A menacing hiss echoed in the darkness; a sound she hadn't heard since the death of King Rupert. Lingering terror for Erza made her drop her tattered doll and peek into the real world. Serpents surrounded the Regina in droves. The girl vaulted from her position at the table; her tea party unimportant compared to her need to protect Erza.

A large, warm hand upon the queen's arm stopped her from leaping into reality. Her right blue eye, and milky-green left eye landed on the face of an unfamiliar male. She studied the stranger. He was tall, broad, muscular... and judging by the speed he dispatched a snake, quick with a dagger.

She felt Erza's blood react to his presence. She also saw the awareness in the man's silvered hazel gaze. She narrowed her eyes, watching as the stranger guided Erza through the dangers surrounding them. However, she remained poised to leap to the fore should the man hesitate, or stumble. She would allow nothing to happen to her Regina. She was a Warrior, after all.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

When Erza drove away from the campus safely, the girl looked over at the wrought iron table draped in delicate white lace. A large stuffed wolf gazed back at her from across the table. The Eagle, Horse, and Fox toys sat scattered among the empty chairs. Tears burned her cheeks each time she recalled how many Warriors were lost.

One day, we'll find them. Erza will bring them home and no one will ever be forgotten again. She swore to herself. Returning to her seat, she poured invisible tea into a tiny, rose-covered cup. The animals' smiling faces were eerie in the darkness of her world, but any company was better than the bitter loneliness she'd felt after the Massacre.

"Everyone," she said returning to her seat, "I think we'll have one last tea party. We will celebrate our Regina's good health, and remember the past. Then, we'll put the past away, at last. It's finally time to grow up."