My Scarlet Rose (A Jerza Fanfic)

Chapter 22 - My Scarlet Rose

"Erza, will you marry me?"

Who knew that a single question could make a woman so happy? She replayed it over and over again in her head, though she would never admit that to anyone. Of course, she said yes. She had no reason not to. She loved him with all her heart. She wanted to be with him forever. Possibly be the mother of his children someday. So, why not? There was no reason to deny the proposal.

Of course once everyone else found out, they were teased about it. But it was a friendly tease. "About time!" The majority of the guild shouted that out. The romantics of the bunch, aka Mirajane, Lucy, Lisanna, Meredy, and Levy, demanded to see the ring. Among the guys, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had comments about Jellal's actions. "You're a real man, a manly man to propose!" Elfman had said. "Good luck taming that beast!" Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had nodded in unison. Jellal laughed at the boys, knowing that they meant the best.

Jellal had no doubts that he was doing the right thing. The truth was that he should've did this a long time ago. You know the phrase 'you'll never know the value of something until it's gone'? Well, it's true. Jellal had always thought that separation was the best thing for him and Erza since he had done so much bad. It wasn't until he lost her completely that he realized he was wrong. He had been wrong this whole time. That week that Erza was dead was the hardest and worst days of his life. They were so bad, it made the Tower of Heaven seem like a playground in comparison. He never wanted to feel like that again. This time he had a second chance. He would make it right this time.

Now the time has come, a month later, for the two lovebirds to finally wed. They've come so far over the years with many, many struggles that all ended in tears. Macao directed the ceremony. Lucy, Mira, Meredy, Lisanna, and Juvia were the bridesmaids in very beautiful scarlet dresses. Mirajane was Erza's maid of honor which the She-Devil didn't hesitate to accept. Natsu, Elfman, Cobra, Gajeel, and Gray were the groomsmen with Cobra being Jellal's best man. Even Wendy and Romeo had a small part to play. Wendy was the flower girl and Romeo was the ring bearer. Jellal was escorted by Angel, wanting to have some spotlight time. When it was time for Erza to come down the aisle, she was escorted by Wakaba.

The wedding brought the party to tears. It was that beautiful. Even Natsu and Gray were touched. It also brought blushes upon the bride and groom, but that was to be expected, right? Especially when they had to read their vows with everyone watching. Erza was nervous. Very nervous. But she meant every word she said. The red blush never left her cheeks as she looked Jellal in the eyes and told him how much she loved him, how she would die for him. She didn't know, however, that she did actually die for him. There were throats cleared when she said that, but Erza thought nothing of it.

On the other hand, Jellal was calmer as he read his vows. He was confident and sure of himself. He too had a blush on his face, but he didn't show any signs of nervousness or being flustered. As he read his vows, he stared at his bride. He looked lovingly into her eyes and stroked her hair. His vows read as followed:

Erza, you have always been an important part of my life. A beautiful and magnificent part. I admire your courage and bravery as a wizard. I also admire your stubbornness, how you refuse to leave someone in need. Most of the time that someone is me. You're always by my side and you've always had my back. You're always there when I need you even when I don't realize it myself. I'll always need you, Erza. I need you to stay close to me when I'm all alone. I need you to comfort me when times are tough. I need you to love me when nobody else will. I need you to be my partner in life, my best friend, because I don't want anybody else. I love you. You are my everything. Remember when I gave you your last name as a kid? How I said I could never forget you because of it? I never did. To me, your my very own perfect flower. A flower that blooms and blossoms everyday. A flower that smells so enticing, it hurts. A flower as scarlet as the sunset. My flower. My scarlet flower. My Scarlet Rose.

THE END