The Tale of Tales

Chapter 56

Erza closed her eyes, laid herself on Jellal's chest, and wept over his body. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever cried so much in her entire life. How she prayed from the bottom of her heart that this was all just a nightmare and that she would wake up to find that her childhood love was still alive. But she knew all too well that this wasn't a dream and that she had lost Jellal forever.

Suddenly she felt a hand gently stroking her hair. Her eyes snapped open. Was she imagining things or was she really feeling it? She dared to lift her head up and she found herself staring into a pair of green eyes.

"Je...Jellal?" She said trembling.

"Hi Erza." He smiled.

"You're... You're alive! Oh thank God!"

She threw her arms around Jellal's neck and they embraced. She then kissed him as passionately as she could which took him completely by surprise but he responded by kissing back. When their lips parted Erza let out a small gasp of surprise.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Your tattoo... It's gone."

"What?"

He put his hand over his eye and then went to look at his reflection in the water of a nearby river. He carefully moved his hand from his eye and found that the blood tattoo, the symbol of his curse was gone. He then turned to Erza and gave her the biggest smile that she had ever seen him give.

"I'm free." He said. "I'm free! I'm free Erza!"

He took her in his arms and spun her around laughing and crying with joy.

With the mirror destroyed all of the damage it had caused was undone. The curse upon the cursed race was lifted, Jellal's injuries which were inflicted on him while Minerva was connected to the mirror were healed, Rogue and Elfman were freed from their stone prisons, and Minerva was finally at peace. It was all over.

Once they had buried Minerva and held a service for her, King Hector requested to speak with the Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Jellal, the fairies, the dwarves, and Jellal's pack to come to the palace to discuss something.

"Because of you all my kingdom was saved from a great evil. A great evil that had taken over my wife, trapped me in the body of a monster, and threatened the life of my daughter." He said. "I am forever in your debt and I will grant you any reward that you desire."

"Thank you your majesty." Jellal said. "But all my pack and I want is to live peacefully in the village of Magnolia. But if it's not too much to ask could you arrange for us to find work there?"

"It shall be done and you noble dwarves, I cannot think of a reward grand enough for the men who protected and cared for my daughter. But perhaps if you told me I might be able to."

"We don't need anything." Elfman said. "I have all I need right here."

He took his sisters Mirajane and Lisanna into his arms and hugged them lovingly.

"Speak for yourself." Gajeel said. "All I want is a suitable house built for me to live in and start a family with the woman I love."

"Oh Gajeel." Levy kissed his cheek.

"I'll have my best workers build you the finest house imaginable." Hector said. "Dear fairies what would you all like?"

"We fairies need no reward." Levy said.

"That's right it's our job to help people." Wendy said.

"I see. Now Erza is it?"

"Yes sire." The scarlet haired woman said.