Ten years after Gray came to Fiore

Erza was looking at a beat up Gray on the ground.

"Again!" she said earning a groan from Gray.

"Let's take a breakkk Erzaaaa," he groaned.

"That's not a word in my vocabulary."

Erza is now 19 years old. Gray is 18.

"I'll buy you strawberry cake?" Gray said hopefully.

Erza blinked. "You have 30 minutes to get ready," she said. "Thirty minutes starts....NOW!!"

They were sword fighting and Erza, as always, beat him. As he got dressed he thought that if her father saw her now, he would definitely take back what he said. Or maybe Gray himself was just weak. He still didn't think it was fair that females were mistreated. In his village, where he used to live, everyone was treated equally. No one was sexist.

"Things are different in Fiore," Little Erza had once told him, "that's why I want to make things right."

"I'll help you!" Little Gray said. Little Erza smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm happy to hear that," she said.

Gray smiled at the memory. At that time he was a least 9. Erza was 10.

"Thirty minutes are up!!!" he heard a voice scream. Gray sighed.

"Coming!" he yelled back.

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They were in the town, when Gray yelled, "Hey Erza! Look at this!!" Erza spun around and saw what Gray was pointing at.

"Magic banned in all of Fiore!?" she screeched reading the flyer he was pointing at. She screamed so loudly, that people across the street were looking at her.

"Hush!! We don't have to worry about that. It's not like any of us have magic," Gray said.

He was wrong about that. Porlyuscia was impressed by Erza, and she told her she would teach her magic under one condition: she would't tell a soul. No one. Erza agreed. She was now a powerful wizard. Or sorceress. What ever you would like to call her. The point is, that no one knew except Porlyuscia and her friend Mirajane. Mirajane once caught her practicing, and told Porlyuscia. Erza didn't really mind. Mirajane was her best friend, next to Gray. Erza felt bad that she couldn't tell him. "People are going to find out eventually," Erza told Porlyuscia one day. "Yes, but don't tell them until they do," Porlyuscia replied. Erza trusted Mirajane, and so did Porlyuscia.

"I was pointing at this," Gray's voice snapped Erza out of her thoughts.

"Knights wanted," Erza read aloud. "Whoever beats the head knight will be the crown prince's trainer."

"Male only," Gray added.

"Doesn't matter," Erza said as she ripped the flyer off the bulletin board. "I'm doing this," she said flatly. "Oh, and I'm taking this too," she said ripping off another flyer that said, Maids wanted in the palace.

"You want to be a maid?!" Gray exclaimed. 

"No," she said. "It's for Mira. If she wants to come. Not that she has an option," she added.

"Wait. So you're leaving me all alone?!" Gray said.

"Awwww," Erza cooed. "Is Gway gonna miss ewza?" Gray blushed. There was nothing romantic between them, they were just like siblings. They were family.

"Whatever," he said. "Let's just go back to Porlyuscia."

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The one word Porlyuscia said: No.

"But whyyy," Erza whined.

"Awwwww," Mira said. "I was looking forward to going to the palace!!"

Porlyuscia sighed and said, "what if someone finds out about your magic? Or if you're a girl? You could be executed." She had a good point.

"Who cares!" Erza said sadly, "No one would care if I died!!"

Porlyuscia and Mira gasp. "I can tell you for a fact that's not true." they heard a voice say. Erza spun around to see Gray leaning against the doorway.

"Did....did you hear that?" Erza asked in a small voice. "I heard EVERYTHING," he said.

Erza flinched.

"I'm sorry," she barely whispered.

"I won't tell anyone,"he said flatly. "I'm going on a walk. Alone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was midnight, and Erza couldn't sleep. She look at the flyer, and crept up to Mira's bed.

"Mira," she said, shaking her awake.

"Mira! Mirajane! Mirajane Strauss!" She whisper yelled. Mira finally woke up. "What do you want?" she asked curtly.

"Do you still wanna go to the palace?" Erza asked excitedly.

"Porlyuscia said no," Mira said

"We'll give them a letter that says that we're leaving."

Mira huffed. Erza knew she wanted to go to the palace.

"Let's go," she said.