When Erza entered the throne room, she kept her eyes on the floor. She couldn't bring herself to look at the emperor in the eye. She couldn't bear his look of disappointment.

"Good day my lord." She said respectfully.

"Good day Erza." Makarov greeted.

"I trust that your morning as been well so far?"

"It has indeed. I took a walk in the royal gardens this morning. We have very beautiful blossoms this year. But one is a late bloomer."

"Oh?"

"It's still just a bud on the branch. However I'm sure that when it blooms it will be the most beautiful of all."

Erza looked up at the emperor and upon seeing his warm smile, she smiled as well. She knew that he was talking about her. He was trying to say that someday she would bring great honor. But she couldn't understand why? She was a disgrace.

"I guess you heard how the interview went." She said.

"I did."

"I'm sorry." Erza took the oriental comb out of her hair and placed it at the emperor's feet. "I know I disappointed you."

Makarov picked up the comb.

"You could never disappoint me Erza." He assured her. "Do you know why I gave you this comb?"

"Because it's pretty?" She joked.

"That comb belonged to my wife and I wanted you to have because you remind me so much of her."

"You must be joking. She was poised, prim, proper."

"Not when she was young." He chuckled. "When she was your age she was daring, courageous, headstrong, but had a shy and insecure streak. That streak grew stronger when we fell in love, because she wasn't sure if she'd live up to the expectations of an empress. At first she didn't live up to the expectations of a royal consort, many doubted that our betrothal would last. But I knew better, I knew she wouldn't disappoint me, and in the end she didn't."

He gently pinned the comb back in her hair.

"But that doesn't mean I won't." Erza sighed. "The headmistress called me a disgrace."

"Don't let that pompous, old biddy get to you. She knows much, but she doesn't know everything, and she hates to be reminded of that."

"Correcting her may have been disrespectful, and I truly didn't mean to offend her but...Forgive me, but I know that I did not answer her question wrong."

"Well what exactly was the question?"

"She asked me how the Great War started and I said that it was because of rumors. I know for certain that's true."

"Erza I have read all the history books in the empire and they all say that it was threats from outside our domain."

"But long ago I read ancient texts that said those threats were based on a lie. I don't know where those texts are but if I could just find them, I could-"

Suddenly they were interrupted by the beating of a drum. A signal that the council was arriving for a very important meeting with the emperor.

"We'll discuss this later." Makarov said. "Please excuse me. I have something very important that I need to attend to."

Erza left the throne room but she hid behind the large door to the hallway, listening to the conversation. She knew that she probably shouldn't eavesdrop but she believed that a meeting between the council and the emperor would be most educational.

"I have heard talk of the Lazan City and the Verdenshav Kingdom entering a union." Spoke Jose, the emperor's aide. "I suspect a future invasion on their part."

"Jose why would Lazan and Verdenshav attack us?" Makarov said. "After so much bloodshed from years ago, would they really risk all that happening again? And for what?"

"For our land." Jose said. "Our resources. Our people. They know that your army outnumbered theirs, and that's why their joining forces. If the princess of the Lazan City and the prince of the Verdenshav Kingdom marry, then they will have the greatest armed forces of all. They could easily conquer the empire just as they tried to do all those years ago."

"Why don't we dispatch an ambassador?
Negotiate a treaty?" Makarov suggested. "Surely we can't resort to going to war again."

"Believe me sire, it would pain me to see innocent men be sent to fight and die again." Jose said. "But we must do what is best for our people. If outside forces were to invade again, well..."

"Yes Jose, I know what they can do to us." Makarov sighed. "I will give the matter some consideration."

When Erza heard this she suddenly became fearful. Another war? Another decade of death? Of homes being destroyed? Of families being torn apart and fathers having to bury their sons? And if Lazan and Verdenshav really were joining forces, would Tiānkōng even stand a chance? Could the empire even survive another war?

"No! You can't do this!"

Without thinking, Erza called out and ran into the center of the throne room.

"Please your highness, you can't declare war! Not after what happened last time! Not against united realms! It would be suicide!"

"Silence!" Jose snapped at her. "Young lady, you would do well to hold your tongue in a man's presence!"

"I meant no disrespect, but war would be a terrible mistake."

"Erza please leave." Makarov said.

"But this is wrong. We shouldn't even think of-"

"Now! I command you!" He said harshly. "You had no right to listen in on this conversation! Nor do you have any right to barge in here without permission and speak up like this! Leave at once!"

Erza was taken aback by his tone of voice. In all the years she had known Makarov, he had never spoken to her that way before. But despite her shock, she obeyed his command and left the throne room, lowering her head in shame. Now Erza's words may have been right but it was not her place to speak, and she had embarrassed the emperor by entering his throne room without permission and speaking out like that.

Now Makarov being a wise and patient man, was more than understanding and forgiving of Erza's outburst. But his grandson on the other hand, who was very young and arrogant, was furious with her. That night the future emperor was on a vicious rant, contemplating if Erza should be punished for her mistake.

"After all my grandfather has done for her, how could she dishonor him like that?!" He practically roared. "A peasant woman questioning his choices in front of the council and in his own throne room, it was probably the most humiliating moment of his life!"

"Laxus please, calm yourself." Mirajane said to her fiancee, in an attempt to defend her friend. "Erza meant no disrespect."

"That doesn't change the fact that she disrespected him anyway! I'm surprised that Grandfather has not banished her for this!"

"Now that's quite enough." Mirajane's tone was gentle yet firm. "I agree that she may have went about expressing her opinion the wrong way, but you of all people should understand where she's coming from."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know as well as I do that she only spoke out because she fears what another war will do to the empire and our people. You were there when it happened. You were on that very battlefield, and as child no less. Erza just doesn't want anyone else to know that horror and truthfully, neither do I."

"This isn't about what's easier or more uncomfortable for our people. This is about doing whatever it takes to keep them safe."

Erza could hear them arguing from all the way down in the library, as she scoured through each shelf in search of those ancient text scrolls she had read long ago. It hurt her to know that she was the cause of their arguing, and it hurt her even more to know that she had shamed the emperor. She knew it was wrong and foolhardy to do what she did, but she panicked. She didn't know what else to do. As soon as she heard Makarov say that he was considering war, she became desperate to say or do anything to change his mind.

Later she had tried for a more reasonable approach. Find evidence that the other realms had never truly intended threatened the empire to begin with by trying to find those scrolls. Unfortunately there was no trace of those particular parchments anywhere. It was like they had completely vanished without a trace. Now what? That was literally her only evidence. The only other proof she could use was to find someone who had lived long before the war, but they were either dead or so old that they had become senile. Who could she possibly find who had the knowledge, was alive, and still had their common sense in tact?

"The Sylphs!" Erza thought. "They lived in the empire longer than any other creature. They're bound to know the truth! If I can find them and talk to them..."

She was already putting on a cloak and rushing outside toward her horse. She quickly mounted herself on to the steed and rode off to the sacred temple of the sylphs, praying that they would help her, and that they weren't a proud race. She had never actually met the sylphs before but according to the books she read, some of them were not particularly fond of humans and considered them inferior beings. If they were all like that then Erza would probably have to do a little begging and groveling to gain their cooperation. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to resort to that.