magic," Jellal repeated. "You're saying that magic can heal? But magic is evil!"

"Not all magic, Jellal," I whispered.

The prince fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "But magic is banned.."

"I don't think you should do it, Jellal," Siegrain protested.

Jellal stared at him thoughtfully. "If I wanted to use magic...Where would I find the sorceress-"

"In the woods," I quickly said. "Um, Porlyusica knows someone named...Lady Zarina. She could help."

"What's she doing in Fiore?" Sieg shouted. "We need to execu-"

"Wait," Jellal responded, holding up his hand. "I suppose we could make an exception if our father, the king, is dying-"

"But how can we trust her?" Siegrain asked calmly.

I stared at the twins. I had never seen them argue like this before. But then again, their Father was in a coma and dying so...different circumstances, I guessed.

"Bribe her," I chimed in. "Sorceress's love...clothing!"

"Clothes," the prince said slowly. "That might just work.."

"I guess you've made your decision then," Prince Siegrain snorted. "I hope it works."

Jellal nodded and motioned for me to follow.

"I'll watch over the castle and Father while you're gone," Siegrain called out before we left.

In the end, Jellal and Siegrain would always be there for each other.